Carnival Destiny 1/6-1/10 Long and loaded with pix!

[richbum]

We are also from Maine, we were on her a few weeks ago in December. I would have loved to have been near any palm tree yesterday after digging out of 15 inches of snow yesterday :(. Great Review

 

 

Thank you...I agree, I want to be back there, 13 inches of snow is just to much right now, I am supposed to be living in the tropics...I know I am!:D;)

[richbum]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip and pictures! Our B2B2B on the Destiny starts in just 10 days! I can't wait to get away from the cold and snow!!

 

 

You are very welcome! I hope that you have a great cruise!

[richbum]

I see you have cruised both Destiny and NOS. I am booked on Destiny next week but looked also at NOS. Which did you like better?

 

 

I will always love the Navigator. She was my first cruise, and the wow factor when I walked on just has not been beat yet, but The Destiny is a great ship. The service is comparable, and the price is great. My friend had heard lots of bad things about the Carnival ships, so this cruise was without her, and now she is regretting not going with us...her loss!;) Anywho, I think that you will enjoy either one. I described carnival as more "flashy" decor, where the Navigator is more "classy". They both has similar activities.

[richbum]

As we arrived at dinner, we watched a beautiful sunset.

 

Charlie Matt Krissy and Rachel all ordered the Jerked Pork Loin. They were told that it was spicy (which they all like spicy food), but it was to spicy for Krissy and Rachel, so they resorted to the old standby, flat iron steak.

 

Rachel and I had the Fried Mozzerella, and the boys each had 2 shrimp cocktails.

 

 

 

And of course Rachel had her nightly portion of Mac & Cheese.

 

 

Dessert consisted of apple pie and tarimisu for Matt:

[richbum]

 

Chocolate ice cream for Krissy

 

 

Pinapple sherbert for me

 

 

Rachel had warm choc. melting cake, and Charlie didn't get anything.

 

Charlie decided once he got back to the room that he really wanted cheesecake, so he ordered room service. About 1/2 hour after he got it, Matt & Rachel showed up at our room and ordered it again, this time 4 cheesecakes and 2 toasted peanut butter and Jellies. Now, when we ordered the PB&J's we asked that one be made with grape jelly and one with strawberry. They said that they didn't have either of those. Rachel asked what kind they had, and the person on the other end of the phone said "regular jelly". Now at this point, we were a little scared...what is "regular jelly? Well when it came, the jelly is already mixed with the peanut butter, and I think it was grape.

 

 

It looked kind of gross, but tasted good (as said by many others here on cruise critic!)

 

Here is the cheesecake (served with strawberries on the side)

 

 

Rachel was feeling a little seasick this night, so I gave her some bonine and sent her to bed. I noticed that Matt snuck to the buffet again after she fell asleep...I am so glad that I don't pay his grocery bill anymore!

 

The next day, we were on our way back to reality. Matt & Rachel went to the dining room for breakfast, and we went to the buffet. After, we went to the photo gallery and spent a bunch of money, and Matt picked up his pictures from the underwater disposable camera that they used when parasailing. We all went to our rooms and started packing. Krissy hung out at the kids program a lot on this day, and had a blast. She was a little bummed that they cancelled the waterslide time, but it was closed due to the wind. Good thing, cause I could not find a seat ANYWHERE to take pictures. The chair hogs were out in full force. Since breakfast was late this morning, we skipped lunch (I did go to take a couple of pix of the chocolate buffet that Tesh made sure to tell us about) This was served on the lido with lunch, and was not advertised! We did go to the ice carving, and was a little annoyed with how insensitive people were. Brent (the cruise idrector) kept telling people in the front to sit on the floor so that people behind them could see, but there was this one woman who refused to sit, then her husband showed up, and he stood too. I took her picture, just incase I felt like a witch so that I could plaster face on the internet, but I am feeling a little nicer now, so maybe I will hold off on that!;)

[richbum]

This day was also Tea time at 3pm. Charlie had no interest in going, but Krissy didn't get back from Circle C until after I left, so he brought her up and stayed. We sat with Cheryl and Evelyn again, and had tea and some great desserts.

