carnival destiny

[hollowayc]

I am a first time cruiser sooo excited about sailing on 2/11/07 going with a group of women from work we will be staying in san juan for three days before we sail any tips on hotels in san juan and any insight on the carnival destiny will be a help cabin # 6172 I do believe that has a deck thanks Charlotte

[mrdood]

I am a first time cruiser sooo excited about sailing on 2/11/07 going with a group of women from work we will be staying in san juan for three days before we sail any tips on hotels in san juan and any insight on the carnival destiny will be a help cabin # 6172 I do believe that has a deck thanks Charlotte

 

go to the pre and post cruise hotel forum for info on hotels in San Juan, you can also look at the port forum for San Juan for more info.

 

Your room is on a deck, and has a balcony...

 

Have a great cruise!

[Lisa0719]

Charlotte,

 

My husband and I will be on that cruise too. It will be our 9th. I have already started looking at hotels and they are very expensive that time I year. I booked at Best Western for 2/10 - fully refundable. I keep bidding on resort hotel on priceline. Haven't been successful yet, but I'll keep trying. We'll have to start a roll call soon.

 

Lisa and Joe

[wwakla]

Never mind Mr Dood he gets up on the wrong side of the boat!!!:D

 

Welcome to the boards. Use this link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=44544&page=305

There is alot of information about the Destiny and I do remember reading about hotels in the area.

 

I don't recommend you read all 305 pages but I would start about 5 pages back. You will learn the lingo of cruising as we all did when we were NEW :)

 

Good luck and ask away that is why these forums are here:D

 

Oh and as an after thought - Your cruise will be what you make of it. Remember that these boards are individuals opinions. Getting on the ship and making your own will be alot different.

[Kudos2Fly]

Read the reviews, although keep in mind they are opinions. But it gives you ideal of what to look for.

 

Our lasted cruise was on the Destiny and we like her and enjoyed the cruise very much. We had our 1st balcony which was a plus...

 

Have fun.

 

Kim

[mek]

You didn't mention your price range for a hotel. We stayed at the Marriott several weeks ago and it has a lovely pool area and a very nice beach.

[Loftguys]

We will be in San Juan in a month and taking the Destiny on Oct 1. Staying two nights prior to the cruise. We are staying At Windchimes Inn. Nothing special, but looks decent and quaint and is very close to Condado beach.

 

We prefer smaller hotels than the big Marriots and Hiltons of the world. And yes, they may not have the amenities that the big hotels offer.......but thats what we like.

 

Good luck on your search.

[Darcy03231]

I booked a 3* on Hotwire for our upcoming cruise. I ended up with the San Juan Beach Hotel (used to be a Ramada Inn) for $100/night.

[hollowayc]

Great! Thanks for the info

[joboplus3]

Hi! We're booked on the destiny on 5/6/2007, and I found a great rate at El Canario by the Sea. The El Canario group has 3 hotels, - I read reviews on trip advisor, and settled on this one. Mixed reviews, as there always are, but we were looking for something inexpensive, and the idea of a local inn appealed to me. Also - I've corresponded with them several times by e-mail, and their response is lightning-fast - and they seem very eager to be helpful, gave me tour guide suggestions, times on the breakfast, etc. Hope you have a good trip! We'd love to hear what you have to say about it after you return!

[serene56]

How ya doing with airfare?? thats seems to be a problem with finding cheap flights for that time of year.?

 

use www.biddingfortravel.com to learn abou tthe hotels offered from priceline.

[Bran8778]

We are going to be staying at the el covento this month and the coqui inn in november. They both seem like nice places.

[gammatuzie]

We leave in 4 days for San Juan, and are staying for 2 days at old San Jaun Sheraton Hotel... We are staying here because pier 4 (Destiny docks) is just down street.... Will post for you when we get back!!!!!! EXCITED I AMMMM

[KelliKevin]

very cool...we have 4 weeks yet!

Take notes and fill us in as soon as you recover from having a

GREAT TIME!!!!:p

[michris17]

The Sheraton Old San Juan is a really good choice for cruising on the Destiny. My husband and I stayed there last year and weren't disappointed at all. Its soooo close to everything in Old San Juan---great to walk around and check out El Morro. It's also close to the pier that takes you to the Bacardi Rum Factory. I think the ferry was $1? each way. Just a word of advise though we went to the rainforest in the morning before embarkation--by the time we got back at 2p the line was ridiculous. It took us about 2 1/2 hrs to get on board. I would suggest getting there no later than noon.

