disney fantasy caribbean cruise

Disney Cruise Line

Beginner’s Guide to the Disney Fantasy Cruise Ship

by Elyssa Esposito , Digital Integration Specialist

If a Caribbean adventure is calling your name, look no further than the Disney Fantasy ! The Disney Fantasy joined Dream Class in 2014 alongside its sister ship, the Disney Dream. With 14 decks of nautical fun, you’re sure to find activities the whole crew will enjoy. Here are some of the offerings you’ll find aboard the fourth ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet:

1. Welcome Aboard

When you board the Disney Fantasy, crew members will greet your party by name, and a bronze-sculpted Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse will welcome you into the atrium. As you take in the Art Nouveau-inspired designs, be sure to look up at the stained glass chandler embellished with crystal beads.

2. Signature Dining

Rotational dining ensures that all guests can enjoy all three themed dining experiences while on board. Your party and service team will rotate to a different table service restaurant each night. As part of your rotational dining experience on the Disney Fantasy, you’ll savor flavors from around the world at Enchanted Garden , dine like a king or queen at Royal Court , and embrace your inner artist at  Animator’s Palate !

3. Broadway-Style Entertainment

Don’t miss an evening of unbelievable sights and indescribable feelings at “ Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular .” You can also catch a showing of “ Disney’s Believe ,” a heartwarming story of a family who comes together through the power of Disney magic, or enjoy the tale of two sisters from Arendelle who discover that some people are worth melting for in “ Frozen, A Musical Spectacular .”

4. Adult-Exclusives

If you’re an avid Disney cruiser, you may be familiar with the exquisite Italian cuisine at Palo . But did you know adults can also treat their tastebuds to carefully crafted French-inspired fare surrounded by elegant, Parisian décor inspired by Ratatouille at Remy ? Be sure to make a reservation for one of the two adults-only dining experiences aboard the Disney Fantasy!

For late-night drinks, dancing and entertainment, Explore Europa, an adults-only area that is home to a collection of lounges and bars featuring La Piazza , O’Gills Pub , Ooh La La Lounge , The Tube , and Skyline .

5. Embrace Your Inner Detective

Don’t miss out on the Midship Detective Agency , a fun-filled mission that the whole family can enjoy. Help Mickey and his pals solve a mystery while exploring interactive artwork on a self-guided journey around the ship. Can you discover whodunit?

To learn more about additional offerings and planDisney tips, be sure to swipe through our planDisney Pocket Guide:

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You can also download a copy of the Disney Fantasy planDisney Pocket Guide here .

Stay tuned for more planDisney pocket guides as we explore all the Disney Cruise Line ships, and don’t forget to check out our past editions on the Disney Magic , Disney Wonder , and Disney Dream . Complete your pocket guide collection with the Disney Resort hotel pocket guides to help you plan your next vacation ashore! For more fun tips and great advice for planning your next Disney vacation stop by @planDisneyPanel on Instagram, @planDisney on Twitter, or planDisney.com . We look forward to answering your planning questions.

Panelists receive compensation for their participation on planDisney.

Destinations: Disney Cruise Line

Topics: planDisney

You may want to update your dates. Disney Fantasy joined the DCL fleet in 2012, not 2014 as mentioned in the article. Maiden Voyage: March 31, 2012

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Disney Fantasy

Cruise line Disney Cruise Line

• Port Canaveral (Orlando, Florida)

Disney Fantasy current position

Disney Fantasy current location is at North West Atlantic Ocean (coordinates 26.32891 N / -78.53373 W) cruising at speed of 20.8 kn (39 km/h | 24 mph) en route to US PC. The AIS position was reported 1 minute ago.

Current itinerary of Disney Fantasy

Disney Fantasy current cruise is 7 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean Cruise From Port Canaveral . Prices start from USD 3824 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 27 Apr, 2024 and ends on 04 May, 2024 .

Specifications of Disney Fantasy

•   Itineraries
•   Review
•   Wiki

Disney Fantasy Itineraries

Disney fantasy review, review of disney fantasy.

The 2012-built MS Disney Fantasy cruise ship is Walt Disney 's second (Dream-class) liner with sistership Disney Dream (2010).

The vessel (IMO number 9445590) is currently Bahamas- flagged (MMSI 311058700) and registered in Nassau .

History - construction and ownership

DCL-Disney Cruise Line is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (shipowner). The company was incorporated in 1996 as "Magical Cruise Company Ltd". Walt Disney also owns the Bahamian private island Castaway Cay (exclusive port of call - for Disney ships only) and an exclusive Cruise Terminal at Port Canaveral (Orlando Florida) . Disney cruises are marketed as "family vacations" and feature unique and exclusive activities, such as costumed Disney Characters, adults-only deck areas, dedicated facilities for teens, kids and infants-toddlers, signature (trademarked) shipboard facilities and activities, themed live entertainment.

The 4000-passenger ship Disney Fantasy is no exception with its primary market being families with small children (especially with kids younger than 8) - the major revenue provider for the unique Walt Disney company. MS Disney Fantasy is almost 50% larger, 2-deck taller and with 44% bigger passenger capacity than the older fleet mates Magic and Wonder . The ship design is inspired by traditional 1920s ocean liners. The vessel features a navy blue hull, 2 bright red funnels, elegant Art Deco decorations and some of the most innovative technologies and fun ideas at sea, including:

• 22 pieces of "Enchanted Art" adorning the walls of hallways - paintings and pictures that are actually framed LCD screens with a technology to recognize guests present and proceeding with one of several animations;
• wave phones in every stateroom (used to call or text other guests) and effectively replacing the old onboard beeper system (now the counselors' messages come directly to the parents' phones);
• the Magical Portholes on the walls of all Disney Fantasy Inside cabins (LED screens showing a real-time view of the ship).

The CLIENTELE consists almost entirely of North American travelers (the USA and Canada). The new Disney Lines approach to teens and young couples (by age-related activities and limited access onboard venues) adds a really strong appeal for multi-generational cruisers.

The DRESS CODE is similar to that of the Disney luxury resorts - day casual and evening resort casual (men - jackets (no ties) and pants, women - summer dresses). All Disney Fantasy sailings include one pirate and one semi-formal night. On 3-day Disney Fantasy cruises, one night is casual, 4-day sailings are with 2 casual evenings and on 5-day voyages 3 nights are casual.

Disney Fantasy TIPS (totaling the US $12 PP per day) are given to waiters (including the assistant waiters) and to cabin attendants. Additionally, a 15% gratuity on all drinks is automatically charged to guests' shipboard accounts.

Decks and Cabins

Most Disney Fantasy staterooms (1250 total, in 28 grades) are 205-255-ft2 Balconies. The ship has 21 Suites, 887 Balcony, 199 Oceanview and 150 Inside cabins. The largest accommodations are the Concierge Royal Suites (900 ft2 / 84 m2 plus 885 ft2 / 82 m2 terrace).

Disney Fantasy ship cabins are very well planned and equipped. Like on all Disney ships, Disney Fantasy staterooms are some of the industry's largest standard cabins, most of them designed to easily accommodate four passengers. Some of the best Disney cabins features are the ample closet space, the normal-sized living space and the split bathrooms (1 room with shower-bathtub-sink and a separate toilet and sink). Beds on Fantasy are raised to allow storing 2 medium-sized suitcases underneath, staterooms also got 2 vanities, a 22-inches smart HDTV, an iPod docking station and 2 rechargeable "Wave Phones" to be used ship-wide. The Disney Fantasy Inside cabin has a most innovative feature (and the industry's first, for that matter) - the Magical Portholes, which are LCD screens (above the beds) in the shape of portholes, projecting a real-time view outside the ship (provided by cameras). Veranda cabins feature 2 chairs and a small table on the balcony.

Concierge Suites and Concierge Family Cabins (Deck 11-12) are new for the line, offering direct access to the ship's concierge facilities (1 small lounge, a private sun deck area with chairs, free food and drinks). Most of the 1-bedroom suites are with connecting doors (1 queen bed, a sitting area with a double convertible sofa, 1 pull-down bed in the living rooms, a walk-in closet, 2 bathrooms (one with a hot-tub).

The largest Disney Fantasy stateroom, the Royal Suite, adds to all previously mentioned a living room, a wet bar, a kitchenette, media library and a Jacuzzi on the balcony.

