Carnival Fascination
Sail date: May 01, 2006
I was disappointed with the quality of this cruise. When I filled out the comment form I attempted to rate the positives as well as the negatives. Here is my perspective: Embarkation was very easy. Got to the terminal (under construction which is ok) about 1:30. There were no lines and went right up to the counter. A note for those thinking that filling out a "Fun Pass" ahead of time. It does not save you any time as most people fill out the "Fun Pass" anyway. I boarded the ship and went directly to the cabin which was clean. The exception was that the blanket was stained, the safe did not work. Called about the safe and was told that someone would come to look at it. No one ever did. Went the week with a broken safe, made out ok though. The ship was in average shape. Now I have cruised 5 times before and did comparisons to those ships (Sensation, Imagination, Explorer of the Seas (twice), and Caribbean Princess). What noticable difference was the non-politeness of the onboard staff. There were 2 exceptions. The 2nd Pursor from Mexico and the Matre D' in the Imagination dining room. These 2 individuals were very friendly and accomodating. Everyone else couldn't be bothered to give you the time of day. The Coconut Grove Bar and Grill had numerous emply tables with dirty plates not cleared off. This would never occur on a Royal Caribbean ship. The bathrooms by the main pool were unsanitary and had the odor of a dirty bathroom. The quality of entertainment was below average. The onboard cruise director and his staff were not "fun". Maybe because it was the end of the season? We were a family of twelve on this cruise. We managed to get together in the Coconut Grove Bar and Grill as our get together point. When we arrived we discovered that none of us were placed at the same table or dining room or time. That is where the Matre D' did attempt to place us together but the largest table was for 10 and did not fit us all. That is why we ended up at the Coconut Grove. I would not recomend this cruise to anyone that has cruised on Royal Caribbean or Princess before. You will be extrememly disappointed. The lower price did not make up for the loss in quality. Bottom line, not recommended. Spend the extra few bucks and cruise with another line.