Stinger-pr's fascinating honeymoon, Fascination cruise review- Oct. 16-23, 2016

[itchintocruise]

Thanks for posting your great review, really enjoying the pics. We will be sailing on this ship in March.

[me-shel]

Day 3: Day at Sea Continued

 

So here are the correct Fun Times for the day:

 

Thank you for taking the time to include these! I'm not normally one that wants/needs to dissect the daily schedule before we arrive (trying to force myself to be more spontaneous), but these have really helped me answer some question for the newbies traveling with us.

 

On with the adventure....

[tomsuelaw]

Amazing job so far Stinger!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to do it. I am following and loving every post so far!

 

We will be on the Fascination in March. It will be our 2nd SJ cruise and 3rd time on the Fascination. She is one of my favorite ships....probably tied for 1st with the Dream!

 

Congrats to you and your DW. :)

[ABQrobin]

I am loving your review! Between you and Mitsugirls reviews, I think this is our next cruise...maybe for our anniversary in may. Keep it coming!

[pghsteelerfan]

Well, if THIS isn't "deja vu"...trying to use the "quote" feature and dang, it's not working. I had the same issues when doing my review of Liberty last year and a few others who tried to use the "quotes" while posting on it mentioned they had the same issues.

 

"So, after all was said and done, they exited the stage through where I was standing so I could meet her and her first words to me were “I’m gonna kill you!!” I kid you not….jajajaja. They took her backstage to change, I stayed behind talking to Marcelo between pictures he was taking with other guests (heck I decided I wanted a picture too!!)."

I don't know if you remember the part in my review last year where my hubby ended up in the "men's hairy chest contest" on our sea day or not, but this part of your review sounds SO familiar! We were up on Deck 10 as they were looking for the last contestant. One of our other friends was already down there to participate. I jokingly pointed at my hubby and next thing we knew they were calling him down as the final contestant. He is on the quiet side and does not want to be the center of attention or anywhere near it, but there he was. I could not stop laughing yet I was pretty nervous in thinking about his reaction to me following the contest. But yeah, I got those same words when the contest was over and he returned to where we were sitting..."I'm gonna kill you".

 

"In the end we had a blast and although she reluctantly admits it, she had the time of her life doing something that under normal conditions she would never do. At least not sober anyway…jaja. Fearing for my life, we went to the room to change and went back up to The Stars bar to catch the band After School Special perform their "Mowtown and Beyond" set which was very good and drew a pretty good size crowd."

 

Like your wife, that was also something my hubby would never do under normal circumstances, but just know that he was actually enjoying it. He wasn't the only one up there making a fool of himself after all. But I watched the contest and have the pictures...he had a big old smile on his face for most of that contest, so he had to have secretly been enjoying it. :D My fear was also that point when we'd go back to the room where I thought he might be pretty upset, but I still could not stop laughing even then. He told me I was a little s**t and let me know that I had help. One of the others we were with, another gal, was also pointing at him and our friend who was also participating told the assistant cruise director that they had their final contestant and HE pointed up to us. I did not know that at the time. Sure made some great memories that we still laugh about. So glad your wife has a good sense of humor and can roll with it too and hoping it's a memory you both will look back on, for many years, with smiles.

 

I am really enjoying your review and was so happy to see, and read, your latest update. You know me, I'll definitely be following until the finish. :)

[Stinger-pr]

Another series of exciting posts. Welcome back!

Thanks!!!

[Stinger-pr]

I am glued!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

LOL...Thanks!! I wish I could say the same. Completing this thing has been so difficult this time around.

[Stinger-pr]

Welcome back!! I was beginning to worry I wouldn't have the end of your review (It would be like not being able to finish a good book!)

It's been hard balancing everything this time around but I'm getting there. Sorry to keep you waiting for so long.

[Stinger-pr]

Thanks for posting your great review, really enjoying the pics. We will be sailing on this ship in March.

I'm glad you're enjoying it. You will love your cruise. I though the ship would be bogus but it was perfect for the time we actually spent on it. If you're out and about every day doing something on shore, the smaller size (and crowds) will be great.

[Stinger-pr]

Thank you for taking the time to include these! I'm not normally one that wants/needs to dissect the daily schedule before we arrive (trying to force myself to be more spontaneous), but these have really helped me answer some question for the newbies traveling with us.

 

On with the adventure....

I know these Fun Times change every now and then, but I also know they have their audience here. On my second trip, a reviewer posted his from a few months before and it sure helped me plan some things our for the night. But just like you, I don't "paint by numbers" and also leave room for spur of the moment things.

