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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
I'll try to make this a mini-review but it may take on a life of it's own
once the typing begins. This was the last sailing for the season from Jacksonville. We arrived Thursday and stayed at the Holiday Inn (Airport) for 89.00 through Expedia.com. Free shuttle to and from the airport and to the port. Free parking for your car while you cruise, there are other hotels nearby that offer the same deal. To get the shuttle back to the hotel after the cruise and to use the shuttle from the hotel back to the airport is a charge of 10.00. You'll pay at the front desk, get a receipt and also a separate voucher to give to the shuttle drivers. You must have both to go to hotel and then to the airport after the cruise. The hotel was very nice with an indoor/ outdoor pool, and beautifully laid out lobby. We had a delayed flight after the cruise and the lobby was perfect for relaxing before shuttling to the airport. The restaurant food was forgettable. There is a convenience store and Waffle House that are easy walking distance from the hotel. Our taxi driver to the port told us they're building a new dock for Carnival to the left of the bridge due to the bridge being so low. Carnival has to wait for low tide to sail coming and going. On our way out it looked like there was a 2 foot clearance and cars slowed to a crawl as we passed under them. The Miracle is the same design as the Pride and Spirit but we like the Miracle much better, that could have been due to the great service and attitudes of the employees too. Everyone seemed very relaxed and glad to see us. We saw some familiar faces and one who had been promoted since we had last cruised with him. Our room (5203) was clean and laid out the same as the rest of the regular balcony rooms, two seats and a table on the balcony, midship, right by the elevators. You could hear chairs being moved around and doors opening and shutting on other's balconies. I minded it, DH never heard any of it. Pluses: Food was generally very good on the Lido and in the dining rooms. There is a Sushi Bar set up daily from 5:00-8:00 that is away from the Lido, outside MacGuire's Sports Bar. We found it accidentally as we walked around the ship on the second day. Very good and something they will probably be charging extra for the next time we sail. There is a coffee/espresso bar in the Lido area too, this is an extra charge but worth it after a night of partying. The Phantom Orchestra in the main show room was fantastic, we heard them during the Captain's Party and also the Return Cruiser's Party playing big band and more recent music. They were great accompaniment to both parties without being intrusive. The singers in Nick and Nora's Dinner Club and the deck band were great, too. We don't do shows often but were forced to go to the Beatles Show, it was enjoyable and I'm sure that other's would say it was worth the price of admission. The newer Carnival ships have impressive workout rooms, plenty of treadmills for running or walking. The weight machines are spaced far enough apart that you don't feel crowded, they are new and easy to use. I ran one day on the treadmill and the rest of the days on the track outside. What a view in the morning! Plenty of deck chairs were available, although the pool area seating was filled by 10:00 a.m. the upper decks had lots of unused lounges. There is seating on rockable chairs around the pools and also another type of chair on the desk above the pools that are in the shade and very comfortable for reading or just watching the pool activities. There is a lot of wind on the upper level and the towels tended to blow around, I took clips along that hold the towel to the chair and had no problems. Minuses: The deck band is very loud, if you are in that area of the pool you won't be able to sleep. Either the pool to the front or the one on the back of the ship are better if you want to rest while tanning. You'll still hear the music but it's not as annoying. They also could accommodate more deck chairs by losing the dance space in front of the deck band, but the decibel level is too high in that area. There were tables in the Lido dining area that seemed to have a direct line to the air conditioning unit, we had to move to escape a cold blast more than once. The decks around the pool areas should have been power hosed each night, we could see where people had spilled drinks and decks hadn't been cleaned to get rid of the sticky residue. We've seen the power cleaning, or at least a good washing with a hose and mop, done on all of our other cruises. Nick and Nora's Dinner Club is not worth it. The service was not what we've had in the past, even though we saw some of the same employees that had worked in other Dinner