My family just returned from a five night cruise on the Fantasy. This was our first cruise, and we chose this one because it was the shortest driving distance from our home (6 hours versus 12 to Florida). Our children are 16 and 18 and we all stayed in one cabin which made for some very close quarters. Our cabin had two twin beds that were pushed together to make a king size bed, one twin size Pullman bed that was opened by the cabin steward each evening, and one sort of short cot like bed. This was our only complaint about the room, because we are all adult size which meant our 18 year old felt like she was sleeping in a toddler bed. However, our cabin was kept neat and well stocked with towels by our cabin steward, and we were all able to make do with the space we had. Hopefully, no one goes on a cruise to hang out in the cabin the whole time anyway.

The ship is the smallest and oldest of the Carnival vessels, but we knew that going in and didn't expect anything different. There is only one small pool which was always packed with kids, so we only got in one time. There isn't a lot for teenagers to do onboard if they don't want to take part in the O2 club, which my son did not (but that was his choice). My 18 year old, however, was excited to try her hand at the slot machines in the casino.

We stopped at Freeport and Nassau. In Freeport, we took a taxi to the Grand Lucayan Resort and purchased a day pass which gave us access to their beach, chairs, pools, and free Wifi (which was very welcomed by the teenagers). The taxi cost us $10 per person round trip and the day passes were $15 per person. I would highly recommend this option over booking excursions at Freeport. The beach and pools at the Grand Lucayan were super clean and just beautiful and not crowded at all. By going on our own, we had more time to spend relaxing. You really only need a few minutes to go through the shops at the port if you're looking for souvenirs because all the shops are the same. Read more