Inspiration 4 Day Review w/Grandkids!

[edpat5911]

This is only my second review (first in depth one) so I will do my best…. I guess I will start my story with a little background. Ed (DH) and I were married 7 years ago. I had 2 grandchildren and he had 6 grandchildren, another granddaughter born since our marriage and even 1 great grandchild! As most of you, we are just an average hard-working couple, but we have always made it a point to try to take at least one vacation a year with at least some, if not all of our grandchildren. Almost a year ago, in the summer, while camping with the grandkids we came up with the idea of taking them cruising. With so many grandkids, we would have to break them up and take only a few of them at a time, so this cruise we took our three oldest grandchildren that live here in Arizona. Our crew this time consisted of Alexa 13, Scott who was just two weeks short of his 13th birthday and Kayleigh 10. Both Scott and Kayleigh had been cruising once before, but this would be Alexa’s first cruise.

 

Well, on to the cruise…. We drove over the day before the cruise, it was the kid’s spring break from school and it turned out that Scott had a school field trip to CA the three days prior so we picked him up from the Long Beach Aquarium at the end of his field trip Sunday afternoon.

 

The year prior DH and I had been on the Splendor for a Mexican Riviera cruise and thought we would take the kids down to watch her sail away. I guess I should mention that Scott, in particular, is a cruise fanatic!! (Could he be related to his cruise fanatic grandmother ?!?! Hmmm…LOL) He knows all the Carnival ships and stats by heart, even tho he had only been on one cruise before (Carnival Paradise). So, we went down to the pier and gazed at the huge Splendor! The kids were in awe! After taking a few pics we wondered what to do with ourselves for the afternoon. We wandered over to the booth there that sells the hats and sunglasses and got to talking to the lady there and she told us that we could get onto the Queen Mary at no cost if we said we wanted to shop or eat on the Queen Mary. (We had looked into going on a tour on the Queen Mary, but the price for the 5 of us was a bit more than we wanted to spend). The kids were very happy to hear that we would be able to look around on the beautiful ship and I was glad that they would be able to see and appreciate the difference in cruising then and now. So we pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the beautiful old ship and watching the Splendor sail away from the aft of the Queen Mary!

 

 

 

 

To be continued.....

[edpat5911]

Because of there being 5 of us, we could not book our hotel through Priceline, so we ended up booking the Hampton Inn in Seal Beach, which was not far at all (maybe 5 miles) and a beautiful drive. We went to bed around 10 that night as we were all excited and we had plans to arrive for the early check-in on the Queen Mary.

 

 

We were the first to arrive at the gates to the check in at the Queen Mary that chilly morning, around 9, but they didn’t begin the check in until 9:30. It was not long at all until a line started forming behind us. Apparently we are not the only non-VIP savvy people that wanted to get on the ship early! LOL

 

We had a smooth check in with a trainee lady who was very nice. We had brought signed and notarized letters from both sets of parents allowing us to sail with the grandkids out of the country along with their birth certificates, but they were never asked for either on check in or by customs on our return. Oh well, better safe than sorry I always say!!

 

 

BTW this is our cruise critter, Odie!

 

Finally it was time to board the ship, around 11 pm. First went a few VIP passengers that were there, then it was our turn “Zone 1” Yeah!! We stopped for a quick pic or two but the kids were anxious to get onboard!!

 

 

We went straight to the Lido deck to start chowing down on the buffet! The kids had heard me talk about the 24 hour pizza and ice cream and they couldn’t wait!! It was about 11:15 when we started eating. It was great getting on early as the buffet was nearly empty and we had no trouble finding a large table for our crew. After filling up on the buffet, pizza and ice cream we left to check out the ship. We went up on deck 10 and now the sun was out and it was warming up nicely!

 

 

About 2 pm we went down to our inside cabin on Empress deck 7. Wow, yes, it was a little tight for the 5 of us, but we quickly learned how to maneuver around each other and take turns dressing, etc. Kayleigh (the youngest) had a mattress on the floor at the foot of our bed, but she said she was very comfortable.

 

 

Before sailaway we had our muster drill. I was interested to see if it would be handled any differently since the Costa Concordia sinking. To me, it seemed that the crew were certainly more insistent that people be quiet and listen to the instructions that they had been in the past. But all in all, it did not take long and by 5:30 we were finished.

 

The kids, in their exploration that afternoon, had decided they wanted to watch the sailaway from the windows down on the Promenade deck that jut out from the ship. Soon we were at sea!! Yea!!

 

More to come tomorrow.....

[LAdad]

Great pics, looking forward to more tomorrow. Going out on the Inspiration in 30 days!

