Worried about Carnival Fantasy honeymoon???

[Futurefairall]

Hi all :)

 

I am getting married December 2015, and have booked a cruise to Freeport and Nassau on the Carnival Fantasy. I've only ever been on NCL and RCL, and when I was booking my honeymoon I assumed that carnival would be no different than the rest. Then I started reading all the horrible reviews about the fantasy and carnival in general and it has me freaking out!!! Can anybody quell my nerves? Does the ship look old, or outdated?? Is the food just as good as other lines?

 

Also,

If you have any suggestions for romantic things to do on the fantasy (we have a porthole room) or in port I'd greatly appreciate it!!

 

Thanks!

[lostdart1]

First post ??

[OCruisers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Enjoy your Honeymoon cruise on Fantasy! :)

[Videophile]

First off, congrats on the upcoming nuptials!

 

As for Carnival, I have cruised on their ships in the past, and have two more booked, but I do think they are a step down in quality from Royal and Princess. It's not a huge difference, but it is there.

 

The good news is that the food quality is just about the same for all practical purposes. Some people prefer one line over the other, and I personally like the food in the MDR on Carnival a bit more than the other mass market lines that I've been on.

 

I find their shows pretty lame, but I really like the fact that there is comedy every night.

 

I'm not sure how long your cruise is, but since you only list two ports I assume it's not too long. I do avoid Carnival's 3 and 4 day cruises. Though I'm sure it's not always the case, but in my experience there are more inebriated (read "obnoxious") people on the shorter booze cruises. I haven't found this to be the case on other lines, but that's just my experience.

 

Having said all that, it's your honeymoon. Who are you fooling? You're not going to spend too much time noticing the ship. I'd be willing to wager that you'll be too busy with other things. :D

 

Have a great cruise!

[lostdart1]

Welcome!!

 

I am sure over the next 16 months you will find something romantic to do on your honeymoon.

 

Lots of good info in these boards.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

I got married last week and had my wedding and honeymoon on Carnival Imagination. I'd suggest you read the wedding and honeymoon board. I'm sure you will find somebody who got married/honeymooned on your ship. Congratulations!

[Futurefairall]

Thank you all for responding! Yes--it is my first post, but I've been lurking around on CC reading forums for awhile now;)

 

I don't worry that my hubby to be will notice a downgrade in quality of the ship (it's his first cruise) but I worry I will because I've been on a few...and I'm a perfectionist so I'm suddenly stressing over what is probably a stupid thing.

 

Does anyone know if there would be a lot of people/kids the first week in December?

[Futurefairall]

I got married last week and had my wedding and honeymoon on Carnival Imagination. I'd suggest you read the wedding and honeymoon board. I'm sure you will find somebody who got married/honeymooned on your ship. Congratulations!

 

There's a wedding/honeymoon board?? Where do I find that? :D

And congratulations!

Edited August 13, 2014 by Futurefairall

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

Right here...I hope

[Futurefairall]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31

 

Right here...I hope

 

Thank you!!

[Seago2]

First post ??

 

Welcome to Cruisecritic- as you can see, we have some math majors here.

 

I will let you know! I leave for 12 days on Fantasy in four days. I read a lot of reviews that were great- in the threads section, not the reviews section. Realizing that I could get a B2B, half of it in a suite, for less than a week on Splendor, I booked. I've never questioned it until the last couple of reviews/threads. Now I'm "cautiously optimistic" and relying on the fact that I've never been unhappy on Carnival, including when I sailed Elation. We shall see!

[kybluecruiser]

Idk what reviews you've been reading. I have had nothing but great trips on her. She constantly scores at the top of the fleet for guest satisfaction. She has a great crew. Is she a new ship with all the bells and whistles of a carnival breeze, Norwegian breakaway, or oasis of the seas? NO. However she is a great little ship. If you go in worrying and expecting the worse then you will prob not have a good time. Go with the attitude that you will have a great time. Besides you are going to start a new chapter of your life. The ship should be secondary lol.

[faeriedust101]

I'm in the same situation you are. I've cruised on both NCL and RC but decided to cruise on the Dream for my honeymoon (I'm leaving on the 31st!). DH was a little leery about the whole thing but I told him that we actually need to cruise on Carnival to form our own opinion. He was like "I will never sail on Carnival." Honestly we couldn't beat the price we paid for a spa suite so that is what really swayed our decision. I'm not sure if we will cruise Carnival again - its really going to depend on how this cruise goes. I do know that we prefer NCL to RC and given the chance we would book NCL over RC. When doing my research I did interpret the reviews as to book a new ship or one that has had the 2.0 upgrades.

