Destiny Spring Break Review March 10-15, 2012

[rstout]

We will be in the Destiny on May 24 with our kids. We tend to go to the buffet on cruises for breakfast and often lunch, as it is easy, but I hear that it can be crowded on the Destiny. Do you have suggestions for good times to go to avoid the big crowds?

[ahoys]

We will be in the Destiny on May 24 with our kids. We tend to go to the buffet on cruises for breakfast and often lunch, as it is easy, but I hear that it can be crowded on the Destiny. Do you have suggestions for good times to go to avoid the big crowds?

 

It looked like anytime before 8:30 seemed like it was good for breakfast. Lots of tables available and you can all go through the line and then find seats. During the peak times, you can go to the omelet stations and sometimes find only a short wait there. If it's a port day when everyone is up and about pretty early, I'd go to the MDR for breakfast.

 

For lunch, it's best to find seats and then take turns going through the lines. Besides, there are so many options for lunch it might be best that way.

[girlscruise2011]

Mousey: thanks for the compliment!

 

FLSteve11: Those blasted papers took a Caribbean cruise, and I never got them out to grade!

 

girlscruise2011: When you use your cabin phone the cost is $1.99 a minute. It's much more reasonable than it used to be. I brought my ipad and used the forum to post to my husband. It was slow, and at times it was frustrating, but it was okay. I didn't have a set time for Dave to look for my posts, so I just posted each night before I went to bed. It wasn't bad.

 

Creole Girl: If you have trouble with heights, this probably would have freaked you out. You can find videos of the ride on YouTube, and if I have a chance, I'll post my own. It's a slow, easy ride...but it does go pretty high up over the trees.

 

Thank you for the info on the phone costs. Maybe I'll do both and just call once or twice to keep the costs down.

[FLSteve11]

 

FLSteve11: Those blasted papers took a Caribbean cruise, and I never got them out to grade!

 

 

Ha! You should make sure to tell your students that their papers got to go on a cruise at least!

[FLSteve11]

We will be in the Destiny on May 24 with our kids. We tend to go to the buffet on cruises for breakfast and often lunch, as it is easy, but I hear that it can be crowded on the Destiny. Do you have suggestions for good times to go to avoid the big crowds?

 

Like ahoys said, go early and you have a better shot. If you go peak times the lines are LONG sometimes.

 

 

However, as someone who has also done a number of RCCL cruises like yourself, I have to warn you the buffet is not nearly as good, or efficient, as the Windjammer on their ships. The lines do get very long, there are only two stations for the general buffet, and you have to go through one of those lines to get anything (there is no seperate area for just getting salad, or hot food, or fruit, etc) The selection itself is pretty small, however they do have a grill area out back in pool area behind the buffet that does pizza (which my DW & DD enjoyed) and things like nachos, burgers, hotdogs that is seperate (it won't be in the buffet) There is also a seperate station for chinese food (which tasted pretty good, but again you have to wait for it) and a seperate NY Deli area on the opposite side (did not try it, but looked decent). Just prepare to be underwhelmed after doing cruises on RCCL with their buffet. Some things Carnival does well, the buffet is not really one of them.

 

We did try the MDR at breakfast and lunch as well twice and enjoyed it (though they don't have anything like the Tutti Salad at lunch, so my wife didn't like it as much), and we're usually buffet people ourselves (certainly for breakfast)

[marybeth200]

Ahoys...

 

We had cabin 7322 (the other aft wrap on that deck) for our honeymoon in May 2010. We only had one lounge chair. I noticed in your pictures it looks like you had 2 reclining lounge chairs. Is that right? We requested a second lounge chair and were told that they couldn't give us a second lounge chiar for safety reasons. Just wondering :)

 

Thanks!

 

BTW- We loved Destiny and wouldn't hesitate to book her again :D

[ladyj3641]

Thank you for doing this review. We cruised on Destiny (our first cruise) in 2009 and we are going again (repeating the same itinerary - Grand Turk, HMC and Nassau) in July.

[ahoys]

Ahoys...

 

We had cabin 7322 (the other aft wrap on that deck) for our honeymoon in May 2010. We only had one lounge chair. I noticed in your pictures it looks like you had 2 reclining lounge chairs. Is that right? We requested a second lounge chair and were told that they couldn't give us a second lounge chiar for safety reasons. Just wondering :)

 

Thanks!

 

BTW- We loved Destiny and wouldn't hesitate to book her again :D

 

Yes, we had two reclining lounge chairs, and two regular chairs. There was one little table between the two regular chairs.

 

This was our second trip on the Destiny. I don't know how I feel about the changes to the ship and renaming her the Carnival Sunshine. I guess I'll wait and see...

[ahoys]

Day 3 continued:

At the top of Mystic Mountain lookout area:

 

 

The long slide seemed popular.

 

 

The view from our table at the restaurant:

 

It was getting late. Even though the ship was not leaving until 7 we still wanted to get back for early seating dinner. We had a pretty long wait in the shuttle bus until they filled the bus with passengers.

