Carnival Fantasy - 5 Night Bahamas - Picture Review

[kellyccz]

 

The conch out of the shell (had to clear the visual from my mind before eating it):

 

Saw a little stingray that had swum up in search of food:

 

The conch salad was good, but the meat was a little tough and rubbery. So, I was worried when the cracked conch came, but I had nothing to worry about. I dipped it into the sauce that came with it, took one bite, and was in heaven. It was SOOOO good! And my son LOVED the conch fettucine too. Since the boys are 18 and legal to drink in the Bahamas, I ordered us all a goombay smash too which we enjoyed with our lunch.

 

After lunch here, we headed back to the ship.

 

Beautiful scenery on the walk back:

 

 

[kellyccz]

We stopped at the straw market on the way back for the boys to get some souvenirs. The pressure is on here from the locals and we never made it past the first 2 stalls. I bought a cut cloth purse with an elephant on it and a Bahamas tank top. The boys each bought a t-shirt. We hightailed it out of there after that and headed back to the ship. My pocketbook could not afford to go through anymore. I feel like I have to buy something from everyone.

 

Once back on board, I napped from 3 until about 4:15. Then it was out to the balcony again. We were supposed to be back on board by 4:30 and sure enough, a few names were being paged at 4:30. At 5pm a shuttle bus comes screaming around the corner honking its horn and flashing its lights and a couple jumped out and ran onto the ship. We finally left at 5:30 p.m.

 

We headed to the photo gallery where we picked out 2 pictures from formal night to purchase then we headed to the casino where I donated $20, but this time, I got $30 in return! I cashed out and we headed back to the room for a little more balcony time before we needed to get ready for dinner.

 

As we headed to our table, the Maitre D’, Amith, and whispered in my ear “Happy Birthday!” in his shouty-whisper-yell. Anyone who has had Amith as their Maitre D’ will remember him for his signature saying, “It’s Fantasy Jubilee Showtime” (the “Showtime” uttered in a loud shouty whisper, which, by the end of the cruise, the entire dining room would say along with him. He was by far the best Maitre D’ I have ever had on any cruise. Most cruises I couldn’t even tell you what the Maitre D’ looks like, but Amith circulated around the dining room and interacted constantly. We absolutely loved him and he visited our rowdy table many times.

 

Maitre D’ Amith:

 

Nelson saw me on my way to the table too and he also wished me a Happy 17th Birthday, and for that I love him.

 

For dinner tonight, I had the French onion soup, Prosciutto Ruffles with melon, Jerk Pork Loin with rice and green beans. All were very, very good – especially the jerk pork loin. It was nice and spicy and I really enjoyed it.

 

There was more dancing and singing for our nightly entertainment. Our waiter Nelson, was in the traditional costume with Wayans following behind:

 

 

For dessert, I ordered the fig & cinnamon cake with rum raisin ice cream. One of my sons, as well as someone else at the table, tried the cheesecake and did not like it at all. They took 1 bite and had them take it away. I did not try it, but it has to be a pretty bad cheesecake to not be able to take more than 1 bite.

 

Right after they brought my ordered dessert, Amith showed up at my table with the 14” chocolate birthday cake my wonderful husband had ordered to have delivered to me at dinner for my birthday:

 

Several waiters joined Amith in singing Happy Birthday to me.

 

It was a really great birthday and I enjoyed every minute of it!

 

After dinner, we headed back to the room to change. Our nightly towel animal awaited us:

[kellyccz]

The boys headed off to join friends again and I visited the casino where I gave them back $20 of the $30 I had won earlier. I went to bed early tonight at 12:15 a.m.

 

Just a couple of pictures taken from my balcony tonight around sunset:

 

 

 

 

Day 6 – Freeport – Wednesday, June 12, 2013

 

This morning, the wake-up call came at 5:25 a.m. and the coffee, right on time 5 minutes later. Usual coffee on the balcony followed by breakfast on the Lido deck at 7:00 a.m. This time we were in time to beat the lines. We were off the ship at 8:00 a.m. and ready for our excursion – swimming with the dolphins at UNEXSO. We got off the ship and were directed to the waiting spot for our excursion. We boarded a couple buses headed to UNEXSO – 2 groups – one doing the swim with the dolphins and the other doing the dolphin encounter. We pulled out at 8:25 a.m. and were driven to the UNEXSO facility. Here we signed our waivers and headed out to the dock where we boarded our boats that would take us to the Dolphin Experience.

