A very lengthy review of Carnival Miracle 2/10/13 with TONS of PICTURES

[BuffaloBoy]

Thank you for the review. We will be on our first-ever cruise on the Miracle in April, and I truly hope your bad experiences were not the norm. I've read so many wonderful reviews of the Miracle. Having nothing to compare to, I'm sure our perspective will differ. At any rate, I would be furious about the taped-shut doors. Whether they could have fixed the problem or not, it should have been acknowledged and addressed in some way. Personally, I would have immediately called and demanded they replace that wilted flower.:eek: That is such a pet peeve of mine! I've called florists and demanded they replace entire arrangements if they arrive in that kind of condition. There is just no excuse for it. I am sorry your cruise was not what you hoped it would be!

 

Youre to have a great time! Part of our issue is that we know what RCCL and Norwegian offer and we can compare. This will be your first time and you will have nothing to compare to. Have a great trip!

[tonit964]

Thank you for your review! I'm so sorry this cruise was not the best.

 

I would have been upset about the french doors as well since we have had that type of cabin before and you do expect to open the doors. :rolleyes:

 

So sorry you fell too, what a bummer!

 

What a sweet hubby to treat your wife to the flower, champers, and berries. :)

 

I hope your next cruise is awesome!!

[dramamommao]

I have really enjoyed your review. Very well done, the good and the bad.

 

I just wanted to add, as someone who has been in the florist business for 12 years, that your poor rose was not old and wilted. All roses come in looking like that. The outside petals are stripped off by hand at the local florist shop and than the flower looks beautiful.

 

I am sorry your on board florist didnt even take the time to do that. Also, you can feel the head of the rose with a gentle squish--if it feels mushy its a old flower. If it is hard than it is a fresher flower.

[Rosefloater]

Therefore, I was very surprised when we entered our stateroom and the French Doors were bolted to the door frame and duct tape surrounded it. Not only was I unable to receive the breeze I had been promised, but we also had to stare at a horrible looking duct taped door. Unappealing to say the least. Disappointed, I walked down to Guest Services who told me that the doors were not allowed to be opened for safety reasons.

 

Maybe there was a reason the doors were duct taped. They may have broken during the previous cruise. Did you ask?

 

I recently had surgery so I decided to stay far away from any slip zones and kept good awareness of my surroundings. After receiving my pizza, I turned around and took approximately 3 steps before waking up on the floor. I had fell when my foot landed on a slippery piece of tile within the “safe zone” where the pizza’s were being handed out. Fellow kind passengers helped me up and I hobbled a bit in circles to walk it off. Security arrived shortly after to ask me how I was doing.

 

This can happen on any ship, on any cruise line or for that matter anywhere floors are being cleaned. Sorry this happened to you.

 

...a server had accidentally set my drink down a bit too hard on our table, spilling some on my dress pants and leaving a stain....when we arrived for our reservation at Nick & Nora’s Steakhouse. I wore a very nice Golf Polo and a pair of dress shorts....Anyway, we arrived to the restaurant and immediately the hostess says “No no! You may not wear shorts” and I explained to her what had happened at Dinner the previous night. She left and got the manager.

 

Did you talk to someone (either Guest Services or the Maitre d') about having your pants cleaned? Sorry, but I agree with this dress code. Sorry they were rude to you, but they were right.

 

I don’t believe I will ever sail with Carnival again, and the reason goes far beyond what I have already listed.

 

The lemonade and apple juice were pure syrup. They really need to fix their mixture percentages. Every day I poured half a glass of lemonade and then filled the rest with water to make it drinkable. ...The flower that came was wilted and the flowers were falling off.

 

Totally agree about the drinks being too sweet. If I have lemonade, I usually will cut it with some water and squeeze in some lemon.

 

THE POSITIVES:

 

Every comedian was very good. 3 of the 4 were downright hilarious. Carnival recruited some very good talent for their Punchliner club on the Miracle. Only small complaint I would have is that their shows were short 25 to 30 minutes.

 

AND .... away we go!

 

I saw Stanley Ullman when he was on the Spirit last March. I thought he was one of the funniest comedians I have seen on a cruise in a long time.

 

Thanks for all of the photos. We are planning on a cruise when the Miracle comes over to the West Coast.

 

Thank you for your honest review. It is nice to see someone willing to post a review that isn't all positive or all negative.

[TakeMeAway1001]

The OP offered how much he/she spent, so it is fair game to ask what they spent it on.

 

So anyone that posts they spent XXX on their cruise is under some sort of obligation to divulge how that was spent? Sorry it's rude to ask and really isn't anyone's business :rolleyes: The OP has shared his experience, the good and the bad and not knowing the monetary breakdown hasn't hampered his review one bit.

