review of my 3/1 Destiny Crusie- Friendship fun ship!

[rutgersgirl27]

Background: this was a girl's weekend cruise.

 

Day 1

There were 3 of us, and we couldn't fly in the day before. We got the first flights out, which meant i was at the airport at 3:30 am. Met my friend who was flying out with me, and we boarded the plane.

 

We did the carnival shuttle, which worked out well. a lot of people had gotten early flights so we left straight away for the ship. A representative met us by baggage claim (lots of reps from different lines were there). We booked a grand suite, which worked perfectly. The VIP lounge was a major bonus, as we were all exhausted from our travels. It was nice to have a quiet place to sit, and take stock of the fact that we were ON VACATION!

 

After boarding the ship, we grabbed lunch, and then lounge chairs in the aft part of the ship. I’ve never boarded that early, it was wonderful to have our pick of tables and chairs. We splurged a bit on pizza and frozen yogurt before heading to our cabin to drop off stuff. The grand suite was certainly grand, the 2 sinks were helpful in the 3 of us getting ready on time. There were more than enough drawers and closets for our things.

 

We left a bit early for the muster drill, in part to explore the ship. I'm really not a fan of carnival ship layouts. I feel like I'm always getting lost. Finally we found our muster station...and we waited. And then we waited. And also we waited. I went down to check what was going on and noticed there were still people checking in. Figured that they would make an announcement about the holdup, but if they did, I didn't catch it. They let us outside, and I thought "hey, will take a few minutes, and then we can stake our spots for watching us disembark, but no. Now we waited outside in the heat. By the time the drill started, no one was listening or taking it seriously. At this point, I was feeling somewhat overwhelmed, being exhausted from travel, already a little dehydrated. Not my best drill.

 

My friends and I managed to get out ahead of the crowds, we went upstairs to our cabin to change to swimsuits, and headed for the lido deck. The rest of the day was spent exploring, going to the hot-tub, and listening to music after dinner (Justin Tyme (can't recall his actual last name) played guitar in the main lobby bar. I loved that he took requests.

 

For dinner we did the anytime dining, which was new for me. I prefer a set time, personally. It worked out well enough. Dinner was my first of many fish options, tilapia with a small side of macaroni and cheese, and veggies. I splurged on the cheesecake, and greatly enjoyed seeing my friends have their first taste of warm chocolate melting cake!

 

Day 2

Key West!

This was a major shopping day for us. I loved the conch train ride to town, very informative. We were planning on just walking around, so it was a bonus to get that mini tour. As someone who has been on route 1 many a time, it was fun to see it's origins.

 

We hit the major shops, as well as whatever struck our fancy. I got a gorgeous print of a beach scene from a local gallery, and we redeemed whatever coupons we could for free jewelry. It was nice to see a CVS as well, because I forgot a few key items, and didn't want to pay ship prices. You'll find sunscreen for much less than on the ship. We couldn't have asked for a lovelier day, and what could be better for bonding than shopping? We did pass a conch train (more of a trolley) that had broken down, so it might have been less fun for other passengers, though. I wonder if that was part of why we disembarked late?

 

I was also able to call my husband on my cell without paying a ridiculous fee. This was my first trip away without him. I missed him a whole bunch (still newly-wed like), and it was nice to get to call him before Cozumel. We spent the rest of our time lounging around by the pool while a friend had a spa treatment. It was beautiful out, so we swam for a bit, and hit the hot tub when we started to get a bit cold. There weren't a lot of kids on the ship, so it was a little quieter. After ordering a goat cheese pizza (so yum!) for our lunch, we relaxed until dinner.

 

Dinner didn't quite inspire me, so my friend and I shared the Indian veggie meal, and the grilled salmon. I really enjoyed the Indian food. I don't have it quite often, so it was exciting to try something new. It wasn't that spicy, it was a good plate to get you introduced to that type of cuisine. I wish we could have spent more time in Key West, but I think we got a lot out of it. Time to plan for Cozumel!

[rutgersgirl27]

Day 3

Sadly, I was still waking up early (7am) so i decided to try they yoga class. This was $12.00 and well worth it. It was a challenge because of the rocking of the ship, but it was definitely a relaxing experience. Our instructor was very good at accommodating the beginners (me) and those with more experience. We had breakfast, attending the shopping guide show (I wanted a map, and info on transportation available), and grabbed lunch. I also went to the computer section to check in with family (spouse)

This was where most of my money on board the ship was spent. I bought a package, which had a 3.00 activation fee. The service was so slow that it seemed like we were emailing, not chatting. That's not the ship's fault; there was a warning about the speed being slow. Still, though. It was quiet costly. Worth it, but costly.

 

We were docking in Cozumel later than we were supposed to because of a technical ship issue (couldn't quite understand the captain's message) that limited our speed.

 

We then went to the main theater (Palladium) for disembarking for our excursions. We did ours through the ship, it was $25 for a beginning snorkeling excursion. It seemed like a good price for a guided hour-long tour, and we got to spend as much time as we wanted in the water afterwards. We had lockers to store our stuff, and showers to rinse off. We took a taxi downtown to enjoy the shops. I found a better-stocked-than-the-ship cosmetics store. Those stores seemed to close at around 6pm, but the shops rights by the ship were open late.

 

We managed to drag ourselves to dinner after a loooonnng and fun day. I managed to tan, not burn! We were exhausted, and spent the rest of the night relaxing.

 

Day 4

We slept in a bit, and got breakfast. We were determined to get as much out of Destiny as possible. We went swimming, packed, went to the information session on future cruises, got lunch, donated to Groove for St Jude, attended the art auction, oh and we won the film trivia quiz.

 

We headed for one last swim before dinner, and we went for our last dinner on board. I had my last piece of fish, the mahi-mahi. Wasn’t bad by any means, but after so many servings of fish, I think I’ll take a break for a while. My friends were determined to see the comedy show. Because of the boat rocking, they canceled the final show, and move the comedy shows to the main theater. I wasn’t too keen on the comedian, so I left to purchase a last minute souvenir, and listen to music in the lobby.

 

After one last attempt to re-pack, and playing my own scavenger hunt game of "where, and why did I put that there..." it was then time for bed.

 

Post-cruise

 

We woke up early for a last bit of searching the room for things, and eating breakfast. We purchased an excursion through the ship so that we had something to do before our flights back home. We went on an airboat to the everglades, with a ride to the airport afterwards. It was beautiful. It was amazing to see all the animals in their own habitat. I loved it. We were also able to store our suitcases, and carry-ons on the bus, and got some information about Miami on the way to the airport.

 

Summary

 

 

All in all, it was a good vacation. We were 3 girls looking to catch up, and relax. This ship was perfect for that. I don’t know that I’d want to be on that ship when it is full of families, and such. I think it might be too small for me if I was on a different type of vacation. I had so much fun, though, and will always think of Destiny as the friendship funship.

[kelzbelz77]

What a wonderful review! I am so glad you guys had a great time!

[smplyblessed619]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to post and I'm glad you enjoyed your trip :)