Fantasy Questions.

[CruiseMom87]

Hello! We are taking our first cruise on the Fantasy Oct 1. It's a 5 day Bahamas cruise. We have never been cruising and we are taking a smaller ship, so info about that particular ship is limited. So, I just have a few questions for those that have traveled on the Fabtasy. 😊

 

1. We aren't huge drinkers but we are looking forward to some beers and cocktails. Are the bar packages worth it? What is the average price of a drink? My husband likes beer (not domestics, more premium) and I'm a Piña Colada and fruit liqueur drinker. What is price of the unlimited bar drinks?

 

2. Same for soda package and price per soda.

 

3. What is included as far as food goes. We are set for 6pm dining so I know that's included. How does breakfast and lunch work? How about the bistro with coffee and breakfast food? Do you swipe your card at meals and you only get three a day (kind of like Disney?) or is it unlimted food? My kids like graze, so I'm a bit nervous.

 

Specifically to the Fantasy... How bad can you feel the ship move? I'm very nervous about sea sickness and honestly, I'm a little nervous at her size. She is quite small and an older ship. For anyone who has been on during a storm, how bad does it really get? I'm so excited but this is my number fear for the cruise. Really rough seas. Silly I know.

 

4. How quick is boarding and in boarding? We plan to be at the port by 11:30. We aren't in a rush to get off the boat, but we are generally curious?

 

5. Any tips, secrets, advice? We are going with Me (28), DH (28), dS1 (8), ds2 (5), Mil (56), and Sil (25). Our ports are Freeport and Nassua. Any advice on excursitions?

 

Thank you all so much for your advice ahead of time.

[jason534]

Hello! We are taking our first cruise on the Fantasy Oct 1. It's a 5 day Bahamas cruise. We have never been cruising and we are taking a smaller ship, so info about that particular ship is limited. So, I just have a few questions for those that have traveled on the Fabtasy. 😊

 

1. We aren't huge drinkers but we are looking forward to some beers and cocktails. Are the bar packages worth it? What is the average price of a drink? My husband likes beer (not domestics, more premium) and I'm a Piña Colada and fruit liqueur drinker. What is price of the unlimited bar drinks?

 

2. Same for soda package and price per soda.

 

3. What is included as far as food goes. We are set for 6pm dining so I know that's included. How does breakfast and lunch work? How about the bistro with coffee and breakfast food? Do you swipe your card at meals and you only get three a day (kind of like Disney?) or is it unlimted food? My kids like graze, so I'm a bit nervous.

 

Specifically to the Fantasy... How bad can you feel the ship move? I'm very nervous about sea sickness and honestly, I'm a little nervous at her size. She is quite small and an older ship. For anyone who has been on during a storm, how bad does it really get? I'm so excited but this is my number fear for the cruise. Really rough seas. Silly I know.

 

4. How quick is boarding and in boarding? We plan to be at the port by 11:30. We aren't in a rush to get off the boat, but we are generally curious?

 

5. Any tips, secrets, advice? We are going with Me (28), DH (28), dS1 (8), ds2 (5), Mil (56), and Sil (25). Our ports are Freeport and Nassua. Any advice on excursitions?

 

Thank you all so much for your advice ahead of time.

 

My wife and I took our first cruise on the Fantasy about 14 years ago and she is still our favorite ship! It's been about two years since we sailed her, but I'll try to answer some of your questions.

 

1. Hard to say if the drink package is worth it for another person. It's about $57 per person per day, so we don't do it. I only drink domestic beer, which for a 16 ounce is about $6.71 each after tip.

 

2. We bring a 12 pack of soda on board, so don't know the prices. You can bring a 12 pack per person. You can also carry on bottled water or you can order it from Carnival for about $1 per bottle for a 12 or 24 pack so you don't have to carry it.

 

3. Is easy...all food is included. Order as much as you want. You or the kids can also get pizza, buffet, burgers, deli, room service and a few other options. It will be nearly impossible to go hungry. I never do breakfast, but my family does most every day and they love it. I think you can go to the dining room for breakfast, but my family goes to Lido and they love it. Don't know about coffee as I don't drink it.

 

4. boarding was easy last time we sailed. we are never in a hurry to get off. It's been 2 years though, so I can't say how things are now.

 

5. Tips are tough to give not knowing you. We were pretty much your age when we sailed the Fantasy, but we sailed as a couple alone. I'd say keep doing some research, but don't try to pre-plan everything. Use your research to save some time and understand how things work. But, just enjoy and see what happens!

