Long time cruiser sails Carnival for the 1st time--my thoughts.

[KKB]

23 cruises under my belt in 18+ years (Celebrity, Princess, RCCL, NCL, DCL) & we FINALLY sailed Carnival!

 

It wasn't deliberate...we generally sailed annually while we were working. As teachers, our dates were limited, so we just tried to find the best deal for our dates, mostly to the Caribbean. With the addition of all-inclusive packaging on Celebrity, Princess & NCL, we leaned toward those lines the last 10 years or so.

 

But in Sept. 2021, an ad popped up on FB from Carnival to send in your casino players club card & see if you qualify for casino rates. Well, since the ONLY place open during pandemic seemed to be Vegas…we had been there FAR too the prior 18 mos. So I figured now would be the time. 

 

Lo & behold–an email arrives…FREE room, $200 OBC on a wide selection of cruises from 3 days to 2 weeks. Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Hawaii. WOO HOO! DH had retired in May 2021 & I planned to retire in May 2022. SO we figured we would book the longest one offered–2 weeks to Hawaii in Jan. 2023. I mean,  HAWAII, ya’ll–right??!!

Additionally I had $600 FCC from Carnival from a cancelled May 2020 Med cruise for DM, DD & I. They let me apply $400 toward the port fees & taxes & applied the other $200 as OBC. So $250 is all this 2 week cruise “cost” us.

Now, we all KNOW that is NEVER what the cruise ACTUALLY costs…nonetheless…

 

We have SWA companion pass thru 2023 (and sadly do not anticipate snagging THAT beaut again…). Had a free night at the Crowne Plaza Harbor San Pedro (thx IHG credit card), and were able to connect with an LA couple we met on our July cruise for a lovely dinner. (so a free pick up at the airport!) 

 

We watched the SWA melt down Xmas week with trepidation. Changed our outbound flight 2x–should we connect thru Phoenix? (we COULD drive from there if necessary) BFF is a United flight attendant & assured me thru the debacle that they would straighten things out well before our flight on 1/7. BUT we did change our flight from LAX to Long Beach as it is closer to our friends. What a funky fun little airport!

 

Crowne Harbor is pretty nice & our room was huge if dated. We ate at the Green Onion MX restaurant, a local joint that has been around for 30 years. Literally a block away, it is easy to miss–BUT DON’T! Authentic MX food, great service, in a venue that reminded me of a NY Italian joint with the walls covered in photos of famous (and not so famous) patrons.

 

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Ship

 

OK. I’m REALLY glad we watched ship tour videos on YouTube. I was quite taken aback by the STRONG theming used to decorate the ship. Reminded me of late 1990s Vegas. Mad Hatters lounge? Phantom theatre? Frankenstein nightclub? Bacchus dining room (the MOST visually distsracting…you better like purple!!!) 

 

BUT since the shock had already been tackled prior to sailing, the decor wasn’t bothersome once we actually got onboard. Honestly, we really didn’t even notice it much after the 1st day.

 

The ship is small & manageable. We were offered an upgrade from our interior to a balcony for $700 for the 2 weeks (nice BIG balconies). SOLD. Great location right by an elevator…BUT RIGHT BELOW THE POOL DECK. This didn’t bother us AT ALL, until the last few nights…I was in bed early with a cold (or the flu? COVID negative–took tests 2 different days) & those 9:30 deck parties were ROCKING. We were up late enough it didn’t typically matter. But if that would bother you, be sure to ask WHERE that upgrade is before accepting!

 

Decks 2 & 9 are pretty much where the action is, with a bit on 1 & 3. It was nice to run up to Lido deck (10) & grab a bite to eat or chill out at Serenity (adult only pool area; less than 80 passengers under the age of 18 so not a big deal this cruise) or walk down to 3 for trivia, shows, music & drinks.

 

Crowded elevators were rarely an issue–BUT there is an oddity on the Miracle we have never encountered on any other ship. They close the main bank of elevators midship on embarkation day (about 2-6) & late the last evening–they use those elevators to move passenger luggage!!! It was a bit chaotic at those times!

