Miracle Review July 30-Aug 7

[NJDeb2]

First let me thank everone who posted reviews for all their great information. It was very helpful. The thing that stands out most for me was the outstading service.

 

We were a group of 7. Four have us have cruised before with 3 being newbies. This was our first Carnival cruise.

 

Embarkation...painless...We arrived at 12:30 and were seated for approx 15 min before our row was called. Proceeded thru security where our carryon was flagged for having bottles in it. We had to empty the bag and prove they were just wine bottles. So yes they do check! He even had us undo the bubble wrap. I laughed since everything we had was "legal." Then off to the check-in line. A Carnival Representative noticed my mom was using a cane and whisked them off to the VIP line. They were onboard in 15 minutes.

The lady at check-in informed me if I gave permission onboard at the info desk our two 19 year olds could have wine and beer. If you only could have seen the excitement on their faces. Now knowing what I do, I knew this was not correct. I found it amusing to watch their disappointment when I asked onboard. Oh well....

 

Ship decor...I know many of you like the ship..For me I can sum it up in one word..OY

I was not offended by the artwork.

My senses were offended by the purple grapes tho.

 

Cabin...We had cabin 7300, an extended balcony aft. Our room steward was very sweet and always had ice and clean towels. The room was always spotless. Now having had aft baconies on all my other cruises I was prepared for movement and vibrations. I was not disappointed. The 30+mph winds kept us rocking most of the way down. I gave up on eye makeup after the first try.

 

Food...Since this is a matter of personal taste its hard to comment on. I thought the food was good to very good. Never saw a dinner buffet. The lunches were good. Being a sugar/carb addict I loved the desserts. They need to change the breakfast buffet. Gets very boring. Maybe different muffins and danishes. Possibly a waffle station or breakfast quiches. Did love my omlette guy. Knew what I wanted and how I like it by the third day. I did want to take him home with me.

We had 2 with us that needed gluten free diets. Jana, the hostess in the dining room went way beyond our expectations in this area. Would bring the next nights menu so they could prepare a meal special for them. Had gluten free breads every night too. Kudos to Carnival for making it so easy for them to eat.

 

Shows...Saw 3 of them. Enjoyed them all very much. Liked the piano music while waiting to enter the dining room.

 

Casino...I believe we all came out ahead. My daughter and her boyfriend won the $500 at Bingo. I swear I heard her scream bingo across the ship. Wow, were they excited. Machines were hard to come by in the evenings. Except the $1 ones. They were always available.

 

San Juan...By now I was ready to step onto land and stop rocking. We did the BioBay Kayaking thru Carnival. The drive was long but well worth it. We were given instructions on what to do and then proceeded to enter the kayaks. This is where I went wrong. I let my 15 year old son convince me he knew how to steer the thing. Since he had done this before and I had not, I let him have the rear of the kayak. This was the worst decision of the cruise. We proceeded to turn 1 mile of kayaking thru the mangroves in the pitch black into 2 miles. We went from side to side the entire way. Finally reached the bay and it was worth the trip. The paddles glow in the water and the glow around your hands is amazing. A beautiful bay.

Now we had to head back thru the mangroves. Here we were in the dark and alone since everyone else didn't seem to have our bumper boat problem. Finally the guide came along and asked if we needed a tow. It was a matter of risking getting more scrapes or possible flipping vs. humiliation of being towed. I chose the latter. Fortunately everyone else was up on shore when we arrived. I slithered out of the boat and onto shore with nobody noticing. We did later find out we were not the only ones having troubles and one kayak in our group did go over. I felt better. Of course I will never enter a kayak with my son again.

 

St Thomas....been there twice and by far my favorite island. Shopped and went to Trunk Bay to snorkel. Loved the day spent here.

 

Tortola...Went to the Baths on a Carnival tour due to time limits. The Baths are beautiful. We took the way down thru the caves. It really wasn't hard at all as long as you can bend all the way down. Would have loved to explore this slowly on my own. The beach was beautiful. The rocks way too tempting for my son....hmmmm....Yes he did climb them and take a spill. I did not see him wedge himself between 2 boulders when he fell, but his concerned big sister did tell the story through her laughter. I didn't see him till he exited the water bleeding. Just some minor scrapes. The guides cleaned off his wounds and bandaged him after we arrived back on top of the trail. He lived.

Wear shoes for the hike back up the trail. Thorns hurt when they enter your feet.

