pr1vatepiles

(DW food)

(mine!)

Still working on the video's from this day, the program that came with the camera isn't the most intuitive. More in a day or so, back at work tomorrow :(

(chilling)

(bring me more drink)

(after I'd fallen over)

(free top!)

(beach at hotel)

(from the second stop with the beach)

(plenty of company)

(could have stayed here all day)

(dove down as deep as I could to snap pics)

(deepest I've ever swam in)

(certainly miss this place now, sat on sofa in a very rainy England)

(more fish)

(never swam with this many fish, very friendly, though that was probably the food being dropped for them)

(gave up on the snorkel and made do with my own googles)

(made a friend)

(enjoying the lovely water)

(tankers waiting for their spot in dock maybe?)

(main sail goes up as we leave the marina and we head along the coast)

(nice and calm)

(turtle!)

(tried doing this style shot all holiday, with mixed results)

(sorry can't remember names of the fish)

Tuesday 13thJune – Barbados Day 3 – A.K.A The Day Joe Trips Over The Ocean

Awoke at a slightly later time this morning. Well 06:00, but going in right direction with the time change at least. We woke to found water had been restored and DW wasted no time in getting in the shower. Little did we know then that this would be last time we would have running water (more on this later).

We ate again in Rachel’s, enjoying a full breakfast. Again, spoilt for choice and neither of us went hungry. We returned to the room to collect our bags and heading to reception for the mini bus that would take us to the dock. It was only 08:30 and it was already getting hot. Thank god that mini bus had strong working AC so no one suffered. Along the way our driver gave us information on the local sites as we drove by.

We had booked this catamaran trip through Virgin and it is ran by Tsunmi. They are based out on the dock, not far from where Carnival makes dock. We had read good things about this trip and were excited to get on-board. Our driver dropped us at the gift shop/check in point. We settled our outstanding balance. In return, we both received a free t-shirt and a 10% off voucher to spend in the shop when we got back. We headed onto the dock to where we found three catamarans docked and waiting for us. We climbed across to the one furthers away and were soon heading out up the coast. At this point we soon learnt we would be only a small group today. Whilst they normally carry around 50, our party was only 19. Excellent I thought, didn’t fancy a large crowd drinking all the rum punch before me!

After a thirty minute trip up the coast we drop anchor for our first stop with the turtles. One of the crew would head into the water first to lure the turtles over. Well it worked, and soon joined by a turtle.The food was also bringing the fishes to us. Never swim with so many fish before and enjoyed it thoroughly. After we all had our fill it was back on-board and we headed off to a reef. Here one of the crew took us out, giving us information on the various life that lives in these waters. I found it very informative. At this point we returned to the boat for lunch. The fish and chicken were well prepared and very tasty. Once we had all finished and given our stomachs time to rest, we were able to swim ashore to the beach. After a couple of brilliant dive bombs from the ship, me and DW made the short swim to shore. It was a lovely beach and good to see more of Barbados. It was at this point whilst posing for a picture I somehow tripped over the beach and fell backwards. There was an awesome picture but DW seems to have lost it (thankfully). Time seem to fly by and we were soon recalled back on-board for the return to port.

Now I must say how brilliant all the crew were. From the moment, we stepped on board they had us laughing. They provided us with lots of information as we traveled long and kept us laughing the entire time. The on-board bar had a good selection and the crew were always checking if there was anything we needed. Couldn’t thank them enough and would thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone. When back on land, we bought a couple of gifts before heading into the waiting minibus outside.

As we were both pretty worn out from the swimming we headed straight to the room. Sadly, they were in the middle of cleaning, so were“forced” to spend some time in the bar, not that I complained much.Once we made it back to the room, we enjoyed some relaxation time watching episodes of the Simpsons on my surface. We had made reservation for Rachel’s for dinner so had a few hours to spare until the reservations at 20:30. Now we get back to the water issue. Around 18:00 when I dragged myself off the sofa, I quickly learnt all the water was out, again. I rang reception who explained whilst the pipe had been repaired, pressure still wasn’t what is should be and some rooms were out. We were offered use of the hospitality suite that was apparently still working. No matter we thought, and off we headed up to reception for the keys. On the way up to reception, we noticed a lot of people coming back down all loaded with towels. Seemed late for such a large party to be returning. Very curious I thought as we entered reception. We soon learnt the reason why. Hotel now had no rooms with running water and they were ferrying people to a nearby hotel which did have working showers. I saw a lot of very upset people, with one chap saying he would be back tomorrow to look at options for getting transferred to a new hotel. Part of me feels bad for the staff, it’s an issue out of their hands, but one they are paying for. The other hotel was only 15 minutes away and it was good to get a proper wash. We made it back in plenty of time for our dinner reservations. DW had a veggie burger for her main and me the rack of lamb. Everything was perfect and we had no issues with the food at all. We returned to the room to pack our belongings. It’s amazing how quickly our things had moved in three days.

