From Ahoy To Aloha- Our May 2025 Disney Adventures! Updated 5/20!

[cindianne320]

UGH- what a stressful way to start your trip! I hope everything was smooth sailing from here on out! And I'm SO excited you are writing a report for both trips!!

 

[David G Farr]

Wow, as much as you travel you don't have a passport or TSA Precheck?

 

[Mollydolly334]

Joining in!!!! What a stressful travel day, I'm so glad you made your flight! I can't wait to read more about the cruise, we're looking at possibly cruising on the Fantasy next year so I'm curious to see how you guys liked it.

Thanks for joining in! We definitely dodged a bullet!! I hope this TR is helpful; the Fantasy is a GREAT choice for adults-only groups, so I think you would love it!

Excited to see how the trip went!

Thanks for reading along!!

Wow, what a travel day you had! So glad everything worked out. Looking forward to reading more!

We were so relieved, it was craziness! Thanks for reading

Following

Thanks for joining in!

We have never been on a Disney cruise, so looking forward to hearing all about it!!

I hope this TR gives you lots of info!! We loved it!!

Wow , what a stressful start ! Looking forward to reading more .

Thanks for reading along!! We were SO happy we didn't have any more snafus!

can't wait to hear about the cruise. We have Royal several times, never Disney!

We are so excited to try out other cruise lines now that we have done DCL!!! Royal, Norwegian, and Celebrity are on our list!!!

Sounds like an amazing trip!



Pretty much, but also trying to figure out what's for dinner every night of your life!



Wow, Crash Bandicoot is vintage! Haha! I remember my nephews playing that which I guess was about 35 years ago!


Yikes! That all sounds super stressful! And I'm always stressed before flying anyway, being delayed with that traffic would just send me over the edge!



I don't think I've ever seen a NOT smiling Molly


That's better!



That actually looks pretty good...I've never ordered a whole pizza from a food court, is this available at all the resorts?

We were SO over the edge, LOL!! I'm glad that it doesn't show on me very often

I believe you can order a pizza at all resorts!!! It's through the food court at the value and moderates, then through room services at Deluxe I believe?? I vividly remember ordering a cheese pizza to our room at YC during the Epic Girl's Trip and being in HEAVEN!

Following - sounds like a wonderful trip!

Thanks for following along!!

Following along!
What a terrible travel day. Glad it ended well and you were able to settle in with some Disney pizza at a Disney resort.

Hi Alicia, thanks for reading!!! It was definitely the perfect end to a not-so-perfect travel day!

This is how Rob and I ended up doing a Disney Cruise/WDW for our Honeymoon!!! His only request was someplace tropical--and I took some liberties with the rest!! LOL


I feel bad for telling you to get recombobulated after hearing all the details behind the faces in this pic!!!!!!!!! SO glad you made your flight and had smooth sailing the rest of your evening.

Disney pizza does somehow always hit the spot!! And though 6 hours of sleep after such a wild day definitely isn't enough, at least you had sweet dreams of the cruise and relaxation that awaited in the morning!!

So excited to hear more about your first cruise!!!

HAHA I love it!! I really do feel like DCL is the perfect combination of relaxing yet busy and Disney-ish. The ship had so many activities if we wanted to be more busy, but we also just had the option of vegging all day and not feeling bad about it!

OMG don't feel bad at all- I showed Jake your message and we both laughed so hard! It was TRUE!!!

 

[Mollydolly334]

Your TR's are always solid - following along!

Thank you so much- glad you're following along!

Following. What a stressful travel day. Glad you made the flight.

Yay hi! It was CRAZY!! We were SO relieved we didn't miss the cruise.

Yay following along!

Yay hiiiiii!! Glad to see you here

OH man I feel your stress! That happened to me once before a cruise. I had an 830pm flight. Someone scheduled a mandatory meeting at 5pm the day I was to leave (naturally). No big deal as long as I hit the road by 6. Traffic. Jam. City! THen I missed my turn for the prepaid parking lot and could not get back. I was running out of time so sucked it up and parked at Logan. BARELY made the flight. ANXIETY! I like to say we were rewarded for my chaos. After the cruise we had a 3 night stay at the Grand and were upgraded to Club Level MK View in the main building! Glad you all made it though with a little time to spare! Cannot wait to hear about the cruise itself! I loved seeing all the photos on Insta!

Hi Katie!! Glad you're here- I'm so excited to write all about it OMG that's a crazy story but I LOVE that you got that amazing upgrade!!! Poetic justice for sure!!! Reading that made my heart race- that is EXACTLY what we were feeling this day!!

Ack!!! Rough travel day! Glad you arrived safely and were able to begin relaxing the moment you took to the air! Cannot wait to hear all about your cruise!

It was ROUGH!! But could have been so much worse so we are definitely grateful for that So excited that you're here- and thanks for following along on Insta too!!!

I am glad you missed the Covid cruising era - so many people were denied when they had a positive test, it was gut-wrenching!

Your travel day made me twitch. The relief on your face in the plane photo is REAL!

