Fascination review-May 27, 2018

[natefish95]

Love your writing. The Eco-Adventure tour at Harrison Cave sounds great for you young folks, though not sure DW and I could handle it. Did you get any appreciation for the regular tour? It sounds like we might be able to handle the tram ride version - what do you think? Though your adventure really sounds like the way to really enjoy it! Thanks for taking time to describe it all so well.

 

I think the tram ride would still be good. I'm not sure about the specifics of it, but you definitely have opportunities to see the amazing rock formations, learn the history and take pictures. I think it would be worth checking out.

[natefish95]

Day 5-St. Lucia

 

Welcome to St. Lucia!

 

Fun Times

 

 

For a second day in a row, I woke up early enough for breakfast in the dining room AND remembered to take pictures. I deserve a ship on a stick.

 

 

 

As you can see, it's quite a large menu, which is why I enjoyed it so much.

 

Today I went full millennial and got avocado toast and took a picture of it.

 

 

Today I prebooked the Spencer Ambrose Land and Sea tour for $105 ($10 up front and $95 in person). This tour includes a boat ride, visit to a mud bath, a waterfall, beach time, and a boat tour on your way back to the ship. The Spencer Ambrose (SA from now on because I'm lazy) folks were great about communication and provided maps in the emails about meetup points and what will happen in case the ship gets in late.

 

I got off the ship easily enough and met Shiquana (no idea how to spell her name but everyone called her Shi Shi), paid the remaining amount and waited for others to show up. We had about 15 or so on our tour, so it was a nice small group. 2 more met us in Soufriere who were staying in a hotel on the island.

 

We walked to the boat dock and quick rain shower moved through. Most people ran for shelter, but our group stood there and judged everyone else. You're in your bathing suits and about to get on a boat...as we say in the south, bless their hearts.

 

We then boarded the boat, met Spencer himself (who was the Captain), and set off for about a 30 minute boat ride to the town of Soufriere.

 

[natefish95]

Some more shots from the boat ride. St. Lucia is gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

We then arrived at the small town of Soufriere (pictured below)

 

 

We then transferred to buses for the ride up the mud bath. It was only about 10 minutes along some winding roads. When we arrived at the mud bath, we were immediately slapped in the face by the smell of sulphur. Yummy. It also started raining again. One of the other guides, Kelly, and Shi Shi walked with us down to the mud bath. The stairs were a little steep and slippery, so they may be challenging for those with mobility issues.

 

Is it weird to say I didn't understand this mud bath? Hang with me for s second. The first pool you came to was a square mud bath. I honestly think the might have been the rinsing off pool now that I think of it. Nothing was really explained, so we got out of that and moved to the middle area which had a big bucket of grey mud in it that you lather all over you body. Ok, this is pretty fun. You then go to the last part, which is a very rocky "pool". It's nice and warm, but very difficult to get in and out of. The bottom has thicker black mud. We spent a few minutes in here. Kelly and Shi Shi offered to take pictures of us, which was super nice of them. Traveling solo, I want pictures of myself, but don't want to constantly ask people.

 

Once we got out of the final pool, we were still filthy. I didn't see any kind of shower facilities (I did see changing rooms though). We were told to just walk back to the bus and sit on our towels. Ok, but now my nice Carnival towel, which I'm using to lay out on at the beach, is now covered in mud. We then waited for some stragglers to come up the vans and then we set off for the waterfall.

 

Overall, I was not impressed by the mud bath. I felt dirty, but not in a good way. There was so much sediment and silt in the mud mixture that it just really clung to your skin. I felt gross. I've done a mud bath once before in Ecuador a few years ago and it was very relaxing with no sediment and washed off easily. You get the choice of the mud bath or a volcano tour and I would not do the mud bath. After talking with everyone at the dinner table who went, we all agreed it was not worth it. Someone mentioned she did find a shower, but it was only a trickle and didn't really help get the mud mixture off.

 

Smiling through the mess. That's an old bathing suit and it was definitely thrown away at the end of the day.

[natefish95]

After the mud bath, we had a quick drive to the waterfall, which was very pretty.

