On A Boat

One more item on my 25 while 25 list is done. Over the past week I enjoyed my first cruise on the Carnival Destiny. It was amazing. I traveled with a friend, Loren, whom I've known since elementary school. The cruise took us from Miami to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau.

Going into the trip I was a bit skeptical: I didn't know how my body would react to the constant rocking, I've seen Titanic, and I knew next to nothing about the Caribbean. Luckily the rocking boat proved to be no more than a minor annoyance, we didn't hit any icebergs, and the Caribbean islands were awesome.

The first day was a day at sea. The most difficult decision I made was which pool to lounge by. The forward pools were infested with children whereas the aft pools were adult-only. A day on the ship was exciting. The Destiny is fully equipped with multiple bars, dining rooms, a casino, mini golf, a water slide, a theater, shops, and many pools.

If you've read this blog before you may have noticed that I like food. The food on the boat was awesome. There was pizza available 24 hours a day. Each day had a delicious breakfast and lunch buffet. A sushi bar made a great snack between lunch and our late dinner.

The dinners in the formal dining room were incredible. Loren and I shared a table with a pair of women who cruise frequently. One of which worked at a law firm in Queens, the other at the Canadian version of the IRS. (I did my best to keep my lawyer, Canadian, and accountant jokes to a minimum) Each dinner included three courses which were all delicious. I tried some new things including octopus ceviche, duck, Chateaubriand, veal, and baked Alaska. Yum yum yum.

After dinner Loren and I enjoyed shows and the night life on board. There were two dancing/singing shows in the theater that were good. I'd say not quite as good as the shows in Vegas but still entertaining. One night there was a passenger talent show. Another two nights there were comedy shows. Most nights included some time at the on-board piano bar.

I'll cover some of the fun we had ashore in posts later this week. To wrap things up though, I'll say that my cruise experience didn't disappoint. The customer service we got on the Destiny was some of the best I've ever had. The food was great, the entertainment entertaining, and the ports relaxing. I'll definitely consider another cruise next time I have money to spend on a vacation.