Just Back from Fantasy - Brief Review

[Rowan555]

Thanks for the review. We will be on her in two weeks, we got a wonderful deal and are taking the 4 day. one reason we did not even try to go for the 5 day is because of the ports offered. We like Cozumel but were not crazy about any of the others.

We were just on the Fantasy in July and she really seemed to be in good shape, but their were soooooooo many people that I think that was what I noticed more.

Was it crowded????

 

I'm pretty sure the ship was fully booked, but it didn't seem crowded to me until the last sea day at the Lido buffet. MAN the people turned out for the fried chicken on the buffet. I've never seen throngs of people like that all show up right at noon. I ended up just grabbing a burger - it was insane. We usually ate breakfast around 8:30 and lunch at noon, and we never waited more than 2 or 3 minutes to get our food. The Promenade deck never seemed overly congested, but the casino was hopping every night. The Lido deck pool area was very crowded on sea days, but that's always the case on every cruise I've been on. We never had trouble finding a quiet spot away from the crowds.

 

The Fantasy is docking downtown at the present time, so if you're into shopping or having drinks at the local hot spots, it's very convenient. If you want to hit the beaches it's a few dollars more for a cab from there than from the other piers. We ended up just shopping in Cozumel - we had planned to go to Paradise Beach but I wasn't feeling good that morning so we decided to just take it easy. We let the kids pick out some souvenirs and we were back on the ship by 11:30 AM!

[jody92998]

I've been looking for a deal on a 4 day on the fantasy. E-mail me if you know of one . Thanks. It's my user name at aol

[Rowan555]

I've been looking for a deal on a 4 day on the fantasy. E-mail me if you know of one . Thanks. It's my user name at aol

 

The cheapest I've seen for the 4 day is January 17th. I'm actually thinking about booking that one for me and the kids!

[mariemorgan]

The cheapest I have found is Dec 6th or January 31st.

[Rowan555]

The cheapest I have found is Dec 6th or January 31st.

 

 

Interesting - when I looked, the 17th was cheaper than the 31st. I didn't look at Dec 6, though, since we'll be on the NCL Spirit then!

[jetskier]

I meant no jacket over it. Doh! Some men had on polo shirts and blazers, some men had dress shirt with no tie, others had dress shirt and jacket, but no tie, and still others had dress shirt and tie with no jacket. I saw ONE tuxedo and lots of suits and blazers/dress pants with dress shirt and tie.

 

I would like to point out that I do not care a bit what other people wear to dinner - I was just making this observation due to the many threads here regarding dress codes, and what people do and do not wear to dinner. I'd read quite a few threads indicating that very few people wear jeans/shorts to dinner on non-formal nights, and this didn't seem right to me based on my recollection of previous cruises. Perhaps the 5 day cruises are more casual, or perhaps it's a Big Easy thing, but the Fantasy (and the Sensation when it was here) cruises have always seemed quite casual.

 

It was the same way on the Conquest last week for a 7-day cruise. There were several folks in the main dining room for dinner in shorts and t-shirts. The guy the next table over from me was in them each night. Because of the two level dining there is noone at upper level door to monitor what folks are wearing.

Dave

[piratefan]

I'm confused about the attire at dinner after reading these posts. Please get me straight. By the way, Oct 28 will be our first cruise and beleive it or not the very first time that my husband and I have every had any type of vacation (without kids) in 23 years of marriage. Sounds depressing. So as you can imagine I'm on this site often trying to get as much info as possible. Back to the attire...Are you supposed to dress up at dinner every night? I thought only the Captain Dinners was formal. I'll be very lucky to get my DH to wear a suit and tie one night, but anymore than that I quess we will be in the buffet line. This was my idea to take a cruise so I hope everything goes good. Neither of us has flown in over 20 years( He hates to fly)and we have to fly to San Juan. He hates water and can't swim and the couple of times that he has went deep sea fishing he has been VERY seasick. I'm going to have a hard time telling him that he has to wear a suit more than one night. Somebody, get me straight. Thanks. Linda

[mariemorgan]

Interesting - when I looked, the 17th was cheaper than the 31st. I didn't look at Dec 6, though, since we'll be on the NCL Spirit then!

 

For the room I'm looking at the price is $10 cheaper on the 31st.

[Rowan555]

It was the same way on the Conquest last week for a 7-day cruise. There were several folks in the main dining room for dinner in shorts and t-shirts. The guy the next table over from me was in them each night. Because of the two level dining there is noone at upper level door to monitor what folks are wearing.

