Bill Noble

Age: 46 to 55
Number of Cruises: 2nd Cruise
Ship: Fascination
Departure Date March 27, 1999
Itinerary: Southern Caribbean

This was quite possibly the best holiday my wife and I have ever taken. While not our first cruise, it could be considered one as our first was taken over twenty years ago on our honeymoon...a Carnival cruise as well on the Mardi Gras, now retired from Carnival's fleet.

We used Carnival's air/sea program and flew into San Juan via Northwest Airlines. Although our flight was booked by Carnival some 30 days in advance, we were unable to get seat assignments ahead of time, although not for lack of trying on my part. When we checked in at Detroit, we found our seats were on opposite ends of the airplane, which didn't make us too pleased with Northwest. After expressing our disappointment to the agent at the gate, our names went on a list and we ended up being bumped up to first class. Not a bad way to start the trip.

Our flight was on time, and we were pleased to find Carnival representatives at the gate and scattered throughout the airport to direct us to our luggage and bus. The air/sea program worked extemely well for us. Not only was it less expensive than purchasing our own fares, but Carnival handles all of the baggage transfers and transportation to the ship. We also found some comfort in the fact that should our flight be delayed for any reason to the point that we should miss our sailing time, Carnival would take responsibility for getting us to the next port of call. Unless you've got frequent flyer miles to cover your own fares, we strongly recommend you check the air/sea program out. Northwest even let me claim the miles on my own account, which I didn't expect I'd be able to do.

The first thing we noticed about the ship was the size. This boat is big, but certainly not intimidating. There's lots of glass, mirrors, and glitzy lights, but its not as if they had transplanted the Las Vegas strip on to a ship. Our sense was that it was modern, but not overpowering. Lot's of comfortable places to sit and people-watch all over the boat. We were also pleased to find lots of deck promenades where we could sit quietly with a good book, read, and watch the world go by.

Ours was a standard two-person outside cabin on the main deck. It was quite comfortable and suprisingly roomy....about the size of a standard New York hotel room. Very intelligently designed, making excellent use of the space available. The room had two single beds that can be pushed together to make a queen, which we did. Also found a trundle bed under one of the singles, so I assume the room could accommodate three if need be. As I understand is all too common, we over packed, yet still had plenty of closet space to handle our clothes and such, with the suitcases fitting comfortably under the bed. Can't say enough about the size of our bathroom. The medicine chest easily handled all of our toiletries, and the shower was big enough for two! (very handy for a second honeymoon). Water pressure was wonderful, and we never ran out of hot water.

Sunday morning found us anchored at St. Thomas. The shopping was great, but short. The stores close at around noon to 1:00 PM, so we made sure to have an early breakfast and get out early. Instead of a ship tour, we signed up with one of the 'taxi' drivers for an afternoon tour of the island with swimming at Meggan's Bay (spelled wrong, but pronounced correctly). The price was right...$15.00 per person. For this, the driver drove us back to the ship at around 11:30, picked us back up at 1:00, drove us around the island with a few scenic stops for pictures, and dropped us off at Meggan's Bay for an hour or so of swimming. Then he provided us with transportation back to the ship in plenty of time before sailing. The tour was done with around 20 other folks in an open-sided vehicle with a canopy over the top. Was a lot of fun, and worth the minimal cost.

Monday was St. Marten. Took the Golden Eagle Catamaran Tour, which was ship sponsored at a cost of about $50.00 per person. The tour was a real treat and worth every penny. Lots of sun, with drinks both soft and hard included. You sail about an hour or so to a deserted island with a beautiful beach where you can snorkel or, like we did, simply lay out and soak up the rays. The return trip got to be a real party with champagne toasts and dancing on the decks. One note of caution, though. If you suffer motion sickness, either take dramamine or some other measures. The boat really rocks and rolls, and I'm not talking just the music here. A couple of people ended up seasick off the side, but most had no problem at all. The afternoon was spent wandering around town doing some shopping.

