LONG Destiny Review 12/13 - 12/18 Eastern Caribbean

[zippybossrock]

Hi there....let me start off by telling you our cruise was from Santa....he's great! Me, DH and 2 DD's ages 10 and 6. This was my 3rd cruise, DH's 2nd cruise and DDs' first. They were SO excited!!!

 

Day prior to heading off to Florida. We decided to use Park and Fly to stay overnight in Buffalo, NY, the evening before our flight. We stayed at the Ramada nearby the airport and were able to leave our car there while we were gone. We paid $103 for our double room, which was very nice. The staff at the Ramada were great. The airport shuttle picked us up promptly at 8:45 to take us to the airport for our 11:00 am flight on JetBlue. Security was no problem and we departed on time. We LOVE JetBlue!! Our daughters, ages 10 and 6, loved that they had their own TV and could watch whatever they wanted.

 

We arrived on time in Ft Lauderdale and called SAS Transportation to let Steve know we had arrived. We waited no more than 3-5 minutes for his van to arrive, got our luggage loaded, and we were off. Our driver, Carlos, was great and gave us all of the info we’d need when we arrived back in Miami after our cruise. Our drive from Ft Lauderdale to Miami took about 35 minutes, which was a nice drive. I would definitely use SAS Transportation again….our rate from the Ft Lauderdale airport to our hotel in Miami was $15 per person. The rate from the Port of Miami back to the Ft Lauderdale airport was $13 per person.

[zippybossrock]

We had booked the La Quinta Airport East in Miami based on recommendations here on CC. It was ok for a night prior to a cruise. Based on our conversation with Carlos, our SAS driver, we would probably stay in Ft Lauderdale next time around. Nicely, Carlos agreed to stop at a Walgreens so we could pick up a case of water, a 12 pack of soda and a box of wine. This was great considering there was nothing within walking distance of the La Quinta. Upon arrival at the La Quinta, we checked in and signed up for the 10:30 free shuttle to the Port of Miami. We checked out our room, which was your basic double room and then headed to dinner. We ate dinner at the Bennigan’s in front of the La Quinta and had an ok dinner. I’d never been to a Bennigan’s before…not really impressed with it.

 

 

The next morning we were up early to some sunny, but chilly, weather in Miami. We stopped at the free continental breakfast and grabbed yogurts. We didn’t want to eat a big breakfast as we’d have lunch on the ship. Our shuttle arrived a few minutes early. Everyone and all bags were loaded and we were on the road at 10:45. The ride to the port took only 10 minutes or so. Upon arrival, our bags were unloaded from the bus directly to porters. We headed right into the terminal. The self serve kiosks were easy to use and once we had our receipt from the kiosk, we were given a Zone 4 card and directed immediately to an open clerk who quickly processed our sign & sail cards. We then went to wait for our zone to be called in the Kids Zone area. This was fantastic for families traveling with children. Carnival has a huge play area set up with games, toys, a play house and several computers. Our girls played the whole time we waited. Around 11:00, the wedding parties were called for boarding and I noticed that now Zone 23 cards were being given out. I was even more thrilled now with our Zone 4 card!!!!

 

 

More to come soon with pics.....

[richbum]

Lovin it so far.....keep it comin!:D

[spideyfam]

Happy New Year! Looking forward to the rest of the review!

[zippybossrock]

At almost 11:30, our zone was called and we were off!! We headed up the escalator, posed for our boarding picture and handed off our cards to hear the “BING”!! I knew that I wanted to find the excursion desk ASAP once we’d boarded the ship so I could reserve a cabana at Half Moon Cay. My husband noticed the excursion desk immediately to the left of the entrance onto the ship and I walked right over. There was no one in line! I asked to reserve a cabana and the clerk pulled out the list. I saw that there had been only one other cabana reserved at that point! We wanted to be further down the beach and away from all of the crowds so I chose #12, Yellow.

 

From there, we noticed all of the Christmas decorations in the atrium and the tree just outside of the Palladium Theater. We walked into the Palladium to take a peak, took a few pictures and had a nice woman offer to take a picture of all of us in front of the Christmas tree.

