Long Miracle Review (6/19-6/26)

[Mucus29]

Hello everyone, this is long!

 

Just back off of the Miracle and all I can say is WOW! This was my first cruise (my wife had been on one previously) and we both had an excellent time! We were very impressed with the whole Carnival staff, as everybody we passed made a point to at least say "hello", but most of the time asked how we were doing, how our day was, have a good day, etc... The food on the ship was wonderful, if you go away hungry from your cruise, you weren't taking full advantage of the dining rooms. We ate each night in the Bacchus dining room with our waiter Joseph from India and his assistant Fredrick from Indonesia. These two were great! Here is a day by day breakdown:

 

ARRIVAL & BOARDING:

 

We got to Tampa on a Southwest flight from Philly at about 9:30AM, so we had some time to wait. We headed downstairs to baggage claim and we were greeted by two Carnival representatives (we hadn't booked flight through Carnival). They told us to wait outside for our charter (booked through Carnival) which would leave at 11AM. We prefered to wait outside (although there was an inside, airconditioned area we could have waited in) and sat and talked and became very excited about our upcoming cruise, we were a group of 4, myself and my wife, my sister and her husband. When the bus arrived we set our bags out for the "loaders" to load them and that was the last time I had to physically touch my bag until it was time to bring it into our room on the ship, it was great! Took the short bus ride (~ 20 minutes) to the port and listened to a schpeal from the bus driver about Tampa and various buildings. Once we got to the port they unloaded our bags and we had to point to a porter to "identify" our bags and he loaded them up and carted them away. We then went through the check-in process which was relatively hassle free...we didn't have to wait in line that long. I was surprised by the number of people already signed in and waiting to get on, I guess I didn't expect that many people. We were in group 12 to board and they were just on groups 1 and 2, so we had about a 45 minute wait before we could board. When they called our group, we headed over to the security check-in and had our picture taken by Carnival (which we later bought) and for our Sail & Sign card and then we were on board!!!.

 

DAY 1:

 

So, the first thing we did, besides take in all the new sights and be generally very impressed by the ship, was head up to Lido deck for some food!! It was about 1pm til we got on the ship and we were all very, very hungry! The following sentence is about the only complaint I have for the entire cruise: there were a LOT of people on Lido for the "Welcome Aboard" buffet. I realize this would be the only time that practically EVERYONE would be on the same deck, but there still wasn't very much order to finding tables, getting food, etc... Everyone was like a kid in a candyshop running around trying to get all the food they could before it was all gone! We finally managed to find a place to sit outside in the back (by the "Adults Only" pool) and had our first meal! Surprisingly enough, the back wasn't all that busy and we walked around and took pictures of Tampa and the ship. Once we were done we decided to head to our cabin to see if our bags were there and drop off all our carry-ons; we were told we couldn't go down to the rooms until 1:30PM and we had been carrying our bags for awhile (our day started at 3AM in Philly). Our room was small, but over the cruise we got used to it; plus it was very dark when we turned out the lights, which was nice for naps! My sister and bro-in-law's room was a balcony on starboard side which was bigger than ours. It was also very nice, but my wife and I didn't want to pay the extra money they had, so we were satisfied with our room. We then went and explored the ship and tried to orient ourselves in regard to our rooms (fortunately we had been placed only a door apart on 8th deck, Panorama). We had our mandatory Muster drill and found out that, if the ship is sinking, don't be the first one down, 'cuz they put you in the back row!! That took up about 20 minutes and then we set sail!!! Took pictures off of sis's balcony on the way out for awhile then went and explored some more and went to a couple of introduction things to try and get free stuff, but that didn't pan out! :(. After that, around 5 or so we took a nap I wanted to be able to take pictures of the bridge, but I missed it because I overslept, oops! We went to the Welcome Aboard show and sat through that and found a minor complaint. Don't sit in the first couple of rows on the second floor of Phantom because you can't see over the glass railing! Oh well. The comedian wasn't the greatest either, but I think that might have been because he had to keep it "clean". Our first dinner in Bacchus (8:15) seating was very nice, we were quite impressed by our waiter and the selection and presentation of food. My wife commented that the "grape" lights look like the push-on closet lights, only pink. I've read that people didn't like the decor, but, it was a nice atmosphere I thought! Dinner was cut a bit short because my sister got a bit seasick so we headed back to our rooms and had an early night.

