Rich & Mike's 25th Anniversary- Carnival Miracle 10/6/13

[crosstown1]

Let me start off by saying, I've never posted a review before, and I'm not the best with putting my thoughts in writing, but I'm going to give it my best shot :) This will also be posted in parts over a couple of days.

 

Anyhoo, this cruise was to celebrate Richard and my 25th anniversary together. 7 of us were scheduled to go; 6 from Spokane and my friend Walker from Las Vegas, who would meet us at the Long Beach Airport.

 

We started out pre-cruise staying Friday night at the Spokane Airport Ramada. We had a 5 am flight out, so just in case of car problems and to allow some extra sleep we decided to spend the night there. So of course, 2 weeks prior to the cruise, my 20-year old Camaro decided to die on me. Repairs cost more than the car was worth, so we ended off starting the pre-cruise with a new car LOL. Had a quick check-in at the Ramada, but was worried because there were a number of college sports teams that were staying there also. It ended up being really quiet, and the 6 of us had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant, and then off to bed.

 

Up at 3 am to get ready and walk over to the airport, quick check-in, and TSA was as fast as always (and they really are fast at the Spokane Airport). The first part of the flight was on-time, and got us over to Seattle a bit early. Of course, the flight to Long Beach had to be delayed by 90 extra minutes, but gave us some time for breakfast and chat.

 

At this point was the worst part of the trip. As we're heading to Long Beach, I hear the flight attendant call overhead to see if there was a doctor on board. I look around for the others with us, and all seems fine, so I go back to reading. A couple of minutes later, there's a bit of commotion behind Rich and I, so I turn around, and there's a large group surrounding 2 of our group.... long story short, the flight had to divert to Reno for them to get off, and they ended up missing the cruise. The person who was ill is doing much better, though, and we'll have to book another cruise next year for them to go. They did have insurance, so aren't out the fare, but let this be another lesson for those who don't buy insurance... it could happen to you, so be prepared.

 

After getting to Long Beach and collecting the luggage, we got to our hotel, the Best Western Long Beach. I had read some reviews after booking this hotel, so I started to worry, and yes, the area isn't the best, but the hotel was nice, quiet, with a great continental breakfast served in the morning, and free wi-fi throughout. There was also a McDonalds and a gas station right across the street, if you needed a quick bite or some last minute soda or water.

 

Finally, it's cruise day!!! We were up early, and got the first hotel shuttle to the pier at 9:30. Out of the van, and luggage (plus tip) to the porter, and we're off to check in. Check-in was being done on-board the Queen Mary at this time of day, and though there were about 30 or so people in line, we had booked Faster to the Fun, so check in was REALLY fast. Boarding started around 11:30, and we headed right to our rooms to drop the carry-on's. Rich, Walker and I were in 7302, aft extended balcony, and I'm soooooo glad we got this cabin. Rony, our cabin steward, was great, especially with how much he had to replace the towels each day. Luggage was not there yet, but it wasn't too long after that it arrived, which we were fine with.

 

The 6 of met in the Metropolis lobby, and then split into 2 groups: group 1 went to try and book the Behind the Fun tour, and group 2 went to the dining room to get our tables changed. Because we book through a TA, we couldn't all get our dining linked, although we did all have confirmed early dining. We met with Elvis, the Matre'd, who was not able to make the change the first night, but starting with night 2 we would all be together. We were prepared for this being the case, and decided to do the buffet on the first night, which was fine with us.

 

The first group got to the shore excursion desk, and was able to get all 6 of us booked for the tour. The tour was scheduled for the last sea day, and they actually did two of them that day, but more on that later.

 

Now, off to have some lunch and tour the ship. The Miracle is a great ship, very easy to get around, and while there was a little wear-and-tear (which is to be expected), overall it's in great shape, and very, very clean. I really liked how the buffet was set up with the different stations.... things flowed well, and the lines never got too long. Had a burger and hot dog for lunch, and was surprised they had cheese sauce and chili to make nachos. I ended up making cheese fries a number of times... yum! And the potato salad; wow, I couldn't get enough of that. If it's coming in pre-made, I want to know where they're getting it from.

 

Time for muster, which went really faster than I remember it from prior cruises, and then up on deck for sail-away. The rest of the night was dinner in the buffet, dropping some coin in the casino (very tight), and some cocktails. A HUGE shout-out goes to Mario and Jo Ann in the casino bar; they learned our names and drinks the first time out, and they were our preferred bartenders the rest of the cruise.

 

A couple of (early) final thoughts for right now....

 

1. While there were a few staff that were less that smiling and cheerful, I'm just chalking that up to them having a bad day. Overall, everyone we encountered was happy & helpful, and just giving a 'please', 'thank you', and showing that you appreciate them and the job that they're doing really goes a long way in helping to make their day! I am a firm believer that the crew are not there to be my servants, to be at my beck-and-call, and that by going a little out of my way with a kind word helped me to have a better cruise.

 

2. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask away, and I'll answer them all.

[poptart]

Good job so far. Enjoying the review.

 

Sent from my SM-T310 using Forums mobile app

[oncruisecontrol]

First of all, congratulations on 25 years together. Great start to your review. I love the Miracle; we sailed on her back in 2008. I know I'm in the minority, but I love the Bacchus Dining Room (the grapes). It also doesn't hurt that we had some of the best meals we've ever had on a Carnival ship in the Bacchus. We also love the Mad Hatter's Ballroom and Dr. Frankenstein's Lab (the disco). I look forward to reading more of your review. Thanks for posting.

[boaterette]

Congratulations and your review is going very well. Looking forward to more.

[mickide]

Can't wait to read the rest...I'm the one who forgot tea on Saturday :(. It was nice to meet you guys!

[foxesden1]

Thanks!!! Any pix or fun times?

[Jldevlin]

I loved the potato salad !!!!! tried not to eat too much too often but it called me every time I went by . They had it by the deli also ... mmmm

[SweetpeaOne]

Very nice review. Can't wait to read the rest. Thanks for sharing.

[michelle1836]

congrats! and so far so good! don't forget to add some pictures!

please :D

[crosstown1]

We loved meeting you, and Walker was soooooo ashamed that he was late to tea with you, but it was my fault, so don't blame him LOL

 

Can't wait to read the rest...I'm the one who forgot tea on Saturday :(. It was nice to meet you guys!

[crosstown1]

I hope to get pix and Fun Times up soon!

 

Thanks!!! Any pix or fun times?

[oncruisecontrol]

congrats! and so far so good! don't forget to add some pictures!

please :D

Absolutely. I love photo reviews. There have been some good ones on the Carnival boards lately (shout out to MikeyA53, GAPearl, and Shyova).

 

Looking forward to reading more of crosstown1's review.

[mickide]

We loved meeting you, and Walker was soooooo ashamed that he was late to tea with you, but it was my fault, so don't blame him LOL

 

I felt so bad for not showing on Saturday, I was totally looking forward to it! Make sure Walker knows that I am really sorry. He's a sweetheart! You guys are a fun group!

[Litewait]

For the review~ We sailed on the Miracle in 2008 to the Caribbean and loved her~ Have her booked for this New Years~:D Can't wait to see her again. Looking forward to the pictures~

[rikig1969]

Hey there everyone, I'm the Richard half of the couple celebrating our anniversary on this cruise. I was going to add a few pics, but it looks like I may need to do some resizing to meet CC requirements for pics in posts, so I'll get those added a little later. So far Michael is doing pretty good on posting, so I'll let him continue. :)