After 5 Princess Cruises, I'll be going on the Inspiration

[OceanPrince]

After 5 cruises on Princess including the fancy new Royal Princess last month, I will be going on my first Carnival cruise - a weekend booze cruise on the Inspiration. What should I expect? Any advices?

 

Any alternatives to the $17/day parking? ..given that there are 6 of us that want to get to work as soon as we can on Monday after cruise.

[Shmoo here]

After 5 cruises on Princess including the fancy new Royal Princess last month, I will be going on my first Carnival cruise - a weekend booze cruise on the Inspiration. What should I expect? Any advices?

 

Any alternatives to the $17/day parking? ..given that there are 6 of us that want to get to work as soon as we can on Monday after cruise.

 

We did a cruise on the Inspiration in Feb. There's really not much in the way of alternatives to the parking there. Unless you take a shuttle from wherever you are. But, if you want a car available to get you somewhere as quick as possible afterwards, parking at the terminal is all there is.

[Midwestgal]

Keep in mind that's it's and old ship and that your going on a short cruise and may encounter many drunks and people there to party.

 

Don't compare this cruise to a more normal Carnival cruise as it may not give you a fair impression of Carnival.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Midwestgal

[SadieN]

We've sailed the Inspiration 5 times.

 

It will be a lot wilder than what you are used to in Princess.

 

For comparison I was on the Sapphire 10 day in March.

Before the Crew Talent show they passed out balloons for the crowd to toss around. Many women were worried about their hair and several were sitting their arms crossed or reading their Kindles. Can't see that happening on your Carnival cruise. ;)

 

There are many things Princess does better than Carnival and there are many things Carnival does better than Princess. Buffet is better on Princess but I can get THE BEST hot chocolate for free on Carnival and soft serve 24/7. MDR food will be equal in quality but the menu is not as extensive on Carnival. We found Carnival's new menu very good and there are no 'hidden' speciality meals.

 

Carnival's new pizza is better than Princess' but when we were last on the Inspiration in February they still had the old pizza.

Carnival's deli sandwiches are made to order, unfortunately you'll have to wait in line for an omelette.

 

The OV and IS cabins are larger and I thought better layed out on the Inspiration. The coffee table that has no place to go in the Sapphire IS was odd.

 

There are many qiuet areas onboard. We like to sit on the deck 9 interior promenade and people watch. There must be seats for 200 pax along this walkway.

 

The Inspiration has a center staircase, lol.

 

***

 

That being said it's hard to compare a ship built in the 1990's based on a design from the 1980's to newly built ships. The Inspiration's decor is wilder than anything on Princess, but she does grow on you. Love the Atrium at night, especially looking down from deck 12.

 

***

The price of parking has always been an issue at this port. The only viable alternative is $6/day at Union Station and take the Red/Purple-Blue lines to Long Beach, then catching the free Passport bus. But this takes over an hour to do.

Edited April 9, 2014 by SadieN

[Shmoo here]

We've sailed the Inspiration 5 times.

 

It will be a lot wilder than what you are used to in Princess.

 

For comparison I was on the Sapphire 10 day in March.

Before the Crew Talent show they passed out balloons for the crowd to toss around. Many women were worried about their hair and several were sitting their arms crossed or reading their Kindles. Can't see that happening on your Carnival cruise. ;)

 

There are many things Princess does better than Carnival and there are many things Carnival does better than Princess. Buffet is better on Princess but I can get THE BEST hot chocolate for free on Carnival and soft serve 24/7. MDR food will be equal in quality but the menu is not as extensive on Carnival. We found Carnival's new menu very good and there are no 'hidden' speciality meals.

 

Carnival's new pizza is better than Princess' but when we were last on the Inspiration in February they still had the old pizza.

Carnival's deli sandwiches are made to order, unfortunately you'll have to wait in line for an omelette.

 

The OV and IS cabins are larger and I thought better layed out on the Inspiration. The coffee table that has no place to go in the Sapphire IS was odd.

 

There are many qiuet areas onboard. We like to sit on the deck 9 interior promenade and people watch. There must be seats for 200 pax along this walkway.

 

The Inspiration has a center staircase, lol.

