Fascination is it really that bad?

[ranchette]

We have a cruise booked on the fascination in Oct. 2017 and re having second thoughts after reading some of the reviews. Is it really that bad??????????????

I know it has a great itinerary but how is the ship overall?

[reerun25]

It is one of the older and the smallest class in the fleet, but we have sailed on her twice, and thought she looked great, have always have a great crew experience, and had a great time. She does not have all the bells and whistles as the new ships, but really enjoyable, in my opinion, none the less. I would not have a problem sailing on her again...

[ryano]

We have a cruise booked on the fascination in Oct. 2017 and re having second thoughts after reading some of the reviews. Is it really that bad??????????????

I know it has a great itinerary but how is the ship overall?

 

If I paid attention to the reviews here, I would have never rolled on to a cruise ship. You think Fascination reviews are bad? You should have seen Holiday reviews! :eek:

 

LOVED that ship!

[mara93]

It's not the show stopper that the newer ships are, but still a nice ship.

[NewAddict]

We had a great time on the Fascination. It was our first cruise, so who's to say what we would have thought of it if we had cruised on the newer/bigger ships first.

Still, if the deal/time was right, I'd go on the Fascination again.

[NIATPAC29]

You will have a great time. Lots of Cruisers are never satisfied. That have a sense of entitlement. Don't worry about those losers

[no1volman]

We were in it last year and I thought it was great. Of course the Sunshine is the only other ship I've been on to compare it to. My wife complained that their one pool was always too crowded. And I missed Guys Burgers and Sea Side theater. But overall I was well pleased.

Edited May 11, 2016 by no1volman

[rufflesmom]

Reviews are based on one person's opinion. What one person considers crowded another person won't. Same with the service, food etc. Don't rely too much on reviews. And don't let those reviews affect your enjoyment either. My experience has been if you go with an attitude of expecting to enjoy it you will.

[crusinpsychRN]

There is a review by a solo cruiser on page one right now. She looks clean and very nice. Easy to navigate too.

[alabamaprincess]

I love the Fascination. I have cruised on her more than any other carnival ship. Easy to get around on her and less passengers than on one of the bigger ships. I hope to sail on her again some day.:)

[poobears]

I agree with Ryano especially about the Holiday comment. If we listened to reviews we never would sailed on her and we loved it. No it was a fancy ship with all the extras but it had by far the best crew of any cruise we've been on. Not that other crew was bad but the crew that was on the Holiday was just that good. They were top notch in every way, at least on our cruise.

 

Everyone that stayed away due to the reviews really did miss out on a great experience and that's too bad. Those that took a chance and decided to try it for themselves like we did seemed to be more than happy. I don't personally know anyone that went that didn't have a great time.

 

Some people just can't be happy with anything. I know a group that recently went on a cruise. Everyone had a blast on ship and off. Except for one, his complaint there was nothing to do on board the ship and he was bored all day. Seriously? Are you 2? You can't find anything to do on board a huge ship to keep yourself entertained?

[javamom]

If I paid attention to the reviews here, I would have never rolled on to a cruise ship. You think Fascination reviews are bad? You should have seen Holiday reviews! :eek:

 

LOVED that ship!

 

Exactly! Holiday was our first (and second) cruise. We loved it.

 

OP, Fascination is my very favorite ship. Look at my siggie line to see my favorite spot on her. She is simply the very best ran ship and the crew is always amazing. We have had rooms ranging from Porthole to Grand Suite.

[storm1507]

Reviews will tell you more about the reviewer than the subject of the review.

 

We loved the Fascination if that helps you feel better about going.

[sparks1093]

I chose the Fascination for the itinerary but from all that I've read she is well maintained and staffed by a great crew. I can't wait to step onboard.:)

[sunnidayz]

We have a cruise booked on the fascination in Oct. 2017 and re having second thoughts after reading some of the reviews. Is it really that bad??????????????

I know it has a great itinerary but how is the ship overall?

 

My opinion....Hands down, the best customer service of the fleet:)! I prefer the smaller ships (three times on the Dream and it is our least favorite), so missing some of the "extras" really didn't bother me, either.

[dvond]

All depends on what makes it an enjoyable cruise for you, its very small, one very crowded pool area, if you have kids, there is not alot to do for them, no slides, limited options. For a cheap price it is fine getaway

[ranchette]

OK you all made me feel alot better about the Fascination I will not pay attention to the reviews.Thanks for all your replies!

