Fascination 9/8/08 Long Review With Pictures

[davethomasowns]

Like I said before, it is amazing how you spend so many months looking forward to a cruise and then when it gets here, it goes by so quick. Now I am sitting at home with all of the “ship memories” rampantly bouncing through my head and I feel like I must document my experience so that I will never forget it. My girlfriend and I are both 21-year-old college students who live in Orlando, Fl. We have become addicted to cruising at a young age and when we don’t have a cruise booked we feel like we have nothing to look forward to. After discovering how cheap cruising was during hurricane season I immediately booked the cheapest cruise I could find and that I was interested in. I ended up choosing a 4-day onboard the Fascination to Key West and Cozumel, Mexico.

 

As cruise time came nearer I began tracking the movement of Hurricane Ike. About a week before sailing I really began to have worries that the cruise would be canceled or ruined. We spent most of the weekend watching the news and having no clue what was going to happen with the trip. Everyone showed the storm heading directly to Miami around Monday September 8th (the day we were to leave,) and I was skeptical on whether or not the group before us would be able to dock. The storm dramatically changed paths on Saturday and it became apparent that we would be cruising, we just didn’t know to where!

 

Living only three hours away from the Port of Miami, we woke up around 7am on Monday and headed out. After breakfast and toll booths we ended up arriving around 11am. Upon entering the terminal we were all handed a piece of paper explaining an itinerary change. Due to the safety issues of Hurricane Ike they changed our ports of call to Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas. Many families were very angry (not simply the fact that they changed the ports, but with the lack of advanced notice and the way they were informed,) but I figured that I really just wanted to be on the boat and we put smiles on our faces. Even though I had just went to the Bahamas recently I was grateful that we still had 2 stops and that we weren’t left with three sea days. Embarkation was very quick and before we knew it we were on the Lido Deck eating deli sandwiches. My initial impression of the Fascination was that it looked and smelled very clean. I was on the Sensation in April and when we first boarded there was a strong mildew-like smell. I certainly feel like this ship does not show its age.

 

 

[davethomasowns]

After lunch we walked around and awaited 1:30pm when we could go to our room. I met with the Maitre’ D and requested a table for two, which was granted, and when we couldn’t resist it anymore we went to our cabin. The upgrades definitely make everything more cheerful and bright. Our oceanview cabin on the Empress deck was more spacious with the “corner” removed and I was happy to see that the T.V. received CNN and ESPN. The first thing my girlfriend noticed was the bathroom improvements. They now have an actual sink and they have added strangely-attractive anti-slip flooring. To our surprise, our luggage arrived within 30 minutes and we spent the afternoon organizing our belongings.

 

 

 

The muster drill took place in the theater and we were done within 10 minutes. For sail away we always buy a boat drink and go to the very front of the ship. It was more amazing than ever this time. There was extreme winds pushing us around which was probably due to all of the tropical depressions. The breeze running through our hair and beautiful blue waters made the entire experience so surreal.

 

 

 

 

[davethomasowns]

I spent the majority of the night doing what I always do; walking around and checking everything out. One of my favorite parts of cruising is exploring the ship for the first time. I love seeing all of the different decors and scenery. Both the “Passage to India” bar and “Diamonds Are Forever” disco were very atypical, but in a good way. It seems more effort was put into these public areas as opposed to others, such as the “Puttin on the Ritz” lounge and even the “Palace” theater. Granted both of these were nice as well there was not a whole lot of distinguishing features in them. “Casino Royale” was literally the same exact set-up as the casino onboard the Sensation and I still think they’re very large for a cruise ship. The Poker Pro electronic Texas Hold’em table entertained me throughout the week and we were unsuccessful at the slot machines a couple nights. The atrium had the infamous “Carnival” décor and at night the elevators were glimmering bright orange. That evening the “Welcome Aboard” show was the same as always and a hilarious comedian named Carl Rimi graced the stage. After a few cocktails it was time to go sleep in our Carnival Comfort Beds!

 

 

 

 

 

[davethomasowns]

Day 1 – Fun Day at Sea

I think that they should change the name to “Lazy Day at Sea” in the Carnival Capers. We always spend all day relaxing on the first sea day. After not waking up until close to 11am we dragged ourselves to the Coconut Bar and Grill to eat. Most of the breakfast was good although I never seem to like the eggs (they are always too runny.) Regarding the “Coconut Bar and Grill,” I was impressed with the quality of food throughout the week. We also ate from the New-York Deli every day and got pizza late at night. A favorite of Kaleigh’s is the chocolate frozen yogurt onboard the ships. After breakfast we changed into our bathing suits, found a cozy spot on the Sun Deck, and laid out in the sun for a few hours. There is something about listening to Jimmy Buffet on my Ipod, drinking frozen drinks, and being endlessly surrounded by water that makes life worth living. Watching the ice-sculpture carving was of great interest to me as my Father used to do this for a living. We were then lucky enough (I think) to catch the Hairy Chest contest, which was aptly coined “The Chewbacca Contest” in the Capers that day.

