Solo Disney Fantasy 3 Night Southampton to Cherbourg France August 2025 Updated Cherbourg Port Day Saturday 23 August

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Im back home in Ireland so its time to start the trip report.

For anyone new to my trip reports, I am a solo cruiser from Ireland. This is my 4th Disney cruise and my 3rd Disney ship. Previous cruises have been on The Magic and Dream, all European cruises. Links to previous cruises trip reports are in my signature.

This cruise was part of a longer trip to England. I chose this cruise as I am a big Titanic fan. The Titanic left from Southampton and went to Cherbourg first before Ireland, so it was really interesting to me to follow the same route. Ireland has a very big connection to Titanic, as the ship was built in Belfast and the last port was in Cork. Many Irish people have a personal connection to the ship. My interest in Titanic started back in the 1980's when the ship was discovered as my grandfather had books about the Titanic which I used to read.

Part 1 Monday 18 August
Dublin to Wiltshire, England to visit my sister

Part 2 The Cruise
Thursday 21 August
Train from Wiltshire to Southampton
Overnight in Southampton

Friday 22 August
Embarkation Day

Saturday 23 August
Port Day Cherbourg

Sunday 24 August
Day at Sea

Monday 25 August
Debarkation and Train to London

Part 3 London
Tuesday 26 August
Sightseeing in London

Wednesday 27 August
Travel home to Ireland from London Heathrow

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Part 1 Monday 18 August To Thursday 21 August
Dublin to Wiltshire, England visiting my sister

This years trip started with a few days in Wiltshire visiting my sister. My niece had been spending the previous week in Ireland with us and now I was bringing her home to England.

We flew from Dublin to Bristol, one hours flight time and then got the bus and train and then my sister collected us from the train.

They have moved house last year and their new house is a fixer upper. This is the first time I have been to the new house , as each time I planned a visit they had been doing construction work.

Its still a work in progress but they have made great changes. My niece is really excited that her room is currently a blank canvas and she can furnish and decorate within reason anyway she wants.

My sister had some time off work and it was really nice just to catch up and hear all about the plans for the new house now that the major structural construction is done.

Wiltshire is full of canals and we spent a lovely afternoon at a canal side cafe chatting and watching the boats go by.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Part 2 The Cruise Thursday 21 August
Train from Wiltshire to Southampton Overnight in Southampton

After a lovely visit with my sister I got the train from where they live to Southampton. To give some context about locations , this is a map I found on Google search which shows where Wiltshire is. Southampton is in Hampshire.



The journey was just about an hour. I had bought my ticket in advance and I planned my arrival in Southampton for around 3pm. The train ticket cost me £9.00 and I bought it online direct with South Western Railways on 13 July 2025.

The hotel I booked IBIS Southampton Central is walking distance from the train station and also the cruise terminal. Its a budget hotel but thats fine with me, as its just an overnight before the cruise. I booked the hotel direct through their website on 4 January 2025 and I paid £105.30 for a double room with the optional breakfast add on.



I have stayed in this hotel from previous cruises. This time I had a room at the back of the hotel, which was quiet.

After checking in and refreshing it was time for some food.

I went over to West Quay Shopping Centre which has a great variety of mid price restaurants and food options. As it was early evening, most places were just opening and there wasnt alot of people around.

I decided to go to Thaikhun Thai Restaurant, which is a mid price Thai Street Food Chain Restaurant





Passionfruit Martini
Vodka, passionfruit, soda water, garnished with dragon fruit powder £12.00



Thai Chicken Katsu 15.75
Crispy chicken breast and Massaman curry sauce. Served with jasmine rice.

After relaxing for a bit , I left the restaurant and went for a walk through the main shopping area, and ended up at ASDA, the big main grocery store. I wanted to stock up on snacks for the cruise.

I was back at my hotel around 7pm and decided to have an early night. Tomorrow would be a big day, and I wanted to get up early to see the ship arrive on the port webcams.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Friday 22 August Embarkation Day

The day started early, at 5am, watching The Disney Fantasy arrive in Southampton. As my room was at the back of the hotel, I watched the port live streams on Solent Ships YouTube Channel


I snoozed for a while and then went to breakfast around 7.45am



After breakfast I went for a walk to the front of the hotel for my first in person view of The Fantasy.



Back in my room I got ready for the ship, did my final packing and put my luggage tag on my case.

