Indytraveler83

On our sailing on the Elation earlier this year the steward did not put the beds together despite our request. It wasn't until we put the beds together ourselves that he finally made the bed as a king (on day 2).

We initially thought it may have been something against us, since we are also a gay couple, but as the cruise went on we became more suspect that we simply had a lazy and grumpy steward. We cruise in a few months on the Dream, very curious to see how it goes this time.

Loving the review, can't wait to see more! Especially anxious to see what food you do and don't recommend, and how much you used your cove balcony. We have a cove at the end of January that's only a few doors down from where you stayed.

I'll try to be as direct as possible without hurting some people's feelings. For me, there are two reasons to sail on a Fantasy class ship. They are cheap and they are convenient. Period. But I don't glamorize the experience on these ships by saying things like "they are cozy" or "they carry less passengers" or "the crew treats you like family" or "you really get to connect with the ocean".

 

Objectively speaking, these are the smallest and oldest ships in the fleet, with some of the worst space to passenger ratios in the industry (yes, they are smaller, but they are packed), they lack activities or the food selection found on larger ships, they also lack balconies (meaning you need to get all the way to a top deck to "connect" with the ocean unless you are one of the few with your own balcony), the decor is outdated, and the itineraries leave a lot to be desired.

 

BUT, they are a GREAT way to get away on vacation without spending too much, either on the cruise or the airfare. These ships are strategically deployed so that most of their passengers drive rather than fly. As a result, you'll have a very laid back and unpretentious cruise with fellow cruisers who are attracted to these sailings because of price rather than the overall cruise experience.

 

With the Fantasy coming to Mobile (an easy 4 hour drive for us), I'm DEFINITELY considering sailing on her. But I will do so with very realistic expectations, and that's how I can make sure that I'll have a great time. I recommend that if you choose one of these ships that you do the same.

Well said and not going to disagree with your points or perspective at all. And to be honest maybe my "bar" is a little low compared to others here. I'm used to camping trips with old tents and cross country voyages where we stay at the cheapest hotels imaginable. Cruises (even the more expensive ones) are a fantastic value, and because of that, staying on a 20 year old ship seems amazing compared to staying in a hotel whose best years were sometime around the Korean War.

I thought the Elation was an amazing ship and in fantastic shape. We heard others call her a rust bucket and quite serious about it. Getting on the Dream this winter will be a very interesting experience and it'll be interesting to see if my "bar" changes.

Just saying,

I'm loving this thread. As a beginning cruiser, but someone who researches like crazy, it's fun to see this. There was a time that the Fantasy was the biggest cruise ship in the world, and everyone thought she was too big. Now many people think she is far too small. (The Titanic was "only" 52,000 tons)

Having gone on the Elation last year and heading on the Dream in a few months, I think I'll make sure I compare and contrast a lot in my review.

I think that is wise of Carnival. Sometimes it's more productive from a business standpoint to emphasize how you differ from your competitors than to emphasize your similarities.

 

I've seen a few things about the Vista. The guests to space ratio concerns me a bit. I'm hoping that the design makes this a non-issue. Either way, I hope this is a big as they ever go. Personally, I would have rather seen them build a new Conquest to Dream size ship.

That ratio scares me too. Unfortunately most new ship designs are adding passenger decks and not a lot more space to go with it. I feel like that will continue to get worse until someone builds one that the public just won't book due to crowding.

Carnival seems rather disinterested in the ships getting much bigger though. While I'd love to say it's for the concerns you and I have, it's probably just not financially practical to build ships like Oasis of the Seas for a huge and ever expanding fleet. RC probably had more room to experiment, while Carnival likely needs to stick with designs they can quickly push out a half dozen ships with.

Bummer. I hope Carnival never goes this route.

Based on the design of the Vista and some of the new Princess ships, as well as John Heald's shots at the competition, it seems for the most part that Carnival Corp is trying to make this one of the big differences between them and RC.

This isn't to say that an RC cruise is bad. Not bashing them at all. But for two cruise lines that are similar in so many ways, this is one of the core differences. I feel like if I lived somewhere where the ocean was more accessible instead of landlocked Indiana, I might appreciate those ships more. As it is for me though, I'll skip the shows and entertainment. Just put a drink in my hand and the sea in front of me, and I'll happily sail on a barge!

