Fantasy - July 23, 2011 - The Nightmare Cruise

[LHP]

"Silent Debarkation" being... ?

 

THANKS!

 

Tom

 

I would like to hear more about this too!!!

[LHP]

Debarkation on Fantasy Class ships ARE the trickiest because you have cabins on the Debark Deck....

 

so it can be hard to control. However, HARD does not mean impossible. It just means that Carnival needs to step up the security to make sure it moves smoothly.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I REALLY like the "no announcements" part of that! :D The last thing I want to hear on that last morning is the early morning "wake up call" (in the form of a 7 something AM announcement in our cabin)!!

 

Tom

 

I agree! It was nice. The CD gave several warnings on the last sea day that there would be no announcements and to check the schedule for your zone.

[boaterette]

I think the problems with kids running wild could be solved if we just get everyone to join CC. Everyones kids on this board are angels. So maybe it would rub off on the wild heathens.:D

[Cruise, J.D.]

As for Music Boardwalk...we do not believe we have ever sailed with them....

 

but to have an Asian band that is not spot on is an exception...not the rule. As a musician, since 99% of them play by ear (which is a natural GIFT) , the Asian bands are normally not just good but FABULOUS.

 

The only thing I can think of is that (due to unforeseen circumstances) they may have had to add a new band member at the last minute and have not had time to gel.

 

We thought they were very good the week before. A lot of people must have agreed because the Cat's Lounge filled up when they were playing. They actually saved the Ticket to Ride show IMO. I was really surprised to read that Zqvol thought they were awful.

[b714210]

Not to take over someone else's thread, but I was on the Fantasy July 9-16 and experienced the silent debarkation. It is done because folks in downtown Charleston do not want to hear the loudspeakers from the ships. This was my first platinum cruise, so we left after self assist cruisers. There are no announcements made. The current self assist zones are listed on the cruise directors station on the TV. What I thought was great was that crew members let ONLY that section of the ship off. For example, if upper starboard was listed, only upper starboard folks got off. We were on main starboard. Yep, folks lined up in the hall before they were allowed to debark. They got to stand in the hall in line until main starboard appeared on the TV and then they were let off. We had some friends who did self assist and said they did not wait in any lines. :rolleyes: After self assist and VIP are off the ship, zone numbers are listed.

Personally, I thought it was the most pleasant and smoothest debarkation I have witnessed or participated in. I wish other Carnival ships would use this system as well.

[bigboatrider]

I've sailed Fantasy 3 times (twice from Charleston) and she is our favorite among the Carnival ships that we've sailed. Having her in Charleston is icing on the cake. Having sailed from Charleston 3 times (once on Legend) we have yet to experience anything close to the problems the OP has mentioned. Perfect? No, but far from terrible. Must've been a "timing" issue. Everyone has their own standards and/or expectations, and some of the mentioned by the OP leads me to believe that they would be happier on another line. As for the kids, I agree that many parents these days simply do not control their children and haven't taught them how to act in public. That is a major reason why we never cruise in the summer months. Maybe the OP will try Carnival at a different time of the year, and maybe the results will be diff. JMO.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Personally, I thought it was the most pleasant and smoothest debarkation I have witnessed or participated in. I wish other Carnival ships would use this system as well.

 

Well, with enough positive feedback perhaps they will -- though knowing Carnival, I fear it could take YEARS! :eek:

 

Tom

[Bobblefrog]

For those of you that have experienced the silent debarkation on the Fantasy - since you have to wait in your room, can you tell me how you took care of breakfast that morning? What if you are having breakfast in the MDR when it's your zone time? If we choose to do self assist, can we leave "after" that time?

 

I know it is important to get up and out of the ship that morning, but hoping to get in a leisurely breakfast in the MDR that last day...

[petesweet]

Can we stay BEYOND our designated debarkation time? Since we are driving, we would be in no hurry to leave.

 

Kathy

[soccerATAmom]

I am sorry you had such a terrible experience. We were on this cruise also and ours differed quit a bit.

