Carnival Fascination Review 2/10-2/17

[purplephenom]

4 hours ago, Crazy4Camping said:

We booked our airfare last April for our cruise 2 weeks ago and it was almost $500 pp(ROC to SJU).  This was after watching for awhile and it just seemed to go up.. Main thing was the times we were leaving and getting home.  We picked this one and prob paid more but it was based on that and needed to get it while we could.  Then the airline just changed our flights a few months later(of course right after the checked bag increase so we had to pay $5 more per bag)to an earlier flight anyway so basically we paid more for nothing.  Then missed our connecting flight on the way home so didn't get home at the time we expected either.  Left a bad taste in our mouths all around.  

 

But then it's more to stay at a hotel for the night before so doesn't it even out?  We didn't even consider flying in the day before because we didn't see much difference in flight costs but would def have to shell out $$ for a hotel.

 

 

Yes, hotel is an added expense. But flying in the day of was $200 more, and our hotel was $200 something. So added cost was under $100. We are also in the DC/Baltimore area which can shut down for 4” of snow (federal government, all schools, lots of offices closed this past Wednesday and lots had 2” delays Thursday for about that much snow). So having a travel buffer built in gives us some time 

[purplephenom]

3 hours ago, Out of Iowa said:

Purplephenom wrote, " Food. We loved getting out of the dining room in about an hour. "

 

This is my dream come true!  So delighted that dining service time is moving in what I consider the right direction!!  It used to be this way, then slowness overtook the Main Dining Rooms....this is delightful news!!     We prefer Early Seating and having to choose between enjoying dessert and going to the show in the Main Theatre isn't my idea of a fun time.

 

 

 

We prefer a table for 2 at late dining. By that point in the day we’ve said lots to each other and don’t nevessarily want a long drawn out dinner to chat. This was much faster than our past 2 cruises, and it was glorious! But people who enjoyed the longer dinners could stay, no one was kicked out or anything. Just like we weren’t badgering wait staff to hurry. 

[soonernstlouis]

32 minutes ago, purplephenom said:

We are also in the DC/Baltimore area...

Funny, our flight back from SJU has a 4 hour layover at BWI & I was just looking into things to do at that airport since it will be in the evening.  Small World.

[glittergal1]

We Embarked and Disembarked in Barbados 13th-20th this was our first time  cruising with Carnival and most probably the one and only time we do. Carnival is the FUN cruise line ? not sure where the fun was too be found  to be honest not our kind of fun, of all the cruises ive ever taken this had sooo few activities and shows hardly anything at all in my opinion , to me a show should not be a game show held in the MAIN theatre  with participants from the audience, it should be in a smaller lounge so a proper production show can be in the theatre , just what weve gotten on past cruises I guess . Normally Ive had my hightlighter pen on the daily sheet trying to figure out what to see and do that doesnt clash with each other, but  not on this cruise, not much to do .  I read quite a few books instead.

The food I really didnt like just not to my personal taste I guess im use to a more mediterranean and European diet ,the healthy choice options were more limited and very repetitive  the best meals I had were from room service the sandwiches  and chips with slaw and potato salad were lovely and the garden  salad had lettuce , carrot, cucumber , tomato and radish  where as the main dining room darden salad was usually just lettuce , the cookies were divine too. 

Im glad we tried a Carnival Cruise It just isnt for us , not all cruises suit everyone but you dont know till you try them . 

 

 

[purplephenom]

3 hours ago, glittergal1 said:

We Embarked and Disembarked in Barbados 13th-20th this was our first time  cruising with Carnival and most probably the one and only time we do. Carnival is the FUN cruise line ? not sure where the fun was too be found  to be honest not our kind of fun, of all the cruises ive ever taken this had sooo few activities and shows hardly anything at all in my opinion , to me a show should not be a game show held in the MAIN theatre  with participants from the audience, it should be in a smaller lounge so a proper production show can be in the theatre , just what weve gotten on past cruises I guess . Normally Ive had my hightlighter pen on the daily sheet trying to figure out what to see and do that doesnt clash with each other, but  not on this cruise, not much to do .  I read quite a few books instead.

