Just back from the Inspiration 4/24-4/29!!!

[cherylatwork]

First a little about ourselves. I was traveling with my DH (in our early 40’s) and 4 teenagers ages 15-19. We had 2 inside cabins on the upper deck. This was me and my DH’s second time on the Inspiration and the kids first. We flew into Tampa from Manchester, NH the morning of the cruise and were on board by 11:30 am.

 

I have to say the cruise was absolutely wonderful! The weather was perfect and kids totally enjoyed themselves.

 

We did the Stingray Island, Hell & Turtle Farm tour in Grand Cayman and went to Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Everyone had the time of their lives.

 

To answer some frequently asked questions-YES there were jeans in the dining room and YES we smuggled on a bottle in our checked luggage and a few “shots” in our carry on and the big YESis we docked at Cozumel! NO tendering, Yippee!

 

The only draw backs were very minor and were not the fault of Carnival in anyway. (NO FREE CRUISES FOR US) J

 

~We had brought two decorations for our doors, a cardboard Hula Girl for one room, and a cardboard Hula Guy for the other. Two hours after we put them up, someone stole the Hula Girl off our door. We put a note to please return her but she never came back.

~There was a slight sewage smell in our rooms in Tampa but it went away once we left the port.

~One of our rooms air-conditioning wasn’t working real well but DD likes it warm so I didn’t complain.

~Our dining room steward Monika was a little cranky the first night, but was out sick on the second. When she came back for the last two she was fine.

 

All in all the cruise was FANTASTIC and we would not hesitate to go back on her again! Any questions asked away!

 

Cheryl

[elleusion]

Wow you actually docked? I would love to think when we go on Thursday that we would dock and not tender. We are going to Paradise Beach also. Did the kids have fun? Our little one is 8 a little younger then yours. Any certain shows or anything at all that you would say "GO DO THIS", Dont miss it!? We are pretty much hang out on the deck and have a few beers/drinks kinda people. Maybe some time in the Casino. Some have said the comedian on board is excellent, others have disagreed. Thanks for posting. Always nice to read positive things the week you are going!:D

Thanks Neighbor!

Elle

[cherylatwork]

Hi Elle

Yes we actually docked!!!!

The Kids had a blast at Paradise Beach and your 8 year old should enjoy it also. There were plenty of water toys to enjoy, kayaks, trampolines, and snorkeling. The water is absolutely amazing! Our teenagers went next door to parasail and rent jet-ski's.

 

I was prety much the type to hang out on deck and have a few drinks but all the shows and comedians were in my opinion worth seeing.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Cheryl

[PattiPB]

Cheryl:

 

Thanks for the report! We are on the Inspiration again in August, with a 27-person family reunion group. This will be the first cruise for all of my nieces and nephews, most of which are teens.

 

Did you kids utilize any teen activities, or just hang out on their own? My kids love cruising and adore the kids clubs, but they are 7, 9 & 11! I'd love to know if your kids enjoyed it, or if it was "uncool".

 

Glad you had fun!

[MartyS]

HI I WAS ON THE inspiration APRIL 15-20! I recommend geting your own cab-$12-in Cozumel and going to San Francisco Beach!! It has everything there too and its not crowded! Iheard Paradise beach was quiet crowded! Also you might not dock, they take turns there, because its not rebuilt yet! We tendered!REALLY Hot in Cozumel!!!! Marty

[bfred]

Hi MartyS,

 

We were on the same cruise. We (me + wife + 17 & 18 year old sons) hit Paradise Beach from about Noon to 3 PM, after our boys had done the Beginner's Scuba excursion and Mom and I shopped.

 

Paradise Beach was just fine: plenty of people, but plenty of open umbrellas and lounge chairs too if you didn't mind walking a little toward the south end of the beach. Great service & good menu. We'd happily recommend it to anybody looking for a beach within 10 minutes taxi ride of Puerta Maya.

[doodlefan]

Hi CHeryl

 

It was soooo cool to finally run into you on the last morning. I had been keeping my eyes peeled for you with 4 teenagers in tow, but that last morning it was your NH sweatshirt that did it. It was really neat.

 

Here's my mini review

 

We too give the Inspiration a big thumbs up!!

 

We were 64 yr old mom, my 42 yr old sister, her 24 yr old DD and me, 37 and my 14 yr old DD. So we had a variety of ages and are happy to report that everybody was happy with the activities and so on.

