Docked This Morning - Inspiration Review

[ginacc]

While I fully expect the CCB's (cruise critic bullies) to be somehow annoyed with my review, I wanted to go ahead and share it for those who are interested. This is (of course) just my opinion and since this was our first cruise the only thing I have to compare it to is my expectations.

 

Let me start out by saying that as we were boarding, I took a good look around at our fellow passengers and got this sinking feeling that we were boarding a floating Trailer Park. And trust me, I know a trailer park when I see it, I grew up in one and escaped the first minute I could.

 

However, after we got settled in on the ship, the passenger demographic seemed to even out a little more, and the mullets were few and farther between. Call me judgmental, but I paid good money for this vacation, and if I'd wanted to go camping in the south, I would have just done that, a whole lot cheaper. But, like I said, my first impression turned out to be wrong. Our fellow passengers were delightful.

 

Also, the ship was FILLED with children, yet we NEVER saw a single child act out of place. They all seemed to have very good manners and never caused any problems that I saw.

 

* Background Information

Travelers included myself (29), my husband (27) and my infant son (13 mos.) I'm a working mom who hardly gets to see my son, so taking a vacation with him was really the only way to guarantee a whole week of quality family time. No cooking, no cleaning, just family time. Lots of CC posters thought we were crazy to take our young son, but it was an amazing experience for us all. Who cares if he won't remember it? We will! And the pictures will last forever. We flew into Fort Myers 3 days before the cruise to visit with family, then drove to Tampa the morning of departure.

 

* Ship Info

This cruise was the Inspiration's last voyage before going into dry dock, so we expected to see some things run down. The elevators in the Gallery were both out of service, and some wallpaper was peeling, but the crew kept the ship very clean. I'm sure she'll be beautiful after the refurb.

 

* Travel To Port of Embarkation

We Took a cab from the airport which is $22 per cab (not per person, half the cost of the Carnival Transfers.)

 

* Stateroom

We had the OV Guarantee on deck U - AFT. The location was fine, and the size of the room was perfect for us. Our nice steward already had a portable crib set up in our room when we arrived. Other posters had said that they usually only give you a Pack N Play, so we just brought our own, but we didn't need it because the crib they supplied was perfect. The room and the bathroom were very spacious and exceeded my expectations. I don't think it would work for any more than 2 adults and 1 child though. The steward kept our room very clean, and we were surprised by a new towel animal each night.

 

* Dining

The food was fabulous. We went to dinner every night. Our son has been going to nice restaurants with us since he was 3 weeks old, so we knew he wouldn't be a problem. We had the early seating 5:45, and he was a little gentlemen through the entire meal. We did walk him around between courses, just to keep him from getting bored. He ate everything that we ate (he's adventurous) so we never ordered from the kids menu. Again, the food was really amazing. Much better than I expected from a cruise ship trying to feed 2,000 people. Our tablemates were a nice Asian couple with a teenage boy, and because of the language barrier we didn't make too much conversation. The woman did flirt with the baby a little each night, and kept him laughing. The entire waitstaff came over to our table to engage him and get him laughing. We ate in the Lido buffet for almost every other meal. The only problem I saw there were the lines. Sometimes it took 20 minutes to go through the line, which seemed pretty ridiculous to me. But I'm not sure if that's any different on any other ship/line.

 

****One funny story. One day at lunch an Italian antipasto was on the menu. My husband and one of our tablemates ordered it. When it came, she freaked out. She thought that Antipasto would be "ravioli or something" then she complained that there was nothing "Italian" about it. Well, I'm Italian and I can tell you that cold calamari and portabello salad is as Italian as it gets. Italian food is not made up of just pasta, and Antipasto is NOT pasta. It was just comical to me.

 

* Children's Clubs

We used the late night babysitting 3 out of the 5 nights ($6 per hour.) It was perfect. After my son fell asleep, we carefully transfered him to his stroller, covered him up, and carted him into Camp Carnival where he stayed fast asleep until we picked him up. He's a great sleeper so this worked out very well. The first night the counselors couldn't believe it because they said another little girl was "screaming her head off" and my son never woke up. We carefully transferred him back into his crib at the end of the night and he never knew we were gone.

The only negative about Camp Carnival is its location. It's totally inaccessible by elevator. The only way to get to it is up a long flight of steep stairs, which meant that my husband and I had to carefully haul a heavy stroller with a sleeping baby up those stairs. The CC staff said that we could access CC through the back door of the dining room, but when we tried that, the dining crew told us we couldn't use that door, and the only way to get to Camp Carnival was by going to the floor below and using the stairs. Plus, even if we could technically use that door, there was really no way to get to it with a stroller because the dining tables were blocking it off. The door was also marked (crew only). That was really inconvenient.

