Carnival Fascination Review

3.5 / 5.0
0 reviews

Fascinating Time on Fascination

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Fascination
User Avatar
sparks1093
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2016
Cabin: Balcony

The quick version- we had a great time, met some great people, had some good food and drink, and of course we had fun. Fascination doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the newer ships but she is easy to navigate, is well maintained, and has a friendly crew. We arrived in San Juan the day before the cruise and departed the day after, staying at the Howard Johnson Cardiovascular about 15 minutes from the port. We did get FTTF because with DW’s back issues I didn’t want to take a chance with having to stand around for a long time. When we booked this cruise a year and a half ago we had no way of knowing that I would be diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year so we made sure we celebrated life (I did have surgery in June and the surgeon got all of it, so I just have periodic monitoring and the surgeon considers me cured). I apologize for the length and hope that you don’t find it too boring.

Embarkation Day

We left the hotel at 11:45 and were onboard by 12:15. It took about 15 minutes to get to the port and drop the bags off with a porter. They did three different poses for our embarkation picture which was taken prior to check-in (this is the first time this has happened; normally it’s only one pose). After receiving our S&S cards (which were already hole-punched) we were escorted to security and just like that we were on the ship. We had balcony cabin M122 and it was ready for us when we boarded. The cabin did not have a mini-fridge or a coffee maker. There were two 1.5 liter bottles of water waiting for us and our Bon Voyage purchases were in the cabin also. We had purchased a case of the small bottles of water and the label says they are purified spring water from Ginnie Springs in Florida. DW hates plain water but did like this bottled water. After dropping off our carry-ons we proceeded up to Lido to grab a quick bite to eat. While we were eating lunch a bar waiter came by and took our drink order and after a few minutes we had our first drink of the day firmly in hand. While they don’t have trays at the buffet the plates they have are very large and you can easily carry your drink on your plate if you arrange the food the right way. We walked around for a bit checking things out and went back to the cabin to pack our bags. I couldn’t get the safe in the cabin to lock so I asked the steward to have it looked at, but this wasn’t done and I didn’t follow up on it since we didn’t have much to put in it any way. Dining the first night is open seating and we went to dinner around 6 pm. I had the corn chowder and honey glazed pork loin and DW had the strawberry bisque and veggie lasagna. The food was nicely prepared and presented and was tasty (and it remained that way for the cruise).

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin 8B

Door was hard to open but was a good room for the money.

25 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a cruise

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.