The food I really didnt like just not to my personal taste I guess im use to a more mediterranean and European diet ,the healthy choice options were more limited and very repetitive  the best meals I had were from room service the sandwiches  and chips with slaw and potato salad were lovely and the garden  salad had lettuce , carrot, cucumber , tomato and radish  where as the main dining room darden salad was usually just lettuce , the cookies were divine too. 

Im glad we tried a Carnival Cruise It just isnt for us , not all cruises suit everyone but you dont know till you try them . 

 

 

 

Agree with you on activities. Maybe they figured everyone would be tired from ports and not do much? 

[Crazy4Camping]

On 2/22/2019 at 8:41 PM, purplephenom said:

 

 

Yes, hotel is an added expense. But flying in the day of was $200 more, and our hotel was $200 something. So added cost was under $100. We are also in the DC/Baltimore area which can shut down for 4” of snow (federal government, all schools, lots of offices closed this past Wednesday and lots had 2” delays Thursday for about that much snow). So having a travel buffer built in gives us some time 

Oh if it was that much cheaper to fly in the day before we def would've considered it.  It was more to fly in on Saturday rather than Sunday when we looked so we just picked Sunday.  The delay thing was a definite consideration as we are in Western NY and famous for weather affecting things but we booked with Carnival since they said no matter what they would get us to the ship and since sail away was so late on Sunday night we figured we were safe.

[Crazy4Camping]

On 2/22/2019 at 5:11 PM, Out of Iowa said:

Purplephenom wrote, " Food. We loved getting out of the dining room in about an hour. "

 

This is my dream come true!  So delighted that dining service time is moving in what I consider the right direction!!  It used to be this way, then slowness overtook the Main Dining Rooms....this is delightful news!!     We prefer Early Seating and having to choose between enjoying dessert and going to the show in the Main Theatre isn't my idea of a fun time.

 

 

Yes we were frustrated that dinner for us was only once under 1 1/2 hours and that was the norm with the majority of the dining room as most were still there when the staff did the song/dance thing before dessert.  This was fun and entertaining but I imagine those who weren't into that left beforehand, choosing to not have dessert and instead go to a show.

[beshears]

Really enjoyed reading your review about the Fascination, but I had a question, and you may have already mentioned it, but I will ask again.

 

Once we board (March 31st YEH!) the ship, is the main place to go grab a bite on the Lido deck, or is there another deck that has food that might not be as busy?

[kdawg954]

On 2/23/2019 at 2:39 PM, glittergal1 said:

We Embarked and Disembarked in Barbados 13th-20th this was our first time  cruising with Carnival and most probably the one and only time we do. Carnival is the FUN cruise line ? not sure where the fun was too be found  to be honest not our kind of fun, of all the cruises ive ever taken this had sooo few activities and shows hardly anything at all in my opinion , to me a show should not be a game show held in the MAIN theatre  with participants from the audience, it should be in a smaller lounge so a proper production show can be in the theatre , just what weve gotten on past cruises I guess . Normally Ive had my hightlighter pen on the daily sheet trying to figure out what to see and do that doesnt clash with each other, but  not on this cruise, not much to do .  I read quite a few books instead.

The food I really didnt like just not to my personal taste I guess im use to a more mediterranean and European diet ,the healthy choice options were more limited and very repetitive  the best meals I had were from room service the sandwiches  and chips with slaw and potato salad were lovely and the garden  salad had lettuce , carrot, cucumber , tomato and radish  where as the main dining room darden salad was usually just lettuce , the cookies were divine too. 

Im glad we tried a Carnival Cruise It just isnt for us , not all cruises suit everyone but you dont know till you try them . 

 

 

 

I mean I wouldn’t judge cruise activities of the entire brand based on a southern itinerary out of San Juan on the Fascination.

 

This is designed to serve as an adventurous off the ship cruise or a very relaxing on the ship cruise when most get off every day in port.

 

Its like me judging the entire Norwegian brand based off my one cruise on the 3 day NCL Sky.  Worst food and service I ever had on a ship but I realize this was essentially a 3 day booze cruise in hindsight over Black Friday weekend and I want to give the brand another look on a bigger, more modern ship.

 

But Fascination fits perfect.

[purplephenom]

6 hours ago, beshears said:

Really enjoyed reading your review about the Fascination, but I had a question, and you may have already mentioned it, but I will ask again.

