Destiny Review 5/1--5/8

[CARMNRICO]

First and foremost I want to thank everyone on this board. Without the plethora of information our honeymoon would have been just okay. Thanks to you, it was FABULOUS!!!!! A special hello to my CC buddies we cruised with, you guys were great and it was really nice traveling with ya!

 

 

Flight- We left Chicago via Midway airport on ATA. We got a great deal, a little over $500 for 2 roundtrip tickets, which couldn’t be beat. The flight was fine; our only complaint was that our original documents said it was departing at 7:30 am but it didn’t take off until 8:30 am which they claimed was on time. So, we did spend about 2 ½ hours in the airport waiting around.

 

 

Pre-Cruise Stay- We arrived in San Juan and took at taxi ($12 for 2 people with 3 bags) to the Comfort Inn in the Condado District. We were scared at first because the route the driver took seemed to be going through “rough” residential areas. But, we worried for nothing. The area changed for the better right away and we arrived at the hotel. The Comfort Inn was “dated” but very clean. The room was nice sized and they did have an outdoor pool. It was one block from Ashford Street where all the shops and entertainment are which was perfect. We only paid $90 (booked the internet special) and it was well worth it.

 

 

Embarking- We woke up Sunday and checked out. Cab was again $12 to the pier. We arrived around 11:45 am and had to wait til about 12:30 to board. We passed the time ogling people in the liquor store who were filling their carry-ons with tons of booze (we forgot our carry-on at home in the rush to the wedding…DAMN!) We went straight to our room even though they said it wouldn’t be ready…..VERY NICE! We booked room 9151 balcony on the Lido deck and it was fantastic. It was ready so we dropped off our stuff and went for a bite to eat; then off to see Old San Juan. We were so tired after all the walking we did that we went to bed right after sailing away.

 

 

Just a quick note, we booked all of our excursions on our own thanks to the wonderful advice CCer’s gave us. Thanks so much!!!!

 

 

St. Thomas- For this island, we booked through Godfrey Tours. It was the best tour deal we found all week ($20 per person for 6 hours). He was GREAT! We went shopping downtown for a few hours (didn’t buy much since we’re not into jewelry), then sight seeing, and finally ended up at Coki Beach. Godfrey was so informative it was amazing. We kept joking around saying he was a walking library. We learned a lot about St. Thomas and enjoyed all the highlights the island had to offer. Oh, and the roads were insane………tight curves and all hills. What a way to start the week! I highly recommend this tour especially if you want to see EVERYTHING St. Thomas has to offer.

 

 

Dominica- My first impression of the island was awe struck. The island was lush and green with tons of mountains………..gorgeous. This time we went with Kurt de Negotiator and his tour guide ( a great lady with tons of knowledge- I forgot her name). Also met up with some of our CC buddies. We toured the Emerald Pool, Trafalgar Falls, Mr. Nice’s Fruit Stand, and driving around the island. Everything was nice but I guess I expected a bit more of the sites. Oh, let me also say that the hikes to the pool and falls was definitely strenuous to me. I don’t exercise much so climbing all the stairs and trying to keep balance was a workout. The island is definitely poorer than most, but we never felt threatened or in harms way at any time. Again the roads were crazy and we never could have maneuvered them on our own- glad to have a guide. After the tour we headed back to the ship for lunch; we were sailing away in an hour anyway. Nice day.

 

 

Barbados- This was my hubby’s favorite day. We did the Silvermoon sailing tour with our CC buddies and it was the best!!! The ship was in tip top shape; very clean with a great crew and plenty of room to lay out. I got a little sea sick at first but after about 15 minutes I was fine. Our first stop was to swim with sea turtles. Now, I’m a bit scared of snorkeling and really didn’t know what to expect so I jumped in the water and didn’t see a thing. Nothing!! I swam a bit away from the boat and was looking at some fish when out of the corner of my eye I see this HUGE turtle swimming right next to me. I almost fainted. It was the most surreal thing I’ve ever seen. These suckers were bigger than my niece and nephew combined. After that we sailed away, drank unlimited amounts of alcohol, ate a tasty lunch, and then stopped at our second site- the shipwreck. We got into the water and started swimming towards the location when we felt little burning sensations all over our skin. Everyone starting complaining but no one saw anything in the water. Turns out there was sea lice in the water so we vacated ASAP. What a bummer! We sailed the rest of the day. We were so tired when the tour finished that we didn’t see much else of Barbados. Maybe next time.

