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Carnival Cruise Line

MS Inspiration

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: R. Bunnieda
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: March 10, 2002
Itinerary: Caribbean - Western

Although Carnival bills themselves as "Fun Ships", we found their activities to be geared to teens & VERY hearty partiers. If you enjoy silly drinking games, this is the ship for you. If not, don't expect to enjoy many of the activities. We had a great time, but it was because we chose to have fun, not because of the activities provided. Our fellow passengers who had cruised with other lines felt Carnival to be very secondary to RCI.

The public areas tended to be loud & smoke-filled. The decks around the pools were nice, but filled up quickly after breakfast. There are no good seats in the Paris Lounge--the view is obscured by poles & metal railings. It is hard to get around the ship, since many decks are blocked by dining rooms, etc, forcing one to up or down a level in order to get to the other end of the ship.

Most of the food was good (I am a professional chef), but the quality of the seafood deteriorated as the week wore on. The presentation was beautiful. The Mardi Gras dining room had better service than the Carnivale. The service was very attentive, but rather disruptive at times. Although the singing/dancing wait staff was cute at first, it was a bit overdone, and the performances interrupted service of the meals. The Gala Midnight Buffet was visually stunning, but consisted of foods that most of the passengers didn't care to eat (whole fruits & various foods in aspic).

Our cabin, E240, was at the very aft of the ship, and we felt every wave go under us. Closet & shelf space were ample, but there was not a lot of drawer space. It was very nice & quiet.

We loved the Vegas style show, El Nuevo Caribe, but found the other shows to be too "adult" in content. The staff was excellent--except for Giles, the snorkle pro, who was rude & unhelpful.

There were a lot of on board activities which were geared to spring-breakers or very drunk adults. The pools were too small for actual swimming, and were constantly filled with small children. The exercise facilities contained cheap equipment & not a large selection of machines. (No elliptical machines; only 1 stair master, etc.)

Montego Bay beautiful, but very third-world & the people are agressive hustlers--some fellow passengers met with anti-American sentiments. Grand Cayman had a very nice, comfortable atmosphere, with great snorkeling & fabulous shopping. Cozumel had a fun, touristy flavor with great shopping, but an agressive "This is the place" attitude. Please be aware that many of the all-day excursions do

We would describe our fellow passengers as a bunch of red necks, none of whom we would invite to our home for dinner.