LONG! Carnival Destiny Review & Photos ~ 6-14-10 ~ 5 days to Grand Turk, HMC & Nassau

[CruiseVacationQueen]

As you can see, the cabana offers plenty of seating: two comfy loungers and four padded chairs. The A/C is blowing at full blast... the ceiling fan and two side windows help circulate the cool-ish breeze. DH is soooo ready for me to put the camera away! LOL!

 

 

 

 

 

The lounger in front of the misting fan is the coveted spot, of course! Notice the bags of snorkel gear at DS's feet.

 

 

 

 

 

The small refrigerator is behind the left cabinet door and the garbage can is behind the door on the right. The cabinets in the middle are empty and offer several shelves to store our stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

The side windows offer privacy and a nice cross-breeze. I guess the fire extinguisher is there in case we burst into flames from the heat! LOL!

 

 

 

 

 

At 10:15 am, we notice a four-wheel vehicle driving up the beach. It's Carnival crew members delivering goodies to the cabanas! They bring us nachos, sliced fruit, raw veggies and 4 dips: guacamole, salsa, sour cream and blue cheese! Yum!

 

 

 

 

 

They also deliver a cooler with bottled water and sodas on ice, plus an ice bucket and 3 plastic cups! The price of the cabanas is $225 for up to 4 people. Each person receives 2 beverages of their choice: water, Coke, Diet Coke or Sprite. The snorkel gear and mats are also included free of charge with the cabana. Note: if there are less than 4 in your party (like us on this trip) you will not receive 8 drinks, only the 2 per person. Wish we knew that in advance, because we would have told the Excursion Desk clerk that there were 4 in our party. No biggie, but it seems like all 8 drinks should be supplied because the price is the same whether you have 1 or 4 people. Now, if your party is more than 4 people, you are supposed to pay an upcharge of $45 per person... for 2 more drinks, snorkel gear and a water mat. Not sure we would "mention" the extra people if our party was more than 4! Just saying...

 

 

 

 

UP NEXT: enjoying our day at HMC!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Great review! Do servers walk down the beach for drink service, or do you have to go to the bar yourself? I can't believe the nerve of people trying to use your cabana! Oh well.

 

Thanks for your time in posting this review and all the pictures.

 

Hi... you will have to wait for the next post to find out! :p Stay tuned for more! :D

[cruisin07family]

Check out the view in our front yard! Not bad, huh?! Wish we could stay here FOREVER!!!

 

 

 

 

UP NEXT: more views around the cabana!

 

 

 

Totally stolen for my new screensaver!! Not even ashamed as it is just tooooo beautiful not to copy! Thanks!

 

BTW, we're strongly leaning toward the Inspiration 5-day for our 25th anniversary so I'll be watching for that review!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Your review is so much fun to read. I feel like I'm on a virtual cruise with you. Thank you for taking us along.

 

Hi! Thank you and you are welcome! I notice you are from Largo... you probably know first-hand to avoid stepping on those cedar tree seeds, huh?

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Totally stolen for my new screensaver!! Not even ashamed as it is just tooooo beautiful not to copy! Thanks!

 

BTW, we're strongly leaning toward the Inspiration 5-day for our 25th anniversary so I'll be watching for that review!

 

LOL! You're not stealing, just borrowing! ;) I can see I have my work cut out for me on our Inspiration cruise. Glad it is only 4 days long... this 5 day review is taking me FOREVER to finish! LOL!

 

BTW, we are sailing on the Miracle in March. Do you expect me do a review of that cuise, too? It's EIGHT DAYS long! Oh, bother... what did I get myself in to? LOL! :p:o:D

[mississauga]

LOL! You're not stealing, just borrowing! ;) I can see I have my work cut out for me on our Inspiration cruise. Glad it is only 4 days long... this 5 day review is taking me FOREVER to finish! LOL!

 

BTW, we are sailing on the Miracle in March. Do you expect me do a review of that cuise, too? It's EIGHT DAYS long! Oh, bother... what did I get myself in to? LOL! :p:o:D

 

 

Of course, You are the cruise Queen after all!:p

 

Loving your review! :D Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing ,,,,, both your commentary and your photos. Nice looking family.

