Miracle Review 4/28-5/6 Grand Turk, HMC, Nassau

[Proudmom1120]

Malcolm, the cruise director, is now on vacation. He will be back on 6/23/2012. In his place is James Charlton. As for Brandon, the assistant cruise director, I believe he is still there.

[Monaco02]

Hi, can you scan your daily's, is it called the funville, the carnival capers? ty, going on Miracle May 30. ty, Randie from Philly

Here you go - I saved it from another thread. If the link doesn't work just go to John Healds blog (that's where it came from originally)

http://johnhealdsblog.com/funtimes/2011-08-29/Carnival%20Miracle/

[mamagina]

Here you go - I saved it from another thread. If the link doesn't work just go to John Healds blog (that's where it came from originally)

http://johnhealdsblog.com/funtimes/2011-08-29/Carnival%20Miracle/

 

 

Wow! I did bring them home. I don't know if I know how to do this but I will try. Funny I kept calling it the "Capers" because that is what they used to be called. Yes it is now called the "Funtimes."

[daniella1279]

Hi, can you scan your daily's, is it called the funville, the carnival capers? ty, going on Miracle May 30. ty, Randie from Philly

 

 

if the op can't scan them I know someone recently posted their capers from there Miracle cruise out of NYC.

 

HTH

Danielle

[mamagina]

I'll do a few more photos and then I'll continue writing the review--MIL is sitting at the kitchen table talking to me. Can't write now but I can do photos. :)

 

Our presents for being Platinum--pins and backpacks. We also got a plate of chocolate strawberries and candies one night and free entry (worth $20) to either a slot tournament or a Black Jack Tournament. DH wound up with the highest score on the slot machine for the whole afternoon but then they had a "playoff" and he didn't win the $500 grand prize.

 

 

 

More Grand Turk:

 

 

 

We took a walk down to Jack's Schack (about a 10 minute walk from the pier) but we did not stay as many people on the Grand Turk Board had suggested. We had found two nice chairs in the shade right in front of Margaritaville where we could hear the music and could walk to the bathroom easily. Also it did look like it might rain and we didn't know if we were going to make a run for the ship. We got off at about 8:30am and there were PLENTY of seats in the shade (and the sun for that matter). By noon our whole area was very full but only for a little while because people are such creatures of habit and they started back to the ship for lunch :). We had to be back on board by 2:30pm so we didn't go back till the bitter end expecting to be in the cattle heard for lunch at the buffet! We were again pleasantly surprised--I was sure that the lunch buffet was going to be mobbed with lines all over also thinking that inly the pizza and deli would be open. Not the case. Although on the two previous sea days, they closed the buffet at 2:30pm in Grand Turk they kept everything open until 3:30. We easily got a nice lunch and sat by a window watching the sail away.

[mamagina]

The view of the ship down the beach form the Jack's Shack beach area:

[mamagina]

Here it is:

 

 

 

 

The cabanas by the Margaritaville pool. to give you perspective, the lounge chairs are right next to the pool, so the cabanas are right there about 20 feet form the pool:

 

 

 

 

Back on board and the chairs are all lined up again:

 

[LizaMM]

Thank you sooooo much for the photos! Grand Turk is a port I have not been to yet and I am very much looking forward to a nice relaxing day.

[VickiD59]

Malcolm, the cruise director, is now on vacation. He will be back on 6/23/2012.

Well hopefully he'll be well rested and energetic for our 7/1 sailing.

[mamagina]

Thank you sooooo much for the photos! Grand Turk is a port I have not been to yet and I am very much looking forward to a nice relaxing day.

That is exactly what it was! SOOOOOOO easy. Easier than a private island because there was a pier.

[wrigley80]

Grand Turk:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks threatening but it never rained. Actually turned out to be a beautiful day. Delicious breeze!

 

Great Review. I love the pool at Margaritaville Grand Turk. We stayed there all day

[rcoaster809]

Thanks for all the info on the CD and ACD.

 

OP - Great review, and great pictures! Can't wait to read more!

[LizaMM]

That is exactly what it was! SOOOOOOO easy. Easier than a private island because there was a pier.

