INSPIRATION from JAX, anyone?

[Travelmom64]

Would love to get some current feedback on the Inspiration sailing from Jacksonville.....5day going to Nassau and Key West. Traveling with children, 13g, 10b, 8g, 8g, .....I know the ship is old, but any advice would be appreciated!

 

L in VA:)

[lavigne101]

I thought the inspiration sailed out of Tampa?? At least that is where our cruise in March is leaving from. They must move it around.

[Flip2cruise]

I thought the inspiration sailed out of Tampa?? At least that is where our cruise in March is leaving from. They must move it around.

 

I think she meant Celebration

[lavigne101]

Glad, was going to check we were out of Tampa lol....

[woodman]

The Inspiration sails out of Tampa. I sailed her this past January and will sail on her in March. It may be a little old but it is in great shape. We love the Inspiration. The staff is great and the entertainment a bit dated but still a thrill to watch and enjoy. The food is tipical Carnival with a new Deli sandwitch bar on the Lido deck that is great. I think the ship was sent to Jax. for the Super bowl and may be cruising from Jax. for some reason.

[Travelmom64]

The CELEBRATION from JAX......anyone with current feedback?

[jima53]

The ships left Jacksonville and moved back to their regular ports. Celebration is the regular Carnival ship.

 

The nearest hotel is the HOliday Inn Exress about 3/4 miles from the port. Two convenience stores for buying snacks and a Wendy's nearby.

 

Embarkation is pretty good, the security people will direct your car at the first spot they stop you. If you are driving and don't want to go through the dropoff line, tell them and they will direct you right to the parking area which is a couple minutes walk to the port building. It's a small port so you won't have any problems seeing how and where to go.

 

As for the ship, any cruise is better than being at work. We did the find the food on the lido to be cold, especially at breakfast, sometimes,,, hamburgers were precooked and cool, wouldn't melt cheese, hot dogs stone cold, not even heated up. Other times they were okay,,, I couldn't figure out the inconsistency of letting these things happen. You don't serve ice cold scrambled eggs, we were first in line and found them this way. Hot dogs that had never been heated up, they looked like they were right out of the fridge.

Sometimes the pizza was good, sometimes it was dried out from the heat lamp, he refused us fresh until the heat lamp pizza dropped down some. His favorite phrase seemed to be it will be about 10 minutes every time I asked him for calzone or pizza other than cheese and pepperoni.... deli sandwiches and salads were very good, soft server was always available, I used a drinking glass and took it back to our suite. Room sevice was late an hour both mornings we used it for breakfast, toilet worked erratically, closet door kept banging open and closed till we used our laundry bag to tie it open, lights wouldn't work the last night, and our robes disappeard to prepare them for the next cruise. Several items such as room service menu, and tv remote were missing and not replaced until asked for. We were questioned as to if we had them or had looked for them. Other than that the cabin steward was great, very friendly, took great care of our room. Want a good viewing spot, go up on the deck where the suites are and go out the forward door, theres a good spot to see the ship going into port.

 

Music in the lido on sailaway day way too loud for such a crowded place. I'm still trying to figure out why they let the drink dispenser island leak on the floor all week instead of fixing it. Also, why did they do away with trays.

 

Most employees on the ship were very friendly and helpful. The ship was basically in great condition for an older ship. Expect the elevators to be crowded and slower than the fancier ships. We never felt like the ship was worn out or over used, just not really laid out too good. I thought they might have used one of the lido deck outside counters that was an unused bar and convert it to a grill for hotdogs and other snack foods instead of having them on the hot line. Same way on the night they served mexican food... doling out the tacos instead of letting folks fix their own. HAL has the right idea here, a small service cart or stand out on the lido deck near the pools. Reduced the crowd on sailaway day.

 

Leaving the ship, everyone goes through customs here, why in Jax, I don'tknow. Didn't happen in Port Canaveral,,, but both our cruises in Jax it did. Easy to get the bags, and reach our car. No traffic to speak of.

 

Just keep saying, Its better than being at work.

 

Jim