Miracle Review: 9/10-9/17/06

[Jay&Bobbi]

We recently returned from our 9/10 Miracle cruise.

 

 

There's already an excellent review of their 9/3 Miracle cruise posted by 'aclight', so there's no need to repeat everything already mentioned there, but I decided to post what are some of our own observations, impressions, etc.

 

 

I'll begin with our general impressions of the ship and it's amenities. I'll follow up later with a more detailed day-by-day review.

 

Any questions, please feel free to ask!

Jay

 

 

Brief Background:

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My wife, Bobbi, and myself have cruised previously on RCCL & Princess, but this was our first on Carnival. We decided on this particular cruise on the Miracle since we got a good price, it was convenient (we live in the Tampa area), and the Miracle had been getting some very favorable reviews.

 

In the months leading up to the cruise, we started a CC Roll Call thread. Through that, we got to know a large number of really nice “co-cruisers”, and we arranged a “meet-and-greet” immediately after the Muster Drill. It was nice to roam the ship and frequently run into people that we met through the Roll Call.

 

 

Overall Impressions:

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The Miracle, being a newer ship, was in excellent condition.

 

We particularly liked the deck layout. Most of the public areas that we frequented were on decks 2, 3 and 9. Being on deck 1, it was a pleasure having to walk up only 1 or 2 flights of stairs, except to go to the Lido deck.

 

Although we had did not have much interaction with the staff (other than our waiters and cabin steward), nearly every member of the crew was pleasant and would acknowledge us with a smile and a "hello" when we would encounter them, wherever it may have been. That was a nice touch.

 

Also, due to the dates of the cruise, there were virtually no teens or college-age passengers, and only a handful of kids. Those demographics worked out great, at least for us.

 

 

Cabin:

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Our Oceanview cabin on Riviera Deck (1159) was very clean, and about 20% larger (185 sq. ft) than RCCL or Princess (appror 160 sq. ft). Even the shower was decent sized; you didn’t have to be a contortionist to use it. Then there’s the bed…we couldn’t tell if it was a spring mattress, foam, or some combination, but it was very comfortable. (Either that, or we were soooo tired at the end of each day that we could have slept anywhere). There also was a safe, hair-dryer, and refrigerator. A minor annoyance: the in-room TV, for their "local broadcasts", televised Denver, Colorado stations :confused: I really didn't need to know that there was a chance of flurries, and that I-70 was backed-up :D At least show a station in the same time-zone as the ship!

 

 

Restaurant/Food:

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Horatio’s is the cafeteria-style restaurant on the Lido deck 9. There were several stations with a variety of food selections. We had breakfast there each morning, and found the food to be pretty good. They have a pizza bar that’s open 24/7, and wasn’t too bad. Due to our schedule, we only had lunch there two times. There’s also a soft ice cream machine by the aft pool that’s available 24/7.

 

The main dining room is the Bacchus. It has two levels (deck 2 & 3) and according to the maitre’d, seats about 1300 people. It’s kind of hard to accurately describe the dining room, other than to says it has purple lights and rather gaudy décor and artwork. I like to call it “early Bordello” ;) What we did not care for was the lack of round tables for large groups. We were at a long table for ten, which made it very difficult to converse with people at the other end of the table.

The food was generally very good. It was always served at the correct temperature, and we never had to send anything back. The dishes were tasty, although there was nothing we could honestly say was “to die for” (other than some of the chocoalte desserts). It did appear to us that there was a significant “French influence” to the starters and entrees. Also, on RCCL, they would have ‘theme’ nights (French, Italian, etc), which was not the case here.

 

The extra-cost ($30/person) supper club is Nick & Nora’s, and is on deck 10. They recommend making reservations ASAP, but we found it to be nearly empty on several occassions. The night we went (Friday @ 7pm), there were maybe 10 tables in use. The food and service was very good. If you go, you will not leave there hungry

Pool Areas:

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There are 3 salt-water pools (plus a kiddie pool) on the Miracle.

