An Adults Perspective: Carnival Fascination January 17, 2015

I am finally getting to it!  Riley did a review from his perspective, now it is my turn! I will try to be as detailed as possible and include pictures as they pertain to the subject!

Pre-cruise, we traveled to Jacksonville by car. It took about 6 hours and 45 minutes of drive time. We were all ready to be out of the car when we arrived at our hotel. We stayed at the Hampton Inn: Regency East. One, because we used Hilton Honors points for the stay and Two, because it was very convenient to the port.  It took us only about 10 minutes to get there! The room was surprisingly large, but we were put in a poor location. We were right near the elevators and directly over the car port/entrance. We could hear the doors opening and closing and did not have much view of anything due to the carport. The room was clean and breakfast was adequate.  Here is Riley enjoying his huge bed all to himself!

Day 1: The day had finally arrived. Riley and I had been counting down for months!  We loaded up in the car and headed to the port.  As I mentioned, it only took about 10 minutes to get to the port and it was super easy to find. We had purchased Faster to the Fun through Carnival. This meant that we could be among the first to board the ship. (After Diamond & Platinum passengers of course!)  We arrived at the port at about 10:30 or so and were allowed to board at 11:30. Our room was ready (another perk of Faster to the Fun) so we went to go check that out first. We had a Triple, which consisted of a King bed for us and a bunk for Riley.  He really loved being up there!

There was a ladder and the bunk folded up for more space.  Having cruised before, the room was no surprise to us. However, we did have a "connecting" cabin this time.  Our beds were on the wall with the connecting door.  I am not exaggerating when I say that this door was "paper thin!"  We could hear our neighbors conversation clearly. (and they were not loud people!) I will never book a connecting stateroom again unless we are traveling with friends or family and actually open and use the door!

Riley enjoyed sitting in the window!

 After checking out our cabin, we headed out to explore the ship.  Having sailed on a Fantasy class prior, it was easy to navigate.  Riley was not as impressed as we thought he would be!  He even made the comment that he "preferred the Queen Mary 2!"  Like he has EVER been on that ship!  Well, excuse me!!!  Anyway, he had a blast but doesn't like to admit it!

After exploring, a round of Mini-Golf, marathon unpacking and lunch, it was time to "sail-away." Well, according to our watches, it was time. However, a rather large ship blocking the river had other ideas.  We were late leaving and I missed going under the bridge because I had to attend a Camp Carnival meeting. Ronnie and I have always sailed alone so this was new to us.  I have to say that Riley loved Camp Carnival and was there a lot!  He made some great friends and had a blast!

Here is a video of the ship going under the bridge. It got chilly during sail away so I had to have a cup of coffee to warm me up.  Before we knew it, it was time for dinner.  We had Late Seating so dinner was not until 8:15 every night. Ronnie and I decided to go for early dining from now on because we feel like we missed shows and activities that were going on while we were eating.  The service in the Dining Room really left much to be desired this time around.  Our wait staff was very pleasant, but we were almost the very last table to leave every night.  Very SLOW service and they would often forget our requests.

Day 2: Sea Day.  We headed to Sea Day Brunch and were not disappointment!  Riley had Chocolate Chip Pancakes, I had some Mexican dish that was super yummy and Ronnie had several things that I can't remember!  The beauty of cruising is that you can order whatever you want and as much as you want!  Riley wanted to try some coffee, so we got him some Decaf!  He said he liked it!

Here is a video of Riley trying the coffee! The coffee on the ship was really not that bad.  I have had better, but definitely have had worse!! After Brunch, Riley was off to Camp Carnival.  I can't remember everything that Ronnie and I did this day.  I know that I went to Tea Time and the Thriller Dance Class.  We both did a lot of lounging around and reading......which is unusual but welcome for us!!  After lunch, Riley wanted to swim and play on the waterslides.  The water was freezing, but the kids did not care because the pool was full of them!  Not for me! I sat my bum down in a lounge chair and read!!

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!  This night was Elegant night and much to Riley's dismay, we got all dressed up. He only had dinner in the dining room with us twice...the rest of the time he enjoyed dinner at Camp Carnival.  This night, however, he had the Ribs and destroyed them!

 Posing on the Grand Staircase.

When we arrived back in our cabin, there was a friend waiting for Riley! He was absolutely exhausted from his day, and fell off to sleep quickly!

