Destiny Review - Feb. 17-24, 2008 (LONG)

[TennisLover]

My family (DH, me, DD 15 and DS 12) traveled with three other families, all have cruised before. This was the 7th cruise for DH and me (all on Carnival except one on RCI).

Pre-Cruise

We flew direct from JFK to SJU on Feb. 15. Since I booked the flights back in April 2007, I got a great fare ($350 pp). We stayed at the Radisson in Condado. It was high season, so there were no great deals, especially because I needed to make sure we had room for the four of us to sleep in one room. It was $259 per night, but we had a king suite – kind bed in one room, pull out sofa in an attached room; two tv’s; 1 bathroom; and, most important, room for me to spread out all our luggage. We somehow had breakfast included for all of us for the two mornings (they only gave us the free breakfast for 2 on the post cruise stay). Taxi from airport to hotel was $15 plus $1 per piece of luggage. Hotel had a casino (I didn’t go in) and a rooftop pool, which was a lot nicer than I expected. Too bad they didn’t have bar service up there. We spent the full day in San Juan exploring El Morro (a lot of fun) and shopping at the outlets in Old San Juan. For dinner, we met up with our entire group and ate at The Greenhouse back in Condado. It was ok.

Embarkation

We left the Radisson at about 12:30 and got to the port around 12:45 (again, cost was about $15 plus $1 per piece of luggage). There were practically no lines. As I learned on the Destiny thread, ignore the first small liquor shop you see at the port. Instead, check in and get on line to go through security (enjoying the free samples along the way). The large liquor store is right before you go through security. We were on board quickly (would have taken less time except for my shopping in the liquor store!); got my first DOTD; and cabins were ready at 2:30 pm.

Muster Drill

Painless, compared to what I expected from reading these boards. If you’ve cruised before, you know not to race down at the first announcement – then you get stuck in back and it is stifling (heat and humidity). We were in front, so we could breathe. The only bad part were all the people who groaned (very loudly) when the drill was repeated in Spanish. Very rude. We were in Puerto Rico. What did they expect.

Dining Room

We had the 8 pm seating in the Universe dining room. Our table was in the very, very back of the ship. There was some vibration, but it didn’t bother me. Our group was supposed to have a table of 8 (for the adults) and a table of 7 (for the kids). Our TA dropped the ball on this one – one of the families got a 5:45 dinner assignment. First night was open seating, and the family worked it out with the maitre d (Frank? – he was pretty good) by the next night. So we had a table of 10 next to a table of 5. Even though we had different waiters, they were very nice about all the mixing and matching we did.

As far as the food, it was what you would expect. My favorites were the lobster tails (served with shrimp), seafood newburg, and the soups (asparagus soup and cucumber soup were great). The vegetable lasagna was also very good. And I love the warm chocolate melting cake – I think it was the only dessert worth having (although I did skip it a few nights!) The meat-eaters at my table seemed to like their selections, but I can’t comment on them.

Ports

Monday: St. Thomas. We were set on going to the Paradise Point Tram and then Sapphire Beach. The tram is a short walk from the port, so we set out for that around 9 am. A number of cab drivers/local tour operators tried to stop us to talk us into a tour of the island – for only a little more than the cost of the tram and they would take us to a higher point. My group (us and another family) were set on NOT doing a drive around the island so we had to keep saying “no thank-you.” We loved the Tram – amazing views of the port and the surrounding area. Then we took a cab (yup - $10 per person) to Sapphire Beach. We snorkeled off the beach; they had rentals there, the snorkeling was not great. Also rented lounge chairs. One in our group went parasailing. DD was going to jetski, but they were on lunch the first time she went to do it; then there was a wait later in the day and we had to go. The other family we were with there went to eat at the restaurant for lunch. I don’t know about the food, but they had to wait about an hour once they ordered! Ended up getting part of their meal credited. It was beautiful there, but I would probably try another beach if I went back (just for variety).