The main pool is the middle of the three, just forward of Horatio’s, and is where all the music and activities happen. The music, both canned & live, does get loud, sometimes uncomfortably so. There is also a spa there. Forward of that is another pool and spa, similar in size, but without the “hustle & bustle”; this is where we spent most of our pool time. Surprisingly, we didn’t have a problem with “chair hogs”, although that may not have been the case by the main pool. At the aft of the Lido deck is the ‘adults only’ pool and spa. We spent very little time there, as there was no shade for the lounge chairs, and it seemed that this was where the smokers congregated. There’s also the Orpheus bar and a self-serve soft ice cream machine located there.

 

 

Lounges:

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We visited “Frankie & Jonnies” and Sam’s (piano bar) only once or twice, so we can’t give a fair assessment. The one time we went to “Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab” (the disco), we were the only one’s there.

 

 

Casino:

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As casinos go, it was typical of other ships. Tons of slots, plus the usual table games. And, as is typical of casinos, very smoky.

 

 

Theaters:

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There is Mad Hatters Club, which is a small theater. It seems like it was used primarily for low-attendance activities…auditions for the talent show, an “improv” show, etc

 

The Phantom Lounge is the main theater, with two levels. Seats were comfortable, with small tables every few feet for drinks, etc. What we didn’t like was some of the sight-lines. There were quite a few poles. Also, if you sat in the back half of the lower level, it was sometimes difficult to see some things on the stage due to the overhang from the balcony. I'll talk about the shows in the day-by-day reviews.

 

 

Shops:

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There were several shops on board where you could purchase liquor, jewelry, clothing, etc. We found the prices to be very competitive, especially on liquor. Be aware, if you purchase any liquor, you won’t be able to take it back to your cabin; instead, they deliver it to you the last night of the cruise.

 

 

Photo “Opportunities”:

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My goodness, I can’t believe how many times we were asked to pose for a photo. Around dinner time, every night, there must have been 6-8 photo “stations” with different backgrounds. Surprisingly, some of the pictures were actually pretty good. We did purchase a couple, but I can’t begin to imagine what it would cost if you were to buy even half of the photos that were available.

 

 

(to be continued...)

[I_Live_2_Cruise]

Great review so far.

 

We will be traveling over New Years on the Miracle. It will be a little more hectic than the quiet trip you had, but it sounds like you had a great time!

 

Welcome to Carnival cruising!

[TaGD]

Does the Miracle have a slide and does anyone have pictures of it. Thanks

[jimw]

Miracle does have a slide, it was open during our Sep 3-10 cruise. Very limited hours though, I guess because it requires staff.

[lhall85917]

Thanks for the review - just what we are looking for! We will be on the Miracle out of New York in June, so we are most interested in details about the ship! :D Sounds like you had a wonderful time.

[carnivalkim]

Great review Jay,we will be on the Miracle 10/01:) We have a large roll call with some wonderful people,I don't think the ship will be very quite while were on it:D

[Jay&Bobbi]

Day 1 – Sunday - Tampa:

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Embarkation went very smoothly. We were dropped off at the Tampa cruise dock on Sunday around 11:30am. The porter took our bags and we went right upstairs to the check-in. The line was short and moved quickly. After showing our passports and giving our credit card info, we were given a group number (#10), and sat in the waiting area until our number was called. Our number was called within 20 minutes or so, and we made our way onto the ship, after having to take the first of MANY “photo opportunities”. Our Riviera Deck cabin would not be available until 1:30, so we went to Horatio’s on the Lido deck for lunch.

 

At 1pm, we went to the Bacchus dining room to check on our dinner seating assignment, as we requested early seating at a large table. As it turned out, we had been assigned to a table for four. We much prefer a large table, as you get to meet new people, plus, if one couple doesn’t show up for dinner, you don’t end up eating alone. The maitre’d switched us to a table for 10. If you have any concerns at all about dinner seating, make it a point to go to the dining room as soon after 1pm as possible, as quite a long line had already started to form.

 

At 1:30, we went to our cabin, which turned out to be surprisingly large and well designed. We met our room steward, Don, who was very personable and gave us a quick “tour” of our cabin.

 

After Muster Drill at 3:30, we went to the ‘aft’ pool on the Lido deck, as we had made previous arrangements with several members of our CC Roll Call group to have a “Meet & Greet” around 4:30. About 20 or so showed up, and we really hit it off. After mingling for about 45 minutes, we went to our cabin to see if our luggage had been delivered, and to get ready for dinner.

