Carnival Fascination Review 01/27/2019 to 02/03/2019 (by MLShum)

[helensobol]

Thanks so much for this review.   It was nicely written and informative. 

 

 

[JaniceB]

Enjoyed your review and your pictures.  

[mlshum]

3 hours ago, helensobol said:

Thanks so much for this review.   It was nicely written and informative. 

 

 

 

11 minutes ago, JaniceB said:

Enjoyed your review and your pictures.  

Thank you both so much!

[Upinthehills]

We're doing this cruise in a couple of weeks.  I've really enjoyed reading your review and appreciate the time it takes to put together.  Thank you.

[mlshum]

14 minutes ago, Upinthehills said:

We're doing this cruise in a couple of weeks.  I've really enjoyed reading your review and appreciate the time it takes to put together.  Thank you.

Thanks for reading it and I hope you gave a great cruise!  If you do a review I’ll definitely be following along!

[LittleYiaYia]

We have really enjoyed your review.  We did this cruise last February and are repeating on the 24th of this month.  Only 12 days from today (but who's counting).  It sounds as if you had a great time and enjoyed the Fascination.  I see many people on these boards that want Carnival to get rid of the Fantasy ships.  They are too old, too small, not enough amenities, etc.  We enjoy an itinerary filled with port days, so we really don't miss the bells and whistles of the mega ships. As long as the ship is clean, the service good and the food acceptable, we are happy cruisers.  And of course NO waiting in lines.  We are looking forward to boarding the Fascination again.

 

I have a few questions for you.  Do you remember the name of the piano player?  Was there a good Latin band aboard?  Were the S&S cards given to you at check in or were they waiting outside your room?

 

Your "our cruise is over and we are pouting picture" made me laugh out loud.  My husband and I take a similar picture every year when our airplane lands at STL. 

 

 

[pghsteelerfan]

I just finished your review and it was such a breath of fresh air to finally see a review of a Carnival Fascination out of San Juan again, it's been quite a while.  I know I commented earlier, but I just wanted to let you know much I enjoyed your review.  The Flying Dutchman sounds fun and I would also love those views.  We did a zip-line tour on our Glory cruise in 2010 (Eastern itinerary) while in San Juan.  We did it through Carnival and really enjoyed it.  We wouldn't spend that kind of $$$ on a regular zip line in another port, but the Flying Dutchman is not an ordinary zip line and I'd consider the views part of the experience.  I did not realize that little Saba was also known as "Skull Island"!  On our Valor cruise in 2013, we had mostly nice weather (St. Kitts only rainy day), but the sky was always "hazy" and not the best visibility, so we couldn't see Saba until we got closer as we were sailing out of St. Maarten on that cruise, but it was still so hazy that my pictures weren't great.  On our cruise in Sept. 2015, the air visibility was the best we've had on a cruise.  We were able to see little Saba/Skull Island the whole time we were at the beach and as we were sailing out.  I am still kicking myself for not taking my camera's zoom lens up on deck that time because Saba/Skull Island looked GORGEOUS as the sun was setting.  During that whole trip, visibility was so clear that we were able to see a lot of the other islands as we passed them.  I don't know if they still have the channel on the cabin TV's that shows the ship's location.  They did have those on a past few cruises so I was able to use that when passing islands to know what they were.  I know that Carnival has eliminated some channels, so don't know if they still have it or not.  I love your description about how fast time passed once setting foot on a cruise.  That sums up perfectly how fast our cruises go, especially on this itinerary.   Thank you again for taking the time to do a review and share your cruise with us. 

 

Holly

Edited February 12, 2019 by pghsteelerfan

[pghsteelerfan]

19 hours ago, audcc77 said:

Excellent review !!   We've done this itinerary for the 3rd time and were actually on the same sailing with you.  We've basically followed the poster pgsteelerfan and did the Valor and the Liberty at about the same times.  

