Miracle to Mexico (maybe?) Oct 8 to 14, FTTF and new menus!

[Dicecatt]

Newly empty nesters, our youngest offspring is off to college,  so we're off to Mexico (maybe), on the Miracle! 

 

This is a second sailing on the Miracle,  the first was November of 2019, so I'll be making some direct comparisons as we repeated some favorite things. 

 

The itinerary was supposed to be 6 nights,  with 2 Cabo stops, 1 Ensenada,  and 2 Sea days.  

 

I'll just go ahead and thank Hurricane Lidia for keeping things exciting.  

[Dicecatt]

We flew into Burbank the morning of the 7th.

 

We stayed at an adorable hotel chosen for its charm,  proximity to Universal Studios and great reviews,  The Tangerine. 

 

 

 

A stop at In & Out and our day was nearly complete.  Time for a nap before nighttime adventures! 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Dicecatt

[Dicecatt]

 

 

I seized the opportunity to attend a Halloween Horror Nights at Hollywood for the first time,  and we splurged on a R.I.P. Tour since there are just two of us.  I won't go into too much detail since this trip report is for the cruise,  but I'll add a few fun images,  and just say that it was absolutely so much fun and I'll absolutely be doing that again! I won't include anything too terrifying.  

 

Desserts at the RIP buffet

 

 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Dicecatt
Spacing

[Dicecatt]

Embarkation Day

 

I bought Faster to the Fun. I usually do,  as I appreciate the perks and many of my past cruises don't count towards status for various reasons, but I did realize this time around that FTTF has been diluted.

 

*I knew the cabin is no longer ready early,  and that we can drop off luggage. 

 

*I knew we had priority luggage delivery (but realistically I know that may or may not happen,  and it did not).

 

I also knew that depending on the port, priority embarkation could mean different things,  since the language Carnival now uses indicates its priority DURING appointment time.  I bought it anyway,  because Cabo is a tender port, so priority tender was the reason I purchased this benefit. 

 

I had a 10 AM appointment time,  because I like early and I didn't want to risk the FTTF not actually being priority.  We arrived at Port via Lyft around 9:45 and there were people in line,  but we showed our documents and were immediately allowed in through priority.  I have no idea if that's because we had FTTF, or a 10 AM/FTTF combo.  

 

I spotted a friend that works there so we waited for her table to open and she began checking our documents. She mentioned the ports have changed,  and as we were standing there,  a stack of letters were delivered,  and guess what? No more Cabo stops! Thanks a lot, Hurricane Lidia. 

 

I've been to Cabo a few times,  and I've also sailed in bad weather,  so no thanks.  However,  I was probably the least disappointed person on the ship,  because most people around were super mad and while I understand disappointment (I also picked this one for the two Cabo stops) we were given $200 OBC which was more than Carnival actually had to do.  And sailing anywhere in anything close to hurricane weather is freaking awful. 

 

 

 

So, would we make it to Mexico at all? I guess we'd see,  as San Diego and Catalina Island were added.  San Diego is obviously awesome but there wasn't really time to plan anything, not like there's much just right at Port. I'd never been to Catalina,  so ok, new adventure. Not much would stop my good time,  but I think I was in the minority judging from the rage comments all around me in the priority seating area! 

 

We boarded around 11 AM and quickly mustered,  then dropped off our luggage at our cabin. Halloween decor in Atrium was fun.  Headed to Guy's Burgers, where there was a giant line by the lido stage and zero line on the other side by the lido buffet (we chose that one). Our first experience with Guy's as last time we were on the Miracle or was pre dry dock. 

 

 

 

Then we headed to Serenity to a clamshell, a couple of Miami Vice and our first Cheers! drinks. 

 

 

Edited October 17, 2023 by Dicecatt

[Dicecatt]

Continue Embarkation Day, regarding Cheers! for first timers on the package.  

 

This was the first time ever that we purchased a drinks package.  I'm usually the person that knows when happy hours are,  when the drink specials are,  how much I can bring on board, etc but this time we went for it and decided to try whatever drinks we wanted,  whenever we wanted. We brought no alcohol or soda on board (last trip 2 sodas fell out on the gangway and broke,  sticky embarrassing mess). 

