We chose a cruise on Carnival Miracle as we had been on a previous cruise on Carnival Spirit and loved it. Embarkation day at Long Beach was quite chaotic. There were queues for miles, not helped by a technical issue which delayed boarding. We purchased Faster to the Fun and were very pleased we had - it was worth every cent! We were on board in no time and got to have lunch before the crowds arrived. Our cabin (5109) was ready and luggage arrived quickly.
We had dinner at the Steakhouse on the first night and thought the food was very good. Breakfast the next day was a different story. The food was cold and inedible. We spoke with one of the hostesses in the dining room (Chonchon) and she made sure our meals were hot from then on. Every morning and every night she would call by our table to make sure we were happy which was great. We enjoyed drinks in the Lobby Bar and Catherine was by far the best of the bar staff there.
The Serenity area is good - it is nice to have somewhere without children running around. We were a bit disappointed in the shows and thought they were better on Carnival Spirit. We also went to the Chef's Table which we didn't enjoy as much as Carnival Spirit's Chef Table.
Nice cabin with plenty of room. The bed was comfortable. Balcony was a good size but it was too windy to be out there when the ship was sailing.