Fantasy - January 17 - 22, 2011

Fresh off of the Fantasy and still feeling the rock of the ship. Lol. Below are a few thoughts. I did a blog while on board and will be posting that to my personal blog (link in signature) later today or some time tomorrow. For now....here are my thoughts:

Embarkation – The process once in the cruise terminal is very smooth and easy. However, the process to get to the terminal is very confusing. You are dropped with your luggage at what reminds me of a car rental return. After you have turned over your luggage, you are sent to a queue to board a shuttle for a 2 minute ride to the terminal. After all was said and done, we were on the ship enjoying our first dod in about 20 mins after setting foot in the terminal.

Sail Away – We were very disappointed that there was no horn blast as we were pulling away from the pier. According to the debarkation presentation, Risa had noted that when the announcements start for the debarkation process that they would only be made internally due to city noise restrictions. This could also be the reason why there was no horn blast when leaving port.

On-board Entertainment – OMG! Butt cheeks. Beware butt cheek haters. Lol. We had 2 production shows on this cruise. The first one was Nightclub Express and was overall pretty decent. The second show was Ticket to Ride which is a tribute to the Beatles. The last 20 mins or so was about the only part of the show that I enjoyed. Granted if you are a big Beatles fan then you might appreciate the entire show. The musical entertainment (Lido deck, piano bar, atrium, etc) were all excellent. I never found myself needing to leave any of the area’s where there were performers (unlike the performers on the Dream in October). Overall I would give the entertainment an A.

General observations: As a non-smoker, I found there to be way too many public smoking areas. I would have enjoyed the piano bar and Cat’s lounge more if it weren’t for the small space and the amount of smoke in them. There was a strong sewage smell throughout the ship. I may have been more sensitive to it as I do have a sensitive sense of smell, however it was very overpowering near the forward elevators on Empress, Atlantic and Promenade. While the ship has been refurbished, you can still tell that the ship is old. There are a number of areas in which more work could be done (theater, ceilings, various furniture pieces).

Ports of Call: I think Carnival should investigate some new ports of calls for the Bahamas’s cruise. Freeport is a very disappointing port of call and we really do wish that we would have just stayed on the ship. Nassau is one of those ports of calls (in my opinion) where if you have been there once, you are good to go. We spent maybe a couple of hours in port (if that) and even then we just grabbed lunch and some rum cake from Tortoga. All in all, if you are looking for pure relaxation and never getting off the ship, this would be the itinerary for you.

Medical Center: While majority of the cruising population will never have to visit the medical center, I unfortunately did after falling on Lido due to a slippery deck. The staff is very professional and thorough in assessing and treating you. While I never wish anyone to have to visit medical, if you do end up there, you will be in good hands if you do.

Chef's Table - Amazing as always. The Fantasy holds theirs in the library. While the menu is the same fleet wide, there were a couple of dishes that we had not previously had on the Dream. The Chef did say that the menu should be changing within the next 2 - 3 months. One thing we did learn during Chef's Table is that you can special request dishes that may not be served during a 3 - 6 day cruise. As long as the ingredients are on board, the chef will have the dish prepared for you. This made the hubby very happy when he inquired about bitter and blanc.

Overall, the Fantasy is a good ship and itinerary for a first time cruiser who is not sure whether they will like cruising or not. Given the chance I would cruise it again since it is relatively close to home.

How was leaving and returning to Charleston as far as the water is concerned - rocky, smooth, etc.? Have read a couple of reviews that stated water is very rough.

We leave a week from tomorrow - doing the five day. How was the temperature in Freeport and Nassau?

I hate to hear about the smoke and sewer smells. My sense of smell is very keen, so I bet I will not be happy with these smells!!!

Which deck were you on? We are on the Empress - midship.

Any other thoughts to share? Six of us are going. We are doing an excursion in Freeport - Sanddollar one and in Nassau, we are doing Blue Lagoon. Decided to do excursions since both ports don't have much to offer. I have been to Nassau on my first cruise - swore I would not go back, but since Charleston is close to home and we can drive, decided to give it another shot!!!

Thanks for review and any additional info you can provide.

We were on the same cruise. We were on the Main deck towards the front of the ship. The only day I really noticed any movement was the first sea day. I didn't seem to notice the sewer smell and the only place the smoke was bad was in the piano bar. We laid on the beach in Freeport and walked around Nassau for awhile then laid out by the pool. The water in Freeport was freezing! I was sweating laying by the pool while docked in Nassau. Been to Nassau 7 times, so I went for the cruise not the ports. We had a wonderful time, but the sea days were cold!

Glad to hear you had a great time. We will be taking Fantasy Mar 1. Can't wait.

What night was elegant night? 2nd, 3rd, etc..

Thanks,

How was leaving and returning to Charleston as far as the water is concerned - rocky, smooth, etc.? Have read a couple of reviews that stated water is very rough.

 

We leave a week from tomorrow - doing the five day. How was the temperature in Freeport and Nassau?

 

I hate to hear about the smoke and sewer smells. My sense of smell is very keen, so I bet I will not be happy with these smells!!!

 

Which deck were you on? We are on the Empress - midship.

