LONG! Carnival Destiny Review & Photos ~ 6-14-10 ~ 5 days to Grand Turk, HMC & Nassau

[Fall Cruiser]

I noticed that the Fun Times didn't mention any movies playing on the Lido deck movie screen. Was it not working or is it gone? I was really looking forward to a movie under the stars. Hopefully I just missed its listing in the Fun Times!

[boaterette]

What happened? Where did you go? this was looking like a good review. Hope all is well.

[Crus4US]

I noticed that the Fun Times didn't mention any movies playing on the Lido deck movie screen. Was it not working or is it gone? I was really looking forward to a movie under the stars. Hopefully I just missed its listing in the Fun Times!

 

I was on this same cruise. The screen was working and the listing were somewhere in the Fun Times. A lot of the time the NBA finals were on.

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Sorry about the LONG delay! Can you believe I stayed up until 3am on Sunday morning typing the first day of the cruise and when I hit "Submit Reply", everything was lost?! The next screen I saw was the CC sign-in page. I almost cried!!! Then on Sunday afternoon, "real life" interrupted... had to get DS ready for week-long church camp. Then, on Monday & Tuesday, DH took time off from work to spend time with me. Awww!!! Sorry... but hubby ranks higher than CC! LOL! Getting "re"-started now... hope I can remember everything I said the first time about embarkation day! :D

[CruiseVacationQueen]

I noticed that the Fun Times didn't mention any movies playing on the Lido deck movie screen. Was it not working or is it gone? I was really looking forward to a movie under the stars. Hopefully I just missed its listing in the Fun Times!

 

Hi, we were kinda' bummed about the Seaside Theater schedule. Here is what was scheduled our sailing:

 

Monday:

Beyonce concert... noon

Sheryl Crow concert... 6:30 pm

Marvin Gaye concert... 8:30 pm

Termonator Salvation... 10:30 pm

 

Tuesday:

James Brown concert... 6 pm

NBA Finals... 9 pm

Love Happens... midnight

 

Wednesday:

Yes Man... 4 pm

Sheryl Crow repeat... 6pm

Beyonce repeat... 8 pm >>> instead they aired "Julie & Julia"... We wished we had known about the that evening's schedule change in advance. We missed quite a bit of the beginning before accidently stumbling upon the movie at 9 pm. Would have liked to see that one!

 

Thursday:

Mariah Carey concert... 6 pm

NBA Finals... 9 pm

 

Friday:

Morning Show with Brent... 9 am

G Force... 3:30 pm

Marvin Gaye repeat... 5 pm

GI Joe Rise of The Cobra... 8:30 pm

More Than A Game... 10:30 pm

 

So, ironically, the day with the most movies was Friday... while we were in port at Nassau... and then while everyone was busy packing & enjoying the last few hours of being on the ship.

[PoofyTheCat]

Sorry about the LONG delay! Can you believe I stayed up until 3am on Sunday morning typing the first day of the cruise and when I hit "Submit Reply", everything was lost?! The next screen I saw was the CC sign-in page. I almost cried!!!

 

Please consider opening up Word, or any other program, saving the blank document FIRST and then begin writing your review. The program should automatically save your work every few minutes. Then when you're done, you can copy and paste to cruise critic. It's so frustrating to write something here and have it deleted by accident.

 

Thanks for taking the time to review! Really enjoying it!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

We leave Friday!!! Do you remember when the farewell party was (and did they have free drinks)

 

Look at Friday's Activities schedule at 4:30 pm... which is in Post #11 of this thread. The Farewell Celebration is (hidden) under "ALL GUESTS BACK ON BOARD". We noticed it listed in the schedule that morning, but unfortunately... we forgot about it until too late and didn't attend. Sorry I don't have that info!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Please consider opening up Word, or any other program, saving the blank document FIRST and then begin writing your review. The program should automatically save your work every few minutes. Then when you're done, you can copy and paste to cruise critic. It's so frustrating to write something here and have it deleted by accident.

 

Thanks for taking the time to review! Really enjoying it!

 

YES! That's what I am doing this time! Thank you for the excellent advice!

[cruisienewbie]

YES! That's what I am doing this time! Thank you for the excellent advice!

 

Great review! Can't wait to hear the rest. Sorry about the computer problems.:D

[As You Wish]

I enjoy readling all the details. Thanks for a great start to your review.

