Sharon

Age: 31
Occupation: Unix Systems Analyst
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Miracle
Sailing Date: April 24th, 2005
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

After our first cruise with the Celebrity Century, we decided to cruise with another couple & I'm glad we chose the Carnival Miracle. All four of us had a great time. The boarding experience was excellent. We didn't have to wait too long & got right onto the ship soon after we arrived at the Tampa port.

The staff was very friendly & the food was superb (except for the runny eggs at the Lido deck buffet, yuck)! Most of the shows were enjoyable. Carlo the Cruise Director made everyone feel at home. His 'helpers', Karl & Sam were friendly too.

I really don't have anything negative to say about the cruise experience. The main thing that surprised all of us was the "tacky" decor. I guess I was comparing it to the elegance of the Century, but the Miracle really was "gaudy". From the over-the-top main dining hall to Phantom's lounge, subtlety was not in the designer's vocabulary. Frankenstein's Lab was laughable with a 12 ft shabby-made Franky himself, strapped to the side wall of a small dance floor.

The pools were also quite small. The waterslide was neat, but we never got a chance to use it.

The air conditioning was always cranked up, which meant it was VERY cold inside the ship, but very hot at the port of calls (which were all great). So, remember to bring a sweater!

The gym was just awesome, aside from the fact that the main floor was not air conditioned enough, believe it or not! The equipment was top of the line.

The photographers did a wonderful job with the formal night pictures. We bought several & were quite impressed with the quality.

Overall, I'd rate the vacation a 9/10 & I would definitely sail Carnival again, maybe the Valor.

Just want to reiterate that the food, especially the dinners in the main dining hall, were out of this world! The wait staff were second to none (Ivo, Arm, Agus, Made, Katut & the whole dining crew).

Happy cruising!

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