 

(A little tip regarding your luggage…don’t remove the color-coded luggage tags you got with your cruise docs. I did remove them, not knowing that when you debark, they group your luggage in the baggage claim area by color code. Talk about trying to find a needle in a haystack…)

 

Dinner (early seating) was at 5:45 in the Bacchus dining room. For us, this was much earlier than we normally eat, but we didn’t want late seating at 8:15, since on our previous cruises, you could miss a number of activities if you do late seating.

 

We sat at a large table for 10 with 4 other (somewhat older) couples that were very nice and we all got along great. As I mentioned earlier, it was a long (not round) table, which made it very difficult to participate in conversations that were going on at the other end of the table. It looks like they have round tables for groups of 6 or 8, but nothing larger (at least, we didn’t notice any).

 

Our waiters, Iputu (from Bali) and James (from Jamaica) were very professional and cordial. We’ve had waiters in the past that were much more fun, but that’s not to take anything away from Iputu and James.

 

In general, the quality and choice of food most nights was good, and there were some great desserts, particularly if, like me, you’re a “chocoholic”. There was also no problem ordering multiple starters, entrees, etc.

 

After dinner, we wandered the ship for a while to become more familiar with the layout.

 

At the “Welcome Aboard” show, you’re introduced to the Cruise Director, Chris Roberts. He’s kind of a “roly-poly” guy from Tampa. Not what one would consider your typical CD. He was OK, just nothing special. Sunday’s entertainment was comedian Thomas Brown, and his PG-13 routine was really pretty funny (actually, even funnier than his adult material that he performed Monday at midnight).

 

Day 2 - Monday – “Fun Day at Sea”

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Monday we slept in (the curtains on the window really do keep out the light), had breakfast in Horatio’s, then spent most of the afternoon at the pool. We also decided to check prices in the shops, so we could compare them when we visited the various ports.

 

Monday was also the first of two Formal nights. Formal meant anything from sport coats with open neck shirts to tuxedos with cummerbunds.

 

Monday’s entertainment was “Generations”, a song-and-dance show that did various “pop” musical numbers from several generations. We’re not big on these types of shows, but it was surprisingly good. A couple of the singers are really talented. At midnight, Thomas Brown (Sunday’s comedian) did an R-rated routine. Some of it was funny, but we honestly thought his Sunday routine was better.

 

 

Day 3 – Tuesday – Grand Cayman

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Georgetown, Grand Cayman is a tender port. Not much visible hurricane damage; we were told that the other side of the island got hit much worse. As this was our third trip here, we didn’t do any excursions, although the various Stingray City excursions were by far the most popular. We did go shopping, as DW has cultivated a “fondness” for black coral jewelry from Bernard Passman, since visiting his shop in St. Thomas several years ago. In our four visits to his shops (once in St. Thomas and 3 times in Grand Cayman), we have yet to leave there empty handed :( While doing additional shopping, we got caught in a downpour. After getting thoroughly soaked (and picking up the latest jewelry purchase), we made our way back to the tender for the return trip to the ship.

 

Tuesday’s entertainment was comedian Ronnie Bullard & a “Blues Brothers” Tribute. A few folks thought the comedian was hilarious, but we thought his material was kind of lame, and not particularly funny. The Blues Brothers was also decent. I can’t remember who did the Dan Aykroyd part, but the John Belushi role was done by CD Chris Roberts. For a big guy, he moved really well and did a nice job.

 

 

Day 4 – Wednesday - Cozumel

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Cozumel was a tender port, as almost all of the docks were destroyed by the hurricane. There is one dock that is usable, and I assume they alternate as to what ships can use the dock. Along with another couple, we took a taxi to Paradise Beach, which was about 5 miles away and cost $12 for up to 4 people. Very nice beach, and the chairs and umbrellas are free to use, although you are seriously “encouraged” to buy food and drinks from them. For an additional $8 per person, you can use the other amenities, such as the water trampoline, floating rock-climbing wall, floating mats, etc. Again, we got caught in a major thunderstorm, so we took refuge in the restaurant and had some wonderful chips, salsa, and margaritas, after which we returned to the ship.

