Background -- My husband booked our trip about three weeks before sailing and was able to secure a last minute deal on deck 6 with a balcony (cabin 6244/cat 8D). There are 3 of us-husband, wife, and 11 year old son. This was my husband's 10th cruise, my 8th, and our son's 6th. We've cruised RCI, Princess, Celebrity, and CCL. We chose Miracle for ports, ratings/reviews, and over all value. We flew from Nashville to Tampa the morning of departure (7/31)on SWA, took taxi to port ~$20, and were on the ship within an 1 hour or so after stepping off our plane. This was our second cruise on CCL (Triumph 2002).
Ship -- The ship's decor is what you expect from CCL, very open spaces, neo-eclectic style in the public areas. We first went to check out our cabin and found it adequate, plenty of storage, comfortable bedding, and clean. You have to keep in mind you are not at the Ritz. Balcony was very private. The sofa was a sofa only for first day. Our steward kept it made for my son the rest of the time. I'm sure she would have not done that if we'd asked but no big deal. We asked our cabin steward to empty the mini bar, and she did with no problem...very accommodating as we found all of the staff to be all week. She even iced our cooler iced down (that we brought on board filled with soda, water, and adult beverages). Overall the staff was consistently very friendly and attentive, which contributed to our excellent cruise experience.
For dining we had a booth at the back of the ship with a lovely view at the 1st seating. The food in the main dining room was exceptional. Just as we found on Triumph, the menu offered unique variety that are not typical of other cruise lines. For example, I have had quail twice, first on Triumph, and then savored a stuffed quail presentation again on Miracle. Each night there is a choice of the Chef's recommendation, which I did most evenings, and was very pleased with the selection. All of the fish dishes were very good. My husband and son enjoyed the steak and lobster. Although filet mignon was not on the menu every night, our wait staff clued us in that you could order a filet any evening (which my husband did enjoy). We heard that Nick and Nora's was excellent, and was worth the $30/each, but we didn't feel the need to shell out $60 + wine with the selection and quality of the food in main dining room. The restaurant on Lido deck was good. The layout is a little confusing at first. Just know that every corner station is usually not the same, and offers different selections that you should survey before you decide. The 24 hour pizzeria is far above any we've found on other cruise lines. My DH and my favorite was the de Chevre (goat cheese, mushrooms, garlic). I'm not a big breakfast eater, but my DH and DS loved the omelet station and real bacon (something they don't get at home). The fruit is yummy and great to have such selection to choose from. 24 hour juice, punch lemonade at no additional cost on Lido. However, in the dining room they will charge you. We brought lemonade singles to add to water there since our son is not really a soda drinker. On 2 there is a dessert and coffee shop that my son and I stopped at every night after kid's club so he could get chocolate cake for a minimal charge of $2.