Then it was finally time to head to the ship. My PAT time was 10.45am.

I left the hotel at 10am and took a slow leisurely walk to Horizon Cruise Terminal. It was a lovely morning and I was in no hurry, so it took me about 15 minutes, even though I had a 50 pound / 20kg 4 wheel roller, and a small carryon 4 wheel roller and a cross body bag.

I stopped to take some more photos when I got near the cruise terminal.


After leaving my checked bag with the porters I joined the queue marked 10.45am outside the terminal building. Note for Americans reading this, in Southampton you do not need to tip the bag porters as they are employed by Southampton Port. The concierge line was to the left and the next PAT time 11am was to the right. You could feel the excitement in the air.

At 10.30am concierge were allowed into the building and then it was our turn.

They had changed the set up this year in Horizon Terminal. This year, 2025 after some switchbacks we went straight to security check. This is similar to airport security, all carry on bags go through the scanners, electronics need to be taken out of bags and pockets etc emptied.

Then after security we went up the escalators and then some more switchbacks to the check in desks. This is where passports and travel documents are checked , as well as the health questionnaire. You will need to show your PAT form multiple times, so make sure it is to hand.

Then once I was checked in it was over the seating area. As I was in the first PAT time, there were plenty of seats. I did a time check and it was just after 11am.

Once I had a seat I tried to connect to DCL Guest Wi-Fi but there were some issues. I could see around me that everyone was having issues. It was annoying but it was clear it was a DCL issue and not an issue with my phone.

I also sent a message in the cruise WhatsApp group. There were a few solos and we had connected before embarkation day and agreed to meet up before boarding. This way we could board together and go straight to the dining team to make sure we were on the same table for dinner.

I managed to meet up with 2 out of the 3 solos in the boarding area, L from France and A from Italy. E from England had a later PAT and boarding group. It was nice to meet in person after communicating on WhatsApp for a few weeks.

We were chatting ( spoiler alert, there was non stop chat at every meal time ) so Im not sure of the time, but Family of The Day were called, then Concierge, then they started the group numbers. The 3 of us were group 5, so I think we were called about 11.40am.

As we were walking along the glass corridor we discussed what we had done on previous cruises for the Welcome Onboard announcement. We decided to call ourselves The Solo Cruisers and the CMs gave us a great welcome.

Then it was straight down to Enchanted Garden to speak to the Dining Team. There was no other passengers there so we were done and sorted all together on the same table for late dining. We messaged E from England on WhatsApp and told her the table number and when she came onboard she managed to get changed to our table.

Myself and L from France went to Animators Palate for lunch and A from Italy went to Cabanas.

1. Pennette Pasta with Tomato-Basil Provençal Sauce, Goat Cheese and a Spinach Peste
2. Carrot Cake layered with Lemon Cream

During lunch we were finally able to connect to DCL Guest Wi-Fi and the cruise App changed to the onboard version. Our MDR table had changed and we spent lunch chatting and comparing what activities we each planned to do for the rest of the day.

After lunch we separated and I went up to deck 4 to fill my water bottle and then went up to deck 11 and got a coffee from Cove Cafe.

It was around 1.15pm so I decided to just to go down to deck 8 and wait for the rooms to open.

I had booked the exact same room on The Fantasy as I had in 2023 and 2024 on The Dream, so I was curious to see if there were any differences.

The room was exactly the same except in the wardrobes. The Dream had shelves in the single door but there were no shelves on The Fantasy.


Confirming we got the old bag and lanyard on this cruise



Next it was time to decorate my door.



There was a slight issue in my room, the safe wasn't working. I alerted my room host and a call was put to maintenances. They hadn't turned up by the time I was ready to leave my room so I just told my room host that I would be back later.

It was now time to relax so I went up to deck 11 , filled my drinks cup at the soda machines by the pool and continued up to Satellite Falls. It was quiet and it was nice just to sit in the shade and read my book for a while.

I stayed at Satellite Falls until the Muster Drill announcement and then went down to Deck 4 H. As usual there were many late comers but eventually everyone was checked in, they played the announcements and the crew gave the lifebelt demonstration.

I had decided that I wasn't going to go to the Sail Away Party, so I took my time going up the forward stairs. I took a detour to Cove Bar, the splash up bar at the adult pool and got a Pina Colava. This is not listed on the menu but its a variation of a piña colada, with Bacardi Raspberry Rum, piña colada mix, and raspberry purée.

