Fantasy vs. Liberty

[BluesWhenNoCruise]

Our first cruise was on the Carnival Liberty in January and this July we'll be sailing on the Fantasy.

 

My question for all the vast knowledgable people that frequent these boards is- Ship size wise, what will be the noticable features, if any, that I might be missing on the smaller ship? Has anyone sailed both?

 

I of course will have tons of fun either way, but i'm scared I've been spoiled to a bigger ship and just hope there's not too much of a difference!

 

We're also in an oceanview stateroom this time as compared with the balcony last time....for some reason I think I did things backwards!

 

Anyways, thanks for any info you can provide :)

[firefly333]

15 years difference is a lot of differences.

 

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Main/shipscarnival.php

 

Fantasy doesnt have regular balcony cabins you could book, you would have to book a suite to get a balcony on Fantasy.

[BrendaB1]

I've done both & Liberty is my favorite ship so far. Just returned from my 3rd time on Fantasy. I love to cruise out of New Orelans so that's a plus for me to sail on Fantasy. Much smaller ship with fewer clubs & food options but always a fun ship. CD Big Tex is good. Great personality & lots of fun. Crew has always been good. Cabins are about the same but no balconys on Fantasy except suites.

 

Fantasy is great for a laid back, relaxing cruise. A day or two before or after in Nola makes it feel more like a 7 day cruise. I'm sure I will go back & do Fantasy again after the refurb in Sept but Conquest class ships are still my favorite with Freedom cruise coming up.

 

Hope you have a great cruise. :)

[crazd]

The Fantasy is a nice ship but no Liberty - holds 1000 less people and the size is 1/3 smaller - smaller dining rooms, casino, showroom etc. but still nice.

[soon to cruise]

We were on the Fantasy last week. Our first cruise last summer was on the Conquest. To be honest I liked the Conquest much better. We still had a great time on the Fantasy, but size does matter....LOL (to me anyway) We felt movement the whole time. ALOT! I actually felt more crowded on the Fantasy than I did the conquest. I know there are less people, but there are a lot less places for everyone to be. Plus it seemed the "atmosphere" of the 4 day smaller ship was less desirable than the 7 day was. Could have just been bad luck that trip. Dont get me wrong....we did have a great time and it was fun sailing out of NOLA.

[debster11]

I prefer the Liberty but that is just me. The Fantasy is just so old. I am not saying that the Fantasy isn't nice but I prefer the bigger newer ships but hey you're on a cruise. I always go with the "I'm a on a cruise" way of thinking and try not to sweat the small stuff. It is all what you make it. Have a great cruise.:)

[BluesWhenNoCruise]

Thanks for the input from everyone! I knew I'd be looking at less of everything but I was hoping that it wouldnt be too dramatic. I guess I don't have much longer to find out!

 

Anything special I need to do/see on the ship while im there?

 

Thanks again!

 

Cheers:)

[soon to cruise]

One really relaxing place I finally found on the ship...

If your tired of laying in the sun and just want to relax in the shade and enjoy the ride. Go all the way to the back of the Lido through the buffet area and out the sliding back door. I used the one on the left. THEN, go down the flight of stairs you will find a nice shady "patio" type place just to relax and read or nap or whatever. It's by the little kid pool, but it's not hectic back there. Only a few people were around.

[nolaAlive]

I have been on both, but have a question for you. Can you rank the top 5 or 10 features of Liberty that are must haves??

[cruznsuzn89]

My second cruise was on the Fantasy, my first being on the Miracle. I had the same kind of worries that you had. Yes, the Fantasy is smaller and we did feel more movement (a lot more!) than on the Miracle, but it never bothered any of us, nor did I see anyone else who appeared bothered by it. We liked the slide in the pool better on the Fantasy because it goes right into the pool rather than just ending. I also thought the food was better on the Fantasy in the dining room than on the Miracle. We are going on the Fantasy again this August out of NOLA and are really excited. Yes the Miracle was bigger and newer and we loved her, but we also enjoyed the Fantasy because we weren't expecting them to be the same. Hey, any cruise is a good one, right? ;) :D

[BrendaB1]

Thanks for the input from everyone! I knew I'd be looking at less of everything but I was hoping that it wouldnt be too dramatic. I guess I don't have much longer to find out!

 

Anything special I need to do/see on the ship while im there?

 

Thanks again!

 

Cheers:)

 

If you have never cruised out of Nola, cruising down the Mississppi is part of the adventure. Be sure & go up to the top or the are sugested above, behind the pizza area, for sailaway. The ship will push away from the pier & turn completely around before heading down the river as you watch the Nola skyline disappear.

[flygrass]

I guess Im going to go against the tide on this one and say we prefer the Fantasy class. We just returned from the Liberty and it was a great cruise and a beautiful ship, in the past we sailed 2 Fantasy class ships Fantasy & Elation & 2 Conquest class Glory & Liberty. I would have to vote for the Fantasy. Like someone else said Its a little more laid back and I didn't experience crowds or long lines on her. I think you will like her and have a great time, we did. Happy cruising

[BluesWhenNoCruise]

I have been on both, but have a question for you. Can you rank the top 5 or 10 features of Liberty that are must haves??

