The 8 day out of Fort Lauderdale was pretty good. We had a group of 40 or so that take a cruise together eaxch year. Having sailed on the Legend last year we thouht that the Miracle would be pretty much the same. A few things have changed since last year. The Captians welcome party is differnet ( they discount drinks by $1.00). I was in contaxct with a CC group and we had a cocktail party on Wednesday night that was fantastic. The Miracle is not as bright and flashy as the Legend. The Casino did not have as much diversity of machines as other ships that I have been on. We sailed on Monday the 19th. It started out pretty raw ansd dreary, but by Tuesday the weather had change and so had everyones spirits. The three islands ST. Maarten, Lucia and Kitts were wonderful. The drinks on the Miracle have gone up a great deal since last year. A Margerita or Jack and coke were $10.00 with gratuity. On Saturday and Sunday night there wasn't much going on from 8:00 till 11:00. except the casino. All in all the trip was relaxing. The food was up to par. THe entertainment was good except I didn't care for the Legends night or the Frank Sinatra / Sammy Davis tribute. I would take the trip again but now I know to have some reading material to get me through the slow times. This was my first Platinum cruise and Carnival does a great job with this perk. My wife loved the wash and fold service. We will not pack as many clothes next time.