Another Destiny Review

[RLAPA]

Like to hear comments:

 

We sailed on the Destiny on August 19th. My husband and I are in our late 40's and we have a 15 year old daughter.

 

We arrived in San Juan on Saturday and stayed at the Old San Juan Sheraton. This is directly across the street from the pier and was an easy walk even with 5 pieces of luggage (not counting the carry-ons). The hotel was very clean and perfect for what we wanted.

The morning of the cruise we had the Sheraton keep our luggage (no charge) and went to La Bombara (sp). Anyone at the Sheraton can give you directions. It is about 5 blocks away. I read about it on Cruise Critic and was glad I did. It was a wonderful breakfast and very reasonable. Most of the locals rave about this place and dine here daily.

Off to the ship. The Sheraton staff advised us that Carnival says you cannot board the ship till 2:30 but said we could check in at 12:30. We headed over around 12:30 and walked right on! Six people ahead of us. The duty free shop is right there and you can take liquor aboard in your carry on. Note: They close at 7:30 so if you want to go back to get any liquor you may have forgotten make sure it is before then.

This was our first Carnival Cruise. We have previous done all of our cruising on RCCL but decided it was time for a change.

Contrary to what we have read the Destiny is fine. We did not find her dirty or lacking repairs. The decor is somewhat dated but I did not go on a cruise to study interior design. We had a balcony cabin. The size compared to RCCL was slightly smaller however the bathroom was larger and there were more closets. We don't spend much time in the cabin so it was fine. Our room steward was Wilson. Everything we needed was always there and we did not have to ask for anything.

The food on Carnival was better than RCCL. I have read many reviews about the lobster. Ours was delicious! The buffet was ok. It was just that, a buffet. The New York Deli was very good. I could have eaten lunch there everyday. The pizza was good and so were the burgers. And of course the warm chocolate melting cake was to die for!

We had asked for late seating and were given 8:00 dining which was perfect. We also had a table to ourselves which again was perfect. Our waiter Renaldo and assistant waiter Andriy were fabulous. Never a problem if you orders something you did not like, a replacement was immediate.

Because of the hurricane we booked all of our excursions through Carnival.

St Thomas - We did Captain Nautica's Ultimate Snorkel Expedition. It was wonderful. The ride in the boat was right up there with "THRILLER". The first stop was for the turtles. The captain, Kevin, pointed EXACTLY where the turtles would be and they were. We then went to a coral reef for the second leg. In between they had fresh fruit and shrimp. If you are looking for rum punch, this is not your excursion. They did offer soft drinks as much as you wanted. This was a great excursion and I would recommend it.

Dominica was cancelled due to the damage from Dean so we had a day at sea. They replaced this port with Tortola on Saturday.

Barbados - I don't know what the big deal is for this port but I was not impressed. We did the Tiami Sail, Turtles and Beach. This was on a catamaran that sailed to the beach of Sandy Lane. This is the hotel that Tiger Woods got married at. First we stopped out in the ocean for snorkeling. There were five other boats here. They provided a mask and snorkel--no flippers. It was so crowded you were constantly being kicked and the water was so murky you could not see two feet in front of you from the swimmers. I do not recommend this excursion.

St Lucia - We originally had the Pirates Caribbean Extravaganza booked however it was cancelled because the ship was damaged from the hurricane. Thank god it was. We decided on the St. Lucia Canopy Adventure. THIS WAS AWESOME. It is zip lining. There was a small group and we were taken to the rain forest in an air conditioned bus. There were 13 platforms that you zip lined to and from. Being the first time we had ever zip lined we found it was easy and painless. I am afraid of heights and this did not bother me at all. It is a definite must especially if you have teenagers!

