Fantasy Review (1st timer -- 8/8/09 thru 8/13/09)

[mrsbean1990]

We sailed out of New Orleans on Aug. 8, 2009 aboard the Carnival Fantasy. It was our family’s first cruise (2 adults and 2 boys, 14 and 11), and we LOVED it!!! We are already trying to figure out how we can swing a 20th anniversary cruise next year.

Happy surprises: the size of the inside quad stateroom, the availability of tables and lounge chairs, the absolute cleanliness of the ship, shampoo and soap dispensers in the shower, the efficiency displayed everywhere, the quality of the shows, the friendliness of the staff (everyone greets you, engages you in conversation), and feeling very little of the ship’s movement.

Unhappy surprises: No D.O.D. cards (wah!!!—was told that the program ended), the warm chocolate melting cake (didn’t live up to the hype for me), how fast 5 days go by when you are having the time of your life, and the random and forceful flushing of the public toilets (though one evening it was comical when the woman in the stall next to me and I had quite a good laugh when we both screamed as the toilets all flushed in unison). The toilets were like airplane commodes on crack!

Things we lost: my lens hood (the wind took it right off my lap and over the side of the ship) and a mask/snorkel set in Cozumel. Not bad in the casualties dept.

Things I wish we had: A longer cruise!!!...walkie talkies so that we could keep better track of each other on the ship...and sweatshirts – it’s cold up on deck at night sometimes, and I was always cold in the Universe Lounge during the shows.

Things we brought that I’ll leave at home next time: half of our smuggled alcohol (we didn’t drink nearly as much as I thought we would), and a third of our clothes (we came home with a full suitcase of clean clothes).

Things I was glad I had (thanks CC for all of the great advice): an outlet splitter, an alarm clock, our own beach towels (more easily spotted on deck chairs than the blue Carnival ones), an over-the-door shoe holder for our misc. items, ginger pills, our own meds, and extra hangers.

Best piece of advice found on CC: The Drury Hotel in New Orleans. $109/night…free cruise parking. Clean. Friendly staff. Free softdrinks in the lobby day and night. Three complimentary drinks from the bar in the evening, along with complimentary nachos. Complimentary HOT and good breakfast. Roof-top pool. Plus, we had the added bonus of looking out our 8th story window on embarkation day and seeing the Fantasy in the distance by the bridge. Wheeee!

Embarkation: A breeze. Efficient. We were onboard by 11:30.

Debarkation: Sucked. What can ya do? Took forever. Next time we do self-assist. ‘Nuff said.

Cabin: M46…our steward was Putu, and he rocked. We barely ever saw him, but our room was always perfect, and when we did see him he was friendly and called us all by name. He made us great towel animals and always left us sweet treats in the evening (candy, a smiley face cookie). Even though it was an inside quad, our family of four did not feel cramped. We were only a few cabins away from the elevator, and we were on a corner, but it was quiet at night…never heard a thing around us. The shower had a good stream, and hot water was always available. I never did get the hang of the faucet in the bathroom sink though.

Pool and water slides: I think my kids were a little disappointed in the pool. They didn’t like the salt water, and it was always crowded. They only swam in the pool and hot tub a couple of times. We kept saying we were going to go one time after dark, but we never got around to it. The waterslides were great…the line was never all that long. They only closed it twice: once on embarkation day before we even left the pier (bad weather) and once on the last sea day because of strong winds (approaching storm).

Deck chairs: Never a problem finding one. There were lots of chairs with items on them and nobody in sight, but who knows they could have been on the slide, in the pool, at the buffet? Didn’t let it bug me because I could always find a spot to park my butt.

Tap water: tasted fine to me. It had a taste to it, but it was not unpleasant. It reminded me of the tap water from my parents home town in New England.

Tea and lemonade: Tasted great to us, especially the lemonade. And when it was mixed with vodka, it was even better. J

Lido buffet: My only disappointment is that there were not enough hours in the day to try everything! Loved the French fries and the authentic tortilla chips. No matter what day, the fish was always good (and I’m not even that much of a fish eater)…if I could make fish that good I’d eat it every day. I can’t even tell you what my favorite foods were because every day there were always so many delicious items. The ice machines were a little lagging in the efficiency dept., but on debarkation day, there was someone in there working on them, so apparently they were having some technical difficulties.

Sushi: WONDERFUL. We all love sushi in general, so we had it three out of the five nights before heading upstairs to get ready for dinner. I discovered that I like wasabi. J

Pizza: My kids loved it. I never tried it.

