Carnival Destiny Review with Photos (Key West & Cozumel) May 13-17, 2010

[Cruisinini]

About Me: I am one of those people that write overly long and overly detailed reviews. You have been warned. ;) I enjoy reading other reviews like this so I am returning the favor for those that like this kind of review. I am on the borderline between mid/late 20s. This was my 3rd cruise, 2nd with Carnival. (See my signature for links to reviews of my previous cruises.) I was with a group of 5 including my DH, SIL, and 2 of our friends. All were first time cruisers except DH and I. It was mostly a just for fun vacation cruise but also an early celebration of my SIL's 30th birthday.

 

Wednesday, May 12: Fly to Miami

We headed to the airport after work on Wednesday afternoon to arrive in Miami the night before the cruise. We had a few minute delay due to the previous flight arriving late but not too bad. A pretty uneventful flight, DH and I took a nap. Gotta rest up for the fun to come! Oh! I learned something cool on this flight -- the headrest on the airplane seats can be adjusted several ways like the sides come up so you can keep your head from falling onto the shoulder of the person next to you when you're asleep!

 

Since our flight left a little late, we also arrived in Miami a few minutes late. My SIL was on a different flight that would have got in an hour earlier than ours but it got in early so she had to wait extra longer since we were late. However, she said she enjoyed the people watching and learned that our flip flops were not the footwear of choice when in Miami but apparently very tall high heels are the preferred footwear LOL.

 

There is a lot of construction going on at the Miami airport so finding the taxi stand on the lower ground transportation level was a little confusing. I think we walked way more than we needed to but we found it...eventually. We only waited a couple minutes before getting directed to a taxi minivan that could fit the 5 of us and headed off toward Marriott Biscayne Bay. On the commute over we encountered more construction again, this time a few blocks from the hotel so had to take a small detour. The total taxi fare was ~$28 (before tip).

 

The Marriott Biscayne Bay is a high rise hotel on the bay (duh!) a couple blocks north of the seaport. We chose to stay at this hotel because they would allow 5 adults in a room (with a rollaway) for a reasonable price (total with taxes/fees/etc was around $140) according to our wallets. We're all young and "poor" so this was the best choice we found for us that didn't involve a sketchy hotel or location. As an extra perk, it was close to the port. When we arrived around 10:30pm to check in, the front desk informed us that they did not have any more rollaway beds available. Ugh! Extra sheets, blankets, and pillows were offered but nothing else which was a bit disappointing. We did receive a bay view room on the 23rd floor I believe, so I was pretty excited we would at least get to wake up to a nice view of the port and our cruise ship! About the room: 2 double beds, low ceilings, low but large rain showerhead, backlit mirror in bathroom instead of the normal obnoxious fluorescent, bath & body works toiletries in bathroom, and floor to ceiling windows (doors?).

 

(View of the Port of Miami and the Carnival Destiny from our hotel window.)

 

Even though we all ate dinner before our flights we were hungry again so went in search of food. A map from the concierge desk didn't reveal anything promising in the area right around the hotel that was still open so we went exploring inside the hotel. There is a small shopping area attached to the hotel that contained a variety of shops (clothing, liquor, toiletries) and a couple of restaurants. Being 11pm at night, all the shops were closed but we found a bar and grill type restaurant still open. Can't remember the name of it but it had a GIANT screen TV blaring a live concert. Food was ok, typical bar food, but the service was next to nonexistent and it took forever just to get drinks, food, and the check. Oh well, our hunger issues were taken care of at least!

 

On our way back to our room, it was pretty amusing to see the reaction of some elderly hotel guests watch as two girls with the shortest tightest dresses EVER (shirts really lol) exiting the hotel. However, I think the guys in our group enjoyed the, um, sight-seeing. ;)

[Cruisinini]

Thursday, May 13: Embarkation

My dear SIL was a good sport and slept on a makeshift bed made with two chairs and the extra sheets, blankets, and pillows we were given. In the morning, we had a great view of Destiny in port and she was the only ship in port at that! (See photo in previous post.) One of our friends forgot to pack a white tank top and went looking at the shops under the hotel we had walked by last night. But, she did not find what she needed and said the clothes were on the more expensive side and not her style anyway.

 

Since none of us were worried about eating breakfast, I'm not sure what is available at or near the hotel other than the expensive room service food. We all slept in and planned to head to the ship for lunch. Around 11 something we went down to the front of the hotel and the bellhop got us an SUV taxi for the 5 of us. There were several taxis waiting around so we did not need to wait long. However, the SUV had the back row of seats laid down and the driver just piled our luggage in and had us sit 1 up front and 4 across in the back seat. Good thing we liked each other! He was actually quite a friendly fellow from Haiti and pointed out one of the first buildings built in Miami and told us about the cruise schedule for the port. Good things to know as a taxi driver! The ride was only about $8.50 (before tip) and probably less than 10 minutes since it's so close to the port. The porters were right there by the curb and ready to take our luggage to be loaded on the ship so after giving him a couple bucks we were off to check in.

 

Inside the terminal, it was very quick through short lines to verify we had our FunPass and passport, through security, fill out the "have you been sick recently" form, and finally check in at the kiosks. I thought the kiosks were really great and a definite improvement. Reminds me a lot of the check in process available for flights at the airport. Actually the whole cruise check in process is a LOT like being at the airport now that I think about it. Of course there were also representatives behind some counters if you preferred that or needed assistance. You are given a number of different methods to choose from to check in at the kiosks: credit card, passport, etc. Also, you are allowed to check in at the kiosks as an individual and do not need to have your entire group together to check in all at once. This was nice since my SIL was staying in our room but had a different expense account from DH and I. The kiosks are lined up in front of the counters and once you finish you walk over to a nearby counter dedicated to passing out the Sail & Sign cards. This was DH and my first time as repeaters with a cruise line so it was a cool feeling getting a gold card instead of the blue one and told "Welcome Back"! =) Then it was up the escalator, take a welcome aboard group photo, walk across the gangway onto the ship, and *DONG* went the first swipe of the card (along with a quick photo). I have come to enjoy that *DONG* the machine makes when your card is swiped, well, until the last day when you debark of course! I'm not sure how long it took us to board but it was quick. We left the hotel around 11:30am maybe, can't really remember, and the timestamp of my first photo shortly after we boarded says 12:10pm so not bad at all!

