Destiny 12/6-12/11

[tw67]

I am not going to give a full review. Just a couple of my thoughts. The ship was in better shape than I feared it would be. There were some rust spots that I thought could use a coat of paint! No real complaints. It isn't a brand new ship, but it isn't in bad shape either. We had an inside stateroom. It was clean and in good shape. The blow dryer in the bathroom wasn't the best, but you can always bring your own. My in laws were across the hall and down a few in a balcony. No real complaint there either. I thought the size of the showers was fantastic, gave you a lot of room!

 

George was the Cruise Director. We had him on Imagination last year. If you haven't heard of him before, he was a stand up comic before he became a cruise director. I think he is funny, his big joke is that he is Jorge after 5 pm, George before 5. The rest of the Cruise Activities staff seemed nice. Matt did BINGO so I saw him a few times. He was nice and personable.

 

Our waitstaff was nice, and so was our room steward. Everyone was patient with my kids (2 boys 5 & 10). My older son is a picky eater due to some sensory issues, so when our waitress figured this out, she really spent time coming up with alternatives for him and would place an special order for him.

 

Food was ok. No complaints. I loved the cesear salad with grilled chicken from the pizza station near the Solarium (adult pool area). My husband and in laws all agreed that the hot dogs from the grill right in the same area were the best they have had in a long time. My 5 year old ate a pizza every day. Most mornings I did breakfast in the dining room. I never got there for lunch.

 

My 5 year old went to Camp Carnival and had a fun time. My 10 year old isn't as thrilled as he used to be with the kid clubs, and really didn't want to go. We kind of forced him one day for about an hour. We just wanted him to try, but he wasn't going back. He would rather sit with me at BINGO. I brought my 5 year old to the orientation meeting. There were a lot of younger kids (2-4) and the staff kept talking about remembering diapers and wipes. My son looked at me said he didn't want to be with babies, but this was his 4th cruise, so he is used to kid clubs. At the end they said it was mandatory for the 2-5 parents to have beepers. At the end I asked if I really needed a beeper, my son would be 6 in a month. They suggested that he could go in the 6-8 group, that he might be more comfortable there. I was always under the impression that you had to be with your age group no matter what, so I was surprised they even suggested it, I wasn't going to ask. He did fine there. He went a few times, and even had dinner with them a few times.

 

In Jamaica we did Dunn River Falls and river tubing with Marva Shaw. She was great. If I ever go to Jamaica again, I would book with her. There are rumors that some teens from the ship that were part of a family wedding that was in Jamaica got caught with pot on them and were thrown in a Jamaican jail. I don't know the whole story, and everyone who talked about it on the ship had another "part" of the story to add to it.

 

In Grand Cayman my husband, 10 year old son and father in law went on the stingray/snorkeling tour with Moby Dick. They had fun, just complained it was too rough to snorkel much. My mother in law, my 5 year old and I did the pirate excursion, and booked it through the cruise ship. We had a fun time. Kids had to "swab" the decks. Water was a little rough, but I wasn't snorkeling, just went down the ladder of the ship. You could walk down the ladder, jump off the plank, or climb the ropes and jump from there. The kids thought it was fun when they would pretend to shoot a cannon at our cruise ships. Our excursion was over around the same time as the boys snorkel trip, so we met back at Margarittaville. That is always fun, and hoping since there were 5 ships in port. My in laws left us there to take a walk to the beaches, but we stayed. We had a great time. Our kids have been going to Jimmy Buffett concerts for awhile now, they know all the songs, they had a ball.

 

We did some window shopping, and went back to the ship. We got on the tender that was right there, no wait. Other ships had very long waits for their tenders.

