Prelude of what's to come (Fantasy March 2015 family here)

[AmyAmy]

Hi DCL experts.
My family of four (spouse, 6 year-old and 3 year-old) will be embarking on our first Disney cruise in Spring 2015. Originally, I reserved a Wonder Deluxe Fam/Veranda for 5 nights. The price point looked great and I liked the positive reviews for a "classic" ship. Then, after reading all the reviews and activities for Fantasy we decided to look at the Fantasy for 7 nights (March 7 Carib excursion). Our work schedules are hectic so this may be our only DIS cruise for a few years. However, whereas the Wonder had many rooms during our desired week the Fantasy seems limited on each deck. Is this a prelude of what's to come for cruise activities, cabana rentals, etc? Is there anyway to get a glimpse into this since we have not PIF? We've benefited from a cabana during other vacations and it's come in handy with our littles. I really want our first time to be a great time, especially for all the money.

Thank you in advance.

 

[KristiMc]

Welcome,

We sailed on the Fantasy over New Years Eve. It was a sold out cruise, but it never seemed like it was too crowded and this is coming from someone who loves the 'classic' ships.

Since this is your first cruise, I would not get your hopes set on a cabana. Unless you are sailing concierge, you will not be able to make reservations until 75 days out. The cabanas have been being booked up by concierge guests who are able to put in their request at 150 days out. Their have been people that have been able to get one by looking constantly for cancellations.

That being said, you will still be able to book other great excursions and will have a wonderful cruise.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[AmyAmy]

Thank you so much for the quick reply, KristiMc! I am assuming Castaway Cay can still be enjoyable without a cabana when you have young children? We are over a year out and I'm already excited.

 

[KristiMc]

Yes, you will love Castaway Cay with or without a cabana. There are plenty of chairs/loungers and umbrellas to enjoy.

 

[KashasMom]

I know many people love the classic ships but I'm not one of the them. We sailed on the Magic (pre-refurb) and the Fantasy. We actually found the Magic crowded more times than the Fantasy. The atrium/lobby is very small on the Magic so anything happening there is crowded (character dance party, character/princess photos, etc.). Same with Nemo's Reef - very, very small on the Magic. Other places as well. We LOVE the Fantasy and now it's the only DCL ship we'll sail (would do the Dream but no 7 days offered). Never felt crowded, never had a problem finding seats in the theater or a table at Cabanas.

Don't sweat the cabana on CC. Even without one you'll have a great time. Lots of loungers/umbrellas and lots of fun!

 

[DisneYE]

I know many people love the classic ships but I'm not one of the them. We sailed on the Magic (pre-refurb) and the Fantasy. We actually found the Magic crowded more times than the Fantasy. The atrium/lobby is very small on the Magic so anything happening there is crowded (character dance party, character/princess photos, etc.). Same with Nemo's Reef - very, very small on the Magic. Other places as well. We LOVE the Fantasy and now it's the only DCL ship we'll sail (would do the Dream but no 7 days offered). Never felt crowded, never had a problem finding seats in the theater or a table at Cabanas.

Don't sweat the cabana on CC. Even without one you'll have a great time. Lots of loungers/umbrellas and lots of fun!

Same here..have sailed Fantasy, Dream and Magic and Fantasy is the best, in all of my family's opinion...So spacius, new and beautiful, it feels like home to us.. We would live there if we could...

 

[bawpotter]

Take the Fantasy! In terms of cruise ships, the bigger the better!

 

[cgolf]

Take the Fantasy! In terms of cruise ships, the bigger the better!

Respectfully disagree. Just got off the Fantasy this morning and had a great cruise, but not as enjoyable as our cruise on the Magic this past November.

What we found is the staff isn't as friendly on the Fantasy, possibly because they have more to do and less time to be sociable with guests, backed up by comments from our server who was over the top awesome and the best we have had in 9 cruises. I am talking about staff we have seen and interacted with on other cruises aboard the Magic that were super friendly then. Also the crowds for the shows and game shows were not really into it and we were one of the few that made it to most of the shows in the tube. I felt bad for John Charles and Lynn Trefzger, the crowds had no energy and weren't really into the shows.

The ship is great, rainforest room was incredible, just didn't like the vibe that was going on, maybe too much ship for newbies to take in, I know we were lost on the Dream for the first day or two. I will say concierge makes a difference for us, it allowed us to hide from the crowds for a bit, kids pool was nuts.

My take, fantasy if truly want a bigger ship with all the latest bells and whistles, though Magic creeping into that conversation, and wonder if you want a more personalized cruise on a ship with fewer bells and whistles, but you do get to know everyone better. We did spend 16 nights on the wonder for the Hawaii cruise and had a blast the whole time

One last thing, adult pools on the classics hands down better than the dream class. You can actually swim a bit in the classics and get sun, the dream class always seem to be in the shade.

Cgolf

 

[AmyAmy]

Thank you for all the feedback. I reserved a stateroom on Fantasy in Spring 2015. Now, I only have to wait what seems like 1,000 more days.

Sorry for bumping. I forgot to publish this last weekend and wanted to be sure to thank you all.

 

[carcam51]

I am assuming Castaway Cay can still be enjoyable without a cabana when you have young children? We are over a year out and I'm already excited.

FOR SURE! There is a slim chance that we will ever spend that amount of money on a cabana. We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of chairs, umbrellas, and shade available. Have a great trip!