My family recently came back from Thanksgiving cruise on Carnival Magic and I wanted to share my overall thoughts on the experience. Our last Carnival cruise took place 11 years ago, and at the time my husband requested that we never step foot on this line again. The reason? Drunk passengers galore and all kinds of inappropriate behavior.
So, I was surprised when he said that we should take advantage of his Carnival match offer since both of our kids have been begging to go on a cruise. Originally, I was planning to use Chase Ultimate Rewards in order to book a second cabin via regular rate. But then I got a free cruise offer in my name as well. We went ahead and paid around $350 extra for my MIL to join us. That seemed like a good deal for a 6-night Thanksgiving cruise to the Caribbean. Our total cost was around $1,400 for five people occupying two oceanview cabins on Deck 1.
Obviously, there were other costs, like crew tips, excursions, parking, internet package and so on. Still, that’s a pretty stellar deal, all things considered. My husband said that even if the cruise ended up being a bust, it would not be a huge financial loss. Fortunately, we were both pleasantly surprised by the experience and in fact, he said he would be willing to go on Carnival again (for the right price). We were not super impressed by our 2019 cruise on Royal Caribbean and unlike most folks, actually prefer Carnival.
Can’t beat seeing this sunset from the deck
Of course, when paying regular price, neither cruise line would make the cut. I would go with Holland America, NCL and Princess, in that order. But for what we paid, it would be obnoxious to complain. We got a tremendous value despite some problems, which I will address in a minute. Clearly, Carnival is doing something right, as our ship was completely sold out. That said, there are some things you should be aware of when choosing Carnival, especially when cruising over holidays.
What I didn’t like
1) Crowds galore/loud passengers
If you are looking for relative peace and quiet on your cruise, Carnival is to be avoided at all costs. Especially during holiday sailings. My husband is an introvert, so this is a problem for him. On top of it, we have encountered some unruly unsupervised kids. One group in particular (my husband called them “the demon pack”) was the bane of his existence. They ran through the hallways, screamed for no reason, you get the idea. Naturally, the parents were nowhere to be found.
If possible, avoid holiday sailings like the plague. We had no choice, as our kids are in public school. That said, we had not witnessed any drunk behavior whatsoever. Perhaps we were lucky, but most passengers were courteous and pleasant. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, even if they were a bit too loud at expressing it.
So, I would have to say that Carnival’s nasty reputation (drunk passengers, fist fights etc.) is a bit exaggerated. You may encounter it, as Nancy did on her Carnival cruise. But I wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee. What is guaranteed, however, is a lot of noise and packed pools/hot tubs/elevators.
The same can be said for buffet. Eating there was a stressful experience, and we tried to avoid it. But all the things I’ve mentioned apply to Royal Caribbean as well.
2) Tacky decor
The theme on Carnival Magic is definitely not my cup of tea, though I’ve seen worse.
My MIL actually said the light fixtures look like green boobs, and I couldn’t unsee it. That sassy grandma.
3) Some problems with maintenance
One of our readers who recently sailed on Carnival Magic has mentioned it, and I tend to agree. When we first went to the buffet after boarding the ship, I saw water dripping right on the tables from several pipes. This is a problem, though they did fix it by the next day. But overall, the ship looked a bit worn out and in my opinion, needs to go into dry dock ASAP.
While the staterooms were mostly OK, they can also use a refresh. The furniture has seen better days and the carpet was old.
The word I would use to describe the Magic is “tired.” But YMMV, as newer Carnival ships will likely be in much better shape.
4) Unreliable internet access and terrible Carnival app
We paid almost $150 for premium package, so my husband could connect to his team at work. Unfortunately, internet was slow as molasses in our stateroom, though at least he could receive text messages. We made do, but I expected more for that price, especially since Carnival recently switched to Starlink. Perhaps it’s the case of YMMV. The Carnival HUB app is also awful and doesn’t work half the time.
5) Limited supplies in medical bay
This may be a problem on other cruise ships as well, but I thought it bears mentioning. On the very first day of the cruise my MIL got her arm hit by closing elevator door, causing it to bleed. Unfortunately, we didn’t pack bandaids large enough to cover the wound, hence the trip to medical bay. They charged us $7.50 per special surgical bandaid (fair enough, since we had no other options), but would only sell us 7. In fact, I had to beg to even get that, as the nurse said he could only spare 4 total. He said they have a limited number of large bandaids on the ship. Hmm, seems like a very basic thing to stock up on, especially when you have almost 4 thousand people on the ship.
Make sure you pack bandaids and other medical supplies you may need, especially if you have old people in your party. This was a wake-up call, and I will make sure we are better prepared next time we take my MIL with us. That said, we made do and didn’t let this unpleasant incident ruin our trip. I have just submitted an insurance claim for $50, but if it doesn’t get reimbursed, I won’t be losing sleep over it.
Things we liked about the cruise
1) Reasonably comfortable and well-designed staterooms
The decor won’t win any awards, but otherwise, I was pleasantly surprised. The stateroom was way better compared to one we got on Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas.
