REVIEW: 5-Day Carnival Fascination (05/02/09)

[DGP1111]

[Note: I very rarely to online reviews anymore, but I promised this one to my friend, Eileen, whom I met last year on the beautiful Carnival Splendor. Here’s to you, Chandoe!!]

.

.

Background:

Sailing solo on Carnival Fascination (5-Day), departing 5/2/09 from Jacksonville, FL

Cabin E-181 (1A interior on Empress deck)

Platinum cruiser on Carnival (getting close to Milestone status). Less than half the total cruises I’ve taken are on CCL.

Itinerary for this cruise: Jacksonville, Half Moon Cay :D, Nassau

Favorite CCL ship to date: Carnival Miracle

Would I sail on Fascination again?? Yes, in a heartbeat, as it’s my new fave Fantasy-class ship. :)

Would I sail from Jacksonville again?? Hmm . . . Jury is still out on that one, but probably not.

 

Drove from Orlando to Jacksonville the morning of the cruise, which felt a bit odd since the last five cruises have been from Port Everglades or Port of Miami, and I’ve routinely flown to those. Yes, that’s odd since I live in Orlando, but I can fly for less $$ than the cost to park my car (plus the convenience of only a half hour in the air). Anyway, for this sailing I was somewhat concerned about traffic on I-4 eastbound, since a local radio personality was having a large motorcycle event/ride going from Orlando to Daytona Beach that morning. But two days before the cruise he shot his wife in the head (and her dog), so the overall interest and participation in the ride was obviously less than originally thought. No, duh.

 

Beautiful, warm, sunny Florida morning :) made for an enjoyable drive to Jacksonville . . . but once there, ehhh, not so much. Seemed as though all the locals were also planning for a great day at the beaches, or boating, and the traffic was extremely heavy in places. Lots of SUVs pulling boat trailers. The fact that one lane of traffic over the bridge was also closed for construction repair didn’t help the situation either. But I eventually got safely to the port and the security check there was quick and painless. Dropped off one bag to the porter (with proper tip) and then parked. (!!) For those who park there, I advise you make sure you aren’t parking in a handicapped spot. They are not marked on the pavement, and the A-frame sign in the lot is only printed on one side. I came close to making a boo-boo, but corrected it before anyone had to say anything. Having my car towed would not have been the perfect ending to a really enjoyable cruise. Eeek!

.

.

[DGP1111]

Quick and easy walk to the port entrance doors, and everything is very clearly marked. Followed the signs marked VIP, but apparently didn’t look “VI” enough, as an older gentleman (without asking for my FunPass) advised I was in the wrong location, and pointed to the next door. Oh, dear, visions of Port Everglades began floating in my head. I handed him the paper, and he said to please continue on, and have a great cruise.

 

Quick x-ray, and then off to the Concierge Lounge. There were two desks and several sofas and chairs, but nothing to indicate any processing order. Seems a bunch of us has arrived at the same time, so I understood there might be a bit of wait. I was certainly right on that assumption.

 

A petite older woman (she reminded me of Betty White) approached and asked me for my cabin number and then walked away. About this time I found myself lunging forward as an incoming passenger (I shall call him Foster Brooks) ran right into my back. His wife apologized, and joked that he had one too many Bloody Marys for breakfast. I told her it was no problem, and I moved over next to a chair. When that person got up to go to the desk, Foster and his wife came immediately over and as she sat down he attempted to sit on the arm rest, but lost his balance and ended up sitting on my carry-on. I’m starting to worry about my glasses being in the front pocket, Foster actually becomes frustrated and says I should watch where I’m going. His wife looked like she wanted to crawl in a hole, and my only response was a single word, “Wow”. I moved over by one of the sofas. The family seated there joked about my patience, since they’d seen both situations.

 

Betty White comes up again and says, “Good Morning, welcome to Carnival. What’s your cabin number?” I advised that she’d gotten it a short time earlier, but she looked confused and said she’d never gotten mine. So I gave it to her again, and off she went. I sat on the coffee table, checked on my glasses (they were fine) and started playing a game of hand-held Roulette. In a few moments here came Betty again, and she was just about to ask for my cabin number again when one of the ladies at the desk called my name. The mother on the sofa made me laugh out loud when she joked, “I’ve love to know what your horoscope said this morning”.

