Miracle "Special" Cruise, 12/17/07

[NCTribeFan]

It was only in the 50s that day in FLL! I dressed and went down for breakfast that morning and was freezing, so went back up to the room and put on the turtleneck sweater I'd worn on the flight! I felt like a fool boarding a cruise ship in southern FL wearing winter clothing.

 

I was shocked while watching the weather that morning and they were laughing about the wind chill.

 

The hottest day was probably in San Juan. Hot and sunny but a pretty strong breeze there, too.

 

I'm very cold natured. I took a wrap every evening because I usually freeze in the dining room, but found that I didn't need that on a few nights. The coldest rooms seemed to be the two lounges outside the dining room. Maybe the smoking areas feel colder because of the ventilation systems. I don't know. I was pleasantly surprised that the smoking areas didn't bother me as much as usual. I couldn't tolerate the casino on Elation, but Miracle's was much more "open" with much less smoke.

 

There were some other reviews lately that said the food wasn't as good as they were hoping or were used to and I was hoping this wasn't going to be a trend. I can eat pretty much anything, but I don't think I should have to saw away at a filet mignon. I didn't go hungry, though! :D

 

I did love the chilled fruit soup starters. Those were as good as I remembered. And the lamb and chicken were nice. I'm not a chocolate person, but the Englishman ordered the warm chocolate melting cake every night and loved it.

[msu11y28]

I just did a review of the Victory but I just realized how useless it probably is... your review is filled with great details I didn't even think of adding!

 

Am thinking of doing the Miracle sometime this summer out of NYC, if finances allow, so I appreciated your comments on the decor, room, etc.

 

Am new to cruising/this board so do you mind my asking what this "special" cruise was and why it was done? And were the ports different than usual?

 

Thanks!

[pacerzfan]

Thanks for your review.

[NCTribeFan]

This 12/17 cruise and the 12/24 cruise weren't the usual 8-day cruises that the Miracle does from Ft. Lauderdale. Yes, the ports were different. She usually alternates (I think) St Maarten, St Kitts, St Lucia and the more western Panama, Costa Rica and Belize. Both of those have 4 days at sea.

 

Instead of two 8-day cruises, they scheduled a 7 (ours) then a 9. The 9 day includes both Christmas and New Years, which would've been great fun but was MUCH more expensive than the one I did.

 

I chose our week because that's when we went last year on our 5-day Elation (Grand Turk, HMC & Nassau). I'd wanted to go to San Juan, and the only prior time we'd been to St Thomas, we did an excursion to St John, so this gave us two new ports. I also liked the 4 ports and 2 sea days, since I'd had problems in the past with being seasick. I figured more ports would be better for me. Turned out I didn't get sick at all, and I would've enjoyed an extra sea day (skipping Nassau would've been OK by me). Plus, I had to wait for DD to finish exams and get home. While she's in school and is my traveling companion, I have to take her schedule into account. The timing is great because you don't get quite as many kids, and when you get home, you get a couple of days to recuperate due to the holiday.

 

I keep thinking of more things to add, then by the time I get to the computer, I've forgotten what they were! :o

 

If anyone has other questions, please feel free to ask. As I noted, there were lots of places I didn't frequent and lots of things I didn't do (none of the games or daytime activies or stuff by the pool), but I'll answer what I can.

[shipshapegal]

did you see stevie wonder in the lounge? he sang superstition. what a total surprise! i didn't even know he was on board!

 

and did you see the sailor in uniform and the young girl in the long white gown? that was my granddaughter and he proposed to her that night.

 

we had a lovely time on this cruise. there were 11 of us, all family.

 

smiles, bee

[NCTribeFan]

It seems that Stevie Wonder is on just about every sailing of every ship. Not sure what's up with that, but, no, I didn't see him or them. We only went to the Generations and Ticket to Ride shows.

 

It is interesting how you seem to keep running into the same people. You would think that on a ship with 2,000+ people spread out on 11 levels, that you'd never see the same folks twice.

 

We noticed Calvin the first evening when he exited an elevator to get in line to enter the dining room. He's tall and had on a gorgeous suit! Then, we ran into him later in the gift shop and he and DD struck up a conversation. Then it seemed like we saw him everywhere we went. Yes, he was tall and stood out, but he was everywhere! We walked back to the bus in Charlotte Amalie, and there he was talking to Papa Bear, our tour guide, even though he wasn't on the tour (he joined us, though). It was pretty funny, really!

 

We shared a table to have tea on our 1st day at sea with a nice couple who originally were from Columbia but who now live in Akron, OH. Oh course, being from Cleveland, we had a nice chat about the horrible winter weather in Ohio. Then we kept seeing them everywhere we went.

 

That's one of the great things about cruising. Even if you have absolutely nothing in common with your fellow passengers, you sort of feel like "family" because you're sharing this great experience.