 

DAY 2 AT SEA:

 

Up for breakfast on Lido, where we dined each morning at the back by the "Adults Only" pool. Again, it was quiet there every morning. In fact, each morning we were up before 7 and found that the ship was basically deserted at that time! Overcast skies and calling for rain later in the day, so there wasn't any laying out in our future. My wife and sister went to a yoga class, which they really enjoyed, although they swore the instructor was trying to "kill" them. We then went to the Travel and Adventure talk by our cruise director Mark. He was very informative and I would highly recommend going to this talk if you are unsure about what shore excursions to do. He explains all of them in nice detail as well as interjecting his own sense of humor, it was quite entertaining! Did other stuff on board, found some free things (rum samples at the Tanzanite Seminar and Raffle!) and did some shopping for the rest of the time (it was raining outside! :( ). Got ready for the first formal night and went and had our pictures taken and went to the Captains Cocktail Hour. Dinner again in Bacchus where I was surprised to see even some of the teens that were seated behind us, who were quite noisy the previous night, had managed to dress up! Good dinner again, nobody sick this time (we switched sides of the table with my sister and her husband, she swears it made it better if she could see outside to the water!)(also, it was a little rough seas on Monday, we did notice the ship rocking in our room(as we did the entire time) but we didn't get sick). Went to the formal show and had a fairly good time. They sang and danced to music from 50's-80's. They had a slight technical difficulty toward the end of the show because the stage wouldn't spin, but they fixed it in about 10 mins. and finished the show. Went down to the casino, which was quite busy, played awhile and went up to bed.

 

DAY 3 GRAND CAYMAN:

 

We had an early tender because we booked the Hell, Turtle Farm and Stingray City excursion. My wife and I had been to the Cayman Islands just 2 years ago for our honeymoon. It was a bit saddening to drive through the island this time around because of the destruction of Ivan, they are in the process of rebuilding, but it is a slow process, plus the vegetation, trees, flowers, etc..., that we enjoyed was mostly a tangled mess! Back to the excursion itself we had already been to Hell and the Turtle Farm so there was nothing new there for us, but it was still ok to visit each place again, we only spent a combined hour and fifteen minutes between the two places, so even if we would have been bored, the time was short. We then boarded a small outboard boat to go out to Stingray City with finally some peeks of sunshine! Got out to the site and it was beautiful!! You stand in waist to chest deep water with lots of stingrays swimming all around you! You get your picture taken with them, which you could have purchased, and then you get to feed them, which was cool as well, they suck it out of your hand because they have no teeth! Sun was shining the entire time we were there. When we were about to leave, a boat pulled up carrying about 100 people and we all commented that we were glad we weren't on that boat! There were only about 20 on our boat! Back to Georgetown and did a bit of shopping, got rum, rum cakes, etc...all the essentials of Grand Cayman and then headed back to the ship. Ate lunch on Lido and we shoved off toward Costa Maya. Dinner was wonderful yet again, got to talk to our waiter for an extended amount of time (we closed down the dining room almost every night!) and found out that he's been doing this on different boats for 16 years! He has a wife and two sons, both of which will be in college very soon and he only sees them about 6 months out of the year!! So, if you can, tip the crew well because a lot of them, they have families at home just like the rest of us, and the vast majority of the crew is from Europe/Asia so they are quite far from home!

 

DAY 4 COSTA MAYA:

 

