Destiny August 20, review

[stprdi]

This is a brief review of our first cruise ever. We won the trip so can't complain too much. I'd say overall the boat was good. The staff were certainly friendly, our room was well looked after for sure, always clean. I"d say the highlight was coming back in the evening with great anticipation of what towel animal would be waiting on the bed. Found food at best mediocre. Standard meals from the buffet which really was fine for us as we aren't big on fancy meals. It did get a bit boring. Several evenings there was only one side of the buffet open and at times people had to ask to have salads restocked. We did the seated dinner once and didn't care for the cooking. We were delayed leaving San Juan so we could follow behind Ernesto. We had to ride through some very rough seas. At least to us. Crew members said that was mild. Hate to see how bad it could get. There were definitely some negatives. There were several laundry rooms that just did not work. Then a few washers that quit, dryers that ate your money. So we only washed clothes once while away. Staff said they were waiting for new equipment but what do people do in the meantime? I hate being in dirty clothes and thought I did pack enough. Toilet wouldn't flush and some elevators didn't work but I think that may have been due to the rough seas??? Maybe. The big negatives for us were the ungodly long lines for the pursers desk. Many times there were only 2 people on so you have to wait for 30-45 min. even just to get a travellers cheque cashed. I got smart and started to go to the casino. The pursers desk would only cash up to $100.00 each time too. They really need to look in to this. Almost need a separate line for cash or stamps, small things. The big negative is the numbers of kids on board, 700 on this ship, and a good many of them not tended to by their parents. Many ran through lounges and hallways at all times of the day. Most annoying when we were in the room at night. They were yelling at the top of their lungs, banging on doors and walls. What was most surprising is the staff in the halls didn't say anything to them. We even saw kids playing the quarter push machines at the back of the casino and the staff saw but did nothing. Like I mentioned we won this cruise so can't complain too much. Had I paid for it I'd have been angry to say the least. It is something Carnival needs to address. There were many others mentioning that this was the worst cruise they had been on and mainly because of the "wild" children. I guess their parents were having a peaceful holiday!!! We would definitely consider taking another cruise but have to admit it probably wouldn't be with Carnival. Hope this review gives somebody a good idea.

[onetimeposter]

We were on that cruise too. Did you hear about the kids and the ice carving demo? I heard from a couple of people that the kids kept on trying to get too close to the carving and the parents were not doing anything. They finally had to post security guards around the demo to keep the kids safe. I also felt some of the adults did not behave very well. I got pushed a couple of times. I guess I wasn't moving fast enough. I also heard there was a fist fight one day and there was some kind of altercation in the theater when we were leaving the ship. I didn't really see it, only heard it, so I don't know if it actually got physical.

[stprdi]

I was really disappointed by the whole kid issue. Some parents must feel like it's an opportunity for them to have a holiday while others don't enjoy theirs. Our room was on the upper deck and had to go out and tell them to shut up. They were screaming at each other in front of our cabin also playing tag through the lounges and different floors, and banging on the walls. I also found alot of the adults rude, butting in to lineups, buffet lines are a nightmare with people who can't wait to get something.