Let me start by admitting that I'm a bit of a cruise snob. I've been on many different cruise lines from the 160 passenger Windstar to the 6000+ passenger Oasis of the Seas -Royal Caribbean's largest ship that has yet to be matched in size. My preference would be to take Oceania cruises every time for the food and service as well as the low key atmosphere. Unfortunately my tastes and resources don't quite match up (Oceania is much more expensive per day and tends to have 10-14 day or longer cruises - ain't nobody got time for dat)! So I was a little hesitant when our cruising companions suggested the Carnival Magic for our annual gathering at sea. As we were a big group with diverse ages from 7 to well over 70, we needed to be on a ship with something for everyone in terms of tastes and activities - not to mention something affordable for our friends with kids. Carnival Magic fits the bill in every aspect.

Throughout the first few days I kept looking for reasons to confirm that Carnival didn't meet my standards. First, the cabin steward didn't introduce himself right away or show us the cabin features (as was done on Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines). At breakfast they ran out of silverware at one station and I had to walk to the other side of the buffet to look for more. Also the servers didn't come around to refill your coffee at your table at breakfast like they do on other ships I've been on and the service was slow at the main dining room the first few nights.

But then slowly I started to notice the positives. On other ships, prime lounge chairs are gone by 7 am with people dropping their personal items on a chair and then going back to bed or to breakfast, returning hours later or disappearing for long stretches throughout the day. However on Carnival the "no saving seats" rule is strictly enforced and we were able to find prime seating locations on the pool deck throughout the day. Carnival also has a 21 and over "Serenity" area where we found plenty of open lounges. Also, Carnival's affordability allowed us to upgrade to a balcony cabin, which is more expensive on Royal Caribbean and a small fortune on Oceania. Having our own private refuge from the hustle and bustle of the main pool deck areas met my need for some down time and a more private sunning spot. That being said, the only time the ship felt crowded was on the first day at sea when everyone seemed to have gone to breakfast at the same time - and even that didn't require more than a five minute wait for a made to order omelette. Read more