To all my faithful companions, I feel like a traitor

[Mrsg324]

Well, I've done it. I have to see what else there is out there since RC is taking away my summer ships. I'm booked on Carnival July 23 out of NOLA.

I'm afraid of what I should expect. I've heard some wonderful & not so wonderful stories about Carnival.

I'm taking my 14 year old daughter, my best friend is going with us along with her 10 year old son.

Those of you who have done both lines, anyone know about Fantasy?

[PrettyLA]

I know Fantasy is an older ship.

[BigTee2000]

I have been on RCCL and after 3 cruises I went on Carnival Fantasy. I should let my son tell you about it he was only 9 when we went and he did not like carnival at all. I hope you do enjoy your trip and make the best of it. That is what we did but it is not an RCCL Cruise. The people are nice but just a different atmosphere than RCCL. I guess I am just spoiled.

 

TJ

[firefly333]

I know Fantasy is an older ship.

 

I was thinking that too, the Conquest is a much nicer ship I would think to start out on, but the price is good on Fantasy.

[zantedeschia]

I went on a Carnival cruise (Ecstasy) with my then 16 year old daughter after we had both been on RCI cruises. She hated it. I hated it. A friend of mine who had previously sailed RCI was on the same cruise. He hated it.

 

However, lots of people like Carnival. YMMV.

[Ilovepj]

HI,

 

Have to put my two cents in,

 

I went on Carnival Glory last November, which is also a big and newer ship then your going on, but we had a wonderful time. We had a group of 6 with one 11 year old girl, and she loved it. NOw I do know the ship your going on is smaller and older, but I have friends that have been on that ship, and love the smaller ships. NOw I did enjoy the dinning better on RC, and that is why we came back to RC, and most likely will stay with this line, But just remember a cruise is a cruise, you make it what you want it to be, so go with a positive attuide and you will be just fine.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Toddcan]

Oh my gosh!!! It's a CRUISE!!! You'll have a blast!

 

We've sailed the "worst" of carnival: Sensation to bahamas during spring break. We had a blast! The prices on carnival are usually much cheaper, so some things might not be what you expect and see on other more expensive cruises, but still... It's a CRUISE!!!

 

Enjoy it! If you go into it looking for negatives, you will find exactly that.

[MrPete]

You will find loyalists on both sides, but the two lines do really offer pretty much the same product.

 

It's like comparing two hotels chains.

 

If you spend your time working yourself into a tizzy making all the comparisons, you only end up in a tizzy.

[superjerryw]

I'm afraid of what I should expect. I've heard some wonderful & not so wonderful stories about Carnival.

 

If you go on the cruise with a negative attitude you will have a bad time. You have to realize that it's a different cruise line and things will be different. You may find some things better and you may find some things worse. As has been pointed out, the Fantasy is from Carnival's oldest class of ship so you won't find many of the amenities people take for granted on the newer ships. That being said, it's still a cruise and that's always better than being at work. If it were me, I would opt to sail from a different port on a different ship.

[robtx100]

I agree with Mr. Pete.

[Bonnie Voyager]

You will find loyalists on both sides, but the two lines do really offer pretty much the same product.

 

It's like comparing two hotels chains.

 

If you spend your time working yourself into a tizzy making all the comparisons, you only end up in a tizzy.

 

 

I agree completely. As you can see in my signature I have sailed on many Carnival ships. While I prefer RCCL for her more elegant atmosphere, I can honestly say I had wonderful experiences on Carnival too. In fact, I prefer Carnival's food to RCCL's but since I am not a "foodie" I don't put too much emphasis on food when judging any vacation. My son (now 12) sailed on Carnival at the ages of 5 and 9 and he totally enjoyed it! He has also sailed on Disney and RCCL's Voyager-class and Freedom-class ships (Freedom is his favorite by far due to the Flowrider!) so it's not like he has nothing to compare Carnival to. We tend to stick with RCCL now since we have reached Diamond level but I would not let all the negative feedback about Carnival scare you away! Go, have fun! It beats staying home, right? :D

[Mysticks1]

We sailed on Fantasy in November and my daugher who was 12 at the time and her cousins (11 & 9) all had a very good time. They didn't participate in Camp Carnival because they refused to allow my 12 yr old to go down to 9-11 group to be with the other two.

The service that we had was excellent, better in some cases than what we had the previous year on the Conquest. The ship is older but has been refurbished recently and has the wonderful Carnival Comfort beds. The cabins are all well-sized. There is a shower curtain if you are used to the shower doors. (Bring along a few clothes pins to pin along the bottom to keep it in place.)

