Miracle was so so!

[leeker13]

I was surprised by my BF at Christmas with a trip on the Miracle on 1/2.

 

Overall a cruise is a great time and we made our trip fun.

 

The Miracle was a nice ship overall, clean and in great shape. I was not impressed with many things though, that does not mean they were horrible, just so so.

 

Food is so subjective, so I will just add that I felt is was not as special as what I have had in the past or of recent on here. It was much better then I cook, lol, but was similar to Apple Bee's or Chili's. I was looking forward to the pizza as a filler between meals, it was just ok this time. I was on the inspiration years ago and also on the Destiny and Triumph before in the past few years.

 

Our room steward was, OK, we had turn down service all but one night, not sure why we didn't get it all nights. We had a balcony room which we really enjoyed. The beds seemed better to me on the other Carnival ships I was on, I looked forward to getting back in mine when I got home. Room was clean for the most part.

 

We had late seating, I am not a big fan of the assigned time and assigned people thing. This is why I now generally cruise on NCL. My BF got a deal, he said, so that is why he wanted to try Carnival. We had table mates who wanted us to know everything about them. I am not sure how to tell people to just enjoy their meal, so I just kept nodding as they rambled on. To me, this made meals very long. Each cruise you go on will be different, but I can understand how people are turned off from cruising when you get stuck with people like the ones we had.

 

Speaking of meals, I am assuming that the person with the DOG on the ship had it for medical reasons, but this was the first time I had ever seen a lap type dog as a guide especially when you are always holding the dog. Our waiter said it was a seeing eye dog, but I was confused. This person also dressed up the dog to match what they wore each day, it was at least something different to talk about at the table. It was definitely a Paris Hilton moment.

 

We did the train to the Pacific in Panama, that was a lot of fun, otherwise Panama is ho hum.

 

Belize we did the beach, again, it was nice to be on a beach somewhere warm, but nothing awesome.

 

We did catch a bug, not sure if it was noro or food poising, but were stuck in the cabin for a day and a half. We got it from both ends. Not the cruise ships fault, but heck, it sucked.

 

The people were a typical mix as I have seen on Carnival, you get them all. From the party all week, to the family, to the happy retirees, to the we won this trip and the staff will wait on us hand and foot crowd. You will get this mix on any line, but it appears to me that Carnival packs a few more people on their ships as other ships of similar size, so things do get crowded and the obnoxious are more easily spotted.

 

Staff in general were ho hum. Many were friendly and many never made any eye contact. If you smiled at some, they were happy and smiled back, others quickly looked away. Not sure if it was the holidays or what, but the warm feeling was so hit or miss.

 

We never did the shows as the dining time screws things up in my opinion. It was hurry up and get here at this time or you miss dinner or might be late if you did not dress before you did other things. I felt rushed if I was doing something I enjoyed but had to stop and get ready for dinner. The buffet is for a quick snack, not dinner.

 

Breakfast was breakfast, again, I am not fond of the time thing, for me I want to eat when hungry, not when they tell me. Lunch you are forced to eat buffet basically unless a sea day, so that is disappointing. Otherwise the food again is better then I cook!

 

Overall the cruise was a great get away, but I have learned that I do enjoy freestyle much more then the schedule style. Will I cruise Carnival again, when they add freestyle, for sure, but probably not until then. BF was told no surprises unless Princess/RC/NCL where I am on my own schedule.

 

Happy Cruising

[ECP]

Sorry about how bad your dinners were (one week of loud-mouths - ugh), did you realize that you can have dinner on the Lido deck anytime you want? Of-course it is not the same as the proper dining room so I could see how you might not like that option.

 

I have not used/priced the specialty dining, would that be an option?

 

And of-course you can always request a table just for yourself and BF. But then you may feel that you are missing out meeting new people.

 

Just suggesting options - hope you will try Carnival again even without free-style dining, but I can see you would not want to repeat the dining experience either..

[jrs101]

Oh Lordy you are one depressing sounding person. There are opinions and then there is the point where you are just kicking the dead horse. WE GOT IT!!!! YOU DON'T LIKE CARNIVAL.

[tampabrat22]

Oh Lordy you are one depressing sounding person. There are opinions and then there is the point where you are just kicking the dead horse. WE GOT IT!!!! YOU DON'T LIKE CARNIVAL.

 

LOL, ITA!!

 

Sorry you had a bad time but I guess it's a good thing there there are so many cruise lines to choose from, everyone can find one that suits them!