 

***

 

That being said it's hard to compare a ship built in the 1990's based on a design from the 1980's to newly built ships. The Inspiration's decor is wilder than anything on Princess, but she does grow on you. Love the Atrium at night, especially looking down from deck 12.

 

***

The price of parking has always been an issue at this port. The only viable alternative is $6/day at Union Station and take the Red/Purple-Blue lines to Long Beach, then catching the free Passport bus. But this takes over an hour to do.

 

Center staircase as you enter ship atrium

 

Atrium (staircase on left) looking down

 

Atrium at night

 

Looking from theatre entrance back toward the atrium

[OCruisers]

We are long time Princess cruisers who sometimes also cruise on Carnival.

Yes, it's different. Just accept that it will be and enjoy it for what it is. :D

LuLu

~~~

[OceanPrince]

Thanks SadieN and everyone else, I actually feel a lot better about the cruise/ship :D I was actually a bit nervous after seeing the ship decor in pictures and youtube videos.

[Frank12]

We liked the Inspiration, but it is what it is.

Smaller, older ship. Short cruise = party.

Just roll with it and you'll have a good time!

[Shmoo here]

Thanks SadieN and everyone else, I actually feel a lot better about the cruise/ship :D I was actually a bit nervous after seeing the ship decor in pictures and youtube videos.

 

Interior Promenade deck

 

Candlelight Lounge

 

Café des Artistes - coffee bar

 

Paris Lounge (main showroom)

Edited April 10, 2014 by Shmoo here

[golfb4cruzing]

Since it's a booze cruise, same booze as Princess. The rest is irrelevant.

[T. Advisor King]

I'm generally a small "f" Carnival fan. I enjoyed my Inspiration cruise two years ago. But of all my cruises, it was probably the least enjoyable. Here's an excerpt from my review. Not included below were positive comments about the CD, who stayed in the background and didn't try to make the cruise all about her, unlike certain other Carnival CDs.

 

- the first time we entered our cabin and checked the bathroom, it had a distinct "sewer" smell to it, which never went away the entire trip. I appreciate that shipboard plumbing is not the same as household plumbing, but this was the first time we'd experienced such a problem with odor.

 

- the cabin was cold all the time and since it was an "ocean view" with a sealed window, there was no option to open the window and let some warm air in. All we could do was turn the AC to low/off, but there was no way to heat the cabin. It was probably set to 17C/66F at best and was quite uncomfortable the whole cruise. It was somewhat ironic to be on a Mexican cruise and to be too cold in the cabin.

 

- after settling in and having something to eat, we set up in lounge chairs at the pool. In the next two hours we were probably interrupted by staff trying to sell drinks no fewer than a dozen times. The first few times, we were exceptionally polite. But it is frustrating to expend that much energy each time. Eventually we would just say no and wave them away. You would think that they would figure out pretty quick who was planning to get loaded and who wasn't interested.

 

- the "entertainment staff" on the pool deck were particularly overbearing to the point of being obnoxious. There are only so many times you can listen to someone imploring the "party people" to get up and do one dance or another. And of course, they did this with a microphone and speaker system turned up so loud that the "encouragement" came out as a mixture of noise and distortion. I appreciate this is Carnival and it is a three-day cruise, so it will include a strong contingent of passengers who are there to "party", but there are others who are simply there to have their own good time and, unfortunately, these staff didn't do much to help them out.

 

Overall, the cruise was a very positive experience. We enjoyed being able to stay on board until 10:00 on the day of departure. Disembarkation was relatively swift, with no more than a 10 minute wait to get off the ship, then maybe another 25 to get through border services.

[SadieN]

One more thing---

The vanity set up on the Inspiration is HORRIBLE. Whoever designed it should be forced to live with it for the rest of HIS life.

Small round sink, puny 4" ledge of a shelf, that's it.

(It's a retrofit. 6 of the 8 Fantasy class sisters have this set up.)

Bring some sort of an over-the-door pocket holder for the bathroom. We use some string and hang ours across the hooks on the door.

 

The other classes on Carnival have vanities that are just as nice as Princess'. Oh, the showers are larger on Carnival and the shower head is removable.

Edited April 10, 2014 by SadieN

[SadieN]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

quote]

 

This pic is from a HC review but the sink setup is the same. The non-HC cabins do not have any grab bars nor the second mirror.

 

