Photo Credit: Cruisehive

Carnival Magic Cruise Ship Review

Last Updated: July 20th, 2022

Cruise Line: Carnival

Ship: Carnival Magic

When: August 12, 2021- August 15, 2021

Itinerary: Bahamas

Ports: Nassau, Bahamas; Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

We sailed on the Carnival Magic in August 2021 to the Bahamas out of Port Canaveral, Florida. Here is our review of the Carnival Magic.

When we sailed, I hadn’t planned on writing a review or becoming a Travel agent at the time. But, now that I am, I have decided to share with you our experience from what I can remember.

When I plan a cruise either for myself or someone else I love to read and watch videos on everything I can find about the Ship, Where we are going, everything I can possibly find cruise related. This is part of the planning process that I love the most.

When we took this cruise it was our very first cruise. We wanted it to be a family cruise. So my husband, I , and our two children went. We went all out on this cruise since it was our first and wanted to experience everything. For 4 people it cost us roughly $3,000.00 for a 4 day cruise in a Balcony room. Now we did buy Wi-Fi, Pay for port parking, A hotel, Shore excursions, and gas to get from where we live in Alabama to Port Canaveral.

Before going on this cruise my husband and I have both our COVID vaccines with the last shot being at least 14 days prior to our boarding date. Our children on the other hand were not able to be vaccinated as it was not offered for them at the time. However, we had to file an exemption that had to be approved prior to them sailing. In order to file for that exemption our booking had to be paid in full and we didn't know if it was approved or not until about 2 weeks before we set sail.

Another requirement before cruising and due to the current COVID Pandemic was that we all had to have a negative COVID test 48 Hours prior to Sailing. The kids had to have another rapid COVID test at the port before boarding. We all got out test done at Walgreens before we headed out the door to start our drive to Florida. We arrived the day before our Cruise was to set sail as we prefer to arrive a day before sailing just in case.

Embarkation

Photo Credit: Carnival

Carnival had staggered check-in Port Canaveral. About 2 weeks before the cruise I logged onto Carnival’s website and selected the 1:00PM-1:30PM check in slot. We arrived at the port via car and dropped our luggage off with the porter before heading in to board.

The embarkation process was smooth and fast. We were escorted to a seating area where we waited for our name to be called so that our kids could have a Covid test done. I think the entire process before we were onboard took about 1 hour due to the kids having to test and wait 15 minutes (that whole process took about 30 minutes). After that we were sent to a line to be checked in.

When It was our turn, We were directed by a Carnival Staff member to a table with another Carnival Staff member. Here we had to show our COVID vaccine records, Proof of our negative COVID test results, Our Passports, Our Driver’s License, and then lastly our Boarding pass. For the kids we had to also show there exemption letter. Once they checked everything off we were directed to the scanners. Here we put our carry-on bags on the belt and my husband cleaned out his pockets before we proceeded through the metal detector. Once we were all clear, we gathered our bags and belongings and proceeded on. We were stopped by a Carnival Photographer who took our embarkation picture in front of a lovely Backdrop of the Carnival Magic. Once we were done here we proceeded up the escalator to the gangway. At the top of the Escalator, we were asked by a Carnival Employee to put our face in front of the scanner, which checked our temperature and scanned our face to ensure we were the person listed on our passports per customs regulations. Once we were all clear here we proceeded up the gangway and finally onto the ship.

On The Ship

Once onboard the ship, we were greeted by a Carnival employee who welcomed us on board, reviewed our boarding pass and scanned it. We were then directed to our muster station which happened to be in the theater straight ahead of where we boarded. Muster Drill done check. Now we were free to explore and enjoy the ship.

Our next stop was to our cabin which was located on Deck 12. Outside our room there was a box in which our Sign & Sail cards were located. We dropped off our carry on and put our luggage which was located outside our room in our room. Our room steward was making rounds and introduced himself and gave us his card in case we needed to call him for anything. He asked us what time of day we preferred our room to be cleaned morning or night. We opted for mornings as we would be out most of the day. We tipped him $20.00. After that we left him $5.00 a day.

Once we were done in our room, It was still early and a long way from Dinner so we made our way to the Lido Deck for some lunch. We ate Guys Burgers for the first time. It was the best and became our number one place to eat onboard the ship.

Cabin Review (Spa Balcony Stateroom)

Our cabin was located on Deck 12 as we stayed in Room 12021 which was a Balcony room and was located on the same room as the Spa. At the time we sailed. I did not know we were entitle to certain Spa perks for being in a Spa room so we did not take advantage of those. I didn’t feel like there were a lot of people coming and going down our hallways and it was not very loud either. Overall it was a nice quiet location. I felt like the cabin was a good size and easy to get around in. I liked that it had a Balcony that we could walkout on and enjoy and we had a very nice unobstructed view from it. I would definitely book this room again without hesitation.

Photo Credit: Carolyn Smith

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Food & Drinks

We really enjoyed all the food that was offered on Carnival Magic. We only ate at the places that were included. We did not take advantage of any of the Specialty Restaurants. We had nothing to complain about when it came to the food. It was all good and there was no shortage of options to eat.

Main Dining Room

Our MDR was the Southern Lights Restaurant which was located on both deck 3 & 4 aft. We primarily ate on Deck 3 Due to having a set dining time as we chose early dining at 6:00 P.M. Also because the dining room was located on aft we had to go to the front of deck 4 and then down to deck 3 to get into the MDR. This was a bit tricky at first As you could not get into the dining room from Deck 3.

