We (hubby and I) arrived late to the port at almost 3:00 after some major flight detour troubles. Our air was not booked by the cruiselines so this was not their fault. Anyway, we arrived frazzled and stressed out by just nearly not making the cruise and we were pleasantly surprised at how organized and quick the embarkation process was. There were lots of employees leading you in the right direction and they all knew just what they were doing.
The ship iteself is fantastic. I have heard reports of it being overdone, but for a cruise ship, I thought it was perfect. I would have been disappointed if it was all soft and pastel. It was very bright and brass and bold. We loved it.
The food was plentiful, hot and good. I cannot imagine someone not being able to find something they loved at all the various buffets (taste of the nations) grill, pizzaria (with garlic bread and ceasar salad) vegetable and fruit areas, dessert buffet and salad areas not to mention the dining room. There was choice galore in respect to food. We didn't even want to have lunch in the dining room because there was so many things we wanted to try at the buffet. The 24 hr. ice cream and frozen yogurt was awesome too.
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We had dinner in Nick and Nora's supper club the first night and the meal was outstanding. We had shrimp cocktail, lobster bisque, broiled lobster tail (huge) with other side dishes ( a medley of sauteed mushrooms and baked potatoe) and wonderful dessert. They also brought us a champagne and cream drink each (compliments of the chef) along with the odd little tidbit to try, compliments of the chef, the bread selection before the meal was great, pesto bread, foccocia, bread sticks, all fresh and warm with a selection of butters such as regular, paprika and garlic and herb butter. After dessert we were brought a tray (again unordered and compliments of the chef) of chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate bark with nuts, truffles and a few other delicacies. To die for. This meal was fabulous, from the service, to the beautiful presentation to the perfectly done lobster and the best lobster bisque I have ever had. This restaurant in my opinion is a huge bargain at $25 pp. We left our server $25 tip because she made it such a wonderfully romantic dinner for us. Plus she came over and removed the lobster from the shell for us. lol
I can't really say too much about Freeport because we went to Xanadu Beach Resort where we went on a boat and my husband did the dive with the sharks. He said it was super. It was one of the highlights of the trip for him. We have the video and it is great. Lots of sharks within a foot of him. A real thrill.
I felt the shows were really good. We saw Generations which was good but the "Ticket to Ride" was fantastic. A high energy show with lots of extras. It definitely was a do not miss. The comedian was hilarious on the Sunday night. We laughed like crazy. The Not so Newly wed games was a hoot too. Great fun.
Debarking was easy since it was self assist. Now being a Canadian, I was told on these forums that I would not be able to self assist. ANYBODY can self assist as long as you can carry your own bags. We had and 11:04 am flight home and were at the airport before 9:20, no problems.
Now for my overall general comments. The staff were very friendly, any time I passed one they would say "good day ma'am, or hello or how are you" I felt that 90 % of the staff were very friendly and that the ones that weren't smiling or laughing were just concentrating on their job. I felt service was great. Our room steward was effieicent and unobtrusive. Our ice was always full, room clean etc..
This was our first cruise but I must say, that anyone who says they were bored, or that there wasn't much selection for food, must be from a different kind of life than I have. There was tons of good food and activities and things to do constantly. You could be on the go all day or just lay around the pool all day, it's totally up to you. We went with an open mind because I didn't want to be disappointed, but I must say, I LOVED it, we're hooked and to avoid the dreaded Post Cruise Depression, we're booking another cruise for this fall.
Will we cruise with Carnival again, ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!! Now I know why they're called the fun ships. Don't get me wrong, we're not partiers and in fact only had 2 alcoholic drinks each (which are very strong, they don't scimp on booze that's for sure) But it was just lots of good ole fashioned fun and we enjoyed ourselves completely. We went with good attitudes and weren't going to let any little thing ruin this vacation for us, but we didn't really have to worry anyway, everthing was organized and fantastic.
Carnival Miracle gets a huge thumbs up from us.
If anybody has any specific questions, just e-mail me, I'm glad to answer any questions.
