Fascination Review - June 12th - 17th

[kcbutterfly]

We got to Jacksonville and stopped at the River City Marketplace shopping center before going to our hotel. It is a very nice shopping center with a Walmart and several restaurants if you want to shop/eat in Jacksonville. We went to Walmart to pick up a few things, and then we went to Cracker Barrel to eat. There was also a Chili’s, Olive Garden, and several other places to eat in the shopping center as well. Then, we headed to the Holiday Inn Express on Blount Island to check in. I think we got there around 6:30 or 7:00. I had heard that some people had parking issues, but we didn’t have any problems. There was plenty of parking at that time, and we were able to find a parking space that we could stay in for the duration of our cruise. We had purchased the cruise package, and it was a great deal. It included the room, parking for the duration of your cruise, shuttle transportation to the terminal, and breakfast. They were very organized when we checked in. At first, they told us the first shuttle we could take to the port was at 12:15. All we had to say is that we wanted to get there around 11:00. The lady at the front desk went and talked to the shuttle driver, and he agreed to take us earlier. They were very accommodating, friendly, and helpful. They said they wanted our trip to be perfect. Our room was very nice, clean, and the beds were very comfortable. Breakfast was provided the next morning, and it was very good. They had biscuits, sausage, and gravy in addition to the typical “continental breakfast” items. Our shuttle transportation went smoothly the next morning, and the shuttle driver was very nice and helped us with our bags. Some people had said there was an additional charge for the shuttle. There was no additional charge for three of us with the cruise package. We did however give the shuttle driver a tip since he agreed to take us earlier and was so friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend this hotel and the cruise package if you are cruising out of Jacksonville!

[kcbutterfly]

The next morning, we got to the port around 11:00 or 11:15. It was a very quick, easy ride on the shuttle to the port. We then got our bags and were able to quickly check our checked luggage. There were signs directing you to each area, so it was very organized and easy. Make sure that you have your fun pass and passports out and ready to save time! Then, we went straight to the VIP check in since we had a suite. We were quickly whisked through security and immediately went to the check in room where we presented our fun pass, passports, and received our sail and sign cards. We then were directed to the waiting area. We were told that there were 3 wedding parties that would board before us, and then VIP would be the first to board. We had to wait maybe 20 minutes before they let our group start to board. We then went through the process of getting our embarkation photo taken, and our photos taken for our sail-and-sign cards. Before we knew it, we were on the ship! Once we got on the ship, there were crew members directing people. We went straight to the shore excursions desk to book a cabana for HMC. There was one other group in front of us, and we were able to get our choice of cabana. We rented cabana # 9, and when we rented it they asked us for our choice of soft drinks and shoe sizes for snorkeling gear. We then went to the Lido Deck for lunch. The Lido Deck was still relative uncrowded at that time, but it started getting crowded very quickly. My mom and I got cheeseburgers, and my sister got stir fry from the Mongolian Grill. They were all excellent, and the chips and salsa in the grill line were especially good. After we ate, we stayed on the Lido Deck for a little while just soaking up the fact that we were actually on the ship. Then, we decided to walk around the ship a little bit. We went down to the Guest Services Desk and got a map of the ship, and then we explored some. One thing that I would do differently next time is carry less onto the ship! We each had a rolling carry on, and we also had a tote bag with 12 bottled waters each. It was a pain carrying all that around until the rooms were ready! So, I would suggest carrying as little on with you as you can. After we walked around a little bit, it was 1:30, so we decided to go to our room. I didn’t ever hear an announcement that rooms were ready, but ours was ready when we went at 1:30. We were very happy with our room. We had a Grand Suite on the Upper Deck, and it was very nice. The only thing we were expecting to be different is the pull out sofa. We thought that the sofa would actually pull out into a bed, but there was simply a roll away bed instead. My sister slept on it, and she said it was not very comfortable. It wasn’t a big deal though. We relaxed in the room a little bit. Our checked bags came at this time, so they got to our room very quickly. We then walked around the ship some more and took pictures. It was so much nicer to do this without bags! Then, it was time for the Muster Drill. It was relatively quick. We went to our assigned station, and listened to the cruise director over the intercom while crew members demonstrated how to put on the life jackets. We then walked to our life boats. Then, we were free to go. We went up to the waterworks area to watch Sail Away. After we stayed on the deck a little while, we went back inside to walk around the ship and explore some more. We then went back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. At dinner I had the fried shrimp for an appetizer and the lasagna, my sister had the pork chop, and my mom had the Mahi Mahi. They were all very good. Two other people at our table did not like the lasagna. It was a little bit different, but still very good. For dessert, I had the cheesecake which was excellent, and my mom and sister had the warm chocolate melting cake which was good but very rich. After dinner, we came back to the room to watch the sunset from our balcony. When we got back to the room, we had a towel animal (snail) and chocolates on our bed along with the Fun Times for the next day. We watched the sunset, and then went back out. We caught a little bit of the game show trivia game in the Palace Theater which was fun to watch. We then went to the Photo Gallery, and our pictures from embarkation and pictures from sail away were already up as well as pictures from dinner that night. We had planned to go the Welcome Aboard show, but we didn’t get there early enough. I would suggest to get there very early for the show that night since there is only one show and it fills up very quickly. Instead, we just walked around the ship some more before going back to our cabin.

