Our Miracle Cruise 2/13

My DW and I were married 30 years ago. We never had the opportunity for a honeymoon because we were both in school at the time. As life would have it we got busy with our careers and with raising a family and here we are. We both decided this was the year we were going to do something special for the two of us. I had always loved the water since being in the Navy; my DW was never that fond of the water. She was not sure what she wanted to do. As I was driving to work last August a got a surprise call from my DW asking me if I would like to go on a cruise. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprise and immediately said yes. That night it was on the net to Carnival.com. Her friends were sailing on the Miracle – 2/13/05. That was Valentine’s Day week so was perfect for us. We made a reservation for a cat. 11 suite, cabin #6176. Another pleasant surprise was that my DW agreed to take scuba classes, WOW! After a couple of weekends and 4 open water dives we were open water certified planning on making our first post certification dives on our cruise. Now the 6 month wait for the cruise. Luckily I found the Cruise Critic board which has been a wealth of information. I always read the thread “Partae Pirates”, I thought this was going to be one wild group of people.

Day One

It was 7:20 am and 40° in Milwaukee when our flight took of for Tampa. We arrived in Tampa at 11:00 am, quickly got our luggage and off to the pier by limo service. As we pulled up to the pier at 12:15pm we got an empty feeling in stomachs, NO SHIP! We gave our luggage to the porter and headed to check in. On the way we asked several people about the Miracle and were told that it would arrive at 1:30, 2:00 or 4:00pm and it would take awhile after it arrived before we could board. So much for the 1:30pm boarding printed on our ticket. At about 1:00pm after our Skipper’s Club check in we were told we could either stay at the pier (boarding would not be until at least 4:00pm) or go out to Channelside and shop & eat. We were planning on lunch & drinks on the Lido. We were also told we needed to check in again after the ships arrival, so much for the special “Skipper’s Club” check in. We headed for Hooters since we really need a drink. Who did we see there but Randy and the Partae Pirates and they were already getting into the cruise mood. After a 45 minute wait to get into Hooters, we introduced ourselves than quickly got a few cold ones and something to eat. Word spread that the Miracle was in port but weren’t sure what time we could board. We headed back to the pier after our beer & burgers, not sure of the time. At our second check in we realized that we were very lucky to have Skipper’s Club. We were given our S&S cards, those with regular check in were told to have a seat with the other 2000+ people on one of the few hundred seats, that’s right a few hundred seats for 2000+ passengers. I believe it was around 4:00pm when boarding finally started. Since we were Skipper’s Club we were suppose to board first. It took a fair amount of complaining to get someone to let us board once boarding started. Very disorganized with no order to anything, you would have thought Carnival would have had a system down by now for boarding a ship also would have thought they would have known where their ship was and what time it would be in port. We eventually boarded and entered the main lobby, how cool. The ship was beautiful, life started to feel good again. We made our reservations for Nick & Nora right in the lobby; they had a small table for that. We were also told that dinner for tonight would be open seating @ 6:30pm in Bacchus. We headed straight for our cabin, #6176 it was wonderful. It was than off to the Lido, had a few little desserts and a coffee since we had lunch earlier and dinner was just a short time later. While making a short tour of the ship we ran into the sushi bar so we had to have a few, excellent. The terrible memory of the boarding process was starting to fade. It was now back to the cabin to change for dinner. We arrived at Bacchus @ 6:30pm and were immediately seated. My DW and I were seated at a table for 6. The other 2 couples were very pleasant people although they were still complaining about the boarding we were trying to forget it. We both had the tropical fruit starter, sweet & sour shrimp, both were excellent. The shrimp were almost like fried coconut shrimp. At 8:00pm we headed to the bow for sailing. It was a little cool and windy on deck but still much better than the snow and cold of our home in Wisconsin. Went to the show @ 10:30 Steve our cruise director & the miracle dancers were good and comedian Tim Wilkins was funny. At 11:30pm it was back to the Lido for late night bistro, this became a nightly tradition. We were in full cruise mood now as well as having very full bellies. That full belly feeling persisted until we arrived back home (too much food too often and very little will power on our part). Finally hit the bed around 1:30am.

