Carnival Miracle Review - March 20th sailing

[cruisergrandma]

We just recently returned from the March 20th 8-day sailing of the Carnival Miracle.

 

We drove down the day before the sailing and stayed in the Hyatt Summerfield Suites in Dania Beach. This is a brand new suites hotel and it is beautiful. There are full kitchens, separate bedrooms and huge bathrooms. The rate includes free shuttle within a 5 mile radius of the hotel. We used that for dinner. The only drawback is that when we called for a return shuttle we were told the shuttles were all at the airport and it would be about 2 hours before they could pick us up. The restaurant was closing and there we stood waiting outside. Thankfully they arrived after about 30 minutes. The rate also includes a hot breakfast buffet the next morning, parking for the cruise and free shuttle to Port Everglades. We scheduled a 10 am shuttle.

 

Port Everglades was having a record number of guests at the port on March 20th. We were told there were 9 ships leaving that day. We only counted 8 but, there was tons of traffic. I was glad we had left our vehicle at the hotel and taken the shuttle. The Oasis was there that day. From our view it really does not look that big. Of course, we were not close.

 

We are Platinum guests so we were escorted right in. They do not have the nice VIP lounge we have experienced in other ports but, we were checked right in and taken to a separate waiting area from everyone else. They provided lemonade, ice water and cookies while we waited. Boarding started around 11:30. There were 3 photographers and backdrops for boarding photos so it went very quick.

 

We headed to Lido and had a great lunch before our cabins were ready about 1:30. We had a balcony on deck 8. We met our cabin steward ‘Ida’ and headed out to explore ship. We did have a problem all week with the cabin being hot. We called once to have it checked and Ida called a second time to have it checked. Both times we were told that temperatures were within their ‘allowable range’. I would like to know what that range is because it was hot. We always take a small fan with us and even it did not cool the room down – even at night.

 

Truthfully, we have almost always done inside cabins and I think we will go back to that. We spend very little time in the cabin anyway. The balcony was too hot to use and we had to keep the drapes closed most of the time to help keep the heat out of the cabin. The room is bigger than an inside cabin but to us it is not worth the money difference just for a sofa - and a balcony we don’t use. The entire ship was a bit too hot for my taste – especially the elevators. But, most people were comfortable so maybe (?) it was just me.

 

Muster drill no longer requires you to even take your life vest. You simply report to your muster station and the staff shows you how to put on the vest and they have the normal information talk. Short and sweet.

 

We were the first ship out of port at 4:00. This was our first time to sail out of Port Everglades and it is a very pretty area with lots of small boats and large yachts. You also get a great view of the beach.

 

We had early dinner so we were off to get ready. Dinner for the week was the normal fare and service was good. This ship had very little singing in the dining room and no passenger participation. I had practiced and was ready to go so, I was a little disappointed.

 

Our first 2 days were sea days. Pretty much just enjoyed the ship and relaxed.

 

They have really expanded their arts & crafts classes and we made several nice items during the week. I think this is a good addition. The instructors (a retired couple onboard for this purpose) were very helpful and enjoy their job.

 

The ship is beautiful. The dining room is a bit over-the-top (I have heard skittles-gone-wild) but, it is still pretty. We had never been on the Miracle but, have been on sister ships Spirit and Legend. We love this class ship. The layout is very easy to navigate and very few areas seem overly crowded.

 

Food selections were about the same as normal and we have always been pleased with the food onboard ship. The steaks were tender and the ribs are heavenly. I love the soufflé and they served this only the final evening.

 

The ice cream machines did seem to have a problem keeping the ice cream from being runny and several times one or more were out of order. I also wanted a steak sandwich from the grill but, it was no longer on the menu.

 

We enjoyed the first show but, did not enjoy ‘Ticket to Ride’. It was supposed to be a Beatles tribute but, as an early Beatles fan I did not like it at all. They used a few really obscure songs and it was far from a tribute. For the first time in my Carnival cruise history we actually walked out less than half way through. The singers and dancers are quite talented but, we just did not enjoy the show. The first show was a tribute to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. The singer was very good. He left the Miracle at the first port and caught up with the Liberty for a show there. We did not attend any of the other shows.