And so, ends our time in Barbados, tomorrow we finally head for the ship!

(lovely fountain near reception of the hotel, should have had a wash in this ha ha)

(first of several hundred pictures of the two of us DW tells me where needed. Excuse the shades, without them I squint a lot and look like a massive idiot in the sun)

(Kitty posing with the welcome aboard drink, mimosa I think it was)

(First of many that day, sporting yellow shorts today)

(eager to get underway)

(and off we go!)

Wow, hard to believe it's been a week now since we got home. Even harder to believe the amount of stuff that builds up whilst your out of the country. Apologies for taking so long to get back on here, life gets in the way. Photo's and videos are uploading as we speak, so prepare yourselves :D

So as I write, I'm again sat on the balcony overlooking the sea. Going to miss this view after today. Had an awesome amount of rain mid way into the night. I wanted to run out into it, but I was so comfy in bed and wasn't sure where I had put my pjs. Not sure the guests would have appreciated a mad Englishman running naked into the night :D .

For the moment though, I must pause this review. We were out on the catamaran tour yesterday and took a lot of photos and videos. Whilst I can easily get the pics up, I also want to get the videos in as well to do you all justice. As this is also our last day before boarding the ship, I doubt I will have regular WIFI access to get everything uploaded.

I will continue to write each day, however you will all have to wait until next week to read. Thanks for everyone's kind comments so far and please stick with me until I can upload everything in it's fully glory.

Just watching the ship approach Barbados on the tracking websites. To anyone on here who will on the ship as well, please say hello if you recognize me. Shouldn't be hard as the Yorkshire accent I have will be quite unique on the ship.

See you later!

Joe and Kitty x

None of the photos are working for me....

Hopefully they are working now. Set the album to public, please let me know though :) .

Monday 12th - Barbados Chill Day

Well we awoke after what felt like a full nights sleep, to find it was still only 05:00. I guess our bodies were still on UK time. Bed was extremely comfy and I was able to nod off very quickly, something of rarity for me as i struggle at lot to get comfy. We awoke to glorious sunshine and the sound of the waves.

Now something I haven't mentioned yet is the water issue. When we arrive, we found that a water main had burst. As a result many of the hotels in the area were experience issues with water pressure. The hotel have been good at keeping us informed and doing their best to make sure the toilets kept flushing. However issues have continued over the last few days. Thankfully the hotel has laid on transport to another hotel 15 minutes away so all of us could keep showering. As of this moment, water is still off, so I'm looking forward to a proper shower when we get on the ship later this morning. Anyhow, that's the only downside thus far, lets continue with review.

I call this our chill day as it's the only full day in Barbados where we haven't got anything planned. We headed up to Rachel's for breakfast around 08:00. The breakfast buffet had a great selection for us. Everything from cereals and fruit, to the various components requires for a full English breakfast, they even had plenty of HP sauce (result!). There was also an area at the back where a lovely chef would make eggs, omelettes and pancakes to however you wanted them. Haven't had an omelette yet, but from what I've seen from everyone else's plates, they look great.

After breakfast we returned back to the room to pack our bits we would need for our beach chill day. Before setting off we returned to Rachel's for our meeting with the rep. She was a lovely lady (sorry I couldn't remember her name) with plenty of information about the island and various suggestions for place we would to visit. There's so much to see and explore here, I really do hope I can come back for a longer stay in the future. Once we had finished, we headed onto the beach. The sand and waters are perfect. As I have mentioned previously, the beach directly off the hotel is a bit rocky. This is excellent for viewing various fish, but not to good on the old feet. If anyone stops here I suggest water shoes. Beaches directly to the left and right are much easier, so you won't me left struggling. We decided to go for a walk, so turning right from the hotel, we head off along the cost. We headed up towards Needhams Point.

Didn't take long to make to Needhams point. Next to this is the Hilton hotel and their fabulous beach. Not sure how they get their sand so soft but it was heavenly. On the way we saw several surfers enjoying the waves. Really do wish I knew how to surf as it looks immensely fun. We decided to chill on the beach around the Hilton and the DW cracked out the camera for what would be the first of around a million pictures, in order to get it "just right". The waters around this area were very calm and inviting. It wasn't long before we were both in the waters. Makes a big change swimming in such beautiful waters. The UK has some brilliant beaches, however nothing compares the the Caribbean. Although from what I've seen of the places the ship will take us to, I haven't seen anything yet.

