Just off Miracle...things that impressed me

[valtandc]

I just returned from Miracle 8 night eastern carib.....

 

I was pleasantly surprised with some of the things that many had complained about and relieved of many of my concerns once on the boats. Here of some things I was very impressed with....not necessarily in order:

 

- Food....I have been to some great restaurants in my life....my expectations were not high....however i was very impressed with much of the food. Sure I got a dry piece of fish once and cold cheese on the nacho line...but overall the food was great......surely better than most of the $125/plate weddings I have attended....the soups were solid....the lobster cooked right....kids loved the flat iron steak....the cornish hen was great....the grand marnier souflee was tops....and the Carib Buffet one day during lunch was excellent....

 

-entertainment....OK.....I love music....I don't watch TV or barely movies....i listen to music in my house and car always....when i heard on this board that there were no bands I was shocked.....Let me tell you this.....the Full orchestra with about 8 pieces including horns was stellar......the 4 piece pop band was very good....the acoustic guy was fun.....Billy in Sams bar created a great stmosphere....there was Crystal whose voice was amazing........I guess the complaints were about the 2 piece "rasta" band on the deck....they were a bit boring and surely could have used 2 more....but I really didn't miss it.

 

- crew- All star crew....just great people who wanted to make you happy even if they were exhausted form working too many hours....they were exemplary customer service pros.

 

- ship- great ship....loved the over the top dechor ( not my style living in home with all antiques and dark woods) but it brightend the ship up.

 

-comedy- so here was one that i wasnt' happy with prior to boarding ship....well....we laughed so hard. both the family which was great and the rated R.....now these were rated R shows....they spared nothing...don't go if you can't handle some heavy stuff.

 

there were 2 things I didn't like:

 

-OK....so i often read how great NYC is with embark/debark......the debark was absolutely dreadful....granted we had the QM2 in port with us....so I get it....but....it was just so so so bad. the people getting on ship after us couldn't have gotten on this ship earlier than 1 or 2 once we left....it was hell.

 

- buffet lines- need I say more...yes our ship was full...waiting in line for the asian one day was 20 minutes....oh well.

 

-lido deck mid ship....not for me....don't enjoy tripping over chairs, feet, and kids running around....(I'm middle aged in good shape)...it just didn't feel like vacation for one of 4 hours during the trip....I had to run away and escape....

 

overallll....great trip....wonderful week....cheers to Carnival....

[Alwaysundecided]

We've sailed on the Miracle twice and had great experiences both times. Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[lmcubs]

Great review - thanks

Head off in February for my third (in 3 years) cruise on the Miracle! Love that ship

[barbaragrace]

We're going NEXT WEEK! Thanks for the review!

[CruisinFamily_3]

We were on the Miracle in May and agree with every positive thing you said. It was our first cruise (so nothing to compare it to), but the staff were amazing, the food was great, and the comedy made us laugh (and I'm not a big stand up comedian fan).

 

Our embarkation went really well, so I think it may have been the QM2 also being docked. We arrived at the port around 11:30 and were on the ship within 30 minutes.

 

As for the crowds- we never had any lines on the lido. We sailed full, but I think it may have been because there were less kids on our sailing. I love the set up of the buffet because there were seperate sides so it seemed less crowded. However, I think we had more people eating in the MDR for lunch because even at 11 am we could always find a pool side lounger or a table.

 

Glad you had a great time! We are still trying to decide our 2012 cruise, but it's going to be hard to compete with the great time we had on the Miracle!

[lunchmomd]

Just back yesterday, too, and couldn't agree more about disembarkation. It was a nightmare!! We sat on the lido from 8:00 until they finally called our number at 12:30. Finally got our van transportation into the terminal (they made him wait because there was too much traffic) around one, and then hit horrible traffic back to MA. What should have been a 2 1/2 hour drive ended up being 5.

[VickiD59]

We arrived at the port around 11:30 and were on the ship within 30 minutes.

 

Same here. I read all the time about having to sit and wait for your number to be called.. never had that. Maybe we lucked out arriving early, or call it beginners luck. Whatever.. I hope we're as lucky next time as well ;) Now DISembarking once back in NY was dreadful. We had to wait for our section to be called (though it was the exact time they said it would be), but all and all, that being the only complaint, we considered ourselves lucky... we loved it! Welcome Home... keep reviewing!! Please :D

[ceelovejay]

Thanks for this post! We set sail this coming Saturday, the 9th. I can't wait!! I will make sure to exercise some patience regarding the embark/disembark process.

[med2cruise]

Glad to hear the good and bad, we are sailing in 3 weeks.

 

Thanks,

Karen

[njfamilyoffour]

Just off the Miracle. Have written a review which will post in a few days. Can't be more positive about the experience we had. Great ship, fabulous service, wonderful vacation!

[finsupcruiser]

Did 8 day on Miracle out of Ft Lauderdale March 2010. Loved the ship!!!

 

Repeating same cruise in Oct. Having sailed from NY once--must say love Ft Lauderdale

[lovecruzing]

Thanks for your review. We will be sailing her in November so anything Miracle I am very much interested in.

 

Bevie

[Socref124]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. We have been on the Miracle twice and agree with all you said except the part about the kids. We cruise when kids are in school. so the few that are onboard when we cruise aren't really a problem.

