I got to judge the hairy chest contest! Inspiration review: 2/26/11.

[gapearl]

Who did you get to take all the pics of you? When I went solo last time while I did meet plenty of nice people, I was shy about getting them to take pics of me. In 7 days, I got exactly 4 pics taken of me - this is out of about 2000 pictures I took.

 

I'm a lot of things, and one thing I am NOT is shy! ;) Anyone that was within 2 feet of me was asked to take my picture! It's pretty easy to get someone to take a picture because usually they want one too. The tour guides took my picture on the tours, and different Carnival employees took some around the ship.

[Lovharvey]

Thanks for the feedback! I definitely think the Inspiration is a lot darker than other ships I've been on, especially in the atrium/lobby. The Fantasy, which is the oldest Carnival ship in operation right now, has decor that is very outdated. The Freedom, which is the newest ship I have sailed, is much more modern. For the most part, they all have more or less the same amenities. The Fantasy class ships are smaller and don't have as many eateries. In my opinion, the ship was clean and in good shape, so I have nothing bad to say.

 

 

 

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. I'm sure it was quite an adjustment from cruising with your love to cruising solo. You stated such a good point about getting to do what you want when you want. So many people are scared to cruise solo, and when I explain that to them, I think I catch their attention. Good for you for sailing anyways. I hope you make it back to Alaska soon!

 

 

 

Thanks a lot! More is coming very soon. I've been very tight lipped about the company I work for. Being that this is a travel site, I think it's best. I don't want flames thrown at me because someone had a bad experience. It's not Continental though. ;)

 

 

I didn't know if I would ever go somewhere by myself, but, I took the plunge and had a really good time. Sure there were moments that the tears came, but, other than being cold, it was a great trip. When I took my dog in to be groomed before the family got in town, I told them what had happened. The lady knew that we were always going somewhere and she asked me if I was going to continue traveling and I told her I didn't know. She told me that Joe would want me to. My sisters were very glad that I was getting out and doing things. I would like to find someone to travel with sometimes, but, all the people I know are married. I love Cozumel and felt very safe walking around. I will be going to Grand Cayman, Montego Bay and Coz in Oct with the same group that I went with last month. Have a good one.

[Lovharvey]

We arrived to another beautiful, sunny, 80 something degree day. The beaches of Playa del Carmen were packed. As I watched the hundred or so people head to see the ruins, I was again happy to be a part of a small group. There were 8 other people on my excursion plus our guide, Rafael. No drinking was allowed on this tour because it required driving. OOPS! I already had a drink! The jeeps were all stick shift and I can’t drive a stick, so I wouldn't be driving anyways. You do have to have a valid driver’s license if you want to drive, but they didn’t check them. I rode in a jeep with a couple from Canada.

 

The resort area of Playa del Carmen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boy, they have really built Playa del Carmen up. When we there in '04, there wasn't anything at the pier. Looks like they did a really good job.

[Frank12]

Who did you get to take all the pics of you? When I went solo last time while I did meet plenty of nice people, I was shy about getting them to take pics of me. In 7 days, I got exactly 4 pics taken of me - this is out of about 2000 pictures I took.

I was thinking the same thing! DW and I go on a 7 day cruise and come back with Zero pictures of us. This gal is solo and she's got plently of pics of her! :)

[TBMVette]

Awesome trip report! Hate for it to end!

[crusinpsychRN]

Wow! The ferry is a huge improvement on the one I took over.

 

Do you know Carolyn S as flight attendant based in Atlanta?

[gapearl]

Good morning! Back to night 4!

 

Dinner after a full day in Cozumel is usually kind of slow. Many people are recovering from a full day of drinking and shenanigans or coming off of a long tour. I was very pleased that there were some new additions to the menu tonight that I had never tried. For my appetizer, I had grilled chicken strips with spicy Thai dipping sauce (good), blackened grilled chicken breast with creamed spinach and zucchini (very good), and do you even have to ask what I had for dessert? The blackened chicken was very spicy. Have a big pitcher of water with a straw close by. Also I didn’t care for the creamed spinach, so I ordered a baked potato to help fill me up. Our dinner entertainment was the maitre’d himself getting a conga line going through the dining room. He wore some sunglasses that lit up and flashed different colors of lights while chanting “OOHWOOP! OOHWOOP!” in the microphone. I must say he’s probably the best maitre’d I’ve had yet. He came around every night to check on all the tables and really interacted with the passengers. He had a big personality and was a lot of fun to watch. He was the first maitre’d I’ve ever tipped on a cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here he is working the crowd.