 

 

 

The water was freezing, but felt very refreshing after you got used to it. Again, the guides were great about making sure we got pictures of ourselves. It was really cool to stand underneath the waterfall. It felt like a massage! I took this time to rinse off the mud. I really had to rub my skin to make sure it came off. I had to do this again at the beach because some didn't come off. It was a hassle. Like I said, do the hike.

 

We then got back in the bus and drove back to the boat for a short hop over to Sugar Beach (also called Jalousie Beach).

 

 

The cool thing about St. Lucia is that the first 50 feet (total guesstimate) is public access. At Sugar beach there is a resort with comfortable padded loungers that you can rent for $50 (uh, no thanks), but on the other side there are loungers that are free of charge and open to the public. Some were in disrepair, but I had no trouble finding one in the shade. The beach in front of the public section is very rocky, so I recommend water shoes, but you can go further down on the resort side and enter more easily. The good snorkeling is on the public side though (from what I heard, I didn't snorkel).

 

Paradise found?

 

Sugar/Jalousie beach is situated right in between the pitons (the pointy mountains) so you have incredible views.

 

[natefish95]

After about an hour at the beach, Shi Shi came around and told us lunch was ready. It was a small buffet with chicken and different types of local dishes. It was all very good.

 

 

I spent some more time relaxing, but it started to rain. It never lasted very long, so I just stayed put. I'm in a (muddy) bathing suit. Rain doesn't bother me.

 

 

Looking down the beach

 

Cliffs at one end of the beach

 

Around 2:00 we got back on the to begin the return trip and boat tour. Our first stop was the bat cave. You could literally hear the bats inside, which was a bit unnerving.

 

One final look at the pitons

[natefish95]

Our next stop was Marigot Bay, where Spencer pulled into and gave us a quick tour and pointed out some celebrity homes. We arrived in St. Lucia on a national holiday, so the beaches around the bay were crowded with locals enjoying the day off. As we were slowly maneuvering around the bay a lot of people would yell out Spencer's name. He seems to be a very popular, and well-liked guy.

 

 

 

It really is a super beautiful island

 

Our next stop was where some filming of Pirates of the Caribbean took place. This is called the Lady's Shoe or something like that. It really looks like a high heeled shoe. Can you see it?

 

And soon enough we arrived back at the ship around 3:00pm

 

Overall, I really enjoyed my tour with SA and would definitely book another excursion with them again. Communication could have been a bit better at some points like at the mud bath and at Sugar Beach (like how much time we had and when lunch would be). Spencer was the captain of the boat and he is a really nice and genuine guy. Shi Shi was also the main guide I guess you could say and she was exceptional. One couple on the boat spoke very limited English, so while Kelly gave the explanations on the boat tour, Shi Shi, repeated it slower and in more simple language so they could understand. That was really nice of her to do. I believe she speaks fluent Spanish, so any hispanohablantes would be covered. French is also a common language on the island, so ze francophones are also covered. (The couple spoke Italian, which no one else on the boat spoke.)

 

One thing I forgot to mention is that there was a cooler of soda, water and rum punch that you could grab anytime during the tour. I wasn't a fan of the rum punch, but that's just me. It was strong!

[E@syPe@zy]

What.....they didn't fix everybody a "mud slide" to drink????

It really looked like a great tour. I've read other reviews of Spencer Ambrose and they all have been very positive.

How do you pronounce Soufriere??

[natefish95]

After the tour I immediately went to the room to shower and throw away my bathing suit. I grabbed an iced latte from Bogarts and had a few drinks at the Alchemy Bar before dinner.

 

Tonight was our second of two formal nights. Ugh... I just hate wearing pants and dressing up on vacation.

 

Menu

 

 

I had the crab cake, which was excellent.

 

The stuffed mushrooms which were average

 

And the spanakopita, which average to not good

 

I didn't get a picture of the dessert menu (oops), but I'm certain I got the melting cake. It was either tonight or the next night where I had a key lime pie type dessert, which was incredible. Highly recommend.

 

Tonight was the Motor City show, which I planned to go to, but didn't. I know I spent some time relaxing in the steam room and probably spent most of the evening chatting with the bartenders at the Alchemy Bar.

 

I know I definitely went to bed early after a tiring day and I had a big day planned in St. Kitts.