[TallyRockChick]

Thanks for the review NCT! It brought me back! Alice is one reason why I was so glad that we got a 2 top. Knowing me I wouldnt have been able to deal with her and would have said what the doctor said by day 2 and embarrassed the hell out of Lex. Good thing it wasnt me! LOL!

:D

[djcellini]

:D Hello Brandy how the heck are you, hows the weather down there, 12 days until im in sunny Fort Laud....... :D

[TallyRockChick]

Hey DJ! It was about 43 when I went to work this morning here in Tallahassee but its supposed to get up to 70. Im pretty sure its warmer where you are about to be!

[busted81]

I just wanted to say that me and my husband had a run-in with Alice on that ship too. We just got to the cruise terminal on embarkation day, and Alice was behind us. She was fussing and getting all agitated that she was going to have to wait in the long line, and then left.

 

We weren't sure what happened to her, until we saw her being wheeled up to the front of the line in a wheel chair. My husband's response when he saw her was "You can tell she has been on enough cruises to tell exactly how to get what she wants."

 

Even all of the other people at our table knew who she was by the end of the cruise. They were like "oh yeah, that crazy obnoxious lady! She keeps pretending that she needs a wheelchair for everything when she can move about just fine!" That's pretty bad.

[djcellini]

:D Hi Brandy, its proberly 45 ish and Misting here in boring Ct lollll

 

So hows it looking outside now lolll.....

 

So what else is new with you...... :D

[TallyRockChick]

Amazing how everyone knew that lady by the end of the cruise. Just INSANE!

 

DJ - its really nice outside now. Just the right temp. I have a sweater on today but I probably wouldnt need a jacket if I wore it out now. On the way home from work though, thats a different story.

[djcellini]

Hi Miss Brandy, thats good that the weather is nice there, well it suck here I can tell you that hehe.... Few questions lollll, I was reading up on you and your crazy funny post and I was wondering too, Why do people that live in Fl that includes you have an SUV, there is no snow there, when I was down there Last Jan my friend bought a new Jeep Grand Cheorkee I was like dude why, I'd buy like a conventable mustage that had some balls under the hood I tell you.

 

Tats too I see u love them too, I know there addicting too i have a few myself, I already want another one which I will proberly get in Feb..... Mine are of Dave Matthews, I love the dude and the Boston Red Soxs , im thinking of getting the boston B soon lolll, I know I'm bad..... :D

[TallyRockChick]

NCT - sorry for hijacking your great review! :o

 

DJ - the thing with SUV's and Florida I believe is everyone wants to be bigger then the rest. Especially in South Florida. On the roads down there its basically survival of the fittest and the biggest. I personally just dont like driving smaller cars. I like being in the big truck.

[djcellini]

I see hmm lollll, I rather have a fast car than a huge truck lollll, well you can have both lol, I'd drive a Ford Diseal if I was that way,hehe power is the key, but I drive a Maxima which is plenty fast hehe, enough to get one a speeding ticket loll.....

 

U forgot about your tats there miss..... :D

[TallyRockChick]

Oh yeah, the tats are way fun. I want to get more work done on the one on my foot but we shall see. I know they already tolerate the fact that I have tattoos at work, but if I were to add more I would probably have to wear only pants and that would suck in the summer time. I might work on some more on my back, but thats on the back burner for now.

[djcellini]

I rem seeing one on ur leg/foot/ankle am I right about that, I read you had six diff tats, what are they of might I ask, my two are on my left and right legs kinda on the sides lollllll, it hurt more to sit in the chair with my leg the certain way the too feel any pain, the pain is nothing I think it feels pretty cool loll,

 

I work in a small office and I had to walk around for 2 weeks with my pant leg up so that my tat could heal the right way, i fig out the best times to get them and I got one this past March and the other in August, and I'm thinking another in Feb but my leg might get cold lollllll, I have a bro that loves tats too, the dude we go to is the best..... :D

 

Were becoming email buddies while at work here lolll, hey but your really nice and fun to talk to........

[NCTribeFan]

I just wanted to say that me and my husband had a run-in with Alice on that ship too. We just got to the cruise terminal on embarkation day, and Alice was behind us. She was fussing and getting all agitated that she was going to have to wait in the long line, and then left.

 

We weren't sure what happened to her, until we saw her being wheeled up to the front of the line in a wheel chair. My husband's response when he saw her was "You can tell she has been on enough cruises to tell exactly how to get what she wants."

 

Even all of the other people at our table knew who she was by the end of the cruise. They were like "oh yeah, that crazy obnoxious lady! She keeps pretending that she needs a wheelchair for everything when she can move about just fine!" That's pretty bad.

 

Yep. She didn't admit that that was what she had done, but she implied it. She also said that last night that she had kept the wheelchair in her cabin, and that she had #1 tickets to disembark.

