Cruises - Carnival- Fantasy 4 Day Bahamas Cruise Questions

We are planning our first cruise (Fantasy 4 Day Bahamas Cruise) and have the following questions:

1. Is a suite good value for the money?

2. My understanding is that there are a few different types of Cat 11 suites, e.g. some have a partially blocked balcony/view. Are all the Cat 12 suites the same? Are they on the same level? If not, what would be the most desirable level/location for a Cat 12 suite?

3. Besides a bigger room are there any other differences between Cat 12 suite and other suites/rooms? On a plane the difference between a coach, business, first class seats are significant not only in terms of the seat size, leg room, recline, etc. but also in terms of service, food, etc. Does the same logic apply on cruises?

I did several searches on this website and got a whole bunch of valuable information including websites related to cruising and I have learnt a lot from those websites as well. However, please share any additional information that you may think will be helpful for first time cruisers.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by ray:
We are planning our first cruise (Fantasy 4 Day Bahamas Cruise) and have the following questions:

1. Is a suite good value for the money?

2. My understanding is that there are a few different types of Cat 11 suites, e.g. some have a partially blocked balcony/view. Are all the Cat 12 suites the same? Are they on the same level? If not, what would be the most desirable level/location for a Cat 12 suite?

3. Besides a bigger room are there any other differences between Cat 12 suite and other suites/rooms? On a plane the difference between a coach, business, first class seats are significant not only in terms of the seat size, leg room, recline, etc. but also in terms of service, food, etc. Does the same logic apply on cruises?

I did several searches on this website and got a whole bunch of valuable information including websites related to cruising and I have learnt a lot from those websites as well. However, please share any additional information that you may think will be helpful for first time cruisers.</font>

Well, FWIW you might want to ask yourself this question. How much time do you plan on spending in your cabin? If you are like me and my daughters, you will spend very little time there. We just sleep, shower, and change there and spend the rest of the time out on deck. If you want to save a great deal of money go with the cheapest cabin you can and spend the rest on excursions. We have done 5 cruises in the last 4 years and have always done the inside cabin. We went with other family members on our last cruise, they had to have an outside cabin with a balcony. They were with us the whole time on deck so I bet they did not use that balcony more than once, if at all. Either way, enjoy your cruise, they are awesome.


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Don't take life too seriously, afterall, you won't get out alive.

I agree with the above. My wife and I have been on 3 cruises so far (with many more hopefully planned) and bought the balcony the first one. It was nice as we sipped wine and watched the ocean alone (It was our honeymoon).

But now we book inside and spend the $$$ we save on the tours/activities. Hiking/biking/kayaking in Alaska was AMAZING!!!

We are exactly the opposite. Have been on five cruises; only one did not have a window. I would never ever do this again. We like a window since you can observe the scenery when in your room. FYI, our first cruise, years ago was on the Fantasy in a suite. Don't remember too much about it. I do recall it was a spacious suite with a balcony. It had a sitting area and was spacious. I think we took the same cruise you are going on. Do not take the optional tour of Freeport. It is a rip-off. The Fantasy was a great ship then (about 15 years ago-don't know how it is now.)


<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by The Unknown Screener:
Well, FWIW you might want to ask yourself this question. How much time do you plan on spending in your cabin? If you are like me and my daughters, you will spend very little time there. We just sleep, shower, and change there and spend the rest of the time out on deck. If you want to save a great deal of money go with the cheapest cabin you can and spend the rest on excursions. We have done 5 cruises in the last 4 years and have always done the inside cabin. We went with other family members on our last cruise, they had to have an outside cabin with a balcony. They were with us the whole time on deck so I bet they did not use that balcony more than once, if at all. Either way, enjoy your cruise, they are awesome.


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FWIW, my wife has been on both ships and prefers the RCCL Sovereign of the Seas over the Fantasy by a wide margin.

She thinks the Sov's food is better, the ship is in better shape, and the employees are much friendlier.