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Carnival Fascination Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 37

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Fascination

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 29, 2017

Ship: Carnival Fascination

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: U41

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

This was our third cruise, our second with Carnival. We really enjoyed the cruise and the ports. It usually takes about three days for me to relax into vacation mode, so we flew into San Juan three days early. By the time we boarded the ship, I was relaxed and really enjoyed this vacation. We also stayed in San Juan two days after the cruise, rather the have the mad rush off the ship to the airport. Wonderful!

Carnival Fascination is getting a little old. The theater upholstery isn't ripped, but is dated. However, we are also getting a little old so we found it nostalgic. There was a terrible odor on upper deck port side that took three days of cleaning to remove. Our cabin was also clean and fresh, but we had to walk down that smelly hall. The stage show was too loud, and several others complained. When we moved to seats on the front row, it wasn't as loud as in the back of the theater.

Embarkation/disembarkation was the fastest/smoothest of any we've been through. The Faster to Fun Pass was well worth the money. We just walked right on and right off.

Our shore excursions included:

The tram up the hill in St Thomas for a great view.

Zip lining in St Lucia. My first time and I'm afraid of heights, but this was a great one to start on. Very smooth, doesn't jerk you around. Starts out short and low, progressively gets higher and longer.

Bus tours in the other islands. We enjoy the mix of history, beautiful sights, and learning some facts/culture of the islands.

We were already planning our next vacation on the plane ride home. Can't wait to travel again!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Great selection. If we didn't like selection in one dining area, we found something in another.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
We really just like relaxing, reading, enjoying the sea and sun

Entertainment

The stage production and comedy club weren't great. We enjoyed the Latin music band.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5
NA

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

I always bring a hanging toiletry holder with various pockets. Since there is very little space in the bathroom, I hang it on the door and have easy access to my toiletries. Also, this ship does not have hair blow dryers.

Ports of call

San Juan, Puerto Rico

5 out of 5
Raises has great Puerto Rican food. We walked all along the city wall and to the forts. Also visited the rain forest.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5
Took the tram to the top of the hill for beautiful view.

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

Castries, St. Lucia

5 out of 5
Zip lining is great for first-timers and scaredycats. Very smooth and gradually increases in height and length.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5
My favorite island! We will return for a week sometime to see more. We saw amazing sights on the bus tour, but I want to take the train tour next time to see other sights.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

3 out of 5
This island is very arid, not lush and green. The butterfly farm was nice, but constant barking from nearby dog shelter ruined the serenity. Had wonderful French pastries in Marigot.
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2 Comments

eebron    7 years ago

Thank you for your detailed review! My wife will be going on this cruise in 60 days. This will be our 3rd cruise in the Caribbean but first through Puerto Rico. 

cganesh    7 years ago

We enjoyed the smaller ship and ease of getting on and off in ports. She's scheduled for drydock and upgrading 1/31/18-2/17/18.

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