 

Wednesday night in the dining room, some people came dressed in denim jeans and shorts, even though the dress guidelines state that they’re not permitted in the dining room. We were pleasantly surprised to see that those people were actually asked to leave. Never saw that on other ships. A definite “thumbs-up” to Carnival for enforcing the dress code.

 

Wednesday’s entertainment was Manuel Zuniga, a juggler & "comedian" Brad Tassel. The juggler was pretty talented, although his jokes were kind of corny. Brad Tassel kind of defies description. The audience didn’t know what to make of him. At times, he seemed like he was trying to do a wild Robin Williams-type of routine, other times he told really bad jokes, and he ended with a wacko routine playing an electric ukulele. People were walking out halfway through the show. He had to be one of the worst acts we’ve ever seen.

 

 

Day 5 - Thursday - Belize

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Belize was the third, and last, of our tender ports. We were informed that Belize was formerly known as British Honduras, and is the only Central American country where the primary language is English. A word to the wise: if you’re not doing an excursion, there’s very little to do in town. There’s a shopping area, but once you step outside that area, it seemed to be very “seedy”.

 

We had made reservations to go Cave Tubing with Yhony, an independent vendor. Carnival wanted $95/person (if I remember correctly), while Yhony was $45 (or $50 if you wanted lunch). On top of that, you don’t pay until the end of the tour! Our guide was Keith, and after a 45 minute bus ride which included a taste of Cashew wine, you get your inner tube, life vest and headlamp. This was followed by a somewhat strenuous 35-40 minute walk through the rain forest. In sections, the path is uneven, slippery, and very muddy. Add to that the fact that you’re carrying your inner tube, and it quickly becomes tiring. We were given the option of doing one cave or two; naturally, our group of 12 decided on two caves, which required us to hike about another 10-15 minutes. Upon reaching the river, you find that you must climb down some rocks while you hold onto a rope, then you let go. Hopefully, your butt will end up in the tube in the “refreshing” water. Unlike people who booked through Carnival and were left to float on their own, we were linked together in a “chain” of six people, and Keith took care of steering us through the shallow areas. As we approached those shallow areas, we were instructed to get our “Butts Up!” Those that didn’t were very likely to scrape their butts (and who knows what other else) against the submerged rocks. All in all, we had a fantastic time, and would highly recommend that excursion.

 

Thursday’s entertainment was hypnotist Glenn Miller. We didn’t get to see his early “family-rated” show, although we heard it was pretty. We did catch his midnight show. I’m personally skeptical about hypnotism, but that being said, the show was hilarious, and definitely R-rated.

 

 

Day 6 - Friday – Costa Maya

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Costa Maya was the only port where we docked. Costa Maya is a port that was built for the cruise ships, and has many shops and a pool. The closest village is Mahajual, which is about a 5-10 minute taxi ride. Taxis are plentiful and they have set prices to a number of destinations, so there are no surprises.

 

We had made reservations to take a tour of the Mayan ruins in Chacchoben, and used independent providers David & Ivan. The cost was $43/person, which was much less than the comparable excursion through Carnival. Again, we did not have to pay when we booked, only at the start of the tour. We took a taxi to the Cat’s Meow, a small cafe in “beautiful, downtown” Mahajual, where we met David. After a short wait, eight of us boarded a van driven by Ivan for a 50 minute drive to the ruins.

 

The ruins themselves were quite impressive, but even more impressive was Ivan. Ivan actually grew up at the site of the ruins and lived there until he was 11. He gave us an incredibly detailed history of the ruins. It seems there are approximately 900 ruins at the site, but only a handful have been excavated. His knowledge and passion was obvious, and I’m certain we got to see and learn things that other excursions lacked. We actually spent 2 ½ hours at the ruins with Ivan (not including the bus ride).

 

If anyone is even remotely interested in seeing the ruins, this is an excursion not to be missed. On the return trip, Ivan gives you the option of being taken back to the ship, or into town. We opted to go back to the ship, in order to give us time to relax before dinner.

 

Friday was also the second Formal night.

 

Friday’s entertainment was Ticket to Ride, a Beatles tribute. We were expecting to see Beatles impersonators, but instead the show was mostly singing and dancing to Beatles tunes. It was well done, and most people enjoyed it; it’s just not what we had hoped to see.

