Fantasy B2B 10-22 & 10-27 w/Hurricane Sandy

[NCTribeFan]

CARNIVAL FANTASY 10/22/12 & 10/27/12 with Hurricane Sandy

 

I’m going to approach this review a bit differently than I have in the past. I really doubt that anyone cares what time I got up or what I had for breakfast or how much I lost in the casino on any given day. So I think I’ll just sort of summarize various aspects of it all.

 

I’ve always loaded my photos to Webshots, but they’re changing over to a different site so I’m in the process of uploading them to Flickr. Then I’ll have to figure out how to post them here, so you’ll have to bear with me.

 

This was my 4th sailing on Fantasy, 14th (& 15th) on Carnival. I’m rather fond of the Fantasy-class ships. I neither want nor need all the bells and whistles that come with the newer ships. I had originally booked a B2B on Ecstasy in November, which was to be my 60th b-day present to myself, going solo on Leg 1 (5 nights), then having the friend who introduced me to cruising in 2001 on Jubilee join me for Leg 2 (4 nights). Plus, DD’s wedding was 10/20, and I had told them I’d pay for a honeymoon cruise, so they decided to come along. Although I like sailing out of Port Canaveral, I hate flying into and out of Orlando because the flights always have multiple screaming children. Plus, you then have to deal with renting a car or getting other transportation because of the distance to Cocoa Beach. We realized we could sail from Charleston and do the 7-night for about the same price and a 4-night + airfare, so why wouldn’t we switch?

 

I was able to schedule 2+ weeks of vacation time to cover the wedding and then to go directly to Charleston the next day. I figured I’d need those 5-nights solo to unwind. Plus, I had the final tax-deadline of the year on 10/15, so I was definitely needing some de-stress time to myself.

[NCTribeFan]

The wedding was at The Pamlico House B&B in (Little) Washington, NC. Lovely setting and it was a beautiful day.

 

(Wanted to post a pic of the B&B but it is taking forever to upload the photos to Flickr - I probably should have selected only a few at a time so I could post a few as I go - may have to wait and just post a link at the end).

 

The bride was gorgeous, of course! I left there at about 10 am on Sunday and decided to take the scenic Route 17 all the way to Charleston and stay off the interstates. There were a few too many stoplights, but at least it bypasses the heaviest traffic congestion along the coast and the monstrosity that is Myrtle Beach. I arrived at my pre-cruise hotel after about 6 hours. I opted for the Home2Suites by Hilton near the airport. It was good enough (do NOT let them put you in a room at the street end (hotel is situated lengthwise to the road) as you will be awakened by traffic at 5 am). Pretty nice room and breakfast. The website states that they do NOT include transportation to the pier, but the shuttle driving was heading that way to pick someone up and took me over at about 10 am. The next Saturday, they informed DD that they do not provide a shuttle. That was OK since my friend was driving down and parking at the pier, so she picked them up.

 

If you’ve never visited Charleston, you really should do so. It’s a beautiful old town. And you must try the Shrimp and Grits. That’s the only way I’ll eat grits. It’s fantastic. Have a stroll along Waterfront Park and down along the Battery. Take a carriage ride, visit the old Market, take a harbor cruise, spend a night over on Isle of Palms.

 

Now, let’s see if I can organize my thoughts so that I cover the things that people seem to most want to read about…

[LHP]

Looking forward to it!!!

[NCTribeFan]

Embarkation

 

If you’ve done any reading about Fantasy (I started the All Things Fantasy thread before I sailed her in May 2010) or about sailing from Charleston (threads on the East Coast Departures board), you’re aware that sailing from Charleston is rather different than sailing from other ports. It’s a very small, old, limited facility. Yes, we thought there’d be a new terminal by now, but there isn’t. Given the limitations, they do a very good job with the traffic and passenger flow. Do NOT arrive extra early.

 

I was one of the first there (just after 10 am) and had to sit under the tent for over an hour (shuttle bus wasn’t supposed to start until 11:30 but arrived at about 11:10). There is no separate VIP line until you get through security. They are VERY thorough at checking your carry-on liquids. I didn’t even have to show my credit card at the check-in desk. All I did was hand her my FunPass (and maybe my passport, again), and I was boarding. Last time, you went up one level and entered on Deck 3 and were put straight into an elevator that took you up to Lido deck. Now, they have their new ramp that winds back and forth and back and you enter the ship straight into the atrium area on Empress (Deck 7). All-in-all, it went very smoothly.