We had “My Time Dining” for the main dining room. Which meant we would eat in the Southern Lights dining room at 6:00 p.m. each night. We ate in the main dining room every night we were on board. There was never await for our table. We had the same table and the same dining staff every night. A few night the kids ate with us such as on formal nights but then other nights they preferred to eat on the Lido or to grab a pizza. We enjoyed the service offered so much that we left a tip each night on the table for them (About $5.00 each night).

In the main dining room, trying the chocolate melting cake off the dessert menu its a must have. Trust me you'll be glad you did.

We also enjoyed eating in the MDR for Breakfast at least the kids an I. My husband ate in there once but a few times he preferred the Lido as he wanted to sleep in a little. The MDR has a wonderful breakfast menu with so much to choice from and all so good.

The Southern Lights Restaurant

Photo Credit: Carnival

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Some Other Places We Ate Were:

Guy’s Burger Joint

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

We loved this place especially my husband. We ate there several times primarily for lunch. It is located on deck 10. They were open from 12 noon until 6 p.m.

Blue Iguana Cantina

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

This was another of our favorites. It is conveniently located on deck 10. It was Open 7:30 am to 10:30 am for breakfast. Open 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm for lunch. We ate here for lunch. They have the absolute best Tacos.

Pizzeria Del Capitano

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Photo Credit: Carolyn Smith

We ate here a few times late night because who doesn't want some pizza after a few drinks. This was also my kids favorite place on board as they ate here a lot. They are open 24 hours and can be delivered to your room via room service. Pizzeria Del Capitano is located on Deck 10 and conveniently located near the Tides pool and Bar.

There are so many other places to eat on the ship but we couldn't eat them all especially since we enjoyed eating in the dining room for breakfast and almost every night for Diner.

Bars

We enjoyed a few bar on the ship with our favorite bar being the Alchemy Bar. Most of our drinks came from the Casino as they were free there and we did not purchase a drink package.

The Alchemy Bar Located on Deck 3

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Casino

We spent a lot of time in the Casino, it was one of our favorite places to be. We didn't win anything and spent more money than we had originally intended too. The casino is located on Deck 5. There is a Smoking and a Non-smoking Casino.

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Entertainment, Etc.

Carnival Magic had a lot to offer in Entertainment from Shows, parties, games, and so on. We took advantage of a lot of the shows and took pictures with the Carnival Photographers every chance we got. There was so much to do on the ship. We even enjoyed a game of Bingo. Of course, We didn't win but, it was still a lot of fun.

Photo Credit: Carolyn Smith

Carnival Photos

(Courtesy Of Carnival Photographer)

Our First Formal Night Photos

Itinerary

On our sailing the Carnival Magic we had one formal night, & two sea days in addition to stops in Nassau, Bahamas & Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. We got off in each port. In Nassau, Bahamas Just the husband and I got off as the kids were not vaccinated and could not get off unless we did a bubble tour and they were all booked. So the kids stayed on the ship and enjoyed the pools & slides while we went to port. In Half Moon Cay we all got off as It it had no restrictions.

Nassau, Bahamas

Our first stop was In Nassau, we did not book an excursion here. We just did our own thing. First, We did some shopping in the stores around the port. then we took a taxi over to Atlantis were we played some slots in the Casino. After that we ended our trip with a beach day at Junkanoo Beach close to the port before returning to the ship. You can read about our whole experience Here.

See our Junkanoo Beach Review Here.

Looking for Idea for what to do in Nassau, Bahamas? View our Port Guide Here.

Photo Credit: Carnival

Atlantis

Photo Credit: Carolyn Smith

Junkanoo Beach

Photo Credit: Carolyn Smith

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Our second stop was In Half Moon Cay, Bahamas which is a private Island owned by Holland America that Carnival stops at. We did not book an excursion here we did our own thing. The kids got off at this port with us. We enjoyed a nice beach day, did some kayaking & Enjoyed an Island BBQ. You can see our review of that full experience Here.

Looking for Idea for what to do in Half Moon Cay, Bahamas? View our Port Guide Here.

Photo Credit: Carnival

Photo Credit: Carolyn Smith

Diamonds International

I of course had to stop in and get my Charm for both mine & my daughter bracelet. There was a charm available only in Nassau. it was a Conch Shell.

The Kids

They offer several kids clubs on board the Carnival Magic and they are divided by ages. However, at the time we sailed due to just reopening after COVID, they did not offer these. However, My children still enjoyed there time on board. They spent most of their time on the slides, in the pools, and in the Arcade. We also enjoyed a few rounds of Minnie golf as a family.

The Video Arcade

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Waterworks

Photo Credit: Cruise Deck Plans

Sea Days

We really enjoyed the sea days just as much as the port days. There were so many fun activities and amenities onboard not to mention amazing food and ice cold drinks. There were some days that we were so exhausted that we slept or hung out our room for a few hours.

Debarkation

Debarkation was the saddest day of the entire trip as it always is. However, it was a fast process even though we di not carry our luggage off. We had to wait for our zone to be called and then once of the ship we picked up our luggage. We were off the ship by 10AM. However, we did forget a piece of luggage and had to wait until everyone was off the ship and someone could bring the piece of luggage out as we were not allowed to go back in due to customs. All in all it was a wonderful trip that I would love to do again & highly recommend.

Conclusion

In conclusion we loved this family cruise vacation especially being that it was our first cruise. We loved the ship and loved cruising on Carnival. Our favorite part about this ship was it beautiful glass elevators and atrium.

Photo Credit: Places You'll See

I hope this review helps you plan and get excited about your next cruise vacation.

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