Fantastic Fun on Fascination 2/19-2/24 including Discovery Launch....TONS of Pictures

[tmt218]

If you don't mind me asking - whats it like inside the terminal? Is it a confusing layout?

 

I don't mind you asking at all. That's what I'm here for. Ask away. It's mainly a big building with different sections. First is health questionaires, then it's the baggage scanners. After that is a few rows of chairs. You can sit there after you get your S+S card if they haven't started boarding. On the far left front of the building. Then its the check in desk where you get your Sign and Sail card. It's along the far right wall with about 15-20 agents checking you in. Then you walk to the rear area of the building where you get your welcome aboard picture taken. Then you walk to the rear doors where they ding your S+S card. They layout is very open and moves smoothly. They have the sections roped off and people to help direct you. It's real simple and easy. Nothing like Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.

[tmt218]

I'm loving your review too. We are debating whether to take our kids on their first cruise on the Fascination in October. Thanks for the information!

 

Thank You! It's a nice ship with the new waterworks area. My DD loves it,Camp Carnival, and being able to eat ice cream whenever she wants. Even for breakfast. It's her vacation too. She spent very little time with me except to eat and sleep.:D

[APDMOM]

 

 

Well, tmt218, you did get me. I'm the one with the faded jeans, pink shirt and denim jacket. As you can tell, I'm holding the camera in front of my face - it's usual spot. :rolleyes:That is our red Honda Fit parked on the beach... :D

[Kel040]

Great review so far - thanks so much... :)

 

We were on Fascination last October, APDMOM came out and took pictures as we passed, and we too, were able to get a picture of her on the shore !! LOL !

 

We will be back on the Fascination again in May with the same itinerary as you.. It will be our first time taking DD and also our first time to HMC ! - can't wait !! :D

[Naomi John]

Thanks for the pictures. I find it amazing how each Fantasy Class ships waterworks, (aka evolutions of fun), area is a little different ship to ship. They all have the twister slide and the "racing" slides, but each one makes it's mark. Been on the Fantasy and seen the Ecstasy from above, now the Fascination. They are all different.

[tmt218]

Went back to the cabin and got ready for dinner. Tonight was come as you are. We had our luggage so it didn't apply to us. We had late seating at 8:15 in the aft dining room Imagination. It wasn't my first choice but it would do. We were waitlisted for Your Time Dining but didn't get it. When we got on the ship we didn't feel like heading to the dining room to see if we could change it. With the ship being full I doubt it would have made a difference.

 

We had table 386. A ten top. Our dining room staff was Marlin and his assistant Eduardo both from the Philipines. Our beverage server was Sheryl also from the Philipines. All were wonderful.

 

Marlin with my foodie DD

 

Sheryl with my DD

 

I don't have a picture of Eduardo. He was sick the last 2 days of our cruise. These photos were taken on the last night.

[tmt218]

We were seated at a table for 10. Well the first night it was just us 3. :confused: It was a little akward sitting at such a large table. We like to meet new people. For us that's part of the cruise experence.

I didn't take pictures of the menus each night. They were in plastic and the lights reflected off of them. They were put together by the chef and not the usual Carnival menu. If you want to know if something was on the menu feel free to ask. But I do have this.......

 

Cream of Broccoli Soup

 

Shrimp Cocktail

 

Vegetarian Lasagna with Spinach and Mushroom

 

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

 

Yummy! I don't have pictures of what my family ate. They were annoyed with the picture taking. My Mom asked who takes pictures of their food? UH I do? Why? For all my CC friends and to remember the food on my cruises. That's another part of the cruise expericnce. Right? Well my DM had the same thing as me. My DD had 2 shrimp cocktails, the flat iron steak, and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake.

We were about to head out and some of our tablemates decide to show up. An hour late! UH really? Because it was only the 3 of us we finished up before the other tables in the area and missed the Showtime....from Joseph our super charged Matire D.

[tmt218]

After dinner we headed up to Camp Carnival to sign my DD up for camp. I failed to do this online and didn't go to the orientation either. It was at 7 and we were getting ready for dinner. Not a big deal though. DD didn't want to stay but wanted to go to the Welcome Aboard Show. Trevor Block was our Cruise Director. He was funny and outgoing. We enjoyed all the entertainment staff. The Welcome Aboard Show was fun. It gives you a preview of what is to come.

Trevor called up 10 people 5 guys and 5 girls on stage. They had a contest to see who could take the spoon on a rope and pass it down the fastest. The girls had to put it down the top of their shirts and out the bottom. The guys had to put it down one pant leg and up the other and so on down the line. Then when they got done they had to do it in reverse. It was pretty funny.

This side one.

 

The real tall guy had trouble. When they were done the poor spoon was all bent. We all had a good laugh even Trevor.

[tmt218]

Here are the comedians from this cruise Scotty K and Tommy. I'm going off memory here. I don't have my Fun Times handy.

 

He was hilarious! I never laughed so hard in a such a short time.

