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Will not return. by
Mike from Southington, CT Sailing date: Aug 2007The dining time really ruined our trip. When we were not accomodated we had to rush to get to dinner or we were not able to go. The clientel on this ship was not what we were expecting. People were rude, pushed through food lines, etc. The food lines for the buffet averaged 30 minutes which we felt was rediculous. Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
10 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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   Jump Ship Now by
Shunta M from Somewhere, AZ Sailing date: Sep 2009Pros: Our cabin steward was friendly. Cons: The staff was rude, the food was poor, the ship leaked and the ship broke down in the middle of the ocean. This wasn't Disney, but I still expected to see smiles, not frowns. Many of the workers walked around looking as if they were "mad with the world" and their attitudes matched their faces. I encountered many workers aboard the ship and out of the ones that I encountered only four seemed to truely understand the meaning of hospitable customer service. The majority of the workers I encountered gave off an air of "don't ask me because I don't feel like being bothered." Kris, at the front desk, was perhaps the most upsetting for me. While I had heard sarcastic remarks being made by other crew members, especially during the spa "fun facial" event, I hadn't been as annoyed as I was when Kris condesendingly spoke to me as if I were a two year old he had the right to talk down too. I have a low threshhold for condesending remarks and I informed him that the problem was still out on deck three and to send security to take care of it. My tone was not harsh, but I wasn't my usual "sweet voiced" self either. The interaction with the crew, for me, was like pulling teeth--difficult, exasperating and painful.
Working Order
Beyond the crew problems were the ship problems. Perhaps the later is more important than the former. Carnival Destiny is an older ship, built in 1996, and shee has probles to show for it. It rained our first full day at sea and leaks were noted in the spa (the aerobics room), also in the Deck 9 Sun and Sea resteraunt. When pointed out, a crew member in teh resteraunt simply said it was nothing at all and we could move to another table. We did move, as having water dripping into our food was not the ideal situation. There was another leak over where we moved to, but this leak was dripping onto the floor in the walk isle, so we were able to eat without the added health hazzard.
The ship had "technical" problems on the way to the second island causing it to slow and us to be late by an hour and a half. They were unable to fix the problem and we were all informed that techs would be flying in to the third island (Nassau) to try to repair the problem. Unfortuantely we all later found out the problem was not fixed when we received a late night letter under the cabin door informing us that we would be three and half hours late into our final port - Miami. Panic followed because people with early flights were told they would miss them and would need to reschedule. For guest who were booked on flights after 2:30 p.m. on Carnival's FLYAWEIGH program the letter noted that their flights would be re-scheduled. For all other guest with independent air arraangements on American, Delta, Northwest and Southwest airlines departing prior to 2:30 p.m. they were to take the letter to the ticket counter at the airport and try to re-schedule their flights. The one thing I have noticed is that people who want to get home, don't like upsetting news letting them know they're going to miss their flight and may have to 1. fly stand-by and 2. pay an intial fee to reschedule. The letter also mentioned that Carnival would reimburse any incurred fees for rebooking. The passenger simply had to send in the receipt upon their return home. For people who may have booked this cruise while still employed, only to lose their jobs and not be able to cancel the cruise, finding out you may incur a fee you can't pay in order to get home is not comforting.
