It's Official - Fantasy to Mobile!

[PunkinsDad]

You can read for yourself...the Fantasy was decorated with milk cans, beer cans, tires and cat food?

 

I thought the Fantasy was a luxury cruise ship. What kind of decor is that?

 

That kind of decor can be found in any junkyard or low income neighborhood. My only guess is that Carnival wants their Fantasy class clientele to feel at home.

 

I think the citizens of Mobile as well as all potential cruisers should be outraged that this is what Carnival really thinks of them.....or maybe they know the cruise market better than I.

 

Yep...I'm sure they do!!:rolleyes: ;) :D

 

Rave on, please. As I stated, research will indicate just how much weight should be given to anything you have to say on this topic.

[nolaAlive]

And you cruised the Spirit or if not, which NCL ship?

 

Nita

 

I doubt it. After looking at his signature I realized I have been on more Carnival cruises AND more NCL cruises than him so he is correct - I wouldn't believe the inaccurate information that he was attempting to shovel.

 

For now, however, I am satisfied with the Carnival Triumph's announced itineraries, but do wish they would work Costa Maya in some.

[KY Transplant]

Rave on, please. As I stated, research will indicate just how much weight should be given to anything you have to say on this topic.

 

Find out the hard way then.

Its not my life savings that is going down the drain on a floating junkyard.:(

[PunkinsDad]

Find out the hard way then.

 

Its not my life savings that is going down the drain on a floating junkyard.:(

 

Ah! An assumption on your part. My life savings are FAR from in jeopardy from any vacation I might choose to take.

 

I'll go on Fantasy, and I'll go expecting to have a great time, therefore there is a 99% chance that I will. I'll be maximizing my enjoyment, instead of wasting my energy looking for reasons to complain, and looking down my nose at my fellow passengers who may, or may not, meet some screwed-up social-economic standard.

 

I'll ignore the "small-stuff" and concentrate on enjoying a good time with my family. If that does not work, if I'm too traumatized by the plebeian masses.......then I'll book a nice quiet weekend at the Waldorf Astoria in the fall...........

[firefly333]

You can read for yourself...the Fantasy was decorated with milk cans, beer cans, tires and cat food

 

I thought you had only been on the Holiday??? You mean you did the holiday and hated it that much and booked the Fantasy too??

 

Seems to me you are more against Mobile and whatever is the current ship. Betcha havent even been on the Fantasy.

[Cruzman]

And you cruised the Spirit or if not, which NCL ship?

 

Nita

 

Nita, you and I have already had this discussion ad infinitum. I see no reason to re-hash it again. You are a world class NCL cheerleader, I'm just the opposite based on my experience.

[luckycruzer]

I D10 T Syndrome strikes again

[KY Transplant]

I thought you had only been on the Holiday??? You mean you did the holiday and hated it that much and booked the Fantasy too??

 

Seems to me you are more against Mobile and whatever is the current ship. Betcha havent even been on the Fantasy.

 

 

I have not been on the Fantasy. I only know what I have read from the PVP website & the Mobile Pres Register.

I cannot believe nor can I understand why they would litter the Fantasy with such junk. I am asking for clarification.

Perhaps a sail on the fantasy would be in order to see for myself.

Contraire...I love Mobile with all my heart and I am outraged that Carnival continues to push their bottom of the line ships off on that fine city.

[firefly333]

I have not been on the Fantasy. I only know what I have read from the PVP website & the Mobile Pres Register.

 

I cannot believe nor can I understand why they would litter the Fantasy with such junk. I am asking for clarification.

 

Perhaps a sail on the fantasy would be in order to see for myself.

 

Contraire...I love Mobile with all my heart and I am outraged that Carnival continues to push their bottom of the line ships off on that fine city.

 

I havent been on the Fantasy, but have been on the Ecstasy. sister ship. I never saw the things you are describing. On the other hand I have been thru Mobile a few times and can't see the attraction. I was having a meltdown the other night when I feared they would just make me go out of Mobile when they moved the ships. Im your opposite, dont mind the ship, but dont want to go out of that port.

[Mysticks1]

I havent been on the Fantasy, but have been on the Ecstasy. sister ship. I never saw the things you are describing. On the other hand I have been thru Mobile a few times and can't see the attraction. I was having a meltdown the other night when I feared they would just make me go out of Mobile when they moved the ships. Im your opposite, dont mind the ship, but dont want to go out of that port.

Most of our attractions can't be seen from the interstate. Just so everyone else doesn't think Mobile has nothing to see or do and would be a waste of their time, here are a few of the attractions in our area.

• Battleship USS Alabama (that one can be seen from the interstate)
  
• The Exploreum
  
• Bragg Mitchell Mansion (and many other antebellum homes)
  
• Bellingrath Gardens
  
• Fort Conde
  
• Fort Morgan
  
• Mobile Delta ( A National Geographic Adventure Magazine article named Mobile as one of the 50 next great adventure towns last month.) There are many water type attractions.
  
• Gulf Shores - only an hour away with white sand beaches
  
• Dauphin Island
  
• Many great malls/outlet malls for those who love to shop.
  
