Carnival Fantasy Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

I would not recommend.

Review for the Bahamas Cruise on Carnival Fantasy
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AviTash
6-10 Cruises • Age 30s

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Sail Date: Feb 2016
Cabin: Ocean View

I believe the Carnival Fantasy is the oldest ship in the fleet. For three or less nights, I do believe the ship is tolerable as it's not falling apart, but I wouldn't suggest it for longer trips. I went on the 2 night itinerary after the ship's 2016 dry dock. I read there were upgrades to bars and eateries during the refurbishment, but there was no evident hotel upgrades made to the rooms. There is extreme noticeable wear on the ship inside and out. It’s small and the layout is difficult to navigate, especially for those for have a hard time walking long distances or climbing stairs.

This was my 5th cruise with Carnival, and I hardly need to complain, but people considering this ship must be warned. My expectations were very low and I think I would have been okay if we stopped in Nassau as planned. However, due to supposed issues with the ship, we were rerouted to Freeport. What was upsetting to the majority on board was that we essentially paid the Nassau cruise fare ($300+ per person) to go to the same place as the Grand Celebration which is an express cruise ship from West Palm Beach that runs $250 for 2 roundtrip groupons (it was also in dock & sadly looked nicer than our ship). This was the week after my birthday and 1st wedding anniversary and I definitely need a do over so I don’t remember this experience for years to come.

The room stewards and food/beverage/dining staff work so incredibly hard on any ship, and they were a delight to interact with. It’s not their fault if stations were under-staffed and the fact that dinner took 2 hours to be served the first night or that most food was not prepared properly (undercooked/overcooked). I solely blame the cruise line for poor planning. This 2 day itinerary was not a usual one for the ship. It seems like they only did it because of the dry dock. My opinion may not matter, but they should have probably not scheduled this if it couldn’t be successfully done. That being said, they did offer a small form of credit to all onboard and that they didn’t have to do so I gave them 2 stars verses 1 star.

Cabin Review

Ocean View

Cabin 6B

The cabin washroom was small. It's probably suitable for 2 adults, maybe one child at the most. It was nice having a window. The interior rooms were too dark, but if you like to sleep late or nap during the day, it would probably work well. On the Riviera deck midship, I noticed a lot of creaking sounds. I stayed low because I am prone to seasickness. Besides the noises, the room didn't bother me. I'd call it an economy type room. The ship was introduced in 1990.

Port Reviews

Freeport

Stay in port. There is nothing to see. Everything is closed on a Sunday. Nassau is the place to be in the Bahamas, but it's 100+ miles away across water. The taxi tour operators charge $30 per person to drive you around. Extreme robbery. If you have to go somewhere by taxi, just pay a regular taxi.

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Embarkation was average.

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