 

Since it was lunchtime we headed up to the Lido deck for some food. It was not too busy yet so no lines and seating was easy to find. However, this would change as more people boarded. Also, it was quite busy later in the week but I'll admit I didn't do a good job of avoiding peak dining times either. As mentioned by other reviewers of Destiny, the Lido dining area can get fairly crowded to navigate and lines a bit long (10+ minute wait I would guess) for the buffet especially. We usually went to the 2nd deck up from the buffet to eat and never had a problem finding seating there. Food was good and I discovered my favorite buffet item for the cruise: potato salad! I like potato salad but I wouldn't say it is one my favorite foods but I REALLY liked this version and ate it nearly every day...even if it didn't really go with anything else I was eating.

 

Then it was off to explore the ship since the cabin areas were still blocked off. I was surprised how similar this ship was to the Valor and probably all of the Conquest class. I recall never figuring out which end of the ship I was at on Valor but I did quickly figure out the layout this time. Familiarity recall must've helped me! However, the others in our group never quite figured it out but I understood their confusion so they would often just follow me around the ship.

 

(The adult pool at the rear of the ship was closed the day we boarded. Not sure why but it was open the rest of the cruise.)

 

Having only been on some of the largest ships built, I immediately noticed Destiny was smaller and lacked some of the wide open spaces on the interior of the ship. But, I don't think Destiny is a small ship, just in comparison to my limited experience thus far with cruising. The decor was not really to my liking but after the first day I didn't really notice it so it didn't bother me. Probably the shiny pink-ish orange-ish corrugated metal coverings on a lot of the walls were what I disliked the most. To balance a negative with a positive, I really liked the cabin hallways on this ship. The halls usually feel dark and somewhat claustrophobic to me but they did not as much on this ship.

 

(Laser Tag setup on the stage in the Palladium Lounge.)

 

Shortly after 1:30pm, we checked again to see if we could get to our cabin and we could. We (DH, SIL, me) had an inside cabin on the Empress deck (7264). When we booked, we selected an inside guarantee as did our friends. After booking, we called Carnival to link our reservations so we could eat dinner together. This must have linked our cabins because our friends booked inside guarantee also and ended up right next to us in 7260! Not sure if that is standard procedure but worth a notice for future reference. All of our luggage was already outside our cabin door and half of our friends luggage had also arrived. There last piece arrived later in the afternoon before the life boat drill.

 

A little about our inside cabin. This cabin did not indicate having a pullman or sleeper sofa but we were given a rollaway bed that my SIL slept on. Poor girl was getting the short end of the stick everywhere we went with a bed but she did not mind. Have I mentioned what a great sport she is?! There was a bed on each wall and the rollaway was folded up next to one of the beds but we decided to push the two beds together to make it easier for maneuvering if someone had to get up in the middle of the night. My SIL said the rollaway was comfy enough but I highly doubt it was anywhere near as comfy as the regular beds. I also thought the rollaway was on the short side especially if someone was approaching six feet tall or more. For an inside cabin, it had enough space. The overall decor did not feel as pink or orange as it often looks in photos. There were 3 wardrobes, 2 for hanging clothes, and one with shelves. The safe was a number pad not the card swipe kind. The TV in our room was a flat screen but our friends in the cabin right next to us still had an old CRT. The bathroom sink is VERY pink and did not have any shelves to store toiletries but there was enough room on the counter for 3 peoples necessities. The shower is the largest I've had on a cruise ship as it went the length of bathroom which was quite nice. (I've only stayed in inside cabins.) When we first arrived in our cabin it was boiling hot and we could not figure out how to adjust it. After sitting on the bed for a few moments to rest from exploring the cabin and moving the beds, I happened to notice the vent on the ceiling also had the temperature control!! That's definitely not where we thought to look but after a quick adjustment we were well on our way to a more reasonable temperature!

 

(Large plaque outside on deck 3.)

 

Our friends attended the "Get To Know Your Ship" session presented by the cruise director Brent Mitchell and from their report it sounds like it was very beneficial especially for first time cruisers. The rest of us explored the ship and I lost track of time and missed our roll call meetup. The life boat safety drill announcements began around 4pm and we did NOT have to bring our life vest. You still have to stand shoulder to shoulder in lines outside deck 4 beside the life boats so it's still not the most comfortable experience but makes for a good photo.

 

(Life Boat Safety Drill)

 

After the drill we set sail. A few days before leaving for this cruise, I read a review where someone mentioned "secret" doorways to the front of the ship. Granted you cannot get to the bow of the ship but alternatively all the way forward on decks 6 and 7 are doors that allow you to go out on the front part of the ship just below the bridge. It was a great location for sailaway that was away from the crowds but allowed for an awesome view! We also were able to see the captain and pilot.

 

(This is the reflection in the bridge windows of where we were on deck 7 for sailaway. You can see the pilot at the bottom of the photo.)

 

(Captain Vincenzo Alcaras)

 

Everyone in our group is a sushi lover so we were all excited to visit the evening sushi bar just outside the casino for a pre-dinner snack. We had late dinner at 8:15pm in the Universe Dining Room (back of the ship) so a snack was necessary to tide us over. After sushi, we went to get ready for dinner and shortly thereafter found out one of our friends had gotten a migraine and would not be making it to dinner. The same thing happened to me on our first cruise and the next day she came to the same conclusion I did: dehydration.

 

Side Note: When this happened to me on our first cruise, I had originally thought it was seasickness because I was not taking any medications up to that point and got a headache and felt nauseous. But, after returning home and talking to people about it I really thought it may have been dehydration instead because there was so much going on and I really did not recall drinking much the day it happened. Our 2nd cruise I just took Bonine the entire time and did not have a problem but this cruise I decided to be brave and take no medicine again and had no problems! I did take a Bonine the day we arrived in Cozumel but I'll explain that later. So, moral of my story, drink lots of water!

 

I was excited to find our dining room to be in the back of the ship this time because I knew there was potential to be near windows. But, I was not so lucky, we were on the 2nd level at table 505 between a window with blinds closed (probably because a lifeboat was on the other side) and the waiter station so we were rather secluded from the rest of the dining room. Our waiters did a great job. Aldrin, from the Philippines I think, always had a friendly smile. I unfortunately cannot remember our others waiters name or where he was from but his English accent was a little difficult to understand and I usually do quite well with accents. He did tell us a naughty joke one night after dinner that was funny except for one part of it that none of us could ever figure out! Food of Note: Flat Iron Steak. The chocolate melting cake was almost all melting and no cake - not the way I prefer it but my DH loved it.

 

The Welcome Aboard Show featured the Destiny band, dancers, and guest comedian Carl Guerra. The shows on Carnival are really different from the ones we experienced on Royal Caribbean. I don't even know if I would attempt to even compare them because they're just different. I felt like the money for the shows on Carnival is spent on elaborate costumes as opposed to quality in the performances. With that said, I still enjoyed attending the shows.

