Fantasy - Empress deck under galley

[RjayB]

Hello,

 

I just booked the 9/21 cruise on the Fantasy, using a Carnival PVP. Since this is our second cruise, she gave us a free "upgrade" to the Empress deck from Riviera.

 

We were on the Riviera deck for our last cruise (Fascination Sept. 2002) and had no problems at all with noise. Now that I looked at the deck plans, we will be under the galley section (but at the very edge since its an ocean view).

 

Should I be concerned about noise? DW is a light sleeper, and we usually hit the hay around 11pm.

 

P.S. Cabin is E152, and here's the link for deck plans: http://www.carnival.com/Deck_Plans.aspx?shipCode=FA

 

Thanks!

[Caribbean Buckeye]

You're in luck. I just got back from the Fantasy (6/15 - 6/19) and I was on the Empress deck in E151. See my review if you have the time. Noise beneath the galley is mentioned several times.

 

But briefly, there was no noise by 11pm. They had finished the majority of the cleanup and we never heard any noise at night. We did hear noise in the early evening though. Especially 5pm - 8pm when they were preparing for both seatings. We were at the 8pm seating so I honestly have no idea what kind of noise there is at that time.

 

Now, having an even cabin number (E152), you'll be on the port side of the ship. We were on the starboard side so noise may vary slightly b/c I'm sure there is different equipment over there. We also heard some noise in the mornings when they started food prep for the day. I think they really got going around 5 or 6 AM.

 

Still, it was nothing that bothered us. Usually, if we heard anything, it would be running water, something that sounded like a mixer, and occasionally some type of cart being rolled across the floor. If your DH (who you described as a light sleeper) plans on taking early evening naps or likes to sleep late in the mornings, he might be bothered.

[RjayB]

Yes, I saw your awesome review...thats how I found out that Empress was underneath the galley! I'm glad that you didnt have a problem, and I'm pretty sure we wouldn't either, but I did a search and found a LOT of people saying under the galley is awful :(

 

Since it's still 3 months away, i was looking for opinions on whether to "downgrade" to the upper deck so we would not have to worry about it.

 

Thanks!

[Caribbean Buckeye]

No problem at all. I'm more than happy to help this this or any other questions you might have about the Fantasy. I covered a lot in the review but there's more info than I could type.

 

If you're husband is a light sleeper, you may want to move down a deck. It would really be no big deal other than having to climb an extra flight of stairs or take the elevator up another level. But, like I said, the noise wasn't enough to bother us, especially since there was no noise at night.

 

Please let me know if you need any other info on the ship. So many people helped me before I left and it paid off tenfold.

[Curt Jerome Wild]

If your husband is really a light sleeper, I might move to Upper Deck just to play it safe. (Any deck that has cabins above and below is safer noise-wise).;)

Caribbean Buckeye has given good specific information on his cabin in his case, but there is different equipment over each different cabin that is under the galley.

I know that I myself am a late sleeper, so early morning noise would definitely not be appreciated.:(

On the other hand, I do think that things like this (noise under the galley, noise at the front of the ship when the anchor drops) actually seem worse and more annoying when cruisers don't know about it beforehand.

They're not prepared for it, so it seems much worse.

There's my more than 2 cents.:)

CJW

[crzDave]

Steve - I read your awesome review too...thanks for taking the time to post. We're on the Fantasy in July (our first Carnival cruise) and you've already answered a ton of my questions in your post.

 

One question I still have (and it's been discussed here before, but I can't get a definitive answer, so please don't flame me about using the search tool!) We are planning to self-park at the pier in Port Canaveral. I've read that Fantasy leaves from one terminal, and docks at a different one. I called Carnival, and they told me that they don't schedule to do that, but it does happen rarely when there are scheduling issues at the port. I've read that it does happen, seems pretty regular too. What was your experience?

 

RjayB - didn't mean to change the direction of your original thread....just wanted to get more of Steve's excellent advise! btw, we are in 177 on Empress, and are somewhat concerned about noise from the galley, but we're going to take a chance...seemed like a really good location otherwise.

 

Thanks all for the help.

[Caribbean Buckeye]

RjayB: I just realized you were a guy referring to your wife, not a gal referring to her husband. It had to be annoying when I kept referring to your husband. Sorry about that. I'm still not used to the DH, DW, DS, DD, etc.... And CJW is right on this one. Plan on some noise in the morning if you plan on trying to sleep in.

