Sol Gordon

Age: 73
Occupation: Retired
Number of Cruises: 12
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Fascination
Sailing Date: November 14th, 2003
Itinerary: Bahamas

We went on this three day Fascination cruise with another couple as a birthday celebration. We live here in South Florida right near Fort Lauderdale so it is only a 30 minute drive to the ship. My friend, who is a travel agent, picked this particular cruise because he could not take more time off than three days and also because the price was very reasonable.

The check in time from the moment we pulled in at the curbside with our baggage to the time we went through all the necessary security checks and paper work and arrived in our room was about 40 minutes. Considering the large number of passengers involved, I consider this very good time.

We had an outside room and it was nice and roomy with a very nice bathroom, really good shower. Having been on many ships, I would consider this room a little above average.

There is a TV set right above the bed, but I must say the channel selection was just terrible. All they had were three network channels from New York City, no news channels such as CNN, FOX, MSNBC, three movie channels with awful pictures that kept repeating all day long for the three days. This definitely needs an upgrade.

The ship itself is quite beautiful with a big atrium as you enter the ship. It's quite glitzy looking, think Las Vegas style, and whether you like it or not depends on your individual taste.

We had trouble right off the bat because we had reserved late seating but were assigned early seating. Our confirmation definitely said late seating. We went to the main desk quite upset and were informed that our confirmation was only a request and could not be guaranteed. We spent quite a lot of time at the desk with no satisfaction and finally we were told to show up at the late seating and talk to the Maitre D. When we did talk to the Maitre D he was not polite or helpful. However, we insisted and finally we got a table which we were able to keep for the rest of the trip. I don't know why we had all this trouble because there seemed to be some empty tables at this late sitting. All in all, if you insist on a particular seating (early or late) make sure it is not just a request but a guarantee.

Having been on many cruises and different ships in the past we could compare the quality of the food and service. We would rate the food and service as good but not excellent. We have always found the Holland American line to offer very fine food and elegant service, and this ship does not compare with it.

However, this line advertises as a "Fun Ship" and caters to a young crowd. There were very few kids on board and we were definitely in the upper age group on this trip. I would say the young crowd definitely seemed to have plenty of fun. There were a great number of single young women who came together and shared a room. The bars and lounges were open all the time and full of revelers at all hours. In fact, I have never seen so much drinking on a cruise, it never let up all day. The disco and casino were busy all the time and there was music all over the place. If you like this sort of activity, you definitely will not be disappointed.

Also, there are shows in the theater nightly and they have a big professional cast and orchestra and the productions are of very high quality. The costumes, music, props, band, dancers, singers must cost a fortune, this is really a first class production. Also, they had two midnight comedian R-rated shows at midnight which were very good.

This ship only stopped for the day in Nassau, Bahamas, and since we had been there several times, we just went on the main street for a little while.

One thing I didn't like was the fact that they do not allow you to carry any alcohol into your own room. I like to have a few drinks before dinner and hate the thought of spending over $6.00 per drink, that really adds up to a lot of money. I have to confess though, I did smuggle two small bottles of Vodka on board that I bought in Nassau, and I almost got caught also but made it through. This is the only ship where I had this problem.

In summary, I would say that for young people who are into having a real good time with drinking and plenty of entertainment this cruise is definitely for you. As for us older folk, it's back to Holland American line.