Carnival Miracle 12/01/07 Review - The Good, The Great and the AWESOME...

[NCTribeFan]

Brandy, how was the La Terra wine that came in the gift? Someone said elsewhere that it was not bad at all, and very reasonably priced, and that you could order it in the dining room, although it isn't on the menu.

 

I don't want to order it at dinner if it was awful!

 

Should be boarding in about 48 hours! I'm so ready for this!

[TallyRockChick]

Over the past couple of nights Rodolfo was speaking some spanish to us. Coming from a dude from Vietnam, it was pretty freaking funny, but he was good! He would ask Lex if he wanted queso on his caesar salad (in case you didnt know, they grate fresh parm for ya for the caesars and pastas). Tonight, as usual, Lex said yes, and when Lex said "when" he just kept going....it was hilarious. More queso! More queso!! This was the end result of the queso.

Salmon for me. YUMMY! The dill buttery sauce on the plate was great and the green beans were cooked perfectly, still with a little bit of crunch to them. The potatoes were good too. Great last meal.

Lex got the quail and I am SO glad he did becuase it was SOOOOOO good! Tonight was the fried seafood platter night and he almost got that but this looked way better and Im sure tasted a million times better then just some fried crap on a plate. It was moist and tender and fell right off the bone. Flavors were bursting! Next cruise, Im SO getting that!

Dessert was Grand Marnier Souffle with vanilla creme sauce. Mmmmmmm. I was way full and couldnt finish it, but it was great.

I finally remembered to take a pic of the cappucino (I had tea again)

Over dessert we were talking about the tips we were gonna leave the servers. We were saying that we cant wait for the day when we could hand them each $100 and not bat an eye. We were going to give them one tip to split, but then Lex said, ya know what....Im gonna give them each one. It really warmed my heart, it was so sweet. They were sooooo incredibly greatful as we handed them their tips on our way out of the dining room. We told them we would see them next year and were on our way.

On the way out of the dining room, you pass by the area where they show the pics for you to buy. As I was walking I was glancing to my right at the pics and stopped dead in my tracks. "Oh my god Lex, look at that!"

Remember the guy from the hairy chest contest. The drunk dude? Oh yes...not only was he embracing the fact that he was the drunk dude on the cruise, but..oh I dont think there is a but. Can you believe this picture!?!?!? We laughed the whole way to the room.

[TallyRockChick]

NCT - the wine was really good. Im very picky with wine and I was nervous just getting wine that I never had before, but it really was good. Worth getting for sure. The basket on the other hand was a waste of money. With the exception of a couple of cheeses, we didnt eat any of the fruit or the nuts. Next time I'll just get the wine delivered. Id for sure order the wine again.

[TallyRockChick]

On the way to the room we decided to go on by the purser's desk to settle up our sign and sail scenerio. I had my card as the backup to our cash but Lex was gonna foot half the bill so we needed to have them take care of that tonight so we didnt have to worry about it tomorrow. There was a short line but there were only 2 pursers there and they had to answer phone calls in between people they saw in person. Finally it was our turn. We told her what we wanted and as we were getting it taken care of...all hell broke lose. Up to my left walked an old man who slammed his fist on the counter and was screaming for a manager. "I want to talk to a manager RIGHT NOW (slam)! I just had to ask a simple question and I have been calling for 45 minutes and no one will answer the damn phone (slam)" And the purser said "sir if you will just go to the end of the line we will help you when its your turn" "(SLAM) I will NOT (slam) wait in that line. All I had to ask was a simple question. I want to speak to your manager right NOW (slam). I had to get RE-DRESSED (I put that part in caps because it was totally funny that he was in pjs and in bed at 10:00 and that he told the purser that fact as well like it would make a difference) to come down here and you are ruining the enjoyment of my cruise" I was in shock. I was staring at this man with my jaw open. I was totally distracted. The other purser, who introduced herself as the shift supervisor took over and the old man was yelling and slamming at her too and when the purser that was helping us got our attention back we signed our tickets, I mouthed to her "Im sorry" and gave an eye at the geri and we dipped out of there. No idea if the issue got resolved, but the ship didnt rumble under the weight of his slamming so Im sure it did. Mad props to the little girl pursers for taking care of the situation in a very professional and great way.

 

So, tonight was the night....the night we were going to put what we learned on the craps table. We each had a $40 limit to spend and once that was gone, it was gone and we were walking away. When we walked up to the craps table it was empty. We told them we were new and this was our first time and the casino folk were so great and walked us thru everything we were doing and would promt us to ask if we wanted to do things that we might have forgotten or missed, like putting down odds or backing up our pass line bet. Lex rolled a great first set. We were winning. I on the other hand, rolled like crap. Then the table started to fill up. One by one people started to put money down too. Then...to our joy and not so much shock..who walks up?? HARD NINE!!! I got the HUGEST grin on my face and I started hitting Lex on the arm... "look who just walked up!" YESSSS!!!!

