1st Cruise Review Destiny October 5-10th Eastern Carib

[Capette]

Exceeded our Expectations in almost everyway is how we will describe our first cruise. That is not to say that there weren't a few hiccups which I will get into further on. Firstly I have to say that this site was a godsend for us as the tips and stories made the preparation for our trip that much easier.

Pre-Cruise: We flew in the day before from Mineapolis on Northwest. We had driven the 7 hrs down from Winnipeg, Canada the day before. When we arrived in Miami I had learned on this site to skip the shuttles and grab a taxi as it is cheaper. You can wait for a shuttle and go with a bunch of people to hotels in your zone for $32 ( two of us) or grab your own private taxi and pay $24 +tip. Taxi it was! We stayed at the Holiday Inn at the Port of Miami. The hotel is showing her age but it was clean and all of the staff were friendly and helpful. We had a great room on the 9th floor overlooking the harbour and Bayside Market. There is a CVS and a Walgreens within a 5 minute walk of the hotel to pick up your last minute munchies and supplies. I picked up two bottles of wine and I only drank one while on the ship! We walked across to Bayside for dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp later that night. You pay for the name ( $73 for dinner for two) but it was deeeee-licious and it really was fun. The market area is really nice and there are lots of shops and kiosks for Miami souviners etc.

Embarkation: We are early risers so when we got up at 6:30ish am we could already see a number of cruise ships docked. We left the hotel at 10:30 and arrived at the Port a few short minutes later for $10. The Port is hectic but very very organized. There are carnival shirts everywhere to help. We were checked in with our sail and sign and on board by 11:30. I hit the excursion line as soon as we boarded. There was a long line but I was still able to get the Cabana that was 2nd last in distance at Half Moon Cay- more about that later. Because of these forums I knew to wear my bathing suit and I had my b.f's in my carry-on so we were able to grab some beers and hit the swimming pool while waiting to get in our room. It was very very hot and we noticed that there were a lot of people in jeans and long sleeve shirts trying to find shade. Thank Goodness for this site! Around 1:30 we got inside our beautiful balcony room 8307. We would never cruise again without a balcony. We met our room steward Geddes and we never saw him again til the last morning BUT we felt his presence the whole time. Our room was immaculate at all times, ice buckets filled, he would rehang our bathing suits and tidy up after I had tidied. Towel animals every night
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Day 2 Day at Sea:
We had room service almost every morning and it was fantastic sitting on our balcony with our breakfast and our coffee. Exactly what I envisioned and one my favourite parts of our cruise. We tipped our server $5 every morning.
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The Day at Sea is what you want to make of it. I wanted to lay in the sun for awhile and my b.f wanted to explore so that is exactly what we did. There are activities everywhere and there are also quiet spots in the aft section if that is what you want. The ship is huge! We got lost almost every day but everytime we got lost we found new things so it was kind of cool. This was also the night for Elegant night so I know that I will ruffle a few feathers here. If you don't want to participate than go to the buffet. Seriously.. get lost. I know that this is a hot topic and after participating I can give my opinion that the rare person that wore his tacky shirt and shorts in the dining room looked like an idiot. This turned out to be one of my favourite parts of the cruise. It was wonderful. It was fantastic the way people even dressed their babies in little tuxedo's etc. Walking around the ship later on and seeing that 90% of the people were decked out in their finery was really really wonderful. My b.f does not own a suit and he was just fine in dress pants, shirt and tie. For those people who say that they pay for whatever part of the cruise that they want I would say that I didn't go to your cigar and fine liquer function and extoll the virtues of non smoking. I just didn't participate so don't ruin elegant night for the rest of us.

Day 3 Grand Turk
The weather was hot hot hot. The island is beautiful but also a little sad as you can still see the effects of the Hurricane that pretty much levelled all of the greenery not that long ago. Our excursion Ultimate Snorkel didn't leave until a few hours later so we hit the beach. It was BEAUTIFUL and I was completely surprised to see my prairie born land locked bf jump in the water before me! I was surprised by the number of people that went to the pool that is dockside and not to the warm beautiful waters. Our excursion left a little late as people showed up late! Come on people! Show some respect.. I was more than a little ticked off watching people saunter up from the beach and shops 10 minutes after we were supposed to leave. I did suggest that we use them as bait at the snorkelling site. The excursion was great and the staff went over and above to make sure that everyone had a great time. There was even a non swimmer in the group and they really went the extra mile to make sure that she had a good time. The two snorkelling sites were fantastic. The first was over a reef that extends along the shelf that drops 7000 feet. We both loved it but we forgot to bring an underwater camera! Highly recommended if you are going to do this excurison.
We got back on time and stood in line to get back on ship and then stood in line to get some food. We missed our Dining time as we both took naps so we hit the buffet for dinner later.

