All4fun&fun4all

Hi Nancy!

This is my first post and I hope i'm doing it the right way. I have been reading your reviews since 9:00 this morning! Thank you so much for being so detailed and hilarious!

 

Thank you for reading and enjoying our hilarious-ness! :D

 

We are planning to take our first cruise on the Fantasy in September 2013. We have never been on a cruise before. Do you think that is a good time to visit?

 

September should be quite comfortable. We cruised in 2007 during September and the weather was lovely. September in Charleston is just about perfect.

 

We are planning to take our 13 year old for his birthday. We hope there are plenty of things for him to do on his own so we can do our own thing. We plan to let him stay in the room for a bit by himself while we are out "playing". Do you think room service would give him a problem ordering something for himself? Is the room service food extra or included?

 

There is Camp Carnival for him and he can meet tons of kids his age. I have heard of many kids making life long friendships in camp! Some people have said that they almost dont see their kids because they enjoy hanging with the other kids so much. Just make sure you put into place some guidelines like not allowing him to go to other kids cabins and staying in groups. Room service should accomidate him ordering food and it is free of charge. Make sure he doesnt order crazy amounts of food and that he tips the person who brings the food a couple of dollars.

 

I know alcohol isn't included in the price but what else isn't?

 

This link should be super helpful for you: http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/cruise_control/first_time_included.htm

 

Are most activities free? Can you order as much as you'd like in the MDR? Does it have to be all at once?

 

You can order whatever you want! Sometimes it is hard to make a decision between all the choices. When you place your order, you order everything at once except dessert. That menu comes after your entree has been cleared.

Most activities are free and there will be a marking in your Fun Times if there is a charge for an activity

 

When looking to book on the carnival site there is the option to pre pay the gradtuity. Does this option take care of it for the whole trip or will there be more added to the final bill by the end?

 

We pre-pay the gratuity ahead of time and once you do that, then it is all taken care of. Nothing more will be added. It is $11.50 per person, per day. If you have a spectacular room steward or bartender then feel free to tip more. We gave $10.00 to our favorite lido waitress because she knew us by name on day 1 and remembered exactly what we drank.

 

Sorry for so many questions but you seem to know alot about the fantasy!

 

No worries! I enjoy answering the questions. It makes me smile! Sorry it took me so long to respond. The motor blew in my car and I have been scrambling for rides to and from work and work has been CRAYZAY!!!

 

Answers in purple for youuuuu!

Also upscale in terms of food but casual atmosphere is SNOB "Slightly North of Broad" on East Bay about a block from Market. Great food!

I havent eaten at SNOB but I worked very close when our office was downtown and know of many folks that have eaten there with positive reviews!

Thank you for writing the review. I had planned on using my treadmill and weights this morning, but nooo.... found your review instead! Glad I did. I am getting so excited to go on my own cruise in another month that I am REALLY enjoying reading reviews now.

 

I also love the "Veggie pot pie". I get that once every cruise. I think it is delish!

 

I haven't tried the twilight zone drink yet, will have to make it a point. I do love the Miami vice.

 

Glad you had such a great time and hopefully you will get to do it again soon too. Happy Cruising :D

If you like the Miami Vice you will love the Twilight Zone. Another drink I love is the Mango Swirl. Try that one too!

Sorry I pulled you away from the dreadmill....I need to hop on one myself! I want to try to be in a bikini by the time we sail again. :eek:

I love reading reviews too. I read reviews for ships I know I will never ever sail on. I love reading about how other people enjoy their time on the ship and in ports. I get lots of ideas that way!

I have enjoyed reading all of your reviews, loved the pictures, and living vicariously through all of your fun times. :)

 

Thank you! We just enjoy cruising so much!

 

I will be cruising on the Fantasy 3/5/13 with my 21 year-old daughter and her 20 year-old college roommate. Because the roommate isn't 21 yet, they needed someone over 25 to book with them. I sacrificially agreed to go. ;)

 

Oh the hardship! I cant believe they are twisting your arm and making you go on this cruise! HAHAHA!!!

