jasong38501

I feel most things could have been avoided if Carnival cared too. We have been out of Port Canaveral many times and never had damaged luggage. We have sailed all the lines except for the exotic ones and never experienced as bad of smoke smells as we did on Valor. We were on Epic in November 2014 and the only area that was really bad was the casino. Even before the cruise lines tightened up on the smoking rules we never experienced anything like the smell of smoke on Valor. This truly was our only bad cruise, I am just happy it was not our first cruise because we would have never gone on a second. I cannot however say anything bad about the Carnival Valor staff, they were all great and attentive. Like I said before they had the best dinner food and desserts of any cruise we have been on. The ship just seems to have soaked up cigarette smoke like a sponge.

Just out of curiosity, did you complain to anyone on the ship about the smoking neighbor? Really just wondering if the staff will try to put an end to it if you let them know about it. Because I certainly would complain and would be even more upset if they did nothing about it. By the way really enjoyed your review. I love pro and con reviews, seem the most honest and most useful to me!

It'll be very interesting to see what happens with Fantasy! Hopefully we will find out soon where she will be going, I really would like to see her In PC to do short cruises, because the Valor is too big of a ship to be doing such short cruises to the Bahamas! Or it would also be nice for her to start short cruises from Ft. Lauderdale. And I don't think they would send the Fantasy to China, such great competition out there! You got the Quantum of the Seas out there and some beautiful Princess ships dominating! I'm sure Fantasy will stay on the East Coast, maybe they will do new things with her, such as maybe Cuba?? Only time will tell, and hopefully they will have something big in store for her! Hopefully she will have a nice overhaul to make her appealing to cruisers and make her look new again!! :D

We always seem to agree on everything Alexv500! I think Carnival is so ready to get to sail to Cuba! Congress will have to change the laws for that to happen though, right? Good luck with that happening with a Presidential election season coming up! Once Cuba opens up though, they will need a ship doing short programs to Cuba out of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for sure, and possibly Port Canaveral and Tampa. There will be a huge demand for those short cruises!

I know we've all wondered after we saw the deployment schedule!

 

On Friday November 4th, 2016, the Carnival Fantasy comes into Miami after a 4 night cruise to Key West and Cozumel. That is the last cruise recorded for the ship. In the next week, the Carnival Fascination will replace the Fantasy on this route. All of the other ships (minus the Miracle and Splendor), have schedules past November 2016. Many have asked John Heald what will happen to the Fantasy, and he says that she will in fact stay in the fleet...

 

So what are you guys speculating? Maybe she'll start a short cruise program from Fort Lauderdale? Reopen ports such as San Diego or Mobile? Maybe run 2 or 4 night cruises from West Palm Beach?

 

Or on a bigger level, get Sunshine-d, and run longer Caribbean cruises? Or get revamped and head to China? Or maybe Australia?

 

What are we all thinking!? Feel free to leave a response, let's get the conversation going! :p

I have been wondering about this one too. I think if she just gets a basic drydock then perhaps a short program from Ft Lauderdale could be the most sensible home for her. I doubt San Diego since they are having to sell the Long Beach cruises on Inspiration and Imagination so cheap. I really expected one of them to move from Long Beach to San Diego. And I doubt they would reopen Mobile at the same time they are increasing 4/5 day capacity in New Orleans with the Triumph replacing Elation. I am still very shocked at the move to make Valor sail such short cruises at such low prices. Perhaps she could move to Port Canaveral to do a 3/4 day schedule and leave Valor to run a 4/5 day schedule.

I would love to see her get a major overhaul, or Sunshine-d as you put it, without a major increase in capacity that has plagued Sunshine. Then I could see her even possibly starting a year-around program from Norfolk. She could really move anywhere for that matter with a major upgrade. I doubt China since Carnival Corp seems to be letting Costa take the lead in the Asian market. Australia would be less surprising since Carnival Corp has increased its capacity there with Princess on the higher end of the market, perhaps Fantasy would fill a role on a lower end.

I am hoping for a nice overhaul and a 4/5 day schedule out of Ft Lauderdale but we will have to wait and see!

I am willing to bet that Carnival has delayed the announcement because they would like to sail from Tampa to Havana. There has been a lot of kicky in in DC over airlines and cruise ships going there so Carnival is having to hold back and maybe even change plans.