 

As for entertainment, there was the welcome aboard show, Nightclub Express, Ticket To Ride, the juggler comedian guy and the Guest Talent Show (which is on most carnival cruises) which I thought was very entertaining and some talented guests showcased. This leaves only one night open. The comedians were wonderful and professional. I have seen them both in comedy clubs and on Comedy Central. However, if this isn't your thing, there's not much benefit from it. My only complaint with the comedy club is the lack of room.

 

I didn't spend but a couple of hours a few days on the Serenity Deck, but we had no kid or noise issues. The pool, however, was another story in being able to access it. ADULTS would line the walls of the pool and drink for hours (while they had their stuff reserving a deck chair) making it difficult to use the pool.

 

Our food in the main dining room was good and always correct temperature and fresh. We were in the other dining room so we didn't have the same service you experienced. It lacked personal service similar to a restaurant...that's OK though as I am not there to bond with my dinner staff.

 

Again, the personal service from our room steward was missing, but our room was always made up when we returned from breakfast and turned down when we returned from dinner (early seating). We also had several 4 people cabins in our area. I did have a bottle of wine I tried to keep on ice. The ice bucket was always emptied, but never filled and since I couldn't find the steward, I would bring down from the lido.

 

As for the kids...I hope mine wasn't one of em. If he was misbehaving, I would welcome anyone to take his feet out from under him as he ran by. He was in the 12-14 year old group. I was told by several guests that he wasn't a problem, but they were expecting him to be based on his "style" and I was proud to get lots of compliments on his behavior, but he is 12 so you never know how they will behave away...even if they have been raised "better". I have to agree, the kids were more obnoxious on this cruise than I have noticed in the past. In April 2010 we did a spring break cruise where Fantasy had the largest percent of kids under 18 they had ever had and it wasn't quit as wild. While I agree they they were a rowdy bunch, I did not encounter any rude or bullying behavior...just rowdy. My son did come in early two evenings though as he said his peers were not behaving appropriately and he felt they were going to get in trouble and didn't want to be part of it. SO, if a 12 year old notices the behavior...Carnival is inexpensive making it more attractive to families on a budget. If you are looking for a quiet, serene cruise, this may not be the line for you.

 

We LOVED our cruise - 3rd on Fantasy in 18 months (4th on Carnival and one other on RCC). We will sail her again as Charleston is convenient and we never have any trouble getting in and out, but we do the park and ride through a hotel. Don't care much for the Bahama's, but hey, a cruise is a cruise.

 

I did notice more "negative" attitudes with some of the crew than I have in the past but not enough to make my vacation crumble. There were WAY MORE positive attitudes with the crew than negative...Like anywhere.

Loved Risa, Craig, Irish Bob and the rest of the staff.

 

Hopefully you can put the bad and ugly out of your mind and just remember the good. I know I had forgotten my negatives until I read this review.

[Cruise, J.D.]

For those of you that have experienced the silent debarkation on the Fantasy - since you have to wait in your room, can you tell me how you took care of breakfast that morning? What if you are having breakfast in the MDR when it's your zone time? If we choose to do self assist, can we leave "after" that time?

 

I know it is important to get up and out of the ship that morning, but hoping to get in a leisurely breakfast in the MDR that last day...

 

You don't have to wait in your room. You can also wait on the Lido deck or Promenade deck. Breakfast is served as normal. I'm not sure about doing self-debark AFTER the designated time, but they are not going to keep you on the ship. :)

 

Can we stay BEYOND our designated debarkation time? Since we are driving, we would be in no hurry to leave.

 

Kathy

 

Yes. We stayed on a bit after our time and went with later zones. We didn't try to use the elevator on our deck though - it may be disabled after your scheduled time. We waited on the Lido deck.

[soccerATAmom]

You don't have to stay in your room for silent debarkation. We went to breakfast then came back and got our stuff. Got out of the room about 8:45 and hung out on Promenade until 9:00, or posted time to go to Universe Lounge and as soon as we got there, we were sent on.

