Miracle Sailing 10/24 Review

[vermonter16]

OK, just got back this afternoon from sailing on the Miracle...here is the first bit of the review:

 

We had a big group going (about 120 people) and our TA rented a coach bus to take us from Centreville and Sterling. We arrived at the dock around 10:15 to find out that the ship had just arrived... We were able to drive around and unload our luggage into these big containers and then walked into the facility where we were herded into a section and given a zone number. We received zone #1. At about 11:30am we then got herded to the ticketing agents and received our sail and sign boarding cards....then we went back and sat in different chairs. Carnival gave no information, only that there were still well over 1,000 people on the ship...and that we would have to wait. That was ok...however, I wish they had given any estimated time frame....each carnival representative had different information...and DH and I hated that they were selling hot dogs for $3 and $4 a pop when we knew we were just feet away from the "free" food on board. By 1:30pm we were turning into very hungry people... I think we were finally called around 2:15pm to board...and that was a fairly simple process. I think Carnival did a good job in getting folks on board quickly when they finally could. (However, I don't know how the people who had driven themselves felt....we saw long lines of cars just waiting and waiting to be able to drop off their luggage) We were at the front of the pack so we probably didn't experience what other folks did.

 

When we got on board we went right to our cabin...#8235, cat. 9. Lo and behold I forgot to take a picture of it....there was a small foyer when you walked in....a big closet on the left and wall on the right....walk a little further and there was the sofa, coffee table, and tv set high up. Then the room opened up where there was a huge mirror both on the wall over the bed and above the dressing table.... The dressing table was huge and they had a place where they had all kinds of different glasses for drinks and a "bar" area for alcohol. It was pretty darn nice. The bathroom was your regular rinky dink size and so was the shower....no complaints, the shower was great! The balcony was huge! It was very long and wide....could have fit four chairs with room for more on it. The one complaint I did have about this room was that there were always wierd smells in it....sometimes it smelled like garbage...sometimes it smelled like food being cooked, etc.

 

We then went up to the lido...I have never been there on embarkation day and experienced it practically empty...the food was great though I can't remember what I had...I'm a big salad person so I would appreciate the salad bar having more variety but it was still very good. I think DH had some kind of fish... Of course they asked you every few seconds if you wanted the drink of the day...

 

It was cold out and the band was playing but we didn't hang out....we just went to explore the ship. Franksteins Lab was pretty cool! Since we had sailed the Pride almost two years ago we really had no problem finding our way around the ship...it was nice to know where we were going the majority of the time.

 

We had late seating and we wanted to have a light snack ahead of time but were disappointed to see that they had not changed the food. I'm sure this was because everyone had arrived very late. Our waiters for our table were awesome....we were supposed to have two other couples at our table but one couple cancelled out at the last minute and one gentleman decided not to come because his mother was very ill....so the other gentleman decided to switch to an earlier seating....so we were at a huge table by ourselves with two of our friends down the way....we ran back and forth between tables :) Omur the maitre'd said that we could have everyone at our table....but then we all loved our waiters so much we didn't want to change. Our waiters were Wayan and Nengah...loved them!!! The food was excellent every night....never had a bad meal.... More often than not DH either had two entrees or two appetizers....sometimes three....whatever we wanted, they were more than happy to bring.

 

We went to the Welcome Show which was pretty funny! DH and I loved Mark Hawkins....he was fabulous! He called up for five folks who had been in the armed forces so I told DH to run up....it was hilarious...when Mark asked what branch he had served in he didn't say a word until I yelled ARMY...so Mark teased him....he was funny with everyone! ...and we got a free bottle of champagne.

[vermonter16]

The next day was a sea day and I thought it was too chilly to catch any rays though lots of people were....DH wanted to play Fear Factor but didn't get his name drawn so we went to the Art Auction....could not stand the auctioneer. We go to auctions (antique ones and are used to a certain way) and I know the art auction is different but I thought the guy talked way, way too much between items. Plus I'm not a fan of the majority of art they had. So after about 45 minutes we skipped out on that and went to the Lido to find that we had missed lunch....aaahhhhh... I was not a happy camper. So we went to the guessing faces and names game which was ok. We got three sheets of paper and tried to figure out who the people were....we did terrible and when Karl asked who thought they did the worst DH yelled that he had so for being honest he got a ship on a stick....you have no idea how happy he was. That was his goal....he got one from the Pride and now he has one from the Miracle. Then we went to shipboard trivia which was a blast though it was too short. Mark had trivia questions and the first person to raise their hand who got the answer right got a prize. DH got me a free drink of the day.... They also had folks call in from their rooms which was great fun!

