Talk to me about the Fascination.....

[hannahsmomtoo]

Should it worry me that I see very little here about the Fascination....?

 

( Yes I know I can search.... but I just mean on a regular basis )

 

We are booked on our 3rd cruise in October

 

* Splendor 2012, Magic 2013 and now Fascination 2014...

 

Very excited about Atlantis and HMC...

 

Just a bit concerned that no one ever talks about this ship....

 

 

Anyone?

 

Thanks and Happy new year...

Christine

[aggiejade]

I love the Fascination. Cruised on her in Sept '13. Got a great pack n go rate and loved the cabin location we got assigned. We had a cabin on Empress deck, very close to the atrium and so convenient to getting everywhere.

 

It was our first time doing Your Time Dining which we ended up liking and had a fantastic wait staff. We requested them every night of our cruise. I liked the layout of the Lido buffet and the decor of the MDR better than the Miracle's.

 

My grandkids loved Waterworks and Camp Carnival. Entertainment staff was great, Paul Santley was Cruise Director, Jase was Assistant CD - both very personable, Ryan was over the top!

 

Animal Towel Theater is not to be missed. It's usually in the morning on the last sea day. Check your Fun Times. So cute and funny!

 

Look for dolphins alongside the ship before you set sail.

 

I would sail on the Fascination again in a heartbeat!

[aggiejade]

Here is a link to a thread where the OP comes down to the river and take pictures of your sail-away. Just post on the thread that you are interested and the date of your sailing. She will let you know if she is available. She will email you the pics.

 

We got pics and we could see ourselves waving on the starboard aft top deck.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1205811

Edited January 10, 2014 by aggiejade

[Tapi]

She's not the Magic, but she is the sentimental favorite of many loyal followers who appreciate her small size, cheap prices and convenient port of departure close to home.

 

We've been on the Fascination 4 times (3 times when she used to be out of Miami and 1 time out of Jacksonville). She's a good choice for what she does, but go with realistic expectations. She's sailing from Jacksonville for a reason.

 

Yes, you can have a great time, the ship is in good condition even though she's 20 years old (she's going through several refurbishments) and, for those who live within a short driving distance (like us) she provides the opportunity to sail inexpensively and without having to pay for airfare.

 

But honestly, we feel that the experience on the Fascination is quite a few notches below the experience on Carnival's newest and largest ships. Our last cruise on the Fascination was the reason why we started looking at other cruise lines for subsequent cruises. We did choose to sail on Carnival again the following year, this time aboard the Dream (Magic's sister) and the experience was MUCH better. It restored our faith in Carnival. :)

Edited January 10, 2014 by Tapi

[rccranbob]

We sailed her on Nov. 2013 for Thanksgiving week. Let me tell you even thought the weather was crappy all week, we bypassed LSC because of rough seas and went to Freeport where the weather was actually nice and sunny about 74, The service was by far the best we have experienced of all our cruises. We did purchase FTTF for 2 cabins but really did not need it, The ship was late arriving on Monday and did not start boarding until 1PM. Could not park until 12:30. They were telling all guest the rooms were ready. Our dining room staff in the Sensation led by Chris and his team were fantastic and most enjoyable. My room steward could not have been any better he was fantastic. We were on the main deck mid ship connecting OV cabins. Like I stated before even though the weather was lousy I still had a great time thanks to all the staff on the ship.

[tncap]

Great ship, great crew, most "fun" cruisers. Go in understanding that a diverse group from across the US is not flying into Jacksonville to go on this cruise and you'll have a great time. I personally love it.

[carrieluvsgreg]

We live 20 minutes from the port in Jacksonville and have sailed on both itineraries on the fascination. We enjoyed both trips, the crew were great, it really we've had few poor crew experiences over the years... It's a very easy trip for us, no travel expenses in loved and we even get dropped off at the port. Our biggest "down side" is that it is a Bahamas cruise. We personally prefer the Caribbean call us spoiled... That's what happens when you live within driving distance to 6 cruise ports, you get picky... All that said, we are considering taking a short trip out of Jacksonville later this year with our kids because for us, it's easy.

[Georgiagolfer]

Great ship, great crew, most "fun" cruisers. Go in understanding that a diverse group from across the US is not flying into Jacksonville to go on this cruise and you'll have a great time. I personally love it.

 

tncap, I see you were on the 11/30 sailing of Fascination. DW and I also were on this cruise, our 5th time on Fascination out of Jacksonville.