 

We also did the Flying Dutchman through Carnival but did the less expensive one for about $100 pp.   The difference is we went at 8:30 a.m., rode the sky lift, did the Flying D and that's all, and were back down by 9:30 or 10:00 with nothing else to do but wait for the shuttle until 12:30, so we had to pay our own taxi back to the port.  We thought the Flying Dutchman was fun also.  Never did zip-lining in my life.   Was it worth $100 pp? Maybe, just b/c now I can say I've done it.  I didn't realize they had photos in the gift shop.  Sitting across the room from me, my husband remarks "Oh, yeah.  I knew that."   SMH. 

 

We found out about the airline not wanting to take the bags any sooner than 4 hours.   This is what what did.  Through Island Marketing for $58 for 2 people, we got a couple loungers on the beach, umbrella, and lunch included.  We got there at 9:00 and left at 1:00-1:30.  It cost $20 taxi from port to the resort (7 min drive), but only $5 Uber to get to the airport (5 min drive.).  

 

Loved your review.  Thanks for writing it.  Also, the photos were great !   

 

 

 

Awww, thank you!  I can't believe you remembered my reviews!  I do remember you and will never forget your kind comments when I had just started my Liberty review in 2015 about the journey (trip to and from) being part of the vacation as much as the destination.  I tried quoting to thank you but for some reason when I was doing my review, the "quoting" feature had a mind of it's own, would quote sometimes and not others.  That was our last cruise, so I'm going through some serious cruise withdrawal and am so happy to see mlshum's review of my favorite itinerary.  The picture of your cat in your profile picture looks exactly like one of our cats.  🙂 

 

Holly

Edited February 12, 2019 by pghsteelerfan

[mlshum]

3 hours ago, LittleYiaYia said:

We have really enjoyed your review.  We did this cruise last February and are repeating on the 24th of this month.  Only 12 days from today (but who's counting).  It sounds as if you had a great time and enjoyed the Fascination.  I see many people on these boards that want Carnival to get rid of the Fantasy ships.  They are too old, too small, not enough amenities, etc.  We enjoy an itinerary filled with port days, so we really don't miss the bells and whistles of the mega ships. As long as the ship is clean, the service good and the food acceptable, we are happy cruisers.  And of course NO waiting in lines.  We are looking forward to boarding the Fascination again.

 

I have a few questions for you.  Do you remember the name of the piano player?  Was there a good Latin band aboard?  Were the S&S cards given to you at check in or were they waiting outside your room?

 

Your "our cruise is over and we are pouting picture" made me laugh out loud.  My husband and I take a similar picture every year when our airplane lands at STL. 

 

 

Thanks so much for your kind comments.  I very much enjoyed writing it and was hoping it made people smile, just like other review have made me smile.  I LOVE that you do the “pouting” picture, too!  My husband is over here cracking up learning that we are not the only people who do that!

 

The name of the piano player in the piano bar was Andy.  I’m afraid I don’t remember his last name...I think it begins with an “H”.  He was hysterical!  There was a Latin band.  They played in the Passage to India lounge several evenings.  Unfortunately I only heard them briefly but what I heard was excellent.  We got our S&S cards at check in.  We probably got on board around 1:00, went immediately through check in and security and straight to our room.  It was probably the fastest check in we’ve ever had.

 

Thanks again!

 

[mlshum]

3 hours ago, pghsteelerfan said:

Awww, thank you!  I can't believe you remembered my reviews!  I do remember you and will never forget your kind comments when I had just started my Liberty review in 2015 about the journey (trip to and from) being part of the vacation as much as the destination.  I tried quoting to thank you but for some reason when I was doing my review, the "quoting" feature had a mind of it's own, would quote sometimes and not others.  That was our last cruise, so I'm going through some serious cruise withdrawal and am so happy to see mlshum's review of my favorite itinerary.  The picture of your cat in your profile picture looks exactly like one of our cats.  🙂 

 

Holly

Thanks for reading and for your kind words.  I had NO idea that Skull Island was called Little Saba.  I’ll have to Google that.  Thanks again!

[CruzerDeb]

Thanks for the great review!  My husband and I are booked on this itinerary for April 2020 and we're really looking forward to it. 

[mlshum]

On 4/4/2019 at 12:41 PM, CruzerDeb said:

Thanks for the great review!  My husband and I are booked on this itinerary for April 2020 and we're really looking forward to it. 

