A great trip but missing some Magic

Disney Fantasy Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Vote: 1

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5
Verified Review
Disney Fantasy

4 Night Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 02, 2024

Ship: Disney Fantasy

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 6684

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 days ago

Review summary

The cruise was fine but lacked the Disney Magic that we are accustomed to experiencing. We found that the communication was poor in several instances. We were told we needed the Key to the World card and photo Id when getting off the ship. When traveling, we like to keep important documents locked up if possible to reduce the chance of losing things. We later found out that our magic bands were enough. Some of the activities were moved from the original location but that wasn’t announced well - and neither was the status of our ability to dock at Castaway. The Captain made announcements but they were not able to be heard well. Using the messaging feature on the app would have been useful. We have sailed with Disney before but felt that some of the magic was missing. It’s hard to explain but we didn’t have that feeling of awe that you usually get from a company that usually excels in great customer service. We were planning on purchasing a placeholder but did not because of this experience. We are reasonable people who understand that no one can control the weather but even though the service was good, there was still something lacking. We will change to a different cruise line for our next vacation and take a break from Disney for a little while. We wish there was a way to allow people to visit an island that was skipped so they didn’t have to take the chance of paying and missing it a second time.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
We had a very easy time during the embarkation process

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5
Service was very good! The dining rooms were all beautiful, clean and well run. However, the food itself was sometimes cold and bland.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5
We enjoyed the activities but felt that they were not as varied as they could have been. Character greetings, drawing classes, trivia and movies were the majority of offerings. Putting someone in front of a screen shouldn’t count as an activity since it’s not led by anyone and doesn’t engage people. The activities were definitely lacking when we were not able to dock at Castaway Cay. We felt that more choices should have been put in place when the we weren’t able to enjoy the island. Lastly, for those who do not drink alcohol, there weren’t any special activities that could be booked on board.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Aladdin, Believe and Frozen were amazing and definitely a highlight of the trip! Fly Boys could have been reserved for one of the lounge acts instead of main entertainment.

Children's Programs

1 out of 5
Our two 13 year olds felt that the activity staff at Edge treated them like toddlers. Other families that we met who had younger teens felt the same way. My kids tried 3 different times and did not feel like they belonged. This is the first time this has happened on a Disney cruise or any other cruise line that we’ve sailed. This was a big disappointment.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Eugene, Satya, Sheeka and Faisal were a great team, very attentive, friendly and helpful. They greeted us whenever we saw them outside of the cabin and made us feel very welcome.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
This was an easy ship to learn to navigate. We loved the theming in the dining rooms. The common areas and lounges were clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
We were very comfortable in our stateroom and enjoyed the balcony.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

4 out of 5

Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point

3 out of 5
The weather prevented us from enjoying the day. It was not the fault of the cruise line but even though we could see how beautiful it was, we were still disappointed. The long walk to/from the ship didn’t concern us but it would have been very difficult if other family members were with us this trip.

Castaway Cay (Disney Private Island)

1 out of 5
We were not able to dock which was a huge disappointment, especially since the day before wasn’t a great experience. We felt that the communication about what was happening was poor and if we didn’t have a balcony to watch, we would not have known what was happening. The ship activities should have been increased once we knew that the island was no longer an option.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Wonderful! No delays whatsoever. Appreciated the use facial recognition when passports were used.
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3 Comments

Gwbigdog     6 days ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

javawoody     8 days ago

Appreciate the detailed review

cruising2004     8 days ago

Thank you for your detailed review. Sorry this cruise was lacking some “magic.”