Carnival Destiny

Carnival Destiny

Sail Date May 2-7, 2011

Ports of Call:

Grand Turk
Half Moon Cay

Nassau, Bahamas

The Destiny is one of Carnival's larger ships, and it is the only one in its class so far. It holds over 2,500 passengers, and the size of the ship guarantees that you rarely feel crowded.

Dinning on the Destiny

For nightly fine dinning there were two large dinning rooms available, the Galaxy and Universe Dinning Rooms. Both dining rooms were stock full of tables that sat groups of six or more. Dinning times are chosen at the time you book your cruise, your options were early dinning, late dinning, or your time, which allowed you to go and eat at whatever time you wished. The dinning rooms also offered 3 course lunch's, as well as breakfast every morning.  A dress code was in effect when in the dinning rooms, swimsuits, flip flops, and cut off jeans were not allowed. For those who wanted a more casual dinning experience the Sun and Sea Buffet was open for 3 meals a day, and any dress is allowed. Other options on the ship varied from a 24 hour Pizzeria, the Sushi Bar in the Casino, and Asian Food Bistro and New York Deli on the Pool Deck. Room service is also offered at all times of the day. With so many dinning options there wasn't a time on the cruise that I ever felt hungry.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Quality of Food

The food in the dining rooms were by far the best. The Sushi Bar had a very limited menu, only offering three different rolls each night. The pizza at the Pizzeria was always fresh and tasted great at all hours of the day.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦



Entertainment
The Destiny is a family ship, and a lot of the activities and entertainment center around that theme. For adults  comedians were offered two nights with three shows a night, an early show for families, followed by two late "Rated R" shows for adults only. For those who like to drink and dance the night away, Point After Dance Club is the place to be. Passengers must be 18+ to get in and the club offered a full bar next to the dance floor. Dance parties were held nightly, either at the Point After or up on the pool deck.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦

Cabins
Space in the cabin wasn't an issue on the Destiny. There was plenty of room for my husband and I to move comfortable with my suitcase and a half of clothing and accessories. The bathrooms were what you would typically see on cruise. The bed and linens were especially comfortable, after a long day of running and playing in the sun, the cool cabin and soft bed were a godsend. I was tempted to shove some pillows in my suitcase to replace mine at home. Normally on a Cruise you don't want to spend time in your cabin, but on the Destiny you find it being your little home away from home.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Service
The staff on the Destiny were very helpful. Two days into our cruise I lost my camera and I was positive it was in our room because I hadn't used it to take any pictures. We went to the customer service desk and filed a theft report, they then had security come to our room and research the room for us. What do you know.. The camera was in the safe right were I left it. They were very kind and professional about the who ordeal and reassured us that it happens often. Bar service as well as the restaurant service was great, and exactly what you would expect when on a cruise.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Ports of Call

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

This was my first time visiting this island, and I would love to visit it again. The cruise lines have set up a cruise center at the port that has everything you need when visiting a Caribbean island. There was a private beach lined with sun chairs and a netted swimming area in the ocean. Shopping stores were plentiful and had every type of souvenir you could ask for, and were all duty free. For those who'd like to kick back, sip on a margarita and enjoy a cheese burger in paradise, there is a Jimmy Buffets Marregtivile right in the middle of the cruise port. The restaurant came complete with great food, two full bars, and a giant swimming pool lined with sun chairs and umbrellas. Throughout the day the DJ played games and contests that gave the winners free drinks. Also available at the port was the surf simulator Flo Rider where you can feel like a big wave surfer without the fear of sharks, or the open oceans. Overall the experience at Grand Turk was great, the people on the island were very helpful, the best part is you don't have to pay for an excursion to have a good time.

Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦



Half Moon Cay

Is a beautiful private island that is owned by the Carnival Cruise Line. Passengers are required to tender to this port by means of two small tender boats, getting off the ship and back on does take up some time, so plan in advance to get off early to avoid the crowds. The island has a long stretch of white sand beaches that look out onto the clear blue water, it also gives you a great view of your ship from a distance. An island style buffet is offered on the island for all passengers, as well as several bars. There are dozens of excursions you can pick from to do while on the island in all types of prices ranges. We chose the Stingray Adventure Tour, that was $25 per person. This was the first and only thing I was disappointed in the entire cruise. I have done stingray adventures in the past, and had loved every minute of them. Carnivals however was lacking in many departments. In the past we were given food to feed the animals, this would ensure that the rays came right up to you so that you could get a good look at them and be able to touch them. During this tour you were given only one piece of food, and the guide was the only one who was allowed to feed the animal, you got to hold the back of his hand while he fed them. I wouldn't do this tour through Carnival again, other tour companies teach you more about the rays as well as give you more hands on contact.



Half Moon Cay Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Stingray Adventure Tour Rating: ♦

Nassau, Bahamas

I've been to this port once before and loved it, I was very excited to be able to go back. I left just as happy this time as I did in the past. Getting around on the island is very simple, a short walk from where the boat was docked led into a taxi area where the cab drivers were waiting to take you anywhere. We chose to head over to the famous Atlantis Resort Water Park on Paradise Island. We did not chose to book this excursion through the cruise because the $195 per person ticket cost was out of our price range. After doing some research online, I found that you can can take a taxi to the resort for $7 per person, then buy your water park tickets  at the resort for $110 per person. Atlantis is a must see when visiting Nassau, not only does it have the biggest water park in the Caribbean but it is home to some of the most amazing sea creatures in housed in large aquariums all over the resort. They have everything from sea horses to dolphins. My favorite were the two giant manta rays, the the hammer head sharks, both of which I haven't seen in any other aquarium. The water park was the most fun I had all vacation. They had several sets of slides that will make an adrenaline junkie think twice. The most famous slide at the resort is called "Leap of Faith" this slide sends you 60 feet straight down, then shoots you through a shark tank, and out into a pool. After some coaxing from my husband I made the trip, and I have to say it was very worth it. When visiting Nassau be sure to head over to Atlantis, it's and an experience that both adults and children will never forget.

Nassau Rating: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

Atlantis Resort Water Park: ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