Fantasy Cruise review for July 23-29 - plus Aloft Hotel Park & Cruise

[wannago35]

We sailed Fantasy for our first cruise last week & enjoyed ourselves. So much so that we bought a FCC & are looking forward to cruising again. This is long because I typed out thoughts as they came to me so sorry if this isn’t in the best order, but don’t want to forget. I'll end with pros & cons since it’s more random thoughts.

 

I know most are more interested in the cruise itself, but I’m adding a short review for the SC restaurant & park & cruise hotel we stayed at, and ports as well:

 

Had dinner at Hyman’s in downtown Charleston. JMHO, this restaurant is an overrated tourist trap. Food is average at best, & the wait wasn’t worth it. Service was excellent though.

 

Aloft Hotel: We did the park & cruise package here, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The hotel itself is fine, but Aloft recently picked up a contract with an airline to shuttle pilots back and forth to the airport twice a day for 2-4 hours each shift depending on how many need a ride. Since Aloft gets paid extra for that, guests aren’t a priority for shuttle use unless they’re going to the airport – and even then pilots get first dibs.

 

I confirmed use of the shuttle to get to and from the port several times prior to arrival (thankfully I got names of those I spoke with – this helped later). Upon arrival I again asked for confirmation & this time was told that they weren’t sure because Aloft no longer offered the park & cruise program. I stated that nobody informed me of this during any of my earlier inquiries, & was told I’d have to speak with the manager in the morning. I was upset not only because we paid for the service, but because I knew we’d be tired after the cruise & I had not researched other options to get back to the hotel. Yes we could pay for a cab & would have done so if necessary, but doing so made the park & cruise savings irrelevant as we could’ve paid much less to simply park at the port and not stayed at a hotel at all.

 

The next morning the Aloft manager said they would honor the agreement, but we couldn’t leave for the port until 1:00 PM & depending on what time we got off the ship, we’d have to wait for a return ride until after the pilot shuttles were complete. In the end, we only waited about 30 minutes for the return shuttle after the cruise disembarked, & since we stayed at the hotel one more night after the cruise returned they let us in at 10:30 AM, probably to make up for the initial drama. Nevertheless, next time I’ll stay at another hotel that offers this service.

 

Cruise: Embarkation went smoothly for us. We excitedly arrived at the port at 1:30 PM & was onboard by 2:20 PM, having our first DOD by 2:30 PM. No complaints there but walking up that steep plank to get on the boat was no joke! I'd happily do it again though :) Which leads me to ...

 

We took entirely too much stuff with us! I created a master list based on the super sized master list on these boards & was glad I didn’t take most of it. We’ll pack much lighter next time!

We stayed in an OV on the Empress deck in what I deemed a perfect location, it was easy to get to everything. I learned the layout of the ship pretty quickly, finding shortcuts to different areas, & Hubby said I was already too comfortable LOL. Room was a decent size, but read here the Fantasy’s bathrooms are larger than other ships – YIKES LOL. I’d hate to see what other ship bathrooms look like!

 

We hung stuff up in the closet from the garment bag but for the most part we never unpacked, just lived out of suitcases. Only unpacked toiletries.

 

I liked that on one side was some kind of fire station room so it seemed like we really only shared a wall with one cabin – luckily we only heard one fight & after they cursed each other when she told him to get the eff out, he went quietly & that was the end of that drama ... we never saw them face to face. Walls are definitely thin.

 

Although I read several times Fantasy is this oldest ship in the fleet, she looked very well maintained. Everything was as clean as could be, damn near spotless EXCEPT for the smoking areas. Ashtrays need to be emptied more regularly there (most were overflowing with ashes & butts & when the wind blew went all over the place) & tables need to be cleaned/cleared more often there as well. Hubby did this cleaning himself wherever he/we sat every time we went there. Everywhere else, someone was always cleaning, wiping something down, or painting something. Which leads me to …

 

Smoking section: Hubby is a smoker, I am not (used to be though). He wasn’t happy with the smoking arrangements. It didn’t ruin his cruise but he complained often that the permitted areas were too few & far between, & since he had no idea smoking used to be a free for all onboard, he wasn’t just rebelling against a new policy. We decided on our next cruise to see if we can splurge for a balcony so that he can smoke in the room without having to walk halfway across the ship.

