Destiny Review 05/01 - 05/08/05

[KenMo]

I finally get to write my review!!! I'll try to post as much as I can and try not to be too boring!! Travelling were me, my husband (Kenny), son (Justin) and nephew (Brian). Kenny and I were in #6275 and Justin and Brian were in #6279, next door. Here goes:

 

FLIGHT: Kansas City - Dallas/Ft Worth - San Juan AKA What Am I Doing In Miami???

 

We left our house about 4am Saturday morning to get to the airport. For you Kansas City area cruisers: you can park your car at the Comfort Inn in Platte City up to 2 weeks for just over $29. The hotel shuttle will take you to the airport. When you come back, just call the hotel after you pick up your luggage and they will be there in about 15 minutes to take you back to your car. Bring cash.....they will not take checks or debit/credit cards.

 

We board the plane and get to DFW.....no problems!!! Next, board the plane from DFW to SJU. The first 15 - 20 minutes was smooth - then, we were in for about 1 1/2 hours of a pretty bumpy ride. I felt like I was getting sea sick and I never have had that problem before. Then it smoothed out for about 15 minutes. Then, the captain comes on the speaker and says they've detected an "engine vibration". Since we'll be over the ocean, he wants to stop in Miami first just to have it checked out. We'll be there about an hour. Well, after we had been on the ground about 10 minutes, he says - "Everybody off.....we're not taking this plane." He says there is another flight leaving for SJU at 4pm and we'll all be on it. Long story short (and believe me, there's a lot of crap in between) we get on the 7pm flight to SJU, which actually didn't leave until around 9pm. Finally....about 11pm we land in San Juan!!! Get our luggage.....oops!! Justin's suitcase is unusable. Can't even keep it closed, the lock thingies are broken. (No, he did not lock the suitcase!) So, off we go to the desk to get this kind of thing taken care of. There is only one woman working, since it's so late. So I show her the suitcase and explain to her that we need a replacement since there is no way to keep the suitcase closed. She has to talk to her supervisor. She disappears behind a closed door only to return and let me know that her supervisor said they are not responsible for luggage! So, of course, I want to talk to the supervisor....who does he think he is??? The Wizard of Oz, hiding behind his closed door? He comes out and after a little back and forth, he does produce a brand new suitcase. Now we are happy and get a cab to the hotel.

 

While all this was going on with the luggage, Brian tried to go outside with his luggage to smoke a cig. FYI: You can not leave the airport until they have checked your baggage to your claim ticket.

 

The Hotel

We stayed at El Canario By The Sea (www.canariohotels.com) . We got two rooms at just over $115 each. We also stayed here one night post-cruise at just over $86 per room. The hotel is almost right on the beach, which we liked. The building is old and it shows. But it was clean and quiet. Perfect for just a place to sleep one night. They have a continental breakfast from 7am - 10:30am. Cereals, donuts, breads, coffee, juices and fruit. It was pretty good. There is a nice patio area where the food is laid out, with several tables. If I had it to do over again, we would have stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan. It's right across from the cruise terminal. Wouldn't have had to deal with taxis as much. Plus, I think one could book through a website like priceline and pay about the same amount.

 

San Juan PreCruise

We were supposed to be in San Juan about 3:30 but did not get to the hotel until around midnight. Kenny and I were so exhausted, we just fell into bed for the night. No nightlife for us the first night in San Juan!!! Justin and Brian, however, decided to do some exploring. Which, of course, I knew would involve drinking! Apparently, there is a strip club nearby where you can get a private dance for $250 for 30 minutes. And they take credit cards!!!! Ahhhhh....to be young and foolish! I don't care how old your kids get, you still worry about them. I was just so happy when I found them in their room the next morning!!!

 

More to come.........

[KenMo]

We left the hotel a little after 10:30am to go to the terminal. It took maybe 15 minutes to get checked in and pictures taken. We waited upstairs, by the liquor store, until about 12:30, when they let us board. It was all really quite painless. And, yes......free samples right outside the liquor store. Then go in the store and get whatever you want, put it in your carry-on, take it right on board. No need to diguise it. There was no problem at all!!!

