Not Exactly My Cup of Tea

Carnival Fantasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 10

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Carnival Fantasy

5 Night Bahamas (Charleston Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 30, 2011

Ship: Carnival Fantasy

Cabin type: Inside

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 12 years ago

Review summary

This being our first cruise, we were not sure what to expect. It seemed to be driven more towards family activities and not so much for young couples/singles, which is fine and totally understandable, just not where we are in life. There seemed to be a lot of options for activities, none that interested me but that is not the Fantasy's fault. I think it would be nice to see an itinerary in advance of what will be going on so you have a better idea of what to expect or be prepared for. I did try to branch out and attend a couple of the shows, but they were always packed which indicated that you need to get there super early to be able to get in, which seemed to always conflict with my dining time. There were 1000 children in attendance on our cruise, which was surprising bc I never really saw that many children, so that would be a positive. However, there were many times you could tell there was a large amount of people on board for examples: attending a show, getting a lounge chair on deck, finding a seat in the buffet/lunch dining area, moving around the atrium. Not a big fan of the over crowded feeling I got in those situations. To purchase anything extra like excursions, bottled water, a massage or cocktails were overly expensive, but the drinks were always yummy! I loved the dinner atmosphere and made good friends with our fellow dinner guest. It was always a good time. We were told that since this was our honeymoon, they would be doing something special for us during the second night at dinner, but that never happened :( It was nice to port and have time to do excursions and see the Bahamas, but when it came to return, it was a nightmare getting back on the boat, that was the same as when we were departing the cruise, a complete disaster with so much disorganization! Overall, I did enjoy this experience and may try a cruise again and definitely think it would be fun for when we have a family.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
You seriously could eat anytime you wanted. I loved that they offered that option bc I tend to be hungry at odd hours of the day. The buffet/lunch options weren't bad, it was a hit or miss and I found a couple things I enjoyed, not enough to have something different every day but not bad. The choices and food at dinner were excellent! Our table requested the cream brulee that they had on the first night but didn't have on the menu again, and to our surprise the chef made 8 dishes of it just for our table! It was very nice. Room service was complete opposite from the other dining/food. Usually you get your food in 30 minutes but once it took over an hour. My husband ordered a grilled cheese from the hot sandwich section and received toasted bread with 2 slices of cheese in between, now that does sound like a grilled cheese except for the fact that there was no grilling involved and the cheese was not melted and was cold.

Entertainment

1 out of 5
Like I stated in my overall, there wasn't much that interested me, and the couple times I did go to attend, it was over crowded. The random music acts that you could hear/see while walking around weren't bad. I am far from being musically talented so I am easily impressed :)

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
Most of the staff were very friendly. I did encounter a few that seemed annoyed/bothered by our presences/questions. The only time I would say I experience the above and beyond was at dinner the last night. Our stateroom steward was awesome. He made the cutest animals and was on top of keeping our room in order. He was also very honest and trustworthy, one instance was when my husband had left his Ipod and a couple hundred of dollars in chips out before heading to dinner (not his smartest move),the steward had attended to our room for turn down and had laid his i pod on the table and all the chips were still there! It was very reassuring that our stuff wasn't being gone through or taken, which is always a fear of staying place!

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
It was definitely a smaller ship and you could really tell when you saw it on port next to one of their sister ships or another cruise line. The cleanliness of the ship was outstanding, I never saw a dirty table or trash anywhere. The elevators were a little sketchy and I found myself afraid to get in one in fear it may get stuck, so I got a good workout using the stairs.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
It was small, but easy to move around and get ready. Then again there were only 2 of us, I am not sure how parties of 4 or more managed. You can hear everything, but it wasn't an issue in the night time when everyone was asleep, just when you are taking a nap :)

Pros: The overall experience. Enjoyed the getaway

Cons: The over crowded feel.

Recommends Carnival Fantasy? Yes!

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1 Comment

ctav    7 years ago

I was on this cruise and there was a lot of children, but a thousand is a little over estimate and it was a Christmas break cruise.

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