 

We got dressed for formal night and had a group picture taken with the TA's group and then went and DH got some sushi and just hung out. Checked out the casion which we did not play in and took some pictures and then went to late dinner. The food was excellent again. After that we went and watched some of the Generations show which you do not want to miss and then to Sam's Piano Bar and hung out....Duane was the pianist and he was ok but there was a gentleman whose name was Gus and he did a better job but he played at Nick & Noras and sometimes did the Piano Bar...that's where he really wants to be but he needed more people to tell Carnival that he did a good job....so at least we did. We then checked out Frankensteins Lab and that was fun depending on what the theme was for the night.

 

Next day was another day at sea. DH and I caught some rays and we like to go to the topless deck (it's very quiet up there) and all adult....but I don't know why they have the area around the top for folks to look over. I don't care so much but it does get annoying when guys are hanging over the rail just gawking. We did shipboard trivia again and DH won me a photo album. We went to the hypnotist show....think it ws on that night...don't know what to think of it. The guy had one woman trying to kill pink spiders, another guy putting band aids all over his face....a woman running off the stage to make out with her husband...it was interesting. Then we went to the comedy show....I fell asleep :)

 

Key West...what a great day....everyone knows Key West so I don't need to say much about it....you guys know. That night we dined at Nick and Noras....for our four hour dining experience....there was a large group of us and we had a good time between our meal and running out to see the lunar eclipse....on the top deck with high wind warnings. They said the wind was keeping steady at 60mph....don't know what that was about. Anyway, I had the 24oz porterhouse which practically killed me....but my TA didn't believe I could do it so of course I had to prove her wrong. The creme brulee was fantastic!!! It really was a superb meal. Afterwards we went down to the cigar bar and the guys smoked cigars...

 

The next day was Nassau and we ran off the ship and did some quick shopping. DH got me a beautiful tanzanite ring at Tanzanite International...then we ran back to the ship, got changed for our snorkeling excursion with Stuart Cove. It was a blast....highly recommend booking this independently if you have the time...if you do it in advance it is $40 pp and they pick you up at the end of the pier. We did a couple of snorkeling sites and then watch sharks feed in the water off of chum they had lowered down....when they raised it up there were all these fins just above the surface...and one shark actually jumped up....it was great! When we got back to the ship....about 5pm we changed and went back out to find everything had closed...it was terrible. The only things open were Senor Frogs and Hard Rock....that was it. Also the Straw Market never opened that day either. It was like a ghost town and I was not happy being there til midnight with nothing to do...so we went back onboard and had dinner....and I'm glad we did it because it was good. Didn't do much after that though....I forget...I think we just went to our cabin.

 

Freeport....we booked the Peterson Cay Kayak and Snorkel....we were supposed to meet at 7:45am but the ship didn't dock until around 8am....we didn't get going until 8:45am which was crummy because when we got back we just had to get back onto the ship. Freeport was decimated....we met our Kayak Guides and they said that Freeport did not look like it normally does. We kayaked about 1 mile to this tiny island.....the kayaking was tough because the current was so strong....DH and I were ready to kill eachother after we finally got there but it was fun and the snorkeling was GREAT! We even got to see an octupus!!!and funny little things that change color and disguise themselves into the rocks... They provided lunch which was actually good....very fresh cold cuts and they had all the fixin's so you could make your own sandwiches...and peanut butter cookies, and water and lemonade. Then we kayaked back....DH and I were ready to kill eachother again :) and then we loaded into vans and went back to the ship....a good excursion but because of the weather the kayaking was a little rough.

 

....I'll finish up with this review tomorrow....tell you about the colors and the last sea day and formal night.....and last day....and debarkation. Think I have to go make something for dinner...not hungry but I feel a need to eat.

