maybe BEST vacation EVER

Item: Carnival Fascination
Rating: 5
Author: Froggy3

Carnival Fascination Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Froggy3

Contributor Level: Third Mate

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 58

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Bahamas (Jacksonville Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 15, 2015

Ship: Carnival Fascination

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: U144

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

I have NEVER had a vacation where I felt SO disconnected from the stresses of work, the hustle & bustle of keeping appointments & schedules, the "life" issues of extended family/friends, and the daily chores of cleaning, cooking, etc. as I was able to UTTERLY ENJOY while on board the Carnival Fascination!!!! By being at sea and away from all that, I had no choice but to focus on just ENJOYING every moment. It was wonderful!!! Our cabin steward Ketut was SUPER sweet! He was always asking if we needed anything else. The comedians on board were hilarious, and the shows were more entertaining than I ever imagined. The room size was pretty small, but when you're only in it to sleep & shower, it's not so bad after all. The bed was way comfortable. All the food was DEEEE-licious!! We chose the "your time dining" & it was perfect! I loved how every night the waiters would put on a show for dining room. In fact, on the last night of our cruise I found myself getting a tear in my eye at the thought that I was at my last cruise night's dinner. I didn't want to leave the crew that works so hard to make sure all the passengers enjoy their cruise! Our 2 excursions were worth EVERY penny! In our spare time since we've returned, we've done nothing but research if we can make it work to go on another cruise! The only negative thing I have to say is when 2500 to 3000 passengers can fit on a ship, you should really have more than 1 small to average size pool. But as packed as the pool always was, the pool ladders were always kept clear to allow access in & out. I'd give this vacation a 9.9 out of 10 (darn .1 pool!).

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

we didn't have any children with us. Our 17 yr old son was with us & he LOVED the meeting place CO2 designated strictly for 15-17 yr olds!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

While the cabin was tight, it wasn't so small that it was uncomfortable. Since we were really only in the cabin to sleep & shower, the square footage of the cabin became less relevant. I am proud to say how CLEAN the cabin was. I think the cabin bed was more comfortable than my bed at home.

Ports of call

Jacksonville, Florida

3 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

5 out of 5

We booked the SUB Underwater Adventure ** thru Carnival ** & it was probably the highlight of our cruise. It was an adventure that's not so available anywhere you go, so we felt very special to have shared it as a family. The staff at Stuart's Cove were SO friendly and accommodating. For a person who can get anxious doing something so different, the knowledgeable and safety conscious staff were very assuring and we left with nothing but fun, exciting memories!! I would recommend this excursion to ANYBODY!!

Thumbs Up 1

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

5 out of 5

We booked a day at the beach with an open bar ** thru Carnival **. I can't remember what the name of the beach was in Freeport that we went to. It may have been Taino Beach. The food & drink bar was located right on the beach & the seating under the covered deck was plentiful. There were separate men's & women's showers to shower off the sand or salty water. Maybe we just got lucky by our bus getting there early on because we had no problem getting beach chairs. I do think I heard people who got there way after us say something like all the lay-out chairs were taken, leaving only sit-up chairs. The staff made sure to frequently make their rounds to everyone lounging by the beach & ask if we wanted anything to drink. I don't think more than 5 minutes every went by without someone checking if we needed a drink. I read some reviews that people who booked this excursion were dissatisfied with the alcohol quantity lacking in the drinks at this location, saying the drinks were nothing but sugar, but I actually like my drinks fruity & sweet tasting so I LOVED it! I adored the staff at this location. They were SO FRIENDLY!! They work hard out there in the hot beach sun to serve 100's and 1000's of people & put a lot of effort into making sure everyone enjoys their time there. I appreciated & enjoyed the commentary provided by the bus driver on the way to the beach too. I loved this laid-back excursion, and I wished I could have done it a 2nd day too!

Thumbs Up 11

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