[natefish95]

What.....they didn't fix everybody a "mud slide" to drink????

It really looked like a great tour. I've read other reviews of Spencer Ambrose and they all have been very positive.

How do you pronounce Soufriere??

 

I would have loved to just sit on the side drinking mud slides and people watching! It's a very small and personal tour, which I liked.

 

Most people pronounce it as "Sue-fray", but the proper French pronunciation is "Sue-frair". Either one works though.

[natefish95]

Day 6-St. Kitts

 

Soooooo...my plan was to take the ferry over to Nevis and spend the day at Sunshine's. Then I woke up sore from my cave exploration in Barbados and sunburnt from the boat ride in St. Lucia. I was tired and just didn't want to do any of the above and stress about missing the boat, so I slept in and had a leisurely morning.

 

Fun Times

 

 

St. Kitts is gorgeous!

 

 

I got off the boat shortly before 11:00 and walked around the port area. There is tons of shopping to be done, so if you're into that, you'll be happy. I walked outside the main port area into Basseterre, but there really wasn't much to see and it was incredibly hot and was about to rain. I walked back into the port area and found a local coffee shop right before it started pouring.

 

It was a little pricey, but everything looked really good and high quality.

 

Menu pictures

 

 

I waited out the rain storm, and then walked around a bit more and eventually headed back to the ship where I had a late lunch at Guy's. It was today where I realized how much I loved sea days. I love sea days to begin with, but I just really need that time to recharge. I wanted to explore St. Kitts and see more, but I was just exhausted and didn't feel like it. I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in Serenity reading and listening to podcasts. I met a super nice waitress from Thailand, but I can't remember her name at all. She was hilarious though.

 

I then had my pre-dinner routine of the steam room and then Alchemy Bar.

[natefish95]

Dinner menus

 

 

I had the chicken tenders (really, really good)

 

Caesar Salad (good standby)

 

And the beef lasagna (just average)

 

Didn't get a picture of the dessert menu, but I can assure you that I had the melting cake

 

Tonight were the first shows from the two new comedians, Richie Holiday and Steven Michael Quezada (you make recognize him as Gomez from Breaking Bad). Richie's PG show was just okay, but his adult comedy show was definitely the funniest one all week. I was crying with laughter. Steven Michael Quezada was very funny as well. Unlike the other comedians though, he really likes to pick on the audience, so if that's not your thing, steer clear of the front rows. I wrapped up the night with some more martinis at the Alchemy Bar.

 

Tomorrow I'll post about the last port of St. Maarten and heading home.

[natefish95]

I did it again. Here is the picture of the chicken tenders I messed up in the previous post

 

[Mwells1246]

What all exactly was offered to your FB group? What does the slot pull consist of?

I’m in a group doing this and don’t know what to expect.

 

I can't remember if the dining rooms that night opened at 5:00 or 5:30, but it was open seating anyways. I went around 5:30 and was expecting to eat alone, but was unexpectedly shown to a sharing table. Now this was a nice gesture, but I wish the hostess would have asked my preference first. I wish I would have eaten alone because it was a little awkward. It was a long table of 12. Some couples at the end didn't speak English so conversed amongst themselves at the far end. I was near a nice mother and son, but we didn't really have anything in common or much to talk about. Same for the other people. Nice, but nothing in common and nothing to talk about, so it was mostly quiet.

 

Night 1 menu pics

 

 

 

 

I did not take any food pictures because that just seemed a bit weird around people I don't know and barely talked to.

 

For my appetizers I got the chilled Vietnamese roll, which was decent. Not too much flavor and the peanut sauce was very strong. I'm pretty sure I got the corn chowder as well, which was pretty good. For my main I got the sweet and sour shrimp. I'm not sure why because I'm picky about shrimp. I wasn't a big fan, but it was edible. And for dessert, what I've been dreaming about for years, the chocolate melting cake! It was delicious and exactly as I remember it. Perfection.

 

Forgot I took this picture. Almost everyone skipped dessert, so I was sitting alone shoveling this deliciousness in my mouth.

 

Service this night was very fast and only took about an hour from start to finish.

 

After dinner I walked around on deck and took pictures.

