Booking the Fantasy a Mistake?

[tabbi_cakes]

I am having second thoughts about our first cruise ever being on the Fantasy. My bf and I are in our late 20's. I just hope there are enough activities to keep us entertained.

 

Maybe we should have booked a larger ship?

 

The upside is that (if we like cruising) I would love to take a cruise for my 30th bday in December 2014. So maybe I can book a bigger ship then and compare.

 

The main reason we chose the Fantasy is that we live less than 3 hours from the port. We can't afford to fly to another port and we didn't want to drive a long way.

 

:/

 

 

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[comeon530]

The Fantasy is consistently one of the top-rated Carnival ships. There will be plenty to keep you busy. Enjoy your cruise!

[laumicmah]

I have been on the Fascination and Sensation which are sister ships to the Fantasy. I love them. They are very easy to get around on and the buffet is one big open room where you can see/find your friends/family easily. I think you will have a great time. There will still be several bars/venues for activities. They have a piano bar and a casino with a bar and a theater and a lobby bar and karaoke bar and dance club...etc. We never experienced lines or crowds either. They have the pools, hot tubs and Serenity (adults only) deck and other outdoor stuff (just no big tv screen by the pool). The only big thing they don't have is a steak house. We are going on the Imagination (another sister ship to Fantasy) in August and I cannot wait.

[proudpatriot07]

I think it's a good ship for a first-time cruiser (I'm a little biased as I live in Charleston and see it every time it is in port...). We went on it two years ago and had a great time. It's a smaller, older ship but in great shape, and it's usually a shorter cruise, like 5 days. Plus, it's easy to get around on the ship without getting lost or having to walk tons. A big ship might be a little overwhelming, just relax and enjoy yourself and you'll have a great time!

[veryhotred]

I am having second thoughts about our first cruise ever being on the Fantasy. My bf and I are in our late 20's. I just hope there are enough activities to keep us entertained.

 

Maybe we should have booked a larger ship?

 

The upside is that (if we like cruising) I would love to take a cruise for my 30th bday in December 2014. So maybe I can book a bigger ship then and compare.

 

The main reason we chose the Fantasy is that we live less than 3 hours from the port. We can't afford to fly to another port and we didn't want to drive a long way.

 

:/

 

 

 

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our first cruise was on the Fascination, one of the smallest, we had a lot of fun! Out of all the cruises I've been on I have never been on a big ship and have always had fun and plenty to do :)

I am sailing the Fantasy in January and will report when I get back..to me it's a matter of what you make of it :p

[cruzinlisa]

Never been on Fantasy, but my first cruise was on Imagination, a sister ship. It was great and there was plenty to do. Smaller ships are good for first time cruises anyway IMO, because there are plenty of new things to experience and explore and not enough time to enjoy it all. I am sure it will be great.

[nybumpkin]

We sailed lots of the larger ships before sailing on Fantasy last year. I had some worries about sailing on the oldest and smallest Carnival ship, but she turned out to be a wonderful experience. We liked her public spaces - in fact, we never even visited all of them. Loved the Waterworks (yes, at age 51 I hit the slides a number of times:p). Nice Serenity area, with plenty of shaded spaces for me to sit and read. And most of the activities that I found on the larger ships were there on Fantasy. I'd sail her again in an instant.

[cruisecrazy82]

Don't stress over it b/c the Fantasy is a great ship! We sailed her for the first time this past January and we had such a great time we booked again for the same time for January 2013! Just go and have a wonderful time, and if I were you, I would consider your re-booking while you are on board so that you can get the OBC! Have a great first cruise! :)

[MrFunInTheSun]

Fantasy class ships as others posted is one of the easiest to navigate. I've always had a good time when sailing this class.

 

Go in with an open mind and a cruise is what you make of it.

 

Happy cruising!

 

 

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[Bella Dean]

The Fanasy is a great ship, love her. Would rather sail on her than any other ship.

You'll have a great time!!

Love the ship lay out, easy to get around, plenty of things to do, have never been bored, been on her 4 times at least.

:)

Bella Dean

[veryhotred]

The Fantasy is consistently one of the top-rated Carnival ships. There will be plenty to keep you busy. Enjoy your cruise!

 

Yay, good to know..sailing her from Tampa in ~60 days :D:p:):rolleyes:

[veryhotred]

Never been on Fantasy, but my first cruise was on Imagination, a sister ship. It was great and there was plenty to do. Smaller ships are good for first time cruises anyway IMO, because there are plenty of new things to experience and explore and not enough time to enjoy it all. I am sure it will be great.

