Destiny Review 5-24-12

[jewels4488]

Destiny 5-24-12

First review. Doubt I will write another due to the great possibility I will not cruise again. This was my fourth cruise, all Carnival. The main reason is that simple fact, that when the boat is rocking, I can’t get off. Period. We had rough seas the first night. 8 of the 12 of us did not make it through dinner, and went to our cabins very early. Rough seas again on the last night. No one got “sick”, but it was uncomfortable with medicine and sea bands. I do not recall this happening but once on the other three cruises. Still, my husband and I will not choose this vacation type again.

Now to the good stuff. We cruised with 6 other couples. We only had one sad thing happen during our trip. One of the couples missed a connecting flight, therefore missed the boat. They made it to Miami that night, then flew to Key West and boarded there, $300 each to get on the boat. Hated that!!

It rained til about 3pm on sail away day, cleared off just in time for us to go up on deck and see Miami go by. Had a “Kiss on the Lips” in hand, ready to go. FYI, lots of posted said that was their favorite drink, best tip I got. All the girls in my group drank them for the entire cruise! As I said, the first night was rocking, by 5pm, I headed back to the room. Tried to not think about it, but I was not the only one having trouble. Purchased sea bands. I believe they helped. We had late dinner. We all started fine, but for some reason it was hot and with the motion of the ship. Most of us left by the main course. We had a great seat on the second level of the Universal dining room, in the very back where the big windows are. It was only hot in the dining room on this one occasion.

I am not going to continue giving you the play by play, but rather tell you some things we did, and my opinions on general subjects

Food

 

Buffets: We enjoyed them all. A tip would be going early on sail away to eat. Also, the right buffet on the Lido deck had the same “main” options as the inside buffet, much shorter line. The buffet in the aft pool area never had a line, hot dogs, burgers, chicken and fries. Pizza was on the other side, it was quick as well, if you were grabbing something premade. If you didn’t mind to wait 10 min, they would make you something special.

 

MDR: Hum…… I’m sorry, we were not overly impressed. Having said that, EVERYTHING we got was hot and served quickly. If we want more of anything, it was delivered with speed. Impressed with how well the ship can feed everyone. The service was good. The salmon, available every night, was my favorite. The stuffed mushrooms and bitter and blanc were great as well. We had breakfast in the MDR 2 mornings, one being debarkation, and it was good both times. We met nice people and enjoyed being waited on.

 

Room service: Only once, last night, late. Took maybe 20 mins, not long. Everything was good, BLT and chocolate cake. It was one of my favorite deserts.

 

Shows

 

Comedy shows: We saw the same guy twice during the adult shows. Too funny. Favorite moments on the ship!

 

Dancing/singing:The first night before dinner we saw a show, dancers and singers. It was entertaining, fun, but we didn’t go to another one.

 

Game show: We watched the Newlywed show and it was what you would expect, funny! We stayed and played bingo right after the show.

Ports

 

Key West: We had 12 people, decided to rent 2, 6 seater golf carts. Glad we did. We drove them to the southernmost point first. Next we went down the Kermits Key lime pie shop. We also had Conch fritters at a bar on the water. Not what I thought they would be, but ok. Next we had drinks at sloppy Joes, then toured Tonys “The Original Sloppy Joe’s”. Go there, it’s cool to see what the inside looks like. We did lots of shopping/browsing, making our way back to the ship.

 

Cozumel: Got a taxi to go to the shopping area downtown, took cab back. Stayed at Fat Tuesdays for just long enough…… shopped some more. Then went back on the boat for dinner. Cozumel was not great for us. The locals were very pushy. If we were to go back, I would take a jeep tour, or something, just shop at the port, not bad there.

 

Miami: We went to Bayside to, wait for it, to SHOP. I really didn’t buy that much, but I really enjoy browsing. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe. They missed the boat on customer service. It was one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve been a part of. Our friends took a boat ride to see houses….they liked it.

Ship

 

Pools: Small, but ok. We got in them to cool off, but not after I found the showers. The hot tub was not hot one time and hot a different time, both in the aft swim area. The lido deck is just so…….crowded, loud, busy. We liked the aft area but the breeze was limited, not many children J . As a group, we stayed on the Lido deck 10. We were out on the Lido deck on our sea day by 9:30. By 11am, there were no chairs to be had. We had a group of 14, and had 11 chairs, I think. We used them til about 2:30. There were many people looking. The only time ours were not being used is when the guys went to the slide. Most everyone didn’t get up to eat, they were drinking. I on the other hand did go get some lunch and at it in my chair. I saw lots of chairs with items on them, but mostly people were in them. It was a great sea day and people were out in the sun.

