Carnival inspiration info please!

[dimiegirl]

Hello,

We are seasoned middle age cruisers  who have been on royal, princess and celebrity. We have never cruised on carnival . We are interested in the 3 night cruise to ensenada. I wanted to know what to expect on this ship. We typically go on larger ships (about twice the size of this ship). How is the food and entertainment on this ship? We would be in an inside cabin as the balcony cabins were way more expensive and not worth it for such a short trip. Is the adult only pool area truly adult only? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

[sailawaybellaluna]

25 minutes ago, dimiegirl said:

Hello,

We are seasoned middle age cruisers  who have been on royal, princess and celebrity. We have never cruised on carnival . We are interested in the 3 night cruise to ensenada. I wanted to know what to expect on this ship. We typically go on larger ships (about twice the size of this ship). How is the food and entertainment on this ship? We would be in an inside cabin as the balcony cabins were way more expensive and not worth it for such a short trip. Is the adult only pool area truly adult only? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

I've done this cruise four times, since the Inspiration and her sister ship, the Imagination, are local to us here in Southern California.

 

I'll be honest with you: it will be a jarring change from Royal or Celebrity (I've never sailed on Princess).

 

I've done this cruise simply for a quick/super cheap getaway, or because we had someone visiting that wanted to do a quick cruise.

 

The 3-day especially attracts a younger/singles crowd that has a strong emphasis on partying and drinking. I've seen several huge groups of bachelor/bachelorette parties on these sailings. And drinking to the point of massive intoxication/inebriation and getting sick onboard. Not my scene. The 4-day itinerary requires people to take more time off of work, and seems to be a bit calmer of a crowd.

 

The ship is very small and quite old. I believe it was just dry-docked a few months ago, and I haven't sailed it since, so I expect it's a bit nicer now...

 

I thought the food was great, and we've been pleased with the MDR and especially the Blue Iguana! 

 

I can't speak much to the entertainment, but I believe they get a better selection of comedians since sometimes actual famous people from LA will jump onboard for just a week or two stint. We saw a guy who was a famous actor (can't recall his name) and he was hilarious. 

 

I wrote a complete photo review on our experience on the Inspiration (in my sig) although that is several years old now.

[sailawaybellaluna]

Sorry, just noticed your point on the inside cabins...Yes, I believe there are barely any balcony cabins on board the Inspiration as they are all categorized as suites. We usually sail oceanview, but depending on how far advance you book (and if you book the Early Saver), there is almost always a price drop. So perhaps book an inside and upgrade later. Last time I sailed with my brother, we booked an inside cabin and upgraded to an oceanview for a total of $60 more total.

[dimiegirl]

29 minutes ago, sailawaybellaluna said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to provide such a detailed reply. The 3 day description does not sound up our alley.... We like a more relaxing atmosphere... maybe we will try for a 4 day instead. Im glad to hear that the food is good. I will take a look at your full review. Thanks again for helping us out with our decision!

 

 

I've done this cruise four times, since the Inspiration and her sister ship, the Imagination, are local to us here in Southern California.

 

I'll be honest with you: it will be a jarring change from Royal or Celebrity (I've never sailed on Princess).

 

I've done this cruise simply for a quick/super cheap getaway, or because we had someone visiting that wanted to do a quick cruise.

 

The 3-day especially attracts a younger/singles crowd that has a strong emphasis on partying and drinking. I've seen several huge groups of bachelor/bachelorette parties on these sailings. And drinking to the point of massive intoxication/inebriation and getting sick onboard. Not my scene. The 4-day itinerary requires people to take more time off of work, and seems to be a bit calmer of a crowd.

 

The ship is very small and quite old. I believe it was just dry-docked a few months ago, and I haven't sailed it since, so I expect it's a bit nicer now...

 

I thought the food was great, and we've been pleased with the MDR and especially the Blue Iguana! 

 

I can't speak much to the entertainment, but I believe they get a better selection of comedians since sometimes actual famous people from LA will jump onboard for just a week or two stint. We saw a guy who was a famous actor (can't recall his name) and he was hilarious. 

 

I wrote a complete photo review on our experience on the Inspiration (in my sig) although that is several years old now.

 

[Markmom18]

Hi,

  My husband and I (61 & 57) were on the 3 day Inspiration last weekend. We had Inside Cabin U131.  We have cruised on the 2 ships out of Long Beach a few times. We're less than an hour away from Long Beach Port, so it's a nice little getaway for us.

 

  In August we were on Oasis, so the Inspiration did feel much smaller. I'm one who prefers a smaller class ship. Prefer the Freedom/Glory size. 🙂🙂. I'll be on the Dream in about a month, interested to see how that size ship "feels".

 

  I'm one who accepts Carnival's food for what it is ....  lukewarm at best. Prime Rib center is about 1/4" "thick" LOL! So the food..eh.  But, as always the MDR Staff is superb!!  We had Christiana and her "Girl Power" team. LaLa & Sharon. A+++ .

 

  Cabin Attendant Januarius "Jan" works too hard, too many cabins. But, I can't change Carnival's Policy. So, yes, we asked for Morning & Evening Service. We pre-tipped and tipped cash at the end of the cruise to each of our MDR team, and Jan & his Assistant for our Cabin.

 

 I thought there would be a mini-fridge & robes in the room. Nope to both. Just forgot. 😊  Jan showed us the Cabin Checklist the first afternoon, so any extras we wanted on the list were checked & we signed. Basically I just needed ice, and twice daily service. 