[vivavegas]

Loving your review and the photos. Looking forward to tomorrow's installment!:)

[reerun25]

Great review!!

[edpat5911]

Thanks All! Glad you are enjoying my review!

 

LADad, You will love it! The Inspiration is a lot of fun! Better than the Paradise, with the waterworks and improved pool area. Although, Paradise will always have a special place in our hearts, being our first!

 

Any questions? Fire away!

 

Now on to more review!....

[edpat5911]

After watching for a while we went down to our cabin to get dressed for our late seating dinner. DH and I had had Anytime Dining on both our previous cruises and so we had decided this time to try Assigned Dining and see how we liked it. We had a great serving team, Ernesto and Ni. By coincidence we had met Ni at lunch in the buffet and had chatted with her about her family back home etc. We were pleasantly surprised to find that she would be our assistant server for the next 4 days! The kids had all gotten the Endless Bubbles and so on the first night we asked Ernesto to get the bar server for us. He soon came over and the kids ordered their drinks. When he brought their sodas the kids tipped him a dollar that we gave them for that purpose. (We had read on Cruise Critic how sometimes the kids get ignored by bar servers because they don’t make any tips off them other than the small initial tip that you pay that is included in the price of the Endless Bubbles) Well our strategy was that the kids would tip a little each night and it worked! Never were their sodas empty! During the day, hanging out on the ship the kids did not tip each and every time, but every 3rd soda or so they would tip. Made the servers happy and the kids learned to appreciate their service.

We went and saw the Welcome Aboard show in the theatre and then it was off to bed for us as we had our “Wild Dolphins” excursion on Catalina Island the next day.

We got up about 8 and went to the Lido deck to eat some breakfast and about 9:30 we went down to the tender. There was no line at all at this time and the sea was calm so we were quickly on the pier at Avalon. We had a couple of hours until our Dolphin excursion, so we decided to rent a golf cart and tour the island. They provided us with a map of the streets to get a good look at the island in the amount of time we had. I think it was 1 hour and 15 minutes for us to complete the loop, with stops along the way for pics and sightseeing.

 

 

 

 

 

More later this evening....

[flyawayca]

Looking forward to reading some more!:D Thanks for taking the time to write this.

[Jbird81]

Great job so far!

[Frank12]

Keep it coming. We love the Inspiration. She was our Platinum cruise!

[boaterette]

I am enjoying your review. I have yet to sail on the Inspiration. But will soon.

[edpat5911]

Soon it was time for our excursion. We met on the dock at the appointed place, and they provided us with waterproof windbreakers to put over our sweatshirts. We were glad they did! It was still a bit cloudy and it was chilly on the water.

We zipped around the south end of the island looking for dolphins, and we went by a buoy crowded with sea lions. They stopped the boat for pics and to give us some info. Not too far away from the buoy we saw some sea lion fins sticking up from the water. Our guide explained to us that since the buoy was full, the remaining sea lions stick their fins up, one at a time, to “sun” that part of their body. It seems that even sea lions can get hypothermia!

 

We did some more zipping around in the boat, and just as I was thinking we may not find any dolphins, there they were!! It was simply amazing to be amongst them in the open ocean so close! They turned off the boat motor and all you could hear were the sounds of the dolphins surfacing and diving and the gasps of everyone in the boat and exclamations of “wow”, and “look over here, there’s more!” It was an experience that none of us will ever forget! Soon the dolphins were swimming a bit away and they started the boat and the dolphins just swam along with us, skimming the water ahead and diving below our boat just inches away!! It was awesome and I highly recommend this excursion! BTW, this is an excursion we booked through Carnival a couple of months ahead as there are only about 16 on the boat and it can sell out early! The dolphins were so quick tho, and I was in such awe, that I only got one good pic. I guess next time I will have to try harder and stop forgetting to take the pics while I was gasping! LOL

 

[edpat5911]

After the excursion we decided to head back to the ship and eat a late lunch, and the sun had come out so the kids played on the slides in the waterworks and then went and swam a while. They said the pool was colder than the slides. Soon it was time get ready for formal night that evening. Later that evening we went up to the Promenade deck early to meet the Captain (a highlight for Scott!) and get some pictures with him. We also had some formal pictures taken. I have to say, I am a picture lover and I do think that they do some great pics on cruises. That night we did several different backdrops and poses and the next day it was very difficult to choose which we wanted! The kids did some poses by themselves and gave them to their moms on their return home and they loved them!

 

 

 

After dinner we went to the family comedy show, which the kids enjoyed, then off to bed for us! Tomorrow, Ensenada!