 

As for the question in the middle about feeling her move...we felt it more on our first ever cruise because we weren't used to that. Just remember that feeling the ship move is natural (because it is moving in water:)), it doesn't mean you are seasick. It is not "silly" to worry about this, it is natural. We haven't encountered storms while on the Fantasy, but I will say we've never felt any more movement on her than any other ship. Each sailing can be different, but we've been on the Fantasy I think 6 times and have had many friends and family sail on her with us and no one in our group has had problems with the movement.

 

Like I said the Fantasy was out first ship and remains our favorite, so I really hope your family enjoys her and has a great cruise!

 

Jason

[fourthmuse]

1. I like the fruity drinks, like you. They're around $7-8 a drink. You should try the Miami Vice, it's a pina colada and strawberry daquiri mixed together.

 

2. Didn't really drink soda on the ship. I drank a lot of their lemonade, it was really good, and free.

 

3. Pretty much everything is included in the food. There's plenty to choose from, I was never hungry. The goat cheese pizza is amazing. You don't need your card for any of the included food.

 

4. I never felt the ship move much. There was one night with a sort of rough sea, but it wasn't crazy or anything. By the end of the week, you'll forget you're on a boat.

 

5. Boarding went pretty quickly, from what I can recall. We got there about midday and were on the boat in about 30 minutes.

 

For Freeport- I have to say, you can't beat Our Lucaya. It's a nice, quiet beach, with a little seafood shack on the water. There's a straw market across the street. Taxis will take you there and back for about $15. I think there's a resort that has water toys too, but we didn't use them.

 

Nassau- meh. I didn't really enjoy it all that much. It's a pretty area. Atlantis was neat, but it's expensive to do anything more than walk around there. We just took a quick tour that day.

[momof4boys]

Welcome to cruising!!!!

 

Sailed the Elation and Fantasy once each outrunning hurricanes (2005-Elation, and 2006-Fantasy). We are talking serious storms and yes the boat rocked some. Nothing crazy where stuff fell off the walls or tables but there were many people having trouble walking and having sea sickness.

 

The other two times on the Fantasy the seas were calm as could be!!! Take bonine if you're worried.

 

I want you to know that the ship is smaller but wait till you see it....it is still relatively huge!!! Love, love love the Fantasy class ships!!!!! Have a great time!!!

[molly5673]

Yeah and remember everyone 21 and over in the same booking has to buy cheers if just one person buys it. Not fair but what is

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the Wonderful World of Cruising! :)

While Fantasy is small compared to the size of cruise ships now, she's really not all that small. ;)

Look forward to having FUN! :D

LuLu

[misslucy01]

Sailed on The Fantasy out of Charleston 6 times. Love this ship. Take advantage of the dining room for breakfast and lunch in addition to dinner. Don't forget room service that is free, but do tip the deliverer a couple bucks. We do a park and cruise package. We stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites on Fernwood Drive. Very clean secure hotel with an awesome southern breakfast. The Hamilton family transports guests to the ship and they are wonderful people. We are always among the first guests on the ship. In Nassau be sure to visit the Queen's Staircase. One of the prettiest places on the island and beautiful views of the ships in port at the adjoining fort. We never book the excursions in Nassau on the ship. We always purchase ours from the many tours offered when you enter Nassau. You can get a better deal. As for Freeport....I don't care for Freeport.

 

 

Misslucy01

[Boris-n-Natasha]

Love the Fantasy - been on her twice - very easy to navigate around.

 

1. We aren't huge drinkers but we are looking forward to some beers and cocktails. Are the bar packages worth it? What is the average price of a drink? My husband likes beer (not domestics, more premium) and I'm a Piña Colada and fruit liqueur drinker. What is price of the unlimited bar drinks?

In my opinion no - we never buy it would cost us $100 (both adults have to get it) we would never drink $500 worth of booze

 

2. Same for soda package and price per soda.

We get it for our kids - but we bring an 8 pack on board for us and usually bring a couple back

 

3. What is included as far as food goes. We are set for 6pm dining so I know that's included. How does breakfast and lunch work? How about the bistro with coffee and breakfast food? Do you swipe your card at meals and you only get three a day (kind of like Disney?) or is it unlimted food? My kids like graze, so I'm a bit nervous.

other than the specialty coffee and alcohol, I remember everything being included.

 

Specifically to the Fantasy... How bad can you feel the ship move? I'm very nervous about sea sickness and honestly, I'm a little nervous at her size. She is quite small and an older ship. For anyone who has been on during a storm, how bad does it really get? I'm so excited but this is my number fear for the cruise. Really rough seas. Silly I know.

Hard to answer - depends on weather and speed + your sensitivity to the motion. Mid ship and lower seems to be the least rocky.

 

4. How quick is boarding and in boarding? We plan to be at the port by 11:30. We aren't in a rush to get off the boat, but we are generally curious?

