Fascination

Tell me about the fascination! Just booked her for the ports! Can't seem to find many trip reports or photos.

Any help,tips, and suggestions welcome

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Tell me about the fascination! Just booked her for the ports! Can't seem to find many trip reports or photos.

Any help,tips, and suggestions welcome

 

 

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It's an old clunker !!!

Tell me about the fascination! Just booked her for the ports! Can't seem to find many trip reports or photos.

Any help,tips, and suggestions welcome

 

 

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Sailed her in March and had a great time! Yes, it is an older ship but has been well maintained. It doesn't have alot of the bells and whistles of some of the other ships but truthfully we did not miss them at all. It is a very port intensive cruise and we were ready to relax at the end of the day. The food in the dining room I thought was actually good. Buffet was hit and miss but could always find something. Go into it with an open mind and you will have a great time!!

Donna

Thanks Donna,

I've been on many ships new & old. I'm excited for the ship and the ports. I know she's older but hey that's okay. [emoji846]

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DH and I did this itinerary this past November on the Fascination and the year before that on the Liberty. With how port intensive this itinerary is I really didn't miss what wasn't there. The ship, in my opinion, was well maintained and clean.

Just did this cruise with my wife and four kids in January. The ship is smaller than most of the other ships but very well maintained. Staff was great and service was amazing. - I assume because less people. Your so tired from the ports that you have no time to really use ship as much as you would like. Only thing I really missed from Fascination is the alchemy bar!

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I love the old girl. Was sad to see her leave Jacksonville....Been on many trips on her.

We had fun, but I've gotta admit, not only is she old, but there are many amenities on other Fantasy class ships that she still doesn't have (alchemy bar, Guys, Red Frog, Blue Iguana...). BUT it's such a port intensive itinerary that you don't spend much time on the ship. The fun team is really awesome and we enjoyed the shows and comedy (I was chosen as the Diva for one of the shows- you'll see what I mean when you go). Lots of fun. An older ship with kick butt ports is worth it. You'll have a blast!

It's an old clunker !!!

So is this response:cool:.

OP, we were on Fascination in October and had a great time. Yes, if you want all of the bells and whistles of the newer ships you'll be disappointed but we felt that on this itinerary Fascination is a good ship to be on. My review is in my signature and I'll try to find my review thread to link to as I posted a few pictures.

Found it http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2417600

We sailed on this ship in April of this year. We had a wonderful time after staying a couple of days prior to the cruise in San Juan. Schedule some time for San Juan. Here is a link to my review just posted: Carnival Fascination Review by georgiacat

We found better air fares by going early and leaving a day later; savings paid for the hotel. The airport was less hectic than I hear it is on debarkation day.

Good Reviews here...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2428818

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2396178&highlight=soda

So is this response:cool:.

 

OP, we were on Fascination in October and had a great time. Yes, if you want all of the bells and whistles of the newer ships you'll be disappointed but we felt that on this itinerary Fascination is a good ship to be on. My review is in my signature and I'll try to find my review thread to link to as I posted a few pictures.

Found it http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2417600

Thanks so much!

Thank you to all the posters. [emoji106]

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We sailed on this ship in April of this year. We had a wonderful time after staying a couple of days prior to the cruise in San Juan. Schedule some time for San Juan. Here is a link to my review just posted: Carnival Fascination Review by georgiacat

 

 

 

We found better air fares by going early and leaving a day later; savings paid for the hotel. The airport was less hectic than I hear it is on debarkation day.

Thanks for posting! Great Review

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I was on Fascination back in 2004 and loved her then. The mere fact I'm looking forward to sailing her again should tell you a lot! She is due for refurbishment between January 31 and February 17, 2018. So, for me, she'll be almost new when I'm on her next.

I was on Fascination back in 2004 and loved her then. The mere fact I'm looking forward to sailing her again should tell you a lot! She is due for refurbishment between January 31 and February 17, 2018. So, for me, she'll be almost new when I'm on her next.

I am booked for Apr 2018. Good to hear the refurbishment is scheduled. It will make the cruise even better.

It's an old clunker !!!

Seriously? Why would you even posts this? The OP is excited about a ship and you try to ruin it? You are probably the one at guest service line complaining about every detail.

WE are booked on Fascination in 27 days. GREATLY looking forward to it. We have been on multiple Fantasy-class ships and it is our favorite size. Easy to get around, and few lines. We went on Magic a year ago and seemed like all we did was wait in lines.

Most people taking the S. Caribbean route don't care that much about the newer bells and whistles that you miss while on a Fantasy-class. We are going for the wonderful itinerary and to enjoy spending time with family, and celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

Enjoy your cruise! I will try to do a long review once we get back. There are 7 of us going, ages 17-77.

