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Carnival Inspiration Cruise Review

MarieCal

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 41

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5

4 Night Catalina & Baja Mexico (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 11, 2019

Ship: Carnival Inspiration

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: R165

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

I booked and paid for my next cruise with Carnival within 48 hours of returning home (easy financing). I had a great time. My goal now is gold status (15 days away). About me personally; I hate crowds/people, noise and hyper kids but love the Carnival Fun Ships. Everyone (95% of customers) are extremely pleasant. Ship activities and kid programs keep like minded cruisers together. I don't think I'd enjoy a quieter cruise line. Please try the Chef's Table. It's an indescribable experience for those who don't have access to gormet cuisine. Well worth the $88.50 per person. Will book for every cruise.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Paid for the Faster to the Fun pass. So worth it. From departing the shuttle to boarding in under 20 minutes.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Tried the Chef's Table experience which will now be a requirement for all cruises. Best meal of my life. Food on this ship was generally better than my last cruise.

Carnivale Dining Room

5 out of 5

Great choices available. Don't be afraid to ask for a second dish to take back to your cabin.You really have to only worry about dressing up for the Captains dinner. If you'd wear it to Red Lobster your good. I packed way to many clothes.

Candlelight Aft Lounge

5 out of 5

Location for movies played on the ship. Stayed about 30 minutes as I was hoping for an actual theater. It's a big screen (larger ships have theaters). Lounge has a huge bar but closed during movies.

Pizzeria

5 out of 5

My favorite late night snack. You could go up to the Lido deck and grab a couple of slices or have one delivered anywhere on the ship for $5.

Guy's Burger Joint

5 out of 5

This place is a daily must. I made the mistake of telling a kid in line I thought the bacon patty on the pig burger was too much bacon. He called me un-American and walked away. It was so funny cause he was serious.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Game of Thrones trivia...... This nerd was in heaven.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Had a great time with the staff. Room steward was wonderful and made my Mom's birthday special with hand written notes. Everytime we turned around someone was bringing her a mini cake. Thanks Ni!!!!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Is it an older ship.... yes. Was it clean.... yes. Could it be improved....yes. Do I think they should dock/remodel and charge me $200 more for a ticket..... heck no.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

I liked the L-shape for the two twin beds in the room. Lots of space to move around. We were on the Riviera deck which I loved. Never had to wait as a full elevators passed us by since we were on the bottom deck. Just make sure your room is not near the anchor as I hear it can be noisy when raised/lowered.

Ship tip

Two peices of advice.... 1. Faster to the Fun. 2. Rise early as the ship is less crowded since all the drinkers are still sleeping. Go down to the dining room for breakfast and then go take a nap when everyone else rises for lunch.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ensenada, Mexico

4 out of 5

Four stars due to the aggressiveness of the shop owners. A plus is that they where willing to help with directions and recommendations in hope of a sale. Lots of back rooms with faux designer bags. Don't go off alone. Safety Frist.

Thumbs Up 0

Catalina Island, California

4 out of 5

Some people will act like they have never heard of the "Catalina Wine Mixer"..... Ignore them. Clean, quite town. Popular with hikers. I found a hoodie for $20 and a Catalina Wine Mixer tee for $12 so great day.

Thumbs Up 0

Long Beach (Los Angeles), California

4 out of 5

Smooth embankment.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Again, super fast. With the Faster to the Fun we kept our luggage with us and walked off the ship with no delay during our scheduled time. The shuttle service is recommended.