Our Fantastic Fantasy Girls Cruise - May 6-11 - review with pictures

[NurseMarla]

Great review so far! Looking forward to the rest of it!

 

 

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[momof4girls]

Wonderful review! Love all the details. How did the Fantasy compare to the Fascination? I've been on the latter and am considering the Fantasy or Elation.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Wonderful review! Love all the details. How did the Fantasy compare to the Fascination? I've been on the latter and am considering the Fantasy or Elation.

 

 

Personally I felt like the Fascination and the Fantasy were very similar. Best as my memory serves the Lido deck is set up basically the same way with the stage and pool areas being about the same. The lido dining buffet area is similar as well and I love that you can go outside at the aft of the ship and have the table areas that are shaded. It's great to sit out there in the mornings for breakfast. They both have the waterworks area which is great for the kids. Just based on what I've heard from others I would definitely choose the Fantasy over the Elation, especially if you have kids. The Elation doesn't have the waterworks area and for me, the port options are better with the Fantasy - but we do love Costa Maya and Cozumel both. Our first several cruises were actually on larger ships - Glory, Dream, Legend and then we sailed on the Fascination and loved it! I really think I still prefer the smaller ships, especially if it's an adults only cruise. My kids love all the stuff to do on the bigger ships, but I don't like the crowds that you get with the larger ships.

 

Good luck in whatever you choose!

[Ms. Fun Bunch]

Enjoying your review. I have been on the Fantasy twice and enjoyed both times.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

We hung out a little while longer on the lido deck and then headed back to rest (you know - sitting out in a lounge chair sipping a cool drink and watching the antics of the hairy chest contest is hard work) and relax before we had to start getting ready for Elegant night.

 

We had all decided we would try and be ready by 6:30 to go eat for dinner. We got down to the Celebration Dining room which was the dining room for YTD and the line was wrapped around almost to the atrium elevators. My first thought was this isn't going to be good. As it turned out the line went quickly and we only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. We didn't get to sit in Manik's area but we still had a good wait staff.

 

Dinner was good that night I had the shrimp and prime rib. I think that was the night they also had bitter and blanc for dessert. Whitney and I just happened to try it on one of our cruises a while back and we both loved it. It wasn't quite as good this time - it was a little dry.

 

I have forgotten to tell you about our entertainment in the dining room. I was worried we would miss the singing and dancing since we weren't doing the set time dining but we managed to get to see it every night while we were dining. Sometimes it was right after we sat down and sometimes it was toward the end of our meal. Our maitre'd was really good and personable. There was also a waiter in our dining room that would sing every night and he was fantastic. I'm not sure why he was waiting tables and not on the entertainment staff singing in the shows because he should have been. He had a wonderful voice and could sing just about anything.

We had a couple of Elegant night pictures done - here are a couple. The one on the stairs we just took ourselves.

 

After dinner we wanted to go to the 70's Motown music trivia party. When Donna and I had cruised with our husbands in February we had gone to one and it was so much fun. As luck would have it, we got seats around the atrium bar and we had the perfect seat for the trivia party. Mikey the CD was right there in front of us as was the DJ. Mikey actually walked around on top of the bar and I was afraid he was going to spill my drink on me or step on my phone. I would always pick them both up every time I saw him heading our way! The atrium and all the decks up around the atrium were packed with people watching and participating.

We heard so many songs that you really had just forgotten about (well - I did being the oldest of the group). It was funny though before we went Whitney kept saying "Mom I won't know any of these songs". I told her that she would be surprised and she was - she knew a lot of them and was singing right along!

 

 

 

 

 

After the 70's music trivia we walked around for a little while and decided to call it a night. Boy for a girls cruise we aren't very exciting are we?