 

 

 

 

They had a margaritas under the stars thing out on the serenity deck, like the mojitos one two nights before. We didn’t stay long. One of the Carnival bands was playing out on the promenade. I can’t think of their name off the top of my bed. I don’t have my Fun Times close by to look for it, so I’ll be sure to post their name later. The lead singer was so good! They played Lady Gaga, No Doubt, Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, a little bit of everything. Three other ladies from the entertainment staff joined the lead singer and they sang Bohemian Rhapsody. AWESOME! We also got a little show from the fun force, which was two break dancers. Their entertainers are truly talented!

 

 

The lido deck party was tonight at 11:30 pm. The Mexican buffet was also tonight. The food looked pretty good, but I was still full from dinner. Lots of people came out for both. We did the typical line dances. The ACD said he talked to the cruise director of the Elation when we were in Coz. The Elation’s CD bragged about how many people they had in a conga line at their last deck party, so of course we had to beat them. I think the Elation’s number was somewhere around 130ish? Well our party had a conga line going with what appeared to be at least 200 people. If you were on that week’s sailing of the Elation, sorry, but we beat you!

 

 

 

There was also the search to find the king and queen of the deck party. The ACD asked for a man and woman volunteer from the age groups of I think 18-24 and 40-50. They didn’t know what they were going to have to do prior to volunteering. It ended up being a lip sync competition. All 4 contestants did a great job with the songs they were given. The 40ish woman got I will survive and the 40ish man got I’m Too Sexy. The 20ish woman got a Gwen Stefani song and the guy got a Backstreet Boys song. If I remember correctly, the winners were the 20ish woman and 40ish man.

 

There was no karaoke tonight. I got to the disco around 12ish. It was dead once again except for some of the entertainment staff dancing. They had some serious dance battles going on! I really enjoyed watching them. The crowd picked up around 1 am and I headed to bed around 2:30 am.

 

DAY 5/ DAY AT SEA

 

It’s my last day of the cruise. I was very sad it was time for it to come to an end. I was up at 8:30 am. When I filled out my fun pass online, I put that I had a 12:30 pm flight. The night before, I had zone 2 departure tags for my bags. Later that day, I returned to my room to find zone 10 departure tags. I thought that was interesting.

 

For the behind the fun tour, I was to meet in the library at 9:45 am. There were two groups and I was in the second group. They had water, juice, coffee, and pastries for us. We all got behind the fun tour lanyards and had to be wanded down by a member of security. She was also with us during certain parts of the tour, such as our visits to the bridge and control room. No cameras or cell phones are allowed. Also, comfortable, closed toe shoes are a must. This was not told to us, but I recommend dressing in layers. There are visits to some areas that are very hot and very cold, so a light jacket or sweater might make you more comfortable.

 

Up next: The behind the fun tour!

[gapearl]

I didn't know if I would ever go somewhere by myself, but, I took the plunge and had a really good time. Sure there were moments that the tears came, but, other than being cold, it was a great trip. When I took my dog in to be groomed before the family got in town, I told them what had happened. The lady knew that we were always going somewhere and she asked me if I was going to continue traveling and I told her I didn't know. She told me that Joe would want me to. My sisters were very glad that I was getting out and doing things. I would like to find someone to travel with sometimes, but, all the people I know are married. I love Cozumel and felt very safe walking around. I will be going to Grand Cayman, Montego Bay and Coz in Oct with the same group that I went with last month. Have a good one.

 

I agree. Your husband wouldn't want you to stop traveling. I wish you another great cruise!

 

Boy, they have really built Playa del Carmen up. When we there in '04, there wasn't anything at the pier. Looks like they did a really good job.

 

Yeah, it's a very nice area. I walked through downtown area last year when I cruised to Calica and it is a booming area.

