ireashmott

We are doing that cruise for the second time next week. Here is what we do:

St Thomas - taxi to Coki Beach or another public beach (bring a banana if you want lots of fish while snorkeling)

St Maarten - taxi to the intense zipline (beautiful view!) and then taxi to a beach (likely Little Bay)

St Kitts - taxi to Frigate Bag 

St Lucia - zipline booked through the ship

Barbados - catameran booked though a company

Enjoy!

Oops. That explains why I couldn’t find it.

 Thank you!

Does anyone have the email address handy to make a reservation for Bonsai Teppanyaki on the fascination? 

Thank you! 

Got the email with the offer this morning. We are set to sail in the Caribbean next week. So now we just need to decide what to do...

So we have done a cruise with a suite and a porthole cabin connecting (fantasy class) and have an upcoming cruise with two balconies connecting (vista class). 

Just wondering if there are any standout connecting cabins. We are a family five and a fan of connecting cabins. 

We do two connecting rooms. Definitely a great set up. NCL has a perfect two bedroom cabin, but connecting balconies on Carnival are cheaper. Plus the kids perfer Carnival’s kids program.

You can, but it is often easier to find connecting rooms with the right capacity over the phone. Also remember minimum capacity can change. We are currently looking to repeat a cruise we did in 2018, but they currently won’t sell to our size (we do a 2 person and a 3 person, and our old cabins currently are only available for a 2 and 4).

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. Interesting to see there is no 4 or 5 pm closure when in Curaçao.

Any chance you could also post the Fun Times?

Also any tips for this cruise with little kids?

Same! I have been stalking that FTTF. I was told it would come up at the end of December, but nothing still...

From my understanding, you can board with your allotted 1 bottle of wine and 12 pack of canned soda, then get off, reload, and re-board.

 

That and the port is an actual port of call for many ships, so you can enjoy the port just like any other stop on your cruise. The last call is 9PM local time, so it sits at dock a lot longer than ships do at other embarkation ports like Port Canveral or Miami, etc.

If we weren't traveling with three young kiddos, we definitely would have gotten off and explored. The port is very close to the forts, some nice architectural features, government buildings, and other city sites.

When we did explore on the last day, we enjoyed some coconut gelato in Columbus Square and checked out one of the forts. Would have been nice to sit back and enjoy a drink in the old town.

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So the fascination did not get the USB ports in the rooms after the renovations?

 

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Nope. I did not notice any suite or cabin improvements, but they may have replaced the carpet.

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Ah, Event Horizon. Good movie; parts scared the heebie jeebies out of me. I get the sci fi reference - we named our cats after sci fi characters. And, there's my CC name.

 

 

 

Ooh, connecting balcony cabins will be great.

 

 

We sailed Vista, which is sister to Horizon. Admittedly, the ship was a bit different but I LOVED our cruise. We sailed Transatlantic from Barcelona to NYC.

 

 

IMAX was fun. Tip...bring snacks from home. A small bag of popcorn, lunchbox sized bag, was $3.95.

 

We saw Deep Water Horizon one rainy sea day. It was weird...watching a movie about a disaster on an oil platform in the Atlantic while we sailed a ship in the Atlantic. :eek:

 

 

There were lots of things for kids, and adults, to do. Sky Ride was amazing!

 

 

Havana Balcony is definitely on our list for some day. (We're empty nesters, but one Havana Balcony was the same cost as three cruises on other Carnival ships.)

 

Spirit class (Pride, Legend, and Miracle) are my favorites due to their sizes and three pools, though there are fewer passengers.

Ooo three pools?! I like the sound of that.

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What a great review!

 

We sailed Fascination the week of 2/25. We haven't sailed a Fantasy class ship since our first cruise, Paradise in 2000. I loved the size of the ship. I did not like that there was only one pool, though. Crew on board was fabulous!

 

Glad you had a great cruise. What ship did you book for 2019?

Agreed re: the lame one pool. Unless we have the Haven on NCL, I assume swimming in the pool won't be an option. When the kids are all at least 12, then we can do Carnival's Havana. I like the looks of the aft and a few levels up Havana cabins on the next Carnival ship.

