Pilar DiTomaso

My husband and I took our very first cruise on Carnival’s Fascination in April 2005 to Nassau, Bahamas. We had read a couple of very bad reviews a few weeks before we left and got very worried. We worried for nothing! We flew to Miami and had purchased the ground transportation to the Port of Miami. We had a little trouble finding where the cruise lines had their set up and walked around for about 15 minutes but eventually found it and we were directed to the bus that was to take us to the ship. We tipped the driver (he had a sign asking for tips) and as soon as we arrived at the Port of Miami, the Carnival luggage handlers were requesting $5 to ‘take care’ of our luggage. Everyone was handing out money so we did too. In the guide that we received with our tickets it said that only small carry on luggage could be taken in the Carnival building before embarking, we only had two small bags but bigger than the required size. Once inside, we saw people walking around with their luggage and made a mental note to ourselves to keep our luggage with us next time and save ourselves $5! Going thru security and getting our cabin key and sign and sail card went very fast, we were off the bus and on the ship in less than 25 minutes. Yes, the crew was pushing the drinks rather heavily when we first arrived but a simple no and they went away. We were in our room by 1:00 pm and got our luggage around 3:30 pm. We had an Oceanside Room and it was fine. The room was very clean. The bed was very comfortable and we had plenty of room in the closets. After getting into our room, we began to explore the ship. Everyone (crew and guests) was happy, friendly and smiling.

We had lunch upon arrival and then a pre-dinner dinner because we had the late dinner seating at 8:30 pm in the Sensation’s Dining Room. We sat with two other couples and we all felt that we were matched up perfectly! We were all in the same age frame and with similar interests. It made for very easy conversation with our dinner partners. We hit it off so well that we hung out for the rest of the cruise! We hit every loung and disco on the ship. We ate constantly! The food was delicious!!! Every night the buffet had a different theme and it was all delicious. We are not buffet people and we were very surprised. I didn’t try anything that wasn’t well prepared. Our cabin steward, Saeful, would be hard at work at all hours of the day and night. It didn’t matter when we went back to our cabin, he was there with a ready smile and asking us if we needed anything. Our dining team, Am and Desi, were fantastic! After the first night, they remembered our party’s drink preferences and even which breads we liked for dinner! What can I say, we had a wonderful time!!! I was concerned the day at sea that the ship would seem crowded and that there wouldn’t be anywhere to sit or relax and that was not the case at all. It was such a huge ship that we were able to find some nice secluded areas to sit and relax. The cruise director, Matt, was awesome. We went to his talks to find out what to do and when, it was very informative. Needless to say, we can’t wait for our next cruise!!! Good luck and hope this was helpful!!!