Inspiration Review 1/6/07

[Aske]

We flew in the day before, because well when we booked the trip, Minnesota weather could have been a factor and we did not want to take a chance we would be late to the ship. It is nice to get in the day before, wind down from the flight, and just relax a bit.

 

We arrived at the Port of Tampa around 11:15 and had our group number at around 11:30, so it was quick. Carnival had the process down to a science. We were on board at a little after noon, and walking around exploring after lunch. Layout was pretty much identical as we expected to the Imagination that we had sailed in February. Overall, the process was quick, and didn’t require us to wait much.

 

We had sailed the Imagination in February 2006 and enjoyed this trip about the same if not more. There was never a dull moment to be had onboard.

 

We had requested main seating dining at the time of booking, and ended up with Late Seating in the Mardi gras room. Not too bad, we did not care much. Leroy was our waiter and did a phenomenal job. He was always talkative and kept the table moving quickly. In my book the food was superb. It was always delivered the way we had requested it, and done right. It would seem that Carnival has a popular desert in the Warm Melting Chocolate Cake. It was awesome. If you are big on chocolate, this is the perfect desert for you.

 

The cabin was nice; we were on the Port side of the ship, as we had been last year, but more Forward this year. It was ok, but could feel quite a bit more motion, as we were right near the front. Our room steward was great. Did not see him much, but the room was always fixed up and in neat order. He and his team did a great job! Cannot say much else about the room as most of the time was spent doing activities.

 

Attended both of the shows and for how much the boat was moving, they did an awesome job in my book. They work hard and it really shows. Attended all of the shows by the comedians, and thought they were funny. Tony Esposito more so than Kenny Miller, as his adult show focused on some guy who had too much captain to drink, and was making a fool. Kenny decided that was to be his entire bit, and sure it was funny for 10 or so minutes, and then the rest of the 30 was the same story and it was getting old. Tony on the other hand, had some crowd interaction, yet kept his show moving forward and was hilarious.

 

Moving on to our ports of call…

 

George Town, Grand Cayman…

 

It was my first time at this port of call. It was nice and hot. The tenders were quick, and they had it under control the entire time. Booked the Atlantis Submarine tour, which was great. They explained many of the marine life we experienced while down there, and I felt I really did get my monies worth from the trip. Shopping was limited as it is just a short stop along the way so we had to get back to the boat. Plenty of places to grab a snack to eat and many places to scope up some quick souvenirs. Overall, had a great time in this port.

 

Moving on to our last port of call…

 

Calica, Mexico….

 

This is just a spot they have created for the cruise ship to dock for the day. The dock can handle one ship a day and Playa del Carman is just a short taxi ride north. Cancun is also very close at about 50 minutes in the cab. Not too bad if you want to head that way and explore some. We chose to book through the ship and do the tour to Tulum, and Xel-Ha, which turned out to be a great choice. Not only did I enjoy the Mayan ruins but also the snorkeling at Xel-Ha was unbelievable. The water was so clear it was like you were looking through the glass at an aquarium. Had some rain that stayed with us most of the day, and it didn’t appear that anyone let the rain spoil the trip. Sure it would have been fun to cook in the sun, but being that we were mostly all in the water at Xel-Ha, it did not matter much.

 

Back to the ship we headed to embark on the last day or so we would have on the ship. Plenty of activities were planned and made for a great last day at sea. The one I enjoyed a lot was the tour of the Galley. It is a 20 million dollar piece of the ship that is most critical… How else would we enjoy the great eats! Very neat, and seems it could really be mass chaos when they are in service. Also enjoyed the Deli in the grill area on the Lido Deck. Imagination lacked this, and was glad this ship had it, as the sandwiches were great!

 

Overall, the trip was great, had an awesome time, and would do it again. The staff for the entire M/S Inspiration was great. Skip was a great cruise director in my book. Always had a witty comment for something, and keep us entertained. I will book another cruise with Carnival again. They are moving forward in the right direction.

 

If anyone has any other questions, comments, etc. Shoot them out; I will do my best to answer them. Hope this review has served some value for everyone. Vacation is really what you make of it

[playfulgen76]

Hi, glad you had a good time! We are from Mn, so we are going down a day early too. We are on the Fascination, but I love reading all reviews. Thanks!

[DqALEX]

Thank You for your review. I was hoping for a cruise in Aug on the Inspiration But my kitchen needs to get done. maybe next year

[mamakoole]

this will be my first cruise. i am going with my sister. who lives close to tampa.i am getting a little nervous. i am hearing a lot of negative about carnival ship lines. i wanted to go on rc but my sister wanted to go on carnival. any advice .

