Carnival Miracle - 10/29 to 11/5/2006

[hstrybuf]

Background: My husband and I are in our early 50’s. This was our fourth cruise on Carnival, my eighth overall and his seventh. I have also cruised twice on both Princess and Royal Caribbean. We had been in “drydock” for two years and were very much looking forward to being back on a ship. We are very easy to please people and are not demanding of those who provide us a service. In most cases, we roll with the punches and little things do not irritate us.

 

Flight: We chose Midwest Airlines at the recommendation of a friend and found it very much to our liking. Wide, leather seats two across and a direct flight from Kansas City. (Being a chocoholic, I found the chocolate chip cookies a nice touch as well, however we only got them on our return flight.) Previously we had taken other airlines with a layover in Atlanta before reaching our port of embarkation. Our flight left at 8:50 CDT and arrived in Tampa at 12:15 EDT, about 2 ½ hours, with no problems.

 

Hotel: We always fly in a day before our cruise. I chose the Doubletree Westshore Airport and got it through Priceline for a bid of $70 plus taxes.. I called for shuttle pickup from the airport and was directed to the pickup area to wait. We didn’t wait long. Check in went smoothly and the desk to make shuttle reservations was the first desk to the left as you enter the hotel lobby. While my husband checked us in, I made our reservations to go to the pier on the following day at 11. Checkout time is 12 and they tried to tell us we wouldn’t be allowed to board before 1. Not so! Our room itself was clean, a nice size, the bed was comfortable and each room had a small balcony. Ours overlooked the courtyard and pool in the center of the hotel complex. Service here was very good. The furnishings were nice but in need of a little cosmetic repair. The hotel itself is a Hilton property but appears to be an older hotel and not in the best location if you plan to walk to shop or eat elsewhere. There was a gas station with a food mart within a few blocks, but that was pretty much it. We had two meals at the hotel and I found the prices for food and drinks within the hotel to be a bit high. The shuttle was available, however, to take you anywhere you wanted to go. We chose to bite the bullet and pay the prices rather than wear ourselves out any further. This hotel suited our needs fairly well, but due to the lack of options within walking distance and the higher prices I would probably not use it again. I have used both Priceline and Hotwire before for booking hotels but doubt I’ll use either in the future. While they both can get you a good deal, they both also limit your options as well.

 

Embarkation Day: Daylight Savings Time ended so I had already reset my watch. The shuttle was ready for us at 11 and we only had one other couple going to the Miracle with us at that time. The porters were right there to take our bags and the entrance to check in was within a few steps of where we were dropped off. Bay Shuttle was inside selling post-cruise pickup for $9 per person. We found this very handy. More on this later. We were directed to the check in area where we found the lines to be fairly short. I had wondered about the VIP check in since we had surprisingly been upgraded to a suite three weeks before, but there was no notation on the sign for suite passengers. Vacation Club, Sea Miles members, etc. were listed. When we reached the desk the nice lady who checked us in caught the suite (a red dot on our S&S form placed there by another employee at check in) and escorted us to the VIP waiting area. We were group #1 to board and were called at 11:30. So far, so good. Everything was going very smoothly and in a timely fashion.

 

Our first stop after boarding was the Lido deck pool bar for our first drink of the day. It felt like we had the ship all to ourselves at this point! Since our cabin wasn’t going to be available until 1:30 we had a drink, grabbed some lunch at Horatio’s and checked out parts of the ship. We also spent some time chatting with a few people from our roll call. We were wearing Mardi Gras beads so as to be recognizable to each other.

 

At 1:30 we were eager to see our first suite so we headed to cabin 5264. This is the first cabin forward of the aft wraparound cabin on the port side and we were very happy with the location. We had originally booked 5268, a true aft balcony, but had no problems being upgraded from a category 8C to a category 11. The cabin was roomy with the bed already configured to a queen. There was a sofa which made out into a bed if needed, a small table, desk with chair, TV, VCR, a separate dressing area with a double sink and a tub/shower with sliding glass doors and jets if you wanted a Jacuzzi type experience. There was more than enough storage with double closets in both the main area of the cabin and in the dressing area where there was also a desk type arrangement with a small stool, drawers, blowdryer and a large mirror. There was also a built-in, four-drawer dresser with other small storage spaces within the main area and storage under the sinks in the bath as well as to each side above the sinks. The refrigerator was a fully stocked mini-bar with glasses on a shelf above the desk and worked quite well in keeping things cold. Lots of lighting and mirrors were found throughout the cabin. The balcony itself was twice the length of a normal balcony cabin and about as deep. There were two chairs, one a lounger, and a small table. The lounger was broken but usable as a regular chair. We did not ask for a replacement. A large luggage mat was on the bed for us to use when we unpacked. Since we only had a small carryon, this did not take long. There is a safe which is locked/unlocked with a magnetic strip card of your choosing. You are warned however not to use your S&S card as this will deactivate it.