Tuesday was Dominica. Dominica is the least developed of all the islands we visited, with the most beautiful rain forest and flowers we saw on this trip. Don't look for beaches on this island, as there are none worth noting. To enjoy this island, you must take a tour. We chose the 'Dominica's Favorites' ship-sponsored tour for a couple of reasons. First, it hit all of the places we wanted to see... specifically Trafalger Falls and the Emerald Pool. Second, it was the only tour that promised air-conditioned buses, which after two days of heat and sun and the humidity of Dominica, we really appreciated. Our tour guide and driver were very good, and obviously proud of their island country. There is a lot of poverty in Dominica, but we found the people we met to be very nice. After the tour, we wandered around the town a bit which has no shopping to speak of. Our advice? Do a tour. You can rent a car, but the driving is on the left side, the roads are very narrow, and the local drive like maniacs. This doesn't leave one with much room for error, so be careful.

Wednesday was Martinique. If there is any day you choose to spend on board, this is the one. I understand there are some nice beaches you can spend the day at, and our table partners rented a car and had a great day on the french side of the island. We found the people to be if not rude, then indifferent. For example, in one shop we wanted to look at some merchandise in a display case. The proprietor of the shop was standing in front of the case talking with a friend. While it was obvious we were trying to look into the case, she refused to even acknowledge our presence let alone move out of our way. We ended up walking out shaking our heads. Martinique was certainly our least favorite island.

Thursday was Barbados, and what a great place to visit. We did the Harbor Master tour for $27.00 per person. The boat is a specially designed four-deck ship specifically designed for it's purpose. On this tour, you cruise down the western coast of Barbados for some 45 minutes where the boat noses onto one of the most lovely beaches we saw on the trip. While most of the passengers went off to do some snorkeling, which I understand was very good, we rented a couple of beach chairs for $5.00 each and sunned and swam for a couple of hours in the warm sun and surf. On the way back, we took hot showers on the lowest deck of the boat, which is always appreciated after spending time in sand and seawater. Food and drink are available at a reasonable cost. Certainly a good value for the money. The afternoon was spent wandering around downtown Bridgetown, which was interesting if not spectacular. We found the Barbadian people to be very friendly, and decided that were we to ever spend a week on one island, Barbados would be the one.

Friday was a day at sea on the way back to San Juan. Lots of time to do the shipboard activities or 'vedge' as your desires dictate. I got some serious time in at the casino, which is very good. There are blackjack tables starting at $1.00, and rarely did I have to wait for a seat. Also lots of slots, with craps, poker, and all the other casino games. Close your eyes and you'd think you were in Vegas.

Here's some miscellaneous tips if you're considering the Fascination... Stateroom electricity is either 110 or 220 VAC. There is only one outlet in the room, so bring along either an extension cord or other plug device that will allow you plug in more than one appliance at a time. There are no alarm clocks in the room, so bring one. Otherwise you will need to rely on a wake up call, which is not only an abrasive way to wake up (BRINGGGGgggg), but requires that you get out of bed to answer the phone which is across the room. While soap is provided in the room, shampoo is not. So be sure to bring some. It's also worth noting that while the two single beds in our room could be joined together to make a queen/king, they were still made up as two singles, only side-by-side. As a result, snuggling together at night made it that one of us had to sleep 'in the crack', and frequently the covers would slip off. As a matter of fact, this was the only 'room for improvement' comment we could find to make on our after-cruise feedback form to Carnival. If you're going to call home, do it from the islands. You can use the phone in your room, but it will cost you almost $10.00 per minute. Calling from the islands is much, much cheaper. Don't miss the shopping on board at the duty-free stores...especially the watches and perfume/cologne. We found the prices to be roughly comparable to those on shore, and in some cases, cheaper.

One comment about rooms in general. There are some very nice, and somewhat more expensive suites and larger rooms with private patios and great views. Many of these rooms are on the Veranda deck of the Fascination. What you gain is space and amenities like a refrigerator. What you lose, however, is stability. The fact is that at sea there is always more motion on the upper decks than there is on the lower decks no matter what ship you are on. If you are at all susceptable to motion sickness, you might consider sacrificing size for comfort, save a little money, and get a stateroom on one of the lower decks...specifically the Main or Riviera decks. Or, there are some suites on the Upper deck that are quite nice, if a bit pricey. Both of the other couples at our table had suites on the Veranda deck. While the seas were not particularly rough, one couple felt the need to take Dramamine all week (the non-drowsy formula) while the wife of the other couple ended up getting seasick on the last day at sea. In contrast, my wife, who is susceptable to motion sickness in the air and on the sea, was completely unaffected.

All in all, it was a great trip. We've already decided to do it again next year, this time taking our three teen-age kids along.

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