A group of 15 of us ranging in age from 13-68 traveled on the Carnival Miracle Western Caribbean New Year's Eve cruise (Dec 31-Jan 7 '07). This cruise was tremendous fun and great value.

The ship's rooms, both the inside and outside cabins, are relatively spacious (closets and bathrooms too - plenty of room to turn around in the shower!) and are well equipped with exceptionally comfortable beds. We enjoyed excellent cabin steward service, a young and consistently friendly/helpful crew, a large variety of healthy and not so healthy food choices (their made to order oven pizza is not to be missed) and average to above average entertainment - the New Year's Eve band was great fun. The ship is kept immaculate by a large clean up crew and it sparkles. And there are plenty of ways to spend extra cash on this gigantic money making machine (casinos, excursions, bars, shops, etc.).

The first stop, Grand Cayman, is a wealthy, clean and picturesque island, with no visible signs of poverty. Some of us did off-shore diving near Eden Roc, a walk from the dock. Stingray City is a main attraction for tourists here. I was sorry we didn't see more of the island. The plentiful shops and restaurants surrounding the dock make for your typical tourist trap. Read more