Shelly

Cruise Line: Carnival
Sailing Date: October 14th, 2002

This was a honey-moon cruise, her first cruise and my second (American Hawaii, now defunct...), although we didn't advertise it as such (more on this later). Embarkation went smoothly, although we qualified for "Skipper's Club" expedited boarding, the printed instructions were vague as to whom we were to report to upon arrival and we went through the basic procedure (carry-on baggage x-ray, and metal detector) and were directed to a counter where several people were taking paperwork and directing passengers onward...We mentioned our accommodation status at this point and were advised that we should have entered the "Skipper's Lounge" which was located outside the security check-point. Not a problem, as we arrived quite early and the process of acquiring our Sail-and-Sign cards, and having our photos taken was minimal...20 minutes or so from entry to on-board.

Our stateroom was a category 11, an outside room with private balcony (large enough for 2 plastic patio chairs and a small plastic table, with privacy panels at both sides) and held a comfortable queen-sized bed, sofa, coffee table and plenty of storage space for clothes, bags, etc, televison/vcr, refrigerator and (real) crystal bar service pieces (yes, I wet a finger and tested...call me cynical), plus an electronically operated safe conveniently located in the clothes cabinet (You may use your sail-and-sign card, or any credit card, at no charge...just make sure that you use the same card to try to unlock it, as that seems to re-set the mechanism each time the safe is locked, responding only to the card that locked it.) Also, be cautioned that several of the Cat-11 rooms have obstructed views due to the placement of lifeboats: we spoke with a couple who were very disappointed at spending the trip looking at, or around, the lifeboats.

Short comments on Food Generally good-small portions, but the serving staff had no hesitation about bringing two entrees, or as in the case of our table mate, a vegetarian, doubles of the vegetable dishes. The fish and beef dishes were the best bets, in our opinion. The serving staff was friendly, and our only complaint about service was that our water glasses could have been attended to a bit better. (And one of our dinner companions preferred coffee with her desert, and most occasions had to remind the server to bring it.) On another note, the staff, as is often the case, was pressed into service providing entertainment (a conga-line with hats and water goblets balanced on the heads of various staff, and joined by more than a few of the diners, was hilarious), and those tables with a birthday, anniversary, and honeymooners, were treated to a serenade and a cake by their servers. We declined to indicate in our boarding paperwork that we were on our honeymoon, so I presume our travel agent listed us as such. As I'm one of those people who prefers to be the picture-taker rather than the picture-takee, this was a little embarrassing, but the off-key singing ("Happy Honeymoon, to you..., accompanied by shouts of "Kiss, Kiss" between each stanza) was delightful. And one night, the entire serving staff conga-ed their way through the dining room, then took center stage and sang in Italian...a feat made greater by the fact that the crew is comprised of approx. 70 nationalities. I don't know how much fun it is for them, trip after trip, but it's fun for the diners.

Entertainment: Having no interest in gambling, others will have to rate the casino. We attended a night show in The Palace Lounge and were pleased with the production, a musical of one or two selections from various Broadway hits (A Chorus Line, Phantom of the Opera, to name a couple) introduced by a man in a cab and his female cabbie, who who affected an obvious amorous interest in her passenger, for comedic effect. Expect poor sight-lines in the balcony. A woman playing piano in the lounge adjacent to the Sensation dining room was entertaining as we waited to be seated for dinner. As we also do not drink, no opinions on the various "clubs" are offered. Off-ship A variety of shore excursions are available through the Line, and we engaged two: A trolley tour of Key West, and a Sail, Snorkel and Beach Party trip at Cozumel. Both were enjoyable and well-executed, although I expect especially in the case of the Key West tour, available at a lesser price by making one's own arrangements on-shore. However, since neither of us was familiar with the lay of land, we were satisfied with value received. As to the tourist-trap type activities, no lack there-be it souvenirs, bars, restaurants, etc. Although, again, I imagine better values are available, if one knows where to look. Random The Fascination could be considered an older ship, but the crew scrubs it to a dazzling shine, to the point of awakening us one morning prior at 7:00am washing down the outside walls of the cabin below us. We tend to walk more than use the elevators, but the couple of times we used them, they were smooth and quick. Waterslide was zippy and fun, and the saltwater pool great for lounging around, floating on one's back. Kudos Keith, our cabin steward, was cheerful, efficient and willing to answer questions at any time. He made it a point to know dinner seatings, and individual patterns, and if anyone had a conflict between their schedule and his, I'm not aware of it.. it would take someone who rarely left their cabin, I think. He always had a smile and a laugh to give, and time to speak with us. Thanks, Keith. You will be one of our best memories.

Disembarking was smooth and relatively painless: we spent more time sitting on our shuttle, waiting to leave for the airport. Passengers are directed to waiting areas based on the color of one's luggage tag, and are escorted to the terminal, where (this is the sticky part) ALL of the baggage is laid out in rows, per luggage tag. Each passenger must climb over and around the others, locate and retrieve luggage and carry it down very narrow aisles left by the arrangement of the baggage. Porters (some quite pushy, in my opinion) are available to cart luggage outside to the waiting bus or taxi, in exchange for being "taken care of".

All in all, a good experience. I do have to say that we didn't appreciate the number of people pushing for tips as if it is a right rather than "earned income". Don't be put off, or afraid to say "no thanks" and carry your own bags if you wish.