Carnival Miracle 2013 7-Day Alaska Cruise Review
Day 1        June  11, 2013            Seattle, Washington                                                Departure:   4:00PM
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View of the ship from the transfer window.

Waiting outside the cruise terminal to be able to enter the building to check-in.

The other side of the pier where another ship could dock.

Embarkation:    I arrived at Pier 91 around 9:30 in the morning. The ship's disembarkation process had just ended and many of the last passengers were waiting along the curb for transportation.  The cruise terminal entrance was open and I walked in, but was quickly asked to leave by the cruise terminal's staff because the terminal had to get cleaned and prepared for embarkation.  The wait outside went by quick and I had a good view of the ship. The terminal opened for embarking guests around 10:00AM.  I think the terminal can accommodate two ships at one time, but the Carnival Miracle was the only ship docked at the cruise terminal.  The cruise terminal had 2 sides of escalators, but only one side was turned on for people to use.  Any people who had luggage that needed to get checked in were instructed to go to the side with the off escalator and go through a door that led to a big luggage screening device.  People were instructed to give their luggage to the security staff and they would scan the luggage and then it would be brought onto the ship.   Next, we were instructed to get in a line to go up the on escalator.  On the top floor was a security check.  All guests were required to go through security.  After security was the general "check in".  The lady working the desk was very nice, but the systems were still turning on because it was early in the morning and I was one of the first people to check in.  After the system was turned on the lady gave us our Sail & Sign cards, which are used for getting on and off the ship, making purchases on board, and as a cabin key. 

    The boarding process started around 11:00AM and began with the VIP guests and then Zone 1. I was in Zone 1 and was able to board quickly.  The walk to the gangway and the gangway were open air and  it was raining as the early guests boarded the ship.  Most of the walk was covered, but I still got a little wet. 

Walking to the gangway on an outside walkway.

Food and supplies waiting to be loaded onto the ship.

On the gangway, view towards the front of the ship.

A look at the back of the ship from the terminal building.

Lunch:   After boarding the ship and getting the Sail & Sign card scanned it was time to go to the lido buffet for lunch. The lido buffet's name is Horatio's.  Horatio's Lido Buffet has a deli, pizzeria, Chopsticks (Chinese eatery), grilled foods, salad bar, dessert station, beverage station, and a line that serves a different type of food each day.  The first day's Taste of the Nations was "Italian Food".  I ate a Pastrami on Rye from the deli and then tried some other items from other buffet lines.  The food was very good, but the desserts were not as good as the Main Dining Room.  I didn't have high expectations for lido buffet's desserts.  The service in Horatio's was excellent and the crew did a good job of clearing tables, restocking food & utensils, and cleaning commonly touched surfaces.  I liked that the ship had glass plates instead of plastic plates that some other Carnival ships have.  The glass plates were kept in a warming device to keep the passenger's food warm.  Sometimes the plates were too hot and people would drop the glass plate and it would shatter into many small pieces.  The coffee mugs were also made out of glass, but they were stored at room temperature.

Enjoy some food pictures from the first day's lunch in Horatio's on the Lido:

Pastrami on Rye from the Deli.

Turkey on Country Roll

Turkey Wrap

After lunch it was time to tour the ship!  The weather was very cloudy and throughout the early afternoon rain showers were over the ship.  However, about two hours before leaving port the weather cleared up and the sun was shining.  Enjoy some pictures I took while touring the ship:

Supplies waiting to be loaded onto the ship.

Raining in Seattle

Jeeves Lounge

The bar in Mad Hatter's Ball. This was a small lounge under the Phantom Theatre.

Mad Hatter's Ball

Phantom Theatre. This was the main show lounge of the ship. Decks 2,3, and 4.

Ship's Atrium

Cargo was being loaded onto the ship.

The Miracle had a service boat docked on the Port side throughout the afternoon.

View from the port side of the ship.

One of the pools on the ship. This pool was not under the retractable roof.

Another view of the same pool.

The glass area of the funnel is above the atrium. The two floors that are visible are the Nick and Nora's Steakhouse.

Another picture of Nick and Nora's Steakhouse.

This was the Deck 3 Lifeboat Embarkation deck.

Stateroom:   My stateroom was located on Deck 5 -  Upper.   I enjoyed having a balcony stateroom.  The stateroom had 2 twin beds pushed together into one larger bed, a couch that was made into a bed, and an upper bed that comes out of the ceiling.  The room was very clean.  My stateroom steward did a great job cleaning the room and he made some towel animals that I had never seen before on a cruise.  
    Here are some pictures of the first look at the stateroom:

Stateroom Bathroom

Stateroom Bathroom:  The stateroom bathroom was very clean.  The bathroom had a shower, toilet  and a sink.  The water pressure from the sink was very low and was not good for washing hands.  The water pressure when using the shower was normal.  The toilet had a loud air-sucking flush that might frighten any first time cruisers who didn't know what to expect.

