Just off the Miracle...

[frazzledrazzle16]

... A few hours ago. Still have another 10 hours of driving ahead of us, so any questions are a welcomed distraction from endlessly stairing out the window.

 

Some highlights:

- We had a great trip and spent a lot of time relaxing, especially since we did this exact same itinerary last year.

- Stepping off the ship, we are now officially platinum for our next cruise!!

- Debarkation was a MESS!!! It was mostly the fault of the port authorities but Carnival could have organized it better and kept us more informed.

- Malcolm and his entertainment staff were excellent. There was always tons to do around the ship.

-On the first day there was a foul smell in one of our rooms (deck 4) and on deck 9, but after that we never noticed it again.

- We didn't get any local tv stations (ABC, NBC, FOX, etc) and thought it was another Carnival cutback, but later someone mentioned that the ships satellites were down.

-CD said Carnival is currently planning for its own private island bc of the popularity of half moon cay.

-I packed a power strip in the unlocked pocket of my suitcase and it made it on just fine, although our room steward did unplug it when he saw it plugged in.

-A big pet peeve this trip: The hand sanitizers are not there for decorations!!! Hardly anyone used them... I saw people sticking their hands in the food, someone sampling each vat of food on the line with a spoon before deciding what they wanted, and a parent who allowed their baby to use the pepper shaker as a pacifier. GROSS!

- This was our fourth time on the Miracle, and it is the first time she is showing her age. Nothing too bad but we noticed some wear and tear, probably due for a drydock in the near future.

-They offered a really nice galley tour, no fee. The Maitre'd, Miguel, was truly a delight and took pride in his department.

- They did away with the ice cream parlor on sea days and some of the special drink offerings (Martini Fluge).

- There was a magician onboard that came around during dinner. We had the last seating one night at the steakhouse and sat in a secluded corner when he came to our table. His tricks/jokes were very sexually aggressive which I found offensive (and it takes A LOT to offend or bother me). When we saw him again in the main dining room, his bit was much more PG.

- Most of the staff was great as usual, especially our dining team and room stewards.

-We had some not so great weather a few of the days but made do and found other things to keep us occupied.

 

Those are just the things that immediately pop into my head. Ask away and I will do my best to answer your questions!!

[DiamondBill102]

What islands did you visit?

[megmno]

I'll be sailing on the Miracle in July so thanks for your info.

 

Since you are driving, did you park in the pier parking garage? Any tips about traffic, where to unload etc would be helpful as I will be driving and parking.

 

NO ICE CREAM ON SEA DAYS!!!! That really stinks!

[Mike&Lorraine]

NO ICE CREAM ON SEA DAYS!!!! That really stinks!

 

Ditto! Seriously? We're on the ship on June 8. One of the things my 9 year old is most excited about is the unlimited ice cream!

[frazzledrazzle16]

What islands did you visit?

 

Haha that would have been helpful, huh? We went to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau. We went to Margaritaville in GT, had a heck of a downpour at Half Moon Cay, and walked around a bit in Nassau.

 

I'll be sailing on the Miracle in July so thanks for your info.

 

Since you are driving, did you park in the pier parking garage? Any tips about traffic, where to unload etc would be helpful as I will be driving and parking.

 

NO ICE CREAM ON SEA DAYS!!!! That really stinks!

 

Yes-- we parked at the pier ($240 for the 8 days). Traffic wasn't too bad, but it can be confusing to get to the parking deck, so just closely follow the signs. Once you get up there, you pay the cashier and then you have to open your trunk for a bomb sniffing dog to check it out. There are porters waiting up there to collect your luggage.

 

There is still soft serve 24/7. In the past, the spirit class ships offered hard packed ice cream with a ton of different toppings on sea days, no charge. It was a really nice thing they had. I guess they got rid of it since our last sailing on the Miracle.

[Mike&Lorraine]

There is still soft serve 24/7. In the past, the spirit class ships offered hard packed ice cream with a ton of different toppings on sea days, no charge. It was a really nice thing they had. I guess they got rid of it since our last sailing on the Miracle.

 

Thanks! She'll be happy with soft serve. If she didn't know the sundae bar was there before, she won't miss it.

 

I have an odd question. How far of a walk is it from the ship to the cabanas at Margaritaville? I'm travelling with two old men - one with a cane and one with a walker - and hope they can make it to the cabana and back!

[heatherandfred]

Welcome back! I was actually going to drive down there to meet the ship and just gawk! LOL! We'll be doing a B2B in July for our wedding. Hope you'll write a review.

[DJ Eddy]

I too just got off the Miracle today... 6 months flew by, and i'm missing it already :(

[frazzledrazzle16]

Thanks! She'll be happy with soft serve. If she didn't know the sundae bar was there before, she won't miss it.

 

I have an odd question. How far of a walk is it from the ship to the cabanas at Margaritaville? I'm travelling with two old men - one with a cane and one with a walker - and hope they can make it to the cabana and back!