[dec2007w3boys]

We were on the Miracle in December and liked it so much we are going again this November. Fabulous ship and crew. I'm glad to see you had the same great experience we did. As you mentioned, sure there are things here in there where improvement could have been made - - but over all it is a great experience!

[valtandc]

Same here. I read all the time about having to sit and wait for your number to be called.. never had that. Maybe we lucked out arriving early, or call it beginners luck. Whatever.. I hope we're as lucky next time as well ;) Now DISembarking once back in NY was dreadful. We had to wait for our section to be called (though it was the exact time they said it would be), but all and all, that being the only complaint, we considered ourselves lucky... we loved it! Welcome Home... keep reviewing!! Please :D

 

 

embarking was OK. disembark was the nightmare. you may have misunderstood. and if previous poster didn't get off ship until 12:30 can you imagine how long it took those people to embark after we got off..

[valtandc]

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. We have been on the Miracle twice and agree with all you said except the part about the kids. We cruise when kids are in school. so the few that are onboard when we cruise aren't really a problem.

 

the kids were being kids. they were having a blast. doesn't bother me....except for maybe one or 2......like the one kids who had to be about 7....he was in hot sub with snorkel gear for about 40 minutes.....doesn't this sterilize little boys????? not his fault as we alll know.....blame the parents.

[kyrisong1]

the kids were being kids. they were having a blast. doesn't bother me....except for maybe one or 2......like the one kids who had to be about 7....he was in hot sub with snorkel gear for about 40 minutes.....doesn't this sterilize little boys????? not his fault as we alll know.....blame the parents.

I think usually little boys have to be washed with antibacterial soap to be sterilized !! JK a little stupid nurses humor there.

Seriously I have been in those hot tubs and I've never known one to be hot enough to harm anyones reproductive system!!!

Definitely blame the parents, I agree that we cruise fall or late winter, not to avoid kids, to avoid cold!!!

Cheers, Carole

[michelle1836]

the reason QM2 was with us was because the other pier was being renovated so they stuck us at the same terminal. the workers at the terminal said it is never usually like this.

 

that and the ventriloquist were the only 2 things I didnt care for. everything else was fantastic.

 

it did take us a few days to find a waiter we really liked for anytime dining. Pierre was great!

[vickila]

We tried the Chef's Table Dinner -- WONDERFUL. Signed up as soon as it came out as it is only done twice -- 12 people each time. $75.00 p/p.

 

What a terrific experience, led by a Executive Chef, Wellington Dias who stayed with us at all times.

 

First you enter the galley during dinner hour and see what the waiters REALLY have to go through to get you your food. You'll never be so picky again once you see all they have to do. The chef explained all the areas in the galley and we then had 5 appetizers there (delicious), with flowing champagne and baked a cake with him - asking questions constantly.

 

Next we entered a private diningroom -- beautiful table set for 12 with him at the head displaying and explaining each of the 7 courses. Wine flowed, entertainment by a trick card player.

 

A truly enjoyable evening and a wonderful presentation by head Chef Wellington Dias. Try it, you'll love it! Vicki & Bob:)

[valtandc]

the reason QM2 was with us was because the other pier was being renovated so they stuck us at the same terminal. the workers at the terminal said it is never usually like this.

 

that and the ventriloquist were the only 2 things I didnt care for. everything else was fantastic.

 

it did take us a few days to find a waiter we really liked for anytime dining. Pierre was great!

 

My family found ventriloquist to be hilarious. When he brought the 3 people on stage at the end we wet our pants.....but humour surely is subjective.

[redlef]

I just returned from Miracle 8 night eastern carib.....

 

 

there were 2 things I didn't like:

 

-OK....so i often read how great NYC is with embark/debark......the debark was absolutely dreadful....granted we had the QM2 in port with us....so I get it....but....it was just so so so bad. the people getting on ship after us couldn't have gotten on this ship earlier than 1 or 2 once we left....it was hell. .

 

We were on the 7/1 sailing and were stuck in the mess of people trying to get on. I can't believe that it couldn't have been better planned. The QM2 itinerary was planned over a year in advance, they had to know both ships would be disembarking the same morning. Besides, at the end of our cruise, NCL's Jewel arrived and disembarked the same time as ours and there was no problem.

 

We had a suite so we were in Embark Zone 1. The "VIP waiting room," is about midway the length of the terminal. They came in to get us (and about 200 other "VIP embark passengers" and walked us through a mass of people milling around the waiting area. It was about a 300 foot walk and it took us ten minutes of being pushed and shoved. Then, when we were about 100 feet from the embarkation area (where they swipe your card) they announced "Zone 2 & 3 can board." Since the zone 2 & 3 waiting area was right next to the where you board, we were inundated by a mass of humanity. It took another fifteen minutes to get those last 100 feet. As we're boarding, there was a separate line for "VIP passengers," but by then we had been directed to a different line.

 

Hey, we all got on the ship and had a great cruise, but it was real bedlam.

 

Funny thing, a few days before we left, we got a phone call from Carnival asking us to be at the terminal between 11:30 and 12:00. (I guess two days before the cruise, they didn't know the QM2 was going to be there?) We happily arrived at 11:30. We finally got on the ship around 2PM.

 

But I was sitting at the aft pool having a drink by 2:05, which was a pretty darned good way to recover. Except for embark, it was a fantastic cruise and we loved it.

[jetsfan]

We are cruising the Miracle in 19 days. Everything I read about this ship is always good. I can't wait. So glad all of you had a good time!