 

Around 7:00pm I believe was when we had our FB page meetup. We had a very active group with awesome hosts. It's always so much fun to meet people in person who you've been chatting with the past few months. Super fun group. We had all kinds of activities organized including a slot pull and a onesie/PJ contest. But let me tell y'all, there was so much drama after that slot pull. All I'm going to say is that some people wrote nasty messages on the FB page and then left the group. Some people need to chill. You're on vacation. Don't get your granny panties in a wad. Nonetheless, super fun group!

 

I went to the welcome aboard show at 8 in the theater, which was nice. I really can't remember what all it involved. Marcelo was an amazing Cruise Director. Lots of personality and super engaging. I know he left the Fascination last week though. He was replaced by Marq Anthony. Marcelo will return July 28th according to John Heald's schedule.

 

Muster drill was at 9:00pm and I was falling asleep. It lasted around 30-40 minutes, so not awful. We did not have to stand outside thankfully. There was a muster station located by the pool, which I thought was a little bizarre. I was in the Ritz lounge, so it was cool and comfortable.

 

Sailaway was at 10:00pm, but there really isn't much to see.Was very different sailing out so late and while it's dark.

 

Later on I went to the adult comedy show by Lance Montalto, which was pretty funny. He was the least funny comic all week, but was better than both of the NCL Getaway comics.

 

I then headed back to my cabin and fell asleep almost instantly. The bed was very comfortable!

 

Day 1-done

 

Next up-Day 2: St. Thomas

[beshears]

Still enjoy reading your review with pictures. I see you took the Spencer tour, and we plan to do Cosol, which we have done before, and I know both tour companies are good. I am planning on taking a friend with me who has never visited St. Lucia, and I wanted her to know/see how much I love this place.:)

[E@syPe@zy]

"Day 6-St. Kitts

 

Soooooo...my plan was to take the ferry over to Nevis and spend the day at Sunshine's. Then I woke up sore from my cave exploration in Barbados and sunburnt from the boat ride in St. Lucia. I was tired and just didn't want to do any of the above and stress about missing the boat, so I slept in and had a leisurely morning."

Can you tell me about the ferry that goes to Nevis? I know you didn't make it (totally understand), but I guess you had the directions and information to do that.

Usually after 2 port days, I need a sea day to rest up for the rest of the cruise. Just too many fun things to do and drink!?!

I love cruising out of San Juan, but it is SO port intensive, that I end up picking and choosing which ports are a must see.

You're doing a great job on the review....love the pic.s!

[natefish95]

Still enjoy reading your review with pictures. I see you took the Spencer tour, and we plan to do Cosol, which we have done before, and I know both tour companies are good. I am planning on taking a friend with me who has never visited St. Lucia, and I wanted her to know/see how much I love this place.:)

 

I've heard great reviews about Cosol too, so I'm curious to see which one you like better! Hope your friend enjoys it!

 

"Day 6-St. Kitts

 

Soooooo...my plan was to take the ferry over to Nevis and spend the day at Sunshine's. Then I woke up sore from my cave exploration in Barbados and sunburnt from the boat ride in St. Lucia. I was tired and just didn't want to do any of the above and stress about missing the boat, so I slept in and had a leisurely morning."

Can you tell me about the ferry that goes to Nevis? I know you didn't make it (totally understand), but I guess you had the directions and information to do that.

Usually after 2 port days, I need a sea day to rest up for the rest of the cruise. Just too many fun things to do and drink!?!

I love cruising out of San Juan, but it is SO port intensive, that I end up picking and choosing which ports are a must see.

You're doing a great job on the review....love the pic.s!

 

Here is the website I found with all the transportation information. There is a link on this page to the exact ferry schedule. Someone in our FB group said the ferries are generally on-time, but make sure you build in lots of buffer time to be on the safe side.

[natefish95]

Day 7-St. Maarten

Fun Times

 

 

I did not go to the dining room breakfast today, but got off the ship shortly after 10am. My plans for today were to relax at Maho beach and do some plane spotting. I'm a huge aviation geek and Maho has been on my travel list for a loooooong time.