We usually get in the car line around 10:45a - drop off checked bags, they open parking at 11:00 if I remember correctly - park inside warehouse, shuttle to check in etc... it actually has run pretty smooth both times for us - have been on board by 12:15 and eating.

 

5. Any tips, secrets, advice? We are going with Me (28), DH (28), dS1 (8), ds2 (5), Mil (56), and Sil (25). Our ports are Freeport and Nassua. Any advice on excursitions?

Excursions - depends on what you want to do - we snorkeled in Nassau - we have done both a carnival excursion and a 3rd party - the 3rd party was freaking awesome - Basil at Blue Hole Water Sports was the man! Plus it was half the cost of the Carnival one - on our first visit we did Carnivals because we did not know any better. Freeport ... first visit we went to the market and then to Senor Frogg's - second time we just went to the Frogg - with small kids not sure how you would enjoy it - loud, dancing, drinking ... our 16 year old loved it (no drinking for him but he liked the party atmosphere). There is a small straw market right as you get off the ship in Freeport. I don't know much about any of the other excursions. A lot of stuff was closed when we were there on a Sunday.

 

FYI

1. Order room service it is included - you can hang the form out at night and use it as a wake up - we would have coffee and something small as a pre breakfast. You can order 2 appetizers if you want - I usually have shrimp cocktail and a salad.

2. Read the Fun Times - it helps figure out what you want to do and when it happens.

3. Take some ones - tip the room service people a couple bucks each time. We also give extra tips to the people that make the trip so awesome (Cabin Steward, Wait Staff etc...)

4. Be friendly with everyone - we always try to be and have met people on cruises we stay in contact with and hope to cruise with again.

5. Just relax ... and enjoy, we think cruising can be the best value for your dollar - so, be prepared to take a bunch more.

[Dive Master]

We will be on this cruise with you. Everyone has given some great advice. As far as the Fantasy being small, 70,000 tons is a big ship ! Ok, not by RCCL,s Oasis class standards but the Fantasy was considered huge when she was built.Our first cruise was on a 21,000 ton ship. We sailed on a 13,000 ton ship. We have sailed on a 39,000 ton ship three times, 41,000 ton ship twice, 45,000 ton ship, and twice on a 56,000 ton ship.The Fantasy ain't small !

 

We miss the smaller ships. They are less crowded and you actually feel like you are at sea.Any ship can rock in rough seas.I try to avoid pigging out late at night and take some motion sickness meds with me but rarely need them.I also have an RX for Transderm but I only rarely use it for going offshore to dive.The ship does have a medical center if someone does get really seasick.

 

Try to plan an extra day or two in Charleston if you can. There is a reason that the Holy City is the number one tourist city in the USA.

 

Hope this helps and looking forward to meeting you on the ship.

[SadieN]

Haven't sailed on the Fantasy but have sailed on four of her sisters.

 

If you are assigned the aft MDR you can wait upstairs in the bar area. You'll see everyone going in thru the stairwell. The lobby gets crowded.

 

The Room Service menu is simply a piece of paper on the vanity. Make sure you don't throw it out. Voice of Experience.

 

You can get extra deck plans at guest services. Add'l FunTimes can be found at most bars.

 

I'm assuming you have an interior or ocean view cabin.

 

When we use the upper bunks we hang shoe holders from the hooks next to them. The upper pockets become the nightstand for the bunks.

If you feel the cabin is crowded with a queen bed ask the steward to split them. One under the window (interiors have a faux window) and the other under one of the bunks. This will give you more walking around room.

Store luggage under the beds.

 

Sodas are $1.95+15% grat the Bottomless bubbles package is $6+15%/day for adults and around $4.50 for kids. It includes juices (mixers) from the bars, Coke products, and things like Shirley Temples and Cherry Cokes. Not everyone needs to buy it, only the soda drinkers.

 

The Cheers package everyone over 21 in the cabin has to purchase it.

 

For seasickness we use candied ginger, clear soda and tart green apples. We bring the candied ginger from home.

Edited March 10, 2015 by SadieN

[SadieN]

Another thing

 

Only commercially prepackaged food is allowed off the ship in port. Many ports have Ag dogs. You do not want the cute Golden sitting next to you.

We bring cereal bars and hard candy from home. We will also take off some cereal boxes from the buffet.

We always find a local place to eat onshore.

Look on the Ports of Call boards for info.

[salinator]

Nassau .... Excursion to Atlantis ... Do not think carnival has one ... But you can make your way there for a 20$ cab ride.

[SadieN]

Check to see if everyone has their travel docs. It's no fun trying to find paperwork at the last minute.

[CruiseMom87]

Thank you all so much for all the advice! You have been very helpful!!!

