How is the Fantasy out of NOLA

[crazycruzer68]

We are trying to find a cruise that is driveable because some will not fly, anyone been on this cruise that is Cozumel and Costa Maya? I don't know anything about Costa Maya, any comments?

[Sashalanda]

We went on Fantasy oct 26th..loved it so much booked a whole family cruise for Jan 4th lol. The ship itself is beautifully decorated ( I am not into the neon and bright colors of some ships)..it is more classically decorated, much more soothing and relaxing imo. The food was excellent, the staff wonderful.

We didn't do the 5 day so have no hints for costa :(.

The new parking deck at N.O. tho is really great.

Even being first cruise since katrina, I found the boarding and debarkation pretty good.

[LHP]

We were on the Fantasy back in 2003 and are headed out again in December.

 

In October we were at Cozumel and Costa Maya on the Miracle. I love Cozumel. We always do a beach day there at Paradise Beach.

 

Costa Maya has a nice area right at the dock or you can pay $3 per person each way to ride the bus into "town". You do dock in Costa Maya, but remember that this port is missed some if the waters are to rough. Cozumel can be a dock or tender port, determined by how many boats are there and other mystical properties.

 

The Fantasy itself is an older ship, but it is 70,000 tons, has an atrium and many of the same amenities other larger ships have. (no fish n chips, sorry)

Carnival does an excellent job of keeping their ships in good shape. However, you may see a spot on the carpet etc that needs replacing in a hallway. (usually the first decor wear to show)

 

We are looking forward to our cruise in December and have no hesitations that we will have a wonderful time.

 

Parking is right at the new terminal (actually above it now) . So embarkation and debarkation traffic problems of the past (while they were building the new terminal) should be over.

 

Have a great cruise!!

[Cruzman]

We sailed on the Fantasy in August when she was in Port Canaveral. We were quite surprised at how Carnival has modified the interior of the ship to elliminate much of the neon and glitz formerly associated with this ship. It now has a much more refined atmosphere. We enjoyed the ship very much. If you want to learn more about Costa Maya, check out the ports of call board. Especially check out the posts about Chac Chi. We will be there next week and have every intention of checking out Chac Chi. As an alternative, you might check out the Holiday out of Mobile which does the same itinerary. We have sailed the Holiday 3 times and will be sailing her again in February; friendliest ship in Carnival's fleet IMHO.

[djacobson]

We are trying to find a cruise that is driveable because some will not fly, anyone been on this cruise that is Cozumel and Costa Maya? I don't know anything about Costa Maya, any comments?

 

I am going to Costa Maya in three weeks and have booked the David and Ivan tour to the Chaccoben Mayan Ruins. If you check out the Costa Maya section with in Ports of Call section, you'll also read about a beach near the pier and the story behind it. Yesterday, I was trying to find Costa Maya on the map. Costa Maya is near the town of Majahual, south of Cozumel.

 

The Fantasy was reinvovated last year and looks very nice. The new Erato Street cruise terminal is very nice and parking is now much easier than before. I beleive this ship could be a good option for you.

[jetskier]

Traffic at the terminal has been heavy, it will get worse when they start having two ships in port. I will know first hand on Nov 27th when the Fantasy and the QE 2 are both in port at the same time.

 

If you are in a POV, it shouldnt be too bad. We were taken to the terminal via a shuttle. Our bags were left in the middle of the roadway until the porter could gather them all up. This blocked traffic. We had our documents checked four different times to include by the porter. If the shuttle vendor has not paid a fee (extortion) to the terminal, they are not allowed to use the bus lane but instead have to use the taxi lane. I saw at least 6 different police agencies working the terminal to include the Capital Police. Last time I checked the capital was in Baton Rouge.

 

Once inside the terminal things got a little better. If you have VIP status (suites/Silver), there is a seperate room for you. Once you have your Sail & Sign and room key, you are directed to have a seat. After the VIP's board, they will then start taking the first row. Once onboard, you will then have your photo taken for the S&S card.

