Glen Grafwallner

Age: 48
Occupation: Operations Manager
Number of Cruises: 6
Cruise Line: Carnival
Name of Ship: Inspiration
Sailing Date: June 29th, 2003
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

A little background first and then the review.

This was our 6th cruise. We have gone on a cruise the last 5 years now. The last four were in February but this one was during the summer. My family consists of myself at 48, my wife 50, daughter 14 and son 17.

We picked the Inspiration for a number of reasons such as departure from Tampa, ports of call and a seven-day cruise. My wife insisted on a summer cruise which I will never do again (more later on that).

We arrived in Tampa a day early and stayed at the Sail port Resort. I chose it because of the suites available. I would have rather stayed at the Marriott Waterside Hotel because of its proximity to the port and other activities in Tampa such as Ybor City. We arrived at the ship around 10:30 am. Embarkation was smooth and was inside the building by 11 am. At 11:45 am we were headed on the ship. We were originally scheduled for early dining and were pleasantly surprised to see we received late dining 8 pm.

I grabbed a bucket of beer and proceeded to lie out by the empty pool. By 1:15 pm we already had our luggage. Lifeboat drill was uneventful but nice that we did it inside instead of standing out in the heat.

I’ll revisit each day and then return to individual departments and activities on the ship itself.

Monday was our first day at sea. I was up early and when I went back to the cabin at 8 am to take a short nap there was little or no chair saving in place. I was real surprised when I went back out at 11am to find almost all the chairs being taken. Most actually had people in them. Not like the times on the Destiny where rows and rows were full of chairs with towels and nothing else. I found a couple after a little search and relaxed all day.

Tuesday was Grand Cayman. We had done the stingray and turtle thing (highly recommended) in the past and opted for a prearranged horseback ride along the beach with Honeysuckle Stables. Very reasonable, $10 booking fee and $50 for the actual ride. They picked us up near the port and the ride went along the beach, into the water and then also a short stint inward. A nice time that I would have preferred riding side by side instead of nose to tail but they said some of the horses don’t like to be next to each other. Cayman can be very expensive to eat and drink so we went back on the ship.

Wednesday was Costa Maya. Someone who had been there before wrote that it seemed like a “private island” type of stop. I would have to agree except give it credit for a lot more than that. They have everything you need as you get off. Pools, shade, restaurant, live music (great band), shopping and a lot more. I had done a little investigating prior to sailing and found there was a small fishing village Majahual 5 miles away. You could rent an taxi at $5 per cab, rent bikes at $10 per day or rent a golf cart for $12 an hour or $50 per day. Knowing they would go lower due to comments by prior cruises I got them down to $10 and $40 and he also threw in a coupon for 4 free cervesas at his stand. I took the all day option and headed off to the town by way of nice paved roads. We went back and forth from the dock to the village a few times and got my monies worth plus my teenagers were able to ditch us and do a little exploring on their own. If you just want to see the village and then go back rent a taxi. Almost everything is in a short 4-5 block long area. The bikes looked like a nice option but it was real hot and I wouldn’t recommend that option. The village was great. Most locals were real friendly. We were invited to sit at a beachside area across from the hotel. $2 beers and $1 sodas and some delicious salsa and chips. After that we started shopping and they definitely will bargain. Things that started out at $20 got down to $8. Some items they moved on more than others. I brought books, toys and candy for the kids and they and their parents were very thankful for those items.

We stayed there awhile and then headed back to the beach resort. Natalie and Jay went swimming in the pool and Julie and I headed for the live band. There was food and drinks available which were slightly higher than the fishing village but reasonable for sure. A great band was playing and got the crowd going.

After an hour or so we were heading back to Majahual to do more shopping and drinking via the golf cart. I sat outside a bar and took in the scenery and the fresh ocean breezes. As we left we stopped to get our free beer and had a delicious nacho plate. Costa Maya was a great all round stop in my opinion.

Thursday was Cozumel. There was a medical emergency on the ship just as we left Costa Maya. The captain brought the ship up to full speed and announced that we would be arriving in Cozumel around midnight. They weren’t sure if passengers and crew would be able to get off but they were going to request it. All the crew was of course concerned for the well being of the ill passenger but were ecstatic about being able to have an evening in port. They said this happens maybe 2 or 3 times a year. If I was to guess 65% of the ship got off. They did allow the crew and passengers off around 1 am. I was too tired to go into town and stayed in bed. My teenagers were up and saw the Celebration leave shortly after we pulled in. The Holiday was also in port due to a tropical storm.

