Inspiration review (really!)

[xeena]

i just posted this....but said it was a review of the Sensation....duh ! we were on the Inspiration....i am getting my "-ations" mixed up ! so sorry.....

maybe i had more fun than i thought i had.....here goes again !

 

 

we arranged this last minute (well, last month) cruise to celebrate NO hurricanes this season ! We drove to the port and parked....very easy. Dropped off the bags and then parked the car. $12/day.....We live about 45 min north of Tampa. I had to work the same day as we came home, so we did self assist on the way out and i was home by 9:05 and at work at 9:30 !

 

demographics: DH 62.... me 60. have cruised many times.....semi retired. next cruise is in 3 weeks !! Dec 9th on the HAL Amsterdam for a partial Panama canal transit...2 cruises so close together is not like us ! but the price was so good on this one and we had nothing planned....fun doing it last minute too

 

embarkation: checked in, lines not bad.....a short wait for our "group" to board....at the Lido by 12:30 ! we have sailed CArnival 6 times and after 10 you get "priority" boarding and maybe a drink holder....our line went faster than the priority line !!

 

the cabin was ready by 1pm and the luggage arrived around 2pm while we were exploring the ship. We had an inside cabin on Empress deck....for a short cruise we didnt mind not having an outside....must say you can sleep like the dead as it is DARK in there ! i do like an outside better so you at least get the option to peek out and see if it is day or night, in port yet etc. the cabin was roomy.....made up as a king bed. the only problem with the arrangement....i was on the inside and had to crawl out to get around the corner storage box ! wasnt too bad for the sort trip, but if you had mobility problems it would be difficult. no hairdryer in the room, that was a surprise !

 

the ship was in great shape, clean, not weary looking, carpets clean and new looking. the bed was quite comfy too ! we brought a soft sided cooler and the cabin steward filled it with ice for us each day so we had wine and our water bottles always chilled...we kept it in the bathroom and it worked out great for us.

 

Sunshine skyway: worth being on deck to see ! looks like you clear by inches.....and since it was dark the bridge was lit up it was quite a sight !

 

food: dinners in the dining room were fine...not great but enjoyable. the maitre'd was from Greece and liked to shout Oompah frequently ! we had a table for 6....2 other couples and us. it was a smallish oval table and just a bit tight, but not problematic. we chose not to eat in the diningroom for formal night as DH declined to bring a suit/tie. that was a mistake. eating in the lido that night was quite depressing, although the food was fine. next trip he'll not choose that option !! missed the lobster.....live and learn.

 

food for breakfast and lunch in the lido was fine, the decor a bit strange ! purple worms with glowing yellow eyes on the ceiling? where did that idea come from ??? at least they looked like worms to me....better than the weird grapes on the Miracle's ceiling last year !

 

activities: .....we didnt partake or even watch the activities, never played bingo but did enjoy listening to the live music on the lido deck during the day. never hard to find a good spot to plunk down with a book ! could find shade or sun and saw no problems with running out of seating space ! lots of kids onboard but we encountered no problems with roudiness from them. another thing for their elders though....lots of rude, demanding passengers. always irritates me to see the staff verbally abused ! it happened a few times and i was embarassed by it.....makes me be extra nice as the next in line ! i can never understand this. we are being waited on, fed like there is no tomorrow, do not have to clean up after ourselves and yet some are sooooo ugly. nuff of that, on to the fun

 

entertainment: we missed the "rock and roll" show, but attended all the rest....latin extravaganza the last night, comedians, a gaucho whip smacking act (new to me !) and a passenger talent show. all were OK...nothing stupendous but enjoyable. went to the first art auction (to get a glass of complimenary champagne)....amazing at how much folks spend there !

 

ports:

Grand Cayman: we have our own snorkel gear so we walked about 10 min from the pier to the PAradise restaurant and jumped in for no charge. they have steps and handrailings to make getting in easier. they also rent equipment there but i do not know the price. great assortment of fish, and lucky us ! there were 6 HUGE tarpon there that day. water was nice and warm and not rough so we had a great time !! and the price was right.

