Fantasy Only Questions ...

[Carolinamamasita]

Anybody know why there are so few recent reviews on Fantasy? I keep checking to read them...and they're still the same ones I've already read.

 

Also, I think Memphians definitely know a good thing when they see it. How can you beat a 6-hour drive to go on a cruise?? Beginning & ending on the Mississippi, no less!

 

Just posted one today :

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=10195883#post10195883

[Kittybork]

I have had to report over there twice so far. It seems there is a flag on my passport for a person wanted for Grand Larceny out of New York. Same name, 2 year difference in date of birth and luckily (for me) the wrong race. I have tried the State Dept, Customs and the FBI to have the flag removed. All I get is the runaround with each blaming the other. The State Dept has to pull the flag but only with a letter from the reporting police agency. The State Dept will not give me the name of the reporting police agency so that I can contact them to send the letter.

Dave

 

How terrible! I can't believe they won't help you get the flag cleared.

 

Have you flown out of the country since you've had the flag? I hope you don't have trouble getting back in if you do! YIKES

[jetskier]

How terrible! I can't believe they won't help you get the flag cleared.

 

Have you flown out of the country since you've had the flag? I hope you don't have trouble getting back in if you do! YIKES

 

I have not flown out of the country yet. Basically I get pulled to the side, they run a more detailed NCIC report, see that it is not the person wanted and then I get released. Just a pain in the arse and a delay in time. Luckily I have not have them put me cuffs while waiting for the NCIC report.

 

Dave

[Rodeomomof2]

I have not flown out of the country yet. Basically I get pulled to the side, they run a more detailed NCIC report, see that it is not the person wanted and then I get released. Just a pain in the arse and a delay in time. Luckily I have not have them put me cuffs while waiting for the NCIC report.

 

Dave

You are a more patient person than I am, I would have to keep bugging someone (politician or someone) until that got fixed! Bless your heart!;)

[Rodeomomof2]

Just posted one today :

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=10195883#post10195883

 

Thanks for your review, and have fun on your next "Birthday" cruise, my husband's b-day is 10-21, so we should join you! haha:D

[Kittybork]

I have not flown out of the country yet. Basically I get pulled to the side, they run a more detailed NCIC report, see that it is not the person wanted and then I get released. Just a pain in the arse and a delay in time. Luckily I have not have them put me cuffs while waiting for the NCIC report.

 

Dave

 

I agree with Rodeomom. I think I'd be driving someone batty until this was lifted. I've read reports where people have gone through hours of delay because of this type of clerical error. I guess as long as your travel is in the US it's not too bad, but I'd be afraid to be in another country and have that happen.

[Carolinamamasita]

Thanks for your review, and have fun on your next "Birthday" cruise, my husband's b-day is 10-21, so we should join you! haha:D

 

that is too ironic... that is my birthday also :D

We could throw a big birthday party for us ! It is a Sea Day that day !

[nflp1999]

I booked my first cruise for Aug 16th this past Friday. I have been reading tons of stuff about cruising in general and the Fantasy specifically. I still wonder somethings that I hope someone can answer for me.

 

1. In regards to formal night, how much does it cost to rent a tux on board?

2. Is a tux a good idea? If not, what do you recommend?

3. As far as shore excursions go, in Cozumel, what company do you recommend? I was thinking of the SNUBA but I'm open to other things if that is a bad choice or not possible. Who have you all used for bookings and what have you done that was awesome?

4. Anything I should do in Cozumel as a "can't be missed" thing?

5. Is a bottle of wine ok to bring on board?

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions as Aug approaches. BTW, this thread has been the biggest wealth of info I've found! :)

[jetskier]

I booked my first cruise for Aug 16th this past Friday. I have been reading tons of stuff about cruising in general and the Fantasy specifically. I still wonder somethings that I hope someone can answer for me.

