Disney Fantasy Ship Review
By , Cruise Specialist | January 01, 2013 ( Comments)
Building on the classic style of her sister ship the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy is the regal fourth cruise liner in the expanding Disney Cruise Line fleet. This 130,000-ton vessel offers:
- 14 towering decks
- 1,250 staterooms
- The capacity to comfortably accommodate 4,000 passengers - along with the over 1,450 Cast and Crew Members who tend to the needs of every cruise Guest each day
- Total ship length of 1,115 feet and a maximum width of 125 feet
I had the chance to experience the wonder of Disney at sea on an Eastern Caribbean cruise aboard the brand-new Disney Fantasy.
Enchanting Memories
So here I am walking around the Fantasy’s 3-deck atrium, reminiscent of grand ocean liners of the Golden Age, when I happen to overhear Snow White talking to a young girl about the importance of hearts and love.
When the girl happily walked away, Snow White turned to me and said, “Why hello there Prince Nico.” I was completely shocked she had remembered my name as I’d only met her once before. So I was puzzled as to how she happened know my name seeing as she takes pictures with hundreds of people daily. And even more amazing, not only did she remember my name, but she recalled where I was from…who I was there with…!
And it wasn’t just Snow White that remembered my name, but other characters did as well: Ariel, Belle, Aladdin, and Aurora. They could even call back to previous conversations from days before. Aurora noticed me and actually called up from the bottom of the atrium, when I was way up at the top.
This was the Disney difference at work here. Not only did the princesses impress me with little details, the entire staff on board went out of their way to make sure every individual passenger experience was of the highest quality. And this kindness was a genuine friendliness that went above and beyond what I could have asked for on a cruise.
Cruise Activity Staff
The Cruise Staff, the employees in charge of all guest activities, took the time to get to know you, to converse, to make sure you were having fun. As a cruiser traveling just with my family, I wasn’t too keen on going to the singles meet and greets. Cruise staff members personally introduced me to similar travelers with whom I became good friends and we were able to enjoy the cruise together. The Cruise Staff themselves eventually became some of my favorite people to spend time with on the ship, some of which I will continue to stay in touch with.
Dining Prepared with a Dash of Disney Magic
Another surprise was the dining room. Or rather dining rooms, as Disney Cruise Line has rotational dining. What is rotational dining? Just another way Disney aims to enhance the guest experience - every evening, you dine with the same tablemates and have the same servers as you “rotate” to one of 3 main restaurants: Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden and Royal Court.
The restaurants were beautiful and whimsical of course, but the surprise was the service. How often do you go on a cruise and never see the maître d’? On most major cruise lines tipping the maître d’ is mandatory and taken out of guest’s gratuities, even though they normally do not interact on a personal level with diners.
On the Disney Fantasy, the maitre d’ makes a point of coming around and speaking to every family in his dining rotation. He forms a relationship with every table.
Across all of my 15 cruises, I haven’t met a maitre d’ like Lubomir. Not only would he address concerns, but he would also assist with any special requests. The rest of the dining room staff was excellent as well such as our waiter and assistant waiter. Not only did they work in the dining room, but I ran into our assistant waiter, Ortega, on the private Disney island of Castaway Cay working at the BBQ. He remembered it was my birthday from the dining room and got all the staff members working alongside him to sing me ‘Happy Birthday’. It was a quality of personal service like I’ve never experienced before.
And the food, oh the food.The food in the dining room was unparalleled by any ship I have ever had the opportunity to sail. The lobster tails were actually bigger than my hand, without the shell! Filet Mignon was on the menu every night in a different incarnation. Lamb was always on the menu, seafood was readily available. And, it was all delicious. Trust me, I tried all of it, every night.
The buffet is a place that is often plagued on cruise ships with the stigma that the food offerings are not on par with the main dining room. However, on the Disney Fantasy in Cabanas I was able to find chilled mussels, veal steak, crab claws, swordfish, and lamb chops that were so amazing I went back for seconds… and maybe thirds…or fourths.
Exceptionally Entertaining Entertainment
The level of entertainment on the ship was out of this world. There was always something in which every member of the family could participate. Whether it was a first run movie, Disney Trivia (of which I won three rounds!), dance parties, a live show, there was just always something! The shows are some of the best at sea, produced at the high level that Disney is known for, with a wide array of characters, songs, and talent. I found myself wishing the shows would never end!
Two shows are featured on the Fantasy: Disney’s Believe is Broadway-style production that stars more than 20 celebrated Disney Characters in a heartfelt musical extravaganza; and Disney’s Aladdin is a musical spectacular lasting approximate 45-minutes, a Broadway-style production with many of the songs from the classic Disney film.
Pirates in the Caribbean Deck Party
Don’t forget your swash-buckling gear! Perhaps one of the most uniquely Disney experiences on the duration of the cruise was the Pirates in the Caribbean Deck Party. It started out with a highly entertaining show starring the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, and ended with a bang, literally, with a massive amount of fireworks being shot into the air in a spectacle that rivals even the best firework shows at Walt Disney World.
