Fantasy Review 10/28

[willbecruising]

Please note this is completely subjective, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Having said that, I have just recently returned from my first cruise on the Fantasy, and here is my review. This was the three night cruise that only stops in Nassau.

 

 

 

We flew into Orlando the night before and stayed at the Crowne Plaza by the airport. Nothing to write home about, but it was clean and pleasant enough.

 

 

 

Transportation… we used Legacy Towncar to get from the hotel to the port. Wonderful. We had a three-way pick up because we also went to Disney World after the cruise – the total for all of it was $205, but we tipped $60 making it $265. Not bad if you want private transportation. Our driver was Romeo (the owner). He’s very courteous and hilarious. You’ll enjoy him.

 

 

 

Embarkation… was a breeze because we were able to use Skipper’s Club check-in. There were long lines in the regular check-in section. We arrived there about 11:30 a.m. and were on the ship and in our cabins by 12:30. FYI, if you use the title “Miss” when you are booking, they automatically book you as a minor, and you are not able to be responsible for your own sail and sign account – hence, the computer will not take your credit card. I made this mistake… after trying many different credit cards, they finally figured out that I should be listed as “Ms.”

 

 

 

My first impression of the ship was “oh my, this thing is huge and beautiful.” Once onboard, I really was not overly impressed at all. There were dirty dishes, food containers, beer cans, etc. in the halls. It may have been relatively early for the ship to be “clean,” but it was almost 1:00 (when cabins are supposed to be ready). More on cleanliness… we went to the Lido Deck for lunch, and I couldn’t find a clean fork anywhere. I’m not talking water spots, rather it was dried food. The carpets were dirty in the public areas. Everything really just had a rundown appearance.

 

 

 

Muster drill… not a problem at all. Lasted maybe 20 minutes. The hardest part was walking up 4 flights of stairs with a thousand people, but nonetheless it’s very necessary so don’t skip it!!

 

 

 

Cabins… my mother had a Category 12 and I had a category 6 something. Both on the Upper deck. Honestly, I thought my cabin looked much newer, fresher and cleaner. Her bathtub/shower was very moldy, and the overall condition of her room was very worn. My cabin was perfect. The bathroom was very clean, and much more spacious than I expected. Learning to use the shower was a little tricky, but I managed. The bathroom floor does flood, but I didn’t worry too much about it – it finally drained itself. I really did love my cabin – it was U120. Unless you have quite a few folks staying in the cabin, and it’s cheaper to get the Cat. 12 rather than 2 ocean view cabins, I really didn’t think the Cat. 12 was worth the money. Our cabin stewardess was Stephania and she was perfect!! Kudos to her!! She was there when I needed her, she was in and out in a flash and did an excellent job. Always smiling no matter what. Since I was in the room by myself – I gave her the rest of the tips she would have made if it had been two people. My mother did the same for her room.

 

 

 

Entertainment… we attended one show and it was somewhat Vegas quality to me. I can say we really did enjoy that. We did not participate in any of the games, but watched them replayed on the cruise channel. I think I’ve read so much about those games they just didn’t seem to be that funny to me because I knew what to expect pretty much. I drank mostly Blood Mary’s, not the foo foo drinks of the day. The Bloody Mary’s were wonderful though!!

 

 

 

Food… okay, we didn’t eat in the dining room!! I can hear some of you now. We ate casual the entire time, and now I’m sorry I did. The Lido lunch buffet, Windows on the Sea, was terrible!! It was truly the worst food I’ve ever had. On a good note, the room service was really good!! The sandwiches were delicious. The roast beef and shrimp were what I had the most of, but all of it was really good. I did not try the pizza. Oh, almost forgot to mention that the breakfast buffet was much better than the lunch!

 

 

 

Pool… I never had any problem finding a chair, but I don’t think the ship was at capacity either. I used the pool on our full sea day. Wear sunscreen!!! Didn’t use the slide or pay much attention to it, so I can’t comment there.

 

 

 

People… for those interested. We sailed October 28-31 and there were quite a few kids, but the kids were NOT the problem. The adults were. Not all of them before I get flamed, but some of those folks could be really obnoxious screaming in the halls at all hours of the day and night. And you can hear what’s going on in the next cabin. I wouldn’t worry about hearing elevators, trust me.

 

 

 

Shopping… we really had a ball shopping in the ship’s shops. I bought pajamas, perfume, jewelry, shot glasses, cigarettes, Crown Royal, rum cakes, you name it. The Pina Colada taffy they sell in the gift shop is excellent!!

 

 

 

Bahamas… we did not book an excursion through the ship. We did our own thing and went to Ardastra Zoo, explored the city a little with our taxi driver, and did some shopping. We didn’t go the beach… eeek!! We’ve been to many, many beaches all over, and it wasn’t our number one thing to do! Besides, I was still a little seasick and needed to be away from the water.

 

 

 

Motion… YOU WILL FEEL THE SHIP MOVE. When I saw the size of the ship, my worries disappeared about motion. However, our first night, the ship was rocking and rolling really bad to the point my bathroom door kept swinging open. You really had to hold on to get down the hall. I don’t know if we were in rough seas because I have nothing to compare it to, but even when it calmed down on our sea day – there was still a gentle rock and definite forward motion. I took Bonine the first night and barely made it without actually throwing up, but I put a patch on the next day and that helped quite a bit for the sea day.

 

 

 

Debarkation… a pain. It seemed extremely disorganized to me, but then again it may always be like that. Our waiting area was the Universe Lounge, which contained four of the colors. Some of those colors were called, but no one could hear it in the Lounge. Finally, after an hour (about 9:30 a.m.) my mother and I made it down the stairs and just left. Our luggage was right there waiting on us, and we grabbed it and took off.

 

 

 

Customs/Immigration… not a problem at all. Took less than 10 minutes once we were off the ship.

 

 

 

Overall, it was not the best time I’ve ever had. I really came off the ship wishing that I had loved it, but I didn’t. I think it was just a combination of a lot of things that made me dislike it. But, cruising isn’t for everyone – some people are just meant to fly and stay, I guess that’s me. It wasn't a bad experience, and I am glad I did it, but I think I'll stick to my land vacations from now on.