Miracle 3/05/06..Need Help and suggestions

[edfox]

I'm traveling on 3/5/06 with a group of 6 adults and three children from the age of 18 months to 5 years. This is second cruise within the last year. The last cruise was on the Conquest. We are staying in room 5234 which is stated as an partial obstructed view.

Ok here come the questions.

1. Any one know how obstructed the view is?

2. In order to bring water and soda on board do we just pack in the suit cases and wait for our luggage to arrive?

3. Where would be the best place to go to the beaches? I know the DW, MIL, and SIL want to take the kids to the beach.

4. Any one do the ATV trip in Costa Maya?

5. What is the parking like at the pier since we will be traveling by vehicle, and what does it cost to park? When we traveled on the Conquest the parking was a mess in New Orleans at the time they were constructing the new pier and it was Mardi Gras, which our TA forget to tell us when we booked our cruise.

6. Has any one done any of the following excursions, the glass bottom boat tour, the submarine tour or the zoo tour? We are trying to find something that is kid friendly while in port since two of the kids are to young to stay at Camp Carnival while in port

[DqALEX]

The Miracle is a great boat. I did the sub tour with my wife once and It was alot of money. Im a scuba diver and I diden't think it was all that great, she doesn't dive and liked it. I think the parking was around a 100 for the week. Costa Maya I just got off the boat and walked around, Its very small there I went in January and it was almost 95 and that was there cold season. The pool in the middle of the square is a very nice. You can get drinks there and it was a great place to cool off. The beach there was not so good. For a great beach 7 mile beach in Grand Cayman, Is very good.

[AppleValleyCruisers]

While I agree with DQ about Costa Maya's beach being not all that good, depending on the age of the kids it might be perfect as it isn't too deep, but it isn't too shallow either. That said, I might suggest the Pez Quadro, at the end of the "commercial" district of Mahahual.

 

The reason why I wouldn't suggest a beach in Grand Cayman's is that I would highly suggest you look into a Stingray City tour instead. I believe everyone in your party would love it.

 

Have a great time, she is indeed a wonderful ship!

[ppeckham]

Question concerning soda and water:

We boxed up our soda and water in a cardboard box and taped one of the luggage tags to it. We checked the box at the curb with the other luggage. It arrived at the cabin with the rest of the luggage.

 

Tours:

We did a partially submerged tour in Grand Cayman. It was less expensive than the submarine. Definitely worth the money. The children will like this one. There's room for them to move around, provided the tour isn't full.

[tankersbabe]

In April, the parking was $10 per day. I think the rate has gone up however.

 

We pulled up to the port, had the porter unload us, drove across the street, prepaid our parking, parked, and then wheeled our carry on back across the street, into the terminal, zipped through the line, waited about half an hour to board and the party began!

 

As for sodas and water, I bought one of the pull along soft sided coolers (available at Wal Mart) I had a twelve pack of canned Mtn Dew, a twelve pack of Diet Pepsi, about ten bottles of water, candy bars, and snack bars. Wheeled it right on with our carry on...easy! No problems at all.

 

I second the Grand Cayman StingRay City...that was awesome!

 

I did like Majahual's beach. Nice and clear, shallow. No waves.

 

ENJOY!

 

Stef

[KtBarker]

I stayed in a partially obstructed room on the Miracle and it was great! We didn't find the view obstructed at all! The room comes with a balcony, and the life boat comes up to the rail on the balcony. Our friends paid for a balcony room, and it was identical to ours only without the life boat coming up to the railing. :D

[familyof4cruising]

I have been on the Miracle and is one of my favorite cruises. You will love it. Bring your water and soda freely. Ask you cabin stewart to please empty your refrig and stock it with your items . Enjoy the trip.

[MIMom4]

Beaches... we went to Paradise Beach in Coz and found a spot in Majahual. Really enjoyed both. Paradise has done a great job recovering from the storms. Majahual was a great little Mexican village. We heard loads of people griping about what a dump it was and were baffled by these comments. Drinks, fish tacos, clear water with actual sea-life living in it, friendly locals.... this was a highlight for our family of 6.

[chrly]

I'm traveling on 3/5/06 with a group of 6 adults and three children from the age of 18 months to 5 years. This is second cruise within the last year. The last cruise was on the Conquest. We are staying in room 5234 which is stated as an partial obstructed view.

Ok here come the questions.

