Back from Fascination...not impressed

[mpcaruth]

We sailed on the Fascination this summer with our kids and extended family. The extended family thought it was amazing! However, it was their first cruise ever. We have sailed 10 other cruises, and thought it was nice and enjoyable. It's a smaller and older ship and we did not expect to be wowed. The staff were great for us and we had no complaints. And we asked for ice the first evening and we had it that night and every day thereafter.

 

To me, the lido and dining room food and service seem to be about the same on every Carnival ship we have been on: mostly good with an occasional miss. But that is true for the other two cruiselines we have sailed on too.

 

I would agree, if cruising isn't your kids' thing, then no need to do it again. My kids LOVE cruising and especially the ports. So, we have many more family vacations planned on the high seas.

[Spurschick]

Never good to assume. You know what they say. Our last two cruises have been with our children. I only raised my keyboard eyebrow at the comment since it was the kids' first cruise. Even as an adult I loved my first cruise (which was on the Fascination) because I had nothing else to compare it to.

 

I agree that children are entitled to their own opinion. I wouldn't repeat a ship with my kids if my kids didn't like it either. And as for taking them into consideration when planning vacation, my 6 yo hand picked our next cruise. I thought she did a pretty good job, so we booked it! ;)

 

I am glad your child likes cruising. Our DD is pretty good with choosing cruises as well. :D I am just not sure why you would raise an eyebrow at children saying they didn't like the cruise just because it was their first experience cruising and don't have another cruise to compare it to. They are obviously comparing to other vacations, just like a first time adult cruiser would. There is nothing to say they might not prefer another ship/line. Just because you and Myself included, loved our first cruises, doesn't mean everyone will.

 

Perhaps I misunderstood your post, it just came across as being dismissive of the opinion as it was coming from a child. Sorry if I misinterpreted it.

[Spurschick]

I think for us, cruising will be a couples thing/with friends instead of a family thing from this point forward! We tend to enjoy relaxing and just soaking up the sun, our kids just like to be active, even on vacation!

 

I think this was just an off type thing. We would try Fascination again (adults only), especially to see Half Moon Cay again! I think I am definitely going to try a larger/newer ship next time!

 

Not sure how old your children are. I would recommend either freedom class or oasis class RCL if active. They sound like they would love RC private island Labadee, zip lines, roller coaster type ride, water slides etc. on oasis class ships there is a zip line, flow rider, ice skating, rock climbing walls onboard the oasis and allure. You can relax and they can be active:D.

I would also recommend looking at DCL I have heard great things about them for families. Unfortunately I can't get DH on as they don't have a casino:rolleyes:

[cruizinisthebest]

I am glad your child likes cruising. Our DD is pretty good with choosing cruises as well. :D I am just not sure why you would raise an eyebrow at children saying they didn't like the cruise just because it was their first experience cruising and don't have another cruise to compare it to. They are obviously comparing to other vacations, just like a first time adult cruiser would. There is nothing to say they might not prefer another ship/line. Just because you and Myself included, loved our first cruises, doesn't mean everyone will.

 

Perhaps I misunderstood your post, it just came across as being dismissive of the opinion as it was coming from a child. Sorry if I misinterpreted it.

Understood. I didn't mean my comment to suggest I am dismissive of the little ones opinions. Lord knows you don't want an unhappy kid while on vacation.

[Spurschick]

Understood. I didn't mean my comment to suggest I am dismissive of the little ones opinions. Lord knows you don't want an unhappy kid while on vacation.

 

No problem. Happy sailing:D

 

I hope OP has many more happy sailings as well:D

[debandbruce]

We just sailed on the Fascination on Sept 27th. We went on this ship because Styx was playing on board. We were worried because it was an older ship but were pleasantly surprised. It appeared clean and updated. We never found it crowded and the staff was wonderful. The food was fine, not the best we have had but based on the price we paid we had no complaints. I didn't have to cook, clean or make my bed! My brother and SIL were with us, it was their first cruise. They loved it and are already talking about their next one. I would sail on the Fascination again in a heartbeat!

[lola61]

My friends were on this cruise and they said it was amazing. Funny how people view the same thing :confused:

 

 

Quick run down of our experience on Carnival Fascination:

 

Pro's:

 

Embarkation process went quickly and smoothly, same as debarking.

 

Our room stewards were extremely great!

 

Half Moon Cay is the most amazing beach!

 

We were on vacation!

 

Con's:

 

Was told to call room service for a bucket of ice.....it never came, even after calling to check on it.

