Fascination Review 3/30/09

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

I will post this in segments. I am currently TDY with Air Force in New Mexico. My hard drive took a dump with all my cruise photos. I am using the work computer to post this. I am really bummed about the pictures, because I took alot.

 

This is my first review, first cruise, etc.... so be gentle!!:D If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Thanks.... DAN

Carnival Fascination Review 3/30/2009

Brief Summary:

It was me (33) and my darling wife (28). It was our first cruise ever. We did not really know what to expect but had a pretty good idea of most of the stuff thanks to this site and all of your helpful insights. (THANK YOU!) We were on the 5 day Fascination out of Jacksonville which went to Key West and Nassau for our itinerary. We have never been to either place, so we were really excited. It was also a delayed honeymoon and 10 year anniversary. The kids were at home with the grandparents…… so we were all alone!! Yippeeee

JACKSONVILLE/EMBARKATION:

We drove down on Sunday, March 29th from Crestview, FL. It was about 310 miles straight East on I-10. We got to our hotel right near the airport at about 1:30 in the afternoon. Check-in was not until 3:00, but we were able to get in our room right away. (YEAH!) We stayed at the Travelodge. We had a king room about 20 feet from the pool. All in all it was not bad for the $100 total cost after taxes, which included parking for the duration of the cruise and shuttle service (free) to and from the port. Since parking alone at the port would have been $75, it was well worth the convenience of getting to Jacksonville the day before. We spent the afternoon lounging by the pool and swimming working on our tans. We then ate dinner and called it a night after watching the cruise special on CNBC about Norwegian Cruise Line. This really got us in the mood for our cruise.

**NOTE: Our shuttle to the port was scheduled for 12 noon. It did not arrive until almost 12:50. We got to the port at about 1:20. I was not impressed with the shuttle company that the hotel contracted this service to. It was not any better on the return leg. Maybe next time, we will get a cheaper room and then call our own shuttle. Other then that, Jacksonville was great to us.

Embarkation was busy. Since we do not have anything to compare this experience to, I will just say that in my opinion, it took a long time. From the moment we gave our luggage to the porter at the pier, to the time we actually walked onto the ship, it took about 1 hour and 20 minutes. This may not be long, but it sure seemed like it. Since we were setting up a cash account and not using the credit card, our first stop was to the pursers desk to make a cash deposit. This process was quite easy. And there were only 3 people ahead of us in line and there were about 4 people working at the desk. So we were done there in less then 5 minutes. I was quite impressed with the pursers desk.

MUSTER DRILL/SAIL AWAY

We got to our room, an ocean view on the Riviera Deck, at around 3:00. Muster drill was called at about 3:30 and completed by around 4:00. It was quite painless, although a little crowded. We then dropped off our life jackets and saw that our bags had arrived. Yeah, they were all there and so was my 1.75 liter bottle of rum (plastic bottle)!! I then went up to the funnel deck and watched sail away. I had a DOD and the world was right. I couldn’t wait to pass under the Dames Point Bridge, because I had heard so much about it, and it did not disappoint. There is not a whole lot of room for error here; and all I can say is……. The ships HORN is REALLY LOUD up on that deck.

That is all for now. I do have SOME work to do out here in NEW MEXICO!!

[direfun2000]

Great start!!:)

[Wants2cruise]

Hello Newbie,

 

First of all thank you for your service to our country.

 

Secondly thank you for posting your review. I hope that you can retrieve your cruise pictures from the crashed computer.

 

Can't wait to read the rest of your review. My DH (ANG) and I will be on the Fascination in 18 days.

[LWiening]

Thank you for the review. WE will be on her on SAturday. I had that happen with my pictures I was so upset they were from OUr Panama Cruise. I found a program online www.zar.com that had a free uploading. It retrieved all of my pictures off of my camera. You maybe able to use it on your laptop. You are allow three time to use this program. If you can't find that go to Kim kimando she does a radio show here in Chicago and she always have tips. You may need to google her name.