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Crew

 

I CANNOT say enough about this crew! After getting of the NCL Encore where we really did not connect with one crew member (they seemed very short staffed shipwide), we connected with so many. Bartenders, servers, CD & his crew. I realize being on 2 weeks that is easier–but we did EARLY in the cruise. Most of the crew seemed to enjoy being there, enjoyed each other & their interactions with the passengers. They MADE the cruise. 

 

Ary at the sports bar & Yoga at the Red Frog Pub were “our” bartenders. Don’t miss them!

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Entertainment

Production shows–went to a couple. Meh, didn’t blow me away. Talent was decent; I prefer a live band or better quality background music. 

Comedians–WOW! THREE SHOWS/night??!! And I will say, overall I have seen just a couple comedians over the years that I thought were very good & most were “meh”. These were good to excellent. B. T. was our fav

Trivia–HOLY COW! There were like 8-10 trivia games/ day of every subject known to man. But boy o’ boy, you better show up early…I mean EARLY IN THE DAY. I think some of those people camp out at 8AM & stay for the day. Seats were a PREMIUM. EVERY day. ALL day. Amin & Pedro were our favs (no slight to the other staff running trivia–we just seemed to hit theirs the most often!) We did NOT win a ship on a stick, DARNIT.

“Game shows”--we are spoiled with Princess & Celebrity on these, but they were still fun. DH won a couple “participation” 50th anniversary medals for these. Marriage game was as hilarious as it always is on most any ship.

The musical groups around the ship were quite good (tho one band was LOUD…if I cannot converse when I am on the other side of the bar, prolly too loud). If we sat near the doorways of Alchemy & the Atrium it was distracting as th 2 bands were loud enough to compete with each other.

There was ALWAYS something to do around the ship. For a smaller ship, there was no lacking of things to do. Tho after 14 days (with 9 sea days) it did feel a little “same ‘ol, same ‘ol–not blaming activities staff, more just adjusting to many sea days in a row.

That being said, we spent many mornings reading in the quiet tranquility of Serenity. AHHHH. (BTW Serenity is not always so “serene”; one afternoon a few couples obviously had been imbibing for some time got QUITE loud. Hey, I’m all for having a good time, but I’m thinking SERENITY pool ain’t the spot…just me?)
 

[KKB]

Weather

OK, Carnival has no control over this. Some MASSIVE storms were hitting the west coast, and we dealt with the brunt of that. That in combination with needing to turn back to LA about 12 hours into our cruise to deliver a passenger with a medical emergency, our 4 days at sea turned into 5 days at sea, on some of the roughest waves I’ve ever encountered. 

By day 2 I tried sea bands. Nope. Seasick meds. Nope. Finally Day 3 slapped on a patch (THANK GOODNESS I had some–had not used them in 17 yrs; DM had some I took with). DH is more stubborn about meds…but a public display of illness 🤮 was the slap in the face he needed to slap on a patch too & ALL WAS WELL. 

I have videos of waves so high we couldn’t see out the deck 2 windows periodically for days. (not continuously covered, but continuously waving to cover regularly!)

Ate breakfast in MDR one of those days & was sat far aft–WOAH. LOUD rumbles the whole time. The ship shuddered A LOT as we sailed, both to & from Hawaii, tho obviously more the way out. It truly was exhausting…not sure if dealing with the movement while awake or the disruption of sleep caused that.

It was LOVELY on the return 4 sea days. 

First cruise (besides AK) I never got my swimsuit on. 
 

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Ports

 

Sadly because of the medical emergency, we had to drop Kauai–the port I most wanted to see. But I am thankful they did what needed to be done for the passenger’s medical needs. 

 

In Maui we rented an economy car thru Costco. When we got to Alamo, they said you may have this Nissan Versa…a Nissan Sentra…or a Chevy Camaro. HUH? CAMARO IT IS!! We drove to the Lahaina area of Maui, lovely seaside area with shopping & restaurants. We had booked a whale watching excursion via Makai Adventures & it did NOT disappoint. Saw many many whales, one did a full breech & managed to get a sweet video of a baby just having the most fun jumping in & out of the water. HIGHLY recommend. About $200 for 2.

