The lido buffet was good, lots of selection, 4 main stations and other specialty stations, including pizza and deli. Happy to find real brown sugar for cereal. No smoked salmon at breakfast or lunch, although the deli would make a smoked salmon bagel sandwich, could have asked for just the salmon but didn't want to stand in another line for that. Nice Asian dishes at the Asian station. Great lemonade at the drink station.
Went to one midnight buffet, the grand gala, and it was pretty good, found one great curry dish that hadn't been on the menu before. Didn't find the desserts we were looking for, but there were several choices.
Nice sandwiches and wraps on the room service menu, order them before you get off in port if you want free snacks in your shore bag.
Entertainment on the Carnival Miracle
Most of the entertainment acts were good, and the audience participation ones are always fun, Biggest Liar, Newlywed and Not So Newlywed, Battle of Sexes (guys have lost 17 weeks in a row!) We often don't go to the song and dance floor shows, we've seen so many and we're not really into them, but the "Ticket To Ride" Beatle tribute floor show was highly recommended, and it turned out to be the best we've ever seen on a ship, it could have been an entry level Vegas act. Wonderful props, choreography, skits, costumes, laser lights, terrific music from the orchestra, the Asian band doing several hits as a replica concert, complete with audience lighters (light sticks) and confetti. Everyone was singing along, huge standing ovation. Before the show, clips from old Beatles concerts and events were playing on the screen, very nostalgic for us over 40's. Throughout the day there were lots of activities all over the ship. After dinner each night there were "waiter shows" in the dining room, lots of people up dancing with the waiters.
Our Fellow Passengers
This was a young crowd, lots of spring breakers, lots of action, but no probs, no drunks on deck, no running up and down the halls or lounges. But tons of old T-shirts and ball caps in the lido buffet. The dining room has the usual no shorts or jeans rule, but they don't stop shorts or jeans from entering, and there were several of these every night, both men and women. They do ask for ball caps to be taken off.
On formal nights if you want to be with and see the dressed up people, hang out at the atrium before dinner where they're getting their pictures taken by the various ship photographers, and also go to the captain's cocktail party, no grubbies there. On other cruises most people keep their formal wear on for the evening, but on the last formal night everyone wanted to get back in their grubbies, and for the last theatre show we were the only 4 still dressed up, also walking back through the casino there was no one still dressed up.
Many were late for dinner, about half an hour, I don't think they realize it throws off the progression of courses set out in the galley, and keeps your table mates waiting between courses if you show up late and have to do catch-up. So at the end of the cruise someone in our area brought an artificial limb, the bottom part of a leg and foot, and put it on a latecomer's chair. When she pulled it out she freaked out quite nicely. Then the foot got passed around to another table waiting for a latecomer, and about a half dozen of them got it that night, quite a hoot, the waiters loved it (payback time). By the time the last late one arrived everyone was watching the show, no one talking, staring at her as she went to her chair, she thought there was something wrong with her clothes, but she soon found out.
Debarkation from the Carnival Miracle
The debarkation process was a surprise, a first for us. Instead of debarking people by deck or color code, everyone gets off at the same time (except for VIPs). We thought that would be chaos, but it was a breeze. People are asked not to clog up the gangway area at the atrium, but to wait in a lounge or other common area until the announcement that the gangway was open, which most people did. What happens is that lots of people are still willing to stand and wait by the gangway, which our friends did, and when the ship is cleared for debarking they let those lined up get off before the general announcement (9:10 for them). So when it's generally announced, there is no clog at the gangway, and we were off in 4 minutes (at 9:40). Those waiting on a different deck would of course take longer.
The ship is clean and new, the ports are great fun, we didn't have a drop of rain all week, and if the blips on the radar above don't bother you, you'll have a great time. Hi to our shipmates Bill and Shelly! ... still the ironman and woman, haven't taken a ship elevator in 14 cruises (but too tired to drink when they get to the pool). Glad to get email if you have questions or comments.
-Bob and Wendy
Description of Carnival Miracle Western Caribbean Ports of Call
