poptart Posted November 22, 2009 #1 Share Posted November 22, 2009 mini cruise review---of our shortened, always late Fantasy cruise. Our 6 day cruise turned into only 5 due to hurricane Ida--who wasn't more than a thunderstorm. There were four in our group. me, hubby, sister and brother-in-law. We drove down on 11/10 the day our cruise was supposed to start. Rain was pretty bad in Birmingham but the further south we went the better the weather got. Just windy in Mobile. We spent the night at the Drury Inn and it was very nice. We'd definately stay there again. The ship was late arriving in Mobile, about 2 hours and late leaving. Embarkation was a disaster. Computers weren't working and they were doing everything by hand. VIP was a joke. We made it to Cozumel. Missed Progresso and Costa Maya. Went to Calica (Playa Del Carmen) instead. Had fun in spite of it all. Really an excellent cruise. Weather was absolutly perfect. We went to Coz and then were 1 hour late getting to Calica--which is only 12 nautical miles from Coz The ferry makes the trip in 30 minutes. I guess we did 1 circle too much before heading to port. Then we were late getting back to Mobile and didn't get off the ship until about 10:30, once they let us leave we were off and in the truck in just 10 minutes and headed home. Our cabin was lousy, never accept a sideways cabin. I don't think I'll ever do another guarantee. I'd rather pay a little more and pick my cabin than to get a cabin like that again. We had a great roll call going met some really nice Cruise Critic members. I think we had 42 at our Cruise critic cocktail party. The drinks were free flowing and yummy. We had more than our share. It was well worth the 11.44 per person. Something new on the Fantasy that I hadn't seen before was the Rotisserie on the lido deck--next to the outside burger grill. Anyhow they the had the best rotisserie chicken, (charles liked the roast beef) and mashed potatoes! I had it twice for lunch. Could have eaten it every day, but we ate in port 2 days. Also new was a mongolian grill--right next to rotisserie. You picked your raw meat, veggies & sauce and they cooked it right there for you. Charles loved that. I never tried it. Anytime dining--we absolutely loved it!! We only had to wait 1 time and that was formal aka elegant night and only for about 5 minutes. We usually ate between 6:30-7. We always got a table for 4 but the tables are close together and we always wound talking with people at the tables near us. Met lots of interesting folks. Got a window table 2 nights. Only had the same wait team twice. But they were all excellent and very friendly. Dh loves the fact that he only has to wear his long pants on Elegant night other than that he always wore shorts to dinner as did lots of folks. We love the new relaxed dress code. I never wore shorts to dinner, but I'm cold nature and just preferred long pants or jeans. Serenity--adult only deck was awesome. Nice padded lounge chairs facing the aft of the ship. I love watching the wake. Nice breeze, umbrellas for shade. 2 hot tubs that were good and warm and a shower to cool off under. Plenty of sun or shade. Last sea day I spent the whole day out there. my sister stayed with me for a while in the sun. Then dh came out and we switched to the shade and both fell sound asleep for a couple of hours. Shows, the ones we saw were excellent. My favorite was Ticket to Ride--a Beatles review. We didn't go to all of them spent more time in the casino, the others would gamble and I would spent time at the Casino bar, there was always a singer there and comfy chairs. I never lacked for someone to talk to. As usual we also spent a good deal of time at karoke. We love that. This cruise there were some awesome singers Cozumel--the Bar hop bus was a blast. 5 bars with free shots at each. Most were actually a mini mixed drink and were yummy. A couple were tequila shots. At Coconuts we had chips and salsa and I had some really good sangria. We had lunch at one called Rastus--awesome fish tacos Paradise beach was last--I had a massage here. $20 for 20 minutes (all I had time for) so relaxing I fell asleep. Then we had the choice of being dropped off at the port or Margaritaville downtown. All but 1 couple chose to be dropped off at the port. It was a really fun day and we saw some beautiful parts of the island we'd never seen before. We'd never been to Calica--when you first see the port it is shocking it is so ugly--just a huge gravel and sand pit. But once you leave the port area it is a beautiful place. So if you wind up here, don't worry--get away from the port and all will be well :D Calica, we did an ATV jungle adventure with a beach break. Nice a/c bus to ranch. We spent about 2 hours on the atv's. dh and I had never ridden one before but it was a lot of fun. Our guides were great and took good care of us. We went thru the jungle then wound up in the sand (my favorite, kind of felt like I imagine it would feel riding on the moon) not near as jarring and bumpy as the jungle path. Then we wound up at a beautiful beach where they served us nachos and huge plates of fresh papaya and cantelope. It was so delicious. We were under a huge palapa and a pleasant breeze was blowing. The beach was beautiful and we could see Cozumel in the distance. When we got back on the bus to head back to port they handed out some forms for us to fill our about our excursion and how we liked it. The said "be brutally honest!" We all had only positive glowing reports to make. The were wonderful to us and so proud of their country and culture and took a lot of time to talk to us. So it wasn't the cruise we expected, it wasn't perfect, but we made lemons into lemonade and had a wonderful cruise and relaxing vacation in spite of all the mishaps and changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #2 Share Posted November 22, 2009 The cabin---it would be great for friends or a couple who don't sleep together. But there was a big square pole right in the middle of the room and when they put the beds together--they were just sticking out in the middle of the room--no headboard--so sometimes your pillows fell off