Carnival Fantasy Mini Review June 25th-30th, 2018

[kyboymom]

Did you visit the Piano Bar? If so do you remember who the Entertainer was?

[starstruck05]

Did you visit the Piano Bar? If so do you remember who the Entertainer was?

 

I only saw the piano player in the lobby and didn't catch the name. The only time I went into the piani bar was to wait for a table at dinner because it was right next door.

[starstruck05]

Thank you for your review-Very insightful and helpful.! You answered several questions I had swarming in my head.

 

No problem and if you have anymore, feel free to ask.

[CruzinKittie]

Thanks for the review, sailing on the fantasy in November!

 

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[vol3820]

No problem and if you have anymore, feel free to ask.

 

My husband and I went to NOLA for a few days to celebrate our 13th anniversary. We loved every single second of it! First time for both of us (second marriage for each, we're in our 50's). We're planning on a Fantasy cruise in November with this sisters and their husbands (they lost their mom last month, so this first Thanksgiving is going to be hard.)

 

I love that I just read a great review about a place I'm going, written by someone who lives in the place where I've just been! :D So cool!! :D

[Treyatl2006]

Thanks for the review... My mom and dad recieved a pretty good casino offer for a 5 day cruise on the fantasy in December. Their cabin was $600. They will recieve free drinks, $150 in casino cash, and priority boarding.

 

I decided to go with them but was a little concerned with the age of the ship and I've been spoiled with all the bells and whistles of the newer Carnival ships. Also, we have 2 more cruises booked but one is a year away and the other is 1.5 years away. So this will be a good and inexpensive trip to hold us over. Also I never been on a cruise in the Winter. I've heard that the temperatures in the Caribean is perfect in the Winter. It's not too hot and it's not cold. I heard that the highs are around 80 degrees. I think I will enjoy the beach more compared to in the summer when the highs are in the mid to upper 90's.

[Quilcruisers]

Cozumel:

 

 

 

My home away from home. I know alot of people choose to stay on the ship in Cozumel but I love it! We ported early, having to be back on board by I believe 3:30. So we had breakfast in the lido and let the masses get off first. I knew from research that at least 5 ships would be in port that day and when we docked we could see two off in the distance and I believe the Breeze was docking when we were walking to the port? We walked the port via the famous gift shop tunnel and took our time making our way to the taxis.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to CC, I found a new beach to go to. I have done Mr. Sancho's in the past, twice actually, and planned originally to go back this time, HOWEVER, the $55 all inclusive was going to be a waste for S. Why you may ask? Because 3 or so weeks before the cruise I found out I was going to be an Aunt! C and S were pregnant! As you know with an AI, the money is worth it for the drinks. No point in it if all of us couldn't get the value out of it. ( Even with virgin drinks, like she had all cruise, didn't seem worth it to us.)

 

 

 

So I set out to find something else and stumbled upon many reviews for Paradise beach (and random ads on my instagram). It looked beautiful and only cost $3 per person and all they ask is that you spend $10 each on food and drinks. Not a bad deal!

 

 

 

So we got in a taxi van with no issue, he charges us $20 however there are signs that say $15 for up to 4 people but we did not press and considered the extra $5 as a donation to the local economy.

 

 

 

We were brought over to the beach, paying the $12 in cash and given wristbands. We found chairs and met our waiter and proceeded to hit the beach.

 

 

 

So paradise beach is gorgeous and very clean. It is mostly about the inflatables, which were fun to watch, I did not get on. I swam about mostly undisturbed. No little sea creatures around either. There are floaties free of charge near the snorkel hut. WARNING, the beach is VERY rocky. And you can not see most of the rocks. You can only enter the beach at the yellow flag marker for safety ( unless you are boating or snorkeling) and there are lifeguards everywhere. I recommend swim shoes to help grip on the rocks. Once you get further out they are gone but walking back and forth is a bit of a struggle.

 

 

 

We swan for a while, then got hungry and ordered food. The Volcanic nachos are AMAZING and no one person can get it all. Mom and I shared. Drinks were strong. I had a blue margarita. C and S had the nachos and a taco and burrito combo. Enjoyed both as well. C had a margarita I believe as well, S got a virgin daiquiri.

 

 

 

We hung out on the beach and I really got to observe the area. It was never overly crowded and the wait staff was always around. They even had a big quinceanera group and it still did not feel crowded. We headed back out in the water for a little bit more and then decided to head back. We walked by the pool and instantly remember that we never got in it. LOL. Next time. Restrooms were nice and clean. We did have to hunt down out waiter to pay him. I think our total was around $60-70 including tip. Not including the already paid for wristbands.