Then I took the lift back up to Satellite Falls and found a sun lounger right at the front in the shade for the sail out.

I stayed watching the sail out until about 6pm. I went back down to my room to change for dinner and to see if the safe had been fixed. I met my room host and she confirmed that the battery had been replaced in the safe and it was working fine now.

I then went down to the shops as I wanted to check the opening time and to see what merch was available. On previous cruises the shops opened at 6pm and as I had early dining I missed out on some things I wanted. This time as I had late dining, I wanted to be at the shops right when they opened.

Before going to the shops , I went to guest services to add money to my onboard account. I don't put a card on my account so I have a cash account which I top up during the cruise using a Disney Gift Card. When I am in Disneyland California I load up my Disney Gift Card and then use that for the cruise.

On this cruise , the shops opened at 7.30pm. Maybe they revised the opening times this year, after complaints that people on early dining missed out in previous years.

After guest services I just stayed in the general area of the shops, first sitting on the benches and people watching and then as the area got busier I stood at the door of the shop which had The Fantasy merch. The area really filled up as people from early dining arrived and people came out of the theatre. I managed to be the first person in the shop, I walked with purpose to The Fantasy Spirt Jerseys, selected my size, and picked up the matching ears and was over at the till paying before many people were even in the shop.

Another change for this year, they were not using the Disney Cruise reusable bags , they only had plain brown paper bags in the shops. Once I had paid I went straight back to my room, left my shopping in the room and then went to dinner.

Dinner tonight was Animators Palate. On the way to the restaurant I went to Bon Voyage Bar and got the Drink of The Day, Paradise Punch.

I was first at the table and was soon joined by L from France, A from Italy and E from England. We were all ladies of different ages and background travelling solo for different reasons, so it made for some interesting dinner conversations. We got lucky and our table was right by a screen , so we had chats with Crush and friends during the meal.

1. Tomato Tarte with Glazed Goat Cheese and shaved Radish
2. Herb-Crusted Pork Chop Roast Pork Chop brushed with Dijon Mustard and crusted with Herbed Breadcrumbs served with Sun-dried Tomato Risotto and a Borolo Wine Sauce
3. Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake creamy Vanilla Cheesecake with a Chocolate Fudge base

During dinner we discussed about going to the adult entertainment in The Tube nightclub. E from England said she wanted an early night but myself, L from France and A from Italy decided to go.

The entertainment host YoYo was brilliant and even though it was a small crowd he had everyone laughing the whole time. The first game was Majority Rules, which we didn't do too bad with, but we really messed up one question, my fault and our answer sheet caught YoYos eye and he had a good laugh at what we / I wrote. The second game was Match Your Mate. Now that was hilarious. One couple married 26 years, one couple married 15 years and one couple married 1 year. All were great sports and honest when they didn't have to be. The married 1 year couple won, although I'm sure they were glad it was a small crowd, as some of their answers were memorable

We decided to leave after Match Your Mate as it was only a silent disco next. I went for a walk around the now empty atrium and took some photos before going to bed.

It had been a long day and I wanted to get up early to watch the sun rise.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Saturday 23 August Port Day Cherbourg
All Ashore 8.00am All Aboard 6.00pm

The day started early as I had pre booked room service for the 5.am to 5.30am window. I ordered some muffins, Danish pastries and cereals. While I was waiting for room service I got dressed in comfy clothes and swimwear. When my food arrived I put the muffins and pastries into my day bag and made my way to deck 11 adult area. The ship was really quiet this early in the morning which was really nice. The CM's had blankets out so I took one and went to my favourite place, the round lounger daybed beside the hot tubs.

It was still dark so I got comfy and snoozed a bit and as the sun started to rise I had the pastries. I love being up so early and hearing all the sounds as the ship starts to wake up.


I stayed until about 7.15am as the ship arrived into Cherbourg. I went to Cove Cafe, got a coffee and then headed to breakfast at 7.30am in Royal Court.

As I approached the restaurant I met E from England and we decided to have breakfast together. We were chatting so much I forgot to take photos of my food but I had my favourites.

