Another Destinty Review March 4 - 8

[Hershey13]

Destiny Review March 4- March 8

I’m so glad to see so many people writing reviews for Destiny:)

 

This is my first attempt at a cruise review. (For those that like to comment on adding paragraphs and misspelled words, read something else.)

 

Background information

I’m in my late 30’s and DH earlier 40’s. This was our 3rd cruise, 2nd in six months.

 

We left out of the STL airport on March 4 around 6am. The flight was pretty uneventful.

We arrived in Miami at 9:40am, had our luggage by 10:10am.

 

We took a Taxi to the Port of Miami for $24.00 without tip. Again, uneventful.

The taxi ride was about 15 -20 minutes. So for those that don’t want to fuss with a shuttle, the taxi ride is the way to go.

We arrived at the port about 10:30am. We did self check in w/ the Kiosks. This was so simple. Swipe your Credit Card or Passport, punch two or three buttons and you’re done.

Once you have your receipt you step over to a desk to p/u your sail n sign card. You’re then given a number for your which group you’ll board with. (Group 10)

We were officially on the ship at 11:25am, first cocktail 11:30am

(I will say this was the easiest embarkation that we’ve been through. Little to no waiting.)

 

First impression of the ship

It’s a Carnival ship, what do you expect, lots of color and different designs. I know many have commented that it’s over the top. Whatever! If you’ve ever been on a Carnival ship you know what to expect. (I’ve seen worst designs at a doctor’s office.)

I’m not quite sure what all the hoopla was about when people have mentioned that Destiny looks run down. It looks Fine. Yes there is some wear and tear but what would you expect from a ship that’s been in operation since 1996.

The ship is fine.

Yes, there’s still a broken window that’s taped up at the back of the ship. Didn’t bother me. I just didn’t sit near it.

 

Lunch

Before we headed to the Stateroom we did grab a quick bite and another cocktail.

The food was the norm Burgers, Hot Dogs, Pizza, Fries.

I will also say that some people do not get the concept of a line. I saw plenty of people cutting in line to grab fries and chicken tenders or whatever. It wouldn’t have been an issue had they asked if they could grab it, but they didn’t say a word.

Common courtesy has gone out the window.

This was something that went on through out the cruise. People bumping into others and not saying a word. (Sorry gang it’s just a pet peeve of mine.)

 

Stateroom:

We had an aft balcony room deck 7. I will say the room was slightly smaller than Aft Balcony rooms on Valor and Freedom. But the shower was definitely bigger. (That’s a plus.)

The configuration of the bathroom was a little odd, but I got over it.

Yes, there is a TV. (and old “18-20”) kinda weird to have that sitting on the desk.

I was surprised that we did not have a refrigerator, but our Room Steward Eva kept the ice coming.

We ordered a bottle of Stoli in advance thru the Bon Voyage Dept and it was in the room waiting for us. (Time for another drink, hell we’re on vacation why not:) )

Safety Drill:

I believe the safety drill took all of 10 minutes, as others have stated you don’t need to bring your safety vest anymore.

 

I believe we set sailed at 4/4:30pm we watched most of the sailway from our Balcony.

 

Between sailway and late dinner we unpacked, walked around a bit, made another cocktail. Chatted with fellow cruisers.

 

I’ll try and finish the review this evening or tomorrow. Sorry if I’m little winded.

Feel free to ask questions.

[MinnesotaCruiser423]

Good review so far! I agree that common courtesy seems to be a thing of the past unfortunatly.

[murphalina]

I'm so excited to read your review. We'll be sailing on the Destiny in three weeks!!!

 

If you took any pics of your cabin (esp. balcony/view) I would love to see them. We will have our first aft cabin on this cruise, yay!!!

[chachi]

Looking forward to reading the rest of your review.

[00spy2]

Me,DW and twins will be on the destiny 7/22/10 ,can't wait to here the rest of your review.

