We just returned from the four-day cruise on Carnival Fantasy and, based on this experience, I will never sail on Carnival again. It might be right for you, but it wasn't for us. If you want to eat, drink and party a lot, it's perfect. If you like an air of forced joviality, it's perfect. I was with my 12-year old daughter and her best friend, and there really wasn't much for them to do. We were disappointed in Freeport as a destination, and the snorkeling at Pearl Island in Nassau was just OK (in all fairness, the waves were high and the water murky as a result, through no fault of Carnival's or Pearl Island's!).

The food at the sit-down meals in the dining rooms was excellent, with a few exceptions, and the service was superb. The buffets were not great, but it's hard to do a good buffet and to keep the food looking fresh and attractive. The Cruise Director, Paul, was very good. The ship was spotless, and was constantly being cleaned everywhere we went on board. We arrived at 11 a.m. on Sunday and were able to board right away and enjoy the ship all day. Disembarkation went just as smoothly. Carnival has the right set up to appeal to people who like to eat, drink and party (and not much else). The entertainment was terrible, the movie selections on the cabin TV were extremely limited (the same movie plays all day), and the two pools (one for children, one for anyone) were very small. Not enough ping pong tables, but excellent weight room equipment (which very few people seemed to use because they were too busy eating, drinking and partying!!). We skipped the Hairy Chest competition and other such organized events.

The ship needs another update - stained carpets, worn and torn interiors seemed to be the norm. It gets a lot of use, and it shows!