Carnival Cruise Port of Long Beach
I recently had an opportunity to cruise on the Carnival Miracle for a 4-day cruise in an aft cabin and will be sharing my impression of this cabin class on this ship.
But first, let me start with embarkation. This was my 6th cruise and first time in an upgraded type of cabin. I have sailed in interior, ocean view and standard balcony before.
When you book the upgraded suites with Carnival you get automatic priority embarkation and debarkation, that was a pleasant surprise.
I was shown to the priority line and was taken care of speedily an on my way to the ship. At the end of the cruise, the debarkation was super nice, quick, and easy. That could factor into my booking of more suites in the future.
On the morning of debarkation. We met at a dining room and were escorted off before everyone else. Now that this port uses facial recognition, if you have a passport – the process is extra quick. It literally took about 10 minutes-it was that quick.
I should mention I didn’t have any checked luggage so that also made the process smoother, carrying my own luggage off the ship.
Cabin Impressions
Now, for my impressions of aft cabin 4228 on Carnival Miracle (see video below). Carnival Miracle is a Spirit-class cruise ship launched June 5, 2003. It was reportedly refurbished in 2020.
The cabin and ship to be honest do feel a bit outdated. The décor was basically like other cabins, with a few extra perks.
There are some visible signs of wear and tear with dings in the chest of drawers and other wood surfaces & the entryway flooring.
The furniture is basic but sufficient. In other words, it wasn’t a particularly luxurious feel, but it was very spacious, and the balcony made it all the better. There was a small refrigerator which is a nice amenity to have.
The cabin has a living room area, a full bathroom with tub/shower, a bedroom that can have either 2 twin beds or a king (the two twins put together), a walk-in closet and a powder/dressing room with a lighted mirror.
The balcony was huge and very private. There were 5 chairs and two tables. HUGE! I spent most of my time on that balcony enjoying the ocean waves and views, watching movies on my tablet, and doing crosswords.
Possible Cons
All in all, I would do the aft cabin again, however, there are a couple of things that others may want to consider.
On the first night there were a lot of vibrations and some popping sounds that I don’t recall feeling/hearing in any other cabin I’ve cruised in.
I’ve also not stayed that low on a ship or aft before (deck 4), so I don’t know if that is common at the back of the ship on lower decks, or particular to the aft cabin.
After the first night I kind of got use to it and really didn’t notice it too much the rest of the time.
The other thing, I could occasionally hear music coming from one of the lounges, and it was loud. For some reason and I was thankful for it, it only happened for very short periods of time and not all night. It really wasn’t too bad.
On this ship the Lido deck where all the food is – is also aft, so the elevators were convenient to the food. There was a little walk to the elevator though and that is because you are literally in the last cabin at the back of the boat.
I did encounter two issues with the cabin. The shower was wonderful, but the water kept changing temperature mid-stream. It would get very hot on it’s own and I would have to step out of the stream as it was intolerably hot.
The other thing most will be annoyed by is the lack of outlets. The lamps did have USB ports, but I only saw one actual 120V outlet and that was in the dressing room.
So, when I had to charge my computer, the cord ran from the dressing room to the bedroom. Luckily the cord was long enough. If there were more outlets, I didn’t see them.
Final Thoughts
It was a great cabin to cruise in especially if you’re like me and tend to cruise just for the ocean views and waves, and not the casino, shows and shops.
Before the pandemic I did partake in some of that. I love comedy shows and I also like to gamble, but on these first cruises back I felt more comfortable just enjoying kicking back in the suite and on the wonderful balcony.
As a postscript as you all know I critique food, the food on the ship was barely passable in my opinion. It is some of the worst cruise food I’ve had. I ate many sandwiches. I may talk about that in another article.
If you choose to sail on Carnival Miracle and get a chance to book the aft balcony on this ship – go for it! All in all, it was a nice experience.
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