GeorgiaMomof4

When we got back to the ship Lindsey had to check her tequila that she had bought

when we went on the tequila tour. After she checked it we went back to the cabin to

cool off and rest some before getting ready for dinner.

Later in the evening we got ready for dinner and went to eat. We went a little later than we had been going and once again we didn't have to wait. We were seated in a new station tonight as well and service was good.

After dinner we caught the tail end of the music trivia in the atrium. If you've never been to one of the music trivia's I would suggest you check it out on your next cruise. It's not really trivia because as soon as the song plays everyone immediately starts belting out the words. It's a lot of fun though and we had a great time.

We were walking around the ship and Lindsey said she wanted to go back to the casino to play one more time. Whitney said she had lost all she was going to lose in the casino (her $10) but said she would just sit and people watch while we went back. We sat back down at our same machines and played. I think Lindsey put in $10 and I only put $20 in because I had already lost $40 (we aren't really big spenders either). We did really well though - Lindsey was so excited when her machine hit for free spins and she was winning money and not even having to do anything. She ended up about $40 or $50 ahead for the cruise and I ended up being about $70 ahead for the cruise. We were both happy that our

luck had turned to the good.

After a midnight snack of pizza and ice cream we headed back to the cabin. As usual I read some out on the balcony and then turned in for the night.

The next day would be our final sea day and I had plans to get outside very early because I wanted to be sure and get a chair where hopefully we would get some of that wonderful ocean breeze.

After the tour we decided we just wanted to go on to the beach. Crescencio took us to

Playa Palancar. We have been there several times and we like it because the snorkeling

is decent and Crescencio has worked out a deal with the people there that includes 1 hour

of free snorkeling if he takes you to Palancar. We have our own snorkel masks but it's

nice to be able to get the fins and not have to pay for them.

We got settled in and Whitney and I decided we were ready to snorkel. She went

crazy making pictures so I'll just post a few but we did see a lot of fish. The seaweed was

worse than I've ever seen it there as well but it didn't deter us too much.

We snorkeled for about an hour or more then decided we were ready for a rest and some

sun. Later in the day we were getting hungry so we decided to head to a table and order

some drinks and lunch. We had the chicken nachos which were good and Whitney

loves their hot sauce. It's a green sauce and it will set you on fire! I just can't take it -

I'm wimpey I suppose.

We read and dozed after lunch and all too soon it was time to leave. We had to be back

on board by 3:30 so about 2:45 we packed up and told Crescencio we were ready to go.

We got back to the port area and were back on the ship way before our 3:30 deadline.

Here is a picture of us with Crescencio. I highly recommend him if you want your own

personal driver while you are in Cozumel.

Looking forward to your review!!!!

I've got it started - here is a link if you're interested - https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2636169

TUESDAY - Cozumel day

We were up and about early today because we were to be in Cozumel by 8 a.m. We went down for a quick breakfast and then got ready to get off the ship.

As always, when we visit Cozumel we have a driver for the day. His name is Crescencio and he is such a sweet man. He stays with us all day and takes us wherever we decide we want to go for the day. We've driven through town and he has shown us lots of things, we've done the Tequila tours, driven all the way around the island (which is something you should do if you've never done it) and then we usually end up at the beach.

Today was to be no different. Crescencio and I had decided that we would meet at the taxi stand about 8:30 so we could get started with our day. The girls and I got off the ship as soon as we could and started walking that way.

Crescencio was there waiting on us and we got in his van and talked about what we wanted to do. I needed to get the kids that were left at home some shirts or some type of souvenir, get my Mom some vanilla and also needed to make a stop by the pharmacy so we went ahead and knocked those things off our list.

Next up was a stop at the Tequila tour. Lindsey had never done one and Tequila (she says) is her favorite drink so we pretty much had to do a Tequila tour. To be honest though she could care less how they make it, she was just ready for the free samples lol!

I'm a light weight when it comes to drinking, especially tequila shots before 10 a.m. in the morning so I was ready to go after about 2 or 3 shots but Lindsey still wanted to sample.

Costa Maya day - continued

We made it back to the ship and showered and headed to dinner. We were seated in another section tonight and the service was better than last night, but still not up to par with our service on the first night.

