Had Great Time...But not going again...

[valtandc]

We had a blast cruising the Miracle on the 6/23 sailing....went with a group of 6...did so much...hit all the islands....ate some great food....enjoyed the entertainment that was better than expected...crew was great....even the passengers were fun and polite (for the most part)..

 

....but....not sure we will go again anytime soon....at least not on a ship this big...and I know its not that big compared to others....

 

....Just too many people in too little space....felt like I was in my High School Cafeteria on the Lido and at Daytona Spring Break on the Lido deck during Sea days....seemed to always be in a line or tripping over someone....or trying to secure a chair in a good place....

 

Again....had a great time.....just way too many people and didn't find paradise but once on a great little beach in St. Thomas.

[Lady Anna & Sir Troy]

I would search reviews for ships that have a really good flow on them for the future. Personally, the Sensation was the best ship we've ever been on and certainly a lot cheaper than other cruises we've been on!

[BaseballMomof4]

There are smaller, more intimate cruise lines as well. Nothing says it has to be on a huge ship! ;)

[YB Nrml]

We had a blast cruising the Miracle on the 6/23 sailing....went with a group of 6...did so much...hit all the islands....ate some great food....enjoyed the entertainment that was better than expected...crew was great....even the passengers were fun and polite (for the most part)..

 

....but....not sure we will go again anytime soon....at least not on a ship this big...and I know its not that big compared to others....

 

....Just too many people in too little space....felt like I was in my High School Cafeteria on the Lido and at Daytona Spring Break on the Lido deck during Sea days....seemed to always be in a line or tripping over someone....or trying to secure a chair in a good place....

 

Again....had a great time.....just way too many people and didn't find

 

paradise but once on a great little beach in St. Thomas.

 

 

Which "great little beach in St. Thomas"? We're headed there on the Valor in Feb and I'm looking for info. Thanks, glad you had a great time on your cruise.

[kujobie]

That's a common complaint on Spirit class ships. We've learned to adjust. Get out on deck early, eat at off times, etc. It also helps if you have a balcony. Good place to escape the crowds. If you haven't already, maybe try a diff class of ship..

[Elmer McCurdy]

We had a blast cruising the Miracle on the 6/23 sailing....went with a group of 6...did so much...hit all the islands....ate some great food....enjoyed the entertainment that was better than expected...crew was great....even the passengers were fun and polite (for the most part)..

 

....but....not sure we will go again anytime soon....at least not on a ship this big...and I know its not that big compared to others....

 

....Just too many people in too little space....felt like I was in my High School Cafeteria on the Lido and at Daytona Spring Break on the Lido deck during Sea days....seemed to always be in a line or tripping over someone....or trying to secure a chair in a good place....

 

Again....had a great time.....just way too many people and didn't find paradise but once on a great little beach in St. Thomas.

 

You did it, you tried it, you had a good time but you're not sure if you want to go again. No worries. Cruising isn't for anyone. As others have said, before you write it off entirely, check out other ships and (dare I say) other lines. If you can afford it, you might do better with a luxury line as opposed to a mass-market line like CCL. It's the difference between staying at the Holiday Inn and the IC, if you know what I mean.

[debster11]

You could try a less crowded time of year, say Sept - 3rd week of Dec. or 1st week of Jan (right after the holidays). I am sure you would have a totally different experience. Less crowds, more relaxation.

[DEBnGAB]

I sometimes feel that way going from Fantasy Class to a larger ship then back again...definitely feel the crowds on the larger ships. I like the amenities of the larger ships so I try to do one/two a year and then the rest Fantasy class.

 

Maybe give a Fantasy class ship a try?

[matj2000]

You might want to stay away from Dream, Magic, Conquest, Valor, Freedom, Liberty, Glory....

[sharecruises]

Glad you had a good time. Cruising is not for everyone....and also not "always" for everyone....some people do a land vacation or an all inclusive one year and then maybe try another cruise

[valtandc]

I would search reviews for ships that have a really good flow on them for the future. Personally, the Sensation was the best ship we've ever been on and certainly a lot cheaper than other cruises we've been on!

 

I think you are right....I guess "flow" is the word. Like I said...had a great time....but the flow surely wasn't there....just wasn't my idea of paradise either. But I would have taken it all over again. Just not my "perfect" vacation.

[valtandc]

I do want to try again and thanks for all of your suggestions....Its been 7 years since I was on a cruise and I just don't remember the crowds like I had recently on the Miracle.....Yes there are places to escape. we had a great balcony and since we had 3 together the dividers were open for all 3.....

 

I'm thinking offseason and smaller ship as well. its ashame all the smaller ships are "luxury" and lots more dough.

[okgirl]

I do think you would have had an entirely different experience if you go at a non-peak time. Only 2 of my cruises have been during the summer when school is out and I won't ever and haven't ever made that mistake again.

 

My older sister though feels kind of like you, she has been on 2 cruises and liked both of them but it's not her 1st vacation choice. My younger sister however, got addicted from the very beginning and we'll be making milestone in March..........

[FloridaCouple05]

You could try a less crowded time of year, say Sept - 3rd week of Dec. or 1st week of Jan (right after the holidays). I am sure you would have a totally different experience. Less crowds, more relaxation.

 

Cheaper, yes. Less crowded? No. Carnival ships sail 100% full. They'll mark the cabins down as much as they need to in the last few weeks before sailing to make sure they sail full.