 

Once we board (March 31st YEH!) the ship, is the main place to go grab a bite on the Lido deck, or is there another deck that has food that might not be as busy?

 

We went to Lido.  We boarded fairly early, but it wasn't that busy- we were able to find a table pretty easily.  A lot of people either board later, or board, eat quickly and get back off.  So it's not like other ships where people camp out at a Lido table until cabins are ready, just to avoid carrying bags around, and you can't find a seat. 

 

If you take your food and walk all the way back- beyond the salad bar and then the ice cream machine, there are a lot of tables. Those tables were rarely full- if you keep walking you'll come to the deli and pizza place.  But all through the week, but even more so when people had their bags and stuff with them, the tables closest to the buffet filled up quickly, and the ones further back, not so much.  There's also a bar on the back wall next to the deli, so you wouldn't have to walk all the way out to the pool to get a drink, if you wanted one. 

 

ETA: I don't know if the passenger to space ratio (is that even a thing?) is better on this ship than the newer ships, but while the ship is smaller, the public areas seemed proportionally bigger and better equipped to handle as many people as they needed to. I definitely didn't get the feeling I needed to spend the week planning to avoid crowds.  This could have been just perception, I didn't check it on deck plans or anything, so it may not be 100% accurate, but it was a nice surprise. 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2019 by purplephenom

[Crazy4Camping]

1 hour ago, purplephenom said:

 

We went to Lido.  We boarded fairly early, but it wasn't that busy- we were able to find a table pretty easily.  A lot of people either board later, or board, eat quickly and get back off.  So it's not like other ships where people camp out at a Lido table until cabins are ready, just to avoid carrying bags around, and you can't find a seat. 

 

If you take your food and walk all the way back- beyond the salad bar and then the ice cream machine, there are a lot of tables. Those tables were rarely full- if you keep walking you'll come to the deli and pizza place.  But all through the week, but even more so when people had their bags and stuff with them, the tables closest to the buffet filled up quickly, and the ones further back, not so much.  There's also a bar on the back wall next to the deli, so you wouldn't have to walk all the way out to the pool to get a drink, if you wanted one. 

 

ETA: I don't know if the passenger to space ratio (is that even a thing?) is better on this ship than the newer ships, but while the ship is smaller, the public areas seemed proportionally bigger and better equipped to handle as many people as they needed to. I definitely didn't get the feeling I needed to spend the week planning to avoid crowds.  This could have been just perception, I didn't check it on deck plans or anything, so it may not be 100% accurate, but it was a nice surprise. 

 

 

It worries me that if I try another ship then I will feel more crowded.  I didn't feel too crowded on the Fascination, are other ships more congested?  It's funny you mentioned that bar in the back.  We didn't even discover that til halfway through the cruise.  We kept getting stuff from the bars by the pool.

[JaniceB]

Thank you for your well written and informative review, it makes me want to cruise out of SJ.

[beshears]

Thank you for your informative information of if it would be too crowded when we boarded, when going to the Lido deck before our room is ready.

 

I believe you mentioned that you didn't think the pizza was that good.  That really surprises me, and maybe things have changed.  I have always thought it was good.  Now, maybe one reason is that I order the pepperoni, and it always seems to be gone when I want it.  So normally I get it fresh, but I don't see their pizza staying out very long before someone is eating it.

 

I have a couple questions if you might know the answer.  I know this is a smaller ship, and the Lido deck has the free food.  Are there any other decks/areas where there might be cookies, or some other snack to get as well?

 

Also, you mentioned that there didn't seem to be many games/shows going on the ship, or perhaps you just didn't attend them.  Can you give me some names of the games especially that they have? For instance, like Love and Marriage show, which we get a kick out of attending.

 

Is the Blue Iguana the one that has the salad in the shell?  I love those, and wanted to make sure I get them this time.

 

 

[purplephenom]

50 minutes ago, beshears said:

Thank you for your informative information of if it would be too crowded when we boarded, when going to the Lido deck before our room is ready.

 

I believe you mentioned that you didn't think the pizza was that good.  That really surprises me, and maybe things have changed.  I have always thought it was good.  Now, maybe one reason is that I order the pepperoni, and it always seems to be gone when I want it.  So normally I get it fresh, but I don't see their pizza staying out very long before someone is eating it.

