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Join our cruise message board (cruise forum) today to connect with other cruisers, share cruise reviews, cruise photos, browse through the cruise line profiles and much more. Other related sections include cruise destinations, cruise web cams, cruise styles and river cruising. |
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#1
By
alphakitty
on
02-16-2009, 04:44 PM
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Embarkation Day– We took a taxi to the port which cost $10. We met another couple on a roll call and had dinner with them the night before. We also shared a cab ride to the ship. We left the hotel at 10:30AM for the 5 minute ride to the ship. We were checked in right away and given a zone ticket for boarding. A few minutes later they called us to board. We were on the lido deck having lunch before 11:30. Carnival’s new terminal in Miami is very nice. Since we were so early, we did not experience any lines, it was a very easy embarkation. As we were unpacking, I noticed I’d forgotten my white noise machine at the hotel. Oh no!!! I really need this to sleep. It was less than an hour to sail away and I really thought the situation was hopeless. My husband went to the Purser for help and they went right into action. The hotel was called and a good soul there drove over quickly with the equipment. We were not allowed to leave the ship as it was too late, but the Purser went outside to meet the hotel employee and collect my machine. Both were tipped well for their effort. Thank you to Holiday Inn and Carnival for being so proactive in helping us with this situation.
Destiny – The ship recently underwent a refurbishment and it was looking good. A new large movie screen was installed on the Lido deck. We had a balcony cabin, #6250 on the Upper Deck, midship near the elevators. It was a good location. The room is large enough with plenty of closet space. The bathroom was small as expected, but the shower was surprisingly roomy. The shower also has a small clothesline, great for hanging wet bathing suits, and a dispenser for shower gel and shampoo. The ship offers many venues for food including the buffet, two dining rooms with an upper and lower level. A Deli and Chinese food are also options as is 24 hour pizza and soft serve ice cream and yogurt. 24 hour room service is available as well. The atmosphere on board was really nice. Our fellow passengers were a good bunch. I did not witness one incident of rude, obnoxious behavior or drunkenness. We organized a Meet & Greet on our roll call and we had a good group show up. There was the usual chair hogging by the pool, but many deck chairs are available elsewhere on upper decks. The aft pool and the two whirlpool tubs are designated as Adults Only and I’m happy to report this was enforced by security. After lunch and exploring the ship, we did the required muster drill and went to our balcony with our new friends Neva and Joe for sail away out of Miami. It is really a pretty skyline and a very nice sail away. Even the Coast Guard escort looked happy. We went to dinner every night in the dining room. Some of the memorable dishes were sweet and sour shrimp, beef short ribs that were so tender they melted in your mouth, the roasted pumpkin soup, fried mozzarella for appetizers. I enjoyed the food and the menu is good and varied. One night I had the flat iron steak cooked to perfection, which is on the alternative menu every night. I was too full for dessert most nights, but did have the Grand Marnier soufflé on our last night as it is one of my favorite desserts. |
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#2
By
alphakitty
on
02-16-2009, 04:48 PM
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Nassau – We had some beautiful views from the balcony as we pulled into port early in the morning. A few minutes later the Regal Empress pulled in along side of us. We debated staying on the ship in Nassau as we’ve been here many times, but we did venture off with our new friends in search of an adventure. We took the #10 jitney bus and headed out to Arawak Cay, know to the locals as the “Fish Fry”. It is a 5 minute bus ride or a 30 minute walk. This little “neighborhood” is a row of the pastel-color waterside shacks that offer local cuisine. We had the ever popular conch fritters and some grilled shrimp. I also enjoyed a fruity rum punch while we watched a man knock coconuts off the palm tree across the street from the open second floor porch where we sat. He then split them with a machete and offered them to passing tourists and locals alike with a straw. It was an interesting show. After lunch, we walked over to the quiet beach next to Arawak and sat and enjoyed the view of the ships and the beautiful blue water. We hopped on the bus back to the downtown area and sought out an internet café. People are so helpful and friendly here….we were discussing where to find one among ourselves when a local man painting a building asked ..”What are you looking for?” We told him and he happily directed us right up Frederick Street, just off Bay Street, to Post Boxes, Etc., where we paid 10 cents a minute to send emails and surf the internet. It was a short walk back to the ship where we spent the rest of our day relaxing by the pool.
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Last edited by alphakitty : 02-16-2009 at 04:57 PM.