[CruiseVacationQueen]

We were kinda' bummed to realize that we didn't take any pictures of the Pop Century Resort or the Hyatt Place North hotel rooms. Under the (hot!) circumstances, I guess that's understandable. Do want to mention that both rooms were very nice and had large, flat-screen TV's. The Disney room had 2 full beds and a separate changing area just outside the bathroom. The HPN room had 2 full beds, large vanity area outside the bathroom, separate living room with pull-out sofa sleeper, and separate wet bar area with a large mirror, sink and fridge. Lots of room for several people to be getting ready all at once. We highly recommend both of these properties for both short and long stays. Okay, now... on to the review!!!

 

 

Day 1 ~ Embarkation

 

So, the Big Day is here at last! Woo! Hoo! We wake up and get moving around 8 am. Beds at the Hyatt Place North are very comfy and we all slept well. We take fresh showers, re-pack what had been removed and then head down to the lobby for breakfast. Today's offerings included whole fruits (apples & bananas), real fresh-cut fruit (cantaloupe, grapes & citrus), a good assortment of cereals, danish, English muffins, toast, oatmeal, etc. The breakfast included several flavors of hot teas and coffee, too. Although the offerings are limited, the quality of the food is very good... and "Free!" doesn't hurt, either! Besides, in just a few short hours we will be enjoying our first lunch on the Destiny! Yay!

 

We load the bags in the car, set the GPS to Port of Miami, and hit the road... before 10 am! The drive takes less than expected today... we arrive in under 30 minutes. The first sighting of those cruise ships in port is as exciting as ever! We spot 2 whale tails, an NCL ship & an RCCL ship as we drive over the bridge. The other ships turn out to be the CCL Imagination, NCL Sky & RCCL Majesty of the Seas. We wait in line (impatiently!)behind two other cars at the parking booth. Finally, we get to pay the $100 parking fee (ouch!) and easily find a space up close. Where is everyone? There is only a handful of people around, and they all appear to be leaving. Woo! Hoo! We beat the crowd! We roll our luggage across the street and tell the anxious porter that we are carrying on all our luggage. He just shakes his head in disappointment! As we enter the terminal, we answer "YES!" when asked if we are cruising today! We step right up to the Carnival rep who examines our Fun Pass and passports. She then directs us over to the security area. We load our luggage, one by one, onto the x-ray scanner belt and then step through the metal detector. As the first bag goes through the scanner, the officer watching the monitor called out "2 wine bottles". The lady officer beside us then asks if they contain wine. We say "yes" and then she asks us to open the luggage so the wine can be verified. (Wow, never had that happen before! Hmmm... guess the rumors on CC are true. Carnival is cracking down at the Port of Miami!) I unzip the bag and present the bottles to her for inspection. Just as I am putting the wine back in the bag, the officer behind the scanner calls out: "2 more bottles" again. We say "that's wine also!" and the lady officer says, "that's fine, except there is a 1 bottle per person limit." Ugh! The words we did not want to hear! Thankfully, she said we could take the 2 extra bottles of wine back to the car, as they weren't very busy, yet. So, DS accompanied me back to the car while DH stood guard over our bags. Luckily, the security area was nearly empty and we were parked close. We went to the car and back in just a couple of minutes. DH said that while we were gone, the Sergeant kept telling DH to "move ahead... no waiting in the security area!". DH said the lady officer told the Sergeant that DH was waiting for his family, but Sergeant was very unpleased. We got back just in time to hear the Sergeant bellow "move ahead" to DH for the last time. Yikes... he was mad!

 

So, up the escalator we ride into the main terminal! Yay, we made it to the upper echelon! A smiling Carnival face greets us and directs us to proceed to the right side of the terminal. As we approach, I can see that there are a few people bunched together near the front, but I can't tell what they are doing. Gasp! They are passengers... and they are standing in front of red boxes. Can it be that Carnival is now using self-check kiosks? Yes!!! No!!! I gasp and take a few steps back. DH and DS and ask "what's wrong?" when they see the expression my face. I tell them that I cannot check in at a box... I must check in with a smiling face that says "Welcome back!". They give each other a puzzled look, and I re-trace my steps back to the first smiling face, who has also noticed my despair. She nods when I explain my need for human contact and (ever-so-reluctantly) directs us to the left side of the terminal. I bolt to the left side, where three more smiling faces are standing behind the desk... just waiting to welcome me back! DH and DS follow obediently. There is no one in line and we step right up to one of the smiling faces. I explain the funny look on my face and my need for human-assisted check-in. The Carnival rep smiles even bigger and asks if we arrived by plane. I hesitantly answer "No" not knowing of that was the "correct" answer. She explains that the passengers who arrived by plane at the Miami airport must check in at the kiosks, and that those arriving by other means are "encouraged" to use the kiosks if they have pre-registered online. She said the reps are there mainly to assist passengers who did not register online ahead of time, but are happy to assist passengers (such as myself!) who prefer NOT to use the kiosks (provided they didn't arrive by plane). Hmmm... note to self: do not pre-register on line with Carnival in the future! Only kidding! More like... never fly directly to the port of embarkation on the day of sailing. I am assuming that what she was explaining was for the passengers with transfers directly from the airport, where they were met by Carnival staff who "checked them in" at the airport. Anyway... maybe we will use the kiosks in the future. I just didn't like being surprised like that unannounced! LOL! And... we didn't see or hear anyone complaining about their kiosk-assisted check-in experience. I am sure it was fine... maybe!

