This was our 3rd cruise with Carnival and our 13th cruise overall. We have cruised on 6 different cruise lines ranging from the oldest and smallest of 32,000 ton ships to the largest of 252,000 tons. We enjoy cruising on the newer and larger ships.

When we heard that Carnival had a new/large ship sailing out of our home state of Texas, we decided to book it. We are a family of 3 and our daughter took a friend. We booked an inside cabin on deck 8 and a balcony cabin on deck 9. Total cost of these cabins were $5332. Some people think Carnival is the 'cheaper' cruise line. However, we have booked the same type of cabins on other cruise ships for less. After cruising on the Magic, I have to say, this ship wasn't worth the money.

After a 4.5 hr drive, we arrived at the Galveston port at noon. It took about 1hr/15min from dropping off luggage, park, sign/sail, pictures all the way thru the boarding process of the ship. Once on board, we headed to our cabins to drop off our carry on bags then headed to the lido deck for lunch. Right off we noticed the flow and the layout of the food stations and the lines started to form and the lack of seating was an issue on this ship. If you eat on the lido deck, you will have to stand in lines, so pack your patience and not your plates as most of the food is not worth the calories anyways. Read more