(Sorta) Solo Cruise on The Destiny-- Review!

[Breezie68]

Well Hello!

I am sure some of you remember my prior post, but I got dumped prior to my Destiny Cruise, so I decided to go solo!

Here's the back story- skip it if you like :) My friend and I went on a cruise on the Imagination back in 2009 and had a blast. We had so much fun, we decided to book the Destiny back in June 2011 (She was going to celebrate her birthday on the cruise, I was going to celebrate my divorce which which was just made final that May before we booked. She and I originally were going to share a state room, but somewhere along the way, she started dating someone, and I started dating someone, so we invited them along.

 

DAY BEFORE CRUISE:

My boyfriend and I had a rocky relationship a few months prior to this cruise on the Destiny, breaking up a few times for a few days, and eventually, the day we leave (at 4am) he decides to break up with me and decide not to go- citing that it was his kids 13th birthday and he felt bad about leaving.) OK, well nothing is going to stop me from cruising, so I decide to go anyways!

My friend Jess and her boyfriend meet me in Miami the day before the cruise. We stay at the River Park Hotel and Suites. Cheap hotel, located near Bayside. I have a feeling the hotel was really something in the 60s. But nothing has been done to the hotel since then. It was suitable, as it was right next to bayside, and I only payed 60 bucks for the night, so it was worth it. Overall- if you're on a budget, decent place to stay. Not the best accommodation, beds uncomfortable, but hey, its better than nothing.

 

 

EMBARKATION DAY: PORT OF MIAMI

We take a taxi from the hotel, and the fare is something like 10 bucks. We arrive at the port at 9:30, and are ushered right in through the metal detectors and get to check in at the kiosk. We receive zone 1 boarding, and are sitting waiting. We start boarding the ship around 11:30. Of course, I go directly to the Lido for some lunch! And lunch part 2 LOL. I find the staff EXCELLENT, FRIENDLY and FUN!

After the muster drill, I go to the cabin (I am in 9102 on the Lido...which by the way is HUGE!) to see if my luggage has arrived. It has not, so I take a shower, and just put the same thing I was wearing on and hope people aren't offended by my jean shorts and flipflops in the dining room. I meet up with Jessica and Bryan who are also at my table, and Christine, who was on our roll call, and also a solo cruiser. Dinner was delicious- and our waiter was AWESOME. They dance this night and it was a fun one! Dinner was the last time I saw J & B, but Christine and I decide to go to the Welcome Aboard show, and check out the various venues, like the karaoke, piano bar, and the disco. After that, bed time!

 

 

 

 

KEY WEST DAY:

I wake up early and meet Christine at her room. We docked at the Outer Mole, which means we had to take the conch train to the train depot, and it drops us on Duval. We wanted to do some shopping while people were just walking it. We hightail it to Margaritaville (I'm a huge parrothead!) and it's closed. We walk around Duval and decide to go meet up with our excursion, the Key West Pub Crawl, which meets at 10 at the ship. Our guide was Beau. He ROCKED. I absolutely loved this excursion. We went to the Lazy Gecko, The Tree Bar, The Flying Monkey, Schooner Wharf, and Ricks. Well, the pub crawl has me feeling great, so after that I got back on the ship for some much needed hot tub time at the aft pool. Lunch buffet theme was Italian, and I did not see anything I liked, so I went ahead and got the Deli sandwiches which were great. We had a delay in leaving Key West, but we were on the way at my early dinner time. I see Jess and Bryan at dinner. Everyone's all dressed up and fancy, since it's formal night. Since I drank so much, after dinner I wandered aimlessly and tried my luck at the casino. I broke even. I tried going to the comedy night, but the lounge was so packed, they stopped letting people in. Oh well. Bedtime for me! I woke up in the middle of the night to the ship rocking and rolling. Evidently we had hit 40 knott winds and boy was the ship rocking!