 

I almost always have a deli sandwich for lunch, but I was onboard before it was even open. So I made a cup of tea, sat outside along the Lido (love to sit out there). After a brief wait, I was able to get my turkey & swiss. They were exceptionally good this cruise. The bread was delicious. And decided I needed to wash it down with my first beer in months and months! Yum!

 

Edit: Photos have loaded. Now to arrange them!

[bubbakirk43]

Looking forward to the rest of your review ,,we board the fantasy this thursday the 8th.

[NCTribeFan]

Not having much success with Flickr. With Webshots, I could just copy and paste a link. When I try that with Flickr, I'm getting the actual link, not the photo. Will keep trying. Back soon, I hope!

[NCTribeFan]

[NCTribeFan]

Cabin

 

I had M95 for both legs of the cruise. I prefer inside cabins, lower, midship for multiple reasons. I’ve had motion-sickness issues in the past so prefer lower and midship for that reason. I like a lower deck because I take the stairs THE ENTIRE CRUISE to help offsest the caloric consumption. For the first time in my entire life, I did some real dieting since the weight had crept up over the past decade, and I wasn’t happy with how I felt and looked. So I’d lost about 22 pounds and was determined to NOT put a lot back on, what with the wedding and 12-nights on the ship.

 

Anyway, the cabin had 2 upper bunks, and I clonked my head on the frame more than once. I should’ve just had Phillip make up the bed as a single (since we were having them split for Leg 2), because the “L” configuration really opens up the room. You have so much more floor space that way. I’d read some recent comments about the bedding being too hard, but I thought (as usual) the bedding was fantastic! Mattress was just firm enough (I prefer firm) and the duvet is great. I hate being cold, except when I’m in bed, so having that lovely comforter to pull up to my nose is one of my favorite things about sailing Carnival.

 

Not much in the Goody Basket, as has been reported lately – a mini deoderant, a couple of little foil packets of toothpaste and some shampoo samples.

Phillip was very friendly and kept my little Carnival insulated cooler (prior Platinum gift) filled with ice. He did not make the best towel animals, but I don’t care much about that any more. Cabin was quiet at night, but during the day, it sounded like they were building a new deck above our heads – it wasn’t a hammering sound so much as a drilling and dripping noise. It could be heard out in the hallway, just in the one section.

 

DD and new hubby had M117. That cabin is just for two, so no upper bed frames hanging around to get in the way. Don’t know who their steward was. They did not have the daytime noise. Even though we were only separated by a few cabins, they were Muster Station C while we were Muster Station A.

 

As for the Muster Drill/Safety Briefing(s), Muster Station A is in the Universe Lounge (the big theatre in the bow). NO TALKING! NO CELL PHONES! MA’AM, PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR PHONE AND STOP TALKING!! Ha. I was rather glad that they were insisting that people pay attention. This is a serious matter, people. PAY ATTENTION! After everyone was in the theatre and we’d been shown how to put on our life vests, we filed up the stairs and out to the lifeboats. At least we did on 10/22. On 10/27, we didn’t sail until about 9 pm that night (not sure why – Risa told us but I wasn’t paying attention). We did NOT go up to the lifeboats. It may have been raining and given that we would be departing so late (that always upsets the people who have staked out their slot machine at 1 pm), perhaps they decided it wasn’t necessary.

[NCTribeFan]

Food and Drinks

 

Cutbacks, cutbacks, cutbacks.

 

Since it’s mandated that that has to be a part of EVERY post on Cruise Critic, I figured I’d better get it out of the way.

 

As I keep repeating, I really haven’t noticed all these CUTBACKS that people keep ranting about here. And as I also keep commenting, when your base cruise fare has remained fairly unchanged over the past 5-6 years, yet the costs for everything has increased, there have to be cutbacks. Just how do you think they continue to keep the fares so low?

 

I actually thought the food was quite good. My travel buddy had some things that she didn’t care for, but I didn’t have that problem. Maybe I’m just easy to please, especially after months of dieting! But I don’t really think so.