Perfectly synchronized to music from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, the show lit up the sky for at least 8 minutes of pure eye, and ear, candy. Disney is the only cruise line to do fireworks at sea, in the middle of the ocean, and according to my family it was worth the price just for that one experience. Other ships could even be seen in the distance trying to get a glimpse of the show. The fireworks alone show how dedicated Disney is to providing the best guest experience possible. It is extremely difficult to maneuver the ship in calm waters so that the wind position is just right for the fireworks. A job that the captain himself must do each and every time they display the fireworks.
Adults Only Europa
The adults-only area of the ship, Europa, was extremely innovative. There are several distinct nightlife areas, each with a completely different atmosphere offering live music, food, bars, lounges and dancing. Areas include La Piazza, Skyline, O’Gill’s Pub, Ooh La La and The Tube.
The Tube, a British-themed night club, was brilliantly ‘imagineered’; as dancers would come out from backstage, the ceiling would light up in tune with music and had people dancing the night away. The Cruise Staff member in charge of the club, Trevor, was very enthusiastic about his position and extremely friendly. He, along with the other Cruise Staff, is essential to the experience.
Another section of Europa was the Skyline bar. Behind the bar sat screens created to look like windows, and every once and a while the image would change to a different European Skyline. The windows were quite clear, and remarkably made you feel as though you were actually in Paris or Athens.
Incredible Impressions
With the unprecedented service there was really little else I would need for the perfect cruise vacation, however, the ship itself was so beautiful. It was elegant, classy, and filled me with a sense of awe as upon embarkation.
The Disney Fantasy is lined with wood throughout, giving her natural beauty and providing a sense of comfort.
It is indeed a classic Disney ship, but if you are not a fan of everything Disney, you will not be overwhelmed by the ‘character’ of the ship. While the character is abundant, it is cleverly hidden in the design. Hidden Mickeys, which I particularly enjoy hunting, litter the ship, but can only be seen with a trained eye. You can also find other hidden characters around the ship ranging from the Muppets to Goofy’s son Max.
The Walt Disney Theater was perhaps the most beautiful theater I have ever stepped foot in. In it you can enjoy live Disney shows as well as first-run 3D movies. Its elegance was over the top, but relaxing for all to enjoy.
Art was incorporated throughout the ship, many pieces are early sketches from the concept stages of different Disney movies. I was particularly impressed by some from the Little Mermaid. The colors were so vibrant, and it was interesting to see the changes Ariel went through early on.
The ship also had Magical artwork that when approached by a passenger would come to life and dazzle guests. My personal favorite was located on Deck 5 near the back of the ship.
A scene from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the fort would fire cannon balls at the nearby painting, that just so happened to be the Wicked Wench ship. You’d hear the sounds and the dialogue from the ride itself. This Magical artwork was also used for the interactive game named the Mid-ship Detective Agency, sending guests from painting to painting to solve crimes and foil Disney Villains, or naughty Muppets!
The size and décor of the Disney Fantasy staterooms was impressive. I don’t particularly spend much time in the room, so I elected to book an inside cabin complete with an innovative feature, the magic porthole. The magic porthole is a ‘window’ that was really a screen projecting a view of the back of the ship. However, every so often magical things would occur…Tinker Bell would fly by, the house from Up would float across the screen, Jiminy Cricket would wave to you. It was great fun to watch.
The room itself was decorated with various warm wood finishes, original artwork, custom fabric and carpeting and included a king size bed (can be converted to two twin beds), a convertible couch, and separated bathrooms (one includes the toilet and the other the shower, both with sinks). Overall it was much larger than the average industry cabin, fitting a family comfortably.
The pool area was amazing, not very large, but accommodated the 4000 passengers very well. There was never a time when I felt that it was too crowded, and that goes for the entire ship as well. I never had to look too hard for a chair to lounge in, and I always had a perfect view of whatever movie they were playing on deck. Never a dull moment!
The AquaDuck was one of the main attractions onboard. AquaDuck is a thrilling water-coaster, the first of its kind at sea - traveling 765 feet around the ship and features exciting twists, turns and plunges. It reminded me of water coasters from Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon located at Disney World. You are propelled down in a 2 person tube and even go off the side of the ship in the clear acrylic slide. At one point it became similar to Space Mountain because as the slide took you within one of the ship’s funnels, it lit up! My brother rode it 25 times the entire week…
I have had the fortune to sail on 15 cruises and inspect numerous ships, and I can tell you I have never been as impressed as I was aboard my recent cruise on the Disney Fantasy. Every single detail has been considered and executed at a professional level for their guests. There is truly an activity and special spot onboard easy to find for every person and personality.
The Disney Fantasy is perfect for first time cruisers and experienced travelers alike, I would highly recommend to anyone. But proceed with caution: you might never be able to sail on any other cruise ship again!
Wanna go? Call me at 1-800-439-1909 ext 7856 and get the best Disney Cruise Advice around! (and a great price!)
Nico