 

Side note -

 

I forgot to mention earlier about our cabin steward. On embarkation day he asked us if we wanted morning or evening service or both. Donna and I decided we had rather have evening service since we knew we might want to come and take a nap some during the day. It's weird to me about not having service both days. I know it helps them out tremendously but I kind of miss it. I'm sorry but I don't remember our steward's name. He did an ok job - nothing extraordinary. I really miss the days when your cabin steward called you by name ALL the time and would stop and chat with you in the hallway. It was so neat to learn about their families and the countries where they were from. Ours said hello each time we saw him out in the hallway but he wasn't really that personable. You would think they would have a little more time to talk with you since they aren't having to clean all the cabins 2 times a day.

 

 

Tomorrow is Costa Maya day!

[GeorgiaMomof4]

I promise I'm working on this but I'm having computer issues at home and can only work on it at work. We are heading out for a family camping trip and a trip to the Atlanta Zoo this weekend so it's probably going to be Monday before I can post more.

 

I'll try and hurry and finish up by Tuesday though!

 

Hope you're still enjoying!

[nwo4life]

The bartender pictured at the Atrium bar is Yanti. Yanti is very friendly and has a very generous pour when pouring drinks.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Monday - Costa Maya

 

What can I say? Whitney and I had been waiting for this day for years. You may wonder how we have been waiting for years to get to Costa Maya since we only booked this cruise in February but we've been wanting to get back to Costa Maya since our original trip here in April, 2011 - yes it's been a long 6 years but it was definitely worth the wait.

 

When we booked and I knew we were coming to Costa Maya I emailed Steve at Tropicante and told him we would need lounge chairs for the day and he said he would be happy to reserve us some- so we were set.

 

We arrived in Costa Maya at 12:00 and couldn't wait to get off the ship. We had already eaten breakfast and were just waiting to arrive in port so we could hit the beach.

 

We got off the ship and headed to the taxi area. We grabbed an open air tram/trailer type thing that was pulled by a truck ($3.00 each person)and headed to Mahahual where the Tropicante was located. After a short 10 minute or so ride we arrived and one of Steve's guys was there waiting for us and took us directly to the beach. We had loungers right at the water and we were so excited. The day was gorgeous - the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the water was beyond beautiful. I can't even begin to explain how beautiful - they say a picture is worth a thousand words so here you go -

 

 

 

We all got settled -sunscreen, hats, sunglasses, etc and just took it all in for a little while. I couldn't wait to get in the water so we told our waiter we wanted to wait a while about ordering lunch. We went in the water and it was just perfect.

 

We made it back to our lounge chairs and I ordered a Strawberry Daiquiri and it was so good! We all decided we were ready for some lunch and our waiter found us a table in the shade. Whitney and I decided to order 2 different items and sample them. We ordered the mini burritos and the Arroz Con Pollo. I really preferred the mini burritos - they were deep fried and oh soooo good! The chicken was good as well but those burritos were just amazing.

 

After lunch we did some snorkeling. We wanted to try out our new full face snorkel masks and we loved them! It's so great not having to hold that snorkel in your mouth all the time. We saw a few fish - not a lot but we knew we would see a lot more in Cozumel the next day so we just played around some to get used to our new masks.

 

Donna decided she wanted to do a massage so she went to do that. A 1 hour massage was $30 and a half hour was $20.They do them right on the beach and they are certified.Our waiter just added it to Donna's running tab so she only had to pay one time when she was finished for the day.

 

Someone had taken a chair out into the water and left it so I decided I would take my book and go sit in the water and read for a while. It was so peaceful and nice out there. I could stay there for days on end. Whitney and Chelsea decided they were going to meander up and down the area and do some souvenir shopping. While they were doing that I decided I would do a massage as well. You certainly can't get a full 1 hour massage at home for $30.

