Carnival Destiny Review

A trip that will always be remembered

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Destiny

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Sail Date: Nov 2007
Cabin: Balcony

This was our first cruise. I am 26 and my boyfriend, now fiancE is 27. I have been to several resorts in the Caribbean, but thought we would try out this cruise because of all the different islands. Here are my thoughts and suggestions. Take a look because this can save you a lot of money!

Embarkation: This was relatively smooth. We flew in from Ottawa to San Juan through Carnival, they made sure the connecting flights were organized well, so we can arrive at a good time. We got to the airport at 2:30 pm and looked for the Carnival crew, since we had transfers included. A few men loaded a truck with all our bags, I must admit I was very nervous, but I will get to that later. It took 25 minutes to get to the ship. There was a bit of a line, but nothing to go crazy about. I am a very impatient girl, but the line went really smooth. Once we checked in with our credit card, we went to the duty free store. Let me tell you, this is worth every penny. There were complimentary shots at the front of the store and we fell in love with the mango rum. We purchased mango rum, spiced rum and vodka. We put it in our carry on bags, and we had no problems getting it through security. There is a bit of a walk, but once you get on to the ship it is worth it. I have read a few reviews stating the ship looked its age, but I completely disagree. It was spotless and very beautiful! It looked like a las vegas hotel inside. Loved it! We hung out for a bit and then went to the Dining room at 5 for open seating for dinner. It was very nice. But we were tired, so we checked out the deck party for an hour and then went to our room. We found 2 out of 3 bags at our door. And then the boat left the port, I freaked out! I couldn't find my bag anywhere. And the purser desk tried to be helpful, but couldn't find the bag. We searched the ship and finally found our bag at a different room. So if you lose your bag, check around your floor first before you panic! Cabin: We had a category 8A balcony cabin in the middle of the ship. (6239). We rarely heard noise, except for the footsteps running up and down the hall. The room was large enough once we put the bags under the bed. Our beds were made into a King. The bathroom was small with a very spacious shower. The balcony light was broken and one of the headlights above the bed were broken, but we really didn't care. Not a big deal at all Activities: Since I am use to resorts, I found that the activities and entertainment on the ship were amazing. We had something to do every single night and got to our rooms at 2 am. Now, if you are the kind of person who wants a relaxing trip, wants a calm and leisure environment, this cruise is not for you. This is a fun ship. There are parties all around, people are happy and loud, the comedians tell really dirty jokes, (I loved it they were soooo funny!) Every night there were different activities. The first night is the party on the deck, a lot of fun, second night we went to see the opening show with dancers and singers, amazing very funny and talented. The third night we went to see a Cuban comedian, very funny and dirty. Fourth night we played bingo and watched a really great las vegas show. The night after we saw another comedian, and the last night we watched a magician. They were all really great. We went to the club every night. The music was amazing. We didn't really play at the casino, but there is all you can eat at the casino every night between 5-8. We ate there for appetizers. Yummy! Food: Because we are late sleepers and because we did a few early excursions, we ordered room service every morning. We went to the breakfast buffet the first 2 mornings, but honestly, the lines are so ridiculous and the food wasn't that great. The room service was fresh and quick. NOTE: We brought a lot of ziplock bags with us and 2 big water bottles. We went to Lido every morning and packed our ziplock bags with bagels, croissants, bananas and cereal to eat while off the ship. We saved a lot of money doing that. We brought to big water bottles and filled them up with water for the day as well. (they only have passion juice in the morning) All you can drink apple juice, punch, ice tea, and lemonade) Lunch - We usually ate what we packed for the day, but got back around 3 pm and always stopped at the New York Deli. Amazing food! Always ask to get it on a baguette, so fresh and filled with lots of meat. My favorite place. We tried the grill and pizza but it was nothing to go crazy about. We tried the lunch buffet once, but the lines are so huge, there is no point. The Chinese food was on the other side of the buffet, we never tried it. Dinner - Always went to late seating at 8. The food was ok to very good. Every night we were given fresh bread with butter and we ate like pigs. 3 appetizers, 3 main meals and dessert. You can order as much as you want and they don't care. My fiancE ordered 4 lobster tails and 2 filet mignons lol! Pizza place - fresh but not spicy enough Deli - The best place to eat for a snack or lunch Grill - ok but over cooked most days Sushi - amazing opened from 5-8 at the casino, try it out! Room service - ok food, but some sandwiches are great. The fruit was terrible on the cruise. The Ship: I thought it was easy to find your way around the ship. It was laid out quite well. Having a cabin in the middle of the ship allowed you the use of not only the six regular elevators but also the four atrium elevators. We never really had to wait which was great. Windows were always clean, floors and elevators always clean. The only problem I had on this ship was the fact that it moved so much. We were always rocking and we didn't get sea sick, but it was so uncomfortable. I felt like I was drunk every night and I never had once drink (by the way I drink a lot at resorts, but because we had so much fun and a full packed itinerary, we didn't need to drink)