 

1. In regards to formal night, how much does it cost to rent a tux on board?

Tux $85

Shoes $12

Vest $18

 

2. Is a tux a good idea? If not, what do you recommend?

 

Basically less than 2% of the people onboard wears a tux. If you are planning on cruising a lot, I went to JC Penny and bought a complete tux setup with shoes for about $170. A good bit of the folks wears a regular suit.

 

3. As far as shore excursions go, in Cozumel, what company do you recommend? I was thinking of the SNUBA but I'm open to other things if that is a bad choice or not possible. Who have you all used for bookings and what have you done that was awesome?

 

There is so many different things to do in Cozumel. If you are interested, why not do a Discover Scuba (around $55pp) course. Basically it is 30 minutes going over a flip chart of information, 30 minutes in chest deep water demonstrating what you just learned and then down to 20-25 feet for the rest of the tank. While this does not certify you to scuba dive, it does give a basic understanding of what to expect. Plus the water is so beautiful in Cozumel. We usually use scubawithalison.com

 

The SNUBA is fine as you dont have to learn as much and still gets you down in the water.

4. Anything I should do in Cozumel as a "can't be missed" thing?

Anything water related. Usually you have enough time in the morning to take care of the water excursions and still give yourself time to go downtown and do some shopping.

 

5. Is a bottle of wine ok to bring on board?

Carnival allows you to bring a bottle onboard.

I'm sure I'll have more questions as Aug approaches. BTW, this thread has been the biggest wealth of info I've found! :)

 

Dave

[Rodeomomof2]

I booked my first cruise for Aug 16th this past Friday. I have been reading tons of stuff about cruising in general and the Fantasy specifically. I still wonder somethings that I hope someone can answer for me.

 

1. In regards to formal night, how much does it cost to rent a tux on board? Dave's prices sound right to me.

 

2. Is a tux a good idea? If not, what do you recommend? I know there are huge threads on the debate over this, basically just do what makes you the happiest. My last formal night we saw people in formal wear and we saw his and her matching Hawaiin shirts. ;) Which I did not have a problem with, it was their vacation too. A nice shirt and a tie is fine; my husband and son both come dressed like this and we have not been "thrown out" for being underdressed, I on the other hand LOVE being able to dress up, it is something I rarely get to do.

 

3. As far as shore excursions go, in Cozumel, what company do you recommend? I was thinking of the SNUBA but I'm open to other things if that is a bad choice or not possible. Who have you all used for bookings and what have you done that was awesome?

Some friends of ours did the Snuba there in Cozumel and had a blast,I am not sure who they used. We have used this tour company twice to do a snorkel/jeep tour: www.aventurasnaturalascozumel.com and it was always the highlight of our trip.

 

4. Anything I should do in Cozumel as a "can't be missed" thing? My suggestion would be to at least try to get away from the touristy parts and see the real Cozumel; but I am not sure what kind of fun you like. I would bet that you will enjoy it regardless of what you do.

 

5. Is a bottle of wine ok to bring on board?

 

I'm sure I'll have more questions as Aug approaches. BTW, this thread has been the biggest wealth of info I've found! :)

 

Have fun and take care of the ship, we will be boarding her on August 25th!

[Rodeomomof2]

that is too ironic... that is my birthday also :D

We could throw a big birthday party for us ! It is a Sea Day that day !

He would love that....we are going in August for MY birthday, the last two birthdays have NOT been fun..in 2005 we had Katrina and no power/water for 2 weeks...and I still know that we came out lucky with fixable damages, last year...I had surgery on my birthday, so this year, I am going to eat 3 cakes...just to make up for missing the last 2! LOL:D Just kidding, but I have just lost 17lbs, my cruise was the inspiration, so there is another reason for someone to book a cruise....for health reasons! haha;)

[robomom]

My husband and I just returned from a 5 night cruise aboard the Fantasy the week of May 14-19, 2007. While we have never considered ourselves as cruising types, being somewhat loners and preferring routes less traveled, we came away semi-converts and think that we might have stumbled upon something new!