 

There was a lot of talk on these boards of a foul odor aboard the Fantasy. I can only state that we never smelled anything foul anywhere at any time, and nobody I cruised with ever mentioned a bad smell anywhere either & we all stayed on different floors (Empress, Main & Upper).

 

Silent debarkation went well, but if you’re doing it to attempt to sleep in a little later as I thought I would/could … forget that! The self assist crowd will wake the dead LOL! Plus since we were on the Empress level everyone gets on/off there so it’s louder. Debarkation is very controlled by the Carnival employees & organized I must add (assuming you go when your level disembarks). But doing the relaxed mode gave us time to enjoy a leisurely hot breakfast with our co-cruisers before going our separate ways.

 

We left our bags in the room & returned to get debark info from Channel 17, which was helpful as we got to our room just in time for them to call our dreaded debarkation number. Although I wasn’t happy to be leaving, I was happy to get off a little earlier so as not to spend a lot of time on those planks while getting off the ship, I’m sure they’re safe but they made me nervous & when I looked behind me there were tons of people that seemed stuck waiting on them. Took about an hour from the time we left our room till we cleared customs & back to reality.

 

Will add pros/cons with pics soon!

[Bobblefrog]

Yay!!! Another Fantasy review! I look forward to the pics!!! First I've heard about 'walking the plank'?

 

PS - I think I remember your post from the hotel the night before your cruise? Glad to see you got it at least resolved - but I could imagine your frustration at the time.

[Flip2cruise]

Thanks for sharing

[LBumb]

great

[kalinicole<3]

Wow! Really? A steep Plank? I mean are we talking about a 45 degree angle or worse?..would getting a wheel chair up it be hard?

[wannago35]

I kind of dread posting this because it really means this cruise is over, but we are looking forward to the next one. As promised, here's my pros, cons & random thoughts on the Fantasy:

PROs: Dwi, our room steward, was excellent! He knew us by name & greeted us every time we encountered him. He was on point throughout the entire cruise & hubby gave him something extra for doing so.

On a Cruise Critic tipping thread, I wondered aloud why cleaning the room twice a day was necessary (having never cruised before, I could only compare to hotels which clean once a day) & must confess that I loved this perk, especially on port days. We’d go out, come back & the room was clean with fresh towels. We’d take showers & go back out. Return after dinner to fresh towels, etc. & the animal. That was wonderful, it really is the little things sometimes. Clothesline in the shower is nice too although nothing ever dried fast enough it was nice to have somewhere to put wet suits that was out of the way.

Although we weren’t enthused with all of the employees, they do work extremely hard for whatever they’re making, although neither of us are fully convinced they make as little as these boards claim and if so, then I still believe Carnival can & should do better. However, the majority of employees we encountered definitely earn the $10/per person per day we’re charged in tips.

Lost too much money playing Bingo, but had fun trying ;) Tried every DOD & they were all tasty, but especially enjoyed the one served on the first day (ordered them several times throughout the cruise) & the one served in the monkey's head ... although I think the price for the head is waaay overpriced (ended up giving it to a kid anyway).

Food was good, we enjoyed pretty much everything we ate. Although we had some issues with the MDR wait staff, I’ll give them props for working with our table mates, who were frequently late, somewhat demanding, & usually closed the dining room out during the first seating.

Of course the warm chocolate melting cake was delicious, fave dinner was the St. Louis ribs which fell off the bone. The rum raisin ice cream & bread pudding dessert was absolutely DELICIOUS! Dare I say (as I don my flame retardant suit), that the bread pudding/rum raisin combo was better than the warm chocolate melting cake! Enjoyed everything we ate at the Lido buffet, which was standard buffet fare for the most part & for some reason I loved the chicken fingers & fries. Really enjoyed the French Toast made with raisin bread in the Celebration dining room for breakfast, as well as the hot coffee (best free coffee on the ship to me). Also loved the cherry danishes for breakfast (at buffet & in Celebration). A co-cruiser loved the sushi which was made fresh at a stand near the casino, couldn’t stop raving about it & said sushi served in the MDR wasn’t as good or fresh. Hubby enjoyed the flat iron steak & ribs. We also enjoyed the southern fried chicken and pastas. Hubby wasn’t always happy with the portion size & began ordering two entrees. Fried mozzarella was a nice treat, & the Caesar salad was good each evening. I enjoyed the prime rib (one of my faves in general) & the short ribs in particular were very tender and tasty – even more tender than the filet mignon if you can believe that - could’ve used that filet mignon as a weapon!