Whitney wanted to go to the Love and Marriage show in the Universe Lounge and Lindsey said she had never seen one so after we ate dinner we headed that way. They were playing bingo when we got there and we sat down and waited until it was over. Just a few minutes after it was over they started picking couples for the show. They ended up

with 3 great couples and it was a fun show. If you've ever been to these you know all the questions are just about the same each time, but because of some of the answers the couples give it's always a little bit different and sometimes just down right hilarious.

We really enjoyed it. After it was over we headed back for a snack - pizza or ice cream, I don't remember which and went back to the cabin.

I know you're probably thinking we should have been out late every night celebrating but I was still worn out from getting ready to go on the cruise and having 6 kids (even though Whitney and Lindsey are older) I usually go from sun up until way past sun down and am usually asleep by the time my head hits the pillow at 11:00 or so. Whitney isn't a late nighter either so we were usually wound down by 11:30 or 12. Lindsey on the other hand is used to the night life in Atlanta and could have stayed up and partied long into the wee morning hours but since she said Whitney and I were party poopers she usually ended up just coming back to the cabin and hanging out with us.

I read some more on the balcony but not long because we had an early morning on Tuesday since we arrived in Cozumel at 8 a.m.

I will have to try Tropicante on my next visit to Costa Maya. We were at the Krazy Lobster, which was a nice area, also, but Tropicante looked much nicer. I love how they were able to help you make it a special day for Whitney.

You will love it there if you go and won't want to go anywhere else. They are all super nice and the beach area

is beautiful. The last couple of times we've been there the seaweed has been really bad - but they scoop all of it

that they can up and haul it off so it doesn't get in the way of you having a beautiful day. Can't control Mother

Nature I suppose. Be sure and get with Steve ahead of time so he can reserve you some lounges or chairs - you

can take your pick as to whether you want to be in the sun or the shade.

Does Tropicante have an entrance fee?

 

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No they do not have an entrance fee. All he asks is that you buy some food and drink when you're

there and that's it. Food is very good and reasonably priced and so are the drinks. Even if you don't

drink alcoholic drinks, it's fine. When we cruise with our kids we usually just have sodas and

waters and we usually just snack and not do full meals.

The great thing about it is when you get there they assign you a number and run you a tab for

the entire day. They will also arrange for beach massages (very good ones), snorkeling, paddle boards

and all other sorts of stuff and still keep it all on the one tab. It's so very convenient but they do

only take cash - no cards.

Fun Read! Thanks!

Thanks for following along - more to come tomorrow!

We took a taxi to the Tropicante and I told Lindsey to be sure and have her camera ready because I wasn't sure where the banner would be and wanted to get Whitney's reaction when she saw it for the first time.

We walked around the corner and not just one, but all of the waiters at the Tropicante were there. They said they thought there was 4 of us and wanted to know where Whitney was. I told them that one of our 4 didn't get to come and Whitney kind of had a strange look on her face and said "I'm Whitney". They immediately all went to her and hugged her, gave her high fives and congratulated her on her graduation. She still hadn't realized the banner was there until one of the guys pointed in that direction and she just about died. She said "Why is there such a big picture of my face on that banner?" They all had to have their picture made with her and kept congratulating her and telling her how proud they were of her. It made for a very memorable experience and just about had this Mom crying. They were so genuine in their congratulations and happiness for her.

Whitney's first glance at her banner!

We were then shown to our lounge chairs and were catered to the rest of the day like we always are when we visit Steve and the Tropicante. We enjoyed some wonderful drinks and food (be sure and try the Mini Fried Burritos) if you ever go to Tropicante. They are wonderful. Steve came and sat down with us while we had lunch and we talked with him

about all kinds of stuff and learned that he had been a teacher at one time (that is what Whitney's plans are as well) and came to find out just how he ended up in Mahahual.

We got to meet Rusty, Steve's friend from Georgia who was our banner courier and I was so happy to be able to thank him in person and tell him how much it meant to me that he was willing to do something so nice for someone he didn't even know. He is a great guy and I've made another new friend who loves Mahahual as much as we do, maybe

even more.

Lindsey and I enjoyed massages on the beach and unfortunately our time at the Tropicante was coming to a hasty end. The guys took Whitney's banner down for her so she could bring it back home with her and George, Steve's concierge meet us all on the beach for a celebratory shot on the house. He did of course join us - such a hardship of the job he said!

