I
icemaiden
Guest
For those travelling the Miracle coming up who requested I give a brief review, here it is........
Cabins - I had a balcony cabin near the back of the ship on the 7th floor. Very nice cabin, however the gentleman next to me smoked stinky cuban cigars and the smell kept seeping into my cabin. Not the fault of Carnival.
My cabin steward (Bob) was good and my room was always kept clean with towel animals on the bed each night. (3 nights it was the same animal, but after a few drinks who cares lol)
Boarding - I arrived at the port in a shuttle bus around 11:30am. The embarkation process was very quick. I started in line outside and was through the doors and onto the first line faster than I thought possible. I was on the ship and enjoying a drink and food on Lido by 12:30am at the latest. We weren't allowed to go to the rooms until 2 pm in order to allow time for cleaning.
Debarking - Wasn't as smooth but still only took around an hour from when I left the ship, went through customs, found a cab etc. Please Please remember to carry some small change ($1 bills) with you. If you have your luggage taken out by a porter, and tip him well he will put you at the front of the taxi line. If you flash some more money to the taxi dispatcher, poof you will get a taxi ahead of everyone. There were many people unhappy with me, but I figured they were first time cruisers and hadn't figured out the "money" system yet. Please note that some of the closer hotels are less than a $10 cab ride (Renaissance on 17th) but there is a minimum charge of $10 for a cab from the port.
Food - I wasn't all that impressed by the food served on the Miracle. There is only one dining room and it is the ugliest gaudiest room I have ever seen. They kept the dining room very cold (so bring a wrap) and it is very loud. The whole atmosphere seems more like a carnival than a 5 star dining service. I was never asked if I would like a drink, and in fact had to ask 3-4 times in order to get a drink on several evenings. The waiter was great, but the poor drink service was unacceptable.
Because there is only 1 dining room they pack alot of people into it. There are many booths in this dining room and it makes the whole experience feel far more casual than it should. I was travelling alone and normally get seated with 7 other people at a large table. This time I was put in a booth of 4 with a an extra chair added (out in the aisle) for the 5th person. Thankfully after day 2 there were some shifting table mates so the 5th chair was removed. That was just really tacky. Who wants to sit in the aisle with waiters and trays flying by. The menu in the dining room was very predictable if you've sailed before.
The food on Lido was for the most part very boring and routine. The sandwich bar made excellent panini's. The salad bar was great but the line up was usually 20-30 people deep. I tried a few things from the chinese buffet but they didn't impress me much as they were greasy. The hamburger and fries stand wasn't bad if you just want a greasy burger and fries. The regular buffets featured foods from the world and most were very spicy (which is fine if you like that, but I don't). One day was Mexican, another Indian, etc.
The setup of the Lido deck seems illogical and the food service lines aren't very efficient. There seemed to always be a line up for whatever food you wanted. I don't remember it being that bad on past cruises, so pack some patience.
Shore excursions - St Maartens I did the Divi Bay excursion. I loved it. Great beach, wonderful people. The umbrellas were a charge of $5 and that seemed reasonable. The rum punch was great, but one was all I could muster before sleeping in my beach chair lmao!!!
St. Lucia I did the Soufriere and warm mineral bath. The crazy ride to get there took 2 hours. We were only there 15 minutes and then back on the bus for another drive. The Deacon (?) is where we stopped for refreshments. It was a very nice picture taking spot and the drinks were good. The food cost money though. I tried the fried bread, very good! I would warm anybody who ventures on this expedition though. St. Lucia is very hilly with hair pin turns etc and the bus does not take it easy. I don't have back problems and hurt my back on the bus ride and 5 days later it is just now starting to feel better. If you have back problems, or are prone to motion sickness....take a dramamin before boarding the bus!!!!! If you have any mobility problems you won't be able to do this tour. The walk down to the mineral baths is somewhat problematic in that the steps aren't always the same height and there are quite a few. Once you get down all of them, you have to get back up. The baths themselves were nice.......one very hot, the other luke warm. They told us it would take 10 years off your life.......one guy asked how to take 20 years off and was told to go in, come out and dry off and go back in again lmao. St. Lucia is very poor and the poverty as you drive becomes apparent.
St. Kitts - I did the Town and Frigate Bay tour through Carnival. Save yourself money and just get off ship and take a taxi to the beach. There are tons of drivers asking if you want to go to the beach when you go through the end of the pier. I paid $39 through carnival to get in a taxi and drive straight to the beach through 2 city streets with no narration at all. There were other families of 4 that paid over $150 to do the same. They weren't at all impressed. We did get free beach chairs and a rum punch included though.
The casino has a smoking and non smoking section, although it really doesn't matter since nobody abides by those rules and they are not enforced. I never won anything and put around $250 into the machines.
Entertainment - A few of the shows were interesting. Generations was great. The shows seemed to be geared to an older audience. (ie Frank Sinatra) I wasn't all that impressed with the entertainment. The "R" rated comedian was funny.
The pina colada's are great and you must try the miami vice (half pina and half strawberry daiquari).