Re: birthday cake you can order via Bon Voyage, although I didn’t get to taste it everyone said it was delicious.

I really enjoyed my spa experience. After a co-cruiser raved about the massage she got (except for the heavy selling tactics) I was jealous & went for one myself on Wed. evening but they were booked solid. However, they agreed to honor the port special price of $99 for three services (neck, back & feet) the next morning. On Thursday, I noticed there was another round of bingo occurring at the same time, & they graciously moved my appointment back an hour Tracey in the spa took good care of me & made me wish I’d splurged for the full body massage (tried not to be greedy since I had one the day before the cruise left Charleston!) I told her up front that I wasn’t buying anything & gently advised her to use that time to take herself a longer break in between customers :) She LOL, but didn't try it & earned herself a nice tip so I didn't have to deal with that.

Comedy club was the height of our entertainment experience, including the comedic juggler. Comedy club is way too small though, standing room only both nights & we had to get there early to get them. We spoke with one comedian who was being flown out the next day to do a one night stand on another Carnival ship & play golf – what a life, huh?

We enjoyed listening to Henry play at the piano bar every chance we got, & had drinks there several times throughout the cruise. Luckily he wasn’t far from our cabin on Empress. Various triviathons held daily throughout the ship were fun as well.

Had no problem using our drink coupons (saw varying Cruise Critic posts on this). There were times when a drink exceeded the $5.75 that they offered to take 2 coupons ... it's usually cheaper to pay the difference on the one drink but that's up to each individual.

[Cruise, J.D.]

Wow! Really? A steep Plank? I mean are we talking about a 45 degree angle or worse?..would getting a wheel chair up it be hard?

 

It probably would be. I hadn't thought about it when doing my earlier review of the Fantasy, but the gangway at embarkation/debarkation is pretty steep. We joked about how steep it was when boarding. It would not be joke for someone in a wheelchair.

[wannago35]

Wow! Really? A steep Plank? I mean are we talking about a 45 degree angle or worse?..would getting a wheel chair up it be hard?

I think it would be difficult for a wheelchair. However' date=' at the debarkment presentation they said wheelchair passengers & 1 family member would go out a different way, and I saw one wheelchair passenger at the bottom awaiting family members at the end of the cruise. [/font']

I'm not sure of the angles, but it is a bit of a climb when you're carrying a bunch of stuff. It was three planks in all from top to bottom.

But TRUST, when you're boarding your ship, the adrenaline of starting your vacation will give you the energy needed to make it :)

[wannago35]

Cruise, J.D. probably used the proper term of gangway, not plank, sorry.

[wannago35]

CONs: Reading on these boards about the nonstop picture taking didn’t make it easier to deal with :o We eventually asked them not to take any pictures of us & ran by them when getting off the ship every chance we got.

Although we were NEVER rude, demanding, and/or nasty to employees, we encountered a few that seemed to have negative attitudes, especially if you weren’t willing to spend money. Maybe they were overworked, or just having a bad day, but there it is I said it.

Jubilee MDR wait staff (and Celebration wait staff in the mornings) were just okay, not great. Many times at dinner they’d bring food out & just sit it down in front of anybody, not seeming to care who ordered what. Sometimes food was served lukewarm & a few times different people at our table sent food back to be reheated. Many times we asked for sides and/or coffee that were never received, or we’d have to ask several times in order to get it.

The MDR drink waiter was the most annoying … I know he’s just doing his job, but asking every 2 minutes (literally) if I want a drink that I have to keep declining (either because I already have a drink or just don't want one) is annoying. When he didn't like the response, his negative attitude clearly showed on his face & body language. The next day he was serving drinks on the Lido deck & we ordered a few. I said to him, "See why we don't order alcohol at dinner? We do all our drinking poolside!" He laughed, but continued on in the MDR.

He was so unrelenting that one guy at the next table eventually told this waiter that he was an alcoholic & the constant inquiries about drinking were going to make him fall off the wagon … I don't know if the guy was serious, but it didn’t matter because the waiter returned 2.5 minutes later asking again what he wanted & pushing the DOD.