We booked a tour through Carnival of Chacchoben ruins. The drive there was about an hour long during which we were treated to all sorts of cultural history and current events about this part of Mexico (Costa Maya is just the name of the pier area, it's not an actual town or anything). The area one the way was, in my opinion, very depressed as there were a lot of run down huts that people were living in; they had little electricty and I'm sure no running water, it made me appreciate all that I have living where I do. Chacchoben was very nice, although not quite what I envisioned as a "Mayan Ruin". It is in the middle of the jungle and very spread out. I thought there would be a lot of temples and other structures that you could easily see from one to the other, which wasn't the case. Also, they've only uncovered the main "buildings", there are quite a few as yet undiscovered ruins. We had a very good time there listening to all of the history. Our guide, Ophelia, was quite informative. The only bad part was the idiot who brought a Corona along to drink while we were at the ruins. Ophelia kept apolgizing for "scolding" the man (probably mid 40's and should have known better!) but we didn't feel she needed to! This brings me to a point that I'll come back to at the end of this review about my feelings toward my fellow Americans following this trip. On the ride back to the port, we were given a choice of either punch or Sol beer...I chose the beer, it was very good after a hot walk around the ruins! We shopped around for awhile at the pier (btw, if you go to Chacchoben, buy your stuff at the port rather than at the ruins; they have the same exact stuff at the port, and it's cheaper!). We also had some chips and salsa and a few Dos Equis at the one bar, which were very yummy! Back to the ship, did activities, ate dinner which was wonderful again, then to bed!

 

DAY 5 BELIZE:

 

We booked our cave tubing through Wet n' Wild with Marvin. I can't recommend these guys enough!!!! We got the first tender we could, which was at about 8:30 or so ship time. We were at the specified place in PLENTY of time! We were on a bus, which was air-conditioned, with 14 other people and had Charlie as our main guide. Charlie grew up in the area and knows EVERYTHING about history, current topics, the caves, anything you want to know, he was VERY informative! Our other guide was Herbie and our bus driver was Rudy. We made the comment that Rudy drove a bit fast, but he got us there and ahead of most of the Carnival busses, so it didn't bother us. Also, the last six miles of road, I'm sure everyone has heard about the bumps, is REALLY bumpy, I'm talking your butt WILL BE NUMB by the time you are done on that road! The cave tubing experience was a highlight of the cruise! We went to one extra cave than everyone else and got to jump off a 10 foot rock into the water. Charlie did walk a bit fast for us, but Herbie was in the back explaining things that we didn't get a chance to hear from Charlie. The caves were beautiful and we got to see a lot. One warning, you do have to do a lot of paddling with your arms, so make sure you have at least some upper body strength or hook onto Charlie like a lot of other "smart" people did! We then went back and had lunch (included in our $60 trip) of BBQ chicken, beans and rice, wonderful bread, fresh mango, cole slaw and a chocolate muffin! The lunch was soooooo good, I STUFFED myself! Back to downtown Belize City for some shopping before getting back onto the ship! Dinner was wonderful, yet again (noticing a trend?) and more activites and we were off to bed!

 

DAY 6 COZUMEL:

 

We had no shore excursion planned for today as none of them really interested us, but I had read up on Cozumel on the "Ports of Call" section of this board and had decided to go to Paradise Beach! This beach was beautiful!! A $14 cab ride there (this included tip) and you could sit on the beach all day for free, unless you wanted to use their "toys" (iceburg, trampoline, floats, kayaks), then you could by a wrist band for $8, but we opted not to do that! Laid on the beach for 6 hours, had lots to eat and drink and our final bar tab was only $67!! I highly recommend going to this beach over any beach excursion Carnival has. I heard that Playa Mia was very crowded, in fact we were in our taxi with a family that was going to go to Playa Mia, but decided to stay at Paradise Beach instead, and I think they were happy they did! Paradise Beach has a lot of chairs very well arranged and a very friendly wait staff. They try to push the wristband on you, but they stop bothering you when you tell them you don't want one. Again, highly recommend Paradise Beach to anyone going to Cozumel! After our day at the beach we went back to the port (again, $14 cab with tip) and shopped for awhile. Dinner at Bacchus tonight was very empty as most people opted to stay on shore (not leaving til 10pm!). Again, food and service was wonderful! More activities on board then off to bed.

 

DAY 7 AT SEA:

 

Woohoo...a sunny day at sea! We got to lay out on deck (along with the other 2300 people!) and get some sun, which I didn't need much more of, considering I had a burn from Cozumel! Lots of stuff to do on board, and if we have any regrets, it's that we didn't take more advantage of the activities onboard when we were on board (more on this at the end). Sad to be on the last day, but it made it better that it was a nice day! Got to go down the slide (that was a HUGE selling point for my wife! ;) ) and just have fun! We snacked all day at the different places on Lido. Did activities, napped, shopped, then went to our last dinner at Bacchus. It was hard to say goodbye to our waiters. Even though we were just with them for a week, it felt like we really bonded with them and got very close. Soon we would be in Tampa and getting off the ship!