Grill: Unfortunately, I never got around to trying the ruben. However, I think my husband enjoyed whatever sandwhich it was that he got. My kids loved the burger and fries. I thought the burger was just okay, but that was probably just a little let down because of all the hype the burgers got here on CC.

Your Time Dining: We had open seating in the Celebration dining room. We loved the anytime dining and would always choose it if it was an option in the future. Our eating times varied, and we only had to endure the singing on the final night…LOL…The only night we waited was on elegant night, and our wait was only 20 minutes. The hostess gave us a pager and sent us to the Universe Lounge for free cocktails (it was the captain’s reception). We had Dewa, Gede, and Dharmawan as our waitstaff all but one of the nights, and they were awesome. The food was fabulous every night! My favorites were the West Indian Pumpkin Soup, the lasagna on the first night, and of course, the lobster tail. The service and food were so wonderful that we felt like pampered kings and queens.

Dress on elegant night: I wore a gown, my husband a suit, and our boys Dockers and dress shirts. I did not see any tuxes on elegant night, but really, I wasn’t paying much attention.

Casino: My huband came out $25 ahead overall. I approached the slots but was too confuzzled about it to attempt playing.

Shows: What a great surprise! I didn’t find it hokey at all. Both of the comedians were funny (both the family and R rated shows), and the ventriloquist was a hoot. We saw Welcome Aboard show (okay, that one was a little hokey…), the R&B female performer, and the variety song/dance show on the final night. We enjoyed them all (even the kids). Our favorite though was the love and marriage game show…hahaha…we laughed our heads off. Thank God we didn’t get chosen!

Favorite entertainment staff person: The Asst. Cruise Director (Henne?) He was so, so funny and entertaining. He reminded me of Jim Carey…quick witted…very comical. He made his funny “eyebrows” for my son whenever he requested it. I see him getting a cruise director gig on a ship in the very near future. The cruise director, Risa Barnes, was fine, and I don’t know why she’s getting the “hate” on here. I thought she was very informative at all times, and she was really sweet and accommodating to the two little girls (one of them uninvited) that were on the stage for her magic quarter trick.

Favorite places on deck for taking in the view: Vernandah forward…sports deck forward…far aft eating area on lido (outside), tables outside of Windows on the Sea on the side of the ship.

Progresso: We did shopping near the beach, the double decker bus tour, and the DZ tour through Autoprogreso. The DZ tour was okay but very, very hot (we’re Houstonians, so we know how to handle HOT), and there was a lot of walking on unpaved surfaces, so keep that in mind if you’re planning on doing it. Our guide was good…a bit hard to understand, but his English is world’s better than my Spanish, so I can’t complain about that. It also seemed kind of rushed, and we got back to the bus just on time (little communication error…we thought the tour guide said to meet by the bathrooms…they were actually on the bus out in the parking lot…a little bit of a walk). Our kids swam briefly in the cenote. One son liked it, other did not.

Cozumel: Coz was the much better port stop in my opinion. We took a taxi to Paradise Beach and had a fantastic day. The kids had a blast on the water toys, the beach was beautiful and clean, the service was great, and the food was delicious. And the beers were cold! Eric was our waiter; I thought he looked like Rob Schneider. The kids did parasailing and we were able to get a “free” ride to watch them…interesting experience.

One of my favorite things: Seeing our ship, the Fantasy, docked next to the Ecstasy. It was cool sort of “racing” the Ecstasy to Cozumel from Progresso.

I know I’m forgetting things, so ask me anything you want!

Overall, it was a great, great vacation all around. Can’t wait to cruise again!!!

I haven't gone through my pictures, so I'll have to post them later.

[mrsbean1990]

Ooops, forgot to report on our smuggled alcohol.

I successfully smuggled two 1.75 liter bottles. I double wrapped them in plastic garbage bags and put the in our checked luggage. Next time, I will only smuggle (2) 750 ml bottles.

We also checked a case of Coke and a case of water.

When we got to our stateroom, our luggage wasn't there, but there was a black plastic garbage bag. Inside the black plastic garbage bag was the duffle bag with the Coke. Four of them had exploded...what a mess! I'm sure the baggage handlers were hating on us. I never even thought to wrap the Cokes in plastic!

[urbanaman]

My wife and I are booked for this on December 5th out of Mobile, but same ports. Can't wait, will be first cruise. How much does it cost to go to Paradise Beach? Is that a excursion? Would like to hang out at the beach and would appreciate any info about this. Thank you for your time.

[mrsbean1990]

We loved Paradise Beach. It was very clean, and the service was great. It was crowded though.

It was a $13 taxi ride each way, up to four people.

