Should I avoid the Miracle? Is the ship really as bad as people say?

[CruiseLoverFromNorCal]

I am considering the Miracle for next April out of San Francisco but after reading recent reviews of the ship I am having second thoughts. People say it’s the worst Carnival ship and it’s too old. Is it really that bad? Thanks in advance. 

[boomhower]

No it’s not. It’s fine. It doesn’t have all the new upgrades but it’s a clean ship with a good crew. I believe it does have a dry dock coming up where it’ll get some of the new stuff. We sailed her in March and had a great time. 

[jmcathome]

Miracle is a great ship. Especially is you so not want to feel like a saradine in a can. 

[cruzeluver]

Pick any ship from any cruise line and you will find bad reviews,plenty of them. If I trusted reviews I would never step foot on a cruise ship. And if Miracle is "too old" then so is an awful lot of the Carnival fleet. They have many ships older than Miracle.

[Stick93]

If you read enough on these postings - the spirit class ships actually are very well liked. Miracle was our first ship and I would love to sail on her again, but I am an east coast guy and don’t really travel west to take cruises. There are older ship (and there are certain ships that get poor reviews)- just follow along here and you will read, but the Miracle is in general very well liked. 

[Fla Mike]

We had a great cruise on the Miracle.

In my opinion the Spirit Class ships are Carnival's best.

Absolutely the perfect size ship. 

The location of the Steakhouse, and Nick and Nora's in particular is fabulous!

[cruizergal70]

OP, it depends on your expectations.  The ship is seaworthy and has the standard Carnival shows, activities,  and food. 

 

The physical ship doesn't make your cruising experience. 

[OnePsychLynne]

She's a beautiful ship and since she's Spirit class ship she has the prefect layout. She's actually one of my very favorite ships ❤️🛳️

[Kentucky816]

We went on the Miracle last April and really enjoyed our cruise.  I fact we found that we really liked the Spirit class so much we booked 2 more cruises on a Spirit class ship.  I will say the dining room is pretty over the top but you get over and don’t notice it much after the first night.  Probably our favorite thing on the Miracle ( spirit class) is the deeper balconies not long and narrow, that has been our one issue with Carnival compared to other cruise lines.  

 

[Nic6318]

3 hours ago, CruiseLoverFromNorCal said:

I am considering the Miracle for next April out of San Francisco but after reading recent reviews of the ship I am having second thoughts. People say it’s the worst Carnival ship and it’s too old. Is it really that bad? Thanks in advance. 

 

Hi

 

I would say that if you read this forum regularly you would notice that every week or so there is a new "worst ship" mentioned by someone.

 

With that insight, I would say that if you are generally OK with Carnival, you will likely have a great time no matter which ship (barring some unfortunate issues). 

 

Carnival has built it's reputation as the "fun ships" delivering a good product for many years, if you are looking for a more upscale experience, then you should look elsewhere, the ship doesn't matter.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise 

[PhillyFan33579]

Add me to the list of fans of Miracle. We were on Miracle last year for Christmas and had a great time. Personally, Miracle is my 2nd favorite Carnival ship behind Magic and ahead of Breeze. 

 

As others have stated, the design of Spirit class ships is Carnival’s best in my opinion. They also have the best Serenity areas by far in my book. 

[WhyIsTheRumGone23]

The Miracle was one of our favorite ships so far! In my opinion, Spirit Class and Conquest Class offer a perfect balance of size, options and layout. We would not hesitate to sail her again!

[Texasl8dy]

We loved the Miracle.  The Spirit class is the best Carnival has to offer.  You will enjoy this ship.

 

 

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[sanmarcosman]

We've sailed Miracle 4 times, that's how much we need to avoid her. 

[pirate4me2]

We sailed the Miracle last November and loved her!

[VentureMan_2000]

The Miracle is scheduled for Dry-dock Feb 15 - March 4... 

So an April cruise should be like sailing on a new ship.  It's rumored that the additional improvements will be made (Rum Bar, Guys, etc.) during this dry dock.

[DramaQueen22]

I have not personally sailed on the Miracle.  However, I think you have to take any reviews (good or bad) with a grain of salt.  Every person's experience is subjective, and people have different expectations for their trip and ship.  Go with an open mind and just have fun!

[lasvegascruising]

I will be sailing on the Miracle in January and after reading these responses, I am even more excited to go!! 

[bluesman0711]

If people went by the bad ship reviews on this site no one would ever cruise. The majority of cruisers don't write reviews, and the ships continue to sail full.

 

The Spirit class is also our favorite but Carnival went with other designs so it is what it is.  We loved the Miracle and the Legend.

[Cruisegirl6]

I cruised on 92 ships so far and half of them were on Carnival...we are straying away from Carnival after our last two carnival cruises this year but that is only because "certain ships" felt very crowded, some ships needed some TLC and most importantly the food is not what we expect it to be...every cruise line has cut costs.

 

With that being said, the good news is the Miracle will be in dry dock on February 2020-March 2020, she will have routine hotel maintenance, cosmetic enhancements, new carpeting, tile work, new furniture and new fabrics in lounges and public area...she have an alchemy bar, a skybox sports bar, cherry on top and a RedFrog Pub.  If the food is not on top of your important list, I will say sail this ship she be nicely updated and just out of her dry dock.

[Dave & Mel]

Sailing on her in18 days with John Heald! I don't think John would be sailing on her and doing all of his facebook videos if she was too bad.

[CRocks]

Love the Miracle! Spent 15 days on her from Long Bch to Hawaii + back. Spirit class ships are the best IMO.

[Luv2Cruze4]

We are booked on the Miracle in April 2020 for the Hawaii Jouney cruise. Not worried. You have to take all reviews with a grain of salt as they are people's opinions. Besides, she has a drydock scheduled for next February and any upgrades are added bonuses! Can't wait!!

[cathyz]

Any Spirit class ship is great!  Feels less crowded and easy to get around.  My favorite!  You'll have a great time!

[cruisinagain1960]

On 9/11/2019 at 4:43 AM, boomhower said:

No it’s not. It’s fine. It doesn’t have all the new upgrades but it’s a clean ship with a good crew. I believe it does have a dry dock coming up where it’ll get some of the new stuff. We sailed her in March and had a great time. 

We sailed her in March as well and had a great time - she's definitely a smaller ship and is due for her dry dock time.  The staff was wonderful, the ship was clean - if you are a fan of the Punchliner, I would recommend arriving early for shows - it's a small space and fills quickly.