Our Family Fascination Fall Break Cruise review with pics Oct 5 - 10, 2015

[Emperor Norton]

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Oh wow, it looks like the profanity filter is also zapping image names.:eek::rolleyes:

[mommytotwins]

Thank you for commenting, I was beginning to wonder if I was talking to myself! .

 

No way... I'm stalking you :D Loving your review!

[tiggerlover]

Thanks for your review! We are sailing on the Fascination again for Thanksgiving. Can't wait. You have a beautiful family. :)

[eazy91]

Hubby and I had $50 each to gamble. We are really high rollers <wink>. Actually my $50 is more like a donation because I am the most unlucky person, ever! Hubby has really good luck usually and is good at black jack. He generally comes out ahead and I even asked him if he wanted to play in the black jack tournament. Luck was not on his side this trip but I did better than I have ever done before. This ship has the most penny slots that I have ever seen! In fact, it looked to me like most of the slots could be played in one cent increments. I looked around for some of my favorite machines and found one I liked to play. I got crazy and put a whole $5 in. We were keeping an eye on the time because we were going to pick Cole up at Camp Carnival at a certain time. Well the time came and I had +$8 on my machine. I could NOT figure out how to cash out. I am used to being able to print off a ticket that you can take to the cashier or use to play again later. Hubby went on to get Cole and I hit the help button and waited and waited. They were starting some sort of tournament so no one came, I thought it's only $8 so I hit max bet thinking I would burn through it right quick and on the third spin.....I won $125 on the penny slot. Woot! Go ME!!!

 

Here is a pic of my lucky machine.....

 

 

Another pic of some other machines. I like the little piggy machine in the middle in this pic but it wasn't liking me this trip.

 

 

This is the area outside of the Casino. There is also a bar right there and in this area, they seemed to always have trivia. I thought the Casio was EXTREMELY smoky and so was this area. I am sensitive to smoke and just know that this area of the ship will be smoky. If it gets to be too much, I leave.

 

 

After we picked up Cole we had some lunch on the Lido deck. It was almost time for them to be done so we were surprised when there was a LONG line for hamburgers. I think that on some of the newer ships, this issue has been corrected but we experienced long lines anytime it came to get anything to eat. The way it is set up, you have to wait for everyone to make their choices before you can move on. There is no way to skip ahead to the item you are interested in because you have to just go past every other item to get there. I think they could set this up more efficiently but no biggie. I met some really nice people during the week just waiting in these lines. I'm not having to cook it or clean it up so I am happy.

 

While we were eating I took a picture of these cool looking palm trees that were lining the hallway area in the buffet. Palm trees was kind of the theme in the buffet.

 

 

Anytime we stop moving, the other kids seem to find us so we ended up having a late family lunch. The nachos in the grill line were awesome! It was something someone mentioned on these boards so I made sure to try some.

 

And there is always room for ice cream right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its so weird looking at pics almost two months out from this exact cruise. I miss it. My mom got sea sick and literally through up at the exact spot youre taking that picture at outside the casino area. That is also where we sat, right across from the Casino Vault machine, during debarkation......

[eazy91]

Below are the daily activities for the first sea day.

 

 

 

 

We went to the Motor City Show. All the kids that went loved it including our 5 year old. Carnival seems to hire dancers who can sing for their entertainment staff which is much different than singers who can dance. If you are looking for amazing Vegas style shows, you will probably be disappointed. If you are looking to be entertained for an evening for a price that is included with your fare, you are at the right place. Again, just my opinion, other ships have Carnival beat in the entertainment department but we enjoyed the show.

 

This is a pic of the inside of the theater after the show.

 

You can tell from this pic how large the upper bunk is. I know people ask if they are sturdy enough for an adult and the answer is yes!

 

 

Towel animal for tonight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also won 1,000 dollar bingo inside the theater at the little table beside the lady in the pink shirt...when I went on my crews!

[Mistyhon]

Thanks so much for your review, still reading it. The fascination (if we book it) will be my first small ship.

 

 

Do you happen to remember of have the fun times from all the days....does the fascination offer luggage express or a similar service where they take your luggage to the airport? It's looking like the flight won't leave JAX until around 6pm.

[JMHAM1]

Thanks so much for your review, still reading it. The fascination (if we book it) will be my first small ship.

