Need help with Fantasy Class

[gail811]

I got a phone call from a distant relative today asking me to help them plan a cruise for their son and grandchildren.:eek: Not sure I am "qualified", but could not tell her no. They are in their late 70's and will have their adult son and two grandsons (10 and 13) along. They are very specific in wanting only a 4 day out of Jacksonville or Port Canaveral, in June, but since I know NOTHING about the Fantasy class ships I decided to reach out to my CC friends for advice. Between the Fascination, Sensation and Ecstasy are there any differences significant enough (given the wide range of ages of travelers) that would tip the scales to one ship over the others? I am open to all suggestions/advice because I have no experience to base a recommendation on! Thanks in advance!

[firefly333]

I notice Steve Cassell is still the CD on Ecstasy who I think is fabulous. He plays classical violin in his own talent show and plays fiddle in the country show making them special.

 

Ecstasy is one of the couple that they hung balconies on the outside of OVs to make balcony cabins.

 

You might check the other two, as I cant remember which others got balconys, only a few got them.

 

All 3 got waterworks.

 

Since 4 and 5 days cost the same, not sure why someone would pick a 4 day on purpose, but ok.

 

I would compare prices and see which one is the best deal to start with. If you have specific questions .. ask away.

[B and C Blake]

Just my own personal take ... I personally avoid Jacksonville is looking at cruises. Only because the tide tables are unpredictable. If the tide happens to be high when leaving or returning to Jaxport then there will be delays that would cause problems if flying.

If we drove to ports than I would not hesitate to book a cruise from Jaxport.

 

Again this is only our personal take on cruising from Jaxport.

[TriciaEMTB]

Send them on a 4 day on the Ecstasy out of Port Canaveral!!!

 

It's a GREAT cruise.

[firefly333]

B and C i too love going out of Port Canaveral. Its a nice quiet port without tons of traffic and nice hotels. You can even stay across from the beach in cocoa beach for not much.

[gail811]

I should have added that they want inside staterooms. That might help! I have never stayed inside, but they have cruised before and had no issues so choose to go as cheaply as possible.

I had no idea 4 and 5 day cruises cost the same! Great point and I will follow up with that FIREFLY!

[firefly333]

I should have added that they want inside staterooms. That might help! I have never stayed inside, but they have cruised before and had no issues so choose to go as cheaply as possible.

I had no idea 4 and 5 day cruises cost the same! Great point and I will follow up with that FIREFLY!

 

so they are doing 4 or 5 in the same cabin?? Yikes.. well those ships do allow rollaways in a quad.

 

(you said as cheaply as possible, so one cabin?)

[gail811]

Two inside cabins, connecting. One for the grandparents, one for their son and grandsons.

[firefly333]

Two inside cabins, connecting. One for the grandparents, one for their son and grandsons.

 

OK, I looked and found a few .. very few. I did hear they added some connecting. very hard to get, few mostly OVs connecting I heard.. but there are a couple I see now.. but thats going to limit you. the only ones at the 4A price, are those odd shaped ones far forward..etc..so better plan on booking pretty far in advance to get connecting.

[GaNavy]

No meaningful differences between these ships - identical architecture, just different decor in the various public rooms. The cabins are identical - if you were put into one of them blindfolded, you'd have no idea what ship you were on.

 

Both Ecstasy and Sensation have the added balconies. I enjoyed both ships (but it's been a long time since I was on Sensation).

[marshhawk]

Personally I love the Fantasy class, have done Sensation and Fascination(2X)

Question 1-where are they coming from? ie, how much traveling time do they need?

2-Why not worry so much about keeping tabs on their son, and get a porthole (same price) for themselves. And keep son and kids at least across the hall.

3-I too say a 4 day is the same price as a 5 day, why not take one more day?

If the kids are swimmers I would suggest a cruise that takes them to Half Moon Cay. If they are not into water at all, then Nassau is fine. Same ship really, and they have added balconies to the Fascination.

