Destiny review Jan 16 - cruise to nowhere

[kerrytens]

Wrap up and overview to come later tonight!

Miriam

[kerrytens]

Well, it is certainly common knowledge that this was the ill fated cruise to nowhere ... if not counting our stop in Nassau. I boarded this ship completely aware of any previous problems, related or not (I hate speculation so I'll leave it at that). We took the cruise to hopefully give my daughter a chance to love cruising as much as I do, with all 2 sailings under my belt now :)

 

Yes, we were disappointed to not reach the itinerary we signed up for but we weren't disappointed with the ship, the staff nor the fun we did end up having.

 

Would I sail this ship again? In a heartbeat! (and would I have answered the same way with the knowledge of her upcoming drydock ... 100% yes!)

 

Before I let you know about a few special folks on board, I will tell you that I took the Fun ships at Sea tour on our last day. If I'm not mistaken they rolled ship tours out again on Princess just after my Crown sailing last year and well before they announced them on Carnival. They were easily 3 times the price on Princess and I would have jumped at that chance had it been available there. I booked mine onboard Destiny for $55 - a steal for sure. If any of you get the opportunity to take the tour, do it!

 

Our guide (Lisa), it turned out, was from a town called Port Hope, Ontario which is about 30 minutes from where I live! We had a nice chat :) The tour itself was not sold out but that was fine with me since we seemed to get extra attention. Very nice group!!!

 

Prepare to visit lots of crew areas, including the bow of the ship where you can get as close as anyone to the 'king of the world' shot! We saw their quarters, eating areas, lounges etc - basic but nice.

 

There is a stop backstage where you can see all the costumes and the stage. Along the way you also meet a lot of department heads, so in this case we met the dance captain and stage manager ... both gave little talks and answered all of our questions.

 

Then came the stairs and heading down - saw kitchens (both staff and guest). One of the most interesting parts to me was talking with the environmental officer. Now in my bunnies and kitties optimistic world, I pictured something lovely ... but he's the garbage man :eek::):o I learned that our cabin stewards sort our garbage - they go through it all to separate each thing so that it can be recycled correctly. Wow!!! Made me really appreciate the work they do.

 

The highlite of the tour for me was obviously the bridge. Of course the propulsion problem was the question of the day from the moment we all gathered to start the tour but it was full force here. The standard answer was that only the engineers could answer our questions and because that portion of the regular tour was cancelled (they gave us all a 25% discount as a result), we never got an answer. I never expected one in the first place. We did learn that one of the reasons for our delayed departure, other than our reported supply delivery, was that a pax had had a stroke after embarkation and was medically evacuated. We saw the ambulance racing up the pier before we left too. All my best to this person and their family, should you be reading!!!!

 

At the end of the tour, everyone gets a fun ship bracelet, behind the fun cap, ship facts that includes the recipe for the warm melting chocolate cake, behind the scenes lanyard, photo on the bridge and ??? (just remember, a chef has a plate of goodies waiting for you in your cabin upon your return!) Thinking something is missing here but in any event, it was a great tour. Hope you all try it.

 

Now, a few final things.

 

Line ups - well, I was expecting the worst and experienced nothing bad at all. Of course, it may had a lot to do with my daughter's schedule vs. regular dining schedule. We never hit the buffet or other lido places at high time as I never had to wait more than a few minutes for anything.

 

Smell - nothing, nada. Didn't matter the deck/aft/forward etc.

 

Shuddering/shaking etc - again, nothing, nada. I will say that one needs to travel aboard the Crown Princess if they want to feel those things! I love that ship too but it rolled, shaked, made horrible quaking/creeking sounds constantly even in the smoothest of seas. It never stopped. Destiny was as smooth as silk. If she is an indication of being the most shuddering of Carnival ships, then bring them on folks ... you have a Carnival fan here.

 

Showers overflowing - again, not a thing. I did find if you weren't mindful of the shower curtain, it did have a habit of blocking the drain and this certainly could have caused water to overflow. BTW, another Princess/Carnival comparison here - Princess wins on size/storage in the washroom but Carnival easily wins nice shower size award!!!!! Overall, washroom was liveable so I have no real complaints. I liked the shampoo and soap they supply too :)

 

Food - very good. Somethings excellent, others good but nothing horrid. My fave meal was the flat iron steak! I don't know if it was the fact that the maitre d' (more on him in a minute) sent it up from room service for us one night due to my daughter and eating it on the balcony, but it was incredible!!!! I'm sorry I didn't get any food porn shots for all of you. I really wanted too but again, the kiddo had other plans. We used the dining room one morning for breakfast, elegant night and again on the last night (my sister and I arranged with the m.d. to eat separately).

 

I want to save my next post to recognize some incredible folks so hang in there kids ... we're almost done!!

