Planning a Carnival Magic Caribbean cruise? This in-depth review shares first-hand tips on cabins, food, onboard entertainment, and family activities.
I haven’t cruised with Carnival yet, but my friend Dawn sailed around the Caribbean on Carnival Magic and kindly agreed to share her experience. What she sent me wasn’t just a few notes about her trip, but a full and honest review packed with tips, photos, and plenty of insight into what life onboard is really like.
If you’re thinking about booking Carnival Magic and want to know what to expect — from the cabins and food to family activities and shore days — this review should give you a great idea of whether it’s the right ship for you.
A little bit about Carnival Magic
This dream class ship is an old girl having entered service in May 2011. She had a makeover in 2021 and now has the new blue external paintwork in line with the new Carnival ships.
Magic is a pretty big ship, accommodating around 3700 guests with 1845 staterooms. Spread over the 14 passenger decks (9 with cabins), there are lounges and bars galore, three swimming pools and eight outdoor jacuzzis.
Why We Chose Carnival Magic
Having been on Magic’s sister ship the Breeze in 2019, we thought we’d try the Magic. It was like putting on a comfy pair of shoes as the layout was the same.
The decor was a little clashy and the ship a little dated, but the ship didn’t disappoint in terms of food, drink, entertainment and overall facilities.
They call Carnival ships fun ships and they really are. From embarkation to disembarkation we were smiling and laughing throughout.
The staff do all they can to ensure you are made to feel looked after and have the best time. What more can you ask for?
Embarkation and first impressions
Check-in was seamless and we showed our vaccination status, ESTA and passports.
Regarding Covid-19, masks are not mandatory anywhere and there are sanitiser spots around the ship. It felt like the ship was being constantly cleaned throughout. It was spotless.
One thing I didn’t take into account when booking was that it was Spring Break time. This meant the ship was sold out but it didn’t feel crowded at all.
Itinerary: where we went
Our cruise was a six night Eastern Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral. It had ports of call of Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk and Amber Cove.
Before the cruise, we stayed in Orlando and took private transport to the port using Platinum Transportation.
Carnival Magic Balcony Room
We were allocated cabin 6298. This was a balcony cabin located mid-ship on deck six. We always go mid-ship as it feels like the most stable part of the ship and is close to everything.
Our cabin was perfectly placed and I would recommend it as it was only a 30 second minute walk to the lift.
As you walked into the cabin, there were ample wardrobes and drawers to put your clothes in and a mirrored dressing table.
There is also a fridge and safe which were most welcome. We brought cans of soft drinks with us for our boy and kept them in our fridge. Note there is a limit of 12 cans for each person.
The bathroom was small, but really how long are you in it? A quick shower and out to explore the fun! In the bathroom there was a shower, toilet and a wash basin with some small shelves.
A handy retractable washing line in the shower was also great to dry your swim stuff and towels on.
Tip: It’s a squeeze in the bathroom and I would recommend taking an over-door shoe hanger for your toiletries!
The cabin also featured a double bed – you can request a twin or a double before sailing. The sofa became a third bed each night for our son and was made up and put away by our steward.
We had a balcony, which was spacious with two chairs and a little table. We looked out onto the promenade deck with a hot tub on the left. It was quiet every time we sat out and watched the world go by and the sunset.
Waking up every morning and pulling back the curtains to see a tropical paradise from our balcony each morning was worth every penny to us.
Tip: if you are travelling with others and have more than one cabin next to each other, you can ask the steward to take down the balcony dividers and have one huge balcony!
What we loved about Carnival Magic
Entertainment and activities
No matter what time of day, in every corner of the ship there is something going on. From daily quizzes while you pick up a coffee to incredible violinists playing renowned pop tunes – Bridgerton style.
There are West End style shows in the theatre every night, which feature magic and music, plus more interactive shows like Catchphrase.
So, be prepared to have fun and be entertained!
The cruise director, Rico, was the heart of the ship and seemed to be everywhere, every minute of every day. His energy got the party started, whether it was rock night or the 80s glow party!
