Carnival
Destiny
Southern Caribbean

Katrina V.
Age: 40
Occupation: Investment Advisor
Number of Cruises: 1
Date of Cruise: December 9th 2007



My friend and I just returned from our first cruise. We chose Carnival Destiny's Southern Caribbean itinerary because we wanted to see as many islands as possible with minimal "sea days". We were not disappointed in our choice at all and thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise experience. I had read some negative reviews before we left but decided that I should be open minded about the experience knowing that some people are never pleased.

There was really nothing I can complain about. Although the ship is over 10 years old, I found it to be in good condition overall. The food and service were great. The ports of call all had something different to offer - we only wished we had more time in each port!

Our personal favorite island for it's unspoiled, natural beauty was Dominica. We found a fantastic taxi driver there named Albert Roberts who shared a wealth of information about Dominica throughout our unforgettable private tour. He even picked fresh fruit for us and held our bags while we swam at the Emerald Pool waterfall. Most cruisers like St. Thomas for the shopping, but don't miss out on Magen's Bay Beach which is truly one of the most beautiful, pristine beaches you'll ever see (I suggest walking to the far end of the beach, away from the drop-off area, where you can easily find your own private piece of paradise). Sharing a cab with others can be more economical if you're arranging your own island tours - be careful to check whether or not the driver/guide is certified. If you're bothered by aggressive vendors, just tell them you already bought beads (or whatever else they're selling) and they'll leave you alone. We found them to particularly aggressive in St. Lucia. The uncertified tour/taxi operators can be quite aggressive too.

Over half of the passengers on our cruise were from Puerto Rico, so some of the ship's entertainment was split into Spanish and English editions to accommodate everyone. We tended to avoid the noisy, crowded buffet and chose to eat in the dining room for breakfast and dinner (which is probably why I managed to lose weight on this cruise, unlike the constant buffet grazers!). We were seated with English speaking passengers for dinner, but breakfast was open seating so were able to meet new people each day. We had fun trying to converse with our Spanish speaking table mates who truly appreciated our attempts to communicate with them. The formal dinner dress code was not strictly enforced, but most abided by it. The waiters performed an entertaining little song and dance routine each night before dessert. Our waiter's assistant: Stevie had a great attitude and we never saw him without his mega-watt smile! :-)

An internet cafe is available to contact home/check e-mail etc...it was a little expensive, but there are 50% off times that I made use of. Jacques was very friendly and helpful in this area.

The elevators can get a very busy before/after dinner, so I chose to use the stairs quite often (helps to work off all that good extra food!).

We usually declined the ships photo sessions on board and at each port because we found them pricey and we had our own cameras.

The entertainment on board was quite good and included a singer from the Platters, a comedian and a magician. There were also fun games shows to participate in and several talented passengers participated in the Destiny Idol show and were fantastic! The cruise director: Skip was very enthusiastic and did a terrific job motivating the passengers. There are DVDs available at the end of the cruise of all the events. I purchased one because I was unwittingly pulled into a lip synching contest on the Lido deck and now have the DVD as a reminder of that hilarious experience!

The seas were unusually rough and windy during our cruise so the ship was really rocking and rolling at night. Neither my friend nor I got sea sickness (maybe because we were mid-ship), but we saw a lot of passengers wearing sea sickness patches. The rough seas were not the Captains fault, but he repeatedly apologized for any discomfort or concern. There was some stumbling as a result of the ship's big movements, but the swaying motion and ultra-comfy pillows helped us sleep like babies at night! :-)

We had heard that the wait to get on board can be excruciatingly slow (2-3 hours) so after checking our luggage and seeing the mass of people lined up in the cruise terminal, we left to walk around Old San Juan for 2-3 hours and returned around 5:30 to a short 15 minute wait. When we got to our balcony cabin on deck 6, our bags were waiting for us. Why anyone would choose to stand in line for so long when they don't have to is beyond me.

Disembarking was no big deal either. We put our bags out before midnight the day before then got up for an early breakfast and returned to our cabin balcony to await our number being called. Other than a delay at customs (when the computers were down) it was a painless process. Returning home to Canada was another story with cancelled flights due to a massive snow storm!! Of course that had nothing to do with the cruise and didn't tarnish our positive opinion of the whole experience. We will definitely cruise again...maybe in the Mediterranean next time!               











 

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