Carnival Magic Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We read a lot of complaints about this ship but we honestly enjoyed it! This was our second cruise, with the first being on a smaller Royal Caribbean ship.
Embarkation- it was a little slow getting luggage dropped off with the porters. It would have been much faster to just drive into the garage and carry our luggage to curbside ourselves. Once we dropped off bags, we were checked in and on the ship in 20 minutes.
The ship- was busy on the Lido deck for lunch but we were able to get Mongolian Wok noodles (yum!) and find a spot to sit. The crew was wandering around with "Sail Away Special" drinks which we got, of course. Our room was ready upon boarding at 1:30 and it was spotless. 4 of us (2 adults, 2 teens) shared a balcony room. It was tight but comfortable with plenty of storage. I am a light sleeper and took earplugs so night time was dead silent for me- LOL. We got up early and were able to find comfy chairs at the Tides pool at the back of the ship- much quieter and we sat on deck 11 in the sofa/chair loungers. Close enough to the pool for a quick dip but with a view of the ocean. On a sea day, you need to get up there by 8:30 or so in order to find a spot. We just thought of it as outdoor breakfast. Several people have mentioned smoke from the casino and movement of the ship. Those are both true. We did smell smoke around the casino and atrium areas close to it. It wasn't awful, but it was noticeable. Also, there was more rocking and swaying than on the much smaller RCL ship we cruised on before. None of us are prone to seasickness but we noticed the movement.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Spacious, plenty of storage, kept clean. We requested twice a day cleaning since there were 4 of us.
Port Reviews
Amber Cove (Puerto Plata)
Outback Terracross was amazing. Good, muddy fun followed by a nice meal. We got to see a lot of the Dominican countryside.
Grand Turk
My "very good" is only because we changed to the quiet side of the beach (to the right of the pier as you exit). I called the busy side "Grand Twerk" because you could hear the DJ blaring music at the pool and yelling at girls to "go to work" up on stage for the audience and earn a free drink. By the time we moved, it had deteriorated to the DJ talking drunk people down from the bar. Once we moved away from that area it was quiet and peaceful. Honestly, I think we will rent a golf cart or take the trolley to a different area next time.