My Miracle review from 1/16/05 part 1 it was a Miracle

[steveaaaa]

This is my review of my recent cruise and as always,if something can go wrong it does with me.:eek:

My family and I (wife & 12/14 daughters) flew into Tampa 2 days early with another couple.Our flight into Tampa was late as usual and quite bumpy on the way down from MA.We went to pick up our rental car and it was not ready.So much for being a Blue chip express member...after 20 minutes I spoke with a manager and they gave me a huge upgrade on a vehical for my delay.

We got to our hotel,the Holiday inn Busch gardens and checked in.We were meeting other family there so I booked all the rooms.We were given some free drink coupons at checkin.When we went to the room,it was a king instead of 2 queens.We went back to the lobby and thy apoligized and gave me more drink coupons.We went to our correct room to find the key don't work,so back to the lobby and more coupons.We still had 1 more room/key issue but when all was said and done,we had 12 free drink coupons.Next issue we founf was the heated kids pool/pirate ship was being worked on as part of a major renovation but they offered me and my party free buffet breakfast for our whole stay (16 breakfast's @$8 each) so we took it.

The next day we hung around the wonderful pool and checked out some places in the area.That night it got real cold but we stayed in this hot pool for hours.In an attempt to get my family back in the room quickly out of the cold,I rolled over my ankle and sprained it pretty good.I got some braces from CVS so I could function. The next day we went to the port to drop off the bags and then to visit the aquarium but the port had an issue.The ship was not able to dock here and we could not even drop off bags until noon.I parked at the aquarium and we went in.An hour later around noon, we had to trek the bags over to the port and I had to return the car at the Airport,while everyone else stayed at the port.When I got back the line was very long an we found out we needed to be bused elsewhere.Once we entered the building and went up stairs we found a huge line and I could do all I could to stand up so I dragged myself on the floor until a CCL rep saw me and declared me handicapped. She took my family only,not the couple traveling with us, straight thru and up to the counter bypassing hundreds of people.They checked us right in and put me on bus 10 right as they called bus 8.20 minutes later we were on the bus to the ship.My friends got bus 34 and did not arrive until almost 5pm.

We got on the ship and started to find our room. I booked a quad cat 4 inside guarantee last February since I am frugal.We got to deck 5 where our room was and as we walked down the hall and around a corner we discovered we were upgraded to a Balcony cabin.:)

Because of this bus issue we missed our cruise critic get together.I finally ended up meeting Avman ans Jrb123 later on and it was a pleasure.Too bad we did not meet earlier.It seems we were seated 3 tables away from one JRB123 in the dining room and we were at Tapas in costa maya the same time as Avman was and never knew it.LOL

We did a tour of the ship and then got ready for dinner as it was that time already.The ship is nice and there was a band in the lounge almost every evening.We saw this band on the Pride and 2 other ships.

We got all of our bags except the cosmetic/toiletry case (hey 3 woman with me).That night I liled the lost bag report.We spent the next day doing the ussual sea day stuff and we still did not get the bag.Well it was formal night and I did purchase the insurance so my wife and daughters went wild in the shops repurchasing what was lost or missing.$300 worth:eek: . Formal night went well yet the Captains party was lousy and it was hard getting drinks.We were all looking forward to Grand cayman the next day.My wife and I were Scuba diving and my kids had a horse back excursion booked.Well GC was cancelled due to rough seas so we received $25 per person credit. I was not in any position to complain for 2 reasons. I had a Balcony and after the $100 credit for the 4 of us, this cruise only costed $67.60 for everything using my reward points.

We still did not get the cosmetic bag and CCL sent a letter to all cabins asking if they got an extra bag.On Wednesday morning, a room steward delivered the bag to us,it was in another persons room and both room mates thought it was the others.

 

More to come

[Charliesmom]

We're going to be on the Miracle for the 2/27 sailing. Any pointers you might want to give us?

 

Roberta

[halos]

This is my review of my recent cruise and as always,if something can go wrong it does with me.:eek:

 

 

DANG! :eek:

LOL!!!

Steve....it's unbelievable!! :D

At least all your 'clouds' this time around (so far, from what I've read) have had major silver linings!! I'm sorry about your ankle...but thrilled you got a balcony!!!

Can't wait to hear the rest!!