There is no admission to Paradise Beach, but if you're sitting in a chair, they expect you do order some food/drinks. The food/drinks are resort prices, but the quality is very good. It cost us $15.50 per bucket of Dos XX beer (five beers and cheaper than the ship). Our total bill with tip was $95...we got two buckets of beer, two waters, two sodas, cerviche and chips, a shrimp pizza, and a beef burrito. It was all delicious.

If you want to use the water toys, it is $10 per person for the wrist band. This includes floats, kayacks, snorkling, etc.

Lockers are $4 for the day.

We did parasailing, and that was $55 per person. I'm not sure I would recommend the parasailing. Don't get me wrong, the kids loved it...however, they make you go from one boat to another while they are moving, and there was absolutely no instructions given to us or the kids...they literally saddled them up and they were up in the air.

[mrsbean1990]

Also, you can do Paradise Beach as an excursion through Carnival. We chose to do it on our own.

[urbanaman]

Thank you for the info.

[emjay]

Was the ride on the Mississippi very rough? I have heard that you can feel the ship move quite a lot while going down the river

[mrsbean1990]

Originally Posted by emjay

Was the ride on the Mississippi very rough? I have heard that you can feel the ship move quite a lot while going down the river

We didn't feel anything on the Mississippi. In fact, we kept commenting on how unless we were on deck that first evening, we couldn't even tell we were moving.

Now, the next morning when we were in the Gulf, we started feeling some movement, but it was never more than just a funny feeling.

The final sea day, the Gulf was like a mirror in morning...so beautiful!

We headed back into the Mississippi around 9:00 on the last sea day, but I didn't notice any additional movement.

It's funny, I'm actually feeling more movement sensations here at home! I'm hoping it passes after I sleep again tonight.

[mrsbean1990]

Originally Posted by urbanaman

Thank you for the info.

You're welcome. People answered so many of my questions before the cruise, I hope that now I can answer a few.

[pe4all]

Great review. I loved re-living our cruise thru you. We also stayed at Drury (4 nites) and would use them again. Great bargain. We also loved the fresh veggies and dip, and popcorn at the "cocktail" 2 hours! This was also the first cruise where we didn't have problems with chair hogs. Could always find an empty chair - even at 10:00 a.m.

[mrsbean1990]

Originally Posted by mrsbean1990

We didn't feel anything on the Mississippi. In fact, we kept commenting on how unless we were on deck that first evening, we couldn't even tell we were moving.

Now, the next morning when we were in the Gulf, we started feeling some movement, but it was never more than just a funny feeling.

The final sea day, the Gulf was like a mirror in morning...so beautiful!

We headed back into the Mississippi around 9:00 on the last sea day, but I didn't notice any additional movement.

It's funny, I'm actually feeling more movement sensations here at home! I'm hoping it passes after I sleep again tonight.

Just noticed your cruise is coming up in a couple of days, Emjay! Have fun!!! Try to make it to the love and marriage game on the first sea day -- it was so funny. I guess it can vary depending on the contestants, but the asst. cruise director makes it very funny. Also, I did the towel animal demonstration class on the last sea day, and that was cool. I went to the shopping talk on the first sea day but didn't enjoy that -- left after a few minutes. I don't even like shopping and only went because my husband thought it would be informative.

[mrsbean1990]

Originally Posted by pe4all

Great review. I loved re-living our cruise thru you. We also stayed at Drury (4 nites) and would use them again. Great bargain. We also loved the fresh veggies and dip, and popcorn at the "cocktail" 2 hours! This was also the first cruise where we didn't have problems with chair hogs. Could always find an empty chair - even at 10:00 a.m.

Pea4all, I agree the cocktail hour was "da bomb!" We loved the veggies and the nachos. On the first night, someone gave my husband their drink card, so we got three extra free drinks! Wheeee! I was feelin' pretty good by the time we headed out to Bourbon St. that night.

[mrsbean1990]

Originally Posted by mrsbean1990

Pea4all, I agree the cocktail hour was "da bomb!" We loved the veggies and the nachos. On the first night, someone gave my husband their drink card, so we got three extra free drinks! Wheeee! I was feelin' pretty good by the time we headed out to Bourbon St. that night.

My only disappointment with the Drury was that our magnetic key cards consistently failed to work, and we had to keep going down to the lobby to have them re-swiped.

[emjay]

Thanks for the quick reply. We can't wait! We will be leaving on Sunday so we will have Sunday evening to venture out. Embassy Suites also has the free cocktails and appetizers from 5-7 and a really nice breakfast.
It just like you said, the 5 days go by so fast

[Tapit]

Thanks so much for the update. We are going on the same cruise in October and can not wait.