 

Since I'm just a tag-along, I plan to let them do their own thing while I do mine. I'm sure I'll make some new friends on the ship, but thought it would be cool to connect with other ladies beforehand. However, I am new to Cruise Critic and wondered how would I go about doing that on here. There's only a few people who have posted on the roll call so far. Am I missing something?

 

We had a really active roll call on our sailing so we "met" tons of people before we sailed. There were about 75 screen names represented on ours. There were also 2 "social networking" groups that I joined up with but Cruise Critic doesnt like to promote those types of side groups. I think somewhere along the line there was a huge bru-ha-ha in the past where some folks started "in fighting" within the CC roll call and the social networking group which spilled over into the actual cruise itself. Oh drama! LOL. So, maybe check on the social networking site for your sailing date...if you have an account. If not, perhaps your daughter has an account and can look to see if there is a group already out there. Maybe check in the community on Carnival's page too! They have forums there as well.

Also, if you have any advice for us or just for the girls while on the ship or in Freeport and Nassau, let me know.

On our next sailing to Freeport we plan on going to Paradise Cove for some snorkeling. Freeport itself is really industrial right at the pier so it's best to travel somewhere else away from the immediate area. The folks at Paradise Cove seem to have the best deal. Only $35.00 for snorkeling and that includes the transportation.

http://www.deadmansreef.com/

 

Other than that, you can always take a shuttle to Our Lucaya and have a beach day. $5.00 each way per person.

For Nassau we really enjoyed Fish Fry (Arawak Cay) and since we like to cruise on a budget we would probably just go to Junkanoo Beach again since it is so close. I really want to try a tour next time we go so we can learn more history of the place since we love it so much. Maybe a carriage tour!

Thanks in advance for your help!

You are very welcome! Answers above in PURPLE! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Could you tell me what is in a Twilight zone? Tried to find it on the bar menu and didn't see it and then the other link I tried was blocked, imagine that, can't look up drink recipes while on my lunch break at school. :rolleyes:

I found this:

"Twilight Zone"

1oz Bacardi Light Rum

1/2oz Melon Liqueur

1 1/2oz coconut cream

5oz crushed ice

float of Blue Curaco

Blend all ingredients except Blue Curaco unti smooth, then float Blue Curaco over the top

From this thread on Carnival's site:

http://www.carnival.com/Funville/forums/t/39446.aspx

Thank you for the info. And once again thank you for the great reviews & pics.

You are welcome. I cant wait to have another adventure to write about. I started a blog awhile back but had what I call "commitment issues" and stopped writing it. Now that I have a new camera, I may just start writing again.

Nancy - feel like I know you since I just spent the last 3 hours reading your review. Ended up needing to get a notepad to jot down stuff....things to eat, drink, places to go in Nassau. Going on Breeze in just under 4 weeks and was interested in reading about going to Junkanoo. Wondering how far your walk was to Twin Brothers?

 

Awwww thanks! You sound just like me with the notepad and jotting down things. I still do this with other reviews that I read.

Our walk to Twin Brothers was about 25 minutes or so. As we walked we took pictures so you could probably do it in about 20 minutes or so. We really enjoyed the walk and you cant beat the views.

 

Thank you for not just posting pics of food, but commenting on how you like it. I had already decided to try the pumpkin soup, had thought about the cinnamon pumpkin, squash pot pie (still not quite sure), and the chatuebriand (don't know how to spell that!).

 

I was determined this time around to try some different items than I had previously. Dont forget, you can order multiple entrees so, if you get the squash pot pie thingie and you dont like it, you have something else to eat regardless. Just make sure you order both entrees at the same time. It makes it easier on your server. Also, sometimes we have been known to each order 1 entree for each of us and then 1 entree to share between us so we dont feel we are wasting food. The chateaubriand was sooooo tender. I wish I had some right now.

