What brings you back to the Fantasy Class?

Preparing for my trip (first cruise) on the Elation in 14 days!

I know the newer ships have some great new places to eat and drink, amazing water slides and all kinds of other cool activities, but I've seen a good group of you folks around here still swearing by the Fantasy class ships.

What is your favorite part about them, and what makes them stand out to you over the newer ships? What is unique about them that you won't find on the newer ships?

Feel free to share your favorite parts of these ships, favorite stories on them, or any tips that make sailing on these ships even better!

From my experiences - less crowded, more deck chairs available, easier to navigate around the ship. The main dining room food is the same as on other ships, so there's no loss there.

Less people, promenade deck and lido deck are one above the other, easier to get from aft to bow on lido and I like the atriums better than the larger ships.

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less people, atriums, and the fact it feels like im on a cruise ship. All though I LOVE the dream class as well and the extra places to eat the waterslides etc, I love the smaller ship feel as well.

Ive said it before it is like your favorite pair of old jeans. They may be out of style but they are too comfortable to get rid of.

Preparing for my trip (first cruise) on the Elation in 14 days!

 

I know the newer ships have some great new places to eat and drink, amazing water slides and all kinds of other cool activities, but I've seen a good group of you folks around here still swearing by the Fantasy class ships.

 

What is your favorite part about them, and what makes them stand out to you over the newer ships? What is unique about them that you won't find on the newer ships?

 

Feel free to share your favorite parts of these ships, favorite stories on them, or any tips that make sailing on these ships even better!

I can give you a mini review of Elation and offer my opinions. I just got off Elation today.

I've been a big fan of the Fantasy class ships for years, cruising on them over and over again. My last 2 cruises have been on the Elation. I prefer the familiar layout with fewer passengers. But I have to say that I've reached the point where I think it is time for Carnival to start retiring the Fantasy class ships.

I just got off Elation today and can tell you that the Carnival team members on this ship are just fabulous and eager to please. I only encountered one grumpy one all week, and the others more than made up for that. Carnival ships are always very clean too, including Elation. So that is not an issue. It is just that the Fantasy class ships are aging and it is apparent to me that Carnival is not investing in them to bring them up to the standards of their newer ships. Little things make a difference, like the plumbing system aging and lots of wear and tear like very scuffed up cabinets in the cabins. And both cabins I've had on Elation since November had horrible sagging mattresses with no support, apparently way past their usable life. The toilet in my Elation cabin this past week wreaked of urine odor, and the shower water temperature could not be regulated. It would go from cold to scalding over and over again and the shower head was cheap plastic that leaked horribly.

So those are the little things that are making me less of a fan of the Fantasy class ships. The public areas are in pretty good shape but the cabins are not IMO. My cabin was on Empress deck aft. It was pretty obvious to me that the further aft you walked on the ship, the warmer the temperatures are. I would estimate my cabin temperature was in the upper 70s. Thank goodness I took my fan with me because I needed it to sleep at night.

I'm not complaining though. I had a really good time on my cruise. It is just getting to where all the little things are harder to overlook. The Fantasy class ships are aging and Carnival is not investing in them. Elation just went through dry dock a few months ago but you really can't tell it.

The food was typical Carnival food which varies very little. My favorite Carnival foods are their sea day brunch menu items and the homemade soups they offer on the buffet. I did notice a new breakfast buffet item which was chicken something. It had a crunchy outside and was likely baked, and the inside was a mixture of chicken, mild spices, and breading. It was tasty and looked like a mini egg roll. The breakfast buffet hash rounds were better than in the past, seeming more like homemade and less like fast food hash rounds. Even if I don't care for what's on the buffet, I can always make a great meal out of the soup and the salad bar.

So as long as you know what you are getting when you book a Fantasy class ship, you won't be disappointed because their cruise fare prices are pretty cheap. You get really good value on Fantasy class ships.

The Elation cruise director is currently Steve. He was okay, but I could barely understand his announcements because he speaks very, very fast.

Elation's plusses are great Carnival team members willing to bend over backwards to help, and a very clean ship. Elation's minuses are a very aging ship well past time for major refurbishment.

Have a great time on your Elation cruise. Be sure and come back here and give us your review. I know you must be getting excited with your cruise so close.

Sailing that size ship is a good way to get your feet wet for cruising. The smallness makes it easy to learn and give you confidence to do it again. As another poster said, sometimes it's time to move on though. I've done 6 between Sensation and Ecstasy. Just skip the looking for wear and tear, it's usually minor. Concentrate on what's available and do it. Some new cruisers think the MDR is pay dining room, it's not.

Carnival Fantasy cruises out of Charleston, SC which is an extremely convenient port for us.

We would not fly or drive a long distance to cruise on a Fantasy Class ship.

LuLu

It's all I can afford!:)

But you gotta love the Serenity Area being aft!

Has anyone been on all the Fantasy class ships? Imagination is the only one I haven't been on yet.

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1) on the west coast, we have little choice.

2) it's a nice size. We kept running into our party all over the ship-- very easy to coordinate, and I was never lost. I have ZERO sense of direction and found my way around very easily.

3) nostalgia-- the Imagination reminds us of old school, retro vegas.

And we love that.

4) layout-- we like aft cabins, with serenity and comedy back there, we win!

Thanks for the advice and the mini-reviews!

Part of the reason I chose the Elation is actually because it is one of the most "old school" ships in the fleet. For better or worse, I figured it would be interesting to try one of the ships that isn't 2.0 and is a little bit outdated. After all, I'll have years to cruise on the Breeze or Dream, but how much longer will the Elation be around in her current configuration?