 

We went straight to our rooms since we were not told to wait. Kenny and I had a different steward than Justin and Brian, so I can't comment on their steward. Our steward was a woman from the Phillippines named Pat. Her name was actually much longer, but the first three letters were Pat and that's what she told us to call her. She was there when we got to our cabin. She saw me take out my new soft-sided cooler and asked if I wanted it filled with ice every day. I said, yes, that would be very nice and handed her a $20 bill. She promptly filled my cooler and brought it back. That was the first and last time she filled it. I had to hunt her down a couple of times to get things replaced.....for example, the beach towels. She would take the used ones away and not bring fresh ones. I planned on giving her another tip in the middle of the week and more the last day. But I ended up not giving her more than the original $20 and what they took off the S&S. She did what was required and nothing more. She is a very nice person, but I just felt I had to hunt her down too often.

 

Next.....off to the purser's to get the balcony divider opened!! The guy was there doing it before we made it back to the cabins!! But we were disappointed. The way the divider swung would have made it impossible for Kenny and I to get in and out of our door! Oh well....it actually worked out better closed. It gave us a little more privacy from Justin and Brian!!!

 

Next stop was the Spa. Kenny has always wanted to get a massage, so that's what he booked. I booked an appointment to get my hair up for the second formal night. Later on, I booked a facial.

 

After that, we went to eat. My favorite: The New York Deli. I always got Turkey and Swiss on a Country Roll, except once. I did try a pastrami, didn't like it so well....I really don't like getting a mouthful of fat to chew on.

 

We spent the rest of the day drinking, unpacking, drinking, exploring the ship, drinking, eating, drinking....well, you get the idea!!!

 

We did eat dinner in the Universe Dining Room, open seating, casual. I had the Catch of the Day. It was a white fish who's name stared with a T and ended with an A. It was really good! Also, had the Decadence of Chocolate. I tried this on advice of CCer's and you were correct again!!! It was delicious!! The waiter left alot to be desired. I was in the middle of asking him a question when an aquaintance of his stopped by to say hello to him. So off he went to have a conversation with his friend!!! He finally did come back to let me finish. He just was not friendly at all. But, I didn't worry much about it. I knew, or hoped, that we would have a different waiter when we ate at our assigned table. All in all, it was a very good meal!

 

Oh....the muster drill. That happened around 9:30pm. I think this was the quickest drill I've ever experienced. Didn't take long at all.....or maybe it was because I was so happy?!?!

 

To Be Continued........

[KenMo]

How can I forget this part??? We got to meet our fellow CCer's in the Onyx Room around 7:30pm. It was alot of fun getting to see people face to face that we had been corresponding with on the roll call board for the last couple months. Perkolater and his wife had a 9A wraparound that I was dying to see. So he gave us a little tour. I had seen pictures, but that doesn't prepare you for how nice and big the balcony is in person. I think the cabin itself is also bigger. The bathroom looked to be the same at the regular balcony cabins. All I know is this: I'm booking a 9A next time!!!!

[2VaCruzers]

Mona...thanks for taking time to share your story with us. We are a group of 6 couples that will be going on Destiny in June of 2006. I have snagged both wraparound cabins on deck 7. One is for us, the 2nd one for my son and his soon to be wife. Just listening to you describe them has me all excited now. And to think I have over a year to wait :eek:

 

I anxiously await the rest of your review.

 

Robin

[BettyB2]

[quote name=KenMoWe did eat dinner in the Universe Dining Room' date=' open seating, casual. I had the Catch of the Day. It was a white fish who's name stared with a T and ended with an A. It was really good!

[/quote]

Could that have been Tilapia????

[dms_cruisers04]

Mona :rolleyes: , sorry to hear about the problems with your flight. Hope you had a little time to enjoy SanJuan post cruise. Can't wait to hear about the rest of the week.

[KenMo]

Could that have been Tilapia????

 

Yes, that sounds right. It was very good!!!

[Morning glory]

Mona,

 

Fabulous review! Love the details :) , but sorry to hear about your flight :( !

 

I can't wait for the rest of it. And thanks for posting up so quickly after your cruise.

 

MG

[Caro711]

How can I forget this part??? We got to meet our fellow CCer's in the Onyx Room around 7:30pm. It was alot of fun getting to see people face to face that we had been corresponding with on the roll call board for the last couple months. Perkolater and his wife had a 9A wraparound that I was dying to see. So he gave us a little tour. I had seen pictures, but that doesn't prepare you for how nice and big the balcony is in person. I think the cabin itself is also bigger. The bathroom looked to be the same at the regular balcony cabins. All I know is this: I'm booking a 9A next time!!!!

