My wife and I took our first cruise August 11th to the Western Carribbean on Carnival's Destiny ship (5 days). We set sail from Miami with stops in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and Grand Cayman. Now I understand why so many people enjoy cruising! This was our 10 year wedding anniversary and our first trip away from children...ever. I can't decide whether to start with the good or the bad. Let's start with the good...then the bad...then close with more good. ?

We decided to get a room with a balcony. Since we were spending time away from the chaos of children, we figured to spend a lot of time relaxing on the balcony. This was money well spent! We also were given a fruit basket with wine, flowers, and a liter of bourbon (my idea) via the Bon Voyage program. Ahh, my favorite moments were relaxing on the balcony, listening to waves and having a nice drink...chatting (interruption free!) with my wife. I can't imagine ever cruising without a balcony. This is the way to go for us. There is always a lot happening on other parts of the ship, but we much preferred the quiet of our balcony.

The food! We really enjoyed the food. Not having to cook it ourselves was bonus! Other than the scrambled eggs (tasted like powdered eggs), I didn't have a bad meal the entire cruise. Our dinner companions (randomly seated with us) were great, and we enjoyed their conversation. We tried the "Didja" menu featuring lobster, escargot, and alligator! Enjoyed it all. My favorite was the ChateauBriand steak. I was a bit worried when it was only offered in medium-rare or medium-well. I got it medium-well and it was perfect... melted in my mouth. We ordered multiple entrees and appetizers...and desserts. All for the low low cost of free! How fun to be able to completely ignore the price on the menu and order what you want and as much as you want. Read more