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Another froufie esp review of my double date with destiny-feb 3 & 7, 2011


Froufie

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So for everyone out there who is interested - here is my ESP (extra special pictorial) review of my recent back to back cruises on the Destiny - the 1st part was cruise #9 for me and I was very excited to be turning platinum on the 2nd cruise!

 

Be warned it is long and detailed with lots of pics, videos and even youtube attachments (files were too big for webshots!) so if that doesn’t turn your crank…..you’d better move on!

 

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Day 1 DEPARTING IN A STORM - FEB 3

So as per my usual luck I have picked the one BAD day of the week to leave Ottawa and fly south. A major storm has hit us and it is even worse in the U.S. The only good news is a) I am flying out in the afternoon (flight was originally in the am but was changed) and b) I am on a direct flight (I usually fly via chicago, washington or philly) so no chance of getting stuck somewhere or connecting flight being cancelled. (This is the week 14,000 flights in the US were cancelled).

 

Easy walk thru US customs (with my Nexus card) and security and watching for my plane at the gate (while visibility is still poor it is way better than early this morning and some of the snow has been cleaned up). I keep checking the departures board and while many flights are being cancelled mine is still okay.

 

Notice the snow and poor visibility!

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Waiting for my plane to arrive at the gate:

 

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Finally board, get de-iced and leave about 30 mins late - not too bad. Uneventful flight made less boring with my own personal satellite tv/movie screen - watch a movie, some tv and we’re landing in FLL!

 

My favorite cruise buddy Ray has already arrived (from Vegas at 5 pm) and is waiting for me at the luggage carrousel. Luggage makes it and we call Howard (friend of Steve at SAS cuz he was not available) and we are off to the Marriott Residence Inn Coconut Grove ($75 on Priceline!).

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We arrive around 8 pm - and after getting into our rooms (more like an apartment) we head out to Cocowalk to find dinner and hopefully some soft drinks for tomorrow. Here are some pics of the hotel - well worth the money (and almost a waste for just 1 night!).

 

Entryway/kitchen area

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Living room area:

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Living room TV and hallway

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Hallway leads to bathroom (and bedroom on the right)

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Closeup of sink area - nice granite counter

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Separate room for toilet/bathtub

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The bedroom

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And the dresser with another TV

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Enjoyed a yummy dinner at chili’s then asked waitress about soft drink purchase (yes we knew there was a CVS nearby but Florida locals on the CC boards advised against heading into that area which was not considered very safe!). We were sent off to a Kwik mart (next to a Subway restaurant which was very hard to find). The Kwik mart had rows and rows of wine/beer but try finding a case of soft drinks? Impossible! (They did have individual cans at $1 each!).

 

So back to the hotel to repack/rest and get ready for the morning.

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DAY 2 - Thursday, Feb 3 - Boarding the Destiny!

 

Woke up fairly early due to some noise outside windows (think backing up trucks and traffic) but not a huge problem. Showered/dressed and ready for breakfast.

 

The room rate included breakfast and I must say the set up here was quite impressive. A very nice room off the lobby with tables, plasma TV and a ‘buffet’ set up with almost everything you could want to eat for breakfast: oatmeal (and brown sugar and raisins), cold cereals, milk, juices, teas, coffee, fresh fruit, yogurt, make your own waffles with toppings, egg/cheese/bacon sandwiches, hash brown potatoes, toast/bagels/muffins, jams/butter etc (and a toaster). It was fairly busy and this was a Thursday morning so I expect it may get a bit crowded on the weekends (breakfast during the week was from 6:30 - 9:30 am).

 

We now head to the front desk and ask a ‘different’ question - where can we find a GROCERY STORE where we can buy a CASE of soft drinks? We are sent to the Fresh Food market a few blocks away (on bayshore drive). It is a beautiful sunny morning and the walk is very pleasant (maybe 10-15 mins?). We find the very lovely and well stocked Fresh Foods where I stock up: 1 bottle red wine, 1 bottle white wine, small 8 pack of diet coke, small six pack of San Pellegrino and a litre bottle of diet tonic water - to go with my hopefully smuggled in gin). We were also quite optimistic as we added 2 fresh limes to our cart. Walk back was a bit more difficult shlepping our purchases but we made it and repacked all the heavy stuff into Ray’s rolling backpack, sealed up the luggage and down we went to check out.