 

After my massage (it was wonderful by the way) it was getting close to 6:00 and we all decided that we should probably head back toward the ship. We did a little shopping on the way to get a taxi and then headed back to the port area. Since there were 5 of us we had to split up 3 and 2 and it was $2.00 per person to be taken back to the port. A word of warning - they are always in a hurry to get you back to the port area for some reason or the other. On our first ride back to the port in 2011 the taxi driver hit a speed bump so fast that Whitney hit her head on the roof of the car and the same thing happened this time. It made for a good laugh and more memories of our 2011 trip. Once we got back we walked back to the ship. You have to walk through the area where a lot of the shops are but I didn't really notice anyone encouraging you to come in and look at their items.

 

 

 

Goodbye to Costa Maya

 

Once back on board we all rested for a bit and then showered and headed to dinner. We didn't have a long wait tonight either and dinner was good but I don't remember what I had. We did have more singing and dancing too.

 

After dinner we walked around a bit and decided we would go listen to the karaoke. We stayed there for a bit and some of the people singing were really good and well some - not so good. We saw in the Fun Times that they were doing an adult game night. None of us had ever been so we thought it might be fun to check it out.

 

Adult Game Night was held in the Universe Lounge at 10:15. Turns out you join up in teams and the object is to be able to produce as many items as you can as the host asks for them. Each team is assigned a number and when the host asks for the item, someone from your team takes your number and the item up front and the host calls out your number signifying that you got a point for that item. It was a lot of fun - there was some real competition among some of the teams. Some of the items asked for were candy, a picture of the ship, a tattoo, a bald man, 2 socks that don't match and aren't being worn, 2 belts that aren't being worn,etc. You get the idea. I really couldn't figure out why they called it Adult Game Night until toward the end when they asked for 2 bras that weren't being worn and a woman in men's pants. Even then it wasn't anything too risque. It was fun and we want to be sure and go in February when we cruise again if it's something that is offered on the Magic.

 

Afterwards we headed to the Serenity area for something called Serenity nights. The DJ is set up back there and they had it all lit up for dancing. We got there right as it started so there wasn't a lot of people there. It was beginning to fill up but we decided since we had an early day in Cozumel we would head back to our cabins to get some rest.

 

Costa Maya had been an amazing day and we were tired from all the sun and fun!

 

Cozumel tomorrow - an old favorite stop of ours!

[Alabaster Cruiser]

We enjoyed the Tropicanta also. As a matter of fact you caught me in one of your pictures. I was on the pink float with my son in the water also.

 

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[GeorgiaMomof4]

We enjoyed the Tropicanta also. As a matter of fact you caught me in one of your pictures. I was on the pink float with my son in the water also.

 

Sent from my VK700 using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Oh that's cool - gosh it was a beautiful day wasn't it!

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Tuesday - Cozumel day

 

We arrived in Cozumel around 8 and unfortunately it was raining. That didn't dampen our spirits though because we had high hopes that it was going to clear off and turn into another beautiful day.

 

I had already made our plans for Cozumel with a driver that we have used several times while visiting Cozumel. His name is Crescencio and he is one of the sweetest people I know.

 

We planned on meeting at the taxi stand area around 8:30 so we were ready to get off the ship as soon as they allowed us to get off.

 

We walked the loooong length of the pier from the ship to the port area in the rain. Fortunately it wasn't raining very hard or we would have been drenched because it's quite a walk. We went straight to the taxi area and there Crescencio was waiting for us. After hugs all around he told us to wait and he would get his van and pull right up to get us.

 

We all loaded up and he asked us what our plans were for the day. I told him there was a pharmacy that I wanted to run by and after that we wanted to do a Tequila Tour and then head to Playa Palancar for a day at the beach. We went by the pharmacy that I had planned on going to but they hadn't opened yet so Crescencio took me to another pharmacy. We got all that taken care of and then we headed to the Tequila Tour. I'm sorry that I don't remember the name of it but I'm sure I could find out from Crescencio is anyone wants to know. I know this was a different one than Crescencio had taken us on a few years ago. We all enjoyed hearing about the process of making the tequila and our guide was very informative and fun. The best part was at the end when we got to sample all the different kinds of tequila. Not being big drinkers, it doesn't really take long for you to start feeling it. We made a few purchases and headed on our way.