 

Embarkation was very easy at the port of New Orleans, and since we were staying in a Cat. 11 cabin, we had VIP boarding privileges. The VIP desk was un-manned when we first arrived (before 11:00) and the first Carnival staff member with whom we spoke seemed a bit confused about where we were to check in. She directed us to the line that was already forming in the general boading area, but after I checked with a different staffer we were shown the room for VIP customer check-in, which turned out to be a very easy and short process once we found the right place. We were probably on the ship by 11:30 and had lunch on the Lido deck. I wandered onto the Verandah deck in search of our cabin around 12:30 and was met by our cabin steward, Ampika, who let us know our room was ready and we were welcome to move in. We were in before 1:00 p.m. and enjoying some "chill" time prior to our 2:00 p.m. embarkation.

 

Something I must note initially is that I've only been on one other cruise, aboard the Conquest in it's maiden voyage year, and while I did experience some motion un-ease, there didn't seem to be very much. But, from the very beginning of this cruise I noticed MUCH more motion aboard the Fantasy regardless of where we were on the ship (smaller ship?). I had purchased Sea Bands and yet still had to hit the Bromine almost immediately. It didn't help the motion matter that we were in V2, which is port side, almost top and front of the ship! However, it never bothered my husband and by day 3 it was no longer making me green, although I did notice the rocking and swaying all trip long. In fact, I overhead several guests and staff members alike making comments about it. One woman in the spa told another person that the motion had even awakened her from sleep one night. Truthfully, there were several times in our cabin that due to the motion, I'd find myself either stepping forward or back just to become steady. I even noticed the motion when along the Mississippi River! I got used to it, but wonder if others have similar experiences?

 

With that being said, we still loved the Cat. 11 cabin aboard the Fantasy, even it's location. Yes, the balcony is small and yes, this particular one was right by the staircase to the observation deck, but we enjoyed it immensely, nonetheless. Our purpose for the balcony was simply to get our own "outside" space without having to join the masses at the Lido deck and elsewhwere, and the Verandah cabin provided exactly that. Additionally, while there was some traffic on the deck below and on the staircase, it was few and far between and even then, people simply passed by and were gone. My husband, being somewhat an intravert, was never once bothered by lack of privacy. Rather, his bigger issue was being seated at a table with people he didn't know during dinner (we were part of a group cruise that had assigned seating together), and we only did that once. After that, we always went to whichever dining room was functioning at the time we were ready for dinner and asked the maitre'd to seat us. Generally, we were at smaller tables and even got seated alone for a few breakfasts and lunches. The maitre'd's were always accomodationg.

 

We found the food in the buffet to be typical cafeteria quality food...plenty of it but just o.k. The dining rooms were another matter, however. Everything I had was good, although the evening when we sat with others who had a grouper dish, they commented that it was overcooked. I had a filet one night, although I'm not a big steak eater, and it was flavorful although a bit chewy. On a whole, I preferred the dining rooms to the Lido buffet vastly. We ordered room service several times, as well as sandwiches from the short order bar, and we thought all of these were good. I was totally underwhelmed by the pizza, as we found ourselves eating there once because we were in-between hours dining and Lido buffet hours. I'd have to say that I think even our local chain pizzas are better.

 

We planned and made our own excursions, which worked out very well. At the Costa Maya port we rented a golf cart and headed south on the beach road to Hotel Playa Luna, which was just lovely. We had the entire beach to ourselves, plus I had access (for $5) to one of the kayaks which I took to the reef for snorkeling. Carolien, the owner, was a very gracious hostess and fixed us fresh quacomole and even stuck some Leon' beers in the freezer for my husband! We sat under a wonderful shade tree there and drank beers, read and unwound. I'd recommend this place to anyone who wants to snorkel (at the reef, using kayaks) and who wishes to avoid the madding crowds. She even showed us one of the bungalows, which was quaint, clean and very inviting. Who knows, we might even take a trip there to stay a few days in the future!

