Destiny Review 11/2-11/7/09

[jerseygirl79]

This is my first review Cruise Critic so please be patient with me. I must say, I've read the boards a lot over the past year so I was much more aware and attentive then I would have been a year ago. In the back of my mind I was always thinking about my review and what I wanted to share with you all.

Backround: I LOVE Carnival. This is my 4th cruise. We were married on Miracle in May. This trip included Me (30), DH (33), my mother (50), my brother (6), my aunt (43), my uncle and his wife (48,60), my stepdaughter (5), mother-in-law (59), father-in-law (63), and father-in-law's aunt (81). We were all in balcony cabins. Me/DH 7289, Mom/aunt/brother 7125, inlaws/stepdaughter 7257. I can't remember the other 2 cabin numbers.

Embarkation Day 11/2/09:

We flew into MIA from BWI on AirTran. Excellent flight. We arrived in MIA at about 11:30am. The shuttle I arranged got us to the pier by 12:30pm. The line was still indoors and moved quickly. After passing through security, we used the self serve kiosk to check-in. I loved that I was able to put cash right into the machine for our S&S account. There was an employee assisting those of us using the machines. Next, we headed to the key pick-up desk, took the Welcome Aboard picture (the first on I didn't purchase) and were on the ship by 1:20pm.

Our cabin, 7289, was available when we arrived. I'm really glad I bought my over the door shoe organizer, as there were no shelves and very little counter space in the bathroom. The shower was small at about 4 3/4 ft by 2 1/2 ft, but it was fine. Now, I did notice some rust near the bottom of the door and a nail on the wall. Normally, I wouldn't have noticed these things, but like I said, being on the boards I more aware of such things.

There was a nice flat screen tv in the cabin, but I noticed a fair amount of dust behind the television. Also, the bottom dresser drawer was hard to pull out. Maybe it was off a track or something. I'm not sure. My MIL mentioned at dinner she had a drawer that she expected to fall off before the end of the trip. I must admit, these things were a bit of a turnoff, especially since I was comparing Destiny to Miracle, which 6 of us in my group had sailed in May.

Lido: After checking out the room we head to Lido for lunch. I was expecting long lines based on reviews I've read on Destiny, but it was worse than I expected. Luckily, I knew the pizzeria was located near the aft pool and off I went!!!! No one in line! It was great, but unfortunately my pepperoni pizza was a bit undercooked The other slice (don't remember the name) was good! Also, the cookies and frozen yogurt were great as always!

Elevators: The elevators on Destiny are painfully slow. Usually, we opted to take the stairs, but this wasn't an option for DH's father or great aunt. At least one elevator went out of service, but it was repaired during the cruise.

Crew: Initially, I was not impressed by the crew. They didn't seem as outgoing as the crews I've encountered in the pass. It got better though and I really think they are overworked and getting burned out. The MDR staff in particular were running around like crazy. Santos and Inyoman were great. Service was a bit slow with the drinks, but they were a lot of fun. I also only noticed the bartender only approached our table twice the whole trip. We're not big drinkers, so it didn't matter.

Camp Carnival: We attended the Camp Carnival Orientation and it was simple enough and only lasted about 20 mins. There were less than 300 kids on the ship. I was very disappointed to learn Fun Ship Freddy was on vacation! You mean no one else could put on the suit? Oh well. Guess he needs a break too.

Dinner: Excellent. I had the Shrimp Cocktail, Baby Back Ribs, and WCMC. All delicious. The lemonade in the MDR was very weak, but Inyoman was good enough to give us half and half (lemonade/iced tea).

Turn down: After dinner, we found our first towel animal (an elephant) and the chocolates!!! A can of sprite that I noticed was missing before dinner was replaced. Neither DH nor I drink soda. I mentioned it to Carlos (our steward) and apparently, he had forgotten to replace it from the previous occupants in our cabin. I'm glad he caught that.

First day impression: I've sailed older ships before, but I was starting to have reservations about this sailing. Destiny is a huge ship and beautiful, but I'm thinking she needs a bit more TLC. I'm thinking, maybe I'll avoid older ships in the future. And while she was big, the ship felt crowded, especially in the shopping and Lido areas.

I'll be back in a bit with the next few days and pictures. Don't worry. I start to warm up to the ol' girl.

