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Wonderful Cruise on the Fantasy!!! Picture Link Included!

Paradisefound619

By Paradisefound619,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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It’s been a week since we sailed on the Fantasy and I am now finally finding time for my review on the boards! We have a “snow” day here today since it is SOOOO cold. -22 air temp, -50 wind chill :eek: Boy, I wish I were still on the Fantasy! Please let me know if you have any questions!!!

 

Here is a link to my official member review:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=247282.

 

Here is a link to my pictures on Shutterfly: http://decembercarnivalfantasycruise.shutterfly.com/

**So much easier to post all pictures in one place, sorry they are not within this review. Click on the link above and enjoy! This review goes along with my pictures and many of the pictures have descriptions listed just below the print.

 

Sailing Dates: December 26-31, 2013. Itinerary- 5 nights Bahamas Cruise

 

Background: This is our 3rd cruise. We first cruised on the Carnival Glory in 2007 and then to Alaska on the Golden Princess in 2010. We choose this cruise because of the dates (over Christmas break and we are both teachers) but were happy it was a Carnival cruise. My husband and I are in our mid-30's and have a 2 1/2 year old son, who we left at home! This was our first vacation for just the 2 of us since he was born. I was more anxious about leaving him and planning for his care while we were gone than really thinking or planning for the trip. So, not a lot of pre-planning.

 

Hotel/Flight Information: We did not stay at a hotel...flew to Charleston the morning our cruise from Minneapolis.

Travel to Port Embarkation: Left home in western Wisconsin around 2:00 a.m. for a 5:00 a.m. flight out of Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport. Flight was on time and took us to Charlotte, NC and then onto Charleston. We arrive at the airport around 10:30. Got directly into a taxi (did carry on only and did not need to wait for bags!) and were to port around 11:00. Port parking seems like a mess but our taxi just dropped us off at the shuttle wait area with our bags (we opted to carry these on too!). The shuttle was waiting so we got on and wait another 10 minutes and were off to the port area. Once inside, we waiting for maybe 3 minutes at security and another 3 to get our Sign and Sail card. Then it was up the gangway and onto the Fantasy!!!!!

 

On Board the Fantasy!: YAY! We are finally on board. I was please with how fast embarkation went. We tried to get down to our room, but it was too early. Fine with us. We headed up to the lido deck for lunch. It wasn’t too busy so having our carry on bags along was find. We found a booth table, left our things, and got some lunch. I had a burger and fries from the grill area. My husband tried a bit of everything! All was good. I took this time too to call home and check in with my mom and son. They were doing great, so I was able to relax even more ;) After lunch and some relaxing time, we headed to our room on the Riviera deck and it was all set and ready. We quickly unpacked and then headed out to explore the ship.

Ship Information: We really loved the Fantasy. She is the smallest ship we have been on but kind of enjoyed that. It was nice if we forgot something in our room, just a quick jaunt to the Riviera Deck and we were set. The layout is simple and easy to follow. I never once got turned around (like I did on Princess). I loved the appearance of the ship. Bright, fun and colorful! Yes, there is neon but so what....it’s fun!!!! The Fantasy was decorated very nicely for Christmas which was also really neat! Loved the Serenity deck although we were at full capacity so it filled up early on sea days. One of our main goals of this vacation was to relax, so we slept in and didn't worry if we got a deck chair or not. There was usually something somewhere! Enjoyed the Lido deck and Water Works area for hanging out and getting sun. Also loved the Serenity hot tubs at night! We love Carnival and the way the set up the Promenade deck with bars, casino, seating areas, etc. We hung out here a lot!!! We also really loved the atrium bar area. David is the entertainer there and is amazing!!!!! I wanted to sit and listen every night and we usually did :) I took lots of pictures of the ship throughout the week, so make sure to check them out at my Shutterfly page, http://decembercarnivalfantasycruise.shutterfly.com/

 

Safety Drill: No need to bring the life vest with (this was new to me). Last time we cruised we needed it! Our Muster station was in the Universe Lounge. All and all things went smoothly and quick. There were some drunks sitting up front making comments at the staff….so not cool. After the talk we headed outside by the life boats. It was chilly!!!! Now, being from Wisconsin we are used to the cold but the staff had on winter jackets and stocking caps. Pretty funny!