 

Our previous 4 cruises were great, but #5 was not so for us. Came home feeling, CCL not what it has been. MDR service (early seating) extremely slow, food not as good tasting as in the past, Piano Bar player (forget his name) very rude/arrogant attitude, Shows (I won't even try to discuss.)

 

Had a good roll call, met some very nice people, loved the Mongolian Wok, deli, pizza and calzones. HMC is beautiful.

[All4fun&fun4all]

There is a link to a picture heavy review in my signature below. I had a WONDERFUL time but truth be told....I like Fantasy much more.

[cruise_gal21]

Our first cruise was tje Fascination last August, so nothing else to compare it to, but it was great for us. Great service everywhere we went, always things to do or see, and a good "down to earth" feel to the passengers. No frills, but that's not for us anyway. Our next trip is on the Fantasy, but we are looking at the Liberty or Sunshine in 2015 to see what the larger ships and a Caribbean itinerary are all about. Any cruise to us is a good cruise because we're on vacation :D

 

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[Mutumbojimbo]

I think the Fantasy class ships in general get less attention on Cruise Critic, but don't let that scare you. We feel that you're able to form better relationships with the crew on the smaller ships. Our first cruise was on the Fascination and we got hooked! Have a great time!

 

 

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[tncap]

Our previous 4 cruises were great, but #5 was not so for us. Came home feeling, CCL not what it has been. MDR service (early seating) extremely slow, food not as good tasting as in the past, Piano Bar player (forget his name) very rude/arrogant attitude, Shows (I won't even try to discuss.)

 

I've heard poor things from many people about the piano guy on Fascination.

 

YTD worked well for us though we asked for specific tables after the 2nd night and were accommodated.

[deetrayn]

The Fascination was my very first cruise, and I loved it. I have nothing but good memories, and would sail on her again. I'm still pretty new to cruising, and itinerary is most important to me right now, so that is why I have not been back on her...yet. :)

[beamqueen]

My first cruise ever was on Fascination! I enjoyed it a lot....when we sailed it in 2007 we sailed from Miami. It was a great trip and I actually thought about booking it again for our honeymoon but we will be going on Conquest instead. You will have a wonderful trip!

[Dare2Believe]

We're on the Fascination next month...the only negative thing we've ever read on here about the Fascination is the guy in the piano bar (as stated above)..this is disappointing, but we're still looking forward to our cruise! I'm going to with two friends who haven't cruised before so I'm anxious to see how they like it!

[Mysticks1]

 

But honestly, we feel that the experience on the Fascination is quite a few notches below the experience on Carnival's newest and largest ships.

 

My daughter just sailed on Fascination 2 weeks ago and said basically the same thing. She is 19 and said she was bored on the Fascination. We had sailed on the Fantasy when she was 11 and that is the smallest ship we had sailed on. Her last cruise was on Freedom of the Seas and she loves the big ships and I think she will be happier on the Dream in May. I liked our cruise on the Fantasy but I love the big ships too.

[wdazew]

We were on in September. The crew was great, no issues, nice and relaxed. Yes she is old, yes she is small BUT if you are booking, you know what you are getting. A laid back, just enjoy yourself for a few days - I would go again in a heart beat. It truly was one of the most relaxing cruises we have ever done. Easy to get in and out with no drama

[daniella1279]

We had a great time on the Fascination. nice and relaxing! plus we were kidless! We really enjoy our time at the comedy club and Tommy at the bar near there was Great!

[hannahsmomtoo]

Great ship, great crew, most "fun" cruisers. Go in understanding that a diverse group from across the US is not flying into Jacksonville to go on this cruise and you'll have a great time. I personally love it.

 

I don't understand this? My daughter and I are flying from Arizona to Jacksonville.. People don't do this?:confused:

[hannahsmomtoo]

I think the Fantasy class ships in general get less attention on Cruise Critic, but don't let that scare you. We feel that you're able to form better relationships with the crew on the smaller ships. Our first cruise was on the Fascination and we got hooked! Have a great time!

 

 

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Thank you....we are not looking forward to the long flight ( AZ ) but very excited about seeing the Fascination and HMC

[Tapi]

I don't understand this? My daughter and I are flying from Arizona to Jacksonville.. People don't do this?:confused:

 

Some people will still fly in, but they will be in much smaller percentages than on cruises departing from larger and more established ports of embarkation like Miami where the newest and largest ships sail from on better itineraries, making it worth it to spend the extra money to fly.

 

These older, smaller ships, sailing on short, inexpensive itineraries, and relegated to a smaller port of embarkation like Jacksonville (the cruise terminal is literally a temporary, single story, warehouse style building, catering solely to the Fascination), are designed to attract a "drive to" clientele which, under different circumstances, would've never considered taking a cruise or spent the money to fly.

