This is our third Carnival cruise. The previous two were on the Imagination and were the 4-day Avalon, Ensenada cruises. We noticed right away that the Inspiration was in MUCH better shape than the Imagination. It wasn't until our last night on board that we learned she had recently come out of dry dock. Many of her features were obviously cleaner, more modern, and brighter. I noticed how white she looked as we approached her from the dock. The entertainment and activity schedules between the two ships is basically the same which made for a slight more dull experience. We had brought two of our adult sons (18 & 22) with us for their first cruise and they really seemed to enjoy it. Overall, we had a great time an will probably do it again due to its convenience.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Smooth and efficient
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The food was ok. It's the service that really excels on this ship.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
To be honest, this is our third Carnival cruise out of Long Beach and hitting Ensenada (Avalon also on the others) but the activities are the same on all of these cruises so it's getting a little old.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
To be honest, this is our third Carnival cruise out of Long Beach and hitting Ensenada (Avalon also on the others) but the entertainment is the same on all of these cruises so it's getting a little old.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The service and staff are where we will keep coming back to Carnival.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Being an older ship (23 years old) she is holding up well. We learned that she had recently come out of dry dock which explains the excellent condition she is in overall.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Comfort, size, and cleanliness are all very good. The cabin will continue to loose a star because there is only one three-prong outlet. If you forget to bring an outlet expander (I have a 1-to-3 plug adapter I like to use) you are stuck with one in the room and one in the bathroom which is nearly impossible to use due to its location (above mirror, facing down).
Ship tip
Sail on her soon. She is about 4 months out of dry dock and is in excellent condition.
We stayed at the Queen Mary the night before this cruise. I was not impressed. She is run down and not well maintained. Rooms are covered in dirt, the porcelin coating on the bathtubs is flaking, and there is zero noise insulation between the rooms. On the plus side, she is filled with tons of history and we enjoyed the Haunted Encounters tour we took (good value at $10 per person since we stayed the night). We are glad we did it but we will never do it again.
We went on the splendor in august 7 day to cabo mazatlan and Puerto vallarta. We had alot of fun the ship was huge with alot to do. Maybe try the longer cruises maybe you'll have more fun. I honestly dont think 3 or 4 days is enough. Were going on the imagination with our 3 girls for christmas just to do something different for the holiday.
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