 

I have a couple questions if you might know the answer.  I know this is a smaller ship, and the Lido deck has the free food.  Are there any other decks/areas where there might be cookies, or some other snack to get as well?

 

Also, you mentioned that there didn't seem to be many games/shows going on the ship, or perhaps you just didn't attend them.  Can you give me some names of the games especially that they have? For instance, like Love and Marriage show, which we get a kick out of attending.

 

Is the Blue Iguana the one that has the salad in the shell?  I love those, and wanted to make sure I get them this time.

 

 

 

I usually like the pizza- so it surprised me too.  The couple times I got it, it was fresh, but seemed to be lacking...oregano, maybe? I'm not totally sure what was missing, but I loved the pizza last year on the Sunshine.  But..it's pizza.  It's got cheese, and sauce, so it can't be that bad.

 

Bonsai sushi isn't on Lido- i think it is on deck 9 but its not free.  I didn't see much else for free food, but Lido really is spaced out well and easy to get what you want. Even the ice cream machine wasn't really crowded

 

Love and Marriage is at night in the theatre, as is Hasboro.  We went to Love and Marriage and it wasn't full, but we loved it.  They had Speak Out, but that was a smaller game.  They had a duck hunt that was a lot of fun.  Trivia was off and on- there were a couple when everyone was in port, and then one in the early afternoon, and a few later.

 

Yes Blue Iguana has the taco salads in a shell- but they're on the burrito side, not the taco side.  It's 2 different lines.  They seemed to get more popular as the week went on, which was nice because the shells didn't sit for long so they were also crispier as the week went on. 

[beshears]

Thank you for answering my questions once again.  This may seem strange, but about a month before I cruise, I start typing up notes in regard to the ship in what to see/eat/do.  I also make notes in regard to tours that we might book ahead of time, or do one on our own.  That way I have done my "homework," ahead of time.

 

Thanks for letting me know about the shows in the evening. If you want to, can you give me just a tad of info in regard to the Hasbro and Speak out shows?  I have heard of Hasbro game, but have never played, or seen it, other than on the shelves in the store.

 

So to get my taco shells, I need to get in the burrito line, not the taco line. That will be important for me to remember as well.🙂

[soonernstlouis]

5 hours ago, kdawg954 said:

 

I mean I wouldn’t judge cruise activities of the entire brand based on a southern itinerary out of San Juan on the Fascination.

 

This is designed to serve as an adventurous off the ship cruise or a very relaxing on the ship cruise when most get off every day in port.

 

Its like me judging the entire Norwegian brand based off my one cruise on the 3 day NCL Sky.  Worst food and service I ever had on a ship but I realize this was essentially a 3 day booze cruise in hindsight over Black Friday weekend and I want to give the brand another look on a bigger, more modern ship.

 

But Fascination fits perfect.

It is very hard for anyone not to pass judgment on the worst thing they experience even if the best more than makes up for it.  Everytime I see someone complain about “my ship is only in port in the morning” or “I paid $1,000pp for a 7

day cruise to 3 islands”, I wanna scream “but you belittle the Fantasy ships that cost half that” and “you forego a 5-port cruise because the ship is not pretty”.  Find me that elusive ship that is modern, cheap, not crowded and good ports & I’ll sign up too!  Almost any cruise is as good as what you make it to be.

Edited February 27, 2019 by soonernstlouis

[purplephenom]

3 hours ago, JaniceB said:

Thank you for your well written and informative review, it makes me want to cruise out of SJ.

 

Give it a try- like I said, I didn't even want to do this cruise, and now I think I've talked D's ear off about it to the point he's like "can we talk about something else?" :-) 

[purplephenom]

5 hours ago, Crazy4Camping said:

It worries me that if I try another ship then I will feel more crowded.  I didn't feel too crowded on the Fascination, are other ships more congested?  It's funny you mentioned that bar in the back.  We didn't even discover that til halfway through the cruise.  We kept getting stuff from the bars by the pool.

 

Honestly, I don't know.  We did the Sunshine last year, and some people on here have had horrible experiences.  I was scared before I went- I read things like "worst ship ever," "layout makes no sense", "can't ever get a chair by the pool"  Well I love cruise ships, have the world's worst sense of direction, and love to lay in the sun and read, so if these things were the experience I had, I would've needed to find new things to enjoy.