It got to the point where as soon as we saw him coming we’d order a soda or something … ANYTHING just so he’d leave us alone (which he always did once we ordered a beverage). So I guess mission accomplished in the end – he made Carnival more money & got his tip in the process.

Which leads me to …. and I’m sure this will irk some folks but it is what it is … Carnival really should teach some of their employees basic English before they just send them out there to the masses – and I’m not just talking about being able to recite what the DOD is or the prices … although sometimes I suspected employees knew exactly what people were saying and/or asking, & just didn’t care.

The two times I got a hot dog from Windows on the Sea (two completely different days & times of day), it wasn’t cooked & cold on the inside. Same with the hamburger I got there & Hubby got a good laugh at my luck. I stopped trusting the food in there except for fries. Didn’t like the pizza, but I’m a native New Yorker & our pizza is a hard act to follow :) Oh well, whatcha going to do, right? Wasn't the end of the world there were other food choices around.

Nightlife was lacking, there just wasn’t enough that interested us. We went to all of the shows, the welcome show was fun. Hubby is a fan of Beatles music & was disappointed that they didn’t really sing many of the songs but instead danced to most of them. He enjoyed the old Beatles videos played prior to the show more than the actual show itself!

Music Boardwalk wasn’t all that in our opinion. It was almost like hearing music in an elevator but not really listening to it. Not sure if that’s the attitude they’re going for. I made it a point to go listen to them during the Reggae hour, but early on in the set they were playing “Brick House” by the Commodores :confused: We didn’t stay long & I wasn’t feeling what little reggae music they did play. I’ll give them props for their performance during the Beatles show though, the band truly was the best part of that show!

PORTS: Freeport was just okay, we went to the free beach & enjoyed that. Key West hubby went on the 2-hour waverunner tour of the island & loved that. I tried to go on a parasail tour (just to ride on the boat) but think they got more people who paid for the parasailing activity, & the board left early without me. Fury Watersports refunded my money & I instead enjoyed the pool on the Fantasy for awhile since most people were in port. We enjoyed Nassau most, also visited their free beach and walked through/explored Atlantis. Considering doing a long weekend land vacation there in the future.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: I was pleasantly surprised at how few unruly kids we encountered. Perhaps I just blocked them out though :rolleyes: But didn’t feel the boat was overrun with kids & I worried about that since school was out.

Yes there were a few rude ones, particularly in & around the glass elevators. We got on with a group of kids & one made a comment about how people were riding the elevators interrupting whatever it was they were trying to do ... I don’t know if I inadvertently shot them the look of death, but the others didn’t follow up his commentary in our presence.

Running in the cabin halls was out of control at times, though (never looked out to see if it was kids or adults, sounded like kids though). Every single day we heard running, many times late at night. I also saw many little kids hanging & swinging from things they shouldn’t have been, while parents stood around glancing in ANY direction other than where their kid was located. Just glad I didn’t see any kid get hurt.

I got the impression many kids were just bored & looking for something to do, especially those that were maybe too old for Camp Carnival (or felt like they were too old for it). But I would say the vast majority of kids/teens we encountered were good, well behaved, well mannered kids.

I suspect that most of our MDR tablemates removed their tips, because that last night service was horrible. We sat there for a good 20 min. before our food order was taken, although the drink waiter made several stops at our table during this time :rolleyes:

Knowing you are on the last day of your cruise is already a bummer, but what made it worse is watching everything slowly shut down around you. We went to dinner & returned to the Lido to find the pool drained & being cleaned. I might have felt deprived if I had not hit the pool & hot tub earlier in the day for one last hurrah. Employee attitudes also seemed to change on the last day, most were less friendly, everything and everybody moved slower, & many employees seemed to have disappeared - probably somewhere prepping for the next go round. Several cruisers commented that they felt now that Carnival had gotten all they could from this crowd it was time to concentrate on the incoming group. But I guess if they don’t shut stuff down, some will party until the boat docks in Charleston again LOL.

We took these feelings and thoughts as a good sign that we had fun on this cruise. If we didn't, we would’ve been packing & counting the hours till we could get off.

Overall, we really enjoyed our first cruise. While I can’t say that anything about the cruise or Carnival in general was really horrible, there is always room for improvement in any situation & this was no different. We’ll give Carnival another try since we bought a FCC onboard, which we’ll use in 2013 for our 10 yr anniversary, looking forward to that.

