Fascination 12-13 review - an early return

I've typed this up in Word and posted it in the Member Reviews, but wanted to post it here and add some photos and other comments as I think of them.

I'll post them day-by-day...

CARNIVAL FASCINATION 12/13/08 BAHAMAS

Background: this was our 8th cruise, 7th on Carnival. I’m a professional in my mid 50s, and I travel with my Dear Daughter, who is 22.

I was curious as to how I would feel about returning to a Fantasy-class ship after having moved up the food chain by sailing Miracle last December and Glory in May. I must say I still love the Fantasy-class ships. Fascination was a lovely ship with lovely décor; not nearly as over-the-top as some of Farcus’ designs.

I specifically booked this cruise so I could drive to the port and because I absolutely love Half Moon Cay and wanted to return. We’d been there on our 2nd Fantasy cruise and followed that with the exact same cruise 7 months later, only Elation had replaced Fantasy, so it had been two years since we’d been there.

Friday, 12/12/08, drive & pre-cruise night in Jacksonville – We left the house at 10:25 and arrived in Jacksonville at 5:25, with only a stop for gas and fast food for lunch. I had booked a room at the Holiday Inn Airport using their cruise parking package. The hotel was attractive but the indoor pool in the lobby was a bit odd. The room was OK, but the bathroom could use updating. We drove to the other side of I-95 where there is a huge shopping area, and had dinner at Cracker Barrel, which was pretty average.

Saturday, 12/13/08, embarkation day - I was up early, as usual. Had my shower, then drove back over to the shopping center and went to pick up a few last-minute things at Wal-Mart. It was a balmy 37 degrees, according to my car’s reading!

We had reserved a seat on the 11 am shuttle to the port. The driver didn’t arrive until about 11:10. There were 8 of us on the shuttle. The hotel is farther from the port than I was expecting, and there was plenty of arriving traffic when we pulled up.

We gave our two pieces of luggage to a porter and lugged on 3 small bags that contained a change of clothes for dinner, swimsuits, toiletries, jewelry, meds, etc. We wound our way around to the x-ray machines where the Carnival employee asked if we were carrying on any wine. I don’t recall anyone asking that before, but we were and I pulled out the bottle of wine and the split of champagne to show her. Then it was to the check-in counter, then the winding route around to the seating area to wait. There has to be a better way to arrange this, and those progressing from x-ray to check-in have to cross the line that is winding from check-in to seating area. You then have to again cross that line once you’re told you can board. Of course, the obligatory boarding photo holds things up, but we were on board pretty quickly. Sorry, I did look at the clock but I didn’t make any notes on this cruise and am not sure what time we were up on Lido deck. It was about 12:20, I believe.

Had a Rueben and sat out at my favorite spot – port side outside the buffet at the tables, just watching the pelicans and the flow of the channel. There was sun, but the breeze was still very cool. At 1:30, we went down to check out our cabin – U99. This was the first “sideways” inside cabin I’d had. I think it was a bit short of closet space due to the layout, but I couldn’t really remember. Unfortunately, there was a horrible sort of “whump whump whump whump” sound that was very noticeable over the one bed. It sounded like a helicopter. The noise was painful to me, like driving with one car window partly down and having the air pressure pounding in my ears. I didn’t bother to complain as I knew the ship was full, so what were they going to do about it? It was some sort of machinery in a wall, and I figured there was nothing that could be done, so why gripe? Other than that, the cabin was great. We met our steward, who was pleasant and efficient and called us by our names every time we saw him.

Then it was off to the spa for a tour and to fill out raffle tickets. We didn’t win any services at the drawing and didn’t use any of the facilities. I think we got a little spoiled by Glory with her pool/whirlpool and steam/sauna rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Back to the cabin to discover our luggage had arrived, so we were unpacked before muster drill. When it was time for that, we headed up to our spot on Hollywood Boulevard, by the Stars Bar. We were a very small group, so were the last called to proceed up to the lifeboats, which was OK, because we were moving by then and it was very cold. As soon as we were told we could leave, we went back down to deposit our life vests, made a Kir Royale, and headed back up to Lido. We arrived just as we passed under the bridge.

Then it was up to Verandah Deck to meet our fellow Roll Call folks. We only met a few folks, but talked for a bit before we all decided it was just too freaking cold!