 

This is the least I can do for someone keeping us Free. Thank you so much ....:o

[Tyskie]

Yes, we agree with "Wants2cruise", thank you for your service. It was great that you were able to get away and enjoy(?) your first cruise. We will be doing the exact itinerary in 4 weeks. Can't wait for the rest of your review. Do hope you are able to salvage your pictures. :(

[divinmule]

Thanks sooooo much for give us a review of the Fascination. Reviews about her seem few and far between lately.

 

We sail the same itinerary the end of May and can't wait to get sailing.

 

What night was your formal night?

 

Thanks again and ditto the comments above...your service is very appreciated.

[JaguarGirl]

I can't wait to read the rest of your review. I'm glad that Jacksonville was great to you. Hope you will return again. We need to keep that terminal in Jacksonville!

[nancydee]

I keep coming back to this thread - hoping for more!!

My DD (14) and I are on her in 88 more sleeps!:p

[Lv2Camp&Cruise]

We will be on the Facsination next Thursday. I will post a review as soon as I return. Glad you had a great and well deserved vacation.

[amybeth4]

Question to anyone who reads this about CCL embarkation. This is far from the first post I've read where people have said it's taken well over an hour to board, and a few of those comments said something to the effect of, "We got there at 11 and were onboard by 12:15 - not bad!!!"

 

Is this the norm for CCL? I don't remember the last time it took me more than, say, 20 minutes to get onboard, from start to finish, on other lines.

 

I've never taken a CCL cruise (obviously) but am considering the Glory in Oct because a balcony is only like $675, so I've been lurking.

 

Thanks!

[teacherme]

Thanks for all you do for our country. Can't wait to hear about your cruise.

[jbroons]

Question to anyone who reads this about CCL embarkation. This is far from the first post I've read where people have said it's taken well over an hour to board, and a few of those comments said something to the effect of, "We got there at 11 and were onboard by 12:15 - not bad!!!"

 

Is this the norm for CCL? I don't remember the last time it took me more than, say, 20 minutes to get onboard, from start to finish, on other lines.

 

I've never taken a CCL cruise (obviously) but am considering the Glory in Oct because a balcony is only like $675, so I've been lurking.

 

Thanks!

 

It took us 20 minutes on our Freedom cruise last week to get onboard.

[A&Jfamily]

Question to anyone who reads this about CCL embarkation. This is far from the first post I've read where people have said it's taken well over an hour to board, and a few of those comments said something to the effect of, "We got there at 11 and were onboard by 12:15 - not bad!!!"

 

Is this the norm for CCL? I don't remember the last time it took me more than, say, 20 minutes to get onboard, from start to finish, on other lines.

 

I've never taken a CCL cruise (obviously) but am considering the Glory in Oct because a balcony is only like $675, so I've been lurking.

 

Thanks!

 

All depends on when you arrive vs when the ship is ready (ie if debarkation on the prior cruise was delayed - usually the fault of a few passengers who can't be bothered to wake up for customs) to how many special groups are boarding before you. Generally, we get to the port around 10:45 and have always been on by noon. Now, that said, it is CCL policy that people should not arrive at the terminal before around 1 p.m...so I consider anything before that a bonus.

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Review Continued:

EMBARKATION NIGHT

We had the early dinner time, which was at 6:00. We were seated at a table for eight right next to a big window overlooking the sea. It was an awesome table. The first 4 nights, there were two other couples seated with me and my DW. They were both newlyweds who had gotten married just 2 days before our cruise departure. The last couple, FSU3NOLES28 from CC, were at dinner with us on the last night. (Jon and Angela). Jon was really sick for the first few days of the cruise, but got to meet them the last night. They were on our roll call. HEY GUYS!!

For dinner that first night, I had the Caesar salad and the Shrimp cocktail for an appetizer. I also had the Flat Iron steak, cooked medium rare, for my main course. To finish it off, I had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake! I do not eat desserts for the most part, but I did this first night to see what all the fuss was about. It was awesome!! The steak was cooked to perfection also. All in all, I was very impressed with the quality of food. Refills on drinks were a little slow this first night, but I am sure the wait staff and kitchen were working out the kinks for this first night.