 

A retired couple living in central Florida within driving distance of Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Tampa could probably cruise several times a month for less than $50 a day if they could travel with less than a week's notice.

[arpie05]

Yes, ships always sail full but with summer you get a LOT more 3rd and 4th person passanger with kids.

 

Maybe try Alaska in May - we went and there less than 50 kids onboard total.

 

Definitely don't sail on the Sensation Feb - Sept if you want to avoid the spring break feel - though Sun - Thur have less of the feel. (or New years and Mardi Gras weekends) ;)

[cruzeluver]

When looking at future cruises, look for the ship's passenger/space ratio vs. the Miracle. This will give you a comparative indication of how crowded the ship would feel at maximum capacity. Carnival does a lot of things well, passenger/space ratio aint one of 'em.

[MissDiva1]

I think you are right....I guess "flow" is the word. Like I said...had a great time....but the flow surely wasn't there....just wasn't my idea of paradise either. But I would have taken it all over again. Just not my "perfect" vacation.

 

What was the itinerary? For us paradise is the ports of call.....not the ship in any way shape or form.......perhaps you need a port intensive itinerary like the Southern Caribbean........

Sea days with 3 thousand people on board is not my cup of tea either......

[H82seaUgo]

We had a blast cruising the Miracle on the 6/23 sailing....went with a group of 6...did so much...hit all the islands....ate some great food....enjoyed the entertainment that was better than expected...crew was great....even the passengers were fun and polite (for the most part)..

 

....but....not sure we will go again anytime soon....at least not on a ship this big...and I know its not that big compared to others....

 

....Just too many people in too little space....felt like I was in my High School Cafeteria on the Lido and at Daytona Spring Break on the Lido deck during Sea days....seemed to always be in a line or tripping over someone....or trying to secure a chair in a good place....

 

 

interesting. the spirit class has more room per passenger than any other carnival ship. it's our favorite class.

[EmmasNana]

You might like European river cruising. :)

[Heirloom]

My advice is........don't cruise when kids are out of school !!!!!!!!!!

 

HUGE difference in adult passenger comfort. Really !

[PatrickZJD]

I feel very bad, valt, because I can sympathize completely with you that sometimes the Miracle's summer passenger load out of NYC can be overwhelming, to say the least. I also felt a little bit the same way on my first cruise ever with my then-girlfriend (now DW!) on the Legend out of NYC, back in August 2006. I just really like these Spirit-class ships, though, so I guess I just learned to live with it all on my own terms.

 

One thing that also definitely helped me feel better about the overcrowding was the Miracle's adults-only aft pool and hot tub, which the security staff did and continues to do, IMHO, a great job of keeping kid-free. (Indeed, I am really wondering at how I will do now that I will be on two ships with a Serenity section that does not have an adults-only pool.) I'm curious, then, were you able to spend any time aft at all?

 

Also, a lot of people tend to forget about Gatsby's Garden on the Miracle. It may be inside, but it really is a very quiet oasis of tranquility, and I know for a fact that if you want to lose someone onboard, that's the place to do it! Maybe if there's a specific time or trigger that you feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you bring a book or some music with you and just grab one of the comfier chairs there? It sure helped me out one time.

 

Finally, maybe now with DCL starting to sail out of NYC as well as CCL doing year-round voyages, this will alleviate the summertime crowds. So yeah, as other posters are saying, going at off-peak times might help you out a lot.

 

In general, then, don't let a summertime Tri-State area onboard crush of people sour you on doing a Miracle voyage again, valt. I'm one of the quietest, least people-oriented persons I know, and I still have a blast on cruises...so I am sure you can, too. :D

[lillian marie]

Cruising is not everyone's idea of a relaxing vacation. I hope you find a vacation next time that better meets your expectations.

[twentyknots]

We had a blast cruising the Miracle on the 6/23 sailing....went with a group of 6...did so much...hit all the islands....ate some great food....enjoyed the entertainment that was better than expected...crew was great....even the passengers were fun and polite (for the most part)..

 

....but....not sure we will go again anytime soon....at least not on a ship this big...and I know its not that big compared to others....

 

....Just too many people in too little space....felt like I was in my High School Cafeteria on the Lido and at Daytona Spring Break on the Lido deck during Sea days....seemed to always be in a line or tripping over someone....or trying to secure a chair in a good place....

 

Again....had a great time.....just way too many people and didn't find paradise but once on a great little beach in St. Thomas.

 

I know exactly what you mean, especially the comparison to the HS cafeteria and Spring break. I look forward to crusing with great anticipation. I can hardly wait to go. Then when I arrive on the ship, and it doesn't matter what crusie line or size of ship, I immediately get that been there, done that feeling. It's such a let down. Everything seems so ordinary. It's like Groundhog day. The people are the same; food the same; casino the same, entertainment the same, and so on. Yet when I get home I almost immediately start planning another cruise.

 

We've done 11 cruises in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Panama canal. Next year we're going on Holland America's Noordam Transatlantic 21 day cruise. I hope that will restore my cruise experience to what it was like on the first 3.

[Martini Mom]

I've experienced the same thing. We almost always cruise Fantasy class ships so it was fun to sail on the Valor. It was huge, had so many offerings, etc., but the lines were very long and it did seem crowded.

 

The trick is to find the cruise line AND cruise ship that fits your needs.

[laumicmah]

Maybe try the Pride out of Baltimore. I went on the Fascination with some friends who had been on the Pride and they thought the Pride was better for crowd control.