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

[mississauga]

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. :)

 

You are going on a cruise. Never feel that you "settle for" when on a cruise.:) Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk are 2 of my favorite ports. Nassau I can do without but hey, 2 out of 3 isn't bad. Getting to go to HMC and GT makes up for it. LOL

[EmaDawn]

Wow, what an amazing review. I read and read and read. We are leaving on 8/14 to sail this itinerary (on the 7 day version) on the Fantasy. It will be my first cruise and I've been going crazy since my in-laws booked it over four months ago. I'm SO overwhelmed with everything but I can't wait.

 

Thank you for providing all of this information. It looks like we are going to do the golf cart thing at Grand Turk for sure...snorkeling at HMC and the Pirate Tour in Nassau (limited funds...so no Cabana this time).

 

Thank you again for all the wonderful information!

[flgojo]

I want to add my thanks for your review. Great detail and awesome pictures. I was already planning on the golf cart for Grand Turk but was wavering on the cost for a cabana on Half Moon Cay. We live in Florida and are not really beach people. After seeing you review and a video posted on cc as well I think we should go for it. Living in SW Florida we can get to the port early to get to the excursion desk.

 

I loved the idea of the towel animals in the window and getting a picture. We have a balcony for our Destiny cruise in May. (my first, couldn't beat the price) so next one after that I am going to copy that!

[bloops]

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!

 

I was on this cruise with a family of 11. We wanted the private oasis; when we discovered it was reserved, we were going to reserve 2 cabanas. On the advice of CVQ, we reserved only one cabana. Even with 11 family members, 1 cabana was fine; there was never more than 4 people in the cabana at any time (thanks CVQ).

[sjn911]

Fantastic trip!! Thank you!!! Photos to die for!!! Thanks again!!!

[kenrod]

Wonderful review!

Wonderful trip!

Wonderful family!

 

Thank you for sharing your narrative with us, CruiseVacationQueen. Your pictorial was amazing. Just like you didn't want the cruise to end, I didn't want your review to end either.

 

Looking forward to reading about your future adventures.

[rksmom]

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

 

Oh please do a review on the 8 day Miracle, DH and I are doing that cruise in Jan 2012. Two of my DD are taking this Destiny cruise in Jan 2011 with me and I am just loving your review. Your pictures are fabulous. :D

 

Sandi

[worktocruise08]

I feel like i just got off the cruise with you. now im going to have PCD and i didnt even cruise :D

 

Thank you for your time and effort, very imformative.

 

i was wondering how close you might be to me when you stated you had a quick drive back to the house for the air conditioner.... sooooooooooo

 

Howdy back FL. neighbor...:p

[gaylensgigi]

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

LOL, I told you this was one great review.Letss book it Danno!!!!!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Wow!!! What a wonderful response to the review! Thank you very much!!!

I have learned so much here at CC over the years that it was definitely my turn to "give back"! Glad you all enjoyed the pictures and (long!) narrative. Wishing all of you many, many days of smooth sailing, whether it be (literally) on the water or (virtually) in front of the computer!

In reply to the recent comments:

Wickedwill ~ Glad to help and enjoy your cruise! (I'm a teeny bit jealous! Well, to be honest... I'm down-right envious!!! :o)

GetMeToABeach ~ I know exactly where you are coming from. The "relatively low" price is one of the main reasons we were able to book this cruise. I think the bad publicity from the past propulsion issue is what's keeping the prices low on the Destiny. Believe me, she is a fabulous ship and we received EXCELLENT value for the money! (Almost feel like we "took advantage" of CCL and should have paid more! :eek:)

dannymissy ~ Thank you so much! While you are there, could you please ask Nathan to buy more golf carts? I'm starting to "worry" that it will be difficult for us to rent a cart in the future! :confused: LOL!

mississauga ~ I forgot to mention more about our recent impression of Nassau in the review. We, too, have grown weary of visiting Nassau over the years, due to the crime issues and pesky street hagglers. I am glad we bothered to get off the ship this time, because we were blown away at how "cleaned-up" the city is now! They tore down the old straw market and a new two-story replacement building in under construction. There was a strong police presence (tourist-friendly & not intimidating) and we "only" encountered 2 agressive hawkers. Every one else accepted our first "No, Thank You" and moved on. We felt very comfortable walking around downtown and the majority of islanders we encountered were welcoming and trying to conduct legitimate business. We have a renewed positive impression of Nassau and are excited to go back soon!

EmaDawn ~ You are very welcome! My DH & I sailed the Fantasy on our honeymoon... lots of good memories on that ship! :p No cabana? No problem! Just head down to the clam shells in between Cabana #10-12, or even the hammocks in the trees past #15! Enjoy your trip!

flgojo ~ If a cabana is in the budget, I say GO FOR IT! You won't regret it one bit. And... OH NO! You are about to become a Balcony Snob! Ha! Ha! We had our first balcony on our 2002 Disney cruise and it took us several years to work ourselves back down to "steerage"! LOL! ;)

bloops ~ Hi, cruise buddy! So glad you saved the $$ and had a great time! Felt kinda' bad for the gentleman who rented 3 cabanas in a row... we never saw more than 1 peoson in those cabanas at a time. (Yikes! :()

sjn911, kenrod, rksmom, worktocruise08, gaylensgigi ~ Thank you all for following along on this journey! Your praises and enthusiasm made doing the review SO WORTH it!