[stprdi]

We just returned from Destiny Aug. 20 cruise. We stayed overnight at the Sheraton Old San Juan prior to sailing. It is directly across the street from the pier and you can also walk a couple blocks up to the streets of Old San Juan. The hotel is lovely. Great decor. Something fun to do is watch the Rhumba party boat come and go in the evening. It leaves about a block from the hotel. The music is terrific, loud and everyone is having a blast. Old San Juan has terrific architecture. We loved it. If you can, take the evening tour to the Bio Bay. It cost us $200.00 but well worth it. We were not real impressed with Destiny but it was our first cruise and we won it so what's to really complain about. YOu'll have fun with your friends. Enjoy.

[hollowayc]

Thanks for the info on hotels! you asked about air fare we got air fare pretty cheap flying out of Newark NJ round trip was $279 really cheap mind you I'm traveling on 2/6/07 If I'm reading you cruise count down correctly your leaving tomorrow? sorry I'm new at this web site not sure what everything means maybe Im reading it wrong but if you are leaving tomorrow have a great time and PLEASE tell me all about it!!!!!

[sunrise2]

Thanks for the info on hotels! you asked about air fare we got air fare pretty cheap flying out of Newark NJ round trip was $279 really cheap mind you I'm traveling on 2/6/07 If I'm reading you cruise count down correctly your leaving tomorrow? sorry I'm new at this web site not sure what everything means maybe Im reading it wrong but if you are leaving tomorrow have a great time and PLEASE tell me all about it!!!!!

Can you tell me how long ago you booked your air? We are going on the Destiny 2/18/2007 and we can't find good airfare. We would be leaving out of Newark. Right now we have airfare with cruiseline because that was the cheapest, believe it or not. I think it has to do with the week we are going the air seems to be higher.

[Dubsolute]

We're going to be on the Destiny in just over 6 weeks. We're flying in the day before and staying at the Caribe Hilton. Booked through Hotwire for $160 per night including taxes. I hear it's really nice but I'll let you know for sure after we've been there.:D

[SAL396]

We have a group of 11 couples sailing on 2/11/07 Same deck, our first room with a balcony cant wait. We sailed on Destiny 2/03 had a Blast. We stayed at the Ho JOs in Carolina. We are booked there again. Nice and clean pool with fountain, close to airport&cruise terminal . We are paying $112.00 plus tax.

[deeolasingh]

Can you tell me how long ago you booked your air? We are going on the Destiny 2/18/2007 and we can't find good airfare. We would be leaving out of Newark. Right now we have airfare with cruiseline because that was the cheapest, believe it or not. I think it has to do with the week we are going the air seems to be higher.

 

 

I book at the middle of aug and we got rt tickets out of jfk for 261.00 pp

We will be on Destiny 2/4/2007 -- 2/11/2007 cant wait its a birthday cruise.... have fun

[Hawaii697]

You're going to love her! Stayed at the Sheraton (when it was the Wyndham Old San Juan) and it was the perfect location to the pier and ferry to the Barcardi Rum factory. Much has changed since our first visit to San Juan and Destiny (we sailed 2001 and 2005), I always love sharing my first review aboard the Destiny. Although the itinerary is different, and the pier has changed dramatically (although the Gomer Pyle barracks are still there, but not in use :D ), this review will still give you a feel of the Destiny and what to expect on board. Enjoy!

 

______________________

 

Thank you Carnival as usual for a great cruise. This was my fifth cruise (all Carnival) and the best out of 5. Also, this was my husband's first cruise and he is definitely hooked! Can't wait to book my next cruise (Carnival of course). I had an awesome time! Lastly, I'm not the greatest writer, but I want to may sure I give as much info as I can. My writing tends to be a bit wordy.

 

Friday night, August 24, 2001

Stayed up half the night to finish packing. Mother-in-law and sister-in-law stayed with my husband and I that night so we started celebrating early. (Can u say Miami Vices)

 