Tuesday: Dominica. Amazing day. We booked ahead of time with Bumpiing Tours (Levi Baron). We did the Roseau Valley Best, which included Middleham Falls (very rigorous hike), Titou Gorge, Trafalgar Falls, Sulpher Springs and snorkeling (we skipped the snorkeling – exhausted – but Levi took others in our van). I can’t say enough about Levi. This and the next day (Barbados) were the highlights of the cruise. I wrote more about this on a thread on the Dominica board - here’s the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=641200&page=2

Wednesday: Barbados. Another amazing day. Repeat after me: Life is Good. Life is Good. We had pre-arranged a tour with Sarah of Glory Tours. You have to walk through the building where you dock, past all of the taxi drivers and outside of the gate to find Sarah and her tour guides. We met up with them as planned. There were the 15 from my group that I had traveled with, plus my new Cruise Critic friends, Grizaballa and her DH. We went to Harrison Cave, the wildlife preserve, snorkeling and then swimming with the sea turtles (both of these were from a glass bottomed boat). Can’t say enough about this tour and this great day (which also included lunch). I would recommend this in a minute. I wrote more about it on the Barbados board – here’s the link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=655283&page=2

Thursday: St. Kitts. We had enough driving around and, as planned, hit the beach. We got to South Frigate Bay pretty early (only Grizaballa and her DH beat us there). We were completely overwhelmed by local vendors on the beach – the ratio was terrible. About 4 of them to every tourist. We couldn’t wait for more people to get to the beach! It was a little rocky, but an ok beach. I had lunch with the kids at Mr. X’s Shiggady Shack (had read about it on CC). This beach was close to the port, but if I were to go to this island again, I would go to a different beach. I wasn’t impressed. FYI – Grizaballa got a foot massage on the beach for $25… if you wait till Catalina Island (Dominican Republic), it’s only $10. The vendors were a little annoying… but we just kept saying “no thank you” (except for Grizaballa – that’s because she’s a really nice Midwesterner!). We had a good time at this beach anyway.

Friday: Mostly a sea day. Arrived in Dominican Republic at 3 pm. We had decided ahead of time that this would be our sea day and we wouldn’t get off the ship. I went to the gym, had breakfast and got a lounge chair in a great location between the slide and the pool, facing the band. Brought down my extra rum (in a plastic water bottle), met a fun couple from Springfield, MA, and drank pina coladas with them all day. I think Grizaballa stopped to say hi and chatted with me while she ate her lunch, but I can’t be too sure! Ended the afternoon with two trips down the water slide (thanks, Jen!)—the first time I ever did that in my 6 Carnival cruises! It was great and I highly recommend it. Had a mother-daughter massage with my DD at 5 pm, then dinner. That night was Destiny Idol and, since I had spent some time at karaoke (more on the entertainment later), I went to the show and had fun. (Some of our friends went on the Alta Chavon river cruise at sunset – ship excursion -- and enjoyed it, but we were happy to stay on board.) This day was especially gratifying as it snowed six inches at home that day (the only accumulation of the winter – it was gone by the time we got home – loved missing that!)

 

Saturday: Dominican Republic again. I had a hard time deciding before our cruise what we would do this day. I heard bad things about this island and figured we’d be pretty exhausted after all the fun we had all week. I read about the Catalina Island excursion through Carnival on these boards, so we decided to do it. We booked this before the cruise. It was SO easy. Get off the ship, walk to the left, get on the tender. They take you to a beautiful secluded island. First thing they give you is rum punch (non-alcoholic also available). There are floating mats and snorkel equipment to rent. We only got the mats. Lots of lounge chairs (I would say “free” but you pay for the excursion – so you just don’t have to pay extra for the lounge chairs). Lots of trees so you can be in the shade or the sun. We didn’t quite figure out where the food was. There was a gift shop, but I didn’t go there either. It was my last day in the sun, so I wanted to maximize. As I mentioned before, I got a foot massage for $10. These vendors were not nearly like the ones on St. Kitts (and there weren’t as many of them). If you want a great photo opp here, take your camera when you go up the stairs to the little house where the bathrooms are. Amazing view! It was a wonderful, wonderful day (but I don’t think the Destiny is going there anymore – but if it does, this is a great excursion).