 

DAY 8 TAMPA:

 

Woke up to being in the port of Tampa. Bummed that it's our last day but still kind of glad to be going home. Ate one last breakfast on Lido and paid our duties (I bought 7 bottles of alcohol, 1 per person, only paid $12 duty!), made sure we had all our stuff out of the rooms (had to be out of them by 9:30) and then hung out on Lido til they MADE us get off the ship! Getting off was really easy. We had put our bags out in the hall the night before so they were sitting in the warehouse. They had the bag groups color coded, so that when we finally went down (we could get off at our leisure!) we found them quite easily. I highly recommend getting a porter to handle your bags, we did, and he loaded them right up (all 9 of them) and headed us to the front of the line! I felt a bit bad going infront of all those people, but I kept telling everyone that we were meerly following our bags! The whole "debarkation" process, from getting up off Lido to sitting down on the bus, took about 30 minutes, so I was very pleased! Got to the airport about 11:20 or so and had plenty of time before our 3:15 flight back to Philly. Still had to drive back to Harrisburg and then from Harrisburg to Gettysburg after we landed at 5:45, but it was a good trip (except that our truck overheated 3 miles from our house, but that only made us about 30 minutes later than we should have been!).

 

GENERAL COMMENTS:

 

Some Americans, I found, are very spoiled and expect to be spoiled wherever they go. This was embarrassing at some times (the aformentioned alcoholic at Chacchoben) and I can't believe that others act the way they do in a foriegn country. Even though you are on vacation, don't leave your common sense at home! We also were around a group of teens one day, who were with parents none of which could have been older than 18, who were drinking (which I don't have a problem with them trying it at all) but they were being rather obnoxious and vulgar around little kids that were also at the same place! Again, if you are a parent and take your children, just because you are on vacation, don't leave your common sense at home. I'm sure you wouldn't have liked it if some teen was screaming at the top of his/her lungs "mother f*****" this and "f***" that around your 6-10 year olds. Overall the young adults and children seemed fairly well behaved and we didn't have many complaints about them.

 

AREAS OF THE SHIP:

 

- Bacchus always had a nice meal planned, we never went hungry!

- Casino was very clean and always seemed to have quite a few people in it while open.

- Lido for the food was great! Mass quantities of good food and not too overly crowded, except for the first day. It was also crowded on the at sea days, so get out early if you want a chair!

- Rooms were always clean, stewards came twice a day and did a good job!

- Gym was nice as well. Up to date equipment and nice classes (from what my wife and my sister say, although they were sure the instructor was out to get them for all three of the classes they went to!)

- Phantom Lounge was nice, except for the fact that the glass railing should have been lower so you could see from the first couple of rows. Other than that it was great.

 

I would definitely recommend this cruise to anyone who is looking for a trip. Carnival and the Miracle crew did a great job of making our first cruise memorable. My suggestions to everyone are that you make the most of your cruise! Get off the ship while in port!!! Take advantage of the activities on board!!! If you have any questions, comments, etc...feel free to ask!

[luvtoshop]

Great review, I am glad you had a good time. We go July 17th and cannot wait.

[ppeckham]

Thanks for taking the time to post. I sail on her in just over two weeks!

 

I'm glad you posted about the ruins. We have booked that tour. I'll be sure to let my daughter and mother (it's a girls' trip for us) know it will be very different from the Tulum ruins.

 

Thanks for the heads up about shopping at the port rather than at the ruins. My son has requested we bring home a t-shirt from each port. He's a sophomore in high school and will wear nothing else but t-shirts and jeans to school.

[Mucus29]

luvtoshop: Thanks, I know you will have an absolutely wonderful time!