[evandbob]

I'll add a different opinion, since I last sailed the Fascination when it was old in 2005 and have never considered it since.

 

There are other options in San Juan for ships and different itineraries.If you catch a promo like a free drinks or dining package, the Celebrity Summit fares can be less expensive than the Fascination and travels to other isles.

 

The MDR food on Celebrity is way better than Carnival's, unless you sail for Guys Burgers. And the huge indoor Thalasso Pool is a great place to relax after a day's excursion.

 

I sailed the Summit twice in early December as a solo, and was pleased with the ship, the itinerary, the service, the food, the excursions offered and the price.

[no1volman]

All depends on what makes it an enjoyable cruise for you, its very small, one very crowded pool area, if you have kids, there is not alot to do for them, no slides, limited options. For a cheap price it is fine getaway

 

 

Actually it does have water slides. It doesn't have the full blown water works like some of the other ships. But it has 2 big slides and 2 small slides for smaller children.

[loubetti]

I'll add a different opinion, since I last sailed the Fascination when it was old in 2005 and have never considered it since.

 

There are other options in San Juan for ships and different itineraries.If you catch a promo like a free drinks or dining package, the Celebrity Summit fares can be less expensive than the Fascination and travels to other isles.

 

The MDR food on Celebrity is way better than Carnival's, unless you sail for Guys Burgers. And the huge indoor Thalasso Pool is a great place to relax after a day's excursion.

 

I sailed the Summit twice in early December as a solo, and was pleased with the ship, the itinerary, the service, the food, the excursions offered and the price.

 

As a big Celebrity fan, I still have to ask...

 

How was the price of the Celebrity cruise when compared to Carnival?

 

Not everyone can afford Celebrity. The lines are in a different league. Also, those who love Carnival might probably hate Celebrity.

 

Right now there is a thread running at the Cunard forum here, comparing Celebrity and Cunard. Carnival is never mentioned, as is NCL or RCCL.

 

Different strokes for different folks, and with Carnival, low price is everything!

[SMSACE6]

ranchette, have you read jpm1973's review yet? he is still working on it, but has put up some very nice photos to start. Ship looks good to me, and I really miss that class of ship. you may have already seen it, but if not go check it out. Makes me want to revisit one of the Fantasy class ships.

[Tapi]

You should have seen Holiday reviews! :eek:

 

LOVED that ship!

 

 

I agree! We loved the Holiday too! We sailed on her out of Mobile for a last minute quick weekend getaway, and I remember driving to the port thinking the whole way that it was going to be a dump and that we'd made a horrible mistake. We were SO wrong. It turned out to be one of the absolute best, most fun cruises that we've ever taken! She was old, outdated and showing her age everywhere we went, but we didn't care. Loved the little gal. [emoji3]

Edited May 13, 2016 by Tapi

[confarotta]

Just got off it a few weeks ago. It's a great ship. We have been on 15 plus cruise and enjoyed the cruise and the ship just as much any other cruise. My only complaint is that in order to make the ship less Las Vegas they have turned off the neon in the atrium and Hollywood Blvd area. The problem with that is it makes those areas feel like it is missing something. Kind of like going to Disney world and not seeing the characters

[evandbob]

As a big Celebrity fan, I still have to ask...

 

How was the price of the Celebrity cruise when compared to Carnival?

 

Not everyone can afford Celebrity. The lines are in a different league. Also, those who love Carnival might probably hate Celebrity.

 

Right now there is a thread running at the Cunard forum here, comparing Celebrity and Cunard. Carnival is never mentioned, as is NCL or RCCL.

 

Different strokes for different folks, and with Carnival, low price is everything!

 

Lou: When I sailed Celebrity Summit solo in December, both times my total fare was $1000 -1100. The same dates on Carnival for a solo at the time I booked were $1150 - 1300. Except for hurricane season, Carnival has fares starting @ $689 for an inside in 2016.

 

If a couple books a balcony and gets the free drink pkg on Celebrity, their fare will be less than a couple buying a Cheers pkg to go with their Carnival balcony and they will be on a much nicer ship.

 

I realize price rules, and only wish cruisers would shop around some instead of blindly booking Carnival. They could save some bucks and experience a very different cruise style. The only thing that seemed totally the same between the 2 lines was the main pool activities, go figure.

[Staceman225]

I have cruised on her 3 times. Great little ship. The food was great, the staff was very friendly, and the piano bar rocked! No worries about the Fascination. The worst day I ever had on a cruise was still fantastic!