Carnival fascination- really worth it???

[ccleveland]

I'm going on a 5 day Bahamas cruise on September 21 and some of the threads I been reading says the ship is really out dated. I know it's old and doesn't have all the bells and whistles but I'm going on this cruise just to get away and enjoy the open sea with tons of food and to watch the shows and comedy shows.

 

With that said... Has anyone been on the fascination within the last 1-2 months? Tell me about your experience??

 

 

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[paget]

I was wondering the same thing. We were thinking of booking the Fascination next summer on a southern carib. out of San Juan, but kind of hesitating.

 

Maria

[keywest1]

We sailed on the Fascination in June and had a wonderful cruise. The ship was clean, the crew was friendly, and there was plenty to do. Don't believe all the negative reviews--I've found it's better to go with an open mind. I haven't been disappointed yet :)

[Vitamin_Sea]

I'm going on a 5 day Bahamas cruise on September 21 and some of the threads I been reading says the ship is really out dated. I know it's old and doesn't have all the bells and whistles but I'm going on this cruise just to get away and enjoy the open sea with tons of food and to watch the shows and comedy shows.

 

With that said... Has anyone been on the fascination within the last 1-2 months? Tell me about your experience??

 

 

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Never been on a Fantasy class ship. You really have to go into it with reasonable expectations. They are older and smaller compared to whats out there now. I guess CCL will faze them out eventually.

[Marknga]

We are leaving on her September 12th. It will be our first Carnival cruise.

I too have read all the negative reviews... but what the heck?

My wife and I are going to be off work, away from home, on a cruise ship, eating and relaxing, chilling on the beach a couple of days....

Can't wait.

[Vitamin_Sea]

We are leaving on her September 12th. It will be our first Carnival cruise.

I too have read all the negative reviews... but what the heck?

My wife and I are going to be off work, away from home, on a cruise ship, eating and relaxing, chilling on the beach a couple of days....

Can't wait.

 

Yep thats really it. what the heck, how bad could it be?

Its better then root canal.

[Marknga]

We are leaving on her September 12th. It will be our first Carnival cruise.

I too have read all the negative reviews... but what the heck?

My wife and I are going to be off work, away from home, on a cruise ship, eating and relaxing, chilling on the beach a couple of days....

Can't wait.

[tandemcruzr]

We've been on the Fascination 4 times -- most recently a B2B this past April. Had a great time on both legs. All the staff we encountered went out of their way to say "Hello" or "Have a nice day"

 

Cabin Steward and waitstaff were super. The ship does show some wear and tear, but it didn't put a damper on our cruise.

 

Go and have fun. Be sure to check out the Serenity area. And if you have fixed dining, have a before dinner cocktail at the Beverly Hills Bar on Deck 9, aft. You are one level above the dining room and can avoid the crowds in the dining room lobby. Just wait for the crowd to get through the doors, walk down one flight of stairs and go directly to your table.

Edited September 1, 2015 by tandemcruzr

[Terab85]

We are leaving on her September 12th. It will be our first Carnival cruise.

I too have read all the negative reviews... but what the heck?

My wife and I are going to be off work, away from home, on a cruise ship, eating and relaxing, chilling on the beach a couple of days....

Can't wait.

 

 

We're cruising the Fascination Feb 2016 and would love to hear your feedback on this. We did the Liberty earlier this year and I'm actually looking forward to being on a smaller ship. :D

[pwsmith88]

I sailed on Sensation back in April. Yes they are older ships. Yes the decor is original but I LOVED it. The retro look made the cruise that much more fun. I think you will love Fascination. The smaller ships make for a wonderful intimate cruise.

[summersigh]

Never been on a Fantasy class ship. You really have to go into it with reasonable expectations. They are older and smaller compared to whats out there now. I guess CCL will faze them out eventually.

 

We sailed Fascination awhile back and had a great trip.

 

I don't think CCL is in any big hurry to phase out the smaller ships. They have a lot of home ports for them that involve going under bridges where the bigger, newer ships can't fit.

[Vitamin_Sea]

We sailed Fascination awhile back and had a great trip.

 

I don't think CCL is in any big hurry to phase out the smaller ships. They have a lot of home ports for them that involve going under bridges where the bigger, newer ships can't fit.

 

Well, they have been trying to sell Fantasy.

 

Cant keep em forever otherwise they would still have Jubilee and celebration in the fleet

Edited September 1, 2015 by Vitamin_Sea

[CruizCuz]

I have been on the Fascination twice, and have another cruise planned soon on this ship. I have also cruised other Fantasy class ships, the Sensation, Elation, and Imagination. I don't personally participate in the activities onboard the ships. I don't when I cruise on a smaller or larger ship. I love the Serenity area, waterworks and ease of moving around the ship. For us, living in Jax, this is a great way to get away, at a decent price and CRUISE!