 

Here are the Fascination Singers

 

 

After the show we were tired from the long drive and all the excitement. So we headed to our cabin. It was a fun and exciting day.

 

We had this waiting for us....

 

Floppy Dog and Jesse were very happy to meet their new friend.

 

That's all for day one. Day two a sea day coming up tomorrow.

[tmt218]

Well, tmt218, you did get me. I'm the one with the faded jeans, pink shirt and denim jacket. As you can tell, I'm holding the camera in front of my face - it's usual spot. :rolleyes:That is our red Honda Fit parked on the beach... :D

 

 

See I thought I would have one of you!!! You must have cruise envy. I would go crazy knowing a ship was leaving and I wasn't on it.;):eek:

Thats a cool little place to watch the ship leave.

[tmt218]

Great review so far - thanks so much... :)

 

We were on Fascination last October, APDMOM came out and took pictures as we passed, and we too, were able to get a picture of her on the shore !! LOL !

 

We will be back on the Fascination again in May with the same itinerary as you.. It will be our first time taking DD and also our first time to HMC ! - can't wait !! :D

 

Thank You for the kind words. I see you did a review. I will have to read it. I love reviews even when I am not sailing that ship or have a cruise planned.

Yes it was fun to come back and see our photos that APDMOM took. Makes it fun. She was caught on candid camera LOL.

DD will have a blast. How old is she?

HMC was exactly what everyone say it is. I am already looking at another cruise to HMC.Even if I have to go by myself. I have a zillion pictures from that day. It is coming up after the sea day which I will start tomorrow.

[tmt218]

Thanks for the pictures. I find it amazing how each Fantasy Class ships waterworks, (aka evolutions of fun), area is a little different ship to ship. They all have the twister slide and the "racing" slides, but each one makes it's mark. Been on the Fantasy and seen the Ecstasy from above, now the Fascination. They are all different.

 

I do to.We sailed on the Sensation and the Waterworks area was different. They didn't have the "baby" slides and the sprays are different too. I also noticed that the Serenity area is different. This one didn't have any clam shells or hammocks.

[JBG1958]

Thanks for this review. We are 32 days away...whos counting, right! :D

[mara93]

Keep it coming, we're 40 days out!

[tmt218]

Thanks for this review. We are 32 days away...whos counting, right! :D

 

Thanks for reading! You are going to have a great time. The days will fly by and you will be on board before you know it.

[tmt218]

Keep it coming, we're 40 days out!

 

Thanks for reading! You will have a great time. The cruise will be here before you know it.

[tmt218]

We tried to sleep in a bit but that didn't happen. Since we were up we headed to breakfast. On the way to Lido we stopped at Bogarts Cafe. DD and I had a hot chocolate and DM got a regular coffee. Our hot chocolate was good. DM said that the coffee tasted the same as in the dining room and it wasn't worth it. On Princess they have an International Cafe and she said the coffee was better there. We headed up to Lido for breaskfast. I had french toast, hashbrowns, and some fruit and cereal. I am not much of a breakfast person but it would hold me over till lunch.

 

 

After breakfast we went to the pool area. Of course it was already crowded. My DD saw her buddy and wanted to stay with her. Her buddies DM was kind enough to keep an eye on her. She said they had been out there since 7:30 that AM. WOW! She said the chairs were filled up fast. DM and I headed up to the Waterworks area. It was windy and cool up there. The water from the sprayers made it colder. After about 30 minutes or so we headed to Serenity area. We stayed there most of the day. It was nice and quiet back there. The hot tubs were luke warm. They were nice but when you got out it was so cold.

 

 

 

 

 

These photos weren't taken that day. They didn't have the umbrellas open as it was to windy. They also didn't have as many chairs out either. After chillin a few hours it was about 3 and we were ready for lunch. DD had pizza earlier and was headed to camp. DM and I had one of these

 

 

YUMMY! I also had a chocolate ice cream cone. DM had a piece of chocolate cake. She wouldn't let me take a pic

After lunch it was back to Serenity for DM and I headed for the lido pool. I met up with my DD's buddies Mom. We chatted and waited for the girls to return. The girls came back from camp and went to play a round of mini golf. They returned and the other family need to head up for dinner. DD wanted to stay a little bit longer at the pool. DM had already headed to the cabin for a nap. After another 30 minutes or so we headed in to. We wanted to rest and get ready for dinner.

[RBCL]

How long does it take to transit the river and get to open sea? Is it night by the time you've reached the ocean?

[tmt218]

We got ready for dinner. Tonight was Elegant night. We all love this night and look forward to dressing up. Before dinner we went to the show in the Palace Theater. I like the way Carnival has a show for the early dining seating and the late. Tonight's show was suppose to be Far From Over but it was changed to be held the last night. They replaced it with the last nights show Mambo. The ship was rocking pretty good tonight and I suspect that was the reason for the change. The show was ok. Not my favorite. It is Latin based. Think Gloria Estefan and Ricky Martin. Reminded me of Miami Beach. Tonight was also the Captain's Celebration which we missed.