into the floor in the middle of the night. You had to crawl in and out from the top or bottom of the bed. I kicked dh in the eye getting back in bed one night. No room to walk. Could barely get to the vanity to do hair and make-up. There was only half the closet space that every other room, inside, window or balcony that we have ever had on Carnival. We just hung up our "dinner" clothes and lived out of the suitcase. But it looked pretty since my daughter suprised me and had it decorated for my birthday, sent me a bottle of wine and a cake at dinner too. And now to beat it all--been cussing for 30 minutes! I was going thru my pictures on my camera--decided to go ahead and delete the bad ones before I downloaded them on the computer....well new camera and I somehow hit a wrong button and erased the whole memory card--POOF--all my pictures were gone! grrrrrrrrrrrr I had some really good ones and several of the cabin to show what it looked like. Maybe someone from our roll call will see this review and insert some pictures. Any questions? Just ask. I was really surprised how good the ship looked since in was in dry dock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted November 22, 2009 #3 Share Posted November 22, 2009 WOW Im sorry you got stuck in one of those sideways cabins. Iv peeked in at a couple. I saw one next to mine on Ecstasy, next to E123 and said I was sure glad I didnt get stuck with it, it had the pole you mentioned. The guys got it as a free upgrade and said it was fine to them, but I wouldnt have liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JJWW Posted November 22, 2009 #4 Share Posted November 22, 2009 As y:Du say ! Your review is very honest and enjoyable to read ! Calica = (Playa Del Carmen) most cruiser's will look at the dock and never leave the ship . :D:D to bad they missed (Playa Del Carmen) :rolleyes:. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myangel Posted November 22, 2009 #5 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Thanks for the great review, we will be on the Fantasy in 2 weeks! What is a "sideways" cabin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JJWW Posted November 22, 2009 #6 Share Posted November 22, 2009 WOW Im sorry you got stuck in one of those sideways cabins. Iv peeked in at a couple. I saw one next to mine on Ecstasy, next to E123 and said I was sure glad I didnt get stuck with it, it had the pole you mentioned. The guys got it as a free upgrade and said it was fine to them, but I wouldnt have liked it. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mexicobob Posted November 22, 2009 #7 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Glad you had a good cruise in spite of everything. Thank you for your review. We are considering the same cruise and appreciate any information available. MexicoBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted November 22, 2009 #8 Share Posted November 22, 2009 The cabin steward had the door open and I snapped a picture. The cabin isnt as big to me, and laid out poorly. Poptart mentioned a pole, on the cabin next door, it was close to the door!! (sorry about the messy beds, but thats the only time I could peek in). Conquest had some sideways cabins, which also looked smaller than a regular inside ... glad I missed them too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #9 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Fire, yup, this is it!!! Awful! notice you can barely walk between the vanity and the bed. We put the two little end tables together at the foot of the bed and sat our largest suitcase on top and just "lived" out of it! Less closet space and shelves. We paid for a 4b and this was supposedly a 4c small upgrade. I questioned it when we were assigned it--but then thought oh well how bad can it be. Welp first and last time I book a guarantee! As I said when the beds were along the walls in a L shape it wasn't bad. So for friends or just room mates it would be fine. But at least it was "pretty" with all my surprise birthday decorations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunu Posted November 22, 2009 #10 Share Posted November 22, 2009 If the were smart the pole would be round and they could charge a premium for the room. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #11 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Glad you had a good cruise in spite of everything. Thank you for your review. We are considering the same cruise and appreciate any information available. MexicoBob Just be sure to plan some fun excursions in port! And be ready to roll with plan B. We have cruised mostly in November and this is the 1st time a hurricane was anywhere around. Per the weatherman it was only the 4th hurricane to ever reach land in November. The Fantasy should have it's act together in Mobile by the time you cruise. The problem with it being late for embarkation was due to the fact that it was "moving" from New Orleans to begin cruising from Mobile. I guess the trip took longer than expected. Who knows why we were late to Calica--that was just weird since you could actually see Coz in the distance. We were late returning to Mobile due to fog and getting the ship lined up with the gangplank--new ship, new port problem again. They should have all the bugs worked out by now. We really had a good time and would cruise on the Fantasy again tomorrow if we could....but NOT in a sideways room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #12 Share Posted November 22, 2009 If the were smart the pole would be round and they could charge a premium for the room. :eek: hey, dh took some pictures of me "attempting" to pole dance on a square pole :D:eek::D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherrybaby412 Posted November 22, 2009 #13 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Maybe the pole is for after hours entertaining? :rolleyes: OMG who would want a pole in their room? Seriously? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #14 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Thanks for the great review, we will be on the Fantasy in 2 weeks! What is a "sideways" cabin? look on the deck plans for the Fantasy. Look at the Main deck right behind the mid ship elevator is cabin M149 that is where we were. You'll see what I mean by sideways. I would not reccomend this cabin to anyone. We were worried about elevator noise....didn't hear a sound. It was a very quiet location. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #15 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Welp I'm going to head to Wolf Camea at the mall and get them to look at my camera and see if they can restore my pictures on my SD card. I don't hold out much hope though. I put it in my computer which also said it was empty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted November 22, 2009 #16 Share Posted November 22, 2009 look on the deck plans for the Fantasy. Look at the Main deck right behind the mid ship elevator is cabin M149 that is where we were. You'll see what I mean by sideways. I would not reccomend this cabin to anyone. We were worried about elevator noise....didn't hear a sound. It was a very quiet location. I was in E123, and the cabin I posted was the cabin next door, aft, of me. I coldnt believe my eyes and yes it was next to the elevators. I had a 4E cabin, so those guys were happy to be upgraded to a 4E. I was like :eek: Someone had mentioned a pole before, but I never pictured it right by the door so close. My sister is on a cane and kinda sways back and forth when she walks .... she would have been black and blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #17 Share Posted November 22, 2009 As y:Du say !Your review is very honest and enjoyable to read ! Calica = (Playa Del Carmen) most cruiser's will look at the dock and never leave the ship . :D:D to bad they missed (Playa Del Carmen) :rolleyes:. I always do the research and we book our own excursions in port. But since Calica was not where we were headed. I knew nothing about it so we just chose a ships excursion and had a wonderful time. Had we not done that we'd probably have taken one look at that ugly sand pit and stayed on the ship. As our guide explained "Calica" is the name of the port. Playa Del Carmen is the name of the town and it is beautiful and the beaches are awesome. They don't get as many cruise ships there and everyone is so friendly and glad to see you!!! I want to go back one of these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted November 22, 2009 #18 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Welp I'm going to head to Wolf Camea at the mall and get them to look at my camera and see if they can restore my pictures on my SD card. I don't hold out much hope though. I put it in my computer which also said it was empty. Good luck and sorry about the cabin. I too would have been like :eek: if I got that one. Sounds like you still had a great cruise. .... and you can laugh about that cabin now later. We are going to pick up BBQ for lunch, Im waiting for my Dad to wake up. lol. yum. enjoy ... Im heading out soon too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpstateCruizer Posted November 22, 2009 #19 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Wow~! Thanks for the review and I'd not be thrilled with that cabin either. Glad you were able to make the best of your cruise. If you have a camera shop in your area call them to see if they can help retrieve your pictures. I've read many times where someone has deleted them by accident and they were still able to have them retrieved. I don't know much about it but google it and you'll get more info on it :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conchead Posted November 22, 2009 #20 Share Posted November 22, 2009 look on the deck plans for the Fantasy. Look at the Main deck right behind the mid ship elevator is cabin M149 that is where we were. You'll see what I mean by sideways. I would not reccomend this cabin to anyone. We were worried about elevator noise....didn't hear a sound. It was a very quiet location. All in all, it sounds like a good trip I looked the room up before I finished reading the post and I was going to ask about the elevator noise, not because I worry about noise, just curious. My only cruise so far was on the Fantasy, and I loved that ship. Were Stitch and Brittney still doing the activity stuff? They were great on our trip. What was the band on the ship? Ours was Music Manilla and they also did the Ticket To Ride show, which we really liked. I think they were a great band. I am hoping the Triumph and Elation will be even half as nice as the Fantasy was. just a side note about noise (which is often commented on) I don't know what it is, but I guess I expect to hear things, especially on something like a ship, which is moving and is basically a huge machine, with all kinds of equipment, engines, laundry, kitchen, 2000-3000 people, bars, clubs, casino noise, workers doing their jobs, all of this makes noise, but it seems some people think their cabin should have perfect silence which to me is unrealistic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #21 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Good news!! Wolf camera was able to restore my pictures and burned a CD for me $40 well spent. Let's see if this works David, Anita, Poptart, Charlie Poptart & Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #22 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Pole dancing! LOL cabin with the beds apart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conchead Posted November 22, 2009 #23 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Good news!! Wolf camera was able to restore my pictures and burned a CD for me $40 well spent. That's terrific!! Nice pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted November 22, 2009 Author #24 Share Posted November 22, 2009 beds together Pool area Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted November 22, 2009 #25 Share Posted November 22, 2009 Beautiful pictures. Im so glad that Wolfe Camera was able to burn a CD. :D Those pictures are keepers, and worth the price. You guys look so happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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