We booked the Horizon, which because I'm a sci-fi fan, makes me think of Event Horizon. We liked the itinerary and needed a March Break cruise. We got 2 balcony rooms that are connected inside. The room connected cabins were all sold out on our other choice cruise.

Not sure if I'll like a big ship. The kids, though, are excited for the expanded water park and the Imax (assuming they play age-appropriate movies). We'll see.

For now I remain of the view that the Fascination has the best Caribbean itinerary and the best overall price point.

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We got on the ship at 3 pm. Our rooms were ready, but they connecting door needed to be unlocked. We had FTTF. Half of our luggage came within thirty minutes. The rest came an hour after we boarded.

Friends of our got on at 1 pm and their room was ready.

We got off the ship at 9:45 ish. We could have gotten off around 8:30 ish with our FTTF. The disembarking times were based on floor, with the highest floors going first. We were on for 6.

The ship has a terrible system of referring to floors by sometimes letters and sometimes numbers. The letters aren't in alphabetic order. Instead the letters stand for things like "Atlantis". Floor U is for 6.

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For St. Kitts, we went to Frigate Bay South. Nice sand, but lots of shells and rocks for the first bit under water. If the kids were less tired (end of the cruise and all), we would have tried Pinney's beach, Nevis.

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I'm back after cruising last week on the Fascination. I enjoyed the cruise and had a wonderful time.

A bit about us: we are a family of five, with three active kids (currently 6, 4, and 2). We do one vacation out of the country a year and love adventures.

Our cabins: we traveled in a suite that was connected to an oceanview (u69 and u67). Loved the set up. Wish this existed outside of the fantasy class.

For the dry dock report: From what I could tell, the only major changes were the addition of the candy shop (pretty and delicious), the sushi place down the hall (looks like a fun pop-up, but didn't seem to be busy) and the additions around the pool (eg Guys burgers and the Blue Catina). The tacos and burritos are so yummy for breakfast and lunch! The ship is still very old and tacky, but that didn't ruin a thing (well except the awful heavy balcony door that nearly took off a thumb). Love the water works slides at the back of the ship.

NCL vs Carnival: I love NCL and it checks so many boxes better than Carnival (food, ship store, suite perks, etc). But the Carnivals kids program is amazing. Feeding dinner to our kids for free? Yes, please. In fact, we loved it so much we already booked our next cruise in 2019 with Carnival.

Port Reviews:

- San Juan: Sadly still not doing well. The rainforest excursions still can't operate and options are limited. Carnival cancelled its city tour also due to a city event. On our last day, we did a local tour of the old town booked upon disembarking. $30 per person, but littlest one was free.

- St. Thomas: Lots of open air taxis waiting at the port. They charge between $7 - $10 per person, each way. We went to the aquarium (lots of renos, but the kids enjoyed it) and then walked 1 min to Coki Beach. Got a beach chair and umbrella for $10. Great day, gorgeous beach.

- Barbados: Booked directly a catamaran that took us swimming in the ocean with turtles, to a shipreck, and to a beach. Lunch provided. Such a fantastic experience. They did a great job of keeping the kids happy. Also fun that we sailed past the cruise ship. Friends we cruised with went with their kids to the beach and on the submarine excursion. They said the ride to the sub was choppy, but sub itself was fun.

- St. Lucia: Did the cruise extreme rainforest excursion with the eldest two kids. The kids loved the ziplining. Because of their size, we brought their climbing harnesses from home. They worked great and were a bit fit than the kids harness available, however they weren't necessary. The guides were fantastic and our group had such a good time.

- St. Kitts: Beach day. Lots of taxis at the port. We paid $7 per person, with the littlest being free. At the beach we paid $20 for two chairs and an umbrella.

- St. Maarten: Just the adults went and did the flying dutchman. Lots of taxis at the port. It was $7 per person. An incredible and terrifying ride. Got a great video.

Cruise hack tips:

- Bring a non-surge protected power bar as there are still only one or two outlets in the cabin; and

- Bring Ziploc bags to bring room service sandwiches off ship.

Hope this review helps. Never done a review before.