I hope you have a wonderful trip!  I would love to do this itinerary again sometime.  Do you have plans at any of the ports yet?

[CruzerDeb]

No, he and the other couple we're sailing with feel that it's too early to look at excursions.  Me?  I'd have them all booked already!  DH and I have been to San Juan and St. Thomas before, but not the other ports.  I'm very excited about this itinerary.

[KAP84]

I loved your review so much! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

(and for the record, you rocked that pony tail!)

I'll be on the lookout for your next review...

[willdra]

Wonderful review! I felt like I was right there with you! 😊

[mlshum]

20 hours ago, KAP84 said:

I loved your review so much! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

(and for the record, you rocked that pony tail!)

I'll be on the lookout for your next review...

Thank you so much for the kind comments...especially about my pony tail!  LOL  The long hair just doesn't work very well when we're on the go!  This was my first review and I really enjoyed writing it.  It sort of made the experience last just a little longer.  I am now waiting until next year....and waiting.....and waiting.....  LOL

[mlshum]

15 hours ago, willdra said:

Wonderful review! I felt like I was right there with you! 😊

Thanks so much!  I have read so many wonderful reviews on this site that it makes me very happy that you enjoyed mine.  Thanks again!

[tammyjw305]

Great review; thank you for sharing! We are going over Spring Break with our kids (so will be more crowded). Without kids, we just did the Sensation, which looks like an identical twin sister ship, so we should find our way around easily. We seem to share a similar travel philosophy with you, though not as positive as you :). We normally stay the night before the cruise, but only found crazy flights to PR. We land at 5:30 am, luckily from a direct flight, fingers crossed. Our youngest son wanted to swim with Sea Turtles, so we are going to try to see some in Barbaros too. All ports and PR are new for us too, except St. Thomas. 

 

Hope you are having a great time on our current cruise (if I read your signature correctly)! 

 

Tammy

[mlshum]

Thanks, Tammy!  I hope you and your family have a great cruise!  I definitely want to sail from PR again sometime.  We saw turtles in a couple of the ports but Barbados was the best.  I hope your son enjoys it!  There were a couple of beaches who offered the turtle tours plus beach chairs for $20.  It was a great deal.

 

Thanks for the well wishes for our upcoming cruise! We’re sailing on the Horizon two weeks from today.  Can’t wait!

[MeganGC1983]

2 hours ago, mlshum said:

Thanks, Tammy!  I hope you and your family have a great cruise!  I definitely want to sail from PR again sometime.  We saw turtles in a couple of the ports but Barbados was the best.  I hope your son enjoys it!  There were a couple of beaches who offered the turtle tours plus beach chairs for $20.  It was a great deal.

 

Thanks for the well wishes for our upcoming cruise! We’re sailing on the Horizon two weeks from today.  Can’t wait!

Can’t wait to hear about it!

[mlshum]

Thanks so much!  I look forward to writing it!

[iheartmarshall]

On 2/11/2019 at 4:56 PM, mlshum said:

 

Saturday, February 2^nd – St. Maarten

 

Is it possible that this is our last port?!?!?!  Where did the time go!?!?

 

On this day, we had decided to do two things, both unique to St. Maarten.  The first was a visit to Maho Beach to watch planes land and the second was to ride the new Flying Dutchman zipline.  This was the only port during the cruise where other ships were docked.  Disney Wonder, Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas and Seabourn Odyssey were also in port that day so it was the most crowded port so far. 

 

We boarded our bus and set out for Maho Beach around 9am.  As we drove through St. Maarten, the driver pointed out interesting places.  You could still see hurricane damage from Hurricane Irma which devastated the island in 2017.  They are doing a good job of rebuilding but they still have a lot of work ahead of them.  The driver also pointed out Skull Island.  This is supposedly the island from the movie “King Kong”.  I couldn’t find any evidence on the internet to support that but I took a picture anyway!  It was out in the ocean….all foggy, mysterious and creepy looking!  After about a 30 minute ride, we arrived at Maho Beach.  Here are some photos of the St. Maarten countryside:

...and the hurricane damage....

..and finally, the creepy and mysterious Skull Island!

