Carnival Miracle 12/01/07 Review - The Good, The Great and the AWESOME...

[TallyRockChick]

...with maybe a little bit of ehhhh

 

I know some of you have been waiting on it, so I will try my best. It will be in pieces as the usual long reviews are, but Im sure you all can handle it.

 

A little bit of stats for ya, Im 27 and my b/f is 28, this is my 4th cruise (3 on Carnival) and his 2nd (both on Carnival with yours truly). We live in Tallahassee, FL.

 

After forcing myself through most of my day on Friday the 30th, I left the office at 4 and we were swinging thru to get some food and on the road by 5:30, just in time for rush hour! Tallahassee is about 6 hours (depending on traffic and who's driving) from Ft. Lauderdale. We pulled in to my dad's house at 11:45, hung out for a little bit, and went to the place of the best chicken philly I have ever tasted, and my old watering hole back when I lived down south, Landlubbers, for our first beer of the vacation (and the above referenced scrumptious chicken philly)!

 

Due to my excitement I woke up at about 9am on Saturday the 1st and couldnt go back to sleep so I just watched TV and waiting for the time to start getting ready. My dad lives in Sunrise which is about 20 mins give or take from Port Everglades, so we left the house at 11 and were pulling up to the ol girl by 11:30 after waiting in a short security line at the port where we had to show our ID's to a man who definitely did NOT enjoy his job.

A short drive thru the terminal and there she was!!

 

My dad pulled us up to the terminal and we got out, handed our stuff off to porters and said ADIOS and headed straight inside.

Ft. Lauderdale was very efficient when it came to checking people in and getting the lines situated. We found out that as long as we werent in a line behind an elderly person, it moved nice and smooth. I came to find out later that would be the motto of the cruise because it seemed like a nursing home had a field trip on this cruise. I would say about 45% or more were geriatric, and when I say geriatric, I mean I now know every model of cane, walker, oxygen tank/walker, wheelchair and hover round out there, and there are quite a few of um. So if we saw a shuffler we went to a different line and got thru just fine. ANYWAYS...

A quick line to set up our sign and sail (while we watched the VIP pass us by and go straight on up and said a couple of times "one day that will be us") and we were gangway bound. We were walking into the ship before 12.

[TallyRockChick]

We went on thru the atrium to the purser's desk to put some cash down on the Sign and Sail. The line wasnt TOO too bad so we decided to wait in it. But of course, the geriatric held things up for a little bit. We were in no hurry though and it was a perfect time for a photo op

 

(the leis are for our meet and greet...more on that later)

 

Then UP TO THE LIDO for our first drink of the days

and some lunch from the buffet

 

After lunch and a couple more drinks we decided to make our way to our room. 4151 Main level. Its an outside room with french doors and obstructed view. We were very pleased with the room, especially since we were upgraded from an inside cabin. Gotta love my TA!

 

next up....touring the ship!

[NCTribeFan]

More! Please!

 

Some of the pics are showing up as little "x" rather than the picture. Can you post a link so I can look through them as you post the review?

 

Thanks! I cannot wait!

[DqALEX]

We went on thru the atrium to the purser's desk to put some cash down on the Sign and Sail. The line wasnt TOO too bad so we decided to wait in it. But of course, the geriatric held things up for a little bit. We were in no hurry though and it was a perfect time for a photo op

 

(the leis are for our meet and greet...more on that later)

 

Then UP TO THE LIDO for our first drink of the days

and some lunch from the buffet

 

After lunch and a couple more drinks we decided to make our way to our room. 4151 Main level. Its an outside room with french doors and obstructed view. We were very pleased with the room, especially since we were upgraded from an inside cabin. Gotta love my TA!

 

next up....touring the ship!

Please continue. I leave on the Miracle in 12 days

[TallyRockChick]

Having booked this cruise so far out, I had to keep myself occupied till we got there by looking at reviews and pictures and I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what everything looked like. I was wrong. Every place I walked into that I though I knew how it would look, looked totally different then I thought it would. Not that that was a bad thing, but my mental picture was altered. I tried to take pics at different angles so those who havent sailed on her yet might have a better idea.

