Alaska Miracle

[sette1lm]

My parents (mid 50's) are about to book a Sept 2nd Alaskan cruise on the Miracle. They have cruised carnival before in the Caribbean but its been about 5 years. I recently took a cruise on the Liberty and loved it! I see that the Miracle is missing almost all the upgrades that I loved so much on my last cruise. I have a few questions. Any answers would be appreciated.

 

1. Any suggestions on best rooms to get? They are thinking of splurging on a balcony as they have never had one. I am also curious of the best floor/ area to have a room in.

 

2. I suggested that to make up for the lack of upgraded restaurants that they book the steak house the first night and maybe sign up for the chefs table too. Any thoughts?

 

3. Has anybody been on this cruise before and have any thoughts to share? Did you like it? How was the ship? Were you ever bored?

 

Thanks in advance for any answers.

[twinmom38]

We are on Miracle this August in Alaska. Have sailed her before... my favorite ship. In my opinion, a balcony is a must. You would be surprised how much time you will spend out there. In my opinion, an AFT balcony is a must... the views!!!!!!!! and again, in my opinion, deck four is a must... it is the only deck with covered balconies on the aft, in the event of poor weather... we have cabins 4228, 4230, and 4237... 4228 and 4237 are the aft wraps, Vista Suites.. incredible. 4230 is the premium aft balcony. give them a look... you will not be disappointed.

[twinmom38]

oh, yes, the steakhouse... most definatley.... the best meal ever, and worth every bit of the price. we have dinner there in place of one of the formal nights, as one formal night is enough for us.. havent done the chefs table...also, its been said that Carnival has the best on board naturalist... we were in Alaska in August 6 years ago... never had one day of rain, and temps were in the mid 60's... I have also heard, that the Tracy Arm Explorer" is a must.. it is a catamran that pulls up along side Miracle, and you are taken up close and personal to the glaciers.. also, in Juneau check out Harv and Marvs for whale watching.. no more than 6 on a boat, compared to the cruise lines excursion, which has hundreds...

[springs741]

We enjoyed our Alaska cruise on the Miracle last summer so much we booked another for this April. While the "best" cabin is subjective, for us Veranda aft of 7262 port side and 7303 starboard are the best. Cabins above and below, limited foot traffic, no lifeboats in the way when looking down, near the elevator, straight down to the dinning room and a quick two flights of stairs to the lido for morning goodies and last night snacks.

We did three cruises between July and November last year. In comparing just those three: Food in MDR was the best, Lido Buffet best, Steakhouse second to the Conquest but still awesome. As for being bored, there is plenty to do on the ship and honestly just sitting outside and enjoying the view can't be beat. It is not like the Caribbean where sometimes the only thing to see is the beautiful blue water. On an Alaska cruise the scenery is breathtaking.

[springs741]

Tracy Arm Explorer" is a must.. it is a catamran that pulls up along side Miracle, and you are taken up close and personal to the glaciers..

 

I second that suggestion. We didn't do it last year and was on the list for things to do this time around Unfortunately , we are not doing Tracy Arm this trip.

[HeatherC430]

I was on the last Alaska cruise on Carnival this past September (Glacier Bay itinerary). Below is a link to my full review - photos start on page 3.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1929967

 

I had the same concerns as you about the Miracle prior to boarding (having just come off the Breeze with all the 2.0 upgrades on the prior cruise). Honestly, the Alaskan cruise for us was more about getting there and seeing the sights, than it was the ship. The ship was totally adequate for the week. Our main focus was on seeing Alaska.

 

We had an aft balcony room on one of the upper decks and loved it. We were right next door to one of the aft-wrap balcony rooms. If money was no object those would be my choice. However, if they're prone to sea sickness they should get a room mid-ship, on one of the lower floors (they say you feel the motion less) although I rarely get seasick.