 

The port of Tampa was so quick and easy. The embarkation was smooth and fast and there was some really friendly people working there. Debarkation was good for us too. We had a later flight so we just hung around the Lido until around 9:30 and then walked off. The taxi's were apparently on stike, but there was a ton of buses to take, to the tune of $9/pp but we just walked up to a porter and he got us one of the few vans and for $20 for all 5 of us we were off and in the airport by 10:00. Also the porters were nice and friendly and never asked for a tip at all. We had an older gentleman take all of our luggage on a cart, happy and promised to bring it right in for us, and all this BEFORE we took out or money. He got a nice tip, as did the young man who came right over inside the terminal when we were debarking and loaded all of our luggage on a cart and brought it through the terminal and out right to the curbside, never once mentioning a tip or anything. He was also nice and friendly. Much nicer than the porters in Miami, who scare the daylights out of me with their demands for tips and warnings that "you better take care of me because I'm the one who makes sure your luggage gets where it needs to go":eek:

 

We did the Stingray tour with Soto's and while they were great, if anyone is booking them with an early departure from Grand Cayman please be careful. It was supposed to be 2 - 2.5 hrs and from the time we met them for pick up (9:30 ship time) to drop off was over 3.5 hours. We got back at the peir at exactly 1:00 pm and last tender was supposed to be at 1 pm as well. We were stressed on the ride back and hoping that there would be the usual line up for the last tenders. Thank goodness there was but within 15 minutes we were on a tender and heading back so if we had been any later, we may have been stranded. My advise, pay the extra and book through Carnival if you are pressed for time, otherwise I usually recommend your own excursions.

 

The food in the dining room was great. My mother was particularly impressed. My sister who has stayed at very exclusive resorts and enjoys fine dining was impressed. She thought it was very good. My Mom raved over the salmon and the Spring chicken, it was the best chicken and huge. I loved the lobster and the desserts were always tastey. I have read that Carnival desserts are bland but we were in heaven with a few of them. Grand Marnier souffle was great.

 

The shows were entertaining and worth seeing. They weren't the very best I have seen but for a smaller 5 night cruise they were good. Tony Esposito the comedian was funny, I really liked him.

 

As Cheryl said, NO tendering at Cozumel, this was a super pleasant surprise. There was 3 boats already anchored when we got there but we pulled right up to the dock.:o We went to Paradise Beach at about 9:30 am and got front row loungers, the girls got the arm bands and played on the iceberg and trampoline. My neice and my DD went parasailing. The sign up was just 50 feet away, to the right if you're facing the water just beside the massage tents. It was $55 each but they were nervous so did the tandem sail. The instructors were great, very professional. My sis and I went in the boat and the girls were let out off the back of the boat and we drove around for 12 minutes or so and then they reel them right in to the back of the boat again, they didn't even get wet. This is a very safe operation and the 2 men were super friendly and we chatted alot with them.

 

We headed back to the ship around 1, changed, had a fast lunch and took a cab $8 for the 5 of us downtown to shop. Honestly, this was kind of a waste of time. We just wanted some souveniers, t-shirts, that sort of thing and we thought it would be better prices and selection downtown, but it was SO HOT!! We did find an internet store where we stopped in and e-mailed home. It was $1 for 15 minutes. Very cheap but so so hot inside. We typed quickly then moved on. We quickly gave up and headed back to the peir. The shopping at the peir was all the same stuff in the stores downtown and I got really nice thick embroidered t-shirts right there for $4 and $5 US. Can't beat that. There are some stores right at the peir with fantastic prices and you can get your hair braided or even go scuba diving right from the buildings on the peir. There's also a huge liquor shop with good prices too.

 

It was really nice to have the whole day and only have to be back on board at 5:30 with no tendering.

 

Paradise beach was fantastic. I have never seen water as turquoise. Out in the parasailing boat was amazing. We could see down about 40 feet it was so clear. It really was paradise. We had the famous nachos and guacamole, yumm, in the restaurant.

 

I would highly recommend Paradise beach, I have read reports about rocks but it was all sand where we were, which was directly in front of the iceberg. There was the odd peice of coral or shell here and there but we certainly didn't need water socks.

 

We had 2 inside rooms midship on the Main deck and they were VERY quiet and central to everything. Our A/C could freeze you right out if you wanted, lots of towels, a great room steward named Jeofre, a towel animal every night.