We returned back for lunch in drifters at the hotel. Good selection again on buffet, with chefs also making burgers and pizzas to order. Not sure how they manage to be in a kitchen in this heat, so I take my hat off to them. DW had a plan cheese pizza, with my going for my favorite ham and pineapple (bring on the hate pineapple haters ;p) After a quick beer (or three) we headed back onto the beach again and turned left this time. Didn't have a clue where were going, being to stunned by what we were seeing. Had a couple of brief showers whilst we walking. Was fun to see everyone running for cover as me and DW strutted our stuff through the rain. We're from the UK and not going to be put off by a little bit of rain when it's so frigging hot!

Dinner that evening was a BBQ down again at drifters. The steak and chicken prepared by the chef was brilliant. DW fell in love with the vegetable lasagna. We had a few cocktails, (well i say we, DW struggled with the strength of them and I ended up finishing both of them) before heading back to bed.

Anyhow, enough of my ranting, here's the pics!

Room is very lovely. Lots of room over two levels. Makes me sad only here for a few days.

Spent a short time changing and getting use to all the different switches. Couldn't wait much more, the sea looked gorgeous and I had to get in it. Quick change and I was running straight in! Water was lovely. Straight away saw lots of fish. A little rocky but I had ready about that and was prepared. 2 minute walk to left or right gives you clear sand underneath. Only had a short swim as we were getting hungry. Cool shower and into clean clothes. Ate in drifter which had a good selection. Staff were very lovely and kept bringing me a beer over whenever I was running low. We were sat next to a lovely couple of ladies who are both coming on the cruise as well. By time we finished our food we were both beat. So we headed back to room ready for our first full day.

Well a very good morning from Barbados. Currently sat on one of our balconies looking out onto the sea.

What a day yesterday was. Such a long day with the time changes, but everything went great!

Left the hotel yesterday morning just before 08:00. Traffic was very quiet and we were soon pulling up to Gatwick within ten minutes. Check in was smooth at the Virgin desk and soon on our way to security. We got premium access meaning we had a separate security line. Never had this before but I'm now a fan as it meant cutting out a lot of waiting. No problems getting through and in no time at all, sat down with my first pint and breakfast!

Gatwick airport is nice (as airports go) with a good selection of shops. We had a good nosey about at things before heading to our gate. Again we had a separate line thanks to upgrading to premium economy and we pretty much just walked straight onto the plane without any hold ups. Never travelled on a Virgin flight before, so can't say how regular seating compares. But premium economy was excellent. Nice comfy seat, plenty of leg room and sockets for any charging we would need to do. We took off a few minutes early and we were on our way .

During the flight we were well looked after. Cabin crew came along often offering snacks and drinks, also had a little area at front where we could help ourselves. Had the chilli con carne (not sure if spelt correctly :/ ) and DW had chicken and sweetcorn. Everything tasted great. Mid flight crew came around again with ice lollies and towards end of flight, served us afternoon tea. The scones and clotted cream were awesome and wish I'd asked for more.

Had a little sleep on the flight, but spent most of my time catching up on films I'd not gotten around to watching. Barbados airport had a bit of a que, but nothing massive. Biggest hold up was after collecting baggage. No one seemed to know where or what they were doing and there was a bit of a hold up at the final gate to leave. Found the Virgin reps and was soon on the bus to the hotel. Was a fun ride. The driver showing no fear as he expertly navigated the winding roads. Small delay due to a car crash blocking a road, then small matter of a marathon. Not sure I could have ran in this heat, hats off to them!

Check in was smooth at the hotel. Reception was nice and cold and very nice. Everyone was given choice of a rum drink or a non alcoholic version. Not sure if these are standard measures or if it was due to being a long day, but it had a hell of a kick! Couple of the ladies drank to much in first sip and were spluttering due to strength. DW had two sips before giving it to me (winner!). Reception staff were lovely and gave us all the information we need. One gentleman then escorted us to our ocean view room.

Well a very good morning to you all. Thank you all for your kind words thus far, certainly hope this lives up to the expectation now :D. A special hello to Jamman, read a a lot of your reviews in the build up to booking this.

So where am I now? Sat in my hotel room preparing to set off to Gatwick. Yesterday was a good day. Set off from Sheffield in a very wet miserable looking day. Was slightly concerned the drive would be a depressing one in the rain. Rather surprised then that half an hour into the drive, the clouds parted and sun came out. Was a lovely drown down south in the sunshine, for once :D . Arrived at the hotel without any issues.

Only managed one shot of the room before me and DW made our mark and made a mess ha ha. Spent rest of afternoon chilling before having a walk down road before dinner. After that we returned back to the room before chilling in front of the tv with a movie. Didn't sleep well. Not sure if it was the pillows or (more likely) severe excitement :D. Bit of a grey start today but soon be leaving all this behind!

