Carnival Magic Cruise: 8-day Exotic Eastern Caribbean from Port Canaveral

February 2022

Carnival Magic in Grand Turk February 18, 2022.

We went on a 7-day western Caribbean cruise on Carnival Magic from this cruise port in 2018. You can find additional info about the Magic in that post, and more photos in the 2018 Carnival Magic Facebook album. 

Booking and pre-cruise

This is the first cruise we have been on that we booked after the pandemic started. We had two cruises that cancelled, and Carnival was giving on board credits for rebooking a cancelled cruise. I was not initially interested in booking a replacement cruise, as we still had two B2B cruises in November and December 2021 that did not cancel. My husband talked me into it because he could not give up the $600 on board credit! We did let the first cancellation, of the four cruises we had booked prior to COVID-19, go by the wayside when that one cancelled. I was also not excited about this cruise because it was replacing our trip on the newly upgraded Radiance (which we did not get to go on), and we had already been on the Magic a few years ago. The itinerary was a plus though, as it was pretty much the same as the one on the cancelled Radiance cruise.

Many folks in the Facebook group for this sailing said they received wonderful upgrade offers for minimal cost, although we did not receive any offers. Online check-in for diamond and platinum guests opened up 16 days before the cruise, and boarding zones went quickly. We checked in before 8:00 AM, and received boarding zone A03.

View of Port Canaveral from Carnival Magic spa cabin 12038.

Arrival and check-in at Port Canaveral

Our arrival appointment was for 10:00 - 10:30 AM. We arrived about five minutes after 10:00, and the terminal area was quite full. It only took us a few minutes to complete check-in, and then we were directed to the general waiting area. It appeared that there was a VIP waiting area in this terminal that became full right before we completed check-in. An agent walked behind the person completing our last check-in step right before we finished, and told everyone, "No more diamond and platinum." When the boarding process started, guests were called in the following order: guests with suites, diamond guests, and then zone A01. We did not see anyone move toward the boarding area until zone A01 was called. The agent had told us all to board when zone A01 was called (our son had boarding zone A01). We were on board around 11:00 AM. 

Departing Port Canaveral; view from Carnival Magic spa cabin 12038.

Spa balcony cabin 12038

Our son's room steward on deck 6 was just finishing his cabin after we boarded, although our cabin was not ready until after 12:30 PM. 

Carnival Magic spa cabin 12038.

This is a typical spa balcony cabin; however, there are a couple of things worth noting. Deck 12 is the first floor under serenity deck, and there is no roof over the balconies on this floor. I suppose this is nice if you want lots of sun, and the view is better without the roof. However, without a roof, there is no shade, and you cannot sit outside when it is raining. If the balcony door is open when it rains, the floor and foot of the bed will get wet. It rained at least three different times (for only a short period) during our cruise. 

This cabin is not in a quiet area like we expected for a spa floor. We could hear noise from lido deck when on the balcony, or if the balcony door was open, and the overall noise in this room seemed much noisier than we usually experience. We could hear our neighbor's phone ring, commotion inside their rooms, and one day they blared their music on the outside balcony when apparently everyone was inside the cabin (we could not hear any voices). The music in the video above is much quieter than the volume had been right before I started recording.

Dining room breakfast: Corned Beef Hash above,
Masala Dosa below.

Food and beverages

Again, check out my previous blog posts for more details about dining options. Following are a few things that were new on the Magic since 2018, or that I did not write about before.

Breakfast

• Dining room breakfast is still my favorite meal! Corned Beef Hash and Egg was different, and I tried a new item; Masala Dosa. Although Masala Dosa was flavorful, mine did not look anything like the photo posted on John Heald's page. The photo John posted looks more appetizing than what I received (my photo above).

• Sea Day Brunch was extremely packed every morning, and the check-in app was not working correctly two of the days. The salad tower continues to come out differently every time, and the bagels and tomato portion are not included unless you request it. Pancetta Scrambled had good flavor, except I could only eat a small portion of it because it was extremely salty.

Pancetta Scrambled at Sea Day Brunch on Carnival Magic.

One negative about the breakfast foods on this ship, is that the eggs were always undercooked unless they were scrambled. Although I do not like overcooked eggs, I do not like the whites runny either. The Broken Egg Sandwich ran out while eating, as the inside was not cooked. Egg whites were runny in all of the following dishes: Breakfast Board (supposed to be soft boiled), eggs-over-easy, Breakfast Bowl, and Eggs Benedict (at breakfast and brunch).

