Our recent Fantasy Cruise - Oct. 17th - Oct. 22nd.

[rcandv]

We returned from our recent 5 day Cruise on the Fantasy and I thought I would share a few comments with everyone.

I read some posts that Muster drill would be different now and that you didn’t have to bring your life vests with you. Well, I must say, they must have never told that crew on the Fantasy because we had to bring our life vests. Station F, to me is the worst one to be in because they herded you like cattle on the Lido Deck and made everyone get close together. For me, it is just a personal space issue with too many people. Anyways, after they went over the usual life vest drill, they made everyone wait around while the other stations were shown where the life boats were. I don’t remember having to do that in the past. Muster took way too long in my opinion.

We brought our 2 young daughters with us and signed them up for Camp Carnival. The camp counselors, to me, just didn’t seem as nice as in the past. While our girls had a good time and looked forward to going to Camp Carnival, the group of counselors that are currently on the ship just didn’t pleasant enough. I did like the fact that actually knew we were with another couple who’s 8 year old child was in Camp and thought to call our phone to locate his parents. The one thing I don’t understand about Camp Carnival is why does it have to placed in the back of the ship where the Cigar Bar is and people sitting around smoking for the kids to have to walk through. they should have thought that out a bit more.

We stayed on the Empress deck in E161. It’s the usual cabin for 4 and there were hardly any complaints except for one. There was a sporadic noise in the wall that drove me crazy. We started to hear it in the middle of the night on the first night. It didn’t bother us when we came back after having a good time and tired. But when you wake up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, it was very hard to go back to sleep. On the third day, I complained to guest services who offered to try and find us another cabin. I explained that with 4 people, re-packing and unpacking was a daunting task for us and I would prefer not to move. I explained that it sounded as if a pipe is loose or something is stuck in the pipe and asked if someone would try to fix it. They assured me they would. The next day, we received a call from Guest Services that they were going to give us a $83.30 credit on our sail and sign account. That night, we didn’t hear the noise when we went to bed and thought they fixed it. However, as 6:00 a.m. came around, the noise returned with a vengeance. It was so loud at one point that when we walked into the Windows of the Sea from the elevators, it could still be heard.

On the Progreso port night, the Halloween party took place. The kids’ party was at 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Their party consisted of dancing and games in the Disco, followed by a costume contest. We received an email about the Halloween party and it would include several things. It stated:

M&M's Presents Frightfully Fun Carnival 09,

Dressing up and cruising the neighborhood on Halloween is always the sweetest time of the year for kids and adults alike. So for those who will be vacationing "Fun Ship"-style during this time, Carnival came up with a "ghoul" idea… a "Frightfully Fun" party.
All sailings that depart in mid-October and run through Halloween will feature our fourth annual "Frightfully Fun" night.

No Tricks, All Treats...
• Costume contest (adults and kids)
• Family "Trick or Treat" stations
• Big Screen Movie - the classic, "Beetlejuice"
• Fantastic Halloween desserts
• Halloween dance party


I have to say, it was somewhat disappointing because they never showed Beetlejuice, nor did they have the Family “Trick or Treat” stations. Our kids were upset because it was something they were looking forward to. We asked the counselors about it and they seemed dumbfounded because they had no clue. Only one of them say, oh, I don’t think they sent the candy to distribute. They also didn’t know about the movie showing as well.

The adult party started at 9:00 p.m. with a walk around on the Promenade deck and then a dance party in the Disco until 11:00 p.m. when the costume contest was to start. They had several crew members from the dancing staff walk around and hand out invitations to the costume contest. The adult party honestly was much better handled/done than the kids party.

The comedians on the cruise was not as funny as on our first cruise. The first adult only show was actually better than his PG show on the first night, but the second comedian, Derrick Eason, just left more to be desired. We walked out of the show feeling we were being preached to and, got somewhat annoyed that the crowd kept interrupting his jokes to interject their own comments.

The wait staff in the formal dining rooms were awesome. They remembered your names and took the time to talk to you and get to know you. They were a lot of fun, but if I get a dining room seating with Mersin one more time, I think I will jump off the ship. The food itself was delicious and wanted more and more.

The cruise showed the Saints/Giants game on Sunday and had food set up for football fans which I thought was a wonderful. In addition, the other entertainment activities were wonderful, especially if you participate in them. I actually got pulled out of the hairy Chest contest to participate which I must say I won, and received several prizes which I thought were great. The only complaint that I have about it is that the staff who ran the contest gave out a order form for the voyage video and said that for participating, you get a dvd. Well, they failed to mention that you actually only get $5.00 off the DVD which you get anyway if you pre-order it before a certain time. Oh well, no biggie on that because we would have pre-ordered it anyway.

I do miss the old Captain’s Party. While I understand the reasoning behind it, I think it was still a nice way to see who all is in responsible for making your cruise experience go off well. The Captain did walk around the ship during that one hour or so on Elegant Night, but it just wasn’t the same. We didn’t make it to the Past Guest Party because we had so much going on with the kids that we completely missed it, but I must say that they still gave our Fantasy pins with our invitations.

The casino staff were wonderful. The dealers were extremely pleasant and actually would strike up a conversation with you. They made me want to play more just to hang out and talk. If I didn’t understand a game, they would actually take the time to tell you how it is played.

When we arrived back on Thursday, we were told that Customs procedures had changed. Even prior to our departure on the 17th, we were told that customs would go more smoothly than before. Well, it was true for everyone else but us. Apparently we have suspicious written on our foreheads because we were asked every question they could think of before we were cleared. We were even asked if we purchased any prescription drugs while Mexico. I mean, really.

I must say that with the few disappointments on the cruise, we still had a wonderful time. Our table mates were wonderful and, in fact, we hung out with them a lot on the cruise and helped them with having a great cruise experience. They are now good friends and look forward to cruising with them in the future. Our 2 girls had a wonderful time and enjoyed the many activities in Camp Carnival despite the not so relaxed, pleasant counselors available. We are already talking about our next cruise and when it will be because despite the few problems this past trip, we love Carnival and will continue sailing on their ships.

[urbanaman]

Thanks for the review. It was really nice. My wife and I are actually cruising in this same cabin on December 5th. It will be our first cruise. Do you have any pics of room?

[yogimax]

Thanks for an excellent and detailed review. Too bad you had to put up with the noise in the wall. I wonder how they determined your compensation? Probably a percentage of your cruise cost.