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

[CruiseVacationQueen]

We store our shorts, t-shirts, socks & under-garments in the 3 drawers. We use the 2 cabinets (to the left of the vanity bench) to store the 12 bottles of water we brought on board, our huge stash of sunscreen and my make-up case... with plenty of room to spare! There are nightstands on both sides of the bed. DS stores his PSP and book in one, and I store my empty carry-on bag in the other. All our empty luggage fits easily under the bed. BTW, there is also a large corner compartment on the floor under the TV, which stores the life jackets. We use the top as a shelf for our snorkel gear and Carnival beach towels. Note, how our 2 bottles of wine look like 4... in the long Wall of Mirrors! LOL!

 

 

 

So... is this the fanciest cabin in the Carnival fleet? No. Is the decor out-dated and is the sofa faded and worn? Yes. But the entire cabin is clean and none of the fixtures are broken. Plus, the room is at least a good foot wider and longer than other Carnival cabins with the same layout... even our balcony cabins on the Liberty! And the beds are really comfy, too! Yay! We're on another Carnival cruise! We decide on a number combo for the safe and stash our passports, wallets, documents and jewelry bag inside... with lots of room to spare. We finally hear the first Safety Briefing announcement around 3:40 pm. Off to Muster we go! According to the sign on the back of our door (and on the front of our S&S cards), our Muster Station "F" is located mid-ship on deck 4:

 

 

 

 

We are so happy that life-jackets are no longer required at the new-and-improved "Safety Briefing". We open our cabin and step out into the hall-way. Where is everyone? Oops! We must be late. We round the corner to the stairs and make our way up 2 flights of stairs to Atlantic deck 4. We join a small group of people just ahead of us, and step out onto the outside promenade. We see the sign for Muster Station F just ahead. Ummm... where is everyone? We are among a small group of 20 people... and that's it!? Slowly, but surely, more passengers trickle in to attend the briefing. We notice that most are carrying blue S&S cards. Ok... now it makes sense. We are traveling with a large bunch of cruise-newbies. They just didn't know where to go and what to do! After a painless 20 more minutes or so, the briefing is over. We head back to the cabin to grab the camera to take a brief tour of the ship before sail-away!

 

So, camera in hand we open our cabin door to leave, and are happily surprised to see our Cabin Steward standing just outside! He introduces himself (we can't remember how to spell his name correctly, so we will call him Rey in this review!) and tells us that he is from Jamaica. He has a very nice demeanor and great, big smile. Before I can even ask about the bed for DS, Rey asks if it's okay of he converts the sofa into a bed instead of making DS sleep in the trundle bed on the floor. Well, we are certainly off to a good start! After a few more minutes of pleasantries, we bid him farewell and head off to explore the ship!

 

We decide to start exploring at the back of the ship and work our way forward. We head to the aft elevators, and ride one up to deck 9. DH is getting hungry, so we must find him something to eat. I have a bit of a head-ache, too... so I better get an ice cream cone! LOL! We enter the aft pool area, and notice the retractable roof is closed. Hmmm... I wonder why?

 

 

 

 

 

 

We turn right and step up to the Pizza counter, but unfortunatley they don't have any pizzas ready yet! DS obediently poses for a picture anyway (note: the pizzas shown in the case are for display only!):

 

 

 

 

 

We go around the corner and enter the Sun & Sea buffet restaurant through the aft & port side doors, and this is what we see... a beautiful domed skylight!

 

 

 

 

I quickly snap this picture of the port side of the main buffet line, before hustling to catch up with DH, who is on the hunt for food!

 

 

 

 

We continue heading forward and pass by the Deli counter. When we exit the buffet restaurant into the main pool area, guess what we see: ICE CREAM! We all pause to enjoy our first cone of the cruise!

 

Next up: is a rainy sail-away in the forecast?

[CruiseVacationQueen]

So after we finish our ice cream cones, we realize why the retractable roof was closed over the aft pool. Here comes the rain! DH spots a bar in the Main Pool area, so we weave our way through the maze of people who have taken cover under the deck overhead. We make it there relatively dry and order some beverages. While we wait for our cold drinks, I snap this photo of DS & DH, who muster up a smile, even in the rain:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, then...

 

 

 

 

just a minute or two later...

 

 

 

 

... the rain stops and the sun appears!