 

* Entertainment

Thanks to Camp Carnival, we got to see the comedy shows which were great. Tony Esposito really had us in stitches. Go see both his "clean" and his "dirty" show. He gets and A+ from us. The other guy (Kenny Something?) was entertaining enough, but not as funny as Tony. We only saw his "clean" show, and it was amusing. I give him a B. Risa, the Cruise Director, was great with the audience, and clearly has the gift of gab. We saw the Newlywed Not so Newlywed game, and rolled with laughter. That was one of the funnest things we did the whole cruise. The other "entertainment" though was really, really bad. The Dancers and Singers were so so so cheesy, and we really couldn't stomach it. I'm a good sport about things, but when the dancers started doing the Macarena and then tried to get the audience to join in, it was clear that it was time for us to leave. It was like the lowest budget off-off-off-off Broadway show you've ever seen. I'm not really complaining, but that's my honest opinion about it. If you like quality, you might want to skip those.

 

* Activities

We ended up not really participating in the activities, so I cannot comment on them. We spent most of our time relaxing with our son either on the deck or in the cabin. There were in-cabin movies, and plenty to watch on TV. We brought a little baby pool to use on the deck, and my son seemed to enjoy that. People kept stopping by and laughing and commenting on how cute it was. The Lido deck pool was much smaller than I imagined, but it was fun anyway. I had always pictured cruise ship pools to be like mini waterparks, but this one was not at all. It was very small and non-impressive, but the slide was fun.

 

* Service

The crew on the ship was extraordinary. They were very attentive, friendly, and always eager to help. They fawned all over my son constantly. Every crew member we came across gave him constant attention, affection, and made him smile constantly.

 

* Shore Excursions

We went to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We were non-plussed with Grand Cayman. To us, it was nothing more than a strip mall in the middle of the ocean. The water wasn't nearly as clear as we expected (could have been from the recent storm, Hurricane Dean.) We decided not to do a shore excursion and just went to the beach (Sea Grape?) We got bored pretty quickly and just headed back to the ship for lunch. The biggest problem with that port was that the ship was only there for a few hours. To us, it really wasn't enough time to do anything. The first tender went out about 9:30 and the last tender headed back at 1 pm, so that only left about 3.5 hours. Besides all that, we're from Chicago, and since we're city people, it takes more than a Theme restaurant and some diamond jewelers to impress us. I guess if you're from a small town and don't get to go to theme restaurants that often, it might impress you.

 

Cozumel, on the other hand, was loads of fun. The waters were crystal clear, warm and beautiful. My husband went snorkeling (I had to stay ashore and sit with the baby, plus I was a little too afraid to go anyway.) After snorkeling, we ate Mexican food, then went to Paradise Beach. The RT cab ride will cost you $30 USD, but the beach itself is free. It has a great bar, and lots of water activities (those will cost you $9 to use, which my husband found out after he got yelled at for being on the floating Iceberg without the $9 wristband.)

 

ONE THING TO BE CAREFUL OF!!!! DO NOT get into a cab without negotiating the price of the trip before hand. There are NO meters in the cabs in Mexico, so once you get in, they can charge you anything you want. My husband is half Mexican and speaks the language so he was able to negotiate with them. But on two occasions they tried to charge us TWICE the cab fair and he had to argue with them for a minute. Ultimately it was a minor annoyance in what proved to be an amazing day. My son napped in a chair on the beach, then went swimming with us when he woke up. It was great. We can't WAIT to go back!

 

* Disembarkation

Disembarkation was a breeze. We were some of the first people off the ship after they announced the general disembarkation. We found our luggage easily and got a taxi easily. Again, $22 back to the airport. Make sure you have singles to tip the porters. We constantly found ourselves without tipping money and had to ask the cabbies to change bills for us so we could tip the porters.

 

* Summary

Overall I say that we will definitely cruise with Carnival again. Perhaps we'll try a bigger ship next time, but that's just so we can see what the difference is, if there is any. Though, we had such great luck on the Inspiration I may just want to sail her again. I definitely recommend Carnival for families with small children and I'm sure you'll have a GREAT time on the Inspiration.