 

Anyway, thank you SO MUCH for all the time it must have taken to write this. I realized when you mentioned your house fire, that I read your first review also.

 

It takes time to write it out but I really enjoy going back and reading about our adventures. I love that there is a written account of our vacations.

The 2 year anniversary of the house fire happened just yesterday. I am still so amazed that I have the Andrew alive and well and cruising right by my side.

 

Could you help me out so I don't have to find it somewhere in the first 5-6 pages of posts --- what was the blue drink you had in the hurricane glass...a Twister something perhaps? Saw it BEFORE I had my notebook...haha

 

Ohhhh, that blue drink is my absolute favorite....the Twilight Zone. I want one of those right now too. :p

 

Also, loved to have seen you in HMC....stopped there our last cruise...also loved just looking out at the ship...we were on Westerdam, so it was nice to see it again in Grand Turk....we are going there too, for our first time. Love seeing your detailed photos of how to get to Jack's Shack.

 

Janet was so sweet at Jack's shack and you just cant beat watching Topher the dog dig and dig and dig. He was still digging when we left.

Dont forget to check out Local Village too.

 

ps,. I'm a cruise critic addict/junkie too

Answers all above in purple. I am such a cruise critic addict/junkie that I cant stay off the boards even when I dont have a cruise booked. My friends all think I am just NUTS!

Thanks, the Noisy Oyster looks right up our alley (menu looks great!). No fancy pants dining for us when I am paying for 4! :)

 

Kim

I hear ya! We do EVERYTHING on a budget. And, since you are cruising in April, it will be warm enough that they should have the open air windows up to the street. Really cool vibe.

I have not eaten there but have heard good things. The Andrew had a girlfriend back in the day that worked there so he may have eaten there during that time. Let's ask him....:p Heyyyyy ANNNNDREWWWW!

The Andrew says: "Yeah, I ate there. It was good but a bit pricey".

Hi Nancy, thanks for taking the time to do the review, I really enjoyed it. Makes me want to book a cruise.

Thank you! We cant wait to sail again. I am ACHING for another cruise!

Humm, n;) mention of Bubba Gumps .

I have not eaten there but have heard good things. The Andrew had a girlfriend back in the day that worked there so he may have eaten there during that time. Let's ask him....:p Heyyyyy ANNNNDREWWWW!

Oh bummer....maybe I will get to cruise with you one of these days!

 

So give me some suggestions for great places to eat seafood in Charleston. We are driving down day before and staying at Residence Inn on Ripley Point Drive. DS's girfriend is a vegetarian but she will eat seafood. So need some good suggestions if you don't mind...thanks!!!

 

Kim

We really enjoy Fleet Landing restaurant and we especially love it because it is right next to the cruise terminal. It is also walking distance to the City Market and Waterfront Park. You can walk down to the end of the pier and swing on the swings and take a few pics in front of the Pineapple Fountain.

http://www.fleetlanding.net/

The Noisy Oyster is pretty tasty too which is right on the City Market.

http://www.noisyoysterseafood.com/

If you are looking for more upscale "fancy pants" dining...I would go to Hank's Seafood.

http://hanksseafoodrestaurant.com/

Or Magnolia's

http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/magnoliasHome.asp?catID=20426

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions!

Hi Nancy, You mentioned on the first page the drink coupons how did that work? I have been ordering 1 of them every pay since we booked our cruise.

I ordered one set per payday up until the cruise also. They really cut down on that final bill at the end. (We also pre-paid our tips before we sailed but that's another story altogether). There is a small amount of savings by buying the drink coupons simply because they add the normal 15% gratuity to the cost after the coupon has been deducted. I know...that seems clear as mud right? Let me break it down a bit. I am really horrible with mathematics but I will try.

