Carnival Fantasy - Review
The Carnival Fantasy is a great ship for first timers. It is usually scheduled for 3 or 4 day trips out of Port Canaveral or other south Florida embarkation ports. It is an ideal way to get your feet wet so to speak and see if you would like cruising. (Of course my personal opinion is that if you don’t like cruising you should see a doctor ASAP as there is something wrong with you-but I digress) It is easy to extend a Disney or other south Florida vacation by adding on the extra couple days on one of these short trips.
This ship (Carnival Fantasy) is not for cruise aficionados. I don’t have to repeat that do
...cruise, you will likely be able to save 15% or 20%. A group in generally considered 20 people or more. The entire group will get the discount on the portion they are responsible to pay. Make sure you find out ...
The Carnival Fantasy is about 70,000 tons. It is a perfect size. Not so big that you have to line up for everything and not so small that you feel motion on the ocean. The Fantasy is the first in this class of ships of which there are ten.
The Good
As per usual on a cruise ship the service is excellent. There are often many trainees learning the ropes on shorter duration cruises but the standards are pretty much the same. The menus are
...stay for a long, long time. Windsurfing, kiteboarding, scuba diving and snorkeling, deep sea fishing, catamaran sailing, and many others are offered with instructions and guides from local businesses. Whale watching between January and March features humpback whales, one of ...
If you can stand to have more than two people in your cabin (185 sq ft for a standard cabin) you can save money. The third and fourth person rates are usually about half that of the first two people. The extra people sleep in murphy beds that pull down from the wall. During the day these are secured to the wall giving you extra space. Having said that the
...cruise portion) and vary depending on all ships and ports. Carnival allows the bride and groom to upgrade their package according to their budget. The wedding coordinators will help design the ideal cruise wedding with packages that include everything from ...
The Cat’s lounge is a must see on this ship. Everything is laid out as a cat would see it really really big. Cleopatra’s bar features an Egyptian theme in a piano bar setting-way cool.
The bad
The Carnival Fantasy is showing her age in spite of last years refurbishment. Most notably in the teak deck boards that you can spring up and down on.
On all Carnival cruises (including the Fantasy) your tips are already added to your shipboard account when you get on.
...at a sit-down restaurant may be provided free of charge, but your snacks are typically not covered. This often includes snacks or small meals purchased at onboard specialty shops and vending machines. You can save money by brining your own ...
The Ugly
The Carnival Fantasy has a children’s program called Camp Carnival. I have sailed on this ship 3 times and have used the services of Camp Carnival all three times. Although not all three were aboard the Carnival Fantasy. The first two times all went well. My son loved it all. The last time the staff at Camp Carnival (Fantasy) were the worst I have ever
...that this kind of work is not really suited for married couples and parents. If you're young and fit without a care in the world, then it could be just the career opportunity you've been looking for. If you like ...
On the cheap
If you want to go on the Carnival Fantasy cheaply, go in the off season ie September or October for the biggest savings. Book far ahead or if you don’t have to worry about fluctuating airfare book less than a month away.
Take a taxi to the beach from the Carnival Fantasy instead of joining up with the ships excursion of “beach party”.
Eat on the ship (the Carnival Fantasy has some of the best food at sea), instead of on each island ie come back for
...wall, it makes it the rock climbers dream vacation. These cruise ships carry up to 3500 passengers and they are floating cities. The ships sail on several different schedules and to many locations. Although most of the cruises ply the ...
Book a guarantee cabin ie you are guaranteed that category of cabin or better just not a specific cabin. YOu will often be upgraded this way and will always sail cheaper.
Note: Between my brother and I we have cruised on the Carnival Fantasy 7 times now. Its short itinerary makes it ideal for a long weekend getaway, or to accompany a Disney vacation.
I love travelling, more than anyone else I know. Please read some of my other travel reviews at http://travel.gocurious.com/ and visit my other sites at http://www.gocurious.com/ and http://christmas.gocurious.com/