first time cruiser needs advice-Carnival Miracle

[ctsweetpea]

My Fiance and I are first time cruisers and are considering cruising on the Miracle out of Tampa (April 10th- Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize) for our honeymoon.

I have been doing my research and have heard alot of contradictory information on other sites (for every person who loved the cruise, cabin, food, etc there is someone else who hated it).

I would appreciate any advice, tips, pros, cons, etc- about this ship, Carnival, dining, entertainment, cabins, or even cruising in general for a honeymoon.

 

Thanks so much!

:)

[SheilaInAL]

Hi,

I cruised on the Miracle last year and am going on it again this year. It's a great ship, nice and clean, the staff are friendly, the food was good and plentiful.

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to try and answer them for you. My email address is SheilaInAL@hotmail.com .

By the way, there is always going to be some who love a ship, and some who hate it, no matter which ship or which cruiseline it is. Really, it is all up to you and your personal tastes.

[minnie76]

I sailed with Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas for my 1 yr anniversary/belated honeymoon. I later read reviews from the same cruise that were absolutely horrible. My husband and I had a great time and absolutley no complaints though. I think it all depends on your outlook. If you look for the negative, you will surely find it. I am booked on the Miracle for the May 15th sailing and looking forward to it. It will be my third cruise and first on Carnival. Think positive and have a blast.

[Flip2cruise]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

 

I have never been on Miracle, but there is a HUGE group from this site, going on Miracle on Sunday, when they return I bet you will get more Miracle info that you can imagine.:D

 

The best tip, I can give is devote some time to just reading over the threads. I bet every question you can imagine has been asked and answered. Click a few pages back and use the search function. Feel free to ask questions on anything that you need futher clarification on. This site is filled with nice and knowledgeable cruisers who love talking about their addiction.

 

 

I wouldnt give too much weight to positive or negative reviews, remember its just someone opinion. Also, since this is your first cruise, you dont have anything to compare it to. Im sure you and hubby2b will have a wonderful cruise, the first of many. Congrats on the Wedding.

[CruisinRin]

I sailed with Royal Caribbean Brilliance of the Seas for my 1 yr anniversary/belated honeymoon. I later read reviews from the same cruise that were absolutely horrible. My husband and I had a great time and absolutley no complaints though. I think it all depends on your outlook. If you look for the negative, you will surely find it. I am booked on the Miracle for the May 15th sailing and looking forward to it. It will be my third cruise and first on Carnival. Think positive and have a blast.

 

Hey Minnie,

 

We're on the same Miracle sailing!!! Head on over to the roll call boards and sign in! This is also my third cruise, second on Carnival. I can't wait!! WE have a group of 14 going.

 

-Corinne

[Kathy555]

I was on the Miracle in December with a family of 6. We had a wonderful time. The only thing I wasn't happy about was stopping in Belize. Our room was the best we have had so far out of Disney Magic and RC Serenade. We had an extended balcony room behind the elevator - nice and roomy. The food was good and there was plenty. Of course there were some things I didn't like, but then you could just order something else. I never came away from a meal unhappy or hungry. The entertainment is also great. A couple of shows we skipped just to do other things for the evening. Hope this helps.

[Guest Time2gocruzn]

We are cruising the Miracle in about 24 days! This board has been a GIGANTIC help to me. There are things I would have NEVER thought of, that I read about and learned here. It has saved me $$, saved me time and I am sure because of what I have learned here, it will make my cruise more enjoyable.

 

That being said the one thing I have noticed it that a lot of people post reviews and few are middle of the road and factual. Many reviews are filled with opinions (and that of course is okay) but as long as you keep in mind that those reviews are those ARE somebody else's opinions, and try to pull the facts out, read the question/answers posted about Miracle you are sure to learn a ton.

 

Here is one of my FAVORITE picture gallery slide shows about the Miracle. IT was shile she was still being built in Helsinki but pretty much completed. You can really see how beautiful the interior is. Slideshow

on the top left in small orange letters it says slide show, click that

 

 

This is a page with all kinds of Miracle info, right down to sanitation reports.

Miracle info page

 

Another tip...we booked a 7a which is condisered an "obstructed" balcony cabin. It is not that obstructed, life boats hang even with the rail, so you can see out, just not down. This is a good way to get a balcony for approx 20% less.

[GoinCruisin]

Sweetpea, we are on the Miracle in 3 days with a large group, I am sure there will be reviews all over the place come the 21st!!!!! We are very excited and for the most part, have heard nothing that would make us think we are NOT going to have a great time... although many of us could have a great time on a barge in the middle of the ocean :p

[fourcruisin]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. We sailed on the Miracle 1/23 and had a wonderful time. The ship is very clean, the crew is friendly and helpful. I am pretty picky but always managed to find something to eat. We also sailed on the Legend in March 04 and I have to say that comparing the 2, I really liked the Legend better. The decor on the Miracle is very different. I did not care for the color scheme and the diningroom is just plain gross. They could have made such a beautiful room. As much as I liked the ports of call on the Miracle, we really enjoyed Panama and Costa Rica on the Legend. We ate at Truffles which is the supper club on the Legend and we also ate at Nick and Nora's on the Miracle. Truffles was much, much better both service wise and quality of food wise. It was definetly a bad night for the staff when we were at N&N. They admitted they had several large parties there that night and they were catering to their needs. We still tipped very well but I was disappointed in the experience. All that being said, I would cruise on the Miracle again...I just wanted to give you an honest answer. What ever you chose, enjoy your trip.

Nancy

[ctsweetpea]

Thanks to all that have replied! I have already found that these boards (and its posters) carry a wealth of cruise information!

:)

[halos]

Read these!!

Although I sailed out of NY City to the Bahamas, these reviews will give you a 'feel' for that wonderful ship!! You can skip the 'Ports of Call' thread since it doesn't pertain to you if you like. The rest should be informative!!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=47086

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=47489

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=47498

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=47510

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=47673

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=47873

[rudgie99]

Hi Ctsweetpea

 

We are sailing on the Miracle on 4/10/05. We picked this ship because it was new and it went to 4 ports. The really on consitant complaint I keep hearing is about the decor.

 

We got a category 8B. We are celebrating our 20 wedding anniversary..(I need a medal).

 

Hope to see you on the Miracle.

 

Karen

[Mendelson]

I just got off the Miracle yesterday, and I have to agree that the decor was one of two things that turned me off. One of our tablemates commented that the dining room looked like it was infected with chicken pox - from that point on I couldn't get that comment out of my head! This was my second cruise. The first was on RCCL Explorer and I have to admit, I will probably do RCCL again before Carnival. The only other turn off I had was that the wait staff didn't seem to work as hard and several people commented that they thought it was because gratuities were added to your sign and sail card automatically. But it was a short and sweet cruise and I'm glad that I had the chance to see the Miracle firsthand.