Fantasy Only Questions ...

[swscruiser]

Only Rhapsody of the Seas and Fantasy will be in Cozumel on 5/22 for our 5/19/07 cruise. So I guess we will be docked by Carlos and Charlie's!! :D No tendering!

 

And the Fantasy is the only ship in Costa Maya the day before......

 

So we are good to go!

 

Kathy

 

Kathy,

 

We have a roll call started for the 5/19/07. Come join us.

 

Keith

[Grits53]

Grits - we had terrible waiters last time so can't make any recommendations there. We even switched tables and got one that was worse than the first.

 

Beach - DD, DS, DH - first D stands for Dear or Darling or if you're mad at them....Dam*n Daughter, Son, Husband etc. You'll also see OP - original poster, OBC - on board credit, FTLOG - For the love of God, ROFLMAO - rolling on the floor laughing my A** off or just plain LMAO.

 

From the time you get off I-10, the distance to the port is only about 5 min. HOWEVER, sometimes the traffic can be terrible. Once, we drove right to the garage, other times we've been stuck in traffic for an hour right at the port. If you are going when the Grandeur is also boarding (Sat. departures), expect that the traffic could be stopped. I thought it was so STUPID at the port last month when they had only ONE security guy stopping each vehicle and asking what ship. He wasn't doing anything except holding up traffic. The earliest I would try to get to the garage would be about 10:30am.

 

I have capers from the 5 day sailing. If I can get to it, I'll scan them in tomorrow if someone wants to see them. I don't have Camp Carnival capers though.

Thank you! I appreciate the info. Sorry to hear your waiters weren't good, though. Good waiters can make a heck of a lot of difference in your dining enjoyment.

[bigman01]

Given this info, what time should we plan to arrive at the terminal? Also, can anyone tell me how long it takes to get from I-10 in Baton Rouge to the terminal? Mapquest says it's 73 miles and one hour, 15 minutes, but I suspect it will take longer than that. I assume it will be slow going once we leave I-10 in NOLA. This will be my first time to go to the terminal. It's been 35 years since I've been to that area of NOLA, and I live in north Louisiana!

 

 

Hey Grits....I was on the Fantasy in January....traffic in New Orleans actually isn't that bad anymore. It should take you an hour or so to get to New Orleans.....they've made some major improvements to the pier area down there, and things actually run pretty smooth. There will be a line of cars waiting to go into the parking garage, but it depends on what time you get there as to how much of a line there will be. I got to the dock about 11:30 am, and it didn't take too long to actually get on the boat....maybe 45 minutes to an hour. But, we couldn't get into the room until around 1 or a little later, had to wait on one of the decks until then, but it was no major problem. A suggestion (I think someone else might have mentioned it before either here, or on another topic)...when you get back to NO after the cruise, when you get your luggage, find a porter to help you with your luggage.....they'll take you straight to customs and you won't have to stand in line very long at all to get out of there!

 

Have fun, and let us know how much you enjoyed it!

[sandsand]

Hey Grits - that time sounds about right IF New Orleans traffic is cooperative. You have a good chance since you'll be arriving on a Saturday morning. I work in Baton Rouge and live a little south in Prairieville. I can make it to Nola in 45 minutes and it's an additional approx. 15-20 minutes to the pier if the traffic is good. Your time will vary depending on where in Baton Rouge your hotel is.

 

P.S. I have a Grits t-shirt but mine stands for "Girls Raised in Tiger Stadium" GEAUX Tigers!!!

[JayDeeJay]

Our first cruise ever was on the Fantasy out of Port Canaveral ... we loved it so much we booked the exact same cruise in the exact same cabin again the next year! It's a smaller ship, therefore you don't have to walk the length of a football field to get somewhere. The food was just great -- the staff was VERY accommodating (the cabin stewards must be the hardest working human beings I've ever seen!!!) . Treat yourself to a cruise on a smaller ship sometime ... you'll probably be pleasantly surprised!

[EarthGirl517]

Hey yall! I was wondering if the men HAVE to wear a tux for formal night? Will a nice suit do? How formal do we have to dress. I am pregnant and I do not want to spend alot of money on something I will wear once.

Also, is this dinner long and drawn out? We have a toddler that doesnt sit still for long periods of time.

 

Thanks!

