Hey there Mr Destiny!
I've been on the Destiny twice - during Christmas week of 2001 and 2002. Both times we were in the same cabin - 7324, located on the back of the ship. Great cabin, although you wake up to the vibrations from the propellers when docking... I love that cabin, however, because I enjoy listening to the wake in the evening, and I feel almost as though we have more privacy back there...
Each time I have been on the Destiny I have enjoyed myself immensely. St. Thomas is a wonderful port for shopping... you find some original stores and some of the same stores as in the states. I have found many great bargains on jewelery there, in places such as Tanzinite International and Diamond's International. It's all about bargaining in those places! St. Thomas also offers some wonderful scuba diving, although I don't like Carnival's tour - the carnival tour offers beach scuba instead of hopping off a boat, and I have always preferred the later. Regardless, the diving is quite nice - very clear waters. Additionally, there are nice shops right on the pier where the ships dock.. Oh, and if you or your wife are smokers, there is a great discount tobacco place near the pier...
Barbados seemed nice, but I have only been there once, and it was on Christmas day. We heard that a lot of the stores in the main city were closed, so we stayed by the boat. This is another place where there are very nice stores on the pier. One of the nicest stores is Emerald's Int'l (I think that's what it was called) - I received a really great deal on a Ramond Weil watch... I purchased the watch for approximately 50% of what the states sticker their watches for - but again, it was all about bargaining.
Martinique was very pretty once you left the pier. We docked in a commercial area so at first the island wasn't that impressive. But we then took a party boat around the island, so we were able to see many beautiful beaches. The party boat was quite boring - no one really partied - our group seemed to sit around like bumps on logs!
And finally Aruba! The best place to end the trip! Aruba has a lot of shops within walking distance to the pier. Again, here you will find your Diamonds and Tanzinite Internationals. Very good bargains to be had. The scuba diving is quite good, however, I didn't like carnival's tour. They used Red Sail Diving through the Hyatt - and I thought for the money I spent on the tour, I could have received a whole lot more personal attention. Additionally, the dive masters didn't care about keeping the group together during the dive, so we encountered a few problems.... Regardless, the water was beautiful and there were tons of wonderful fish. The best place to go in Aruba is Carlos-n-Charlies. I don't know how old your kids are... but this is the place to party, especially since the ship doesn't leave until 11 pm. It's a great place to grab a bite to eat and yard-long margaritas. The place really gets going around 7 or so - and by 8:30 - 9:00 there is a line around the block to get into the place. Things get a bit crazy here - people are placed on stage for contests, there is always someone dancing on tables (the wait staff and managers encourage such behavior), someone is always getting tequila shots, etc. Let's just say it is always a challenge to get back to the boat before it leaves!!
The food on the ship is alright - the 24 pizza is pretty good (and I'm from Chicago!) and there is usually 24 hour ice-cream. Additionally, the room service is decent with regards to their response time. I feel the staff is excellent - I've never met a staffer I didn't like. Everyone seems to go out of their way to make your trip enjoyable. And, it appeared that there were always something for kids to do (besides the fact that the game room is quite fun).
Hope this helps...and I hope you guys have a blast!!
:dance
