All Things Fantasy

[HEYNOW103]

The name Fantasy was a perfect fit for this ship and the cruise experience. My expectations became a total fantasy.....

 

I Paid $3000.00 for a Grand Suite that came with a mini bar that was never stocked, a bathtub that wouldn't drain, and a sink that was stopped up.

 

We Went to dinner each evening in the Jubilee dining room dressed according to Carnivals own rules and sat by people in shorts and jeans each evening. Even on Formal Night, which now they call Cruise Elegant. *** Carnival, can't you even enforce your own rules? Speaking of the dining room, I have had better food in a hospital.

 

I know Carnival in trying to make cruising affordable to everyone, but they have definitely cheapened themselves out of my business. Norwegian Cruise lines here I come!

 

Sorry to hear that, but did they have Thristy Frog Red?

[bvhboat]

Any info on the 6D ocean view trundle bed cabins? We just booked E59 for our family for the trip ending on Thanksgiving 2014. Our kids will be 10 & 12 at the time. We just got back from the Freedom & had a great time but really enjoy the smaller ships. Only 299 more days.

[my2monkees]

Nancy sorry took so long

[Pink flamingo52]

We had gone on 4 Princess Cruises so October was first time on Fantasy. Food was delicious! All staff were very into everyone having a good time! Ship is older but well laid out-we did not lack anything. Formal nights in our minds were more formal than we thought they would be. We actually witnessed someone not being allowed in dining room for not being appropriately dressed. We had a blast...are going on Princess in march but will definitely return to the Fantasy later in the year.

 

Charleston is beautiful and recommend the Holiday Inn Express. very nice hotel by cruise port. We left our car there and taxied to the cruise port for $15.

[Nikki in NC]

Just got back on Saturday, Jan. 25 from a 5-day, and were on her in Oct for the 7-day. The food this last trip was phenomenal! It was all good in Oct, but this time.....WOW! I can't put my finger on exactly why it was so much better...maybe I just noticed it more since I was with several first-time cruisers.

 

Risa is on her break and should be back in March, but Shorty was great! Such energy and excitement! In Oct, Brandon was the ACD, but Wally was the ACD this time. He was everywhere! TJ, Sam, and Lindsey were still there, though. The entertainers were all over the ship...we soon found out that the crew/staff like to gather in the disco late at night. We only went to one show...The Brits. It was much better than I had anticipated! (We didn't make it to any shows in Oct b/c we had our kids with us and they wanted to do different things.)

 

Andrew was our head waiter in the dining room, and Shakira was our bar attendant. They were both fantastic....we were told that Andrew was one of the best in the fleet...and he was!

 

Oh...we had FTTF and it worked out fabulous! We got inside the terminal around 12:15 and it was crowded! But we were escorted to the front of the check-in line and was on board in no time! One of the girls in our group did not have the correct birth certificate...she had the decorative hospital copy...but the man who checked her in barely glanced at it! I wouldn't recommend trying that again! We were all praying and had people back home praying and I think we were very blessed to get the check-in person we did!

 

If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to answer them, if I can!

[melissa]

The cruise director schedule lists Risa as being on the Fantasy at this time. We leave 2/11, wondering if she will be on then? Thanks

[NCTribeFan]

LOL, Nikki. Not quite what our 1-hit wonder above had to say, is it?

 

As I said in my post that mysteriously disappeared :rolleyes: I really think Fantasy may have the best chef in the fleet. No, I haven't sailed on all the ships and have mostly been on her for the last couple of years, but I feel the MDR meals were quite a bit better than I had on my 8-night Conquest. I'm always very pleased with the food quality when I sail her.

 

Heynow - I also responded in the vanished post that I do not believe any of the Fantasy-class ships have draft beer. Unless they've added it since I sailed in September, it is not on Fantasy. I first had it on Glory to Bermuda but not again until November on Conquest. I quite like it. I'm a beer and wine gal, but I tend to stay away from beer when cruising because it's too filling. Wouldn't want to take up any space that could be used to stuff myself 6 times a day, you know! But on the Conquest-class ships, I had to have one at lunchtime along with my Fish and Chips. Yum!

