After many years of talking about it, we finally took our first cruise. We chose the Carnival Fascination out of Jacksonville, Florida. Five nights, with stops in Key West and Nassau, Bahamas.
I was a little apprehensive that my husband, Gene might not enjoy the cruise. Neither of us are big partiers any more, and here I had booked us a cruise on the “Fun Ship”. And while I love nothing better than lying in the sun, reading and soaking up rays, Gene is of Irish descent and therefore he really has to be careful about getting too much sun exposure.
But Gene was game and with the promise of a vacation on which he would not have to drive AT ALL, we headed for Jacksonville with high expectations. I must say, we were not disappointed.
The boarding process was nearly painless and we quickly found our way to the Lido Deck to enjoy the buffet and a “Drink of the Day”. I had read advice on a message board that said, “Just have a seat and the DOD will come to you.” It didn’t take me long to learn what that meant. Friendly, smiling waiters offered delicious libations as we sat poolside, surveying our new vacation home.
The variety of entertainment was even better than I had hoped. Each evening the itinerary for the next day was left in our cabin and I happily sat on the balcony with pen in hand to select my activities for the next day. My favorites were the comedy shows and the Broadway style shows. I found myself smiling and singing along. The comics literally made me laugh out loud (I love adult humor :-).
The swimming pool was smaller than I expected and was standing room only for much of the cruise. While Serenity, the adults only area, was beautiful and quiet, there was no breeze in that area. But there were plenty of lounge chairs in all areas and that was more important to me than splashing in the pool.
How about you? Are you a cruiser? What’s your favorite cruise line and port?
Penny's Island Life 