Sell me on or Dissade me from the Carnival Fantasy?

My fiance and I are first time cruisers on a little bit of a snug budget. We had to postpone our wedding this year (my mother was undergoing breast cancer treatment. remission, now! but it was rough going) and so are treating ourself to an elopement in the spring.

I had my heart set on honeymooning on the Carnival Breeze's Western Carribean/Cozumel Plus itinerary next April or the Dream's same itinerary depending on whether we can travel more conveniently to Galveston or New Orleans from Arkansas.

However, Sweetheart got on the internet and has informed me that the Fantasy is about $500 less. I informed him that I was in 5th grade when it launched. We are having a back and forth about whether the Breeze's shiny newness is worth the extra cost, given the funship 2.0 upgrades the Fantasy got.

(I am particularly not sold on the spa amenities.)

So, we're crowdsourcing YOUR opinions! Have you been on in the last year or so? Did you like it? Was there enough to do? Is one pool enough - this is one of my serious concerns!

No way to compare the two ships. The Fantasy is old and much smaller than the Breeze and the Dream. The Fantasy was my first cruise 2 weeks after 911. I enjoyed the ship because I had nothing to compare it to, but 25 cruises later we mostly do the newer ships because they have more stuff to do. The older ships do the shorter cruises(more affordable for the college crowd). Just too much partying out by the pool deck for me. I think the big ships doing the 7 day cruises have much better shows also. Just do the cruise that fits your budget and you will have fun!

The Carnival Breeze is bigger, newer, and nicer. I would not worry about the five hundred dollar difference and cruise on the Carnival Breeze. There's no way to compare between the two ships. The Carnival Breeze is the way to go! Enjoy your cruise.

Fantasy class is a good starter ship. My first three cruises were on Elation... Fantasy has more amenities than Elation had. For me Fantasy is out because I have grown to love lido deck rooms and the alchemy bar neither of which are on fantasy. I also enjoy the comedy club and don't like the way the cut the club in half on Fantasy.

Are the number of days the same? If you're comparing a 7 day Breeze vs. a 5 or 6 day Fantasy... that would make a difference. I'd lean Breeze in that case. If the number of days are the same..I'd say if this is going to be your once in a lifetime cruise, go with Breeze. If you're planning on being repeat cruisers, go with Fantasy and put that $500 towards a Dream cruise the next year. It seems like honeymooners spend a lot of time in their staterooms. There's a chance you won't have time to enjoy all of the amenities the breeze has to offer anyway.

We just completed our 3rd cruise and all of them have been Fantasy Class ships. The spa is much larger than it seems & offers nearly the same amenities. If you are going to cruise more than once then take the cruise on the Fantasy and have the $500 for excursions and drinks or use it to book a cruise on the Breeze much farther out so you get a better price & possibly price drops.

We've never sailed on the Breeze but we enjoyed the Fantasy when we sailed on it back in April. It's an older ship but well maintained. It was one of our best Carnival cruises. The staff was awesome! If you're sailing for the ship's wow factor and/or itinerary, I would recommend the Breeze. If cost and just being on vacation are more important, then I recommend the Fantasy.

Our first (and worst) cruise in the US was on the Carnival Fantasy from New Orleans. Almost never sailed again! Amenities and age aside, she is a small ship (70,000 tonnes). The Gulf of Mexico can be rough. Do you know for certain neither of you is prone to seasickness? With 14' waves, staff replace the Carnival credit card brochures and FunTimes in racks around the ship with disposable seasickness bags. Only about half the guests appeared in the dining room at dinner. You don't want to have a honeymoon like that!

The Breeze is 130,000 tonnes and better able to provide a smooth trip across the Gulf.

Spend the additional $500 for better odds of a smooth sailing.

The larger and newer ships are best overall, they offer more than the Fantasy class ships, you can't compare the Fantasy to any of the larger newer Carnival ships.

Welcome to cruising jencendiary. I can't give any useful advise but want to follow along to see what you choose.

It is interesting how opinions vary. I have been on all 3 of the Dream class ship and they are all nice. I've also been of 5 of the Fantasy class ships and love the more intimate atmosphere. We were on the Breeze in the Med, followed by a TA. The bigger ships do rock when the seas are rough! We missed 3 ports in the Med due to rough seas.

We did 5 days on the Fascination in 2012, then walked up the pier and got on the Dream for 7 days. It was like the just stretched the Fantasy class ship to get more passengers on it, without making more public space. Thus, it seemed more crowded. They worked to correct that on the Magic and Breeze. Later we spent 21 days on the Dream and were happy to find that she had been updated.

Check out this video to get their take on the various ships a features. Find the features that are most important to you, then book!

John

I am on the Fantasy right now. We have sailed her several times and you really enjoyed each trip but we sail her mainly since she sail close to more, where we live and the rates are usually good. If you could sail the Breeze of only $500.00 more that sounds like a good deal.

Our first cruise was a 3 day on the Fantasy to the Bahamas in 1997. Back then, the Fantasy sailed from Port Canaveral. We went on the Fantasy again this time out of Charleston in 2012 for our 10 year anniversary. We recently docked next to the Fantasy in Cozumel back in August. We were on the Freedom for our 15 year anniversary. She's a small ship and isn't aging well. I would go on the Breeze for the $500 extra.

It's an old clunker.

If the ship is sailing from Mobile, it probably has one screw in the grave. Mobile is usually the farewell tour for any Carnival ship.

Thorncroft and the Elation was here a decade ago. Hardly a dead ship now is it?

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Skip the Fantasy. The Dream is a great ship, worth the$$$. It's one of my favorites.

We've sailed Fantasy several times - we've always enjoyed it. Food, crew, maintenance, you name it - consider yourself at a nice resort. Would you actually use all the amenities on the larger ships? If you enjoy a friendly crew, the shows, the itinerary, and Carnival standard food, then by all means enjoy yourself on the Fantasy. In fact, we have a 3b2b scheduled for January, that's how much we enjoy it.

Thorncroft and the Elation was here a decade ago. Hardly a dead ship now is it?

 

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True, somewhat, but Elation was almost the swan song for cruising out of Mobile. There was a lot of behind the scenes maneuvering in play at that time. Elation wound up in Mobile, enroute to greener pastures, because Carnival had pulled it from San Diego; another teaching moment for cities willing to sell their soul for a cruise ship.

Let me edit to add that Mobile doesn't really need Carnival. The city LIKES Carnival because as long as a ship is there it pays the debt service on the cruise terminal. Mobile has plenty of high profile industrial partners that keep it afloat. Austal, with huge Navy contracts. A huge steel mill. Airbus, that is quickly turning Mobile into a major international player in jet airliner construction. A miracle mile of who's who in the chemical world. Mobile has always been an industrial city. Industry isn't sexy, but it pays the bills and keeps everyone working, fat and happy.

IF you go to Carnival.com and click on " explore" - you can pull up the Breeze and Fantasy and click on " compare" you will be able to see most of the things that each ship has to offer as far as restaurants, bars, events etc. I think you will see that the Breeze is by far the best choice. ( IMHO - better also than the Dream out of New Orleans. ) Plus I like the Galveston port better

We've sailed Fantasy several times - we've always enjoyed it. Food, crew, maintenance, you name it - consider yourself at a nice resort. Would you actually use all the amenities on the larger ships? If you enjoy a friendly crew, the shows, the itinerary, and Carnival standard food, then by all means enjoy yourself on the Fantasy. In fact, we have a 3b2b scheduled for January, that's how much we enjoy it.

And now the city amd are in talks to add a second ship to the port. I found the ship wonderful and hope the city does well.

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I've been on both the Fantasy and Breeze. For a $500 difference I'd choose the Breeze in the heartbeat, in fact the Breeze is what sold me on Carnival. It's a phenomenal ship.

First cruise any ship will be great, and you can decide if cruising is for you. If it is, I bet it is, then you could try the other ship. I prefer the smaller ships, but opinions vary. Do what you are comfortable with financially and consider too the location of the port to where you are.

Either way, you will not go wrong with either of those ships. Either of them will leave you wanting more!

I've only sailed Fantasy class ships. Plan to sail Fantasy this winter. There are some that must need the latest & greatest. Not me, so long as I'm on vac., I'm good. The Fantasy class ships are easy to navigate. My advice is to do what your budget allows. You can get your sea legs on Fantasy & spend the $500 on Cheers package.

I suggest smaller ships & shorter sailings for your first. I say this Bc they're cheaper. If you don't like cruising, you're not stuck for a week & out a lot of money. My kids loved the Elation.

Whatever you choose, just have a blast!

I stopped sailing Carnival's smallest ships over 10 years ago because they were old and cheesy back then. Now, I'm almost ready to stop sailing the Conquest class. I like the way the newer, larger ships handle the sea, they are fairly smooth even in 15' waves.

Think of your honeymoon pictures on the ship. Do you want to see rusty backgrounds and vomit bags ?

Keep saving; the newer ships are going to provide a more WOW experience. For a first timer and special event you may be underwhelmed on Fantasy-class