[ssatterly]

Originally Posted by jerseygirl79

This is my first review Cruise Critic so please be patient with me. I must say, I've read the boards a lot over the past year so I was much more aware and attentive then I would have been a year ago. In the back of my mind I was always thinking about my review and what I wanted to share with you all.

Backround: I LOVE Carnival. This is my 4th cruise. We were married on Miracle in May. This trip included Me (30), DH (33), my mother (50), my brother (6), my aunt (43), my uncle and his wife (48,60), my stepdaughter (5), mother-in-law (59), father-in-law (63), and father-in-law's aunt (81). We were all in balcony cabins. Me/DH 7289, Mom/aunt/brother 7125, inlaws/stepdaughter 7257. I can't remember the other 2 cabin numbers.

Embarkation Day 11/2/09:

We flew into MIA from BWI on AirTran. Excellent flight. We arrived in MIA at about 11:30am. The shuttle I arranged got us to the pier by 12:30pm. The line was still indoors and moved quickly. After passing through security, we used the self serve kiosk to check-in. I loved that I was able to put cash right into the machine for our S&S account. There was an employee assisting those of us using the machines. Next, we headed to the key pick-up desk, took the Welcome Aboard picture (the first on I didn't purchase) and were on the ship by 1:20pm.

Our cabin, 7289, was available when we arrived. I'm really glad I bought my over the door shoe organizer, as there were no shelves and very little counter space in the bathroom. The shower was small at about 4 3/4 ft by 2 1/2 ft, but it was fine. Now, I did notice some rust near the bottom of the door and a nail on the wall. Normally, I wouldn't have noticed these things, but like I said, being on the boards I more aware of such things.

There was a nice flat screen tv in the cabin, but I noticed a fair amount of dust behind the television. Also, the bottom dresser drawer was hard to pull out. Maybe it was off a track or something. I'm not sure. My MIL mentioned at dinner she had a drawer that she expected to fall off before the end of the trip. I must admit, these things were a bit of a turnoff, especially since I was comparing Destiny to Miracle, which 6 of us in my group had sailed in May.

Lido: After checking out the room we head to Lido for lunch. I was expecting long lines based on reviews I've read on Destiny, but it was worse than I expected. Luckily, I knew the pizzeria was located near the aft pool and off I went!!!! No one in line! It was great, but unfortunately my pepperoni pizza was a bit undercooked The other slice (don't remember the name) was good! Also, the cookies and frozen yogurt were great as always!

Elevators: The elevators on Destiny are painfully slow. Usually, we opted to take the stairs, but this wasn't an option for DH's father or great aunt. At least one elevator went out of service, but it was repaired during the cruise.

Crew: Initially, I was not impressed by the crew. They didn't seem as outgoing as the crews I've encountered in the pass. It got better though and I really think they are overworked and getting burned out. The MDR staff in particular were running around like crazy. Santos and Inyoman were great. Service was a bit slow with the drinks, but they were a lot of fun. I also only noticed the bartender only approached our table twice the whole trip. We're not big drinkers, so it didn't matter.

Camp Carnival: We attended the Camp Carnival Orientation and it was simple enough and only lasted about 20 mins. There were less than 300 kids on the ship. I was very disappointed to learn Fun Ship Freddy was on vacation! You mean no one else could put on the suit? Oh well. Guess he needs a break too.

Dinner: Excellent. I had the Shrimp Cocktail, Baby Back Ribs, and WCMC. All delicious. The lemonade in the MDR was very weak, but Inyoman was good enough to give us half and half (lemonade/iced tea).

Turn down: After dinner, we found our first towel animal (an elephant) and the chocolates!!! A can of sprite that I noticed was missing before dinner was replaced. Neither DH nor I drink soda. I mentioned it to Carlos (our steward) and apparently, he had forgotten to replace it from the previous occupants in our cabin. I'm glad he caught that.

First day impression: I've sailed older ships before, but I was starting to have reservations about this sailing. Destiny is a huge ship and beautiful, but I'm thinking she needs a bit more TLC. I'm thinking, maybe I'll avoid older ships in the future. And while she was big, the ship felt crowded, especially in the shopping and Lido areas.

I'll be back in a bit with the next few days and pictures. Don't worry. I start to warm up to the ol' girl.

Keep it comming I am on the Destiny in only 26 days and i can not wait!!!!!

