Ok for a first cruise, food wasn’t great

Item: Carnival Miracle
Rating: 3.9
Author: kaytarose

Carnival Miracle Cruise Review

kaytarose

Contributor Level: Purser

301 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 11

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

5 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 07, 2024

Ship: Carnival Miracle

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 8273

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 months ago

Review summary

Sailed from Long Beach to Mexico. Great time in ports.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Smooth, efficient and on time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Mixed bag on quality. Pizza Pirate, Guy’s and the Cantina were great. Didn’t try the sandwiches or the seafood place. We would avoid the buffet if we sailed on this same itinerary and ship again. Freezer burn taste and nothing great, better options elsewhere. Main dining was OK for breakfast and dinner, not great.

JavaBlue Cafe'

2 out of 5

Drip coffee was not good. My husband’s milkshake was ok. Pasties are just ok. Lines always super long and slow in the mornings. Pastries sold out first day and weren’t replaced till nearly the end of trip.

Bacchus Dining Room

3 out of 5

Staff was awesome, food was OK. Items listed on vegan menu contained butter, cream and even bacon. Better options elsewhere.

Swirls

4 out of 5

Great if you can get there before the kids trash it. Awesome late night treat option to follow up a slice of pizza after some beers.

RedFrog Rum Bar

3 out of 5

Decent bar. Poolside. Kids were sitting next to us at the bar and that was kind of weird. Drinks were good, bartenders were talking to each other a lot, but were friendly and fairly attentive.

Pizza Pirate

5 out of 5

Great option on board late night eats and a quick lunch. Line moves fast enough. Garlic parm (?) slice and pepperoni were my faves. Definitely worth visiting!

Nick & Nora's Steakhouse

2 out of 5

Super bummed about my lobster here. Way overcooked. The rest of the food was just ok. We would not eat here again.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

Great burgers, diverse topping bar. Shorter lines on our sailing than other restaurants. Fries were great too!

BlueIguana Cantina

4 out of 5

Great option on board, worth standing in line for. Not worth staying on board to eat when docked in Mexico though.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

80’s party was WAY more fun than I expected. Our cruise director Felipe got a noise complaint and he told us we had to get LOUDER because we were on a CRUISE!!! So be prepared for that if you’re looking at a room below the stage area on the aft end of the ship! Party was a blast though. The Q&A with the cruise director was actually really interesting and entertaining. Bingo was fun to attend, even if we didn’t win.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

All of the staff are AMAZING!! They are there to make your trip the best it can be.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Ship was spotless, but clearly shows its age as an over 20 year old ship. Dated decor, but good for kids and families. Lots of colors everywhere to define different areas.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Awesome wraparound deck. Separate bedroom areas. Spacious for a cruise cabin. Directly below the serenity deck, items people dropped fell onto our deck but nothing crazy. We would stay here again. Room attendant Philip was awesome!