Fantasy Photo Review: My Dad's Bucket Cruise!

[MtnBikerFallDown]

OK, this is my first ever review, let alone a photo review. So, be patient and kind... this may be pitiful. LOL!!

 

A little background. We originally booked this cruise for my 40th birthday. Soon after, my father was diagnosed as terminal. He had already sustained a back fracture and had impaired mobility, so it's been a fun year. But, honestly, my Dad has taken this like SUCH a trooper. Would that we could all be so upbeat each day, let alone facing the end of our time on earth. So, we decided to sail anyway, throw Dad in a wheelchair and make the best of it. Dad labeled it his "Bucket Cruise".

 

Going with us were my DH, My Mom, and as a wonderful surprise, our friends Charles & Myron who joined us as a birthday surprise for me!

 

We drove down from Tennessee early, and began our time in Charleston. Here we go!!

 

Sunday: Arrived in Charleston at about 2pm, checked into our hotel, Comfort Inn on Bee Street. Rooms were moderate. Relatively clean and up to date, but the bathroom was laid out very strangely. Also, as you go to pull into the hotel, it’s sideways. Very odd. It has a bank next door, and several fast food places nearby. Very close to the port, and the area felt very safe. Continental breakfast with the usual offerings. Nice lobby with VERY comfy couches. The only issue we had the whole time we were here was a rowdy guest at about 5am running down the hall screaming. He wound up being subdued by the local authorities and his "friend" wound up getting the heave-ho courtesy of my hubby, who was up having a bout of insomnia in the lobby. Interesting stay!

 

That night, we ate at “The Wreck of Richard and Charlene in Mt. Pleasant. It looks like a warehouse and tastes like heaven. Right on the water at Shem Creek, with fireplaces inside (it was a little chilly by Charleston standards). HUGE platter of fried shrimp on fine chinette! Slaw is amazing, as are the hush puppies and fries. Hubby said the scallops were unbelievably wonderful. For 6 of us it was less than $200, and we got dessert and drinks. Key lime bread pudding was amazing.

The Crew at The Wreck:

The menu in front of the building is about the only hint it's even a restaurant!

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Monday: Lunch at Hominy grill. I had heard so much about this place, but our friends warned us it was a bit over-hyped. I got a pimento cheese sandwich, fries and macaroni and cheese. The bread was stale, the arugula was very fresh, the pimento cheese was dry. I don’t even know how you make dry pimento cheese. The fries were really great. Hubby got the curry chicken salad sandwich and fries. He said it was “average” We give it a solid Meh.

Cute sign:

Bad Sandwich

 

Then, we drove over to the Market. Everything from historical items, tea from the local plantation, t-shirts, shea butter, palmetto baskets, local crafts and trinkets. The streets surrounding have some great shopping and some good food as well.

We had reservations for Fat Hen for Dinner. This is on Johns Island and is everything the Hominy grill wasn’t: GREAT. I got the crab cakes, spinach and fries, each cooked to perfection. The rest of the table got everything from ribs to a steak to fried chicken to a hamburger. Every person said theirs was wonderful. We all got dessert, and again… flawless!! I got the pumpkin cheesecake and it had sort of a gingerbread crust. Oh, my! Words do not do it justice!!!

The parents at Fat Hen

[cruizinrican]

Great review and pics so far. You might want to post the name of the ship, sail date and Review in subject line so people also sailing on your ship can find your review. Just a helpful suggestion.

 

Keep it up, so far so good! :)

[camper49]

I am already loving your review !!!

Thanks for sharing...

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[SMSACE6]

You are off to an excellent start! Keep it coming. You father is a brave man! Warm wishes to him and you and your family! Your photos are excellent too by the way.:)

[All4fun&fun4all]

Great review and pics so far. You might want to post the name of the ship, sail date and Review in subject line so people also sailing on your ship can find your review. Just a helpful suggestion.

 

Keep it up, so far so good! :)

 

It's Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston,SC...that's why it's Fantasy Photo Review. :)

[soccersharon]

Looking forward to reading more! Great start :) Best wishes to your family.