 

The ship was great. I did find the crew more hurried than the ones on the Holiday. The waiters in the dining room has more tables to work. Bring a light jacket as the interior public areas are kept cold.

 

Disembarkation went smoothly once the port workers arrived. We docked 3 hours early but had to wait for Customs. Our luggage ended up in different rows in the terminal. Took awhile to find it all. Make sure you grab a porter at the door or else you wont be able to get one. Customs went quickly as there are two lines, one for porters and the other if you are carrying your own.

Dave

[Mysticks1]

Once inside the terminal things got a little better. If you have VIP status (suites/Silver), there is a seperate room for you. Once you have your Sail & Sign and room key, you are directed to have a seat. After the VIP's board, they will then start taking the first row. Once onboard, you will then have your photo taken for the S&S card.

 

Dave - Can you give a little more detail as to where we should sit to get onboard quickly? Like when we are at the desk where we get our S&S cards when we turn around - which direction? Left or right side first, etc. Thanks in advance.

[jetskier]

Hi Donna,

When you get your S&S, they will direct you to the right. There will be someone there directing you where to sit. They will fill up row one first starting left to right. They will then fill up the remaining rows right to left.

 

They will take the persons on the left side of row 1 first and then start on row 2 on the right side, and then row 3 on the right side.

 

------------------------- Row 1

------------------------- Row 2

------------------------- Row 3, etc.

 

So by them doing it this way, the first ones at the port gets onboard the quickest. The only ones who get a free pass are the VIPs and handicapped. It gives me more incentive than ever to get to my 10th cruise.

Dave

[Mysticks1]

Hi Donna,

When you get your S&S, they will direct you to the right. There will be someone there directing you where to sit. They will fill up row one first starting left to right. They will then fill up the remaining rows right to left.

 

They will take the persons on the left side of row 1 first and then start on row 2 on the right side, and then row 3 on the right side.

 

------------------------- Row 1

------------------------- Row 2

------------------------- Row 3, etc.

 

So by them doing it this way, the first ones at the port gets onboard the quickest. The only ones who get a free pass are the VIPs and handicapped. It gives me more incentive than ever to get to my 10th cruise.

Dave

 

Thanks for the info Dave. We plan to leave here no later than 9AM so we should be there by 11AM. It is nice to know that they seat you in order. Galveston wasn't like that but we knew in advance where to sit to get onboard first. We should be there early enough to get close to the front.

[Sashalanda]

Donna, with all the construction in and around New Orleans..plan extra time. We didnt and arrived almost two hours later than we anticipated simply because of traffic back ups. We got caught on Lake P?? bridge for over an hour and half. Well plus didn't help lots of rain that day but even intown traffic was heavy for a thursday. you may want to leave at 8am instead. With new terminal..you are inside parking deck when you drop off your luggage so nothing is left on the street. Porters are at the side of your car retreiving it...then you are directed where to park and what floor to take elevator to for inside.

[Mysticks1]

Donna, with all the construction in and around New Orleans..plan extra time. We didnt and arrived almost two hours later than we anticipated simply because of traffic back ups. We got caught on Lake P?? bridge for over an hour and half. Well plus didn't help lots of rain that day but even intown traffic was heavy for a thursday. you may want to leave at 8am instead. With new terminal..you are inside parking deck when you drop off your luggage so nothing is left on the street. Porters are at the side of your car retreiving it...then you are directed where to park and what floor to take elevator to for inside.

 

Thanks Sasha, I will get with everyone and suggest that.

[2Ports]

Donna, with all the construction in and around New Orleans..plan extra time.

 

 

I STRONGLY second the motion...it could easily take an extra hour or 2. And don't forget to add a little extra for going past us at that time of the day, with the OS & BSL bridges out I-10 can be a nightmare at rush hour!

[Mysticks1]

I STRONGLY second the motion...it could easily take an extra hour or 2. And don't forget to add a little extra for going past us at that time of the day, with the OS & BSL bridges out I-10 can be a nightmare at rush hour!