[gapearl]

I was thinking the same thing! DW and I go on a 7 day cruise and come back with Zero pictures of us. This gal is solo and she's got plently of pics of her! :)

 

You didn't get any pictures of yourself? That has to change next time!

 

Awesome trip report! Hate for it to end!

 

Thank you so much for reading!

 

Wow! The ferry is a huge improvement on the one I took over.

 

Do you know Carolyn S as flight attendant based in Atlanta?

 

Yes indeed, the ferry was very nice! No, I can't say I know a Carolyn. There are 5 airlines I know of with an ATL base, which means there are thousands of ATL based flight attendants. Even if I have met a Carolyn at some point, I'm terrible with names and don't remember! LOL ;)

[Cupcrazy]

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and pictures. Cruise Critic is enjoying it very much too as they have posted your review on their Facebook page.

 

http://www.facebook.com/CruiseCritic

[gapearl]

I'm thoroughly enjoying your review and pictures. Cruise Critic is enjoying it very much too as they have posted your review on their Facebook page.

 

http://www.facebook.com/CruiseCritic

 

OMG! Thanks for posting that! WOW!

[amberd1978]

I have loved reading your review on the Inspiration over the last few days and always wait anxiously for a new post! I'll be sad when it's over! We leave on the inspiration this weekend, and this review has me really excited! Thanks for all the good information

[Time2CruiseAgain]

Awesome, awesome review! Inspiration was our first two sailings!

 

BTW - you said the Maitre D was the first one you have ever tipped - was the MD George the Greek? We had him both times when we sailed the Inspiration and he was awesome!

 

Thanks again for taking us all virtually on the cruise with you!!!

[gapearl]

I have loved reading your review on the Inspiration over the last few days and always wait anxiously for a new post! I'll be sad when it's over! We leave on the inspiration this weekend, and this review has me really excited! Thanks for all the good information

 

Thanks! Have fun and enjoy your vacation this weekend! :D

[gapearl]

Awesome, awesome review! Inspiration was our first two sailings!

 

BTW - you said the Maitre D was the first one you have ever tipped - was the MD George the Greek? We had him both times when we sailed the Inspiration and he was awesome!

 

Thanks again for taking us all virtually on the cruise with you!!!

 

Thanks a lot! I don't remember his name but George the Greek doesn't sound familiar. When I can get to my Fun Times I'll be sure to look it up.

[patriotsgirl01]

As everyone has said before me, this is a great review. My husband and I are planning our very first cruise on the Inspiration for the last week in September, and reading about your adventure has gotten me super excited!!!

[atinys]

i enjoyed you last review and im loving this one also.

 

you definitely had a wonderful time. I am LOVING your dresses.... i think i may have to go shopping for a lil something upscale for my next cruise.

 

congrats on being featured on the cruise critic fb page.....

 

looking forward to reading more.

[gapearl]

As everyone has said before me, this is a great review. My husband and I are planning our very first cruise on the Inspiration for the last week in September, and reading about your adventure has gotten me super excited!!!

 

Thanks! Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising! You're going to have a great time! Stay tuned tomorrow. I'll be posting a lot of other pictures of the ship.

 

i enjoyed you last review and im loving this one also.

 

you definitely had a wonderful time. I am LOVING your dresses.... i think i may have to go shopping for a lil something upscale for my next cruise.

 

congrats on being featured on the cruise critic fb page.....

 

looking forward to reading more.

 

Thanks a bunch! It was truly an honor to be highlighted on CC's facebook page! :) I never saw that coming! Thanks for the wardrobe compliment. I love shopping for new dresses and swimsuits for my trips. :p

 

I'm going to try to wrap up this review tomorrow!

[gapearl]

THE BEHIND THE FUN TOUR

 

Warning: This is going to be LONG!

 

Our guide was a funny lady named Alexandra. I don’t remember what her exact title is, but she’s the equivalent of an HR person. Any time a new employee comes on board, they go through her first. There are two people in her position on every ship, regardless of the size of the ship. She was a college graduate with HR experience when she applied to work on the ship in housekeeping and this job was offered to her. She truly loves her job and it shows.

