Just off the Fantasy (5/3-5/10)

[chrisdar1]

Hello everyone,

We disembarked yesterday from an incredible week on the Fantasy. Here's the highlights. I'd be happy to answer any questions (if I can).

General - It was me, my wife, and our two daughters (8 & 5). We booked through Dreams Unlimited and had Tammy O. as our Travel Agent. She was great! Very prompt when returning responses from emails and very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend...

This was our second cruise (both on DCL), our first one was in 2010 on the Wonder (4 Night Bahamas).

We booked this cruise over a year ago (April of 2013) and had been counting down the days for (what seemed like) forever...

Stateroom - We were in a veranda room - Cat 5C on Deck 7 Midship. The room was located right at the midship elevator/stairway, which surprisingly didn't bother us at all. It was a great location, very little ship motion, and the noise wasn't a problem. (We also use a sound machine at night, so I'm sure that helped...).

Ida was our Stateroom Host and he did a great job the entire week and was very accommodating when we needed to let our 5 year old take a quick nap in the middle of the afternoon...

We received the Castaway Club tote bag in our room as well as the Welcome Gift from DU that included two plastic coffee mugs, two water bottles, glow sticks, magnetic clips (which we used to keep the veranda curtains closed tightly at night to keep the room dark - but could also be used to hold towels onto your lounger by the pool or beach), gummies, a deck of cards, and probably something else that I'm forgetting...

Dining - We had the AERAERA Main Dining rotation. Gloria (Server - Peru) and Mirella ("Mimi", Assistant Server - Croatia) were our servers and did an incredible job! They took their time to make sure we had everything we needed, were great with the girls - Gloria gave them Origami lessons and Mimi taught them how to draw Goofy, and sincerely asked us how our day was every evening. They shared their recommendations on food, the highlights of the ship, and even gave us tips on our Ports of Call too. We were really pleased with them.

Witt (Korea - I think...?) was our Head Server and he did a good job checking in with us mid-cruise to see how the serving team was doing and even pitched in to help clear tables or bring out food from the kitchen.

At no point were we given the "Excellent Rating Score) hard sell so no issues there...

Overall, the food quality was Below Average at best. My wife and I aren't food snobs by any means, and I understand the fact that it takes an army to prepare 8000 plates of food a day, but we both agreed that the quality was less than expected. Food temperature was hit or miss, cuts of beef were overly fatty, fish and seafood was also hit or miss with regard to texture, taste, and quality.Then again, I'm not sure who books a Disney Cruise for the food... If it weren't for Gloria and Mimi, we probably would have skipped the MDRs and just headed to Cabanas.

We missed the Pirate Menu due to not getting back on the ship until later in St. Maarten, so I can't comment on that particular night.

We also ate at Cabanas for lunch and probably hit up the counter service (Flo's) more times than needed throughout the day...

So even though we weren't overly impressed with the food quality, there was always enough.

We didn't dine at Palo or Remy (we had decided pre-cruise to spend our designated "adult night" exploring the Europa section of the ship - which we didn't have a good chance to do on our first cruise), so I can't comment on their food quality.

Excursions - In St. Maarten, we decided to go to Le Galion beach on our own. Having spent a lot of time on the Disboards before we left, we knew we wanted to go to a family friendly beach that would be less crowded than Orient. We chose Le Galion and were really pleased with the decision. It took us about five minutes to hop into a taxi (van) from the Port. We rode with another family who were going to Orient and the ride took about 20-25 minutes. When we were dropped off the driver (Gregory) asked us what time we wanted him to pick us up and we told him 2:00. It was $7 a piece for the taxi ride ($28 total).

We got to the beach around 10:15 and there was still plenty of room to grab an umbrella and two lounge chairs right in front of the water. There were probably 50 people there when we arrive (maybe 125 when we left), and it was perfect. The water was clear, warm and beautiful. There was just a slight surf (nothing to be worried about - there were some very small toddlers playing in the water) and the views were fantastic.

Our girls practiced snorkeling and the wife and I relaxed on the beach. There is a restaurant that served burgers and sandwiches and had cold beers, wine, and tropical drinks.

All of the prices are in Euros (French side of the Island) and the exchange rate was 1 Euro = 1.30 US. So, the beers were $3 US...

The chairs and umbrellas were 5 Euros each ($6.50 US) which worked for us. Freddy took care of us and made sure we had anything we needed throughout the day.