 

As it turned out, the place I most experienced crowds was the Piano Bar, not the pool deck.  The main show lounge was crowded too, but we met some good new friends who would always scoot over and let us join them.  And I was able to find a chair in the sun as late as 10 am, never got lost after the first day, and had an awesome cruise.  

 

So long story short, just because other people find a ship crowded or boring or whatever, doesn't mean you will.  We all have our own preferences on how to spend the day, and it's not that hard to find a quiet spot to chill  

[purplephenom]

1 hour ago, beshears said:

Thank you for answering my questions once again.  This may seem strange, but about a month before I cruise, I start typing up notes in regard to the ship in what to see/eat/do.  I also make notes in regard to tours that we might book ahead of time, or do one on our own.  That way I have done my "homework," ahead of time.

 

Thanks for letting me know about the shows in the evening. If you want to, can you give me just a tad of info in regard to the Hasbro and Speak out shows?  I have heard of Hasbro game, but have never played, or seen it, other than on the shelves in the store.

 

So to get my taco shells, I need to get in the burrito line, not the taco line. That will be important for me to remember as well.🙂

 

 

Speak out isn't an evening show, it's just a game that is played in one of the lounges during the day.  I walked by it but didn't attend, it seemed to draw a crowd that was having fun.  

 

Hasbro is something board game related- I think it's on most Carnival ships.  Kids and adults get called up on stage to play games, with the prizes being board games.  It wasn't my thing, so i wasn't really paying attention but those on stage seemed to enjoy.

 

For Blue Iguana..if you want a taco bowl you go on the burrito side...also, after your first one, you may want to ask for double of certain toppings.  I saw a lot of people asking for double rice, or double meat, or whatever..  And it's close enough to Guy's that you can add certain toppings from their toppings bar too- (In addition to the blue iguana toppings).   I just let the people topping burgers go first since I was the intruder.  I only saw people getting soft tacos on the taco side, i don't know if they have crispy shells. 

[Stinger-pr]

On 2/19/2019 at 10:49 PM, purplephenom said:

 

There wasn’t great Snorkeling where we chose to go, and that’s usually our thing. But we found new things to enjoy, so in some ways that was a good thing.

 

Any questions, please ask, but were really creatures of habit on a cruise and pretty boring. 

First of all thank you for taking time to do this review. Having done this in m itinerary three times myself I can tell you that every time it just gets better!! So don't hesitate to go for it again and plan according to your activity preferences. I see you prefer Carnival excursions but you can be at ease with private excursions at these islands. I love to snorkel and you were at the right island (sometimes so close to the right place!) to do this.

 

I wouldn't do the turtle swim at Barbados again, at least in the Carlisle Bay area where most of the beach bars are and where most of the catamaran and snorkeling excursions end up going. It just gets too crowded. In St. Thomas the beach right besides Coral World is great for snorkeling, especially near the rocks adjacent to Coral World.  In St. Lucia, snorkeling between the Pitons is simply amazing! We have used Spencer Ambrose three times and have nothing but praise for his outfit. His snorkeling specific tour might not be as popular but you can opt for the Beach Break tour and spend the day between the Pitons and snorkel there.

 

In St. Kitts, Carambola is nice and posh by we love the opposite end of the beach where the Shipwreck bar is located. Snorkeling off the beach behind it is also pretty good.

 

We're also creatures of habit and during a cruise and we tend to gravitate towards activities we've already done and enjoy even if we repeat. So I get your vibe. But after 4 crises (one on NCL) on the same region I am bent on mixing it up on our next go-'round.

[purplephenom]

3 hours ago, Stinger-pr said:

First of all thank you for taking time to do this review. Having done this in m itinerary three times myself I can tell you that every time it just gets better!! So don't hesitate to go for it again and plan according to your activity preferences. I see you prefer Carnival excursions but you can be at ease with private excursions at these islands. I love to snorkel and you were at the right island (sometimes so close to the right place!) to do this.