 

The ship could not have been at 100% occupancy. It never seemed crowded. No real problem getting an elevator. Most people on the ship were nice, everyone was out and about a lot. There seemed to be a lot of groups and family reunions. DC firefighters seemed to be having a good time! I never really ran into any rude people, and didn't really see anything happening on the ship to shock me. My kids loved going down the slide, but they hate the salt water pools. They will go in and out of them, along with the hot tubs. I didn't see any kids trying to go in the adult pool. My kids also loved the minature golf course. Many people who were not with groups were talking about the great deal they got on the cruise, and had booked in the last few weeks.

 

I would have liked to be able to watch Sunday Football in the sports bar, but the smoke was bad and I have asthma. Since the casino and sports bars were the only places I even noticed anyone smoking, I won't complain! I would just go in and out and get updates from my husband and father in law. It was really nice Sunday night sitting on the lido deck watching football on the big screen. That was cool!

 

I can try to answer questions. I am not usually good with remembering details like what night the dining room had what, etc... but I will answer anything I can.

 

I would do Destiny again, especially for the price I got it! Like I said before, it isn't a new ship, but it was fine.

 

Terry

[veryhotred]

I am not going to give a full review. Just a couple of my thoughts. The ship was in better shape than I feared it would be. There were some rust spots that I thought could use a coat of paint! No real complaints. It isn't a brand new ship, but it isn't in bad shape either. We had an inside stateroom. It was clean and in good shape. The blow dryer in the bathroom wasn't the best, but you can always bring your own. My in laws were across the hall and down a few in a balcony. No real complaint there either. I thought the size of the showers was fantastic, gave you a lot of room!

 

George was the Cruise Director. We had him on Imagination last year. If you haven't heard of him before, he was a stand up comic before he became a cruise director. I think he is funny, his big joke is that he is Jorge after 5 pm, George before 5. The rest of the Cruise Activities staff seemed nice. Matt did BINGO so I saw him a few times. He was nice and personable.

 

Our waitstaff was nice, and so was our room steward. Everyone was patient with my kids (2 boys 5 & 10). My older son is a picky eater due to some sensory issues, so when our waitress figured this out, she really spent time coming up with alternatives for him and would place an special order for him.

 

Food was ok. No complaints. I loved the cesear salad with grilled chicken from the pizza station near the Solarium (adult pool area). My husband and in laws all agreed that the hot dogs from the grill right in the same area were the best they have had in a long time. My 5 year old ate a pizza every day. Most mornings I did breakfast in the dining room. I never got there for lunch.

 

My 5 year old went to Camp Carnival and had a fun time. My 10 year old isn't as thrilled as he used to be with the kid clubs, and really didn't want to go. We kind of forced him one day for about an hour. We just wanted him to try, but he wasn't going back. He would rather sit with me at BINGO. I brought my 5 year old to the orientation meeting. There were a lot of younger kids (2-4) and the staff kept talking about remembering diapers and wipes. My son looked at me said he didn't want to be with babies, but this was his 4th cruise, so he is used to kid clubs. At the end they said it was mandatory for the 2-5 parents to have beepers. At the end I asked if I really needed a beeper, my son would be 6 in a month. They suggested that he could go in the 6-8 group, that he might be more comfortable there. I was always under the impression that you had to be with your age group no matter what, so I was surprised they even suggested it, I wasn't going to ask. He did fine there. He went a few times, and even had dinner with them a few times.

 

In Jamaica we did Dunn River Falls and river tubing with Marva Shaw. She was great. If I ever go to Jamaica again, I would book with her. There are rumors that some teens from the ship that were part of a family wedding that was in Jamaica got caught with pot on them and were thrown in a Jamaican jail. I don't know the whole story, and everyone who talked about it on the ship had another "part" of the story to add to it.

