Review of the Carnival Fantasy

The Carnival Fantasy is one of the older ships in the Carnival fleet. It was taken out of service some time ago and completely retro-fitted to offer the same amenities as the newer, grander Carnival ships.

During the retro-fit, they added Serenity, an adults-only retreat, a water slide for the whole family, as well as having added high-definition televisions to her completely refurbished suites. At 70,000 gross tons, the ship may be a little older but it is certainly large enough to carry it 2056 passengers in spacious comfort. She also has all of the comforts that you have come to expect of the entire fleet of Carnival ships such as Camp Carnival, its "fun-ified" retreat for cruisers age 2-11.

However, unlike most ships, all the ships amenities are within a few floors of each other. Instead of the Promenade deck being near the bottom of the ship, and the Lido deck being on the top, all the fun and food are clustered on a few of the top floors. The benefit of this is the close proximity of the buffet and the Broadway-style shows, the Casino among other things, all without having to spend a great deal of time travelling between floors.

The dining room is nicer than average for a Carnival ship. One might expect, as most of the fleet is, that "funship" means less elegant. This is usually the case but not on board the Fantasy. The dining room is as elegant and formal as the nicest Holland America ships that I have sailed on. As always, Carnival is more fun than any other cruise line.

By: Robert Deveau