 

 

Day 7 - Saturday – “Fun Day at Sea”

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Saturday we slept in, had breakfast in Horatio’s, then spent most of the afternoon at the pool. As this was the last day that the shops would be open, we made our last-minute purchases.

 

As we had made some good friends at our dinner table, it was time to exchange contact information and say our “goodbyes”. Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep in touch with them.

 

It was then time to pack, as all luggage needed to be outside the cabin by 11:45pm, unless you chose “self-debarkation”. This meant that, if you were willing to carry ALL of your luggage, at 7:30 Sunday morning you were allowed to leave the ship prior to general debarkation.

 

Saturday’s entertainment was “Legends”, which is some of your fellow cruisers doing impersonations. Early in the week, passengers auditioned to perform as various famous singers (Elton John, Sinatra, James Brown, etc) They performed in full costume. With the exception of the Aretha Franklin impersonator (who was just ok), the others were excellent.

Day 8 - Sunday – Tampa

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Sunday morning, and we’re back in Tampa. We had breakfast with another Tampa couple in Horatio’s and just relaxed. Since we all live locally and didn’t have any commitments that required us to get off the ship early, we just waited until the general debarkation rush subsided. Even at that, the process moved quickly and we were off the ship by 11:00am, where we waited for our ride home.

 

 

Summary

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In summary, as this was our first Carnival cruise, we weren’t sure what to expect. Although there were some things lacking, it was definitely worth the money. We would have liked to have seen more evening activities, as there was not much to do between 8-11pm (other than the nightly show in the Phantom lounge). Overall, we were very pleasantly surprised, had a great cruise, and would absolutely consider using Carnival on future cruises.

 

Again, ask any questions you might have...

[Fishon]

Sound great. We will be on in October, cant wait!!

[xanax]

Great Review. Was there a late night deck party with a theme on any of the nights?

[cruisinsly]

Great review! Thanks.

[silverwolf]

:) Hubby and I sailed the MIracle at the same time. I really enjoyed the cruise and want to do it again one day.

 

We had very few disappointments. The first was the Miracle slide. :( About half way down, I had to literally push myself as there didn't seem to be enough water. It was great to begin with, and I was cooled off, but it wasn't the fun ride I expected.

 

Also, Chris Roberts, the cruise director, seems to be very tired of of his job. Nice guy but it was obvious he has done the same routine over and over again.

 

We had a late seating and was terribly disappointed that we had a table for four. The other couple never showed up so we ate by ourselves. Although we could have asked for a larger table, we chose not to and enjoyed our cruise nonetheless.

 

The Ticket to Ride show, as Jay mentioned did not have impersonators. We thought the music and dancers were great, difinately a highlight of the cruise. I could have strangled several of the ladies behind me who yelled and screamed so much that it really distracted us from the show.

 

If anyone is considering cave tubing, seriously consider Yhonni. His staff was awesome and put our safety and fun first and foremost. It was sad to see other people who had booked the excursion from Carnival ride in a school bus that had no air condioner and struggled just staying afloat. I witnessed one poor lady who was stuck between some rocks and no one was able to help her. Our guide, Keith, was very funny and answered all of our questions sincerely.

 

I didn't care for Cozumel as it was way too touristy and I grew tired of being haggled to death.

 

Costa Maya was great. Enjoyed the beach, but please remember to wear a lot of sunscreen. I had a serious sunburn but recovered nicely.

 

Our steward, Sidney, was great. All of our needs were met with a smile.

 

I can't wait to cruise again and the Miracle will be at the top of my list.

[Jay&Bobbi]

Great Review. Was there a late night deck party with a theme on any of the nights?

 

They did a "Bathrobes & Beer" deck party on Thursday on the Lido deck at 10pm. Then they showed :Animal House" in the Madhatters Lounge at 11:30. I got there late, but it looked like a lot of fun.

[POPPA_DADDYO]

Nice review. I just learned I will be on this cruise ship on July 14th since they switched with the Legend. I originally booked this cruise on the Legend out of New York. At least I know to avoid the back pool and the casino as usual.

