This ship needs to be redecorated and revamped. The carpets are old and worn and there is nothing special about the cabins... they are very basic with heavy curtains with stains here and there. We were on deck 7 in a balcony which was okay... the best thing being that we were in-between and ocean view and another balcony, so we didn't hear sounds from one side and we could relax most of the time. However, we could not leave the door open since the sewage smell would be overwhelming. There was a strong stench of sewage everywhere we we went, day or night, for at least a half an hour. The water on this ship is undrinkable... with a weird taste that is present in the coffee, lemonade, tea.... luckily we bought a case of water so didn't experience that taste much. The Windsong restaurant is disorganized and we waited at least 45 minutes to even get even get a menu, let alone a piece of bread. So, we opted to eat at the buffet instead and remove the gratuities the restaurant staff would be getting. We complained to the useless concierge and of course no one bothered to knock on our door, or call, to address what happened. They didn't even care that we removed the gratuities. We had massages that were great, however, at the end we were pushed in every way possible to buy the products, which we didn't do. The food was below average at the Windsong, with the vegetables obviously reheated since they were extremely wilted and had a weird taste. Forget about the grilled menu.... not so... again obviously previously cooked and reheated. The best thing about the cruise was our steward. He was very friendly and the room was cleaned to perfection every day. The band (Lexi) playing by the casino was very good, but the singers/dancers in the auditorium were horrible... could not sing or dance... sloppy mess on stage. We got off the ship in Nassau and walked around ... this was fun. We did not sign up for the excursions. The gym was great... the equipment was nice and clean. We exercised every day. Read Less

Chose the cruise for the ports, price and duration. They have PLENTY OF AFTER MARKET CHARGES. A tumbler i bought disappeared from our room. They excursions are in line with other ships so they are extremely crowded. Lines are super long, the bathrooms were FILTHY. AND YOU COULD NOT EAT IN PEACE BECAUSE THEY HARKED THEIR WARES. They crowd you on buses like starving cattle. Ask you for tips while the cruise ship makes money off promoting these crowded unmonitored excursions. The extra fees and tips will run you another 50 minimum each. The kids aren't encouraged to attend any free activities. You can never find someone to help you. Cant find a trash can anywhere. The food is BLAND AT BEST. The food specialty areas (for example coffee and hot sandwiches) never have more than 2 workers per station for 1000s of people to discourage you from using the services due to the long waits. All extra activities like bingo are extra. The board game rooms have tons of the same few games all with missing parts. No playing cards. Underage drinking was rampant. Kids using their bubbles cards had a difficult time getting sodas from the bars and servers. You dont get a refund for money you won once they get to port. It should be your money...and i could keep going....say no to Carnival Paradise. Read Less

July 30-August 4, 2018...I decided to take my son on a cruise the week before he went off to college. We were so EXCITED. I had cruised before, but he had never. The boarding of the ship took less that 15 minutes, so I thought wow this will be great. HOWEVER...We got to our cabin and the toilet was dirty. We called the cabin steward. He and the supervisor came and began cleaning the bathroom. I begin filming. The supervisor said, "We are cleaning please do not film." I replied it should have been cleaned before we arrived. Then, they went to flush the toilet and realized...there was no water in it. So, they called a plumber. He fixed it. The next morning, again there was no water. So, we waited for the plumber. An hour later, he fixed the toilet. We returned later that evening and again, there was no water, so we had to use the public restroom. Finally, he returned and fixed it again. The next day we went on our excursion which was a disaster as well, but we got over it. Only to return to our cabin and the carpet was completely wet....The toilet had leaked. So, the plumber came again. The next morning, we left to shore and when we returned we were not able to get into our cabin. The Steward tried and neither was he. Thirty minutes later, someone came and said the batteries had shorted out and they have to remove the digital panel to reset it. This took another 30 minutes to fix. We went on our way to try to enjoy ourselves while we waited. We returned and THE TOILET was not working. So, for all of our troubles, we received a dink coupon and $50 cabin credit...Are you serious!! Let's not talk about the food.....Previously on a cruise the captain's dinner was the best night...NOW YOU HAVE TO PAY an additional $20 if you want anything special. This was my son's first cruise and supposedly our time together before he leaves. It was Horrible. Horrible Horrible. Each time I had to go to guest services and wait in line for an hour or more. They have 2600 people on board and 2 people working guest services. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE.....The ship was old, the windows in our ocean view were so dirty we could not see out of them. Some of the railings on deck were taped with blue caution tape. This is a horrible ship. UGH! Read Less

