Just back from Eastern Fantasy Voyage: The good, bad, and ugly!

[Ned Land]

Runskyhy,

The Water Island Bike excursion had about 20 people total. This is not an easy ride and one girl broke her wrist on our tour. The bikes are not in the best shape but overall it is a great excursion because you get a boat ride to the island, mountain bike ride on the island, and beach time. Plus the narration is good that details the interesting history of the island. It is pretty hilly, so I would suggest only people in pretty good shape do it.

-NL

 

[Ned Land]

mainstreet1997,

The 12-meter regatta is awesome. We have been on many different types of boats in the Caribbean and Hawaii, but this one was so cool because you are in a competition and the work you do together will help you win the race. It was exciting from that standpoint.

We also loved hearing about the history of the America's Cup. Dennis Connor frequently goes to St. Martin and knows the owners very well.

If people knew how unique this excusion was, everyone would probably do it. You just can't do this anywhere else. I know there is another America's Cup boat on Maui, but they do not race it with another yacht like this. They wanted to put Star's & Stripes in the Smithsonian, so it is a rare opportunity to race on the yacht that won the America's Cup.

-NL

 

[happyj]

We are on the eastern next year and would love your opinions on when to do Remys and palos and what order to ask for other restaurants. Also which restaurants are you favourites

 

[Fargoman2]

Thanks for the viewpoints shared. FWIW, here are my impressions from that same EC Fantasy voyage, which I posted on trip reports with no traction:


Our family of five (minus our married daughter) just experienced the 7-Night Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy. Here are my impressions:

1. The ship—Beautiful, immaculate, elegant…the over-used word “awesome” really does apply here.

2. The shows and entertainment—Top notch, high-energy performances (save for “Believe”—a 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 food—certainly enough of it! Quality= so-so (closed circuit to Disney—Please try to keep your fruit a bit colder. Thanks!)

4. The service—so-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 ports—St. 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 Cay—Going 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 wasn’t 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 doesn’t 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 experience—very, 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 dining—other 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 we’d do better job of that next time.

10. Bottom line: The cruise was great but we didn’t 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.
__________________

 

[axfather]

I took the same cruise for 6/2/12....I thought just about everything was even better than normal....the food was better and the service was better...miss the plat. exp., but everything else was perfect. Aft cabin with huge balc. 7194 was great, but soot is a small problem...stateroom att. would clean it each AM for that reason. Don't leave your stuff out there overnight.

 

[moet7]

Thanks for the viewpoints shared. FWIW, here are my impressions from that same EC Fantasy voyage, which I posted on trip reports with no traction:


Our family of five (minus our married daughter) just experienced the 7-Night Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy. Here are my impressions:

1. The ship—Beautiful, immaculate, elegant…the over-used word “awesome” really does apply here.

2. The shows and entertainment—Top notch, high-energy performances (save for “Believe”—a 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 food—certainly enough of it! Quality= so-so (closed circuit to Disney—Please try to keep your fruit a bit colder. Thanks!)

4. The service—so-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 ports—St. 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 Cay—Going 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 wasn’t 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 doesn’t 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 experience—very, 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 dining—other 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 we’d do better job of that next time.

10. Bottom line: The cruise was great but we didn’t 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.
__________________

WOW, this trip report sounds just like the one I heard from a man in the lobby on the last night. Could that be so?

It was late and the band was playing and we were sitting listening to the music as we watched two adorable little girls dance around the "Minnie Statue" They were just so cute!

Enjoyed hearing your review again!

 

[Fargoman2]

WOW, this trip report sounds just like the one I heard from a man in the lobby on the last night. Could that be so?

It was late and the band was playing and we were sitting listening to the music as we watched two adorable little girls dance around the "Minnie Statue" They were just so cute!

Enjoyed hearing your review again!

Hey! Talk about a SMALL WORLD!! Is that really you, wow! Oh, yes those PRECIOUS little girls were adorable, weren't they. Their blitzed parents were even more adorable, right?!

 

[thegales]

HI
We tried to tickets the day before and was told it was sold out.......then I saw it listed again on the navigator but the time wasn't going to work.....kind of disappointed that guest services didn't tell us that there was going to be another one....oh well, something to do on the next cruise and I will get tickets for it when I board.......so with that said.....what exactly did you all do in the mixology class?