[Jay&Bobbi]

I've uploaded the Miracle Capers from 9/10-9/17/2006

 

These are the chronological "At-a-Glance" Summaries

 

The link is: http://community.webshots.com/album/554300431PyPsFG

 

Enjoy...

 

Jay

[DqALEX]

I loved the Miracle too. When I was on it Dr. Frankenstiens lab was full almost every night I cant wait to get back on that ship for the 9 day 2007 Christmas cruise

[tb109]

:) :) :)

[elaineb]

Xanax - I was pleasantly surprised with 3 evenings with dance parties!!! Tuesday nite at 10PM there was a dance party on the Lido Aft deck -it was a 70 & 80's party with a dance contest. We had a blast. On Thursday at 10pm there was a beer and bathrobe party in the main Lido area. Again, a blast - but boy, was it hot with the bathrobes on!!! Then on Friday at around 10:20pm we had a Mardi Gras party in the atrium with bead throwing which followed with a parade through the casino into Frankie and Johnnie's where we had a blues dance party. I haven't danced this much since I can't remember when. :)

[crusinpilot]

Does anyone know if those parties are currently taking place on the Miracle now? How about the Pub Crawl? Some of those may have been from the previous CD Mark Hawkins. The current CD may not be running them.

[LHP]

Thanks so much for your thorough and informative review. Great detail!!

 

We are headed out October 8th and look forward to having a wonderful time.

[elaineb]

cruisinpilot - There was no pub crawl on our cruise in July w/CD Chris Roberts.

[LHP]

cruisinpilot - There was no pub crawl on our cruise in July w/CD Chris Roberts.

 

I thought that was what I did on every cruise...I just didn't know there was a name for it!! LOL

[crusinpilot]

What a great way to introduce the entertainment and bar options available onboard.

[okbeader]

I was on the same cruise as Jay--great review Jay. I second (third, whatever) going cave tubing with Yhony at www.cave-tubing.com . I'm 63, not in great shape and have 2 artificial hips. I did the walk to go through both caves. Though I brought up the rear of the line, I made it just fine Yhony stayed with me, carried my tube, and helped me over slippery rocks. He was GREAT. The groups of six in a line may sound restricting to some, but it didn't feel that way at all. It was lots of fun, and we were much safer than those going it alone on the Carnival sponsored tour--and at half the price!

 

I went on the stingray/snorkle tour with Capt. Bryan. It was okay, but I was the unlucky one who got a stingray hickie--left a 3" bruise on my arm and hurt quite a bit for about an hour. The snorkle was nothing to write home about--really not a lot of fish. But the price was right and much less than on Carnival.

 

My roomies went on the Zipline/Cave Tubing combo with Nacho & Cynthia. They had a great time and got a great deal price wise. Their tour included lunch, a nice t-shirt, and a shot glass. Their leaders were very knowledgeable about the area and were also very safety concious. They did say the hike to the first platform was pretty strenuous and they are both in good shape.

 

Oh, BTW, if you shop at Diamonds Int., I bought a ring in Cozumel. Then I looked in Costa Maya and ended up trading it in for a much nicer ring for just a little more money. They said Costa Maya has the lowest prices since it is just open 2 days a week (less time to make their money), while Cozumel is open 7 days a week.

 

One thing to watch out for if you go to sleep early--our cabin was 5121, which is over the Phantom Lounge. I had talked with Carnival and they assured me we would hear NOTHING from below. WRONG. The bass drum came through loud and clear throughout all the shows that had any music at all. I complained on the ship and they gave us 4 free drink coupons.

 

The ocean was really smooth--never even thought about using the patches I brought for sea sickness.

[elaineb]

One thing to watch out for if you go to sleep early--our cabin was 5121, which is over the Phantom Lounge. I had talked with Carnival and they assured me we would hear NOTHING from below. WRONG. The bass drum came through loud and clear throughout all the shows that had any music at all. I complained on the ship and they gave us 4 free drink coupons.

.

All you got were free drink coupons???? On a cruise on the Triumph, our group complained about the noise from the showroom- we had Richard Simmons Cruise to Lose group and they were up very early making lots of noise in the showroom. We got a shipboard credit - I want to say it was possibly $50 per person and also 25% off our next cruise! We promptly used that the next summer and took a 4 niter Key West/Cozumel and with air only cost us $500pp!!!