Fantasy Review

[BerardFam]

Just got off the ship yesterday. We had a great week. We have 3 girls (6,5,3) and arrived a day early to test the magic kingdom. It went well but just as I suspected they were a bit impatient to wait in the non fast pass lines. Our flight time after we disembarked wasn't convient so we stayed an extra day and did the park after we got off the ship. My kids were shot. Next time I'd just do the hotel pool or something less stressful. So my recommendation is to hit the parks beforehand.

We were limited with our excursions due to my little one's age but enjoyed what we picked, Meghan's bay in st Thomas and isla verde in San juan

This was our first time at castaway cay. We got off the ship late (around 10) and there were no lounge chairs or umbrellas available. We did find chairs and made a spot for ourselves right near the water to watch the kids but it was very crowded

The entertainment was great, our servers were great and overall food was good. We did the panama cruise last year and thought the service and food were slightly better than on the Fantasy.

We participated in the fish extender for the first time and the kids loved it. the gifts were thoughtful and useful.

Happy to answer any questions.

 

[MC0810]

we are sailing may 16th. How was the water temp at castaway cay?

 

[mickeymouseketeer12]

hey there!! im a fellow cruiser, setting sail later on, but I was just wondering if the fish extender is really worth doing and if it works? In the manner that I really do not want to get there with my family and not be prepared or be the only one particiapting.. ?

 

[abitagirl916]

I find that if you go to the second tram stop on the family beach, there are usually available chairs and umbrellas. We even got a hammock on our last trip in 2013.

 

[Quellman]

We have always been big fans of Disney first then cruise. But it looks like due to some shuffling, we will be trying out Cruise then Disney this year. Hope we make it!

 

[BerardFam]

The water at castaway was nice, it had a slight chill when you first got in, but you quickly adjusted since it was so hot out. We really enjoyed the fish extender. I was impressed by the gifts and my kids were so excited to come back to the cabin at night to check for goodies I would participate again. As for the seating at castaway, we did go to the second stop, it was just really crowded, but we had an amazing time.

 

[PryncessLace]

hey there!! im a fellow cruiser, setting sail later on, but I was just wondering if the fish extender is really worth doing and if it works? In the manner that I really do not want to get there with my family and not be prepared or be the only one particiapting.. ?

You sign up for the Fish Extender through your cruise group in the meet threads. That is how everyone knows who is participating and which staterooms to gift to.

 

[ptcbass]

Wow I am sorry to hear CC was so crowded. I don't think I have ever read where all the umbrellas were taken (hammocks yes). Wonder why your ship was that way. We are leaving Saturday and hope it is like last May - lots of chairs and umbrellas left and that is with a sold out ship. Never felt too crowded.

 

[jtkboston]

Wow I am sorry to hear CC was so crowded. I don't think I have ever read where all the umbrellas were taken (hammocks yes). Wonder why your ship was that way.

Tons of families (mine included) with school aged kids from New England--school break week!

 

[ptcbass]

Tons of families (mine included) with school aged kids from New England--school break week!

Since I try to go the first week of May I must just miss this. There are usually a lot of little ones (pre-K) that time of year though. I hope the reset of your cruise was awesome!
What did you think about Meghan's bay in st Thomas and isla verde in San juan. We want a beach day in St Thomas for sure but haven't picked a beach yet.

 

[MamaOfAPixie]

Thank you for the report, sounds like you had a great cruise! We are sailing the same itinerary on May 2. We will be doing the full day sail and snorkel in St. Thomas, but we aren't signing up for any excursions in Puerto Rico. One possibility we are considering is Isla Verde for a few hours. Can you tell me more about your experience? I've read getting a cab off the boat was easy, but how about getting a cab back to the boat? What was the cost? How was the beach? Did you get lunch there?

Your sailing was testing the Disney jr. character breakfast, right? Did you happen to go?

Also, did your girls try out the kids club? My daughter is 7, my gut says she will love it, but we are not counting on it (except for the couple of hours we will be at Palo brunch).

Thanks again for posting!

 

[BerardFam]

Meghan's Bay was beautiful, but crowded. We had an amazing time, but there definitely was a lot of people. There is a bar there where you can order drinks and food, and a little store where you can rent mats or tubes for the beach. Right before I left for the cruise, I read a report about there being sea lice in the water. I did find that I was a bit itchy and red after I came out of the water. My girls were fine because I loaded them up with sunscreen, but just an fyi, make sure to cover yourself as well and you should be fine.

As for Isla Verde, we really enjoyed this excursion - we booked it directly through Disney, which I believe was approximately $60-90 per person and it included lunch. The beach was great and the area where they set you up is private and secluded and included lounge chairs and umbrellas. We also had access to the pool and floats. The lunch was simple, but good, rice and beans and chicken, chicken fingers and fries for the kids and some desserts. We spent the first few hours at the beach and then the remainder time at the pool to get rid of the sand We all loved it.

As for the clubs, we could not get my girls out of it My middle one, who is 5 stayed in it for hours after dinner right through midnight. My other 2 (6 and 3) wanted to go to the shows. We were able to do the Remy brunch and Palo dinner and the girls had no problem staying in the clubs. We spent the morning on the sea days in the pool and on the Aquaduck, except for the Remy brunch day, and then the kids usually hit the club by mid to late afternoon and night.

Our sailing did test the Disney jr breakfast, but it was at 7:45 am the next day. Since we had traveled the day before starting at 4 am and went directly to the Magic Kingdom that day, my kids were shot and did not want to get up for it, so we did not force it.