Gah, another add on, sorry:

If the age, features and cruise duration are off putting to you, you may wish to try a Spirit Class ship. There are only a few of them in the fleet, but they are only a tiny bit bigger than Fantasy class ships, but a lot newer. I've seen a lot of people refer to them as the perfect small cruise ship.

The Legend is Carnival's Alaska ship, and if you have the ability, that would be an utterly epic cruise on a spirit class. The Pride is based in Baltimore and it could be a fun experience too.

Thank you. Well presented. The only one of the things you mentioned that I would see as a real plus for my wife and I is:

 

 

"Because they are smaller, you feel the ocean quite a bit more and there are few places you can go without seeing the ocean"

 

But that's a BIG plus in my opinion. The inverse of that is exactly why I wouldn't be interested in an Oasis of the Seas size ship. I agree Fantasy class ships are usually cheaper, but isn't that mostly because the cruise is shorter? Correct me if I'm wrong. I want to be wrong.

 

You didn't mention smaller crowds. Is that noticeable? Or is that relative, and a smaller crowd "feels" about the same on a smaller ship as a bigger crowd "feels" on a larger ship? I'm very curious about that aspect.

 

Thanks again!

Unfortunately most of the cruises are shorter on these ships yes. A few still do 7 day cruises but most are on the 4-5 day schedule. It makes for a shorter cruise, but on many ships its still cheaper, especially if you have a little date flexibility. When we went on the Elation, we took a 2 day "excursion" of our own in New Orleans before boarding the ship. To us, it was still a 7 day, 3 port vacation for less than going on the Dream.

Crowds are interesting on these ships. It usually doesn't feel very crowded at all. But, due to more limited activities and more limited dining venues, there are time where it feels like the entire ship is in the same place at once. I do believe however that sailing dates are likely to make more of a difference than the ship itself. If school is out, it'll be packed, no matter the ship.

I don't have as much firsthand experience as I do research experience, so I can't tell exactly which ships are best. I used to have a spreadsheet that someone else had made which showed all the features. It seems I've lost it though. Maybe someone else has it handy? I know the Elation and Paradise are two of the more outdated in the class, while the Fantasy and Ecstasy have had more significant renovations. Just don't remember exactly.

Overall, the fantasy class is more "cozy" and convenient. They lack the glitz, glamour and size, but usually offer amazing service and a perfect layout.

And I agree with you about the RC mega ships. We will never cruise RC, not because of anything "bad" but simply because they focus on bringing your attention to the ship's stunning features, whereas it seems Carnival turns your eyes to the sea.

Forgot to add this:

Not all fantasy class are equal. Each ship is in its own configuration at this point. Some have extra balconies, 2.0 upgrades, water slides and new renovations. Others have been sailing for 10+ years with only very minor face lifts. If any feature (like balconies) are important to you, research your ships. Some are much easier to come by, while others have just a few.

Are there any features that Fantasy class ships have that the larger ones do not?

Features? No. But a few things to consider:

Fantasy class ships have the Serenity deck at the very rear of the ship. The view is amazing and unlike that on any other ship. Last cruise we spent more time there than in our cabin.

The layout is extremely common sense and easy. Combined with being smaller, you are never too far from anything, which makes it much easier to carry food to clubs and other places, or to return to your room to change or pick something up.

Because they are smaller, you feel the ocean quite a bit more and there are few places you can go without seeing the ocean. We find this a huge plus. Some people don't.

Fantasy class ships are usually much cheaper, you can probably fit 3 cruises on one of these for the price of 2 on another ship.

There are some food and a little entertainment options these ships lack, but the real question is if you notice?

I already experienced this on both cruises. It comes down to what you are looking for, vs what others are. We find that we love being close to the action, regardless of noise (we have very noisy upstairs neighbors and are almost immune to noise at this point) and we hate being in isolated parts of the ship where we have to walk far to get to everything. With noise being a huge factor with a lot of cruisers, we usually get our pick of high traffic locations without much trouble.

I refuse to worry about things I can't control.

This is the way I see it. If anything, the more recent issues around the world show us that terrorism can really happen about any place at any time. Yes, being grouped together with other people is higher risk. But I'd rather die while trying to truly live, than to live cowering in my basement.

I got the offer when I booked my last cruise (under the past guest rate). It was only good for two days. What rate did you book under? I wonder if it is tied to the rate type you book under.

Well the first time I got the offer I think it was as Early Saver, my most recent booking was this "no snow" promotional rate. Neither time did it give me 2 days though, it was book now or loose the offer.

