I looked through the first few pages and didn't see another version of this thread. I just want people to be able to see this, get details from this cruise and ask questions. I took notes so I can answer questions about some things I forgot to mention in this post. Moderators, let me know if I need to move this to the trip report thread.
Since the policy of everyone needing testing at the port during embarkation didn't start until two days after we set sail, the only people who were tested were the unvaccinated aka everyone under 12 years old and those over who elected not to upload proof of vaccine to Safe Passage. If you were over 12, vaccinated and marked as "clear to sail" from Safe Passage then upon arrival all you had to do was get in line, present your two QR codes (from Safe Passage & Online Check-In respectively), go through security, verify your picture and take a family boarding picture. It was VERY fast.
The first Disney Fantasy cruise after 18 months of shutdown took place Sat 9/11-9/15. It was supposed to be a 7 night but was shortened to 4 nights. Surprisingly, even though it was a short cruise and my family strongly prefers longer cruises it was still tons of fun. There were 925-998 guests onboard. I was told the exact number but forgot. We were noticeably outnumbered by cast members and they were very eager to please.
It was very much a "Be Our Guest" (lyrics) situation:
Been 18 months since they've had anybody there so they were obsessed
With our meal, with our ease
Yes, indeed, they aimed to please
Three Broadway style shows were up and running (Aladdin, Frozen and Believe) so you could say they sung us off to sleep as well. The one night that didn't do a live show had a screening of "Hocus Pocus" which looked beautiful and remastered. As someone who is about the same age as the movie it was great to be able to see it on the big screen!
Although there weren't many themed activities it was still a Halloween on the High Seas cruise with decor, two Halloween movie screenings (Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas), a Jack & Sally photo op/meet & greet, Mickey's Mouse-kerade and the occassional annoucement by the Haunted Mansion Ghost Host. There was a pumpkin tree with photo ops but no storytelling/mini shows for it. Halloween festivities got blended in with Bucaneer Blast (new version of Pirate Night). The pirate menu (same as usual) and pirate themed game show were nice. Pirates danced in and sang during dinner in the MDRs. The fireworks were general Disney fireworks that only lasted about 5 minutes (sadly) and were followed by a dance party on the deck with some good Top40 from the last 40 years from Whitney Houston to BTS.
The movies screening in the Buena Vista Theater were
Black Widow, Jungle Cruise, Raya & the Last Dragon, and
Shang Chi. Each played four times.
Shang Chi also played in the Walt Disney Theatre like
Hocus Pocus and
The Nightmare Before Christmas though the Halloween movies only had one screening each.
Pre-booking virtual sports and beverage tastings was strongly encouraged as most filled up. Goofy Golf and Aquaduck had their hours posted and were open for good amounts of time every day, but the one time we went to do golf (2nd
Castaway Cay day) it didn't open until 4:30p and closed at 9p. There were no variety shows but there were several game shows from "Mousketeer Madness" to "Match Your Mate". Different kinds of karaoke and trivia were also present. I won the last night's Disney Tunes Trivia! BINGO has gone digital but there is still the option to buy paper cards too. There were several musicians. The pianist in Royal Court was joined by a violinist to play Disney Princess songs and the lounge/bar happy hours had live music.
Masks were required everywhere indoors EXCEPT in your stateroom. Masks were NOT mandatory outside (on the deck, Castaway Cay) UNLESS you were on the tram or walking into/around a store or dining location (CookiesToo, Serenity Bay BBQ, etc.). If you were seated and eating/drinking masks could be off regardless of if you were indoors or outdoors. This is also why the movie snacks kiosks were closed and why we weren't allowed to eat in the theatres because they didn't want masks down in such enclosed spaces. I didn't see any rude or problematic people breaking the "rules" or being mean/agressive to anyone about safety regulations. There were social distancing markers on the ground on the ship and on Castaway Cay. In the theatres, every other row was kept empty, ushers escorted you to your seats, the next party was distanced 3 seats away from you and the ushers signaled when it was your row's turn to leave.
I felt very safe and kept my mask on the majority of the time. I got a tan line on my forehead because I forgot my hat AND visor in my stateroom before my port adventure
. At least I got to see a sea turtle, nurse shark, barricuda, sting ray and plenty of birds. We even got to eat conch salad that they made right in front of us after pulling the conch straight out of the water.
Whenever there was the occassional person without a mask when they needed one it was because they honestly forgot to pull it back up. When I forgot people would stare at me until I remembered and adjusted my mask. They were blank stares (instead of glares) but I still wish people would have just said "Hey, you forgot" to save time. There were plenty of compliments for those with cool or pretty patterns on their masks especially if it coordinated with their outfits. The vast majority of cast members had their masks on whenever we saw them. As usual, there were hand sanitizer machines EVERYWHERE and the MDRs also had hand wipes at their entrances. In Cabanas they'd rather you wash your hands at the station instead of just using the sanitizers.
Each party had their own table so the attention from the dining team felt even more personal. The food was great! Some highlights include:
-Dole Whip on the deck (I didn't but you can add two different rums)
-the steak cooked to your liking at Serenity Bay BBQ
-soft rosemary bread from Animator's Palate
-Escargots
-truffle pasta
Although it was too short, this cruise was relaxing and lots of fun! I felt safe the entire time. Although some programming was missing there was still a number of things to do, and due to scheduling conflicts there was no way to do it all.
I should probably see if I can cancel the waitlist.
I got some exercise, some fresh air, some fresh conch, a quick tan and a lot of information about the island (fauna, flora, etc.). The island is beautiful so it was nice to see it and all of the animals along the paths you can't visit without the tour. 
