Miracle 8/29 & NYC Review

DH and myself spent a few days in NYC and then took the 8/29 Carnival Miracle. I will be posing this review in parts starting with the first few days in NY.

On August 25th we boarded Amtrak and took the train to NYC! We were spending 3 full days/4 nights in NYC before getting on the Carnival Miracle – first time in NYC! The train ride from Toronto was long but we were prepared for that – music, books and lots of card games (which I won most of!). We arrived at Penn Station around 10 pm and grabbed a cab to the Belvedere Hotel. We were whipping are heads from side to side to take in everything we could on the ride to the hotel. We were greeted beautifully at the Belvedere and were quickly in our room on the 15th floor. The hotel is being renovated and we were in a room that had been renovated already. We had heard that hotel rooms in NYC were small and to not expect too much. We were thrilled with the Belvedere – big king size bed, marble entrance way and great location at East 48th and 8th . We went out the first night and walked up 8th Ave to find a store and get a quick bite to eat. By about 12:15 we were settled in for the night waiting for morning to arrive so we could discover NYC!

August 26th – We had booked on line tickets for the Hop On Hop Off Bus through Gray Coach. We only had to walk around the corner to get to where we caught the bus. We found a place at the corner for breakfast and were on our way to upper Manhattan around Central Park by 9:15 am. We saw uptown & downtown Manhattan on this day and spent a few hours at Fulton Seaport. Back to the hotel for an hour or so and then back to 8th Ave. to grab the bus again for the evening tour which took us to Brooklyn where we saw the Manhattan skyline at night –how beautiful. We got back to Broadway and 46th around 10 pm. We wanted to get some dinner so walked up Broadway to Ellen’s Stardust Diner. The wait staff are all working towards getting parts in Broadway shows and sing and dance to entertain the customers – this place was sooo much fun --- highly recommend it. The weather was beautiful and we walked back to the hotel soaking in the city that we were quickly coming to love.

August 27th – Back on the bus by 8:30 am and off to the EmpireStateBuilding. Had purchased these tickets online also which meant we did not have to stand in line and since we were there so early the elevators were not too busy. We were so impressed with the view from the observation deck – we took many pictures – could not believe so much city fit onto the island! After the ESB we jumped back on the bus heading for the Fulton Street Seaport however on the way decided to get off in Chinatown and do a little shopping. We did not buy much but it was quite an experience – we loved the hustle and bustle of Canal Street. Back on the bus we got off at the seaport where we were able to catch a water taxi which took us on a tour – we got close to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty…..great photo ops! Back on shore we were able to get the tour bus that went to Brooklyn……………after Brooklyn we were pretty tired and retuned to the hotel for an early night and ordered in food for dinner. Fell asleep early dreaming of the next day.

August 28th – We knew this was our last day in NYC and there were a few things we still needed to do. We had an appointment to look at a timeshare early in the morning and after that walked to Central Park where DH took me on a horse drawn carriage ride (he is quite a romantic) – it was a beautiful day and Central Park showed itself in all it’s beauty to us – a little piece of paradise in the midst of a huge city. After our carriage ride, we took a cab to the site of the WTC. I knew this would be an emotional visit for me and we both felt strongly about paying our respects. We had been told on the bus tour about the church in front of the WTC site that was a must visit. Walking into the church was overwhelming – DH who does not get emotional often just walked from spot to spot deep in thought. I needed to sit for a while, shed a few tears. To a city that we have come to love and respect – we will never forget.

We took a cab back to the hotel to get ready for our last night in the city. We had tickets for Mama Mia which was incredible --- I am still walking around singing the tunes. After the theatre, we had another dinner next door at Ellen’s Stardust Diner………..left the diner at midnight to return to the hotel. Tomorrow the cruise begins!

Great review so far!!

Can't wait to hear the rest!

Catrin

Oh, I am excited. This is going to be a wonderful review. What a great start. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit to NY. Sounds like you had an absolutely wonderful time.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. I'm on the Miracle next month so I waiting on pins and needles for your review.

Looking forward to more!

Hey Neighbor to the north... MORE PLEASE :D

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed your time in NYC. Also glad to hear that you liked the Belvedere! I've stayed there many times and love it!:D

Now I'm ready to hear how you liked the Miracle (my favorite ship) and the cruise!!

Great review so far! As someone who travels to NYC frequently, its nice to hear how much people, who are there for the first time, love it.

Can't wait to read more.

Waiting patiently for more please.

I enjoyed your first stop review. Can't wait to read the part about the cruise.

Great review, can't wait to hear more.

I just had a question regarding the train from Toronto to NewYork. How many hours does it take? I have always wanted to do that. Thanks

Thanks for the nice comments about The Belvedere..we are staying there 9-24-08 thru 9-27-08. Makes me feel a little better about staying at a hotel that I know nothing about. I have read alot of reviews and the have been so mixed...

Glad you enjoyed my city ! Can't wait to hear more

I look forward to hearing more.

We also really enjoyed staying at the Belvedere in 2006. We just got off the Miracle on 8-21. Looking for the next installment of your adventure.

I loved all the details of NYC. Thanks for including us.

I spent a lot of yesterday trying to figure out how to insert photos in review.....hope this works.

