JohnSpo

FYI I am not nor have I ever been a pool chair hog. I just wanted to select a table before getting my food which we have always done. It is pain to take turns getting our food. I just wanted the least offensive way of holding a table. We eat and then leave. Our next cruise we are thinking of just eating in the Lido for dinner. I thought we would be getting up more for the many dinner courses -

You take the chance of it being thrown away by the busser or a fellow cruiser. Then you probably will lose the table. I rather not complicate matters and do it the proven old fashioned way with a butt in the seat.:cool:

With all the sales pitches we all get during the duration of ours cruises and the pitch from the room steward bothers the OP. Give a polite no thank you and just move on and enjoy your cruise. That's what I do all week.

I to love the Sea Day Brunch, but have y'all tried the port day breakfast? I LOVE the avocado toast & the broken egg sandwich... YUMMMMM

The new frittata and the homemade granola are great too.:cool:

Key West and Cozumel because there is so much to do at each port.:cool:

Good to see you scored a good rate. Enjoy your solo cruise.

What is the break even to get a quote like that? Was the Sunshine ok, how about the Splendor?

 

 

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I cruised twice on Splendor out of NYC. Once on a 7 day September Canada/New England and once to the 8 day January Florida/Bahamas. Splendor was a great ship with a great crew.:cool:

Great review especially the detail on the port excursions. Thanks for posting.:cool:

Even at the Alchemy Bars, I have never been served a Moscow Mule in a copper mug but they sure make a great Moscow Mule.:cool:

It is the same price in the MDR. Don't purchase the package while still at port on embarkation day because you will be charged tax.

Yes you can choose the same wine if you like. I always to this. You get 3 or 5 coupons and choose what you want and it can be the same wine if you like.

The wine package is about a 20% savings and it is a good deal. Even the first cheapest level has some decent wines.:cool:

Lines at Ft Lauderdale airport can be very long but 12:20 should be fine.

I always get a 2 top for breakfast and most MDR meals just because service is so much faster in an hour or less.:cool:

I head for the Atrium Bar for a beer on tap as my first go to drink.

Nachi Cocum in Cozumel

Spencer Ambrose Tour on St Lucia

Can’t recommend Spencer Ambrose in St. Lucia enough. Excellent tour. Great food. Beautiful scenery.

 

 

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I also recommend the Spencer Ambrose tour in St Lucia. I did beach days in the other ports. This is an excellent itinerary. Fascination is an excellent ship for this itinerary. Almost no lines. so it was easy getting on and off the ship. The ship has also been updated so it made the cruise even better.

Solo cabins would be a great idea. When cruising solo, I have been booking Royal Caribbean. I would rather book a real solo rate on Carnival than on Royal.

I was on Fascination in mid April. I boarded at 1:00pm without any lines. There is a wine shop with great prices at the port. It is located just prior to when they scan your bags.

Yes, I have always had a safe in my 1A interior cabins.

My choice first is dates, then itinerary, then ship. If I then have a choice of ship, I prefer to choose a medium class ship such as the Conquest Class of ship. They offer most of the bells and whistles with a great layout and still not too crowded and they have the steak house.

Just keep in mind the airlines require that you must check in at least 45 minutes prior to departure time for Orlando. This is due to the security wait times and the shuttle train from the security area to the gate area. As long as everything runs on time, you will be fine.

Just booked the Fascination for March/April of next year.:)

 

 

I had ask this question elsewhere, but thought perhaps anyone that sees this, might be able to answer as well.

 

 

We have always done late dining in the MDR, as we don't have to rush and can rest/shower, etc. before dinner. My question, does the Fascination do two shows like we have always known other Carnival ships have done? If so, do they still do the Love and Marriage show? What other shows do they do that would be good to see/hear?

When I was on Fascination in April, the nights when they did the Playlist Production show, there was always an early and late show. They also did the Hasbro Game Show and the Carnival version of the Clue game.

I am enjoying reading the different reviews on the Fascination, as we know............."everyone" has different opinions.:)

 

 

Since I just booked the Fascination for us, another question has come to my mind. I know it is a small ship, compared to the Magic I was just on, earlier this year, but we have no problem with it being a large or small ship.:)

 

 

I know the Lido deck has the free food, etc., as well as the dining room. Are there any other free snack places that we should check out?

I was on Fascination in April after the latest dry dock. They did add Guys Burgers and the Blue Iguana Cantina which are both free eateries. They use to have the Taste Bar which was free but that has now been replaced with the Bonsai Sushi Express for a fee but it is well worth the fee.

And remember besides the Lido Buffet, the deli and pizza are free and also very good.

Enjoy your cruise on Fascination.:cool:

I did this itinerary on Fascination in April. This is a great ship. It is a smaller ship but it was just updated with Guys Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Blue Iguana & Red Frog Pubs and the Alchemy Bar. It also had a nice water park. For a smaller ship, it has most of the bells and whistles of a larger ship. I did miss not having the steakhouse on Fascination but I did order the steakhouse selection in the MDR and it was very good. There were no lines on the embarking and disembarking days in San Juan and it was super easy getting on and off the the ship on port days. The food and entertainment were both plentiful and very good. The service by the crew was great and the ship was very clean. Fascination is a great ship for this itinerary. I highly recommend this. Barbados and St Kitts were great beach stops. Make sure you do the Spencer Ambrose tour on St Lucia. St Lucia is a beautiful island and the people are very nice. I look forward to cruising Fascination again on this itinerary. Usually this 7 day Fascination itinerary out of San Juan comes up the cheapest on Carnival.com when booking a 7 day Carnival cruise. Have a great cruise.:cool:

"A “non tropical” cruise to New England and Canada, would certainly be a different experience. I’m waiting for the fall 2020 itineraries to appear. It would take me to a part of my own country, I’ve never been to, Atlantic Canada. It’s a great idea. "

 

 

 

I am also looking forward to booking this itinerary again for Fall 2020. Even the third week in Sept did not yet have Fall foliage so book an October sailing if you want to see the Fall colors. Dress in layers because the mornings are cool and you will most likely have rain but it will warm up nicely in the afternoon. Halifax is my favorite port on this itinerary. The "Public Garden" and the "Citadel" are great points of interest in Halifax and are within a nicee 30 minute walk to the pier. Enjoy this Canada/New England cruise on Carnival.

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The taxis at the airport are reasonable in price. Check with other people on the taxi line to see who else may be going to the Hotel Milano or Old San Juan. I found 3 other people going to Hotel Milano and we all split the fare and it came to about $6 ~$7 each depending how much you want to tip. My room at Hotel Milano was very clean and the hotel staff were very nice.

Make sure you go to Barrachina the next morning at their 2nd floor deli for a very reasonably priced and delicious breakfast or lunch. It is right up the street from Hotel Milano.

The service at the restaurant upstairs at Hotel Milano was terrible so my group walked out and left the restaurant.

It is about a ten minute walk from Hotel Milano to the Carnival Fascination. There is a CVS and Walgreen right across from the ship. There is also a Wine Shop right at the port and they had some good wines at a reasonable price that you can purchase and take right on board.

Make sure you take the Spencer Ambrose tours at St Lucia. St Lucia is a beautiful Island with very nice people. Enjoy your cruise on Fascination.:cool:

Upgrades that I love are Guys Burgers, thin crust pizza, steakhouse options in the MDR, Bonsai Sushi, Red Frog and Blue Iguana Pubs and let me not forget Alchemy Bar.