 

I've debated where to put the following comments about this cruise. I was going to save them for the end of my review but I don't really want to end this review with a sour note and I really didn't notice them other than the first day so I'll just mention them now. There was definitely a different vibe on this cruise compared to the two previous I had been on. I don't know if it was because it was a 4 night versus 7 night, the age range, the personalities, graduation time, an extended weekend type cruise or what. But, the "out of control" party vibe was MUCH more noticeable, which generally wouldn't bother me until I kept encountering OBVIOUS drunks and other behavior (shouting/slurring/learing) and commentary ("our room is going to smell like alcohol"). Also, saw two places where someone had lost the contents of their stomach on deck before we were even out to sea! Then when we got back from dinner the first night, someone had ripped our sign off our door. We picked it back up, unwrinkled it, taped it back up, and it was never bothered again. Several doors around us had signs and there's were never bothered that I noticed. I don't know if I got lucky and these were isolated incidents (all of them happened in very different areas of the ship) where I happened to be in the right places at the right time but I began this cruise very worried about how it would turn out. But, like I said I only noticed these events on the first day mostly and after that things seemed more "normal". Overall I had a great time and did not let these things effect my overall cruise experience. I'm of the belief that being on a cruise is better than being at work any day! These are just the types of things I would like to know when reading others reviews so I thought I'd share them.

 

I did not take too many photos of the ship itself because I found DarthGrady's review of Destiny before I left. He already has a quite extensive collection of photos of the ship and I highly recommend taking a look at his review.

 

(More to come as I get it typed it.)

[ibm_db2]

Great review, thanks, will follow the thread.

[Cruise Envy]

Can't wait to read more, especially about Key West!

[David148]

WOW! These pics are bringing back memories, i was on the Destiny in SEPT. Had a great time!!

[peachhead11]

Can't wait to read more. I'm on the same cruise in July.

[Cruisinini]

Friday, May 14: Key West

We set our alarms to wake up around the same time we would dock in Key West (7:30am) so we could at least enjoy some of the time during our brief stay at this port. Given the chance, we probably would have slept right through this port! Not that we didn't want to see Key West but we like to sleep in when the rare opportunity presents itself. We did not have an excursion booked for Key West so we just planned to wing it and get a photo at the Southernmost Point and maybe find a beach to hang out at.

 

My DH, SIL, and I ate breakfast up on Lido then headed off the ship on deck 0. (I always make a note of this because on our first cruise we couldn't figure out how to get off the ship in port!!) RCCL's Grandeur of the Seas was docked at the pier by Mallory Square so we had to dock at the Navy pier. (Side Note: Grandeur was on the exact same 4 night itinerary as Destiny but went out of Port Everglades instead of Port of Miami.) The Navy pier is literally right next door to the other pier but the Navy pier attaches to land on the opposite direction from Mallory Square so you have to take about a 15 minute shuttle ride to Mallory Square. Shuttles were readily available and appeared to be running continuously so it was not a problem getting to or from the ship.

 

(You can see how close we were to Grandeur and Mallory Square but our pier went in the opposite direction from them which is why it took about 15 minutes to get over there.)

 

Our shuttle driver on the way over to Mallory Square mentioned it takes about 30 minutes to walk to Southernmost Point and he was exactly right! We walked the length of Duval Street (the "main" street in Key West) then had to jog over a block. Really it probably would have been more direct to go down Whitehead Street instead (the street parallel to Duval). But, either one works. It was cool to stand at the most southern point in the continental U.S. but it's really mostly a tourist trap that we had to stand in line for just to get a photo.

 

(View down Duval Street)

 

A block or two east of there was a beach called South Beach that I had read a little bit about here on Cruise Critic so we went to check it out. The weather was overcast and it sprinkled a teeny tiny bit but never rained. Still there were not many people on this beach. The sand looked nice but the beach is rather small and DH was not interested in going in the water because it had a lot of debris (seaweed?) floating around. I go to the beach to lay out and read, he goes to play in the water so I was ok with the beach but he was not. Also, he was born and raised in a beach town so he can be a little picky. We decided not to hang around but weren't sure what to do instead now. Apparently, Key West is not known for it's beaches though I've heard the ones at Fort Zachary are probably the nicest.

 

(South Beach)

 

We were still in the U.S. so I sent a text message to my sister, an experienced cruiser and FL resident, for tips on things we should maybe do. Some of her feedback included going to... Sloppy Joes ("if you've been to key west you've been to joes") - we tried to find a table but it was BUSY so eventually we gave up, Irish Kevins - there was a great band playing and people were singing along but it was also really busy, or "interesting" clubs (drag, topless, etc that look innocent enough on the outside) that mostly weren't open until late in the day. There were a lot more people out and about on Duval Street by now than when we walked by earlier in the morning. We even ran into our friends riding around on a moped, her migraine had mostly gone away thankfully! We eventually ended up stopping in at The Lazy Gecko to get something to drink and the key lime pie was probably not the "best" place to get it at but it was still awesome and delicious to me! My DH and SIL ended up ordering their own slices. There really are so many sites to see along Duval Street: cool architecture, street performers (bums/statues/Spider Man playing guitar?), just people watching in general, many of the bars are open air or near open air with multiple entrances you can just meander in and out of as you wish, chicken, didn't see any of the too many toed cats, etc. I will caution if you are a sensitive person or have children, even early in the day it can be a bit of a cultural experience and a lot of the sayings on tshirts in the store windows are far from G-rated.

 

(Sloppy Joes)

 

(Irish Kevin's)

 

And with that, we'd run out of time in Key West! It really is a short port stop (7:30am - 2pm) but a fun one! I look forward to getting back and maybe spending more time around more of Key West than just Duval Street. We caught the shuttle in Mallory Square back to the port around 12:30pm, last shuttle was to leave at 1:15pm. Before entering the port area at the Navy pier, an official boards the bus and verifies your Sail & Sign card with a photo ID (so bring your DL or passport). The line to get back on board was out the ship and once inside it zigzagged around some more before going through security. I think it took about 15 minutes or so before we were finished going through the line to get back on board and through security. Once through, the wait for the elevator was taking a while and we didn't see any obvious staircases around. But, then we saw a few people head toward a crew staircase so we followed, not sure if we were supposed to or allowed to do that since a couple crew members seemed surprised to see us but didn't say anything. Up we went a few decks and came out a crew only doorway. It's very sparse, clean, and white behind the scenes but also well lit.