Good news for Charleston cruisers was cruise director said Carnival will get a new port & probably a new ship there in 2012. Bad news is she didn’t think the itinerary would change much on either ship because of the amount of time it takes to get to certain ports from Charleston. We may try to fly out of Florida next time although the drive from GA to SC made this trip a lot cheaper & convenient since we didn’t have to pay airfare.

Strangely enough for about 2 days afterwards, at times I felt like things were moving even when I stood still & my stomach was a little queasy. Hubby is sick now with the flu & he doesn’t normally get sick easily, so wondered if that was from the cruise but it won’t stop us from going again!

I hope this information was helpful to someone cruising the Fantasy. I would definitely cruise on this ship again. Any questions, just ask! I’d love the opportunity to be as helpful to others as people were to me. :)

[wannago35]

Yay!!! Another Fantasy review! I look forward to the pics!!! First I've heard about 'walking the plank'?

 

PS - I think I remember your post from the hotel the night before your cruise? Glad to see you got it at least resolved - but I could imagine your frustration at the time.

 

Yes that was me! It was frustrating but thankfully it worked out :)

[LUVMYGSDOG]

Thanks for the review! We are sailing on Fantasy and in October and your review was very helpful. I'm hoping there won't be the hall runners since school will be in when we cruise. I'm really looking forward to Key West!

[jrm116]

Good news for Charleston cruisers was cruise director said Carnival will get a new port & probably a new ship there in 2012. Bad news is she didn’t think the itinerary would change much on either ship because of the amount of time it takes to get to certain ports from Charleston.

 

Did she say if the ship will be bigger? Hopefully, it's a ship the size of the Carnival Glory, or at least bigger than Fantasy-class.

[Bobblefrog]

Thank you for a great review - we sail in January and while I hate to hear negatives, it will help us to be better prepared. Well at least to be prepared to "take it in stride". What to do about that pesky drink waiter though :eek:

[cruzeluver]

Had dinner at Hyman’s in downtown Charleston. JMHO, this restaurant is an overrated tourist trap. Food is average at best, & the wait wasn’t worth it. Service was excellent though.

 

So true! Glad your cruise was great though.

[petesweet]

Thank you for a great review - we sail in January and while I hate to hear negatives, it will help us to be better prepared. Well at least to be prepared to "take it in stride". What to do about that pesky drink waiter though :eek:

 

I'm afraid I would have to report him.

 

OP: Do I understand there will be TWO ships there? Or will the Fantasy be replaced?

 

Kathy

[Granny1]

Thank you very much for a wonderful review with good and bad, although I have sailed on the Fantasy before, a few years ago..I enjoyed that cruise as I am sure I will enjoy this one, there is always some bad with the good. If I don't have to cook it, clean it, serve it, dust it or make it I condsider it a great vacation..

You mentioned that you bought FCC, do these have expiration dates on them??

We are crusing to Bermuda, and getting excited..

Thanks again for the great review..;)

[wannago35]

Did she say if the ship will be bigger? Hopefully, it's a ship the size of the Carnival Glory, or at least bigger than Fantasy-class.

 

She didn't say which ship it would be, but since Fantasy is supposedly the smallest & oldest ship in the fleet, any other ship should be bigger.

 

I'm afraid I would have to report him.

 

OP: Do I understand there will be TWO ships there? Or will the Fantasy be replaced?

 

Kathy

 

You are right I should have reported him. According to the CD everyone will get an email asking for feedback and I planned to say something then. Still waiting for the email though. I do remember the CD saying there would be two ships, but she didn't know what the other ship would be and she didn't think the itinerary would change because of Charleston's location. But even with the same itinerary, I'd sail a different ship.

Thank you very much for a wonderful review with good and bad, although I have sailed on the Fantasy before, a few years ago..I enjoyed that cruise as I am sure I will enjoy this one, there is always some bad with the good. If I don't have to cook it, clean it, serve it, dust it or make it I condsider it a great vacation..

You mentioned that you bought FCC, do these have expiration dates on them??

We are crusing to Bermuda, and getting excited..