[cruisin07family]

I'm sure everyone would enjoy your Miracle review. We've already sailed the Miracle though and this Destiny review has the same ports which is why I'm following so closely. Are you sailing the Miracle from FL? I'm not sure what those ports are but I bet you'll take some beautiful pics anyway.

 

My son walked by my computer and saw your HMC photo and asked if you touched it up to be that blue!!!! I sooo can't wait to visit these ports.

[Indiansbaseball]

Hey Crusing Buddy :D

 

Of course you have to do a review of our Miracle Cruise... you've set the bar so high...no one can compete..LOL

 

You have made me realize how much we missed at Half Moon Cay... didn't shop... and missed the buffet and also the kids area.... sigh..guess we will have to go back.

 

Jen

[worktocruise08]

CVQ - im just loving reading your review, we will be on the destiny in january and im trying to get all ducks in a row and this is helping

 

Question - i went back and re read your first day boarding and i either missed it or it wasnt there so i wanted to ask. What time did you officially get on the ship and in line for the shore excursion desk to get your cabana? what time did the desk open and was there a line when you boarded. did you have vip boarding which got you on earlier or is it just that you got to the pier early.

 

i believe im going after number 11 from all you wrote but im looking at 8-9 as well.. i know you wanted 11 but which cabana is the closest to the restrooms. im not worried about the food at all, just know when i begin to drink the closer i am is better lol:D

 

im also thinking if the golf cart now based on your review so if you keep this up i will be totally broke haha..

 

can you also tell us if you have a link to all your photos that you took so we may look at them. awesome camera as well what did you take these with, model etc...

 

thanks again for all your hard work you are helping tons of us out salute. :)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Guess what else the Carnival crew delivered? A waiter stationed right beside our cabana... selling ice-cold water, soda & beer! Are we lucky or what? She is our new best friend!

 

 

 

 

According to the travel clock we brought along (we put our watches in our cabin safe), it's now 10:20 am. Time to go swimming! DH thinks it's good idea to put the fruit, veggie and dips in the refrigerator for safe keeping from the heat. I agree, but the trays are too long to put in the fridge. DH helps me transfer the fruit & veggies to the 3 plastic drink cups, which fit nicely on the top shelf. We take the dips off the tray and set them on the second shelf inside the fridge, and use the saran wrap to keep them covered. Just then, we notice a few sugar ants walking around the cabinet's counter-top. I am glad DH had such a great idea, or our snacks may have gone to the ants!

 

Everything stored safely out of sight, we grab our snorkel gear and head to the beach. Ahhh... the water temperature is perfect! HMC is not the best place to snorkel because there is no grass or rocks, but we don our masks anyway and give it a go! We swim around for an hour and a half and only spot one fish. No problem, we are having a great time anyway! Grrrr... is that a rumble in our tummies? Yes! Let's go eat lunch.

 

We drop our snorkel gear off at the cabana and head up the path to the tram road. We follow the sidewalk around to the lunch buffet pavilion. Lunch will be served at noon, which is just a few minutes away! We head over to the pavilion bar (a few steps away) and order a couple of frozen Miami Vice drinks ($7.50 ea) and a Coke ($2) for DS. A small crowd has gathered near the buffet entrance, and we join the other hungry passengers. In just a few more minutes we are invited inside, and line up at one of the several stations serving hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, several cold salads, fruit, cookies and more! We pile our plates high with a bit of everything and head back home to eat. When we get back to the cabana, I visit the waiter just outside our cabana to buy a couple of Heineken's ($5.75 ea) for DH & me. Everything tastes great and none of the food goes to waste!

 

After a short rest, we shellac ourselves again with sunscreen and head back into the water for more swimming and snorkeling. We end up swimming almost all the way down to the south end of the beach! A couple of hours later, we drag ourselves back to the cabana, tired and hungry. Let the snack feast begin! We try our best to not let any of the fruits, veggies, dips & tortilla chips go to waste, but there is just too much food for 3 people. We don't even touch the oranges... I hope the island crew will eat them! The drink waiter is no longer just outside our cabana, but I easily flag down one of the several waiters on the beach. I order a bucket of 4 Heineken's, and put 2 in the fridge to enjoy later. DS retreats to the hammock for a little R&R, and DH & I stretch out on the padded loungers. Ahhh... this is the life!