SO glad you are doing a TR for this, I love the little details!

OMG I didn't even think about it- that sounds absolutely horrible! That would give me such bad anxiety I can't even imagine. When Kahla and Tony went on their honeymoon to Hawaii, they needed a negative test too and I felt so nervous for them (luckily it all worked out).

Thank you so much again for all of your tips!!! When I sent out that hail-Mary DM I knew you'd pull through for me!!!!

Following along. I always enjoy reading your TRs.

Sorry about all of the travel day stress. And the snagged Lululemons make it even worse. I probably would have cried at that point. Anyway, I hope everything was smooth sailing after that.

Thanks so much for reading along!!!!

Honestly, if I wasn't so distracted and overstimulated. I DEF would have cried, LOL! Nobody messes with a girl's Lulus!!!

UGH- what a stressful way to start your trip! I hope everything was smooth sailing from here on out! And I'm SO excited you are writing a report for both trips!!

Yay!!!! So excited you're here Cindi! Luckily it was smooth sailing (pun intended) from now on

Wow, as much as you travel you don't have a passport or TSA Precheck?

I know, right???? We really should invest in Precheck. We both had passports previously, but those expired a couple years ago. And, despite how much we travel- we both haven't left the U.S in a decade!! Now that my name is legally changed, we are DEFINITELY getting those passports renewed- we want to visit Europe soon!

 

[Mollydolly334]

“Land” Trip PTR Update and “Sea” Trip TR Update!


Hi everyone! I can’t believe that in 5 short days, Jake and I will be flying off to Orlando AGAIN to have some Universal/Disney park fun! We are literally taking the same exact flight we took 3 weeks ago; the 5:40 PM flight out of Milwaukee to Orlando. Let’s hope that it goes a lot smoother and there’s no traffic jams this time!

This trip has kind of been on the backburner of my mind with all of the craziness from the last-minute cruise. But, now have we started packing and stuff, we are SO excited and ready to go! It looks HOT HOT HOT next week, so we are planning on lots of water/Liquid IV and breaks in the shade.

We made our LL choices for our park days (MK on Sunday 5/25, Epcot on Monday 5/26). We almost decided against LL this time, but with it being Memorial Day Weekend, we decided to err on the side of caution with crowds. We are hoping to have a little DISmeet with @vamassey1 and @disneyAndi14 at some point.

I gave a more in-depth PTR post about planning and such for this trip on my last TR thread. Here is the link if you'd like to read about it

We did make one change to our itinerary. For the first two nights (aka, our Universal Studios days), we were originally staying at Cabana Bay Beach Resort at USO. However, last night, when I was googling the resort to look at some pictures, the first article that came up said; “Cabana Bay- Bed Bug Infestation”



Upon further research into Google and Reddit, I found out that Cabana Bay has been having a bed bug problem since last year. If it was just one bad review, I wouldn’t really bat an eye. But, I was seeing upwards of 10 separate accounts of bed bugs. And, unfortunately, due to me working in other people’s houses, I have had the misfortune of having a bed bug infestation in my home TWICE. It is expensive, very anxiety provoking, and painful. It has lowkey given me PTSD and I will NOT eff with any chance of having bed bugs again.

So, with that all being said, we cancelled our resort reservation at Cabana Bay. I’m sure the resort would have been perfectly fine- thousands of people stay there all the time without issue. I'm not naive; I know that even 5-star hotels deal with bed bugs, and we run that risk every time we stay in a hotel, period.

But, knowing Jake and I, it would have been on our mind the entire time and we wouldn’t have been able to relax. It was NOT worth the anxiety! Instead, we re-booked and are staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in a Resort View Village Room.



It will be less convenient staying on Disney property for sure. We will lose the extra morning hours and have to now pay for transportation to and from the US parks both days. But, I still think we will be fine and get everything we want done in the 2 park days. Plus, Jake has been wanting to return to CSR and is excited to stay in the village instead of the tower this time. We have already made a plan to get our favorite burger and poke bowl from Three Bridges on Wednesday night when we get in!!

(We also got a great discount due to me becoming an Annual Passholder since we are planning another WDW trip in July. But, that's a different story for a different day ).

So, with all of that being said, let’s get an update from our “Sea” Trip earlier this month!

“Sea” Trip- Day 2, Part 1!

Jake and I were up bright and early at 6:00 AM! Since I didn’t need to wash my hair, I debated staying in bed a little longer. But, once I heard Jake’s alarm, the excitement got to me and I just decided that I was awake now.

We had received an email a couple days prior stating that our luggage needed to be ready by 7:00 AM in order to be delivered to the ship. And, from reading other TRs, it seemed like 7:00 AM meant 7:00 AM SHARP! We knew that we were the only guests at AsMu that were leaving on the Fantasy today, so we figured that they would be very prompt. The nice thing about this was that you didn’t need to be in the room during the luggage pick-up process, so once Jake and I were ready, we just placed our tagged luggage by the door and headed out to explore!