Saturday morning, August 25

Awaiting Big Blue Shuttle to come and pick us up at 4:30 am. Another person in our group met at our house to park her car and there was also a person in our group that would have been in the shuttle. Shuttle did not pick us up until 6:00pm. Our flight is scheduled to leave Washington National at 6:45 am. I live approx 1/2 hr. from airport. Family and friends that now me knew I was to a point to drive the van myself once the driver arrived. Let's put it this way, his ears are still ringing. (2 letters of complaint in the works) We arrived at the National with 10 minutes to spare catching our flight. There were 6 of us with 17 pieces of luggage to check. Not a pretty site at 6:35 in the a.m. By the way, we did book our air/sea through Carnival and had to do air deviation. Not to get off track but I paid $35.00 for my air deviation. We had to take a connecting flight (no change of planes); I requested a direct flight out of Dulles but that would have costs $80.00 pp. Now my sister was with the second group that left the day of the cruise. She paid no air deviation, and got the direct flight from Dulles to San Juan. She also got to ship check-in at the SJU airport. You’ll see below what I had to go through! Our flight to San Juan was uneventful, we had an hour layover in Cincinnati and arrived in San Juan at 1:20 pm. Getting our luggage was a breeze and we caught a van/taxi (approx $23.00 included luggage) We then went to the Wyndham Old San Juan to check in. There were only 2 rooms (the ones with king size beds) ready for my group. There were 2 other persons waiting for us in San Juan. I reserved 5 rooms. When I checked in, I asked if breakfast vouchers were included with our reservations. Hotel agent stated no. No problem, doesn't hurt to ask. So we take everyone in our party's luggage and put it in the two rooms that were ready. After a quick change we headed over to the ferry for the Bacardi Rum tour. The ferry is within walking distance of the ferry (.50 each way). Ferry takes no more than 10 minutes and then you take a cab to tour, which is another 5 minutes. We just made the last tour. (do you see a pattern ?) The tour was very interesting but you’d think I could give up drinking after smelling all the fermenting going on. Anyway, two free samples later, to heck with fermenting. However, I don't recommend buying any Bacardi products at their store. They tell you some of their rums are not sold in the United States. That may be true, but we sure got them cheaper in other shops.

Meanwhile, back to the hotel, other members in the group check-in. Sister-in-law mentions at dinner when she checked in she received a breakfast vouchers. So of course, when we get back to the hotel, there is a different hotel agent at the front desk. I explain what was told to me when I checked in and what was given to my in-laws. He was more than happy to give me, 7 vouchers for breakfast.

 

Sunday Morning, August 26

We go up to the rooftop of hotel and check out M/S Destiny, just waiting for us to board her. She's a beautiful awesome sight. My mother-in-law could not believe how big she was. My husband and I walked to the pier approximately 12:00 to see if I could spot the other half of my group. There was a pretty long line at that point. An hour later, we sent my mother-in-law with a cab full of luggage. My husband walked over ahead of us to meet the cab. The pier is a five minute walk with no luggage. Embarkation, was well, a nightmare. Think Gomer Pyle barracks with tons of folks lined up outside of them in the hot sun. I originally wanted to leave the hotel at 11:30 so we could get in line by 12:00. We ended up getting there approx. 1:00. The height of everyone getting there. As I walk to the back of the line, I spot the other half of my group waiting to board. They all looked so happy. Could be because they had the Carnival ship check-in at the airport and no luggage to drag. (smile) So much for the overnight stay to get on board early. We finally found a porter to help us. We were actually aboard within the hour, but took another 45 minutes to check in at the Palladium lounge. Once onboard the ship we checked our room and unpacked (all our luggage was waiting for us); My group had a thank gift waiting for me in my room for organizing the trip. THANKS AGAIN U GUYS!! Meanwhile, the fruit basket I ordered for my husband was not there. Just a heads up, if you do order a fruit basket, it will not arrive until you get to St. Thomas. That is were they get their supplies. Bathrobes were waiting but no amenity basket. The basket arrived the next day. Although we didn't see our room Stewart (Ivor) until Tuesday, he kept our ice bucket full and our portable cooler full. My sister's cabin (1227) Stewart (Joe) was also very helpful. My sister and I went back down to the duty free shop. This was around 3:00 and there was no line whatsoever to board the ship.

 

The Ship

Now, I'm a very laid back down to earth average person. I'm not into describing décor, decorations or the colors. To me the ship is a beauty. I was just happy to be able to afford to sail on such a mega ship. The rooms were fine, the storage, more than enough, the bathroom is adequate. Plenty of cabinet space in the bathroom. There are two outlets in your room. We did bring a surge strip extension cord. We also brought an iron, which came in handy. Let me tell you there are advantages to being on the Riviera deck. One deck down to get off the ship and two decks up to eat. (smile) We had an early dinner (open seating) and then off to rest up for the lifeboat drill and sail away party. Lifeboat drill took 1/2 hour and the sail away was great.

