tell me the good v bad on fantasy

[fromsea2sea]

Charleston is so close to me, can anyone tell me some good things about her? you can tell me the bad ones to, hope there are not to many , thanks for the help.

[carrieluvsgreg]

Charleston is so close to me, can anyone tell me some good things about her? you can tell me the bad ones to, hope there are not to many , thanks for the help.

 

Well, the Fantasy class ships are smaller, which isn't necessarily bad. We've actually found the service to be wonderful on that class of ship. They don't have all the "bells and whistles" of the bigger ships. But, if you're not into water slides, rope courses and need a wider variety of restaurant choices, then you won't notice that they aren't there.

 

For me personally, I'm just not a fan of the Bahamas... So, that would be a "bad" thing. We started cruising in the Caribbean, so when we went to the Bahamas, it was a letdown... But I'd cruise to the Bahamas in a heartbeat if it was Bahamas or nothing! ANY day cruising beats a day at home, right?

[happy_feet]

We went on the fantasy last year....there is a splash pad and a few waterslides. There is only one pool though. It is set up like resort style looks really nice at night all lite up. I found the cabin layout to be awkward, we had four of us in one cabin, which I don't find it to be a problem on the pride but fantasy was awkward and small. The room steward was very unpleasant! Never once said hi or smiled! Parking and check in is horrible in Charleston....we will never cruise out of that port again. I really enjoyed the magnolia wok in the buffet area. The deli and pizza was really good too! The serenity deck is situated in the aft and isn't really private...there are two outdoor seating areas off the buffet area that over look the hot tubs and deck. The main dining room is nice we had anytime dining and every night we had window seat every night. The food was delicious, the service was good for 4 out of the 5 nights.

[happy_feet]

Here are some photos..

[SadieN]

Haven't sailed on the Fantasy but have sailed on four of her sisters- Paradise, Elation, Inspiration and Imagination. She was designed before everybody had to have a balcony.

 

She has an easy deckplan. Almost all the cabins are on decks 4-7 and public areas are 8 and above. The Atrium does start at 7.

 

Only a few glitches in the deckplans.

 

-The lobby for the Aft MDR gets extremely crowded, best to wait upstairs at the bar in front of the comedy lounge.

-If the smoking section for the Casino Bar is next to the stairwell/elevator lobby the smoke will travel down and smell up the first three cabins on either side of the elevator lobby on Riviera deck. (mid ship elevator)

-Two ways to get to the Serenity Deck- through the comedy lounge or down the stairs from the Lido.

Edited February 7, 2014 by SadieN

[jreichow1972]

The Fantasy was our first cruise and we really enjoyed it. We really liked the ship and all the crew except the waiter Bernard. He told us to not even bother getting off the ship in Freeport and although after stopping there we did agree, it wasn't the most exciting place, it's just not what you want to hear when you are on vacation. We did have a great day there but it really turned excitement about a port into a real downer.

 

 

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[path145]

I prefer the larger ships so to me the size was a negative. Also I'm not interested in going to the Bahamas again but I suppose it's better than staying home!

 

On the plus side, it was less crowded so I did get more time in the pool and hot tub and had no problem getting a lounge chair near the hot tub.

[tlbutler33]

The only bad thing about the Fantasy is that they make you get off at the end of the cruise.....

[cruisinnewbie629]

Fantasy was our first cruise, so not much to compare it to. We were surprised to learn that she was considered small! We had the BEST time and cant really think of too many negatives, other than only one pool. We chose it partly because we could do 5 in a room. Itinerary was ok, not a huge fan of the Bahamas, but half moon cay was awesome!

We are headed out in august on our second cruise and we went with the pride and again to Bahamas because the price was right. So if the price is right and location is ideal, go for it!

[NCTribeFan]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1182074&page=31

Everything you want to know about Fantasy is in this wonderful, all-inclusive thread. Yes, I started it, which is why I think it's so wonderful. :p

 

Sailing her soon for the 7th time. I now sail her so often just because she's more convenient. If I can drive to the port, why not? Yes, I prefer to go to some different ports, but for my post-tax-season just-need-to-unwind cruise, sailing to the Bahamas is fine. I don't need exciting new ports for that.

 

I personally have no problem going to Nassau and Freeport. Until I feel I've done and seen everything there is to see and do, and I haven't, I'll keep going back. I think people are silly to stay on the ship. Both islands have some beautiful beaches. There are things to do. One just has to be willing to get out there and DO them. I can't see going to a beautiful tropical island and staying on the ship. If all I wanted was a pool, food and bar, I wouldn't need to get ona cruise ship, would I?

 

I don't much care who the CD is on a cruise, but I like Risa. The crew and staff on Fantasy seem happy and seem to enjoy their work.