[jbecks64]

My wife and I sailed the Fantasy in feb had a wonderful experience .

We found the cheers package was well worth it , no stressing what we wanted to order was nice . You don't have to drink 15 a day just about 5-7 to break even . We had mimosas at brunch , wine at dinner and a few drinks and beers throughout the day . After the trip I calculated the amount of drinks we had and multiplied it by 5.95 (the lowest priced beer on menu and we saved a little money overall .

The waters on the first and last days were a little rough and you could definitely feel it , my wife got seasick . The three days in the warmer climates were smooth .

Definitely have breakfast in the dining room each day , it's the best . And be sure and have the French buffet .

[bosoxfan5]

I've been on the Fantasy 4 times. She is one of my favorites. Not huge where there are tons of people. We traveled with 3 kids. My 14 and 17 year old LOVED the kids clubs. We never saw them after dinner. The counselors were great and they made some good friends. Food is all you can eat whenever you want. There is 24 hour pizza and ice cream so you can't go hungry. Here's something to remember about the main dining room: you can order more than one of something. If you want to try a dish and don't like it, you can order another entree. The last time we went, half of our table got a second lobster tail. All they had to do was ask. The comedians on the comedy shows were very good. I didn't do the family comedy but did see both Adult comedy shows. You will have a great time! If you are lucky, you'll get Jovan as your waiter in the MDR and Atilla as you bar server. Both are awesome. Have fun!:)

[Stokeset]

Going on our 4th Fantasy cruise in May. We really enjoy our time on this ship! Given your children’s ages, I think your family would enjoy Ardastra Gardens in Nassau; http://www.ardastra.com/ Very interesting and exotic animals, an entertaining show of marching flamingos, and very economical. It’s a good 10 minute walk from the pier; just go right when you get through the port building, keep to the road that runs parallel with the sea (there are sidewalks), and follow the signs. Allow at least 2 hours.

 

If your family wants to try snorkeling, may I suggest Deadman’s Reef in Freeport? Equipment is available for those that want to try, or if you just want to lie on the beach, and have a nice place to get some food and drinks, then this is a great family run place. Here’s a link that can give you more info and also has photos:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1629317&highlight=snorkeling+freeport

 

There is a guy named Elvis who is a really great instructor, and can point out the best places to snorkel for the time that you’re there.

 

You’re gonna have a great time!

[planetcadillac]

We just got off this fish boat last Friday. We are late 30s but traveled with no kids. Speaking of kids, there are organized activities for them from 4-17 roughly. I have generally heard good things about them. Oct. 1 probably have a fairly limited amount of school-aged kids for the obvious reason that that is not natural holiday time for them. With that said, there will be some and the upside is that if your kids do the organized program they will get more attention and if they make friends it will be a blessing in disguise.

 

As a consequence there may be a more limited amount of cruisers 25-40 prime age for lesser aged kids who would otherwise be in school. But don't worry about that unless you and your DH are explicitly looking to socialize with like ages.

 

The drink packages aren't worth it unless you drink a lot of them. The alkie packages are by cabin so as it was stated by others unless you drink like $500 between the two adults it is not worth it. Soda packages are individual so if one party will consume at least 3 a day you will break even. Sodas on the fantasy were $1.95 + 15% gratuity. Soda package averages $6/day so you can do the math. The alkie sticker (and the soda sticker) can be purchased the first full day as well which actually shaves a day off the price since you are essentially on board only half of the day. Disembarking day does not count obviously. Beers are $6 on average wines usually average $6-8 cocktails $8-10. The really rare drinks like Courvoisier are over $10 and not included. The two of us drank 11 alcoholic drinks and 1 soda during 5 days. Miami Vice is a good drink (aren't they all...)

 

There is a self-service laundry on most floors for $3 per load w or d. Probably not use it for only 5 days but its there. Most cruise ships have a la carte laundry and dry cleaning as well as laundry by the bag (flat fee for whatever you can stuff in the bag) but can't remember if Fantasy did. For 5 days unless your kids go through a lot of clothes probably won't be doing laundry.

 

Dining is Casual except on the first sea day which is cruise elegant. Most people wore decent clothes on all days. We never really saw any blatant violators of poor dress code but Carnival is casual. Cruise elegant would be considered at least business casual for men to shirt and tie and maybe jacket. I did not see one tux. Women wore the equivalent usually a dress "church clothes" as we say in the south. Basically anything clean will work that isn't a t shirt or shorts you wear into the pool.