 

We don't drink much at home,  but combining several alcoholic drinks with soda,  water,  coffee drinks and shakes sounded really fun,  and it WAS.  It was FUN.  So far I've only roughly calculated the cost of alcohol for day one and two,  so I'm not quite sure of the end value. And towards the end of the cruise we were talking about how we hadn't done trivia or many shows,  and I attribute that to Cheers.  But what we did do,  besides way over drinking,  was meet tons of fun people and had an absolute blast of a different kind,  so I'm happy we bought Cheers. 

 

Day 1 with just alcohol (not counting other beverages) we actually were under the daily Cheers cost by about $19, but we received a bottle of wine at the steakhouse and they gave us champagne,  so...

 

 

 

 

 

[Dicecatt]

Finishing Embarkation Day with Nick and Nora's

 

In 2019 we had two of the best meals we've ever had at Nick and Nora's steakhouse.  So much so that every once in a while one of us would start salivating over the memory of the lobster tails or tomahawk.  We couldn't wait to go again and planned to go twice again over the 6 nights.  However...

 

We did not experience the same level of excellence.  

 

Service was not good.  The host,  Roman, was great,  as was the person that poured water.  There was general confusion among other staff as we were brought soup spoons multiple times after already having apps, we were questioned a few times about what we had already been served and what we were waiting for,  and the head server seemed good at first but then disappeared. 

 

 

 

The bread service was great,  my favorite are the crisps and I love whatever the green coated butter is (yes,  obviously I'm refined). 

 

 

We were given a bottle of wine. Somewhere in me the frugal planner knew we would get a bottle of wine the first night but I didn't actually think of it because of Cheers. We had a glass,  and then the bottle was whisked away,  and our glasses were filled once more during the two and a half hour dinner. Don't know where the rest of it went. Glasses were empty most of the meal. Our waters were filled consistently. 

 

We had the French onion soup which is absolutely the most delicious thing I had all week. After several drinks and a glass of wine I described  the soup as "cultivated and cared for" and I'm sticking with that.  Fantastic.  

 

 

 

We also ordered jumbo shrimp cocktail which was very good. 

 

 

 

We were given a little bonus app from the chef,  a teeny slider, and it was yum! 

 

 

My lobster was rubbery and overcooked. We briefly mentioned it to the server,  whom I won't name,  and she actually turned around and walked away lol. The lobster in the MDR the second elegant night was actually far tastier. Spouse liked his cowboy steak but said it was not as good as last time.  Mashed potatoes were very good. Desserts were good,  not great.  They brought us glasses of champagne for our anniversary,  which was very nice. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't mind a long dinner service but there were very long spaces of time with no food,  no beverage and it was the opposite of our previous experiences.  We did not dine there a second time. 

 

We intended to go somewhere else after dinner,  like a bar,  but after a total of 5 hours of sleep in two days we decided to crash.  

 

We went back to the cabin where we found a FTTF letter,  letting us know our luggage would be prioritized and delivered soon.  The letter arrived a few hours after the luggage (our dinner was at 6 PM and it wasn't there at that time). Totally underwhelmed with the very little FTTF value this cruise,  especially with losing the two Cabo tenders.  I used to be a freaking cheerleader for FTTF but meh. 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Dicecatt

[Dicecatt]

One more addition to this day,  our awesome cabin 6218, which is an end balcony cabin with only one direct neighbor.  It was quiet,  had great views on Port days, was convenient to the aft elevators without being too close and wasn't far from mid ship elevators.  Loved the location.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by Dicecatt

[Knights on the Beach]

Enjoying your review! Is that a jug of water on the desk? 🤷‍♀️

[jerseygirlinAZ]

Sorry you missed some of your ports.  Glad you were able to take it in stride (thanks, drink package, lol).  We were on the Radiance 10/9 - 10/14 and it was super rough coming back from Ensenada.  LOTS of people were getting sick on the ship.  Stupid hurricane!

