We sailed mid September on the new Carnival Magic (ship was launched just last year) out of Galveston TX.
I was very impressed. The ship itself is magnificent. Downright opulent for Carnival! Our cabin was spacious and well thought out. Nice sized balcony with privacy screens from our neighbors.
The Magic has all of your typical features but they've added some I haven't seen on a cruise ship before. Namely a really cool pub with their own beer. It was like a mini Margaritaville at sea! The Magic also has a cool sports bar inside the casino area (one note to Carnival management...a boat full of Americans are NOT interested in watching cricket or soccer! Stick to the big 4 with American guests). The pool area has a large screen for movies and videos. The water park was a big hit with the kids. The ROPES course was pretty cool. I was disappointed that they didn't have a golf instuction program like they do on the Conquest...I was looking forward to hitting golf balls into the ocean! The casino is really big for a cruise ship. Plenty of variation to keep gamblers interested. The theaters are top notch. Nice disco, piano bar, comedy club, etc.