#My1stCruise - My Date with Destiny Journal / Review

[towboatn]

We haven't decided where we r staying precruise yet, I thght bout trying the intercontinental! The tour guides did seem to add a nice touch I bet it was great meeting up with friends so far away. Miami looks great we have been to Florida many times but usually stop at Orlando so it will be a first down here. I love all the pics it's definitely getting me ready to go, it'll be our anniversary on the cruise and we r so excited to get away without the kids, it's been since the wedding since that happened!!:)

[smplyblessed619]

We haven't decided where we r staying precruise yet, I thght bout trying the intercontinental! The tour guides did seem to add a nice touch I bet it was great meeting up with friends so far away. Miami looks great we have been to Florida many times but usually stop at Orlando so it will be a first down here. I love all the pics it's definitely getting me ready to go, it'll be our anniversary on the cruise and we r so excited to get away without the kids, it's been since the wedding since that happened!!:)

 

We stayed at the intercontinental post cruise and I absolutely loved it. I loved the Priceline deal even more though. Snagged it on their "express deal" (no bidding) for $96/night. For the location and quality it's well worth every penny, but the Couponer in me couldn't do full price and I was determined to get a deal. Lol.

 

Happy Anniversary! I'm sure this is a much-needed and well deserved vacation. The Intercontinental is just a walk through the park to get to Bayside market which is a mall of sorts with tons of eatery options. You can see the POM and you're just a quick cab ride to the beach. :)

[DTXCruiser]

Thanks for posting this review...looking forward to the rest. I have not sailed since 2011....reading reviews like this have me in the mood and I'm ready to plan my next one! Thanks again...glad your first was so great!

[smplyblessed619]

Thursday, November 29th, 2012 – Day 4: Grand Turk

 

Back on board - Dinner and finally staying up past 10p!

 

 

More construction

 

The sun peeking through the clouds after the ‘storm’…

 

One thing I didn’t do while on board…

 

Why didn’t I get this shot from above?! With no glass?! ARGH!

 

Back on board, followed by a Lido lunch and a lovely nap we decided to get gussied up for dinner. Entertain me as I share those photos…

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite photos of my Mama!!!

[smplyblessed619]

Thursday, November 29th, 2012 – Day 4: Grand Turk

 

Back on board - Dinner and finally staying up past 10p!

 

I remember walking along the photo walls before dinner and seeing a family trying to get everyone in the same pic - needless to say it wasn't working well. This was a family of 20-30 maybe. I offered to take a few photos for them on the steps. My amateur thinking-I'm-a-photographer self helped to arrange a few folks on the steps, sitting and kneeling. We were able to snap a few great shots, and I was happy to help. Any time I can help someone make a memory, I'm excited...Now, time for dinner!

 

 

 

For Starters: Bacon Mac & Cheese (with chicken) – I think this was one of our favorites. My Mother and I both enjoyed this dish!

 

Main Entrée: Chateaubriand

 

Our beautiful server, Carla… She really went above and beyond and made for a memorable cruise experience!

 

[smplyblessed619]

Thursday, November 29th, 2012 – Day 4: Grand Turk

 

Back on board - Dinner and finally staying up past 10p!

 

Carla dancing…

 

Tonight is the night! I’m going to stay up and enjoy this ship, if it kills me, LOL. I didn’t make it to any of the shows (obviously) so I was determined to make it to the Showcase of the Stars to see some of my favorites from karaoke throughout the week.

 

Showcase of the Stars - The guest talent showcase ---- Our Cruise Director - Tex.

 

Showcase of the Stars - The guest talent showcase ---- Shorty (Assistant Cruise Director) & Tex (Cruise Director)

 

 

Showcase of the Stars – The guest talent showcase – Mr “Nice N Slow” (Usher)

 

[smplyblessed619]

Thursday, November 29th, 2012 – Day 4: Grand Turk

 

Back on board - Dinner and finally staying up past 10p!