 

 

 

In the gift shop Kaleigh found a shirt that says “Relax, Life is better cruising,” which she is proudly wearing as I type. That evening we ate in the dining room for formal night. We had the 8:15pm late seating in the Sensation dining room. The cruise was apparently not booked to capacity as our “table for two” was one of the large “6-toppers.” The atmosphere in the dining room was very romantic and the service that their waiters provide is something I am not used to. Being a college student I spend the majority of my meals eating off of the dollar menu at McDonalds. Of course, having somebody place a handkerchief on my lap and constantly throw foods and drinks at me was both shocking and appealing. Everything ordered throughout the week was delicious and I am constantly impressed with the quality of the food onboard the ships.

 

I was very glad to see that changing the name to “Elegant Night” did not stop passengers from dressing up. The formal nights on cruises are practically the only time we get to dress up so we were pleased to see almost everyone else do the same. Unlike some cruisers, we actually enjoy taking pictures so we made sure to go around to every station. We always end up spending nearly as much money on pictures as we do on our bar tab. The show this evening was “Far From Over,” the 80’s era musical, and besides a few lighting difficulties in the beginning it was enjoyable. What I enjoyed more was the Adult comedy show with Carl Rimi at midnight. This took place in the lounge at the rear of the ship and it made it feel more like an actual comedy club. I also got the chance to meet some fellow Cruise Critic members in here which is always fun.

 

 

[davethomasowns]

Day 2 – Nassau, Bahamas

Having been here just a couple months before, we decided that we would just get off the ship and go shopping. Here I need to exaggerate how beautiful the weather was. Unlike the last time I was there, there was a strong breeze outside and the sun was concealed behind some clouds. It wasn’t dark and moody, the weather was simply perfect. It makes me wish we would have waited until this trip to do the 10 mile walk through Nassau. We looked through the touristy shops and visited Senor Frogs. Walking through the Straw Market I was offered drugs three different times which I got a kick out of. One guy insisted on telling me that he “had the best trees man!” Back on the ship we invaded the Coconut Bar and Grill again and after the awe-striking sail away we donated to the casino. The band in the “Passage to India” lounge was named “The Jafar Curry Band” and I found them enjoyable. They were just as entertaining as all of the Asian bands I have encountered on the ships in the past. The lead vocalist had a great voice but she constantly did some crazy shaking dance that got annoying. It is hard to explain what she was doing but it was a sort of a violent exorcist-type movement (no, really.) There were also some one-person entertainers throughout the ship that were okay. Showtime this evening consisted of three things: A guest talent show that was hilarious due to the antics of Trevor, my favorite cruise director thus far. There was a balancing act from the talented Lubo (he did have trouble with a few of his tricks,) and they had another comedian do a family-oriented show. His name was Ronnie Bullard and I recommend that everybody go to his shows if you get a chance. He was another genuinely funny guy who invited everybody to come talk to him after the performance. We ended the night by attending the deck party which was also a lot of fun due to Trevor.

 

 

 

 

[davethomasowns]

Day 3 – Freeport, Bahamas

I am going to be honest and say that Freeport is my least favorite port. I understand that it’s an industrial port and that you have to travel to get to the interesting stuff, but I have been to Port Lucaya before and I don’t think there’s much more to do than that. This was essentially another sea day for us which was perfectly okay. We got some sun, played bingo in the “Palace,” and ate from the buffet all day long. They did something that I thought was very classy and hung a large American flag from the atrium. I have never seen this before and I am pretty sure that they did it being September 11th. I thought it was very respectful and it made for some great pictures as well. The one thing that I do like about Freeport is the sail away. Not just because we are leaving there, but because the imagery is stunning. There are so many shades of blue in the water and the ship has to make a sort of 3-point-turn because the port is so small. It is amazing watching them pilot this huge ship through such small areas. While we were there I saw the Carnival Destiny being worked on. I never knew that when they did maintenance to ships it was performed at places like Freeport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fact that it was already the last night of the cruise did not blemish our mood. There were still so many things to do and entertainment was plentiful. The final show was titled “Hey Mambo” and if this lively musical doesn’t have you in a good mood then there’s a problem. I don’t know how to dance and strongly dislike dancing in general, yet this show had me Cha-Cha-Cha-ing around the ship when it was over. Ronnie Bullard did an R-rated adult show at midnight which was even funnier than Carl Rimi’s and afterwards we decided to have a final meal. We spent an hour or so saying goodbye to the grill and then went to the observatory deck in the front of the boat. Standing at the bow of the ship, looking in every direction and seeing nothing on the horizon was breathtaking. Brightly-lit ships could be seen in the distance, the moon and stars reflected a path across the water, and through the piercing wind blowing in your face you could still hear the hull slicing through the water. No margaritas were needed to enhance this sensation; I could have stood out there for hours.

