If the Carnival Magic is the best ship and/or class of ship that Carnival has to offer then they leave a lot to be desired. We were not overly impressed. I'm sure some of that has to do with the fact that we cruised the Oasis of the Seas last year. Although both newer ships for their respective companies, they can not be compared in any fair way. That being said, here is my review of the Magic.

Embarkation was not an issue for us because there was no fog delay on January 15th, 2012. We arrived at the port, walked directly in to the terminal and proceeded straight to the counter. We were on board by 11:30 in the morning and encountered no delays or problems of any kind.

First impressions. Nice atrium upon entering the ship. Atrium bar looked inviting. We headed up to the Lido deck to hit the buffet. The basic buffet was not that good, in fact it was bad. I know, food tastes vary for everyone, but I did hear some complaints right off the bat. We proceeded to tour the ship after a brief lunch. Pools looked small and very Carnival-like to me. Pool area under the big screen was nice with many different seating options on two levels. The aft pool area seemed like i nice place to hang out too. The Promenade deck, the heart of the ship, was very similar to the Carnival Conquest's promenade. In fact, the ship in general reminded me of the Conquest, only newer with some improvements. Liked the outdoor area along the promenade with the hot tubs and the bar like atmosphere on the port side of the ship. Read more