 

Since we did not get beach time on the island, we decided to spend some time by the adult pool. It was still quite overcast but no rain. Around sail away time, Brent the cruise director announced we would be staying a little while longer (40ish minutes he guessed) while some maintenance that had to be before we could leave was completed. We watched Grandeur sail away and proceeded to wait a while longer. Finally 1.5 hours after we were scheduled to depart we were on our way. No reason was ever given for the maintenance delay but I don't think it negatively effected any part of our cruise since we arrived on time in Cozumel the next day so oh well.

 

DH and his sister hung out in the pool and hot tub while I read a magazine. After a while, DH and I checked out the miniature golf course. I think this course was one of the more fun ones I've played on a cruise ship, or maybe I think that because I got a hole in one! It's definitely quite windy up around the funnel but our balls didn't really get blown around like they sometimes do! I then went back to the pool area and proceeded to find out that just because the sun isn't out and you put on sunscreen in the morning, doesn't mean you are protected from a sunburn, oops! Thankfully it wasn't too bad and using the ice from the bucket in our stateroom to rub on my red skin really did wonders. (That's my sunburn secret remedy that works surprisingly well, something about stopping the burning is supposedly why it works.)

 

(9-Hole Miniature Golf Course)

 

Tonight was formal night, elegant night, dress up and don't wear jeans night, lobster night (the food not our faces LOL), or whatever you want to call it! Overall I was pretty impressed with how well everyone dressed on this cruise in the dining room, even on the non-elegant nights most people I saw were on the more dressy side. Food of Note: Shrimp that came with the lobster were huge! Also, I'm a fan of the soups as appetizers and they were always delicious! There is no sushi on formal night, not sure why but the sushi bar was not listed as open on the FunTimes and we even went and checked in case it was a mistake but it was not open. Sad face.

 

I didn't mention this under night one but it happened the first two nights the most -- the ship was really rocking when you were in the back. The seas were not calm but I didn't think they were particularly rough, maybe it was the wind, but we could really feel a sway from side to side. Also, the shudder from the engines was quite noticeable so I took a

of my butter knife quivering for quite a while all on its own. I think I've finally relaxed a little more into the cruise ship way because the swaying and shuddering didn't really bother me at all which was a first for me from previous cruises. I never really got nervous before but was just very aware of it. This time I was like "yep, we're on a ship and you can feel it" and then didn't really think about it anymore.

 

Well I was hoping to consult the FunTimes for what I did this night but I see I'm going to have to go off photos or lack thereof and my memory! The ShowTime for this night had a night club theme through the decades I think. Lots of fun singalong and dance type music. It was also the debut of a note in the FunTimes along with the show description stating "Costumes in this show are a little revealing in some numbers." Which we found to mean thongs. The shows in general reminded me of a Vegas-like feel to them. Tonight was also the late night adult comedy show with Carl Guerra from the previous night's ShowTime. For adult comedy I would probably actually rate him a PG-13, it wasn't as adult at all as the other comedian would prove to be a couple nights later. The late night adult comedy shows are in the Criterion Lounge and I recommend arriving early if you want a seat because they filled up quickly.

[Cruisinini]

Saturday, May 15: Cozumel

We were not set to arrive in Cozumel until around 1pm so we got to sleep in this morning. Inside cabins are wonderfully dark if you like to sleep in such conditions. I got up before the rest of the lazy bums in my cabin and got some breakfast up on Lido. As I was finishing they came sleepwalking into the buffet to get breakfast before they put it away to bring out lunch. This is the first port of the, hmm, guess this is the 8th I've been to that I actually watched us sail in to! Before I was always asleep or nowhere near a window when we arrived. The water was SO calm, the most calm I have ever seen it on a cruise. I've read about the "smooth as glass" seas but this was my first encounter with them and it would stay that way pretty much until we got back to Miami! Destiny pulled up to the "Carnival" pier right on time (1pm ship time aka Miami time, have no idea what local time was since ship time was all that mattered) and right next to the Inspiration. The other pier had RCCL Grandeur of the Seas and Celebrity Pacific Dream docked at it. So there were 4 ships in port this day.

 

This was the first morning on the cruise that I took a Bonine despite very calm seas. My DH, SIL, and I were signed up to do the two tank SCUBA dive excursion (4 hours but really ended up being 5) through the ship. DH and I were in Cozumel about six months ago and the dive boat then was small and thus really bouncy over the waves so I didn't want to take any chances. I probably would have been fine without meds but better safe than miserable.

 

We headed down to the port around 1:30pm for our 2pm excursion departure time. Carnival uses the same dive company as Royal Caribbean -- Sand Dollar Sports Dive Cozumel. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the same divemaster we were with in November! He did not remember us since I'm sure he has seen hundreds of cruise divers since then but he was happy hear that we were returning. After signing our life away and making sure everyone (~16) had arrived, we walked over to the pier and got on the dive boat. It is about a 30 minute boat ride from the port to the Sand Dollar Resort where we received our armband (where you dive is a protected national marine park) and picked up our equipment. I brought everything but a weights, BCD, and fins because they wouldn't fit in my carryon luggage. Unfortunately, they did not have available any fins that fit my feet (a very normal 8.5) so I had to wear some that were too small and my toes poked out the end. Thankfully I did bring socks so that helped slightly with the comfort level by providing some padding.

 

(The obligatory photo of the ship.)

 

The diving in Cozumel is a drift dive meaning the current carries you along and quite swiftly in some places. The current was a weird sensation the first time but I actually really like it because it's mostly an effortless dive. However, if you wanted to stop and see something for any amount of time it can take a fair bit of effort. All 3 of us have had less than 10 dives as DH and I just got certified last summer and my SIL the summer before that so we are new to this diving thing but really love it! Cozumel is such an awesome place to dive because of the high visibility (~100 feet), comfortable water temperature (80+ degrees), and variety of wildlife.

 

Our first dive was on the Santa Rosa Wall at a depth of ~80 feet for about 30 minutes. The Santa Rosa Wall is literally a wall, around 60-70 feet down it's like a cliff that just drops off into the wild blue yonder. At the top of the wall (well maybe down further too but we didn't go but along the top) there is a lot of coral and small cave formations with tunnels to swim through. I made a novice dive mistake and forgot to put defog or spit on my mask before going down so it kept fogging up and I had to keep flooding it to clear it so I could actually see things without a blur. Saltwater in your eyes is not pleasant when you are that far underwater and can't really do much about it except fight through it. So, alas, I do not remember as much as I'd like to from this dive. One diver in our group did not get to do this dive because he accidentally left his fins on the table at the resort and for safety reason they would not allow him to go. I would have been so disappointed as I'm sure he was but as much equipment as you have to keep track of it's probably not that unusual. Luckily we were going back to the dive resort between dives so he would at least get to go on the second dive.