Antigua - We originally booked another catamaran here, however because of the disappointment in Barbados we asked to cancel and rebook another excursion. This was no problem with Carnival and a full refund was given. We rebooked the Kayak and Snorkel Eco Adventure. This was also a wonderful excursion. We spent approximately two hours kayaking in very calm, clear water in a mangrove lagoon. Later there is a boat ride to a snorkeling sight. Very clear water and many fish to see. However there were very large jellyfish here which put a damper on things. Upon return you were given ice cold aromatherapy cloths to wipe the salt from your face and they were wonderful. I would do this tour again.

Tortola - Even though this is not a regular port, they do stop here on occasion when there are problems with other ports. We chose the Virgin Gorda "The Baths". This was also a wonderful tour. The water is crystal clear. If you do this tour, make sure to bring some sort of swim shoes as there is alot of sharp coral and an occasional sea urchin. With shoes it is no problem. There is also a section of caves and grottos to explore with a guide or on your own at no charge. Again, I would also repeat this excursion. My teenage daughter loved it!

Carnival gives you a complimentary excursion book in your cabin listing all tours available at every port they visit. We read and re-read this book constantly. Lawrence at the excursion desk is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Although Carnival's excursions may be a bit pricier than what the locals offer, the piece of mind knowing the ship will wait for you if your tour is running late and full refunds if the ports are cancelled are well worth it. I felt very safe for my family on each tour.

Debarkation - Carnival offers Self Assist debarkation. We had a flight leaving at 12:30 and this is considered an early flight. Self Assist means you do not place your luggage out at midnight the night before. You are responsible for carrying it off the ship yourself. At 7:15 a.m. an announcement was made for Self Assist to go the deck 3. There were approximately 75 people and the line moved very swiftly. We were off the ship in less than 10 minutes. There were no lines and we went right through immigration and never even went through customs. We caught a taxi and for three of us with five pieces of luggage (not counting carryons) the taxi fare was $22.50 total. They charge $18.00 which is a flat fee and $.70 per bag. We actually were at the airport by 8:00. There were no lines at the airport and we zipped through security. Yes we had a bit of a wait at the airport, but we were able to sit and have breakfast and there was no waiting in line anywhere. By 11:30 the airport was jammed and the lines were endless. In summary, we would definitely cruise with Carnival again. The Destiny is aging, however the crew is constantly cleaning and sprucing up. Everyone that we ran into that was employed by Carnival was very friendly and went out of their way to help. Nice touches include complimentary bathrobes and numerous toiletries. Anyone considering the soda card, there is fruit punch, lemonade and ice tea available at all times including the dining room so the card was not necessary. One last note, previous reviews have indicated there are many Puerto Ricans on this ship, we did not find this a problem at all. All the passengers were very friendly and we did not have a problem communicating at all.

[richygirl]

Which two nights were formal? Thanks

[RLAPA]

Tuesday and Friday

[poptart]

wonderful review. I enjoyed the read. Welcome to Carnival!!

[pholter]

Thanks for sharing RLAPA! It was great to read. I've posted a link in the Main Destiny Cruisers thread to your review as well for everyone.

[giggster11]

Thanks for the review! I enjoyed reading it and thinking about what our Destiny cruise will be like next month. Sounds like you had a great time!

[SouthernCaribbean]

Appreciate the review!

[CruiseCentric]

Thanks for the review! Sorry to hear you missed Dominica.

[668kris]

I will be on her in 3 days!!! Can't wait. Thanks for your fantastic review. I know I will have a great time!! I will definitely post reviews and pictures when I come back!

[Brenkel]

We are doing the zipline in St Lucia and the Eco Kayaking in Antigua, so I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed them!

[MzOhioLady]

Thanks for taking the time to write the review! Ten Days and Counting!

[gail8]

Thanks for a great review. I'm glad to hear it was such a great trip. We went in January and are going again this January. I look forward to trying the new ports.

 

Gail

[DOTTE]

Thanks for the review.

 

Can't wait for our turn to sail.

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

Dominica isn't all that great..

[OhioJeff]

Dominica isn't all that great..

