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Just back from the Carnival Miracle Aug.27-Sept.3

Pleasan7

By Pleasan7,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Pleasan7

Pleasan7

Posted
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Hi

Just wanted to let everyone know that this is a wonderful ship - Loved the design - Loved the crew.

The Captain of the Miracle was very friendly at the past guest reception; he really seemed to enjoy that part of his job. I really appreciated that he merely rearranged two of our ports of call to avoid ‘Ernesto’ and still made all our ports.

This is the best designed ship for the passenger that I have sailed on. The passageway walls have photos from various books and plays. We were mid-ship on deck 7 so the ones that indicated our side of the ship were Robin Hood, The Mask, and Sherlock Holmes. This made finding our way around the ship easier. Decks 2 and 3 have nothing to obstruct movement from one end of the ship to the other so you can walk on either level from the phantom lounge to the dining room.

The Bacchus dining room lights of purple grapes look fine now and the mater d was very helpful. The waiters (Irawan and Enio) were superb and remembered our preferences after the first meal. They were very friendly and attentive. Food was excellent and plentiful as one might expect on a cruise ship. Loved the aged beef and the Chocolate dessert on the Captains dinner was Yummy!

The cabin Steward and housekeeping staff were excellent and kept the cabin in a constant state of cleanliness. Towel animals were fun as expected.

Shows and entertainment were all tasteful and professionally performed.

 

Ports:

Our first port was Belize. We took the ship’s excursion to Geoff’s Caye. The first part of the trip is a snorkel swim. Participants have the option of swimming from the shore if they are inexperienced or the more experienced can snorkel from the boat. My husband and I snorkeled from the boat and saw lots of fish. The coral all appears to be healthy.

Cozumel was the second port. We scheduled our own excursion with Eagle Ray Divers. The group was small and we chose the dive spots. We made two, seventy foot dives of about forty minutes each. The coral was breath taking. We enjoyed seeing big fish on this trip, a turtle was resting next to a barrel sponge and a nurse shark was sleeping under the edge of some coral. We saw the biggest grouper that I have ever seen. The snorkel group spotted turtles and a shark as well. The crew was friendly, helpful and very knowledgeable.

The third port, Costa Maya, is still being developed as a port. This provided a great opportunity for a rural exploration of the old Yucatan. We enjoyed touring the ruins of Chacchoben with Ivan, David and Carolina through Native Choice Tours. We watched several large groups walk by as we were still being informed by Ivan. Our smaller group received additional attention from our guide. I recommend this trip if you want personal attention and historical information. Ivan grew up in the area and is intimately familiar with the site and the details of its discovery.

Grand Cayman was our last stop and we chose to go to Stingray city with Captain Bryan. The crew was very friendly and went out of their way to ensure we had a good time and had plenty of time with the Stingrays. It was a pleasant trip and the crew took time to show us the fish and coral. We saw two moray eels and the fish were very colorful. The Stingrays are fun for pictures and to see them swimming around very close is also lots of fun. Every tour will offer photos so bring about $30 if you think you want photos.

 

I cannot find anything to criticize on this trip so I would highly recommend it!

Carol

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LHP

LHP

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Thanks for the encouraging review. We will be there October 8th!!! yea!!!

 

Do you happen to remember the name of the Captain? There is a thread on here that is collecting the current names of the Captains on all the ships.

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Pleasan7

Pleasan7

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Less see, the seas were almost flat only 2-3 foot swells. I could not have ask for better weather. Warm but not too hot only a light breeze. It turned out to be the perfect cruise because the captain chose to go to Belize and then have Grand Cayman at the end.

No I am not good with names. I can tell you that the Captain is very friendly and the CD is from Florida - lots of fun and can really sing. I enjoyed everything I saw him do. The bathrobe party was very popular and they are already in the cabins.

Glad to be of help,

Carol

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LHP

LHP

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Less see, the seas were almost flat only 2-3 foot swells. I could not have ask for better weather. Warm but not too hot only a light breeze. It turned out to be the perfect cruise because the captain chose to go to Belize and then have Grand Cayman at the end.

No I am not good with names. I can tell you that the Captain is very friendly and the CD is from Florida - lots of fun and can really sing. I enjoyed everything I saw him do. The bathrobe party was very popular and they are already in the cabins.

Glad to be of help,

Carol

 

Unless something has changed, the last I heard the CD was Chris Roberts.

So glad that the hurricane did not disrupt your cruise. The Captains work very hard to make the most of a bad weather situation.

 

Off topic: We have a son at Tenn Tech with many friends attending UTK!!

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caseyfan

caseyfan

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Carol,

 

Thank you for your review....sounds like you had a great time!!!! I leave in 10 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so ready for some "down time". I think it's great you were able to stop at all the ports scheduled, rearranging them would be fine with me also if needed ...especially to keep everyone safe. This is my 7-8 cruise, but first one on Miracle.