Ok, so sounds like the offer usually comes up, but only when you first book, and only if you choose a Carnival excursion at each of your ports?

I've not seen that pop up so I guess it doesn't happen all the time.

Interesting. This makes me even more curious. The discount was 20% which means we saved $100 on excursions for our upcoming trip. Not enormous, but not chump change either.

Wonder if anyone knows the strategy neccisary to get this offer to come up? Or is it random? For as much as some of us fight for 20 and 30 dollar price drops, I'm honestly surprised to not see more about this one. Maybe most of you are saving even more by booking private tours?

I hope I'm not harping on a silly point, but I'm most comfortable with the ship excursions as this point in my cruising career, and figuring out how to get that discount as often as possible would be fantastic!

I'm hoping those of you more familiar with Carnival and its website can help me figure this one out:

When I booked my first cruise, Carnival's website had a pop up tell me that if I booked all of my excursions right now, I'd receive a discount. At that point I hadn't researched them at all, so I turned the offer down.

For the cruise I just booked, I researched in advance just in case I received the same offer, and lo and behold it came up again. The 20% discount is pretty significant considering how much everyone will fight and call just to get small reductions in cruise fare.

However, I've never seen anyone mention this on this site. Did I just get lucky to receive this offer twice? Or is this one of those things that everyone already knows when booking and I'm just behind?

 

And guy #2 screwed up....if the girl and them were all going back to the cabin to mess around he shoulda joined in from the start lol. Jeessh....Amatuers 😆😆😆😆😜

And it's that type of mess the cabin steward really doesn't wanna clean up!

Hello,

We have a cave tubing excursion lined up for our trip in Belize, but it says we will be back at 2:30 and our ship doesn't depart until 6. We tend to like to spend time at our destinations and not get back on the ship too soon. But I've also heard very mixed opinions on Belize.

So what options do we have once we are shuttled back to the port? Looking for something low/no cost that we could do on our own time and not get too far away. Any nearby beaches, good shopping or other experiences that would be worth a couple of hours?

Our poor cabin steward had to clean up the huge mess the two dummies had made of their cabin. We didn't get turn-down service that night, which was understandable, but we did get 2 towel animals the next day.

 

I was exhausted so pretty much went to bed after dinner and Terry joined me soon after.

 

I enjoyed my excursion and would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm just not in any rush to go back to Cozumel. It just felt like a booze port, maybe it was just me and the 2 incidents could be just isolated incidents.

I'd say Cozumel does tend to be a booze port, but the behavior you described is not the norm. I think it had to do more with two guys "on the hunt" than anything else. Usually Cozumel is a "pier runner" port where you laugh at drunks stumbling their way back to a departing ship and eventually find out that someone missed the ship completely while passed out in a puddle of tequila.

Thanks! We booked it! Jan 31st we will see for ourselves!

Thanks for all the input. I recall a thread from a few years ago where someone said they had closed the doors and removed the furniture from the balcony, pbut couldn't remember exactly under what conditions. Still haven't been able to find that old thread, but it's sounding like several of you guys book these regularly and have never seen the doors shut.

Carnival is best described as an "informal" cruise line. It is very relaxed with dress code and the staff calls you by first name. Most passengers are friendly.

Some find the informality to be too relaxed and want more perks and to be treated like VIP's and not "just" guests. If so, Carnival will disappoint you greatly.

We like the informality and heavily prefer the relaxed atmosphere, so it is our cruiseline of choice.

My parents sail with Princess and the only thing different about their drunks is they paid a lot more for the privilege. Mom comes come with stories about middle aged women polishing off $75 bottles of wine by themselves... Lol.

We were on the Elation in February. I really miss that ship and that staff, even if the old girl is a little rough around the edges. These photos are bringing back so many memories!!

How often do they have to close the storm doors that prevent you from being on the balcony?

Didn't know if this is a rare heavy seas type of occurrence or if those doors get closed quite regularly. Would hate to pay for a balcony if I likely can't use it. I'll be on the Dream the first week of February. Last year on the Elation at the same time we had one day of very rough seas, and the rest was just occasionally choppy water, so I would think we would be ok, but what do you guys think?.

Keep in mind that many of the coves are between the midship and aft elevators, which means they are right under the galley.

We rarely worry much about noise. We had a "noisy" room on the Elation this year and usually were too tired or too intoxicated to notice! It also helps that our upstairs neighbor at home is rather obese, so we've got practice tuning out weird sounds...