 

In Grand Cayman my husband, 10 year old son and father in law went on the stingray/snorkeling tour with Moby Dick. They had fun, just complained it was too rough to snorkel much. My mother in law, my 5 year old and I did the pirate excursion, and booked it through the cruise ship. We had a fun time. Kids had to "swab" the decks. Water was a little rough, but I wasn't snorkeling, just went down the ladder of the ship. You could walk down the ladder, jump off the plank, or climb the ropes and jump from there. The kids thought it was fun when they would pretend to shoot a cannon at our cruise ships. Our excursion was over around the same time as the boys snorkel trip, so we met back at Margarittaville. That is always fun, and hoping since there were 5 ships in port. My in laws left us there to take a walk to the beaches, but we stayed. We had a great time. Our kids have been going to Jimmy Buffett concerts for awhile now, they know all the songs, they had a ball.

 

We did some window shopping, and went back to the ship. We got on the tender that was right there, no wait. Other ships had very long waits for their tenders.

 

The ship could not have been at 100% occupancy. It never seemed crowded. No real problem getting an elevator. Most people on the ship were nice, everyone was out and about a lot. There seemed to be a lot of groups and family reunions. DC firefighters seemed to be having a good time! I never really ran into any rude people, and didn't really see anything happening on the ship to shock me. My kids loved going down the slide, but they hate the salt water pools. They will go in and out of them, along with the hot tubs. I didn't see any kids trying to go in the adult pool. My kids also loved the minature golf course. Many people who were not with groups were talking about the great deal they got on the cruise, and had booked in the last few weeks.

 

I would have liked to be able to watch Sunday Football in the sports bar, but the smoke was bad and I have asthma. Since the casino and sports bars were the only places I even noticed anyone smoking, I won't complain! I would just go in and out and get updates from my husband and father in law. It was really nice Sunday night sitting on the lido deck watching football on the big screen. That was cool!

 

I can try to answer questions. I am not usually good with remembering details like what night the dining room had what, etc... but I will answer anything I can.

 

I would do Destiny again, especially for the price I got it! Like I said before, it isn't a new ship, but it was fine.

 

Terry

 

 

My son is also a picky eater!!! Nice to hear the helped out some even though they are not required too :)

 

Thanks for the review, sounds like you had a great time!! We are going on the Destiny soon, taking our two kids dd9, and ds 8.

 

Can you tell me more about the pirate ship thing? do you sail on it or is it just in the water and you go on it? were you nervous on Ocho Rios about the drug thing or was it not that big of deal?

[Bran8778]

Thanks for the review :)

 

I'll see her soon :)

[tw67]

My son is also a picky eater!!! Nice to hear the helped out some even though they are not required too :)

 

Thanks for the review, sounds like you had a great time!! We are going on the Destiny soon, taking our two kids dd9, and ds 8.

 

Can you tell me more about the pirate ship thing? do you sail on it or is it just in the water and you go on it? were you nervous on Ocho Rios about the drug thing or was it not that big of deal?

 

Let your wait staff know if your kids have food/eating issues. They really want to see you and your kids happy!

 

The pirate ship was cute. After you tender to Grand Cayman, you find them at the dock waiting for you. They bring you (walking for just a few minutes) to their "pirate ship" and you get on it. They sail away, they bring you near your cruise ships, and you can hear them fire cannons, and they yell out that they are sinking your ship! They they sail a few more minutes, and they they stop and everyone can get off and go swimming, then back to their dock. Whole thing is less than 2 hours.

 

Whenever you travel with your kids in another country (or anywhere for that matter!) you want to see them safe. I am not going to tell you that I wasn't nervous bringing my kids to Ocho Rios. With Marva, I felt safe. I can also tell you that there is a a ton of security at the dock. I did not see the kids who got arrested, so I don't know what really happened there. My kids see bad areas in the United States, they know poverty exists, I don't try to shield them from it. They had a great time at the falls, and loved river tubing. When we got off the ship and had to connect with Marva, I will tell you, all those tour people, no matter what tour they were with, they helped you get to the right spot. No one wants to see you hurt or bothered. They want you to have a good time, to go home and tell people to go and have a good time. Their whole economy will rely on the visitors coming in. Just tell your kids from the beginning what to expect (due it in a way not to scare them) and tell them not to accept any gift from someone. People will try to say they are giving you a gift, but then want money for it. We knew this going in, didn't accept anything from anyone, and were on our way.