 

 

Do you happen to remember of have the fun times from all the days....does the fascination offer luggage express or a similar service where they take your luggage to the airport? It's looking like the flight won't leave JAX until around 6pm.

 

I do have the fun times for our sailing and will be posting them. I checked the Debarkation Information and didn't see anything about it. I think it is a service for a fee so maybe you have to book it in advance. Sorry I don't have that information.

[beccawes7471]

Loving your review and pictures, thanks for taking the time to post!

[KiwiFunCruiser]

Great review, nice picks.

[JMHAM1]

Our first port was Nassau.

 

 

I have to say that I cruise for the cruise experience and the ports. The Bahamas are convenient for a short cruise, the kids had never been there, but they are not my favorite. That being said, we had a fantastic time. I did LOTS of research. With a big family, we have to make every dollar count. It is also tricky finding something that will please everyone. We settled on the British Colonial Hilton day passes. When I first tried to book, I was told they were sold out but then I went to Island Marketing and was able to book there. Kids 5 and under were free-YES! We had one kid in the 6-12 age so we were able to buy a kids pass but everyone 13 and over is considered an adult. The cost per adult was $60/each but this included a $40 food and beverage credit per adult. Kids passes were $30 and included a $15 F&B credit. They require a 20% deposit and the rest must be paid by CREDIT CARD upon arrival. I liked this option because you could walk from the port so no additional transportation charges and food/beverages were included. We followed the directions given. I think they underestimated the time it took to walk there. It took us about 25 minutes or so but we did stop to look at stuff along the way. I was looking for the entrance and actually found this. Story of my life!

 

 

We went in the exit and found the lobby. It was beautiful and the cool air conditioning was heavenly. The check in was quick.

 

 

 

They gave us towel vouchers and our food and beverage credit ticket. I was thinking it would probably be easy for us to blow through the $255 that we had with Hotel prices.

 

Our first glimpse of the property.

 

 

I'm not sure why the first website I tried said the passes were sold out because we pretty much had the place all to ourselves. The use of the pool and non-motorized "toys" were included. We had no problems getting snorkel gear or kayaks.

 

 

 

 

[Terab85]

We're thinking about doing this excursion. I'm curious on what the food/drink menu looks like or at least prices. For $40 per adult, its going to be pretty expensive. How was the snorkeling? Did you have a big area to swim? From pictures the beach area doesn't look that big, so I'm curious.

[mommytotwins]

I can't see your pics!:(

[BIGA961]

I can't see your pics!:(

 

I can't either...where the pics should be is a graphic from photobucket.

[JMHAM1]

I can't either...where the pics should be is a graphic from photobucket.

 

 

I got it fixed now. Should be all good. Thanks for reading.

 

 

We're thinking about doing this excursion. I'm curious on what the food/drink menu looks like or at least prices. For $40 per adult, its going to be pretty expensive. How was the snorkeling? Did you have a big area to swim? From pictures the beach area doesn't look that big, so I'm curious.

 

The beach was an ok size especially for the low number of people that were there. There was a big area to swim but if you are looking for great snorkeling, this is probably not the beach. Of course, the hurricane had just blown through that area so I think there was an impact from that in terms of visibility. I have the menus and will be posting those shortly.

[JMHAM1]

As I mentioned before the resort was not crowded at all. We waited for the rush of folks to get off the ship and just went at our leisure. I think we got to the resort around 10:30. From the pic below, it looks like we are REALLY close to the ships but the boat traffic was minimal. I thought the view of the 4 ships in port was neat and this may be one of my favorite pics I got from the whole cruise.

 

 

I didn't realize how much smaller the Fascination was until I saw her next to the others. She is parked next to the Dream so I guess that would make anyone look small!

 

The menu from the BCH Grill. This is where you get the food and drinks with your credit.

 

 

We got a good sampling of pretty much everything and the portions were adequate. Were they excelled was on the drinks! They were STRONG yet tasty!

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

We enjoyed the beach first. The sand was powdery and nice. There was a gentle slope into the water. You could go out quite a ways and still be able to touch the bottom. There is a cement wall on the far left of the swimming area which probably had better snorkeling. Three of our kids saw a HUGE stingray and after they cleaned out their bathing suits they decided they were done with the snorkel. It was still a little rough due to the recent hurricane and we didn't want them going that far out or that close to the rock wall.

