Carnival fascination- really worth it???

[jwjax]

I am doing a back to back on the Fascination in December to say goodbye since they are moving her! It will be my 13th and 14th time on her out of 25 cruises! I love the Fascination and will miss her when she leaves. The Fascination is a great ship!

 

We are also doing a farewell B2B in Dec. (11/30-12/10). We have sailed the Fascination several times, as have several others. We almost always run into repeat Fascination cruisers.

 

The staff are very very good at what they all do to keep the ship looking like new (well, almost new :)). The Fascination is going to missed in Jax, but thankfully CCL has decided to provide another ship.

 

The Fantasy Class ships are around 20yrs old, but you would never know that once you are onboard. Have fun....:D:D

 

PS....Hey Sheryl!!!

 

Be sure to find the hidden public spaces on the bow when arriving in port. :)

Edited September 4, 2015 by jwjax

[ccleveland]

Where are the hidden places that you speak of?

 

Seems like the fascination is a really good ship considering how old it is. Since the ship is smaller and it goes in the Atlantic Ocean, do you feel the ship rocking a lot of can the fascination actually be smooth when sailing?

 

 

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[jwjax]

Where are the hidden places that you speak of?

 

Well, they are hidden of course!!:D:D

 

Do a search for the Fascination, and look for the All Things Fascination thread, and a few other threads along that line.... It is secret you know!!:)

 

Seems like the fascination is a really good ship considering how old it is. Since the ship is smaller and it goes in the Atlantic Ocean, do you feel the ship rocking a lot of can the fascination actually be smooth when sailing?

 

Only when you hit 6-10ft seas. For the most part sailing to the Bahamas is pretty calm, but sometimes a Nor'Easter may kick up on the way back to Jax...:)

 

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[CruiseHealing]

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Fascination again, but ONLY IF the price is right, meaning less than $60/day or $300 for a 5 day cruise. Anything more than that and I feel ripped off.

If you're going with a "budget experience" mind frame, and pay accordingly, it's not a bad choice for a few days to enjoy the basic pleasures of cruising.

 

Well said. We have done the Fascination every year, for the past two years and have really enjoyed it. However, when we board we know it is not the Sunshine nor the Dream. But for the price as you indicated, is a good value. We always book an inside cabin and have never felt like we should have not booked the cruise.

[mommytotwins]

We will be on the Fascination in January and I'm excited. Of course the price was definitely an added bonus! We have only ever been on one cruise prior and it was the Fantasy. I loved it. Of course, my next ship is the Dream, I hope!!

Edited September 4, 2015 by mommytotwins

[ccleveland]

Well, they are hidden of course!!:D:D

 

Do a search for the Fascination, and look for the All Things Fascination thread, and a few other threads along that line.... It is secret you know!!:)

 

 

 

Only when you hit 6-10ft seas. For the most part sailing to the Bahamas is pretty calm, but sometimes a Nor'Easter may kick up on the way back to Jax...:)

 

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Oh come on... Tell me the secrets [emoji56] haha. I wonder if YouTube shows anything. I did find a video that showed a really easy way out of the ship when your leaving. It's on deck 4 near the aft around r68 or something can't remember.

 

I'm glad sailing to the Bahamas is calm. Looks like there is another storm forming off Africa and heading to through the Atlantic. I hope that doesn't linger out till another week and half. Has hurricanes ever stayed in the Atlantic for more than a week before?

 

 

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[jwjax]

Oh come on... Tell me the secrets [emoji56] haha. I wonder if YouTube shows anything. I did find a video that showed a really easy way out of the ship when your leaving. It's on deck 4 near the aft around r68 or something can't remember.

 

I'm glad sailing to the Bahamas is calm. Looks like there is another storm forming off Africa and heading to through the Atlantic. I hope that doesn't linger out till another week and half. Has hurricanes ever stayed in the Atlantic for more than a week before?

 

 

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Ok, check this thread out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=76171657&pp=25

 

The oldrailfan posts are probably the most informative about the Fascination's secrets.

 

FWIW, this was one of the last of the Open Bar Parties (OBP) I have attended/hosted. CCL doubled their OBP rates in 2014. I have not heard of very many, if any since then. Most people just get Cheers pkg and or buy at the bar for the Meet and Greet gatherings.