 

 

 

Cute little house right across from the Dolphin Experience:

 

There were 12 of us in the Swim with the Dolphins group (that is the maximum allowed for each group to ensure plenty of time with the dolphins). I have to say this was the most wonderful and amazing experience for all of us. We were at the actual dolphin lagoon for a good hour and a half. Each group of 6 was in the water for about 45 minutes each. While one group was in the water, they traded cameras with those in the other group – so you were able to stay with your family and still get great pics taken of yourself and your family. I traded with a girl who had a good camera similar to mine and we each took tons of great pics of each other on our respective cameras. It was nice that they allowed this picture taking even though they took pics you could buy afterward. The pics they sold were not overly expensive (2 for $24.95 and the 3rd for an additional $15).

 

Anyway, we had the initial briefing of where to touch the dolphins and where not to, etc. Then the 6 in one group got in the water and the dolphin swam by a couple times as you reached out and touched it as it passed by. Then they sent us out in the water 2 at a time, each with our own dolphin. Our 2 dolphins were Cayla and Robala. We got 10 minutes to free swim with the dolphin. As long as you kept touching the dolphin often, it would stay with you. If you dove down, the dolphin would dive down too - and always resurfaced exactly when you did. It looked like a funny synchronized swimming competition. This was seriously a truly amazing experience swimming one on one with a dolphin. It’s something I highly recommend!

 

After everyone had done their free swim in the group – the 6 of you went out to the middle about an arm’s length apart and they sent the dolphins out 2 at a time – and each person was given a specific signal to give the dolphin to tell it to do a certain trick (either turning around, waving, splashing you, or talking). They told me to give my dolphin the splash sign (which was basically splashing water on it first) and my dolphin did it, then when they whistled, she didn’t go back to the whistle sound. She stayed there staring at me. It was so cute, I leaned forward and was talking to her asking her what she wanted. I kept leaning forward and she waited until I was right in front of her and she all of the sudden leaned forward got a mouth full of water and sprayed it on me while splashing me even more. It was HILARIOUS!

 

After everyone had given a signal, they did it again, but you got to choose the behavior you directed the dolphin to perform. You tapped the water when they sent the dolphin out which told it to come to you. Then you just gave it a signal and it did the behavior. It was very cool. After that we each got to swim in toward the side with the dolphin and they took a couple pics of you as you swam in. Then you got to hug the dolphin for another pic and you got a kiss on the lips for a last pic.

[kellyccz]

Here are a variety of pics from the excursion:

 

 

 

 

 

[lauraezzell]

Love reviews of the Fantasy! We've sailed on her twice and have a third cruise planned for December! Awesome review!

[kellyccz]

 

 

 

 

 

[kellyccz]

 

 

 

 

 

[kellyccz]

 

 

 

 

 

After both groups had gone, we boarded the boat back to the UNEXSO facility where we could view our pictures and purchase any that we wanted, as well as any other souvenirs. We had gotten tons of good pics so did not feel the need to purchase any. Our bus driver was back and we loaded back up to head back to the ship. Our driver was the same one who had driven us out to the facility and he was great. He was very funny and informative and gave us a narration most of the way out to the facility and back.

 

Back to the ship:

[kellyccz]

A view of our balcony from the pier (second from the left):

 

When we got back, we walked around the shopping area at the pier and got some drinks from the daiquiri shack (boys got strawberry and I got guava):

 

 

 

After about an hour at the pier area, we headed back to the ship for lunch again from the Mongolian Wok (Love this place). Took a little nap for about an hour. When I woke up, I was hungry again, so I ordered a Caesar Salad and a grilled ham and cheese. I originally ordered a chicken Caesar salad but was informed they no longer do chicken Caesar salads – just plain without the meat. It was still yummy.