The beds were quite comfortable and linens were of decent quality.
My son slept on a sofa bed in MIL’s stateroom and had no complaints.
A huge benefit for families: deluxe oceanview staterooms have a separate bath with a sink, as well as regular shower with a toilet.
Everything in the room was basic, but clean and in working order.
2) The food wasn’t exceptional, but quite good
I love food on Holland America and to me, Carnival isn’t even close. That said, we enjoyed everything we ate, and I have no complaints. The presentation was more basic compared to Princess and Holland America, but that’s not a dealbreaker to me.
The buffet has a decent variety of dishes. Some photos from breakfast:
My son is a picky eater, but he had no problem finding something he liked.
We mostly skipped lunch, but I did enjoy Mongolian wok section:
I also loved Mexican food from BlueIguana Cantina, located next to Lido buffet:
I really liked pizza on the ship, though forgot to take any photos.
We had all of our dinners and some breakfasts in the main dining room. Here are photos of the breakfast dishes:
Here are photos of dinner dishes:
Lobster was complimentary on the formal night, a big hit with my family. I would give food a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I honestly think that most regular families (who don’t have a private chef at home) will enjoy it. I should also add that all the workers in the dining room were super friendly and attentive, despite being very busy.
3) Incredible amenities for families with kids
If you have kids, this is a compelling reason to pick Carnival over Holland America or Princess. All the children on the ship, including mine, were having a blast. Check out this water park:
I actually went down the water slides myself and it was fun.
There is a basketball court:
Miniature golf:
A rope course that my son decided to brave despite being scared:
While it costs extra ($1.50 to $5 per ride), the game arcade on the ship is quite impressive:
My kids didn’t want to leave
Originally, my children didn’t want to go to teen clubs, but I insisted. Both ended up liking it enough to go back. They have lots of various activities to keep teens occupied.
4) Movies under the stars and silent disco on the pool deck
There were at least two to three movies shown each evening, which was pretty cool.
Something I always thought was lame, but ended up enjoying was silent disco. My daughter wanted me to come with her, and we had a blast together. You get special headphones and dance the night away. It looks silly to others, but when in Rome…
5) Serenity area for adults and affordable spa passes
If you want to get away from kids, those are your two best options. Serenity area (no extra cost) is meant for adults who are 21+, so it’s less crazy than the rest of the ship. Believe it or not, I was able to find loungers here even on sea days.
There is also a bar here and a few hot tubs. The cost of most mixed drinks is $12 plus tip. I tried a few and they were quite good.
Now let’s talk about the spa relaxation area. If you don’t want to buy a pass for the whole cruise ($149 for six days), check your options via app on the day of the sailing. That’s how I was able to snag 2-day passes for me and my husband for $55 per person. The days have to be consecutive. That’s actually quite cheap, as I paid $49 for just one day during our Princess cruise to Alaska.
It does seem like they allow more people to access the spa area, but I still enjoyed it immensely. There is a thalassotherapy pool, heated lounges and several steam rooms.
I spent several hours here during both days and highly recommend it, especially for $55.
Another perk of using a spa relaxation center is the ability to use nice showers afterwards:
4) Amazing trio of violin players
This was a definite highlight and something I didn’t expect to see on a Carnival cruise. A classy touch indeed. The trio had several performances in the main atrium each day, and I thoroughly enjoyed them all. My daughter did too.
They mostly performed modern songs and some old classics. Thumbs up, way up! I was surprised that nobody clapped, but me and my daughter made sure to show our appreciation.
Final thoughts
While some of the complaints I’ve mentioned may be dealbreakers for some (which is fair), they aren’t for me and my husband. We both agreed that we would consider Carnival again if the price is right, but only when sailing with our kids. However, next time I would try to pick a newer ship, which should solve the main issue we’ve encountered, which is maintenance.
But all in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on Carnival Magic. My husband and I got some alone time, but we also had a lot of quality time as a family. Those two-hour dinners made sure of that!
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Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Aleks Interesting feedback, thanks for sharing!
I do agree that dinners took too long. I thought perhaps it was due to the ship being completely full, but looks to be a pattern. We didn’t have this issue on Holland America or Princess.
Overall, I think it’s the case of different strokes to different folks. We met a guy who is a millionaire ( or so he says), who cruises full-time, exclusively on Carnival ships. That would not be my first choice, for sure. But we had a lot of fun as a family, and I can’t complain, especially considering the price.
Went cruising as a couple on the same ship in October for 8 days to Southern Caribbean. I can agree on most of your review, although I liked the Magic decor overall.
For us it was the buffet breakfast that lacked options (so we ate few egg benedicts most of mornings and salads), but lunches/dinners were sufficient with options – actually better than on our Holland America cruise. My wife dislikes the wait and style of food in the dining room, so we went once together and she skipped it afterwards. I went alone for a few dinners and experience was decent (food-wise), but took 1.5-2 hours each time (should be quicker in my opinion). One of the highlights of buffet dinners were special salads which were pretty tasty and healthy. Additionally we spoke to the main Chef and he agreed to make some improvement to the menu for the future.