 

Paperwork was very quick, and I was escorted past those waiting to have pictures made, and then found myself outside on the sidewalk heading to the ship. There is no gangway, so you just step right on to Deck 3 (crew deck), and work your way from there. Quick elevator to the Lido, and when the door opens you realize that Vacation Is Finally Here!! :) :)

 

I seems like it’s the same on every single ship, no matter what cruise line – that feeling when you get to the automatic doors, and they slide open to invite you onto the sunny open Lido deck. And on this day, it was extra sunny, and quite warm.

.

.

 

[DGP1111]

Figured it would be best to get all the “stuff” taken care of before grabbing lunch, so I went to the desk and purchased my soda card and drink card. Very quick transaction, with no waiting.

 

 

 

 

Then it was onward to the Coconut Grove buffet area to enjoy some lunch. I was quite hungry, since I’d skipped breakfast entirely during the drive. The deli was calling my name. I know most on here rave about the Reuben sandwiches, but just the thought of that makes me gag, so I stuck with my regular turkey sandwich, which was tender, warm, and deeeelicious. I know the overall layout of this class of ship is the same fleet-wide, and it’s just a different theme. . . but I really like the look of this buffet area. Nice way to use the support poles to create an effect.

 

 

 

[DGP1111]

It wasn't time for rooms to be ready (and I refuse to go through the closed doors) so it was off to explore a bit of this particular ship. But I shouldn’t do that without a little extra refreshment to take with me, so it’s definitely time to try ‘break in’ the drink card on today’s main offering:

.

.

.

.

Atrium lobby was basically the same as all the other on this class ship, but the sun was shining in such a way to make it seem just a bit nicer than most.

.

 

 

[DGP1111]

Really enjoyed my stroll on the Promenade, taking in the unique themes of the various passenger areas. Nothing overly special about the casino, but I did eventually find that some of the best CCL bar servers were located in this area during the week.

 

.

.

Also (for obvious reasons) known as the Elephant Bar, the Passage to India club was fun throughout the week because the band Dakota was playing there nightly. The elephant rumps just inside the door did cause for passenger congestion at times, but I still thought it was a really cool idea.

.

.

.

.

Again, with CCL it seems like if you've seen one piano bar, you've seen 'em all, but I personally liked this place a lot. Simple yet fun. And I wanted to take a screwdriver and dismantle one of those small piano tables to take home with me. :p (note: I actually do take a screwdriver in my luggage)

.

.

.

.

[lisab411]

and looking forward to your next installment!

[DGP1111]

For me, it's always seemed like the libraries on the Conquest-class ships were always leaps and bounds (visually) above those on Fantasy-class. But I really enjoyed spending some time in here, and there were very few pasengers who ever came through the doors.

.

.

.

.

 

The gift shops were pretty much the standard CCL experience with nothing to make these unique at all.

.

.

.

.

[DGP1111]

So I could occasionally stay in touch with the real (and less fortunate) world, I headed on over to get my internet access set up. Would now be easy to check in on a few necessary office things, as well as taunting them with the occasional "I'm on a cruise and you're not" greeting. :D

.

.

.

.

One last place to visit before heading to my cabin was the Palace Lounge (main theatre), where I tend to frequent all available shows. A bit of unique upholstery, but pretty much the standard CCL offering. But I can add that the place was in immaculate condition, without exception . . . in fact, to this point, I'd not noticed anything at all that tended to show this ship's true age. Well done, Fascination crew!!! :)

.

.

.

.

.

.

[DGP1111]

I completely knew what to expect from my cabin (E-181), as I've stayed in that same one on similar ships. Aft area of Empress deck in a central hallway. Yes, it's a deck below the front part of the aft dining room, but I've never once heard any noise from up above. With the exception of a few passengers in the aft oceanview rooms on this deck, this interior hallway is very rarely used, and is quiet at night.