Décor: I think it’s fine, over the top as it should be. If you look in the cracks, you will see wear.

 

Stateroom: Interior, deck 8 near Rotunda elevators. Noise was not an issue. We used a sound machine/alarm clock, thankful to have it. The white noise drowns everything out, and there is no clock in the rooms. We liked our location, climb one floor for the pools and eating, or go down three for everything else. We never waited long for elevators. The room steward took great care of us. The first night I asked for a bucket of ice, and he refilled it the remainder of the trip, without asking. The shower was fine. The space in the bathroom was fine too. I was so worried about that, but I just made use of the same we had. Of our friends, one said their shower didn’t drain well, and one couple had no A/c. Well, the room temp never dropped below 78. Carnival attempted to solve this issue, but never did get them a/c. Rooms were clean. Bed was comfortable and we slept great. One day our tv would not turn on. Made one call, arrived maybe 10 mins later and fixed it. Yeah!

 

Casino: Great.

 

Photos: Didn’t buy any, took our own. No pressure for them to take photos

 

Embarkation: A breeze. We checked in at 10, waiting til 11:15 and boarded. They said the room would be ready at 1:30, went to the floor to check at 1, and it was ok to go in. They were ready. We got all our bags by 2. There were no lines for food at this time, but that changed as more people came on, by 1-2, it was crowded.

 

Disembarkation: A breeze. We put our bags out the night before. Got up at 7:30. Went to then MDR by 8-8:15. We had a great breakfast. They did call our zone before we finished, but no hurry, flight left at 5pm. We left the boat about 9. We waited for a cab, and were at mia boarding passing in hand by 9:45. We were at Bayside by 10:00.

 

All in all, we had a great time with our friends, and the boat was fun, when she wasn't rocking :D

[Elmo31]

Thanks for the review. Thats to bad you were feeling yechy for part of the time :( We will be sailing her on a back to back (10 days total) in october. I cant wait. I heard there isnt any storage in the bathroom? Is this true? who was your cruise director and how was he/she? Did they sell future cruise certificates? sorry so many questions :confused: thanks for your help and welcome back to reality :)

[jewels4488]

Thanks for the review. Thats to bad you were feeling yechy for part of the time :( We will be sailing her on a back to back (10 days total) in october. I cant wait. I heard there isnt any storage in the bathroom? Is this true? who was your cruise director and how was he/she? Did they sell future cruise certificates? sorry so many questions :confused: thanks for your help and welcome back to reality :)

 

Noonan, and he was ok. The only time I saw him was at the game show.

Yes they offered the FCC's.

There was no storage in the bathroom, but there was a small bowl of samples they provided. I dumped those in the closet and filled the bowl with our items. I bought trial size items since we were there for a short time. I also had 2 compact bags that I carry bathroom stuff in. I just set those on the counter. No problem. If you have one of those hang up bathroom backs, that would work great.

Put our suitcase under the bed and fillled it with our dirty clothes.

About the ship, even though I was so ready for it to come to any port, I did have a great time! I spoke with many people who have sailed 15 plus times and said that this was the most they have felt a ship move. There were 2 storms the week we were out. The Gulf was calm, but from the tip of Florida and up was not. Oh well.

I'm sure you will have a great time!! :)

[K1mmyD]

The ship really rocked and rolled because of a depression that had sat for a week between Florida and Cuba (flooded Miami). It churned the seas up pretty good. I was really worried, as I get motion sickness TERRIBLE! I always have taken dramamine and it helped, but left me feeling alittle foggy :(. I still enjoyed myself, but the side effects SUCK. I decided on taking ginger capsules - IT WORKED AWESOME! Absolutley no side effects, and as much as that boat rocked, I was completely fine. I did not have even a twinge of nausea!!!! :D I cannot believe it! I can't put into words how exciting this is for me - 20 plus years and I finally do not have to take medication! I saw it on mythbusters, so glad I found that episode.

[Mommzie]

Nice review...i sail the destiny in 3 months

[C_hasRedBottoms]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. It was well written and easy to follow. Sorry to hear about your motion sickness.

