Fantasy--Gimme the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly??

Looking at booking the Fantasy in August. Looks like drydock scheduled in January. How is she now. She has Guys and the bars right?

Also any info on park and cruise in Mobile would be great!!

Thanks!!

Fantasy has Red Frog Rum and Blue Iguana Tequila Bars, but no Alchemy Bar. She also has Guy’s Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina. There is no Cherry on Top, but Special Occasions is essentially the same thing.

You can park at the port (remember to reserve parking online beforehand at shipmobile.com) although your best bet would be a hotel offering a park-snooze-cruise option. I have seen the Microtel in Saraland recommended by a few people on here, as well as Hampton Inn, which has a couple of locations near the terminal. You can find more options at mobile.org.

I have not sailed the Fantasy, although I had been booked to go last October before a job change cut down my vacation time. I also grew up in Mobile, so while some things have changed (like getting a cruise ship), I am obviously familiar with the area.

We love the Fantasy. So much so, we will be on her again in about 3 weeks. I will post a review when we get back.

We were on the Fantasy for the Halloween cruise 2016. It's an older ship, but I did prefer the smaller crowds and shorter walks. They are some odd dead-ends on some floors where you have to backtrack to go up or down. Some of the decor is still around from 1990, but that is part of the charm. Also, some noticeable rust on the railings.

The absolute BEST place on the ship is at the back of Lido out the two doors. There are "wings" that jut out with tables and chairs. Every night my Dad and I would share a bottle of wine and watch the sunset whilst pulling away from the port of the day. It was magical.

I just returned from a Glory cruise on April 28. We saw the Fantasy docked next to us in a few of the western itinerary ports. Just looking at the Fantasy from the dock, I was surprised to see how neglected it looked. There were huge rust stains all along the hull from stem to stern. Usually you can see workings priming the hull way before it gets that bad, but no one was painting in these ports - Cozumel and Roatan.

I'm biased, since I stopped sailing this class of ship about a dozen years ago due to their age. Having a Guy's is not a deal maker for me either.

We were on the fantasy this last halloween. We loved it ! We dont mind and actually like the smaller ships, her crew was top notch. Best cd ever but i know he isnt on there now. The food was good in the dr, hit and miss on the lido but guys, deli and tacos were great. We stayed at the battle house on their park and cruise package. Great hotel with excellent service and private driver that took us to the port and was there waiting on us when we left the ship.

Took the family on the Fantasy back in January. We all loved it. For being such an old ship, it has been maintained well and appeared to be in better condition than the Ecstasy was when we were on her a few years ago.

In all honesty, I liked the Fantasy the best of all the ships we've been on so far. It's a smaller ship so it's less crowded, doesn't take as long to walk from one place to another, and just seems to have a more relaxing atmosphere as compared to the newer, bigger ships where everyone is running around trying to do everything or standing in lines to get into the shows. Our cabins were very clean and well maintained. The common areas are clean and nice, even if some of the decor is a bit dated.

Really, my only complaint is that the decor, while not bad, is not as simple and 'fresh' as the decor on the newer ships. I like the color scheme of the newer ships instead of the red cabin decor in the older ships. The newer decor is more calming and subdued. But that's all just personal preference.

Sailed on the Fantasy in Nov of 17. Had a great time. Guys and Blue Iguana were a nice addition There were places that showed the ship's age but all and all, nothing that affected our trip. Had a great time with good food and entertainment. Thoroughly enjoyed the comedy club. All and all the ship never felt crowded with the exception of the Serenity area. It always seemed full, hard to find a chair and hot tubs packed....I'm referring to day time on sea days. I would sail her again in a heartbeat.

All and all the ship never felt crowded with the exception of the Serenity area.

Ditto. The Serenity area is so tiny compared to the larger ships, but that is to be expected.

It's all bad and ugly.

Fantasy has Red Frog Rum and Blue Iguana Tequila Bars, but no Alchemy Bar. She also has Guy’s Burger Joint and Blue Iguana Cantina. There is no Cherry on Top, but Special Occasions is essentially the same thing.

 

You can park at the port (remember to reserve parking online beforehand at shipmobile.com) although your best bet would be a hotel offering a park-snooze-cruise option. I have seen the Microtel in Saraland recommended by a few people on here, as well as Hampton Inn, which has a couple of locations near the terminal. You can find more options at mobile.org.

 

I have not sailed the Fantasy, although I had been booked to go last October before a job change cut down my vacation time. I also grew up in Mobile, so while some things have changed (like getting a cruise ship), I am obviously familiar with the area.

