Miracle 8 day, April 28-May 6

[littlesnit]

I loved my carnival cruise. No, it wasn’t perfect. There was a little problem the first night with my Cruise the Vineyards pre-order, and they gave me the wrong DVD after I performed in the Legends show, and they charged me $3.95 for cappuccino in the MDR. No shrimp cocktail every night, either, but that’s okay, cuz the one time I had it, I could have done without it. Uh, and Carnival still doesn’t understand the difference between e-cigs and the real thing.

 

But, other than that, I had a completely marvelous time and can’t wait to cruise with them again. Our cabin stewards earned an extra tip by working around our non-schedule. Even though the MDR staff is feeding potentially 2,000 persons in the MDR each evening, the food is for the most part very tasty and nicely presented. The new brunch menu is interesting, as there is something for everyone. Want steak and eggs or a caesar salad, you got it, along with a nice basket of assorted Danish.

 

This was our first trip to Grand Turk, and we took the guided bus trip which doesn’t have the highest review ratings. But we enjoyed both the sightseeing and our knowledgeable tour guide so much, we almost want to move there. Yes, Virginia, there is more to Grand Turk than Margaritaville.

 

We have cruised to Half Moon Cay a few times previously, but we never got off the boat. We did this cruise and it was a nice time. We had the lunch, a drink at the shipwreck bar, and sunned for a little while. We’re not water sports people, so we just preferred to relax (quite) a bit.

 

We’ve been to Nassau a few times, so we knew exactly what we wanted to do: buy some souvenirs and have a drink and some chips at Sr. Frogs. Oh, and take some pics.

 

Speaking of pics, the photographers onboard really do a nice job, in my opinion. They even made ME look good in some of those photos. I should have bought some of them, but I still thought they cost a bit too much, so I didn’t. I knew our bar bill was hiking our S&S.

 

Too bad they raised the prices of Bon Voyage liquors. We got our order in under the last rate hike, and paying double for a bottle of booze was bad enough, but I’m not sure if it’s worth paying triple. Might as well just buy by the glass and make friends with a bartender early on. :D

 

We had nearly perfect weather, except for the night we cruised by Florida it rained, but was great again the next day. We used our aft balcony quite often. Oh, yeah, we were on deck 8, so there was the sound of scraping chairs from the Serenity Deck, but I can sleep through anything and BF is an early riser, so no problem there for us. We did prefer this ship last year, pre Serenity Deck, when there were more tables and chairs, more lounge chairs, and smokers had rights to a portion of the deck. BF still smokes and that was his favorite spot on the ship. Morning ritual was Bloody Mary and cigs for him, tea and e-cig for me. This year we spent a lot more time on our aft balcony.

 

We had Your Time Dining, and ate in the MDR all but one night. Enjoyed it all. We only waited for a table for 2 once and only for about 10 minutes. I was a little disappointed they charge for Cappuccino now, and "medium rare" could vary. Also could live without comedy at brunch, and obviously, so could one of the comedians. He had me in stitches when he was stating how much so. Sorry I missed his evening show.

 

We cruise mainly to relax, and I had fun at the numerous karaoke shows and in Legends. I was not planning on being in Legends again, but there were really very few passengers willing to participate this cruise, so the 5 of us passengers that did were basically drafted into it. After the fact, we were glad we did it, however. It's a great way to see the happenings of backstage. Wish they had given me a DVD of our show though, not a previous show. We’re working on that, however.

 

I’m really not a gambler, so the casino only got me for $21. I was ahead for awhile, but I didn’t know how to cash out.

 

I saw one show in the lounge, the one with music from different decades, and totally enjoyed it. But then, I’m a music person, so I guess I would. I thought the African-American dancer, Cheryl (I think) was extraordinary in that show, and I wished I could have told her so, but I didn’t run into her on Legends night.

 

I thought the beds felt quite comfortable, but I have a bad back and I woke up in pain a few nights. Go figure, it might be me.

 

I overpack, and there was definitely enough closet space if one chose to use it. My BF utilized the closet space, but my luggage threw up all over the sofa. Hey, at least this year I actually unpacked! I love, love, love the magnifying mirror in the bathroom. I could actually apply eyeliner on a moving ship. Speaking of the bath, the freebies were nothing to write home about this year; some toothpaste, tooth pics, etc. No lovely razors like last year, but I don’t cruise for the handouts.

 

Can’t think of anything else right now, except I certainly appreciate the friendliness of the crew and the fact that the Miracle still has an orchestra. It was great singing at Superstar karaoke with a few of the band members and performing in the Legends show with all the boys in the pit. Kudos to Maria and T.J., Miracle’s K.J.s.

 

That’s it for now. I’ll try to answer any questions if you have them.

 

Lynn

[Seago2]

Thank you for your great review! Can't wait to sail soon.

[littlesnit]

Oh, you're gonna love the Miracle! She's set up exactly like the Pride.

We loved NCL Spirit and Dawn, as well.