We changed for dinner, then had some sushi to tide us over, and just wasted some time until we could eat - again. We had late seating and were assigned to Sensation Dining Room, table 103, which was the 2nd from the galley, port side. It was a table for 8, but there was just DD & I and a couple from NC for the first couple of nights, with one other couple showing up a few nights later, and the other couple never appearing. I didn’t get the names of our waitstaff, but our head waiter was Indian and the assistant waiter was Filipino. They were very good, although service was a bit slow at times. We were often one of the last tables out, although there were only the 4 of us most nights. Anyway, had the duck appetizer, which was very good.

I’ve already forgotten what I had for the entrée, but it was tasty. I thought the food was as good or better than it was on Glory. Unfortunately, with this being a 5-night cruise, some of my favorites weren’t offered. And, as has been the case lately, there are nights when nothing particularly appeals to me, and then there are other nights when I could easily have chosen half the menu!

Sunday, 12/14/08, at sea – I have no idea what time we got up. I’m an early riser; DD is not. The only problem with that is that we end up on different dining schedules, as I’m usually starting to get hungry for lunch only an hour or so after she’s had breakfast! Anyway, I got my usual omelette and sat out back reading and drinking my hot tea. It was warmer, but was cloudy. It was also quite rough.

I had started taking Ginger capsules before my Miracle cruise and had experienced no problems with the motion on either Miracle or Glory. Thankfully, I was fine this cruise as well, although we had 9-10’ seas on Sunday. So, I guess I’m cured! I cannot express how wonderful that is. If you’ve every suffered from motion sickness, you can appreciate that!

We had lunch in the dining room, which was OK. I would’ve been fine with the buffet. I did appreciate the crème caramel that was available for dessert, though!

Spent a little time in the casino, losing my daily gambling allotment. We got ready for the Captain’s party and went down to the theatre for our free drinks and appetizers, which were OK. For dinner, I had the prime rib but also had a lobster tail on the side. Both were very good.

Monday, 12/15/08, Nassau, the Bahamas – We didn’t have any plans for Nassau. I had originally thought we’d go to the British Colonial Hilton and hang out at the pool, but decided it was rather silly to spend $40 to use a pool when we had a pool and “free” food on the ship. I stood at the rail and watched the Disney Wonder pivot and back into her berth. The Valor was already docked on the other side. We had breakfast and headed out to wander Bay Street. I was looking for a piece of jewelry to go with a ring I bought DD when we were in Freeport in May, but didn’t find it. Stopped at Starbucks and paid a small fortune for a couple of Caramel Frappuccinos and sat on the deck watching folks passing by.

Then down to the Straw Market where we just wandered up and down the aisles. Sat on the wall for a while by the water taxis then headed back to the terminal building for lunch. I’d read on CC that there was some great local food to be had. Not crazy about the fact that the food stalls were right next to the entrance of the restrooms but decided it wasn’t going to kill us. I picked the stall that had the longest line of locals and waiting for what seemed like forever. The young lady convinced me I only needed the small order of grouper fingers, as it came with white rice, so I got plantains as a side. It was fantastic. Best fish ever! Slightly spicy but not hot. Just delicious.

So we stood and ate, then walked back down to the breakwall by the water taxis where we just sat for a while.

After we went through the terminal and back out to the dock, there was a man in a golfcart who was stopping and asking people what ship they were on. Apparently, Valor was ready to leave and there was still someone missing.

We boarded and decided we needed a nap, but first we decided to call room service. We ordered the Mozzarella & Portobello mushroom sandwich and the strip steak & brie sandwich. It took about 40 minutes and, unfortunately, DD’s sandwich didn’t actually have any Portobello mushrooms at all. I preferred the former version of the RB & brie. After our naps, we got ready for the party. Since we had eaten late, we just had drinks which, as usual, are much better than at the Captain’s Party. I was still not very hungry at dinner, but had the chicken and fettucini, which is very good, but I just couldn’t do it justice.

Tuesday, 12/16/08, Half Moon Cay – We had booked the Horseback Ride & Swim for 10 am. I didn’t know why our tickets said we should be in the theatre at 7:45, but we were and we were immediately sent to the tender. I think I was the first one to step on shore at what is truly an island paradise. Since we were there so early, I went down to the Sports Hut #2 and rented a clamshell, even though it looked like it might be cloudy. We were located in front of Cabana #8, which was convenient to the lunch area and restrooms (which I think had been built since we were last there).

