Have you traveled on the Carnival Fascination, Sensation?

Question

We are planning a cruise to the Bahamas for November. We have found mixed comments about the Carnival Fascination and Sensation cruises, so we're wondering if anyone has traveled on either one of them, even more so if you have done so with children. We have a four-year old.

Also, if you know much about any of the the Royal Caribbean International cruises, I would appreciate any comments.

THX!

Answer 1

In August, I completed my 5th cruise on the Fascination.  She is a beautiful ship (recently completely refitted).  The food is great as is the entertainment.  Wonderful service, beautifully laid out, great pool and lido area and spacious cabins.

I have already booked my 6th.

I was on the inaugural for the Sensation - but that has been a LONG time ago.  I have seen her next to or hear us in port many times and she still looks perky but I haven't cruised on her since the inaugural.

I think you will like the Fascination.

Oh, and I do cruise on other ships.  I take at least 3 a year but always take my grandson on the Fascination before he goes back to school.  He has been onboard 3 times.

I can't tell you about Camp Carnival as I have no young children.  However, Carnival is known for their great childrens programs.

Answer 2

royal carribean is a nice experience.

i don't know about the carnival fascination.

try here

cruiseclues.com

cruisecritic.com

carnival.com

rcci.com

Answer 3

Hi, I havent on none of the cruises you specified but what I have done when I need a little inside experience is I go to www.youtube.com and believe it or not there are people who actually put videos or slide shows of their trips and if you specify in the search area like Carnival Sensation or Fascination maybe if your lucky enough people have gone to the same place you want to go and you can see a little of the ports and the cruise ship itself. I do that when I've been on my cruises it really helps.. like that you can see what you like and what you dont like =)

Anyway just a thought... I hope you find what your looking for.

Have a great time!

Answer 4

Well I have been on over 30 cruises and i can say from experience that carnival cruises are the WORST for little kids...there are so many drinkers its not good at all for kids...here are some links of info:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/crui...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/revi...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/revi...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

http://vacationstogo.com/cruise_lines/ca...

Royal Carribean is a fantastic cruise line for kids....

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/crui...

http://vacationstogo.com/cruise_lines/ro...

Hope this helps, and if you have any further questions, feel free to send me a message!! = ]

Answer 5

I cruised on the Sensation during April of 2001.  I was part of a single's cruise group; the second largest on board.  The largest group was Richard Simmon's Cruise to Lose.  They had the most people.  I'm also pretty sure they were evenly distributed among the ship or it would have listed.  I ended up pair off with a nice Korean woman after the second day.  

The ship was a lot of fun, pure and simple.  The entertainment was good, the pools and hot tubs nice, and the food great.  The parties were also nice.  I had an inside cabin on Empress deck which while not the nicest cabin I've ever had, was enough for my needs.  The ship staff was friendly and the service good.  The buffet upstairs had a really nice salad bar (Richard led his group through that!).  The midnight buffets were nice and a lot of fun.  

In terms of ships, I've been on smaller ships, and I've been on larger ships.  I tend to prefer the larger ships, though to be honest I mostly look for bargains when it comes to cruise travel.  Carnival just has had the best bargains, except for my upcoming cruise on the Dawn Princess.

In short, I would cruise on that ship again if everything was the same.

Answer 6

Wife and I went on our first cruise for our honeymoon on the Sensation I believe. It was okay for the money, but from what I hear the Royal Caribbean line is far better.  My experience was that while the decor was very dated and in bad need of some revamping, the staff was excellent, especially those down in the cabin areas.  The on board entertainment was awful and not at all what is pictured in the commercials. Basically there was dumb stuff like fake game shows, bingo and the world's worst magician. The food was great in the dining room but the cafeteria areas were a little lacking and only some section were always open for snacking, and god help you if you wanted a calzone. You would literally have to stand there and wait while they thawed one and heated it. If you walked away to come back after they said it would take 15 minutes they would just stop making it for you.

As far as kids, they did seem to have a good setup for that. There were dedicated camp counselors types who had activities every day for the little ones and they had their own section of the ship where only they could go. A lot of the parents I talked with said the kids were never bored and they gave parents pagers so they could be reached at any time if the kids needed them.

So, I think if it's in the budget to go Royal Caribbean, from what I've been told it's worth it, but Carnival is okay too, just lower your expectations a bit.

Answer 7

The Sensation and Fascination are two of Carnival's older ships.  The Sensation went into service in 1993 and the Fascination in 1994.  Many first-timers get their initial taste of cruising on the Fascination and Sensation and are, for the most part, younger than passengers on other lines with a high concetration of couples due to the short cruises. However the days of T-shirt-clad crowds are gone; today's cruisers are honeymooners, young families and singles as well as veteran travelers who like the Carnival ambiance. Dancing is a popular pastime for all, and late night adults-only comics bring out huge crowds.

Families are a major market for Carnival and the minimum passenger age is 4 months with no ship maximum on the number of children allowed on a particular sailing. Parents should pay "tips" on children aged 3 and up.

