Carnival Miracle

The 2004-built Carnival Miracle cruise ship is the fourth and final SPIRIT-class CCL liner, with sister ships Legend, Spirit, and Pride, as well as Costa Cruises' ships Atlantica and Mediterranea.

The vessel (IMO number 9237357) is currently Panama-flagged (MMSI 354277000) and registered in Colon.

History - Construction and Ownership

Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) is a US-based shipping company, trademarked brand, and subsidiary of Carnival Corporation. CCL was founded in 1972 as an independent company by Ted Arison (1924–1999), co-founder of Norwegian Cruise Line.

CCL operates the Corporation's largest fleet in terms of number of vessels and GT-tonnage (ship sizes and passenger capacities). In 2023, CCL held approximately 9% of the global cruise industry's revenue and around 19% of its passengers. In 2024, Carnival Corporation held a ~51% market share in the $64+ billion cruise industry.

The 2,124-passenger Carnival Miracle and her Spirit-class sisters introduced several notable firsts for Carnival, including onboard wedding chapels and alternative steakhouses, now standard on newer ships. Spirit-class vessels offer an impressive 80% ratio of outside cabins, along with touches like museum-quality artwork and a wide range of specialty cocktails.

Decks and Cabins

Carnival Miracle staterooms (1,062 total in 28 categories) include 50 Suites, 634 Balcony, 171 Oceanview, and 215 Inside cabins. The ship has 17 wheelchair-accessible cabins but no Spa cabins. Most standard cabins are 185 ft² (17 m²), with balconies measuring approximately 40 ft² (4 m²). Suites come in four types—Grand, Vista, Ocean, and Junior—with Grand Suites being the largest at 300 ft² (28 m²) plus a 115 ft² (11 m²) terrace.

The ship features 12 passenger decks, six of which are dedicated to accommodations.

Shipboard Dining Options - Food and Drinks

Carnival Miracle’s main dining venue is the Bacchus Dining Room, named after the Greek god of wine. Unlike older Carnival ships that offer two main dining rooms, Spirit-class ships have just one, but the two-deck-high Bacchus accommodates all guests in either traditional two-seating or flexible "Your Choice Dining." Nick and Nora’s Steakhouse, located under the ship’s iconic red funnel skylight, offers an upscale dining experience for a $30 surcharge, with attentive service and high-quality cuisine. Horatio’s Lido Buffet features extensive breakfast and lunch options and also serves as a casual dinner and late-night bistro. A complimentary sushi cart is set up each afternoon outside Maguire’s Bar, offering rotating options such as shrimp, assorted rolls, and salmon. Sake is available for purchase.

Full list of Carnival Miracle restaurants and food bars:

• Bacchus Restaurant (1,122-seat aft dining room with fixed and flexible dining; hosts “Seuss At Sea” themed breakfasts for $5; includes the 36-seat Ariadne Room annex)
• Nick and Nora’s Steakhouse (744-seat, reservations-only, offers seafood and prime beef; includes dance floor and live entertainment)
• Horatio’s Lido Buffet (1,396-seat self-serve buffet with dinner bistro service)
• Sushi Bar (complimentary)
• Chef’s Table (VIP dining venue located in the Galley)

Shipboard Entertainment Options - Fun and Sport

Designer Joe Farcus chose “fictional icons” as Carnival Miracle’s interior theme. Hallways are decorated with illustrations of literary characters like Robin Hood, Robinson Crusoe, and Hercule Poirot. The central lobby and atrium are named after Superman’s Metropolis, while the Gotham Lounge is inspired by Batman.

The 3-level main show lounge is themed after “The Phantom of the Opera” and the Paris Opera House. Shows include “Legends,” a medley of popular music from past decades, and a Beatles tribute. Frankenstein’s Lab, the two-deck nightclub, received new carpeting and furnishings during the most recent refurbishment.