 

The only problem, and a minor one was that the first day our shower was slow to drain and ended up going onto the bathroom floor. We notified Jeofre and he said they would send a plumber, well, next morning no more problem. Very quick and minor. The only other thing was that several of us in our group commented that some of the female staff were not nearly as friendly as the males. Now, this is not because of anything to do with us. As I said were were all varied in ages and many times went up to the bar separate but coincidentally we all noticed the the female bartenders were either too rushed or not too friendly, whereas our 2 male waiters and even the poor overworked man in the deli was super friendly and chatted with us.

 

Overall, it was a great cruise. The Inspiration is an older ship, but people were constantly cleaning, repairing and so on. Chris the CD was a very talented man. He does this tribute to the blues and sings and dances as one of the shows one night and he was really really good.

 

So, that's my review. Any questions feel free to ask.

 

Doodlefan (Tara):D

[afairbro]

TY for the great reviews. I cruise on Inspiration on May 8th. I booked my Stingray tour with Captain Bryan's catamarran, I hope we don't have problems getting back to tneder in time. How scary! I thought Soto's had good reviews, it's Moby Dick that has a bad reputation.

[Peaceful]

Thanks for taking the time to post your reviews and opinions. I am booked on the Inspiration leaving on May 13 and have been reading any detail. You have added to my anticipation!

 

Bonnie

[Meliss503]

Thanks for the reviews! I sail next Monday! I hope that we get to dock in Cozumel as well. How much did the taxis cost from the pier to Paradise Beach?

[doodlefan]

Hey Afairbro

 

I just wanted to clarify that Soto's was fantastic, just that I think they say that the tour is 2.5 hrs but it's a bit longer. They were aware of our cruise ship leaving and made sure we left the sand bar but by time we got back, the traffic was really bad and it took about 10 minutes longer to get back to the ship. That being said, it was still too close for me:eek:

 

 

 

Melissa503

 

I am thinking the taxi was $20 from the peir to Paradise beach for the 5 of us. If it was any different hopefully Cheryl will chime in here and put what she paid. My sister paid for that cab so I don't remember. I do know it was $10 for the 5 of us to downtown which wasn't much closer than Paradise beach was. I have read that Paradise beach was 20 minutes from the pier but I think it was 10 or maybe 15 at the most. Very quick. Hope this helps. The one thing is ask your tablemates or around at the pool and LOTS of people are heading to Paradise beach. If you are a couple maybe you can split with another couple. It's $20 per cab NOT per person or at least this is what they told us. With us splitting it 5 ways, it made for cheap transportation. I know when just DH and I cruise it costs so much more because we pay it all:o

 

Tara

[PattiPB]

I'm just loving all these Inspiration reviews!!!! Thanks for taking the time.

 

Tara: We book NativeWays last year, and barely made it back to the dock after the stingrays. I mean, they drove on the median the entire way back! This year, we are a large group, so we booked a private tour with Soto's, and they have agreed to move the time up to 8:30, since I was so nervous last year. Glad you had fun with them.

 

Appreciate all the details! Anybody have any experience with the teen activities??? I'm not used to travelling with teens (my kids are younger), so I'm hoping to hear about the teen activities, since we'll have a handful of them with us in August.

 

Thanks again for the reviews, everybody!

[cherylatwork]

Hi Tara!

Even though it was only for a second, I was glad to meet you so I could put a face to a name! After we saw you on the last day, I realized that you were about two rows in front of us at Paradise Beach and my kids and DH went parasailing right after your party.

 

Melissa,

It cost us $5.00 per person to Paradise Beach (6 of us). Our driver "Jose" asked us what time we wanted to be picked up and he came back for us. We only had to pay gratuities for the return trip. This was through "YAXKIN" taxi service. They were right out in front holding signs that said $5.00 pp to Paradise Beach. "Jose" was the man!

 

Cheryl

[bfred]

How much did the taxis cost from the pier to Paradise Beach?

 

It was $12 for the four of us from Puerta Maya to Paradise Beach. We had been warned to agree on a price ahead of time, and to not let them charge us $12 per person(!), but the rates were clearly marked at the Puerta Maya taxi stand, and there was no issue to or from Paradise Beach.