 

So, decided to give the Anytime Dining a try on Leg 1, since I was solo and thought that might be interesting. First night, I said I’d be happy to be seated with others. So there I was at a 10-top; two couples on one side, a couple on the other, and then 2 sisters/friends. I have no idea because no one really spoke to anyone else. So there I sat. The next night, I requested a table for two and was seated at table 178 with Gerald as my server. Nice little table but the rounded back on the bench seat was rather uncomfortable. Next night, he had no tables open so I was seated at 188, which is right in front of the rotating kitchen door. Next night, I again asked for 178, but there were no 2-tops in Gerald’s section (he was popular), but the asst. Maitre ‘D put me at a 4-top so I wouldn’t have to wait.

 

For Leg 2, we opted for late dining and had 4-top #331 in Jubilee. As I said, cruise buddy got a few dishes she didn’t care for, but most of mine were acceptable to very good. For some reason, the food seemed better on Leg 1.

 

Anyway, back to the food itself. I had also planned on trying dishes that I normally don’t, simply because I knew I’d have the opportunity to have all my favorites on Leg 2. But I really didn’t do that. I stuck to my “usual” dishes. I’m a fan of the chilled fruit soups; I tend to stay away from the beef (even when tender, not much flavor); rarely have dessert. I had lunch in the MDR one day so I could use my VIFP drink coupon. The cheeseburger w/bacon and guacamole was excellent! Well, it was the first time. Tried it twice on Leg 2 and it was progressively more well-done and therefore drier. I also had the Fish & Chips for lunch one day and it was very good. I don’t eat the pizza, but DD had it a couple of times and liked it. I had breakfast on Lido every day except one. I love my made-to-order omelets. The bacon police were only out a couple of mornings.

 

I bought the cheapest 5-bottle wine package before leaving. Both the 3 and 5-bottle packages were available. I only drank 1-1/2 bottles, so took the 2nd bottle back to the cabin on the last night of Leg 1 since we were changing dining rooms. Buddy bought a package a couple of days into Leg 2. I couldn’t seem to get a glass of Pino Grigio at any of the bars that didn’t run me >$10 after tip. Buddy was drinking a Merlot that was $2-$3 less per glass. No fair! I don’t drink the fruity frozen things, but saw several that looked very tasty.

 

Afternoon tea on Carnival is pretty much a disaster, imho. I consider tea time to be a somewhat quiet, civilized affair. Not on Carnival! It’s just another opportunity to step up to the food trough! The music is too loud in the piano bar on this class ship; the tables are too small; people are bellowing over the top of the music at each other so that there is absolutely no atmosphere; there’s no order to how they bring around the tea, the hot water, the food. I’ll address this later when I get to “service.” And if you want milk for your tea? You’re lucky if you get it before you’re ready to leave.

 

I didn’t go to the Mexican buffet or the chocolate buffet.

 

Thanks to all the stair climbing and walking, it would appear I only gained back about 3-1/2 pounds. I’m very pleased about that!

[Libertyflame]

Can't wait to here how the rest went... especially with the weather and all... was there a large selection of low calorie foods for you to enjoy on the Fantasy?

[NCTribeFan]

Entertainment

 

I don’t play bingo or trivia (ok, we did one trivia game while waiting from DD one day), and rarely go to shows. Most of my “entertainment” is sitting and reading, which is increasingly difficult for me since I need at least a somewhat calm setting to do my reading. I ended up going to my cabin one day because there was nowhere on the ship that wasn’t crowded and loud.

 

I also spend some time in the casino. I had originally booked Ecstasy under a Casino VIP rate, but then we changed to Fantasy. I had a Casino Cash voucher for $50, but when I went to the cage, I wasn’t on the list. I had a talk with the casino hostess (I’ve already forgotten her name – she’s a tiny Indian woman). She told me to check back on Saturday (my B2B turnaround day), which I neglected to do because we sailed so late. When I went to sign up for the slot tournament, she told me to come see her that evening. I did and she sent me to the cage window, where there was a note from her to the cashier to give me the cash. I didn’t win a bunch, but didn’t lose every cent of my gambling allowance, either. So I consider that to be a success.

 

I did go to Ticket to Ride on both sailings, and we went to the “action comedy” show on Nassau night. It was Thien Fu, who had flow into Nassau that day. Both SIL and DD went up on stage to “help” him and both received bottles of champagne! It was quite entertaining.

 

Music Degree was good. Not as good as a couple of the Filipino bands, but good enough. We went into Cat’s one night, thinking they’d be playing, but it was Karaoke instead. I just do not enjoy it. We went to the disco a couple of times.