 

We do sail on Saturday so I am hoping that the traffic on the interstate won't be as bad through the Biloxi/Gulfport area. It has been a couple of months though since we went to New Orleans and we don't make the trip to Biloxi very often now that The Grand is no longer the same. :( I am going to try to get our bunch to be ready to leave no later than 8AM. (I'll tell some of them 7 ;) :D ) Thanks for the heads up.

[dab141]

Hi! What would be a good time to check in? And how much is parking since Carnival has a new terminal parking? :confused:

[jetskier]

Hi! What would be a good time to check in? And how much is parking since Carnival has a new terminal parking? :confused:

 

Plan for around 11am. Parking is $14 per day. Also keep in mind that if the terminal parking is full, then you will be directed to the Fulton St parking and have to shuttle back. Both the Norwegian Sun and the Fantasy are using the same terminal.

[Sashalanda]

Plan for around 11am. Parking is $14 per day. Also keep in mind that if the terminal parking is full, then you will be directed to the Fulton St parking and have to shuttle back. Both the Norwegian Sun and the Fantasy are using the same terminal.

 

We were lucky I guess as we didn't have to shuttle but since ours was the 4 day cruise, we left on a thursday and there was lots of parking that day. Not sure if norwegian has any sailing on a thursday. So would be even better reason to leave early lol. I already told hubby that when we go again in January..we are leaving mucho earlier. We made it on time last time ..3:30 but I wanted to board earlier than that :(.

[kelz66]

I am going to Costa Maya in three weeks and have booked the David and Ivan tour to the Chaccoben Mayan Ruins. If you check out the Costa Maya section with in Ports of Call section, you'll also read about a beach near the pier and the story behind it. Yesterday, I was trying to find Costa Maya on the map. Costa Maya is near the town of Majahual, south of Cozumel.

 

The Fantasy was reinvovated last year and looks very nice. The new Erato Street cruise terminal is very nice and parking is now much easier than before. I beleive this ship could be a good option for you.

 

You are going to love the tour with David & Ivan!!

We went back in May and loved it.

We are going on the Fantasy in January and can't wait to get back to Costa Maya to do the beach and the big pool at the pier this time. :D

 

Check out my pics in the link below...we took a couple hundred in Costa Maya..:eek: LOL

[Simply Southern]

Can you access the pier in NOLA from the street car? I am going on my first cruise and staying in a hotel next to Harrahs. I have rode on the street car system there but never went past the Mall on it. I don't want to get caught up in the traffic in a cab. Is this do-able? Also since this is the first time at that port, will I be able to tell where to go once I get to the port to drop my luggage pretty easily?

[jetskier]

We were lucky I guess as we didn't have to shuttle but since ours was the 4 day cruise, we left on a thursday and there was lots of parking that day. Not sure if norwegian has any sailing on a thursday. So would be even better reason to leave early lol. I already told hubby that when we go again in January..we are leaving mucho earlier. We made it on time last time ..3:30 but I wanted to board earlier than that :(.

 

The Sun has a Sunday-Sunday schedule. While the Fantasy has a Mon-Sat, Sat-Thurs, and Thurs-Mon schedule.

Dave

[NorthAlabama]

We are trying to find a cruise that is driveable because some will not fly, anyone been on this cruise that is Cozumel and Costa Maya? I don't know anything about Costa Maya, any comments?

 

I drove from Huntsville, AL to NOLA for the October 26 sailing of the Fantasy out of NOLA. I went with the expectations of some delays since

this was the first sailing for Carnival out of NOLA since the storms of

last year hit.

 

I was PLEASANTLY surprised! We got into NOLA the day before, checked into our hotel (Raddison - Airport/Kenner/Veterans Blvd) and then did some exploring around the city. Found the best route to the port and

saw the ship in port that night.

 

The next morning we got up and checked out of the hotel, had breakast and got to the terminal with absolutely NO DELAYS or TRAFFIC problems.

The luggage drop off and parking at the terminal could not have gone more smoothly. Check in went very smoothly and the staff was pleasant and efficient. We sat for a short time in the terminal then boarded with no problems at all.