I would like to thank my cruise team for making my experience wonderful. This was my first time cruising and had a wonderful time with Simon, DJ Sasst, my London servers Alan and Jevoni. Thank each of you and more for the great experience. My room cleaner Armand you all did great. Bring our first time we all enjoyed it. I felt very comfortable in the captains hand he did a outstanding job cruising our ship. The security is very serious and I love the fact that they take it serious when you are a missing person. The food was wonderful guys burger is the best. I loved the buffet also and glad I got to eat plenty of ice cream. All the shopping was rational ad not so expensive. Overall this was a great experience for me and my family. Thank you for all the wonderful experience. Thank you!!!!! Read Less

This was our first cruise and we loved it. We departed from Miami, which we did not explore because what we did see in Miami we we're not impressed. To be honest it looked dirty and unsafe, but that can be anywhere. The food in Miami was amazing though. Getting on the ship was easy but we paid for a fast track so we would not have to stand in line as we have a 1 year old. The embrakation was smooth. They did a safety drill for each Munster station which was a mess. I suggest they scan room cards as you come in and pass out bands for children 12 and under that way you don't have to stand for an hour waiting to get a demonstration of putting on a life jacket. Other than that it was easy to go. The ship itself was beautiful and looked new. The 5th floor had a Casino for those who want to gamble and life music with an amazing band. The fun shops are small but amusing. The theater is huge and beautiful. The public areas were beyond clean. Oh there is a small playground for kids, my daughter loved it! Our cabin was awesome. It was clean as a whistle upon our arrival. The showers have shampoo and body wash dispensers so that is convenient. We had a balcony beautiful room but wish I got a room with a window only for extra play space.l enjoyed seeing a new towel animal daily after house keeping cleaned. Which is done daily. Dining OMG food galore!!! I ate 7 meals a day, the Lido deck had a great buffet. There were great restaurants to eat at that we're free. I didn't do fancy dining cause I'm on vacation with family not the President of the United States. So I can't tell you about the food you pay for. Room service food was delicious too and the employees that bring it are beyond amazing. One was from Thailand another from Bahamas and Ukraine, amazing! I did not do adult entertainment because o was more concerned we the my daughter having fun so I did that. Their we're movies every night. We did a parade and story time. Tons of pictures with Dr.Suess characters she loved it. I wish there were more activities like that for her during the cruise. The music selection was not my favorite but hey peoy want to party, but I think there should have been more of a variety! Service was stellar! Seriously if anyone complained they had to be drunk. The photographers we're amazing and professional. Housekeeping professional, hilarious and worked hard. Cooks well the best because they fed us. Capatin out of this world. Our Cruise director Felipe the best. And I remember Josh the guy who was always making a joke for the performances great and funny. Bartenders quick and polite. Room service quick and didn't mind me picking their brains! Ports Key West Sucks! Their only place to walk is Duval St and nothing is open when you dock. Boring during the day and I will stay on the ship when I cruise again and it's a stop. Cozumel, totally beautiful. The natives are hilarious and so friendly, they do everything they can to sell stuff but hey that have to make a living too. The atmosphere here outstanding! I'd visit Cozumel Mexico anytime. The save the sea turtles was an amazing excursion my older kids did it and said that was the highlight of their day. Disembarkation was a gaggle they need to exit those who paid for quicker exit first by floors not herd us into a room tells us to sit then now leave. Customs was friendly and polite. The biggest issue of leaving was Miami TSA rude, rude, rude except for 3 TSA women who was awesome by my daughter. Read Less

