We chose this cruise because we had always wanted to go through the Panama Canal. We only could take two weeks off from work, so this was the cruise we chose. This was a repositioning cruise for the Miracle, but Carnival also billed it as a Panama Canal cruise. PROS: Our stateroom (an obstructed view balcony) was large enough for two people and kept well cleaned and stocked by our excellent steward, Lindon. The obstruction of our view was not bad at all, and consisted of a lifeboat that came about up to our ankles. Our servers in the main dining room, Roxana, IWayan, and Indrawan, were excellent. The cruise had numerous sea days, which was very relaxing. The fun squad kept us busy with lots of trivia and games. Food was delicious, and there was plenty of fresh fruit and veggies. Minimal chair hogs and dinner lines, the cruise was not fully booked. Embarkation was fast and easy, about 10 minutes from curb to lido deck. This crowd was a little on the geriatric side with loads of diamond and platinum members. Everyone made it to the muster drill, and everyone made it on time after being ashore. We did the Chef's table, it was excellent and well worth the money. Singh and Helen at the service desk were very helpful. CONS: Carnival needs to take a look at their cruise passenger demographics before a cruise. This cruise was filled with senior citizens (there were only 11 children on board!) that were on a bucket list cruise. We went through the panama canal during mid-day (which was too hot for these seniors), people were understandably standing out on deck to see the locks, and Carnival could have provided some cooling measures like iced washcloths and cool drinks. I did see some cool drinks being handed out, but none never made it to the forward lido deck where there were about 250 passengers. Also, put some chairs out on the forward lido deck! We were standing for hours in the hot sun. With all the sea days, I would have appreciated some chairs out on the outside promenade deck. It's nice and quiet down there, and a great place for reading, but only if there's a chair there to sit on. Carnival advertised this cruise as a Panama Canal cruise, but we were given minimal information the actual day of the canal transit. They did have some sort of (pilot?) guy that made about 10 short announcements over the course of the 13 hour transit, but that was it. No guest speaker the night before that told us what to expect, or about the history of the canal, or any other speakers. There was one Academy of Fun guy, but he talked about space, astronomy, astronauts, etc. He was great, but it would have been more appropriate to talk about the canal that was on all of our bucket lists. Seriously, Carnival, what would it take to get some history buff speaker? Or a civil engineer? Debarkation was terrible, and I've never ever said that before in any of my reviews. Not sure if the ship arrived late or what, but debarkation started about an hour late. We didn't get off the ship until almost 11, and we were in the middle of the crowd. Read Less