 

We spent some time in the Casino and enjoyed it but, did not win any money (we never do!) We participated in the slot tournament and have to say they were using the slowest slot machines of the ship. It was still fun.

 

The first day at sea was our first ‘Elegant Night’. On this ship the Captain has his reception in the main lobby. This is a very BAD plan. On ‘Elegant Night’ the lobby is always crowded with photographers and this made things twice as congested!

 

Our first port was Colon, Panama. We docked with our balcony (port side) facing port and we had a great view. You can almost actually see a line in the city separating the affluent and the slums. We had scheduled the Coast-to-Coast Railroad trip. On this excursion we were supposed to travel by train to the other coast, visit the canal and return via bus. Since the time change in the US we arrived very early in Panama time so, they reversed the trip. We boarded the buses and had a very good and informative tour as we traveled to the other coast. We stopped at the Miraflores Locks. There we watched a ship in the locks and watched a short movie about the canal. It was a very interesting stop. From there we continued our land tour visiting the ‘America Bridge’ and a short stop for shopping. We were then transported to the Panama Railway where we boarded the train. It is a very nice train car. Each person had a snack box waiting for them. This tour is expensive but, it was well worth it. It was a great excursion. We returned to dock with plenty of time left over for shopping. We only shopped the dock area and found overall good prices.

 

Our next port was Limon, Costa Rica. I did not book our excursion through Carnival. Instead I booked with Mario at Greenway Tours. This was a MISTAKE. Mario requires payment in full at time of booking. Since we had a group our up front payment was right at $1,000. I questioned more than once the time aspect and were told that they operation of SHIP TIME and that they always have you back at port 1-1½ hours early. This allows shopping at the port and plenty of time to re-board ship. He had good reviews so I placed my trust in him. We pulled into port at the scheduled 7:00. The ship tours left right after arrival. We were scheduled to meet at 8:00 ship time. We left the ship about 30 minutes early and Greenway Tours was nowhere to be found. All other tour operators were there and were heading out for the day. I tried to call Mario but, found that my cell phone did not work in the port. If we had not pre-paid we would have left with another tour group. The Greenway buses pulled in around 8:15 and it was about 8:30 before we left port. The lie they told as to why they were late was the most annoying part of the whole thing. If they had just pulled in and apologized it would have been fine. Instead the tour guide told this story about the captain of the ship calling them that morning and telling them he was changing the time of arrival. Oh, Please!!!!! The Captain does not call independent tour guides for any reason. He would not even know they had bookings on board. He also did not make any changes on arrival time. We arrived at 7:00 am as scheduled. We did the 6-in-1 highlights tour. The title is a bit deceiving. We drove along a beach but, it was not even mentioned until someone asked about the size of the waves. We drove through town and did get a running commentary. We went through a rain forest and it was extremely interesting and informative. We went to a Del Monte banana plantation – really makes you appreciate the food that arrives in your local grocery store and all the work it took to get it there! We went through the canals by boat and saw sloths, howler monkeys, caiman (crocodile) and a few other small animals. The tour is advertised to have multiple shopping stops. It did not. The only shopping was a tiny gift shop at the farm where we did the rain forest tour. The guide was informative but, almost made fun of the fact that we were concerned about time. We were supposed to be back on ship by 2:30. We pulled in back at dock at 2:29. No shopping time at the port at all. I highly suggest booking this tour through Carnival. The price is actually cheaper through Carnival ($84.95 on Carnival compared to $95 with Greenway) and they do pretty much the same route. They pulled out at 7:30 and returned in time for their passengers to shop at the dock. The tour guide took at least 6 cell phone calls during the tour. Each time she spoke in Spanish (?) and after hanging up told us it was her boss. She could have given a better tour without all of the interruptions. She also told us about her new baby and her boyfriend. She told us he was much younger than her because she liked ‘young flesh’. Very distasteful and very unnecessary. When she handed out comment forms people again mentioned her being late and, believe it or not, she repeated her story about the captain calling them. I emailed Mario when we returned home but, he has not seen fit to respond.

