Just off the Fascination

[mo'vakayplz]

Just returned from the Fascination. 4 days Western Caribbean.

 

I have cruised 5 other times, usually in a Verandah Suite (HAL, Celebrity, RCCL). This time inside cabin on the Emperess Deck. Married, 35 year old, 3 children.

 

Fly into FLL (monday), took Larry's Limo to Miami pier. Driver arrived on time, no traffic to Miami. There was a line @ the pier & since we weren't returning Carnival Cruisers or Suite passengers, we waited in the line, but it moved quickly, whole process at the pier took about 35 minutes until we got to the ship.

 

Had lunch in Coconut Grill, everything was very nice.

 

Ship did look a little dated, but for the most part clean. Our cabin was roomier than I had imagined & the bed WAS UNBELIEVABLY comfortable. Bath room was VERY small. NO frig. or hair dryer in room. The shower curtain was dirty (actually had mold on it), but our steward took care of it, brand new one in it's place before 7 pm. We were there to have fun & didn't let a little wear & tear or gaudieness spoil our fun.

 

Casual night for dinner. I was surprised to see a lot of sneakers, jeans & shorts in the dining room. Dinner was good & server was attentive. We had 8 pm late seating.

 

Key West was fun (Tuesday). Been there before so just walked around, had some drinks, bought some souveniers. You dock near the Navy Pier & take a train/tram ride into the town. I believe the time in Key West should either be longer or eliminated, there just isn't enough time to do anything. No 'real' beach anywhere & you don't get to stay for a fabulous Key West sunset. Formal dinner that night, some people wore tux & long gowns (small majority), most wore dressy clothes & still some WORE JEANS, SNEAKERS & SHORTS.

 

Next morning (Wednesday) arrived in Cozumel ( Maya Pier). There is a little village, with bars, shops, car rentals, tour options & all the things you could imagine right at the end of the pier. Again casual night in the dining room.

 

We went to Passion Island. Very nice place to visit, but VERY long trip getting there. We had been to Cozumel before & done the beaches & snorkel activites. To get to Passion Island you take a bus (which was air conditioned) about 30 minutes & last 10 mintues is on a VERY, VERY BUMPY road. The you take a quick boat ride to the Island. Again, we had fun, lots of food & all the drink you could hold, but the adventure of getting there was not good. So I would say I would not repeat this, although there was a women on the bus who had been there 4 times before...So you just have to weigh the pros & cons yourself. We ran into dinner very late that night, but were still served & everything was good, no problem any night ordering extra entrees or anything else for that matter...

 

Thursday morning we were at sea. Spent the day on deck catching the last bits of sun. Very relaxing & fun.

 

The food was good. Not too much to remark on specifically. The pizza & deli food was very tasty. The service was good, all the crew seemed friendly & interested in pleasing us. The only time servicce seemed lacking was during breakfast in the formal dining room. We ate there twice, the staff seemed apathetic, brought the wrong food or didn't bring what you asked for & food was not hot. We left extra tips for the room attendant & the waiter service in the dining room...$10 per day, per person is added to your sign & sail card.

 

 

We went to the casino each night to make a donation. Very smoky in there, as it was in a lot of the bars, but still a good time. Casino staff friendly & patient.

 

The shows were adequate, not a lot of people attended any of them. Dancing options were adequate also.

 

The people on board were also friendly & nice. I believe this cruise is great for 1st time cruisers, those looking for a bargain or those interested in a last minute option.

 

We enjoyed ourselves & were happy to be away on a cruise. I don't believe I would cruise on the Fascination again though. But maybe I would pick an inside cabin again, certainly different from a verandah, but on a 4 day cruise we didn't spend a lot of time in the cabin.

 

We carried our luggage on & off the ship, so we did the 'self assist debarkation", very smooth & quick we were off the ship in about 5 minutes & the car service was waiting for us to take us back to FLL Airport.

[Love-to-ride]

Thanks for the review. Going on this cruise for my Birthday :D and just wanted a short one and the price was right.

[FishTale]

Thanks for the post. We are going on her this Monday and it was nice to hear an up-to-date review!