We decided on the Carnival Fantasy because of the Panama Canal Transit. We had never wanted to cruise Carnival because of the reputation of "Party Ship" but the cost was great and the timing was perfect so we took a chance on the September 16th, 11 day cruise out of Mobile, AL. This ship was so far above my and my husbands expectations. It had just received very bad news coverage from a disgruntled inspector (after we purchased the cruise), and we were already risking the party atmosphere. We were so shocked to find not one of the things we had read or heard about the ship to be true. The staff was amazing and went above and beyond to know who we were and how to make each moment more enjoyable. This was a Journey cruise (over 10 days) so we were with this staff longer than most. We found relationships built that were genuine and positive. The captain was great at keeping us in touch and informed which made it a positive interaction as we sailed. The meet and greet with the staff was elegant and professional – as well as very entertaining with the professional ballroom dancers and Shipmonk’s performing the perfect mood setting music. Drinks were flowing and appetizers and staff met with the elegant ambiance they had set for the evening. The dinning staff was attentive to our every need - greeting us by name and having the things we enjoyed on the ready. Seon, Lady Ann, Pratama, Kataporn and Ola (short version of Ola's name) were dining room stars! Singing, smiling and ensuring our water was always topped off, our sides were always ready and available and any extra’s or additions were cared for. The cleaning staff was amazing! They were constantly wiping windows/handrails/glass as well as vacuuming and cleaning floors. Seti cared for our stateroom in way that made it a place to look forward to coming back to so we could see the surprises he had laid out for us! Selva was one who constantly worked! From the day we got on board and he was getting the luggage out … to meeting him all over the ship as he cleaned, vacuumed, mopped, dusted and always smiling and wishing us a good day. It was a pleasure to have Seti and Selva on the cruise! There was nothing about our Carnival ship that lived up to any negative reputation which had proceeded it. It was clean, run well, fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Marty was the Cruise Director for the first part of the trip and Rico the Cruise Director for the last. They were amazing! Why different Cruise Directors on one cruise? There was a special event we never know about held where Carnival and St. Jude’s are in a partnership, Carnival does various little events on ships to raise money they give to St. Jude’s. This was so touching to learn about. We had our fund-raiser onboard and our ship raised over $15,000 for St. Jude! It was incredible to be a part of. But, back to the reason Marty left the ship mid-way. Marty was selected as one of a very few Cruise Director’s to go and present St. Jude with the monies raised, as well as getting the opportunity to meet with some current families at St. Jude and talk with staff to see exactly how the monies are used to help each family personally. It was a blessing to learn of Carnivals involvement with such a wonderful purpose. Once Marty left and Rico took over – it was just as amazing and Rico’s heart and joy were evident in his calling as Cruise Director. The promotion mid-trip allowed us all to see how much each person values their various roles onboard. The majority of the staff was just as much as professional and fun while being available to complete whatever task was on hand for them. Even in the photo department the ship was not pushy in any way and we found Fresca was so kind and yet fun and willing to capture a great shot, or let us move on by when she saw it would be an interruption. That alone was amazing. The ports of call were different on Carnival than other cruise lines. They ensure you have a wonderful experience if you are even just visiting the port. It was cleaner and easier to get off and back on the ship than others we have sailed. The excursions were well explained and when we did take them (we did not at each port) the staff was highly educated in the experience we were about to embark on. The transportation was in new buses with air conditioning and bathrooms, locations were clean and organized and it was safe and so fun and entertaining! Overall we had so many positive experiences and interactions on our Panama Canal cruise we were amazed. It wasn't all perfect, as with anything when you are with people in the same place for 11 days there will be a snafu to two, but the good was actually great and we are looking forward to taking future cruises with Carnival - hoping to run into some of the same staff again to catch up and see how they are doing – as well as meeting up with people we met on the cruise for creating new memories to last a lifetime. Thank you Carnival for completely changing our impression and view of Carnival cruise line. We are glad we took a chance and grateful for the amazing Panama Canal crossing experience! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was a newly renovated ship going on a 14 day cruise, I was very upset by some extremely negative reviews right before going on this cruise and i wish to put everyone else at ease, we have been on 3 other cruises and so far, 5 days in this one is the best so far. I realize that there was a few bugs they needed to work out the first few cruises out of the renovation but things are running very smoothly on this 4th cruise of this ship, i have not seen any construction or finishing that is still not complete, so far no sewer issues. The buffet is very crowded during peak times but we knew this in advance and just worked around it. We have been eating at other venues or during non peak times. Love the blue iguana cantina, guys burger joint and the pig and anchor bbq, the bbq we did on embarkation day, it was like no one even knew it was there!! No lines, i recommend the beef, super tender!! Everything is so new and beautiful, everyone has been super helpful. Our room steward gave us a box fan for my hubby, it's been a life saver!! My advice is to ask for something, you never know if they might have it. Love the ropes course and water slides, never any lines, loving the comedy and entertainment, cruise director Chris is a blast. My daughter has trouble making friends but the youth crew has made things super fun and she had friends by the second day. I can't say enough about the great time we are having on this beautiful ship. It makes me sad that people only leave reviews when they want to complain, life is too short to be negative!! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it went to Costa Rica where neither of us have been, The Panama Canal which neither of us have been to either. We haven't been to Half Moon Cay either. My wife once went to Grand Cayman more than 30 years ago though. My wife has mobility problems and the many sea days appealed to us. We have been on this ship before, as the Carnival Triumph three times. So this was our fourth time on this vessel although it has been remade since. The embarkation process went smoothly. Did notice that keys to staterooms are no longer given out at embarkation. Stateroom attendant leaves key at stateroom. Can be bad if wrong person gets it. They no longer take picture and use picture on passport for identification. Staterooms weren't ready so we dropped off carry on luggage and went to Lido Deck for refreshment. You will find things about our stateroom in the stateroom section below. The food in the dining room isn't as good as it used to be. The Carnival Sunrise has a new Executive Chef. He likes to cook with spices. We, wife included, do not like spicy food. Ate Salmon most nights. The Beef Wellington, had on one of the three formal nights was good. Most desserts were good. Ate two at times. My wife spread out what she had to other things. Many things were good, service didn't meet former Carnival standards although most times was acceptable. The pizzeria was very good and ate there most days after got finished playing in the casino. The food on the Lido Deck was pretty good too. Had a few burritos that were very good, some of the food at the buffett was good as was the Deli. The Deli had long lines and most times didn't want to wait on them. About Entertainment and Activities: The shows were okay. My wife liked them. We had seem them before. Missed two shows due to doing other things. The enrichment talks were good. As a veteran liked the veteran meeting, and enjoyed the veteran's table at the high tea. Like playing in the casino. Played there every night. Most times played at the craps table and at times played slot machines. My wife likes to play slot machines. Met some people that were known from other cruises. Even made a few new acquaintances, a rarity for me, in the casino. The staff at the craps table was pretty good. They were for the most part, very competent dealers, box men, and pit bosses. Hope they are there when I next go on the Carnival Sunrise in the fall. The Cruise Director was Chris "The Flying Scotsman" Williams. He is a very good Cruise Director. It is no mistake that many of his people are getting promoted. Also of note, although many passengers didn't seem to like Adam, he is very competent and will one day make a fine Cruise Director himself. Houston is a very funny guy. One day he will be a very fine comedian. However, he does many things well on the activities staff. He should be given a night at the comedy club. One day, he might even make a fine Cruise Director. Disembarkation was a complete disaster. They were slow in getting luggage set up in the terminal and that was why we had long waiting times. Had to explain to car service why it took us so long to get off the ship. Next time bring fewer clothes and use laundry room more. Read Less

I stayed on Riviera Deck Midship. No balcony but spacious except for the shower. There was a lack of storage space and Small tiny nightstands. We moved the life vests and placed them under the bed so we could use the closet space. It had a nice size tv, we just watched ship cameras or ship location channels. Only used one electrical outlet to plug in our multiport gadget to charge our electronics. The toilet made an unusual sound of a long foghorn after flushing and since I use the toilet 4 times during the night, I thought would wake everyone on my side of the ship. There were no complaints, thankfully. And of course our stewards were courteous and friendly. There was garbage odor on some elevators and smoke throughout the Casino. Deck 3 and 4 were were a pain since at one point or another, a restaurant blocked the front to aft part of the deck. Our Time Dining we requested same waiter Camilo. He is GREAT. Sang songs and danced on some nights. Really great and funny individual. Request for a table he manages and you wont be disappointed. I selected foods I knew I liked so To me, the food was good. Im not a sun worshipper so I wont comment on the pools and chairs. The jogging track is a bit small but I enjoyed the Rope Course. It was complicated at first due to my big gut, but once I got the know how, it was a piece of cake with a bit of sweat of course. Guys Burgers are delicious, the pizza is so-so. Breakfast is same each day with no variety. Had to skip the Midnight Buffet with the Ice And food sculptures due to the mob trying to take pix and the LINE seeming endless. But Im sure it was delicious. ( I didnt gain any weight that night) Bartenders and staff introduced me to some delicious drinks. There were a couple good shows with the singing and dancers but wasnt interested in hypnotism and card tricks. The good seating area in the Liquid Lounge is small. There are poles blocking the way, lighting fixtures if youre too high up, and cant see the stage at all if youre anywhere to the side of the stage. Remodeled and all, from 1 to 5, I rate the ship a 3. Fun Factor I rate the ship a 3 as well. Friendliness I rate it a 5 There were not enough sanitizers and people were hardly using the ones available. I rate cleanliness a 4. Read Less