We walked back to the tender port area and at about 9:50, we were loaded on the bus and headed up to the excursion. We have done this excursion on three consecutive visits to Grand Turk, so we were anxious to be able to compare the two. We had to wear helmets on the island trail ride, which had not been required on those rides on GT. The horses appeared to be in good shape and were fairly well groomed. The trail ride portion wasn’t as interesting as it is in Grand Turk, because the guides there give you an island history lesson. Naturally, being that HMC is uninhabited, there is no history to learn.

We returned to the corral and took off our outer clothes & helmets in preparation for the water portion of the ride. The group was split into two groups of 10. We waited and were in the 2nd group. When the first group got back, there was some confusion as there were 11 of us waiting. Seems one guy that was supposed to be in the 1st group didn’t go, which meant we had 11 for our group, but only 10 horses and flotation belts, and had to wait for them to get another horse ready. I was on the lead horse and told the guide that I wanted us to go FAST!!! We headed out into the water, which was very cool, and half-trotted/walked/swam up the shoreline. There were times when a swell would come and try to float you off the horses back. It’s an adventure trying to hang on! I think we both agreed that we liked the GT excursion slightly more, although I would definitely do it again at HMC.

After we dried off and gathered our things, we were taken back and dropped off right at the buffet area, which had just opened (11:30). The jerk chicken was excellent. We then went back to our clamshell and sat and read. There were many empty chairs, so we got one and dragged it to the back of the clamshell where we propped up the back to allow some breeze through. The sun was quite warm. Then it was time for a swim. Brrrr. Very cool water, but I forced myself to get in there. After that, I tried reading some more but had a hard time staying awake, so flagged down a drink server and ordered a couple of frozen foo-foo drinks. My Miami Vice was very strong, and it was time for a nap!

We headed back for the tender at about 3:30. The line was fairly long. We went straight to the buffet for “lupper” (lunch/supper).

Then it was time to go down to shower and dress for dinner. I had the lamb chops, which were tasty but quite a bit of work. It was quite rough. I had been worried that we were going to run into some rough seas when we left HMC and headed home and it was pretty rocky.

Had a little better luck in the casino, then off to bed.

Wednesday, 12/17/08, at sea – We decided to have breakfast in the dining room. Service was very slow (we were seated at a 10-top). The eggs benedict were just OK. I cannot eat uncooked egg whites and the eggs were a bit undercooked. Unfortunately, we had only a limited amount of sunshine this day. By the time I went up to read, it was cloudy with intermittent showers. So I decided to try some morning gambling and did pretty well in a 5 cent machine (I’d never tried them and wish I’d discovered them earlier in the week). Then some more reading, eating, gambling, relaxing on our last day. We had tea in the piano bar, then went next door for the galley tour at 4 pm. Peter, the Sensation maitre d’ had already done the tour at 3:30! Someone showed him the capers and discovered that it had the time listed as 3:30 in one place, but 4:00 in another, so he took the 8 or 10 of us on the tour anyway.

Surprisingly, the seas were quite calm. All that worrying before we left was a waste of energy. We even were 95% packed before dinner! During the afternoon, they announced that the casino would be closing at about 9pm, as we were heading into Jacksonville early. Apparently, the port had been fogged in the night before and had only reopened that afternoon. Since they didn’t want to not be able to dock in the morning, they were going to hurry up and get into Jax that night, so the shops and casino would have to close early. Back to the cabin and to bed before midnight.

Thursday, 12/17/08, disembarkation – It was cool but sunny and clear, so our rush to get back to port on Wednesday night was probably not necessary, but better safe than sorry. We had #7 tags, but had no plans to rush off the ship, as we were only driving about 2 hours north to Savannah. So we were up at 7, went up to the Lido deck for breakfast, back down to the cabin to retrieve our carryons, back to the Lido deck for another cup of tea and just to relax for a little while longer before being forced to leave. They had repeatedly called for some people to report to immigration. They didn’t start the self-disembark until about 8:30. We waited a little while after they called #1-10, and were near the end of the line snaking its way down the stairwell. There was a mob (apparently those in the next group) crammed into the stair/elevator area on Riviera deck. Our group had not quite made its way down when they called the next batch, who immediately got up and crammed into the stairwells in front of the handful of people who were already in line. Jerks. If they were in that much of a hurry, why not do the self disembark? I really didn’t see too much rudeness until that point.

