Having Second Thoughts on Carnival Destiny (already booked)

[Yankeegirl]

We recently sailed on the Destiny and had a great time. It was the first regular itinerary cruise after she came out of dry dock. (Feb 22- Feb 27 - there was a short two night before ours)

 

We did miss Half Moon Cay because of the weather. They stated that due to high winds and rough seas we could not make the port. Kind of a bummer, but the crew went out of their way to keep everyone busy that day.

 

The crew was one of the best we have come across, they were excellent.

 

We never smelled anything foul or sewer like.

 

The ship is a little older than some, but seemed to be well taken care of. Everything seemed clean, no problems there.

 

We would definitely sail on her again. I hope this info helps. You have to make the right decision for you, but I think you will have a great time too.

[Za001]

I was on Destiny Sept 09 when the propulsion went on the ship, I tell you it was loud, and to be honest with you, thats the only thing i have bad to say about the ship, The staff was excellent, the cruise director (i forgot his name) you can tell by the end of the cruise the noise was getting on his nerves as everyone else, but Destiny kept it professional and the FUN continued, we we're one of the lucky ones and got to Tender at HMC, but we weren't there long before an enormous cloud came and opened up, and I tell ya it poured.

 

The 4 of us had fun and would do it again in a heart beat, maybe without the noise this time.:)

[Sandpiper10]

I am a nurse and I can tell you there is just as much norovirus on land as there is on cruise ships. You have just as big a chance catching it all the mall.

Chances are you will be exposed to more viruses flying on the plane to get there. Recycled air on an airplane is a lot worse than a cruise ship. It is a run of the mill bug that is all over and just gets alot of press on cruise ships. There are 1000's of people on a cruise ship and how many get sick....a couple of people and chances are they brought it on the ship and were incubating it before they boarded...probably spread to to everyone on the plane.

 

i read your review of your 2009 back to back cruise on the Destiny! Still 34 days until we cruise the eastern trip!!! Your pictures have me so excited for our trip! Great pictures and thanks for the information on norovirus!

[David-n-Rita]

i read your review of your 2009 back to back cruise on the Destiny! Still 34 days until we cruise the eastern trip!!! Your pictures have me so excited for our trip! Great pictures and thanks for the information on norovirus!

 

Thanks glad you enjoyed them. Don't for a skin test for Tuberculosis, it is endemic in most of the Caribbean ports, and it never hurts to be tested

[kimba9615]

It really could have been me writing that original post. I booked the Destiny for August then read reviews, which is completely unlike me ... but anyway, the reviews made me nervous enough that I changed to a 7 day cruise on the Legend. I had not book airfare yet so no problem there and I am excited about the two extra days ...

 

Good Luck!

[imnance]

Here's my point of view....I'm not the sort of person who cruises for the ports, I don't care if the ship stops anywhere. I'm also not the sort of person who says "A bad day on a cruise beats a good day at work". I find that phrase inane and ignorant.

 

I cruise to get away from my real life. Well, not my real life as my real life is pretty great! :D But the responsibilities in my real life. Most any ship will provide that for me. If it's important for you to make a port, perhaps you should book a cruise that doesn't tender anywhere.

 

As far as people saying the Destiny is dirty.....I won't say they're wrong, but on the 4 Carnival cruises I've been on, there is constant cleaning. I've seen staff cleaning the underside of tables. I've seen them clean barstools on the Lido from seat to the floor.

 

If you're as easy going as you say, I doubt you'll have a bad time whether the ship makes every port or not.

[pe4all]

DD18 was on Destiny for 2nd time on 3/8. Aside from sewage smell in/near her cabin, she loved it. She is an experienced cruiser, (she has been on 8 CCL cruises and 3 Disney) and said the ship was immaculate, food decent, ice cream great. Missed HMC because of high winds. But if you have any reservations and fears of Destiny, switch, cause otherwise you will be looking for everything "bad", and won't enjoy yourself to the fullest!

[MrPete]

Any input here would be GREATLY appreciated, thank you in advance.

 

The things you seems to be focusing on are issues that can happen on any ship. It was the Destiny's turn to have a propulsion problem, which leads to less than stellar reviews.

