We just returned from our 7 day cruise aboard the Carnival Destiny. This was just our second cruise, the first being one year ago aboard the non-smoking Paradise. We flew into Houston Hobby Airport, which is about 20-30 minutes closer to Galveston pier than Houston International. Instead of paying $66 R/T each for the Carnival shuttle (since there were 5 of us) we took a cab from the airport. You can catch a cab right outside baggage claim and it costs $70-$80 to get to the pier and the same to get back to the airport. The other option we found is a limousine service for $50 each, which is still cheaper than the shuttle and they will be waiting for you at the cruise terminal when you return so you don't have to stand in line for a cab.

Having cruised on Elations sister ship, we found navigating the various deck levels and hallways easier as we were already familiar with the ship layout.

As always, the food was wonderful and you certainly get spoiled being waited on daily for a week. Our cabin steward was great. Almost every time that we left the room, we returned to find that he had tidied it up, left fresh towels and filled our ice bucket. Read more