Carnival Fascination v. RCL in general

[mixplix]

thanks all - at this point, everything is on the table - from cruises, to all inclusives (we were huge club med fans until they got super expensive) and even checking out London for the week. I dont have to get really serious for a few more weeks until flights start getting released, and can go from there.

mixplix

[Cruisegirl6]

I do believe the all inclusive will cost you much more than the price of the RC cruise...if your cruising after this September, wait to buy your airfare it always goes down around mid September till the end of October, this is when I purchase my airfare for all my trips the following year. If your cruising this summer, wait like you say and book later on.

[riclop]

we just got off the Jewel - our second RCL in two years (Adventure in 2015). Already looking for vacation for spring break 2018, which would be leaving either Sat 3/31 or Sun 4/1.

 

I see a pretty inexpensive cruise on Carnival Fascination - i will explore the holy heck out of the relevant boards on that ship, Carnival in general, etc., but can someone familiar with both lines give me their general thoughts on Carnival v. RCL, and specifically Fascination v. Jewel or Adventure (I have no idea how big Fascination is to see if its a fair comparison).

 

age of passengers in general? more or less families? food quality? annoying extras?

That old Carnival clunker is a NO go.

thanks

mixplix

That old Carnival clunker is a NO go!!!

[DarthGrady]

we just got off the Jewel - our second RCL in two years (Adventure in 2015). Already looking for vacation for spring break 2018, which would be leaving either Sat 3/31 or Sun 4/1.

 

I see a pretty inexpensive cruise on Carnival Fascination - i will explore the holy heck out of the relevant boards on that ship, Carnival in general, etc., but can someone familiar with both lines give me their general thoughts on Carnival v. RCL, and specifically Fascination v. Jewel or Adventure (I have no idea how big Fascination is to see if its a fair comparison).

 

age of passengers in general? more or less families? food quality? annoying extras?

 

thanks

mixplix

 

I've been on CCL's Fantasy Class (including Fascination) ships many times over the years. I'm partial to them since my first cruise with Carnival was on the Sensation.

 

Comparing any of them to Royal's Radiance or Voyager class ships is really apples to oranges. The Fantasy Class is Carnivals oldest and smallest, really more comparable to Royal's Sovereign Class ships.

 

The newest of them was built in 99, but Fascination is from the early 90s, and looks the part. Most of them still have that old school Carnival look, I'd call it "80s Vegas casino chic".

 

That all being said, the interior and ocean view rooms (the exact same size and layout for both) are pretty decently sized for 80s and 90s era ships. Royal didn't start catching up to Carnival's interior cabin size until much later.

 

IMO, the food and service are really a wash between the lines. I like some things more on both. Carnival's drink package isn't unlimited (a maximum of 15 alcoholic drinks a day), if that's an issue for you.

 

The crowds on Carnival tend to be younger and more "lively", especially on the weekend cruises. The nightclub stays open until 3 am or later, good luck finding a club on Royal that isn't usually dead or closing by 2. They have 24 hour pizza which is nice. Carnival's piano bars are fun, usually much better than Royal's Schooner Bars.

 

My advice is to go in with an open mind, and don't judge the book by its cover. Yes, it'll look like the interior was decorated by Boy George on mushrooms. But who cruises for the lovely decor?

 

Tips:

 

On that class, and several other Carnival designs, the galley is in between the dining rooms. You can't get around it, so the only way into the aft dining room is down from above, or up from below. Take the aft stairs/elevators to Atlantic deck and you're there.

 

There is a nice observation deck right on top of the bridge. Stairs lead up to it on either side from Lido Deck, there's also a door out to it in the cabin hallway on Verandah Deck forward.

 

The adults only Serenity area is at the very aft end of Promenade Deck. You can walk down to it from the outsider stairs aft of the buffet, or walk through the theatre at the aft end of the promenade. There isn't a pool, but it has nice lounges and two hot tubs.

Edited April 19, 2017 by DarthGrady

[bigtaz105]

I would choose Jewel or Adventure 100 times over any of Carnival's ships, let alone their Fantasy Class.