[djwood24]

I thank you for your honest review

 

You do have every right to be upset about a few things.

I would be livid if on Valentines day they delivered a half dead rose...

Also the room isse...I hate they LIED to you...just tell the truth...it is broken would have been sufficient.

The rude behavior in N& N...we loved that place...but for the manager to be rude...totally uncalled for.

 

 

It is a shame...have salied the miracle a few times since 2008 and can say we have seen a decline in service and food quality....won`t stop me from cruising CCL though.

I wish they would just raise the prices a few hundred dollars and give us what we used to have...good service and good food.

 

Hope your next trip is better!

[heatherandfred]

Interesting review. We loved the Miracle!! Did a B2B for our wedding in 2010.

[heatherandfred]

Gatsby's Garden... I dont recall every seeing anyone in this area other than walking through.

 

The Library/Internet Cafe.

 

 

The Chapel (by the way, what is "Friends of Bill" and why is it in the Chapel every day???)

 

 

Fountainhead Cafe

 

 

Me and my Wife

 

 

The logo ... which creates a horrible Plane sound due to the wind rushing over and under the wings.

 

 

We had plenty of pics in Gatsby's Garden!! Yay!!!

[omalley16]

Friends of Bill W, as someone else already answered, is AA. They used to meet in the library's of most ships, but since many ships are getting the 2.0 upgrades, which includes a self-dispensing wine machine in the library, looks like they've been moved to the chapel. Probably a very good idea.;)

 

Looks like I'll be spending my time in the library.... ;)

[BuffaloBoy]

I have really enjoyed your review. Very well done, the good and the bad.

 

I just wanted to add, as someone who has been in the florist business for 12 years, that your poor rose was not old and wilted. All roses come in looking like that. The outside petals are stripped off by hand at the local florist shop and than the flower looks beautiful.

 

I am sorry your on board florist didnt even take the time to do that. Also, you can feel the head of the rose with a gentle squish--if it feels mushy its a old flower. If it is hard than it is a fresher flower.

 

I think you may be mistaken in this case. This flower was definitely wilted and dying. Here is a picture of the rose I paid for next to the free rose they gave away at dinner. The free rose looks much better.

 

 

 

I just dont see how stripping away of petals could have saved this.

[BuffaloBoy]

I thank you for your honest review

 

You do have every right to be upset about a few things.

I would be livid if on Valentines day they delivered a half dead rose...

Also the room isse...I hate they LIED to you...just tell the truth...it is broken would have been sufficient.

The rude behavior in N& N...we loved that place...but for the manager to be rude...totally uncalled for.

 

 

It is a shame...have salied the miracle a few times since 2008 and can say we have seen a decline in service and food quality....won`t stop me from cruising CCL though.

I wish they would just raise the prices a few hundred dollars and give us what we used to have...good service and good food.

 

Hope your next trip is better!

 

I think that would be the appropriate way to go. Simply raise the price a bit and bring back the quality that many people choose to Cruise for.

 

It's not that I have anything against Carnival in general, its just that if I can spend an extra $400 to go on RCCL and get much better food and service, thats just worth it to me.

[BuffaloBoy]

Maybe there was a reason the doors were duct taped. They may have broken during the previous cruise. Did you ask?

 

I did ask. I got 3 different answers from 3 different places. One from Guest Services, another from Maintenance and another from my room steward. So i'm not sure which is correct.

 

Whether they were broken during the previous cruise or not, I don't see that as my problem. I didn't pay for broken doors. Not to be rude, but that is what is the truth. Its like going to a restaurant and giving you a broken table and saying "Sorry, it was broken from the previous guest who sat here". Thats not acceptable.

 

This can happen on any ship, on any cruise line or for that matter anywhere floors are being cleaned. Sorry this happened to you.

 

I've been on many ships across many different lines, and they all put blockers or yellow cones up to signal that the floor has been washed and is still wet. This was supposed to be the "safe zone". Not where they were washing. Heck, It was in the line of the 24 hour pizza buffet.

 

Did you talk to someone (either Guest Services or the Maitre d') about having your pants cleaned? Sorry, but I agree with this dress code. Sorry they were rude to you, but they were right.

 

Yes! We got them cleaned for free but unfortunately the stain did not come out. They are no longer sticky though.

 

I understand that dress code vs no dress code is a big fight on this forum so perhaps its best we dont go down that road. I will simply say that I believe to even the most stringent rules there should be exceptions when the rule maker is the REASON the rule follower is not able to abide by them.

 

From what it sounds like, Guest Care is taking care of this and they are saying that the staff did NOT follow Carnival protocol. So I guess we will see how they remedy it.