 

 

 

SO, now it is time to leave, we get to the front area and you have to show your receipt to the guy at the desk and he marks off how much you spent. We asked for a taxi and a different guy says this one. Well this one was a VERY small four door car. We are larger people, especially my brother. He drives a pick up truck on a normal day. He is uncomfortable in my car and its a Elantra. So I said, can we take the van, we can't all fit in the car. Or two cars. Now they took a couple behind us and put them in the car and they are gone. Now we are told we have to take whats next, which was a van that you just put a family in. Next up was also a van and I got told that we couldn't take a van because they have rules about take the next car and it cost more. No sir, you clearly see we can not fit. After a beat it clicked that he needed to get us out of there because both me and C were getting upset and again I mention my brother is big and scary looking (he's really a teddy bear) and I guess they thought he may have done something? I don't know, I just wanted to get back to the ship.

 

 

 

This is no knock to paradise because we had a wonderful time. I fault the taxi drivers for being greedy and unaccommodating. So be warned but I doubt others will have the same issue. It did not dampen or time nor will it keep us from returning. We may just use on taxi for the whole day or rent a car and drive ourselves. ( It is literary a straight drive from the port to Paradise Beach).

 

 

 

Anyway, after finally making it back to the port, Mom got her passport stamped at one of the stand right by the taxis ( I had left mine on the ship). We did some shopping and some walking. Eventually made it back on board around 3. We were VERY tired so decided to take shower and take a nap. The day wore S out (understandably) so she actually skipped dinner that night. Tonight was the night we went to the Brits show and then the casino and off to bed.

 

 

 

We had a similar issue with taxis in Cozumel in the breeze cruise at the start of this month. We had a party of 14. Going to the beach they tell us we have to go in 2 vans at 30.00 a piece. We didn’t argue much, just said ok and split up. Well, we were in a 15 passenger van so it seems to be a gouging. As we prepare to leave, we go to get a van and they try to tell us the same. We are not having it, there are 14 of us and no need to split up 7 and 7 and pay 60.00 total (plus we always tip, especially if the drivers are nice and vans clean ) . We want to pay the 30.00 for the whole van, and would have tipped very well because we do. Well, they argued that a supervisor at the port would report them and because of insurance they can only insure 8 people. What a load of ..... we tell them we are going together and the other driver moves out of the way. When we got back to the port, the second taxi driver had followed us, parked beside us and proceeded to argue with the other driver. The other driver then pulls out money and gives it to him and they are done with the argument. Our guess is they planned to split the extra money they earned by making us split up. I understand they are there to make money but don’t lie to us or try to sell us some bs rule. Like I said, we gladly tip and I know people don’t always but you can’t deceive people and expect it to be ok. Sorry to hijack your thread but I wanted to share my experience since it sounded similar to yours.

 

 

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[Joecruiser62]

Thanks for the great review. WerWe sailing on the Fantasy in January. I do have a question about the room. Did the lamps by the bed have the USB ports in them? The Elation did, and it's had the same upgrades. Thanks in advance!

[brilliantseas]

I've sailed on the Fantasy twice in the last two years, and even though it is the oldest in the fleet, it is still one of my favorites, and here is why:

 

1. Uncrowded - No, the Fantasy class ships don't have as many fancy features, lounges, water parks, specialty dining restaurants, etc. as the newer ships, but they also don't have nearly as many guests on board and the space ratio per guest is higher on the Fantasy ships than on any of the newer classes. This means minimal waits at the Lido restaurant and easy-to-find seats for shows or even on deck during the day.

 

2. Mobile - The Port of Mobile may be the easiest port I've ever been to in terms of parking, embarkation, and debarkation, and that says a lot. I've sailed out of Baltimore, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, Mobile, New Orleans, and Galveston on three different cruise lines, and Mobile would be my first choice if I'm driving rather than flying to the port.

 

3. The People - The Mobile-based cruises tend to draw heavily from the local area, being Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, and North Florida, and while I'm not personally from that area, I find the other guests onboard to be much friendlier and more laid back than on some of the other cruises.

