Carnival Cruise Lines
Fascination Cruise Review
Key West & Calica, Mexico

Grady
Age: 24
Occupation: Police Officer
Number of Cruises: 5
Sailing Date: November 6th, 2006

I am a 24 year old male in the public service field. This was my fourth cruise with Carnival, and my fifth overall. My girlfriend and I found this cruise on Carnival’s website in the “Specials” section. We booked five days before the cruise, so it was a spur of the moment vacation. We paid $158.00 per person for an interior room, mid ship on the Riviera Deck. We drove down to Miami on Sunday, the day before sailing, and stayed the night at the Downtown Miami Radisson.

The Embarkation:
We arrived at the cruise terminal around 10:00 am. We had to wait for awhile because they weren’t ready to load the ship. By noon, we had checked in, gotten our room keys and were on the ship. The rooms were still being cleaned, so we had lunch in the Coconut Grove restaurant on the lido deck. The embarkation went smooth, and wasn’t crowded since we got there so early.

The Ship:
I had never been on the Fascination before, although I have been on two other Fantasy-class ships (Sensation, Inspiration) so I was familiar with the ship's layout. The Fascination was recently dry docked and the cabins were extensively remodeled. The cabins now have flat screen TVs, and new sinks and floors in the bathroom. They installed new cabinets, bunks (where applicable), lighting, wall coverings and a totally redone desk area. I was very impressed with the new look of the cabins; it gave the room a much more luxurious and modern feel. The exterior of the ship was freshly painted and looked great. This ship also has one of the new mini golf courses on the sun deck. While the ship is moving the wind hampers play, but the games we played in port were very fun. Kudos to Carnival, the golf course is much more useful than the shuffle board courts it replaced. The ship was very clean and well kept, and I liked the decorations more than those on the Inspiration and the Sensation. My one major complaint deals with the renovations to the spa. They removed the two hot tubs that sat between the steam/sauna rooms and replaced them with an exercise bike room. I really enjoyed those tubs on the other ships because they were rarely crowded, and never had any children in them. Other than the deletion of the hot tubs, the spa looked fantastic. It had new showers, sinks and a really fancy entrance area. Overall, I was very impressed with the look and condition of the Fascination. It shows that when polished, the Fantasy-class ships can still be very nice vessels.

The Food:
As with any cruise, there is never a shortage of food. I found the meals in the dining room during dinner to be top notch. We had the 8:30 dinner in the Sensation dining room. Our wait staff was excellent, and they were very attentive. The food in the Coconut Grove grill was also good, as was the deli and pizzeria.

The Entertainment:
We went to several of the nightly shows; the music and dancing were done well. The two comedians were very funny, as was the newlywed/not so newlywed game. We went to both of the late night adult comedy shows too, both were laugh riots. They had both of the R-rated shows in the Putting On The Ritz lounge, which is too small for the crowds that those shows attract. We had to show up very early to get seats.

The Ports:
Our first stop was Key West. This was a great port of call, and with the exception of some morning rain, had great weather. We did all the touristy stuff like the Southernmost Point, the lighthouse, the Key Lime Pie Factory and Mallory Square. We ate lunch at Sloppy Joes, and then returned to the ship. Key West rates highly with me, and was definitely my favorite port.

The second stop was Calica, Mexico. The only thing in Calica is the port, so we took a short Taxi ride to nearby Playa del Carmen. Playa is very similar to Cozumel. It has a large shopping area, and beautiful beaches. I actually liked Playa better because the beach is directly in front of the shopping area.

The Debarkation:
We decided to do the self assist debarkation, in which you carry off your own luggage. Instead of getting up early, we just slept in until 8:00 a.m., got up and had a leisurely breakfast. After that we went to the lobby bar, and had drinks until the line at the gangway subsided. We then walked off the ship. We got right through customs and were driving away by 9:30 a.m.

The Bottom Line:
This was another great cruise that I recommend for almost anyone. Since it was a last minute deal, the price was fantastic. You really can’t beat a four day cruise for less than $200 after taxes and fees. A November cruise is great because there were very few children and teens (big cheer!), and it wasn’t oppressively hot. The ports were great and the ship was in superb condition. There are some people who judge Carnival harshly for being the “Wal-Mart” of cruises. I prefer an analogy that I read in another cruiser’s review; that going on a Carnival cruise is like going to your friend’s house. The ships are nice, but not super fancy, so your kids can run around without you worrying that they will break something. The crew treats you very well, but not like royalty. The food is great, but tailored to the masses. I like that! I’m a blue collar kind of guy, and I don’t want to have to wear a suit on vacation, or worry about using the right fork at dinner. If you are looking for an ultra premium cruise, then Holland America or Celebrity Cruises can give you that. If you want a high value, reasonably priced, fun and relaxing vacation then Carnival is for you. I am a confirmed Carnival fan, and I plan on taking many more cruises with them. We are already booked on the Carnival Glory for a seven day cruise in 2007, so I will hopefully have another positive review then.

 

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