Inspiration 6/16-6/21

[EydieG]

I would like to do a tour like your Best of Grand Cayman, but don't see it listed on the Carnival site. Did you book onboard or before you left through the web site?

 

Thanks!

[coboo]

Great review! We're planning on the same ship and same itinerary next year.

 

A few questions:

 

1) I'll be taking my two kids (11 and 14) and they will FLIP over the new Waterworks slides. Were there certain hours the slides were open? I've heard that some Carnival pool slides have really limited slide hours.

 

2) How much smoking did you notice? I ask because my son has asthma and is allergic to smoke (and cats and dogs, but I don't think that will be a problem on a cruise!!)

 

3) Were there many kids (teens, tweens) on the cruise?

 

Thanks a lot!

 

We didn't go up to the slides except for the first day, so unfortunately I can't answer the question as to when they were open. They were open when we sailed.

 

I only noticed the smoking in the smaller bars/disco. We noticed it some in the casino, but that was mostly because a woman sitting next to us lit up then put the cigarette in the ashtray between us then only picked it up once:confused: . We didn't have any problem on deck or in any of the common areas. Mom thought she smelled it in our cabin once, but I never did.

 

Yes, there were a lot of teens. There were a lot of high school graduation celebrations and a dance troupe from Ohio, but we never had a problem with any of them. They were all very well behaved on every area of the ship. I'm sure your kids will have no problems finding others their age to befriend.

[coboo]

I would like to do a tour like your Best of Grand Cayman, but don't see it listed on the Carnival site. Did you book onboard or before you left through the web site?

 

Thanks!

 

I booked it through Carnival's website, but it didn't show up on the excursions list until about 3 months before we sailed. When we received the available excursion list the first night on the ship, it wasn't there. It had sold out. We really enjoyed the tour. I hope you are able to find it. Also, there is a longer tour with Stingray City you may want to consider if that interests you.

[pmc7704]

I have a question about the valet parking. The last time I used it ( several years ago ), when we departed the ship we had to take our luggage, cross the street to the parking garage, and then they delivered our car there. Is it still the same , or do they deliver your car to the area where you exit the building ?

[Julienatul]

Great review! We're planning on the same ship and same itinerary next year.

 

A few questions:

 

1) I'll be taking my two kids (11 and 14) and they will FLIP over the new Waterworks slides. Were there certain hours the slides were open? I've heard that some Carnival pool slides have really limited slide hours.

 

2) How much smoking did you notice? I ask because my son has asthma and is allergic to smoke (and cats and dogs, but I don't think that will be a problem on a cruise!!)

 

3) Were there many kids (teens, tweens) on the cruise?

 

Thanks a lot!

 

I sailed Inpsiration in Oct, 07, second sailing with the renovations. We will be going in August again.

 

1) The waterworks area is open from Noon-5pm everyday according to our last capers from Oct. The other pool areas are open longer I think until 8-10pm.

 

2) The smoke really depends on the passengers going and the amount going who smoke. Every week is different. We have been on some cruises where it was terrible and others where it was barely noticeable. The open decks are fine, one side is always non-smoking. Its the smaller lounges, bars and casino that sometimes get really smokey. If its smokey, you can always find another area of the ship that isnt. I have asthma as well and if it bothers me, I will just leave and go somewhere else. There is so much to do.

[*Mach*]

Hello everyone! Mom and I got back from our cruise yesterday afternoon. Here is the first couple of days of reviews. I am in the process of uploading our pictures to Photobucket. I will add links as I get them loaded.

 

Host Mach-I told Risa you said "Hi". She said to tell you "Hi" back. Also, Filipe expressed how much he enjoyed meeting you and the mascots.

 

Felipe was a great Assistand CD! Everyone who cruises the Inspiration should really enjoy both him and the Social Host, Smitty.

 

Day 1: Mom and I left home (just south of Tallahassee) about 7:30 Monday morning to drive to Tampa for our 5 day Inspiration cruise. This was to be my first time on Carnival. Of course, being summer in Florida, it rained almost the entire way there. After making a couple of stops along the way, we arrived at the port around 1:00. By 2:00 we had deposited our bags in our cabin (Ocean View # E244) and met our cabin steward Jose. We then went to the Lido deck for cheeseburgers and a Fun Ship Special. It was pouring rain, but it didn’t stop us from sitting on the deck under the covering.

 

After lunch we walked around the ship to get “the lay of the land”. Then it was time for our muster drill in the Candlelight Lounge. It was very painless and completed within 15 minutes. Finally it was time for sail-away. We made our way back to the Lido deck, but because of the rain there wasn’t a lot going on. We walked around the observation deck and checked out the Evolutions of Fun area. The kids didn’t mind the rain (no lightning) and were taking full advantage of both the large slide and the racing slides.

Our luggage was waiting for us when we returned to the room and we had just enough time to unpack.