 

Louie B, the guitarist, was really quite good. Angela, the pianist, is a nice person and a pretty good pianist (tends to pound the keyboard a bit too much for my taste), but I didn’t care for her vocals. Her pitch was good enough, but she did something strange with her pronunciation of a lot of the lyrics. But then, I don’t see how anyone can actually do that for a living. I’d be so sick of Freaking Piano Man that I’d puke if I had to play it multiple times a day.

 

I’m always missing the dance classes and missed the Thriller dance class on Leg 1, so wanted to be sure I went for Leg 2. Well, our “instructor” was 10 minutes late and it was just the one girl. I thought there would be others. So, she had to show us a few steps, run back and start the music, run back and turn it off, show us a few more steps, run back and start the music, etc., etc. It was very confusing since it was hard to see or hear her, and I ran out of time (had to get to dinner). Rather disappointing, really.

[All4fun&fun4all]

I thought about you many times over the last week. Been looking forward to your review

[jimbug]

Thanks for the review! I also love the Fantasy-class ships.

[barbatkins]

Entertainment

 

I don’t play bingo or trivia (ok, we did one trivia game while waiting from DD one day), and rarely go to shows. Most of my “entertainment” is sitting and reading, which is increasingly difficult for me since I need at least a somewhat calm setting to do my reading. I ended up going to my cabin one day because there was nowhere on the ship that wasn’t crowded and loud.

 

I also spend some time in the casino. I had originally booked Ecstasy under a Casino VIP rate, but then we changed to Fantasy. I had a Casino Cash voucher for $50, but when I went to the cage, I wasn’t on the list. I had a talk with the casino hostess (I’ve already forgotten her name – she’s a tiny Indian woman). She told me to check back on Saturday (my B2B turnaround day), which I neglected to do because we sailed so late. When I went to sign up for the slot tournament, she told me to come see her that evening. I did and she sent me to the cage window, where there was a note from her to the cashier to give me the cash. I didn’t win a bunch, but didn’t lose every cent of my gambling allowance, either. So I consider that to be a success.

 

I did go to Ticket to Ride on both sailings, and we went to the “action comedy” show on Nassau night. It was Thien Fu, who had flow into Nassau that day. Both SIL and DD went up on stage to “help” him and both received bottles of champagne! It was quite entertaining.

 

Music Degree was good. Not as good as a couple of the Filipino bands, but good enough. We went into Cat’s one night, thinking they’d be playing, but it was Karaoke instead. I just do not enjoy it. We went to the disco a couple of times.

 

Louie B, the guitarist, was really quite good. Angela, the pianist, is a nice person and a pretty good pianist (tends to pound the keyboard a bit too much for my taste), but I didn’t care for her vocals. Her pitch was good enough, but she did something strange with her pronunciation of a lot of the lyrics. But then, I don’t see how anyone can actually do that for a living. I’d be so sick of Freaking Piano Man that I’d puke if I had to play it multiple times a day.

 

I’m always missing the dance classes and missed the Thriller dance class on Leg 1, so wanted to be sure I went for Leg 2. Well, our “instructor” was 10 minutes late and it was just the one girl. I thought there would be others. So, she had to show us a few steps, run back and start the music, run back and turn it off, show us a few more steps, run back and start the music, etc., etc. It was very confusing since it was hard to see or hear her, and I ran out of time (had to get to dinner). Rather disappointing, really.

 

REALLY enjoying your review and appreciate you taking the time to write it for us. I am also from Durham (Woodcroft area)............ what part of town do you live in?

 

Barb

[NCTribeFan]

The Weather

 

I intentionally was not checking the weather forecast before I left home. All I was concerned about was what the weather was going to be for the wedding. It was glorious!

 

It wasn’t until Sunday night in Charleston that I happened to see a thread here about a tropical depression and made the mistake of reading it. But there wasn’t anything I could do about it, was there?

 

The weather was very nice in Charleston for embarkation and on Tuesday, 10/23, while we were at sea. When we docked in Nassau on Wednesday, it was a bit overcast, but warm and very humid. Actually, we had some showers. By that afternoon, it was very windy, and by the time we were ready to leave, the people returning to Glory (docked right next to us) were getting soaked and the palm trees were bending considerably.

 

It was a pretty rough night and when I turned on the tv to the bow camera the next morning, all I saw was water and sky, so I knew we were skipping Freeport. That wasn’t a surprised, since the people in the Festival Place in Nassau had already said that everything was going to be closed down there the next day.