We had a wonderfully beautiful day and the hospitality of those there in Mahahual and at the Tropicante made it even better. It is and will continue to be one of my favorite places that I've ever been.

Sadly, we left about 6:30 to head back to the ship so we could get showered and go to dinner. It had been a day we will always remember.

Here we are in our Margaritas and Senoritas shirts!

MONDAY - COSTA MAYA DAY

We got to sleep in because we weren't scheduled to be in Costa Maya until around 1:00 which is kind of weird to me. Our time there was scheduled to be 1:00 pm -9:00 pm which would be way after dark. I guess in Cozumel there is a lot more to do after dark but Costa Maya just didn't seem to be a place there would be much to do after the sun went down.

We did sleep in and took our time about getting up to Lido for breakfast. I had an omelet and some potatoes I think.

I love fried breakfast potatoes but the potatoes on the ship just aren't seasoned or something and weren't really good. I prefer the round tator tot type potatoes they serve for breakfast on some mornings.

We all ended up going back to the cabin and napping until closer to time to get into Costa Maya. We finally all got up and moving and got dressed for our day in Costa Maya.

We docked about 12:15 or 12:30 I believe and were able to get off the ship by 1:00 if I remember correctly.

Ok - I'll tell you about our plans for Costa Maya and about Whitney's last surprise.

We have gone to the Tropicante in Mahahual every time we have been in Costa Maya on a cruise. We thoroughly enjoy our time there and have gotten to know Steve, the owner of the Tropicante a little bit through our time there.

When we booked our cruise I immediately emailed Steve and told him there would be 4 of us coming down and the day we would be there and asked if he would reserve us lounge chairs.

He of course was more than happy to do so and said he would see us when we arrived.

A few weeks later I got to thinking that it would be neat if I could do something in

Costa Maya to honor Whitney for her graduation. Costa Maya and the Tropicante are

Whitney's favorite spot that we have ever been on a cruise. She had longed to go back

for a long time until she finally got to go last May while we were cruising on the Fantasy.

I decided I would email Steve and ask him if he might be able to help me out. I emailed

him and ask him if I had a banner made for Whitney and mailed it to him if he would

hang it up for her on the day we were going to be visiting him. He told me he would be more than

happy to do it but that he didn't want me to mail it because no matter how I sent it he might not receive it.

OK, so how in the heck am I going to get it there then? He told me to give him a few days and he

would work on a way to get it to him. A few days later he emailed me back and told me that one of his good friends (who also lives in Georgia) was flying in at the end of April and he was willing to bring it with him if I would mail it to his house before he was due to fly out.

So, I had the banner made and did just that. I couldn't wait until Whitney saw it hanging there on her favorite beach!

We did the stairway picture which is always a tradition. Just so happened that as Lindsey

was getting hers taken a young man come down the stairs eventhough they were roped off

and she got photo bombed! It was funny because until we started laughing, she had no clue

what was going on.

Here is Lindsey being photo bombed!

We headed to dinner and asked for our same wait staff that we had the night before but

they didn't have any tables available so we ended up sitting in a different section. Dinner was good tonight - I had the prime rib and shrimp. Shrimp was really good - prime rib was ok. Our wait staff tonight wasn't on the ball like the staff we had the night before. We decided we wouldn't want to sit in their section again as dinner took a little too long. All 3 of us decided on Creme Brulee for dessert and it was delicious.

After dinner we decided we would try out the Comedy Club and went to the 9:30 PG show of John Floyd. He was ok - definitely not the best comedian I have seen on Carnival. There was another show at 10:30 and we had good seats so we decided we should stay for that show as well. It was an R rated show and the comedian was Jamie Lissow. He was really funny and if it hadn't been for the language it probably wouldn't have even had to be R rated.

I think we went to Lido deck afterwards to get some ice cream or pizza - I honestly don't remember.

Here is one of our Elegant night photos. This was my favorite.

We headed back to the cabin to get changed and comfy and I went out on the balcony and read. It was so nice out there. The only draw back was there was no light. There was a light and a switch but it didn't work so I ended up

using the flashlight on my phone which worked great. After reading for a while I headed to bed - tomorrow we would be in Costa Maya and I had another surprise for Whitney.

Finally getting some more posted for you that are following along.

