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Destiny 1/14 Cruise in Review


Ander026

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Good Evening to all fellow cruisers,

 

The following is my review of the Carnival Destiny Cruise that I took on Jan 14th.

 

This cruise was my first on Carnival Cruise Lines. This however is not my first cruise as I have been on Holland America once and also a Platinum Member with Royal Carribean.

 

On this cruise I sailed with co-workers and there family. There was a total of 12 of us on this sailing.

 

I am going to do this review a little different than my other 2 that I have done. I will first do the review of the cruise then I will do the pics.

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Well the day arrived that I would be departing on the Carnival Destiny for my first CCL cruise. I arrived at Miami with my roomate for the cruise. We parked and walked right into the first line of the day which was Security. Once we made it through security then it was up to the next level for check in.

 

For this check in was a 2 process and 3 lines deal. The first line was to the kiosk for check in where we scanned all of our documents and CC we were going to use for the SeaPass account. After that was over then we had to go to the next counter to show our documents and get our SeaPass cards, or whatever Carnival called them.

 

After the 2nd line (which should be combined into 1 desk) then we had to wait about 30 mins for our number to be called. Just to note I have never had to wait to board a cruise ship after check in untill this cruise. Come to find out from a port staff is the ship was late getting in thus the back-up. However nothing was mentioned to this point.

 

Once we finally got on board we went straight to the room which was an interior on Deck 2. I was nervous about this room because normally I have a balcony or at least a window. The room was set up well with the beds along 2 walls which opend the room up alot. There was a closet for each cruiser. However next time I will have to bring more hangers as there was not enough. (dont have that problem with RCCL).

 

Later we had the muster drill then it was off to dinner. Dinner was fine and was able to meet up with the rest of the gang. After that we all met up at the theater for the Welcome Aboard Show. This was a good show with the dancers and singers of CCL. Then they had guest participation and the 2 comedeans that were on board.

 

The second day was at Sea.

 

This day I slept in and had a late breakfast. Then after that I checked out the ship. I took in a couple of activities and enjoyed some time just people watching. This was also the first day I went to the Casino where overall I came up -$10. Started with $70 and ended with $60. This was also Captains Night. Unlike other cruises that I have been on there were to be NO free champayne at the captains welcome in the atrium. At the end of the day we all met up at the Lido Aft Pool and just sat around the table and chilled.

 

The 3rd day was in Ocho Rios Jamaca

 

I was at Ocho Rios back in December on the Navigator so on this cruise I just wanted to walk around the port and get back on the ship by lunch time. This was achieved and was still able to have some Red Stripe Beer by the port all by 1pm.

 

After I got back on board I had a lunch and took a nap before enjoying the hot tubs and an activity before Dinner.

 

After Dinner I met up with most of the group for the comedy show's. We ended up watching all 3 adult comedy shows before calling it a night. The comedeans we fantastic.

 

Day 4 was in Georgetown Grand Cayman

 

Once again I was here in December and went off with my party and walked around the port once they left for their Tour. That night after we set sail I went to the welcome back party as I was a guest of some of our party. Most of the group that I was with were frequent Carnival Cruisers. I do have to say the drinks were flowing at this event and some great tunes were played as well. That night was the Love and Marraige Game show (cant remember what Carnival Called it), and after that was the Talent Show. Both were fantastic shows.

 

Day 5 was at Sea to get back to Miami.

 

I relaxed most of the day. Took in a nap half way through the day. I also went to to the hot tubs this day as well. More on the hot tubs in a later post. That evening after Dinner I met up with the group for the Production Show, (more on this later). Then after that I had one last gala in the Casino and then met up with the group at the Piano Bar.

 

Day 6 - Debarkation Day

 

Well this day was like anyother Debarkation day. I got up intime for us to pull into port. Two other ships beat us in. After that I got a shower and finished packing. Then my roomate and I went for Breakfast. We both did the Self Debarkation where we take our luggage with us. Carnival did a great thing with this because they called Color coded Luggage tags and Decks at a time for Self Debark. Once we were called we got everything and debarked the Destiny for the last time. At the end of the lines for Customs was an Angent there taking the Immigration Form and checking Passports. No Counter No Booth.