 

My friend who I am sailing with has been to Grand Turk before and he is very excited to go back because he had a great day just hanging out there last time. I have never been to HMC before either and we have "gone in" on sharing the Oasis Cabana with some people from the Roll Call so that should be another relaxing day. Nassau.....I have not been to as a Cruise Port but have done land vacays. I may just stay on the ship. I really like staying on the ship on a port day.

 

I am very much looking forward to the rest of your review. The Miracle NYC reviews have been very much lacking! I, too, have not sailed a Spirit Class ship in a while and only sailed this class one time AND I am also not one who goes to the big shows....I usually hit the Piano Bar and Disco at night and have very much enjoyed PunchLiners since it started so any info you have about those is greatly appreciated!!

[MissyGirl228]

Love the Review so far and the pictures are awesome!! Can't wait to hear more!:)

[mamagina]

Wow! You are not going to believe what happened. I started typing directly into the reply instead of cutting and pasting from word adding pictures as I went along and I took too long so it logged me out before I could hit the "reply" button and the post dissapeared!!! So I just wrote it all again on word but with no pictures. I put more up tomorrow!

 

Happy Mother's Day ALL!!!!

 

Here it is, Day 2 & 3:

 

The review continues:

Day 2 & 3 at sea were pretty much the same. We had a continental breakfast (no hot offerings on the room service breakfast menu—although I did try to write in a grilled cheese sandwich but it was not deliveredJ) of fruit, bagels and lox and coffee. We like coffee so on the first night, I wrote that the breakfast was for two people and I asked for an extra pot of coffee. We wound up with four cups and three pots of coffee. TWO people brought the trays to our room because they put everything on a separate plate. We had three plates of fruit, two plates with a bagel on each and two plates with two little curls of lox on each! It really was not that much food, just lots of plates and plastic covers! The second day it was more condensed—one tray with only two pots of coffee and two cups! We ordered cereal on another day and we got 6 little boxes!!! I would love to know what goes on in the room service kitchen. We hung on our balcony in the beautiful sunshine until noon when we got dressed and went down to the slot tournament (a platinum perk that I discussed above).

BTW a word about our balcony—we were on the starboard side by chance, not by choice (because we only booked about 4 weeks before we sailed and that was what was available) but it worked out really well. We had the sun in the morning going south and beautiful sunsets coming back north. It was warmer on our return, so it was nice not to have the sun in the morning when we really used the balcony more. We were forward on deck 5 in what Carnival calls an “extended balcony.” It jutted out from the ship about two feet with those two feet of space being fully exposed above to more sun (and all the peeps upstairs) giving a little more “leg room.” All embarkation and disembarkation was from our side. Being the nosey type that I am, I enjoyed watching everyone come and go and watching the first tenders coming to the ship in HMC. Also, the starboard side faced the land in all three ports, so we had a “view” of where we were going before we got off the ship. We sailed past the Statue of Liberty on our way back into NY harbor at about 6:00am so I was able to go out and take some pics in my pajamas!

After the first round of the slot tournament, we went to what would become one of our favorite things about this ship—The Comedy Brunch. Loved the menu and the fact that we could BE SERVED breakfast at 12:30! Although DH pretty much had the steak (filet mignon) and eggs three of the four sea days. I could however understand how more “traditional cruisers” could be upset by this timing. There was no where you could have breakfast served to you on sea days before 9:00am. I work with and travel with older adults and I could see how that would stress them out—they go to the dining room at 7:30am and that is it!!!

After brunch we finished up the slot tournament with just a tee shirt and not $500. We put on our bathing suits and went to hang and sleep at the Serenity Area—SERENITY NOW! On the first sea day we did encounter some mild chair hogging—we were able to get chairs but we watched five empty chairs sit with stuff on them for over two hours. One person was in the middle and then his five fellow cruisers came back talking about lunch and “the blast” they had playing mini-golf! We used the pool and the hot tub making lots of new friends. People on cruises are chatty! I’m chatty! Can you tell??