At 2:00 PM, Charles came to pick us up (Gregory couldn't make it) and he asked us if we wanted to return to the ship or be dropped off in Philipsburg. We decided to go to Philipsburg and walked around for a bit before returning to the ship.

After a quick nap for our youngest (and some mid-ship detective agency for our 8 year old, we got dressed for Mickey's Pirate Party and then crashed before the fireworks...

The next day, we got up early to meet up with the Champagne Catamaran Snorkel and Sail to St. John excursion. We decided that we wanted to see the beaches as St. John and decided to go with this DCL excursion to take some of the anxiety over catching taxi's and ferries to make it to and from the ship on time. In hindsight, after exploring St. Maarten the previous day, it probably wouldn't have been an issue. Still, it was nice knowing that everything was taken care of...

When we originally booked the excursion, we were hesitant about the fact that 1) it was a "champagne" catamaran - was it appropriate for our kids, 2) the description clearly states that you need to swim from the catamaran to the beach (around 150-200 yards) - would our 8 and 5 year old be able to do it, and 3) the videos on YouTube made it look like a spring break party...

All of our fears were quickly erased as the crew (Teresa, Ryan, and Tyler) did a fantastic job and fully explained everything before we took off. Our girls did an awesome job (our five year old climbed down the ladder and jumped right into the water!) with the swim to the beach. They provided a snorkel vest, and the snorkels and masks were very clean. They also gave us two "noodles" for the girls to hold on to.

My five year old didn't wear her mask or snorkel and I pulled her along as I snorkeled from the boat to the beach. My 8 year old was a champ and loved being able to see all the way down to the bottom with her mask and snorkel.

We saw a bunch of tropical fish, some stingrays, and a couple of sea turtles. We spent only a few minutes on the beach and checked out the family of donkeys that had made Honeymoon Beach their home. (St. Johns is 2/3 national park...).

We then snorkeled back to the catamaran and me and my 5 year old got back on board while my wife and 8 year old continued snorkeling for about 20 more minutes. In all, you get about an hour and a half to snorkel and check out the beach.

We got back on board and spent some time jumping off the catamaran directly into the water which was really cool. Jumping off with my 8 year old is a memory I'll have forever...

The return trip back included some snacks (fruit - watermelon and oranges, bread, cheese, and Hersey's Kisses) and drinks (rum punch, beer - Miller Lite or Presidente, and Champagne - Cooks). For non-drinkers they had soda and juice.

The crew did an awesome job keeping everyone entertained and happy and it was (in our estimation) well worth the price. If you're expecting high end Champagne and a leisurely sail from St. Thomas to St. John, this may not be the excursion for you...

We got back to Havensight a little after 1:00 and did some shopping before heading back onto the ship.

Castaway Cay - We basically took it easy on Castaway. We left the ship with everyone else at 9:45 and found an umbrella with lounger chairs on the family beach and relaxed. I took the girls on Pelican Plunge a couple of times, and we watched the Crab Races, but that was about it. It was everything it should have been - relaxing, picturesque, and sunny...

Sea Days - We spent most of our sea days by the pools. While crowded, we managed to find a spot each day. We rode the AquaDuck (wait times ranged between 10 minutes and 30 minutes) depending on the time of day.

Activities - We took a bunch of character pictures. The Princess Gathering on sea days was great because you had the opportunity to get pictures and autographs with five princesses all at once (no Anna, Elsa, or Rapunzel on our cruise).

We saw four of the shows - Aladdin, Believe, Wishes, and An Unforgettable Journey. They were all good, not great, but good.

We did Midship Detective Agency which was very popular on the ship. At certain points in the day, there were lines at each artwork picture...

My wife and I did the Tequila and Margarita Tasting, which we both though was worth the $15 price. Julian (from Ooh La La) was our instructor and did an awesome job. So much so that we went back to see him on our "adult night" out and spent $55 on four drinks at the bar...

Areas that stood out to us for improvements were few and far between. I'd love to see them move the fireworks to earlier than 10:45 PM. It's just too late after going all day long. It was our second cruise and we've missed the fireworks both times.

The stage used for deck parties could be raised up a bit, so people standing on the deck can see the characters/performers. Deck 12 provides a good view, but then you're separated from everything that's going on below...

We saw the usual bit of rude people on the ship - cutting in line at the buffet or beverage station or placing towels on pool loungers then disappearing for the next couple of hours. There were Crew Members removing towels from chairs that had no personal belongings on them, but people would just put a t-shirt or extra pair of flip flops under the chair to make it look like they were occupied.