[Stinger-pr]

Amazing job so far Stinger!!!! Thank you so much for taking the time to do it. I am following and loving every post so far!

 

We will be on the Fascination in March. It will be our 2nd SJ cruise and 3rd time on the Fascination. She is one of my favorite ships....probably tied for 1st with the Dream!

 

Congrats to you and your DW. :)

Glad you like it and glad to know you're coming back to SJ. I haven't sailed from anywhere else but really, is there a Carnival home port with more and better things to do than SJ?? Yeah I'm biased....I know...LOL

[Stinger-pr]

I am loving your review! Between you and Mitsugirls reviews, I think this is our next cruise...maybe for our anniversary in may. Keep it coming!

Thanks for your words and for following along. You will love this itinerary! If you can spare a few days before/after in Puerto Rico all the better (airfare is cheaper coming in Thurs or leaving Tues. by the way...).

[Stinger-pr]

Well, if THIS isn't "deja vu"...trying to use the "quote" feature and dang, it's not working. I had the same issues when doing my review of Liberty last year and a few others who tried to use the "quotes" while posting on it mentioned they had the same issues.

 

Yup...having the same issues this time as well. Some things never change here, do they?

 

I don't know if you remember the part in my review last year where my hubby ended up in the "men's hairy chest contest" on our sea day or not, but this part of your review sounds SO familiar! We were up on Deck 10 as they were looking for the last contestant. One of our other friends was already down there to participate. I jokingly pointed at my hubby and next thing we knew they were calling him down as the final contestant. He is on the quiet side and does not want to be the center of attention or anywhere near it, but there he was. I could not stop laughing yet I was pretty nervous in thinking about his reaction to me following the contest. But yeah, I got those same words when the contest was over and he returned to where we were sitting..."I'm gonna kill you".

 

I do remember this and I remembered a few days later thinking about that day. When they started looking for "volunteers" DW actually said "look uninterested". I guess that doomed us in the end...LOL

 

Like your wife, that was also something my hubby would never do under normal circumstances, but just know that he was actually enjoying it. He wasn't the only one up there making a fool of himself after all. But I watched the contest and have the pictures...he had a big old smile on his face for most of that contest, so he had to have secretly been enjoying it. :D My fear was also that point when we'd go back to the room where I thought he might be pretty upset, but I still could not stop laughing even then. He told me I was a little s**t and let me know that I had help. One of the others we were with, another gal, was also pointing at him and our friend who was also participating told the assistant cruise director that they had their final contestant and HE pointed up to us. I did not know that at the time. Sure made some great memories that we still laugh about. So glad your wife has a good sense of humor and can roll with it too and hoping it's a memory you both will look back on, for many years, with smiles.

 

I am really enjoying your review and was so happy to see, and read, your latest update. You know me, I'll definitely be following until the finish. :)

 

I'm glad you're having a good time with the review. Sorry to keep you guys waiting. The way this is going, I'm going to be writing in two different years...LOL But I'll be darned if I don't hurry this up a bit.

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados

 

Today's Fun Times

 

 

 

 

 

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados Continued

 

I had set my alarm to catch the sunrise and see Barbados from the distance but I honestly overslept. When we finally got up and I looked out the window we were already coming into the docks at Barbados. This is not a pretty port by any means. The ships that dock here do so in a busy industrial park where they load and unload cargo ships. As you can see we shared parking with two other cargo ships and there were a bunch more just off the bay waiting for their turn to park.

 

 

This was our parking spot:

 

There were also several other boats on the other side of the pier (it’s kindda like a U-shape), including this nice yatch.

 

 

After taking a few early pics, I went back to the room, collected my stuff and DW and went up for breakfast. No really long lines today. I guess this is a “late start” port.

 

 

 

My Krusty Breakfast:

 

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados Continued

 

How do you “do something” but not really “do much” at the same time in Barbados? We answered this by going to one of the beach bars on Carlisle Bay, specifically The Boatyard. After getting off the boat we took our obligatory picture with the “Welcome to Barbados sign”. FREE TIP: There are two signs and the both say the SAME thing on both sides so if you go to the side opposite to the one you see coming from the ship you will have a better backdrop (the ship vs. a warehouse-looking terminal building) and you will have slightly better lighting since the rising sun will be over your shoulder from the back instead of in front of you behind the sign.

 

The sign looking towards the terminal:

 

The other sign with the ship in the background:

 

 

 

We entered the terminal and found almost everything was closed. We found an open Wi-Fi signal and messaged home to check on things. Signal was good enough for a few Whatsapp calls. I went to take a picture of the terminal and was immediately reprimanded by a security guard for doing so (really dude???). So, really, no pictures inside a public, tourist terminal full of (closed) stores? Mehhh. I even checked the picture thinking I had inadvertently taken a picture of him and he was indeed in the shot. Maybe it’s illegal to take picture of security/ police officers in Barbados. Does anyone know??