After dinner, I went to check out the promenade deck and see what club venues were available. Me and Jennifer (DW) took our time and soaked it all in. Every time we turned a corner, we were like 2 little kids at Disneyland/World for the first time. Oohing and Aahing at all the wonderful sites. I believe the welcome aboard show was this night. It was pretty good and me and my DW enjoyed it. It was a little late as we seemed to have hit and “energy wall” for this first day. But once the show started, we perked right up. We both enjoyed a DOD during the show.

After the show, we went back to the room to unpack. I saw that my collapsible cooler had been filled with ice, as well as the ice bucket. The steward, his name was SO, which was short for SO!?@#!?, was from the Phillipines, was awesome the entire time. We hardly ever saw him…… but his presence and hard work was seen, felt, and appreciated the entire week. He filled my cooler with ice every day, twice a day. This was the result of a well placed note, and a $10 tip. This kept my cokes cold all day long; which allowed me to enjoy my smuggled rum on a daily basis.

After enjoying the Carnival linens….. and “tucking” my wife in for the night…. I went down to see how the casino was. Casino Royale was hopping this first night. I played craps for about 20 minutes and won $34. I then played no limit hold em poker for about 30 minutes and made about $43. I consumed some of my rum and coke and made it to the room at around 3AM. I would’ve been there sooner, but had to try some of the pizza from the 24 hour pizzeria. It was awesome; and fresh!!

I took a quick shower and made it to bed. We slept really well this first night and felt no motion in bed…. From the ship anyway!!

NOTES:

Karaoke was prevalent during the entire cruise. Sometimes right near the promenade bar and every night down in the lounge. There was talent to be seen….. and also some people who “seemed to have a really good time”

Sushi was everynight from 5-8:15. It was really good!!

The bars/clubs were filled on most every night. Everyone seemed to have fun! If they didn’t, it was not Carnival’s FAULT!

Any questions??

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Review Continued:

Day 2 – Fun Day at Sea

March 31, 2009

We woke up at around 9:15. I went out on deck to have a smoke while the DW showered and got ready. We then went to the Coconut Grove Bar and Grill for breakfast. There was plenty of seating to be had and the lines were not terrible. You could get breakfast out on the lido deck side (outdoors), or inside. I had the sausage links, bacon (supervised portions), 4 pieces of toast and the best omelet I have ever had. Ham, onions, and mushrooms with a sprinkle of cheese. I also had a bowl of fruit. I was content with the world. DW had some hash browns, French toast and a pastry. We both had orange juice and milk to drink.

I played “corn hole” at 10:30. I didn’t have a partner, so I teamed up with a young man from north of Chicago. We made it to the finals.. and the ship on a stick was within my sights. In the finals, we were trailing 8-5 going to 11. It was my throw. I scored 1 point on 1st bag to make it 8-6. My foe scored one point to make it 9-6. I then made it 9-7. He made it 12-7. We both had 2 bags left. I hit a 3 pointer to make it 12-10. He missed completely. I then hit another 3 pointer to make it 12-13. He then made a one pointer to make it 13-13 and send it to sudden death overtime. My partner and the other foe got 2 bags apiece. My foe missed; as well as my partner. My foe then made a one pointer! AND MY PARTNER MISSED AGAIN!!!!

THANKS FOR PLAYING!!!!! No ship on a stick for me.

I was devastated to say the least, and not too happy with my partner. But I would gain revenge on him at the poker table throughout the trip… so all was forgiven. At least that is what I keep telling myself

The DW and I then went to lay out on the Aft Verandah deck. There were 2 more hot tubs back here to go along with the 2 by the lido pool. There was also a small circular pool which was great to soak your feet in. It was relatively quit back here considering there was a basketball court back here as well. If you wanted more peace and quiet, you could go up one more level to the deck immediately below the funnel/whale tail. It was adults only had plenty of chairs up here as well.

**NOTE**

Never really saw CHAIR HOG action. Their were towels in chairs and such, but for the most part, the tenants of these chairs were either in them, or in the hot tub, or the pool right there with them.

