Leyann Posted January 10, 2014 #1 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Hello everyone! I'm trying to take a cruise with my son in the next few weeks since the pricing is good out of Jacksonville. I'm doubtful my husband will be able to take the time so it'll probably be just us. Anyhow, he is 8 and autistic so we might be in the cabin a bit (I'm just preparing for the worst). I wish we could do the balcony but right now, oceanview is in our budget for this trip. I noticed the aft oceanview windows on the Main deck of Fascination are large enough for him to sit in and I think he would really enjoy that. I know not all the windows that are oceanview are going to be that deep but I'm wondering if there is a way to figure it out. I tried doing a search via room number but some have no pictures and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the rooms. This is my first time with Carnival so I'm not sure if most are that deep maybe? Is there a floor that I should focus on? Like Riviera has regular windows but Main/Upper have the deep ones? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacy_C Posted January 10, 2014 #2 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) Here's a picture of my 2 girls (ages 8 and 12) in our Oceanview room on the Fascination last month. We were on the Main deck in cabin M225. Hope this helps! Edited January 10, 2014 by Stacy_C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyann Posted January 11, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Stacy, thank you! I love it. That's exactly what I'm hoping to find ;) I bet they LOVED it!! Did you know the window was like that or was it a surprise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
safferh Posted January 11, 2014 #4 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Leyann As long as it's not a port hole window , he will have plenty of room , I'm 42 and 230lbs and can sit in them fine , been on the fantasy several times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsuelaw Posted January 11, 2014 #5 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) Hi Kim, Just wanted to send you and your son warm wishes. We too have an a son with autism. He is 5 and he comes alive when we cruise. He gets effected pretty negatively by the cold winter weather. Especially last winter, he went into his shell and I thought we lost him...until we got on the Dream and he came alive again. We got our sweet, engaging little boy back that week. It was a true blessing!! Therapy at sea :) A big old cyber hug is going out to you both :D Oh and I have fit into the ocean view window seat on the Fascination, Upper level, forward (it was a porthole window). Enjoy :) it was U10 here is the link to my review with pics, if you scroll down you will see me sitting in the window. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1748668 Edited January 11, 2014 by tomsuelaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missdebi Posted January 11, 2014 #6 Share Posted January 11, 2014 The absolute best thing about a cruise is that even though you will be with 2000+ passengers and crew you will be able to find alone spots. There will be many places on deck that you get away. The Fascination is awesome GREAT crew and really easy layout, try to board early so you can go front to back and see the ship without any crowds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyann Posted January 11, 2014 Author #7 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Thank you so much everyone! Safferh, thank you! That is good to know. I was just worried that I'd book the wrong one! Susan, thank you so much for your blessings. It really means a lot to me and that is wonderful to hear about your son. You are adorable and that window is great too. Did you put your son in the camp at all or kept him mostly with you? Since it'll just be the two of us, I'm really concerned. I'm sure he will love the camp and I'm just creating unnecessary anxiety for myself but I just keep thinking 5 days with him and I "alone".. what if he hates it? What if he gets seasick? You know, typical Mom stuff! ;) I'm planning on booking through the website and then contacting Autism On The Seas so they can help us with muster plans, early embarkment and anything else needed that I'm not prepared for that they have experience in. Debi, thank you also! I do think taking him on an older ship will help because it will be less people then a new bigger ship and thus less stimulation to worry about. That's good about all the areas to get away. I've only been on NCL and there aren't many "away" places per say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle1836 Posted January 11, 2014 #8 Share Posted January 11, 2014 I think porthole cabins have more room for sitting. but of course the windows are smaller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joybaby Posted January 11, 2014 #9 Share Posted January 11, 2014 Portholes are great for him to sit within. You book an interior and ask for a porthole. (great bargain) There are plenty of them on the Fascination. I absolutely love this older ship, been on it several times. They are 4 decks, so look at the deck plan. I think he will do fine on this ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsuelaw Posted January 12, 2014 #10 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Susan, thank you so much for your blessings. It really means a lot to me and that is wonderful to hear about your son. You are adorable and that window is great too. Did you put your son in the camp at all or kept him mostly with you? Since it'll just be the two of us, I'm really concerned. I'm sure he will love the camp and I'm just creating unnecessary anxiety for myself but I just keep thinking 5 days with him and I "alone".. what if he hates it? What if he gets seasick? You know, typical Mom stuff! ;) I'm planning on booking through the website and then contacting Autism On The Seas so they can help us with muster plans, early embarkment and anything else needed that I'm not prepared for that they have experience Kim, our son did not really like the kids camp. He