MIRACLE REVIEW 10/3/04 PART 1 & 2

[Tera821]

Day 1 Embarkation

 

So I get up and am out of the house by 10:00 am on my way to Baltimore to board the Carnival Miracle! My sis and I arrive safely at the pier and after a rather curvaceous drive through the port area with Dad; we arrive at the luggage and passenger drop. After hugging Dad bye-bye and tipping the luggage handler we are on our way to the terminal building. After making our way into the terminal building we have a seat and wait to be called to go up to check in. A word, fill out the fun-pass online. It will take you a bit less time to check in. Approximately 3 extra minutes. In other words, do what you like!!! We are in the first group to be called up to check in. A word here, when you enter the terminal you will be given a zone card. When it’s time to check in they call you by zone and they release rows of chairs from the back to the front. In other words, when you walk through the doors, don’t sit in the chairs closet to check in. Sit in the ones further away!! So we get our zone 1 card and go to sit down where we wait for 20 minutes. We then get called to check in. We are about the 15th people in line! Yippee!!! A word about check in. Have your stuff ready! I believe half of the time is taken up with people who don’t have their documents out. While you are waiting in line, get out your tickets, photo ID, and passport/birth certificate. Because the B-more terminal is brand new, the agents are working with laptops and the area in which you are checking in is kind of small. In other words, if you are booked with another person and don’t have your own ticket, stand back until you are called by the agent. There was a lot of bumping because four people who booked together each wanted to stand at the table along with all the bags. Just be courteous. We’ll all get onboard the ship!!! Next was the embarkation photograph. I kinda hate these. I never look good at the beginning. Why? Because I’ve been waiting in line and trying to check in, etc., etc. But grin and bear it. You’re on the way! After taking the embarkation picture, we sat in the waiting area for about 20 minutes. Bring a book or newspaper or talk to the person next to you. Everyone is excited about cruising and it makes the time go faster. We were finally called to start boarding the ship around 11:30am!!! After a stop in security to be screened we made our way up the ramp to the ship. A note here: If you are disabled in any way, make sure you notify the agents and arrange for a wheelchair. They will let you board on Deck A instead of walking up that steep ramp to Deck 2. Believe me, it’s a bit of a hike! We finally made it on to the ship and off I went to explore. Cabins aren’t ready until after 1pm so explore, explore, explore and then head to the Lido deck for lunch!!!!! I walked around, did some exploring and ate lunch. Then it was off to the cabin, #1183, on Riviera Deck to check out the stateroom. Everything was in order and guess what, my bags were already there! I unpacked right away and hung up my formal wear to get any wrinkles out early. Stowed the luggage and went to hang out with my friends who were two cabins down! I actually met our room steward Inyoman while in the other cabin. He had us all memorized by name and face before dinner! He was great and I can’t say enough about him. He’s originally from Thailand so when I wore my bright red cheongsam dress to the first formal night he taught me how to make the proper bow. That was really special! We had awesome towel animals every night and the room was spotless the entire time. Just excellent. After a bit more exploring and scheduling my spa appointment (do this early, slots fill up fast) it was time to head for the Bacchus dining room. A word here, it’s ugly. It is. I mean, the pink/purple lights are just too much!!! Maybe I shouldn’t say ugly, tacky is more appropriate. But that shouldn’t stop you from dining in the dining room. The food is wonderful. I didn’t have a bad meal the entire trip. I also recommend it for the service. Our servers at table #342 upper level were Alex and Primoz. Wow!!!! They were awesome and always had a bead on what was good for that evening’s meal. We didn’t have a bad meal one time. It was excellent from start to finish!!! So back to the tacky dining room. I had the steak. WOW!!!! A good steak is one where I barely exert pressure with my knife and one that doesn’t require additional seasoning or A1 sauce. I’m happy to say that I was pleased. After dinner it was off to the first show, karaoke, and the disco. All in all, a great evening.