 

We loved our cruise to Alaska (for my DH's 40th birthday - it was my gift to him). It's a once in a lifetime trip for many people. We weren't ever "bored" although we didn't do much onboard either. On days at sea and after excursions we normally retreated back to our cabin and rented movies and such. This was way more relaxed than all of our Caribbean cruises.

[pspercy]

We are on Miracle this August in Alaska. Have sailed her before... my favorite ship. In my opinion, a balcony is a must. You would be surprised how much time you will spend out there. In my opinion, an AFT balcony is a must... the views!!!!!!!! and again, in my opinion, deck four is a must... it is the only deck with covered balconies on the aft, in the event of poor weather... we have cabins 4228, 4230, and 4237... 4228 and 4237 are the aft wraps, Vista Suites.. incredible. 4230 is the premium aft balcony. give them a look... you will not be disappointed.

 

Our Alaska trip was late August. We want to go again but next time will be June/July. Why? Because of the loooong days then. A balcony isn't much good if it gets dark relatively early while cruising scenic waters. Just a thought.

[caligirl323]

we were on the carnival miracle to alaska july 2013. best cruise ever. we were never bored. i think a balcony is worth the extra money. we were on our balcony all the time. we were fine having dinner in the MDR most nights. we were in skagway late so we skipped the MDR that night. i agree the tracy arm excursion from carnival is well worth the money. it's amazing. we also had a private whale watching excursion with harv and marvs. only 6 of us in boat with captain. great company. we had a wonderful time!! your parents will have an amazing time!!

[Lunarias]

I have not been on a Cruise yet, I'm counting down to our Miracle Alaska cruise in a month, we booked a 4K category, since we didn't feel like splurging on the room. (got it as a free upgrade during the new years sale) We get the balcony layout, fresh air and light without the price tag, I'm very excited. Something to think about, Since excursions in Alaska seem to be much more expensive than Caribbean excursions. (or I just have expensive taste) From what I have read (which at this point is a lot) there is lots to do despite the lack of upgrades (I do wish they had Guys Burgers though). Many people have expressed that this class of ship is their favorite because of the continuous layout and low passenger count for the size of ship. The scenery is a large attraction to Alaska, and with an onboard naturalist pointing out wildlife throughout the cruise, I'm sure they will enjoy themselves. I wish you luck, I'll be posting a review when I get back, since I've enjoyed reading everyone elses here on CC :D

[can't hardly wait]

My parents (mid 50's) are about to book a Sept 2nd Alaskan cruise on the Miracle. They have cruised carnival before in the Caribbean but its been about 5 years. I recently took a cruise on the Liberty and loved it! I see that the Miracle is missing almost all the upgrades that I loved so much on my last cruise. I have a few questions. Any answers would be appreciated.

 

1. Any suggestions on best rooms to get? They are thinking of splurging on a balcony as they have never had one. I am also curious of the best floor/ area to have a room in.

 

2. I suggested that to make up for the lack of upgraded restaurants that they book the steak house the first night and maybe sign up for the chefs table too. Any thoughts?

 

3. Has anybody been on this cruise before and have any thoughts to share? Did you like it? How was the ship? Were you ever bored?

 

Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

Cabins: My 3 sisters and I were on the Miracle last July. They shared an obstructed view cabin and were very happy with it. I had a French Door obstructed view cabin and was fine with it but would have preferred less obstruction. (I still spotted whales from my cabin.) For the price both were good deals and their cabin had huge price drops from the time of booking til we sailed - I booked Early Saver.

 

Dining: We really enjoyed the dining room, no need for us to pay extra at the steakhouse. One sister and I did attend a cooking demonstration in the steakhouse and really enjoyed that. But food in the dining room and buffet were consistently excellent.

 

We were never bored but I can't imagine that happening on a cruise. The day of cruising Tracy Arm Fjord was incredible. We spent at least 8 hours that day on deck looking at the majestic views. The expert on board was very informative. All 3 ports of call had plenty to do and see. We booked excursions at each. At sea days were exciting, we spotted humpback whales, orcas and dolphins. We didn't have time to do all that was offered on board ship.