 

[davethomasowns]

Day 4 – Debarkation

Waking up early Friday morning and gathering our suitcases was disheartening. After spending only a couple days in our cabins we always feel attached to them. As if it’s my home and I don’t want anybody else sleeping in my bed that evening. Reality kicked in and we decided to do self-assist to get on the road quicker. It became apparent that this feature was more popular now when I walked out my door and the line was wrapped through the hallways. It was still considerably quicker than normal and we coasted through customs. We were back to the real world and on the road by 8:30am. In a matter of hours we went from being completely free on the ocean to being stuck in traffic on the turnpike.

 

I can now spend years reminiscing about the experience and I will always have stories to tell about this trip. This vacation further proved to me that cruising is the best way to travel. We spent only 4 days at sea and I only visited Nassau, yet I am still bursting with wondrous feelings and emotions. Second only to the Miracle trip, this is now one of my most memorable vacations. Everything about the Fascination was perfect and I will definitely sail her again in the future. I could go on and on for hours explaining why I enjoy cruising so much but I feel that this quote sums up my feelings perfectly:

 

"Ships are the nearest thing to dreams that hands have ever made."

-Robert N. Rose

[tiggerlover]

Thank you very much for your review and beautiful pictures! This review brought a smile to my face. I have the same love for cruising and agree with you that you can't beat the value and experience of being on the open sea. We hope to sail on the Fascination when she arrives in Jacksonville. Until then "Happy sailing and calm seas"!:D

[direfun2000]

AWESOME review!!! Thanks for sharing!:D

[MLAinVA]

Great review. I hope you're studying journalism or English; you write very well.

We'll be sailing on the Fascination in January and you've made that a trip that we are looking forward to more than before.

Cheers!

Mary Lou

[sewut]

Ditto on your writing skills. It's a joy to read a review that isn't full of "dinning room" and "crusie" I also get tired of the reviews that are about nothing but drinking. They give cruising a bad name.

Sewut

[DqALEX]

Great Review Dave. I hope to get on the Fascination next Aug. in Jax port. The Fascination looks a lot like the Inspiration. You do write a very good review.

[d-lite-n-cruisin]

My girlfriend and I are both 21-year-old college students who live in Orlando, Fl. We have become addicted to cruising at a young age and when we don’t have a cruise booked we feel like we have nothing to look forward to.

 

How did you get away from not having someone who was 25 years old in your cabin? Just curious. Thanks for great review. We will be on Fascination in March 09 out of JAX. It will be our first cruise and we are excited.-- Dan

[happycruiser1960]

Great review!! Thanks for posting. I rarely see a review on the Fascination. We sail on her March 12, 2009. Thanks again, your writing is awesome:D

[Tapi]

How did you get away from not having someone who was 25 years old in your cabin? Just curious. Thanks for great review. We will be on Fascination in March 09 out of JAX. It will be our first cruise and we are excited.-- Dan

 

Because they are both 21 or over. The 25 y/o rule applies if someone in the cabin is not 21.

 

As a little bit of trivia, if it's a young married couple under 21, but over the age of 18, they will be allowed to cruise without someone over 25 as long as they can produce a marriage license.

 

To the OP. Awesome review. All reviews along with pictures should follow your format!!

[bmwmom2002]

Great review. We are also on the Empress Deck. Was it quiet there? We are very forward and I'm a little nervous about the motion up there.

[missdebi]

What a great review. It is only going to make my wait even harder we will be sailing 11/1/08. Your review was one of the best I have ever read you really have a gift for writing!

[rebeljohn]

Nice review and pics...............Thanks for taking the time to share your adventure with us..................

[BlueHerons]

Outstanding review!

[BarbG]

What a wonderful review...I sailed her this past April and although my itinerary was different your pics brought back many memories..Thanks so much..

[angelkisses]

Wonderful Review. Your #6 post describing the last night sounded like it came out of a novel and left me longing to here more. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[cruisinsly]

Great review. I always feel "free" when I am on the ocean also!!

[Djptcp]

Thanks for the wonderful review! I am surprising DH with a 4-day Fascination cruise on Jan. 15th - his 60th birthday is that week. We are already booked on the Fascination for a 5-day cruise in May with friends we met on the Celebration last year. We live an hour from Jax, so it's a perfect cruise port for us. I do wish there were 7-day cruises out of Jax, though. We sailed on the Fascination in the 1990's on a 7-day S. Caribbean cruise out of San Juan and loved it.

[Donna - dsw]

Thanks for sharing - sail the sister ship soon. Was the "Waterworks" slide open after you set sail the first night?

[davethomasowns]

Thank you everybody for taking the time to read it and I appreciate the comments. Whenever I am about to go on a cruise I love reading other member's reviews to get me in the mood so I hope that mine can do the same to others.

 

Great review. We are also on the Empress Deck. Was it quiet there? We are very forward and I'm a little nervous about the motion up there.

 

We were very forward as well, room E30 to be exact. Granted we usually got back to the room at around 2am every night, we didn't hear any noise. Regarding the motion, there was none. Not sure if it was the dramamine or not, but we hardly ever felt movement.