 

We then made our way to the Lido deck and into the buffet. We enjoyed a nice lunch and the view of a sunny Monday in Miami. My daughter and I had Chinese….very good! My husband and youngest daughter tried a bit of a few things from the buffet. We went out to the pool area for a bit and enjoyed a DOD…yum!!! The girls had worn their bathing suits under their dresses so they were ready to check out the hot tubs. They said they were actually kind of cool, but they didn’t care.

 

At 1:30, we left to see if the rooms were ready yet and saw the doors were still closed. We were about to turn around and go out to the pool area when a steward opened the doors. I had booked our first balcony cabin on the Lido, 9187. We were thrilled with the convenient location and even more thrilled with the extra space of the balcony. I don’t see myself going back to an inside cabin again!!! Even with the 4 of us, it never felt cramped in our cabin. Carnival makes really good use of the space in each cabin and we had more than enough storage space. We met our cabin steward, whose name I cannot recall because we really didn’t see him throughout the cruise. However, he did a fantastic job everyday in our room and for that, we made sure to give him an extra tip at the end of the cruise.

 

Having the balcony worked out great for us. After the girls fell asleep at night, we were able to sit on the balcony and enjoy the evening with some wine. I really enjoyed keeping the door open at night (which stayed open on its own…didn’t need the bungee cords we’d brought) and hearing the sound of the ocean.

 

After hanging out on the balcony for a while, we headed out to explore while we waited for our luggage to arrive. We somehow ended up taking a tour of the spa and got my husband (not me)signed up for an aromatherapy wrap and massage. But he does work really hard and I thought he’d really enjoy it. Right after the tour, we had to head down for the muster drill. I was kind of bummed this one was held out on the deck with everyone lined up….but grateful that we didn’t have to wear our life vests for it!!! My previous cruise on the Inspiration had the muster drill in one of the lounges. I suppose they can do that on the smaller ships. After muster drill, we went up the Camp Carnival to see what that was like. The girls liked what they saw and definitely wanted to try it out during the cruise.

 

It was time for hubby’s massage so he went to the Spa and the girls and I went to explore a bit more, we strolled the decks and then I took them to the Atrium bar. I ordered up some tropical virgin drinks for the girls and a Miami Vice for myself. They were a hoot…..they thought it was so cool to drink their frothy drinks! Once we finished up our drinks, we went to see if our luggage had arrived. We had one bag so far and started to unpack. Within 30 minutes, we had the rest of our bags and were unpacked. We enjoyed sail away from our balcony while waiting for hubby to return from his massage. When he got back, he said he was very pleased with the wrap and massage. It was nice for him to have a relaxing massage as he has a bad back.

[bela47911]

Great review so far, thanks :D

[Froufie]

Sounds like you all had fun! Can't wait to hear more and see the PICS!!!

[nessz79]

Great review!

 

We have sailed on the Destiny Western June '10 and will be doing Destiny Eastern this June '11. The funny thing is that we had Room 9187 last time- we loved it so much that we booked the same cabin again for our next cruise! It was my husband and I and are 2 boys (ages 5 and 7 as of the last cruise...6 and 8 on our next). My in-laws had cabin 9185 and we opened the balcony divider so we'd have more space.

 

I hope your girls enjoyed Camp Carnival- my boys loved it and used it every day for a little while.

 

Looking forward to hearing more =)

[zippybossrock]

Great review!

 

We have sailed on the Destiny Western June '10 and will be doing Destiny Eastern this June '11. The funny thing is that we had Room 9187 last time- we loved it so much that we booked the same cabin again for our next cruise! It was my husband and I and are 2 boys (ages 5 and 7 as of the last cruise...6 and 8 on our next). My in-laws had cabin 9185 and we opened the balcony divider so we'd have more space.

 

I hope your girls enjoyed Camp Carnival- my boys loved it and used it every day for a little while.

 

Looking forward to hearing more =)

 

OMG...what a coincidence!!! We LOVED 9187....great room & a great location! If we sail on the Destiny again, I definitely want to try & get 9187 again!!

[zippybossrock]

Having some trouble getting my pictures uploaded into my posts so I've uploaded them to photobucket. Here's the link:

 

http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p166/mrsdawg73/Carnival%20Destiny%20Dec%2013%20to%20Dec%2018%202010/

 

Almost forgot to mention.....about 2 weeks before we sailed, I got a call from Carnival offering us an upsell. We were offered the Presidential Suite for a flat rate of $650 for the four of us. Have to admit....it was tempting but since this was a 5 day cruise with 3 ports and only day at sea, I figured we really wouldn't be spending much time in our cabin. So, I declined.

