Fantasy Trip Observations

[jstewartgt]

Just off the Fantasy last week. Had fantastic weather and a really good trip. We did book another on board, but feel we might be winding down on Disney and are ready to try something else. Going to try the Magic and see where that leaves us

Edge: My daughter was about a month short of 11 during the sailing. Due to her current school situation(already in middle school at her school), we decided she could try out Edge if Disney allowed. At the port we asked check-in since the Youth club desk is closed and were told there are no exceptions made and no way she would be allowed. Completely wrong. Once we were on board we went up to Edge where they informed us anyone age 10 can attend Edge if the parents sign a waiver. My daughter really enjoyed her time at Edge along with the friends she met. She never bothered to go back to Oceaneers. I will say the first night she was not into it and we encouraged her to stay until the icebreakers as many on here have recommended. That made all the difference in the world.

Oceaneers: this is the first time we had been on the Fantasy since the kids club changes. My 8 yr old son was not a fan of the changes and felt they took away some of his favorite activities. The first couple of days he did not want to stay in the club long saying he was bored, but I think over the course of the week he started finding other things to do. I'm well aware he would prefer to play video games the whole time which Disney seems to be trying to limit by handing out iPads only at certain times(according to him). I'm all for the strategy as we limit at home as well. I did see a decrease in his desire to be in the club from previous years. I always figured he would be the one to eventually move us in the direction of other vacations, but he still had a great time.

Navigator: Already another thread on this, but we were not a fan of removing the Navigator from the room and still giving advertisements. That being said, we never went to guest services to get one and only missed it a little

H2O Products: Fantasy was still using the small tubes, but did not provide lotion as they had in the past. Call to Guest Services did nothing for us. Luckily the Stateroom Attendant still had some and was able to provide a couple of tubes.

Cozumel/Nachi Cocum: We decided to do a trip to Nachi Cocum and we were thrilled we did. The kids enjoyed the beach and the pool. The mixed drinks were not great, but expected. To me all of the drinks I have had in Mexico in the last few years have a odd sweetener taste to them we find unappealing. So we just stuck with cervesa and were just fine. Food was delivered to the beach lounges and was good as well. Our only issue was with the cab ride out to Nachi Cocum.

I think we found a cab driver from the wrong place and he quoted me $20 for the trip which I agreed to. These cabs were lined up on the street in front of the port, not in the lot behind it where I now know the "Transportation" is. When we arrived he claimed he said $30 and that I misunderstood him, but I also knew the posted rate was under $20. I refused to pay more than $20 and the conversation got a little heated. On the trip back I asked the cab driver what it should have been and he confirmed the it's a set $18 for up to 4 people. He asked me if I had the information of the other cab driver so he could report him, but I did not. Only real result was I was frustrated for about the first hour of the trip. Was kind of worried it was going to come back and haunt me and not be able to get back to the ship.

Mixology/Tequila: We did both Mixology and the Tequila tasting. Mixology was a bit different than we had seen in the past as there was a much larger group taking the class. It was done in Meridian and there was little hands on, but still plenty of drinks and the host was a lot of fun. The Tequila tasting started a little slow, but we really enjoyed it as well.

Enjoyed a viewing of the Captain Marvel show and only went to the Aladdin show this year.

 

[cheermom2four]

Thanks for the observations. We will be back on the Fantasy in about 10 days and Im curious to what changes were done in the oceaneers club as we havent been on it since 2016 so I'm sure its changed.

 

[BCV23]

Thanks for your report. It is always fun to read them.

 

[lklgoodman]

We've been on the Fantasy twice and will be on her again next year. My dd will be able to go to Edge on our next trip. Could you ask your dd what some of the activities were that they did in Edge? I know they do stuff around the ship, but not sure what kind of activities they do in the actual club area. My dd doesn't really care about video games. Do they do any cooking/science activities? Thanks

 

[jstewartgt]

We've been on the Fantasy twice and will be on her again next year. My dd will be able to go to Edge on our next trip. Could you ask your dd what some of the activities were that they did in Edge? I know they do stuff around the ship, but not sure what kind of activities they do in the actual club area. My dd doesn't really care about video games. Do they do any cooking/science activities? Thanks

I will definitely ask her. dd is also not that into video games. I know on the first night she said they had a Mario Cart tournament and she got last place They seem to do a lot of scavenger hunts and my dd participated in some kind of dance team where the same people in charge of the production show dances showed them how to do specific dances. We were invited to the Tube in the middle of the day to see her do the chimney dance from Mary Poppins which was fun. I know there are no cooking facilities in the Edge club as the counselor pointed it out to me on our first day. My dd also made some slime so science is definitely a part of it. Seemed like a lot of activities where they divide the kids into two groups (Villains and Heroes) and have competitions. They are put in one of the groups when the register and stay with it the entire time.

They have activities well into the night and not much, if anything, in the mornings. I think they go until roughly 1 AM. DD was pushing for 11:30 curfew most nights. I felt comfortable with it only because there is an elevator in Edge(midship) where they can come down directly to the floor they are staying on. Since we were midship anyway, she had a short walk from the elevator to the room. Was a bit outside my comfort zone, but it worked out fine.