Our plan had been to head straight to the beach but Crescencio suggested since we still had plenty of time that we take a drive all the way around the island. Pat- Donna's Mom had never been to Cozumel at all and Chelsea had only been right at the port area so we thought it was be neat for them to be able to see the "wild"side of the island. We stopped and made some pictures and I purchased a really neat surfboard sign from one of the guys set up at the place where we stopped. He was actually putting the finishing touches on it so I was able to watch him finish it up and put Collin's name on it. He did it all with his fingertips except for Collin's name.

Donna and Pat (on the wild side)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all loaded back up and headed to the beach. We arrived at Playa Palancar and found us a lounge chair. We couldn't wait to get out in the water and cool off because the day had turned out nice and it was getting warm.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

After a while in the water we decided to go and order some lunch. Whitney and I shared a huge plateful of chicken nachos and I had another strawberry daiquiri and she had a mango one. It was all delicious. We did notice the prices were a little higher in Cozumel than they had been in Costa Maya.

 

 

 

 

Depending on the tour you take with Crescencio and if he takes you to Palancar Beach,normally 1 hour of snorkeling is included in your tour. It includes your snorkel, mask and fins. Since we had brought our new full face masks all we needed was fins but Chelsea needed all her gear. They got us all fitted and off we went. It was beautiful. We saw a stingray, tons and tons of fish and even a barracuda - which was a little intimidating. The water was a little rough - the currents kept moving us down the beach while we were snorkeling. After we got so far down we just had to get out of the water and walk back up the beach to start again because there was noway you could swim against the currents - they were really strong that day.

 

 

 

We snorkeled for a long time and we were all worn out. We went back to our chairs and rested a while and decided we would call it a day since we had to be back on the ship at 2:30.

 

Crescencio had told us earlier not to worry - if we missed the ship he had extra rooms and we could stay with him. I told him he had better not tell me that because I might take him up on it. I'm not sure his wife would have appreciated him bringing home 5 extra women and I know my husband wouldn't have wanted to be stuck home with 5 kids all by himself. Donna and I did think it might be a good idea though - we were thinking we might just "accidentally" miss the ship and let our husbands pick us up next February when we are supposed to cruise back to Cozumel on the Magic.

 

Crescencio got us back to the port in plenty of time to get back on board (darn it). We had to pick up a few last minute souvenirs- you know you have to buy vanilla when you go to Cozumel!

[GeorgiaMomof4]

We were back on the ship by 3:30 and would soon be sailing away from Cozumel.

 

I think I headed back to the cabin to take a short nap and cool off a bit before getting ready for dinner that night.

 

We went to dinner and again it was good. I really don't remember having anything bad on this cruise. I liked the menu better on this cruise than the one we took on the Magic in February.

 

I don't really remember what we did right after dinner but I do know we went to the Love & Marriage Show later on in the evening. It was fun as always. Chelsea had never been to one and she said it was hilarious. There were some really great couples up on stage - one couple had been married for 60 years! They were so sweet!

 

After the Love &Marriage Show we headed to the comedy club to finally try and catch as how. We finally got to see The Cowboy Comedian. He was funny, but the late shows are sometimes a little much for me. I'm not a prude by any means, I just don't care for some of the language and I always think the early "family friendly" shows are just as funny, but we didn't catch any of those on this trip.

 

 

After the show we all headed back to our cabins because it had been a very long day. We were looking forward to our sea day on Wednesday but were sad too because we knew we would soon be back to Mobile.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Wednesday - Sea day

 

We didn't wake up really early, we were still tired from all our adventures in Cozumel. We didn't want to waste much of our day though so about 8:30 or 9 we headed up to breakfast. We ate breakfast and then went up to deck 11 aft so we could grab some lounge chairs by the water works area. I really like it up there because it seems to be breezy and cooler plus if you want to get wet without getting into the pool you can slide down a slide right quick or just get under the fountains.

