Just off Miracle...

[elgato2]

12/1-12/9...(and then the NCL Dawn 12/9-12/16..in case anyone wants comparisons)

We had an Aft wrap on Deck 6 and were pleased with the location. Our Room Steward (Jose') was awesome and we were pleasantly surprised to see him again..he had been our steward on the Glory two years ago.

The suite was amazing! Lots of storage space and such a quiet location..never heard a thing all week! The light switches that dim all the overhead lights are great.

As for the cruise itself.. It was just mediocre.

We were not impressed with the decor. I had read on these boards about it being more subdued and tastefully done than some of the others...and know that's subjective but we found it dark and oppressive..esp the Bacchus Dining Room..all that purple with the low ceilings was not inviting.

The food was barely average..appetizers and salads much better and more flavorful than the entrees.

Our waiter was not overly friendly..very efficient but seemed as though he was just going through the motions. The service was slow at times but I blame the kitchen mostly for that.

We always leave the tips on then tip extra to recognize the extraordinary..no one in the dining rooms got the latter.

The entertainment seems to be lacking..and it is irritating that they run 'bingo' in the theatre right up until (and sometimes past )the posted showtimes.making finding a seat difficult. We made attempts on two evenings to go to a show..finding seats in the upper section...where the sound system seemed to be VERY LOUD and the lights hitting us in the eyes was enough on one of the nights to force us to leave early. Maybe we are old-fashioned but part of the 'cruise experience' for us is getting to the theatre 15 min ahead of curtain..ordering a nice after-dinner drink and having leisurely quiet conversation until showtime. Running bingo games up til showtime forces people to be jockeying for last minute seats and causes many to be late for the shows...disturbing others to climb down the rows etc....

We are not pool people cause we live in FL and have a pool and spa here at home..but every time we walked past the pool area, the band seemed to be extremely loud. DH is hard of hearing and even he found it too loud.

We have come to the conclusion that we have just cruised too much lately and need to take a break from it for awhile.

For those who do not cruise often and don't live in warm climates

Carnival is the BEST value out there. They have the friendliest staff of all the lines we've sailed and are relatively organized. We love the soft serve ice cream and 24 hr pizza...(and that spoiled us cause our next week on NCL we had neither)

We did an excursion with Coral Breeze tours in Belize and I can't say enough great things about them!

Rather than go on and on...there is already so much info on these boards

I'll be happy to answer any questions..

[DqALEX]

I leave for the Miracle next Monday. I'm driving to the port. Is the curise port on 10th Av. Do you know the building address so I can put it in my nav. I will be comming from the north on the Florida Turnpike Thanks Alex

[msnyder6706]

We had a Jose... was he from Honduras? I agree with you on the decor and food!

[leedm]

I was on the same Cruise, or was I? We had outstanding service. Main seating table 212. Food was great. What food did you have that you did not like?? We ate at Nick and Nora and it was better than outstanding. This was our second cruise on the Mircale and 6th with Carnival, all have been better than I expected. We were in cabin (8163) our Cabin Stewart Phillip went all to make sure all our wishes were met. Are you sure we were on the same SHIP.

 

Leedm

[barb65]

Your review scared me. We're doing the Panama Canal (8 day) cruise in February 2009 on the Carnival Miracle. After reading your review, I feel that maybe I'm going to be disappointed with the Miracle.:confused:

 

Barb65

[halos]

Your review scared me. We're doing the Panama Canal (8 day) cruise in February 2009 on the Carnival Miracle. After reading your review, I feel that maybe I'm going to be disappointed with the Miracle.:confused:

 

Barb65

 

 

Every week, every sailing is a different experience. Many of the latest reviews on the Miracle have been good ones. The OP admittedly is 'cruised-out' at this point. You may have a whole different perspective.

Although my Miracle cruise was in 2004, it still is to this day my favorite cruise of all. There was a poster that cruised the same week as me and hated it...bottom line is that everyone experiences things differently. Don't get freaked out. You'll have a good time. :)

 

 

To the OP...Sorry you were disappointed. One thing confused me; the Miracle isn't known for subdued decor LOL!! Quite the opposite. ;)

Taking a break may be a good thing. You can come back after a few land vacations and try again later. :)

Are you going to post a review of the Dawn?

[toledo]

Most of the recent Miracle reviews mention that the food is no longer excellent. Do you think they've changed chefs? Earlier in the year, everyone was raving about the food. What could have happened?

[tgagnon]

I too was on the Miracle, I very much enjoyed the cabin steward and our wait staff was awesome. As far as the food, I'm sure everyones taste differs, but we alway try something new when we go. Some we liked some we didn't. :eek:Just knew not to order that again.

The decor can be a bit overpowering but have a few fruity drinks of the day and it won't matter anymore.:D

Would I go on her again? Absolutely!!!!!!