 

ppeckham: You are welcome. I hope you too have a great time! A little more about the Costa Maya port. At least for the jewlery, nothing is marked, they claim to price things by the weight, but don't believe them. My rule of thumb was to automatically cut any price they gave me in half and then, depending on how much the item was, subtract $10 (for an item in the $50 dollar range) up to like, $100 (for something in the $300 - $400 range) from that "half" price. The price they are giving you is an absolute max, so you have to set an absolute low and the lower you start, the better, that way you have room to work when they come down in price, which they will, believe me! And if not, just walk away, you'll get stopped by them! ;) I'm not sure about the t-shirts, but I would imagine most of those prices are negotiable too. I would NEVER pay full price for ANY of the things! This goes for Belize and Cozumel as well, they like to haggle! Grand Caymen, prices are set, no bickering! :(

[Super89]

Thanks for the great review!:D We are going on our first cruise and will also be on the Miracle in August. I haven't heard anything really bad yet so I am getting really psyched! Glad you had such a good time! Did you book you r Grand Cayan excursion through Carnival or through another company? Susan

[acwillie]

Thanks for the great review!! Sounds like you had a great time. My husband and I will be going in October for our first cruise. :D

[tidyoyster]

Thanks for the review! Will be cruising on Miracle Oct. 2, and can't wait!! We also plan on going to Paradise beach.

[F5Loar]

This is such a wonderful cruise for first timers. This is the way a cruise is suppose to be. The staff and crew on the Miracle do a bang up job at keeping it rolling smoothly. I agree about the food that if you can't find something for everyone you simply don't like food! They have such a variety of all types from Susui bars to New York style Deli on board. You have your fancy coffee drinks and free flowing icecream/yogart machines. Expect to gain a few pounds in a week of doing this type of eating.

[Nicole721]

Great review! I just finished editing my videos of my 5/22 Miracle Cruise and nothing but good memories :)

[01Sweetpea]

Great review..... I am so excitred... we cruise on SUNDAY!!! :)

[kwkirbo]

Mucus29

 

Thanks for the review. My family (10) will be on the Miracle in August.

They don't want to dress up for formal nites and plan on dinner in the dining room. I'm not sure this is OK, since I've been on many cruises. I have heard its more accepted these days except on the fancy cruise lines. Can you comment on what cruisers wore in the dining room on formal nites ?

 

Thanks !

[tazmanrmv]

Thanks for the review. Glad you had a great time. What time did your flight to Tampa leave in the morning? I'm also flying out the same day the cruise leaves, but im leaving from Boston, so my flight will be a little longer. Just looking to see when ill have to wake up, lol

[JustinAllen]

Thanks for the review!! My wife and I will be on the Miracle(our second time) in September. I was wondering if you could tell me the name of the CD. I saw you said Mark....did he have blonde hair? Karl with a K was our favorite when we were on there last year. Thanks again!!

 

Justin

[Mucus29]

JustinAllen: Mark Hawkins is the CD and no, he did not have blonde hair and for that matter...not much hair at all, which he points out quite a few times! :)

 

tazmanrmv: Our flight left at 7:25AM and we arrived in Tampa at 9:45AM. Since you are coming from Boston, which isn't that far from Philly, as the plane flies, I would add probably 45 minutes to an hour to that time and you should be pretty close!

 

kwkirbo: Of the people I saw that were sitting around us, everyone had some sort of "dress" attire on. For the guys it ranged from a simple dress shirt, tie and khakis all the way up to a tux (which you can rent on-board!!). The ladies also ranged from a nice skirt and blouse up to prom dresses, brides maid dresses etc...(I'm not a great judge of different stages of women's apparel! :) ).

 

01Sweetpea: Thank you, I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful time. The Miracle is a great ship!

 

Super89: Thank you, you will enjoy your cruise, this I know! :) And yes, we booked through Carnival for Grand Cayman.

 

Thanks to all who enjoyed my review, I know it helped me a lot before our cruise reading through these boards and I wanted to pass on the favor!