 

vermonter16

 

 

....folks are on a cruise to nowhere right now....and I'll bet somebody is also using "my" cabin....

[derf5585]

I was on the Miracle cruise the week before. We were the ones who screwed up your boarding because of the rough weather.

Did you get rough weather when you got past the Chesapeake Bay?

[cyndepet]

Hi Derf - I just got back from the 10/24 sailing too - thanks for making us wait so long to board! Just kidding...like vermonter, we got there earlier in the day and were able to wait in the building for boarding. The seas were a bit rough when we finally sailed (around 7:00, I think) and stayed that way throughout the night. It was still a little choppy on Monday, but not too bad.

 

I signed the log book in the library and saw that you did too. It's a shame that more people from Cruise Critic don't make it in there to sign the book.

 

vermonter - I was up on stage with your husband that first night (I was the 2d to last girl up there - also in the Army!) which one was your husband?

[vermonter16]

Cynde....I was in the library and completely forgot to sign the logbook....and DH and I walked through there a bunch of times.... Anyway, you were probably standing right next to him. He was the real tall one who lifted up Mark's socks after he made a comment about DH's socks... Were you the one that said you didn't do anything interesting? :)

 

Heehee....which team were you on? We were on the blue team and although it was just in fun and you sure didn't get anything for it we loved it. I don't know if you were around for The Weakest Link but DH got all the questions right...nine in a row I think, and then the voted his butt off...

 

I'm back to work right now so I don't have lots of time....write more later.

 

vermonter16

[MrPete]

:) Omur the maitre'd

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vermonter16]

I forgot to mention that DH played the Weakest Link and got nine questions in a row right...then all the women voted him off :)

 

On our last formal night we went to see Ticket to Ride which was excellent! Also if you were dressed up and got there early they offered a VIP seat...total of 6 couples. So we got to sit right up front and had free champagne.

 

On the last sea day the weather was kind of funky...not sure if it was sunny or where quite the sun was shining on the ship but at least it got warm.

 

They had a "scavenger hunt" game for the team colors, we were on the blue team....everybody is assigned a color based on their seating number in the dining room and there were two other teams of red and white. Anyway, they asked for all kinds of silly things and then for a man wearing a womans bra. Well, here we were on the blue team, the team that had led almost all week and there were maybe 8 - 10 of us...while the red and white teams had 50 - 60 each.... So we knew we needed the points and this was one of the only things that we knew we had. I looked around and there were only older women and one was thinking about taking off her bra but I said oh what the heck....so I'm trying to undo it and get it on DH without causing too much of a scene and we finally get him up there and my poor bra was stretched to the max...everybody is laughing and the folks leading it on the stage ask who's bra he has on....and comment about how tight it is around him (I'm shocked we didn't break off the hooks)....just lovely....but we got the 10 points for our team....come to find out we needed them because at dinner that night we only won by like 7 or something.... It was a fun game though. You should have seen the folks make towel animals....it was scary...

 

Every night at dinner was great because the waiters would sing and dance with Omur leading the way....did a conga line on one of the nights...

 

There is so much I'm leaving out now....well, anyway, if anybody has any questions about anything please ask....

 

vermonter16

[vermonter16]

I almost forgot....there were two friends I think who were obviously sharing a cabin....it must have been their first cruise because on the last day when they got their bill....their jaws just hung open. They were at the pursers desk trying to figure out why they had a $2500 bill....needless to say they apparently called home or their friends a lot or something because they said they didn't know it was $9.95 a minute (or whatever it was).... Glad I wasn't them... And Carnival was not going to budge on the bill ( I wouldn't either ) there is only a dialing card right in front of your phone with the rates and also in the information book...they had to figure out how to do it so they had to have looked somewhere but I guess they didn't pay attention....

[cyndepet]

Cynde....I was in the library and completely forgot to sign the logbook....and DH and I walked through there a bunch of times.... Anyway, you were probably standing right next to him. He was the real tall one who lifted up Mark's socks after he made a comment about DH's socks... Were you the one that said you didn't do anything interesting? :)

 

Heehee....which team were you on? We were on the blue team and although it was just in fun and you sure didn't get anything for it we loved it. I don't know if you were around for The Weakest Link but DH got all the questions right...nine in a row I think, and then the voted his butt off...

