Fantasy Only Questions ...

[Prinycesa07]

I just wanted to add that i booked the holiday inn in the french quarter for the 2 nights before our cruise and it was only $55 on Hotwire (compared to $130 on their own website)!

[SUN TURNIP]

Can anyone tell me what time i should arrive at the peir in NOLA? Also I am going to be flying and need to know what time to book my flight coming back home? Any help would be great! Thanks!

[goLC]

Sun Turnip -

I couldn't tell if you meant for embarkation or debarkation... When we went 10/01 we arrived there at about 11:00 or so and went right on. That gave us several hours before sailing at 4:00.

When we came home, we didn't do the self-debarkation - those people get off very quickly and from what I understand are out of the parking lot by 8:30 or so... otherwise you have to wait until they call your "loading zone" - a number you won't get until on the ship the night before. I know there are at least 15 zones, so it can take awhile. We were zone 6 and didn't leave the garage until 10:30.

We are from just north of you - near Bowling Green. We rented a van (6 girl friends) and drove it - wasn't a bad drive at all!

Hope that helps.

Jane

[jetskier]

Can anyone tell me what time i should arrive at the peir in NOLA? Also I am going to be flying and need to know what time to book my flight coming back home? Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

For embarkation, plan around 10:45-11am. The last two times on the Fantasy, I have been off the ship at around 7-7:15am. I was doing self-assist. If you are turning in your luggage, plan for 8:30 or later.

 

Dave

[djacobson]

Can anyone tell me what time i should arrive at the peir in NOLA? Also I am going to be flying and need to know what time to book my flight coming back home? Any help would be great! Thanks!

 

SunTurnip- I believe Carnival would advise you to have a flight that leaves after 11:30 a.m. On the last cruise I was on, the zones for disembarking started with the Verndah deck and worked down, so if you are on Main deck, you would be waiting awhile.

 

As others have stated, arriving at the pier between 1000 - 1100 is a good idea. The boarding usually begins around 1130.

[SUN TURNIP]

Thanks so much for the help! I have found a flight from New Orleans that leaves at 11:35am, I hope that is enough time for me to get to the airport... I will be doing the self assist as well. It looks as if I will be traveling by myself, my mom fell and can't go. So I am kind of nervous about going it alone...but hey you only live once! Thanks again

[jetskier]

Thanks so much for the help! I have found a flight from New Orleans that leaves at 11:35am, I hope that is enough time for me to get to the airport... I will be doing the self assist as well. It looks as if I will be traveling by myself, my mom fell and can't go. So I am kind of nervous about going it alone...but hey you only live once! Thanks again

 

You will have a great time. If you hang out in the piano bar, Milby will ensure you have fun. I just had something similar happen to me. My mom got sick the day before the cruise and could not go. Hopefully you had taken out the cruise insurance. It is the best $14 I ever spent. The check should be arriving today or Monday.

Dave

[LHP]

You will have a great time. If you hang out in the piano bar, Milby will ensure you have fun. I just had something similar happen to me. My mom got sick the day before the cruise and could not go. Hopefully you had taken out the cruise insurance. It is the best $14 I ever spent. The check should be arriving today or Monday.

Dave

 

Dave:

 

Milby was the nicest guy. We certainly did enjoy him in August.

[jetskier]

Dave:

 

Milby was the nicest guy. We certainly did enjoy him in August.

 

 

He hit me with the

"Look who just walked in."

 

To which everyone yells, "Oh SH**"

 

Dave

[LHP]

He hit me with the

"Look who just walked in."

 

To which everyone yells, "Oh SH**"

 

Dave

 

That's a hoot!!

[bonniemari]

FYI

 

If you had a Harrahs Total Reward Card and you can book a room thru their webiste for the Hilton, Sheraton or Wyndham and save a few $$$$.

 

I was looking to book a room at the Hilton Riverside for our pre cruise stay for our Dec 29, 2007 cruise on the Fantasy. Just for kicks I thought I would check out the price of a room at Harrahs. I can get comped room Sun-Thru but since I am not that big of a high roller weekends are not comped.

 

When I checked my date I was surprised when the Hilton came up as an option. I booked the room at the Hilton thru Harrahs webiste and saved $50.00 off the price I had found on other websites including the Hilton's. Also you can park your car at the Harrah Garage for your overnight hotel stay (24 hr limit) free if you visit the casino and have 30 minutes of play using your rewards card.

