Pictures Link: http://gallery.mac.com/ekroller#100831
Over 250 photos, mostly of the ship

It's been seven years since my last Carnival cruise, so it was fun to return and see what has changed. Overall I think Carnival still offers a great value and the “fun” is still in the “Fun Ships”. While Carnival is no longer my favorite line, I wouldn't hesitate to return provided it's a longer cruise (7-days or longer), during the off season (manageable amount of children), and on the Spirit Class (best in class IMO). I feel this is when Carnival really shines.

This cruise was in celebration of my mom's 70th birthday. My brother and I treated her to the trip and it was great spending the week together. It was ironic as we were seated in the dining room with two sisters that were treating their mom to a 70th birthday cruise! Needless to say we all got along famously and a special shout out to Robin, Kristi, and Grandma Jane!

Rather than write an in-depth review, I'm going to share my thoughts on what really stood out as excellent, and some areas that Carnival could improve upon. While you may or may not agree with my observations, please keep in mind these are my personal opinions, so your mileage may vary. :-)

– Outstanding –
Embarkation and Disembarkation – super easy with very short waits.
Food & Service – excellent all around, especially in the dining room and Nick & Nora's.
Lido Buffet – great variety and good quality.
Cabin Steward – he was excellent in every possible way. Towel animals every night.
Casino – my mom did quite well, and even played enough to earn free drinks.
Live Music – yes it still exists on Carnival, even for the main shows. It's great a real orchestra is still used instead of a recorded “click track”.
Fun Times – I like the format and I see Carnival has a tear off section just like Royal Caribbean.
Nightly music and crew dancing in the dining room – it's festive and fun, and makes dining an “event”. Yes it can be a little corny but I honestly enjoyed it. Carnival is not Cunard and I'm glad they don't pretend to be.
Nick & Nora's – highly recommended and an excellent menu. It was so good I could have eaten there every night. The menu had all my favorites!
Entertainment – great production shows, tons of comedy, and I loved Christopher Alan Graves tribute to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. I feel Carnival is a leader in the quality, talent, and calibre of the entertainers. All production shows are produced in house, and the two on MIRACLE were excellent.

– The Ship –
I think special mention must be made of CARNIVAL MIRACLE. I'm convinced that the Spirit Class is the best thing Carnival has going, and this latest cruise only reinforced my opinion. These are the most spacious ships in the Carnival fleet. Rarely is there a wait for anything, including elevators. Deck space is awesome and real teak is used on the aft decks, promenade deck, and all cabin balconies. You can't even find that on the latest Cunard “liners”! I loved the open forward decks with great views over the bow. There is a traditional teak promenade deck, but unfortunately there is no seating so it's really wasted except for strolling. Arriving out on deck at noon or later even on a sea day was never a problem. Plenty of deck chairs to choose from even in prime locations. The layout of public rooms is excellent, and they pretty much flow from one to another with a lot of smaller, more intimate spaces. There are three distinct pool areas, and each of the pools has a nice overflow water area to cool off. In addition there is the signature Carnival slide. My favorite areas were the Bacchus Dining room, which surprised me because it doesn't look very appealing in photos. In reality it's a very unique, original, and an inviting and fun room. My other favorite lounge was the Mad Hatter's Ball Room. It was whimsical and very well done, and could easily be transplanted to Disney. In true Carnival style, the MIRACLE was sensory overload but in a good way. The décor was interesting and never boring. I really think I'm going to miss the Joe Farcus décor when CARNIVAL BREEZE is introduced. The décor of the existing “Fun Ships” is something that is really unique to Carnival.

– Opportunities –
Cabin a/c could have been better. It never got as cool as I prefer and stayed a bit humid.
The MIRACLE is showing some minor wear and tear. I know she is going into dry dock soon.
Some of the gym equipment needs replacing – there are no individual TV screens which are common these days.
There was a lack of port information except for shore excursions and shopping (all revenue driven).
Carnival seems a bit more revenue driven compared to some other mass-market lines (they were a bit more in your face compared to some lines – especially the photo department).
A lengthy disembarkation announcement was made into all cabins at 7:08 this morning by Simon. Not a good final impression and totally unnecessary. It was the only announcement made into the cabins, so perhaps it was a mistake?
Suite benefits – well they are pretty much non-existent besides priority embarkation. Carnival is really lagging behind their competitors in this area.
Past Passenger Program – another area Carnival is severely lagging behind. The benefits are non-existent except for a single past passenger party. In addition it doesn't matter if you take a 3-day cruise in an inside cabin or an 8-day cruise in a suite, you get one point towards the next level.
Bar Service – this was perhaps the biggest surprise. Seven years ago I remember there being bar waiters in abundance and getting a drink was never a problem. On this cruise it was near impossible to find a bar waiter/waitress. You literally had to go up to the bar if you wanted a drink, and carry it back to your table in the various lounges. Being that Carnival is so revenue driven and drinks are a huge revenue producer, it's surprising they have cut the staff to the point where you have to get your own drink. I felt bad for the bar waiters and bar tenders that were working, as they seemed a bit overwhelmed often were the only server for a very large area.