The boat has 14 decks , of which 9 are with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The Disney Fantasy three themed main restaurants are called "Animator's Palate", "Enchanted Garden" and "Royal Palace". There are 2 adults-only specialty restaurants - "Remy" (named after the "Ratatouille" movie star, French cuisine) and "Palo" (Italian cuisine) as alternative dining options. The line's Rotational Dining system allows you to rotate to each of the three main restaurants each night while your servers follow you. The Animator's Palate has screens showing animated Disney characters and themes from "Finding Nemo" movie. The Enchanted Garden is a Versailles-inspired room, featuring lighting effects, transforming day into night. The Royal Palace is princesses-themed with numerous portraits of "Cinderella" and the "Sleeping Beauty" movie characters (even the bread baskets are shaped as the Cinderella's coach). The food quality is very good, the service staff is amicable and timely.

The Remy specialty restaurant is a classy place to be on any special occasion, offering a marvelous French menu and charging serious prices - a service fee of $75 PP (reservations are required, along with the formal dress code), drinks and wine are additional. The Palo restaurant is an Italian (Mediterranean) eatery with $20 cover PP (serves dinner and on selected days - Champagne brunch). Superb fish and seafood entrees, a cold buffet (meats, cheese, shrimp, salads and desserts) and several hot made-to-order items. The "Cabanas" casual dining complex on Deck 11 has several food and drink stations for hot and cold buffet items (including made-to-order omelets and sandwiches). The "Flo's Cafe" offers burgers, chicken fingers, wraps, pizza, salads.

Follows the complete list of Disney Fantasy restaurants and food bars.

• Enchanted Garden Restaurant (696-seat forward Dining Room, inspired by the gardens of Versailles; serves as a buffet for breakfast and lunch, full service for dinner 5:45-8:15 p.m.)
• Royal Palace Restaurant (696-seat forward Dining Room, offers complimentary French cuisine; specialty coffees and drinks are extra)
• Animator's Palate Restaurant (696- seat aft Dining Room, animator's studio design, features favorite Disney-character dinner shows; serves complimentary drinks; Rotational Dining with two fixed Dinner seatings - at 5:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.)
• Flo's Cafe (quick service restaurant with 3 food stations: "Fillmore's Favorites" (lite lunch, complimentary), "Tow Mater's Grill" (burgers bar, complimentary) and "Luigi"s Pizza")
• Cabanas (self-service complimentary restaurant with American cuisine, pasta, sushi)
• Remy (reservations-only, adults-only French specialty restaurant for lunch and dinner; aft location, bookings via the internet or onboard)
• Palo (144-seat Italian specialty restaurant; adults-only, reservation-only; aft location; bookings via the internet or on board).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The Disney Fantasy kids cruise fun clubs are the main reason for the line's high loyalty passengers ratio. Besides all the Disney characters and most innovative technologies and fun attractions on ships, the Disney children counselors are a pretty big reason many families to repeat their visits. Always smiling and friendly, they are hugely experienced, all college-educated, attentive and downright. The Oceaneer's "Club" and "Lab" facilities (ages 3-10) are connected, thus doubling the fun space. The "Oceaneer's Club" features the "Andy's Room" (with oversized Disney characters for kids to climb on) and the "Laugh Floor" (with its "laugh-o-meter" and Mike and Sully of "Monsters Inc"). The "Oceaneer's Lab" is maritime-themed, featuring an Animator's Studio and a small Sound Studio. The new Disney approach allows all kids ages 3-10 to access the same clubs with separate rooms and age-related activities.

The Fantasy ship children club is called "Edge" (ages 11-13) properly secluded on Deck 13 in the funnel. Best attractions here are the 18 ft (5,5 m) tall LCD wall, the video karaoke, and numerous interconnected PCs. The teen-only "Vibe" club (ages 14-17) is of 9000 ft2 (836 m2), with a fountain bar and its own sun deck and pools.

Public spaces are decorated in deep blue and red, with numerous "Mickeys" just about everywhere (cabin, artwork, dinnerware, railings). One of the ship's most memorable places is the 3-deck high Atrium lobby with its golden hue, the wide royalty-style winding staircase, and the Donald Duck bronze statue. The Fantasy Atrium is a hub area connecting restaurants, theaters, and shops. You may check emails in the Internet cafe, but there's also a Wi-Fi coverage throughout the ship. Like all Disney ships, Fantasy has no casino.

• Fun activities on board

All Disney stage shows feature intricate sets and Disney themed captivating performances, and the big place for grand entertainment is the Disney Theater with goldies like the "Golden Mickeys" and "Villains Tonight", new amazing stage productions, like the "Disney's Believe" (directed by Gordon Greenberg) and all the best Disney movies in 3D. The themed Disney characters onboard have always been the greatest sensation of all, and there are countless opportunities to meet and greet Mickey and company around the ship - in contrast to Disneyland, here they all are accessible and will always stop for a hug and a photo with you. Another big success is the "Pirates in the Caribbean" kids party divided into two programs - the sing-along called "Mickey's Pirates in the Caribbean" followed by the "Club Pirate" (with many special effects) and great Disney fireworks between the shows.

• SPA and FITNESS, pools, waterslide, technology

The "Senses" Spa & Salon offers all the usual treatments (haircuts, manicures) and more exotic choices (hot-stone massages, mud baths). The "Chill" is a teen-only Spa within the facility. The Fitness Center along with the usual equipment offers at additional fee Yoga and Pilates classes. The Sports Deck has a small sports court, a mini-golf course, Ping-Pong tables, a walking/jogging track.

The pool deck has a large area for family fun water activities, featuring 2 hot tubs and 2 kids pools - "Donald's" (5 ft deep) and "Mickey's" (with a spiral slide). A big attraction here is the big LED screen mounted on the funnel. There's a toddler splash area (Nemo themed) located in the center on Deck 11 with huge glass panes for parents to monitor their kids.

The AquaDuck waterslide. The ever first water-coaster at sea is located atop the ship, featuring a 765 ft (233 m) long 4-decks high transparent tube, reaching the incredible 150 ft (46 m) above the ocean (there's a 42 inches (107 cm) height requirement). The "Nemo's Reef" is a small kids waterpark. And while speaking of water and pools - the adults only "Quiet Cove" pool area is a great place to hide from all the little angels and devils around the ship.

Follows the complete list of Disney Fantasy lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Walt Disney Fantasy Theatre (1340-seat, offers live shows, aerial acrobatics performances, grand-style productions, 3D movies; with two evening shows - at 6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.)
• Fantasy's Atrium (3-deck high central ship area, featuring marble-carpet flooring, grand staircase, and panoramic glass elevators)
• Mickey's Mainsail (Disney brand logo shop for postcards, souvenirs, DVDs, toys, clothes, games)
• Sea Treasures (duty-free crystal, brand jewelry, watches, precious stones, Disney merchandise, underwear, sport, and swimming apparel)
• Whitecaps (duty-free brand jewelry, perfumes, liquor, and tobaccos)
• Bon Voyage Bar (adults-only, serving wine, beer, and cocktails)
• Buena Vista Theatre (399-seat 4D cinema, features 3D movies, Dolby Surround 7.1 and Dolby 3D movie technology)
• Preludes Bar (quick wait-service snacks & beverages bar)
• Shutters PhotoShop (photo packages, accessories, photographic services)
• Vista Cafe (atrium bar for specialty coffees and teas, dinner cocktails, complimentary snacks, and pastries; Wi-Fi spot)
• D Lounge Bar & Nightclub; The Tube Disco & Nightclub; Vista Gallery
• Europa District (adults only area including Ooh La La Bar; La Piazza Bar; The Tube disco; O'Gills Pub; Skyline Bar)
• Vibe Disco & Club Lounge (teens only)
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (youth club "princesses and pirates" for kids 3-12 yo)
• It's A Small World Nursery (for 3 months to 3 yo infants and toddlers; reservations required)
• Fantasy's Oceaneer Club (kids 3-12 yo; with four play areas with themes from Disney films); Fantasy's Oceaneer Lab (play area for kids 3-12 yo)
• Senses Spa & Fitness Complex (with 17 treatment rooms; 1 Whirlpool; "Rainforest Room"; "Relax Room"; Fitness Centre /health and wellbeing seminars; Beauty Salon)
• Luxurious Spa Villas (two private suites with own hot tub, private verandah, Roman bed with canopy, open-air shower)
• Quiet Cove Pool (adults only pool, served by Cove Bar; with 2 Whirlpools)
• Chill Spa (teens only spa with separate relaxation area and treatment rooms)
• Cove Cafe (adult-only, with big TV screen; Wi-Fi spot)
• Outdoor LED movie screen (24x14 ft)
• Eye Scream Treats Bar (complimentary ice cream, poolside)
• Frozone Treats (iced fruit smoothies bar, poolside)
• Whozits & Whatzits (pool shop for AquaDuck related stuff)
• Donald's Pool; Mickey's Pool; Wading Pool (adults only); Satellite Falls (circular pool; adults only)
• Nemo's Reef (waterplay kids zone; features characters meetings and greetings)
• Arr-cade (kids/teens video games arcade)
• Waves Bar (family poolside bar)
• Meridian Lounge & Bar (adults-only venue for dinner cocktails); Concierge Lounge
• Currents Bar (outdoor bar for cold drinks, refreshments, cocktails)
• Edge Lounge (11-14 yo teens-only club area, with a giant video wall, interactive games, Internet)
• Goofy's Sports Deck (Walking Track, Jogging Track, 9-hole Mini-Golf Course, Virtual sport games simulators, combined sports court, Ping Pong/Foosball tables)
• Radio Studio (live radio programs for Disney Fantasy itinerary-related news and onboard events)
• Outlook Bar (retreat area with a piano and full bar; hosts weddings receptions).