Soon it was time to dress for dinner. We walked through the buffet checking out the offerings and taking a nibble but we knew we were having lobster that night. The Captain’s Celebration was in the atrium lobby but no free drinks so we did not go but just peeked down from a higher deck. We did go to the past guest party—FREE DRINKS—which was held at 4pm on the third day after Grand Turk. Very nice party—if you ask for a special drink that they are not walking around with—like a pina colada—they will get it for you.

A funny point here—I am looking at my “Funtimes” to remember what happened on each day. Every night I dutifully highlighted all the activities I was going to do the next day—trivia, tea time, towel animal making, bean bag competition, cooking demonstration (which I heard was very good)… We never did anything on this cruise!!! Never made the production shows. Just relaxed and we were not bored at all.

There looked like there was a long line for the “any time dining” on deck three at around 7pm. We had late seating at 8:15. Dinner was great! Two lobster tails each with my husband having the steak also. The waiters sang. Chocolate melting cake for dessert. We peeked into the first seating, “Generations” (Beatles music) show but went down to the 9:45 comedy show. The first two comedians were Carl Faulkenberry and Eddie Capone. They did alternating shows (the first two family shows, the rest rated R): 7:30, 8:30, 9:45, 10:45, 11:45. Capone was funnier in my opinion and both of the second two comedians (who got on in Nassau and did the shows on the last two sea days) were funnier than Capone. They did something which I thought was annoying. If you wanted to stay for another comedy show you had to leave the lounge and re-enter. I guess they wanted to give everyone a chance to come in. but there were plenty of seats so everyone just walked out and waited by the elevators and then walked back in. After the comedy shows we took our traditional walk around the promenade deck (deck 3 outside on this ship) and called it a night. I highlighted a whole bunch of things that I didn’t do on day three. Pretty much followed the same schedule as day 2 except we did go to the Comedy Magic show with Peter Gross which was very funny—especially the bit with a guys watch at the end.

OK more to come. Going to watch Saturday Night Live now!

[mamagina]

My friend who I am sailing with has been to Grand Turk before and he is very excited to go back because he had a great day just hanging out there last time. I have never been to HMC before either and we have "gone in" on sharing the Oasis Cabana with some people from the Roll Call so that should be another relaxing day. Nassau.....I have not been to as a Cruise Port but have done land vacays. I may just stay on the ship. I really like staying on the ship on a port day.

 

I am very much looking forward to the rest of your review. The Miracle NYC reviews have been very much lacking! I, too, have not sailed a Spirit Class ship in a while and only sailed this class one time AND I am also not one who goes to the big shows....I usually hit the Piano Bar and Disco at night and have very much enjoyed PunchLiners since it started so any info you have about those is greatly appreciated!!

 

I wish we stayed at Grand Turk longer. I would have loved a full day there. I'll write about it later, but we did the day pass at the Hilton Brittish Colonial because we have been to Nassau more times than I can imagine--also on a few land vacations too. It was really nice and well worth it. I have lots of pics.

[BigDogCT]

"BTW a word about our balcony—we were on the starboard side by chance, not by choice (because we only booked about 4 weeks before we sailed and that was what was available) but it worked out really well. We had the sun in the morning going south and beautiful sunsets coming back north. It was warmer on our return, so it was nice not to have the sun in the morning when we really used the balcony more. We were forward on deck 5 in what Carnival calls an “extended balcony.” It jutted out from the ship about two feet with those two feet of space being fully exposed above to more sun (and all the peeps upstairs) giving a little more “leg room.” All embarkation and disembarkation was from our side. Being the nosey type that I am, I enjoyed watching everyone come and go and watching the first tenders coming to the ship in HMC. Also, the starboard side faced the land in all three ports, so we had a “view” of where we were going before we got off the ship. We sailed past the Statue of Liberty on our way back into NY harbor at about 6:00am so I was able to go out and take some pics in my pajamas! "

Hi again and thanks again for your post. This is a great read as we now cross the 10 day wait until we get on board. One clarification if I might, you said you were on the starboard side of the ship which I understand to be the right hand side of the ship as you look forward. Your description sounds like the 'port' side, but I might be wrong.

