Carnival Inspiration Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Carnival Inspiration - Western Caribbean

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Inspiration
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KevinC
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Feb 2007
Cabin: Interior Upper/Lower

Just returned from a four day cruise to Cozumel. I'm 56 and a single male. Traveled with a group of 58 friends and neighbors. Not a first timer have cruised many times from Cunard to Windjammer. First time on Carnival, heard it was the Wal-Mart of cruises and didn't have high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. I live in the Tampa area and arrived at 11:30 and was onboard by 12:15. I boarded in business attire and an attache case as I had to disembark for a meeting at 1:30. No problem; although the staff was a little puzzled as to why I wanted off the ship. Returning to the ship we were waved through by the friendly staff. When asked how they knew who we were, they replied that we were the best dressed passengers as most passengers were boarding in shorts and t-shirts. I had an interior single cabin. It was more than adequate and exceeded the square foot ratio I've ever had even on the QE2. Cabin steward was attentive and friendly and always remembered my name. Bed was comfortable although not having slept in a twin since college got some getting used to. Shower pressure good. Watch the hot water it is really hot! One question? Why does the satellite TV feed come from Denver? The weather report and the Denver local news really don't impact us sitting on a ship in the Caribbean. Room service was always prompt and the toasted bagel warm and coffee hot when delivered at it's appointed time. The decor of the public rooms bordered on Las Vegas garish but the ship was spotless and the crew were constantly cleaning and vacuuming. A surprising detail was that in the public rest rooms there were paper dispensers so you did not have to directly touch the door knobs to exit same. Norovirus prevention! The Library was a joke unless you wanted to read romance novels. Surprisingly there were books written in German, French and Spanish available. It appears to be stocked by books left behind onboard. If you want to read suggest bringing your own. The food was hit or miss. The buffet in the Brasserie had interesting salad selections but for all else only the made to order omelets would even tempt. Did not try the pizza or Deli sandwiches. Had the late seating for Diner at the Carnivale Dining Room. Wait staff friendly and attentive. Order a bottle of wine as opposed to by the glass. Your bottle will be recorked and saved for your next night's meal. Soups, salads and desserts were the highlights. Entrees were hit and miss but promptly replaced. Watch the steaks and lobster! Midnight Buffet artfully displayed. Cozumel was Cozumel. If you see one Mexican port with souvenir shops you have seen them all. However we rented a mini van and drove around the island. I did rain for a short time and it appears the only people swimming were the people from up north. Water temperature was estimated at 68 degrees. Far too cold for Floridians. Found a great restaurant; Bob Marley's Rasta Bar, just past the Punta Celarain Lighthouse turnoff. Good ceviche and other Mexican fare. When faced with the choice of an $8.00 hamburger or equally priced five pound freshly caught fried grouper, We chose the grouper. Best fish I've had in ages. Last day at sea cold and windy. Best place for a quiet book read is the aft pool on the Verandah Deck. The Lido deck area can get noisy and is more crowded. Debarkation went fairly smoothly. I had left my luggage out the last night. Was surprised that there was a general call to disembark rather than calling individual decks at a time. Got off the ship, claimed baggage and went to pick up the car in less than a half hour. Valet parking cost $60.00. Would I sail Carnival again? Probably, but not to Cozumel. This was not high end cruising nor was it high end pricing. You get what you paid for. I was pleasantly surprised. Feel free to contact me with any other questions. Bon Voyage!

Cabin Review

Interior Upper/Lower

Cabin 1A
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