In the morning we headed to Chananabab National Park were I had reserved the dolphin swim for the girl’s months in advance. It was pricey but everyone who had done it before us raved about it. I could see why because both girls loved it. Jay and I were allowed to go on the pier with them and experience it and also take pictures. I thought about doing the Sea Trek (Helmut diving) but considering where they were doing it and the cost I decided against it. For those of you who have never been to this park there are plenty of other things to do. They have a small beach and lagoon for small ones. There is a considerable amount of areas to snorkel and dive. Numerous shacks rent all the equipment you need at competitive prices. There is a restaurant for food and drink, which were reasonably priced. There was also a sea lion show that we had planned to see but timing wasn’t right and the girls were hungry.

Cozumel has recently redone the area where the cruise ships dock. It now has all the shops and some of the famous watering holes nearby. The last time we were in Cozumel, which was a few years ago, we had to take a taxi to town to shop, eat and drink. I enjoyed that part of it compared to the artificial shops with roll up door fronts.

Friday was Belize. I had investigated a number of excursions. The most popular seems to be tubing down a river into caves. There are private and ship sponsored tours. After a lot of debate we decided it wasn’t for us. It involved a 1-hour bus ride there and back along with a 30 to 40 minute walk with your inner tube. Most people I spoke to enjoyed the river part but seemed to bring up the bus and the walk. I arranged a riverboat fishing/sightseeing tour with Action Belize. We never did catch any fish but enjoyed the sightseeing part of it. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the country and the area. Overall I was a little disappointed in what I received considering the cost. I think I was expecting this big fishing and wildlife extravaganza and it never developed. My family and I enjoyed it but no one was overwhelmed. I still don’t think the tubing is the answer although I didn’t do it. Belize is noted for snorkeling and diving and if I were to do it over again I would have gone snorkeling. We did walk into town and it was rundown but the people were friendly and there was plenty of police present. You could be safe for a short walk but don’t get off the main streets. There really isn’t much so don’t plan on doing more than a short walk, stop in for a beer and soda and head back to the ship.

Saturday was our final day at sea. I always got up around 6:30 am. It’s hard to adjust your sleeping habits for a week and I enjoy that quiet time on deck. I grabbed a couple of chairs but it really didn’t start filling up until 11 am. We watched the ice carving, hairy chest contest and for the first time I went to the not so newlywed game, which was funny, and I recommend it.

Sunday was debarkation day. We had an early flight out and the purser’s desk accommodated us with early departure off the ship. We were off the ship by 9:50 am and at the airport shortly thereafter.

And now to the ship:

Everyone has an opinion and it is interesting how everyone's differ but I am happy to share mine.

Food: A-

I thought the dining room food was very good. I honestly can’t think of a dish I ordered that I didn’t like. I would normally order two starters, skip the salad and order two entrees. The portions seemed to get larger as the cruise went on to where I should have only ordered one entree but they never question it and it was fun experimenting with all the different food. They didn’t offer ground pepper on the salads and some of those small things that people expect but I was very pleased. Natalie had a few fish dinners that weren’t perfect but wee all shared and certainly didn’t starve! Desert was great and toward the end of the cruise we stopped ordering it because we were getting so full after dinner. Carnival does the usual singing and dancing on certain nights. It was neat on the first few cruises but now it has lost its appeal to both of us. I was doing the Macarena 10 years ago! We had a tables near us show up every night 20 to 30 minutes late! It was so rude of these people to do that to the wait staff but they just rolled with it. A new thing with Carnival but something we experienced last year on NCL was the option of buying a bottle of wine and you could either save it for the next night and it would be at your table or take it back to the room with you.

The Brasserie Bar and Grill offered plenty of options morning noon and night. We never ate there at night but found the afternoon and breakfast set-ups satisfactory. The breakfast was the same thing everyday except rotating between pancakes and French toast. I really enjoy corn beef hash but none was available except in the regular dining room breakfast seating. I found the omelet ingredients not hot enough. He wouldn’t allow the cheese to melt or the ham to warm up. I quickly corrected that the next time by asking him to cook it more. The whole family loved Danish. Let’s face it, it’s a steam table and unless you have it right out of the oven it losses some appeal.