We got disable-room , hard to get ,we like 14 days cruise. And was done over. Our balcony was not for wheelchair or scooters ,very narrow ,and doors were old ,we also got locked out .The room was very nice ,clean,great handicap-room . Spa was disappointing ,thermal loungers were in a small room ,only 6 ,no other chairs. Would not give us a refund ,waste of our money. The Flying scotsman was the Best ,the shows were great ,food was good. Room service was good. Embarking was confusing ,the staff did not know how to help. We went to the Musterstaion and were told it was on 3 deck ,not there ,hard to get back on the elevators ,when we got there ,it was over. They were bringing luggage to the rooms ,so most of the elevators were closed. Disembarking was a nightmare , we waiting over 3 hours before we got somebody to take us out with the wheelchair. Was so disorganized ,they did not have the staff to help the handicap . Everybody was so upset. SO the cruise was disappointing ,because the staff was not trained to do their job. Not going back on the Carnival . Read Less

We have taken 21 cruises in the past 6 years. This was our first and probably our last on Carnival. First I will discuss the positive features of our cruise. We were on the 14 day cruise out of NY going to the Panama Canal. The food was excellent. We had lobster tails 2 nights and filet mignon on 1 night. The dinner choices were excellent! The had a brunch several mornings where Filet Mignon was also offered! The buffet had many choices. Good burgers, Tacos, Burittos and Pizza and Delli sandwiches. Pizza was offered 24 hours a day which was a plus. As far as entertainment goes the shows were good. We also saw a couple comedy shows which were average. The plus on this cruise were the DJ Xtreme and The Flying Scotsman the cruise director. They were amazing! They were by far the best DJ and the best cruise director we ever experienced on a cruise! As far as the cabin goes we were in 7335 an inside cabin. It was spacious for an inside cabin. Plenty of closet and storage space! Great lighting. Those are our positives regarding the cruise. Now for the negatives. The room was warm. We like to always cool down the room as soon as we arrive. After a day we knew that would not be possible. The thermostat was on the coldest setting yet it was warm and stuffy. We called customer service many times. By the way most times they do not answer their phones and you need to go to from desk. They checked the room and left us a note that the temperature was in the normal range set by Carnival. (74 is normal). To us its warm! Other cruises we can get it down to 68-70. about 5 days into the cruise we complained again about the heat to a night person at the desk. She said she will send someone. Miraculously they did an adjustment and we were happy for several day as the temperature was a constant 68.2! That didnt last for too many days! The temperature rose again to 74 and of course we complained and Carnival said its normal! We then gave up. The temperature around the ship is very uneven. For example, the dining room was cool yet the comedy club would be stifling hot. Even the comedian made a joke about the heat! Obviously the ship has not corrected their air conditioning problem! . The next issue was the plumbing. Its still in bad shape. Our toilet would make loud gurgling sounds at any time of the day for no apparent reason! Once it sounded like it was going to explode! We taped the noise on our phone and showed it to customer service and they just shrugged. A few times the toilet did not flush at all for an hour or 2 nd they start working again. We heard an entire line of toilets were not working for a good part of the day one day. As for the public bathrooms, they were dirty. Carnival cut corners not cleaning bathrooms as often as needed. Locks on bathroom stalls were broken. toilets didnt flush, many times paper towels was missing to hold the door open when leaving. I wish i had a list of all the times there was no soap in the soap dispenser in the mens room! The next problem was the condtion of the ship. Its obvious they fixed the atrium and updated many areas of the ship. But many areas were left in poor condition. There was rust in many areas of the ship. On deck 9 near the pool the floor was all rusted out, there were plastic buckets collecting the water dripping from deck 10 and the grating near the bathrooms was loose and people were constantly tripping on it! On deck 11 we sat by the pool and after a rain the water was running down the rusted stairway in buckets. On deck 9 the metal moulding was being held together with masking tape! Service in the dining room was bad. We had a "senior waiter" for most of the cruise for dinner. He would forget a dish here and there til we finally gave up asking... butter was not given even though we requested it twice. I asked for a club soda with desert every night. I received it maybe 5 out of 14 nights! Courses would be served fairly fast until dessert,.Then came the lull... we would wait maybe 30 minutes for dessert. Teaspoons were not to be had. They were not in our place setting and we had to ask every night. No one ever came to clean up the crumbs on our table after the main course. We would just do it ourselves. Breakfast service was no better. you had to ask many times to receive the items ordered. The condition of the ship as bad as previously described. The entrance to the limelight club had this red carpet that curled. Trip hazard but no one cared! There were broken ice machines in the buffet, electronic door out of order to name a few other problems. Guest services was clueless. For the most part they all were pleasant and courteous. But they did NOT answer phones when you called from the room! we asked them several questions at the front desk and they rarely had the answers. Obviously they were poorly trained about the ship features and events. Norovirus. This ship is an accident waiting to happen. There is a severe lack of hand sanitizers. Soap dispensers in the bathrooms are empty many times. Lack of paper towels to open bathroom doors. The crew is NOT proactive to prevent norovirus. Also the choice of tv stations was bad. We did not have CNBC or Bloomberg. We did not have CNN or any equivalent news station. The tv did not function properly. One station you could barely hear and another station would be blasting! To sum up, the food and dj and cruise director were great. The ship was in bad shape and crew was not properly trained. The ship probably need another week or two in drydock and was taken out too soon for the sake of profits. Read Less

