Carnival Fascination Review - June 29, 2013 Sailing

[KateLovesCruising]

Just curious, you said the Spa has specials on the last sea day... would you mind telling me how much your Swedish massage was? And how long did it last for? Thanks so much, great review!

[Cruise Envy]

Just curious, you said the Spa has specials on the last sea day... would you mind telling me how much your Swedish massage was? And how long did it last for? Thanks so much, great review!

 

It was a choice of a full body swedish massage, a deep tissue massage, or a sports massage. I chose swedish, and it lasted about an hour. I paid $99 plus a $16 tip. I believe the sheet said I was saving $39.

Edited July 21, 2013 by Cruise Envy

[Cruise Envy]

Our group gathered outside the Puttin' On the Ritz lounge to game the last afternoon.

 

 

This is where our other encounter with the CD came up. We had at least two tables and 10-15 people gaming. Paul came up and explained at great length that they had to film a small promo at the bar oustide the lounge, and could we be quiet for "just a moment". He was very nice, very polite, but somehow I thought "Does he think we won't be quiet?!" He filmed his spot, thanked us, and moved on.

 

 

After games of Bananagrams, Exploding Cows, and Wizards, I made my way back in the general direction of the room. I still had my $25 of casino money to donate to the slots (which I did).

 

 

As I meandered through, I continued to take random pictures.

 

 

 

Is it really time for our last supper?

[Cruise Envy]

Tonight was the second night of Chef's Table. I took a picture of the setup while we waiting for the Sensation Dining room to open.

 

 

My son was sad that this was his last smoothie.

 

 

Tonite I shared my bottle of Korbel with our table.

 

 

It was hard to choose tonite, as there were so many good appetizers on the menu.

 

 

Remember that I talked to the hostess that morning about the speed of our service. Holy cow folks, if you have an issue, say something! I don't think the maitre d took his eyes off our serving team. We got our entrees a full 30 minutes earlier tonite. HUGE difference in service.

 

Tonite's entertainment was Gangnam Style. Our assistant waiter was almost embarassed as I took pictures of him.

 

 

[Cruise Envy]

Dinner was pleasant tonite, plus faster! When they brought the dessert menu, I asked the waiter which of the two fruit options had more watermelon. He made a suggestion, which I took. When it arrived, it had TONS of watermelon on it -- apparently he had made sure I got extra.

 

 

My husband loves Carnival's creme brulee, and when we asked on night one, we were sad to discover that it wasn't on any of the 5 night menus. We asked the hostess on day 1 if it was possible to get it on one night. They told us they would see. Carnival delivered on night 5 with creme brulee for my husband! He was very appreciative.

 

 

On our way out of dinner, I snuck a couple of pictures of our friends at Chef's Table. We heard later that there was a marriage proposal at the table -- not only did she get a gorgeous ring but a bracelet too!

 

 

[Cruise Envy]

I did some wandering (& packing) before heading to the Coconut Grill to hang out.

 

Here is a picture of the guitar player that was in the atrium quite a bit.

 

 

There was a neat moment as I walked through where he was singing "Wagon Wheel", and then a large group of guests started singing the chorus with him. He just let them finish the chorus. It was cool.

 

 

 

 

Management Material was HYSTERICAL. We laughed and laughed. Lunch Money was fun too.

[Cruise Envy]

Debark

 

We had gotten zone 1 tags due to FTTF. We debated about waiting until the end, but decided since we had to catch a shuttle, we would go with zone 1 (definitely NOT self assist).

 

We woke, showered, and ate, and headed down to the Taj Mahal lounge about 8 AM.

 

 

 

 

They called priority self assist, and then once luggage cleared, they called us. I thought I was going to get to stay another week when my S&S card wouldn't ding me out, but the staff member entered it manually. Darn!

 

Grabbed a porter in the terminal, collected the suitcases, and through customs in less than 5 minutes. Outside we had to walk down to the parking area to meet our shuttle. It took less than 10 minutes to return to the hotel and collect our car. We then immediately looked for an ATM to deposit my Cash Craze Win.

 

Our trip lasted oen more night, staying at a Hampton Inn, having a great seafood lunch, and chilling before heading back to NC.

[Cruise Envy]

Final Thoughts

 

The Good.

We had a GREAT vacation. The Fascination is a great ship, with a good crew. I would buy FTTF again in a heartbeat. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of a group, and I came home energized. We had a fabulous room steward.

 

The OK.

The food was good, not to die for. I was disappointed in the chateaubriand, and in the cappucino pie. I loved the flat iron steak, and the jerked pork loin.

 

The Meh.

I was disappointed that there was usually only one comedy show that was family friendly each night. It made it hard to get in to see the comedians. (I never made it). I was also disappointed that the Motor City show was only offered on the first and last night (one show each night). I thought the finesse of the beginning and end of our Private Oasis experience was much better in 2011. I was surprised the slide was still broken at HMC, and the elevator was broken all week.

 

The verdict? Book it. Go. Have a marvelous time! I used my winnings to book our 2014 cruise on the Carnival Pride, and I can't wait!

[mj]

Thanks for a wonderful review.

[All4fun&fun4all]

Nancy, I am SO honored. I hung on your reviews while counting down to my first Carnival sailling on the Fantasy -- SQUEE! :p

 

SQUEEEEEE indeed! I am doing my double digit dance. My first Halloween cruise and it will be my first without the Andrew. :(

[4hunters]

Fantastic review! Thanks for posting it.

[dna529]

Thanks for the review! We just got off last Thursday. I agree with your final assessment. The food was just "ok" if not worse than "ok" for some things. This was a big disappointment. But overall, the ship is fabulous and the waterslides were good for the kids!

[cojuqui]

Saw the review listed in your signature on the postings on the Pride's Thanksgiving cruise. I love reading reviews. Great job. Loved all the pictures. Looking forward to meeting your gang next month.

 

Connie

 

 

 

PAST CRUISES:

 

Discovery Sun 2003 Freeport Bahamas Day Cruise

Celebrity Solstice 6/26/09 Eastern Mediterranean

Carnival Conquest 08/10/10 Eastern Caribbean

Carnival Victory 06/10/12 Southern Caribbean http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1659913

Carnival Miracle 07/30/13 Alaska http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...8#post39476968

Diamond Princess 12/23/13 New Zealand/Australia (Still in progress)http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2112413

 

[Cruise Envy]

Thanks Connie!

[Terri102066]

We will be on Fascination in less than two weeks and will be staying at the same pre hotel as you with the park and cruise package. I had read a review the shuttle was on old school bus but from your review this is incorrect. I was also wondering if I need to sign up for the shuttle before getting to the hotel. Thanks for any advice that you can give me.

[Cruise Envy]

We will be on Fascination in less than two weeks and will be staying at the same pre hotel as you with the park and cruise package. I had read a review the shuttle was on old school bus but from your review this is incorrect. I was also wondering if I need to sign up for the shuttle before getting to the hotel. Thanks for any advice that you can give me.

 

Ours was arranged by our travel agent thru the hotel -- the shuttle was through "Go Shuttle" and it was a multi-passenger van. I would probably call the hotel and ask ahead of time about it. It does stop at multiple hotels, however we didn't do this on the way to the port since we had enough to fill the van.