Supplement to Travel Trade
April 2004

Carnival Miracle:

Setting a Stage at Sea

Carnival’s newest ship may not be literally a Miracle, but it certainly is a wonder. Bursting with fictional characters brought to life in image and name, the fourth Spirit-class ship also features 60 Bohemian glass pieces, colorful abstract murals and landscapes and bronze mythical sculptures.

Passengers become characters within the “stage sets” of the public rooms. The Phantom of the Opera, Sherlock Holmes, Mata Hari and Philip Marlowe all appear in the corridors,

Cary Grant stands behind the bar in Mr. Lucky’s Casino, named after the 1943 movie in which Grant played the operator of a sophisticated, if illegal, gambling yacht sailing in the international waters just out of New York City. The yacht is reproduced with a ceiling resembling a skylight showing little stars, brass and glass chimney lamps on the walls and the New York skyline showing through “portholes”.

The well-attended sports bar is called Maguire’s after the movie “Jerry Maguire” and decorated with walls full of genuine autographed pictures and memorabilia that made sports fans drool.

The piano bar is, appropriately, called Sam’s. Taken from the spirit of “Casablanca,” the décor is Moroccan.

The Raven Library is a bow to Edgar Allen Poe, but has none of the gloomy atmosphere of the poet’s work. A lovely ceiling painting of ravens centers the room, which also houses the Internet café.

One of the quiet retreats is the winter garden enclosed promenade, made to simulate a connection to the formal gardens in “The Great Gatsby.” The graceful arches along the side look like iron trellises with intertwining vines, and small domes with fans along the ceiling give the whole area an outdoor, airy quality.

In Frankie and Johnnie’s, there is a poignant feeling reflected in the melancholy cast of the famous song and expressed by a reproduction of Edward Hopper’s “Night Hawks,” a painting of a handful of patrons at a diner counter in the early hours of the morning.

The fictional hometowns of Batman and Superman appear in the foyer of the Gotham Lounge and the lobby atrium, the Metropolis.

The card room pays tribute to The Joker from “Batman.” The main showroom, the Phantom Lounge, two levels topped by the Wizard’s video arcade, has huge Phantom of the Opera masks in white enamel, each with one glowing red eye. It also features a curtain resembling the Phantom of the Opera’s cape, black silk outside and red pleats inside. It draws at a 45-degree angle and really looks like a cape being furled and unfurled.

Agents and passengers were buzzing about the cabaret lounge, The Mad Hatter’s Ball, a multi-purpose room used for everything from meetings to movies. The images were taken from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” illustrations. By the second day practically everyone on the ship had been dragged in by somebody to see this venue.

Another popular gathering place is Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab, the dance club, where a huge sculpture of the monster is featured on the dance floor.

Bacchus and Ariadne dominate the bi-level main dining room and restaurant annex, with a copper leaf design of grapevines on the walls, punctuated by more than 4,000 large glowing glass “grapes.” The menu is quite varied and the quality of food and presentation continues to grow. It’s not your mother’s Carnival — unless she has been on board lately.

Each dinner menu includes eight soups, salads and appetizers, seven entrees and four desserts. In addition, Spacarnival’s menu of healthy selections with reduced calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol is offered at each meal, along with special vegetarian dishes and a children’s menu.

Nick and Nora’s supper club would certainly impress Dashiell Hammett’s husband and wife detective team. At the top of the atrium is the impressive illusion of a huge open glass roof looking out at a giant mural of the New York skyline.

Equally inspiring is the food: fowl and fish along with top beef accompanied by well-chosen wines and irresistible desserts and candies. Seventeen appetizers, salad, soups and side dishes accompany the meal (the creamed spinach is awesome) and the flourless cake was probably responsible for half the people in the gym early each morning, and well worth it. Well worth it, too, is the price of $25 per person.

Carnival Miracle’s Lido dining area was a hit with passengers who admired the big models of 18th and 19th century sailing ships placed between the banquettes. Dedicated to Horatio Hornblower, the room also displays ivory-like figureheads of the fictional captain and brass and wooden beams that make the room warm and inviting.

Breakfasts and lunches are served there in the usual separate islands, with one dedicated to Asian cuisine getting a great deal of play. The Deli, open straight through the day into the evening, and the 24-hour pizza counter were tremendous hits as passengers carrying enormous, fragrant pastrami sandwiches had to tell a dozen people where they got them before sitting down.

Quite a few passengers congregated there again between 6 and 7 in the evening, particularly families, who apparently wanted a quick, casual meal or snack. The deli’s roast beef and corned beef were augmented by a salad and dessert bar. The staff was very helpful in finding milk for small children as adults enjoyed coffee and tea.

Horatio’s is also where the delicious and dangerous Chocolate Extravaganza is served — a reason to stay up late.

Elsewhere in the ship, the patisserie with specialty coffees and pastries was almost as busy as the ice cream and frozen yogurt machines. Another peaceful oasis that slowly filled up during the cruise was the Lido Orpheus Pool and Bar behind Horatio’s. Most people dine at tables around one of the central pools near the hot dogs, burgers and fries at the Grill. Those who went in the opposite direction after filling their plates found the Orpheus area a haven, with a scattering of tables and a quiet, small pool where they could dangle their feet and enjoy the breeze.

Colors in the staterooms, and in most of the ship, are quite bright, with carpets in shades of red and orange flock and nearly all the paint in public areas at least subtly iridescent.

Rich, warm woods and interactive television with both complimentary and pay per view movies are in every stateroom, and the artwork is fresh and attractive. There is generous glass shelving in the bathrooms and amenities include samplings of everything from safety razors to volumizing shampoo. Ample closet, shoe and drawer space for the 7-day and less cruise schedules is provided.

Families have their choice of varied arrangements, from suites to connecting cabins and pullout sofas. The Miracle has 59 suites, six penthouse suites, 624 oceanview rooms with balconies, 68 oceanview rooms with French doors and 99 oceanview staterooms without balconies. There are 213 inside cabins.

Pinocchio’s Club, Camp Carnival’s 2,400-square-foot play area, as well as the spa and gym offered the well planned options found in previous Carnival ships. The spa area is well arranged for passengers with disabilities, with two treatment rooms featuring extra space for showers and large doors for wheelchair access. The gym has a three-level layout with machines facing a wall of glass and a number of TV monitors, along with treadmills and Pilates balls and mats on the floor and in the aerobics/spinning room at the top.

All the equipment can be accessed without using the stairs, as the elevator takes passengers to the top level and the bottom level as well as the aerobics area; all machines on the middle level are duplicated at top or bottom. The machines are popular, although with hours from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. there are always periods to work out virtually alone. There is also a huge Jacuzzi and both men’s and women’s saunas, which are wheelchair accessible. High and low aerobics classes are taught and there are stretch sessions and classes highlighting problem areas. A selection of free weights also sees considerable use.

Carnival Miracle debuted Feb. 27, with a series of 12 three to six-day cruises through April 17, followed by 7-day departures from Baltimore and New York before taking up its home in Tampa for year-round 7-day Western Caribbean cruises beginning Nov. 7.