Carnival Cruise Lines - Fascination Review

About three years ago, my family and I celebrated my parents 50th wedding anniversary aboard Carnival Cruise Lines.  This was our first cruise and we were not prepared for the many adventures that lay ahead for us.  Our ship left port in Miami.  We were given a rush course on emergency evacuation before leaving port.  Once done, we were encouraged to explore the ship.  We decided to get a drink and unwind on the top deck.  As the ship left port, the party began. 

There was lots of eating, drinking and dancing.  The food was plentiful and, much to my surprise, very appetizing.  Most of the restaurants on board allowed casual dining; however, dinner required more formal attire. 

Our first stop was to Jamaica.  We were somewhat disappointed that the locals were so aggressive in trying to sell their goods and services.  The taxi ride on most of the excursions were an adventure in itself.  People were packed where ever they could fit in the taxi and most of the rides were extremely uncomfortable. 

Once reaching our destinations, we were usually bombarded with hoards of locals, peddling their products and becoming angry if you refused to purchase.  If you made the mistake of buying from one, you were usually met with 10 more aggressors.

My daughter and I (along with a few other tourists) made the mistake of leaving with some of the locals on a bus to get our hair braided.  We were told the driver would go just outside of the port gates so the attendants on the bus could braid our hair, as they were not allowed to do business on the "port" grounds.  Well, they took us outside of the port grounds and kept going.  This was frightening because they kept telling us "it's just around the corner, as they drove further and further into the village."  Fortunately, there was an aggressive male tourist on the bus who demanded the driver take us back to port. We made it to port just in time to get back on the cruise ship. 

As the ship headed back to Miami, we encountered a storm.  The ship rocked from side to side and needless to say, the party on board became somber.  It was a rough night but we did eventually make it back to Miami safely. 

Although there were many aspects of the cruise that were enjoyable (i.e. food, drinks and entertainment), I don't think I would go on another cruise, as the cabins were way too small for the three people in my cabin (would have been too small for one person).  Also, after three days at sea, I began to get sea sick and anxious to set foot on solid ground.