After laying out for about 20 minutes, it began to rain. It was still sunny out so there was a huge rainbow out on the starboard/right side. I have a great picture of this. But since my laptop took a huge crappola, you will have to use your imagination. Picture this: You’re on your first cruise. The weather is in the mid 80’s. The sun is out. A warm rain is falling. The seas are calm! You have a DOD! And there is a fricking, full fledged rainbow that seems to go on for miles. Once again, I was content with the world. My wife, on the other hand…. Not so much. She packed up her towel and beach bag and headed for the room. I decided, what the heck, I’m on vacation and stayed. When the rain stopped about 15 minutes later, I had my pick of any chair I wanted and the hot tub to myself. And the waiter gave me some other guys DOD for free since he had ordered it and then left with the rain.

That is it for now. There is a 4 star General that should be out to see my plane is the next 30 minutes. Probably shouldn;t be on CC when he gets here. I will post more later!! Thanks for all your comments. Sorry it took so long to get this review started. Later!

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Hello Newbie,

 

First of all thank you for your service to our country.

 

Secondly thank you for posting your review. I hope that you can retrieve your cruise pictures from the crashed computer.

 

Can't wait to read the rest of your review. My DH (ANG) and I will be on the Fascination in 18 days.

 

Thank you for your thanks! Did that make sense? Anyway, it is my honor and priviledge to do what I do. I have been in for 12 1/2 years and loved every minute of it. It's kind of like cruising.... you take the good with the bad and hopefully the good outweighs the bad.

 

Anyway, you and your DH should have a wonderful time. Is it your first cruise? It was a good first one for us!!

 

P.S. Thank your DH for me for his service, also!!

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Thanks for all you do for our country. Can't wait to hear about your cruise.

Your Welcome!

Also, Can't wait to post more

[bubba hubby]

HEY NEWBIES, we(DH and I) are sailing this same cruise in

Sept.and we are also on Riviera deck.What was your cabin #?We are in R199.Thanks for the review.I'm looking forward to hearing more,especially about the ports as we've never been to Nassau or Key West before.

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

I can't wait to read the rest of your review. I'm glad that Jacksonville was great to you. Hope you will return again. We need to keep that terminal in Jacksonville!

I agree. Jacksonville risks losing all of it's cruise business if they don't move forward with a new terminal. The Dames Point Bridge really limits the size of the ship that can traverse these waters safely.

Thanks sooooo much for give us a review of the Fascination. Reviews about her seem few and far between lately.

We sail the same itinerary the end of May and can't wait to get sailing.

What night was your formal night?

Thanks again and ditto the comments above...your service is very appreciated.

 

I promised a lot of people I would post a review. There really wasn't a whole lot out there. So I am happy to do what I can.

Formal night was Tuesday night, the first night at sea!!

Thanks for your well wishes and gratitude.

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

HEY NEWBIES, we(DH and I) are sailing this same cruise in

Sept.and we are also on Riviera deck.What was your cabin #?We are in R199.Thanks for the review.I'm looking forward to hearing more,especially about the ports as we've never been to Nassau or Key West before.

We were in R132. Right smack dab in the middle on the port side/left. It was a great location. Enjoy your cruise and let me know if I can answer any more questions.

[cruiseapril]

Enjoying your review. We'll be on the Fascination soon.

[mike1223]

Anyone has info on the excursions for the bahamas? I'm planning to do the dolphin excursion and also want to do the Atlantis water park excursion or whatever it's called but both together are pricey!! Any thoughts...ideas...??

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Review Continued:

Day 2 – Fun Day at Sea contined…

March 31, 2009

I forgot to say, that this day is also elegant night! It was also the most humbling night of the entire cruise for me. More on that later!!

I scooped up my wife from the room at around 1:00and we went to the lido buffet for lunch. We never ate lunch in the dining room, so I have no comment on this aspect of the cruise. But, the lido buffet was nice. Hamburgers/cheeseburgers/hot dogs could be had every day with French fries, There were sautéed onions and mushrooms available as well as nacho chips, chili, cheese. They also had a taste of nations on the port side of the Coco Grove which featured selections from different parts of the world on a daily basis. They had Caribbean, French, Italian, and American that I can recollect. I never went hungry; this I know. I didn’t eat much on this day, because we were having prime rib and lobster tail for dinner that night. More on THAT later, also!