 

Fantasy does not have major alternative restaurants like most other ships. You eat at one of the two main dining rooms (depending on your selection) or you eat at the buffet at the back of Deck 10. There is a Taste Bar on Deck 9 near the atrium that you can miss if you don't look for it that serves appetizers free of charge. The Bistro is the specialty coffee bar that basically is like a Starbucks concept and priced accordingly. There is an Atrium Bar near the front, Midship Bar on Deck 9 in the middle, Majestic Bar on Deck 9 in the back by The Forum lounge. A pool bar outside and of course you can buy pay drinks in the main dining room. In the main dining room, especially with fixed seating, they will learn your habits and act accordingly.

 

On the Fantasy, and this applies to the Fantasy specifically and may not apply to other ships: Dinner is served in both main dining rooms every single night. They record your names and cabin #s when you enter so I assume you can only go in there once per dinner day. Now breakfast and lunch operate differently on this ship. There is no separate breakfast and lunch with attendant menus. The dining rooms are open daily from 630a-230p and they offer you a SeaDay Brunch menu that has breakfast and non-breakfast options.

 

The buffet on Deck 10 aft serves breakfast buffet every morning, lunch buffet every mid day and dinner buffet from 630p-930p. In the far back of the buffet is a pizza stand and a deli that operate 24-7. The drink machines in the buffet operate 24-7. There is plenty of seating inside and outside nearby. You can organize a tray at the buffet and take it to your room if you'd like.

 

Room Service is nice operates 24-7 free of charge but like others` said $2 tip at least is nice. There are a half dozen cold sandwiches, half dozen hot sandwiches, a selection of salads, fruits, vegetables, and a couple of desserts. Soda cards don't apply for room service. If you get room service and want a soda have to go to a bar and bring it back. They will bring you water, lemonade, or iced tea or a selection of juices however. I suspect the Cheers program works the same as well.

 

You will feel some movement on the Fantasy, as you will all ships, even in sunny skies water is always on the move and there is a natural sway to a ship you get used to. However the Bahamas are usually ultra-calm unless you are dealing with a tropical storm. From Charleston, you are not really way out into the ocean basically you hug the Florida coast 20-30 miles and Bahamas are off the southern tip of Florida. To me, as some one who has crossed a whole ocean on a boat in rough water, I did not feel anything. However you can gets pills and patches for sea sickness even on board. As for location on the ship mid ship is desirable, in the back on the lowest decks you will hear and feel the engines some it is not intrusive inside the cabin but its background noise. The ship basically putters along for most of the voyage since the Bahamas are really not that far.

 

Get to know the staff personally and make yourself regular with them they will learn your habits and will be johnny-on-the-spot. I dropped the lead waiter for our table a $20 when I so him walking off the ship when we debarked in addition to the prepaid gratuities.

 

The TVs in the cabins have dozen or so channels so if you or your kids needs to be kept indoors for any length of time they can usually find something on the tube to occupy them.

 

Freeport is an industrial port so there really isn't anything to see to walk off the ship for. The International Market that you could have walked to from the ship basically died so if you want any action go to Lucaya. You can get there either by taxi and walk around or book excursion. We just did the beach day think because we wanted to sit in the sun, sand, walk through the water a bit and relax under umbrella. It was $35pp. There is a $50pp version that includes all your alkies you can consume in 3.5 hours. That's a good value if you really want to hit the sauce hard one day and not jump in the deep end with the Cheers program. There are a few other excursions for Freeport like kayaking that are ok but the beach seems to be the most popular.

 

We stayed on the ship in Nassau. Other than scuba/snorkel/sub excursions the rest were various tours of various commercial historical and governmental landmarks and shopping. A lot of people get off to walk to Sharkees or Senior Frogs. With who kids in single digits that is a no-go. The upside to staying on board is you have basically unrestricted access to all the outside goodies you might not have been able to get on sea days. Prime seats, open pool, open Jacuzzi, etc.

 

Fantasy has basically two "show" lounges. Universal Lounge in the front is two floors and Fantasy does two main shows, a British musical act, and a Motown act. There are other events in there like bingo, Hasbro game show, and port talks etc. The Forum lounge in the back of Deck 9 is for the late night comedy shows.

 

Basically the ship is like this: Decks 4-5-6-7 are cabin decks. 7 forward houses the Atrium Bar and the lowest level of the 5 story open area with glass elevators. Embarkation and Debarkation in Charleston occur on Deck 7. In Port Lucaya and Nassau you get off on Deck 3 forward. Deck 8 basically houses the restaurants for most of the deck except for the lower level of the Universal Lounge in the front. Deck 9 is where most of the indoor activity is where the upper level of the Universal Lounge is located, the photo studio, shops, casino, a couple of bars, and the smaller lounges. The Cats Lounge and Electricity Nightclub seemed underutilized on our cruise. Most of the picture staging takes place there as well. It is basically Grand Central for inside the ship. It can be smoky around the casino.