Now, off to investigate the Inspiration here on CC!!!

[vawalkers]

You mentioned that you had cruised out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Do you have a preference? Do you see nay major difference between the two. We drive in from Virginia, so Miami is not much further. Thanks. Really enjoyed your review. I am ready to go to Grand Turk now.

[lucyloo2]

loved your review! You really are the Cruise Queen!

 

We are sailing the Destiny in 14 days..just 2 short weeks and I am sooo excited after reading your review. My DH and I haven't sailed in 18 years (before kids) and we are taking our 18 and 16 year old with us on this one.

 

If you had 3 Destiny/cruise tips to give us what would they be?

[Indiansbaseball]

Bravo !! Amazing review...see you on the Miracle in March and on our Roll Call :D

 

Jen

[CruiseVacationQueen]

You mentioned that you had cruised out of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Do you have a preference? Do you see nay major difference between the two. We drive in from Virginia, so Miami is not much further. Thanks. Really enjoyed your review. I am ready to go to Grand Turk now.

 

We prefer to stay in FLL hotels so that we can eat at Grampa's & Lester's. As far as the ports, we don't really have a preference. We do think that Port of Miami is more organized than FLL and that the CCL reps are a lot more friendly at Miami. Twice in FLL we dealt with rude CCL reps at check-in, but that wouldn't deter us from cruising from there again! In fact, we are sailing from FLL again next March.

[chickie_mite]

<stomping feet>

 

 

Waaahhhhhh!!! I want to go back NOW!

 

 

Thanks for such an amazing review!! Hope to meet you on a cruise some day! :)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

loved your review! You really are the Cruise Queen!

 

We are sailing the Destiny in 14 days..just 2 short weeks and I am sooo excited after reading your review. My DH and I haven't sailed in 18 years (before kids) and we are taking our 18 and 16 year old with us on this one.

 

If you had 3 Destiny/cruise tips to give us what would they be?

 

(1) eat at the secret buffet in the aft pool area, to avoid the long lines in the main buffet (or get there early!)

(2) visit the forward verandahs on Deck 6 & 7

(3) take the Behind The Fun Tour to see all the behind-the-scenes action! Sign up as soon as you board at Excursions Desk ($55 pp)

Here's a few more!

(4) pack bottled water and/or sodas in your suit-cases to drink in your cabin

(5) get to the port early, to avoid long lines

(6) after you board, take a self-guided tour of the entire ship, to familiarize yourself with the layout

(7) bring an open mind and good attitude... some passengers may behave rudely (cut in line, hog pool chairs, bad elevator manners, etc), so ignore them!

Have a wonderful cruise! Thanks for reading the review!

[Sarah@Sea]

Is the TRAM on HMC for anyone, or just for people with cabanas?

[lucyloo2]

Thank you for your tips. They will be quite helpful.

Now to get my family to agree on a shore excursion....we are only 2 weeks away!!!!

[islandcruisersnc]

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!

 

CVQ, great review! We have lived in the DR for 9 years and you will LOVE La Romana! Have a great time!!:D

[ccruise54]

This was such an amazing review! I have spent over a week reading this...the anticipation for each of your posts....it was just fantastic! Thanks for sharing in such detail! Have you ever thought of writing a book??? Just saying......I would have read this book! :D

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Is the TRAM on HMC for anyone, or just for people with cabanas?

 

All passengers! ;)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

CVQ, great review! We have lived in the DR for 9 years and you will LOVE La Romana! Have a great time!!:D

 

Thank you and that is awesome about DR! Are you still there??? Now that you know our "tastes" in shore excursions, can you recommend a few things? Thank you!

[CruiseVacationQueen]

This was such an amazing review! I have spent over a week reading this...the anticipation for each of your posts....it was just fantastic! Thanks for sharing in such detail! Have you ever thought of writing a book??? Just saying......I would have read this book! :D

 

Thank you!!! I don't know about a book... but I was thinking of starting a blog! My second favorite hobby is cooking. (Can you guess the first? Cruising, of course!) I have started taking pictures when I cook, so I can remember all the great (and not so great!) concoctions I make! Maybe I could combine the food & travel into one blog!?

[Maple_Girl]

Excellent Review. I very much enjoyed reading it. Thank you for writing.

[pokergirl34]

Wow is all I can say!!! Fabulous review!! You have talked me into the cabana !! Thank you so much!

 

How far of a walk was your cabana to/from the lunch area ? If we can snag a cabana, I'd like to bring back my lunch to eat in there :)

 

thanks!