 

While the Destiny is my least favorite ship in my least favorite class of ship I have sailed, I still had a stellar cruise on her.

[aliwnec10]

Thanks FLA_Golfer for your post. It was exactly what i was thinking and nervous about. We're thinking of booking for october, but the negative reviews really have my husband and I nervous about it.

 

It is nice to see that some on this thread still had a good time. We love the itinerary, so we'll see what happens.

[jtm22372]

we were on the destiny in jan and had a fantastic time . myself ,dw and dd . the staff was wonderful never once did we feel the staff was unfriendly . by the 2nd day they knew my dd's name and everyone of the staff would stop and play with her . as far as the cleanliness of the boat i never saw dirty spots always saw the staff cleaning everyday . go on your cruise and have a wonderful time .:D

[LHP]

We have the Destiny booked for December 4th without hesitation.

 

I do caution cruisers though not to book any cruise "just for the ports" since these can be missed due to weather, medical emergency, etc.

 

Especially if someone has to be at a particular port at a specific time for an event, they should fly there. Now they usually don't because the cost of the cruise per person is less than the airfare to get there, hotel and meals while you are there....etc.

 

But when you book a cruise, the only guarantee is the ship experience itself...

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise and the weather cooperates....but remember this is hurricane season....

[poobears]

It seems like HMC is being missed a lot lately, Fascination claims to be missing it due to propulsion problems or that is what they are telling passengers, corporate from what I'm reading denies they have problems and even denies that they have missed HMC (guess everyone just slept through it). I'm starting to wonder if some captains just don't like tendering there and that is why certain ships miss it a lot more than others.

[David-n-Rita]

It seems like HMC is being missed a lot lately, Fascination claims to be missing it due to propulsion problems or that is what they are telling passengers, corporate from what I'm reading denies they have problems and even denies that they have missed HMC (guess everyone just slept through it). I'm starting to wonder if some captains just don't like tendering there and that is why certain ships miss it a lot more than others.

 

We have been to HMC several times and if you have been there, you can see why safety is a problem with high winds. You can look at our pictures because I took many of HMC. There are reefs right outside of HMC that you can see clearly from the tender boat. The tender boat is unable to just sip to land and drop you off. The tender goes to the edge of the island and squeezes in a small cove where there is not much room on either side. It is rocks on both sides and you go down this narrow corridor to a small enclosed lagoon where you get off. Anyone who has ever driven a boat can attest that driving on water is not like driving on land. It is not so much as the ship being able to anchor off shore but the danger on the tender itself getting everyone safely to the island. Not only high winds, but the wave action itself could easily throw the tender boat up on the rocks. There is a reason that the men onboard the ship are Captains. They are trained and responsible for everyone's safety. I applaud their decisions to skip ports when there would be a danger to guests. The same people who cry about missing ports due to the Captain's decision are the same people who would be crying that Carnival did not keep them safe. No one likes to skip a port but the Captain is in charge and I fully trust his decisions.

[BO HANSON]

The ship itself is huge, and fun to be on. I wouldn't book it if the itinerary is important to you. There could always be repostioning due to weather anyway with cruises so keeping an open mind and flexible attitude is key to have a positive experience.

 

I've read the same reviews you did, and contemplated this cruise again due to price. I can usually read through the negative reviews, and am really easy going, but I'm not sure Carnival is handling these situations correctly.

 

I decided to spend a bit more, with a ship that hasn't had any glaring headaches lately.

 

I would cancel and go with a different ship If I were you.

[3030]

Hi - I am on the Destinty on April 19th with my husband and 2 teenage nieces. Wondered what you did in Nassau.

[David-n-Rita]

Hi - I am on the Destinty on April 19th with my husband and 2 teenage nieces. Wondered what you did in Nassau.