 

 

After we “phoned home” (yeah, cheesy, I know…) we went outside to the taxi stands and I swear that next time I’m in Barbados I will seriously consider walking to The Boatyard if that’s where we decide to go. Otherwise I will walk outside the terminal and catch a taxi on the street. Taxi service here SUCKS!! You exit the main terminal building and walk up to a queue where a dispatcher will ask you where you intend to go. After getting pointed to a driver you get herded into waiting taxis depending on where you’re heading. Once you get on one pray you are the last passengers needed to fill whatever vehicle they have or that you’re in a group big enough to fill one. Otherwise you will wait, and wait, and wait. I might be bearable if you’re sitting in A/C but not if you’re led into one of many vehicles that don’t have A/C to wait for the driver to fill every seat until he leaves.

 

After waiting in the sun, no A/C, humid and hot (and we’re used to humidity) for 20-25 minutes watching the driver argue about God knows what, we were all ready to get off the van and demand we were taken at least to one with A/C. And all we needed was two more passengers!! The arguing got so out of control that a group of about 15-20 people were asking to be taken on an island tour. They needed two vans and got fed up because the drivers couldn’t decide who would take them and for what price. They got pissed and walked back to the terminal to see if they could just get one of the bigger tour buses. We were also fed up and just as we were about to leave the taxi, we were asked… No scratch that. We were told by another driver to exit the van and follow him so we wouldn’t have to keep waiting. After looking at each other we did so, only to find out his van also had no A/C (ughh). Some said that they were NOT getting on if he wasn’t leaving immediately. He said he’d leave right away so we all got on.

 

A short 5 minutes later DW and I were dropped off in front of The Boatyard. When I say in front, I mean across the street!! This guy couldn’t even be bothered to drop us of safely in the parking lot of the facility. So let me get this straight. I have to wait, baking in a hot van with no A/C for 25 minutes, you take me out of a hot van and get me in ANOTHER hot van waiting for a ride that takes no more than 5 minutes and you can’t be bothered to even drop me off in a safe place like..maybe a freakin’ parking lot. I’m sorry if you don’t share my thoughts but I did not tip him. He didn’t like that I didn’t and I looked at him like “after all of this you really expect a tip?? Please…

 

So we finally made it to The Boatyard

 

 

 

We paid our $20 each entry fee at the Boatyard and got our wristbands. There was a bump in price of $5 since I was here last year in August 2015 but the price includes a drink (soft drink, water, rum punch, Carib beer or a drink called Shark Bite, if I’m not mistaken), one beach chair each, one umbrella that covers both chairs, use of facilities like bathrooms and fresh water showers and WIFI (good near the bar, spotty as you head closer to the water). That $5 bump also covers a short (and I do mean short) trip to snorkel with turtles, which we immediately signed up for. There was basically no one there yet and we had our pick of chairs and location so we settled for a front row spot on the left side of the “activities” pier.

 

 

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados Continued

 

The Boatyard

 

Here we were: Front row to the fun and sun!!

 

The beach over to the left. If you keep walking down this stretch of beach you'll find other beach bars like Lobster Alive right next door and Harbour Lights a bit further down.

 

 

Now, my plan was to leave a few things at our chairs and walk a bit up the beach to get into one of the boats that for $20 per person (after some haggling) take you to snorkel with the turtles and snorkel over a sunken barge. After reading Mitsugirly’s review of the place and the included tour we decided to save some cash and do the included “tour”. Well, it might’ve worked for her and her family but it was a bad decision for us. We waited and waited for our names (which were the third and fourth on the list) to be called, all the while watching boat after boat, catamaran after catamaran sail in front of us and away towards the area where the turtles were.

 

This was one of the many boats full of people that got to the turtles before we did and were still in the area when we finally arrived.

 

[sparks1093]

Day 3: Day At Sea Continued

 

So as the show came to an end and the song ended, there was a countdown and lo and behold here comes DW, all dressed up, out to a standing ovation nervously laughing all the way but dancing and clapping with the dancers!! They did one final song on stage as it all ended with a bang, lots of confetti and a HUGE applause.