 

After surfacing we took a quick break back at the dive resort and watched some of the video from our first dive. The videographer they sent down with us really did a fantastic job and captured some beautiful underwater scenes. If it weren't $60 and I didn't think I would go broke from buying a DVD every time we went diving then I would totally buy it! =)

 

The second dive was on the San Clemente Reef and is at a depth of ~35 feet and we were there for about 40 minutes. This reef has SO much wildlife on it and I'm sure I missed a ton. Having a clear mask this time made all the difference! We saw lots of coral, a seahorse, a turtle, a lionfish, and many many other fish from tiny to probably the size of my upper body. Despite the warm water I was very glad to be wearing a full wetsuit because I actually was getting a little chilly by the end of the dive.

 

(San Clemente Reef Coral)

 

(San Clemente Reef Turtle)

 

(My SIL and some of our group of divers making their way back to the surface.)

 

I have really enjoyed our dive experiences with Sand Dollar and would not hesitate to go with them again. I love how they are very friendly, attentive, helpful, and put you at ease with their pre-dive talk. But, the rose colored glasses were gone this time and I did notice a couple of things. The tanks are held on with one strap which is not that unusual but I have now witnessed at least 3 tanks come lose underwater. Not disconnected but just slid out of the strap and began floating perpendicular instead of parallel to the divers body. I'm not sure if this how they just shove the BCD down over the top of the tank instead of tightening it after it is attached to the tank. In the future, I'm going to check mine closely before stepping off the end of the boat. Also, there seemed to be a noticeable continuous stream of bubbles coming from the tubes near where they attach to the tank for almost everyone. DH later said he noticed it was because the tubes were cracked. He did not seem that concerned about it so I'm guessing they weren't bad cracks but I think I'll be paying closer attention to this next time.

 

A few comments about SCUBA diving in general. The people I've met diving are some of the friendliest and always glad to help each other out. I often get asked if diving is scary. What I have found is that it seems scary from the outside looking in because you don't know what you're doing. But, after going through the certification process where they teach you about what to do in a variety of scenarios, you learn what the limitations and your capabilities are and really I'm quite comfortable diving. However, if it's the critters underwater that bother you, I don't know what to say because I don't have those fears. Also, I've never seen a shark or other "menacing" creature while diving. The most uncomfortable critter I've encountered was a moray eel that decided to come out from under its rock and follow us from a distance. When you're not as experienced, you'll almost always be with a divemaster or guide that will brief you before going underwater on what you may encounter and what to do if there is a potentially unusual situation. Diving opens up a whole new world literally and there is no experience like it so I like to recommend it to anyone who has a little time, money, and a spirit of adventure!

 

(The coastline in front of the Sand Dollar Dive Resort.)

 

We returned our SCUBA gear to the resort then took the 30 minute boat ride back to the port. As we were getting close to the port, Inspiration was leaving so we got an up close view from water level of her backing out. It was around 7pm by the time we got back and having only eaten breakfast DH was quite hungry so headed back to the ship. My SIL and I wandered around the port shops in search of a tshirt or other souvenir. I don't where many tshirts and ultimately came up short but my SIL found one at a corner shop that was having a great sale ($5 for white and $10 I think for colored tshirts). Around 7:30pm we made our way back to the ship in hopes of getting a shower and making it to our dinner at 8:15pm. We weren't supposed to depart until 10pm so there weren't too many people back on board yet.

 

Our friends also did an excursion through Carnival and here is what I know about it. They did the clear kayak and snorkel tour that went to Chankanaab Park. The kayaking only lasted about 20 minutes they guessed but the snorkeling was longer. They had lots of great photos and the beach there looked beautiful including some relaxing hammocks. Afterwards they went downtown Cozumel and got some "real" Mexican food that tasted just like American Mexican food. The plan was to get a taxi as they walked through town but they ended up walking the entire way back to the port and it took them a little while but I don't remember how long. So aren't you glad I told you that because I'm sure this was very helpful! If you have more questions about their excursion, I'd be happy to ask them.

 

(Mexican Sunset)

 

I managed to take a very quick shower for me and arrived at dinner only a couple minutes late. We were the only 3 people at our table for 8 that made it but 4 from our table during the early dining were allowed to eat with us and we enjoyed their company. The dining room in general was fairly empty and the maitre d' even came around to thank us for eating in there since many do not when they're in port. Speaking of the maitre d', he was a friendly fellow that stopped by most evenings to check if everything was going well and hoped we were enjoying our dinner (bon appetit). Food of Note: Jerked Pork Loin.

 

The ShowTime tonight was two comedians. The first comedian, Tony Albano, also combined magic in his show. He was entertaining but nothing to write home about. The second comedian, Anthony Acosta, we found hilarious but was borderline offensive (not in an adult way, that would happen the next night) if you were not in a humorous mood.

 

Tonight was the late night Mexican buffet and deck party. I really was not hungry at all but after going through the line and collecting several kinds of salsa I must've got my second wind as I ate an entire plateful of food! Thank you high metabolism. After that, we all laid out on Lido by the pool for a while and enjoyed the live music while watching the more energetic people dance the night away.

[deej696]

Cat, I've really enjoyed reading your review, as its helped us relive the cruise also. Its funny to see how many of the same things we did! We found those "secret" doorways to the front of the ship on our last day, and were sort of bummed we didnt know about them sooner. We met the captain on the Behind the Fun tour, and the picture you captured of him was spot on. He sauntered around with his hands in pockets the whole time, sort of in a "Joe Cool" sort of way.Your photos from the dive were awesome also. Anyway...looking forward to more!

[catmac513]

Very nice! We were on the same cruise :) Wish I was back there now instead of at work :p Can't wait to read the rest

 

Cathy

[Cruisinini]

Sunday, May 16: Sea Day

A day to sleep in as late as we please and that we did! I was the first to get up around 11:30am. At lunch, since it was too late for breakfast, they served these very cool looking and yummy tasting dessert sushi at the buffet. They were even made with rice so I want to figure out how to make them.