 

 

 

Tonight in the dining room was boneless ribs (which the kids thought tasted like my pot roast, and Charlie had salmon. Matt & Charlie also tried the smoked salmon appetizer...Tesh was totally surprised to find something that Matt didn't like...He thought that smoked salmon was cooked, boy was he surprised!

 

 

 

 

The french onion soup was also good!

 

 

 

Tonight was the farewell show, which was good. It was Viva Paris (or something like that). and there was a lot of talent on that stage. We had planned on going to the farewell party, but forgot about it. I also went back to the casino on this day, and won another $23...I was down by $60, then won on some bonuses, so I figured that I would quit while I was ahead.

[richbum]

I just found the letter that was left about why we had to be back to Miami early.

 

Dear Carnival guest:

 

We hope you've enjoyed your time ashore today in beautiful Key West. We just need a moment of your time to provide you with some information on our itinerary plans.

 

Although still a couple of days away, upon our return to Miami on Monday, we wanted to advise you we will be performing some routine testing during the overnight hours. In order to accomodate our early arrival in Miami, we need to adjust our time in Cozumel at noon and our departure is now scheduled for 9pm.

 

Once docked in Miami, we will perform an inclining test of the ship that is required of us every five years. This test can only be performed when the ship is docked, which is why we will be pulling into port around midnight. Don't worry, you'll notice very little movement and all onboard systems and hotel services (with the exception of the casino) will continue to function normally. The casino will have to close up once we reach u.s. waters.

 

Since it will be very late once we arrive, clearance from local officials will be obtained on Monday morning and debarkation will proceed as normal. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation since the ship will be stopped while the test was performed.

 

Thank you for your understanding. There is still plenty of fun to be had and my entire team is committed to making sure you have a memorable cruise. Enjoy the rest of your time on board.

 

Sincerely

 

Captain Roberto Leotta

 

We arrived back around 1am and we did not feel any extra movement because of the testing. We were in Zone 14 for debarkation, and were off the ship by 8:30, (after breakfast on the lido) and on our way back to Fort Lauderdale. We used sas again, but this time were not as impressed with the driver. He seemed like a taxi driver who was in a hurry to get his next car load of people.

 

He dropped us off at the Riverside Hotel, where we had reservations through Priceline, for a little over $100. We asked for a cot for Krissy, but they said that since we had 2 beds, we could not have the cot. We were in the older part of the hotel, and there was a chair with footrest that worked fine for her. We were not charged anymore at any of our hotels for extra guests, just $10 at the first 2 for the cot. We walked up Las Olas blvd for a while, but not much was open at that point, so We decided to take the "carrie b" and went on the millionairs row tour, which was fun. We also saw our ol girl the Navigator in port in Fort Lauderdale, so that was especially nice for us. After the tour, the kids wanted to try the cheesecake factory, which was attached to the hotel. At this point everyone was exhausted, so it was nap time....except for Krissy. She decided that I didn't need to be sleeping either, so we went across the street to the pool and hung out there for a while. We were trying to keep an eye on the weather forcast that night, because of our early morning flight, and the storm that was pummeling the east coast. We checked in online for our flights, and within 5 mins, I had a recorded message call my cell and tell me that our flights had been cancelled. I immediately called orbitz, and they said that we were still good to go. I called back 3 more times, and sure enough, everytime, they said that the flight was not cancelled, so after an hour of stressing, we decided that we would still go to the airport in the morning, and hopefully make it home before the storm hit us. We did make it home on Tuesday as planned..yea, and now we are covered in snow:cool:

 

Just some notes, we did go to the welcome show, and the good bye show. Both were good. We did not go to Karaoke or any of the spa classes or bingo, (although we had thought about it). This was probably our most laid back cruise so far. We decided not to "do everything" like we usually do.

