Previous posts have had complaints about various aspects of this cruise, including nationalities, the ship, and other aspects of this cruise. I had even posted a question as to whether I should even take this cruise, especially, after reading about the number problems with Puerto Ricans that book this cruise due to it leaving from San Juan. However, I did not experience any problems at all. The most I can come up with, is music selection played onboard. I love hip hop reggae, SOCA, and steel drums - it would be great, if that was the only selections! But then again, I did not expect Carnival to cater only to my choices!  A number of us had posted on the Cruise Critic roll call for this cruise and had planned to meet on Sunday the 27th and then again on May 3rd. Spander30 (Sandy) had arranged these meetings as well as got several of us to dine together (Group of fourteen)! Therefore, we really got to know our new friends especially well, Emily and Wilson, Dan and Stephanie, Tom and Teresa, Chris and Ann, and Mygene and Sandy! Additionally, we met Tiffany and Marat, as well as Neil from Orlando, Evelien, Glenn, Nikki, and Tom from Aruba,! Many thanks to all of them as this made the trip so much more enjoyable! Thank-you Cruise Critic for allowing us to meet first online and then in person! Hopefully, we will get to cruise together again!

The Ship: Many complaints can be found in Destiny's reviews but I thought the ship and crew were first rate, friendly, and professional! From the Captain, Maitre 'D, Marcy (Cruise Director), and the rest of the crew, I give really high marks! If, you're the kind of person that complains a lot, you'll be able to find some things but just chill and do some liming and you'll love this cruise also! Most of the scheduled events onboard happened either during the day while we were out doing shore excursions or during our dinner (8:00 PM Seating). The few shows we did get to see were excellent. We did not use the Spa or exercise equipment. Also, we never got to the casino to gamble or even use the pools or hot tubs, we were just to busy to do it all! The food offerings in the Universe Dining Room were widely varied and our selections tasted great! Additionally, our head waiter, a young lady from the Philippines ( I think) was outstanding! Embarkation: Flew non-stop from Charlotte to San Juan, caught a taxi, arrived onboard within an hour after arrival. The only problem was with rain, so we opted to stay on the ship, instead of walking around Old San Juan. St. Thomas: My wife and I (50's) have previously spent 10 days in STT, so we did things near the ship's docking area - shopping, Paradise Point, and the Butterfly Farm. All where enjoyable! If you have an hour, highly recommend doing the Butterfly Farm. Dominica: We did a tour with Fredos Tour and Guide, it was spectacular! We visited the Emerald Pool, the Rainforest, Trafalgar Falls, Layou Valley, Mr. Nice Fruits Stand, Botanical Gardens, and Mourne Bruce. Fredos does an excellent tour of his beautiful island! We really enjoyed the entire tour, and Mr. Nice's Fruit stand should not be missed. Dominica is an absolutely beautiful island, I don't think I would want to spend a week there but for a cruise visit - don't miss it! PS: Previous posts and have said that Fredos's Tour was excellent - I agree, take a tour with him, if you can! Barbados: We had booked the Nature Preserve and Beach Tour with Carnival. I can't say, I was disappointed because with almost all of Carnival's shore excursions, I have been disappointed! The tour reads great! However, where they say you'll see X?, I expected more that a driveby! We did have time after the tour to take a taxi on our own to the Malibu Rum Store! Bought some rum and a couple of T-shirts, the beach looked good but we didn't use it. St. Lucia: We had booked a tour with Shal of Jungle Tours of St. Lucia, but were met by a substitute named Charlie, as Shal was supposedly sick. Never the less, again this turned out to be a great tour, just my wife and I, Charlie gave a super tour of his island. My wife got to hold a boa constrictor, we ate lunch at a really nice restaurant, The Still, and we really felt that we had learned a lot about St. Lucia. We, went to a beach in Soufriere which was a beach that the locals use. There are many more spectacular beaches in St. Lucia that would have been a far better choice and made a better overall tour. Would recommend this tour! Antigua: Loved this island, beautiful beaches, spectacular views, friendly people! We did a tour with Gordon's Tour. We first stopped at a fruit market where Gordon purchased various fruits and drinks for later. We toured the island seeing Nelson's Dockyard, Devil's bridge, and Shirley Heights and more. Loved this tour and had a great day, swimming and snorkeling at one of the prettiest beaches - Long Bay! Again, the posts here at Cruise Critic have said that Fredos, Shal (Charlie), and Gordon give great tours on their islands, and they are right! St. Kitts: Our final port! Okay, at this point in the cruise, between, shore excursions and staying up late (earliest I went to bed was 1:15 AM, we just walked around Basseterre and did some shopping - you have to bring gifts home! Bought our 8 week old granddaughter two very pretty dresses made on the island. I plan on visiting this island in the future, maybe for a week! Debarkation: Many complaints in Destiny's reviews, but we had no problems at all. The process went smooth and we left the ship around 8:30 AM, caught a taxi was at the airport by 9:20! Final thought: Overall, a great vacation for the price - would do this cruise again on the Destiny!