Review: Carnival Fantasy 11-01-2008

[AuntieBarb]

Review of our cruise on the CCL Fantasy 11-01-2008, 5 Days Round Trip New Orleans to Progresso & Cozumel

 

About us:

 

> My husband and I are in our forties & fifties, but have yet to settle into our "age". Another words, we still know how to have a good time and make lemonade out of lemons.

 

> We were traveling from Pennsylvania with two other couples; one who has cruised the Fantasy before.

 

> All of our cruises up until now have been with NCL. This was our first experience with Carnival. It just so happens that a group of us who cruised together on the NCL Spirit New York to New Orleans in Nov. 2007 decided to book a reunion cruise. Several from the group are from the New Orleans area and have cruised the Fantasy before and many of us had wished we had more time there. So our cruise was decided! CCL Fantasy it is!

 

> I will do my best to be objective about our experience, with comparisons to NCL where suited.

Embarkation :

 

> Having spent one night pre-cruise in New Orleans, we arrived at the terminal by way of taxi at approximately 11:00AM. The porters were quick to attend to our luggage.

> Being a first time passenger with Carnival, we had to overlook the fact that VIPs were boarding quickly and reluctantly take our place in line. By the time we arrived, the queue line was approximately 6 lanes long before reaching the security check point. Estimated time there: 30 minutes. Not too bad, considering.

 

> Much to my surprise, my backpack was flagged in the scanner. So off to a side table with security to examine it's contents. At first I was told they saw chords. So I told him there were several: hair dryer, electric razor and a cell phone charger. Nope, that wasn't it. After telling me it was seen in the bottom of the back pack, he completely emptied my backpack! For what? An umbrella! Geesh! I insisted he allow ME to repack my bag. *sigh*

 

> It took me a few minutes to regain my composure, but thus far that was the only travel related incident we had. Off to check-in.

 

> We presented the credit card we recorded in guest registration. It wouldn't accept the card. So the Rep had to go in manually and validate everything. Luckily, that was easily resolved, we were handed our Sail & Sign cards and off for our embarkation picture and our security picture.

 

> Finally we were boarding the ship, approximately 60 minutes start to finish.

Embarkation Lunch:

 

> We're accustomed to having a sit-down lunch after boarding in a main dining room. We weren't aware of such an option being available on embarkation, so we made due with the buffet. My hamburger was very good, as was the Baked Macaroni & Cheese.

 

> Now that we have full tummies, it's time to check into our stateroom, stow our carry-on luggage and drink until the muster drill! Woohoo!

 

Muster Drill:

 

> Since most of NCL's ships have full promenade decks, we were surprised to have our muster drill in the Forum Lounge. We were also surprised that no roll call was taken for our station, considering these drills are required. I'll have to admit that they do get a tad boring after several cruises, but hey we went along with the program.

 

> We listened to their spiel, everyone put their life jackets on once and then we were herded to our life boat station. There was barely room for all of us to move up there for a drill. I can only imagine what it would be like in an emergency!

Sail-away:

 

> As many of you know, the Fantasy has not been sailing on time since dry dock. For whatever reason this time, it was announced we wouldn't sail until 8PM. So having an 8:15PM seating for dinner, we missed the infamous turn in the Mississippi and seeing the sights along the river in the daylight. Disappointing since our last cruise there navigated the river at night too. Ah well........

Set Dining Times/Assigned Seating:

 

> We like freestyle dining, because it allows us to schedule our meals around activities/excursions and to decide who we will dine with (if anyone). So taking that into account, we requested the late seating; not wanting to be rushed for anything. We were assigned to the Celebration dining room and were seated with our travel companions at a table along side others in our reunion group. We couldn't have been happier with the arrangements!

 

> We only had breakfast in Celebration the morning of the last sea day. All other breakfasts and lunches were at the buffet. We also enjoyed the pizza and sandwiches available aft.

 

> We don't know if it's just the late seating that experiences this, but we felt quite rushed throughout dinner. Sure it's complimentary to be able to say the meal (through the main course) is served in under an hour. However, we no sooner finished one course and another was arriving. No breathing time in between.

 

> Then the after dinner entertainment by the dining room staff was met with mixed reviews. I could see older passengers near us who really showed displeasure with it all. At first it was sort of fun, but as days went by it got corny after a while. I take it Carnival is known for this - a trademark per se - but I could do without it personally.

 

> We are used to going to a show or night club act following our dinner. By the end of the cruise, we figured out that the early shows were intended for those with late seating assignments for dinner. We'll know better next time!