 

In Cozumel we rented a car and toured the windward side of the island. There are several nice beaches along the unpoplulated side and we wound up eating breakfast at Mescalito's, which is not on the menu (they made us the best eggs ranchero I've every had) and then visiting both Chen Rio and Playa Palamar. We prefered the beach and water at the latter, and I even saw a nice ray and healthy sized Barricuda while snorkeling there. Chen Rio is a beautiful location and has some calm swimming, although the entry at both places is a bit rocky. While at Chen Rio a large group of what appeared to be locals arrived and we decided to move along once there was an additional crowd there. Playa Palancar did not seem crowded at all, although there were probably the same number of people there. The water there was beautiful, and we ordered quacamole and chips, which were also quite good. I had a GRANDE Pina Colada (for $8???), and it was tasty but not very stiff. We'd certainly go back to any of these places again. The thing about any port, of course, is that you really don't have much time to explore and savor the stops, so it all tends to be a "hurry up" venture. But, any of these spots mentioned I'd recommend for a day trip.

 

In summary, we got off the ship realizing that we had had a cruise "our way" and had enjoyed it immensely. We concluded that, for us, a balcony is a MUST, so that we have our own space. It served this purpose quite well and I've already started looking at other ships with balcony availability for the future. We're not sure that cruising will replace our other trips, when we go and rent either condos or villas, but it certainly has opened the doors for a very relaxing, "at our own pace and space" kind of trip that is easy and quite fun!

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me and e-mail...I'd be happy to write. If and when I can figure out how to post some photos, I'll do that, too!

[4timer]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Fantasy in July. Some questions..... I have read that there is not a hair drier or refridgerator in the cat. 11's. Can you confirm this to be fact? I would really appreciate the info.

[jkloni]

Just got off the Fantasy this morning. Had a wonderful time. This is our 13th Carnival cruise. It was DH, DD, DS & DDBF. We had 2 OV cabins on Upper deck.

 

Embarkation was OK. We got there much later than we normally do -usually there at 11:15am, arrived at 1pm - and there were more people (of course). We had VIP check-in because we are Platinum members and were allowed to bring our children since we were traveling together (there words not ours). Also, I secured both cabins with one credit card, which would have been difficult in 2 separate lines. We were on the ship in about 45 minutes.

 

Rooms - are about the same as most of the other Fantasy class Carnival ships - though there are differences. The bathrooms are different. The shower is bigger, but the sink no longer has a counter and storage space on both sides of the mirror. There is one very small shelf right below the mirror that's about 4 inches wide. Only lights were the 2 small lights above the sink mirror. No overhead light. Was a bit strange and it would have been hard for me to put make up on in the bathroom.

Also, the other Fantasy class ships I've been on (Inspiration, Elation) had lighting around the large mirror by the vanity desk in the cabin with shelves on each side. Not on the Fantasy. No add'l lighting. 1 light switch by the door and the bed put all the lights on or off. There were the small reading lights above your beds. Don't get me wrong, the cabin was fine, but the storage and lighting surprised me. Oh and the biggest surprise is that there was NO HAIR DRYER!! Thankfully my DD brought one that we were able to share.

 

Everyone was very nice, helpful, friendly. Plenty of music on deck. Food was excellent (well except for a veal dish (on Tues I think). We did not like that. Other than that, everything was delicious. Filet Mignon the first night was tender, juicy and really good. The lobster entree also had jumbo shrimp on it. The Choc Melting cake was very rich, quite delicious and is difficult (well for me anyway) to finish. A couple of bites - well maybe half :D - is about all you can eat.

 

Big Tex is a cool cruise director. You will like him. Watch his dancing lessons. They are just too funny.

 

The ship had some vibration on the first night, but after that it was gone. The seas were very calm and there was virtually no motion of the ship except for the night we left Cozumel. The ship was rolling alot, but we all survived. During the night we aided a boat that was stranded, but they just asked for food and water. The Coast Guard was aware of them and on the way to help. Most of us sleeping didn't even know it.