 

Sorry, I don't know anything about cabanas at margaritaville... We just went to the bar. The shopping center, beach area, and Margaritaville are a really close walk from the ship (just a couple minutes). The only cabanas I know about are at Half Moon Cay.

[BC Gal Ann]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

 

Did you do any private tours in the ports you visited?

 

If you did, which ones did you do and were they worth the time and money?

 

Thanks,

 

Have a safe drive home.

 

Ann :)

[hill6]

Just got off the Miracle today too:

 

- there is softserve ice cream all the time on the Lido Deck. Around 3:30 pm they put out toppings like M&Ms and cookies along with syrups to top it off with (had it twice).

 

On the last day they had something in the buffet area with ice cream too. Didn't really get to see what it was. They also have milkshakes and ice cream sundaes at fountainhead on front of deck 2 that are made with hard ice cream.

 

 

- We went to Grand Turk (beautiful and sunny), Half Moon Cay (pouring cold rain all day long), and Nassau (overcast and sprinkles)

 

- You can get wheelchair from ship to go to the cabanas in Grand Turk (we rented one and I will post pictures in next few days). Not a good walk if you are in need of assistance. We rented a scooter for my mom to use on the cruise. it was in our cabin when we arrived. She used it to get to the cabanas. One person in our group had emphasema and had trouble with the walk.

 

- They unplugged our extension cord too one day.

 

- Had bad odor one morning on Deck 7 aft. It was gone by afternoon.

[Irishlinny]

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[Gone_Kroozin]

Just off Miracle as well. It was an awesome time. Eddy-it was great meeting you and I hope you enjoyed the party in the crew lounge. I know a wonderful spa girl who will miss you, just as I'll miss mine!

 

I'll send you an email-hope to keep in touch with you. Safe travels and best wishes on your next contract!

 

Guy

[KCTravel]

Hey Stephanie--Welcome home and CONGRATS on platinum!!! We also did this same cruise last year and we came off the Miracle as you were getting on! The satellites were out for our cruise as well and sorry to hear you did not have a good debarkation especially with that drive ahead of you!

I'm looking forward to reading about your trip on Nicole's blog!

KC

[Mike&Lorraine]

- You can get wheelchair from ship to go to the cabanas in Grand Turk (we rented one and I will post pictures in next few days). Not a good walk if you are in need of assistance. We rented a scooter for my mom to use on the cruise. it was in our cabin when we arrived. She used it to get to the cabanas. One person in our group had emphasema and had trouble with the walk.

 

 

How much were the scooters? I'm assuming you rented it right through Carnival, right?

[freedom2009]

WOW - 10 hours!! North or South???

 

I am so glad to hear about the ice cream. I have been teasing my son about Carnival getting rid of the machines - I am glad that the soft serve is still there!!

 

OK - here are some questions for you to keep you distracted...

 

1. Where was your room?

2. What was the best thing about your room?

3. Did you have a private dining table or did you share?

4. Tell me about debarkation. I have only left out of NY once and it was ok but we were there early.

5. What has Carnival "cut" back on that you have noticed?

 

Thank you!!!:)

[newcruiser08820]

I'll be sailing on the Miracle in July so thanks for your info.

 

Since you are driving, did you park in the pier parking garage? Any tips about traffic, where to unload etc would be helpful as I will be driving and parking.

 

NO ICE CREAM ON SEA DAYS!!!! That really stinks!

I thought ice cream was on all days - at least my kids had it all the time.

[newcruiser08820]

We were on the Deck 4 as well - 4149 & 4147- did not notice any smell during the trip

[BABSIER]

Thanks! She'll be happy with soft serve. If she didn't know the sundae bar was there before, she won't miss it.

 

I have an odd question. How far of a walk is it from the ship to the cabanas at Margaritaville? I'm travelling with two old men - one with a cane and one with a walker - and hope they can make it to the cabana and back!

 

The cabanas at Margaritaville are around the outside perimeter of the pool area. Just a short walk from ship but probably slow going with walkers. The cabanas are nice. Just stop at Margaritaville to get the key. They will escort you to cabana. Each one has a small verandah with two loungers and inside there are 2 sofas with a ceiling fan and air conditoning. I rented one for my

4/29 sailing and liked it. I traveled alone so it was nice for locking up my stuff and going to the beach and pool.

[BABSIER]

Hi Stephanie,

I took the 4-29 cruise mostly because of you and your sisters blogs about the Miracle. It was the best cruise ever for me but the debarkation was CRAZY. I overheard the porters saying that Carnival consistently lets too many people off at one time. It was so packed in that terminal you could barely move. However, the embarkation was very organized and stress free. Can't wait to read this new blog.

[Nicole721]

WOW - 10 hours!! North or South???

 

I am so glad to hear about the ice cream. I have been teasing my son about Carnival getting rid of the machines - I am glad that the soft serve is still there!!

 

OK - here are some questions for you to keep you distracted...

