My husband, teenage son and I were on the CostaMagica 5-day Western Caribbean sailing 4/16/06-4/21/06, and we had a MAGNIFICENT time! The ship is simply beautiful: hints of Italy everywhere, with a little "whimsy" thrown in (if you have an eye for detail, you'll find plenty here!). The Magica is kept impeccably clean: at any given time, we would often see workers cleaning the decks, polishing glass, etc. And the staff - I cannot say enough about them: they were wonderful! We were ALWAYS greeted with a smile and a "Good Morning, Afternoon," etc. as they would pass us in the corridors. They were some of the friendliest we've encountered through numerous ships and cruise lines.

To address some of the specifics:

Embarkation: We arrived at the pier around 2:00 and were on the ship by 3:20! Pretty good, considering the ship was at capacity (3000+ passengers)! My only "gripe" here - and this is minor! - was the Embarkation photo: Instead of having each party pose in front of a nice background (like most cruise lines do), they took our picture while we were standing in line to board, with a girl in a sailor suit holding a "Costa Magica" life preserver standing with us (and a crowd of people behind us) - kind of a tacky way to do it, I think (Sorry, Costa - but I know you can do better!). Once onboard, our cabins were ready, and off we were, to explore the ship - and the buffet! Read more