Back from Miracle 11/11 Sailing

Overall a good cruise. The entertainment was good and the Comedians in the Comedy Club were also quite funny. Great guitarist in the atrium. We did not attend any production shows. Lido food was very good and the overall quality in the MDR was also good. As usual, Nick and Nora's steakhouse was wonderful.

We did not take any ship tours. We have been to all the ports many times so we only got off the ship in Cabo and did some shopping and wandering and in Puerto Vallarta we spent the day with friends. We did not get off in Mazatlan and spent the day onboard. We Winter in Puerto Vallarta so it's very familiar to us. Our friends did the island excursion and had a wonderful day except for sand fleas.

The downsides were: Cutbacks are truly evident. Fewer cabin stewards and our cabin steward said he had 35 cabins. The waitstaff was pleasant and efficient but they were rushed. In the Lido, tables went uncleaned for an extended period. The other thing was that the ashtrays have been removed from the smoking side of the mid-ship pool bar. That side of the bar was unoccupied for the entire cruise and there was usually only one or two bartenders at the bar.

The greatest issue/disappointment was our cabin, Vista Suite 6329. We walked in and immediately saw the filthy carpet. At first I thought it was stained but I had removed my shoes and in ten minutes my socks were dirty. The balcony had been hosed down but the chairs were filthy with soot and bird droppings. The worst thing was the smell of the sheets and bedding. They smelled like B.O.. I had noticed that smell in the hallway as we walked down the hall. We had early boarding and they were still doing cabins. I immediately went to Guest Services and they took a list of the issues and said they would be taken care of. About a half hour later our cabin steward came in and told us that all the linen smelled like that. It was a new detergent they were using. Gee: Carnival got a deal on the new B.O. with Borax. He gave us brand new sheets and pillow cases and said he would was down the chairs that evening. The Housekeeping Supervisor came by and saw the carpet and said it was going to be replaced on the 18th. Gee: That didn't help us. We lived with the dirty carpet for the week. The chairs were wiped down but the bird crap was ingrained and would require scrubbing to remove. They were never scrubbed and we didn't use are lovely wrap balcony too much during the cruise. The suite was a waste of money and I would have saved a few hundred if I had just booked a standard 8M aft balcony. We have had this type of suite on other Spirit Class ships and have always loved them. Actually, we prefer the suites on deck 4 (I believe but it could be 5) that are one big room. Easier to get around and since there is only 1 110 outlet in the entire suite, it's easier to get power closer to the bed.

We had a good time and will cruise Carnival again but if things keep going they way they are in the cutbacks, it won't be too many more cruises until we don't

Take care,

Mike

Mike thank you for writing and sharing the balanced report/review.

Welcome home.

Keith

I am glad you had a good time in spite of the problems. Thanks for your review.

Thanks for the review.

Thank you for your review. DH and I are sailing to Hawaii on the Miracle in 10 days. Did you miss not having all the new venues, such as Guy's and Blue Iguana? Also were there a variety of activities during sea days? We have LOTS of sea days, and wonder how we are going to fill them. Maybe I should bring a good book with me.

Any other insights you would like to share would be greatly appreciated!

Sailing on our final Miracle this Saturday, have sailed her many times while she’s been in Long Beach.

We do not miss Guys or Iguana. We like the grill for having a variety of foods, not just hamburgers. Many times we’ll get a chicken breast sandwich or a plain breast for our salad. Can’t get that at Guys. Other times we’ll get chicken tenders and fries.

We’ve sailed two Hawaii cruises. Sea days are full of activities. Adam (CD) will make sure there’s lots to do. Beyond the usual, you’ll have two different lecture series, Academy of Fun and Hawaii. Also arts and crafts, hula lessons and other special things. Definitely bring a book if you want to. Lots of pax will be doing every activity, others will be doing nothing. We do some things but not others.

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Appreciate the feedback.

Write to corporate about the workload of the stewards. I don't know how they get away with it!

Maybe by American standards. These guys and gals know exactly what they are signing up for, which is a great job that pays many times more than the average job in their country. I spoke with a married couple, both bartenders who don't see their kids for 6 months at a time. We became FB friends and she lives in a lovely home that they own.

Thank you for your review. DH and I are sailing to Hawaii on the Miracle in 10 days. Did you miss not having all the new venues, such as Guy's and Blue Iguana? Also were there a variety of activities during sea days? We have LOTS of sea days, and wonder how we are going to fill them. Maybe I should bring a good book with me.

 

Any other insights you would like to share would be greatly appreciated!

We are on this cruise with you. There is an active roll call for this cruise. Personally, I am looking forward to those sea days. Since it is a "Journeys" cruise, I have read that there will be themed (Hawaii inspired) activities while on board.