 

(Buffet)

 

(Fruit Dessert Sushi)

 

DH decided he wanted to find a quiet lounge chair somewhere down on deck 3 so he could read. I wanted to hang out in the sun or overcastness as it actually was but thankfully no rain. So, I talked my SIL into watching the hairy chest contest. I think she was a bit skeptical but it's a cruise staple and something that must be experienced so she came along with me. The contestants were disappointing in their lack of hair but made up for it with fun performances. My SIL and I agreed the two guys in our group totally should have entered because at least from the hairy standpoint they would have gotten major points over the guys that entered. Afterwards, we went to check out the digital scavenger hunt. But, we decided we were not brave enough for the many tasks you needed to complete which involved going up to a lot of strangers. The people that did compete looked like they were having a lot of fun! Then we went to check out the ice carving and it had just been finished when we arrived.

 

(Lido Midship on a sea day.)

 

There were no more immediately scheduled activities that interested us so we found us a couple of lounge chairs on the deck above the adult pool along the very back of the ship. It is a good day when you can lie in a lounge chair, read a magazine, and turn around to see the cruise ship trail churning through the water. Since I'm not used to sitting and relaxing for long periods of time, I got agitated after while and had to get up and find something to do. We were one of "those" people who brought walkie talkies to keep up with each other. However, we do not carry on entire conversations like "some" people. If used considerately, they are great to have when you want to find someone, like my DH. After doing some preliminary searching on the outside areas of deck 3 and turning up short I used the walkie talkie to locate him on deck 4 in a corner with his new laptop (yes he's a tech nerd) reading comics!

 

(Very back of the ship looking over the retractable roof to lounge chairs on deck 10.)

 

Another activity that appealed to me was the Destiny Amazing Race. As a fan of the real show and after finding the scavenger hunt not being like what I thought it would be, I wasn't sure what to expect. As I was walking by the casino on my way to the meeting place, our friends spotted me and stopped me for a quick chat. I arrived just before the race was to start and one of our friends decided to see what it was all about too. We were just in time to get the list of things to do and we were off. A quick scan revealed this was more like the scavenger hunt I had been hoping for earlier in the day. The questions involved naming the location on the ship and most often counting something at that location. We decided to do it and rushed to get our friends wife so we could have more help. I knew my way around the ship the best so I became the leader and telling them what I needed. It helped having backup when counting stuff too. On our way to one of the first places we also grabbed my husband so the 4 of us were walking quickly around the ship. Once we finished, my SIL had also shown up because she wanted sushi and we happened to be right by the kart. We were the 6th team out of 12-15 teams to arrive back. Not too bad considering we were probably the last team to start. After tallying the score, we got 19 out of 20 correct to tie for 2nd place. The closest I've come to a medal or a ship on a stick!

 

Sushi! Nothing like a race to work up an appetite. Our last night of pre-dinner snacks. A LOT of people had discovered the sushi kart by the last night as the line was pretty long but moved quickly enough. With a tummy appeased until dinnertime in a few hours, I realized this would be my last chance opportunity to give the waterslide a whirl. First I talked DH into coming with me to at least take a picture then one of our friends was like sure I'll come too and then the other didn't want to be left out so four of us we're on our way to some water fun! Since it was later in the day, there were not too many people at the slide and it was surprisingly still warm so our once or twice down turned into several times down apiece. I had also forgotten the water is salty but quickly remembered when I got a face full of it! Then it was off to the pool which got chilly quickly so how nice of Carnival to put a hot tub right next to it! So thoughtful. ;-) Anyway, my partaking in cruise water activities were now done and completed all in one evening.

 

(Waterslide)

 

The ShowTime for tonight was before dinner for some reason, maybe because it was the last night and they wanted to give us time to pack, I don't know. The show was called Voila Paris and had a Vegas meets Paris feel to it. Another note cautioning about revealing costumes (aka thongs) was in the FunTimes again. This was the most elaborate of the shows we saw but as a matter of taste I did not enjoy it as much as the others, however, I think this one was my SIL's favorite. Then it was off to our final dinner, sad. Food of Note: Roasted Chicken was so tasty but a LOT of meat so I ended up giving half to DH to eat. Before dinner our envelope to tip the maitre d' had not arrived in our cabin so afterward we went to check and it was there. So we made a trip back to the dining room to deliver it and also caught the staffs "Lea-ving on a fun ship..." song. I really enjoy that song even if it is sad.

 

Tonight was the late night adult comedy show for Anthony Acosta from the previous evenings ShowTime. Again it was in the Criterion Lounge and quite full so arrive early! Before the adult comedy shows, a pair of break dancers would perform a few skills to warm up the crowd or maybe to make them earn their paycheck? I really enjoyed them but they rarely got the applause they deserved I think. Now this comedy show was definitely an adult rated one. Anthony is probably what you would call an equal opportunity comic and knows that he can be controversial but again if you bring a humorous mindset to his show, he's really quite hilarious! I had to stop myself from laughing after a while because my stomach was starting to feel sick. Never a good idea to laugh a lot when you have a full stomach!

 

(Very busy Criterion Lounge.)

 

As we drug our feet back to our cabin to pack, I tried not to let the anxiety of the debarkation in the morning bother me too much. When we booked our flights, I was thinking that Carnival did not recommend flights out of Miami before 11am. I took a chance and decided 10:35am was close enough and from previous experience IF everything went well that would be plenty of time. Well, after booking I read that the recommended time was actually 11:30am! I did that sequence of events in the wrong order didn't I?! Actually I just realized why I thought this, I bet RCCL recommends 11am. Yep! I just looked it up and that was it. Ok now I feel better that I'm not going bonkers. Anyway, my DH is very laid back and thought we'd be fine, I like to worry so like to be in control and was just hoping for the best outcome. I read a few comments on these boards about how early people had actually made flights (earliest was an 8 something flight!) and blocked out the negative comments. I gotta say packing for a 4 night cruise did not prove to be much different than a 7 night, it still feels like a same amount of stuff that has to fit back into the luggage we came with.

 

The debarkation info on our bed indicated debarkation would tentatively begin around 7:15am with self assist. We were given luggage tags with group 11 that should tentatively debark around 8am. Since we only brought carry on luggage we intended to just debark with self assist to give ourselves the maximum time possible to get to the airport. With that in mind and only a few hours left until we arrived in Miami, we went to sleep with two alarms set. Thankfully they both worked and we got up on time!