• Yoghurt Parfait - Pineapple, Mango, Papaya, Plain Yogurt, Passion Fruit Drizzle, Coconut and Granola
• Eggs Benedict Two Poached Eggs on Toasted English Muffins coated with Hollandaise Sauce, with Rosemary Ham and Tomato

After breakfast we went our separate ways and I went back to the adult pool area. During breakfast I had checked the APP and the AquaDuck was due to open at 9.00am. My plan was to alternate between the hot tub and adult pool until the AquaDuck opened.

I went back to the round daybed lounger, put my things down and went into the hot tub. By now the ship was at Cherbourg cruise terminal and it was fun to see people outside taking photos of the ship. It was still quiet as most people were either going out on excursions or in Cabanas. I had a lovely relaxing time, doing some laps in an empty adult pool and then in the hot tub.

At about 8.50am I gathered my things and went up to the AquaDuck entrance. As I was approaching I could see some maintenance CM's and that the water was not yet running in the tubes. I talked to one of the lifeguards and he said they hoped to open soon and to keep a watch on the tubes and to come back when I saw water running.

As I had already been in the adult pools and I didn't want to get cold I decided to go into the family pool which was empty. Beauty and The Beast had just started on Funnel Vision and there were a good few people sitting around watching but there was no one in the pool. It was cool to do laps of the pool while watching and listening to Beauty and The Beast and I was able to keep a watch on the AquaDuck tubes.

Just after Be Our Guest ended I saw the water was running in the AquaDuck tubes, so I got out of the pool, gathered my things and went back up. The lifeguard said they were just doing the final checks and that I could stand and wait until they finished. I put my things in the storage cubbyholes and found that I was first in line. I watched a few more minutes of Beauty and The Beast and then the lifeguards opened the gates and said I could enter.

As we were at port, and there was no high winds, they were allowing single riders. It was soo cool to be the first person on AquaDuck. I would have done it a second time but I was mindful of the time as I wanted to go to Cherbourg. So I went back to my room to get ready for the day.

By 11am I was ready to leave the ship.

As I mentioned in the intro post the main reason I wanted to do this cruise is because of Titanic. Cherbourg was a tender port for Titanic, passengers boarded The Nomadic which then brought them out to the bay to Titanic. The Nomadic has now been restored and is in dry dock in Belfast and open to the public.

I don't think many people getting off The Fantasy actually realized that the long corridor connecting the ship to the terminal building is the original baggage hall from 1912 that the Titanic passengers used. I took my time walking through this beautiful wooden paneled hall, taking lots of photos.



The cruise terminal is part of the La Cité de la Mer museum and this baggage hall is usually part of the paid for Titanic exhibition. On days when there is a cruise ship, it is closed to the general public and only cruise passengers and crew have access.

It was a lovely sunny morning in Cherbourg and I had decided not to do a ship excursion or take the paid for shuttle bus to the town centre. Instead I decided to walk along the waterside down to the shopping centre Les Eleis. I took my time so it took me about 30 minutes to get there.

It was a small shopping centre with a few interesting shops and the main reason both locals and tourist go there, the Carrefour Grocery shop. Due to Brexit and The UK now not part of The EU, UK residents can shop duty free. Most people stock up on alcohol as its a lot cheaper.

I love going to grocery stores when I travel, its so interesting to me to see different brands and food and compare prices and similarities. I just get snacks, chocolate and candy.

By now I was getting hungry so I decided to have some lunch at the shopping centre. As it was France, the two quick food options were boulangerie baguette cafes. Both seemed to be popular with locals, so I just chose one randomly called Petite Jean. which had a selection of ready to eat filled baguettes and pastries. I have basic French and I have been to France multiple times so I am comfortable ordering food in French. I never experience the stereotypical "French rudeness" that many UK and Americans experience. I always find a smile and friendly Bonjour go a long way.
I bought The Rustic - Half a traditional seeded baguette with mustard and honey sauce, smoked ham, camembert cheese and fresh salad which cost €4.40


I sat in the customer seating area and it was so nice to sit for a while and enjoy the French atmosphere. Feeling refreshed I had a look around the rest of the shops and got a coffee from Columbus Cafe.

I sat for a while enjoying my coffee at one of the bridges near the shopping centre before heading back to the port area.


I walked back to the ship and then continued to the end of the museum building to the car park to see if I could get a good photo of the ship. I went to the same place I saw the people earlier in the morning when I was in the hot tubs. I don't think many cruise passengers did this as I heard French speakers around me and I saw lots of people getting into and out of cars.

