Rock712

Again , not going to give you a minute by minute here , just my impressions of what happened. Also , not doing too good on the picture thing , wont let me post because of a missing security token ????? So , will keep trying , but this might be all talk and no pictures -- Sorry ......

So anyway , it's Tuesday morning , we've had 3 great days in Seattle , but it's time to get floating.

We took a shuttle from the hotel to the pier , arrived approx. 12:00.

EMBARKATION PROCESS - We took advantage this cruise of a " past guest " offer to sail as "platinum" status , and that may have helped the embarkation process , but from the time the shuttle dropped us at un-loading area until we stepped foot inside our cabin , it took less than 20 minutes. By far the best embarkation experience we've ever had. Like I said , going through the platinum lines helped , but all of the other lines appeared to be very short also , maybe we just hit it at the right time , but no complaints here. They seem to have their act together in Seattle.

CABIN - Since it was a special occasion , we splurged on an ocean suite , cabin 6172 , midship on the port side. The cabin was ready when we boarded . I purchased the birthday decorations pre-cruise through the on-line funshop and the cabin was decorated when we arrived. We really liked this cabin and they way it was laid out. King bed + sitting area with couch , chair , and coffee table. 2 full closets , one next to bed and one in dressing area , plenty of drawer space. Bathroom had two sinks , full tub and shower with sliding glass doors. Outside bathroom was separate make-up/dressing area with table , chair , wall to wall mirror and full closet. Balcony had 2 chairs , small table and 2 loungers. We were really pleased with this cabin and it really was not that much of an upcharge over a regular balcony room. The one negative thing I will say is that in the entire cabin there was 1 single plug-in and that was in the bathroom dressing area. I know there are safety concerns , but in todays world of phones , laptops , camera's , etc , everything has a charger and you need to plug things in. It's a small complaint , but be prepared with a power strip or something.

THE SHIP - I've read a lot of both good and bad about this ship , but in the end , we liked it. It does have a really strange layout , lots of hidden nooks and crannies to get yourself lost in , but once you get the hang of the layout it's not that bad. I did like the fact that almost all of the shops , bars , casino ,photo area , guest services , etc are located on decks 2 & 3 and they both run the entire length of the ship , so it's easy access and a straight shot to everything. It is true the only dining room , the Bacchus Room , located decks 2 & 3 aft , is just a little bit over the top unless you were born and raised in a bordello. There are a couple of other area's , most notably the Mad Hatters Lounge on deck 1 , which doubles as the Punchliner Comedy Club , where the designers should have probably cut back on the alcohol and mushrooms until they finished putting things on the drawing board , but other than that thought the ship was your typical Carnival design. Every area we saw was clean and in order. Cant really speak about the elevator efficiency because we're both on a health kick right now and almost exclusively used the stairs to get everywhere. But overall , I'd give the ship a solid B +

NEXT UP - IS THERE ANYTHING TO EAT AROUND HERE ???

TPFKAH - on the first night of the cruise , during the Welcome Aboard show , there was a loud group of people sitting in the first and second rows , it seemed like they were all from the same area. There was a young lady in this group that John talked with from the stage that was very vocal about having just graduated from high school and this trip was a gift for that. She was not wearing a cap & gown , and neither my wife or myself remember seeing anyone wearing a cap or gown anytime during the cruise. I've seen John's post regarding the mother and daughter duo , and I don't know if this girl he spoke to from the stage was that girl or not. We went to the Welcome Aboard show , 2 of the production shows , the Marriage Show and the Question and Answer session John conducts , and other than the girl speaking about graduating that first night we didn't observe anyone causing a scene in public.

As mentioned previously , due to weather scrapped or original travel plans and found ourselves with 3 days pre-cruise in Seattle. In short , we loved Seattle. If you have the time , would recommend spending time here. What an interesting city

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Downtown , which turned out to be a 10 minute walk from the Space Needle and all the attractions near the Space Needle. Also , there is a monorail station at Space Needle that will take you to the heart of downtown area and a 5 minute walk to the whole Pikes Market area.

As it was a last minute decision to go , we had no real plans for Seattle , so we made it up as we went along , ended up having a great time , and here's a couple of things that stood out for us -

1. Pikes Market. - ended up spending about 3 hours there just wandering around all the stalls and booths. Really fantastic place. A little something for everyone.