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Tuesday: Arrived at port at approximately 11:30. On the ship by noon! My father is in a wheelchair, so special parking for handicapped in warehouse. Getting to the parking is rather odd. It’s like a road course of traffic cones with multiple stops. But, everyone is fantastic. So nice, so friendly. At every single stop, they had such a pleasant attitude! After we parked, the young man was waiting on us at the bus, and helped us load up Dad and his wheelchair. Short drive over to the ship. We were in the door and over to baggage scanning, within seconds. Scanning took maybe 2 minutes for the 4 of us. We then proceeded to an agent. My Mom and Dad were VIP due to being in a Verandah Mini-Suite. We were not, as we were in an inside room. There was NO line, either place. So, we got through at the same time, and were quickly motioned over to the doors to the right and directed over to a lower gangplank. The plank was a little too steep for me to push Dad up and the second I had trouble, an officer was right there, and helped me up with the chair and in! Pictures for our cards and we were on the Fantasy!

It’s an older ship, so it’s smaller and full of neon. But, meticulously maintained. Cleaning crews going 24/7. And, they do a great job. The ship does not show its age. Carpets were clean and looked new. The bars were spotless and well-stocked. We never had to wait more than a moment or two for elevators.

A word about our fellow passengers. We were definitely a colorful bunch. More body art, more sleeveless shirts than I usually see onboard. But, that was not a problem. I only saw one rudely drunk person, and he was shut down quickly. Most were unfailingly polite. I never, even once, had someone cut us off to get to the elevator with Dad’s wheelchair. Rather, we had people offer to get off the elevator, help us get over the thresholds, hold doors for us, etc. Yes, there were some in the dining room that amazed me with their clothing, but again… no way am I going to let something that trivial bother me. So, it was a great cruise with a good bunch of people.

 

Rooms were not yet open, so we took the elevator to the Lido deck and hit the buffet. Mongolian grill had a bit of a line, so we opted to just grab a table and get the regular buffet (juggling Dad’s chair and all our carry-ons it was a little rough to just stand, so we were happy to find a table). I’ve had far better buffets. It was just average. Some pasta, a couple of chicken dishes, a salad bar, a fish dish. That was about it. But, there was a nice eggplant dish that I enjoyed. 3 different kinds of bread. Also, there was the pizza place and the deli in the back. And, a ton of desserts and the ever-present ice cream machines. We ate well, and really did enjoy the desserts.

Finished up, and decided to check our rooms. We took Mom and Dad to their room first. V1, all the way forward, starboard. Such a nice room. The balcony is TINY. The chairs cannot face forward, and you can barely squeak by them. But, we knew that going in, so cannot complain. There was the bed, a desk, flat screen TV, leather-ish sofa, ottoman, coffee table. There’s tons of storage and the suitcases fit nicely under the bed. Dad’s wheelchair collapses and it fit right beside the bed. Carnival had him a shower bench ready to go, and a sharps container for mom.

We headed for our cabin next E239. I was pleasantly surprised at the room. I was expecting a shoebox. Had plenty of room, and we put everything away and still had tons of storage room left.

Bathroom (I do not have 2 heads, promise)

Our "view"

We took off to explore until time for the muster drill. The drill was quick and simple. Grabbed a Bottomless Bubbles sticker, hubby got a quick gin and tonic, and headed for my parents’ room for sail-away. We left the port late (no idea why), so it was dark as we left, but it was still pretty to see the city lights slide away.

Me and Hubby

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Dad was worn out, so we just hit the buffet again for supper. Again, lackluster food. Olive chicken (tough), a sausage and red sauce spaghetti, fish in a red sauce, fried shrimp that were sort of soggy and tasteless. The salad bar had a lot more offerings than lunch and was actually my favorite. One side had fresh fruits and cheeses. The other side was salad, and had a wonderful mixed salad of fruits, fennel, and ginger. Again, tons of desserts. One was a white and dark chocolate mousse type dessert. Really yummy.

Dad was only able to make it thru part of the meal, so I’d taken him back earlier. We took him a plate of dessert and fruits and tucked him in for the night. His cabin steward had already fixed up the room for him, and even asked how he was doing as he passed me in the hallway.

With our “kids” in bed, hubby and our friends (who had joined us as a surprise for my 40th birthday) went exploring. Had some pictures made, got a drink, took pictures of the Cat Lounge, checked out the library, and started to check out Cleopatra’s Lounge for the piano bar. The pianist could really play. Unfortunately, he could NOT sing, so instead, he yelled out the lyrics. Oh, the agony. We just decided to sit in another area of the ship and talk. Taking Care of the “kids” had taken its toll and we crashed out into bed by 11pm! I vowed to do more tomorrow!

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Wednesday, Sea Day 1

Courtesy of going to sleep so early, I was awake, bright eyed and bushy-tailed (as mom would say) at 7am. We got up, headed to the buffet for breakfast and realized it was pouring rain! Sigh. No sun-drenched day on a deck chair for me! Breakfast was pretty good. Mostly continental-type fair, but there is a made-to-order omelette station by the pool. My happiest find was oatmeal and tons of fixings. Hubby’s was the French toast. It was pretty good! We went to trivia (lost by a point!), then got some pictures of the ship while most were still a-snooze.

Majestic Lounge

 

Finished up and checked on my parents, who were ready to go out for a while as well. We drug them to another trivia match, and promptly lost by 2 points. Note: make smarter friends. We toured Dad around the ship, as he hadn’t gotten to see much until now. He found the casino and made his donation to the slot machines. I got a great picture of him hitting a decent line of numbers. I’ll treasure that one forever.

Then, it was lunch (do you sense a theme? I swear, we ate every 10 minutes, I think). Lunch in the main dining room was pretty good, but a little rushed as we got there towards the end. I got a seafood salad dish on baguette, which was pretty good. My husband got the Caesar salad and really enjoyed it. Several got the fish and it was good as well. We declined dessert and headed out. The Parents took a nap and we went to our room and did the same. Got up about 5, met our friends and our parents and we hit the casino again, then stopped to listen to the band. They were wonderful! We participated in (and lost miserably) the Guess That Motown Tune. Even losing, we had so much fun. It was hosted by the assistant activities director and he is a blast! He had everyone singing along and a HUGE crowd by the end. We ate in the main dining room for “elegant night.” I have to say, I worried my pants and sweater may have been underdressed, but by the time the 5th guy in jeans and ballcap walked by me, I felt fine. The best were the 2 old guys with “The South is Going to Rise Again” ball caps and confederate flag hankies. Honestly?! Ick.

Thankfully, the food was MUCH better than some of the clientele;s clothing!!! I had strawberry bisque soup, eggrolls, spaghetti carbonara and (OH MY) warm chocolate melting cake. That cake lives up to the hype. I swear, I think I put myself in a sugar coma and it was completely worth it. Oh, it was goooood! Pumpkin soup, cherries jubilee, steak, a giant BBQ rib (seriously, it had to be from a T-Rex), alligator fritters, sherbet and fish rounded out the other selections at the table. I think we sampled bites from each other ‘til we all had at least a bite of all the offerings. The food seems to get better each day!

 

After dinner, we rolled Dad up to where the band (Music Degree)was playing at the 21st Century bar and they were great. Everything from AC/DC to Queen. They nailed each song. It was pretty amazing.

 

As I have discussed earlier, my Dad has terminal liver failure. The doctor’s have said 2 years at the most, closer to one. So, realistically, we all know this is probably our last cruise together. I wanted to make sure we got photos done. So, we hit the jackpot with the photographer, Michelle. I didn’t say a word to her, but it was like she sensed what was going on. She took such beautiful shots and managed to get Dad to not freeze up (he and I go wild eyed and freeze during pictures, like a deer in headlights). She got one of Mom kissing Dad on the forehead that I will treasure forever. SO sweet. She got some cute ones of our entire group as well. She was just amazing!

We returned to my parents' cabin and found a sweet surprise. John Heald had sent Dad a platter of the best chocolate strawberries. So nice!

I tucked the parents in for the evening and returned to the Via Marina, where you could hear the band wonderfully but still talk. We commandeered 4 chaise lounges and talked ‘til the wee hours. It was lovely.