 

 

 

 

 

Drinks in hand, we head forward to check out more of the ship! The time is now 4:20 pm. As we take the stairs in the pool area up one level to Deck 10, I realize that we are moving! The rain may have delayed the Sail-away party by the pool, but it apparently didn't delay the captain! Woo! Hoo! We're sailing! I turn around to notice the ever-changing view of the whale tail against the Downtown Miami skyscrapers and got this shot:

 

 

 

 

 

DS wants to check out the Circle C area, which we think is just ahead and up one more flight of stairs. It turns out that Camp Carnival is on Deck 10, as is the gym and the spa. So we take a look at those areas. The spa looks pretty standard (with his & hers changing rooms, sauna & steam rooms), but the inside of the gym is a big surprise... it's huge! And the ceiling is very high. There is an aerobics area in the center, enclosed in glass (where the hot tub is located on some ships), with a curious pair of stairs on either side that go up one deck. DS heads up the stairs and peeks through the port-hole windows in the doors. Ah, ha! He finds the Club O2 room on the port side and the Circle C room on the starboard side. Apparently these doors are for emergency use only, so we make our way back out through the gym and spa to find the stairs that take us up to the next level.

 

Once up on Deck 11, we take a peek at the teen rooms. Pretty cool for an older ship. Lots of games, large flat-screen TV, computer terminals, dance floor, etc. Enough to keep spoiled teenagers on a cruise happy! LOL! It's still too early to register DS for Circle C (which starts at 5 pm... 30 minutes from now), so I suggest we find out of there are any secret forward verandahs on the ship. Down we go to Deck 9 and walk all the way forward. Bummer... only more cabins. Down the stairs we go to Deck 8, where I spot a Cabin Steward in the hallway! He informs us that we need to go down one more level to reach the forward decks... yes! So, down we go! We walk all the forward on Deck 7, open the interior door, open the exterior door, and step out onto the wide, open deck. Here's a view of the inter-coastal side of South Beach from our little hidden oasis:

 

 

 

 

 

Well, it's not that hidden, as you can clearly see... the Bridge is just above us on Deck 8. On the level where we are standing, there are a pair of exterior stairs going down to Deck 6. We go down and check that area out, also. It's another open deck with stunning views like this... the very end of South Beach and the Atlantic Ocean (views are subject to change, of course)!

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is even a tranquil little seating area:

 

 

 

 

Ahhh... doesn't that bench look inviting?

 

 

 

Up next: DS almost gets blown away!!! And DH, too!

[Froufie]

So, it's now a few minutes past 3:30 pm and we still haven't heard the announcement to proceed to the Muster Drill (err.. now called the "Safety Briefing"). I snap a few pictures of the cabin before we head out...

 

Notice the old-fashioned hairdryer above the toilet and the ashtray above the roll of paper ~ haven't seen those Carnival "touches" in a while! LOL!

 

 

 

 

 

The vanity is generous in size, but has no shelving above and only a narrow ledge below:

 

 

 

 

 

Wow! The shower is the full width of the bathroom! Nice and roomy... with adjustable shower-head, small shelf, soap & shampoo dispenser, clothes line & towel rack:

 

 

 

 

 

Big enough to avoid that dreaded "shower curtain cling" dance!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet another relic from the good 'ole days of sailing on Carnival... when you were allowed to bring "a reasonable amount" of beer onboard:

 

 

 

 

Up next: more cabin photos, then off to Muster Drill!

 

Thanks for the great bathroom pics (yes I was planning to bring my own hair dryer anyways - and there is a shelf under the sink instead of those side ones so I guess that will work).

 

Love the size of the shower but I notice in one of the pictures it looks like the DRAIN is actually outside the edge/lip of the shower? Is that possible or am I seeing things? (If so how does it drain? or does is just overflow and drain??) Or is it covered by the shower curtain (and what I am seeing is a 2nd drain outside the shower?)

[LizaMM]

Awww! Thank you so much! I have been wondering if I was going into too much detail, and if I should shrink the size of the pictures. Thanks to all of the encouragement, I will keep going forward without changing a thing! I should have several more installments posted today... thanks again, everyone!

 

Don't change a thing!!!!! Your review is perfect!!!

 

It has been many years since I sailed on Destiny but she holds a special place in my heart! I am considering a B2B in the near future and am so enjoying your review both for the wonderful memories of my Destiny cruise as well as planning for my future cruises!!

