This was my first time on Carnival after going on several other lines. For my wife it was her first cruise ever. In Jacksonville the embarkation process was surprisingly quick and easy. In no time we were on the ship eating lunch at the buffet. The greatest part of the Fascination is the food. The dining room is awesome serving everything such as lobster, shrimp, prime rib, lasagna, pastas, fish, alligator, escargots, sushi, and eggs benedict for breakfast. Make sure you catch a meal at the Mongolian Grill at least once it is delicious. We hit up the pizza bar every night for a late night snack and it's pretty good. The buffet food is decent as well if you don't make it to the main dining room.

Entertainment on the ship was good. There were 2 production shows that my wife loved called Motor City and Divas. The comedians shows were also good especially BT. We visited the piano bar every night for a little bit to hear Jonathan play and entertain with his witty remarks between songs. I only went to the casino once and won $40 playing blackjack to pay for some pictures.

The main drawback to the ship is the lack of pools. There is only one pool and 3 hot tubs on the entire ship. The pool is ridiculously small and is crowded with people including a massive amount of kids. Imagine a standard hotel swimming pool with about 30 people swimming in it. Think Caddy day at the pool in the movie Caddyshack. Now the Serenity area for adults only at the back of the ship is nice and not crowded with 2 hot tubs. There are plenty of chairs available to relax and view the ocean. Read more