Itineraries

Disney Fantasy itinerary program is based on 7-day roundtrips to the Eastern and Western Caribbean departing from Port Canaveral/Orlando Florida . Call port destinations include DCL's private Bahamian island Castaway Cay , Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas USVI) , Road Town (Tortola BVI) , George Town (Grand Cayman) , Cozumel Mexico , Falmouth Jamaica .

Disney Fantasy - user reviews and comments

Photos of disney fantasy.

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Disney Fantasy Wiki

The Walt Disney ship Fantasy is the company's fourth (currently newest) liner, with sistership Disney Dream . Each vessel is 40% larger in size than the 2 older Disney ships Magic and Wonder . While its capacity (at double occupancy) is 2500, Fantasy can accommodate up to 4000 passengers at full/max occupancy (all berths).

The vessel (Mayer Neptun yard/hull number 688) is powered by MAN B&W marine diesel engines (3x 12-cyl, 2x 14-cyl) plus diesel generators (3x 14,4 MW, 2x 16,8 MW) with total power output 76,8 MW. The propulsion system is electric (based on two converteam propulsion motors) with total power output 26 MW, plus two FPPs (5-blade Fixed-Pitch Propellers/inward-turning).

The vessel was ordered on February 22, 2007. Ship design was announced on Oct 29, 2009, and the first steel cut was in March 2009. The vessel's construction started with the keel-laying ceremony held on February 11, 2011. The launch (float-out from drydock) was on January 8, 2012, and the ship was officially delivered to The Walt Disney Company on February 9, 2012 (at Port Bremerhaven ).

The inaugural call at Port NYC New York (first arrival in the USA) was on February 28, 2012. The liner was christened in NYC on March 1st (2012) by Godmother Mariah Carey (1970-born US singer, actress, record producer, entrepreneur). The hull's stern character is the Flying Elephant Dumbo.

The Disney ship's namesakes are Carnival Fantasy (1990-built) and the cruise ferries Color Fantasy (2004) and Moby Fantasy (2023).

Fantasy vs Magic (ships comparison, new features)

"Bibbiti Bobbiti Boutique" (the 1st at sea, similar to those at all Disney land parks where girls transform into princesses). The ship-Boutique is also transformed into a Pirates League (during the Caribbean Pirates-themed night party) where kids get transformed into pirates. Aqualab is another feature (was, because now they added it to the Magic during the 2013 refurbishment). The nightclub "districts" area ("Europa") transforms into several different "districts" representing famous European cities & countries. Among those - "Tube" (London, UK), "Ooh La La" (France), "O'Gill's Pub" (Ireland), "La Piazza" (Italy). "Satellite Falls" is the Fantasy's adults-only deck. The "Animator's Palate" dining room's dinner show is themed "Sorcerer Mickey's "Animation Magic". Guests may draw their own characters to be presented by Mickey the Sorcerer Mouse.

One of the most visited attractions on MS Disney Fantasy is the AquaDuck. This water park with a slide will throw you into the swimming pool after a craziest spin in a long tube over the very ocean. Fantasy was also the debut for the "Muppets at Sea" show. Muppets participate in an interactive game full of mysterious clues for the passengers.

The vessel's last drydock (for regularly scheduled maintenance works) was in 2020 (at Damen Shiprepair Yard in Brest France ).

• Disney Castaway Club / Disney Cruise Line / Itineraries / News / Ships

Everything You Need To Know About the Disney Fantasy

by Melissa Roden · February 8, 2023

Is the Caribbean calling your name? Then get ready to set sail with Disney Cruise Line aboard the stunning ship – Disney Fantasy.  This ship’s primary itineraries focus on 7-day sailings to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.  The Fantasy was built in 2014 and features 14 decks of nautical fun that will add a big sprinkling of pixie dust to your time at sea!   

Let’s take a closer look at this stunning ship!

Welcome Aboard! 

The moment you arrive at the Disney Fantasy you’ll know that you’re someplace extra special.  Crew members will be in the stunning main atrium to welcome passengers by name.  A bronze sculpture of Minnie Mouse takes center stage in the lobby.  The Art-Nouveau design complete with stained glasses chandelier is nothing short of awe-inspiring. 

But that’s not all! Across the Disney Fantasy’s 14 decks you’ll find enchanting entertainment, spacious staterooms, interactive youth clubs, adult-exclusive areas, pools & recreation and so much more! 

Image Credit: Disney

The Disney Fantasy has 1,250 staterooms.  The different types of accommodation  you’ll find on board are as follows: 

• Sleeps 3 to 4
• Bed Configurations: Queen bed, single sleeper sofa and upper-berth pull down bed
• Views: Magical Porthole with real-time views. 
• Bed configurations: Queen bed, single sleeper sofa and upper pull down bed
• Views: Magical Portholes with real-time views. 
• Bed Configurations: Queen bed, single sleeper sofa and upper-berth pull-down bed
• Views: 1 or 2 porthole windows some with obstructed views. 
• Sleeps 3 to 5
• Bed Configurations: Queen Bed, single sleeper sofa, wall pull-down bed (in most) or upper-berth pull-down bed (in some)
• Views: 1 to 2 porthole windows with built in seating. 
• Bed Configuration: Queen bed, single sleeper sofa and upper berth pull-down bed
• Views: Private Verandah
• Sleeps 4 to 5
• Bed Configuration: Queen bed, single sleeper sofa, wall pull-down bed and upper-berth pull down bed
• Views: Private Verandah. 

• Bed Configuration: Queen bed, double sleeper sofa and upper berth pull-down bed
• Views: Private verandah with floor-to-ceiling windows
• Bed Configuration: Queen bed, double sleeper sofa and wall pull-down single bed in living room
• View: Private verandah with floor-to-ceiling windows in main living room. 
• Bed Configuration: One bedroom with queen bed, wall pull-down double bed and wall pull-down single bed in living room
• View: Private verandah with floor-to-ceiling windows in the main living space. 

All Disney Cruise Line sailings offer rotational dining.  This allows guests to enjoy themed dining experiences will on board.  Your party AND your service team rotate to a different table service restaurant each night.   Rotational Dining eateries aboard the Disney Fantasy are as follows: 

• Located on Deck 3
• Cuisine: Pacific Island foods, Asian cooking and fresh California fare. 
• Located on Deck 2
• Cuisine: Flavors from around the world inspired by the French Gardens of Versailles
• Cuisine: French and American Cuisine

Casual Dining 

• Location: Deck 11
• Cuisine: American, diverse fare
• Type: Quick service for breakfast and lunch. 
• Cuisine: American
• Type: Quick Service
• Cuisine: Snacks
• Type: Quick Service. 

Adult Exclusive Dining

If you’re an avid Disney cruiser, you may be familiar with the exquisite Italian cuisine at Palo. But did you know adults can also treat their tastebuds to carefully crafted French-inspired fare surrounded by elegant, Parisian décor inspired by Ratatouille at Remy? Be sure to make a reservation for one of the two adults-only dining experiences aboard the Disney Fantasy!

For late-night drinks, dancing and entertainment, Explore Europa, an adults-only area that is home to a collection of lounges and bars featuring La Piazza, O’Gills Pub, Ooh La La Lounge, The Tube, and Skyline.

