Carnival Destiny Review

*CARNIVAL DESTINY - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!!!

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Destiny
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deepbluesea30
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Jun 2008
Cabin: Balcony

My wife and I chose this cruise because of the itinerary. You can't beat 7 islands on a 7 day cruise! This is our 3rd cruise. The first two were with Princess and Royal Caribbean. For this trip, we had to decide between Royal Caribbean, and Carnival. They both offer the same itinerary. They both leave on the same day and hit almost all the same islands. Ultimately we chose Carnival, because it was literally over $1,000 less than Royal Caribbean ($500 per person), for exactly the same accommodations and pretty much the exact same itinerary. We had read some positive reviews, so we decided to try it. To sum it up... "you get what you pay for". There were some positives, and some negatives, but the lower "class" of Carnival was definitely obvious. Here is the rundown. The ship: Overall, the ship was fine. The destiny is 12 years old, but it's still in great shape considering. It's also a smaller ship than the ships we've been on previously. It's pretty dated and tacky with all the neon lights and gaudy dEcor etc, but overall, it has been well kept and it is still in good shape. The layout was a little unusual. The dining rooms were both on deck 3, however you couldn't get to the aft dining room on deck 3 without going up to deck 5, and walking to the rear, then going back down again.(not a huge inconvenience though) The casino was larger than we've seen before. It appeared to be a good casino if you're looking for that. It seemed crowded every night. The daily capers included Texas hold-em tournaments several times a night. The most crowded areas on the ship were on Lido deck(9) where the pools and buffet were. It was hard to find a chair, and the pools/hot tubs etc were always packed with people (mostly kids). Even the adults only pool and hot tubs were a little crowded. One thing I didn't like, was the loud music. Every day, all day, they would have a DJ at the main pool blasting music. So there was nowhere to go and just sit quietly and read a book. Also, all day long you would have to stand in line at the buffets. The lines on this boat were terrible. If you're going to wait in line, I would recommend the Deli. It was the only descent food on the ship. Deck 5, which was the main route for reaching either the front or rear of the ship was also packed with people in the evenings. This is where the casino, the bars, the lobby, the night club etc. etc. etc. It was really the only public common areas of the ship (inside), so that whole area was always very crowded every night. The "Paladium Lounge" where all the entertainment took place, was very nice. It's the first ship I've been on with a multilevel stage and balcony etc. Most the seats had a great view. The spa/gym and running track were a little small, but not worth complaining. Overall, we were satisfied with the Ship. Our stateroom: We were very satisfied with our stateroom. We chose to purchase the :"guarantee" balcony. Which means you pay for an "8A" and are guaranteed at least an 8A or better when they assign you your room. But you leave the location of your room to chance. We were upgraded to an 8D. We ended up in cabin 9134 which was forward on deck 9 (Lido). In fact we had the forward-most balcony on that deck. There was plenty of space in the cabin. We were very comfortable. This is the first time we've had a balcony, and it was worth every penny. We loved having a view and being able to watch us pull into and out of each port. The bed was very comfortable. Plenty of storage and closet space. And the layout worked fine. Even the bathroom was larger than other ships we've sailed on. There was enough room in the shower for two. The only negative on the stateroom (aside from a few signs of its age) was the color scheme. The carpet, the ceiling, the walls etc were all some shade of pink. The bathroom was a little over the top with the pink too. We had read in previous reviews that there was mold in the showers, but we only could see it if we looked really close. One more thing we didn't think about. We were directly below the gym/spa, so we could hear people running on treadmills all day long. So it made taking a catnap during the day very difficult. But at night, it was quiet. Our room steward "Nana" did an excellent job. Our room was always kept very clean. We had a new towel animal in our room every night. He even went as far to put our drinks on ice so they were cold when we'd get back from a day on port or when we were at dinner. Plus he was very nice, and always said hello and knew us by name when we saw him in the hallway. One thing I noticed, was there is no fridge in the room as there have been on our other ships. The entertainment: The shows each night were actually pretty good (for a cruise ship). The Destiny Dancers were pretty "raw", but they meant well. The sets, and backdrops were pretty impressive for a cruise ship. I recommend the comedian. Both his shows were quite good. The magician was kind of a flop, and the juggler was so-so. And our Cruise Director "Lenny" was a little corny. I think he just liked to hear himself sing. Because he would open up half the shows with a song. The "midnight gala" (ice sculptures, deserts & food displays etc.) was on a much smaller scale than what we've seen before. So it was kindof a let down. The Dining: The dining on the Destiny was absolutely awful!!! We've cruised before, and the food and service was always first class. We knew the food wouldn't be as good on Carnival, but we had no idea. The quality of all the food was absolutely terrible. I would compare it to old buffet food. The cheesecake was warm, the tenderloin was cold. It was obvious that the food had been sitting out for hours prior to serving. The Caesar salad was always soggy, and the lettuce was brown. I could go on and on. The lobster was raw, and the filet was tough and dry. I really can't even describe it. Even the deserts were terrible. We're really not that picky, so it had to be awful for us to comment on it. As for the service, it was no different. The servers didn't even introduce themselves. They would just drop off the menu and walk away. Never said hello, or asked how we were doing or anything. At one point, the headwaiter and assistant waiter were arguing, and they made no effort to hide it. (There was a line at the pursers desk 24 hours, or else we would have gone through the trouble to reduce our tip) The dishwashing was done inside the dining room right next to all the guests. So we were always hearing dishes clanking and water spraying all throughout dinner. Other tables around us were all in agreement. However, I will acknowledge that it appeared that other tables may have had better servers, because they were joking and telling stories, and being very personable. It may have been just our servers. Ironically, after the cruise, when we were waiting in the airport to fly home, we ran into large groups from the ship. There were lots of conversations about the cruise, and absolutely everyone agreed that the food was awful. One more thing, when we booked our cruise, we requested a late seating, but they put us in the early seating! When we tried to have it changed, it was a huge hassle. The ports: Overall, we were happy with all the ports. However, these ports are fairly small, and there really isn't much to do unless you have an excursion planned. We ended up using the cruiseline for most of our excursions. If we had done more research, we may have been able to plan some activities for less, but we were not proactive enough, and we ended up purchasing all our excursions through the cruise. San Juan: We stayed at the Sheraton. It was directly across the street from the pier. I recommend it. The rooms were fine. And the location was unbeatable. We got in late and just walked around for about an hour before heading to bed. All the locals pack the Old Town streets with music and drinks etc on Saturday nights. The next day, we walked around Old Town and even walked around the other side of the island. It was crowded, but the old cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture was amazing. It was a very pretty walk between El Morro and the castle along the water on the opposite side of the island from the pier. I recommend it. El Morro was fascinating, and worth the $3 to get in. We left our bags at the hotel, and just before walking over to the ship, we went to a nearby grocery store and bought plenty of drinks. We put two 6-packs, two 2-liter bottles of coke, and a bottle of rum in our luggage. It all ended up in our room with no problem. We also carried on 2 bottles of Wine in our backpack. We were able to St Thomas: We tried to save some money and planned our day on our own. We wanted to see Trunk Bay on St John. First, let me say that it was gorgeous. The beach was beautiful, and the snorkeling was also very nice. However, it cost $10 per person to get from the ship to the ferry (Red Hook) by taxi, then it cost $12 per person for the ferry to St John. Then it cost $6 per person for a taxi from the ferry to Trunk Bay. Plus a $4 entrance fee per person to get on the beach. We only had about 45 minutes before we had to return to the ferry to make it back before the ship left. All in all, it cost us over $100 for just 45 minutes on the beach. We learned our lesson the hard way. If you want to go to Trunk Bay, book your trip through the cruise! Otherwise, stay on St Thomas. Dominica: We booked the spa and falls excursion through the cruise. Dominica seemed to be the best island of all. The people were very nice, and the island was beautiful. We really enjoyed the spa (sulpher hot springs). However, I would avoid the falls next time. It was incredibly crowded, and I felt like an ant in a line of other ants just trying to see a waterfall. That part was way too crowded. Barbados: We booked a catamaran and snorkel with turtles excursion through the cruise, and it turned out very nice. As always when snorkeling with one of these groups, you feel like just another tourist with your yellow blow up life jacket, and rental mask and snorkel, but that is to be expected. We had some time on the beach too. It was a nice excursion for the price. St Lucia: We made a big mistake on St Lucia. We wanted to see the volcano, and the Pitons. But we read that there were plenty of tours offered off the ship for half the price. So we got off the ship at 9 oclock. All the tours to the Pitons had already left. Because its an all day tour. We told a guide what we were looking for, and he told us that we would see them, but halfway through the tour, they said it would be too far, and we wouldn't have time, so we didn't see anything at St Lucia. Be careful if you go through a tour company off the ship. And DON'T do the "Ecological tour" through "Short Tours". It's a waste of time. They basically just walk you around some guys property for an hour. Antigua: We paid some big bucks on Antigua, and bought the Ultimate Catamaran Excursion. Basically, it was a tour of the island from the water. This catamaran went all the way around the entire island. It was our favorite excursion of the trip. They showed us all the famous homes and hotels on the island. Including Oprah's, Eric Clapton's, etc. They showed us a gorgeous marina on the other side of the island. We even had a chance to lay on the beach, and go snorkeling too. When we got back, we had time to walk around town. But there really wasn't anything to see there. The town seemed dangerous and dirty. St Kitts: We were warned that there wasn't much to do on St Kitts, so we booked yet another sail and snorkel trip. This one was also very beautiful. And the water was awesome. We had plenty of time to just sit on the beach and "waste away" in the water relaxing. I would recommend it.