In the past, two of my favorite things about Carnival cruises were the Deli, where I looked forward to having a great pastrami sandwich every day for lunch, and the adult entertainment, which always made us laugh out loud. On Carnival Sunrise, the deli was average at best - went there on the first day for my pastrami sandwich but never went back. The sandwich was dry, the bread was dry, the service was blah. We did get to go to the adult entertainment, which was very good, but not because we always wanted to. Sometimes it was our only choice. The redesign of the ship, which made room for more cabins, took away a significant amount of public spaces. There is very little space in the theatre – no way it can accommodate even ¼ of the people on the ship. And despite what it says in the marketing materials, there is no internet café so you better bring your own tablet or laptop. There is no library, which is truly sad because on a 14-day cruise you will most likely read one book and head to the library for another. And there is really only one area on the ship where you can sit and read – it has about 25 seats. During our 14-day cruise, we got to see the crew talent show only once. Why? Because our late seating dinner got us to the theatre too late -- all of the seats were taken -- all of the time. And it wasn't just because of our choice of late dinner. Scheduling activities on the ship was horrendous. Often there was something (like a game show) in the theatre right before the crew show - so folks from earlier dinners went to see it and just never left. When we realized that the only way we would get to see the show was to sit on the stairs, we would rush to the Limelight Lounge to try to catch the adult comedy show. And sometimes that too was filled to capacity – no seats. Another issue with the Limelight Lounge was finding it/getting to it. If you came out of the restaurant you could walk 25 feet right into the lounge. But for some dumb reason, they would rope off the area and make you go up a flight of stairs and through the casino to get on line for the Lounge. The smoke from the casino permeated way passed the casino – you could smell smoke in the elevators and for quite a distance on the adjacent floors. They also did not offer even one night of non-smoking in the casino. On the topic of activities, there were many days when the entire afternoon was trivia after trivia after trivia. Really? That's the best you can offer? While searching in the first days for what I soon learned was the non-existent internet café, I had the chance to speak with a woman who had been on the Carnival Triumph 8 times. She hated what they did to “her” ship and agreed with me on many issues about the lack of space overall. Food: most evenings we sat with our family for the late seating dinner. Our servers were great – funny and attentive. But the service overall was erratic. Some nights everything went smoothly; other nights things were not hot or the wrong dish was served. Don’t know if that was a kitchen issue or if it was our servers.... Food in the buffet area was mediocre and the lines really, really long at just about any time of day. The bakery section needs a real overhaul. Every day they put out cookies that literally fell apart when you tried to pick them up with the serving spoon. How difficult is it to realize that the bowl is filled with broken cookies and crumbs everyday – so change the recipe!!!! Also, there were usually four or five different cakes to choose from – they all tasted the same. We would recommend going upstairs to the Italian restaurant for lunch. They don’t really advertise it, so we stumbled upon it. When you get upstairs (from the buffet area), you will be given a seat number and a form to fill out. On the form you can request specific items in your pasta and it will come to you fresh and hot. That was great. Not so great is that you had to ask for something to drink – ice tea or lemonade. And that would put the server out – “Ok, I’ll try to find some for you!” Why not include space on the form for a beverage – too logical perhaps? The Captain’s party, which was held toward the end of the cruise, was in the theatre. If you are seated anywhere other than the main floor, good luck getting a drink or any hors d’oeuvres. There is no way the servers are going to be able to get to you or climb through groups of people to do so. That’s my take on the Carnival Sunrise. I usually pick a destination and then see which cruise line will get me there within my timeframe for travel and within my budget. I definitely wanted to see the Panama Canal, and the price was right for this cruise. However, I will not take another cruise on the Carnival Sunrise. And sadly, if this ship’s redesign is the wave of the future for cruise ships, I guess I will be cruising less. 25 nights on Carnival 127 nights on Princess 60 nights on Holland America 32 nights on Norwegian Read Less

The only the enjoyable thing on this cruise were the fellow passengers. Staff: Unless they were working for extra tips at the bar or trying to sell you something, they looked and acted miserable. Some practically falling over tired. Food: Im used to military gally food, and thats what they served. And it was the same food served in all four restraunts with only the $40 steakhouse having something different. Cabin: Average size but HOT! Air conditioning was working all over the ship, but not in our room, even the minifridge quit. We tried several times to get customer service to help without success. Slept with wet towels to try and stay cool. Entertainment was more focused on gambling/sales. Comedians and trivia hosts were trying their hardest but were at it for hours and ran out of good jokes. We ended up just playing drinking card games with other guests. Services were adverage, except for the hard sell for the spa/botox. Only had ome working ellipticle. DONT pay the $60 for the VIFP upgrade. Everyone who already sailed with Carnival gets it for free. So you dont get on or off the boat early, you wait for cabin to be called like anyone else. Just another ripoff. Read Less

Cruised with my 20 YO Granddaughter. Had a great time despite having very few younger people on the ship. First time to Panama Canal. Tampa embarkation is a little more difficult to me having to park across the street but ok. Got right on the ship. Cabin was in good position on the ship but Cabin steward was not the best I ever had. Enjoyed the entertainment. Food was adequate but not anything to rave about. Both excursions that we took were fantastic. They cancelled one that we booked with Carnival so we took one from the port at Grand Cayman. The ship is in good shape and I liked the gaudiness. It reminded me of the good old days of cruising. Didn't miss Guy's Burgers, the grill took it's place and was good. Debarkation was easy. Off the ship with my own luggage and on the way home at 8:15. Read Less