Each night during our meal in the main dining room a magician, Bhushan, stopped by our table. The three children in our party looked out for him every evening and couldn’t wait to see him. He had us all wowed by his tricks. He totally deserves his own show onboard.r
A relaxed dress code
What we love about Carnival is you don’t have to dress up every night and as long as you make an effort to dine that is fine. It’s really laid back and it’s your choice whether you get formal or glammed up or not.
Movies under the stars
The dine-in movies on the Lido deck were also great. It’s a chance to relax with a drink and popcorn and watch some of the latest blockbusters under the stars at sea!
Read more | Carnival Magic balcony cabin review
Themed nights and parties at sea
The ship has themed nights such as white night, formal night and an 80s glow party. It’s not mandatory to join in, but a lot of people do to an extent.
Usually, the party starts in the lobby every evening with dance-offs and then continues late in the night on the lido deck. It feels like the ship never sleeps!
Carnival Magic Dining Review
We did anytime dining and it gave us the freedom to eat when we wanted to. There is also an option to choose early or late dining, but anytime dining suits us best.
When ready, we simply logged into the Hub to book in. This worked brilliantly and despite being a big party of 11, we never waited more than 15 minutes for a table.
Note if you are a group over ten, book your whole party in up to 10 and then see the staff in the dining room and they will add on the others to your party.
All menus for the dining room are on the hub app and you can also access them via a QR code on the tables. This caused a little confusion for the older people in our party the first day or so, but they got used to it quickly.
There were so many options for all courses and vegetarians in the party were catered for pretty well and staff were attentive to all our needs. Whatever you do, do not leave the ship without having a chocolate melting pot dessert – it is to die for and is a signature dish on Carnival liners.
Like most cruises, food is in abundance all day and night! There is a fresh pizza station, the famous Guy’s burgers, Mexican food and a whole buffet section with everything you could want and more.
There is also the Smokehouse barbecue on sea days, but be fast there as the queues grow so quickly!
If you want to splash the cash there is also a steak house, Cucina del Capitano Italian speciality restaurant, seafood snack stop and sushi bar where you can upgrade and pay to eat.
We also tried out the afternoon tea. Being British it was a must try for us! This was in another dining room and was a stunning location. We were sat at sea level with great views of the open water. This could do with improvement with more cake and sandwich options, but you couldn’t fault the service.
Carnival drinks and the cheers package
Carnival offers a drinks package which includes alcohol, cocktails and specialty coffees.
We paid around $60 dollars a day, per person. You have to have it for the duration of the cruise and all adults in the cabin must purchase it if one is going for it.
It can be tricky if one of you is a big drinker and the other is not, so you have to weigh up whether it’s worth it. This is paid for before the cruise and you get a slight discount. However, you can also purchase onboard early in the cruise.
You can have up to 15 drinks a day using the package and for us it took the worry away of having a big bill at the end of the cruise. We didn’t get anywhere near our daily limit, but still found it pretty good value.
Miami Vice, Twilight Zone and Mudslide cocktails were a firm favourite around the ship.
Also, check out the Alchemy Bar where they can make up every concoction known to man! It’s entertaining just watching the bar staff do their thing.
However, we loved nothing more than getting a drink from the Blue Iguana on the Lido deck where it was always a hub of activity.
The Redfrog Pub is also always a fun spot to stop for a drink and worth checking out.
Find out more about the Cheers drinks package that Carnival offer.
Is Carnival Magic family friendly?
Our party, which included three children under ten, loved every minute of the cruise.
On the Magic, there is a Dr Seuss Parade as well as a Cat in the Hat Character breakfast where you can eat Green Eggs and Ham while meeting the famous book characters.
There was an additional charge for the breakfast, but it’s good value. The food is weird and wacky but helped us make great memories. It sells out quickly, so I recommend you book early if you would like to do this. Find out more (and book) Dr Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast.