 

While my husband relaxed, I went to the dining room to check our assignment. We had requested a large table in the main dining room but found we had been assigned to a table for four in the Ariadne Room which is a smaller room off of the main dining room. This can be reached from either the main dining room or double doors in the lounge outside. I put in a request for a table change, but was informed by a note the next day from the Maitre D’ that they could not accommodate us. Okay, no problem!

 

Muster, mandatory for all passengers, was called around 3:30. We were directed down the stairs to deck 3, muster station D. I had expected to be crammed in like sardines for this but was pleasantly surprised to be lined up in a single row along the outside deck. Children who had not yet received wristbands were provided with them at this time. This was a very painless experience, lasting about 15 minutes.

 

Now it was time for sailaway! We returned our lifejackets to our cabin and proceeded to the aft Lido deck pool and bar area. As I walked around I ran into members of our roll call (wearing beads) and began to chat with them. We would spend a good amount of time with several of them during the cruise.

 

The Captain’s Welcome aboard party was at 5 for early seating and 7:15 for late seating. We had early seating for dinner (5:45) and had decided to skip the dining room this night so we could watch the ship go under the bridge (the name escapes me). At approximately 6:30 we made our way up to deck 10 and saw the bridge all lit up as the ship approached. This was a very interesting experience as it seemed there was little more than 6 feet clearance! We ate dinner at our leisure at Horatio’s that evening and explored the ship a little further before retiring for the night.

 

Gaming lessons were offered on this day. The drink of the day was the Funship Special. $6.75 in a souvenir glass, refills for $5.95 and a regular glass was $3.50. A ship’s tour was offered at 2:30 starting in the Phantom Lounge and a spa tour starting at 1 and lasting until the muster drill. Ballroom dance class was offered at 8:30 in the Phantom. FOD met at Sam’s at 9:30 and the over 40 singles meet was in the Disco at midnight.

 

Day Two, At Sea: A beautiful, sunny day! We continued to explore the ship and to become acquainted with others from our roll call. We had planned to take the Galley Tour which met in Frankenstein’s Lab at 11:15, but opted out when we discovered there were 200 other people with the same idea. I instead went to the library since I had finished the book I had brought with me. Library hours were 10-11 a.m. and 3-4 p.m. throughout the cruise. We also stopped to watch the Cornhole Competition (what the heck?) which turned out to be people tossing bean bags. There was also a Pumpkin Carving Contest, Perfume Seminar, free makeovers at a Makeover Party in the aerobics studio, Men’s Hairy Chest Contest, Bellyflop Contest, Wine and Food Pairing, Carnival Legends auditions, various trivia, fitness activities, ice carving, various seminars and raffles and of course the Carnival Vacation Club was always doing something. We didn’t join, but instead opted to see what others think of it before committing. There was always plenty to see and do if you chose to do so.

 

Chalerm was our cabin steward and we liked him a lot! He did his job without being intrusive, was friendly and accommodating to my request to keep the refrigerator stocked with Diet Coke (I normally drink Diet Dr. Pepper) and even had maintenance come to fix the doors on both of our closets without being asked! Chalerm also did a nice variety of towel animals which we enjoyed. He earned extra tips at the end of the cruise!

 

This was our first formal night. We made our way to our table and found we had very nice and interesting tablemates, a couple from Long Island, Owen and Helen. One nice couple seated at the next table never had tablemates when we were there so we included them in our conversations. New friends from our roll call were seated two tables away so we could talk to them before and after dinner. Our wait team was Jeffrey and Arvin. Arvin was a bit shy but oh that Jeffrey! They were always smiling and attentive and Jeffrey sang solo for us one night. Jeffrey also supervised in Horatio’s during the day. They both earned and deserved those extra tips at the end of the cruise! Yes, the singing and dancing is a little cheesy, but we were on vacation and just enjoyed it. Some of us even joined the conga line one night!

