Not once during our recent 4 Day Destiny cruise did the steward...

[roswellmom]

remember to include eyes on our towel animals. Dammit! How do they expect me to have any good memories at all when my towel animals didn't even have eyes.:p

 

I've enjoyed reading and learning from the reviews here on cruisecritic so now it's my turn to share.

 

About us: Tim (59) & Hiedi (55) celebrating 25 years of marriage and our first cruise after becoming Platinum. We cruise on Carnival because we can. We usually choose an obstructed view balcony cabin because the price is quite reasonable & DH enjoys a cigar or two when sailing and there's just nothing more enjoyable than coffee on our own balcony. I'm very fortunate and I know it.

 

Pre-cruise accommodations: Stayed at Hampton Inn in Coconut Grove the night before because they had a park & cruise package which included covered parking during the cruise & transportation to the port. The price also included free beer and tapas at night as well as a nice breakfast buffet in the morning. They even had cookies at the front desk and a care package with bottled waters & snacks when we returned to retrieve our car. I highly recommend this place.

 

Left Hampton Inn at 11:15 and arrived at Port of Miami 11:30 or so.

[roswellmom]

We checked in one large wheeled piece of luggage and carried on a smaller wheeled piece as well as a wheeled cooler with bottled waters & our toiletries.

 

Being Platinum has it's advantages & VIP check-in is really nice. We walked right in thru the VIP line and into the VIP Lounge. No line there either so we were given our Platinum Sign&Sail Cards and directed right on the ship. It was 11:46 on my watch and I still can't believe that we were enjoying lunch on the Lido deck before noon. ;)

[dk1]

Congrats on the Platinum and the 25 years.

I just booked a cruise for our 25th, next May.

That will be an adventure (like 25 years hasn't been)!

 

dk

[roswellmom]

At 1:30 we went down to our Cabin #7247 and enjoyed the view on the balcony. Perfect location for our needs. We both workout in the gym every morning and enjoy our meals in the dining room so we choose a balcony cabin near the steps, near the gym, near the dining room and Found the welcome aboard letter confirming the OBC for our Future Vacation Certificate as well as the Stockholder's credit.

 

Got to dinner just after 6. We LOVE the Your Time Dining. Deck 4 in the Galaxy Dining Room is the Your Time Dining area where there is NO window view but the Early or Late Seatings are down on Deck 3 where the view is really beautiful. If you're new to cruising, be sure to get a table by the window. I always bring a sweater to the dining room as I always find it to be really cold. Maybe that's just me.

 

We went to see the early family-friendly comedian but I can't remember his name. He was okay but we left early because we were tired.

[roswellmom]

DAY 1

Breakfast arrived at 7:00 and it was so nice on the balcony. Room service is definitely not as wonderful as it was years ago but it's a great way to start the day. We were off the ship by 8:00 and took the Key West Olde Town Trolley Tour at 9:00 and Danny was our Tour Guide. Lucky for us because he was a terrific. The tour was about 2 hours with on and off privileges and a bathroom break. Great experience and well worth the price. Back on the ship by noon. Lunch in the pizzeria was a delicious Caesar salad and slice of veggie pizza. Oh Yummy!

 

I know people complain about the Carnival food but I never seem to have a problem with it. I know I'll be gaining weight by the end of the cruise.

 

The craps table wasn't kind to me so I'm extra glad DH was doing fine with blackjack.

[tampacrew]

Congrats, 25 years, we're only up to 10 here, it's not easy! :-)

 

I agree being platinum has its share of pro's! It's well worth it every time!

[roswellmom]

Day 2 -

On the elliptical by 7:00 and ready to work off the warm melting chocolate cake ala mode from the night before. The gym is never crowded in the morning and I also love to reward myself with 20 minutes in the sauna after my workout. The steam room was out of order but I took advantage of the sauna 3 times during the cruise. I also enjoy the showers in the ladies locker room area. They are much larger than the shower in the cabin and there's no additional charge to use them.

 

Breakfast on the Lido deck. The oatmeal was delish. I still don't understand why they are so protective over their bacon but I do enjoy it.

 

We were late arriving to Cozumel due to T.S. Debbie. Most excursions were canceled due to the anticipated bad weather. As it turned out, the sun was beautiful all day. Take a cab to downtown, enjoyed a couple of beers and some guacamole at a local place and we were back on board before long.

[H82seaUgo]

towels without eyes?

 

i can't get over the post yesterday about not being able to eat food that has a face!

[lillian marie]

So happy that you had a great cruise and congrats on your silver anniversary.

[vivavegas]

Thanks for sharing your review! Congrats on your 25th anniversary!:)