Day 3: Nassau, Bahamas. We were off the ship early to get some shopping done before our scheduled excursion.  We had originally booked the Sea World Explorer but they apparently had equipment issues, so we re-booked the Glass Bottom Boat. After a short walk from the ship to the pier, we boarded the glass bottom boat for our tour.  We headed out of the Harbor and past the Atlantis Resort and homes of the rich and famous! The harbor was beautiful and the water was amazingly blue!  When we arrived at the Marine Park, we were allowed to go down to the viewing deck. There were 2 "wells" where you could view beneath the boat. They moved the boat back and forth over the reef so we could see as much as possible.  One of the deck hands was down stairs talking about the fish and coral, but we were unable to hear due to the engines. Up top, they handed out bread so we could feed the fish.  Riley really enjoyed this part!  There was a bit of a frenzy at one point!

The staff was very friendly and we had a great time on this tour!

After Lunch, we visited the Pirate's Museum.  I was really excited for this tour, but it was a bit of a let down. We learned a lot about Pirates, but it really was not very interactive for Riley.  He was a bit bored to be honest. (and he really like pirates!)

Ronnie apparently felt like Riley and I required a "Time Out!"

Here are some various photos we took during our time in Nassau.

Day 4: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. This is a private island and is absolutely beautiful. I think this was my favorite day...even though we almost got run over by a truck. This was a Tender port and one of the perks of Faster to the Fun was Priority Tender.  We did not have to wait at all!

 The water was crystal clear (but cold!) and the sand was like silk between your toes. It was my favorite day because it forced Ronnie and I to just sit and be.

 We did not plan any excursions, so we sat on our bums and watched Riley and his friends play all day!  Sometime during the morning, I got the brilliant idea in my head that it would be great to take a nature walk. There are walking/running trails that go around part of the island. Riley and I were enjoying the feel of the sand between our toes as we walked. At one point, we came to a bend in the road. We could hear a vehicle coming so we stopped and stood on the side of the road. A truck came speeding around the bend, not slowing down or moving away from us. I had to push Riley into the bushes and Ronnie had to push me into the bushes to avoid being struck!  The driver did not even slow down or acknowledge us!  It was terrifying! After catching our breath, we headed back to our loungers.  As we sat there, the true magnitude of what just happened and what could have happened started to sink in. I actually started to cry...it was really upsetting. Ronnie decided to go speak to someone about the incident. He spoke with the Manager of the island and he assured Ronnie that he would look into the matter. He even offered us a free excursion, which we graciously declined. We did not want or expect anything...we simply wanted to make him aware that this happened. We later found out that our dinner table mates had a similar experience. Moral of the story......if you are going to take a nature walk on Half Moon Cay, be very aware of oncoming vehicles!!

The rest of our day was uneventful and very relaxing. We did not want to leave and look forward to going back someday!

Day 5: Second Sea Day.  Riley spent a lot of time at Camp Carnival and playing on the slides again.  We did some Trivia and lots of lounging and reading.  Riley was somewhat cranky this day......I think he was exhausted! In the morning, we took a Behind the Fun Tour.  We got to visit the Galley, Crew areas, Engine Control room and the Bridge!  We got to meet the captain and have our photo taken with him.  He was very patient and friendly with Riley. We received souvenir hats, lanyards and chocolate covered strawberries! It was a great tour and I recommend taking advantage of it if you can. You have to sign up for it as soon as you board because it fills up fast!

Day 6: Arrival back in Jacksonville. We were sad to go!  It was a great first cruise for Riley. Even though he doesn't like to admit it, I think he had the time of his life. We chose to do Self Assist off the ship. This means we did not put our luggage out in the hall the night before to be collected. We carried it off ourselves with little trouble.  Another perk of Faster to the Fun was Priority Debarkation. We were off the ship and in our car by 9:15 AM!

Final Thoughts:  The Carnival Fascination is a smaller and older ship.  It will be going into dry-dock for some upgrades very soon.  Having sailed 5 times previously, we knew what to expect and went with the flow.  If you have never cruised before, a smaller ship might be a good first choice to get you hooked!  Cruising is a great value for your money!  Where else can you have everything included and see many different places in one week!?

If this sounds intriguing to you, give me a call or email me to get more information about cruising! 980-533-1167 or escapetravelandcruises@gmail.com

Wherever your Travels may take you, I hope they are Safe and Happy!!