Carnival Inspiration Review

Inspiration -- Good value for the money

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Carnival Inspiration
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Petersonfcu
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Jan 2013

My wife and I took the four-day Mexican cruise on the Inspiration out of Los Angeles, with stops in Catalina and Ensenada. This cruise was different from our previous seven cruises in that we had never been on Carnival before and had never been on a cruise that was shorter than a week. Overall, we would give the Inspiration a middle-of-the-road grade, but since it was inexpensive so we thought it was a good value for the money.

Boarding was pretty much hassle-free. We have learned to come to embarkation later rather than earlier, so when we showed up about 3 PM (for a 5:30 departure), we sailed through check-in and were on-board in about 20 minutes.

Within the first few hours we began to note some immediate differences from our previous cruises. First, the Inspiration was the oldest cruise ship we have been on. Mostly, that meant it was not as well designed. The public areas all seemed smaller, darker, and more crowded, and the Inspiration did not have what I consider to be a true Promenade Deck, that is, a deck on the lower level with an outside walkway that went all the way around the ship. The only place you could walk around the Inspiration outside was up high on the ship and far above the water -- and we like to go outside and be close to the water. Second, the Inspiration had limited outside seating. The only pleasant, quiet place to sit outside was a small, adults-only place on the stern called "Serenity." Third, there were a couple of nights in which there was only small-venue entertainment, but no large shows. This did not bother us much, as we often don't attend the larger shows anyways. Fourth, our inside cabin was roomy enough, but it did not have as much storage space or seating as other similar cabins on other ships. This was OK for a four-day cruise, but would have been a hassle on a longer cruise. Fifth, there are no speciality restaurants on the Inspiration, but that is OK because it saves you $$!

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