 

 

One thing I got to mention. The staff was all too gracious and accommodating with me and DW. She told me how awesome they treated her backstage through all the process and with trying to cope with her nerves. As for me, they cued me in at the end, went and fetched me at my seat so I could watch from the center of the room just in front of the catwalk. They even asked for my cell to take videos and pictures themselves for me so I could enjoy the moment myself. It was truly an incredible experience made even better by such an amazing entertainment crew. Thank you guys so much!!

 

So, after all was said and done, they exited the stage through where I was standing so I could meet her and her first words to me were “I’m gonna kill you!!” I kid you not….jajajaja. They took her backstage to change, I stayed behind talking to Marcelo between pictures he was taking with other guests (heck I decided I wanted a picture too!!).

 

I really hate that "smoothing" feature for selfies on this phone's front camera. If you don't turn it down it almost turns you into a cartoon!

 

In the end we had a blast and although she reluctantly admits it, she had the time of her life doing something that under normal conditions she would never do. At least not sober anyway…jaja. Fearing for my life, we went to the room to change and went back up to The Stars bar to catch the band After School Special perform their "Mowtown and Beyond" set which was very good and drew a pretty good size crowd.

 

 

Once it ended so did our wild night. Time to get to bed and get some energy for Barbados tomorrow. In short, an uneventful day turned into and incredible night! OH, BTW: DW was awarded a gift certificate for a real, free spa facial for her participation on the show (which I think kept me out of trouble in the end…jaja).

 

 

We thought you DW was the highlight of the Divas show and we remember you on the catwalk as well! Great job to both of you!

[Stinger-pr]

We thought you DW was the highlight of the Divas show and we remember you on the catwalk as well! Great job to both of you!

Hey, you guys were there? That's so cool!! Thanks for your kind words.

[Stinger-pr]

After another freakin' delay....

 

Day 4: Barbados Continued

 

After waiting for what seemed like forever, the first group for the "turtle swim" was finally called past 10am to be briefed and everyone was given a snorkeling vest whether you needed one or not. Also you can’t take nothing with you but your snorkel and mask (which they provide if you don’t have one), your camera (if any) and your swimsuit. They don’t allow fins, any other gear, not even water shoes (which come really handy stepping up and down the wet steel ladder leading to/from the small boat and to quell the heat from the hot concrete and wood pier).

 

 

This is the same pier as the previous picture. Here you can see the small 12 person boat that takes you to the snorkeling area. Being that it was a small boat, the waves near the shore/pier had a significant effect on its movement. It did get better as we got further from shore once underway.

 

 

Here's some views from the boat to the beach:

 

The Boatyard:

 

I don't remember the name of this joint but it was between Lobster Alive and The Copacabana Beach Club:

 

 

The Copacabana Beach Club

 

Harbour Lights:

 

As you can see, at almost 11am, there weren't that many people around so no matter which place you picked, you were in for a relaxing time.

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados Continued

 

Like I wrote before, there were a lot of waves that day in the area and it was a dangerous pain in the behind trying to get on or off the boat using that ladder. More than one person in our 12 person group almost had a foot caught between the ladder and the boat as it was going every which way due to the swells, even though the staff was doing everything they could to keep the boat as steady as possible. By the time we finally pushed off the pier about 10:50am the snorkeling area looked to be swamped by swimmers and boats. The ride to the turtles takes about 3-4 minutes. Once there they tried to find a place between the boats and people to drop anchor and let everyone off.

 

These are two of the 6 boats that were in the area when we arrived, including the big pirate-type from a few pictures back. The one in the foreground here (Bliss) was the one I had used my two previous trips. It was already on its second trip to the area when we finally made it there.

 

Once in the water, at first, we couldn’t see s*#t. Just like in St. Thomas a few days before, the water was very murky. It had to do with the swells the whole region had been having those days due to stormy weather over the central and northern Caribbean and part of the Atlantic. BTW while we had sunny skies in Barbados, Our family had told us earlier that the weather in Puerto Rico had been horrible with tons of rain, winds and huge breaking waves on the north coast.

Anyway, we had to swim a bit to get to where EVERYBODY was and at first there were no turtles to be seen. Some of the tour operators were throwing bait to get them to come but the only ones eating the bait were the fish.

 

 

Then we saw two turtles, maybe three swimming about but rarely getting close to the swarm of swimmers. We later saw one that was huge but it was deep down at the ocean floor and refused to come up.

 

This is the closest I saw any of the turtles come to where the swimmers were. The rest of the pictures I had to free-dive (almost hitting other swimmers sometimes) to even get close to them to get a decent picture.