SUNDAY - Sea Day

We awoke Sunday morning to a knock on the door. I had been sleeping soooo good

and it took me a minute to realize someone was at the door. I ran and got some tip money and

went to the door. Sure enough our order had arrived and at 7:20 not

between 7:30 and 8:00! Oh well it was ok, that just meant that we would have longer

to hang out on Lido deck!

Lindsey was still snoozing but Whitney and I got up and ate a little, changed and

headed up to get us a good seat on the Lido deck. We still like to watch the hairy chest

contest and the drink contest because you just never know what you're gonna end up

seeing. We actually got really good seats right at the stage - the only drawback was

that it was really hot and we didn't get a good breeze since we were down on Lido and

not up a deck higher where the breeze was.

We just read and chilled for a while and Lindsey came up not much later. About 10 we

headed to the Fun Shops for Morning Mimosas at Effy. Needless to say we just had our

Mimosa and browsed (without making a purchase) and went back to our chairs on Lido.

We ended up having to hang out at the pool some because it was very hot! Finally it was time

for the hairy chest contest and it was a good one. Ben, our cruise director was very personable

and entertaining and it made for a great time. We had some really good contestants as

well as good audience participation.

Not long after the hairy chest contest was the Red vs. Blue drink challenge. It was fun too and

the drink called "The Panty Dropper" was the winner. It was officially listed in the Fun times the

remainder of the week as "The Old P Dropper".

After the drink contest we decided we were hungry for some lunch so we all went and grabbed

some lunch and ate inside to cool off a little. I really like the key lime pie that is offered for dessert

on Sundays so I had a Guy's burger and some key lime pie. My only complaint is that I would like

for it to be really cold and usually it's more like room temperature.

We decided since there wasn't anything else happening on Lido deck that we wanted to see we would

head up to Deck 11 aft and get some lounge chairs up there where hopefully we would get a breeze and

even if we didn't we could always hop into the waterworks area to cool off. We hung out there for the

rest of the afternoon before going in to get ready for Elegant night.

Lindsey is our high maintenance gal so we had to send her in earlier to start getting ready.

Whitney and I don't take near as long as Lindsey so we stayed out just a little bit longer to

soak up some more sun.

We finally all got ready and went to make a few pictures before we had dinner. They had

several stations set up for pictures like they always do - most of them were familiar ones

that had been on other cruises we had taken but there might have been one or two new ones.

Excited to read this, I send my best "congrats grad"!!

Thank you so much - she really worked hard. Thank you for following along with us!

Following! Cruising on the Fantasy on June 16!

Looking forward to the rest...great start so far

Thank you both for reading - hoping to post more today.

We were on this cruise with y'all! It was a great, last minute, one for us. Believe we did see y'all at the coffee shop a few mornings. Nice review! Congratulations to your daughter on her graduation! :D

It wouldn't have been us at the coffee shop but you could have seen us elsewhere. Thank you for reading and

for your congratulations as well. I'm sure proud of her!

Following

 

 

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Thanks for following along - hoping to post more today.

After dinner we ended up in the casino. Lindsey just turned 21 in March and had never

gambled so she wanted to take a shot at it. I sat down with her and Whitney did too. We all put

a little money in and even though I got a little ahead I ended up loosing all I had put in - which wasn't a lot.

Lindsey stopped before she spent all hers so she had a little bit of a credit on her sail and sign card. Whitney lost all of her $10 (she is thrifty and won't spend a lot lol!) and said she was done!

It had been a really long day so we all decided to head to the cabin for some sleep.

Before bed we decided we would hang our continental breakfast tag out and get a few things to munch on before heading up to Lido the next morning. We asked that it be delivered between 7:30 and 8:00.

That darn sticker!

After we checked out the cabin we headed up to Lido for lunch. I usually have a Guy's burger on embarkation day but decided I'd do the Taco bowl instead because it closes so much earlier than Guy's does and I always seem to miss getting one. I had the chicken and it was really good. For dessert I had to have what was to be my first of many bowls (no cones for me) of chocolate ice cream.

After lunch Lindsey and I went back to the cabin and changed into our swimsuits and headed to the Serenity area to lounge in the sun and nap. Whitney decided she would stay in the cabin and take her nap there.