The pools were over-crowded, but we expected that going into the cruise, so no disappointment there...

In all, it was a great trip and one that provided memories that will last a life time. All four of us were sad to have to disembark yesterday and the wife and I are already thinking of our next cruise (most likely in 2016), so I'll be sure to be lurking the boards over the next 24 months...

Sorry for the long post... Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks,

Chris

 

[robhawk]

Glad you had a great time!
Too bad the food wasn't better. I hear what you're saying. The serving teams make the dining experience so much nicer. We loved Witt on our cruise.

 

[LJC1861]

My partner and I also just disembarked from the Fantasy yesterday. Here are some of my observations.......

All in all a FANTASTIC week! The ship is stunning, with many bells and whistles and much to do. The service was excellent as usual from the time we were greeted as we boarded the ship until we disembarked. Here are some of my thoughts on specific areas:

Food: Everyone in our party thought that the food was pretty good! Yes, it could have been hotter, but all in all it was delicious and served promptly. We did not find our beef overly fatty, but rather nicely lean and perfectly cooked to the temperature ordered. Every wish was accommodated, from different sides, to just a plain salad, to multiple desserts. We had main dining and also had the AERAERA rotation, with Ashang and Daniel as our Server and Assistant. Ali was our Head Server. We only got the "Excellent" speech once, and Ali was actually very helpful with discussion regarding food sensitivities, clearing plates, helping with lobster tails, etc. He did more than any Head Server on any of our previous cruises has ever done. There was only one blip early on when we sat for quite awhile with empty water glasses and had to ask for re-fills on beverages. We were completely finished with our meals and Daniel had not refilled them. ( This was on our first night). A quick comment to Ali, and we never had the issue again. We dined at Palo for both brunch and dinner and Sergio was our server. He was phenomenal. The food was fantastic for both meals, and we left stuffed. He too, accommodated our every wish including encouraging us to try multiple appetizers, entrees and desserts. "It is as you wish, Madame" was something he said throughout both meals. My only criticism was when it came time for coffee after dinner. He offered us capuccino omitting the fact that there is an upcharge for that item. It was not an issue for us, but it was for our dining companions.

Excursions: We did the "Under Two Flags" Island tour in St. Maarten. We really enjoyed it, even though many previous cruisers did not. We learned a lot about the island and as it was our first visit we now know what we would like to go back and see and do next time. We went to the French side, to Marigot and had 45 minutes of free time. We had delicious french pastry at Sarafina's. The dollar is widely accepted and make sure you bring cash, as it can be really difficult to get cash out of ATM machines ( we tried three) and many establishments have credit card minimums. We then stopped at a more commercial location ( a carousel and icecream shop, which I could have done without, and then a great spot for a photo op. Our tour guide was great and a stickler for being back on the bus on time.

In St. Thomas we did the Tree Limin' Zipline Experience. In a word...this tour was AMAZING. If you have never ziplined before and want to try, this is the experience for you. They handle everything for you except for actually riding the line. They do the braking, and you have both hands securely on the handles at all times. We had a kiddo who was probably 8 and the eldest on our tour was probably in her early 60's. Everything ran very smoothly and safety was of the utmost importance. While up on the platforms we were either clipped onto the zipline or onto a safety rope. Each guide checked every harness point twice before allowing us to zip. We were met at the ship and took a 2 minute walk to the meeting spot where we signed our waivers. Then we took an open air taxi up to St. Peter Mountain...the 2nd highest spot on the island to the Zipline facility. We got harnessed up and then rode in a re-purposed army vehicle up to the top of the course. There we received our lesson in how to zip, and our safety briefing. We were told to listen for the guides checking our equipment, not because it was not safe, but so we would know that they do check it and take it seriously. The guides were SOOO funny and had great interaction with each and every guest on the tour. There are Go Pro cameras for rent, and we did and it turned out GREAT. I highly recommend this excursion.

Ship activities: There is so much to do on the ship that it is not possible to do it all. We enjoyed the shows and thought that Aladdin and Believe were great. Wishes was just meh. The variety shows were okay, with Buckets and Boards being the best of the lot. There are many many things to do throughout the day with lots of options for people of all ages.