I found the layout to be easy to understand and sailing down the Mississippi river is very nice. I wish it had not gotten dark so quick so we could have seen more. The photo in my signature was taken as we were sailing down the Mississippi on embarkation day just as the sun went down.

The terminal is very nice and well organized. We were on the ship within 30 minutes of arriving (around 12:00).

If you like to be on the front of the ship for sail away go to the large show theatre (lowest level) walk all the way to the front beside the stage (right side) There is a door there that leads to the lowest deck (for passengers) on the bow of the ship. Few people will be there as very few ever notice it.

[sea-cruise]

As you can see by my sig, we like to try different cruiselines and ships. The Fantasy is an older one and I don't know anything about that ship, but the way I look at it is:

It's a vacation. You'll have meals prepared for you, swimming, trivia & pool games, dancing, gambling, etc. Overlook anything you see that might be negative and enjoy each day.

We never sailed a ship we didn't enjoy. :)

[CRUIZINMOMMANJ]

I have to tell you, being on all three lines, I love them all for different reasons. There is nothing wrong with Carnival.

 

Your heart is always with who you sale first ... and without an open mind going into it, your opinion will stay closed too. Go, have fun. Make it YOUR cruise. And have a blast.

 

The shows are great, the food is wonderful - and the price is much better.

 

Have a blast!!

[MGilly]

Our second cruise was on the Fantasy (our first was on the Ecstacy, one of her sister ships). It was not bad, but it wasn't terrific either. This was before we cruised on RCCL, and truthfully speaking, I think that, if you've sailed at all on RCCL, you might not find it up to your standards. However! I also feel that, like others have said, a cruise is what you make it. If the ports of call are your "destination", you'll probably have a great time. If the ship is your main "destination", maybe not. It's smaller than the Voyager class on RCCL, and as someone already mentioned, it's very easy to learn the layout. The food is okay, pretty comparable to RCCL. They have the usual shipboard activities (ie. pool games, Newlywed-type game, evening entertainment in the theater and lounges), with the exception of the Quest game, the rock wall, skating rink, rollar blading, and mini-golf that you'll find on RCCL. The cabins ARE larger, but there's not any more storage space in them than there is on RCCL. The BEST thing for you to do, when all is said and done, is to try it yourself and get your own opinion of the ship.

[mojitodiva]

My Kids Refuse To Go On Any Other Cruise Line But Rccl. Tried Carnival Once And That Was The End Of That. My Kids 12 And 15 Are Into Basketball, Skating, Surfing, Golf So On Carnival There Was Nothing For Them To Do Other Then Kids Program And They Don't Do The Kids Program.

 

I Myself Also Only Want To Cruise With Rccl. Rccl Has Spoiled Me =)

[Mysticks1]

They have the usual shipboard activities (ie. pool games, Newlywed-type game, evening entertainment in the theater and lounges), with the exception of the Quest game, the rock wall, skating rink, rollar blading, and mini-golf that you'll find on RCCL.

 

The Fantasy does have a 9 hole mini golf. It is on the top deck and was added during the last refurbishment last year. :)

[BecciBoo]

You will find loyalists on both sides, but the two lines do really offer pretty much the same product.

 

It's like comparing two hotels chains.

 

If you spend your time working yourself into a tizzy making all the comparisons, you only end up in a tizzy.

 

Peter: read your review on Explorer and felt your review was very objective and fair considering you are a convert. I am a Royal champion who will probably be tasting Carnival now since RCCL is pulling out of Galveston for a while. My choices will be very limited and we watched Valor and Victory while in Miami and were interested in those but we have Elation and Ecstacy down here to choose from. Can you expound on those two for me. I'm really worried about being disappointed with Carnival. Thanks

[Cruising89143]

Well, I've done it. I have to see what else there is out there since RC is taking away my summer ships. I'm booked on Carnival July 23 out of NOLA.

I'm afraid of what I should expect. I've heard some wonderful & not so wonderful stories about Carnival.

I'm taking my 14 year old daughter, my best friend is going with us along with her 10 year old son.

Those of you who have done both lines, anyone know about Fantasy?

 

 

I have cruised on the Fantasy four times with the last time being in September of 04 out of Port Canaveral. I would compare her to the Sovereign of the Seas. The Fantasy is a little newer but not by much.

