Carnival Fantasy Out of SC...Need help

[Dalton51]

Can y'all tell me alittle about the Fantasy? The good bad and ugly...

 

We have been on Freedom Valor and the Dream. How does she. Com pair to them. We wanted to go non the Breeze but air flight is yo much and we can drive to SC.

 

I know any cruise is better than no cruise but will we be let down by the Fantasy? Thanks 2.0 upgrades?

[rodeo mom]

I was on the Fantasy is April. First time on that smaller ship. Actually, I really loved the ship. The boarding at the port was so easy and the crew was friendly and efficient. We had no problems at all. Have fun on your cruise.

[dulcimergirl]

I've done the Fantasy 5 times with my 6th coming up in two weeks. I like the Fantasy, just not as well as larger ships. The best thing is the crew are wonderful. The shows, not so much. The Serenity deck, not so serene. The pool is small for the amount of people aboard. Cabins are ok. No fridge. The best thing about this ship is it is close to us, and only a 5 hour drive. As the Fantasy is usually very reasonably priced, a pretty good deal, as cruises go.

I did win my first Ship-on-a-stick last cruise.;)

[Dalton51]

Anyone else. Man I went back and read what I wrote. Lol... I was at work trying to use my phone.

 

How does the Fantasy com pair to the rest? Don't want to waste my vacation time / money if I'll b let down. Thanks.

[bobsfamily]

Anyone else. Man I went back and read what I wrote. Lol... I was at work trying to use my phone.

 

How does the Fantasy com pair to the rest? Don't want to waste my vacation time / money if I'll b let down. Thanks.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1182074&highlight=all+things+fantasy&page=25

 

This thread goes back to 2010, page 25 is in 2012. Lots of good info about the ship, hotels, etc.

Join the fun and post there for answers to your questions.

Short answer, The Fantasy is a "smaller" ship if you count a ship that can carry about 2300 passengers "small". Easier to get around, less lines... not as much choice for dining and less "things" to do BUT what is onboard is great and rarely lines.

Edited November 5, 2013 by bobsfamily

[RuthlessBoss]

If you are depending on ship amenities to provide your cruise happiness, a fantasy class ship is not for you.

There are those of us who find enjoyment on this size ship. It's far more personal. You see people more than once.

[Tapi]

How does the Fantasy compare to the rest? Don't want to waste my vacation time / money if I'll b let down. Thanks.

 

Go with realistic expectations. She's not the Dream, Valor or Breeze. If your main goal is to save money (and the ship, amenities and itinerary are secondary), you'll have an enjoyable cruise. If you're going expecting the Dream, you may be wasting your vacation time / money.

 

We've done Fantasy class ships extensively, and in my opinion, they don't compare to the newer and larger ships. Things are either in a smaller scale, or not available (like alternative restaurants and a series of bars). While this ship has been renovated periodically, she'll feel outdated (decor is early 90's with lots of neon, and a bit disjointed between areas that have been completely redone and sections that have only received cosmetic updates). Atrium is more compact, dining rooms are single story, theater is smaller with worse sight lines from the back seats. More compact lido pool deck. No standard balcony staterooms, oceanview staterooms are the same size as the inside staterooms, and no interactive TV system. Cigarette smoke seems to permeate more indoors (most likely because of the older ship design and ventilation system), etc.

 

Fantasy class ships are good for what they do: short, inexpensive getaways from drive-to ports, which attract many first time cruisers who have nothing to compare it to. Because of that (and because of loyal followers who love the simplicity of sailing close to home on a smaller ship), I think that reviews on ships like the Fantasy (and the Fascination from Jacksonville) tend to be unrealistically skewed on the positive side, which can be a bit misleading for those who have experienced Carnival's larger and newer ships and then expect the same experience on these older and smaller ships.

 

Personally, our last sailing on a Fantasy class ship was a let down, to the point of almost making me NEVER want to sail on Carnival again. Thankfully I did cruise on Carnival again after that (on the Dream) and the experience was MUCH better. :)

 

As I said at the beginning, if you choose to sail on the Fantasy, do so with realistic expectations. Cherish the lower prices and the convenience of a shorter drive.

[NCTribeFan]

I love her. I don't need the newest, biggest ship with a big TV and multiple pools and hot tubs or a steakhouse. That's not why I sail.

 

Yes, she's the oldest ship in the fleet but she's well maintained and has a great staff and crew.

 

Go to the thread Bob linked. Read from the most recent back. No point in going back to 2010 when I started it.

 

The last 17 nights I've been on board a ship have been on Fantasy.

 

I'm looking forward to Conquest soon, but mostly because of the ports, not the ship. I do love the Fish & Chips and look forward to having a Guy's Burger. But the other things on that class ship? Not so much. Just more people and longer walks and more stairs to climb. Wait, that's probably a good thing. More stairs = less weight gained from all those burgers!