 

Hi, we're going to be in cabins 6285 and 6283. Right next to the ones you had. Did you like them alright???? Would you be able to tie open the balcony door and not have the problem you mentioned??

 

Thanks for the review!!!

[KenMo]

Hi, we're going to be in cabins 6285 and 6283. Right next to the ones you had. Did you like them alright???? Would you be able to tie open the balcony door and not have the problem you mentioned??

 

Yes, we liked our cabins! There was only two of us in the cabin, so it wasn't crowded at all. We kept our empty suitcases under the bed to keep more floor space available. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, this side of the ship will be facing the ports in all but Aruba.

 

About the balcony door....when we opened our balcony door, it stayed open. It did not automatically swing shut. We thought maybe this was the way the door was made, but Justin and Brian's balcony door did swing shut automatically. So no need for a bungi cord for us!!!

 

The problem was the panel that divides the balconies between the cabins. We wanted to open ours to have a bigger balcony, but weren't able to because when opened, it blocked the door from the balcony to the cabin. Now....the balcony divider between us and the balcony on the other side (#6271) also opened toward us and would have blocked our window. We found this out because it just started swinging open. We had to have someone secure it again. So.....because they both swung in towards us, I can't detect a pattern. Sorry....but I can't tell you for sure if you will have the same problem with your cabins. At any rate......go to the purser first thing and request it be opened. They only allow so many open per cruise so you'll want to get your request in as soon as possible.

 

Sorry I couldn't be more help!!! Have a great cruise!!!

[KenMo]

Since we didn't have an excursion planned, we were in no hurry to get off the ship. We ate breakfast in the dining room. It was much better than the buffet!

 

We got off the ship and hopped in a cab. We went to Coki Beach and just hung out for several hours. I really liked this beach. It's relatively small, kind of a cove area. You can rent a lounge chair for $5. Someone will come around and offer to sell you beer, soda, foo foo drinks. I just drank sodas, the guys had beer. I believe the beer was about $2.....coulda been $3. Right when we were getting ready to leave, a girl came around with free shots of Bushwackers. If you liked it, she'd sell you a regular sized drink. It was good, but very sweet. I didn't think I could drink a whole one, so we didn't buy any.

 

There are several trinket/t-shirt shops right there. Also, the yellow building is the restroom/changing room. It's pretty clean, considering it's right on the beach. There are also a couple of bars. But the guys on the beach will bring you whatever you want.....for a tip, of course!!!

 

The water here was excellent for snorkeling. The lounge chair guy gave us a couple of dog biscuits. Brian held one in the water and within seconds he was surrounded by at least 50 fish.....most of them angel fish. It was amazing!!!

 

We had made arrangements with our cab driver to pick us up around 1pm. He was there waiting for us. Even waited for us to finish shopping for our trinkets. The cab ride was $7 pp each way.

 

We got back to the ship around 2pm. We didn't think we'd have enough time to do anything if we got off the ship again after cleaning up.....so, we just stayed on board.

 

I wish we could have stayed at this port longer.....there is so much I wanted to do. Oh well.....maybe next time!!!

 

Next up: Dominica!!!!

[Caro711]

Yes, we liked our cabins! There was only two of us in the cabin, so it wasn't crowded at all. We kept our empty suitcases under the bed to keep more floor space available. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, this side of the ship will be facing the ports in all but Aruba.

 

About the balcony door....when we opened our balcony door, it stayed open. It did not automatically swing shut. We thought maybe this was the way the door was made, but Justin and Brian's balcony door did swing shut automatically. So no need for a bungi cord for us!!!

 

The problem was the panel that divides the balconies between the cabins. We wanted to open ours to have a bigger balcony, but weren't able to because when opened, it blocked the door from the balcony to the cabin. Now....the balcony divider between us and the balcony on the other side (#6271) also opened toward us and would have blocked our window. We found this out because it just started swinging open. We had to have someone secure it again. So.....because they both swung in towards us, I can't detect a pattern. Sorry....but I can't tell you for sure if you will have the same problem with your cabins. At any rate......go to the purser first thing and request it be opened. They only allow so many open per cruise so you'll want to get your request in as soon as possible.