 

On our walk to the store:

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Front desk called a cab for us and a few minutes later we were at the port - what a pleasure it was boarding during the week instead of on a Saturday or Sunday! There was only the Destiny and one other ship in port so no crowds, or cars or taxis in the way. We left the hotel around 10:30 am and were at the port around 10:45! Handed off our luggage to the porter and in we went - straight to the VIP line (Ray has platinum powers and as mentioned I will be turning platinum on the 2nd leg of our back 2 back). Showed some papers and right into the security scanner line we go - our backpack full of wine/drinks makes it thru no problem and we’re on the escalator in a matter of minutes.

 

Into the VIP Lounge we go - now I know I am not platinum (almost!) but on all past cruises when I embarked with Ray there was usually no problem or issue with my checking in there as well. The only problem was the ‘delivery’ of my sign and sail card. Since Ray is platinum his card is obviously there but mine is not - usually one of the ladies there says she will have to go pick up my card and it will take a few minutes - no problem. BUT THIS TIME it was different! Yes I did write ahead to my PVP and John Heald regarding my ‘pending’ platinum status hoping nothing would go wrong (having read of some bad experiences on these boards of individuals in a similar situation - turning platinum on 2nd half of their cruises and having ‘major issues’ with this)....and there was my card - IN THE VIP LOUNGE - it had VIP written on the envelope in turquoise marker (as did everyone else’s) and no one had to go get it at the ‘regular’ check in desk (but don’t worry it was still a gold card!). I was so excited and ready to get on the ship now!

 

A couple of minutes later we are ready to board - around 11:20 am - and while heading upstairs someone asks about my t-shirt and beads (Ray and I usually make custom t-shirts for each cruise and I wear my extra special fancy beads for the meet and greets) - turns out to be a couple from our roll call - Shayne and Greg - what a hoot! We can’t chat too long but will meet up again in a little while - off we go to get our boarding pic and get our first glimpse of the Destiny.

 

The ship:

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Our boarding pic:

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What a beautiful day for a cruise:

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Miami skyline:

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Did I mention it was a bit windy out on deck?

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So the ship is a bit old but to be quite honest I did not find any major problems - Ray mentioned the worn carpet on some of the stairways but I didn’t really notice them - and another roll call member said one of her cupboard doors was hanging crooked and not closing properly!

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We were able to ‘scoot’ down to our cabins (before 1:30) and asked if we could leave our carryons - which we could and off we went to explore the ship and take pics of the public spaces while they were still empty. Eventually ended up on Lido for some lunch - and I honestly can’t remember what I had? But I think I visited the Happy Valley (chinese) food window and it was all good!

 

Headed down to our cabins after that - I was able to unpack my carryon (which was stuffed) and left a note for my steward for more hangers, and some wine glasses. I stored the soft drinks/water in the cabinet underneath in preparation for my own stash/bar.

 

I had my very favorite solo cabin for both cruises - 2334 - the infamous 1A with 2 windows:

 

Long hallway as you enter

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Single bed, couch (another bed stored in ceiling), 2 windows

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Dresser/Vanity and TV

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Bathroom

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Sink area

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And for those interested here is a video tour of the cabin: http://travel.webshots.com/video/3032979850059010061ODByKs

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Ok. You have me interested. You must of felt like you hit the lottery with really no problems with flying, considering what was going on the the U.S. at that time

 

...and trust me I'm usually NOT that lucky when it comes to airlines/flights (you will note this when I write about my return flight home!)

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EMBARKATION DAY - CONTINUED....

 

Lido deck video:

http://travel.webshots.com/video/3000029910059010061wRHqwP

 

Muster was okay - ended up in the 2nd row which was not too bad? Then off to our meet and greet - we were supposed to meet at pizza tables near aft pool bar. We easily found Greg and Shayne and had a great time chatting with them - I kept looking around for more ‘bead wearers’ but alas no one else to be found - oh well. We also spent a few minutes chatting with Mr. Rodgers (Billy and Andrea) before they went off to look for a smoking spot.

 

Greg and Shayne soon headed off to early dinner - and Ray and I decided it was time for a sushi snack and a trivia game. (The trivia games I noticed were not that well attended on this cruise. Social host JD was in charge and I found it odd that if only a few people showed up he just did an ‘informal’ trivia question and answer thing and in the end no trophy/ship on a stick was given out - but I did end up with a medal for this particular game which was nice).

 

Got back to my cabin to finally find my luggage (I was getting nervous about being sent down to the naughty room) and was finally able to unpack. The limes made it thru in Ray’s luggage (as did his vodka in a rumrunner) and my gin (in a plastic toiletry bottle) and additional wine (one half bottle, one half litre tetra pak) also made it with no problems. Showered/changed and ready for our 1st dinner in the Universe dining room, late seating. ( I had emailed Desmond the maitre d prior to our arrival in regard to our Chef’s table reservations and also advised him of our back 2 back cruises and that we hoped to get a nice large table with the usual excellent service!)

