Fantasy 3-30-09 review

[jason534]

This is the review is just wrote for our cruise.

This was our third time on the Fantasy and she looked better than ever. We sailed her last March and the renovations were great. The ship was very clean, even the Lido bathrooms that were not so clean last year.

Embarkation was very smooth. We were VIP and got on quickly. We had several people that we not VIP, but only took about 25-30 minutes longer to board. Security did open my cooler, but it was just pop and water. So, if had tried something else, they would have found it. But, coming back on from Cuzumel, they did not open it.

The food at the outside grill on Lido deck was very good, as was the buffet. The pizza was usually pretty soggy. The deli was excellent.

The main dining room food was easily the worst of my 10 cruises. Flat iron steak was the only steak offered. And 1 time when ordered medium, it was dripping blood, the next night medium was way over cooked. We didn't complain about the bloody steak, so I know they didn’t over cook it on purpose. The other main courses were ok and lobster was good. Seems as though the selection has dwindled. This was the only area I felt Carnival was cutting back to save money. But, the appetizers were excellent and there were many excellent choices.

And the chocolate melting cake was again very good.

Room service was always very prompt and the food was good, but no real big portions. I knew this so I ordered a little extra.

Cabins (we had 8) were all very clean and the stewards kept them up very well. No complaints at all from 25 people. We left our cabin late one day because my 5-year-old son wanted to stay in for a while. I told our steward not to worry about cleaning because I knew he was done for the afternoon. When we came back it was cleaned. Maybe he was working for a tip or just wanted to provide great service, I don't know. I just know he was always around and did a great job. Our room had 1 bunk bed that came down from the wall. The only time it got in the way was when my wife had a few too many drinks in Cozumel and fell asleep on the closest side of the bed. I had to be a little flexible that night. But, as long as you let the steward service your room during the day and they put it up, it's never a problem. Our other room with 3 people had the roll away and my 18 year old brother is about 6-2, 225 pounds and slept on it all 5 nights and said it was fine.

I've seen lots of questions about alcohol/beer/coolers in the room. Most of us had something like that and were taken care of. I had a cooler of pop and water for the kids (3 teenagers in addition to our little ones) and it was iced up every morning and night. I usually kept a bucket of beer on the counter and it was always iced up. Some in the group had some bottles of vodka, run etc and nothing was said.

Camp Carnival was excellent. We had two 5 year old boys that used the camp. Every time we went to look in or pick them up, they were being entertained by the staff or active at something. Being spring break, they had a lot of kids to deal with, but did a great job. Five star rating for Camp Carnival.

We are very active on the ship and visit many places and I never once saw the cruise director, Risa. I even commented to someone in our group when filling out the comment card if she knew there was a cruise director. And she said, "no, what was his name?" So, I think that says a lot that a person who spent 5 days on a ship doesn't even know if the cruise director exists. We did not go to some of the things were you always see the CD, but we spent a lot of time in public areas and never saw her. Not complaining, just stating the fact that we had fun without her.

As for the casino, the dealers were all very nice. The supervisor staff was a different story. I have never met such a grumpy, negative group of casino supervisors/manager/host in my 10 cruises or multiple Vegas trips. The casino was not as busy as normal and I know why. It truly seemed as though the bosses wanted us out of there so they could be somewhere else. But, at the end of the day, the bosses don't determine my cards or fate at a machine. A better atmosphere would have been nice.

The did not have the win a free cruise bingo, rather they did a raffle at the last bingo session. $10 for 3 tickets or $20 for 10 tickets.

Two days in a row the Capers listed "music with Adam" at the Casino bar and two nights in a row when we showed up the stage was empty. The second night we asked the bar tender and were told he was sick. It's usually fun for us to hang out in that area and enjoy the music because they have a large non-smoking section and us smokers have an area at the bar. We were dissappointed that the CD did not make alternate arrangements or at least put up a sign. The first night were figured he was on break and wasted 20 minutes waiting for him. When we did get to see Adam the last night he was very good.

The new water park looked great, as did the new pool set up on Lido. I'm sure the adults appreciated the Serenity area because the Lido hot tubs had lots of kids in them. I did hear of some of the famous "chair hogging". Didn't impact us, but we did hear some complaints.

We were in no hurry to leave, so I can't give details about debarkation. Other than to say the room service breakfast arrive on time and those that ate on Lido said the food was good. We waited on Lido untill about 10am and were driving out of the garage about 11 am.

 

I'm sure I forgot a few things and will post more if I remember. And please remember that any negatives I mentioned are not to "complain", I'm stating what I felt or saw. Feel free to ask any questions.

[jason534]

I left out that the Sushi bar was open every night from 5pm til about 8:15 pm and had several different selections. It was good the couple of times we tried it.

 

Also, the Ticket to Ride show was very good. As was the comedian.

 

And I've seen some questions about Corn hole or Bag toss. They had that every day either on Lido or elsewhere.