 

In Honolulu the Sony golf tourney was going on & this is on DH’s bucket list. We missed Pearl Harbor (last minute Pres visit closed it when we were to go)  & Diamond Head (trail construction) when we were last in Honolulu BUT those will be there…we got lucky & hit the dates of the golf tourney. It was a blast. The 2 groups we followed had the leaders. I had never been to a golf tourney and it won’t be my last. 6 hours of non-stop walking tho! (well, walking & standing) Tickets were only $30 each.

 

In Hilo we did the Hoppa On Hoppa Off island bus tour–about $40 each. Went to Rainbow Falls, statue of the king, Big Island Candies (I am OBSESSED now…) & a botanical park. Then we wandered DT & stopped at a bar & grill for a drink & snack. DH likes to try local brews. In retrospect, I wish we had taken the volcano tour (about $75pp?) since that is unique to the Big Island. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour we took. Next time we will see the volcanoes.

 

Ensenada we had a Foodie excursion booked that I was excited about…although I was NOT excited about having to pack Saturday morning before going. BUT I spent Friday in bed with this crud (still lingering…) & figured we better cancel since I had no idea how I would feel Saturday. Good plan, I spent Sat AM in bed, then managed to rally to pack & go to dinner to say goodbye to friends & crew.

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Food

We found the MDR food to be quite good, if a bit on the salty side (also very quick–never more than an hour for any meal). Blue Iguanas was great as was Guy’s Burgers. The buffet was pretty solid too–fan of the salad bar, sandwich place, egg rolls at Chopsticks & self serve soft serve. 

We did the Chef’s Table. Have been trying to do this on any ship for some time. It was a TERRIFIC experience…but WAY too much food. 26 different “bites” of food…some of those “bites” were sizable. I LOVED everything except the lamb course. I was getting pretty full by then (only about half way thru…), so I might have liked it better had I been hungry. I wish I had eaten half of everything offered & I would have been more comfortable. We walked literally 2 hours after eating as we were so full. 

We had wonderful tablemates (2 couples) that we dined with nightly & that always makes for a special cruise. Even exchanged numbers. We have cruised again with friends we met on cruises, or visited those we have met. You never know.
 

[KKB]

Last thoughts:

Switch Red Frog Pub & the Sports bar: the Sports bar needs to be bigger & the Red Frog was never full (sports bar often was, during games)

Hangers. Ugh. Worst design for “theft proof” hangers (2 hangers/thingy). Only 8 hangers in each closet?? I need more than that! Luckily LOTS of closet/shelf space.

No casino bar. Pros & cons. I love to play video poker at the bar, but I understand this attracted smokers who weren’t playing….the casino was too smoky as it was.

Video poker machines–10 quarters (+) for max bet. Yuk. Only 14 machines (nearly always full), and only 2 had “extra” games (super times pay, etc). And people would play the regular games on this when other machines were open that have the regular games, which was annoying. I realize they may not realize this or even care.

Bathrooms. NO PAPER TOWELS. UGH. Then the one between Alchemy & Atrium, nearest to MDR (so arguably one of the busiest) has 6 stalls, 5 sinks & ONE dryer??!! 

Signing for every drink when we had Cheers was annoying. No signing necessary on the other lines if you have the package (unless you buy a drink over the max price)

Our bathroom light took up to 20 seconds to turn on. We resorted to leaving the light on when we were in the room. 

OK…guys sitting at a table by the pool playing their own music on a speaker LOUD. Um NO.

Visiting with bartenders they said that the 14 day cruises are joy for them to work–not the “crazy” of short “booze cruises”. They said the Miracle is set up better for crew than the new ships too (larger working area, larger area to stock more drinks, closer to stock)

I hate being sick on a ship but it’s never surprising. Upper respiratory crud hit me hard the next to last full day & I spent a day & a half in bed. Took COVID test both days–negative. Began to feel better the last night & felt pretty good on our travel day home (THANK GOODNESS). But it has lingered…spent another day & a half in bed. Felt pretty good Weds, not quite as good yesterday…today sore throat. BLEH. But improving…if sometimes 2 steps forward, 1 step back. DH did laundry…mine is still sitting there, as is all my unpacking left to do. Oh well, thank goodness I’m retired.
 

