1st DCL cruise on the Disney Fantasy! 9.5.15 - TR Completed/Video Posted!

[dglilbit]

Wonderful trip report! I was tearing up with the special event and love Avery's excited face with Goofy. So precious!

 

[TnMaryJo]

This trip report is so amazing. Loving all of it!! Mummy Goofy is possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.

 

[DisneyDiva84]

awesome character invite.

It really was amazing! I hope they continue to do this in the future for other unsuspecting families. It blew us away!

 

[DisneyDiva84]

Wonderful trip report! I was tearing up with the special event and love Avery's excited face with Goofy. So precious!

Thank you! I was crying my eyes out at the end trust me. i kept it together when they walked in but as everyone came over I didn't really stand a chance. We had built so many great relationships over the week with some of these team members it was hard to say goodbye and we were so touched by the invite. Plus my pregnancy hormones did not help. Donald came over, patted his heart, and gave me a big hug. That didn't really help stop the tears but it was sure nice!

Avery was scared of Goofy on our last trip to WDW this past May (likely the height was the big factor) so it was great to see him warm up to him so much this time! Goofy certainly did everything he could to help that along!

This trip report is so amazing. Loving all of it!! Mummy Goofy is possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Thank you! I loved reading other TR's before I left!

Mummy Goofy was so funny! He tried to teach Avery some moves to no avail! We couldn't catch Donald but he was in a Super Hero outfit I think. Minnie's outfit was really fun too! I liked the purple witch look. Probably one of my favorite outfits she was in throughout the cruise and I'm not really a huge Minnie fan. We saw Mickey but his line was really long so we just distracted Avery and went the other direction

 

[DisneyDiva84]

Day 8: Debarkation
​

How is it time already!

Seriously this is usually the saddest part of any cruise for anybody but on past voyages with those other lines... we are typically rested and ready to get off the boat and back home. Disney was a different story. They kept us so busy that it was hard to think 7 whole days had gone by and others were anxiously awaiting our return to shore so their trip could begin.

I got up at 6 am and started getting ready. We had to be at breakfast at 6:45 which was the earliest Avery had gotten up all cruise. We kept him in bed until the last possible moment and then woke him up, gathered our things, and headed to Animators Palate.

Now on our first night in the restaurant Crush didn't really feel like swimming. We weren't too upset but leave it to Disney to go the extra mile and send you off the boat with a smile. They had brought Crush back for our breakfast! Avery loved seeing all the characters pass by. Finding Nemo is one of his favorite movies.

Our servers greeted us and brought over our menus. They still had Avery's chocolate milk out and brought him orange juice on top of it. Alex and I both had coffee. It was 6:45 and we were sad after all!

While they don't rush you, it is obvious that they are working hard to get you through the meal on time. We had our food very quickly and to our joy, Crush started with our section first! The table next to us and behind us were both sleeping in so we almost had him all to ourselves! He called out Avery's green shirt right away and said his name was now Awesome Avery. When he was at the next screen I guess he caught Avery looking at him because he called him out again. It was really neat and one of the first times Avery had actually been old enough to understand and follow the whole interaction. He last saw Crush at the parks when he was 18 months old so quite an age difference.

After breakfast we thanked our servers one last time and headed out of the restaurant.

They cleared the ship for departure as we were walking down the hall to the atrium. I kid you not we walked right off the boat. No lines!

When we got to the terminal the character pictures were hanging above all the luggage aisles. We found Daisy Grey but was really awesome was that there was a Cast Member standing there asking for our room number. When we responded she replied, "oh your bags will be down this aisle top or bottom." We found our bags within two seconds and were in our car pulling out of the garage in the next five minutes....

OFF the boat, got luggage, through customs, out of garage, and on the road home in less than 10 minutes.... how does this happen? It sure doesn't happen on any other cruise lines.

We couldn't believe it. We all waved to the Disney Fantasy as we left.

The worst part? Having my navigator clear and re-set to the Disney Magic countdown with 445 days to go!!! They couldn't let me have it for a few more hours???? Oh well! The wait starts again!

Next up: Final thoughts and our video!

 

[DisneyDiva84]

Final thoughts and Video
​

So if you haven't guessed it by now we had an AMAZING time aboard the Disney Fantasy earlier this month. Below are quick reviews and recaps on everything we encountered.

Stage Shows

• Believe was the best of the three main shows (Aladdin and Wishes being the other two)
• We did not see any other stage production opting to focus our efforts on getting to the main three. I wish I had gone to the farewell show (next time!)
• Actors were all amazing and the sound quality in the theater was great!
• Tip: If you want a good seat (center section in the bottom half of the theater) line up about 20 minutes before they open the doors. It fills up fast!
• Tip: They say you can't save seats but I saw a few people doing it. Please don't do it for your whole group though! That could get out of hand fast. Easier to save a seat for one or two.

Characters

• If you love meet ups in the parks this is the way to do it!
• The main characters are typically in different costumes each day making for fun photo opps
• They love seeing you again, don't be shy! We had a blast with this team!

Pools

• If you have a toddler, Nemo's Reef is fantastic!
• Aqua Duck is best during port days and at night during the second dinner seating

Dining

• We loved all three restaurants! Attention to detail was astounding!
• Cabana's wasn't too bad on embarkation day, less crowded than expected!
• Room service was fast and efficient!

Spa

• Did not see it this time around though I heard it was great from several guests

Fitness Center

• Alex reported that it was spacious and had everything he needed

Room 7567 Interior

• Magic Portholes are the best! I'm going to miss that a lot on the Magic!
• Space in room was wonderful and we loved the elevated bed!
• Couch was also great for relaxing
• Tub is perfect for bathing kids!

Ship overall

• Clean
• Safe
• GORGEOUS
• easy to navigate

Halloween on the High Seas

• LOVED all the decor
• Nightmare Sing and Scream was great!
• The shows were a lot of fun in the atrium but they do get crowded
• Characters wear Halloween costumes

Castaway Cay

• I can't say enough about this island, we loved every minute of it
• Go to lunch earlier if you can to avoid crowds
• Take the tram when you first arrive. It beats walking in the heat!

If anyone has any questions please let me know! We did put together a video and I posted it below. It's 9 minutes because quite frankly we had too many favorite pictures to choose from! Hopefully the posting works!

See you next year on the Disney Magic! November 2016!

​

 

[TestingH2O]

If anyone has any questions please let me know! We did put together a video and I posted it below. It's 9 minutes because quite frankly we had too many favorite pictures to choose from! Hopefully the posting works!

Great job! I love the Molina shirt.

 

[thumpie's mom]

Thank you for sharing! You have a wonderful family!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

Thanks for sharing your wonderful vacation with us! Loved your video!!

 

[tmarie]

I just can't even put into words how much I loved your trip report. What a special family you have!! I must say my favorite picture is Avery in his tux with Pluto - Seriously, the cutest picture ever!! And the group character meet brought me to tears - I don't even know how you handled it. The pictures got me teary and then the video put me over the edge. You truly captured the magic of Disney. Thank you for sharing your report and all of your wonderful memories!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Awesome ending! Sad it's over but at least you have another cruise to look forward to! Thanks for all the helpful information on the Fantasy!
Was your dining rotation ERAERRA? I was wondering if I should request it for my cruise. Although I hear they have been moving the Pirate party around on my cruise so not sure when that is and which MDR would be idea.

The character meet looks amazing! Of course leave it to Disney to surprise unsuspecting guests with such an event. I would have lost it too, LOL.
Oh your white cover-up on Castaway Cay...I have the same one too! I bought it in the Poly a few years ago. It's great!

Thanks for a wonderful TR! Looking forward to your next one even though it is more than a year away. It'll be here before you know it!

 

[nikkistevej]

Loved the trip report!!! I am trying to convince the hubby we need to go on a Halloween sailing next year, think I am going to forward the trip report to him to further convince him.

 

[bonnysammy]

Thank you for writing this. We leave in January. Can't wait!

 

[BelleWannabe4]

What a great trip report! Thank you for writing! Also, I have to add that Avery is just too cute. The photos of him with the characters are adorable!

 

[DisneyDiva84]

Great job! I love the Molina shirt.

Thanks! GO CARDS

Thank you for sharing! You have a wonderful family!

Thank you for reading! I had fun writing it, a nice way to relive it!

Thanks for sharing your wonderful vacation with us! Loved your video!!

Thanks so much! I'll pass the feedback to my husband, he is the video pro!

