Crunchymom

We just got back from the Fantasy and yes I think I remember seeing high chairs. They also have the booster seats too. Not sure about your ship obviously but I assume they have them on every ship. Have fun!

Have fun! We really did have a good time despite some of my complaints, lol.

We did the 7 night out of Charleston on the Fantasy. I'll try to keep this as short at possible. ;) Embarking was easier than expected. After reading about the mess of the port, I was worried...but it wasn't that bad. We were able to leave our bags with the porters in the AM and came back around 11am to park and begin the boarding process. We had a GS, so we had VIP check-in, maybe that made the difference. It was honestly quick and easy. Once on board, we went for lunch, which was an absolute mess! Apparently everyone was hungry at the same time. :eek: LOL

Overall, food wasn't too bad....could be better, could be worse. Personally I think the food was better this time than on the Inspiration 5 years ago. Everything I had in the dining room was yummy too! Hubby who is picky, wasn't as impressed...oh well, can't please everyone. Chocolate melting cake...YUM!

GS was nice...very roomy. It was hubby and I plus our 3 young kids. It was really nice having our own balcony! My only complaint with the room is that there wasn't a divider curtain like the description of the room says. But no biggie.

Sea days: Always something to do for everybody! The crew doing the activities were always funny, trying to get everyone to have a good time. Unfortunately we didn't get to go to HMC due to the weather. Big disappointment because we have never been and had a sting ray excursion planned. However, the staff did a good job at making up for it. A new activity list was printed with added things to do onboard.

Camp Carnival is lovely, lol. Very nice to dump the kids off and have some mommy and daddy time! :D However....my kids didn't like going there! I read about other parents having that issue and didn't think we would have that problem. Our 2 year old cried! We have a 2 year old, a 7 and 10 year old so they're all in different groups. Whenever we went and picked them up though, they always reported having fun and there was that one time when our 10 year old didn't want to leave, lol. Anyway, plenty of activities to do for them. Our 10 year old loved the scavenger hunts!

Land: Grand Turk....typical poor island, abandoned homes and businesses. Beach wasn't spectacular. We just went to the one right by the port. We were approached by a guy on the beach for a tour and did that....that was nice. Took us (a whole group) the length of the island to see the light house and a couple other stops.

Nassau....hubby and I were here 12 years ago on a cruise and it's different. We remember the water being much more clear/blue. Last time we took a cab to a beach near Atlantis and rented a jet ski...it was beautiful! This time we booked a sting ray excursion due to missing HMC the day before. It was raining for a little bit that morning so we had to stand and walk in the rain to where the boat was to bring us to Balmoral island. The whole experience was nice...very cool for the kids. We brought our 2 year old with us and took turns between hubby and I with getting in the water. We didn't like that were were unable to bring any personal items to that part of the beach....they apparently didn't want you taking your own pics! So they took the pics in which you had to buy them back on the ship. :cool: I also didn't like that the water isn't all that clear in the stingray pen, so it's hard to see them until they're right up on you. Hubby and I did a stingray excursion in GC and it was awesome....water was nice and clear and you saw them very easily! The private island is very nice but as usual expensive! We spent $100 on lunch there. The boat brought us back to the main street which was disgusting! We must've missed that on our last visit. Very pushy sellers...we ended up leaving a couple shops before barely setting foot inside! Wish the boat brought us where they picked us up...right near the ship.

Ship: Nice, not big but I was still confused where everything was. My sense of direction isn't all that great on a cruiseship, lol. My only complaint about the ship itself...it needs another pool! The pool is just gross....most of the time when walking by it to go to the water slides with the kids was it was shoulder to shoulder packed! Just bad...

Another complaint...they take way too many pictures! They have 1 whole floor designated for picture taking with back drops and props and then another area displaying the pics! Just another way to get more money. This wasn't the same on previous cruises....however we don't have much to compare (cruise in 2002 and 2009) so maybe this picture taking is not the norm? I do remember pictures being taken for the formal nights and that was it. Anyway, the water slides were nice! Another thing it needs up there is a little wading area for toddlers. They have the water fountains which are fun but after a day or so, our 2 year old got bored fast up there. He had more fun when one of the drains were clogged and the water accumulated, lol.

This is really long....sorry. Any questions, just ask. :D

Ahhh so excited! About a week ago, we got upgraded to a GS (for a smallish fee) and we're not longer wait listed for early dining! It's coming together. We leave tomorrow for the long haul to SC and off we go! :D

Coming from a big family, and as a mother of 3 and grandmother, I'm telling you that you are totally deluding yourself if you seriously think your kids "NEVER would do this."

 

One thing I have learned after raising kids is to never say that my darlings would "never" do something!:rolleyes:

 

KIds are kids are kids.......

I didn't say my kids never do anything bad. My kids do know that you pee in a toilet. They do know that a pool is for swimming in. Like I said, peeing in a pool/hot tub isn't even an option in my family. It's disgusting to think of all those parents out there who don't seem to care if their kids are doing this and think it's a big joke. You raise your kids right, and chances are, they'll grow up respectful.