[jewels4488]

I wanted to comment on something else. I read lots of reviews and some mentioned a sewer smell. My husband and I both agree on this. We did smell a slight sewer smell, but it was random, and did not effect us in any way. We don't rememeber smelling it on deck 8, but again, it wasn't bad when we did smell something.

 

Thanks for the comments. If you have any questions, please ask and I'll try to answer.

I tried to post a picture, no luck.

[jewels4488]

The ship really rocked and rolled because of a depression that had sat for a week between Florida and Cuba (flooded Miami). It churned the seas up pretty good. I was really worried, as I get motion sickness TERRIBLE! I always have taken dramamine and it helped, but left me feeling alittle foggy :(. I still enjoyed myself, but the side effects SUCK. I decided on taking ginger capsules - IT WORKED AWESOME! Absolutley no side effects, and as much as that boat rocked, I was completely fine. I did not have even a twinge of nausea!!!! :D I cannot believe it! I can't put into words how exciting this is for me - 20 plus years and I finally do not have to take medication! I saw it on mythbusters, so glad I found that episode.

 

 

Glad you have overcome the motion sickness! I took ginger pills as well, the week before and the first day. For some reason I quit after that. I was speaking to a lady yesterday and she said she felt the same way I did when she cruised, not sick, just her head was messed up. Still, we really had fun!

[K1mmyD]

Glad you have overcome the motion sickness! I took ginger pills as well, the week before and the first day. For some reason I quit after that. I was speaking to a lady yesterday and she said she felt the same way I did when she cruised, not sick, just her head was messed up. Still, we really had fun!

 

I took a ginger capsule 4 times a day. It is ONLY for nausea. Ginger is takes effect almost as soon as the capsule dissolves in your tummy. It does not work like dramamine or other drugs that block the signal to your brain. I was stunned - but it worked like a charm. I felt the boat move (ALOT), and as much as I could I looked at the horizon. I am still rocking a little bit - mostly at my desk at work :eek: I have to get up and walk. lol I am glad you had fun - my hubby and I did also. ;)

[lissa42886]

any pics??? i leave in 69 days!!!

[rstout]

I was on this cruise, as well. We went on the ship knowing she is older and in need of a refurb. Yes, you can see some rust, and we did have a toilet seat in our cabin that was a bit broken, but that was the only issue we had as far as things not working. The staff were great, in general, with the exception of the dining room staff on the first night. They improved greatly the other nights. We also had issues with not receiving drinks or refills (using soda card or free drinks) in a timely manner at times (this did not seem to be an issue for those that were paying bar tabs).

 

To add a few comments of our pros/cons, if I may:

 

Pros:

- Embarkation was really great. Debarkation was smooth, as well. We used Carnival transportation to the airport from the ship, which was convenient.

- Most of the kids club activities were in a night club, but the kids had a great time.

 

Cons

- We have been on Carnival before and on 3-4 day cruises on other lines, but this was our first 4 day cruise on Carnival and WOW, what a difference from our previous experience. This was not a family cruise atmosphere. With the exception of the sail away day, by the middle of the afternoon we had to leave the pool area because of the party atmosphere that took over and the drunk people that had no regard for the kids in the pool area.

- I was so excited to have a cabin on the lido deck, and for convenience it was great. However, we were near the elevator (cabin 9195) and the noise from people yelling in the hallways at night, using the elevators, or watching a basketball game six decks down in the atrium kept me up at night.

 

Our son did get sick from motion sickness one night in the middle of the cruise, but it wasn't a huge factor for us otherwise. We did enjoy our cruise, but I think this will be our last with Carnival.

[K1mmyD]

I was on this cruise, as well. We went on the ship knowing she is older and in need of a refurb. Yes, you can see some rust, and we did have a toilet seat in our cabin that was a bit broken, but that was the only issue we had as far as things not working. The staff were great, in general, with the exception of the dining room staff on the first night. They improved greatly the other nights. We also had issues with not receiving drinks or refills (using soda card or free drinks) in a timely manner at times (this did not seem to be an issue for those that were paying bar tabs).

 

To add a few comments of our pros/cons, if I may:

 

Pros:

- Embarkation was really great. Debarkation was smooth, as well. We used Carnival transportation to the airport from the ship, which was convenient.

- Most of the kids club activities were in a night club, but the kids had a great time.