 

Now we have been on Navigator of the Seas (out of Miami) and Explorer of the Seas (out of Bayonne NJ), and I can honestly say that I would not do the Explorer again. This cruise was during their first winter up there, and it seemed like the crew did not warm up until the temps did. Bayonne was to confusing of a port, nobody knew where you were supposed to go. I loved our Waiters, and our room steward was good, but this was the cruise where I was anxious to get home. Now the Navigator, was our first cruise, and it was just Charlie and I, and another couple. Our jaws dropped when we stepped into this ship. It was Beautiful. Back then it was a 7 day out of Miami, so the perfect amount of time to be away.

Now, to compare Carnival and RCCL. The crew was about the same (as the Navigator), all very kind, and helpful, and fun. They always had something planned for everyone. The food, The buffet on RCCL is much bigger with more choices, but tastewise, I did not see much difference. There were some things that I liked better on each. The rooms seemed bigger on RCCL, but there was plenty of storage on Carnival, so it was not anything major. Decor--As I said earlier, RCCL is more "classy" and Carnival is more "flashy". I did not have any problems with the flash. Carnival was a little more of a party ship. I think this had to do with the fact that college students were still on Christmas break, and when we went on RCCL, it was always at the end of January, so they were back in school. As far as the ports this time, I loved Cozumel. They have done so much to rebuild after the hurricane. It is beautiful now. Key west was such a short stop, that it is hard to get a lot done. I wish we had a longer amount of time there. I would definetly take another cruise on Carnival. The price is right, and the service was great. Oh ya, no propulsion issues, but I did smell the infamous smell a few times (I just blamed it on Matt..hehe).

 

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I will be scanning in the fun times hopefully tomorrow or Saturday, and will get them posted as soon as I can. As I said earlier, I took over 1000 pix and once I get Rachels and krissys downloaded in the next few days, we will be way over 2000 on my photobucket page. Please feel free to take a look.:D

[richbum]

I just tried posting more pix from around the ship, but it is telling me that my bandwidth has been exceeded. I am not sure what that means , but as soon as I figure it out, I will post more.

 

Also, we were so happy with our waiters. I asked them to sing Happy Birthday to Rachel (even though her birthday is today, we had them sing it to her a few days early), and the entire dining room joined it. It was great!!! We loved that the waiters were so interactive, especially with Krissy. We loved the singing and dancing ( I know, a lot of people don't) but it truely was a funship!!!:D

[sugaangel601]

I have also cruised NOS and she was my first, as well. I agree with you about the WOW factor. Fantasy was my last cruise, and while it was wonderful, it didnt quite add up. However, I think it might have something to do with the "first cruise experience."

 

I agree with you, too, in that Carnival and RCI are very comparable. The main difference being that Carnival is slightly less expensive and slightly geared toward a slightly younger/more outgoing crowd. But only slightly. ;)

 

Richbum: How was teatime? What did they serve? I DO love tea and am hoping to attend one day at sea! :)

BTW, are those fried green beans with the Jerked Pork Loin? And how WAS the mac & cheese?

[richbum]

I have also cruised NOS and she was my first, as well. I agree with you about the WOW factor. Fantasy was my last cruise, and while it was wonderful, it didnt quite add up. However, I think it might have something to do with the "first cruise experience."

 

I agree with you, too, in that Carnival and RCI are very comparable. The main difference being that Carnival is slightly less expensive and slightly geared toward a slightly younger/more outgoing crowd. But only slightly. ;)

 

Richbum: How was teatime? What did they serve? I DO love tea and am hoping to attend one day at sea! :)

BTW, are those fried green beans with the Jerked Pork Loin? And how WAS the mac & cheese?

 

 

I totally agree with everything that you said.

