Back From Miracle - In a Cast!

[Kaki321]

Hi, just returned Sunday from our cruise. The first three days were pretty awesome, until Belize where I got hurt. Then it was...well...a "bust" (no pun intended) :rolleyes:

 

Embarkation was fine. We had VIP check-in, but when we got there it was standing-room only with about 15 people ahead of us waiting. Carnival quickly rectified this by escorting those who were waiting to the front of the other lines. We only had to wait about 10 minutes to get checked in and escorted onto the ship.

 

Once aboard (about 2:00) we all went straight to our cabins. We had two almost AFT suites (6258 and 6327) and an inside room across the hall (6325). The rooms were exactly as expected and just perfect. The Bon Voyage decorations were hung and the wine from JBOY was wrapped and awaiting us. All of our bags came within about 3 hours, just in time for dinner.

 

We spent the rest of the day strolling around the ship and exploring. The Miracle is a pretty ship, and layed out very well. (I came to appreciate this come Thursday when in my new friend - the Carnival Wheelchair).

 

Here are some abbreviated notes about the ship and ports that might be useful for future Miracle cruisers. Please feel free to ask more questions.

 

Nick and Nora's: We ate here once and absolutely loved it. The service is incredible, food is plentiful and well worth the $30.00 surcharge.

 

The Spa: My niece and I had pedicures and they were very accomodating in making sure we had appointments at the same time and sat next to eachother. Ask for Fawn, she is awesome. They also made room for me on Saturday when I was in the wheelchair and incapacitated and was dying to have my hair washed and blow dryed.

 

The Food: We only ate in the Bacchus three times, but all three times were very good. I especially enjoyed the Chateaubriand and Lobster (who wouldn't!?).

 

Sam's Piano Bar: Make sure you go by and sing-a-long with Doug. He was a riot and very fun.

 

Dr. Frankenstein's: The DJ doesn't like taking requests, but we had fun anyway

 

Ticket to Ride: Don't miss this show, it really IS as good as everyone says.

 

Don't forget that there is sushi in front of Frankie and Johnnies each day from 5-8. It's not "great", but a nice change from the other food.

 

The ports - - well, not my favorite part of the trip. The exception would be Grand Cayman where I thought the water and sand were beautiful! We had 3 small kids with us under 5, so we didn't do much other than "beach it" at the ports, so I can't comment too much.

 

Grand Cayman: As I mentioned, beautiful! We grabbed a shuttle at the port and headed to 7 mile beach to the Colony Beach Club. I think it cost us $56 for 5 of us to get in (2 adults, one teenager and 2 little ones). One thing that bothered me a little is that the "shuttles" in the Caymans don't move until they are full...so if you are a party of 5 on a shuttle for 8, you need to wait for 3 other people who want a ride. Frustrating.

 

Cozumel: We booked the private beach break with Island Marketing. San Francisco beach, right next to Paradise beach. Well worth the cost of $30.00 admission with lounge chairs, umbrellas, lunch, and open bar! What I really liked about this beach is that they had a POOL!

 

Unfortunately, our video camera got stolen here and that put a huge damper on the day. I am still trying to communicate with them to see if anything can be done, but I think it's long gone :mad: . Watch your stuff closely if you go there!

 

Belize: This is where it all went down-hill. We booked Carnival's Private Beach Break at Bannister Island. First, when we got there, there were no seats at all (we chose the 10:15 tour). We finally found a palapa next to the shore, on the far end of the island. The entire beach isn't very nice - - very eroded and there is actually a one foot sand "ledge" you need to step down to get to the water. Our palapa was right on the water, and you had to stand on one of these ledges to stand at our palapa.

 

By now, you probably know where I am going with this...I was standing up at the palapa, sipping my rum punch and the ledge collapsed from under me - - I twisted my ankle and fell on my foot. I knew right then and there I had done some major damage, I just knew. I was right. This was at 11:30 am and the tour operator refused to take me back to the ship until the first tender/boat at 1:30 pm. Not fun, and very upsetting.

 

I won't get into the other personal nitty gritty details about what happened the next 3 days on the ship...I will say that I am very disappointed in how things went overall and I will leave it at that. Too personal to get into, and I don't want to spark any debates about Carnival's responsibility versus mine, etc..., etc.... I have enough to worry about, and I want to concentrate on getting better.