 

[goofynut41]

Just booked my first cruise with the Fantasy, had only sailed with the Wonder in the past both bad experinces but it was because my husband got sick both times. This time only going to Castaway Cay for both nights, he seems to do better if we are not far away from land. Is there anything anybody can tell me to help out my husband from getting sea sick, first time he tried the bands and they helped, second time nothing helped but we was in the middle of pacific ocean far from land.

 

[lklgoodman]

I will definitely ask her. dd is also not that into video games. I know on the first night she said they had a Mario Cart tournament and she got last place They seem to do a lot of scavenger hunts and my dd participated in some kind of dance team where the same people in charge of the production show dances showed them how to do specific dances. We were invited to the Tube in the middle of the day to see her do the chimney dance from Mary Poppins which was fun. I know there are no cooking facilities in the Edge club as the counselor pointed it out to me on our first day. My dd also made some slime so science is definitely a part of it. Seemed like a lot of activities where they divide the kids into two groups (Villains and Heroes) and have competitions. They are put in one of the groups when the register and stay with it the entire time.

They have activities well into the night and not much, if anything, in the mornings. I think they go until roughly 1 AM. DD was pushing for 11:30 curfew most nights. I felt comfortable with it only because there is an elevator in Edge(midship) where they can come down directly to the floor they are staying on. Since we were midship anyway, she had a short walk from the elevator to the room. Was a bit outside my comfort zone, but it worked out fine.

Thanks so much for the response!! I didn't know about the elevator, that makes me feel so much better!! We haven't let her do self-check out at the Oceaneer's, so hearing about the elevator is great! We also stay mid-ship. My dd has been taking dance class for 6 yrs, so she'll enjoy the dance stuff. I figured they didn't do cooking stuff, but glad to hear they do some science things. My dd would love to stay up until 1am, me not so much, we'll have to let her know ahead of time she's not staying there that late.

 

[Geomom]

Just booked my first cruise with the Fantasy, had only sailed with the Wonder in the past both bad experinces but it was because my husband got sick both times. This time only going to Castaway Cay for both nights, he seems to do better if we are not far away from land. Is there anything anybody can tell me to help out my husband from getting sea sick, first time he tried the bands and they helped, second time nothing helped but we was in the middle of pacific ocean far from land.

Seasickness meds: Bonine (Meclizine) works for DD19--start taking it the night before boarding to have it in your system. Meclizine is what the ship has free samples of outside of health services. (We got some for DD on our first cruise, an Alaskan, and that worked for her!)

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Thank you for the report ... we are also going to Nachi Cocom in a couple of months with our kids 11 and 9, so that is great to hear you enjoyed your time there. We are also doing their snorkeling add-on. Hopefully we will find the correct cabs!

 

[goofynut41]

Seasickness meds: Bonine (Meclizine) works for DD19--start taking it the night before boarding to have it in your system. Meclizine is what the ship has free samples of outside of health services. (We got some for DD on our first cruise, an Alaskan, and that worked for her!)

My husband cant take Bonine or dramidine it makes him sick, cant take NSIDS (aleve motrine etc) he has a hard time with different meds. I had give up on cruises until I saw this one to Castaway Cay hoping it will be short and only go one place.. Hopefully the bands will work again like they did the last cruise to Bahamas. Took us a while to find them tho...

 

[Geomom]

My husband cant take Bonine or dramidine it makes him sick, cant take NSIDS (aleve motrine etc) he has a hard time with different meds. I had give up on cruises until I saw this one to Castaway Cay hoping it will be short and only go one place.. Hopefully the bands will work again like they did the last cruise to Bahamas. Took us a while to find them tho...

Sorry to hear that! Have him check with his Dr. to see if there's any motion sickness med he 'can' take. We buy the seabands from Amazon.com. Worked so-so for DD on the ship, but it helps both kids on longer car/bus/airplane rides.

I also brought the Dramamine naturals--which is just ginger powder. That helps me!

 

[lklgoodman]

Just booked my first cruise with the Fantasy, had only sailed with the Wonder in the past both bad experinces but it was because my husband got sick both times. This time only going to Castaway Cay for both nights, he seems to do better if we are not far away from land. Is there anything anybody can tell me to help out my husband from getting sea sick, first time he tried the bands and they helped, second time nothing helped but we was in the middle of pacific ocean far from land.

I get seasick, but have found some things that help. I take Bonine every day, start the day before the cruise. Put on the seabands as soon as I get on the ship and wear them the entire time. I tried Motion Eze(herbal oil), didn't help at all. I can't use the patches because I have glaucoma, but have family members who use them and never get sick. I also suck on ginger candy whenever I start to feel ill, I order the brand Tummy Drops from Amazon. The ginger candy needs to contain really ginger, not just be ginger flavored. I like the ginger-pear and the ginger-peach ones. The plain ginger ones have way too much of a strong ginger taste. Green apples and fresh air also help if I start to feel ill.

Just saw that he can't use Bonine, I would try the ginger candy. I've also heard that accupressure on the ears can help, but haven't tried it myself.