 

I personally have absolutely no desire to sail on Dream or Magic or whatever the newest ship is. Unless it gets me where I want to go.

 

Frequency of cruising is what's important to me. If you cruise for the ship then, yes, you may be disappointed. But she's not some broken down, nasty old bucket-o-bolts. I'm hardly a cruise newbie and I still love her. In fact, the more I sail her the more I like her.

[cruiseonthebrain]

Not to be a downer, but the Fantasy was our least favorite ship so far. The pool area with loungers was always crowded during the day and the non-stop activities and music were really, really loud. We had a hard time finding space on the Serenity deck as well. The food wasn't good in the MDR or the Lido deck- maybe we just got the wrong things every night. But a baked potato that is raw in the center, shrimp gone bad, tasteless lobster, etc. really were disappointments.

 

On the up side- the staff was wonderful- probably the best we have experienced. Check in was easy (getting to the terminal once we entered the parking line did take a really long time, but I suspect something was going wrong and holding up the process). We absolutely loved our suite- the big balcony and chairs was a cruise-saver for me.

 

All in all, it was a good cruise, but the ship was too small for our preference. But that's just my opinion.

[mcoakle]

I went on a family cruise on the Fantasy a couple years back. We had a blast. We've been on several of the smaller RCCL ships, and it is pretty comparable. We like some things better with RCCL and some things better on the Fantasy.

 

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles as the newer ships, but we don't let that bother us. My wife spends time at the spa; I spend time and the casino. We both enjoy the sun and fun.

 

The water park is a nice feature that occupies the children pretty well, but the pool gets pretty crowded since they only have one.

[YeahBaby!]

The Fantasy was our first cruise (a 3 day) back in the 1990's. We've since sailed on the Glory and twice on the Dream. Also, we live in Charleston, SC...with all that said, we opt to drive to Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, or Ft. Lauderdale. For us, those are the better value and worth the drive time, etc.

 

Have an awesome cruise!

[rccranbob]

I have been on the Fantasy twice, way before the 2.0 upgrades. Also sailed on the last voyage of The Jubilee, I have been on, The Fascination, The Triumph and The Glory. I really like the Fantasy class ships and the 5 day cruises. I will be going again on The Fascination in 20 days. The Fantasy is very easy to get around and the lines on the Lido deck never seem to be overly crowded. The pool decks do get crowded, I am an early riser and never had a problem with chairs, especially on the deck above the Lido. Like all ships when the stores have their sales it gets a little crowded. Like stated on a previous post you get to meet a lot of people. So have a good cruise "any day on the ocean is like a day in heaven to me" nothing like sitting on the deck and taking in the view!

[OCruisers]

Fantasy has a few (not many) 7 night sailings.

We are booked on a 7 nighter on her May 31,2014 going to HMC, Grand Turk, and Nassau.

 

To get a balcony in a location we want we have to book at Grand Suite so, unfortunately, it's not inexpensive .... but it is CLOSE and we don't have to drive to Florida or fly anyplace.

 

When we cruise on Fantasy, we accept her for what she is and have a good time. :D

 

