soonernstlouis

Can you bring your soda cans to MDR?  I should have asked this on the bubbles topic but forgot. Good topics tonight!

What drinks are free in the MDR without a package?  Just tap water?  Maybe tea?

Thanks for the combo panic attack/headache and lesson in travel doc requirements.  The only thing personally I’ve done close on that is:

•actually losing my drivers license just before flying (pre-911).  Was able to fly (can’t remember what documentation I had to show) but could not rent a car.  So my 1st experience in St Louis was using public transportation.

•Thought I’d lost my DL before flying back to St. Louis (post 9/11).  Was sitting outside the security area with luggage open/clothes strewn everywhere before I remembered what I wore the day I arrived.  Sure enough DL was in that day’s shirt pocket.

MUCH appreciate this thread & yqjoy’s link to a past thread on the subject.  I had seen a YouTube video of a guy actually recording the walk from Mullet to Maho & that gave me hope that we could avoid an additional short taxi ride.  

Of course the devil in me says (based on the aerial pic the older thread shows): why not cut past that motel? to the left of Mullet Beach and go past the housing on the back-side of the golf course to Maho?  I guess the additional 10 minutes saved could result in a trespassing charge, so I doubt I’d risk it.

Also agree that saving Maho until later in the day gives you the most plane landings.

12 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

I think the OP is spending three days in Memphis and New Orleans;  so they can be late getting into New Orleans

Thanks I saw that.  My post was meant as general guideline & based on my experience using Amtrak.  Also, they may have other activities scheduled on arrival date that may need to be considered tentative.  

Always remember this about Amtrak-schedules are a suggestion & not a goal (partly due to sharing tracks with commercial freight).  So if you do use Amtrak, give yourself a good 6-8 hours arrival time before your scheduled embarkment .  

One positive aspect of Amtrak over flying is lots of legroom & was surprisingly quiet.

Any recommendations among the food trucks?  It always seems hit & miss and with so many highly rated restaurants nearby I’m not sure we would try.

12 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

Enjoying cruise vacations, but having limited times/itineraries from the home port - we have flown but prefer driving which means Baltimore or NY/NJ ports.  We are generally limited to 7 days or less at this point in our life too.  This limits us to Bahamas, Saint John/Halifax, and Bermuda.  After a while there really isn't too much new to do at some of these ports (we haven't reached that yet though 🙂 ).

 

My closest ports are Mobile, NOLA & Galveston.  Didn’t really want Mexico so knew we would have to fly to at least FL.  Really wanted Southern Caribbean but again ports were limited out of FL.  After a little research,

found airfare to San Juan for about $100 more RT pp than MIA.  So I’m calling my Carnival ship out of SJU “faster to the fun” since I expect no more than a water taxi out of it.

Thanks for the feedback.  My upcoming cruise will only be my 2nd ever (ironically my first was Nassau & Grand Bahama 20+ years ago).  Nassau was touristy & I didn’t know about Paradise Island then.  Grand Bahama was a tender port & I just enjoyed the beach.

Would I ever book a cruise knowing in advance I would not go ashore at any stop?  Absolutely not.  It’s too expensive for a half-vacation  & since I have to travel to get to any boat (not on the Mississippi River), I can just pick another port or cruise line.  And I could otherwise just book a destination trip.  

Just seems a waste to do something knowing full well it’s not really what you want when those better options do exist.  JMO

Honest question-why do people go on cruises where they don’t even enjoy the itineraries?  Have they done so many that staying on the ship is just as good?  

5 hours ago, kdawg954 said:

 

I mean I wouldn’t judge cruise activities of the entire brand based on a southern itinerary out of San Juan on the Fascination.

 

This is designed to serve as an adventurous off the ship cruise or a very relaxing on the ship cruise when most get off every day in port.

 

Its like me judging the entire Norwegian brand based off my one cruise on the 3 day NCL Sky.  Worst food and service I ever had on a ship but I realize this was essentially a 3 day booze cruise in hindsight over Black Friday weekend and I want to give the brand another look on a bigger, more modern ship.

 

But Fascination fits perfect.

It is very hard for anyone not to pass judgment on the worst thing they experience even if the best more than makes up for it.  Everytime I see someone complain about “my ship is only in port in the morning” or “I paid $1,000pp for a 7

day cruise to 3 islands”, I wanna scream “but you belittle the Fantasy ships that cost half that” and “you forego a 5-port cruise because the ship is not pretty”.  Find me that elusive ship that is modern, cheap, not crowded and good ports & I’ll sign up too!  Almost any cruise is as good as what you make it to be.

32 minutes ago, purplephenom said:

We are also in the DC/Baltimore area...

Funny, our flight back from SJU has a 4 hour layover at BWI & I was just looking into things to do at that airport since it will be in the evening.  Small World.

I say they Mardi Gras should have a Fat Tuesday-style parade once each cruise on the main deck.  Make it adults-only & throw beads for shirt-lifts.