Stateroom Balcony:
The picture to the left is a picture of the balcony.  My balcony had 2 chairs and a small table.  At night the curtain had to be closed because of the large amount of daylight coming in at 10:00pm.  On the inside of the stateroom a little note stated that the a/c would shut off when the balcony door opens.  That did not occur in my stateroom because I tested opening the door and the a/c did not cut off.  I enjoyed having a balcony.  I used it a lot, but I also used many of the outside decks to look around and get pictures too. If you are considering an Alaskan cruise you might want to think about getting a balcony room.

I was out on the outside decks most of the first afternoon onboard after the rain stopped.  Here are some pictures from when I went walking around the outside decks on the first day:

Mini Golf Course facing the aft of the ship.

Mini-Golf Course facing the fwd part of the ship.

Basketball Court

View of pool looking towards Seattle.

Seattle

View at the front of the ship.

Side view of the ship.

Port Side View From Ship

Deck 9 - Lido

The retractable roof stayed closed the entire cruise.

View of the Serenity Adults Only Retreat.

Waterslide

View of the Space Needle from the ship.

This picture was taken facing the front of the ship.

Zoomed in picture of cruise terminal

Looking from the back towards the front of the ship.

Waterslide

Glass part of the funnel.

Muster Station Drill:  The Muster Station drill was at 3:15PM.   I had Muster Station "A" which was closer to the front-mid part of the ship.  I had a good view of the gangway and could see that the photo gallery crew was still loading equipment from embarkation photos.  The muster stations were crowded because the crew wanted 4 or 5 straight lines. The Muster Station Drill was quick.  The cruise director talked over the intercom and the crew demonstrated how to put on the life jackets   We were also informed about Carnival's Environmental Policy and about the onboard smoking policies (which were broken in some areas).  No eating, drinking, photography, video-recording, or electronic usage was allowed during the Muster Station Drill.

Sail-A-Way:    The ship was scheduled to depart at 4:00PM.   I don't know what time the ship actually left port, but I think it left close to 4:00.  I enjoyed departing Seattle, Washington.  Here are some of my favorite pictures that I took during Sail-A-Way:

The ropes are about to be released!

The ship is now moving backwards.

The ship has completly backed away from the cruise terminal.

Front of the Ship

View of Seattle as the ship leaves

The ship is turning around.

The outside decks were crowded.

Looking towards the back at Seattle

The pier that the ship just left.

View from my balcony as the ship moved away from Seattle.

Seattle in the distance

Dinner:   I had "Your-Time" Dining which was where you could pick your time (some time restrictions) and table size.   Dinner started at 5:15 each night.  Many people arrived earlier than 5:15 and the line was long by the time the dining room opened. The Your Time Dining desk attendants  were not the greatest because they were not as accommodating as other ships. They told us it was "illegal" for the dining room staff to put two tables together or for them to remove a chair from a table and add it to another table.   
However, this was only a minor set-back.  The service was superior in the Bacchus Dining Room and the wait staff did a great job! The food tasted great  and the staff was very friendly.  

Below are some dinner pictures.  I don't remember what each food item is called, so I am not naming any of the food items.  Enjoy: 

After dinner I played some mini-golf.  The mini-golf course was very windy and it was cold!  After playing some mini-golf I went and walked around the ship and looked around.  Here are some more pictures from different places onboard the ship:

Mini-Golf

Outside tables and chairs under the retractable roof on the Lido Deck.

Outside Stage

Pool & Hot-tub under the retractable roof.

Horatio's Lido Buffet

Hot Beverage Drink Station in Horatio's

Looking towards the back of the ship

Outside drink station on the lido deck under the retractable roof

Waterslide

Looking up at the waterslide entrance.

Elevator area (looking towards the atrium) on Deck 10. Nick & Nora's Steakhouse was on the other side of the atrium.

Looking down at the atrium bar.

Typical elevator area on the ship.

On Deck 3

I really liked this view from the ship!

After dinner the stateroom had been turned down and had a towel animal, chocolate mints, and Fun-Times for the next day. 

Welcome Aboard Show:  This show was late at night and was different from any other Carnival cruises.  The show started with the female lead singer who sang one song with the show band playing their music. Then the cruise director, Chris, spoke about the cruise and then a spoon game was played.  Next, the entertainment staff was introduced and then the comedians gave the audience a taste of the Punchliner Comedy Club.

Towel Animal - Walrus

Upper Bed Pulled From Ceiling and the couch made into a bed.

Twin beds were combined to make 1 big bed.

Phantom Theatre before Game Show Mania.

A look at the upper bed.

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