Sunday: Getting off the ship. Very easy (and I had expected the worst after reading these boards!). We were not in a rush as we were staying in San Juan till Monday. We got Zone 14. Had plenty of time for breakfast. Our number was called around 9:30 am. Customs was quick. Collecting our luggage was quick. Getting a cab was quick. We were back at the Radisson at about 10:40 am. Our room wasn’t ready, so back up to the pool for me (more sun!). Finished my book. Got our room. Kids and DH relaxed and watched movies. I took a walk (and scoped out a place for dinner). Ended up at Danny’s International – great pizza. Huge portions. (We got doggie bags and gave to some homeless people.)

Travel home on Monday was easy. Unpacking and doing the laundry was not.

The Ship Experience

Yes, the Destiny is clearly an older ship. But there was not one thing about it that impacted my cruise. One evening (Wed. I think), they left us a notice on our bed that they’d be cleaning the balconies on Thursday (while we were in port). If your goal for your cruise is to love the ship, don’t pick this one. If your goal is to visit the Southern Caribbean, I would recommend this in a heartbeat. Great value.

The CD was Darcy Kneivel. I was not impressed, but this didn’t impact my cruise either. To tell you the truth, the only CD I ever paid attention to on my cruises was John Heald. I can’t even tell you who my other CDs were. Darcy’s not John, but no one else is either.

As I mentioned, I went to Destiny Idol and liked that because I “knew” some of the singers. The only other show I went to was Formidable. I was asleep in 15 minutes. I love musicals, dancing, choreography and costumes, but I just cannot get into the shows on the ship. Some in my group went all the time and enjoyed them. Just not my thing.

The band out by the pool was excellent! The lido deck party on Wednesday night (the night of the lunar eclipse) was a blast. Great music and lots of fun. Plus we watched the eclipse. The piano bar was a complete disappointment. Peter was the piano bar player. My DH and I are usually in the piano bar every night. Not this cruise. I wrote a lot more about this on the piano bar thread – here’s the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=362780&page=94

The Point After Disco was usually empty. They had some good theme nights with “flashbacks” – 70’s music, 50’s sock hoop. But not that many people were dancing.

Sushi bar outside the casino was good. Not the same as sushi at home, but nice to have.

Kids programs. There were only 150 kids on the ship! The teen director gave that info to my daughter (as opposed to 800 over Xmas week). Anyway, the O2 program was good. My DD hung out there with some other teens and had a good time. The director was Eszter (sp?) and DD loved her. My DS (12) was disappointed that there weren’t a lot of great activities on the one day we were on the ship the whole day. Other activities that he liked were scheduled for the afternoons when we were in ports. For example, the ping pong tournament that was at 3 pm on Saturday (we were at Catalina Island). But, he did meet the director of that program and she invited him and his friend (who we traveled with) to go play Guitar Hero for a couple of hours one day. He liked that.

Food: I mentioned the dining room food for dinner. For breakfast, I got room service a couple of days when we had to be off early for excursions. That’s actually the only way you can get salmon (lox) for your bagel. On the other days, I went to the buffet. I’m not big on breakfast buffets (all that breakfast meat), but I do like the custom-made omelets. They were ok. For lunch, we were mostly off the ship, but ate when we got back around 3:30-4:30. Again, I’m not big on the buffets. I pretty much stuck to pizza and Caesar salad. (If you want a calzone, “7 minutes.”). To be honest, I didn’t even look at the buffets. Not my thing. The French fries were good though….

Cabin: We were in 6254 (balcony) and the kids were in 6256 (inside). Our cabin was pretty standard for a balcony cabin. The bathroom seemed bigger though. More storage and definitely a bigger shower stall. A little rust in the shower (no biggie). Very strong water pressure. I noticed that it didn’t have that safety thing on the temp controls. But, I can handle setting my own shower! The kids’ cabin worked great for them. The beds were perpendicular – against the walls – with a tv up in the corner of the room. I don’t remember what their cabin was like on their last Carnival cruise (2 years ago), but this definitely worked better (left more room for them) than the promenade cabin they had on RCI Navigator last year. Our cabin steward was Rach, and he was great. Quiet but provided whatever service we need (keep liquid antibiotics cold by keeping ice filled, exchanging pool towels in the morning when kids forget to leave the wet ones out, etc.). I mentioned him on my comment card. Our cabins were mid-ship, right near the elevators. Perfect location. DH even commented on that. Quiet. Near laundry (first time I actually used laundry on a cruise – brought quarters – got detergent there – dryers were sloooooowwww).