 

Warning: the shuttle buses drop you off at the Taj Mahal shopping plaza and you have to walk back to the ship. It is a very, very long walk and then you go to the very, very long pier. I did see some people who were able to ride in their shuttle all the way to the area where we boarded the bus. I don't know if they tipped well or not, but this is the way to go.

 

The shopping area where the shuttle dropped us off:

 

 

The long pier:

 

 

I didn’t like the long walk back. You have to pass by several people who want handouts. We also had a few people call out to us to come see what they were selling. Apparently they are not allowed on the sidewalk so they were down on the ground next to the elevated sidewalk. It was a bit strange to see heads pop up at street level to say, “Hey, ladies, I got lots over here. You want to come look? I sell for good price.” Kind of creepy.

 

Here's the wheelchair escort coming back from dropping off someone at the ship:

 

 

We made it back in time to take pictures of the island from our balcony and then head to dinner.

[rstout]

Thank you for the information!

[ahoys]

Day 3 continued:

 

Mango soup, Caesar salad, turkey, and tiramisu was my dinner tonight. I really can’t complain about any of the food. Everything has been so good.

 

Turkey, dressing, green beans:

 

Tiramisu:

 

 

After dinner we went back to the cabin to watch sailaway and take pictures. I was on the other side of the balcony when Letha yelled, “Kathy, we’ve got runners!!” So I had to hurry to the other side of the balcony to take photos of our pier runners. These guys ran fast! All of the folks on their balconies and out on deck were yelling at them, and they handled it well. Arms raised as if they were winning an Olympic medal, they raced for the finish line. As soon as they reached the gangway, the ramp was loaded and we pushed away from the pier. Made it just in time!

 

Pier runners:

 

 

While we left, people on deck were yelling, "Goodbye, Jamaica! Thanks for having us!" This guy just finished releasing our lines and gave us a sendoff. Cool!

 

The Costa Atlantica "money shot":

 

 

After that excitement I took a nap for about 2 hours. This is pretty unusual…either I’m in for the night and pass out or I’m staying the course and hanging out on deck. But tonight I wanted to be on deck for the deck party and I knew I wasn’t going to last if I didn’t get a nap.

After I woke up, nice and refreshed, Letha and I went back upstairs for the Mexican buffet and deck party. It was fun to people watch. I got a shooter in a light up glass called a “Woo Woo.” It was pretty good.

 

Then we hit the buffet. Lots of good stuff there. Steak taco, regular taco, chimichanga, tostada and lots of different salsas. They had lots of desserts too, and we ended up sharing a very large strawberry trifle. Very good. Went back to the casino where I declared about 1 am that my luck has officially run out.

Back to the cabin to sleep and rest for Grand Cayman.

**A word about the Destiny….she really is rusty and worn. There is a constant sewage smell in our hallway deck 7 starboard aft that starts at the aft elevators and continues stronger as we get to our cabin in the corner. It’s not something that I needed to complain about, just something that was hard to get used to. I know the smell is stronger in some hallways than others. If you are really bothered, then deck 7 starboard aft is one hall to avoid.

The shower floods the bathroom, and it takes forever to get hot water. This is not at all what I’m used to with the other ships I’ve sailed. The water pressure is fairly weak also—again, not at all like the other ships. This got a bit better as the cruise went on.

Although I can see a company’s reasoning behind renaming and rebranding a ship, it makes me sad to look at the Destiny’s display of plaques and gifts commemorating it’s 16 years with Carnival. I like the name Destiny. I really don’t like the name Sunshine.

 

Just my humble opinion….take it for what it is.

[Creole Girl]

Great pictures!

[ahoys]

Thanks for the compliment!

[ahoys]

Day 4 Grand Cayman

We got moving somewhat late today, due to three ladies taking showers and getting dressed. Finally got moving and ended up in the MDR for breakfast, open seating. It was really good. I had an omelet. We sat with some college kids on Spring Break and they were very polite and entertaining.

After breakfast we went on to the Paladium lounge to get our tender sticker and wait for a tender. It wasn’t a very long wait. We arrived in Georgetown probably around 12.

 

The Carnival Destiny anchored off Grand Cayman

 

 

Walked around and shopped in Margaritaville and then on to the Perfumerie. I bought cologne for me and for Dave and then we went back to Margaritaville for some food. Nachos to share and 20 oz yards of margaritas was 82 dollars US. Really? I did expect it to be expensive. I did not expect outrageous. If you do want those plastic yard cups to bring home with you, go ahead and buy them in the Margaritaville gift shop—they’re cheaper there.

 

Really expensive Nachos in Margaritaville

 

 

Called Dave twice and then back on the tender to relax. Some ice cream helped us cool off and lots of pictures of the ships anchored around us.

 

Tendering back to the Carnival Destiny

 

 

The Aida Aura. What were they thinking?

