Which is Better?

[EmilyAnn86]

I am trying to decide between 2 cruises.

 

 

5 Day Bahamas from Charleston, SC

Aboard: Carnival Fantasy

Sails to: Freeport, The Bahamas; Nassau, The Bahamas

 

OR

 

 

5 Day Bahamas from Jacksonville, FL

Aboard: Carnival Fascination

Sails to: Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas; Nassau, The Bahamas

 

 

So the main differences are Fantasy vs Fascination and Freeport vs Half Moon Cay.

 

I am pretty much a first time cruiser (went on one a LONG time ago when I was a kid) and it will be my husband's first ever cruise. So we don't have a lot to compare to.

 

We live 4 1/2 hours from Charleston and 6 1/2 hours from Jacksonville, so we can drive to either. I think for the one leaving from Charleston we could leave the morning of the cruise but for the one leaving from Jacksonville we would need to drive down the night before and get a hotel room. So it seems like the one from Charleston may be the better choice, but if the Fascination is way better than the Fantasy or if HMC is way better than Freeport I am definitely willing to drive the extra 2 hours!

[skrufy]

I would choose the second one. If you want a nice beach dsy in a fabulous srtting its Half Moon Cay.

[skyeman27]

Fascination.. Jacksonville port is more cruiser friendly and Half Moon Cay is much better than Freeport...Also, the Fascination will be cheaper than the Fantasy...

Edited October 21, 2015 by gklow

[teempee123]

HMC wins hands down.

[RubyGold]

Another vote for half moon cay!

Best beach ever.

[waywyrd]

Definitely the one with Half Moon Cay.

[SadieN]

Ships are sisters. So pretty much identical. Boils down to ports and the drive getting to the ship.

[pirate4me2]

For me I would choose Fascination. From what I have heard HMC is amazing. I've been to Freeport and it was OK.

[vlynn]

HMC without a doubt. I have been to St. Thomas, Aruba, St. Marteen, Bonaire, Jamaica, etc...HMC is still the most beautiful beach I have been to. Love it!!! This stop alone has hooked many friends on cruising. :D

 

Now if you don't like beaches...well. I can't help you. :)

[Kamloops50]

HMC wins every time.

[sanmarcosman]

HMC for sure. Carnival only stops at Freeport to make Nassau look good ;)

[montekat]

Another vote for half moon cay!

Best beach ever.

Agree!!

[OCruisers]

EmilyAnn86 ....

 

Yes, HMC is a wonderful port stop ... BUT I would never base my decision totally on going to any one port.

HMC does get missed (weather, high seas, etc. ) rather often. :(

Would hate for you to spend the extra booking a hotel plus more driving time and not get to go.

 

Charleston might be the better choice for you ... all considered.

 

At what time of year are you considering taking this cruise?

 

LuLu

[EmilyAnn86]

EmilyAnn86 ....

 

Yes, HMC is a wonderful port stop ... BUT I would never base my decision totally on going to any one port.

HMC does get missed (weather, high seas, etc. ) rather often. :(

Would hate for you to spend the extra booking a hotel plus more driving time and not get to go.

 

Charleston might be the better choice for you ... all considered.

 

At what time of year are you considering taking this cruise?

 

LuLu

 

 

We are looking at maybe February 2016, but we are pretty flexible.

 

I am not really a huge beach person, but only because I am a very fair-skinned redhead and I burn easily. But I do enjoy relaxing on a chair under a big umbrella where I can see, smell, and hear the ocean. My husband really enjoys historical tour type things. Neither of us drink alcohol, so good bars and drink prices don't matter :)

 

I do have 4 young children who will be staying with grandparents so the less time away from them the better :)

[vlynn]

EmilyAnn86 ....

 

Yes, HMC is a wonderful port stop ... BUT I would never base my decision totally on going to any one port.

HMC does get missed (weather, high seas, etc. ) rather often. :(

Would hate for you to spend the extra booking a hotel plus more driving time and not get to go.

 

Charleston might be the better choice for you ... all considered.

 

At what time of year are you considering taking this cruise?

 

LuLu

 

I'm not sure it's fair to say it is missed "often," since it is a tender port, yes, it does get missed some times. My understanding is this happens maybe 10% of the time.