Seriously? Why would you even posts this? The OP is excited about a ship and you try to ruin it? You are probably the one at guest service line complaining about every detail.

 

WE are booked on Fascination in 27 days. GREATLY looking forward to it. We have been on multiple Fantasy-class ships and it is our favorite size. Easy to get around, and few lines. We went on Magic a year ago and seemed like all we did was wait in lines.

 

Most people taking the S. Caribbean route don't care that much about the newer bells and whistles that you miss while on a Fantasy-class. We are going for the wonderful itinerary and to enjoy spending time with family, and celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I will try to do a long review once we get back. There are 7 of us going, ages 17-77.

I think he posts that exact response whenever anyone asks about Fascination and probably started posting it when Fascination was 5 years old.;)

Tell me about the fascination! Just booked her for the ports! Can't seem to find many trip reports or photos.

Any help,tips, and suggestions welcome

My family and I went on this cruise last month, and it was fan-freaking-tastic! I'm already planning on returning because there are so many things I wanted to do/see, but 1 day in port just simply isn't enough. The port-intensive journey kept us so busy that we never needed the amenities of a bigger, fancier ship...our days were have breakfast in the dining room with mimosas/simple room service on our balcony, spend all day in the port, hit the bar upon return to the ship for in-room drinks while we get clean, room service or Lido deck for a quick snack, a pre-dinner nap, dinner, and a night of fun trying out all the ship's entertainment before a nightcap in the Atrium bar. The staff is great and friendly...our kids felt welcomed and really enjoyed their first cruise and meeting new friends from around the country. While the ship is older, it is well maintained and we always noticed someone cleaning or up-keeping as we traversed the ship at all times of the day.

If you're reading cruise critic via a computer or tablet, on the Carnival Cruise Line board along the right you'll see a list of ships as you scroll down. There's quite a bit of relevant information on the Carnival Fascination link. Mitsugirly's and stinger_PR's reviews helped me plan our port days a lot. I also used each Port's threads to do my research and ask for advice. My own brief review can be found here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2494918

We sailed the Fascination in January. Like you, we were more interested in the ports than the ship. It was mostly a vessel that we could sleep and eat on, and do a few things for entertainment. It's small, which makes it easy to get around. The food was ok. Not great, but better than I eat at home! People like to call it an old clunker, but it was clean and got us to all the gorgeous destinations. I wouldn't have taken the same itinerary if I had to pay a couple hundred dollars per person more for the same cruise.

Here's a review by Stinger-pr http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2428818

You are so right! We did this itinerary as well. Nobody seemed to be upset about being on this ship. Everyone was having a good time. In fact, most evenings the ship was dead because people were probably tired from the long stays in all the awesome ports. So...why spend a lot of money on a fancy ship if you just lounge around in your room?

Seriously? Why would you even posts this? The OP is excited about a ship and you try to ruin it? You are probably the one at guest service line complaining about every detail.

 

WE are booked on Fascination in 27 days. GREATLY looking forward to it. We have been on multiple Fantasy-class ships and it is our favorite size. Easy to get around, and few lines. We went on Magic a year ago and seemed like all we did was wait in lines.

 

Most people taking the S. Caribbean route don't care that much about the newer bells and whistles that you miss while on a Fantasy-class. We are going for the wonderful itinerary and to enjoy spending time with family, and celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I will try to do a long review once we get back. There are 7 of us going, ages 17-77.

I was on Fascination back in 2004 and loved her then. The mere fact I'm looking forward to sailing her again should tell you a lot! She is due for refurbishment between January 31 and February 17, 2018. So, for me, she'll be almost new when I'm on her next.

Great! She'll probably end up like Ecstasy (which we will do in August)- a Fantasy Class ship with Alchemy, Red Frog, Blue Iguana, and Guys. With these additions I think she will be awesome! I don't particularly like the bigger ships too much, as while the amenities they offer are nice, they don't necessarily justify me having to deal with the extra crowds.

Great tips and advice thanks so much. Great reviews I'm ready to roll. Oh wait it's not till November for me. 🤦 [emoji846]

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We did a similar Southern Caribbean on the TROPICALE. It was old then, and soon was retired. It had 1200 Passengers. We still had a wonderful time, despite how small it was. People had fun on ships long before the rock climbing walls, the ropes courses and Alchemy Bar. I will be sad that Fascination doesn't have a Guy's Burger, but I imagine there MIGHT be something else to eat while on board. I have eaten hamburgers before, and having them on a cruise is not a game-changer for me.

I'll be on the Fascination in 19 days and I'm beyond excited! I've read a lot of negative reviews but thankfully there have been more positive ones! It's going to be a wonderful first cruise!

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