 

 

 

 

The time is now 3:45 pm. I decide I've had enough of a wet suit, so I shower off and change into dry clothes. DH decides to do the same. We spend our last hour on shore resting in the cabana, enjoying the last 2 beers and watching DS play in the sand near the surf. What a great day! I spend a few minutes tidying up the cabana and packing our belongings back in the back-pack. Unfortunately, it's now 4:30 pm and time to leave... sniffle! Instead of riding the tram back, we decide to walk along the water. The entire beach is almost deserted. The island crew has their hands full restoring the beach back to pristine condition. They are busy picking up trash and hauling lounge chairs back into neat rows. As we walk along, we retrieve a few floats that were left in the water. Before long, we are back in the courtyard area and walking down to the marina.

 

There is only a handful of passengers waiting. We must have just missed the previous tender. We wait... and wait... and wait for the next tender to arrive. I walk around and take pictures to help the time pass. The "You are Here" sign is close to the entrance to the courtyard. Please note that the locations of the cabanas are not accurate on the map. There is a total of 15 on the beach. Cabanas #1-5 are grouped together between the Bell Bar and Water Sports Center. Cabanas #6-8 are grouped together just north of the WSC and Cabanas #9-15 are grouped together a little farther up the beach.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a close-up of the north end of the beach: #5 points toward the horse stable and #6 points toward the kayak excursion on Bonefish Lagoon. The restrooms are directly behind Cabana #10.

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a close-up of the middle of the beach: #4 is the wave-runner excursion (we did it before & it's a blast!) and #3 is the stingray adventure. Notice that the Lookout Bar is about 3/4 of the way down the running path... I think that is funny! LOL!

 

 

 

 

 

And, here is the close-up of the south end of the beach. Club HAL has 2 locations... one is the beach-front water park and the other is a sandy playground area. Note that the tram actually runs well past the lunch pavilion... in fact, all the way out to the horse & kayak excursions. The Bahamian Church is a must-see, tranquil retreat!

 

 

 

 

 

UP NEXT: leaving HMC!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

The next (and last!) tender finally arrives a few minutes past 5 pm. We are burnt, tired and can't wait to get back onboard to shower. We make it back to our cabin by 5:30 pm (it took forever to get off the tender!) and debate whether to go to eat dinner in the MDR or at the buffet. The MDR wins because we really like our servers and table-mates, so we shower as fast as possible! Dinner is good again tonight and the service is great, as usual! After dinner, we take DS up to Circle C for a couple of hours. The entertainment tonight is The Game of Love (marriage game show) at 9:15 pm and the Showcase of Stars (passenger talent show) at 10:30 pm. DH & I decide to skip both and spend the evening together instead. Before picking DS up from Circle C at 10:30 pm, we stop by the shops to buy a Destiny photo album ($12.95) and a t-shirt & hat for my Dad (2 for $30), who is house sitting the cats while we are gone. And here is the animal waiting for us in our cabin:

We rise and shine a little later today and wake to find we are already docked in Nassau (arrived at 7 am). We quickly shower, dress & eat breakfast before heading to the Library for the Behind The Fun Tour. We arrive just in time (at 8:45 am), to meet our tour guide and the other 7 passengers joining us on the BTFT (cost is $55 on shorter cruises and $95 on longer cruises; book at Excursions Desk as soon as you board) No photography is allowed on the tour, so before we enter the lower decks a security officer "wands us" to check for concealed cameras or phones. I won't go into too much detail here except to say that over the next 3 hours, we get to visit the galley, crew quarters, behind stage, laundry room, food & drink store room, control room, bridge and more! We meet several crew members, staff and officers along the way, including a private session with the Captain. What a cool experience! The grand finale was a group picture with the Captain. At the very end of the tour we each receive a hat, lanyard and recipe card for Warm Chocolate Melting Cake! There is another surprise waiting for us in our cabin: two plates of chocolate-covered strawberries and miniature cakes. Later that evening, three copies of the picture with the Captain are delivered to our cabin. This is a must-do excursion that we highly recommend!

