Just got off Miracle - any questions?

[dadofgage]

[quote name='F5Loar']Did you go to the bathrobe party? And what was that like? What did you do?
You wear bathrobes and what else?[/QUOTE]

Bathrobe party was a lot of fun.

Had a lip sync contest, lots of dancing and lots of drinks.

Seemed like most people wore just shorts and a t-shirt under their bathrobe.

It was a good time - don't miss it!

[jetsguy28]

We were on the May 8 sailing of the Miracle, and that was Duane - the Piano Bar guy's last week on the ship. He'd been there since August. We had a grand ol' time with him that last Friday - he had his video camera out to document the his last nite, and we were there!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

[quote name='jetsguy28']We were on the May 8 sailing of the Miracle, and that was Duane - the Piano Bar guy's last week on the ship. He'd been there since August. We had a grand ol' time with him that last Friday - he had his video camera out to document the his last nite, and we were there![/QUOTE]

Thanks - glad you enjoyed Duane - most reviews I have read were not as gracious... perhaps being his last week had him "pumped"...

Tom

[Skinsfan1311]

[quote name='dadofgage']1) I will have to look it up to be exact, but from what I remember, we dropped anchor about 6:30-7:00 ship time.

2) I believe that it was a 2 hour time difference. I just left my watch on ship time and went by it since that is what mattered.[/QUOTE] Thanks!:)

[CruisinRin]

[quote name='F5Loar']Did you go to the bathrobe party? And what was that like? What did you do?
You wear bathrobes and what else?[/QUOTE]

The bathrobe party was alot of fun, and I am 25 BTW. At first, I thought I was going to be miserably hot up on deck withthat thing on, but it wasn't too bad. There were tons of people with their robes on. WE did lots of dancing, conga lines with our team colors, and they had a lip syncing contest. The Mexican buffet that night was soooooo tasty!!!

AND I made the 2minute debarkation movie . You can see me laughing and having a great time in my bathrobe at the end of the movie!!!

-Corinne

[JudyD222]

DADOFGAGE, Was there shampoo in the bathroom (enough for four people for the week) or do we need to bring our own? I am trying not to overpack. Thanks.

[destinydog]

i was on the same cruise, shampoo was enough for the three of us, plus i think they may have filled it sometime during the week.

I wrote back about the piano bar singer james in another post, we spent 7 of 7 nights int eh paino bar from about 10:30 till close!..... although his tempo is very slow on alot of songs, he is friendly, played what ever anyone requested, had sing alongs and it was just very fun.

[serene56]

[quote name='JudyD222']DADOFGAGE, Was there shampoo in the bathroom (enough for four people for the week) or do we need to bring our own? I am trying not to overpack. Thanks.[/QUOTE]


shampoos is filled during the wek. I have very dry hair and it dried it out even more so-- I had to stop and buy some when we were in Grand Cayman. The liquid soap is Lever 2000

[jetsguy28]

It's the best party of the week on the ship. ON our sailing it seemed to be the nite that everyone was drinking... A great time. We skipped the show that nite, as the reggae band plays on the lido deck prior to the party - there were only a few of us up there for the band and we had a blast!!!!!!

[F5Loar]

Do all rooms have bathrobes provided? Where there many children at the Bathrobe party? Did anyboy only wear the bathrobe??????!!!!!!!
Can you tell me about this "Miracle Idol" contest? Is it just for karoke singers or do you bring your own CD to sing with? Does it take the place of the
talent show. Is it more than one show or are there elimnations held?

[serene56]

On our cruise on the Miracle they had both the Miracle idol AND the talent show- which we watched on tv. I had friends who went to the bathrobe party= he rented a tux for the week and wanted to get is moenys worth so he dressed his bathrobe up with his tux cumberbund and tie. Of course he wore shorts under it.. It is held in a public area and kids could go.

bathrobes are in oceanview cabins or higher.. If you had an inside cabin you could always request a robe.

[Sea Turtle]

[quote name='serene56']bathrobes are in oceanview cabins or higher.. If you had an inside cabin you could always request a robe.[/QUOTE]

Did you have an inside cabin, serene56?

I've cruised on sister ship, Spirit, four times, and all my cabins including inside had bathrobes in the closet upon embarkation. I find it odd that Miracle inside cabins would not be the same as Spirit. So hoping you can confirm this discrepancy through first-hand experience with an inside on Miracle.