 

Anytime dining---orders getting messed up on 2 different nights and having items arrive that weren't even ordered and waiter never fixed the mistake. Special cake order was lost. Waiter spilling water all over the table and just laughing about it.

 

Buffet---drink station always was empty of coffee, cups or ice. Seemed hard to get anything to drink.

 

Food overall was pretty poor quality. We aren't picky eaters at all, but it was hard to find anything that was even "wow, good"!

 

Entertainment was meh........always loved seeing the shows, etc....this time it seemed like there wasn't much going on.

 

On our 1st cruise, we seen our cruise director frequently....on this one, didn't see/hear from him at all until our 3rd night on the ship.

 

Overall, when compared with our first cruise......this one sucked. It was our kids first cruise and they weren't impressed at all by it. Majority of the staff was pretty rude, which is not typical of Carnival staff at all! The changes to the food quality is noticeable and some days it was hard pressed to find anything besides the deli that tasted good! Debating on trying a larger Carnival ship, switching and trying RCL or even doing just an all inclusive for next time.

[poison7fl]

I have a couple cruises under my belt and never experienced rude staff... I know that it would be bad for them if so. Of the cruises that I have been on, I only complained once, and that was due to the condition of the ship (Last cruise prior to dry dock, and it was torn up!)

 

If you did experience rude or unfriendly staff, you should have went to the front desk.

[cruzinlisa]

I would try a different (possibly larger) ship. Most of your complaints seem to be service related which are going to be specific to the particular staff, but not industry wide. You might even sale the same ship again and have a different experience.

 

I do find that the larger ships are a better time. I just came back from Elation, which was my 5 carnival cruise. Our last 3 carnival cruises were on Conquest class ships. The Elation (a fantasy class ship) was definitely different than the post 2.0 Conquest. I still had a great cruise, but DH did not like it as much as last time. There were definitely less dining options and there was no sports bar (which disappointed DH since it is football season and the baseball playoffs were on). No guys burger, blue iguana, steakhouse, EA sports bar or alchemy bar. The menus for a 5 day were different than the 7 day menus. There was less entertainment (or so I thought).

 

But the food was good, drinks were good, comedy was funny, Mexican deck party was fun.

[alfthecruiser_1]

I told them how much fun our first cruise was...they heard the stories of what it was like and just weren't impressed compared with past vacations that were non-cruising.

 

I would automatically not believe it either...but I did experience it this cruise! The photo staff (the ones who sold the pics) were really bad. Went to pay for my pics and he rang me up and just handed me the pics back, I asked if he could put them in the cardboard envelope so that they wouldn't bend and sighed loudly and did put them in an envelope. When I was turning to walk away, I realized he hadn't given me the "free" gifts you get when you buy pics, I turned to ask them about them and he leaned behind the podium and grabbed some of the stuff and threw it on the podium and walked away.......I didn't even inquire about the coffee mug...just decided to chalk it up and forget it.

 

The staff in the buffet area.....only ONE was friendly and actually smiled and talked. The rest looked pissed off a lot of the time and never once smiled.

 

The only staff that was friendly were the ones working directly for tips....and even then, I was 2 for 4 in the MDR that was friendly/good at their job.

 

Like I said....not typical at all for Carnival. Don't know what was going on because I had read a lot of positive about Fascination and I heard several times a day, every single day, other cruisers making remarks about it being the worst cruise that they have taken. So something was definitely different.

I have to agree with you on some parts. We were on there for the STYX 9/27-10/2 cruise and encountered some of the same.We had an outstanding group of 10 people as well as dining crew. Not to mention, we also knew the Maitre`d. As far as the photo dept staff, I mentioned at some point, you all should be fired. They were the worst I have ever seen. Needless to say, I told them where to put the pictures. :eek: I know, don`t say it.. Several of the crew in the lido resturant, also most of the bar servers on the lido, got a few words of wisdom from me. I have seen better on a training ship from new crew members. We all had fun just the same. Going back in Feb. "15."

[Tapi]

We've been on Fascination 4 times, and the experience has ranged from "That was awesome, she's my favorite Carnival ship" to "That sucked. I'm never sailing on her or on Carnival again", so I agree, one shouldn't base their opinion on just one sailing.

 

Many people may cheer for the Fascination (IMHO because she's their sentimental favorite), but she doesn't represent the best that Carnival has to offer. We had some observations similar to the OP's when we last sailed on her. The experience wasn't bad. Just mediocre. We came home just wanting a bit more from our cruise vacations.