I do have a couple questions if you don't mind answering please; first I have read that Miracle is kind of a "quieter" ship.....not as much partying, not as many children etc......did you find that to be true????? second, on the formal nights...do you think a mid-calf length cocktail dress would be okay.......I'm a "fluffy" gal and it is not easy to find formal dresses that look okay on me, third.....for the non-formal evenings do you think a sundress or nice capri set, or skirt and top would be okay in the dining room???? I have been shopping several times and each time it seems I pick something else up....the hard part is going to be deciding what to take and what to leave home......and finally....did you find that you needed much cash on the cruise.......mainly for shopping in ports or are credit cards pretty much accepted everywhere????? I hear about "small out of the way" shops......do they take credit cards also????

 

Sorry so many questions.......between the excitement and decision making I am about to drive myself over the edge!!!!!

 

Thanks, Carla:D

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caseyfan

caseyfan

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Oakleys.......thank you for that suggestion........I've not really had much experience bartering, but my sister is pretty darn good at it......:D ...I think I will take some extra cash.....maybe travelers checks and then cash them at the pursers desk.......thanks!!!! any suggestions on items to purchase.......good buys?????:D

 

Thanks again,

Carla:cool:

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LHP

LHP

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Carol,

 

Thank you for your review....sounds like you had a great time!!!! I leave in 10 days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so ready for some "down time". I think it's great you were able to stop at all the ports scheduled, rearranging them would be fine with me also if needed ...especially to keep everyone safe. This is my 7-8 cruise, but first one on Miracle.

I do have a couple questions if you don't mind answering please; first I have read that Miracle is kind of a "quieter" ship.....not as much partying, not as many children etc......did you find that to be true????? second, on the formal nights...do you think a mid-calf length cocktail dress would be okay.......I'm a "fluffy" gal and it is not easy to find formal dresses that look okay on me, third.....for the non-formal evenings do you think a sundress or nice capri set, or skirt and top would be okay in the dining room???? I have been shopping several times and each time it seems I pick something else up....the hard part is going to be deciding what to take and what to leave home......and finally....did you find that you needed much cash on the cruise.......mainly for shopping in ports or are credit cards pretty much accepted everywhere????? I hear about "small out of the way" shops......do they take credit cards also????

 

Sorry so many questions.......between the excitement and decision making I am about to drive myself over the edge!!!!!

 

Thanks, Carla:D

 

Cocktail length will be fine, as is the rest of your clothing plans!!

 

All the shops we have been to in Grand Cayman and Cozumel take the ole' credit card. This will be our first time to Costa Maya and Belize. I would suggest that you take about $50 in $1 dollar bills and some $5's for bartering for small items. The smaller shops can have a problem making change in American money.

 

Have a wonderful cruise and warn the karaoke host that they have a major addicted karaoke person heading their way October 8th!!!

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Pleasan7

Pleasan7

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I do have a couple questions if you don't mind answering please; first I have read that Miracle is kind of a "quieter" ship.....not as much partying, not as many children etc......did you find that to be true????? second, on the formal nights...do you think a mid-calf length cocktail dress would be okay.......I'm a "fluffy" gal and it is not easy to find formal dresses that look okay on me, third.....for the non-formal evenings do you think a sundress or nice capri set, or skirt and top would be okay in the dining room???? I have been shopping several times and each time it seems I pick something else up....the hard part is going to be deciding what to take and what to leave home

The partying up on deck was going on .. The children being on board is directly related to the time of year you choose to go. We had plenty of children all ages - that said the activities for them appear to be plentiful. I only noticed a group of teenagers once and little kids in the pools that they are allowed in. The adult pool was just adults and the wirpool in the gym was fairly empty everytime we looked. The slide was very popular with the young people.

 

Dressy dress the first night is good. I noticed a great deal of variety on the second formal.. I did not think generally as many people tried to go much more than fancy for church. Generally I plan to wear one of my comfortable dresses more than once - one year I used different tops. Accessories were my passion. Junk jewlry takes up a lot less room than fancy clothes. I did take Capri's 5 and tops about 8 so I could have a choice then just mixed and matched. I am older so they are nicer than shorts on me.

 

I do recommend taking a large enough carry on that it could be empty going and full comming home if your going shopping. I always liked Cozumel as a shopping destination. I do not do much shopping myself but I do recommend lots of ones and fives for taxi's, tips etc.

 

Have a great time!

Carol

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Queenie24now

Queenie24now

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Excited to hear the great reviews about the Miracle..like a few'Misfits" before me mentioned, we will set sail 10/01. Our group "Marvelous Miracle Misfits" has already decided that the Miracle will not be a quiet ship starting on the 1st of Oct.

Hopefully we will be blessed with good weather. Sounds like we have a very competent Captain to sail us away from any storms.

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pomgirl

pomgirl

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:) It sounds like you had a wonderful time! My husband and I leave on 9/24. This is only our second cruise, and our first time on Carnival. We're very excited and can hardly wait! The Miracle sounds like a wonderful ship. We'll be flying into Tampa from Atlanta the day before, and would appreciate any recomendations on hotels in the port area. Thanks!

 

Pomgirl

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