In no time it was time for muster and our muster station was in the Universe Lounge. We listened to the same spiel as always and then had to trek outside to stand by our lifeboat except we didn't have a lifeboat where we were standing. Here's a picture of what we had. I certainly hope we don't have to abandon ship and get into this thing! No lifeboat - just a darn picture of one!

After muster we headed up to the sports deck and watched as we pulled away from port. I had to call all my kids and my husband that I had left at home and talk to them since I wouldn't get to talk to them again until Monday. We wandered around the ship a little bit more and headed back to the cabin. Our luggage had arrived so we all unpacked and

chilled out a little before heading to dinner.

We decided to go to dinner and I think it was about 7:15 or 7:30. We had opted for YTD this cruise because we didn't have any little ones with us and we didn't want to have to be on a schedule. Normally when we cruise there are 10 - 15 of us and we pretty much have to do the set dining time because we are always afraid we won't be able to get a

table for all of us if we do YTD. We were seated immediately and had a wonderful wait staff that night. I ended up getting the flat iron steak and normally really like it but it was a little on the dry side tonight. Tiramisu was on the menu for dessert and that's what we all ended up choosing - it was delicious.

When we left the photo area people were already boarding so we were shown to the

Priority line and went right up to board. I still had all our sail and sign cards and Whitney

and Lindsey were like - Mom, we need our cards. It just so happened that I was able to

tell the lady checking them that I didn't want them to know about the Suite and she smiled

and played right along. She told the girls that security or someone would need

to check them and to just let me hold on to them for now. I really could have hugged that

lady right then and there. I just knew I was going to be busted!

Through the maze of ramps we went, had our cards scanned and on the ship we were!

As I said before we were whisked through all the lines very quickly and were on board

probably by 11:15 or 11:30. I actually think we waited in the line at the parking deck

to drop off our bags and get a parking spot longer than we waited when we were inside

the building.

I had already given Lindsey a heads up that I wanted her to tell Whitney that she wanted to

treat her to her first celebratory drink when we boarded so that Donna and I could go to

the cabin and decorate it for Whitney. Lindsey played along and I told them while they were

having their drink I would take their carry ons and check and see if our room was ready. Since I still

had their cards though I had to wait on their drinks to come and pay for them. I hurried on to our cabin

which was U74 and only one deck down from the atrium which was very convenient since I was loaded

down with back packs!

I knew that it was going to take me a lot longer to decorate than it would have if Donna

had been along but I hurried as much as I could. My phone rang and it was Lindsey wanting to know

how much longer and I told them they could come on. Little did I know that they must have been right

around the corner when they called because I wasn't really ready with my camera when they came to

the door. Anyway - here is the first shot of Whitney seeing the decorations and the Suite. She told me she

knew I was decorating and that was why Lindsey was stalling - but I completely surprised them both with the

suite!

They had no idea that was happening.

Lindsey - being Lindsey!

OK - now I can tell you why Lindsey and I had to change shirts. Whitney saw these

caps that had cute sayings on them for graduation or a trip of some kind. We had

already decided we would do some type of t-shirt for embarkation day and we loved the

caps, just didn't want to wear one. So we told her none of us liked to wear them so we

didn't want to get them. We came up with our own versions of what we wanted and

Donna made us our shirts. I'm not sure if you can tell but at the top they all say

"Whitney's Graduation Cruise" and then each of them have something different for the

body of the shirt. Whitney's naturally says "I'm the Graduate". Lindsey's says "I'll Bring the Tequila"

and mine says "I'll Bring the Bail Money". Donna's was going to say

"I'll Bring the Alibi" but since she didn't get to join us I told the girls we were going to

have to be good since we didn't have an alibi. We sure did miss her not being with us!

Embarkation Day - Saturday May 5th

It seemed that I had barely gotten to sleep when the alarm went off and it was time to

get up and get ready to leave. We got all our stuff loaded up and I kissed the hubby a couple of times

and left him with a bottle of valium! You see, he was left home all by himself with our remaining

kids - 4 of them in total, ages 15, 13, 4 and 3. Boy was he going to have a fun week.

We left home about 5 am and stopped to top off the gas tank and headed south to

Atlanta to pick up Lindsey. She lives pretty much right in downtown Atlanta so we

hopped off I-75, grabbed her and her belongings, took a potty break and back on

the road we were.

