When you sail aboard the newly renovated Carnival Fascination, you’ll have the trip of a lifetime! This “fascinating” ship sails from Jacksonville, FL and offers 4-5 day Bahamas cruises including Freeport, Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Key West. You can also choose a 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise, which includes many of the same ports, as well as Grand Turk. This article will discuss some of the many options available to you in the stunning ports of Half Moon Cay, Key West, and Grand Turk.
Crescent Cay it is often referred to as the “favorite” port for cruise ships. As the sign on the beach says, “You’ll never want to leave here!” It is spectacularly beautiful and offers a perfect day at the beach with abundant vegetation, cornstarch sand and warm turquoise waters. This island has been rated the “best private island” by Porthole magazine for the last four years. It is a private island used by cruise lines and includes a stunning beach, restaurant, shops, excursion activities, playground, and outdoor lunch area. Stroll the island’s trails for great views and discover a playground, shops, and stingray habitat.
At Half Moon Cay, most people choose this incredible stop as a day at the beach, but others choose to take one of the many excursions that Carnival offers. One of the best are the private cabins. One of the best benefits of this “excursion” is that you get to be one of the first off the ship. Since unloading takes hours and this is a world-class stop, you’ll want to be there as long as possible. Cabanas offer shade, vaporizers, some snacks and drinks, snorkel gear, comfortable chairs, and some floats. Other excursions offered by Carnival include horseback riding, nature walks, ecological lagoon tours, glass bottom boats, stingray encounters and deep sea fishing.
key West, the southernmost city in the continental US, is the largest and most vibrant in a chain of small islands called the Florida Keys. Closer to Cuba than Miami, Key West, nicknamed the “Republic of the Shell,” is a hugely popular destination on Western Caribbean itineraries, and is easily one of the most fun and extravagant ports of call on all cruises. Key West is famous for its appeal to all kinds of people, and is especially a magnet for artists and hippies, as well as cruise ships. It is a colorful and magical visit at any time of the year. Duval Street is considered the main thoroughfare and is a must see. Most of the most popular bars, shops and art galleries can be found here, as well as restaurants and museums. This street has all the magic and color that is Key West…be sure to try a key lime pie! You can easily walk here, but you can choose to rent bicycles or mopeds, which are the most popular means of transport. Your best bet for a great overview of the island is to hop on and off the open-air Conch Tour Train. Buy tickets on board or at Mallory Square, where it departs from. If the weather is bad, take the covered Old Town Trolley which also leaves from Mallory Square. The trains often give you a tour of the city as well, usually including a view of Earnest Hemingway’s house.
Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum is a great stop. A tour will take you inside his writing studio filled with tons of books, past the old typewriter where he typed “Farewell to Arms,” and into the pool (a first in Key West). He’ll also see some 60 well-cared-for felines, descendants of the many cats that lounged on Hemingway’s lap as he wrote, now roaming the property. You can also walk across the street and climb the nearly 90 steps to the top of the Lighthouse Museum for jaw-dropping views or go and get your photo taken at the southernmost marker in the United States. If you are lucky enough to see a sunset, they are especially spectacular here and are often a beautiful red. Carnival offers Key West excursions like glass bottom boat, catamaran sailing, snorkeling, historic home and garden tours, conch train, city tours, snorkeling, kayak tour, parasailing and even a pub crawl .
grand turkish it’s a Caribbean port of call, perfect for lazy days on the beach. This is where you can enjoy a slow pace of life, and it is the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is a small island with no fast food restaurants or hotel chains. You can visit the narrow alleys in the historic town of Cockburn, but most choose to stay in the new cruise terminal which is a destination unto itself, with retail stores, a recreation area right on the beach and a large swimming pool. Beach chairs are lined up and waiting for you on the white sands as you step off the boat. Carnival’s Grand Turk Cruise Center also has a FlowRider where you can practice the perfect curl, or you can relax poolside with a cold drink from Margaritaville. Grand Turk became famous for its exceptionally bright white beaches and tourmaline waters. One of the biggest draws here is scuba diving, as the islands lie along the third largest barrier reef in the world. Carnival excursions offered on Grand Turk include a 4×4 safari, bike and snorkel, fishing, off-island and snorkeling, catamaran sailing, kayaking, snail shelling, Governor’s Beach, scuba diving and much more.
Whether you choose to swim with stingrays in Half Moon Cay, ride the snail train in Key West, or go horseback riding in Grand Turk, you’ll have the time of your life aboard Carnival Fascination. The ship and its ports offer you such a variety of activities that you will surely find the right day plan for your needs. Once back on board your ship, you can enjoy all the luxury, incredible service and relaxation that the Carnival Fascination Cruise has to offer. Enjoy your cruise!