Hard Nine can roll some freaking dice let me tell you. We ended up staying at the table for a total of about 45 mins or so and I told Lex, next crap out 7 and were done. I walked away from the table up $77 and Lex walked away up about $50. On the way to get our cash, I saw Frank at the roulette table and decided, why not, I was hot on the roulette table earlier... So I got some chips. A couple of rounds later the number 16 popped into my head. I dont know why. So I put a ship on 16 as well as on 16/17 and I also bet on red. I got distracted by a slot machine going off and looked away, when I looked back, that crystal thingy they put on the number was on 16. In case ya'll didnt know, 16 is red. HOLY CRAP! Actually, I think I screamed "Holy EFFING S". I literally said that. There was old people at the table and I wanted to be respectful. After that I bet a couple more times and won some more and then pulled my money. All in all, I walked away from the casino up $120. Plus the $31 I won on roulette earlier...$151! Minus the $80 I lost earlier in the week on blackjack and slots...I was up $71! YAY! I was jumping around the casino like a little kid on Christmas after they got the Nintendo they wanted (at least thats what we used to do when I was growing up) and had the biggest cheezin grin of the whole trip!!! Craps and roulette are our new loves and we are planning a trip in Bilouxi soon to fill the void till the next cruise. God bless Hard Nine! And God bless Bruce for getting me interested in craps in the first place. God bless everyone!!!!

Notice my bracelet from the cute girl in Panama? Cute right??

 

It was a hard feet (feat? however you say it) but we calmed ourselves down enough to go to sleep. Oh I forgot to mention that we packed before dinner. Yeah that was good, because last trip we tried to rush around and do it the morning we were leaving and that just didnt work out too well. We set the alarm for 6:30 to finish packing the rest of the stuff after we needed it in the morning and headed on up to breakfast. I was sad to see the skyline of Ft. Lauderdale, but glad to be home all at the same time. It was over.

Today, I was gonna get my over easy eggs. I went to the short side of the line and got my eggs before some of the people that were there before me on the other side even ordered their omelets. We went out to the Orpheus for one last hurrah and ate breakfast out there. We saw sweet cheeks Maryono bussing tables and said goodbye to him. Aww Ill miss his little chipmunk cheeks.

We went back to the room and it was about 8:15. They were supposed to start calling numbers at 8:45. At 8:30 we were getting ansy and decided to go on down to the Atrium to wait till it was time to get off. We made our way to the elevators but the Atrium elevators opened up first so we went on in there. As the elevator doors opened, we saw before us a line of people waiting for the gangway. What? People are already getting off the boat? We did today what hundreds of old people did to us on the whole cruise. We merged into the line and were walking thru the door within 4 minutes. On down the gangway and off to customs. Seriously? How did that just happen? I didnt even have time to call my brother to pick us up! I tried to call him but was yelled at for using my phone by security, so I texted him to start heading over to the port. In less then 10 minutes we were thru customs and out of the terminal. We plopped our bags down and waited for my bro.

We were way pooped, I couldnt even imagine having to then go to the airport and catch a flight. I thanked the lord that we lived within driving distance to cruising again. THANK THE LORD!! My brother rolled up and we left the Miracle in our dust.

All in all, this cruise was FABULOUS! Absolutely! We met some GREAT people, got to see and do SO many amazing and unforgettable things, and I can not WAIT for the next time we can sail. We love sailing this time of year, we did mid-Dec last year on the Fantasy, so we decided this was our time of year to cruise. We already have our next cruise picked out if anyone is interested. Leaving 12/07/08 from Ft. Lauderdale, 8 days, going to St. Maartin, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and were doing a repeat on Miss Miracle!!!

If anyone else has any other questions about anything, let me know. Im so glad you guys enjoyed my review. I felt like it was needed, you dont see many reviews from people my age. I gave it all to ya, but Im sure I missed some stuff so just ask away!

Till next year.....THE END! :D ;) :cool:

[TallyRockChick]

Oh yeah, as promised...here is the URL for my entire album on Webshots.

http://travel.webshots.com/album/561741263LgJRqj?vhost=travel

[Pischina]

I feel like I just spent a week in the Caribbean with you and your husband!

Fantastic review. I have cruised on the Pride and am leaving on the Spirit in a couple weeks, but I may look into the Miracle for the next one!

 

Also, I'm thinking about getting a new camera for our next cruise... yours took great pictures even in the dark areas. Could you tell us what kind you used? Thanks!

[KruznKel]

Fantastic review.. we have never been to any of those ports and it was great to have this.. for our future adventures!!:)

[NCTribeFan]

Again, thanks so much for sharing all your impressions and photos with us.

 

While our itinerary is totally different from any other Miracle cruise, I've still read every word I could find about the ship, the food, the drinks, and the service.

 

I really appreciate that people take the time to write these reviews and share their photos.

 

Thanks, Brandy! Glad you and Lex had such a good time!

[Captain Canuck]

1. gerries is just too funny. I am getting there but omg.

 

2. you didn't have to say you are jewish..your total description of how you like your bacon makes that obvious

 

3. thanks for the laughs

[Captain Canuck]

double post...computer went nuts

[cruizer4662]

Brandy:

We were on the Miracle 10/30/07 to the Western also. Reading your review took me right back. I think you would classify me as a "geri" 60+, but no walker or cane. We had a ball on the ship, I bought the wife some jewelry in Belize City.