 

So, after the smiling face checked us in, she handed us our Sail & Sign cards and a Zone #2 boarding pass (yes!). We then headed over to snag some of the empty seats close to the boarding escalator. Below is the first official photo of the vacation. Isn't that a pretty view?!

 

 

Okay... real life is interrupting... AGAIN! Taking dad to doctor... hope to be back online tonight!

[Sarah@Sea]

I want to know what you had at Grandpa's...lol! I just found out about that place and haven't had a chance to go try it out.

[bloops]

And... we didn't see or hear anyone complaining about their kiosk-assisted check-in experience. I am sure it was fine... maybe!

 

We used the kiosk and it was fine until I had to swipe my credit card. I tried swiping it in the same slot used to swipe my passport. After 12 failed attempts, my 9 yo grandson suggested I use the correct slot :D

[oncruisecontrol]

Very nice start. Cannot wait for more.

[CruiseVacationQueen]

I want to know what you had at Grandpa's...lol! I just found out about that place and haven't had a chance to go try it out.

 

Hi... due to the "techincal difficulties" we didn't make it to Grampa's this trip! Waaaa! :( But, I can tell you everything we've tried (and LOVED) on past trips:

 

(1) the pancakes are THE BEST IN THE WORLD!

(2) the french toast is AMAZING!

(3) the lamb shank is INCREDIBLE!

(4) the open-faced roast beef sandwich is AWESOME!

(5) the french-onion soup is SCRUMPTIOUS!

(6) the chef's salad is SUPER-DUPER!

(7) the spaghetti & meatballs is FANTASTIC-O!

 

Let's see... what else have we enjoyed? I can't remember all the fabulous dishes we've had at Grampa's except to say they've all been worth the 4 hour drive to get there!

 

And... last, but certainly not least! the plate of homemade "danish-bread" they serve (complimentary) when you eat there is the morning is FABULOUS!

 

So... get there as soon as you can! :)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

We used the kiosk and it was fine until I had to swipe my credit card. I tried swiping it in the same slot used to swipe my passport. After 12 failed attempts, my 9 yo grandson suggested I use the correct slot :D

 

Hello, fellow roll-call member! That is too funny! LOL! Thanks for sharing and feel free to add additional comments through-out the review!

 

Thanks everyone for your interest! As you can see, I'm back online! DS is still away at camp and DH won't be home from work until 9 pm... so that gives me almost 8 hours to get to "work" on more of the review! Will have more posted shortly... provided no "life interruptions"! ;)

[ScoobyGal]

A great big thanks for doing this wonderful review. We sail on Destiny in August and can't wait. Please know that all the effort that you're putting into this review is much appreciated! Looking forward to the rest of the review.

[CruiseVacationQueen]

So... this is the excellent view from our seats close to Boarding Escalator A, on the left side of the terminal! Doesn't DH look excited to have his picture taken... not?!

 

 

 

 

Don't let the weak smiles fool you... we are very excited! Just a bit exhausted and dehydrated, at this point! LOL!

 

 

 

 

According to the time stamp on the photo below, it's 10:09 am. How much longer will we have to wait??? Just as the sign (in the top left corner of the picture) instructs, we plan to visit the Shore Excursion Desk to sign up for a Cabana on Half Moon Cay and the Behind The Fun Tour! Still not very many people in the terminal... but additional passengers are starting to arrive. Glad we have a Zone #2 card, so we can be one of the first to board!

 

 

 

 

Here's a view of those self-check kiosks already mentioned. I had to zoom-in to the right side of the terminal to get this shot. I don't see any smiling faces... just saying!

 

 

 

 

Hey! There's the Imagination's whale tail peeking in at the top of the window! Sneaky fella'!

 

 

 

 

 

And, then....

 

 

 

 

in what seemed like an eternity....

 

 

 

 

but in reality was only 25 minutes later...

 

 

 

 

WE'RE OFF!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Up next: the (what seemed like a long!) walk on the run-way to the Destiny!

[kenrod]

I am really enjoying your review so far CruiseVacationQueen!

 

Looking forward to reading more and seeing some pictures of the ship. Many thanks for your effort.