 

I wouldn't do the turtle swim at Barbados again, at least in the Carlisle Bay area where most of the beach bars are and where most of the catamaran and snorkeling excursions end up going. It just gets too crowded. In St. Thomas the beach right besides Coral World is great for snorkeling, especially near the rocks adjacent to Coral World.  In St. Lucia, snorkeling between the Pitons is simply amazing! We have used Spencer Ambrose three times and have nothing but praise for his outfit. His snorkeling specific tour might not be as popular but you can opt for the Beach Break tour and spend the day between the Pitons and snorkel there.

 

In St. Kitts, Carambola is nice and posh by we love the opposite end of the beach where the Shipwreck bar is located. Snorkeling off the beach behind it is also pretty good.

 

We're also creatures of habit and during a cruise and we tend to gravitate towards activities we've already done and enjoy even if we repeat. So I get your vibe. But after 4 crises (one on NCL) on the same region I am bent on mixing it up on our next go-'round.

 

 

Thanks. I want to go back but we had our 2020 cruise booked before we did this one, and a couple days ago we booked 2021. I’ve been wanting to get to Bonaire and we found a route that does all the ABC islands. 

 

Next time we go to St Lucia, Jailouse is a must do. The spencer tour we wanted didn’t have enough to run this time- just a reason to go back. 

 

The turtles were a one and done for us. I was prepared for crowds but there was no one there but us- I don’t know where everyone went. 

 

Thanks for mentioning Shipwreck. I would try that side next time. Jumping the waves at Carambola was fun, but I felt bad because D was done a half hour in, and I didn’t get out of the water for long, so I’m not totally sure what he did with himself. 

 

[beshears]

Once again, thank you for your help on my questions in regard to the Fascination ship.  As for the Speak Out being a day show, I wonder if it would be held on a sea day?  I would like to attend, or know what it is about, and for the Hasbro show, I know I would pass on that one.

 

In regard to the piano bar which sounded good, is there smoking there, or is the smoking just close by?  I cannot stand smoke, that is why I ask.

 

I have heard back from Bernards for St. Maarten, Rose and Jim's for St. Kitts, and Cosol (used them twice before and more than happy to use them again) tours for our trip.  San Juan I have been there so many times I don't need to check it out, and the other ports, probably just get a Taxi and go to the beach or town.

 

This will seem like a strange question, but I like to check out "bakeries" in the ports. I know at the grocery stores they have bakery goods, but I like to check out the mom/pop ones too. If you know of any that might be good to check out, please let me know.

[purplephenom]

3 hours ago, beshears said:

Once again, thank you for your help on my questions in regard to the Fascination ship.  As for the Speak Out being a day show, I wonder if it would be held on a sea day?  I would like to attend, or know what it is about, and for the Hasbro show, I know I would pass on that one.

 

In regard to the piano bar which sounded good, is there smoking there, or is the smoking just close by?  I cannot stand smoke, that is why I ask.

 

I have heard back from Bernards for St. Maarten, Rose and Jim's for St. Kitts, and Cosol (used them twice before and more than happy to use them again) tours for our trip.  San Juan I have been there so many times I don't need to check it out, and the other ports, probably just get a Taxi and go to the beach or town.

 

This will seem like a strange question, but I like to check out "bakeries" in the ports. I know at the grocery stores they have bakery goods, but I like to check out the mom/pop ones too. If you know of any that might be good to check out, please let me know.

 

If Hasbro doesn't interest you, Speak Out likely won't either.  Its people trying to say things with a mouth piece in- you can google for examples, there are some celeb's doing it.  Its good for a laugh, but not a full on show or anything.  Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression on that one.

 

No smell of smoke in the Piano Bar, and it's larger than other ships.  We were always able to find space.  I'm sensitive to smoke, and get a cold if I'm around it too much, so I'd notice it if it were bad.  

 

For bakeries, are you doing Bernard's tour 2?  When they stop on the French side, they'll point out a place to get French pastries.  Then they'll drive by and show you all of the shopping area.  You only have about a half hour there- so go to the pastry spot first.  It takes up most of the half hour, according to a couple people on our tour.  Then as you're walking back you can glance at all the shopping.

[beshears]

So glad to read that there is no smoke in the Piano Bar, as we like sitting and listening to the different songs that are played/sung.

 

I know we plan to do Bernard tour, but I don't know if it is #2.  If it is, I'll make sure that I check on the French side in the shopping area for pastries.