 

After the show we headed to dinner. We were always at the dining room before the doors opened. We saw Mybearsbaby and her family. We talked with them until the doors opened. Would our tablemates make it to dinner on time? Uh NO they did not. But they did make it earlier than the night before.They were only 20 mins late. Malvin our waiter did a great job with this. He wouldn't make us wait for them to catch up. With us eating 2 appetizers and sometimes 2 entrees they did catch up.

 

Tonight I had shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms, lobster and grilled shrimp, prime rib, and warm chocolate melting cake. YES I ate it all. My prime rib was just meat no sides.

 

Shrimp Cocktail

 

Sorry no picture of the stuffed mushrooms. They were good though.

Lobster and grilled shrimp

 

Prime rib- sorry for the bites

 

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

 

My DM cesar salad, stuffed mushrooms, lobster and grilled shrimp. For dessert she had the bitter and blanc. My DD had 2 shrimp cocktails, lobster and grilled shrimp and for dessert she had the Melting cake.

[tmt218]

How long does it take to transit the river and get to open sea? Is it night by the time you've reached the ocean?

 

Sailaway was at 4:45pm and we were at the ocean by about 6:15-6:30 or so. We were out there for a good long while. No it wasn't dark yet. I was suprised and thought it would be dark. You will have plenty of daylight with the daylight savings time change coming up 3/13 here in the states.

[APDMOM]

See I thought I would have one of you!!! You must have cruise envy. I would go crazy knowing a ship was leaving and I wasn't on it.;):eek:

Thats a cool little place to watch the ship leave.

I often do wish I could be on the ship! I'm shopping around for June, but prices are still >$100 per person per day. We'll be on there sometime ;).

 

By the way... Some of us are REALLY thankful that you take pics of the food. I intend to make quite a nuisance of myself with my camera... in a few weeks on the Dream :p

[tmt218]

After dinner we were going to head to the Puttin' on the Ritz lounge for the adults only comedy. Tommy Drake was at 10 and Skotty K. was at 11:15.I had threir names right. DD said she wanted to head to camp but changed her mind. She was to tired. So no comedy for us tonight. We all headed back to the cabin and watched tv. The Master Mixologist competition and the hairy chest contest was playing on the tv. Soon we were off to sleep. Dreaming of blue waters, white sand between our toes and warm sunshine. Yes we will be in Half Moon Cay in the morning. Remember the ship is a rockin with the waves. Will we be able to tender in? Wait and see.....In the mean time I will post some pictures from around the ship.

 

The Atrium Bar

The top is the Photo Gallery on the Promenade Deck, middle is the 88 Piano Bar on the Atlantic Deck, and the bottom is the Shore Excursion Desk on the Empress Deck.

 

The Cowboy Statue at the elevators

 

The top is the Promenade walkway area and more photo gallery on Promenade Deck, the middle is the Tara Library on Atlantic Deck, and the bottom is Guest Services on Empress Deck.

[momof3cruisers]

Well, tmt218, you did get me. I'm the one with the faded jeans, pink shirt and denim jacket. As you can tell, I'm holding the camera in front of my face - it's usual spot. :rolleyes:That is our red Honda Fit parked on the beach... :D

 

That is so cool!

 

 

Thanks for the great review so far. Your pictures are awesome! What kind of camera do you have? I am cracking up that your mom won't let you take pictures of her food!

[tmt218]

I often do wish I could be on the ship! I'm shopping around for June, but prices are still >$100 per person per day. We'll be on there sometime ;).

 

By the way... Some of us are REALLY thankful that you take pics of the food. I intend to make quite a nuisance of myself with my camera... in a few weeks on the Dream :p

The Dream sounds nice. I know what ya mean about the prices in summer. We are trying to decide what we are going to do this summer. Last year we took a 3 week road trip to the Grand Canyon but with gas prices not sure about that. Then we were looking at RC Oasis or Allure and that is crazy expensive. I keep telling myself that it would be XX number of cruises on Carnival or an Alaska cruise.

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who loves the camera. My family appreciates it when they see the photo books I do.

I drool over my food pics too! I only wish I had someone to cook those meals at home.

[tmt218]

That is so cool!

 

 

Thanks for the great review so far. Your pictures are awesome! What kind of camera do you have? I am cracking up that your mom won't let you take pictures of her food!

 

Thanks for the kind words. I am glad you are liking the review so far. I used 2 cameras. The Canon PowerShot D10. The other one is the Canon SX20is. I just got the D10 for my birthday. My gift to myself. It is water, shock and freeze proof. It has a 3x zoom and 12 megapixels. Most of the ship photos are from that camera. I was suprised how well they came out. The SX20is is great for those who was a larger zoom without all the bulk. It has a 20X zoom with 12 megapixels. It takes nice pictures as well. You will see some of those photos in the next few installments.