[veryhotred]

Let your wait staff know if your kids have food/eating issues. They really want to see you and your kids happy!

 

The pirate ship was cute. After you tender to Grand Cayman, you find them at the dock waiting for you. They bring you (walking for just a few minutes) to their "pirate ship" and you get on it. They sail away, they bring you near your cruise ships, and you can hear them fire cannons, and they yell out that they are sinking your ship! They they sail a few more minutes, and they they stop and everyone can get off and go swimming, then back to their dock. Whole thing is less than 2 hours.

 

Whenever you travel with your kids in another country (or anywhere for that matter!) you want to see them safe. I am not going to tell you that I wasn't nervous bringing my kids to Ocho Rios. With Marva, I felt safe. I can also tell you that there is a a ton of security at the dock. I did not see the kids who got arrested, so I don't know what really happened there. My kids see bad areas in the United States, they know poverty exists, I don't try to shield them from it. They had a great time at the falls, and loved river tubing. When we got off the ship and had to connect with Marva, I will tell you, all those tour people, no matter what tour they were with, they helped you get to the right spot. No one wants to see you hurt or bothered. They want you to have a good time, to go home and tell people to go and have a good time. Their whole economy will rely on the visitors coming in. Just tell your kids from the beginning what to expect (due it in a way not to scare them) and tell them not to accept any gift from someone. People will try to say they are giving you a gift, but then want money for it. We knew this going in, didn't accept anything from anyone, and were on our way.

 

 

Thank you SO much!!!!!! You have made me feel better about taking the kids off the ship in Ocho Rios. I am reluctant to take them off but perhaps I will. Last time it was just me and my dd and we stayed on. Really, I appreciate your honesty!!!

 

Thanks too for the info on the pirate ship, that sounds kind of fun!! My son may like that!!! :D

[Fam Vaca]

On the pirate ship excursion - do parents go w/ the kids on the pirate ship? Did the kids wear life vests when they swam in ocean/beach? Did they supply life vests, or was the water there less than 3 feet? I'm cruising w/ a 5 and 7 year old. Also, I thougth I read somewhere that kids have to be 8 to do Dunns River Falls - did you have any trouble w/ your 5 yr old?

[tw67]

On the pirate ship excursion - do parents go w/ the kids on the pirate ship? Did the kids wear life vests when they swam in ocean/beach? Did they supply life vests, or was the water there less than 3 feet? I'm cruising w/ a 5 and 7 year old. Also, I thougth I read somewhere that kids have to be 8 to do Dunns River Falls - did you have any trouble w/ your 5 yr old?

 

Yes, parents go with kids on the pirate ship. They will pick an adult to tie up a rope, throw cold water on, talk about what he did wrong (you know kids say things like he made me go in time out, made us do our homework, etc...) all in good fun.

 

Kids and adults alike were to wear those blow up vest that you go snorkeling in. Water will be deep because you can jump in the water from either walking the plank or climbing the ropes and jumping off them. My son is almost 6 and did great just going down the ladder.

 

Kids do not have to be 8 to do Dunn River Falls. I believe (not positive) that the cruiseline puts an age that you must be to do their trip. We did it with Marva Shaw, and did not go through the cruiseline. My 5 year old did great!! He is really into sports so climbing the falls to him wasn't a big deal. He could have gone all the way up, but since I booked out at about half way, when he saw me at over 3/4 of the way up and decided he wanted to be with me.

 

If you have any other questions about the kids doing the excursions, feel free to ask. One of the reasons I book with outside tour companies is because of the child restrictions they have on age. They have them because of their insurance company, and I really do understand. I know what my kids can and can't handle. He had a great time at the falls, and I knew that if he didn't climb it at all, I would have walked along the side with him, and he would have just enjoyed watching his Dad and Grandpop doing it.

 

Terry