Thoughts on if and when replace Fascination/Southern Caribbean?

[ragethjj23]

My favorite itinerary but I am among those who won't sail it on the Fascination. That was the ship I took my second cruise on in 97. Give me a break.

 

That itinerary deserves a better ship.

 

With an itinerary this good, they don't need a newer ship there. The itinerary sells itself. Can't wait till my fascination cruise next June!

[TheTravelista]

With an itinerary this good, they don't need a newer ship there. The itinerary sells itself. Can't wait till my fascination cruise next June!

 

I and many others don't agree. Everyone's entitled to their opinions though.

 

Have a great cruise.

[skiingj]

I'm on the last Fascination cruise before her dry dock in Feb. I would have never booked this rust bucket lol jk if it were not for a group of friends, Only been on this class once and although it was a nice four days, seven is going to be a few too many on this class of ship. Its not a cheap cruise either. Just wish I was on any other class. Oh well any cruise is better than work,

[Stinger-pr]

Add me to the list of angry people when the Fascination was announced to replace the Liberty on the southern Caribbean route. I had done the loop aboard the Liberty in 2015 and on the Valor in 2014. Both ships were bigger and had more amenities, were newer and felt more spacious. But they also felt more crowded and hectic compared to my Fascination experience.

 

For us the Fascination felt "just right" for what WE needed. We were off the ship at every port by 8am and usually back just before sail away so our daytime enjoyment of the ship came on the lone sea day. We're not big drinkers so we didn't miss the 2.0 bars, although we did miss having a bigger pool and a second, adults-only pool as well (which has become a mute point since adult-only restrictions are more).

 

In the end, like another poster stated, every one had different tastes and to each his own. But our experience on the "dingy" was great and in general, the ship didn't show her age much once you boarded and forgot how she looks on the outside. So much so that we already have another cruise on her booked for summer 2018. More than likely she's getting the rest of the 2.0 amenities on her dry dock next year. She's a money maker for Carnival here and it's expected she'll be around well into 2019 and maybe beyond since Carnival's focus is mainly on Florida and Texas right now and I don't think they would spend so much money refurbishing these old ships to get rid of them an time soon.

 

On a personal note. If you're flying into Puerto Rico just to get from the airport to the ship and from the ship to the plane when you get back, you're missing the point of porting from San Juan. Get to PR a few days early and enjoy the history, the food and the culture of the old San Juan area or better yet, get out of the metro area and explore the island. Make it part of the vacation. Lots of people complain about having so little time in San Juan when on a port call (well maybe not those who embark in Barbados...lol). Even if you're coming in the day of the cruise, get there early in the afternoon and make it an extra port day since you don't have to be back in board until 8pm.

 

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[HawkIVette]

We sailed on the Fascination out of San Juan earlier this year. It is a great ship. Sure it may be older but it was very clean , great crew and never seemed crowded.

 

With the cruise being so port intensive, you really are not on the ship very much. Anyone can deal with not having all of the bells and whistles for the 1 sea day.

 

This was the best cruise we were on because of all of the incredible ports. It has a great itinerary.

 

I hope to be on the ship for the whole 7 days! :o

 

Just kidding. We are booked on the Fascination in December and we feel the same way. We booked it for the ports, not the ship. The lack of "other" food choices, other than the buffet, could be a problem, but all the ships have plenty of other things to do that provide relaxation, which is what a vacation is all about.

[Biffer1997]

We are starting to plan a graduation trip for next summer, and really want to do the Southern Caribbean route, but were bit put off by Fascination. I have sailed it twice and enjoyed it, but wanted more for this trip. Hearing it will be getting the upgrades helps, but not sure it will be enough. We enjoy the Dive in movies, and doubt this will be an option on Fascination.

[phoneman69]

We just got off the Fascination on Sunday, July 16. I found her to be a great ship, especially for the first time cruisers that were in our group. It was funny to hear them comment how big she was when they first saw her. I never felt crowded, there were lots of chairs around the pool, she was clean, and the crew was great. Other people have mentioned the lack of 2.0 amenities but I found I didn't miss Guy's or Alchemy even after having experienced them earlier this year on the Conquest.

 

So, long story short, I took this cruise for the ports. The ship, while older and missing some bells and whistles, was perfectly fine and gave us one of our best cruises yet.

 

 

ABC Glad to hear you enjoyed the Cruise. Doing this cruise in Sept of this year. We also enjoy not having large crowds if the ship is clean and neat. Enjoyed your positive post.