 

We enjoyed another relaxing day at sea before our final port. These are our favorite days as you do not have to rush to do anything. This was also our second ‘Elegant Night’.

 

Our final port was Belize. We had been to Belize 4 times previously and we enjoy this port. One couple in our group was on their first trip so I recommended Major Tom and cave tubing. 3 more of us booked the Belize Zoo with Major Tom. We got on the first tender and headed to the port - No Major Tom. We waited for an hour and he never did arrive. We have used Major Tom many times previously and this has never happened. We looked around the dock area and located Griffith Eusey with Syesue Adventures. All 5 of us booked a city & zoo tour. He gave a great city tour – more thorough than any we have been on previously. He was in a van instead of a bus and it could go down the tiny, narrow streets. We headed for the zoo. It is a small zoo and all of the animals are native to Belize. The zoo receives no funding and is totally dependant on donations. Griffith gave us a guided zoo tour and he knew all of the animals and all of their details. As we got close to the Jaguar area he offered us a special treat. For $50US up to 5 of us could get really up close and personal with a Jaguar named Jr. Jr. is 3 years old and was born in the zoo. We went for it. They moved Jr. to a small pen and led us through his enclosure to a small cage. Once we were securely locked inside they released Jr. He came over to the cage and the handler inside with us. He rubbed against the cage where we could actually touch him. Then they had him jump on top of the cage. We were looking directly up into his eyes and at his huge teeth. The handler showed us how to get jaguar kisses. He actually kissed each one of us through the cage. (One of the girls said she thought he was just taste testing to see if we tasted like chicken!) It was incredible and well worth the extra $50. The handlers just kept thanking us for doing that and for supporting their zoo. This is a small, but nice, zoo and is well worth the trip. I think we enjoyed it even more than our previous cave tubing trips. Our guided tour continued on the way back to port and through a different part of the city. It was great and I highly recommend Griffith. You can email him at syesue_bz@yahoo.com. We will definitely use him again in the future. We returned to town with plenty of time to shop the tiny flea market just outside the port. We always get our best deals there and they always thank us for supporting the locals.

 

On our last day we were again at sea. I got a chance to do the “Behind the Scenes” tour. I have never done this in the past as I thought the charge of $95 pp was a bit too high. 2 of our friends booked the tour but, she was unable to go and gave me her ticket. They only take a total of 32 people on this tour – 2 groups of 16 each. You are not allowed to bring cameras or cell phones and they scan you before you start the tour. It is a 3½ hour walking tour and it takes you all over the ship. It is well work the charge and you see things you would never be able to see otherwise. You also have 3 photos taken during the tour and they are delivered to your stateroom at no additional cost. Everyone should do this tour at least once. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate my friend and her generosity.

 

They did have the chocolate buffet at lunch. It was one complete buffet line with a separate section for the ice cream swans.

 

One thing new for us is that Carnival is now doing a Digital Scavenger Hunt. We had done this previously on Royal Caribbean but, had never seen it on Carnival. It was a blast. Look for it on future cruises. You will have a great time and lots of laughs! The only complaint is that it starts at 4:30. By the time you get finished you really have to run to get a shower, dress and make it to early dinner.

 

Sadly, we had to come back to Port Everglades and start our trip home. As I mentioned, we are platinum so we did the self debarkation and were one of the first few off the ship. We were out the door and headed home by 8:00 am. On the way home we were planning our next cruise!

[092306]

Great review. I thought your comments about your tour in Panama was surprising. I have never used Mario but all i read is that they are reliable. It makes me happy that when I did the FREEDOM on March 13 2010, I am glad I went through the ship in Panama for an excursion. That is always my biggest fear when it comes to independent operator.

As far as the Behind the Fun tour. I do agree the price is a bit much, but I will say that it is worth it. We went everywhere. I am so glad I did it. You are right when you said EVERYONE SHOULD DO THIS ONCE. They really should.

[cruisergrandma]

Our tour in Panama was booked through Carnival and it was great. The bad experience with Greenway Tours was in Costa Rica.