Destiny 11-22/11-27 2008- part 2

[JEBSON]

I will resume and complete my review of Carnival Destiny.

Now for the most subjective part of the review- food. The buffet food ranged from acceptable to very good. The food in the main dining room was of a similar quality range. I never saw an empty tray being carried in the buffet area. In fact, judging the amount of food piled on the trays, most people looked like they were going to the electric chair. There were 15 people in our family group and no one left any dining area or dining room hungry or disappointed. We always found something to our liking. It is likely everyone will be satisfied with the food options. For all of you gastronomes- the Destiny is not a floating 4 or 5 star restaurant. If that is your expectation you will be disappointed. Considering what one typically pays for a cruise, the value, including food, is a tremendous bargain. Try staying at a nice hotel and eating in the hotel restaurant for the same price of a cruise. I was very satisfied with the selections, quality and quantity of food fare. I especially enjoyed the cheeseburgers and the corned beef/pastrami sandwiches during mid-afternoon repasts.

Our time on the ship was, for the most part, very enjoyable. The entertainment, activities, and facilities kept us busy when we chose to be. The only downside was 2 days of rather rough seas which made walking, eating, and sleeping interesting and challenging, at times. The on-board weather channel from the Bridge indicated we were in 8-12 foot swells. One of our family members was incapacitated for about 14 hours, in spite of being medicated for the entire cruise. It was so rough the second day that the Captain decided not to dock in Ocho Rios- a real disappointment for all the cruisers on Destiny. But safety is always first. The dining room that night had noticeable absentees. It was widely recognized by veteran cruisers that the conditions were not the fault of Carnival Cruise Lines and the Captain was making sound and wise decisions.

The next day the weather improved dramatically. The temperature rose to 80+ degrees and the sun shone brightly. We headed into Georgetown, Grand Cayman via tender for a spectacular day. The tender process was very smooth but I must admit we did not leave the ship until 9:30 am. We may have avoided the masses who left early for shore excursions. My wife and I snorkeled at Eden Rock and had an excellent experience. Although the coral was less than impressive the number and variety of fish was very impressive. Eden Rock is only a 6 minute walk from the tender pier so it makes for a very accessible and efficient day trip. We met the family at Margaritaville and spent 2 hours people watching and consuming adult beverages- a raucous time to be sure!

We finished the cruise with another day at sea. That means we spent a total of 3 days at sea which was at least one too many for me. But is was infinitely better than being at work and it was 60 degrees warmer than home.

We arrived in Miami at 7 am on Thanksgiving Day. We opted to self-disembark and since our return flight to Chicago was at 3 pm we took our time and had a leisurely breakfast and finished packing. Disembarkation was very easy and prompt and U.S. Customs was exceptionally easy. We caught a cab to MIA and waited 4 hours for our flight. My sisters’ group self-disembarked and were at MIA by 8 am. I wish I had been more aggressive when I booked our return flight. An 11 am flight would have been easy to make, even with slight port and customs delays.

The most relevant question is would I (we) cruise Destiny again?

Maybe. There is only one ship in the “Destiny Class”—Destiny. I think I (we) want to try other ship classes so Destiny would not be a first choice unless the schedule and/or ports were exceptionally compelling. However, any decision not to cruise on Destiny again would not be based on any negative experience.

I apologize for the length of this review but I felt obligated to share my observations and opinions with fellow CC readers even at the risk of being rather wordy.

[cruzccl]

I do have a special place in my heart for Destiny as she was the first cruise I ever did.

 

Thanks for the review, I saw the ship in Key West a few months ago while I was on a land trip and wondered how "she" was doing.

 

While they call that the Destiny class, the Conquest class and Triumph and Victory really follow her main design. Even the new Splendor still has the same basic layout. However each of those ships are improved spaces and features since 1996 -- when the Destiny was launched. Give one of them a try.

[veryhotred]

Thanks for the review...I sail on her in 25 days!

 

I have seen a lot of her reviews lately about rough seas....oh boy I am not looking forward to that!!!:eek: