Fantasy 6/20-27 Mostly good - some disappointments

[lhall85917]

We (my husband and I) returned this weekend from our Fantasy 7 day sailing. This was our third Carnival cruise; however, the last one was 9 years ago. It was our 28th cruise overall. We don't have a particular reason for being gone from Carnival for so long, other itineraries and ships have interested us more in the meantime.

 

About 3 months ago we moved to the Charleston area so this ship jumped up high on our "must-do" list, how can you live near a port and not be tempted to sail from there?! Fantasy mostly does short sailings so we were glad to take advantage of one of the few 7 day itineraries.

 

Embarkation was really easy. We left home about 10:30 and arrived at the port at about 11:00. Traffic was starting to back up through the lines put in place because they hadn't started admitting cars yet. About 5 minutes later we were let through and went right to the passenger drop off area with no one in front of us. Another 5 minute wait on a bus and we were at the terminal to be checked in. I didn't check my watch, but I'm sure we were onboard shortly after 11:30.

 

Our first stop was the shore excursion desk to ask questions about a Nassau excursion. While we were there she noticed that we were on a wait list for a cabana at the private island and let us know one was available. It was very nice to see that our communications before arriving were in place once we arrived.

 

Next we stopped by the kiosk and added our Carnival gift cards. We bought these at Kroger when the coupon was available. Too bad we found out so late or would have tried to get additional ones.

 

Our final stop was to see the maitre d' about dining arrangements, but we had to wait until 1:30 for this. The dining arrangements were by far our biggest complaint on this cruise. We requested early dining with a table for 2 and were assigned late dining at a table for 10. The maitre d' took our request, but said that "2000 other people also wanted this so he would see what he could do." The first night we ate late after being told he would send a note to our cabin the next day.

 

Our note arrived letting us know we were changed to early dining but the same table. We accepted this and were happy to have early dining. That night we sat at the table and immediately felt uncomfortable. There were two men that dominated every conversation and despite our attempts to involve others in a conversation, no one seemed interested. That would have been fine, but then conversations turned to what I felt was offensive. One gentleman was discussing trying to get a bridge built in his area, but conservationists were thwarting attempts. He said he could take care of it, just line them up and shoot them. Perhaps this was a feeble attempt at humor, but given what had just happened in Charleston 2 days prior I felt it was in poor taste and he wasn't someone I wanted to spend the next several evenings with.

 

The next morning we asked again for a change to a table for 2 or to traditional dining. When our note arrived in the room it was for the same time and table. The next 2 nights we ate at the buffet just to stay away from these people, I wish we had been more assertive because the buffet just wasn't very good. The last three nights we went to the dining room and tolerated all of the gun conversations and Hitler discussion.

 

This was the first time ever in 28 cruises that we haven't been able to have a table for 2 for supper. I'm not really sure what we should have done, I know we should have gone to the maitre d' one more time with our concerns and then perhaps gone to guest services if it wasn't resolved. If anyone has suggestions for addressing this in the future, I would appreciate it.

 

Our three stops were Grand Turk, the private island, and Nassau. In Grand Turk we just got off the ship and roamed around. The beach is gorgeous there so we enjoyed taking a nice walk and looking around.

 

We rented a cabana at the private island. Although it is extremely expensive, it really added to our enjoyment of the day. We spent the entire day on the island enjoying the beach and amenities of the cabana. If you can do this, I highly recommend it.

 

In Nassau we booked the Bahama Brews - Bar Hop excursion through the ship. This is a new excursion, it was just being offered for the second time. It was a walking tour to three different places to sample beer and have snacks along with some information on Nassau. We really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.

 

We expected the Fantasy to show its age and it does. It is hard to go from being a balcony snob to staying in an oceanview cabin but I found I didn't miss the balcony quite as much as I thought, although it was hard to see out of the windows due to condensation at times and salt water deposits all of the time. The staff was very friendly and we enjoyed them. The dining room staff was friendly, but service could have been better. Virtually all orders were given to the wrong people at the table, we were never asked if we wanted drink refills - in fact, we had to grab our waiter quickly just to place a drink order before they would walk off.

 

We paid more for this cruise than we did for a balcony on Regal Princess last fall and didn't find that the value was there for this cruise. If we would get a bargain, we would do this cruise again, but we honestly felt that we paid too much for what we got.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

A question....

 

Was anytime dining an alternative choice on your cruise? Maybe you should consider it as a good choice for you in the future...you can decide time and seating arrangements and only have to be patient until your choice opens up.

 

I am sure that seating arrangements are about the biggest headache a cruise has. I remember a cruise on RCCL where my husband and I were seated at a table for ten....only problem was that nobody at that table spoke English and they were part of a family party of about 60 from Puerto Rico. It wasn't like our surname indicated we might be hispanic, either. When we were finally moved it was to another table of 10, all young single females who probably were not thrilled to be sharing a table with 2 semi-geriatrics.