[Catrin]

Thanks for sharing a terrific review!!

 

I remember sailing on the Inspiration out of Tampa a few years ago with my three kids and staying in an Ocean View room... I do not know how you managed with the five of you in an Inside Cabin! You are brave Grandparents!!

 

Catrin

[edpat5911]

We did not have anything specific preplanned in Ensenada, but we went through the building and got on the bus to town, $3 RT. On the way they told us about some of the tours they offered and the prices. They were about half the price that the excursions on the ship cost, so we decided to take the Blowhole Tour. The blowhole that day was awesome and the kids loved it. It was not too bad running the gauntlet down to the blowhole and on the way back we did our shopping. The kids all found something they wanted and bargained for it to fit their budget. On our return to Ensenada we decided to get back on the ship and relax a while.

 

 

 

 

[edpat5911]

Thanks for sharing a terrific review!!

 

I remember sailing on the Inspiration out of Tampa a few years ago with my three kids and staying in an Ocean View room... I do not know how you managed with the five of you in an Inside Cabin! You are brave Grandparents!!

 

Catrin

 

Thanks Catrin! It actually worked out better than I expected! With the closet doors set up the way they were we were able to make it into a "Changing room" LOL

 

[Catrin]

Thanks Catrin! It actually worked out better than I expected! With the closet doors set up the way they were we were able to make it into a "Changing room" LOL

 

 

Absolutely!!

I have used those closest doors and open bathroom door as a changing room many times!!

 

Glad you had fun!

Catrin

[edpat5911]

We ate in the Dining Room again that night. All in all we found the food to be good. The kids fell in love with the Chocolate Melting Cake. Scott even tried the Dija.. Alligator Fritters and said he liked them. After dinner we went to the aft section of the ship, inside the buffet and pulled some chairs next to the windows and ate ice cream as we watched the lights of Ensenada fade away.

The Sea Day we slept in a bit, one drawback to the inside room… great if you want to sleep late, but we didn’t want to waste any of our time on sleeping!! That morning, after breakfast, DH, DGS and I went to the Future Cruise Talk while the girls stayed in the room, showering and primping. Then we took the girls to the “Build A Bear”. They loved that. BTW, I felt that the price for the bears, etc. was very reasonable, on a par with what we pay at the mall at home, but the extra outfits were only $1 to $6 each. One outfit came with the bear. Later that afternoon, their Grandpa participated in the hairy chest contest and they cheered him on (did not win, but got a medal).

 

 

 

Next the kids participated in the Digital Scavenger Hunt (they were the only non-adult team). DH and I sat and waited as all the teams took off. About 10 minutes later the kids were back!! I gasped, couldn’t believe it, as one of the cruise activity staff checked their camera to see if they had all the 10 items. Oh NO! One of the items was a pic of a smiling bartender and in the pic they had taken, the bartender had turned away, so they were sent off to get another pic of a bartender, smiling. It was only about 10 steps away to the bar, but another team came in before they got back and won the ship on a stick! The kids came back and showed the correct pic and the nice entertainment staff lady (sorry, I forgot her name) said they still deserved something, since they came sooooo close to winning. So, she gave each of the kids a medal. They were happy with that… as they said, they could not have divided the ship on the stick between the three of them anyway!

 

 

[edpat5911]

It was soon time for the dreaded part of the trip! Packing back up!! Ewwww! Always hate that part. That evening it was the Dining Room again and the last of the Chocolate Melting Cake!!

 

The next morning, again, we slept later than we planned and had to jump up from the beds, throw the remaining items in our carry on suitcase and head up to Lido deck for breakfast. Even tho we were in no hurry to get off, soon it was time… We were off the ship and into the car by 10:00. <sigh> Why do cruises always come to a bad end? <sniff, sniff> Ah, well, there’s always the next one to look forward to…. Till then….

[PathfinderEss]

Great review, love you pictures........:)

[edpat5911]

Great review, love you pictures........:)

 

Thank You Very Much!!

[skooter35]

Thanks for the great review and pictures. Im trying to talk hunny into a Birthday cruise in Oct. The pictures are very helpful with my case!!! :D

[edpat5911]

Thanks for the great review and pictures. Im trying to talk hunny into a Birthday cruise in Oct. The pictures are very helpful with my case!!! :D

 

Glad you liked them! Any other pics you need or questions answered, let me know..

 

[VickiD59]

So nice that you shared such a special time with your grandchildren. Everyone looked like they had a great time :)

[edpat5911]

So nice that you shared such a special time with your grandchildren. Everyone looked like they had a great time :)

 

Thank you so much! Yes, we all did have a great time!