clu

This is a very interesting thread. I am going on my first cruise that involves driving to the port in 2 days - Fascination. It was cheap and convenient sine it is a girls' trip. I am a little apprehensive as some have had less than stellar experiences. But my friend and I have a suite.

My first and favorite cruise was on the Inspiration so I guess I am in the minority of liking the smaller ships. After cruising Oasis of Seas in 2012, I wasn't sure if I would I ever get another cruise ship. It was horrendous to me - a cupcake shop? A burger joint? A doughnut stand? I have these things within 5 minutes of my house so the idea of waiting in a line with 3000+ people was an absolute nightmare. I have no need to visit steakhouses and sushi bars on a cruise ship. Likewise, I can do that at home. I prefer being able to get to know people at the piano bar or stay up late at the dance club. The bigger/newer ships do have better spas but again, that is the least of my concerns. I go to the spa when there is nothing better to do on a cruise and that means I am bored. I'd rather not go to the spa as the services at home, like restaurants, are way better at home than on cruise ship.

In contrast, I sailed BVI on a private charter - 45 foot catamaran. Now that is an experience. At times, I felt like I was roughing it - the bed, the shower, the lack of shoes. But going to uninhabited islands and private islands was truly amazing. 6 weeks later, we sailed Legend on her last voyage of the Alaskan season and it was wonderful. That was a nice sized ship for me. It is similar in size to Celebrity Summit. I sailed that last Christmas and loved it so much that we are doing the same cruise this year. It was the best time I have ever had on a cruise ship. Celebrity has fewer passengers and a slightly higher crew size.

I don;t think anyone can sell you on a ship. You either know what works for you or what does not. I am not a big ship person. I would rather not go on a cruise than sail on a mega-cruise ship. To each their own. I am more interested in the itinerary than the ship.

2 days till Fascination

Having done this cruise twice (once with and once w/o a balcony) I can honestly say that we used our balcony much less on this itinerary. For half of the ports, there wasn't much to see while we were docked. So while I agree it is a picturesque itinerary, most of that is off of the ship.

 

As for limited dining choices. Similar story as above. We ate lunch in port every day, since there is so much great food to eat on this run. When we sailed it last it was on the Victory. Dining options on that were similar to the Fantasy Class ships. We never once had a complaint, I mean the dining room menus won't be any different. This was before Guy's Burgers and such, and we didn't feel we needed any more.

 

So to each their own, but wanted to give my two cents to hopefully help some of you decide if that ship will suit you or not.

I completely agree with the above. I cannot comment on Carnival, but I sailed out of San Juan last Christmas and had a balcony on Celebrity. We are doing the same cruise this year and just opted for an ocean view. The intineraries are so port intensive that we really didn't use the balcony. The most exciting thing was watching the guys tie up the ship in port. The views are not exciting - it's not like island hopping in the virgin islands. It you are apprehensive about the Fascination, I highly recommend the Celebrity Summit. It is smaller, but there are great dining choices and usually you can get a free classic beverage package. I am sailing Fascination in a month on one of the last sailings out of JAX. There is always the chef's table which was the best experience I ever had on a Carnival cruise.

I am traveling solo and have made reservations for the Chef's Table one night.

Awesome!!!

I am taking my 10th cruise in a month and it will be my first without my husband. So this is my first girls only cruise!

I am not sure if my friends are into the Chef's Table but we did it for the first time in September. It was the best experience I ever had on a cruise.