 

Totally agree about the drinks being too sweet. If I have lemonade, I usually will cut it with some water and squeeze in some lemon.

 

Yep :)

[crewsweeper]

BB- Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. IMO, you cetainly have some legit complaints and I can see you're hesitancy to return to Carnival. I hope you get some satisfaction in the end from them. I enjoy the clamshells on the Serenity decks. I stay in them as long as I can. They used to have ties where you could lower the shell (it was canvas) or raise it and get some sun or protect from rain. Must have been a very sweet sticky drink and light colored pants. I'm in agreement with others on sticking with the dress code for the steakhouse, but do think in certain situations exceptions could be made. You are sitting down and no one(hopefully) is peering under the table. Even so, rudeness isn't acceptable. What the heck was the ice sculpture suppose to be?:confused: Yeah the guy may have been fast, but whatever it was wasn't recognizable to me.

[Cindy]

Thanks for your great review and pictures!

I'm sorry you had the problems you encountered. On a scale of 1-10, the cabin issue would have been a 12 for me.:rolleyes::( The doors not opening in a cabin that is sold as having doors that open is not acceptable.

I tend to be more formal and traditional than many people on here, but I think an exception should have been made in the steakhouse under the circumstances. After all, even though it was an accident, the reason for the problem was caused by ship personnel. I would certainly not have expected the manager to be rude about it!

Of course, it wouldn't have been a problem for us because as my husband will tell you I still overpack after 16 cruises!:eek: That means he would have had an extra pair of pants, a spare pair of pants, and a reserve pair of pants!:D

I'm glad you enjoyed your cabin steward. We like and dislike things about all the cruise lines we've been on. We've found Carnival's hotel staff to be one of their greatest strengths. The service we've had on our 5 CCL cruises has been exceptional...consistent, personable, and very hard working.

[BuffaloBoy]

Thanks for your great review and pictures!

I'm sorry you had the problems you encountered. On a scale of 1-10, the cabin issue would have been a 12 for me.:rolleyes::( The doors not opening in a cabin that is sold as having doors that open is not acceptable.

I tend to be more formal and traditional than many people on here, but I think an exception should have been made in the steakhouse under the circumstances. After all, even though it was an accident, the reason for the problem was caused by ship personnel. I would certainly not have expected the manager to be rude about it!

Of course, it wouldn't have been a problem for us because as my husband will tell you I still overpack after 16 cruises!:eek: That means he would have had an extra pair of pants, a spare pair of pants, and a reserve pair of pants!:D

I'm glad you enjoyed your cabin steward. We like and dislike things about all the cruise lines we've been on. We've found Carnival's hotel staff to be one of their greatest strengths. The service we've had on our 5 CCL cruises has been exceptional...consistent, personable, and very hard working.

 

Very well said.

 

And as I have noted, Im not someone who is going to purposely break rules. It was simply a situation issue that could have been handled better and I believe would have been handled better by RCCL or Norwegian based on my prior experience with them.

 

Or who knows? Maybe not.

[h_blond2]

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise! But it looks like you still had some enjoyable moments! It's nice to see someone making the best of a situation that they don't really like...good for you!

[BuffaloBoy]

BB- Thanks for sharing your cruise with us. IMO, you cetainly have some legit complaints and I can see you're hesitancy to return to Carnival. I hope you get some satisfaction in the end from them. I enjoy the clamshells on the Serenity decks. I stay in them as long as I can. They used to have ties where you could lower the shell (it was canvas) or raise it and get some sun or protect from rain. Must have been a very sweet sticky drink and light colored pants. I'm in agreement with others on sticking with the dress code for the steakhouse, but do think in certain situations exceptions could be made. You are sitting down and no one(hopefully) is peering under the table. Even so, rudeness isn't acceptable. What the heck was the ice sculpture suppose to be?:confused: Yeah the guy may have been fast, but whatever it was wasn't recognizable to me.

 

Ya know what, I was thinking the entire time we were in the shells that it would be great if we could lower the cover and get a little shade and privacy. Bummer they took that away.

 

The stain isn't too bad. More like a ring or hue you can see around the crotch area. The main part about the next night was the stickyness!

 

The ice sculpture was a Native American. It was much easier to identify in person - I think its tough for a camera to pick up on the subtle details in ice.

[fungirl76]

Thanks for you review!! We are sailing on her next week and am wondering if you can answer a couple questions. Did they only have breakfast/brunch in the MDR on sea days? Do you know if they still offered afternoon tea? I noticed in your Disney pics that some people had short sleeve shirts/shorts and others had hoodies on. Was it chilly? We our taking our 3 yr old there during our cruise and want to make sure she is dressed appropriately. Also, was the weather warm enough in Bahamas for the beach? This is only me second time on Carnival and I must admit, I am a bit skeptical after reading of all the cut backs/changes. I am however going into it with a good attitude that we will enjoy our vacation.