 

The next 3 days were pretty miserable :( (missed Costa Maya). They casted me on the ship (I will say that I REALLY liked the doctor on the ship), and I went right to the ER when we flew into Chicago on Sunday. I am now in a thigh-high plaster leg cast and will see the Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow. Needless to say, pretty horrible experience, and I think it's just the beginning - - I will know more tomorrow :(

 

So, in a way, this was the best cruise we were ever on (first 4 days) and the worst cruise (last 3 days). Still had a few laughs and a little bit of fun the last 3 days. I was "forced" to rest, and the pain was pretty pervasive. That stunk. It was also pretty hard on my husband. I couldn't help with the kids at all, let alone get myself to the bathroom. (They do have good drugs in the infirmary though :) and I took full advantage of them)

 

If you have any other Miracle questions, let me know...happy to answer!

 

Safe cruising folks!

[Payd]

Hi, just returned Sunday from our cruise. The first three days were pretty awesome, until Belize where I got hurt. Then it was...well...a "bust" (no pun intended) :rolleyes:

 

Embarkation was fine. We had VIP check-in, but when we got there it was standing-room only with about 15 people ahead of us waiting. Carnival quickly rectified this by escorting those who were waiting to the front of the other lines. We only had to wait about 10 minutes to get checked in and escorted onto the ship.

 

Once aboard (about 2:00) we all went straight to our cabins. We had two almost AFT suites (6258 and 6327) and an inside room across the hall (6325). The rooms were exactly as expected and just perfect. The Bon Voyage decorations were hung and the wine from JBOY was wrapped and awaiting us. All of our bags came within about 3 hours, just in time for dinner.

 

We spent the rest of the day strolling around the ship and exploring. The Miracle is a pretty ship, and layed out very well. (I came to appreciate this come Thursday when in my new friend - the Carnival Wheelchair).

 

Here are some abbreviated notes about the ship and ports that might be useful for future Miracle cruisers. Please feel free to ask more questions.

 

Nick and Nora's: We ate here once and absolutely loved it. The service is incredible, food is plentiful and well worth the $30.00 surcharge.

 

The Spa: My niece and I had pedicures and they were very accomodating in making sure we had appointments at the same time and sat next to eachother. Ask for Fawn, she is awesome. They also made room for me on Saturday when I was in the wheelchair and incapacitated and was dying to have my hair washed and blow dryed.

 

The Food: We only ate in the Bacchus three times, but all three times were very good. I especially enjoyed the Chateaubriand and Lobster (who wouldn't!?).

 

Sam's Piano Bar: Make sure you go by and sing-a-long with Doug. He was a riot and very fun.

 

Dr. Frankenstein's: The DJ doesn't like taking requests, but we had fun anyway

 

Ticket to Ride: Don't miss this show, it really IS as good as everyone says.

 

Don't forget that there is sushi in front of Frankie and Johnnies each day from 5-8. It's not "great", but a nice change from the other food.

 

The ports - - well, not my favorite part of the trip. The exception would be Grand Cayman where I thought the water and sand were beautiful! We had 3 small kids with us under 5, so we didn't do much other than "beach it" at the ports, so I can't comment too much.

 

Grand Cayman: As I mentioned, beautiful! We grabbed a shuttle at the port and headed to 7 mile beach to the Colony Beach Club. I think it cost us $56 for 5 of us to get in (2 adults, one teenager and 2 little ones). One thing that bothered me a little is that the "shuttles" in the Caymans don't move until they are full...so if you are a party of 5 on a shuttle for 8, you need to wait for 3 other people who want a ride. Frustrating.

 

Cozumel: We booked the private beach break with Island Marketing. San Francisco beach, right next to Paradise beach. Well worth the cost of $30.00 admission with lounge chairs, umbrellas, lunch, and open bar! What I really liked about this beach is that they had a POOL!

 

Unfortunately, our video camera got stolen here and that put a huge damper on the day. I am still trying to communicate with them to see if anything can be done, but I think it's long gone :mad: . Watch your stuff closely if you go there!

 

Belize: This is where it all went down-hill. We booked Carnival's Private Beach Break at Bannister Island. First, when we got there, there were no seats at all (we chose the 10:15 tour). We finally found a palapa next to the shore, on the far end of the island. The entire beach isn't very nice - - very eroded and there is actually a one foot sand "ledge" you need to step down to get to the water. Our palapa was right on the water, and you had to stand on one of these ledges to stand at our palapa.

 

By now, you probably know where I am going with this...I was standing up at the palapa, sipping my rum punch and the ledge collapsed from under me - - I twisted my ankle and fell on my foot. I knew right then and there I had done some major damage, I just knew. I was right. This was at 11:30 am and the tour operator refused to take me back to the ship until the first tender/boat at 1:30 pm. Not fun, and very upsetting.