• Location: Deck 12
• Cuisine: Northern Italian fare
• Type: Adult-exclusive, table Service,
• Additional charges apply.
• Cuisine: French Fare
• Type: Adult-exclusive, table service
• Additional Charges apply

Lounges 

• Location: Deck 4
• Fare: Drinks, smoothies, soda
• Type: Family-friendly
• Fare: Coffee and pastries in the morning, drinks at night
• Type: Family-friendly/ Adult-exclusive after hours
• Fare: Drinks
• Type: Bar Service, adult-exclusive 
• Location: Deck 13
• Type: Bar Service, adult-exclusive
• Type: Adult-exclusive

• Type: Adult Exclusive
• Type: Adult- Exclusive
• Type: Adult-Exclusive
• Location Deck 3

 Broadway-Style Entertainment

Don’t miss an evening of unbelievable sights and indescribable feelings at “Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular.” You can also catch a showing of “Disney’s Believe,” a heartwarming story of a family who comes together through the power of Disney magic, or enjoy the tale of two sisters from Arendelle who discover that some people are worth melting for in “ Frozen, A Musical Spectacular .”

• LOCATION: Deck 3,
• Walt Disney Theatre

• LOCATION: Deck 11

Credit: Disney

Character Experiences (on Select Itineraries) 

Be on the lookout! You may see some familiar Disney characters on board.  You’ll find them posing for photos, playing in the Oceaneers Club and at fabulous season events! 

Source: Wired

Midship Detective Agency 

Don’t miss this Disney Fantasy Scavenger Hunt. The Midship Detective Agency is a  fun-filled mission that the whole family can enjoy. Help Mickey and his pals solve a mystery while exploring interactive artwork on a self-guided journey around the ship. Can you discover whodunit?

Additional Activities Aboard the Disney Fantasy 

• Location: Deck 5
• Good For: Kids Exclusive, Preschoolers, Kids
• Good For: Teen Exclusive, Teens
• Location: Deck 13 – Funnel 
• Good For: Tween Exclusive 

Recreation: Pools

• GOOD FOR: Adult-exclusive with two nearby whirlpool spas
• LOCATION: Deck 12
• LOCATION: Deck 13
• GOOD FOR: Adult-exclusive
• INCLUDES: Wading pool and sun deck

Photo: Disney

Spa & Fitness Aboard the Disney Fantasy

• Spa Treatments – massages, body wraps, facials, aromatherapy and much more
• Salon Services – teeth whitening, manicures, pedicures, hairstyling and traditional men’s grooming services
• Luxurious Spa Villas – private rejuvenation destination for individuals, couples and families
• Chill Spa – an oasis for teens ages 13 to 17
• The Rejuvenation Spa – a haven of vitality, offering a complimentary 30-minute consultation to determine which of the 4 groundbreaking, nonsurgical treatments are right for you
• Cardiovascular equipment, treadmills and ellipticals
• Weight machines
• Aerobics, yoga, Pilates instruction and more (based on availability and subject to change)
• Personal training sessions (based on availability, extra fee applies and pricing subject to change)
• Preschoolers, Families, Kids, Teens, Tweens

Shop Disney Cruise Line Exclusive Merchandise including collectibles, nautical apparel, designer handbags, jewelery and more! 

Locations Include: 

• Mickey’s Mainsail – Drop anchor at Mickey’s Mainsail to find specially-designed Disney Cruise Line merchandise, costumes and accessories—for whatever floats your boat!
• Sea Treasures – Chart a course for Sea Treasures featuring nautical apparel and signature Disney Cruise Line collectibles that can only be found aboard our ships.
• White Caps – White Caps is your one-stop sea-going shop, stocked with everything from sundries and fragrances to designer handbags and fine jewelry.
• BVLGARI – Discover the timeless elegance of one of the world’s most storied jewelers. Each masterfully crafted item takes a contemporary twist on iconic design, resulting in wearable works of art that are often bold—sometimes sublime—but always unmistakably Bvlgari.
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – Book an appointment at this enchanted salon where kids arrive as themselves and leave as a princess, knight or sea captain
• Shutters Photography Shop – Snap up cameras and equipment, view your cruise photos, create albums and arrange private portrait sessions at our onboard photo shop. 
• Vista Gallery – Visit the Vista Gallery to view Disney Cruise Line art by some legendary Disney artists and collectibles featuring many of your favorite Disney Characters!

Disney Fantasy Itineraries and Dates 

6-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel 

• April 23 – April 29, 2023

7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral With Stops in Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and Disney Castaway Cay

• March 11 – March 18, 2023
• April 8 – April 15, 2023
• November 4 – November 11, 2023
• December 30, 2023 – January 6, 2024
• March 9 – March 16, 2024
• March 23 – March 30, 2024
• April 6 – April 13, 2024
• April 20 – April 27, 2024
• May 4 – May 11, 2024
• May 18 – May 24, 2024 

7-NIght Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Tortola, St. Thomas and Disney Castaway Cay 

• April 1 – April 8, 2023
• April 29 – May 6, 2023
• March 16 – March 24, 2024
• March 30 – April 6, 2024
• April 13 – April 20, 2024
• April 27 – May 4, 2024
• May 11 – May 18, 2024
• May 25 – June 1, 2024

7- Night Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with Stops in Tortola, San Juan and Disney Castaway Cay

• March 18 – March 25, 2023

5- Night Silver Anniversary Bahamian Sailing from Port Canaveral with 2 Stops at Disney Castaway Cay and a stop at Nassau

• July 8 – July 13, 2023

6- Night Silver Anniversary Western Caribbean Sailing from Port Canaveral with stops in Cozumel, George Town and Disney Castaway Cay

• July 23 – July 29, 2023

7-NIght Silver Anniversary Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Tortola, St. Thomas and Disney Castaway Cay 

• May 23 – May 30, 2023
• May 27 – June 3, 2023
• June 10 – June 17, 2023
• June 24 – July 1, 2023
• August 5 – August 12, 2023
• September 2- September 9, 2023

7-NIght Silver Anniversary Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in St. Maarten, San Juan and Disney Castaway Cay\

• July 29  – August 5, 2023

7-Night Silver Anniversary Western Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and Disney Castaway Cay 

• May 6 – May 13, 2023
• May 20 – May 27, 2023
• July 1 – July 8, 2023
• August 12 – August 19, 2023
• August 26 – September 2, 2023

10-Night Silver Anniversary Southern Caribbean Cruise form Port Canaveral with stops in Aruba, Bonaire, Antigua, St. Thomas and Disney Castaway Cay

• July 13 – July 23, 2023

7-NIght Pixar Day at Sea Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Tortola, St. Thomas and Disney Castaway Cay 

• March 4 – March 11, 2023
• January 6 – January 13, 2024
• January 20 – January 27, 2024
• February 3 – February 10, 2024
• February 17 – February 24, 2024
• March 2 – March 9, 2024

7-Night Pixar Day at Sea Western Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and Disney Castaway Cay 

• February 25 – March 4, 2023
• January 13 – January 20, 2024
• January 27 – February 3, 2024
• February 10 – February 17, 2024
• February 24 – March 2, 2024

(Kent Phillips, photographer)

6-Night Halloween on the High Seas Western Caribbean Sailing from Port Canaveral with stops in Cozumel, George Town, Disney Castaway Cay

• September 17 – September 23, 2023

7-Night Halloween on the High Seas Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Tortola, St. Thomas and Disney Castaway Cay

• September 30 – October 7, 2023
• October 14 – October 23, 2023
• October 28 – November 4, 2023

7-Night Halloween on the High Seas Western Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Philipsburg and San Juan

• September 23 – September 20, 2023

7-Night Halloween on the High Seas Western Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Cozumel, George Town, Falmouth and Disney Castaway Cay 

• October 7- October 14, 2023
• October 21 – 28, 2023

7-Night Very Merrytime Eastern Caribbean Sailings from Port Canaveral with stops in Tortola, St. Thomas and Disney Castaway Cay

• November 11 – November 18, 2023
• November 25 – December 2, 2023
• December 9 -December 16, 2023
• December 23 – December 30, 2023
• November 18 – November 25, 2023
• December 2- December 9, 2023
• December 16 – December 23, 2023

Bermuda Image Credit: Disney Cruise Line

8- Night Bermuda and Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral with stops in King’s Wharf, Castaway Cay, Nassau

• April 15 – April 23, 2023
• September 9 – September 17, 2023

You can download a copy of the Disney Fantasy planDisney Pocket Guide here .

Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Disney-related news and updates. We’ll be coming to you LIVE! from the theme parks each and every week. 

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Find out more or get your FREE no-obligation quote at  [email protected]  at 1.800.801.4025 or via  Facebook

Tags: dining Disney Cruise Line Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean entertainment fitness Halloween on the High Seas Itineraries Pixar Day at Sea Pools Silver Anniversary spas staterooms Very Merrytime Western Caribbean

Melissa Roden

As an agent with MickeyTravels and a Blogger with MickeyBlog I enjoy sharing, tips, tricks and advice to help readers and clients get the most out of your time with Disney. When I'm not helping clients plan their perfect holidays or nab those hard-to-get discounts you can find me enjoying a Dole Whip at Disney World with my daughter! Reach out for a FREE, no obligation quote at 1.800.801.4025 or find me on Facebook !

