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Carnival Cruise Line

MS Fantasy

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Aaron Kozlowski
# previous cruises: 1
Date of Trip: June 8, 2003
Itinerary: Bahamas

Overall we feel this was not bad for our first cruise. My recommendation is that if you are planning this as a romantic getaway without the kids, don't book your cruise for June (or any other summer month). I'll explain later. Other than that, I'd say that this cruise is worth it for the first time cruiser. It gives you a taste of what a longer cruise would be like.

Overall everything was real clean. It was a little smokey by the casino and in the lobby of the Universe Lounge. Do go for desert on the Promenade. The White Chocolate Cake and Fat Carrot Cake were great.

There were 800+ kids on our cruise and 1700 on last weeks. We were not able to take romantic walks at night due to teens lying around the decks and elevators. We couldn't even think about getting near a pool or hot tub. The hot tubs in the spa were the only place it use. The hot tubs on deck say adults only, but no one enforced it.

This was to be a romantic getaway (first time away from the kids). We really were not prepared for that many kids to be onboard. We barely seen the littler kids, but it did seem the teenagers were not interested in what was prepared for them.

Food was OK, but not as good as we expected. Check the menu outside the dining room before you go in (especially the first night). Our waiter (Ryan from Jamaica) was great. It was nice being able to choose where and when you wanted to eat.

The cabins (4C) were smaller than expected, but really not too bad. There was plenty of room to put everything away. Plenty of room in the shower (even for two). Our Room Steward was awesome and we always came back to a clean room. He'd always greet us whenever he saw us.

My wife and I took this vacation as our first time to get away without the kids. This was our first cruise and it was to be a romantic getaway that we needed. Everything started out great. From when we got off the bus to when we were on the Lido deck took maybe 30-45 minutes. They did a great job of getting people through the lines. The lifeboat drills were a joke. Most of the time was spent asking people to sit down, be quiet, and quit blowing the whistles. The people at our table were great. Ryan was our awesome waiter from Jamaica. The menu the first night did leave something to be desired. We all had trouble finding something we wanted to eat off of it. So check the menu at the door before you go in. You might want to try the alternative dinning that night. If you are taking the cruise as a romantic getaway from the kids, don't book a cruise in June. There were over 800 kids on our cruise and 1700 the week before. No romantic walk on the decks. There were teens lying around everywhere (even the elevators). The only hot tub you will be able to get into is the one in the spa. The rest are full of kids even though the sign says adults only. The ship was clean (except for all of the lights everywhere that was burnt out). The food was OK (nothing to write home about). There were not as many activities onboard as we thought there would be. The Cruise Director was funny. Our Room Steward (Heiner) was awesome. Warning...the drinks you will find in your room are not free. Dig around and you will eventually find the price list. I think it was $2.50/bottle. I talked to others that found out too late. Entertainment : We attended a few of the shows. We did wish there were more choices of activities on board. The Cruise Director was very funny. We did hear that the Comedy Show was rather vulgar, so we didn't even try it.

Freeport was nice. Not crowded at all. You will have to take a 10-15 minute van ride to get anywhere. Beware of the van they try to put you in. Some are not that safe. Most are not air conditioned. They are $5/person each way. We decided to go to Lacaya Beach instead of the International Market. You get shopping and beach there. We decided to rent a scooter and tour the island ourselves. It was $15 for the first hour, $5 /hour after that, and $6.50 for the insurance. If you want to rent scooters do it here and not in Nassau. Traffic is so light that it's not a problem riding around even if you are not experienced. Don't even think about trying this in Nassau. You won't even find a non-wrecked scooter there. Way to much traffic. They also cost more in Nassau. Shopping is not bad in Freeport.

Don't take the Atlantis Excursion they sell on the ship for $45. You can take the same Water Taxi over to Paradise Island for $6 round-trip. Go into Atlantis and the sign says $25 for the Atlantis tour. I think you could just head to the casino and go out the doors there and enjoy the aquariums for free.

Remember most shops close at 6pm (some at 5pm).

There were four cruise ships at port, so everything was very crowded.

Security was great at port. You couldn't even get near the ships without your photo ID and card. We felt really safe.

We really enjoyed Freeport. It was not the least bit crowded and shopping was fun. We rented a scooter at Lacaya Beach for $15 for the first hour and $5/hr after that. If this is something that interest you, do it here and not in Nassau (cheaper and safer). It started raining, so we only rode for an hour.

Nassau was crowded. Four cruise ships were at port. You walk past a lot of scooters when you get off the ship and everyone has been wrecked. With as busy as the streets are, I'd see why. We bought the Atlantis excursion from on the ship for $45. Don't do this. It cost $6 round-trip to get over there and the sign says $25 to tour the Dig. I knew people who ended up walking around the place for free. If you miss the sign inside the door, you wouldn't even know it cost. Give it a try. Worst case you pay $25. Their main money maker (besides $250+/night rooms) is the casino. As long as you walk through there, they are happy.

The Bahamas is more for shopping and the beach. It's not really a site-seeing destination like we hoped. But we'd still consider going back.

The people at our table were great. We are going to miss them a lot. They do a good job of matching people up for the tables. Overall, people were great. We met a lot of nice people where ever we went.