 

Cozumel: we docked !! yippee no tenders and right downtown! a first for us. so no taxi needed to get to the shops. since we had been to Coz several times, we just walked and enjoyed the views and the shops.....got on the internet for $1/ 1 hour ! and got my internet fix ! had to ask where one was and a nice policeman walked us there !! it was off the main drag by about 3 blocks.... i was thrilled !

 

we used the self assist and were off the ship around 8am ! there were 2 other ships in port...the Veendam and the Legend of the SEas....nice to see both ! we were the only ship leaving on monday so this was fun.

 

If anyone has a question or would like to see the pix....let me know. i have a digital album on ofoto.com ..... i dont think you can just go there....i have to send it.

 

all in all....a wonderful time, beautiful weather the whole time.

__________________

pam

>>"<<

[Mooguy]

We will be on the Inspiration in a little over two weeks and would like to see the photos.

[DqALEX]

When you get great weather on a cruise it is a real plus. I was on the Celebration in August, the ship had problems the week before. When we woke up the first sea day I asked my daughter to look out the window and see if we were docked. The ocean was like a sheet of glass the whole 5 days. We got lucky for August

[xeena]

mooguy....send me your email addy and i will send off the pix...if you click on my profile you will get our email addy....just pop off an email and it will be yours to see....they came out quite well

[xeena]

dq: we heard from the staff onboard that the last cruise was horrible...rough seas and rain ! bet there were lots of angry folks !! not that anything can be done about weather, but it is a disappointment for sure when you have bad weather...no matter how much fun you can have inside....sun makes everything look better !

[xeena]

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?US=0&collid=29365180203.849693452403.1163370524084&page=1

 

this might get you to the photos.....

[DGP1111]

Sunshine skyway: worth being on deck to see ! looks like you clear by inches.....and since it was dark the bridge was lit up it was quite a sight !

 

Pam, thanks for providing another CC review of this ship. Enoyed reading it. Thanks SO much for reminding me that the bridge will be lit now that we're on different time. I don't sail out of Tampa often, but every single occasion it's been during DST, so the sun is still shining (or in process of setting). I'll look forward to seeing the Skyway lit up when we sail under it in a few weeks. (Yes, I know I could have gotten up early on the return of previous sailings to see this in the dark, but that ain't gonna happen with this dude on the final morning). Thanks, again!!!

[Aske]

I too would like to see the photos. That link did not work. Glad you had a great time, pretty excited to be on another cruise come January. Also pretty excited to see the bridge that everyone talks about. Thanks for the review, was great.

[Mooguy]

nO email shown on public profile and the link does not seem to work.

[BooBooMonkey]

i just posted this....but said it was a review of the Sensation....duh ! we were on the Inspiration....i am getting my "-ations" mixed up ! so sorry.....

maybe i had more fun than i thought i had.....here goes again !

pam

>>"<<

 

LOL! I am leaving on Sensation next Sunday and I was actually wondering wheter I booked the wrong cruise or something, even though I have docs in hand! Pre-cruise jitters I guess :o . Been packing all day, so I'm probably losing my mind.

 

Glad you had a great cruise! These reviews keep me going between cruises, no matter what the ship :) .

[xeena]

pamstone1@yahoo.com

 

send an email and i'll forward the pix to anyone who wants to see them....

 

took pix of the ship, the ports, the public spaces and our inside room.

[BeachAngel]

Pam Thanks for the review, I was on that sailing right before yours. Even tho we had rough seas Sunday morning we still had a great time. :) George the Greek is the MAN!! LOL He moved us to another table after the first night, then came over and introduced us to the others at the table as his Sister and Bro-in-Law. LOL

We was about 3 and half hours late leaving Coz. Thanks to a group trying to bring 2 kilos of coke on board.

[Mooguy]

We was about 3 and half hours late leaving Coz. Thanks to a group trying to bring 2 kilos of coke on board.

 

 

Wow! I think the legal limit is like 2 liters per person. Give some people a meter and they take kilometer everytime.