FANTASY 11/3/07 Review LONG

[globe9]

Well we just got back from our November 3rd Fantasy cruise to Progresso and Cozumel. Here is some background: Girlfriend and I went alone(I'm 34, she's 37). This was our 2nd cruise on the Fantasy and my 3rd cruise with Carnival(did Conquest in 05). Our cabin was an OV located on the Empress Deck forward.

 

We arrived at the pier at about 11am and we were onboard the ship by 11:45. There was a line inside the terminal, but it moved rather quickly. I had completed the fun passes prior to boarding(about 2 months earlier) and asked the agent if she needed the printed fun pass. She said no. I wonder why they make you print out the fun pass, as both times I've sailed on Fantasy they never ask for it and it doesn't seem to make things go any quicker. Overall, however, embarkation was smooth. Our cabin was not ready until 2pm, but our only carry-ons were a backpack and a small bag, so it wasn't too inconvenient to carry them around with us for 2 hours. After getting aboard, we headed for the lido deck for lunch. We both got a burger and fries. We wandered around for a while and then went and checked out our cabin. It was very nice. The beds weren't pushed together into a queen, so we tracked down our room steward and asked him to make the 2 twins into a queen and we tipped him $10.00. The view of the Crescent City Connection from our window was fabulous! We then went to the dining room to see the Maitre'D about getting a table for 2, as well as getting our seating time changed. We requested a 6:15 seating back in March when we booked the cruise. All cruise documents stated that we had requested a 6:15 time, yet when we boarded our S&S card stated 8pm. I'm a past Carnival cruiser and requested our seating time WELL in ADVANCE(9 months) and think that our request should have been honored. We got to the dining room around 2:30 and the line was about 10 people long, but after we got into line, it seemed to get much longer and was very slow moving. When we finally got into to see the Maitre'D, he was VERY accomodating and changed our time to 5:45 as well as giving us a table of 4, but not seating anyone else there. He also told us to come to dinner at 6:00 or 6:15 if we would like. We thanked him and left with a yellow dining card that listed our new table and time.

We wandered around a bit more just enjoying being onboard. I LOVE the Fantasy's decor, which on the Promenade deck, is very classic with a Roman theme. Lots of marble, or faux marble statues, intricate mosaic patterns in the floor, columns, etc. It's not garrish or tacky as some other ships have been. I like the subdued elegance of it. Ship seemed to be in good repair, but I'm not one to notice worn carpet etc. I did not notice any sewer smells in the halls either.

At 6:15 my GF and I arrived at dinner(in shorts btw, but we hadn't received our luggage yet). We were led to table 259, a 4 top booth in the middle of the dining room. I'm glad there were only 2 of us at this table, as I think it would have been a tight fit for 4 people. The booths were small. We met our waiter and ordered our dinners-I ordered the chicken skewers, the caeser salad, and the filet(med. rare). We were both on our salad courses when a hostess came up to our table with 4 people in tow. She asked us what we were doing at this table. Then one of the guys behind her said that we were at his table and to get up. I was literally mid-forkful of salad, but my gf said we didn't just sit at this table, the hostess showed us here! I got the dining room card out of my pocket and showed it to her. She looked at it for a second and then said we were to be at 299, not 259. The guy behind her, again told us to move. I again repeated what my GF had said. We were seated here by a host, we didn't just waltz into the dining room and pick a table of our own accord. The table # on the card could have been read either way(259 or 299 as the 5 or 9 was not clear). The hostess then took off to the front of the dining room and told the 4 to follow her. She returned about 5 minutes later, with the head Asst. Maitre D and the 4 passengers and he came up to us to see what was going on. I showed him the card, and AGAIN explained what was going on. He then thought for a moment, pointed to the empty booth with the #299 on it about 5 feet away and said that he would switch it around and that the 4 people could have that table. The 4 passengers, in their late 20's I would say, gave us dirty looks and followed the host to that table, which was exactly the same as ours, only it was against the wall and NOT in the middle of the dining room. I found it to be a better table assignment anyway. I was pretty PO'ed at this whole situation however. Other diners were looking at us and the hostess made it seem like we were the ones at fault, even though this is where we were seated. We didn't pick out the table! As for the food, it was ok. I think I'm spoiled being from New Orleans, but the food wasn't all that great to me. Nothing was seasoned very well and I found it to be bland. The dessert, however, was good. I had the cheesecake. This was the last night we ate in the dining room, not b/c of the scene that was caused, but just b/c nothing else on the menus appealed to me. We stuck with the pizza, the salad bar, and the deli mainly. The food was just not very good to me, with 1 exception. The Mexican buffet they put out at 11:30 pm on the night the ship leaves Cozumel, was EXCELLENT! I found the jalapeno tortilla chips to be fantastic, as was the quesadilla's, tacos, chili rellenos, etc. I only wish they would serve this type of food more often and earlier in the night, like at dinner time.