[ManyMore]

Thanks for the review. I'm glad your thoughts on the passengers changed, as I'm sure since you are from a trailer park you would certaintly know that... wonderful people come out of wherever it is they were brought up. I'm sorry to hear that Grand Caymen's water wasn't as clear as usually... you can see straight down, the clearest of clear. I'm sure, as you said, it was due to the storm that recently had gone through.

[SheriNtexas]

While I fully expect the CCB's (cruise critic bullies) to be somehow annoyed with my review, I wanted to go ahead and share it for those who are interested. This is (of course) just my opinion and since this was our first cruise the only thing I have to compare it to is my expectations.

.

 

Your review was great, why would you think that someone would be annoyed with it? I have to admit, when I first start reading and you mentioned trailer parks and mullets, I thought that your review was going to be one of those that did nothing but complain about silly stuff. I only get annoyed with those hit and run reviews, the kind where the person is complaining about stupid things, but has nothing good to say, but your's was very good! I'm glad y'all had a good time!!:) :)

[Pegs222]

Thank you for your review, it was nice to read. I am glad that you had such a wonderful time. I have never went on a Carnival cruise and did not have fun and love the ship and those that worked there. The passengers were usually friendly and fun to be with.

 

Do you have any pictures, the cruise you were on was my favorite.

[MizzCard]

Let me start out by saying that as we were boarding, I took a good look around at our fellow passengers and got this sinking feeling that we were boarding a floating Trailer Park. And trust me, I know a trailer park when I see it, I grew up in one and escaped the first minute I could.

 

However, after we got settled in on the ship, the passenger demographic seemed to even out a little more, and the mullets were few and farther between. Call me judgmental, but I paid good money for this vacation, and if I'd wanted to go camping in the south, I would have just done that, a whole lot cheaper. But, like I said, my first impression turned out to be wrong. Our fellow passengers were delightful.

 

Some southerners are actually highly educated...live in nice homes and don't need to cruise just to spend quality time with their children.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

[T0AST]

I think this is a great review... I was worried a little about the 'trailor park' crowd myself, but you've made me feel much better about that.

 

Thanks for taking your time to write

[DqALEX]

Thanks for an honest review. I have the Inspiration booked for January 28, and just getting off the Celebration 5 day cruise I may change to the 7 day Glory. After what I cruised with on the Celebration I know what you mean.

[ginacc]

 

Do you have any pictures, the cruise you were on was my favorite.

 

Yes, I have LOADS of pictures, and I'll post them as soon as I have a chance. We're sitting in the airport now waiting to fly home, and my camera cable is at home.

[The4Cruisers]

I enjoyed your review. We head out on Inspiration again in November, so we're anxious to see how the refurbishment turns out.

 

It's a shame you didn't get to enjoy Grand Cayman. When we go there, we charter a power boat and hit the water for the 1/2 day. Plus we get to see the island as we drive out to the dock.

 

Glad to hear you child did so well on the cruise too!

[oscar's mom]

Being a southerner that love camping as well as cruising, the only thing that bothered me was the remark about southern campers. Didn't even finish readin after that sweet remark. Thanks:cool:

[LeslieAnn1024]

While I fully expect the CCB's (cruise critic bullies) to be somehow annoyed with my review, I wanted to go ahead and share it for those who are interested. This is (of course) just my opinion and since this was our first cruise the only thing I have to compare it to is my expectations.

 

Let me start out by saying that as we were boarding, I took a good look around at our fellow passengers and got this sinking feeling that we were boarding a floating Trailer Park. And trust me, I know a trailer park when I see it, I grew up in one and escaped the first minute I could.

 

However, after we got settled in on the ship, the passenger demographic seemed to even out a little more, and the mullets were few and farther between. Call me judgmental, but I paid good money for this vacation, and if I'd wanted to go camping in the south, I would have just done that, a whole lot cheaper. But, like I said, my first impression turned out to be wrong. Our fellow passengers were delightful.

 

Also, the ship was FILLED with children, yet we NEVER saw a single child act out of place. They all seemed to have very good manners and never caused any problems that I saw.

 

* Background Information

Travelers included myself (29), my husband (27) and my infant son (13 mos.) I'm a working mom who hardly gets to see my son, so taking a vacation with him was really the only way to guarantee a whole week of quality family time. No cooking, no cleaning, just family time. Lots of CC posters thought we were crazy to take our young son, but it was an amazing experience for us all. Who cares if he won't remember it? We will! And the pictures will last forever. We flew into Fort Myers 3 days before the cruise to visit with family, then drove to Tampa the morning of departure.