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Disney Fantasy 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise review

By: Author Morgan

Posted on Published: August 31, 2023  - Last updated: October 6, 2023

Are you considering going on a Disney cruise? Here is our complete Disney Fantasy 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise review!

My family of four recently got back from a seven day cruise on the Disney fantasy cruise ship.

We are not what you would call a Disney family – we have never been to Disney World, and really have no intention of going anytime soon – and we aren’t big cruisers either as my husband and I have each taken a couple of cruises total and they were more than a decade ago each.

So, it was kind of out of character for us to plan a Disney cruise. But, our kids are three and four now, and have never been on a true vacation before.

We decided that this was going to be the summer that we went somewhere cool with them.

After throwing around a lot of different ideas – and actually booking and then canceling a trip to Yellowstone – we settled on a Disney cruise as being the most child-friendly possible option for this age.

I’m going to take a lot of time to go into very deep detail about this cruise, and I will write a lot of other articles that will dive into very specifics about the ship and our experience, but spoiler alert – we had a great time.

This cruise was, at times, stressful and frustrating, but still pretty much the best experience we could’ve possibly had considering the age of our kids, their general demeanors, and the fact that we don’t have grandparents or cousins that can travel with us and help.

But, let’s dive into all of the details of what made our Disney cruise great, some of the pitfalls, and what I would want to know if I was booking a similar cruise for my family!

Is a Disney Cruise worth it?

Before I start breaking it down, I wanted to dive into the number one question I’ve gotten from friends and family since getting back from this cruise five days ago – is a Disney cruise worth the price?

Because, I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that Disney cruises can be more than double the cost of comparable cruises from other cruise lines.

Here’s the thing – I struggle telling people if certain things are worth it, because that is such a personal decision.

Would I go into debt to go on a Disney cruise? Absolutely not.

But, as someone who was able to comfortably pay for a Disney cruise, I definitely think that it is worth it to pay the extra compared to the other cruise lines.

I’m a little bit bougie, I like nice things, I’m willing to pay a little bit more for something clean, with a very friendly staff, that feels very safe and child friendly. That’s a Disney cruise.

To be fair, before we had kids, Sean and I could’ve gone to Europe and done something really nice with the amount of money we spent on the seven day cruise. Honestly, I think we spent more on this cruise than we spent on our two week Italian honeymoon in 2015.

But, everything is taken care of for you and we did have a lovely experience.

One of the really nice things about doing a cruise with little kids is you don’t have to worry about wasting money when you’re there.

And by that I mean maybe you wouldn’t normally take your kids to see a movie because you’re afraid that they would scream and cry, and wanna leave halfway through. On the cruise, who cares, it was included.

Maybe you wouldn’t normally order the scallops and the steak just to take a few bites and try them both. On the cruise, who cares, it was included.

Maybe you wouldn’t normally give each person in your family their own ice cream cone, you would normally share a cup or two. Everybody get one, they’re free.

I certainly would have never bought tickets for my kids to see a Broadway style show. But it’s low risk when they’re free, and, what do you know, turns out my kids love musicals and we went 5 times.

Soda is included and free. We don’t really drink soda, but I drank a few cokes on the trip just because they were there.

My point is that the all inclusive experience really is nice and feels very low risk and relaxing. And isn’t that the whole point of your vacation?

Here is everything I can think of sharing regarding our experience on the Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise.

Booking and Planning

When doing initial research for this trip, I did a lot of googling and looking at the options for Disney cruises. We are in South Carolina and are lucky enough to be able to drive to Port Canaveral so we focused on cruises that left from that location.

There were three different Disney ships at the time that were leaving from Port Canaveral, but I didn’t really do any planning based on the ship.

Instead, I focused on the itineraries that we wanted. In this case, we wanted a seven day cruise.

I talked to a few people who thought that it was a bit aggressive to leap straight into a seven day cruise. It seems like a lot of people do a three or four night cruise as their first, especially with little kids.

But, for us, it’s over a 7 Hour drive to Port Canaveral, and Sean and I don’t work conventional jobs where we have to take vacation days or anything like that.

I found that it was about $1000 more total for a seven day cruise compared to a five day cruise, at least at the time we were booking it, and so to me it just seemed like a total no-brainer to focus on the seven day cruises.

So, the Fantasy was the only choice for seven day Caribbean cruises out of Port Canaveral with Disney cruise lines.

They alternate weekly between an eastern and western itinerary. We just ended up with the Eastern itineraries based off the week we were available.

It’s worth noting, and I’ll get into this later, that kids have to be 3 years old to go to the kids club and that is why we were so specific on the date that we could go on this cruise – we had about a two week window between Rory’s third birthday and the day they went back to school.

So, that was pretty much how we landed on the eastern Caribbean itinerary – it’s just what fit our schedule best.

Reservation process and tips for booking a Disney cruise

You have two options for booking a Disney cruise- you could book it yourself, or you can use a travel agent.

We booked our trip through an acquaintance of mine, who is a Disney travel agent. I reached out to her because I knew she did this and there was no cost for her services as she’s paid a fee from Disney directly.

I am implying no hate to her. She’s a very nice person, and I’m not speaking on all travel agents, because I literally only worked with this one person, but we got zero benefit from working with a Disney cruise travel agent.

She didn’t get us any discounts, we didn’t get any credits or gifts, she didn’t even really give us any tips or advice, all of my advice came from Reddit and Facebook.

So, don’t feel like you need to use a travel agent. You aren’t missing out on anything. If I were to book it again, I would just do it myself online like I do everything else.

When to book a Disney cruise

Based on my research, Disney cruises tend to sell out, especially during popular times like when kids are out of school.

They also limit each cruise on the number of kids in each age category that can be on board at a time.

They limit it so that if every single kid age 3 to 12 was at the kids club at once they would be below capacity. So it’s possible that a cruise you want to book will have open rooms but will not let you book a room if you have kids of a certain age.

All of that is to say, the earlier you can book your cruise, the more likely you are to get the room that you want for the best possible deal. It seems the prices only go up as you get closer to the cruise date.

Embarkation Day

Embarkation Day is the day that your cruise leaves the port. You will be assigned a time to get on the ship – this is based on your rank in the Disney system (first timer, silver, gold, platinum, etc for returning cruisers, or concierge for the high rollers).

Arrival at the port

Do not arrive before the time you are assigned. Maybe 15 minutes before to get situated, but they will not let you in the door before your time- they are strict on this.

We chose to drive from our hotel and park in the parking deck. At Port Canaveral it was $17 per day (including arrival and departure day) to park, working out to be just shy of $150 for the week.

Before parking, you can drop your suitcases (with a member of your group) at the curb and then drive to park.

We were shocked that there were hardly any cars in the deck – we got one of the first spots on the ground floor and there were tons of empty spots. You’ll see later that this made getting out when we got back very easy.

Once you have your suitcases ready, a porter will come to take your bags away. It was chaotic, and by the time I flagged a porter down, he straight up told me to my face that he does not work for Disney and he works for tips and held out his hand. I stood there for a moment and said “well I don’t have any cash” and he walked away.

When Sean came out of the garage, I told him, and he got out some cash. The guy took a bit and came back and took the cash and our bags. Do not leave your bags on the curb and walk away, instead be sure someone takes them away for you.

So, definitely bring cash and be prepared with a $20 for your bags. I get it, they will help whoever is paying the most. I just was not prepared for that, there was no option that I saw to do your own bag, and it kind of put a sour taste into my mouth right at the start of the trip.

Check-in process

After the porter graces you by taking your money and bag, your party will have to go wait in line to board the ship. This is, luckily, indoors and air conditioned.

Have your passports ready and be prepared to wait 30-60 minutes to get through the queue.

They took our passports, set up our room, and set up our MagicBands .

On the other side of that line, you will go through an x-ray machine and then ride the escalator up to the Mickey tunnel and the ship’s entrance.

You go through the Mickey tunnel, cross the bridge, and you are on the ship!

The cast members (that’s what they call employees) will announce your family and everyone claps for you as you enter the ship. It’s a nice touch and very indicative that Disney tries to make everyone feel special and celebrated.

First impressions of the ship

When you first enter the ship, you will be in the atrium, which is the lobby. The atrium is on the third floor and has two upper floors that look down on it. So, the atrium kind of includes the third, fourth and fifth floor of the Disney Fantasy cruise ship.