Pools and Decks: Okay here goes.......Adult areas need to be adult areas. Period. CM's need to be policing these areas to keep kids out. I understand that the forward elevators are placed in such a way that it is sometimes unaviodable to have kids walking through those areas, but they should just be walking, not stopping and sitting. I saw lots of kids 'visiting' their parents on deck 11. Satellite Falls on deck 13 was different. There is also the gray area on deck 12 forward.....which is mixed age area, but located past where the adult area begins on deck 11. This needs to be given some thought. Also, the Eurpoa area. The Aft elevator opens back there, and I did see kids walking through after 9 p.m. Again, not too well thought out.

Now for my final and biggest issue......noise and overall rudeness. Now, I totally understand that Disney is a family line. I am a former Disney CM myself. What I simply cannot abide is badly behaved children and adults. Here are a few examples. Waiting 10 minutes for an elevator and a family with a stroller and several screaming children push past us to get on said elevator, even though our party was clearly waiting first. A mother talking in a normal conversational tone to her daughter who was talking back to her throughout the entire performance of Believe. Being pushed, hard, by an 11/12 year old running up the stairs with his dad walking behind. Dad saw it and did nothing to re-direct the child. When I did he had a few words for me. Lastly....the constant noise and running in the hallways and in the cabin next door. The walls seemed much thinner on the Fantasy than on the Magic and Wonder. Also, there were several mornings when we awoke to FOUL things written on our dry erase boards on our doors. I erased many on the 8th floor as I saw them so people would not be offended. There were many more, but I won't list them all. I think that some people think that 'vacation' means 'anything goes', but manners are manners and should continue on a cruise especially when in close quarters with thousands of other people. Now, to be fair there were also SOOOOO many great and beautifully behaved princes and princesses aboard, including the beautiful 6 month old who crawled into my lap as I was chatting with her mom as we were waiting for Believe to start. It was fun watching the kiddos as they waited in awe for the characters. I happened to be standing there as Peter Pan came around a corner and surprised a little guy.....

It was a great cruise overall. I can't wait to take another one on the Fantasy. Our next voyage will be on the Wonder to Alaska 6/22/15.

 

[mrs.ariel]

Hello everyone,

We disembarked yesterday from an incredible week on the Fantasy. Here's the highlights. I'd be happy to answer any questions (if I can).

General - It was me, my wife, and our two daughters (8 & 5). We booked through Dreams Unlimited and had Tammy O. as our Travel Agent. She was great! Very prompt when returning responses from emails and very knowledgeable. Would highly recommend...



Hi! sounds like you all had a great time! We also booked through DU and Tammy O- she's great!!!

Did your children go to the kids club? How did they like it?

 

[crazy4wdw]

Hello everyone,

We disembarked yesterday from an incredible week on the Fantasy. Here's the highlights. I'd be happy to answer any questions (if I can).

I'm booked on roughly the same cruise next year (Fantasy, May 2, 2015).

Just wondering how rough the seas were? I've heard that the ocean is much rougher on the eastern vs. the western. Did you notice any vibratons on the ship? I keep reading posts from people who have sailed on the Fantasy that the ship vibrates much more than the other three ships. This has me a little concerned as I have a stateroom booked on deck 7 towards the back of the ship.

Also, was the water warm at Castaway Cay?

Thanks!

 

[chrisdar1]

Did your children go to the kids club? How did they like it?

Our girls really liked the kids club. They didn't go everyday, and generally spent only an hour or hour and a half in the clubs, but everytime they went they were kept busy by the activities or counselors.

 

[chrisdar1]

I'm booked on roughly the same cruise next year (Fantasy, May 2, 2015).

Just wondering how rough the seas were? I've heard that the ocean is much rougher on the eastern vs. the western. Did you notice any vibratons on the ship? I keep reading posts from people who have sailed on the Fantasy that the ship vibrates much more than the other three ships. This has me a little concerned as I have a stateroom booked on deck 7 towards the back of the ship.

Also, was the water warm at Castaway Cay?

Thanks!

The sea wasn't too bad. There was a gentle swaying throughout the trip but it never got too bad. We brought Bonine and didn't even open the package up.

The water at Castaway Cay felt a little chilly when we first went in (Pelican Plunge for us...) but after a couple of minutes our bodies got used to it.

The water was beautiful and warm in St. Maarten and St. John...

 

[moet7]

Hi
I have booked the Champagne Sail and Snorkel for St. Thomas/St. John. How deep is the water from where the catamaran docks to the beach? Is it possible to walk in? Are there chairs to rent on the beach, or isn't there enough time to sit back and relax before you have to get back on the catamaran? Thank you!

