Carnival Inspiration January 2008

This was my first Carnival cruise & I went with an open mind on how it would all go. At the end of the 4 nights it was difficult to find any real negatives. I actually mentioned to my husband after the cruise; we never heard one complaint by any of the passengers on board the ship....that is so unusual!! I generally do not write reviews but I felt that my experience may be helpful.

TAMPA PORT: Flawless; never a line at the airport or the port; we boarded the ship immediately. A taxi ride from TPA to the port is $22 one way; very convenient. The airport employee at the taxi stand actually said to us, “welcome to Tampa International, least busiest airport in the world“.

CARNIVAL INSPIRATION: The ship was recently refurbished; you would never know this ship was built over 10 years ago. The new water slides toward the aft of the ship were a huge hit for all ages!! The cabins were spacious, we had an ocean view roo which was clean and the beds very comfortable. The pool area had all new lounge chairs and a covered stage. The pool never seemed to be too crowded, the pool & deck chairs were always available.

FOOD: The food was the best I have had on a cruise in a few years....not only in the dining rooms but also at the buffet.

SERVICE: From the cabin steward to the shore excursion desk and all in between, the service was impeccable.

ENTERTAINMENT: We saw a few shows...they were very entertaining and enjoyable. The singers/dancers were great! If I had to find any one thing negative it would be the layout. The cruise lines have improved the layout of the newer ships. The Inspiration at times was a little difficult to get around; I would have to change elevators to get to different decks. The life boats were all mounted at the lido deck and were an obstruction to the ocean view by the main pool area.

Carnival Inspiration March 2007

So I got this crazy idea that taking a 4 night cruise out of Tampa before going to work at a local Tampa Credit Union would be fun. I discovered that going to work after a cruise is much more difficult than getting the work done first, and then heading out on a mini (stress releaving) vacation.

The ship is old but has been refurbished and is actually very nice (especially the cabins and hallways). Only the pool area and the buffet area showed real signs of age. My first day was a sea day so much of it was spent searching for what to do in our only Port of Call (Cozumel, Mexico). I decided that after meeting the golf Pro on board (Riley Tough) spending the day playing 18 holes of golf wuld be fun.

There were only two other guys that wanted to play the Jack Nicolous course (and they were brothers) so I rode with Riley. He gave me plenty of tips that actually have improved my game! We decided to have a few beers afterward before heading off to sea and back towards Tampa. After another sea day we arrived back in Tampa (Monday) where I now had to prepare for going back to work.

If you've never played golf in Cozumel, I would absolutely recommend it. Where else can you see Iguanas everywhere while searching for your ball? I am going to make a point of playing golf in each of the islands where possible.....the cruise lines make it so easy to do so!