 

 

The past passenger party tonight was pretty well attended and I had 3 blue margaritas. The chicken salad bite was okay, but I’ll probably pass next time. I enjoyed the past passenger video as usual, and had fun cheering for all of the ships I've sailed.

[ahoys]

Day 4 Continued...

 

Dinner tonight was salad with green beans and Roma tomatoes, chateaubriand and grand mariner soufflé. After dinner we went to the seaside theater and watched While You Were Sleeping, one of my favorite movies. I really enjoyed watching the movie on the big screen. It did get a bit chilly after sunset, so next time I’ll be sure to bring my jacket.

 

Movie Under the Stars: While You Were Sleeping

Back again to the casino to lose more money. I definitely have stopped winning. No casino tomorrow—I promise. I just need to cover my losses and take my balance to zero to make myself feel better.

 

Still more food with a late night hamburger. Anita didn’t join us for dinner tonight, so we went to the grill by the pool around midnight. I sure need to get back in shape. Tomorrow is the Behind the Fun tour, and I hope I can do the stairs.

 

Sad to report that the pizza is indeed crappy. When other people have reported how bad the pizza is, I’ve always read their reviews with a bit of disbelief. How bad could it be? I’ve always loved Carnival pizza—surely they couldn’t have changed it that much. Ick. It takes like bad frozen pizza. I don’t know what they’ve changed or why they did, but it is definitely a different recipe and I do not like it. If the pizza is the same on the Liberty in July, I guess Dave and I will not be having any. Turkey sandwiches from the deli might be the way to go.

[marybeth200]

I wonder when they changed the pizza? We sailed Destiny May 2010 and it was YUMMY! I hope they get it figured out before our next cruise (thinking Spring Break 2013) because we loved getting a late night pizza and sitting on deck and just enjoying being on the ocean!

[ahoys]

I don't know when they changed it, but when I sailed the Inspiration in October of 2010, it was the same, yummy, crispy crust that I had always enjoyed. I've read of other reviews and always thought that they must have different pizza tastes than I do. But no, it is definitely different and awful!

[ahoys]

Day 5: Last day at sea

 

We got up too late to have breakfast so we headed straight to the library to meet our Behind the Fun tour. They had, as usual, Danish, coffee, and juice available for us.

The tour was the same as we’ve had before, but it was very good. There are some big differences in size between the Fantasy class and the Destiny. I enjoyed the tour, hosted by HR trainer Chris.

The captain has a stuffed kangaroo mounted on the bridge. It was cute to see the mascot.

 

After our tour we went straight to the buffet for the chocolate buffet. I had a great salad and some desserts. Yum

Gambled some more and was even more convinced that my luck has run out. Why did I go back to those blasted slots?

 

Letha and I changed into our dinner clothes and then went to the fun farewell and had six yummy drinks. Blue margaritas are very good.

 

Before dinner our Behind the Fun treats were delivered:

 

Dinner: mushroom soup, veal parmigiana, and warm chocolate melting cake. It was my least favorite dinner and my least favorite taste of nation, which was a repeat of American day.

 

I enjoyed the mushroom soup:

 

 

Chicken parmigiana:

 

 

It was sad to say goodbye to our waiter, John:

 

 

After dinner we went to the show and I didn’t really care for Voila Paris.

After the show we gambled some more and I need to stay away from the casino on the Liberty, that’s for sure.

Why do some passengers act so childish on vacation? I saw a grown woman kicking the coin drop machine and called over a casino host to report her. She had her grown children surrounding her so that she could kick the machine without being noticed. Once I spoiled her fun she turned around and gave me a sarcastic “Thank you.” I gave her an equally sarcastic thumbs up. We’re all adults, right? Set a great example, lady. When you act like my 9th graders, reporting you was the right thing to do.

I grew tired of losing money so I called it a night.

 

How did I accumulate so much junk to pack? It always happens this way. We had the bags out early and enjoyed a relaxing last evening on board.

 

Debarkation:

 

We got up pretty early in order to have breakfast so we could get on the road and head for home as quickly as possible and have few stops. They opened breakfast on the Lido deck around 6, and we arrived soon after. We had a wonderful hot and fresh breakfast and then headed for the dining room for Platinum debarkation.

There weren’t very many of us opting to leave early, so when the staff member came to escort us off the ship it was a quick and easy process. We left the ship around 7:30 and were in the car and on the road by 8:00.

 

With a couple of stops at McDonalds for drinks, restrooms, and lunch we dropped Anita off at her house around 1:30 and made it to my house around 2:15. It was a relaxing and fun Spring Break and I left myself with one day to rest and do laundry before grading papers and going back to the classroom.

[ahoys]

And my first ever cruise review ends here. If anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer.

 

 

Goodbye, Destiny!

[Shatima]

Yay! A Destiny Review, Bring It On.:D

 

When ur done with this Lovely review, U can check mines out too.. More info the better.. We all need to share :)