We scarf down the 2 plates of sweet treats and then head upstairs to our secret buffet (Caribbean is today's theme). The time is only 12:45 pm, so we decide to get off the ship and spend some time in Nassau. I snap a picture of the taxi fares, being ever-mindful that it may help one of my fellow CC'ers!

We exit the Cruise Terminal building and take a right toward Senor Frogs. DH comments on how nice Nassau looks today and I agree. Several food stalls line the side-walk, offering several Caribbean specialties including conch ceviche made right in front of our eyes. How we wished we hadn't just eaten. Oh well, at least we can feast with our eyes! At the end of the food stalls, a group of young girls is dancing to Contemporary Christian music. We stop and enjoy thier graceful movements for a few minutes... looks like 3 whales tales are watching also!

Just a few more feet down the sidewalk is Senor Frogs. (Normally we don't take our son to places like this, but SF has been a regular tradition since we first started cruising. We always stop for a margarita when we sail to ports with a SF.) We find a great space to sit down inside, on their open deck over the water. Not a bad view, huh?

DS sips on his Coke while DH looks out over the turquoise water!

UP NEXT: more of Nassau!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Great review! Do servers walk down the beach for drink service, or do you have to go to the bar yourself? I can't believe the nerve of people trying to use your cabana! Oh well.

 

Thanks for your time in posting this review and all the pictures.

 

Hi, stever! To answer your question now... yes there were plenty of servers walking up and down the beach, even to the last cabanas. We were impressed at how hard they worked, trudging throught the sand all day!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Of course, You are the cruise Queen after all!:p

 

Loving your review! :D Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing ,,,,, both your commentary and your photos. Nice looking family.

 

Thank you!!!!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

I'm sure everyone would enjoy your Miracle review. We've already sailed the Miracle though and this Destiny review has the same ports which is why I'm following so closely. Are you sailing the Miracle from FL? I'm not sure what those ports are but I bet you'll take some beautiful pics anyway.

 

My son walked by my computer and saw your HMC photo and asked if you touched it up to be that blue!!!! I sooo can't wait to visit these ports.

 

Hi! We will be on the 3/27/11 sailing of the Miracle, on Carnival's new "Exotic Southern Caribbean" itinerary. We sail from Fort Lauderdale for 8 days to Grand Turk, Aruba, Curacao and Domincan Republic. DH & I will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary in GT and we're excited to see DR for the first time! We sailed to A & C on the Westerdam last year, and loved both islands. Tell your son: no touch-ups and the water is even MORE beautiful in person! Thanks for reading the review!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Hey Crusing Buddy :D

 

Of course you have to do a review of our Miracle Cruise... you've set the bar so high...no one can compete..LOL

 

You have made me realize how much we missed at Half Moon Cay... didn't shop... and missed the buffet and also the kids area.... sigh..guess we will have to go back.

 

Jen

 

Hi, Jen! Well isn't it a shame that you HAVE to go back! ;)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

CVQ - im just loving reading your review, we will be on the destiny in january and im trying to get all ducks in a row and this is helping Glad to help!

 

Question - i went back and re read your first day boarding and i either missed it or it wasnt there so i wanted to ask. What time did you officially get on the ship DS got his foot in Destiny's door at exactly 11:36 am! at and in line for the shore excursion desk Just a minute or two later, after parking our luggage in the Atrium (with DS watching it!) to get your cabana? what time did the desk open 11:30 am and was there a line when you boarded only one man ahead of us, and he rented three cabanas (#8-10), BTW!. did you have vip boarding Not VIP yet, but working on it! which got you on earlier or is it just that you got to the pier early. We got to the Port at 10:30 am and were among the first 20 or so passengers inside the terminal upstairs. We were in boarding Zone 2.

 

i believe im going after number 11 (10, 11 & 12 are the best, IMHO!) from all you wrote but im looking at 8-9 as well.. i know you wanted 11 but which cabana is the closest to the restrooms. Cabana # 10 is right in front of the restrooms im not worried about the food at all, just know when i begin to drink the closer i am is better lol:D Too funny!

