Mostly Royal cruiser coming back to Carnival after 34 years

[coast2coast]

Sailing on Ecstasy out of Charleston in 10 days.  Booked the cruise since it was a good deal and it's only a 5 hour drive to the port.  What are some things I should make sure not to miss on the ship? Not really into specialty dining. We do enjoy nightly entertainment (live music, production shows in the theater, etc.). Any activities not to miss? Any neat spots for pictures of the two of us or cool views of the ship and venues? Any insider tips would be greatly appreciated. 🙂

Edited December 27, 2018 by coast2coast

[Essiesmom]

Well, it's a good thing you are not into specialty dining, because there are no specialty restaurants on Fantasy class ships.  The Fantasy class are small and compact, but they grow on you.  EM

[Tapi]

Dang, I thought I’d been away from Carnival for a long time, but your 34 years make me feel like it hasn’t been long at all! When we sail on Fantasy in February, it will be 8 years since our last Carnival Cruise.

 

The best secret or piece of advice that I can give you about sailing on these smaller and older Fantasy class ships is that you go with realistic expectations. That’s the key to having a fantastic time on these ships. 

 

The smaller size and simple amenities do mean that you’ll get to know the ship’s layout and offerings rather quickly. Even then, some passengers never find certain quiet spots, like the 2 outdoor sitting areas just aft of the buffet, as well as the Serenity deck. These are all great spots to enjoy the views and be away from the crowds. The overall atmosphere will be more casual and unpretentious, as these cruises from secondary ports of embarkation tend to attract a heavily local clientele.  

 

Ecstasy will be a throwback to the Joe Farcus era with its early 90’s decor. She doesn’t have the latest bells and whistles, so entertainment may feel a bit lacking at times, specially on sea days. But if you cruise for the basic pleasures of taking an ocean voyage, Ecstasy’s size and  offerings may provide exactly what you are looking for. 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Tapi

[CRocks]

The Fantasy class ships have a lot of open air deck space which I love. My favorite spot is out the back doors of the lido buffet (on both sides) is a little covered patio area that's great for watching the ship's wake.

[Bowman1]

We like the bar above the rear dinning room on the Fantasy Class ships (Gatsbys on Elation) - it has a small atrium open to the dinning room below and is a unique design (as far as I know) to the Fantasy Class

 

It does tend to be crowded during meal times though 

[coast2coast]

12 hours ago, Bowman1 said:

We like the bar above the rear dinning room on the Fantasy Class ships (Gatsbys on Elation) - it has a small atrium open to the dinning room below and is a unique design (as far as I know) to the Fantasy Class

 

It does tend to be crowded during meal times though 

Yes! I think it's called the Alchemy Bar! Just saw a photo that one of my friends took on a cruise earlier this year.  Looks like a pretty place! She took a really nice photo with her husband there.

I've been watching a vlog by Josh Hocum (evidently a frequent Carnival cruiser) who went on the Ecstasy earlier this year.  I've seen many things in his videos of the ship that I'm looking forward to!

[coast2coast]

On 12/27/2018 at 7:05 AM, CRocks said:

The Fantasy class ships have a lot of open air deck space which I love. My favorite spot is out the back doors of the lido buffet (on both sides) is a little covered patio area that's great for watching the ship's wake.

The aft locations on ships are my favorite!  I've never had an aft cabin before, but I sure do like finding spots on the ship to watch the wake and take pictures!

[coast2coast]

On 12/27/2018 at 6:15 AM, Tapi said:

Dang, I thought I’d been away from Carnival for a long time, but your 34 years make me feel like it hasn’t been long at all! When we sail on Fantasy in February, it will be 8 years since our last Carnival Cruise.

 

The best secret or piece of advice that I can give you about sailing on these smaller and older Fantasy class ships is that you go with realistic expectations. That’s the key to having a fantastic time on these ships. 

 

The smaller size and simple amenities do mean that you’ll get to know the ship’s layout and offerings rather quickly. Even then, some passengers never find certain quiet spots, like the 2 outdoor sitting areas just aft of the buffet, as well as the Serenity deck. These are all great spots to enjoy the views and be away from the crowds. The overall atmosphere will be more casual and unpretentious, as these cruises from secondary ports of embarkation tend to attract a heavily local clientele.  

 

Ecstasy will be a throwback to the Joe Farcus era with its early 90’s decor. She doesn’t have the latest bells and whistles, so entertainment may feel a bit lacking at times, specially on sea days. But if you cruise for the basic pleasures of taking an ocean voyage, Ecstasy’s size and  offerings may provide exactly what you are looking for. 

 

 

Yes! I was 14 years old and went with my parents on the Tropicale right before Christmas. Didn't get DH hooked on cruising until our 8th anniversary back in '02 and took him on RCI's Explorer of the Seas. Since then, we've only done one other non-RCI cruise where we picked the ship (Princess back in 2012).  My parents have taken us on HAL and another Princess cruise as well.  So, this will be our first time "deviating" on our own in almost 7 years. Looking forward to trying one of the smaller ships and a different line. We're back on RCI in November on the Rhapsody (one of their older smaller ships), so this will give us a good taste for the "small ship" cruising.

Definitely looking forward to the Serenity area and like the fact that it's open and at the back of the ship with an AWESOME view!  Many of RCI's adult-only solariums are enclosed and seem to get stuffy over time.  

This cruise is one just for pure relaxation... we had a yucky few months after Hurricane Florence rolled through town and are glad to finally have all of that behind us.  Now we just need some time to unwind. 🙂

 

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, coast2coast said:

Yes! I think it's called the Alchemy Bar! Just saw a photo that one of my friends took on a cruise earlier this year.  Looks like a pretty place! She took a really nice photo with her husband there.

I've been watching a vlog by Josh Hocum (evidently a frequent Carnival cruiser) who went on the Ecstasy earlier this year.  I've seen many things in his videos of the ship that I'm looking forward to!

 

Some of the fantasy class ships that have added alchemy have made that aft bar into an alchemy. On Elation it was Gatsby's great bar and it went around into the comedy club. And there was a door where the bartenders could go back and forth between the two bars. I liked it because I could sit at the comedy bar during a comedy show.Then just move around to the other side between shows....they'd have TVs on the Gatsby's side with sports on. Then when the club starts to fill up for the next show, slide inside again. But I don't know how the setup is now if the ecstasy bar has been converted into Alchemy. 

 

Another bar I liked on Elation...may or may not be on Ecstasy...was in the back left corner of the lido buffet. Nice bar with TVs and sports and a ocean view....food nearby.