Fascination in San Juan

[HectorAchilleus]

I noticed that the Fascination was replacing the Liberty in the seven day cruises out of San Juan. Does anyone know when this ship was last updated? I was going to book a summer cruise, but the only Fantasy class ship I have been on was the Fantasy itself, and it was really dated.

 

Does the ship have Guys, New Pizza, Blue Iguana, etc?

[HectorAchilleus]

I noticed that the Fascination was replacing the Liberty in the seven day cruises out of San Juan. Does anyone know when this ship was last updated? I was going to book a summer cruise, but the only Fantasy class ship I have been on was the Fantasy itself, and it was really dated.

 

Does the ship have Guys, New Pizza, Blue Iguana, etc?

 

Also, is this move permanent? I might be able to go in the fall, but am reluctant to spend seven days on a ship like that.

[Mr2Scents]

That's rather disappointing. I love this itinerary and since we've sailed out of San Juan once we're doing it again. This is a port intensive cruise so balconies aren't completely necessary so I can understand the logic to a point. It's a great itinerary but I do question a Fantasy class ship being there permanently for 7 day cruises moving forward. I'd hate to devalue San Juan as an embarkation port. We loved doing it once and hope to have another great experience again in December.

[Canadian_J]

Also, is this move permanent? I might be able to go in the fall, but am reluctant to spend seven days on a ship like that.

 

It looks like it's in SJU at least through mid-2017, according to the schedule I've checked.

 

I'd have hesitations about a Fantasy class ship for a 7n itinerary, however this one is so port intensive that it might not be too bad. It's my favourite itinerary so I do highly recommend it!

[BARBARA J.W.]

I noticed that the Fascination was replacing the Liberty

 

Does the ship have Guys, New Pizza, Blue Iguana, etc?

 

 

 

I have been on the Fascination many Cruises...............

No to Guys,, , Blue Iguana ECT:::::::::::

Not sure about the Pizza,,,,,,,, I don't eat the Pizza...........

 

I like the Fascination..............

Great Staff................I am guessing the Staff will

change,,,,,,,, Because the Staff will need to speak

Spanish ............................

[jabberjaw070596]

That's rather disappointing. I love this itinerary and since we've sailed out of San Juan once we're doing it again. This is a port intensive cruise so balconies aren't completely necessary so I can understand the logic to a point. It's a great itinerary but I do question a Fantasy class ship being there permanently for 7 day cruises moving forward. I'd hate to devalue San Juan as an embarkation port. We loved doing it once and hope to have another great experience again in December.

Very well said. I have done this cruise 3 times with a 4th coming in February. This itinerary will always be my favorite! All in a balcony can't imagine sailing without one on any ship so this switch is a disappointment.

[Tapi]

Although the Fascination is definitely a downgrade, the main attraction of this itinerary are the islands, unlike itineraries out of Florida where the main attraction is the actual ship.

 

However, it you consider the ship to be a more important deciding factor, keep in mind that Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, and even Disney offer Southern itineraries from San Juan, some year round and some seasonally.

[HectorAchilleus]

Although the Fascination is definitely a downgrade, the main attraction of this itinerary are the islands, unlike itineraries out of Florida where the main attraction is the actual ship.

 

However, it you consider the ship to be a more important deciding factor, keep in mind that Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, and even Disney offer Southern itineraries from San Juan, some year round and some seasonally.

 

Good idea. I can not see doing a picturesque cruise like that with no balcony. Also, the limited dining choices would get pretty old by the end of the week.

[Canadian_J]

Good idea. I can not see doing a picturesque cruise like that with no balcony. Also, the limited dining choices would get pretty old by the end of the week.

 

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.

[ragethjj23]

Good idea. I can not see doing a picturesque cruise like that with no balcony. Also, the limited dining choices would get pretty old by the end of the week.

 

 

Love the itinerary! But our next time out of San Juan will be on the adventure of the seas!

[joeyancho]

Perhaps Carnival feels that using a newer ship is not a good financial move. This cruise is usually filled with locals who get a much reduced rate. Maybe they feel a newer ship makes more money elsewhere. I would never take this cruise on a Fantasy class ship. Just too old any clunky. Just a thought.

Edited October 25, 2015 by joeyancho

[momof4boys]

Interesting. Our group of 12 is booking this cruise for July. We didn't care which ship was there. We have been looking and there are lots of balconies on this ship (Must have upgraded at some point) We are booking 3 grand suites and 2 balconies.

 

I personally LOVE the Fantasy Class. We have done the Fantasy twice and Elation once,.....all 7 nighters. I have loved the staff, ease of getting around the ship, and the not so crowded feel.

 

Not a fan of the DREAM Class. We always book suites plus balconies. The OS looks right out on a deck....very little privacy. I want to see the ocean...not a bunch of teens making out when they think no one can see them! LOL! There were always lots of crowds on the DREAM, but I still loved my cruise.

 

 

 

I would have been fine with the Liberty, too. I loved the Freedom when I was on it. No matter what, a cruise is what you make it!! I'll take the lower price, bigger cabins, nicer staff, decent food, and AWESOME DODs anytime!!!

[jimbo5544]

The Fascination is a short time fix until they replace her with the Victory (again). The reason for using her is as some have alluded, southern itins are driven much more by the stops and less by the ship (in their opinion).