Complete list of Carnival Miracle lounges, clubs, and entertainment venues:

• Mad Hatter’s Ball Lounge (425-seat; hosts Punchliner Comedy Club/brunch)
• Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab Disco (211-seat, 2-level dance club)
• Phantom Theatre (1,400-seat, 3-level main show lounge; used for movies, bingo, game shows)
• The Joker Card Room (30-seat)
• Fountainhead Cafe (28-seat coffee bar and patisserie)
• Taste Bar (free appetizers); Maguire’s Bar (sports bar); Sam’s Bar (88-seat piano bar); Snack Bar; Towel Bar; Gotham Foyer Lounge (100-seat)
• Frankie and Johnnie’s Jazz Club (425-seat)
• Mr. Lucky’s Casino (108-seat; with Lucky’s Bar and 6-pocket Legend Pool Table)
• Miracle Atrium Metropolis Lobby (11-deck-high midship space with dance floor, stage, and Metropolis Bar)
• Jeeves Lobby Lounge (23-seat wine bar)
• Gatsby’s Garden Interior Promenade (23-seat)
• The Raven Library and Internet Cafe (17-seat, 24-hour access)
• Wedding Chapel (30-seat)
• Kane’s Way Upper Promenade (55-seat)
• The Fun Shops (Bon Voyage items, duty-free liquor, jewelry, souvenirs); Formalities Shop (tuxedo rentals, gifts); Studio Photo Gallery and Shop
• Wizards Video Arcade (24-hour)
• Circle C (kids’ lounge with games, movies, planned activities)
• Camp Carnival (kids' area with supervised programming)
• Spa Carnival (steam rooms, saunas, whirlpool, 10 treatment rooms, salon, fitness center)
• Sirens Pool and Ulysses Pool (Ulysses has a Sky Dome); both served by Odyssey Bar
• Serenity (adults-only relaxation area with whirlpool, pool, bar, sun loungers)
• Club O2 (teen lounge with games, movies, karaoke, parties)
• Aqua Park (72-ft Twister waterslide, splash zone, fountains)
• Sports facilities: volleyball/basketball court, 9-hole mini golf, jogging track, shuffleboard

During the 2025 refurbishment, the Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge was added on Deck 2, replacing the Skybox Sports Bar. This space honors military personnel and veterans.

The Carnival Adventures Store (Deck 3) was redesigned, and Mr. Lucky’s Casino was expanded. A new Dreams Studio (photo studio) was added on Deck 2.

Itineraries

Carnival Miracle sails Caribbean itineraries (seasonally from Tampa, Florida and Galveston, Texas) and Alaskan cruises from Seattle, Washington.

Starting in December 2019, Carnival Miracle was homeported in San Diego, California for a 3-month season of 14-15-day Hawaii and 5-7-day Mexico cruises. In 2020, the ship also began roundtrips from San Francisco to destinations in Alaska, Hawaii, and Mexico (4- to 15-day itineraries). Weekend cruises to Ensenada (4-day) departed Thursdays and returned on Mondays. Other itineraries (5- and 6-day) included calls at Ensenada, San Diego, and Catalina Island.

For 2021, Carnival Miracle planned 10- and 11-day Alaskan cruises roundtrip from San Francisco. Carnival Freedom was to be the second Carnival ship in Alaska, sailing from Seattle. However, the entire 2021 Alaska program was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Canada’s extended cruise ship ban through 2022.

Fun Ship 2.0 upgrade was completed in 2015. Miracle is Carnival's final SPIRIT-class liner, with sister ships Legend, Pride, Spirit, as well as Costa Atlantica and Costa Mediterranea.

The vessel was christened by godmother Jessica Lynch (retired US Army private). The inaugural cruise began on February 27, 2004, from Jacksonville, Florida. The 3-night Bahamas itinerary included a call at Freeport. In summer 2004, Carnival Miracle operated 7-day roundtrips from New York City and Baltimore, and in November began year-round homeporting from Tampa, Florida.

The vessel (Kvaerner Masa-Yards Helsinki Shipyard, hull number 503) was delivered by STX Finland on January 17, 2004. It has a volume of 85,942 GT, a DWT of 7,089 tons, and a maximum draught of 8 m. The propulsion system includes 6x Wartsila marine diesel engines (model 9L46C) with a combined output of 62.37 MW (83,640 hp) and 2x Azipod thrusters with a combined output of 35.2 MW (47,200 hp). The registered shipowner is CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC, and the registered manager is CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES INC.