Overall, we love the Caribbean. We love all the clear water and sunsets, and warm temps. However, most of the islands offer pretty much the same thing. One person I talked to said "if you've been to one island, you've been to them all". And I think he wasn't far off. Carnival was fine for the price, but the food was terrible. That pretty much sums it up. Have fun. And remember. It's all in your attitude. If you want to have a good time, you will! But if you're just looking to find fault with everything, you will. Just relax, Its your vacation!!!!!

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin 8D

We ended up in cabin 9134 which was forward on deck 9 (Lido). In fact we had the forward-most balcony on that deck. There was plenty of space in the cabin. We were very comfortable. This is the first time we've had a balcony, and it was worth every penny. We loved having a view and being able to watch us pull into and out of each port. The bed was very comfortable. Plenty of storage and closet space. And the layout worked fine. Even the bathroom was larger than other ships we've sailed on. There was enough room in the shower for two. The only negative on the stateroom (aside from a few signs of its age) was the color scheme. The carpet, the ceiling, the walls etc were all some shade of pink. The bathroom was a little over the top with the pink too. We had read in previous reviews that there was mold in the showers, but we only could see it if we looked really close. One more thing we didn't think about. We were directly below the gym/spa, so we could hear people running on treadmills all day long. So it made taking a catnap during the day very difficult. But at night, it was quiet. Our room steward "Nana" did an excellent job. Our room was always kept very clean. We had a new towel animal in our room every night. He even went as far to put our drinks on ice so they were cold when we'd get back from a day on port or when we were at dinner. Plus he was very nice, and always said hello and knew us by name when we saw him in the hallway. One thing I noticed, was there is no fridge in the room as there have been on our other ships.

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