Dave

 

There was an elderly man at the table next to us who wore a Grumpy t shirt (the Snow White character) every day, along with shorts. He had a different Grumpy shirt for each day of the cruise! I would have loved to see the tiny little Maitre D' Mersin TRY to tell this man he couldn't eat in the dining room with shorts on. Mersin would probably be a stain on the carpet right now ;)

 

It's kind of funny - in the past, I never noticed what other people were wearing. THIS time when I went and paid attention b/c of this message board, I found myself getting irritated by all the shorts on regular nights and by the polo shirts on formal night. I didn't even really know WHY I was bothered - I think I was happier when I didn't notice other people's attire! Of course our next cruise is on NCL, so the rules are all different. But I don't think they "allow" shorts at dinner either, do they?

[Rowan555]

Only one night is formal - and MANY men wore just a dress shirt and tie on formal night (some didn't even wear a tie). On other nights, Dockers and a Polo shirt will do just fine. Jeans and a Polo shirt are fine as well, although some people here will disagree. You will see tons of men and women wearing jeans to dinner on the Fantasy, so you won't feel at all out of place or underdressed in jeans. Frankly, the people in nice jeans looked a heck of a lot better than the people wearing ratty capris or velour jogging pants!!!

 

The Fantasy is a VERY casual cruise. You won't meet many "stuffy" types on this cruise - lots of laid back people who are just there to have a good time and don't care at all about what anyone else is wearing. I wouldn't personally recommend wearing shorts to dinner in the main dining rooms, though, because it's requested that you don't. Beyond that, you're all set with pretty much ANYTHING you decide to wear. And on formal night, you don't need to dress "formally" per se - just a nicer outfit than on casual nights and you'll be fine.

 

I'm confused about the attire at dinner after reading these posts. Please get me straight. By the way, Oct 28 will be our first cruise and beleive it or not the very first time that my husband and I have every had any type of vacation (without kids) in 23 years of marriage. Sounds depressing. So as you can imagine I'm on this site often trying to get as much info as possible. Back to the attire...Are you supposed to dress up at dinner every night? I thought only the Captain Dinners was formal. I'll be very lucky to get my DH to wear a suit and tie one night, but anymore than that I quess we will be in the buffet line. This was my idea to take a cruise so I hope everything goes good. Neither of us has flown in over 20 years( He hates to fly)and we have to fly to San Juan. He hates water and can't swim and the couple of times that he has went deep sea fishing he has been VERY seasick. I'm going to have a hard time telling him that he has to wear a suit more than one night. Somebody, get me straight. Thanks. Linda

[airdale]

I forgot to mention that Carnival had a plate of chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us when we arrived in our stateroom. What a nice surprise!

 

 

Rowan555...what cabin number did you have? Do you know why you received the chocolate covered strawberries? Or who they were from?

 

Are you a Carnival titanium cruise member by any chance?

 

I think the DW would enjoy receiving some chocolate covered strawberries one night. I will have to look into ordering some for her.

 

Thanks for the idea. :)

 

Don

[mountaingurl]

Thanks for your review! I have been waiting for it. It seemed like we were kind of similar in what we wanted out of our cruises. I hate to hear about camp carnival. I expect there won't be too many kids on our cruise too. The 11 year olds don't really care, but my 5 year old really wants someone to play with. I do have severla questions if you don't mind answering them, and thanks for the progresso prices. That has been MOST helpful too me.

1. Did you play the mini golf, and did the kids enjoy it?

2. Did you order any of the spa entrees and were they good?

3. Was there splenda available?

4. Did you get the dining time you requested?

5. Did they offer the $15 laundry deal, if so when, and did you use it?

6. Were the pictures $20 per picture, or could you just buy a 5x7, and if so how much?

7. Were they strict about the height requirement on the waterslide?

8. Was room service good, and did you order any?

9. Other than the banging noise, did you notice a problem with any while trying to sleep at night (rowdy passengers, etc)

10. Was there anything you ordered that did you hated from the menu?

11. Did you have any problem communicating in English in Progresso?

 

Thanks for taking the time to look at my questions. I will not stress about hurrying to get time on the beach now like I had planned. We will do the closer ruins and maybe hang out at the beach for an hour or so.