[balcony bound]

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise so much!

Our first Carnival cruise was on the Fantasy out of Port Canaveral. She's a wonderful ship with an amazing staff. We miss her!

[CruisingLPN]

My family and I were on this cruise also. I can second everything you said. I'm gong to take the time to write my review next week. We also stayed at the Drury. We went to the DZ ruins, the double decker bus ride, and Paradise Beach. I wish we were still there. Even the sunburn is worth it.

[dommer573]

Great review. I'm happy to hear your hooked (as a share holder) and hope to sea you soon

[water_sprite]

Thanks so much for the wonderful review! My family is sailing out on Monday. I can not wait. I'll be the first cruise for use too. My kids are 19 and 21. It's going to be a blast!!!!!

[Vanessa L]

Originally Posted by mrsbean1990

We sailed out of New Orleans on Aug. 8, 2009 aboard the Carnival Fantasy. It was our family’s first cruise (2 adults and 2 boys, 14 and 11), and we LOVED it!!! We are already trying to figure out how we can swing a 20th anniversary cruise next year.

Happy surprises: the size of the inside quad stateroom, the availability of tables and lounge chairs, the absolute cleanliness of the ship, shampoo and soap dispensers in the shower, the efficiency displayed everywhere, the quality of the shows, the friendliness of the staff (everyone greets you, engages you in conversation), and feeling very little of the ship’s movement.

Unhappy surprises: No D.O.D. cards (wah!!!—was told that the program ended), the warm chocolate melting cake (didn’t live up to the hype for me), how fast 5 days go by when you are having the time of your life, and the random and forceful flushing of the public toilets (though one evening it was comical when the woman in the stall next to me and I had quite a good laugh when we both screamed as the toilets all flushed in unison). The toilets were like airplane commodes on crack!

Things we lost: my lens hood (the wind took it right off my lap and over the side of the ship) and a mask/snorkel set in Cozumel. Not bad in the casualties dept.

Things I wish we had: A longer cruise!!!...walkie talkies so that we could keep better track of each other on the ship...and sweatshirts – it’s cold up on deck at night sometimes, and I was always cold in the Universe Lounge during the shows.

Things we brought that I’ll leave at home next time: half of our smuggled alcohol (we didn’t drink nearly as much as I thought we would), and a third of our clothes (we came home with a full suitcase of clean clothes).

Things I was glad I had (thanks CC for all of the great advice): an outlet splitter, an alarm clock, our own beach towels (more easily spotted on deck chairs than the blue Carnival ones), an over-the-door shoe holder for our misc. items, ginger pills, our own meds, and extra hangers.

Best piece of advice found on CC: The Drury Hotel in New Orleans. $109/night…free cruise parking. Clean. Friendly staff. Free softdrinks in the lobby day and night. Three complimentary drinks from the bar in the evening, along with complimentary nachos. Complimentary HOT and good breakfast. Roof-top pool. Plus, we had the added bonus of looking out our 8th story window on embarkation day and seeing the Fantasy in the distance by the bridge. Wheeee!

Embarkation: A breeze. Efficient. We were onboard by 11:30.

Debarkation: Sucked. What can ya do? Took forever. Next time we do self-assist. ‘Nuff said.

Cabin: M46…our steward was Putu, and he rocked. We barely ever saw him, but our room was always perfect, and when we did see him he was friendly and called us all by name. He made us great towel animals and always left us sweet treats in the evening (candy, a smiley face cookie). Even though it was an inside quad, our family of four did not feel cramped. We were only a few cabins away from the elevator, and we were on a corner, but it was quiet at night…never heard a thing around us. The shower had a good stream, and hot water was always available. I never did get the hang of the faucet in the bathroom sink though.

Pool and water slides: I think my kids were a little disappointed in the pool. They didn’t like the salt water, and it was always crowded. They only swam in the pool and hot tub a couple of times. We kept saying we were going to go one time after dark, but we never got around to it. The waterslides were great…the line was never all that long. They only closed it twice: once on embarkation day before we even left the pier (bad weather) and once on the last sea day because of strong winds (approaching storm).

Deck chairs: Never a problem finding one. There were lots of chairs with items on them and nobody in sight, but who knows they could have been on the slide, in the pool, at the buffet? Didn’t let it bug me because I could always find a spot to park my butt.

Tap water: tasted fine to me. It had a taste to it, but it was not unpleasant. It reminded me of the tap water from my parents home town in New England.