 

Maho Beach itself isn’t very large.  We entered at the Sunset Bar and Grill.  Almost as soon as we walked into the covered dining area, we could see a plane coming in from the distance.  We ran outside to watch it land and take some pictures.  I was really glad we had gotten to see a plane because I had been concerned that there wouldn’t be that many to see.  I had no idea that we would be able to see about six land during the short time we were there!  We didn’t go swimming, although there were quite a few people swimming and even more sunbathing, but we did walk on the beach and take pictures every time a plane would land.  We got some great pictures!  The first pictures is the end of the runway, the rest and planes and beach.

Our driver had told us to be ready to go at noon and it was about 11:00am by that time.  Ron suggested that we order an early lunch.  At first I said I thought we should wait because I didn’t think it would take that long at the Flying Dutchman but then agreed because… who knows?  I guess you take the opportunities available to you!.  I was really, really glad he had suggested ordering lunch.  We ordered a pizza and our normal Diet Cokes.  It took about 20 minutes before our lunch was ready.  It was a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect so we really enjoying sitting on the deck, eating our pizza and running out to take pictures of the planes every time they would come in for a landing.  A few minutes before noon, we walked out to meet our shuttle.

 

We climbed back on the shuttle and settled in for another 30 minute ride to the Flying Dutchman.  Let me stop here to describe the Flying Dutchman.  This is the steepest zipline in the world.  It begins at the top of the mountain where the elevation is more than 2800 ft and drops 1050 feet in about 45 seconds.  The ride accommodates four riders at a time.  You are strapped into a seat harness for the ride down the hill.  If you are afraid of heights, you would definitely NOT enjoy this activity!   Ron and I had ziplined several times before in Tennessee and in Belize and really enjoyed the experience, so we were looking forward to riding.

 

We arrived at Rainforest Adventures and were told by our driver that the shuttle would return at 2:30 to take us back to the ship.  We put our belongings in a locker and started up the hill.  You are taken to the top of the hill on a ski lift.  It’s a pretty ride and we watched multiple people going down the mountain on the Flying Dutchman.  The ride itself takes about 20 minutes to the first drop off point.   We exited the ski lift and walked over to a small deck area where they were suiting people for a traditional zipline.  We got the harness, helmet and rollers and headed up a short path.  At the top of the path there were four zip lines.  None of them were particularly impressive as far as ziplines go.  I think those first ziplines served to accomplish two tasks…..to sort of prepare you to zipline and to control the number of people waiting at the top of the mountain.  The ziplines were fun but rather tame considering what was to come.  When we finished with the four ziplines, we walked back down to the deck, removed our gear and boarded another, much shorter ski lift to take us up the mountain to the Flying Dutchman boarding area.  Here are a couple of pretty bad photos of the mountain from which we would be jumping.  Sorry, I don't have any better pictures!

 

When we arrived at the top of the mountain, we were greeted by a nice lady who gave us a number.  Our number was 52.  The riders of the zipline were called by number.  Four people would have the same number since four people rode at a time.  There was extensive decking where you could take in the views from the top of the mountain and watch the people in front of you who were riding the Flying Dutchman.  There were benches and a small bar where you could order drinks.  It was a very nice waiting area.  We arrived at the top of the hill around 2pm.  When we got to the top of the mountain, number 42 was boarding the Flying Dutchman.

 

My initial thought was that this would go pretty quickly because it’s a very fast ride to the bottom.  I soon learned that it took about 10 minutes for the entire process of loading passengers, running them down the hill and bringing the chairs back to the top, if they continue the process without interruption.  There were frequent safety checks including one time when they loaded the chairs with weights and sent them down the mountain.  I’m not sure what they were testing but I was very glad that they were being so safety conscious!  It was past 2:30 at that time so we had already missed the 2:30 shuttle back to the ship.  There were several people from our group both behind and ahead of us, so I wasn’t worried about being left.   One of the tour operators made an announcement that the Carnival Fascination visitors would have another 3:30 shuttle. 

