This was my first cruise with Carnival. I traveled with my husband, my children ages 11 and 8 and my parents. The Destiny had something for every age group.

We drove to the Port of Miami on April 16, 2009 to board the Destiny. We had been staying at our family's home in Florida for several days before the trip. We decided to park a rental car at the dock so that we did not have to deal with transfers from the airport. It could not have been any easier. We unloaded our luggage at the terminal and then went to park the car. The parking lot was right across the street from the terminal. It cost $80 for 4 nights. It was money well spent as the transfers would have cost us $32 a person roundtrip to Miami International and with 6 people that would have added up quickly. After parking the car, we walked to the terminal. Since we were staying in a Suite, we had VIP check-in. We were led right through security and up to a private lounge for VIP check-in. We then were ready to board the ship. The whole process took about 15 minutes. We boarded at about 12:15.

When we got on the ship, our room was not ready and we were told it would be ready at 1:30. We headed to the Sun and Sea Restaurant for lunch. It was extremely crowded and it was hard to find a seat. Rather than wait on the endless line, we went outside to the grill where they were preparing hamburgers and hotdogs. This was much easier. My parents waited on the buffet line and they felt the food was only fair. It was a much better bet to eat the hamburgers and hotdogs. Read more