Miracle - Aug 29, 2008 review

[griswalds]

This was our first on Carnival, 15th cruises in total. We were in the area and wanted to cruise out of NY past the Statue of Liberty so this was our chance.

 

We knew this was hurricane season so we were prepared for a mystery cruise. While some passengers seemed "upset" with the change in itinerary, we were just thankful for the fantastic weather and smooth seas. We booked a corner aft suite and it was heavenly, cabin 7347. Room steward was good. Bed and linen were top notch.

 

We did find the Miracle more crowded than most ships we have been on. While it does have 3 pools, they are small and very crowded. At times the adult only pool had standing room only. While we do not swim in the pools, it is nice to go in and cool off on occasion and that was not always possible.

 

The buffet's were your standard high volume food areas. From the stacked plates that I saw, people were enjoying it. The pizza was awesome, the burgers were ok, fries were not fresh and were usually just warm. Salad bar was very nice. Fruit selection was limited. Soft ice cream all the time and a sundae bar at 3 PM - self serve.

 

The decorating on the Miracle was interesting. The ship does have a "bling-bling" effect. It seems when they designed the ship and they found an item they liked, they would buy hundreds of that item and placed them all over. You have to see it as pictures do not do it justice. Overall, we found the ships theme unusual.

 

The dining room experience was fun. The MD named Frankie should be a CD. Each night they had "showtime" and Frankie would get all of us involved with his antics. If you want a formal dinner, this was not the place, but if you wanted to have fun, it was the place to be. The service and food were fine in the dining room. My DW is a vegetarian and while the vegetarian selection was limited to really one choice each night for her, she found that choice to be very well prepared and tasteful. We went to Nick and Nora's once and it was awesome.

 

Entertainment was fine, the singers and dancers were good. As we missed some scheduled ports, some planned entertainers did not get picked up, so there were some last minute shows. A very good comedian, The CD was average.

 

The casino did a roaring business, busiest I have ever seen in all my cruises at anytime of the day. Passengers on Carnival love having their pictures being taken. They had at least 5 photo booths going some nights.

 

Embarcation was slow as the computers crashed, we had VIP status which helped a bit. Disembarcation was a disaster. With the option of carrying off your own luggage now the first choice of most passengers, you now have an even longer wait if you had not selected that option. We were in the first group to get off after the "self-help" group and by then all the cabs were gone. We had thought in error that NY would know how to manage the cab line up- wrong. We ended up negotiating our own cab ride away from the "line-up".

 

As for the passengers who were all upset about the change in itinerary, it was minor distraction. There was no enforcement of smoking zones that we could see as people seemed to light up whatever, wherever. Griswalds

[Nancy717]

..there is nothing like sailing past the Staute of Liberty...and out of NY harbor...it was very sad to look back at Manhattan Island and not see the World Trade Center...will never get over that...

 

..let us never forget ....

[DqALEX]

Thanks for your review. I hope to one day sail past the Staute of Liberty too.

[Payd]

It is nice to get a review from someone who can "roll with the punches" on a hurricane season cruise.

 

So...would you travel on Carnival again?

[disfan13]

thanks for the review - we're on the Miracle in just a couple of days!

 

There's NOTHING like sailing down the hudson! :D

[dolfinmusic]

thanks for the review - we're on the Miracle in just a couple of days!

 

 

Hey! Me too!! :D

 

 

Thanks for your great review!! Can't wait to get on the ship! :)

[Kerry78]

Hey! Me too!! :D

 

 

Thanks for your great review!! Can't wait to get on the ship! :)

 

Cant wait!!!!

[griswalds]

Yes, we would sail Carnival again. I would like to try one of their mega ships next.

 

Cruising down the Hudson was a high-lite. The Statue of Liberty was impressive and we sailed very close to it both in and out of port. I woke up early on the last day as we came into port and spent time on the balcony watching the Statue as we went by. Inspiring. I thought of my grandparents who came to North America in the late 1800's.

