Carnival Inspiration Review
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This was our 10th sailing on Carnival –overall we had a nice & relaxing cruise, and were very fortunate with calm seas and sunny & perfect weather: Upper 70s in Long Beach and Avalon, low 80s in Ensenada. Here is a review of our experience, but keep in mind that every cruise is different so your results will vary. We’ll be glad to answer any questions…
EMBARKATION –and ALCOHOL: My wife & I drove up from South OC and arrived Long Beach Cruise Terminal at 12:30pm, parked in the enclosed parking structure next to the Cruise Terminal “Dome”, dropped off luggage with the porter. We purchased “Faster To The Fun” (FTTF) right after we booked our cruise –see more info on this below, so luggage tags were marked “F2F” for quick delivery to our stateroom. With the FTTF logo on our Boarding Pass, we got to use the far-right priority entrance at the dome, then priority screening. We brought two 750ml bottles of wine from home in our carryon bags, which is allowed by Carnival. Our water bottles, both loose as well as those in a plastic shrink-wrap 8-pack, were randomly pulled out and shaken then examined for leaks & foaming –ours passed inspection..! Then proceeded to priority check in –got pix for our Sail & Sign (S&S) cards, passed thru security check & photo, then onboard by 1:00pm. Went to our stateroom U230 –no FTTF luggage yet (you’ll find out why) so went to the Mardis Gras dining room to meet the Maître d' and check our table assignment, then to the Spa to find out about the special deals. The Inspiration overall appeared to be in good shape and well maintained, and there’s no mistaking you’re on Carnival with that infamous “entertainment architecture”.
Back to the stateroom –our luggage arrived, but the gallon Ziploc bag that I had filled with white wine then sealed in multiple Ziplocs was confiscated (NOTE: Someone in a recent CC post reported that the security officer said the nozzles on Run Runners are detected by luggage scanners, so my exercise proved they are also checking for liquids in anything).
Cabin Review
STATEROOM U230: Aft Oceanview (6C) stateroom at the very back center of the ship, we found motion & engine noise were minimal, noting that seas were relatively calm on this trip and the captain was good about approaching ports very slowly with minimal stern thrust required. The only odd sounds were from the high-speed rope winches used to tie the ship at Ensenada –but these only lasted a few minutes. And it’s very convenient to the Serenity Deck and Lido Buffet. The bed was comfortable, and the shower was decent-sized with plenty of water pressure. The air conditioning is very efficient, controlled by airflow that you can vary from none to full blast. TIP: There were two warm comforters in plastic bags at the bottom of the closet to bundle in if it got too cold.If you’re a geek like me and bring your GPS, please note that my Garmin nuvi was able to get a satellite fix while sitting on the windowsill in this stateroom –just set it for “Off Road” mode. I saved the location of the Cruise Terminal before we embarked, so besides knowing our current location, direction & speed, I could also find out how far we were from home port at any time.Directly across the hall from this stateroom is a large “Crew-only” door. We accidentally discovered that this leads to a stairwell, because as we were leaving our stateroom for the Safety Briefing, a crewmember opened that door and led us up those stairs –a convenient shortcut to our Muster Station “E”, the Candlelight Aft Lounge!This stateroom appears longer on the deck plan so I measured and confirmed that it's 3ft longer, so the bed does not have to be against the back wall and you can actually walk around it. Also unlike standard Oceanview staterooms, the window is in a 1½ft recessed well –so you can sit up in the window space to enjoy the wake view, or store stuff there (we used it for drinks and plates of food). TIP: There's only one (1) grounded 3-prong 110VAC/60Hz electrical outlet (and one 220VAC/50Hz outlet) in most staterooms, so we always bring a multiple outlet strip and extension cords, as well as a fan to help mask ship noises (also earplugs) –and cool the room after a steamy shower!