 

 

 

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados continued

 

More snorkeling with turtles pics:

 

In all, about 5 turtles showed up, slowly coming up from the bottom but most of the times, because of the murkiness and the amount of people around you, you wouldn’t see the turtles until they were passing by under you. Trust me; the pictures might not look too good (too much green, some colors are off a bit) but they had to be worked over good using Lightroom in order to see the turtles as you see them here. They look better in the pictures than what we actually saw.

 

 

 

 

One of the operators even free-dived down to try to get one of the bigger ones to come up (I thought they were protected and you weren’t supposed to touch). At the end, all he did was scare it away.

 

This is an un-retouched picture of the guy trying to get one of the turtles to come up. THIS is what we mostly saw.

 

Then… It was over. We were in the water just about 10 minutes when they started to call the Boatyard guests back to the boat. This was a complete waste and a total disappointment considering what I had read and experienced on previous trips. For $5US I’m not asking for a full island tour but come on...!! I guess that’s the difference between a $5 and a $20 tour. Guess which we will be taking next time around. I read recently that Harbour Lights also started including turtle tours in their admission price So I’m gonna research that a bit more and we’ll see.

 

Back at the Boatyard pier and getting off the boat and up the steel stairs was just as daunting as getting on due to the waves. But after a few scares, everyone got off OK. We headed back to the bar and ordered some chicken strips with fries, a beer and a drink and it came to about $15 if I’m not mistaken. I tried some of the house hot sauce and almost lost my tongue in the process. It was HOT!!! I am slapping myself for forgetting to ask if I could buy a bottle of this stuff.

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados continued

 

After resting a while in the loungers we headed to the water toys and spent about a half hour just relaxing on the empty trampoline. I had forgotten to mention that around 9:30-10am a big group of teen-aged girls arrived. They were from some sort of school (not sure if it was local) and while they were all over the water toys and all over the loungers, they behaved incredibly well. They were all having a great time but not at the expense of anyone else's peace and enjoyment. By the time we decided to get to the trampoline, they had mostly left and we had the trampoline all to ourselves.

 

We got off the trampoline and snorkeled a bit on our way to shore but saw nothing but a few sand dollars (FINALLY!!) and lots of rolling sand due to the waves.

 

 

I had wanted to snorkel close to the pier pylons but the swells made it impossible to safely get near them and even if I could, the water had so much stirred sand that I probably wouldn't had seen much anyway.

 

After a while we decided to go back to shore. We rinsed in the fresh water shower and sat to dry in the loungers relaxing. When we dried up, around 2pm, we packed our stuff and headed to the parking lot (of course, they make you cross the gift shop on the way out) and into a waiting, air conditioned (Ahhh….yesss!!!) van for the included trip back to the cruise ship terminal. The shuttles from the Boatyard run on a 15 minute or so schedule and we got lucky and caught the van just about to leave. We waited no more than 5 minutes and we were off.

 

Taking out of the equation the very limited time swimming with the turtles, we had an amazing day at The Boatyard.

 

Some random pictures on our way back to the terminal:

 

 

 

Edited January 5, 2017 by Stinger-pr

[Stinger-pr]

Day 4: Barbados continued

 

Once at the terminal gates, they have everyone show their ship cards in order to gain entry to the parking lot and to the drop-off point near the terminal building entrance. This time I did tip the driver;).

 

We browsed some of the stores outside the main building and DW ended up buying a beach bag. The stores in this side building is where you can get all kinds of trinkets and "cheap" souvenirs.

 

This is what's over the rocks you're not supposed to stand on to look over them (don't worry...I didn't):

 

We browsed some of the stores outside the main building and DW ended up buying a beach bag. The stores located in this side building are where you can get all kinds of trinkets and souvenirs. Most if the stores in the main building are the brand stores and Duty-free stores. Once inside the main building we searched for a WIFI signal, sent out our last messages and headed for the ship. As I’ve noted before on other reviews, my personal opinion is that Barbados is the most expensive port this itinerary has if you’re going to be buying stuff in the tourist stores. Everything from alcohol to souvenirs always seems to be priced higher than other islands and other than the local Mt. Gay rum (which I did not buy) I saw nothing that called my attention because I knew that if it didn’t say “Barbados” somewhere, I could find whatever it else it was cheaper elsewhere. On our way back to the ship we tipped that steel drum band that’s playing the whole freaking day just off the gang way and headed inside.

 

 

FREE TIP: If getting back to the ship when everybody does and your cabin is mid-ship or aft forget the crowded forward elevators. Walk up one flight of stairs and back to the mid or aft elevators and you’ll be up on your deck in no time.

[sparks1093]

Hey, you guys were there? That's so cool!! Thanks for your kind words.

 

Not only were we there but we were thankful that we weren't the ones up on stage:D.