I bet the delay is over trying to confirm the Panama Canal expansion will be complete so they can move the Splendor over to replace the Miracle.

I would absolutely love to see cruises start going to Cuba, but I have strong doubts that Congress can agree to what brand of toilet paper to use at the Capitol, much less to opening up travel to Cuba. I really hope I am wrong, but I don't see it happening until after the 2016 elections at the earliest.

I would love to see the Fantasy get a major overhaul. The staterooms especially could do with major renovations similar to those the Sunshine got. Not sure how much they can accomplish in two weeks but hopefully they will freshen her up since obviously they are hoping for several more years life out of her.

I'm thinking about booking a cruise on Paradise after I drop off my daughter at college in Pensacola, Florida. I figure a cruise will help ease the pain a little. It will just be me and three of my sons (15, 13 and 10) as my husband and our other children will not be able to join us. My question is this: Will we be disappointed after having sailed on the Allure of the Seas last year? We have been on Fascination and RCI's Monarch of the Seas and enjoyed both of them. However, those were before AOS. I thought as long as I'm not cooking or cleaning, any cruise is a good cruise, but many of the reviews I've read have me a little worried. I'm more concerned about my boys as the AOS had so much for them to do. Any thoughts on this? Thanks for any advice.

I am sure your sons will have fun! If they had plenty to do on the Fascination, then they should be fine on Paradise since they are both Fantasy class ships.

I think this is exactly why Carnival hasn't finished releasing all of it's schedule for the end of 2016. I think they are wanting to move Splendor to Long Beach and Miracle to Tampa but don't want to release those moves until they know they can get Spendor through an expanded canal.

Just did a fake booking, looks like Ecstasy is moving to Charleston in 2016, Fantasy will be leaving sometime after Feb 2017. Also they have brought back Bermuda cruise from Charleston

No. Fantasy will be moving to Miami in February 2016 and then will be replaced there by Fascination in November 2016. Carnival has yet to announce where Fantasy will move after that.

I like how ships are returning to old routes. Splendor to Long Beach, Fascination to Miami, Victory to San Juan, Triumph to New Orleans, Fascination to San Juan, etc.

 

What do you guys think Fantasy will do? Retire? After her Miami service, I'm really curious as to what she can do.

John Heald has said that rumors the Fantasy will retire are false so that is out. I would love to see her on a 5/4/5 day schedule out of Ft Lauderdale. I fly Southwest so it is so much easier to get there than Miami yet it is still far enough south they could do some nice 5 day itineraries that aren't just the Bahamas every time.

Maybe there is some truth to the rumor that the Fantasy will be sold and the final details are just being worked out. That could be the reason her schedule only goes through October, 2016.

 

Just saw a question on John's Facebook page about maybe Carnival going to Cuba from Miami in 2016 /2017.

 

Maybe that will be what Fantasy will do. That would make sense.

That would be impossible unless Congress changes the law. And lets be real here..... does anyone see Congress getting anything done anytime soon? I agree it would be great. Everyone on here needs to start calling and emailing their Congress people!

Well everything they have did makes some sense except for all those Fantasy class ships in Miami. Wonder why they want so many ships in Miami and just one in Ft Lauderdale. That will mean 5 in Miami right? Fantasy, Sensation, Fascination, Glory, and Vista.

Wow I was right about the Ecstasy and Fantasy swapping spots???? That may just be the first guess I have had right with all this dancing! And we think we know the Miracle to Tampa and Splendor to Long Beach. And we think we know the Victory to San Juan. So that just leaves the Fascination right? I would love to see some short cheap cruises on the Fascination from Port Everglades. It is so much cheaper to fly into Ft Lauderdale than Miami. At least for me since I fly Southwest.

With all of the delays in the Panama Canal expansion (even with the 400m boost) it might not even be finished for the a Splendor re positioning cruise. She cannot fit through the canal as it is so it would be round South America again or leave the ships where they are?

 

It makes sense to have Splendor doing cruises on the West Coast if she starts doing Alaskan cruises as shes built for Europe weather/Alaskan weather with that indoor pool.

 

Watching the Miracle sail out of Tampa on cam will bring back my memories of the Legend the month our Panama Canal cruise...aaah.

Perhaps this is why Carnival has continued to delay releasing the schedules of both of these ships.