 

> Formal night - or should I say "Cruise Elegant Dining" - was fun. We've always dressed "Resort Casual" with NCL, bowing out of the optional formal night(s). So dressing up was special and most passengers seemed to participate. We didn't see anyone bending the rules.

Entertainment:

 

> Our group had prearranged a cocktail party on the 1st sea day. Good times were had, that's for sure! Big thanks for Kathy & Jeff for arranging everything!!! {{{huggers}}}

 

> We only got to see one show; a tribute to the Beatles called "Ticket to Ride". Very entertaining and upbeat. Naturally we were all singing along!

 

> We went to watch the latter half of Karaoke one night and luckily got to see some of our friends performing. Anyone hear "Ring of Fire"???? Excellent! LOL!

 

> We made our donations to the Casino Gods and left with nothing to show for it, basically because we practiced reinvesting. LOL!

 

> We went to see the comedian at 11PM on the last night. I forget his name, but he had us roaring to tears!

The Food:

 

> I've seen reference here recently of a "new menu". Perhaps that is the difference between what we expected and what we received. Several of our friends have given high praise for Carnival's food. NCL's food has always pleased us, so you might say we came with high expectations.

 

> Dinner on "Cruise Elegant Dining" night was superb. I opted for "Surf & Turf", combining the Lobster entree with Prime Rib.

 

> Over all, I would have to rate Carnival's food comparable to NCL in most cases; sometimes better and others not so much.

 

> I understand a NY Strip used to be available? The "Iron" steak that is always available appeared to be sirloin to me. Others at our table tried it; taste satisfactory, but fatty veins throughout. Not a great cut of beef.

 

> Lunches at the buffet were always satisfying. However, it seemed dinner always offered the same meals as the main dining rooms, short of one option. We're accustomed to having a variety available, with different meals being served at the buffet. I guess it boils down to which venue suits the way you want to dress for dinner?

 

> The "Chocolate Melting Cake" was quite rich, but yummy! :)

 

The Officers, Staff & Crew:

 

> Our interaction with crew was limited to our room steward, dining room wait staff and bartenders. All were friendly and provided good service.

 

> We've heard a lot about the CD "Big Tex" and he lived up to his reputation. Nice guy, great at keeping things fun and sings pretty good too!

 

> MD "Stan, the Man" was personable and greeted us nightly, but certainly didn't interact with our table to any extreme. Subsequently we didn't feel a special tip was warranted for his services.

 

> Except for seeing the Captain and a few other officers in the Universe Lounge one day, we rarely saw them. They don't seem to be as visible as on NCL ships, which we have always appreciated.

Oceanview Stateroom:

 

> Our stateroom was E210; an Aft Oceanview. We found the stateroom to be well kept and quite comfortable. In addition, they are far roomier than those we've seen on NCL.

 

> We're pretty much hooked on balcony staterooms these days. We found it interesting that there aren't many available on the Fantasy and that they are more or less considered a suite.

 

> Our steward (Victor) was friendly, attentive and always managed to take care of things without any inconvenience to us. Nice guy!

 

> We found it disappointing that there isn't a coffee pot or mini-refrigerator in the stateroom. There's definitely plenty of room for them! Spoiled we are, I guess.

The Water:

 

> The water on board was terrible! Although they claim it is potable, it smelled and tasted terrible. It's one thing for me to feel that way, since I've been raised on mountain well water. However, my husband is from NYC and knows all about chlorinated water. Not even he could stand it! Never have we had to purchase bottled water for an entire cruise. We really feel Carnival should be supplying bottled water for free considering this. I couldn't stand brushing my teeth with it either! Then after buying bottled water at dinner, they turn around and put ice cubes in the water without asking. That's frozen water from the ship!

 

> On the upside, if we didn't drink all of our bottled water at dinner, they put it away and had it on our table the next evening. Nice touch!

The Sewage Odor:

 

> Fortunately we did not have to endure the stench in the aft of the ship. However, anytime we ventured to the key public areas (dining room, Universe Lounge, mid elevators or stairwells to the gangway, we most definitely got a good whiff! It's a shame that Carnival continues to sail the Fantasy under these conditions. Get it fixed already! I can't imagine the employees having to work all day with this, let alone passengers!

 

> We certainly didn't allow this to ruin our cruise, but in our opinion Carnival should at minimum offer some compensation to the passengers. Paying good money for sub-standard conditions just isn't right!

The Fantasy:

 

> The Fantasy is a beautiful ship and easy to navigate, despite the post dry dock issues and her age.