[cruisinjerseygirl]

Oh Lordy you are one depressing sounding person. There are opinions and then there is the point where you are just kicking the dead horse. WE GOT IT!!!! YOU DON'T LIKE CARNIVAL.

 

LOL!!!

 

I have to say after reading this it seems like the OP was just looking for a reason to find something wrong because other than the dog and possibly the loud mouth tablemates I don't see an issue really...it's vacation have fun!!!!! On our first cruise we didn't have tablemates and were upset that we had them on our second but when we got to know them we had such a great time chatting with them it was a blast! We still talk to this day and can't wait to meet more people on our next trip! The OP is probably either better off at NCL like she said or a land vacation but in all honesty I think what kind of a vacation is it if you don't meet people? How much fun can you have by yourselves really? I think that the people we met on ours is what made it for us! We have friends from both and actually planned one with people we met on our first one!

[The_Geek]

I am willing to bet that the Dog was a service dog, just not a seeing eye dog. The waiter was probably just mistaken.

 

You do seem a bit depressing in this post, kind of "blah". hopefully this is just the way the post reads , or maybe your table mates are posting on some other forum mentioning the depressing person at their table. j/k

 

 

I personally would have just told the obnoxious person that I have had enough of listening to them and would have requested another table. I know this can be done because we saw it done at the table next to us last cruise. The requesting of a new table because of bad table mates.

[skylock]

As another freestyle lover, the dining situation on Carnival is just a downer. I don't always FEEL like going to dinner when they say I have to. If I have early, often I am not hungry. If I have late, I am often starving before it is "my turn" to eat.

 

I have heard till I am sick to death of being told I can eat at the buffet. I don't eat buffet at home and I am sure not doing it on a cruise.

 

Not only does Carnival tell me when I can eat, they also tell me what I am suppose to wear.

 

I do not go on vacation to meet other people. That is not a highlight of my day. I have plenty of friends and acquaintances. And even if that is your goal there are plenty of other ways to meet them on the ship. And on NCL when you find a new friend, you can meet up for dinner a couple of nights or not. I met a couple on the dive boat my last Carnival cruise. Had we been on an NCL ship, we could have had dinner together that night, but the only place you can do that on Carnival is the buffet. (we did met up for the show, but still.)

 

I think the OPs review is fair. And seeing a dog on a cruise is not expected and from what I have read it is a fro fro dog, not one a person would normally regard as a service dog.

[Luv4dacruise]

Sorry you had such a "so-so" time, but it kind of sounds like your "down-in-dumps" so to speak, and maybe cruising just isn't for you. As far as the dog goes, there are sooooo many different kinds of service dogs nowadays. From seeing eye to ones that can sense seizures to ones that can sense heart attacks. It could have been there for any medical reason. Honestly though, the fact that you typed it in such a large fontmade me think that it really bothered you. Can i ask why?.....Lifes too short to let little petty things like that bother you or take away from the enjoyment of your vacation. Dont sweat the small stuff. Hope your next vacation is more enjoyable that this one.

[TallyRockChick]

Ewww...Applebee's? really?? I know they have different kitchens that put food out and all, but on my cruise on 12/1 on the Miracle the food was fabulous! Believe me, I dont eat at Applebees (Crapplebees as I call it) and if the food tasted anywhere in the vicinity I would not have enjoyed it. Sheesh! People and their unattainable standards!

[Name game]

I also liked the food on the Miracle. I guess you didn't realize that if you didn't like something you could have ordered something else. I don't go to the dining room every night and I find many other options for food (i.e. the sushi bar). I have no idea why you didn't get turn down service each evening (and I assume no towel animals). I'm sure there must have been a reason. I guess you didn't meet Ali - the best drink server known to mankind.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise, I guess you'll be back on the NCL thread.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

Thank you for the review.

 

There is a lot of ignorance about service animals.

 

Not all service animals are seeing eye dogs. Not all service animals are dogs.

 

Did you know that dogs can detect when a person is going to have a seizure?

 

Did you know that a dog can be trained to alert its deaf owner that their phone is ringing. (Yes deaf people use telephones).

 

It is not for me to question anyone who has a service animal as to why.

 

I am sure the cruiseline checked it out and the person with the dog is clear as to the law and the requirements.

 

Just because you cannot see a disability doesnt mean it doesnt exist.