2. Ride the Ducks of Seattle - this is one of those duck boat tours that take you all over the city and then a tour of Union Lake area. It was tremendous fun. Not your usual tour. More of a driving/floating sing-along and comedy show. It last approx. 2.5 hours , was very reasonable price , saw the sights , and was just great fun. Definitely give it a try

3. Through a company called Tours Northwest , we took an 8 hours tour out to Mt. Rainier. It was beautiful. Some of the most spectacular scenery I've ever come across. It did help that we had a fantastic clear and sunny day , not a cloud in the sky to cover the mountain. The bus made several stops for photo ops and short hikes and then spent about 2 hours at the visitors center in Paradise. right on the snowfield od the mountain. This Florida boy got to play in the snow !!!

All in all , it turned out to be a hidden gem that we got to spend the time in Seattle. Great place , great people , looking forward to going back for more sometime in the future.

NEXT UP - IT'S TIME TO GET THIS SHIP ON THE ROAD !!!!!

Going to try my first real review. Not going to make it a minute by minute review , but rather my impressions of what we experienced. I'm going to break it up into several pieces as that's the way I like reading reviews rather than 1 long continuous post. I'm also going to try to add some pictures , first time doing that , so I hope they come out ok. Last but not least , as I mentioned , not going top be a minute by minute account of our days. When I read a review I'm always more interested in why certain decisions were made , and how did those decisions turn out , did things live up to expectations ?? So , that's what I'm going to try to convey in this report. I hope everyone enjoys !!!

BACKGROUND- I'm 54 , my wife turned 50 during the cruise. Just the two of us , no children. This was our 6th Carnival cruise. It was our 2nd time to Alaska , the first was a Princess Land & Sea tour. We like Carnival , never had a problem with them on any previous cruise. We chose this particular cruise for two reason , first , my wife wanted to celebrate her milestone birthday by returning to Alaska , and 2nd , we had a great time on our first ever cruise w/ John Heald as the CD , so as he is the CD on the Miracle for this Alaska season thought we'd give sailing with him another try.

HERE's THE PLAN !!!! - Flying out Friday evening to spend 3 days pre-cruise in Nebraska with my wife's family to celebrate her birthday. Flying from Omaha Mon afternoon to spend 1 night pre-cruise in Seattle , and then it's all aboard on Tuesday 06/24 for 7 days round trip out of Seattle on the Miracle , and then flying back home to Tampa on 07/01.

IS SOMEONE TRYING TO SEND US A MESSAGE ?? - prior to boarding the ship , these 4 things happened - 1. Received the letter from Carnival

explaining itinerary change and everything that goes with it. Ok , so what do we do , stay or switch ?? 2. Two weeks before cruise I get notice that legal matter one of my employee's at work involved in court date set for 06/23 , and if subpoena'd , I'm in court , and not on the cruise. Oh crap ---- finally on Thus 06/19 it's announced court date postponed , so I'm good to go 3. We fly out Fri afternoon bound for Nebraska , catch connecting flight Fri eve from St Louis to Omaha .. 50 miles outside of Omaha we start circling , cant land due to sever weather , circle for over 2 hours , no break in weather , and then pilot makes decision to return to St Louis. We return to St. Louis at 02:00 in the morning , airline not sure when they can get us to Omaha. We scrap our Nebraska plans and decide to catch a 07:00 flight to Seattle and spend 3 days pre-cruise in Seattle. 4. On a tour Mon 06/23 to Mt. Rainier in Seattle , and we get word there's been an earthquake of coast of Alaska and tsunami warnings for the entire Alaska coast...... REALLY ..... How many more hint's do I need that maybe we picked the wrong cruise here ??? Oh well , we're here , might as well stick it out , but as soon as I board I'm putting on a life vest and not taking it off until we disembark !!!

NEXT UP - PRE-CRUISE IN SEATTLE !!!!!!!!! ( and my first try at pictures )

I think the CD is just one part of the overall experience. We've been on cruises where the food , ports , cabins , entertainment , etc were better than others. Those that were good stand out in memory a little better than the one's that were not. Cd 's are the same. We've had two , John Heald on the Glory and Butch B. on the Liberty that did their job in a certain way that for us made the cruise a little more enjoyable. The others I couldn't even tell you who the CD was. Didn't make the cruise any less enjoyable. I certainly would never book a cruise based on the CD

It is true that the mystery noise was strange. Usually the free upgrade fairy arrives by phone or e-mail , not banging on the side of the ship.

WE took this same tour approx. 4 years ago and they were very clear with the directions. After Blackbeards Castle we had to walk down the 99 steps , then one block over to the main street and a couple of blocks down to a park where we met out transportation back to the ship. They were very specific on directions , times ,etc. and everything went smoothly on that trip

My wife and I are looking at the same type situation this year. We're cruising on 06/24 , flying in on 06/23 in the late afternoon. Here's what we decided to do to try to see both places.

We arrive 5:35 pm. Booked one night at Hampton Inn - downtown. Will taxi or towncar to the hotel from airport. Space Needle is approx. 10 min walk. Have a 7:45 dinner reservation at the Sky City restaurant on top of the Needle.