 

Any other thoughts to share? Six of us are going. We are doing an excursion in Freeport - Sanddollar one and in Nassau, we are doing Blue Lagoon. Decided to do excursions since both ports don't have much to offer. I have been to Nassau on my first cruise - swore I would not go back, but since Charleston is close to home and we can drive, decided to give it another shot!!!

 

Thanks for review and any additional info you can provide.

The water was pretty rough that first sea say leaving Charleston and working our way south. There was definitely a lot of rocking to the ship but did not notice it the rest of the cruise.

I am also very sensitive to smells which is probably why I noticed them more.

The weather in Freeport and Nassau was beautiful. More humid in Nassau but I wasn't going to complain considering the weather we left and knew we would come back to. ;)

We were on Main deck 1/2 way between mid and aft. I felt that it was a good location.

Taxi's in Freeport will not run unless they are full. You can take the taxi as a small party but you will pay close to triple the fare if the taxi is full. With the 6 of you, you should be okay.

I hope you guys have a fabulous time and can't wait to hear your thoughts when you return. :D

Glad to hear you had a great time. We will be taking Fantasy Mar 1. Can't wait.

 

What night was elegant night? 2nd, 3rd, etc..

 

Thanks,

Elegant night was on the 2nd night. There was a good mix of people in formal all the way down to their Sunday best. We were in the middle there. ;)

This is a great itinerary and one I would probably do again for one of those last minute getaways.

I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did. :D

Thank you for your review of the Fantasy. We cruised on her a couple of times when she was still here in New Orleans and enjoyed the experience.

It would definitely be nice if they could at least have just 1 non-smoking night in the piano bar or at least provide some better ventilation in there. It's pretty awful if you're a non-smoker in there.

They do need to spruce up the furnishings a bit as they are getting rather worn in places, but overall the ship is in pretty good shape.

Thanks for all the info. I am getting excited about the cruise - just worried about the weather; however, there is nothing I can do to control or change it. Still plan to have a good time. I may be sitting on the cateraman while the others snorkle! Will give a report when we return.

thanks for posting

Thanks for the review. We will be on this cruise next week. Going in, I know that Fantasy is an older ship, so will keep my expectations in check. We did another of the older ships out of San Diego and the only change I am doing is an outside cabin this time. Would prefer a balcony but an outside will give me the light I crave. The only excursion we will do is the Blue Lagoon. Just hoping for warm weather. What makes this cruise attractive is that we can drive to the port. BTW, enjoyed your pictures on your blog, from your first cruise.

Thank you for your review of the Fantasy. We cruised on her a couple of times when she was still here in New Orleans and enjoyed the experience.

 

It would definitely be nice if they could at least have just 1 non-smoking night in the piano bar or at least provide some better ventilation in there. It's pretty awful if you're a non-smoker in there.

 

They do need to spruce up the furnishings a bit as they are getting rather worn in places, but overall the ship is in pretty good shape.

I totally agree about having 1 night of non-smoking in the piano bar. We enjoyed it for a short time but then had to move on to another area to hang out with friends. Kind of a bummer.

The seats in the upper level of the theater could be replaced, as well as the chaise lounges in the 21st Century bar area. Aside from those, the ship really is in good shape for her age.

Thanks for all the info. I am getting excited about the cruise - just worried about the weather; however, there is nothing I can do to control or change it. Still plan to have a good time. I may be sitting on the cateraman while the others snorkle! Will give a report when we return.

Please let me know what you think of the Blue Lagoon excursion. We'll be hitting Nassau again next January and am looking at this one as a possibility for snorkeling. The water temperature in Nassau was 66 degrees on Thursday when we were there. Some people that I talked to said it warmed up the longer you were in there, others said they felt it got colder. lol.

I'm excited for you to cruise. :D

Thanks for the review. We will be on this cruise next week. Going in, I know that Fantasy is an older ship, so will keep my expectations in check. We did another of the older ships out of San Diego and the only change I am doing is an outside cabin this time. Would prefer a balcony but an outside will give me the light I crave. The only excursion we will do is the Blue Lagoon. Just hoping for warm weather. What makes this cruise attractive is that we can drive to the port. BTW, enjoyed your pictures on your blog, from your first cruise.

I hope you have a great time! What I enjoyed the most with this cruise was having no plans and just being lazy. The ship is definitely perfect for that. :D

The distance from home was definitely the seller for us. I really look forward to the new terminal being completed and more ships calling Charleston home.

Oh thank you! The Dream was definitely a dream cruise. ;) I hope to have my blog entries with pictures up in the next day or so. :D

We were on this same cruise and had a great time too. The only place I really noticed any foul smell was on the Upper deck at the forward elevators and just a hint on the deck above that at the same spot.

Yeah the smoking was a little out of hand in some spots. I can't handle that, so I stayed away from those areas.

The serenity deck was heaven on that last day though. We were getting really tired of all the unattended kids running around willy nilly.

We were on this same cruise and had a great time too. The only place I really noticed any foul smell was on the Upper deck at the forward elevators and just a hint on the deck above that at the same spot.