LuLu

~~~~~

[Tapi]

Just more people...

 

Personally, I've found the Fantasy class ships to feel more crammed and crowded. Yes they carry less people, but they are also substantially smaller.

 

And the numbers do support that impression. Conquest class ships have a better space to passenger ratio of 31 while Fantasy class ships have a worse space to passenger ratio of 29.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Tapi

[kcwingwalker]

Go with realistic expectations. She's not the Dream, Valor or Breeze. If your main goal is to save money (and the ship, amenities and itinerary are secondary), you'll have an enjoyable cruise. If you're going expecting the Dream, you may be wasting your vacation time / money.

 

We've done Fantasy class ships extensively, and in my opinion, they don't compare to the newer and larger ships. Things are either in a smaller scale, or not available (like alternative restaurants and a series of bars). While this ship has been renovated periodically, she'll feel outdated (decor is early 90's with lots of neon, and a bit disjointed between areas that have been completely redone and sections that have only received cosmetic updates). Atrium is more compact, dining rooms are single story, theater is smaller with worse sight lines from the back seats. More compact lido pool deck. No standard balcony staterooms, oceanview staterooms are the same size as the inside staterooms, and no interactive TV system. Cigarette smoke seems to permeate more indoors (most likely because of the older ship design and ventilation system), etc.

 

Fantasy class ships are good for what they do: short, inexpensive getaways from drive-to ports, which attract many first time cruisers who have nothing to compare it to. Because of that (and because of loyal followers who love the simplicity of sailing close to home on a smaller ship), I think that reviews on ships like the Fantasy (and the Fascination from Jacksonville) tend to be unrealistically skewed on the positive side, which can be a bit misleading for those who have experienced Carnival's larger and newer ships and then expect the same experience on these older and smaller ships.

 

Personally, our last sailing on a Fantasy class ship was a let down, to the point of almost making me NEVER want to sail on Carnival again. Thankfully I did cruise on Carnival again after that (on the Dream) and the experience was MUCH better. :)

 

As I said at the beginning, if you choose to sail on the Fantasy, do so with realistic expectations. Cherish the lower prices and the convenience of a shorter drive.

 

Agree with Tapi:)

 

We were disappointed with the Fantasy.

 

Every cruise is different and hoping that you will have an open mind and a wonderful cruise!

 

:)

[Butterbean1000]

Not a fan. Our daughter lives in Charleston and thought we would take advantage of not having to fly or arrange to park our car. Smaller, older ship. That's fine, but not to our tastes. The food on the Lido was never hot. We were not thrilled with the itenerary. Nassau, Freeport (yuk) and Key West which was the highlight of the cruise.

[PurpleDog]

I was just on the Fantasy last month; here is my mini review:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1939301

 

The bottom line is that we choose to cruise out of Charleston because we could drive there easily from our home in SW Virginia.

I'm not sure I'd do it again.

Nassau and Freeport are our 2 least favorite ports

Fantasy herself was [in our opinion] drab, worn, and blah.

As I mentioned in my review, we might cruise of the ship again [it is a cruise and a vacation after all !] but only if we were able to book an amazing $$$ deal.

Edited November 6, 2013 by PurpleDog

[Butterbean1000]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. We are balcony people. There are only suite balconies on the Fantasy.

[kimmimom]

I find the pool areas crowded, whether on Glory, Miracle or smaller ships unless you go out there early! We have sailed on several smaller ships and loved them just as much as the big with the advantage of finding your way around quickly! Also love to run into the same people (or find people you are sailing with) over and over due to the smaller size. we are laid back folks and just enjoy relaxing. I doubt I would be ANY ship that went to Nassau and Freeport only. But we are trying Fantasy in March because it is close and goes to HMC, Turks, and HMC.

[OCruisers]

But we are trying Fantasy in March because it is close and goes to HMC, Turks, and HMC.

 

We also found a 7 nighter on Fantasy (not many of them) on May 31st going to HMC, Grand Turk, & Nassau which we have booked.

 

Charleston is an extremely convenient port for us for an extra 7 nighter.

Unfortunately, to get a balcony in the location we want is a rather expensive suite. :rolleyes:

 

LuLu

~~~~

[GuitarPlayer]

Having been on a few different ships(see signature), I find there are good and bad on all ships.

 

On the Fantasy (and most recently on the Fascination), the shorter itineraries have been GREAT deals $$$-wise.

 

The other couple we cruise with pointed out that they felt like there was a LOG less "stuff" to do on the Fascination than on, say, the Magic, and they had a hard time finding a spot on Serenity. DW and I never had trouble, maybe just timing of when we were headed out there vs. when they were.

 

DW mentioned that she thought the crew was much more friendly on the smaller ships. I would agree.

 

I like playing Hold 'Em and the smaller ship has typically the same players each night, whereas the Magic had two tables and was a mix of a lot of different players each night.

 

If you are looking for a lot of activities, the smaller ship may not be for you, but if you are looking just to get away from it all and have some "me" time (or "us" time), then the smaller ships are great.

 

If you are looking to get a 24K plastic gold piece of ship-on-a-stick, then the smaller ships give you a better chance for winning a trivia game :rolleyes:

 

On and off the ship, especially when tendering, the smaller ship wins hands down.

 

As others have said, go with the correct expectation, so as to not be disappointed. (but that's true with most things in life!)

 

My opinion is that you make the decision to have a good time, and 99% of the time you will.

 

GP

[bobsfamily]

There are several 5 night cruises that go to Nassau and then either Little Stirrup Cay or HMC. Since I've done this cruise and the one out of Jacksonville several times I look at Nassau as a nice day of relaxation with very few cruisers onboard. Plenty of room everywhere, no lines (not that I find many anyway) and lots of "Serenity".

I do wish that the Fantasy had the balconies added that the Fascination has, even though they do look a bit weird.

[Eiansmomma]

I have a Fantasy question: I've been looking at possible future trips to book leaving from ports somewhat close to home. I noticed there are never any Balcony Rooms available on the Fantasy. Do they sell out quickly or are there no balcony rooms on this ship?

[cruzeluver]

Tapi hit the nail right on the head!

 

By and large, people choose Fantasy-class ships because they are priced right and if they can easily drive to the port, not for the amenities, current décor, itineraries or spaciousness. Let me put it this way, if Fantasy and Glory were both sailing from the same port, doing similar itineraries for the same length of cruise and for similar prices, who would choose Fantasy?

[BananaAnna]

I have a Fantasy question: I've been looking at possible future trips to book leaving from ports somewhat close to home. I noticed there are never any Balcony Rooms available on the Fantasy. Do they sell out quickly or are there no balcony rooms on this ship?

 

On Fantasy you have to book a suite to get a balcony.