My husband and I were first time cruisers (and my first time out of the country) so we were super excited about the trip. We took our time reading alot of reviews about Fantasy so we would know what to expect. There were some very disturbing reviews that made me a little uneasy about our trip, but I have to say, it was FANTASTIC! We live in Maryland, so the drive to Charleston was long, but we decided to stay overnight in Charleston so we wouldn't feel rushed on embarkation day. If you can, STAY IN CHARLESTON the night before! It's a beautiful city and the walk around the bay at sunset was remarkable. Finding the parking lot for the cruise ship was a bit tricky (some of the signs were a bit misleading), but once we arrived it was a quick process to our final parking spot. I recommend getting there a bit early so you can park in the warehouse. We carried our own bags on board, so we didn't have to worry about waiting on our luggage for the rest of the day. You are allowed 1 bottle (750ml) of wine per person and a certain amount of sodas (i saw people bringing 12 packs on board with no problem). Once on board, we went right to our room. The room was small (bunk bed style) but clean and adequate for what we needed. Our steward was very nice, but his name escapes me. We didn't see much of our steward the whole trip (twice, in fact) but we were perfectly fine with that, since we were rarely in the room aside from sleeping. But, the room was always cleaned and the towel animals were adorable. We chose to do the anytime dining option, which worked well for us since we didn't necessarily want to be on a strict schedule to eat. The food was great and the portions were just enough! If we got hungry, we simply went to lido deck or "windows on the sea" for a snack or 3. The buffet food was a bit on the cold side at times, but overall the food was good. The rest of the time was spent enjoying the ship and the various activities on board, or just simply sitting on the deck enjoying the sun. It was pretty breezy the first few days of the trip, so you might want to consider bringing a hoodie or light sweater if you go in early April. We decided against doing an excursion in Freeport (due to some of the reviews), but we enjoyed getting of the ship and exploring the straw market that is located right off the boat. Nassau was BEAUTIFUL and we decided on a day pass at the RIU Palace resort... free drinks and buffet from 9-5 and beach access... we REALLY enjoyed that! I agree with a previous reviewer that you get out of it what you put in to it!

Here's a few points:

They do charge a gratuity at the end of your trip, which was around 11.50 or so per day/per guest. So unless you are so moved by above and beyond service, don't feel the need to tip for everything. Read more