crusing on fantasy may 4 with low expectations

[twentyknots]

Based on member reviews and some recent board comments, I have lowered my expectations for our upcoming fantasy cruise. I expect to find an older, small ship that smells like stale cigarette smoke, mediocre food and entertainment, lots of children around, no lounge chairs available 9-5, a gas mask needed in the casino, and many passengers who refuse to adhere to the ship's dress code for the MDR. I hope I'm wrong. I'll let you know.

[KenMo]

Have fun!!!

[DZNYROX]

Have fun!!!

 

Great answer lol ;)

[jhale]

Enjoy your cruise!

[jenwales]

You'll have fun if you let yourself!

 

We took a cruise on the Fantasy last summer and had a great time. The ship does have an odor and there will be a lot of smokers on board; there's really no getting around it. We're accustomed to Disney Cruise Line and remarked on how few kids were on board. :) Our fellow passengers were really nice and fun and the staff was top notch. We enjoyed hanging out in the atrium on elegant night watching the well dressed passengers pose for pictures.

 

We loved the food, even in the buffet. It was better than DCL's.

 

Our cruise was pretty cheap and we felt that we more than got our money's worth.

[LisaT12]

Raise your expectations and go and have a great time......we were on the Fantasy a few years back. Yes, it is older, but it has a great layout, easy to get around, food was awesome!! Have a wonderful time!!

[Shelbyjane56]

Nothing like going to a vacation on a cruise with a negative attitude...Hope you have a good vacation none the less!! We are excited about going on the Liberty May 14 which will make for our 10th cruise on carnival!

[lillian marie]

Have a great cruise. Ignore anything you disagree with, like others attire and just have fun.

[happy cruzer]

We cruised on the Fantasy last May. Loved it. We are the glass is always at least half full types.

 

Your post sounds very negative and the glass is half empty.

 

Avoid smelly areas and focus on what you like. We really enjoyed the Main dining room food and service and we visited the private island and Grand Turk where we did not need to worry about excursions. Just being on our own schedules. The glass was definitely mostly full and we loved every minute.

[vaca_queen]

Cruised the Fantasy March 6-12 this year. Had a great time. Staff was great. Like a previous poster said it is easy to get around, food was good (I thought). You're on vacation can it really be that bad?

[magic&buddy]

On May 4th you will be on a ship and I won't be. :( I think you are getting the better deal :D. Have fun!

[volfan22701]

we don't cruise on the Fantasy until october 22nd, and can hardly wait. we enjoy cruising and the little things you mention are invisible to us. being with friends and family make it great.

[mrsbean1990]

We cruised the Fantasy in Aug. ,09. It was our first cruise, and before the cruise, I was worrying all about "the smell" that had been reported, especially since our room was near the elevators, and at that time, that's where the smell was being reported.

 

WE NEVER SMELLED A THING...other than the sea air, great food, and suntan lotion.

 

My husband is sensitive to smoke, and we never had a problem on either cruise we've been on.

 

The Fantasy did not seem dated to me. We sailed on the Conquest this past Nov., and I honestly can't tell you that I prefer one ship over the other. They were both great.

 

Bring your expectations back up, and go have fun. :)

 

eta: Our friends had a problem w/ smoke on their balcony on the Conquest, but that's a crap shoot on any ship. You either have neighbors that smoke, or you don't...inside cabin or balcony, it doesn't matter.

[djacobson]

Based on member reviews and some recent board comments, I have lowered my expectations for our upcoming fantasy cruise. I expect to find an older, small ship that smells like stale cigarette smoke, mediocre food and entertainment, lots of children around, no lounge chairs available 9-5, a gas mask needed in the casino, and many passengers who refuse to adhere to the ship's dress code for the MDR. I hope I'm wrong. I'll let you know.

 

Have a great time and tell Risa hello for me!

[WeBeCruisin']

I was on the Fantasy last September and again in January of this year and had a great time. I never noticed any kind of odor and even as a non-smoker, I didn't notice any more smoke than on any other of the various cruises I've been on. I love Blackjack, so I spend a lot of time in the casino and don't remember smoke ever being a problem there, either.

 

I sort of make it a point not to read reviews of ships before I sail them because for every ship there will be posts from people who hated the ship and from people who loved it. I prefer to go on each cruise and each ship expecting to have a great time and trusting my own opinions and tastes to let me know whether it's a good ship and whether or not I'm having a good time. :D

 

That approach hasn't failed me yet and I can honestly say that out of all the cruises I've taken, I've never regretted any of them.