[pam7553]

I was also on this cruise and couldn't agree with you more on the cruise director. This was my 18th cruise and I can't remember a cruise where the cruise director was not seen around the ship. I didn't go to the Captain's reception but when it was shown on TV I didn't see Risa there, it was the ACD Brandon standing next to the captain.

The food in the dining room also disappointed me. One night I just had three starters and dessert.

I was impressed that with 900 kids on board for the most part they were well behaved. I did hear that a group was put off in Progreso but I couldn't confirm that.

The casino was great to me. The dealers were very personable. I had a great interaction with the supervisors. Didn't care for Anna, the casino host.

All in all it was a good cruise. I came home to rain and now snow!

[jason534]

Rain today in Indiana for us.

 

Not sure if they are the ones put off the ship, but I heard someone was drunk and throwing chairs off the deck.

[CruisingCamper]

This is the review is just wrote for our cruise.

 

This was our third time on the Fantasy and she looked better than ever. We sailed her last March and the renovations were great. The ship was very clean, even the Lido bathrooms that were not so clean last year.

 

Embarkation was very smooth. We were VIP and got on quickly. We had several people that we not VIP, but only took about 25-30 minutes longer to board. Security did open my cooler, but it was just pop and water. So, if had tried something else, they would have found it. But, coming back on from Cuzumel, they did not open it.

 

The food at the outside grill on Lido deck was very good, as was the buffet. The pizza was usually pretty soggy. The deli was excellent.

 

The main dining room food was easily the worst of my 10 cruises. Flat iron steak was the only steak offered. And 1 time when ordered medium, it was dripping blood, the next night medium was way over cooked. We didn't complain about the bloody steak, so I know they didn’t over cook it on purpose. The other main courses were ok and lobster was good. Seems as though the selection has dwindled. This was the only area I felt Carnival was cutting back to save money. But, the appetizers were excellent and there were many excellent choices.

 

And the chocolate melting cake was again very good.

 

Room service was always very prompt and the food was good, but no real big portions. I knew this so I ordered a little extra.

 

Cabins (we had 8) were all very clean and the stewards kept them up very well. No complaints at all from 25 people. We left our cabin late one day because my 5-year-old son wanted to stay in for a while. I told our steward not to worry about cleaning because I knew he was done for the afternoon. When we came back it was cleaned. Maybe he was working for a tip or just wanted to provide great service, I don't know. I just know he was always around and did a great job. Our room had 1 bunk bed that came down from the wall. The only time it got in the way was when my wife had a few too many drinks in Cozumel and fell asleep on the closest side of the bed. I had to be a little flexible that night. But, as long as you let the steward service your room during the day and they put it up, it's never a problem. Our other room with 3 people had the roll away and my 18 year old brother is about 6-2, 225 pounds and slept on it all 5 nights and said it was fine.

 

I've seen lots of questions about alcohol/beer/coolers in the room. Most of us had something like that and were taken care of. I had a cooler of pop and water for the kids (3 teenagers in addition to our little ones) and it was iced up every morning and night. I usually kept a bucket of beer on the counter and it was always iced up. Some in the group had some bottles of vodka, run etc and nothing was said.

 

Camp Carnival was excellent. We had two 5 year old boys that used the camp. Every time we went to look in or pick them up, they were being entertained by the staff or active at something. Being spring break, they had a lot of kids to deal with, but did a great job. Five star rating for Camp Carnival.

 

We are very active on the ship and visit many places and I never once saw the cruise director, Risa. I even commented to someone in our group when filling out the comment card if she knew there was a cruise director. And she said, "no, what was his name?" So, I think that says a lot that a person who spent 5 days on a ship doesn't even know if the cruise director exists. We did not go to some of the things were you always see the CD, but we spent a lot of time in public areas and never saw her. Not complaining, just stating the fact that we had fun without her.

 

As for the casino, the dealers were all very nice. The supervisor staff was a different story. I have never met such a grumpy, negative group of casino supervisors/manager/host in my 10 cruises or multiple Vegas trips. The casino was not as busy as normal and I know why. It truly seemed as though the bosses wanted us out of there so they could be somewhere else. But, at the end of the day, the bosses don't determine my cards or fate at a machine. A better atmosphere would have been nice.

 

The did not have the win a free cruise bingo, rather they did a raffle at the last bingo session. $10 for 3 tickets or $20 for 10 tickets.

 

Two days in a row the Capers listed "music with Adam" at the Casino bar and two nights in a row when we showed up the stage was empty. The second night we asked the bar tender and were told he was sick. It's usually fun for us to hang out in that area and enjoy the music because they have a large non-smoking section and us smokers have an area at the bar. We were dissappointed that the CD did not make alternate arrangements or at least put up a sign. The first night were figured he was on break and wasted 20 minutes waiting for him. When we did get to see Adam the last night he was very good.

 

The new water park looked great, as did the new pool set up on Lido. I'm sure the adults appreciated the Serenity area because the Lido hot tubs had lots of kids in them. I did hear of some of the famous "chair hogging". Didn't impact us, but we did hear some complaints.