 

 I will say our only serious complaint my husband & I had: The disorganized Safety aka Muster Drill that we had on the Lido Deck. What a mess!! 😳😳 We walked away not knowing which lifeboats to go to, and not hearing all  the Captains important messages because of the noise level!  Part of the Staff were on the stage talking & laughing amongst themselves. ⁉️ I counted 2 team members checking off passengers on their hand held devices.  NO LINES, NO Organzation, NOISY chatting passengers just milling about the Lido Deck.  We have never experienced this in any past Safety Drills on Carnival or RCL.   

 

   Anyway .......   If there are any specific questions you have, just let me know. It was beautiful, beautiful weather last weekend too!  

🌸🌸 Bobbi 

Edited March 4, 2019 by Markmom18

[Markmom18]

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[Kjs2006]

Just off the inspiration this weekend did the 4 day cruise . No adults only pool just hot tubs 2 of them & they were always packed . The area is tucked on the aft on the 9th floor so it is private . The food was hot or miss for us in the dining room either delish, ok or blah . The entertainment was awesome , shows, comedians . The cruise director made the trip , he was very entertaining , friendly & helpful . 

We gad an inside cabin a porthole to be exact & it was great , spacious the only complaint was the air system when turned on you got smoke smell. I brought a lavender room spray and spritzed it up there along with the toilet which only smelled when you had the lid open . 

Any other questions feel free to ask . 

[fabby50]

You'll probably notice that the 4 dayers can be less expensive than the 3 dayers because they cover the weekdays instead of the weekend.  We prefer the 4 day because we like Catalina and it's a nice way to get over there.  For us, either cruise is a pleasant get away as we live in California.  We take it for what it is - a short cruise on an older ship without too many amenities that doesn't cost much.  Mostly we miss there being a steakhouse or an alternate dining venue.  We come back refreshed without having to go far.

[sanmarcosman]

On 3/3/2019 at 9:14 PM, Markmom18 said:

 I will say our only serious complaint my husband & I had: The disorganized Safety aka Muster Drill that we had on the Lido Deck. What a mess!! 😳😳 We walked away not knowing which lifeboats to go to, and not hearing all  the Captains important messages because of the noise level!  Part of the Staff were on the stage talking & laughing amongst themselves. ⁉️ I counted 2 team members checking off passengers on their hand held devices.  NO LINES, NO Organzation, NOISY chatting passengers just milling about the Lido Deck.  We have never experienced this in any past Safety Drills on Carnival or RCL.   

 

   

The lido deck muster station on Inspiration is the worst. The DJ was up on the raised platform every time we've sailed the ship chatting away with young crew members and was ineffective at the microphone to get the attention of the assembled guests for the drill. People were posing for selfies, laughing and talking and walking in circles in the middle of the lido with no direction from the crew. That station needs a ship's officer there at every muster to maintain good order and discipline. 

[KmomChicago]

I hope you give the 4 day a try and come back and share your thoughts. 

 

While I have not cruised that ship or from Long Beach, I can echo the comparison from a Carnival Fantasy-class ship to a newer, larger ship from Royal or Celebrity. In some ways it will feel very different, and in other ways very similar.  Carnival is always a very laid back and informal atmosphere, which doesn't take itself too seriously.  The cruise directors and their staffs are always running around being super cheerful and holding various activities like goofy pool contests (hairy chest or belly flop - friendly warning - once seen, you can never unsee it, haha) and daytime trivia - you might win a gold plastic ship on a stick!

 

Many people say a short cheap cruise is still lots of fun and an excellent value for a short getaway, particularly if you are in a position to get to port quickly without the hassle of flights.  You get an abundance of food day and night with no need for extra charges, including a nice sea day brunch and walk-up counters Guy's Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina, but you do have the option to upgrade to Chef's table or certain steakhouse entrees.  You'll get Playlist productions, which are song-and-dance shows of a sort of typical cruise grade variety.  Decent selection of bars, with a daily drink special aboard at a reasonable price.  Like other cruises there are ship photographers and options for photo packages (on formal nights they set up backdrops in case you'd like nice portraits).  There's a spa. There are going to be onboard gift shops and ship excursions like any cruise.

 

As others have mentioned a 4 night weekday cruise typically attracts a different clientele than the weekend. If you also go when local schools are in session, you may have very few kiddos aboard.  We are 11 hours from the nearest port by car, so I envy those of you who have the option to easily hop on one of these short and cheapies.

[Fla Mike]

4 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

As others have mentioned a 4 night weekday cruise typically attracts a different clientele than the weekend. If you also go when local schools are in session, you may have very few kiddos aboard. 

 

What Kmom mentioned above is true.

 

Although still a bit of a party atmosphere the Mon-Fri schedule tones it down quite a bit.

We  have never done a West Coast 3 or 4 day, but we live in Florida within 2 hours of Port Everglades, Port Miami, and Port Canaveral, so we do short cruises often.

 

Also cruise alot on Celebrity, Royal, Princess and HAL.

We may be a little past middle aged. 

 

On these short cruises you would be hard pressed to notice any difference between Carnival, Royal, or NCL, at least in Florida.

If anything, perhaps just slightly more subdued on Royal, but not really.

I actually prefer the food on Carnival over other lines.

We always get at least a balcony cabin and tend to avoid the crowds though.

 

I've walked out on most of the Carnival production shows, but the comedy clubs are the best.

 

Don't go into this cruise looking for comparisons with Carnival Fantasy Class ships, and bigger newer ships from everyone else, it is not fair.

 

As someone else mentioned, these ships are great for what their market is.

Go, have fun, lay back and enjoy. You'll want to go again.

 

And, by the way... When the Imagination was based in Miami a few years ago, it was our favorite Carnival ship!

Edited March 5, 2019 by Fla Mike
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