It was such a beautiful morning with a nice breeze. It was quintessential "Disney Weather!" We decided to stretch our legs and take a walking tour, with the plan to explore all three All Star Resorts!



This was taken just down the hall from our room. We were in the “Rock Inn.” I loved the way the sunrise hit the icons!





Next up was the “Country Fair” section!



Then, we headed over to the “Broadway” section. This was the section I stayed in wayyy back in 2017!





This is probably my favorite part of the resort- I’ve always been a theatre geek!

I remembered that All Star Movies was right next to this part of the resort, so we walked across the parking lot and found ourselves in the “Love Bug” section of AsMo!



We saw a lot of families with young kids out this morning, ready for a day in the parks. Jake and I have been talking more about having children lately, and it made my heart smile a little bit when I pictured us in 5 years or so.

When we reached the “Toy Story” section, I knew I had to re-create a picture from 2017!!

2017:



2025:



22 years old vs. 30 years old! A few lbs heavier, less hair, and way more trees. I sent this picture to Gabi (the friend next to me in the 2017 photo) and we had a good laugh!!

After we finished walking through Movies (Jake is a huge fan of Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, so he really liked that section), we looped back through Music before heading to All Star Sports!

The first section was “Home Run Hotel.” I always like the look of this section in pictures with the giant Coke cup!



In each area, there were flags with different sports teams lined up on the top of the buildings. Jake is a sports nerd and loved looking at all of the different teams for each sport!

This one was called “Hoops Hotel!”



I was starting to get a little hungry, so we stopped back at the room to drop off the backpack. When we got back to the room, it was about 8:15 AM, and we realized that our luggage had still not been picked up. I called to make sure that Bell Services knew that we still had our bags, and they assured us that they would be picked up before 9:00 AM. We were a little peeved; if we had known this before, we could have slept in way later!!! Will our early morning catch up to us later??

I had coffee on the brain, so we headed to Intermission Food Court!

First, I grabbed a cold brew with oat milk and vanilla syrup. I really like how all of the resorts now have a window for specialty coffee. I remember when we stayed at the YC back in 2013, it was a luxury to be able to get a latte at the resort and that it was one of the only resorts that had something like this!

While I sipped on my coffee, we browsed the gift shop for about 10 minutes. I was holding out on souvenirs- I was planning on buying some DCL-exclusive merch once we were on board! Then, for breakfast, I ordered the kid’s Mickey Waffle meal with bacon, sausage, and grapes from the food court.



It had continued to be a gorgeous morning, so we sat outside! It was the perfect portion for the early morning and tasted nice and fresh. Jake wasn’t super hungry; he was saving up for allll of the free food on the ship.

When I was done eating, we decided to head back to the room, since we still had about an hour before needing to be at the front desk (they advised us to be at the lobby at 9:45 for our 10:15 AM shuttle). We were relieved to find our luggage gone when we arrived back at the room! Jake took a little nap, and I played some Solitaire (haha) before it was time to walk to the lobby. In hindsight, I definitely should have used this time to nap as well. I was just too excited.

We headed to the lobby at 9:45 AM, and the DCL CM asked to see all of our documentation. I like that they did this; this would avoid any families getting all the way to Port Canaveral without their documents. He was super chill, and said “You still have lots of time, how about you meet me back here at 10:00 (15 minutes from now).”

So, Jake and I decided to head to the bathroom one more time. However, when Jake was still in the bathroom, this same CM came running through the lobby, shouting “DISNEY FANTASY, DISNEY FANTASY, WE NEED TO GO!!!!”



I was super thrown off, since we still had like 20 minutes before the bus was even supposed to leave. But, I wasn’t about to bust into the men’s bathroom to retrieve Jake. I reassured the CM that Jake was just in the bathroom, and we were on the bus and on our way at 10:00.

We were a little anxious by the urgency of that CM, especially since he had been so casual just 10 minutes earlier! But, once we got on the road, we could see why he was so stressed. There was another HUGE traffic jam on our way to Port Canaveral!! It was supposed to be a 55 minute ride, but we didn’t pull into port until 11:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes later)!! This was the trip of bad luck with traffic for sure!

This bus ride felt EXTRA long since we were delayed. We were SOOO happy to be there!



While on the bus, I decided to take an extra Bonine, since the bus ride was making my stomach feel funny (I think it was just excitement). I continued this for the rest of the cruise; I would take a 25mg tablet of Bonine at 11:30 AM or so, then another 25mg tablet right before bed every day. I was hoping it wouldn’t make me too sleepy… I hadn’t noticed any drowsiness yet. (This will change later ). What I had noticed so far (and continued throughout the cruise) was that it made me SO thirsty! My mouth felt like a desert and I made sure to drink plenty of water!



I was counting on this being my lifesaver during the cruise, haha!

I took soooo many pictures when we finally approached the Port. We could finally see the beautiful Disney Fantasy in person!