The shows on this sailing were pretty good overall. On the 2nd night, there was a show that was based on the different clubs/lounges throughout time(Copacabana, Limelight etc) can't remember the name of the show, but it was pretty good. The comedian they had, also can't remember his name, I found to be terrible. He wasn't funny and appeared to be either drunk or on something during the performance I saw. The Talent Show wasn't much either, but that really isn't Carnival's fault. It all depends on who trys out. There were 3 or 4 singers, who were mediocre at best, and 1 of them sang some religious song, which I really didn't like. The show on the last night was Ticket to Ride, a Beatle's tribute and it was FANTASTIC!! One of the best shows I've seen EVER on a cruise ship. I really enjoyed this show. The singing, effects, band, etc were all great!

 

Ports: Our first port was Progresso. I had done some research, so knew that I was going to skip Progresso altogether and hop a bus to Merida(about 40 mins. away). I'm glad that I did. From what I saw of Progresso, I could tell I would not have enjoyed it. The beaches were dirty, and the water was brown, not clear. My GF and I walked 2 blocks to the Autoprogresso bus station and paid $6.00 for BOTH of us RT to Merida. The ride was VERY interesting. We passed a shopping mall, Costco, Wal-Mart, etc. which I thought was great. We weren't in a "touristy" area and were seeing the real Mexico. The bus, which was air-conditioned and very comfortable, stopped 2 blocks from the Plaza, which is where we were headed. It is a big square with the old government buildings, cathedral, etc surrounding. It has a very European feel with the quaint sidewalk cafes. We visited the Cathedral first, which was free. It had been built from stones of a Mayan pyramid in the 1500's I believe by the Spanish. It also contains the world's largest body of Christ on a cross, which was very impressive. We then went across the square to a government building, which had beautiful artwork, and a beautiful tiled balcony that overlooked the square. We then ate lunch at a sidewalk cafe and just relaxed and people watched. We wandered through some shops and the prices in Merida were much cheaper than in Progresso. We then went back to the bus station and waited about 5 minutes for a bus to take us back to Progresso. We were back in Progresso and on the ship about 50 minutes later. Most of the passengers we talked to had just wandered around the shops right off the ship and hadn't even gone into Progresso! We told them about Merida and most of them sounded as if they'd would've been to scared to venture off like that, although when we showed them pictures we had taken, they were impressed and sorry they hadn't known about it.

Cozumel--Cozumel is a beautiful island. I've been there about 15 times(twice as a land vacation in college), so I've done it all there. This time we just wandered through shops downtown and hit the Carlos & Charlie's by the pier. We docked at the Intl. Pier. I love Cozumel, but it is getting TOO touristy. I find the prices at Carlos & Charlie's to be about the same as ship prices for alcohol, which was way TOO much IMO. It's a tourist rip-off IMO, but my GF wanted to chill out and have a drink before getting back on the ship. As far as shopping goes, nothing besides liquor, seems to be an exceptional deal anymore. Avoid DIamonds, Intl. like the plague if you can. I think Carnival, and probably the other cruise ship companies, have some deal worked out with certain merchants, especially Diamonds, Intl, which has what seems like 10 or 15 stores in Cozumel alone.

 

Back to the ship: My GF and I would wander into the clubs after dinner. The band at Cat's was great. We enjoyed sitting in there, smoking, and having a few drinks. We also hung out in the piano bar from time to time. The piano player was ok, but again, I'm from New Orleans, and used to Pat O's deuling piano's, which is much more of a show. Skipped the disco this time around, but only b/c it didn't ever seem to be crowded, at least not while we were awake. We usually hit the sack around midnight or 1am.