Anyway, we went straight to #7 luggage area and picked up our bags, then straight through customs, out to the shuttle van area. We had to wait quite a while for another couple, as the driver wouldn’t leave until he had 10 passengers. Off we finally went, and dropped the other 8 at the airport, then to the Holiday Inn to retrieve our car.

We went over to the shopping area to Starbucks, then headed up to Savannah. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express at I-95 and GA Rt 21. I preferred it to the Holiday Inn Airport in Jax. I recommend it for those who are driving down, but stopping along the way.

I got directions from the front desk on how to get into the historic district. After getting turned around about 3 times, we finally found our way down Bay Street, where we parked the car and headed down to the Riverfront, where we just walked around for an hour or so.

At about 8, we decided we needed some dinner and headed to the seafood restaurant close to the hotel. Being that it was “Thirsty Thursday” and the parking lot was full of bikes, we decided maybe we’d just go over to the new-looking shopping center and see what was over there. We ended up at a Chinese and had a nice, casual, inexpensive meal. Then back to the hotel, a little TV watching, then to sleep.

We were up and on the road by 9:35 Friday morning, and home in Durham by 2:45.

Other Thoughts…

Food – Overall, I thought the food was quite good. As noted, there were nights when there were multiple appetizers and entrees I would’ve like to have, and other nights when none of them particularly appealed to me, but that’s a personal thing. Neither of us had pizza this time, but DD did have a made-to-order calzone when we returned from HMC which she thought was very good. Service in the dining room was a little slow, but our servers were pleasant and very willing to do whatever it took to please us. We enjoyed Peter, the Maitre d’.

There were lines at the buffet, but they moved quickly. I either had deli sandwiches or the chicken strips, except the last day, when I had some delicious tilapia.

Entertainment – I didn’t go to a single show, the disco, or any of the music venues. I had better luck in the casino than I did on my last cruise. Nothing huge, but I came home with about 1/3 of my gambling allowance unspent.

The Ship – I liked the ship a lot. I do wish the Serenity area had been done, as I’m sure I would love that (assuming, of course, that the sun would actually come out!). I wouldn’t hesitate to book this ship again. I love the Fantasy class and know the layout well. I will avoid the sideways cabins on Upper deck, though, and just stick to the insides on Main or Riviera.

The Itinerary – We love Half Moon Cay! I even enjoy Nassau. All those people who say “oh, there’s nothing to do! Just stay on the ship” confuse me. There’s plenty to do! If you don’t like the locals trying to get you to take their tour, just say “no thank you” and keep walking. It’s very simple.

SUMMARY – We had a wonderful time. I don’t participate in shipboard activities, and don’t hang around the main pool area, so I can’t really comment on those. I did my ginger tablet regimen again and only took a Bonine the first evening and the evening of Half Moon Cay and had absolutely no problem with the motion, although there were plenty of people talking about how rough it was!

There were times when I was a little bored, but all I need is somewhere to sit and read, and I’m happy. I could do without the loud, piped-in Christmas music, especially “Celine Dion Screams the Christmas Classics” crap. Sorry, folks. I’m on a Caribbean cruise. I don’t need nor want the Christmas music.

Embarkation and disembarkation both went relatively smoothly, but there’s room for improvement.

I thought Jacque, the CD, was OK. As I don’t do the ship “Fun” activities, I don’t see the CD very often. His announcements weren’t too obtrusive. Just the sort of CD I want!

Overall, I’d say it was exactly what I was expecting, other than the whumping sound in the cabin and the lack of sun on the sea days! Being a 7-hour drive away from home, with an itinerary I like very much, I can definitely envision booking this cruise again. And the price was amazingly low, which certainly helps!

Here's the link to the full photo album. Not nearly as many pics taken on this cruise. DD left her camera at home, plus we just didn't do a whole lot, with only 2 port days and 1 excursion. I probably should've taken more pics of the ship. Sorry!

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/569291549JFupHa

Great review and pictures. Thanks for posting. Sorry the weather wasn't a little warmer.