 

[moet7]

In St. Thomas we did the Tree Limin' Zipline Experience. In a word...this tour was AMAZING. If you have never ziplined before and want to try, this is the experience for you. They handle everything for you except for actually riding the line. They do the braking, and you have both hands securely on the handles at all times. We had a kiddo who was probably 8 and the eldest on our tour was probably in her early 60's. Everything ran very smoothly and safety was of the utmost importance. While up on the platforms we were either clipped onto the zipline or onto a safety rope. Each guide checked every harness point twice before allowing us to zip. We were met at the ship and took a 2 minute walk to the meeting spot where we signed our waivers. Then we took an open air taxi up to St. Peter Mountain...the 2nd highest spot on the island to the Zipline facility. We got harnessed up and then rode in a re-purposed army vehicle up to the top of the course. There we received our lesson in how to zip, and our safety briefing. We were told to listen for the guides checking our equipment, not because it was not safe, but so we would know that they do check it and take it seriously. The guides were SOOO funny and had great interaction with each and every guest on the tour. There are Go Pro cameras for rent, and we did and it turned out GREAT. I highly recommend this excursion.


Hi,
How many ziplines did you do?
Thanks

 

[LJC1861]

Moet7,

It was 6 ziplines and 2 bridges. The last line is called the yo yo and you go forward and then backward and they meet you in the middle with a rolling staircase to unhook you.

Linda

 

[mcd2745]

Hello everyone,

We disembarked yesterday from an incredible week on the Fantasy. Here's the highlights. I'd be happy to answer any questions (if I can).

General - It was me, my wife, and our two daughters (8 & 5)...



...Excursions - In St. Maarten, we decided to go to Le Galion beach on our own. Having spent a lot of time on the Disboards before we left, we knew we wanted to go to a family friendly beach that would be less crowded than Orient. We chose Le Galion and were really pleased with the decision. It took us about five minutes to hop into a taxi (van) from the Port. We rode with another family who were going to Orient and the ride took about 20-25 minutes. When we were dropped off the driver (Gregory) asked us what time we wanted him to pick us up and we told him 2:00. It was $7 a piece for the taxi ride ($28 total).

We got to the beach around 10:15 and there was still plenty of room to grab an umbrella and two lounge chairs right in front of the water. There were probably 50 people there when we arrive (maybe 125 when we left), and it was perfect. The water was clear, warm and beautiful. There was just a slight surf (nothing to be worried about - there were some very small toddlers playing in the water) and the views were fantastic.

Our girls practiced snorkeling and the wife and I relaxed on the beach. There is a restaurant that served burgers and sandwiches and had cold beers, wine, and tropical drinks.

All of the prices are in Euros (French side of the Island) and the exchange rate was 1 Euro = 1.30 US. So, the beers were $3 US...

The chairs and umbrellas were 5 Euros each ($6.50 US) which worked for us. Freddy took care of us and made sure we had anything we needed throughout the day.

At 2:00 PM, Charles came to pick us up (Gregory couldn't make it) and he asked us if we wanted to return to the ship or be dropped off in Philipsburg. We decided to go to Philipsburg and walked around for a bit before returning to the ship...


...Thanks,

Chris

We are planning on doing the same in St. Maarten for our Fantasy cruise in August. Le Gallion seems like the best beach option for families. It's a shame pretty much all the excursions through DCL only go to Orient.

Just to make sure.....you're able to use USD for everything, correct? The taxi driver(s), the restaurant/chair & umbrella rental place at the beach, etc. all accept US dollars?

 

[moet7]

Moet7,

It was 6 ziplines and 2 bridges. The last line is called the yo yo and you go forward and then backward and they meet you in the middle with a rolling staircase to unhook you.

Linda

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[chrisdar1]

Hi
I have booked the Champagne Sail and Snorkel for St. Thomas/St. John. How deep is the water from where the catamaran docks to the beach? Is it possible to walk in? Are there chairs to rent on the beach, or isn't there enough time to sit back and relax before you have to get back on the catamaran? Thank you!

Hi Moet7,
The water is about 30 feet deep where the catamaran anchors. No docking. They do have a small motorized raft that can take you right to the beach if you dont want to snorkel.

I didn't see any chairs or umbrellas on the beach. Most people just sat down and enjoyed the beach before snorkeling back to the catamaran.

If you're looking for a full blown beach experience, this may not be the excursion to take...

Hope that helps...

 

[chrisdar1]

We are planning on doing the same in St. Maarten for our Fantasy cruise in August. Le Gallion seems like the best beach option for families. It's a shame pretty much all the excursions through DCL only go to Orient.