 

> The Grand Spectrum area is very appealing with all the glass and the marble stairway.

 

> We love the seating arrangements in the Universe Lounge, rather than theater type seating on NCL; much more comfortable and easier to enjoy cocktails throughout the shows, etc.

 

> The Majestic Bar was perfect for watching sports; especially with the rich leather couches and chairs!

 

> The Forum Lounge was perfect for Karaoke too.

 

> The Waterworks area looks like lots of fun, but unfortunately we never took the opportunity to enjoy it.

 

> The Serenity area offers a nice spot to get away from the hoopla and kids if they seem bothersome to you; although there weren't a lot of kids on this cruise.

 

> Cleopatra is a nice piano bar, where we lounged daily before dinner. Unfortunately the wait staff were often amongst the missing, making it hard to get a before dinner drink.

 

> The pool area on Lido is great and even nicer with quick & easy access to the buffet as well as the pool bar.

 

> Carnival's bedding has NCL beat hands down (except they both have great comforters)!

 

> They really should be utilizing 2 gangways at port. The line to board the ship in Cozumel was really long and it took what seemed like forever to board. I guess that really was a blessing in disguise though, or else some of us would have been late getting back to the ship! LOL!

 

The Ports:

 

> Progresso is Progresso. What can I say? Besides the long shuttle ride into town from the pier, there's not a whole lot to do there, So either visit nearby areas like the city of Merida or an exclusive resort called "The Reef" or make do with what is there. Since we've never been there before, we chose to take a $2 Double Decker Bus tour around town, shop at the straw market and then eat/drink on the beach across from Buddy's. The water wasn't very inviting, because it looks full of sand and a bit murky. Plus the shoreline is covered with seaweed. However, the food at Buddy's was excellent, as were the Margaritas!

 

 

 

> Friends in our group recommended a private beach club called "Nachi Cocum", which is just beyond Paradise Beach. We have to give this place two thumbs up!!! It's gorgeous! $49/pp gives access to a swimming pool/jacuzzi area with swim-up bar, chaise lounges around the pool area as well as the beach, beautiful sand and water, lunch (consisting of appetizer, soup or salad, main course and dessert) and as many drinks as you can handle!!! Honest to goodness, they were delivering drinks before the current one was half empty! Plus there are vendors available for water sports (parasailing, jetski, banana boat rides, etc.) for an additional fee. We've been to Paradise Beach several times and have always enjoyed ourselves, as well as the great hospitality of our friend Tom. However, Nachi Cocum is far superior and an absolute great deal! But make reservations before you visit. They limit the number of visitors to keep the crowds down. Take a look at what we enjoyed for the day!

 

 

Miscellaneous:

 

Over all we had a great cruise! Carnival Fantasy kept us comfortable, fed, hydrated and entertained; everything we could ask of a cruise line. A 5 day cruise may be perfect for some, but we've grown to look forward to longer ones and especially lots of sea days! Any and all concerns we had about the cruise went right out the window, thanks to the fantastic company we kept during our trip. The Fantasy Fanatics, aka the Sailing Spirits, are a great bunch of folks. We look forward to cruising with them again!

 

Would we sail with Carnival again? Probably, but it will be on a newer ship with a longer itinerary!

[newbiewfromms]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review of the Fantasy. We are sailing on her in less than 2 weeks and it was really nice to read everything. This will be our 2nd cruise and we just cant wait. Sounds like you had a great time in spite of a few problems. Thats how we are. Not too picky just glad to be all together on a nice vacation. We've got 9 of us going and it appears we are going to do the EXACT same thing you did in both ports. Planning on taking the double decker bus in progreso and then hang out at the beach by Buddy's for the day and maybe grab a massage. We've already booked Nachi cocum after reading all the wonderful reviews here on Cruse Critic. Thank you sooooo much for the beautiful pictures as we are all really looking forward to this. Our ages range from 10 to 71 so it looks like all will be happy here. Just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to post your review. Makes it even harder to sit in my chair at work waiting, waiting, waiting for November 24th. One question, where did you stay in New Orleans? We are planning on driving down on Sunday before the cruise leaves on Monday and was just checking into a decent hotel not too far from the Port. Hope to post a review when we get back. Thanks again.

 

Newbiefromms

[spleenstomper]

Thanks! I wonder what the source of the sewer smell is? I hope it is fixed by December!

[happy cruzer]

Very nice review with lots of detail.