Here is the scenario. Say you wanted to buy at Twilight Zone and the cost for a Twilight Zone is let's say $7.00. Here are the cost breakdowns

Without coupon: $7.00 + 15% gratuity= $8.05

With coupon: $7.00-$5.75= $1.25 + 15% gratuity= $1.44

When we first arrived in our cabin there were slips of paper stating that we had a gift that we will receive in the dining room that night at dinner. When you give the hostess your cabin number at dinner, someone will bring your drink coupons to you a few moments after you get seated.

When you order your drinks with them you will simply tell the bartender what you want and give him the drink coupon at that point along with your sail and sign card.

I actually have 3 leftover from our last sailing and you are still able to use them for future sailings.

This is great info and pics of the place. We are thinking of going here on our next sailing.

Finished reading the review this morning! Great as always.

 

You metioned sailing again in March or April. Pick April 11th - we will be one that one.:D

 

Kim

Thanks Kim! We are looking at April 16th so I guess we can just high five as I board and you depart. ;)

MORE THOUGHTS:

ARAWAK CAY IN NASSAU, SERVICE SLOW?: Before we went to Arawak Cay (Fish Fry), we did our research and heard from many people to expect long waits and slow service because the restaurant works on "island time". Knowing that this cultural difference may occur, already put us in the mindset of enjoying a slow and relaxing meal with each other and our new friends. We were surprised at the speed in which we were seated, asked what our choice of beverage was and given bread to munch on at Twin Brothers. And the food came out quickly as well. So, my best advice to you, if you choose to go to Fish Fry, go with the mindset that you could be there awhile and choose good dining companions for your trek. :);)

DOES SHIP WATER CAUSE SWELLING OR IS IT ALL THAT SALT?: Honestly, we had never encountered this in the past but had read on the boards that some folks experienced swelling in their feet and legs. Some blamed the ship's water and some said it was all the salt. I am not sure which of those is the absolute cause but the Andrew started swelling in his legs and feet on about the 3rd or 4th day. We always drink water with dinner in the MDR so once he noticed this...he stopped drinking the water as a precaution. The swelling took a couple of weeks to go down.

ANYTIME DINING....IS IT FOR ME? We loved ATD and will be choosing this dining option moving forward. We had no problems with service, except for that one off night. The food came out warm to hot to scorching for the hot foods and the cold food came out cold. We were still able to see Showtime and we liked the idea that we would have a different dinner companion each night or we could choose to dine with a new friend that had ATD also. This helps because as some of you may know, you get some duds for dinner companions sometimes and who wants to contend with that for 7 days?

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? I have heard countless disagreements regarding attire in the MDR and I just dont pay attention to other people when I am having dinner. Tunnel vision is what I call it. Unless it's pointed out to me...I guess I just dont notice. So this time I made it a point to pay attention and looked around at the other tables. Everyone seemed to be dressed properly. There were 3 occasions that I noticed something though. The first was someone getting turned away for wearing a "wifebeater" at lunchtime, an older lady that was wearing a cover up at lunchtime (it was one of those that have a picture of a skinny persons body in a bathing suit...so it looks like the person wearing it is really skinny in a skimpy suit) and on the last evening in the MDR for dinner I saw a guy wearing a character winter cap. Oh the horror!

Personally, I wore a dress every night and the Andrew was either in a suit, khaki's and a nice shirt or on the last day...in those dreaded flip flops. He is such a rebel. :p

Nancy, They have the VIFP party in the Aft lounge (behind the Majestic bar) on shorter cruises. I like it better as it is usually alot less crowded and service is much better/faster. When are you looking to cruise in March?:cool: Pink

Pink, you wanna sail with us again? :) We are looking at March and April. It's probably going to be a last minute thing since I have to wait to see how much my tax return is going to be. I am wanting to bring my oldest child with me but not sure if I should add him last last last minute since he is a bit flighty. I also get an extra paycheck in March so that could cover our fun money.

I want a countdown ticker now!!!!

