VERY DETAILED Fascination Review 12-04-06 to 12-08-06

[mrshoagie]

FASCINATION REVIEW

DAY 1 –EMBARKING -- 12-04-06

How do you know its been too long since your last cruise? When you squeal like a little girl when you see your ship. We arrived at the port at around 12:15 and on the Fascination around 1:30. We got there a little late and boy was it packed. We brought a collapsable cooler with one bottle of wine in it and some water packed around it. We checked it in with our other luggage at the curb. Everything made it to our room fine. Our friends were there about 11:00 and practically walked on. Embarkation was easy. Everything was ready. Our rooms were ready, so we went to check them out. We had room E3 on the Empress Deck. This room is great, easily accessible to the Atrium and one deck below the Dining Room. We had two portholes in our room which we loved. It gave us extra storage place for our laptop and stuff. I ordered the Happy Birthday decorations from Carnival and absolutely loved them. They also gave us two key chains. You get a lot for your money. After checking out our room, we then went to the Lido deck for lunch. Good food. We also tried the DOD. It was good, but I also tried the Miami Vice and now I am hooked. Thanx to however suggested that drink. We went to the Travel and Adventure talk. We met a real wild card there. His name was JIM (remember this name). He had Mardis Gras beads on and looked like a party waiting to happen. Then it was on to the Lifeboat Drill. This is a little more unorganized than other ones I have been to, but still, not bad. After we dropped off our life vests, we went on deck and watched the sail away and then off to the Key West/Calica shopping talk. Matt is great and we had so much fun. I won a Del Sol shopping bag. Next was dinner, 6:15 seating in the Sensation Dining Room. We had 6 people to our table (our friends and friends of theirs). Jim was at the table behind us all decked out with his beads. The service was fantastic. Our waitress was Zhasmina from Bulgaria and her assistant was Iwayan from Bali, Indonesia. The bar waitress was Elin and was the best. This was the first cruise I have ever been on that the Maitre D’ was at out table every night. His name was Goran and the Resort Hostess was Natasha (my hubby had a huge crush on her…she was some cute). Let me just say that there were NO COMPLAINTS on any of the food. Between us we ordered Grilled Portabello Mushrooms, Cream of Broccoli Soup, Caesar Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Salad for starters. For the Main Course we had Beef Wellington, Deluce Newburg, Grilled Salmon and Pork Chops. For Dessert there was Melting Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Diet Orange Cake and Key Lime Pie. I had ordered a cake through our “travel agent” and there was a mix-up…NO CAKE. Natasha found one for us and the gang came over and sang Happy Birthday to the hubby. The cake sat in our room all week, we ended up not eating it all. We had also purchased drink coupons for the cruise and these were delivered to us at dinner. After dinner we went to he 8@8 Extravaganza. They had stuff from all the services on the ship for auction. I won a facial. At the end of the auction they ended up just giving all the prizes to everyone. Nice gift. We stayed for the Welcome Aboard show and the comedy of Al Jackson. He was very funny. We had another Miami Vice (by now, hubby is hooked). The show was okay, nothing spectacular, but fun. After the show we walked around the Lido deck and then off to our room for bed. We wanted to go to the Midnight R rated show but we were too tired.