The ship never seemed crowded, even though the sign at the purser's desk said the ship was full. We always found a seat at the shows, granted not in the front row, but we didn't care enough to even try for that. I never saw any chair hogs, or if there were some, there were still open deck chairs around the pool and on other decks. The passengers on this sailing just seemed to be more polite overall than on my last Carnival cruise. I didn't witness any incidences of rudeness, chair hogging, buffet pigs, etc. I was really pleasantly surprised.

Overall, I would say, in spite of the fiasco in the dining room, and the mediocrity of the food, that this was a great cruise, especially considering the price I paid! I would definitely recommend the Fantasy to anyone looking for a great vacation at an affordable price and if they're from New Orleans, I'll just explain about the food. The pizza and deli sandwiches are GREAT.

If anyone has any questions, just post them. I'll answer as soon as I can :)

[oasis05]

Enjoyed your great review. Will be on the Fantasy sailing Nov 12. Is Progreso beach really disgusting? Not interested in visiting Merida. Were you aware of anyone going to a resort as a type of beach break excursion?

[jimjamxx]

Also, enjoyed your review. Will be on Fantasy Mardi Gras week.

I sure know what you mean about the food as realted to our everday New Orleans fare. Our little group will be 16 folks, all veteran cruisers. Group from Slidell and Metaire.

Was thinking about doing just what you did in Progresso, Any addtional info would be great.

Thanks> JimmyJames

[princessdivaapril]

What can I expect the temp to be for the days at sea? We are cruising Dec20-24 and i worry that it will be cold every day except the one day we are in Cozumel.

[bamagirl1]

enjoyed your review! I am going on the Fantasy in Feb.

[LHP]

Also, enjoyed your review. Will be on Fantasy Mardi Gras week.

I sure know what you mean about the food as realted to our everday New Orleans fare. Our little group will be 16 folks, all veteran cruisers. Group from Slidell and Metaire.

Was thinking about doing just what you did in Progresso, Any addtional info would be great.

Thanks> JimmyJames

 

Off topic: But we hope you folks in Slidell are still making great strides in your recovery. We usually stay at the Holiday Inn in Slidell when we cruise out of New Orleans. We are from that area and "been there, done that" with the French Quarter more times than I can remember ...when I could remember it.

:eek:

 

So Slidell was always a nice place to spend the night before the cruise.

[globe9]

What can I expect the temp to be for the days at sea? We are cruising Dec20-24 and i worry that it will be cold every day except the one day we are in Cozumel.

 

It really depends. We had great weather this trip. The 1st sea day was very warm and I actually got a little sunburn while lounging up on deck. Nothing too severe, just a little redness. I did see one guy who was pretty burned on his chest and back. It looked like it would be painful later on. While in Progresso and Cozumel, the weather was also warm, I'd say in the 80's. Not TOO hot, but definitely shorts weather. The last sea day on the way back to New Orleans it was a little chilly. I'd say low 70's. Not too many people up on deck sunning. The people who were on deck were in light jackets, sweatshirts, or covered up in their beach towels. It was also very windy.

On my 1st Fantasy cruise, we left New Orleans December 2nd of 06 and the weather was quite chilly on both sea days. People were in long pants and sweatshirts. It was warmer in port, but it rained for most of the day in Costa Maya, and for most of the morning in Cozumel on that trip. We still enjoyed ourselves, but it was much nicer weather this time.

 

A cruise out of New Orleans however is VERY hard to determine weather especially from the late October thru March time IMO. You just never know. Some years it could be 80 degrees at Christmas, some years it's 40 degrees. You just can't know. I would plan on it being at least chilly however at that time of year and possibly even cold. I'd pack a jacket and/or sweatshirt. Even when it's warm outside, I find the ship to be cool inside. It can get pretty chilly in some of the lounges, etc.

[globe9]

Also, enjoyed your review. Will be on Fantasy Mardi Gras week.

I sure know what you mean about the food as realted to our everday New Orleans fare. Our little group will be 16 folks, all veteran cruisers. Group from Slidell and Metaire.

Was thinking about doing just what you did in Progresso, Any addtional info would be great.