 

Personally I am 2 for 2 getting to HMC this was in Sept and Oct. I also know of 6 people who had cruises booked with this port over the last year (one me) and every person was able to tender to the island. These cruises were at various times of the year. I would say those are pretty good odds.

 

It is good to know if you choose to book HMC that it could be missed but to keep it real, chances are better that you will NOT miss it.

 

Of course you will hear people who just seem to have the worst luck and have missed this port over and over, but again they are the exception not the rule. Maybe the best thing to do is make sure they are not on your sailing...lol:D

 

Make your decision with all the information in mind. I am sure whichever you choose you will have a great cruise and your husband will become addicted like the rest of us.

[RecoveryDude]

Comparing Freeport and HMC is like comparing:

 

McDonalds to Ruth Chris'

Motel 6 to Hilton

Ford to Rolls Royce

Prepaid Trac Phone to Iphone 6S

 

Get the idea? There is NO comparison. One is just PARADISE ... and the other, well, I'm just not sure why carnival stops there at all. It's a dump.

 

Me? I would rather book a cruise with a 90% chance of GOING TO PARADISE than book a cruise with a 100% chance of NOT going to paradise.

 

Also, if you are driving to FLL anyway, check out the 6 day itineraries as well, that extra day can make a HUGE difference - guarantee you wont want to get off the boat once the cruise is over. I would book the 6 day leaving 2/14 or 2/28 that goes to Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman, starting at $389, quite a bargain - plus the Conquest is a much nicer ship.

 

Have fun! I'm on the Pride on Feb 20th out of Baltimore!

 

Jeff aka Recovery Dude :)

Edited October 21, 2015 by RecoveryDude

[Midwestgal]

HMC wins hands down.

 

Absolutely !!

[Tapi]

Yes, compared to HMC, Freeport is a dump, BUT I disagree that it's worse than Nassau. Once you get outside of the very ugly industrial port area, it's less crowded and more tranquil than Nassau. There are beautiful, secluded white sand beaches, as well as excursions for the more adventurous type that take you farther out (Freeport/Grand Bahama is a much bigger island than Nassau/New Providence but vastly less populated).

 

Anyway, I would definitely pick the itinerary with HMC and suck up the extra two hour drive. Now, if Carnival could offer JUST one Bahamas itinerary that did NOT include Nassau, I'd be so happy. Just ONE, please?!

[vwrestler171]

Another vote for HMC.

[divinmule]

Fascination

[molme]

You shouldn't have any problem making the 6 1/2 hr drive on the day of the cruise. We live in middle GA and can drive to Pt Canaveral on the same day of cruise. The thing you have to keep in mind is if the traffic should get backed up that you have an alternate route you can take. We have done this several times, evan sailing out of Tampa and Mobile. The only ports we have to go the day before are Ft Lauderdale or Miami.

Would defiantly pick Half Moon Cay over Freeport

Enjoy which ever one you choose

[joeyancho]

 

Also, if you are driving to FLL anyway, check out the 6 day itineraries as well, that extra day can make a HUGE difference - guarantee you wont want to get off the boat once the cruise is over. I would book the 6 day leaving 2/14 or 2/28 that goes to Key West, Cozumel and Grand Cayman, starting at $389, quite a bargain - plus the Conquest is a much nicer ship.

 

 

This makes a lot of sense to me. It is only one more day. Relax the kids are kids are with grandma. If your husband likes history, a trip to Tulum is very cool. A trip to snorkel with the stingrays, in Grand Cayman, is amazing. The conquest is a really nice ship. The two you are considering, not so much. The price is delicious.

[almostaswayne]

Fascination--Half Moon Cay for sure!!:)

[OCruisers]

We are looking at maybe February 2016, but we are pretty flexible.

 

I am not really a huge beach person, but only because I am a very fair-skinned redhead and I burn easily. But I do enjoy relaxing on a chair under a big umbrella where I can see, smell, and hear the ocean. My husband really enjoys historical tour type things. Neither of us drink alcohol, so good bars and drink prices don't matter :)

 

I do have 4 young children who will be staying with grandparents so the less time away from them the better :)

 

Emily Ann, since neither of you are big beach people, either cruise you take will be enjoyable -- just getting away from the kiddos for five days! :D

 

LuLu

[cruiseonthebrain]

HMC is definitely the best stop on either of the cruises. However, I would much rather spend an extra day or two in Charleston, rather than Jacksonville.