 

We were in no hurry to leave, so I can't give details about debarkation. Other than to say the room service breakfast arrive on time and those that ate on Lido said the food was good. We waited on Lido untill about 10am and were driving out of the garage about 11 am.

 

I'm sure I forgot a few things and will post more if I remember. And please remember that any negatives I mentioned are not to "complain", I'm stating what I felt or saw. Feel free to ask any questions.

 

 

 

I have a few questions for you! Thanks so much for your review!

 

Flat-iron Steak was the only steak on the menu for all of the nights? What happened to the steak option for all nights? Used to you could order a steak any night, if you wanted to. And there was always New York strip one night and filet one night, right?

 

I have read about a relaxed dress code for dinner? What does this mean? Can shorts be worn now, or something?

 

Parking? Did you park at pier? If so, where?

 

Thanks

[jason534]

I have a few questions for you! Thanks so much for your review!

 

Flat-iron Steak was the only steak on the menu for all of the nights? What happened to the steak option for all nights? Used to you could order a steak any night, if you wanted to. And there was always New York strip one night and filet one night, right?

 

I have read about a relaxed dress code for dinner? What does this mean? Can shorts be worn now, or something?

 

Parking? Did you park at pier? If so, where?

 

Thanks

 

Flat Iron steak was on the menu every night, only steak available. I was looking forward to the filet and the other steaks as well. I'd read about this on CC but was hoping it wasn't the case on our cruise.

 

For the Elegant dinner, they turned a man away wearing khaki shorts, but the other nights, shorts are ok except for gym shorts, etc.

 

We parked at the pier in the garage and it was $70 for the 5 days. They do have room for large vehicles or those with luggae toppers. I've also heard of some local hotels offering stay and park packages. Lots of info about that on the NO thread.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions. I have all the Capers and Camp Carnival Capers for 2-5 and 6-8 year olds. But, not sure how to get them into these boards. But, I will tell you they are virtually identical to those I've seen posted on here over the last few months.

 

Jason

[bflandry317]

:bump:

[snoopymcc]

one question....do they serve lunch in the dining rooms? Is it worth the time to go "sit down" or is it better just to eat on deck? Is there a lunch buffet? Thanks!

[sappygirl]

one question....do they serve lunch in the dining rooms? Is it worth the time to go "sit down" or is it better just to eat on deck? Is there a lunch buffet? Thanks!

I am pretty sure all of their ships serve lunch in DR except on sea days. They also serve breakfast there everday. The food quality is much better in the DR than the buffet. Yes they do have lunch buffet. Also have a deli and the free pizza and room service. So there is food available at all times. You won't go hungry.:D

[anna.williams@lpsb.org]

<P>What size cooler were you allowed to bring on board? We are crusing April 13th and would like to bring a cooler on board, but read only 12x12 was allowed.</P>

[jason534]

<P>What size cooler were you allowed to bring on board? We are crusing April 13th and would like to bring a cooler on board, but read only 12x12 was allowed.</P>

 

Mine was a bit over the 12x12, but not by much and they certainly didn't measure it. No clue how much over 12x12 they'd allow. You can always take one small cooler for each person.

 

We took the cooler filled with water and pop to both ports and it really helped out. It was nice to drink ice cold water from a cooler rather than a warm water.

[jason534]

one question....do they serve lunch in the dining rooms? Is it worth the time to go "sit down" or is it better just to eat on deck? Is there a lunch buffet? Thanks!

 

We didn't do lunch in the dining room because we enjoy Lido deck during the day. The deli near the pizza bar is excellent. Didn't do much pizza during the day, but you've got three choices besides pizza and dining room with the bufftt, deli and grill all on Lido.

[starketcher]

We were on the same cruise. The review pretty much sums up my comments.

 

I wondered if the CD was sick ?? Since she did not show at the captain's reception. The bar singer was good but we only had entertainment there that one night. The shows were better than in years' past. Loved the comedians. GREAT steward, the best I have had. Hated the casino....did not find the casino staff friendly, more aloof. Very little gambling due to no one winning and the staff. Casino was a big zero this time, but I'd jsut come from Biloxi so it was not a big deal this cruise.

 

The flat iron steak was great the first night when it was a featured meal. I was impressed, then hubby ordered it the 2nd night and it was dry and chewy. A guy at the other table had ordered it the first night, then later on and said the same thing.

 

I have never noticed the "hawking" of items in the dining room from water to trays of after-dinner drinks.

 

We were crammed into the dining room. I have never seen that many tables together and we got stuck in a table for 2 in middle of the walkway. We kept getting bumped by other diners and the waiters. It was terrible. I wanted to change tables, but hubby said it was just for 4 more nights, but it sucked. I know lots of people request tables for 2 (we did not) but there was nothing intimate about it. They need more waiters. I cannot bleive that it would hurt the bottom line so much to hire maybe 10 more waiters and lessen the work load. We were accommodated but it was definitely not the personal service of years' past.