Morning glory

Wine glasses - if they have a chance...

 

 

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Thanks...that's a useful suggestion and first time I saw it on this thread.

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Thank you! I don't plan on removing the tips, and I plan to use my gift cards to prepay for excursions. Also, I understand gift cards can be added at a kiosk somewhere.

I'm curious why the poster had to visit six times on "this" particular ship because it makes me concerned there were service issues.

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Normally we might go once or twice per cruise. On the Fascination, it was different. We hand to go at least a half dozen times and the lines were outrageously long.

 

As I said, whether it's worth it is subjective. Our time on vacation is certainly worth the $50 or so I paid for it (back when it was cheaper).

 

 

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If you don't mind my asking, what types of things brought you to guest services so often? We are sailing on the Fascination in a month and have a suite, so the only benefit for us to purchase FTTF would be the access to guest services line.

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Enjoy!! Looking forward to your return

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Thank you mitsugirly and JohninDC!

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I have only been the the boatyard, so can't compare. But, if you want to see how our day went there, including the boat ride out to the turtles, I have a full review, listed in my signature line, with TONS of pictures. :)

Kim, Just reread your review [emoji3]and have a few questions if you don't mind. (Or anyone who has knowledge!!)

You mentioned you packed up a cooler bag for the day. The Boatyard was ok with bringing outside beverages/snacks?

Do you remember what time the place started to get crowded, or were there always chairs available? Heading over early August, so I do not think there will be many ships in port.

I think we may walk over. Anyone hear of any bad experiences doing so?

Thanks!

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Ok..just to add clarification in case some are still foggy. You get 15 alcoholic drinks per day. A day goes from 600 am to 559 am. You get unlimited non-alcoholic drinks, which include still and sparkling water, soda, juice, vitamin water, energy drinks, honest Tea iced tea, hot and cold espresso based coffees and milkshakes. You can get a bottle of water at the same time as an alcoholic drink, otherwise you need to wait 5 minutes. You can also get two drinks as long as you have 2 cards that are participating in the program. You need to purchase it for the entire cruise with the exceptions being those sailings that emanate from NY or Texas.

Beer tubes, buckets, pitchers and floaters are exempt. Any drink up to 50.00 is good. Have heard about a 20.00 glass of champagne at the Steakhouse as well as Grey Goose VX, Roca Patron tequila Pyrat Cask Rum that are all high end stuff available at certain bars. The best bang for you drink dollar is at the Alchemy Bar, where the mixologists make some wicked concoctions using high end ingredients.

 

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Dang, you're good!!

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Yay! A Fascination review, and LIVE no less! Looking forward to your adventures, as we have some of the same excursions in mind for our August sailing.

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Cruising on the Fascination this summer with 6 ports and 1 sea day. I'm trying, but finding it hard, to justify the Cheers program with this itinerary. Plus, no Alchemy bar!

Instead, I think we might Cruise the Vineyards.

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So happy you're back! Still enjoying the review!

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From what I understand from the Carnival website is that you won't even be allowed to drop off your luggage before your selected check-in time. So you would not be able to drop your luggage off and then come back to check in. San Juan is a different port than most. They don't set sail out of that port until like 8pm and I'm not sure that San Juan has the new boarding procedure.

 

 

 

If you don't want to wait around, the 1pm check in time should be fine. You should be able to check in fairly quickly (unless there is some kind of inspection going on) and then walk straight on the ship, if not straight to your room (they usually open about 1:30pm). If you wanted earlier, if looks like you might be out of luck, those slots must be full, since you only see the 1pm. The only way to board early now would be faster to fun, Platinum or Diamond status, wedding, disability, or if you have a suite.

Thank you! I do have a suite so perhaps that is the earliest time for this itinerary?? 1 is fine, but I should probably just check in now to lock it in.

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What's best for you depends on how soon you get to the port. I mean, if you are not planning on getting to the port before noon, select noon. By that time you should not have a problem getting right through check-in and getting to board the ship. Most people show up to the port anywhere from 9 am to 11:30. They have to sit and wait until the ship is cleared from the previous cruise and that sometimes isn't till after 10:30 or later. Then, the Diamond & Platinum board first, along with FTTF and then they start general boarding about 11:30 or later.

