Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Miracle Cruise Review
Western Caribbean

Alicia Guzman

Embarkation: It was a breeze. The only problem we experienced was three weddings were. Being performed on the ship and we weren’t allowed to board and have lunch until they were all completed. Needless to say, it wasn’t until 12:15 till we boarded. Thank goodness! The crowds in the Port Authority building were getting large and restless.

After lunch instead of checking our room out we went to the Purser’s Desk to establish a Cash and Sail Account. We didn’t want to use our credit card for purchases on the boat and excursions so we set up a cash account. You can always check your account status by the TV in your room. Make sure you keep your receipts on your trip for any discrepancies before you leave.

Our room (4232) was a balcony room at the end of the boat (by the flag) it was perfect. Our room steward always made sure to say hello and the room was always spotless. Of course, at night I liked coming back to the room to the chocolates and the newest towel display. My husband and I to this day are still debating about a couple of the towel shapes. For the days we had booked excursions we took advantage of the complementary room service. We just put out our food order on a door tag the night before and let them know the time of delivery. Don’t forget to extend a gratuity for the room service. We also used this instead of getting a wakeup call.

Food: On the days at sea we ate breakfast and lunch at Horatio’s. The buffet food was very good and the variety was endless. They had it divided up into areas such as sandwiches, pizza’s, rotisserie and Chinese food. The only problem we had was we kept getting lost and never did find the Chinese food that was supposedly being served. Every day they had “The Taste of Nations” Where they featured a cuisine around the world everyday. We also tried the Nick and Nora’s Dinner Club. It was an extra $30 per person and you need reservations. We read previous reviews and had originally wanted three nights. But, there was so much food if you can believe that and we decided one night was enough. It was very romantic and the food presentation was excellent. The Bacchus Restaurant was great as well. That’s another reason why we didn’t return to Nick and Nora’s. For the same quality of food and the endless amount we didn’t have to pay extra.

Besides we really enjoyed our new tablemates. We also visited the Sushi Bar 5-8pm nightly. We never had it before and it was really good.

Activities We weren’t really into the on board activities with the exception of the slot tournament and the talent show. But, there were activities going on all the time for all ages and at all times of the day. Our first excursion we booked off the web because of the reviews. We booked the “Cayman Jeep Safari & Rum Point Beach”

http://grandcaymancruiseexcursions.com/ it was $70 per person. We went to the Tortuga Rum Cake Factory (which was ok), Pedro’s Bluff, toured the island, and ended up at Rum Point for a couple of hours of relaxation. In Cozumel we decided to wing it and go on our own. Big mistake! I should have booked an excursion. Way to many people wanting you to buy things from them. It got really tiring. Belize was beautiful!!

We booked this online (Coral Breeze Limited) it was a total of 5 hours long for $69 per person with lunch. We went site seeing along the cayes, snorkeling at Shark-Ray alley, snorkeled at the Coral Gardens, and had lunch at Caye Caulker. Caye is absolutely beautiful. Only three sanded roads and no cars allowed. The atmosphere was very relaxing, the food was plentiful and we even had some time to explore. Costa Maya I booked the “Costa Maya Reef Snorkeling & Resort Getaway” (Costa Maya Cruise Excursions) It was $45 per person and included lunch. It was very nice and totally secluded from everyone.

Debarkation was very easy. We had a late flight and took advantage of staying on board until the last minute. You have to leave your rooms by nine so we ate our breakfast and read books outside on deck 9 till the rush was over. The cruise was a lot of fun with non-stop activities. Of course, it was after all spring break.