.

.

.

.

With only one bed on the floor, there's plenty of walking space, and (to me) it nevers feels small or crowded at all.

.

.

.

.

[DGP1111]

Food in the main dining room on the first night . . . and every night thereafter was superb. The service team was top-notch, and fun to be with each meal. As has happened on so many CCL sailings <<knock on wood>> I was assigned to a table with really nice table mates. Only two of us made to each and every dinner, but with us all having different backgounds, and doing different things during the day on the ship, there was alway something to promote conversation.

 

Ship rocked a wee bit during that first early evening, so I ordered a ginger ale just for the sake of keeping my innerds all working properly that one night. Every single remaining night, before I arrived to the table, the bar server had placed one by my plate, and would check during the meal to see if I wanted another. That was so attentive, and I didn't have the heart to tell him I wasn't a big fan of ginger ale. But I drank it every meal. :)

 

Ana (from Duluth) wasn't certain if she wanted dessert at all the first evening, but I mentioned about the popularity of the warm chocolate melting cake. She order it . . . and did so every single night except one. :p She loved the stuff. It wasn't until the last evening that she noticed that I'd never gotten it, and was surprised when I admitted I wasn't a big fan of that dessert either.

[DGP1111]

The 'Welcome Aboard' show was the same as always, but I still went (as always). One of those [many] inconsistent things on CCL ships is in regard to photography at the evening entertainment shows. Some will announce no video or flash photography, others will announce no video or photography of any kind. Carnival Caper said 'no flash' but announcement said none at all, so I abided as asked - - and that was probably a good thing. Would have probably deleted them later.

 

Several cruises ago, I had a nice leisure chat with some of the entertaiment crew about that whole "due to international copyright laws . . ." thing, and they are all completly aware of how it really works, but nonetheless it's a good idea to keep everyone in the audience from possibly using the flash accidentally, which can cause real issues for blinded performers. Also, for this dance troupe, any photography of any kind would be a bad thing for them. Their quality unison was often non-existent, and would not be seen well in any captured still shots. <-- that was a much nicer choice of words than I'd originally planned.

 

One late-night slice of pizza (yummy) and it was off to bed for some much needed rest and relaxation planned for this cruise.

[ahoys]

Don,

 

I hope this review won't be your last. You need to come out of retirement and write reviews of those upcoming cruises you have planned for the rest of the year!

 

Thanks for the review so far. Love the play-by-play and the pictures!

 

Kathy

[DGP1111]

Day Two is a 'Fun Day at Sea' as well as Elegant Night for dining. I also turned it into a Sleep Late Day (well, 8:00 is quite late for me). With no dog to walk in the morning, those things are possible, although I do miss my best buddy every single day of my cruises.

 

Breakfast in the dining room was very good, with fast service, and some enjoyable fellow passengers to share the meal with. There are no "bacon police" in the main dining room, so no one is getting their wrists slapped there.

 

A trip up to the Lido offered an immediate sight that has been discussed at great length here on these CruiseCritic boards. Since it didn't directly affect me, I'll not add any further editorial - - I'll only post the picture.

.

.

 

(la la la la la . . . just sayin') :)

 

.

.

A while later, the Lido pool band (well, um, duo) kicked into gear and offered their own Caribbean atmosphere. Pretty nice job of entertainment.

.

.

.

..

Today's ultra-healthy liquid nourishment came in the form of. . .

.

.

.

[firefly4423]

wow, great! thanks for sharing!

[DGP1111]

Today's lunch in the Coconut Grove offered something I don't personally ever recall seeing on previous CCL sailings (and occasionally is asked here on these boards). I had a nice 'pre-lunch' just munching on a plate of these buffalo chicken wings. Finger-lickin' good, to borrow a corporate catch phrase.:)

.

.

.

Then I found myself some semi-shade to enjoy tunes on the ol' iPod, but fell asleep soon thereafter for about an hour and a half. Now that's relaxation!!

.

Later did the 'official' late Lido lunch, and perhaps yet another Drink of the Day once finished.