 

The Yellow Bird was the drink of the day. $7.95 in a souvenir glass, refills for $6.95 or $4.75 in a regular glass. I did not purchase more than one in the souvenir glass as I no longer collect these.

 

Day Three, Grand Cayman: Happy Halloween! It was a rainy day off and on. We were joined in this port by the Valor and the Enchantment of the Seas. I hadn’t seen the Enchantment (one of our cruises in 2001) since she was stretched and she looks good! The Valor, while a larger class of ship than the Miracle, didn’t look it. We tendered in early and met up with two other couples from our roll call at the dock. From there we proceeded to take a short walk to Captain Marvin’s for our shore excursion. They boarded us on a small, air conditioned van which took us to meet up with our boat for the tour then headed out to two snorkeling areas before going to Stingray City. By this time the water had become a bit choppy, but we were inside a reef so it wasn’t too bad. I only got in at the first snorkeling stop and saw lots of fish, a couple of stingrays and our video photographer. He got some very good video but we did not buy it. The price was $60 but the photographer offered it to me for $50. Did I mention he was also cute?

 

Stingray City was a blast! I was a bit hesitant to jump into the water as I saw the dark shapes swimming below, but I finally made it! The females are the larger stingrays while the males seemed quite small in comparison. I got used to them rubbing against me as they glided along. Eventually I held and kissed one. They were like puppies as they swam by and felt like a combination of velvet and rubber. At this point, the water was still choppy with some rain but I did manage to keep my feet on the sand most of the time. This was a very memorable experience and one I would recommend to anyone. Captain Marvin, we were told, is now 90 and still goes out with the boats on occasion.

 

Somewhere along the way, I discovered that I had lost my Sail and Sign card. Yikes! This had never happened to me before, however I was not overly concerned. I approached security at the port and they were very helpful. They checked the ship’s manifest, asked for my husband’s ID and asked me a few questions about the ship. From there they put us straight onto the tender. Security on the ship logged me in manually and then the Purser’s desk cancelled my old card and issued me a new one. I also went to the Carnival Vacation Club where they had free lanyards. Needless to say, this went with me everywhere throughout the remainder of the cruise. Now I know better than to go ashore without some form of ID other than the S&S card so I didn’t forget it again!

 

We were very lucky this day. We didn’t shop (hubby was glad about that!) and made it on and off the ship but others were not so lucky. Apparently sometime between 11 and 12 they stopped letting people off of the ship due to the sea conditions and cancelled the tours through Carnival. Once they had everyone aboard, we quickly left for the open sea.

 

We attended the Past Guest Party. Our individual invitations were left on our bed along with our ship’s pins. We didn’t stay the entire time, but did enjoy a drink and a few hors deouvers. Invitations were to be brought with you and were taken at the door.

 

This night we were booked at Nick & Nora’s. Dress code here was listed as Smart Elegant. I found it to be a very good dining experience. The wait staff was a little hard to understand, but were very efficient and attentive. The food? Wow! The presentation of the food was exceptional and an entertainment in itself. I had escargot presented in a variety of forms, a veal chop that was to die for and a chocolate trio that was almost too much even for me. Hubby, being from Kansas City and who knows his steaks, had the 24 oz. Porterhouse and said it was the best steak he’d had in a long time. We were stuffed and sated when we left.

 

 

This was Halloween and the dress code was costume or Smart Casual in the dining room. There were many unique costumes and they were a delight to see. The M&M company sponsored the meet and greet for costumed contestants and those chosen to compete in the final were given numbers at the meeting in the Atrium. I believe the winning costume was a Steve Urkel look alike. We met up with friends from our roll call, some still in costume, at Sam’s Piano Bar and had a great time singing to the oldies with the piano man, Michael. (He likes Heineken!) Some of the men were really quite good and one of our new friends won the Elvis competition to be in the Legends show on the last night of the cruise. We were having too much fun to stop for the costume parade and finals.

 

The drink of the day was the Riviera Delight starting at $6.75 for a souvenir glass. Margaritas and tortilla chips were offered in the Lobby Bar for $3.50 from 5 to 8:15 p.m. The Halloween specials were The Sweet Tooth and The Midnight Crawler after 5 at the Promenade bars.