***

See that basket on the sink? That holds a grab bag of samples. Never know what you're going to get.

 

You will get round bar soap for the sink and shower and gel in a dispenser. Best to bring your own. ;)

Edited April 10, 2014 by SadieN

[awhcruiser]

Expect plenty of partying since it is a weekend cruise. The dress code is not enforced, so you will see all kinds of clothing in the MDR.

[ofthesea]

After 5 cruises on Princess including the fancy new Royal Princess last month, I will be going on my first Carnival cruise - a weekend booze cruise on the Inspiration. What should I expect? Any advices?

 

Any alternatives to the $17/day parking? ..given that there are 6 of us that want to get to work as soon as we can on Monday after cruise.

 

I'm a loyal Princess cruiser too (been on four cruises with Princess and many BVE's) and I just tried cruising with Carnival two weeks ago. I had many doubts and fears it wouldn't be as great and it wouldn't meet my expectations. But I think it's how you make the cruise.

 

I just got off the Carnival Inspiration two weeks ago! So here is all the things I've noticed:

 

The ship is old. I've been on older Princess ships and it seems that even though there is age, the design is still fairly nice and elegant. On the Inspiration, there are some things you'd question, like the choice of carpet, the off ceiling in the buffet on the lido deck. It's not as elegant looking.

 

One thing I wish they had was a promenade deck where you can go out and walk around there, normally around deck 7.. The Princess ships I sailed had that and loved it. On the Inspiration you have to go up to deck 10 to get some vitamin D! The atrium isn't that bright. It already has a dark design so even the natural light doesn't do too much justice.

 

I noticed around midship on deck 7, there was an unpleasant smell the whole trip. Smelt like sewage/trash... It's because the trash room was right around that area and I finally made that connection after I did the Behind For Fun tour.

 

The food is great on Carnival, it was above my expectations, but the food on Princess I think is just that much better. The pizza on Carnival was alright, I had a few plates that were just mediocre, but a handful of dishes that were out of this world...

 

Service is just as great! There was never a moment I was dissappointed. Keep an eye out for photographers Edin, Bojan, and Ardi, they are the BEST!! (Say hi to them for me :))

 

Here is one big thing I have noticed the music is much different. They play a lot of the modern songs or the crazy rap songs all the time. On Princess what I loved was hearing classical music in the atrium, hearing Sweet Caroline, Piano Man, etc. The Inspiration definitely caters to the younger crowd but when I was onboard we had a whole wide range of ages and they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. At first I walked on and heard the music and really began questioning what type of cruise I am going on.

 

Traditional dining was always a pleasant experience and I would attend every night! I Made and Nino were awesome waiters, hope you get them in Carnivale dining room!

 

Entertainment was great too! Love the shows and different activities. The one big disappointment of mine was Bingo... I LOVE Bingo. Princess has it were there are 4 rounds and different purchasing options... Carnival has two purchasing options both kind of pricy ($25 and $30) and it's for one round... The bingo host was a bit boring, I love when they say fun and silly things like (B11, B11 Give a whistle if you got B11 or a booo if it's bad). So if you're used to that from Princess, stay away from Bingo on Carnival....Go to the adult comedy or even the family comedy because both are very funny!

 

Jeff Bronson will be your cruise director and he's a pretty funny guy! Nate is one of his staff and he's one funny guy who instantly puts a smile on your face! (Say hi to him for me too :P )

 

Casino is a very popular destination for most, since the gambling age is 18, so many of us young folks are excited to walk in and gamble for once.

 

Overall: It's really how you make the trip. I LOVED the trip and would do it again in a heartbeat, I put aside the fact they didn't play Sweet Caroline or maybe the pizza wasn't as tasty as Cafe Corniche on a Princess ship or Bingo wasn't up to my expectations. That's okay, you'll still have a whole lot of fun!

 

I would do short cruises on Carnival like 3 to 5 day and do all my longer cruises on Princess.

 

I parked my car at the parking garage there, $17 a day a bit pricy but it's really the only choice. I wouldn't want to park any farther because once you're off the ship, you just want to leave. (The more you stay the more sad you are that you disembarked :'( ) We took the 4 day cruise so our total was a whoping $68 just for parking... D:

[rainbowflag]

Expect plenty of partying since it is a weekend cruise. The dress code is not enforced, so you will see all kinds of clothing in the MDR.

 

This is welcome news! Thanks for sharing :)

[AmberTeka]

We have sailed Princess five times. We have over 100 days with Carnival. Over 20 days with Hal. Ditto NCL. One with Celebrity but one is booked for October.

 

Then we sailed the Fascination. it is old. Shorter cruises.

 

I expected drunk students. (Graduation Time). Low life's on a cheap cruise ( not that cheap, but).........Zilch. I was very hesitant getting on the Ship.What had we done and we were trapped for Five days.

 

What happened............The trip down the St.Johns River to the Atlantic Ocean was breathtaking.

The Ship was loaded with College Grads and High School Grads. I have never had more doors opened for me, or called Mam more in my life. None of them.........got naked and partied. Or got drunk. They seemed to live at the Vault Machines in the Casino and at the Grill on the Lido Deck. Those young men can knock back enormous amounts of food. If they over indulged in anything..it was that. But they were still skinny..most of them.We played Trivia with two of them.(Won). they went home with SOAS Then even brought their parents over to meet us.

The passengers.............laid back. Southern.everything was slow......slow............loved it. No pushing. No shoving.

Shows.......good

Food.............Carnival food. I never go hungry.

 

So........you never know. Don't Flame me but Jacksonville is Old South. Slower. Miami is FUSION. It is the second largest Spanish Speaking City in the USA. It is not really American...and I mean no slurr......it is totally multi Cultural. They are different. So be prepared for that.

Go in with an open attitude and you might be surprised how much fun y ou have. That happened to me.

And Key West......if you go there.What a great port!!

Edited April 10, 2014 by AmberTeka

[SadieN]

We have sailed Princess five times. We have over 100 days with Carnival. Over 20 days with Hal. Ditto NCL. One with Celebrity but one is booked for October.

 

Then we sailed the Fascination. it is old. Shorter cruises.

 

I expected drunk students. (Graduation Time). Low life's on a cheap cruise ( not that cheap, but).........Zilch. I was very hesitant getting on the Ship.What had we done and we were trapped for Five days.

 

What happened............The trip down the St.Johns River to the Atlantic Ocean was breathtaking.

The Ship was loaded with College Grads and High School Grads. I have never had more doors opened for me, or called Mam more in my life. None of them.........got naked and partied. Or got drunk. They seemed to live at the Vault Machines in the Casino and at the Grill on the Lido Deck. Those young men can knock back enormous amounts of food. If they over indulged in anything..it was that. But they were still skinny..most of them.We played Trivia with two of them.(Won). they went home with SOAS Then even brought their parents over to meet us.

The passengers.............laid back. Southern.everything was slow......slow............loved it. No pushing. No shoving.

Shows.......good

Food.............Carnival food. I never go hungry.

 

So........you never know. Don't Flame me but Jacksonville is Old South. Slower. Miami is FUSION. It is the second largest Spanish Speaking City in the USA. It is not really American...and I mean no slurr......it is totally multi Cultural. They are different. So be prepared for that.

Go in with an open attitude and you might be surprised how much fun y ou have. That happened to me.

And Key West......if you go there.What a great port!!

 

Great review!!

 

Inspiration is now on the West Coast, doing the Shortest Cruise Itin available. LA-Ensenada. OP could drive to Ensenada in less time than it could take them to get to Long Beach. :p

[Lerin]

After 5 cruises on Princess including the fancy new Royal Princess last month, I will be going on my first Carnival cruise - a weekend booze cruise on the Inspiration. What should I expect? Any advices?

 

.

Seems you've answered your own question as to what to expect. ;)

[CrzRani]

There are some fair write ups here about the Inspiration and Imagination. Pretty dead on from what I read.

 

Yes, I take this 3 day trip a couple times a year cause it's easy to get a group of friends together for a somewhat Vegas type weekend on the high seas without the expense of Vegas - the drive, hotels, and food. This is the best bang for all of ours bucks!

 

You won't find many walkers, Rascal scooters, or Hurry-Canes on this cruise, so just be prepared for a more party crowd that seems to be more friendly than the cruises that last a week or more.

 

I cruise cause I love it and Carnival's demographic brings the fun on the ship. Leave your AARP cards at home. :D