Thanks again for the great review..;)

 

I'll look at it again when I get home, don't remember seeing expiration dates but it did have the purchase date on it & stated you have two years to book & three years to cruise. Have a great cruise to Bermuda, I'm green! :)

[wannago35]

OH let me add ... CD said they are building a new port away from Downtown/Historic Charleston ... she added that while the tourism entities, hotels & city of Charleston in general loved Carnival, the historic district not so much. She said the port would be bigger & more user friendly & that's when she got into the two ships, one would be Fantasy & she mentioned they'd probably get a new ship but couldn't say which one.

[wannago35]

Sorry my pics may be a bit lacking ... hubby apparently erased some pics of the boat without telling me to make room for various pics of us & our co-cruisers. Here's a few though:

 

[wannago35]

SORRY just remembered one more thing that may help cruisers with kids (or not). My co-cruisers said that the prices were a few dollars higher for Camp Carnival than what was advertised on the website. When they explained this to Camp Carnival employees, they replied that the website hadn't been updated in awhile & basically shrugged it off.

 

Not sure how a parent would go about getting the correct prices if the website info is wrong, but just passing on the info.

[scchasgal]

OH let me add ... CD said they are building a new port away from Downtown/Historic Charleston ... she added that while the tourism entities, hotels & city of Charleston in general loved Carnival, the historic district not so much. She said the port would be bigger & more user friendly & that's when she got into the two ships, one would be Fantasy & she mentioned they'd probably get a new ship but couldn't say which one.

 

Yes Union Pier is the relocation and it is suppose to be completed by early 2013. Was originally set for fall 2012 but with the "nuts" trying to stop it in court it has been delayed.

 

We were told the Dream was coming to Charleston it will never happen. We have contracts with the port for the cruiseships and we get the numbers every week. The ship rarely sails at maximum so I can't see them adding another ship.

[nybumpkin]

SORRY just remembered one more thing that may help cruisers with kids (or not). My co-cruisers said that the prices were a few dollars higher for Camp Carnival than what was advertised on the website. When they explained this to Camp Carnival employees, they replied that the website hadn't been updated in awhile & basically shrugged it off.

 

Not sure how a parent would go about getting the correct prices if the website info is wrong, but just passing on the info.

Carnival rolled out a new marketing effort called "Night Owls" and part of the new marketing included increased prices for late-night activities. There's a press release about it somewhere on their website. I think they may have priced themselves out of the market on this one. The 9-11 late-night party went from $26 to $33 and then added a 15% tip to bring the total price to $37. When we sailed on Glory last month, they canceled the party for lack of participants, and a lot of parents said it was just too expensive (heard that from both my son and the Camp Carnival staff). It's too bad - my sons always loved the late night party.

 

wannago35, thanks so much for your review. We sail a week from Saturday...:cool:

[wannago35]

Thank you very much for a wonderful review with good and bad, although I have sailed on the Fantasy before, a few years ago..I enjoyed that cruise as I am sure I will enjoy this one, there is always some bad with the good. If I don't have to cook it, clean it, serve it, dust it or make it I condsider it a great vacation..

You mentioned that you bought FCC, do these have expiration dates on them??

We are crusing to Bermuda, and getting excited..

Thanks again for the great review..;)

 

Looking at my certificate right now & it does have an expiration date, 2 years from the purchase date. What is interesting tho is in the fine print (#14 under "Important Info about your "Future Carnival Vacations" Certificate") it says "Certificate void where prohibited or restricted by law. This certificate shall have no expiration date for purchasers in California and New Hampshire or whether otherwise required by law." Guess I should've bought one in CA or NH! :)

 

Carnival rolled out a new marketing effort called "Night Owls" and part of the new marketing included increased prices for late-night activities. There's a press release about it somewhere on their website. I think they may have priced themselves out of the market on this one. The 9-11 late-night party went from $26 to $33 and then added a 15% tip to bring the total price to $37. When we sailed on Glory last month, they canceled the party for lack of participants, and a lot of parents said it was just too expensive (heard that from both my son and the Camp Carnival staff). It's too bad - my sons always loved the late night party.

 

wannago35, thanks so much for your review. We sail a week from Saturday...:cool:

 

$37 is a bit much, not like parents are paying for food & soft drinks too. My friends were really upset at the price difference & the fact that the website didn't have updated prices, which really isn't too much to ask of Carnival.

 

nybumpkin I hope have a blast on your cruise!!! :)