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A ship the size of the Destiny will have more than enough activities to keep you busy day in and day out.
It took me 11 days to do all of the activities on the QM2.
I have done both routes as as others said it is unpredictable. The worst I had was 24 hours late in to NYC and the was an April crossing on Crystal Symphony where we basically hove to for 24 hours (that's where they slow to a crawl and point the bow into the waves).
I have done Med crossing both spring, fall and winter. A lot of the time the ocean has been fairly calm and occasionally like a millpond.
My best guess is that the air temperature will be cool but pleasant ... no winter parkers on deck. I don't know that you will be in swim suits though either.
I would expect Carnival will discount the crossing and market it to fill it up to a reasonable level. They need the passenger revenues on the ship. You might find groups aboard or I would guess older passengers due to the time of year, length of trip, etc.
Because they are enroute to the shipyard I would not be surprised to have either technicians aboard or an advance crew. Depending on how tight the refit schedule is they might start the refit enroute meaning you will see them stripping unused spaces, etc. Guys in overalls with tape measures and plans will be a common sight no doubt.
I don't know how Carnival handles crew during extended dry dockings. Some firms keep them mostly aboard to do various refit tasks plus to serve the contractors, staff, etc. that comes aboard to carry out the refit. Carnival might cut back on crew before the crossing if the ship is crossing with a smaller pax load and all the crew is not needed during the dry docking. The cuts would be in the hotel areas with waiters and cabins stewards. If they crossed very quiet they might not use one of the dining rooms or such but I seriously doubt that will be the case. Most lines load on extra entertainment, etc. for a crossing and a good cruise director works hard to fill the schedule because he knows some people don't like lots of sea time.
The one thing you may also see is the last day or two and the morning arrival might be a bit of a let down. If the crew is also disembarking they will be worrying about their own shoreside arrangements and the arrival morning you will get rushed ashore so they can close down the ship, lock everything down and go to drydock.
These one off trips though can be a lot of fun. If the ship is quiet you can get more personal service, the crew can have more time to talk and you get to enjoy the facilities with less people aboard.
No matter what I am sure you will have a great time.
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