Summer Mallory

Age: 25
Occupation: travel agent
Number of Cruises: 10
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Inspiration
Sailing Date: October 6th, 2002
Itinerary: Western Caribbean

It was wonderful!! This was the best cruise I have been on, and I have been on all lines…

Embarkation: We went into New Orleans a day early and stayed at the Sheraton. We had a Club Level room on the 47th floor. The view was amazing! The hotel was nice, the rooms kind of small. We arrived at the pier about 1:00. There was a long line, but we made it through and onto the boat in under an hour. One thing I would like to say is that if people filled out their documents before hand like they are supposed to, the line would move so much quicker. We got our cards and zipped right on.

First impression: WOW! I checked for carpet stains, broken things, smells etc. Nothing! The ship is spotless! I have to admit, my expectations weren’t that high. But I was very impressed. The décor is not like a Princess or HAL, but it was bright and a lot of fun. The piano bar is so cute! The Candlelight lounge was pretty as well as the Paris Lounge. After exploring, we went to our rooms. We had U32 and U36. Just inside rooms. It had been a while since I had sailed with CCL. I have been on Princess and Royal Caribbean most recently, and CCL’s rooms are huge compared to them. Our room was very clean and in great shape. We had plenty of hangers and plenty of space. Then we went to the Lido deck and had lunch. Yummy! We were tired and watched the ship sail, went to dinner, looked around some more then crashed.

Dining room: We had requested a table for 4. We ate in the Mardi Gras dining room main seating table 166. Robin was our waiter and Angela the assistant. They were awesome! Each night he would tell us tips about the boat or the ports, and give us puzzles to figure out. Angela was so sweet. I have never eaten in the dining room more than once, this time, we ate there every single night. The food was excellent. (loved the pumpkin soup) I tried all kinds of things I don’t like at home and loved on the ship. The desserts of course were to die for! One thing I really was impressed by was the smiles on everyone's faces. I had always worried about the waiters and staff feeling like show ponies since they have to perform for us. They all were grinning from ear to ear when they were singing and dancing. Robin pulled me and my friend Alana up and we did the Macarena and the Conga line with them. I am a stick in the mud, so I made sure a lot of pictures were taken to prove it to people back home hahaha. A tip: we had some very loud obnoxious people behind us that were dogging the waiters and dogging me and my friend for getting up with them. (of course we are tall hottie blondes and they were large non hotties LOL) Keep your comments to yourself. It was a large table behind us, and the poor people that had to sit with them looked miserable. I wanted to say shut up so bad! & #61514;

Activities: I am a reader. Usually on a cruise, you will find me on the deck in a chair with a book in my hand. I took 3 books this time, and didn’t read one! There is so much going on, we never stopped. Of course, the Newly Wed Not So Newly Wed game was a riot. It is always funny. We also went to Survivor, Hairy Chest competition, Ice carving, Slot tournament…you get the picture. One thing we enjoyed was the El Nuevo Caribe show. The girl singer was great, the guy ok. The dancers were great and had a lot of great costumes.

Ports: First stop was Montego Bay. We did the Black River Safari. One thing I was not aware of was the 2 ½ hour bus ride each way to the tour. But the ride was interesting. We got to see the real Jamaica. The safari was so cool! If you like Crocodile Hunter, you need to go. You get in pontoon boats and go up the river. There are alligators everywhere. They call them like dogs and they come!!! The crocs swam right up to the boat and ate out of the guides hand! We learned a lot about the birds and trees etc. It was fun. After a nap on the way home, we shopped at the shops at the pier and went to the boat.

Next was Cayman. It was beautiful as always. We did the Cayman Experience tour. It took us to Hell, the turtle farm and to the Tortuga Rum factory. Then to Sting Ray City. I have been there 4 other times, but I love it more every time I go back. This time was a little different. Our guide (Uncle Joe) picked up the rays and put them on our head like a hat. It was too cool. Of course we got the back rub from them too. After the tour, we shopped again then went to the boat.

Last was Cozumel. We went to Chankanaab. I was disappointed this time. I have been before and saw the sea lion show. They didn’t have it that day boohoo. That was the reason we went. Other than that, I loved it again. The ruins and gardens are beautiful. If you like margaritas, get one at the restaurant by the beach. They are awesome!! I don’t even like Margaritas, and I loved it!! Then we went to shop. I think we bought everything they have. We bargained and had such a good time. Our friends went back to Chankanaab and did the dolphin swim. She loved it! She said it was the best thing she has ever done in her life. We went to Carlos and Charlies, looked for a minute and then left and went to the Fat Tuesdays by the port. We had a tropical itch and a sex on the beach. They were great. It was a lot calmer and very quick service. We shopped through the tunnel again and went to the boat. We were so tired and our feet was killing us!

Debarkation was the easiest I have ever had too. We were on the Upper deck, and off the boat by 9:30. It was perfect.

One word sums up this cruise…PERFECT! I have no complaints. One of the best parts was how friendly everyone was. The staff on the boat knew us all by name. They would just stop by to say hi and see how our day was. I thought that was so sweet. When we left, our waiter and assistant gave us hugs and kisses. The other passengers were friendly too. Much more so than some of the other lines. I am a travel agent, and will recommend this to anyone. As a matter of fact, we got back on Sunday and I booked for the Inspiration again for May of next year. We are excited about the itinerary change. I cant wait! Feel free to email me with questions. I know I have left a lot out, so if you need anything, just email!