Great review! I am interested in the anytime dining. We're there ,any larger tables or did there seem to be more 2 tops? We have a larger group and are trying to decide if we could get close together or not. Any other comments about it will be appreciated!

Thanks!

There were 2 and 4 tops. The largest table that we sat at was a 10 top. I think when we sat with the entertainment folks that was a 8 top. A table for 2 seemed to be the most popular request where-as the 4 top was the most readily available.

When you go to the hostess stand tell her that you have X amount of people in your party and see if they can seat you all together. At the very least you may have to wait with the flashy dinner thingy until one opens up.

How many are in your party?

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS AND MYTH BUSTING

I tried to pay attention to different things that are mentioned on the boards so that I could give my opinion on some of the complaints. Some things I noticed and other things just really didn’t bother me. As I have said before though, my opinion may be different than yours. Something that may seem like a big deal to one person, may not faze me in the least. Even the Andrew and I don’t see eye to eye on some things. :eek:

MUSIC: I will say that I miss the steel drums of the days of yore but I honestly didn’t find the music horrendous at all. The sound levels on lido were not extreme and the music they played was a decent variety. When we boarded, there were more of “oldies” type tunes and as I stood in line at the Mongolian Wok, several of us in line were singing along with the music. There was also some island type music played by what I believe was a two piece band. As the day progressed and we got closer to sailaway, there was more of club type music and of course they played the Wobble, Electric Slide and Cupid Shuffle. When the Andrew would get up in the VERY early morning for his nicotine fit, they were playing jazz instrumentals which I guess they start up in the very early morning hours. He really enjoyed this.

Music Degree was of course a treat! I am not sure about having them in the promenade because it seems like the traffic flow gets a bit disrupted but enjoyed seeing them in Cat’s Lounge as more of a destination venue. The quality of their music is spot on!

LINES: I never noticed any unreasonable lines for the food areas. Even the line for the Grille was rather small with probably 5 people in front of me the few times that I went. There were no fellow passengers cutting in line or pushing each other around. The lines for the dining room wrapped around the atrium but you can avoid this by sitting in the library or in the atrium on the comfy couches, if you have a set dining time OR Anytime dining, until you see the line get smaller. You don’t HAVE to stand in the line. Everyone gets in eventually. There was a line for the VIFP party but I stood at the very back and once the doors opened the line moved swiftly. The lines to get back on the ship were non-existant except for tendering back from HMC. Here again….find a comfy spot to sit in the shade and let the line decrease. Much less stressful. There was no line at all for Embarkation and the line for Debarkation moved quickly for self assist.

VIFP PARTY: There were a large number of VIFP’s on this sailing. I ended up sitting in the back corner, first floor on the far left in one of those swivel couches. This was definitely NOT a good spot to sit in if you want to get served anything right away or if you want multiple drinks. I was sitting there for quite some time before I could get eye contact with a server. The people who were behind me got multiple drinks before I even got my first. I guess you need to be on the main floor or closer to the aisle in order to get more prompt service. Maybe on a shorter sailing there are less VIFP’s? I dunno. Service seemed better at the regular Past Guest Party in previous years.

Thanks for the review, I have loved all of them in the past. I grew up on Johns Island, and when we go on the Fantasy in a few weeks some family are just going to drop us off. Do you know the process for just being dropped off at the port? Thanks!

Here is a link to the port of charleston website. We have had taxi cab's drop us off in the past and I want to say that drop off's were the cars that were driving by our "sit and wait" line. This link says it is good through December 2012 so maybe check closer to your sailing date to see if it has been updated.

http://www.port-of-charleston.com/cruises/documents/carnival_fantasy_jul_dec_2012.pdf

Haven't had time to read the review yet, but I always love your reviews so I'm sure this one is great as well!

 

Just booked the Fantasy again yesterday for April! I'm very excited!!

 

 

Kim

Thanks for your interest Kim! We are thinking about booking Fantasy in March!