 

Well that is all for the days of the Cruise. My next post will cover My Views of the Carnival Destiny from the Rooms, Theater, Meals, and activities

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Well now it is time for my Review of the Destiny

 

With this being my first Carnival Cruise I did come to this Cruise with an open mind.

 

THE STATEROOM

I had an Interior Deck 2. Good Room, for 2 twin beds they put each bed against a wall facing the corner where the TV was. The middle of the room was open. Lots of space. Each guest gets a closet with about 8 hangers. There was plenty of room for more hangers. Next time I will bring some of my own. The bathroom was small as expected. I did like the shower though. Lots of room in this shower and with the extra room the curtain did not attack me. Bathroom needs more storage space though

 

THE LIDO BUFFETT AREA

Unfortunatly the buffet area on this ship if very poor. I have to give the edge to the Windjammer on RCCL. On the Destiny it is one line for Cold/Hot/Hand Carv) Very long lines during Breakfast and Lunch. On the last day they added the Chocholate Desert which added to the crowd. The dining area was well themed with good 60's-70's music.

 

THE POOL AREAS

The Pool areas I thought were small and not enough for a vessel of this size. The Hot Tubs were not hot all. All were luke warm for all of the cruise except 1 DAY in the LIDO AFT area. The one thing that lacks on this ship that I miss is the Solarium adults only area. I did like the LIDO AFT area as it had a nice view of the ocean.

 

THE DESTINY WAY

This was a failed attempt in my mind. The main walkway was on the outside of the Casino and they put a stage in the middle. Which made it difficult to pass thru when a live band was playing or Kareoke. I thought the set up could be much better.

 

THE ACTIVITIES

I thought the activities were lacking. The putting challenge in the Atrium was a JOKE. The Mini Golf Challenge on the Mini Golf on deck 13 was also a JOKE. They had activities at the Casino Bar that was better suited for the Piano Bar like Trivia. Also not enough activities during the cruise.

 

THE SHOWS

The shows in the main theater were okay. The Welcome Aboard show was decent. However there was NO Farewell Show to speak of. I did not feal there was closure to this cruise.

 

CRUISE DIRECTOR

I feel that the cruise director did nothing for me. The Cruise Directors from RCCL were much better and I saw them more.

 

OVERALL

Overall Destiny is not a bad ship as she has alot of potential. Her Interior has a very Dark tone to it. I do like the lobby bar and the Atrium. Wish Destiny had a outside Promanade that went all the way around like on RCCL. Would I sail the Destiny again? I would have to answer yes. I do like the size.

 

Next set of posts will be my pics from the cruise

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The following are pics of Day 1

 

 

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The View of the Destiny from the Parking Lot

 

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The View of the Gangplank to board the Destiny

 

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A View from the Muster Drill on Deck 4

 

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We are leaving the port

 

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The NCL Epic as we depart

 

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Another CCL Ship that was in port

 

Next up tomorrow some more pics

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Thanks for doing a Destiny review!! Your pics are really good! :)

 

I wanted to say: In the part of your review about "THE POOL AREAS", you mentioned that there was no adults only area.........but the area you are calling the LIDO AFT is the Adults Only area on the Destiny, it's called the Serenity Deck.

 

I'd love to see more of your pics!!

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Thanks for doing a Destiny review!! Your pics are really good! :)

 

I wanted to say: In the part of your review about "THE POOL AREAS", you mentioned that there was no adults only area.........but the area you are calling the LIDO AFT is the Adults Only area on the Destiny, it's called the Serenity Deck.

 

I'd love to see more of your pics!!

 

Well on this cruise anyways the only area in the Serenity that they enforced as adults only was the hot tubs. Even at times I saw kids in the hot tubs as well.

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Well on this cruise anyways the only area in the Serenity that they enforced as adults only was the hot tubs. Even at times I saw kids in the hot tubs as well.

 

 

This was true on the triumph as well, however they did tell my son to get out of the hot tub, we didn't notice the sign. There were other kids in the pool as well, so I think only the hot tubs are adult only.

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Well on this cruise anyways the only area in the Serenity that they enforced as adults only was the hot tubs. Even at times I saw kids in the hot tubs as well.