Day 4 Half Moon Cay
How can you spell perfection?

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The biggest expense above the price of our cruise was for our private Cabana #14. But it was worth every tiny penny. It was $225 US so about $240 Canadian but what a day of days. If you have any excursion or Cabana rented you get to get off the ship before anyone else! So any excursion - no matter the price- gets you to heaven before the rest of the ship. Walking down the beach towards our cabana was incredible. We had a cooler of soft drinks, food and fresh fruit waiting for us. A private shower, snorkelling equipment and floating loungers. Two comfy chaises and a fan topped off the amenities. During the afternoon a rain storm hit. And Boy did it rain! People were running for the ferries to get back to the ship. We did feel lucky that we could put our stuff in the corner of the cabana out of rain. We grabbed a couple of beer and stayed in the water for the entire rain storm. It rained so hard at one point that we could no longer see the ship. But it was part of a perfect day and we didn't mind it that much. We grabbed the last ferry back to the ship around 5pm and showered in time to get dinner at 6pm

Day 5 Nassau
We arrived on time and we hit the dock to go shopping before our Stingray/Beach excursion at 11:15am. However nothing opens til 9:30! We wandered around for awhile. We were able to dodge all of the hawkers and sellers waiting outside of the Port of Nassau doors and just look around. Truly a grand and beautiful city. Our excursion left on time but it really was a disappointment as far as the Stingrays went. The rays are penned into a little enclosure. Very sad. I ended up not wanted to particpate and my bf only went in for 5 mins. However the beach side was beautiful so we relaxed on the beach until it was time to go back to Nassau.

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We had a few hours to shop and there really are great deals if you are looking for Silver/jewellry. The Coach store was my first target and although the prices are exactly the same it was neat to buy a wallet in the Bahama's. My bf even bought be a purse for my b'day. yeahhhhhh

We were back on time and even though everyone was told over and over and over and over again to be back on the ship at 4:30 as the ship was leaving at 5pm we watched a couple saunter up the dock at 4:55 towards the ship. And I mean truly sauntered taking their time. So ignorant. There were alot of people hanging over their balconies telling them what they thought of them. At least have the presence of mind to look like your rushing back to the ship.

We had time to shower up for our last dinner in the dining room it was very sad leaving the blue blue waters and knowing that we wouldn't be on a beach again for a very long time.
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That is a breakdown of the days and here are our final thoughts. We met a couple in the pool of our hotel before we got on the cruise. They had just finished a cruise. The wife of this couple described the cruise as a weeklong time share sell. She said that they will sell sell sell at you at every moment. She was right. It was annoying as hell to have photographers in our faces at every turn, at every port, at every dining, even when just lying on the beach. We learned to just by pass them when getting off or on the ship. We were polite but firm. The push to buy jewellry or whatever on board was incredible HOWEVER I will say that if you truly appreciate jewellry than Carnival really has a great selection at great prices.

We picked fixed dining at 6pm and we were happy with this as there are great shows etc afterwards or just plain bedtime and a movie if that is what you want. Our server was Ipuutu and he really was great. But our food just wasn't that great. If food taste is the luck of the draw then we got the short straw almost everytime. The first night I ordered Tilapia- it arrived extremely undercooked. My b.f's flat iron steak was just okay. The portions are extremely small. My b.f's lobster tail on the 2nd night was the tiniest little thing that I had ever seen. So overall the food was disappointing all around for the entire cruise. Breakfast was our favourite meal even though the bacon and ham police had to be prodded to give up an extra piece of meat. And yes I realize that you can ask for more but I don't think you should have to.

There are shows and musicians everywhere and you only have to walk a few feet to find a new show or something to do. The shows weren't great but fun to watch.

There are two Carnival towels in your room for you to use. I had learned long ago to never use the hotel/etc towels as they will charge you a small fortune if they go missing. I always pack towels that are distinctive and CHEAP. And sure enough up on the Aft deck on the 2nd day someone stole some poor fellows Towel, shoes and his shirt when he went to the washroom. So I highly recommend bringing a few from home that you will not mind if they go missing.