 

 

Just so you know what you'll be missing.

[Nikki in NC]

Not like what they said at all, Tribe! We did have an issue with our sink draining. I told Andy, our steward, and within 10 min, maintenance had been there and had it fixed! I NEVER saw anyone not dressed nice in the dining room. But, I am not one to let what other's wear affect my dining experience. I am not a drinker, so I can't answer about Thirsty Frog, but I do remember seeing one bartender taking a glass out of the fridge and pouring a beer in it. I did use my past guest coupon at brunch the last sea day and got a Chocolate Mocha Getaway(?) and I had a Twilight Zone one evening before dinner. Now I could put away some of those if given the opportunity because I couldn't taste the alcohol in them. Drinks were flowing at the Past Guest party....rum punch and some other orange juice/pineapple juice/spiced rum drink. The h'ourderves were hit-n-miss. I enjoyed the ham/crostini and bacon cheesecake, but did not like the sushi/tuna and tomatoe thingies.

 

Melissa, Shorty said she was on thru sometime in March, so you will more than likely have her as CD. I think I like her better than Risa! She is only about 4'9" but she has a GIANT personality and she was EVERYWHERE!!

[irie0518]

We leave on the Fantasy on Saturday, can't wait!! What day is the past guest party on?

[Nikki in NC]

Our's was on Friday, our last sea day.

[Rgrgirl0307]

Probably a totally silly question, but is the Punchliners comedy brunch in the MDR or the comedy club?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Nikki in NC]

It is in the Celebration Dining Room, but it is only brunch....no comedy!

 

The menu is pretty good. There were several things I wanted to try but didn't get a chance to. I had the Eggs Benedict one morning and was very disapppointed....the hollandaise didn't taste right (and I even had it put on the side!) The pasta in red pepper sause was very good, as were the steak-n-eggs. I am assuming the pork chop was the same they serve in the MDR, and if so, was good. I had the banana cream pie one afternoon....delish! And my friend had the cheesecake, which was good. I had the mac-n-chesse with steak and it was good also. One of my other friends had the french toast....she got 4 large slices and couldn't eat it all!

[NCTribeFan]

I'm not a fan of the brunch. Yet. I get up early and have to have some protein, so I always get my made-to-order omelette. I just wasn't impressed with the lunch selections on the brunch menu.

 

This time, I'll try to control myself early and save myself for a breakfast at brunch. Reading a Splendor review thread and a guy posted a pic of a fabulous-looking omelette and corned-beef hash, so I'll give that a try next time.

 

PG party depends on the itinerary, I think. Never had it on the last day on a 5-day. Seems like it's usually on the 2nd port day, but I suppose it depends on the times in port. Can't remember on the 7 day.

[Rgrgirl0307]

Thank you! I'm looking forward to trying something a little different! We've not sailed since they started the brunch!

 

 

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[bobsfamily]

93 days!!! divided by 3 is 31 days or 3 months!!!! Yea!!!:D

[1dennis3]

We sailed on the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston SC on January 25th through Feb 1st 2014. Over all the cruise was nice but I will never sail on this ship again. Here is why,

1. The Serenity deck, it is nice that they had one, but it is small and on the starboard side it was very noisy. There is a 4 foot by 8 foot exhaust vent that runs continuously, so that side of the deck is not quiet at all. If you have a group of 3 or 4 people, it’s hard to get that many seats together.

2. Ice cream. There are a total of 4 ice cream machines on the ship; all of them are on the Lido deck. 3 are side by side at the salad bar and one is outside on the open Lido deck area but this one was out of order most of the time.

3. Drink dispensers. There are 4 of these, 2 in the dining area and 2 on the open lido deck area, my complaint here is that the 2 in the outside area were often closed.

4. The sound system on the Lido area around the pool is terrible. Sounds like a very cheap sound system turned up very loud.