 

You can linger, they don't announce it, but several did. However, if you do that, you may want to try to be one of the last ones off. They move em out pretty quickly which leads to longer lines at the terminal and customs.

 

I like being last of because of the faster process. Would rather hang out on the ship longer than stand in line anyway.

[Bobblefrog]

Thanks! Good to know :D

[crusinpsychRN]

I think the silent debark sounds like a great idea. My only question is - how do they stop "the masses" from crowding the hallways, etc., as we have seen many times during "not-so-silent" debark? Maybe it worked because it is a smaller ship?

 

They do it every time...

 

As for food coming out not hot, I said something and then all my food started getting zapped. It ruuined the lamb which came out well done.

There's nothing worse then tepid food that looks yummy and just isn't.

[zqvol]

Could you elaborate on the "Silent Debarkation"? One of my continuing complaints with Carnival is the annoying announcements starting at something like 7AM with the CD often coming on and acting way too happy "Goooood Morning everyone..." :mad: ! Other lines don't seem to pull that crap, thus coming across as more civilized and less intrusive. I hope that the "silent" part of this is what I think it is!

 

Thanks,

 

Tom

 

 

The Port of Charleston does not allow any announcements to be made while the ship is docked. What they do is tell you at the debarkation talk, to turn to channel 17 on the TV beginning at 6:30 and debarkation instructions are displayed on the TV. In addition you are encouraged to remain in your cabin after breakfast ( as opposed to other ships where they stewards want you out as soon as possible) until you are notified to debark. People not doing self debarkation are required to wait in the Show Lounge and they are only allowed to leave from there, that is how they avoid the lines.

 

It worked really well.

[pjhootch]

Since Carnival offers a pretty good bargain for families, the odds that there will be lots of kids onboard increase, and therefore the odds that there will be uncivilized kids running wild increase. "Blaming" Carnival for that? How about just accepting it as an observation?

 

I like the idea about the doors opening out. If it was my kid running wild in the halls... I would be okay with that. My kids are grown now but were heathens in their time. Efforts to tame the wild beasts were frequently unsuccessful. We were in Disney World one time and there was a kid running around like a maniac and stomping on my feet, despite the father's stern warning to stop. So... I tripped him and sent him sprawling on the ground. Oh yeah... it was MY KID. He didn't do that again. :rolleyes:

 

OP I appreciate your review.

[zqvol]

I've sailed Fantasy 3 times (twice from Charleston) and she is our favorite among the Carnival ships that we've sailed. Having her in Charleston is icing on the cake. Having sailed from Charleston 3 times (once on Legend) we have yet to experience anything close to the problems the OP has mentioned. Perfect? No, but far from terrible. Must've been a "timing" issue. Everyone has their own standards and/or expectations, and some of the mentioned by the OP leads me to believe that they would be happier on another line. As for the kids, I agree that many parents these days simply do not control their children and haven't taught them how to act in public. That is a major reason why we never cruise in the summer months. Maybe the OP will try Carnival at a different time of the year, and maybe the results will be diff. JMO.

 

Thanks for your suggestion but you are way off base.

 

I cruise a variety of lines from RCCL, CCL, NCL, Reagent, and other luxury lines. I have different expectations on each and everyone of them. You might notice that our recent Regent cruise failed to meet expectations, but had that same cruise been on CCL it would have more than exceeded expectations.

 

I have numerous carnival cruises all when school is out and never had I experienced the passengers that were on this ship. This was not a short cruise, it was six days, and it was not any cheaper than the other ones that I have been on. In this case the cruise did not live up to expectations and I have already filled out my comment survey and let Carnival know.

 

I will be back on CCL and numerous other lines. To suggest that I try CCL at a different time of year is unrealistic. CCL is full of children year round, this particular bunch was out of control, and I blame it on the helicopter parents not being helicopters for these 6 days.

[zqvol]

For those of you that have experienced the silent debarkation on the Fantasy - since you have to wait in your room, can you tell me how you took care of breakfast that morning? What if you are having breakfast in the MDR when it's your zone time? If we choose to do self assist, can we leave "after" that time?