There was very little traffic so we made good time. We stopped in Montgomery to

grab a bite of breakfast and for me and Lindsey to change our shirts. There is a story

here but I'll tell it a little later when we actually board the ship.

We continued to make good time and got to the port parking garage around 10:45

Alabama time - which is 1 hour behind our time in Georgia.

We pulled in to the parking garage and the porter unloaded our checked luggage and on

we went to find a parking spot. Now since I had already pre-paid for our parking, that was

all we had to do - park! You have to put your license plate number in when you make your

reservation and pay and that is how they can tell if you have paid or not. They do have kiosks

and even people there on the day of embarkation if you want to wait and pay then, but I'd

rather just go ahead and have it taken care of so I just have to park, unload my carry on and head

on to check in.

Now here is where I had to get creative and sneaky! Suite guests get Priority boarding

and I knew that Whitney and Lindsey were going to question why we were in the Priority line.

I was hoping they would just assume I had purchased Faster to the Fun since we

have done so on a few of our past cruises. I showed the lady my boarding pass (I actually

just went ahead and kept theirs as well) and she said "oh, you have priority boarding so you go

ahead and come through this way". I did whisper that I didn't want them to know we were in a suite.

The girls looked at me funny and said "Mom, do we have FTTF or something?" I said "Maybe we do, I

don't really remember doing it, but maybe I did." OK - so it was a lie - but just a little white one right?

We proceeded on through all the lines in a very fast pace because of the Priority status. I tried

to be up front so that whenever we came across a new person I could (very quietly) relay the fact that

I didn't want them to know we had a suite. I was really worried they were going to question because

there were actually some separate lines for Priority and FTTF but we just kept being sent to the Priority lines

and I just went with it. If they said anything, I would just reply that I was just going where they sent me.

We had finally reached the desk where you actually receive your sail and sign cards and

have your photos taken. For some reason, Whitney's photo from her passport didn't transfer so

the lady had to take her photo and then she started handing us our cards. I knew immediately that

there was going to be a problem because low and behold there was a darn sticker on all 3 of them that

said "Suite Guest"! Dang it - I hadn't counted on that! I don't remember if I had already mentioned to her

that I didn't want them to know or not but she handed me all the cards and I very quickly tucked them into my

back pocket. We stopped and had our picture taken which is a tradition for us. I always buy all of our embarkation pictures.

FAST FORWARD TO FRIDAY, MAY 4TH

I was at work on Friday and got a text from Donna saying she wasn't going to be able

to go. What? We are leaving tomorrow - why can't you go?

Ok - so in all fairness her daughter was expecting a baby, a baby that was due May 5th.

She went early the first time and was measuring big this time so Donna really thought

that the baby would be here before we left for the cruise and all would be good. Well,

evidently this little one was stubborn and wasn't ready to be born because there was

still no sign of him being here. She debated and debated on whether or not to chance it

and still go, but she just couldn't. As disappointed as I was, I completely understood because

if I was going to be a grandmother, there is no way I would miss it either!

I tried really hard to find someone to replace her, because here we were with that big

suite and now there was only going to be 3 of us in it! Unfortunately since we were leaving

less than 24 hours later I didn't find anyone who could get the time off work.

It was ok. This would be the first trip, and maybe the last that Whitney, Lindsey and I took

that would just be the 3 of us. I decided it would be a great bonding experience. Whitney still

lives at home, but Lindsey goes to college and works in Atlanta so I don't get to see her

near as often as I would like.

I had been killing myself trying to get everything done in my yard - grass sewed, mulching done,

flowers planted, etc. because when we got back from our cruise Whitney would graduate 2 days

later and we would be having her graduation party at our home and it would be outside!

I had spent so much time working outside that I hadn't even begun to start packing or

really even thinking about it other than printing an old packing list I had from a prior

cruise. I tweeked it a little and headed home to start packing! Finally finished packing

and headed to bed! We had a very early morning ahead of us.

Monday - April 30th - 6 days until cruise time.

I had run an errand and was waiting in line at Zaxby's to get lunch for work when my

cell phone rang. It was an unknown number and I started not to even answer it but

decided I would see who it was. It was a lady from Carnival and she started out by

asking me if I was ready for our cruise on the Fantasy and if we were getting excited.

I naturally told her yes - that it couldn't get here fast enough for me!