Good luck, it's not easy being a TA with out perks-but find out what they want to do on their cruise, and how far away they are willing to travel. We can make Jacksonville in one day-no problem, Cape Canaveral we do in two days. No sense in needing extra day to rest, but we always get there the day before to just chill.

[GloriaF]

We were on Ecstasy recently and it was fine - left out of Port Canaveral with no issues. CD Steve Cassel is good and not too overbearing. We'd do it again.

 

I'd let the itinerary and desired dates be the deciding factor as to ship. It boils down to whether they would prefer Key West or the private island Half Moon Cay. If they have no special desire to go to KW, I would recommend HMC as the best option.

[gail811]

They are driving from GA so both are doable in a day. I know the son wants to scuba dive, other than that they gave no guidelines. I also thought Half Moon Cay would be a great beach day option!

Thanks for the thoughts....keep them coming!

[CruiseAdict218]

I notice Steve Cassell is still the CD on Ecstasy who I think is fabulous. He plays classical violin in his own talent show and plays fiddle in the country show making them special.

 

Ecstasy is one of the couple that they hung balconies on the outside of OVs to make balcony cabins.

 

You might check the other two, as I cant remember which others got balconys, only a few got them.

 

All 3 got waterworks.

 

Since 4 and 5 days cost the same, not sure why someone would pick a 4 day on purpose, but ok.

 

I would compare prices and see which one is the best deal to start with. If you have specific questions .. ask away.

 

The Sensation & Fascinaton have balconies as well

[babyblue78]

I know that you didn't mention Charleston for embarkation, but the Fantasy has several 5 day Bahamas cruises and would be a short drive from GA also. Thought I would through that out as an option also. :)

[H82seaUgo]

go with price, convenience of port, and poc's.

 

all three ships are exactly the same, except for aethetics. the ecstacy is "loud", but that's what i liked about her. she is also the oldest, but not by much.

 

therefore, the deciding factor should be made on something ither than the ship.

[lnew1gd1]

We did the C. Ecstasy over Thanksgiving. Myself, DH, and two 6 yr old grandkids (one girl/one boy)

Had 2 inside connecting cabins..M167 and M171. Perfect solution for us! Did the 5 day and went to Half Moon Cay, Nassau and Freeport. Kids LOVED HMC. Got a Cabana on the beach for the day.

Humm, they could even think about a grand suite for themselves and their son with a connecting ocean view for the grandkids. :D

The waterworks was perfect for the grandkids --loved the twister slide and the racing slides-- and leaving from Port Canaveral was wonderful. Good embarkation and debark.

Steve Cassel was a good CD, loved his fabulous fiddle playing. WOW, even kept the kiddos enthralled. Shows were pretty good.

Camp Carnival (2 to 11) counselors were great. Kids loved going. Can't say how the Circle C (12 to 14) would be but have to mention that we had 900 kids on board and it never felt that way. Camp for all ages must have been good for all the age groups.

I would recommend the Ecstasy for your group whether they did 4 or 5 days. Shouldn't be a bad drive from Georgia. Heck, we drove from Pa.

As others have said, the ships are all basically the same except for decor and the Ecstasy does have balconies. Compare the prices for the time they want to sail and where they want to go. Remember, HMC is a tender port so no guarantee the ship will be able to stop there. Good luck.

[jbanana1]

We did the 4 day Fascination cruise this summer (last week in June) and loved it. The 4 & 5 day cruises don't cost the same or we would've looked at a 5 day (did 5 day in 08 but this time had relatives going with us and needed to be the cheaper cruise).

 

We loved the Fascination and cruising out of Jacksonville. Cruising out of Jacksonville was cheaper than Port Canaveral for the same itinerary. We had two inside cabins on the Upper deck (our kids were 18 & 21 and they were 15 & 18 on our first cruise in 08 on the Fantasy).

 

My kids and I wanted to go to the Atlantis waterpark so I chose our itinerary based on arrival time in Nassau. They should enjoy any of the ships since they are basically the same so I would ask them what itinerary they like best.