Approximately 80% of staterooms offer ocean views, and 80% of those have private balconies. The vessel features an 11-story Metropolis Atrium with a ceiling made of ruby-red glass. The interior design theme, created by Joe Farcus, is "fictional icons," with depictions of Robinson Crusoe, Robin Hood, and Hercule Poirot. The ship includes the Gotham Lounge (named after the Batman universe), a wedding chapel, and an alternative steakhouse. In January 2012, the ship was refurbished to include newer features such as the Serenity adults-only deck.

In March 2013, Carnival Miracle was repositioned through the Panama Canal from New York to California to replace Carnival Splendor. The ship was initially planned for deployment in Asia (Shanghai) in spring 2017 but remained in North America. According to Carnival's deployment plans, the Asia-based ships became Carnival Splendor (repositioned from Miami to China in spring 2018) and Carnival Spirit (seasonally homeported in Shanghai for winter 2017-2018).

As part of the "Carnival Journeys" enrichment-themed itinerary program, from September 2–16, 2017, Carnival Miracle operated a 14-day Alaskan roundtrip from Los Angeles/Long Beach, California. This was Carnival’s first-ever Alaskan roundtrip from California and included maiden calls to Icy Strait Point/Hoonah and a scenic cruise through Glacier Bay.

Onboard activities included Alaska-themed cultural and culinary events, and themed seminars on photography, arts, crafts, cooking, and celestial navigation. Alaskan shore excursions offered hiking, sea kayaking, canoeing, helicopter flightseeing, and lake snorkeling.

The itinerary included the following ports of call:

Prices started at USD 1,630 per person (double occupancy, interior cabin).

Carnival Miracle Refurbishments Review

Drydock 2025

The ship's most recent drydock took place in April-May 2025 at Navantia Shipyard (Cadiz, Spain).

This project focused on routine maintenance, classification works, and upgrades to staterooms and public areas.

Notable updates included:

• Addition of Heroes Tribute Bar & Lounge on Deck 2 (replacing Skybox Sports Bar)
• Redesign of Deck 3's Carnival Adventures Store
• Renovation of the Mini-Golf Course (Deck 11) and Dr. Frankenstein’s Lab (Deck 2 nightclub)
• Expansion and upgrade of Mr. Lucky's Casino (Deck 2 midship)
• Redesign of Camp Ocean (Deck 5), The Cove, and Circle C (Deck 4 teens’ clubs)
• Introduction of the Chef’s Table VIP dining venue (Deck 1 aft, within the Galley)
• Addition of Dreams Studio (Deck 2 photo studio)
• Renovations to Cloud 9 Spa (Deck 9 forward), Serenity adults-only sundeck (Deck 9 aft), Club O2 (Deck 10), JavaBlue Café (Deck 2), and Lido Marketplace (Deck 9 buffet restaurant)

Refurbishment 2022

The previous drydock took place in October–November 2022 at Vigor Shipyard in Portland, Oregon. This included scheduled maintenance, hull cleaning, repainting in Carnival's new livery (red-white-blue, introduced on flagship Mardi Gras), stabilizer and bow thruster servicing, and various hotel upgrades.

The 2020 drydock (February 14 - March 4, in Freeport, Bahamas) included general maintenance, repairs, and cabin renovations. The USD 40 million project also introduced key Fun Ship 2.0 features:

• Guy’s Burger Joint (Lido Deck)
• BlueIguana Cantina (Lido Deck)
• Carnival WaterWorks (Deck 10)
• RedFrog Rum Bar (Deck 3)

Refurbishment 2015

The 2015 Fun Ship 2.0 drydock (March) brought the following changes:

• New bars – RedFrog Pub (Caribbean rums and beers), Alchemy Bar (cocktail pharmacy), SKYBOX Sports Bar
• Cherry On Top candy shop
• Playlist Productions – evening shows with live music, including 88 Keys, 80’s Pop To the Max, Heart Of Soul, and Getaway Island
• Seuss at Sea (by Dr. Seuss Enterprises) – themed kids’ library and activities
• Hasbro The Game Show – oversized versions of classic games like Connect 4 Basketball, Yahtzee Bowling, and Sorry Sliders
• Spin U DJ Academy (by DJ IRIE) – teens-only DJ training: DJ 101 ($20), DJ Master ($100), Private Lesson ($125)