 

The process of loading passengers continued very slowly.  We finally got into the late 40’s and there were still a number of people waiting in line behind us.  One couple from our ship told us that they had number 60.  Group number 50 was called and there were only two guys in line.  After waiting a few minutes, they called group 51.  Again, no one showed up.  We were more than happy to step up and join their group!  Apparently, there were no other people with the number 52 either, so it worked out very well.  Finally, we were officially in line to ride and there were only three groups ahead of us!  While we were waiting in line, 3:30 came and went.  Another announcement was made that Carnival Fascination shuttle would be there at 4pm to pick up passengers.  We could hear them shuffling people who were still waiting and moving those who had a Carnival shore excursion to the front of the line so the ship could leave on time.  This is the point where I was really REALLY glad we had booked through Carnival!  I knew that they would not leave us even if we were late.  We had absolutely no control over the amount of time it took to complete the activity and I would have been panicking if we had booked ourselves!

 

Finally, around 3:45, it was our turn!  The harnesses were ready.   There was a gate in front of the harness that kept you from dropping several hundred feet off the platform.  We had to climb up on the gate to get into the chair harness.   There was a little hole for your feet.  You grasped the top of the gate, put your feet in that hole and stepped up.  The attendant then slipped the chair under you and you could sit back.  That was a little scary.  It appeared to be a simple chain link gate and the view from the gate, while spectacular, was scary.  This gate was the only thing between me and a very long fall! 

 

We were strapped into the chairs, the gates opened, and we were off!  It was an amazing ride!  I forgot to hold up my arms for the photo but fortunately, Ron remembered.  We were unstrapped at the bottom and we ran to the gift shop to grab our photos and get our belongings from the locker.  It was around 4pm.  We quickly bought our pictures, got our magnet, grabbed our things and headed outside.  We could see the shuttle waiting at the bottom of the steps so we ran down and boarded the shuttle.  We had only been on board a few minutes when they left for the port.  As soon as they dropped us off at the port, I suppose they headed back to Rainforest Adventures for the last few people who were behind us on the hill.  Here are pictures of the pictures we bought of our flight down the hill:

 

We arrived at the port a little after 4pm.  Since we knew that there were still people coming behind us, we took time to get a magnet and an ornament from one of the local vendors at the port.  It was VERY crowded!  We had hoped to get a t-shirt, too, but there just wasn’t time with the crush of people there.  We had no idea how long it would take for the shuttle to return so we got our items and headed back to the ship.  We boarded just a few minutes before 4:30.  The ship didn’t leave St. Maarten right at 4:30 as advertised but they weren’t too much beyond that time.  Again, I was sincerely glad we had booked that activity through Carnival because we certainly would have been left behind.  I was also really glad Ron had suggested an early lunch at Maho Beach.  It was a jam packed day and, I think, it was probably my favorite stop on this cruise. 

 

We stopped by the Atrium bar to grab a couple of Diet Coke’s before heading to our room to shower and change for dinner. 

 

Like I mentioned earlier in this story, we always like to tip more than what is expected.  We always use prepaid gratuities and then give the room steward and wait staff an additional tip at the end of the cruise.  These people work really hard and it’s just a tangible way for us to say “thank you”.  While Ron was showering, I filled out thank you cards for Punta and Septia, the room stewards, and Luckson, Chamroy and Patricia, the wait staff.  I put our extra tips in the card with a note telling them how much we appreciated them.   I really do appreciate how hard they work to make our vacation a pleasant experience. (I forgot to mention Punta and Septia earlier.  When we arrived on board, we met Septia.  She was covering for Punta who, at that time, was sick.  We met him later in the week.  Both were very friendly but we didn’t have an opportunity to talk to either of them very much.) 

 

We headed up to dinner for the last time.   I had lasagna with Chocolate Melting Cake for dessert.  Ron had the flat iron steak with pie a la mode for dessert.  We chatted with our table mates and said goodbye to everyone.  It’s hard to believe how quickly time passes once you step on board!  After dinner we went to the comedy show one last time and watched both comedians.  After that, it was time to head back to the room to pack. 

 

We had a relatively late flight so we took a late debarkation.  Our bags had to be outside the room by 10:15.  We began sorting and packing, trying to decide what we would need for the next morning and what to go ahead and put in the luggage.  We finally got it finished and the bags were set outside.  We talked a little about going back up on deck to see what else we could find to do but we were both tired so we decided just to hang out in our cabin and rest.  We would be traveling all day the next day and would get home quite late.  I really don’t know why traveling makes me so tired, but it always does.