While the ship is large and beautiful, I do think that a lot of the fits and finishes are dated. The ship was built in 2012, so it’s not exactly old. Perhaps they were going for a “classic” look.

That being said, it is very very clean and well maintained. We had zero issues with messes or trash or broken anything on our trip.

Activities and events on embarkation day

On embarkation day, they suggest that everyone go up to the 11th floor to Cabanas, which is the buffet on the pool deck, and get lunch. It was about 1:00 by the time we got on and got up to the buffet, so we were glad to eat.

Expect the food to be very crowded day one. It was hard to get a table, so we brought our food out to the pool deck which had some empty spots.

You can get into your room after 2pm on embarkation day. Your keys will be stuck to the outside of your door and your luggage will come to your door by dinner time. Don’t be surprised if they don’t all come at one time as ours came in a couple batches.

Accommodations

The Disney Fantasy cruise ship, like most other cruise ships, has interior rooms, ocean view rooms, and rooms with a veranda. There are also suites, but I will not dive into those haha.

Our room was a family deluxe verandah state room, which is the largest non-suite room. This was room 8116 on the Disney Fantasy.

Size-wise, the room was just right. It has a queen sized bed, a sofa that folds into a twin bed, an upper bunk above the sofa that pulls down from the ceiling, and a 4th bed that folds down murphy style.

We used the queen and bunk beds. It did not feel too tight with a family of 4, even with the beds down, though we were thankful that our steward put the bed away each morning.

Location-wise, this room was perfect. I loved being on the 8th floor – it felt central but quiet. Being mid-ship meant we had no issues with motion or rocking. It was a great room!

My only feedback was that we had a port view, and if you had a starboard view, you would be able to watch the fireworks from your balcony! But, we loved looking at the port on docked days.

The bathroom

The other thing that this room had was a split bathroom. So, basically two separate, back-to-back bathrooms. One is a sink + toilet and one is a sink + shower.

This would be great if you had a lot of people wanting to get ready at once.

We are in a weird spot where our kids still need help with the bathroom and bathing and have zero modesty issues, so it felt very tight and closed off, but I see how this set up would be great for most families.

The verandah

I think that the verandah was the most used part of our room. We ate room service out there, drank wine in the chairs, watched the ship enter and leave the ports, and even interacted with Pluto onshore at Castaway.

I recognize that the balcony was a higher cost but whoooweee we loved it. It’s also really good if you’re a parent that needs a space to get away after your kids go to sleep.

Dining Experience

The Disney Fantasy had good food. It was by no means the best food of my life, but it was all consistently good. Some was great. A few things were bland or boring, but nothing was bad.

I will say that the best part of the food to me, as a mom home with 2 kids 24/7, is that I did not wash a dish or prepare a single thing for a week.

Even on vacation I am usually washing up a bit or cooking some meals. Nothing on this cruise! That, my friends, was priceless.

Main dining rooms and rotational dining

Disney serves their dinners in a rotational dining format. On the Fantasy, there are three restaurants that you rotate in between.

You will have to go into the Disney cruise navigator app to see the restaurant you are assigned to each night and your table number.

Your table number stays the same at every restaurant all week, as does your server and assistant server. The people at the tables around you stay the same too.

I thought this was really fun because you got to try different restaurants which each had a different style of food, and even when you went back to restaurant, it had a new menu each time.

On the seven day cruise, you get to try each of the three restaurants twice. The restaurant you go to the first night you will also go to on the middle night, which is pirate night, which has a pirate themed menu, so you will still get two menus at each restaurant excluding the pirate menu, to add up to seven total.

Learn more about each of the three rotational dining restaurants:

• Animator’s Palate review
• Enchanted Garden review
• Royal Court review

There’s also a buffet, which is called Cabanas, on the 11th floor near the pool deck.

We ate breakfast at Cabanas each day we didn’t have room service and had lunch there as well.

The food was pretty good for buffet, and there was a really wide selection of items.

My biggest complaint with a buffet is that I actually find it harder than a sit down restaurant with small kids.

It’s a tossup, because my kids don’t want to sit and wait for their food, but, they also aren’t going to carry a plate through the buffet.

We ended up having one adult go and take the kids and find a table – which could be really hard to do a peak times – and sit down.

At the same time, the other adult went and got food for the kids and then we had to alternate getting food for ourselves.

So the buffet was honestly kind of a lot of work, and there weren’t even servers bringing you drinks or anything.

They bused your table, so it’s not like you have to take your trash away at the end, but it was kind of an ordeal.

Poolside food

Additionally, there’s one more spot to get lunch or dinner, which is Flo’s Café, which had a “Cars” movie theme.

They had pizza, burgers, barbecue sandwiches, Panini’s, french fries, hotdogs, corn dogs, stuff like that. This was available for lunch and dinner.

We could eat at the pool deck or you could get it and take it into Cabanas and eat it there.

A lot of the food at Flo’s was actually at Cabanas too – my big feedback was that this spot usually had really short lines and I thought the pizza and burgers were pretty good so it was actually easier for us to grab lunch here with the small kids compared to dealing with a larger buffet at cabanas.

Room Service

Your final option for food is to order room service. Room service is free and included with your cruise, unless you order booze or some thing else premium.

However, we did tip a few dollars when we ordered room service.

Room service was clutch for early morning breakfasts when we had port activities starting at 7 or 8 AM.

I literally don’t know how we could’ve gotten the kids up, dressed, put on sunscreen, up to the buffet, fed, and downstairs by 7 AM. This way, we had food delivered between 6-6:30, ate it on the balcony, got dressed, and left.

Hot tip – you can get uncrustables pb&js delivered from room service with breakfast. We got 2 of these on each port day for the kids to snack on. It was CLUTCH when we didn’t make it back until 2pm or so.

Kid-friendly meal options

Everywhere on the ship is expecting kids. So, they have extensive kids menus and no one was upset by my kids poor behavior.

To be fair, my kids were not screaming or throwing food or anything but they also didn’t like sitting in their seats for a two hour dinner.

The kids menus contained things like:

• macaroni and cheese
• chicken strips
• pasta + red sauce
• mini burgers
• grilled cheese

The waitstaff also offered to bring the above kids items when they weren’t on the menu. They dig them up like magic from somewhere on the ship!

Also, kids can order adult food. The kids at the table next to us were elementary aged and ordered salads, steaks, and seafood off the full menu each night. The waiter actually cut the kids’ steak for him. I was very impressed by them!

I will also say that LOTS of little kids at dinner had tablets. We did not bring ours and, retrospectively, it might have helped with dinner time.

It’s not something we’ve ever done – screens at the table – and I’d prefer not too, but those kids seemed to do better than my screenless 3&4 year olds so who am I to judge.

Special dietary considerations

The menus at all of the restaurants had things clearly labeled that were vegetarian, gluten free, and dairy free.

The waitstaff also made a big effort to get to know our needs and preferences. For example, I don’t eat much meat, and at first he kept pushing the steak and ribs and all these meaty things and acting perplexed when I chose tofu.

Once I explained my preference to him, he shifted his recommendations and never suggested the meat to me again. Basic, but he did a good job of it!

Onboard Entertainment

The onboard entertainment was really great on our fantasy cruise.

Broadway-style shows and performances

The musical performances on the Disney Fantasy were possibly the highlight for me. I feel like we got so much value getting to see these shows, and I was truly blown away at how much my kids not only enjoyed, but appreciated them.

Each of the three shows was shown as a matinee at 12:45, then at 6:30 and at 8:30. You go to the show that is the opposite of your dinner so if you have early dinner, you go to a late show and if you have a late dinner you go to an early show.

We went to the matinee and the late show for each show. The matinee was a great way to guarantee my kids were awake for it, and each time they enjoyed it so much they begged to go back again later that night.

My kids have never seen a live show like this before in their entire lives, so it’s not like they are used to plays or Broadway. These shows were just really good.

The shows on our ship, in order of their appearance was:

• Believe – a compilation of classic Disney songs from different movies.

Aladdin was random to me, but I made sure my kids watched it leading up to the cruise so they were familiar. Y’all. It was SO GOOD. Shout out to the actor who played Aladdin (yes I looked him up!), he was so charismatic and fantastic.

Frozen was good – though we all agreed that Aladdin was stronger. (I was surprised, since my kids generally prefer Frozen, but the leads were just stronger in Aladdin).

The Believe show was cute, but once again, the song choices were all “classic” Disney movies – most my kids didn’t know. They got excited for Tiana, but they don’t know Jungle Book, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, or many other 90s movies.