That itinerary is basically beach stops. There is a Pirate Museum and gardens in Nassau.

http://ardastra.com/

I read the reviews on the gardens and zoo and they're not so good. Ahhh...I'll look into the pirate museum...my 10 year old wound love that.

I have been on a number of cruises, but I have never heard the following sentence spoken by someone in a hot tub or pool who was ten or under: "I will be right back, I have to use the bathroom."

That's just gross! I don't even want to believe that all kids 10 and under pee in a pool/hot tub. I have a 10 and 7 year old and NEVER would they do this. Not ALL kids are disrespectful. Back in May we went to disney world and my kids occasionally did run to the bathroom while enjoying the pool and hot tub at our resort. Peeing in a pool isn't even an option....blaaah!

So true. that is why we don't play slots, touch the elevator buttons with knuckles, never use the handrail, and only touch public door knobs with tissue in hand....

Haha...me too! Oh and we flush public toilets with our feet. I love the air dryers in public bathrooms, however, makes it harder to open the bathroom door without paper towels. I use my shirt if needed. ;)

If I was a germ-aphobe, and I am not, I would rather get in the hot tub than touch the slot machine buttons in the casino.

Exactly! I consider myself to be a germaphobe and I find nothing wrong with swimming in pools/hot tubs...the water is treated and cleaned by a filter system. Like you said...it's the button in the casino, elevators, hand rails, door knobs, etc that I worry about! Ekk!

We leave in a couple weeks and I've read so many reviews and I just can't decide what shore excursions to do. It's my husband and I, and our 3 kids (10, 7, 2). I know with the kids, we're not able to do anything too adventurous and we're ok with that. We were thinking of just going to a beach on every island but I'm thinking something a little more here and there because I want it to be educational as well. We're going to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay, Nassau. Hubby and I have been to Nassau on a previous cruise....we personally loved the beach we went to, don't remember the name. We also don't want to spend a whole lot of money and if we do for an excursion, we want it to be worth it. Any suggestions??

How does the shuttle bus work? Are there multiple buses? Running times? How far is parking to the building the bus takes you to?

Thanks for sharing! We'll be on the Fantasy in a couple weeks. Your pics have gotten me more excited!

We're leaving out of Charleston on the Fantasy at the end of this month and I've read reviews that the port is horrible...so I guess this opinion is fairly common. That's one thing I'm not looking forward to then. Hubby and I have been on 2 other cruises (Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa) and both embarkation/disembarkation were quick and easy. I don't think it matters the location, I just think it's the management and staff. Glad you had a good time though!

I've never left my kids onboard (other than when they stayed onboard with their grandparents) while going ashore, and I never would. But plenty of people have, so someone will probably report on their experiences with this. Sorry I can't be of help on that.

 

But as far as the stingray excursion, have you checked on the age limit? I ask because on our first cruise, in Grand Cayman, we did this excursion and took our 3 year-old DD. The water was shallow - about 3 or 4 feet where we were and DH and I just took turns holding her. They even had toddler-size flotation vests. She loved it.:)

 

Ardastra Gardens Zoo (check out their website) is a nice excursion that you can DIY in Nassau for less than the cruiseline charges, and at your own pace. A short cab ride from the pier. You can stop at any or all of: the Fish Fry, Junkanoo Beach, the shops on Bay Street, and the Straw Market on the way back.

 

HMC has a children's play area very close to the spot where the tender boat drops you off.

Thanks, I'll have to look into that. I would love to bring him but the age limit is 6 I believe and he's 2 1/2. I'm not totally sold on leaving him onboard...I'd be too nervous.

Thank you all so much for your suggestions! We LOVE the beach, so that's probably all we'll do. I would really love to do a sting ray excursion...hubby and I did that on our 2nd cruise and it was a lot of fun. However, we obviously can't take our 2 year old. Anyone ever leave their little one on the ship just for an excursion?

Thanks all! It'll be fun I'm sure. We're driving to SC, and we're not telling them at all. Hoping they figure it out when they see the ship, lol. It's hard to keep a secret but a couple years ago we surprised them with disneyworld and kept that a secret for a couple months....we can manage a few weeks. Can't wait! What suggestions do you all have for shore excursions? I was looking, and they're so expensive! We're going to Nassau, Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay.

It's been a long time since I've been on this site...it's nice to be back. ;) Our 1st cruise was way back in 2002 on Celebrity Century. Our 2nd was in 2009 on Carnival Inspiration. We booked a few days ago, Carnival Fantasy...and taking our 3 kids (10,7,2) and we leave the end of this month!! We can't wait!! It's a last minute decision obviously, lol. The kids have never gone on a cruise and we're actually surprising them. They think we're going to a beach for a few days in SC, lol. :D We're big disney nuts and have been going the last 4 years in a row...excited to do something different. :)