Has anyone ever been on the Inspiration?

[jesseiam2]

This is our first cruise and my wife and I are really excited. In searching the boards, I have not seem many comments on the Inspiration. How is the ship compared to others? I leave on 1/16! We have an oceanview room near the center of the ship. We stop at Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Anything you would like to share would be appreciated!

 

Jesse

[Loves_Dogs]

This is our first cruise and my wife and I are really excited. In searching the boards, I have not seem many comments on the Inspiration. How is the ship compared to others? I leave on 1/16! We have an oceanview room near the center of the ship. We stop at Cozumel and Grand Cayman. Anything you would like to share would be appreciated!

 

Jesse

 

Was our first cruise last year and it started our love of cruising (so that should tell you something)! We had a WONDERFUL time, even though the weather was bad due to hurricane. I thought the ship was clean and comfortable and that was BEFORE the drydock last year, so I'm sure she's in better shape now. The food was good and the employees were wonderful. Gene (from Haiti) was our waiter, very friendly and kind. Erroll was our room steward, rarely saw him but boy did he keep our room clean and well stocked. I would cruise her again in a heartbeat. Enjoy your cruise!

[racegrrl]

Like the previous poster, our first ever cruise was on the Inspiration just last January. We really had a wonderful time. It was always super clean, the staff seemed to really care about the ship and the passengers. It is big, but by the end of the cruise seemed very intimate. Very easy to get around, never felt crowded. We enjoyed our trip so much that we booked again on the Glory - we leave in 3 weeks and two days and a couple hours, but who's counting. ;)

 

There are tons of reviews to read about her in the member review section of Cruise Critic. Ours is there as well. Enjoy your time on her!

[2funcruzin]

DH & I and some friends sailed on her in '02 and absolutely loved her. The ship was kept very clean and we just had a blast. For your first cruise this is a great ship. She is large and you might feel overwhelmed at first but you will soon feel as if it is your new home. The staff were excellent. Our waiter was Marcel and he was excellent.

 

Befriend the staff and they will treat you with a whole hearted welcome.

 

Bon Voyage!

[ISLABONITA]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=267649&highlight=INSPIRATION+REVIEW

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=268212&highlight=INSPIRATION+REVIEW

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=263674&highlight=INSPIRATION+REVIEW

[kimcruiser]

We cruised her on our third cruise which was jan of 04. we loved her. she had some wear but was always clean and the atmosphere was wonderful. Our cabin was e202, ocean view, empress deck. have a great time:D

[NeptunesGoddess]

We cruised the Inspiration last year and it was our first cruise and we are hooked...so she obviously impressed us. Here is my review (also includes some handy tips) and some pictures.

 

 

Review

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=6058

 

Photos

http://69.63.134.90/gallery/view.php?id=2031

[Chuggiebug]

We were onher December 04. Although she is a little older and does not have many balconies, our ocean view rooms were wonderful, as was the entire cruise.

 

It was our sons's first cruise. We took him and his fiance. They have already been on another one and thier honeymoon this May will be on the Miracle out of Tampa.

 

I do not know how you can help but develop a love for cruising on her!

[woodman]

DW and I have sailed on her three times and have one booked for Jan. 30, 06.

We have sailed the larger ships like Glory and Miracle but love the Inspiration. It is a smaller ship and very well kept. The crew has always been one of the best. The food is above par and the intertainment is always wonderfull. I'm sure you will have a great cruise. Questions to woodman73@earthlink.net , glad to help.

[bookwerm1980]

I went on my first cruise on the Inspiration in May 2003. I thought that I was not going to enjoy my trip. But by the 5th day I was ready to cry because I didn't want to go home. It was a great ship and a great trip. That trip has really hooked me on cruising. I will be going on my 3rd cruise in April 2006. I have finally figured out how to do 2 in one year, so I am currently researching another one for later in 2006. I hope you have a good time, cause I sure did.:D

[nmarsh]

The Inspiration was our first cruise several years ago. I think she is our favorite because she was our first. It is easy to get around, no long lines for the buffet, the staff was engaging, and we had a great time.

[Holly_M]

I'm booked on the 01/30/2006 sailing and look forward to your review and comments when you return. This will be my 4th cruise . . . but my first time on the Inspiration. I've done a ton of research and found mostly positive information. We've got some first time cruisers going with us and I'm pretty sure they will be "hooked" by the end of the cruise.