[camey0777]

hi,

we are going to take our second cruise this summer in oct. on the miracle. we went to mexican rivera on the 12th of june thru the 19th. the carnival pride is the miracles sister ship. I am really looking forward to my next cruise. this is a new way of life for my husband and I. I love cruisin' it's awesome.. the best part is I felt like my hubby and I were in our own world, no phones on faxes, no pages, just total time away from the rest of the world in reguards to work and the everyday life. I had the time of my life. I suggest every go on a cruise at least once in their lives. I've taken european trips before, and it was great to I will never forget it, But I think the best time I have ever had was on the pride. The soft ice cream was a hit with me. And the food was good. We ate at the supper club a few night, which costed 30.00 a person but worth every penny. excellent, the best food I've ever tasted.. I can't wait to try the miracle and will post my review on it when I return... Bon Voyage!!camey0777

[F5Loar]

So you want to do "Formal Night" but you don't want to do "formal". Interesting! I would assume if you choose to go to a formal event and your host has asked nicely for you to dress properly for the occassion you would do so. They even give you lax guidelines to go by beforehand so you can pack accordingly and that's not good enough? I mean a coat and tie for the gents is all they ask and that is about as far from formal as you can get and yet you think that is too much? Carnival has bent over backwards to keep the tradition of formal night on a cruise somewhat a special evening for all that attend. They have even gone to the extra expense to provide dining elsewhere for those that don't want to dress up and yet you still get those few who seem to not get it. They'd rather do it their way. So you won't feel too bad, on our Miracle cruise 2 weeks ago I counted 20% in true formal wear, 60% in the suggested dress and 20% other. I guess on your week you will make 21% other so no big deal. Sometimes being in the minority is what people live for. They like being different. They like being pointed at.

I like being in the majority. I don't stand out as much!

[Litewait]

I was on the Spirit in April and watched them ask people to please return in appropriate attire for formal night. They were wearing what you would where on any other night. Dockers, polo shirt ect. I was glad. And I agree with the above writer, if you don't wish to paticipate there is always the buffet. If my 11 & 17 will dress up then I don't think it's to much to ask. We have been on 4 cruises and it's the ONLY time my daughter wears a dress or my son where's a tie. But they no going in thats the requirement. It one/two dinners depending on your cruise. I don't think they have to wear a tux but a nice dress (Sunday or better) shirt and tie should be fine. I would hate to be asked to return.

 

Just my opinion,

Happy Cruising,

Donna

[Mom of Three Boys]

You mentioned using this company for your excursion (tubing) in Belize. How do I get in contact with them? It sounded like a lot of fun and the price sounds better than others. Thanks.

[drdoman]

Really fine review. Thanks!!!! By any chance did you notice if they had the free sushi bar on board? We have been on 2 Carnival Cruises and each had a free sushi bar offering sushi appx 3-5pm each day. It was a nice relaxing time to eat a bit of sushi (never thought I would like it but do!) and have a drink? Anyone?

[willowcreek1955]

Really fine review. Thanks!!!! By any chance did you notice if they had the free sushi bar on board? We have been on 2 Carnival Cruises and each had a free sushi bar offering sushi appx 3-5pm each day. It was a nice relaxing time to eat a bit of sushi (never thought I would like it but do!) and have a drink? Anyone?

I was on las weeks cruise too, and yes that had the sushi bar. I don't know if its free, because I don't like sushi

[F5Loar]

Miracle has the free sushi bar and it's free. Not every night but almost.

It is outside one of the lounges midship on deck 2. I believe it ran to 8PM when they did it. There was usually a small line as they make it up to order.

[drdoman]

Thanks for the sushi info!!! We found it a good way to meet people and relax before the late dinner. We are going on 12/4 and I CAN'T WAIT!!!! Take care----------

[AUTUMN SUN]

Great Review. I Read These Boards Relgiously And Read Everything I Can On The Miracle. I Will Be Taking My First Cruise On The Miracle 1/1/06. Cant Wait!:D

[Mucus29]

You mentioned using this company for your excursion (tubing) in Belize. How do I get in contact with them? It sounded like a lot of fun and the price sounds better than others. Thanks.

 

Mom...they are a great tour, I would NEVER go on cavetubing through Carnival after this experience! You can go to the website at:

 

http://www.ecotoursbelize.com/

 

Click on the cavetubing link and you'll be taken to the page to read up about them and given the link to book, if you so chose. Marvin is also quite good at responding to email's, so if you have questions for him, you can send them away (there's a link on the main page for email).

[Mom of Three Boys]

Mucus29,

Thanks for the info. We probably wouldn't be able to book tubing through Carnival anyway as our youngest is 10 and they list a minimum age of 12 for November's tubing excursions. But your experience sounded great and I like the idea of a smaller group.

Mom