It's been awhile since my last post, but I have a really good reason. I was on a romantic get-away with my darling husband. On the spur of the moment, we decided to take a cruise to the Bahamas. It was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.
Our cruise was on the ship Fascination from the Carnival Cruise line. The Fascination is part of the Fantasy-class for Carnival. It has 10 decks, is 855 feet long and has a passenger capacity of 2,052. The ship departed from Jacksonville Florida.
Here is our first view of the ship. It was taken from inside the Carnival transport bus we took from the airport.
It was very easy to board the ship. The staff was friendly, and checked documentation quickly. I had never been on a cruise before, and have heard stories of how small the staterooms can be. I was pleasantly surprised at the size. It was larger and nicer than I had expected. We had an ocean view room on the Empress deck. Inside the cabin room, there was a TV, safe, phone, private bathroom, and desk and a large closet. The bathroom was stocked with soap, shampoo and a sample size of lotion.
inside our cabin
There was wide assortment of food on the ship. Most of it was good, but not fantastic. There was, however always plenty to eat. YOU WILL NOT LEAVE HUNGRY!!! Coconut Grove Bar and Grill serves all three meals in a casual, buffet style. The two dining rooms, Imagination and Sensation, offer traditional dining with two seating times. We got to choose between the 6:00 p.m. seating and 8:00 p.m. There was a formal night in the dining room on the second night of the cruise. Other option include: a sushi bar, a 24 hour pizza place and ice cream. For beverages, they offered coffee, tea, water, lemonade and iced tea, at all times. Pop and alcohol must be purchased separately. For $6.00 a day, you can buy a stamp that lets you have unlimited soda.
There was quite a bit of entertainment on board. For us, this was a very good thing beacuse it was very cold and rainy during our trip. There were 2 major dance and singing production shows, a tribute to 80's music and one for Latin music. Having grown up in the 80's, I prefered the 80's show! Nothing like hearing Thriller, Like a Vigin, and Money for Nothing all in the same show. The Fascination also hosts kareoke everyday. Other things to do inculded an onboard casino, a night club, and a comedy club.
Overall, I would highly recommend this ship! It was very clean, the staff was always courteous and friendly, and I think it was a great trip for the money.