 

So we had an extra sea day. The Captain kept the ship’s speed at 10 knots or below, to help keep the rocking down. Thursday on the ship was pretty unpleasant. Because of the weather, every person was inside. It was so crowded and noisy everywhere. And, of course, there was plenty of griping. People are just so unreasonable and clueless. Of course, they either thought we should’ve gone to Freeport even though the hurricane was expected to cross right over it? Or just pull up and dock somewhere else? Um, where, exactly, would that be?

 

 

This is before it got really bad as we were leaving Nassau.

 

That morning, there was a poor young woman at the service desk. All I heard was her saying that her wedding was supposed to be that day in Freeport. She wasn’t even crying! That was the one thing that gave me concern when DD was considering a cruise ship/destination wedding.

 

Friday was still pretty rough. What little TV coverage we were getting was out of Miami. We kept fairly close to the coast and headed slowly toward Charleston, but during the afternoon, there was an announcement that due to a medical emergency, we were going to head on in, so we had to speed back up, which made things a bit rockier. We arrived some time around 9 pm, I think.

 

Luckily for us, on Saturday, 10/27, Sandy was following the projected path and had turned away from the coast a bit, so the weather just cooler, cloudy and rather windy.

 

Sunday at sea was pretty nice. Still very windy and swells that were probably around 7-8’ (I couldn’t really understand the Captain during his mid-day announcements).

 

Late Monday afternoon, we were sitting up in the seats that are right in front of the jogging track, looking over the Lido pool area. Several of us up there noticed these big whitecaps appearing. At first, we thought it might be whales in the distance. But what I think was happening was that we had entered a shallower area, because there were just big, long cresting waves. I mean, there were some major swells. Sitting where we were, we could see the stern going up, down, and around. And looking out, you could see some very deep troughs. It’s hard to judge the wave heights when you’re up above them, so when you see huge dips between those crests, you have to think that the swells are pretty darn big. Normally, when you’re sitting on deck, you see the rail go up a couple of inches above the horizon, then down a couple. There were a few times that the rail dipped down about a foot, then back around and up. If anyone knows how to find out what the swells actually were that day, I’d like to know.

 

And then they informed us that there had been damage at Half Moon Cay and we would not be stopping there. I had booked my first cabana.

 

I had never missed a port before, so doesn’t it just figure that on my FIRST back-to-back, I’d not only encounter my first hurricane but miss not one, but two ports?

 

But I think the Captain did a great job of keeping us out of the worst of it. And I again thank Cruise Critic for enlightening me to the wonders of Ginger Root. I had absolutely NO problems with the motion. I even stopped taking it mid-way through Leg 2. It has cured me. Seriously!

[fromthebus]

Thank you for taking time to do a review. Looking foreward to more.

[NCTribeFan]

The Ports

 

So, instead of five port days, I had three (and two of them were Nassau). Again, oh well!

 

My original plan for Nassau #1 (10/24) was to go to the British Colonial Hilton because there were five ships scheduled to be in port that day. But when it started out so overcast, I figured I’d just keep that $55 and we’d go next week. So I just wandered around Bay Street (I’m not really a shopper) and through the new Straw Market. I’m a huge fan of the fried grouper that is served in the booth down at the end of Festival Place. Well, she didn’t even get her food until 12:30 (supposed to be open from noon until 4), so the line still had about 15 people in it at 1 and was moving very, very slowly. So I had a couple of Kaliks from a neighboring booth and just sat outside (you can drink in public!!!) and checked my email via the fee wi-fi. I couldn’t send or post anything, but at least I could catch up a little bit. Finally got my delicious grouper, red beans and rice, and fried plantains then headed back to the ship.

 

 

Glory, Ecstasy & Fantasy

 

 

We were docked nose to tail at the far pier with Ecstasy. This is her backing out to leave.

[NCTribeFan]

Grand Turk 10/30 – We were originally supposed to be there from 7 am – 2 pm, but because HMC was cancelled, we were staying until 5 pm. Unfortunately, they weren’t really able to add a bunch of excursions, and since I wasn’t going to pay for internet access, I couldn’t really do any last-minute research to find any additional independent excursions. I had booked a horseback ride for DD through an independent operator. I’d done the ship excursion (via Chukka) on four previous visits there and just love it. Buddy didn’t want to ride so we just went through the duty-free shop and turned right to check out the southern end of the beach. I didn’t even know all this was down there. It’s much less congested and away from all the crowds and noise you encounter if you head north up the beach. We wanted to hunt for conch shells, but the surf was very rough, with big rocks and shells, and since there was a fence, we figured maybe we weren’t really supposed to go down the beach that way.

