Just returned from a 5 day cruise (July 12-17) from Miami to the Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Destiny. It was the first cruise for me and my wife (25th wedding anniversary). I had a great time; the cruise met or exceeded my expectations. Our balcony stateroom (Lido deck, fwd starboard) was clean, comfortable, and was serviced 2-3 times a day by Dunkley, our steward. We booked late, so we were wait listed for the early (6pm) dining time, with a reserved late dining time. After boarding the ship and eating lunch, we went to the Maitre 'd (Simias) to see about getting the earlier sitting. Simias suggested the Your Time dining plan (eat anytime between 5:45-9:30pm). We took his advice, and we were glad we did. We ate 4 of the 5 dinners in the dining room (usually arriving around 7pm with no wait), and were seated at an intimate table for two, but we were close enough to talk to other diners if we wanted. The food was above average, and Alexander (our head waiter) was very cordial and helpful. For example, I brought two bottles of wine on board, and Alexander was very accommodating. (Be sure to follow the Carnival rules for bringing wine onboard. Per instructions, I had the two bottles in my carry-on bag, and had no problems with security.) I only drank half of a bottle at dinner, so Alexander corked the bottle and stored it for me for another night. For the white wine, Alexander told me to deliver the bottle to the dining room hostess at lunch time, and they kept it cold for dinner that night. Fantastic service! Most of our breakfasts and lunches were in the dining room. This turned out to be a great opportunity to meet other passengers, as we were seated at tables with 8 other people. We also ate at the buffet (two breakfasts and one dinner). The lines can be long depending on the time of day. Food was above average for buffet style eating. The evening stage shows were entertaining, and the quality of the dancing and singing was excellent. We enjoyed our three ports of call - Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. I did the 2.5 hour snorkeling excursion at Grand Turk, where I was able to see a barracuda, nurse sharks and lobster (and 1000's of other fish). At Half Moon Cay, my wife and I enjoyed swimming at the gorgeous beach. At Nassau, we shopped, visited the Pirate Museum and swam at a beach near the port. We liked the cruise so much that we have reserved a 7 day cruise to the Western Caribbean in March 2011, and we will take our three kids with us. If you plan on taking another cruise with Carnival, be sure to sign up for the Up-to-$200 ship credit certificate when you are on your next cruise. We bought two certificates ($100 each; one in my name and one in my wife's name), which will give us a total of $200 ship credits for our 7 day cruise in March, with the value of the two certificates credited to the cost of the cruise.
Balcony stateroom was fantastic. I will always book a balcony stateroom on future cruises.