 

Day Four, Cozumel: Here again, the day was rainy most of the day. We were the first ship in port, later to be joined by the Fascination, and were able to dock downtown. The armed Federales were present as we came to the end of the pier, but presented no problem in any way. Hubby and I grabbed a taxi for $13 and headed to Paradise Beach where the sun shone for the length of our stay there. Hurricane Wilma hit the area hard and there was some rebuilding at Paradise Beach. They also had to bring the sand back in for the beach as most of it had ended up inland. I had been in contact with Paradise Beach Tom for a while and he was prepared for us. Tom is a great guy and a real joy to know. We had lounge chairs and an umbrella front row center. I took him a little something for his one-year-old son and really enjoyed spending some time talking to him. We were joined here by several members of our roll call, had drinks in pineapples, got a sunburn, swam and used the free internet. This old gal even did a beer bong!

 

Several of us took a taxi van together back to San Miguel, $26 for the group I believe, and split up to do some shopping. I hit my favorite store in the mall across from the pier, Los Cinco Soles, and purchase a new piece of Talavera pottery to add to my collection. The original store is a few blocks down from this location. I was very good. No jewelry! From there we met up again with Mindy and Dennis from our roll call group and had a drink at Carlos N Charlie’s before heading back to the ship. Again, rain off and on and a rather dreary day in town. The damage from Hurricane Wilma is still evident here but not as bad as I had expected. The other two pier areas are empty and forlorn as they have yet to rebuild. A beautiful new hotel is being built and there are many signs of the ongoing recovery.

 

We were scheduled to depart at 6 but were delayed for unknown reasons until 8:35 along with the Fascination. The local police were evident on the pier between the two ships and rumor has it that at least one family was being put off of the ship. I guess they just weren’t sure which ship! Or maybe it was both for mooning each other! By the time we sailed we had already had dinner and were joining others on the open decks and balconies to see what was happening. You could hear the crews of both ships bantering back and forth. Finally though, we departed with much sounding of the horns from both the Miracle and the Fascination. It seemed to go on forever but I loved it!

 

Day Five, Belize: Another dreary, rainy day. It was interesting to watch as the Miracle made her way through the channel and between small islands. Finally we stopped a few miles out to sea but in sight of Belize City. The tenders were actually high speed boats which held at least 50 people each. Time from ship to shore was about 15 minutes. We had planned to do the cave tubing with Yhony, but decided that we were not up to the physical aspect of the tour and cancelled. Others who went reported sunshine and a wonderful time. Instead, we shopped at the Tourism Village, finally finding all four buildings. We also stepped outside onto Front Street looking for two particular shops, the Fine Arts Gallery and the Maya Jade Museum. Here I purchased a piece of jade jewelry (bad girl!), a wooden bowl made of the seven different kinds of local woods and a Mayan mask. Back at the Tourism Village I found a tee shirt that I liked and a pair of sandals made with locally woven material. We also tried the Belikan beer. It’s a stout and not really to my liking, but I had to try it! We also ran into people from our ship, the Valor and the NCL Sun.

 

We returned to the ship for lunch and the waiters were selling Coco Loco Monkeys made from coconuts in Horatio’s. Because of the rain there were few people outdoors. The aft Lido deck bar was the only area sheltered from the rain. This was also supposed to be the Deck Party Special and were over $10. I didn’t buy one but we shared a table with a family from the UK and one of them wanted one. Tables were at a premium this day in Horatio’s.

 

This night was the “big” party or it would have been if it hadn’t been for the rain. This was Mocktober Fest also known as the Bathrobes and Beers Deck Party. Many people, including me, were wandering the inside decks in bathrobes. That part of it was fun! The party was moved to Frankenstein’s but it was really too small and too loud for this kind of party. What few teens were aboard were on the dance floor and one was caught smuggling liquor under his bathrobe. Some of these same teens were known to be from a northeastern state (which shall remain nameless) and were rude, obnoxious and trying to be the center of attention throughout the cruise. Luckily, we were able to avoid them most of the time. After a getting our first drink we left to find a quieter area. Even the casino was quieter.

 

The drink of the day was the Blue Margarita starting at $6.75.

