carnival virgin ..15 day Miracle to Hawaii..one word for it

[Jldevlin]

Fabulous!!!! This was our 11th cruise but our first with our new buddy Carnival. From the very start we were happy.If I had to nitpick it would be with the balcony doors ... I much rather the sliding ones, a little easier to get out of if you have something in your hands and they are really heavy lol. But in comparison with all the other lines we found that they are all pretty much the same. Some are better with a few things ... but when you can save so much and still have a good cruise it pays to try a new line.

 

 

We had your time dining which we loved ... we never had a wait and they always had a table for 2. The service great and our water glasses were always filled and they brought our wine from the night before right out.We will never go back to set time again. It was nice to go when we wanted ... and I really dont need to have a relationship with my wait staff. But the menu choices we found is where they did not measure up to the other lines. The food was good but sort of boring. We ate at the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Egg white omlette and a bowl of fruit and I was good. We tried to watch the amount of food this time .. tired of coming home and having so much weight to loose. Love the turkey wraps for lunch .. and the puncliners brunch was great ...steak and eggs mmm what a treat.

 

We dont hang out at the pool .. we always find a nice quiet spot on the upper decks to watch the water and not have people right on top of you .. the 12th deck at the water slide was good for this.

 

 

The casino was very good for a few people .. the power strike game was won twice ... $22500 each ... we were up and down ... and then down ... then down some more ...but it is just entertainment for us not a way to make money.

 

The comedians they had were not very good ... one of the last ones was so bad the people on each side of us left after a few minutes .... but that can happen on any ship.I am not a fan of the production shows but hubby likes them and they were not too bad .. the juggler and the magician were funnier than the comedians.Because it had 10 sea days you were a little tired of trivia by day 4 .. the Hawaii lectures on the way there were good and I would have liked something on the way back as well.

 

 

 

There were lots of spaces all over the ship to find a seat and watch the water ... or the people ..... It is our favorite size of ship .. big enough but not massive. There were never lines for anything and that is always good.

 

 

We did find the cost of a mixed drink was more ... but we dont drink many of those... mainly beer and wine. If you go to the sports bar you can get a pitcher of beer for 15 .. a good deal if you have someone else to drink with . We bought the 5 bottle package of the cheap stuff and our favorite was twisted zinfandel.

 

 

Our bed was hard as a rock .. hubby had to bring the reclining chair from the balcony for me to sleep in until my back adjusted .. by day 3 it was better ... not much but if I medicated enough I could sleep in the bed lol.We had a balcony with the couch and it was nice and roomy... did not use the shower much .We found on day one that the gym has the best hot tub!!!! And then after that I would go to the steam room and then use the showers there. Lots of pressure and 4 side nozzles ... so nice. On some lines all the extra spas stuff is not free so it was nice to have access to it without having to buy a spa package.

 

 

It was our first Carnival but not our last ... we have a b2b on the conquest next year and our first aft. We generally look at where we want to go and then price out all the different lines. Was it as upscale as other lines ....no ... but I dont expect white glove service when I am paying for fleece mittens. Everyone on the staff were friendly,helpful and eager to please .. what more can you want ?????

[Doug910]

...Thank you for taking the time to write your review. Glad to see you had a great time!

[drk]

Thanks for the review! We're on the same trip 12/7. How was the live music entertainment on board? Bands or other acts in lounges? Thanks.

[Georgie562]

Did this cruise in 2011 and still one of my best ones. Glad you had a great time.

[Jldevlin]

Thanks for the review! We're on the same trip 12/7. How was the live music entertainment on board? Bands or other acts in lounges? Thanks.

 

How old are you ??? lol ... The one band that played in Frankie and Johnnies was pretty good. The first few nights they played alot of really old stuff and no one was dancing. A few days later they changed it up to 60s and 70s and it got much better. But much less entertainment than on other cruises I have been on. The piano bar was quiet... I think they attempted to cater to a much older crowd and for me there was not to much I wanted to see. The hawaii guy singing was good ... he was in the atrium and the casino playing ... it is a little weird to see an act up on the bar area lol.