New York is Thatta Way, Man: Just Another SaUD Miracle Review- May, 2010 (Part 12)featured

by Nicole on December 10, 2010

The last day on a cruise is always bittersweet. On one hand, I’ve found that there’s always more to do around the ship (and this day was no different- there were a ton of activities we had marked in the Capers that we wanted to do) and there’s that famous chocolate buffet. On the other hand, though, you have to say goodbye to crew members who have been a memorable part of your week…and packing the suitcase up to go home isn’t nearly as much fun as it is packing it to get on the ship.

The Capers for today were packed with activities from top to bottom. Trivia. Galley Tour. Q&A with the crew. Tea time. Arts and crafts. Raffles. And on top of all that? The farewell party (aka the party with the free drinks) was tonight, too. So we got an early start- up bright and early at 8:00 am. But we’re lingerers. We linger in bed for awhile. So we were up at 8:00 am…but Clueless was on and we probably weren’t out of bed and dressed until closer to 8:30 am. With a full itinerary for the day, we skipped breakfast in the main dining room and instead went up to the lido deck with Mom and grandma instead, where the lines were long and the food was somewhere in between decent and good (new item of the day: egg and cheese breakfast burritos).

Our first draft of our day’s itinerary had us laying out and basking in the sun for a few hours, but the weather had other plans- it was windy and cool. And this has really been a trend we’ve found on cruises departing from New York- the first day out and last day sailing back in are often cool and haven’t been sunning weather.

No worries for us, though. This ship was full of activities, even at 9:30 in the morning. We ended up in the Jeeves Lounge playing animal trivia…where we lost big in score, but Stephanie felt like a champ for knowing what a Jesus bug is.

After trivia, we went to check the weather again and found it to be a bit more tolerable, and since a day at sea isn’t really a day at sea for us if we haven’t laid out even a little bit, we went and laid out for an hour. It wasn’t swimming weather, but it was nice enough to lay out in.

Obligatory hour of sun down, we headed to the room to drop off our sun gear and went off to the Phantom Lounge for the galley tour. In 10 cruises, we’ve never done the galley tour before and it’s always been on our list, so we decided it was the perfect time to get it done! The lounge was slow to fill up but did get very crowded as the presentation began (they do a little spiel before leading you down to the galley). In this time, the couple next to us decided that it was the perfect time to change the diaper of their little angel. Okay. Not the time nor the place. There are restrooms immediately outside of the lounge. There are restrooms all over the ship. And there’s, you know, your stateroom. The bottom line is there’s no where on the ship that’s too far away from a restroom and changing your child’s diaper in any public place on the ship? Not cool.

So the galley tour. It’s not so much of a tour as it is a quick walk around the galley. You’re lead to the galley entrance. From there, you’re kind of walking on a guided path without any actual guiding or narration on a looksee that lasts about two minutes. Cool to see where your food is made, but not something you necessarily need to do more than once. I found the posters and guides they had hanging on the walls particularly interesting, as they lay out the procedure and cooking methods for *everything*. They also have a picture with every dish they serve, along with a list of what’s served with it. I took pics of those, but there’s dozens, so perhaps if anyone wants to see them, I’ll put them in a separate post.

After a quick walk around the galley and watching the chefs prepare what would be our dinner, we got a little hungry for lunch, so up to the lido we went for some chocolate. And on Carnival, they’ve cut and half-assed many things in the past few years (the filet mignon portion, the proteins from the dinner salads, etc), but one of the two things that haven’t suffered any cutbacks that we’ve noticed is the chocolate buffet (the second would be tea time). Between the line of candied confections, the more than a dozen different cakes, the ice cream swans and the chocolate fountain (with all kinds of items waiting to be hand-dipped in chocolate- my favorites are the cantaloupe and the homemade doughnuts), it really is a sweet tooth’s heaven…and probably a dentist’s nightmare.