Day Two Valentine’s Day

We slept in late, 8:00am. I gave my wife a diamond & ruby necklace and earring set which she really liked. Breakfast on the Lido, omelets, fresh fruit, bacon, toasted bagels and coffee. Lines were short, food was good and plentiful. The drill was done at 9:30am, quick and simple. Next it was up to the Lido for a few drinks and relaxing around the pool. No problem getting a chair or drink. Partae Pirates everywhere! Nice group. Before you knew it; it was time to eat again. Conch fritters, red beans & rice to start on the Lido; then a steak sandwich and fries to get that full belly feeling back. After eating we toured the ship some more and signed up for 100 internet minutes $50. We had our own laptop with wireless card and found out we could use it anywhere above or below the internet café. It worked great on the Lido and in case you had a pang of hunger you could always quickly get food & drink while emailing. It was then back to the cabin to unpack our bags that were delivered last night. Each bag arrived separately, how weird. Guess what, it was now time to get ready for formal night. We dressed up and headed to the Phantom Lounge for the captain’s cocktail party. First it was picture time then they had nice complimentary little hors d oeuvres and cocktails. You just sat in your seat and everything was served to you. The captain and his staff were introduced to us and we ended with a dance on the stage. We then left for dinner at the Bacchus. We were assigned table 399; a table for 2 on the upper level overlooking the lower level. It was very nice and romantic for us to be at a table by ourselves, something we have not done much. We had the prawns, pumpkin soup, garden salad, lobster tail, prime rib and chocolate almond cake. All were very good and it was full belly time again. We went to the early Generations show at 8:45pm and it was fabulous! After the show we went to Frankie and Johnnie’s for some dancing to work off dinner and make room for late night bistro. 11:30 pm it was late night bistro, chicken wings (very spicy), fried vegetables, shredded pork sandwich and desserts. My DW and I split every thing so we could try it all without getting too full. At midnight we went to Mad Hatter’s for the late night adult comedy; very funny and very packed, we had to stand.

Day Three Grand Cayman

Are plan was to do a 2 tank west wall dive with Island Marketing which we booked on our own. Unfortunately I woke up with a very dry throat and a very large lump in my neck. I have no idea how this happened but I had a salivary duct stone. I went to the Lido sucked on lemons and drank lemonade but no luck. I could not equalize my right ear so the dive was off. Instead we ate breakfast and took the tender to the pier. We took our snorkel equipment and headed for Eden Rock, just a short walk from the pier. We rented a locker for $5 and snorkeled right from shore. There were fish everywhere and we had a great time. We had a late lunch on the Lido. We tried some Indian food which we did not like that much so it was cheeseburgers & fries from the grill. After lunch it was a little shopping and looking for our pictures from the previous night. The pictures turned out great so we purchased them. Before we knew it; it was time to change for dinner. Time sure flies! We had 7:00pm dinner reservations @ Nick & Nora’s. The food was great! We had the shrimp cocktail (very large), crab cakes, spinach salad, surf & turf, and a chocolate dessert that ended up being 3 desserts. We were totally stuffed when chocolate truffles were brought to the table. It was a great dinner. We would have liked a better table as we were next to the stair case without much of a view and a little drafty for DW. We asked for a different seat but were told the upstairs was closed and this was the best they could do, also something about limited help. Saw Randy across the room from us, those Partae Pirates were everywhere, ha ha. After dinner we changed clothes and headed for the 70’s & 80’s party on the Lido. It was very much fun, Karl with a K was very funny; we enjoyed him the whole trip. Had some ice cream then it was off to bed. Still had that stone which would get worse with eating but that never stopped me.