 

St. Thomas

We ended up at Sapphire Beach Resort. It was gorgeous and not crowded. The open air taxi to Sapphire Resort going was about 25 minutes because we stopped at the Red Hook ferry terminal to drop some folks off. The return was about 20 minutes. Not long at all! The beach water was so warm, and where the tide comes in its a bit rocky. Also forgot to mention there is a restaurant and gift shop on Sapphire beach. You also had a great view of St. John's. We arrived at about 9:30 left at 12:30; it started getting crowded when we left. The driver (something 007) dropped us off and picked us up for $16.00 roundtrip pp. There was a couple (not in my group) that ended up stiffing him. He did not take our money until we got back to the ship. The other couple left 5 minutes before he returned. It's folks like these that make the locals leery of us tourists. One thing our taxi driver appreciated was the fact we asked about “locals: and not “natives”. They are very offended by the mix-up. After we got back to the ship, a shower, a quick bite and off to shop. Some folks in my group did head over to K-Mart and got great prices on liquor. I didn't have time to go to Kmart, so I shopped at Havensight Mall. My favorite store there was the Dynasty. I bought gold jewelry and flavored rums. They had great deals.

 

Antigua

This is actually a very poor island but the beaches were gorgeous. Again, we took a taxi from the port. We were going to go to Dickenson Bay, but our driver talked us into going to Turners Bay. I'm glad he did. He gave us a 45 minute tour of the island. It was depressing. Cows that were starving. Goats running wild in the road. Our driver mentioned they've just had a drought so, it wasn't as green as normal. But once, we arrived to Turners Bay, it was great. They had a little restaurant/bar and gift shop. There were vendors on the beach. We did buy a few items from the vendors. One lady made anklets, bracelets and necklaces while we waited and the colors we wanted. Not pushy at all! Our driver waited for us for 3 hours. He was $16.00 round trip pp! Dropped us off near pier for shopping. Not much bargains here. The vendors outside do accept travelers checks.

Guadeloupe

This was an adventure. Folks, if you have time, please brush up on your French. I went to what I though was a bank. It was a loan company. Thank god there was a women there that knew some English. She directed us to the currency exchange, and the bus. The currency exchange was a breeze; all I remember is 7 francs to our dollar. Just a tip. If you convert travelers check to their currency, the exchange rate is lower. Make sure you exchange cash. Looking for the bus was another issue. We went to were we though the bus stopped and it turns out only tour buses stopped there. All I could say was bus to Gosier. All the locals could do is point in a direction. After 20 minutes of pointing, we finally made it to their bus depot. The bus was about 20 francs for 2. It took all of 20 minutes to get to the beach. We almost got off at the wrong stop. The driver was telling us to get off at the hotels but we didn't see any beach. Two stops later I saw the sign "Etco . . . " I do remember a fellow board member stating this is where he got off. The beach was nice with a restaurant/bar type and I do recall smelling great BBQ. The water was pretty warm here. Not as pretty as Sapphire and Turners, but still beats Virginia Beach. My husband had a little brush with a jellyfish, so that pretty much ended swimming for me. Picture person running on top of water. He didn't get any major sting. Just a brush and he's fine. We hung out here for about 2 hours. We debated on taking a cab back but the bus came right away and we were back in the pier area in 20 minutes. We were pretty proud of ourselves with limited language and it was cheap too!

 

Aruba

My favorite island and I will be going back. We rented two tracker jeeps at $40 for each. Because we got such a late start we only had time to drive to the Lighthouse and hungout at beach near the lighthouse. We your at the lighthouse, you get to see the tropical and desert portions of Aruba. Very different. We stopped at Arashi beach near the lighthouse. The beach was not crowded but very beautiful. There was a sandbar at this beach. You didn't€™t need to snorkel here because the fish were swimming pretty much to the edge of the beach. There are no facilities at this beach, but there were little tree sunshades. There was an ice cream truck in the parking lot for cold drinks (soda, juice, ice cream). Highly recommend this beach.

 

Shopping outside of the pier is good too! Made it to the infamous Carlos and Charlie's and had a ball! (Makes me want to SHOUT!!!) Thank god there was a sailaway party when we made it back to the ship. We were still in the partying mood.

 

Days At Sea

1st day was pretty relaxing. Slept in late. Used pools and Jacuzzi and watch the crazy going one€™s on the lido deck. They have a Survivor game that was pretty corny and long. The reggae band was good and had a good variety of songs. There is also the usual bingo (which my sister and I won $120 and split), the Not-So-Newly Wed Game (a hoot-couple married 60 years won); and various game show to participate in. I did participate in the Win, Lose or Draw game. Nice to know I have some drawing skills because all 3 of my drawings were guessed. My team came in second (love those decks of cards). There was also a limbo contest at one point. Poor Malcolm and Francessa were holding hands as the limbo pole. But, your€™s truly (they now call me McGvyer) came up with the ingenious plan of tying together 6 napkins from the Sun and Sea Restaurant to use as the limbo rope. This idea won me a medal and the infamous ship on a stick. I was pretty surprised when they called me back up!