 

I won't get into the other personal nitty gritty details about what happened the next 3 days on the ship...I will say that I am very disappointed in how things went overall and I will leave it at that. Too personal to get into, and I don't want to spark any debates about Carnival's responsibility versus mine, etc..., etc.... I have enough to worry about, and I want to concentrate on getting better.

 

The next 3 days were pretty miserable (missed Costa Maya). They casted me on the ship (I will say that I REALLY liked the doctor on the ship), and I went right to the ER when we flew into Chicago on Sunday. I am now in a thigh-high plaster leg cast and will see the Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow. Needless to say, pretty horrible experience, and I think it's just the beginning - - I will know more tomorrow :(

 

So, in a way, this was the best cruise we were ever on (first 4 days) and the worst cruise (last 3 days). Still had a few laughs and a little bit of fun the last 3 days. I was "forced" to rest, and the pain was pretty pervasive. That stunk. It was also pretty hard on my husband. I couldn't help with the kids at all, let alone get myself to the bathroom. (They do have good drugs in the infirmary though :) and I took full advantage of them)

 

If you have any other Miracle questions, let me know...happy to answer!

 

Safe cruising folks!

 

Kaki

 

Sorry to hear you got hurt...not a fun way to spend 3 days of your vacation. Get well soon!:)

[Kaki321]

Kaki

 

Sorry to hear you got hurt...not a fun way to spend 3 days of your vacation. Get well soon!:)

 

Thanks Payd...you know, I used to say that even a "bad" day on a cruise is better than a good day at work! Don't necessarily think so anymore. LOL

 

This too shall pass though

[I&MsMom]

How terrible for you. I hope you have very good news tomorrow, and the path to recovery will be a short one!

[imlulu]

Oh how awful!!! Hopefully it will all workout well.

[Kaki321]

Forgot to mention that my 2 and 5 year old sons LOVED camp carnival! They went at least 3-4 days for about 2 hours each day (they mostly wanted to hang with us...especially the 5 year old who wanted to take care of mommy :) ). But when there, even for just an hour or two, they always came back with tons of stories about how fun it was, cute pictures they drew, faces painted, t-shirts they made, etc...

 

They also gave us a cell phone to use and that was great.

[HeidiHo]

Kaki - so sorry you got hurt. That's always a bummer. Hope you'll feel better soon.

[LHP]

Kaki: Hope you have a speedy and complete recovery. We are headed out in October on the same cruise. We will avoid that tour in Belize. Thanks for the heads up.

[Yeldarb]

I paid 40 each through Island marketing. Just wondering how you got 30?

 

ps- Sorry you hurt your leg. Too bad a child didn't step on you so you could sue Carnival :D (so this makes sense to future readers this is a Reference to a current Hot topic thread)

[Kaki321]

I paid 40 each through Island marketing. Just wondering how you got 30?

 

ps- Sorry you hurt your leg. Too bad a child didn't step on you so you could sue Carnival :D (so this makes sense to future readers this is a Reference to a current Hot topic thread)

 

You know, I am not really sure. They had trouble with the math and just said "ok, give us $150!" (We had 4 adults, one 16 year old and one 5 year old. Total cost was $150.00 - - that is why I thought it was $30)

 

Whether it was 30 or 40, totally worth it. Just watch your personal belongings better than we did!

 

No comment on the sueing, not gonna go there :rolleyes: Have enough to deal with.

[poptart]

Kaki, hope you are well soon! Now just a quick question. Did you have cruise insurance? Since it was a Carnival sponsered excursion did they pick up the infirmary tab ect. or did you have to pay? Of course you can say it's none of my business but I just wondered how it worked. I've always thought that one of the advantages of booking excursions thru the ship was that you would be taken care of if something went wrong. Thanks for any info you are willing to share.

[Sassy American Bird]

Kaki:

 

I am so sorry to hear about your accident but am very impressed with your positive attitude! Your situation reminded me of my Mother's...she came to visit me when I was living in England. We went to Stonehenge on day 3 of her visit, she took a tumble and spent the next week in a very run down NHS (3rd world style) hospital in Swin(e)don. I am actually sending her your story so she knows that she isn't alone.

 

Incidentally, we are heading out on the Miracle Sunday and found your information priceless. We had consider the beach break in Belize but considering I have a 13 month old, I think we will stay clear of the unstable beach...no valuables on the beach either!

 

Speedy recovery, Kaki. Cheers..

