TheRichFam
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2013
Howdy, everyone! When I began planning a cruise on the Disney Fantasy more than a year ago, it seemed so far fetched and out of reach that I kept it to myself at first. I didn't want to let my wife and kids down if it didn't work out. Now that we're just over two weeks from our sail date, it still doesn't seem real. Needless to say, we're pretty stoked.
Here's the cast:
Dad, Mom, Luke (DS12) Lainey (DD9) and Lyla Belle (DD5).
We are Disney fanatics, and we've been to WDW multiple times. I (DD) used to be a cast member! We'll be headed to WDW next weekend so I can run the Walt Disney World Marathon, then we'll spend a few days relaxing at Art of Animation before headed out on the Fantasy for a 7-Day Western Caribbean itinerary on 1/18. This will be our first Disney Cruise! Actually, it'll be our first cruise period! I'll start with a little pre-trip report and make sure I include as much pertinent info as possible. I know just about all there is to know about WDW, so feel free to shoot me any specific questions and I'll be happy to answer them. As for the cruise, well ... we'll figure it out together!
I booked straight through DCL. We're staying in Cat 4A, Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. My kids have already begun arguing about who gets to sleep in the bed that folds down from the roof. We're on Deck 10 Midship. I read a few reviews that cautioned against Deck 10 Mid because we're essentially right under the pool, but I don't think it'll be an issue for us. I'll be sure to mention it if that becomes a problem.
We joined the Fish Extender on our sailing and made sure to get in the FE Facebook groups and the Disboard thread. Tons of great info if you, like us, are overwhelmed about the whole FE subculture. It's really not that scary!
When our booking period opened, we grabbed Remy first (we wanted semi-formal night and read that it fills up pretty quickly), then we did Pirate League, then Excursions, then onboard activities. We got Remy, but we didn't get PL, the excursions we wanted or the spa day we wanted. I STRONGLY recommend doing PL absolutely first thing when the booking window opens!!! Remy was STILL available for us (albeit at a later time) after we did all the other booking. Lesson learned. No biggie.
For excursions we wanted Salsa y Salsa in Costa Maya, Ruins is Cozumel and no planned activities in Grand Cayman or Castaway Cay. We got Salsa y Salsa, but we didn't get the ruins tour. We'll try getting it through Guest Services onboard, because ... we got the earliest port arrival time!!! All our check-in stuff is done, so fingers crossed!
That's all for now. Hope y'all enjoy the ride with us. Again, I'd be happy to take any specific photos, answer any questions or get any info for you from AoA (we're in Cars!), Disney in general or throughout our cruise.
Until next time,
TheRichFam
Here's the cast:
Dad, Mom, Luke (DS12) Lainey (DD9) and Lyla Belle (DD5).
We are Disney fanatics, and we've been to WDW multiple times. I (DD) used to be a cast member! We'll be headed to WDW next weekend so I can run the Walt Disney World Marathon, then we'll spend a few days relaxing at Art of Animation before headed out on the Fantasy for a 7-Day Western Caribbean itinerary on 1/18. This will be our first Disney Cruise! Actually, it'll be our first cruise period! I'll start with a little pre-trip report and make sure I include as much pertinent info as possible. I know just about all there is to know about WDW, so feel free to shoot me any specific questions and I'll be happy to answer them. As for the cruise, well ... we'll figure it out together!
I booked straight through DCL. We're staying in Cat 4A, Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. My kids have already begun arguing about who gets to sleep in the bed that folds down from the roof. We're on Deck 10 Midship. I read a few reviews that cautioned against Deck 10 Mid because we're essentially right under the pool, but I don't think it'll be an issue for us. I'll be sure to mention it if that becomes a problem.
We joined the Fish Extender on our sailing and made sure to get in the FE Facebook groups and the Disboard thread. Tons of great info if you, like us, are overwhelmed about the whole FE subculture. It's really not that scary!
When our booking period opened, we grabbed Remy first (we wanted semi-formal night and read that it fills up pretty quickly), then we did Pirate League, then Excursions, then onboard activities. We got Remy, but we didn't get PL, the excursions we wanted or the spa day we wanted. I STRONGLY recommend doing PL absolutely first thing when the booking window opens!!! Remy was STILL available for us (albeit at a later time) after we did all the other booking. Lesson learned. No biggie.
For excursions we wanted Salsa y Salsa in Costa Maya, Ruins is Cozumel and no planned activities in Grand Cayman or Castaway Cay. We got Salsa y Salsa, but we didn't get the ruins tour. We'll try getting it through Guest Services onboard, because ... we got the earliest port arrival time!!! All our check-in stuff is done, so fingers crossed!
That's all for now. Hope y'all enjoy the ride with us. Again, I'd be happy to take any specific photos, answer any questions or get any info for you from AoA (we're in Cars!), Disney in general or throughout our cruise.
Until next time,
TheRichFam