 

I didnt know they were sister ships, I love the Imagination, been on there twice! Good to know as I have been a little worried about the Paradise

[MrFunInTheSun]

I didnt know they were sister ships, I love the Imagination, been on there twice! Good to know as I have been a little worried about the Paradise

 

Paradise is a sister ship of Imagination and Fantasy. Paradise is missing some of the upgrades of those two ships though.

 

 

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[crazyfrazee]

I didnt know they were sister ships, I love the Imagination, been on there twice! Good to know as I have been a little worried about the Paradise

The Paradise doesn't have the upgrades that most of the Fantasy class ships have. I have been on the Sensation, Inspiration and Paradise in that class. I love that class but the Paradise is lacking.

[tabbi_cakes]

Wow those were some fast replies!

 

 

Thanks for your help. My cold feet are warming up a bit.

 

 

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[tabbi_cakes]

Do they still give OBC when you book your next cruise when onboard? I thought I read somewhere that they stopped doing that.

 

 

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[MrFunInTheSun]

Do they still give OBC when you book your next cruise when onboard? I thought I read somewhere that they stopped doing that.

 

 

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Yes. Must actually book a cruise on board. Can't buy a future cruise credit any longer on board.

 

Edit that: on some ships, fantasy class ships you can't purchase future cruise.

 

 

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[Matt62]

Wow those were some fast replies!

 

 

Thanks for your help. My cold feet are warming up a bit.

 

 

I think you will be happy with your choice, especially since you are two hours from the ship instead of having to fly. We have cruised on newer & larger ships and more expensive cruise lines and we are still looking forward to our upcoming cruise on the Fantasy departing from our hometown. Do NOT expect Nassau or Freeport to "knock your socks off" like St Lucia, St Thomas or any of the Antilles (the mountainous West Indies) but if you choose your beach and/or activities wisely you can have a great time in both ports. We've known a lot of people who spent thousands more for a cruise on a megaship with a rock climbing wall or ice skating rink then stood in line 30 minutes to do something they never wanted to do again.

 

A cruise on the Fantasy, like most things in life, will be what you make of it.

[tabbi_cakes]

I think you will be happy with your choice, especially since you are two hours from the ship instead of having to fly. We have cruised on newer & larger ships and more expensive cruise lines and we are still looking forward to our upcoming cruise on the Fantasy departing from our hometown. Do NOT expect Nassau or Freeport to "knock your socks off" like St Lucia, St Thomas or any of the Antilles (the mountainous West Indies) but if you choose your beach and/or activities wisely you can have a great time in both ports. We've known a lot of people who spent thousands more for a cruise on a megaship with a rock climbing wall or ice skating rink then stood in line 30 minutes to do something they never wanted to do again.

 

A cruise on the Fantasy, like most things in life, will be what you make of it.

 

Well since this is my first ever trip out of the US, Freeport and Nassau might knock my socks off! :)

 

 

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[djacobson]

I am having second thoughts about our first cruise ever being on the Fantasy. My bf and I are in our late 20's. I just hope there are enough activities to keep us entertained.

 

Maybe we should have booked a larger ship?

 

The upside is that (if we like cruising) I would love to take a cruise for my 30th bday in December 2014. So maybe I can book a bigger ship then and compare.

 

The main reason we chose the Fantasy is that we live less than 3 hours from the port. We can't afford to fly to another port and we didn't want to drive a long way.

 

:/

 

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The Fantasy is a very nice ship and gets great reviews from the passengers. You will have plenty to enjoy while on the ship. Additionally, the cruise director (Risa Barnes) is from SC and you will like her very much.

[Swampbaby]

Fantasy was our first cruise and as you can see from signature that was years ago. We realized AFTER saling, due to not knowing about Cruise Critic back then, there was actually a lot we didn't see on the ship even though we were on the go most of the time. With the latest upgrades I can't see someone being bored. Go with open mind and enjoy yourself.

[jlk806]

I went on the Ecstacy which is a fantasy class ship in July for my 1st cruise ever with 5 girlfriends. We had an awesome trip! The ship is smaller than some, but it didnt feel small at all! There was plenty to do and we had a great trip!

[jobell]

The Fantasy was our 2nd cruise and we LOVED it. Easy to navigate, always something to keep us entertained. It is small in comparison to the Dream class of Carnival, but definitely think it is a good size ship for a first time cruiser.

 

Have a great cruise!!!

[nitro2448]

The fantasy was our first cruise and we loved it. We've been hooked ever since

[Bunkie103]

We've been on the Fantasy several times and the Imagination several times. We love the size of the ship and I think it's a great first cruise ship. Next time you might want to try one of the bigger ships, but I don't think you will be disappointed in the Fantasy. Bon Voyage!