Casino: DH waited till the end, then won $100 on a slot machine. One of our friends won a $500 tournament (blackjack?). I don’t get into this, but some of my friends had some fun there. One couple we were with took one of the casino classes (craps?) and enjoyed it.

Art Auction: Not my thing, but a lot of people in my group went. Won art. Bought art. DH bought a Harmon Killebrew autographed baseball (not exactly art, but they have sports memorabilia there). He and our other friend know prices for these things and they thought it was fair.

Formal nights: Tuesday, Dominica (Captain’s Party) and Thursday (St. Kitts). I didn’t really notice people’s attire (except for my family – and they looked great!)

Past guest party: Wednesday (we didn’t make it).

Fitness center: I made it there three times (woo hoo! for me) It was not nearly as crowded as on my other cruises. I was there between 7-8 am, and there was always a treadmill or elliptical machine available. Same great view out the front of the ship. The machines were old though – no tv’s on them! Also, no tv’s in the fitness center. I’m not one to ever watch tv, let alone on vacation, but it makes the cardio work go faster!

Spa/salon: As I mentioned, we did a mother-daughter massage on the day we got to Dominican Republic. I think we got a port day special – the price was more than at home, but not completely ridiculous. They did not try to sell us one thing. That was a first. Earlier in the cruise I had a nail “emergency.” That was a complete rip-off, and it wasn’t even fixed well. But I had to use their services. My friend got a manicure one day and was happy with how they did it.

Passengers: I did notice that the crowd was a little older and there were less families (thus, less kids). Maybe this was why the nightlife was a bit dull compared to what we are used to. I met people from all over the U.S. I know there were people speaking Spanish but in no way was there a majority of Spanish-speaking people. I hardly noticed them. I’m just bringing this up because it is always mentioned when someone talks about the cruises from San Juan.

I’m sure there’s more, but I want to get this posted. When I have a chance, I will enhance this review with some photos.

If you want any other information, ask away! I also have all the Capers from this trip. I learned so much about this cruise from Cruise Critic, that I am glad to pass it forward!

[TennisLover]

I forgot to mention....

 

We also got the Internet package (DH and I both felt better being able to check in with what was going on at work). It was totally worth the $100 for 250 minutes. Plus, if you sign up on the first day, you get an extra 20 minutes. One day (forget which day), there was a Happy Hour Special, from 4-6 pm. You only got charged for half the minutes you used (if you had one of the packages).

 

One of your friends did a "pay as you go" package. That did not work out at all. He used less minutes than we did and ended up paying more.

 

We didn't even use all our minutes for work so, on the last night, we let DD go on Facebook and check in on what was going on with her friends!

 

The cruise lines outsource the Internet department. The company is out of Miami and is called MTN. Jacques, who as the customer service Internet guy on the Destiny (but going home soon for a short break), was really helpful. Even told me not to log on one night because the computers were running slow. Usually, however, they were very fast. DH brought his laptop, but ended up using the Internet in the Internet Cafe only.

 

The Internet Cafe is a little hard to find -- it's in the back of the ship -- go down to the 4th deck (in front of the Universe Dining Room), go through the Onyx Bar (cigar bar - ugh) and there it is. When the cigar bar is empty, it's ok. But, if there are a lot of cigar smokers in there, you have to hold your breath when walking through -- then pick a computer that is on the other end so you don't have to breathe in the smoke!

[Silc]

We're on the Destiny March 30, and I am devouring all the info I can find! Appreciate your sharing!