 

Our thoughts were with 911 and the WTC. You could not help but think about it and what a tragedy it was.

 

Griwalds

[Janchris]

Thanks for the review and glad you had good time. I was on this ship last June and have booked again for next August. Since I live in NY it is great going out from here. Going under the Bridge and seeing THE lADY IS A WONDERFUL SIGHT.:)

[Lovely_Star]

Thank you for posting your review. We will be on the Miracle this Sunday :D So inspite of the hurricane would you say that the weather was nice overall? Did it rain any of the days or was it warm and sunny for the most part?

[NCTribeFan]

I found that the Miracle was the least-smoky of any ship I've sailed, and as DD & I are both asthmatic, that was definitely a plus. We didn't see any smoking in non-designated areas when we sailed. If you decide to sail the Glory, be warned that there are some very smoky areas. Yes, the smoking is allowed in those areas. It's just that the ventilation system on the Miracle seemed to be much more efficient.

 

I've yet to get in a pool on a ship, but loved the aft Orpheus pool area to just hang out and read, sit at a table and have lunch, or just relax.

 

I know exactly what you mean about the decor. It isn't just that some of Farcus' ships are bright, it's that he feels that hundreds of whatever item is needed to get his "theme" across. Hundreds of purple grapes aren't necessary to convey "Bacchus" or a little "Horatio" statue every 4 feet in the buffet. It isn't the decor or the theme itself, it's the completely excessive use of the decorations that gets to me.

 

Of course, that hasn't stopped me from booking the Miracle again! Thanks for your review.

[DqALEX]

Yes, we would sail Carnival again. I would like to try one of their mega ships next.

 

Cruising down the Hudson was a high-lite. The Statue of Liberty was impressive and we sailed very close to it both in and out of port. I woke up early on the last day as we came into port and spent time on the balcony watching the Statue as we went by. Inspiring. I thought of my grandparents who came to North America in the late 1800's.

 

Our thoughts were with 911 and the WTC. You could not help but think about it and what a tragedy it was.

 

Griwalds

You Know its funny I was thinking the samething about my grandparents

[Caliber1]

Thanks for the great objective review. We too loved the Miracle aft wraps.

[dolfinmusic]

Cant wait!!!!

 

Hi! Come over to the roll call section of the boards and say HELLO to us all! :)

[Snugglesx24]

Thank you so much for the review. I have been waiting to read the ones from your trip. I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves.

 

We are leaving on the Miracle on Sunday. I can't wait! Even though I have lived in NY my whole life, there is something really special about sailing out of it. I am excited to do it again. :D

[griswalds]

Sorry we are moving right now so access to the computer is limited. We had fantastic weather. There was the occasional rain but it was short lived. We rented a scooter in Freeport and got soaked but it was fun. The day as mostly sunny except when I was on the scooter. At Rhode Island we had early morning fog but once it cleared it was a beautiful day....hot and muggy.

Sunny 95% of the day.

Griswalds

 

 

 

Thank you for posting your review. We will be on the Miracle this Sunday :D So inspite of the hurricane would you say that the weather was nice overall? Did it rain any of the days or was it warm and sunny for the most part?

[griswalds]

The smoking issue was a concern only on deck 9 and especially at the aft section which was "wide open" for smokers including a guy with a cigar. Nothing like a soft ice-cream with your cigar!

 

In the cabins there was NO concern with smoke either from past passengers in the room or through the ventilation system, none at all. So I fully agree with your comment on the Miracle's ventilation system.

 

On the Miracle, there was a double row of tables beside the two inner pools which really compressed the area. Most ships we have bin on just have one row of tables and more lounge chairs.

 

Griswalds

 

 

I found that the Miracle was the least-smoky of any ship I've sailed, and as DD & I are both asthmatic, that was definitely a plus. We didn't see any smoking in non-designated areas when we sailed. If you decide to sail the Glory, be warned that there are some very smoky areas. Yes, the smoking is allowed in those areas. It's just that the ventilation system on the Miracle seemed to be much more efficient.