• MS casinos less than an hour away.
  
• And Mobile (birthplace of Mardi Gras) has a more family friendly Mardi Gras celebration each year.

There are many more things to see and do - info can be found here. http://www.mobile.org/vis_home.php

 

 

[jetskier]

And you forgot to mention some great places to eat.

Dave

[KY Transplant]

New Orleans is not a difficult port to sail out of but Mobile is much easier and more convenient.

Mobile also retains a lot of old world charm that N.O. does as well. Did Donna mention Oakleigh is a big attraction in Mobile? Its a charming antebellum mansion that wisks you back into another time. Very worthwhile seeing and is close to the port.

And our beaches are world class. can't say that about N.O.'s beaches...they don't have any!

And the food in Mobile will rival or in most cases is better than you can get in...well...you know where.;)

Mobile is just not as publicized as New Orleans...thats all.

But I do understand the unwillingness not to drive the extra distance to Mobile from the Dallas area. Perfectly understandable....But then again wouldn't the Ports of Houston and Galveston be more convenient from Dallas?

Not to worry...we all have our own agends, likes & dislikes and what makes Firefly tick is fine with me!;)

[futaba951]

 

New Orleans is not a difficult port to sail out of but Mobile is much easier and more convenient.

 

Mobile also retains a lot of old world charm that N.O. does as well. Did Donna mention Oakleigh is a big attraction in Mobile? Its a charming antebellum mansion that wisks you back into another time. Very worthwhile seeing and is close to the port.

 

And our beaches are world class. can't say that about N.O.'s beaches...they don't have any!

 

And the food in Mobile will rival or in most cases is better than you can get in...well...you know where.;)

 

Mobile is just not as publicized as New Orleans...thats all.

 

But I do understand the unwillingness not to drive the extra distance to Mobile from the Dallas area. Perfectly understandable....But then again wouldn't the Ports of Houston and Galveston be more convenient from Dallas?

 

Not to worry...we all have our own agends, likes & dislikes and what makes Firefly tick is fine with me!;)

 

Wow! An unexpected cheerleader for Mobile! Your happy wheel must have gotten the grease this morning. You go, KY!! :D

[Mysticks1]

And you forgot to mention some great places to eat.

Dave

 

I did mean to mention that... thanks for the reminder :D

Some of the best seafood that you will ever eat is on the Causeway (parallel to Interstate 10 - the USS Alabama exits) Most of the restaurants have wonderful views of the Bay/rivers as well. My favorite it Ed's Seafood Shed but there are quite a few choices with excellent food.

[firefly333]

 

all.

 

But I do understand the unwillingness not to drive the extra distance to Mobile from the Dallas area. Perfectly understandable....But then again wouldn't the Ports of Houston and Galveston be more convenient from Dallas?

 

Not to worry...we all have our own agends, likes & dislikes and what makes Firefly tick is fine with me!;)

 

Yup, and I have done several out of Galveston, and have Conquest 9/08 (two sundays from next sunday), then Ecstasy (again) 1/09, then Voyager in the spring out of Galveston (again), then Conquest 9/09, so I thought I would be willing to do a drive to New Orleans, just once for a change of pace and booked the Fantasy 12/09.

 

I wanted to keep jan - april free so it would be easier to book the Voyager for 2010 who is only out of galveston from late dec thru mid april. Once Voyager is booked, then I can plan around it. When you are trying to cruise 3/4 times a year and only 3 ships to choose from, I just thought a teensy bit of variety would be a change of pace to New Orleans.

 

The one to New Orleans was just a side trip to see New Orleans in particular and take a little cruise to get away in the winter. I dont have anything against Mobile, I just didnt want to drive farther to a city that it wasnt my intention to cruise from, but there was a 4 day on Triumph the same date as my old Fantasy cruise and after many hours on the phone yesterday, got it slide to the Triumph and a new cabin assigned, all is well. Carnival was offering to cancel all affected cruises and give $50 OBC on the new prices, but Im not sure if you can just cancel the insurance for a full refund?? This was just easier, even though I didnt actually save but a few bucks.

[Rowan555]

The one to New Orleans was just a side trip to see New Orleans in particular and take a little cruise to get away in the winter. I dont have anything against Mobile, I just didnt want to drive farther to a city that it wasnt my intention to cruise from, but there was a 4 day on Triumph the same date as my old Fantasy cruise and after many hours on the phone yesterday, got it slide to the Triumph and a new cabin assigned, all is well. Carnival was offering to cancel all affected cruises and give $50 OBC on the new prices, but Im not sure if you can just cancel the insurance for a full refund?? This was just easier, even though I didnt actually save but a few bucks.

 

 

I'm so glad you got it worked out. I booked the 11-14 7 day Triumph "Eastern" cruise yesterday morning, and I'm so excited to try a new ship and totally new itinerary. Wish we could do that first 4 day as well, but Greg doesn't have enough time off work - we're taking a week long trip to Gatlinburg with his family over Christmas. I'd MUCH rather spend 11 days on a cruise!!!