 

Theres not really any 'must haves' so to speak! I know we're dealing with a smaller ship here so it was more of less a question of, if its smaller, what will I be missing? :) Will it be everything with just smaller quantities or is something left out completely? I think I saw somewhere on these boards that this ship didnt have a 'pay for' dining option. True or false?

 

Really, at this point I don't even care I'm just ready to set sail and escape my kids for a week!

 

Thanks again for all the advice, really appreciate it!

 

Cheers

[BrendaB1]

Theres not really any 'must haves' so to speak! I know we're dealing with a smaller ship here so it was more of less a question of, if its smaller, what will I be missing? :) Will it be everything with just smaller quantities or is something left out completely? I think I saw somewhere on these boards that this ship didnt have a 'pay for' dining option. True or false?

 

Really, at this point I don't even care I'm just ready to set sail and escape my kids for a week!

 

Thanks again for all the advice, really appreciate it!

 

Cheers

 

Correct. No Supper Club onboard or no fish & chips station.

[MizzCard]

I've sailed both the Liberty & Fantasy and by far the Liberty is the best. Although I will not discount the Fantasy. Alot is what you make of the cruise itself, and I would not hesitate to cruise the Fantasy again.

[ilovefishsticks4]

Our first cruise was on the Carnival Liberty in January and this July we'll be sailing on the Fantasy.

 

My question for all the vast knowledgable people that frequent these boards is- Ship size wise, what will be the noticable features, if any, that I might be missing on the smaller ship? Has anyone sailed both?

 

I of course will have tons of fun either way, but i'm scared I've been spoiled to a bigger ship and just hope there's not too much of a difference!

 

We're also in an oceanview stateroom this time as compared with the balcony last time....for some reason I think I did things backwards!

 

Anyways, thanks for any info you can provide :)

 

if you were worried about a small ship why didnt you book your cruise with a larger one?

[floridacruiser63]

Fantasy is just quite a bit older and much smaller in size.

Service is great on both.

[hubofhockey]

I have been on both, but have a question for you. Can you rank the top 5 or 10 features of Liberty that are must haves??

 

Harry's

Regular Balcony rooms

Very nice gym

 

If the Fantasy doesn't have regular balcony rooms, that would be a major drawback for me. The same would go for Harry's. The older ships do not have supper clubs and Harry's is a great experience. The other thing would be a nice gym. Liberty's gym is a really nice facility.

 

The outdoor theater is not a must have. But it's nice to have and provides a nice option for evening entertainment.

 

I haven't feen on the Fantasy. The things I listed on the Liberty are important to me and maybe spoiled me in that I probably wouldn't take a cruise on a ship that didn't have my first three up there. I could certainly live without the outdoor theater.

[truecruiser]

i like the fantasy class ships.

 

i wish they had more balconies, but other than that, i like them very much.

[nawlinscruiser22]

As you can see from my signature, I love the Fantasy. I may be a little biased, but I think you will have a great time on "my" ship:D I have also been on the Glory and headed for the Conquest in a few months which are the same class as the Liberty so I can give a quick comparison.

 

They are 2 different experiences. Shorter itineraries are more of a relaxing long weekend rather than the excitement/hustle&bustle of a weeklong adventure. As noted in previous posts, the difference in size/age of the ships are very noticeable. No fish&chips, no specialty restaurant, no large movie screen, smaller lido deck area, smaller casino..pretty much everything on a smaller scale. Also, expect worn carpets and dated tiles-but I wouldnt let that ruin a good vacation. I do not find it feels crowded, except in the Lido buffet area around 1230-130. Go a little earlier or a little later and you will be good to go. Also, the food on the Fantasy has been consistent and was far better than our Glory trip.

 

So do these major differences make one better than the other? I dont think so. You just have to keep your expectations in check.

[Rowan555]

We've been on the Conquest and LOVED it, but frankly, we prefer the Fantasy. Smaller ship, yes, older, yes - but it feels less crowded to us than the larger ships, and the staff are the best you could hope for. The ONLY things I miss on the Fantasy are the Fish n Chips place and the nicer disco - but in the end, those really don't matter. I have PLENTY to eat and have a great time in the smaller disco, so it's all good. Can't wait to sail on the Fantasy in October after it's refurbished!

[BluesWhenNoCruise]

if you were worried about a small ship why didnt you book your cruise with a larger one?

 

We're sailing in part with a convention so I really didn't have a choice in choosing which ship we sail on. :) We're just using it as an excuse to get away and have fun!

 

Like I said earlier, I was really only asking so I could get a feeling of what to expect being our first cruise was on a larger/newer ship.

 

Thanks again for all the replies. I know without a doubt we will have a great time.

 

BTW, no love loss here for the lack of a F&C place, all though my sailing companions might be a tad disappointed!

 

Cheers!

[ruthiegirl]

If it floats you'll love it !:)