Anyone cruise on the Inspiration lately?

[cruiselubbers]

Hi Folks,

 

I was just wondering if anyone had been on the Inspiration lately for a 5 day cruise? If so what did you think of it? Any shore excursions that you thought were awesome? How was the staff & the FOOD? How many formal nights did you have? I've heard 1 & 2! And what did the ladies & gents wear for formal night? Anyone drink the water on this ship? If so how was it? Anyone fly into Tampa? If so how did you get to the ship, what was the cost? Also if you needed a ride back to the airport were you able to find transporation quickly? What time did you book your return flight for?

 

Ah the thoughts are flying, but the mind is still resting gently on the thoughts of this upcoming sailing!

 

Thanks & blessings!

 

:D

[Rizzorp]

I posted a review of my trip. Hope you have as much fun as I did!!!!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=532631

[cruiselubbers]

I posted a review of my trip. Hope you have as much fun as I did!!!!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=532631

 

 

Ah yes I seen that! I was forever greatful & even posted a reply! I am glad you & yours had an awesome time! I am sure we will too!

 

Thanks for the reply here!

 

Blessings & Happy Easter!

 

:p

[aqs]

Hi Folks,

 

I was just wondering if anyone had been on the Inspiration lately for a 5 day cruise? If so what did you think of it? Any shore excursions that you thought were awesome? How was the staff & the FOOD? How many formal nights did you have? I've heard 1 & 2! And what did the ladies & gents wear for formal night? Anyone drink the water on this ship? If so how was it? Anyone fly into Tampa? If so how did you get to the ship, what was the cost? Also if you needed a ride back to the airport were you able to find transporation quickly? What time did you book your return flight for?

 

Ah the thoughts are flying, but the mind is still resting gently on the thoughts of this upcoming sailing!

 

Thanks & blessings!

 

:D

 

We were on the 5 night - 3/26-3/31. Our ports were Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Our party of 13 had a wonderful time.

 

We live just west of Tampa, so I'm sorry I can't provide any transportation tips regarding the airport. I've heard there are shuttles. If you don't want to go through Carnival, I can say we've used Super Shuttle to get to/from the airport/home and been very happy. I don't know if they do the port transport but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

There was one formal night - not 2. Most people were dressed up - some stayed casual. There was everything from very formal (gowns and tuxs) to wedding guest type dressed up. Most men wore suits and women wore cocktail dresses. I hope that helps because I know I'm not being very descriptive. I'm sorry.

 

For excursions, we did the Stingray Sandbar Tour in Grand Cayman. The water was a bit rough and we were told that it was the first time they had been out in over a week. It was still great and definitely something you should do once. There are a couple of tours that include the Stingrays.

 

After the tour, my husband, our youngest son (age 8) and I walked to a restaurant/bar a little ways down from the tender pier and snorkeled right off their property. Because we had our own gear, it was completely free. They will rent gear if you don't have any. I think the name of the place was "Paradise." There were tons of fish and other sea creatures to see!

 

I didn't like that our time in this port was pretty short. And this was the first time I've ever had to tender, so I was anxious about getting back to the dock on time. But we packed a lot of activity into the time we had.

 

In Cozumel, we did the Playa Mia Beach Break. It was a bit crowded, but we all enjoyed it. We did not take the package that included food. To tide our family of 8 over, we purchased some snacks/lunch and it only cost $34 USD. We were looking forward to dinner on the ship, so we ate light at the beach. You can look at their website here. Like I said, it was pretty crowded, so if you're looking for peace and serenity, you might want to get other people's suggestions. The crowds weren't overbearing and it was right for our family. The others in our group went on a sail and snorkel and they thought it was great!

 

Because we live near Tampa, we've done 3 other cruises that included Cozumel on different Fantasy class ships- and 2 cruises to the Bahamas. As far as ships are concerned, I think the Inspiration was very nice - well maintained and very clean. I was impressed. The staff on the Inspiration was just okay. Our wait staff and the Purser's desk was wonderful, but I was not overly impressed with the entertainment or our cabin steward. They were not bad, but we've come to expect better from Carnival. The staff changes periodically, so that isn't something you should base your

expectations on.

 

The food was very good. We ate dinner in the dining room every night and there were no complaints at our table. I've not been very impressed with the Lido deck buffet lunch for several cruises, but it is okay - just not great. Note that hamburgers and fries are on the outside and other types of fish/beef/chicken dishes are inside. On the Inspiration, we found the deli sandwich guy on the Lido deck right behind the salad bar (near the Pizzaria). The sandwiches were very good. We had breakfast buffet on the Lido deck every morning and that was great. Don't miss the omelet / special egg order staff on the outside buffet line and at the deli/sandwich counter inside.

 

I drank the water on board - I am a huge water drinker. I didn't have any problems. It didn't have a taste - which is how it should be.

 

All in all - it was a great vacation. We all had a lot of fun and it went way too fast.

 

I hope this helps. I'll be happy to answer any other questions.

 

Oh, and if you're interested, I did scan and post the capers for each day. You can view/download them here.