Carnival Destiny - May 4th, 2009 (5 Day Eastern Caribbean: Nassau, Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk)

Embarkation:  We arrived at the Port of Miami at around 1030am and were on the lido deck eating lunch by around 1145am.  Very smooth and painless.  We almost froze to death waiting to board, but the amazing weather of the next 5 days made it worth every moment!  There was a questionnaire which was required to be completed by each passenger regarding Swine Flu symptoms and information on how Carnival was handling the situation distributed.  Our cruise was not affected in any way by this as none of our ports of calls were in Mexico. 

Ship:  The Destiny was a beautiful ship, I found it easy to get around because I was on the Victory less than a year ago and it was a very similar layout.  The atrium area was stunning, and the ship showed little if any signs of wear.  The Lido deck was great but the movies shown on the big screen left something to be desired. I looked forward to catching a movie under the stars but none of them appealed to us at all.  The screen is definitely a good addition to any ship though, it was on the Victory and now I can't imagine a ship not having it!  We loved the adult only area by the Pizzeria for a break from the lively atmosphere of the front lido.  We're only 23 years old but even we liked having a choice depending on our mood. The forward and aft of the lido deck provided two very different atmospheres; I don't recall this being found on the Victory and really enjoyed it!  We had an inside room on the first floor and thought it was perfect, while I'm sure it would be nice to be a little higher I would prefer being on a lower deck for cheaper! We had no problems with any area on the ship, the theatre, clubs, atrium, rooms, etc were all great.  We didn't eat in the Dining room, we are really not dining room people so I can't comment on that, but the food in the Lido buffet was great!  I know some people think we're crazy for not enjoying the Dining room, but it's just not for us. I know it's great for some people and perhaps as I get older I'll enjoy that aspect of cruising more.  For now grabbing buffet food, or some pizza suits me fine! Read more