I recently had the chance to board the Carnival Magic in Miami. While I was touring the vessel, I took the opportunity to photograph the ship for a comprehensive tour. This review will cover the public areas and staterooms.
All Carnival ships have a theme and some are more subtle than others. While the Magic’s public rooms are themed after, surprisingly, Magic, the decor isn’t in-your-face about that. What is, are the copious use of shiny metals, bright neon lights and the color turquoise. This is the last ship that their main interior designer and polarizing industry figure Joe Farcus worked on.
The ship is in the Dream-class of vessels launched in 2011. She’s a middle sister in the class, joining her younger sister Carnival Dream (2009) and older sisters Carnival Breeze (2012) and Costa Diadema (2014).
Let’s start the tour with our noted obligatory photos:
Obligatory hallway photo
Obligatory elevator lobby photo
Obligatory stairwell artwork photo
The bottom-most deck normally accessed by the public contains only cabins. There’s both inside and outside cabins with windows and portholes on this deck.
This deck is where the public areas start. At the very front of the deck is the Showtime Theatre.
Aft of that is the Shore Excursion and Guest Services desks.
Those stop at the main bank of elevators and the ships main lobby.
Another new feature of this class is that instead of entering the ship on the promenade and then walking into the atrium, you walk directly into the atrium.
At the end of the atrium is one of the ships main dinning rooms.
Deck three is one of those split decks on Carnival Ships. This means that to reach the aft area, you need to go a deck above or below and then head aft to go back up.
Before entering the dining room, like the previous classes have, the Dream-class have this neat mini-atrium.
At the very aft of the ship is the other dining room.
As keeps getting mentioned she’s an evolution of the Conquest-class. One noticeable change is the exterior profile of the aft part of decks 0, 1, 2 & 3.
As a result, the windows in the dining room slope the other way.
At the very front is the balcony level of the Showtime Theatre.
Walking out of the theater is the Pixels photo gallery.
Surrounding the atrium is a Bar and library.
Past those is the second level to the midships dinning room.
Unlike other ships of previous class, to reach the aft part of this deck you do not need to walk through the dining room. They created a hallway that leads directly to the aft dining room. Also gone is this area is the large bar/lounge (that’s been moved up one deck).
I can see myself hunkering down in one of these and getting work done.
Past the midships dining room is the conference center and conference rooms.
Past the conference room is the arcade and teens club off the Lower Magical Way Promenade.
The lower promenade ends at the second floor of the aft atrium.
At the very aft is the second floor of the aft dining room.
Back inside at the very front of the deck is the top floor of the main theater.
As you exit that, you are at the top-most deck of the main atrium in which you can completely walk around it.
Surrounding the atrium are the Fun Shops.
At the aft part of the atrium you see the Cherry on Top candy store.
Exiting the atrium you walk through the Hat Trick Casino.
Exiting only on the starboard side you emerge in Ocean Plaza. This is the reimagining of the bar/lounge from a deck below. The area contains a bar, cafe and the Fun Hub.
Just outside on the starboard side is the first of two signature Guy Fieri restaurants onboard. This one is Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que.
Past the Ocean Plaza is a shorter promenade with seating on the starboard and the Red Frog Pub on port.
Aft of the pub is the night club Vibe Dance Club.
Exiting the promenade there’s the Play It Again Piano Bar.
Opposite that is the Prime Steakhouse.
At the very back of the deck is the alternate lounge Spotlight.
Deck 08 is all balcony and inside cabins. The Bridge is forward on this deck.