Carnival Fascination Southern Caribbean Cruise - Go or no go?

Hi Cruisers!

I'm looking to take a cruise in the next few months (It's been 8 years since my last one! Gasp!) and I'm looking at a few different options. I have tons of airline miles on Southwest, so I can fly to virtually anywhere for free. :)

One option that really intrigued me was the Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Carnival Fascination. It's a 7 day cruise with 5 ports, which is super rare! I've also never been to any of the ports on the itinerary: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kits, and St. Maarten.

My only hesitation is that it looks like a really old ship from what I can tell and doesn't look like it has been upgraded in a while. I know it's on the Fantasy class of ships...I don't really know why Carnival is using an older ship like that for a longer cruise to super cool ports.

Does anyone have experience with this particular ship or itinerary? Would love to hear feedback/thoughts from those who have experienced it firsthand.

Just for reference, I've been on the Conquest, Magic, and Ecstasy!

I was on the Fascination doing this itinerary back in February. It was the best cruise I have ever been on. That was my 5th cruise. Sure the ship is older and doesn't have all of the bells and whistles but it is in very good shape. It was very clean with the crew constantly cleaning. The food was pretty good. The shows were not bad and the comedy club was excellent.

The best part was the itinerary. I loved every island. Leaving out of San Juan is also great. I did not do a review (too lazy) but I would be happy to answer any question you may have. One excursion I took which was my favorite one I have ever been on was with Spencer Ambrose in St. Lucia. It is an absolutely beautiful island and the tour was incredible.

Absolutely, Positively, 100% take this cruise if you can. You will not regret it.

Howard

I think they are using this ship because the lack of bells and whistles isn't as important when you are island hopping. As many reviews and comments have said, you are so tired from being ashore you don't have the time or energy to miss them.

We are quite excited for our trip March 2018. Having been on this ship before I will happily sail her again.

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My husband and I did this cruise last fall and I couldn't possibly recommend it more! This ship is a nice ship despite its age. But even so, it wouldn't matter anyway. There's only one sea day. All of the other days you'll be in some of the most amazing ports. If you are interested, I wrote a review about this cruise; the link is in my signature.

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We are headed out on the Fascination in 27 days. This will be our 16th cruise. My favorite cruise was 22 years ago, doing a Southern Caribbean (mostly different ports) on a very small ship, the CCL tropicale. Bells and whistles don't matter when you are cruising for the ports. I personally love the Fantasy class (ecstasy is one) as there are fewer lines. Is it really going to make or break your cruise if you can't get a Guys burger? Or a drink from Alchemy? If is does, wait for a different ship. The fact is, they can fill this ship because of itinerary. The new mega ships are a destination themselves and can go to places where the ports are not as exciting. Or lots of sea days.

My husband and I did this cruise last fall and I couldn't possibly recommend it more! This ship is a nice ship despite its age. But even so, it wouldn't matter anyway. There's only one sea day. All of the other days you'll be in some of the most amazing ports. If you are interested, I wrote a review about this cruise; the link is in my signature.

 

 

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I just took a look at your review and it's super comprehensive! Thank you so much for pointing me in that direction. I think y'all are convincing me to take the plunge. :D

Hi Cruisers!

 

I'm looking to take a cruise in the next few months (It's been 8 years since my last one! Gasp!) and I'm looking at a few different options. I have tons of airline miles on Southwest, so I can fly to virtually anywhere for free. :)

 

One option that really intrigued me was the Southern Caribbean itinerary on the Carnival Fascination. It's a 7 day cruise with 5 ports, which is super rare! I've also never been to any of the ports on the itinerary: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kits, and St. Maarten.

 

My only hesitation is that it looks like a really old ship from what I can tell and doesn't look like it has been upgraded in a while. I know it's on the Fantasy class of ships...I don't really know why Carnival is using an older ship like that for a longer cruise to super cool ports.

 

Does anyone have experience with this particular ship or itinerary? Would love to hear feedback/thoughts from those who have experienced it firsthand.

 

Just for reference, I've been on the Conquest, Magic, and Ecstasy!

They had a larger ship there and couldn't fill it at prices they wanted, so they moved a smaller ship there.

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Go! The ports are amazing. We had fun on the ship as well.

There is a review in my signature if you would like more detail.

Have fun!

As you said, 5 ports in 7 days is super rare. and you haven't been in any. Go for it!!

As you can see in my signature below, I have taken this cruise three times already (with a 4th booked for summer 2018). All three have been on different ships (two Conquest-class and one Fantasy-class). I enjoyed my cruise on the Fascination the most precisely because of it's size. It's easier to navigate an lines are not as long for most anything. The ship will be going into dry dock on Feb. 2018 and getting Guys burgers and the Iguana and Frog bars as well as a minor facelift in the public areas (I do hope the yank the cheesy fake palm trees). Trust me, with 5 ports in 7 days (and the day at sea being early in the cruise) you won't really miss the bigger ships UNLESS you cruise for the ship, not the ports. I was lucky enough to be on one one of the few selected summer 2018 cruises that had the day at sea changed to a stop in Dominica (which is a new port for me) so that would make it a 6 port (7 if you count Old San Juan) in 7 days cruise. Whew!! We`re gonna need a vacation from our vacation...lol.

Oh and BTW, I was very vocal against an older Fantasy-class ship being shifted to this route. Boy was I shut up!!

I can only second all of the above. We greatly enjoyed our Fascination trip with this amazing itinerary.

