Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas

"Howie" wrote in message
...
Our spacious and well appointed cabin was rather boring. In fact,
except for some different wall art, the cabin was identical in every
respect (colors, carpet, fabric) to the cabins we have had on our 7
former cruises on the Spirit and Legend. Using the same colors and
fabric on all ships of the same class may save the cruise line some
money, but creates a very tedious experience for repeat passengers. In
fact, I remember feeling the same way when we stepped into our suite on
the RCCL Serenade last August. It was identical in every respect to the
suite that we had on the Brilliance one year earlier.

Howie, It is funny that you should mention this~just yesterday I was looking
through the Carnival catalog and checking the cabins on the Conquest and was
thinking that they are always done in the same way with the same exact
colors..Out of nine Carnival cruises that we have taken all them were cookie
cutters except for the Jubilee and perhaps she has been refurbished since to
those same colors...I think that this is why I like to try different cruise
lines to get away from this sameo, sameo..


The Miracle, of course, was identical in layout to all of the other
Spirit Class ships. Although the decor and color scheme were different,
it was still vintage Farcus. There were some interesting spaces and
flashy rooms, like Frankie and Johnny's rock and roll club; but for the
most part, I have to admit that I've grown tired of Farcus decor and the
cacophony of color, shape, and texture with which it assaults the senses.

Too bad, you would think that Carnival would listen more and do away with
some of this..

The weather was lovely, and it was
a real thrill sailing from New York for the first time. Sailing on the
Voyager from Bayonne last month (which was incredibly convenient) just
doesn't cut it when compared to sailing out of Manhattan.

I love sailing out of NYC for that very reason~~the beautiful Lady of
Liberty and sailing under that beautiful bridge are such a wonderful
experience....it gives you goose bumps of pride!


In earlier reviews of the Spirit and Legend, I have raved about the
food. I didn't think it was possible, but the food was even better on
the Miracle.

It is great to hear that the food and service on the Miracle surpasses even
the food and service on the Spirit class ships...Sounds absolutely
fantastic! The chocolate desserts sound so scrumptious!
Hope that extends to the Conquest when we take her in October!

Too bad that Eileen was not well enough to enjoy all this...Perhaps you
really need to take a break from cruising for the six months that you
mention, as y'all have been doing nearly a cruise a month...I know what you
mean about the anticipation of going and then once onboard for a while, it
starts to fade some...We have taken four cruises in the past six months and
I can somewhat empathize...The difference in Mediterranean and Alaskan
scenery prevented this for us, coupled with our trying the RCL ships for the
first time helped too...The Radiance is probably the most beautiful ship we
have been on and is Ed's favorite..The Rhapsody was close behind..

Thanks for the very balanced and interesting review~~you and Eileen take
good care of each other..

--Jean

In article , Lee Lindquist
wrote:

Lots of people call themselves cruise-junkies, or cruise-addicts --
I assume they mean it in a joking manner, but it seems to be
coming true.

Anxious to take the cruise, but once you do, it no longer
gives a great feeling of satisfaction.

I take a lot of cruises because they are rest and relaxation. And I
like the beaches and water activities at the ports. I don't expect
cruises to be otherwise. When I retire I intend to go back to travel,
and not cruise very much, and then I will probably switch from the mass
market lines, but right now I need rest and relaxation vacations from
work. I suppose I could go to resorts, but I tried those found I prefer
the ocean and being on a ship.

--
Charles

Jean O'Boyle wrote:


Howie, I am so sorry that Eileen was feeling so poorly from day one of this
cruise..It is bad enough being ill at home, but being ill away from the
comforts of home is so much worse...I pray that she is recovering and
feeling much better by now. I'm glad Carnival was so good about providing
embarkation assistance for her... Please give her my very best get well
wishes..


Thanks Jean. Have you posted a review of your cruise to Alaska, yet?

Howie

Jean O'Boyle wrote:


Howie, I am so sorry that Eileen was feeling so poorly from day one of this
cruise..It is bad enough being ill at home, but being ill away from the
comforts of home is so much worse...I pray that she is recovering and
feeling much better by now. I'm glad Carnival was so good about providing
embarkation assistance for her... Please give her my very best get well
wishes..


Thanks Jean. Have you posted a review of your cruise to Alaska, yet?

Howie

Jo-Ann wrote:

Howie, what a wonderful review!

Thanks.

I wonder if the maitre'de could be the same Omar that we met about 4
years ago on the Triumph. He was an asst. waiter then. A tall, thin
guy? We had our four kids with us, and every time they went into the
lido buffet area, he always brought them ice cream, whether they asked
for it or not! He also knew by the second day what they liked to
drink (in the buffet area, mind you, not in the dining room, as we did
not have him as our asst. waiter in the dining room)and as soon as
they showed up at the buffet, he'd bring them their drinks. I wrote a
lengthy review of him on the comment card when we left, and I hope
that may have had some bearing on his being promoted so quickly. We
left him a very generous tip, because he made such a wonderful
impression on us.

No, I'm pretty sure it's not the same person. Omur (that's how he
spelled his name) was medium height and stocky. It's really great that
you wrote a lengthly review of the asst. waiter described above on your
comment card. As we have discussed before, these cards are taken
seriously when specific individuals are singled out for their great
service.


I've said it before and I'll say it again; people trash Carnival all
the time, but it's usually people who haven't cruised Carnival's newer
ships in awhile. I agree with you about the decor; I do wish Carnival

Very, very true.

wouldn't be so outlandish. I think I'd consider Carnival more
frequently if the decor were a little more pleasing to the eye..but
then again, maybe that's what sets Carnival apart from the other
mainstream crusielines.

I guess so, and it really never bothered me before this last cruise.