I just can't even put into words how much I loved your trip report. What a special family you have!! I must say my favorite picture is Avery in his tux with Pluto - Seriously, the cutest picture ever!! And the group character meet brought me to tears - I don't even know how you handled it. The pictures got me teary and then the video put me over the edge. You truly captured the magic of Disney. Thank you for sharing your report and all of your wonderful memories!

Oh wow, thanks so much for the kind words
Pluto and Avery had a ton of fun together. He always got down on all fours to greet him because Avery liked his whiskers! Trust me when I say, I held it together during that character meet up for about 9 minutes then just became overwhelmed! I don't think I can blame the pregnancy either. It just started hitting me how much we were going to remember it and I was just beyond grateful to the team. Truly a group of amazing people! It's easy to share capture the magic when they are throwing it around as often as the sanitizing wipes in Cabana's. It's truly contagious!

Awesome ending! Sad it's over but at least you have another cruise to look forward to! Thanks for all the helpful information on the Fantasy!
Was your dining rotation ERAERRA? I was wondering if I should request it for my cruise. Although I hear they have been moving the Pirate party around on my cruise so not sure when that is and which MDR would be idea.

The character meet looks amazing! Of course leave it to Disney to surprise unsuspecting guests with such an event. I would have lost it too, LOL.
Oh your white cover-up on Castaway Cay...I have the same one too! I bought it in the Poly a few years ago. It's great!

Thanks for a wonderful TR! Looking forward to your next one even though it is more than a year away. It'll be here before you know it!

Your very welcome! I'm sad it's over too but believe me the countdown is on for Magic! 423 days isn't so bad right? (who am I kidding, I'm so excited to get back on the ship!

Our dinning rotation was ERAERRA. I liked it a lot. If I had to trade anything it may have been another Enchanted Garden night since it was so pretty. LOVED having Animator's Palate last because we got breakfast there the next day so it felt like we saw it a lot. We had pirate night in Royal Court, it was fun but I could see how Animators would have been even cooler.

The character meet up blew us away and we were totally surprised. I hope they continue doing it for others for both cast members and guests. Nothing wrong with a little pixie dust! I LOVE the cover up! It's so comfy!

I look forward to your next TR too! Cannot wait to see Star Wars!

Loved the trip report!!! I am trying to convince the hubby we need to go on a Halloween sailing next year, think I am going to forward the trip report to him to further convince him.

Please do! It's so worth it! Tell him my husband was hesitant first too because of the price but now is pretty much on board to do one every year! Though he pretends otherwise!

Thank you for writing this. We leave in January. Can't wait!

SO EXCITED FOR YOU! You will love it! Which ship?

What a great trip report! Thank you for writing! Also, I have to add that Avery is just too cute. The photos of him with the characters are adorable!

Thanks! He has always loved the characters. Hopefully baby #2 does too! Ariel, Snow White, and Donald have always been go-to's for him. We were so glad to see him engage with Goofy so much this time (on our last trip to WDW he was a bit too tall ) and clearly Pluto will be a must-see in the future!

 

[bonnysammy]

We are on the Fantasy! We are going to have the Star Wars day, which is perfect because my older two have just started to love Star Wars.

My youngest will turn two the second day of our cruise, so it was nice to see a post with someone who had a younger child, too. I'm so excited, but also very nervous with three children.

 

[DisneyDiva84]

We are on the Fantasy! We are going to have the Star Wars day, which is perfect because my older two have just started to love Star Wars.

My youngest will turn two the second day of our cruise, so it was nice to see a post with someone who had a younger child, too. I'm so excited, but also very nervous with three children.

If it's your first DCL cruise worry not! There was so much for kids to do. I'm serious, we saw the adult area for the first time on the last night of the cruise and never saw Remy or Palo or the 12th deck at all. We were that busy. And that's with a toddler who couldn't go to the Kids Club unless it was open house. it's the best! Usually we are exploring the ship just to have something to do. Not the case with Disney

Definitely share all the star wars goodness! I can't wait to read all about it, huge Star Wars fan here!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Just read your whole trip report it was awesome! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[DisneyDiva84]

Just read your whole trip report it was awesome! Thanks for sharing!!

Thanks for reading! After reading so many of these from others before our cruise I had to return the favor! Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[surran12]

Just finished reading your trip report. You did an amazing job on it. It looked like the you had an amazing time.