 

 

Dress code...I probably never would have noticed jeans or shorts if it wasn't for the "discussions" here. On formal night there was none of either. I know many of you do not like it but there are planty of both on other nights. How anyone would notice what someone was wearing over those purple grapes is beyond me.

I make my family dress up every night. Its my one chance for good pictures. They clean up rather nicely.

 

Chair hogging was in full swing. I prefer deck 10 to relax at. Always plenty of chairs and much quieter with a nice breeze.

 

The adult pool was just that...Adults only at least what I saw.

 

 

Serivce...one word..outstanding...tipped everyone extra.

 

Final thoughts....Carnival exceeded my expectations....Was waiting to see what I thought of this cruise before I booked the next one. We will be sailing to Alaska on the Spirit in 2008. As soon as I pay off my S&S account I will make the reservations.

The only way you could be bored on this ship is if you are boring!

 

Cathy...was great to meet you after speaking to you on the roll call for so long. Hope your dad is ok.

Marianne...we decided the decor was Alice thru the Looking Glass meets Cheech and Chong....

[MrPete]

...we decided the decor was Alice thru the Looking Glass meets Cheech and Chong....

 

Yeah. A little over the top!

 

Thanks for the read!

[Cruise Cat]

Thanks for the review - looking forward to this in 38 days!

[chitown cruisers]

did you ever see the lights when they were "peptol pink"?......trust me.....the purple is an improvement.

 

But I still LOVE this ship

[DqALEX]

Yeah. A little over the top!

 

Thanks for the read!

I felt the Legend was not as over the top as the Miracle. But I still like the Miracle. I can't wait to get back on the Miracle for my 9 day Christmas/New Years cruise

[Sandi149]

Great review. Glad you enjoyed the Miracle. We sailed her in June and loved her. :D

[motherofthree]

thanks for the review, we will be on her in 6 days...if the decor was the worst thing, then it was good. we are doing the baths trip also, is there any advice other than shoes you can give to me...have a 10, 13 and 15 yr old going along...glad you enjoyed your trip....

 

lesley

[NJDeb2]

Lesley....Do not let them climb on the rocks!! One piece of advice would be is to stay towards the back of the group. We were right at the beginning with our guide Carla who was great. But I felt rushed. She was going thru the caves at lightening speed. Towards the back you will go slower and have better photo ops. Same for hiking back up. Its about a 15 min hike up and it is hot. Make sure you are wet and cooled off before you hike back up. Enjoy your trip. You will love the ship...

[cruisercathy]

Deb,

 

Great review............

 

This is too funny....We are also thinking of Alaska next summer (like mid August), but...not sure if Dad will be able to fly so we shall see. I already checked other cruises out of NYC and they all go to the same places...LOL...but then again...who cares I have been to most of the islands anyway. Southern Caribbean might be another option........

[NJDeb2]

A couple of months ago someone asked me to comment on room 7300. I searched but cannot find the thread. Hopefully you will read my review and see this.

The room was typical cruise ship balcony room. The only thing different from my other cruises was the color scheme. The storage is plentiful. Closets are laid out very well with plenty of hangers and shelves. Bathroom was actually bigger than our others. I had seen pics of the balcony so I knew the rails were slanted and it does make it seem smaller than a regular extended balcony. I just prefer aft watching the wake so that did not bother me. The only drawback was lack of an overhead canopy. All the other afts I have had before had one. If it rains or the sun is out, its impossible to sit out there. But sunrises and sunsets are beautiful and so is sitting out in the evenings.

Hope this helps a bit...

[LuvTheSea14]

We were on the Miracle for the same week. It was wonderful. We have taken 8 Carnival cruises and would go back on the Miracle again. The crew was terrific. Our room was always spotless Food was much better than Norwegian and RCCL. If you are going on a cruise on the Miracle you will be very happy

[sme]

Thanks for the info on cabin 7300. We have that room for out December sailing. We can't wait for those sunsets you were talking about. Sunrises may be a bit too early to appreciate!

[Cincy Gal]

Headed on the Miracle in Dec and love reading all about her.

[rubycruzr]

Booked on the Miracle in June - just makes me more excited each time I read a review! Glad you had a great trip!

[kafitty]

i had a good laugh at the description of your biobay tour, hahah, sorry.

 

We did that tour when i was 15 and my brother was 14, and i realize now how lucky i am that we wer both experienced kayakers!!

i remember all of the fun stuff (it really is amazing)...but my stepmom was telling me the other day how many couples were fighting with each other and one that eventually flipped themselves!!

i never noticed, my brother and i were at the front of the pack and the guides had to keep slowing us down. :D