New to Carnival Cruise Line

[DDMau]

We are new to Carnival Cruise Lines so any Pro's and Con's would be very helpful. We are looking at booking a 5 day r/t Tampa on the Inspiration in Oct 2010. A few things of interest would be, Dining times, extra fee restaurants, ease of getting on & off the ship, cabins (inside & ocean view), crowds, well just about any help or just your personal feelings about the ship.

 

Thanks

D&D

 

[Cruzman]

Dining times are either fixed traditional dining, 6 and 8:15 PM, or open seating anytime between 5:45 and 9:30 PM. There is no specialty, extra charge venue on the Inspiration. Boarding is pretty effortless in Tampa; just have all your paperwork in order. Standard inside and OV cabins on this class of ship are very roomy compared to other cruise ships on which I have sailed. You will find a Mardi Gras themed decor throughout the ship.

[cwiggy]

just did our first cruise. Loved it! Stayed in an oceanview room with our kids and found it was decently spacious. Dining time was at 6 pm but only made it one night. We were late another night and they kindly seated us at 8:45. Food in the buffet areas is very nice and if you miss your dining time, you won't be disappointed eating elsewhere on the ship. Hope you enjoy your CC.

[DDMau]

Thanks, cruzman & cwiggy

 

Your comments are helpful.

 

I know all cruise lines have ways of extra money by selling things, this doesn't bother me because I know I do not have to buy but what might I be in for.

 

Food is subjective to each persons taste so unless something was really bad or really good I won't need any reviews on food.

 

Does the inspiration have the open dinner seating.

 

Is most of the inside cabins the same as well as the OV cabins except for the deck locations.

 

As I get more into this I will have more questions.

[T. Advisor King]

Thanks, cruzman & cwiggy

 

Your comments are helpful.

 

I know all cruise lines have ways of extra money by selling things, this doesn't bother me because I know I do not have to buy but what might I be in for.

 

Food is subjective to each persons taste so unless something was really bad or really good I won't need any reviews on food.

 

Does the inspiration have the open dinner seating.

 

Is most of the inside cabins the same as well as the OV cabins except for the deck locations.

 

As I get more into this I will have more questions.

 

I think the extra-billing items are all fairly standard.

 

We paid for:

• internet access ($5.70 for the first minute, $0.75 per minute thereafter
  
• photos - quite expensive. I think we paid around $25 for an 8X10
  
• some kids activities - the basic "club" does not have an extra fee, but certain late-night activities cost extra
  

We also ran out of sunscreen, so the total of the above plus the sunscreen was $93, for a one-week cruise.

 

Auto tips are charged at $10 per day. You can adjust them at your discretion.

 

We booked excursions through Carnival for two of three ports.

 

Things we didn't use/pay for:

• "premium" restaurants
  
• liquor or soda (you can bring on one bottle of wine/champagne, plus a "reasonable" amount of water/soda). We found no need to pay for drinks
  
• spa services
  
• art auction
  
• casino
  
• on-board shopping
  
• cell phone service
  

I'm probably missing a half dozen more things that we could have paid for. I guess we view the cruise as an all-inclusive and endeavour not to spend anything other than the fare and the appropriate amount for tips. There certainly were times when it felt as if they were constantly trying to "sell" us, but I guess you get immune to it after a while.

[BlueJacketsFan1]

My brother'n'law and I sent my mother and sister on the Inspiration a few years ago. Neither of them had cruised before, and they both had the time of their lifes. They enjoyed everything about the ship and the cruise. They will be talking about that cruise forever. I am sure that you will enjoy the cruise on the Inspiration. I have been to both of the islands that it visits and my wife and I loved them both. We would love to go back to Cozumel, maybe on our next cruise. Cozumel was our first island of any cruise, and will always be one of our true favorites. Best of luck and happy sailing.

[Poomah]

Pros: Always something or nothing to do - your choice.

Read your capers and plan out what you'd like to participate in

Food really is available 24/7 - room service, while limited, is great

Enjoyed the pizza - just had to try it at least once

Dining room food is pretty good quality - try something new at least

a couple of times

Clean rooms, fresh linen, beds made, meals cooked, entertainment

 

Love it all - you will have a great time if you allow yourself too. Others have already covered the extra charge items - do get at least one picture if you are the "memory making" type - a bit expensive but you won't regret it.

 

Hope this helped - have a blast!