DAY 2 -- KEY WEST -- 12-05-06

Woke up early and walked around. Went to the Coconut Bar & Grill for breakfast. Watched as we docked into Key West. We took the Conch Train to Key West to do some shopping. Went to Del Sol, Diamonds International. We saw the coolest thing on Duval Street. There was a guy dressed like a statue of Mozart. He would be so still and then start whistling Mozart tunes as people walked by. Se cool. We went to the Blonde Giraffe and had our piece of frozen Key Lime pie on a stick dipped in Chocolate. Best Key Lime pie I have ever had…the chocolate made is just that much better. On our way back to the Conch Train to take us back to the ship we saw Jim. I yelled HI (he was across the street) and he yelled back that he was on the PUB CRAWL. Just what I expected….LOL We got back on board and went off to our room. We decided to order room service. Hubby had the Roast Beef and Brie and Tropical Fruit and I had the Shrimp Salad and Vegetable sticks. It was so good. Our boat left a little late as some poor girl was being arrested at the dock. As soon as they put her in the police car, the Fascination set sail. At 3:00 we played Win, Lose or Draw (my main goal on this cruise was to win a Ship on a Stick). It ended up being the men against the women and the women smoked the men. No prizes were given. Then it was on to Movie Trivia. I lost by 1. Then we went back to our room to get ready for the Captain’s Party. We got all dressed up and went to join the fun. I tried the Whiskey Sours and found out that I liked them. We had a blind couple (both blind and both had their own seeing eye dogs) on our cruise and they were the first to dance. It was so cute. After that, we had a few pics taken and then we headed to dinner. Between us all we had Delta Prawns, Baked Stuffed White Mushrooms, Pumpkin Soup and Caesar Salad for starters. For the main courses we had Lobster, Prime Rib and Chicken Breast. I had ordered the Lobster and Prime Rib, but after eating the Lobster I was still wanting more, so hubby asked if I could have a second Lobster instead of the Prime Rib. So, another Lobster for me. YUMMY. I can’t even remember what we had for dessert. Jim gave me a set of Mardis Gras beads to compliment my formal attire….LOL After dinner, we went to the Palace Theater for the Festiva Latina show. Bingo was first and I was picked to count the Bingo Balls (Ship on a Stick...WooHoo), but alas…it eluded me once again…I did get a bottle of champagne though. We had horrible seats for the Festiva Latino show and I was tired, so we left and went to bed.

DAY 3 -- CALICA/PLAYA DEL CARMEN -- 12-06-06

Another early morning for us. We went off to the Coconut Bar and Grill for breakfast.

I scheduled my facial for today. The spa was real nice, and the facial was great. But, of course I had a ton of things wrong with me that needed to be addressed. If I wanted everything they suggested it would have cost me $628.00. NO THANKS. I met up with hubby to go play Trivia. Again, lost by 1 point…GRRR. At 11 we went to the Playa Del Carmen shopping Talk. Then we went back up to the Coconut Grill for lunch. We watched as we pulled into Calica. Everyone is right, there is nothing there. On one side of the ship all you see is a rock quarry and on the other just beautiful scenery. We got off the ship and hopped in a taxi to town. We were told that taxis cost $10 and vans were $12. We tried negotiating a van and he wanted $120. We later figured it out that he was trying to rent us a van for the day, not just a ride into town. We finally made it into town and went shopping. At Diamonds International we started off with Margueritas. We then decided to hit the water. The beach was so beautiful. After swimming for a few minutes we were off for more sightseeing. We bought some fresh pineapple from a woman vender. It was so good. Then, we saw the infamous Senor Frogs and decided to go and see what it was like. OH BOY!!! We walked in and there was Jim. After saying Hi to Jim he motioned us to come over. Next thing I know, whistles are blowing and shots are being poured down our throats, followed by tweaking of nipples and manhandling of my upper body. Then it was on to the balloon hats. They made my hubby a dick head. Then, they made him some boobs and stuffed his shirt and even gave him cleavage. I was laughing so hard. We had another drink and pics there and a lot of hoopla. I do not even know how many pics were taken of my hubby. We had the best time at Senor Frogs. The Conga line followed by the Limbo, with more shots being poured down your throat was fun. Then it was time to shop and head back to the ship. I got a real nice mask and then some guy got real ignorant and starting cussing me out at some t-shirt place because I was trying to talk him down (like I was told to do). He was mad because we had been to Senor Frogs and he said I spent more money on beer there (with a lot of cussing in between). I walked away and told everyone on that street that I was not shopping there because of that guy. I took my money elsewhere. Back on deck and then it was dinner. Between us we had Seafood Salad, Tomato and Mozzarella, Navy Bean Soup, Escargot, Chicken Soup and Mango Cream Soup for starters. For the main course we had Steak, Sweet and Sour Shrimp, Salmon, Turkey, Teriyaki Riblets (AWESOME) and Fettucine. Again, cannot remember the dessert….LOL Off to the Palace Theater for more games (still searching for the Ship on a Stick). We played Millionaire Game, Dr. Ruth’s Love, Sex and Romance Quiz, Sea Feud and Game show Mania. Still no Ship on a Stick. We stayed and watched Bingo and that ball counter got a Ship on a Stick (by now I am thinking that they are against me getting one). We stayed and watched the show. The Balancing of Lubo (GREAT) and comedy by Pete Michael (funny guy). After the show I did what every good cruise critic member does and whined and complained (not really) to Danny Blake (cruise director) about the Ship on a Stick and he got one for me…What a SWEETHEART he is. Then it was off to bed. As we were getting into bed we heard popping sounds. Hubby looked out our portholes and there was a ship not too far away and they were lighting off fireworks. That was cool.