Overall, the cruise was good and I enjoyed myself. I just wouldn't say it "exceeded my expectations".
Cabins - I had a balcony cabin near the back of the ship on the 7th floor. Very nice cabin, however the gentleman next to me smoked stinky cuban cigars and the smell kept seeping into my cabin. Not the fault of Carnival.
My cabin steward (Bob) was good and my room was always kept clean with towel animals on the bed each night. (3 nights it was the same animal, but after a few drinks who cares lol)
Boarding - I arrived at the port in a shuttle bus around 11:30am. The embarkation process was very quick. I started in line outside and was through the doors and onto the first line faster than I thought possible. I was on the ship and enjoying a drink and food on Lido by 12:30am at the latest. We weren't allowed to go to the rooms until 2 pm in order to allow time for cleaning.
Debarking - Wasn't as smooth but still only took around an hour from when I left the ship, went through customs, found a cab etc. Please Please remember to carry some small change ($1 bills) with you. If you have your luggage taken out by a porter, and tip him well he will put you at the front of the taxi line. If you flash some more money to the taxi dispatcher, poof you will get a taxi ahead of everyone. There were many people unhappy with me, but I figured they were first time cruisers and hadn't figured out the "money" system yet. Please note that some of the closer hotels are less than a $10 cab ride (Renaissance on 17th) but there is a minimum charge of $10 for a cab from the port.
Food - I wasn't all that impressed by the food served on the Miracle. There is only one dining room and it is the ugliest gaudiest room I have ever seen. They kept the dining room very cold (so bring a wrap) and it is very loud. The whole atmosphere seems more like a carnival than a 5 star dining service. I was never asked if I would like a drink, and in fact had to ask 3-4 times in order to get a drink on several evenings. The waiter was great, but the poor drink service was unacceptable.
Because there is only 1 dining room they pack alot of people into it. There are many booths in this dining room and it makes the whole experience feel far more casual than it should. I was travelling alone and normally get seated with 7 other people at a large table. This time I was put in a booth of 4 with a an extra chair added (out in the aisle) for the 5th person. Thankfully after day 2 there were some shifting table mates so the 5th chair was removed. That was just really tacky. Who wants to sit in the aisle with waiters and trays flying by. The menu in the dining room was very predictable if you've sailed before.
The food on Lido was for the most part very boring and routine. The sandwich bar made excellent panini's. The salad bar was great but the line up was usually 20-30 people deep. I tried a few things from the chinese buffet but they didn't impress me much as they were greasy. The hamburger and fries stand wasn't bad if you just want a greasy burger and fries. The regular buffets featured foods from the world and most were very spicy (which is fine if you like that, but I don't). One day was Mexican, another Indian, etc.
The setup of the Lido deck seems illogical and the food service lines aren't very efficient. There seemed to always be a line up for whatever food you wanted. I don't remember it being that bad on past cruises, so pack some patience.
Shore excursions - St Maartens I did the Divi Bay excursion. I loved it. Great beach, wonderful people. The umbrellas were a charge of $5 and that seemed reasonable. The rum punch was great, but one was all I could muster before sleeping in my beach chair lmao!!!
St. Lucia I did the Soufriere and warm mineral bath. The crazy ride to get there took 2 hours. We were only there 15 minutes and then back on the bus for another drive. The Deacon (?) is where we stopped for refreshments. It was a very nice picture taking spot and the drinks were good. The food cost money though. I tried the fried bread, very good! I would warm anybody who ventures on this expedition though. St. Lucia is very hilly with hair pin turns etc and the bus does not take it easy. I don't have back problems and hurt my back on the bus ride and 5 days later it is just now starting to feel better. If you have back problems, or are prone to motion sickness....take a dramamin before boarding the bus!!!!! If you have any mobility problems you won't be able to do this tour. The walk down to the mineral baths is somewhat problematic in that the steps aren't always the same height and there are quite a few. Once you get down all of them, you have to get back up. The baths themselves were nice.......one very hot, the other luke warm. They told us it would take 10 years off your life.......one guy asked how to take 20 years off and was told to go in, come out and dry off and go back in again lmao. St. Lucia is very poor and the poverty as you drive becomes apparent.
St. Kitts - I did the Town and Frigate Bay tour through Carnival. Save yourself money and just get off ship and take a taxi to the beach. There are tons of drivers asking if you want to go to the beach when you go through the end of the pier. I paid $39 through carnival to get in a taxi and drive straight to the beach through 2 city streets with no narration at all. There were other families of 4 that paid over $150 to do the same. They weren't at all impressed. We did get free beach chairs and a rum punch included though.
The casino has a smoking and non smoking section, although it really doesn't matter since nobody abides by those rules and they are not enforced. I never won anything and put around $250 into the machines.
Entertainment - A few of the shows were interesting. Generations was great. The shows seemed to be geared to an older audience. (ie Frank Sinatra) I wasn't all that impressed with the entertainment. The "R" rated comedian was funny.
The pina colada's are great and you must try the miami vice (half pina and half strawberry daiquari).
Overall, the cruise was good and I enjoyed myself. I just wouldn't say it "exceeded my expectations".