 

Our last sailing on the Fascination was the "stick that broke the camel's back" and prompted us to branch out and explore other cruise lines after 9 consecutive Carnival cruises (which has been an eye opening experience and truly wonderful). We did sail on Carnival again (after saying that I was done with Carnival) and I'm glad I did. We sailed on the Dream and the experience was great! VERY enjoyable and it restored my faith on Carnival. Much better than the Fascination in so many ways.

 

With that said, I think that Fascination is still a good option for a quick and cheap getaway, from a nearby port of embarkation, and with fairly low expectations, but I would not recommend it without a few disclaimers.

 

 

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Edited November 27, 2014 by Tapi

[Tapi]

I have a couple cruises under my belt and never experienced rude staff....

 

 

Rude? No. Overworked and exhausted to the point of being unable to even return a smile? Yes.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[evandbob]

My only comment would be the listing of not seeing or hearing from the cruise director for 3 days as a negative.

 

To me, that would be a major plus. The best CD has a week long case of laryngitis, IMO.

[RuthlessBoss]

My only comment would be the listing of not seeing or hearing from the cruise director for 3 days as a negative.

 

To me, that would be a major plus. The best CD has a week long case of laryngitis, IMO.

 

Why do people feel the need to mingle with a CD? I could care less, I'm there to cruise.

I did notice my CD on Getaway, he was everywhere, and was Mr. Upbeat even making announcements.

[Aplmac]

Debating on trying a larger Carnival ship, switching and trying RCL

or even doing just an all inclusive for next time.

Can't imagine why you even booked a cruise

on an old and tired Carnival boat in service since 1994!

 

Strongly suggest you try a more modern ship that is not in Carnival's Antiquated Class.

 

 

See here for much more info on antiquity versus modernity

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_Cruise_Lines

 

It'll help you book more selectively, next time. ;)

.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Aplmac

[kmc500]

In ten cruises, I have NEVER, EVER, MET ONE RUDE EMPLOYEE ...no matter which cruise line I have been on.

 

Same here. Could be just anecdotal evidence, but on our 12 cruises, I can't remember a single rude employee, so for someone to note that nearly all of the employees were rude seems incredible.

 

Kevin C

[Orison]

 

When someone says "the majority of the staff was rude" I automatically do not believe the poster. In ten cruises, I have NEVER, EVER, MET ONE RUDE EMPLOYEE ...no matter which cruise line I have been on.

 

You're lucky. We had one who was our main server. I was told by the MD he was getting fired at the end of the cruise. We never tipped him. We gave our tip money to the MD, who corrected, any mostly served us.

 

Another trip, both our service staff were just inept. Not one order right for the entire 5 day cruise, yet the assisted waiter brought my wife a cola ever single dinner for some strange reason at the beginning of every meal. Even getting bread was a hardship.

[just4steven]

I don't know how old your kids are....but unless YOU expressed your opinion in front of them...how would they know the difference?????

 

When someone says "the majority of the staff was rude" I automatically do not believe the poster. In ten cruises, I have NEVER, EVER, MET ONE RUDE EMPLOYEE ...no matter which cruise line I have been on.

 

I won't say you are lucky as I believe this should be the norm, but just an FYI that I am your normal happy go lucky drunk that is basically like a Zoloft pill factory I'm so happy! So anyway, on my first cruise, everyone was wonderful.............. except one person. Some big tall Russian dude delivering room service, WOW! First, I was trashed, and I'm talking like mega hungover trashed! Dude comes pounding on the door at like 6:30, I get up thinking it's the cruise police arresting me for something I did in my drunked stuper, but no, it's this big intimidating bro I can hardly understand that is very scary looking, much bigger than me that if I wasn't in bad shape the dude would have crushed me like an obliverated jelly bean, and he was just beyond assertive, like just a jerkoid! Just yelling and being so demanding as to sign this and sign that and take this and take that with super attitude. I was just like wth :confused: um, lemme go back and sleep this off a bit bro as I have no clue why you are here and I have zero recollection of leaving a room service card out!

 

Oh no, oh my! I'm rambling on way too much here! Long story short, big tall Russian dude if any of you ever see him. I noticed him a couple more times on the ship and he was the only one that NEVER smiled at all. Just a creep.

 

Ok, rant over, and I'm glad you never had to deal with this, but WOW, keep an eye out for this one! Glad I never had to deal with him as everyone else was fantasic and always happy and smiling! :)