Carnival Fantasy good ship! Or move on

[NOSaints1]

Just wondering we love sailing on Carnival, were sailing on the Valor in 8 days, we booked this one last October so we like to book far ahead. The Fantasy how're the staterooms, what's the best deck to be on, how is the food is it a hit or miss? Entertainment what is onboard, onboard activities what is there to do and is there enough to do for a 7 day cruise. how is embarkation and disembarkation? We've been on the Breeze, Conquest and soon to be the Valor, so overall what is your opinion of the Fantasy.

 

 

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[joeyancho]

Fantasy is older and smaller. The cabins are more bare bones, think dorm room. Less dining venues, less amenities. Balconies are few and only on suites. The food will be fine. The activities will be the same or similar. The fantasy class ships are okay for a short cheap getaway, but for a longer cruise I would want a bigger, newer ship. Many people will say they love her but to me less is not more.

[loubetti]

First, I have NEVER been on Carnival, but hope to try them some day. That being said I still read reviews and know ships. Sometimes it is good to get such an opinion.

 

Fantasy was the first of the Fantasy class ships from 1990. At 24, she is not old, if well maintained she could double that age, but perhaps with a different cruise line.

 

At 70,000 tons she is much larger than Titanic, and the same size as the legendary QE2, and I've been on QE2, and she is no small ship.

 

They've kept up with some upgrades on her (check the Carnival web site), and she sports classic Joe Farcus interiors. You either love 'em or hate 'em, but Farcus is a genius, and his interiors are always over the top.

 

I cannot comment about food, service and such, but I will tell you this: If she were sailing from from Fort Lauderdale or Miami I would try her before some of the newer, larger Carnival ships.

 

Of course on the CC member reviews she only gets a 70% "love it rating", as many want huge and 2.0 upgrades. However, she does not rank at the bottom of the list either! That distinction goes to Sunshine at 61%. In fact 5 Carnival ships rank lower than her but, of course we all know reviews are subjective.

 

I'm sure you will find the cabins perfectly acceptable, along with service and cuisine. Just don't expect Celebrity.

 

Check out her features on line, and sail on a Carnival classic with those earlier Joe Farcus interiors.

 

Where's Mardi Gras when we need her!

Edited November 1, 2014 by loubetti

[pcvtmom]

I've sailed on the Fantasy twice. It's a nice, but smaller, ship. If you want all the "bells and whistles", it's probably not for you. But if you want a relaxing cruise, with good food and service, the Fantasy is absolutely fine!

[portocaller]

I like the smaller ships myself but I started on the Holiday so the Fantasy class was a step up for me. I will say I hated the Destiny. All I will say is most people have a hard time stepping down.

 

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[mouche]

The Fantasy is the oldest ship but still in good shape, It may be a hard step down though if you're use to all the bells and whistles. I'm back on her this Jan and looking forward to it.:D

[Yvonne]

We were on the Fantasy in 2003 and had a great time, it's one of our favorite cruises of the ones we've been on. We've enjoyed all our cruises, whether it's on a bigger newer ship with more "bells & whistles" or if it's on a smaller older ship. They're all great!

 

We will be on the Carnival Paradise in February, a "sister ship" to the Fantasy and the newest of the Fantasy class but still "older" since it came into service in 1998.

[dreamier]

Just wondering we love sailing on Carnival, were sailing on the Valor in 8 days, we booked this one last October so we like to book far ahead. The Fantasy how're the staterooms, what's the best deck to be on, how is the food is it a hit or miss? Entertainment what is onboard, onboard activities what is there to do and is there enough to do for a 7 day cruise. how is embarkation and disembarkation? We've been on the Breeze, Conquest and soon to be the Valor, so overall what is your opinion of the Fantasy.

 

We also love sailing Carnival & will be sailing Fantasy next week for a 3rd time since 2012.

 

How're the staterooms? Very similar in feel to Carnival Conquest.

 

What's the best deck to be on? We have always chosen Deck 7.

 

How is the food? All of our experiences with Carnival food have been consistent.

 

What entertainment & on board activities are there to do and are there enough for a 7 day cruise? We usually spend our days reading/lounging in the shade. The Serenity deck is aft & a lovely place to grab a lounge to stare at the wake, day or night. Our evenings are spent in the Comedy Club & the Piano Bar, both very enjoyable aboard Fantasy.

 

How is embarkation and disembarkation? Charleston is a bit odd if you are parking at the port. We always get a hotel with a cruise package so I'll leave the arrival/parking explanation to someone else should you need that. Otherwise, for embarkation your taxi drops you off at a tent where you hand over your luggage & await a shuttle to the port. For disembarking, we have walked (the path you are shuttled prior) with our luggage to our taxi. Both have been quick & easy processes, though we do make sure our luggage is easy to roll/carry at this port.

 

We've taken 5 & 6 days cruises aboard Fantasy & have a 7 day coming up. We expect nothing more than a comfy room, great food, & plenty to do!

[wnc]

Wife and I were on the Breeze in August. Loved it. We just got off the Fantasy this past Friday (our 7th on the Fantasy) and loved it. Fantasy is a great ship with an outstanding crew. It's not the size that matters. (At least I've heard people say that!)

[dreamier]

We expect nothing more than a comfy room, great food, & plenty to do!

 

CORRECTION: "We expect nothing LESS than..." Now you know why my DH has always called me Balki!

[OCruisers]

Because Charleston is an extremely convenient port for us, we have cruised on Carnival Fantasy when the 7 day cruises are offered.

Unfortunately, to get a balcony in a good location a Grand Suite needs to be booked. The Grand Suites are very large but not grand.

No way we would even consider Fantasy if it required an airline flight or long drive .... :o

LuLu

[mouche]

No way we would even consider Fantasy if it required an airline flight or long drive .... :o

LuLu [/size][/font]

 

Same here!!! But love it as a quick getaway with a short drive to port!!!

Edited November 5, 2014 by mouche

[SmudgeCat]

DH and I just cruised Fantasy last December as a 5-day and 7-day B2B (12 awesome nights!) and loved her. We also cruised her sister Imagination in 2010 for a 4-day. Miracle (Spirit-class) is also close to my heart since my husband proposed to me on her, but my first ship Destiny was my least favorite- too big and overwhelming for me, at least at the time (we're sailing Liberty in 2015). DH and I like the medium and smaller class ships as I feel less crowded on them.

 

I truly did not see any substantial difference in the cabins between Miracle and Fantasy- they were both clean and well-maintained. That being said, I probably don't cruise often enough to catch differences :p. We prefer balconies (and also prefer being either forward or aft) but actually had our first inside cabin on Fantasy- V8- for both legs of the B2B. We loved that location as it was steps away from the forward deck over the bridge. We felt like we had our own giant balcony as there were rarely people on that deck. We did have a porthole on the Imagination and we loved that option too. We're trying Ocean View next month just to hit all the options, LOL.

 

The staff of the Fantasy was the best I had experienced in my limited cruising history. DH and I love good food (we don't equate good with expensive- we won't turn our nose up at a James Beard splurge or at a greasy spoon, LOL), and we found our meals to be consistent and tasty- the soups especially tended to be outstanding as were the vegetarian Indian dishes (neither of us are vegetarians).

 

We would gladly sail another 7-day on her, especially if she ports regularly at Little Stirrup Cay in 2015-2016 as the crew thought she might start doing.

 

I hope that helps a little!

Edited November 5, 2014 by SmudgeCat

[michelle1836]

have been on the Fantasy twice within the year. I loved the smaller ship feel