 

 

On this 1st cruise we were seated at Table 438 - lower level - as you come in right side- not far from the ‘captain’s table’ - it was an 8 top with only 6 of us assigned to it. Our wait staff was excellent - we had Nyoman from Bali as our head waiter (cute, tiny, great sense of humor) - somehow we nicknamed him Yamaha? (Not sure how that happened)....his assistant Paul Michael was from Peru - and looked awfully nervous and uncomfortable much of the time - at least at the beginning - he did loosen up towards the end and we did manage to get a few smiles out of him!

 

 

We absolutely, positively lucked out (again) with our tablemates (and this was to be repeated on our second cruise!). We had one couple from Nova Scotia Canada (my neighbours!) Ellen and Donny, and another couple from Delaware, Donna and Tom - what a blast we had every night. We all got along very well and had fun sharing stories, food and fun!

 

I did not take pics of the food this time but that night I had the FAMOUS st .louis bbq ribs (for the 1st time - and encouraged donny to do the same - so from then on he waited for my recommendations)...they were very very good. I also had the beef and barley, soup, and a caesar salad and the Warm chocolate melting cake for dessert (Ellen and Donny are 1st time cruisers and once they tasted the WCMC they were hooked on it for the rest of the cruise.)

 

I really like traditional dining cuz I like to get to know my wait staff and I also like when they get to know my ‘wants’ - so on the 1st night I asked for lemons for my water, and when the bread basket came around (with only rolls) I asked for some onion rye bread. I also like a decaf cappuccino after dinner. After a couple of nights this was automatic and much appreciated as I sat down and saw my onion rye ready for me and a plate of lemon slices by my water glass. I didn’t even have to ask for the coffee it just appeared after dinner (and yes I tipped accordingly).

 

 

And although I’ve seen it many times before I did stop by the Welcome Aboard show - canadian Cruise Director Brent Mitchell was quite good and not too overbearing or ‘chatty’ and very funny. The 2 comedians that did a small spot that night were Carl Rimi and Smiley Joe Wiley. Now I have seen Carl Rimi before and honestly I wrote on my comment card to keep him off the ships! Guess Carnival wasn’t listening to me? And sad to say he has not improved much - at least in my opinion altho I presume he must have had some type of following? Smiley Joe was a bit better (be prepared for a lot of ‘fart’ jokes) but his adult only show bordered on being a bit crude and offensive (and I am not a prude!).

 

Welcome aboard video:

http://travel.webshots.com/video/3031147080059010061piMWiX

 

 

Visited the casino to make a deposit - looking for a special slot machine -I wander around looking for the right machine - and Ray points me to the ‘lucky lemmings’ slot machine (I am partial to bunnies so while there were no bunny slot machines this was as close as I could get). So I start playing and don’t have much luck - seems there is some sort of bonus round (which Ray later shows me) and I can’t seem to make this happen.

 

Picture of the Lucky Lemmings slot machine

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Finally almost ready for bed after my usual late night stop on Lido for a cup of decaffeinated tea to take back to my cabin.

 

...my first towel animal friend!

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Next up - Key West!

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DAY 3 - Friday, Feb 4 - Key West, Florida

 

Of all the scheduled ports on our 2 cruises this was the only port I had not yet visited and was SUPER excited to finally see KW and the wandering chickens! Yes I have a thing for local wildlife wandering around the streets - you see I am a city girl and the thought of the chickens and roosters just strolling about was quite exciting to me and my ultimate goal was to capture this on film! (Did I mention my dh got me an early valentine’s day present? Kodak playsport - small and compact video recorder which is also WATERPROOF!).

 

Good Morning Key West (docked at Outer Mole)

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View from my window:

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Coast Guard parked....

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Because we docked at the Outer Mole (marine base) we had to be shuttled to and from town (maybe 10 min ride?). We really lucked out when we got on Louie’s trolley - this guy should be a stand up comedian! (Hey Carnival - get rid of Carl Rimi and hire Louie the trolley driver - he is a hoot). I captured some of his jokes on my new camera and they were non-stop and funny. The whole crowd was laughing (esp when he tried to pick up some women walking down the street next to the trolley- what he called his ‘chick magnet’). Almost didn’t want the ride to end!