[LHP]

FYI

 

If you had a Harrahs Total Reward Card and you can book a room thru their webiste for the Hilton, Sheraton or Wyndham and save a few $$$$.

 

I was looking to book a room at the Hilton Riverside for our pre cruise stay for our Dec 29, 2007 cruise on the Fantasy. Just for kicks I thought I would check out the price of a room at Harrahs. I can get comped room Sun-Thru but since I am not that big of a high roller weekends are not comped.

 

When I checked my date I was surprised when the Hilton came up as an option. I booked the room at the Hilton thru Harrahs webiste and saved $50.00 off the price I had found on other websites including the Hilton's. Also you can park your car at the Harrah Garage for your overnight hotel stay (24 hr limit) free if you visit the casino and have 30 minutes of play using your rewards card.

 

 

That is a nice perk considering they charge you $22 - 24 a night to park your car at many of the hotels in downtown NO!!!

[WellDeserved]

Sun Turnip -

I couldn't tell if you meant for embarkation or debarkation... When we went 10/01 we arrived there at about 11:00 or so and went right on. That gave us several hours before sailing at 4:00.

When we came home, we didn't do the self-debarkation - those people get off very quickly and from what I understand are out of the parking lot by 8:30 or so... otherwise you have to wait until they call your "loading zone" - a number you won't get until on the ship the night before. I know there are at least 15 zones, so it can take awhile. We were zone 6 and didn't leave the garage until 10:30.

We are from just north of you - near Bowling Green. We rented a van (6 girl friends) and drove it - wasn't a bad drive at all!

Hope that helps.

Jane

 

What deck were you on? We were in E114 and had the number 4. I was surprised when numbers higher were called before ours. When we were on the Holiday last year they basically called the decks top down after self-debark. Seems as though there was no rhyme or reasons to the order of the numbers called. We were not called until around 9-9:15.

[goLC]

We were on the Upper Deck. It was odd; we had 3 rooms between the 6 of us, all side by side. 2 of the rooms got luggage tags that had tags for zone 6 and our room, right by the others, had zone 15. We went to the desk to ask if we could get the same zone, since we were all travelling together. They switched ours to 6. When we were in line after picking up our luggage (that LONG line,) a guy beside us (also zone 6) was talking to a friend of his, still on the ship, who was zone 15. His friend wanted to know what we were doing to hold things up.:) The guy running the line I went through at customs said that several people weren't "document ready" when they got up to the line (I guess didn't have their customs declaration paper filled out or something.) That was the longest line we stood in the whole time! Since we got off with zone 6, I wasn't sure how they called the other decks.

[WellDeserved]

We were on the Upper Deck. It was odd; we had 3 rooms between the 6 of us, all side by side. 2 of the rooms got luggage tags that had tags for zone 6 and our room, right by the others, had zone 15. We went to the desk to ask if we could get the same zone, since we were all travelling together. They switched ours to 6. When we were in line after picking up our luggage (that LONG line,) a guy beside us (also zone 6) was talking to a friend of his, still on the ship, who was zone 15. His friend wanted to know what we were doing to hold things up.:) The guy running the line I went through at customs said that several people weren't "document ready" when they got up to the line (I guess didn't have their customs declaration paper filled out or something.) That was the longest line we stood in the whole time! Since we got off with zone 6, I wasn't sure how they called the other decks.

 

As I remember zone 6 was called at least 2 rounds before zone 4. Oh well, at least we made it off. Yes the Customs line was very slow. Not that they were checking anything as we saw it, just very disorganized. Mobile was much better yet there is also less people on the ship.

 

Hope you all had fun and it was nice taking to you on the Roll Call. Hope you had as much fun as we did in New Orleans. I will wait until Costa Maya is re-opened though before we book another Western Caribbean cruise or maybe we'll go for a 4 day to Cozumel.