[kyboymom]

I've sailed on the Fantasy twice in the last two years, and even though it is the oldest in the fleet, it is still one of my favorites, and here is why:

 

1. Uncrowded - No, the Fantasy class ships don't have as many fancy features, lounges, water parks, specialty dining restaurants, etc. as the newer ships, but they also don't have nearly as many guests on board and the space ratio per guest is higher on the Fantasy ships than on any of the newer classes. This means minimal waits at the Lido restaurant and easy-to-find seats for shows or even on deck during the day.

 

2. Mobile - The Port of Mobile may be the easiest port I've ever been to in terms of parking, embarkation, and debarkation, and that says a lot. I've sailed out of Baltimore, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Tampa, Mobile, New Orleans, and Galveston on three different cruise lines, and Mobile would be my first choice if I'm driving rather than flying to the port.

 

3. The People - The Mobile-based cruises tend to draw heavily from the local area, being Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, and North Florida, and while I'm not personally from that area, I find the other guests onboard to be much friendlier and more laid back than on some of the other cruises.

 

We are leaving out of Mobile on Oct 20, this will be our first time out of this Port. Do you have any recommendations on the parking. We are going to Park at the Port parking structure. From what I have read it looks like when we get there they will take our luggage from our vehicles then we will park in the structure, is this correct? We have an 11:30 check in time so I was trying to decide how early we need to get to the Port to park, unload, etc.

[cruisin chef]

Do you remember the port of call menus?

[mackenzie80]

We are leaving out of Mobile on Oct 20, this will be our first time out of this Port. Do you have any recommendations on the parking. We are going to Park at the Port parking structure. From what I have read it looks like when we get there they will take our luggage from our vehicles then we will park in the structure, is this correct? We have an 11:30 check in time so I was trying to decide how early we need to get to the Port to park, unload, etc.

 

Pay in advance to avoid lines. You pull in, porters help you unload. Then you drive up the ramp and find a parking spot.

 

Once you find a spot, get rest of your stuff and go get in line to go through check-in.

 

If you don't prepay, you have to get in this LONG line and pay a machine. When you prepay online have the tag of the car you are going in. They check the tags against a spreadsheet of people who paid, if you don't pay. Your car gets fined or towed.

[kyboymom]

Pay in advance to avoid lines. You pull in, porters help you unload. Then you drive up the ramp and find a parking spot.

 

Once you find a spot, get rest of your stuff and go get in line to go through check-in.

 

If you don't prepay, you have to get in this LONG line and pay a machine. When you prepay online have the tag of the car you are going in. They check the tags against a spreadsheet of people who paid, if you don't pay. Your car gets fined or towed.

 

Thanks so much for this helpful info! I see you have been on the Fantasy before. This is our first time out of Mobile and on the Fantasy. Any tips you may have for the Fantasy that I should know?

[mackenzie80]

Thanks so much for this helpful info! I see you have been on the Fantasy before. This is our first time out of Mobile and on the Fantasy. Any tips you may have for the Fantasy that I should know?

 

Depending on your check-in time get there a little early. There is a train track right in front of the entrance and it can hold you up 20-30 minutes.

 

The ship IS smaller, and it IS a bit older. The decor is dated a bit. If you care about those things, just keep that in mine. If you don't care and just love cruising and being on vacation then you will be great.

 

The staff seem to always go over the top to make you happy. On my Behind the Fun tour our tour guide said that the Fantasy is often used as as a training ship for new staff. So they are always willing to go above and beyong -that is MY take.

 

Avoid the buffet lines on boarding and grab a guys burger. There tends to be more seating outside too until you can get to your room, unless you get FTTF.

 

My air in the room was either frigid or around 74. I had a small fan and never had an issue.

 

I have also seen a few people complain about a smell coming from bathroom. I keep a room spray with me, and spray when I get to room and I have not had an issue.

[pragmatic cruiser]

Does this boat have a hot tub in the serenity area?

[mackenzie80]

It has two.

[tandemcruzr]

On 10/23/2018 at 10:49 AM, pragmatic cruiser said:

Does this boat have a hot tub in the serenity area?

The ship's Serenity area is 1 deck below the Lido aft. There are 2 hot tubs -- no pool.

[TrinaLC]

Believe all the fantasy class ships have two hot tubs in serenity. 

[tandemcruzr]

On 10/27/2018 at 3:54 PM, TrinaLC said:

Believe all the fantasy class ships have two hot tubs in serenity. 

Yes, that's correct. We enjoy the ships whose Serenity are aft and not forward. The Spirit class also has the Serenity aft with a pool, hot tub and bar.