 

BTW, for those discussing Soto's -- we found that Kerry at Soto's was VERY accommodating. As long as she knows that you're on Inspiration's early and tight schedule, she will make sure that the boat is out by 9 and back by 11 (local) and that you are back to the tender well before the 12 noon local (1:00 PM ship time) final departure. Just make sure you let her know in advance that you are coming in on Inspiration. (And make sure you get yourselves on shore by 8:00 local time!) Google around for the Cayman Activity Guide for lots & lots of Grand Cayman & Soto's info.

 

Anybody have any experience with the teen activities???

 

Our sons are 17 & 18. They loved the shore excursions, but were a little bored on the boat. It seemed that the activities were geared for just under or just over their age group. Lots of stuff for 13 - 17. Adult stuff for 21+. Not so much for in-between.

 

VALUABLE FREE HINT: If you think your kids might take advantage of the ping pong tables, bring your own ping pong balls. The Purser only distributes a few per day, and usually somebody's little monsters smash them or whack them over the side long before the day is over. The Purser will NOT give out any more than the original allotment.

[cherylatwork]

My dd (19) posted pictures of this cruise click here if you want to see them

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/grlnluv

 

Keep in my they are from a teenagers perspective.

 

Cheryl

[1BDNANA]

Boy oh boy I hope the we have a dock at Cozumel.I am hoping that Chankanaaba Park will be open. If not I may try Paradise Beach.I snorkel & DH dives. Can you do both there?

[mattmdv]

We had a wonderful time on the Inspiration last May, Sounds like you all did too!!! Just talked with TA today for the same cruise next May, of '07, should get some cost figures tomorrow.

Enjoyed the pictures, brought back some very pleasant memories.

 

Matt

[MartyS]

This is for 1BDNANA, the National park at Cozumel is not open yet! We had planned on going there, but it was nearly destroyed from the hurricane! You go past it in the taxi on the way to San Fransisco beach! You can see them working on it!The locals told us to go to San Fransisco beach when we were so disappointed! But I still love 7mile beach in Grand Caymen! Its my favorite! Marty

[Caine]

I really appreciate the Inspiration review and pictures, as I'll be on the ship on the 13th.

 

I'm trying to clear up confusion about towels, and I'm not sure if the Carnival policy varies by boat or not. I know that if you lose a Carnival beach towel, they will charge you $22.00. I know that they'll put clean towels in your room each day, if the old ones are dirty. What I'm unclear on is whether there are towels also available on the Lido deck. I've heard stories of towel thievery - friends said last cruise they got back from the slide and someone had stolen their Carnival towels.

 

So, towels on the Lido or not? Should we just bring some cheap ones from home?

[jim+4]

First of all, Thank you Cheryl and Doodlefan for your reviews

It is nice to have up to date info about the ship

We are going on 5/27, so will be going to Calica instead of Cozumel

I booked with Moby Dick for the Stingray tour, but now I am concerned. Anyone else hear bad things about them? I have only seen good reports

thanks again and for all you future cruisers I will post a review when we get back

[doodlefan]

Caine

 

Yes there are blue beach towels available on the Lido deck. I know my DD and niece just used them when they went up there.

 

We also had one blue beach towel for each of us in our rooms. We did take these ashore but were careful not to leave them.

 

I would definitely use the ones available on the Lido for laying out and swimming in the pool since I did see one group remove towels from saved chairs and then sit there themselves. We also did notice that the towel station was closed on port days.

 

Doodlefan

[CruisinCrow]

Hey Cheryl and Doodle, did either of you try the sushi bar near the casino? Was it open? What times? Was there a charge?

 

Cheryl, how did you hang the hula people on your door? Would it be possible to hang a message board on the door to leave messages for our friends (like "we went to breakfast" or whatever)? Hopefully, they would not get stolen like the hula girl.

[bfred]

CruisinCrow, my son and I tried the sushi bar once. I don't have Capers handy, but I think it was open for a few hours most evenings, like 4 - 7 or something like that?

 

No charge. It was okay, but not great. Somewhere between supermarket sushi and a decent on-shore bar. The wasabi was mushy.

 

We tried the combo and just took what he served. If it's not too crowded, maybe you can view the offerings before you choose.

[CruisinCrow]

Thanks for the information, Bfred. I'll definitely check out the sushi bar.

[cherylatwork]

Crusincrow

I believe the doors are magnetic but we brought the handy-dandy duct tape with us and put 6 or 7 rolled up pieces on the back of the hula girl. She was on there really snug so someone had to use some muscle to get her off. Hopefully your message board won't be such a HOT item.

 

Cheryl