I want to start with the praises because the list is shorter. I loved our steward on the 10th floor although I didn't see him as frequently as stewards on previous cruises. I think they seemed short-staffed. He was sweet to replenish the ice in my husband's beer bucket without our asking. That was kind. I liked one of the comedians. I think Cee Cee was his name. Although his R rated show should have been an X. I couldn't imagine taking my 18 year old daughter in there but he was funny. The other guy was ok. I think his name was BT or something but he engaged too much with audience members doing improv more than sticking with a skit. Loved the gym. Descent, modern equipment with a great view and never had to wait to use anything. Usually just a few people in there. The process of loading and unloading passengers went smoothly and our waiter at dinner was nice too. This is where my compliments stop. I get that it is impossible for there to not be some glitches but having to turn off plumbing in the middle of the night was a hassle. The smell of smoke walking through the casino was disgusting. Need better filters. The piano bar guy sucked. That has always been my favorite part of the cruise. In the past, the piano guys were so engaging. This guy got off course, only took requested if you tipped, would say he would play certain songs and never play them, and instead would play weird "non piano bar songs". No one stayed longer than one or two songs. There was never more than 10people in there. The waiter took my husband's half full beer when he went to restroom and refused to replace it. The food gets worse and worse each cruise. It's obvious they are cutting corners on a lot over the years. I don't think I took more than a couple of bites of any of my food. The sandwich wraps from deli were edible (hard to ruin) and the fish tacos at cantina were descent. The pizza sucked. I even was disappointed this time in Guys burgers. The dining room was horrible. Every entree, side, desert or appetizer was mediocre at best. I tried to avoid the buffets because some patrons act like it's a competitive sport and it's like Survivor: The Golden Corral Buffet. I kind of get PTSD with some neanderthals acting like they have never eaten or will never eat again. Seems more and more family reunion situations which is fine I guess but it sucks when an entire family camps out in certain sections like the pool, hot tub, etc and they act like they are the only ones there, yelling at the top of their lungs being obnoxious. The walls are paper thin. We were under the gym. Not sure if we heard weights being dropped all night or what but it was noisy. I wish there was a way to put noisy party animals on one floor, and people who respect their neighbors all on one floor. It sucks when either the Captain, staff, or neighbors are all taking turns making noise. I think they have cut back on a lot. They charge now for room service after 10 pm and all the "upgrades" we would get are gone. They also seem short staffed. In the theater, a waiter was ignoring us trying to get his attention so other customers had to point us out. I was bummed because we wanted to take advantage of being one of the few left on the ship after docking in Mexico. I went to hot tub, it was cold. Went to steam room and sauna, turned off. I guess they shut these things down in Port. The floors of the lido deck and the attached dining area were always wet. I lost count of how many people I saw fall. I have bad knees and ankles so I walk especially careful and slow and I slid a lot. Even saw an elderly guy in a wheelchair fall and there wasn't a staff member anywhere. My husband had to flag him down. All in all, u get what u pay for. Some people probably really get their money's worth. For families on a budget, it's a deal. U get your lodging, food, transportation and entertainment. Our teens have always enjoyed all the activities in the teen club but my husband and I would never step foot on this ship if it was just us. Read Less

From the moment my boyfriend and I stepped on the ship, to the second we stepped off we were racially profiled! They would hover around us and pace back and forth watching us. They even flagged our bag for the police to check! There was no paraphernalia in our suitcases but some how the dog “smelled” something in our bag so our bags were searched and we were stripped search for one reason only - because we are two young black adults. They were determined to harass us until they found something on us! This was most definitely a case of profiling. Also, the food and service on the boat all around was just nasty. Beware of this Carnival Fascination Cruise out of Puerto Rico as a young black adult! Hands down, the worst experience ive had for a vacation. Will never give any money towards any other carnival cruise ever again! I pay all this money to have a good time and escape from the reality of the world i live in on a day to day basis but instead i was harrassed the whole time and treated with the upmost disrespect ive ever experience in my life. Read Less

Not my first cruise, so I expected of few things to not be perfect. This ship should be retired! We had an extended balcony suite, so size was great, but bathroom was being held together with a poor caulk job. Curtains were torn and overall appearance was worn out. Rust stains on ceiling above bed were gross. Ship hasn’t been updated in a very long time. I heard a passenger say it looked retro, I didn’t have he heart to tell them it was just old. Every bar and restaurant had long lines and was understaffed. With our suite came “priority” seating was was great until we were seated in the middle of the dining room in a cleaning area. Food was good, better than expected, but only because everything else was as so poor. Kids area seemed dirty. I would let my kids go with their age groups because it seems like a poorly managed operation. The music being played in the pool was a bit too adult for my 8 and 12 year old which wasn’t a problem most of the time because the pool is so small we never stood a chance of getting in it during normal hours. At every turn there were empty cocktail glasses and food plates in the halls, again understaffed to handle everything. What crew we did see working always smiled and seemed nice, hey just couldn’t keep up demand. I’ll never travel on his ship again and will think long and hard about Carnival. The convenience of the port in Charleston doesn’t make up for the crappy cruise. Don’t waste your time and money! Read Less