 

When we got up there though we noticed they had the entire area taped off and they were painting! Really? On our final sea day? I tried not to panic - I thought maybe they were just finishing up some stuff that they hadn't got completed on one of the 2 port days we had just had. We settled in but it started getting really hot! I decided I would go ask and see when the water works was going to be opening up. I went over and talked to one of the guys working and he said the unfortunately it was going to be closed all day for maintenance.

 

Now I'm normally pretty laid back and a go with the flow type person but this really upset me. You're on a ship that has 2,500 plus people on it and you basically only have 2 areas where you can enjoy the water - the lido pool and the water works area. It is a sea day after all so that means all 2,500 people are on the ship and are going to be looking for something to do and somewhere to cool off and they completely close one of those areas? Not very smart on managements part I don't think. I mean we had just had not 1 but 2 port days prior to this sea day when most people I'm sure were probably off the ship - maybe not for the whole day but at least part of the day and yet you chose to close the water works area on a sea day? Like I said, it just didn't make very much sense to me. The guy I spoke to said they had planned on doing it in Cozumel but it rained. No, I don't buy that either - it was raining when we got to Cozumel that morning but it stopped within 45 minutes to an hour of us getting there so that left them the rest of the day to paint and do their maintenance on the area. I wasn't a happy camper.

 

After our discovery that the area wasn't going to open we headed down to the lido pool area - needless to say it was PACKED! We put our stuff down on one of the only chairs open and got into the pool. After a while some lounge chairs opened up and we were actually able to get 4 together right at the pool which we thought was amazing luck!

 

We just sunned and chilled until about 2:30 or so. Donna had already gotten as much sun as she wanted so she had gone back to the room to nap. I went and checked on her and we decided we wanted a Guy's Burger so we ordered an order of room service fries(I don't like the Guy's Burger fries but Donna loves them) and I went and grabbed us a couple of burgers. We ate and then I took a short nap. I had to go back out for one last lounge so I headed back up to deck 11 where it was quiet. I sat there and took in the view and read my book. It was so relaxing and peaceful. I missed my husband and kids back at home but I sure did hate leaving that view.

 

 

 

 

I stayed as long as I could and then headed back to shower and get ready for dinner. We went and sat right down again and but we didn't get Manik's station today. Dinner was good and they sang that horrible song about us having to leave - I hate that song!

 

I had forgotten my tip money in the cabin that I wanted to give to Manik so I ran back to get it and then took it back to him in the dining room. He was a great server and a great guy!

 

[gigito2]

I had already made our plans for Cozumel with a driver that we have used several times while visiting Cozumel. His name is Crescencio and he is one of the sweetest people I know.

Would you care to share Crescencio's contact info? Thanks.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

There was another music trivia party (80's this time) going on tonight so we were hoping we could snag seats at the Atrium bar again. When we got down there it was really crowded but some people left and so we got our great bar stools seats again for the trivia party. Once again, it was a blast and Whitney even got to sing the whole verse of Hey Mickey when Mikey the CD just stopped in front of her and put the microphone up in her face. She did a great job but dang it I didn't get my cell phone out and ready to do a video in time! We also used our free drink coupon while we were there at the trivia contest. The whole atrium area was participating even 3 or 4 decks up - it was a lot of fun!

 

 

 

 

After the contest Donna said she was gonna head back and pack. Whitney and Chelsea wanted to go try and catch another comedy show so I tagged along with them. We watched the show and unfortunately it was the same guy I had already seen but he was funny. I would have liked to have seen the other comedian too though.

 

Unfortunately our girls cruise trip was coming to a screeching end so it was time to go back and pack. I did get some rest and relaxation and got to spend some quality time with my oldest daughter so all was well in the world.

