All Things Fascination.....

[nanfromatlanta]

Any word on board about when the pool area will be completed?

 

Unfortunately, we did not hear anything about the pool upgrade.

[lds26]

I had a great time. We just got off her yesterday morning. It was a very wonderful trip. I took my sister and she had a great time. Our cruise was very good in relation to the chair hogs. We didnt find that we had to battle for chairs. I enjoyed the adult area pool, it was nice and warm (ok we are Canadians and we left snow!). The drinks were very nice but I would not recommend the monkey cocoanut drink (holder was huge!!!). We used one of the girls' monkey head drinks as our center piece. Our wait staff was great and we thoroughly enjoyed them both. The drink lady was very busy so sometimes we had to wait a long time for our drinks but she was very busy.

 

Passage to India .... hmmm well I really disliked the band they were not very good but hey thats just me. We did like Diamonds club and spent lots of our evenings there. The comedians were great: Percy ... (sorry forgot last name) was a very clean man (christain background) so even his R-rated show was quite clean. I had lots of respect for him! The next comedian Ron was also very good very funny in his adult show. I only got to see one show b/c our seating was so late and we had such wonderful table mates that we often talked until they had to ask us to leave. We had a wonderful time overall.

We had great photo ops they were very professional and I had a couple of ones that I even brought home to put in my professional portfolio for work. I also ordered the Vacation CD (yeah not as good as the Liberty one... kinda short but got the overall feel). Oh yeah and be very careful about ordering your pics on CD ... if there are 2 ppl in the cabin they will still put all ur pics on one CD regardless if those ppl live in different places and order on different days. You have to be very specific.

The sushi bar was very nice. I ate there 2x and really enjoyed what I ordered. I even got my sister to try some and she is not one to try newer things and she enjoyed it too.

Casino I did not even try because i was enjoying the outdoors. I even got to take sunrise and sunset pictures! I had lots of great outdoor time ... yeah a bit sunburned but it was worth it to come home with a great color!

[momof3labs]

We also just returned from our cruise on the Fascination - our first cruise! We enjoyed it quite a bit, with a few exceptions. We booked an OV guarantee and got cabin E61 (cat 6E, I think). Fantastic location behind the forward elevators. It was one flight of stairs up to the dining room and Palace Theater. Very quiet once we were in the room. No hair dryers in our room, though a friend in a 6A cabin called and had one brought to her.

 

Our stateroom was very tasteful and functional with lots of storage. The sink area had a lot of nooks to tuck things, though I brought a hanging toiletries bag (from LL Bean) that helped a lot, too.

 

Ling22 - I bet your room under the internet cafe will be very quiet. We rarely saw anyone there. We were underneath the gift shops and didn't hear a peep from above.

 

The ship was spotless, and believe me, I was looking. Staff were very quick to clean up after anything (including my salad that blew across the deck one windy day). The decor is definitely dated, but kinda reminds me of Vegas.

 

We had the early seating, and our tablemates were duds the first night so we switched tables. That helped, and we got a wonderful server (Jacobus "Jake") at our second table (first server needed some improvement).

 

We ate dinner in the dining room every night except Cozumel, plus a couple of breakfasts and a couple of lunches in the dining room. Loved the open seating concept for breakfast and lunch - we met some very interesting, fun people at each meal, including a family who we ended up spending a lot of time with on the cruise. The food in both the dining room and Lido deck was pretty good. We didn't have a real strong preference for one over the other for breakfast and lunch (except hated hunting for tables on Lido with a full tray in hand), but for dinner we much preferred the dining room. Breakfast - the Lido deck omelet station was great, and so were those little raspberry danishes (I lost count on how many of those I ate). Desserts generally left a lot to be desired. Sometimes I tried a little of each and nothing really tasted that good, which is very unusual for my sweet tooth! The warm chocolate melting cake was available in the dining room each night.

 

On Key West, we docked at the naval base, so had to take a trolley into town. We set out on our own and walked to the Southernmost Point, then back up Duvall St. Went to the top of the 7-story hotel and got great pics of the Fascination. Did a little shopping, then back to the ship.

 

In Cozumel, we went to Paradise Beach and lounged for the afternoon. We'd definitely go back there again - there are tons of reviews on the Cozumel board if you want to know more. Afterwards, we wanted to do a little shopping but got tired of being badgered by the shopowners on the street. Picked up a couple of bottles of vanilla and went back to the ship around 7:30pm.