 

I'm back to work right now so I don't have lots of time....write more later.

 

vermonter16

Yup - that was me! I had absolutely no idea what they were going to have us do up there, and then to see that they kept playing it on tv over and over again. Yikes!

 

One thing about the team colors - we had no idea what they were talking about the first few days. Apparently, all this stuff happens in the dining room after dessert (the singing, dancing, Omur's hellllloooooooooooooo). Our wait staff was so efficient, we were always out of the dining room in about an hour and missed all that. Finally, our waitress Victoria told us to hang around to watch. They did that every night when I sailed the Triumph in February, but I thought maybe they stopped doing it since then. So for those who have never sailed Carnival - stick around until then end of your dinner time if you want to see your wait staff entertain you.

[sunvalley cruisers]

Do they do this after both early and late seating?

 

When did you find out about the color wars? My DH loves this kind of thing so I'm wondering how you got on one of the teams?

[bnbcruisers]

We were "following your ship!" we were on the Norwegian Dawn(our 5th cruise other 4 on Carnival 3 on Legend and one on Victory). Having talked with afew of your guests we found out about the long lines into the pier on Sunday. Lady was in her car for 4 hours! Our problem was a little worse ship was 8-10 hours late getting back to NYC we didn't board until 9:15PM. But the Boston ship was 24 hours late in getting back must have been some storm out there the 22 and 23! Glad we are all home safe and staring to plan out next 2 cruises!

 

Bill

[cyndepet]

Do they do this after both early and late seating?

 

When did you find out about the color wars? My DH loves this kind of thing so I'm wondering how you got on one of the teams?

They told you about the colors on the very first night after dinner, and they do this after both early and late seating.

 

bnb - We kept checking the Dawn out, and it looked really cool. I liked the "palm trees" that lit up at night. You guys had quite the wait too, sounds like more so than in Baltimore!

[kellyccz]

I will be on the Miracle on Thanksgiving Week (Nov 21 - 28) - and am curious where in the Library can I find the log book to sign?

[derf5585]

where in the Library can I find the log book to sign?

 

As you enter at the door closest to the chapel it is in the first bookcase to your right.

[vermonter16]

Bill, how was your freestyle cruising? Did you enjoy it?

[bnbcruisers]

Bill, how was your freestyle cruising? Did you enjoy it?

Yes we did ...On Carnival we always take early seating. but really 5:30 is to early and 8:00 is too late for us!.In freestyle we like the different options. We ate Mexican , Italian and Japanese Hibachi. Carnival gives you the structure so you eat at 5:30 then show is at 7:45. Where as freestyle you tend to eat later 6:30 - 7:30 you miss the early show and sometimes don't want to hang around for the late shows. Your really can't decide in the afternoon where and when you are going to eat. You need to have the plan done a day ahead of time. I think a freesytle cruise is more about the food than a carnival cruise. but the food is great on both. Freestyle they really don't rush the meal to get to the next seating. hope that helps we we be going agasin Bermuda in Spring no Carnival ships going there next year :( and probably the Dawn's western carribean in the fall) hope this answer some of your questions... if you have others please ask.

Bill

[madelinerose]

cynde - Even after I saw you the last time on the ship, I still forgot until the last night to sign the log book. Well, when we went to sign, the person in charge said the book was "locked up for the night" and she didn't have a key.

Kicked myself. I'll sign it the next time, right?

 

Oh well, we really loved the cruise, the Miracle, our cabin, Nick & Nora's and, especially, the CD, Mark Hawkins. Imho, he is absolutely hysterical! We'd cruise with him anytime.

 

Hey, vermonter, We missed you when I met Cynde and Wendy. We sure wished all of those onboard would have shown. We saw Wendy and Bryan at least a dozen times after that and Cynde, maybe 2 or 3 - kept a low profile ;).

 

bnbcruisers - I already booked the Dawn for an 11-day Western Caribbean in 2006, but may change the date because I wasn't even thinking about Spring Break when I booked. May change 3-26-06 to 2-12-06. The Dawn pics look absolutely gorgeous. I'm splurging and booking a suite. I think we will fully appreciate it on an 11 day. You're right - glad we all made it home safely.