 

 

 

 

So there was supposed to be this big Lido Deck party – but it got rained out… This would be my only complaint; if I had one…It wasn’t communicated well where the party was relocated to. After the Showcase, we went back to the Lido and were told (after asking a few attendants) the party had been moved to the Club O2.

 

 

 

 

What do you know, a KISS ON THE LIPS!

[smplyblessed619]

Thursday, November 29th, 2012 – Day 4: Grand Turk

 

Finally staying up past 10p!

 

So, my Mom caught me on the dance floor…HAHA

 

 

Ahh, the last of turn-down service

 

 

NEXT UP: Last Day at Sea - More "lovely" weather...

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[smplyblessed619]

Thanks for the report!

 

Thank you kindly for reading & replying! :)

[smplyblessed619]

Friday, November 30th, 2012 - Day 5: Getting My Sea Legs

 

So the last day for me was bittersweet, as it is for most cruisers. This was a dream fulfilled for me and I was truly in awe of what it took to get me and my mother here over the past 11 months. All of that sounds good and dandy until you start getting seasick... I wasn't thinking about warm and fuzzies then.

 

However, in all of the rushing around pre-flight for Miami it was my fault for not remembering to pick up my Rx for the seasickness medication...Drammamine was started that Saturday before and for the first day or two but I hadn't needed any until Thursday/Thursday evening. I suppose as we moved out to "open water" to head to GT we encountered some rougher waters...that's my only guess because up until then I hadn't noticed ANY movement, much less the rocking everyone speaks of at night.

 

So, needless to say I woke up for breakfast and decided it was going to be a "sleep in" kinda morning. My Mother and her friends enjoyed the ship though and I'll show some pics here...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clearly my mother and Evelyn weren't ready to go... After I decided I had my legs and could use them I figured I'd get myself together to head out for the afternoon/evening. I surely wanted to thank Carla for all she had done to make our cruise a memorable one.

 

 

 

[smplyblessed619]

Friday, November 30th, 2012 - Day 5: Getting My Sea Legs

 

My mother looking all schnazzy ready for her last night on the cruise... Up on the Lido deck we got some popcorn, and I can easily say it was some of the worst popcorn, ever. All the same, we got to laughing, it escapes me about what, probably just us being the goofy women we are...and couldn't stop.

 

 

I had her cracking up and I kept taking pics… We couldn’t stop laughing.

 

 

 

 

[smplyblessed619]

Friday, November 30th, 2012 - Day 5: Getting My Sea Legs

 

 

She got me back though... I was laughing so hard I started crying!

 

 

 

 

For the life of me I can't figure out how, I, the queen of taking pictures didn't take that many pictures on the last day of #My1stCruise. I suppose seasickness and partially missing the contact of my OH and family was starting to set in...that and the fact that we had to PACK! Okay, Mama...we have to get ready to leave Destiny...

 

After packing up the room, it was time to call it a night... I was sure to remind myself as well as her not to pack what we were wearing the next day! LOL, I remembered reading that on these CC boards and it was one of the main things that stuck out to me. We sat our luggage out around midnight. I had to laugh because I just knew my poor suitcase(s) were not going to make the 50lbs or less limit Delta had... I was just SURE of it! I kept switching things around... Needless to say my debarkation packing job was no where as organized as my embarkation packing...

 

 

I had to make her laugh some more...

 

[sjcruiser]

Great photos and review. One of the best I've seen!!! Thanks for posting!!!

[Guest fyree39]

Poll answer:

 

I haven't sailed on Destiny but do have a Sunshine sailing in my queue.

 

Enjoying your review!

[4hunters]

Fantastic review! Glad you came back to finish it. :)

[smplyblessed619]

Great photos and review. One of the best I've seen!!! Thanks for posting!!!

 

 

Thank you kindly! I really enjoyed writing this...I have some post-cruise photos that got lost and I'm in the process of recovering those to wrap it up. I appreciate you taking the time to read & reply.