I was a little nervous about security and what that would look like, but honestly, the process was SO easy. Way easier than TSA at the airport! We were led to a separate line since we took the Disney transportation, and it took us maybe 5 minutes to go through security, and another 5 minutes to get our documents checked out. I breathed a final sigh of relief when our documents got cleared. That was the last thing that was giving me some anxiety, and I FINALLY felt like I could truly relax and be in vacation mode!

They were currently on Boarding Group 3 once we reached the main terminal, so we didn’t have to wait long at all!!





Jake and I had fun checking out the Navigator App while we waited, since we were finally able to see everything now that we were connected to the ship’s Wifi. We had been scheduled for late dining at 8:15 PM, which we were happy about since we eat dinner late at home anyways. We found our dining rotation, which was RAE (Royal Court night 1, Animator’s Palate night 2, and Enchanted Garden night 3) at table #82. We also scrolled through all of the daily activities and screenshotted all of the ones we wanted to try out!

Then, at 12:10 PM, we were walking under these beautiful arches…





​

 

[missjackiemcg]

Hi everyone! I can’t believe that in 5 short days, Jake and I will be flying off to Orlando AGAIN

I can't believe it either!! AND that we will be missing each other!!

We are hoping to have a little DISmeet with @vamassey1 and @disneyAndi14 at some point.

I'm very jealous about missing this as well!!

So, with that all being said, we cancelled our resort reservation at Cabana Bay.

Totally understandable, but such a bummer! we love it there, but I absolutely understand the PTSD and not taking the extra chance!

Jake and I have been talking more about having children lately, and it made my heart smile a little bit when I pictured us in 5 years or so.

Love this for you both! Some of my most favorite Disney memories are little Jimmy ones!

It was supposed to be a 55 minute ride, but we didn’t pull into port until 11:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes later)!!

SO. STRESSFUL!!!!!!!!!

Yay for walking through the mouse ears to board your ship!!!! We sailed out of New Orleans last year, and though they had lots of Disney signage hanging up, it just wasn't as magical as Port Canaveral!

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Love love love reading your TRs!!!

Can’t wait to hear all about the cruise!

It looks HOT HOT HOT next week, so we are planning on lots of water/Liquid IV and breaks in the shade.

We are heading down tomorrow (eep!) for one night at Universal (final Epic preview!!) and 3 nights at Disney. The weather looks like it’s gonna be scorcher (I’ve got the liquid iv packed already, haha).

 

[buzzrelly]

We have already made a plan to get our favorite burger and poke bowl from Three Bridges

That is one of my favorite burgers in WDW...so good!

22 years old vs. 30 years old! A few lbs heavier, less hair, and way more trees

You still look great!

When we got back to the room, it was about 8:15 AM, and we realized that our luggage had still not been picked up. I called to make sure that Bell Services knew that we still had our bags, and they assured us that they would be picked up before 9:00 AM. We were a little peeved; if we had known this before, we could have slept in way later!!!

Oh, wow, I would be peeved too!

So, Jake and I decided to head to the bathroom one more time. However, when Jake was still in the bathroom, this same CM came running through the lobby, shouting “DISNEY FANTASY, DISNEY FANTASY, WE NEED TO GO!!!!”

Yikes!

There was another HUGE traffic jam on our way to Port Canaveral!! It was supposed to be a 55 minute ride, but we didn’t pull into port until 11:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes later)!!

Oh my goodness that's a long ride!

 

[amazingact21]

Early morning strolls around the resorts are some of the best parts of a vacation. Although, when you have the option to sleep than not so much.

Sorry there were so many traffic problems on this trip! I can't even imagine what it must have been like, to have the CM suddenly rushing you to the bus after telling you there was plenty of time. Goodness...

Interesting about Bonine making you thirsty. I always drink a ton of water on Disney trips, but now I'm wondering if it's because I'm trying to stave off dehydration from the FL sun or if it's the Bonine. I'll have to pay attention to that in the future.

Also: a July trip! Looking forward to hearing about that! I'll be there in July, as well. Melting onto the pavement.

 

[EpcotFan59]

Checking in-also a fellow Milwaukeean here! Looking forward to reading the rest of your adventure!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Bedbugs scare the living love out me I was a Home Care RN for many years after the ICU and I was always so worried about bedbugs and lice! Ugh I’m sorry to hear you have had to experience those nasty bugs I lucked out and never brought any home!
I leave on Wednesday as well. I arrive around 8pm! I’m getting excited for my little trip! We will definitely have to meet up I’m looking forward to it!
I love reading about the cruises now that I have one in the future! I think doing the transportation from the resort is the way to go! Sorry you all hit another traffic jam, yuck and speaking of yuck I’m glad the meclizine worked for you and yes it is a type of medicine that makes your mouth very dry!
See ya real soon!

 

[ambula603]

First, I am glad to see you are at Coronado Springs, because we had such a good experience there! We had a guy take us to our room when we arrived around 10 PM, and it was the wildest golf cart ride of my life. He was zooming in and out and all around on the paths and walkways. I thought we might die or I might pee my pants with laughter! The best part was he told us when HE would be back the next morning to pick up our luggage, so I didn't have to wake as early as the email had stated. Wish you could have had the same luck!

