Carnival’s Fantasy

Gets a Makeover

By Marilyn Green

Among the 2,000-plus passengers streaming aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Fantasy in Port Canaveral, many are trying out cruising for the first time. They are surprised by the seven-deck atrium, the enormous spa and fitness areas and the range of activities on board, but what they rave about most of all is the service. When they disembark four days later, they have been sold on cruising.
When the Fantasy was launched in 1990, she was the first of Carnival’s Superliner ships, followed by the Ecstasy, Sensation, Fascination, Imagination, Inspiration, Elation and Paradise. Then, as now, the lavish marble and unusual lighting effects delighted guests.
But today’s Fantasy is not the 1990 version. In addition to previous renovations, the ship received a multi-million-dollar refurbishment in October 2005. New tilework, carpeting and upholstery refreshed the entire ship interior. Among other changes were new onboard photo and art galleries, a nine-hole miniature golf course and a completely renovated health and fitness center.
The 12,000-square-foot Spa Carnival now has all the bells and whistles of today’s extensive shipboard spas: 11 private treatment rooms including two couples’ massage rooms and a new relaxation/waiting room. The fitness area has two spacious sections, one with completely updated resistance machines, bicycles and weight benches. The other is fitted out for aerobics, with Pilates balls, yoga mats, etc. attesting to the variety of classes available.
For those who prefer to take their exercise outside, the new nine-hole miniature golf course is a draw for all age groups, along with the pool and jogging track. Similarly, a large percentage of guests on my cruise opted for active shore excursions in Freeport and in Nassau, where they also sampled the nightlife, since the ship has an overnight there.
The Grand Spectrum atrium, with its softly shifting lighting, was always busy, with passengers checking to see who was relaxing in the lobby as they rode the glass elevators. Echoing the water around the ship, the light and colors change slowly, with twinkling Tivoli lights at night. Guests were most impressed by the grand double staircase in the atrium, with its glass balustrades. Where the staircases come together there was always a cluster of passengers in the evening, enjoying the vantage point from which they can see the Grand Spectrum and their fellow guests.
Classical style rules in the large Pavilion, a very lovely library where people relax at all hours, playing games or chatting quietly. In contrast, the bi-level 1,300-seat Universe Lounge has an otherworld quality, located on the 450-foot-long Century Boulevard that provides banquettes along the broad “street” among lounges, shops, the Internet Café, casino, Bistro on the Boulevard with specialty coffees and pastries and the disco, in use during the day by younger cruisers, in the late hours by adults.
The casino, Club 21, was filled from the moment it opened each day (blackjack, slot machines, roulette wheels and crap table and 3 Face Up games are offered). At one end of the boulevard the two-level show lounge offered highly professional live production shows and late night adult comedy. Singalong piano, classical chamber music and Country Western vocals added to the entertainment choices. Two movies were shown each day, plus another four on stateroom televisions, which have a broad range of channels from CNN on. The beauty of Cleopatra’s Bar brought guests with their cameras to have their pictures taken among the hieroglyphics and the large sculpture.
Dining aboard the Fantasy really surprised first-time guests. Lavish breakfast buffets with custom cooked egg dishes, remarkable freshly baked pastries and very fresh fruit sent whole families scurrying around the food stations to see what they might be missing. Different specialty lines in the buffet at lunch provided a very wide variety of choices, which were negated in many cases once cruisers discovered the unbelievably good hamburgers grilled poolside, along with hot dogs, salads, very fresh French fries and enough toppings to obliterate the sandwiches. “This has to be ground round,” a Californian kept exclaiming. “How do they do it?”
Others swore by the 24-hour pizza that drew startled reviews from East Coast passengers who thought the quality couldn’t exist away from home. The deli counter was mobbed at lunch by cruisers carrying away huge corned beef sandwiches, giant pickles and generous lox and cream cheese on bagels. The frozen yogurt machines were so popular that on two mornings I saw cruisers filling their cereal bowls.
There was more “How do they do it?” in the dining rooms where the quality of food, presentation and service for 2,000 guests brought the staff many compliments. The Fantasy has four seatings for dinner in the 658-seat Jubilee Dining Room and 650-seat Celebration Dining Room: 5:45 p.m. or 6:15 p.m. and 8 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. The menu impressed guests who chose among fresh fish, beef and pasta dishes, elegant starters and fabulous desserts. Nautica Spa dishes and sugar free desserts are featured in both the dining rooms and the more casual dining options. Once they caught a glimpse of the well-planned room service menu that includes a variety of sandwiches, salads and desserts, quite a few guests who had been on active shore excursions chose to order in cabin.

Staterooms on the Fantasy are simple and comfortable, with telephone, radio, bathroom amenities and a small table. Light woods and colors make the rooms feel very spacious and the Carnival Comfort beds and bedding were the topic of breakfast conversation for the first two mornings. Passengers with children particularly appreciated the self-serve laundries on board.
The Fantasy passengers tend to have a more casual take on dress than guests on longer cruises. Formal night on the Fantasy tends to be less formal, with most men wearing suits and women fairly dressy dresses or pant suits. Guests were torn between roast beef and lobster (many chose both) and enthusiastically posed for pictures to commemorate what was obviously the first of many cruises.
The only drawback to Carnival’s strong reputation with the cruisers was that some of them seemed to feel the company could do anything. Even staff eager to satisfy all requests were a little disconcerted when more than one family asked if the weather couldn’t be made “a little hotter.”
The Fantasy currently operates year-round three- and four-day Bahamas cruises from Port Canaveral.