 

I only went to Alaska because my sister wanted to cruise there, I was only wanting to cruise the Caribbean. Now the two of us are planning our next trip to Alaska, we had an incredible time. My siblings and I highly recommend this cruise.

[sette1lm]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I will pass all this info onto my parents. I think my mom is calling to book tonight :)

[chocolate melting cake]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I will pass all this info onto my parents. I think my mom is calling to book tonight :)

 

I don't know if this will help--but a few years ago we were on the Spirit (a sister ship, and very much like the Miracle) in Alaska. We had a ball-but it had a lot to do with our friends also. In any case, if you'd like to see some pictures of the cruise, I'll leave a link below. You might want to skip to #91 as the first 90 are of the days we stayed in Seattle pre-cruise.

 

ALASKAN CRUISE

[kennelgang]

My wife and friends have been on Miracle's identical twins, Legend and Spirit. We have had the aft wrap staterooms many times. My wife, myself and our many friends all agree that these staterooms are the best cabins on the high seas. They certainly are the best in the entire Carnival fleet. I highly encourage you to book one of these. Your parents will be thrilled. They contain 3 rooms, living area, bedroom, bath, dressing area, walk-in closet, etc. The huge wrap around balcony is unbelievable; a must for Alaska's incredible scenery. The aft wraps are beyond fantastic and well worth the extra cost. They are the first staterooms to "book out".

 

The 4th deck aft wraps (4228 and 4237) are the best since the balcony is complete covered, which is great for inclement weather.

 

Bob

[twinmom38]

Sette, you can go to google, and type in for instance, carnival miracle cabin 4228, (or whatever cabin number you are interested in), and you can see some great pictures, as well as even some UTUBE videos.. in any case, report back and let us know what your parents decided on... excited for them!

[Budget Queen]

going in Sept is less than ideal due to 2 things, it has the worse weather potential of the season, and less daylight. It will be dark by 7:30/8pm . Being well prepared with the attire is necessary, you can expect rain.

 

I too, think it "necessary" to purchase the add on ship excursion in Tracy Arm and is always my recommendation. This transit is WAY superior compared to the cruise ship transit.

 

As for a balcony, I don't find them necessary, because I never want to limit myself to a single side for viewing. I really like the covered outside deck, deck 3? and going back and forth.

 

Be also advised, this itinerary is the least scenic. You do have essentially 2 open ocean sea days. Going out of Vancouver has much more scenery.

[kennelgang]

going in Sept is less than ideal due to 2 things, it has the worse weather potential of the season, and less daylight. It will be dark by 7:30/8pm . Being well prepared with the attire is necessary, you can expect rain.

 

I too, think it "necessary" to purchase the add on ship excursion in Tracy Arm and is always my recommendation. This transit is WAY superior compared to the cruise ship transit.

 

As for a balcony, I don't find them necessary, because I never want to limit myself to a single side for viewing. I really like the covered outside deck, deck 3? and going back and forth.

 

Be also advised, this itinerary is the least scenic. You do have essentially 2 open ocean sea days. Going out of Vancouver has much more scenery.

 

We have been in Alaska 8 times and are going again this May since we won a free Carnival cruise. We have been in Alaska in peak and shoulder months. One time in September it was close to 80 degrees at Hubbard glacier!!!! We wore shorts that day. So you just never know what the weather will be like. One cruise it rained in every port. Weather is a turkey shoot. It can be cold, windy and wet even in peak season. IMHO we actually like September as opposed to peak months.

 

I agree Tracey Arm Fjord Carnival excursion is not to be missed. It is an amazing sight to see your ship following you as you glide through the fjords. The small boat gets much closer to nature then the cruise ship can.