I do love how Port Canaveral has the DCL check-in down to a science!

 

[Mollydolly334]

I can't believe it either!! AND that we will be missing each other!!


I'm very jealous about missing this as well!!


Totally understandable, but such a bummer! we love it there, but I absolutely understand the PTSD and not taking the extra chance!


Love this for you both! Some of my most favorite Disney memories are little Jimmy ones!


SO. STRESSFUL!!!!!!!!!

Yay for walking through the mouse ears to board your ship!!!! We sailed out of New Orleans last year, and though they had lots of Disney signage hanging up, it just wasn't as magical as Port Canaveral!

AHHHHHH I bet you are SO excited for your cruise!!! I'M so excited FOR YOU!!!! Sending all of the great vibes, nice weather, and smooth seas for you!!

Love love love reading your TRs!!!

Can’t wait to hear all about the cruise!


We are heading down tomorrow (eep!) for one night at Universal (final Epic preview!!) and 3 nights at Disney. The weather looks like it’s gonna be scorcher (I’ve got the liquid iv packed already, haha).

Thank you so much for reading along!!! Eeeeek have sooo much fun!!! It'll be a scorcher for sure, but we're happy to escape chilly Wisconsin (it's currently 47 degrees right now, eww)! If you see us say hi

That is one of my favorite burgers in WDW...so good!



You still look great!


Oh, wow, I would be peeved too!



Yikes!



Oh my goodness that's a long ride!

It felt like suuuuuuch a long morning!! We were SO ready to get on that beautiful ship!! Jake is so excited for that burger tomorrow. I hope it lives up to how he's been hyping it up

Early morning strolls around the resorts are some of the best parts of a vacation. Although, when you have the option to sleep than not so much.

Sorry there were so many traffic problems on this trip! I can't even imagine what it must have been like, to have the CM suddenly rushing you to the bus after telling you there was plenty of time. Goodness...

Interesting about Bonine making you thirsty. I always drink a ton of water on Disney trips, but now I'm wondering if it's because I'm trying to stave off dehydration from the FL sun or if it's the Bonine. I'll have to pay attention to that in the future.

Also: a July trip! Looking forward to hearing about that! I'll be there in July, as well. Melting onto the pavement.

OK so I asked my mom (who is a pediatric dentist) and she said that YES Bonine makes you very thirsty!! I guess she uses it on patients who have excessive drooling issues because it helps dry up your mouth So that makes total sense!! I'm going to use it this week at Universal- hopefully it'll help me stay hydrated, LOL!

Yayyyyy!! When are you going in July??? Maybe we can meet up!

Checking in-also a fellow Milwaukeean here! Looking forward to reading the rest of your adventure!

Hi fellow Milwaukeean!!! Not too many of us on the DIS! Thanks for following along

Bedbugs scare the living love out me I was a Home Care RN for many years after the ICU and I was always so worried about bedbugs and lice! Ugh I’m sorry to hear you have had to experience those nasty bugs I lucked out and never brought any home!
I leave on Wednesday as well. I arrive around 8pm! I’m getting excited for my little trip! We will definitely have to meet up I’m looking forward to it!
I love reading about the cruises now that I have one in the future! I think doing the transportation from the resort is the way to go! Sorry you all hit another traffic jam, yuck and speaking of yuck I’m glad the meclizine worked for you and yes it is a type of medicine that makes your mouth very dry!
See ya real soon!

I'm so happy you've never had to experience bed bugs!!! They are truly awful and leave you with anxiety for months!!! Even now when I get a mosquito bite, my first thought is immediately "OMG THEY'RE BACK"

YES, definitely do a resort transfer if you can!! It made the process so smooth and we will never do anything else!!

See you soooooooon!! So excited!!!

First, I am glad to see you are at Coronado Springs, because we had such a good experience there! We had a guy take us to our room when we arrived around 10 PM, and it was the wildest golf cart ride of my life. He was zooming in and out and all around on the paths and walkways. I thought we might die or I might pee my pants with laughter! The best part was he told us when HE would be back the next morning to pick up our luggage, so I didn't have to wake as early as the email had stated. Wish you could have had the same luck!

I do love how Port Canaveral has the DCL check-in down to a science!

HAHA OMG! I hope we have that golf cart experience tomorrow We loved our stay back in 2023 and are excited to check out the village, since we stayed in the tower last time!!!

 

[Mollydolly334]

“Sea” Trip- Day 2, Part 2!


Hi everyone! Thought I’d post one last update before Jake and I leave for our “Land” trip tomorrow! We are SO pumped and ready for some park time!!!!

Where I last left off, Jake and I were JUST boarding the ship! The moment we’d been waiting for had finally arrived!!!! Time to cross those Mickey arches and finally see the Disney Fantasy in-person.

I debated on filming our entrance, but I knew that I just wanted to be fully present and in the moment. I definitely teared up as they announced our family and we walked into this gorgeous lobby!