With all that chocolate and sugar around me, I went straight for…the salad bar? I have a sweeter tooth than anyone I know, but every last day-at-sea when the chocolate buffet is set up, I never have a taste for it! I always want some real food. So I made myself a nice salad, grabbed a plate full of macaroni and cheese from the rotisserie station (sooooooo good) and a bowl of wonton soup from the Asian station (excellent) before settling in with a cup of strawberry soup and some chocolate-dipped melon for dessert.

All refueled, Stephanie and I went off to burn some of that lunch power shopping. We wanted to go purchase a few bottles of that Absolut Tropics we’d seen in the liquor shop (a “travelers exclusive,” they say. I’ve never seen it anywhere else…but I’ve never really looked- I’m a Grey Goose and cranberry juice kind of girl). The shops were packed. Literally five minutes after we arrived, they were nearly empty and we had room to peruse. We hopped from shop-to-shop checking out the goods and last-minute sales, picking up some small souvenirs with our booze.

The shops on the Miracle aren’t the largest (the shopping area is confined to one small corridor on the Promenade deck), but they carry quite the array of merchandise. I’d venture an argument and say they have the best selection of merchandise I’ve seen on all the Carnival ships I’ve been on (each ship has slightly different merchandise. For example, the Freedom doesn’t carry the World of Good merch that the Miracle does). In one shop, you’ll find all kinds of liquors and cigars, Camp Carnival merchandise (right next to the liquor and tobacco, oddly enough), snacks for the travel home (or to enjoy on the ship…but who’s going to buy snacks when you’ve got free food all around you?), all kinds of shot glasses and postcards and a variety of flip flops and handbags and clothes. In another shop, you’ve got fine jewelry, designer sunglasses, high-end cosmetics, perfumes and colognes, World of Good merchandise (handmade goods that raise money and awareness for third-world countries), watches, scarves and even a display of items for $10 and under. The downfall of the shops, though, is that the merchandise doesn’t really change all that much. Mom saw a dress she liked the year before on the Miracle again in the gift shop. She still hasn’t convinced herself to buy it yet, but I’m sure it’ll *still* be there the next time we sail on the Miracle.

With two liters of Absolut Tropics in hand ($22, I believe, for both…and we could walk out with them because it was the last day of our cruise and if you purchase on the last day, you can walk out with it), Stephanie and I headed back to our cabin to pack. Mom always mandates that we have our luggage out before showtime and we had SO many other activities we wanted to do this afternoon (plus the farewell party before dinner), so we got down with our packing. Packing to go on vacation? Fun. Exciting. Anticipatory. Packing to go home after you’d been on vacation for nearly two weeks? Total downer. Never fun. Always a procrastinatory activity.

By 3:00 pm, both of us had most of our packing done (Stephanie more than me- I go by the five minutes of packing followed by 15 of watching TV method) and we headed down to Frankie and Johnnie’s for the Meet the Cruise Director Q&A. I’d never seen this activity offered on any ship before and Stephanie and I were curious. Basically, Malcolm organized a panel of himself, Sparkles and the dance captain and they told us all about life on the ship, their jobs and they fielded questions from us. It was a super informative chat…highly entertaining…and I thought it was a really nice touch. Malcolm told us how it’s all up to the activities staff to decide what activities are offered and when and you can totally see that and how the attitude and ethic of the activities staff translates into the activities offered in the Capers. On this cruise, we saw the staff *everywhere*. There were dozens of activities offered daily. We were never bored or looking for something to do. And beyond all of that, there were so many original activities offered that we’d never seen before. Contrast that with our cruise in February on the Freedom, where we saw the activities crew fraternizing instead of running activities, we saw Felipe (the cruise director) hanging out with his girlfriend more than we saw him hanging out with guests and their general lacksidasical approach to the week’s activities translated to few activities and a generally unmotivated staff.