 

We started on deck 8 in the forward dining room and then entered the galley. The head chef met us talked to us about lots of stuff, such as how the food is prepped, cooked, etc. He explained how chaotic it gets back there when you have cooks, waiters, and assistant waiters preparing for dinner. I can't imagine. The final station where servers pick up the food before delivering it has pictures on the wall with the name of the dish, it's picture, and garnishes to make sure the servers get it right. We got to try a chocolate covered strawberry. YUM! Then we went to the freezer where they store beer and soda. Confiscated alcohol is kept in here as well. They rotate the beverages so the ones at the bottom will not stay there forever and go bad.

 

Next up was the meat thawing freezer. It’s 40 degrees in here and meat thaws over 4 days. Then there was the meat freezer. OMG is was so cold in here! I had on a sleeveless shirt and it was -18 degrees! :eek: The people on the tour from the north laughed at how dramatic I was. I’m a true southern girl and I do NOT like cold weather! This is why I recommend bringing a jacket along.

 

Thankfully, next we went to a place with a temperature more to my liking- the laundry room. Yep, it was nice and hot in there. Those industrial machines were huge! We got to see how the towel folding machine works. There is a machine that dries sheets and folds them. You have to put the sheet in flat from end to end and it requires 2 people to do this. It’s only a few minutes from a wet sheet to a dry, folded one. All crew members get their work uniforms laundered for free. We saw a steam machine used on a tuxedo jacket. The jacket was on a mannequin-like form, and steam was blown into it for about 10 seconds. Wow!

 

Moving right along to the control room. *yawn* I found this interesting, but boring. We got to meet the chief engineer here. There were lots of buttons and gidgets and gadgets. About four of the men on the tour enjoyed this a little more than everyone else. Most of that ship talk went way over my head and I started thinking about what I was going to wear to dinner that night and what my last towel animal of the cruise might would be. They were FULL of questions. What about…..? What happens when…..? What do you do if…..? :rolleyes: Someone asked what happens if there is a fire, and of course the Splendor came up. I’m sure that has gotten old by now. I thought we would be in here about 5-10 minutes. It was at least 20! I can’t blame everyone for asking lots of questions. We paid $55 for the tour and it’s not every day that you get to be in this environment with the opportunity to engage in this kind of dialogue. However, the nonstop questions were putting us behind schedule. Alexandra tried unsuccessfully to cut them off, so several of us ladies wanting to keep it moving had to help her out.

 

On we went to Alexandra’s office. It’s like a mini classroom. There were several computer stations because lots of training and education take place here. All crew members have the opportunity to learn another language for free with Rosetta Stone. We didn’t have the chance to see any crew cabins, but we did see pictures, and boy they look small! From there, we went close by to the crew dining areas. Before getting to serve in the main dining room, new hires serve in the crew dining room. It’s the same for bartenders and cabin stewards- they all start in crew areas. I’ve read somewhere here on CC that the Inspiration is a training ship. I guess someone else has heard that and asked if that was true. The answer is that new hires can go to any ship. However, the Inspiration is more of a training ship than others because it runs more colleges (training classes) than others.

 

Next is the moment we were all waiting for, our trip to the bridge! Captain Miele and a few officers were there to answer questions. They gave us a mini tour and pointed out some of the important buttons and screens. I couldn’t help but ask about rogue waves and admitted that I was scared to cruise years ago after seeing the movie Poseidon. :o Captain Miele assured me there was nothing to worry about. This was my 5th cruise, so I’ve obviously gotten over that fear. The officers work in shifts of 4 hours on, 8 hours off. Their contracts last 4-6 months. When a captain is about to go on vacation, the new captain will come on the ship about a week before the outgoing captain leaves to be briefed and begin to take over the wheel. We spent about 10-15 minutes here and then had our picture taken with Captain Miele.

 

Keeping it moving! Next we went to the Paris Lounge. The dancers were about to have a dress rehearsal for the night’s show. We started on the stage and met with the guy who’s in charge of the sets, lighting, sound, etc. and then we went back stage to have a chat with the dance captain. She’s been a Carnival dancer for 10 years. We saw their (small) dressing rooms and costume closet. I was fascinated with the costumes. I have a degree in fashion design and asked who designed them. I thought maybe Carnival had an in house team of designers, but it’s actually a team in Las Vegas that designs them. If Carnival did have an in house design team, I would love to be a part of it! Speaking of costumes, they have a seamstress on the team for repairs.