Another highlight for the kids was Build A Bear at Sea. It is not cheap, but we again bought vouchers beforehand and then just paid for the outfit on the day.
There was about a 30-minute wait to build the bear but the Carnival staff made the time go by quickly by having colouring sheets for the children and the host kept everyone updated. We bought a bear, well a dinosaur in my son’s case, for $28 via cruise cash.
There are Carnival accessories- ship T-shirts and Captain outfits – to dress your cuddly, which makes it even more special. Again this activity sells out so quickly so it is worth booking early.
On the top deck, there is a rope course in the sky, which was also a firm favourite and a great addition to the ship for the youngsters. The crazy golf course was also a big hit and we found ourselves up there playing a few times.
The ship’s flumes and slides were also a must for the kids. They loved going down them time after time and there are lots of seating locations around to watch them slide on down!
Magic’s kids’ club Camp Ocean is also available throughout the cruise for children of all ages. Our party used it a couple of times for a few hours here and there.
Our children were in the Stingray group and enjoyed colouring, computers and games as well as a range of activities like making an exploding volcano!
Carnival hub app – your cruise companion
This is a must-have! Download it before you leave, it will be your friend throughout your cruise.
It has all activities updated daily. You can favourite activities and plan your day. It also features shore excursion details, weather, menus and details of your account and spending.
There is also a chat option where you can pay $5 each to link in and connect with other members of your party.
The daily newspaper The Fun Times is back (during the pandemic delivery was stopped) and is being delivered to rooms each night. It has similar information to The Hub. The older members of our party loved having the Fun Times delivered each night.
Shore excursions and port days
Carnival offers an array of paid-for activities in port. Because we had beautiful beaches and facilities on our doorstep we didn’t feel the need to go on many excursions.
Half Moon Cay
With its white powder sand and crystal blue sea Half Moon Cay was paradise and we didn’t feel the need to do more.
My parents went on a swim with the stingray’s excursion and really enjoyed the experience. It was a short truck ride across the island and the experience was an hour or so.
We did hire a clamshell with shade complete with two loungers, which was worth every penny as they’re isn’t much shade.
Tip: There is a free barbecue on the island a few minutes walk off the beach.
Grand Turk
Again the beach is directly right by the port. We caught a short taxi to Osprey Beach Resort and spent a few hours there as we got married there in 2019.
The sea is so blue and so much quieter than the beach at the port, which gets very busy.
We loved going back and enjoyed a couple of cocktails and sat on the beach before heading to the rest of our party on the main beach.
Tip: Get water shoes as the beach/sea is really rocky.
Amber Cove
Everything we needed was right there. Again due to it being a complex of bars and pools and shops, we didn’t feel the need to go on an excursion.
Tip: check out the hilltop bar. The views are worth it and you get great views of the ship! Plus the cocktails are great.
Carnival Wi-Fi packages: are they worth it?
Carnival offers various wifi packages, but be warned they are expensive.
I had the social media package ($12.75 a day) as I like keeping up with what is going on. It worked well enough, but when we go again I’ll just stick to messaging our party on the Hub app and use wi-fi when off-ship in port.
I just didn’t use it enough to warrant the price tag as I was too busy having fun!
Final thoughts
Carnival isn’t high-end luxury like Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, but you are still made to feel like you are on a vacation of a lifetime and we lapped up every minute of it.
You get to visit some incredible places with Carnival. Half Moon Cay is absolute paradise and the ship overall doesn’t falter. It has everything you could need.
We love Carnival and will be back. It was truly a ‘Magic’ vacation!
The last word
After reading Dawn’s review, I completely understand why so many people love Carnival’s “fun ship” vibe. Carnival Magic seems to strike that perfect balance between lively and laid-back, with plenty for kids to enjoy and just as much for adults who want to relax or dance the night away under the stars.
If you’re after a cruise that’s colourful, full of personality, and guaranteed to keep everyone entertained, Carnival Magic looks like a brilliant choice.
Have you cruised with Carnival before? I’d love to hear what you thought, let me know in the comments below.
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