I expected a lot for the money it cost, and the cruise exceeded my expectations

Item: Disney Fantasy
Rating: 5
Author: NE4cruise

Disney Fantasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

NE4cruise

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 23

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 13, 2016

Ship: Disney Fantasy

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 5050

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

My family (two parents, and two children age 9 and 11) just returned from the Fantasy cruise. We all had a great time, but the kids absolutely loved it. Early in the cruise, the kids said they still preferred disney world for the variety, but by the end of the cruise, they preferred the ship by a large margin. The biggest factor was the kids clubs, where they made close friends. The terrific counselors in the clubs also kept them entertained with age-appropriate activities. Another key factor was the shore excursions, where they loved the dolphin riding, stringray feeding, and snorkeling. Castaway Cay, the disney island, is an even better port destination for the kids than the virgin islands, because there are so many kids activities that are close to the dock. Because the kids preferred to spend their on-board time in the kids clubs, we parents had a lot of time on our own to spend in the spa and the various shows. It was more relaxing for us parents than was disney world. The food quality also exceeded our expectations, the restaurant servers were super friendly, and I appreciated that the staff was so concerned with cleanliness and hygiene (presumably to avoid the kinds of noravirus outbreaks, etc, that have occurred on some other cruise lines). Our kids have outgrown wanting to meet the disney characters, but there were many opportunities to meet with them every day, for kids who are so inclined. The swimming pools are small for the number of people on board, so they turned out to be a minor factor on the cruise.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The normal restaurants are terrific, but if you want a special experience, the Palo Italian restaurant costs a little additional but provides a special evening for parents.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Children's Programs

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Although we paid extra for the balcony, we actually used it very little. Next time, we might skip it and save some money. The family stateroom has bunk beds for 2 kids, which was a perfect arrangement for our family. The top bunk is folded away during the day, to give more room, but the staff puts it down at night. The toilet is in a separate room from the shower, which makes it convenient for several family members to share the room. The stateroom was fine for 2 parents and 2 kids, especially considering that we spent most of our time in the public areas of the ship.

Ship tip

Spend some time exploring all the parts of the ship at the beginning of the cruise. We didn't do enough of that, and we continued to find new and interesting areas up until the end of the cruise. Another tip: use the cruise navigator program on your phone to text family members on board.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

3 out of 5

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Castaway Cay (Disney Private Island)

5 out of 5

3 Comments

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