[jim3069]

Thanks Hershey 13. We were on the same cruise as you and you said it all. After all the bad news we had heard about the Destiny we were somewhat concerned. We had a great time. The dining staff (especially Rico and Richard) and our room steward Hendry were outstanding. The food while not great was very acceptable. If the other people that were on the cruise were half as polite and caring as the Destiny employees it would make a big difference. I have a few ideas that I will pass on to Carnival that may make the cruise more enjoyable for everyone but all in all we really had a great time and will continue to support Carnival.

[Lewis]

It's wonderful to see so many new and positive Destiny reviews. Thank you!!! My next cruise is on the Destiny May 3rd. Thanks to reviews like yours I'm getting more and more excited!!!

[Hershey13]

PART TWO

Sorry for the delay, but here you go. I’ll try and post pictures later.

 

Main room Dining

We had late seating. Met some interesting people from Manhattan and Kansas City, Wasn’t quite sure how they picked us to be at the same table, but none the less, good people.

The food in the MDR was good. The fried Shrimp was awesome. I believe everyone had a little something different. No complaints from anyone. Our wait staff was perfect, always smiling and willing to get us whatever we wanted.

Casino

We had a blast in the Casino; DH did very well at Blackjack. My game of choice is Roulette, I didn’t do to well, but I had fun.

There were at least 3/ 4 Blackjack tables, Electronic Blackjack, 2 roulette tables, 1 craps tables.

Sorry I’m not sure about the other tables. But whatever you’re looking for it’s probably there. I did notice that there were quite a few young adults (20-25) spending Big money in the casino. I hope that wasn’t Mommy and Daddy’s money.

Shows

We did not attend any. I heard the comedians were pretty descent.

 

Key West

This was probably our 10th visit to Key West, so we did not plan any excursions.

He headed to Fat Tuesday for our typically frozen drinks. Then we stopped by the Coach Outlet. (Sorry Guys, I’ll have something for you in the Cozumel section) They were handing out a 20% coupon when you walked into the door. I was able to p/u two bags for $200. Not a bad deal.

We walked around a bit, did some people watching and grabbed a bite to eat and of course another cocktail at Hogs Breath. They have some of the best Conch Fritters in the area.

We left just in time to head back to the ship, once we were back on the boat and looked out at the crowd returning, the line was amazing. It wrap down the pier.

 

Cozumel

Again, no planned excursions. We were just in Cozumel in September.

We decided to hire a taxi by the hour ($24 per hour) and head up to Coconuts.

Coconuts is located on the Northern End of Cozumel. If your looking for a local spot with a great view and good food. This is the place.

For you Corona drinkers they don’t carry it. Ask for Sol, just as good.

Gentleman if you decide to go just ask for The book. There’s a reason why they call the place Coconuts:) We did witness two girls getting inducted into the Coconuts wall of shame.

After a few beers and some munchies, we decided to head back.

Once we returned to the Pier, we walked around a bit. There was an ambulance called to the docking area of the pier. Not sure if they were attending to someone from Destiny or Inspiration.

 

Overall

There were quite a few college spring breakers, but I never saw them out of hand. (Did not notice any puke as someone else mentioned in their review.) Not many teens/preteens on the ship.

We had a great time, how could we complain, we were on vacation. I would definitely do Destiny again. For those that have booked on this ship, no need to worry. We had no issues with the propulsion system or the crew.

 

People are always asking how much are drinks, etc. Well here you go.

Absolute/Stoli $6.61 gratuity added

House Wine $6.90

Beer $5.69

Pictures $27.94 (8x10 w/ album book)

Didn’t buy much more than this on this ship. J

 

Happy Sailing

[pmoniz]

Thank you for posting your review. Looking forward to our cruise (B2B) in May on the Destiny!

 

Weird how in someone else's review they had a brand new flat screen tv, yet you guys didn't! Must not have installed them all at drydock or something!

 

Glad to see your opinion on using the kiosks in Miami. Seems like a pretty easy quick thing to do. I'll have to try them out! And no Corona in Mexico!! LOL! I'll have to try the Sol as you requested! Thanks for the tip!

[Hershey13]

Sorry I meant no Corona at Coconuts. :)

[phyzz]

I must know -- what is " THE BOOK" ?

