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Ecstasy or Fantasy?

Jimd66

By Jimd66,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Jimd66

Jimd66

Posted
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I'm planning a surprise cruise for my wife’s birthday next year and need some help. I have two that I’m looking at, one is the Ecstasy out of Port Canaveral 11/24/12 and the other one if Fantasy out of Charleston 11/28/2012 both are 5 day Bahamas. Any help would be appreciated.

I also found one on the Fascination out of Jacksonville on 11/24/12.

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cruisinfanatic

cruisinfanatic

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I'm planning a surprise cruise for my wife’s birthday next year and need some help. I have two that I’m looking at, one is the Ecstasy out of Port Canaveral 11/24/12 and the other one if Fantasy out of Charleston 11/28/2012 both are 5 day Bahamas. Any help would be appreciated.

I also found one on the Fascination out of Jacksonville on 11/24/12.

the oldest ships Carnival has. Are you sure?

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btrbill

btrbill

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the oldest ships Carnival has. Are you sure?

 

I am just recently off the Ecstasy and I would sail her again in a second!! Yes they are older ships, but they are also smaller and more intimate! Besides, they have all been refurbished in the last 5 or 6 years. Newer is not always better... I see a lot of negative reviews on the "newer" ships....

 

OP, It doesn't matter what ship you on. You and your wife will make the cruise, not the ship. Pick the dates and trip that work best for you and enjoy her birthday!!

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kimmimom

kimmimom

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just cause it is older doesn't mean anything! I have been on Glory, Miracle, Celebration, and Fascination and LOVED them all. Going on Ectasy in January. If you want rock climbing walls and things like that, better pick a newer/bigger one. Look at the itineraries and price and base on that. (don't miss Half Moon Cay if you can)

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bvhboat

bvhboat

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Just got off the Fantasy 11/18 & I can tell you she is a beautiful ship. Dont believe the negative reviews,nothing is further from the truth.The ship is well maintained & the crew was awesome. It was our first cruise with kids & they loved camp carnival. I would sail on the Fantasy again in a heartbeat.

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rtw68

rtw68

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We were on Fantasy in January 2011 and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ship is older but they keep it maintained and it's very nice!

 

Only thing I could see as a possible consideration is the time of year. It was cold in Charleston when we went, and it did get warmer once we got closer to the Bahamas. So for most of the sea days it could be colder going out of Charleston then going out of Florida (as long as they don't have a cold snap).

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PenguinLife

PenguinLife

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I loved our cruises on Ecstasy out of Galveston the last 2 years, it is small enough that you get to know people, fewer people also means easier getting on and off the ship in port however a few things should be noted about the cabins, first there is no HEAT and air conditioning is controled by a diverter knob on the ceiling over the bed, for us it was only an issue on the last night of the cruise as we approached the northern gulf coast and the temperatures outdoors were in the 30's, temperature in our OV cabin probably dropped to the upper 50's. The interior of the cabins are not as fancy as newer ships, built in furniture is smaller and more plain, some cabins still have old tube TV's as of last January although they seem to be swapping them out for flat panels (we had a flat panel in our cabin this year, and an old tube TV with a purple tint to everything the year before).

 

Ike

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*Mach*

*Mach*

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I'm planning a surprise cruise for my wife’s birthday next year and need some help. I have two that I’m looking at, one is the Ecstasy out of Port Canaveral 11/24/12 and the other one if Fantasy out of Charleston 11/28/2012 both are 5 day Bahamas. Any help would be appreciated.

I also found one on the Fascination out of Jacksonville on 11/24/12.

 

 

I've sailed both ships and given the similarity of the itineraries I'd have to opt for the Ecstasy. She's just a cut above. The Fantasy is lovely and bright (LOTS of white marble!!!) but the Ecstasy is a classy lady... a bit subdued but very stylish...

:)

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Ditchdoctor

Ditchdoctor

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My wife and I went on the Fantasy this past January and we're saling on it again at the end of April (this will be our 4th time on this ship). This ship may be old but it went through the dry dock in 2007 and it looks great. Great ship, great crew. Also Charleston is a beautiful place to visit. Either way you will have a great time. Good luck!!

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lnew1gd1

lnew1gd1

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Just got off the Ecstasy. Loved it. Ship looks great. You can't go wrong with any cruise.

 

I would first look at all the pics you can of both ships and pick the ship that appeals to you most. Then pick the ports. Agree with others here. If you can find an itin that includes Half Moon Cay on a ship you like --- pick that one! You won't be sorry. Only issue is that is a tender port and if the sea is bad you may not make it there.

 

If you would like to see some pics of the Ecstasy you can view my pics but there are lots of just my grandkids and the ports. Only a few of the actual ship.

https://picasaweb.google.com/107168521766012889891/CarnivalEcstasyCruiseWithGrandkids11212011?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNb497HJ49_0ZQ&feat=directlink

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frednsb

frednsb

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I have sailed on the Insiration, Fantasy, and just got off the Ecstasy. They are my favorite class of ships. I have also sailed on the Conquest and Spirit class.

The Ecstasy would be my choice. Fantasy needs two plus days of sailing before you reach the Bahamas. Fascination needs one plus. Ecstasy out of Port Canaveral is there overnight. She also has the waterworks and Serenity deck.

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funinthesun1964

funinthesun1964

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I haven't been on the Fantasy, but I've cruised both Fascination and Ecstasy. The Ecstasy would have been my favorite out of the two. It was a nice ship. They are smaller ships, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. There is only one pool on the Lido deck, but that didn't matter to me. We love the Serenity deck and spend most of our time there.

 

It seems that our service was better on the Ecstasy, but I'm

sure the crew members get switched out often, so I don't know if the service would always be better on Ecstasy.

 

I am sure that you would have a great time no matter which ship you choose! Have fun!

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nybumpkin

nybumpkin

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We sailed on Fantasy in August - 15th cruise, first time on a Fantasy-class ship. She's well maintained and there was nothing I missed from sailing on a newer ship (okay, son missed the basketball court:rolleyes:). I (age 51) loved the slides at the Waterworks.:o

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