 

DAY 4 -- FUN DAY AT SEA -- 12-07-06

Again, another early morning. We had breakfast in the Imagination Dining Room. This was a little hard to find, but we did it…LOL Good food. After we wandered around for a bit we headed to the Towel Folding Lesson. This was fun. We stayed for the Debarkation Talk. Danny was giving away a Carnival bag that has wheels on it…Well, he picked me. When I went up to get it he dropped the bag behind him and proceeded to give me the plastic bag. Then we both made a mad dash for the bag and I chased him a bit on stage. When I stopped and pretended to go through the stuff under the podium, he finally gave in and gave me the bag. We were laughing so hard. He was so winded. He pointed out a few times that no one has ever chased him around the stage. After lunch, we proceeded to the Ice Carving Demo. It was totally amazing how they turned that block of ice into that beautiful swan in less than 20 minutes. After the Ice Carving came my ace in the hole for getting an “earned” Ship on a Stick”…the Hairy Man Competition. My hubby has a nice hairy Italian chest. He got shy on me, so the only thing left to do was become a judge…That’s right…here comes the judge. There were two of us and when we starting competing for the judge job he let both of us be judges. We had an absolute blast. My hubby would have beat out these guys, but OH WELL…I had fun. Anyway, us judges got a medal (so still no “earned” Ship on a Stick) and memories to last a lifetime. We made it back early to the Palace Theater for the Newlywed game and they were giving dancing lessons. So, hubby decides “Let’s go”. So, to make a long story short, we learned to do the Austin Powers dance…LOL After that we stayed and watched the Newlywed Game. Danny saw me sitting in the audience and he was like “There is that lady that chased me around on stage”…LOL So, I was either recognized as chasing Danny (which was on TV) and being the judge for the Hairy Man Competition (also on TV). We stayed and watched the Christmas show put on by the Entertainment Staff, the children from Camp Carnival and the whole crew. It was real nice. We went back and go ready for our last dinner on board. I always make a human at night for the room steward. I pack the pillows under the blankets and put a hat and shoes on. The room stewards seem to have fun with it. At dinner, between us we had Shrimp Cocktail, Fresh Fruit, Penne, Onion Soup and Salad for starters. For the main course we had Salmon, Veal Parmigiana, Chateaubriand and Grilled Chicken. Baked Alaska was the dessert of choice. Boy was that good. After dinner, we headed up to the Lido deck to watch the sunset. It was so beautiful. Then, we headed to the Theater for the last show. Far From Over: An 80’s Tribute. Now, this show was AWESOME. But, during the show one of the break-dancers took my hand I almost had a heart attack. There was no way I was going THERE…LOL He just wanted to shake hands…Thank goodness. We managed to stay up late and watch the late Night Comedy Show with Pete Michael. Again, he was funny. Between all the shows and activities we managed to pack our bags and have them out by midnight. Then it was time to head to our room for our last night.