Here are some pictures of the sunset from our balcony that night:

 

 

[anamanxs]

Thanks for the GREAT review, we are going in November and since I have not on a the this class of ship I am very interested in what it has to offer. Was the BarBQ good? do you give them your own items to cook?

[oceanbluegazer]

Enjoying your review. We will be sailing on her in November, we are doing the same intenarary. This will be our 4 DD'S first cruise, so anything we can find about the ship is wonderful. Very nice pictures of the sunset. Can't wait to read the rest of your review.:)

[kcbutterfly]

Fun Day at Sea:

We woke up early and had room service coffee and toast delivered before going to the MDR for breakfast. The room service was very prompt, and it came a few minutes before our specified time. I had heard that MDR breakfast is a “must do” at least once during the cruise. However, this was the only meal that I was disappointed with the entire cruise. My pancakes and bacon were cold and just not very good. The service was pleasant but very slow for some reason. We had to wait a long time for our food. Breakfast on the Lido deck was much better in my opinion. After breakfast, we went and soaked up the sun on the waterworks deck. It was crowded, but just as we got there and were looking for chairs, a nice family said they were leaving and we could have their chairs. J After we layed out, it was time for lunch. We went to the Coconut Bar and Grille buffet on the Lido deck. I had chicken parmesan and penne pasta which was excellent. Then we went up the Verandah deck and sat overlooking the Lido. This was a really nice spot. We went there, because my sister wanted to participate in the ping pong tournament. After we sat, had some drinks, and watched the ping pong tournament, we went back to the cabin to get ready for elegant night. We didn’t get any formal pictures done before dinner, because the lines were so long. So, if you want formal portraits done, be there early and ready to stand in line. We took some of our own pictures before we went to dinner. Dinner was excellent as usual. I had prime rib, and my mom and sister had lobster. I had Bitter and Blanc for dessert, and it was the best dessert I had the entire cruise. After dinner, we stood in line for one formal portrait. We stopped by the Palace Theater to check out the 80s show, and we only stayed a little bit. I’m sure that if you like the 80s, you would enjoy that show. Then we walked around the ship before heading back to our cabin and getting some rest before HMC!

[kcbutterfly]

Thanks for the GREAT review, we are going in November and since I have not on a the this class of ship I am very interested in what it has to offer. Was the BarBQ good? do you give them your own items to cook?

 

 

Are you asking about the Mongolian wok station? I did not try it, but my sister said it was very good. You get to choose beef, chicken, or seafood, vegetables, and noodles. Then you get to pick what kind of sauce you want. I think it was only open during lunch.

[kcbutterfly]

HMC:

We ordered room service breakfast since we wanted to be on one of the first tenders for HMC. Room service delivery was very prompt again, and it came at the time we had specified. We headed down to get off the ship around 7:45, and they weren’t ready yet. We had to go back up one floor. We waited about 5 or 10 minutes, and then we were able to go down and get on the first tender. There is only word to describe HMC – paradise! The water is crystal clear, and the sand is so soft and white. We had a beautiful day, and the weather was perfect (although very hot!) My sister and I had the first horseback riding scheduled at 9:00. So after we walked down to the beach, we waited to get on the tram to go horseback riding. My mom then took a tram to our cabana (#9). We rode the tram to the stables. After we put on helmets, we went around the riding ring a little while before we went on the land trail. The land trail was very nice. After we went on the land trail, we went back to stables. We took off any clothes we had on over our bathing suits, got bottled water or soda, and got ready for the water portion of the ride. We were divided into 2 groups for the water portion. My sister and I were in the 2nd group. The water portion was such an amazing experience! The horses actually ran through the water and went in up to the necks. It was awesome! We then took the tram back and walked down the beach to our cabana. The cabana was great and worth every penny! Our cabana was right in front of the bathroom, and it was a short walk to the BBQ lunch. The lunch was very well organized and very good (hamburgers, hotdogs, jerk chicken, desserts). We spent the day laying out and swimming in the ocean. We were grateful to have the cabana to get out of the sun every once in a while. We got on a tender to return to the ship around 4:00, and we didn’t have to wait very long at all. We were too tired to go to the MDR that night, so we went to the Lido buffet. Then we went and lounged out of the Serenity Deck for a little while before going back to the cabin and getting some rest before Nassau.