[jetskier]

I'm confused about the attire at dinner after reading these posts. Please get me straight. By the way, Oct 28 will be our first cruise and beleive it or not the very first time that my husband and I have every had any type of vacation (without kids) in 23 years of marriage. Sounds depressing. So as you can imagine I'm on this site often trying to get as much info as possible. Back to the attire...Are you supposed to dress up at dinner every night? I thought only the Captain Dinners was formal. I'll be very lucky to get my DH to wear a suit and tie one night, but anymore than that I quess we will be in the buffet line. This was my idea to take a cruise so I hope everything goes good. Neither of us has flown in over 20 years( He hates to fly)and we have to fly to San Juan. He hates water and can't swim and the couple of times that he has went deep sea fishing he has been VERY seasick. I'm going to have a hard time telling him that he has to wear a suit more than one night. Somebody, get me straight. Thanks. Linda

 

Linda,

A pair of Dockers and a collared shirt would be fine on the other nights. I bring two pair of trousers and a couple of shirts and just mix and match to keep down on the suitcase space.

Dave

[jetskier]

There was an elderly man at the table next to us who wore a Grumpy t shirt (the Snow White character) every day, along with shorts. He had a different Grumpy shirt for each day of the cruise! I would have loved to see the tiny little Maitre D' Mersin TRY to tell this man he couldn't eat in the dining room with shorts on. Mersin would probably be a stain on the carpet right now ;)

 

It's kind of funny - in the past, I never noticed what other people were wearing. THIS time when I went and paid attention b/c of this message board, I found myself getting irritated by all the shorts on regular nights and by the polo shirts on formal night. I didn't even really know WHY I was bothered - I think I was happier when I didn't notice other people's attire! Of course our next cruise is on NCL, so the rules are all different. But I don't think they "allow" shorts at dinner either, do they?

 

Shorts are not allowed at dinner on NCL either. I could not wear shorts anyway as I always find the dining room and other public areas freezing for my taste. Like you normally I dont pay attention but the guy at the next table wearing shorts got me looking around at what others were wearing.

Dave

[jetskier]

Rowan555...what cabin number did you have? Do you know why you received the chocolate covered strawberries? Or who they were from?

 

Are you a Carnival titanium cruise member by any chance?

 

I think the DW would enjoy receiving some chocolate covered strawberries one night. I will have to look into ordering some for her.

 

Thanks for the idea. :)

 

Don

 

Don,

We got them also on the Conquest in addition to the Petite-4s and Canapes. I assume they are from the Casino as there was a note that came with them stating they were a Bon Voyage gift from Carnival along with the $15 off photo coupon.

 

Dave

[Rowan555]

Rowan555...what cabin number did you have? Do you know why you received the chocolate covered strawberries? Or who they were from?

 

Are you a Carnival titanium cruise member by any chance?

 

I think the DW would enjoy receiving some chocolate covered strawberries one night. I will have to look into ordering some for her.

 

Thanks for the idea. :)

 

Don

 

We were in E158. I've sent several letters to Carnival, mostly about hoping they give us a second ship in New Orleans - perhaps that's why we received the strawberries. You can order the strawberries from the little coffee/pastry shop any time, they're 5 for $3 and very yummy.

[Rowan555]

1. Did you play the mini golf, and did the kids enjoy it?

We did play, and we enjoyed it. It's a nice little mini golf course and actually kind of challenging, especially when the ship is moving!

 

2. Did you order any of the spa entrees and were they good?

I've never done the Spa, sorry.

 

3. Was there splenda available?

Yes, Splenda is available in all dining rooms, at the pastry shop, and at afternoon tea.

 

4. Did you get the dining time you requested?

Yes, we sure did. We always request 5:45, and I think it's VERY easy to get that seating time when there aren't many kids on board.

 

5. Did they offer the $15 laundry deal, if so when, and did you use it?

Yes, they offered the deal, but we didn't use it.

 

6. Were the pictures $20 per picture, or could you just buy a 5x7, and if so how much?

Photos were $7.99 for a 5x7, $8.99 for a 6x9, and $21.99 for an 8x10. Embarkation photos, all portraits, and formal night dinner photos are only available in the 8x10 size. Once you purchase that one you can also have smaller ones made. The other photos were either 5x7 or 6x9.

 

7. Were they strict about the height requirement on the waterslide?

YES. My daughter is about 1/4 inch under 48", and they wouldn't let her on the slide. She would try each time a new person came to staff the slide. Finally on the last day one of the Camp Carnival counselors let her slide, and she went down the slide 20 times in half an hour! So if your child is close to 48", just have them keep on trying.