So if you have something else to do, like sleep in and arrive after noon, you won't have too wait to long to board.

You could always drop your bags off at the port and leave, go to a beach, shopping, do an excursion before getting on the ship. Then show up around 1-2 pm and walk right on.

For example, my next cruise out of San Juan, we will get to the ship around 11 am, drop our bags and then walk around Old San Juan, maybe even go to the Baccardi Distillary, and show back up around 4:30 for supper on the ship. The ship doesn't leave until 10 pm, so it's like an extra day of the cruise.

Hi, Does this mean you check in at 11 am, or you just drop off your bags at the terminal at 11 am? I'm sailing this itinerary and checked our "check in time" availability for this cruise and the earliest I see is at 1 pm? Just wondering if I should check in now because it's starting to fill up. TIA

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I used insuremytrip ( noted above) and spoke to a most helpful agent. He found the most relevant policies based on my needs and emailed me them to compare. No sales push.

Of course, I can't promise all phone reps are as good but it can't hurt to call.

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Purchased Bottomless Bubbles for my kid's cabin at the $6.50 rate at 1:30 this afternoon. Just went in to check my purchase and saw the rate changed to $7.50 if I wanted to add it to my cabin.

We are post final payment, so it looks like the rate increase just took a day to apply to our bookings.

See post #10. It explains who is allowed access to their Stateroom early.

I did see that post. That is why I am confused by the conflicting statement on the Carnival website that says " Priority guests may access their staterooms after boarding." [emoji4]

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I'm still so very confused, as I just saw this on the Carnival website:

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1380/~/priority-check-in-program

PRIORITY CHECK-IN PROGRAM

Carnival’s Priority Check-In is an exclusive service designed to afford our Platinum and Diamond guests, and those traveling in deluxe suite accommodations, with special embarkation and debarkation privileges. Your boarding pass will be stamped PRIORITY for terminal and Captain’s Lounge access.

Priority

Minors traveling with parents in separate staterooms, who qualify for Priority, may check in together. Priority guests may access their staterooms after boarding.

In addition, Diamond, Platinum and deluxe suite guests will receive a debarkation letter offering a choice of how they would prefer to disembark the ship and will receive special luggage tags once on board.

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Which seems to imply early access for suite accommodations....

 

No, my 6'3" son did not sleep on it. It was for our friends much shorter daughter but we made him lay on it so we could take the picture [emoji23]

 

 

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Ack! My youngest is 6' 1" and that's what I feared. I think he can make due with a standard twin though.

Please remember that there are rollaway beds, which are the same size as a twin, and trundle beds, which are shorter but can have the extension added. Here is a picture of an inside with a rollaway on Fascination:

 

EM - how do you go about requesting a rollaway? First thing from the room steward?

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Mail, Fax or Email at least two weeks before but no more than 100 days before your cruise.

http://www.carnivalcorp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

Thank you!!

Having same dilemma . . . travelling with my DH and sons, 19, 16, 14. From what I've been able to research, the Boatyard has the ocean trampoline, rope swing, etc. but will not allow you to use the independent jet ski operators.

Harbor Lights is slightly less expensive and has the jet ski opportunity.

Both have the turtle tour, showers, food and drinks.

If anyone has any other pros/cons, I'd be interested in hearing them too.

You just have to be able to provide a statement showing the number of shares, and the owner for Carnival Corp to credit you the stock credit.

Questions:

Who do you show the statement to? Your travel agent? Guest Services, once you're on-board?

Because otherwise someone would complain about not using the search function. You can't win.

Yep. Although I think we can all agree that shampoo is a personal preference and no one will have the exact same experience with it. The replies substantiate this.

Anxiously waiting [emoji4]

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My Carnival rep booked my 3 teen sons in an interior with a trundle bed. She suggested that instead of squeezing us into a suite for 5. When I looked at the size of the bed I thought, "are you kidding me?" We have a fallback in that my husband and I have the suite with a sleeper sofa, so one of the boys can sleep there. Check out the size of trundle on-line. It is much smaller than a twin.

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83 days and counting ... I haven't booked airline tickets yet due to the high cost either, but think I will bite the bullet this week.

Look forward to reading the rest of your review.

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Got some, thanks for heads up!

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