 

Sail Away/ 1st Evening: Sail away was COOL! Yes, we are from Wisconsin but I was hoping to have a tropical drink in hand and being wearing shorts and a tank top! Instead, we opted for hot chocolate, thick hoodies and jeans! The free Champaign was flowing and we were so happy to be on vacation that we didn’t care about the coolness of the weather. Got some more snacks at the lido (I had a hotdog with Champaign! So awesome!!!!) and then we explored the ship some more. We tried out the Taste Bar after relaxing in our room for a bit. It was great food but I really missed the sushi! Then we headed over to the free liquor tasting and sat around with a drink on the Promenade deck until dinner time. We had the 8:15 dining in the Celebration Dining Room so we relaxed a bit and then went to dinner. Only one of the other couples was there that night so it was quiet but enjoyed getting to know them. Dinner was good. I don’t really remember what I had….sorry. I did have the warm chocolate melting cake and it was SO good. Had it every other night too. It kept getting better!!!!!

 

1st Day at Sea: We slept in!!!!! Got a quick breakfast snack from the lido and then headed to the Universe lounge from some Big Scree Logo Trivia. I loved this and we did pretty well….but not good enough to win a Ship on a Stick! After trivia we went to the dining room for some yummy brunch and then we got our swimsuits on, grabbed our books/iPad and headed out to find a chair. It was easy to find one on the deck right about the lido. We over looked the pool and all the kids in the hot tub (we ended up calling this “kid soup” since there were always about 20 kids in there! Too funny!). The sun was poking through the clouds but it was still nice….a warm breeze and just the open sea. Perfect! We did some more trivia throughout the day, played a bit in the casino (I won $50 right away!) and relaxing in our room with a nice nap :) I am NOT one to want to go to the shows and probably wouldn't but my husband begged me to go to the Brits show....so we went. I LOVED it! Had a ton of fun playing trivia beforehand (especially because I won a medal) and really enjoyed the music of the show. We went to the earlier one because of our dining time and I couldn't believe how empty the seats were......oh well. It was cruise elegant night in the dining room. Usually we love to dress up a bit more than we did but since we only did carry on for the flight we were limited with space. We still looked very nice and fit in well with what our tablemates were wearing. Good accessories went a long way on this trip! Fun scarves, shows and jewelry helped me to fancy up some outfits without taking up a lot of room in my bag.

 

Port Day- Nassau: After sleeping in (although it was tough with the ship pulling into port…made A LOT of noise for us down below…oh well, we didn’t care because it wasn’t a crying child that we had to tend to!). We disembarked at a leisurely fashion after preparing a beach bag for the day. The weather was warm and mostly sunny. We had been to Nassau once before and decided not to plan anything but just to explore on our own. We left the ship around 9:30 after breakfast in the MDR. We left the dock area and followed the crowd to the main street (Bay Street). We followed the signs and a map my husband had picked up in the visitor center to John Watling's Rum Distillery. The walk there wasn't too far and it was a beautiful day. Fun to leave the main street (only for a few blocks) and see some of the housing, churches, etc. We felt safe and saw some police on bikes and a few other tourists around. But, John Watling's is off the main drag. The distillery is beautiful and so neat! It is free and you do a self-guided tour. There were some guides around to talk about the distilling process and give some free samples. YUM!

From the distillery we walked back down to Bay Street and then to the Fish Fry area. We loved the colors of the buildings here and seeing more of the locals out and about. We ate at Curly's. Very good food and free Wi-Fi which was nice to check in with our family back home quick. Lunch was SLOW but I believe they are on island time so we didn't care. This is a really neat area and I highly recommend it. Not sure how many venture this far but it is beautiful and full of local foods!