4 hours ago, Crazy4Camping said:

But then it's more to stay at a hotel for the night before so doesn't it even out?  We didn't even consider flying in the day before because we didn't see much difference in flight costs but would def have to shell out $$ for a hotel.

It was basically an even-trade to fly in a day early for us $50/pp savings x 2 people = $100 & only spending $140/night all-in for Holiday Inn Express-Candado.  We did decide to fly home same day since airfare was same for Sunday/Monday when we booked.  It can pay to play with arrival/departure dates a little if your not looking to stay at the Ritz (lol).

Oh the shenanigans guys will pull when you allow them out of Mom’s basement.

2 minutes ago, ABQrobin said:

thanks for the great review!  DH and I are considering this one for fall.   

You’ll see a lot of negative posts about this ship and Fantasy-class ships in general.  I haven’t sailed yet so I can’t review.  But obviously you

should keep an open mind about what is important in a cruise to you.  Ports & price

for me are a higher priority than amenities and luxury (can respect those who feel different).

Forgot to mention about the airfare-another way to save money is definitely look early (6-8

months before travel) & be ready to book/pay quickly if a great fare opens up.  Southwest Airlines opens their booking approximately 6 months in advance.  Sign up for their emails (most flight matrix doesn’t include SWA).  I got RT from STL to SJU for $306pp. 2 weeks later those fares are $100 more.

Thanks for the thorough review purplephenom.  We are going in September & only our ship will be in port at each stop, so your confirmation of

wiggle room on the ship & onshore is nice.  

We will probably do less Carnival-based excursions & more independent travel/local-based.  Definitely interested in Coral World but Carnival charges more & takes you back right after.  I’d rather have an extra hour or two on Coki Beach before heading back closer to departure.  Trying to plan being near the ship each day by 3pm by saving port shopping or a nearby beach until last.  That works well In Havensight with Skyride and the shops right there.  Sorry I’m the planner of my two & hope I don’t overplan & just enjoy!

Thanks for the detailed description of the Fascination, Crazy4Camping.

We will be on the same ship in September so I’m really interested in folks being as thorough as you are.  Couple of quick questions:

1) Was the disembarkment at each port timely (if you left when first available)?

2) Are you saying the Fun Shop had little to no drinks available?  I am pre-ordering water to the room but wanted ala carte available if we ran out.

3) We have early dining (6pm) too.  So sad to hear you missed shows.  But for me this cruise (my 2nd ever) is about ports and not the ship.  On another site, they referred to the Fascination as a sea Greyhound bus (lol).  Hopefully will be better than that but as long as we don’t get sick on the food & sleep well-the investment into going to 6 islands (incl Puerto Rico) is the payoff.

4) Our grats are prepaid too.  So I’ll definitely wait until the end to decide if more tips are deserved for the cabin steward.

That would really suck to happen after scheduling vacation, booking airfare and non-cruiseline excursions.  Nothing less than 2x total cost  would be sufficient in my mind as a refund, but I’m sure it’s much less.  

Are the 12-packs purchased onboard the same $4.50 as purchased before the cruise?  And has anyone experienced the Fun Shops running out of 12 packs?  My plan is to purchase 2-3 12 packs in advance & also bring the allowed 12 pack cans of diet soda for variety.  Not interested in liquor or soda packages on the ship and usually I dislike the free juices.   This is for a 7 day cruise with 5 stops & I will take a few waters with me off the boat.

36 minutes ago, RedBearded84 said:

Well Cuba was the biggest draw. Also the fact that 2 out of the 5 Days are Sea Days, so I'll have a ton of time to just explore this ship. I love boating and being out on the water in general, so more sea time and fewer ports appeal to me as well. 

Funny you selected the Sensation partly due to more days at sea at port.  We close one of the Sensation’s sister ship (Fascination) due to having 5 port days and only 1 true sea day.  Definitely not worried about being bored or even unhappy with the ship as it is taking us to 6 places (including home port of Puerto Rico) that we’ve never been to before at a very reasonable price.

I was also able to carefully watch airfare & snagged RT air from STL to SJU for $306pp on Southwest with minimal stop overs.

2 hours ago, OSUcruiser said:

We are looking to cruise Carnival out of San Juan, but really do not want the "Ation" class ships.  Do they ever swap ships after reservations are open?  

 

Thanks!

I’ll happily try the Fascination in September with the positive trade-off being in port 5 days & at sea 1 day.  And the bonus to me is that none of the 5 are small private islands.  Most 7 day cruises are 3-4 port days with 1 being a glorified atoll.

The obvious problem to me is carrying around or later counting large amounts of small bills from the safe (thinking of bringing $100 in ones and fives).  Being only on my 2nd cruise ever, I have to dismiss these as rare occurrence.  I want to relax & feel my stuff is safe if I take the normal precautions.

Not sure where you are scuba diving but Coki Beach is literally next to Coral World and even has a walkway between them.  They rent snorkel and scuba equipment at Coki.

We are tentatively planning on doing that to save time but might take another taxi to Sapphire Beach if Coki is crowded (it is a small beach area).