 

im also thinking if the golf cart now Go for it! based on your review so if you keep this up i will be totally broke haha.. Sorry about that!

 

can you also tell us if you have a link to all your photos that you took so we may look at them. All the photos I am willing to share online are posted in this review (all 250+ of them! :D) awesome camera as well what did you take these with, model etc... I have a Kodak Z1015 IS 15MP camera that I bought for a steal online at Wal-Mart on Black Friday last year!

 

thanks again for all your hard work you are helping tons of us out salute. Thank you and you are very welcome! :)

 

 

Hi, FL neighbor! We live just down the road in between Orlando & Tampa! See above for your answers! Happy Sailing to you!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

One more picture from the deck at Senor Frogs... a nice butt-shot of Sensation and Fantasy! LOL! Notice Destiny's whale tail peeking around Fantasy's!

We finish our drinks as a drinking contest begins inside the bar. I think our tradition of stopping by SF may soon be a thing of the a past. DS comments that he "can't stand those wild contests" and I think to myself: That's a good thing! We step out of SF at 1:40 pm into the bright sunlight. We follow the sidewalk to the right, up to the next block. We hang a left on Bay Street and below you can see the street view, looking straight ahead. DS notices the Pompey Museum sign and wants to stop and check it out. We step inside the museum (cold A/C!) and pay the modest entry fee ($3 adults & $1 kids). They currently have a large collection of slave artifacts on display. We take our time viewing each object and reading several large placards with history from that time. While the subject matter is hard to digest and difficult to comprehend, the display is put together quite wonderfully. We browse in the small gift shop and thank the host before leaving at 2:25 pm.

All-aboard isn't until 4:30 pm, so we spend a few more minutes wandering around downtown Nassau. These shops are on the road facing the Cruise Terminal which is called Woodes Roger's Walk. Harley Davidson is at the end of the two-story building.

Here is the view down Charlotte Street, where Hard Rock Cafe is located. Loud, booming thunder cuts our visit short (it's only 2:35 pm) and we decide to head back to the ship early!

Inside the Cruise Terminal, we stop by the Post Office to buy our usual stamp and post card. A few minutes later, we pass through security and step outside for the short walk to the ship. We are greeted by more loud booms and ominous clouds overhead. This could get interesting! LOL! Those three ladies sure look pretty all lines up in a row!

As we get closer to the Destiny I notice that Paradise Island (to our right) is still nice and sunny! The massive pink buildings are Atlantis Resort & Casino.

UP NEXT: getting back onboard the Destiny for our final evening!

[cruisingagaininnov2008]

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for providing so much detail about the cabana. You ought to get a cut of the profits. I did not realize that there was shower available. We are a party of 5 (possibly 6). I didn't even know the upcharge was an option, but like you were "just saying...", I am not sure that we would count everyone in. (Do you think that is an issue with the tender? Not all of us have to get there at the same time, but it might be nice.) That may sound a tiny bit dishonest, but, we will more than make up for it buying alcoholic beverages and extra sodas/water, etc. :D Do you pick your own cabana or is one assigned to you?

 

I was excited for this trip, now I am REALLY excited. Thanks for the great review!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

So, the time is now 2:40 pm. A nice couple notices me taking pictures of the Destiny and offers to take a family picture of us. Maybe it's just the weather, but a melancholy mood washes all over me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the Carnival flag looks sad, blowing slowly in the wind. And The bell is silent... why is the bell silent?? Waaaaaaaa! I don't wanna' go home! Boo! Hoo!

 

 

 

 

 

I am going to miss this water... this blue, incredible water! How am I ever going to manage back on dry land? Waaaaa! Don't make me leave!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

As we turn the corner to board, I take what I think is one... last... picture... of Destiny in the Caribbean! Sobbing loudly, now!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Then DS reminds me that we haven't taken a picture of our Towel Buddies in the window, yet! The guard is very kind to let us walk past the security area to get this shot. See them in the window under the #18 life-boat? Ok, I feel better now! Let's get onboard and enjoy our last evening at sea!