We learned that this week, the dance team had been changing (a bunch of new dancers were coming in to replace some departing ones who were on their last cruise before their break), the male vocalist was changing (a new one appeared in the Legends show that evening) and mid-cruise, the Captain changed from Captain Volpi to Captain Donato. We also learned that Malcolm lived in a balcony cabin on deck 8 near the bridge, so he’d have quick access if he’s needed. Sparkles, as the assistant CD, has a room to herself, but she’s on the A deck with the rest of the crew. The Spirit-class ships have some of the largest cruise director rooms on the fleet, but some of the smallest crew rooms. Go figure. After the panel ended, Malcolm stuck around to field extra questions and chat with the guests, but Stephanie and I had to hightail it out to meet up with Mom and grandma for tea. I have to say, though, if you’re sailing on the Miracle in the near future, you’re in for a treat having Malcolm as your cruise director (I checked the schedule and he’s going to be on the Miracle for awhile). He really exemplifies what a CD should be. He takes his job very seriously and he loves what he does and that really, really added so much to our experience.

Our last tea time was nice and relaxing…just as it should be. I made my way through two pots of chamomile tea as we reminisced on the cruise…talked about what we wanted for the next one…and enjoyed the soft music until Mom found out about my 5/15 packing method and sent me back to the room to pack more (because on every cruise we’ve been on, I literally never finish packing until we’re about ready to walk off the ship).

An hour later, I was still using the 5/15 method of packing and I wasn’t much better off than I was when I started, but nearly all my clothes were packed up and most of my shoes, too. Everything else could wait. I was off to the casino…where I lost more money in the slots.

From the casino, Stephanie and I headed to the Fun Farewell Party for some free drinks. We stayed for two drinks and left. Service was slow. People were getting rowdy and I began feeling like I was watching an episode of Jersey Shore, with people in Ed Hardy gear getting sloshed on free drinks and shouting.

We decided to walk around the ship for a little while since we had some time before we had to meet up with Mom for dinner. We settled in the Jeeves Lounge to wait for Mom. Stephanie pulled out her comment card (she takes writing these very seriously. If a crew member goes above and beyond, she will get their name and will give them appropriate props. If you don’t meet her expectations, she will get your name and say so on her comments card. Me? I whipped out my iPhone. The closer we get to land, the twitchier I get to get connected to the internet and see a few bars pop up to the left of my little 3G icon.

Mom found us and we waited out the line to walk in. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- if you have a confirmed dining time, you have a confirmed table. Standing in like for 15 minutes accomplishes nothing but wasting your time. Your table will still be there.

Dinner tonight was alright. It’s not my favorite menu and we’ve frequently considered going up to Lido for dinner on the last night (or just having some room service delivered), but I’d feel so bad skipping out on our last dinner and not saying goodbye to the staff who’d helped make our week so enjoyable. Gede was filling in for an ill headwaiter somewhere else in the Bacchus, so Orlando was flying solo again.

Stephanie started with the American Navy Bean Soup (simmered with root vegetables) and noted that while it tasted good, there were virtually no beans in it. No beans in a Navy Bean soup? Really, Carnival? She had a regular fruit cocktail for her second starter and noted the fruit was a little overripe. Mom had a shrimp cocktail and then she and I both ordered the Chilled Supreme of Fresh Fruit (finished with Peach Schnapps), which we both agreed needed more Schnapps (then again, what doesn’t?). I ordered the Grilled Portabello Mushroom and Handpicked Mesclun Lettuce (marinated with balsamic, fresh basil and virgin olive oil) and this starter is always a high point of a meal. Thick, meaty slices of portabellos heavily marinated in balsamic? Heavenly.

American Navy Bean Soup

Fresh Fruit Cocktail

Chilled Supreme of Fresh Fruit

Grilled Portabello Mushroom and Handpicked Mesclun Lettuce

Mom went with the Barbecued St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs (served with creamy coleslaw, grilled spring onion and fries) for her main course and enjoyed it much. She said the ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender and that the barbecue sauce had a nice tang to it. Stephanie and I both had the Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef Au Jus (Stephanie ordered a side of steamed vegetables with hers) and while I thought it was a little fattier than I like, but otherwise good, Stephanie didn’t really like it. She said if you like meat, you’ll like it…but she doesn’t like meat all that much.