[CINCYTRAVELER]

My sister and I had already booked 5 night on Fantasy out of New Orleans for Nov 9, 2009. I called my Carnival planner and asked her about our cruise. She replied that the Triumph was sailing a 4 night leaving on Nov 10 and "only" would cost us about $8 more each. Her offer was the advertised Carnival rate-yet I had booked the Fantasy 23 months before the cruise in order to get the best rate. This 4 night cruise averages over $108 a night and the Fantasy averaged $85 a night. I called her again this morning and left a message. Am I being unreasonable to think this rate should be adjusted?

[CruizinMom2c]

I would say that I really enjoyed the Fantasy last april...and this is definitely going to give me a reason to finally cruise out of Mobile..I honestly didn't want to cruise on the holiday...so I waited till they brought a different ship in...and I am so glad they are doing the evolutions of fun on the fantasy now too..that should be great.

 

 

Now if they can just go to a different port than Cozumel....haha I guess we will probably end up going their 50 times....since it seems all the cruises always stop in cozumel....I love it there, but something different would be nice too :)

[firefly333]

My sister and I had already booked 5 night on Fantasy out of New Orleans for Nov 9, 2009. I called my Carnival planner and asked her about our cruise. She replied that the Triumph was sailing a 4 night leaving on Nov 10 and "only" would cost us about $8 more each. Her offer was the advertised Carnival rate-yet I had booked the Fantasy 23 months before the cruise in order to get the best rate. This 4 night cruise averages over $108 a night and the Fantasy averaged $85 a night. I called her again this morning and left a message. Am I being unreasonable to think this rate should be adjusted?

 

I was on email and the phone since Sunday night to get it worked out and called the Carnival number that handles complaints even.

 

Carnival policy is to cancel your old cruise and offering $50 for you to rebook the Triumph at current prices. That sounds well and good except I also paid for insurance and then the insurance would be affected by even a small price change. And I would have to deal with the stupid inane TA I booked thru. Price wise, like you, it would have been very little money to change over.

 

Offer to go another day, when they have 5 day cruises on Triumph, I know they transferred glory to dream and I stood my ground until they transferred my cruise. Actually I only saved like $30, but this way I transferred my insurance without issues.

 

This is the policy I got from Carnival via phone before I got this in writing from my TA (and I said hogwash, give me the same days cruise and just transfer the cruise so my insurance transfers).

 

Re

 

We were just contacted by Carnival cruise line in regards to the following:

 

We want to advise you that the Carnival Fantasy New Orleans departures on Nov. 9, 14, 19, 23 & Dec. 12, 17, 21, 26, 2009 will be canceled. The Carnival Fantasy will be redeployed to Mobile.

 

The Carnival Triumph will replace the Carnival Fantasy in New Orleans and offer a year-round pattern of 4, 5, and 7 day cruises starting Nov. 10, 2009. However, based on the new itinerary pattern, the Carnival Triumph will not offer 4 and 5 day cruises on these departure dates.

 

We sincerely apologize for the cancellation of these cruises.

 

Carnival will be provide a $50 per stateroom onboard credit when you rebook on any other Carnival cruises including other 4 and 5 day New Orleans cruises on the Carnival Triumph. THis offer will be valid for re-bookings made by Sept. 5, 2008. If you choose to cancel you will receive a full refund.

 

Please contact us as soon as possible at XXXX and advise if you wish to book a different ship and date (i.e. transfer the $$$ you already paid) or if you wish to cancel.

[jetskier]

My sister and I had already booked 5 night on Fantasy out of New Orleans for Nov 9, 2009. I called my Carnival planner and asked her about our cruise. She replied that the Triumph was sailing a 4 night leaving on Nov 10 and "only" would cost us about $8 more each. Her offer was the advertised Carnival rate-yet I had booked the Fantasy 23 months before the cruise in order to get the best rate. This 4 night cruise averages over $108 a night and the Fantasy averaged $85 a night. I called her again this morning and left a message. Am I being unreasonable to think this rate should be adjusted?

 

Your other option is for them to leave your booking on the Fantasy and do the 6-day out of Mobile. The first sailing on the Triumph is probably going to have a higher rate as it is a new ship for the region. On the other hand, the Fantasy rates should keep near the same as many in the region have been on her before.

 

Dave

[Cruzman]

I would say that I really enjoyed the Fantasy last april...and this is definitely going to give me a reason to finally cruise out of Mobile..I honestly didn't want to cruise on the holiday...so I waited till they brought a different ship in...and I am so glad they are doing the evolutions of fun on the fantasy now too..that should be great.

 

 

Now if they can just go to a different port than Cozumel....haha I guess we will probably end up going their 50 times....since it seems all the cruises always stop in cozumel....I love it there, but something different would be nice too :)

 

On several occasions n the past when weather prevented the Holiday from sailing it's regular itinerary, she sailed to Key West and Nassau (or Freeport) instead. Dunno why Carnival wouldn't be willing to include that itinerary as an occasional option. Half Moon Cay is also doable. Perhaps we should load up on the comment cards.