I spent most of the rest of the day lounging by the pool with two of our dinner mates. We called them M&M (Mitch and Mandy). They were from Jacksonville. The DW took a nap, I believe. She doesn’t tan well. On a acale of 1-10, with 1 being pale and 10 being a bronze beauty, she is probably a -2. No kidding. She asked me what SPF lotion I had for myself and I said I had SPF 15, She said, “What about me?” I told her they don’t make SPF 200!! I think she laughed at that… not sure. Oh well!!

I woke her up from her nap at 4:30 so she could get gussied up for formal/elegant night. We were excited as we do not dress up very often, or really at all for that matter. It was then that I had a very humbling/embarrassing moment. I had my clothes all laid out. I had dress pants, dress shirt, dress shoes, and socks. I also had a brand new tie. I had everything I needed for an excellent evening, including a huge appetite, except for one thing. Can you guess what it was? I’ll give you a hint…. I underlined and bold faced the problem area!!

I’ll save that part for later, to give you guys/gals a chance to figure it out!

We went downstairs at around 5:30 to get our pictures taken with the different backdrops. We had a great time having fun with this and ended up buying one picture out of the MANY that were taken along with a Carnival frame. This is the only picture we purchased as they weren’t exactly cheap. However, if I new my pics taken on my camera would be lost in a hard drive crash, maybe we would’ve purchased more. Oh well.

6:00 pm Prime Rib and Lobster night!!!!

This was the best dinner I had on the cruise. For an appetizer, I got the crab cake and shrimp cocktail. For dinner, I ordered the prime rib and 2 lobster entrees. Our waitress just smiled at me like I was kidding. Then, when she realized I was serious, took the next persons order. HINT: My DW doesn’t eat seafood, but she also ordered a lobster tail to go with her meal. So, in essence, I had the prime rib and 3 lobster tails. It was all totally awesome. The prime rib was good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but tasty nonetheless. It was now time for the dessert. Like I said before, I don’t eat desserts. I told the waitress this and she said, “come on, there has to be something you see there that you might like….” So, I did what any self respecting guy would do in this situation so as not to offend anyone….. I ordered another lobster tail. SERIOUSLY!!!!

After dinner, we went to the comedy show. It was the R-rated one of the comedian who was also at the welcome aboard show the night before. It was in the Puttin’ on the Ritz lounge. I laughed my you-know-what off the entire time. He was very funny, and his name was Tony Esposito. Not sure why I remember his name so clearly. Probably because the assistant cruise/fun coordinator kept calling him Tony Esperito and then he would say Esposito…..at least 6 times she called him the wrong name.

Then it was off to the casino. I made about 60 bucks playing poker and my DW made about 19 dollars playing the penny slots. The drinks were flowing, also. I had about 5 rums and cokes from my room and 3 DOD’s as well after dinner alone. We called it a night around 2 AM since we were arriving in Key West at 7 AM

COMING SOON

PORT: KEY WEST 7AM-3PM

ANY questions, comments, concerns?

[FloridaCruisinNewbies]

Anyone has info on the excursions for the bahamas? I'm planning to do the dolphin excursion and also want to do the Atlantis water park excursion or whatever it's called but both together are pricey!! Any thoughts...ideas...??

 

Mike, we did not do Atlantis. We did Blackbeard's beach break. We had a blast. You can swim with the stingrays if you want there, but we did not.

 

Several people did go to Atlantis for either the water park or the dolphins. The ones that went thru Carnival had nothing but complaints. We arrived in Nassau at noon. Were off the ship by 12:30! Atlantis met them at 1:00 and then waited till almost 2 to walk them from the ship pier to the waiting buses to go to Atlantis. They then sat there till almost 2:30 before heading to Atlantis. So, it was almost 3:00 by the time they got there. Not sure when the water park closed, but there were some PO'd people to say the least. This is just what I saw and heard. Also, there were about 150-200 people at the purser's desk that night complaining about their excursion to Atlantis.