 

So we walked out through the parking for the excursion buses and out the gate, asked a guy in a golf cart to point to the “road” (really just a dirt track) and headed down to Boaby Rock Point. So here we are, in the very hot sun, with no one around, and we see three horses heading up the road toward us, away from the beach. Yes, it was DD, SIL and their guide. We had a quick chat and went on our way. The water was beautiful but it looked very dangerous. There was a lot of debris on the beach as well as hundreds of conch shells. Buddy found one she wanted to take home and then we decided we’d brave the surf and make our way back to the loungers back around the point. Let’s just say that maybe that wasn’t such a great idea. Even staying right up against the “wall” that marked high tide, we still got pounded a couple of times. I would’ve felt really stupid if I’d been washed out to sea!

 

 

We finally made it, and then found a couple of loungers in the shade since it was really, really hot and I figured I’d probably already fried myself. We went back to the ship to meet up for lunch, then headed back out to enjoy the beautiful surf and just lay there reading and relaxing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos don't show the beauty or the strength of the sea that day!

[NCTribeFan]

Nassau #2 (11/1) – DD & SIL booked a clear kayak and snorkeling tour. Buddy and I had plans to do the walking tour. Then she tells me she doesn’t really want to go to BCH. But, but, I didn’t go the week before and the weather was better today! So we didn’t go. The walking tour only took about 1-1/2 hours.

 

 

 

We went back to the ship, sat on the Serenity Deck a little bit, had lunch, then decided to walk down to Junkanoo Beach. Quite a lot of debris and seaweed on the beach and you could see some storm damage to roofs. You need to bring a towel or rent a dilapidated plastic chair to enjoy your day at Junkanoo.

 

 

We just sat on a concrete pier for a little bit, looking back at the ships, speculating on why Miracle was in port when it was supposed to be Pride (figured itinerary changes due to the storm was responsible).

 

 

 

Was going to stuff myself with grouper again, but the line at 2:15 looked like I’d be standing there for another hour. That’s how you find good food – look for the long line of locals! But I did stop and see my friend at the Kalik stand and took my beer through the terminal and sat along the walkway, enjoying some more scenery and people watching.

[NCTribeFan]

Service

 

I’ve already commented about my cabin steward. The only dealing I had with the front desk was to ask if there was any expectation of departures issues for Leg 2. Ended up there was, but not directly because of the storm. I did go to the desk on Friday (Leg 1) to report that my cabin safe had a dead battery and wouldn’t lock. They said I’d have to wait in my cabin for someone from maintenance. I asked if we couldn’t just do it in the morning, since I’d be on the ship still. When I went down to the cabin after the turnaround (more later), the maintenance guy was in the hallway talking to Phillip. He had the battery changed in minutes.

 

I do find it mildly annoying when you’re in the theatre and the drink waiters head out to take orders or to pass out drinks during the PG party (um, I mean the VIFP party). Again, there seems to be no order to anything. One guy heads down a row, goes half-way down another, then heads in a different direction, then the next guy comes down a row that already got served. It just seems random. Probably isn’t, but I saw this multiple times during those 12 nights.

 

Same thing with tea time. Guy comes out with Box-o-TeaBags, next guy comes out with water, goes half-way around the room and returns. But when he comes back out, he doesn’t go to the other half of the room. He starts refilling the 1st half! They come out with the dessert tray before they’ve gone around the ENTIRE room with the savory stuff.

 

On the other hand, everyone was pleasant, saying Hello, Good Morning, always cleaning, clearing tables, etc.

 

For Leg 2, in Jubilee, we ended up being served by our assistant waiter, Seville from India, much more often than by our head waiter. He was giving most of his attention to a 10-top that was on another tier. So I gave Seville an extra cash tip on Friday night since he wasn’t getting the share I thought he had earned. We also had him serve us for lunch one day.

 

Lunch in the MDR on Friday was a nightmare. It was absolutely packed at 1 pm. Guess everyone decided they needed to use their drink coupons! It was probably 10 minutes before we got water and another 10 or 15 before our order was even taken. It’s not that I’m in any hurry to do anything on a cruise, but I don’t really like taking 45 minutes to an hour+ for breakfast or lunch is reasonable.