[Cruisinini]

Monday, May 17: Debarkation

We woke up around the same time I wake up to go to work on a normal Monday. So much for this being a vacation day! We were ready to go around 7:10am but had not heard any announcements so went up to Lido to grab a quick breakfast. Then around 7:30am they announced the ship had been cleared and the self assist passengers could debark the ship. So we went down 2 decks to grab our luggage from our cabin which was already being cleaned in preparation for the guests on the next cruise! Then all the way down to deck 3 for our final *DONG* and across the gangway. So sad when your Sail & Sign card becomes nothing more than a plastic souvenir. Once we got to customs, there was barely a line where we only had to show our passports and hand over our declaration forms and we were done! Super quick, the customs agents weren't even behind the desks yet, just standing there to glance at passports and collect papers!

 

Outside we found the taxi stand down on the left. While walking to the line, we heard a few solicitors(?) get threatened by security that if they were caught trying to give passengers a ride they'd get thrown in jail!! Apparently, there are issues with people trying to take advantage of passengers! The taxi line was short and soon we were given a van taxi to take the 5 of us to the airport. Only DH and I had an early flight, the rest did not leave until after 4pm but we're going to try to get on earlier flights. Again we got a taxi that technically should have been large enough for the 5 of us but it was a handicap van with no backseat. Squish, 4 across and 1 up front yet again! It's a flat taxi rate of $24 from the Port of Miami to Miami International Airport. When we got to the airport, the cab driver told us $30. I later asked DH about it and he said he just assumed the driver had added a tip for loading our luggage.

 

(Goodbye Destiny!)

 

(Hello MIA.)

 

We arrived at MIA by 8am and got checked in. My SIL could only find a flight a couple hours earlier and for a fee that didn't really justify such a short difference so she just decided to wait at the airport. Our friends couldn't get on our flight because it was sold out so they ended up going to South Beach. Not really sure what they ended up doing with their luggage when they went. DH and I were at our gate at least 2 hours before our flight so no more anxiety for me!! Once on the plane, the pilot told us we'd be delayed about 30 minutes while they changed a tire. It was a smooth flight until we got close to home and had to fly through a bunch of thunderstorms where it got a bit bumpy. Once back on the ground we were greeted with rain and 60 degree temperatures. I texted our friends who were still in Miami and told them to stay since it was much nicer there!

 

Other Comments:

Ship Age: Having only been on newer ships (2 and 4 years old) versus Destiny's 14 years old, I definitely noticed some rust and wear & tear. However, I never thought the ship was dirty and often saw crew members cleaning and scrubbing so for a 14 year old I thought she was looking purty good.

 

Cruise Director: Brent Mitchell. DH and I really loved the cruise directors on our previous cruises but didn't really feel the same love for Brent. He did a great job and did everything you would expect from a cruise director but he just didn't have that wow factor. He did seem like a nice guy if you were given a chance to chat with him.

 

Past Guest Party: I was excited this would be our first cruise as a repeat guest but DH and I never received an invite. I later found out here on CC that they only happen on 5 or more night cruises. Yay for Cruise Critic help!

 

Drink Coupons: My SIL received one sheet (4 coupons) of these as a gift. They were delivered in the dining room at dinner on the first night of the cruise. Their face value is $5.25 each but she was able to use them toward any drink and only owed the balance after the coupon was applied.

 

Smells: In the reviews I read before this cruise, I kept seeing mentions of an occasional "smell". I think this is really dependent on a person's nostril just like tastebuds taste differently. But, personally I never really noticed any funky odors. However, a few times in certain areas of certain hallways, others in our group would mention a bad smell. So you may or may not smell something not to your liking LOL!

 

Weddings: This really had no effect on our cruise but if you are considering going this route you might be interested in knowing this. I did notice a number of couples in wedding attire on pretty much every day of the cruise. Not sure if it was the short length or the time of the year or the time of the week but it definitely seemed to be a popular choice. We actually went SCUBA diving with a gentleman whose daughter was getting married onboard the next day and he was under strict orders to not get a sunburn before the wedding photos were taken!

 

Cabin Photos: Interior Category 4F, Empress Deck 7 Aft Port, Cabin 7264

 

 

 

 

This is a difficult cruise for me to rank. I want to put it in 3rd place of 3 as far as ship and port experiences but I had such an awesome time with the people we went with that I'd rank that part 1st so I'm not really sure how to rank it overall! Alas, I'd much rather go on this cruise again than be sitting here at home writing about it. Two weeks ago today we were sailing out of Miami on this cruise. So sad how time passes so quickly sometimes...time to start planning my next trip! =D

 

Hope you enjoyed my review, thanks for the comments, and let me know if there's anything I can answer for you!

[Sevencruiser]

Loved your review. Thanks for sharing your photos too. We're sailing on Destiny 6/24 and after reading your review I'm more excited than ever.:)

[Sandpiper10]

We sailed the Destiny on May 3rd for the 5 day cruise to Gt, HMC and Nassau. Alot of the problems that you mentioned, we didn't experience at all. Didn't see 1 drunk out of control the entire time, didn't feel the boat was old, or needed updating, and no issues at all during our entire time on the cruise. I get the impression that you are a very hard person to please. When you complain about the decor of a boat, then you are getting a little picky! As a family of 4, we loved the Paris show, as the music was great, the dancers were talented and it really kept our interest throughout the whole show.

This was our 3rd cruise with Carnival, and we must say it was probably the best cruise we've had so far. We actually enjoyed it so much, we are considering cruising the Destiny again next May.

We met up and hung out with our new friends from Cruise Critic, and none of them as well didn't have any bad experiences or complaints about our cruise.

Sounds like the problems that you had with your cruise and with what you picked apart, no wonder you didn't have such a wonderful time. I've read alot of bad reviews about the Destiny before we sailed, and i've come to the conclusion that some people can just never be satisfied!

[Tiffany1203]

Thank for posting your review! I enjoyed reading it! :D

[Cruisinini]

We sailed the Destiny on May 3rd for the 5 day cruise to Gt, HMC and Nassau. Alot of the problems that you mentioned, we didn't experience at all. Didn't see 1 drunk out of control the entire time, didn't feel the boat was old, or needed updating, and no issues at all during our entire time on the cruise. I get the impression that you are a very hard person to please. When you complain about the decor of a boat, then you are getting a little picky! As a family of 4, we loved the Paris show, as the music was great, the dancers were talented and it really kept our interest throughout the whole show.

This was our 3rd cruise with Carnival, and we must say it was probably the best cruise we've had so far. We actually enjoyed it so much, we are considering cruising the Destiny again next May.

We met up and hung out with our new friends from Cruise Critic, and none of them as well didn't have any bad experiences or complaints about our cruise.

Sounds like the problems that you had with your cruise and with what you picked apart, no wonder you didn't have such a wonderful time. I've read alot of bad reviews about the Destiny before we sailed, and i've come to the conclusion that some people can just never be satisfied!

