Miracle Review Oct 19-27 2009

[TakeMeAway1001]

Carnival Miracle October 19-27 2009

 

This cruise was a surprise cruise for my DH, this was my 6th cruise and his 5th and all of our cruises have been on Carnival.

 

Itinerary- 8 Day Exotic Southern Caribbean with stops in St Maarten/St Lucia/St Kitts. This cruise left on a Monday and returned on a Tuesday from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

 

DH and I left our home in MA at 530am on Sunday October 18th to head to Providence RI for our 8:55am flight, surprisingly we slept very well the night before which for me is a rarity, I am lucky if I get any sleep the night before we leave. However I must have been too relaxed since a half hour into our trip to RI I realized I forgot my glasses, I wear contacts during the day but at night and in the early morning my glasses are a necessity. DH offered to turn around but there was no way I was going to chance missing our flight for the damn glasses, however I did stress over it in silence but figured it could have been much worse.

 

DH and I flew from Providence RI to FLL on SWA with a stop in MCO/Orlando to pick up other passengers, it was a quick and uneventful flight. We have never flown out of this airport but found it very easy and there was virtually no line at security which is a plus for us since we normally fly out of Boston/Logan.

 

We arrived at FLL at approximately 1:15pm on Sunday and we were slightly saddened to hear the Captain announce it was in the 50’s in Florida since we really wanted to head to the beach, oh well we were just thrilled to be on vacation. While DH went to retrieve the luggage I went to pick up our rental at the Hertz counter, normally the rental car lines are long but there wasn’t anyone in line and within ten minutes I was heading down to the arrival level in our Rav 4. DH was already outside with our luggage and off we went, we did bring our GPS since I am horrible with directions and we have never been to Fort Lauderdale. The only hold up heading to the hotel was the bridge on the way to the hotel was just going up as we pulled up however as soon as I turned to my right I could see a ship in port and that was enough to hold me over until the bridge lowered.

 

 

 

 

I did try to put six photos in but it kept telling me I had too many so I had to cut it down to these two...more to come

 

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

It took us less than twenty minutes to get to the hotel and the view along that street it is on is wonderful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

Hotel- I tried Hotwire for the first time and chose a 4* Beach hotel and ended up with the Westin Beach Resort for $125. DH and I arrived just before three and were able to check in effortlessly. The hotel was beautiful and the staff was super friendly. I asked about getting an ocean front room and our request was gladly fulfilled. We were on the eleventh floor and while there was a short walk to our rooms the view was absolutely worth it! We checked out the room and cleaned up before heading out to get some lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

Some more hotel photos

 

 

 

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

I wanted to try Waxy O’Connors so we headed that way and found it quickly. We walked in and grabbed a seat at the bar and found the waiter to be anything but friendly, we tried to get him to open up but it wasn’t happening he truly appeared as if he hated his job. DH and I ordered a few beers and DH ordered a reuben and I got a burger, both were really good and after we finished our food we ordered one more beer each and decided where we wanted to go next.

 

 

 

 

 

[Chelseaprincess]

Thank you! Looking forward to the rest of your review. We were on the Miracle two years ago.

Chelsea

[TakeMeAway1001]

I knew I needed to get a few things so we headed across the way to Publix and grabbed some last minute things for our cruise.

 

 

 

 

After our errands we headed back to the hotel to drop the car off and walk around to the local places, we used the hotel walking bridge to go across to the beach side and we walked until we ended up at Elbo Room which was a fun bar with live music and cold beers, we grabbed seat and hung out for a few hours, it was fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Well I have to take off for a few, DD was involved in a car accident while we were on the cruise so I have to go take care of some paperwork at the Police Dept.

 

 

 

 

 

[travelwitch23]

I'm sailing on the miracle 11/12 and am really interested in the entertainment schedule if you partook in any of that - :p

 

but will take any and all info you have to give!