[beach410]

Review Continued:

 

Day 2 – Fun Day at Sea contined…

 

March 31, 2009

 

I forgot to say, that this day is also elegant night! It was also the most humbling night of the entire cruise for me. More on that later!!

 

I scooped up my wife from the room at around 1:00and we went to the lido buffet for lunch. We never ate lunch in the dining room, so I have no comment on this aspect of the cruise. But, the lido buffet was nice. Hamburgers/cheeseburgers/hot dogs could be had every day with French fries, There were sautéed onions and mushrooms available as well as nacho chips, chili, cheese. They also had a taste of nations on the port side of the Coco Grove which featured selections from different parts of the world on a daily basis. They had Caribbean, French, Italian, and American that I can recollect. I never went hungry; this I know. I didn’t eat much on this day, because we were having prime rib and lobster tail for dinner that night. More on THAT later, also!

 

I spent most of the rest of the day lounging by the pool with two of our dinner mates. We called them M&M (Mitch and Mandy). They were from Jacksonville. The DW took a nap, I believe. She doesn’t tan well. On a acale of 1-10, with 1 being pale and 10 being a bronze beauty, she is probably a -2. No kidding. She asked me what SPF lotion I had for myself and I said I had SPF 15, She said, “What about me?” I told her they don’t make SPF 200!! I think she laughed at that… not sure. Oh well!!

 

I woke her up from her nap at 4:30 so she could get gussied up for formal/elegant night. We were excited as we do not dress up very often, or really at all for that matter. It was then that I had a very humbling/embarrassing moment. I had my clothes all laid out. I had dress pants, dress shirt, dress shoes, and socks. I also had a brand new tie. I had everything I needed for an excellent evening, including a huge appetite, except for one thing. Can you guess what it was? I’ll give you a hint…. I underlined and bold faced the problem area!!

I’ll save that part for later, to give you guys/gals a chance to figure it out!

 

We went downstairs at around 5:30 to get our pictures taken with the different backdrops. We had a great time having fun with this and ended up buying one picture out of the MANY that were taken along with a Carnival frame. This is the only picture we purchased as they weren’t exactly cheap. However, if I new my pics taken on my camera would be lost in a hard drive crash, maybe we would’ve purchased more. Oh well.

 

6:00 pm Prime Rib and Lobster night!!!!

 

This was the best dinner I had on the cruise. For an appetizer, I got the crab cake and shrimp cocktail. For dinner, I ordered the prime rib and 2 lobster entrees. Our waitress just smiled at me like I was kidding. Then, when she realized I was serious, took the next persons order. HINT: My DW doesn’t eat seafood, but she also ordered a lobster tail to go with her meal. So, in essence, I had the prime rib and 3 lobster tails. It was all totally awesome. The prime rib was good. Not the best I’ve ever had, but tasty nonetheless. It was now time for the dessert. Like I said before, I don’t eat desserts. I told the waitress this and she said, “come on, there has to be something you see there that you might like….” So, I did what any self respecting guy would do in this situation so as not to offend anyone….. I ordered another lobster tail. SERIOUSLY!!!!

 

After dinner, we went to the comedy show. It was the R-rated one of the comedian who was also at the welcome aboard show the night before. It was in the Puttin’ on the Ritz lounge. I laughed my you-know-what off the entire time. He was very funny, and his name was Tony Esposito. Not sure why I remember his name so clearly. Probably because the assistant cruise/fun coordinator kept calling him Tony Esperito and then he would say Esposito…..at least 6 times she called him the wrong name.

 

Then it was off to the casino. I made about 60 bucks playing poker and my DW made about 19 dollars playing the penny slots. The drinks were flowing, also. I had about 5 rums and cokes from my room and 3 DOD’s as well after dinner alone. We called it a night around 2 AM since we were arriving in Key West at 7 AM

 

COMING SOON

 

PORT: KEY WEST 7AM-3PM

 

 

ANY questions, comments, concerns?

 

 

OK, I am clueless, cant figure out what could have been the problem with the tie? Do fill us in!