I will never forget the first time I saw the Fantasy. I was driving with Gary Hunter, the cruise director, from his house in Gainesville. I remember feeling sick the whole journey because the night before we had eaten something called chitterlings for dinner. Gary’s Mum had cooked it and I thought it tasted like crap. However, being a polite 24-year-old from good stock, I smiled and cleared my plate. And afterwards oh how they all laughed when they told me that I had eaten a pig bollocks.
Anyway, we were heading to the ship. Back then the CD and staff did not join the vessel in the shipyard as we do now. That’s because back then the ship would remain pierside in Miami for two weeks or so giving us time to prepare everything. As we came of the I-95 exit to the port we saw the huge smokestack and I remember we both shouted gave a big “wow” as we saw the ship that would start what was arguably the most successful class of cruise ships in the world. I had two very happy years there as social host and then eventually cruise director.