 

Except for our first Alaska (Nordic Prince - no balconies) cruise we have always had a balcony and that will never change. Well worth the money to be on your private balcony sipping coffee/bloody mary in your robe while viewing the amazing scenery. It is also wonderful to be shipping your evening cocktail in your tux on your balcony. It is extremely romantic. IMO and my wife's and friends a balcony is an absolute must especially while cruising Alaska!!!

 

Bob

[Budget Queen]

We have been in Alaska 8 times and are going again this May since we won a free Carnival cruise. We have been in Alaska in peak and shoulder months. One time in September it was close to 80 degrees at Hubbard glacier!!!! We wore shorts that day. So you just never know what the weather will be like. One cruise it rained in every port. Weather is a turkey shoot. It can be cold, windy and wet even in peak season. IMHO we actually like September as opposed to peak months.

 

 

 

Bob

 

September on average, is cooler and does have the worse potential for foul weather of the cruise season. It's an accurate warning to be aware and well prepared for. If by some fluke you have 80' at Hubbard so much the better, but odds are against that.

 

I have been to Alaska about 40 times.

[Lerin]

Went a few months back, review with details and photos in my signature :)

We did steakhouse, chefs table and the behind the fun tour.

LOVED it.

[Captain Carnival]

My parents (mid 50's) are about to book a Sept 2nd Alaskan cruise on the Miracle. They have cruised carnival before in the Caribbean but its been about 5 years. I recently took a cruise on the Liberty and loved it! I see that the Miracle is missing almost all the upgrades that I loved so much on my last cruise. I have a few questions. Any answers would be appreciated.

 

1. Any suggestions on best rooms to get? They are thinking of splurging on a balcony as they have never had one. I am also curious of the best floor/ area to have a room in. Balcony - Deck 7 Verandah MIDSHIP.

 

2. I suggested that to make up for the lack of upgraded restaurants that they book the steak house the first night and maybe sign up for the chefs table too. Any thoughts? We never do.

 

3. Has anybody been on this cruise before and have any thoughts to share: Did you like it? How was the ship? Were you ever bored? Yes/Incredible/Never

 

Thanks in advance for any answers.

 

Offered IMHO.....We are also sailing on Miracle on September 10th.

[vrock]

We will be on the miracle for the first time in august we have three balcony cabins next to each other near the atrium on deck 7. This will be our second alaska cruise. We loved our first one and could not wait to go back. My favorite thing was to sit on the balcony and watch the scenery.

[sette1lm]

My parents booked their cruise and they got room 7140. So they did go for the balcony. I don't know much else about the room. I am looking up details online right now.Thank you everyone for your input, it is really appreciated.

[oceanlvr1016]

My parents (80's), siblings and spouses (late 50's early 60's) and my husband and I (50) sailed on the Miracle June 2013 to Alaska. We all had a great time. I like that you can get from front to back on all floors. I do recommend a balcony. There is such beautiful scenery and if it's too cool to be on deck you can enjoy from your own cabin. The food in the main dining room was excellent. It was my 4th Carnival cruise and while the menu is always similar this was by far the best prepared. We did dine at the steak house one night and would not do it again or recommend it. I know many will disagree but that is my opinion.

[Sheebah]

I would suggest considering an aft balcony cabin in Alaska for maximum glacier viewing.

Deck 7 is great for any balcony- you can't go wrong.

The steakhouse on night one is a great kickoff and when we went to Mexico they offered a free bottle of wine! They'll have an amazing time!!!

 

 

Carnival Miracle video tour:

[SoCalKJ]

I sent an email to inquire about a spot for DH and I on our July 8 sailing....hopefully there's room!

 

Thanks for the heads up! We somehow missed this excursion in 2011! :eek:

[CruisingMainer]

Reading this makes me sooo excited. We are sailing on 7/15 and have booked an aft balcony. I have done an aft before on a girls cruise to Canada. My DH and DS do not know we have the aft balcony!! Glad I worked the extra hours to pay for that! :)