 

kim

[TakeMeAway1001]

Ok I am back to finish up on the hotel and get to our Cruise Day~

 

We headed back to the hotel and up to the pool bar for a drink, we had read great things about Michelle the bartender on Trip Advisor but sadly she was off that day and the bartender we had was another glum worker, she never smiled or looked at us. DH ordered two Miller Lite cans and put up a $10 bill but she said “it’s $12 something (can’t remember the change) but seriously $6 something a can????? We finished that and decided we wouldn’t be staying there since it was too expensive.

 

This is the bar area and a picture from the bar area

 

 

We called for our car and plugged pizza into the GPS and ended up choosing Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza which was delicious! We shared salad for two and a small pizza which was very filling. We ended up bringing the leftovers back to the hotel for the valet worker who seemed to be very familiar with Anthony’s and graciously accepted the pizza. It had been a long day so we headed up to bed since we were both exhausted and eager for tomorrow to come. It was at this time that I was really missing my glasses since my eyes were so dry from the contacts but without them I couldn’t see a thing and it was at this time that I realized I forgot my contact lens case too so I resorted to putting them in some hotel glasses with my solution, problem solved for the night.

 

Hotel Pros/Cons-

 

Pro’s-

The location was perfect, there is plenty to do around the area and the ocean view rooms cannot be beat. The hotel recently underwent a complete renovation and went from the Sheraton Yankee Trader to the Westin, the renovations were tastefully done. With the exception of the bartender that day the staff was very friendly and the valet staff was exceptionally nice.

 

Con’s- Although these didn’t necessarily apply to us I know it would deter some from staying, one would be the mandatory valet service at $25 per day and the other would be the lack of a shuttle to the port. However we like having a rental car and since I got a great deal on the room and prepaid a while back I wasn’t really bothered by the valet fee.

 

In the future we would definitely stay at the Westin again for short getaway.

 

Monday October 19th, 2009- Cruise Day!

 

We were up bright and early and reorganizing our stuff, we wanted to bring as little as possible on board. Last night we purchased a 12 pack of Coke to go with the Captain Morgan’s I pre ordered for our cabin and we put that in our checked luggage and ziptied our bags and we were ready to go. We brought a laptop for the first time and we are glad we did, it was convenient for keeping in touch with the kids and if we didn’t have them we wouldn’t have brought it at all. We were a bit too early to head to the port since when we drove over the bridge we didn’t even see the Miracle in port so we headed to Eienstein Brothers Bagels for breakfast. We both had a really good breakfast sandwich and some much needed coffee and it was off to Walgreens for a new contact lens case and some more sunscreen.

 

We thought it was way too early to go to the port so we drove to get gas to top off the rental and I decided the worse thing that could happen is the port officials would turn away so off we went. We pulled in and up to the security window and DH didn’t see anyone so he jokingly said Beep Beep and up popped this head and the crankiest looking agent you have ever seen, DH said good morning and she stared at us like we were nuts! She mumbled ID’s and we DH handed her our passports and she looked at him and said “ I am not opening them, you open them” and DH mumbled back “lazy” and it was at this point that I leaned over and pinched DH because the agent looked furious and I was worried she would turn us away but she didn’t and simply asked where were headed and we said the Miracle and she pointed us in the right direction.

 

Our first glimpse of the Miracle

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

We ended up at #21 and were greeted by several port employees who were smiling and glad to help, what nice surprise! We dropped off our luggage and we headed to the airport to drop off the rental and take the complimentary shuttle back to the port.

 

The rental car drop off was quick and easy and as we were getting our bag we heard an employee quizzing the couple next to us about rental car damage they had, apparently they didn’t turn in the card they hand you when you pick up the car stating whether or not there is any existing damage so therefore they were being accused of causing it. I have never actually been given one of these cards but I got one this time and was so happy I filled it out, the girl returning the car was crying and the worker was saying they would have to pay for the damage to the car.