Going to Panama canal was the highlight of our cruise...friendliest people onboard crew was excellent, dining room very slow ..plan on spending 2 hours there ...shows old school nothing fancy, bands in red frogs excellent mainly female front/male front musicians excellent...being a musician vocalist I love good harmonies great songs, karaoke was magical fun with great bunch of people...drawback ..karaoke was 3rd to 5th day and I think they should had it from 1st day to last night since everyone enjoyed karaoke. Excessive amount of Bingo and trying to push selling jewelry which was a turnoff. Excursions were excellent. Embarkation smoothly and debarkation smoothly. Panama canal was interesting ..would have enjoyed getting off ship to view from outside or even excursion of panama the city. The ship dining room was very unusual colorful and enjoyed it. Miracle is nice sized ship not too big or not too small. Enjoyed the cruise. Read Less

Cruising the Panama Canal was on my husbands bucket list so this cruise was a birthday gift for him and our 29 year old son. This was my 28th cruise with Carnival and the second time on the Miracle so I'm not new to evaluating what works and what doesn't on these ships. I've sailed pretty much every class as well. The Ship - So the Miracle is not the newest or my favorite. But it was a nice size and easy to navigate. Yes the crew is always working hard to keep it clean and updated. I see that on all the ships. We had a suite for the three of us and the balcony was extended and really nice. The cabin itself was nice as well. Very roomy for three adults and our ac worked just fine. The Crew and the Passengers - Probably one of my favorite of all cruises. The prior weeks cruise was spring break so they were thrilled to have a ship full of "old people" with tons of status treating them with respect and warmth. And I have to say - combine an eight day cruise with the cost of the Panama canal and you get an average age of 75 years old and 500 plus diamond and platinum members. Our steward Arnold, our dining staff Lydia and Rosi, the Alchemy Bartenders Jacob and Gabrial and Gabrial's wife by the pool couldn't have been friendlier. And it was not about extra tipping, the crew was just so eager to please. Maybe the nicest crew I've ever experienced. And finally the food. Well I am not a huge fan of the American Table menu on any ship these days but I can always find something I like. Was it fun? Well for my 29 year old he had to find his own fun as there were barely any other passengers even close to his age. But he did. And as far as the entertainment the house band was good as were the vocalists and violin trio. This was not one of those late night cruises for us by a stretch with the crowd on board but it was completely relaxing. Read Less

Overall the cruise was very good. The dining room service (Komang) and room steward (Andre) were exceptional. Embarkation was hampered by fog and the Carnival representatives at Houston Hobby did a good job of keeping order and organizing the shuttle to Galveston. Processing at the Galveston terminal went smoothly. Although the crew had a short turnaround time, our cabin was ready when we arrived. The dining room menu offered a variety of meat, seafood and vegetarian options. Lobster was served twice and both times a second lobster tail was offered. Cruise Elegant dinners that did not require a coat and tie were appreciated. The appetizers and desserts gave us an opportunity to try foods we were not familiar with. We sat at a table for four in the Washington dining room. There was one hiccup with early dining. Ordering, being served and eating took nearly 90 minutes. As a result the 7:30 PM shows were started by the time we reached the Ivanhoe Theatre. Shows that featured the Carnival dance and song team were high energy and very enjoyable. Unfortunately we did not get to see the entire productions. The Panama Canal partial transit was an experience we looked forward to and we’re glad we booked this cruise. Limon, Costa Rica and Cozumel, Mexico provided good tours. In Limon we took the Bus, Boat and Train tour. In Cozumel we took the San Gervasio, Island Tour with lunch. Both tours had well-spoken and knowledgeable guides. Counting the canal transit as a sea day, there were six sea days. For some people that was too much time at sea without getting off the ship. If this cruise is continued it may be wise to add a stop in Panama. Valor was underway on Ash Wednesday. A last minute schedule adjustment permitted an Episcopalian Priest to distribute ashes. Over 100 people met in the Eagles Lounge to receive ashes. After the distribution we were waiting for the elevator with the priest and people lined up to receive the blessing. Carnival should be congratulated for this service. Tying to move 3,000 passengers off the ship and through customs is a challenge. It seems something could be done to reduce the stress and extended time of standing in line. Thank-you Carnival for the good service and making our 50th wedding anniversary cruise enjoyable. Read Less

Taking a cruise to the Panama Canal was on our bucket list however this ship is a rust bucket that has not been updated since it's inaugural voyage and it shows ! The entertainment is done by the same six people for every night, and is horrible. Every show ended with fewer show goers than it started with. Since Carnival has added the "tips" to your bill -- the service has significantly diminished -- no incentive for top notch service. Like no table clothes on the dining tables, meals delivered at different times for people at the same table, service taking over two hours to complete, cabin service was minimal, etc.. Don't bother purchasing the WIFI -- it's spotty to non-existent. Departure took three hours (Disney takes about 30 min.). We have been on 12 cruises and this was the worst. Take a few minutes and look for a cruise that still provides an excellent cruise experience. I'm not sure if this cruise was representative of the overall Carnival cruise experience, or just this ship however this cruise ship is not worth the money or representative of what a good cruise experience can be Read Less