 

Once on the ship, there was a delay of a couple of hours before leaving port ... and I have heard that it was due to delays in vendors delivering to the ship---but about 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time, I did hear a page for the "Diesel Crew" and I suspect there may have been some diesel problem that delay the sailing as well. When I heard this page, I noticed smoke coming from only one side of the funnel. May have

been unrelated, but I do recall that page and then we were delayed? Seems that the vendors could have made deliveries on time since the ship was in port the day/evening before??

 

Anyway...I could care less what time the ship actually pulled out of port and started it's journey down the Mississippi. I was on the ship and thus, my vacation had begun.

 

The ship did do some rocking and rolling that I had not experienced on my previous journey (Inspiration). It was not enough to cause me problems or to make me sick, although I did see a lot of passengers complaining about the motion and they had the "Barf Bags" placed in a lot of strategic locations throughout the ship. The winds seemed high at times.

I do know that on my previous cruise, I was midship on the Riviera deck and on this cruise we were on the Verandah deck -- forward section of the ship, so that may have well accounted for some of the motion we felt.

In any case, I would be on board that ship again tomorrow if I had the opportunity.

 

The food was good. We had room service breakfast most mornings, ate lunch in the buffets, either the main one or the burger/dog one by the

Lido pool and had dinner in the formal dining room each night. Our waiter, SURJA from Indida rocked. He was excellent and was enjoyable to talk with as well.

 

I only hope the rest of you have as much fun on the Fantasy as I did and I encourage you to all give NOLA an opportunity to welcome the cruisers back. I was 100% satisfied, and admittedly, I am not easy to please!

[HarleyGirl]

Glad you had a great experience on the Oct. 26th sailing. I will be leaving on her tomorrow and it's my first cruise so I'm super-excited! I will post my review when I get back!

[Sashalanda]

Glad you had a great experience on the Oct. 26th sailing. I will be leaving on her tomorrow and it's my first cruise so I'm super-excited! I will post my review when I get back!

 

You will love it :D. If you are driving..leave early for traffic though. Be sure to post a review when you get back and pics!!

[NorthAlabama]

You will love it :D. If you are driving..leave early for traffic though. Be sure to post a review when you get back and pics!!

 

We did not experience any traffic problems on 10/26, but it is always best to plan ahead. We did and just ended up being one of the first to check in at the port......and even with that, boarding was painless and early.

[Sashalanda]

We did not experience any traffic problems on 10/26, but it is always best to plan ahead. We did and just ended up being one of the first to check in at the port......and even with that, boarding was painless and early.

 

Oiy we sure did lol. Glad you didn't though. We got stuck on that Lake (forgive me cause I know i am going to spell this wrong) Ponchitrain bridge. They were doing construction that day..one lane and it wasn't a well managed one lane. it got so bad we got a case of the giggles. Think it was an hour and 40 min just to get over that bridge! Town traffic was tight for a bit after that. Plus then we took a wrong turn lol. Once we got to canal street though all was good. I loved the parking deck so much better than the old way too.

[JudyKa]

Can you access the pier in NOLA from the street car? I am going on my first cruise and staying in a hotel next to Harrahs. I have rode on the street car system there but never went past the Mall on it. I don't want to get caught up in the traffic in a cab. Is this do-able? Also since this is the first time at that port, will I be able to tell where to go once I get to the port to drop my luggage pretty easily?

 

The last couple of times that we cruised out of N.O., we parked in the parking lot next to the mall....24 hr. security and all. When we got back from our cruise and got our luggage, we just walked out of the terminal and walked east about a block down the street and turned North walking accross the street- car tracks to the parking lot right next to it. So....we did walk accross some streetcar tracks which were behind the mall and ran along side the street that the cruise terminal is on. In other words, the streetcar tracks run between the mall and the cruise terminal which is directly behind the mall. That make any sense? LOL! Bet I have confused you totally. The streetcar driver will help you out in giving you brief directions. They are very friendly and helpful usually. You shouldn't have any trouble on finding where to go when you get to the terminal.....they have people posted all over the place in the terminal to direct you.