Good Value, Had a nice time.

Item: Carnival Inspiration
Rating: 4
Author: CMHcruiser

Carnival Inspiration Cruise Review to Mexico

CMHcruiser

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 58

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Sail date: November 16, 2015

Ship: Carnival Inspiration

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

This was my sixth cruise, and my first one on the west coast. We happened to be out west on business in San Diego and adding a couple of days to our schedule to sail out of Long Beach was easy, especially at the really low rate of $120 that we got for a 4 night cruise! Keeping in mind the the Inspiration is nearly 20 years old and that "you get what you pay for", I kept my expectations low and that was a solid strategy. We had a nice time relaxing at sea, and taking a walk around in the two ports. Nothing stood out either super good or super bad on this cruise. As its name implies, the Pacific Ocean did seem a lot calmer than the Bahamas voyages I'd been on before, so that would be a plus to anyone prone to seasickness. For someone who's never cruised, this would be a great way to get introduced to cruising at a pretty good price.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

5 out of 5

Consider planning a visit to the Queen Mary ship museum if you arrive early enough. We didn't know it was right there at the same port and we and didn't have time, but it looks pretty interesting.

Thumbs Up 1

Catalina Island, California

5 out of 5

We attended the Behind the Scenes tour of the Catalina Casino. This was pretty cool, and I'd recommend it if you enjoy beautiful old buildings with a lot of history. This wasn't a purchased shore excursion, the $26 tour is an easy walk from the tender dock.

Thumbs Up 3

Ensenada, Mexico

3 out of 5

This town was not like the Caribbean ports I was used to. A short walk off of the ship brings you a main street filled with sidewalks of aggressive shopkeepers, rentals, handbills, and beggars. Strolling this gauntlet can be pretty exhausting. Initially, the wife wanted to escape in a taxi to somewhere, but reconsidered after getting generally creeped-out by the number of military personnel armed with rifles that they seemed to have a lot of out in this town too. We walked a couple blocks each way, staying in sight of the ship. We bought a couple of pottery souvenirs and a couple of tacos from vendors and returned to the ship. Nothing bad happened, but the port just seemed like a place where you were more likely to find trouble than fun or relaxation. Not Carnival's fault, obviously. We continued to have a nice day with ship-board activities, so no big deal.

Thumbs Up 4

Traveler Photos

Carnival Inspiration and Catalina Casino

2 Comments

CMHcruiser 8 years ago

These cruise lines are always running some kind of promotion. I think I just happened to book the cruise on a low swing in the off-season, although this might be one of the lowest price cruises that Carnival has. The Inspiration is an older ship and both ports of call are ho-hum on this cruise (check the box - never need to return). I think it was worth the money for what I got, but I think I'll stick with the Caribbean when I want to escape to "Paradise" from winter in Ohio!

Thumbs Up 0

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speediemb 8 years ago

How did you get so cheap, thanks

Thumbs Up 0

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