Our Carnival Miracle Review
This Carnival Miracle review will probably be a bit different than most cruise ship reviews. We have been on a number of cruises so now we are less likely use most of the on board amenities but far more likely to visit ports and do excursions. Of course, we did eat and wander around the ship so we got a good feel of the layout and the level of service. We booked the cruise using Cruise Direct since they appear to have the best deals and all the major cruise lines can be found on that one site. The underwater images are all taken with our new Go Pro Hero 7. Finally, you can book or read reviews about the excursions we did on Tripadvisor. I will explain at the end of the article why we book tours with Shorefox or Tripadvisor.
Carnival Miracle Review- Layout and Service
The Carnival Miracle was built in 2003 and received upgrades in 2015. It is a medium sized ship with 12 decks which holds 2,124 passengers and 930 crew. We booked cabin #8125 which is a balcony room. The room itself had plenty of room for two even though we brought four full sized suitcases and two carry on bags.
This image is what a balcony room aboard the Miracle looks like. The sofa can also be used as a bed if you have more than two people in your cabin.
We have been on ships of all sizes and traveled on most of the cruise lines. When it comes to Carnival I actually prefer the medium sized ships. You get most of the same entertainment such as live music, shows and comedy but the service, in my opinion, is better on their medium ships. This trip was no different.
I was extremely pleased with the level and speed of service from this crew. As I mentioned, we basically use the ship as a floating taxi so I did not want to be waiting around for hours on end for meals or any requests I may have. The crew of the Carnival Miracle made sure that we were well taken care while aboard the ship.
The dinner menu was practically the same as the previous cruise we took aboard a different ship just a month earlier. The quality was good but if you have been on one of their ships with a similar itinerary the menu is likely to be identical.
Carnival Miracle Review Port 1- Grand Cayman
I want to start by telling you we snorkeled at every port we visited. Grand Caymen was our first stop and we did not need to book a tour or excursion to find great snorkeling. You can find an amazing location by taking a right once you get past the port and following the sidewalk until you see a green building. Right next to the green building is a dive shop that has lockers and if you need snorkel gear they can rent it to you for the day. We brought our own gear so all we had to pay was $5 to use the locker. The dive shop does ask for a $10 deposit also but they return the money as soon as you bring them back the key.
You can enter the water directly outside of the dive shop and snorkel Eden Rock and Devil’s Grotto. What I like about this destination is that we were able to snorkel at our leisure and we did not have a guide or worry about being part of a group. The reef and entire area has very nice structure and is quite interesting to look at. Fish are also abundant although they might be a little smaller than you might see in deeper water.
Carnival Miracle Review Port 2- Roatan Honduras
Roatan was our next stop on the Carnival Miracle cruise. This time we did an excursion which we booked through Shorefox. The excursion we took part in is the Roatan 3 Snorkel Site Hopping Excursion. We enjoyed the three site tour but keep in mind that you will be out on the water for several hours, mostly swimming. You don’t have to be a particularly strong swimmer or in top physical shape to do all three sites, but you should be at least in “decent” shape.
Two of the three sites are relatively deep, I would say between 15-30 feet. The site in between the two deeper sites is only 5-8 feet deep. This tour is guided and the guide asks you to follow him the whole time. He can keep time doing it this way plus he can show you really cool sea life that you might miss if he was not pointing it out. The guide is also more than happy to take your camera and swim down to the fish to capture images for you.
Carnival Miracle Review Port 3- Belize
Belize was our third stop of the cruise. Once again we took a snorkel tour booked through Shorefox. This one was the Coral gardens, Shark/Ray Alley and Caye Caulker Island break. The tour companies name is Belize Exotic Adventures. This tour was one of the longer excursions we took. The boat road by itself is 40 minutes or so to reach the Island and the reef you will snorkel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour because of the variety of marine life as well as the coral. This excursion had some slight swimming resistance due to the current. I am not sure that it was just the day we were there or all of the time. Again, you don’t need to be an expert swimmer but its a good idea to be at least a decent swimmer.
The first part of the trip was guided and you get to see the abundance of reef fish the area has to offer. Part two of the excursion was a shark encounter with nurse sharks and sting rays. I was extremely happy to do this one because the sharks and Rays let you touch them.
We also had a visitor, a 5-6 foot Barracuda that joined the fun. If you have never seen one of these live underwater, you will be amazed at how fast they are.
You don’t have to be a strong swimmer for this part of the tour. The water here is only between 5-7 feet deep and all the action is around the boat. I have some pics below of the tour.
The third part of the tour is an Island break where you can order lunch. You also will have time to do some shopping on the island if you choose to.
Carnival Miracle Review Port 4- Cozumel Mexico
Our last stop with the Carnival Miracle was Cozumel! We booked an excursion that took us to Palancar & Columbia reefs. This tour was another “three stop” excursion. I put the quotes around the words three stop because in reality it was two stops and you basically drift to the third location.
Our first stop was a shallow area with a sandy bottom. The water was only 6-7 feet deep and you see mostly starfish and other sandy bottom creatures.
The second (and third) part of the snorkel tour was in much deeper water. You do not have to be a particularly strong swimmer because you will end up drifting from one reef to the other. My guess on water depth would be between 40 and 80 feet depending on where you are.
You might worry about seeing fish close up but don’t worry. The guides will attract fish so you can have a great experience. They take photos for you also which are available for sale afterwards.
We got to see a number of fish and a sea turtle while on this tour. You will also see lots of scuba divers beneath you in this location.
I also changed up some of the settings on my GoPro Hero 7 and finally got some better pictures.
Carnival Miracle Cruise Tips and Final Thoughts
I know that most Carnival Miracle reviews tend to focus on the ship and amenities. However as I explained earlier, we tend to cruise for the ports and not so much for the ship itself.
That said, I feel as if the service was very good on this ship which made our trip that much better! We also enjoyed the fact that all four ports were on consecutive days.
I want to provide some tips that may be useful if you decide to take this trip, especially if you plan to snorkel or do other excursions.
Rashguard or Skin Suit– Remember, it is going to be sunny and you will regret not having one if you are on the water 4 days in a row! Find Rashguards on Amazon.
Reef Safe Sunscreen– Regular sunscreen can kill the reef. Please preserve this beautiful marine environment by using Reef Safe Sunscreen!
Plan– These three books helped us decide where we wanted to snorkel. I highly recommend them. You can find them here!
Save Money– We used Shorefox and Tripadvisor and paid far less than booking through the ship. The ship takes a cut from the tours they book. People tend to be scared of booking without the help of the ship because they are afraid they might get left behind. I can tell you that we plan tours that will have us back with plenty of time to spare. Shorefox also has a “return to ship guarantee”. We have never been left behind and our tours have been fantastic!
Great Trip, loved every minute of it!!! Going back on the Carnival Miracle in January!!!!