[cuyahoga11]

IMO, going with that kind of attitude is setting yourself up for failure. We did not experience anything negative in November and I cant imagine it has gone downhill that much since then.

[djacobson]

Based on member reviews and some recent board comments, I have lowered my expectations for our upcoming fantasy cruise. I expect to find an older, small ship that smells like stale cigarette smoke, mediocre food and entertainment, lots of children around, no lounge chairs available 9-5, a gas mask needed in the casino, and many passengers who refuse to adhere to the ship's dress code for the MDR. I hope I'm wrong. I'll let you know.

 

The Fantasy is my favorite ship. The food was great and you will have great entertainment. Ticket to Ride is an outstanding show.

 

Go with a good attitude and you'll have a great time. Risa is a great cruise director.

[my2monkees]

I took my 1st cruise on the Fantasy this past November and had a wonderful time. I am an ex-smoker (which is worse than a non smoker) and yes there were a few places that had smoke (the casino) but is was nothing unbearable. Go and have a wonderful cruise

[twentyknots]

I do not mean to appear negative. I figure if I lower my expectations our actual experience might be better. We usually cruise just once a year and most recently on Celebrity and Holland America. Those ships were in excellent condition and we generally rated the cruises as very good to excellent. Very few children on board, well-mannered passengers, and very few smoking areas. Our most recent cruise was on the Celebrity Solstice in February so booking the Fantasy so soon afterwards was unusual for us. I had so much fun playing blackjack on the Solstice I didn't want to wait a year to do some more. It's just a 4 hour drive to Charleston for us and the Fantasy's 5 night itinerary offers a relatively cheap cruise getaway so I booked it. Subsequently, I read several reviews and started reading the Carnival boards and saw that some posters had quite a lot of negative comments. The smoking will be the hardest for me to tolerate. I can live with everything else.

[scarolinagrl23]

We are cruising the fantasy at the same time! I, however, am looking so forward to the cruise (its our 5 year anniversary) and unless the ship is taking on water, I intend to have a good time! I think its an individual's view on the ship that could ruin a vacation, so i intend on making my own when I get on there. Throw all of the negative out of the window and enjoy your vacation! We will be the ones with a drink in our hands and a big smile on our faces :D

[jordanaire]

Based on member reviews and some recent board comments, I have lowered my expectations for our upcoming fantasy cruise. I expect to find an older, small ship that smells like stale cigarette smoke, mediocre food and entertainment, lots of children around, no lounge chairs available 9-5, a gas mask needed in the casino, and many passengers who refuse to adhere to the ship's dress code for the MDR. I hope I'm wrong. I'll let you know.

 

If this is what you are expecting, then you're in for a big disappointment! Everything you've mentioned is completely opposite of what you will experience...great food, a ship in excellent condition, not as many kids as you would expect (especially during Spring Break), and most passengers adhering to the dress code in the dining room! As for the lounge chairs, you MAY have a tough time, as this is common on ANY cruise ship, regardless of cruise line!

 

So I hope that things will be better than expected for you! We sailed aboard the Fantasy last October and our cruise could not have been better! It ranked in the Top 3 of all cruises we've taken so far!

 

BON VOYAGE!

 

:cool:Bill

[soccerATAmom]

We love Fantasy. In July we will be on her for the 4th time in 18 months. While she is not the fanciest ship we have been on, she is our favorite. I can't imagine not having a wonderful time on a vacation with family away from everything and completely in the moment. Happiness and satisfaction are choices.

[LUVMYGSDOG]

we don't cruise on the Fantasy until october 22nd, and can hardly wait. we enjoy cruising and the little things you mention are invisible to us. being with friends and family make it great.

 

 

We will also be on the Fantasy October 22nd and we are soooooo looking forward to it (our first cruise!). I think it would take something really bad to make us not enjoy ourselves and I'm with you - can hardly wait! The things that have been mentioned that are not so good are really not important things to me at all. Being with my husband and two sons sharing something we have never done before = AWESOME!!

[golfb4cruzing]

Could be worse. You could have to pay the ships fuel bill:eek:. Have a DOD and chill.

[elcuchio24]

Well, at least your going into it with an upbeat and possitive attitude!:) If you set the bar low, you can only end up being impressed!