 

Only comment, I would make is about your experience at embarcation. The person who flagged your backpack was probably a port employee just doing what they are trained to do. It is very irritating when you are all ready to board and get on with vacation. But they have a job to do. At least once in every trip I get flagged and pulled aside - once it was a hairclip. duhhh. They are just doing their very hard job. I try to get a laugh about it. I would not trade places with them.

 

Again thanks for all the great details and the pictures.

[unclepaulie]

Best Western St.Christopher on Magazine street. Great hotel. Great location. Right off Canal street. Close to everything.

 

UNCLE PAULIE!!!!!

[AuntieBarb]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review of the Fantasy. We are sailing on her in less than 2 weeks and it was really nice to read everything. This will be our 2nd cruise and we just cant wait.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

I can certainly understand your excitement! We were quite anxious ourselves and came home with tons of great memories - from the cruise and our time in New Orleans. I just wish it had been longer. Then again I feel the same way after a long cruise too. LOL!

 

As UnclePaulie stated, most of us stayed at Best Western St. Christopher at Magazine & Canal St. Nice rooms and easy access to the French Quarter.

 

[AuntieBarb]

Very nice review with lots of detail.

 

Only comment, I would make is about your experience at embarcation. The person who flagged your backpack was probably a port employee just doing what they are trained to do.

 

Thank you for your feedback!

 

Yes, I realize he was just doing his job and I didn't give him a hard time except to insist on repacking my bag. It still ruffled my embarkation briefly. Even worse, after I put my backpack over my shoulder, I mistakenly pushed my purse behind it. All of a sudden I had a mini-heart attack thinking I'd lost my purse! LOL!

 

It was all good after I boarded the ship.

[KroozFoolz]

A "flat iron" steak is a shoulder cut...can be very good if prepared correctly -

http://bbq.about.com/od/steaks/a/aa051207a.htm

 

Thanks for your review - I enjoyed reading it.

[halos]

I was on the ship with Barb and Paulie as well as a bunch of others and agree with everything in her review.

I'm sorta sorry Barb's first CCL cruise was on this ship. We had a great time and the crew were very good but out of 6 CCL cruises, the Fantasy rates at the bottom of my list as far as ships go. The odor throught the ship is just awful and the water on board tastes EXACTLY like the ship smells. Needless to say I just drank more alcohol than usual because of that. (Maybe that's Carnival's plan?? :p;))

I hope Paulie and Barb will give CCL another try with us again on a different ship ( Like a Spirit class ship!!)

[CruiznWithHubby]

Isn't it always the way that when you try a new cruise line, you find SOME things you liked better with one and SOME things you liked better with the next?????? Makes you want to combine them!!! Glad you had a good time,,,,Fantasy is one of their older ships,,,,and I'm glad you kept that in mind!!! Try one of the newer ones,,,bet you'd love it :) Holly

[AuntieBarb]

I was on the ship with Barb and Paulie as well as a bunch of others and agree with everything in her review.

I'm sorta sorry Barb's first CCL cruise was on this ship. We had a great time and the crew were very good but out of 6 CCL cruises, the Fantasy rates at the bottom of my list as far as ships go. The odor throught the ship is just awful and the water on board tastes EXACTLY like the ship smells. Needless to say I just drank more alcohol than usual because of that. (Maybe that's Carnival's plan?? :p;))

I hope Paulie and Barb will give CCL another try with us again on a different ship ( Like a Spirit class ship!!)

 

Hey there, Angel!

 

Of course we'll try more! We can't stay branded by NCL forever ;) And I certainly don't walk away thinking all Carnival ships are like this.

 

Drinking did help, didn't it? :D

[AuntieBarb]

A "flat iron" steak is a shoulder cut...can be very good if prepared correctly -

http://bbq.about.com/od/steaks/a/aa051207a.htm

 

Thanks for your review - I enjoyed reading it.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

I'm not against a shoulder cut or sirloin for that matter, provided it tastes good and doesn't take an iron jaw to chew! LOL! The steak was on the tough side and had a lot of fatty veins. From what I've heard, it just didn't live up to Carnival's reputation for serving great steaks.

 

We thought the Chateaubriand was pretty bad too.

[AuntieBarb]

Isn't it always the way that when you try a new cruise line, you find SOME things you liked better with one and SOME things you liked better with the next?????? Makes you want to combine them!!! Glad you had a good time,,,,Fantasy is one of their older ships,,,,and I'm glad you kept that in mind!!! Try one of the newer ones,,,bet you'd love it :) Holly

 

Thanks, Holly! We'll spread our wings and try some more; especially now that Carnival seems to be moving into more casual dress.