These were some of the hardest working people that we had ever met. The $10 a day is extremely cheap and we tipped above and beyond. Especially Geddes our room steward We personally gave him $50 on our final morning to show our appreciation. We met a few crew members from Canada who told us that it was great getting to visit so many places but that the work was very long and hard. One crew member told us that she worked from 7am til 10pm in the crews eating area every day.

So over all Carnival Exceeded our every expectation. The food was a minor blip and didn't ruin our holiday. We had a great time and after being in the Bahama's for the first time we are already planning our next vacation going back to Nassau next March. This time we bringing the kids so that they can see paradise for themselves.

[Capette]

I forgot a few minor things. I had pre-purchased drink tickets. Don't bother. They are a complete waste of money. They are only good for certain kinds of beer. We both like beer so that was okay but the few times that I wanted wine or Pina Colada's we had to put the extra on the Sign and Sail.

I also read about the Casino's not paying out. I didn't notice alot of winning but I did win a few times and ended up leaving with $170 more than I came in with. However when I was trying to cash out my winnings a very kind lady told me that the money stays on my card and is deducted from my Sail and Sign at the end. That was not true! On the last night I was just screwing around and won $90 on the Two cent slot. A crew member told me that I had to go to the cashier to get the money off my card. If I hadn't won that night I would never have known to cash the money out and it would have been lost. So word to the wise.

[TakeMeAway1001]

Welcome back, glad to hear you enjoyed your cruise and thanks for writing a review

[SueG]

I was on that cruise with you and really enjoyed it also. I had Cabana #7 and stayed the whole day. That was my favorite day of the cruise.

[brnsnbrws]

Destiny was my first cruise also. We cruised in 2007, a 7 day cruise out of San Juan. Fell in love with cruising. In just a little over 3 weeks will be taking 2nd. cruise on Valor!

[Luke gs Daddy]

How was disembarking for you? We travel on her Nov. 16th and have an early flight from FLL. Was there many cabanas left when you went to reserve yours ? Our family really wants to experience one.

What time did ship arrive ?
Did you do self ?

Thanks for the response and the review.

[SueG]

Originally Posted by Luke gs Daddy

How was disembarking for you? We travel on her Nov. 16th and have an early flight from FLL. Was there many cabanas left when you went to reserve yours ? Our family really wants to experience one.

What time did ship arrive ?
Did you do self ?

Thanks for the response and the review.

I can help you with a few of these. We were one of the first on the ship. I was the first to book a cabana. I was wondering myself how long it took for them to all book up.

I did not wait for any announcements in the morning I just walked off the ship with all my luggage around 7:05. Was in a taxi at 7:15.

[Luke gs Daddy]

Originally Posted by SueG

I can help you with a few of these. We were one of the first on the ship. I was the first to book a cabana. I was wondering myself how long it took for them to all book up.

I did not wait for any announcements in the morning I just walked off the ship with all my luggage around 7:05. Was in a taxi at 7:15.

What time did the ship arrive in port ? Was it early ?
Was there a line when you left, how did this happen so easily ?
Not wanting to hijack a thread here.

Thanks.

[SueG]

Originally Posted by Luke gs Daddy

What time did the ship arrive in port ? Was it early ?
Was there a line when you left, how did this happen so easily ?
Not wanting to hijack a thread here.

Thanks.

I am not sure of the time we got in port. I do remember I was awake before dawn and we were in port already. I woke my kid up at 6 and said we are leaving the room at 7. I was in a balcony room portside and noticed people leaving the ship. Do not remember the exact time on this. My kid ran up the stairs and had breakfast. After that, we walked off. That was about 7:05. I would say I had to see the people leaving the ship as early as 6:50.

There was a very small line. Maybe 8 people in front of us to get off the ship. Maybe around 10 people in each line at customs. I did the same on the Majesty of the Seas the week before and it took only minutes also.

[Capette]

There were still quite a few cabana's left when we grabbed ours. We were Zone 5 entering the ship and it looked like the excursion desk had just opened when we boarded. About a dozen people in front of us. We self disembarked as it is waaaaay easier. We left shortly after 7 am. There was a bit of a line in front of us and when we entered the port to go through customs there was a special line for Non-Residents.. yeaahhhhhhh lol. We were the only ones to go through. I did look at the U.S line and there seemed to be quite a few people so I would suggest that you self disembark and get out as soon as you can for the customs line. That seemed to be the only hold up. Carnival seemed to be really aware that people had early flight times so I'm sure they will work with you. We were really lucky as we had really calm seas throughout so I think that accounted for us getting back to port earlier than expected.