Somehow, we missed the Captain’s celebration, the show and the comedians. We were too busy having fun with one another, I guess. It was great, even without the shows!!!

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Great reveiw and I'm loving the pics! Can't wait to be on the Fantasy again in April. Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

 

 

Kim

[obx_fintoo]

Yeay! I've been waiting for your review! Sounds like a great start! I'm loving the pictures of your dad having fun! Who took the one of him at the slot machine? I thought you had a restraining order??:eek::cool:

[BEACHPAD04]

Great review, I was on the Fantasy in Oct my favorite ship

 

SO GLAD U GOT TO TAKE YOUR DAD, you will always treasure this trip, sure wish I would have taken my Mother.

 

Enjoy your days with him, love your pictures.

:)

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Thursday, Freeport

We slept in today and had breakfast delievered around 9. We met Mom and Dad in the buffet and had a cup of coffee with them. The crew were doing their life boat drills, so we got to watch those lowered. Kind of neat. Rolled down to the 3rd floor and out we went. As soon as we got to the ramp, the officers pushed Dad up and out into Freeport! So nice. We had a few pictures made, and then just wandered around the area just at the “dock.” Several little bars, and a huge Senor Frogs. We just hit a small bar (the Seaman’s rest) and did some people watching, then just rolled in and out of the gift shops, and the open-air tables with everything from conch shells to t-shirts. It’s very touristy, but also very clean and completely handicap accessible. The sun was lovely and the breeze just right. We’d shop a bit, sit a bit and talk a lot. It was great.

http://i1000.photobucket.com/albums/af122/emilymta/freeportdadfrog.jpg

 

Took the parents back on board for lunch (Jamaican jerk chicken, a stew, beans and rice… all GREAT. The food is definitely better). We snuck back out to Freeport and had a daiquiri and people watched while the parents slept. Our friends did a culinary tour and they loved it. They actually got to prepared cracked conch, conch fritters, conch salad, etc. and even prepare conch from pulling out of the shell on down!!! They said it was a fantastic tour.

Back to the ship and nap time again! Well, I sat and updated my review, hubby slept. Then, 5pm… trivia time! This time superhero trivia! We lost by a multitude of points (we were out-nerded, which I thought was impossible!!!), and then followed up with Mind-Blowing Trivia, which we lost by a single point. That darn plastic ship on a stick has been eluding me all cruise!!!

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Our friends Charles & Myron are total foodies and fabulous cooks, so they wanted to do the Chef’s Table. I love to eat, so this was not a problem! Tonight was the night, so we met at the Atrium bar at 6:30pm. There, we were met by the Chef, a gentleman so tall he has to duck to get through doors! He guided us up and through the dining room (we looked like baby ducks following the mama) and into the galley. It was beautifully organized. They met us with champagne (ginger ale for me, they’d clarified allergies the night before and I mentioned my alcohol allergy), and then started us off with some fabulous appetizers, right there in the galley! We had: Parmesan Core and Olive (which was a tiny, black olive with parmesan and possibly a seasoned salt), chorizo and date (stuffed date with a fabulous chorizo concoction in it), Poquillo Sofrito focaccia (a wedge of focaccia wrapped in a paper-thin piece of ham), marscapone cream and prosciutto crudo langoustine and sundried tomato jam fritter (a fantastic fritter with chunks of langoustine). We nibbled these and moaned happily. Then, we got led over to a pasty demonstration. They showed us how to make the chocolate melting cake! And, even more exciting, our friend Charles got to help! He actually helped make the cake we ate at the VERY end of the meal! He even got to keep his chef’s toque! They walked us through the rest of the galley, showing us where each of the storage areas were, for cold, dry goods, etc. It was really interesting. The grills were so hot you felt like your face was on fire, and these guys were standing right in front of them, dressed in chef whites. Holy cow! Tough chefs!!!

We were paraded though the other side of the dining rooms and out to the library. At that time, they had the whole library set up as our dining room. The 8 of us participating, were lined up and a photo taken, then the good stuff started!

Tomatoes our way! Aerated tomato juice, cocoa better coated baby tomato and chardonnay poached tomato.