 

 

 

When we get back to the cabin we decide to pack, so we don't miss any of tonight's activities. I find it amazing how it takes me days and hours to pack FOR a cruise, but I can pack everything away in one hour when leaving FROM a cruise! LOL! Packing done, we shower and head down to dinner!

 

Tonight's dinner is great (again!) and we linger at the table with our dinner-mates until 8 pm. We say our good-byes to our new friends and our awesome servers and venture out into the ship to enjoy our last evening onboard. Tonight's show is Viola Paris and we drag our reluctant DS to the show with us. We have really enjoyed the entertainment on this ship and tonight's show doesn't disappoint! After the show, we escort DS up to Circle C and head down to the Casino to spend all the Match Play Cards we've accumulated this week. The roulette table is brutal and we lose almost every bet. All our MP money is gone in just a few minutes... ouch! Well, so much for that! DH & I enjoy the rest of the evening together and wander around the ship a bit. We take advantage of a watch sale ($19.99) and buy my dad one last Thank you gift. Just before midnight, we head up to the aft pool area to get pizza and ice cream. The Circle C's Farewell Party ends at 12:35 am and the next activity is Last Chance For Pizza, so we hang out here for DS.

 

The retractable roof is still closed, even though it never rained. I close my eyes and inhale the "cruise ship smell". It smells real good. As we sit here, waiting for DS I reflect on our amazing journey. This cruise is definitely one to remember: a great ship, wonderful ports, excellent service, fabulous weather & meeting new friends, including the one waiting for us back in the cabin!

 

 

 

 

 

~~~~ THE END! ~~~~

 

.

[floatingaway2525]

Ahhhhhh hate for it to end, simply fantastic review!!:D Much love to my girl Bonnie for the heads up:)

We did a B2B on Destiny in Oct 2008 and I think you just decided me that I need to do that again next year!!!:p

Thanks so much for taking the time, enjoy your next sail coming right up!!:D

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for providing so much detail about the cabana. You ought to get a cut of the profits. I did not realize that there was shower available. We are a party of 5 (possibly 6). I didn't even know the upcharge was an option, but like you were "just saying...", I am not sure that we would count everyone in. (Do you think that is an issue with the tender? Not all of us have to get there at the same time, but it might be nice.) That may sound a tiny bit dishonest, but, we will more than make up for it buying alcoholic beverages and extra sodas/water, etc. :D Do you pick your own cabana or is one assigned to you?

 

I was excited for this trip, now I am REALLY excited. Thanks for the great review!

 

Hi! Thank you so much! My advice is to skip the upcharge. I know this is a "gray area" but Carnival will get all that money from you in other ways... like your drink tab! LOL! Besides, you will find that you spend very little time IN the cabana (we average less than 2 hours/day) and most likely all 5 (or 6) of you will not be IN the cabana at the same time. You can all ride the same tender together, because only one excursion ticket is issued per cabana. When you get in line for the tender, show your ticket to the crew member, point out everyone with you, and he/she will let you ride the tender together. On the island no one comes by to count heads. When you go to the Excursion Desk to reserve a cabana, they will let you pick from all the cabanas available! I am so excited for you! Enjoy your cruise!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Ahhhhhh hate for it to end, simply fantastic review!!:D Much love to my girl Bonnie for the heads up:)

 

We did a B2B on Destiny in Oct 2008 and I think you just decided me that I need to do that again next year!!!:p

 

Thanks so much for taking the time, enjoy your next sail coming right up!!:D

 

Thank you! Thank you!

[Wickedwill]

CVQ-Thank you for the time and effort it took to do this review. We sail on Destiny in 44 days and thanks to you I have most of my days planned out.

[GetMeToABeach]

OOOOOHHHH!!! I hate it when a cruise ends. :( Thank you sooo much for all the time and effort you put into your wonderful review. We are looking at this cruise for next summer. Due to money issues, this was a cruise we "settled for," but your review has convinced me that we are in for a real treat! I'm really excited now!!

 

Thanks again. :)

[dannymissy]

This has been a phenomenal review, and I thank you! Dan and I will definitely be looking to do the golf carts in GT! So excited about that. Seriously, you have a wonderful flair for review writing, and a beautiful family, and I just thank you so much for sharing!