Hi! I am curious about this ship. Does anyone have details? We are taking our 4 children ages 4,13,15,18!! Also, is there a way to see what the weather will be like besides in the actual port. Checked that on weather.com. We are soooo excited I really hope it doesn't rain the whole time.

Hi!

We are first time cruisers too! We are sailing Sept. 8th '07. Please let me know what it was like. Your the first one's i've seen to be booked on this vessel leaving this summer. We are taking our 2 children also. Ages 2 and 9. It's a shame we are'nt sailing at the same time. Anyway, just wanted to say hello and this site is very helpful, it has been to me. Continue to do your research and have a wonderful time.

Sassy

Greetings, rbraccoon!!! Welcome to Cruise-Chat!! You must be excited with your cruise right around the corner. An upcoming cruise is both the most thrilling sense of anticipation as well as the ultimate test of patience. I was on the Fantasy last month and I can tell you that she has never been better. The ship went through a cabin by cabin multimillion dollar refurbishment not to long ago. She is not nearly the largest ship in the extensive Carnival line, but she makes up for it in personality. I don't know if "Big Tex" will be your cruise director, but if he is, you are in for a treat. The captain of your ship will likely be Candeloro Donato who is a very friendly individual who likes to meet all of the guests at some point during the cruise. This ship has some of the most gifted entertainers to ever grace a cruise ship stage and I encourage you to attend the shows that are offered in the Universe lounge. Enjoy yourselves and beware of the Lido deck grill. The aroma of the freshly grilled burgers and hotdogs will add two inches to your waistline without even tasting them. If you need any further info I would be happy to respond. Of course, I would be happier to be trading places with you. lol Have a great time!!

You will have a wonderful time.

Thankfully even rain passes quickly in places like Cozumel. We arrived to a morning show (I think it was in March) and by the time we got to Paradise Beach...it was all sun!!!

The Fantasy is a great ship. We sailed her in December and March and are headed back in August. Big Tex and his wife Kim left the first part of June, but I am certain the "new guy or gal" will be just as good.

Warn the karaoke host that there is a karaoke junkie headed their way August 11th!!!

Hi! I will be leaving on the Fantasy in October. It will be my second cruise.

I was wondering about public beaches in Cozumel and Costa Maya. Are they close to the ports? Or should I forget that idea and stick with the shore excursion activities? If anyone has any input on doing the shore excursions vs. just going out to explore on your own, please let me know.

quote:

Originally posted by itzmichie:
Hi! I will be leaving on the Fantasy in October. It will be my second cruise.

I was wondering about public beaches in Cozumel and Costa Maya. Are they close to the ports? Or should I forget that idea and stick with the shore excursion activities? If anyone has any input on doing the shore excursions vs. just going out to explore on your own, please let me know.

Cozumel is my favorite port. Easy to get around and safe. We just grab a taxi anywhere we want to go without a problem.

Paradise Beach is $12-14 one way for a taxi of 4. (depending on where you dock or tender in)
They do not charge any kind of entrance fee. All the lounge chairs, umbrellas and tables, clean restrooms and changing rooms and internet at the bar....are all free.
All they ask is that you eat/drink $10 per person.

You can also purchase a wristband for $9 that allows you the use of their nonmotorized toys. This is optional. If some want to get it and others do not...that is fine. (2 water trampolines, an iceberg to climb, kayaks, floats, snorkeling~ remember that there is a deposit on any equipment but it is refunded when the equipment is returned)

You can also rent lockers.

They also have independent vendors there to offer you the rental of jet skis ($55 1/2 hour), parasailing (same), banana boats (not sure of the price on that), beach massages ($1 per minute with a 20 minutes minimum), hair braiding, a souvenir store etc

You can also climb a coconut tree (not a real one)!!

Just remember to keep your watch on ship time (since sometimes Cozumel's time is different).

And don't worry about getting a taxi...there are more taxis than sand!!

If you want to do a ship tour in Cozumel, I would recommend swimming with the dolphins. This books up quickly and is about the only thing I would do through the ship...just to make sure you got a spot.

Costa Maya is basically a port with lots of shops and a huge salt water swimming pool...and a little beach village. The village costs $3 per person each way to get there. The best place for drinks I have read about is the Cat's Meow. It is not as commercialized as Cozumel.

Both ports can be done without a ship excursion (unless you want to do the dolphins). Both are tourist friendly and easy to get around.

All the resorts in Cozumel use purified water and the food is great...so don't worry about that. I would not be drinking from any public fountains...but the resorts are fine.

Margaritaville opened in Cozumel in April. If you get to dock, it will probably be at Punta Langosta (across from CarlosNCharlies) and the new Margaritaville is 3 to 4 blocks to the right as you walk off the pier. It is right on the water.

Go and have a great time. And make sure you head back to the ship one hour (ship's time) before she sails!!

Thanks for the valuable information, LHP! I really appreciate it!

HI!
We really had a great time!The kids LOVED it! The girls(13/18) weren't real fond on "at sea" day but still liked it. I was a little leary of sending my 4 yr old to the camp carnival and didn't until the captains dinner. Well-wish we would have sooner-he loved it!! Begged to go back every day even during excursions. They have something for them to do every 30 minutes. And age 2 is when they start the camp so that perfect! We would leave him for about an hour during the morning for some tan time and during dinner and the shows. The shows are really good--i am not a "show" type person but even my kids liked them. I was not impressed by the food as much-which was probably a good thing-I gained 6 lbs on the last cruise! Actually it was mostly the dining room food and always the red meat. The fish was always good. ANd the 24 hr bistro has the best pizza! We didn't book excursions until we arrived in the port. They always are waiting at the dock and give you 1/2 price! Costa Maya we stayed right off the ship. Didn't pay for an excursion. The kids thought they were experts once they realized they could negotiate prices! Right past the market is an awesome pool/beach area with a swim up bar and fountains and a restaurant--and more stores. We had a blast! I do regret not going into town because some women were saying they give massages under these open huts for $20!!I could talk forever so let me know if you want to know more. Got a few tips as well. Rbraccoon

quote:

Originally posted by sassychic:
Hi!

We are first time cruisers too! We are sailing Sept. 8th '07. Please let me know what it was like. Your the first one's i've seen to be booked on this vessel leaving this summer. We are taking our 2 children also. Ages 2 and 9. It's a shame we are'nt sailing at the same time. Anyway, just wanted to say hello and this site is very helpful, it has been to me. Continue to do your research and have a wonderful time.

Sassy

Costa Maya has a great beach area right off the port as well as a pool with a swim up bar and fountains. Really nice. Right inside the market square. Cozymel - take a taxi to paradise beach. Thats about 15 min. away. We didn't go-we went snorkling. The only excursion we paid for was when we got off the ship there was a group of guys waiting. Same company's that were offered on the cruise but they tell you not to talk about the prices with the other people on the excursion and they will give you half off. We went snorkling-even our 4 yr old-about 15 minutes by water and had a great time. $40 for each of us. There were 6 in our family. They did give us $30 for the little one. We were back by 12:30 and shopped.

quote:

Originally posted by itzmichie:
Hi! I will be leaving on the Fantasy in October. It will be my second cruise.

I was wondering about public beaches in Cozumel and Costa Maya. Are they close to the ports? Or should I forget that idea and stick with the shore excursion activities? If anyone has any input on doing the shore excursions vs. just going out to explore on your own, please let me know.