[Breezie68]

Day 3 COZUMEL:

Due to the weather, we get to Cozumel at 3, instead of the originally scheduled 1pm. The Captain advised us that we would be boarding the ship at 10pm, and that all mainland excursions were cancelled. Before I left, Jessica and Bryan convinced me to book the Dunebuggy and Snorkel at Punta Sur. Everyone met in the Pallidium Lounge, so the shore excursion people could get off the ship first. It was at this time that J&B informed me they were going on the Dolphin Excursion instead. I was a little miffed they failed to tell me before we were leaving. I am anti-dolphin excursion... I dunno if any of you have seen The Cove, but I just dislike places (including SeaWorld and aquariums) that house these creatures. So I wouldn't have gone on the dolphin excursion anyways. I go to the pier and meet my excursion people. They inform us that since the weather is so bad, instead of snorkeling at Punta Sur, we will instead be going to Chakkanab and then drive around the island. The dune buggy hold 4 people, so I found a group of 3 girls who invited me to join them. First stop was snorkeling. Chakkanab was beautiful! I really enjoyed snorkeling (I have done it before in Hawaii). Also loved driving the whole island of Cozumel. I highly recommend this excursion! I will absolutely do it again!

Once back to the pier, the girls and I decide to go grab some drinks at Three Amigos. The bars were very busy! People sure do party in Cozumel!

I got back on the ship at 9:45, and went to deck 3 to watch for pier runners.

We stayed in port well over an hour after we should have left. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but I saw some people get a chewing out from security for being late. At 11pm, there was a deck party and Mexican Buffet. It was pretty good- several different types of salsa, chips, tacos, etc.

I was whipped out, so I went to bed :) The ship rocked and rolled all night again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 4: SEA DAY.

I was up early, and spent some time reading in the aft area. They had the ceiling shut, and I was sweating, so I decided to move to the main Lido area. I easily found a chair, and soaked up some rays. Around 11am, the sky opens up and it pours.The temperature has dropped. The captain makes an announcement that there's 60 knott winds. It was a lazy day at sea since it rained all day. The ship rocked and there were lots of not feeling well people. I decided to go swimming. The pool back aft turned into a "wave pool" making 3 foot waves as the ship rocked. The pools were too cold for my liking, but I haven't swam yet. so I figured I may as well. I froze so I got out and finished reading my book. The cruise director announces that the ship is rocking too much to have the shows, but the comedys are moved into the main lounge. I lounge around all day, reading in the aft area. Lunch theme for this day was American. Again, I got the deli sandwich. Dinner again was good- the waiters sing and dance this night as well. After dinner, I go pack (can't believe it's time to leave already), and then hit the comedys. They were hysterical!

After that, bedtime.

 

DEBARKATION:

I was zone 6 for my flight out of MIA at 12:05. I was off the ship by 9:30. Easiest debarkation ever! Swift and Efficient!

 

 

 

General thoughts:

I didn't love the layout of the Destiny. I really love the smaller Fantasy Class ships. I found the Destiny a bit hard to navigate at first. The food that I had was very good. I did not have any problems with lines, live I have seen some mention. All staff was cheerful, helpful and great at their jobs.

Entertainment was fair, I didn't love the show, but after being on RC's LOTS, where they have Cirque de Soliel shows, that really set the bar for me. My stateroom was HUGE- I don't think I will ever not stay on the Lido again. I made a new friend, but didn't find the passengers too overly friendly like on some cruises, where I met many new friends. Maybe I wasn't as outgoing as usual. I rarely saw my friends except at dinner, and I really enjoyed doing my own thing. My cabin steward ROBERT was the best I've ever had. My Waiter was probably the best I've ever had. Rain didn't stop my fun!

 

I loved the excursions.

 

Would I sail on the Destiny again? Yes.

 

Am I happy I went Solo? Yes.

[smplyblessed619]

Great review, glad to see one for Destiny! Also glad to hear you had a great time solo...Thanks for taking the time to post & enjoy being SINGLE !!!! WOOT WOOT

[mountainbreeze]

I'm happy to see that you had a great time!! Thanks for the Destiny review!!:)

[LittleMissMagic]

I'm glad you had a great cruise! Thanks for the review!!!

[SMSACE6]

Glad you still had a good time, and made the best of the situation! Thanks for posting your review, and photos.:)

[laumicmah]

Great review! I am glad you had a good time. That's a cruise I'd like to go on and we're actually looking for that itin to come out for 8/13 or the same one on the Imagination. I think getting to Cozumel late was a good thing since you were in port until 10pm and then had the midnight Mexican buffet...seems perfect.