First we went to the dining room to try and find our table but the numbers werent out yet and there wasnt anyone in there that knew what they were.

This is a view of the upstairs

a view of the downstairs from upstairs

 

then the Phantom Lounge

 

Frankie and Johnny's

 

Maguire's Sport's Bar

[TallyRockChick]

then back to the Lido deck for some more food before muster drill (that fresh carved roast beef in the middle was SO good! So were the cheesy potatoes)

 

Muster drill was muster drill...wasnt too too painful.

DONT BLOW THE WHISTLE!

then off to meet and greet!

 

We decided to wear hawaiian leis so that we could distinguish ourselves from the crowd. We met at the Orpheus bar which is the aft bar where the adult pool is. We had quite a crowd there! Getting to meet everyone and put faces and real names with screen names was great! It was all a whirlwind though and I dont think we got to meet everyone (Sharon!) which I am sorry about. Then it was time for sail away...

[TallyRockChick]

More! Please!

 

Some of the pics are showing up as little "x" rather than the picture. Can you post a link so I can look through them as you post the review?

 

Thanks! I cannot wait!

 

This is the link to the album...theres almost 500 pics so beware!

http://travel.webshots.com/album/561741263LgJRqj?vhost=travel

[crdtrnr]

For more...

28 days and counting till I'm on the Miracle..

 

Great reveiw so far!

:)

[NCTribeFan]

Going through the pics now! You guys are so cute!

 

And the food! I just ate lunch and it's making me hungry. Just 3 more days of dieting and then I get to pig out. :p

 

Oh, and I don't think your insulated mugs were big enough. ;)

[geosgirl]

Great start on the review! We loved the Miracle!

 

Can't wait to read more & I love the pictures!

[cathyoo]

thanks so much.. Keep those picture coming. I only have 10 months left for my MIRACLE

[TallyRockChick]

After sail away we were supposed to join fellow CC member Bruce at the craps table for a little learning session but we wanted to check and see if our bags were at our room because people who got to the ship after us and were on higher up decks had already gotten theirs so we were a little nervous. So we headed to the room and low and behold - BAGS!

We proceeded to unpack and set up our freshly smuggled bar and take out our good ol trusty cups of death - making their second appearance

we then made our way up to the lido again to relax before dinner....or shall I say sushi. Lex had his first of many cigars (on the allowed deck area of course! Basically the only place you can smoke cigars is in the sports bar, at the Orpheus bar (adult pool area) and on one side of the lido)

 

After some deck relaxing it was off to the sushi bar. We went to the bar every night it was open. It wasnt open on the first formal night but every other night it was. Basically they had already made rolls and the sushi master (thats what we called him) would cut you pieces depending on how many you wanted. We started off polite ordering only one of each (there are 3 kinds per night) and went back for more, but then started ordering them 2 at a time, with maybe one more return trip for one more of each. The sushi the whole trip was great and they werent just california rolls either. A couple of nights they had octopus which were awesome. Lots of different varieties over the course of the cruise. The sushi bar is right outside the area between the casino and the sports bar on the way to the Phantom Lounge.

EDIT: I dont know what it was, but the wasabi at the sushi bar was SO good. Way better then any wasabi I have ever had. It was really hot once you got a taste of it but then within a couple seconds the heat went away and it was just bursting with flavor. I forgot to ask about it, but seriously...yum!

 

After a couple trips to the sushi bar we went to shower up and change for dinner. We had the late seating (8:15) and were in the upper area of the dining room. When we walked in we were plesently surprised to see our table 405 (on a blue place card) was a 2 top. We didnt request this specifically, but we were pretty excited.

 

The dining room is definitely something to look at...our eyes were speeding around the place trying to absorb everything, but it wasnt too bad and Im not sure why everyone always says its gross. And anyways, as long as my food tastes good, even if the dining room was hideous, I think I would be ok. We especially liked being right there by the railing because we people watched downstairs the whole time. We knew who showed up late to dinner and who didnt like their tablemates and then magically didnt show up for any more dinners at that table. It was loads of fun!

