Our family of five (minus our married daughter) just experienced the 7-Night Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy. Here are my impressions:
1. The shipBeautiful, immaculate, elegant the over-used word awesome really does apply here.
2. The shows and entertainmentTop notch, high-energy performances (save for Believea rather random potpourri production that kind of falls a bit flat as an ending piece. The rest of the on-stage productions were great! Comedian/juggler and hypnotist were also great. Oh, and have to give a shout-out to the Caspians, who provided wonderfully intimate night-time entertainment in the atrium each night.
3. The foodcertainly enough of it! Quality= so-so (closed circuit to DisneyPlease try to keep your fruit a bit colder. Thanks!)
4. The serviceso-so. Our wait staff seemed in a bit over their heads. Kind of low-talkers (see Seinfeld episode) and not really effective in conveying menu options and definitions. Just expected a lot more from Disney on this front.
5. The portsSt. Maarten and St. Thomas were breathtaking, of course. We thoroughly enjoyed the downhill trek through the rainforest in St. M. The marketers in St. Maarten were more than aggressive. Ali was great on our 2-hour tour of St. Thomas. Wished we would have had more time to explore St. John. Beautiful days to enjoy both locations.
6. Castaway CayGoing in we heard lots of hype about this being the best stop on the cruise. That is likely true for most, especially those with young families, but not necessarily us. There was nothing wrong with it; it just wasnt the wow I was expecting (based on the pre hype). I must say, however, that serenity bay is awesome. We should have spent more time there.
7. Age-specific opportunities: We were traveling with an old 13-year-old son and 20-year-old daughter. The Edge just was just a tad too kiddy for our 13 year old, while Vibe was a bit too old and a little too clicky. A 20-year-old simply doesnt have a great option (without traveling companions). I think the younger age group activities work much better. Translation: I think DCL is best suited for those traveling with younger children, say 10 and under.
8. Overall experiencevery, very good. Disney is still Disney, of course. On the large of it, they do a superb job of delivering excellence. We returned with some great memories to treasure. Aside from the wait staff, the rest of the staff was excellent. Really enjoyed getting to meet so many interesting crew members from all over the world.
9. Would we do it again? Maybe. We just might not be the cruising type. We struggled to find a rhythm to our days. Our main focus was on the evening entertainment and diningother than that we had a hard time settling into a rhythm that balanced relaxation with activity. I think it was complicated by trying to find the right blend of options for all of our interests. I think wed do better job of that next time.
10. Bottom line: The cruise was great but we didnt develop an instant addiction to it like we did with WDW theme parks. We still prefer our WDW touring. But we were thankful to have a great opportunity on the Fantasy and we will always treasure the experience.
1. The shipBeautiful, immaculate, elegant the over-used word awesome really does apply here.
2. The shows and entertainmentTop notch, high-energy performances (save for Believea rather random potpourri production that kind of falls a bit flat as an ending piece. The rest of the on-stage productions were great! Comedian/juggler and hypnotist were also great. Oh, and have to give a shout-out to the Caspians, who provided wonderfully intimate night-time entertainment in the atrium each night.
3. The foodcertainly enough of it! Quality= so-so (closed circuit to DisneyPlease try to keep your fruit a bit colder. Thanks!)
4. The serviceso-so. Our wait staff seemed in a bit over their heads. Kind of low-talkers (see Seinfeld episode) and not really effective in conveying menu options and definitions. Just expected a lot more from Disney on this front.
5. The portsSt. Maarten and St. Thomas were breathtaking, of course. We thoroughly enjoyed the downhill trek through the rainforest in St. M. The marketers in St. Maarten were more than aggressive. Ali was great on our 2-hour tour of St. Thomas. Wished we would have had more time to explore St. John. Beautiful days to enjoy both locations.
6. Castaway CayGoing in we heard lots of hype about this being the best stop on the cruise. That is likely true for most, especially those with young families, but not necessarily us. There was nothing wrong with it; it just wasnt the wow I was expecting (based on the pre hype). I must say, however, that serenity bay is awesome. We should have spent more time there.
7. Age-specific opportunities: We were traveling with an old 13-year-old son and 20-year-old daughter. The Edge just was just a tad too kiddy for our 13 year old, while Vibe was a bit too old and a little too clicky. A 20-year-old simply doesnt have a great option (without traveling companions). I think the younger age group activities work much better. Translation: I think DCL is best suited for those traveling with younger children, say 10 and under.
8. Overall experiencevery, very good. Disney is still Disney, of course. On the large of it, they do a superb job of delivering excellence. We returned with some great memories to treasure. Aside from the wait staff, the rest of the staff was excellent. Really enjoyed getting to meet so many interesting crew members from all over the world.
9. Would we do it again? Maybe. We just might not be the cruising type. We struggled to find a rhythm to our days. Our main focus was on the evening entertainment and diningother than that we had a hard time settling into a rhythm that balanced relaxation with activity. I think it was complicated by trying to find the right blend of options for all of our interests. I think wed do better job of that next time.
10. Bottom line: The cruise was great but we didnt develop an instant addiction to it like we did with WDW theme parks. We still prefer our WDW touring. But we were thankful to have a great opportunity on the Fantasy and we will always treasure the experience.