 

Its one of my favorite places, but then I like nature and non commercialized ports. I love the Nature Isle!

 

Thats what makes traveling great, what one person doesnt like the next person will love.

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

It's an ok island and the tour was good but they took us to very nice attractions like the waterfalls and a 'state' park type thing where there were people everywhere. Their beer is good..:)

[DareTooDream]

It's an ok island and the tour was good but they took us to very nice attractions like the waterfalls and a 'state' park type thing where there were people everywhere. Their beer is good..:)

 

We loved it! We took a private tour with Woody and we hardly saw another sole all day! He goes "off the beaten trail"! We found out about him on the Dominica Port of Call thread.

Sherry

[Payd]

Like to hear comments:

 

We sailed on the Destiny on August 19th. My husband and I are in our late 40's and we have a 15 year old daughter.

 

We arrived in San Juan on Saturday and stayed at the Old San Juan Sheraton. This is directly across the street from the pier and was an easy walk even with 5 pieces of luggage (not counting the carry-ons). The hotel was very clean and perfect for what we wanted.

The morning of the cruise we had the Sheraton keep our luggage (no charge) and went to La Bombara (sp). Anyone at the Sheraton can give you directions. It is about 5 blocks away. I read about it on Cruise Critic and was glad I did. It was a wonderful breakfast and very reasonable. Most of the locals rave about this place and dine here daily.

Off to the ship. The Sheraton staff advised us that Carnival says you cannot board the ship till 2:30 but said we could check in at 12:30. We headed over around 12:30 and walked right on! Six people ahead of us. The duty free shop is right there and you can take liquor aboard in your carry on. Note: They close at 7:30 so if you want to go back to get any liquor you may have forgotten make sure it is before then.

This was our first Carnival Cruise. We have previous done all of our cruising on RCCL but decided it was time for a change.

Contrary to what we have read the Destiny is fine. We did not find her dirty or lacking repairs. The decor is somewhat dated but I did not go on a cruise to study interior design. We had a balcony cabin. The size compared to RCCL was slightly smaller however the bathroom was larger and there were more closets. We don't spend much time in the cabin so it was fine. Our room steward was Wilson. Everything we needed was always there and we did not have to ask for anything.

The food on Carnival was better than RCCL. I have read many reviews about the lobster. Ours was delicious! The buffet was ok. It was just that, a buffet. The New York Deli was very good. I could have eaten lunch there everyday. The pizza was good and so were the burgers. And of course the warm chocolate melting cake was to die for!

We had asked for late seating and were given 8:00 dining which was perfect. We also had a table to ourselves which again was perfect. Our waiter Renaldo and assistant waiter Andriy were fabulous. Never a problem if you orders something you did not like, a replacement was immediate.

Because of the hurricane we booked all of our excursions through Carnival.

St Thomas - We did Captain Nautica's Ultimate Snorkel Expedition. It was wonderful. The ride in the boat was right up there with "THRILLER". The first stop was for the turtles. The captain, Kevin, pointed EXACTLY where the turtles would be and they were. We then went to a coral reef for the second leg. In between they had fresh fruit and shrimp. If you are looking for rum punch, this is not your excursion. They did offer soft drinks as much as you wanted. This was a great excursion and I would recommend it.

Dominica was cancelled due to the damage from Dean so we had a day at sea. They replaced this port with Tortola on Saturday.

Barbados - I don't know what the big deal is for this port but I was not impressed. We did the Tiami Sail, Turtles and Beach. This was on a catamaran that sailed to the beach of Sandy Lane. This is the hotel that Tiger Woods got married at. First we stopped out in the ocean for snorkeling. There were five other boats here. They provided a mask and snorkel--no flippers. It was so crowded you were constantly being kicked and the water was so murky you could not see two feet in front of you from the swimmers. I do not recommend this excursion.

