Inspiration - recent cruisers - tell me something GOOD!

[Winterstale]

Jumping on the Inspiration next Friday (9/5) for a quick getaway with the DH.

 

I have sailed the Paradise, the Splendor (x2), the Magic, and the Dream....so my expectations are in order and yes, yes I know it's the "booze cruise" and don't mind - we always find ways around the chaos :D on any ship.

 

Just want to hear some positive reports on this experience if anyone has them to share!

 

Thanks in advance :D

[SadieN]

We were on her for a four day in May. For us, it was one of our best cruises.

Mom and Sis had cruised on her a few weeks before and my previous was over Valentine's Day.

 

We enjoyed the new menu. One entree is described as noodles but it really is similar to Pho' soup There were a few items that the waitstaff told us to avoid. Do not remember what those were. The menus are still being tweaked.

 

Check out the magician Shaw. We caught his show (wasn't in the FunTimes) in the library. He's one of the best slight of hand artists I've seen. He also roams the MDR during dinner and buffet late at night. He taught us the proper way to cut a coconut.

 

The only bad part of the Inspiration is the smoke traveling down the midship elevator. We avoid the first three cabins off of the elevator lobbies.

[tootsiescurly]

We were on the Inspiration in January. We had no complaints but than again we were also in one of the owner's suites. Service was good. Ship was clean. Employees were helpful.

[Winterstale]

Thanks for the replies! We are really looking forward to our quick getaway :D

[lollylew]

Just did a family reunion cruise two weeks ago on the Inspiration and I have to say, after having sailed in June on the Breeze with my dh, it was kind of nice to get back on a smaller ship :D

 

The food was good and since it has the Waterworks, everyone was happy :-) Just wished Carnival could sail to other ports instead of Ensenada and Catalina.

Edited August 27, 2014 by lollylew

[Shmoo here]

We were on the Inspiration in Feb. As it was our first Carnival cruise, I can't compare it to other Carnival cruises, but we were pleased with it.

 

I will admit that I approached the cruise with some trepidation because of the general attitude that all short cruises like this are "booze cruises".

 

We didn't find this to be true at all.

 

We encountered extremely polite passengers, with no "let's party hardy" attitudes. Crew members were pleasant and smiled. I found the hamburgers onboard the best hamburgers I've had on any cruise (line) that I've been on. We did the Behind the Fun tour - totally worth the price. And the shows, while only 2 (repeated twice during the cruise) were fairly good, sort of Vegas style shows.

 

Our biggest disappointments were the loudness of the sound system in the pool area, the food in main dining room (don't know if I can say it's the new menu, as I never had the "old" menu), and the comedians.

 

That sounds like a lot of disappointment, but really, we enjoyed the cruise.

[candigirl]

I've always had a good time on the Inspiration. The staff are very friendly and provide great service. Enjoy!

[Winterstale]

Woot! thanks everyone - doing the single digit dance today and hoping that September stays true to form weather-wise here in SoCal! I need some fun in the sun!!

[cherrytree10]

I really liked the inspiration. It has been a couple years since I have been on it. I really enjoyed where the serenity deck is, right off the back of the boat and you have a good view of the ocean. :)

[Winterstale]

Yes! I am looking forward to spending some time on the Serenity Deck! Not a huge fan of the main pool and all the madness - LOL.

 

I know this has been asked....but does anyone know FOR SURE if the Inspiration has Thirsty Frog on tap anywhere? I've heard yes and I've heard no....just curious - we'll live if they don't have it :D

[Linda the Book Lover]

I peeked at this thread because the DD spoke to me about giving Carnival another try. Our Imagination cruise which had a few issues is the reason for large hesitation on my part. I enjoyed reading the positive experiences about the Inspiration since my DD would like to sail another short cruise.

[ccruisequeen]

No thirsty frog or Guys. Hasbro game show yes.

 

 

[SadieN]

I peeked at this thread because the DD spoke to me about giving Carnival another try. Our Imagination cruise which had a few issues is the reason for large hesitation on my part. I enjoyed reading the positive experiences about the Inspiration since my DD would like to sail another short cruise.

 

 

The two ships are like night and day. Inspiration was define fly shining bright.

 

Both have excellent crew. Our issue on the Imagination was with the lido chefs (recipes didn't seem to be followed and food temp) and the getting seated for ATD. What a fiasco.

[Winterstale]

Bummed about Thirsty Frog but I guess we'll live...3 more days :D

[ncovert]

The food was good and since it has the Waterworks, everyone was happy :-) Just wished Carnival could sail to other ports instead of Ensenada and Catalina.

 

You took everything I wanted to say.

 

Seriously though, since you know the obvious plus and minus I would say you are going to love the Inspiration. Have fun, happy sailing.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Winterstale, I hope you write a short review.