Our servers were Rodolfo and Maryono and they were very attentive and nice as can be. Rodolfo gave me the impression that he was a new server because throughout the cruise he seemed to get mixed up a little bit or turned around or sometimes to take a little bit to get things moving, but he always caught himself and made the adjustments without prompting. Maryono was always on it and had the cutest freaking cheeks that I just wanted to pinch. It took them a few days to open up, but they really were great. Couldnt have asked for a better experience.

[TallyRockChick]

now for dinner:

I had the asparagas soup (yum) and Lex had the smoked salmon (didnt try it cuz I dont like smoked salmon - I think Im the only Jew ever that doesnt - but Lex said it was good) as an appetizer

 

I also tried out the shrimp cocktail...not much to report there...it was shrimp cocktail - tasted fresh and good and thats what counts!

 

for dinner Lex had the lamb which was very tender and juicy...delish

I ordered the new york strip with the three peppercorn sauce. I asked for it medium and when it came out, it was wayyy well done. I had a new steak very shortly which was cooked great and just did a mental note to order steaks med-rare now. The three peppercorn sauce was OUT OF THIS WORLD! If I could eat it on everything I probably would. I LOVE pepper so it was right up my alley. The steak was moist as well and was a great first night meal.

[NCTribeFan]

Octopus! Yippee! Our favorite. This is exactly why I want to change from early to late dining. We never have time to enjoy the sushi when we eat at 5:45.

 

Your servers just looked like they were so great (judging from a couple of photos). Is that table 105 or 405? I don't care about the silly purple grapes at all. I care about the food and drink!

[TallyRockChick]

dessert was warm chocolate melting cake for Lex (which lived up to expectations, it was great...but way too chocolaty for me)

and vanilla creme brulee for me - which was my fave dessert of the whole trip and I feel they should add it to the always have it dessert list along side the warm melting cake

 

After dinner we were pretty pooped so we decided to call it a night. I know, arent we thrilling?

 

Next day we slept in, late. We were catching up on weeks of missed sleep here and we took advantage of it. It was kinda cloudy and windy anyways so we didnt miss much, except for breakfast (told you we slept late).

 

We headed up to the lunch buffet and found a table and went to the buffet in shifts so we could keep our spot. I went to the salad bar which was supposed to be fast...I mean its a salad bar for cryin out loud...but the nursing home folk made sure of it that it would not be so. The salad bar was quite extensive though. Any salad bar that has sunflower seeds is a great one to Lex so they passed that test.

and then to the buffet. Im not sure what the theme was today but the food was GREAT! That mac and cheese was one of the best things I ate off of the buffet. The potato skin was kinda dry and gross and the chicken was good.

 

After lunch it was time for some fun in the sun. As we come thru the doors to the lido deck main pool this is what we were greeted with:

Do you still have your retinas?? You wouldnt if you saw what happened later on with the lady thats holding the pink Carnival Cup. We went up to deck 10 to set up camp and just as we were settling in they started the deck games. Today was Fear Factor. They lined everyone up and the first fear they had to conquor was fear of dancing in public. The lady holding the cup partook (sp? LOL) and for some god awful reason the wind started blowing and up went her skirt to show her thongged butt. The Carnival video crew was filming the game and when that happened he turned that camera so quick. They made her stop cuz her skirt kept blowing up revealing what no man, woman or child should ever be forced to see. Thank the lord she didnt make it to the next round. My eyes are still recovering.

Anyways....this is us on deck 10

[DDofcruisemaniac]

OMG, soooooooo refreshing to see a trip report from someone my age, who actually seems to focus on the same things I do! Love it! Keep 'em coming!!!;)

 

lol @ '"geriatrics" - the best word!

[gatorslayer]

Good review. Thanks.

 

BTW, I'm also from north Florida. My family still lives in Madison, FL. GO NOLES!!!

