Carnival Miracle Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We booked this cruise mainly for the itinerary - we live on the East Coast and have pretty much explored the Eastern Caribbean and wanted to see something else. Tampa seemed reasonably easy to get to (direct flight from Baltimore), and we went two days early to spend some time in the area, which was very nice.
As for the ship, I didn't have high expectations, knowing Carnival's reputation amongst the cruising community, but the itinerary was great, the price very reasonable and I thought why the heck not, we are not very demanding and I'll go on pretty much any ship. Our last three cruises were all with Royal Caribbean - not necessarily out of brand loyalty, but they just worked for us as far as departure port, itinerary etc. - the last being being on a huge ship, namely the Anthem, which was a new experience for us but which we didn't love.
So I was actually looking forward to a smaller ship, and it did not disappoint in that respect. Yes it was a bit old and slightly shabby looking in places, yes there were a few weird smells here and there and yes the decoration is a bit gaudy, but overall i have to say we really really enjoyed it! We had cabin 5107, which is all the way in the front and has an extended balcony, which was great - not only because it was much larger, but we had a lounge chair as well as two chairs (the normal balconies only have chairs - I much prefer being able to stretch out long!!). It didn't cost a lot more and was definitely worth it. The only downside was that there was almost always a smell of smoke - it must have wafted over from one of the public smoking areas, I think. We could even smell it in the cabin, which was unpleasant. As far as movement, we were afraid it would be rocky, being all the way in the front and there being some tropical storms around etc., but not so - there was only one night where we felt the ship move a little more (which I personally love but hubby doesn't). On the whole, we slept like babies!! The bed was so comfortable and the tiny vibration you get on a ship - I wish I had that at home!!!!
Cabin Review
Extended Balcony
As I already said above, we loved the extended balcony and not having one on the left of us (there is a cabin to the left but it's an inside cabin. We didn't hear any noises from them). having a lounge chair on the balcony made all the difference to me, and it was very cool to be all the way in the front - beautiful views! We didn't find it to be very rocky at all. The negative was the almost constant smell of smoke, both on the balcony and inside our cabin - it must have come from one of hte common areas, i think - initally I thought maybe someone was illicitly smoking on their balcony but no one can smoke non-stop! It bothered us but not to the point of spoiling it for us. Hopefully, one day, all ships will be entirely smoke-free!!
Port Reviews
Cozumel
We went to Nachi Cocom for the day. It was beautiful and worth the money, even though the mixed drinks weren't all that good - you kind of have to try a few and see which ones you like (but you can do that since it's all included :-) Lunch was good and beach was beautiful. Cab each way was $17. Oh and it was pretty quiet, which is what we wanted!!
Grand Cayman (Georgetown)
took a public bus to the beach. Very easy and efficient - this is one of those places where you feel you can just wander off on your own. Gorgeous beach, may do snorkeling next time.