 

crzDave: Our experience in the port was fantastic. Like I mentioned in my review, we hired a Town Car instead of taking the shuttle, but they both drop you off in the same place. They allow you to pull right up to where the porters take your luggage. In our case, the driver just left from there. But if you have your own car, I think you can either self-park or valet.

 

The ship was docked right next to our terminal though. Very near to where we gave our luggage to the porter. We didn't have to do much walking at all but we didn't have to park a car. I'm really not sure where the long-term parking is so that would be a better question for someone who used the valet or self-park.

 

I hope that was some help.

[RjayB]

Yes, it is the wife that is a light sleeper :D

I really like the location of our cabin, but I may call our PVP to see what is available one deck lower. Think she would give us a credit for "downgrading"? :p

 

Which deck does everyone use to embark/disembark at ports, Main deck? I don't think I would want to be on that one...

 

Thanks for all the input!

[Caribbean Buckeye]

I was thinking about that the other day. I'm actually not sure about which deck we used for embarkation/disembarkation. I know it was below ours but I can't remember whether it was one or two decks down from the Empress deck. Sorry.

 

I do know that we caught our tender on deck 3, which is way down there.

[Kathy Q]

Hi,

 

I've just booked the cheapest of the cheap cabins on the 9/21 sailing, one of the double bunk inside cabins smack dab in the middle of the ship (on the Empress deck) under the dining room. I have a couple of questions for those who have sailed on this ship before.

 

First, is there a less expensive transfer service from Orlando to Port Canaveral than Carnival offers? I'll probably be landing at about 1:30 on Thursday and departing at about 4 p.m. on Monday.

 

I'm going to go find Steve's review, but know I'll be back with questions!

 

Kathy

[RjayB]

Kathy,

 

When my PVP told me how much it would cost to add the transfer, I thought she must be crazy. Then I looked at how far the airport was from Port Canaveral, and tried to find one of the Orlando transportation companies that would do it for less. What I found was that for two people, Carnival's transfer is $75-80 less for a round trip. I can't tell you how many websites I looked at, but they were almost all the exact same price. The cheapest towncar transfer I found was around $170, and thats not counting a (recommended) 20% tip both ways! Carnival wins this one easily...

[Caribbean Buckeye]

Kathy,

 

RjayB is right, I'm afraid. There's only one thing I've heard that some people do that might be cheaper, and that's renting a car. If there are only 2 of you, you can rent a compact and drive to the rental car place right near Port Canaveral. The rental car companies give you free transportation to the Port and will pick you up when you get back from the cruise.

 

The problem is that this is more of a hassle than the Carnival transfer and the money you're going to save isn't that much. That, and you have to get a good rate on the rental as well. I'd probably stick with the Carnival transfer if I were you.

 

Even though we took the Town Car, we saw the Carnival shuttle rep. meeting people at the airport. It looked fairly easy since they drop you off and pick you up right in front of the luggage porters at Canaveral.

 

Hopefully, you find my review and it will be helpful. Sadly, I've seen it drop from page 1 to page 4 so I think it's losing it's relevance. Maybe I shouldn't have put dates in the title. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go on another cruise and write another review.

 

Happy Sailing!

[Kathy Q]

Kathy,

 

RjayB is right, I'm afraid. There's only one thing I've heard that some people do that might be cheaper, and that's renting a car. If there are only 2 of you, you can rent a compact and drive to the rental car place right near Port Canaveral. The rental car companies give you free transportation to the Port and will pick you up when you get back from the cruise.

 

The problem is that this is more of a hassle than the Carnival transfer and the money you're going to save isn't that much. That, and you have to get a good rate on the rental as well. I'd probably stick with the Carnival transfer if I were you.

 

Even though we took the Town Car, we saw the Carnival shuttle rep. meeting people at the airport. It looked fairly easy since they drop you off and pick you up right in front of the luggage porters at Canaveral.

 

Hopefully, you find my review and it will be helpful. Sadly, I've seen it drop from page 1 to page 4 so I think it's losing it's relevance. Maybe I shouldn't have put dates in the title. Oh well, I guess I'll have to go on another cruise and write another review.

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Rjay and Steve,

 

Thanks for the feedback. With the little bit of checking I've been doing so far, the Carnival transfers do seem to be the best option... I'm traveling solo.

 

Steve, your review was easy to find! I just did a search on your name for your post and have bookmarked that page so I can keep up with your additional comments. I loved reading the review! You have a great "voice" in your writing. I usually torment my friends with travel logs when I travel... a dose a day or maybe every other day depending on how busy I am.

