Great cruise, will sail with Disney Cruise Line again. We were a party of adults only and were concerned about this. However the adult areas were great and at dinner we were seated by ourselves (which we asked to when we booked the cruise). It was nice to see the kids and families play in the main areas and the pool areas and see the kids interact with the characters, but it was also nice to be able to go to the adult only pool area and bar areas.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Line wasn't too long, only waited about 15 minutes to check in and then about another 10 minutes to call our boarding number. Our port arrival time was 10:30am. Once on the ship we walked around for a little bit and then had lunch in the Enchanted Garden restaurant, rather than the Cabanas buffet. It was nice to have a sit down lunch with waitress service after a busy morning.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Great food everywhere--in the main dining rooms as well as the buffet. Many nights we ordered two appetizers and desserts. One night none of the appetizers appealed to me so I asked for a green salad and it was very good. If you don't see something you like just ask and they'll be happy to try to get it for you.
Animator's Palate
5 out of 5
Fun restaurant, great food. One night it was like eating with Crush, sort of like Turtle Talk with Crush in the parks. The other night the screens are animated and you see how the films are made, how they progress. At the start of that meal you draw a stick figure person on a placemat and at the end of the dinner for the grand finale you drawing is turned into an animated figure.
Bon Voyage
5 out of 5
Fun party with Mickey, Minnie & friends and music. It's crowded because it seems everyone attends it. I was concerned that the entire cruise would feel this crowded but it did not. The only "crowded" times were the Bon Voyage party, Halloween Party, and Pirate Party and that is because everyone goes to those. Other than those the ship did not feel crowded.
Senses Rainforest
5 out of 5
Great secret escape for only $16. We really enjoyed the various showers and the different levels of steam and hot rooms. The views were great and they are different on different days (since the ship will be in different ports or at sea).
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Excellent shows and character experiences.
AquaDuck
5 out of 5
Fun ride. It's nice that most of the tube is clear so it has great views of the ship and ocean.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Loved all the shows, don't miss any of them.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
All areas of the ship were very clean. I liked how they handed you wipes before you entered the dining areas.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Great cabin that adjoined to the next door cabin that our friends occupied. We never heard them through the walls. The host opened up the partition between the balconies which was nice. We were very near one set of elevators and it was a short walk to another set. We never heard any noise due to the elevators. The bank of elevators was set back from the room area, even though they were very near.
Ship tip
There's a room service breakfast menu that you can check off and hang outside your door, sort of like a do-not-disturb sign. But there's also the main room service menu that is separate, that's located inside a booklet in or on the desk. Also, Mickey Bars aren't listed on the menu but they're available from room service and in the main dining rooms.
We went on the Atlantis Submarine excursion. I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. We met at one of the lounges on the Fantasy and were escorted through the port area to a group of taxi-vans that were waiting for us. The taxis took us to the Atlantis office where we boarded a ship. The ship took us to the submarine and we transferred to the sub. While inside the sub we went under the water and toured around the ocean for about an hour an a half. The guide was great, pointed out many sea things. The submarine was very clean and air-conditioned.
Nice port. We went on the White House Beach Excursion (the version that did not include lunch). Very nice mansion, clean, nice bathrooms. Great pool. Beach was very nice, lots of lounge chairs around. Servers came around every so often asking for drink orders or food orders. There is also a large deck bar/restaurant area and that is the only place to enter the water. You enter the water via a ladder, similar to a ladder on the side of a pool, about 5 steps. Once in the water you're on what seems to be flattened out coral--not sand. The coral/ground is rather rough. You NEED to wear water shoes. Don't attempt to go into the water without water shoes. We had cheap watershoes and we were fine. If you're used to the beautiful beaches of Florida or California you'd probably be disappointed in the seven-mile beach area.
We only stayed in the gated port area because it is not safe to leave the gated port area unless you're on an escorted tour. I've read a number of articles about how unsafe Jamaica is and even our dining room servers told us unless we're going on an escorted excursion don't leave the port area as it's not safe: even they don't leave the gated port area. The gated port area was very nice. Lots of stores, some restaurants, American fast food places, Margaritaville. We walked around there for about 45 minutes. They have everything for sale from cheap T-shirts, carved items, coffee, to very expensive jewelry (diamonds, watches, etc). We walked through Margaritaville. It looked nice. They have a fake beach area and a pool area that is free to use, but you're supposed to order some food or drinks. After about 45 minutes of walking around we started to see the same thing so went back on the ship to enjoy the ship's spa and water slide.
We liked Castaway Cay however if you're used to the beaches in California or Florida I don't think you'll find Castaway Cay excellent. There are nice beaches, lots of lounge chairs. We stayed mainly in Serenity Bay (the adult only area). The servers came around every so often asking if we wanted to order drinks. The drinks were very good and around 2pm there was a two-for-one drink special. I thought the food on Castaway Cay was good, but it reminded me of typical American picnic food (hamburgers, chicken, potato salad). The food on the ship was much better so maybe my expectations were high. There are tram cars to get round the island and back to the ship. We walked around the family area and the shops.
No issues with disembarkation. We let Disney take our luggage the night before because we didn't want to lug it around the following morning and we were glad we did. I don't think it saves much time to take your own luggage yourself.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