 

 

 

 

View from our cabana:

[cruz.n.carebear]

Thanks for a great review! We set sail on the same ship/itinerary 5 weeks from today and I am soooo excited!

 

How was the location of your cabana? I'm trying to decide which cabana number to try to get. With 2 kids (9 and 12), I want to be close enough to the play area that they can go without me stressing about it, but also not too close where there is too much traffic around us.

[kcbutterfly]

Nassau:

We arrived in Nassau early in the morning. We went out on the balcony to see us arriving and take some pictures. Then we went to the Lido Deck for breakfast. I thought the breakfast buffet was very good. After breakfast, we went to depart the ship. We had scheduled the Atlantis Aquaventure along with many other people. We found the designated area for us to wait once we got into port. We had to sign a release, and then the waiting began. Finally, they divided us into 2 groups – those doing dolphin excursions at Atlantis and those doing the Aquaventure. Then they walked us to where the buses would pick us up. For some reason, they kept on letting the other group get on buses while we stood there for probably close to an hour. New groups would keep coming from the other direction, and they would let them get on. It started raining while we were waiting to get on a bus. Finally, they let us on a bus to go to Atlantis! When we arrived at Atlantis, they walked us through casino and aquarium and then we were on our own. Atlantis is amazing! It rained until around 11:30, but that didn’t really affect us too much. We had vouchers for lunch, and we used them at the Cave restaurant. Our cheeseburgers were very good, and we got some conch fritters to share which very tasty also. We went through The Dig, did some slots in the casino, walked around outside and to the beach after the rain, etc. It was a great day. We went to get back on a bus to return to port around 4:00. We didn’t have to wait very long at all for a bus, and return transportation actually ran until 7:00 that night. After we returned to port, we walked down to the straw market and Senor Frogs. We felt very safe walking around Nassau. People would ask you to buy Cuban cigars or braid your hair, but if you said “No thank you” they didn’t say anything else. Senor Frogs was fun. We sat out on the patio area, and we split some nachos and had some drinks. Then we walked back to the ship. We didn’t make it back on the ship to be ready in time for our 6:00 MDR seating, so we went to the Lido buffet after we rested a little bit. Then we went and lounged on the Serenity Deck and walked around the ship for a little while. We fell asleep before the late night Mexican buffet that night.

 

Arriving at Nassau early in the morning:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atlantis from the ship that morning:

 

Atlantis:

 

 

 

 

 

From the Serenity Deck before we left Nassau:

[czechgal]

THanks for the review!

 

We are going in December and we really are looking forward to it. Your pictures are wonderful!

 

Keep it coming!

 

Lisa

[kcbutterfly]

I apologize that it has taken me so long to finish this review!

Fun Day at Sea:

We went to breakfast on the Lido Deck again this morning. The omelet station was fabulous! Then we went to the Palace Theater for the towel animal demonstration. That was fun, and we made a dog for our room steward. Then we headed to the Serenity Deck which still had plenty of empty chairs. I guess some people were tired of the sun by the last day. After laying out on the Serenity Deck, we got some nachos from the Lido Buffet and took them back to our room to share. They were excellent. Then after resting a little while, we went back to the Lido Deck and had lunch. The chicken fingers and fries from the grill line were very good. After lunch, we went up to the Verandah Deck and layed out some and watched the ping pong tournament. Then, we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. I had a crab cake for an appetizer, veal parmesan, and amaretto cake for dessert. The crab cake and veal parmesan were great, and you would like the amaretto cake if you like dark chocolate. After dinner, we went to get a seat for the Hey Mambo show. We stayed for around half the show before going back to our cabin to pack.