Day Four Costa Maya

We slept in late and had a leisurely breakfast on the Lido. The stone thing was getting better. After breakfast it was off to the pier to go on the Carnival Coral Reef Boat Snorkel. From the pier we took a van a short distance to the boat. It seemed like there was poverty everywhere once we left the pier. It was a 45 minute ride to the snorkel spot. They offered free water and soda on the ride to and from the snorkel area. The snorkeling was great, many coral reefs and fish. Each group of 10 people had its own guide. It was a very easy slow swim. When we were done we were taken back by taxis to the pier. At the pier we did some shopping before returning to the ship. Once on board it was up to the Lido for a quick bite to eat, we felt our bellies shrinking. We had the corned beef pastrami grilled sandwich from the deli, it was great. Dinner was in the Bacchus at 5:45pm early seating. We had the smoked duckling breast, mixed greens salad, beef Wellington and tiramisu. All were good. After dinner it was off to the phantom lounge for match game with Karl with a K @ 8:30pm, game show mania @ 9:00pm, $2000 funball bingo @ 9:45pm and Miracle idol @ 10:15pm. All the shows were great. All the participants in the idol show were very talented, hard to pick a winner. After the show it was up to the Lido for late night Mexican buffet and bathrobes and blue margaritas. The food and margaritas were very, very good and it was fun to dance and sit around in your bathrobes. The Partae Pirates were there!

Day Five Cozumel

Up early and a quick breakfast on the Lido. Then it was off by taxi ($12 for 4 of us) to Chankanaab Park. The stone in my neck is gone! At the park DW and I took a 1 tank guided scuba dive for $40 each with equipment included; park entrance was $12 each. It was a very nice dive for our first time since getting certified. Many coral heads, fish and lobsters. At the far end of the dive we entered a small cave that was flowing fresh cold water into the sea. There was thousands of tiny fish swimming in a school at the entrance of the cave. After entering the dark cave you could see three large tarpon fish about 5 to 6 feet long. While swimming back, we saw a 6 foot wide manta ray swimming along the bottom. We saw many cannon barrels and statues on the bottom as well. DW is now hooked on diving. After scuba diving we snorkeled for a while. We noticed many jelly fish on the surface and the wife of the couple we were with was stung many times so we decided to call it quits. We made a quick tour of the ruins which was nice. It was than back to the pier for some more shopping and a late lunch on the Lido. Dinner at Bacchus was the langoustine cocktail, mixed greens and coquilles St. Jacques all pretty good. After dinner we went to Gringo bingo @ 8:15pm and stayed for the Hypnotist show @ 8:45pm. Going early for bingo was great because you could always find a good sit for the show that followed. Mike Harvey, the hypnotist put on a very funny show. After the show it was up to the Lido for music and late night buffet.

Day Six Belize

By a weird turn of events, this turned out to be our best day. Initially before we left on the cruise we booked the shark ray alley tour with carnival. On the first day I got a call that someone was offering DW and me a complimentary shore excursion. Being the skeptical person I am, I told the person calling I was not interested since we already had an excursion booked in every port plus I figured there had to be some type of catch. A few minutes later the phone rang again. It was the same person and she told my DW that the shark ray alley tour was cancelled. She was going to credit our credit card for the cost but again she offered the complimentary shore excursion. The person offering the excursion was a cruise director who was a brother of a good friend of my DW. She of course said yes and picked the horseshoe reef & stingray snorkel. Well on day 5 we got a call that that excursion was also cancelled but we could pick another complimentary excursion. We choose the barrier reef snorkel & rendezvous caye beach break. My mother always said things turn out for the best and did they ever! After breakfast on the Lido it was off to the catamaran that meet us right at the ship. It was a quick 45 minute ride to small island/barrier reef. What a beautiful snorkel. Crystal clear water, large beautiful coral heads, many large colorful fish and a few barracuda. We had a break on the island and took the opportunity to kayak. It was then back on the boat for the ride back to the ship. Rum punch was offered on the way back. I thought it would be just 1 or 2 complimentary drinks. Well they never let your cup get more than half empty before they refilled it. They also filled empty soda bottles with rum punch to take back on the ship. We lost count at 12 cups each. Everyone was staggering off the boat when we arrived back to the ship. For most of use it was nap time, my DW included. I on the other hand headed to the Lido deck for some lunch to absorb the rum, worked pretty well. Not sure what I ate. Night time was our last formal night. It was more pictures before dinner. Dinner was delice of the ocean, grilled prawns and prime rib. Everything was very good except we did not like the curry spice on the grilled shrimp. After dinner it was off to the phantom for bingo and the Beatle’s show. We really enjoyed the show. It was than off to the lobby for the mardi gras parade. We were able to catch a few beads but somehow never saw a parade. Later we attended the photo shoot of the grand gala buffet, everything was beautiful. Afterwards we did eat at the buffet, everything tasted good but looked much better. We also saw the late night comedy show with Marvin Bell, very funny.