The grill out by the pool served some cold salads and the usual hamburgers, hotdogs and fries. I liked all three.

There was a frozen yogurt and ice cream machine that got a lot of use. People were constantly transporting ice cream 24/7. Never made the midnight buffet.

Pizzeria was good.

Lounge/Bar Entertainment: C

This rating is for the lounge acts and not the main shows. My biggest disappointment was the non-existant disco! One factor is they turned it into a teen disco until 10 pm. After that it was still overrun by teens. I think it was a great idea to have a spot for the teens but the entire cruise and the entire time the disco was open? I would guess the average age on the ship (speaking of adults) was 25 to 55. Please don’t tell me that that is still not a disco crowd. The piano singer Darin even commented on how all the “Disco Dj” was playing was hip-hop and “who wants to dance to hip-hop?” I never went in there except to stick my head in it. There was never an adult, and the teens were NEVER dancing but just goofing off. Please remember I brought two of my own teens, 14 and 17 with me so it’s not like I’m out of touch. My point is why not let the teens have it for a period of time and then release to the adults.

Next on my bashing was the horrific singing of “Jimmy” and his guitar. I would walk through the casino to get away from him. I must admit he had people there every night but it was so loud and he sang every artist you could think of but in my opinion he didn’t have the range to accomplish that.

The Karaoke bar was fun. I didn’t get the nerve so I waited till the last day and did two songs. Previous cruisers complained about the smoke but I never saw that as an issue. It could have been larger but you just have to make due.

There was a band called Music Network that did pretty well. Not bad and only one of two places I would even consider sitting.

Darin has a great voice and range. His strongest points are Billy Joel songs and he was really good on others.

The Lido deck band wasn’t what I’ve heard in the last four cruises. Now I will admit the typical Lido band exhausts there song list by day one but these guys had no good or bad songs. They all kind of sounded the same.

Paris Lounge Entertainment: N/A

It wouldn’t be fair for me to rate this because all I went to was the main show Shout and that had a lot of nice things and a few ok skits. My teens went to most of the shows and what I got out of them was most of the other shows were good.

Casino: A

First night out to sea I walked up to the roulette table and won 5 out of the first six numbers I played with only three chips on the table per spin. That was a quick $130 or so. Interestingly enough I won every night except the last night and walked away with over $200 in winnings. That’s pretty good for me as I am a somewhat conservative gambler. Casino staff and management were very friendly. I saw a lady win $400 and then someone else win $100 on a quarter slot machine. Someone else won about $300 on the two end 5-cent machines.

Cabin: B

It was your typical Carnival cabin. The Fantasy class has a larger bathroom. The last four cruises we took had balconies so we missed that but the ocean view window helped. Cabin Steward cleaned the room and nothing else. Never would say hello and didn’t figure out that we had late seating until the second to last day.

Lido Deck and Activities: B

Plenty of space to lay out and lots of chairs. What ever happened to the late night or daytime Congo lines singing and dancing or the limbo game. Instead they did the hairy chest contest and a game with beanbags and golf balls. I thought the staff didn’t do enough or be creative.

Total Grade: B

I like the Fantasy class ship, as they were easy to get around. There was enough bars/lounges etc. if they only would have been put to good use. I will never cruise in the summer for a few reasons. I never understood the increasing chances of tropical storms and hurricanes. We fortunately missed any our week but there was one before and after our cruise. I didn’t enjoy all the kids on the ship. Gosh, I must be getting old! Please remember I brought a 14 and 17 year old on with us. It just seemed that the 13 to 16 age groups didn’t have enough to do. Everywhere I saw more than 8 of them they had a security officer following them around at night. The younger ones were fine and well behaved. My teens didn’t interact with any of the others as they hung out together or with us. My daughter loved Camp Carnival when she was younger. The problem for that age group is there really wasn’t anything for them to do but roam. I’ve been to the Western Caribbean twice now and probably wouldn’t go back. If you have never done it is a great area of the Caribbean to visit.