[AllenF]

Thanks for the Review. I do have 1 question you did not get the hotel to give you drink coupons for you hurting your ankle on their property. Or are you planning a lawsuit against them for getting you drunk from all the drink coupons you got from them and causing you to hurt yourself :D

[cruztime]

Hey Steve,

 

Nancy and I had a bit of an adventure on embarkation day as well but a porter came to our rescue. We started on the 16th (day of the cruise) getting to BWI in Baltimore nice and early for our 8 AM flight. Got the emergency row as usual for the extra room. Flight down was great. Got to Tampa and looked out the window and the guy putting the wheel chocks on was wearing a parka with the hood pulled tight around his face. Started laughing hysterically as the pilot informed us that the outside temperature was 58 degrees. Apparently that's really cold in Tampa. Leaving Baltimore it was 27. Now, let the games begin:

 

We got our luggage and went outside to get a cab. Pushed the button and up comes the cab. The driver is a lady of about 75!!! Up pops the trunk so I load everything in and off we go. We're heading to the terminal 2 and I don't see a ship. Uh Oh! here we go. Cops got the ususal route blocked off and our intrepid driver is now flustered. Apparently she only knew one way in to the terminal. Finally, I see a bunch of people around the parking garage after a cop told us we would need to wait in the parking garage til 4 o'clock! Immediately I know that can't be right so I just get the cab to stop by the group and tell her I'll figure it out. Not much tip there. I get out and unload everything and up comes this porter who says "Are you going on the Miracle?"

I say yes and he says throw my bags on the ones he already had and guides us through the maze and right up to the Carnival door. He was great!! Major tip there.

 

It's about 11 AM now. We get in and find out the scoop about the tanker blocking the channel and being bused later. We get bus 1. Then we sat for several hours but at least we were sitting. Finally they call bus one folks to the escalator. Good luck. We had to move through the mass of humanity that had accumulated. Had to be a thousand or so inside. I understand that a few folks passed out.

 

The plus side to all this was that we were one of the first groups on the ship and had the Lido bar to ourselves. Nothing a couple of cold ones couldn't cure.

 

We were disappointed that our meeting plans got messed up. We did go to Macquires to watch the game. We ended up meeting some really nice folks from Philly. Ran into them everywhere the rest of the week.

 

Grand Cayman was a disappointment, but that wind was howling. I woke up early when I felt the ship vibrate as it slowed to anchor and went out on our aft balcony. When I saw the foam blowing off the top of the whitecaps I told Nancy there was no way anyone was getting a tender. Then I saw the other ships pulling anchor and that was the end of that. We had booked a private tour to Stingray City that was fully refunded.

 

Costa Maya was a bit chilly in the morning. Good thing I had my fleece pullover or Nancy would have froze. I didn't think it was all that bad myself. Just a little cool. The shops in port did a booming jacket and sweatshirt sale that morning. We grabbed a cab and went into Mahahaul. That was an interesting experience. Nancy got a great buy on some silver. She loves to dicker with those guys. She should have been a salesman. Tapas was great! We had chips and salsa and a couple of brews. Alan was our waiter and recommended Modelo beer. Very tasty and nice and cold. If anyone reading this ever goes to Costa Maya, definitely go to Tapas bar. You can't miss it. I got some great pictures of Main Street dpwntown Mahahaul. Our family and friends couldn't believe the main drag is just dirt.

 

In Belize we went cave tubing with XStream. That was fantastic and the highlight of our trip. I would highly recommend them.

 

Cozumel was just a beach day at Paradise Beach. Great weather!

 

The Miracle is a nice ship. We prefer the Spirt class ships. Now we've been on all of them. Although, that dining room is a bit much.

 

If anybody has any questions, fire away.

 

Ron and Nancy

[wwakla]

Steveaaaa

What Sh** Luck you have. But it sounds like you have made out so far. Enjoyed your partial review and am looking forward to the rest.

How did you like coming home to all the snow? Where in Mass are you?

[steveaaaa]

Part 2....

Well we were glad to have the cosmetic bag back and very thankfull for the insurance who will cover the money my women spent in the shop. We went to Costa maya for the day and we headed to the tour sellers at the pier.We checked out the operators for a horseback riding trip since my girls missed out on Tuesday.There were 2 operators and I played both against each other until Tequllia beach club won. They offered 3 riders and 6 drinks for $100.

We bought our bus tickets for 43 each and went to the beach club. The girls rode their horses and when they returned we walked into town to go to Tapas. We ate there and I did a review of them http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=127355 I rented a jet ski for a while and then we did some shopping.We returned to the ship by taxi from the taxi stand, remember to buy a ticket before getting into a taxi!!!

Thursday we were in Cozumel.We went to Chakanaab park so my wife,daughter and I can do some diving. The other party with us did the Dolphin thing. We had a very nice day.When we headed back to the ship we were carrying very large and wet diving set ups and this time they forced us to walk thru the shops rather than letting us go on the side.How stupid on their part as we trailed water everywhere we went.

