Our Review: Carnival Miracle from NYC **with pics!

[CruisinFamily_3]

What a fun review! So different from our cruise since we had DS8- lol! We LOVED the Miracle and NYC (and all the ports too!). Can't wait to read more!

 

P.S. I LOVE your cabin! I really want to book one of the aft wraps. . .sigh. . .hopefully next year!

[Donna1127]

Hi Suzie!!! Back to work here too...poor Kevin was rocking for a few days after! Almost didnt go back to work Sunday night, I think it was just an excuse to extend vacation.

 

Now we start planning our next one for my 50th!

[jolyroger]

Lovin the review and pics so far!! Think this may be our ship next april 2012 out of ny , which would be great because it would be only a couple hours drive away!! Keep it comin!!

[Crusin Karen]

LOVE the Miracle and LOVE this itin. We also had aft wraps on both the Miracle and Spirit (sister ship) but we were one deck above, cabin 8268. Only difference I can see is that the "bar" in the vanity area was much longer. Thanks for sharing this. We did this cruise in 2010 and again last May and are keeping our fingers crossed we'll be able to book it for May, 2012 also! ;):p

[Kerryman50]

Excellent review, you have a great sense of humor and it looks you had fun group from the roll call at your M&G/cocktail party and also at the slot pull.;)

 

Keep it coming, the pics are really nice and we're looking forward to sailing on The Miracle in 19 days.:D:)

[rambler57]

You rock and so does this review, please keep it coming.:D And great pic's.;)

[iwannacruznow]

 

That evening, we had a little B.Y.O.B. get together in our cabin before dinner. Our friends were the coolest bc they B.Y.O.B. and B.Our O.B. too! Thanks guys, we would have been sober of it weren't for you! They were "platinum VIP" so they brought their own appetizers too! Come to think of it, all we really contributed was starbursts! LOL

 

)

Awe you guys are the best. We were more than happy to help with your intoxication and besides " its just the way we roll". Lovin the review.

[shonandsuzie]

Thanks for all of the love!

 

I am at work again now so ironically, it'll be easier to work on the review ;):p... Nothing like getting paid for playing on cruisecritic!

 

I hope to finish before the end of the workday today... well, unless "real work" gets in my way.

[Buckett]

Thanks so much for posting your very entertaining review! :D My DH and I sailed on the Miracle out of Ft. Lauderdale in March 2010 and really liked that ship. Looks like you and your crew did too, what a fun-looking bunch of people! Love the pics.

[MzOhioLady]

Well it looks like You, Shon and the Roll Call Crew had a Ball!! I love the pics, you know..the ones I can actually SEE while I'm at work LOL. Glad you guys had a great time.

[shonandsuzie]

Well it looks like You, Shon and the Roll Call Crew had a Ball!! I love the pics, you know..the ones I can actually SEE while I'm at work LOL. Glad you guys had a great time.

Hey Mickey!!! :) Thanks. Your's is coming soon, right??

[Frick_&_Frack]

Hi Suzie!

 

Looks like you all had a great time. Bob really wasn't well the entire trip and was confined to the scooter and wheelchair so there was no way for me to leave to catch up to you all at the slot pull (I couldn't leave him when he's bad like that).

 

Can't wait to see the rest of the review!

 

Heidi (and Bob)

[shonandsuzie]

Grand Turk.

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love this place. It works well for our vacation style. We have been to a lot of places with various sights to see and things to do and people to interact with. There is a time for all of that and lots of things can be learned from doing all of that. HOWEVER, sometimes all you want to do is have crystal clear waters handed to you on a platter. This is the spot for that.

When the ship arrives, you can walk off and right through the shops to the Margaritaville pool area or continue on to the beach-which is also right there. Loungers, umbrellas-right there. Cabanas to rent too if you are so inclined. Some have told me this is all too commercial for their tastes. Okay :rolleyes:, but it's right up our alley. There is a side of the pool that is right in Margaritaville with dance contests, shot, shot, shots contests and all of the music that goes along with that but there is also a side of the pool area that is quiet and calm.

Friends of ours swear by Jacks Shack down the beach- which I assume is "less commercial" and we honestly planned to walk down there this time but in the end we figured, why mess with perfection. Maybe next time.

 

 

 

 

 

[shonandsuzie]

We didnt get pictures of the beach area this time. Wish we would have. But it's between the flowrider and the ship. It is expansive with loungers all along the sand. The water is so clear that you can stand and see your feet in 5 feet of water. The ship is so close that you feel like you could just reach out and touch it.

Here are a couple more pictures:

 

 

We tried not to be the last to leave and end up in a long line getting back to the ship but we failed. It was hot in that line too! It's just that we, like almost everyone else on that ship apparently, couldn't bare to leave sooner than absolutely necessary.

