8 Reasons to Take a Carnival Cruise with Your Family

My family and I are back from a fantastic summer vacation with Carnival Cruise Lines, on their ‘Carnival Magic‘ ship. Our 7-day Western Caribbean cruise left us with so many lasting memories, and I have the 3,000 photos and videos to prove it!

As I sat down and went through all my captures, I found myself sorting them all into specific groups, and realized that my photo organization in itself laid the foundation for the ideal re-cap.

Highlighting the specific points which made this trip so amazing, here are:

8 Reasons to Take a Carnival Cruise with Your Family
 

8 Reasons to Take a Carnival Cruise with Your Family:

 

Carnival Magic Staterooms 

Since we are a family of 5, we were fortunate to have two staterooms during our stay aboard the Carnival Magic. One of these rooms was an outside cabin, equipped with everyone one could need for a comfortable stay, thanks to some genius planning to maximize the space. 

carnival magic balcony staterooms

In our outside cabin stateroom we had a queen sized bed, a pull-out couch and a balcony to watch the world float by. The beds were comfortable and the shower was always welcoming. I really loved that the TV’s always offered programming to relax, with other features as a live view from the front of the ship, the lido deck and shows happening in the theatre. So if parents find themselves stuck in the room, they don’t have to be sad about missing out on a comedy show {for example}, since you can still watch!

We also had an inside cabin across the hall, featuring a single bed and bunks, which were a hit with my twins – for sleeping and building forts of course!

Carnival Magic Interior Stateroom with Bunks

For those planning their vacation, make sure to unpack those suitcases and store items in the many closets and drawers, then store your suitcases either under the bed or in a closet. I didn’t even need a hanging toiletry bag since there’s many bathroom shelves for items as well. Utilizing all these spares really frees up space, and everything will be much easier to find when you need it. Another tip is to bring a power bar, since there is only one outlet in the room and we all have many devices that need charging. 

 

Kids Activities

Having plenty of choices for kids activities makes a trip enjoyable for all. The back of the ship features a great Water Works waterpark with slides, sprayers and fun for all ages of children {and adults}. There is also plenty of seating and shade to also let your older kids roam in this area as well. My kids spent a great deal of time at Water Works, we all appreciated cooling off in the water and ocean breeze almost daily.

Carnival Magic Kids Activities

Another great area for the kids is the Sports Deck with mini golf, an obstacle course and fully enclosed basketball area – and of course the Arcade, complete with a full photo booth for the kids to capture their own memories with old and new friends.

 

Carnival Cruise Food

I could actually go on and on about the food on this cruise, in its own post. Whether you are in your assigned dining room, the specialty restaurants or at one of the food kiosks on deck – there are so many food and beverage options at any time of the day or night – options literally surround you at every turn. So for families of all tastes {including those picky kids}, there’s something for everyone. 

carnival Magic Dining

My tip would be to try them all, because there is something great and unique at each. Yet, I have to give special mention to Pizzeria del Capitano and Tandoor, serving up the freshest homemade pizza and Indian food imaginable. I fully admit to being seen at these hotspots many times during our 7-day cruise. Well, those and the soft serve ice cream stations! 

 

Guy Fieri’s Restaurants

Among the endless food options aboard the Carnival Magic, Guy Fieri’s Restaurants stand out and deserve a special mention in my wrap-up. Carnival has teamed up with best-selling author, restaurateur and Food Network personality Guy Fieri to bring all the authentic appeal of a roadside burger shack to Guy’s Burger Joint and at Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse. Popular for delicious reason, these are two food options which I was looking forward to most before the trip, and surely didn’t disappoint!

Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse carnival magic cruise review

 

Lido Pool

The main pool aboard the ship is the Lido Pool, and while I didn’t actually spend time in the pool itself – this area is one you’ll visit often. In my opinion it’s the hub of fun on the ship! Besides being a pool area with ample seating, this is where yon’ll also find fun parties and Dive-In movie nights, with popcorn! 

lido pool fun carnival cruise lines magic ship review

We’ve all been on vacation and had activity staff arrange events, but I’ve never seen one where attendance was this great, no matter what time of the day. Whether you participate or be a spectator for Carnival Cruise activities, both will produce many smiles and laughter.
 


 
 

Camp Ocean

Just because you are travelling with your family, doesn’t mean that you have to spend every waking hour with the kids – and Carnival understands that. this is why Camp Ocean and their attentive and compassionate staff make this list of highlights. For my girls, kids clubs while traveling are hit and miss, so when they love attending and even ask to go, this says a lot! 

Carnival Magic and Carnival Cruise Line

 

Adults Areas 

When kids are playing with friends at the kids club, adults can take time for themselves and relax aboard the ship, in one of the many areas just for them. The spa and adults serenity areas are a great choice, but you also have adults-only shows and comedy clubs – as well as the casino.

And hey, if you just want to choose a lounge chair on deck and take in some sun and read a good book – that’s a great choice as well. Your time on the ship can be as busy or relaxed as you wish. 

8 Reasons to Take a Carnival Cruise with Your Family reconnect fun

 

sunset carnival cruise lines western caribbean family travel

 

Ports

Part of my passion for cruising, is being able to cross many destinations off that bucket-list in one fail swoop. Depending on which cruise you book, you’ll visit many different regions and countries on your travels.

We spent time in Key West, Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya on this particular Western Caribbean cruise – and each one of those days offered new adventures and lasting memories for every member of our family.

port carnival cruise family travel

I’ll go into detail more on that later, especially Belize, but for now – just know that Carnival Cruise Lines goes the extra mile to make for a great family travel trip whether on-board or on land. Don’t forget to watch our Carnival Cruise Vacation video! 

port carnival cruise line key west family travel

 

Disclosure: Our family cruise was thanks to Carnival Cruise Lines
and the #LetsGOCarnival retreat managed by SJ Consulting. The opinions on this blog, as always, are my own.

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12 Comments

  1. We took a Carnival Cruise many years ago and loved it, would definitely like to take another one.
    Your balcony stateroom looked amazing.

  2. Wow, what an amazing family vacation! Totally want to do this. Thanks for the inspiration!

  3. The kids area and the pool look like so much fun!!! I have always wanted to take my family on a cruise!

  4. I think this would be the perfect vacation.amazing activities, great food, and so much beauty!!

  5. we’ve never been on a cruise before, but that looks like so much fun, and the food, my goodness! lol

  6. We haven’t attempted a cruise yet with our daughter, we did a couple before she joined our family. I have friends who have though and loved it. May have to take some of their advice and yours and go for it some day soon. Our friends recently returned from one and my daughter is definitely intrigued by the idea.

  7. Great post, my family hasn’t done a family cruise before but from reading your post it seems like a great vacation to plan this year.

  8. We did a carnival cruise for our honeymoon, and I’d love to do one with our kids. It looks like so much fun!

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