I went to guest services shortly after boarding to get tix to mixology on Monday, and was told these were the last two available. Daniel did an awesome class. Once done, we asked if he was willing to do another. He had to check with the powers, and find a location. Got a call over the next few nights for another class at 4:00 on Thursday led again by Daniel. This was not the 3:30 class that was in the navigator. I wanted to verify the time with guest services, and they had no knowledge of Daniel's new class.

Daniel does a different type of class than others. He split the 20 of us into 4 groups of 5. Person 1 of each group went behind the bar and made five of the first drink, based on instructions from Daniel. Everyone drank the first drink, then person 2 went behind the bar to mix a different drink. That drink was enjoyed, then person 3 made drinks. By the fifth drink, a good time was had by all. Other bartenders only have a couple people doing the drinks, and not as many drinks.

 

[rlmas]

I really have to disagree that DCL is best for families with kids 10 and under. We have been on 5 DCL cruises including this same eastern on the Fantasy. I think my daughter and firedog's actually hung out the whole week. They were in that 18 - 20 crowd and generally had a blast. Our younger daughter is almost 16 and one of the boys in the family we were traveling with is the same age. They too had a blast going to the 14 - 17 club, Vibe. We also were on the Dream last summer and both of our kids, then 15 and 17 loved the Vibe then as well. We usually saw them for dinner and the shows and then maybe heard them come in the cabin around 2:00 am. Our cruise before that was in 2007 with my wife's mom and my parents along. The girls were 11 and 14 and thoroughly enjoyed the tween club on the Magic. Our kids cannot wait to go again even though they will most likely be 18 and 20 when we do in 2014. I am not saying the poster is wrong, they are just expressing their opinion. I just don't want readers reaching the wrong conclusion based n what might be an isolated case.

 

[Fargoman2]

I really have to disagree that DCL is best for families with kids 10 and under. We have been on 5 DCL cruises including this same eastern on the Fantasy. I think my daughter and firedog's actually hung out the whole week. They were in that 18 - 20 crowd and generally had a blast. Our younger daughter is almost 16 and one of the boys in the family we were traveling with is the same age. They too had a blast going to the 14 - 17 club, Vibe. We also were on the Dream last summer and both of our kids, then 15 and 17 loved the Vibe then as well. We usually saw them for dinner and the shows and then maybe heard them come in the cabin around 2:00 am. Our cruise before that was in 2007 with my wife's mom and my parents along. The girls were 11 and 14 and thoroughly enjoyed the tween club on the Magic. Our kids cannot wait to go again even though they will most likely be 18 and 20 when we do in 2014. I am not saying the poster is wrong, they are just expressing their opinion. I just don't want readers reaching the wrong conclusion based n what might be an isolated case.

Fair point indeed. Vibe does resonate for certain types of older kids--my/our observation was that it is just far easier for younger kids to "connect" with random other kids and really be enamored with their "counselors." But IMHO it is simply a far more challenging dynamic with older kids. It can very easily be clicky or a tad awkward (like trying to visit with that random cousin of yours you only see every few years at family reunions). And again, I think characters are such a great draw of the cruise, which again underscores my point that kids 10 and under are likely to have the most "wall to wall" fun on a Disney Cruise. Don't get me wrong, my 13 and 20 year old really had a great time on the cruise--but they still prefer the parks. Again, different strokes for different folks...

 

[FanOfFigment]

I also got to find out where the "newly-turned-18-but-ain't-allowed-in-the-vibe" kids are hanging out... In the concierge lounge. My daughter went to the meet up the first night of the cruise and found a great group of kids, but said they just wandered the ship because there was no place they could call their own. They ended up in the concierge lounge, so maybe that's the new 18*21 club.

I hope this isn't a threadjack, but I was wondering if this was the "official" place for them to hang out or if they just decided on their own to do it? Just seems a bit odd considering the limited acess to the concierge areas.

 

[Partridge4ever]

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 dining—other 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 we’d do better job of that next time.
__________________

You put this so well! From the 6:15 show til bedtime, everything was crammed together. Rush from the show to MAYBE get to see the 7:30 cabaret, rush to dinner, rush to MAYBE see the adult cabaret. I say maybe because The Tube was so crowded that unless we were really early, which was hard to do, we were standing so far in back we couldn't see. I wish they didn't put all the best stuff on top of each other.

 

[Renysmom]

We were in aft cabin 9674. Felt the vibrations mildly. Was a non-issue. Really & honestly. Can't wait for my aft cabin on my next 2 Fantasy cruises.

