Worried about Carnival Fantasy honeymoon???

[LindseyButlerWilson]

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 Does the ship look old, or outdated??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!

 

We honeymooned on the Magic in October and we loved it. I like Carnival for it's more laid back atmosphere, for the food, and for the variety of things to do on the ships. The Magic is newer and bigger but truth be told I had just as much fun on the Triumph and the Ecstasy. If you go in planning on a good time, you're sure to have a good time. Make sure to check out the adults only comedy shows and look for excursions with age limits. We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon and we did an adults only resort day. It was so romanctic and it was nice to have a little bit of time without any kids running around. Not that the kids on the ships are ever a problem for us. Congrats and have a great time!

[Surfwench]

Hubby and I honeymooned on the Sensation in 1999 and sailed the Fantasy in 2005. Cruises are the BEST choices for honeymoons!

 

First thing I noticed about Carnival is that no matter the age the ship, they are meticulously maintained. The Fantasy is decorated in the old Vegas style that was popular in the 90s so it has a funky vintage feel by now. Food is better on Carnival over RCL in my opinion. AND first week of December is one of my favorite times to cruise. We had our honeymoon December 12-19. Why? Prices are at their lowest and there are very few kids on board!

 

It's funny, when we first boarded the Sensation and Fantasy we thought the ships were HUGE... we were berthed next to one of the Fantasy class ships on our Breeze cruise and marveled at the size difference. A LOT of cruisers prefer the smaller, intimate ships.

 

Ask to be seated at a large table in the MDR. On the Fantasy class ships you'll run into your new friends frequently. That's the old style of cruising and a lot of experienced cruisers are sad it is passing away with the bigger ships.

 

Romantic? Well you can order your cabin to be decorated, have a special cake delivered to your table, champagne in the room. LOTS of opportunities for special photos. Dress up for elegant night and have the ship photographers do their magic. Chocolate covered strawberries! Visit The Fun Shops to pre-order. The Spa also has a couples massage, (it is pricey, might be a good wedding gift from close friends or family--hint, hint). Find a deserted deck late at night and slow dance to the sound of the sea. All ships are romantic.

 

Congratulations and don't worry about cranky reviewers.

[ShakyBeef]

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!

 

Felicitations on your upcoming nuptials!:)

 

I see you're in Virginia. Have you considered Carnival Pride out of Baltimore? It can sometimes be less expensive to take a 7-day cruise on the Pride than a 5-day cruise on Fantasy, especially when you have to travel a longer distance to get to Charleston.

 

Cruising out of Baltimore in December will be cold for the first and last day of the 7, but you'll still be on a ship, on your honeymoon, with plenty to do around the ship indoors.:) And you get one more port stop, Port Canaveral, Florida, on the Pride cruise, in addition to Nassau and Freeport.

 

And, IMO, Spirit Class ships (which include Pride) are much nicer, more attractive, and better laid-out than Fantasy Class ships.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

We had a midnight picnic on the bow of the ship one night. Also one night we got to do a midnight hot tub...The guys who were closing the pools for the night left it open for us. Since we got married on board word got around that we were newlyweds so we got all sorts of attention, and every single day we had at least one bottle of champagne/wine and strawberries or cookies delivered...Apparently our friends all had the same idea.

 

Oh one more thing, a late night walk, just the two of you, a dark deck, ocean breeze and moonlight...what could be more romantic?

[Futurefairall]

Hubby and I honeymooned on the Sensation in 1999 and sailed the Fantasy in 2005. Cruises are the BEST choices for honeymoons!

 

First thing I noticed about Carnival is that no matter the age the ship, they are meticulously maintained. The Fantasy is decorated in the old Vegas style that was popular in the 90s so it has a funky vintage feel by now. Food is better on Carnival over RCL in my opinion. AND first week of December is one of my favorite times to cruise. We had our honeymoon December 12-19. Why? Prices are at their lowest and there are very few kids on board!

 

It's funny, when we first boarded the Sensation and Fantasy we thought the ships were HUGE... we were berthed next to one of the Fantasy class ships on our Breeze cruise and marveled at the size difference. A LOT of cruisers prefer the smaller, intimate ships.

 

Ask to be seated at a large table in the MDR. On the Fantasy class ships you'll run into your new friends frequently. That's the old style of cruising and a lot of experienced cruisers are sad it is passing away with the bigger ships.

 

Romantic? Well you can order your cabin to be decorated, have a special cake delivered to your table, champagne in the room. LOTS of opportunities for special photos. Dress up for elegant night and have the ship photographers do their magic. Chocolate covered strawberries! Visit The Fun Shops to pre-order. The Spa also has a couples massage, (it is pricey, might be a good wedding gift from close friends or family--hint, hint). Find a deserted deck late at night and slow dance to the sound of the sea. All ships are romantic.

 

Congratulations and don't worry about cranky reviewers.

 

Thank you!!

[Futurefairall]

Felicitations on your upcoming nuptials!:)

 

I see you're in Virginia. Have you considered Carnival Pride out of Baltimore? It can sometimes be less expensive to take a 7-day cruise on the Pride than a 5-day cruise on Fantasy, especially when you have to travel a longer distance to get to Charleston.