 

This was true on the triumph as well, however they did tell my son to get out of the hot tub, we didn't notice the sign. There were other kids in the pool as well, so I think only the hot tubs are adult only.

 

I agree with you both, sometimes the Adults Only rule isn't enforced all of the time, but on our B2B it was mostly under control.

 

They have the Pizza counter and the Grill back there too so it's possible that many new cruisers don't realize it is actually supposed to be the Adults Only area.

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So glad to see another Destiny review, sailing on it in a month. I was just wondering with the self assist if you remember what time you were out of the ship and ready to go? We booked an early flight so just curious. So glad you had a good time. Thanks

 

Well they called the self assist by decks. If you do have an early flight they make an all call for those as well. Remember to check with guest relations on board for more information

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Here are some pics while we were leaving Miami on the way to Ocho Rios

 

 

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Rush Hour traffic. I am glad I dont have to be in that everyday and have to watch the cruise ships sail while trying to get home

 

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Cars ready to head out to one of the islands on the ferry

 

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The Coast Guard leading us out of port

 

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Check out the nice boat that someone owns

 

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A party taking place while we were leaving. If I wasnt cruising I would love to be there

 

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The Beaches of Miami looking north toward Fort Lauderdale

 

Well the next post I will take care of some of the photos I took around the ship during the Sea Days.

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Here are some photos that I took around the ship. Some were taken on Day 1 and some not.

 

 

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This was my stateroom 2210 looking from the door toward the TV. This was an Interior room with the beds split. I like the way they split them because it opened the room up.

 

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This was my stateroom 2210 looking from the TV toward the entry door. Yes that is my laptop on the desk.

 

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A view of the Atrium Bar. This was a great place to grab a dink to include a draft "Frog"

 

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A look at the Atrium Bar from the Lido Deck

 

 

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A view of the Main Lounge for the shows. This is looking foreward from the upper deck

 

 

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Another view of the Main Lounge for the shows. This is looking back toward the stage again from the upper deck.

 

I usually watch shows from the upper deck. Most of the time I will sit in the front row of the upper deck. I just think the view is better and also a better perspective.

 

Next up Towel Animals!!!

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During this cruise I was surrounded my new pets

 

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Well that was a great collection of pets that came to the room. There was actually at least 5 towel animals this cruise. Unfortunatly they had to stay on the ship.

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Here is the Welcome Aboard Show that was in the Main Lounge.

 

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The Carnival Dancers

 

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More of the Carnival Dancers

 

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They brought members of the audiunce up for this skit. "Flashback" Reminds me when I competed in a skit on the first night show on the HAL Ryndam. Great fun

 

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The Cruise Director Kevin "Noonan". He was a okay CD. He was not my favorite. My top 3 are Drew Devine, Marc Walker, and Grahm Seymore. They are all from RCCL

 

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One of the comedians that we had

 

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The Cruise Director Noonan addressing the crowd

 

Well next up I will take everyone to Ocho Rios Jamaca.

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Well we are now arriving at Ocho Rios. We were the only ship at this port. Not sure how many guests are comming from Falmouth. At this port I decided just to walk around.

 

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We are comming into Ocho Rios. This was a little rough.

 

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The Pilot Boat. After dropping off the pilot it helped with another boat with the lines.

 

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The houses looking over Ocho Rios

 

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A view of some of the Resort at Ocho Rios

 

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While walking I noticed this sign.

 

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My Red Stripe Beer at the bar right outside the port.

 

 

Next up my final post of the evening will be of the Destiny while docked at Ocho Rios

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The following are some pics of the Destiny that I took while I was at Ocho Rios.

 

 

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Here are a couple as I was making my way into Port

 

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Here is one from the entrance to the port. I tried to get the same shot as the Navigator from back in December

 

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Here is one more of the Destiny at the dock. I believe one of my better pics because it includes the whole boat and the dock

 

Tomorrow Night I will continue with the pics. Good Night to all

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loving your review so far. We leave in 14 days for the same exact cruise. We sailed the Destiny to Gt, MHC and Nassau in May 2010. Looking forward to hearing about Ocho Rios, as i'm a little nervous about this port, just due to what i've heard. Did you notice the beach to the left of the pier? Were passengers going there to enjoy the beach for the day or did you get a change to check out Margariettaville? Looking to stay low key while in this port and enjoy a beach close to the boat. Any suggestions would be great...thanks in advance!

