Cruising from Charleston

The first time I was on a cruise ship was for my honeymoon. We live in North Carolina and chose the port closest to home with Carnival Cruise Lines which was the Port of Charleston, SC. It’s about a 5-hour drive from our home. The main reason we chose Carnival Cruise Lines was because of cost and convenience. Carnival has many, many cruises to choose from all around the United States! Currently, you can choose from 26 ships(worldwide). The size of the ship is a personal choice, you may want a smaller ship like the Fantasy(855 ft long with 2056 passengers) or a monster ship like the Panorama(1055 ft long with 5146 passengers).

NOTE: Due to Coronavirus, and the loss of revenue, Carnival Corporation will be selling or scrapping 18 ships worldwide(Fantasy is one ship that has already been scrapped). See below for some updated information on the new cruise procedures.

Carnival Cruise Lines has many US ports to choose from;

West coast

• Seattle, WA
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Long Beach(Los Angeles), CA

Gulf coast

• Galveston, TX
• New Orleans, LA
• Mobile, AL
• Tampa, FL

East coast

• New York, NY
• Baltimore, MD
• Norfolk, VA
• Charleston, SC
• Jacksonville, FL
• Port Canaveral(Orlando), FL
• Miami, FL

Boarding the ship

My new husband had cruised many times before but it was the first time for me. The ship looked Huge to me, it was the Carnival Fantasy(855 feet long). I was terrified at first as we walked the plank to board the ship! How was I going to like being stuck on the ocean for 6 days! What if I got seasick? What if our room was so small that I was claustrophobic! So many thoughts…

We boarded early and took a look around. It didn’t take long for my fears to be replaced with excitement! This ship was Huge, but also Awesome! The main pool area was great with 2 hot tubs. There was also an adult-only retreat with its own pool and hot tubs. Our room was perfect! It was on the main deck(I think deck 7-Empress) and it had a window with an ocean view. I was surprised by the size, it wasn’t as small as I thought it would be. We had a king-size bed, a desk, TV, couch, and a bathroom with a shower. Our bags had already been delivered to our room.

We quickly went out on deck to watch the ship pull out of the port. It was really exciting to watch, and feel, this huge ship pull away from the dock and head out on the Ocean!

Activities onboard

Each morning we received a Newsletter to our room that listed all the activities onboard for that day. There is a variety of activities, especially when the ship is at sea;

• Talent shows
• Bingo
• Trivia contests
• DJ playing music
• Variety of contests around the pool
• Pools
• Hot tubs
• Spa
• Walking track
• Miniature golf
• Water park
• Art auctions
• Shopping
• Casino

There are many dining options. You can eat every meal at the buffet or you can eat in the formal dining room. Some ships have specialty restaurants(there may be an additional cost). We ate at the buffet mostly for breakfast and lunch, they had a wide variety of foods and it was good! For dinner, we ate in the formal dining room, sometimes just the two of us, and other times we ate with other couples. It was fun to get to know other cruisers and find out which excursions they had been on, and what they were enjoying the most about the cruise.

The nighttime entertainment was amazing! They had a comedy show in one lounge and a musical production in the main lounge. Both were great shows! One night we saw a magician and on another night it was a hypnotist. I have to admit we didn’t really believe that people were being hypnotized, that’s just our opinion, but it was an entertaining show nonetheless! The ship had a piano bar, lobby bar, and 80’s bar. Each bar had its own entertainment, or you could take a chance in the casino. Some ships have an outdoor movie screen on the pool deck(the Fantasy did not).

Nassau, Bahamas

Our first stop was Nassau, Bahamas. We decided to get off the ship. The cruise line offers many different excursions(for an additional fee), from sightseeing bus tours to swimming with the dolphins!

We didn’t go on any excursions, we just explored on our own and checked out the famous Straw Market. We found some straw purses and other gifts to take home.

Paradise Island and Atlantis Resort

In the distance, we could see Paradise Island and Atlantis Resort. Paradise Island is formerly known as Hog Island, it has 685 acres and is located off the shore of the city of Nassau. Nassau is located on the island of New Providence. Paradise Island is best known for Atlantis Resort. New Providence and Paradise Islands are connected by two bridges or can be reached by water taxi from Nassau.

Atlantis Resort has two Royal Towers which are connected by The Bridge. The Bridge is one of the most expensive accommodations in the world at $25,000 per night. The Atlantis resort has a lot to see and do;

• Dolphin Cay
• Aquaventure
• Marine Adventures
• Golf
• Spa
• Waterpark
• Pools & Beaches
• Entertainments
• Restaurants
• Casino

I think I will add it to my Bucket List!

Paradise Island Lighthouse

The Paradise Island lighthouse is located at the western tip of Paradise Island. It was formerly called the Hog Island Lighthouse and was constructed in 1817 when the island was called Hog Island. The lighthouse is still in operation today and helps guide the many cruise ships into the port.

Freeport, Grand Bahama Island

Our other stop was at the port at Freeport, Bahamas. We did some shopping close to the ship and ate a Conch fritter. Conch is a tropical Marine Mollusk that they bread and deep fry. We didn’t really like it much, but you have to try it for yourself!

Upcoming Cruise changes due to Coronavirus

Cruise Lines International Association(CLIA) has come up with what they call “Core Elements of Health Protocols” which include; Testing, Mask wearing, Social Distancing, Enhanced Ventilation, and Shore Excursion protocols. These new protocols are for the crew and passengers. Their website is a great resource to find out more about these protocols and what they will mean to future passengers. I’m sure there will be many other changes, and I have a lot of questions; will they continue to have food buffets? will they limit the number of people in each lounge? will they continue to have shows and entertainment? what about common areas such as; spa, pools, hot tubs & casino? I think answers to these questions are still being discussed. I know that the cruise industry will bounce back, and there are already people lining up to get back on a cruise!

In Conclusion…

We had a great time! I look forward to another cruise someday, hopefully on a bigger ship. Have you been on a cruise? I would love to hear about it, please leave me a comment below. Remember to share this post with your family and friends on your social media pages.

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*Note: This post was originally published 6/05/19, it has been updated*

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