Nannette Padgett

Age: 44
Occupation: Computer Applications Instructor
Number of Cruises: 2
Cruise Line: Carnival
Ship: Fantasy
Sailing Date: December 14th, 2003
Itinerary: Bahamas

We looked forward to our cruise since last December. We booked the same Cruise, the same itinerary as last year; because we were very pleased with the Fantasy Cruise we took for our first cruise at that time.

This year we went on a Family Cruise, though most people I did not know, but my Sister-in-law, her husband, his parents and of course the Cruise booker and his wife and children. So visiting them some, we spent most of our cruise doing just as we planned this year…resting.

We did not go to Bingo, Line Dancing, the Shows or Formal dining in the Celebration dining room except the one night, which was the Captains night. The Lobster was superb, the Prime Rib a bit dry. However, the whole dining experience that night was excellent.

We booked the Blue Lagoon tour as soon as we boarded the ship. (Wrote it on a request slip and put it into the excursions box, because the tour window did not open until later in the day, though the slips are considered first come-first serve, and we did get our tour so they definitely don’t take them last).

Freeport led to lunch at our favorite spot down in the French section of the International Market. We did a little souvenir shopping; T-Shirts for the kids, and husband bought me a pretty coconut-chip necklace. Though I promise I won’t go again, it becomes old very quickly.

The Blue Lagoon tour in Nassau was worth the 27.00 tickets each. We rode the ferry out to the Lagoon at about 9:30 a.m. and it was a very nice morning, and about 80°, not to cloudy. After a bit of searching, because not sure where to go once off the boat, no one tells you, I picked a hammock in the sun right at the dock, and my husband took the camera and went hiking about. I enjoyed the sun, he enjoyed the views, and he took the best pictures of our trip there. You will not want to eat lunch there. The hamburgers and hotdogs are like $8.00 each, which is insane. We did get a few drinks at the bar, and they go half price if you wait a while…buy one get one free, several hours into the afternoon however before they begin that. (Word to the wise here, don’t get the Coconut drink…the one that comes in the Coconut itself, unless you like lots of Water…Coconut milk, and lots more water…yuck!)…However, the Pina’Coladas were great and they don’t cheat you on the rum…very tasty. Ferry ride back and then another restful day. We went into Nassau that evening, and started to walk the streets at around 5:30 p.m. Nassau closes shop about 6:00 p.m. We were not aware. They really don’t care if there are several cruise ships there with several thousand people just waiting for the night trek through their beautifully lit up city. The only thing that stays open are a few nightclubs. The rest goes into blackout at 6:00. Just so you know.

They moved the smoking sections from several areas of the ship to outside only, the Majesty Bar only, and one other bar. Of course we were at the front of the ship, and all these places are at the rear end of the ship, so smoking at 7:00 a.m. in the morning, meant a good long walk to get there for any smokers at the front of ship.

The rest of cruise was relaxing, even though it may sound like we were being dull, this time after one long year of work…it meant the most to us.

This year we went with the normal tipping procedure. Taking about $10.00 each off our sign-and-sale cards a day, and nothing more.

The rooms were clean, the beds looked new…but we had awful black dirt coming from our room ceiling vent the whole time we were there. The bed spreads were white, and the dirt would pile up on it so grossly; we kept pushing the beds to the wall, and room service would keep pushing it back under the vent, why is beyond me. Know I could have left a note to leave it alone, but I just kept pushing it back against the wall. And they also forgot to give us washcloths the last day and night, but other then that, room and bath stayed pretty clean.

The showers were “much” better. Newly installed showerheads, which actually were better then home. They had lots of pressure, and lots of hot water.

The coffee in the Windows by the Sea restaurant is still the best, and their food tops anything else on the ship, though still leaves much to be desired.

We did speak to a nice gentleman who said that we should think about taking another cruise on a nicer ship next year. He did not like the food either. He said he had been on several other ships, like Royal Caribbean and Voyager of the Seas, etc…and though the cost was about 2 to 4 times the cost of this cruise it was worth it just for the food.

We have thought long and hard about our next cruise. We would like to take a 5-7 day Mexico Cruise, maybe leaving out of Tampa next time. We will spend more but get more I believe from the next one. This cruise line itinerary has been wore out on us, and we are definitely looking for newer, more exciting places to go.

One thing new they did this time that I liked was at least while waiting to un-board the ship we got to sit in the bar area (that was our color tag area this time), as the wait is several hours long. So we had access to our coffee and ashtrays. We also were able to carry our luggage off the ship, so did not have to put it outside the doors the night before to be carried away and picked up in the morning in baggage claim, saving about an hour of searching. I liked that. On a scale of one to five: (five being the best, one being the worst)

I give the
Captain: 5
Cabin Steward Head: 0 (He was very rude, (long story) but was very insulted by him) and was constantly opening our door, we had “no” privacy. We never knew when he’d unlock our door and stick his head in, which seemed like “always”.
Cabin Cleaners: 3
Food: 2
Formal Dining: 4
Tour: 4 (Food was to expensive, else it would have been 5)
Pools/Hot tubs: 0 (never have been able to get in pool/hot tub, always filled with kids, though it says Adults only)
Ease Getting on/off: 3 (long waits bring this score down)

We enjoyed our cruise, and the ratings were low because of honest notes taken on this cruise…however, we still are quite aware that cruising is what you make it, so we did enjoy ourselves and time together to rest even if some things were not up to par with the last cruise.

Ask a Question About Carnival Cruise Lines