 

 

I agree! Sorry but there is no comparison. RCCI is much better. When we sailed Fascination the buffet was always lacking for food choices. Many times the serving dishes were nearly empty and no one seemed to care. Very rusted and worn. The crew was not as good as on Royal ships. Overheard the head waiter YELLING at a waiter in the main dining room. Felt so sorry for the waiter. The head waiter should have scolded him out of sight of the passengers if necessary. Very awkward! If you've sailed on Royal I'm afraid you'll be disappointed with Facination.

[mixplix]

Had booked Fascination, family wasnt really into same itinerary again as 2015 and 2017 as we did on Adventure and Jewel, so cancelled ....

 

and just book Adventure of Sea, March 31, 2018, out of SJU, going to ABC (to which we've never been) and St. Maartan, which we loved last time. It has two days at sea, which I dont love, but that's the trade off for new ports.

 

Because it was more expensive, we booked connecting interior rooms (we always do connecting with the kids) instead of an oceanview, but got a promenade view for $150 more than the basic interior, so there's something to look at. Base price per room was just over $200 more than our oceanviews on the Jewel. Will keep checking for price changes or "sales."

 

other advantage was that booking deposit was only $100 per room - much better than the $500 per I put down on Fascination. So now, we await air fares and also decide on maybe London instead of a cruise....

mixplix

[MrFunInTheSun]

I've sailed RC Jewel and Brilliance and all of Carnival's Fantasy class ships and there isn't any comparison.

 

While I've never had a bad Carnival cruise and I've been on many of their ships I prefer Royal Caribbean ships.

 

Don't think you'd necessarily have a bad cruise on Fascination but your expectations have already been increased because you sailed on the Jewel. Jewel and her sister ships are gorgeous and one of a kind.

 

Happy cruising in what you may decide.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[aichambaye]

Ok, just my two cents.

 

We were upgraded to the Penthouse "P1" "Owner's Suite" on Carnival Imagination, Fascination's sister.

 

We honestly would pick an ocean view on Empress before we paid to go on Carnival again. The customer service was HORRENDOUS and there was very little in the way of suite perks or even customer service - considering we were on the best and most expensive cabin on board, you would think you shouldn't have to call 6 times over the course of 10-12 hours to get someone to bring you an extra two pillows and a blanket. There was NO suite concierge. The Champagne they left in our room as a "welcome gift" was warm and there was no ice anywhere to be had.

 

The P2 penthouse was hilariously decorated. Seriously. The bathroom was ENORMOUS, but it was also pink, black, and gold. Super dated. We did laugh a lot about it though I do have to say. I tried to keep it nice on the video.

 

Then there was the guy who spilled his beer into the hot tub we were in. He was very, very drunk. We saw many more people in their 20s who were just plain blotto on that ship. Also many of those very drunk people had their kids with them and were really not supervising. You see some of that on RCI but not as much as we saw on Imagination.

 

Anyway just my two cents like I said. To each her own.

[Smichstewart]

Writing this response from the Carnival Fascination—June 2019, stateroom E88–on day seven on our way back to San Juan. Second time on this ship.

 

My significant other and I have traveled with Carnival, Royal Caribbean (including the Jewel), Cunard, Princess, Norwegian, and MSC.

 

The Fascination is an experienced and very comfortable ship. The crew is absolutely spectacular. They make it look easy! 

 

The ship is broken-in. Just the right size—not to big, not too crazy. Low-key. Effortless, classic cruise experience. Large, comfortable staterooms. No frou frou, eye-rolling bells and whistles. Fantastic value, eons more than Royal Caribbean, in my experience. 

 

Cruising on the Fascination from San Juan makes a huge difference in terms of fellow passengers, too. Very chill crowd. If you want spoiled, arrogant soccer moms always within earshot, or racist rednecks publicly belittling the locals on various island tours, then take a cruise out of a mainland US port. If you want to just disconnect and renew, choose this classic ship and depart from Puerto Rico.

 

Cheers! 

Edited June 8, 2019 by Smichstewart

[soremekun]

Wow.  Such an old thread.  But hey, you proved that the search feature works.