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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
This was our 46th cruise, 18th on Carnival, and 5th cruise since Jan
2004. It was our first cruise out of New York City. We traveled by car from Delaware to the Port of New York without a hitch until turning onto 12th Avenue in Manhattan, heading north. Traffic on 12th Ave. was at a near standstill and it took about 20 minutes to travel the 13 blocks from 42nd to 55th street. When we arrived at 55th, we were very disappointed to see that the entrance to the port was blocked off, causing us to continue on for several blocks and take the alternative route to the port. I dropped Eileen at the terminal, secured a wheelchair for her (she was not feeling well), and left her with the luggage while I went to park. Parking was easy and convenient. Upon returning to the terminal, Carnival provided an escort to the ship, making embarkation very easy (which it was not for most of the other 2600 pax who were boarding the ship). Eileen has required a wheelchair for a number of different embarkations over the past couple of years, and Carnival is about as good as it gets in providing embarkation assistance for passengers with restricted mobility. We had booked a balcony guarantee for this cruise, and were pleased to find that the cabin we had been assigned to was on the upper deck, not far from the aft elevators. This is a convenient location for access to the main dining room, lido restaurant, aft pool area, cigar bar - where nightly jazz is played, and the disco. 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. 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. The ship was packed with 2600 passengers, including hundreds of children, teens, young adults, middle aged, and older folks. I like kids, but I certainly would not recommend summer cruising to southern ports for those who don't. I would also not recommend cruising at this time of the year to singles in their 20's to 40's, as most of the passengers were traveling in families. The good news, was that despite the very large crowd, the ship did not feel crowded. Missing however, was any hint of the more sophisticated atmosphere that exists on Spirit Class ships sailing to the Caribbean for 8 days in the winter, with only 1900 passengers aboard. Because Eileen was ill, I went to muster alone on the promenade. This was definitely the smoothest muster that I have attended. Perhaps it was the special traffic skills of a New York crowd that made the difference. All I know is that there were absolutely no bottlenecks getting to or from muster. The ship sailed promptly at 4:00 PM. 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. For six out of the next 7 days, the weather was awful (overcast and/or rainy) and Eileen was ill. This bad turn of events gave me a considerable amount of time to sit back and observe many details about the ship and the cruise. Here are my observations: Our assignment to an early seating was an immediate stimulus to visit the Maitre d immediately after getting Eileen to the cabin. Much to my delight, the Maitre d was Omur from Turkey, whom I already knew from four earlier sailings on the Legend. Omur is the youngest Maitre d on any Carnival Ship. He is 31, single, and from Turkey. He began working for Carnival as an assistant waiter 10 years ago. Despite very heavy demand for the late seating (surprisingly even among those traveling with young children), Omur skillfully moved us to a late seating table with five singles ranging in age from 23 to 41. Even though Eileen only made it to dinner three times during the cruise, she very much enjoyed our table mates. I went to dinner every night; and my great table companions made these two hours very special every evening. 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. First, let me talk about some innovations on this ship. Carnival has introduced a sushi bar on the forward section of deck two. Although it is hard to believe, the sushi that I had on this ship rivals the best I have had anywhere. Tuna and salmon were incredibly fresh and tasty. The California roll was fantastic. In addition to the gourmet coffee and pastry bar on deck two. The Miracle also serves gourmet coffee in the Lido (for a price). Speaking of coffee, the regular coffee on this ship was the best that I've had on any ship. Another innovation introduced in the lido restaurant is the presence of servers bringing hot coffee, tea, and other drinks around to the tables. Of course there are still numerous self-serve coffee stations in the Lido. In fact, Carnival so excels at food service that during busy hours, extra urns of coffee are provided so that they never run out. In contrast to this, the Zuiderdam has only two coffee stations on its Lido. During our first cruise on the ship, one of these was broken and they were constantly running out of coffee. A welcome innovation on this ship was the total absence of "baked Alaska on parade" in the dining room. There was also a total absence of waiters singing anything. Instead, there was a floor show with the waiters dancing to some good contemporary music. One of the most successful food stations on Spirit class Lido restaurants is their deli, with New York corned beef, pastrami, roast turkey, etc. Sandwiches are available on baguette, rye, and an assortment of different breads. On the Miracle, they have also introduced wonderful wrap sandwich. Unlike the typical soft wraps that you get in restaurants, Carnival grills their wraps before adding filling. This imparts a wonderful crispness that is hard to describe. Some of the especially well prepared and delicious culinary delights that I enjoyed on this cruise in the Lido and/or dining room included: Cream of escargot soup, flavored with truffle. Thick filet minion with gorgonzola butter. Gazpacho (sp?) Japanese sesame salmon Traditional Escargot Lobster Tails Chateaubriand with bernaise Vichyssoise Although I have raved about food on Carnival Spirit Class ships, I have never raved about desserts before. To Eileen and I, dessert means chocolate; not just any chocolate, but dark, rich, bittersweet chocolate. This is something that Carnival did not do well with in our past experience. Boy have they turned things around. The first night in the dining room, I had what is probably the most delicious dessert I have ever had on a ship. It consisted of very dark chocolate ganache, laced with almonds, and surrounded with a crisp, oven baked, heavily buttered phyllo dough. Other chocolate sensations in the dining room and on the Lido included flourless chocolate cake, chocolate truffle cake (without the cake), and chocolate chestnut Napoleon. Wow, with all the time I've devoted to food in this review, one might think that I gained a pound or two. Nope, actually dropped three pounds, thanks to the wonderful gym that can be found on all Spirit class ships. Eileen slept a lot on the cruise, this combined with the lousy weather, was all the motivation that I needed to spend a lot of time lifting and doing cardio. Although I have had good things to say about the gym on these ships before, I never really noticed until this cruise what a beautiful space the gym occupies. It