Inspiration April 22-25

[louanne93]

We arrived at the port at about 10:30 and checked right in with FTTF, We then shopped at the little shop at the port, walked around for a bit and then got in the FTTF line. We were on the ship by 11:30. As stated in our FTTF our cabin was actually ready! We had three cabins all together. Two of them were upper/lower and one was an inside. Our cabin steward was Arnold. He was amazing! I brought our own cooler bag and he kept it full with ice the entire time. They no longer have ice buckets in the cabins (or at least not the inside cabins). They also don’t have the variety of sodas on the desk next to the missing ice bucket. They only have two large waters for sale at $3.75 each. We ordered a case of water for $7.98 which was waiting for us upon arrival. Our friends in the inside cabin with a different steward didn’t have the same level of service. Our cabin was made up twice a day! We had two 17 year olds next to us and they are quite messy, so I gave Arnold a $20 on the first day for their cabin mess. He was happy, we were happy! There was plenty of room in the upper/lower cabin for my husband and I. He slept on top and I on the bottom. Plenty of storage room!

 

We headed up to the lido deck for lunch and the food was fantastic! The buffet was good but Guys burgers and Iguana grill was where we did most lunches! My boys loved the fish tacos! The life boat drill was pointless! I will say that this cruise is known for the “Booze Cruise” and it did not disappoint! I am not a drinker so it was really interesting to watch thousands of college age (and some not so college age) falling all over the place (So glad we are passed that stage!).

 

We had Anytime Dining so we all agreed to meet for dinner at 6pm every night. The first night the food and service were fabulous! I didn’t think to ask for the same servers every night. Big mistake! The second night (formal night) the service seemed to be lacking. The bar service in the dining room was non existent. My husband couldn’t get a beer to save his life. The first two nights I ordered the steak and lobster from the up charge menu and it was really good! Don’t let them fool you though…the steak and lobster is only a half of lobster tail and the double lobster is 1 tail split. The tables did not have the table cloths on them except for formal night which I thought was really nice. It separated the formal night from the others. I also liked having water on the tables as I am a huge water drinker. I was disappointed in the lack of formal dress for the main dining room. There was even a guy in a t shirt and baseball cap right next to us on formal night. Did it spoil our time? Not in the least. My three boys were in suits. That made Mama happy!

We had pizza every night before bed and it was always hot, fresh and amazing!

 

As far as entertainment goes, there was actually a lot of live entertainment! It was really nice. We went to the music trivia and people were dancing, laughing and having a GREAT time! We did the adult comedy every night and it was fantastic! Our boys were front row every night and got to know the comedians pretty well. Saw the love and marriage show (really funny). We played slots in the casino, and hung out at the violin bar right outside. We danced to a live band which was really fun! We crammed a lot into three days!

 

Ensenada was on Sunday. We walked around town, went to Papa’s and Beers, and had a great time! We were back on the ship for some quiet time by 2pm.

Debarking on Monday morning was a piece of cake! We walked right off the ship and was in the car by 8am!

 

All in all it was an AMAZING time. I would do it again in a heart beat!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your Inspiration trip. My DD and I will be sailing on her again in July. I am so looking forward to Guys Burgers and Iguana Grill.

 

Where is the little shop they opened? Last year there was nothing open in the brown buildings.

[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[Keith1010]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise and thank you for sharing your experiences.

 

Keith

[AzJenn]

thanks for the review. I have never been on Carnival, how did you purchase the FTTF pass? Is there only a limited amount avail? I'm thinking of booking a 4 day may 9th and worried I may not be able to purchase the pass since it's only a few weeks out.

[stobe1]

thanks for the review. I have never been on Carnival, how did you purchase the FTTF pass? Is there only a limited amount avail? I'm thinking of booking a 4 day may 9th and worried I may not be able to purchase the pass since it's only a few weeks out.

 

If you go to your cruise manager on Carnival'so website, it is listed under shore excursions. If it's sold out, it'll say sold out.

[Linda the Book Lover]

thanks for the review. I have never been on Carnival, how did you purchase the FTTF pass? Is there only a limited amount avail? I'm thinking of booking a 4 day may 9th and worried I may not be able to purchase the pass since it's only a few weeks out.

 

Even if they say sold out sometimes they add more for some strange reason. We lucked out and got ours the day we booked. So far I have never seen a rhyme or reason to when they are offered.

[louanne93]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your Inspiration trip. My DD and I will be sailing on her again in July. I am so looking forward to Guys Burgers and Iguana Grill.

 

Where is the little shop they opened? Last year there was nothing open in the brown buildings.

 

It was outside. We didn't even go into the brown building. FTTF check in lines were outside in front of the shop!

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks:D

[ccw2891]

Did you notice the lines or amount of people checking in without the faster to the fun? Just wondering how chaotic it is without it? I'm still up in the air about purchasing it...$50 can purchase some more drinks ;)

 

On formal night is there an up charge for the steak and lobster? or was that just for the nights it wasn't formal night?

 

Thanks for the review we leave and a couple weeks, can't wait!

Edited April 28, 2016 by ccw2891

[Cruznjuly]

Do you happen to recall the shows on the Inspiration?

 

 

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[louanne93]

Did you notice the lines or amount of people checking in without the faster to the fun? Just wondering how chaotic it is without it? I'm still up in the air about purchasing it...$50 can purchase some more drinks ;)

 

On formal night is there an up charge for the steak and lobster? or was that just for the nights it wasn't formal night?

 

Thanks for the review we leave and a couple weeks, can't wait!

 

Before FTTF came along, I was always the first one at the port and I don't mind waiting. But with that said, we were the second people in line with FTTF and I loved every minute of it. We bought it for all three cabins! Well worth it! Just to explore the ship before the mad crowd gets on and we had no line for Blue Iguana and Guys Burgers! The taco's are amazing! We ate there breakfast and lunch!

There is an upcharge every night for the Steak and lobster. Very tasty but by the 3rd night (I ordered it 2x) I was ready for a change! All the food was very good!

[louanne93]

Do you happen to recall the shows on the Inspiration?

 

 

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The Welcome Aboard Show on the first night 10:15

Studio VIP the second night 8:15 and 10:15 (based on Soul Train and Studio 54)

Motor City on the third night at 8:15 and 10:15 (R&B sounds of the 60's, 70's and 80's)

They also had 3 Comedy shows most nights. One family and two R rated (We went to ALL the comedy shows, They were hilarious!)

The Love and Marriage show on Sat at 2:30 (Great!)

We went to a lot of live music! Super fun!

We also went to Karaoke twice. (That was really fun!)

They have the new Hasbro Game (We didn't make it to that :( )

Decades with the Rockin Dead (We didn't go because I heard it wasn't that good)

[SadieN]

In the morning there might also be the Seuss at Sea parade and show and Towel Animal Theatre

 

 

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[Cruznjuly]

The Welcome Aboard Show on the first night 10:15

Studio VIP the second night 8:15 and 10:15 (based on Soul Train and Studio 54)

Motor City on the third night at 8:15 and 10:15 (R&B sounds of the 60's, 70's and 80's)

They also had 3 Comedy shows most nights. One family and two R rated (We went to ALL the comedy shows, They were hilarious!)

The Love and Marriage show on Sat at 2:30 (Great!)

We went to a lot of live music! Super fun!

We also went to Karaoke twice. (That was really fun!)

They have the new Hasbro Game (We didn't make it to that :( )

Decades with the Rockin Dead (We didn't go because I heard it wasn't that good)

 

Awesome, thank you!