Carnival Fantasy Review
Rating by category
Additional details
Was on the Carnival Fantasy for a 7 day cruise Nov 1 2015. First I want to talk about the port. The port, though downtown Charleston, is easy to get to and from. We drove to the port and arrived at 10:00 AM. We were allowed to drop off our luggage and were told to come back at 11:00 to park. Upon returning, we were queued with other cars and waited until 11:30 before being allowed into the parking garage. Parking was $17 per day, paid up front. After a short shuttle trip to the terminal, we were checked in and boarded, getting on the ship by 12:30.
Now the ship, The Fantasy is one of the older ships and it will go in for refit to the Carnival 2.0 Fun Ship in Feb 2016 and then to Mobile AL. Even though it is old, it is well taken care of and the cabins and public areas are very clean. The entertainment aboard the ship was OK but not great. Our favorite part of the aboard ship fun is the dining room. The dining room and food was great during this cruise. The waiters were fun and good at what they do. I enjoyed the leisurely meal and was allowed to eat at my own pace and I thoroughly enjoyed the service.
I choose cabins on the Fantasy class ships on Riviera deck because this deck is very quiet. Our cabin was R216 and was ocean view. The cabin, bed, and bath were comfortable with plenty of storage. There was only one working electrical outlet in the cabin. That didn't bother us because we lock the electronics up in the safe the moment we get on board. Your on vacation, enjoy the downtime, swim, drink and eat. No need to be in constant contact.
Cabin Review
Ocean View
Great location, quiet part of the ship, this cabin is located close to the aft elevators. All you have to do to get to Lido deck and breakfast, coffee and the buffet is get on the elevator. You will hear the low hum of the engines below you and that is about all of the noise. I found it quite soothing. Bathroom is adequate. You need to pack travel sizes of bathroom items, due to limited counter space in the bathroom. Also, we have learned to bring clothes that can be stored folded, due to not having a lot of hangers in the closets.
Loved the big picture window that you could also sit in, if you wanted to.
Port Reviews
Charleston
Embarkation port, embarkation went smoothly.
Half Moon Cay
This was a nice kayaking trip to a shallow cove where the guide gave a nature talk. You will paddle approx. 1.5 miles on this trip.
Grand Turk
This is a clean port with a free beach with chairs and also a pool in the port. This port has a margaritaville in the cruise port.
Nassau
This is Balmoral Island beach. Just need to do the beach it was excellent. BBQ was a sack lunch. Market on the Island has a Starbucks and also has a deli.