This was the third Carnival Miracle cruise to nowhere that we have been on out of NYC. We choose to do this cruise every year for numerous reasons but mostly to get away and have a great time. Carnival embarkation has improved 1000% as I got to the pier at 11:45 and was on the ship at noon. I used to wait 1-2 hours! The only complaint I had on this cruise is that the buffet food on deck 9 as we boarded was simply not as good as years past. No matter, we choose to eat both nights at Nick and Nora's supper club and as usual the food was spectacular. Service and the quality of food simply cannot be beat. There are very few restaurants we have been to worldwide that beat the supper clubs on Carnival. There are many many activities available; seems to be almost as many as a typical 7 day cruise. You cannot get bored here. I bought enough booze and cigarettes to pay for the cruise - NO LIMITS and no customs. You can buy 100 cartons of cigarettes if you want - cost was $45 for TWO cartons! I enjoyed the art auction but no one was buying. Always love the free champagne. We had 16 foot seas the first night, I enjoyed it but I heard people complaining to the purser - hey folks you are on a SHIP! It was bad enough to cancel the show but they did put it on the next day. The shows were great as usual though they do the same ones every year. Room service was prompt and good. Breakfast on deck 9 was great if you went to the omelet station. The breads on board were excellent. Cabin steward was friendly as was everyone else I encountered on board. One funny (to me) side note - the past 2 years they had an activity they called the "cornhole" competition. This year the finally called it a bean bag competition. I know I explained it to the gentleman running the activity the past 2 years and evidently many others did as well as they finally changed the name of the activity! I am booked already for next year. This is simply a fun trip. There are many activities to choose from and while its only a 2 night trip it is worth every penny.