We loved the cruise and the ship, but you have to accept the Fantasy for what is and not expect to find a different type of experience

We're a party of 5 - myself, DH, DS, DD and DSIL - from 20's to 60's. We live on both coasts, we wanted to combine a short historic Charleston trip with a cruise and and so ended our vacation tour with the "Exotic Eastern Caribbean" cruise which is basically the Bahamas. Since going to Charleston was the whole point of the trip, we accepted that Fantasy was our one option. We knew it was Carnival's oldest boat without a lot of modern amenities. We were just glad they were still using the homeport and that they had something going in the summer- July and August are our only opportunity.

DD and DSIL drove from North Carolina/Virginia - we flew from the West Coast. Pre-cruise stay: other things being equal, we're like everyone else - looking for free breakfast, free shuttle and free cruse parking. I know many other Charleston cruisers opt to stay outside the historic area and just drive in. However, our primary goal was to be in the historic part of Charleston. Parking is at a premium, there are not a lot of large chain hotels that cater to cruisers, so we chose the best deal we could get under the circumstances: free breakfast, but no parking or shuttle. We had DD/SIL's car at our disposal, and since DSIL has handicapped plates, we knew we could park free at the port.. Since our primary goal was to be in the historic part of Charleston, we stayed pre-cruise at the Hampton Inn Historic District. Hampton Inn was great, right across from the Charleston Visitor's Center, headquarters for multiple tour operators, and from a stop on Charlestons' great free trolley system that goes everywhere. We had first floor rooms with French doors that went directly out to the large grassy courtyard and pool. Very nice free breakfast and an outstanding front desk staff. Read more