[zippybossrock]

We decided to go to get dressed and go to the early comedy show as I’d set us up for late dining. The show was really funny and we enjoyed it. We then headed to dinner in the Galaxy dining room and were pleased to find we were assigned to a 4 person table. I certainly like to meet new people, but I hate to try and make conversation with strangers at dinner.

Our wait staff in the Galaxy dining room was great. Everyone was friendly and the service was wonderful. We ate dinner in the Galaxy every evening and ate breakfast each day in the Universe dining room. We had great service there as well.

 

My older daughter was thrilled to order the Flat Iron Steak every night for dinner, except for Elegant Night when she tried the lobster tail and loved it. My little one ate pizza or chicken nuggets every evening from the kids menu. My husband and I tried a variety of entrees and were happy with them all. I thought the food on this cruise was very good. The only complaint we had was when, on Elegant Night, my husband ordered the Prime Rib and there was quite a bit of fat on his cut. But that’s pretty typical of Prime Rib.

 

The only times we went to the buffet was to get a little something to tide us over till our 8:15 dinner. A few times we stopped at the Sushi station for something to tide me over to dinner. My older daughter tried sushi for the first time and enjoyed it. I think next time around, we might try the Anytime Dining option.

 

Day 2 – Nassau. We enjoyed the view pulling into and docking in Nassau before going to breakfast in the Universe dining room, which was very good. I think the only time I order Eggs Benedict is on a Carnival ship and LOVE it! After breakfast we were ready to check out Nassau. I’ve actually never known of anyone liking Nassau but I wanted to go with an open mind. It was nice to get off the ship, actually, since our first afternoon/evening at sea had been pretty rocky. I’d heard there were 35 mph winds causing up to rock quite a bit, but thankfully, it didn’t bother any of us.

 

Once outside of the terminal bldg we were stopped several times with offers of tours, carriage rides, etc. A polite “no” was all that was necessary. I’d been watching the weather for Nassau and knew that temps in the 60’s were all that were expected so that really limited us in that we really couldn’t do any water activities or the beach. We decided we’d play it by ear and see what we felt like doing. Anyhow, we decided we’d head over to the Straw Market.

 

On the way over, we came upon what looked like a scene from “COPS”. Police were trying to arrest a man right in front of a bank and he was resisting. We saw one officer pull out a billy club and start hitting the man. I pushed my daughters back to they couldn’t see what was going on. But we heard someone say “Stop beating him, he’s a human being”, which really upset my older daughter. We were sort of frozen and didn’t know what to do. As soon as it started, it was over and they had the man in the car and everyone went about their business. We waited for a few minutes and then decided we’d continue onto the Straw Market. We were off the ship early so many vendors were still opening up. I saw LOTS of knock off purses….many of which were pretty good looking. We only bought a few little trinkets. Once we were done at the straw market, we considered doing a tour but decided against it since half of the stops on the tour were for water activities….again, too cold for that. So, after about 2 hrs in Nassau, we headed back onto the ship. The girls wanted to hit the hot tubs again and we enjoyed the sunny, but windy day.

 

Before we went to dinner, the girls wanted to spend some time in Camp Carnival. They both enjoyed it quite a bit. My older daughter’s group learned a dance and my little one’s group learned 2 songs that they were both perform in a Christmas show on our Day at Sea. After all of the days’ activities, the girls were worn out and so was I so after another nice dinner in the Galaxy, we headed back to our cabin and the girls zonked out. We enjoyed a couple glasses of wine and called it a day as well. We had to be up early for our day on Half Moon Cay!

[nessz79]

OMG...what a coincidence!!! We LOVED 9187....great room & a great location! If we sail on the Destiny again, I definitely want to try & get 9187 again!!

 

If you do go Destiny again, I recommend calling Carnival directly to get 9187 again. We couldn't find it online and worried that someone had already booked it. But when I called Carnival it and 9185 were available again (we like to do cruises w/ DH's parents).

 

We also loved 9187. Perfect space for us and we loved the bunks. Also, LOVED the location. Steps from all the action and all the food we could get. Also close to Camp Carnival, though they didn't usually meet there for the 6-8 year olds. DH loved that it was close to the fitness center.

