I have always wanted to try a cruise, my husband, not so much. As a compromise, we opted for a 3 night cruise to give us a taste of cruising without obligating ourselves to a long trip. When looking at the choices, we chose the Fascination because it was only going to one port - Nassau, for a full 24 hours, and then a full day at sea. This would give us some time to actually do something in port, and have the experience of a full day and night at sea. The Port of Miami is about a six hour drive from our home, and by sharing the driving was not too tiring. We chose an oceanview room, mainly because I was nervous that I would feel claustrophobic otherwise. Early on Friday morning, before sunup, we set off.

We arrived at the Port of Miami around 1:00 p.m., and despite the confusion of the porters and the parking garage, we finally walked in to the building to check-in. There were an awful lot of people, but the line never once stopped moving, and very soon, we were on board. We went down to our room and dropped off our carry-ons and then up to the Lido deck for lunch. Had my first drink-of-the-day in hand by 1:45. Food on the Lido deck was so-so. Salads and fruit was fresh, the sliced turkey I had was dry. After lunch, we went back to the room and unpacked (our checked bags had arrived) and relaxed for a bit. Our muster drill was in the Palace Auditorium, and armed with our life vests, we headed off. This was completed very shortly, and when we went to put our vests away, my husband said, "look, we're moving". We went up to the Lido deck again and watched the land recede and took some pictures. Before we knew it, it was time to get dressed for dinner in the Imagination Dining Room (early seating). Lobster tails, strawberry soup, prime rib, no room for dessert. Our head waiter was wonderful and personable and our tablemates were great. After dinner, we strolled around, donated some money to the casino, and went to see a show. We weren't at the show long, found it old-fashioned and just not to our taste. We went to the Passage of India bar and listened to a very good rock band called the Dirt Poets. Danced a bit, and then off to bed. Next day Nassau.

We had breakfast on the Lido deck (a mistake, the scrambled eggs simply are not edible) and then walked off the ship into Nassau. We strolled for a bit and then hired a horse-and-buggy ride. This was a rip-off. He said he would point out the sights, but all he really did was say things like, "There is the Starbucks, there is Burger King, etc." Read more