[Mooguy]

We flew in the day before, because well when we booked the trip, Minnesota weather could have been a factor and we did not want to take a chance we would be late to the ship. It is nice to get in the day before, wind down from the flight, and just relax a bit.

 

We arrived at the Port of Tampa around 11:15 and had our group number at around 11:30, so it was quick. Carnival had the process down to a science. We were on board at a little after noon, and walking around exploring after lunch. Layout was pretty much identical as we expected to the Imagination that we had sailed in February. Overall, the process was quick, and didn’t require us to wait much.

 

We had sailed the Imagination in February 2006 and enjoyed this trip about the same if not more. There was never a dull moment to be had onboard.

 

We had requested main seating dining at the time of booking, and ended up with Late Seating in the Mardi gras room. Not too bad, we did not care much. Leroy was our waiter and did a phenomenal job. He was always talkative and kept the table moving quickly. In my book the food was superb. It was always delivered the way we had requested it, and done right. It would seem that Carnival has a popular desert in the Warm Melting Chocolate Cake. It was awesome. If you are big on chocolate, this is the perfect desert for you.

 

The cabin was nice; we were on the Port side of the ship, as we had been last year, but more Forward this year. It was ok, but could feel quite a bit more motion, as we were right near the front. Our room steward was great. Did not see him much, but the room was always fixed up and in neat order. He and his team did a great job! Cannot say much else about the room as most of the time was spent doing activities.

 

Attended both of the shows and for how much the boat was moving, they did an awesome job in my book. They work hard and it really shows. Attended all of the shows by the comedians, and thought they were funny. Tony Esposito more so than Kenny Miller, as his adult show focused on some guy who had too much captain to drink, and was making a fool. Kenny decided that was to be his entire bit, and sure it was funny for 10 or so minutes, and then the rest of the 30 was the same story and it was getting old. Tony on the other hand, had some crowd interaction, yet kept his show moving forward and was hilarious.

 

Moving on to our ports of call…

 

George Town, Grand Cayman…

 

It was my first time at this port of call. It was nice and hot. The tenders were quick, and they had it under control the entire time. Booked the Atlantis Submarine tour, which was great. They explained many of the marine life we experienced while down there, and I felt I really did get my monies worth from the trip. Shopping was limited as it is just a short stop along the way so we had to get back to the boat. Plenty of places to grab a snack to eat and many places to scope up some quick souvenirs. Overall, had a great time in this port.

 

Moving on to our last port of call…

 

Calica, Mexico….

 

This is just a spot they have created for the cruise ship to dock for the day. The dock can handle one ship a day and Playa del Carman is just a short taxi ride north. Cancun is also very close at about 50 minutes in the cab. Not too bad if you want to head that way and explore some. We chose to book through the ship and do the tour to Tulum, and Xel-Ha, which turned out to be a great choice. Not only did I enjoy the Mayan ruins but also the snorkeling at Xel-Ha was unbelievable. The water was so clear it was like you were looking through the glass at an aquarium. Had some rain that stayed with us most of the day, and it didn’t appear that anyone let the rain spoil the trip. Sure it would have been fun to cook in the sun, but being that we were mostly all in the water at Xel-Ha, it did not matter much.

 

Back to the ship we headed to embark on the last day or so we would have on the ship. Plenty of activities were planned and made for a great last day at sea. The one I enjoyed a lot was the tour of the Galley. It is a 20 million dollar piece of the ship that is most critical… How else would we enjoy the great eats! Very neat, and seems it could really be mass chaos when they are in service. Also enjoyed the Deli in the grill area on the Lido Deck. Imagination lacked this, and was glad this ship had it, as the sandwiches were great!

 

Overall, the trip was great, had an awesome time, and would do it again. The staff for the entire M/S Inspiration was great. Skip was a great cruise director in my book. Always had a witty comment for something, and keep us entertained. I will book another cruise with Carnival again. They are moving forward in the right direction.

 

If anyone has any other questions, comments, etc. Shoot them out; I will do my best to answer them. Hope this review has served some value for everyone. Vacation is really what you make of it

 

 

WOW you must hvae really been busy after you returned home from your cruise it's almost been a year already and just getting around to a review.

 

We did the Inspiration in 06 but might give it another try later this spring or summer. Was the new water slides and adult area completed when you went or was that before the refurb?