Not ready for prime time

We started our 5 night cruise on the Carnival Fascination on March 28, 2015.  We invited our children & grandchildren for a total of 7 people. We had booked the cruise 6 months earlier. Things went downhill when we prepared to board.

We were not scheduled to be at the same table for dinner, though I requested that at booking.

The keys to our room didn’t work. I had to spend over 1/2 hour correcting both of those problems. The maître de in the restaurant was very helpful with the seating problem. The Starz Bar lead singer was assisting at the service desk, and he was very helpful as well.

When we got to our room, the safe deposit box didn’t work. Maintenance had to replace the battery.

Muster was scheduled for 3:15. It didn’t start until 4:05 and completed at 4:45. There were no announcements about the delay.

We ordered drinks at dinner the first night. It took 30 minutes for them to arrive, and they were the wrong drinks. It took 50 minutes for our appetizers to arrive, and dinner took almost 2 hours. I talked to our waiter, and dinner service was much better the last 4 nights. But three nights the food was mediocre, and two nights it was very good.

Except for a concert that was $45 per ticket additional, the only entertainment available for two nights was karaoke and a passenger talent contest one night, and bingo and a game show knockoff the next night. The band at Starz Bar was excellent, as were the two comedians and the singers that performed in the theater. Trivia during the day was great. There was a lot of it, and the sessions were varied.

Breakfast buffet problems included warm and bad tasting milk, food mostly cool, and food not replenished quickly.

Lunch buffet problems included 20 minute waits at the deli and pizza stations, and the lettuce ran out at two other stations. The buffet also had themed lunches, which were not enjoyable.

Cold showers on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

We were scheduled to disembark about 8:30. We didn’t start until 9:15, but there was no announcements telling us why we were waiting.

The temperature in much of the ship was erratic. It was freezing cold at Starz Bar during the day while it was warm by the elevator and other venues.

The ship is 21 years old.