Great review!!!!

[CalgonCruiser]

Bravo !!!! You wrote that beautifully, I felt like I was right there. I'm looking forward to your next cruise review.

 

Thanks for taking me along.

 

Happy Cruising, Sea YA !!!!

[iluvdoxies]

Great review and pics !

[TallyRockChick]

Pischina - My camera is an Olympus FE230. I LOVE it! It has so many different settings for different scenes and situations, etc...including a sunset setting. I think thats why my sunset pics came out so well. I had never had a digital camera and Lex got me that for my birthday and it was seriously the best birthday present ever! Not to mention, it had a rechargable battery that is a small square so the camera is really skinny and nice and light. All I did was recharge the battery every night (even though I didnt have to, but with as many pics as I was taking I figured I might as well) and I never had any problems. A friend on the cruise went thru quite a few AA batteries throughout her cruise. I think she should take stock in Duracell.

 

Again, thanks for all the great comments everyone. Im glad you enjoyed the review. I tell ya, I enjoyed writing it ALMOST as much as living it. Almost. ;)

[MonaCK]

What a GREAT trip report. Thank you so much for posting this. You are inspiring, and are making me want to do something similar for my upcoming cruises. :)

[Pischina]

Thanks Brandy, I just checked it out on Amazon.com and it's a great price. Merry Christmas to me! haha... I promise to take lots of pictures on my Mexican Riviera cruise and post them for all of you!

 

Now I just have to work in a Miracle cruise next year!

[Ltvscout]

We loaded on the bus and met Timmy the driver who was dancing in his seat and Richard.

I'm happy to hear that Timmy and Richard are still working with Yhony. We had them back in 2006 and they were awesome. We're going with Yhony again on our cruise in 2008. I hope we get Timmy and Richard on our bus again! Back then Richard called him NASCAR Timmy because of the way he drives.

[Ltvscout]

We pulled in to the ATV spot which was a huge tiki hut and we got ourselves a couple of Belize beers called Belikin. It was tasty and reminded me of Amberbock.

Belikin beer is awesome! Wish we could get it back here, but I don't believe they export it.

[Ltvscout]

I had the rum in my bag and they didnt say anything about it when it went thru the xray scanner so I didnt say anything either and took it back to the room.

That reminds me. We got a 6-pack of Belikin beer back onto the ship without being confiscated from that port as well.

[divingandcruising]

That reminds me. We got a 6-pack of Belikin beer back onto the ship without being confiscated from that port as well.

 

Ltv -

 

I can't wait to have a nice cold refreshing Belikin after diving in San Pedro in a few weeks!!! Last time I brought back a few bottles too. Apparently this website does import Belikin Beer, http://www.bluefield-prod.com/Products%20Page.htm , if you are interested, otherwise I most certainly can pick you up some on Jan 8th when I'm there and ship it out.

 

JC

[Ltvscout]

Ltv -

 

I can't wait to have a nice cold refreshing Belikin after diving in San Pedro in a few weeks!!! Last time I brought back a few bottles too. Apparently this website does import Belikin Beer, http://www.bluefield-prod.com/Products%20Page.htm , if you are interested, otherwise I most certainly can pick you up some on Jan 8th when I'm there and ship it out.

 

JC

Whoa! Thanks for the link, JC. I'll let my favorite liquor store know about this to see if they can start carrying it.

 

Enjoy your dive! We'll be in Belize in March. Thanks for the offer though to bring back some brews for me.

[julieinthedesert]

TallyRockChick -

 

met you briefly on the aft deck with Bruce and his wife....

Awesome review! Got it right on - we enjoyed ourselves and actually won at the casino - I actually "cashed out" at min of + "150" a day and hubby won numerous times "500.00" being the largest. Paid for our gambling and "overindulging pleasures".

 

Loved the pictures!!

 

Julie

[TallyRockChick]

I'm happy to hear that Timmy and Richard are still working with Yhony. We had them back in 2006 and they were awesome. We're going with Yhony again on our cruise in 2008. I hope we get Timmy and Richard on our bus again! Back then Richard called him NASCAR Timmy because of the way he drives.

 

Oh he called him NASCAR Timmy and it was rightly deserved. We couldnt believe how fast he was flying around some of those turns. But he beeped his horn before he hit the turn so we felt safe as can be.

 

Also, I asked Richard if Belikin was available in the US and he said its imported in to 3 cities in the US.

 

Thanks for the website though. Lex will be STOKED!! :D

[caribbeandreaming]

Brandi,

 

Awsome review!!! Your pictures are great! We sail on the Miracle in October. We can not wait to go. Thanks again.

[robertf]

TallyRockChick,

 

Your review was the best I have seen since I started reading the cruise critic. Thank you for taking all the time necessary to post your review.

 

We live in Connecticut and will be sailing on the Miracle January 2. It can not come soon enough, we had two storms last week with snow and ice. Did you have a chance to scan the capers yet? It would be great reading as we dig out.

 

Thanks,