(I know, I purposely chose one of the most outdated ships in the fleet. Crazy huh?)

I can't wait to see what other fantastic thoughts everyone has on the Fantasy class! I think it'll be a lot of fun to walk the ship and be able to say "Hey, that is what made these ships so popular" or "Look, this is the first type of ship to ever do that!"

The best feature of the fantasy class ships is the serenity area being aft instead of forward. It's much harder to find, so way less crowded, especially on the shorter cruises. The cruise is over by the time half the people on board even find it.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2154983

If that links correctly, that's my review of the Elation from my January cruise. It's my 2nd time to sail her. I agree with the mini review and most of the comments above. I do love the aft sections of the ship, but serenity was so crowded we couldn't get chairs on the one sea day we tried. That was ok though because 2 decks up is ample aft deck space. Let us know what you think after you sail. Please post a note on this thread so we can know when you post a review.

Our first cruise was a three night on the Sensation back in 2009. We have since sailed on the Paradise. We will be back on the Paradise and then on the Elation this year. Like the Serenity at the back of the ship. Something great about sitting there and watching the water the ship leaves behind.

Has anyone been on all the Fantasy class ships? Imagination is the only one I haven't been on yet.

 

 

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I've been on all of them but the Paradise. The price is the main draw.

Our last Fantasy class ship cruise was on the Fascination. The main draw was that it was cheap and departed from our closest "drive to" port.

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I'll definitly post on here when I do my review. My sole concern about this ship is the lumpy beds, but I guess I'll just drink margaritas until the bed feels good and cozy!

I had no idea all the Fantasy class ships were doing short cruises now. I was on them when they were doing 7 days.

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For our first family cruise last March I picked the Fascination because my BFF cruised on it the year before. It was easy to navigate, super easy port, crew were friendly and had part of the 2.0 upgrades, which was nice since our HMC port was cancelled due to weather. We all agreed we'd sail on the Fascination again.

Last October we sailed the Elation right after dry dock. We had a very memorable time - snorkeling for the first time in Cozumel - amazing! Progresso wasn't as bad as many posted and while we just walked the town, we never felt unsafe. The boat is tired, lacked the 2.0 upgrades and the shows were disappointing - even the family comedy show one night which was sooooo awkward. Our wait staff made up for all the Elation lacked that week. We still talk about John all the time - he was just awesome! We all agreed we'd never sail Elation again. I also did a review of our cruise, if you're interested.

Long/short - a cruise is what you make of it. Sure we did not the Elation boat nearly as much as the Fascination but the memories made will last a lifetime. Enjoy your cruise!!

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We find the size to be almost perfect for us. They are easy to navigate and to remember where everything is located. The serenity deck aft is an wonderful p,ace to sit and just watch the wake. They are conveniently located from us - Charleston and Jacksonville.

The Fantasy still does 7 day cruises. Not sure about the other ships in that class though. We are taking one in November. We choose this cruise because of cost and it is a closer drive then Florida. We were going to go with the pride because it is a lot closer but it was over $1000 more for our family of 5 even with factoring in gas and hotel to go to Charleston. We do still want to go on the Pride though. Maybe next time :)

Below is an excerpt from my review on the Fantasy:

After brunch we decided to explore a little of the ship. Let me start by saying upon arrival into the port the appearance of the ship left much to be desired. However, I did not have high expectations as I already knew this was the oldest ship in the fleet. What I was not expecting was the amount of rust on the side of the ship. I made a mental note but didn't say anything about it. Incidentally when we came back from our excursion in Freeport there were workers painting the side of the ship. How funny is that? At first glance I thought they were cleaning the windows so I excitedly pointed that out to my honey. He then corrected me and as I looked a little closer I realized that they were actually covering the rust marks under the windows. I guess I wasn't the only person who thought it was unsightly. Well with that being said the Fantasy definitely has character. I think that is what brings people back for repeated trips. There is a real nostalgic feel to most of the common areas. It screams 80's music and bad hair...lol! (just a little joke no hate mail please) Did I mention they played Kenny G at dinner the first night? It's on the brink of being cheesy but before you have time to really dissect the appearance there goes another crew member offering you a smile and/or a drink! There you have it folks- great customer service will make you forgive a multitude of ills. I know this for a fact. The crew on the Fantasy is a very hard working group. Their number one job is to make you feel welcomed and they do a very good job of it. So where the ship might miss in terms of bells and whistles it definitely makes up for it with a wonderful crew. They take pride in keeping the ship in good shape.

I have a cruise coming up in August on the Conquest. I'm looking forward to seeing the difference but to be honest I would not mind doing another cruise on the Fantasy. The price, convenience and timing was right!! Hope you enjoy your cruise!

Carnival Fantasy cruises out of Charleston, SC which is an extremely convenient port for us.

We would not fly or drive a long distance to cruise on a Fantasy Class ship.

LuLu

Good point, LuLu. I love my Fantasy cruises and the convenience to port; however, like you, I would not go a long distance to go on her when I could go on a newer ship. I was surprised on my last cruise to chat with new cruisers who had flown from Canada (!) to Charleston for the Fantasy. Why not go a little farther down the coast?

Kathy

I've cruised the Fantasy 3 times, Inspiration and Ecstasy once each. I love the smaller ships. It's not as crowded and I feel the employees (especially in the MDR) give more personal attention. On my last Fantasy cruise, I was stopped by a waiter in the MDR who remembered us from our cruise on the Inspiration. He had recently transferred to the Fantasy. I don't think you'd find that kind of experience on larger ships. :D