Awesome info , thanks!!!

We love the Fantasy. So much so, we will be on her again in about 3 weeks. I will post a review when we get back.

Looking forward to your review. We booked for August :-)

We were on the fantasy this last halloween. We loved it ! We dont mind and actually like the smaller ships, her crew was top notch. Best cd ever but i know he isnt on there now. The food was good in the dr, hit and miss on the lido but guys, deli and tacos were great. We stayed at the battle house on their park and cruise package. Great hotel with excellent service and private driver that took us to the port and was there waiting on us when we left the ship.

JMust got back form the Magic a couple months ago.. but I love the smaller ships also. Booked on Ecstacy next March already. Will check out the Battle House!!

Greggy_D: Every night my Dad and I would share a bottle of wine and watch the sunset whilst pulling away from the port of the day. It was magical.

Now isn't that what vacations are for, awesome. What a nice memory.

Thank you, Woodfaerie. It truly was. We're hoping to relive it on the Glory next week, however I can't seem to locate a spot which is equivalent to the Fantasy lido "wings". I'll have to do some exploring when we get on the ship.

Sorry to report that it's a Fantasy Class ship......have moved on years ago to newer, larger and better. So, IMHO, there is nothing good about her. But, there are plenty of people that love to cruise the old rust buckets that make the most money for Carnival.

We have sailed the Fantasy several times and have enjoyed each one. The ship maybe old but in reality in ship years she is not that old. We like the size of the ship. It has everything we need. The Fantasy is regional ship, with most passengers are from nearby areas but there are still people who travel from Canada, northern states, and even one group we talked to from Mexico who travel to Mobile to sail on her.

We just cruised on her this past January and March. We loved it! It was very easy and quick to get from one place to the next on the ship. I am not one, however, to dwell on rust spots, a stain on the carpet, etc. I didn't notice any of these...I was too busy enjoying being on ANY cruise ship and on vacation. Food was good, room steward was great, shows were good, drinks were excellent, my bed was wonderfully comfortable. (I think one's enjoyment is all about preconceptions and expectations.) I can't think of anything that would prevent me from sailing on the Fantasy again. The commute to Mobile is a piece of cake from East Tennessee. We stayed at Renaissance Riverview and used their shuttle. Nicest shuttle guy you could ever meet! Squeezed us on to an earlier shuttle by moving around some luggage since the ship had arrived into Mobile port considerably late. Since the ship was late, Renaissance also allowed us to stay in our room until our new shuttle time so we didn't have to roam around with our luggage. Shuttle driver was there and waiting when we got off with a big smile on his face. Five star treatment from the hotel and shuttle all around!

We love her! The wonderful officers and crew make her our favorite ship:D

My recent Diamond cruise was on the Fantasy - could NOT have asked for more! Officers and staff were friendly, room steward was attentive, everything shipboard was clean, smelled good and in working order. We prefer this class, and have a heart for the Fantasy since our first cruise ever was in 2004 on the Fantasy, cabin E253. Would encourage anyone considering booking on the Fantasy to do it! And keep in mind Carnival’s largest population demographic is repeat cruisers - they want you back!

We love the Fantasy. So much so, we will be on her again in about 3 weeks. I will post a review when we get back.

Awesome looking forward to it

Fantasy is a great ship. Some have mentioned rust, from outside, yes the ship looks older. But on board I never saw rust, everything was clean, great shape, and I had a blast.

My wife and I sailed on the Fantasy in January. We enjoy the layout of the Fantasy class ships. The crew was friendly and provided great service. I know the larger ships have a few more bells and whistles, but the Fantasy has most of the newer bars and Guys and Blue Iguana. Unless you frequent the steakhouse and other specialty restaurants, I really don't know what you'd be missing.

We love the Fantasy. So much so, we will be on her again in about 3 weeks. I will post a review when we get back.

I look forward to your review. Hopefully I will be on her next April.

I am currently looking at booking her for next February. We would be making the trip from Pennsylvania. This is our first cruise. I have been debating between here, Charleston, or Baltimore. I am leaning more towards this because of the timing. We want to be able to enjoy the pool with my 8 (then 9) year old and I just don’t see that happening in January or February coming from Baltimore or Charleston. It’s about a 19 hour drive down which isn’t that bad. Less time than going to Miami or Tampa. Price wise I think it all works out about the same as going from Charleston when you factor in the extra gas money needed. Anyone else cruise from SC and AL and have a preference?