We enjoyed the sports deck – it is massive and had nice breeze in the evening.
Also enjoyed the Spa for free, as we stayed in the spa-themed cabin on 11th deck – especially warm beds. Spa needs to be refurbished with most equipment start failing or/and showing wear-and-tear.
Carnival definitely draws a different type of clientèle – “Fun ships” slogan fits well with majority of people there just wanted to sip cocktails, sit by the pool or in the jacuzzi and be entertained by cheap comedians. Or it seems like it anyhow… We’ve encountered a lot of binge-drinking groups, both on ship and on shore, although not aggressive but loud. The main security issue was that many cruisers did not stick to designated smoking places but spread to most public areas (we’re non-smokers so it did bother us a lot on sea days, and there was little resistance to them from the ship’s security team).
Another issue was at both port stops at Donimican Republic, with exits only allowing to go through duty-free shops: both places mostly sell alcohol and had multiple (unavoidable) tasting tables for people coming ashore. This is really unacceptable as it force kids to see and smell it all, plus for cruisers who are not interested in alcohol or other souvenirs and just want to go directly to taxi stand or a pool (Carnival-provided with super-loud music). It was a huge turn-off for us! Therefore most likely we won’t be sailing with Carnival in foreseeable future at all.
Happy travels!!
@Jody That’s hilarious! I wonder how many “Carnival match” people were on the ship. Probably quite a few.
We aren’t big on attending production shows, so I can’t comment on the quality. In general, it’s the least important aspect of cruising for us. We rarely attend them, as most are kind of mediocre IMO. I’m perfectly happy just listening to some low-key violin performances, and Carnival delivered in that regard (surprisingly enough!)
It’s funny you’ve mentioned free drinks in the casino. I was tempted to take advantage, but since I don’t gamble, it just seemed awkward. I felt like I’ve already got a super deal. That’s part of the reason I didn’t try to get a partial refund on internet package, which I normally would if I paid regular rate.
Sadly, I feel like the “free cruise” train is reaching its final station. But I hope I’m wrong, and maybe something else will come along. Either way, I have no complaints.
We did the same cruise as well!!! My wife and I were free and paid for our 13 and 15 year old which was about $1200 (prior to the $200 credit). We were on deck 9. My feedback is pretty much in line with yours. The ship was old and worn and can use an update, but I was pleasantly surprised that the passengers were well behaved and nice overall. The Blue Iguana was definitely our families favorite, but Guy’s burgers was good too and we paid to go to the Italian restaurant one night which was also excellent. Overall, I though the food was a little worse though than you and would probably give it a 3 out of 5. I also thought that the entertainment was somewhat lacking (especially on sea days) compared to Royal Caribbean and other ships I had been on. One thing you didn’t mention was the drinks getting comped at the casino. Although we are not huge drinkers, it was nice and we popped in a couple of times just to get virgin daquiris for the kids. I generally liked the itinerary as well with the stops in Nassau, Grand Turk, and the Dominican Republic. Overall, my expectations weren’t high going in, but we definitely enjoyed ourselves so much that we are looking at cruising again next Thanksgiving. Only question now is if we can get more free cruises!!!
@projectx Fair enough and I actually agree with you! Time is the most precious commodity of all, and can not be replaced. That’s why I’ve mentioned these issues instead of glossing over them.
In our case we knew we would be taking the kids somewhere and spending a certain amount of money over Thanksgiving break. So we figured this Carnival deal is a decent option to consider, especially since the kids have been asking to go on a cruise. Would I book it for a couple’s getaway? Not a chance.
Kids screaming through the hallways, unsupervised kids, everyone loud and over the top, water dripping from pipes, and I’m very happy you didn’t encounter drunks and/or fistfights… but the odds of an encounter is exponentially higher on Carnival than any other cruise line.
A good deal is tempting. But my vacation days cannot be returned, bartered, or budgeted. Once time passes, it’s gone, and there’s no way to slow it down or get more. I’m just not willing to roll the dice on Carnival.
@Alex Very cool! Yeah, for families with kids there is a lot to love about Carnival ships. Mine loved it, though my son is currently in a “broody teenager” phase and is hard to impress in general. He actually was sad about us not buying him internet package, but got over it when he saw how much there is to do on the ship. My daughter loves anything travel related and she said it was her best vacation ever. We got to do a lot of activities together, for some reason she likes to be my buddy. Can’t beat that!
I looked at the price we paid and I made a mistake in the post. We did pay close to $1,500 total not factoring in $400 in onboard credit. For some reason, we got a refund of $75 in port fees, so I guess it’s closer to $1,400. I’ll update the post.
we were on the same cruise, on deck 1 too! We did almost exactly the same, as my wife and I both got the offer and we had 3 kids, so 5 of us total as well. We did pay a bit more than you though. It was about $1,500 not factoring in prepaid gratuities and the $200 on board credit each room. But agree with your review and we were pleasantly surprised. My two older kids (12 and 5) both said it was their favorite vacation ever, even better than Disneyworld.