Barbecued St. Louis Style Pork Spareribs

Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef Au Jus

Steamed Vegetables

Dessert came with a heavy dose of melancholy, as we realized it was our last course of the last meal we’d have in the Bacchus for a long while (a return trip on the Miracle is an inevitability in our family). Mom skipped dessert. Stephanie had a scoop of vanilla ice cream (which she said was very “vanilla-y”…I’m not sure what else you’d expect with vanilla ice cream though). I ordered the Grand Mariner Souffle (served with orange vanilla sauce) and a cheese plate to enjoy with my coffee. Gede finished up with his tables early so he could come down and say goodbye to us and Orlando made sure to hug all of us before we left. They really went above and beyond for us this week and we were so lucky to have such a fantastic duo.

Grand Mariner Souffle

Vanilla Ice Cream

Cheese Plate

Stephanie and I headed outside to watch the sunset while Mom went to wake up grandma from her nap. The closer we got to New York, the slower the ship sailed. One of my fondest memories from this trip is really the daily trip to the promenade after dinner to watch the sunset, uninterrupted by the noise of anything but the waves lapping up on the side of the ship…and my camera shutter.

We went up to our cabin so I could finish packing (and do one last outfit change for the night) before I met up with the rest of the family up on Lido deck. A day full of activities called for a night full of activities and we had a full night ahead of us. Stephanie and I split from Mom and grandma again and headed for Useless Trivia (I guess my knowledge of useless crap DOES know a bound…because we didn’t even come close to winning) and then Music Trivia. Both rounds of trivia were supposed to be held in the Phantom Lounge, but ended up being held in Frankie and Johnnie’s, which was packed to the brim. Smitty ran both games and he was the best at trivia. Really. He’s more entertaining than the questions.

From trivia, we headed to the Phantom Lounge for What’s Your Bluff (aka the Liars Club), which was HILARIOUS. Basically, Buttercup, Julie and Sparkles are given a word and they give you a definition of it. Two are lying, one is telling the truth. It usually results in hilarity, but this one was above and beyond. Literally. Buttercup ended up under the table hysterically laughing.

I wanted to check the score of the Cubs game, so Stephanie offered to keep our seats for the Legends show if I would put out all our luggage. Deal.

The Legends show? To put it politely…it was a trainwreck. The new dance crew was good and gelling with the holdovers from the last crew. The new male singer was good (and was no where near as distracting in his looks or mannerisms than the last one had been). But the Legends? Half of them didn’t know the words to the songs and the others looked plain miserable up on stage. And really Carnival? There’s only so many times a cruiser can see this show. Lets change it up a little, okay? It’s about that time.

Not ready for our last night onboard to be over, Stephanie and I went everywhere but our room. We hit the casino. We hit the piano bar (and promptly left- it was empty and that’s never fun). We were sad to see that Music Unlimited wasn’t playing tonight and ended up on the Lido deck getting some pizza. My pizza enjoying experience was hindered by the screaming children that kept putting the pepper shakers in their mouths (seriously? I won’t judge that your child is out past 1:00 am on a cruise ship since it’s vacation…but letting them put a pepper shaker in their mouths to keep them from crying? Not cool. I might be judging you) and the teenagers who decided a slick floor made an excellent space for a slip and slide.

We headed back to the room. Mom had been waiting an hour for her room service to be delivered (I guess we weren’t the only ones drawing out our last night onboard) and the boat was rocking pretty hard as they tried to keep us sailing in international waters. I started packing up my toiletries and accessories while Stephanie looked for something to watch on TV. As we flipped past the map channel, we noticed they were playing My Heart Will Go On. You’re on a cruise ship. The boat’s rocking. The theme song to Titanic? Probably not the most comfortable sound for some.

It probably wasn’t the best idea to stay up past 3:00 am when we had a 13-hour drive ahead of us (and I wouldn’t be sleeping much for a few days with my friends coming in to town…which I didn’t. I didn’t get more than three hours of sleep at a time for the next four days) but I just really wanted to draw it out as long as possible and remember every single thing I was feeling and thinking. And I wanted my cell phone service back.

Today’s Lido lunch menus