 

Teatime was nice There were about 25 people, (probably 6 of them were men) so not crowded at all. It was held in the universe dining room (mid ship). They came around with a box of probably 10 different teas, and about 10 different desserts. They also offered cucumber sandwiches, and smoked salmon. It lasted for probably about 1/2 hour or so, so not very long.

 

Yes, those were fried green beans. The mac and cheese was very creamy. Rachel favorite food is mac and cheese, so when she found out that she could order it every night, she was extatic!!

[richbum]

Okay, so I figured out this bandwidth thing...My pix have been viewed/used to many times, so Photobucket won't let me put any more on for another month...so, I moved some of my interior pix to Webshots, and now I will try posting again.

 

A couple of things that I forgot to mention, we did carry 2 12 packs of soda on board, bought at CVS in Miami. There was no issues with this. Also, when we were in Cozumel, Krissy bought a condle, and it was confiscated. I remembered at 3 am Monday, and went to guest services saying that we hadn't gotten it back yet, they told me it would be in the morning. Well, just as we were getting ready to leave our room someone showed up with it....that was cutting it a little to close for me. Matt & Rachel had their bottle of tequila that they bought for Rachels dad delivered the night before departure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richbum]

 

[richbum]

 

Tesh & I Nyoman....Awesome waiters

 

 

Inside the funnel

 

 

 

 

[sugaangel601]

The waterslide looks more fun than the one on Fantasy! The photos in the newer posts are much easier to view!:)

 

How was the weather for you? It looked great, but was it warm enough to participate in water activities? (We are going further South to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman, but Im always cold, so Im concerned; even being from PA!):rolleyes:

 

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

[richbum]

The waterslide looks more fun than the one on Fantasy! The photos in the newer posts are much easier to view!:)

 

How was the weather for you? It looked great, but was it warm enough to participate in water activities? (We are going further South to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman, but Im always cold, so Im concerned; even being from PA!):rolleyes:

 

Happy Birthday, Rachel!

 

 

All of the pictures are full size on my posts, so is there something that I am doing wrong on the older ones? I can try to change it if there is:rolleyes:

 

The weather was great. It was breezy when we got to Key West (had to wear a sweatshirt when I was in the shade), but other than that, it was mid to high 70's for the whole trip (even up to 80 or so in Cozumel). There were plenty of people in the pools and hot tubs, and a lot of people in the water at Paradise Beach. In Key West, the kids did the parasailing, and the boat driver dunked them, and they said that the water felt great. You will love your stops. Charlie and I went to all three on our first cruise, and loved them!!! We went to Dunns River Falls and river tubing in Jamaica, Snorkling with Captain Marvins in Grand Cayman and shopping in Cozumel, but this trip to Cozumel was Paradise Beach and shopping. (make sure you go to Los Cincos Sol in Cozumel to get some great vanilla!)

Have a great cruise (and Rachel says thank you, by the way)

 

Robin:D

[sugaangel601]

All of the pictures are full size on my posts, so is there something that I am doing wrong on the older ones? I can try to change it if there is:rolleyes:

 

The weather was great. It was breezy when we got to Key West (had to wear a sweatshirt when I was in the shade), but other than that, it was mid to high 70's for the whole trip (even up to 80 or so in Cozumel). There were plenty of people in the pools and hot tubs, and a lot of people in the water at Paradise Beach. In Key West, the kids did the parasailing, and the boat driver dunked them, and they said that the water felt great. You will love your stops. Charlie and I went to all three on our first cruise, and loved them!!! We went to Dunns River Falls and river tubing in Jamaica, Snorkling with Captain Marvins in Grand Cayman and shopping in Cozumel, but this trip to Cozumel was Paradise Beach and shopping. (make sure you go to Los Cincos Sol in Cozumel to get some great vanilla!)

Have a great cruise (and Rachel says thank you, by the way)

 

Robin:D

 

 

I think the picture size might have to do with the host you are using now vs photobucket. Its just that they seem to fit better into the message board window.

