We had been on a DCL hiatus for the past 4 years. Honestly, I was a bit Disney'ed out and wanted to show our kids that there is more to vacation than just Disney Cruises.
Then, my kids recently started asking to go on a Disney Cruise, and my wife and I missed it too. So we went on the Sept. 1 Fantasy and just got home last night.
Just as a background, my 11yo daughter had been on 14 DCL cruises by the age of 7 and my 7yo son had been on 10 by the age of 3. So we are very partial to the classic ships.
Here's our take on the Fantasy:
First, we had the best weather ever!!!
Disney really worked out the details with the new ship.
Check-in by boarding number: It seems to have cut down on the crowd at the terminal
Cabanas: They now have the utensils pre-wrapped in cloth napkins and kept at the dining tables. No longer a CM waiting at the entrance wrapping utensils with the napkins and passing it out. It was much faster and smoother this time. Also, due to the larger size of the dining area, there were more drink stations.
Animator's: The animation show was REALLY neat and fun for children and adults.
Food: Overall, the food tasted better than before. We had always felt that the food was the weakest link in the Disney Cruise experience. However, on the Fantasy, we were pleasantly surprised by the improvement in the food. Even the lobster looked like a real lobster and tasted better than before.
Palo dinner: Excellent service, good food
Remy dinner: Great dining "experience". Sous Chefs overseen by a Michelin two-star rated chef from France AND the chef from Victoria + Albert's of the Grand Floridian. It's a Must Do. Rumor is that DCL tried to obtain a Michelin 1 star rating (to become the only Michelin rated restaurant at-sea) but Michelin requires ingredients to be same day freshness which is impossible for a ship.
Public area bathrooms: I think there is a cleaning crew member living in each bathroom. Each time I opened the door of a bathroom, there was someone inside, cleaning!!!
Castaway Cay: The Cabana was nice. We barely spent any time in it because the water was the warmest we experienced on the island. Also, the water didn't have the weird grass in the water and was very clear. Did Disney get rid of the underwater grass?
Concierge lounge on deck 12: Very convenient for snacks and drinks throughout the day, and much easier access to the EXCELLENT concierge staff. Julia, Kamisha, Sarah and Angeline(in training) were just top notch.
Stateroom Temperature Control: It really worked on the Fantasy.
Bathroom: My kids really loved the HUGE Jacuzzi tub and the lights that change colors. They also enjoyed watching the mirror TV while taking a bath.
BINGO!!! We won the jackpot bingo!!!
What we missed:
On Pirate Night, the dining staff didn't do the "show" with the flag while singing pirate songs. Also no dancing with the kids and doing the limbo stick.
No Baked Alaska show
The "Old" Pirate Night deck party. No Mickey coming down the zip line, and the fireworks show didn't have the "WOW" factor. There were less "traditional" Disney characters performing and dancing on stage, such as Mr. Smee. I guess I'm not as big a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme.
The show, "Disney Dreams". The new shows are good, but lacked the "specialness" of the "Dreams"
No Golden Mickeys show
The super rude crowd during the shows and movies. I have never seen anything like it. It was hard to enjoy the shows and movies with MANY people talking during performances. One person saved the entire two rows of the center section at the Walt Disney Theater. I witnessed some people arguing with CM's who reminded them that they can't save seats, and some simply claiming they don't speak English. It was just unbelievable. During a late showing of a movie at the Buena Vista theater, there were several adults who were talking loud, and two boys having a sword fight while jumping over rows of chairs!!! I finally told them to be quite, but they continued until another person admonished them as well.
It's possible that it may have been a cultural issue that should have been addressed by DCL with announcements in Spanish that there is no talking during the shows and while Brent is on stage making announcements.
But I also saw MANY Spanish-speaking children and adults with better manners than me, so maybe it's not a matter of cultural difference, but just parents who don't know how to parent and adults who don't know how to act like adults.
I was told that more than 50% of the guests on this cruise were from Spanish-speaking countries, which is great since people from other countries are also enjoying Disney Cruises. HOWEVER, cultural indifference(?) (or maybe not even cultural, just lack of common courtesy?) definitely affected my enjoyment while on-board.
IF DISNEY IS READING THIS, my wife says "please provide table-top lighted magnifying mirror and my children would like step stools for the stateroom bathrooms!!!