[dadofgage]

[quote name='Sea Turtle']Did you have an inside cabin, serene56?

I've cruised on sister ship, Spirit, four times, and all my cabins including inside had bathrobes in the closet upon embarkation. I find it odd that Miracle inside cabins would not be the same as Spirit. So hoping you can confirm this discrepancy through first-hand experience with an inside on Miracle.[/QUOTE]

I was in an inside room on the Miracle and had a bathrobe - it is my understanding that every cabin had them.

[dadofgage]

[quote name='F5Loar']Do all rooms have bathrobes provided? Where there many children at the Bathrobe party? Did anyboy only wear the bathrobe??????!!!!!!!
Can you tell me about this "Miracle Idol" contest? Is it just for karoke singers or do you bring your own CD to sing with? Does it take the place of the
talent show. Is it more than one show or are there elimnations held?[/QUOTE]


When they made the announcement about the bathrobe party, they mentioned that you should wear something underneath. I think it would be totally appropriate for kids to be at - ours was wild, but in a clean way.

I guess the Idol thing replaced the talent show.

I thought the whole thing was pretty poor. The five people they had sing, honestly only one of them was any good. One of the other four was an elderly gentleman that sang Blue Suede Shoes and did a little dance, he really didn't sing, more like talking the words. He was funny, just not talented.

[dadofgage]

[quote name='JudyD222']DADOFGAGE, Was there shampoo in the bathroom (enough for four people for the week) or do we need to bring our own? I am trying not to overpack. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

I would say that there would be enough without a problem and I use a ton of soap.

[Sea Turtle]

[quote name='dadofgage']I was in an inside room on the Miracle and had a bathrobe - it is my understanding that every cabin had them.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, dadofgage. I refuse to rely on info unless it's from first-hand experience. So glad you can confirm that Miracle provides bathrobes for all guests regardless of the cabin category.

Thanks for sharing your cruise through your prompt and thorough replies to all the questions on this thread--a welcome addition to this site.

Enjoy the evening!

[jgbulls]

[quote name='dadofgage']In Grand Cayman, we went on a snorkeling excursion with Captain Bryan (booked through the internet, not Carnival). I would rate this an exceptional experience. The boat we took was a nice catamaran and our guides were great.

In Costa Maya, we did a beach party, but I cannot remember who it was booked with (someone else booked it for us) but again we booked through the internet and not Carnival. This also was a great time. $25 for unlimited drinks.

In Cozumel, we did not do any excursions but I had scheduled a massage for my wife and I with 'Massage by Sally'. This was the best money I spent on the cruise. Sally gave us a local restaurant recommendation that was just phenomenal and we did shopping on our own. A great day indeed.

In Belize, our group booked a cave tubing experience through Xtreme Cave Tubing. I would not recommend them, but I would recommend the cave tubing. Here I think the biggest factor was the time crunch that we were under since we were not on a 'Carnival' excursion. We were on the first tenders after the 'Carnival' excursions and we still only made it by about 15 minutes. If you are going to do the cave tubing, I would book it through Carnival.[/QUOTE]
We're leaving on July 31 on the Miracle. We were looking at the Cabe Tubing in Belize and booked it through [url]www.cave-tubing.com[/url] rather than Extreme. What were the pros and cons with Extreme? The only negative I heard was a long hot bus ride followed by a long hot walk with some question about the quality of the tour guide. I read good information but too fast? I'd like to hear your feedback. Thanks!
JGbulls

[hdpaul1]

[quote name='dadofgage']My wife and I just got off the Miracle today (5/22) - as I am writing my review for posting on this board, does anyone have any specific questions regarding the Miracle?

We had a great time - met a lot of people - made some new friends and glad we are home to see our kids (but secretly wishing we could just get our kids and get back on board!).[/QUOTE]
I've only been on one long cruise and one short one. My wife and I and two adult daughters are leaving August 7th to western Caribbean. What would the most important thing to remember be?....besides having fun.

[serene56]

[quote name='Sea Turtle']Did you have an inside cabin, serene56?[QUOTE]


I had friends on the Miracle with us in February and they did not have robes. They requested it with the cabin steward and were told no. Same with the Legend but I thought it was because it was only a cruise to nowhere.

[mg243]

I am booked on the May 29 sailing of the Miracle. I have previously been to Belize, and we did the tubing tour through Carnival, and it was great! There were a lot of other busses, so our guide decided to stop to eat first. It was less crowded when we got to the river.

