ship Inspiration ???

[sayedawg]

My Family and I will be on this ship 01-01-07 thru 01-06 out of Tampa. Just would like your likes and dislikes of this ship . We have two Ocean view room ( 2 per room) so this should be plenty of room. And what is the normal dress like...

Thanks

kids 9 & 14 yrs old

[Marzbar71]

I was on Inspiration in November 2005 and had a great time. I like this ship a lot.

 

It was very clean and the beds were great. We took a nap almost every day between pool time and late seating dinner! We had an inside room so I can't help you on the ocean view but two adults had plenty of room in the inside room.

 

We preferred to go one staircase up from the main Lido deck to find lounge chairs. A little less crowded and more quiet. I wasn't crazy about the music on the Lido deck.

 

All the staff were very nice and we like the food a lot - especially that 24 hour ice cream machine! We only had the pizza twice and it was OK.

 

All in all a great trip - in fact we are planning to do the whole thing again in November 2007! Since we got rerouted to Progreso, we want to do the same trip again to hit Cozumel!

[mattmdv]

We were on the Inspiration May '05 and had a wonderful time. Trying to get the DW to book another cruise right now, hoping for the 7 day out of New York.

Here are some pictures of the ship and ports of call.

Enjoy!!!

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/347765937vYCBuD

 

Matt

[gjules]

I was on the Inspiration in Jan/06...loved it!! I was with my mom (78) and dd (21) and we had a great time. We had late dinner seating and our waiter was Catelin (or "just call me Bobby!") and he was absolutely wonderful! He was so helpful, funny, personable...and quite a dancer, too!

 

As far as dress goes, I don't know about any other sailing, but on ours, I was surprised at how people were so dressed up. I don't remember seeing anyone dressed casually for formal night, maybe they were there, but I didn't see them. Lots of long gowns and tuxes, which was ok with us, because we dressed up too!

 

Have a great time!:)

[DolphinFan]

I am taking my 12 year old daughter, 24 year old son and mom in December. Any insider tips? I just got off the Glory in Sept. and had a ball. Thanks to everyone here on CC: we were able to find the Fish & Chips! Do you have any Capers to share????

[rmpkingmom]

My Family and I will be on this ship 01-01-07 thru 01-06 out of Tampa. Just would like your likes and dislikes of this ship . We have two Ocean view room ( 2 per room) so this should be plenty of room. And what is the normal dress like...

Thanks

kids 9 & 14 yrs old

You and your family will love the Inspiration. We were on the September 25, 2006 sailing and had a great time. The ship is 10 years old but very well maintained. We were impressed with how crew are always polishing and cleaning. The staff was very friendly and went out of their way to try to make our trip enjoyable.

The cabins are large and bright and you will love their comfy beds!

You can likely dress how ever you feel most comfortable. We saw lots of people quite dressed up and must admit we enjoyed getting dressed up for formal night. It will make a nice family photo! However, there were others dressed in more clothing. Just no jeans or shorts are allowed in the dining room.

Your children will enjoy all the kids activities and the 24 hour pizza!

Entertainment was excellent, especially the singers and dancers. We have been on 14 cruises (this was our first Carnival cruise), but the show "Shout" was as good as any I have seen. Very well choreographed and lots of energy from the singers (Ami and Jason) and dancers (watch for the tall male dancer - Richard...he was awesome!). The other show "Nuevo" was more of a Vegas/Latin theme, but equally entertaining. There were also 2 different comedians (one did a late night adult show).

A hint - take the time to try the Cafe des Artistes on Promenade deck along Inspiration Boulevard. We went there every day for Cappucino or Lattes. Just as good as Starbucks but much cheaper. They also have fabulous desserts for a minimal cost (try the White Forest Cake - Yum!). Your children will enjoy the Chocolate Sundaes and Banana splits they make too!

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we have booked another cruise for December 2006.

Hope you and your family enjoy your cruise!

rmpkingmom:)

[Loves_Dogs]

Loved Inspiration! She started our love of cruising. Cruised her in '04 and had absolutely no complaints. Have a great cruise!

[cydny]

rmpkingmom you had to pay for the desserts in the cafe? Did this include the sundaes too? Did you pay for the lattes?

[rmpkingmom]

rmpkingmom you had to pay for the desserts in the cafe? Did this include the sundaes too? Did you pay for the lattes?

Hi cydny

Yes, there is a small charge for the desserts, sundaes and lattes in the cafe. There is no charge for coffee, ice cream and desserts in the lido etc. However, the desserts in the cafe are fabulous (two can easily share...or more!) white forest cake; chocolate cake, sundaes, etc etc Made to order lattes etc. We were quite happy to pay the small charge for such a nice treat....no big line ups either. I've tried to attach a photo of the white forest cake...hope it works!

rmpkingmom:)

[Ehpride]

Gjules is my mom and I was on the Inspiration with her.

 

Here's a tip: The promenade deck is a really nice out of the way place to sit, people watch and look out the windows. There are some nice window seats with tables and chairs nearby.

 

You may have a short wait for the pizza. I had to go back a couple times on a sea day to see if there was any yet. Not a problem, but just something to be aware to give yourself enough time at busy times of the day.

 

The deli was really good in the brassiere grill! There may be a line, especially as it gets later in the cruise and everybody discovers it, but it was well worth it.

 

I do have capers. If you search on webshots for carnival inspiration capers, you'll find some. It's for the five day to GC and Cozumel.