1/9 Fascination Review

[jkubec]

***** Let me first start by saying I have been on 5 cruise (3 CCL 2 RCCL) and was, overall,very pleased with the Fascination. Please remember this is only my opinion. I am a married 26 year old male with no children, 1 cat, and 1 dog who likes to drink but is not a lush. Also, I am fairly mellow and try to always enjoy vacation.

 

Embarkation:

 

Embarkation was very smooth. We left our airport hotel (Embassay Suites) and were on the boat drinking a 'Miami Vice' within an hour. The lines were fairly long but there were many representitives checking you in and it moves very quickly. Our longest hold up was getting from the checkin through the picture line and actually on the boat. Still, we were done within an hour. I am not sure if filling out the boarding pass online before your cruise has any benefit since we have done it 3 times and have never even pulled it out. FYI... Almost everyone seemed to have passports, so this may be attributed to why it moved quickly.

 

Public Rooms:

 

Overall apprearence of the ship is very good considering it is over 10 years old and generally does short cruises where people to me seem a little rowdier. The mens restroom on deck was a little smelly, but aren't they always... My wife said the ladies room was just fine. The Piano Bar was very cool but the piano player was average at best. The casino is small but nice. There is no bar inside. There is a bar close but there is no smoking at it. Not a huge deal since all of the casino is smoking. We spent most of our night time in the "Puttin on the Ritz" lounge for KC's Kamikazi Karaoke. She is one of the best preformers we have ever seen on a cruise. She has a keen ability to be able find a song that anyone can sing. She was great.

 

 

Cabin:

 

We had purchased a Cat 4A inside and were upgraded to a Cat 6D so we had a window on the 7th floor in the Aft of the boat. The room was always cleaned and or steward, Hari (pronounced harry), was very cordial. Even though it is cheezy, he made us a towel animal every night and we loved it. Our only complaint was that the tolit smelled a little if you left the seat up. So we left it down while not in use and there were no real issues.

 

Fitness and Recreation:

 

I personally did not work out on the cruise. Working out is not vacation to me but my wife worked out everyday and all of the machines were in good working order. The majority of or recreation involves the sun and a frozen drink. The deck chars were in good shape. Hint --- Go to the topless deck, it is usually less crowded and quiter.

 

Dining:

 

Our dining experience was the weakest part of our cruise. Even though the food was very good, our waiter, Kis???????? (Kiss Kiss), spoke very broken english and was not all that attentive to our needs. He did a fine job but is not on par with the waiters we have had in the past. We did not see the Maitre' D until the last night and he was looking for the magical envelopes with $$$ inside. We gave him some money becuase we always do, but he didn't say much and was a little frightening to look at. He looked very sick and kind of like Lou Cabrosi from The Godfather.

The rest of the food was great, we had a nice selection of food at the buffets and loved the decor of the Coconut Grove. The midnight buffet was impressive as far as ice sculptures and carvings but looked a little questionable to actually eat 45 minutes later. I wasn't hungry so it was not an issue. Pizza and hotdogs are always a good choice if you need a snack.

 

Shore Excursions:

 

We stopped in Key West and Calica. In Key West, we did the typical thing... Drinks at Sloppy Joe's at 9:30am, walked down Duval Street and shopped, went to the southermnmost point and took pictures, came up and saw Hemingway's house and the polydactyl cats, and ended up in Mallary Square and took some photos. We had a great time but were not there long enough (7:30-2). Next we went to Calica which is really no more that a place for the boat to stop and dock. It is a $10 cab ride to Playa Del Carmen and shopping. We shopped for a while and went on an ATV, Cavern, and Snorkle tour. Through 5 cruises this was the best shore tour we have done. The staff at this ranch was fabulous. Their names were Juan, Gabrial, and Laura. If you have a chance to do this excursion it is worth the $99 bucks. We rode the 4x4s for over an hour total and had a blast.

 

Overall Cruise:

Finally, Overall, we had a great time and some much needed sun (we are from Cleveland and it is gray from now til May). The boat was in great shape for being older.

 

Did we enjoy it? - Yes

Would we go back? - Yes

Was it worth it? - Yes

 

We give it 4 out of 5 stars

[Patfan]

Very good and honest review.

[obx_fintoo]

Nice review, however I am a little concerned about your drinking dog!:rolleyes:

 

I am a married 26 year old male with no children, 1 cat, and 1 dog who likes to drink but is not a lush.

[jkubec]

He is working on his problem....

[jkubec]

Here is that review Paul!

[smoothdancer]

I concur with this review. We sailed a few weeks prior, and had a similar take on the cruise.

 

It is interesting, we too did not have good service in the dining room. Not the same server, as ours was female. I wonder why this is?? The food served is quite good and it is a shame that they cant get the service part down a bit better. I does not destroy your dining experience, but like the OP you cant help but notice it.