This is my review of our cruise on Carnival's Inspiration that departed from Tampa, FL on Saturday March 29, 2008. A bit about us, this was a cruise for my daughter and I - a girls bonding trip. We are both experienced cruisers - this was my 13th cruise and my daughters 9th cruise. Our other experiences were on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, HAL and Princess. Without my daughter I have also been on Silverseas and Seabourn. This was the perfect cruise for the two of us. The itinerary was Tampa, day at sea, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, a day at sea and then back to Tampa. Unfortunately shortly after we left Tampa there was a medical emergency and the Coast Guard took a passenger off. When they went to start up the engines again something happened mechanically to one of the engines. Needless to say the ship couldn't sail quicker than 10-12 knots so our Grand Cayman stop was cancelled. The cruise wound up being one day at sea, Cozumel, two more days at sea and then home. Since it was a mechanical problem, Carnival gave everyone a $50 on board credit and 25% off a future 3, 4 or 5 day cruise. I think that was more than generous on their part and thanks Carnival!

Embarkation was a breeze. My husband dropped us off at 11:15am and we were on board one short hour later. Since I booked a Cat 12 (U115) we had VIP boarding which went a little quicker. The other lines didn't look long at all and were moving. Debarkation was also quite painless. We had room service that morning in our suite and left our cabin by 9am. Customs was a breeze and a porter helped us through the whole time. My son came and picked us up at 10am and we were home in Orlando by 11:15. Tampa is a great port to sail out of, and I hope to do it again.

The Inspiration is quite old - was built in 1996 but after its current redo all I can say is that for a ship that age she really looks good. Yes a couple of places did look worn but these were very few and far between. We spoke to others that were on it before the renovation and all said it is 100% better now. Yes it is True to the neon Carnival of years ago, but everything does indeed shine and looks great for the age of the ship. The new areas were really great. Serenity was a perfect place for adults only. Plenty of sun and shade. The times that I was there I never did see any kids so they do enforce it quite well. The waterpark was also used extensively and everyone looked like they were having a great time. There are also plenty of lounges all around for parents to be near to their kids. The pool area on the lido deck was always packed and I am sure chair hogs were there. You can see that they redid this as well and everything looked brand new. I spent many an hour in the casino and although the slots weren't too loose, I really came home just about even so that is a good thing really. The many lounges had different types of music and some looked quite packed and others looked empty. Read more