 

The Fantasy has been refurbished a few times since 04 and she should be in pretty good shape. For me and this is just my experience, I find that Carnival is not up to par with RCI in certain areas. The main thing for me are the ships themselves. The ships of RCI are just so much nicer than those of Carnival IMHO. More subdued and not in your face decor. Another area is service and crew. Just not as friendly or polished as what I have experienced on RCI. Also I don't think Carnival keeps their ships as clean as they should and the ongoing maintenance does not match that of RCI. RCI also has a much better past guest program.

 

I find that the food and entertainment are about the same with each one having something the other doesn't have but they are about equal when all things are compared.

 

I cruised Carnival for many years before deciding to try RCI. I haven't been back to Carnival as RCI is giving me more of what I want in an overall cruise experience. Carnival is not a bad cruise line at all but IMHO they just don't measure up to Royal Caribbean. Again this is just my opinion.:) The best way for you to know if you will like it is to try it.

[itsyourbuc]

I have three kids age 12, 15 & 16. They do not like Carnival. They perfer RCCL but then again they are spoiled. You should have a good time, just do no expect it to be like RCCL.

[thesmiths]

I have learned not to compare but to enjoy the new surroundings.... it is what it is, you will make the best of it.

 

We were on the Ecstacy (similar)in 93 when she was a new ship for our honeymoon. My parents bought the cruise for us and I upgraded to the Penthouse Suite:) which at the time I beleive was one of the only ships with a verandah. We had a great time as it was the newest ship on any line at the time... + I thought cruising on the Ecstacy went hand in hand with our honeymoon:D.

 

You'll have a good time, just don't compare, as someone earlier said, it's like comparing hotel chains...don't.

 

I've been a DCL cruiser the past few and am converting to RCCL on the Mariner in 08.....I too am waiting to see what ship comes to PC, I won't compare I will just enjoy...can't wait.

[mom2tcdx2]

I did a trip on the Holiday a couple years ago and found it to be very enjoyable - I would say that ship is the same class as the Fascination. The thing I noticed most, when I then went on the Caribbean Princess (much larger ship) was the service was much more personable on Carnival - I never saw the same waiter twice on Princess, yet on the Holiday whenever we were on deck the same waiter came to us everyday knew our names, what drink we ordered, continually checked on our drinks etc and was extremely friendly and we got to talk with the waiters and bartenders a lot more. (I found on Princess I had to go to the bar whenever I wanted something as I could never get anyone to wait on me) Also dining room staff was fantastic and again seemed to take more time to get to know everyone etc. I am now booked for Liberty of the Seas as I am just dying to go on that ship. I do prefer the larger ones, but thought the smaller had a more approachable staff. I don't think kids activities were as great on Carnival, but my kids didn't want to stay in the kids zone on Princess either - it was always just the pool for them and all ships seem to have those. I also agree with the other person - how can any cruise be bad???

[dfishner]

We were on the Sensation years ago and we did have a good time, now this was before we cruised on RCL. For us the biggest difference was the decor. Carnival was very glitzy remember the atruim being purple and dark. It did make a statement we did get use to it, we had alot of fun on it.

If your decision is not to cruise because it is Carnival relax book the cruise and have a great time. Many posters here have said not to compare and that is not easy to do but your on vacation and with your family so enjoy your time with them and enjoy what the ship has to offer you.

[cyndyt]

I did the Fantasy last year and did find it a little disappointing. You can certainly tell that it is an older ship. I found the ship's layout poorly designed, the food was just okay and the crew more aloof. I got dizzy walking on the walking track as it is quite small and there is no deck that you can walk the whole outside of the ship. On the plus side, the cabins are larger, they offer everyone robes, and they actually have bathroom sundries. My friend really enjoyed the water slide and the disco was lively. I also really enjoyed the nightly karaoke and comedians.

[crusinmama06]

I went on Elation in December being totally spoiled and expecting to have an awful time but it was a cheap cruise and I wanted to do a quick last minute get away. We loved it! So much so that we booked Sensation for August.

 

My kids loved Camp Carnival just as much (if not more in some respects) than AO.

 

Can I compare those ships to our Freedom of the Seas cruise in May...of course not.

 

But the food on Carnival was much better than RCCL. The cabin was large for an ocean view. We did get robes and lots of products in the bathroom.

 

I wasn't thrilled by the service but it wasn't terrible...just not as over the top excellent as RCCL.

 

I have no problems doing Carnival cruises and you may find that you actually enjoy yourself. ;)