[RuthlessBoss]

Thanks for the review and NOT deserting us:D

[re-re]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.:D

[gapearl]

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you went and had a good time!

[mumtopugs]

I think those of us who read your initial post were curious how this would turn out for you. Thanks for updating us! Glad you had a good time.

[LBumb]

good job

[agc291]

Well Hello!

I am sure some of you remember my prior post, but I got dumped prior to my Destiny Cruise, so I decided to go solo!

Here's the back story- skip it if you like :) My friend and I went on a cruise on the Imagination back in 2009 and had a blast. We had so much fun, we decided to book the Destiny back in June 2011 (She was going to celebrate her birthday on the cruise, I was going to celebrate my divorce which which was just made final that May before we booked. She and I originally were going to share a state room, but somewhere along the way, she started dating someone, and I started dating someone, so we invited them along.

 

DAY BEFORE CRUISE:

My boyfriend and I had a rocky relationship a few months prior to this cruise on the Destiny, breaking up a few times for a few days, and eventually, the day we leave (at 4am) he decides to break up with me and decide not to go- citing that it was his kids 13th birthday and he felt bad about leaving.) OK, well nothing is going to stop me from cruising, so I decide to go anyways!

My friend Jess and her boyfriend meet me in Miami the day before the cruise. We stay at the River Park Hotel and Suites. Cheap hotel, located near Bayside. I have a feeling the hotel was really something in the 60s. But nothing has been done to the hotel since then. It was suitable, as it was right next to bayside, and I only payed 60 bucks for the night, so it was worth it. Overall- if you're on a budget, decent place to stay. Not the best accommodation, beds uncomfortable, but hey, its better than nothing.

 

 

EMBARKATION DAY: PORT OF MIAMI

We take a taxi from the hotel, and the fare is something like 10 bucks. We arrive at the port at 9:30, and are ushered right in through the metal detectors and get to check in at the kiosk. We receive zone 1 boarding, and are sitting waiting. We start boarding the ship around 11:30. Of course, I go directly to the Lido for some lunch! And lunch part 2 LOL. I find the staff EXCELLENT, FRIENDLY and FUN!

After the muster drill, I go to the cabin (I am in 9102 on the Lido...which by the way is HUGE!) to see if my luggage has arrived. It has not, so I take a shower, and just put the same thing I was wearing on and hope people aren't offended by my jean shorts and flipflops in the dining room. I meet up with Jessica and Bryan who are also at my table, and Christine, who was on our roll call, and also a solo cruiser. Dinner was delicious- and our waiter was AWESOME. They dance this night and it was a fun one! Dinner was the last time I saw J & B, but Christine and I decide to go to the Welcome Aboard show, and check out the various venues, like the karaoke, piano bar, and the disco. After that, bed time!

 

 

 

 

KEY WEST DAY:

I wake up early and meet Christine at her room. We docked at the Outer Mole, which means we had to take the conch train to the train depot, and it drops us on Duval. We wanted to do some shopping while people were just walking it. We hightail it to Margaritaville (I'm a huge parrothead!) and it's closed. We walk around Duval and decide to go meet up with our excursion, the Key West Pub Crawl, which meets at 10 at the ship. Our guide was Beau. He ROCKED. I absolutely loved this excursion. We went to the Lazy Gecko, The Tree Bar, The Flying Monkey, Schooner Wharf, and Ricks. Well, the pub crawl has me feeling great, so after that I got back on the ship for some much needed hot tub time at the aft pool. Lunch buffet theme was Italian, and I did not see anything I liked, so I went ahead and got the Deli sandwiches which were great. We had a delay in leaving Key West, but we were on the way at my early dinner time. I see Jess and Bryan at dinner. Everyone's all dressed up and fancy, since it's formal night. Since I drank so much, after dinner I wandered aimlessly and tried my luck at the casino. I broke even. I tried going to the comedy night, but the lounge was so packed, they stopped letting people in. Oh well. Bedtime for me! I woke up in the middle of the night to the ship rocking and rolling. Evidently we had hit 40 knott winds and boy was the ship rocking!

 

 

We did this same cruise over Thanksgiving, are also from NoVa and did the KW Pub Crawl- WITH BEAU!! Looking forward to the review.