 

Deck 10 is the pool deck. Which takes up most of that deck except in the back where the buffet is.

 

Deck 11 is just open space above Deck 10 full of lounge chairs, etc. in the very back is where the water park is for the kids.

 

Deck 12 is just a partial deck in the front where the spa is located.

 

Deck 13 is just a partial deck in the front above the spa that houses a mini golf course and a walking track.

 

Serenity Adults Only area is in the very back of Deck 9 behind the Forum Lounge. The doors to the Forum Lounge are usually closed during the day so most people seemed to just take the outside stairs from Deck 10 down to the Serenity area. This area is strictly for people 21+ no kids. There are a lot of lounge chairs and two hot tubs out there but no pool.

 

Fantasy is probably a good ship for first time cruises who do not get bored easily especially with kids. This way you can feel your boundaries without feeling like you missed stuff. Most of the staff have been there a long time and you know it.

 

As for Charleston, we live in Charlotte, 3 hours away but elected to do a hotel package for the night before. It was $159 and included transportation to and from the port. This works out great for a couple of reasons. Its $85 to park at the port per car per 5 day cruise. The hotel we stayed at (Hampton Inn West Ashley) was fancy and gave us a real hot breakfast in the morning. The shuttle collects your luggage in the lobby, you board the van, he drops you off at the terminal at the luggage depot, then you get on another bus for a short drive to the processing building to get on the ship. Walk in get in one of the 3-4 lines they have. From the time we pulled into the terminal facility into the van until the time we walked onto the ship was less than 30 minutes. We arrived around 11:45a. So when we added up the various costs and conveniences it was a great deal. Parking at the port drags the process out another 30-45 minutes.

 

For a 5 day cruise the ship is fine, especially for first-time cruisers. By October 1 not sure if Fantasy is getting the new American menus or not. Finding something you like is usually not a problem either in the dining room or buffet.

 

One thing I will say, as you may have found out upon booking, there is not really a lot of cabin selection. You basically have insides, outsides, outsides with balconies, and about 2 dozen larger cabins with balconies that are located on one of the lower decks where the balcony is "in hull." All but those Grand Suites are basically the same size so it comes down to whether you want a window or not and whether you want to be forward or aft. There are three stair and elevator banks so you are not really far from going up and down.

 

Enjoy!

[molly5673]

We just got off this fish boat last Friday. We are late 30s but traveled with no kids. Speaking of kids, there are organized activities for them from 4-17 roughly. I have generally heard good things about them. Oct. 1 probably have a fairly limited amount of school-aged kids for the obvious reason that that is not natural holiday time for them. With that said, there will be some and the upside is that if your kids do the organized program they will get more attention and if they make friends it will be a blessing in disguise.

 

 

 

As a consequence there may be a more limited amount of cruisers 25-40 prime age for lesser aged kids who would otherwise be in school. But don't worry about that unless you and your DH are explicitly looking to socialize with like ages.

 

 

 

The drink packages aren't worth it unless you drink a lot of them. The alkie packages are by cabin so as it was stated by others unless you drink like $500 between the two adults it is not worth it. Soda packages are individual so if one party will consume at least 3 a day you will break even. Sodas on the fantasy were $1.95 + 15% gratuity. Soda package averages $6/day so you can do the math. The alkie sticker (and the soda sticker) can be purchased the first full day as well which actually shaves a day off the price since you are essentially on board only half of the day. Disembarking day does not count obviously. Beers are $6 on average wines usually average $6-8 cocktails $8-10. The really rare drinks like Courvoisier are over $10 and not included. The two of us drank 11 alcoholic drinks and 1 soda during 5 days. Miami Vice is a good drink (aren't they all...)

 

 

 

There is a self-service laundry on most floors for $3 per load w or d. Probably not use it for only 5 days but its there. Most cruise ships have a la carte laundry and dry cleaning as well as laundry by the bag (flat fee for whatever you can stuff in the bag) but can't remember if Fantasy did. For 5 days unless your kids go through a lot of clothes probably won't be doing laundry.

 

 

 

Dining is Casual except on the first sea day which is cruise elegant. Most people wore decent clothes on all days. We never really saw any blatant violators of poor dress code but Carnival is casual. Cruise elegant would be considered at least business casual for men to shirt and tie and maybe jacket. I did not see one tux. Women wore the equivalent usually a dress "church clothes" as we say in the south. Basically anything clean will work that isn't a t shirt or shorts you wear into the pool.