We were on the Fascination on this itinerary last summer, and I agree with all the earlier posts--go for it.

Actually, when I first told our TA that this was a cruise we were interested in, his response was that we should take a newer ship, do a different cruise. When I later told him this was what we intended to book, he changed his tune and said we would enjoy it. And we did; it was a fun cruise. Being a small ship also made it easier to navigate and to meet the same people making friends with them.

I wouldn't worry about the age of the ship, I know I'm not. The itinerary is jammed packed with ports and I would say your going to spend more time off the ship then on it.

Check out the many reviews that have been on here over the last few months (my favourites being from Mitsugirly & Stinger). They go into great detail and will help levitate any worries you may have about the ship being older.

I agree with those who said "Go for it"! We did a similar one out of San Juan in 1992 on our honeymoon, but have done this current itinerary twice and fairly recently (2013 and 2015). This is, hands down, our favorite itinerary. We love these islands because they are all very scenic, so you get great views even sailing in and out of them. There is so much to see and do and something for every interest whether it be island tours, historical sites, adventure, snorkeling and beach.

When we did this cruise in 2013 and again in 2015, we were on Carnival's Conquest class ships (Valor and Liberty). We love both those ships and I will admit to being one of the ones disappointed in Carnival for moving the Fascination to San Juan. After seeing other recent reviews, I actually think I would LOVE Fascination: smaller ship = smaller crowds, shorter lines. I've also seen it mentioned more often than not, that Fascination's staff are top notch and the ship is clean. This is one itinerary in which the ship is not the "star of the show", the itinerary is. I just can't wait till we can do it again.

I wouldn't worry about the age of the ship, I know I'm not. The itinerary is jammed packed with ports and I would say your going to spend more time off the ship then on it.

 

Check out the many reviews that have been on here over the last few months (my favourites being from Mitsugirly & Stinger). They go into great detail and will help levitate any worries you may have about the ship being older.

Looks like we will be shipmates! We will be entering the sailing from San Juan, you are leaving from Barbados! I am counting the days....It will be a fantastic trip on a great ship.

I'm going on this cruise in August. Great itinerary. I've researched the ship. Other than extra bars and food places there isn't a lot more on some bigger ships. As long as there is food and a few bars that's all I need. They have shows, comedy, karaoke, deck parties, etc. Wish they had the big movie screen but that's about all we'll miss.

Echoing what everyone else has said. We were on recently with our entire family, and we had a fan-freaking-tastic time. You will likely be so tired from exploring that you'll not care that the ship does not have all the fancy bells and whistles. After an exciting day at port, all we wanted upon return to the ship were drinks at the bar for in-room drinks, a shower, and room service or the Lido deck for a light snack...and then a pre-dinner nap. After dinner, the entertainment is fairly good, but a walkabout the sports deck to see a 360 degree view of what we were sailing past, a trip to the casino, or a nightcap at the Atrium bar was perfect.

While it's older, the ship is well-maintained. I moved about the ship a lot, and at any given time of any given day, I would always find staff cleaning or polishing throughout the ship. I would gladly hope on this ship with this itinerary, again.

You can find my own brief write-up here:

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

Go!! This is a great itinerary!!

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I was lucky enough to be on one one of the few selected summer 2018 cruises that had the day at sea changed to a stop in Dominica (which is a new port for me) so that would make it a 6 port (7 if you count Old San Juan) in 7 days cruise. Whew!! We`re gonna need a vacation from our vacation...lol.

 

Oh and BTW, I was very vocal against an older Fantasy-class ship being shifted to this route. Boy was I shut up!!

Super jealous of the extra stop! Should've done my research before I booked in October. Still excited tho!

Super jealous of the extra stop! Should've done my research before I booked in October. Still excited tho!

Don't knock yourself too hard. I booked on the last $49 per person deposit promotion (this past March?) and still had the regular schedule. I received an Email from Carnival about a month ago about the change in the itinerary. This has gone very under the radar since no announcement was made anywhere. You can now pick this itinerary from the booking page at Carnival but it was about a week after I got the Email that the itinerary became available to book.

If you like port days this is your ship! It's not in my signature for nothing... if you take it, a secret spot is at the back of the ship on the Lido -- there's an outdoor seating area. Most people don't figure out it is there.

You can join my wife and I in December! Guaranteed to be a good time

I can only second all of the above. We greatly enjoyed our Fascination trip with this amazing itinerary.

What time did embarking and disembarking begin? I'm aware of the staggered check-in program. I'm just trying to book flights, hotel, etc. for this sailing out of San Juan, so it would be helpful to know what time the first group arrives and gets off. Thanks!

Don't knock yourself too hard. I booked on the last $49 per person deposit promotion (this past March?) and still had the regular schedule. I received an Email from Carnival about a month ago about the change in the itinerary. This has gone very under the radar since no announcement was made anywhere. You can now pick this itinerary from the booking page at Carnival but it was about a week after I got the Email that the itinerary became available to book.

That's awesome! Even better when you don't have to pay for the port fees.

What time did embarking and disembarking begin? I'm aware of the staggered check-in program. I'm just trying to book flights, hotel, etc. for this sailing out of San Juan, so it would be helpful to know what time the first group arrives and gets off. Thanks!

We had FTTF so I don't know what time it began. We were onboard by 12:15pm and at disembarkation we were off by 8:30a.m. (as I recall).