 

Picture of St. Maarten

 

Port Area

 

 

The picture above is important. To the right you see the ship obviously, but to the left is the kiosk where you buy tickets to Maho (and other areas probably but most go to Maho). I didn't notice any signs, so I walked towards the taxi area, but they told me you need to purchase the tickets first. You get there by walking to the taxi area and then veering to the right and back and you'll see the kiosk.

 

It is $16 for a round trip to Maho. You are given a wrist band, which will allow you to catch a taxi back directly for no cost. Once I got the wrist band, I walked back to the taxi area and was placed in a taxi with two couples. It's about a 20 minute ride to the other side of the island.

[natefish95]

As we were driving along, I was shocked at the amount of destruction still present. I knew I would see some, but didn't expect it to be this bad.

 

 

 

 

 

We were dropped off right in front of Sunset Bar, which was perfect because that was where I was planning to spend my day. First of all, I wasn't if it was a seat yourself or be seated kind of thing, so I just walked in and found a waitress and asked if I can sit anywhere. She said yes, so I grabbed one of the high tables along the edge in the shade with a perfect view of the beach.

 

 

As you can see it was not crowded at all

[natefish95]

Sunset Bar menu pictures

 

 

The first order of business was a Painkiller

 

Honestly, they were pretty weak. My third one was pretty strong, but I still didn't have much of a buzz going.

 

Shortly after I sat down, I had my first plane sighting.

 

And then another

 

And then the best shot of the entire day

 

I later found out that this was the inaugural flight of Copa Airlines back to St. Maarten from Panama City after the hurricane damage. I was pretty happy to get such a cool shot of their return flight.

[natefish95]

I spent a few hours here eating a drinking and making friends with the people around me. I got the Shrimp Po Boy for lunch and it was pretty good. Not the best I've ever had, but still good. When I was ready to go, I walked over to the area where the taxi drivers were hanging out. Me and a few people were ready to go back to the port, so we all piled into a van and set off.

 

On the drive back we saw more pictures of destruction

 

The drive back also took FOREVER (like 45 minutes, but it felt like forever since the drive over took 20). I eventually got back on the ship and went to the deli for a snack. The pepper, arugula and mozzarella sandwich became my favorite of the week, so I had one final sandwich.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in Serenity, one final relaxation in the steam room and then pre-dinner drinks at Alchemy.

 

Dinner menu

 

 

I got the flatbread, which was amazing

 

The fried alligator fritters, which were also delicious

 

And the penne, shrimp and bacon, which seemed to have neither shrimp nor bacon

 

Overall, I was pleased with the MDR this week. I was really worried about sitting with strange people all week, but I was very glad to be sitting with three other solos and two very nice families. The food was decent. I will say that the NCL MDR's are way better. I felt like I had to settle some nights when nothing stuck out to me and many times the things I did order were just okay. Nonetheless, there were numerous things that did stand out as being incredible. The melting cake will forever be the most delicious dessert on any cruise.

 

Tonight was also a special night because it was the finale of the Lip Sync Battle and one of the solos at our table was one of the finalists! We all got there early to sit front and center and cheer him on. I really had no idea what to expect from the LSB, but it was a great show! Our table mate ended up losing, but I think he was still much better than the other contestant, who was traveling with a large group. But whatever... *throws side eye*

 

After the show, we got up on stage and took some fun pictures, and I took a selfie with Marcelo, who was outstanding all week and I would love to cruise again with him.

 

I was dragged back to my stateroom leaving a trail of tears (oh wait, is that an offensive thing to say? lol), packed all my stuff, and went to bed early. My bag was noticeably lighter since I threw away an entire outfit and shoes in Barbados and my bathing suit from St. Lucia.

 

To conclude I'll do a wrap up of debarkation and a final rundown of the cruise and a comparison to Norwegian.

[natefish95]

Day 8-Debarkation and Flying home

 

No Fun Times today because debarkation is not a fun time.

 

I woke up early and cleared out of my stateroom around 8:00 (I think you're forced out by 8:30). I then headed to the Sensation dining room for one final breakfast, and of course I got the Eggs Benedict. Service this morning was a little slow, which I was perfectly fine with because I had a late flight and was in no hurry to get off the ship. The Eggs Benedict was good before and I was thoroughly pleased by my final breakfast.