Ports: St. Thomas: Having a balcony is amazing because every morning you wake up to a beautiful island and you have the best view. Having your room on the water every day is amazing. We got up, went to lido to have breakfast and packed up food for the day. We walked through all the little shops and decided to buy things once we go back. We hoped on a cab, by the way, only take the cabs that actually go to the taxi dispatcher, otherwise you may be stuck with a crazy local. Took a cab to Megans Bay. AMAZING!!! We had the beach to ourselves. It was so beautiful. The water was clear and there were no waves. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. 4 dollars each way for the cab. We spend 5 hours at the beach and then went back to the port and bought a few presents for family at home. St. Thomas wad the cheapest place to buy bags, so buy them there! Went back on the ship, slept until 7 pm and went to the late dinner. We were matched up with a couple that was on their honeymoon. We lucked out because we had lots in common and enjoyed each night with them. Went to the club that night after the show and had a ton of fun. Dominica: This was one of the highlights of our trip. We booked our trip privately with Beno Tours. His team is amazing! It was a 5 hour tour that cost us 44 dollars a person. The Trafalgar falls is the highlight of this tour. The tour also includes the rainforest, the Botanical Gardens, the Sulfur Springs, and a panoramic view of the city and the newly built Windsor Park Stadium. The Emerald pool is the highlight of this tour. The other features include the rainforest, the Banana and Pineapple plantations among other crops. There will be a stop at Mr.Nice's fruit stand for sampling the Island's tasty fresh fruits as well as to be entertained by Mr. Nice himself. This tour ends with a drive along the Layou River until we get into the coast where we'll drive until we get back to the city. My fiancE swam in the falls and it was refreshing. Also, there is a big hike on this tour, so if you are not able to walk for a long period of time, I would suggest you let your tour guide know! Amazing tour! This night was the first formal night. We dressed up and went for the late dinner. Had lobster tail and jumbo shrimp. Great food. After that we went on top of the deck and the stars and moon were out and that is where my boyfriend, fiancE now, proposed to me. So romantic! Loved this cruise!!!! We went out to the Cuban comedian that night and he was hilarious! X-rated comedy, if its not for you don't go! Barbados: My favorite island. We took a cab (3 dollars each) to the Boatyard. We packed up food, like every morning. We paid 15 dollars and that included a lounge chair each, umbrella, and drink. We jet skied and the music was playing. This is like a Cancun beach. Lots of hot girls and white tee-shirt contests. The water is was so beautiful and the sand was like butter. I loved it I want to go there for a week! Went back to the ship at 5, hand late dinner and watched a las vegas show. Went to the club as well. St. Lucia: Cosol Tours - Hollla Cosol! Amazing Amazing Amazing - we were suppose to write something negative on here, only negative thing was that I couldn't stay over night! We had Batiste as our tour guy....you don't know!!!!! (something he said so funny) an this tour the fed you so much and gave you so much booze we felt like we stole it with the price we paid. We paid 50 bucks a person. This included the following: You are picked up at the dock, driven around the capital, Castries, then taken to the Victory Monument, where you will have an overlook of the city, and the northern part of the Island. You will then be whisked off to the Governor's House, the Banana Plantation, Marigot Bay (where the movie Dr. DoLittle with Eddie Murphy was filmed), the Fishing Villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries. Your tour will also drive you inside the Rain Forest, then to Soufriere which is the second largest town where you will be seeing the Pitons, which is the World Heritage Site. Your tour will take you inside the only Drive In Volcano in the world, the Water Fall and the Botanical Garden. You can also swim in the Torricelli Water Fall. During your tour you will sample fish cakes, Johnny cakes, bread, ripe bananas, cassava bread and many more local treats. Complimentary drinks will be provided. For those of you who like snorkeling, we suggest going to the black sand beach, or if you just want to do some swimming and relaxation you can choose the yellow sand beach. All these things are true and the food keeps on coming. All the islands best fruits are given too you on the tour and it make up for the fruit that was lacking on the cruise. These guys are very generous and want you to have a great time and you can get very drunk on this tour, they are not cheap at all!! Love it!

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin 8A
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