Just to make sure.....you're able to use USD for everything, correct? The taxi driver(s), the restaurant/chair & umbrella rental place at the beach, etc. all accept US dollars?

Yep, we paid in US dollars for everything.

We loved Le Galion beach!

 

[ldymcbth]

We were on your cruise, too! Overall, we had a very fun time, but I agree that the food was lackluster. Our server was also TERRIBLE, and our assistant server was very nice but not enough to compensate for our main server. We spoke with him directly AND the head server directly a couple of times about our issues (which included never getting drink refills one night, waiting 45 minutes with NOTHING on the table that same night - taking almost 3 hours for dinner, even though we were on time and quick to order, etc), but they were never resolved. He gave me a hard time about order a steak off of the adult menu for my 7 year old (even though he ate it ALL) And then he had the gall to give us the "excellent" speech the last night of the cruise...uh, REALLY dude??? We sailed the Fantasy shortly after its maiden voyage and the food and service was SO much better that first cruise. This was my major area of disappointment this cruise - so, so disappointed in the main dining rooms. We had a horrible table (85 on this cruise) and couldn't really hear Crush in AP. It was just a bummer all the way around. By the end of the cruise we all sort of dreaded dinner!

It also seemed much, much more crowded this sailing. The Donald pool was wall-to-wall people. I felt like I had to really be aggressive to get an elevator, a chair, a spot for a show - people were acting like animals. There were plenty of rude guests (as there are everywhere, I guess), and plenty of kids who had no manners or "home training" - cutting in lines, etc.

Everything else was really great - our stateroom was awesome, our stateroom host was amazing, we did lots of fun things. We did Palo for the first time this cruise, and it was lovely - I didn't think the food was 5 star food but it was worth the upcharge to sit in a QUIET dining room for an evening with impeccable service. We also had a cabana for the first time and wow, that is fabulous - I highly recommend. We had a great time in St Maarten (Golden Eagle Catamaran) and St. Thomas (Land and Sea Coral World), and couldn't have asked for better weather.

 

[allbrobower]

We were on your same cruise as well. We were also extremely disappointed with the quality of food in The main dining room during the week. Our servers were also terrible so that made it worse. They had absolutely no personality or sense of humor. During past cruises, we got so close with our wait staff- I cried on our last night of the cruise. Definitely not this time! The shows were also disappointing - especially Wishes. We did love Buckets N boards. In St. Thomas, we did the catamaran sea Safari and snorkel and loved it - had an awesome time!! Highly recommend that excursion! My girls loved both the Oceaneer club and lab and Edge. The youth CMs were great! Our room attendant , Chitro, also did a great job! Our main disappointments were around our main dining room experience and crowds. The pools were always overflowing. Character lines were also always long.

 

[ldymcbth]

I was remiss in not mentioning Buckets and Boards - they were awesome! My kids even loved them, and they are tough cookies.

My kids had a great time in the clubs, as well, and I loved the new magic bands so that when I picked up the kids they could tell me exactly where to look for my kids - sure beats randomly circling around looking for them!

 

[MC0810]

we are sailing on the fantasy this time next year..enjoyed reading these reviews.

whats up with disney cruise and the below average food? We felt the same way on our Magic cruise 2 years ago. Carnival, RCCL and Princess all had better food than Disney.

Sucks about the rude people..I cant believe they were leaving nasty messages on your dry erase board. Boy have times changed...when I was a child I would have gotten a butt spanking if I knocked into someone going up the stairs and didnt apologize...so your telling me a father got offended that you corrected his child? How sad.

I am really looking forward to the midship detective game!

Our cabin is 9652 and will also open up to the stairs/elevator..glad the noise wasnt a big deal for you!

 

[hezzie]

We were on the Fantasy the previous week and found the same issues with the dining rooms. Service was not terrible, but not even close to previous cruises. Sitting with empty water glasses for any period of time is unacceptable!

We commented to our server and made it clear to our head server that we were not happy. Things did improve, but then we had the head server stalking us the remaining evenings, sneaking up and whispering in our ears.

Kids running up and down the halls at all hours was an issue as well. We never actually saw any kids running, but clearly heard them.

Also, very disappointed in overall customer service on the ship this time. Spent three days trying to get our room keys working properly and staff did not seemed concerned that it took 12 trips to guest service bc we were locked out of our room!

Not to scare future cruisers, just be sure to speak up and make your thoughts known. We pay more for Disney cruises and have cruised enough to know how good they can be.