[nessz79]

I think next time around, we might try the Anytime Dining option.

 

We enjoyed having the Anytime Dining option- we liked that we could go whenever we wanted to. We ate relatively early each time and never had problems being seated immediately. We didn't find a particular server that we liked best, but you can request the same one if you find one you want.

[nessz79]

Here's a pic of when we had 9187. Excuse the mess- we were packing up to go home.

 

[delta13]

Thanks all for the cabin pics and review! I just booked the Destiny (western Carib) last week and leaving on 1/20. This will be our 6th cruise but the first time in a balcony as well and we are soooo excited as we usually cruise in an inside! It will be myself and dd 23 and ds 19. My dd 23 knows we are getting a balcony but ds 19 does not and we can't wait to see his face when he is looking for an inside cabin and we open the door to the balcony! Just wondering at check-in in Miami, is there a separate check-in for balcony customers? I know NCL has a separate line and just wondering if the surprise will be spoiled prior to boarding the ship.

[familycruzr]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. I always love to see pictures of a ship before I sail.

[zippybossrock]

T Just wondering at check-in in Miami, is there a separate check-in for balcony customers? I know NCL has a separate line and just wondering if the surprise will be spoiled prior to boarding the ship.

 

No, the only separate check in, I believe, is for wedding parties and platinum level (10 + cruises). Upon arrival in the terminal, you're given a zone boarding card, which is the order in which groups of people are allowed to board. We arrived around 11-ish and got a Zone 4.

[zippybossrock]

Day 3 – Half Moon Cay. We skipped breakfast in the dining room this morning as we were told to be on the gangway at 7:30 am for our 8:30 am Stingray Excursion on Half Moon Cay. We all had Pop Tarts that we’d brought and enjoyed the sunrise view of HMC. We were trying to see from the balcony which cabana was ours, Yellow #12.

 

We packed up and headed down to Deck 0. Upon arriving at the gangway, I wondered if we were in the right place as there were no other passengers there. We were told we were in the right place and to wait by the ropes. Turned out, we were literally the first ones there and were the first ones off the ship at Half Moon Cay! (I hoped to be the last ones back on the ship but DH got a little nervous about missing the last tender boat :) ) Our tender ride was nice…the island is GORGEOUS!! Once we were off the tender, we went over to the excursions desk and checked in for our cabana and the Stingray excursion. The clerk had a driver take us over to our cabana and told us to be on the path at 8:30 for the pick up for the Stingrays.

 

We were thrilled with our cabana location and all that it came with. I would definitely rent one again…..we thought it was very worth the money! When we booked the cabana we were asked our shoe sizes (for the 4 sets of snorkel gear provided) and preference of soda...for 4 people you are provided 8 cans of soda and 6 bottles of water. You also get a tray of cut fruit, another tray of cut veggies, a bag of Tostitos and bowls of guacamole, salsa, ranch dressing and a bowl of sour cream. You also get a plate of oranges. The cabana also had an air conditioner, a fan, a mister, a fridge, cabinets as well as a nice round table and chairs. Out on the "porch" of the cabana were 2 comfy chaise lounges, a fresh water shower, 4 floating mats and the snorkel gear.

 

At 8:30 we were picked up for our Stingray adventure. Once we arrived, we were given a briefing and then able to enter the water….and OMG….it was FREEZING. The stingray area is on the other side of the island and why the water over there was so cold, I have no idea. My girls were a little freaked out by the stingrays but enjoyed it. It was over in exactly an hour and we were taken back to our cabana.

 

We sampled some of the fruits and veggies we provided in our cabana and then hit the beach. Later on, we walked over for the barbeque and brought back a nice lunch to our cabana. We LOVED HMC…..what a beautiful island!!!! The water was a little cool in the early morning but warmed as the day went on. We spent the day swimming, laying out and repeating. :)

 

Here’s my one complaint & it had nothing to do with the island, but instead some rude (imo) people. A group decided to set themselves up directly behind and underneath a window of our cabana. It was very strange. I felt like we were having our privacy invaded as it was a very awkward situation. They were set up an uncomfortable distance from us…..really right on top of us. I thought maybe it was common for people to do this, but on my way over and back from the barbeque, I saw no one else parked behind cabanas. Later in the day they overtook 2 of our chairs and set them up only a few feet from the steps coming down from the cabana. We sort of had to walk around them to go past them down to the shore. I thought they might take a hint when I kept making eye contact, but no. My husband thought perhaps they didn’t know the cabana was rented, but seriously, how could you not? There’s a sign right on the front that says “Private Cabana”.