 

 

Aruba- My favorite port. We did the Jolly Pirate tour which took us to 3 different snorkeling sites; 2 in shallow water for the beginners and then the Antilla Ship wreck. The 2 in shallow water were nice with plenty of fish to see. This is also were everyone was allowed to swing on the rope swing (HILARIOUS). The ship wreck was spectacular. It reminded me so much of the movie Titanic because it looked just like it under the water. It was huge and there were so many fish. We were also served a nice lunch and unlimited amounts of alcohol. After the tour we went back to the ship to change and then took a taxi on a 2 hour tour of the island were we saw the chapel on the hill, rock formations, Natural Bridge, Lighthouse, and other sites. Afterwards we went back to the ship for a quick dinner and off to Carlos n Charlies. It was just okay. The one in Cozumel was much better; younger crowd, up to date music, and more FREE booze. It did start to get better around 10pm but by that time we were headed back to the ship.

 

 

The Ship—We didn’t see any wear and tear on her. Everything was spotless the entire time. The Crew was helpful and very nice. Our room steward (Oscar) was great even though we requested privacy a lot and didn’t see him. The Vegas shows were okay…nothing to write home about but a nice way to pass the evenings. The Comedy and Magic shows were really good. The food was mediocre both in the buffet and dining rooms (We’re from Chicago and expected too much I think since we have the best restaurants). But, we never starved…..there was always something to eat.

 

 

Disembarking—Not that much of a pain. Woke up at 6:30 am and headed to the Lounge for immigration. We booked the rain forest tour through the ship which was nice because you get off the boat earlier. The tour was nice and informative but not as great as the others we did on our own. It was definitely a nice way to kill the time until our plane at 4:30 pm.

 

 

Overall we had a great honeymoon and can’t wait to go on another cruise. I would definitely recommend the Destiny to future travelers!!!!!!!!!

[pholter]

Loved your review- thanks! Next time definately try out The Best of Barbados tour by Glory Tours to see the rest of the island without those horrible jelly fish! :) I am seriously considering booking this same cruise again which is totally unlike me because the ports were so awesome! Congratulations on your marriage :)

[CARMNRICO]

Thanks. I loved the cruise too and was thinking of going again with my parents next year. It was their 50th birthday (for both of them) last year and I wanted to do something spectacular but couldn't afford it cuz of the wedding. I know they'd get a kick outta the cruise. Also thinking about a Western cruise to Belize though. Decisions.........Decisions!!!!:D

[KenMo]

Hi Carmen!!! It was so nice to meet you in person! And your voice is sooo sweet! I'm glad you had such a good time on Destiny....we hardly saw you at all!!! Wasn't it such a nice day on Silver Moon?? I'm planning to do Victory next year with a couple of girlfriends. But in 2007 - Back to Back on Valor!!! Don't ya just love to cruise!!! Hope to see you guys on another cruise!!

[CARMNRICO]

Mona, it was great meeting you and the family. Your son is hilarious!!! I really enjoyed Silvermoon.......it was the highlight of the trip for Rico. We missed ya on the Jolly Pirate. It really was nice; much more snorkeling than in Barbados and great drinks/food. And, it wasn't really that crowded so you could hang out (of course nothing like Silvermoon but it was still very good).

 

Good luck on planning your cruises to come. We can't wait to do it again!!!!

 

I'll be signing off of the boards for a while, but if you ever feel like chatting my email is squeakers_cc@excite.com.

Take care.:)

[mnsawyer]

Great review and congratulations. When I looked into the Destiny last fall, the Comfort Inn seemed like a great deal since hotels in SJU are outrageous! Glad to hear that the Comfort Inn was okay. Great fares to SJU by the way since it's always very high for airfare and for us, the reason why we don't sailed out of San Juan. Maybe some day! Thanks again for the review.

[Perkolater]

Great Review Carmen!!! It was great meeting you and Rico, and the rest of the gang on the cruise! Really made it more fun.

 

I hope to put my review together this weekend, but you and Mona have definitely raised the bar!

[edpeeks]

Great review and congratulations. When I looked into the Destiny last fall, the Comfort Inn seemed like a great deal since hotels in SJU are outrageous! Glad to hear that the Comfort Inn was okay. Great fares to SJU by the way since it's always very high for airfare and for us, the reason why we don't sailed out of San Juan. Maybe some day! Thanks again for the review.

 

We are doing the Destiny over July 4th. As did many folks who have posted we got the Sheraton for $86. in Old Town. I'll take that over the CI in Condado. And for less money. I will agree the air fair to SJ is high. but the itinerary, after one has done east and west enough times, is the desirous.