Help me choose! Fantasy vs Victory

[rdevine10]

Hi everyone,

 

There are only 2 cruises that work in our dates and they are the following:

 

5 night Victory from Miami- HMC, Nassau & Grand Turk

 

or

 

5 night Fantasy from Charleston, SC. - Nassau & Freeport

 

 

Things to consider:

 

We much prefer the Victory iteniary, that being said, its MUCH cheaper to get to Charleston, as we can drive and would have to fly to Miami. This is a more last minute, quick getaway as we have a big trip planned in August- non cruise. The price difference is about $700 total.

 

Thoughts?

 

PS: we are traveling with 2 kids aged 7 & 10, if it matters.

 

Thanks!

[michellejed]

You didn't saw where you were driving from but just from that alone I would take the drive one. Airfare for four can be costly last minute.

 

As far as the kids go, they will love any place you go!!

[ibcnusoon]

Miami is a nightmare, for just a 5 day cruise. Can you cruise and drive to Jacksonville or Port Canaveral?

 

As someone said before, airfare will be very high, especially for 4, plus a pre-cruise hotel in Miami, transport to/from airport, etc.

[rdevine10]

thank you! Can anyone tell me what they thought of only the 1 pool on the Fantasy? I have concerns that it will be really really tight. When we went on the Disney Dream, they essentially had 1 pool, a wading pool, and then the waterslides. The pool was so crammed it was practically a death trap. We were much happier with the 2 pools on the Legend... of course the Legend is smaller than the Disney Dream, and the Fantasy smaller than both. :cool:

 

I wish Jacksonville was an option but I am working with very limited dates due to my work schedule and the kids april break.

 

FWIW, the prices I mentioned above were based off of airfare I had already found this morning.

 

Gotta love that tax return and extra traveling :rolleyes:

[Vigorosity]

thank you! Can anyone tell me what they thought of only the 1 pool on the Fantasy? I have concerns that it will be really really tight. When we went on the Disney Dream, they essentially had 1 pool, a wading pool, and then the waterslides. The pool was so crammed it was practically a death trap. We were much happier with the 2 pools on the Legend... of course the Legend is smaller than the Disney Dream, and the Fantasy smaller than both. :cool:

 

I wish Jacksonville was an option but I am working with very limited dates due to my work schedule and the kids april break.

 

FWIW, the prices I mentioned above were based off of airfare I had already found this morning.

 

Gotta love that tax return and extra traveling :rolleyes:

 

The pools will probably be crowded anyway, considering you are going during spring break! I'd say save the $700 for your next vacation and do something awesome then! (Or maybe just save for the sake of saving..?)

[markntara]

Is it the same distance / cost to both ports?

 

Half Moon Cay is on the Victory, and 2 other ports. That would be my vote.

 

I've been on both ships out of both ports. Take the Victory!

[TrinaLC]

I've sailed both ships and both itineraries. Clearly, the Victory itinerary is better.

 

However, we just opted for the Fantasy out of Charleston for the exact reasons you site - we wanted a quick, relaxing, easy (and relatively cheap) get away.

 

Leaving out of Charleston was an easy drive. We stayed in the city the night before and the night after because it is after all one of the greatest american cities. But you can also do an easy park n' cruise right outside the city and leave your car for free, with a free ride to the ship.

 

We loved the Fantasy. Small, manageable, uber-friendly crew. Never seemed crowded except for lunch lines for burgers, and that was not a big deal.

 

Rooms are big, public areas are roomy, kids seemed to be having a good time at the carnival club.

 

Pool did not seem crowded. Also there is a HUGE aft deck area devoted to water slide and water park. It may be geared towards younger kids, but if you chose to hang out there you will be happy!

 

The Serenity deck is also a treat for the adults. Joni, the attendant, is the BEST. And Antonio is the best drink/bar waiter ever!

 

The food ranged from good to very very good. Service (Anytime Dining) quick, food hot. Never a long wait. Lido was very good.

 

Based on your criteria - which again, was the same as ours, I'd say go for the Fantasy.

 

(Doesn't the Fantasy also stop at the private island? Our trip did. Or rather it was supposed to. Too rough to tender.)

 

Happy to answer any other questions.

[Cigar Dude]

As far as the appearance of each ship;

 

been on both. Hands down the Victory is the prettier of the two. It's also much bigger. It has a big screen tv on the pool deck.

 

You may have already talked yourself into which one you want. The Fantasy is closer to home and you can drive to it. This will save a lot of money. If money is the deciding factory go with the Fantasy.

 

But...if you was me which one I would want to sail on today, it would be the Victory.