 

Day 2 – Sea Day

So I wake up and head for the spa for my massage ($109.00 for 50minutes) A bit more than I normally pay but not too much. Great massage, just one problem, the spa is right below the jogging deck. Instead of hearing the tranquil music I got treated to some folks with some very heavy feet, running. Ok, I know that’s petty but when I’m paying I want quiet. I think they should sound proof the treatment rooms. After my massage, I go grab the sleeping people and head for breakfast on the Lido deck at Horatio’s. Absolutely some of the best French toast and bacon ever!!!! I love bacon and I’m glad to see that now you can get your own instead of having it served to you. The omeletes are also wonderful and so breakfast is wonderful. I sit out by the windows and watch the sea. It’s so relaxing and it’s a good day to be at sea. There’s an art auction that day so I go because the folks in the group want to go and they are serving free champagne. Free is always a good word. I end up winning a painting! JOY!

One of the friends brought his laptop (he’s techie like that!) so I spend some time in he and his wife’s cabin and watch a movie. We also spend some time taking pictures and getting to know the ship a bit better. Everyone except me sleeps the afternoon away so I do a bit more exploring and wind up at the free sushi bar outside of Maguire’s. I meet some interesting people, have conversation and toss back sushi for a while. Then it’s off to the room to getting ready for another evening of karaoke, dining, and the disco. It’s also the first formal night. I like this because it gives you a chance to look good prior to getting to port and messing up your hair and nails while doing all the excursions. So I’ve got on this hot silk brocade dress which I am happy to see no one else has. I must admit, I looked good! LOL! After dinner we of course take pictures and such. Then it’s back to the room before the stage show, “Generations” because while I looked good, silk brocade is hot!!! The show was excellent and the performers were really good. I head for the end of karaoke and midnight comedy, then it’s back to the disco!!!

 

Day 3 – Sea Day

 

Another fine day at sea, more eating, drinking and the like. By the way, get the “drink specials” $2.95 unless you want the souvenir glass. Let’s be honest, you see one, you’ve seen them all. Besides, the point here is to drink for as little as possible!!! Also just for fun, sit in on some of the games and things by the pool or in the Phantom Lounge! I’m not a gambler but I did do the $1.00 slots for the fun of it. I won $60.00 so that was nice considering I only played $20.00. Like I said, I’m not a gambler. So there I was in Atlantic, sipping some kinda of fruity drink, going to shows and dancing the day and night away! FUN! FUN! FUN!

 

 

To be continued!!!!

[Tera821]

Day 4 – KEY WEST (How you feeling? HOT HOT HOT!)

 

So we arrive in Key West which looks like a lovely place from the Lido Deck Aft! I catch a few early morning photo opportunities and make my way to the breakfast buffet lines. I love the smell of bacon in the morning! After breakfast I hook up with the friends and we make our way off the ship. It was my first time to Key West and I must say it didn’t disappoint. But it was HOT!!!! I mean, I started sweating before we finished taking the picture as you get off the ship. We made our way onto the docks and went in a few of the tourist shops along the pier. Very convenient, because one of my friends needed a hat. Believe me; he’d have been cooked otherwise. After a walk through some of the shops, we headed for what I’d call the main street. A word right here: there are chickens! There are free range chickens walking around Key West. Apparently, cock fighting used to be big but it’s been banned so you have all these chickens with no where to go, so they just walk around where these people and food. I didn’t grow up on a farm, and these chickens aren’t the plump kind that we’re used to seeing so I was like, “what in the ham-samich is that!” That’s when I started seeing a couple roosters. So there’s like, babies, females and roosters walking around! Pretty cool! I got a couple pictures. We decided to do a trolley tour on our own. It was I believe $23.00 or something very close to that. Great tour! Look for Andy the tour guide if you’re going. He was great. Pretty funny and very knowledgeable about the area. It’s also a great way to see Key West and kinda beat the heat. Don’t forget your water and sun block. There is a stop about midway through the tour so there’s an opportunity for a bathroom break and water and souvenir purchases. Also, there’s an area to get snacks and ice cream. Try the key lime sherbet. It’s wonderful and very refreshing. After the tour which takes about 90 minutes or so we got tickets, $9, to the small aquarium near the pier. They’ve got sharks and stingrays and turtles and all types of interesting fish. It’s a very small aquarium so it’s not spectacular but for $9 it’s alright. I even got to pet a baby shark and pick up a hermit crab. I also tried conch fritters at a nearby food stand. Pretty tasty if you ask me! After a fine day in Key West it was back to the ship for the sail away party and a tasty pre-dinner meal. Another night of dinner, shows and partying!