Day Seven

We slept in late, 8:30am. We finally had breakfast in the Bacchus. It was very good and we wished we had eaten there more often. Eggs benedict, lox and bagels were great and a nice change from the Lido deck. We then did some final shopping on the ship, packed our bags for self assist departure tomorrow. Lunch was fruit buffet which included a large chocolate fountain used to coat your fruit, donut and rum ball kabobs. We spend the remainder for the day just relaxing about the ship. Dinner in the Bacchus was very good again, fruit with peach schnapps, gumbo, gravlax, pork chop with Mexican mole. After dinner it was off to see Marvin Bell again at the phantom and Tony Albano. Both were entertaining. 11:30pm it was up to the Lido for late night bistro, one last change to feel those bellies.

Day Eight

After a quick breakfast on the Lido, boy was it packed; it was back to our cabin to wait to be called for self assist. The capers said self assist would start at 9:30am. It was much sooner when we heard the call in our room that “this was the last call for self assist.” We grabbed our bags and headed for the lobby. Just as we arrived at the debarkation point the security people there closed the barrier and said it was closed and that we would have to come back when our color was called. We only missed it by a few seconds. They laughed at us, we didn’t thing it was that funny and felt they could use a few lessons on customer service. Aussie Ali was there and she said she had made 5 calls for self assist. We told her we only heard the last one. She said she did not make the first 4 pages into the cabins in case someone was sleeping. We told her capers said 9:30am and she said no one reads capers. After some further discussion she did let us depart and within 10 minutes we were off the ship and through customs. Debarkation was simple and quick although it could have been much nicer without the hassle and laughter by the debarkation staff!

In Summary

This was our first cruise and it will not be our last. Everything aboard the Miracle was first class; the cruise director Steve, Karl with a K, Aussie Ali (except at debarkation), Javier our room steward, dining room staff, the food, the entertainment, the shore excursions and the beautiful ship. We have only been back to work 2 days and are already helping 2 couples set up their first cruises. Many thanks to Carnival for our best vacation yet but please fix your embarkation! Also our gratitude to CruiseCritic.com and the many people that helped use plan our vacation. Partae Pirates, hope you all had as much fun as we did, maybe we will join you on a future cruise.:cool:

I think we crossed paths at the "Debarkation Debacle". We were wating right next to the exit on right side. We saw them close down the exit just as you were getting there. I believe you pulled back on the right side just before the exit and waited right next to us.

We were the ones with the White "Not So" Priority Luggage Tags. I was the one that asked Aussie Ali ( at debarkation) how come the people with White Priority Luggage Tags with early flights were not let off the ships first?

Still doesn't make sense to me why all the self assist people were let off first before people with early flights.

Oh yeah BTW Assie Ali's answer to my question was " I have no idea, we are just following directions set by Carnival."

Oh well I guess it's a Carnival thing.................

Jimbo:confused:

Yes that was us. Glad to see you got off. I have no idea what they were doing, apparently neither did they. Hope you had a good time other than getting on and off the boat.:)

Jiminy-

Thank you for your wonderful Miracle review. Sounds like you and your wife had a lovely time. I can't wait to share this with my DH for our upcoming Miracle cruise in August. Maybe "the gifting your wife with jewels while on a cruise" will rub off on DH! LOL!

By the way, how did you know you had a salvitory gland stone? Did you see the ship's doctor? I never even heard of it. I'm glad it didn't inconvenience your plans too much.

I'm a Physician Assistant and have seen salivary duct stone occassionally. I never thought I would diagnosis myself, especially the morning of our first scuba diving trip. Good luck on the gems, it took my DW 30 years! Have a great cruise, you will love the Miracle.:rolleyes:

Jiminy Cricket-

Glad that you and your wife had a great first cruise!! We were in Nick & Nora's the same night as you, sitting with Randy, Melinda and GC. OMG... we ate so much, that our bellies ached for hours beyond dinner!! LOL But... it was the best dinner that I have ever had!! Can't wait to meet you guys on another cruise!!

Lisa