Carnival Miracle Inaugural
Linda Coffman
Carnival Miracle for the inaugural cruise and have photos on my website
beginning at http://cruisediva.com/miracle_phototour_1.htm
Sailing under the Dames Point Bridge was breathtaking... the ship's funnel
clears it by only SIX FEET. The aerial photo shows it best!!!
I have to go out on a limb here and mention the FOOD. Without a doubt, they
have some of the best food of ANY cruise line I've sailed with.
Entertainment was also outstanding.
More photos and a ship preview next week...
Enjoy! :)
Linda
CruiseDiva.com
http://cruisediva.com
Buddy Romaine
Great photos Linda..I'd swear you shot these photos in some new Las
Vegas megaresort.
I noticed photos from the Camp Carnival kids program. I would really
love to hear your comments on the program and what your children
thought of it.
andrew.
E.k.R.
Entertainment has always been excellent.
I'm not sure if you have been on a Spirit Class ship before, but generally
the decor has been toned down compared to other Carnival ships. This
doesn't seem to be the case on MIRACLE? Be honest now.... what did you
think of the decor?? I know it may not be to your taste, but did it at
least seem to work with the theme of the ship?
Best,
Ernie
"Linda Coffman" <lindac...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:k5udnWhu4qk...@comcast.com...
Ebbtide
sailing) Just a hop, skip and a jump for us, one hour south of JAX.
Looking forward to it. ~~~~~~~~~~ Joyce
"Buddy Romaine" <tugo...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:794g40p6vtiaftabi...@4ax.com...
Jo-Ann
have some of the best food of ANY cruise line I've sailed with.
Maybe, now some of the naysayers will believe what many of us have been saying.
Jo-Ann
"Linda Coffman" <lindac...@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<k5udnWhu4qk...@comcast.com>...
Linda Coffman
> Great photos Linda..I'd swear you shot these photos in some new Las
> Vegas megaresort.
> I noticed photos from the Camp Carnival kids program. I would really
> love to hear your comments on the program and what your children
> thought of it.
Thanks, but I can't take credit for those photos... they were taken by Andy
Newman for Carnival. I'll have some of my own to add in a couple days--I
took a lot of pictures of the public rooms.
Children's program... well, I don't have any kids, but Carnival always gets
high marks for their youth facilities. They had all the latest in computer
games, etc. and the kids seemed to be having a wonderful time when I stopped
by there.
Best, Linda
-----
CruiseDiva.com
http://cruisediva.com
Linda Coffman
> Nice pics Linda! I agree about Carnival's food, it has gotten VERY good!
> Entertainment has always been excellent.
> I'm not sure if you have been on a Spirit Class ship before, but generally
> the decor has been toned down compared to other Carnival ships. This
> doesn't seem to be the case on MIRACLE? Be honest now.... what did you
> think of the decor?? I know it may not be to your taste, but did it at
> least seem to work with the theme of the ship?
Ernie, with the exception of the formal dining room, the decor was very
"deco 1930's" and I loved some of the whimsical touches. Wait until you see
the photos I'll be adding of the "Mad Hatter's Ball"! It's a bit over the
top, but I really loved it. The formal "Bacchus" dining room... well, the
lights are supposed to look like grapes, but the color and shape are wrong.
Joe Farnus said as much--apparently someone goofed. Right now they look like
hot-pink M&Ms; however, they are working to get the color right with
different bulbs.
Yes, the decor works--some areas are more 'busy' than others, but overall
it's quite attractive and fun. The winter garden is simply lovely and the
casino is one of the nicest I've seen--lots of room to move through it and a
comfortable seating area with tables and chairs near the bar. The sports bar
is also well laid out and decorated with hundreds of autographed photos of
famous sports figures. One of my favorite places is the piano bar--a
Moroccan style space that comes alive at night.
Materials and finish are exceptional throughout the ship. I have yet to see
mosaic tilework on any ship to match that on Carnival Miracle.
Linda Coffman
> Maybe, now some of the naysayers will believe what many of us have been
saying.
>
> Jo-Ann
Jo-Ann, my scale doesn't lie. I always gain a few pounds on Carnival
cruises. They have wonderful food and many choices. I miss the pizza...
Benjamin Smith
> "E.k.R." wrote in message...
>
>>Nice pics Linda! I agree about Carnival's food, it has gotten VERY good!
>>Entertainment has always been excellent.
>>I'm not sure if you have been on a Spirit Class ship before, but generally
>>the decor has been toned down compared to other Carnival ships. This
>>doesn't seem to be the case on MIRACLE? Be honest now.... what did you
>>think of the decor?? I know it may not be to your taste, but did it at
>>least seem to work with the theme of the ship?
>
>
> Ernie, with the exception of the formal dining room, the decor was very
> "deco 1930's"
Linda,
People can have different opinions of the decor of any ship but the
decor of the Miracle is not deco 1930s. I've been to many shops that
feature original pieces and settings of deco 1930s, as this is a period
of furnishings I like very much. Carnival tends to do everything themed
and faux, anyway. art deco goes in an almost opposite direction to
Carnival's treatment of decor. At best, it's loosely related to art deco.
Ben S.
Cruising Chrissy
<lindac...@comcast.net> wrote:
>Ernie, with the exception of the formal dining room, the decor was very
>"deco 1930's"
Hm.
SoBe sails?
Linda Coffman
> Linda,
> People can have different opinions of the decor of any ship but the
> decor of the Miracle is not deco 1930s. I've been to many shops that
> feature original pieces and settings of deco 1930s, as this is a period
> of furnishings I like very much. Carnival tends to do everything themed
> and faux, anyway. art deco goes in an almost opposite direction to
> Carnival's treatment of decor. At best, it's loosely related to art deco.