 

For those who are interested here are some youtube videos of our ride into town with Louie at the wheel:

 

 

 

 

Having never been to KW I had decided to try the hop on hop off trolley. There are 2 companies now offering this in KW - the newer one City View Trolley is much cheaper and does the same stops so we headed to their ‘store front’ and got our tickets/map and boarded the open air trolley.(I think it was $17 pp). It was so interesting to hear all the commentary, history, interesting facts about KW while driving by the sites....KW is very quaint and cute and has quite a story around it.

 

Streets of Key West:

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But yes I was also hanging out the windows looking for chickens and I was not disappointed....for I found a few wandering roosters and was able to capture them on videotape!

 

Youtube 'chicken' videos:

1st rooster sighting:

 

 

We got off at the ‘southernmost’ point stop and got in line to take pictures - the line was not long at all altho it was a bit longer when we passed by later in the day.

 

 

Southernmost Point marker pic:

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Love, love, love your reviews. I can't get any of the video on your links to play. They show up but when I click they just don't play.

 

Glad you are enjoying the review - sorry about the videos? (I just checked them all and they are working for me - I think it depends on the 'viewer' your computer uses for videos?)

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Glad you are enjoying the review - sorry about the videos? (I just checked them all and they are working for me - I think it depends on the 'viewer' your computer uses for videos?)

I can play the ones you posted on youtube. Thanks

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We then walked over to the Butterfly Conservatory (around the corner) as Ray wanted to see the butterflies (don’t forget to get your $1 off entry coupon from the trolley driver).

 

In we go after being advised of the rules and being told that if a butterfly lands on you its good luck! Very hot and steamy but beautiful gardens and walkways and waterfalls and ponds and tons of various butterflies flitting about. I was especially surprised by the ‘snack’ areas set up for the butterflies.

 

We wandered about taking pics - when Ray advised me that a butterfly had landed on me (on my white hoodie) and I was thrilled cuz I could sure use some good luck (planning to go to the casino that evening - ha ha ha).

 

Inside the steamy hot butterfly conservatory

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Butterflies taking a break

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Butterfly enjoying 'pink' flowers

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Fish pond

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Butterfly 'snack' spot:

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Didn’t last too long in there cuz it was so hot and steamy so we hung around the gorgeous gift shop for a while before heading out to find the Chicken Store - yes I had found this on the internet - but when we got to the address it was not there? I was very sad when I asked around and found out it had moved - oh well - no chicken t-shirts for me I guess?

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Flowers outside the conservatory:

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Back to the tour - Key West lighthouse

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Home with 'real' gingerbread trim

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We then boarded another trolley to continue our ride - getting off right at Kermit’s Key Lime shop as my other goal was to try some Key Lime pie on a stick (key lime pie on a stick, dipped in chocolate and frozen). There are also lots of samples to try in the store (key lime jelly beans, salt water taffy, candy, lotion, etc). Ray bought some lotion and I got us some of the key lime pie on a stick to snack on as we walked back to Mallory Square. It was very delicious but rich and I got thru 3/4 of it before having to discard it! (And it was starting to melt of course).

 

 

Trolley youtube video:

 

Kermit's Key lime pie shop

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Me and Kermit:

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We walked around talking pics of the statues, I bought 2 t-shirts for myself at the $5 store and ended up at the CVS for some more pop (and yes I love looking around american pharmacies - never know what you will find!). We finally headed out to the trolley stop and back to the ship (No Louie this time made for a boring ride back). Once we got to the base a ‘guard’ came on the ship to check everyone’s S&S card and ID and then we continued on.

 

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Close up!

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X-rated statues???

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Conch Train tour passing by

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It was a short stop in KW (7:30 - 2:30 pm) so we had lunch on the ship. And here was one of my MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENTS - I strongly believe Carnival has switched hot dog suppliers!! Yes I know - how could they? One of the treats I look forward to is a hot dog and fries on board (with the grilled onions etc) but this hot dog was MUSHY and very salty and not how I remembered them to be? I ate my fries, left my hot dog and ended up getting the VERY DELICIOUS tomato ginger soup at Happy Valley (be warned it is a bit spicy but very good). I was willing to give the hot dogs a try another day just in case I got a bad batch or something?

 

Now I am a trivia buff and my goal is to get at least one ship on a stick on each cruise so off I went to Scattergories.....and lo and behold the pressure was off cuz I did win my first trophy and it decorated the top of my TV the whole trip, along with my current medal (later to be joined by more ‘stuff’).

 

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The 'trophy shelf'

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