There are no bad vacations...only varying levels of memories and laughter. There were 9 of us meeting at the Long Beach terminal for an anniversary cruise for our niece and nephew. 5 of us drove out the day before and stayed at the Quality Inn near Long Beach Airport with a Stay and Park package while 4 flew in from Boston. Keep a small rolling travel bag with you and have a bathing suit and change of cloths with you just in case your luggage arrives late. It is also helpful for rolling around your soft drinks, water and wine that you are allowed to bring on board at no charge. We arrived at the Terminal at 12:45pm. Embarkation was fairly quick and smooth in comparison to previous cruise (this was #14 and our 4th on the Miracle).

Our connecting balcony cabins on deck 7 were ready so we proceeded to change into bathing suits and go to deck 9 for lunch and then to Serenity, the adult only pool area, deck 9 aft. There are swings and pods for sunning or sleeping but get there early every day as they do quickly. They actually put time out slips on the beautiful lounge pods so people could not claim them with a towel and leave for hours. 30 minutes to grab a bite or go to your cabin or the bathroom was enough time. They also have plenty of regular lounges and lots of comfy couches and chairs that are shaded! There is a bar there also. We went there every day as we had no young children in our group. There are two other pools for kids and families.

The food is exquisite. I have a Gluten allergy and I was super impressed with all the choices and that my meals were pre-ordered each day made in a special kitchen and excellent. They have gluten free pizza made to order, pasta, breads. I had made my own bread and brought it with me but I did not need it! Everything I had was perfect. They also have Gluten free beer and hard cider. Our dining service team of Wyan, Erick and Nipaporn were the best. With 9 people ordering multiple appetizers and sometimes multiple meals, they always smiled and gave excellent service. Of course we all tipped them extra for the extra work involved. We also enjoyed breakfast/brunch in the dining room almost every day because being waited on is preferable to buffet style always. Also, the steak & eggs (lean filet mignon) and the boneless pork chop or eggs Benedict were so worth it. Read more