Carnival Miracle Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,356 reviews

Carnival Miracle - Southern Caribbean

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Miracle
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mgonagl
First Time Cruiser • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Oct 2007

This was my husband's and my 3rd cruise with Carnival. We have previously cruised on the Fantasy and Glory and decided to try a mid-sized ship. We were not disappointed. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and were immediately escorted to the motorcoach for our 10 minute transfer to the port. This took 30 minutes thanks to passengers who boarded the wrong bus, but once we were on our way the embarkation process went as smooth as butter. I broke my foot the week before we left and the Carnival employees were incredibly helpful in getting me a wheelchair (Thank you Patra!) and helping my husband with the luggage. Because of this we were in our cabin within an hour of landing in Florida. Our balcony cabin was very nice, very clean and very comfortable but unfortunately, we never met our cabin stewart. This may be because they sailed from NY to Florida empty to reposition the cruise and the cabins were ready, but I found it extremely odd that we didn't run into the cabin stewart once. They did a good job, but we did have to put the dirty glasses on the room service coffee tray every morning to get them removed. We always had clean glasses, but the dirty ones piled up until we got wise on day 3. The ship was simply amazing. Spotless and gleaming in every public area. Many on this site say the dining room is garish, but I found it charming and the purple "grape" lighting somewhat romantic. The pictures came out great so I cannot complain. The food was absolutely amazing and the staff capable and entertaining. Our waiters were Howard and Duwa, very nice gentlemen who were quick with our favorite tomato bread and very knowledgeable about the food. We had breakfast in the dining room every morning and it was a treat to be served rather then wait in a buffet line. I was able to eat healthier, (they had turkey bacon!) and it was always hot. I don't think we will ever eat breakfast at the buffet again. They even opened early on shore excursion days. For lunch, they had Chinese which I found uneven, some days good, some days not, the deli which was always spot on and pizza. It's not Pizza Hut but not bad. Horatio's had a buffet line of different ethnic foods daily and it was good as well. The burgers were awesome and my hubby loved the hot dogs. Try not to miss the chocolate bar on the last day. It was amazing!

This brings us to the activities. This ship, beyond all others had the best social host team we have ever had the pleasure to know. Our cruise director Brent was dapper, friendly and loads of fun. Our Asst. Cruise Director, Josh, AKA Big Sexy is a huge game show lover, as our we, so we spent a great deal of time together and he made the cruise for us. Josh, if you are reading, Mom and Magnum send a big hug to you guys! This group of guys and a girl make you WANT to participate in the activities. We found this to be the secret of a great cruise as opposed to a good one. Ernie is just a lovely girl and does bingo the best, Fuzzy is great with the game shows and provides the best of "straight man" comic relief for Big Sexy, Big B is also a great straight man for Big Sexy and good with the pool games, and then there's Beef, the South African captain of the Red team. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard as when I watched him host a game show or participate as a panelist on the "Liar's Club." Parents, this is not a show for kids but for adults, it was absolutely hysterical. While speaking of the crew here I should mention that the Captain, his crew and all the workers were really nice and always has a smile and a good morning or good afternoon for every guest they encountered. Ali, our poolside and phantom lounge bar waiter was over the top outstanding, to the point where we would only get our drinks from him. He took excellent care of us, as did our bar waitress at dinner. Truly, I cannot say enough about these dedicated Carnival employees. The company is extremely lucky to have them and we were lucky to have them entertain and take care of us. As far as the shows go, we loved them! Ticket to Ride was incredible, our clear favorite. We enjoyed all but the hypnotist (a load of crap) and the passenger talent shows, which we felt took a night away from the great talent they have on the ship. I really don't wish to see Britney Spears, in person or as an impression. I can get the Enquirer for that so Carnival Bosses, please listen to the Cruise Directors when they tell you that the passengers complained to them. We really did!

Our stops took us to St. Martin, St, Lucia, and St. Kitts just as Noel was arriving in the Lesser Antilles. Now, one could say that a hurricane could ruin a cruise, but how bad can it be when it's 90 degrees? The drinks were just as good and the islands just as beautiful. We did the snorkel catamaran in St. Martin. It was rough seas and no fish to see while snorkeling but the catamaran was really nice and the crew was entertaining. The shopping was ok but the scenery was amazing. St. Lucia was a complete rain out so we shopped in town and Lance, the Carnival shopper helped secure a fabulous deal on an ammolite ring for me. We love Lance! The island was clean and incredibly beautiful. St. Kitts was cloudy but the shopping was fantastic. Watch out for the monkeys at the end of the town near the port. I'm not a fan of wildlife but if you are, you can have your picture taken with them. We also recommend the lime flavored rum. The disembarkation was ok, I waited for a wheelchair and they couldn't start that until all that were carrying their own luggage got off, but once we got going it was quick and easy. In closing, I know I can speak for both of us when I say that this was the best vacation we have ever taken. We met 2 really nice passengers from the Cruise Critic site that we will keep in touch with. It's always great to make new friends! We are also looking forward to seeing our friends on the crew for many years to come!

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