Inspiration Oct 5
Intro: Usually I do not endorse the short cruises having been on a couple in the past that were like frat parties on the Lido deck ALL THE TIME, but since we have not decided the destination of the next cruise we decided last minute to take this short tripper out of Long Beach. It was just my wife and I so no worries about our kids being exposed to the crazy party crowd. Pleasantly we were very surprised that it was not the frat booze cruise that I perceive many of these short trips to be. It was an unusually balanced demographic from young to old, single to married to married with children and quite a few individuals traveling with mobility aids.
Embarkation: We always get to the ports early to begin our vacations and this trip was no exception. We dropped our bags with porters at the Queen Mary garage before noon and went to the Queen Mary for early check in. Although there were not many people checked in yet, there were not enough benches in the zone waiting area. Still, we were up on Lido for lunch just before one. We like to get a bit of lunch and then find a good pool side spot and get the wife her first specialty drink and myself the first bucket of beer. Lines back on shore did appear to be getting somewhat long when we looked down from Lido.
Dining: The past few Carnival Cruises the Lido food was just OK and this trip on the Inspiration did little to change that. The Mongolian Grill or Wok (don't remember exactly what it is called) remains my favorite of the Lido Buffet choices. In the Main Dining Room (MDR) we had Anytime Dining, assigned to the Mardi Gras dining room. The service was good although not enthusiastic and the food was better than Lido but not nearly as good as the MDR quality of the Valor (June 2012). Not sure how the MDR breakfasts or lunches were, we do the made-to-order omelette station on Lido and as mentioned I do the Mongolian Grill-wok and my wife thought the Deli station was quite good for lunch.
Cabin: I can not remember the last time we did not have a balcony cabin so this trip on the Inspiration was quite different being in a ocean view. We do not spend very much time in the cabin but still I so miss the ability to sit out on my own balcony and to prop open the door for fresh sea air. Still the cabin was clean and well maintained. Although we never met our cabin steward, he/she kept us well provisioned with ice and fresh towels.
Entertainment: Sorry, we did not take in either the Paris Lounge shows or the Punchliner shows on this trip. We were having a good time in the casino, my wife winning more than she was losing and I was losing her winnings. We did each get a $25 free slot play credit from the casino cage for this cruise.
Disembarkation: A little disorganized with other guests wandering and squeezing in line all over. There was not much crew interest in keeping the guests organized in anyway.
Summary: This was just a short trip to tie us over until we decide where to cruise next so there were not great expectations for this cruise. That said, it was very nice to find that we were not on a frat house cruise and had a very enjoyable time. We are from Southern California and have travelled to Ensenada just a few times before so opted to stay on the ship and that was very nice having an uncrowded pool.
Great review!
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