Movie Theater

One thing I don’t see mentioned enough about the Disney cruise that I want to shout out is the movie theater. They have a movie theater on board that shows Disney movies that are currently in theaters in the United States.

We were able to see Elemental. I really really wanted to see The Little Mermaid live action but the times just didn’t work with our kids schedule.

They were also showing Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan and Wendy, and some Indiana Jones something.

I was surprised that they seem to show the adult movies a lot more, and didn’t show the kids movies as much or as many times during the day.

But, if you go on a Disney cruise, definitely try and use it as a chance to catch any movie!

Deck parties and events

The ship held deck parties for sail away, which is when you leave the port on day one, pirate night when they had a little pirate show, and on the 25th anniversary they did a little Mickey show before the fireworks.

Personally, I found the deck parties lame.

They were very very crowded and I’m not one to watch Mickey Mouse dance around.

Some kids were into it, most seemed either hot and tired, or sleepy and tired, depending on the time of day.

There were some Disney adults that were really into it. I’m not gonna yuck their yum, but the deck parties just didn’t do it for me.

Family entertainment options

On the nights when there were not musical performances, there were other performers. There was a ventriloquist, a magician, and a juggler.

The only one of these that we made it to was the juggler. I’m not one to hate on artists, but I was super unimpressed with his act. My kids thought it was cool though, so I guess they were the target audience.

We did not make it to the other shows because they were at 8:30 at night and on those nights, my kids were just beat.

Port of Calls

The Eastern Caribbean itinerary included:

• Day 1: Port Canaveral
• Day 2: Sea Day
• Day 3: Sea Day
• Day 4: Tortola, British Virgin Islands
• Day 5: St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
• Day 6: Sea Day
• Day 7: Castaway Cay private island
• Day 8: Port Canaveral

We loved this itinerary. Starting with Sea Days was a great way to get to know the ship.

The Virgin Islands were gorgeous with white sand and clear water.

Castaway Cay is great because everything is taken care of for you and mostly included in the cruise.

As far as the length of the cruise, we felt that 7 days was just right. I never got bored but I also did not feel rushed whatsoever.

Pool and Recreation

There are a variety of pools + water areas on the Fantasy.

The family pools

I was pretty unimpressed by the pools on the Disney Fantasy ship. There are 2 main family pools – a 3 foot deep pool and a 5 foot deep pool.

They were constantly so full with people it was like human soup, super unappealing and crowded.

We actually found a small fountain area on the side of the ship that I never found the name of – it’s next to the soda fountains – that was a huge hit with my 3 year old.

It’s worth noting that swim diapers are NOT allowed in any pools, so if your kid is not potty trained, they cannot swim at all.

There is also the Funnel Puddle in the “family area” right above the adults only pool. The fountain was never on, but my 3 year old LOVED this pool. We were always the only ones there.

It was only 6 inches deep but it was private and we ordered daiquiris and enjoyed the spot.

I felt a little awkward – it was right over the adults only section- but it was clearly marked as family pool, and I asked like 4 people and it was family friendly. It’s a hidden gem!

Adult-only areas

There are 2 adult only pools on the ship. In the very front of the ship there’s basically a 1 foot deep fountain with a seat you can sit on. We walked by here but never got in.

There is also an adults only pool with a swim up bar and 5’5″ deep section. It was nice – we went during one kids club visit – but it was very small and crowded.

Also there was a hot tub in the adults only area, but I never made it in.

Splash areas

There are 2 splash areas on the ship – Nemo’s Reef and the Aqua Lab.

My daughter LOVED Nemo’s Reef. It has all of the different Nemo fish that squirt and spray water. And, you can slide down Mr. Ray.

This was a huge hit and is what the Disney cruise should have more of – cute fun character inspired areas.

Aqua Lab is a spot where you can turn knobs and crank levers and squirt each other with water. It was fun, but it was frequently closed for too much wind.

AquaDuck water slide

The big water slide on the ship was called the AquaDuck. You have to be 42 inches to ride the AquaDuck with an adult.

My four year old was able to do it with my husband and they did it twice on the trip.

The trick is to go at low wait times, because during busy sea days, the wait can be long. They went early in the morning or later at night, because my four-year-old is not about the line.

This is the slide that goes all the way around the ship and they really really enjoyed it.

Mickey’s water slide

There is a smaller yellow waterslide that is kids only and called Mickey’s Slide.

You have to be 38 inches to ride it and have to be shorter than 5 foot five – we talked to a 12-year-old who got turned away because she was too tall.

This was a good slide and my four year-old did it twice by himself. I think he would’ve done it more if you’d had a friend with him, or if his sister had been tall enough to do it with him.

Sports and recreation options

This ship also has Goofy Golf, which is putt putt on the top deck. It was a lot of fun, we did this a few times, and my 4 year old really loved it.

There is also a basketball court, which seemed impossible to do because it was so windy.

Finally, there is a sports simulator up there on the sports deck. It’s indoors and you kick or throw actual sports balls at a screen.

You have to pay for this but it’s only like $15 for an hour, the bigger problem is getting a reservation. When we were able to sign up as first time cruisers, nothing was available.

Childcare and Kids’ Activities

The kids clubs on the Disney cruise are divided up as follows:

• 0-3 (or not potty trained) Nursery
• 3-12 Kids Club – Oceaneer’s Club & Lab
• 11-14 Edge (middle school age)
• 14-17 Vibe (high school age)
• 1820 club – for college aged >18 but too young for booze

If we are being completely honest, I was unimpressed by the kids club on this cruise. They have open houses several times throughout the cruise when adults can come and tour and check it out.

I felt that the Oceaneer’s club and lab were very screen-oriented. There were computer games, movies, and just a lot of giant TV screens on the walls. There is no playground and not a lot of toys.

They do have activities organized throughout the week, we took our kids to the kids club twice.

The first time they stayed for less than an hour and seemed to have a good time.

The second time, they stayed for one hour and when we picked them up our four-year-old son was sobbing, snot pouring down his nose, which is incredibly unlike him.

I tried to pick him up, and the woman yelled at me that I can’t touch him until he was signed out and then proceeded to sign out two other non-crying kids before signing him out while he stood there and just sobbed.

It then took them over five minutes to find my three-year-old and when they brought her out, she was crying too.

None of the employees seemed too concerned, no one, including my kids or the employees could tell me what happened, and my kids adamantly refused to go back to the kids club after that.

I heard lots of people saying that their kids didn’t want to leave the kids club. They loved it so much they even wanted to go to the kids club on the private island days and during dinner. This was not what happened for us.

Character Interactions

One of the big selling points for many people on the Disney cruise is the character interactions and the ability to get photos with characters.

I pre-paid for the photo package, so about halfway through the cruise, I decided to start waiting in these long lines to get photos with characters.

It’s worth noting that you can take pictures with the characters on your own cell phone. No problem for free.

Also, some of the best interactions that we had with characters was when we just passed them in the hallway, not waiting in a line. Shout out to Rapunzel. She was the best for this.

But, if you want to wait in line for a character that you really want to see, be prepared to line up. For example, on the second to last day, we still had not seen Stitch and my kids really love Stitch, so I waited in line 15 minutes before he was due to appear and ended up waiting for an hour total to see him.

The best strategy is definitely for one adult to grab a drink and get in line with their cell phone, and then text the rest of the group when you are close to the front of the line. This was totally cool. As long as you were doing just one group one photo you’re not really cutting the line you’ve got one spot it’s not like a ride.

Only other feedback on character meet and greets is that I think that Disney needs to take a long hard look at the characters that they feature on the ship.

It really felt to me like they were catering towards Disney adults with some of these choices.

For example, Chip and Dale were out every day. Are Chip and Dale even relevant anymore? I think not.

I would like to see Elsa and Anna, Moana, Buzz Lightyear, and more recent characters.

Here’s who we physically saw on our cruise so you can prepare your kids, so they know who these people are because my kids did not know most of these:

Classic Disney characters

• Donald duck
• Chip + Dale

All of these classic Disney characters also come out at different times wearing different outfits, such as pirate costumes or sailing clothes, so you can see them multiple times in different garb.

Other Disney Characters

• Captain Hook + Smee (pirate night only)
• Captain Jack Sparrow (pirate night only)

Cruise Staff and Service

The highlight of this cruise for me was really the Disney cruise staff, and the level of service that we were given. Everyone seemed just so genuinely happy and friendly.

Either they’re the Fakest Fakers in the world or they like what they do. Maybe it’s a mix of the two.