[tkportersat]

Kaki-

Sorry your vacation didn't go as you had planned. I hope you have a speedy recovery :)

[dlbaqua]

I'm sorry that happened! I guess we all need to be reminded that vacations aren't free from potential accidents. (I broke my foot in my own back yard last year, so I know how bad the pain is).

I hope you heal well and are able to get everything worked out. You have a great attitude.

[julia]

Kaki:

As other have expressed... KUDOS on your attitude! I can only imagine the pain and stress that you endured and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that your injuries will heal fully.

 

My husband is really accident-prone on our vacations (although yours wasn't an accident, rather a really misfortunate incident), and we are now able to look back and laugh (even though it WASN'T funny at the time!)

 

Thanks for the post and hang in there girlfriend!

[coolestwife]

Kaki,

I sorry to hear of your injury and hope that you get some good news from the doctor today! Hope you get better soon!!!:D :D

[gail811]

Sorry about the accident, but BRAVO on your positive attitude! I hope the news from the doctor isn't too terrible today! Please let us know how you are doing!

[rwilymz]

That'll learn ya. Shoulda gone cave tubing with us.

[Kaki321]

Kaki, hope you are well soon! Now just a quick question. Did you have cruise insurance? Since it was a Carnival sponsered excursion did they pick up the infirmary tab ect. or did you have to pay? Of course you can say it's none of my business but I just wondered how it worked. I've always thought that one of the advantages of booking excursions thru the ship was that you would be taken care of if something went wrong. Thanks for any info you are willing to share.

 

No problem, totally don't mind answering. Carnival picked up all of the infirmary tabs through "guest relations" because it was a Carnival-sponsored tour. They didn't ask me about whether or not I had insurance, maybe it was on my record. Not sure, was just happy it was taken care of.

 

Now I need to try and get a copy of my medical records...forgot to get them when we left the ship. Wish me luck!

[cruisecastle]

FYI that ledge is there as a result of the big hurrican last fall. It hasn't always been there. Much of the area surrounding cancun also has this 1ft dropoff going on.

[Kaki321]

Kaki:

 

I am so sorry to hear about your accident but am very impressed with your positive attitude! Your situation reminded me of my Mother's...she came to visit me when I was living in England. We went to Stonehenge on day 3 of her visit, she took a tumble and spent the next week in a very run down NHS (3rd world style) hospital in Swin(e)don. I am actually sending her your story so she knows that she isn't alone.

 

Incidentally, we are heading out on the Miracle Sunday and found your information priceless. We had consider the beach break in Belize but considering I have a 13 month old, I think we will stay clear of the unstable beach...no valuables on the beach either!

 

Speedy recovery, Kaki. Cheers..

 

In addition to the unstable beach (and I DO have pictures! Haven't unpacked the camera yet though), there is very little shade. Unless you are lucky enough to get a chair under one of the palapa's (that cannot be moved). The "beach" is full of rocks too - not sandy/sugary at all. I wouldn't let my 2 and 5 year olds take their shoes off and they really couldn't play in the sand.

 

Didn't like Bannister Island at all :(

[Kaki321]

FYI that ledge is there as a result of the big hurrican last fall. It hasn't always been there. Much of the area surrounding cancun also has this 1ft dropoff going on.

 

totally understand why there is erosion and where it came from, but there is no excuse for the ledge circling the palapa and table. If that space is meant for people to stand or sit at, they should grab a shovel and make it safe. IMHO

[Kaki321]

That'll learn ya. Shoulda gone cave tubing with us.

 

LOL! Looked for you on the ship...leather hat....didn't see ya...did you see us? Hard to miss with the little kids, strollers and wheelchair. Your favorite! hehe:D

[Kaki321]

Thanks for the comments on my attitude...but I really think my husband would get a huge laugh if he read this thread! From his perspective, I have been a bit whiney...and crabby.

 

Thank god for Vicoden

 

No "real" news at the doc today, still too much swelling and that is her main concern. For the next week, need to concentrate on elevation and rest. And go from there!

[rwilymz]

LOL! Looked for you on the ship...leather hat....didn't see ya...did you see us?

 

We spent our time dodging Melanie. Nice girl, freshly married, center of her universe... she was featured prominently in the hypnotist show, you may have seen her... for some reason, everywhere we went, she was there with her husband and her two friends.

 

Hard to miss with the little kids, strollers and wheelchair. Your favorite!

 

The thing about strollers is just that they don't belong in crowds. And kids, if they're behaved, are fine... it's just that you can never be sure. And apart from the one 2 year old in a stroller who was with this lady in a wheelchair ...