Thanks for the review. Will the Miracle be sailing year round out of
NYC?

I don't think so, Jo-Ann.

Howie

Jo-Ann wrote:

Howie, what a wonderful review!

Thanks.

I wonder if the maitre'de could be the same Omar that we met about 4
years ago on the Triumph. He was an asst. waiter then. A tall, thin
guy? We had our four kids with us, and every time they went into the
lido buffet area, he always brought them ice cream, whether they asked
for it or not! He also knew by the second day what they liked to
drink (in the buffet area, mind you, not in the dining room, as we did
not have him as our asst. waiter in the dining room)and as soon as
they showed up at the buffet, he'd bring them their drinks. I wrote a
lengthy review of him on the comment card when we left, and I hope
that may have had some bearing on his being promoted so quickly. We
left him a very generous tip, because he made such a wonderful
impression on us.

No, I'm pretty sure it's not the same person. Omur (that's how he
spelled his name) was medium height and stocky. It's really great that
you wrote a lengthly review of the asst. waiter described above on your
comment card. As we have discussed before, these cards are taken
seriously when specific individuals are singled out for their great
service.


I've said it before and I'll say it again; people trash Carnival all
the time, but it's usually people who haven't cruised Carnival's newer
ships in awhile. I agree with you about the decor; I do wish Carnival

Very, very true.

wouldn't be so outlandish. I think I'd consider Carnival more
frequently if the decor were a little more pleasing to the eye..but
then again, maybe that's what sets Carnival apart from the other
mainstream crusielines.

I guess so, and it really never bothered me before this last cruise.


Thanks for the review. Will the Miracle be sailing year round out of
NYC?

I don't think so, Jo-Ann.

Howie

Georgeny wrote:

Howie,

First I sincerely hope that Eileen is feeling better! Second thank you for
taking the time writing such an interesting and comprehensive review.

Thanks George.

We too are starting to have problems with the sameness of cruiselines and
although we plan at least for now to continue cruising it is not as
rewarding for us as it once was. Some of that feeling is almost certainly
simply because we have been fortunate enough to cruise several times a year
since the early 80's. We are obviously spoiled to some degree and admit it.
Still a portion of it is that cruising presents less and less of a unique
experience. Many of the highlights of cruising are either gone or fading.
Such things as being able to get away from the world for a while. With CNN
and ready newspapers etc. you are no longer isolated at sea. That has
positive and negative aspects. With onboard revenue being more and more the
trend cruising gets more and more like any other vacation resort area where
you have to start calculating expenditures during the trip whereas
previously you had already done that and could basically sit back and enjoy
what you had already expended and cried about. Finally with large ships and
capacity the older feelings of being part of a community at sea for 7 or so
days has ebbed considerably again making a cruise less unique.

I hear you loud and clear.


We'll be sailing the Zenith in October with several friends to relive past
sailings through the years and sailing the Coral Princess in January since
we have never sailed Princess. Looking for something different although

Nice. The Zenith was docked right next to us in NY. It looked soooo small.

doubtful that Princess will offer anything that varied from others now. We

I had a great time on my last Princess cruise (Golden in Dec 2001), but
I was not at all impressed with the food or dining room arrangement.

shall see. In recent times we sailed Carnival and NCL from NY and loved
sailing from NY despite the total craziness of the NY Piers now.

I forgot to mention that when we debarked in NY, I was flabbergasted by
the lack of security. I never had to show my passport or any kind of
photo ID. Pretty sloppy for NYC, don't you think?

Howie

Georgeny wrote:

Howie,

First I sincerely hope that Eileen is feeling better! Second thank you for
taking the time writing such an interesting and comprehensive review.

Thanks George.

We too are starting to have problems with the sameness of cruiselines and
although we plan at least for now to continue cruising it is not as
rewarding for us as it once was. Some of that feeling is almost certainly
simply because we have been fortunate enough to cruise several times a year
since the early 80's. We are obviously spoiled to some degree and admit it.
Still a portion of it is that cruising presents less and less of a unique
experience. Many of the highlights of cruising are either gone or fading.
Such things as being able to get away from the world for a while. With CNN
and ready newspapers etc. you are no longer isolated at sea. That has
positive and negative aspects. With onboard revenue being more and more the
trend cruising gets more and more like any other vacation resort area where
you have to start calculating expenditures during the trip whereas
previously you had already done that and could basically sit back and enjoy
what you had already expended and cried about. Finally with large ships and
capacity the older feelings of being part of a community at sea for 7 or so
days has ebbed considerably again making a cruise less unique.

I hear you loud and clear.


We'll be sailing the Zenith in October with several friends to relive past
sailings through the years and sailing the Coral Princess in January since
we have never sailed Princess. Looking for something different although

Nice. The Zenith was docked right next to us in NY. It looked soooo small.

doubtful that Princess will offer anything that varied from others now. We

I had a great time on my last Princess cruise (Golden in Dec 2001), but
I was not at all impressed with the food or dining room arrangement.

shall see. In recent times we sailed Carnival and NCL from NY and loved
sailing from NY despite the total craziness of the NY Piers now.

I forgot to mention that when we debarked in NY, I was flabbergasted by
the lack of security. I never had to show my passport or any kind of
photo ID. Pretty sloppy for NYC, don't you think?

Howie

Sorry to hear that Eileen wasn't feeling well for your cruise. I hope she's
doing better now. Your review was *perfect*... Thanks for sharing...

Pam

Jean O'Boyle wrote:

The Radiance is probably the most beautiful ship we
have been on and is Ed's favorite..The Rhapsody was close behind..

Both Eileen and I think that RCCL has the prettiest ships of ANY cruise
line.

Howie