 

DAY 5 -- DEBARKING -- 12-08-06

We woke up pretty early and proceeded to get our remaining stuff together. Then, we went up to the Coconut Grill for breakfast. After breakfast, we walked around the ship and found our pictures and bought one of our formal pictures. Then, they called our area and we went back to our room, grabbed our stuff and went through customs. Easy process. The customs official asked if the only liquor we had to claim was a bottle of champagne. I said we won that one or we would have no alcohol to claim. He kinda laughed and said everyone wins that champagne. LOL Then, it was into the car and heading back to Bonita Springs to see the kids. My hubby’s mom lives in Florida and she watched the kids for us while we were on our cruise.

 

FASCINATION -- THE GOOD, THE BAD AND ALL THAT

We had a real good time. We were not quite sure what to expect from Carnival as we had heard that it was a PARTY cruise line. We were pleasantly surprised. There were no overly bearing drunks (at least not that we saw) and everyone was having a good time.

The pictures I wish were done a little better. At Disney you get a card and every time you get your picture taken you give them your card and then you can go to a certain area to view your pictures. I wish cruise lines would adopt this procedure. We did not even get to see most of our pictures as we could not find them. Another thing was, we went to purchase the DVD of the cruise (the announcements said we still could) but when I asked about it, they said they had no more. I asked if I could get one once I got home and was told NOPE. GEEZ…I know I waited until the last minute, but we were busy too and I hated to have to stand in the lines all the time. So, if anyone knows how I can get my hands on a DVD once you are off the cruise, please let me know. If they adopted the card they could have special offers to purchase your pictures on the boat and still offer your pictures later at a higher rate. Maybe do the same with the DVD.

The food was the best. I love cruising food. We only tried the one drink and then stayed with Miami Vices the rest of the time. We really liked them.

The shows were okay…I did not really like the singers all that much. But, the 80’s show was AWESOME.

If you go with an outside travel agent and you are supposed to have onboard credit, check it out. We waited until Wednesday to have ours checked. We should have had $93.60 and they only put $50.40. I had all my paperwork and the Purser’s office faxed the travel agent with all the names and dates and everyone I talked to and they came back with a credit of $84.00. I know this is not the fault of Carnival and once back on land I called the “travel agent” and asked what happened to which I got a response that the last entry said $93.60 and there was not even a mention of the fax from Carnival. Still waiting on the refund from them. I wish the Fascination had had the channel in your room where you could see your account. That would have helped. But, one day it will.

Also, this travel agent was supposed to order a cake for hubby’s birthday and did not, hence the problem on the first night of having no cake. It’s okay, they took care of it for me and found a cake and still sang him happy birthday.

So, all in all, this cruise is a good bang for the buck. We all had a great time and would do it again. If anyone goes on the Fascination and sees Danny, go up behind him and say you have a message for him from a past guest -- “Run Danny Run”…LOL

 

Any questions? If you made it this far...congrats.

 

Also, check out our pics

http://family.webshots.com/album/556422483YmVoVR

 

Terri

[michelle319]

Terri-

 

Terrific review! We leave in less than 65 hours for the airport, doing the same itinerary, woo hoo :D. Enjoyed your pictures, too! I'll have my two boys (14 & 11) with me so unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to Senor Frogs. Maybe next time ;) I have a quick question for you. I noticed David had a lanyard on. Did you bring those with you from home or did you purchase them on the ship? I'm thinking it would be a good idea for the boys to have one to keep their cards attached to. Could you let me know where you got yours? Thanks!

[RizzoLee]

Quick question-how did you find the lounge chair situation? We usually devote one day to lounging by the pool, but found we couldn't do that on the Liberty-there was just not enough chairs. The Fantasy and the Elation we never had a problem, would hunt around for about 20 minutes but were always able to get 2 together.

 

What were the prices like in Senor Frogs? I've been to SF or Charlos N Charlies all over the Caribbean, and found Grand Cayman to be the most expensive (I know, I know-it's Grand Cayman after all). I just don't want to be hit with the $18/drink thing again. :eek: :)

 

Thanks for the review!

[playfulgen76]

Hi! I read your review, and looked at the pics, and I thought I was excited before! I don't sail until March 5th, but I am so excited! Thanks for the review!