 

I sat out on the balcony afterwards as it faced the pier and I could see Senor Frogs right there. Again, we were supposed to be back on board by 4:30 p.m. And at 4:35 there were still several people (at least 20 in different groups) strolling at a leisurely place through the gate where you had to show your id and sail & sign card to get through to go to the ship. I couldn’t believe they were so nonchalant when they were late. I guess they figured we sailed at 5pm so the sign directing you to be back on board NO LATER than 4:30 somehow did not apply to them. They all made it though. Then at 4:55, here comes one last couple – again, leisurely strolling through the gate, even as the guy at the ship’s entrance is yelling at them to move it. The couple did endure some funny catcalls from some watching from up on the Lido deck that made me laugh (asking the guy if his wristwatch he was wearing actually worked, etc.). As soon as that couple got on, they pulled the boarding ramp in and we were off.

[kellyccz]

The pilot boat pulled up right below our balcony when leaving ports and I managed to get pictures of it riding beside us and with the harbormaster getting back on the pilot boat:

 

 

 

I ended up hanging out more on the balcony reading my nook for awhile before showering and dressing for dinner. Tonight for dinner, I had the smoked duck, peach cream soup, shark and langostino, steak and baked potato. All were good except the shark and langostino – it was too fishy tasting for me, although one of my sons LOVED it. One of my sons also had the potato cream soup which I tasted – it was very good. Dessert was the Bitter N Blanc dessert I had heard so much about and I loved it – it was my new favorite!

 

Entertainment tonight was Gangnam Style dancing. We were up dancing with the waiters (well, except for my sons who were not about to do such a thing, so they took pics):

 

 

After dinner, the boys went off with friends and I made my nightly visit to the slots. I put in $20 and managed to get up to $40, but instead of cashing it out, I played a while longer until I hit 0.

 

After that I headed up to the Lido deck for the Caribbean Beach Deck Party. It was jamming full force with lots of music and dancing when I got up there:

[maurinsky2]

Wonderful review so far - I love the ping-pong pics!

[kellyccz]

 

 

I saw this little guy jamming out hard and just had to get a pic:

 

Then one of the entertainment crew announced that they had drawn the winner of some survey raffle and asked if a particular couple was there, which they were. He called them up to the stage and said to them that he’s sure they’re wondering why they’re up there. Then he proceeded to hand the man the microphone and said he would explain it. I started tearing up already as I knew what was going to happen. He sang to her “Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you.” He then got down on one knee and proposed to her:

 

She said, “Yes!”

 

[going to see the world]

Glad that you had a good time. Awesome review and SUPER awesome pics of the dolphins.

[kellyccz]

It was very sweet and I was in need of some tissues (I’m a sucker for that stuff). The crew handed them a bottle of champagne to help them celebrate:

 

On the other side of the stage where there were less people, I took some pictures of the Lido deck at night:

 

 

 

I wandered inside for some more pics of the ship in the evening:

 

[kellyccz]

 

I ended up heading to the room around 11:45 to write down my daily notes (which I used to do this review) and to email my dear husband before crawling into bed.

 

 

Day 7 – Last Fun Day at Sea – Thursday, June 13, 2013

 

My wake-up call today was at 6:25 a.m. and coffee came right on schedule at 6:30 a.m. Enjoyed some balcony time and got some pictures of the beautiful sunrise:

 

 

 

 

 

We went to breakfast in the Celebration Dining Room today – I had the eggs benedict, the corned beef hash, hash browns and orange juice. They were all very good – and far superior to the breakfast on the Lido deck.

 

Then I went back to the room to get my free play coupon they gave out at the casino the day before. They just had a blurb in the Fun Times to stop by the cashier to get a free play to use at the Cash Vault. So, my sons went with me to coach me along. There was still 1 - $1,000 left, 5 - $200 and 5 - $100. I really wanted the $1000 but thought the odds were better if I went for less – I took a shot at the $200 but no luck! Oh well. It was fun giving it a shot.

