cruise out of Charleston SC

We are going on the Fantasy in April. I am more of RCCL girl...however I need some info. We are driving into Charleston the day before and staying in a hotel. I usually go out of Baltimore on RCCL, we get to the port by 10am and are on the ship by 11. Does that work for Carnival, as well. We are also traveling with a 4 and a 5 year old...any insight to the Fantasy from their perspective would be most welcome

As all of this is Carnival policy issues, I would be researching it on the Carnival board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

We are going on the Fantasy in April. I am more of RCCL girl...however I need some info. We are driving into Charleston the day before and staying in a hotel. I usually go out of Baltimore on RCCL, we get to the port by 10am and are on the ship by 11. Does that work for Carnival, as well. We are also traveling with a 4 and a 5 year old...any insight to the Fantasy from their perspective would be most welcome

Hi,

Charlestonian, Bobsfamily, answered your question in another Charleston thread for someone else. Here's the link.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44260506&postcount=1041

Thanks so much!!:D

Updated information. I just got off the Fantasy on Thursday. We docked between 6-6:30am and folks were getting off around 7:15 or so. We drove and arrived at the port around 10:30, our luggage was collected and we waited about 10 minutes before they started parking the cars. We were on the ship by 11:45 am. I don't know if each sailing is like this but that was my experience.

Was hoping for that scenerio:D Any tips on the cruise itself? We've been on 19 cruises, but only once on Carnival. Not exactly a great experience....and we are really easy to please. Was it enjoyable, ship , food , service etc???? And let me reiterate...I am NOT one of THOSE travelers...you know the kind that think they should be in some kind of Utopia. Any info would be welcome .....thanks again

If you're doing the 5-day to Freeport and Nassau we found it to be very relaxing. I'm not a huge fan of Carnival but we knew what to expect. The ship is showing it's age but still in good condition. Food was average to me - didn't stop me from gaining weight! We didn't go to any of the shows. Getting on and off was very easy. The crew were fantastic - I didn't see any sourpusses. We had a good time.

We did this cruise last February and it was a really good experience. Just being able to drive to the port was a huge factor in booking and worked out very well. The price was really good as well. The majority of passengers were from the southeast and it was very family oriented. The ship was clean and the staff was very attentive. We enjoyed the sea days....really, after the winter we had last year, just relaxing in warm weather was the best part! We spent the day in Nassau at The Melia Hotel on a day pass and the day in Freeport we did a 5 hour bike ride which was a Carnival excursion. Did not go to any shows, but did spend some time in the different music venues. All in all, it was a great choice for a short break from a harsh winter.

We did this cruise last February and it was a really good experience. All in all, it was a great choice for a short break from a harsh winter.

We did this cruise as well for the same winter break reason February 2013. It was convenient to be dropped off and picked up by friends. So it served it's purpose.

We found the food to be mediocre but it was edible.

The one thing I don't usually see mentioned about this ship is the cigarette smoke. If that is a factor, you will not like the ship. Even though the bar is divided into smoking and non smoking, the ventilation is not sufficient to contain the smoke. So a lot of places even walking past a bar or casino you're going to go through that smoke wall. No big deal if it doesn't bother you. Big deal if it does.

Thanks for the responses...the smoke not a particularly pleasant prospect....but I

guess they have their rights, as well. We usually go out of Baltimore MD on the Enchantment n now the Grandeur. We are diamond members n love the RCCL line, although, Princess, Celebrity, n Holland America are equally nice.

We are traveling with my daughter n her 5 n 6 year old daughter's. We decided RCCL would prove a little slow for the kids, since my daughter isn't fond of the idea of not spending time with them if they were enrolled in the children's programs. So, Carnival fit the bill. Still kinda nervous about it though. :o

Thanks for the responses...the smoke not a particularly pleasant prospect....but I

guess they have their rights, as well. We usually go out of Baltimore MD on the Enchantment n now the Grandeur. We are diamond members n love the RCCL line, although, Princess, Celebrity, n Holland America are equally nice.

We are traveling with my daughter n her 5 n 6 year old daughter's. We decided RCCL would prove a little slow for the kids, since my daughter isn't fond of the idea of not spending time with them if they were enrolled in the children's programs. So, Carnival fit the bill. Still kinda nervous about it though. :o

We took this cruise last Dec. it is very relaxing, not a big ship so not alot of people. The shows were great, play bingo we won (600), the food is the only thing I complained about. Other than that we really enjoyed this ship and cruise. We had our 17 year old with us and he found the teen club made lots of friends. People just seemed so happy and pleasant.. you will enjoy and so will the kids. My kids LOVED camp carnival years ago when they was small..Have fun and soak up that sun :)

So, Carnival fit the bill. Still kinda nervous about it though. :o

Carnival is probably the best fit for your purposes as you say so no need to worry. Y'all will have a great time. Besides if not, it's a short cruise relative to a 14 nighter. :D

If you come in early don't forget to visit the South Carolina Aquarium overlooking the harbor. Your kids will enjoy it.

Updated information. I just got off the Fantasy on Thursday. We docked between 6-6:30am and folks were getting off around 7:15 or so. We drove and arrived at the port around 10:30, our luggage was collected and we waited about 10 minutes before they started parking the cars. We were on the ship by 11:45 am. I don't know if each sailing is like this but that was my experience.

Thank you for posting this! Just the info I was searching for today. :) And thanks to Past for asking the question. :)

We just got off the Fantasy today. Prior to embarkation, we received telephone calls and emails saying not to arrive at the port any earlier than 12:30. We arrived at the parking area at 12:33 and were not aboard ship until 2:45. Worst embarkation on any of the prior cruises I've been on. Disembarkation wasn't great either. We did self assist and were told to be ready to leave at 8:30 from our floor. We actually weren't able to leave until after 9:20, and didn't get to our car in the parking warehouse until 10:30. I found the smoke to be a problem, along with the noise level. Everything was twice as loud as it needed to be. The ship is also not heated, so many people were cold. I don't mean to be a sourpuss since I'm one who believes that a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work, so I didn't hate the cruise, but it was my least favorite of the 11 cruises I've been on. The kids I saw seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

I found the smoke to be a problem, along with the noise level. Everything was twice as loud as it needed to be. The ship is also not heated, so many people were cold. I don't mean to be a sourpuss since I'm one who believes that a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work, so I didn't hate the cruise, but it was my least favorite of the 11 cruises I've been on. The kids I saw seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way last year when I took the cruise.