[Coolcruise02]

Thanks for your detailed review! It was very good. :)

[ruskatab]

Were on Destiny in 62 days!!! So there is no wireless internet in the rooms? Is there any internet in the rooms? We want to be able to check in at home with our kids. Did they sell 12 packs of cokes at the last liquor store before you went through security? And did you buy alcohol and take it to your cabin? Thanks for the great review!

[TennisLover]

Were on Destiny in 62 days!!! So there is no wireless internet in the rooms? Is there any internet in the rooms? We want to be able to check in at home with our kids. Did they sell 12 packs of cokes at the last liquor store before you went through security? And did you buy alcohol and take it to your cabin? Thanks for the great review!

 

 

I don't remember seeing soda in the liquor store. We had bought some diet pepsi (and water bottles) in walmart before we went to the port since we were there for a couple of days before the cruise.

 

I bought 2 bottles of rum in the liquor shop at the port (it's between check in - where you get your sign and sail card - and security). Put them in my zipped carry-on and brought them on the ship. No problem at all!

 

Asked DH about Internet access from the cabin and he said he coudn't get it. I think you had to be in a hot spot. The Internet cafe was actually very easy to deal with. Especially bc we didn't want to be online all day!

[reallynow]

Great reveiw! We have a family cruise in June, so I am soaking it all up. Thanks so much.

[Grizaballa]

Hi Tennislover!

What a great review...it's so much fun re-living the awesome time we had with all you guys :D I really enjoyed this cruise ( our 1st one! but I can't imagine any other one being more fun!) I just wanted to add that the "lite" cakes that they had in the dining room were fabulous esp., the coconut cake...probably 500 calories instead of 1000! And the strawberry soup! It tasted like a strawberry shake - it was sooo yummy!! We bought pop at the little shop across from the liquor store when you first come into the terminal after checking our luggage. I think it was $3.49 for a 6 pack...much cheaper than the ship but I'm sure more than Walmart! You could also buy the huge bottles of water there for $1.75 vs. $3.50 on the ship.We carried our stuff right on...including 1 bottle of rum....no problem!

Tell your family hi....Looking forward to seeing your pictures :) I've been looking at ours a couple times a day, wishing I could re-do this trip again!

-Renee

[TennisLover]

Hi Tennislover!

What a great review...it's so much fun re-living the awesome time we had with all you guys :D I really enjoyed this cruise ( our 1st one! but I can't imagine any other one being more fun!) I just wanted to add that the "lite" cakes that they had in the dining room were fabulous esp., the coconut cake...probably 500 calories instead of 1000! And the strawberry soup! It tasted like a strawberry shake - it was sooo yummy!! We bought pop at the little shop across from the liquor store when you first come into the terminal after checking our luggage. I think it was $3.49 for a 6 pack...much cheaper than the ship but I'm sure more than Walmart! You could also buy the huge bottles of water there for $1.75 vs. $3.50 on the ship.We carried our stuff right on...including 1 bottle of rum....no problem!

Tell your family hi....Looking forward to seeing your pictures :) I've been looking at ours a couple times a day, wishing I could re-do this trip again!

-Renee

 

 

Yes - the strawberry soup was a hit at our table too!

 

Mike got the photos from Dave yesterday..... he can't wait to see yours... Jim said he'd send them....

[pholter]

TennisLover- as expected, you didn't disappoint with your review! :) I absolutely LOVED it and it brought back alot of memories... You know, I don't think I've read a review when the Piano Bar was fun on this particular ship- kinda weird, but Karaoke makes up for it!

[Repsol Rod]

Hey, Tennis Lover, send me an email. I have a few questions but I don't want to tie up this thread with a bunch of back and forth.

 

Repsol

 

rodneylwells@aol.com

 

Thx!

[TennisLover]

Hey, Tennis Lover, send me an email. I have a few questions but I don't want to tie up this thread with a bunch of back and forth.

 

Repsol

 

rodneylwells@aol.com

 

Thx!

 

Actually - why not start out here. Others may have the same questions!

[the_woodman]

Hey Lover - Does the Destiny have network TV channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX)? I heard at one time that they received the network stations from Denver.

