I just returned from my 11th cruise, 3rd on Carnival Cruise Line, and 1st traveling by myself. Why by myself you may ask? Let me just say that the decision involved a woman, a breakup, me wanting to get away for a few days and a last minute internet cruise sale. My 2 previous cruises on Carnival were not the most pleasant experiences, but under the circumstances, I decided to give them a chance again. Now, I'm very glad about my decision! So 7 days after I booked this trip, and with $248 charged to my credit card, I was on my way to the Western Caribbean aboard the M/S Fascination!

I arrived at the port of Miami around 11am on day 1. Boarding was very smooth, and even though we were not allowed to board the ship until 12pm, check-in was well under way.

My first impression of the ship was the atrium. Yes, it's very flashy, with ever changing neon lights. One moment the atrium was fluorescent orange, the next moment it was purple. However, it was not an eyesore. In fact it was pretty impressive. It's much smaller than the atriums on the larger, newer Carnival ships though. The ship was VERY clean, and even though it's 9 years old, there were very few signs of wear and tear. You could see somebody cleaning around almost 24 hours a day. Read more