 

As far as the ship layout, it's really not that different from the newer, larger, ships. Just smaller. Yes, the galley blocks the deck between the restaurants. It does that on the larger ships that have 2 restaurants.

 

Lack of balcony cabins doesn't concern me because I often sail solo and that isn't in my budget. I actually prefer inside cabins. I like it dark at night!

 

Lack of pools also doesn't concern me because I don't get in the pools on ships. Lack of supper club doesn't concern me. I'm perfectly happy with the dinners in the MDR.

 

I have "my" wait team that I've had the past three cruises. I love Rafael and Seville!

 

It honestly feels like I'm "home" when I board. I know my way around; I have my favorites spots; I have my favorite foods and drinks; I'm comfortable and relaxed and that's what I want when I sail Fantasy.

[etwright]

I am keeping an eye on this thread since we are doing a New Years cruise on the Fantasy. Our first cruise was on the Elation which we absolutely loved! So I am thinking the Fantasy will be just as great! :)

[alligirl78]

I am keeping an eye on this thread since we are doing a New Years cruise on the Fantasy. Our first cruise was on the Elation which we absolutely loved! So I am thinking the Fantasy will be just as great! :)

 

If you loved Elation, you will love Fantasy. I loved our Fantasy cruise. Nassau/Freeport aren't my favorite, but HMC is one of those "bucket list" places that you HAVE to see.

[Cruise, J.D.]

I've been on the Fantasy twice. Love the ship. The fact it is smaller is a positive to me. A lot of the popular places are close together, making it easy to jump from entertainment to entertainment. If you have children, the waterworks will be great fun. The Fantasy also has a stop in HMC and that port ranks near the top.

 

The main negative to me is that it lacks some of the dining options of the larger ships. We loved Guy's Burgers and the burrito place on the Conquest. However, that is a small negative.

 

If you live close to Charleston, it should be a no brainer to give her a try!

[Rgrgirl0307]

This will be my third time on the Fantasy coming up in March, we now own a condo across the street from the port and I'm so excited to just be able to walk over and not have to wait in the crazy car line!

 

My husband and I sailed her in 2011 on the 5 day itinerary to Nassau and Freeport and my mom and I took my then 6 year old son in 2012 on the same 5 day. My husband and I are sailing on the 7 day to Nassau, Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk in March and I'm really excited to try that! I've sailed the Sunshine, back when she was the Destiny, the Fascination and done 2 RC cruises. I personally LOVE the Fantasy, the fact that it is within driving (well now WALKING) distance is a plus! I find her easy to navigate and quaint, for her age she is in great shape and believe me it is still plenty big to not feel like you are "on a boat". I personally find that you will always find someone who is going to have something negative to say, I personally try to take everything with a grain of salt when I am on vacation. With that being said if I had an absolute terrible experience or something absurd happen I would report it, but I do not let every day little things bother me.

[OCruisers]

The big positive to us about Fantasy is that it is quite convenient and not a bad thing to do when 7 night cruises are offered from time to time.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[MomPic]

We are booked for our third cruise in October on the Fantasy. We live in SC and it is so close to us. This will be our second 7 day cruise and are counting the days. The days at sea are wonderful as well as the ports of call. Fantasy is easy to navigate and just perfect as my DH has difficulty walking at times. Our steward was a dream last time anticipating our every need. I wish I could have packed him in my bags to come homework us! The MDR was awesome! You can eat some wonderful meals...as little or as much as you want. The only negative was the pool was full of little kids....it was hard to get a spot in either hot tub and the pool at times. We went last summer and this time we are trying October. We did Faster to the fun and already have it for this cruise.

We went to Charleston the night before which was relaxing. We had a nice dinner and shopped at the outlet mall. No rush to hurry and drive to Charleston as we were already there. We drove down near the port, dropped off our bags(tagged for FTTF) and found a yummy deli close by. There was a CVS for forgotten items or that bottle of wine :)

 

 

 

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[momof4boys]

We've cruised the Fantasy twice (Elation...sister ship is really our favorite!) We had a great time each time. The ship is great, especially now that they don't allow smoking in the cabins. In the past, the smoke from the halls and other cabins would drift under the door (older ship) and come into our cabin. Now no problem!! The layout of the ship is nice, staff was always great, food was good, and the entertainment good.

 

Biggest problem....horrible port embarkation in SC. Drop bags off one place, shuttle to a holding area then catch a shuttle to port. In the hot summer the holding area is a hot tent not big enough for everyone. I sincerely hope they get that fixed because I will not cruise from there (even though I LOVE Charleston) until the embarkation is changed.

 

You will have fun on the cruise.......just endure the embarkation.