I was wondering if anyone could tell me anything about the Miracle? We are thinking of doing the following tour;
Western Caribbean: Colon, Panama ; Limon, Costa Rica ; Belize
Is the ship nice? Are the ports safe and or pretty?
Hi Rhonda - I sailed on the Miracle during 9/07 and enjoyed it very much. The ship was in great shape, and had plenty to do. I would suggest you check out the reviews on cruisereviews.com. My review is the one at the top (it was the last time I checked, at least).
Overall, we thought out stateroom was great (balcony), the food was very good, and there was always some form of entertainment going on. I could always mention a few things that I thought could be better, but that's true for any cruise/ship.
Do you have any specific questions about the ship? I love to talk about my cruise, so I would be happy to answer. I did, however, sail a different itinerary that you, so I'm not of much help there.
Ditto what Mike said. I went on the Miracle last year, and it's my favorite ship so far. We had a blast. I'd be happy to share any pics or answer any specific questions. Overall, it's a wonderful ship with excellent service!
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Cort
Booked on Carnival Freedom, Feb. 2012 (Cozumel, Costa Rica, Panama)
NCL Gem, Sept. 2011
NCL Jewel, Feb. 2011
NCL Dawn, Sept. 2010
NCL Spirit, Feb. 2010
NCL Gem, March 2009
RCCL Explorer of the Seas, Feb. 2008
Carnival Miracle, May 2007
Carnival Conquest, April 2006
Caribbean Princess, Feb. 2005
Glad you asked, Rhonda! we are going on the Miracle, same venue...March 6th. I have been reading lots of sites and it seems like it is a favorite for many...can't wait. When do you cruise?
Quote:
Originally posted by Rhonda66:
Hi Everyone,
I was wondering if anyone could tell me anything about the Miracle? We are thinking of doing the following tour;
Western Caribbean: Colon, Panama ; Limon, Costa Rica ; Belize
Is the ship nice? Are the ports safe and or pretty?
March 6th!!!!!!!!! Me too I will be going in the day before just in case of the weather. I have requested a certain waiter for dining and I hope my request is honored. This is my 25th cruise with CCL and I'm looking forward to it.
I just returned from the Miracle cruise you want. The cruise was outstanding. It was a 50+ crowd but there was lots to do and the people were really lively. Actually, at the really great shows, they were an appropriately rowdy bunch! The same was true of all the activities.
I now can recommend getting to the port @ 11:15 because it worked like a charm for us. No lines slowed us down. They never checked the bottles of wine we carried on.
I've written elsewhere about the super food. I will add here, however, that I thought the lido deck coffee was pretty weak at breakfast. The dining room coffee was always good.
The Trivia contests were great. There were tons of activities for all ages. The gym was good and you shouldn't miss home exercises while on the cruise. On deck massage hit the spot and was cheaper than inside the spa - although the rates inside kept getting cheaper as we went along.
Central American Caribbean ports weren't what I would call pretty although Panama was OK. Panamanian and Costa Rican Pacific side seemed much nicer. Belize is not safe beyond the green zone so we were told. Actually there is a fair amount of poverty obvious in cities and countryside where ever we went. We took the tours from Carnival and really weren't disappointed. "Adventure Canals" in Costa Rica was the best with lots of animals and picture options. Panama canal by bus and ferry is very long but nice. "Two Oceans by Rail" was informative and enjoyable. Altun Ha by bus was interesting but only let us stay a the site for an hour. If you have a late flight, take the "Everglades" excursion.
The ship's decor was not over the top as we had read prior to the trip and it was really easy to get around. The staff working for Carnival must really like their jobs because service on and off the ship was outstanding.
You'll love the big shows. Singers and dancers weren't to be missed. Warning, eat at the early dinner hour unless you don't mind eating lots of rich food at 9:30!
You'll love all aspects of the trip. I'd consider doing it again with different excursions.