[TallyRockChick]

Your review scared me. We're doing the Panama Canal (8 day) cruise in February 2009 on the Carnival Miracle. After reading your review, I feel that maybe I'm going to be disappointed with the Miracle.:confused:

 

Barb65

 

 

Barb, do NOT be scared! That was ONE person's opinion! I was on that same cruise and you can read my very in depth review here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=674178

 

Dont fret...you'll see.

[CountryFox]

Most of the recent Miracle reviews mention that the food is no longer excellent. Do you think they've changed chefs? Earlier in the year, everyone was raving about the food. What could have happened?

 

I have noticed the reviews have been not very favourable either. I am getting worried toooo. What is going on? Is it the new staff? I hope they improve the food real soon:D We sail on Jan 2:cool:

[SheriNtexas]

To the OP-thanks for the review and sorry you had some things happen that you didn't like. I for one am NOT worried about my cruise next October on the Miracle. I will be going solo AND i will have my first wrap-around so I totally intend on having a GREAT time!! I am just an easygoing person and won't let things like decor, loud bands, etc. bother me ONE bit! I can understand though that things like that would be bothersome to SOME people. I help babysit my 2 grandchildren, ages 3 1/2 and 7 months, so I am looking forward to this cruise AND going by myself, lol!! I am anxious to meet the other people from our roll call, and enjoying a good book or two while relaxing on that wraparound balcony!! To the OP-you probably DO need a break from cruising so enjoy a few land vacations and then maybe you will be ready to cruise again!!:) ;)

[TallyRockChick]

With the exception of a couple meals, the food on my end was excellent. I dunno if its the different kitchens or what, but we had absolutely NO problem with the food. I think people are expecting way more then they are getting and get disappointed. And, if something doesnt taste good to your liking get something else. Im telling you...read my review. There are pics of all the food with descriptions. Does that look like pig slop to you?

[elgato2]

Alex...I've already filed away our cruise docs but the address should be on yours...Our Nav system allows us to just put Port Everglades dock as point of interest and it takes us there.

Yes, Jose was from Honduras..he was awesome...

By all means...don't let my comments scare you! We are older (50-somethings) that have been cruising for years and have noticed a steady decline in food quality over the years. I never said we "HATED" the cruise. I can't imagine hating any cruise.

As someone said every week is a different experience...Please go with an open mind and a friendly smile,...after all it is a vacation!

What I stated was..the cruise was mediocre compared to our past experiences.

I still stand by the statement that the music is too loud in most places on the ship...some of the entertainers had wonderful voices that were distorted by the 'louder is better' mentality.

As far as the decor...we found the Glory to be a bit over the top and the Valor to be a little more tastefully done...(all subjective of course)..had read from someone that the Miracle was more subdued than the Valor and in our opinion that was not the case...like I said 'subjective'.

As I said in the original post, Carnival is the BEST value for the $...average food...lots to do...friendly staff etc...For those looking for upscale..this is not it.

Yes..I am going to post a brief review of the Dawn on the NCL board in the next few days.

[djcellini]

I too have been on the Miracle before and I had the best time and the food was outstanding.... I'm goin on her in 22 days and I know that everything will go great, she is a really nice ship and the staff and crew are so friendly, one bad review means nothing........:D

 

Btw I like the dining room grapes myself......

[cruisejunkie15]

Well I do hope the Miracle is not as bad as they make it sound, it is going to be my Honeymoon cruise.

 

i have only gone on the new ships, so for me to go on the Miracle took alot of convincing. Since i will be getting married in january, i really did not have many options, since Europe at that time is out of the question, and that is my favorite place. I decided to the miracle because of the itin, and its a back to back aft balcony.

 

Thanks for the reviews and the pics!

[Sandi149]

Well I do hope the Miracle is not as bad as they make it sound, it is going to be my Honeymoon cruise.

 

i have only gone on the new ships, so for me to go on the Miracle took alot of convincing. Since i will be getting married in january, i really did not have many options, since Europe at that time is out of the question, and that is my favorite place. I decided to the miracle because of the itin, and its a back to back aft balcony.

 

Thanks for the reviews and the pics!

 

You can't go by one bad review of a ship. On Cruise Critic the Miracle mostly got excellent reviews. I sailed her in June with my husband and we had a fabulous time. Everything was wonderful. Just because the OP didn't like the cruise, doesn't mean you won't.

 

The Miracle is a great ship and I would sail on her again in a heartbeat.

[barb65]

Thanks, Sandi, for reaffirming how much you enjoyed the Miracle. I remember reading your review and I think that's what convinced me to try the Miracle. I'll go on it with an open mind. I probably shouldn't even read any of the reviews because when I read something negative, I start having negative thoughts.

 

Barb65