While nothing is perfect, I hope you can tell that overall it was a great cruise, and honestly it was a terrific value for what we paid. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Ernie

Preview Pics:

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
Great review. I am still surprised that this ship has teak decks while Cunard's latest luxury ships have cheap plastic decking.

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The teak decks on CARNIVAL MIRACLE are truly impressive.

A few examples:

Even our cabin balcony!

How many kids would you say were onboard for this cruise?

Did you find the number of announcements to be annoying?

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:

How many kids would you say were onboard for this cruise?

Did you find the number of announcements to be annoying?

I keep trying to talk myself into doing Carnival again, but have always found a reason (excuse) not to. Maybe it's time?

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Very few kids and actually a fairly older crowd. Again this is due to the early November sailing and it being an 8-day cruise. It's about as mature and kid free as one can get on Carnival.

There were only a few announcements a day, and they were not bad. NCL and HAL are far worse in this regard. Perhaps Princess too. On my latest Royal Caribbean cruises, there was only one announcement a day if I recall correctly. Of course Celebrity has zero, and I think this is still the case.

I will say that Carnival seems a bit more revenue driven than some other mass-market lines. At every turn they were trying to sell you something, and everything really revolved around generating revenue. There is absolutely no "enrichment" opportunities on Carnival. It's all about having "fun" I suppose, and on Carnival that means buying something.

The main reason we picked this cruise is because we wanted a suite, and Carnival's suite prices were far lower than Princess, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean. Had we opted for a standard cabin we would have probably selected another line. Because I have so many restrictions on when I will sail Carnival (off season, Spirit Class, longer cruise), it's unlikely I will return anytime soon unless they come up with a spectacular new ship. There are just too many better choices for me where I don't have to be so restrictive and selective.

Carnival does offer a very good value for the money, and the food and entertainment were excellent. As I mentioned in the review the bar service was very spotty and seems like a cost cutting measure. It was a little insulting/arrogant that not only did Carnival want my money for a drink, but I was forced to get it myself! For this sailing Carnival truly was the price leader, and for what we paid I have very little to complain about.

So glad to hear that, for the most part, you had a positive experience. Tell Mom congrats on another sucessful birthday!

It just goes to show that, with Carnival, it really matters when, from where, how long and on which ship one sails.

Excellent photos! The Dining Room shot is fantastic and I'm thrilled that the ship has an abundance of teak....one of the few things I enjoyed about Elation.

Thanks for sharing.

-Russ

[ 11-11-2011: Message edited by: linerguy ]

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Originally posted by linerguy:

It just goes to show that, with Carnival, it really matters when, from where, how long and on which ship one sails.

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Hey Russ,
I think on Carnival these things matter far more so than any other cruise line. I'm not nearly so picky when it comes to lines like Princess, Celebrity, HAL, and even Royal Caribbean.

We did have some "characters" on our sailing. Not quite like what you experienced, but some entertainment none the less. LOL There was one cross-dresser in particular that really drew my attention. By day an older bald guy, by night a VERY poorly dressed "school girl" in an equally bad wig. Think short plaid pleated skirt with white stockings and either high heels or hip boots! She would dance the night away in the disco without a care in the world. I say live and let live, but I would be lying if I didn't say she was fun to watch and I looked forward to each evening to see what she would wear next. There were a few others too that I would call "interesting". Seems Carnival attracts more than it's fair share for some reason. I'll also say the pax mix was quite diverse, with more African-American cruisers than I have see on any other line. Also many cruisers from the South. On my Royal Caribbean cruises I noticed a large population of Latin passengers, but not many African-American pax. It was just the opposite on Carnival. Very few Latinos but a lot of African-Americans. There were also some large groups onboard and they seemed to have a great time. All in all though, everyone was very well behaved and by Carnival standards, it was a pretty sedate group.

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By day an older bald guy, by night a VERY poorly dressed "school girl" in an equally bad wig. Think short plaid pleated skirt with white stockings and either high heels or hip boots! She would dance the night away in the disco without a care in the world.

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My eyes! My eyes!

You've made my day....thanks!

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Originally posted by LeBarryboat:
Ernie, Enjoyed the review and the photos! I'm interested in planning a Carnival cruise in 2012 sometime, and most certainly I want to go on one of the "Spirit-class" ships. That's interesting what you mentioned about the entertainment and the "live" orchestra, I've always thought that was important...and for a while many cruise lines stepped away from having the live music. It's also interesting that you thought the dinning was very good. My last Carnival cruise experience was the Jubilee in 1997 so I need to experience "today's" Carnival.

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Glad you enjoyed it Barry. It's funny, but in many ways Carnival is one of the more traditional cruise lines. It hasn't changed all that much since I was a kid (the food is a lot better but the product is more commercial and politically correct). There are still set dining times, they still sing in the dining room, there is still one traditional show after dinner, there are lots of teak decks, the pool games are still every afternoon at sea, and they still have live bands! A large orchestra is expensive, so it's impressive Carnival still has one onboard. Many lines (Princess and others) don't even use an orchestra in the shows anymore. I can certainly tell the difference.