[Tapi]

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Fascination again, but ONLY IF the price is right, meaning less than $60/day or $300 for a 5 day cruise. Anything more than that and I feel ripped off.

If you're going with a "budget experience" mind frame, and pay accordingly, it's not a bad choice for a few days to enjoy the basic pleasures of cruising.

[Vitamin_Sea]

I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Fascination again, but ONLY IF the price is right, meaning less than $60/day or $300 for a 5 day cruise. Anything more than that and I feel ripped off.

If you're going with a "budget experience" mind frame, and pay accordingly, it's not a bad choice for a few days to enjoy the basic pleasures of cruising.

 

True.. could of sailed her in January for 37 a day. Passed on it and doing a cruise on X with 400 OBC.

Edited September 1, 2015 by Vitamin_Sea

[4ready2cruz]

Is the Fascination still sailing out of Jaxport? If she is, then be sure to be on the Sport Deck at sailaway. It was awesome sailing under the bridge and wondering if we were going to make it!

 

We have sailed Fantasy class ships twice and then our last cruise being on the refurbished Sunshine. I preferred the Fantasy class ships over Sunshine.

[ccleveland]

Wow thanks for the help you all!! I have been on the dream and breeze and thill be the first time on smaller ship. I have a ocean view on the 3rd deck so hopefully my room will not feel to much motion. I think it's r96.

 

I have read mixed reviews about the ship but this cruise is the 2 year mark with my wife and we're going to just get out and celebrate a little and have some fun not spend to much money even though I do have money to waste for the trip haha :)

 

I'm little worried with the Hurricanes happening lately that on our cruise another one will happen. We're leaving the 21st of this month and so far the ocean seemed to have calmed down so fingers are crossed.

 

Any good excursions for half moon cay?

 

 

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[monzter]

have been on her 7 times and we have never had a bad cruise!

the staff is always great, it is a smaller ship and is easy to navigate around, things are easy to find. the ship is older but so are we! the crew works very hard to keep it clean and looking nice despite her age!

the food has never let us down, either the buffet or the dining room.

just relax and have a good time despite the things u may have read.

[aandrseidl]

We sailed the fascination back in May. Our past experiences have always been 7 and 8 day cruises (the Breeze, Victory and Miracle), but we were looking for a quick trip to extend our vacation. If you go in knowing that this isn't the Breeze or a nicer ship you will be fine. We read all the reviews and the ship was nice - we were not disappointed. Yes, it was older, but there were a lot of things I really liked. It wasn't as packed, I could eat every day at the Mongolian walk without waiting in line for an hour. I could actually see a comedy show even though we walked in 5 minutes before it started. The crew was awesome - no disappointment there and some were even better than on past ships. The pizza place seen my son coming and would throw him in a pizza. The Mexican buffet was also awesome. Some of the other ships did not have it. I could go on and on....

 

With that said the biggest draw back from my perspective was the crowd. Of course no disrespect meant, but we ran into a lot of college kids looking for a good time so there was a lot of partying - more noise in the hallways late at night. We even seen a couple fights in the evening. Something we never seen on other ships. Again these aren't deal breakers for me, but just sharing our experience.

 

Overall if you go into it with your eyes open you won't be disappointed. We loved our cruise on the fascination and would do it again if presented the opportunity at the right price.

[linbobky]

have been on her 7 times and we have never had a bad cruise!

the staff is always great, it is a smaller ship and is easy to navigate around, things are easy to find. the ship is older but so are we! the crew works very hard to keep it clean and looking nice despite her age!

the food has never let us down, either the buffet or the dining room.

just relax and have a good time despite the things u may have read.

 

going on her oct. 10th. we love this class of ship.:) I never go by the reviews.

 

always go with an open mind!:) we always have a blast, even though we are in our 60's.:)

[JayDeeJay]

We have sailed the Fasc. so many times, the staff knows us! We enjoy the smaller boat, and have never felt overwhelmed. We much prefer Anytime Dining, however. Dining experience is to rally different and much more enjoyable!

[Anjanu]

I am doing a back to back on the Fascination in December to say goodbye since they are moving her! It will be my 13th and 14th time on her out of 25 cruises! I love the Fascination and will miss her when she leaves. The Fascination is a great ship!

[Barry ATL]

We sailed the Fascination in March. It was a work cruise for DH. They only had to meet for a few hours on one sea day. We went in with zero expectations. We ended up having a great time. Here are a few tips:

 

--Find the serenity area on the first day. It is a great place to get away from the noise.

--The clubs that have no programming are a great place to hang out in the day with a drink. Our favorite was the Puttin' On The Ritz club. It was open during the day and was very quiet. It is next to the serenity area so you can go outside as needed.