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

Overall we had a GREAT time. We had some trepidation after many “warnings” about trying Carnival after other lines. But we find the lines we have tried to be more alike than different. Honestly we have things we love (and things we don’t) on all the ships we have sailed (we find more differences between ships even than lines). We have stayed at nearly every resort in Vegas & have a great time no matter where we stay. We look at cruising the same way. We wouldn’t hesitate to sail Carnival again!

[KKB]

Oh, regarding gambling...I managed to accrue 1800 points & DH maybe 1000. Saw a guy with 55000 points on one of the sea days heading to Hawaii.

 

We did spend more than we usually would one evening at the Hold Em Heads Up table one night, but compared to others...not so much. 

 

Hey, when in Vegas, gambling is the FOCUS. When on a ship, it's just another activity.

 

Not expecting any significant offers! 

[shof515]

18 minutes ago, KKB said:

Crowded elevators were rarely an issue–BUT there is an oddity on the Miracle we have never encountered on any other ship. They close the main bank of elevators midship on embarkation day (about 2-6) & late the last evening–they use those elevators to move passenger luggage!!! It was a bit chaotic at those times!

i noticed this oddity on all carnival ships ive been on. it is like when they built the ship they never put in extra crew elevator or some kind of service elevator . other cruise lines like norwegian use the crew elevators for luggage 

[dallasdan]

Thanks for the review.  I am doing this cruise next month.  I hope we don't have any issues with cancelling a port. I have a helicopter tour scheduled for Kauai.  Someone said at the Lido buffet there is a section where they have sea food items for sale, similar to the Seafood Shack on other Carnival Ships.  Did you happen to notice?  Also, did they have more than one Heads Up Hold Em table?

[cmichael1221]

58 minutes ago, KKB said:

Crew

 

I CANNOT say enough about this crew! After getting of the NCL Encore where we really did not connect with one crew member (they seemed very short staffed shipwide), we connected with so many. Bartenders, servers, CD & his crew. I realize being on 2 weeks that is easier–but we did EARLY in the cruise. Most of the crew seemed to enjoy being there, enjoyed each other & their interactions with the passengers. They MADE the cruise. 

 

Ary at the sports bar & Yoga at the Red Frog Pub were “our” bartenders. Don’t miss them!

We were one and done with NCL - based on the crew - after many Carnival cruises - huge difference there!  Carnival crew will remember you when you return too, which is a nice feeling!

[justafem]

33 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

Thanks for the review.  I am doing this cruise next month.  I hope we don't have any issues with cancelling a port. I have a helicopter tour scheduled for Kauai.  Someone said at the Lido buffet there is a section where they have sea food items for sale, similar to the Seafood Shack on other Carnival Ships.  Did you happen to notice?  Also, did they have more than one Heads Up Hold Em table?

If you have to sell your children, do the helicopter in Hawaii!  Any of the islands, all of the islands.  After our first couple flights, we started booking private.  Half the cost and no other pax.  Try the seaplanes too.

 

The seafood place is sometimes open, sometimes not, but the sushi place is good and cheap, so try that.  Seafood place was pricy, but worth it.  I recommend the peel and eat shrimp at $10.  We got at least 2 1/2 lbs for the price of a pound.  The oysters were hit and miss though.  Some so juicy and full of flavor, others, just briny, but I guess that's the way it is.  Clams were over-breaded as was most breaded tidbits.  They had several kinds of fish, from sea bass to tilapia.  To me, tilapia is a garbage fish, so I didn't partake.  Hubs enjoyed the crab legs, allergy here, so I didn't even sit at the same table with him. 

 

The miracle's such a weird decor.  It's like everyone got to decorate one room, with no plan to meld into cohesiveness.  Grapes and boobs.  Grapes and boobs.  Grapes and boobs.  So we put googlely eyes on all the boobs.  It was fun. 

[UPNYGuy]

30 minutes ago, justafem said:

The miracle's such a weird decor.  It's like everyone got to decorate one room, with no plan to meld into cohesiveness.  Grapes and boobs.  Grapes and boobs.  Grapes and boobs.  So we put googlely eyes on all the boobs.  It was fun. 

 

The victory had far more boobs than the miracle. The ship had an aquatic theme, and the main dining rooms had TONS of topless mermaid statues in them.