 

I then headed up the Promenade and sat by the casino to wait. I did self-assist debarkation, so I could have gotten off at any time, but my flight wasn't until 3:30, so I had plenty of time to kill. Around 9:45 I got tired of waiting and walked off the ship. There was no line at all to get off and it was very easy. You take the elevator down to deck 3 and walk off in the same location as you walked in. You then walk into the big terminal, which looks like a big warehouse, and then get in line for Customs. Bags are grouped to the left and right of the customs lines. It looked very organized.

 

In the middle of the room there are three customs lines, but no signage saying if they are anything specific. I found out that the far left is for those who have porters helping them and the other two are just normal lines for people who have all their luggage and don't need a porter. The line took about 15 minutes, so not bad at all. Once through you walk outside down the long covered walkway, and you right where you began your vacation by the street.

 

I walked down a little ways from the main entrance and ordered an Uber, which came pretty quickly. It was about $15 to the airport if I remember correctly and I was there in about 15-20 minutes. At San Juan airport, the first thing you do is run your bags through an agricultural screening which are located to the left and right of each entrance. Your bag is tagged showing it was scanned. It took less than 2 minutes.

 

I walked to the Delta counter and asked if I could check my bag. I was expecting that I couldn't check my bag until 11:30am (4 hours prior to departure, but they had no such regulation and I was able to check my bag around 11:00. I walked over to security, which took about 40 minutes. There is no CLEAR in San Juan (sad!), but there is a pre-check line. There is a really large duty free shop after security if you're into that.

 

My flight was leaving out of the C gates, but A, B, C, and D gates are all connected. I went to the Margaritaville and had a leisurely lunch. It was pricey, but it was nice to sit down at a table and not hunched over in a chair using your lap as a table. I walked around a bit more and found a quiet area to sit and relax in. NOTE-the San Juan airport terminal was FREEZING! I will admit that I get cold easily, but I was shivering despite wearing a thin pullover. If I didn't have that pullover, I would have been miserable. There was also a pet relief area in the C gate area just past Margaritaville.

 

I got bored and walked through the duty free shop to the A/B gate side, which had much more choices for food! There was even a Starbucks, so I was able to get my fix. I got my usual, iced vanilla latte, and something about their vanilla made it taste amazing. If anyone knows if they use different syrups down there, please chime in. I'm curious.

 

I eventually walked back to the gate and boarding was a clusterf***. Delta uses zones, but the gate agent seemed to not care and people just rushed forward. Y'all, the plane isn't going to leave you. Settle down and board in the proper zone. This isn't anarchy. I waited like a normal human being for my zone (Zone 3) and was one of the last to board. People always lose their minds in airports. Lawd have mercy.

 

It was an uneventful flight until we entered into Georgia. There were bad storms all around the airport and we had to go into two holding patterns and then fly all the way up past Augusta and then turn around to approach from the northeast. A 3.5 hour flight turned into nearly 5.

 

Here is the crazy flight plan

 

At least we landed in Concourse T so it was a short walk to baggage claim and then MARTA.

 

CRUISE REVIEW OVER

 

Thank you so much for sticking with me despite the delays. I hope y'all found this review semi-useful. I definitely wish I would have planned a bit more so I could have enjoyed Antigua and St. Kitts more, but that's an excuse to come back.

 

Overall, I was pleased with my experience on Carnival. After being gone for 8+ years and having done exclusively NCL, I was a bit worried that I wouldn't enjoy it. This was a unique cruise in that there was no sea day and the demographics were different than cruises that leave out Florida.

 

There is definitely room for improvement in the dining room food and the buffet food was pretty bad. I never tried Blue Iguana, but I loved Guy's and also enjoyed the deli (not the turkey wrap though).

 

I wasn't happy to pay for CHEERS, but I'm glad I did it. I loved the convenience of it and it gave the bartenders free roam to recommend things. Loved loved loved the Alchemy Bar and can't say enough great things about Milan, Jelena, and Marc. The aft bar in the buffet was also convenient and John was great back there.

 

I had nothing but positive interactions with all the crew and can't say enough good things about them. Marcelo and the Fun Squad were also incredible and very engaging.