Debarkation:

We went and had breakfast on the Lido Deck and then went to the Puttin’ on the Ritz lounge to wait for our zone (Zone 1) to be called. We had to wait probably 1 ½ hours while all of the self assist people were called. When our zone was called, debarkation went very quickly and smoothly. We didn’t have to wait at all. A porter helped us with our bags and we zipped right through customs and to our waiting shuttle which took us right to our car waiting at the Holiday Inn Express.

Overall Impressions:

Service was FANTASTIC! Our room steward and waiter were great. Our room was always cleaned very quickly – they seemed to watch for when you left and cleaned your room immediately. All of the crew members we encountered were very friendly and would always smile and speak to us saying good morning, how are you?, etc. We will definitely sail with Carnival again.

[kcbutterfly]

Thanks for a great review! We set sail on the same ship/itinerary 5 weeks from today and I am soooo excited!

 

How was the location of your cabana? I'm trying to decide which cabana number to try to get. With 2 kids (9 and 12), I want to be close enough to the play area that they can go without me stressing about it, but also not too close where there is too much traffic around us.

 

 

We loved the location of our cabana! It was away from the main crowded area which was very nice. To be honest, I didn't pay too much attention to where the play area was since we didn't have any kids with us. I'm not sure if any of the cabanas would really be close enough for you to see your children in the play area.

[verdi73]

I apologize that it has taken me so long to finish this review!

 

Fun Day at Sea:

We went to breakfast on the Lido Deck again this morning. The omelet station was fabulous! Then we went to the Palace Theater for the towel animal demonstration. That was fun, and we made a dog for our room steward. Then we headed to the Serenity Deck which still had plenty of empty chairs. I guess some people were tired of the sun by the last day. After laying out on the Serenity Deck, we got some nachos from the Lido Buffet and took them back to our room to share. They were excellent. Then after resting a little while, we went back to the Lido Deck and had lunch. The chicken fingers and fries from the grill line were very good. After lunch, we went up to the Verandah Deck and layed out some and watched the ping pong tournament. Then, we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. I had a crab cake for an appetizer, veal parmesan, and amaretto cake for dessert. The crab cake and veal parmesan were great, and you would like the amaretto cake if you like dark chocolate. After dinner, we went to get a seat for the Hey Mambo show. We stayed for around half the show before going back to our cabin to pack.

 

Debarkation:

We went and had breakfast on the Lido Deck and then went to the Puttin’ on the Ritz lounge to wait for our zone (Zone 1) to be called. We had to wait probably 1 ½ hours while all of the self assist people were called. When our zone was called, debarkation went very quickly and smoothly. We didn’t have to wait at all. A porter helped us with our bags and we zipped right through customs and to our waiting shuttle which took us right to our car waiting at the Holiday Inn Express.

 

Overall Impressions:

Service was FANTASTIC! Our room steward and waiter were great. Our room was always cleaned very quickly – they seemed to watch for when you left and cleaned your room immediately. All of the crew members we encountered were very friendly and would always smile and speak to us saying good morning, how are you?, etc. We will definitely sail with Carnival again.

 

I am glad your debarkation was smooth. It wasn't so great for the rest of us on that day. We had zone 20, and didn't get called off the ship until 10:30AM, and it was an absolute nut house getting luggage and waiting in a HUGE line to get thru customs, The absolute worst debarkation I have ever experienced sailing with Carnival, but I believe it was more of a customs issue rather than a Carnival issue. Other than that we had an absolute great time, and can't wait to go again.

[poobears]

Thank you for the review, we sail next month. I hadn't thought about renting a cabana close to the bathroom, do they have more than one set of bathrooms? We planned on renting one way down on the end to avoid the crowds but I go to the bathroom a lot so we might rethink that LOL

 

How were the rooms at the Holiday Inn? We dont' want to do a cruise package, we'll drive to port but still deciding on a nice hotel in the area.

[MSBfan]

Thanks for your review. We will be on the Fascination in less than 4 weeks in a GS also.

 

I was wondering if you may have any room pics you could share?

 

The mention of the sofa folding out into a bed was a big upsell point for us, but if its only a rollaway, that may be a bit of a drag.

 

Oh well, we will still enjoy the cruise!!

[PreciousPearl]

Thank you so much for your detailed review! I will be boarding the Fascination in a little over a week and am so excited!

[Muumuu]

We were also on this cruise and had a wonderful time.

We rented cabana number ten, right next to kcbutterfuly. Always rent ten.

I think the kids play area is up close to the entrance.

We were in our car at 8:05 on on the road home.