Thanks> JimmyJames

 

It was pretty easy getting to Merida. The Autoprogresso bus terminal is basically around the corner from the little market the free pier bus will drop you off at. If you have problems, just ask the Autoprogresso people on the pier bus(they run all of the busses out of Progresso). There is a ship excursion that will put you on a bus and drive around Merida showing you the sites, but I was comfortable enough to just do it on my own and save a lot of $$$. The bus is air-conditioned and will fill up with the locals going to Merida from Progresso. Everyone was VERY nice and never at all did I not feel safe. It will take about 40 mins to get to downtown Merida, but it goes by fast as I was just watching the scenery go by outside of the window. Once in Merida, the bus terminal is 2 blocks from the square. You will drive right by the square on the bus, so you will know which way to go once you get off the bus. It is $6 US roundtrip. I always understood it to be $6 US RT per person, but the guy who gave us our tickets only charged me $6 US RT for both of us. Definitely check out the cathedral--you can't miss it. Then the surrounding govt. buildings are all open and free to the tourists. They are many shops with traditional Mexican souvenier fare(onyx, wooden handicrafts, jewelry, baskets, hammocks, etc.)with better prices, at least I thought so, than the touristy areas of Mexico. If you have a chance try out one of the sidewalk cafes for a little bite or drink. There is also a market a few blocks from the square that is very similar to the straw market in Nassau. Great bargains there. We also met some nice people of Mayan descent in the square who took the time to explain some of the architecture to us and the Mayan influence, which is still very much alive. Also check out the Progresso/Merida board on CC for more info. I'm sure there is a lot more we could have done there. It's a very beautiful city. When you are done, just go back to the Autoprogresso terminal and give the bus driver your ticket. He will go straight back to the terminal in Progresso. I think the busses run every 15 minutes.

I'd definitely recommend Merida. It's definitely not your typical Mexican or Caribbean tourist town.

[globe9]

Enjoyed your great review. Will be on the Fantasy sailing Nov 12. Is Progreso beach really disgusting? Not interested in visiting Merida. Were you aware of anyone going to a resort as a type of beach break excursion?

 

It's not disgusting, but it's not Cozumel, St. Thomas, or Grand Cayman pretty. Progresso is on the Gulf of Mexico, not the Carribbean Sea, so the water is not that pretty blue color, nor is it clear. It looked dark and cloudy to me. I did not actually go onto the beach there, but we did drive past it. Just didn't look appealing to me. Most of the people I talked to just stayed close to the ship or on the ship. The ship does offer a resort beach break excursion, but those beaches are the same and so is the water. The resorts however will offer a nice pool. So you'll be paying for an excursion to hang out by a pool. That may be for you, but I'd rather lay by the pool on the ship than pay to lay by someone else's pool. I can lay by a pool at home. If you go to the Carnival site, I believe they have a list of all excursions for the ports, the beach break should be listed there.

[Jsme]

We are booked for NYE with some friends who live in New Orleans.

 

We were thinking about doing the Dune Buggy Excurions of Canrival's in Progresso. I have read many mixed reviews on Progresso.

 

Since cruising and making friends with a couple from Virginia we know carry Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning with me. Love the stuff and it does wonders for food. I put it on everything. Especially foods that are boring and have no taste. We have found it helps a lot. I will make sure I have it for my cruise.;)

 

Thanks for the review.

[pacerzfan]

Enjoyed your great review, globe9.

[connergirls]

Thank you! Your review has convinced me to try Merida on our own :)

[cowetamom]

Thank you! Your review has convinced me to try Merida on our own :)

 

 

Thanks for your review. We are on our way to New Orleans! How was the dress on formal night? Were people really dressed or was their a mix of things people were wearing?

 

Sarah

[crazycruzer68]

Enjoyed your great review. Will be on the Fantasy sailing Nov 12. Is Progreso beach really disgusting? Not interested in visiting Merida. Were you aware of anyone going to a resort as a type of beach break excursion?

 

 

We did a tour with Autoprogresso to Yucatan Beach Resort, it was an all inclusive for 45 per person. It was a bit high I thought, but we didn't want to go to Merida and there isn't anything else to do. The beach it self reminds alot of Daytona Beach, but the grounds at the hotel and the pools are really nice. Lunch is average, drinks are flowing and cold! I would go again if I were in Progresso, but I don't plan on going to Progresso again if it can be avoided. Let me know if you have any questions.

[LHP]

Thanks for your review. We are on our way to New Orleans! How was the dress on formal night? Were people really dressed or was their a mix of things people were wearing?

 

Sarah

 

Sarah, you will see everything on formal night. Not as many tuxedos ... but some. Mostly suit and ties for men. Ladies are all over the board as well.

 

A real mix!!