--When eating at the buffet, take your plate out the aft doors (next to the bar and pizza place). It is usually not crowded. Some of the tables are shaded. One night we had a snack at one of those tables while watching the sun set.

--The grills by the pool are good. Again, get your plate and walk all the way to the aft of the ship to eat.

--The deck with the life boats is not crowded. We found it a nice place to get away from the crowds.

--Unless you are putting more than two people in a cabin, make sure you do not get one with the Pullman beds. Those beds were added as an after thought. You will find yourself banging your head in the middle of the night.

--The entertainment staff was great. They really went out of their way to entertain us.

--The Atrium Bar was my hangout. Lots of people coming and going. Always some good entertainment.

--As another poster suggested, do not wait with the crowds for the dining room to open. If you are in the rear (aft) dining room, go up one level to the Beverly Hills Bar and wait there. There is a private staircase that goes directly in the aft dining room bypassing the crowds.

--Pay for the FTTF (Faster To The Fun). We were on the ship by 11:00 AM. We dropped our bags, met our steward, and were at the buffet by 11:15 AM. We had our food and were relaxing with a drink by the time the hoards of people hit the buffet. Also, with FTTF you get other convenience features. It was worth it to us.

--I paid for the behind the scenes tour. It was fun. I got to go to the bridge and meet the officers. Also, we were in the dressing rooms for the entertainers and had time to chat them up.

--NOT TO BE MISSED: Afternoon tea in the piano bar. It was so much fun. The musician was great and so was the service. It was definitely Carnival style. Meaning, it was casual but still afternoon tea.

 

As you can tell, we like to not be around the crowds. With a little creativity we avoided the crowds. If you want any other questions answered, please let me know. I will be glad to tell you more about our experience.

 

**The above comes with the following disclaimer: Your results may vary depending on your attitude and expectations. :)

[ccleveland]

We sailed the Fascination in March. It was a work cruise for DH. They only had to meet for a few hours on one sea day. We went in with zero expectations. We ended up having a great time. Here are a few tips:

 

 

 

--Find the serenity area on the first day. It is a great place to get away from the noise.

 

--The clubs that have no programming are a great place to hang out in the day with a drink. Our favorite was the Puttin' On The Ritz club. It was open during the day and was very quiet. It is next to the serenity area so you can go outside as needed.

 

--When eating at the buffet, take your plate out the aft doors (next to the bar and pizza place). It is usually not crowded. Some of the tables are shaded. One night we had a snack at one of those tables while watching the sun set.

 

--The grills by the pool are good. Again, get your plate and walk all the way to the aft of the ship to eat.

 

--The deck with the life boats is not crowded. We found it a nice place to get away from the crowds.

 

--Unless you are putting more than two people in a cabin, make sure you do not get one with the Pullman beds. Those beds were added as an after thought. You will find yourself banging your head in the middle of the night.

 

--The entertainment staff was great. They really went out of their way to entertain us.

 

--The Atrium Bar was my hangout. Lots of people coming and going. Always some good entertainment.

 

--As another poster suggested, do not wait with the crowds for the dining room to open. If you are in the rear (aft) dining room, go up one level to the Beverly Hills Bar and wait there. There is a private staircase that goes directly in the aft dining room bypassing the crowds.

 

--Pay for the FTTF (Faster To The Fun). We were on the ship by 11:00 AM. We dropped our bags, met our steward, and were at the buffet by 11:15 AM. We had our food and were relaxing with a drink by the time the hoards of people hit the buffet. Also, with FTTF you get other convenience features. It was worth it to us.

 

--I paid for the behind the scenes tour. It was fun. I got to go to the bridge and meet the officers. Also, we were in the dressing rooms for the entertainers and had time to chat them up.

 

--NOT TO BE MISSED: Afternoon tea in the piano bar. It was so much fun. The musician was great and so was the service. It was definitely Carnival style. Meaning, it was casual but still afternoon tea.

 

 

 

As you can tell, we like to not be around the crowds. With a little creativity we avoided the crowds. If you want any other questions answered, please let me know. I will be glad to tell you more about our experience.

 

 

 

**The above comes with the following disclaimer: Your results may vary depending on your attitude and expectations. :)

 

 

That was a lot of helpful information thank you so much for it. I definitely will be doing behind-the-scenes to because I've never done it before but the faster to the fun I cannot get it because it was sold out and has been which stinks!

 

Do you guys take your luggage off the ship when the cruise is over or do you let carnival do it for you? I do not have faster to the fun so I am attempting to take the luggage off myself should I or should I let Carnival do it for me?

 

 

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[Professor69]

Just got off the Fascination yesterday, I love the Fantasy class ships and we had a wonderful experience on the Fascination. Great crew, great food, no complaints!