 

Yeah the smoking was a little out of hand in some spots. I can't handle that, so I stayed away from those areas.

 

The serenity deck was heaven on that last day though. We were getting really tired of all the unattended kids running around willy nilly.

Empress and Atlantic FWD is where I smelled the foul smell the most.

We only made it to serenity deck once and it took us a bit to figure out how to get there. Lol.

Definitely a great cruise.

Empress and Atlantic FWD is where I smelled the foul smell the most.

 

We only made it to serenity deck once and it took us a bit to figure out how to get there. Lol.

 

Definitely a great cruise.

Where and what is the serenity deck?

Where and what is the serenity deck?

The Serenity deck is an adult only sanctuary on the aft of the ship. It is located on the Promenade deck. I could not figure out how to get there from the Promenade and had to go through Lido and down the stairs from there.

There are 2 whirlpools and chaise lounges. Very nice and relaxing.

Where and what is the serenity deck?

Age 21 and up only and on the Fantasy it is on the promendade deck aft.

Just wondering which night of this five day cruise is formal night?

Thanks

It would definitely be nice if they could at least have just 1 non-smoking night in the piano bar or at least provide some better ventilation in there. It's pretty awful if you're a non-smoker in there.

We will be sailing on Fantasy March 6th a six day cruise. It will be our second time on Fantasy. I too would love to enjoy the panio bar but as a non smoker I have not been able to go into them. In the six Carnival cruises I have taken that bar has always been to smokey, same with the casino.

Wouldn't be nice if they alternated the smoking in the panio bar and the casino so that both smokers and non smokers could enjoy both places. I heard "21 Centry Bar" outside the casino is non smoking I hope so that will be where I will be spending my time.

I heard "21 Centry Bar" outside the casino is non smoking I hope so that will be where I will be spending my time.

Yes, the area with chairs and tables across the walkway from 21st Century Bar IS non-smoking. That is where we hung out a lot. Perfect for card playing, relaxing and just sitting and chatting. :D

Enjoy your upcoming cruise. :D

My wife and I will sailing with my stepdaughter. She is 17, turning 18 the week we get back. This is her birthday, graduation present and she is just wanting to spend time with us. She looks about 22, how well is the serenity age limit enforced. I can picture her and my wife napping there for a while. Any other things we should catch?

My wife and I will sailing with my stepdaughter. She is 17, turning 18 the week we get back. This is her birthday, graduation present and she is just wanting to spend time with us. She looks about 22, how well is the serenity age limit enforced. I can picture her and my wife napping there for a while. Any other things we should catch?

The serenity area is not strictly enforced. There is a towel hut up there which is staffed by a crew member, however I think they are looking out more for young kids and unruly teens. I think your step-daughter will be fine up there.

The Welcome Aboard show is worth checking out. It can be hit or miss, however I am glad we went because it brought my husband out of his comfort zone (in a good way).

Definitely catch the production shows. If you CAN get reservations for Chef's Table, I highly recommend this. There is a $75/pp charge, but it is totally worth it. You can request reservations via the instructions on this post (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=27658793&postcount=7). We had problems with getting reservations by following the above as I do not think the Fantasy is "on board" for the way John allows you to pre-book them. If you do not get confirmation, there will be a table set up in the Grand Spectrum lobby (Empress - deck 7) next to the bar (opposite the Fun Hub). A representative from the dining room should be there at or a little after noon. You can then sign up there.

If you have questions or want more info, let me know. :D

Is this your first cruise?

Thanks for taking time to write the review. A couple of questions: is the fun hub the same as the internet cafe on the Fantasy? (like the Dream) And did you notice it being cold on the ship? Most importantly, was there Creme Brulee the first night in the MDR??:D We leave in a week and are ready!! Thank you!!:D

Thanks so much for the info Jobell. This actually my 2nd cruise. I took one many years ago to Key West and Cozumel. I had a good time then, but am really looking forward to this one and think it will be a lot more fun with my wife and daughter. I am sure we will have many more questions before we leave in April!

Thanks for taking time to write the review. A couple of questions: is the fun hub the same as the internet cafe on the Fantasy? (like the Dream) And did you notice it being cold on the ship? Most importantly, was there Creme Brulee the first night in the MDR??:D We leave in a week and are ready!! Thank you!!:D

Yes, the Fun Hub is the same as the internet cafe. I think Fun Hub just sticks with me more. lol. I did find it being chilly in the Celebration dining room and the theater. Definitely pack a sweater or wrap. Creme Brulee was served on the first night in MDR. Have an amazing time!!! :D

Thanks so much for the info Jobell. This actually my 2nd cruise. I took one many years ago to Key West and Cozumel. I had a good time then, but am really looking forward to this one and think it will be a lot more fun with my wife and daughter. I am sure we will have many more questions before we leave in April!

This was our 2nd cruise as well. If you haven't already, I would definitely connect with your roll call group. I might not know everything, but I love talking cruising and will try and answer any questions you might have.

I've updated my blog (in signature) with my updates I wrote throughout the week. You should also be able to link to my photo album from there.

:D

Thanks for the review, we are sailing her May 9th, how was the food???