[Dicecatt]

1 hour ago, Knights on the Beach said:

Enjoying your review! Is that a jug of water on the desk? 🤷‍♀️

Yes! We pre-ordered water for a cpap machine.  

[Dicecatt]

1 hour ago, jerseygirlinAZ said:

Sorry you missed some of your ports.  Glad you were able to take it in stride (thanks, drink package, lol).  We were on the Radiance 10/9 - 10/14 and it was super rough coming back from Ensenada.  LOTS of people were getting sick on the ship.  Stupid hurricane!

That's never fun,  I need dramamine on a good day! Stupid hurricane for sure! 

[Knights on the Beach]

We were on a Disney cruise in August and our itinerary switched from western to eastern Caribbean due to a hurricane in the Gulf. We weren't a bit surprised (and I was actually pretty happy) but of course people were disappointed. BUT they would have been miserable if the captain had attempted to go anywhere near the Gulf that week. LOL

[kelkel2]

I’m following along. Great start to your review! 

[Jeafl]

Great start!  Can't wait to read the rest!

 

[ctlyf]

17 hours ago, Dicecatt said:

Yes! We pre-ordered water for a cpap machine.  

How did you pre-order? I booked our Feb 2024 cruise online without a TA or PVP... is it something I can do online or should I send an email? I should know this... it's not our first cruise with CPAPs. 🙄 It's just once it's dealt with, I usually forget about it. 🤯

[Crusin Karen]

Enjoying this! Love the Miracle and all the spirit class ships. And love the steakhouses under the whale tail. We had a diamond lunch there years ago-sun shining thru whale tail and on to us. We looked and felt like we had bad sunburns! 

[Dicecatt]

8 hours ago, ctlyf said:

How did you pre-order? I booked our Feb 2024 cruise online without a TA or PVP... is it something I can do online or should I send an email? I should know this... it's not our first cruise with CPAPs. 🙄 It's just once it's dealt with, I usually forget about it. 🤯

I called 1-800-522-7648 (Ext. 70039) and it was like $3. Super easy! We did bring our own extension cord rather than mess with attempting to get one onboard/paying a deposit.  

[Dicecatt]

6 hours ago, Crusin Karen said:

Enjoying this! Love the Miracle and all the spirit class ships. And love the steakhouses under the whale tail. We had a diamond lunch there years ago-sun shining thru whale tail and on to us. We looked and felt like we had bad sunburns! 

 

I love this ship, it's such a great manageable size and the layout makes sense.  I've been on many ships that are just confusing for seemingly no good reason! 

[Dicecatt]

Day 2, Sea Day

 

I'm not a coffee drinker. But with Cheers I decided I'd try things I normally don't drink.  This probably doesn't even count as coffee,  but I got a white chocolate caramel frappe and didn't hate it. I even filmed the event for the purpose of entertaining offspring (I won't make you watch that), all very aware of my aversion to coffee drinks. I even tried husband's double chocolate mocha frappe! Adventurous. 

 

 

Then Sea Day brunch,  because obviously,  everyone should do that.  It was very good,  starting off with a trick I decided I'm a genius for figuring out (I'm only this nice to myself on vacation) which is ordering a champagne,  and orange juice, and combining them for a large mimosa instead of just accepting a splash of champagne.  I'm sure many people before me have done the same thing,  but I was feeling pretty smart.  

 

 

 

The tomato soup was really good,  I enjoyed the performance aspect of it being poured. 

 

 

Steak and eggs

 

 

Eggs Benedict with side of extra crisp bacon

 

 

Banana cream pie

 

 

After a stop at the room,  where we received another towel animal, an elephant (we had a truly great room steward,  I Ketut), and we were gifted a duck (we were told later it was because they liked our door) we headed to Lido. 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to include this from the night before,  our first towel animal,  delivered with the awesome plush blue blanket and 2 robes as we requested.  