5. The food on the Lido deck in the pool area was mediocre at best and never changed. It was the same selection every day, it never changed. The food inside at the buffet was a little better but certainly nothing to write home about. They served Italian food 4 out of 6 days, and for me personally 1 day is more than enough, a variety would have been nice. Also, they did not stay open very long for any of the meals.

6. Shorty, the cruise director, she was very nice and personable, but I only saw her actually interact on one occasion, the guest talent show. On past cruises, the cruise director was everywhere participating in all kinds of activities all day and evening.

7. The pool area on the Lido deck had 2 bars, but only one was open. The second one was never used. Probably because every night the Lido deck was a ghost town. There was no activity on the Lido any night. (except for a couple of 10:30 party’s, that were attended by a few people) During the day there were a lot of people around the pool but when evening came people scattered to other parts of the ship.

8. The entire Lido deck had 1 men’s bathroom and 2 women’s bathrooms. Bathrooms were few and far between on all the decks.

9. Entertainment was terrible all over the ship with the exception of the comedians, they were good.

10. Although Half Moon Cay is Carnivals private island and you can user your sail n sign card there, BUT, if you have purchased the drink card for alcoholic beverages, you CANNOT use it on the island.

11. The ocean view cabins are the smallest ocean view cabins I have ever stayed in. Very small and cramped.

12. At the Platinum and Diamond party, 5 times I tried to flag down the waiters walking around with trays of drinks, each time they said they would be right back, none of them ever returned, the 6th one I practically had to block his way to get a drink from him.

13. On the bright side, every crew member I met was very pleasant and professional.

[All4fun&fun4all]

Nancy sorry took so long

 

Thank you so much for doing that for me!

[bobsfamily]

We sailed on the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston SC on January 25th through Feb 1st 2014. Over all the cruise was nice but I will never sail on this ship again. Here is why,

1. The Serenity deck, it is nice that they had one, but it is small and on the starboard side it was very noisy. There is a 4 foot by 8 foot exhaust vent that runs continuously, so that side of the deck is not quiet at all. If you have a group of 3 or 4 people, it’s hard to get that many seats together. It's the same on all Fantasy class ships....

2. Ice cream. There are a total of 4 ice cream machines on the ship; all of them are on the Lido deck. 3 are side by side at the salad bar and one is outside on the open Lido deck area but this one was out of order most of the time. See above

3. Drink dispensers. There are 4 of these, 2 in the dining area and 2 on the open lido deck area, my complaint here is that the 2 in the outside area were often closed. See above

4. The sound system on the Lido area around the pool is terrible. Sounds like a very cheap sound system turned up very loud. Personally every Carnival ship needs to tone down the Lido music, not sure if the system is good or bad, all ships are way to LOUD

5. The food on the Lido deck in the pool area was mediocre at best and never changed. It was the same selection every day, it never changed. The food inside at the buffet was a little better but certainly nothing to write home about. They served Italian food 4 out of 6 days, and for me personally 1 day is more than enough, a variety would have been nice. Also, they did not stay open very long for any of the meals. The Lido deck food is the same so you can always count on it. Many just want that. Last time I was on the Fantasy (Sept.) the food inside rotated every day with a repeat after 3 days.

6. Shorty, the cruise director, she was very nice and personable, but I only saw her actually interact on one occasion, the guest talent show. On past cruises, the cruise director was everywhere participating in all kinds of activities all day and evening. Hope Risa is back in May.

7. The pool area on the Lido deck had 2 bars, but only one was open. The second one was never used. Probably because every night the Lido deck was a ghost town. There was no activity on the Lido any night. (except for a couple of 10:30 party’s, that were attended by a few people) During the day there were a lot of people around the pool but when evening came people scattered to other parts of the ship. Most people are indoors In Jan after dark, be glad you were not here... ICE everywhere. Many nights the Lido deck is not alive til AFTER 10:30.

8. The entire Lido deck had 1 men’s bathroom and 2 women’s bathrooms. Bathrooms were few and far between on all the decks. see #1

9. Entertainment was terrible all over the ship with the exception of the comedians, they were good. OK

10. Although Half Moon Cay is Carnivals private island and you can user your sail n sign card there, BUT, if you have purchased the drink card for alcoholic beverages, you CANNOT use it on the island. I think it's stupid but they do tell you upfront.

