Fantasy Review May 4-8 - Family Cruise

[Super89]

I am going on this cruise in September with two other couples and I would love to see the other days if its not to much trouble! I can just taste those drinks of the day!! :D Thanks!!

[IrishDolphin]

No prob at all super, here ya go!!

 

Formal night alert & ship leaves Freeport at 4pm sharp

 

special notes: there are "friends of bill w" meetings everyday for those who need them, gym classes such as cycling & aerobics are in the hours of 7am -10am, formalities shop does not open until 3pm (for those of you using their service), and if having formal clothing pressed, make sure to give it to steward by 9:30am (to receive by 4:45pm)

 

Drink of the day (hehehe, super): Goombay Smash

 

Pool drink special: margarita or sangria $3.50 (3p to 5p)

 

Ladies up-do hair for formal night in spa: $46

(men complete barbaring w/ haircut: $85)

 

Show: Broadway Fantasy: 8:45pm and 10:30pm

 

Formal night cocktail party (all welcome) with free drinks/appetizers at 5:15p and 7:15p in universal lounge

 

Comedy show (r rated): 12am in universal lounge (jeff laub comic)

 

Free gaming lessons @ club 21 casino 4:30p

 

Texas hold em tables @ promenade deck aft

 

Piano sing along: 9:30p to 1:30a in cleopatra's

 

Champagne art auction: 3:30p sharp

 

Karaoke: 9p in Forum lounge

 

fun ship trivia 1:30p lido deck stage

 

$800 big bucks bingo at 10p in universal lounge

 

all cruisers back on ship by 3:30p, ship sails 4pm sharp

 

disco opens 11pm for dancing

 

formal night dinners and/or photos at your regular time (no changes in dining -refer to 1st night)

 

shore excursions for freeport desk open at 8am

 

2 new movies on stateroom tv today

[IrishDolphin]

Nassau: arrival 7am, departure next morning 7am

 

note: be back on ship by 6:30am, ship will leave 7a sharp

 

drink of day: bahama mama

 

morning drink special: bloody mary $3.50 (pool, lido buffet)

 

deck party special: blue margarita $6.75 (refill $5.95)

 

photo gallary open 5p - 11p today

 

tropical deck party w/ Detour (reggae band) 10:30pm

*midnight buffet starts @ 11:30 (mexican), wear tropical wear

 

show: universal lounge: mr. magic & comic jr mccollom @10:30pm only

 

scavenger hunt: 8:30pm in universal lounge

 

$1000 big bucks bingo in universal at 10pm

 

game show mania in universal at 9pm

 

saturday night fever dance class in universal at 8pm

 

deck games 1:30pm on lido deck

 

stateroom tv: 2 new movies today

 

spa special $75 (back, neck, shoulder massage & facial)

 

karaoke in forum lounge @ 9p

 

casino open at 7p

 

dining basically same as night one with exception of mexican buffet

[IrishDolphin]

will post day 4 in a little bit, have to stop by my mama's houe for now

 

however, i forgot to mention a few things we did that made our cruise better, in my opinion

 

1 small suitcase, we stuffed our ginger ale (2 litres) & water bottles in it and that left an empty case for my kids to put in all the stuff they got from camp carnival

 

also, the towel book is not sold in the shops, they made me go back up to formalities to purchase it (dh said he saw it being sold by lido pool)

 

we brought along video camera, digital camera and purchased an underwater camera for dolphin excursion (one time use is $11 at drug store) - we also did the rechargable batteries for the first time and it was great for the digital camera that accidentally turns on if mishandled

 

also, have child camp carnival capers than can be posted as well

 

finally, ship does not sell solarcaine (infirmary sold us aloe vera for $13, it did not work on us at all and seemed to make it worse)

[IrishDolphin]

dining changes/additions: chocolate bonanza on lido deck 12n-2:30p

afternoon tea in cleopatra's 2:30p-3:30p

 

tomorrow is debarkation: have bags/luggage out in hallway by midnight & properly tagged - breakfast buffet starts at 6:30am, camp carnival is open from 7:30am to 8:30am (supervised play only) - refer to debarkation sheet in stateroom tonight for all instructions

 

all shops open today starting at 9am

 

drink of the day: ultimate suntan

 

margarita madness: $3.50/drink & free chips/salsa promenade deck at 5p to 8p

 

towel folding demo @ 10am @ universal lounge

 

win a free cruise bingo @ 10:30am in universal lounge (debarkation talk afterwards)

 

$500 slot tournament in casino at noon

 

deck games on lido @ 1pm

 

1:15 art auction (free champagne)

 

2:15 dance lessons in universal lounge

 

2:45 newlywed game in universal lounge

 

$500 blackjack tournament in casino @ 2pm

 

win, lose or draw game @ bistro @ 3:30p

 

showtime @ 8:30p and 10:30p "Nightclub Express" in universal lounge

 

spa deal: pick 3 services for $90

 

midnight comedian (r rated) jr mccollom in universal lounge

 

ice carving demo & hairy man contest on lido at 1pm

 

$5000 final bingo @ 10pm in universal lounge

 

yoga and pilates classes ($10 each)

 

karaoke & dancing starting @ 9pm various locations

[bar10der421]

What a well done review!! Thank you.

 

DH and I were on the April 29 sailing of Fantasy. We found the overall friendliness and helpfulness of this crew better than seven previous Carnival cruises (and they were all great). We especially liked the bartenders at the Century 21 Bar--by the casino. If anyone sees Josephine, Parichart, Larry and Ramone, please tell them Glen and Laura say "hi."

 

Unlike the OP, I was a little disappointed with the cabin bathroom. I prefer the large "girl friendly" counter space of the newer larger ships. I would definitely sail on a fantasy class ship again, but I would finally make use of the over-the door shoe thingie that is so often mentioned on these boards so that toiletries, make-up, etc. would always be handy.

[BARBARA J.W.]

QUESTIONS:::

WHO is the CRUISE DIRECTOR????

Also was the Karaoke lounge non-smoking?????

 

I'll be doing a back to back,9/11 & 9/16....

FANTASY was my first cruise many cruises ago......

I wanted to return on her before she is moved......

I was booked for the CELEBRATION-9/4 & 9/14....

I feel like the CELEBRATION will be around for afew more years...

I'll go on her again maybe next year,,,,,,,,I would like to go

on the ELATION........

Thanks........

[IrishDolphin]

Hiya,

 

The cruise director is Marahscalh Stanton and karaoke is in the forum lounge which was non-smoking.

 

Smoking areas are: cleopatra's, lido pool area (starboard side), club 21 casino, Majestic bar, veranda deck forward & aft, Cat's Lounge, and Electricity Disco.

 

Cigar smoking only allowed in Majestic or on open air decks that permit smoking.

[BARBARA J.W.]

Hiya,

 

The cruise director is Marahscalh Stanton and karaoke is in the forum lounge which was non-smoking.

 

Smoking areas are: cleopatra's, lido pool area (starboard side), club 21 casino, Majestic bar, veranda deck forward & aft, Cat's Lounge, and Electricity Disco.

 

Cigar smoking only allowed in Majestic or on open air decks that permit smoking.

 

THANKS FOR THE INFO...........

Glad to know I can go sit and listen in Karaoke and

will be able to BREATHE..................AHHHHHHH

I am a non-smoker............Smoke bothers me.............

If I am remembering right Karaoke was in the Cat's lounge

many years ago..........

[dznymom]

Great review! We also enjoyed our Fantasy cruise and I enjoyed reliving it through your review :)

 

You really must plan an Alaska cruise. Ours was probably the highlight of our family travels, and even more so now that #1 son is a college student and not able to travel with us much anymore. Planning for Alaska is almost as much fun as cruising Alaska, as there are so many incredible once in a lifetime experiences to choose from!

[IrishDolphin]

I knew that one day we would do the Alaska trip. We are nature junkies in this household. I have not began to research it, however, love reading the reviews of others who love it.

 

My only concern is a huge ship scaring away the very objects of our desire. I take it that my fear is unfounded then? That is the only thing stopping me from booking. What a relief. :D

 

What excursion (s) did you most enjoy and did you book your own? Is there anything you wish you had done and didn't? Uh oh, I am starting, aren't I? LOL

[dznymom]

I understand your concerns about the cruise ships not giving you the best of the Alaska experience, and it is probably somewhat true. But we saw plenty of wildlife, the scenery was absolutely spectacular and we enjoyed the pampering on board the ship. There are certainly ways to get closer to nature there, and we have a couple of ideas simmering :)

 

We saw humpback whales, Orcas, bald eagles galore, a bear, mountain goats, seals and countless other birds I can't name. Wildlife was plentiful. We did one ship's Railway excursion in Skagway (we were not on Carnival) that DH loved but the kids and I were underwhelmed. We did a Whale Watch excursion on our own in Juneau that was phenomenal and followed it up with a visit to Mendenhall Glacier, and in Ketchikan we went to the Lumberjack show (which was feauring amazingly strong and delightful LumberJills) and fished for salmon amidst bald eagles swooping in to catch their own. Our ship did Hubbard Glacier and I will never forget the sight and SOUNDs of the glacier.

 

We were on a budget, and with 4 of us we had to pass on some of the more expensive excursions of helicopter trips onto the glaciers, or float planes deeper into the wilderness. All reports were that those excursions were amazing, but we did not feel at all disappointed with our choices. There are so many options you will have to do lots of research, but feel free to email me (same name as here (dznymom) at aol.com. I could relive that trip a million times and never tire of it!

[Super89]

IrishDolphin, thanks so much for the day to day info from the capers. We are travelling with two other couples who have never cruised before so I am forwarding the info to them so they can have an idea what goes on on the ship. Plus it gives me tons to look forward to!:D I am sure my cappers will be the same but we are going to Nassau and Half moon Cay instead of Freeport. Thanks again for the great info.

[IrishDolphin]

It was my pleasure!!!

 

You guys are lucky, I hear half moon cay is excellent and way better than Freeport (let us know what you preferred when you get back).

 

I personally liked Freeport better than Nassau, so go figure :D

[IrishDolphin]

Sorry, I must have earlier passed over your last post.

 

Thanks for the wealth of info, we too will not have helicopter money for five and plan to do lots of research. Our next open week for vacation is in July, however, it is alotttt cheaper the first or second week of Sept (which would be a scheduling headache, but could work).

 

Do you know if there is any possibility of seeing aurora borealis (northern lights)? Did you? Ever since I was like 5 years old, I have dreamt of watching the lights.

 

Thanks again, for your email, I am sure you will regret that one :p

[mississauga]

Irishdolphin, since the Fantasy is an older ship, were there fridges in the cabins?