 

We have been there several times and did several things. Last time we took the Carnival excursion to Atlantis which included using their beach and a lunch voucher. (they have another more expensive one to use the water park too) You had access to everything but the water park/pools. With that being said, the place was huge and people in our group just got into their suits and went in the pools, some even when on the waterslides with the crowds and no one checked. Worth a trip here just to take pictures of Atlantis and see the aquariums which was our main focus. Another big draw is the Straw market which is walkable distance (we are in our 50's, & 60's, fat and out of shape so if we find it walkable most will have no trouble) Right near that was senor frogs which alot of people go to. Another hidden gem in the blocks by the port is a pirate museum. Looks like nothing from the outsdie but it has and entire pirate ship inside with fabulous exhibits. I do think Carnival added a tour of Nassau that included a stop here.

There has been alot of safety news about Nassau but we have always found it to be safe walking around the blocks surrounding the port where the museum was. (I do believe the admission to the museum was like $20.00/person but we thought it was worth every penny. Plan to spend a couple of hours there is plenty to see)

 

Hope this helps. There is lots of pictures of this stuff on our website (link below)

[Yankeegirl]

I would suggest Atlantis. It is a little pricey, but well worth it. If you choose the Aqua Adventure you pretty much have full use of the resort, except the Dolphin Encounter, for the entire day.

[Trendy00bett]

that a happy customer tells 5 friends, an unhappy customer tells 500 strangers.... and i think I made some of that up, but people are usually going to complain.

 

Did you book your excursions yet? Bahamas is freakin awesome!!

The locals are friendly and the nature is beautiful. It can be expensive to stay at the resorts in the area, so you should get all your sightseeing done during your trip!

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_6128395_visit-cruise-excursion-atlantis-bahamas.html

[Sandpiper10]

We have been to HMC several times and if you have been there, you can see why safety is a problem with high winds. You can look at our pictures because I took many of HMC. There are reefs right outside of HMC that you can see clearly from the tender boat. The tender boat is unable to just sip to land and drop you off. The tender goes to the edge of the island and squeezes in a small cove where there is not much room on either side. It is rocks on both sides and you go down this narrow corridor to a small enclosed lagoon where you get off. Anyone who has ever driven a boat can attest that driving on water is not like driving on land. It is not so much as the ship being able to anchor off shore but the danger on the tender itself getting everyone safely to the island. Not only high winds, but the wave action itself could easily throw the tender boat up on the rocks. There is a reason that the men onboard the ship are Captains. They are trained and responsible for everyone's safety. I applaud their decisions to skip ports when there would be a danger to guests. The same people who cry about missing ports due to the Captain's decision are the same people who would be crying that Carnival did not keep them safe. No one likes to skip a port but the Captain is in charge and I fully trust his decisions.

 

Sorry to highjack this thread...but since you've been to HMC several times, i was reading over on the excursion site and it said that 3 scorpions have been killed by tourists over the last several weeks. :eek:

Have you ever seen 1 there. I'm a little worried now and will be restless while we are there...i hate scorpions!

[walorie2000]

Thank you all for your responses so quickly. We REALLY want to go on this cruise to these ports that is why we booked this ship at this time when we could go.

 

If it's these specific ports you want to go to, then you can greatly increase your chances by NOT cruising in hurricane season. Nothing will guarantee that you'll make each port, but you can certainly increase your chances by not cruising the Caribbean in September.:)

[Orionman]

I dont know now really. I have gone over to the 'Review' section here on CC and the most recent reviews have not been that great either. As I said, I am a happy go lucky guy and make the best out of almost anything, but on a a vaction I do expect somethings to go right and be correct and as advertised you know?

 

There seems to be a central theme going that there is a sweage smell on the ship. Obviously I cannot confirm this as I have never been on her.

 

But a few things seem to come out in almost every review I have read.

 

1) The smell and cleanliness of the ship

2) The staff's rudness

3) Always seems to be some sort of "mechanical difficulties" with the Destiny.

 

We were on the Destiny in February and DID miss all our ports but this was before drydock and we knew about it ahead of time. We still had an AWESOME cruise at the new ports.

The smell on the ship is most noticeable when you first get on and the last day. Usually around the elevator shafts and more so the lower you go. I think it has to do with draining the tanks at port and it's really not that bad. It's temporary and very local in nature.

The staff I had were top notch. Not a bad one the whole time.

We loved the ship - it was our first cruise. We had a blast.