Tiffany

 

How old is your toddler? As long as she/he is over 2, you could have them eat dinner with the Camp Carnival staff (most nights). This is what we do as this is the one week a year anyone watches our kids for us. I think they like eating with kids their own ages and my son loved the Camp on our last cruise (he was 3). If you're not comfortable with that you could always do dinner at the Lido Buffet. Not as much fun as the dining room, but then again nothing is fun with a cranky toddler. It is my understaing that they do not let any children in (any of) the pools that are not potty trained. I believe you can bring an inflatable pool (we will try this with our 2 year old). You may also want to check out the family cruise board as they have a lot of great info, too! Hope you have a great cruise!

[paminohio]

Just wanted to say that I've been on the Fantasy three times, the Sensation once and am currently looking to book the Elation...meaning, I love the Fantasy class ships! I have not been on any other Carnival ship so I cannot compare, but I have been on the Voyager so I do have 'some' big ship experience!

 

You can't beat the Fantasy class ships for the price! I have never had bad service, bad food, or a bad time.

[EarthGirl517]

Check out www.webshots.com for Fantasy 5 day capers, just do a search, "Carnival Fantasy Capers".

 

Kyleesmom, no, DH doesnt need a tux for formal night, my DH had a suit last time and I wore a formal gown, but this time I am just plannning on a pretty dress. As far as the toddler, yes, dinner usuallly lasts at least an hour or more, but see how long the toddler lasts, you can always skip dessert if you HAVE to, but hopefully you wont. :)

 

I was only able to find the 4 day capers. Oh well, I go on the 5 day in 28 days! I will be sure and save/scan my capers for everyone.

[kroppinkris]

Are the doors made of metal? We're going with a group and I want to decorate all of our doors and I think magnets would be easiest to use.

 

Thanks.

 

Kris

[sandsand]

Can someone who is about to cruise check the dinner table sizes for me? I'm hoping that there is at least one table for 12 that we can try and get.

[Rok4u2]

The FANTASY left today with about 50 very UNHAPPY passengers. TSA/Homeland Security took over 50 bottles of booze OUT OF CHECKED luggage prior to putting it on the ship. :( :(

[LHP]

The FANTASY left today with about 50 very UNHAPPY passengers. TSA/Homeland Security took over 50 bottles of booze OUT OF CHECKED luggage prior to putting it on the ship. :( :(

 

Oh my !!!! :eek:

 

We are home safe and sound. We had a wonderful time. Thanks Rob...(yes, you name is on 2 comment cards ~~hubby dropped his in before I could get to it!!)

 

We got a good visit in with Noonan and Gemma. And "finally" got to see Tom at Paradise Beach...3 trips in 6 months and missed him every time until Saturday. We got to dock in Cozumel at Punta which was nice.

 

I am TIRED!!!

ttyl ....

[LHP]

Also, Big Tex started doing "Mardi Gras" (a pub crawl) during the Mardi Gras cruise and they have done it every cruise since. (complete with handing out beads) It was a lot of fun. I even missed karaoke to participate!!!

[jetskier]

The FANTASY left today with about 50 very UNHAPPY passengers. TSA/Homeland Security took over 50 bottles of booze OUT OF CHECKED luggage prior to putting it on the ship. :( :(

 

Sounds like someone is going to be throwing a nice party at the pier. They must have thought they were screening for the NCL Sun. :)

Dave

[cruisingteacher]

The FANTASY left today with about 50 very UNHAPPY passengers. TSA/Homeland Security took over 50 bottles of booze OUT OF CHECKED luggage prior to putting it on the ship. :( :(

 

we are packing for 3/24 right now. what does everyone think??? should we pack any liquor or not...???? we will not take a huge amount, just enough to mix a drink or 2. :rolleyes:

[LRene]

The FANTASY left today with about 50 very UNHAPPY passengers. TSA/Homeland Security took over 50 bottles of booze OUT OF CHECKED luggage prior to putting it on the ship. :( :(

 

Whoa...Rob! I'll bet there WERE some unhappy folks. Are they x-raying each and every back looking for booze? Must take forever.

 

Cruisingteacher - my opinion....I wouldn't pack any booze in checked luggage at this point in time. It wouldn't be worth it to me. Particularly if it's just for a couple of drinks. Take some nice wine or champage (perfectly legal) instead.

 

I'll be anxious to hear what happens in upcoming weeks!