 

If it upset you so much as to think this person was nothing more than another Paris Hilton why didnt you confront them? :confused:

[Mikel1733]

I think sometimes in a setting at dinner where the folks don't know each other well it is difficult to carry on conversations. Some people can't stand dead silence and instead try and make conversation to be friendly. If there isn't a subject guests have in common to discuss it can often lead to discussing personal information. As a fellow table mate you could have redirected the conversation to other topics you found more interesting. Sounds like a Debbie downer cruise. Best solution would have been to request a new table.

[cruisingjon]

I was surprised by my BF at Christmas with a trip on the Miracle on 1/2.

 

Overall a cruise is a great time and we made our trip fun.

 

The Miracle was a nice ship overall, clean and in great shape. I was not impressed with many things though, that does not mean they were horrible, just so so.

 

Food is so subjective, so I will just add that I felt is was not as special as what I have had in the past or of recent on here. It was much better then I cook, lol, but was similar to Apple Bee's or Chili's. I was looking forward to the pizza as a filler between meals, it was just ok this time. I was on the inspiration years ago and also on the Destiny and Triumph before in the past few years.

 

Our room steward was, OK, we had turn down service all but one night, not sure why we didn't get it all nights. We had a balcony room which we really enjoyed. The beds seemed better to me on the other Carnival ships I was on, I looked forward to getting back in mine when I got home. Room was clean for the most part.

 

We had late seating, I am not a big fan of the assigned time and assigned people thing. This is why I now generally cruise on NCL. My BF got a deal, he said, so that is why he wanted to try Carnival. We had table mates who wanted us to know everything about them. I am not sure how to tell people to just enjoy their meal, so I just kept nodding as they rambled on. To me, this made meals very long. Each cruise you go on will be different, but I can understand how people are turned off from cruising when you get stuck with people like the ones we had.

 

Speaking of meals, I am assuming that the person with the DOG on the ship had it for medical reasons, but this was the first time I had ever seen a lap type dog as a guide especially when you are always holding the dog. Our waiter said it was a seeing eye dog, but I was confused. This person also dressed up the dog to match what they wore each day, it was at least something different to talk about at the table. It was definitely a Paris Hilton moment.

 

We did the train to the Pacific in Panama, that was a lot of fun, otherwise Panama is ho hum.

 

Belize we did the beach, again, it was nice to be on a beach somewhere warm, but nothing awesome.

 

We did catch a bug, not sure if it was noro or food poising, but were stuck in the cabin for a day and a half. We got it from both ends. Not the cruise ships fault, but heck, it sucked.

 

The people were a typical mix as I have seen on Carnival, you get them all. From the party all week, to the family, to the happy retirees, to the we won this trip and the staff will wait on us hand and foot crowd. You will get this mix on any line, but it appears to me that Carnival packs a few more people on their ships as other ships of similar size, so things do get crowded and the obnoxious are more easily spotted.

 

Staff in general were ho hum. Many were friendly and many never made any eye contact. If you smiled at some, they were happy and smiled back, others quickly looked away. Not sure if it was the holidays or what, but the warm feeling was so hit or miss.

 

We never did the shows as the dining time screws things up in my opinion. It was hurry up and get here at this time or you miss dinner or might be late if you did not dress before you did other things. I felt rushed if I was doing something I enjoyed but had to stop and get ready for dinner. The buffet is for a quick snack, not dinner.

 

Breakfast was breakfast, again, I am not fond of the time thing, for me I want to eat when hungry, not when they tell me. Lunch you are forced to eat buffet basically unless a sea day, so that is disappointing. Otherwise the food again is better then I cook!

 

Overall the cruise was a great get away, but I have learned that I do enjoy freestyle much more then the schedule style. Will I cruise Carnival again, when they add freestyle, for sure, but probably not until then. BF was told no surprises unless Princess/RC/NCL where I am on my own schedule.

 

Happy Cruising

 

 

OMG...get ready here comes the ole faithful Carnival Flamers........hope your prepared.

[Frick_&_Frack]

It sounds as if, unfortunately, you did not enjoy your cruise and that is a shame. It seems that much of your disappointment came from the lack of freestyle dining which is a choice that is made when booking a line such as RCCL or CCL vs. NCL (and, as you can see, I've been on all of them). This is not flaming/bashing; however, some individuals cannot live with (or without) the "freestyle" dining (or As You Wish, etc.). This just means that everyone needs to know what their expectations are when booking a cruise and what dining options are available to meet their expectations.

 

As for the dog, I have seen smaller dogs on vessels (as well as those that would be considered "traditional" seeing eye dogs) and they must be cleared by the cruiseline and have special papers to travel aboard the vessel. These service animals are family to the person that they help. They are considered the best friends or children who have a highly specialized job to do and the bond is incredible between them - which could be why the woman dressed hers up a bit. They can be, and are, lifesavers to many individuals.