 

Sorry I couldn't be more help!!! Have a great cruise!!!

 

Mona,

Thanks so much. So you can actually fit suitcases under the bed. That's great. I'll let you know how our balcony doors work out.

[kimcruiser]

I cannot wait for the rest. Thanks so much for your review. We are on this cruise in january of '06 and it will be our first balcony and first without the kids;)

[KenMo]

Mona...thanks for taking time to share your story with us. We are a group of 6 couples that will be going on Destiny in June of 2006. I have snagged both wraparound cabins on deck 7. One is for us, the 2nd one for my son and his soon to be wife. Just listening to you describe them has me all excited now. And to think I have over a year to wait :eek:

 

I anxiously await the rest of your review.

 

Robin

 

I'm sure you'll love the wraps. Perkolater and another couple we met, who also had a wrap, did complain about the doorknobs on the decks above who would throw their cig butts overboard. They would go out on their deck in the morning to find butts all over the decks. I would have complained to someone about that.....try to get it stopped.

 

And the smokers don't need to flame me......I'm a smoker and I would never throw a butt overboard.

[Creole Girl]

Great start KenMo! I can't wait for the rest. May I ask why you did not book an excursion in St. Thomas? I have heard they have some great ones there.

[KenMo]

I loved this island!!! As others have stated, it is very beautiful - lush and green! (Hi Beno!!!) And thanks, Monica, for recommending Beno!!!

 

We booked an independent tour with Beno (benox265@hotmail.com). When I orginally contacted him, I said I wanted to go to the Carib Territory. He said he could add the Emerald Pool to that. After thinking it over, I wanted to change it to Emerald Pool, Trafalgar Falls, Titou Gorge and Mr. Nice's Fruit Stand. Beno said - No problem!!! It's all about you!!! And that's the way it was the whole time with Beno.

 

We agreed to meet outside the gates at the cruise terminal. He was right there to meet us. There are actually two gates to go through to get to him. The powers that be will not let the independent tour operators come any closer to the ship. Now.....I have read other posts which warned people not to get off the ship in Dominica. This would be a big mistake!!! There are quite a few tour operators waiting for your business. I know they seem aggressive, but really they are very good people trying to make a living. Yes, they will holler at you to get your attention. My experience: We were walking toward the gate to meet Beno. Some of the guys started yelling at us to see if we needed a tour. (They are only yelling to be heard above the other operators!!!) I yelled back that I was looking for Beno. He was right there and ran over to the gate to meet us. Immediately, when the others knew I had someone already booked....they quit yelling at me.

 

Beno took us to all the places we requested and it was beautiful! There were 4 of us and he only charged us $40pp. This was a great value for all that we saw and the amount of time he spent with us. Plus, it was very private ..... not like doing a tour through the ship.

 

Beno is very friendly and very knowlegable about his country. He loves his job and his country, and it shows. He is a very good conversationalist and will answer all questions honestly!

 

If you're looking for shopping and beaches, save that for the other islands! The beauty of this island is getting away from town and up into the mountains. If you must shop (lol), there is a warehouse right next to the ship that has many local vendors willing to sell you something! We stopped there, also, and found many good buys!

 

I highly recommend using Beno when you go to Dominica. I know you will not regret it!

[mpat]

KenMo,

I booked with Beno about 2 months ago for our cruise in June. I'm so glad that you liked him! Did you contact him right before you left for your cruise to confirm? I'm assuming he will be there to meet us. Are you glad that you changed from your original plan to go to the Carib Territory? We are thinking about the same places as you did. There are 6 of us and I don't know if anyone else will join us. Does he try to get more people before he leaves?

Thanks for your review!

[KenMo]

KenMo,

I booked with Beno about 2 months ago for our cruise in June. I'm so glad that you liked him! Did you contact him right before you left for your cruise to confirm? I'm assuming he will be there to meet us. Are you glad that you changed from your original plan to go to the Carib Territory? We are thinking about the same places as you did. There are 6 of us and I don't know if anyone else will join us. Does he try to get more people before he leaves?

Thanks for your review!