Left Fish Fry and took some great pictures of the ships all in port and stopped at Junkanoo beach for a quick dip and to have some "beach time". Nice place...busy but free!

On our way back to the ship we stopped in Pompey Square and hid a Carnival playing card for our friends to find. They are currently cruising and will be in Nassau tomorrow (January 7th). They are traveling with their 7 ½ year old son and thought it would be neat if we left something there for them to search for. Kind of a scavenger hunt, kind of like Geo Caching. So, once we returned home I quickly put together some clues with pictures! I hope they find it. Will let you know :cool:

We made it back to the ship and watched Sail Away, even though it was windy and chilly up on the decks. Still beautiful and I got some good pictures. By this time I was 5:30 and we had 6:30 reservations for the Chef’s Table, so we needed to get ready!

***Chef's Table***: For $75 pp we had an AMAZING experience. I had emailed the Maître D a head of time to secure our reservation. Many of the others comment on how they reserved at the Guest Services Desk as soon as they boarded. We loved every minute....food, drink, knowledge of the food service on the ship, tour of the galley. Great time, worth every penny. It is recommended that you wear flat, closed toed shoes. I had asked about this ahead of time and came prepared. I was the only female who followed this. The others had flats but they were sandals. Nothing was said about this. I also took pictures along the way. Wasn’t told you couldn’t, so I did. The chef did not seem to mind. See the awesome pictures on my Shutterfly site :p

https://decembercarnivalfantasycruise.shutterfly.com/

 

Port Day- Freeport: After sleeping in again (btw, sleeping in for us is about 8:30) we had breakfast ate the buffet and then headed to the 21st Century Bar for some trivia. There was only 1 other couple there and we had a fun competition trying to win Blast from the Past TV trivia but in the end Michelle and her husband won the Ship on a Stick. After playing I discovered that Michelle was another cruise critic member and someone I had chatted with frequently before our trip. So fun! We had to get a picture and enjoy visiting and say hello throughout the rest of the trip. We played a few more round of trivia with TJ (he is AWSOME!) and then headed out for our snorkeling excursion. We had only booked this the day before after hearing about it on the TV from Risa’s excursion talk. We never go to those talks but usually catch them on TV. So, we thought snorkeling sounded like fun since we didn’t know much about Freeport. However, once we left the ship and met up with the group we found out that our snorkeling excursion from Carnival was cancelled because of the high winds and dangerous waves. We received a full refund and were not too disappointed. We only had booked it aboard the ship the day before and so didn't have our hearts set. So, instead we spent about 20 minutes in the small area right around the ship and then went back on board to play some more trivia. The weather wasn't that great so we didn't have a desire to go to a beach. We watched the ship set sail from inside while playing trivia….fine with us since it was SO windy. Then we got dressed for dinner, watched the Packer game in the bar…..YAY Pack! They won, which was so awesome! And then headed to the Hasbro Game show. Very fun to watch! Dinner in the MDR wasn’t that great tonight. I seemed to enjoy the starters more than the main meal. We hung out afterwards on the Promenade with some drinks and then waited for the 11:00 Mexican buffet on the Lido Deck. The deck party was in full swing, so that was fun to watch. We saw Chef Stanley and said hello and then the buffet opened. My hubby was 3rd in line! The food was VERY good, especially for a buffet. We ate and then off to bed.

2nd Day at Sea: Breakfast in the MDR- so good! Trivia, packing, laying out in the sun….this was basically our day. The sun was shining, full blue sky….but it was cool! 63 degrees and a cool wind. Didn’t stop this Wisconsin girl from laying out in the sun though. It was a nice day on the ship and we enjoyed every minute.