 

Sunday, February 3^rd – Puerto Rico

 

Well, it happened….our cruise was over.  As much as I love our yearly cruises and look forward to them SO MUCH, I am usually ready to get back home and back to normal when it is over.  This was no exception.  We woke up at our normal time, were easily out of the cabin by 8:30 and headed to the Lido deck for one last breakfast.  Since it was such a nice day and the dining area was crowded, we opted to take a table on deck to wait.  I was really glad we did!  It was in the 70’s in Puerto Rico and I knew we were heading north in just a few hours to where it would be winter again.  I wanted to enjoy the perfect temperatures as long as possible!  We had a leisurely breakfast and just chatted and read as we waited for our zone number to be called.  Our trivia friend, Nancy, had boarded in Barbados and stopped by to say goodbye as she was headed out to explore Old San Juan.  It was nice to chat with her for a minute before we left.

 

Our zone number was called and we went downstairs to find our luggage and go through customs.  I think this was the fastest this part of the process had ever gone.  We found our luggage almost immediately, got in a relatively short line and were outside the terminal in about 10 – 15 minutes.  Our airport transfer was waiting.  We dropped our luggage and boarded to the short trip to the airport.  Here is our traditional "our cruise is over and now we're pouting" picture:

 

The first thing we learned upon arriving at the airport is that you cannot check your luggage earlier than four hours before your flight.  Our flight did not leave until 5:46 so we had a long wait ahead of us.  At this point, we were both tired and ready to stay put, so we decided to just find an out of the way place to park for a couple of hours.   I got us a couple of Diet Coke’s and we settled in for a long wait.  Again….our Kindles were much appreciated!

 

While there are a few places to get something to eat there at the airport entrance, we wanted to have lunch later since our flight was late and we wouldn’t be able to find any dinner until we were back in Charlotte.  We usually eat dinner around 5:30 to 6pm.  Around 1:45, we were finally able to check our luggage and go through security.  One of the things that surprised me about the Puerto Rico airport is the number of fried chicken places to get something to eat.  Also, there really isn’t a place to sit while you are eating unless you go to one of the restaurants that has its own dining room.  We really didn’t want that much to eat so we got some chicken and found a gate area that wasn’t in use at that time and wasn’t crowded.  We got up and wandered around several times and finally headed to our own gate to wait for our flight.

 

 Our flight was right on time.  We boarded without incident.  Ron took the window seat and I sat in the middle seat.  He was napping shortly after take off.  I played a game on my iPad and read a little.  I wasn’t able to take a nap but I did manage to pass the time.  The flight was 3 ½ hours and we were back in Charlotte around 9pm.  We found our luggage and caught the shuttle to long term parking.  We were ready to just go home.   We drove through a fast food restaurant and hit the road.  We made it home in the early morning hours and went immediately to bed.  We were back up in about six hours and back in the office for a normal work day.

 

Soo…….that is our story.  It was a wonderful cruise and I enjoyed it tremendously.  I now have a year long wait ahead of me before the next one.  Thanks so much for reading my first review and I hope you enjoyed it!  Until next year….I will be lurking here on Cruise Critic!

 

I know this is an older post, but I just stumbled upon it today while searching for reviews regarding this itinerary -- thank you so much for yours!  I've enjoyed reading it and look forward to cruising out of San Juan in 2021. Side note, I'm also from West Virginia (southern part) and the cost of flying out of here is always a nightmare, so driving to CLT is something we may also consider for this one.  It's probably MUCH cheaper than CRW! 

[mlshum]

Hey, fellow Mountaineer!  Glad you liked the review and thanks for the kind words!  You will love the Puerto Rico itinerary.  We really enjoyed the forts and it was only $7 for both of them.

 

Driving to Charlotte is about 3 hours for us.  We’re in Princeton.  If I recall, our tickets were about $450 for each of us for a direct flight round trip.

 

i hope you and your family enjoy the trip as much as we did!