Tell me about it! I'm sure they already know what's going where; just don't get the whole point of slowlyyy announcing them. Many people have already figured out what ship is going where already, so there isn't a point in taking so long to announce everything! People want to start planning their future vacations, and start making payments on a cruise, I know I do. I'm waiting to see what's going to happen with the Carnival Miracle so I can book/look into the 2017 voyages from California. so hopefully next week will be the week they finally announce the news California and Tampa have been waiting for!

Looks like we have found out more information on our own. A poster in another thread pointed out that he has found a roll call for a charter out of Tampa on the Miracle in Feb 2017.

Fantasy ecstasy after April 2016

 

Splendor legend spirit miracle after October 2016

And Fascination and Victory after October 2016

If you go to the Carnival Roll Calls and click on Miracle you will find the 4th one down from the top is for Feb.5,2017. Not sure if this link will work but if not just go to the Miracle Roll call not the roll call search :

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=331

Hmmmmm, well now I know not to use the link above that says "Find your Carnival roll call" because it doesn't work! I had a feeling this was happening. Good searching and thanks for the info! Yet another reason Carnival just needs to announce it already! They obviously have made the decisions, the longer they wait the more answers we will find on our own!

There is a charter group on the Miracle in Feb. 2017 who are going on a Caribbean cruise from Tampa.

If you want to see a post about it go to the Miracle Roll calls.

I don't see any Miracle roll calls past June 2016....

We are booked on the Feb 7/16 Breeze.

 

My kids (interior) are across the hall from DH and I (balcony).

 

Can anyone tell me why the balcony room taxes, port expenses and fees are $123.00 pp, but the kids interior room has taxes, port expenses and fees are $195.00 pp?

 

Yes I know I can call Carnival, but rather than be on hold.....thought I would check with all of you knowledgeable people first! :)

$195 per person for the interior room? that seems incredibly high, no way those fees should be almost $600 for an interior room

LOL!! We just need one Fantasy class ship here, IMO. They just need to change up the itinerary, Ensenada isn't the nicest destination. A 5 day cruise to Cabo would be nice maybe with a stop in Catalina too

I am surprised that if Carnival wants to run 2 Fantasy class ships out of California that they don't homeport one in Long Beach and one in San Diego.

My main response to that is why bother? There's no gain in capacity with swapping out for another Fantasy class vessel. Maybe it doesn't sail as full as I think, or maybe the port simply can't handle a larger ship year round until the new port is built.

 

I bet she'll go in dry dock while the Sunshine is in Charleston and get some upgrades, then go back to Charleston. They may reposition another ship there for a few sailings after the Sunshine has moved on, depending on how extensive the upgrades will be.

I think they will switch it out simply because that is what they do every several years. While they may not gain capacity they will allow those who want to cruise from Charleston a different choice than they have had they last 5 years. And as I stated in an earlier post I think they will do it with the Ecstasy so they can make more money off her 2.0 upgrades than they will sailing 3 or 4 days out of Miami.

I am still betting on a Fantasy and Ecstasy swap. Ecstasy received some of the 2.0 upgrades during her last dry dock. I can not imagine they would leave her running cheaper/shorter runs from Miami than the Sensation will be running when she takes over for Victory. And since Charleston runs longer routes than Ecstasy currently runs from Miami, Carnival would make more money off their 2.0 upgrades if they move her there.

I see what you are saying. Many made the same argument about NYC and another growing market China. I think carnival cruise lines is focused on its core customer base. Now one of the other carnival corp brands may respond. Like costa will be doing in China.

Looks like you nailed that one on the head. Princess looks to be the brand stepping up down under.

http://www.princess.com/news/press_releases/2015/04/Princess-Cruises-Announces-Largest-Ever-Australia-Deployment-for-2016-2017.html#.VS9I_vnF-ik

I need a pivot chart to keep track! LOL.

Yeah, no wonder they are releasing it in such small bits. Even though I wish they would just get it over with already!

so are the only ships we're still waiting on now are the Miracle & Fantasy?? And that's if the Fantasy is staying with CCL.

Still waiting on Fantasy, Ecstasy, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration, Victory, Splendor, and Miracle

I think that it's then that she will go (back) to San Juan.

I agree. Then possibly Fascination to Miami to replace Ecstasy. And Ecstasy to Charleston to replace Fantasy since Ecstasy has some 2.0 features. Maybe Fantasy to Ft. Lauderdale to do short Bahama runs???? Just a wild guess but makes sense in my head.