clubs on Carnival ships! We also had an incident concerning a bottle of wine that had been ordered and signed for earlier in the day. At the dinner they had no record of it being ordered and there was a "disturbance" in the staff, sign and sail card had to be pulled out and run again - totally inappropriate. There were other flaws through out the dinner that simply should not have been. Avoid the dinner club, at least on this ship, it's not worth the extra charge. The only consistency we saw from other ships was the beautiful presentation of the food on the plates. Hats off to the chefs. Honestly that is all I can remember as far as negatives/minuses. Ports: Cozumel - Taxied to Chankanaab Park to snorkel, went back to the ship to shower, change clothes, eat lunch, then off the boat to walk around the shops for a while. Fat Tuesdays got wild in the evening with crews from Triumph and Miracle partying - Big Fun. We didn't go into town this time so I can't say if there are any changes worth noting. Costa Maya - Got off the ship early and walked through the shopping area (follow it around to the left) to the beach. They have a swim up pool for drinks, another pool down by the ocean and a small beach at the ocean. The lounge chairs are free, the waiters are ready to serve you whatever you need to eat or drink. Massages are offered in a space to the right by a uniformed woman who has a curtained outdoor "room". I forget the 15 minute price but it was 25.00 for 30 mins. This was our first time in Costa Maya and I loved it. Everything was CLEAN, and easily accessible, there were restaurant/bars in the shopping area for relaxing and listening to the music, one had a live band that sounded alright. Freeport - Not much to see here, got off the ship and took a cab for 5.00 to the Port Lucaya shopping places. Walked through the Sheraton and Westin across the street to the beach - it was beautiful and would be an option for a land vacation. Hopped a cab back to the ship and laid in the sun. Overall - A very relaxing cruise that covered all of my requirements in a vacation: Warm weather, friendly, accommodating service, and an escape from our daily routine. We feel like we've been gone for two weeks! On a scale of 1-10, this cruise was a 9. Nancy |
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
On Sat, 24 Apr 2004 11:10:46 -0400, "I Caramba" I
wrote: We don't do shows often but were forced to go to the Beatles Show, it was enjoyable and I'm sure that other's would say it was worth the price of admission. Does Carnival charge for shows now? Mason Barge "If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee." -- Abraham Lincoln |
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
"Mason Barge" wrote in message news We don't do shows often but were forced to go to the Beatles Show, it was enjoyable and I'm sure that other's would say it was worth the price of admission. Does Carnival charge for shows now? Mason Barge No, I was being facetious. It costs nothing so we wouldn't have been upset if we hadn't enjoyed it. The voices were excellent and the dancing was well choreographed. We had a swell time, worth the price of admission! Nancy |
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
On Sat, 24 Apr 2004 15:33:42 GMT, "Jean O'Boyle"
wrote: Thanks for the interesting review, Nancy. By the way, what gave you the impression that there will be a charge for sushi in the future? Thanks for asking that, Jean. Very important. rolling eyes |
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
"Jean O'Boyle" wrote in message . .. Thanks for the interesting review, Nancy. By the way, what gave you the impression that there will be a charge for sushi in the future? --Jean Jean, It seems that they're looking for specialty items that people would be willing to pay extra to have available to them. They have the chocolate delicacies stand (chocolate covered strawberries, cups made of chocolate with fruits in them, etc...), this year they made the espresso an extra charge at dinner, it used to be free. They have the coffee bar built right in at the Lido deck and it's very similar to Starbucks (they charge). The sushi used to be an item Carnival offered in the International corner of Lido once or twice a week. Now it's a free standing, Oriental designed, street cart and is situated away from the Lido tucked into a place removed from the other food on board the ship. It looks like a specialty item that they would charge to serve. Maybe I'm wrong, I'd be happy if it never happened! ~N~ |
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
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Just Returned From Carnival Miracle - Long Post
Thanks much for your review, Nancy.
Howie - Really glad to see some Neon back on Carnival. |
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