 

Sandpiper,

 

I'm really glad you had a great cruise on Destiny and I am sorry that you got the impression from my review I did not have a wonderful time because I actually did!! I'm not a great writer by any means so thanks for reaffirming that I need to work on portraying myself better! I wanted to make an effort to return the kindness of others that have shared their experiences (good and not so good) on CC because they have helped me so much in planning my cruises.

 

Like you, I've read a number of the less than perfect things about Destiny before I left and also like you I was lucky and did not experience a lot of those things (smells, broken glass, missed ports) mentioned in those reviews. I'm sure you are very well aware that so many aspects of a cruise experience will differ from person to person and especially cruise to cruise. It would be boring and there would be no cruise critic or reviews to read if we all had the same things to say. From reading the reviews of the people that were on the same cruise as me, I know they had a very different experience from me, that's the nature and beauty of cruising.

 

I try to keep an open mind before and during the cruise so I do not allow others opinions to cloud my experience. I hope others would do the same after reading my review. It's just that - a review...good, bad, ugly, pretty, opinionated, critical, observatory, judgmental, tasty, hot, cold, and honest from MY point of view and mine only. I apologize for not adding a disclaimer at the beginning as I had originally contemplated. So perhaps I can pass you a grain of salt and then you can re-read my review?

 

 

 

In case there are others who read this review and pull out the negatives like you just pointed out and miss many of the positives, here is a brief summary of just a few of the many positives I mentioned:

• Our waiters did a great job.

• I [...] enjoyed attending the shows.

• Everyone in our group is a sushi lover so we were all excited to visit the evening sushi bar just outside the casino for a pre-dinner snack.

• I really liked the cabin hallways on this ship.

• Inside cabins are wonderfully dark if you like to sleep in such conditions.

• The shower is the largest I've had on a cruise ship as it went the length of bathroom which was quite nice.

• I'm a fan of the soups as appetizers and they were always delicious!

• I really enjoyed [the break dancers] but they rarely got the applause they deserved I think.

• Overall I had a great time and did not let [the negative] things effect my overall cruise experience. I'm of the belief that being on a cruise is better than being at work any day! These are just the types of things I would like to know when reading others reviews so I thought I'd share them.

Ok clearly I take too much time writing and write entirely too much LOL! But, I think Destiny and the itinerary we had were perfect choices especially for first timers like the 3 that came with us and just wanted a taste to see if they like cruising. I would really love to do the itinerary you had and would gladly go on Destiny again to experience it. I'm looking forward to finding and reading your review of your wonderful experience aboard Destiny!

[Froufie]

Thanks for the great review!

 

Wondering if you had a 'farewell party' on the last night for all guests (w/free drinks)?:D Would have been listed in the Fun Times I guess (5-6 pm on last evening).

 

Also was the dining room full or empty on Cozumel night? Do many people stay in port til close to the 10 pm departure? or would you say the ship seemed 'normal' with the usual amount of people onboard?

 

P.S Did you see any 'wandering chickens' in Key west? or better yet any pics? :)

[Meyer2]

Thanks for your review & sharing pics, I enjoyed all of it!

[LBumb]

great job. thanks

[Katie330]

I will be taking my mom on this ship for her first cruise in September. I was wondering if you kept copies of the Fun Times, and I am also curious about whether or not there was a welcome aboard or a farewell party with complimentary drinks.

 

Thanks for the informative review! (both the good AND the bad ;) )

[Cruisinini]

Wondering if you had a 'farewell party' on the last night for all guests (w/free drinks)?:D Would have been listed in the Fun Times I guess (5-6 pm on last evening).

 

I don't recall one but I'm not 100% certain so I'll check when I get home and let you know if there was one.

 

Also was the dining room full or empty on Cozumel night? Do many people stay in port til close to the 10 pm departure? or would you say the ship seemed 'normal' with the usual amount of people onboard?

 

It started off being nearly empty when we got there just after 8:15pm but by the time we had finished dinner an hour or so later it was probably around 2/3 full. I imagine at the early dining time it was pretty empty. I think a lot of people stay in port because the ship seemed quieter than "normal" when we first got back on board around 7 something.

 

P.S Did you see any 'wandering chickens' in Key west? or better yet any pics? :)

 

Of course! I was excited to see them because I know they're such a well known "feature" of Key West. Here are a few I documented:

 

 

 

Here's a mama and chicks we saw from the trolley on our way back to the ship. Apparently they are alive and well if they're reproducing!

 

I'm looking forward to reading your Valor review! Our first cruise was on the Valor and got us in this whole mess of "needing" to go on more cruises LOL!

[Froufie]

Thanks so much for the info and especially for the CHICKEN PICTURES! (can't wait to take some of my own pics next February!!!)

[Cruisinini]

I will be taking my mom on this ship for her first cruise in September. I was wondering if you kept copies of the Fun Times, and I am also curious about whether or not there was a welcome aboard or a farewell party with complimentary drinks.

 

Thanks for the informative review! (both the good AND the bad ;) )

 

Thanks Katie! I do have copies of the FunTimes except the Key West day. My excuse is DH borrowed it and didn't give it back to me so it probably got thrown out. Boo. :( Now that I've finished typing up my review, I'll see what I can do about getting them scanned/posted sometime this weekend.

 

I did not ever see any complimentary drinks at the welcome aboard, Captains celebration, or farewell but I didn't go looking for them either. There was a liquor tasting on the first night of the cruise that I think was free but I did not attend. I'll check the FunTimes (I so keep wanting to say Capers instead!) when I get home and let you know for sure since this seems to be a popular question.

 

I hope you and your mother enjoy your cruise! I want to go again!

[Froufie]

I'm sure there was a welcome aboard party - but no longer serving free drinks there - I understand the bars offer a special of $1.00 off drinks during the specified hours. Instead they have implemented a farewell party - last night of the cruise - where free drinks are available. Will wait and see if the funtimes/capers had this listed somewhere (probably hidden in the small print? :D)

[Katie330]

If you could get the Fun Times scanned, that would be so great! (I kept calling them Capers the whole time I was on the Valor in March). If you cant get them up on here, my email is ktmc330@yahoo.com. I usually do not want to see them in advance because I prefer to be surprised, but I want to see them this time because I chose early dining for my mom and me and I want to make sure that we are not going to miss any good activities with this dining time. Otherwise, I may switch us to late dining or my time dining. I have become kind of obsessed about trying to make this trip perfect for my mom :o, although, I really do know that we will have fun no matter what!