 

Day Six, Costa Maya: We had been looking forward to returning to Costa Maya for the first time in three years but it was not meant to be. Although both Capt. Alcaras and the Captain of the Valor tried to move into position twice to dock, the port was closed. Swells were at five feet and the undertow dangerous. Again, it rained. I have never had a cruise where the rain seemed to follow us everywhere. I know people were disappointed, but most seemed to take it in stride. There was some definite rock and roll going on but the stabilizers helped a lot. Everyone was given a $25 onboard credit to be used as they saw fit. I don’t know how much of this or if all of this was actually port charges. They didn’t have to do it, but considering the bad weather we’d had so far, it was a nice touch. In any event, this became a sea day. An updated Capers was delivered to each cabin.

 

We spent part of the afternoon watching a movie in our cabin. I don’t remember which one. We saw at least three during our three sea days including Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and The Lake House. While getting ready for dinner I participated in the Call-In Trivia show on the ship’s TV and won a medal for my correct answer. It will have it’s place of “honor” with our ship on a stick from a previous Carnival cruise. Since I had planned to finally purchase a piece of Tanzanite in Costa Maya what could I do but go shopping! Yes, I was a very bad girl and bought something in the ship’s store. The Grand Gala Buffet was held this night in the Bacchus, but we did not go. It was open from 11:30 to 12:15 for photos and 12:30 to 1:30 a.m. for dining.

 

This was our second formal night. No biggie, but we always enjoy a little dressing up. Our tablemates had decided not to bring formal clothes on this cruise which bothered us not at all. They walked in the alternate entrance, which was actually easier for all of us in the Ariadne Room, and we had a fun time with them as usual. The Mardi Gras Celebration was held in the Atrium along with beads being thrown, but we were having too much fun in the piano bar to go. We did notice earlier in the cruise that a few beads were still hanging from the ceiling from previous cruises.

 

The drink of the day was the Mexican Mama, also starting at $6.75, and sail away beer specials. Normally they charged $17 for a bucket of four 16 oz. beers plus gratuity but I don’t know what they charged for this special. They also had an Iced Martini Hour in the Atrium from 5 to 8:15. Kamikaze and Woo-Woo shooters were being offered in the Disco (Frankenstein’s) and the Piano Bar (Sam‘s). I meant to get at least one Woo-Woo and toast to my friends at home with a big woo woo, but didn’t remember. Ah well, I toasted them several times a day otherwise!

 

Day Seven, At Sea: The weather was iffy all day. Some people were trying to catch a little sun when they could find it, but eventually the conditions were not favorable to being on deck. At one point we had 14 foot swells, rain (again) and gusts of wind up to 45 m.p.h. All of the outside decks were closed with the exception of the areas around the pools. I did see one couple who either ignored the signs on deck 3 or couldn’t speak English standing out on deck. Another movie and a profitable trip to the casino made up most of our day.

 

Back to Tampa: And back to sunshine! We left ourselves a wake up call for breakfast then proceeded to the Phantom Lounge to await the VIP disembarkation. Once we got going, we quickly found our luggage and a porter. They took us straight to the Bay Shuttles outside and we were on our way to the airport. There was no curbside check in for the luggage as there was in Kansas City, but we breezed through since there was almost no line. Security would not let me take home a food gift brought to us by our new friends (why didn’t I pack that in the checked luggage?) but otherwise we had no problems. We ate at the sports bar in the terminal and then boarded our flight home.

 

Notes: Despite the weather, we had a great cruise, met new friends and had fun! Most of the passengers seemed to roll with the punches as well. We had less than 30 children aboard and while we saw people of all ages, the biggest percentage of the passengers seemed to be over 50. This ship was not sailing full and had the lowest head count for the month. They were not sure why. The Miracle is a lovely ship, easy to get around and it’s crew very friendly. They were always busy and constantly keeping things clean. The Cruise Director is Chris Roberts and seemed to be very personable and able. The Captain, Vincenzo Alcaras, was foxy!

 

We encountered very little rudeness from our fellow passengers and most seemed open to meeting new people. Security did not keep the kids out of the adult pool. The three kids that were there presented no problem, no one said anything to them or their mothers, but they did get some funny glances from the adults using the pool. I saw one child on those shoes with skates followed closely by his mother. No accidents there that I saw, but those things do not belong on a moving ship.