 

Hi mpat! We enjoyed our time with Beno so much! I sent a few emails to Beno...to change our itinerary and other questions as I thought of them. I'm sure he won't forget your tour!! But, you can email him the week before you leave, just to make sure!! He will be there to meet you! There will be quite a few tour operators there.....just say you're looking for Beno and he will make himself known to you!

 

I forgot to mention....he has an air-conditioned van that was very comfortable. There were 4 of us and we had plenty of room to spare!

 

I still would have liked to go to the Carib Territory, but there wouldn't have been enough time. I only changed because I wanted to see as much as possible. I guess that gives me an excuse to go back, right???

 

It is entirely possible that others may join you if he gets another request. But he will email you and let you know. There is the possibility that the price may change if others go also. But, no.....he does not actively look for others to join the tour when you arrive. That's another aspect that I really liked. I read that other tour operators want you to look for others to join you. That sounds like work to me!!!!

 

You'll have a great time with Beno!! Enjoy your cruise!!!

[KenMo]

Great start KenMo! I can't wait for the rest. May I ask why you did not book an excursion in St. Thomas? I have heard they have some great ones there.

 

I would have booked a tour, but this was supposed to be formal night. So....I just decided to use this for a beach day because I wanted to get back to the ship, get cleaned up and go to the spa before our early seating at 5:45. As it turned out, formal night is now the day you leave Dominica. So I had to adjust my plans! Oh well......just gives me an excuse to go back!!!!

[KenMo]

I cannot wait for the rest. Thanks so much for your review. We are on this cruise in january of '06 and it will be our first balcony and first without the kids;)

 

You're welcome!!! You will have a great time.....especially no children!!!! My nephew left his two kids home with grandma. He missed them.....but parents need a break every once in awhile!!!

 

I know it's a ways off, but.....have a great cruise!!!

[Caro711]

Mona,

So glad to hear you loved Beno, we will be using him on our trip also. There will be six of us.

[KenMo]

For Barbados, we booked an independent catamaran tour with Silver Moon at http://oceanadventures.bb/sailing.htm . Originally, we booked the 5 hour lunch cruise on Silver Moon from 11am to 4pm. Silver Moon only takes 12 guests. When we arrived in Barbados, I couldn't remember if we were to make our way to them, or they would meet us at the terminal. No problem.....inside the mall area there is a room with many, many phones. Just made a quick call. FYI: Local calls are 25 cents. Use a Barbados quarter, the US quarters stick in the slot.

 

I reach Ocean Adventures and find out that the Silver Moon is being repaired and not able to go in the water. Of course, Emma couldn't contact us since we were on the ship. So she went ahead and booked us on Silver Moon II, which takes 18 guests, but there would only be 17 on this day. The time would remain the same. She figured this would be better than canceling altogether......I couldn't have agreed more!!!

 

This was a fantastic time!!! All the people on board were fellow CCer's that we had been in contact with on the roll call board, except one couple from New Jersey, who I believe had been reading the threads, but had not posted, and another young couple from England who were on their last day of a week long stay at a hotel in Barbados.

 

The crew: Jason, Adrian and Tony were great! From the first time we stepped on board, drinks were available throughout the cruise. The first stop was a snorkel with sea turtles. Right when I got ready to get in the water, I got a little chicken! For some reason, I was afraid of being washed out to sea!! Jason was so kind....he got in the water with me and really helped me relax. I can not tell you how amazing it was to see these beautiful, graceful animals swimming all around! It was like being part of a dream......just amazing!!! The next stop was near a beach to eat lunch. They served chicken, flying fish, macaroni and cheese (they added something that made it spicey......very good!), salad, corn, bread......did I leave anything out?? Everything was delicious! The next stop was a snorkel over a shipwreck. Everyone jumped in and before I could get in......they all were coming back on board! Seems there is some kind of microscopic creature known as sea lice. Everyone was getting stung! Glad I didn't make it in!!! No problem though. We just sailed around for the remaining time. This was so wonderful....I sat at the very back, where you step onto the cat. Sailed around with my feet in the water.....sipping my new favorite drink, a pina colada!

 

This tour was well worth the money. We saw the same type excursion from Carnival go by. Jason told me that it held 110 people and it looked like it was packed full!! I believe the Carnival excursion was close to the same price we paid....maybe even a little more. All I can add is to say: Fantastic!!!!