Short answer is that I would take my family again on this ship with the same crew. 1. Express check-in is a must. Takes you to the front of the line and you are on the boat quickly. 2. I did not meet one Carnival employee who didn't appear to love their job. Always helpful, always asking if you need anything. Internet posts/blogs suggesting most of the workers make very little and rely mainly on tips. These men and women work very hard. 3. Not a big fan of the food, but I can be a bit of a food snob so take that comment with a grain of salt. 4. Wayan and Chris were our cabin stewards. Simply awesome! You need anything, they make it happen. 5. Gary the Cruise Director - I can't put into words what this guy does. Someone in Hollywood missed the boat not signing him. Absolute talent! I hope he makes it big one day. Go see his shows, you won't regret it. 6. Lee, Mr. Bingo - I never went to Bingo, but I heard he was great. We saw him at every production with Gary. Lee will be Cruise Director soon no doubt and he too is an incredible talent. 7. The dancers and singers were great. High energy shows that were very entertaining. Live singing while they are running and dancing all over the stage...not sure how they do it. 8. The boat is old, but very clean. Staff is cleaning all the time. 9. Our family only had one negative experience, and that was our excursion to Atlantis. Carnival let's Atlantis staff handle all arrangements from getting you off the boat to taking you to Atlantis. They do a horrible job. Very unorganized and takes forever to get to the resort. Once you are there, Atlantis staff are not helpful in showing you around. Water rides didn't open until 10 am. Then the staff didn't show up and we waited until 10:20 am. At $200/person, we were disappointed. The food voucher was a joke. It didn't cover several of the dining areas near the pool. The water rides had an 1 1/2 hr wait. Carnival does so well with customer satisfaction, so it was surprising to us that they let this excursion be handled by people who do the exact opposite. There is so much wasted time. 10. Joavan - I believe he said he had worked for the cruise line for 31 years. He is from India, has kids/wife back home, family man. Talked with him every day. He was always working either the pool deck or show lounges taking drink request or cleaning tables. Great at his job, but just good people. He made you feel at home around him. Read Less

So we just returned from a cruise on the Fantasy. We experienced both positive and negative aspects of the ship and staff: PROS: 1) friendly staff. We rarely encountered our steward and didn’t need any additional assistance, but it was nice to have the bed made and clean towels. The staff was nice and it was apparent that they kept the ship clean despite its shortcomings. 2) delicious food. The dining room had great selections. We are huge fans of the American Table series. There were a few duds, but the crab cakes were delicious!!!! 3) bartenders. The bartenders at the atrium bar were attentive and remembered our specific preferences. CONS 1) the ship is gross. The ship is the oldest in the fleet and it shows. The seats in the universe lounge have a musty smell and the rooms need serious TLC. The fake wood contact paper was peeling. There were poorly repaired holes in the walls. There was a red chair rail that runs the length of the room (I think to disguise cords for the lights, maybe). Under this the wall was moldy and disgusting. This was about 2 feet from my face as I slept so I felt gross. The bathrooms need a deep clean/refurb. When it dry docks in January I TRULY hope they completely gut the rooms because they need it! 2) our room stunk. Our room always smelled like fuel or sewage. According to a mechanic, this was due to the opening of the lines and could not be avoided. If you’re around the middle of the ship, you may experience this. Pretty bad- we knew we were getting close to our room from about 50 feet out. 3) sometimes there isn’t a lot going on. I wish there were more shows or offerings. We didn’t want to play bingo or go to arthritis seminars so sometimes there were limited offerings. Overall, we had a good time, I just wish the ship was in better shape. We may wait and see what the repairs look like or use another carrier out of mobile. This boat is not for us as it currently stands. Carnival- PLEASE make this ship clean and updated! Its sooo rusty and old when compared to others docked in Cozumel! Read Less