 

In addition to the usual candles, irons and heating pads not allowed on the ship, they also included incense and plug in air fresheners.

 

Yes, I did see jeans in the dining room. Twice. Once on the last night and once on a casual night, but otherwise everyone seemed to make an attempt to follow the stated dress codes. The dress code as stated in the Miracle Capers was slightly different than what I had seen before. Nick & Nora’s, as expected, was dressier and listed as Smart Elegant. I saw men in suits, jackets with no tie or just sport shirts and slacks. Ladies were in slacks or dresses. The dress code for the dining room and other places was what I found most different. And I quote: “Please note the following dress codes which are mandatory (never heard that before) for all guests. Dinner - Bacchus Dining Room. Formal nights this cruise will be on Monday & Friday. On these nights formal or business attire should be worn. On non-formal nights a dress code of Elegant Casual (that’s new to me too) will apply. Guests wearing shorts or tank tops will not be permitted to enter the dining room.” Shirts were also required in Horatio’s, Promenade Deck 2, Atlantic Deck 3 and the Entertainment Lounges. Makes sense to me.

 

There were the usual shopping talks, photo options (which we avoided), spa specials, art auctions with some lovely Kinkades, internet specials, bingo and games, the inch of gold and silver offered (cheap stuff, I never buy it), jewelry and gift shop specials and raffles. Smoking areas were clearly defined in the Capers including the entire adult pool and bar area aft. Everyone seemed to abide by the rules. We did not go to any shows but those who did seemed to enjoy them. We made our donation in the casino several times and got some of it back. MacGuires was a good place to watch sports or just relax with a drink. They had both football and soccer when available on more than a dozen screens. Movies were offered in either the Phantom or Mad Hatter’s lounges or privately in your cabin for $8.99 each.

 

Club O2 was open for the 15-17 age group and had it’s own Capers, but from what I could see, there weren’t many teens on board, maybe a dozen of various ages at the most. Camp Carnival had strollers, Bouncy Seats and Game Boys for rent.

 

Soda/juice cards were offered for $28 for children and $38.50 for adults plus a 15% gratuity. These could be purchased from the lobby, casino and pool bars. A small sushi bar was set up outside of MacGuires and seemed to be very popular. Several food items were available in Horatio’s 24 hours a day. These included ice cream, frozen yogurt, pizza, coffee, hot tea and some other beverages. The gourmet coffee shop was on both decks 2 forward (noon to midnight) and deck 9 in Horatio’s (noon to 5 p.m.) and cost extra. Room service is also available 24 hours a day. Remember to tip!

 

I saw the aftermath of one accident. A foreign speaking man fell and had a huge bloody hole in the back of his head. I was relieved to see him conscious and wheeled away to the infirmary. I saw him later in the cruise with a bandage and looking well.

 

We stayed on ship’s time no matter what port.

 

Overall, I would rank this as one of our best cruises. I would recommend this ship to anyone and would sail her again! God willing, we will see these ports again and the sun will shine!

 

I’ve left out some details, but I have all the Capers and excursions price list for those who might have questions. Pictures may be viewed here: http://travel.webshots.com/album/555488710VvKEsP

[kidrt]

Sounds like you had an AWESOME time. We leave next Sunday and can't wait...If you haven't already, you might want to post this in the review section of Cruise Critic. I religously looked at that area to see what people had to say about the Mircle. You're review was very well written and had a lot of very helpful information.

 

Thanks for your feedback on the cruise! We can't wait!!!!:D

[GoinCruisin]

Great review Deb!!! Sounds like you and Mike had a great time, despite the weather! Funny, that is almost the exact weather we had on the Valor last Halloween! Can't believe you did a beer bong! I'm so proud!!!!!!!! I miss you guys... hope to see you soon!! Thanks for the great review!!!!

[hstrybuf]

Sounds like you had an AWESOME time. We leave next Sunday and can't wait...If you haven't already, you might want to post this in the review section of Cruise Critic. I religously looked at that area to see what people had to say about the Mircle. You're review was very well written and had a lot of very helpful information.

 

Thanks for your feedback on the cruise! We can't wait!!!!:D

 

I posted it there first! :D Have a great time! The Miracle is a fun ship for sure!