 

All in all the cruise was the best. They clubs played a good variety of music. My group and I love hip hop and old school so, we partied up a storm. Downfall were the tons of kids in the main club and they were not booted out until midnight (parents, come on, do u know where your kids are????) I did not party until they left. What I thought was weird, was when I finally did get on the dance floor, I had a drink (plastic glass) in my hand. The DJ stopped the music announced to get the drink off the floor and they would not start playing until I did. Hey, no problem, didn't realize it more dangerous for me to have my plastic drink in my hand than to have the children running all over the dance floor. 2 minutes later, a women was dancing barefoot and they stopped the music again. She was adament about putting her shoes back on. Needless to say, the crowd got a bit upset because she didn't want to cooperate. She finally came to her senses.

 

Disembarkation

We were lucky enough to get VIP tags to get off early. Just a tip, most times they don't give you enough tags and unfortunately, you have to wait in line at the Pursers’ office. We went to the Pallidum lounge at 8:00 and were off by 9:00 the lastest. Looking for your luggage was a nightmare but expected. Another note is that they put the VIP luggage towards the front.

 

Some Final Thoughts

The Wyndham is a very nice hotel. Perfect for a one day stay. We could check out at noon, but they will hold your luggage for you for about five hours if you want to sightsee Old San Juan. I'm not sure about the cost of the cab because it was one person and packed with luggage. I'll check with my mother-inlaw and see if she remembers. If you do take a cab, try to get a porter as soon as you get to the pier. Also, breakfast at the hotel is great. Buffet style and very filling. Double check to see if you can get free breakfast vouchers. Bringing booze onboard. My husband and I bought a bottle of Barcardi Limon at a local store across from our hotel. I packed it in our luggage (not carryon). Once we arrived at the pier and received our sign and sail cards, there is a duty free shop just before you go on board. My husband decided to get a bottle of Hennessy and Absolute because the check-in people mentioned we couldnt buy duty free when we returned (meaning the following week), the shop would be closed. We also purchase a six-pack of coke and ginger ale. All of these items were carried onto the ship and not confiscated. The scanners were not on at that point. 1½ later, I went back down with my sister (totally forgot you can get off/back on in San Juan), so that she could purchase her liquor. Her’s was confiscated. At this point, they were scanning items that were coming on board. I have a feeling they start scanning at a certain time. Possibly around 3:00 because there are less people arriving at that time.

Discovered phone card I brought with me was useless except for SJU and St. Thomas.

Cruise Director Troy, Assistant Malcolm in the Middle and trainee Francessca were a lot of fun.

 

Although I mentioned I really don’t describe the decor of the ship, I did find Lido deck set-up was a bit busy for me. You really couldn't party with the band unless you were on the side of the stage. The area in front of the stage is the entrance and when you are trying to electric slide or Detroit slide, folks are trying to get pass and it interrupts your dancing. By the way, there was never a fight for deck chairs either. More than enough to go around.

 

In the Zero deck (where you embark and disembark, there's an odor I'm sure due to the dumping of sewage (lord only knows where its dumped).

In the main lobby there is a side entrance to the deck. There are cushioned deck chairs and it’s a great place to read and just relax. Wishing I spent more time out there.

 

The dining room meals were great. Actually made it to breakfast in the dining room a most mornings. Dinner menus, no complaints. I will clarify on the lobster. There is Maine lobster and the spiny lobster which comes from the gulf coast and Caribbean. They are not serving Maine lobster. The spiny lobster isn't bad but not as sweet. The desserts in the dining room were fine too. One complaint. The midnight buffet, although pretty, the desserts were tasteless. How do you mess up cheesecake? Went back to the room and ordered brownies.

Duct tape was also useful. Many of us purchased more than one box of packaged liquor. Taping the boxes together made it easier to carry onboard the plane. I also purchased two bathrobes, 1 for my sister-inlaw who stayed home with my baby girl and one for me. They are definitely worth it.

 

[sunrise2]

I book at the middle of aug and we got rt tickets out of jfk for 261.00 pp

We will be on Destiny 2/4/2007 -- 2/11/2007 cant wait its a birthday cruise.... have fun

Thank you DEE DEE for the info. Have a wonderful birthday! Let us know all about your trip when you get back as you leave 2 weeks before us. Can't wait for your review! Thanks again and enjoy!