We booked room using AARP rate which includes late checkout by 2:00 pm. Next morning we'll get up early , walk the 10 mins back to Space Needle and catch the monorail to the Pikes market Area , explore for a couple or three hours and then monorail and walk back to hotel where we'll check-out and taxi/shuttle to cruise pier.

Thank you everyone for your replies. Helpful info I was looking for , especially about catching monorail at Space needle to go to the Market. Hopefully we can get to everything in the time we have.

On our trip we did some of the things others have already mentioned such as the Tundra Wilderness Tour , which was excellent , and the White Pass in Skagway , but my vote for the best would have to be whale watching with Harv & Marv in Juneau. Small boat , just six people , and they took it to a real personal level. We were treated like we were kings. Saw everything there was to see plus some bonus time at Mendenhall Glacier on the way back to the ship.

Hi , we have one evening in Seattle before our cruise and trying to make the most out of it. Our plan is to arrive Seattle approx. 5:30 pm , taxi or towncar to Hampton Inn Downtown , and then walk to Space Needle for dinner. Looks like about a 10 minute walk straight down 5th Ave. Next morning up early and looks like approx. 1 mile / 30 min walk to Pikes Market area for a couple of hours before going back to hotel and checking out and cab/shuttle to pier

My question is not knowing this area at all , is it a safe area , especially in the evening , for walking. We live in Tampa and I know there are some areas I'd feel completely safe and then some I wouldn't do if it were only a one minute walk. I know nothing 100% guaranteed , but just looking for some advice from those that know the area.

We're flying in the night before our cruise , really arriving too late to do any major sight-seeing. Has anyone used the package offered by Hampton Inn - Southcenter. For one price they will pick up at airport to the hotel , one night room , and transfer from hotel to pier next day. The price seems reasonable. Just wondered if anyone here has used this service ??

I truly see this situation both ways ...

On the one had I really don't care if our stewards or waiters call me by name or even know my name What I care about is the service they provide. I don't need them to be friendly , but I would like them to be pleasant. They are there to do a job , and all I need for an enjoyable vacation is for them to do that job.

Having said that , what the employee's need to remember is that they are in a service industry. The passengers are paying to be there , and it's part of their job to make sure that the passengers are having an enjoyable experience. A nice smile and pleasant attitude goes a long way in getting that done. Everyones human , everyone has bad days , but when it's showtime it's time to put on a good face and make it happen !!

Last but not least , and I don't get the impression from the original poster that he or she did this in any way , but it always amazes me how some people treat the staff not as employee's of the ship , but some sort of indentured servant whose whole existence is based on catering to their every need. Be nice to people and you might be surprised what you get in return.

I think the issue with the Inside Passage is not " getting" to Juneau , it's whether or not their going to sail the Inside Passage heading back South. If they're just going to skip Ketchikan and still sail the inside passage all the way South so we get to enjoy the sights that's one thing , but if they're skipping Ketchikan and also cutting out into open ocean to go South that's another story. I'm certainly no navigational expert , but seems reasonable that if they're having to " slow down " , causing them to skip a port , then the slower Inside Passage would be the way to go.

I'm booked on the 06/24 sailing , and have no plans to cancel , but just called Carnival for clarification and got a solid " I don't know "

Has anyone out there ever taken the White Pass & Glacier Station Hike out of Skagway. Description shows it to be a " moderate " difficulty hike of 4-5 hours. Just wondered if anyone has done this and their impressions on the degree of difficulty.

Thanks to all for the replies. We decided to book the Miracle for June 24th to celebrate my wifes big "rhymes with nifty " birthday celebration.

Honestly , I know they catch a lot of grief for being the Walmart of the seas , but we've cruised several times now with Carnival , and we've always had a great time.

We are doing the same thing this year , sailing Carnival on June 24th. all the ships itineraries are basically the same , including Juneau , Skagway , & Kethikan , along with either Glacier Bay or Tracy Arm.

Seven years ago we did the whole Cruisetour experience with Princess and had a wonderful time.

We chose Carnival this time because we like Carnival and have always had a good time with them , and , the money we save with them enabled us to upgrade to a suite and book a couple of the more expensive excursions.

Either way , imo , if your in Alaska and the weather cooperates , you really cant go wrong. Definitely a destination that is much more about the scenery and excursions then it is about the ship !!!!

I don't see Carnival mentioned much. Did a Cruisetour several years ago w/ Princess and had a great time. Looking at a possible RT out of Seattle in June on the Carnival Miracle. Any positive or negative feedback.

Am taking this excursion next week and will let everyone know the details