Thoughts on the Miracle (just finished 3 day Ensenada)

[tensixmom]

Hi all,

 

I just wanted to post some thoughts on the Miracle.  We sailed her on a short 3-day out of San Diego, leaving last Friday and returning yesterday morning.

 

This is technically my 4th cruise overall- the first was on Royal Carribean so many years ago I can't remember it, then the Carnival Imagination (or Inspiration... I get them confused) almost 4 years ago, Ruby Princess in March 2019, and then this one.  We tried an inside cabin for the first time to see if I could stand it (prior cruises all had at least a window) and we knew it would be a "booze cruise" type experience but we just wanted to get away for the weekend.

 

We flew from PHX to SAN and walked the 2.2 miles from the airport to the cruise terminal (we were carrying only regular sized backpacks so no luggage to speak of).

 

Overall, I do prefer the decor of the Ruby Princess to either of the Carnival ships I've seen.  I thought the Princess atrium/piazza was more elegant and so was the Princess theater.  I did not care for the Phantom theater or the Mad Hatter area on Miracle at all.

 

The entertainment on Miracle was, IMO, far and away better than what we saw on the Ruby.  Those 8 young people sang and danced their hearts out and they were really very good- no off key notes or half-hearted performances.  We saw an 80's rock and roll type show, a "piano" (keyboard) heavy show, and a 60's beach party type show.  All three were very very good.

 

The Alchemy Bar (recommended by several on a Carnival social media group I visit) was not decorated in a very exciting manner but it had unique drinks that my husband appreciated (well, he appreciated being able to get one with Absinthe, which I despise), and we enjoyed the bar staff very much.  That was the one lounge we kept going back to.

 

The interior room was fine and I didn't get claustrophobic.  We were in 6201 which was a middle-ish deck in the middle-ish of the ship.  The only downside (and this surprised me as I thought we were high up enough to avoid any such thing) was that there was a constant, yet intermittent (if that makes sense) vibration that I could feel when I was trying to sleep.  It actually felt like my husband's leg was twitching... about 3 times in a row, pause for a couple seconds, and then it did it again.  I have trouble falling asleep with that type of movement, so that was a minor annoyance.

 

Out of three nights, we had dinner in Nick and Nora's Steakhouse the first night (that was unplanned... the first night comes with a bottle of wine.  We don't drink wine so we had planned to take it with us and give it away to some young couple but we weren't allowed to remove it from the restaurant so that was a bust).  Our steaks (cowboy something for my husband and the filet for me) were VERY good.  The sides (mac and cheese, fries with smoked paprika, and garlic rapini) were just OK.  We got the "art" dessert and had an enjoyable time with that although flavor wise, I would not get it again.

 

Second night we had the Chef's Table dinner.  We aren't sure if they were a bit disorganized or perhaps inexperienced- but we had a good time.  I was not expecting to eat in Frankenstein's Night Club but that's where we were!  I might do it again on a different ship. 

 

We never got around to eating in the MDR which was OK with me because we went to visit it and I found the decor to be a bit over the top, which was an ongoing theme with me.  Still, most of the decor was better than the black ceilings and neon on my last Carnival cruise!

 

Overall we had a really good time and we would do that cruise on that ship again.

 

 

[Banditswife]

Miracle is going into dry dock next month for upgrades & enhancements.  We liked the décor, but it isn't to everyone's taste.  Glad you enjoyed your cruise, we are booked on Miracle for May & have been on her previously-loved the crew.

[Victorious8]

Thanks for the review! How much does it cost to eat in the steakhouse? Do you get the free bottle of wine if you dine solo? 

[Bostwick girl]

The steakhouse is $38 per person including gratuity. If yo go on the first night, you get the free bottle of wine. This is on all Carnival ships.