After I took some great photos I went into the museum. I had bought my ticket online in advance and paid €21 for an any time non refundable non exchangeable ticket. This ticket gave access to all parts of the museum but I was only interested in the Titanic section.

I have been to many Titanic exhibitions and while each is unique and tells a different aspect of the Titanic story, nothing can compare to the purpose built 6 story museum in the actual ship yard in Belfast. Cherbourg retold the Titanic story focusing on their part and had some interesting parts and things I had never seen. There were a lot of people there but I still managed to see everything I wanted to see.

When I was finished in the museum I made my way back onto The Fantasy, again going through the original baggage hall. I kept thinking of 10th April 1912 when John Jacob Astor and his wife, Benjamin Guggenheim, the Duff Gordons, Molly Brown and many others walked this same hall on their embarkation day and how excited they all were on the start of their cruise. I wonder did any of the Fantasy passengers even realize that they were walking in such a historic place.

As I reached the door I was brough back to the modern world as Disney had set up a hot towel and water station for returning passengers.



I was back on the ship by 3pm and went straight to my room to change into comfy clothes. As it was such a nice day I got some pizza, refilled my drinks cup at the soda station and made my way up to the shaded area on deck 12. I stayed for a while, reading my book and enjoying the peace.

After a while I moved down to deck 11 near Cove Cafe to watch the sail out. I decided to try the Dole Whip with rum as tonight was Pirate Night. It was a one and done for me, as I found it a bit strong as they didn't put any pineapple juice in the glass. I brought it back to my room and let it melt down and brought it to dinner later in the evening.



Once the ship had left Cherbourg I went back to my room to change into my pirate costume. My room host had left not one but two pirate bandanas in my room. I found out afterwards that the bandanas were a bit controversial, as some adults only rooms didn't get any and some rooms with children only got 1 bandana, not one for every person in the room. The official reason was a supply issue and they were for children only. There were a lot of complaints in the cruise WhatsApp group and a lot of people complained at guest services. I guess maybe not being demanding or problematic with my room host and talking to her and being nice and not leaving my room in a mess meant I was rewarded by getting bandanas.

Pirate night is a bit different on European sailings. Even Disney's special ocean safe fireworks are not allowed any more by EU law. So Disney only do Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean Deck party, which on this cruise was at 7.30pm. Also on this cruise we did not have the Pirates Night Menu in the Main Dining Room Restaurants.

As the shops didn't open until 7.30pm again I decided to go to deck 11 for the pirate show. As I have seen the show on a previous cruise and I didn't really want to deal with the messy crowd and Disney parents I just sat at the side near the windows but with a side view of the stage. It was really interesting people watching and seeing all the late arrivals trying to push their way into the viewing areas.

Once the show ended I made my way down to the Atrium as tonight's dinner was in Enchanted Garden. I was a bit early so I sat for a while and took some photos and then went down to deck 2 and joined the queue.

Tonight we had a table at the side beside a porthole , which was nice as at the start of the meal it was still bright outside. It was really interesting to meet up with everyone again and compare our day in France. Some had been on the same excursion but with a different guide and some had just been like me, did a DIY day.

• Applewood-Smoked Bacon Wild Mushroom Tart with creamy Leeks
• Caramelized Sea Scallops with Roasted Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomato Couscous, Caramelized Leeks, and Red Wine Veal Jus
• Warm Sticky Date Pudding served with Butterscotch Sauce. Vanilla Ice Cream

Something new for this year, Mickey and Friends did a walk through the restaurant just before the desert which was really nice and unexpected. Unfortunately one of the tables in our section stood in the passageway and made it difficult for us to see them. Some people have a lack of awareness and how their actions affect others.

A from Italy and L from France were again going to The Tube for the adult entertainment but I decided to go and watch Pirates of The Caribbean Curse of The Black Pearl late night on Funnel Vison. When I got there the film had started and there were a good few people in the loungers but I managed to find one at the side.

I made it half way through the film , until about 11pm and then decided to go back to my room. It had been a long but productive day.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

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Sunday 24 August
Day at Sea

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

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Monday 25 August
Debarkation and Train to London

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

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Part 3 London
Tuesday 26 August
Sightseeing in London

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

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Wednesday 27 August
Travel home to Ireland from London Heathrow

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

UPDATED
Pre Cruise overnight in Southampton

 

[greensombrero]

Part 2 The Cruise Thursday 21 August
Train from Wiltshire to Southampton Overnight in Southampton

After a lovely visit with my sister I got the train from where they live to Southampton. To give some context about locations , this is a map I found on Google search which shows where Wiltshire is. Southampton is in Hampshire.