[pinkcup]

We just cruised teh Inspiration on the 10th of December. We had a great time! The food was awesome, the staff great. Our only regret was the loss of time in Cozumel because of the tendering process they have to go through now. But, we were glad to go and give them our money because they are such great people and need it!

[Vanessa L]

Thank you, Goddess for the pics!! Especially the night shot--the ship is gorgeous!!! We will be on the sister Fascination in 23 days so I am way excited to see the pics.

 

And Jesse, my personal favorite in the Caribbean are the Caymans, let us know how you liked the ports when you get back.

 

Have a great time!!!! :D

[caprcorn28]

We cruised the Inspiration last year and it was our first cruise and we are hooked...so she obviously impressed us. Here is my review (also includes some handy tips) and some pictures.

 

Great photos!!! Thanks for sharing!! You are a beautiful family!!!

 

We have sailed on the Inspiration as well...but not since '01...No doubt a lot has changed since then!!! I know that the port of embarkation has for sure!! We left from New Orleans!! Very fun!!! I am sure a lot of the crew has as well!!! But it looks like it is still a very good ship/choice!! We really enjoyed the entire trip!!!

 

Have a fabulous trip!! You'll love it!!

[NeptunesGoddess]

Thank you, Goddess for the pics!! Especially the night shot--the ship is gorgeous!!!

 

Great photos!!! Thanks for sharing!! You are a beautiful family!!!

 

Thank you, I am glad you enjoyed them...and thank you for the kind words as well. :) I took that night shot as we walked back from Carlos and Charlies in Cozumel. I guess the whole way to get into Cozumel has now changed from what I have been gathering. We got very lucky because they flipped a couple of our itenerary days and that put us in Cozumel until 10 pm...so we got to be in a port at night, which was not the usual for this particular cruise. I was blessed to get that night shot by putting my camera on a wall along side the beach so I could capture the natural lighting using no flash. Glad you liked it.

[cnc_80]

We just took our first cruise on the Inspiration Dec 19-24 2005. It was our fisrt cruise ever and was a blast we are now hooked and looking to book another one soon. Our waiter was Marco and our room steward was Imade. They were great. The only time spent in the cabin was to sleep. It was very clean as everyone has said. There wasn't a single time of the day that something wasn't being cleaned.

 

The only thing that was disappointing was the limited time in Cozumel due to the hurricane. The long tendering process limited the amount of time there.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[Pianogrl]

Just like so many of the above posters, the Inspiration was our first Carnival cruise in '02 & we loved it! Got us hooked on cruising really. We were on the Empress deck, oceanview & loved our time onboard her. You will have a blast!

[BrendaB1]

It was my second Carnival cruise & I loved it. Great ship to start out with before you get addicted to cruising & move up to the larger, newer ships. :D I recently saw it docked next to us in port while on another cruise & it still looks great.

 

I forget to add....one of my favorite ships. Casino was very good to me. I hit two jackpots & won more than enough to pay for my cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[nealthedeal]

;) MY FAVORITE SHIP! The first to have your sail & sign as a room key also! excellent cd chris very nice casino host & the oldest & longest employee of CARNIVAL OPA! who is it? THE BEST RIGHT :D you tell em NEAL THE DEAL SENT YA FOR EXTRA SERVICE & SPECIAL TREATMENT!

:cool:

[gjules]

I'm leaving tomorrow for Tampa for our 1/2/06 cruise on the Inspiration. My first cruise was on the Miracle and this trip I'm going with two newbies-my dd and dm. I really loved the Miracle, but I can't wait to see the Inspiration...I've heard nothing but good about her!:)

[cathyoo]

I'll add my vote for the Inspiration. My second cruise. I loved the Tampa port and found the ship easy to navigate. The assistant CD was Malcom and I enjoyed him very much. Of course, winning $600 at Bingo just added to my enjoyment.

[Seasons]

When was it?

[Loves_Dogs]

When was it?

 

I believe it was in October of 04.

[Sea Legs]

Like many others, the Inspiration was our 1st cruise back in 2001. While it is much smaller and not as elaborate as the ships we have sailed since, we had an absolutely terrific time. The food and staff were great and it was easy to navigate around. We weren't sure how we felt about cruising, but my sister convinced us to try it and we became hooked immediately. I hope you do too!