Edited October 19, 2023 by Dicecatt

[Dicecatt]

Day 2 continued

 

We ended up at the Blue Iguana Tequila Bar. Open limited hours,  I think it's the most fun bar,  but maybe that's because bartenders Tazia and Igor (from Brazil) made it a blast.  We settled in for a couple of hours of bonding with new cruise besties and great drinks.  They were out of Patron which was a running joke,  because we'd order the Ultimate Patron without Patron Margarita (which honestly probably annoyed Tazia but she was a great sport) . At one point we were joking in the Fun Shops when we saw Patron that the Tequila Bar should come down and get some and a worker handed us a list of bottles available for purchase haha.  

We hung out with some couples on this cruise that really made it a blast.  So far we've even kept in touch! Super fun.  Thanks,  Cheers! We just kept meeting up,  a few times a day in different places.  Great time.  

 

 

We brought a little toy, a party favor,  or whatever,  with us.  We brought a breathalyzer,  which was a whopping $15 and I'm pretty sure was grossly inaccurate but we had extra tips so it brought about loads of giggles with our cruise besties.  I have no idea which one of us blew this but apparently I felt the need to photograph it.  

 

 

Then we left to do afternoon tea,  which was deck 3 of Bacchus.  Seated with a family of 3 (we had nice conversation), the tea was ok. While I'm delighted it was brought back,  it was just alright and I didn't go the second sea day.  

 

 

 

 

 

Time for a nap before dinner. 

 

Edited October 19, 2023 by Dicecatt

[chill6x6]

Thanks for doing this post! I've got a 10-day booked Panama Canal-ish cruise on the Miracle and I enjoy reading and seeing pictures about it!

[carohs]

18 hours ago, Dicecatt said:

 

I forgot to include this from the night before,  our first towel animal,  delivered with the awesome plush blue blanket and 2 robes as we requested.  

Edited 18 hours ago by Dicecatt

That blanket looks cozy!! I always considered asking for one but I kinda assumed they'd just bring me an extra sheet or something. 

[Dicecatt]

16 minutes ago, carohs said:

That blanket looks cozy!! I always considered asking for one but I kinda assumed they'd just bring me an extra sheet or something. 

Definitely ask for an extra! And if they bring you the brown scratchy one ask for the soft blue:) they are the best! 

[Buffettfan 225]

19 hours ago, Dicecatt said:

Day 2, Sea Day

 

I'm not a coffee drinker. But with Cheers I decided I'd try things I normally don't drink.  This probably doesn't even count as coffee,  but I got a white chocolate caramel frappe and didn't hate it. I even filmed the event for the purpose of entertaining offspring (I won't make you watch that), all very aware of my aversion to coffee drinks. I even tried husband's double chocolate mocha frappe! Adventurous. 

 

 

Then Sea Day brunch,  because obviously,  everyone should do that.  It was very good,  starting off with a trick I decided I'm a genius for figuring out (I'm only this nice to myself on vacation) which is ordering a champagne,  and orange juice, and combining them for a large mimosa instead of just accepting a splash of champagne.  I'm sure many people before me have done the same thing,  but I was feeling pretty smart.  

 

 

 

The tomato soup was really good,  I enjoyed the performance aspect of it being poured. 

 

 

Steak and eggs

 

 

Eggs Benedict with side of extra crisp bacon

 

 

Banana cream pie

 

 

After a stop at the room,  where we received another towel animal, an elephant (we had a truly great room steward,  I Ketut), and we were gifted a duck (we were told later it was because they liked our door) we headed to Lido. 

 

 

 

 

I forgot to include this from the night before,  our first towel animal,  delivered with the awesome plush blue blanket and 2 robes as we requested.  

Sorry if hijacking the OP but had to chime in about Ketut, We got to see Ketut also! He was our prior cabin attendant for past 5 Radiance cruises, and would have been again but took his vacation home and lost his past deck area it is apply and wait for openings our current attendant said, as she had his prior deck area cabins. He came all the way up from deck 3 to 8 to see us. 

[momof3cruisers]

This is such a fun start! Great attitude to have when sailing during hurricane season!