.

On embarkation day, I'd received a call from Room Service advising that the complimentary canapes offered to Platinum passengers would be delivered, and which time would be best for me. I gave them a time and made sure I was in the room so I could accept them as promised. I took them back out to share with a few people I had been chatting with. I really don't enjoy most of those items, and was grateful I found a way not to waste the food.

.

[dolfndreams]

Enjoying the review. Great pictures and commentary. Makes me want to check out that ship next time.

Nan

[TakeMeAway1001]

Thanks for a great review :)

[afcj1]

Don,

 

Great review. I'll agree with a previous poster, you should really come out of retirement and wire more reviews:)

 

Got a big chuckle from the picture of the infamous "chair hogs". Thanks again for sharing.

[DGP1111]

OK, here's where a bit of negative drama begins, and I really let it bother me. I'd gone by the spa and explained that I was concerned I'd be getting quite a bit of sun the next day during our stop in Half Moon Cay. My skin does not often burn, and tans rather easily, but I wanted to get their take on what I could do in advance to properly prepare my skin, beyond just the normal sunscreen. Well of course they had a quick, and rather expensive, solution immediately available. Cha-ching! It's a combination complex moisturizer and sunscreen that's done like a mask (or it that masque?).

 

I put the 'Privacy Please' sign on the door, read the instructions on the tube, and proceeded to make myself look like a total fool. No sooner had I finished than there's knocking on the door. :eek: The sign was out, and I'd turned the lock, so decided to just ignore it, but the knocking continued, and this time with an announcement, "Room Service". I advised (yelling at the door) that I'd not ordered anything, but thanks anyway. A minute later the knocking starts up, and "Room Service!", so I go in the bathroom and quickly remove my expensive goop, come back out and find a totally empty hallway. :mad: I assumed they realized they'd gone to the wrong cabin.

 

Back to the bathroom for Round 2. All completed, and ready to lay down and let this concoction do it's magic, when the phone rings. I'm sailing alone so this has to be a crew member trying to reach me for something.

I kid you not, the verbatim words from the person on the other end was, "Mr. Don, you have a sign on your door, and it is also locked. Kindly remove it for one minute so we can deliver your order". What??!! I explained that I'd ordered nothing, and was in the process of getting ready for formal night and could not answer the door. She advised that it was my complimentary petite fours as a Platinum passenger, and they must deliver them to me. [Note: On a somewhat recent CC thread I mentioned that I absolutely do not like those thing]. I said thanks for the offer but I choose to not eat anything else before dinner, and hung up the phone. What happened next was totally unexpected, as she called right back and again started (quite emphatically), "Mr. Don, we are at your door. Kindly remove the sign for just a . . . ."

 

The noise I made was certainly heard in the hall, and by all neighboring cabins. I hung up the phone, wiped my face clean with a wash cloth, and opened the door to find that Mr. Delivery Dude had placed the plate at my door, and run for dear life.

.

.

 

Cheryl, I know you and Tom are in Vegas, but if you happen to read this, I want you to know that I honestly had to laugh later with a though that you'd somehow, some way, arranged that whole episode, after the comments on the earlier thread. :p :p

 

Getting past that . . . Elegant Night dinner was faboo!! Got the lobster, and it was not tough at all. The accompanying shrimp was tasty, and (of course) my ginger ale was refreshing. :)

[cathyoo]

Really glad you made that promise to your Splendor friend. I'm really enjoying your review and can't wait to read more.

 

thanks for sharing.

[ManyMore]

I too am enjoying your review. I especially appreciate you taking pictures of the drink of the day menu so I can have the recipe!

[fllady61]

Don, you always know how to make someone laugh. I think I would have shoved the pettifores down his throat if I caught him.

 

The pics are great. Love the review.

 

Can't wait till we can sail again together, or get together sometime.

 

Have a wonderful day.

[DGP1111]

oops, before I forget to add it. . . the evening of Elegant Night, I returned to my cabin to find the expected towel critter, but out of all the nights on CCL cruises, I honestly think this was my first Frog. And I thought it was quite amazing.