Then, my kids recently started asking to go on a Disney Cruise, and my wife and I missed it too. So we went on the Sept. 1 Fantasy and just got home last night.
Just as a background, my 11yo daughter had been on 14 DCL cruises by the age of 7 and my 7yo son had been on 10 by the age of 3. So we are very partial to the classic ships.
Here's our take on the Fantasy:
First, we had the best weather ever!!!
Disney really worked out the details with the new ship.
Check-in by boarding number: It seems to have cut down on the crowd at the terminal
Cabanas: They now have the utensils pre-wrapped in cloth napkins and kept at the dining tables. No longer a CM waiting at the entrance wrapping utensils with the napkins and passing it out. It was much faster and smoother this time. Also, due to the larger size of the dining area, there were more drink stations.
Animator's: The animation show was REALLY neat and fun for children and adults.
Food: Overall, the food tasted better than before. We had always felt that the food was the weakest link in the Disney Cruise experience. However, on the Fantasy, we were pleasantly surprised by the improvement in the food. Even the lobster looked like a real lobster and tasted better than before.
Palo dinner: Excellent service, good food
Remy dinner: Great dining "experience". Sous Chefs overseen by a Michelin two-star rated chef from France AND the chef from Victoria + Albert's of the Grand Floridian. It's a Must Do. Rumor is that DCL tried to obtain a Michelin 1 star rating (to become the only Michelin rated restaurant at-sea) but Michelin requires ingredients to be same day freshness which is impossible for a ship.
Public area bathrooms: I think there is a cleaning crew member living in each bathroom. Each time I opened the door of a bathroom, there was someone inside, cleaning!!!
Castaway Cay: The Cabana was nice. We barely spent any time in it because the water was the warmest we experienced on the island. Also, the water didn't have the weird grass in the water and was very clear. Did Disney get rid of the underwater grass?
Concierge lounge on deck 12: Very convenient for snacks and drinks throughout the day, and much easier access to the EXCELLENT concierge staff. Julia, Kamisha, Sarah and Angeline(in training) were just top notch.
Stateroom Temperature Control: It really worked on the Fantasy.
Bathroom: My kids really loved the HUGE Jacuzzi tub and the lights that change colors. They also enjoyed watching the mirror TV while taking a bath.
BINGO!!! We won the jackpot bingo!!!
What we missed:
On Pirate Night, the dining staff didn't do the "show" with the flag while singing pirate songs. Also no dancing with the kids and doing the limbo stick.
No Baked Alaska show
The "Old" Pirate Night deck party. No Mickey coming down the zip line, and the fireworks show didn't have the "WOW" factor. There were less "traditional" Disney characters performing and dancing on stage, such as Mr. Smee. I guess I'm not as big a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean theme.
The show, "Disney Dreams". The new shows are good, but lacked the "specialness" of the "Dreams"
No Golden Mickeys show
The super rude crowd during the shows and movies. I have never seen anything like it. It was hard to enjoy the shows and movies with MANY people talking during performances. One person saved the entire two rows of the center section at the Walt Disney Theater. I witnessed some people arguing with CM's who reminded them that they can't save seats, and some simply claiming they don't speak English. It was just unbelievable. During a late showing of a movie at the Buena Vista theater, there were several adults who were talking loud, and two boys having a sword fight while jumping over rows of chairs!!! I finally told them to be quite, but they continued until another person admonished them as well.
It's possible that it may have been a cultural issue that should have been addressed by DCL with announcements in Spanish that there is no talking during the shows and while Brent is on stage making announcements.
But I also saw MANY Spanish-speaking children and adults with better manners than me, so maybe it's not a matter of cultural difference, but just parents who don't know how to parent and adults who don't know how to act like adults.
I was told that more than 50% of the guests on this cruise were from Spanish-speaking countries, which is great since people from other countries are also enjoying Disney Cruises. HOWEVER, cultural indifference(?) (or maybe not even cultural, just lack of common courtesy?) definitely affected my enjoyment while on-board.
IF DISNEY IS READING THIS, my wife says "please provide table-top lighted magnifying mirror and my children would like step stools for the stateroom bathrooms!!!
Not sure about the Murphy bed! What a great gty assignment!
. I finally bit the bullet and pulled up the deck plan explorer here (my computer doesn't like it, it takes forever!), so I saw that they do indeed connect. I do wish they'd note the bed configuration somehow on the plans. Other lines do!