 

DH and I got our receipt and off we went to get the shuttle, we were told to go front and stand in line #1 and we did and we waited there for twenty minutes, every time a bussed pulled up our excitement grew only to be ripped away when the bus drove by our section. I went into the airport to ask an Avis agent who told me we were in the right spot to go wait and they should be there any minute.

 

After another fifteen minutes I went in and asked another agent, this one was from Hertz and they assured me they come every half hour and should be there by 10:30am. I headed back out and DH and I continued to wait and a nice gentleman came by to let us know that they don’t begin the shuttle until 11am which really ticked me off since we wasted almost an hour standing around.

 

We ended up inquiring about getting a taxi and were told it would be $12 so we headed down to get one and when we got in and asked how much the driver said it will be around $20, we said forget it and attempted to get out and he said how much did you think it would be and I said the airport agent told us it was $12 and he said fine but it would be around $20 with a tip, seriously nothing like adding in your own tip pal!

 

When we got to the port the guard at the gate started ripping into the taxi driver for failing to display his ID and threatening to fine him $250, he told him to keep in on the dashboard at all times when he is working and he quickly put it up on the dash. The guard then went around to the trunk and came back to ask us where our luggage was for this trip and we told him we had already dropped it off and he cleared us to go. As soon as we pulled away the taxi driver grabbed his ID and put it back in his pocket, he was pissed at that point and started driving like a Nascar driver, we were pretty happy when he got us to the drop off area.

 

DH and I walked up to the first agent we saw and he told us we were all set to check in and we headed in through security and were upstairs filling out of health questionnaire within minutes, it was painless and we were sitting in Zone 5 by 11:00am and on board before 11:30am

[TakeMeAway1001]

What a difference with a ship sailing empty, our rooms were already ready when we boarded and we quickly went to check out our first AFT balcony. We dropped off our laptop and set up our safe, tossed our passports and cash in the safe and we were off to the Lido for lunch and drinks.

 

The rum I ordered for DH

 

Our bathroom amenities

 

Lunch today was a delicious pastrami sandwich from the deli

along with some cold ½ iced tea & ½ lemonade which became a favorite for both DH & I. After lunch we roamed around and got our bearings and I found the ship easy to navigate which often is challenge for me. We hung out at the AFT bar the Orpheus and had a few drinks and decided to walk around. The staff was very friendly and everyone was smiling!

 

We had our Muster drill and it was painless since we didn’t have to bring our life jackets to the drill, however many people clearly didn’t get the message and come with them.

 

The drill was very quick and to the point and we made our way back to the Aft bar to see if any of our Cruise Critic friends were there, it was funny to try to figure out who was part of the Roll Call and it was great to finally meet the people who have kept me sane for months.

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

Here are some pics from our walk around the ship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

A few more

 

 

 

 

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

We contemplated trying the open seating dining but DH really likes having a set time and enjoys getting to know our servers so we opted for a set time and requested the early seating. We were seated at table#344, a booth for four on the second floor.

 

 

 

 

No one ended up joining us on the first night but on the second night a couple from Canada celebrating their honeymoon showed up, they were really nice and this was their first cruise so we helped them by answering many of their questions. Our table mates said they weren’t aware of open seating and really wish that they have known since they felt 6:00pm was too early and 8;15pm was too late, we think they somehow changed to open seating or decided to skip the dining room since we never saw them again after that night. Our servers were Jose from the Philippines and Andriy from the Ukraine, both were nice and accommodating, not over friendly but they did work well together.

 

After dinner we changed we went back to our cabin to change and we got to meet Noli our room steward, he was such a nice guy, after chatting with him we headed out to do some more exploring, we spent some time listening to Jay who does acoustics in the Gotham lounge outside the second floor dining level.