Yep - you guessed it - it was my first upsell call! She then proceeded to tell me that

Carnival had some cabins that had opened up and went on to tell me about the perks of the cabin.

She said it was 330 something sq. ft. instead of the usual 185 or so, it had a full bath with a jacuzzi

tub, a walk in closet and a large balcony. She told me that normally to go from our oceanview to

this cabin it would be around $1,500 but if we wanted to change to this cabin we could do so for $598.

The cabin was a Grand Suite and it would be located on the Upper Deck mid ship, cabin U74.

I was shocked because the ironic thing is about a month before, I had asked my PVP what the

chances were in getting a call from the upsell fairy because I had noticed the suites weren't selling

very well. He basically laughed and said the chances were probably slim so I pretty much had

decided it would never happen. Never in a million years did I dream that she would actually call!

I asked her if I could call her back in a few minutes because I needed to check with Donna to see

if she was up to dishing out the extra money it would require for us to upgrade. It wouldn't be that

much for her since she would only be responsible for 1/4 of it, but I wanted her opinion nonetheless.

We talked it over and decided since there would be 4 of us in the room, that the cruise was a

celebration cruise for Whitney's college graduation and also the fact that this

might be our only opportunity to ever get to stay in a suite that WE WOULD GO FOR IT!

I called Carnival back and told her we would take the suite and she handled everything

for us.

I did have to reprint our luggage tags and our boarding passes. Now - all was well with

the luggage tags because they just had the cabin number on them. However, when I went to

print the boarding passes they actually had "suite" or "suite stateroom" - something to

that effect printed on them. I had to figure out a way to remove that from Whitney and

Lindsey's because the suite was going to be a surprise for them. I finally got theirs edited

and reprinted!

Hey everyone! I've debated as to whether or not to try and do a review of our cruise

on the Fantasy because I tend to get very detailed and it takes me soooo long to

complete one but I'm going to give it a try. I really enjoy all the reviews I read

when I'm getting ready to go on a ship so I'm hoping to payit forward just a little.

We booked this cruise in mid December after my husband and I had just done a

quick 4 day getaway cruise for his birthday on the Fantasy. I think we had some kind

of special offer after we returned from our cruise and I talked to my daughter who would

be graduating in May and we decided this would be a good trip for her.

There would be 4 of us cruising, myself - Angela, Whitney -the graduate,

Lindsey - my 21 year old daughter and my friend Donna. We booked an oceanview

for 4 people and to be honest I was really worried about 4 women being in such a small space

for 5 days. Not that we don't all get along - we do and very well, but just from the standpoint of

4 women who would be trying to shower and get ready for dinner all at one time -

especially since one of the 4 (Lindsey) being high maintenance lol!

I booked us in an aft portside cabin on the Empress Deck. I did this for 4 reasons - we

prefer the aft and the portside of the ship, you embark and debark on the Empress Deck and

since we do self assist debark we knew thiswould be easier for us and there is

a stairway on the Empress Deck that leads right to the Serenity deck area where we hoped

to spend a lot of time.

I didn't have a lot of planning to do for this cruise like I usually do. We knew

exactly what we would be doing in both ports - Costa Maya and Cozumel so it was

just a matter of contacting the people I needed to and arranging our days in those

ports.

In the meantime, I sailed with my husband and our 4 youngest children in February on

the Magic. That helped to speed up the waiting time for me.

I'm sorry that I don't have any pre-cruise hotel information for you, but we decided

since it was only about a 6 hour drive for us that we would leave early Saturday

morning and do the drive all in one day. I did pre-book our parking at the port in

Mobile. It was $90 for the 5 days - which I think is a little steep but there aren't a

lot of other options when sailing out of Mobile.

I was just on the Fantasy and debarked last Thursday. I guess you could say I'm a really big fan

of the Fantasy since this last cruise was my 3rd on her in a year's time.

She is a smaller, older ship but is well taken care of in my opinion. There are some rust spots showing

but I would bet if you spent 24/7 on the ocean you would have some rust spots as well.

I really like the way the ship is laid out - I never felt like I was on the ship with too many people and we

never went anywhere to eat or do anything that we had to wait more than just a few minutes.

The current cruise director is awesome as well.

I'm hoping to do a review of our last cruise but haven't got started just yet.

If you have any questions though I will be happy to answer them.