View attachment 1000096

The journey was just about an hour. I had bought my ticket in advance and I planned my arrival in Southampton for around 3pm. The train ticket cost me £9.00 and I bought it online direct with South Western Railways on 13 July 2025.

The hotel I booked IBIS Southampton Central is walking distance from the train station and also the cruise terminal. Its a budget hotel but thats fine with me, as its just an overnight before the cruise. I booked the hotel direct through their website on 4 January 2025 and I paid £105.30 for a double room with the optional breakfast add on.

View attachment 1000097

I have stayed in this hotel from previous cruises. This time I had a room at the back of the hotel, which was quiet.

After checking in and refreshing it was time for some food.

I went over to West Quay Shopping Centre which has a great variety of mid price restaurants and food options. As it was early evening, most places were just opening and there wasnt alot of people around.

I decided to go to Thaikhun Thai Restaurant, which is a mid price Thai Street Food Chain Restaurant

View attachment 1000098


View attachment 1000099
Passionfruit Martini
Vodka, passionfruit, soda water, garnished with dragon fruit powder £12.00

View attachment 1000100

Thai Chicken Katsu 15.75
Crispy chicken breast and Massaman curry sauce. Served with jasmine rice.

After relaxing for a bit , I left the restaurant and went for a walk through the main shopping area, and ended up at ASDA, the big main grocery store. I wanted to stock up on snacks for the cruise.

I was back at my hotel around 7pm and decided to have an early night. Tomorrow would be a big day, and I wanted to get up early to see the ship arrive on the port webcams.

Excited for your trip report! Thanks for the UK geography help . I don’t know it well. However after our trip this summer I can now visualize taking trains and a lot of the other aspects of your journey which is fun.

I hadn’t thought about the Titanic leaving from Southhampton. Right after she was discovered I went on a school trip as a kid to a museum that had an exhibit about the Titanic and then we picked up my grandparents from a cruise around the same time. My young brain connected the two and for years I said I’d never set foot on a cruise ship. Now though I think it’s cool to make the connection. The sea is definitely magical but demands respect!

 

[Girl of the South]

What did you pick up for 'snacks'? I know it's a little crazy to want snacks when there is so much food on cruise ships but . . . . sometimes you just have a hankering for a certain food? Before my cruise last year, I picked up a package of crackers at the LHR airport M&S. Jacob's CHEDDARS. Thank goodness because that's all I ate the first day of the cruise. A rare case of sea sickness and that's all I wanted to eat. I might get some Malteasers too - one of my favorite UK chocolates.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Excited for your trip report! Thanks for the UK geography help . I don’t know it well. However after our trip this summer I can now visualize taking trains and a lot of the other aspects of your journey which is fun.

You are welcome

I hadn’t thought about the Titanic leaving from Southhampton. Right after she was discovered I went on a school trip as a kid to a museum that had an exhibit about the Titanic and then we picked up my grandparents from a cruise around the same time. My young brain connected the two and for years I said I’d never set foot on a cruise ship. Now though I think it’s cool to make the connection. The sea is definitely magical but demands respect!

I guess being Irish, Titanic the real ship and people, not just the James Cameron film, is just something we grow up with. And being an island nation, with the wild Atlantic ocean as part of our coastline, the sea is just part of us. I agree, magical but defiantly needs respect and understanding

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

What did you pick up for 'snacks'? I know it's a little crazy to want snacks when there is so much food on cruise ships but . . . . sometimes you just have a hankering for a certain food? Before my cruise last year, I picked up a package of crackers at the LHR airport M&S. Jacob's CHEDDARS. Thank goodness because that's all I ate the first day of the cruise. A rare case of sea sickness and that's all I wanted to eat. I might get some Malteasers too - one of my favorite UK chocolates.