 

 

Poll answer:

 

I haven't sailed on Destiny but do have a Sunshine sailing in my queue.

 

Enjoying your review!

 

I really did enjoy Destiny! I'm looking at Sunshine just to see what changes were made :) Thanks for taking the time to read & reply.

 

Fantastic review! Glad you came back to finish it.

 

4hunters - thank YOU :) I had some PC issues and things finally slowed down at work to allow me to post a little more. I'm hoping to have my post-cruise stuff up this upcoming week. Thanks again :D

[cruisinbabs]

Saturday, November 24th, 2012 – Can I Get A Window Seat?

 

During our walk to Ruby Tuesday, look what I spotted... The Carnival Offices were everywhere, or so it seemed. LOL

 

 

 

Dinner at Tony Roma's was just as I remembered - delicious! Louisville only had 1 Tony Roma's and that shut down a few years ago, so it was nice to eat somewhere familiar (and close to our hotel). Our server was very personable and knew immediately we were tourists. I don't know if it was the summer gear in winter, or our KY accents, either way - she made for a pleasant evening.

 

Next up...Dinner shots

 

FYI-I take pics of just about everything, food included. So, for those who love those food "porn" shots - hopefully you'll enjoy this review!

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we returned to a completed Christmas tree up in the lobby... Very pretty!

 

 

 

And, although I only slept virtually minutes the night before, I was in MIAMI! And my dear friend wanted to show me around, so it was time to get gussied up and head out for a night on the town. Oh wow...The only pic I have is the "before heading out/bathroom shot" and I'll share, well, because I told you I love taking pics.

 

 

MMMMMM TONY ROMAS..... i havent eaten there forever.. nom nom nom!!!

[smplyblessed619]

MMMMMM TONY ROMAS..... i havent eaten there forever.. nom nom nom!!!

 

 

Agreed! We don't have a Tony Roma's in Louisville anymore, so I enjoyed eating there pre-cruise.

[smplyblessed619]

Saturday, December 1st, 2012 - Time to Leave Destiny

 

Needless to say we weren't in a hurry to get off of the ship and we most certainly didn't set for a wake-up call. Instead, we woke up before the sun came up and decided to take our time. I remembered to turn on my phone and allow it to start charging and then went up to the Lido for my last breakfast.

 

SN: Both my mother and I had stored our cell phones, batteries out in the cabin while we were at sea. There was no chance of us roaming just in case. Anyone I needed to talk to for 5 days was in the twin bed next to me, so I was quite alright without being constantly connected...buttttt ohhh those notifications started rolling in almost immediately LOL.

 

 

HELLOOOO Miami...I'm somewhat sad to see your beautiful skyline...

 

 

 

I almost immediately spotted our next destination - the Intercontinental - Miami....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our plan was to leisurely debark and then proceed to our post-cruise hotel. We sat on the Lido deck for a bit, I noticed some people carried their suitcases with them and told my Mom maybe it was best we go ahead and gather our carry-on luggage from the room. We had been on the Lido deck for quite some time at this point, but it was still pretty early.

 

The line moved rather quickly and we were waiting to go through customs in no time. I remember being told (while standing in the line by the show lounge) that Customs got backed up and it would be a bit before they started the line again. That seemed to be communicated well and the passengers didn't grow antsy in my opinion. We even got the chance to chat with Tex the CD & Shorty for a bit while standing in line...

 

 

After managing our luggage and getting through Customs, we waited seemingly forever for a van taxi to get shuttled together to the Intercontinental. Family after family loaded up until we were next in line and the taxi person at the front said that there were no more vans. This forced us to split into two taxis - 4 people, 3 of which were 1st time cruisers and 2 had shopped a good deal, needless to say there was a lot of luggage.

 

 

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed the Intercontinental, I figure I'll put that out there now...but here are a few pics...

 

 

 

 

[smplyblessed619]

I finally found the photos of the post-cruise hotel/Miami and will be working on getting those uploaded along with a wrap-up as well if anyone is interested :).