[KKB]

3 hours ago, dallasdan said:

  Someone said at the Lido buffet there is a section where they have sea food items for sale, similar to the Seafood Shack on other Carnival Ships.  Did you happen to notice?  Also, did they have more than one Heads Up Hold Em table?

Yes there is the Seafood Shack I believe, items for a fee. I didn't look closely, not sure if it is open for both lunch & dinner but it does exist.

There were 2 Heads up tables. ($5 too!!)

[KKB]

3 hours ago, shof515 said:

i noticed this oddity on all carnival ships ive been on. it is like when they built the ship they never put in extra crew elevator or some kind of service elevator . other cruise lines like norwegian use the crew elevators for luggage 

So bizarre to us--never seen it before!!!

I figured it was a design flaw of an older ship!

Edited January 27, 2023 by KKB

[KKB]

2 hours ago, cmichael1221 said:

We were one and done with NCL - based on the crew - after many Carnival cruises - huge difference there!  Carnival crew will remember you when you return too, which is a nice feeling!

We did our 1st NCL trip in 2018. 

We fell in love with Syd Normans--the bartenders both in & out (Waterfront is THE BEST) and the band.

Got to know all of them, made a good impression on us.

 

I sailed Getaway for 2 weeks last summer & had a similar experience. 1st time I had bartenders come out from behind the bar & give me a hug. Traded social media IDs with a couple Syd's band members.

 

Yet last month on the Encore, we both agreed that it was the 1st cruise we truly felt that we did not connect with one crew member. The seemed understaffed so there were no times when you could just chat with anyone (much less find a seat at a bar most times).

[KKB]

2 hours ago, justafem said:

If you have to sell your children, do the helicopter in Hawaii!  Any of the islands, all of the islands.  After our first couple flights, we started booking private.  Half the cost and no other pax.  Try the seaplanes too.

 

The miracle's such a weird decor.  It's like everyone got to decorate one room, with no plan to meld into cohesiveness.  Grapes and boobs.  Grapes and boobs.  Grapes and boobs.  So we put googlely eyes on all the boobs.  It was fun. 

Ooooh, I WANT to do that--NO WAY DH would do a helicopter.

 

That is EXACTLY what I said about the decor--I kinda thought "movies" (Frankenstein, Phantom, Alice) but Bacchus didn't fit in.

Then someone said, NO--it's BOOKS.

HOLY COW.

Yep, it is.

And I was a librarian...🤯

[dallasdan]

Thanks.  We did book with a private helicopter company that will pick us up at the port.  They are flying over the Jurassic water fall.  They land at the waterfall on some flights, however, not on Sundays when we are there.  I am glad they have a seafood shack type. I only eat the fried Shrimp.  My DW likes the crab legs.

 

 

[Joebucks]

We did the helicopter in Kauai. I get it, it can be a bit unsettling. An absolutely amazing experience though. I am super glad we did it.

[sanmarcosman]

You were on the Miracle, right? If you said I must have missed it. Thanks for your review 🙂 

[pcvtmom]

KKB, we were on the same cruise with you! I agree with your assessment of the decor, friendly crew, and the " rocking and rolling weather"!! All in all, it was an enjoyable cruise, in spite of missing a port (and a luau in Oahu, due to leaving at 8 instead of 11 😞).

[KKB]

58 minutes ago, sanmarcosman said:

You were on the Miracle, right? If you said I must have missed it. Thanks for your review 🙂 

OMG, YES, we were on the Miracle--sorry I neglected to put that up front!!

[LaRue1975]

Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We just booked this Hawaii cruise with our BFFs for early February  2025, glad to see the weather and rough seas didn’t ruin your cruise. I am a bit concerned because ours is in the winter also. We have never been sea sick but will be equipped with meds just in case and we will be on the Radiance, not sure what difference that will make.

 

What I am super excited about is we are doing the 14 day round trip to Alaska with our friends on the Miracle September 10th. Universally the Miracle crew gets rave reviews. I can’t wait to meet them, we’ll be back on Miracle in early November for a Mexico cruise. Isn’t retirement the best thing ever invented? We are freshly retired and loving every minute, especially our return to cruising. Thanks again for taking the time to write such a detailed review, lots of great info and tips. Happy Retirement and Happy Sailing!