[Stinger-pr]

Perhaps Carnival feels that using a newer ship is not a good financial move. This cruise is usually filled with locals who get a much reduced rate. Maybe they feel a newer ship makes more money elsewhere. I would never take this cruise on a Fantasy class ship. Just too old any clunky. Just a thought.

 

I'm sorry but this is completely not true. Yes, the ship sails with a good number of locals but anyone who has sailed on this itinerary can tell you the passenger mix is diverse. Also, contrary to other ports on Carnival's list we don't get any kind of resident discount. Also, your best bet to book a good fare is by using Carnival's website since travel agents don't really keep up with all the different promotions running. The might be able to block certain rooms but that's the only advantage they hold. I'm local and have sailed from San Juan twice now and I can tell you for a fact that unless you're Internet savvy (not everyone here is) we pay the same prices (sometimes more) that everyone pays.

 

That being said, being in the hospitality business, I've come in contact with some crew members from time to time where I work and the ships that sail from San Juan on the Southern Caribbean itinerary almost always sail sold out by their account. Remember, sold out and full are not the same. Sold out can mean all rooms full in double occupancy, full means all room beds are occupied. This is a money maker for Carnival. If not, they wouldn't have been home porting ships here almost uninterrupted since the 90's. But to most, the Fascination, a ship that was home-ported here when she was fairly new in the 90's, is a huge downgrade port intensive itinerary or not.

[The Real Double D]

Not sure when the ship was last updated, but it looks good for it's age. With that said, I'd still be a little apprehensive about taking a 7 day cruise on her. But the SJ itn might make it worth it.

[clu]

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.

Edited October 31, 2015 by clu

[cdamion]

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 disagree about the balcony. I did this itinerary, and was planning to again, but definitely not on Fascination. Anyways, I used the balcony every single day. Part of my routine was sitting on that balcony as we pulled into and out of ports every day. I used the balcony more on this trip than any other itinerary.

 

I am so disappointed, because in my opinion, this particular itinerary is absolutely the best of all lines' southern caribbean itineraries - because of including both Barbados and St. Lucia.

[AdrenalineRush]

 

I am so disappointed, because in my opinion, this particular itinerary is absolutely the best of all lines' southern caribbean itineraries - because of including both Barbados and St. Lucia.

 

Royal's ships(Adventure and Jewel) both call on Barbados and St Lucia on alternating weeks.

[Tapi]

This cruise is usually filled with locals who get a much reduced rate.

 

 

Urban legend.

 

I grew up in Puerto Rico and all of my first crusie were from there. My parents and many friends still live there and cruise frequently. Believe me, they don't get any deeply discounted rates as some like to perpetuate here. Any time they cruise I compare what rates I can get over here to the rates that they get locally. Most of the time they are identical. In addition, passengers that book through a local agency in Puerto Rico are required to prepay gratuities, something that a lot of people in the mainland would frown upon.

 

Yes, there are many locals on sailings from San Juan, just like there are many locals from Galveston, New York, New Orleans, Charleston, etc etc. It's no different.

[ragethjj23]

Royal's ships(Adventure and Jewel) both call on Barbados and St Lucia on alternating weeks.

 

 

That's why I'm cruising on the adventure next October.

[evandbob]

I'll be on Celebrity Summit out of San Juan in December. When I booked, Celebrity was less than Carnival for this solo.

 

Ports are Tortola, Martinique, St Kitts, Dominica, St Thomas and return to San Juan.

 

I wouldn't sail the older, smaller ships of Carnival's fleet any more. 10 yrs ago they were outdated.

Edited November 6, 2015 by evandbob

[coz09]

Well we are going out of Puerto Rico in October on the Fascination. We do have a balcony, but the thrill for us is the itinerary, not the ships. There is so much negativity about this ship, and while it may be an older class of ship, you can still eat, drink and have fun. Hit some beautiful islands. I am very excited to be sailing out of Puerto Rico and to have two full days in Puerto Rico before the cruise is a big plus!

[ragethjj23]

Well we are going out of Puerto Rico in October on the Fascination. We do have a balcony, but the thrill for us is the itinerary, not the ships. There is so much negativity about this ship, and while it may be an older class of ship, you can still eat, drink and have fun. Hit some beautiful islands. I am very excited to be sailing out of Puerto Rico and to have two full days in Puerto Rico before the cruise is a big plus!

 

 

I chose the adventure of the seas out of San Juan in October 8th. It hits the abc islands and is 8 days instead of 7.

[B744]

Very well said. I have done this cruise 3 times with a 4th coming in February. This itinerary will always be my favorite! All in a balcony can't imagine sailing without one on any ship so this switch is a disappointment.

 

Just so you know, the Fascination has balcony staterooms.

[glentally]

Good idea. I can not see doing a picturesque cruise like that with no balcony. Also, the limited dining choices would get pretty old by the end of the week.

 

I am going May 1st. I was scheduled to go on the Liberty but we had to postpone.

 

I did book one of the few balconies only because I had some credits and I am with my sister who only cruised once so a balcony will be a great treat for both of us but mainly her. Plus we have more space !

 

Did it for the ports. Not sure how many more times I will be able to see some of those ports in a week.

 

As for the ship I was on the Ecstasy 8 months a go and those size offer everything you need. I don't need a red iguana bar, there is enough bars. Maybe Guys Burgers, won't starve without it. I never go to the specialty restaurants, can always find SOMETHING to try in the MDR. Comedy club and main show stage is more than adequate. Lots of space to chill between the 6 ports which will be awesome.