 

I went to the spa on Thursday after we returned from Nassau #2 and had a very good massage and facial without too much sales pressure afterward.

 

I avoid the shops because I don’t care for the snotty staff that works them. I’m pretty sure they’re not Carnival employees. If you aren’t looking at expensive jewelry, they can’t be bothered. Can’t be bothered to come show me a watch? OK, I’ll spend my money in port!

[NCTribeFan]

Disembarkation

 

Since we were VIP and were in no huge hurry to get home (although we all had 5-6 hour drives), we opted to use the #1 tags, put our bags out, and disembark from the piano bar at 8:15 on Saturday morning.

 

They use a “silent disembark” system due to the locals not liking early morning PA announcements, I suppose. I didn’t attend the talk and didn’t really watch it on tv, but had it on while getting ready for dinner Friday night. I just read my handout and went by that.

 

Anyway, they call you off the ship via the TV. On my turnaround Saturday, I was having my leisurely breakfast, feeling smug while others around me looked so glum at having to leave the ship, and saw the TV had displayed which deck and tag numbers could disembark. All I know is that the ship was empty by 9:20!

 

On the day we were leaving, there was a crowd there in the piano bar, but we left right around 8:15, went down the marble staircase, dinged our S&S cards, walked down the gangway, got our bags, went right through customs, were in the car by 8:45, at the hotel to retrieve our vehicles and on the road just after 9 am. I was home at 1:45! It was all very painless (except for the 6:45 wake up call).

 

Having #1 tags, our bags were at the end of the building closest the exit. The problem was getting to them and getting out. I could see my two bags, but was hemmed in by people trying to get out and others trying to get to their bags. The space in the building is very limited, but if people would just be patient for 10 seconds, someone can grab their bags and get out of the way so you can get in. What’s the point in following me to my bags when you can’t get to yours and then you’re blocking me from getting out! Sheesh, people. More on rude fellow passengers later!

 

Still, this seems to be a very efficient system and I don’t know why other ships don’t implement it. As I said about embarkation, they have such limited facilities in Charleston that they HAVE to be efficient.

[NCTribeFan]

Other Thoughts…

 

The lines at the buffet weren’t bad at all and moved quickly. Glad to discover an “express” lane at the grill. I just want my afternoon hot dog and fries and this lets me get it without having to stand in the longer line. Never more than 3 or 4 people at either omelet station or the deli.

 

Risa – I know the CD is important to a lot of cruisers, but not so much for me. I did introduce myself to her quickly when entering the VIFP Guest party on Leg 1. On turnaround day, there was just me and one other couple. She was there in the lobby and said Hello, so I told her our Roll Call was having an open bar M&G on Monday and if she had a minute, could she stop in and say Hello. She did stop by but didn’t say anything to anyone really (except me, although I wasn’t the one who put it together). I was just about to stand up and holler to everyone to let them know the CD was there when she and the asst CD took off. I do believe she’s pregnant, so don’t know how much longer she’ll be on board. And if you must come on the PA and make those announcements to encourage me to have FUN FUN FUN and SPEND SPEND SPEND, please slow down enough so that I can understand what it is you’re trying to get me to do! Still, she seemed to handle the weather, port cancellations, and activity changes pretty well. It’s not a job I would ever want!

 

I’m pretty sure everything I’d read on the boards about B2B cruises said they received a wine & fruit basket in the cabin on Leg 2. Not me! I also had received an email saying that The Big Man would have something sent to both our cabins. Nope! It’s not that I was counting on any freebies, but when you’re told that you should expect them, then you expect them! Not a problem. I did have a crew member buy me a bottle of wine when they cancelled HMC because I’d been talking to him about it on Leg 1 when Freeport was cancelled. He knew how very disappointed I was. That was very nice and unexpected.

[NCTribeFan]

I still like the ship. I think she’s in very good shape for her age. I hope some people think the same of me! I do like the Serenity area but as on other ships, I wish it were actually serene back there! No kids helps, but VERY LOUD adults mostly counteract that fact. And the chair hogs were in full force back there and everywhere. The morning we were sitting out up in the area in front of the jogging track, a woman had put a towel on at least a dozen chairs. That’s a small area, so the vast majority were “reserved.” We were up there from about 9 until after 11 and only one couple in their group had shown up. We had gotten four chairs because DD said they were coming up after breakfast, but when they hadn’t arrived by 10, we gave them to another couple.