 

Disembarkation: We were in NO hurry to get off the ship since our flight wasn’t until 3:30. We had originally planned to explore Charleston but we weren’t sure what to do with our luggage and were so tired when it came to that day we just decided to hang out at the airport. We got ready, ate breakfast in the MDR and then got our stuff and headed to our disembarking station. We were off the ship around 9:15. Got our bags and then headed through security. This was the longest line the whole cruise. Takes a while because many people are getting on the shuttles with all of their luggage. We did not get on a shuttle and walked a short distance to the taxi stand. Then it was time to head home for the New Year!

Over all we LOVED our trip. Hardly any complaints and the ones we had were minor. The drink service in the dining room was our biggest complaint but it just taught us to get our drinks before coming into the MDR for dinner. Otherwise, everything was amazing. WONDERFUL staff, entertainment was great, plenty to do if you want and tons of places to relax and hang out! Let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading!

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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Great review and pictures. How did y'all get free champaign ? Was it a holiday offering?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Not sure if the Champagne was because of the holidays or not? They were pouring it at the Lido bars and then walking around the decks with it!!! Fantastic!

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superjuice

superjuice

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Thanks for posting the review and the link to the many fine pictures of your trip. We are going on Fantasy March 8 and this is a great way to get excited all the more. You looked like you had a blast and had a great vacation.

 

Fortunately our cruise is a 7 day one so all the better. Our previous Carnival cruise was a 5 day on the Inspiration from Tampa that flew by too fast. We will know the Fantasy layout somewhat as they share the same basic design but it is nice to see the different interiors from your pics.

 

Stay warm till spring;)

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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Thank you so much for sharing your photos! My DD and I are sailing out of Charleston, Feb 26th. Your little boy is so cute, its hard to leave them when their so small. Good for you, you need the alone time;)

 

Thank you! It was hard to leave him and I was very anxious about it but he was in great hands. We definitely needed the break and it was good for him too. I recommend that all parent have some time away. At least one weekend a year if possible!

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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Thanks for the review. Great pictures. Love the gray tunic, black legging, wedge sandal outfit. I'm planning some travel soon, that looks like a great, versatile outfit idea.

 

Thanks for the nice comment about the outfit! I felt like the leggings were fancy enough as long as I dressed up the top. They were so easy to pack and went with so many different things. I actually got the top off Amazon on a whim and LOVE it! Worked perfectly for the cruise (I wore it multiple times, fancy and causal just used different jewerly or scarves) and I can't wait to wear it again starting in the spring....too cold for it here now in Wisconsin ;)

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michelle1836

michelle1836

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great review! and funny about the 'kid soup' I took a picture of them.

going to look at all your pictures now! :D

 

still haven't gotten around to writing a review.

 

trivia was a blast! and now you know what Steve Austin's job and Baretta's bird are!

 

come join us on our July cruise! summer vacation!

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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we were in R26! just a few cabins down. the one with the ye olde poop deck poster on the door LOL

 

I was wondering about the champagne too. never saw that before

 

Loved your door!!!! I figured you were down on that deck since we ran into you :) Should haven't know it was your door!!!! We were neighbors!

 

Will let you know when we cruise again, might be awhile since we have the little one but we'll see. I have the bug again :)....for a cruise that is! Well, and maybe another little one too.....then it will really be awhile!

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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Great review

We sail in 5 weeks

Does anyone have the Funtime dailies so we can continue our planing and excitement

 

Well, I have them but I am not sure how to get them here for you to view? I do not have a scanner. Sorry! I could answer any specific questions you have by referencing them?

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Paradisefound619

Paradisefound619

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Nothing specific but thanks

 

Do you remember how much bingo cost.

What kind of games trivia was trere?

 

Lots of trivia options.....70s music, 90s music, Nascar, general, current events, cartoon, TV, movie taglines, slogans...that is all :)

 

Not sure about bingo prices, I think $25.

 

Have a great cruise!

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