 

 

After the beach, we enjoyed the pool. Parts of it were shaded and they had some places to lounge around the pool area. We could feel we were getting a little too much sun at that point so it was nice to have the shade and still enjoy the water.

 

 

 

 

 

[JMHAM1]

I think this happy face says it all and sums up our thought about the British Colonial Hilton. Another thing to mention was there was NO peddlers. There was no one trying to sell you anything on the beach and no riff raff. It was a completely private beach.

 

[pcvtmom]

Great review! We, too, loved the British Colonial Hilton. Beautiful, clean, good food, and strong drinks!

[JMHAM1]

Great review! We, too, loved the British Colonial Hilton. Beautiful, clean, good food, and strong drinks!

 

Thank you!! Clean, safe with strong drinks is about all you can ask for in the Bahamas!

[JMHAM1]

Whenever I go anywhere, I end up seeing something that makes me laugh. We were walking back to the ship and I saw this. I guess wherever you go, police like donuts! If you want some dunkin or some baskin robbins, it's across from the Hilton.

 

 

We left BCH with enough time left to stop by the Straw Market. The kids wanted to pick up some trinkets. One thing to note about BCH food and beverage that I forgot to mention, there is a resort tax (fee) and some other tax so whatever you buy has quite a bit of tax on top. The waitress was telling another couple who asked if that was her tip and she said that they didn't get any of that, it was for the resort. We gave her cash as her tip and she seemed to appreciate that.

 

The straw market is on the way back to the ship. There were plenty of stalls. I got a beach bag as a give away at Barns and Noble before our trip. It was blue and green stripes and had an anchor on it. One of the vendors asked to take several pictures of the bag so I am guessing that visitors will see a similar item for sale there soon.

 

 

The one thing my daughter wanted was to get her hair braided. There were women saying they could braid at the market. We agreed then the lady wanted us to walk across the street and down an alley so she could "get her stuff". We declined and left with the rest of the family. Right outside the pier there is a stall of hair braiders that are licensed (regulated) or something. That is where we went. She had a few put in on the side. It turned out great! When we went to Mexico last time, she had her whole head done and she thought it was uncomfortable to sleep in. She said the few on the side was just right.

 

 

Atlantis resort is across the way. We have been there before and honestly, it is too expensive for a family of 8. If I were taking a land vacation, I might consider it but when I priced it out for us......even with a sale going on a cruise wins hands down and is less expensive.

 

 

 

I had never noticed before but almost all the sign posts, boards or trash cans along the sidewalk are covered in stickers. My son asked me about it when we were walking back and I really didn't know what he was talking about until I saw this sign. Does anyone know what the deal is with the stickers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[45014]

We were there in March with our grandchildren, and it was a very nice break from the hustle and bustle of some of the beaches that we have been to. The kids love both the beach and the pool. The food was good, too. Not at all expensive.

[LuCruise]

Great pictures. The BHC looks like a great option for the day. We've booked Blue Lagoon for our Nassau stopped, but looking at your pictures, this beach area looks lovely too, and certainly is much less.

 

Neat view of all the ships.

 

Can I ask what kind of non-motorized toys were included?

[Terab85]

Thank you for the update and pictures. I think that helped us decide to give it a try. I did notice when I went online that there were several websites that sell day passes for the Hilton. Does it matter which one we use?

[JMHAM1]

Great pictures. The BHC looks like a great option for the day. We've booked Blue Lagoon for our Nassau stopped, but looking at your pictures, this beach area looks lovely too, and certainly is much less.

 

Neat view of all the ships.

 

Can I ask what kind of non-motorized toys were included?

 

 

They had snorkel gear, masks and fins, kayaks, paddle boards and boogie boards that I saw. They may have other things but those are what my kids used when we were there.

[JMHAM1]

Thank you for the update and pictures. I think that helped us decide to give it a try. I did notice when I went online that there were several websites that sell day passes for the Hilton. Does it matter which one we use?

 

 

I wouldn't think so. I usually use one that others on here have used with success. I think the pricing was the same on all the ones I checked. The only issue we had was that the credit card I initially used rejected the charge for the deposit because it was showing as an international charge when I had used the same card at home the same day. The company let me know and held my reservation through the weekend until I could call the bank on Monday. I authorized that the charge was legit and we had no problems.

[Terab85]

My youngest DD wants to have her hair braided when we are there. Was it expensive?