 

;)

[Butterbean1000]

Most I think will disagree with me, but the Fantasy is our least favorite ship. Don't care for that itinerary either.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mom22tinks]

If you can afford the extra $700 I'd go with the Vicotry. FWIW I like those ports better.

[Ditchdoctor]

I've been on the Fantasy 4 times and we have anlther trip planned on the Fantasy in October. It only has one pool, but the water slide is pretty good. It's the oldest ship in the fleet but we've always had a great time on it.

[mbalmr71]

I have always loved the Fantasy class ships as they have always felt more like ships than floating skyscrapers. Also even with the water park added, these ships have always had way more deck space and easier to find seats in spite of Chogs than the larger ships.

 

That being said, after I took my first cruise with a balcony, it has been really hard to book those ships again because of the lack of balcony options.

[pcvtmom]

Loved both ships, but any itinerary that visits Half Moon Cay would get my vote! It's just perfect, in my opinion.

[SMSACE6]

Hi everyone,

 

There are only 2 cruises that work in our dates and they are the following:

 

5 night Victory from Miami- HMC, Nassau & Grand Turk

 

or

 

5 night Fantasy from Charleston, SC. - Nassau & Freeport

 

 

Things to consider:

 

We much prefer the Victory iteniary, that being said, its MUCH cheaper to get to Charleston, as we can drive and would have to fly to Miami. This is a more last minute, quick getaway as we have a big trip planned in August- non cruise. The price difference is about $700 total.

 

 

Thoughts?

 

PS: we are traveling with 2 kids aged 7 & 10, if it matters.

 

Thanks!

 

Yes, I like you would prefer the Victory itinerary, however I do like the Bahamas (great beaches and food), and I have been on a Fantasy class ship and like it's layout. So given your situation, I would choose the cruise out of Charleston. The money you will save on airfare, you can stay in a nice hotel precrusie if you wish, and spend on excursions and more, and keep in mind your vacation coming up in August. Whichever you choose, I wish you a great one:)

[kybluecruiser]

The victory ports of call sound much better but on the other hand it is always nice to save money. BTW you can never go wrong with the fantasy. My favorite ship.

[cantwait2cruise]

We are going on the Fantasy in a month strictly for the short drive to Charleston. We considered Jacksonville but it's about 3 hours more. Ive been on most of the Fantasy class ships and enjoy them.

[TrinaLC]

Loved both ships, but any itinerary that visits Half Moon Cay would get my vote! It's just perfect, in my opinion.

 

Remember that HMC is often skipped due to tendering problems. It was on our recent trip, even though the swells didn't seem that bad.

[TrinaLC]

We are going on the Fantasy in a month strictly for the short drive to Charleston. We considered Jacksonville but it's about 3 hours more. Ive been on most of the Fantasy class ships and enjoy them.

 

You'll love the Fantasy and the easy trip to/from Charleston!

[kingoftheicedragons]

I've never sailed Fantasy, so I'll base my answer on the Fantasy-class ships I've been on (Fascination, Elation, and Sensation).

 

The Victory is a bigger ship, and yes, she is going to look nicer and have more amenities to her. Based on ship alone, I would chose Victory.

 

The itineraries: The Victory wins hands down on this point, too. In fact, this is an itinerary I was considering for next winter--until I realized we could do a 7-day cruise I want without having to take any additional days off of work.

 

The price: This would be the deciding factor, though. $700 is a lot of money, especially if you can save that for your big non-cruise vacation later in the year, or for another weekend away, maybe without the kids? If I had the option of driving to the cruise port, I would do it instead of flying. Because of this, I would do the cruise that just goes to Freeport and Nassau. Maybe that $700 could even be used for some fun excursions that you wouldn't necessarily do.

 

Verdict: Fantasy.

[winddawn]

Hi everyone,

 

There are only 2 cruises that work in our dates and they are the following:

 

5 night Victory from Miami- HMC, Nassau & Grand Turk

 

or

 

5 night Fantasy from Charleston, SC. - Nassau & Freeport

 

 

Things to consider:

 

We much prefer the Victory iteniary, that being said, its MUCH cheaper to get to Charleston, as we can drive and would have to fly to Miami. This is a more last minute, quick getaway as we have a big trip planned in August- non cruise. The price difference is about $700 total.

 

Thoughts?

 

PS: we are traveling with 2 kids aged 7 & 10, if it matters.

 

Thanks!

Hands down, I'd choose Victory if you can afford the airfare. Grand Turk and Half Moon Cay are much better ports than Freeport. Have a great cruise!