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Who did you portray in the Legends show?

[LizaMM]

Thanks for your review!

[littlesnit]

Hi Jimmy,

I was Gloria Estefan, the only one near my range. At that, I had to change the melody a little to pull it off. Were you there?

 

They're going to change the Legends show in the future and I would love to have one of those leather jackets when they retire Gloria, but I was told so would everyone else who ever wore it. :(

[littlesnit]

I forgot to mention, embarkation was a breeze. We arrived in NYC about 1:30, grabbed a cab from the Port Authority and missed all the lines at the pier. When we got there, a nice gentleman who worked there saw me using my cane and told me to wait, he would get me a wheelchair. I told him I was okay walking, and he said it was a very long walk to the ship. I have boarded in NYC before, and I know how long the walk is, and I also know walking around the ship and at our destinations would be a lot longer and I was feeling up to it, so I declined again. He seemed sad, but I assured him it was okay.

 

Also, the A.C. wasn't cranked onboard as it has been on all of our prior cruises. I always hated cruising to a nice warm climate and then having to bundle up when we got back onboard. I felt comfortable for once in short sleeves or tank tops most of the cruise. If that's a budget cut, I'm all for it. :)

[pattyc]

Hey there!

 

Can't believe that they must of given all the "Legends" performers the wrong DVD!! My son was Garth and was a little disappointed when we got home and tried to watch. We were so surprised! He called many times and sent an email to see what could be done but they said they ususally destroy the previous cruise photos and videos pretty quickly to make room for the next cruise. Were you Gloria Estafan? We had a ball watching and listening to the nightly Karaoke nights!

 

We had an aft cabin also on deck 4. And like you, we ended up spending a lot of time on the balcony...it was sooo relaxing.

 

Hope to hear from you soon that they are sending the correct DVD!!

 

PattyC

[vivavegas]

Great review! Thanks for sharing. Did you get any photos of you in the legends show? Would love to see "Gloria.":)

[littlesnit]

Hi Patty,

Yes, I was Gloria. I had a blast at karaoke also. Your kids are fantastic!!!!

Customer service told me there is a possibility of getting a DVD of the show. See my other thread on this. Will let you know if anything develops.

 

Viva,

Thanks. I only have the group pic and I haven't posted it anywhere yet. Some people took photos, but I don't have them. My BF was up in our cabin sleeping (he hears me sing every weekend), so I had no one to take pics. I do have a DVD of me from the prior year so I'll see if I can get some stills from that. Check back in a week or so.

[pattyc]

Thanks Lynn! My kids loved the karaoke nights! But Jim is the entertainer in the family...loves being on the big stage! Yes, keep me updated regarding the dvd. Any word from "Elvis" if he got the dvd? I have a few pictures that I took of the show. Haven't uploaded yet, but will attach when I do.

[pattyc]

[littlesnit]

Thanks for the pics, Patty. I didn't think to get anyone's e-mail addies. Who'd 've thought they'd give us the wrong DVD?

[traveling1969]

I tried and tried but was never able to able to get the correct CD of my turn as Elvis in the Legends show onboard the Carnival Valor in 2007. All I have left is a great memory of a great time with some great people.

 

You may have to settle for that:).

[pattyc]

I was hoping that the DVD would arrive because someone screwed up and they realized the mistake and wanted the performers to have a happy memory!! Now, that would be a real "Miracle"!! ;)

[cruiseclues]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review...and the info about the comedy brunch :)

[MOMofONE]

Uh, and Carnival still doesn’t understand the difference between e-cigs and the real thing.

 

Can you elaborate on this? My bf & I have switched to Ecigs (well not 100% of time yet but hopefully by sail away). We have experiences being treated as "smoking" even though they are of course smokeless, so I suspect this is what you are refering to. thanks

[LizaMM]

I'm not the poster you quoted but I wanted to make sure you got this info... ECigs are only allowed in the same areas where smoking is allowed.

[littlesnit]

Sorry I haven't gotten back to anyone in awhile. I've been very busy with other things.

 

At the time of our sailing, E-cigs were only allowed where smoking was allowed. Except I know some people who have been able to use E-cigs in their cabin without detection. I hear some people stealth-vape in non-smoking areas, also.

 

I received a package from Carnival about 2 weeks ago and it was a video of the Legends show. I was very excited to open it and watch it. But it turned out to be a copy of the same one they gave us at debarkation. Truly disappointed!

[pattyc]

I can't believe that they sent you a DVD of the same old show!!! I got soooo excited when I started reading your post! First of all, I couldn't believe that they even sent you another...I figured they totally forgot about us! Do you think there is still hope??

Hope you're doing well....can't wait to tell Jimmy about this!

[Sunniedays]

Thanks for the great review. We'll be on the Miracle in Sept. Taking a bus to Port Authority and also will cab it over to the Pier. Approx. how much was the taxi fare and do you think 1 cab will hold 4 of us or will we need 2 cabs. Thanks