 

LHP - glad to hear you had a good time again and got home safe and sound!

[KyleesMom]

Earthgirl! She is be 23 months when we cruise..I know so close to being eligable for kids camp. I am pregnant and by the time she turns 2, I will be too pregnant to cruise, so we are attemping this. She is usually pretty easy going, so we are just going to take one day at a time. This will be new to all of us:)

 

 

Does anyone know what the fees are to use internet on the ship? Do we need anything special if we take our laptop in order to connect?

Any advice would be great!

 

Happy Cruising yall!

[LRene]

Internet rates:

 

Fees & Equipment: Passengers can either bring their own equipment, or rent laptops ($20/day), wireless Internet cards ($10/day) and optional insurance ($10/day). Both the Internet cafe and personal laptop rate is 75 cents per minute. Alternatively, minutes can be bought in blocks: 100 minutes for $55 or 250 minutes for $100. There is also a one-time activation fee of $3.95.

 

No, you don't need anything special to connect.

[BrendaB1]

Can someone who is about to cruise check the dinner table sizes for me? I'm hoping that there is at least one table for 12 that we can try and get.

 

Most tables are long ones for 8 or a few round ones that seat 10. Might have to split your group into 2 groups of six with tables next to each other.

[LuvLeLe10]

After reading someones comment in the Gulf Coast Departures Forum on a New Orleans parking thread, I saw that someone had been charged a 6 night parking rate on a 5 night cruise.

 

I emailed Robert Jumonville with the Port of New Orleans to find out what the correct parking cost would be on my upcoming 5 night Fantasy cruise. Here is his reply:

 

Please be advised that the website http://www.neworleanstophotels.com/cruise.html you visited is not the website for the Port of New Orleans. They have copied parts of our old information onto their site, and you are correct that it is outdated. For updated and correct information, log onto http://www.portno.com/ and click on cruises on the left hand side of the page. To answer your specific question, the FANTASY uses the new Erato St. Cruise Terminal, which is on the first two floors of a six story building. The top four floors is the parking garage. The cost to park is $14 per day, and for a five day cruise the total cost is $70. The Port does not charge for six nights on a five day cruise. BON VOYAGE

[KyleesMom]

Internet rates:

 

Fees & Equipment: Passengers can either bring their own equipment, or rent laptops ($20/day), wireless Internet cards ($10/day) and optional insurance ($10/day). Both the Internet cafe and personal laptop rate is 75 cents per minute. Alternatively, minutes can be bought in blocks: 100 minutes for $55 or 250 minutes for $100. There is also a one-time activation fee of $3.95.

 

Sorry, another stupid question. how do you know how many minutes you have used? Can you use the package over the entire trip? Do you just go to the internet cafe to purchase the block and its charged to your sail and sign card?

Thanks!

Tif

[LRene]

Sorry, another stupid question. how do you know how many minutes you have used? Can you use the package over the entire trip? Do you just go to the internet cafe to purchase the block and its charged to your sail and sign card?

Thanks!

Tif

 

Tif - the first time you log on it will ask you if you want to pay by the min or buy a block. When you log off, it will tell you how many minutes you used and how many you have left (if you purchased the block). Yes....it is charged to your S&S card. I've had some ask for my Folio number and other pertinent info to ID me and I've had some that I had to swipe my card through the keyboard (using the ships computers). It's really simple!

[jetskier]

After reading someones comment in the Gulf Coast Departures Forum on a New Orleans parking thread, I saw that someone had been charged a 6 night parking rate on a 5 night cruise.

 

I emailed Robert Jumonville with the Port of New Orleans to find out what the correct parking cost would be on my upcoming 5 night Fantasy cruise. Here is his reply:

 

And I would say he is wrong. We were charged $84 for our 5-day cruise on the NCL Sun Jan 23rd. That is $14 x 6 days.

I just sent him an email with a portion of my credit card statement attached showing the $84 charge.

Dave

[LuvLeLe10]

And I would say he is wrong. We were charged $84 for our 5-day cruise on the NCL Sun Jan 23rd. That is $14 x 6 days.

I just sent him an email with a portion of my credit card statement attached showing the $84 charge.

Dave

Please let us know what he says when he replies!

Thanks!

[jetskier]

Please let us know what he says when he replies!

Thanks!

 

Sure, no problem.

Dave