[asader83]

Not here to flame, but I was on the same sailing, I saw the dog and honestly, it did not bother me (I have two at home, so was a little jealous! :D ) We did chat with her, and although I didn't ask exactly what the need was (quite frankly, it was none of my business), it was clear that she had the dog for a reason. Carnival wouldn't just let anyone bring on a dog because it was cute or because the passenger couldn't possibly bear to leave her home while she vacationed. The poster that said that service animals are not just for seeing is totally correct. There are unconventional service animals that can detect hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), epileptic seizures, depression and a variety of other ailments, not to mention simply helping a person that needs help. Would it have bothered you as much if the woman was wearing dark glasses and using a white cane?

 

Perhaps you were the one I overheard yelling at the purser's desk about the dog on board?

 

IMHO, it was my vacation, and I didn't let it bother me. I only saw her and the dog 3x in 8 days. It takes A LOT more than that to dampen my vacation!

 

As for the dinner arrangements, the Miracle has loads of tables for 2. Perhaps you could have talked with Suresh about changing tables. He made alternate arrangements for my family without any problems.

 

Oh, and ALI is the best Carnival employee out there. And I don't even drink! :D

 

Vacation is what YOU make of it.

[NCTribeFan]

Honestly, folks. She didn't insult your mom. Or your kids. Or kick your dog. She was giving her opinions.

 

I found the staff to be friendly without getting the feeling that they were being friendly because they were told they had to do so! It actually seemed that the lower the staff was in the pecking order (the poor asst stewards and cleaning crew), the friendlier they were.

 

If you think you had bad tablemates, go read my review from the 12/17 sailing and the Infamous Alice!

 

I switched to late seating for the first time and didn't find that it interferred with the evening's entertainment at all. In fact, I liked it better than early, personally. And we had a couple of late ports (we did a one-off itinerary), so we were able to enjoy that time fully. I like traditional dining.

 

The food was not as good as I've had in the past. The steaks were just not as good, some were inedible. Beef Wellington was great; prime rib was fairly good; filet was marginal, strip was inedible. I rarely eat steak other than on cruises and was very disappointed because the beef had been excellent the year before on Elation.

 

Loved the omelet station (insisted on George as my cook). Much better than the dining room breakfasts (ate there 2 mornings).

 

Didn't care for the pizza, at all, but enjoyed the deli.

 

People need to keep up and realize that there are MANY service animals other than the traditional Lab or Golden seeing-eye dog.

 

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I hate the way people are attacked here if they DARE to say anything the least bit negative about our beloved Carnival. Hey, I love Carnival, too, but I want to read everyone's views. I find it very interesting how people on the same ship, even on the same sailing, come away with such varied impressions.

 

We are individuals, after all. And we end up interacting with different individuals on the cruise. It makes for a different experience. It's all interesting!

[Mikel1733]

I say more power to those who have disabilities and are aided by a service animal. What a wonderful thing that a service animal can provide a service and also be a companion to those who have a disability yet still have a strong spirit and want to live life. Man are we selfish to deny that right to others.

[asader83]

If you think you had bad tablemates, go read my review from the 12/17 sailing and the Infamous Alice!

 

Hilarious! LMAO! Quote of the day.

[matj2000]

There are people out there that are "Hum Drum", "Lame", and could not have a good time no matter what the situation is. They would be bored if they were at game 7 of the World Series, the Superbowl, or sitting front row of a rock concert. Not to mention the unmentionable acts.........

There really is no merit here, it's just a bunch of complaining.

[SheriNtexas]

[quote name=NCTribeFan;13004589

If you think you had bad tablemates' date=' go read my review from the 12/17 sailing and the Infamous Alice!

[/quote]

 

 

 

Curiosity has got the better of me, I have to go and read the review now...:D :D

[LoraJ]

Honestly, folks. She didn't insult your mom. Or your kids. Or kick your dog. She was giving her opinions.

 

 

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I hate the way people are attacked here if they DARE to say anything the least bit negative about our beloved Carnival. Hey, I love Carnival, too, but I want to read everyone's views. I find it very interesting how people on the same ship, even on the same sailing, come away with such varied impressions.

 

We are individuals, after all. And we end up interacting with different individuals on the cruise. It makes for a different experience. It's all interesting!

 

I agree.