 

1. Where was your room?

2. What was the best thing about your room?

3. Did you have a private dining table or did you share?

4. Tell me about debarkation. I have only left out of NY once and it was ok but we were there early.

5. What has Carnival "cut" back on that you have noticed?

 

Thank you!!!:)

 

Hi all! Stephanie has a bit of a headache, so I'll answer here :) if anyone has any specific things they want me to address when I start the review (which probably won't be till next week since I have four friends coming in to visit me tomorrow) lemme know or throw me a question over on the blog. Also, I'm kind of bored and we're only in Ohio so I might throw some pics up on the photoblog (http://sunglassesandumbrelladrinks.tumblr.com) since I have a bunch on my phone.

 

1. Deck 4 aft, rooms 4201 and 4203, which I believe are 4K rooms :)

 

2. Best thing? It was much more spacious than our room on our Freedom cruise :) We had plenty of room, the room was clean and we had an amazing room steward.

 

3. Private table. Always a private table :) we had the most amazing staff in Orlando and Gede and if you have the chance, request them. Two of the hardest working, most sincere and fun servers we've ever had. Stephanie has added them to our dream team, but I'll let her tell you about that later LOL.

 

4. Debark took forever. The special needs area was crowded with non-special needs people (which is Carnivals fault), they were slow with calling numbers, the terminal was overcrowded and the lines for customs were insane because they only had two people collecting the forms (they opened up a third when we were leaving).

 

5. It's kind of subjective there. The only thing I missed was the full ice cream parlor, but I barely used it when it was there and it's something you can only really miss if you've known it was there, you know? Other than that? My only real complaint is (still) the pathetic little piece of meat they call a filet mignon in the MDR. And I missed the martini fuge. I'll have to look at the pics, but I think some of the room service sandwiches are smaller (while the veggie plate has gotten larger, so it's not across the board). But there were SO many more activities and such that I felt there was actually *more* on this cruise, if that makes any sense. They also stepped up afternoon tea on the Miracle FWIW :)

[JYeagersGrl]

What was the name of your room steward we are gonna be in 4136 doubt we will have the same cause we are more midship. Did you like your location?

 

Did they have sangrias one night?? I'm a sangria nut too.

 

What kinda activities did they have I know you said you thought there was a lot more going on.

 

When did they have that free tour you talked about was it announced in the funtimes and was it limited availability???

 

Hope to read some of your review before I leave in about 2 weeks!

[hill6]

How much were the scooters? I'm assuming you rented it right through Carnival, right?

 

 

We rented it through scootaround.com

 

They do rentals for cruises. It was around $250. Not sure of exact cost. I know the ship has some wheelchairs but not alot. In HMC they have special dune buggy type wheelchairs for the sand.

 

No problem getting scooter to cabana at GT. Have the main person check in at Margaritaville for the cabana (there are a few with handicapped ramp but get there early for one). The person in the scooter can go through the shopping area to gain access to walkway for cabanas (by bathroom). Take a towel with you to cover the chair so it doesn't get hot.

[hill6]

4. Debark took forever. The special needs area was crowded with non-special needs people (which is Carnivals fault), they were slow with calling numbers, the terminal was overcrowded and the lines for customs were insane because they only had two people collecting the forms (they opened up a third when we were leaving).

 

5. It's kind of subjective there. The only thing I missed was the full ice cream parlor, but I barely used it when it was there and it's something you can only really miss if you've known it was there, you know? Other than that? My only real complaint is (still) the pathetic little piece of meat they call a filet mignon in the MDR. And I missed the martini fuge. I'll have to look at the pics, but I think some of the room service sandwiches are smaller (while the veggie plate has gotten larger, so it's not across the board). But there were SO many more activities and such that I felt there was actually *more* on this cruise, if that makes any sense. They also stepped up afternoon tea on the Miracle FWIW :)

 

 

I agree with the debark areas being full of non handicapped folks. Some late arrivals had trouble finding seats. Only seen three folks ahead of my mom that used wheelchairs that were available.

 

On our last debarkations they scanned passports and looked at forms. This was basically give your customs card and go as the terminal was insane and we were only group 9.

 

I did feel like there was more to do on this cruise as well but I did feel it was harder to follow what was going on based on the layout of the Fun Times. (The wine tasting was not listed on the day it was offered)

 

Missed afternoon tea. Will make point to do next year. I did see it on Friday as it was ending. Looked yummy.

 

Had BLTs from room service and they were ok. Size seemed normal.

[hill6]

What was the name of your room steward we are gonna be in 4136 doubt we will have the same cause we are more midship. Did you like your location?

 

Did they have sangrias one night?? I'm a sangria nut too.

 

What kinda activities did they have I know you said you thought there was a lot more going on.

 

When did they have that free tour you talked about was it announced in the funtimes and was it limited availability???

 

Hope to read some of your review before I leave in about 2 weeks!

 

They did have sangria in the lobby one night. I looked at the Fun Times and it was the day we were in Grand Turk from 5 -6 pm and 7:15 - 8:15 pm.