Matt

[kdawg954]

I actually booked the Fascination over RC Freedom of the Seas for May 2018. Carnival was cheaper but not that much cheaper but the biggest selling point in ship comparison was size. The February dry dock will likely give it a needed refresh to make it even more desirable.

 

This itinerary has 0 sea days, So the idea of a big ship with a ton of amenities didn't appeal to me. The idea of visiting 7 different ports that I never been to, did. I just want to easily get around the ship without a bunch of crowds. Love free food options, not looking to spend a bunch of money at different bars and don't need a big broadway show. Enjoy comedians more and Carnival has them on more nights than RC from my experience.

 

I think I made the right choice. I have a budget and I want as much of that budget as possible to go towards port spending (shopping, excursions and transportation) . . . Instead of paid ship costs and amenities. The only splurge is Chef's table as a hopeful anniversary dinner.

 

To each his own.

[Siora7777]

I actually booked the Fascination over RC Freedom of the Seas for May 2018. Carnival was cheaper but not that much cheaper but the biggest selling point in ship comparison was size. The February dry dock will likely give it a needed refresh to make it even more desirable.

 

This itinerary has 0 sea days, So the idea of a big ship with a ton of amenities didn't appeal to me. The idea of visiting 7 different ports that I never been to, did. I just want to easily get around the ship without a bunch of crowds. Love free food options, not looking to spend a bunch of money at different bars and don't need a big broadway show. Enjoy comedians more and Carnival has them on more nights than RC from my experience.

 

I think I made the right choice. I have a budget and I want as much of that budget as possible to go towards port spending (shopping, excursions and transportation) . . . Instead of paid ship costs and amenities. The only splurge is Chef's table as a hopeful anniversary dinner.

 

To each his own.

 

I would have chosen Freedom. It's a gorgeous ship. You'll still have a wonderful time though.

[Big-Will]

Get rid of it.... bottom line

[Pyrate13]

We're sailing on her in December and I have to admit I'm not thrilled about the ship, would much prefer any Conquest class. Friends wanted to do this itinerary (we've done it before and love it) so we agreed to bite the bullet and go. For us, enjoying the ship is just as important as the ports. But hey, we're on a cruise with friends and that's what counts I guess.

 

I also agree with the poster that would like to see two different itineraries out of SJU, that would be great.

[kdawg954]

I would have chosen Freedom. It's a gorgeous ship. You'll still have a wonderful time though.

 

Yea I did Allure in the past and I just didn't love it. Was probably the most disappointing cruise I have ever been on (still had fun) and I hated that almost all major non ticketed night events happened inside the Promenade instead of the Lido . . . Assumed this would be similar. Have friends that recently did Freedom and they said it has seen better days and with no drydock in sight prior to my cruise I wasn't thrilled with this ship being 3.5 half years without one when I board.

 

Plus I get a stop in Dominica with Carnival which was intriguing.

 

Trust me I gave it some thought lol . . here's hoping a nice set of 2.0 updates can gussy it up in February. Either way I'm gonna have fun exploring off the ship.

[evandbob]

My last two sailings out of San Juan were on Celebrity Summit, a fantastic ship at the same cost and with a better itinerary than the Fascination. I especially liked the very large Thallasso covered pool and hot tub area, great way to unwind after a day in port. Food was great, and while I always enjoy a Carnival Steakhouse meal (missing on the Fascination?), the specialty restaurants on the Summit were to die for.

 

My next SJU cruise is on the NCL Dawn, which got a total refurbishing in 2016. The makeover seems much greater than just adding a Guy's or a different type of bar. See https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7092ee I've only sailed the newer NCL ships, but I liked the 10 day itinerary.

 

When Carnival puts a better ship in SJU, I'll certainly look at it closely. I do enjoy Diamond perks, but not on an old ship class I stopped sailing over 10 years ago.

[bettyboop16]

We have sailed out of SJ several times, matter of fact our first cruise 1996 on the old Norwegian Seaward.

I liked that RCI changes their route every other week, so 2014 we did a back to back on the Jewel of the Seas....Great Cruise! & our only sea day was the last full day of our cruise...I like that 2. Maybe Carnival should think about doing the same.

 

We enjoyed the "Journeys Cruise" on the Glory sailed SJ to Miami....would like to see more cruises like that one!

:):)