[muns]

I sure hope the ship starts looking better to you soon. Really want to hear more, I to will be sailing on the Destiny soon. 12/14. Joining us will be 2 couples who have never sailed. I so want them to have a great time and not be disappointed in the ship.

[jerseygirl79]

Alrightly, now for some pics!

Miami was beautiful. I wish we could have arrived a day or two early to enjoy the city. It was 87 and gorgeous.





In Port with us were, Imagination



Norwegian Sky



Majesty of the Seas



Lido during sailaway. I love the stadium seating.

[jerseygirl79]

The new Safety Briefing was quick and painless. It was great not having to fuss with the life jackets. It was kinda weird though when the singer from the Palladium said to make sure our life jackets had a light and a whistle because "you'll need that when you hit the water" hahahahahah.



Our cabin was just about identical to every other CCL ship I've been on. Plenty of space.





For those of you who cannot pack light (like me), this organizer ROCKS!!!! Mine was about $20 from Bed Bath and Beyond. It's pretty thick and heavy duty, but you can get them at the $$ store which is great because you can always throw it out if you don't feel like packing it to come home.



My mother's cabin, 7125 had a bunk for my brother. My MIL and FIL's cabin (7257) also had one for my DSD, which was a surprise because it wasn't listed that it had a bunk. The kids LOVED these bunks and they were extremely safe. My brother falls off his bed at home, but was fine. Even the last night when the seas were really rough the kids slept like rocks.

[jerseygirl79]

The bathroom. It's a bit of a pet peeve that CCL doesn't try to hide the toilet brushes. There was plenty of space under the sink for it. I guess it's just easier for the steward.



It is a bit close




I love that shampoo and body wash are provided


Now a couple of pics of the rust

[jerseygirl79]

Here is the Caper from 11/2. Sorry it's a bit blurry, but I just took the pictures with my camera. I'll try to make the next ones more clear.

DH and I didn't go to any shows or other activities this day. My mother played Bingo and the family really enjoyed watching the Janet Jackson concert on the Seaside Theater.

I didn't really notice Brent the CD very much, but than again I wasn't paying attention to his PA announcements.

[jerseygirl79]

Originally Posted by ssatterly

Keep it comming I am on the Destiny in only 26 days and i can not wait!!!!!

You'll enjoy yourself. It definitely was a Fun Ship atmosphere. Very lively bunch on this ship.

Originally Posted by muns

I sure hope the ship starts looking better to you soon. Really want to hear more, I to will be sailing on the Destiny soon. 12/14. Joining us will be 2 couples who have never sailed. I so want them to have a great time and not be disappointed in the ship.

I think the other couples sailing with you will have a great time. Our moms kept comparing Destiny to Miracle because that was their first cruise, but my uncle and his wife had never sailed and really had a good time. I think the only irritation they may have are the long lines at lido and the elevators. I was thinking of trying the MDR for breakfast or lunch, but we never did. Also, I didn't mind taking the steps. We needed the exercise,

[jerseygirl79]

11/3/09 First Sea Day and Cruise Elegant Night

Tonight was cruise elegant night. Everyone was dressed really nice. Preceeding dinner was the Captains Celebration on Deck 5 and the Captain's Introductions in the Atrium Lobby. Sorry, I didn't attend or get pictures. DH and I wanted to watch Madea goes to Jail on the big screen, but we arrived late and there were no seats.

We walked to the Palladium and the show Formidable was in full swing. I have never seen a theater on one of the ships so empty. There was no one in the upper level and the bottom level was about 40% full. The show wasn't my cup of tea. It was salute to French fashion.

I wanted to attend Tea Time, but I was still full from lunch at 3pm.

I really enjoyed the Iced Macchiatos at Cafe On The Way. It was $3.50 and the lady working there was really nice and helpful.

I really didn't do much on this cruise except relax.



Made a few deposits in the slots.



My brother went to Camp Carnival, which was in the disco for the 6-11 y/o



DSD and I went to the Teddy Bear Workshop later....also in the Point After Disco



I really enjoyed Tropical Fire on Lido. There was all types of music all over the ship which was great, especially for you music lovers.