Lunch

• Guys Pig and Anchor was only open on sea days, and on the day we boarded. The least busy time was right after we boarded, and when we went through a patch of rain one afternoon.
• Cucina del Capitano was open almost every day at noon (no charge for lunch).
• Guys' Burger Joint, BlueIguana Cantina, Carnival Deli, Seafood Shack (extra charge), Pizzeria, and Lido buffet were open every day.
• Sushi (extra charge) and Light Lunch in Ocean Plaza were not open every day. You can check location hours for each day in the app, if you want to plan your meals. I tried to visit Ocean Plaza for lunch the day we were in St. Kitts, and neither location was open.  
• Tandoor, which I loved in 2018, is no longer on this ship.

Complimentary house wine in steakhouse first evening.

Dinner

• Steakhouse: We dined in the steakhouse the first evening. Although things were mostly great, we did run into a few snafus. Reservations were behind schedule. We observed guests at the bar waiting a half hour for their reservation times, and we had about a 15-minute delay for our table. We were told our reservation had been cancelled (no refund; just removed). Possibly, we were not the only guests this happened to, and that contributed to the delays. We were not offered wine until we requested it. We each ordered steak, and one of the three was served cool/cold, as if they had not all been prepared at the same time. The flavor was still delicious. The Risotto appetizer was twice the portion size expected, although I did not see or taste any crab in it.
• Dining room: We had to see the maitre d' for a table assignment, because our confirmed early dining reservations had been changed to YTD. Our dining request times all showed confirmed in our profiles the day before we boarded, so I do not understand how this happened. The dining room menu and foods were pretty much the same as previous cruises.

Second [fully stocked] java cafe on deck 4. 

Beverages

• The line at the coffee shop/Plaza Cafe in Ocean Plaza was often 15+ people long in the mornings. There are always two coffee bars on every ship we have been on. The second one on the Magic is in the new casino annex bar on deck 4 - no line, ever!
• Red Frog Pub: excellent Happy Hour specials on the day we boarded, and on some port days.
• Blue Iguana Tequila Bar: Great margaritas, and the pitcher is an excellent value. Pitchers were on special one of the port days, although I do not recall which day.

Above: view of deck 5 and whirlpool tub from spa cabin 12038.
Below: View of San Juan from serenity deck on Carnival Magic.

Pools and outside areas

Serenity deck and the ropes course were closed in the mornings our first two sea days, as it was extremely windy. The main pool area and serenity deck were usually quite full. There were always plenty of seats available outside on deck 5, and the whirlpool tubs on this deck were not usually crowded. We were lucky to get a covered eggshell on serenity deck with a good view the day we were in San Juan. We played mini-golf in Sports Square on our last sea day in the evening, as this area was quite deserted. I am not sure if the bar in this area is still in use. We never saw it open, and Sea Dogs was no longer there. There were a couple of good movies on the outside screen. Popcorn is no longer complimentary; it was available for purchase.

Carnival Magic spa: loungers in laconium above,
and tepidarium below. 

Spa

The first time we tried to visit the spa on a sea day, the therapy pool and loungers were all full. When we tried on a port day, the pool was closed for cleaning. We did get to visit all of the included areas before the end of our cruise; just not the first times we tried. I liked the oriental steam room best. The heated loungers and pool were also nice. There were several free pamper parties and hair shows that are listed in the activities schedule.

Entertainment and activities

There were a few extra daytime activities, like digital scavenger hunt and charades, although most inside activities were trivia and bingo. And oddly, the unique afternoon activities were on port days rather than sea days. Most of the shows in the showroom had not changed in recent years. We saw two new evening shows that were great: Rock 'N Roll Piano Show, and a western/cowboy ropes actor. I do not recall the name of the western show, and it is not listed in any of the activity schedules I brought home (I am missing two; second sea day, and our first port day in St. Marteen). The show was later in the week, so it was not printed on the schedule. There were also three different comedians, and mask wearing was enforced in the comedy lounge.

I suggest attending the Shore Excursion show, which is usually in the showroom in the morning the day before the first port. They give away some prizes, and I actually won a shore excursion!

Platinum gifts received on Carnival Magic February 2022.

