first cruise, not sure its my thing

Carnival Miracle Cruise Review to Mexico

judi846

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 53

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

Sail date: February 13, 2016

Ship: Carnival Miracle

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 5143

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was my first cruise. I am not sure I will go on another one. The carnival miracle was just so so. I felt like service was moderately good, but the facilities were very ho hum. The food was obviously prepared way ahead of time and sat under heat lamps for a long time. The desserts spanned the spectrum from awful to pretty good. I also felt a bit annoyed at being nickle and dimed for gratuities, exercise classes, coffee drinks, etc. I would have preferred these things be included in the price of the cruise.

Before the cruise, I imagined myself and my family and friends sitting around the pool on the sea days, and getting some workouts in in the fitness center. The pool facilites were terrible, They were tiny and the water freezing. Because of this the hot tub was filled with children during the whole cruise (mine included.) There was an adults only pool area that I didn't check out, because I was travelling with my kid, so maybe that was nicer. The few workout classes offered, yoga and pilates once a day, were all at an additional cost. I wish there had been some cardio classes offered included in the cruise fare.

There were a lot of cigarette smokers on the cruise and they were allowed to smoke on one side of the pool deck, in the night club that had good music for dancing at night and in the casino, that you had to walk through to get to the activities and theatre in the front of the ship. I guess i have gotten really used to people not being able to smoke in public indoor spaces, so it really bothered me. One day, I was trying to play a game of outdoor giant chess on the pool deck with my 7 year old and we were inundated with smoke the whole time.

I like to experience the culture of a place when I visit, and I felt like it was very difficult to get away from the total tourist zones in the time we had at port and with the options available for excursions away from the ship on port days.

I did like being out on the ocean and waking up in the morning and looking out the window to see the waves. We got to see a number of whales and dolphins, and that was cool. Overall, I think I would prefer to go stay at an all inclusive resort and go out to explore the area from there. I am glad I tried cruising, now I know what it is like.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5

Children's Programs

1 out of 5

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

It was small, as expected, and there was no tub, just a curtain to close around a corner of the floor. There was lots of little storage cubbies and we were able to live comfortably and were not too cramped, for the amount of time we spent in the room, which wasn't a lot. I would say that the room quality was on the level of a 2 star hotel, clean, but with scratched wood and dated fixtures.

Ports of call

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

3 out of 5

Make sure you don't accidentally book a hotel near the world cruise center port instead of the port of long beach. I searched for hotels in long beach and found one that said it was next to the world cruise ship center and assumed that was where our ship left from, but there are two different locations for ships toleave from, and carnival leaves out of long beach port.

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17 Comments

ghiagal 8 years ago

Our week on Oasis was actually $100 pp cheaper for a balcony room than our inside room on Miracle

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ghiagal 8 years ago

Don't give up cruising based on Miracle. I have never left a bad review on a cruise, this will be getting one. The adult only deck had a mini pool and a 5 person hot tub that closed at 9, you didn't miss anything!

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MD90 8 years ago

I was on the Miracle 13 night Mex. Riviera cruise Jan 31-Feb 13, and had a very good cruise. Food & service were good to me. The only bad experience was the ridiculous 3 hours wait to check in and board the ship. After that, it was really good. Sounds like you did not use a travel agent to book your first cruise or you would have known the cruise is not 100% all-inclusive. Gratuities, yoga, plates, hair salon, spa massages, pictures, Internet packages, soda, alcoholic beverages, the Steakhouse are extra charge.

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mandm1998 8 years ago

We went on the Mexican Riviera this January... We loved it so much we booked it for Christmas this year!! Our whole family loves cruising!

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lil 8 years ago

@msgrandma....we got back Feb 13 from a 13 day Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Miracle. Everything was awesome! Went 2 years ago on the same ship to Hawaii and just loved that ship.

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rbstinger 8 years ago

30th Anniversary? You don't look 30!

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msgrandma 8 years ago

I have been on this ship for the Alaska cruise and my husband and I loved it food was awesome. Going on the same ship at Christmas time to Mexico and then in two years for our 30th anniversary to Hawaii. We love to cruise

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cruisingmom 8 years ago

I appreciate your honest review. At least you tried it instead of going by preconceived notions on what cruising is about. Cruising is not for everybody. Maybe it's just not for you. I would urge you to give it another try though, after researching. We have been on seven cruises and going again in two months. My family loves cruising.

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gaylenesmith969 8 years ago

We have found that going on a "repositioning" cruise on any line is a better price than he regular cruises! Just an opinion!

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Dvsdog76 8 years ago

Disneys 4 night in about Jan or feb seems to be cheapest would like a different itenarary but it works for now trying to reach platinum just now at gold castaway member

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Duckdodger91 8 years ago

Then cruises aren't your thing. You need to do some research next time.

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gregalexander 8 years ago

We loved the miracle, and so did our kids.

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Henceforth 8 years ago

Will be checking out the Miracle with the kids next month so hopefully will like it. Would love to try Disney but cost and itineraries just don't match want I want at this time.

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Dvsdog76 8 years ago

As the previous poster said tey Disney don't give up on cruising.. My gam and I ha e been on 5 Disney cruises all 5 on Disney Dream and are in the works of booking number 6 for Jan next year Disney is not for everybody but I can tell you don't give up until u have tried Disney they make sure u have the best vacatiom possible!!

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alanathep 8 years ago

If traveling with your kids is necessary, a Disney cruise might be nice next time! That includes a lot more like soda and child care with the basic price. Don't give up on cruising yet!

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Henceforth 8 years ago

It is critical to research what you want before booking a cruise and read reviews and look at itineraries and what's on offer in addition to basic costs. Unfortunately most lines still allow smoking in casino and night clubs and weather is beyond the cruise lines control. A bigger ship with more facilities is better for families while more inclusive prices ships are much more expensive.

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gaylenesmith969 8 years ago

Your comments and review was well written. It sounds like you did not do your homework however. Did you book with a travel agent or on- line?? An agent would have asked what you like to do and should have advised you about type of ship and itinerary. The saying that you get what you pay for is oh so true!

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