 

 

Thursday - debark day

 

As I said before we had never cruised out of Mobile before so we didn't really know what to expect for debark day. When we cruise out of Port Canaveral we usually arrive back to the port at 5 or 6 in the morning and are getting off the ship by 7 or 7:30. Not in Mobile - we didn't even get back into port until 7:30 or 8 and we didn't get off the ship until about 9:15 or 9:30. We did self assist and it just wasn't very organized. It seemed to take forever to get off the ship and to get through customs.

 

 

We were finally back to the parking garage and on our way back home by 9:30 or 9:45.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

Some random pictures of the Fantasy -

 

 

Some final thoughts -

 

I hope you have enjoyed my review. I'm sorry it took me so long to finish - but life sometimes gets in the way.

 

If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I do ask that you not read too much into my review - it's just my experience and you could have a completely different one. I always read reviews and take them with a grain of salt because everyone is different and enjoys different things. I do hope I've helped answer some questions or give you an idea about the Fantasy.

 

 

I would definitely sail on the Fantasy again - I love the size of the ship and the things that she has to offer. I'm trying to talk my husband into a quick 5 day on the Fantasy this fall before we do our big family Magic cruise in February - wish me luck!

[lennythenose]

I don't think I saw this mentioned yet, so if someone else already said it forgive the repeat. I saw you mention you enjoyed the menus more on the Fantasy than on your previous cruise. I sailed the Fantasy and have to agree. I am not one who gets upset about the American Table menus and have always been able to find waaay too much that I like, but I did enjoy the Fantasy not having American Table. A couple of my old favorites from the "old" menus were a nice surprise.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

I don't think I saw this mentioned yet, so if someone else already said it forgive the repeat. I saw you mention you enjoyed the menus more on the Fantasy than on your previous cruise. I sailed the Fantasy and have to agree. I am not one who gets upset about the American Table menus and have always been able to find waaay too much that I like, but I did enjoy the Fantasy not having American Table. A couple of my old favorites from the "old" menus were a nice surprise.

 

 

I agree with you completely! The old favorites are nice. I don't care whether I have a tablecloth or not - just prefer some of the old items over the new ones!

[CharlesKru]

I would definitely sail on the Fantasy again - I love the size of the ship and the things that she has to offer. I'm trying to talk my husband into a quick 5 day on the Fantasy this fall before we do our big family Magic cruise in February - wish me luck!

 

I had to chuckle at this... If my wife even remotely mentions doing a cruise, I am texting my PVP to get the best rates...

 

I hope you can sway your husband to go on the quick 5 day.. I used to think they were to short, and while I would love to only do 7+ day cruises, 5 days enough to carry me to the next major adventure.

 

Nice review, thanks again for taking the time to write it.

[GeorgiaMomof4]

I had to chuckle at this... If my wife even remotely mentions doing a cruise, I am texting my PVP to get the best rates...

 

I hope you can sway your husband to go on the quick 5 day.. I used to think they were to short, and while I would love to only do 7+ day cruises, 5 days enough to carry me to the next major adventure.

 

Nice review, thanks again for taking the time to write it.

 

 

 

He is usually pretty easy to sway into going but we would be taking our 4 year old and 2 year old if we go this fall and we've never cruised with ones that little before so I'm not sure. If I can't talk him into that I know I can convince him that we need a week at the beach so either way I'll be getting to go to the ocean!

 

Please let us know how your cruise on the Elation goes. I've heard good and not so good. I just wish it would get some of the upgrades the other ships have. Thanks for reading!

[gigito2]

Thanks for your review and the great pics!

[KPfromCT]

Thanks for the review!!!! Sounds like you ladies had a great girls trip......

I really would like to try one of the smaller, older ships for a girls trip......

Save the big ones for the family.

Thanks again. Pictures were great, too!!!!!:cool:

[NurseMarla]

Thank you for the fantastic review!!

 

 

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[Sol y Mar]

Thank you for taking the time to review. We go in a few weeks, and I hung on your every word!

 

Sol y Mar