 

Cruising out of Baltimore in December will be cold for the first and last day of the 7, but you'll still be on a ship, on your honeymoon, with plenty to do around the ship indoors.:) And you get one more port stop, Port Canaveral, Florida, on the Pride cruise, in addition to Nassau and Freeport.

 

And, IMO, Spirit Class ships (which include Pride) are much nicer, more attractive, and better laid-out than Fantasy Class ships.

 

I've considered changing my booking but because it's early savers I'd lost $50pp and being a poor college student it isn't really an option although I d rather go out of Baltimore.

[ShakyBeef]

I've considered changing my booking but because it's early savers I'd lost $50pp and being a poor college student it isn't really an option although I d rather go out of Baltimore.

 

Aw, darn. Yeah, losing money on the change would suck. Sorry about that. Well, keep Pride in mind for your next cruise. Driving to and cruising out of Baltimore is so easy! Something to consider: will traveling to Charleston cost you more than $50 pp (gas roundtrip if driving, hotel, food along the way, or flights and taxi)? If so, eating that cruise booking change fee might come out cheaper still.;) Either way, enjoy your cruise on whichever ship!:)

[cruzeluver]

We had a midnight picnic on the bow of the ship one night.

 

That is awesome! So you can get to the bow on Fantasy? Have been wondering.

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

I was on Imagination. But yes,

[hartsnvt]

They actually have a honeymoon registry on the Carnival site. people can buy you cruise cash and lots more!

[Danacat222]

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?

 

 

I am sure you will have a great time, but with something as important as a honeymoon, I'm curious why didn't you research cruises prior to booking? That being said, i have friends who have been on Fantasy multiple times and they love it. Is it perfect? No.

[Carnival Cutie]

You're not cruising for another year, another thing to consider is price drops along with comparing the price to travel to Baltimore as opposed to Charleston. It may be to your advantage to eat the $50 per person and change. JMHO.

[NCTribeFan]

But if people order things through the honeymoon registry, they pay more because Carnival adds a surcharge (for their cut).

 

DD simply listed Cruise Cash (they didn't have the eGift Cards then, I don't think), excursions, wine, etc., in their "regular" registry and somehow linked to the Bon Voyage page for them.

 

Somehow, it seems many people sign up on Cruise Critic and never seem to realize that there are many, many boards other than just the ones for the cruiselines themselves.

 

Go to the main page...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/?src=nav

 

So much useful info. Don't forget to check out the Bahamas board under the Ports of Call section.

Edited August 14, 2014 by NCTribeFan

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

We used the registry. Basically people "bought" us stuff, but in reality it was OBC on our sign and sail cards. We also received $50 from Carnival Honeymoon Registry on top of what our friends gave.

[uncleg]

You will love the Fantasy, older ship yes, but well maintained and the frindliest crew I have ever had. As for romantic, a bottle of wine late night on one of the upper decks when ship is almost deserted. Much Happiness to you in and yours in your future together.

[Danacat222]

Felicitations on your upcoming nuptials!:)

 

I see you're in Virginia. Have you considered Carnival Pride out of Baltimore? It can sometimes be less expensive to take a 7-day cruise on the Pride than a 5-day cruise on Fantasy, especially when you have to travel a longer distance to get to Charleston.

 

Cruising out of Baltimore in December will be cold for the first and last day of the 7, but you'll still be on a ship, on your honeymoon, with plenty to do around the ship indoors.:) And you get one more port stop, Port Canaveral, Florida, on the Pride cruise, in addition to Nassau and Freeport.

 

And, IMO, Spirit Class ships (which include Pride) are much nicer, more attractive, and better laid-out than Fantasy Class ships.

 

 

It will also have all the wonderful 2.0 upgrades!

[Terre]

I love the Fantasy, even though she's smaller. It has been "upgraded" and doesn't look old. Food is as good as any other cruise line. Carnival, in my opinion, is as good as any other cruise line.

 

Here are pictures of our Fantasy cruise last year. Click on the picture for the entire album:

 

Here are pictures of our Fantasy cruise in 2012. Click on the picture for the entire album:

 

You decide.

Edited August 15, 2014 by Terre

[kelkel2]

Oh, please don't panic! We cruised on the Ecstasy, it's sister ship for our Honeymoon and had a fabulous time. We then did a cruise on Princess and now are back to Carnival as our cruise line of choice when we cruise.

I think I read somewhere (correct me if I am wrong) but the Fantasy was just recently renovated and it really is a nice layout. The lido isn't overly large but has a nice feel to it.

The Fantasy doesn't have every bell and whistle that all the brand new ships have but I think it's a perfect ship, especially to introduce a first time cruiser to cruising! Happy Honeymoon and Congratulations!

[Seago2]

I love the Fantasy, even though she's smaller. It has been "upgraded" and doesn't look old. Food is as good as any other cruise line. Carnival, in my opinion, is as good as any other cruise line.

 

Here are pictures of our Fantasy cruise last year. Click on the picture for the entire album:

 

Here are pictures of our Fantasy cruise in 2012. Click on the picture for the entire album:

 

You decide.

 

Love your photo album! Thank you. Three days until our Fantasy B2B. We shall see for ourselves! Looking forward to it!

[beachmomma320]

I so enjoyed looking at your pictures!!!! Thanks for sharing them!! :)

 

 

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