 

The dancers/singers are the only work group on the ship that start and end their contracts together. About a month before their contract ends, the new cast will come on to learn the songs and routines and rehearse them with the current cast. They start and end together also because it would be too difficult to have someone new coming to join the cast every few weeks and have to teach them all everything. The training would never end! They gradually get integrated into the show to get comfortable performing the music and choreography. Also, if you have cruised the same ship over and over and seen the same show over and over, you probably wonder why the shows never change. The reason is because the sets are built into the stage. The only way they can change the set is to rip everything out and start from scratch building a new set, and that can only be done during a dry dock. This may sound crazy, but I found this more interesting than the visit to the control room.

 

Our last stop on the tour was the crew rec room. It was filled with chairs, couches and tables, and if I remember correctly, a foosball table or 2. There was an internet café and they have their own gym. The crew gym is SMALL but they are allowed to use the passenger gym during certain non-busy hours. Here we had the opportunity to ask any other questions and we had water, juice, and cookies to snack on. We had to give back our vip behind the fun tour badges, but were given a goody bag with a behind the fun tour hat, lanyard, and bracelet. When I got back to my room, there was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries awaiting me. Our group picture was delivered later that night and was an 8 x 10.

 

Would I recommend the behind the fun tour? ABSOLUTELY! However, I will say I'm glad I did it on a smaller ship and not a larger one. Again, it was $55, but it's around $95 on bigger ships and longer cruises.

 

 

 

It's going on 3 am and I'm nearly asleep. If you have any specific questions about the tour, please ask. I might have left some things out.

 

Up next: The rest of day 5!

[spideyfam]

Up next: The rest of day 5!

 

Come on! You could have stayed up an extra hour to finish it!!!

 

Just kidding. Love the review, pictures, any your style of writing. Looking forward to the rest!

[BillyBoy013]

I agree with Spidey, the nerve of you going to bed, leaving us hanging for the rest of your review! :) Your review is great and fun to read, I was on the same cruise but too lazy to do a lengthy review, so it's fun to relive my cruise. Just curious - which dining room were you in for dinner, Carnivale or Mardi Gras? Thanks again for your review, keep up the good work!

[3 MO sisters]

Your Maitre D' was Roland. He was in the Mardi Gras dining room on our cruise and was a HOOT! That noise he makes is weird, but it really gets your attention! IT'S SHOWTIME! OOHWHOOP! OOHWHOOP!

 

I didn't know how often he was tipped by others, but we used the envelope for him that was left in our cabin.

 

Their were 158 people in our conga line (including us), which was huge! It went clear around the lido deck, and partly around again.

[gapearl]

Come on! You could have stayed up an extra hour to finish it!!!

 

Just kidding. Love the review, pictures, any your style of writing. Looking forward to the rest!

 

Sorry to leave you hanging. I was hoping to get it finished today, but now I'm unsure of that. I still have lots of pictures and lots more to write about. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

 

I agree with Spidey, the nerve of you going to bed, leaving us hanging for the rest of your review! :) Your review is great and fun to read, I was on the same cruise but too lazy to do a lengthy review, so it's fun to relive my cruise. Just curious - which dining room were you in for dinner, Carnivale or Mardi Gras? Thanks again for your review, keep up the good work!

 

Thanks! I was in Carnivale for late seating. These reviews take a lot of time to do. I can see how you would wanna not do one. Keep reading!

[gapearl]

Your Maitre D' was Roland. He was in the Mardi Gras dining room on our cruise and was a HOOT! That noise he makes is weird, but it really gets your attention! IT'S SHOWTIME! OOHWHOOP! OOHWHOOP!

 

I didn't know how often he was tipped by others, but we used the envelope for him that was left in our cabin.

 

Their were 158 people in our conga line (including us), which was huge! It went clear around the lido deck, and partly around again.

 

Roland, that's his name! Thanks! I went back through my Fun Times and couldn't find it. Sounds like you had a good cruise too!

[cruiserNC]

wonderful review. Just for the record you are beautiful.:d;)

 

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