 

Sondra :)

[TennisLover]

Sounds AWESOME! Less than 10 days to go for us! (we go to Coz not CM). First cruise without the kiddies, so Senior Frogs, here I come!

 

My only question for you -- what's in a Miami Vice???

 

Thanks for all the great info. Going to look at your pictures now.

[chrly]

Terri-

 

Terrific review! We leave in less than 65 hours for the airport, doing the same itinerary, woo hoo :D. Enjoyed your pictures, too! I'll have my two boys (14 & 11) with me so unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to Senor Frogs. Maybe next time ;) I have a quick question for you. I noticed David had a lanyard on. Did you bring those with you from home or did you purchase them on the ship? I'm thinking it would be a good idea for the boys to have one to keep their cards attached to. Could you let me know where you got yours? Thanks!

 

Once you get on the ship you can go to the casino...they have lanyards there and will puch a hole in your card so they stay on.

[chrly]

Sounds AWESOME! Less than 10 days to go for us! (we go to Coz not CM). First cruise without the kiddies, so Senior Frogs, here I come!

 

My only question for you -- what's in a Miami Vice???

 

Thanks for all the great info. Going to look at your pictures now.

 

A Miami Vice is a frozen drink that is half strawberry daquri and half pina colada....yummmmmyyyy.

[KK567]

my upcoming cruise will be my honeymoon so your review got me excited for a trop with just the hubby :D awesome review, thanks!

[TennisLover]

A Miami Vice is a frozen drink that is half strawberry daquri and half pina colada....yummmmmyyyy.

 

Sounds perfect!

[mrshoagie]

There are now available when you fill out a credit application for the Carnival Sea Miles card. She would not give them out unless you signed up and if you did sign up they gave you 2. I saw some people with ones from Camp Carnival on them, but I do not know if they had to pay for them. I did not see anyone getting their lanyards from the Casino tho.

 

We paid less than $12 for a yard. That is the only drink we paid for. They get you with other things tho...LOL We paid #26 for a picture we just had to have. As soon as I get my scanner going I will post it so you can see why. It came with a real nice frame tho...:)

 

Miami Vice are 1/2 strawberry daquiria nd 1/2 pne colada. They are half red and half white. Real neat and sooooo tasty...:)

 

Terri

[buddyjo143]

Great review. Thank you.

 

I'm so excited. DH and I booked this cruise for February.

 

Did you get to relax at all or was it go go go all 4 days? I want to relax a little bit on this trip.

 

Thanks.

[DiverDownAZ]

Great review. You guys did dinner like we did. Order almost everything on hte menu. Sounds like you had a great time. Went thru the pics and didn't see any of Jim. With all of the times he showed up in the review I was expecting at least one of him.:D

[mrshoagie]

I have two pics of Jim...I have one of him standing on a chair dancining in Senor Frogs and one of him the last night at dinner...he was dressed as Santa Claus with shorts on..:) what a character he was....I wish I had gotten his address....:)

 

Terri

[DebbieICU]

Thanks so much for the great review. We are going on the Fascination in Feb.07 and are looking forward to it even more now!!!

 

Debbie

[racegrrl]

Terri, what a terrific review! Sounds like you really experienced EVERYTHING the Fascination had to offer! Felt like we were there with you! Loved your pictures as well. We really enjoyed the ship too. Took our folks on it for their first cruise, and they are hooked. Thanks again!

[roxinsox]

hey sondra

we are also sailing on fascination mar 5. We're two staff bringing two developmentally delayed adults to wdw and onto a cruise. this will be a first time either has done anything like this. I cant wait until she sees cinderella!

we're in alaska. Just found this site, its amazing!

[playfulgen76]

Go to the Roll Call part of the boards, and there are a few more that are on the cruise, and we are chatting and getting to know each other!

 

My uncle lived in Alaska forever, and was a fireman in Anchorage. My parents lived there for a few years too until they started to miss family back in Minnesota. (I was actually conceived in Alaska, LOL)

 

Anyways, come on over to our roll call- Roll call, then Carnival roll calls. then fascination, and you will see the dates of the cruise! :)