[jerseygirl79]

Again, Destiny is a big ship. But the layout isn't easy to navigate. It's one of those ships where you're constantly running into dead ends. If we were aft or mid ship on decks 3 or 4 and wanted to go forward, we had to take the elevator (or walk) to deck 5, walk forward and then take the elevators (or walk) down to 3 or 4. Otherwise you just go in circles around the Galaxy dining room. I heard several guest comment "This is the most confusing ship I've ever been on".

Speaking of dining. We were in the Universe Dining Room, Lower, table 332. It was a long table, against the window with 6 chairs on one side and 5 on the other. The side with 6 was a bit tight, but my brother ate at Camp Carnival every night, so his seat was removed and it was more comforable. In the corner of the big glass window was duct tape. It looked like someones kid tried to peel the tint off the glass and it was taped in the corner as a quick fix.

The Universe Dining Room was directly under our cabin, which was aft. There was a constant vibration felt every night during dinner. I assume it's the engine. It sounded a bit noisy and rough, but we had no issues.

I also noticed that sewage smell I've read about. I first smelled it during the saftey drill on deck 4 aft, but I smelled it intermittently on the lower aft decks. It wasn't too bad or ruined anything, but definitely noticeable.



The aft pool, bar, and grill is the place to be!!!! Very quiet and out of the way.







My first ever Miami Vice at the aft pool bar. Ahhhhh.....Vacation!

[jerseygirl79]

OK....so at this point I'm starting to feel better about Destiny. She's a fine ship in need of some love, but a fine ship no less.

There was a diverse crowd on this ship including some very loud church folk who had service a couple of nights in the Criterion Lounge.

Tomorrow I'll post the Capers for this day and then I'll move on to the highlight of the cruise.....Grand Cayman and Royal Palms.

[ssatterly]

I just love love love you review so far!!!!

[kerrytens]

Thanks for the review on the Destiny! I appreciate the detail (good, bad or indifferent).
Can't wait to read more
Miriam

[jerseygirl79]

Originally Posted by ssatterly

I just love love love you review so far!!!!

Originally Posted by kerrytens

Thanks for the review on the Destiny! I appreciate the detail (good, bad or indifferent).
Can't wait to read more
Miriam

Thanks! I'm definitely from the school of thought that believes if you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. I really wanted to LOVE LOVE this ship and my cruise and in the end it was great. I don't see how you can have a bad cruise. My family alone makes a vacation fun.

[kerrytens]

Originally Posted by jerseygirl79

Thanks! I'm definitely from the school of thought that believes if you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. I really wanted to LOVE LOVE this ship and my cruise and in the end it was great. I don't see how you can have a bad cruise. My family alone makes a vacation fun.

I love that philosophy!! To me, if the company is wonderful then most other things will fall in place. I've always been one to look at the positive side rather than focus on the negative. Like you, I want to love, love, love my cruise and I really have no intention of doing otherwise!
Again, your candor is appreciated. I want to hear it all!
Miriam

[pokergirl34]

Thanks so much for this. We are seriously considering Destiny for next year. Honestly it sounds a lot like the layout of the Valor so we should find our way ok. I wonder if it's size is close to the Conquest class?

Can't wait to read more!

[WAcruisers]

I was on this ship in September and loved it! We met wonderful people that made the cruise for us! LOVE the Destiny. We were in 7312 and had no problems with our room. Loved the fact we could shower and shave our legs because it seemed like the toilet was in the shower! Would love to cruise on her again!

[Love_To_Cruise]

Thanks for this review! I had the opportunity to sail on the Destiny when it was sailing out of San Juan and we are now looking to go on it again in March. This is going to be my sister's first cruise and I want her to have a good time and I think that this is going to be a good one!

[pmoniz]

jerseygirl79 - Great review can't wait to read more! We'll be sailing on the Destiny for a back to back in May with a pretty large group! The layout of this ship reminds me a lot of the Victory which we sailed on a few years back now! We've sailed on the Miracle twice and loved it - actually I think we were on with you in May when you were married?? Keep it coming!

[wanderlust402]

Originally Posted by jerseygirl79

Here is the Caper from 11/2. Sorry it's a bit blurry, but I just took the pictures with my camera. I'll try to make the next ones more clear.

I'm glad to see that you had low limit table games in the casino. I really hope that they offer that for my 12/19 sailing. Losing at blackjack is more fun at $3 a hand vs. $5!

What were your favorite meals, drinks of the day, and Palladium theatre shows? Also, did they do many movies on the Lido deck big screen?