11. The ocean view cabins are the smallest ocean view cabins I have ever stayed in. Very small and cramped. Try a RCCL or for that matter any other line and you will see small for oceanview.

12. At the Platinum and Diamond party, 5 times I tried to flag down the waiters walking around with trays of drinks, each time they said they would be right back, none of them ever returned, the 6th one I practically had to block his way to get a drink from him. Wow, last time I had 5 drinks sitting in front of me before I knew what happened.

13. On the bright side, every crew member I met was very pleasant and professional.

 

They are one of the best crews around and make up for an "old lady" in a lot of ways. I would rather cruise on her with the crew she has than some new ship with a lousy crew.

 

Hope you have a better cruise next time....

Edited February 3, 2014 by bobsfamily

[thegoodlife247]

Do they still make you go out to your lifeboat for the mister drill on the fantasy? I saw a recent review with pics that they were outside by the lifeboats for muster. On the dream last year we just had to sit and watch a short video. Thank you.

[Nikki in NC]

I think most of the muster stations are inside, except for Station F...it is on the Lido. You go in, have a seat (if one is available) listen to the leader, then they lead you out to where your lifeboat will be. It is very simple. We were at "E" in October which was in the Forum Lounge at the back of the ship. But 2 weeks ago, we were at "F". It wasn't bad, but it was nice and cool outside. I couldn't imagine standing in Charleston's July/August heat for the time it took to do the drill.

[Nikki in NC]

Bob, you are so right! This crew is absolutely fantastic! There were several first-timers with me 2 wks ago and they couldn't get over how everything was like clockwork, especially in the dining room, and how nice and friendly the crew was.

[NCTribeFan]

I had a long response typed out but last time I dared to question someone's very negative post, my response was deleted.

 

There most definitely are TWO mens and TWO ladies rooms on Lido. Just look at the deck plans.

 

There are other options for lunch besides just the regular buffet line - burgers or The Best Hot Dogs on the Planet outside; the deli (love their sandwiches); pizza; Mongolian Wok, and now Brunch on sea days.

 

Gosh, I can't imagine having to get out of my chair and waddle all the way back to the buffet to get ice cream and stuff my face some more! How dare they expect me to walk a few steps to do some more face-stuffing! :p

 

I don't sit around the main Lido pool and have no idea what bars are open or when. I do know there are PLENTY of drink servers walking around with trays. Again, is it too far to walk from one side of the Lido deck to the other to get to the bar? Then just sit in your chair, unmoving, and let the servers bring you your drinks. Don't want to expend any energy moving, after all. :rolleyes:

 

Yes, you still have to go to the lifeboats. At least I always have. And you aren't actually supposed to be using your phone (talking, texting OR taking pics) during the safety drill. Not that people pay any more attention to that than they do the fact that you aren't supposed to be eating or drinking!

[All4fun&fun4all]

As far as bathrooms go on Fantasy, I have always avoided the ladies room by the pool. Especially on a sea day. It's really difficult for the staff to keep up with the demand of those bathrooms and they tend to get a bit dirty and sometimes there is a wait.

 

Andrew and I found the perfect solution. If you go into the atrium area and simply go down one flight of steps there are bathrooms just to the right and left of the glass elevators when you step off. They are always clean and every time I have gone in there they have been spotless and no wait. Andrew calls them the "Executive Bathrooms". I also like that they have the button that you push to open the door (I use my elbow) and it's not stifling hot in there.

 

Just make sure you aren't dripping wet when you go there and wrap up in a cover up and throw on some sandals.

[Motorboatin]

Cruising Fantasy in a couple weeks and just curious where all I would be able to smoke a nice cigar?

[COJO1956]

We sailed on the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston SC on January 25th through Feb 1st 2014. Over all the cruise was nice but I will never sail on this ship again. Here is why,

1. The Serenity deck, it is nice that they had one, but it is small and on the starboard side it was very noisy. There is a 4 foot by 8 foot exhaust vent that runs continuously, so that side of the deck is not quiet at all. If you have a group of 3 or 4 people, it’s hard to get that many seats together.

