[ Cruise Reviews ]  [ Port Reviews ] [ Cruise Chat ]  [ Cruise Links ]  [ News ]

Carnival Cruise Lines
Inspiration Cruise Review
Mexican Riviera

Babette Omland
Age: 59
Occupation: Retired
Number of Cruises: 3
Sailing Date: September 25th, 2006

After having sailed on Liberty transatlantic last spring, I was prepared for the smaller and older Inspiration to be a bit disappointing - it certainly was not! The service extended to passengers from the start including embarkation was superior. The lines were non-existent in the terminal, cabins were ready ahead of schedule, buffet on Lido was wonderful, all personnel including room stewards and cleaners were extremely attentive and friendly in the first few hours helping us navigate the ship and throughout the entire cruise.

It was evident that cleanliness was a priority. Dishes etc. were quickly cleared from tables everywhere including the decks. The dinners in the Mardi Gras dining room were excellent and presented quickly with finesse. The open seating lunch on the one day we tried it was a disappointment. The food itself was fine. As we entered the dining room well before it was scheduled to close we requested a table by ourselves since we needed to discuss a personal matter. The request was refused because they were "too busy". Our party of four was seated at a table of eight to complete it. The next four diners to enter were seated at a table for four right next to ours. This was the single example of sub-par service, certainly not serious enough to warrant more than a footnote.

The activities and deck games were present in small numbers. Trivia, Name that Tune, Hairy Chest, High Tea etc. were all pleasant diversions. Many had very low attendance, guess people had too much else to do. We thoroughly enjoyed the demonstrations of ice carving and towel folding. The galley tour with George the Greek was delightful. Seeing a pastry chef at work and how the kitchen manages to function efficiently was very entertaining.
We tried the Piano Bar and Karaoke a few times, they too were underutilized by the passengers, might have been much better with more participants.

The casino was tight but OK. We always found vacant slots and seats at the table games.
The stage shows were very good. We particularly enjoyed the last one, El Nuevo Carribe, the performers and costumes were much better than expected. We also enjoyed all the other live performances in the various venues throughout the ship.

Overall this cruise was a very nice experience. We were pleased with the levels of service, the food choices were extensive and well prepared, clean ship, varied entertainment and activities.





 

Ask a Question About Carnival Cruise Lines