 

Tuna Banh Mi Lemon bread, sesame crisp, miso cream avocado gel

 

Cornish Hen Carmelized, butternet squash, sofrito

 

Bavarois Spinach, green peas, warm turnip and apple juice (soup)

 

Salmon Herb Pesto, cured tomatoes, carrots, fava, mushroom earth, condensed beets

 

Wagyu slow stewed short ribs, potato pebbles, pumpkin fudge, tomato dust

 

(I'll post the rest of the pics separately. It'll only let me load a few at a time)

We were so full, and so happy! What a great meal! Honestly, the Wagyu was the best piece of beef I have ever had. So tender it was like butter! I’ve heard that said before, but it actually was! The rest of the meal was lovely as well! As stated before, there were 8 of us participating. We ranged from a gentleman just out of the Navy to a couple who owned a fudge shop. Conversation through the meal was really varied and lively. The chef was lovely as well. Each course, he gave us a wonderful explanation of each dish. For someone like me, who isn’t a foodie or a chef, that was welcome!

That night, my parents had a “lazy”evening. So, after we stuffed ourselves silly, I went and got Mom (Dad decided to continue sleeping), took her to the buffet and fed her. Then, we went and looked at all our photos. You cannot imagine how many were just wonderful. It was a hard call. We wound up buying just over $150 worth of pictures, but, that was something we’d planned for. We know that we do not have a lot of time left with my Dad, and that what time we have left, he won’t always feel or look like my Dad. So, while we were together and while we were all in great moods, we had LOTS of pictures made. And, we bought lots of them!!

[MtnBikerFallDown]

More food shots!

Chocolate “88F”

 

Aerated pistachio and mango cake with marscapone cream, guava and caramel praline

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Friday, Nassau

We slept in a bit, met at the buffet for breakfast (Mom said she nearly threw Dad out of his wheelchair on her way to meet us, trying to get him over a threshold. We are still very new at this wheelchair thing. J With Dad’s issues, we didn’t take excursions this trip, just stuck close to the ship in case he tired or got sick. So, today, we went out from the ship and into the city of Nassau. We docked a pretty far distance (I think we had the furthest slip out), so we wound our way past a ton of other cruise ships (Regency Seven Seas (I think that was the name), Disney Magic, Norwegian Epic, Carnival Glory, Carnival Sensation). With that many ships, we thought it would be too crowded to move, but it wasn’t.

Fair Warning: this is an old city. They’ve made strides toward making it handicap accessible. But, there are areas it is not. There are bits and pieces where you can’t quite get over the curb without a little help. Luckily, there were several of us. So, we pulled him up and over the curbs. And, away we went. We simply toured the shops and ate at a lovely Greek restaurant called Olives Mediterranean. It was in a little side street plaza. Open air seating on the street level. The conch fritters were amazing. The hummus was, too! We had some odd combinations. But, everything was fresh, made to order and wonderful. A bit more shopping and back on board for the evening. Hubby did not feel well, so he hit the bed early. I stayed up with the parents and friends until about 9, when I crashed as well. Not an overly exciting day, but a good one!

No pictures here, because we just weren't in a picturesque area. We were just in the shops, and any pics you got were just clumps of people in front of a bit of a building.

But, I did get a good shot of the ship!

 

Saturday: Sea Day 2

Slept in obscenely late, and even lay in bed and watched “The Avengers” on our TV. Went to the debarkation talk, then grabbed a late lunch. Went to “food” trivia… and finally got my ship on a stick!!!! 19 out of 20 correct. Would have been a perfect score, but I had no idea that mandarin oranges and tangerines were the same thing. Who knew that?! Throughout the day, we lounged around the pool, the promenade deck (those gold chaise lounges are the devil… you sit down and become instantly lazy), other lounges, etc. We didn’t really DO much of anything. But, it was a lovely, lazy end to our cruise. We spent a lot of the evening listening to the band Music Degree. They are amazing! They can do everything from the Beatles to Queen, with Guns ‘n’ Roses and Goo Goo Dolls between. And, they do it all well. We really enjoyed them. We were listening to their next-to-last set and noticed the ship was REALLY starting to shake and rock. We’d come into a storm earlier, and it was getting downright mean! The Fantasy is an older ship, and you can really feel her move, anyway. Add a storm, and well… I finally lost my “never been seasick” badge by the end of the night. There were times when we were just trying to stand in the cabin and got thrown straight up in the air. My parents were all the way forward in V1, and spent most of their evening revisiting their dinner, if you get my drift. Not a peaceful end to the cruse, but oh, well.

