Carnival Fascination Review
Carnival Fascination Left Us Fascinated!
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our first Carnival cruise. We live in Jacksonville, but had previously only sailed on Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas out of Port Canaveral. Those three trips were pleasant, but the two and 1/2 hour drive home was not, so we decided to give the Fascination a shot. I originally booked an interior room on the Verandah deck, but a Carnival agent called a couple of weeks before departure and offered a balcony suite for only $340 more for both my husband and me, so I jumped on the opportunity. The biggest upside to that upgrade was the VIP embarkation & debarkation.
My father in law dropped us off at the port at about 12:30, and we went straight through the VIP entrance to the VIP waiting area, where we waited about 10 minutes before being checked in and personally escorted to the gangway. Once on board we familiarized ourselves with the ship and headed to our cabin. The suite was very nicely appointed with a king size bed, mini-bar with refrigerator, and couch. Our steward came by to introduce himself and inform us of the cabin service schedule, and he was absolutely delightful.
For a fifteen year-old ship, the Fascination is in remarkably good shape. All of the areas we visited were extremely clean.
Cabin Review
Our cabin was a balcony suite with an unobstructed view on the Verandah deck. We had a very comfortable king size bed, a mini bar w/refrigerator, and a couch and table. The closet was more than adequate, and the bathroom was more spacious than I expected. The location was excellent, as we were only one deck away from the Lido deck and Coconut Bar and Grill, and only two and three decks away from the shops, casino, bars, and Palace theatre. The Verandah deck is very quiet, as well, because there are only a limited number of cabins on it. The only complaint that we had was the size of the balcony. The two chairs and table on it took up the whole thing, so we had to squeeze by the furniture in order to sit down. I'd definitely book this cabin again, especially since it included VIP embarkation/debarkation!