August 29th - Cruise Day! We were up by 7 am – too excited to sleep any longer. Packed up the last few things we had around the hotel room, made sure we had all our documents and passports. We left the hotel around 10:15 am, a little sad that our NYC part of the trip was ending but we knew we would have 1 day post-cruise in the city. The cab ride to the port was an exciting NYC ride – traffic galore and we seemed to spend quite a long time in the middle of an intersection while the driver was turning left - lots of horns honking but finally we were dropped off at the port and there she was – THE MIRACLE –our home for the next 8 days. We arrived at the port by 10:45 and were through check-in and sitting in chairs by 11:00 am. At check-in we were handed a letter from Carnival assuring us that they were monitoring storm activity in the Atlantic and that port changes were a possibility – safety would of course be the priority. Shortly after we arrived the line-ups started to get long – we were very happy we had got there early! By this point we had permanent smiles plastered on our faces as we knew we were so close to boarding. Carnival did a good job of keeping us informed in the terminal of how close we were to boarding an before we knew it we were having our embarkation photo taken and stepped onto the ship. She was so beautiful!

By 12:15 we were on the Lido Deck having lunch – chose to sit near the aft pool to eat – this definitely became the area of the ship where we would go have a quick meal or drink. This area of the Lido deck is open and it was always nice to be able to stand by the rail and gaze at endless ocean.

After lunch we explored the lido deck some more and at 1:30 we went to the dining room to see if we could change our table – we wanted a table for 2 – the Maitre D, Frankie – was able to make this possible but we had to change from late seating to early seating…..we were fine with this. After this we were able to get into our room…..our Room Steward was not quite finished yet so we went out to the balcony while he finished up.

This was our first meeting with Phillip – he was wonderful, definitely the best room steward we have had on any cruise. He made a point of introducing us to his assistant, Igor, and after that whenever they saw us they remembered our names and greeted us warmly. Our luggage arrived just after 2 pm so we were able to unpack and get settled before the muster drill. We were very happy with the amount of storage in the cabinets and under the couch.

Both DH and I were dreading the approach of the muster drill and I must admit we dragged our feet a bit to get there as I cannot stand being in the back line with others towering above me – a little claustrophobic I am ! We worried too much and were finished with the drill quickly and with out crowds around me.

As soon as the drill was over we went up to the Lido Deck for sail away. What an incredible sight to sail past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.

With a DOD in hand we climbed the stairs from the lido deck to find a good spot to watch the ship go under the Verrazzo Narrows Bridge. People on these boards had been good to share with us that we should go high on the ship near the funnel to get a good view going under the bridge, which is what we did. We thought for sure that the ship would hit the bridge (logically knew it wouldn’t happen though) . After seeing the ship safely under the bridge we were off to explore a bit more before getting ready for dinner at 6 pm.

more please :D Where was your balcony located?

There's nothing like sailing out of NYC

Shortly after 6 pm we were on the upper level of the dining room – a nice table where we could look down to the lower level. We met our dining room staff – Bertram & Leslie – who were wonderful start to finish. Both DH and I had the steak the first night and enjoyed it a lot – for dessert we ordered a crème brulé and a melting chocolate cake. We had read so much about the melting chocolate cake we had to try it – now don`t attack me but neither of us liked it……just too chocolately for us – we are not real chocolate lovers. After dinner we decided to take a stroll along the outside promenade on deck 3………we just love looking at the ocean – day or night. The shops and casino were both open by this time so we explored the shops for a while and then headed to the casino to make our daily donation. Shortly before 10:30 pm we headed to the Phantom Lounge to for the welcome aboard show and to meet our Cruise Director – Brent. The show was good and we had another drink during the show.

We were getting pretty tired by this time so after the show we took a stroll outside for about 15 minutes and then headed to our cabin. Embarkation Day was over.

more please :D Where was your balcony located?

 

There's nothing like sailing out of NYC

We were in 4229.........starboard side - aft. Really liked the location and right around the corner from the laundry room.

Great review, can't wait to hear more.

 

I just had a question regarding the train from Toronto to NewYork. How many hours does it take? I have always wanted to do that. Thanks

Left Toronto at 8:30 am and arived NYC just after 10 pm. Coming back left NYC at 7:15 am and arrived Toronto at 9 pm. If you ever decide to take the train I highly recommend the Business Class - not a lot more $ than coach but a nicer ride and great treatment.

August 30th and 31st – Our first 2 sea days – We were up early and after having morning coffee on the balcony we went up to the lido for a light breakfast near the aft pool and then continued to explore the ship. The weather was incredible and we were enjoying every moment.

This is why we cruise!

We walked around admiring Gatsby Walkway…….

And finding the shops which I would become friendly with………….

We really like checking out the different events the Entertainment Staff put together and spent time at trivia games, bingos, etc – but more on that later.

At noon on the first sea day the Captain made an announcement – he let us know that he would be speaking to us daily at noon. He announced on this first sea day that as promised they had been monitoring storm activity in the Atlantic and due to the situation there would be a change to the itinerary. Our new ports of call would be Port Canaveral, Nassau and FreeportBahamas. DH and I high-fived each other when we heard this as we realized that this was going to be an adventure like none of our previous cruises!

Lovin every word... more, more, more.. please and thank you.

Best review ever...feel like I am there.....keep it coming! :D

At noon on the first sea day the Captain made an announcement – he let us know that he would be speaking to us daily at noon. He announced on this first sea day that as promised they had been monitoring storm activity in the Atlantic and due to the situation there would be a change to the itinerary. Our new ports of call would be Port Canaveral, Nassau and FreeportBahamas. DH and I high-fived each other when we heard this as we realized that this was going to be an adventure like none of our previous cruises!

Now that's what I'm talking about. DW and I would have felt exactly the same as you, as we cruise for the cruise and not the ports. We seldom get off in a port anymore cause it's like having the whole ship and wait staff just for ourselves. Great Attitude.

Loving your review. Sounds like its been a ball so far. :)