 

* Ship Info

This cruise was the Inspiration's last voyage before going into dry dock, so we expected to see some things run down. The elevators in the Gallery were both out of service, and some wallpaper was peeling, but the crew kept the ship very clean. I'm sure she'll be beautiful after the refurb.

 

* Travel To Port of Embarkation

We Took a cab from the airport which is $22 per cab (not per person, half the cost of the Carnival Transfers.)

 

* Stateroom

We had the OV Guarantee on deck U - AFT. The location was fine, and the size of the room was perfect for us. Our nice steward already had a portable crib set up in our room when we arrived. Other posters had said that they usually only give you a Pack N Play, so we just brought our own, but we didn't need it because the crib they supplied was perfect. The room and the bathroom were very spacious and exceeded my expectations. I don't think it would work for any more than 2 adults and 1 child though. The steward kept our room very clean, and we were surprised by a new towel animal each night.

 

* Dining

The food was fabulous. We went to dinner every night. Our son has been going to nice restaurants with us since he was 3 weeks old, so we knew he wouldn't be a problem. We had the early seating 5:45, and he was a little gentlemen through the entire meal. We did walk him around between courses, just to keep him from getting bored. He ate everything that we ate (he's adventurous) so we never ordered from the kids menu. Again, the food was really amazing. Much better than I expected from a cruise ship trying to feed 2,000 people. Our tablemates were a nice Asian couple with a teenage boy, and because of the language barrier we didn't make too much conversation. The woman did flirt with the baby a little each night, and kept him laughing. The entire waitstaff came over to our table to engage him and get him laughing. We ate in the Lido buffet for almost every other meal. The only problem I saw there were the lines. Sometimes it took 20 minutes to go through the line, which seemed pretty ridiculous to me. But I'm not sure if that's any different on any other ship/line.

 

****One funny story. One day at lunch an Italian antipasto was on the menu. My husband and one of our tablemates ordered it. When it came, she freaked out. She thought that Antipasto would be "ravioli or something" then she complained that there was nothing "Italian" about it. Well, I'm Italian and I can tell you that cold calamari and portabello salad is as Italian as it gets. Italian food is not made up of just pasta, and Antipasto is NOT pasta. It was just comical to me.

 

* Children's Clubs

We used the late night babysitting 3 out of the 5 nights ($6 per hour.) It was perfect. After my son fell asleep, we carefully transfered him to his stroller, covered him up, and carted him into Camp Carnival where he stayed fast asleep until we picked him up. He's a great sleeper so this worked out very well. The first night the counselors couldn't believe it because they said another little girl was "screaming her head off" and my son never woke up. We carefully transferred him back into his crib at the end of the night and he never knew we were gone.

The only negative about Camp Carnival is its location. It's totally inaccessible by elevator. The only way to get to it is up a long flight of steep stairs, which meant that my husband and I had to carefully haul a heavy stroller with a sleeping baby up those stairs. The CC staff said that we could access CC through the back door of the dining room, but when we tried that, the dining crew told us we couldn't use that door, and the only way to get to Camp Carnival was by going to the floor below and using the stairs. Plus, even if we could technically use that door, there was really no way to get to it with a stroller because the dining tables were blocking it off. The door was also marked (crew only). That was really inconvenient.

 

* Entertainment

Thanks to Camp Carnival, we got to see the comedy shows which were great. Tony Esposito really had us in stitches. Go see both his "clean" and his "dirty" show. He gets and A+ from us. The other guy (Kenny Something?) was entertaining enough, but not as funny as Tony. We only saw his "clean" show, and it was amusing. I give him a B. Risa, the Cruise Director, was great with the audience, and clearly has the gift of gab. We saw the Newlywed Not so Newlywed game, and rolled with laughter. That was one of the funnest things we did the whole cruise. The other "entertainment" though was really, really bad. The Dancers and Singers were so so so cheesy, and we really couldn't stomach it. I'm a good sport about things, but when the dancers started doing the Macarena and then tried to get the audience to join in, it was clear that it was time for us to leave. It was like the lowest budget off-off-off-off Broadway show you've ever seen. I'm not really complaining, but that's my honest opinion about it. If you like quality, you might want to skip those.

 

* Activities

We ended up not really participating in the activities, so I cannot comment on them. We spent most of our time relaxing with our son either on the deck or in the cabin. There were in-cabin movies, and plenty to watch on TV. We brought a little baby pool to use on the deck, and my son seemed to enjoy that. People kept stopping by and laughing and commenting on how cute it was. The Lido deck pool was much smaller than I imagined, but it was fun anyway. I had always pictured cruise ship pools to be like mini waterparks, but this one was not at all. It was very small and non-impressive, but the slide was fun.