Compounded on top of the ship leaks and propellar problems was how often the outer portions of deck three had to be closed. One closure was so they could wash down the lifeboats. I have crusied before and that type of maintenance was not done during a cruise. The other few times I went up the outdoor areas were closed, but I saw no explanation as to why. The final time they chose to do maintenance on the outer portion of deck three they didn't close it. They simply started painting over spots up between the next deck and the lifeboats. The pervasive smell of the paint was a sure sign that this is one Ship QualityLeaks that I saw in the spa area and the Sun and Sea eating areas. Dining/FoodNot a very good selection; breakfast on the Lido Deck seemed to have the same selection each morning. Dinner in the dining room needed a better variety of dining options. One positive is that there was a vegitarian option offered for the main course on each night. Stateroom QualitySheets had brown stain in them. Our cabin steward did his best to keep the room clean and he was very nice. Ship Staff QualityAll that I encountered, except for four people, were rude. Entertainment & ActivitiesThere was something offered on board even during the days when we were at the islands. This made it possible to have something to do even if you didn't go ashore. There didn't really seem to be anything spectacular about the entertainment options, however. 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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A wonderful cruise by
Herbert M from Toronto, Canada Sailing date: Aug 2009Pros: The service in all areas of the ship Cons: Going home This was the most wonderful vacation I ever had, the ship staff was amazing and the service was outstanding
There is not one moment of the cruise we did not enjoy
Well organized staff and the food was outstanding
We plan to go on a cruise every year from now on till the day we die Ship QualityThere was enough room for everyone on board to do whatever they felt like Dining/FoodOutstanding.......... Stateroom Qualityalways neat and the staff were great Ship Staff QualityAmazing service,all the time Entertainment & ActivitiesVery profesional 
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Grand Turk IslandWe enjoyed swimming in the ocean with the ship a few hundred feet away,wow
Don't Miss: Ocean was the best Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)The best day of swimming in the ocean
Don't Miss: View and the ocean Nassau, BahamasWe enjoyed Atlantis but needed more time
Don't Miss: Atlantis underwater park 7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Great Carnival Destiny Cruise by
Kyle V from Raleigh, NC Sailing date: Jan 2011Pros: Food and choices Cons: Other guests BOARDING: Smooth and effortless. Everything has been fine tuned, and it is seamless. If you have your proper Identification, and baggage tags, etc. you're fine! Ship QualityThe ship was well decorated, great artwork on the walls, lighting was great. Overall it was a little dated, but very classy! The upper decks were amazing as there is a ton of room to move around and too much to list. Dining/FoodFOOD: EXCELLENT. Some buffets had pretty much American junk food, which i never touched (hot dogs, chix fingers, pizza, etc.) Why would i over eat with that? That's just me. The sit-down dinners were outstanding. Staff was VERY PROFESSIONAL, and great to interact with. They accommodated all my food requests. Stateroom QualityROOMS: Small, but efficient. Shower was large! Had Shampoo and shower gel dispensers in the shower; very handy! TV played videos taken on the ship by staffed videographers, and how-to videos as well. Cleaning staff was EXCELLENT. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & ActivitiesEXCURSIONS: Pricey of course. Snorkeling and beach trips were not on my good list. I was herded, and was not free to snorkel on my own. On their private island, Half Moon Cay, the ONLY designated snorkel spot was alongside the beach area. VERY Busy, and oh, a kiddy slide into the water right by the snorkel area. I was very upset with that. They let me return my gear without the $20 rental fee price. Activites are overall very short as the boat leaves ON-TIME, and there isn't much time to "sit back and enjoy the music." I did enjoy each stop thoroughly though.
For the on-board entertainment, the only negative I have is that there are so many different activites listed, and I felt rushed through each one. They were only about a half hour each, and then the next interesting one would be on the other side of the ship. The decent ones overlapped many times, and scheduling was a pain at times. But each activity itself was great! Children's ProgramsThey had a large schedule just for kids. There should have been more advertising for it and it's schedule.
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Grand Turk IslandOn-land, not much going on, not too scenic, but the OCEAN is FABULOUS. Diving was great, and snorkeling would be just the same. Time was VERY CRUNCHED. We went right to diving, and afterwards, walked right back to the ship to make the sail time! Two ships ported at the same time which made it CROWDED! I hate being herded along...
Don't Miss: Diving/Snorkeling Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)Beach was very nice, but too crowded. Self snorkel rental. A Waste of Money. Horrible snorkel location, right next to kids play area and off to the corner of the populated beach area.
Don't Miss: scheduled excursions Nassau, BahamasAtlantis is amazing, everyone must experience it once.