[klmorg]

Thanks for a very nicely written review. And I love your attitude BTW! :)

[kerrytens]

At long last I'm going to tell you about some very, very, very special people to me - each and everyone of them touched me (and my family) in some way and need to be recognized for the work they do. I love them all because they made my daughter a princess for a week!!!! None of them looked at her differently because she is special needs ... they looked at her because she is simply special! I hope she was able to open their eyes to autism and everything our kids CAN do :D

 

1. Michael from Autism on the Seas - he paved our way with Carnival. Thank you so very much. I will be writing more about him on the Disability thread actually. Fabulous person!!!! And fabulous organization.

 

2. Aleksandar, Guest Services Supervisor - OMG! What more can I say about this man other than I love him to pieces. All of my silly requests were served with a smile. He always called us to make sure all was well. He was absolutely fabulous and if he is reading this (or anyone who will be boarding soon and cares to tell him), there will most certainly be a letter written to Carnival on his behalf. I would love for any and all of you future Destiny pax to just say hi from Miriam, Kathy and especially Hannah for me :)))) Give him my best and another huge hug.

 

3. Vinod, Maitre d' of the Universe dining room - again, this man went over and above for us, particularly Hannah. Carnival knew of her very self restricted diet (if any of you know children with autism you will know of their sensitivity issues with texture etc) but anything and everything she would desire was available 24/7. French fries are a fave of hers and all I had to do was mention Vinod's name to room service and they were in front of her. (let me say that I went through a ton of bills tipping these people :) but well worth it.) He called daily just to check up too.

 

4. Alison, Youth director - although Hannah never used CC, Alison made a personal appearance to our room to hand deliver a Carnival backpack plus goodies. She even told me that with the profile I'd provided she was more than happy to allow her into the younger group if I'd wanted. We toured the area, and I loved it, but Hannah wasn't having anything to do with the whole thing .... this time anyway!!!!

 

5. Our waiter, and I truly apologize to him for not remembering his name at all. I'm hoping my sister will help me out here!!! (Kath, where are you??) He was a big teddy bear from St. Vincent. As I said, we only made a few appearances there but on the last night when I arrived for the first seating he came running over and asked if everything was OK. He thought he'd offended us or we were ill or something since we never showed up. I loved that dinner!!! I watched him interact with another table and they obviously adored him too as they all had to hug and kiss him when entering.

 

6. Carnival staff in general - I met some fabulous folks there. Each and everyone met me with a smile and a hello. I obviously don't have names (gee, I can't even remember the name of a very special waiter ...) but they were amazing. Hannah and I would often take rides in the glass elevators just to amuse her and there was one waiter we met all the time. He loved her and had no issues at all with us riding the elevators. We shared many a laugh with him when the doors would open and he'd see us!!!

 

7. My sister!!!! Not that she is anywhere near number 7 on my list but I couldn't have done this trip without her. She is the best! She loves my child as much as her own (and the feeling is quite mutual on the part of my daughter!). I can't wait until our next trip together :)))

 

And finally, my chickie - Hannah!!!! She's awesome.

 

 

Thanks to all!!! I loved this cruise and can't wait to do it again!!!!

 

Miriam and Hannah

[kerrytens]

I was on the Liberty, and we stopped in Grand Cayman the day after the quake. No damage or injuries at all. Our tour guide said it basically felt like a minor tremor. Our day went on as planned, no changes due to the quake. GC was actually my fav of our 3 ports of call.

 

So glad it all worked out for you Beachgal!!! Happy that GC was OK too especially.

[IndyKat]

!

 

5. Our waiter, and I truly apologize to him for not remembering his name at all. I'm hoping my sister will help me out here!!! (Kath, where are you??) He was a big teddy bear from St. Vincent. As I said, we only made a few appearances there but on the last night when I arrived for the first seating he came running over and asked if everything was OK. He thought he'd offended us or we were ill or something since we never showed up. I loved that dinner!!! I watched him interact with another table and they obviously adored him too as they all had to hug and kiss him when entering.

 

 

And finally, my chickie - Hannah!!!! She's awesome.

 

Sorry Mim, can't help you out with the waiters name :o , he was great though!

What a cute pic of Boo, and yes, she's my "other" child! And yes, book the next cruise soon. :D

 

Love ya

Kath

[lucigo]

I finally got around to reading this whole thread. Your easy going attitude is what makes you a great cruiser and a great mom! Getting upset would have done nothing for your cruise experience and nothing to help Hannah have a great cruise. I'm so glad to hear how well everything went and hope that we can cruise together in the future!

 

One of my best memories of a cruise with my son is hitting a green golf ball around on the sports deck while everyone else was off visiting a port we had already seen. Its not the big planned expensive outings that make a cruise, its the little details and being together. But I don't have to tell you that!

 

You have some beautiful pictures, and it looks like you picked a perfect cruise to have an aft balcony!! :)

[keishashadow]

:) your daughter is beautiful, so glad the trip turned out to be enjoyable for u both!

 

thanx for the review re the tour, may just sign up afterall.

 

re the drydock u mentioned though, has one has been officially announced:confused:? I called my PVP earlier this week & he said 'no big problem...ship was being fixed even as we spoke'...i told him i think it needs pixie dust.:p

[kerrytens]

:) your daughter is beautiful, so glad the trip turned out to be enjoyable for u both!