It was even more beautiful in person, although smaller than we imagined it would be! We just took a couple beats in silence just to walk around and take it all in. Since we were an early boarding group, the ship did not feel crowded or chaotic at all.









I LOVE this chandelier!



The whole “art deco” theme of this ship is right up our alley. We had a subtle “Roaring 20’s” theme for our wedding!!









(Pictures from our wedding if anyone cares )

Jake and I decided to head over to each restaurant, just so we could get our bearings and know where to go each night for dinner. I loved seeing all of the portholes in the hallways!



We also walked towards the front of the ship by the gift stores (which were closed since we were still in port) and checked out the Walt Disney Theatre! We were excited to see the performance of “Aladdin” that was showing at 6:00 tonight.





Leading up to the trip, I was worried reading about other 3-day cruises on Reddit and such; the general consensus was that 3-day cruises were chaotic and overwhelming, and it started from the moment you boarded the ship. So I really just came in with the mentality to do and see as much as we can, but not get hung up on FOMO.

I’m so happy to report that we emphatically DID NOT feel like this cruise was chaotic or overwhelming in the SLIGHTEST! Maybe we just have a high tolerance for chaos? But it took us barely any time to learn the layout of the ship! And despite the ship not being huge, it did not feel overly crowded. Don’t get me wrong, it was definitely people-y (especially by the kids’ pool, in Cabana's, and near the elevators). But it was totally manageable and it helped that we were prepared for this coming into the cruise.

Jake was getting HUNGRY since he skipped breakfast. We were definitely ready for some free cruise food! So, we headed on over to Cabana’s to check out the buffet.

Had to take a slight detour to look at the awesome kid’s pool area!



There were some sinks with soap right when you entered Cabana’s, with CMs directing everyone to wash their hands before grabbing a plate. I had heard horror stories about norovirus on cruise ships, and I’m glad that DCL has installed these to promote hand washing. Jake is a huge germ freak and loved this; he commented “I wish they had these in every restaurant.”

Since it was still early, it wasn’t too crowded. We were able to find a table outside right by the balcony!



This guy was happy to be in the sunshine!! It was beautiful outside with a nice breeze, and it felt so good just to sit and relax. Jake got some seafood, steak, and veggies, since the seafood was abundant here! I’m not the biggest fan of seafood, so I decided on some childhood comforts.



Pizza, chicken tenders, and french fries. Can’t go wrong with those. Mammoth Club always raves about the chicken tenders, so I HAD to get some of those! They were great, although pretty much identical to the ones in the parks (which are also great), so I'm not sure what the fuss was about.

Jake got a piece of carrot cake for dessert, which he claimed was good, but not as good as the carrot cake at Goofy’s Kitchen in DLR. But, I decided to save my appetite for… ICE CREAM!

After lunch, we walked over to “Eye Scream Treats” over by the pool and each got a chocolate-vanilla swirl!



My first ice cream of MANY this trip!! The only flavors they had today were chocolate and vanilla; I was excited to check out the other flavors over the next couple days!



I was itching to see the Adult-Only bar area that I had heard so much about. So, that’s where we headed next! This area was called “Europa” and featured many different bars, each with a different European country’s theme.



This one was called “La Piazza.” I loved the look of this bar so much, the giant carousel reminded me of Mary Poppins!

People say that the Fantasy is the best ship for adults, and based on what I’ve seen, I have to agree. Europa was a sanctuary away from the crowded areas. Each bar was impeccably themed and had a great drink menu. It was so fun to wander over here every night after dinner and see what was going on. This is probably the main area where I wish we had just a bit more time to explore every nook and cranny!

The “D Lounge” was further down the hallway from Europa. This is where they had a lot of trivia as well as other events such as karaoke, crafts, etc.!



No pictures, but we also checked out the Oceaneer Club, since they were doing an open house! I was never big on “Kids Clubs” when I was a kid myself; I preferred to hang with my parents. But, I could definitely see the appeal of this place!



As we were walking past Shutters on Deck 4 (this is where you could download your photos taken on the ship), Jake saw a desk with a sign saying “GN Resound, ” which is a hearing aid manufacturer. He immediately stopped in his tracks and asked the lady sitting here, “Is there an event going on for this?”

Remember how I said in the intro post that Jake is an Audiologist? Turns out, there was an ENTIRE CONFERENCE going on this weekend on the Fantasy for Audiologists and Reps, all about this hearing aid company. We all couldn’t believe that we had booked this trip on pure coincidence. Poor Jake can’t escape from work, even when on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean!!

The lady was so funny; she was like “Well, if you’d like to get some CEU’s, the meeting is from 9-12 at Animator’s Palate tomorrow morning!” Jake politely declined that tempting offer.

It was about 1:30 at this point, but our room was not ready yet, so we headed to the adults-only pool. The CMs at the port explained that things were running a little behind this morning, and that staterooms would not be ready until after 2:00. The Coast Guard had been on board examining the ship, since after our cruise, the Fantasy would be leaving for a 13-night Transatlantic cruise and everything needed to be in tip-top shape for this journey. So, there were delays all day…. Dramatic foreshadowing for later.