 

Anyways…..we were told the last tender boat was at 3:30, so at 3:00 we packed up and found a REALLY long line for the tender, but it moved very quickly and all too soon, we were saying goodbye to Half Moon Cay.

[zippybossrock]

Forgot to mention about the.....the Stingray Adventure excursion....if you've done Stingray City in Grand Cayman, this is nothing like it at all. They have 8 captive stingrays and the guides do a nice job of speaking about stingrays and explaining how to hold a squid for feeding the stingrays.

 

With kids, however, I think this was a good way to interact with the stingrays. My girls, 10 and 6, might have panicked out in open water with stingrays.

[soccersharon]

Hi Zippybossrock,

 

Great review so far! What was the cost for the stingray interaction and cabana rental on HMC?

 

Thanks in advance!

[zippybossrock]

The stingray excursion was $25 per person....not bad for an hour. The cabana was $225.

[zippybossrock]

Day 4 – Grand Turk. Again, awoke to a beautiful view and immediately felt the increase in temperature in Grand Turk…yeah!!! We went to the Galaxy dining room for breakfast and then headed off the ship. Grand Turk was going to be nothing but a beach day….and what a great day it was! It started out a bit cloudy but cleared and it was a gorgeous day. We found some chairs in the shade on the beach in front of Margaritaville and ran into the water. The water was even warmer than in HMC…..beautiful!!! We swam and played and snorkeled all day.

 

Later, I decided to check out the shops in the plaza and bought a few items from Piranha Joe’s and a stand for Grand Turk Sandals. Before heading back to the ship, we hung out and watched people attempt to ride the Flow Rider….what a hoot! I hope no one got hurt because when they wiped out, it really looked like it would hurt!!!! We were worn out from a day of fun in the sun and sadly headed back onto the ship. After showering, we went out onto the balcony to watch the stragglers come back onto the ship. Yep…..there were some runners who were being heckled by people on their balconies. One couple started running and the girl fell flat on her face on the pier. Another girl was walked back to the ship by security…..she must have really been enjoying herself at Margaritaville because she was having a very hard time walking straight. J

We decided to go to the comedy club again before dinner and enjoyed the show before heading to dinner. We were all worn out from the sun and fun and called it an early night. My husband couldn’t sleep so he went to the R rated comedy show and said it was hilarious.

 

 

 

Day 5 – Day at Sea…..The last full day of the cruise is so sad…..we knew we’d have to head home the next day. L We all slept in and then went to breakfast before heading out to the pool, where there was not a chair to be had. My husband ended up going a deck above to grab some chairs that we set up near the pool. We thought we’d made a nice spot for ourselves until the ice carving and hairy chest contest started and then I began to feel a little claustrophobic. Once they were over, it was fine. My little one and I spent some time in the hot tub…..she said the pool was too cold. My older daughter thought the pool was fine. We headed in to shower and change for the Christmas show in the Palladium Theater. The entertainment staff and performers had put together a really nice show the kids put on and then Santa made an appearance. All of the kids were able to tell Santa what they’d like for Christmas, pose for pictures and then were given a Camp Carnival backpack with some gifts inside! The girls were thrilled! We then went to the early show, which was a sort of a French Revue. It was nice. We went on to enjoy our last dinner in the Galaxy and then off to bed.

 

 

Debarkation - We didn’t want to leave!!!!!! After breakfast in the Universe dining room, we headed back to our cabin to pack up. We were in no hurry since our flight out of Fort Lauderdale was not until 2:44 pm. I wasn’t looking forward to the wait in the airport, but on the other hand, there was no stress in getting off the ship. So, I guess I’ll take no stress any day!!

[spideyfam]

. We thought we’d made a nice spot for ourselves until the ice carving and hairy chest contest started and then I began to feel a little claustrophobic

 

 

Did you watch the hairy chest contest? It was pretty sad when that man in the contest started to have a seisure. Glad the host moved on really fast to the next guy. On tv, it was even edited out. My wife and I felt really bad for him. Not sure if he should have been in it to begin with.