Cruise Spotlight
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Carnival Miracle vs Carnival Pride
The Carnival Miracle was built in 2004. It was renovated in 2025. It's 2 years newer than the Pride, which was built in 2002 and renovated in 2023.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Miracle is considered a small size ship. Coming in at 963 feet long and 106 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 2.7 football fields, as wide as 2 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 12-story building. The Miracle and the Pride are in the same class, which means they're sister ships. For the most part, they're similar in terms of size and layout; although they may have different features and attractions on board.
Number of Passengers
Carnival Miracle holds about the same number of passengers as the Pride based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Miracle has the same amount of space per person as the Pride.
| Carnival Miracle | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Spirit | Spirit |
| Gross Tonnage | 88,500 | 88,500 |
| Length | 963 | 963 |
| Beam/Width | 106 | 106 |
| Passenger Decks | 12 | 12 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 2,124 | 2,134 |
| Crew | 910 | 930 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 42 | 42 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Miracle has nine different dining options like Pizza Pirate, Carnival Deli, and Blue Iguana Cantina. Of those options, eleven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other three options have an additional fee.
The Pride has one more dining venues. Some of its popular venues are The Chef's Table, JavaBlue Cafe, and Guy's Burger Joint. ten of these restaurants are complementary and the other five have an additional fee.
The Carnival Miracle has about the same number of dining options as the Carnival Pride.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Miracle might be a better choice then the Pride. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Carnival Miracle & Pride
| Restaurant | Carnival Miracle |
Carnival Pride |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Blue Iguana Cantina | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Carnival Deli | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Guy's Burger Joint | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Lido Buffet | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Main Dining Room | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Pizza Pirate | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Swirls | ✓ | ✓ | |
| A la carte | |||
| Bonsai Sushi | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cherry on Top | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Fountainhead Cafe | ✓ | ✗ | |
| JavaBlue Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Nick & Nora's Steakhouse | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| The Chef's Table | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Carnival Miracle has 1 fewer bar than the Carnival Pride.
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Pepsi family of products. That means Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Starry, Mug Root Beer, and Mountain Dew, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Miracle and the Pride below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Carnival Miracle has a total of 3 pools and 3 hot tubs.
The Carnival Pride has the same number of pools as the Miracle and fewer hot tubs.
Looking to get away from the kids onboard? Try relaxing in the Serenity Adult-only area, for guests 21 and older only. Both the Miracle and the Pride have full-depth adult-only pools in the Serenity area. The Serenity Area on both ships is unenclosed and open to the elements. They’re both located in the back of the ship.
| Carnival Miracle | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 3 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 3 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 0 | 0 |
Cruise Coloring and Activity Books for Kids
Get your kids ready for their cruise or keep them entertained while on board with our custom made coloring and activity books. These are the Carnival editions with featuring places Pizza Pirate and mini-golf.
Cruise Ship Coloring Book for Kids 3-5 - Carnival Edition
Let's Get Cruising Activity Book for Kids 6-8 - Carnival Edition
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. On both ships, 71% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare.
| Carnival Miracle | Carnival Pride | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Arcade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Basketball | ✗ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Comedy Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dr Seuss Breakfast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mini golf | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pool-side Movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| Splash park | ✓ | ✓ |
| Water slides | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Carnival is a mainstream cruise line. Mainstream cruise lines cater to a variety of guests, hoping to provide something for everyone. These typically cost about $100 - $350 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year.
The cost will also vary depending on the type of cabin you book. You can see the differences between the Carnival cabins and how to choose the best one here:
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Carnival ship.
| Carnival | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $16.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 18% |
| Soda Price | $3.00 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $8.75 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $83 - $88 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $18.70 to $23.80 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
We sailed aboard the Carnival Pride
Follow along on our sailing on the Carnival Pride. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ship.
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 1 - Baltimore
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Another Sea Day
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 4 - Half Moon Cay
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 5 - Nassau
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 6 - Freeport
Carnival Pride - Cruise Blog - Day 7 - Final Sea Day
5 Hits & Misses of the Carnival Pride
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