Camp Carnival operates on sea days from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m., and is divided into four categories: Toddlers (2 - 5), Juniors (6 - 8) Intermediates (9 - 11) and Teens (12 - 15); there's a playroom for children under the age of 3. On days in port, Camp Carnival offers supervised free-play from arrival until 2 p.m.; scheduled activities run from 2 until 10 p.m. Group babysitting is available on sea days and port days; cost is $6 for first child and $4 apiece for additional children (available from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m. in the children's play room. The dining room features a "daily junior special" each day plus a regular kids menu with the usual staples (chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, peanut butter and jelly). On formal nights, counselors host a kids-only dinner at the buffet. Diapers are sold in the infirmary, and there's a turndown service featuring fresh baked chocolate chip cookies at bedtime.  A Fountain Fun Card ($9 to $23 depending on length of cruise) is available for the under-21 set.

I have not sailed on either of these ships, however, I have sailed on the Jubilee, Celebration, Ecstasy, and Elation. All Fantasy Class ships similar to the two above except for the theme of the ship.

These ships lack some of the glitz and glamor of the newer Carnival ships.  In a review of a Fantasy Class ship an expert wrote "the ship is still more of a tribute to the old days of cruising. Even with all of its upgrades and updates, this may not be the best ship for passengers who have grown accustomed to modern-ship amenities that aren't found here, such as a high ratio of balcony cabins, supper-club style alternative dining, high-tech fitness facilities and swank spas."

We have always enjoyed our cruises on the Fantasy Class Ships and have great memories.  Of course any cruise is what you make of it.  Incidentallly, we have taken 15 cruises on 7 cruise lines in the past 5 years and our kids always request we go on Carnival because they find the "Camp Carnival" kids entertainment best.  Also, in a show I saw recently on the Travel Channel, where they were awarding the best of each area to different cruise lines, Carnival was selected as best onboard entertainment.

www.carnival.com

I have also sailed on RCCL.  Of course I always enjoy every cruise and try to make each cruise fun.  My family, however, chose not to sail RCCL again based on that one experience.  My kids did not enjoy the kids activities and were constantly asking if they could just stay in the stateroom and watch TV.  My wife found the food bland.

Me I just like a clean deck and a place to read, and found both cruise lines acceptable.

RCCL has 2 ships to the Bahamas

Majesty of the Seas which was reviewed as follows:

Standard cabins (inside and out) are contenders for the industry's smallest. At a claustrophobic 122 square ft., fulfilling Royal Caribbean's marketing theme ("get out there") won't be a challenge. And Majesty of the Seas received no additional balconies, so those cabins that do come with verandahs will be priced at a premium.

Still, Majesty of the Seas -- with the help of the refurbishment, to be sure -- wears its years well. I'd sailed on the ship when it originally launched in 1992, and at that time it was considered beautiful and innovative with large lounges, bars, show rooms and sun deck. Its casino was huge and sprawling, its kid facilities adequate (remember this was in the pre-rock climbing walls-skating rink-surf boarding era). Some of the newer bells and whistles may have passed Majesty of the Seas by, even now (there's nary a skating rink, bungee trampoline or surf park aboard) but, with its ever more contemporary decor -- and it's perfectly suited three- and four-night itineraries -- the ship shines.

Also The Sovereign of the Seas:

Indeed, there is no question that the newly reborn Sovereign of the Seas has a whole new look and a young, vibrant attitude. Big verandahs were added to 62 of its cabins, the dark and closed-in buffet area was scooped out and expanded, soft goods were replaced throughout the ship, lounges were rearranged to maximize space, some a la carte food options (Johnny Rockets, Seattle's Best Coffee, Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream) have been provided, and two incredible teen and children's areas have been created.

Sovereign now sails three- and four-day Bahamas itineraries from Royal Caribbean's handsome new port in Cape Canaveral, and is a shining example of what can be accomplished in a successful ship refurbishment.

Most of the cabins on Sovereign are, in a word, tiny. The new fabrics and carpeting can't do anything to make them bigger, but they are clean and new looking, and efficiently designed with great storage spaces and surprisingly roomy bathrooms. Superior oceanview categories are slightly larger than regular oceanview, with more storage options. Each cabin has a small television, newly renovated bath with shower, and two twin beds that can be made into a queen.

In a quick comparrison the two Carnival and the two RCCL ships are about equally rated and all have been refurbished to some extent.  The Fantasy Class Carnival cabins are 185 sq feet,  and except for suite are the largest on major cruise lines.  The RCCLs cabins are about 122 sq ft, about the smallest seen on a major cruise line and 63 sq feet smaller than Carnival.

As the cruises to the Bahamas are all short the older smaller ships are generally used, thus the choices above.  The newer larger ships usually sail 7 day or longer cruises.

I have found Carnival to be, generally, less expensive, and the value for dollar is at least comparable.

Everyone will have their own opinion based on their experiences, now you have mine.

Any cruise is great!

You haven't lived till you've cruised!!

Have a great trip