2. Ice cream. There are a total of 4 ice cream machines on the ship; all of them are on the Lido deck. 3 are side by side at the salad bar and one is outside on the open Lido deck area but this one was out of order most of the time.

3. Drink dispensers. There are 4 of these, 2 in the dining area and 2 on the open lido deck area, my complaint here is that the 2 in the outside area were often closed.

4. The sound system on the Lido area around the pool is terrible. Sounds like a very cheap sound system turned up very loud.

5. The food on the Lido deck in the pool area was mediocre at best and never changed. It was the same selection every day, it never changed. The food inside at the buffet was a little better but certainly nothing to write home about. They served Italian food 4 out of 6 days, and for me personally 1 day is more than enough, a variety would have been nice. Also, they did not stay open very long for any of the meals.

6. Shorty, the cruise director, she was very nice and personable, but I only saw her actually interact on one occasion, the guest talent show. On past cruises, the cruise director was everywhere participating in all kinds of activities all day and evening.

7. The pool area on the Lido deck had 2 bars, but only one was open. The second one was never used. Probably because every night the Lido deck was a ghost town. There was no activity on the Lido any night. (except for a couple of 10:30 party’s, that were attended by a few people) During the day there were a lot of people around the pool but when evening came people scattered to other parts of the ship.

8. The entire Lido deck had 1 men’s bathroom and 2 women’s bathrooms. Bathrooms were few and far between on all the decks.

9. Entertainment was terrible all over the ship with the exception of the comedians, they were good.

10. Although Half Moon Cay is Carnivals private island and you can user your sail n sign card there, BUT, if you have purchased the drink card for alcoholic beverages, you CANNOT use it on the island.

11. The ocean view cabins are the smallest ocean view cabins I have ever stayed in. Very small and cramped.

12. At the Platinum and Diamond party, 5 times I tried to flag down the waiters walking around with trays of drinks, each time they said they would be right back, none of them ever returned, the 6th one I practically had to block his way to get a drink from him.

13. On the bright side, every crew member I met was very pleasant and professional.

We were on this same cruise. We loved Shorty! She was everywhere, and so was Wally. They both made it a point to interact with everyone. She asked everyone during the Welcome Aboard show to holler out "Hi Shorty" when we saw her, so that's what we did, and she always came right over to talk to us. I find myself saying "Ciao for now":D

 

I rarely ate in the buffet - I usually had Mongolian for lunch, my DH had a reuben from the deli, or a burger. This is the first cruise I didn't have pizza. It seemed to me they had more entertainment during the evenings, so that could be why Lido seemed empty. Plus we had some chilly, very windy nights.

 

We thought the entertainment was great! Loved the Hypnotist show, the comedian/juggler, and both of the musical shows. They had a great band playing 70's/80's music on Promenade several of the nights. We also saw the comedian a couple times.

 

The food was very good in MDR, but we had 6pm seating, and it was very slow most nights. Our waiter had way too many tables to take care of. Some nights other tables were ordering dessert and we hadn't even gotten our food yet. The tables were also packed together which made it very hard for the waiters to move around. Most nights we didn't get out of there till after 7:30. We tried the brunch once but our food was cold, and just ok. I prefer the omelette station on Lido which were made fresh. We are early risers and the brunch didn't start till 8:30.

 

I never paid attention to the bars on Lido - there were plenty of waiters walking around taking orders.

 

We had FTTF and that was worth it's weight in GOLD. Just being able to walk on the ship and go directly to our cabin to put our carry ons away before lunch was worth it! Our luggage actually beat us to our cabin. We were on the first tender to HMC, and it was nice being able to use the Platinum line for guest services. We will definitely use FTTF whenever it's available.

 

Our next cruise will be on the Liberty, but we will be back on Fantasy after that. We really love that ship. All in all, we thought it was our best cruise ever!

Edited February 5, 2014 by COJO1956