> Ben S.
Ben, I think all of us realize that it isn't possible to outfit any ship--or
SoBe hotel, for that matter--with authentic Deco furnishings. Of course they
are "faux"--and I've stayed in SoBe Deco-era hotels with furniture straight
from Ikea. However, the Deco-era is a "look" and "feel" that Farcus has
managed to capture in many on board spaces, not only on Carnival Miracle,
but on earlier ships as well.
Perhaps I should have qualified my description by using "reminiscent" and
"evocative" of the Deco-era. In any case, while the dining room lights are a
disaster, the Murano glass fixtures in other areas of the ship are divine.
Glass art displayed throughout the ship in special niches is exquisite.
Those touches more than make up for any "faux" decor... at least for me.
You would no doubt hate my favorite space on the ship--the Mad Hatter's
Ball. One has to suspend disbelief to follow Alice into Wonderland, but I,
for one, thoroughly enjoyed the journey.
Linda
Jim
chance to see and chat with her this time?) and she also stated that the
food was the best she has had on a cruise ship! She has written an article
about her views and they should be up along with photos that she took Monday
on the Cruisemates website at www.cruisemates.com
Jim
"Linda Coffman" <lindac...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:1M6dnbZsO5b...@comcast.com...
Linda Coffman
> Our own Anne Campbell was also on the inaugural, (Linda, did you get a
> chance to see and chat with her this time?)
Yes, Anne and I are good friends and spent the day together ashore in Grand
Bahama.
I will also have many more photos and a full preview by the end of the
weekend at http://cruisediva.com.
My "new ship review" article for Porthole Cruise Magazine will appear in the
May/June issue.
Cheers! Linda
Cruising Chrissy
wrote:
>Our own Anne Campbell...
You sound like a news anchorman.
Benjamin Smith
> "Benjamin Smith" wrote in message...
>
>>Linda,
>>People can have different opinions of the decor of any ship but the
>>decor of the Miracle is not deco 1930s. I've been to many shops that
>>feature original pieces and settings of deco 1930s, as this is a period
>>of furnishings I like very much. Carnival tends to do everything themed
>>and faux, anyway. art deco goes in an almost opposite direction to
>>Carnival's treatment of decor. At best, it's loosely related to art deco.
>>Ben S.
>
>
> Ben, I think all of us realize that it isn't possible to outfit any ship--or
> SoBe hotel, for that matter--with authentic Deco furnishings. Of course they
> are "faux"--and I've stayed in SoBe Deco-era hotels with furniture straight
> from Ikea. However, the Deco-era is a "look" and "feel" that Farcus has
> managed to capture in many on board spaces, not only on Carnival Miracle,
> but on earlier ships as well.
>
> Perhaps I should have qualified my description by using "reminiscent" and
> "evocative" of the Deco-era. In any case, while the dining room lights are a
> disaster, the Murano glass fixtures in other areas of the ship are divine.
> Glass art displayed throughout the ship in special niches is exquisite.
> Those touches more than make up for any "faux" decor... at least for me.
>
I'd argue anything Farcus does is Vegas-like or Disney-like and it has
to be distinguished from the art deco of a Deutschland, Cunard, and some
areas of Celebrity, which I would say are "re-creations", and are much
more true to the period. I don't know if he's true to any period, or at
least mostly true to it. That's the difference, and I think an important
one. And I dont' agree that Farcus captures the "look" and especially
"feel" of deco.
I don't find Farcus's creations evocative of anything, but themed in
some manner or another, with his methods showing through strongly.
The thing is if someone is a knowledgeable fan of deco and wanted that
feel on a ship, I'd not point them to the Miracle, but the Deutschland
or point out some areas of Celebrity ships.
> You would no doubt hate my favorite space on the ship--the Mad Hatter's
> Ball. One has to suspend disbelief to follow Alice into Wonderland, but I,
> for one, thoroughly enjoyed the journey.
>
In an early pic of that room I saw I mentioned to Ernest that I sort of
liked it. It's not trying to be something it isn't. I don't mind that as
much as Vegas deco.
Ben
> Linda
>
>
Benjamin Smith
>
> Ben, I think all of us realize that it isn't possible to outfit any ship--or
> SoBe hotel, for that matter--with authentic Deco furnishings. Of course they
> are "faux"--and I've stayed in SoBe Deco-era hotels with furniture straight
> from Ikea. However, the Deco-era is a "look" and "feel" that Farcus has
> managed to capture in many on board spaces, not only on Carnival Miracle,
> but on earlier ships as well.
>
Linda, much of the 1930s were the streamline-moderne variety of deco,
and for some deco architects, a reaction to the more complex art-deco of
the 1920s. The SoBe-era hotels are mostly the streamline-moderne variety
and can introduce some mid-Century style interior fittings, consistent
with Ikea, along with the streamline-moderne type of furnishings.
There's also furnishings from Crate and Barrel that would work, as well
as other retail stores. I wasn't implying that an art-deco inspired ship
be originally furnished.
I somewhat prefer the 1930s streamline-moderne variety over the 1920s
original deco, however, since they overlapped, I find it striking how
the elements are mixed. New York's Chrysler Building is one of my
favorites of art deco, but the more streamlined Empire State and
Rockefeller Center are right up there too. This is my reference for art
deco, and yes, they are originals.
I find some art-deco streamline-moderne touches in older HAL ships, NCL
ships, Celebrity ships, Cunard ships, perhaps some others. They seem
more themed in RCI ships and fake in Carnival ships. However, how much
any interior captures a feel is subjective and debateable, often
emotional, and I'd be interested in areas of the Miracle you find
art-deco inspired.
Ben S.