Enjoyed your review and pics...........Thanks for posting them...........

Thanks for the review. Question about the CD...is he a young, good looking guy in his late 20s from South Africa? Is this him? If so, he was a social host on my Miracle cruise a few years ago.

What was the cost of the horse back riding excursion? Carnivals website say $79?

TY

Thanks for the review. Question about the CD...is he a young, good looking guy in his late 20s from South Africa? Is this him? If so, he was a social host on my Miracle cruise a few years ago.

 

I see from the cruise directors thread that the guy in the above photo was indeed your CD.

Yes, that's Jacques. With a name like that, I expected him to be French or French Canadian, but not South African. But his accent wasn't like the SA accents I know, so maybe he moved there from elsewhere when he was young. I dunno. Seemed like a good guy, though. Seemed to be lots of South African staff on board.

Yes, the cost was $79 or $80 when I booked online. Cheaper than in GT by about $20 per person.

I have the Capers with me and plan on taking them to work with me on Monday. There, I'll scan them and upload them to Webshots, too.

I also was on this cruise. I met with a friend from another forum prior to boarding, so I was a lot later than my usual pattern. I though getting there after 2pm would have shorter lines, but NO! Lines were waayy out the doors, just to get into the terminal. One of the terminal personnel said that check-in takes twice as long when it is chilly because of the time it takes people to take off coats at the security check. After security, actual check-in was fast, and we walked right on (with the slight delay for boarding photo). I was in line an hour before I got near the ship.

Here is a remix, taken by my friend, of our ship leaving the pier and turning proir to heading for the Dames Point bridge.

http://s105.photobucket.com/albums/m211/Celeste30/CarolynJane13-18Nov08/?action=view&current=f1384790.pbr

I had cabin M20, a 4B and it was quite adequate. I had early seating, table for 10. the first night we had eight, three ladies and five gentlemen, all singles and older folk. Quite interesting people. One man switched to late seating, and we gained another lady the second night. The last night she said she really enjoyed the company, that usually she didn't come to the dining room much, but we were such good company she kept coming back. I thought the food was quite good, but also there were nights everything looked good, others when I wasn't challenged.

We had a man at the table with gluten free diet. They really worked with him, I think the chef liked the challenge. He had gluten free bread each night, and they made entrees and desserts for him that were not on the menu (although twice we were finished with our entrees by the time they brought his). He was quite pleased. The man next to me was on his first cruise, as taster, so to speak. First time he had been on a ship in 42 years, back then it was the gray fleet. The first night he was not so sure about things, didn't think he would do it again. by the time we met the last night, he was sold. He loved the dining experience. He takes gourmet cooking classes.

I love the Fantasy class ships, and found this one very like Elation, much more subdued than Fantasy. I really like the atrium, and thought it was quite tastefully decorated for Christmas. I enjoyed the Christmas music on the muzak. I enjoyed the production shows, but I guess at 64, I am really out of the loop. Having discovered public radio in the early 80's, I have not much recognition of the hits since. Oh, the really BIG ones, but I am always amazed at how many of the big numbers in the 80's show I had never heard.

I will try to get my pictures up here later. Carolyn

Here are some pictures of us coming into Nassau, taken from Valor's bridgecam:

And some from the Atlantis cam:

And one last pic from Atlantis cam (couldn't post them all in one post):

Here is the link to my Kodak Gallery album:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=66ktveb.bok2ntl7&x=0&h=1&y=-hz0zma&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button

yes, the cost was $79 or $80 when i booked online. Cheaper than in gt by about $20 per person.

ty :)

Great photos, Carolyn! I don't know how you managed to get so many with no people in the way! You must have spent a lot of time wandering the ship and taking pics.

I kept thinking we'd run into you somewhere, since I knew I'd recognize Essie!

Hi Joan! Glad you and Clair had a good time :-)

I really liked this class of ship. The layout was very easy the ship small enough to run back to the cabin quickly for a forgotten item. Having said that, I'm already anxious to get on the Glory in June!

How did you enjoy your time in Savannah?

Thanks for the pictures and reviews. I'm doing this exact itinerary on Jan 24th and I hadn't run in to any reviews that duplicated what we are doing. It definitely made me ready to go!!!!