 

Do any of the the newer Carnival ships have other dining options, like upcharge restaurants?

[KroozFoolz]

 

We thought the Chateaubriand was pretty bad too.

Now, I would find that extremely disappointing!

[EastTex]

> As many of you know, the Fantasy has not been sailing on time since dry dock.

 

 

A correction on that. Our B2B cruise of 10/23 and 10/27 both left the port of New Orleans on time.

 

On our second half though, we had to anchor on the Mississippi for about 8 hours while a propulsion problem was resolved. On the plus side of that we got to see us exit the Mississippi river delta during daylight into the Gulf the next morning and still made Progresso on time.

[jetskier]

And dont forget all the drinks we had during the cocktail party. I could use another Twilight Zone right now. I believe we all got our $$ worth. Of course the majority of us have learned at 55 minutes to order several extras. :)

Dave

[BettyPC]

Thanks for sharing your vacation with us. Sounds like you had fun! Wish I was going again....:D

[AuntieBarb]

A correction on that. Our B2B cruise of 10/23 and 10/27 both left the port of New Orleans on time.

 

On our second half though, we had to anchor on the Mississippi for about 8 hours while a propulsion problem was resolved. On the plus side of that we got to see us exit the Mississippi river delta during daylight into the Gulf the next morning and still made Progresso on time.

 

Thank you! I stand corrected.

 

However, I'll have you know your 2nd half anchor in the Mississippi had us all in a tizzy about what would happen to our cruise! :eek:

[AuntieBarb]

And dont forget all the drinks we had during the cocktail party. I could use another Twilight Zone right now. I believe we all got our $$ worth. Of course the majority of us have learned at 55 minutes to order several extras. :)

Dave

 

How could I forget? Although, it's all such a blur! LOL!

 

Yep, thanks for recommending those Twilight Zones, Dave! They were gooooood! :D

[halos]

Hey there, Angel!

 

Drinking did help, didn't it? :D

 

pfft!

Goes without sayin. :p

[halos]

Now, I would find that extremely disappointing!

I had the chateaubriand and mine was great...but that flat iron steak was nothing more than a thick slice of London Broil.

[angelle]

Thanks for the review! We sail on Nov. 29 and I'm concerned about the sewage smell. Our cabin were in the bow of the ship and I moved them all the way aft. I guess that was a mistake!! I had thought that I read of the odor coming from the back of the ship. Do you think I should move back to the bow, we are on the main deck? Thank for any advice you can give me on this.

[Tapi]

We don't know if it's just the late seating that experiences this, but we felt quite rushed throughout dinner. Sure it's complimentary to be able to say the meal (through the main course) is served in under an hour. However, we no sooner finished one course and another was arriving. No breathing time in between.

 

Thanks for your review! Living in Atlanta, and the Fantasy going to Mobile next year (our closest drive to port), I'm all about reading about this ship now!

 

About your dinner experience, the Maitre'D on the Liberty told us that Carnival is planning on rolling out Total Choice Dining (where you dine whenever you want with whoever you want between 5:45pm and 9:30pm) fleetwide in 2009. They had it on the Liberty on 11-01 and we absolutely LOVED it! It gave us so much flexibility and made our cruise more relaxed.

[Tapi]

Thanks for the info!

 

I'm not against a shoulder cut or sirloin for that matter, provided it tastes good and doesn't take an iron jaw to chew! LOL! The steak was on the tough side and had a lot of fatty veins. From what I've heard, it just didn't live up to Carnival's reputation for serving great steaks.

 

We thought the Chateaubriand was pretty bad too.

 

On our last cruise we gave the Supper Club a try (available on some of the larger/newer ships in the Carnival fleet) and we thought that the extra charge was worth every penny. After having a 24oz Porterhouse steak that just melted in my mouth (and my wife having the most mouth watering Filet Mignon), we couldn't eat the the Flat Iron Steak at the main dining room the next day!

[AuntieBarb]

Thanks for your review! Living in Atlanta, and the Fantasy going to Mobile next year (our closest drive to port), I'm all about reading about this ship now!

 

About your dinner experience, the Maitre'D on the Liberty told us that Carnival is planning on rolling out Total Choice Dining (where you dine whenever you want with whoever you want between 5:45pm and 9:30pm) fleetwide in 2009. They had it on the Liberty on 11-01 and we absolutely LOVED it! It gave us so much flexibility and made our cruise more relaxed.

 

Thanks! That's one reason we favor NCL, because we do have complete control over all the who,what,where and when factors. So if Carnival is going that route, we'll test the waters even more!