 

I'm really happy to be on deck 4. It seems pretty perfect for navigating through the ship.

 

I'm sure I'll have lots more questions!

 

Kathy

[Curt Jerome Wild]

one of the double bunk inside cabins smack dab in the middle of the ship (on the Empress deck) under the dining room.

There only seem to be little "noise" issues if you're under the galley.

(That's where they have all the equipment that they are making the food)

If you are under the dining room, then it's not an issue, as they're not running any equipment above you.

FYI;)

CJW

[notmay]

Just got off the Fantasy. Embark and Disembark on the Empress Deck. Don't know about the galley noise from Empress deck. We were in an even room very close to the shore excursions desk (E80something). Slept fine! Plus, dinner was only one deck up. We never took the elevator. Disembark for islands/excursions on Deck 3 (Main?).

[SunRae]

on the Fantasy is Deck 3. This is the bottom deck where the doctor is and, I believe, where the crew stays...

[Caribbean Buckeye]

Thanks Kathy! It's very odd typing answers and comments in this type of forum but I'm trying to keep it informative yet entertaining. It's very hard to convey sarcasm or humor in these posts b/c when they're read in text, they seem so literal and matter-of-fact. I really enjoy this message board. It's the only message board I've ever been on and I enjoy it. Thanks again.

[Kathy Q]

Thanks Kathy! It's very odd typing answers and comments in this type of forum but I'm trying to keep it informative yet entertaining. It's very hard to convey sarcasm or humor in these posts b/c when they're read in text, they seem so literal and matter-of-fact. I really enjoy this message board. It's the only message board I've ever been on and I enjoy it. Thanks again.

 

Steve... Ain't that the trick to writing a good log??? LOL. It's all about balance. Which you have.

 

I'm hoping you cruise and write again soon!

 

Kathy Q

[flyingb]

Hello,

 

I just booked the 9/21 cruise on the Fantasy, using a Carnival PVP. Since this is our second cruise, she gave us a free "upgrade" to the Empress deck from Riviera.

 

We were on the Riviera deck for our last cruise (Fascination Sept. 2002) and had no problems at all with noise. Now that I looked at the deck plans, we will be under the galley section (but at the very edge since its an ocean view).

 

Should I be concerned about noise? DW is a light sleeper, and we usually hit the hay around 11pm.

 

P.S. Cabin is E152, and here's the link for deck plans: http://www.carnival.com/Deck_Plans.aspx?shipCode=FA

 

Thanks!

Hi RjayB,

DH and I were under the galley on one of our cruises! :eek: Never again! Sounded like there was a bowling alley right over our stateroom. Last time on the Glory we booked under what we thought would be the Pizzera.....it was, but also the Azure Lounge. Wooden floors! BIG mistake. Chairs scraping all night long. Could not be moved, the ship was full. I finally bought some earplugs, uncomfortable, but helped some. From now on we will be 'sandwiched' between passenger decks.

If it's not too late, I would change.

Luv's Crusin'

[flyingb]

Hello,

 

I just booked the 9/21 cruise on the Fantasy, using a Carnival PVP. Since this is our second cruise, she gave us a free "upgrade" to the Empress deck from Riviera.

 

We were on the Riviera deck for our last cruise (Fascination Sept. 2002) and had no problems at all with noise. Now that I looked at the deck plans, we will be under the galley section (but at the very edge since its an ocean view).

 

Should I be concerned about noise? DW is a light sleeper, and we usually hit the hay around 11pm.

 

P.S. Cabin is E152, and here's the link for deck plans: http://www.carnival.com/Deck_Plans.aspx?shipCode=FA

 

Thanks!

Hi RjayB,

DH and I were under the galley on one of our cruises! :eek: Never again! Sounded like there was a bowling alley right over our stateroom. Last time on the Glory we booked under what we thought would be the Pizzera.....it was, but also the Azure Lounge. Wooden floors! BIG mistake. Chairs scraping all night long. Could not be moved, the ship was full. I finally bought some earplugs, uncomfortable, but helped some. From now on we will be 'sandwiched' between passenger decks.

If it's not too late, I would change.

Luv's Crusin'

[tahitidreamz]

Hey All,

Just found out- which is strange, I did a GTY at booking and normally you dont get cabin assignment until the day of- however in my case, I got mine. I will be on E163.AFT.......

Anyone got some Info on this cabin? Much obliged....

Tahiti