Tea and lemonade: Tasted great to us, especially the lemonade. And when it was mixed with vodka, it was even better. J

Lido buffet: My only disappointment is that there were not enough hours in the day to try everything! Loved the French fries and the authentic tortilla chips. No matter what day, the fish was always good (and I’m not even that much of a fish eater)…if I could make fish that good I’d eat it every day. I can’t even tell you what my favorite foods were because every day there were always so many delicious items. The ice machines were a little lagging in the efficiency dept., but on debarkation day, there was someone in there working on them, so apparently they were having some technical difficulties.

Sushi: WONDERFUL. We all love sushi in general, so we had it three out of the five nights before heading upstairs to get ready for dinner. I discovered that I like wasabi. J

Pizza: My kids loved it. I never tried it.

Grill: Unfortunately, I never got around to trying the ruben. However, I think my husband enjoyed whatever sandwhich it was that he got. My kids loved the burger and fries. I thought the burger was just okay, but that was probably just a little let down because of all the hype the burgers got here on CC.

Your Time Dining: We had open seating in the Celebration dining room. We loved the anytime dining and would always choose it if it was an option in the future. Our eating times varied, and we only had to endure the singing on the final night…LOL…The only night we waited was on elegant night, and our wait was only 20 minutes. The hostess gave us a pager and sent us to the Universe Lounge for free cocktails (it was the captain’s reception). We had Dewa, Gede, and Dharmawan as our waitstaff all but one of the nights, and they were awesome. The food was fabulous every night! My favorites were the West Indian Pumpkin Soup, the lasagna on the first night, and of course, the lobster tail. The service and food were so wonderful that we felt like pampered kings and queens.

Dress on elegant night: I wore a gown, my husband a suit, and our boys Dockers and dress shirts. I did not see any tuxes on elegant night, but really, I wasn’t paying much attention.

Casino: My huband came out $25 ahead overall. I approached the slots but was too confuzzled about it to attempt playing.

Shows: What a great surprise! I didn’t find it hokey at all. Both of the comedians were funny (both the family and R rated shows), and the ventriloquist was a hoot. We saw Welcome Aboard show (okay, that one was a little hokey…), the R&B female performer, and the variety song/dance show on the final night. We enjoyed them all (even the kids). Our favorite though was the love and marriage game show…hahaha…we laughed our heads off. Thank God we didn’t get chosen!

Favorite entertainment staff person: The Asst. Cruise Director (Henne?) He was so, so funny and entertaining. He reminded me of Jim Carey…quick witted…very comical. He made his funny “eyebrows” for my son whenever he requested it. I see him getting a cruise director gig on a ship in the very near future. The cruise director, Risa Barnes, was fine, and I don’t know why she’s getting the “hate” on here. I thought she was very informative at all times, and she was really sweet and accommodating to the two little girls (one of them uninvited) that were on the stage for her magic quarter trick.

Favorite places on deck for taking in the view: Vernandah forward…sports deck forward…far aft eating area on lido (outside), tables outside of Windows on the Sea on the side of the ship.

Progresso: We did shopping near the beach, the double decker bus tour, and the DZ tour through Autoprogreso. The DZ tour was okay but very, very hot (we’re Houstonians, so we know how to handle HOT), and there was a lot of walking on unpaved surfaces, so keep that in mind if you’re planning on doing it. Our guide was good…a bit hard to understand, but his English is world’s better than my Spanish, so I can’t complain about that. It also seemed kind of rushed, and we got back to the bus just on time (little communication error…we thought the tour guide said to meet by the bathrooms…they were actually on the bus out in the parking lot…a little bit of a walk). Our kids swam briefly in the cenote. One son liked it, other did not.

Cozumel: Coz was the much better port stop in my opinion. We took a taxi to Paradise Beach and had a fantastic day. The kids had a blast on the water toys, the beach was beautiful and clean, the service was great, and the food was delicious. And the beers were cold! Eric was our waiter; I thought he looked like Rob Schneider. The kids did parasailing and we were able to get a “free” ride to watch them…interesting experience.

One of my favorite things: Seeing our ship, the Fantasy, docked next to the Ecstasy. It was cool sort of “racing” the Ecstasy to Cozumel from Progresso.

I know I’m forgetting things, so ask me anything you want!

Overall, it was a great, great vacation all around. Can’t wait to cruise again!!!

I haven't gone through my pictures, so I'll have to post them later.

Thanks for the awesome review. It is always good to hear from first timers!! I am sailing her again on 9/28 and 11/30 (after being on her 5/9). Your review reminds me that I am ready to go NOW!!!!!!