Loved seeing my girl Tink!



After heading to Currents for some fun beverages, we grabbed some chairs that overlooked the port over in the adults-only pool area. Jake got a Drink of the Day, which was the “Paradise Punch”! It was some sort of rum punch and it looked tasty; Currents was Jake’s favorite place to get drinks since they made them nice and strong. I stuck with a Shirley Temple! All of the straws on the cruise were edible and flavored to different fruits, which was a little strange. They kinda reminded me of the white candy stick that comes with Fun Dip.

Cheers to vacation!



We relaxed and enjoyed our drinks until about 2:15, then we figured we should head to Deck 9 to see if our stateroom was ready yet. And it was! Our keys were there, just not our luggage quite yet.



We had chosen Room #9602 which was on the Starboard side on Deck 9. This was technically considered an “aft” room, so it was a bit cheaper, but it was one of the farthest central rooms in the category. Honestly, I would have definitely considered this a “central” room- but we were happy that it wasn’t because it saved us money!!









This was categorized as a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Veranda. Since we booked only 13 days prior, we had very limited options and had to pay a little extra to have a more spacious room. That being said, we LOVED the extra space and split bathrooms. We never felt that the room was small and it was perfect for the two of us.

During the cruise; we found that we spent most of our time on Deck 3 (lobby, gift shops, Walt Disney Theatre, main dining restaurants), Deck 4 (Europa and D Lounge), and Deck 11 (Cabana’s, kid and adult Pools). So, Deck 9 was the absolute PERFECT location for our room to be! The elevators tended to be very slow and congested, which was probably our biggest complaint overall with this ship. So, being on Deck 9 allowed us to just take the 2 flights of stairs up to Deck 11, as well as the few flights of stairs down to Decks 3 and 4 without needing to rely on the elevators.

Once we were able to see the room, we decided to head BACK to the pool. We were so excited and couldn’t stay still; there was a lot of back and forth today! It was getting hot outside, so I took a dip in the adults-only pool and waded in the infinity hot tub. We also took our first spin on the AquaDuck!! The line was nice and short since it was almost time for Muster Drill; we really timed it perfectly! Pretty much as soon as we got off, it was time to dry off and head to Station which was outdoors on Deck 4.

Muster drill was the only time where the “chaos” adjective really came to light. It was definitely crowded! But, we were prepared for it and knew what to expect, and luckily it didn’t take too long. We met lots of Audiologists around us, and one of them mentioned “The conference must have put us all in the same room block.” Jake was like, “No, you don’t understand, I’m not a part of the conference. I’m an Audiologist that booked this as a vacation by coincidence.” Everyone around us roared in laughter and couldn’t believe it!!

We continued to see many Coast Guard members walking the ship and inspecting during the Muster Drill, and we were slightly confused, since the ship was supposed to leave port in about 30 minutes or so! But, the Sail Away Party was starting, so it never occurred to us that we may not actually be ready to… sail away. The elevators were super clogged once muster was over, so we took the stairs from Deck 4 to Deck 11. At least we were burning off all that ice cream, haha!

We found a great spot for the Sail Away Party!



This show was sooooo cute. I definitely teared up and gave Jake a big kiss when the horns blared “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.”

But, as the horns sounded and the singing continued, we realized that we weren’t moving yet. I figured it was more of a figurative “sail away,” and that we’d eventually get going. It was about 4:45 by now, and we wanted to catch the 6:00 PM show of Aladdin. So, we headed back to the room to quickly shower and get changed. Would we ever leave Port Canaveral???



​

 

[buzzrelly]

The whole “art deco” theme of this ship is right up our alley. We had a subtle “Roaring 20’s” theme for our wedding!!

I love that!

Leading up to the trip, I was worried reading about other 3-day cruises on Reddit and such; the general consensus was that 3-day cruises were chaotic and overwhelming, a

I don't find them overwhelming, I find them too short!

Remember how I said in the intro post that Jake is an Audiologist? Turns out, there was an ENTIRE CONFERENCE going on this weekend on the Fantasy for Audiologists and Reps, all about this hearing aid company. We all couldn’t believe that we had booked this trip on pure coincidence. Poor Jake can’t escape from work, even when on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean!!

How funny!

Deck 9 was the absolute PERFECT location for our room to be!

That's always my first choice! I love it!

 

[scrappinginontario]

I was part of this thread on May 1st and watching for your ship - and praying all was well and that you would soon be able to leave port!

Thank you for sharing your first day and, your beautiful wedding pics!!

 

[ambula603]

The Fantasy is a beautifully decorated ship! I am wondering what you will think if you go on the Wonder, as it feels tiny!

We have never had a delay so I am very curious to hear how that affected your trip. Hopefully not too badly!

As always, love the wedding photos! Stunning!

