Did I screw up?

[abby1257]

My 1st cruise ever...was 8 years ago on the FASCINATION. I had nothing to compare it to...it was only 4 nights (key west and Cozumel)...I HAD A BLAST! 8 years later, (10 cruises later)....I just did the 10 night southern out of San Juan in April....it was on the Elation (small ship)....but the itinerary was fantastic (similar to the one you are going on)....having said all this....for a first cruise...a small ship is fine....again nothing to compare it to....After being on the bigger ships....would I do a small ship again....NO...NEVER....just my opinion....outside of the itinerary back in April....we found the ship to be BORING....upgrades were missing....NOTHING happening on the lido etc. but we were off on most days in the ports. You will have a blast....if someone doesn't have fun on a cruise...it's their own fault!

[monl765]

My first cruise ever was the Fascination in 1996, out of San Juan.

 

To this day we talk about the cruises, and mostly remember how great it was in the ports. I remember good times on board as well, but mostly it was what we did in the ports.

 

Go and have a great time !

[JohnSpo]

Wow thank you all for such quick feedback! I have already began looking at all the great things to do at each port through trip advisor and I think there will be plenty of stuff to occupy our time! I think I made the right decision and will hopefully remember to make a blog post when we do go in March.

 

I definitely think you made the right decision because I also just booked Fascination for this itinerary. :)

 

As someone mentioned, check out You Tube and you will see some great videos of the ship. You will get a good idea of what is offered on Fascination.

 

You and your friends can go onto Carnival.com and drill into Explore/Our Ships/Carnival Fascination. You will see everything that is offered from food to the on board activities. You can also drill into the decks and see where everything is located. Look forward to all the great things that the Fascination does offer and don't stress over the things it does not have. Also look at all of the excursions offered on the cruise.

 

A smaller ship does have advantages such as the ease to navigate and less crowds. I have been on many of the smaller Carnival ships and I have had an awesome cruise on all of them.

 

Have a great cruise. Enjoy the ship and all of the ports.:cool:

Edited July 19, 2016 by JohnSpo

[Fern Crest]

There's nothing like the experience of your first cruise!

 

The itinerary you have is just fantastic, and I think your party will have an amazing time.

 

Just think if the great 'street cred' you will have when your friends talk about the terrific cruise you found for them!

 

Your subsequent cruises can be booked with ship amenities in mind, but this cruise is jam-packed with some of the best ports in the Caribbean!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Cr2zCr8zy]

While I've sailed on the ecstasy and am drawn to the larger ships, you have a great itinerary and an awesome price. Go have a great time with your friends :D

[k2excursion]

My 3rd cruise was on a sister ship to the Fascination, and it was an upgrade from my 1st 2 cruises. I thought the ship was spectacular! It might be difficult to go back to one of these ships now, just because I've enjoyed the bigger ships. However, for that port-intensive itinerary, going to amazing ports, I would have no problem at all going back to a small ship. For first-time cruisers, they certainly won't have a problem with it. It will seem like a gigantic ship to them, plus the focus is mostly on the ports.

[Princess_K]

Fascination is a great ship. I cruised her out of Jacksonville and took 3 new cruisers with me. They all LOVED everything about the cruise. Don't worry. Go and have a great time.

[Cruisin 4 Ever]

I see 2 main advantages with going on this ship. Prices are better and you don't get the long waits that you get on new ships like the Breeze.