[hstrybuf]

Great review Deb!!! Sounds like you and Mike had a great time, despite the weather! Funny, that is almost the exact weather we had on the Valor last Halloween! Can't believe you did a beer bong! I'm so proud!!!!!!!! I miss you guys... hope to see you soon!! Thanks for the great review!!!!

 

We miss you too! Me and a beer bong? Yeah, you can blame that one on Bama and you saw Tom's pictures. I'm guilty! :D

[lhall85917]

Such a great review - thank you so much! You are a similar age to my husband and me and seem to like many of the same things. We are really looking forward to our cruise on the Miracle! We really love Midwest Airlines too, we'll have to see if we can catch a great deal with them to New York for our trip!

[GoinCruisin]

We miss you too! Me and a beer bong? Yeah, you can blame that one on Bama and you saw Tom's pictures. I'm guilty! :D

 

ROFLMAO! I saw that he did that to ya!!! LMAO! Those were great pics! I'm so proud of you!!!! I'll be out your way in the next few months I'm sure, so I'll keep you posted!!!

[hstrybuf]

Such a great review - thank you so much! You are a similar age to my husband and me and seem to like many of the same things. We are really looking forward to our cruise on the Miracle! We really love Midwest Airlines too, we'll have to see if we can catch a great deal with them to New York for our trip!

 

You're all very welcome! Have fun! :)

[kathy32259]

What a great review. I felt like I was there - ;) I got out my Carnival soda glass, and pretended I was sailing while I read that review!

 

Do you remember if Claudia is still the casino hostess on the Miracle? I will be missing her on my Triumph cruise next month - she is so nice.

[hstrybuf]

Kathy, I didn't get the name of the casino hostess, but whoever she was, she was a very nice young lady.

[kathy32259]

Deb - Claudia has blond hair/blue eyes. She is so nice. Her fiance also works on the ship, I think at the shore excursions desk. They got engaged this past May and he bought her ring in Coz. It is beautiful. She is a sweetie. Was wondering if they got married....

 

So if anyone reads this that is going on the Miracle soon - please tell her I said hello and wish her the best!!

[loungelizard]

Thanks so much for such an outstanding review! I'll be cruising on the Miracle in Feb '07 and can't wait to go!

[crusinpsychRN]

I really enjoyed your review, thankx! How did you like the "grapes" in the dining room? What kind of questions were on the trivia contest and what do you mean "call in"?

[hstrybuf]

I really enjoyed your review, thankx! How did you like the "grapes" in the dining room? What kind of questions were on the trivia contest and what do you mean "call in"?

 

They were typically Carnival! :D They had replaced the pink ones with purple in the main dining room from what I could see. We were in the Aridane room and still had a lot of pink ones in there.

 

They had a lot of trivia contests, but the call in one was shown on Channel 15, one of the ship's TV channels at 5:15. It was in the Capers as Chris's Live Call In Trivia Show. He's the CD. The question I answered was how many strikes does it take for a perfect game of bowling? It's 12! Not 13 as a previous caller had thought. You tune in and they give you the extension number to call. Get it right, you get a cute gold medal on a red, white and blue ribbon. I don't remember most of the questions, but one of the first was which was the first Carnival ship.

[DqALEX]

Thank You for your review. I really liked the Miracle. Im booked back on again Christmas of 07. Its funny how you meet the same people in the casino at the card table. I have always met nice people there.

[hstrybuf]

I would like to add a couple of things. First a correction. Our Enchantment cruise was in 2002, my bad, not 2001.

 

I'm not sure what time we received our luggage. We were out and about, but I know it was before late seating if not before early seating.

 

The sushi bar located outside of MacGuires was open from 5 to 8:30 p.m. on all nights except formal nights.

 

On our last sea day, we received our comment cards, immigration card (one per family) and information pertaining to the disembarkation procedures for the next day.

 

The drink special the last day was the Goombay Smash starting at $6.75 in a souvenir glass. They also had a morning drink special for $3.50 for mimosas, Bloody Marys and Screw Drivers and an afternoon happy hour (2 different times to accommodate both seatings) in Mr. Lucky's casino and the lobby bar.

 

Other things of interest the final sea day. Country line dance class, backstage tour, alligator wrestling (???), The Shipyard 300, another ballroom dance class, games, demonstrations, raffles including the bingo win a cruise raffle and jackpot bingo, a final art auction and more.

