Helping you find cruise ships you'll love
The Carnival Magic was built in 2011. It's 12 years older than the Jubilee, which was built in 2023. The Jubilee is Carnival's newest ship. It's named after the original Jubilee that sailed with Carnival from 1986 - 2004. It has two unique zones not found on its sister ships, The Shores, a beach-themed area, and Currents which explores the depths of the ocean.
The Magic is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,004 feet long and 122 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.8 football fields, as wide as 2.3 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 14-story building. Compared to the Carnival Jubilee, the Magic is 30% smaller in terms of overall tons.
Carnival Magic holds 32% fewer passengers than the Jubilee based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Magic has the same amount of space per person as the Jubilee.
The Jubilee uses a zone layout to break up large crowds across the ship, often making it feel less crowded.
Carnival Magic | Carnival Jubilee | |
---|---|---|
Class | Dream | Excel |
Gross Tonnage | 128,000 | 182,800 |
Length | 1,004 | 1,130 |
Beam/Width | 122 | 137 |
Passenger Decks | 14 | 17 |
Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,690 | 5,400 |
Crew | 1,386 | 1,700 |
Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.7 | 2.6 |
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 35 | 35 |
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Magic has 22 different dining options like Cucina Del Capitano, Mongolian Wok, and Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue. Of those options, 15 are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other 7 options have an additional fee.
The Jubilee has 5 more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Cucina Del Capitano (Excel-ship), Beach Buns, and Blue Iguana Cantina. 19 of these restaurants are complementary and the other 8 have an additional fee.
If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Jubilee might be a better choice. It has 23% more dining options than the Magic.
Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.
Carnival Magic | Carnival Jubilee | ||
---|---|---|---|
Beach Buns | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Big Chicken | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Blue Iguana Cantina | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bonsai Sushi | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bonsai Teppanyaki | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Captain's Pasta Bar | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Carnival Deli | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
ChiBang | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Coastal Slice | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Coffee Bar | ✓ | ✗ | |
Cucina Del Capitano | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Cucina Del Capitano (Excel-ship) | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Emeril's Bistro 717 | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Fresh Creations | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Guy's Burger Joint | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Guys Pig and Anchor BarBQue | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse (Excel-ship) | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
JavaBlue Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Lido Buffet | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Mongolian Wok | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Pizzeria del Capitano | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Redfrog Pub | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Rudi's Seagrill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Seafood Shack | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Steakhouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
Street Eats | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Swirls | ✓ | ✓ | |
The Chef's Table | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
The Carnival Magic has 6 fewer bars than the Carnival Jubilee.
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Magic and the Jubilee below.
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The problem is that with thousands of people on a ship, there's not always room. If you want to spend all day for 7 days in a pool, a cruise isn't for you. You would have a much better bet choosing a resort with a huge pool complex. That being said, a quick dip in the pool can be nice on a hot day.
The Carnival Magic has a total of 2 pools and 8 hot tubs. Tired of loud kids and splashing? 2 of the hot tubs are adults only.
Carnival Jubilee has more pools than the Magic and fewer hot tubs. There are more exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Jubilee. If you don't mind paying for exclusive access to areas in order to have less crowds, this might be a better choice.
Carnival Magic | Carnival Jubilee | |
---|---|---|
Total Pools | 2 | 6 |
Pools - General Access | 2 | 3 |
Pools - Adults Only | 0 | 1 |
Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 2 |
Total Hot Tubs | 8 | 7 |
Hot Tubs - General Access | 6 | 5 |
Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 2 |
Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Carnival editions with featuring places Pizza Pirate and mini-golf.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Carnival Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Carnival Edition
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On the Magic, 73% of the activities below are included in the cruise fare. On the Jubilee, only 63% of the activities are included, meaning you might spend more money while on board.
Carnival Magic | Carnival Jubilee | |
---|---|---|
Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
Basketball | ✓ | ✓ |
Brewery Tour | ✗ | ✓ |
Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
Cooking Class | ✗ | ✓ |
Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✓ |
Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
Kid's Play Area | ✗ | ✓ |
Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
Outdoor gym | ✓ | ✓ |
Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
Roller Coaster | ✗ | ✓ |
Ropes course | ✓ | ✓ |
Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
Learn more | Learn more |
Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Carnival Magic will likely be cheaper than on Carnival Jubilee.
The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.
Carnival | |
---|---|
Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 |
Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
Soda Price | $3.00 |
Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus |
Drink Package Price | $59.95 - $69.95 Learn more |
Internet Plan | $15.30 to $21.25 per device per day |
*Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. |
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Founded in 2020, Cruise Spotlight's goal is to help people understand every aspect of cruising. Plenty of sites focus on the perfect Instagram pictures and marketing fluff. We focus on what really matters: onboard expenses, tips for cruise ships, detailed cruise reviews, and more. Our goal is to provide helpful, unbiased information to new and established cruisers. Over the years, we've helped millions of people get the most from their cruise vacation.
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