Anyway, thanks again and happy Mothers day if it applies to you.

[dixieva]

Thanks for your review.

 

I have a question-you mentioned there was no where to have breakfast served to you before 9 a.m. So the main dining room on sea days didn't open until 9? I'm not going to be happy with that. Every ship I have been on has served breakfast in the MDR beginning at 8 a.m.

[Valmcp]

I liked the grape lights!I thought they were whimsical!

[Mulege]

Is there a charge to use the Beach at ether jacks shack or margyville? I heard they are both expensive for food and drink, true? Can you just hang out or do you have to place an order? We will be in port from 11am to 6 pm.

 

Anything else to do besides the beach scene?

[VickiD59]

:rolleyes:

"BTW a word about our balcony—we were on the starboard side We sailed past the Statue of Liberty on our way back into NY harbor at about 6:00am so I was able to go out and take some pics in my pajamas! "

Did you back into NY Harbor? ;)

I'm guessing you meant that your cabin was on the port side of the ship.

 

Ooops, I see I quote you Big Dog, instead of the original post :rolleyes:

[VickiD59]

Nice job Mamagina.. keep it comin!

We did the other eastern itinerary and will be repeating it again in 7 weeks. Grand Turk is the final stop (1pm-7pm) for that run and it's the perfect wind-down day. Walk off the ship.. beach, pool, stores, M'ville all right there. Thanks for the photo from Jack's Shack. Never could quite figure out just how far down the beach it was. Maybe we'll venture away from the cruise terminal a bit and see the surrounding area this time.

Thanks again for the review.. anxious to hear more.

[MsTabbyKats]

Thanks for your review.

 

I have a question-you mentioned there was no where to have breakfast served to you before 9 a.m. So the main dining room on sea days didn't open until 9? I'm not going to be happy with that. Every ship I have been on has served breakfast in the MDR beginning at 8 a.m.

 

They served regular breakfast in there before 9 AM....and then switched over for the comedy at 9 AM.

 

I was on this cruise too....and I was very disappointed by the "Comedy Brunch". The comedy part was "over before it started". I was expecting to be entertained for "a while".

[mamagina]

"BTW a word about our balcony—we were on the starboard side by chance, not by choice (because we only booked about 4 weeks before we sailed and that was what was available) but it worked out really well. We had the sun in the morning going south and beautiful sunsets coming back north. It was warmer on our return, so it was nice not to have the sun in the morning when we really used the balcony more. We were forward on deck 5 in what Carnival calls an “extended balcony.” It jutted out from the ship about two feet with those two feet of space being fully exposed above to more sun (and all the peeps upstairs) giving a little more “leg room.” All embarkation and disembarkation was from our side. Being the nosey type that I am, I enjoyed watching everyone come and go and watching the first tenders coming to the ship in HMC. Also, the starboard side faced the land in all three ports, so we had a “view” of where we were going before we got off the ship. We sailed past the Statue of Liberty on our way back into NY harbor at about 6:00am so I was able to go out and take some pics in my pajamas! "

Hi again and thanks again for your post. This is a great read as we now cross the 10 day wait until we get on board. One clarification if I might, you said you were on the starboard side of the ship which I understand to be the right hand side of the ship as you look forward. Your description sounds like the 'port' side, but I might be wrong.

Anyway, thanks again and happy Mothers day if it applies to you.

You are correct. I'm sorry. I was tired last night. We were on the left or port side. My bad!

[mamagina]

They served regular breakfast in there before 9 AM....and then switched over for the comedy at 9 AM.

 

I was on this cruise too....and I was very disappointed by the "Comedy Brunch". The comedy part was "over before it started". I was expecting to be entertained for "a while".

 

Just checked the Funtimes to be sure I didn't missread it on the cruise. On the sea days it lists breakfast from 6:00am to 12:00pm at the lido buffet and Punchliners Comedy Brunch 9:00am - 1:30pm open seating. I was pretty sure our waiter the first night explained that the dining room was closed until 9:00am. Did you eat there before 9:00am. I wouldn't be surprised if they were open without telling Amy one.