 

No problems getting chairs pretty much anywhere we want on the decks, though shady spots were a little harder to find. The music/speakers on the Lido deck was ridiculously loud on Thursday (and the Calypso band was not very good), and sent us running to the aft deck, which was super windy but otherwise blissfully quiet in comparison.

 

There was a musician outside the Stars bar around 8pm-ish on the Key West day who was quite good. Even pax just passing through couldn't resist wiggling a little to his music.

 

The shows were decent, though we missed the show the first night (only 10:30pm offered, and we were exhausted). I skipped both midnight comedy hours, but hubby went to the first one and said Percy was pretty funny.

 

We thought that this cruise was a great value for our money, and we'll probably try a longer cruise again soon. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to the Fascination if the price is right, but am also tempted by some of the newer ships.

[loubelle]

Well, my very first cruise was on the Fascination and it got me hooked! I've taken 2 trips on the Fascination: one to Nassau and the other to Key West and Cozumel.

 

Everything was great on the Fascination...I found the buffet food to be great with a great selection. And of course, the staff was outstanding.

 

There are hair dryers, but I preferred to use my own. They are basically like hotel hair dryers...good but not great.

 

The casino slot machines still took coins when I was there (December). Diamonds are Forever is a fun late night club to hang out in.

 

Have fun!

[jerseygirl3]

We're booked on the Fascination for September 2009. Do they plan on refurbishing the pool and turning it into the area like the Imagination has already done? Also, are they adding a Serenity area? If so, does anybody know when that will be and if it is a definite? I'm assuming if it is a go, it'll be done by September 2009?

[DrTigger]

I have tried posting in the roll call area, but have not received any replies. So, let's try here..........Is anyone going on the October 23rd sailing?

Hi! We are going on October 23rd too! We signed up today. Looking forward to a great time.

[Jsme]

Bump

[Terry305]

Hi All!!

 

I'm sailing on May 5th (hi Patrice & Ginny & Ray!..see you soon ;) ) and have been reading along with everyone else getting excited and trying to remember all the tips etc.

 

I noticed the hair dyer issue came up...humm :confused: , my Carnival rep said to definitely take one, so even thou it's a pain to carry I'm not going to risk "bad hair"...lol. Maybe certain rooms have it while others don't?

 

Anyone know about the staterooms on the Upper deck 6C U67? I have been on many cruises prior and had both great and awful rooms. This room is directly below the internet library...yikes?!..lol.

I will be more than happy to answer questions when I'm back...especially about the pool upgrade. Don't forget to email me.:D

 

Thanks Marcia014 for the favorite places tip!

Lynne

No dryers in fascination, our friends one broke during the cruise they ask the room stewart and he brought one, if you can take yours because is not a guarantee that they will have extras.

[angelkisses]

Just put a hold on some cabins for Halloween 2009. I here the Halloween atmosphere on ship is a great. Anyone ever sailed Carnival on Halloween? Anyone want to join us? I'm really looking forward to sailing out of Jacksonville and look forward to going back to Half Moon.

 

As far as the pool upgrades ... I don't anticipate them to be done by then. I'm hearing now it could be as late as 2010. I think the Fascination will be one of the last ships to get the pool upgrade.

 

I have been on the sister ship Elation and really liked it alot. Then again, I have never been on a ship I didn't like. The Elation had hair dryers though I prefered to use my own.

[Jsme]

The 70,000-ton Carnival Fascination underwent a multi-million-dollar renovation last year, the first phase in the line's extensive "Evolutions of Fun" shipboard enhancement initiative for its eight "Fantasy-class" vessels. The refurbishment included a new nine-hole miniature golf course, a patisserie, an atrium lobby bar, conference center, and expansive new facilities for children and teens, part of the line's top-rated "Camp Carnival" and "Club O2" programs, respectively.

 

 

In addition to a completely renovated spa, all 1,026 staterooms aboard the Carnival Fascination were upgraded with flat screen TVs, an entirely new décor and completely remodeled bathrooms. Two new lavish production shows, Fiesta Latina and Far From Over: the 80s, were added, as well.

 

 

Future "Evolutions of Fun" upgrades for the Carnival Fascination - scheduled to be completed in 2009 -- include an expansive Carnival WaterWorks aqua park, a new design style and features for the mid-ship pool area, and a new "Serenity" adults-only deck area, all part of a dramatic transformation of the ship's open decks.