 

 

 

Fantasy does not have major alternative restaurants like most other ships. You eat at one of the two main dining rooms (depending on your selection) or you eat at the buffet at the back of Deck 10. There is a Taste Bar on Deck 9 near the atrium that you can miss if you don't look for it that serves appetizers free of charge. The Bistro is the specialty coffee bar that basically is like a Starbucks concept and priced accordingly. There is an Atrium Bar near the front, Midship Bar on Deck 9 in the middle, Majestic Bar on Deck 9 in the back by The Forum lounge. A pool bar outside and of course you can buy pay drinks in the main dining room. In the main dining room, especially with fixed seating, they will learn your habits and act accordingly.

 

 

 

On the Fantasy, and this applies to the Fantasy specifically and may not apply to other ships: Dinner is served in both main dining rooms every single night. They record your names and cabin #s when you enter so I assume you can only go in there once per dinner day. Now breakfast and lunch operate differently on this ship. There is no separate breakfast and lunch with attendant menus. The dining rooms are open daily from 630a-230p and they offer you a SeaDay Brunch menu that has breakfast and non-breakfast options.

 

 

 

The buffet on Deck 10 aft serves breakfast buffet every morning, lunch buffet every mid day and dinner buffet from 630p-930p. In the far back of the buffet is a pizza stand and a deli that operate 24-7. The drink machines in the buffet operate 24-7. There is plenty of seating inside and outside nearby. You can organize a tray at the buffet and take it to your room if you'd like.

 

 

 

Room Service is nice operates 24-7 free of charge but like others` said $2 tip at least is nice. There are a half dozen cold sandwiches, half dozen hot sandwiches, a selection of salads, fruits, vegetables, and a couple of desserts. Soda cards don't apply for room service. If you get room service and want a soda have to go to a bar and bring it back. They will bring you water, lemonade, or iced tea or a selection of juices however. I suspect the Cheers program works the same as well.

 

 

 

You will feel some movement on the Fantasy, as you will all ships, even in sunny skies water is always on the move and there is a natural sway to a ship you get used to. However the Bahamas are usually ultra-calm unless you are dealing with a tropical storm. From Charleston, you are not really way out into the ocean basically you hug the Florida coast 20-30 miles and Bahamas are off the southern tip of Florida. To me, as some one who has crossed a whole ocean on a boat in rough water, I did not feel anything. However you can gets pills and patches for sea sickness even on board. As for location on the ship mid ship is desirable, in the back on the lowest decks you will hear and feel the engines some it is not intrusive inside the cabin but its background noise. The ship basically putters along for most of the voyage since the Bahamas are really not that far.

 

 

 

Get to know the staff personally and make yourself regular with them they will learn your habits and will be johnny-on-the-spot. I dropped the lead waiter for our table a $20 when I so him walking off the ship when we debarked in addition to the prepaid gratuities.

 

 

 

The TVs in the cabins have dozen or so channels so if you or your kids needs to be kept indoors for any length of time they can usually find something on the tube to occupy them.

 

 

 

Freeport is an industrial port so there really isn't anything to see to walk off the ship for. The International Market that you could have walked to from the ship basically died so if you want any action go to Lucaya. You can get there either by taxi and walk around or book excursion. We just did the beach day think because we wanted to sit in the sun, sand, walk through the water a bit and relax under umbrella. It was $35pp. There is a $50pp version that includes all your alkies you can consume in 3.5 hours. That's a good value if you really want to hit the sauce hard one day and not jump in the deep end with the Cheers program. There are a few other excursions for Freeport like kayaking that are ok but the beach seems to be the most popular.

 

 

 

We stayed on the ship in Nassau. Other than scuba/snorkel/sub excursions the rest were various tours of various commercial historical and governmental landmarks and shopping. A lot of people get off to walk to Sharkees or Senior Frogs. With who kids in single digits that is a no-go. The upside to staying on board is you have basically unrestricted access to all the outside goodies you might not have been able to get on sea days. Prime seats, open pool, open Jacuzzi, etc.

 

 

 

Fantasy has basically two "show" lounges. Universal Lounge in the front is two floors and Fantasy does two main shows, a British musical act, and a Motown act. There are other events in there like bingo, Hasbro game show, and port talks etc. The Forum lounge in the back of Deck 9 is for the late night comedy shows.

 

 

 

Basically the ship is like this: Decks 4-5-6-7 are cabin decks. 7 forward houses the Atrium Bar and the lowest level of the 5 story open area with glass elevators. Embarkation and Debarkation in Charleston occur on Deck 7. In Port Lucaya and Nassau you get off on Deck 3 forward. Deck 8 basically houses the restaurants for most of the deck except for the lower level of the Universal Lounge in the front. Deck 9 is where most of the indoor activity is where the upper level of the Universal Lounge is located, the photo studio, shops, casino, a couple of bars, and the smaller lounges. The Cats Lounge and Electricity Nightclub seemed underutilized on our cruise. Most of the picture staging takes place there as well. It is basically Grand Central for inside the ship. It can be smoky around the casino.