 

[goofynut41]

Sorry to hear that! Have him check with his Dr. to see if there's any motion sickness med he 'can' take. We buy the seabands from Amazon.com. Worked so-so for DD on the ship, but it helps both kids on longer car/bus/airplane rides.

I also brought the Dramamine naturals--which is just ginger powder. That helps me!

Oh ok that might work he can take ginger.

 

[goofynut41]

I get seasick, but have found some things that help. I take Bonine every day, start the day before the cruise. Put on the seabands as soon as I get on the ship and wear them the entire time. I tried Motion Eze(herbal oil), didn't help at all. I can't use the patches because I have glaucoma, but have family members who use them and never get sick. I also suck on ginger candy whenever I start to feel ill, I order the brand Tummy Drops from Amazon. The ginger candy needs to contain really ginger, not just be ginger flavored. I like the ginger-pear and the ginger-peach ones. The plain ginger ones have way too much of a strong ginger taste. Green apples and fresh air also help if I start to feel ill.

Just saw that he can't use Bonine, I would try the ginger candy. I've also heard that accupressure on the ears can help, but haven't tried it myself.

Yes he tried the accupressre on the Hawaii cruise it didn't help, he got so sick he had to go to the sick bay and get a IV bag. but it was a very long cruise.. too long for us. Wish we would have got off after the tour of the Islands, he was find doing that, its when we got out heading to Canada that he got sooo sick.

 

[goofynut41]

We will try the ginger candy and the bands. Hopefully it will be fine for our short cruise.... Thank You

 

[WishUponAStarryNight]

We will try the ginger candy and the bands. Hopefully it will be fine for our short cruise.... Thank You

Granny smith apples might help, too. We were on the Dream for a very rough sailing and saw servers running around with lots of bowls of apples . The kids at our table thought they helped.

 

[jstewartgt]

Thanks so much for the response!! I didn't know about the elevator, that makes me feel so much better!! We haven't let her do self-check out at the Oceaneer's, so hearing about the elevator is great! We also stay mid-ship. My dd has been taking dance class for 6 yrs, so she'll enjoy the dance stuff. I figured they didn't do cooking stuff, but glad to hear they do some science things. My dd would love to stay up until 1am, me not so much, we'll have to let her know ahead of time she's not staying there that late.

Just one note about the elevator. There is only one in Edge and the only way you can get that one for sure is either coming down from 13, or going up to 11 (If I recall correctly) and then there is a call button specifically for the elevator that goes up to 13 (Edge) and 14. In order to use that elevator to go up(down works fine) to 13, the Key to the World Card must be set up to allow it. We were told to go to Guest Services to get this turned on for dd which we did. Guest Services acted surprised and said the Edge Counselors should have been able to make the change. In either case, Guest Services did make the change and dd was able to use the elevator to go up to 13. I think they mainly used it after getting ice cream or going to the restroom on 11. I don't know if this was the case only because she was 10 or if everyone has to do it.

Which also brings up the point there are no restrooms on 13, so they have to come down to the ones near the soft serve to use the restroom.

 

[lklgoodman]

Just one note about the elevator. There is only one in Edge and the only way you can get that one for sure is either coming down from 13, or going up to 11 (If I recall correctly) and then there is a call button specifically for the elevator that goes up to 13 (Edge) and 14. In order to use that elevator to go up(down works fine) to 13, the Key to the World Card must be set up to allow it. We were told to go to Guest Services to get this turned on for dd which we did. Guest Services acted surprised and said the Edge Counselors should have been able to make the change. In either case, Guest Services did make the change and dd was able to use the elevator to go up to 13. I think they mainly used it after getting ice cream or going to the restroom on 11. I don't know if this was the case only because she was 10 or if everyone has to do it.

Which also brings up the point there are no restrooms on 13, so they have to come down to the ones near the soft serve to use the restroom.

Thanks for the info. I'm surprised they didn't put restrooms up there. I know they moved the Edge club on the Wonder when they did the last huge dry-dock. Maybe the Edge had been somewhere else when they first built the Fantasy.

 

[PurplePencil]

Do they do any cooking/science activities?

They sometimes do an activity involving pizza, where the tweens (or teens if its Vibe) go to Cabanas, play a trivia game for pizza toppings then the pizza gets cooked in Pinocchio's

We were told to go to Guest Services to get this turned on for dd which we did. Guest Services acted surprised and said the Edge Counselors should have been able to make the change. In either case, Guest Services did make the change and dd was able to use the elevator to go up to 13. I think they mainly used it after getting ice cream or going to the restroom on 11. I don't know if this was the case only because she was 10 or if everyone has to do it.

For 10-year olds going to Edge and 13-year olds going to Vibe since they aged up, the elevator (for Edge)/ door key (for Vibe) is not automatically enable and the Counselors have to change it. For tweens/teens of the correct age there is no issue, and their keycard should already be enabled.

 

[KashasMom]

[QUOTE="jstewartgt, post: 60367888, member: 499053"Navigator: Already another thread on this, but we were not a fan of removing the Navigator from the room and still giving advertisements. That being said, we never went to guest services to get one and only missed it a little[/QUOTE]

I took a break from the boards so must have missed this. Have they stopped leaving Navigators in the room each night?!