[Hershey13]

I must know -- what is " THE BOOK" ?

 

Female Anatomy;)

 

I'm prretty open so it didn't bother me, some other wives may find it offensive.

[beccafries]

Destiny Review March 4- March 8

I’m so glad to see so many people writing reviews for Destiny:)

 

This is my first attempt at a cruise review. (For those that like to comment on adding paragraphs and misspelled words, read something else.)

 

Background information

I’m in my late 30’s and DH earlier 40’s. This was our 3rd cruise, 2nd in six months.

 

We left out of the STL airport on March 4 around 6am. The flight was pretty uneventful.

We arrived in Miami at 9:40am, had our luggage by 10:10am.

 

We took a Taxi to the Port of Miami for $24.00 without tip. Again, uneventful.

The taxi ride was about 15 -20 minutes. So for those that don’t want to fuss with a shuttle, the taxi ride is the way to go.

We arrived at the port about 10:30am. We did self check in w/ the Kiosks. This was so simple. Swipe your Credit Card or Passport, punch two or three buttons and you’re done.

Once you have your receipt you step over to a desk to p/u your sail n sign card. You’re then given a number for your which group you’ll board with. (Group 10)

We were officially on the ship at 11:25am, first cocktail 11:30am

(I will say this was the easiest embarkation that we’ve been through. Little to no waiting.)

 

First impression of the ship

It’s a Carnival ship, what do you expect, lots of color and different designs. I know many have commented that it’s over the top. Whatever! If you’ve ever been on a Carnival ship you know what to expect. (I’ve seen worst designs at a doctor’s office.)

I’m not quite sure what all the hoopla was about when people have mentioned that Destiny looks run down. It looks Fine. Yes there is some wear and tear but what would you expect from a ship that’s been in operation since 1996.

The ship is fine.

Yes, there’s still a broken window that’s taped up at the back of the ship. Didn’t bother me. I just didn’t sit near it.

 

Lunch

Before we headed to the Stateroom we did grab a quick bite and another cocktail.

The food was the norm Burgers, Hot Dogs, Pizza, Fries.

I will also say that some people do not get the concept of a line. I saw plenty of people cutting in line to grab fries and chicken tenders or whatever. It wouldn’t have been an issue had they asked if they could grab it, but they didn’t say a word.

Common courtesy has gone out the window.

This was something that went on through out the cruise. People bumping into others and not saying a word. (Sorry gang it’s just a pet peeve of mine.)

 

Stateroom:

We had an aft balcony room deck 7. I will say the room was slightly smaller than Aft Balcony rooms on Valor and Freedom. But the shower was definitely bigger. (That’s a plus.)

The configuration of the bathroom was a little odd, but I got over it.

Yes, there is a TV. (and old “18-20”) kinda weird to have that sitting on the desk.

I was surprised that we did not have a refrigerator, but our Room Steward Eva kept the ice coming.

We ordered a bottle of Stoli in advance thru the Bon Voyage Dept and it was in the room waiting for us. (Time for another drink, hell we’re on vacation why not:) )

Safety Drill:

I believe the safety drill took all of 10 minutes, as others have stated you don’t need to bring your safety vest anymore.

 

I believe we set sailed at 4/4:30pm we watched most of the sailway from our Balcony.

 

Between sailway and late dinner we unpacked, walked around a bit, made another cocktail. Chatted with fellow cruisers.

 

I’ll try and finish the review this evening or tomorrow. Sorry if I’m little winded.

Feel free to ask questions.

 

Was it a charge for the self check in? also who did u give ur luggage too

after the self check in?? just trying to figure out all the steps...lol

[mommaC82]

We had a new, flat screen tv in our room (cabin 6158). They must be replacing them as needed.

 

Glad to hear you had a great time! We did as well! I can't believe we've been home a week already!

[Fendermike]

@Hershey13

 

 

Thanks for your review. We will depart from Miami on 28/06. If the ship leaves at 04.00 pm, what time can we check in? Thanks Mike