[ccleveland]

Ok, check this thread out.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=76171657&pp=25

 

The oldrailfan posts are probably the most informative about the Fascination's secrets.

 

FWIW, this was one of the last of the Open Bar Parties (OBP) I have attended/hosted. CCL doubled their OBP rates in 2014. I have not heard of very many, if any since then. Most people just get Cheers pkg and or buy at the bar for the Meet and Greet gatherings.

 

 

When I click the thread it says it isn't there. :(

 

 

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[bargainsniper]

One of the secret decks is on Verandah. Go forward like you are going to the Verandah suites, there is a deck right at the front of the ship below the bridge. Also one where you can go off the side and view the bridge. It is very windy up there though.

 

Also the secret aft staircase to Serenity/lido from Empress (we were on Empress) was AWESOME! We used it probably 70% of the time going up there because we had an aft room. Could not beat the ease of navigating the ship.

 

We cruised on the Fascination in August and had a blast. Like others said, we were able to get good seats to the shows without standing there for 30 minutes, and the lines for food were never very long. Except 1:00 am for the pizza guy, lol.

[ccleveland]

Sweet! Thank you for that info! I will have to check out the bridge. It seems fun

 

 

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[jwjax]

When I click the thread it says it isn't there. :(

 

 

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Very Odd??:confused: I couldn't have copied and TESTED the link yesterday without it being there??

 

I will check again for the roll call link. I think I copied the search link instead of the RC link.

 

In the mean time search for the May 11, 2013 Fascination roll call. We had over 50 people, and almost 4000 replies in the roll call thread. A lot of them were from me and OldRailfan....

 

PS....try this link to the original May 11, 2013 thread, and then search for oldrailfan

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1664329

Edited September 7, 2015 by jwjax

[snoodel]

We have sailed the Fascination 2 times.

The latest being September of 2013. She is still one of our favorite ships.

Small enough to have that cozy feeling, but large enough to get lost if you need too. We really love it...

[jwjax]

One of the secret decks is on Verandah. Go forward like you are going to the Verandah suites, there is a deck right at the front of the ship below the bridge. Also one where you can go off the side and view the bridge. It is very windy up there though.

 

There are 2 others below the bridge, but harder to find the doors to get out there. They may look like crew only areas, but unless something has changed, they are open to the public.:)

 

Also the secret aft staircase to Serenity/lido from Empress (we were on Empress) was AWESOME! We used it probably 70% of the time going up there because we had an aft room. Could not beat the ease of navigating the ship.

 

Good point, I think that staircase also goes down as well from the lido to the promenade deck. (Puttin' on the Ritz/Serenity area) Although it could be another staircase I am thinking of??:)

[linbobky]

Where are the hidden places that you speak of?

 

Seems like the fascination is a really good ship considering how old it is. Since the ship is smaller and it goes in the Atlantic Ocean, do you feel the ship rocking a lot of can the fascination actually be smooth when sailing?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

this class of ship can be smooth as any ship!:) but if you get into some rough water, just drink a little more and you will not notice it as much!:D

[bargainsniper]

 

Good point, I think that staircase also goes down as well from the lido to the promenade deck. (Puttin' on the Ritz/Serenity area) Although it could be another staircase I am thinking of??:)

 

Yes, it is two flights up to serenity/puttin on the ritz (promenade level). There is a small flight that takes you up to a bathroom and meeting room (we saw the officers meeting in there one day), then another short flight up to Serenity. Immediately to your right is the aft entrance to Puttin on the Ritz lounge and Serenity is on your left. An outside staircase will also take you up to the Aft eating area on Lido Deck. You can keep going up and up to the Waterworks and the aft deck chairs as well.

 

We loved that staircase, as you could avoid a lot of congestion midship on Lido and go straight to the food in Coconut grove. We also went to Serenity a few times right before our late dinner seating and enjoyed the view before walking through Puttin on the ritz and right down the staircase into the dining room at 8:15. Very convenient.

 

We have decided that we will always stay aft Empress on Fantasy class ships that have that staircase. I was looking at one of deck plans, however, and it doesn't appear that all Fantasy class ships have those stairs. Glad that Fascination does, though.