This was our third cruise on the Fantasy, and as always, we found the staff to excel in their service and friendliness. We arrived at 11AM, went through the parking scenario and were in our room by noon.This time we went for a Jr-suite, which provided a little more room, but most importantly, one of the few balconies to be found on this ship. We had a partially obstructed view, hence the good price on the room, which we booked almost a year earlier. I have read many of the prior reviews and some criticize the food, but we did traditional dining at the 6 pm seating, and have found over the dozen or so cruises we have done that we prefer this, as it gives us a chance to get to really know our servers and for them to know our preferences. Yes, some dishes are more tastier than others, but we have found this to be the case on other cruise lines, and if your look for faults, they will always be found. But overall, most of the meals were very good and the service excellent.

We were fortunate to have good weather for this time of year for both port days, and the sea days were relatively calm. I encourage readers to take advantage of the gym, sauna, and steam rooms, as these are often overlooked, and are free activities that can help with the stress relief. Although the ship is one of Carnival's oldest, it was kept clean and neat. Yes, the casino is smoky and it will continue to be so until Carnival changes its policy. I don't like the smell, so I avoid that deck. I can find plenty of other things to day without focusing my energy and time on finding fault and complaining about other passengers.

We self-disembarked, leaving the ship at 6:30 AM and were in our car and on our way out of the parking terminal by 7AM. As this cruise is only 3.5 hours from our home, it makes for a great getaway.