 

Gotham Lounge area

 

 

After this we made our way outside to mingle some more. DH is normally very quiet yet he managed to be quite outgoing this cruise, thanks to my Cruise Critic friends who got him to open up. DH actually said that he really enjoyed this cruise and getting to know some other people which was nice. The Welcome Aboard Show wasn’t until 10:30pm so we made our way to the Casino area to have a few drinks and to people watch until about 10:00pm. The show was good and Malcolm was a nice guy and seemed to enjoy his job.

 

[VikeQn2]

I was wondering how you got Captain Morgan in the cabin legally? How much was it? We sail next week - I am so excited and waiting for the rest of your awesome review. We are doing the same ports. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!! I might have more questions _ I hope you don't mind.

Patty

[JimA49085]

I love your review, but it like watching a great TV show, just when things get really good; a break. Keep the pictures and commentary coming.

I just posted the link to your review on our Roll Call Thread. I know everyone will enjoy it.:)

[TakeMeAway1001]

After the show we made our way to the Lido so DH could get some pizza and I had a burger and then it was off to our to the cabin for some much needed rest, this guy was waiting for us when we got in that night

 

The ship moved quite a bit during the night, a lot more than I am used to. I actually dreamt that we were tipping over and DH said he had a dream were being attacked by pirates, I guess that sun and a few too many drinks will do that to you.

 

We drank quite a few of these

 

The bucket of Miller Lite cost $18.00 w/gratuity $20.70, for a single bottle it was $5.69 including gratuity...I am trying to look over receipts so bear with me on this.

 

[TakeMeAway1001]

I was wondering how you got Captain Morgan in the cabin legally? How much was it? We sail next week - I am so excited and waiting for the rest of your awesome review. We are doing the same ports. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!! I might have more questions _ I hope you don't mind.

Patty

 

I ordered it through the Bon Voyage Department, it was a litre and it was about $42. When I saw it for sale in the ship store for $11 I cringed a bit but it was a surprise and DH enjoyed making his own drinks and relaxing while I got ready to go out :)

Ask any questions you like and I will gladly answer them if I can.

[TakeMeAway1001]

I love your review, but it like watching a great TV show, just when things get really good; a break. Keep the pictures and commentary coming.

I just posted the link to your review on our Roll Call Thread. I know everyone will enjoy it.:)

 

Thanks, I am glad I had today off to unpack, lol :D I haven't done anything close to that yet. I should have organized better but the review is coming along, it may take me awhile but I will get there, it's fun to relive the cruise.

[TakeMeAway1001]

Can someone click on this and let me know if it works? Thanks

[JimA49085]

Took me to your Webshots page...thanks

[aqualojoy]

We are going to have our first aft cabin in March on the Miracle. Normally, we do midship on Empres deck, but I have always wanted to try an aft? Did you enjoy the aft? What cabin number were you in?

 

I am enjoying your review. Thanks for doing it.

[TakeMeAway1001]

We are going to have our first aft cabin in March on the Miracle. Normally, we do midship on Empres deck, but I have always wanted to try an aft? Did you enjoy the aft? What cabin number were you in?

 

I am enjoying your review. Thanks for doing it.

 

We were in #5268 and while I like to try new things I do not think I would do an AFT again. I truly enjoy sitting out on the balcony in the early AM and evening but found it was way too hot out there. I also enjoy taking pictures from my balcony and this balcony didn't afford too many good picture opportunities but it wasn't bad by any means I just feel like we never used the balcony due to the heat, but it was nice to try something else. I know many people rave about them but they just aren't for us, the couple next to us had the AFT wrap and they never went out on theirs for the same reason, too hot!

 

Happy cruising~

[TakeMeAway1001]

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[dcruisers]

I am really enjoying your review and pictures...you are doing an awesome job!!

We will be sailing on the Miracle Dec 30th and your review has made me more excited.

We have an extended balcony on the 8th floor. So looking forward to the cruise.

Thanks so much for all the hard work and time that you are putting into the review of your cruise..appreciate it and look forward to more.