Platinum perks and past guest party

We picked up our gifts (koozie wraps and ship pins) at Pixels. We did not notice until after we returned to our cabin, that we had received two different generic ship pins. I received one for 2022, and my husband received the same 2021 pin we had received on the Valor in November/December. We were glad the gift was not a luggage tag! We declined those gifts on the Valor, as we already have six of them.

Chocolate delight platinum perk on Carnival Magic February 2022.

We all picked up our complimentary water at one of the bars without touching any of the bottles in the cabins (not even to consume and replace). On the last evening, there was a charge to both our cabins for a bottle of water from the cabin, and we had to go to guest services for a refund. When I called for our chocolate delight, I was able to get a cheese plate instead--😊! I was told I could do this a few years ago; however, this is the first time I have been successful with this request. This was about the 4th time I tried. Our son ordered and received the chocolate delight. The cheese plate delivered to the cabin was more impressive than the one I had ordered for dessert in the steakhouse.

Diamond and platinum guest VIFP party invitation on Carnival Magic.

The past guest party was in the showroom at 4:00 PM on a sea day. We thought this was a great time and location for the party. We have been to a few parties that were held on port days, and/or right before early dining. Service was good, and we were able to get whatever drinks we wanted (at least one round). I think the new way of inviting guests is kind of crazy - The last few invitations we have received were addressed to the VIFP and a guest. There is also no invitation required to enter the showroom. In previous years, we each needed our own invitation to enter the party, and then there was a drawing of different sorts from the invitations. I do not understand why Carnival would run it the current way when there were around 800 platinum and diamond guests on this cruise. That means there could have been 1,600 guests in the showroom, which would have been close to half the passengers on board. If someone invited to the party has a cabin mate who is not eligible yet, then it seems like that person could go to guest services to get an exception, rather than including a plus-1 on every invitation. I have seen posts in Facebook groups by people saying they have an extra invitation if someone wants to go (not necessarily extending the offer to anyone they know). I imagine if things keep up like this, this party will be changing in a big way.

The $25 casino perk could be loaded on your card for slot play, or you could get a $25 chip for table games. My husband and I took the slot play, and I won over $50--wow! Our son took the table game play for roulette. Smoking was temporarily banned in the casinos during our cruise, which we liked. Our son turned platinum on this cruise, and all of his platinum perks processed as expected except the free drink. Platinum guests are supposed to use their free beverage in the dining room during breakfast or brunch, and gold members get their beverage the last sea day. His was not showing when he tried at brunch, and then when they mistakenly charged him for the cabin water, it took that off for his free beverage. That was quite a headache to figure out and have corrected.

Debarkation

We all received zone 2 luggage tags two nights before the end of the cruise. I was surprised our son had not received zone 1 tags, as he had booked the 8:30 AM shuttle through Carnival to the airport. He decided to carry his one bag off just in case; however, he did not need to. Debarkation was very fast. My husband and I were not in a hurry, so we checked our bags. Around 8:00 AM, we headed to the diamond and platinum waiting area where we were supposed to meet at 8:15 AM. We did not make it to the showroom. As soon as we got off the elevator, representatives were directing diamond and platinum guests off the ship. We were off the ship about 8:05 AM, and all of the checked luggage was already out. Before 8:15 AM, we were in our Avis rental car shuttle, and our son's 8:30 AM shuttle was on its way to the airport. The Avis website said their shuttle runs every 25 - 30 minutes when ships are in port. Our check-in experience at Avis was much better than the chaotic experience we had with Hertz in 2018.

COVID-19 info and misc.

Fully vaccinated guests needed to have a negative COVID test less than 48 hours before sailing. We met people after our cruise who were going on a Disney cruise, and they said everyone had to be tested as they boarded. Masks were required in the terminal building, in the cruise ship elevators, showrooms, casino, and dining room until seated. Most people wore masks as required, unlike our experience on the Valor in November and December 2021. Masks were provided in the cabins, and they were also available from employees. 

If you like to have a printed activities schedule, they were available on the counter at guest services and near the coffee shop. On our last cruise, they had not been out, and I had to request one at guest services each morning.

Before this cruise, we received an email to sign up for Verifly to upload vaccine cards and negative COVID tests. I downloaded the app and added all our trip info; however, this was not used. No one at the port wanted to look at the app; they all wanted our printed information.

One of the fabulous sunsets from our balcony - Carnival Magic spa cabin 12038.

I will share information about our ports of call and shore excursions in my next post. Let me know if you ave any questions, and feel free to share this post!