 

thanx for the review re the tour, may just sign up afterall.

 

re the drydock u mentioned though, has one has been officially announced:confused:? I called my PVP earlier this week & he said 'no big problem...ship was being fixed even as we spoke'...i told him i think it needs pixie dust.:p

Yes, the drydock is official. Sometime in February - do a Destiny search and you will find the exact thread(s) about it.

Enjoy your cruise!! She really is a wonderful ship. I plan on booking her again for sure.

Miriam

[kerrytens]

OMG, I can't believe I forgot to mention one person by name - Marta! She was our fabulous room steward. Very sweet person who worked around my daughter's odd room schedule. I honestly feel that she felt bad for not being able to do her job in the manner to which she thought it should be done. Now, keep in mind we are simple folks who really don't need 3 cleanings in one day so we were fine leaving it all day for the final turn down. Poor Marta seemed horrified actually :)

Anyway, she did an amazing job of jumping into our room when we told her 'go'! And, she always had 3 towel animals nightly for my daughter.

I only wish I lived in Florida right now - I'd be booking one of those reduced sailings right now!!!!

[kerrytens]

I finally got around to reading this whole thread. Your easy going attitude is what makes you a great cruiser and a great mom! Getting upset would have done nothing for your cruise experience and nothing to help Hannah have a great cruise. I'm so glad to hear how well everything went and hope that we can cruise together in the future!

 

One of my best memories of a cruise with my son is hitting a green golf ball around on the sports deck while everyone else was off visiting a port we had already seen. Its not the big planned expensive outings that make a cruise, its the little details and being together. But I don't have to tell you that!

 

You have some beautiful pictures, and it looks like you picked a perfect cruise to have an aft balcony!! :)

Hey Luci!

You know as well as I that we quickly realize that patience becomes our great virtue when it comes to dealing with our special needs kids ;) There was so much planning that went into this cruise but I knew once aboard, it was up to my daughter. I can't push her into uncomfortable situations and if we had to miss something, so be it.

I love your son's golf story. It really is the simple stuff that can make it for them. The glass elevators were Hannah's!

Wish I could join you on your upcoming cruise. Have fun!

[happylady]

OK, yet another 'what is this' photo. I work in the nursery industry so I tend to really look at plants when I'm away and this one really caught my eye. Anyone know what it is? It in a big planter on the pier in Nassau.

 

 

I showed the picture to my husband (he's a horticulturist and works at the local big orange home improvement store). It's called a Mexican cardboard plant. Here are a few more pictures. click here It's funny because often, he also notices the plants before noticing the surrounding area. :rolleyes:

[candigirl41]

Nice review, good attitude, BEAUTFUL daughter!

 

Candi

[kerrytens]

I showed the picture to my husband (he's a horticulturist and works at the local big orange home improvement store). It's called a Mexican cardboard plant. Here are a few more pictures. click here It's funny because often, he also notices the plants before noticing the surrounding area. :rolleyes:

Thanks!! I knew someone would know.

[kerrytens]

Nice review, good attitude, BEAUTFUL daughter!

 

Candi

Thanks! :D

[LoveH20]

Thanks to your review I changed rooms to 8335. 8330 was not available. My 14th cruise, but my first aft balcony. If you have any more photos of your room or the balcony. I would love to see them. Was the room fairly quiet even thought it was under lido? I moved from 7th floor to get the 8335 with the bigger balcony. I'm going with one of my girlfriends from college and it will be her first cruise. The beds can be separated in this cabin, right? I hope I've picked a great cabin for her. Again, thank you for your review. It was really helpful.

[kerrytens]

Thanks to your review I changed rooms to 8335. 8330 was not available. My 14th cruise, but my first aft balcony. If you have any more photos of your room or the balcony. I would love to see them. Was the room fairly quiet even thought it was under lido? I moved from 7th floor to get the 8335 with the bigger balcony. I'm going with one of my girlfriends from college and it will be her first cruise. The beds can be separated in this cabin, right? I hope I've picked a great cabin for her. Again, thank you for your review. It was really helpful.

Hi, sorry I missed your question yesterday (a little bird told me that someone had posted a question!). You will LOVE the room!! The balcony is just that much wider than the other afts which makes a world of difference actually, without going to a wrap.

When we entered our room on the first day, the beds were set up as singles and we had a nice double sofa plus the cot for my daughter. We had to push everything together though to fit the cot in. You will be more than comfortable in it with the two of you and you will definitely enjoy that balcony/view. It was wonderful!!!

As for the noise, we heard the occasional chair scrape from above but it wasn't bad at all and after a while, I didn't even notice it. For the most part, it was so peaceful back there. We did hear some parties on the first night but it was the first night and you are supposed to party, aren't you?? :D

I will check my photos to see if I have any more that I can post for you. Give me a bit :)

[kerrytens]

Sorry LoveH20 - no more room pics :( But enjoy! And do report back.

[LoveH20]

Thanks for getting back to me! I'm looking forward to it :)