does not like organized and structured social programs where he can't do his own thing 100% of the time. Reminds him too much of school ;) We did drop him off there a few times to get a break though, and he did fine. Our daughter, 3 yrs old, love it though. She would stay there all day if we let her! She is far more social. Our son is obsessed with water so the water works area was his favorite. The Water Works on the Fascination is a lovely open area with lots of lounge chairs. If your son likes water activities perhaps that will work well for him too? As far as the seasickness and being alone, I totally understand!! You are super cool and brave (a good kind of brave) for being willing to go with him alone. I am sure it will all work out, but I too would have the same concerns as you. I think it is good for us parents to stretch our comfort zones. The only way to know is try, right? Do you have a friend or family member who would maybe want to go with you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare APDMOM Posted January 12, 2014 #11 Share Posted January 12, 2014 We were in M147 and it also had the large area to sit by the window. Our son enjoyed it too! There is an area behind the lido buffet (aft) that was frequently very quiet. We spent a lot of time there, especially to drink our first cup of coffee in the morning. I think people do not realize it is there. Walk clear through the lido buffet, and exit the doors by the pizza area. Here is a picture: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carrieluvsgreg Posted January 12, 2014 #12 Share Posted January 12, 2014 I was just going to suggest the porthole cabin also! It's booked at the same rate as interior, but has a large area that's big enough to sit in. We always book portholes when they are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tncap Posted January 12, 2014 #13 Share Posted January 12, 2014 (edited) As long as it's not a port hole window, he will have plenty of room Due to the curvature of the hull, the PT rooms actually have more room for that sort of thing. I crawled up into it several times in room R11 on Fascination. Edited January 12, 2014 by tncap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lace Posted January 12, 2014 #14 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Hello everyone! I'm trying to take a cruise with my son in the next few weeks since the pricing is good out of Jacksonville. I'm doubtful my husband will be able to take the time so it'll probably be just us. Anyhow, he is 8 and autistic so we might be in the cabin a bit (I'm just preparing for the worst). I wish we could do the balcony but right now, oceanview is in our budget for this trip. I noticed the aft oceanview windows on the Main deck of Fascination are large enough for him to sit in and I think he would really enjoy that. I know not all the windows that are oceanview are going to be that deep but I'm wondering if there is a way to figure it out. I tried doing a search via room number but some have no pictures and I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the rooms. This is my first time with Carnival so I'm not sure if most are that deep maybe? Is there a floor that I should focus on? Like Riviera has regular windows but Main/Upper have the deep ones? Any advice is greatly appreciated! Every outside cabin we have ever had on Carnival, BOTH of us were able to fit comfortably in the window well, enjoying a refreshment and some light conversation. I actually miss them, as we haven't had an outside Jon balcony room in about 15 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyann Posted January 15, 2014 Author #15 Share Posted January 15, 2014 Thank you everyone! I was so close to booking a porthole on the Fascination but then a balcony came up from Baltimore (6 hours closer to us) for not much more money (adding in gas/hotel/etc) so I jumped on that one. I'll certainly be booking a porthole in the future as I didn't realize they were that good (interior portholes). We had an oceanview on our last one and it was an obstructed with 2 oval windows. Loved it but if I can pay interior price.. :) I just can't have it dark 24/7. Did that on our first one and I couldn't handle not knowing if it was 7am or 7pm. Susan, I'm sorry your son didn't like the camp but that's great your daughter loved it! JD LOVES school, loves the organization and schedules. He actually cries if we have a snow day or school is cancelled for some reason. He loves the water too. He would swim all day if I let him so I know the pool and slide will be fun for him (Pride has a twister slide, not the waterworks though). Sadly, there isn't anyone that could get this short notice to go with us but that's alright. Since I did the balcony, if things don't work out as well as I hope, we can relax on the balcony. I'm bringing my laptop and I'll have it filled with his favorite movies. We booked through Autism On The Seas so they are arranging alternate muster plans for us and everything to help make it a little easier for him. Thank you for all your advice, I greatly appreciate it! APDMOM, that place looks great! He would love it. I'll have to keep it in mind for next time. You all are awesome. Thank you so much for all your input. If all goes well on this trip, next will be the Fascination! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ontario_Cruiser Posted January 15, 2014 #16 Share Posted January 15, 2014 At the beginning of the cruise there is room, but by the end this space is full of towel animals - at least for us.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leyann Posted January 17, 2014 Author #17 Share Posted January 17, 2014 At the beginning of the cruise there is room, but by the end this space is full of towel animals - at least for us.:) LOL, yes, this would be us also! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsuelaw Posted January 29, 2014 #18 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Kim, I can't wait to hear how it goes. I hope you have a wonderful time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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