 

Seating is always hard, even tables for 2 are sometimes so squished together that you might as well be sitting at a long banquet table. The luck of the draw to find the perfect situation is one of the things that make's cruising kind of fun....

[cruzeluver]

Nice review. We did the 7 day Fantasy cruise last year and enjoyed it for what it was, a decent getaway on an older ship at bargain basement prices. I remember the ship was very clean, great crew and fairly good food.

 

Sorry about your dining issue. Cannot believe some folks do not know how to make polite conversation. As for not being able to get you that table for two, not sure what else they could have done. There are only so many of them.

Edited June 29, 2015 by cruzeluver
more info

[lhall85917]

A question....

 

Was anytime dining an alternative choice on your cruise? Maybe you should consider it as a good choice for you in the future...you can decide time and seating arrangements and only have to be patient until your choice opens up.

 

I am sure that seating arrangements are about the biggest headache a cruise has. I remember a cruise on RCCL where my husband and I were seated at a table for ten....only problem was that nobody at that table spoke English and they were part of a family party of about 60 from Puerto Rico. It wasn't like our surname indicated we might be hispanic, either. When we were finally moved it was to another table of 10, all young single females who probably were not thrilled to be sharing a table with 2 semi-geriatrics.

 

Seating is always hard, even tables for 2 are sometimes so squished together that you might as well be sitting at a long banquet table. The luck of the draw to find the perfect situation is one of the things that make's cruising kind of fun....

 

Yes, it was and we asked for that also as an alternative. We were told it wasn't available.

[AHS123]

I wouldn't have hesitated to inform the DR management that I won't sit with Hitler admirers who discuss violence at the dinner table. Stating the facts may have gotten you the desired result even if that meant the management removing the offenders from the DR for the week.

Edited June 29, 2015 by AHS123

[zabaco]

I did Anytime Dining on this ship in April and it was a disaster. 45 minute wait every night, no matter when we went. Honestly, it's put me off of Anytime Dining.

[eponym]

I wouldn't have hesitated to inform the DR management that I won't sit with Hitler admirers who discuss violence at the dinner table. Stating the facts may have gotten you the desired result even if that meant the management removing the offenders from the DR for the week.

 

One time (in mid 2000's) we were sat at a table for 6 on Carnival ship during a one week cruise, assigned early dining. One guy at the table with his wife, even though our daughter was 10 at the time, insisted on talking about sex at the table and making constant overtures about sex. The MD did nothing for a change although we politely asked for change.

 

Someone once making a joke about lining some entity to shoot em in order to get what they wanted is not in good taste, but sounds like a one time, off color joke. The OP said it was only her and her husband, not any children.

 

I don't get your part about 'removing the offenders from the MDR for the week' over one general comment in an obviously frustrating story that was being discussed between themselves.

 

Sounds like you would have a tough time adjusting in public places in and around any major city in the U.S.

Edited June 29, 2015 by eponym

[AHS123]

 

I don't get your part about 'removing the offenders from the MDR for the week' over one general comment in an obviously frustrating story that was being discussed between themselves.

 

Sounds like you would have a tough time adjusting in public places in and around any major city in the U.S.

 

Perhaps you missed the part about Hitler?

[JGlennCruiser]

Ha. Amazing how people see things differently. I was at that table and had a great time.

 

When two entertaining Type A people land at a table it can be difficult to get a word in. It happens.

 

The Hitler comment (in context) was about a young man trying to grow a mustache to impress his prospective girlfriend who later became his wife and a comment from her mother about his failure and who he reminder her of and the comment was met with cringes by the other family members present at that time.

 

The politician comment was in context to the failure to get a new cruise port in Charleston actually and we all know how hot that one is even though there was additional discussion about a similar difficulty with getting additional bridge access to the NC Outer banks.

 

The wait staff had a lot of tables and it seems so did our cabin steward so I agree things were slow but not bad.

 

Please feel free to judge yourself with a little more context. Personally I had a great time and no regrets.

 

Also on a side note the number of wedding aboard made the whole cruise very festive and it was magic to see happy new couples enjoying the cruise.

[lhall85917]

Ha. Amazing how people see things differently. I was at that table and had a great time.

 

When two entertaining Type A people land at a table it can be difficult to get a word in. It happens.

 

The Hitler comment (in context) was about a young man trying to grow a mustache to impress his prospective girlfriend who later became his wife and a comment from her mother about his failure and who he reminder her of and the comment was met with cringes by the other family members present at that time.

 

The politician comment was in context to the failure to get a new cruise port in Charleston actually and we all know how hot that one is even though there was additional discussion about a similar difficulty with getting additional bridge access to the NC Outer banks.

 

The wait staff had a lot of tables and it seems so did our cabin steward so I agree things were slow but not bad.

 

Please feel free to judge yourself with a little more context. Personally I had a great time and no regrets.