Friday was Belize and we did Reggies tubing.I did a review of Reggies here http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=127680

When we returned I went to the doctor as I had a cough that was not not letting me sleep. I spent $210 on this visit ,thanks again for the insurance,as it is covered

 

Saturday was our Sea day and it was a typical day. I almost won loser bingo, I was on stage with no numbers and I was the next to last leave ,too bad, I thought for sure I would be the biggest loser.

Sunday was a mess as we were watching the news and saw our airport was closed. I called my Father from the cabin on my cell (8am) and had him get online to verify if my flight was cancelled.By 8.30 I was on the phone with Delta,Thrifty and Holiday inn and the earliest flight was on Tuesday so I took it and again thankfull for the insurance as my extra stay,meals and car are covered.

We left our room at 10.15 am as the steward let us stay there as long as we wanted, So I tipped him $5 for the extra time (as my family had to almost administer oxygen to me for that extra tip.LOL)

I had to grab a cab to the airport to get my Thrifty rental car. I stood in the Blue chip line and I was called right away.A woman who was in the other line had a fit because she was waiting 15 minutes.She jumped in front of me and the only agent there just looked at me.Well when I got to the counter he apoligized and told me he was going to upgrade me for free to what ever I wanted.I grabbed a new Town and country van for the 6 of us and was very happy.

We spent the extra couple days in Tampa and dreaded heading home to our few feet of snow.

 

The ship in general was very nice. I did notice the bare chested ladies on the ceiling of the Casino, personally I did not mind it, but it is/was the casino and 18 or older is required.There so called art is so so thru out the ship.Pornographic,no but it should be toned down a bit.

The shows were good, the comedian was good and even a hypnotist was a nice show.I found there to be a lack of shows.If you have sailed a few times many of the stuff is the same old stuff.

Bar service was good,casino was OK, I was told I set a new record in the casino in a slot tournament. After using the 300 credits they give you, I only got 296 points total.Everyone else got 2000 plus so I was a tremendous loser..but I was given a shirt later by the host for busting me so bad.

The Gym was always crouded by people who obviously never use a gym as setting up and using nautilus equipment was very hard for amny,nevermind using them right.

I found the food to be worse than usual.The Lobster was tasteless,Prime rib was not tender and everything else had more focus on presentation than taste it seemed.Near the end of the week we started eating in Lido and it was great.The pot roast was fantastic,the chicken was great.Next cruise I might eat even more in the lido as the selection was better it seemed.

This team color crap is starting to get to me.This does not belond in the dining room and I find it in poor taste. I also find the room steward leaving an envelope on the bed for the Maitre'd also in poor taste.

Any questions just ask!!!

[steveaaaa]

Not really.Our sailing was disrupted from the start.I would say either get there real early or late.

Steve

[steveaaaa]

Thanks for the Review. I do have 1 question you did not get the hotel to give you drink coupons for you hurting your ankle on their property. Or are you planning a lawsuit against them for getting you drunk from all the drink coupons you got from them and causing you to hurt yourself :D

 

NO, I never informed them of my stupidity.I took a short cut across the courtyard and since it was dark (10pm) I did not see the change in height from the sidewalk to the garden border. I have no one to blame but me and I am thankfull for the drinks as I was feeling better already.:)

Steve

[steveaaaa]

Hey Steve,

 

 

 

Ron and Nancy

 

Hi guys, I never saw either of you! I had my red lei on for Sunday and Monday.When were you at Tapas? Both us and AVman were there.You were probably sitting right next to us.LOL

I never found Gkeyes or crusingchic either. Too bad. We might have to do it all again just to meet.:D

 

Take care

Steve

[steveaaaa]

Steveaaaa

What Sh** Luck you have. But it sounds like you have made out so far. Enjoyed your partial review and am looking forward to the rest.

How did you like coming home to all the snow? Where in Mass are you?

 

Hi wwakla,

Believe it or not,things always follow that same pattern.The black cloud follows me around but it rains downs in my favor.:eek: If something will go wrong,just look around,you might see me.:D

 

I hated the snow but when I got home in the evening, I found out that a neighbor of mine who moved 5 miles away 6 days earlier came over to my house and cleared out my whole double drive for me by hand shoveling. It makes me glad that I always used my snow blower to help him out when we got crapped on.

I am in Springfield.

Steve

[jrb123]

Hey Steve,

 

It's about 11 AM now. We get in and find out the scoop about the tanker blocking the channel and being bused later. We get bus 1. Then we sat for several hours but at least we were sitting.