Edited August 14, 2014 by faeriedust101

[goduckies05]

I'm in the same situation you are. I've cruised on both NCL and RC but decided to cruise on the Dream for my honeymoon (I'm leaving on the 31st!). DH was a little leery about the whole thing but I told him that we actually need to cruise on Carnival to form our own opinion. He was like "I will never sail on Carnival." Honestly we couldn't beat the price we paid for a spa suite so that is what really swayed our decision. I'm not sure if we will cruise Carnival again - its really going to depend on how this cruise goes. I do know that we prefer NCL to RC and given the chance we would book NCL over RC. When doing my research I did interpret the reviews as to book a new ship or one that has had the 2.0 upgrades.

 

Fairedust please make sure to come back and post your review.

 

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[Rh2458]

I think each ship is what you make of it, and the attitude that you carry. We did a Royal Caribbean cruise a few years back for New Years and then a Carnival cruise a few years later in August. We honestly didn't see much if any difference. Except for maybe the Serenity Deck on Carnival which we are in love with. The food was the same or even better on Carnival. It will be for your honeymoon, sit back and relax and don't let anything bother you.

[Tapi]

Personally, I'd sail on the Fantasy for a laid back, no frills vacation, but I wouldn't select it for something as special as a wedding/honeymoon.

 

Although she has some loyal fans who love her for her close to home convenience, affordable prices, and smaller size, she's 24 year old, outdated, and relegated to short, cheap cruises. It doesn't mean that you can't have a great time on her, but she will be a few notches below what you've experienced before on other cruise lines.

 

 

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[misslucy01]

We are leaving on our 9th cruise Aug 23 and it is on the Fantasy. This will be the 6th time on the Fantasy. We love the smaller ship. She is still a classy lady with a great crew and delicious food. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage and I believe you will be able to figure out that honeymoon thing...lol

 

 

Misslucy01

[misslucy01]

And the ship will be decorated for Christmas.

 

 

Misslucy01

[RuthlessBoss]

If your date is correct, you certainly have plenty of time to read more reviews and decide. Remember, reviews are purely a persons opinion based on what their expectations are.

[sailor_jimc]

We Honeymooned on the Fantasy. In 1990. She was a brand new ship then...

[NCTribeFan]

My DD honeymooned on Fantasy in October 2012. They had a wonderful time.

 

OP, if you're so worried about the "bad" reviews, then just change your plans. You have plenty of time.

 

Many of us love Fantasy.

 

If you've read the All Things Fantasy thread (rather than a lot of the generic, no-name posts on the Review board), you'll find that she has a loyal following. Try reading the reviews posted on this board, many from experienced cruisers. Most are quite positive.

 

Yes, she's the oldest ship in the fleet. Big deal. There are eight Fantasy-class ships in service and they obviously provide what a lot of people want from their cruises or they would've been sold/retired. No, they don't have the big TV or specialty restaurant. Again, big deal.

 

Some people want newer, biggest, more of everything. Some of us don't.

 

Depends on what you want. If you expect perfection (from any cruise), you'll probably be disappointed. If you expect to go and have a good time with your new spouse, then you'll probably have some very nice memories.

 

Don't expect anything special from Carnival, though. At least, DD didn't receive anything, other than the wait staff singing Happy Honeymoon to them one night at dinner.

[punkin917]

Fantasy is old but still my favorite...food is always good.. but I was under the impression after last teip in may 2014 that Carnival would be replacing Fantasy with a newer older ship in2015. See if you can get an answer from Carnival regarding the change in ship for Charleston.

My favorite cabin in old that is at the back of the ship wose window faces the wake...these tend to be a little larger.

[punkin917]

Sorry for typos still love Fantasy!

[Rosesgt]

We cruised on the Fantasy in 2012 and loved it. Yes, it's the oldest ship in the Carnival fleet, but it is in great shape. The crew on the Fantasy as well as all the Carnival fleet are wonderful. I wouldn't worry about the negative Nancy's of the world (sorry to all the Nancy's out there). The 5 day itinerary is OK, there's plenty to do at the ports and always something to do on board. Bottom line is you'll be cruising and on your honeymoon. You'll love it. Charleston is an awesome city, we live 30 minutes from it and enjoy our visits always. I'd do a Fantasy cruise in a NY minute and we're thinking of cruising on her for New Years Eve.

Best of luck with your decision and the up coming wedding.

[Futurefairall]

Thank you all :) I think I'll end up sticking with my booking. She's what we can afford, and sounds like you all have had som lovely times on her. I'm looking forward to it!