1. Any one know how obstructed the view is?

2. In order to bring water and soda on board do we just pack in the suit cases and wait for our luggage to arrive?

3. Where would be the best place to go to the beaches? I know the DW, MIL, and SIL want to take the kids to the beach.

4. Any one do the ATV trip in Costa Maya?

5. What is the parking like at the pier since we will be traveling by vehicle, and what does it cost to park? When we traveled on the Conquest the parking was a mess in New Orleans at the time they were constructing the new pier and it was Mardi Gras, which our TA forget to tell us when we booked our cruise.

6. Has any one done any of the following excursions, the glass bottom boat tour, the submarine tour or the zoo tour? We are trying to find something that is kid friendly while in port since two of the kids are to young to stay at Camp Carnival while in port

 

When we were on the Valor in May we did the zoo tour in Belize and it was great. Just make sure you pack snacks and water for the kids as it can be hot. You will have a guide that takes you around the zoo and gives you facts about the animals. My DD's at that time were 3 and 9. In Grand Cayman we did the combination tour with the Turtle Farm, village of Hell, and Singray Sandbar. That was the highlight of our trip...to this day my 3 year old DD still talks about "kissing" a stingray.:D This was one family trip we will not forget anytime soon. Enjoy!

[GarageTwoThree]

I aksed my steward and he ssaid he could not empty it. I will double check that parking fee this weekend if I remember since its about 15mins away from here. Get to the docks early and you will be rewarded with a pleasurable experiance and short wait. Once on the boat you can't go to your cabin till like 2:30 but lido has food. This would also be a good time to explore the ship before the big crowds come in. Your view I think is obstructed by a big ass boat. Don't let them lie to you like they tried with my girlfriend and say its a rope. We ended up getting a extended balcony on deck 7 and it was nice, but I sort of see where your cabin would be and its a boat full view. Have fun

[Raceroc]

I'm traveling on 3/5/06 with a group of 6 adults and three children from the age of 18 months to 5 years. This is second cruise within the last year. The last cruise was on the Conquest. We are staying in room 5234 which is stated as an partial obstructed view.

Ok here come the questions.

1. Any one know how obstructed the view is?

2. In order to bring water and soda on board do we just pack in the suit cases and wait for our luggage to arrive?

3. Where would be the best place to go to the beaches? I know the DW, MIL, and SIL want to take the kids to the beach.

4. Any one do the ATV trip in Costa Maya?

5. What is the parking like at the pier since we will be traveling by vehicle, and what does it cost to park? When we traveled on the Conquest the parking was a mess in New Orleans at the time they were constructing the new pier and it was Mardi Gras, which our TA forget to tell us when we booked our cruise.

6. Has any one done any of the following excursions, the glass bottom boat tour, the submarine tour or the zoo tour? We are trying to find something that is kid friendly while in port since two of the kids are to young to stay at Camp Carnival while in port

 

1. 5234 is a good room. The lifeboat will only block the view looking down.

2. Yep

3. Good beaches at Coz and GC...Don't miss the Sting Rays at GC!!

4. Nope. But did pass by them on the way to the ruins.

5. Parking is very good. The garage is directly across the street. $12 per day.

6. Nope, sorry.

Our cabin steward did remove the stuff from the fridge.

 

Have a GREAT time. The Miracle is fantastic!!

[jschulst]

I boarded the Miracle in Aug 2005 from Tampa, stops are Grand Caymen, Belize, Costa maya, Cozumel

Your questions were:

 

1. Any one know how obstructed the view is?

Yes, the life boats are out on your balcony. We stayed on that floor.

 

2. In order to bring water and soda on board do we just pack in the suit cases and wait for our luggage to arrive?

Water is very good on the ship, bring your water bottles and save your money. I packed several 12pack pop in the suitcases.

 

3. Where would be the best place to go to the beaches? I know the DW, MIL, and SIL want to take the kids to the beach.

Best beach is Costa Maya, do shore excursions on other stops

 

4. Any one do the ATV trip in Costa Maya? (haven't heard of that one)

5. What is the parking like at the pier since we will be traveling by vehicle, and what does it cost to park? When we traveled on the Conquest the parking was a mess in New Orleans at the time they were constructing the new pier and it was Mardi Gras, which our TA forget to tell us when we booked our cruise.

My sister lives near tampa, she dropped us off at the port. At Tampa, there is a parking ramp at the port.