 

This was so relaxing.....the sailing and the drinks. We wanted to go back to the ship, clean up, take a nap and then go to the Boatyard. Too bad our nap was wayyyyy too long! Didn't make it to the Boatyard. Yet another excuse to cruise Destiny again!!!!

[KenMo]

Aruba

 

Well.....I kinda screwed the pooch on this one!!! But it turned out well!!!

 

We booked an independent tour on Jolly Pirates at www.jollypirates.com . For some reason, I thought we were to meet them at Moomba Beach at 9:30am. So I booked my facial for 8am, leaving plenty of time for the 10 minute cab ride to Moomba Beach. Wrong!!!!!! During the cab ride, I discover that we needed to be there at 9am. We got there just in time to see them sail off!!! Oh well :( . So, while riding back in the cab, the driver heard us discussing what we wanted to do instead. He said - Hey, I'll take you on a tour of the island. So a tour it is!!! He took us to the Natural Bridge, a huge rock formation that I can't recall the name of but gave a great view when you got to the top, and the California Lighthouse.

 

After our island tour, we walked around town and did some shopping. Then back to the ship to clean up and get something to eat. We thought we'd check out Carlos and Charlie's. We did see the big banner but did not find the door, but we really didn't look that hard. So, we went to Cafe Bahia....which I thought we would enjoy much more anyway. I know that C&C's is supposed to be right across the street, but I just didn't see it!

 

Cafe Bahia was a neat little restaurant/bar. They had a live band and the drinks were good. The seats weren't very comfortable though. At first, we were seated at a table with stools. My legs are short and kept falling asleep. Finally, a group from a regular table left and we moved to the vacant table. But, we sat there so long and the chairs were so hard, that our rear ends were getting sore!!! They did have recliner looking chairs but then we wouldn't have been able to see the band. But we had a good time there and were glad we stopped!

 

Sea Days

 

Not much new to say here. Did my usual things......drinks, casino, eating and laying out in the sun! I love sea days!!! Sooooo relaxing!!!!

[KenMo]

Deck Chairs

 

Never a problem finding a chair! Dang!!! I wanted to collect a towel or two!!! I like to be near water so I can cool off, but that doesn't mean it has be near the pool. On Deck 10 aft, there were many more chairs unused than used. On either side of the deck there is a shower. That's where I did my sunning. On Deck 11 aft, there is also a shower and lots of chairs!!!!

 

Food

 

We only ate dinner in the dining room twice - the first night and the second formal night. Both meals were good.....I don't think I ever ate at the buffet except for breakfast. We ate one breakfast in the dining room, which was nice. We never ate lunch in the dining room. I think we would have eaten more dinners in the dining room if we would have requested late seating. It just seemed like there wasn't enough time after getting back from port to get cleaned up enough to be presentable for the dining room.

 

I didn't try the Chinese Food, but Brian did and said it was good.

 

I mostly ate at the New York Deli, pizza and room service. The pizza wasn't as good as I've had on other Carnival ships. They made it on thin crust....I like the thicker crust they had on Elation last year. It was still good, just not the best I've had! I tried the goat cheese.....yummy. I did try the Roast Beef and Brie from room service. The first one I had was really yummy!! The second one, not so good. The beef seemed pretty tough.

 

Spa

 

This cruise was the first time we used the spa. Kenny had a neck, shoulder, upper back and foot massage for $89. He said it did feel good and he enjoyed it. I had my hair up for the second formal night. They sold me two fancy bobby pins to jazz up the do for $15 for a total of $60. I also had a facial for $89. I believe it was the Oxygen Lifting Facial. It didn't make me look 20 years younger, or even 10.....but it did feel good to be pampered!!!

 

Casino

 

Any little bit I won.....I put back in the machine. Boo hoo!!! Oh well, I had fun anyway!!!!

 

Shows

 

Duke Daniels from The Platters was on board for one show. Of course, we had to go!!! This guy has got to be in his 70's, doesn't he?? So his voice isn't exactly what it used to be, but still.....what a treat to hear him sing those songs!!! And he still has the moves!!!!

 

I can really do without the Vegas type shows, but.....Kenny likes them, so we go! We didn't get to the first one, but did see the second one, Formidable. It was pretty good. The featured singers were Christopher Wade and Diana LaSalla. They were both good, although I thought Diana had the much stronger and better voice. This was kind of a Moulan Rouge (sp?) type show.