 

Cons

- We have been on Carnival before and on 3-4 day cruises on other lines, but this was our first 4 day cruise on Carnival and WOW, what a difference from our previous experience. This was not a family cruise atmosphere. With the exception of the sail away day, by the middle of the afternoon we had to leave the pool area because of the party atmosphere that took over and the drunk people that had no regard for the kids in the pool area.

- I was so excited to have a cabin on the lido deck, and for convenience it was great. However, we were near the elevator (cabin 9195) and the noise from people yelling in the hallways at night, using the elevators, or watching a basketball game six decks down in the atrium kept me up at night.

 

Our son did get sick from motion sickness one night in the middle of the cruise, but it wasn't a huge factor for us otherwise. We did enjoy our cruise, but I think this will be our last with Carnival.

 

This cruise, I do not feel represents Carnival very well - I have been on others and they are not like this Memorial Day Weekend cruise. It was a cheap cruise for young 20 somethings. (I swear Jersey Shore was there lol) Do not let this ruin your perception of Carnival, I have never seen it so rowdy :eek:. My DH and I had a great time! I research everything - We knew what were getting into so were not surprised by the younger crowd. They get up late so Lido Pool was Awesome until almost lunch!!

 

We already knew not to get cabin on Lido and thought we picked our cabin ok on Verandah (not under pool) BUT - we were just too close to elevators - Annoying sometimes. We had earplugs. We did however come back and move to another cabin for our cruise on the Breeze next year ;)

[rstout]

I was wondering if it would be worse with it being Memorial Day weekend, but I thought perhaps the families might balance it out. That was definitely not the case! We still had a great time, and I learn something new with every cruise as far as where I do and don't want my cabin for next time.

[chiefillini99]

Jewels you said there were 12 in your party. I'm wondering if you all sat at the same table in the MDR or if you had to split up. I'm trying to find out what the biggest table will hold. Thanks.

[1subject2change1]

The ship really rocked and rolled because of a depression that had sat for a week between Florida and Cuba (flooded Miami). It churned the seas up pretty good. I was really worried, as I get motion sickness TERRIBLE! I always have taken dramamine and it helped, but left me feeling alittle foggy :(. I still enjoyed myself, but the side effects SUCK. I decided on taking ginger capsules - IT WORKED AWESOME! Absolutley no side effects, and as much as that boat rocked, I was completely fine. I did not have even a twinge of nausea!!!! :D I cannot believe it! I can't put into words how exciting this is for me - 20 plus years and I finally do not have to take medication! I saw it on mythbusters, so glad I found that episode.

Where do you get ginger capsules at?

[K1mmyD]

Where do you get ginger capsules at?

 

I purchased the ginger capsules at a drug store. Either Walgreens or Rite aid.

[jewels4488]

Jewels you said there were 12 in your party. I'm wondering if you all sat at the same table in the MDR or if you had to split up. I'm trying to find out what the biggest table will hold. Thanks.

 

We had 12 the first night and we had 2 tables beside each other. The other nights we had 14, and we kept the same tables, added one chair to the end of each table. As you can imagine, this caused one couple to be seperated. We have all been married for a while, so no big deal. We switched seats some, but I wish we had done one meal as all girls / all boys.

 

One other note, our reservations were not linked because some booked with different TA's. I would suggest that everyone book through Carnival or atleast the same TA and this will make the dining reservation simple. I believe I saw several 12 top tables. Hope this helps!

[Larielaren]

Thank you for the review! We will be sailing on the Destiny for Thanksgiving this year. Can you tell me which company you used for the golf cart rental? Thank you!!!

[jewels4488]

Thank you for the review! We will be sailing on the Destiny for Thanksgiving this year. Can you tell me which company you used for the golf cart rental? Thank you!!!

 

 

When we came off the pier we saw him sitting there. Don't know the name, but if you go to Sloppy Joes, there office is directly across the street from that bar. Hope this helps. Have fun!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review.

[cruiseclues]

Good straightforward review, thanks :)

[vivavegas]

Nice review! Thanks for sharing..:)

[FMZ]

Hi,

 

I wasw wondering where you rented the golf cart in Key West? And how much?

 

Great review, thank you!

[jewels4488]

Hi,

 

I wasw wondering where you rented the golf cart in Key West? And how much?

 

Great review, thank you!

 

There was a cart at the end of the pier, on the street right in front of the pier. We approached him. $160 for the 6 seater. There office was directly across from Sloppy Joe's. I did not pay, so not sure of the company name.