 

The entertainment was decent. I really enjoyed the comedy shows, but that is totally dependent on who is performing that week. The production shows were good, but not great. I really only saw Divas, but I also enjoyed the Lip Sync Battle. I popped into Motor City for a bit and it seemed good.

 

In my last post I'll do a final comparison between NCL and Carnival. I did the Getaway, which is a mega ship, so it's a little difficult to compare the two because they're so different, but this is my review and I'm doing it anyways.

[natefish95]

Carnival vs. NCL-DING! DING! DING!

 

Food

I know this is subjective, so take this with a grain of salt. I will say that I am not a picky person and will eat almost anything.

The Getaway definitely had better selection and better quality in both the buffet and the MDR. It was also nice to have O'Sheehans open 24 hours in case you get the late night munchies. The Fascination definitely excelled in the desserts area. NCL never seems to have good desserts. Weird.

 

Winner-NCL Getaway

 

Drinks

The first pro for the Getaway (and NCL in general) is the Unlimited Beverage Package being part of the Free at Sea promotions, so you only pay gratuities (~$110) versus almost $400 for CHEERS. CHEERS is definitely more inclusive and includes things like bottled water, energy drinks, and specialty coffees. Definitely a give and take. On NCL I was able to pre-order bottles of water for $17, and that's all the water I needed. Even adding up the specialty coffees I got on the Getaway, it still didn't come close to what I paid for CHEERS.

 

Winner-NCL Getaway

 

Crew

My main gripe with NCL is that many of their crew members came across as cold and uninterested (with obvious exceptions). On the Fascination the crew was much friendlier and really engaging and wanted to have a conversation with you. I literally spent hours chatting with the Alchemy bartenders all week. I chatted with my room steward a bit and we had great waiters. There is a clear winner

 

Winner-CCL Fascination

 

Room Steward

I never met my room steward on the Getaway and I saw my room steward on the Fascination 3-4 times and he was great.

 

Winner-CLL Fascination

 

Stateroom

This is tough. I love the studios on the Getaway as a solo traveler. The lounge is also a nice space. They are small and my studio had several areas of wear and tare. I had an upper/lower interior stateroom this week and it was huge. It is definitely dated with a stupid shower curtain, but ti was spacious and clean. I think Carnival narrowly wins this category, but if I was comparing balcony rooms, NCL would win.

 

Winner-CCL Fascination

 

Entertainment

I enjoyed the comedy shows on the Fascination, but the production shows on the Getaway were higher quality (they didn't interest me though but that's a personal preference). There was definitely a greater variety on the Getaway (Escape Room, Ice Bar, etc.), but that's the advantage of a bigger ship.

 

Winner-NCL Getaway

 

Itinerary

No question, Fascination wins it. I booked this cruise for the itinerary.

 

Winner-CCL Fascination

 

Embarkation/Debarkation

I had numerous (self brought on) issues during Getaway embarkation and debarkation, so Carnival wins this one easily.

 

Winner-CCL Fascination

 

 

Final thoughts-I enjoyed Carnival and wouldn't hesitate to cruise them again because the price is usually right. However, they don't do anything to cater towards solo travelers and that is one of the most important features to me. I also cruise for food and drinks and NCL clearly outranks Carnival in that aspect. Carnival also has a poor loyalty program. NCL offers numerous discounts on things like spa treatments, shore excursions, photos, etc. and Carnival does not have as good of benefits for repeat cruisers.

 

I feel like I have a better understanding of the Carnival product and can't wait to sail them again. I think NCL will still be my default, but for the right price and the right itinerary, I will have no hesitation doing Carnival.

 

I hope y'all enjoyed this review. I had an incredible week and miss it so much. It's an exhausting itinerary, but well worth it because you do get to see so much.

 

Safe travels and happy cruising!

[Vidimom]

Thank you for an absolutely wonderful review with great pictures! We sail in October and this gave us a lot of ideas of things to do and what to expect on each island. I agree, the food on Carnival has declined and I would like to see some menu's changed. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to post this!

[georgiacat]

Thank you for your review. I found it very interesting.

[Joebucks]

What a fun cruise that was. The trip to St Maarten was identical for me. That ride home is brutal.