is a very bright, two story space, that may be the prettiest space on the ship. No wonder I spend so much time there. We didn't get to any production shows on this ship, so I can't comment. I can comment on the music, however, and it was great. I especially enjoyed the jazz trio that played in the cigar bar, and a rock cover band that actually did a hell of job with "Stairway to Heaven." As usually, I am running out of steam with this review, but I did want to comment about my observations on tips provided by a New York group of passengers. On this particular cruise, $10/day was added to your account to cover tips for the waiter/asst waiter/cabin steward. These could be easily adjusted with a call to the purser's office. For those of you who don't already know this, New Yorkers are used to tipping for everything, and they are generous tippers. At my dinner table, each of the five other singles tipped cash, in addition to the automatic charges. I gave Omur (the maitre d) $20. However, when I noticed that each of the five single at my table handed him $25, I felt really cheap. My guess is that the cruising staff must really love sailing from New York. With Eileen not feeling well, I can't say I had a great time on this cruise. However, I can highly recommend this ship to folks that enjoy fabulous dining, great music, wonderful service, and a party atmosphere. To all but families traveling with children, I recommend that you sail in late fall, winter, or spring, rather than during the summer. Howie - who is definitely not cruising for at least six months. |
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Howie
So sorry to hear Eileen was not well on this trip. Hope by now she is feeling better SUNNY.........it sounds as though you really liked the Miracle, I mean REALLY liked it |
#3
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Howie
So sorry to hear Eileen was not well on this trip. Hope by now she is feeling better SUNNY.........it sounds as though you really liked the Miracle, I mean REALLY liked it |
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Nice, balanced review. Sorry to hear Eileen was under the weather during
the cruise and the weather was so lousy. Seems you are a bit bored with some of the sameness of the ships of the lines and I think Carnival should try a new interior designer for at least some of the areas on a new class of ship. Any particular reason why you are taking at least 6 months off? And, when you resume cruising will it be on the usual lines or something new for you? Ben S. (used to live in NYC) Howie wrote: (partial quote) 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. 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. Howie - who is definitely not cruising for at least six months. |
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Nice, balanced review. Sorry to hear Eileen was under the weather during
the cruise and the weather was so lousy. Seems you are a bit bored with some of the sameness of the ships of the lines and I think Carnival should try a new interior designer for at least some of the areas on a new class of ship. Any particular reason why you are taking at least 6 months off? And, when you resume cruising will it be on the usual lines or something new for you? Ben S. (used to live in NYC) Howie wrote: (partial quote) 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. 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. Howie - who is definitely not cruising for at least six months. |
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Howie wrote: It was our first cruise out of New York City. Howie, First please tell Eileen that I am sorry she was sick and hope she is feeling better very soon. I was surprised to read that this was your 1st cruise out of NYC. Once you get past the traffic and onto the ship, it is a wonderful port to sail out of. Can you tell I am a New Yorker, even if I live in NJ...LOL Thanks for the review!! sue |
#7
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Howie wrote: It was our first cruise out of New York City. Howie, First please tell Eileen that I am sorry she was sick and hope she is feeling better very soon. I was surprised to read that this was your 1st cruise out of NYC. Once you get past the traffic and onto the ship, it is a wonderful port to sail out of. Can you tell I am a New Yorker, even if I live in NJ...LOL Thanks for the review!! sue |
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Howie, please give Eileen our best regards, and hope she's feeling better.
--Tom |
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Benjamin Smith wrote:
Nice, balanced review. Sorry to hear Eileen was under the weather during the cruise and the weather was so lousy. Seems you are a bit bored with some of the sameness of the ships of the lines and I think Carnival should try a new interior designer for at least some of the areas on a new class of ship. Actually, Ben, I am very bored with the sameness of ships and lines. And I have expressed this on rtc on a number of prior occasions. For me, cruising never was a matter of r&r. Ennui is something that I've lived with all my life. For a number of years, cruising was a solution; but if it starts adding to the problem, it's over. Any particular reason why you are taking at least 6 months off? At lest two. 1. Got to tech those classes from Sept. to Mid December. 2. Eileen is really having some physical problems that seem to get worse with each new cruise. And, when you resume cruising will it be on the usual lines or something new for you? I really don't know. Assuming that Eileen starts feeling better, we are always looking for something different in the way of cruising; but there are restraints. In our case, those retraints are based less on finances than on what we enjoy and are able to do. Howie |
#10
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Carnival Miracle 7-17-04 Review 7 Days New York to Bahamas
Benjamin Smith wrote:
Nice, balanced review. Sorry to hear Eileen was under the weather during the cruise and the weather was so lousy. Seems you are a bit bored with some of the sameness of the ships of the lines and I think Carnival should try a new interior designer for at least some of the areas on a new class of ship. Actually, Ben, I am very bored with the sameness of ships and lines. And I have expressed this on rtc on a number of prior occasions. For me, cruising never was a matter of r&r. Ennui is something that I've lived with all my life. For a number of years, cruising was a solution; but if it starts adding to the problem, it's over. Any particular reason why you are taking at least 6 months off? At lest two. 1. Got to tech those classes from Sept. to Mid December. 2. Eileen is really having some physical problems that seem to get worse with each new cruise. And, when you resume cruising will it be on the usual lines or something new for you? I really don't know. Assuming that Eileen starts feeling better, we are always looking for something different in the way of cruising; but there are restraints. In our case, those retraints are based less on finances than on what we enjoy and are able to do. Howie |
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