Don't Miss: Atlantis 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly by
Julie M from Boston, MA Sailing date: Apr 2011Pros: $6 Minimum Black Jack, Waiters, Stewards Cons: Smoking Allowed in Casino, Not Enough Chairs on Pool Deck I stayed in a Balcony Room # 9192 on the Lido Deck. This is the first cruise for my friends and I so we didn't know what to expect. Past cruisers know the shortcuts of snatching up chairs early in the morning as I quickly learned. Mix of families and couples of all ages. Embarking process was a little disorganized at the Lido dining area with hoards of hungry people lining up for food.
This is by no means a luxury cruise liner so don't expect the sun moon and stars. Overall we had awesome time because when you are with the right people you make the best of every situation. Ship QualityFirst thing I noticed was certain parts of the boat are older and could use some remodeling and redecorating like the lights and carpeting. Pools are small and often so crowded. Dining/FoodGalaxy Dining Hall has the best food on the ship and the best wait staff.
RONNIE & VIRGIL you guys rock!
You can get more than one entree or appetizer per person so take advantage. Sun and Sea Restaurant is average. We did "anytime dining" which offered us flexibility. Drinks are NOT free and that means water is $2 a bottle. Only the ice tea and lemonade is free. Alcoholic drinks are between $7-12 Stateroom QualityRooms were always clean and I looked forward to the towel animal that would be waiting for us when we got back at night. Room stewards are the nicest and most hard working people! (Thanks AZIZ)
Only thing I hated was the toilets don't flush well, you have to flush 3, 4 times. Ship Staff QualityWaiters, Stewards and Casino Dealers are awesome. Some of the people at Guest Services and mid managers need to learn customer service! Cruise director Alina was very accommodating and was willing to help with a complaint. Entertainment & ActivitiesDO NOT PLAY BINGO! It is a rip-off, scam. They will take your $20 and if you win like I did, you have to scream, yell and threaten to write a bad review before they give you the money you deserve.
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George Town, Grand CaymanWe went to Seven Mile Beach which was extremely crowded because of other cruise ships also in the area. We should've booked an excursion instead.
Ocho Rios, JamaicaClimbing Dunns River Falls was an amazing experience. be prepared to get wet from head to toe so please dress appropriately. We also had a tour of Ocho Rios and it was awesome to see locals. Locals will do everything they can to get you to buy something they're selling. So learn to say no, thank you! Our tour guide brought us to a place for lunch serving authentic Jamaican food.
Don't Miss: Dunn's River 6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Great vacation by
Joyce M from Canton, OH Sailing date: Jul 2009Pros: nice room with lots of storage for suitcases Cons: shows not as nice as I remember other cruises Nice clean ship. Staff were great. Captain very involved with guests. Excursion prices were affordable. Ship Quality
Dining/Food
Stateroom QualityBiggest room I have been in compared to other cruise lines. Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
Children's Programs
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George Town, Grand CaymanSnorkling was fun. Shopping areas were nice.
Ocho Rios, JamaicaDunn River Falls is beautiful. But you don't have to walk the falls to enjoy. I would not do that part again.
Don't Miss: Dunn River Falls. 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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A First Cruise by
Mary L from Omaha NE Sailing date: Apr 2009Pros: The embarkation and debarkation was so easy. The staff everywhere during the entire cruise made everything comfortable and easy for us. Cons: Being our first cruise, we missed out on some things because you have to make decisions right when you board. We discovered some things throughout the week that were already full and/or overwith by the time we discovered them. We didn't get a pre-cruise packet - that might have helped. Overall the experience was a good first trip. The staff was superb and things were easy to find. The ship was pretty dated and most bar areas were unused. There were so many bars that only a handful of people if any at all were in them at any time. In our opinion, if they would shut some down and push more people into one or two, the atmosphere would improve greatly. Good to know - most things get started after 8pm some even later. If you are NOT a night person, cruising probably isn't for you. You will miss out on most on board activities. Lessons learned - take less knock-around wear and more dressy or casual dressy. Oh and don't forget tropical looks; bright colors, prints, linen. etc. Our room was GREAT. It wasn't small like I expected, the room staff waited on us hand and foot, we had a balcony which was really nice. I peaked in to the other rooms too. I didn't think any of them were really that tiny the way people told us they were. Ship Quality
Dining/Food
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Children's ProgramsMissed it. Our kids are 12 and 18 - just between's' - being a newbie, we never saw where to register for the club - look for this info before leaving home.