I recommend leaving earlier to avoid that line at all costs!

(and with 1600 pictures, you would think I would have a picture of "the line" but nope!)

 

 

But....there is the view from our balcony when we got back on the ship.

 

 

and as we sailed away....

[shonandsuzie]

Half Moon Cay (HMC)

This is another great beach date spot! Love it! The last time we came, our group rented the Oasis Grand Cabana. It was amazing with unlimited drinks, our own chef (fish grilled fresh!) and on and on. We had hot tub, a slide into the ocean and so much more! The cost for that is $1200.

 

 

 

This trip we experienced the island without all of that and enjoyed ourselves just the same. The water is super clear and super warm. There are lounge chairs all over the place with silky sand. They offer a barbeque lunch on the island. They had grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken. They also have various salads. I don't really like the food that they offer at the barbeque but people seemed to be enjoying it. There were a lot of biting bugs over near the barbeque areas. I don't remember bugs at all on my last visit. Maybe it was due to the hurricane the week before (?) Anyway, a lot of people had big swollen bites all over. I has a few on my arm and they were way more itchy than mosquito bites at home.

 

 

 

 

 

I must say, we did not like the way that the Miracle operated the tender process for HMC. We all had to go to the theater where we were forced to move to the seats in the front of the theater even though there were only about 40 people in the entire place. That morning, we purposely did not head out super early to avoid the tender crowds but they continued operating via the theater for the whole day.

 

**we even had to "wear" our numbers. I was #33 :/

 

The tender was MUCH better going back. Of course, we left a couple of hours early to beat the crowds (and they didnt have a theater to herd us into there- ha-ha!

 

 

By the way, this island used to be my "other favorite". Due to those crazy mosquito (or Jamaican fly?) bites, it has fallen off of my top 10 list for now!

[shonandsuzie]

More HMC pics:

 

 

This was the only congested area. It was right by an entrance and right under this bar so lots of people plopped down without venturing further down the beach where there was less of a crowd. We did the same and then swam down to the empty parts.

 

They had a sandcastle contest but it didn't seem like very many people were participating. Maybe we just left before it got going well.

[shonandsuzie]

A little more HMC:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then there was the sailing away pics...

 

 

[mama_2_boys]

Great review and pics! Can't wait to read the rest. We were in Grand Turk and HMC in May and loved them both. No flies/mosquitos when we were there though or I might not have loved HMC so much.

[CECRN]

Love, love, love your review! We will be sailing on the Miracle very soon, and I am so enjoying all of your pictures!

[donaldsc]

[quote name=shonandsuzie;30601390

(I took 1600 pictures- half are just the 3 days in NYC! For this review' date=' I am just going to do the Cruise part. I will do a NYC review on that thread)]

 

800 pictures in 3 days in NYC. If you were awake 15 hours a day, that is 17 pictures of NYC per hour or 1 picture every 3 minutes - a truly awe inspiring achievement. How many were keepers - 2?

 

DON

[BettyPC]

Great review!! You guys are FUN! Can't wait to read the rest of your vacation! thanks for sharing.

[jolyroger]

The more I see....YOU are so convincing me to book !!!! Those pics of Grand Turk..OMG!!! Honey keep those pics comin!

[shonandsuzie]

Thanks everyone :) This is fun. I just hate that life keeps getting in the way of my storytelling! I really thought I'd have it done by now. :o

 

donaldsc-

Many of the pictures of New York were multiple shots of the same thing. ie. Time Square. I still have to really look at them and decide which are the best. The same is true for the beaches. You think you have the best shot and then get another and another and after a while you dont know which is better. Probably bc they are really all the same :rolleyes:

 

I also have that problem in doing the review. So hard to decide which pictures illustrate what I am trying to talk about the best. :confused:

[shonandsuzie]

Great review and pics! Can't wait to read the rest. We were in Grand Turk and HMC in May and loved them both. No flies/mosquitos when we were there though or I might not have loved HMC so much.

I have a couple pictures of these psycho bite marks. I will post them at the end!

The more I see....YOU are so convincing me to book !!!! Those pics of Grand Turk..OMG!!! Honey keep those pics comin!

JUST DO IT!:D

[Crusin Karen]

Your pictures of GT and HMC are JUST AMAZING! We fell in love with both places and I have to agree, I read SO MANY tips about going to Jack's Shack, but I couldn't be bothered. I am sure it's a lot of fun, but like you, why mess with what is so great? Have been on this itin 2x and never had a problem with bugs. That is stinky. Maybe because it was the summer?? :confused: Can't wait to read more! Thanks for the share. You are such a cute couple! :);)