Already counting down until the next cruise. Only 350ish days away!

Norwegian Jade - June 2017 - Norway (with a 5.5 yo, a 3.5 yo, and a 1 yo)

Norwegian Jewel - May 2014 - Alaska (with a 2.5 yo and an almost 1 yo)

Norwegian Jade - September 2009 - Mediterranean (pre-kids)

Carnival - April 2007 - Caribbean (pre-kids)

Per room.

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Currently on the Fascination. Our suite has a fridge and our window cabin does not.

Norwegian Jade - June 2017 - Norway (with a 5.5 yo, a 3.5 yo, and a 1 yo)

Norwegian Jewel - May 2014 - Alaska (with a 2.5 yo and an almost 1 yo)

Norwegian Jade - September 2009 - Mediterranean (pre-kids)

Carnival - April 2007 - Caribbean (pre-kids)

Try this link https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1153/kw/Dream%20studio

Thanks! That answered my questions. Now to decide which port... Probably early to avoid the lobster look.

Norwegian Jade - June 2017 - Norway (with a 5.5 yo, a 3.5 yo, and a 1 yo)

Norwegian Jewel - May 2014 - Alaska (with a 2.5 yo and an almost 1 yo)

Norwegian Jade - September 2009 - Mediterranean (pre-kids)

Carnival - April 2007 - Caribbean (pre-kids)

Does anyone know if the carnival photographers will go off the ship with you for a photo session? And if so, what the cost is?

We did it on our last cruise with NCL and I love my pics. Normally it's impossible to get a good vacation photo of all of us.

Norwegian Jade - June 2017 - Norway (with a 5.5 yo, a 3.5 yo, and a 1 yo)

Norwegian Jewel - May 2014 - Alaska (with a 2.5 yo and an almost 1 yo)

Norwegian Jade - September 2009 - Mediterranean (pre-kids)

Carnival - April 2007 - Caribbean (pre-kids)

Pre-register online for Camp Ocean, and go that first night (may be different because of 10pm sailing). The kids will make friends and get a schedule of events.

Also, look for the Seuss-a-plooza parade and story time. My girls really enjoy tea time.

 

 

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Thanks!

Norwegian Jade - June 2017 - Norway (with a 5.5 yo, a 3.5 yo, and a 1 yo)

Norwegian Jewel - May 2014 - Alaska (with a 2.5 yo and an almost 1 yo)

Norwegian Jade - September 2009 - Mediterranean (pre-kids)

Carnival - April 2007 - Caribbean (pre-kids)

I've seen people dressed up for a vey formal event. I think it's fun. It's your vacation, make the best moments for you!

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So we haven't cruised carnival in a long time (usually NCL) and this will be out first our first carnival cruise with kids. We're doing a southern Caribbean cruise on the fascination during March break.

The kids are young (6, 4, and 2). We're active travelers and the kids are up for fun. At the same time though, they are kids and so we try to avoid activities that are aimed at adult-time or quiet enjoyment.

Any suggestions for on and off the ship? I've already heard to register for the Seuss breakfast once on board.

Thank you!

Norwegian Jade - June 2017 - Norway (with a 5.5 yo, a 3.5 yo, and a 1 yo)

Norwegian Jewel - May 2014 - Alaska (with a 2.5 yo and an almost 1 yo)

Norwegian Jade - September 2009 - Mediterranean (pre-kids)

Carnival - April 2007 - Caribbean (pre-kids)

Did it last week. Didn't have a TA, so I called carnival. No form needed. They did it over the phone. Very painless.

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Thanks for the great info.

I did consider that it would be summer holidays in UK as it is here in Canada too. I jus don't think of kids being on a cruise with that itinerary...to me it is like going to Alaska...but that is me being a silly Canadian!...

I laughed when I read that: We are Canadian and took our then toddler and baby to Alaska (even did helicopter rides and dog sledding) and we will be doing the Norway Fjord cruise on the Jade in June with our kids and baby. I'll post about it in June. For now I will say that, unlike Alaska, the execursions on this trip will likely all be booked with third parties. And in most towns there aren't too many options.