Pre-cruise: We flew in the day before and stayed at the Courtyard Tampa downtown. Our stay was excellent and I would highly recommend. Embarkation was quick and painless. We had 11:30 to 12:00 check in time. We arrived right about 11:30 and were onboard shortly after noon. We didn't have to even sit in the terminal to wait. The Miracle isn't the newest ship with all the latest things. That was fine with me as the goal was relaxation. Live the ship size and layout. One dining room so you can cross the ship on all decks. Ship is clean and does have some of the 2.0 upgrades. Food was good to excellent. MDR dinner was fine. There were a few entrees that weren't great, but the wait staff quickly brought something else. Steakhouse was excellent. If you get a reservation for the right time, you can watch the sun set at dinner. Lido was good. I also loved the new deli sandwiches. Entertainment was a highlight of this cruise. We attended all the shows and they were great! The cast was also very approachable and interacted a lot with the audience. Go see the Daft Sailors in the Red Frog Pub. They were excellent and it was the place to be for both guests and crew. Leigh the CD and his staff were personable and energetic. With 4 sea days, it could have been easy to get bored and they kept everyone engaged and entertained. Ports: Limon, Costa Rica- We did the sloth tour through Carnival. This isn't the fanciest port. There is a large craft market near the dock. There are no Diamonds International if that's what you're looking for. The sloth tour was excellent. We drove about 45 minutes on an air conditioned bus to the sloth sanctuary. The tour guide spent that time teaching us about Costa Rica and the area. First, they gave us time to use the restrooms. Then we had about 20 minutes in the gift shop. Prices were reasonable and they take USD. After that, we split into two groups to see the rescued sloths in two different rooms. It was amazing and very educational. We then went on a canoe ride through the canals to see animals. We saw sloths, howler monkeys, geckos, a crocodile and more. The canoe guide was very good at spotting animals and waiting for us to take pictures. We took the bus back to the port. We skipped the planned fruit stand stop due to there being too many buses there already. We had time to shop after the tour. The craft market was crowded, but people were friendly. There is wifi, but I had trouble getting it to work. Panama Canal- This was basically like a sea day. There was a historian onboard to explain everything to us as we went through the canal. If you want to see from the front of the ship, get there early because it was crowded. A lot of people watched from balconies. They also had a makeshift store on lido for t-shirts and souvenirs. A lot of the souvenirs went quickly. There were t-shirts available in the fun shops until the end of the cruise. Shops and casino were open while we were in the canal. They also showed movies in Mad Hatter's lounge during the afternoon. Grand Cayman- We did not do a tour here as we've been before. We got off the ship and just did some shopping with a stop for lunch. Do bring smaller bills if you can as we found some places didn't have a lot of USD to give change. If you go to the right from where you tender in (after you leave the gated area) and walk down a ways, there is a small craft market where you can buy things like jewelry, coin purses, art, etc... Prices there were way more reasonable than at the little stands near the port. Special note: We did an ashes scattering on this cruise and they were amazing. A crew member from guest services and security officer met us and escorted us to an aft crew area. They told us where we could scatter and gave us as much time as we needed. They also provided us with the coordinates later. Debark: We were not in a hurry so we picked the latest tag. Debarkation was a little delayed due to only having two customs officers. Things went much quicker once they got a few more. Once off the ship and through customs, we flagged down a porter and got our checked bags. He directed us to a shuttle to the airport for 8 dollars per person. A taxi would have cost 28 dollars. Tips: Bring a glass with a lid for drinks on lido. Great to fill up and take to the bar after dinner. A string backpack is great to use around the ship on sea days or in port. A lanyard made things so much easier. Bring extra plugs so that you can charge more than one thing at a time. Read Less

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My hubs and I typically cruise with RCI but, because we have exhausted all of the Royal Caribbean itineraries out of Galveston, we chose this cruise to the Bahamas on Carnival. We had only cruised with Carnival once before on a quick 4-night trip so we did not know exactly what to expect. We had heard that the Freedom was scheduled for dry dock shortly after our return so we expected a ship that was a bit outdated and worse for the wear -- not so at all! We really enjoyed our Ocean Suite and will probably never go back to a regular balcony room. The extra space, storage room including a second closet, and tub/shower combo are well worth the extra money. The food was fantastic, although at times the buffet can be unbearably crowded, and our cruise director, Emma, is amazing. However, all of the shows in the theater are of the sing-along type -- good dancing and singing but no storyline. Also, disembarkation was a hot mess from beginning to end. Security at the port were horrible -- angry, screaming at passengers including my 70-year-old parents. I realize the port staff are not Carnival employees but it is worth mentioning because they are atrocious. Overall, a fantastic cruise. More affordable than Royal Caribbean with incredibly friendly staff and great excursions. Read Less

We choose this cruise because of the itinerary and departing from our home port. Great selection of port of calls with a partial Panama Canal Transit. Cruise went smooth and overall the service on the Miracle was above average. Only issues were minor. Food selection could be better and the Cruise Director was below average compared to other ships. Cruise Director appeared to want to be the center of attention all the day. Great cruise overall, the Miracle is an older ship but is smaller and the floor plan is perfect. Ship was kept very clean at all times and crew members were very friendly. It was nice to sail on a smaller ship for a chance. No problems ordering a drink, seeing the shows, or getting a lounge chair poolside. Carnival did a good job with this 14 day journeys cruise and have no issues with the Miracle its self. Read Less

We choose this cruise because it left from Tampa (closest to our home) and visited the Panama Canal, along with other ports we have not been to. The weather (Dec. 2-16) was perfect! Shorts and short-sleeved shirts were fine for the day, while long pants and long sleeves were desired in the evening. This was a "journey" cruise which we had not heard of before. There was a lot to do on board! Many trivia and other games filled our days. Entertainment was good in the evenings. If you like karaoke, there were many opportunities to show off your talent. Different decades were highlighted on sea days. Frankie, our cruise director, and his staff were fantastic! The ship was decorated for Christmas, and many of the cruisers came out with their Christmas outfits all the time. Room doors were decorated more than normal, too. There were very few children on board (maybe 7), probably because it was a 14 day cruise. We did not play in the casino, but it was a very large room and filled all the time. Unfortunately, this made that area of the ship very smokey, and one susceptible to breathing issues might have a problem. The food was okay. I was excited to see lobster at two of the gala nights (no extra fee). I thought the main dining room was a bit dark; it would have been nice to have a little more lighting, especially since the main color was purples. By the end of the cruise, I was bored with the lido food (which maybe was a good thing since everyone was eating too much)!!! I remember from past cruises that the waitstaff and room stewards used our names and greeted us every night; ours didn't do well in that department; maybe they were just overworked. I loved having breakfast on our balcony each morning. Having room service bring us a few things kept us from eating too much. It was nice to relax with the waves lapping while reading or playing my ukulele. As far as the ports, we didn't get off the ship in Cozumel since we've been there before. Costa Rica was disappointing, maybe because we didn't opt for any excursions. Cartegena was surprisingly nice: right off the ship there was a bird aviary with birds, flamingos, monkeys, and other creatures among the tropical plants. Aruba was wonderful! We got on the city bus ($5 roundtrip) and spent the day at Palm Beach, then shopped when we got back to town. Sat at a bar and got free wi-fi (with the purchase of a drink). Curacao is always fun. It was the most decorated for Christmas. Walked over the moving bridge to town and did a lot of walking and shopping. Last stop was Montego Bay, another disappointing port, a few 'huts' of souvenirs. Oh, the Panama Canal was different ... took most of the day. It was hot sitting in the front of the ship. A man was announcing the history of the canal which was nice. My husband enjoyed going through and seeing how the locks worked. Read Less