 

You will see more "locals" that live within driving distance (lots of GA, SC, and FL license plates), many who are first time cruisers and who have nothing to compare the Fascination to (thus the frequent comments here from people stating that it was their 1st cruise and how wonderful it was). Others sail on her frequently and love her because she's so convenient and is the "local girl". Even though our last cruise on her was a bit disappointing, we are still tempted to sail on her again just because of the easy, short drive.

 

For me, flying across the country to sail out of Jacksonville on the Fascination instead of out of a more established port of embarkation with newer, bigger, and better ships, would be the equivalent of flying to Valdosta, Georgia to visit Wild Adventures instead of flying to Orlando to visit Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.

Edited January 11, 2014 by Tapi

[daniella1279]

We flew in from RI for our cruise. Sure the flights back were very limited. We actually flew home to CT and then drove to RI from there.

 

 

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[marshhawk]

I've sailed on the Fascination three times, written reviews, three times, reviews on her just happend to run around the same time, must be a group that writes them, sails together?

I love the size of this ship, no offense to humans in gneral, i just dont like crowds. This last trip I made it to the Serenity deck, which i loved because it was quiet. That is my main compalint about cruise ships in general, they crank up the noise level. My friends say it's because I am old, and my ears cant take it, but on our last cruise, my friend's 20 something daughter walked over to the bar tender, and said="do you see those old people sitting there? it's too loud for them, turn it down. oh and by the way, it;s too loud for me too" LOL. I think this comes from our culture, we no longer know how to just chill, so they wont let us. Get to the Serenity deck.

The food is great, the ports are fun, especially HMC, I do miss that they are not going to Key West anymore, but LSC and HMC make up for that big time! Have a great time, and really, search Fasciantion reviews. Oh, if you can book a balcony, that might be the only way you can get the sound of the ocean.

[YeahBaby!]

We are going on a 5 night cruise on the Fascination at the end of January 2014 and have never been on the Fascination. I've read many reviews on here about the Fascination (good, bad and so-so) and decided to take this cruise for these reasons:

1. I really wanted to go to Key West

2. This is a Christmas present to us (thank you Santa!)

3. The port is within driving distance for us (approx. 5 hours), so we are driving to Jacksonville the morning of the cruise (saving some $$$).

4. This is an "economy" cruise for us (Inside room & no FTTF & we received $60.00 OBC).

5. It leaves on a Saturday, so we don't have to burn all our vacation leave.

 

We are actually looking forward to being on a smaller ship! We've been on the Dream our last 2 cruises, and we enjoyed her very much but I spent a lot of time on our balcony because it felt too crowded for me.

 

I can't offer any reviews about the Fascination until we return but we are going with a "fun time" attitude. If something doesn't suit us on the ship, we just find something that does. We are like most people on here in that we don't sweat the small stuff! This will most likely be our last cruise for a couple of years....saving up for an Alaska cruise! Yeah Baby!

[hannahsmomtoo]

Some people will still fly in, but they will be in much smaller percentages than on cruises departing from larger and more established ports of embarkation like Miami where the newest and largest ships sail from on better itineraries, making it worth it to spend the extra money to fly.

 

These older, smaller ships, sailing on short, inexpensive itineraries, and relegated to a smaller port of embarkation like Jacksonville (the cruise terminal is literally a temporary, single story, warehouse style building, catering solely to the Fascination), are designed to attract a "drive to" clientele which, under different circumstances, would've never considered taking a cruise or spent the money to fly.

 

You will see more "locals" that live within driving distance (lots of GA, SC, and FL license plates), many who are first time cruisers and who have nothing to compare the Fascination to (thus the frequent comments here from people stating that it was their 1st cruise and how wonderful it was). Others sail on her frequently and love her because she's so convenient and is the "local girl". Even though our last cruise on her was a bit disappointing, we are still tempted to sail on her again just because of the easy, short drive.

 

For me, flying across the country to sail out of Jacksonville on the Fascination instead of out of a more established port of embarkation with newer, bigger, and better ships, would be the equivalent of flying to Valdosta, Georgia to visit Wild Adventures instead of flying to Orlando to visit Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.

 

Thank you for the explanation Tapi... I even agree with your comparison. We have recently done the Disneyworld trip....

and I have developed somewhat of a Half Moon Cay Obsession.... that is why we chose the Fascination this time...

 

2012 Splendor

2013 Magic

2014 Fascination

 

Christine