Sunday: home again, home again.

Due to the horrible weather the night before, debarking started about 2 hours late. We grabbed a quick breakfast, which I managed to spill all over me (fruit juice is sticky, and I had no extra clothes. Ick). Then, we waited. We finally got our numbers up on the screen and went out the 7th deck doors and into the cold. Where we waited. For over an hour. Outside, in the very inadequate coverage of the zig-zagging ramps. Thankfully Mom and Dad got to do handicapped debarkation and were able to quickly get to the parking area and get in the warm car. We got thoroughly rained upon and absolutely frozen. What a lousy end to a good cruise. I was SO disappointed. This wasn’t Carnival’s fault. This is the PORT’s fault. They should have had a contingency plan for bad weather. They should have had patio heaters out if it was going to be that long out in the cold. They had NOTHING. I was very, very disappointed. Finally got into the terminal, wound our way around thru customs with our suitcases, and waited about 30 minutes in the cold again to board a bus to the parking area. All in all, it took us over 2 hours to get from the ship to our vehicle. Most of it outside, in the cold rain. NOT impressed AT ALL.

So, to sum up… good cruise! Super friendly people on board and on the staff/crew. Great interior cabin, but the balconies on the Verandah rooms are useless, so I would NOT pay for them, if it were me. Good to great food, depending on where you were, and what was served. Chef’s table worth EVERY dime. Freeport and Nassau good ports, with the small area at Freeport being VERY handicap accessible, and Nassau being somewhat handicap accessible, but with much more to do just off the ship. Embarkation and handicap accessibility/helpfulness on board got an A+. Debarkation got whatever is worse than an F. I’d give this cruise a solid B, maybe even a B+ compared to the 7 day Royal Caribbeans that I’ve been on. I did not feel like I was on the “Walmart of the Seas” and I’d definitely do this cruise again! It was a great way to spend time with my family and friends, and get away from home!

[MtnBikerFallDown]

Yeay! I've been waiting for your review! Sounds like a great start! I'm loving the pictures of your dad having fun! Who took the one of him at the slot machine? I thought you had a restraining order??:eek::cool:

 

Apparently, I should have left him alone. He lost. LOL!!!! :o

[serene56]

Fair Warning: this is an old city. They’ve made strides toward making it handicap accessible. But, there are areas it is not. There are bits and pieces where you can’t quite get over the curb without a little help. Luckily, there were several of us. So, we pulled him up and over the curbs.

 

!

 

 

wish i had your warning when we went last year..Even abled bodied people MUST becareful walking this place.

I was not watching where I was walking-- all caught up with the stuff around me-- my foot fell into a hole-- and down I went-- Its the first port day of the week-- and there i was with a fractured ankle-- not pretty at all.

[mommom of 7]

Great review !!!

Just wanted to say that you can get all of the photo's copied at about any where.

The form from Carnival is very easy to find & print.

Great way to share. :)

[TrqoisWtrs]

Great review - glad you had such a good time with your dad. :)

[Jimmy Geegitz]

Nice start. Looks like u had a great time.

[tabbi_cakes]

Monday: Lunch at Hominy grill. I had heard so much about this place, but our friends warned us it was a bit over-hyped. I got a pimento cheese sandwich, fries and macaroni and cheese. The bread was stale, the arugula was very fresh, the pimento cheese was dry. I don’t even know how you make dry pimento cheese. The fries were really great. Hubby got the curry chicken salad sandwich and fries. He said it was “average” We give it a solid Meh.

 

:/

I have only eaten breakfast there, and it was amazing.

[mamawsnest]

Glad you got to go and enjoy your dad. We were on the Fantasy last December and thoroughly enjoyed her. Sadly my hubby passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in May but I still have our pictures and memories. Enjoy your dad while you can.