 

Thanks SadieN! If we book we are going to go with the JS because I missed a balcony too much. I admit to liking alone time with my Kindle and not alot of noise. Serenity was great for reading quietly with plenty of chairs except for the sea day which meant sitting on the upper deck by the pool. This is why even though we read the Inspiration JS has a tiny narrow balcony it is at least outdoor space and two chairs.:D

[Winterstale]

I love the Serenity Areas -- I wish there were POOLS at all of them that weren't HOT TUBS :D

[Star1]

We just got off of the 4 day cruise. I was on the 3 day cruise last October. I felt that the 4 day was more of a family cruise right before school started. I feel these short cruises are nothing like a 7 day cruise. If you enjoy a short cruise you will love a 7 day one. We stayed on the ship in port days. We don't need to see these ports again. Serenity Area gets busy on sea days so get your spot early. Try to get an umbrella- you will need it out in the sun all day. We enjoyed the two main shows and enjoyed one of the two comedians that we saw. We had a great time relaxing.

If you need a hotel before the cruise look at the Maya in Long Beach. This hotel has the best pool area I have ever been to. The food is a bit high in cost. We drove in so I had a cooler with us. We watched the 3 day cruise ship sail away at night. At sunset we had a snack and wine outside. The lights from Long Beach were perfect to see.

I am looking forward to our next short cruise.

[Winterstale]

Thanks, Star -- I've done several of the longer cruises and I did the 3-day on the Paradise quite a ways back as well. We are really just looking forward to a quick weekend getaway -- we live here in SoCal so it's just a 45 minute drive to get on the ship on Friday. Is there a bar in the Serenity Area or are there waiters? I know it's a smaller ship so I'm thinking there probably isn't a separate bar for Serenity....

[Winterstale]

Hey Star - did you eat in the MDR? Did they offer the "steakhouse" selections for an added cost? They are apparently rolling this out on all the Carnival ships -- started 8/28 -- they offer 1.5 pound lobster, NY strip, filet, etc - for an added $20 cost.

 

Will be very happy if they're doing this on Inspiration this weekend!

[SadieN]

Thanks, Star -- I've done several of the longer cruises and I did the 3-day on the Paradise quite a ways back as well. We are really just looking forward to a quick weekend getaway -- we live here in SoCal so it's just a 45 minute drive to get on the ship on Friday. Is there a bar in the Serenity Area or are there waiters? I know it's a smaller ship so I'm thinking there probably isn't a separate bar for Serenity....

 

Don't remember seeing a bar down there. Waiters are constantly roaming around. The Bar in front of the club is always open.

 

We've given you the good, now the bad---

 

The bathroom vanity set up is horrible. Small round sink with almost no room to put even your toothbrush. A small, thin makeup bag is almost too thick for the shelf in the bathroom. Even sailing with two we always bring a small pocket holder for our bathroom stuff.

 

IIRC the 220v outlet is a flat British. No pencil drawer in the desk.

 

The fares were very good the other day. If we didn't have to visit family we would be on this cruise with you.

[Shmoo here]

Thanks, Star -- I've done several of the longer cruises and I did the 3-day on the Paradise quite a ways back as well. We are really just looking forward to a quick weekend getaway -- we live here in SoCal so it's just a 45 minute drive to get on the ship on Friday. Is there a bar in the Serenity Area or are there waiters? I know it's a smaller ship so I'm thinking there probably isn't a separate bar for Serenity....

 

Here's a picture of the Serenity area. Not really great, but up under the thatched roof area was a bar. We were only actually down in the area once, and I don't recall seeing a bartender there, but there were servers. I believe they were just going inside to the bar that services the Candlelight Lounge (backs up to Serenity). I could be wrong.

 

[Shmoo here]

Don't remember seeing a bar down there. Waiters are constantly roaming around. The Bar in front of the club is always open.

 

We've given you the good, now the bad---

 

The bathroom vanity set up is horrible. Small round sink with almost no room to put even your toothbrush. A small, thin makeup bag is almost too thick for the shelf in the bathroom. Even sailing with two we always bring a small pocket holder for our bathroom stuff.

 

IIRC the 220v outlet is a flat British. No pencil drawer in the desk.

 

The fares were very good the other day. If we didn't have to visit family we would be on this cruise with you.

 

Bathroom - small sink, tiny shelf on either side:

 

Outlet on desk:

 

Outlet in bathroom (be aware its in the ceiling above the mirror, and the cord tends to fall out a lot):

 

Desk (with no pencil drawer):

Edited September 3, 2014 by Shmoo here

[Winterstale]

Thanks for the extra info!!! really appreciate it! I have a hanging compartment bag that holds all my toiletries - I just hook it up -- I travel a ton for work.

 

Wish you were jumping on board, Sadie!!

[THIS IS US!]

Just got off sister ship the Imagination. There is no bar at serenity. Servers flock through every few minutes. Best day to go to serenity is embarkation. I sat in jacuzzi all alone and enjoyed the view. Anyone have pics of a balcony in a junior suite that would be great. Going to sail Inspiration 4day next year :)