St Lucia - We originally had the Pirates Caribbean Extravaganza booked however it was cancelled because the ship was damaged from the hurricane. Thank god it was. We decided on the St. Lucia Canopy Adventure. THIS WAS AWESOME. It is zip lining. There was a small group and we were taken to the rain forest in an air conditioned bus. There were 13 platforms that you zip lined to and from. Being the first time we had ever zip lined we found it was easy and painless. I am afraid of heights and this did not bother me at all. It is a definite must especially if you have teenagers!

Antigua - We originally booked another catamaran here, however because of the disappointment in Barbados we asked to cancel and rebook another excursion. This was no problem with Carnival and a full refund was given. We rebooked the Kayak and Snorkel Eco Adventure. This was also a wonderful excursion. We spent approximately two hours kayaking in very calm, clear water in a mangrove lagoon. Later there is a boat ride to a snorkeling sight. Very clear water and many fish to see. However there were very large jellyfish here which put a damper on things. Upon return you were given ice cold aromatherapy cloths to wipe the salt from your face and they were wonderful. I would do this tour again.

Tortola - Even though this is not a regular port, they do stop here on occasion when there are problems with other ports. We chose the Virgin Gorda "The Baths". This was also a wonderful tour. The water is crystal clear. If you do this tour, make sure to bring some sort of swim shoes as there is alot of sharp coral and an occasional sea urchin. With shoes it is no problem. There is also a section of caves and grottos to explore with a guide or on your own at no charge. Again, I would also repeat this excursion. My teenage daughter loved it!

Carnival gives you a complimentary excursion book in your cabin listing all tours available at every port they visit. We read and re-read this book constantly. Lawrence at the excursion desk is extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Although Carnival's excursions may be a bit pricier than what the locals offer, the piece of mind knowing the ship will wait for you if your tour is running late and full refunds if the ports are cancelled are well worth it. I felt very safe for my family on each tour.

Debarkation - Carnival offers Self Assist debarkation. We had a flight leaving at 12:30 and this is considered an early flight. Self Assist means you do not place your luggage out at midnight the night before. You are responsible for carrying it off the ship yourself. At 7:15 a.m. an announcement was made for Self Assist to go the deck 3. There were approximately 75 people and the line moved very swiftly. We were off the ship in less than 10 minutes. There were no lines and we went right through immigration and never even went through customs. We caught a taxi and for three of us with five pieces of luggage (not counting carryons) the taxi fare was $22.50 total. They charge $18.00 which is a flat fee and $.70 per bag. We actually were at the airport by 8:00. There were no lines at the airport and we zipped through security. Yes we had a bit of a wait at the airport, but we were able to sit and have breakfast and there was no waiting in line anywhere. By 11:30 the airport was jammed and the lines were endless. In summary, we would definitely cruise with Carnival again. The Destiny is aging, however the crew is constantly cleaning and sprucing up. Everyone that we ran into that was employed by Carnival was very friendly and went out of their way to help. Nice touches include complimentary bathrobes and numerous toiletries. Anyone considering the soda card, there is fruit punch, lemonade and ice tea available at all times including the dining room so the card was not necessary. One last note, previous reviews have indicated there are many Puerto Ricans on this ship, we did not find this a problem at all. All the passengers were very friendly and we did not have a problem communicating at all.

 

Glad you enjoyed the Destiny. Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

 

Payd:)

[ManyMore]

There are lots of Puerto Ricans on a cruise from Puerto Rico???? the HELL YOU SAY!! Well of course there are!! What difference does it make anyway? Are they not just like you and I? Seems kind of racist to anyone who would have made that kind of comment. (I know it was NOT the OP that did)

[RLAPA]

Let me clarify myself. I have no problems with any ethnic group. I was simply stating that in prior reviews some people seemed to indicate they thought it was a problem. I DID NOT. Everyone on the cruise was wonderful.

[Taleci]

Thanks for the review. We sail in two weeks and can't wait!!!!!