So different people cruise for different reasons right? We took this cruise to give our 2 1/2 year old grand daughter her first experience. I am platinum on Carnival and my husband is gold. I have five cruises booked at this time to give you some background. We drove from Tallahassee and it only takes about three hours so travel was easy. It was puzzling to me that coming from the east there was very little direction to the terminal. We found our way but not without a lot of turning around.

Fantasy is an older ship but easy to navigate. We walked right on the ship without waiting in line more than five minutes. We arrived about 11am. We went right to the room and it was ready. We had an ocean view room and the bed was very comfortable. Our room steward was very helpful and we did ask that he service our room twice daily and bring ice. There was no refrigerator in the room. The window was stained and foggy but it was still ok.

There was no bad sewage odor like you smell on some of the larger ships. Our room was very clean. This was a Getaway offer from the casino so we got gifts everyday and that was a nice perk. There were two drawstring bags the first day, champagne the second, chocolate covered strawberries the third and cookies the fourth. We also got the platinum gift which was the gray backpack. I already have one and found it very useful on my last cruise. The casino also treated us to a bottle of wine in the dining room. We did the green eggs and ham breakfast and the parade with our granddaughter and she loved it. We only ate in the dining room once and the service was ok. The food was normal Carnival fare and ok. We had room service once and it was very prompt in arriving. The rest of the time we ate pizza, burgers and marketplace food. We know how annoying kids can be in the dining room and tried to avoid spoiling anyone's dinner. We didn't do any shore excursions in Cozumel. We just got off the ship and walked around a little. We uses the time on the ship for her to play in the waterworks. The ladies in Camp Carnival were very helpful but she only went once and then refused to stay after. A little too much separation anxiety I think. I have to say that I've been on few ships that the staff was any nicer than on Fantasy. Everyone was very helpful and eager to assist at any moment. We did self debarkation and it was quick and painless. Off the ship by 8:45. By the time the cruise was over our gd had adjusted and was opening the door with her room key, sanitizing her hands frequently and telling everyone hello. I think it was a good experience for her and hope that this is the first of many cruises. I have a cruise booked on this ship in February and look forward to going back.