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Grand Turk IslandAll activities were cancelled due to weather. The beach area was more rocky but there was a great bar, very big and very fun for the whole family. The DJ kept games and contests going all day.
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas (Cruiseline Private Island)When visiting the private island - book excursions directly with the cuise line before leaving home - everything fills up. Rain or shine though so expect to go even if it's raining.
Nassau, Bahamas
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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A good taste of the Caribbean. by
A Traveler from Woodside, New York Sailing date: Jul 2007Pros: You can always eat. A nice collection of stops in the Caribbean. The floating hotel makes it nice to venture out and nice to come back and look forward to new destination. Dining/Food
Stateroom QualityToo noisy-the people in the next room were impossible.
Ship Staff QualityQuick and courteous.
Entertainment & Activities
Entertainment: Shows were good.
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Bridgetown, BarbadosMalibu beach-the rum and the location.
Maliibu Beach is very nice. It has a more commercial feel to it though. It was only place where I felt I overpaid for my taxi tour.
Don't Miss: The beach. DominicaPleasant Domin-EEK-a.
Dominica is called "Nature Island" and it's easy to see why. Although it is a poor country it did not reek of poverty and people in the marketplace are friendly and eager to do business.
Don't Miss: The Waterfalls are nice. Castries, St. LuciaThe secret of St. Lucia.
An attractive island with Franco-Anglo roots-very mountainous.
Don't Miss: The pitons (twin peaks) are very beautiful. Many wealthy folks have ships around there. Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.St.Thomas is US.
Great beaches; nice docking/shopping area.
Don't Miss: The boat....take the short ride to the top of the mountain and make sure you have a Bushwacker! 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Pick Another Ship! by
Cassie S. from Naples, FL Sailing date: Oct 2009Pros: Schedule Cons: Everything! Welllll....I had a great time on this ship, but it had nothing to do with the ship itself, staff, food, or activities on board and that's for sure! I have cruised with Carnival many times as a child and now as a young adult. I was so looking forward to sitting on the deck sipping mojitos with no care in the world. Well, believe you me that happened...but it had nothing to do with DESTINY! Staff was super rude (we couldn't get ice or a wine opener for hours...even after offering to go get it from them), we could never find someone to get us a drink (even at the bars), and activities were few and far between. We went on this cruise over Halloween weekend...you would think they'd be prepared for a wild time. Think again. BOOOO on Destiny. I will cruise with Carnival again, as I feel it's usually great, however I strongly advise people AGAINIST choosing Destiny. Make it short with a 3 day to the Bahamas or maybe a ship out of Tampa port. Take my advice. It's a good price for a reason. :( Dining/FoodBLAH! I mean, I may be a picky eater but could always find decent food on these cruise ships. This was a first. We went to the formal dinner on the first night and almost didn't go on the Captains Ball night just because we felt like it was a waste of time. The food was horrible! And I am pretty easy to please (even though it seems I am a complainer based on this review, i'm really not!). Stateroom QualityRoom was typical, we had a balcony on the back, top level of cabins on ship. Definitely recommend that location as the sunset is AMAZING. Ship Staff QualityStaff was unfriendly and it was almost impossible to get a drink! I have cruised on several other Carnival ships that made it almost impossible NOT to drink and here we were trying to hunt a cocktail server down! Entertainment & ActivitiesThere was never anything going on! I am used to cruising on ships where you have to choose from several options and this boat was BORING! 7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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The service and staff were excellent. I by
Carmen from Bayamon, PR Sailing date: Jul 2007Pros: Formal dinning area and shows. Will cruise again, but a different route. Dining/Food
Stateroom Quality
Ship Staff Quality
Entertainment & Activities
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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