Fantasy Christmas Cruise

[sixy-six]

Enjoyed seeing your Pics. Thank you for takeing the time and sharing them.

[sunsetsand]

Kcarp

 

Thanks for all the info. Being also from south Baton Rouge area, I now know a time to plan for perhaps a painless embarkation/debarkation. I dread leaving the ship on the last day and waking up to reality after the cruise.

[Kcarp]

Kcarp

 

Thanks for all the info. Being also from south Baton Rouge area, I now know a time to plan for perhaps a painless embarkation/debarkation. I dread leaving the ship on the last day and waking up to reality after the cruise.

We left BR around 8:00am and the process of getting there and boarding the ship was easy and painless. I remember looking back at the check in counter when we were boarding and the line was very long. It really is nice being one of the first on and off the ship. Have a safe & enjoyable cruise. :)

[mebjar]

Captain Pier Paolo Scala

 

 

I'm so happy to learn that! He was the Captain on the Ecstasy last year and we loved him. Very entertaining and personable.

[Kcarp]

I'm so happy to learn that! He was the Captain on the Ecstasy last year and we loved him. Very entertaining and personable.

 

I agree, and he told us he will be leaving the Fantasy in February to go on vacation back to New Zealand where he will be joining his wife and new born baby. He also told us he will be joining the Destiny after vacation. Really nice guy, I could talk to him for hours.

[djacobson]

I'm so happy to learn that! He was the Captain on the Ecstasy last year and we loved him. Very entertaining and personable.

 

I agree- I think Captain Pier Paolo Scala is the most personable and entertaining Captain that I have seen on Carnival. He has been given his own Q&A session in the Universe Lounge, which I believe was on the last sea day. He also has something he calls "Cigars Under the Stars" , up on Lido deck at the funnel.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[Kcarp]

He has been given his own Q&A session in the Universe Lounge, which I believe was on the last sea day. He also has something he calls "Cigars Under the Stars" , up on Lido deck at the funnel.

We were wondering if he is the only Captain that does this?

[djacobson]

We were wondering if he is the only Captain that does this?

 

He may be the only one, although I'm not sure. On all the cruises during the disembarkation talk the cruise directors have joked about smoking off the Cuban cigars the last night of the cruise, but this was the first time that there was a time and location, with the captain being available for pictures.

[FortyParty]

Kcarp,

 

Silly question, but do you remember if the Fantasy had magnetic doors and did it have the type of room safe that you use with a credit card strip?

 

Thanks for your reviews and pictures, I enjoyed it!

[Kcarp]

Kcarp,

 

Silly question, but do you remember if the Fantasy had magnetic doors and did it have the type of room safe that you use with a credit card strip?

 

Thanks for your reviews and pictures, I enjoyed it!

Yes magnetic doors and they had the 4 digit combination safe.

[djacobson]

Kcarp,

 

Silly question, but do you remember if the Fantasy had magnetic doors and did it have the type of room safe that you use with a credit card strip?

 

Thanks for your reviews and pictures, I enjoyed it!

 

I also enjoyed reviewing the pictures. The Fantasy is such a nice ship.

[zeegirl123]

Hi

I was on the fantasy on the Dec. 27 sailing. Our room was a Cat 11-very nice and all new. Very big EXCEPT for the balcony. The mongolian buffet for lunch is amazing. The omelet guy is great for b-fast. Now about dinner. Not great food. Ok but not great. So bad at times our waiter took our food back and was so frustrated with the kitchen staff. He said they yell at him and laugh. There seems to be some problems there. The new tables and chairs are wonderful on the Lido deck. There are many nice places to sit and eat lunch or breakfast outside by the beautiful ocean. Love the adult area but one day there was a naked man and woman there. I may be a prude but there are children on this ship and they could be seen(all of them!)

 

There is a problem with the water. Funny odor and yes they push buying the water-our waiter said if you save anywhere this week dont save on purchasing water. It is not cheap either and added up at almost $4 a bottle-but that is for a very large 2 liter bottle.

 

Very clean ship. It seems to move a lot and of all the cruises I have had this one rocked the most. The most puzzling for us was that the seas looked smooth. I do not have a sickness problem but felt for many that did. Someone said they were not using their stabalizers. I do not know this to be true but I wonder...

 

The cab from the pier to town in Cozumel was $7 and to Chankanaab Park was $12. We swam with the dolphins which I booked online 2 weeks prior to our cruise. It was fabulous. One thing we noticed. The people that booked with the cruise ship did not get the royal swim with 2 dolphins. It may not be offered that way through the ship so make sure you get the swim you want. They said they bought the royal swim but they had 1 dolphin and used a boogie board. We had to pay a cab another $13 to get to Paradise Beach from the park. Funny, it was only $13 to get back to the cruise ship from Paradise though. Paradise is beautiful. This was a wonderful day and Cozumel is absolutely beautiful.

 

Now about Progresso. What a disappointing port. It is so sad and poor. My husband and I wanted to give them all money but where do you start and stop? I was laying on the beach with my eyes closed and they would ask me to buy Dvds and jewelry, cigars, etc. The beach had few lounge chairs and the water is very brown and the bottom feels like a lake. Not what I expect for a port. Next time I will not get off the ship. All of our tablemates said the same except for the family that went to the Chitzanitza(sp) ruins. I feel so sorry for the people here. Not sure why it is a stop? Also, you have a 10 minute ride down the 4 mile pier to get there. Very slow and lots of slow moving vehicles that the bus gets behind. One nice thing is the bus ride on the pier is free.

 

The sewage smell is not there that I know of. Again, it is kept very clean.

 

Hope this is helpful and the days on the ship were wonderful. We always found chairs (before 9:30) and enjoyed the nice sunny days. the captain was very sweet and loved his daily messages. I apologize for the length of my post. Hope I helped!