 

[EpcotFan59]

We took our first Disney Cruise on the Wish in May 2024 and had the same issues with the elevators...ended up using the stairs most of the time too!

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

I was a little nervous about security and what that would look like, but honestly, the process was SO easy. Way easier than TSA at the airport!

It really was so easy and def less stressful than TSA!

Jake and I had been waiting 13 LONG DAYS FOR.

ha! should a long wait.

ut DCL had no issues with us providing our birth certificates and driver’s licenses in place of passports. That being said, I must have checked and re-checked our carry-on’s a million times between Wednesday and Thursday to make sure that we had all of the correct documents. I was so paranoid about being denied boarding!

Even with my passport I was so so nervous of misplacing it.

make this flight. We are usually those people who arrive unnecessarily early to the airport. And in this instance, it definitely paid off!! But, I have to say, it totally threw us off for a couple hours. I don’t think I breathed a sigh of relief until our plane landed in Orlando!

I can't even image. I would have been so stressed out!

The resort was SWARMED with cheerleaders making TikToks and running around doing teenager things, but our room was in a quiet corner and we didn’t experience any disruptions.

Good old Cheerleaders!!! THey seem to be ther all the time!

This pizza hit the spot- I LOVE Disney pizza!

You know, I think they only pizza I have had at Disney is Via Napoli?

e have already made a plan to get our favorite burger and poke bowl from Three Bridges on Wednesday night when we get in!!

3 Bridges is the reason we stay there!

22 years old vs. 30 years old! A few lbs heavier, less hair, and way more trees. I sent this picture to Gabi (the friend next to me in the 2017 photo) and we had a good laugh!!

You look great!!! I am a sucker for then and now photos.

So, Jake and I decided to head to the bathroom one more time. However, when Jake was still in the bathroom, this same CM came running through the lobby, shouting “DISNEY FANTASY, DISNEY FANTASY, WE NEED TO GO!!!!”

Oh my!! That is crazy!

uld see why he was so stressed. There was another HUGE traffic jam on our way to Port Canaveral!! It was supposed to be a 55 minute ride, but we didn’t pull into port until 11:45 (1 hour and 45 minutes later)!! This was the trip of bad luck with traffic for sure!

Man you guys and the traffic this trip!

Jake and I had fun checking out the Navigator App while we waited, since we were finally able to see everything now that we were connected to the ship’s Wifi.

I wish they would let you look at stuff ahead of time. Even just to get used to the app.

I’m so happy to report that we emphatically DID NOT feel like this cruise was chaotic or overwhelming in the SLIGHTEST!

I wouldn't say the short cruise was chotic, just busy and possibly not as relaxing as I was hoping our would have been.

Mammoth Club always raves about the chicken tenders, so I HAD to get some of those! They were great, although pretty much identical to the ones in the parks (which are also great), so I'm not sure what the fuss was about

Ha! I kind of thought the same thing. They only thing I could think of was that other cruise ships don't have good chicken fingers? maybe?

ll of the straws on the cruise were edible and flavored to different fruits, which was a little strange. They kinda reminded me of the white candy stick that comes with Fun Dip.

I didn't know they were editable and was totally disguisted by the textrure of the straw.

 

[amazingact21]

OK so I asked my mom (who is a pediatric dentist) and she said that YES Bonine makes you very thirsty!! I guess she uses it on patients who have excessive drooling issues because it helps dry up your mouth

I had to tell my husband about this. That's crazy! Good to know, especially since my son's old enough now to take Bonine versus the kid's dramomine. I'll have to make sure we all drink a lot of water.

Yayyyyy!! When are you going in July??? Maybe we can meet up!

We'll be in Universal the 13th-16th and then WDW the 17th-22nd.

The whole “art deco” theme of this ship is right up our alley. We had a subtle “Roaring 20’s” theme for our wedding!!

I love art deco!!! And actually while I was reading your report, I said out loud, "The statue has Minnie in a flapper outfit!" Your wedding looked beautiful.
If you go to Disneyland Paris, try and stay at the Marvel hotel (formerly Hotel New York). It's decked out in 1920s New York, and it's gorgeous. It's my favorite Disney hotel just because of the theming.

There were some sinks with soap right when you entered Cabana’s, with CMs directing everyone to wash their hands before grabbing a plate.

I love this! Honestly, this makes me a little more willing to do another cruise. Whenever my family goes out to eat, my kids know the drill. Grab a menu, order food, then go wash hands. So to have it right there at the restaurant is fantastic.

People say that the Fantasy is the best ship for adults, and based on what I’ve seen, I have to agree.

From your descriptions so far, this does seem to be the case. A great first cruise choice for you two!

Turns out, there was an ENTIRE CONFERENCE going on this weekend on the Fantasy for Audiologists and Reps, all about this hearing aid company. We all couldn’t believe that we had booked this trip on pure coincidence. Poor Jake can’t escape from work, even when on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean!!

Oh my gosh!!! What are the odds? That's insane. Poor Jake. Work's following him down to Florida.