I am travelling with my three kids. We are in cabins 6104 and 6102. Does anyone know if there is access to Camp Carnival from that end of the ship? We are just below the area, and that would be extremely convenient.

I also have a question about Costa Maya. Do you need to go on an excursion, or is there a beach available? My kids just want to relax on the beach, but I don't really want to pay $41 each for a beach break.

[destinydog]

just got off the ship may 22nd as well.

we accesed camp carnival on teh 5th floor, i believe that was the only way to get to it, the stairs right by the entrance only went down.

As far as costa maya, we went to the beach, you can go for free, hwoever we found it very dissapointing and not really worth it. we went int eh village of mujuhual, i would suggest going there to walk around then going back to the port and using the pool , there it is great..i will be posting some pictures of it later.

[dadofgage]

[quote name='jgbulls']We're leaving on July 31 on the Miracle. We were looking at the Cabe Tubing in Belize and booked it through [url="http://www.cave-tubing.com/"]www.cave-tubing.com[/url] rather than Extreme. What were the pros and cons with Extreme? The only negative I heard was a long hot bus ride followed by a long hot walk with some question about the quality of the tour guide. I read good information but too fast? I'd like to hear your feedback. Thanks!
JGbulls[/QUOTE]

We were in a large group - I think we had 26 that day - that went tubing.

Our guides met us and got us going quickly on our way.

The driving was a little 'crazy' but not where I was fearing for my life or anything.

It is a long way out to where you do your tubing - but our vans had A/C in them.

The last probably 6-7 miles was over a very rocky/bumpy road - but everyone that goes tubing in Belize has to go over this.

I do say that the big negative was that one our guides was quite mean when it came to tubing, yelling at us a lot to keep our feet forward, to paddle faster, etc.

I know he was frustrated with our group and was probably worried that we weren't going to make it back in time to catch the tender.

Our other guide was more quiet but was very nice - he was driving the van we were in.

I did like the fact that we were able to jump in from the cliff and that I did not have to wear a life vest (not sure if this is normal or not with other tours).

It is also my understanding that Xtreme takes you through 2 caves and the offical 'Carnival excursion' only goes through one cave - but I have no way to verify this myself. I'm sure others on this board can answer this.

I would rate Xtreme experience as average.

Does this help?

[dadofgage]

[quote name='hdpaul1']I've only been on one long cruise and one short one. My wife and I and two adult daughters are leaving August 7th to western Caribbean. What would the most important thing to remember be?....besides having fun.[/QUOTE]

[list]
[*]Dress up on the formal nights - that is part of the whole cruising experience!
[*]Bring your sense of humor and do crazy things that under normal circumstances, you may not do.
[*]Relax on one of the upper decks at night time.
[*]Bring a power strip - you'll need it.
[*]Take your beverages with you - we packed 30 cans of coke, 2 bottles of wine, 10 bottles of water in one carry on and then also a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rum in each of our checked bags. By doing this, our drink bill was very low for the week.
[*]Do go to the rated-R comedy night the first night they have it - it was hilarious. Do skip the other nights - they weren't that funny.
[*]Do go to the shows. You may like them, you may not, but give them a shot. We loved the 'Generations' show and the 'Beatles' show but we left after about 1/2 of the 'Idol' show.
[*]Always bex max coin on the slots - it sucks winning $50 when it should have been $500 if I was betting max coin.
[*]Don't enter the blackjack tournament. $20 to enter and they only pay $500 to the winner. They had to make a ton of $$ on this.
[*]Do eat breakfast in the dining room - not necessarily better food but a good way to met other people.
[*]Go off the main roads in each of the ports - you'll get a much better idea of what that place is like.
[*]Do eat at Nick and Nora's - it is worth the extra charge.
[/list]

[jetsguy28]

If you drink Miller Light, DO - Buy them by the bucket in the 16 oz. plastic bottles... It's cheaper to buy 4 at a time than one at a time.

[Nisi]

I don't have time to post the review yet, but we pretty much took advantage of most of the ship. It was great for us. No complaints.

Dadofgage,

Did you spend anytime in the pool area? I am MomofTate and although we went for Tate's 2nd birthday, I can definately understand people who travel without their kids. We had extended family there, so we passed the baby around. But we may take a short cruise with just the two of us.