.

.

.

.

Day Three . . . ahhhhhhhhhh!!!

.

 

The sole purpose of booking this particular ship and itinerary can be summed up in three words: Half - Moon - Cay

 

Had been here before and knew from the very first visit that it would become a favorite port of call. My goals were to find a comfy hammock, relax to all the beach sounds, have a nice cookout-style lunch, get some exercise walking the length of the beach, and some sun and swimming. I met, and surpassed, all my goals.

 

Before I crank up with more pictures, I'll share a little 'back story' from embarkation day that had an impact on the entire HMC experience. After boarding, I knew I was primed to get a cabana booked for the day, with little competition to block me out, as happened on Carnival Splendor (they'd been pre-booked for the casino event finals participants). Walked up and asked for cabana #10. The Shore Excursions gal looked at me and said she had cabana #2. That seemed impossible since there'd been only one family in front of me at the counter, and they were asking about Nassau. This couldn't be happening again. :( I asked again if 10 was available, and she couldn't get past telling me about 2. To make a long story shorter, the punchline is that they were going to book them in numeric order - and no exceptions. So I went over to a chair and figured I'd wait until the number grew to those beyond the beach bathrooms. The next two group who arrived inquiring about cabanas got the same answer. Both groups walked away, but not before one lady banged he fist on the counter. Oooo, I didn't think about that approach.

[Note: I didn't put this in the Day 1 notes, as I wanted to set a more positive tone for a fun cruise review, and not be called a troll or hater]

 

In the end, I just made a personal decision that I'd arrange a 'date' with a hammock, and forget about the darn cabanas. I wasn't going to let my HMC experience already be negated by some young goober (gooberette?) at the shore excursion desk.

 

Anyway, getting back to real time . . . the morning was looking like a totally perfect day for this private beach, and it only got better, and better. Joined a bunch of new friends on one of the early tenders for a leisurely (and smooth) ride to Heaven.

.

.

.

.

The area was everything I'd remembered it to be, and prior to the arrival of the remaining passenger friends, there was a serene quiet further down the beach.

.

.

.

.

I loved the look of the ship framed in the branches of the nearby tree.

.

.

.

.

I found my perfect 'date' (the hammock), and remained there for quite a while.

.

.

.

.

To those at the office. . . . eat your heart out.

[Lgarth]

Don, your review and pictures are awesome:D We are planning on taking that cruise next year but with hopes of going to Key West. I'll have been here in Fla. 30 years and have never been to the Keys. What better way to get there than on a cruise ship! (Hubby born and raised here, but can't remember the last time he was there.) I've seen many of your posts, but never a review. You do a great job!! Thanks so much!;)

[DGP1111]

Lunch arrangements were fast, very organized . . . and actually delicious. I sat with two married couples I'd not seen earlier on the ship, and never saw them again, but we had some good laughs. Thanks whomever you are!

.

.

.

.

I went back and got another piece of the jerk chicken, since it really was that good. But I had to admit there was some hesitation eating it with this dude (and his buddies) walking around everywhere. Not sure what their purpose is, or how they got there, but some had theories it might be to help keep the lizard population down.

.

.

.

.

Afterward, I walked down the beach to check out the stable, where the earlier excursion had done the horseback riding in the water. Of those I talked to, everyone loved it.

.

.

.

.

On the way back to my hammock, I happened up on a group of crew members who were totally enjoying their free day at the beach. Mostly entertainment and guest service crew. They were doing stunts on the beach, and attempting back flips in the water. Some were quite acrobatic - -

.

.

.

.

Others, well, not so much - -

.

.

.

.

Oh, and Cabana 10 . . . .

It, like multiple others, went unbooked for the entire day. I don't know this for certain, but I think others had the same early frustration as me, and just left to make other plans. Seven empty cabanas, but one of those had been accidentally stocked with goodies. I'm not saying they did - I'm not saying they didn't, but when advised of the situation, some crew members gave consideration to raiding the untouched 'stash' that afternoon.

.

.