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loving your review so far. We leave in 14 days for the same exact cruise. We sailed the Destiny to Gt, MHC and Nassau in May 2010. Looking forward to hearing about Ocho Rios, as i'm a little nervous about this port, just due to what i've heard. Did you notice the beach to the left of the pier? Were passengers going there to enjoy the beach for the day or did you get a change to check out Margariettaville? Looking to stay low key while in this port and enjoy a beach close to the boat. Any suggestions would be great...thanks in advance!

 

Well this was the 2nd time I was at Ocho Rios in the last 2 months. This time I walked around the port and said "NO" alot. I think that if you walk with a purpous you wont have to much of a problem. There is a beach to the left of the peir and I did see guests go there. There is a fee there but not sure how much. I did not go to Margaritaville but it is on the right side of the peir. You have to go all the way out to the end of the block go right then right again in the shopping area and it is all the way in the back.

 

Right outside the pier there is the bar, forgot the name, that sells Red Stripe Beer for only $2.00 :D. Wow that is cheap for good beer.

 

As far as a tour goes, back in December I did the Sky Lift to Mystic Mountain and did the Bobsleds. On top of the mountain they have a history area, a shop, a resturaunt, and a pool that has a slide. They also have a zip line as well. If you want to do it all I believe that Carnival calls it the Trainapy. Not sure on the spelling. Below are some pics from December of Mystic Mountain and the Bobsleds, Pool, and the chair ride

 

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This is me at the pool ontop of Mystic Mountain

 

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This is me ready for the Bobsleds

 

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This view is from the top of Mystic Mountain

 

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The Chair Ride to the mountain

 

I hope that this helps.

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Well next up for pics is Georgetown Grand Caymen.

 

Well when we pulled in there were another Carnival ship along with a Celeberty, and an Aida ship that was in port this day.

 

Below are some pics that I took while the Tenders were getting ready to work hard for the day.

 

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Pic 1 of 3 of the Tenders aproaching the Destiny

 

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Pic 2 of 3 of the Tenders approaching the Destiny

 

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Pic 3 of 3 of the Tenders approaching the Destiny

 

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A tender leaves full

 

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We are ready to head to the Island

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Great review! We sailed on her this past August and loved it. We also had inside cabin on deck 2. No complaints about the cabin, but we heard alot of "banging and clanking" in the middle of the night on the other side of the back wall of the cabin (where the service area is). We found the food in the MDR excellent but not so great in the buffet. We liked the convenience of the pizza area/grill area and the pizza was very tasty!

 

We would sail on her again in a heartbeat!

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Well this was the 2nd time I was at Ocho Rios in the last 2 months. This time I walked around the port and said "NO" alot. I think that if you walk with a purpous you wont have to much of a problem. There is a beach to the left of the peir and I did see guests go there. There is a fee there but not sure how much. I did not go to Margaritaville but it is on the right side of the peir. You have to go all the way out to the end of the block go right then right again in the shopping area and it is all the way in the back.

 

Right outside the pier there is the bar, forgot the name, that sells Red Stripe Beer for only $2.00 :D. Wow that is cheap for good beer.

 

As far as a tour goes, back in December I did the Sky Lift to Mystic Mountain and did the Bobsleds. On top of the mountain they have a history area, a shop, a resturaunt, and a pool that has a slide. They also have a zip line as well. If you want to do it all I believe that Carnival calls it the Trainapy. Not sure on the spelling. Below are some pics from December of Mystic Mountain and the Bobsleds, Pool, and the chair ride

 

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This is me at the pool ontop of Mystic Mountain

 

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This is me ready for the Bobsleds

 

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This view is from the top of Mystic Mountain

 

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The Chair Ride to the mountain

 

I hope that this helps.

 

Thank you so much for the info. I really appreciate it and yes, i'm sure it will be a help. Great pictures. We'd love to do the chairlift, but DD age 4 is not 46" and that is a requirement, so we won't be able to do that. Maybe we could get a taxi to take us to the top of the mountain....what a great view!

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