This was our first 14 day Journeys cruise. Ship was Carnival Miracle. Departure port - Tampa. Panama Canal partial crossing. Ports - Cozumel, Limon, Panama Canal/Gatun, Cartagena, Aruba, Curacao, Montego Bay. Did a cruise package at Country Inn & Suites in Brandon. Very good package with room, hot buffet breakfast, 14 days parking and to/from port shuttle. Embarkation went well. Disembarkation was not as smooth and took much longer. This was a couple's trip. Shore excursions: 1- COZUMEL - "by land and sea", good experience in underwater glass windowed boat and bus exploration trip. Both guides were excellent. Chocolate, then Tequila tours were very interesting. 2 - PANAMA CANAL - Locks were very interesting, then anchored in Gatun Lake before returning through locks back to sea. 3 - Limon - "Caribbean train/boat/bus", tour was excellent and guides for each segment were very informative. 4 - CARTAGENA - Interesting harbour entrance and docking right next to operating container port. Did not do a shore excursion here. 4 - Aruba - "Best of Aruba Island Tour", on air-conditioned bus. Tour was excellent. Bus driver/guide was most informative and had many humourous anecdotes and stories. 5 - Curacao - "Discover Curacao Island Tour". This tour featured a bus that, although air-conditioned, was very narrow inside with very cramped seating. The tour guide spoke very quickly and presented a challenge to understand. She stopped at a museum first, which was interesting but went on far too long. We stopped at a Curacao Blue Liqueur production facility, which was interesting, but we were rushed through the site too quickly. 6 - Montego Bay - "Give back to the Community Tour". This was a good tour as far as the sights go, and the stop at a primary school where the children came outside to sing for us was a real treat, most enjoyable. However, the bus driver drove too fast on narrow roads, which was a bit unnerving. The commentary by the guide was sporadic and there was none on the rapid return to the ship. Before leaving on the tour we were delayed by a couple arriving late, and before returning were delayed by the guide not returning, timely, to the bus. The stop at the plantation for lunch was interesting. The ship, Carnival Miracle, an interesting name as a miracle was needed to repair the ship and refurbishing was sorely needed. Stateroom and other areas of the ship needed repainting as some rust was visible. We had a brief power blackout in the stateroom and toilets that didn't work for a few hours during the night. We had a light switch that didn't work. Wiring and plumbing repairs were carried out during the trip, in stateroom corridors. Our TV remote didn't work, upon arrival, and needed to be replaced. The rear serenity area was used often by us and was very relaxing. However, there was a serious soot problem later in the voyage that caused the pool and hot tub to be closed as soot was floating on the surfaces. One woman passenger remarked to me that she suffered a facial burn from the stacks emissions. The food areas were set up well with quite plentiful seating areas. The quality and variety of foods served was quite good. The food in the formal dining room was excellent and the service was superb. The surroundings in the dining room were quite dated and needed up-grading. We had a balcony room and have found this type of stateroom offers more floor space which is most welcome. The entertainment offered was quite good, although we didn't attend shows every evening as our dining time was later. We have booked a similar cruise from Tampa for next year leaving within a day of this cruise. We are travelling next time on the Carnival Legend. We are hoping it to be a more amenable environment than the Miracle. I would have given the overall rating of this cruise 4, instead of 3, stars had the ship not had the issues mentioned. We enjoy our Carnival cruises and look forward to our up-coming one. Read Less

This cruise was so great in many ways, but a few bad things made it rough here and there. Personnel: I've never really cared one way or another about Cruise Directors, but Ms. Emma Nixon was spectacular. I wish I could have her on every cruise! She was everywhere at once, and I'm not kidding. We would talk to her one minute and then go somewhere else and she would have beat us there, always smiling and laughing. The rest of the crew aboard the ship were good too, no complaints. Boarding was a breeze. We got there at our appointed time, the line moved smoothly, no trouble. We are Gold VIFP and had no trouble, but because the ship had soooo many Platinum and Diamond guests we were told that NO rooms would be available until 1:30. We heard a lot of griping about that but it didn't bother us. Entertainment was mostly good. There is one singer in the group who hurts my ears, but maybe not her fault. We stayed pretty well entertained. And the activities were great fun and mostly well organized. Food...ugh. So disappointing this time. I don't think there was a tender piece of meat anywhere on the ship. Oh wait, my husbands lobster was a mushy, gooey blob and the shrimp was always good. But pork, beef and chicken, we could hardly cut them. I did ask to exchange for other dishes, but I shouldn't have had to at so many meals. And if I didn't have trouble someone else at our table did. Ports...great! I loved every one of them. No tenders on this itinerary and every single stop made us happy. We went to Jamaica, Aruba, Curacao, Cartagena, Panama Canal partial transit, Costa Rica and Cozumel. Excursions: We took ship's excursions in Cartagena and Cozumel. In Curaco we got a van tour from one of the port vendors and enjoyed it. The Party Bus in Cartagena gave us rum/coke and beer and drove us around to see the city. It was nice. The Mayan Indian Ball game, lunch and dancing was a a lot of fun entertainment. The ride to the Mayan village was only 15 minutes or so. In Aruba we went on a private Tour with Sunny Binn. He was really good. Debarkation: The worst we've ever had. Starting from the way they gave out luggage tags this time clear until we got out of the terminal it was all a disorganized mess. One old guy started feeling faint in the terminal and was told there were no wheelchairs left so he'd have to just stand there. I thought he'd hit the floor. And who's idea was it to hand out luggage tags to a pushy mob of people in a public area. That was a huge mistake. People were actually shoving each other and calling each other names while they clawed for the lower numbers. We heard that self assist went well though. But in spite of the bad food and terrible debarkation I loved this cruise. I won't do it again though....too chaotic, but I'm glad we went this time. Read Less