[CruiseVacationQueen]

We waited patiently for our turn to ride that magical escalator up to the boarding platform! First, they called for all VIP's and wedding parties. About 30 people took the ride up those wonderful, moving stairs. A few minutes later, they called for all the people with Zone #1 cards. Another 20 or so people took their turn (lucky-dogs!). Then... (finally!) we heard those words we had so desperately hoped for: "Now calling all Zone #2 passengers to board!" I sincerely apologize if we cut anybody off in our haste to get on the escalator. If we did, we didn't even see you... promise! And, it was nothing personal... just our primal-urge to "get-the-heck-out-of-dodge-and-go-on-vacation-already"! LOL!

Here's one last glimpse of the terminal, which is slowly starting to fill up:

Note for those who have never sailed out of Miami: Do you see the other escalator on the far side of the room? That's boarding Escalator B. You can ride either escalator up and both sides meet in the middle of the boarding platform, where a Carnival rep asks to see your Fun Pass again (and ID, I think?) before letting you pass through the run-way tunnel (which looks similar to the gates used at airports).

After a brief pause to get our Fun Passes checked, we were cleared to enter the tunnel! We made it! We're in! Nice to see that big smile, DH!

[sunset785]

I'm getting very excited! One Week! Woo-hoo!!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Oops! I hit "enter" by mistake, which posted the last entry prematurely! LOL! Here's the rest of our trip through the tunnel:

 

 

DS makes a bee-line around every corner. We have to hustle just to keep up with him!

 

 

 

At last! The end of the tunnel is in plain view! Notice DS has S&S card ready in his hand! Only a few more step before we have our pictures made at the security kiosk and hear the first "Boing!" of the cruise!

 

 

 

 

Picture and boing... check! And, in a photo-finish... DS wins! He's the first to get his foot in the door!

 

 

 

 

 

We all step inside and inhale that familiar "Carnival cruise-ship smell" of polished brass and leather. It smells wonderful... and nothing like the "other smell" mentioned in some recent CC reviews. Thank goodness! We easily find a corner in the (beautiful!) atrium to park our luggage, and put DS in charge of guarding everything while DH & I head over to the Excursion Desk!

 

 

 

 

 

Our trip to the Excursion desk is a success! We snag Cabana #11 (our first choice, thanks to a previous review here on CC that mentions the hammocks on either side!) and we sign up for the Behind The Fun Tour, which will be on the last morning (while in port at Nassau) of the cruise. See our triumphant smiles?

 

 

 

 

 

Time for some refreshments! DH opts for an Ultimate Margarita and I choose a Mojito!

 

 

 

 

 

DS is craving a glass of Carnival Iced Tea, so I volunteer to take him up to the Lido deck. DH says he'll gladly watch over the luggage while we are gone. Awww! Isn't he sweet? I'm sure it has little to do with the cold beverage in front of him! LOL!

 

 

Up next: more pictures of the beautiful Destiny on Embarkation Day!

[tradewinds traveler]

Great review so far, we are enjoying it! We are thinking about this cruise for the spring. Can't wait for the rest of the review!

[GetMeToABeach]

Thank you so much for the review. I know it's a lot of work, but it's awesome so far! I think we are going to do this cruise next summer. That is sooo far away, but the best we can do right now. :( Until then, I'll cruise vicariously through you! :D

[CruiseVacationQueen]

DH dutifully watches our stuff while DS and I go in search of Iced Tea. The Lido buffet is already getting packed (it's just before noon), but the line to the Deli is EMPTY! We step right up to the deli counter and order a Turkey on Country roll for DS and a Pressed Reuben for me. The Deli cooks are very friendly, and they prepare our sandwiches in what seemed like record time! We fill two cups with iced tea for DS and return to the Atrium to eat our bounty! My Mojito is even untouched (or appears to be, at least!) upon our return. About the sandwiches: DS goes on (and on!) about that being the best turkey he as ever tasted! My Reuben is piled high with meat and oozing, melted cheese! You'll have to take my word for it, because this is all that is left of our foraging: (notice DS is giddy from all that tasty turkey!)

 

 

 

 

DS ponders all the Fun Times ahead!

 

 

 

 

DH & I step out to the Promenade deck for a few pictures! Ahhh... puffy-white clouds!

 

 

 

 

And... brilliant, blue skies!

 

 

 

 

A life boat overhead... with our favorite number nine!

 

 

 

 

 

And a neat shot of a life preserver... with that gorgeous water in Miami Harbor in the background!

 

 

 

 

We step back inside for a few pictures of the Atrium. It's getting closer and closer to 1:30 pm... and we are eager to see our room and unpack our luggage!

 

Up next: ... back inside the Atrium!