Carnival Destiny (Nov 2011)

 
Carnival Destiny

4-Night Western Caribbean

11/24/11: Miami, Florida

11/25/11: Key West, Florida

11/26/11: Cozumel, Mexico

11/27/11: Fun Day at Sea

11/28/11: Miami, Florida

 
"Not Valor, but not our last cruise!"

Our 2nd cruise was Carnival Destiny. I booked this cruise for my husband as a birthday present less then 1 month after we returned from the Valor. For weeks all we talked about was cruising and how much fun it was. The cruise is like its own city without cell phones and being bothered by internet or checking facebook or email. You can access all of these for a fee but hey your on vacation why bother.

On this trip we took advantage of a few different things. We did trivia during the day and I won a ship on the stick. My husband had won one on a game show like Jeopardy where he danced the Chicken Dance. This ship didn't have the same entertainment staff as the Valor. That we did take notice of. We traveled over a holiday so we have no idea if that had something to do with it.We never really heard of anything going on for the day or when we got into port. Entertainment and dancing in the dining room wasn't the same as the Valor.

 

Pros

- The Atrium on this ship was beautiful

- The Fun farewell with the free drinks was great

- The trivia was very fun and kept us entertained when we had come back to the ship from port

- The Chocolate Melting Cake still a must and we had one every night

- Lunch in the dining room I ordered Ribs and French fries that were like battered fries. My husband really wishes he had ordered this instead of me, but i shared.

Cons

- The service at dinner, was very slow.

- Size difference, its noticeable

- Hated the bathroom, loved that it had a real shower but the sink was horrible and kept stubbing toes trying to get in the bathroom.

- Formal Night, this was a huge let down from the Valor. People weren't dressed up at all and dining room let people come in jeans.

- We didn't have a mini fridge or mini bar in this room. When we asked they said some ships do and some ships don't. 

All-Star Sports Bar

Next to the casino and shops, the All-Star Sports Bar is a nice place to hang out and watch the games.

Apollo Bar

Next to the wine bar is the piano bar.

Cafe on the Way

Here is the coffee shop on board. Different from others where instead of their being a walk up counter there is a walk in cafe. Very nice.

Cozumel, Mexico (Port of Call)

Our second visit to Cozumel was not as enjoyable as our first. Walking around the shops was so irritating, every two seconds we heard "Mister...Miss...Mister...Miss". All of the shop people wanted to get you in their store and they won't take no for an answer. It got to be too much, we ended up just saying screw it after a while and headed back to the ship. It was not that bad the first time around. I (Patrick) do however regret one thing that I did not do during this stop. We were in Cozumel until a little bit late at night. I wanted to get pictures of the ship at night. I hope I do get that chance again, I enjoy taking pictures of the ships from all angles.

Criterion Lounge

Comedy is here almost every night, for adults and children. It does get extremely packed for the shows.

Down Beat Jazz Lounge

Next to the comedy lounge this is another bar where you can relax and have a drink and smoke if you'd like.

Entertainment & Parties

Entertainment was not horrible on this ship, just being so blown away the first time on Valor we had very high expectations. Also during Christmas time some ships have snow (fake of course) that falls through the atrium.

Flagship Hall Atrium

The Carnival Destiny has a beautiful atrium. Very bright and colorful.

Fun Shops

The shops are on deck 5 midship. Look out for the gold by the inch and free liquor tastings.

Key West, Florida (Port of Call)

The post was located on a Naval base, which meant we had to take a trolly to and from into the town. We did not mind the ride. It was rather nice to see some of the sights. We got dropped off in the town where a lot of shops and museums and restaurants are located. Lots of things to do and see.

Millionaire's Club Casino & Bar

Here are some photos of the Casino and bar on board the Carnival Destiny.

Palladium Lounge

 Here is the Main Show Lounge, very bright and nice decor.

Point After Dance Club

Bust a move at this dance club.

Port of Miami (Homeport)

Here is our homeport of Miami, FL. Very easy and simple port.

Seaside Theatre & Pool Deck

This is where we noticed the length of the ship being cut down from our last cruise. Still very nice, just not a fan of the slide. Compared to other ships this one is just to basic.

Ship Photos

Here are some photos from around the ship on the Carnival Destiny.

Sun & Sea Pool & Bar

In the back of the ship on the Lido deck you find this pool and bar, along with the grill and pizza.

Universe Dining Room

Here are some photos of our Main Dining Room.

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