Carnival Inspiration Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Carnival Inspiration - Western Caribbean

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Inspiration
User Avatar
iamgolden
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

Rating by category

Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2007
Traveled with children

My 11 year old son, my sister and myself sailed on the Inspiration last week. We had no problem flying into Tampa from Boston the morning of the cruise, and embarkation was very easy as we had a Cat 11 room and got VIP check-in; no waiting, we were on the ship in 20 mins. We went to the Lido for lunch, and to wait for our room to be ready, and had some gristly hamburgers. Our room was nice, but I feel too small for 3 people. I had sailed on the Triumph 2 years ago, and was expecting a bigger room. With the couch pulled down to make a bed, there was hardly room to walk around. The ship is showing its age and wear, but clean. You couldn't open the closet and the bathroom door at the same time. Our room steward Aisl was excellent, even though we contended with a very strong sewer odor in the bathroom the whole cruise. He tried spraying and everything to no avail. My balcony neighbor said his bathroom reeked too. We had quite possibly the worst Cat 11 room on the ship, my fault as I booked guar. suite. It is the first balcony room on deck 11 from the elevator. While sitting wedged on my 5 x 2 balcony, I had a lovely view of two orange lifeboats, and the small space between was white metal rail piping to get to the boats. I know it was my error, but I was lead to believe "partial" obstruction, not full. I would have paid extra to upgrade to a Cat 12 if I had known this.

I ordered room service each night for coffee and cocoa at 7:00AM to get me out of bed, and it was always on time. It was nice to sit outside and read a book and wake up each morning with coffee. We generally had the buffet for breakfast which was pretty good. We stuck to scrambled eggs and bacon. I ate in the dining room one morning and was not impressed with the Eggs Benedict, it seemed they had been broiled and were not very moist. Lunch, when we ate it, consisted of some excellent pizza from the pizzeria, grilled panini sandwiches from the Brasserie (the reuben was great), or just ice cream. At times it took a long time for tables to be cleared on the Lido deck after someone was done eating. We ate in the dining room every night and had some great lobster, seafood, steak and pasta. Most everything was very good. I OD'd on Chocolate Melting Cake each night. Our head waiter, Anthony was great; always joked and asked how our day went. Take your waiters dinner suggestions; they know best! I could have done without the Maitre'D skulking around our table each night.

They had the usual hairy chest contest, fear factor, etc. which were all fun. Got a great massage on the Grand Cayman day, as I didn't leave the ship, I had been there so many times and wanted to enjoy a quiet boat. In Coz we went to Paradise Beach which was a blast. My son had a great time on the water toys, and we had a nice lunch. Did a little shopping and headed back to the ship as it was pouring out. Onboard, we donated alot of money to bingo, but had fun. The entertainment was OK. I went to the shows a couple of nights, but especially enjoyed the "adult" comedians (18+ to enter). They were hilarious. The Newlywed/not so Newlywed game was funny as usual, even though Risa, the entertainment director is not one of my favorites. Beware the more popular shows; get there early so you're not looking at a giant pole in your site line in the Paris Lounge.

Cabin Review

Cabin 11
previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.