 

GREAT JOB!! THANKS!

[Karboleda86]

Excellent review thus far! I sail her this august!

[makeup face]

Thank you for the wonderful review:) The pictures are great. I emailed a few to my friend who I'll be cruise with out of Miami in January. This will be her first cruise:D BTW...your son looks like his dad;)

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Thanks for the great bathroom pics (yes I was planning to bring my own hair dryer anyways - and there is a shelf under the sink instead of those side ones so I guess that will work).

 

Love the size of the shower but I notice in one of the pictures it looks like the DRAIN is actually outside the edge/lip of the shower? Is that possible or am I seeing things? (If so how does it drain? or does is just overflow and drain??) Or is it covered by the shower curtain (and what I am seeing is a 2nd drain outside the shower?)

 

Hi, Froufie!

 

You are correct: there is a drain in the shower, it's just hidden by the shower curtain. The only drain visible in my photo is the back-up drain.

 

FYI... that "shelf" under the sink is more like a 4" high raised section of the floor and is way back under the sink. I was worried that if we stored anything there, it might get splashed by mop water when the steward was cleaning the bathroom. Yuk! As you can see, we left a few things on the vanity top, and then stored the rest in the pockets of our hanging shoe organizer. Worked out just fine for us. The shelf in the closet above the safe is another handy location to store bathroom items.

 

Are you sailing a B2B on Destiny? I see your count-down clock mentions "double date"...

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Thanks for all the positive comments, everyone. Glad to know you are enjoying the review! DS got back from camp at 10 pm last night... I'm soooo glad he's home! He wants to help me with the review, but first we are going to watch a movie (Percy Jackson) and relax a bit. Will post more of the review later today!

[Froufie]

Hi, Froufie!

 

You are correct: there is a drain in the shower, it's just hidden by the shower curtain. The only drain visible in my photo is the back-up drain.

 

FYI... that "shelf" under the sink is more like a 4" high raised section of the floor and is way back under the sink. I was worried that if we stored anything there, it might get splashed by mop water when the steward was cleaning the bathroom. Yuk! As you can see, we left a few things on the vanity top, and then stored the rest in the pockets of our hanging shoe organizer. Worked out just fine for us. The shelf in the closet above the safe is another handy location to store bathroom items.

 

Are you sailing a B2B on Destiny? I see your count-down clock mentions "double date"...

 

 

Okay - note to self - nothing on bottom shelf due to dirty MOP WATER!!! EWWW..... thanks for the warning (even tho my stuff will be in makeup/travel bags guess I don't want them 'washed') - so will plan accordingly!

 

Yes doing a B2B in February on the Destiny - can't wait!!! so excited (esp as I will be platinum on the 2nd leg - YIPPEE:D)

[done it]

my gooodness! Have you EVER seen such a wondeful bathroom! Amazing!! And who who would have thought the pizzas were FAKE!? GREAT REVIEW!-more more more!

[justlovecruisin]

Wonderful review. I am now wondering if I could do as good a job reviewing the Freedom when we get back. Ummmmm maybe, maybe not.

[CARNIVALCRUISE3]

Thanks so much for the super interesting and detailed review! I love the Pictures! I'll be sailing on this ship on July 22nd (19 more days) on the Western Route to Key West and Cozumel.

[kenrod]

This is an excellent review CruiseVacationQueen!

 

I am enjoying it very much and eagerly awaiting more. Keep up the good work! Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[kevey]

Great review so far - seeing those pictures and reading about your experiences are wheting the appetite for our 2 B2B cruises on Destiny in 7 weeks time. We shall also be on main deck - Cabin 2236, so are particularly interested in the cabin photos.

 

One question - looking at the Carnival Fun Times, couldn't see any mention of afternoon tea which I thought Carnival provided on sea days in one of the dining rooms or lounges. Did you see if this took place on the sea day on your cruise ?

[flippr5657]

love LOVE LOVE the review and pictures!

We have sailed out of FLL, Canaveral (sp?), Vancouver BC and Miami. I think Miami is the prettiest port to sail out of.

I don't get to cruise until Feb 2012; so it's trip reports and pictures like yours that keep me happy

Thankyou so much :D

Keep up the good work!

[lisabug08]

Thanks for the great review.....we leave on the Destiny in a week and ca't wait!