 

Thanks

Melissa

[BuffaloBoy]

Thanks for you review!! We are sailing on her next week and am wondering if you can answer a couple questions. Did they only have breakfast/brunch in the MDR on sea days? Do you know if they still offered afternoon tea? I noticed in your Disney pics that some people had short sleeve shirts/shorts and others had hoodies on. Was it chilly? We our taking our 3 yr old there during our cruise and want to make sure she is dressed appropriately. Also, was the weather warm enough in Bahamas for the beach? This is only me second time on Carnival and I must admit, I am a bit skeptical after reading of all the cut backs/changes. I am however going into it with a good attitude that we will enjoy our vacation.

 

Thanks

Melissa

 

Hi Melissa,

 

You can eat breakfast in the buffet every morning. However, don't expect much. Unlike Norwegian and RCCL, you dont get fresh waffles with lots of toppings or good sized omelettes. Expect egg beaters, pancakes, sausage, french fry fritters and so forth.

 

Yep, tea time is still there. I can't recall if it was every day though.

 

Haha, you noticed that about Disney. Well you leave very early (7:30am), so it was a bit chilly at first. About 55 degrees. But by noon it was up to 70. So I would just bring a hoodie and then tie it around your waist when it starts warming up!

 

The weather in the Bahamas, WHEN SUNNY, was very nice! 80 to 85 degrees in Nassau with no clouds in the sky. In Freeport, it was overcast and that brought it down to about 65.

 

Yes, thats key! Bring a good attitude, take the good with the bad, and determine in yourself that this is going to be a fun time. I'm not satisfied because I know for a little more money I could have had better service on another cruise line - BUT - that doesn't mean it ruined my time. Good luck and have fun.

[emptypurse]

Interesting review. We loved the Miracle!! Did a B2B for our wedding in 2010.

 

We also loved the Miracle have sailed twice before on her and in April we have chosen her again - heading to Hawaii.

[Lovetwocruz2009]

A plate of buffet foot. Some really bad yams with some really bad stuffing with some fried shrimp that was 3/4 breading and 1/4 shrimp. Just an example of the poor buffet food.

 

 

Drink Menu in the Punchliner Comedy Club (aka Mad Hatters)

 

 

 

Tom Van Horn performing.

 

 

Buffet foot..YIKES! I thought to myself Carnival has taken the Didja Ever Menu to new heights. :D

 

Thank you for your honest review. We still enjoy Carnival, but the Allure of the Seas was our favorite trip so far. Give the Oasis or the Allure a try.

[crusinpsychRN]

I have really enjoyed your review. Very well done, the good and the bad.

 

I just wanted to add, as someone who has been in the florist business for 12 years, that your poor rose was not old and wilted. All roses come in looking like that. The outside petals are stripped off by hand at the local florist shop and than the flower looks beautiful.

 

I am sorry your on board florist didnt even take the time to do that. Also, you can feel the head of the rose with a gentle squish--if it feels mushy its a old flower. If it is hard than it is a fresher flower.

 

That's what I was going to say. One sorry looking rose! When did you unduct tape the door? Did you tell Hotel supervisor?

 

Just wear the stained pants!

 

Can't believe with the 1000's of people there Disney looks so clean. Cities need to hire them to keep cities clean and buiild roads. Roads to Disney were done in weeks, not months like we suffer in Tampa taking YEARS!

 

Glad the commedians were good. I had 2 really bad ones. Walked out a few times (with many others).

 

If something is not cooked to your satisfaction, tell them to cook it longer.

 

I got a BLT from room service on white bread, not toast! Who does that?

 

Your pics are fabulous!

[Cindy]

BuffaloBoy -- I posted this on the customer service thread, but I thought I'd put it over here as well...

If you have already done this I apologize, but I think you might get a better response by detailing your concerns in a (snail mail) letter. I had what were to me big concerns on both the Voyager and the Grand Princess, and I sent letters following each trip. It took awhile, but in both cases I received a satisfactory response from the cruise line. I didn't receive any kind of monetary compensation...that wasn't really what I was looking for. I just wanted acknowledgement that the problems existed and steps would be taken to correct the issues.

[bigcraig]

Why not just wear the stained pants? Not like you sat in dog pooh:confused:

[BuffaloBoy]

Why not just wear the stained pants? Not like you sat in dog pooh:confused:

 

You want to wear sticky, stained pants?

 

To each their own I suppose. :D