 

Day 4 – NASSAU

 

I wake up in time to shower, dress and get up to the Lido Deck Forward to watch us sail into Nassau Bahamas! I get what I hope are some great pictures and head to the Bacchus dining room to meet my crew for breakfast. After a nice meal with just ok service, we head off the ship where we are met but heat and a really good off the sea breeze! A note here: the pier is really long. Be prepared for a little walk. The excursions meet right on the pier so you don’t have to worry about going anywhere for that. We walked into town prior to our excursion. You’ve got to go through immigration here. Have your sign and sail card and photo ID out! It’ll go much faster if you do. The whole process takes about three seconds. We do a little shopping on the main streets and then head back to the ship to drop off heavy bags before the glass bottom boat tour. The tour is cool and comes complete with a complimentary rum punch. We see lots of fish and the underwater preserve and head back to land. We then head for the craft market which is a great place to meet some of the islanders and get some wood carvings. If you look in the right places you’ll see men carving the wood into various shapes. These are some very talented guys! I’m not a big shopper so I just look around a lot. It started to rain but it only lasted about 15 minutes and it cooled things down. Then it’s back to the ship. I get some food, do the “wave” to Nassau, which I really enjoyed and go take a nap for the first time on this trip. I get up from my nap and do dinner, shows, and dancing. Whew! What a great day.

 

Day 5 – PORT CANAVERAL FL

 

Ok, so we were originally supposed to stop in Freeport, Bahamas for the last port but hurricanes have done serious damage so it’s back to the US. I’m out of the room at 7:15am to go stand in line to do immigration on the ship. It’s a drag but get a cup of coffee and make the best of it. Everyone has to go, whether they are getting off the ship or not. After breakfast, I grab the crew and we head off the ship to go to our “fun in the sun” beach day at Coco Beach. We were at the Coco Beach resort and had a wonderful time swimming and listening to the guy at the pool bar sing songs. That was hilarious. It’s hot here too, what is it about Florida??? Let’s just say I was glad to be in the water. They had intro to scuba classes but it was in the pool. I felt that was a bit too cheesy for $40.00. Everyone else thought so too. At about 2pm it starts to rain just as we are leaving to go back to the ship! It’s cool though because of course it only lasts for 30 minutes! Another fine day! I get back to the room, and stretch out. It’s formal night tonight and I want to be ready. After about 15 minutes I’m up and going to play some cards. LOL! So much for taking a nap! At 8pm my friends and I head to dinner at Nick & Nora’s, the supper club with the $25.00 cover. All I can say is, if I were to go to a comparable restaurant in downtown DC, we’d pay $125-150 per person for the meal we had. It was excellent. I had crab cake, freshly prepared Caesar salad (the server prepared it at the table), grilled lobster tail (14oz) I thought I was gonna bust. For dessert I had a fresh fruit and almond ice crème dessert as well as Crème brule and not to mention the items that the chef sent over for us to try. It was capped off with a plate of petit fours. Simply excellent! I could barely get up from the table and walk outta there when the meal was over. By the way, it takes about 2 hours. There’s also a live pianist and singer. Very nice! Back to the shows, dancing and drinking the night away.

 

By the way, I started packing my suitcase after I got back on the ship. There’ll be less to do tomorrow and I won’t waste valuable time.