 

One nice thing I found was that the Capers came in a form that allowed you to tear off the daily activities/food and drink showcase and just fold it into your pocket. Raffle tickets were usually attached to the bottom of each's days list.

[seniram]

Great review!!

 

I think despite the weather most people had a good time that week.

 

Funny, everytime I saw kids in the adult pool I did see security ask them to leave. i guess it depends on who is on duty. One thing that is confusing on the miracle, is at teh exit on the Lido deck that leads to the Adult pool (aft), the sign says "children's pool". I kept meaning to point that out to one of the officers, and it slipped my mind.

 

Anyway, well written review, and a nice picture of you and I (the ghoul) at Sam's that night. SOrry I missed the group shot, must have been one of those rare times I wasn't singing along with michael!

[LHP]

Funny, everytime I saw kids in the adult pool I did see security ask them to leave. i guess it depends on who is on duty. One thing that is confusing on the miracle, is at teh exit on the Lido deck that leads to the Adult pool (aft), the sign says "children's pool". I kept meaning to point that out to one of the officers, and it slipped my mind.

 

Anyway, well written review, and a nice picture of you and I (the ghoul) at Sam's that night. SOrry I missed the group shot, must have been one of those rare times I wasn't singing along with michael!

 

I know what you mean about the Children's Pool sign. What thing I did not see on the Miracle that I did see on the Pride in March was a HUGE sign that said something to the affect NO UNDER 18 right on those sliding glass doors.

I did not see that on the Miracle and it is understandable that some folks may not know that "this" is the aft adult pool talked about in the Capers.

 

The Miracle really needs to get that signage on the doors...and then< of course, enforce it.

 

Did you get any pictures of Michael in the piano bar? Wouldn't you know that I have pictures of all my "singing buddies" except him???

 

Man... I miss that ship!!!

[seniram]

Did you get any pictures of Michael in the piano bar? Wouldn't you know that I have pictures of all my "singing buddies" except him???

 

Man... I miss that ship!!!

 

The only one I have is my wife and I in the foreground, with Michael in th background, kind of from the side. I'm sure someone has a better one.

[seniram]

Did you get any pictures of Michael in the piano bar? Wouldn't you know that I have pictures of all my "singing buddies" except him???

 

Man... I miss that ship!!!

 

The only one I have is my wife and I in the foreground, with Michael in th background, kind of from the side. I'm sure someone has a better one.

[Schasz]

Deb,

Thank you for the superb review, and I found myself feeling sorry that you had rainy weather throughout the cruise; however, you did not let it ruin your vacation. We have ran into times where it rained on cruises but never like you experienced. We are counting the days until our Dec. 10th cruise on the Miracle. We are expecting to have a great time.

 

John & Shari

[MikeNKim]

SOrry I missed the group shot, must have been one of those rare times I wasn't singing along with michael!

 

OK, now I am curious....although I wasn't at the piano bar very often I got there a few times....do you have a picture without the mask so I can tell if I saw you there?????:eek:

 

Great review Deb, wanna go back?????

[hstrybuf]

OK, now I am curious....although I wasn't at the piano bar very often I got there a few times....do you have a picture without the mask so I can tell if I saw you there?????:eek:

 

Great review Deb, wanna go back?????

 

Thanks Kim! Ohhhhh yeah! I'm ready to go now. This getting back to reality is for the birds! Did Mike's folks tell you I talked to them at the airport? We saw you coming through security but I couldn't catch up with you.

 

seniram, and yes I remember your real name, you'll always be my favorite ghoul!

 

LHP, the picture of seniram alone in my webshots pics has Michael in the background with some of his costume on. It was a kerchief on his head. He must have taken off the eye patch at that time. Arrrrrgh mateys! :D

[seniram]

OK, now I am curious....although I wasn't at the piano bar very often I got there a few times....do you have a picture without the mask so I can tell if I saw you there?????:eek:

 

Great review Deb, wanna go back?????

 

I have not put up all my pictures yet but if you go to http://photos.yahoo.com/dlbarreca you should see a Miracle folder with at least one picture of my wife and I in the bar

[seniram]

seniram, and yes I remember your real name, you'll always be my favorite ghoul!

 

 

Aw shucks, nice to have been memorable :)

 

Maybe later today i'll get my pictures up totally on the net. there is a great story that goes with one of them.