I used to shake myhead at negative reviews about Carnival until my cruise last year. The dining room food was pretty blah. And the service was horrible. So yes, it can happen.

 

Funny thing was, we were returning to our room after one of our meals and some guy in the elevator was saying that was the best meal he ever had. Of course our first thought was he must not get out much, but maybe he got a better cut of meat that was cooked better than what we had.

 

We're sailing on Carnival again on another charter, and this may just be our last Carnival cruise for a while. With the charter we get open seating, so we could pretty much eat when we wanted and with whomever. My DH, just does not like the idea of being forced to eat dinner with strangers or having to go to the buffet (he hates buffets) for dinner so we can sit alone. I want to do a cruise in Europe in 2009, so we'll probably try out NCL, or RCCL if they have the Any Time dining on that ship.

 

The OP got the cruise as a gift, just keep that in mind before criticizing about the other cruise options out there.

[Valentine's Mom]

I have one of those foo foo service dogs and she has been on 5 or more cruises with me. If everyone knew just how much work is you have to do to take your service dog on a cruise you would NEVER think of doubting that any dog on board was a service animal. You nont only have to jump through the hoops for the cruise line but with each and every country that you visit, even if you never get off of the ship! It sometimes takes months of calls the the various embacies to get aproved. Special shots and records and such have toi be obtained. Oh yes if you visit Mexico first then you can't go to one of the other island which name excapes me right now. Valentine is only 10 pounds has long hair and extremely cute and cuddly. It would be nice to dress her for formal night but I don't because someone would be on here complaining that if she were a service dog that I would dress her like that. I always have to explaine to everyone why I can bring my dog on board and they can't. In my opinion if it bothered you so much you should have gotten to know the woman talked a few minutes and I'll bet she would have volunteered the information about her dog as we do tend to be extrememly proud of these remarkable creatures.:D

[CynCyn]

I have one of those foo foo service dogs and she has been on 5 or more cruises with me. If everyone knew just how much work is you have to do to take your service dog on a cruise you would NEVER think of doubting that any dog on board was a service animal. You nont only have to jump through the hoops for the cruise line but with each and every country that you visit' date=' even if you never get off of the ship! It sometimes takes months of calls the the various embacies to get aproved. Special shots and records and such have toi be obtained. Oh yes if you visit Mexico first then you can't go to one of the other island which name excapes me right now. Valentine is only 10 pounds has long hair and extremely cute and cuddly. It would be nice to dress her for formal night but I don't because someone would be on here complaining that if she were a service dog that I would dress her like that. I always have to explaine to everyone why I can bring my dog on board and they can't. In my opinion if it bothered you so much you should have gotten to know the woman talked a few minutes and I'll bet she would have volunteered the information about her dog as we do tend to be extrememly proud of these remarkable creatures.:D[/quote']

 

When I read abouut the dog on board, it didn't bother me, but being who I am I had a silly question....where do they go to the bathroom as there is no grass? Just had to ask.

[asader83]

I have one of those foo foo service dogs and she has been on 5 or more cruises with me. If everyone knew just how much work is you have to do to take your service dog on a cruise you would NEVER think of doubting that any dog on board was a service animal. You nont only have to jump through the hoops for the cruise line but with each and every country that you visit' date=' even if you never get off of the ship! It sometimes takes months of calls the the various embacies to get aproved. Special shots and records and such have toi be obtained. Oh yes if you visit Mexico first then you can't go to one of the other island which name excapes me right now. Valentine is only 10 pounds has long hair and extremely cute and cuddly. It would be nice to dress her for formal night but I don't because someone would be on here complaining that if she were a service dog that I would dress her like that. I always have to explaine to everyone why I can bring my dog on board and they can't. In my opinion if it bothered you so much you should have gotten to know the woman talked a few minutes and I'll bet she would have volunteered the information about her dog as we do tend to be extrememly proud of these remarkable creatures.:D[/quote']

 

Thank you for sharing! I'm glad that someone was able to come on and explain it to those who are unaware. Perhaps in the future, cruise passengers will understand that there is a reason, a very good reason, I might add, as to why they have an animal with them. Thanks so much for posting!

 

CynCyn- We asked the woman on our sailing where her dog went "potty" and she told us that the dog was trained to use a doggy litter box (those use paper pellets instead of conventional kitty litter).

[PFV]

We were on the Miracle last September and going on her again in May and again in September 2008. No complaints overall here. I had to chime in because Ali is fabulous! We met him in 1997 on the Imagination and he always goes out of his way to accomodate us. My bar bill seems to go up when he's around!:)