 

My bf and I are doing Bobsled Jamaica and DRF (which includes a ride on the Sky Explorer chairlift) in OR, but the rest of the group chickened out and are just doing Bamboo Beach. In GC, all 10 of us are doing the Stingrays, Hell and Turtle Farm excursion. Im hoping it will be warm enough for a swimsuit (I know that sounds crazy, but it seriously has to be at least 80 for me to even think about wearing a swimsuit!:o) No Cozumel on this one, but I have been there, loved it, and I DID get some vanilla! :)

 

What were the temps like at night while at sea? How did you pack to prepare for the varying temperatures? (The highs will be in the teens when we leave AND get back, and I dont want to bring a winter coat to the Caribbean... Im thinking lots of LAYERS!)

 

Robin is my bf's Mom's name, too. I thought she joined me on this board at first! Thanks for the well wishes! 15 days to go! (You're welcome, Rachel!):)

[whendoweleave?]

I SO want to look at this review....it's sounding so good, but I can't see your pics!! Says "bandwidth exceeded". What a bummer! I'm sure there's a way for you to remedy the situation but I don't know what it is! :D

[katieandaron]

I can't see the Photobucket pictures either :(

 

Thanks for your review! I'm going on this cruise 3 months from today- and getting married!

[richbum]

Okay, I am going to try this again, but it is going to take a while. I am going to download all of the pix onto Webshots now, and post them here when they are done (either tonight or tomorrow morning.) So please check back for these pix, and I am sorry that they are not showing up anymore.

[richbum]

I SO want to look at this review....it's sounding so good, but I can't see your pics!! Says "bandwidth exceeded". What a bummer! I'm sure there's a way for you to remedy the situation but I don't know what it is! :D

 

 

l will not let photobucket get the best of me. Hopefully the new pix and funtimes will be added soon. I am so sorry for the delay.

[richbum]

I can't see the Photobucket pictures either :(

 

Thanks for your review! I'm going on this cruise 3 months from today- and getting married!

 

 

Congratulations...You might be soooooo excited. There was a wedding while we were onboard. The bride was getting her hair and stuff done in Key West, then they were getting pix taken onboard right after we set sail. There are so many great photo opportunities for a bride. Congrats and Best Wishes to you and your soon to be husband!:D

[Mrs.C05]

I can see the pictures fine now. Earlier I was getting the same message! Bummer that you had to get back to port earlier! Glad to hear you had a good trip anyways!

[poundcake09]

I'm totally enjoying your cruise details and pictures also. I too enjoyed the Destiny and I'm returning to Miami to sail her again on June 4th. This time will be the Western Caribbean. I had so much fun on the Eastern. I will continue to read your adventures...:)

[BarJen]

Thanks for posting, seeing the photo's brings back good memories...we really enjoyed our trip on the Destiny :)

 

 

 

 

Barry

[mnsawyer]

Hello Fellow Mainer! Great review and I too, had the same problem viewing your photos. Once you posted the photos to webshots, I was able to see those.

 

We too, stayed at the HoJo's in Portland (by Friendly's) last year. Great hotel and would recommend and stay there again. Great service and the manager indicated to me they have many families coming all the way from New Brunswick to save $ flying out of PWM.

We left our car there (as most do) and used the hotel shuttle.

 

I have looked in the Destiny for March - not sure if we are going to book for this year. Know it's always a nice time. We love to do a couple of days before the cruise on South Beach and a night after. DH loves it and it's a great way to destress and get in real South Florida mode prior to cruising. We have stayed a few times at the Richmond Hotel. Great location and near all the shopping, restaurants, etc., in addition to being right on the beach. SB hotels are not the greatest since they are older but it's still much better than staying home, right??

 

We live 30 minutes south of Bangor and love Ellsworth! We go through there to Bar Harbor a few times a year.

 

Thanks for posting.