Hey, Ya'll; This is a short version of our Halloween cruise on the Fascination. This was our 5th time on this ship! We keep coming back because we Love It! Embark was great as usual, Jax. is very easy to maneuver, the only issue was that they confiscated my wife's small pair of needle nose pliers that she uses for jewelry repair! (I guess they thought she was going to dismantle the ship). They delayed us a little, while they pulled a surprise security check on the crew. We didn't board until 11:30, but we were rewarded as our luggage was at our cabins when we got there at 1:30.This was our first interior cabin as I had booked last min. with a guaranteed status. It turned out well as we ended up Main Deck Midship. We did not have the "basket Of Goodies" waiting for us but it did show up that night. We met our steward, Jonathon, and he was great! Very friendly and efficient! After the muster drill they had to get a tug boat to turn us around as the wind was really blowing hard! We were off!

The first day was ROUGH! Some of my cruise buddies ended up meeting Ralph! My only problem was that I couldn't stay put in bed! Kept rolling! First night in the MDR our server was Napa. She was a Sweet Heart! I had the "Garden Vermin", snails, and I also had the lasagna as an app. and a Gourmet Burger! It Was Great! I finished it up with Choc. Melting Cake with Orange Sherbet. Went to SuperStar Live Karaoke. Fun! We missed the Welcome aboard show as most of our group was "Ridin' In A Buick!" We've seen it several times. One thing about our steward, Jonathon, is that he always made good animals! The first night we found a rabbit wearing my sunglasses! He never made the "Easy" animals like seals and such. He also left them "corralled" for the whole trip. It was Great!

The next day the weather improved. They cancelled HMC as there was damage from Sandy and later said that we would be going to Freeport instead. I didn't think we would make HMC so I didn't bring my snorkel gear. (Pessimist) It was a "Fun Day At Sea" and since all my folks had gotten Ralph out of the Buick, we did all the usual games and such. We had Sunday School on deck, then I went to the wine tasting which was a lot of fun. I had a Meet & Greet with some CC Folks and then registered for the Showcase of the Stars talent show. It was a busy day! That night was Cruise Elegant Night. We were Any Time Dining so we had to wait about 30 min. for a table. They gave us a pager and we waited in the library. Later we found some goodies and a note from Alena, the hostess, apologizing for the wait. Very Classy! This night is a real Problem! Since Carnival has moved the BBQ ribs to this night, I have to have the Prime Rib and the BBQ ribs, all while trying to keep sauce off my suit! I persevered and it Was Good! Spent some time in karaoke and Hey Mambo. Very Good! Read more