 

Also on a side note the number of wedding aboard made the whole cruise very festive and it was magic to see happy new couples enjoying the cruise.

Yes, we all take things differently. I didn't feel the wait staff was slow, just couldn't seem to get orders to the right person and never offered refills on drinks. (not a real big deal)

As far as the table conversation, everyone has a different perspective. You are correct on the Hitler comment, but when you pair it with all the other conversations about guns, shooting animals, etc. that took place virtually every night, it just wasn't enjoyable dinner conversation from our perspective. If everyone else was comfortable with it, that is perfectly fine. My point is that we should have had an option to do something different if we felt uncomfortable for ANY reason.

[bingo3]

Yes, we all take things differently. I didn't feel the wait staff was slow, just couldn't seem to get orders to the right person and never offered refills on drinks. (not a real big deal)

As far as the table conversation, everyone has a different perspective. You are correct on the Hitler comment, but when you pair it with all the other conversations about guns, shooting animals, etc. that took place virtually every night, it just wasn't enjoyable dinner conversation from our perspective. If everyone else was comfortable with it, that is perfectly fine. My point is that we should have had an option to do something different if we felt uncomfortable for ANY reason.

 

You are right, you are on vacation and paid for it, so should be comfortable when eating your meals. It is too bad some type of accommodation could not be made. I probably would have tried Guest Services after so many attempts with the maître 'd did not work. I am not a social person, so would have just ignored them too, and been obvious about it! Carnival should do away with these large tables unless people specifically request them. It is easy to get this information in advance when people fill out their profile. :confused:

[loxley]

I also live in a cruise port. I would have invoked my vacation guarantee on the spot.

 

I will not share a table and I will not do late dining.

[Zeta3]

I also live in a cruise port. I would have invoked my vacation guarantee on the spot.

 

I will not share a table and I will not do late dining.

 

 

Perhaps you should take up yachting

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Once upon a time cruising meant sitting at large banquet tables (everyone) and once you were assigned you sat there for every meal, every day and there wasn't anyplace to move you. I am sure that there are many folks that relish the fact such an old fashioned and traditional part of cruising has been squashed.

[honestguy]

Yes, we all take things differently. I didn't feel the wait staff was slow, just couldn't seem to get orders to the right person and never offered refills on drinks. (not a real big deal)

As far as the table conversation, everyone has a different perspective. You are correct on the Hitler comment, but when you pair it with all the other conversations about guns, shooting animals, etc. that took place virtually every night, it just wasn't enjoyable dinner conversation from our perspective. If everyone else was comfortable with it, that is perfectly fine. My point is that we should have had an option to do something different if we felt uncomfortable for ANY reason.

 

I hate having to sit with people. you never know what you will get. If it ever happens in the future, when you first meet the maitre'd shake his hand with a 20 in it. your point will get across very quickly. at the end of the cruise give him another handshake

[Drazil65]

I would not have enjoyed that conversation either. Funny how there are always people that don't get that they are not the only ones at a table that have something to say. The polite thing and social thing when dinning with strangers is to find out about ALL people at the table and include them. Not to talk just to hear yourself talk, constantly.

 

Unfortunately, we all know the type (bigmouth, self centered, all talk) and it is difficult to tolerate. I would not have gone back after the first night and would have ate elsewhere (not ideal but doable).

[meanjean80]

Wow...I have usually been seated at large group travels, and have been fortunate to have had great table mates. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must have been. Will be trying YTD for the first time on this next cruise, mainly because we're a party of 12 and we needed flexibility.

[tropicaledrink]

The Fantasy class does struggle with tables for two. These ships just weren't built with a lot of them. And some of them are simply inches from each other. If your know in advance that you want a a table for 2, I recommend signing up for ATD at the time of booking or getting on the waitlist for it (we were on the waitlist once and moved to ATD about a month before we sailed). Switching to ATD (in my experience) on the ship is next to impossible.

 

Other than that, I would have gone to guest services. Sounds like the maitre d' was not as helpful as he could have been. :(

[MsTabbyKats]

This thread is a testament to doing away with traditional dining.

 

It's not fair to anyone....not to the person who thinks the entire world wants to hear what he has to say....not fair to the person who sits there and gets a headache....not fair to those who feel inhibited about expressing opinions....and not fair to those who are too passive to get a word in.

 

This is why I have never, and will never commit to sitting with strangers for more than one meal.

[SMSACE6]

OP, thank you for your review. I am sorry for your dining debacle. I have two similarly uncomfortable occasions with set time dining, one on Carnival and one on Celebrity. Both times were horrible and ruined our evening dinners. When YTD/your time dining arrived to Carnival, I vowed never to take a chance on having that happen again. I also decided that if YTD is not available, I will just tough it out at lido buffet for dinner. I agree with Tabbycats on this one.

 

this is also another reason why NCL Freestyle appeals to me.

Edited July 6, 2015 by SMSACE6