Great review.. booked the Fantasy for June. Question about parking and the luggage at the Port of Charleston? Do you drop off the luggage first and then go wait in the parking line? Are you able to have the members in the family wait at the terminal and then go park? Thanks.

The port of Charleston is a bit odd and confusing in it's set up. We are keeping our fingers crossed for a new terminal that will make more sense.

You cannot actually drive up to the terminal itself. You have to be shuttled over to it for security reasons.

What will happen is that you will pull in and show your documents at the beginning of a long maze of concrete barriers to an area where you will drop off your luggage. You will then continue through the maze where, if you are early, you will sit until they open the parking warehouse. Then, you will move forward to another tent where you will pay for parking or, if you have one, show your handicapped placard for the free parking.

Once you have done all this, you will enter the warehouse and park and then will stand in line for the shuttle with your carry on luggage. It is a very short ride to the terminal from here....less than a minute.

Confused yet?? ;) Even though it is a bit convoluted, amazingly it runs very smoothly and seamlessly. And there are workers along the way that will keep you pointed in the right direction.

But what about the Andrew?;) Pink

I dont know why I keep trying to leave him out! I guess the UN-honeymoon is over. :p

The fantasy is my all time favorite ship. Though I really love the cove balcony on the dream class. The fantasy is like an old friend. How was Risa? I know many on here don't think much of her as a CD. But she is my favorite. I love her bear time story. And the band singing Free Bird. I thought Lynard Skynard was on our last cruise.

I really want to try a cove balcony on the Dream. After seeing videos of them, I am hooked. Maybe in the fall!

Risa is a class act. She doesnt make a bunch of announcements but we never really saw her around the ship except at shows that she was hosting and on embark day. We also saw her in the area of the stairs as she was on her way to a Menorah Lighting ceremony

Thanks for taking the time to write the review. My second cruise was on the Fantasy. I think it was nicer than the Fascination which Icruised on my first time. I have been wanting to do the seven day cruise out of Charleston and your review makes me want to go even more.

You should go! After sailing on this most recent 7 day, it's going to be hard to bump ourselves back to a 5day. But I have promised my son that I would take him on a cruise this year and I think a 5 day would be perfect for him....and me.

Lol I only got a hug in April.

The Andrew always goes for inappropriate closeness. I cant even tell you what he did to one of the "showgirls" on our second cruise. All I can say is when they took the picture, her face was probably a mix of shock and confusion! :eek:

Keep coming back to read the review. Our review! An amazing cruise with wonderful new and old friends, crew that I will never forget and great memories with Tori. I'm ready to droit all over again soon!

 

Whoop whoop!!!

Whoop whoop fellow FG! Oh, and droit dot com. HAHAHA!!!

Great review and photos. Can you tell me please if you have to have quarters for the laundry room or does the machine take the S&S card. I looked closely at the photos of the machines, but I couldn't tell where the coins went. Thanks so much.

 

You will need quarters for the machine. I got them from guest services. The machines will unfortunately not take your s&s card but what a great idea!

I'm feeling quite challenged (or maybe that's the few beers I've had speaking instead of me!) on how the heck to do that - or how to even send you a PM on here! :) My email is willowrose028@gmail.com and that might just connect to that social networking site that can not be named :) ~Jennifer~

found youuuu!!!!

GAME ON!!!! My roach really wants to party with penguin!!!! :)

 

Seriously - if you plan anything coming up, tag me or something - we really enjoy partying... um cruising! with fun people like us! :D

Friend me on the social networking site that we arent allowed to mention. My name is Nancy and we like to party. :p

Thanks! :p So not admitting to anything here but after my cousin snapped that shot we um *did not* start everyone else near us doing the same thing from their balconies and create an entire seat rat riot that the entire ship talked about for the rest of the day... nope wasn't me!

I can already tell that we probably shouldnt cruise together willow. Together we may cause some shennanigans. ;) Ok, lets do it anyway