Sailing from Charleston on the Fantasy is a fun experience.If you are driving, the streets to the pier are clearly marked, but be aware that they will want to check your boarding pass and passports at the first check point, then you will go to another location to pay, then to a third location where they take your bags. Finally after telling you where to park, they will shuttle you to the ship for embarkation. Sounds confusing but it worked very smoothly.We are VIP members with Carnival, but there is no VIP lounge in Charleston.The only benefit you get is to go the front of the line.You can't get into your cabin until 1:30 but you can visit the public areas. We had an outside cabin on Upper Deck. It was adequate with a nice size bathroom for a cruise ship. If you need a hair dryer, you must ask your cabin steward to get you one. Robes were provided to use during the cruise.The ship is small by today's standards so it was pretty easy to learn how to get around. The fitness center was small but with great new machines. You can tell that they have recently renovated a lot of the public areas too.The buffet area was nice because they had separate stations for items such as salads and desserts. This helped to keep the buffet lines moving more quickly. It was also easy to get seating, even on sea days. There is a nice adults only deck area called Serenity, but if you are fussy about seating, you may need to get there early as there is not much shade. Pool area is nice and children's water park is nice too, but once again, not much shade. The production shows were great, and food in the dining room was good.Service staff on this ship did a nice job; friendly & efficient.Make sure you attend the debarkation talk - it is a different process than most ships. You can do walk off and be gone early if you like.Overall a great vacation.