[NCTribeFan]

Hey, now! I'm middle-aged (heading toward geriatric-age far too quickly!) and I'm usually speedier than my 21 yo DD!

 

I am a tiny bit concerned that there won't be a whole lot to keep her interested.

[TallyRockChick]

Good review. Thanks.

 

BTW, I'm also from north Florida. My family still lives in Madison, FL. GO NOLES!!!

 

I love your name! Unfortunately it hasnt been so for some time, but theres always next year. I think thats 4 years in a row that Ive had to say that and I just do not like it!

 

NCT- dont worry, theres plenty for your 21 DD to do...I just havent gotten there yet.

[Sandi149]

Ahhhhh the memories. :D

 

Brandy, what a wonderful review. I am going to look at your pictures on webshots when I have a bit more time.

[poptart]

okay my mouth is watering and I've gained 5# reading your review :eek:

 

I'm enjoying it and looking forward to the rest of it.

 

On our one and only RCL cruise we felt like we were cruising with the nursing home folks--and we're in our 50's :D The good news was I looked mighty fine in my bathing suit that week :D

[TallyRockChick]

After quite a bit of sunning and hanging out on deck with Susan and Branden (SueSue) it was time to try out the pizza that everyone raved about. Being the non waiter that I am, I saw some in the case that seemed like I wouldnt puke and told him I'd take it. It really lived up to the stigma. The crust is really good. Im NOT a crust eater, I always leave the butt on my plate, but this crust was buttery and light and soft and yummy so nothing but some crumbs left on plate after this one.

 

Tonight was formal night and the captains cocktail party so we went back to the room and took a nap. Then we got ready and went to the Phantom Lounge for some free drinks and appetizers.

since we dont have much to dress up for back home, I made sure to take advantage of the photographers plaguing the hallways to get some cute dressy pics taken and then we were off to dinner.

We brought our own bottle of wine (kept cool all day in my collapseable cooler that the stateroom attendants kept full with ice the entire trip) and Rodolfo did charge us a $10 corking fee, even though it was a big bottle of the twist top reistling, but we didnt care. No mon, no fun!

 

 

Webshots seems to be having some issues right now and wont let me get to any more pics so unless it fixes soon that it for today. Will be back first thing tomorrow to continue!

[gatorslayer]

My wife and I are about yall's age (i'm 29 & she's 26). Since you are from soFLA, is there anything that you would recommend for us in Ft Lauderdale? We will be there the afternoon and night before our cruise. People keep telling me to go to sawgrass mills, but we don’t just want to go hang out at a mall. We can do that at home. This is also out first cruise, so what do you recommend as far as ship activities?

Thanks

[TallyRockChick]

My wife and I are about yall's age (i'm 29 & she's 26). Since you are from soFLA, is there anything that you would recommend for us in Ft Lauderdale? We will be there the afternoon and night before our cruise. People keep telling me to go to sawgrass mills, but we don’t just want to go hang out at a mall. We can do that at home. This is also out first cruise, so what do you recommend as far as ship activities?

Thanks

 

Eww do NOT go to Sawgrass Mills. Not unless you want to be bombarded by toursits all trying to get cheap stuff. Its an outlet mall. Do you really wanna go to an outlet mall?? I mean if you do, more power to ya, but it is about 25 mins or more from the beach. I recommend hanging out on A1A at the beach and then finding Las Olas and Riverfront. There are lots of stores and restaurants and bars and lots to see and do. Riverfront is a place where people from South Fla that are basically our age hang out.

As for ship activities, we really didnt do ALL that much. There was a LOT to do by means of trivia and games and all kinds of things. We just didnt partake in much of it. They have karaoke just about every night which was fun to go listen to the people MURDER songs. Maguire's usually had at least 2 different sports games going at once if you are into that kinda stuff. We like to WATCH the deck games because when you are in them you dont get to see as much crazy stuff to make fun of. ;)

[gatorslayer]

Thanks. That sounds much better.