 

The plus side to all this was that we were one of the first groups on the ship and had the Lido bar to ourselves. Nothing a couple of cold ones couldn't cure.

 

 

Ron and Nancy

 

Hey, we got to the pier around 11:00 also and were also on Bus One!! We probably sat right in front of you!!! Too bad we didn't realize it! I was glad we got there so early, even though we had to wait so long--was wonderful to have a chair. And ditto about the Lido--we went straight up and were among the first ones there, no waiting!

 

Julie

[jrb123]

 

We grabbed a cab and went into Mahahaul. Tapas was great! We had chips and salsa and a couple of brews. Alan was our waiter and recommended Modelo beer.

 

Ron and Nancy

 

We did the same thing--again, our group of four probably sat right next to you and didn't know it! We had shrimp tacos, nachos and Coronas--all very yummy (Edgar was our waiter). And three of us got wonderful massages--we were at the table right next to the massage tent.

 

Julie

[mag]

Hi, Just feel like I have to chime in...I'm from the Brookfields, work in Westfield, and DH works in Worcester. My sister, mom, aunt and I are looking forward to our 5/1 Miracle cruise. Can't wait!! Only my aunt is a cruise virgin but we'd like to make this a perfect cruise for her and my mom. Thanks for your reviews!! Did you see the weather? We're gonna have a heat wave...it'll be in the 30's in a couple days! mag

[ppeckham]

Steve,

 

I'm searching the boards for any tidbits on the Miracle (we sail in July).

 

My brother's vacations end up like yours. Murphy's Law always hits.

 

It sound like you take it all in stride and fortunately are compensated in some way. It also sounds like you have good friends (shoveling the drive for you).

[cruztime]

Julie, Steve,

 

Seems like we were in all the same places at the same time and didn't know it. Julie, you guys must have gotten to the terminal early as well. We were sitting in the chairs close to the windows facing the desk area.

 

Steve, you're right, we'll just have to plan another one now. Oh damn. LOL!!!

 

We're going on the Navigator in May. Taking our son as his HS graduation present. Then Nancy and I will be on the Caribbean Princess in September. I believe AvMan (Bob) is on that one as well. Then it's Jewel of the Seas next April 06. The Princess and the Jewel are both group cruises on the CC boards.

 

We too tend to take things in stride. If that's the worst thing that happens to us on vacation, we're in good shape. We are fortunate though to be able to take more cruises. If that was a cruise someone had been saving for for years it could be devastating.

 

Take care,

 

Ron

[Inshape]

My family was also on this cruise. We hightailed it to Tampa from Orlando to get there early for the full day on the ship, only to find a problem in the port or Tampa with the tanker blocking the cruise ship. They had to disembark those on the cruise from the previous week via buses, unload the luggage and garbage and food and restock it all..and bus a whole entire new set of 2000 plus passengers to the cargo piers to embark. We got there at 11:30 and sa till 4:30, bus 8! I found Carnival to be lacking in customer service at this point. Nothing was given to us. Kids were hungry and I was not going to leave , pay for food for 4 kids and then make my way through the terminal again with the crowds at a standstill at this point.

 

We really missed walking onto the ship, having the steel drum band playing, standing on the sundeck to watch the ship leave port.

 

The ship personnel were the rudiest we have ever encountered on the whole. The chief pursor was wonderful and a few others were great, but on the whole this cruise staff was the most unfriendly and unhelpful in all of the cruises we have taken..this being our 4th.

 

I thought the food was very good in the dining room. The portions have increased since our last Carnival Cruise on the Triumph 2 years ago. ( LAst year we did Royal Caribbean, Explorer of the Seas). I also thought the prime rib was tasteless, but allt he other beef dishes were wonderful. The beef wellington, chaitabriand, fillet mignon was superb! I loved the vegetables they served with the entrees too--a real switch from 2 years ago too.

The salads could have been more adventurous each night, as it was on RCCL line.

 

We did miss our favorite port , Grand Cayman because of high wind and rough seas. We were told via a letter in our cabins that Carnival was giving us back $25.00 a person to enjoy as their compliments!! HEY fellow cruisers..this is only part of the port taxes that you all paid and are entitled to having them back! It ws no gift from Carnival.

 

After cruising Carnival 3 times and RCCL once, I think we will go onto RCCL again next year. Just so much more to do with the kids onboard. We were with our 17 yr old(who brought her best friend and had a blast), and our 10 yr old daughter and 8 year old son. They were all in another cabin, next to us-balcony cabin. Other than swimming in the pool and using the slide, there is not much for them to do. They did not enjoy the camp activities and wanted to do ship things , not be in a room making crowns, and drawing pictures. I did not want them playing PS2, which they do enough of at home.