 

The ports are also good. We went to Mahahual and went to the Tapas bar. We rented jet skis - 3 of them for 30 minutes each for $100 total. Beer was $6/10. We didn't eat. A little grass in the water, but it was still very nice. Cozumel we went to Toro's Bar. You should go. Coronas for $1.50 and a lovely balcony to sit and watch the port and the street. We also went to Margaritaville before going to Carlos and Charlies. I'm asking myself today, why do we go to those places and pay $4 for a beer when there are $1 Coronas everywhere??

 

Pictures - 8x10 $21.99

6x9 $8.99, 5x7 $6.99

Then there are packages - like 2 5x7s for $9.99 or 12 wallets for $9.99.

 

The Fantasy was a great cruise and I'd cruise it over and over if given the chance - well if I had the time.

 

I'm sure I've forgotten lots of things, so if you have questions, I'll answer them.

 

Kathy

[ashleyrae911]

Is it true???? that If you go to dinner in the dinning room and there is nothing on the menu that you like, you can order a filet? Some one told me this and i was wondering, because i do not like prime rib or lobster and i know that those two are usually served on the same nights!!!!! thanks.

[djacobson]

Is it true???? that If you go to dinner in the dinning room and there is nothing on the menu that you like, you can order a filet? Some one told me this and i was wondering, because i do not like prime rib or lobster and i know that those two are usually served on the same nights!!!!! thanks.

 

Ashleyrae- there are some items that are not part of the regular entrees that are still on the menu as alternative selections, such as New York Strip steak, salmon, angus beef hamburgers or grilled chicken.

 

This web site has scans of the Carnival menus: http://www.zydecocruiser.com/free07/menus.htm

 

and you can see the alternative selections for formal night.

 

Hope you have a great cruise.

[djacobson]

If you have any questions, please feel free to drop me and e-mail...I'd be happy to write. If and when I can figure out how to post some photos, I'll do that, too!

 

Robomom- I remembered that you asked about whether there was a DVD player in your suite and I said that there was, as best as I could recall.

 

Was there a DVD player in your suite?

 

Thanks for your review.

[robomom]

Thanks for the review. We will be on the Fantasy in July. Some questions..... I have read that there is not a hair drier or refridgerator in the cat. 11's. Can you confirm this to be fact? I would really appreciate the info.

 

We had a fridge but no hair dryer. Go figure!

[robomom]

Robomom- I remembered that you asked about whether there was a DVD player in your suite and I said that there was, as best as I could recall.

 

Was there a DVD player in your suite?

 

Thanks for your review.

 

Yes, DVD/VHS player in the room, although we never used it. We watched a couple of the Carnival run movies (Dream Girls and something else, I forget). That was all we needed, as it turned out.

[momof4boys]

Are the doors on the Fantasy metal or wood? Need to figure out how to put my CC sign up.:D

[djacobson]

Are the doors on the Fantasy metal or wood? Need to figure out how to put my CC sign up.:D

 

They are metal.

[momof4boys]

Thanks!! Happy Cruising!:cool:

[dustymoss]

I've asked this on the another thread but since I will be on Fantasy in 98 days I'll ask on here too. There has been talk about people bringing beer on board, I'm only asking because I like Smirnoff Ice and I've been told that they do not have this available on board. Anyone have any experiences good or bad?

[canner2u]

It has been really great to read all the posta about the Fantasy and to see the reviews ...I can hardly wait for my cruise on the Fantasy but it is still over a year away ... :o ...

What was your favorite thing about the Fantasy ...

What was your least favorite thing about your cruise ...

[dnj1]

Yes, DVD/VHS player in the room, although we never used it. We watched a couple of the Carnival run movies (Dream Girls and something else, I forget). That was all we needed, as it turned out.

 

 

Can anyone confirm that there is a DVD in the room specifically on the Fantasy ship? I have heard yes, and no.:confused: