hannahsmomtoo

Taking cruise #2 ( Fascination this time ) in October....

looking for a hotel to stay at that is close to the port....

( We will not have car )

Need to Fly in Friday night and sail Saturday,

Any help would be appreciated

Thank you !

Mine still shows $49.95 as usual

Maybe you just saw a glitch?

My daughter ( 15 ) wants to do Atlantis.... mainly because of the slides and the "not so lazy" river....

Which excursion would we choose? I want to go thru Carnival....

but I need to save up because we just paid in full for the cruise and booked a HMC cabana....so Atlantis $$ may take me some time ...

I want to make sure I pick the right one !

Thanks !

Thanks! I have learned to wait until the last day to buy photos. There have been so many times that I saw great photos and got them and then had even better ones in the week. So I wait until the last day to make the decision once all the photos are taken. I just thought there was something like a pre-purchase discount towards photos.

You can buy the photo coupons ahead.. We usually do, just to lessen our expenses while on the cruise... but it offers no discount. Same ol' price :rolleyes:

So I was looking to book a southern trip out of Miami and I keep hearing of a lot of crime and violent crime at that. Is it worth the trip?

We are doing the Bahamas out of Jacksonville in October and can't wait...Loved our previous Caribbean and Mexican Riviera cruises.

I know I am not addressing your "Miami crime" question... but I will tell you we were OVERLY worried in October (2013) about Jamaica because we had also heard of " a lot of crime" and we had NOT a single issue.

Take the same precautions with your family as you would anywhere....and take what you hear with a grain of salt.

Have a great cruise

2012 Splendor

2013 Magic

2014 Fascination

Be careful with hte hair braiders. Some of them charge per braid and know how to make hair have tons of braids.

That is good to know as I have a teenage daughter with hair to her tailbone. They will flock to her !

We flew in from RI for our cruise. Sure the flights back were very limited. We actually flew home to CT and then drove to RI from there.

 

 

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I should have prefaced this by saying.. I have Southwest air credit that covers the cross country flights... that expires about 30 days AFTER our scheduled cruise... That also helped our decision... we don't WANT to fly so many hours... but we ARE doing so for free

I've sailed on the Fascination three times, written reviews, three times, reviews on her just happend to run around the same time, must be a group that writes them, sails together?

I love the size of this ship, no offense to humans in gneral, i just dont like crowds. This last trip I made it to the Serenity deck, which i loved because it was quiet. That is my main compalint about cruise ships in general, they crank up the noise level. My friends say it's because I am old, and my ears cant take it, but on our last cruise, my friend's 20 something daughter walked over to the bar tender, and said="do you see those old people sitting there? it's too loud for them, turn it down. oh and by the way, it;s too loud for me too" LOL. I think this comes from our culture, we no longer know how to just chill, so they wont let us. Get to the Serenity deck.

The food is great, the ports are fun, especially HMC, I do miss that they are not going to Key West anymore, but LSC and HMC make up for that big time! Have a great time, and really, search Fasciantion reviews. Oh, if you can book a balcony, that might be the only way you can get the sound of the ocean.

Thank you.....we DO have a balcony and also a HMC cabana.... We have experienced Large ships and I have a teen who has some anxiety issues in crowds ( it was actually SHE who requested we drop to 5 day cruises instead of 7) .... so I actually think trying out a smaller ship will be beneficial. Thank you for your response !!!

Some people will still fly in, but they will be in much smaller percentages than on cruises departing from larger and more established ports of embarkation like Miami where the newest and largest ships sail from on better itineraries, making it worth it to spend the extra money to fly.

 

These older, smaller ships, sailing on short, inexpensive itineraries, and relegated to a smaller port of embarkation like Jacksonville (the cruise terminal is literally a temporary, single story, warehouse style building, catering solely to the Fascination), are designed to attract a "drive to" clientele which, under different circumstances, would've never considered taking a cruise or spent the money to fly.

 

You will see more "locals" that live within driving distance (lots of GA, SC, and FL license plates), many who are first time cruisers and who have nothing to compare the Fascination to (thus the frequent comments here from people stating that it was their 1st cruise and how wonderful it was). Others sail on her frequently and love her because she's so convenient and is the "local girl". Even though our last cruise on her was a bit disappointing, we are still tempted to sail on her again just because of the easy, short drive.

 

For me, flying across the country to sail out of Jacksonville on the Fascination instead of out of a more established port of embarkation with newer, bigger, and better ships, would be the equivalent of flying to Valdosta, Georgia to visit Wild Adventures instead of flying to Orlando to visit Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.

Thank you for the explanation Tapi... I even agree with your comparison. We have recently done the Disneyworld trip....

and I have developed somewhat of a Half Moon Cay Obsession.... that is why we chose the Fascination this time...

2012 Splendor

2013 Magic

2014 Fascination

Christine

Wow!!!! Either you got lucky, or they have changed the rules on this, yet, AGAIN. Enjoy your cabana!!:D

I am ofcourse saving that email from them.....

but I have heard stories of people who DID get "assigned" a cabana before the cruise and it wasn't honored....so we'll see. Maybe they let us because the cruise is 10+ months away? Who knows? Just happy to be going.....!!!

I think the Fantasy class ships in general get less attention on Cruise Critic, but don't let that scare you. We feel that you're able to form better relationships with the crew on the smaller ships. Our first cruise was on the Fascination and we got hooked! Have a great time!

 

 

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Thank you....we are not looking forward to the long flight ( AZ ) but very excited about seeing the Fascination and HMC

Great ship, great crew, most "fun" cruisers. Go in understanding that a diverse group from across the US is not flying into Jacksonville to go on this cruise and you'll have a great time. I personally love it.

I don't understand this? My daughter and I are flying from Arizona to Jacksonville.. People don't do this?:confused:

If you want to avoid almost all of the crowd, and have a section of beach almost entirely to yourself, you're in the best spot.

 

If you're planning on frequent visits to the bars and the barbecue, or you're wanting to do a lot of the excursion stuff, those are much closer to the tender pier and the crowds and will be a pretty good walk back-and-forth. Not an insurmountable walk, though, and if you walk along the driveway behind the cabanas it's easier than walking on the beach-sand...and you may well catch a ride from the shuttle-tram that runs back and forth, like we did.

Thank you !

Yep, I was one of the few who slipped in during the brief period during which CCL was allowing specific cabana assignments via email.

 

 

 

Even though I had "officially" reserved a cabana by email, I still went to Shore Ex the moment I boarded...and they had already given it away to someone else. When I produced my copy of the confirmation email, they said they'd take care of it...but they still had me down for the wrong one when I checked later.

 

Which one would I ACTUALLY have gotten?

--We'll never know, as THAT particular port visit was cancelled due to weather.

Good info... While I do have 15 reserved, I will double check on board Thanks !

Not sure how you did this because this is the response I got

today

Thanks for contacting Tour Operations with your inquiry.

 

Unfortunately, we cannot hold any cabanas for you in particular as it a first come first serve basis. I would recommend as soon as you get onboard the Liberty please visit the Shore Excursion desk to reserve the cabana that you prefer.

 

We look forward to having you on board with us and wish you a Happy Sailing!

 

Tour Operations

Carnival Cruise Lines

This was our response.....

Hello *****,

Thank you for getting in touch with the Shore Excursion Department.

We have blocked Cabana #15 for you. The Shore Excursion team onboard the

Fascination has been informed about it.

We value your business and appreciate this opportunity to assist.

Best regards,

Tour Operations

Carnival Cruise Lines

This past November you couldn't choose until you boarded. Guest services should be your first stop, just to make sure you get the cabin you want.

You sure can...all you do is pay online then send your Cabana # request to shoreexcursions@carnival.com

This was my reply : All booked ...

Hello *****,

Thank you for getting in touch with the Shore Excursion Department.

We have blocked Cabana #15 for you. The Shore Excursion team onboard the

Fascination has been informed about it.

We value your business and appreciate this opportunity to assist.

Best regards,

Tour Operations

Carnival Cruise Lines

Just back from HMC on 10/20 and enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to the poster who uploaded pictures of cabana #15 brought back memories. I'm ready to go again..:rolleyes:

What post # was that? We have 15 reserved for October and I am dying to see it.....

I read you can only get cabanas at the excursion desk, but then people say they are sold out. How would you know the cabanas are sold out until you get on ship? Are these posters writing from on board ship? Or....hopefully....can you reserve in advance now?

Our cruise isn't until 10/2014 but the cabana was listed as an "excursion".... there are only 15... ( my cruise says 9 remain )...once they sell out they are gone and will not show on the excursion page.

When you email your request for a specific cabana you must provide them with your confirmation number when you initially booked the cabana and also your carnival cruise booking number.

:)

This. exactly. Have already done so for October. Worked like a charm

Are you able to reserve the cabana before sailing or do you have to do it on the ship?

Yes you can reserve before....

We paid for our cabana and THEN emailed Shoreexcursions@carnival.com and already have #15 assigned for our October cruise.. ( they responded and confirmed by email )

I have cabana 15 reserved.... (HMC) I had read that the further "away the better... Was this a mistake on my part?

I haven't been there yet but asked the same question. They take the S&S card for drinks, water toy rental, and the store that is there. There are locals that come and sell stuff also, and they take cash. We will be there a week from Sunday. Can't wait!!

Thank you ! Please report back ! We have to wait until October !!!! :eek:

Should it worry me that I see very little here about the Fascination....?

( Yes I know I can search.... but I just mean on a regular basis )

We are booked on our 3rd cruise in October

* Splendor 2012, Magic 2013 and now Fascination 2014...

Very excited about Atlantis and HMC...

Just a bit concerned that no one ever talks about this ship....

Anyone?

Thanks and Happy new year...

Christine

I know there is a port of call question....and I will post there also.....but sometimes its easier to get an answer here :)

We have our Cabana rented and picked ( yay for the shore excursions people!) ...

but as far as purchases.... alcohol etc....does HMC take your S/S since its private? or do we need cash/credit card?

Thanks so much !!!