 

I know it is important to get up and out of the ship that morning, but hoping to get in a leisurely breakfast in the MDR that last day...

 

 

MDR is open from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m. Regular debarkation begin approximately 8:45 a.m. so you will have no problem with the MDR.

[MrsMMark]

We thought they were very good the week before. A lot of people must have agreed because the Cat's Lounge filled up when they were playing. They actually saved the Ticket to Ride show IMO. I was really surprised to read that Zqvol thought they were awful.

 

We were also on the July 23 sailing and (thanks mainly to Music Boardwalk) the on-ship evenings were the highlight of our cruise. We thought this group was wonderful and, like on your cruise, we noticed that the Cat's Lounge was always full when they were playing. We also liked the option of seeing the stand-up comedians. IMO the production shows were the weakest of the entertainment options, but that's okay because they were as good as (and occassionally better than) we expected based on prior experience.

 

You can read my review elsewhere, but in short while we were not thrilled with the Bahama ports, we had a great trip anyway and have no regrets! We did not experience the "ugliness" Zqvol experienced with the children on board. I spent about 5 hours on the Serenity Deck on the last sea day and never noticed any children on that deck, maybe there were some visiting their parents while I was not paying attention but I didn't notice them). In fact, I remember wondering how my children would get in touch with me if I am on the Serenity Deck when we cruise with the kids on the Fascination in the fall.

 

The only rude passenger we encountered was an adult gentle(?)man who was loudly complaining about the fact that Carnival had nearly 1000 employees on board and only one person making omlets. Whatever!

 

I agree that vacations are what you make them and ours was Fantastic!

[halos]

zqvol, I'm sorry that your cruise was such a disppointment. I don't think I've ever read a bad review from you so this came as a surprise in one respect...yet in another respect, the things you mentioned are complaints that seem to be posted a little bit more often these days.

 

I hope your next cruise makes up for this one :)

[tracyanns]

I appreciate the balanced review since I'm trying to read as much as I can about the Fantasy. I had to laugh at the "facts" you tossed out about the cabins, however. I have to say I have never taken a count of how many cabins in my area had four or five passengers. How do you do that?:D

 

Kathy

 

Not only how did you do that but how did they get all those rooms with 5 passengers as I have yet to be able to get a room for 5 passengers on any CCL cruise without booking 2 cabins...is this new?

[Tapi]

Maybe it worked because it is a smaller ship?

 

It works on larger ships as well. When we sailed on the 6,000 passenger Allure of the Seas a few months ago, they did the silent debarkation.

 

As they do on the Fantasy, they encouraged passengers to "relax" in their cabins until their zone was cleared. The debarkation times were posted on the Cruise Compass (RCI's Fun Times), on the cabin TV's, as well as on large monitors throughout the ship for those wishing to wait somewhere else besides their cabins.

 

We were amazed at how efficient debarkation went. We walked out of our cabin at the designated time and literally didn't stop walking. It felt as if we were the only ones getting off the ship! We didn't stand in line once, not even for a US customs agent!

 

Don't know if this is the case on the Fantasy, but the only drawback on the Allure is that, because passengers are encouraged to wait in their cabins, room service is not offered at all on the last morning (I asked, and they said that with so many people waiting in their cabins, they just can't handle the enormous number of room service orders that would come in). Makes sense, but it sucks.:mad:

[Cruise, J.D.]

Not only how did you do that but how did they get all those rooms with 5 passengers as I have yet to be able to get a room for 5 passengers on any CCL cruise without booking 2 cabins...is this new?

 

On the older ships you can book 5 to a cabin.

[Rockportgirl]

We were in Disney World one time and there was a kid running around like a maniac and stomping on my feet, despite the father's stern warning to stop. So... I tripped him and sent him sprawling on the ground. Oh yeah... it was MY KID. He didn't do that again. :rolleyes:

 

That's funny. :)