[fab4cruisers]

Thank you for the review, my family is enjoying it too!!! we are also leaving in a week:D I have some questions do they have a chocolate buffet on the destiny? if so do you know which day? and when is the midnite buffet? what would you suggest to do in Grand Turk? we have no plans for this port? We are traveling w/ children and teenagers any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Once again thank you for your review and the BIG PICTURES.........

[honeymooners11]

Thanks so much for the super interesting and detailed review! I love the Pictures! I'll be sailing on this ship on July 22nd (19 more days) on the Western Route to Key West and Cozumel.

 

Carnival cruise3 , we too are doing the Western route in August and can't wait. We would love to hear about Key West and Cozumel when you get back. Cruise Vacation Queen...... Loving your review. August seems too far away!

[dannymissy]

This is a very fun review! I love the details both in your description and pictures. Your excitement comes through and is very contagious!

[crusinmo]

i cant see any your photos anymore it says your bandwith has been exceeded does anyone know anything about this?

[ScoobyGal]

i cant see any your photos anymore it says your bandwith has been exceeded does anyone know anything about this?

 

I'm seeing the same problems. I've checked other threads with large and numerous photos, and I can view them with no problems. Maybe it's an issue with PhotoBucket?

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Great review so far - seeing those pictures and reading about your experiences are wheting the appetite for our 2 B2B cruises on Destiny in 7 weeks time. We shall also be on main deck - Cabin 2236, so are particularly interested in the cabin photos.

 

One question - looking at the Carnival Fun Times, couldn't see any mention of afternoon tea which I thought Carnival provided on sea days in one of the dining rooms or lounges. Did you see if this took place on the sea day on your cruise ?

 

The afternoon tea was held on the Sea Day in the Universe Dining Room. See Tuesday's Fun Times activities... look for "Tea Time Concert" at 3 pm. Enjoy your B2B on the Destiny... two teas for you! ;)

[WinnipegCruiser]

I'm seeing the same problems. I've checked other threads with large and numerous photos, and I can view them with no problems. Maybe it's an issue with PhotoBucket?

 

 

It is Photobucket. We have exceeded the FREE bandwidth that photobucket gives out. The reference to PRO is the hint that they want money to turn the spigot back on.

 

A really good reason to use Google Picasa.... free, and no bandwidth costs ever.

 

BTW this happens a lot, and even has a name for it... slashdotted... named for the website that causes this almost every day....

[WinnipegCruiser]

Thank you for the review, my family is enjoying it too!!! we are also leaving in a week:D I have some questions do they have a chocolate buffet on the destiny? if so do you know which day? and when is the midnite buffet? what would you suggest to do in Grand Turk? we have no plans for this port? We are traveling w/ children and teenagers any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Once again thank you for your review and the BIG PICTURES.........

 

I love Grand Turk, but I don't have kids tagging along... I spend the day at the FREE Jimmy Buffett Margaritaville pool... (pool is free, but I spend a couple of hundred in food and drink)

 

I am sure there are other things to do, but so far I haven't needed to look...

 

 

[CruiseVacationQueen]

Thank you for the review, my family is enjoying it too!!! we are also leaving in a week:D I have some questions do they have a chocolate buffet on the destiny? if so do you know which day? and when is the midnite buffet? what would you suggest to do in Grand Turk? we have no plans for this port? We are traveling w/ children and teenagers any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Once again thank you for your review and the BIG PICTURES.........

 

Yes, there is a chocolate buffet! Carnival now schedules it during the day, (usually during lunch) and it is not widely advertised. Look for "Chocolate Extravagaza" in your Fun Times, but it may not even be listed. We believe that on the Destiny it coincided with "Lunch with the Entertainment Staff" (on Tuesday, Grand Turk day)... but there was no mention of "chocolate" in the Fun Times. We just happened to stumble upon it after reboarding!

 

Carnival offered "late night" snacks every night on th Destiny... from 11 pm to 12:30 am in the buffet restaurant. The Mega Deck Party was held Tuesday (Grand Turk) by the Main Pool at 10:30 pm... the the late night snack theme was Mexican.

 

In Grand Turk (as you will see in the future pages of the review), we like to tour the island on our own... stopping at our favorite, secluded beach in the afternoon to swim & snorkel. We may share the "secret" location in the review, if you promise to keep it a secret! LOL!

 

Working on the picture problem now... review will resume shortly!