Panama Canal cruise was awesome. Emma Nixon was the best cruise director ever. she is a bundle of energy. Awesome energy. Anoma and her wait crew were awesome in anytime dining. Room steward was awesome also. Food was very hot and good. Chefs table was a very interesting experience. Panama Canal was very interesting to watch. Carnival was awesome as always. The Freedom is one of our favorite ships. Galveston does need some new ports for us all. we were a group of 5 and always found something to eat. Food . Dora the Explorer in Cartegena was an awesome tour guide. We recommend her to anyone wanting to go to Cartegena Columbia. Rickys tours in Costa Rica was awesome also. Erie tours in Curacao was also a good tour. Do not use Octopus in Aruba. He cancelled our sunset sail and booked a private tour with only two people on his ship. Read Less

The ship is far too outdated, small and therefore too boring to be selected to be part of the longer journey cruises. Food quality and selection is my biggest complaint. It had the same LIMITED choices on all the buffets, for all 10 days. The main dining room did change up the menus, however the quality of their choices were not enjoyable. Dessert selection was consistently of poor quality and taste. The cruise itinerary has 7 out of 10 as sea days so Carnival really needed to step up the on board activities. They did do fairly well in that department, however ship size limited their ability to do so. Smoking that was allowed in the Casio flooded the entire floor where most of the on board activities occurred. Very limited outdoor seating areas that were not in full sun and again the indoor sitting areas are located on the smoke filled floor. Overall I loved the journey cruise but Carnival needs to change the ship for this sailing. Read Less

I choose this cruise because it was going to the Panama Canal and the port was close to home in Mobile. It was a longer cruise and like to travel on the ship. The more days, the better it is. We booked the cruise 11 month in advance because it was filling up pretty fast. Some of my friends were going and they told us about it. This was our 18th cruise on the Carnival. We like a smaller ship and the Fantasy is one of the smallest ship in the fleet. It is the oldest. We took our snorket gear with us so when we visited Rotan (Magahony Bay) we could do some snorkeling too. The water was so clear, but not many things to see in the clear water since they had rock barriers. There were a few little fish to see. The weather couln't have been any nicer. The cabin was ready when we board and we greeted our steward. He was very friendly and we wanted ice and he kept us with ice the whole trip. The dining waiters were very friendly and worked hard for our table of 10. We had people that were late every time and they just smile and took their orders, which sometimes held our meals up. Anything we needed we just call the service desk and we got all our answers and services we needed. The ports were great and we enjoyed our cruise very much. Over all the staff was great. Read Less

We chose this cruise strictly because of the dates and itinerary. We made a big mistake and would never choose this cruise ship again. First of all, we booked last minute, so we were very limited on a balcony cabin to choose from and all of them were obstructed view. But because it was on our anniversary and we wanted to see the Panama Canal, we just booked it. The cabin was ok and we knew going into the trip it was not exactly as we normally cruise, but we accepted that. However, the ship smelled moldy and there were constant water drips and wet carpet from the duct work and ac overhead in the hallways. Buckets sitting around trying to catch the water the entire 8 days. We were on Deck 5. The 4 biggest complaints I had were 1. The smells, 2. the food and 3. all the smoke you had to walk through to get to other places in the ship. 4. Internet is mostly non-existent. I do not want to have to walk through a very smoky smelly very stinky casino to have to get to the other side of the ship. The smoke smells drifted up through the atrium and it was awful. This is not a good ship to be on if you have issues with smells. Between the smoke and the mold it was not pleasant. The food was absolutely the worst that I have ever had on any cruise. I have been on 5 different cruise lines and this was terrible. The best thing on the cruise was a tuna salad sandwich brought to our cabin. It is probably the only cruise ship I have been on that I actually lost weight.. LOL! I enjoy cruising and I am so glad that I have had very good experiences on many other cruises,because if this had been my only cruise I would never cruise again. We even paid for the Steakhouse and it was very bad. We always go to the "extra cost" restaurants because they are always very good, however this was TERRIBLE!!! I ordered a Filet Mignon It was so tough I could not eat it. I ate one small bite, and simply could not eat it. It tasted like liver or a very tough sirloin. It was 2 hours before a waitress came over to check back with us, and said you didn't like it. I said no it was way overcooked and tough... she looked at it and said I am so sorry I will let the chef know, maybe dessert will make up for it.... I said really??? She said do you want another one, and I said no, I don't have another 2 hours to wait. The restaurant was over half empty and they were so understaffed they could not take care of the very few customers they had. It was not worth the extra money at all. Don't waste your money on pre-paid internet packages. It is mostly non-existent. I had paid for pre-paid PREMIUM internet. It was worse than old dial up 25 years ago! I complained about it and was told that on this ship there was only 1 speed. I have asked for a refund since it was false advertisement. The front desk has requested that I get one, not sure yet if I have received it. I am glad we got to see the Panama Canal, but it was the worst ever! Read Less