 

Finally it was time for dinner, we made our way to the Carnivale dining room where George the Greek is the Maître-D (there was a big conversation about this before I left). Our waitress was named Chu and her assistant was Wah, both from Indonesia. They were absolutely a delight, bringing anything we asked for. We were a little disappointed to find we were sitting at a table for two, but by the end of the night we had made friends with the family at the next table. George had offered to find us another table, but were glad he didn’t. We ended up having a great time with our neighbors, ever sitting together at the shows.

 

After dinner we went to the Paris Lounge for Twisted Trivia and the Game Show with Felipe and Smitty. We also played our first game of bingo and suffered the first of many losses. We stayed for the Welcome Aboard show which we thoroughly enjoyed. It had been a long day, so we made our way back to the cabin to settle down for a good night’s rest. On the turned sown bed was our first towel animal –a seal. Very cute. We did find a slight vibration by having an aft cabin, but it wasn’t a problem. I actually kind of liked the slight rocking to help put me to sleep.

 

Day 2: First sea day. We got up around 8:30, got ready and ate breakfast on the Lido deck. We then looked around the shops then went to the Shore Talk. We actually ended up not doing any shopping in port, but Jo’s talk was rather interesting. We went up to the Lido deck to try to find a seat and found a table that became our spot for the afternoon’s festivities. I ran back down to the room and retrieved our books, intending to spend the afternoon reading. We found watching all of the happenings-ice carving, hairy chest competition and just basic people watching-was more fascinating.

 

At breakfast, we sat with a lady from Ohio whose granddaughter was going to be performing with her dance troupe. At 2:30, we made our way to the Paris Lounge to watch this performance. It was quite good. Next up was the second losing round of Bingo. I got within one number on every game, but it was never called. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

 

That night was the Captain’s Gala and Elegant night. Mom and I decided to go have a few drinks. Everyone will be happy to know that most everyone was dressed very nicely. We saw quite a few formal gowns and tuxedos. Dinner was great. I had the lobster and Mom had the prime rib, which melted in your mouth. For dessert, we had bitter and blanc. It is as wonderful as everyone says.

 

After dinner, we went back to the Paris Lounge to see the night’s show “Shout”. Mom and I are theater goers and found this to rival many Broadway style reviews. The “aerobic dancers” were the highlight of the show, doing their acrobatic moves to “Age of Aquarius”. The entire show was so entertaining that even though I am not a big county music fan, I still found myself “yeehawing” along with everyone else during that set. We wanted to stay up to get pictures of the Gala Buffet, so we were going to hang out in the Piano Bar or the Disco, but both were so smokey we were unable to stay. Instead we went up to the Violin Bar on Inspiration Avenue and listen to Robbin who does an oldies show. Mom knew every song and had a blast. After taking pictures of the buffet, we went back to the cabin to rest up for our early morning port in Grand Cayman. Our towel animal of the day was a dog wearing my sunglasses.

 

http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/coboo25/Food%20Inspiration/

http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/coboo25/Towel%20Animals/

 

 

Cori, I apologize for not getting a chance to read your review sooner. It sounds like your voyage started brilliantly.

Thank you for sending my greetings along to Risa. She's a gem and Filipe is one of those guys who wears a constant smile and had the energy of a small army.

Let me get back to your review. Wonderful job so far!!

Mach

[*Mach*]

 

Thanks again to all of my fellow Cruise Critic members for arming me with all of the great information needed to help make this a most fabulous vacation!

 

 

Cori, what a shame that your vacation ended that way. Thank God for insurance, right?

It sounds like you had just as good a time on your adventure as I did on mine. The Inspiration is a wonderful ship that's been the temporary home to millions of passengers. I'm glad you were one.

Mach

[rebeljohn]

Enjoyed your review........and your pictures have made me hungry............Thanks for posting!

[coboo]

I have a question about the valet parking. The last time I used it ( several years ago ), when we departed the ship we had to take our luggage, cross the street to the parking garage, and then they delivered our car there. Is it still the same , or do they deliver your car to the area where you exit the building ?

 

Yes. We had to take our luggage across the street the the parking garage. but we only one bag each. There are also porters who will load your luggage onto their cart and go to the parking garage with you. We saw quite a few families doing this. The great part was not having to remember where we left the car. It was sitting at the curb nice and cool as soon as we stepped off the elevator. No hassle, no fuss.

[coboo]

Cori, what a shame that your vacation ended that way. Thank God for insurance, right?

 

It sounds like you had just as good a time on your adventure as I did on mine. The Inspiration is a wonderful ship that's been the temporary home to millions of passengers. I'm glad you were one.

 

Mach

 

Yes, insurance is great. My car is getting fixed and I have a rental to drive until then.

 

The Inspirtation was a great ship, just as you had said. I would definately sail her again.

[tigger615]

Thank you so much for your review!!! We are leaving July 5th & I can't wait.