[goLC]

Well-deserved - Yes, I enjoyed our pre-cruise planning very much! July and August were rough months for me (death in family after 2 very intense weeks in hospital then I had surgery, too) - I couldn't seem to get my mind working all the time! The cruise was truly a wonderful experience for me - as well as my 5 co-teachers. I want to take one with my family, but DH and DS just don't seem interested!:mad: But the 6 of us are already talking up another one, but it looks like next fall break may be our first chance and I DON"T WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG!! We'll see... We loved Uxmal, but there's nothing else in Progreso that gets me too fired up, so we may look at Jacksonville, or even somewhere more up the coast (Norfolk or Charleston.) The planning is half the fun! I'm sure I'll see you around here in CC!

[jetskier]

Well-deserved - Yes, I enjoyed our pre-cruise planning very much! July and August were rough months for me (death in family after 2 very intense weeks in hospital then I had surgery, too) - I couldn't seem to get my mind working all the time! The cruise was truly a wonderful experience for me - as well as my 5 co-teachers. I want to take one with my family, but DH and DS just don't seem interested!:mad: But the 6 of us are already talking up another one, but it looks like next fall break may be our first chance and I DON"T WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG!! We'll see... We loved Uxmal, but there's nothing else in Progreso that gets me too fired up, so we may look at Jacksonville, or even somewhere more up the coast (Norfolk or Charleston.) The planning is half the fun! I'm sure I'll see you around here in CC!

 

 

Dont forget the Holiday out of Mobile. On one of its 5-day cruises it goes to Cozumel and Calica (Playa del Carmen) It is a smaller ship, but still lots of fun.

 

Dave

[goLC]

Thanks, Dave - I've read about a zillion of your posts on here, so I know you know what you're talking about! That would definitely be an option. Do you think we'd be disappointed on a smaller ship after being on Fantasy? Also - I see you're a big Milby fan. We were in Cleopatra's every night - I am quite sure Milby was glad when our cruise was over - we don't exactly sing well, but we do sing with lots of enthusiasm, if you know what I mean!;)

[jetskier]

Thanks, Dave - I've read about a zillion of your posts on here, so I know you know what you're talking about! That would definitely be an option. Do you think we'd be disappointed on a smaller ship after being on Fantasy? Also - I see you're a big Milby fan. We were in Cleopatra's every night - I am quite sure Milby was glad when our cruise was over - we don't exactly sing well, but we do sing with lots of enthusiasm, if you know what I mean!;)

 

 

Plus after a margarita or two, we all become singers.:p The biggest thing about the Holiday is that it does not have an atruim. The friendliness of the crew and the food make up for it. Another thing to look at is the Holiday is going to be eventually sold like the Celebration. This might be your last chance to sail on her.

 

Depending on when you are traveling, if the Holiday has to tender, it is a lot easier getting 1500 off than 2200 passengers.

 

Dave

[LAFUNGUY]

hey guys, just booked new year's eve cruise on the Fantasy...wondering about activities for our 12 year old....

[crazycruzer68]

We just returned from the Fantasy on Sat., we traveled with 2 12 year olds. Our girls just did putt putt, ping pong and alot walking around exploring ( sorry if they were bad, I checked on them and couldn't find them doing anything wrong)

 

They didn't attend any Camp Carnival activites, but they are on the mature side of 12.

 

If you have any questions I would be glad to ask them.

[crazycruzer68]

Are you leaving your vehicle at the Drury?? If so could you report about their parking lot when you return?

 

 

 

The parking lot at the hotel is a secured lot, no actual security gaurd but cameras and you have to have your room key to get in. Not a real big lot but not alot of cars either when we were there. We didn't have anything bothered while parked.

[mariemorgan]

The parking lot at the hotel is a secured lot, no actual security gaurd but cameras and you have to have your room key to get in. Not a real big lot but not alot of cars either when we were there. We didn't have anything bothered while parked.

 

Thanks!! :)

[LAFUNGUY]

thanks Josie....was there a disco at night for the kids?....can't imagine him just hanging with us all night without him being bored to death and he won't know anyone on the ship his age...i was under the belief they had a teen club

[jetskier]

thanks Josie....was there a disco at night for the kids?....can't imagine him just hanging with us all night without him being bored to death and he won't know anyone on the ship his age...i was under the belief they had a teen club

 

The O2 club is for 15-17. When the ship gets remodeled in late 2008 they are suppose to be changing it up. When my daughter was onboard, the 12-14 yr olds just hung together. Sometimes they would do the Carnival sponsored events sometimes not.

 

Dave