Mainly crisps and UK chocolate. Irish snacks are very similar to UK snacks but there are some brands which are different.
Some things I bought were not for the cruise but to bring back to Ireland. Hotel Chocolate, a UK high end chocolate company closed all their Irish branches in 2024, so now when Im in UK I stock up.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

UPDATED
Embarkation Day Friday 22nd August

 

[Alby]

Friday 22 August Embarkation Day

The day started early, at 5am, watching The Disney Fantasy arrive in Southampton. As my room was at the back of the hotel, I watched the port live streams on Solent Ships YouTube Channel
View attachment 1000562

I snoozed for a while and then went to breakfast around 7.45am

View attachment 1000564

After breakfast I went for a walk to the front of the hotel for my first in person view of The Fantasy.

View attachment 1000565

Back in my room I got ready for the ship, did my final packing and put my luggage tag on my case.

Then it was finally time to head to the ship. My PAT time was 10.45am.

I left the hotel at 10am and took a slow leisurely walk to Horizon Cruise Terminal. It was a lovely morning and I was in no hurry, so it took me about 15 minutes, even though I had a 50 pound / 20kg 4 wheel roller, and a small carryon 4 wheel roller and a cross body bag.

I stopped to take some more photos when I got near the cruise terminal.
View attachment 1000566

After leaving my checked bag with the porters I joined the queue marked 10.45am outside the terminal building. Note for Americans reading this, in Southampton you do not need to tip the bag porters as they are employed by Southampton Port. The concierge line was to the left and the next PAT time 11am was to the right. You could feel the excitement in the air.

At 10.30am concierge were allowed into the building and then it was our turn.

They had changed the set up this year in Horizon Terminal. This year, 2025 after some switchbacks we went straight to security check. This is similar to airport security, all carry on bags go through the scanners, electronics need to be taken out of bags and pockets etc emptied.

Then after security we went up the escalators and then some more switchbacks to the check in desks. This is where passports and travel documents are checked , as well as the health questionnaire. You will need to show your PAT form multiple times, so make sure it is to hand.

Then once I was checked in it was over the seating area. As I was in the first PAT time, there were plenty of seats. I did a time check and it was just after 11am.

Once I had a seat I tried to connect to DCL Guest Wi-Fi but there were some issues. I could see around me that everyone was having issues. It was annoying but it was clear it was a DCL issue and not an issue with my phone.

I also sent a message in the cruise WhatsApp group. There were a few solos and we had connected before embarkation day and agreed to meet up before boarding. This way we could board together and go straight to the dining team to make sure we were on the same table for dinner.

I managed to meet up with 2 out of the 3 solos in the boarding area, L from France and A from Italy. E from England had a later PAT and boarding group. It was nice to meet in person after communicating on WhatsApp for a few weeks.

We were chatting ( spoiler alert, there was non stop chat at every meal time ) so Im not sure of the time, but Family of The Day were called, then Concierge, then they started the group numbers. The 3 of us were group 5, so I think we were called about 11.40am.

As we were walking along the glass corridor we discussed what we had done on previous cruises for the Welcome Onboard announcement. We decided to call ourselves The Solo Cruisers and the CMs gave us a great welcome.

Then it was straight down to Enchanted Garden to speak to the Dining Team. There was no other passengers there so we were done and sorted all together on the same table for late dining. We messaged E from England on WhatsApp and told her the table number and when she came onboard she managed to get changed to our table.

Myself and L from France went to Animators Palate for lunch and A from Italy went to Cabanas.

View attachment 1000576

1. Pennette Pasta with Tomato-Basil Provençal Sauce, Goat Cheese and a Spinach Peste
2. Carrot Cake layered with Lemon Cream

During lunch we were finally able to connect to DCL Guest Wi-Fi and the cruise App changed to the onboard version. Our MDR table had changed and we spent lunch chatting and comparing what activities we each planned to do for the rest of the day.

After lunch we separated and I went up to deck 4 to fill my water bottle and then went up to deck 11 and got a coffee from Cove Cafe.

It was around 1.15pm so I decided to just to go down to deck 8 and wait for the rooms to open.

I had booked the exact same room on The Fantasy as I had in 2023 and 2024 on The Dream, so I was curious to see if there were any differences.

The room was exactly the same except in the wardrobes. The Dream had shelves in the single door but there were no shelves on The Fantasy.
View attachment 1000583

Confirming we got the old bag and lanyard on this cruise

View attachment 1000584

Next it was time to decorate my door.

View attachment 1000585

There was a slight issue in my room, the safe wasn't working. I alerted my room host and a call was put to maintenances. They hadn't turned up by the time I was ready to leave my room so I just told my room host that I would be back later.