A highlight of the cruise was when my mom was brought on stage by Carnival entertainer and friend, Christopher Alan Graves. Christopher has been a good friend of my brother's for many years now. Anyway it was so cute to see my mom up there and she loved every minute of it! Can you guess what they are singing? Candy Man of course! It was her 70th birthday and I'm sure she will remember it well. LOL

Ernie

I'm glad you all enjoyed the cruise, we really do like Carnival, yes there are things that could be improved, but that is the same with any line.

The one glaring thing for me is the past passenger / suite passenger benefits.

Though saying that, my main hate is to stand in line and as a platinum level I get to by pass all the lines, so I am pretty happy now

One thing we have noticed is, the amount of in your face sales pitches is down to the cruise director, maybe it's just the way some of them do it, but there is one female CD that is just plain obnoxious, to the point of people stuffing towels into the PA speakers lmao, while others have been much more laid back about it.

[ 11-17-2011: Message edited by: jetwet1 ]

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Originally posted by jetwet1:

I'm glad you all enjoyed the cruise, we really do like Carnival, yes there are things that could be improved, but that is the same with any line.

The one glaring thing for me is the past passenger / suite passenger benefits.

]

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I agree. Carnival is a good value for the money. I just wish I liked the the Fantasy/Conquest Class better. That is the majority of the fleet and I'm not very fond of either design.

This being said I'm seriously considering a cruise on the BREEZE. It's sort of the first ship of the "new" Carnival Cruise Lines. New decor and of course the 2.0 enhancements. Who knows what else will be announced as well? Of course I'll wait until November when kids are in school. I sailed on CONQUEST out of New Orleans in mid-July. I will NEVER repeat that mistake again. One of the most crowded ships I've ever sailed on. Hoping BREEZE will be different but not holding my breath. Its essentially the same design only with tons more passengers. Well hopefully there are enough differences plus the large promenade deck that it will be a much better experience. I also like the idea of the Cove Balconies. That is what I would book. Don't want to look down onto the busy and noisy promenade. In fact I have a Cove Balcony on QM2 in January.

Ernie

Ps. Forgot to mention my mom won $1000 in the casino. It was awesome.

[ 11-17-2011: Message edited by: eroller ]

My biggest complaint was the photo department. I've never seen so many photographers on a ship taking your pictures whether you wanted them to or not.

We had excellent bar service (my bill can attest).

I was very impressed with the Fantasy. It has been recently updated and was in excellent shape. It certainly did not feel like the oldest ship in the fleet. Also, the Farcus decor has been toned down, and many areas are quite nice.

One of the nicest experiences we had was the Chef's Table. It's available on all Carnival ships, and is an 8 course meal. The executive chef was with us during the entire event, and explained the food and wine pairings. On the Fantasy, it was served in the Library. Our last cruise was in the Queens Grill on QM2, and we thought the food and service at the Chef's Table was absolutely on par with that.

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Originally posted by nathan:
Great review Ernie. I just returned from a six day on the Fantasy out of Charleston. Like you, it was my first time on Carnival in many years, and I was impressed.

My biggest complaint was the photo department. I've never seen so many photographers on a ship taking your pictures whether you wanted them to or not.

We had excellent bar service (my bill can attest).

I was very impressed with the Fantasy. It has been recently updated and was in excellent shape. It certainly did not feel like the oldest ship in the fleet. Also, the Farcus decor has been toned down, and many areas are quite nice.

One of the nicest experiences we had was the Chef's Table. It's available on all Carnival ships, and is an 8 course meal. The executive chef was with us during the entire event, and explained the food and wine pairings. On the Fantasy, it was served in the Library. Our last cruise was in the Queens Grill on QM2, and we thought the food and service at the Chef's Table was absolutely on par with that.

Several crew commented to us that they enjoyed saling out of Charleston because it was a more subdued crowd. I think you are correct in your assessment that you have to plan a Carnival cruise carefully, but I will say that the product is still very good, and in my opinion better than some of the other mass market lines.

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Sounds like you had a great cruise which is good to hear. I sailed on FANTASY when she was brand new, and of course back then I thought the ship was amazing. It would be interesting to go back now.

I agree about the photo department. They were EVERYWHERE and I've never seen so many "sets" to have your picture taken. It was like walking through an obstacle course. Can't believe how many passengers were participating as well, which I suppose explains why they exist.

I didn't do the Chef's Table, but will certainly consider it next time. Sounds like the experience is well worth it.

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Originally posted by dmwnc1:
Nathan - would love to see any pictures you took of the ship and during your cruise. I sailed the FANTASY twice, both times had completely different theme decor for the long enclosed promenade.

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For some reason, I didn't take many pictures of the ship. I'm going back in February and will definitely take some this time.

I also did the Behind the Fun tour, which was really great. It was interesting to note in the laundry and engine control room, all of the equipment was new. They really did full upgrade.