 

 

 

Deck 10 is the pool deck. Which takes up most of that deck except in the back where the buffet is.

 

 

 

Deck 11 is just open space above Deck 10 full of lounge chairs, etc. in the very back is where the water park is for the kids.

 

 

 

Deck 12 is just a partial deck in the front where the spa is located.

 

 

 

Deck 13 is just a partial deck in the front above the spa that houses a mini golf course and a walking track.

 

 

 

Serenity Adults Only area is in the very back of Deck 9 behind the Forum Lounge. The doors to the Forum Lounge are usually closed during the day so most people seemed to just take the outside stairs from Deck 10 down to the Serenity area. This area is strictly for people 21+ no kids. There are a lot of lounge chairs and two hot tubs out there but no pool.

 

 

 

Fantasy is probably a good ship for first time cruises who do not get bored easily especially with kids. This way you can feel your boundaries without feeling like you missed stuff. Most of the staff have been there a long time and you know it.

 

 

 

As for Charleston, we live in Charlotte, 3 hours away but elected to do a hotel package for the night before. It was $159 and included transportation to and from the port. This works out great for a couple of reasons. Its $85 to park at the port per car per 5 day cruise. The hotel we stayed at (Hampton Inn West Ashley) was fancy and gave us a real hot breakfast in the morning. The shuttle collects your luggage in the lobby, you board the van, he drops you off at the terminal at the luggage depot, then you get on another bus for a short drive to the processing building to get on the ship. Walk in get in one of the 3-4 lines they have. From the time we pulled into the terminal facility into the van until the time we walked onto the ship was less than 30 minutes. We arrived around 11:45a. So when we added up the various costs and conveniences it was a great deal. Parking at the port drags the process out another 30-45 minutes.

 

 

 

For a 5 day cruise the ship is fine, especially for first-time cruisers. By October 1 not sure if Fantasy is getting the new American menus or not. Finding something you like is usually not a problem either in the dining room or buffet.

 

 

 

One thing I will say, as you may have found out upon booking, there is not really a lot of cabin selection. You basically have insides, outsides, outsides with balconies, and about 2 dozen larger cabins with balconies that are located on one of the lower decks where the balcony is "in hull." All but those Grand Suites are basically the same size so it comes down to whether you want a window or not and whether you want to be forward or aft. There are three stair and elevator banks so you are not really far from going up and down.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

Where did you buy the beach day for Freeport?

[planetcadillac]

Where did you buy the beach day for Freeport?

 

It is an excursion from Carnival. I know in Nassau there are beaches you can walk to from the ship or take a taxi so you don't have to purchase one of from the ship. Freeport is an industrial port and there isn't much to do there in the immediate vicinity.

 

There are three levels of the excursion, just the beach package, beach package plus all alcohol, and beach package with alcohol and a buffet. Food is expensive there so eat on the ship before or after.

 

http://www.carnival.com/Activities/Excursion/416063

[molly5673]

It is an excursion from Carnival. I know in Nassau there are beaches you can walk to from the ship or take a taxi so you don't have to purchase one of from the ship. Freeport is an industrial port and there isn't much to do there in the immediate vicinity.

 

 

 

There are three levels of the excursion, just the beach package, beach package plus all alcohol, and beach package with alcohol and a buffet. Food is expensive there so eat on the ship before or after.

 

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/Activities/Excursion/416063

 

 

Thanks

[BLONDIE35]

I have heard 12:30 is the rule and we wont be paying for a faster to the fun card. We have two young children in tow so I was wondering how long and frustrating is the boarding? we are doing the cruise and stay package at the hotel so we have to be checked out so do we have to stand on the curb for an hour? I will have all documents printed and ready to go.

 

thanks!

[CharlesKru]

They will start boarding when they have completely cleared the last cruise and custom's opens them up.

 

At this port, unless it has changed, the parking does not open until 11. So if you are parking at port you will have to wait for that. If you are taking a shuttle you can get checked in a bit earlier.

 

You will then wait in the terminal with a card telling you your boarding order. When they call your number, then onto the ship you go. This can go really fast, if the previous cruise is on schedule and Customs is in a good mood or slow.. just depends.

 

We usually get on the ship about 30-40 minutes after getting out of our car. Not really taking into account we are platinum. The only perk you get as platinum after the earliest boarding number, is you have your own line for check in.. sometimes this is a blessing, as the main line is long, sometimes not. This means if we get there and they are calling numbers, we just can just walk in, but mostly if we get there after 11:30 they are done calling numbers and people are just boarding as they get checked in.

 

Hope that helps.