 

I like to watch TV.

[TennisLover]

Hey Lover - Does the Destiny have network TV channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX)? I heard at one time that they received the network stations from Denver.

 

I like to watch TV.

 

I don't watch tv, especially on a cruise. Will have to ask DH tonight and get back to you....

[Repsol Rod]

Actually - why not start out here. Others may have the same questions!

Groovy!

First off, glad you had a great time. Welcome back to reality.:rolleyes:

 

Now then,

-Is the ship still holding a pajama party? I noticed in an '06 Caper there was a bath robe party. Are these the same? and if so, did all the participants wear bath robes or did some come in PJs as well?

 

-My wife and I are ballroom dancers. We'll most def be hitting the criterion for some hot Salsa but are there other lounges that play ballroom? The Piano bar for instance. Is there danceable music there? Also wondering if the Piano bar is smoke free.

 

-Destiny Idol. Does this follow the American Idol theme or is this more of a general talent show? Wifey and I were thinking about putting a dance routine together.

 

That's all I have for now. 'Course your feedback might spark new questions.:D

 

Thanks

Repsol

[TennisLover]

Definitely had to grab the Carnival Capers for the answers to these...

 

-Is the ship still holding a pajama party? I noticed in an '06 Caper there was a bath robe party. Are these the same? and if so, did all the participants wear bath robes or did some come in PJs as well? Don't recall a PJ party and just went through the Capers and didn't see it.

-My wife and I are ballroom dancers. We'll most def be hitting the criterion for some hot Salsa but are there other lounges that play ballroom? The Piano bar for instance. Is there danceable music there? Also wondering if the Piano bar is smoke free. Looking for this in the Capers. I see a "Couples & Lovers Party - Slow Dance" on Tues night and -- here it is -- Ballroom dance class on Wed night, followed by a Big Band Dance Set. There was nothing dance-able in the piano bar.

-Destiny Idol. Does this follow the American Idol theme or is this more of a general talent show? Wifey and I were thinking about putting a dance routine together. The singers featured in Destiny Idol were selected from those who appeared in the karaoke lounge during the week. During Destiny Idol, they had three judges up on stage (various crew members) who pretended to be Randy, Paula and Simon. The focus is on the singing (like the real American Idol) - I'm sure dancing wouldn't hurt, if your singing was good! Note that the stage in the karaoke lounge is not that big; not really conducive to dancing!

[bonniemari]

Thanks for the great review-we are on the same sailing as Ruskatab and are really looking forward to going to some different islands. Now if I could just decide what I want to do on those islands.

[dommer573]

Nice review, Thanks;)

[CorbinCatFan]

Nice review. We're just over 4 weeks out and are excited about returning to the Destiny.

[TennisLover]

Hey Lover - Does the Destiny have network TV channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX)? I heard at one time that they received the network stations from Denver.

 

I like to watch TV.

 

DH says there was one network station on board (yes, from Denver) -- not sure which one. A lot of cruise ship channels. A few movie channels (but apparently they didn't work in our cabin).

[TennisLover]

I just posted some ship and port photos here:

 

http://travel.webshots.com/album/562691350RzEJEE

 

Let me know if there's anything you want to see more of and I can add.

[shargurl]

Thanks for the review. I wonder if Darcy will still be on her when we go? She was the CD on our last cruise on the Ecstasy, big difference from when we had Todd Whitmer (who was great!)

 

Counting down the days, we'll be in Puerto Rico by next Saturday, whoop!!!:D

[ruskatab]

DH says there was one network station on board (yes, from Denver) -- not sure which one. A lot of cruise ship channels. A few movie channels (but apparently they didn't work in our cabin).

 

 

On our Conquest cruise last April we were watching tv while we were getting ready for dinner and we see the crawler at the bottom of the tv saying there is a blizzard warning in effect. Mind you we were in the Caribbean and thought that was pretty funny. We realized it was a Denver tv station.

[jetsfan]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Desting 5/4, along with others who have posted here allready. This will be our 2nd time on her, and we just can't wait.