 

8. Was room service good, and did you order any?

We order every night, and we love it. Dessert of the day was always this really creamy cheesecake with strawberry sauce. We love the bean wrap, the BLT, and the fruit.

 

9. Other than the banging noise, did you notice a problem with any while trying to sleep at night (rowdy passengers, etc)

Not at all - no noise from other passengers, which was great.

 

10. Was there anything you ordered that did you hated from the menu?

Penne Mariscos - on the dinner menu the day we were in Cozumel, I believe. It was NASTY. One surprise hit was the vegetarian enchiladas, which were DELICIOUS. I've never ordered them before but decided to give it a chance this time. I'm glad I did, it was so good I almost ordered a second plate!

 

11. Did you have any problem communicating in English in Progresso?

None of the beachfront waiters speak English. We found one man who was selling rosaries and Cuban cigars (lol) who spoke English and helped us out. Just brush up on your numbers (so when they give you the bill you know how much money they're asking for) and also figure out how to ASK for the bill in Spanish - we waited over 20 minutes because we asked for the bill and the waiter didn't understand us. He said okay, but left and never came back because he didn't know what we were saying!

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps!

[airdale]

 

5. Did they offer the $15 laundry deal, if so when, and did you use it?

 

What is this $15 laundry deal?

 

How does it work?

 

...and does anyone know when?

 

Thanks! :)

 

Don

[Rowan555]

What is this $15 laundry deal?

 

How does it work?

 

...and does anyone know when?

 

Thanks! :)

 

Don

 

They give you a small bag, and you can have everything you put in the bag laundered for $15. Or if you're platinum, it's free ;)

[mountaingurl]

Thanks so much for the info. I really appreciate it. I bought spanish for dummies at Barnes and Nobles and will study up.

[pink roses]

I've been looking for a deal on a 4 day on the fantasy. E-mail me if you know of one . Thanks. It's my user name at aol

 

This is what I did I went to www.carnival.com . I put in the month of Sept. and the 27th had the best price, still not quite as low as I got. I continued to watch it go down and called Carnival and still got it about $30 cheaper than the internet price. I also have found good deals in Oct.

I forgot to say that I just booked like a week and a half ago and now the rooms that are left have gone up in price. I do not know how they do the pricing.

The prices can change within the same day.

[Montycruiser]

Thanks for the review, we leave in 45 days for Halloween on the Fantasy, can't wait. My birthday is October the 27th, I have celebrated on a cruise for the last 2 years. This year I will celebrate in NOLA as we are going to stay in the city on the 27th and 28th then leave for the cruise on the 29th. Having your birthday on a cruise is wonderful, I plan on doing a cruise vacation for mine from now on.:D

[KnotAMole]

Here are some pictures etc. from a recent cruise:

 

http://www.zydecocruiser.com/fantasy_07/fantasy_map.htm

[crazycruzer68]

Here it is - you can also visit www.autoprogreso.com

 

Merida City Tour $25

Visit Cathedral, Main Ave, Historic downtown, Colonial buildings. One hour of shopping

 

Dzibichaltun Ruins $29

Includes ruins tour, museum entry, and time to swim in the cenote

 

Resort/Ruins Tour $45

All you can eat and drink at the Reef Club private beach resort

Includes a short trip to the ruins (I believe it's Xcambo) 2 and a half hours

 

Flamingo Tour $18

Visit the downtown area bird sanctuary, local fishing harbor, and Mayan site of Xcambo

 

 

It says: All tours include air conditioned bus, English speaking guide, and insurance. All entrance fees to ruins, museums, etc included.

 

 

I sent an e-mail to Autoprpgresso and have not gotten a responce yet, any idea if you can get transportation just to the Reef club and back, we just want to chill and Ihave seen pictures of there and that's where we want to chill!

[Rowan555]

I sent an e-mail to Autoprpgresso and have not gotten a responce yet, any idea if you can get transportation just to the Reef club and back, we just want to chill and Ihave seen pictures of there and that's where we want to chill!

 

It's an all inclusive, so the only way you can go there is to pay the tour price. You don't have to visit the ruins, but the ruins tour is very very short, and close to the resort, so it's kind of a freebie. It's $45 pp for the Reef Club whether you do the ruins trip or not.