 

Speaking of loud, I know some people love the music blaring. I just don’t see why it’s necessary to be THAT loud! And do we really need bad pop music in the hallways? Or in the dining room? In every single public space (except maybe the library, but I didn’t spend time there because of the LOUD adults playing cards all the time)? It’s not that I’m so old. I’m a child of the 60s! I spent a whole lot of time in front of Very Loud Bands when I was a teen. But since when is it imperative that there be loud music everywhere? I mean absolutely EVERYWHERE!

 

Does the sound during the trivia game need to be so loud that every word can be heard back by the photo gallery? Really? I don’t think so!

 

And would it be too much to ask that the smokers, since they get about 80% of the casino already, keep their cancer-sticks in their pockets while playing the non-smoking machines? In fact, wouldn’t it just make sense to rearrange the casino so that the non-smoking corner isn’t back there by the smoking end of the bar?

[NCTribeFan]

The itinerary changes were unfortunate. We had booked the 10/27 sailing specifically to get to HMC. I just hope it wasn’t badly damaged. Well, except maybe it took out that hideous pirate-ship bar! That would be a plus if it did and they decided to not rebuild it! I don’t have a problem with Nassau and now that I know I can avoid so many people and so much activity at GT, I’m looking forward to returning there next year. I was even looking forward to Freeport, as I had booked the von Humboldt windjammer sailing. Oh well. I seem to have said that a lot in this review.

 

As for the other passengers, there were baseball caps everywhere in the dining room (did that become the norm around the same time as blaring bad pop music in every pubic venue in the country?), people saving deck chairs, people saving seats for the shows, despite the announcements that seat saving is not acceptable, people eating with their fingers. Hint: rather than chase your piece of food around the plate with your fork and end up grasping it with the other hand to finally stab it to bring to your hungry mouth, try using the knife! It can be used for tasks other than just cutting!!! Perhaps all those Europeans who use both the knife and fork have had the right idea for all these centuries! Push in your chair when you get up from the table so people who are staggering through the buffet due to the high seas aren’t tripping over them! Stop bellowing at the top of your voice. Whatever it is you want to say isn’t THAT important! If it is, move closer to the other person and TURN DOWN THE VOLUME! Don’t walk four abreast down the Promenade or along the deck. Don’t make your plans for the next day with your buddies in the middle of the cabin hallway late at night. Don’t open your cabin door and have your conversation with your friends 5 doors down at full volume.

 

Sorry. Mini-rant over! It’s just that people have absolutely no concern for any common courtesies these days, do they? There is no thought for anyone but themselves. Rudeness just breeds rudeness in others.

 

I have a cruise booked for next November. I’ll continue to check other vacation options and will continue to price other cruises. Even though I’m usually paying the solo rate, due to the fact that I normally cannot book last minute, and cannot cruise during some parts of the year, I still end up with Carnival giving me the best cruise for my money. People on the boards insist that there are other great options for solo cruisers, but I’m not finding them. I would love to go a little more upscale, but I still really enjoy my Carnival cruises.

[NCTribeFan]

Forget to say anything about the actual process of the B2B...

 

I had a letter in my cabin on Friday night telling me to be at the service desk by 9:45, but I was actually out there by 9:15, and the ship was empty by 9:20.

 

Risa then told us about someone first thing that morning being extremely insistent that he be allowed to disembark immediately, even though the ship had not been cleared. He then proceeded to become verbally abusive, despite there being children in the vicinity. Security was right there, since they're the ones who Ding you on and off the ship.

 

Apparently he would not calm down, or tone down the abusive language. She then made a comment about how they really can't do much with these passengers (which is why people behave the way they do - no one can get in their face without being sued).

 

So they called Customs in. The man ended up being led off in handcuffs by the Customs agents who ensured that he would be "thoroughly" searched. Perhaps that would bring about a change in attitude. :D

 

A staff member came out with our new cards. We took our old cards, the new cards, our passports and custom cards and took the elevator down to Deck 3, Ding'd out our old cards, walked down the little ramp, had a door opened behind the regular check-in counters, had our passports checked and custom cards taken, turned around and went back up the little ramp, Ding'd in our new cards, and back up and on the ship. Couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes, total.