 

I thought the ship was decorated horribly. I never feltI was on a floating 5 star hotel as I had always flet in the past. The decorations were garish and plain tastless. The movie themes were fine, but then mixed with the decor of the dining room, the renaisance paintings and the busts...where is the movie theme??? Horrible ship design too. To get to the kids area you must enter th side hallways of the cabins on deck 5 got to the end and there is the kids area. I liked the Triumph layout more.

 

I also thought the entertainment lacked compared to the othr cruises we had taken. The last night the singer was wonderful. The hypnotist was good, but the Miracle dancers and the 2 shows lacked the caliber that I have grown to love on the ships. The main show at Tampa Busch Gardens which we saw the day before the cruise was a higher caliber than the dancers/singers on Carnival showed.

 

Other than the rough seas the first 2 days, the horrible embarkation, a cruise is still a wonderful vacation. But, we shall be on the RCCL next year, filling our days with sun and more fun things to do with the family.

[imlulu]

I am sorry that your cruise was not everything you wanted it to be. I usually dont comment on other people's comments in their reviews as I was not there nor in their situation. However in regard to being hungry prior to embarkation. At that point you knew things werent moving and no one was going anywhere fast, why not head out and get something to eat? Could you not???It would probably have reduced the stress of waiting around. I hate to wait also.

I am resigned to just going with the flow on my upcoming cruise. I figure I am on vacation and have spent quite a bit to be there. It is probably a whole lot better than being in 3ft of snow where I am now. ;)

 

I keep saying we are going to try the Voyager class, but the weeks we can go are always high for 3/4th passengers. :(

 

Enjoy your next cruise!

[jrb123]

I am sorry that your cruise was not everything you wanted it to be. I usually dont comment on other people's comments in their reviews as I was not there nor in their situation. However in regard to being hungry prior to embarkation. At that point you knew things werent moving and no one was going anywhere fast, why not head out and get something to eat? Could you not???It would probably have reduced the stress of waiting around. I hate to wait also.

 

Enjoy your next cruise!

 

imlulu, I'd have to agree with Inshape about not wanting to leave--that was a right mess at the terminal and once there, we, too, were reluctant to go outside and then have to make our way back through the crowds. Plus, there was always that hope that they'd be calling us aboard any minute! We were lucky enough to have chairs to sit in and no way would we have given those up!! So many of the people had to stand or sit on the floor.

[Inshape]

oh yes... Could not move. We were LUCKY to get seats for the 6 of us. Leaving the terminal would have been leave at your own risk. The lines from people getting there after we did(11:30) took the people to the streets. At times they oculd not even process the people and they jut stood there. Those seats were gold! I guess hubby could have gone out and gotten some food, but then we did not know when we would be called and how fast it would go between bus loads.

 

I do not judge a cruise only on that. And of course it is always nicer to be away than at home...so the complaints are only relative to th other cruises we have taken. This one did not compare to the others.

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

Hey inshape...I asked you this in another thread,,but I want to be sure you saw it..I am sorry it is a little off topic here, lol. I saw that you had posted elsewhere that you had rented a jeep in COZ. I also saw that you are a party of 6. We are a party of 6 also, but we are 4 adults and 2 small kids (4 yo and 2yo). How did you all fit in a Jeep? Did it work out okay for you? Did you have people on laps? I really want to rent a jeep in Coz, but I was not sure they would let us with 6 people. Thanks! Don't want to rent a minivan either..I have to drive one of those everyday, lol.

[willowcreek1955]

We are booked on the 6/19 Miracle and have an 8A guarantee. Are the balcony doors sliders or do they open out? Do you need a bungee to keep the door open?:)

[steveaaaa]

We are booked on the 6/19 Miracle and have an 8A guarantee. Are the balcony doors sliders or do they open out? Do you need a bungee to keep the door open?:)

Bungee!

Steve

[Inshape]

The doors slam right shut but you can put the furniture there to hold it open--like the chair. But here is one big catch. Once the door is open the air conditioning shuts off but the fan stays on---boy was it noisy!

[Ehpride]

I thought the ship was decorated horribly. I never feltI was on a floating 5 star hotel as I had always flet in the past. The decorations were garish and plain tastless. The movie themes were fine, but then mixed with the decor of the dining room, the renaisance paintings and the busts...where is the movie theme???

 

I thought it was supposed to be a literary theme?!