 

We went to the R rated midnight comedy show with Jeff Laub. This guy was hysterical!!! I laughed the whole time!! Most, if not all, of the show was him interacting with the audience. So, of course, this required a quick wit and great ad libbing. I really enjoyed the show!!!!

 

We also went to the magic show with Rand Woodbury. Of course, I'm not going to give anything away.....but he was pretty amazing! The only little glitch was some obnoxious 10 year brat who's parents were sitting on the other side of the theater. Rand had two shows. Apparently, there were some technical problems with the first show and he only made it about halfway through. This 10 year old had been at the first show and knew what was going to happen and wasn't shy about telling everyone in the audience. Rand asked him very nicely to be quiet during the show. He kept mouthing off to Rand, who said if he wasn't quiet, he would call security and have him removed. Of course, the audience was applauding wildly. But, the brat kept mouthing off. Sometime between the first and second trick, his parents must have removed him, because I never heard him again.

 

The CD

 

The CD was Marahscalh Stanton. Didn't really see him much at all, except on TV. Didn't hear much from him either, which I thought was nice. If I want to know what time things are going to happen, I'll consult my capers!!

 

Repeaters Party

 

This was on the second formal night from 5-5:45pm in the Criterion Lounge. Toda La Banda performed for the first 1/2 or so. They sounded good. Mostly Latin music, but they did throw in some golden oldies. Plus free drinks and food is always a nice touch. Call me corny, but I like to see the same old film and everyone cheering for the ships they've been on!!!!

 

Debarkation

 

Three words: horrible, horrible, horrible!!!!! This was the worst I've ever experienced. I watched the debarkation talk on tv at least twice and never heard self-debarkation mentioned. I guess they don't do it on Destiny???? We were in the 3rd group to be called to go to the Palladium. People were jammed up in the foyer of the Palladium....coming from the staircases and the elevators. Someone should have blocked off one of the staircases, maybe?? Then the flow of traffic would have been much smoother. We stood in the same place for about 1/2 hour. Finally, we start moving and reach the Lounge, only to be seated for about 1 1/2 hours. I was watching the stage, where the immigration officers were seated. There seemed to be five of them, but 90% of the time, they weren't all processing passengers at the same time. Alot of the time there were only two working. I would see them come and go with coffee cups in their hands.....a coffee break maybe?? It was torturous to watch. So few officers and a full ship. I asked one of the dancers if it was always like this. She said yes.....sounded like she didn't care for it much either. She suggested I use my comment card, which I definately plan to do. Finally, we are out of there and off to find our luggage. Remember my son, Justin, who's luggage was destroyed by American Airlines? Poor guy......Carnival destroyed his brand spanking new suitcase that I had to have a hissy fit to get!!!!! All the crap he'll have to go through to get compensation isn't going to be worth it. Carnival was kind enough to shrink wrap it for him so everything would stay inside. But finally, we are out of there, catch a cab and are on our way to the hotel for our post-cruise stay!!!!!

[dms_cruisers04]

Wow, what a finish. A couple comments:

Ain't Coki one of the best beaches?

Dominica wasn't our favorite, but you're right, it is lush and very pretty. I think, for us, it was just because it was gloomy and rainy all day. Imagine that, it rained all day, in a rainforest. Who'd a thunk? :rolleyes: :p

You definitely have to get back to see the Boatyard. We had a blast there. Glad you missed the sea lice (babies of one of the jellyfish species, about the size of a grain of pepper, from what I've heard very unpleasant).

JollyPirates could have been worse. The week we went, was the week the original Pirate ship caught fire and sank. :eek: Showing up at Moomba at 9am and having Carla tell us the ship was at the bottom of the ocean was really bad.

C&C is just across the street ... and two blocks over. Everybody forgets (or can't remember) to tell you that part! lol You didn't miss much. We went after dinner and the C&C there is so small and so packed with cruisers that it was hotter inside then outside. We got our yards and headed back to the ship.

If you do the Destiny again, get late seating and try the dining room more, we ate way too much, but it was worth it.

And unfortunately I have to agree with you. That have got to come up with a better way to handle debarkation. :mad:

 

Glad you had a great cruise.