 

What struck me as odd was that, while we were waiting to disembark, she was included in the group of names that they were announcing as needing to go to the purser's desk to settle their account! A little while later, they called just her name and I started wondering if it was possible to disembark without settling your account!

 

Surely, when you start to get off and have to put your S&S card in, if you are a cash passenger and haven't settled, they won't let you off! That would've been so much fun! Have the hag trying to sneak off the ship in a wheelchair without paying up.

 

I'm definitely going to write to Carnival about her. I know her cabin number and full name and I'm going to tell them she's a fraud. I hope there are Carnival employees who read this board!

[asader83]

NCT- How did you stay at that table all week? Mad props to you, for doing it, because I, like many others stated here, don't think I would have made it past the first night, let alone all 7! I guess patience is one of your strong points, which says a lot about you as a person. You sound incredibly kind for putting up with that. I just hope she didn't ruin your overall experience on the Miracle.

 

Some days/times at sea, I like to escape for a little while on my own and just read a book, write in my journal or reflect. Is there a place on board that you can recommend that would be good for that? Thanks in advance!

 

asader83

[chitown cruisers]

Some days/times at sea, I like to escape for a little while on my own and just read a book, write in my journal or reflect. Is there a place on board that you can recommend that would be good for that? Thanks in advance!

 

asader83

If I may..........one of the quietest interior spots is "Gatsbys garden".....nice window seats.

[Skeeter1602]

Hi Miss Brandy, thats good that the weather is nice there, well it suck here I can tell you that hehe.... Few questions lollll, I was reading up on you and your crazy funny post and I was wondering too, Why do people that live in Fl that includes you have an SUV, there is no snow there, when I was down there Last Jan my friend bought a new Jeep Grand Cheorkee I was like dude why, I'd buy like a conventable mustage that had some balls under the hood I tell you.

 

Tats too I see u love them too, I know there addicting too i have a few myself, I already want another one which I will proberly get in Feb..... Mine are of Dave Matthews, I love the dude and the Boston Red Soxs , im thinking of getting the boston B soon lolll, I know I'm bad..... :D

 

Hey DJ. almost all of the SUV's in FL are 2 wheel drive. I think people get them for size, and people carrying capabilities. If I lived in FL I would have a Mustang GT500 Convert, and a f-250 crewcab Diesel. (one of the older ones with a 7.3 so I can add some power goodies to it!!!:D)

[djcellini]

Hey DJ. almost all of the SUV's in FL are 2 wheel drive. I think people get them for size, and people carrying capabilities. If I lived in FL I would have a Mustang GT500 Convert, and a f-250 crewcab Diesel. (one of the older ones with a 7.3 so I can add some power goodies to it!!!:D)

 

 

Hey I'd take a Mustang GT 500 or a brand new Vet ZO6 anyday if I lived in Florida too , maybe one day I'll move to Florida after I graduate from Law School and pratice down there, that would be fun...... :D :D

[djcellini]

Miss Brandy must be really busy at work or really tired today..... :p

[Cruise-aholic]

Very easy to digest as you did a fine job separating your thoughts onto different pages. A very pleasurable read that brought back many good memories of the Miracle for me.

 

To date she is my favorite ship.

Thanks......

[Froufie]

Hi Joan!

 

Sorry I missed you at the meet and greet - but now that I have seen the pics I know I saw you a few times around the ship!!!!

 

...and as for meeting people - I was at 'teatime' on first sea day - alone and a nice couple asked if they could sit there - sure - where are you from they ask? Ottawa Canada I say - where are you from - Ottawa, Canada they respond - Well you can only imagine once we got talking that not only did we live close to each other we even had some friends in common - what a small world! - and yes we ended up seeing them here and there all over the ship (and she won the gift shop shopping spree as well!).

 

Sorry about the 'alice' experience - you are a stronger woman than I! We also loved the Miracle and the layout - despite the 'abundance' of grapes (I now have this wierd aversion to the color purple :D). I actually liked the cooler weather as it was much more comfortable than my last cruise where we were literally roasting every day!

 

Loved Music Manila - Hated Larry the Piano guy (Carnival are you listening? get rid of him!)...couldn't even stand using the computers in the internet/library room cuz I could hear him singing next door!

 

And I know that was not really stevie wonder altho he did a fabulous impression and I bet a lot of people were fooled (included my ds until I burst his bubble!).

 

Food was good but I agree that the beef dishes are usually hit or miss - much better results at Nick and Nora's tho! Very yummy.

 

..and too funny about your shady/sunny balcony - we were on the starboard side and I noticed on the way out we had lovely sunshine on our balcony - but on the way back I had to visit the lido and sun decks cuz our balcony was too cool and shady!

 

Loved the pics too - working on posting mine soon!

 

Frouf