We have that cabin in October, would love to see any photos you took of it and the views.

T We thoroughly enjoyed the downhill trek through the rainforest in St. M.

Thinking about doing this excursion, can you tell me more about it?

 

[HsvTeacher]

You put this so well! From the 6:15 show til bedtime, everything was crammed together. Rush from the show to MAYBE get to see the 7:30 cabaret, rush to dinner, rush to MAYBE see the adult cabaret. I say maybe because The Tube was so crowded that unless we were really early, which was hard to do, we were standing so far in back we couldn't see. I wish they didn't put all the best stuff on top of each other.

We felt really rushed, too, until we decided to start going to the 3:00pm show. That seemed to really slow things down for us. After the show, we would go swimming or ride the AquaDuck, watch a movie, nap, etc. Then we felt like we weren't in so much of a rush to get ready for dinner.

I do wish they would move some of the late night adult shows into bigger areas. We had late seating, and our server was incredibly slow. Some nights we didn't get finished with dinner until 10:15, and by then, the Tube was full. We watched a couple of shows in La Piazza, but it just wasn't the same.

 

[moet7]

We felt really rushed, too, until we decided to start going to the 3:00pm show. That seemed to really slow things down for us. After the show, we would go swimming or ride the AquaDuck, watch a movie, nap, etc. Then we felt like we weren't in so much of a rush to get ready for dinner.

I do wish they would move some of the late night adult shows into bigger areas. We had late seating, and our server was incredibly slow. Some nights we didn't get finished with dinner until 10:15, and by then, the Tube was full. We watched a couple of shows in La Piazza, but it just wasn't the same.

I agree, the Tube should have been made bigger. Thankfully our server had us out by 9:30 and we were able to get to the Tube......only twice did we have to stand.

 

[moet7]

Hey! Talk about a SMALL WORLD!! Is that really you, wow! Oh, yes those PRECIOUS little girls were adorable, weren't they. Their blitzed parents were even more adorable, right?!

Yes, it's me. I laughed when I saw your post......and I agree the parents were just as adorable! Sorry to hear your servers were "low talkers" we were lucky and had wonderful servers. Our only complaint was that the Tube should have been bigger for the adult shows in the evenings.

 

[moet7]

I went to guest services shortly after boarding to get tix to mixology on Monday, and was told these were the last two available. Daniel did an awesome class. Once done, we asked if he was willing to do another. He had to check with the powers, and find a location. Got a call over the next few nights for another class at 4:00 on Thursday led again by Daniel. This was not the 3:30 class that was in the navigator. I wanted to verify the time with guest services, and they had no knowledge of Daniel's new class.

Daniel does a different type of class than others. He split the 20 of us into 4 groups of 5. Person 1 of each group went behind the bar and made five of the first drink, based on instructions from Daniel. Everyone drank the first drink, then person 2 went behind the bar to mix a different drink. That drink was enjoyed, then person 3 made drinks. By the fifth drink, a good time was had by all. Other bartenders only have a couple people doing the drinks, and not as many drinks.

Thanks for the reply.......sounds like we missed a great time. On my list to do next time. Thanks also for letting me know to get tickets asap.

 

[Mox]

Thanks for your review. We have cruised many times, but not yet on the Fantasy. Cant wait to check it out.

I would like to comment on DCL being best for families with kids under 10. I will say, our kids are under 10, but we have been on 8 DCL cruises BEFORE we had kids.....So, to each his own. But we find DCL has something for everyone. Maybe not at every hour of every day, but there is a lot offered.

 

[Feistygirl916]

I don't eat hash browns or pastries, so I can't speak to that. I had oatmeal with nuts and fresh fruit everyday, so I was happy. The fruit is the best at CC because they offer fresh cut mango & papaya there


Saw Aladdin, Wishes & the juggler's family show and they were all good. The show the 1st night was terrible - I felt like it was a commercial for DCL. Why did I need a DCL commercial? I'm on the ship - don't need anyone to sell me on it already!


Different strokes for different folks!

The oatmeal was amazing, and I was one happy girl just eating that every morning!

The first show? What a joke. I felt the EXACT same way you did. UGH!

 

[Meredith Santana]

I would really like to try the Eastern Caribbean one day. I hear the ports are beautiful. My boyfriend and I are doing the Western Caribbean this September and we are just so excited !