 

Day 6 – Sea Day

 

It’s almost over and you can tell. Everyone’s trying to squeeze that last amount of fun out of the trip. I spend a lot of time today reflecting on the great time I’ve had, finishing the packing and eating great food. I sit out by the pool and do some reading and just hang out. It’s a beautiful day and I’m a little sad to be going home. At dinner I get pictures with our servers and have one last great dinner. I also get pictures with my room steward who I really am going to miss. These folks love their jobs and have a great time making your vacation great. I give everybody and extra tip because they really made this trip special. After dinner I did the last of the packing and set my bags outside the cabin door. This must be done by 12 midnight unless you are carrying your luggage off the ship on your own, and headed for the “Whose Line Is It” show. Racy but extremely funny! After that it’s off to Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab for some dancing and drinks! After dancing I head back to my cabin and watch the water from my window.

 

Day 7 – Disembark

 

I wake up with the sun and head up to the Lido to watch the Miracle dock at the Port of Baltimore. I’m melancholy but I can’t wait to see my friends and tell them what a great time I had. I go back to my cabin, grab my carry on bag and hug Nyoman, my cabin steward. After one last yummy breakfast on the Lido deck, I sit and play cards with my friends until our tag color is called. We then disembark the ship and head for customs to find our luggage. A tip. There’s a lot of luggage in this area. I suggest tying colorful string to your luggage handle. It’ll make your luggage easier to spot. After getting the luggage we get in the “Porter service line” A very nice port comes and puts our luggage on a dolly. He then takes it to one of the shuttle buses that are headed for visitor parking where my Dad is waiting to pick us up. As I sit on the bus, I wave “bye” to the Miracle and contemplate all the fun I just had. I also start planning the next cruise in my head.

[cyndepet]

Tera - thank you so much for posting your review - we've all been waiting patiently for this! I haven't read it yet, but I really wanted to let you know how much it is appreciated!

[cyndepet]

Tera - great review - it sounds like you had a fab time! I have one question for you - you said your dad picked you up in the visitors parking. Where is this, and how did your dad know what time to get there in the morning? My BF will be coming to pick me up, and it's about an hour and a quarter drive. Thanks, and very sorry your vacation is over :(

[Tera821]

Tera - great review - it sounds like you had a fab time! I have one question for you - you said your dad picked you up in the visitors parking. Where is this, and how did your dad know what time to get there in the morning? My BF will be coming to pick me up, and it's about an hour and a quarter drive. Thanks, and very sorry your vacation is over :(

 

No sad faces, now I get to plan the next one. When you get to the port, a security officer will ask if you are parking or being dropped off. Tell them you're being dropped off and they will let you drive over to the baggage area. They will let you know how to get there, don't worry. At that point, kiss the BF drop your luggage off and head for the terminal. I told my Dad to be there about 10:30am. Of course you're not exactly gonna know when you will be let off the ship because they do it by color of the luggage tags not deck by deck. They normally release two parts of the ship at a time. I'd say that your best bet is to tell him between 10:30am-11:00am so that you don't have to wait once you're off the ship. Tell him to bring a book just in case it takes longer!! :) Once you get off the ship it still takes time to get your luggage and take a shuttle over to visitor parking where BF should be waiting!!! Have a great time and try to do a little of everything!!!

[01Sweetpea]

Great Review! Now I really can't wait until our 7/3/05 sailing. Looking forward to the reviews of the Western Caribbean when they come in!

[saraheg77]

Hey Tera! How are you?!? Sounds like you had FUN! Mark and I haven't been on a second cruise, but are about to book a 12/4 sailing from Houston for cheap!! Hope you're doing well!

Sarah :)

[IKE]

Great Review, Tera. Sounds like you had a great cruise and enjoyed the "Miracle".

[IKE]

Great Review, Tera. Sounds like you had a great cruise and enjoyed the "Miracle".

[nmarsh]

Great review, I can't wait for my turn in Jan.

Thanks

[sunvalley cruisers]

Loved reading your review. Very well spoken and I can tell that you really enjoyed yourself. Thanks again for letting us share your Miracle memories.

[Tera821]

hey thanks everybody for the feedback. Sarah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How ya doing lady, give Mark and big hello from me!