Fun on the Fascination!

By Karen55

• November 22, 2013

• Great time

We sailed out of Jacksonville, FL on Monday on the Carnival Fascination with my sister and her husband. It was our sixth cruise on Carnival. The itinerary included Key West, FL and Nassau, Bahamas...Tuesday was a 'sea day'... we enjoyed eating and relaxing... time was spent in the adults only area know as the 'Serenity Deck.' You must be 21 years of age to be in this area...very nice for those of us traveling without children... two hot tubs and lots of deck lounge chairs... to view the ocean as you cruise toward Key West...

Wednesday we woke up headed into Key West, FL...We had never been to Key West before and were looking forward to seeing the island. We booked the Hop on Hop off Old Town Trolly Tour because it was the only one that covered the whole island and allowed you to get off and on as many times as you liked and it included several attraction in the price of the ticket.

We got off at the Flagler Train Museum and enjoyed the history of building the railroad over the sea to Key West... Then we were able to take the trolley to the Southern Most Point where we had ample photo ops even though there was a line waiting... We then walked several blocks to have lunch with a high school friend of mine who is now a resident of Key West... We ate at Caroline's... I can highly recommend the restaurant.. but be warned.. the portions are very large!!! I recommend you order one dish and share between two people... The Cuban sandwich is fantastic!!!

We drove by several other attractions and would have love to have visited if we had more time, but we only had a limited time in port... 8 am until 2 pm... Not near enough time to see and do all there is in Key West... I would like to go back and stay a few days...

Then we headed back to the boat after our wonderful lunch with my friend... and headed to Nassau... the seas were very rough that night... I told my sister that the amusement park-like ride was no extra charge...

Thursday we were supposed to arrive in Nassau at noon, however, due to the rough seas the night before, we didn't arrive until 3 pm... We found Nassau was the same as it was the last time we were there... with the exception of the 'new' straw market building replacing the straw market that burned several years ago. The 'new' straw market is in a very nice building with all the vendors crammed into the large building, hawking their wares... women weaving purses, the colorful dresses, the straw hats, etc... you can still bargain for the prices... but it has lost it's charm of the rustic outdoor market place of old...

Since our boat got into Nassau 3 hours late due to the high seas, we didn't stay downtown Nassau past dark, and were back on board in time for our 6 pm dinner...

Friday was another 'sea day' and Saturday was back to Jacksonville and the long drive home...

A good time was had by all... This was my sister and her husband's first cruise on Carnival. They have always cruised on Royal Caribbean... they enjoyed Carnival and they will be repeat customers...