 

* Service

The crew on the ship was extraordinary. They were very attentive, friendly, and always eager to help. They fawned all over my son constantly. Every crew member we came across gave him constant attention, affection, and made him smile constantly.

 

* Shore Excursions

We went to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We were non-plussed with Grand Cayman. To us, it was nothing more than a strip mall in the middle of the ocean. The water wasn't nearly as clear as we expected (could have been from the recent storm, Hurricane Dean.) We decided not to do a shore excursion and just went to the beach (Sea Grape?) We got bored pretty quickly and just headed back to the ship for lunch. The biggest problem with that port was that the ship was only there for a few hours. To us, it really wasn't enough time to do anything. The first tender went out about 9:30 and the last tender headed back at 1 pm, so that only left about 3.5 hours. Besides all that, we're from Chicago, and since we're city people, it takes more than a Theme restaurant and some diamond jewelers to impress us. I guess if you're from a small town and don't get to go to theme restaurants that often, it might impress you.

 

Cozumel, on the other hand, was loads of fun. The waters were crystal clear, warm and beautiful. My husband went snorkeling (I had to stay ashore and sit with the baby, plus I was a little too afraid to go anyway.) After snorkeling, we ate Mexican food, then went to Paradise Beach. The RT cab ride will cost you $30 USD, but the beach itself is free. It has a great bar, and lots of water activities (those will cost you $9 to use, which my husband found out after he got yelled at for being on the floating Iceberg without the $9 wristband.)

 

ONE THING TO BE CAREFUL OF!!!! DO NOT get into a cab without negotiating the price of the trip before hand. There are NO meters in the cabs in Mexico, so once you get in, they can charge you anything you want. My husband is half Mexican and speaks the language so he was able to negotiate with them. But on two occasions they tried to charge us TWICE the cab fair and he had to argue with them for a minute. Ultimately it was a minor annoyance in what proved to be an amazing day. My son napped in a chair on the beach, then went swimming with us when he woke up. It was great. We can't WAIT to go back!

 

* Disembarkation

Disembarkation was a breeze. We were some of the first people off the ship after they announced the general disembarkation. We found our luggage easily and got a taxi easily. Again, $22 back to the airport. Make sure you have singles to tip the porters. We constantly found ourselves without tipping money and had to ask the cabbies to change bills for us so we could tip the porters.

 

* Summary

Overall I say that we will definitely cruise with Carnival again. Perhaps we'll try a bigger ship next time, but that's just so we can see what the difference is, if there is any. Though, we had such great luck on the Inspiration I may just want to sail her again. I definitely recommend Carnival for families with small children and I'm sure you'll have a GREAT time on the Inspiration.

 

Thanks for the review - very well done ! Great detail, very informative. Sounds like you got to spend some great "quality time" with both your son and your husband.

[BarbJ52]

While I fully expect the CCB's (cruise critic bullies) to be somehow annoyed with my review, I wanted to go ahead and share it for those who are interested. This is (of course) just my opinion and since this was our first cruise the only thing I have to compare it to is my expectations.

 

Let me start out by saying that as we were boarding, I took a good look around at our fellow passengers and got this sinking feeling that we were boarding a floating Trailer Park. And trust me, I know a trailer park when I see it, I grew up in one and escaped the first minute I could.

 

However, after we got settled in on the ship, the passenger demographic seemed to even out a little more, and the mullets were few and farther between. Call me judgmental, but I paid good money for this vacation, and if I'd wanted to go camping in the south, I would have just done that, a whole lot cheaper. But, like I said, my first impression turned out to be wrong. Our fellow passengers were delightful.

 

I don't think the "Cruise Critic bullies" would actually be annoyed with your review if they bother to read past your initial "judgemental" comments. More than likely, you WERE cruising with people from trailer parks - some of them, very nice people from very nice trailer parks. And some probably participate on these boards. IMHO, your comments regarding your initial impressions were unnecessary and they detract from a very well-written review.

 

I'm glad you had such a positive experience with Carnival. It IS too bad that you had such a brief time in Grand Caymen and that the visibility was not good - as you said, probably due to Dean. When your son is older, you might want to try a swimming with the stingrays excursion. It really is a fabulous experience.

 

Have a safe trip home and, as soon as you have the opportunity, be sure to book another cruise. It sounds like you're already hooked.