Intro

Good morning/afternoon/evening. The time has finally come for my to make my space on this wonderful site again. Hopefully this cruise goes smooth then the last one, and that I do a better job on the review this time :D .

Spent last year and a bit reading all I could on Carnival and more specifically the Carnival Fascination. Such excellent reviews as the ones we have all seen from Mitsugrily and Stinger, whilst extremely informative, raise the bar high on what everyone now expects to read. Whilst I can not promise this will be a LIVE review, I will be writing at the end of each day. So at the very worst, my updates will read as though it is a live one. I also will add an afterthought for each day when I've had time to reflect.

The Plan

So why did we book this cruise? Well the honest answer is my new wife overruled me and said we were going on a cruise. She has always had a thing for cruising and despite the trouble last time, she hasn't been put off. Me being a bitter Englishman (;)), I remember well and grudgingly made the booking. So after looking at a LOT of different companies and ships we (I mean DW) settling on the Carnival Fascination. It seemed a great choice for us. A different island to visit every day and we get some extra time before the cruise in Barbados. My mood improving we went ahead and booked it. Well that was a good 18 months ago and shockingly it has flown by. It could be that the stag/hen parties and the wedding itself kept us both busy. Although the last three days of work did feel like a month. I mustn't grumble though. That time was well spent reading all I could on the cruise and stealing all the best excursions from the reviews I've read on here.

Official plan goes like this. Tomorrow we make the 200 mile drive south towards London Gatwick. Any one who had the misfortune of driving on our motorways knows how I am looking forward to this. Me being over cautious and not wishing to have get up at the crack of dawn to drive, we are stopping in the Crowne Plaza hotel. Just 10 minutes from the airport, it should allow a relatively stress free check in on Sunday morning. From there we board our Virgin Atlantic flight to Barbados at 11:05, ariving at 15:00 (local time). Never flown with Virgin and thanks to a lovely Scottish man crashing into my last year, I had some extra cash available to upgrade us to premium economy. I look forward to see if it was worth it or not.

Once in Barbados, we are stopping at the Savannah beach hotel in Barbados. Here until Wednesday 14th when we will board the Fascination. Not much planned for Barbados other then a catamaran trip on Tuesday. I plan to enjoy the golden beaches and gorgeous sea, whilst dabbling in a bit of Pokemon Go (sorry I am a big fan, despite being 27 :p ). Once we are on board and underway, we have something planned for every day.

St. Lucia (15th) - Booked ourselves onto the Spencer land, sea and beach tour. Seen many good reviews on here for this so very excited. Never been to a mud bath before and looking forward to seeing the Pitons in person.

St. Kitts (16th) - No official tour booked. Going to jump in a taxi and head to South Friars bay. This will be a nice beach chilling day :D .

St. Maarten (17th) - Booked for a spot of kayaking in Pinel Bay.

San Juan (18th) - All inclusive beach resort. This was a harder port to decide on. Such a long stay here and so much choice. However DW liked the look of the place.

St. Thomas (19th) - No tour booked and the only port that stressed me out organizing for. After researching, I loved the idea of getting the water taxi across to Water Island and heading to Honeymoon beach. Seemed dead easy. Ship arrives at port, walk down to dock and jump on the water taxi across. Little did I realize there was two ports and seems Carnival docks at the one further away. Only a 10-15 minute taxi away so I guess i need to stop stressing out.

After this a sea day (likely the first day we wont get up early) before back to Barbados on 21st.

Final thought

Certainly a packed one and I hope I can provide some entertainment. I don't claim to be a pro at this sort of thing so I apologize now for the mess this review will likely turn into. Anyhow I've now finished my beer and must venture to the fridge. Speak soon everyone!

PP :evilsmile: .

excellent review, thanks for taking time to share it with all of us :)

some brill stories here :D

This thread is absolute GOLD! Giving me a lot of laughs, can't wait to get on board!

If nothing bad is happening, can i strip naked and run around like an idiot? Wouldn't want everyone else getting bored ha ha.

thanks for the tips!

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.

What date are you leaving? we are on the June 18th. Father's day...And my oldest daughter just got booked on it on Friday, so entire family will be there, including my parents.

We board in Bardbados on 14th June :)

thanks for the review, going next month, so amassing all the information i can :) .

Also going to look into the Carambola Beach Club as it sounds ace!

Loving everything so far. Well done on donating blood. It's prompted me to getting registered and donating.

Thanks for taking time to post your review and for posting the pictures. Getting me in mood for next month when I will be there.

Jumping on board for rest of the review. Heading on the Fascination next month for my honeymoon :D

Were travelling from the UK to barbados and sailing on the fascination can anyone tell me the dining room dress code are dress shorts for men ever allowed and also my 15 yr old son never wears trousers would he be allowed dress short's.

When do you sail?