Hi everyone, <BR>I am taking my wife on the Carnival Destiny for her birthday next month and it's my first cruise so I don't know what to expect. We are going from San Juan to St Thomas, Martinique, Barbados, and Aruba. Has anyone taken this ship, and if so, how was it? Same goes for these ports. Thanks to anyone in advance that can help.

I am traveling on that ship next month as well... same ports and all... I haven't heard much about it- I just got a great deal.

I took the Destiny last July when it went to St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Aruba and Curacao. I found the ship to be very dark, although this was my first Carnival cruise. I had a great cabin steward but my dining room waiter was new and very inexperienced and slow. Overall, the ship personel were great! I didn't really use much of the ships services, because I wanted to read and relax and enjoy watching the ocean, and I enjoyed the various ports of call.<BR><BR>As far as the ports, St. Thomas is the shopping capital of the Caribbean. Get prices on jewlery and electronics before you go to compare. Fantastic prices on booze! I think both you and your wife can bring 5-6 bottle back each. I am not much of a drinker but I like to cook with wine and bourbon and Caribbean rums make great Xmas presents. I like St. Thomas because there is a great variety of things to do, and you can also go over to St. John in the morning to Trunk Bay - beautiful beach and a good place to learn how to snorkel.<BR><BR>Barbados is a beatiful island - has a cave with trams, beautiful forests, dramatic beaches and some of the best rums in the Caribbean. <BR><BR>Aruba has fantastic beaches and good snorkeling, although be careful if you are a beginner. The winds and the waves and current can be rough.I arranged a private snorkel trip that was excellent. The downtown<BR>area is very nicely developed and pretty. The best part about Aruba is the ship is there a very long time. I got to watch the sun set at Palm Beach - simply fantastic!<BR><BR>Martinique has a nice botanical garden on the side of its volcano and is good for buying French perfume and products, but like France, do NOT expect anybody to speak English. I am suprised that Carnival added this as a cruise stop . The last time I went to Martinique, many people complained because they couldn't understand French.<BR><BR>Please feel free to post any other questions.

Go to www.cruisecritic.com . They have great boards dedicated to different cruiselines. You'll find anything and everything you want to know.<BR>Have fun on your cruise....

Thank you for the information Cathy. We were asked by some friends to bring back liquor that is hard to find in the US, so that piece of info helped a lot. As of now we know that we have a category 8A room, but we will not be assined a cabin until a week before we leave. Thanks again for your help.