 

We changed into swimsuits after that and headed to the lido deck to enjoy our last day at sea. It was 9:30 when I got to the lido deck and there were again chair hogs everywhere using everything imaginable to hold their seat. No worries though – I went up to the deck right in front of the funnel and found a chair. I laid out for about an hour and a half enjoying the last of the Caribbean sun.

 

For lunch, we hit the Celebration dining room so that I could use my past guest free drink coupon. Nothing on the menu really appealed to me, so I just ordered the Orange Sory soup (like a melted creamsicle) and the Hay & Straw (fettucine with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and tomato sauce) and my son ordered a burger. The soup was not bad, but the fettucine was not very good at all – the sauce lacked any kind of flavor. I took 1 bite and that was it. Once I got my drink, we left and headed back to guaranteed yumminess at the Mongolian Wok. We never had any lines when we went either. The longest I ever waited in line for my food to be cooked was maybe 5 minutes, if that. I got my bowl of food cooked and took it with me back to my room to enjoy on my balcony. After I ate, I enjoyed more of the book I was reading and then headed to the gift shop to buy the Fantasy coffee mugs my mother requested. Then I headed back to the room to do some preliminary packing of everything I didn’t need. I wanted to get it out of the way so I could enjoy my evening and not have to worry about it later.

[kellyccz]

The boys and I went to watch “The Game of Love” (formerly the “Not So Newlywed Game), hosted by cruise director Hennie. We had a blast here. The couples were hilarious and Hennie was great – we really liked him a lot. He was very funny and his expressions and comments added a lot to the game:

 

 

Note the very newlywed couple (married a few days earlier) on the end – Hennie moved his chair a little further away after reading what he wrote for the answer to one of his questions (trying to protect him from his wife):

 

After another question, he gets moved even further away:

 

As you can see, his answer would put him in grave danger when his wife hears it:

 

Later, we went to the Universe Lounge to see “The Brits”:

 

It was a pretty good show with some good special effects. Nothing like Broadway caliber or anything, but still a good way to spend 40 minutes before dinner.

 

Dinner tonight was Baked Sweet Potato Soup, Chicken fettucine with a mushroom cream sauce, Panko Shrimp, and Prime Rib. It was also frog leg night. My son tried them, took 1 bite, and said that was enough, as did a couple others at our table. I had ordered them, but after hearing everyone else’s reactions (especially my son saying it tasted fishy), I told Wayans “Never mind” and I skipped that one. Everything else was great and our dessert was another chocolate cake for one of my tablemate’s graduation that her mother bought for her.

[kellyccz]

Tonight the wait staff sang my favorite song – “Leaving on a Fun Ship” for us:

 

and Nelson cried because he was going to miss our table so much:

 

 

We took a few pictures with Amith and Nelson and the rest of our tablemates:

 

 

 

[kellyccz]

After dinner, it was back to the room to change. We got our last towel animal of the cruise:

 

We had gotten our FTTF tags for our bags, which made us zone 2 for the morning. So we got all of our bags except our carry-ons and set them outside the cabin (for our zone, we had to have them outside our door by 11 p.m.). Then we went out to enjoy what we could of the ship for the rest of the evening. I hit the casino and ended up cashing out with $36. Just enough for the cab & tip back to the hotel for the next morning (with $6 leftover). We went to bed about 2am.

 

Day 8 – Disembarkation Day – Friday, June 14, 2013

 

Had our wake-up call for 5:30 a.m. and coffee with croissants and guava jelly came at 5:35 a.m. I wanted to enjoy the balcony one last time with my coffee (added the croissants for kicks). We headed up to the Celebration Dining Room for breakfast at around 7 a.m. where I had Belgian waffles with blueberries, corned beef hash, hash browns, and orange juice. After eating, we headed back to the cabin and gathered up the last of our stuff. We said goodbye to Rolando who we would miss very much and headed to the library at 8 a.m., where we were instructed to meet for FTTF disembarkation. They directed us a few yards away to the disembark line after all the self-assists had cleared off at around 8:10 a.m. or so. We collected our luggage (which we had decorated with some neon orange duct tape for easy identification), breezed through customs, and walked right out to where the cabs were waiting. We got a cab immediately and were taken back to our hotel where we loaded our luggage back into our vehicle and were on the road headed home by 9:00 a.m.