[Jetfuelrm]

The only thing I can add in Cozumel is the cab ride I took anywhere was $6.00 not sure why you were charged 30.00

[Randy & Carmen]

While I fully expect the CCB's (cruise critic bullies) to be somehow annoyed with my review, I wanted to go ahead and share it for those who are interested. This is (of course) just my opinion and since this was our first cruise the only thing I have to compare it to is my expectations.

 

Let me start out by saying that as we were boarding, I took a good look around at our fellow passengers and got this sinking feeling that we were boarding a floating Trailer Park. And trust me, I know a trailer park when I see it, I grew up in one and escaped the first minute I could.

 

However, after we got settled in on the ship, the passenger demographic seemed to even out a little more, and the mullets were few and farther between. Call me judgmental, but I paid good money for this vacation, and if I'd wanted to go camping in the south, I would have just done that, a whole lot cheaper. But, like I said, my first impression turned out to be wrong. Our fellow passengers were delightful.

 

Also, the ship was FILLED with children, yet we NEVER saw a single child act out of place. They all seemed to have very good manners and never caused any problems that I saw.

 

.

OK.....cleaned up the thread so it could stay.....and thanks to the OP for admitting she was wrong with first impression....Glad you had a good time.:D

[Vanessa L]

Thanks, as always, Randy. You all do an amazingly wonderful job!!

[*Mach*]

Thanks for the review.

 

I'm glad to hear that the Inspiration is aging gracefully. Without doubt, she'll be quite remarkable after her impending refit.

 

I can't wait to hear the first reviews after she's back at sea.

[SheriNtexas]

OK.....cleaned up the thread so it could stay.....and thanks to the OP for admitting she was wrong with first impression....Glad you had a good time.:D

 

 

Thanks, Randy, and I'm sorry that you had to take the time to remove MY replies to that person when the posts obviously weren't legit! :o I was having a few laughs over it but i forget that volunteers have to actually come along and clean things like that up! Thanks for what you do!!:)

[KMA0455]

LOL..As I began reading I thought ut..oh...another CCL Beating...I'm still laughing....What a Great Review.

 

Glad you enjoyed the cruise and also were able to spend quality time with your family...that's what it's all about.

 

KMA

[legalwife]

Being a southerner that love camping as well as cruising' date=' the only thing that bothered me was the remark about southern campers. Didn't even finish readin after that sweet remark. Thanks:cool:[/quote']

 

Have to agree with Oscar's mom. Did not like that remark, but thanks for the review and all the info.

 

Love one another... And, by golly, somebody HAS to tell me how to make that face with the eyes that poke out on here. I just can't figure it out. It is not at the bottom in my choices. I want to do it. Somebody out there - please - let me poke out my eyes and be exasperated just once!!!

 

Hit me Countdown Clock!!! Show me the numbers!!! :)

[BULLOCH12]

from one escapee to another...great review......and those blood hounds are horrible aren't they;)

[FunDayAtSea]

I am Platinum on Carnival (so I have a benchmark to judge by) and my first cruise on the Inspiration was Feburary of this year and was so wonderful, I booked it again for April and have just booked it again for December. It has been, by far, the best two cruises ever. Staff is wonderful, food is amazing, and I cannot wait to see the refurb. The ship may be older and smaller, but the experience makes up for anything the larger ships can provide.

[cruisingjon]

I just got back home from the very same cruise.

 

I will post a short review later but wanted to add to this thread. We were very skeptical to try carnival again. We sailed fantasy in february and hated it. By far our worst cruise to date. BUT, we decided to give it another try on Inspiration, and I must say we are now Carnival fans. This was a wonderful cruise, the cruise director was very good, and we can not wait to see the shiny new Inspiration after her total refurb. They are dry docking her in South Carolina, so anybody out that way that can maybe get some photo's of this ship in drydock would be great.

 

To those going on this ship after the refurb......take tons and tons of photo's so we can see what she looks like all shiny and new.

 

Like I said will post my own review later, I am tired and I need to go rest from my vacation!!!!

[RVman]

Knocking Southern Campers? I resent that statement

[Top-Cat]

As Carnival repeat customer 7 times over, I have only one comment.

 

Ya'll Come Back now... Ya hear..;)

[dixiediva761]

I agree with the review as far as the Inspiration is concerned she is a great ship, but I am not sure why the trailer park remarks were necessary. I don't understand why people think it is ok to make remarks about people from certain socio-economic backgrounds, those types of remarks would not be tolerated if race was mentioned. ;)