[djacobson]

Hi

I was on the fantasy on the Dec. 27 sailing. Our room was a Cat 11-very nice and all new. Very big EXCEPT for the balcony. The mongolian buffet for lunch is amazing. The omelet guy is great for b-fast. Now about dinner. Not great food. Ok but not great. So bad at times our waiter took our food back and was so frustrated with the kitchen staff. He said they yell at him and laugh. There seems to be some problems there. The new tables and chairs are wonderful on the Lido deck. There are many nice places to sit and eat lunch or breakfast outside by the beautiful ocean. Love the adult area but one day there was a naked man and woman there. I may be a prude but there are children on this ship and they could be seen(all of them!)

 

There is a problem with the water. Funny odor and yes they push buying the water-our waiter said if you save anywhere this week dont save on purchasing water. It is not cheap either and added up at almost $4 a bottle-but that is for a very large 2 liter bottle.

 

Very clean ship. It seems to move a lot and of all the cruises I have had this one rocked the most. The most puzzling for us was that the seas looked smooth. I do not have a sickness problem but felt for many that did. Someone said they were not using their stabalizers. I do not know this to be true but I wonder...

 

The cab from the pier to town in Cozumel was $7 and to Chankanaab Park was $12. We swam with the dolphins which I booked online 2 weeks prior to our cruise. It was fabulous. One thing we noticed. The people that booked with the cruise ship did not get the royal swim with 2 dolphins. It may not be offered that way through the ship so make sure you get the swim you want. They said they bought the royal swim but they had 1 dolphin and used a boogie board. We had to pay a cab another $13 to get to Paradise Beach from the park. Funny, it was only $13 to get back to the cruise ship from Paradise though. Paradise is beautiful. This was a wonderful day and Cozumel is absolutely beautiful.

 

Now about Progresso. What a disappointing port. It is so sad and poor. My husband and I wanted to give them all money but where do you start and stop? I was laying on the beach with my eyes closed and they would ask me to buy Dvds and jewelry, cigars, etc. The beach had few lounge chairs and the water is very brown and the bottom feels like a lake. Not what I expect for a port. Next time I will not get off the ship. All of our tablemates said the same except for the family that went to the Chitzanitza(sp) ruins. I feel so sorry for the people here. Not sure why it is a stop? Also, you have a 10 minute ride down the 4 mile pier to get there. Very slow and lots of slow moving vehicles that the bus gets behind. One nice thing is the bus ride on the pier is free.

 

The sewage smell is not there that I know of. Again, it is kept very clean.

 

Hope this is helpful and the days on the ship were wonderful. We always found chairs (before 9:30) and enjoyed the nice sunny days. the captain was very sweet and loved his daily messages. I apologize for the length of my post. Hope I helped!

 

Please - no apologizes necessary! Thanks for a great review of your cruise. Did you post it in the section for CC member cruise reviews?

 

I think the main thing about Progreso is that it is a lauching point to visiting the Mayan ruins or to visit Merida. I have taken tours with AutoProgreso and have had good experiences visiting the ruins.

 

The menu in the dining rooms has changed some as Carnival is trying out some new dishes - did you notice how often mac and cheese was served as side dishes?

 

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. I'm looking forward to going back in May!

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Hello, you are my neighbor. We live in the same town. We are leaving next Sat. Hope you have a great time!

 

KCarp, I am loving your pictures. Thanks for posting.

 

I have a question about debarkation. Since our cabin is on the Empress deck and my DH is in a wheelchair, do you remember if that entire deck becomes congested with passengers trying to self-disembark? I would love to be last off the ship but need to plan appropriately for wheelchair debarkation. Do you still have your Capers with the information regarding wheelchair debarkation? If so, can you let me know about wheelchair debarkation?

This is the first time that we are traveling as a fulltime wheelchair passenger and I'm a little nervous about all the logistics involved.

Thanks so much for your help.

 

We took my Aunt on several cruises before she died last year (she was in a wheelchair full time). We would wait until the last group was called before we left the ship. We found it easier this way.

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

I can't wait. My Fun Group will be sailing on the Fantasy 1/19/09!!!

[sunsetsand]

I can't wait. My Fun Group will be sailing on the Fantasy 1/19/09!!!

 

We will be on that cruise also. I can't wait!

 

Thanks to everyone for their advice!

[zeegirl123]

Dear djacobson

Yes they had mac and cheese 2 times as a side. My husband loved it-kindof like an alfredo sauce. Yum! The lobster/shrimp was yummy, too.

Again, for an old ship they have made it very nice. The new furniture is so comfy and pretty. Our stateroom was beautiful and the beds are COMFY.

I think you are right about Progresso. We just wanted to relax and not go far so it was not a good port for us.

Have fun on your cruise!

 

Any other Q's I would be glad to answer!

 

Kay

[zeegirl123]

oh i forgot to mention that we arrived at the port at 11:30 and were on the ship eating lunch and drinking free champagne at 12:05.Very smooth and fast. Getting off wasnt bad at all. Waited to be called and we were off and in a cab by 9:00-only waited 5 min. in line. Easiest I ever had.

[DJandSydney]

Thanks for the pics and information. We would like to go in April 09.

Has anybody ever got a taxi and went to Chauckanob Park (sorry sp)

and had enough time to do an excursion with the dolphins.

Last year we did one thru carnival and it was great. It just used up the whole day. I would like to go on my own, but I did not know if there would be any openings left for people who don't make reservations.

Thanks to anyone who can help with experiences.

 

Your pics are great. Is the waterpark/slides kid friendly. I have a 9 yr old. That yellow one looks scary.

 

You can book directly with the park