 

A couple of final notes:

 

As an ex-cigarette smoker, I notice the smell very easily and do not like it. Nowhere on the ship, including the casino, did I ever feel it was smoky. I rarely noticed it at all.

 

I do use an e-cigarette and used it everywhere on the ship (except at the dinner table), including the casino, and never had anyone say a word to me about it.

 

I do enjoy cigars and brought a small humidor with a few cigars to enjoy with my bottle of wine I brought on board with me. I smoked them only on my balcony. I purposely booked the suite I did as it was the second to the last one to the end of the row of suites. I only had one cabin behind me and did that to avoid having my cigar smoke possibly bother any neighbors. My neighbors never said a word to me, although I only saw them maybe once or twice on their balcony. I watched the smoke though and when we were moving the wind carried the smoke away too fast for it to really get to their balcony. Also, to our left the balcony divider was solid – there were no holes of any kind so that if that neighbor had been smoking, we never would have known it as there was no avenue for it to get to our balcony. It appears every second balcony had that solid divider and the alternating ones were the kind with the slits along the sides.

 

I never encountered any rude staff of any kind throughout the cruise. The ship was very clean everywhere.

 

The dining room bar service person was OUTSTANDING. I did not catch her name, but after the first night, she would show up at our table within 2-3 minutes of us sitting down and had my boys’ sodas for them – Root Beer for one and Sprite for the other. They had the unlimited soda sticker which I bought for them the morning of the second day and she knew what they liked and made sure they had it in hand shortly after they got to the table. The boys were VERY appreciative of that service.

 

If anyone has any questions about anything I did or discussed, or anything I might have left out, please feel free to ask.

 

This was yet again, another outstanding Carnival cruise. My boys are now hooked on cruising too and I see more cruises in their future. I hope I finish school fast – it’s going to be hard to wait 2 years before getting back on a ship!

 

I love Carnival and can’t wait to get back on one of their ships again!

[kellyccz]

Glad that you had a good time. Awesome review and SUPER awesome pics of the dolphins.

 

Thank you! The dolphins were definitely the highlight of the trip!

[kellyccz]

Looking forward to your review and pics. The fantasy will always hold a special place in my heart.,lol

 

It is my second time on her and I love her very much too!

[kellyccz]

Wonderful review so far - I love the ping-pong pics!

 

Thank you! We had a blast with Ping-Pong :-)

[h_blond2]

I love your review! I think it is so sweet that your boys wanted to cruise with you!! I also want to wish you luck on getting your degree. The classes can definitely be intense, but it is so worth it! Your students become your second family! :D

[kellyccz]

Love reviews of the Fantasy! We've sailed on her twice and have a third cruise planned for December! Awesome review!

 

Thank you very much! Mind if I stowaway in your suitcase in December?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[kellyccz]

I love your review! I think it is so sweet that your boys wanted to cruise with you!! I also want to wish you luck on getting your degree. The classes can definitely be intense, but it is so worth it! Your students become your second family! :D

 

Thank you very much! My boys are great kids and we are very close - they can, and do, talk to me about anything. I was a single mom to them for 14 years before we moved in with my now husband. (We will be married 2 years in September). It was a big adjustment for them. My wonderful husband is the one who suggested that I take this cruise with them. They needed something special to share between only them and me. It was a fabulous idea. We truly had the time of our lives and I know we made memories that we all will carry with us for the rest of our lives.

 

Now its a small sacrifice for the next 2 years while I finish my degree and I'm super excited about this next chapter ofy life.

 

Then I can finally get that amazing husband of mine on his first cruise :-)

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[lauraezzell]

Thank you very much! Mind if I stowaway in your suitcase in December?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

Come on! We have 1 free bag. The rest are taken with other stowaways!