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#3
By
alphakitty
on
02-16-2009, 04:50 PM
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Half Moon Cay – Wow!!! What a beautiful, peaceful place. The water here is so pretty…the beach sand is like walking in powdered sugar. This is a tender port. We rented a Cabana for the day, sharing the cost ($225), with another couple. 4 are allowed for that price, after that it is $50 per person. We got in line at the Shore Excursions desk before the 12:00 noon opening on embarkation day to reserve. After getting off the tender, there is a tram to take you to your cabana. The price included 6 soda pops of our choice in a cooler full of ice, 2 large bottles of water, a vegetable tray, a bag of tortilla chips along with ranch dip, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and a plate of 6 oranges. We also had 4 float mats, 4 sets of snorkel equipment, air conditioning, a mister fan and a fresh water outdoor shower. The cabana has 2 chaise lounges, a round table with four cushioned chairs. There are 15 cabanas available. We choose the “Violet” or #15, the very last cabana in the row. We were right next door to the Red cabana. Bathrooms were a bit of a walk, but not too far. A nice BBQ lunch was served between 11:30 and 1:00 PM which included grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken along with a variety of salads. There were cake like desserts and fresh melons. Iced tea and lemonade were available. Soda and alcoholic beverages were for sale. The tram came back for us at the appointed time for our ride back to the tenders. There was a huge line, but plenty of places to sit and wait it out before heading back to the ship.
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#4
By
alphakitty
on
02-16-2009, 04:52 PM
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Grand Turk – We docked here at the Carnival Cruise Center. It is the manufactured spot for the tourists on the ships that dock in Grand Turk. It has many shops and Margaritaville with a nice pool and a Flow Rider. There is a nice beach here with many chairs available. This is just not our cup of tea and so we walked out of the cruise center and got in a cab for a mini island tour. We asked to be dropped off at the Bohio Dive Resort. It was a short ride, about 10 minutes away and cost $7.00 per person. The hurricane damage from Ike in September is still very apparent. The Bohio has a nice beach, bar, restaurant, bathrooms, chairs and snorkel equipment for rent and few people. We snorkeled here off the beach where we swam out about 300 yards to a rock ledge with some coral and lots of fish. There are wild horses roaming the island too. The beach is really beautiful with lots of conch shells washed up on shore. We asked our cab driver to return at a set time and he was there very promptly. We did a little souvenir shopping at the cruise center and returned to the ship for sail away.
These first two photos are of Carnival Cruise Center..the last 3 are Bohio Dive Resort. |
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Last edited by alphakitty : 02-16-2009 at 05:01 PM.
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#5
By
alphakitty
on
02-16-2009, 04:54 PM
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Our last day was a day at sea. We went to breakfast in the dining room today as I wanted Eggs Benedict. I am giving up on having this dish on board as I have never been very satisfied with it. The eggs are too well cooked, hard yolks and the Hollandaise sauce is not at all creamy. It seems it sits under a heat lamp and gets a crust on top and dries out. I do enjoy the omelets on the buffet for breakfast and/or eggs cooked to order at the omelet station. The croissants are also delicious. After breakfast, we headed up to deck 10, one deck above the pool to get a little more sun. We attended a trivia game later in the day and also spent a few dollars in the casino. Before dinner we watched a movie in our room and read out on the balcony. Very relaxing day. We enjoyed the show this evening, "Nightclub Express" was very entertaining. The show was early before dinner. After dinner we enjoyed spending some time in the Piano Bar with Brad. He is a great piano player and a fun personality. We attended a late night comedy show with Roman. We were not impressed with his "potty" humor.
Debarkation was super easy. We had breakfast out on the Lido deck and then waited in our room for our call. We did self debark, meaning we took all our luggage with us. We find this easier than looking for our luggage on the carousels after debarking. We were called to leave at around 8:30 and walked right off with little line. We rented a car for the drive to Fort Lauderdale as we had a later flight. (3:30PM) We rented from Dollar/Thrifty and they provided a shuttle to the off airport site for rental. I also saw Alamo and Hertz shuttles in the port. After renting the car, we drove up A1A to Fort Lauderdale, stopping at the beach for a short walk. We were looking for lunch on Route 1 when our noses found it! We both smelled some good BBQ and drove around till we found it! If you are ever in Fort Lauderdale and looking for lunch I highly recommend trying out Tom Jenkins Bar-B-Q at 1236 South Federal Hwy. (Route 1). The smoked ribs meal was to die for….it was a great way to end a wonderful vacation. The food here made me so happy! We had an uneventful trip home, getting in late. Here's a link to Photobucket with all the photos of this cruise and a few videos too.  Carnival Destiny cruise pictures by alphakitty - Photobucket |
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Last edited by alphakitty : 02-18-2009 at 08:17 AM.
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#8
By
alphakitty
on
02-16-2009, 10:15 PM
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Thanks guys
I'm happy to share! The service was great, the weather was perfect and we made new friends. One couldn't ask for a better vacation. |
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