It was now time to relax so I went up to deck 11 , filled my drinks cup at the soda machines by the pool and continued up to Satellite Falls. It was quiet and it was nice just to sit in the shade and read my book for a while.

I stayed at Satellite Falls until the Muster Drill announcement and then went down to Deck 4 H. As usual there were many late comers but eventually everyone was checked in, they played the announcements and the crew gave the lifebelt demonstration.

I had decided that I wasn't going to go to the Sail Away Party, so I took my time going up the forward stairs. I took a detour to Cove Bar, the splash up bar at the adult pool and got a Pina Colava. This is not listed on the menu but its a variation of a piña colada, with Bacardi Raspberry Rum, piña colada mix, and raspberry purée.

Then I took the lift back up to Satellite Falls and found a sun lounger right at the front in the shade for the sail out.

I stayed watching the sail out until about 6pm. I went back down to my room to change for dinner and to see if the safe had been fixed. I met my room host and she confirmed that the battery had been replaced in the safe and it was working fine now.

I then went down to the shops as I wanted to check the opening time and to see what merch was available. On previous cruises the shops opened at 6pm and as I had early dining I missed out on some things I wanted. This time as I had late dining, I wanted to be at the shops right when they opened.

Before going to the shops , I went to guest services to add money to my onboard account. I don't put a card on my account so I have a cash account which I top up during the cruise using a Disney Gift Card. When I am in Disneyland California I load up my Disney Gift Card and then use that for the cruise.

On this cruise , the shops opened at 7.30pm. Maybe they revised the opening times this year, after complaints that people on early dining missed out in previous years.

After guest services I just stayed in the general area of the shops, first sitting on the benches and people watching and then as the area got busier I stood at the door of the shop which had The Fantasy merch. The area really filled up as people from early dining arrived and people came out of the theatre. I managed to be the first person in the shop, I walked with purpose to The Fantasy Spirt Jerseys, selected my size, and picked up the matching ears and was over at the till paying before many people were even in the shop.

Another change for this year, they were not using the Disney Cruise reusable bags , they only had plain brown paper bags in the shops. Once I had paid I went straight back to my room, left my shopping in the room and then went to dinner.

Dinner tonight was Animators Palate. On the way to the restaurant I went to Bon Voyage Bar and got the Drink of The Day, Paradise Punch.

I was first at the table and was soon joined by L from France, A from Italy and E from England. We were all ladies of different ages and background travelling solo for different reasons, so it made for some interesting dinner conversations. We got lucky and our table was right by a screen , so we had chats with Crush and friends during the meal.
View attachment 1000590

1. Tomato Tarte with Glazed Goat Cheese and shaved Radish
2. Herb-Crusted Pork Chop Roast Pork Chop brushed with Dijon Mustard and crusted with Herbed Breadcrumbs served with Sun-dried Tomato Risotto and a Borolo Wine Sauce
3. Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake creamy Vanilla Cheesecake with a Chocolate Fudge base

During dinner we discussed about going to the adult entertainment in The Tube nightclub. E from England said she wanted an early night but myself, L from France and A from Italy decided to go.

The entertainment host YoYo was brilliant and even though it was a small crowd he had everyone laughing the whole time. The first game was Majority Rules, which we didn't do too bad with, but we really messed up one question, my fault and our answer sheet caught YoYos eye and he had a good laugh at what we / I wrote. The second game was Match Your Mate. Now that was hilarious. One couple married 26 years, one couple married 15 years and one couple married 1 year. All were great sports and honest when they didn't have to be. The married 1 year couple won, although I'm sure they were glad it was a small crowd, as some of their answers were memorable

We decided to leave after Match Your Mate as it was only a silent disco next. I went for a walk around the now empty atrium and took some photos before going to bed.

It had been a long day and I wanted to get up early to watch the sun rise.

I have finally got around to have a look at the Disboards, this is A from Italy!
Thank you for writing this, captivating as usual!

We really had a fantastic cruise, it will be interesting to relive it through your perspective

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I have finally got around to have a look at the Disboards, this is A from Italy!
Thank you for writing this, captivating as usual!

We really had a fantastic cruise, it will be interesting to relive it through your perspective

aww thanks, yes it was fantastic but far too short.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

UPDATED
Saturday 23rd August Cherbourg Port Day