I will say this is a sharp contrast to customer service that we have gotten anywhere else lately and was a big relief.

I feel like this is one of the biggest things you are paying for when you pay premium for a Disney cruise – really really good service, very clean facilities, and just a very child friendly atmosphere.

Themed Experiences

There were a few themed activities on our 7 day Disney cruise.

Our cruise had two special nights – the 25th anniversary night, and pirate night.

25th anniversary night

The 25th anniversary night was because 2023 is the 25th anniversary of Disney cruise line.

They had free cocktails in the atrium before each dinner service, which was the only time we found them doing this on the whole cruise. The cocktails were kind of sickly sweet for me, so retrospectively I wish I had grabbed glasses of champagne instead of the neon blue cocktail. Regardless, it was a nice touch.

On the 25th anniversary night it was formal night, and they also did a fireworks show off the pool deck. It was nice, nothing too crazy, and it didn’t start until about 10:30 which was way too late for my kids.

Retrospectively, I wish we had a room that looked starboard so we could’ve just watch the fireworks from our balcony.

Pirate night

The other theme night was pirate night, which was about halfway through the cruise. Definitely some people went completely wild dressing up in full pirate garb.

All of the staff was talking like a pirate and really having fun with it which made it really silly.

I got this pirate gear set up for my kids and I also got inflatable pirate swords and pirate tattoos for the kids and our fish extender group, which were really fun.

My kids enjoyed getting pictures with Pirate Mickey and Minnie. These were limited costumes so the lines were very very long. Be prepared.

There was a pirate menu, which wasn’t really very stand out, and a pirate Mickey show on the pool deck after our early dinner.

They also did a Captain Jack Sparrow show around 10 p.m. followed by fireworks, but we skipped this one because the other fireworks had been such a late disaster for our kids.

Dress-up opportunities for kids

I packed two Disney costumes for each of my kids for this cruise and they did not wear them. Big waste of space. We did see a lot of little girls, wearing princess dresses, especially on the formal and semi formal nights and at the princess gathering.

I will say that lots of kids wore Frozen costumes to the Frozen show, so maybe look into what shows are on your ship and pack costumes if you have them.

Royal gathering

The princess gathering is a free event that you have to book in advance. It becomes available 30 days out from your cruise at midnight Eastern standard time. If you want to go, you need to be on your app at midnight for real. At 12:03 it was sold out.

You don’t know the times in advance, but it will be the first two days of your cruise.

This is a chance to see for princesses dedicated like a full 60 seconds with each one. You still have to wait in line, but it’s a lot shorter line.

You will see the same princesses for the rest of the cruise, this was a really easy way to see them and get autographs and start the crews out with a bang.

This is not to be confused with the paid premium tea party, which you were not going to get tickets to if you are a first time cruiser. It was sold out I think before even silver members could book excursions on our cruise.

Debarkation

After our experience getting on the ship, I expected debarkation to be a bit of a disaster. I was shocked at how well it went.

With a 5:45 dinner time, we were assigned a 7:10 AM breakfast in the restaurant where we had our final dinner the night before.

This was the only plated sit down breakfast that we went to and we had our regular waiters.

We had breakfast and were not able to go back to the room afterwards. Instead, we grabbed our carry-on bags, said goodbye and headed off the ship.

We were off the ship at 8 AM and our bags were there waiting for us sorted by the group number we were given good night before.

It was easy to grab our bags, and then we had to go through customs which was less than a 10 minute wait.

At this point, some people were hiring porters to carry their bags, and the porters literally came through customs with them. Considering the guy wanted 20 bucks to put our bags on the ship in the beginning I can’t imagine how much they were asking for for this 30 minute commitment.

Regardless, we rolled out of there with our rolly bags zero problems, straight into our car and were on the highway by 8:30 AM.

I definitely want to say that there is no problem checking our bags the night before, we were slightly worried that we might have to wait, but there was zero issue.

It was there waiting for us. The combination of checking our bags and parking in the garage made it just so super fast to get out and get going for our long drive.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

I think that the ideal audience for a Disney cruise would be a family with two elementary aged girls, who love princesses, and are independent enough to feed themselves at dinner, stay up until 11 PM for a special occasion, and are excited to meet new friends and hang out with other kids they might not know very well.

I also think that a Disney cruise would be fabulous for people with younger teens, who similarly like to make friends, and would really enjoy the independence that you could give them in the safe environment of a Disney cruise.

Also, it seems like a hit for Disney adults with cash to burn or grandparents who want to treat all of their kids and grandkids to really special trip.

We had a great time, don’t get me wrong. We will probably go on another Disney cruise, I wouldn’t be surprised if we did another one next year.

But, I think it would’ve been a lot more fun for us if we had more adults with us. Either grandparents, or preferably friends with kids pretty close in age to ours.

I think having other kids would have given our kids more confidence in the kids club and it would’ve been fun to be able to switch off with some other adults so we could do things like go to the adults only restaurant or go out after bedtime once or twice.

In conclusion, the Disney cruise is probably the most expensive way to cruise, but they sure to take care of you- it’s clean, it’s nice, it’s perfect for kids!

Any more questions about the Disney Fantasy?

Thanks for reading!

Hey there, I’m Morgan, the creative mind behind CelebratingWithKids.com! As a parent of two lively little ones, I’ve made it my mission to turn ordinary days into extraordinary adventures, sharing playful activities, thoughtful toy reviews, and delightful printables to help families celebrate every moment together. 🎉👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🎈

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Disney 7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise Itinerary – All You Need to Know

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One of the most popular sailings from Port Canaveral is the Disney 7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise Itinerary.

The Disney Fantasy sails the Eastern Caribbean itinerary alternately with the Western Caribbean sailings.

There is also one Disney Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Disney Magic for 2023.

Each of the Disney Fantasy sailings and the one Disney Magic itinerary has a port stop at Castaway Cay.

Here you can see the different Disney 7 Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise Itinerary.

Related Post: Disney Castaway Cay – What You Need to Know

What are the 7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise Itineraries?

7 night eastern caribbean cruise from port canaveral, florida.

• Port Canaveral, Florida
• Tortola, British Virgin Islands
• St Thomas, US Virgin Islands
• Castaway Cay
• Port Canaveral Florida

Sailing on 1/21/23, 2/4/23, 2/18/23, 3/4/23 and 4/1/23

• San Juan, Puerto Rico

Sailing on 1/7/23 and 3/18/23

Disney Fantasy 7 Night Eastern Caribbean

• Port Canaveral
• St Thomas (St John)

Sailing on:

• 5/13/23, 5/27/23,
• 6/10/23, 6/24/23,
• 8/5/23, 8/19/23,
• 9/2/23, 9/30/23,
• 10/14/23, 10/28/23,
• 11/11/23, 11/25/23,
• 12/9/23 and 12/23/23

7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral Itinerary C

7/29/23 and 9/23/23

Disney Fantasy Sailings Eastern Caribbean 2024

The early 2024 sailings have been released – these are the Eastern Caribbean Cruises that you can book with Disney.

• 1/6/24, 1/20/24
• 2/3/24, 2/17/24,
• 3/2/24, 3/16/24, 3/30/24
• 4/13/24, 4/27/24
• 5/11/24, 5/25/24

7-Night Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Miami – Disney Magic

• Miami, Florida
• St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

This cruise on the Disney Magic sails on July 8, 2023. This is a rare Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Disney Magic.

Want to Know More About Sailing on Disney Cruise Line?

Here are some guides to help you:

Disney Fantasy Staterooms – Which Should You Choose?

Disney Cruise Food – All You Need to Know

Is a Disney Cruise Balcony Worth the Upgrade?

What Should a Disney Cruise First Timer Know Before they Sail?

Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando.  In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.

Travel Babbo

A Family Travel Blog

A Review of Our Disney Fantasy Caribbean Cruise

By Eric Stoen on March 20, 2023 • Last Updated January 21, 2024 This post may contain affiliate links. Read my Disclosure here .

A Disney Fantasy Cruise in the Western Caribbean

When I posted to Instagram that we were booked on a spring break Disney Fantasy Cruise, a lot of people DMed me to ask why. It’s a reasonable question – although we’ve been on a number of cruises, we don’t love cruises, and we’re not a big Disney family. 

It goes back a decade. When my kids were small, starting at 1, 3 and 5-years-old, we did three 12-night Disney Cruises in Europe . We booked them because they were easy – unpack once and see a lot of cool places – and because Disney is, by definition, family-friendly. Our kids went to the kids club a few times, and waited in line for character photos every once in a while, but really they just enjoyed the ship and the independence, since they could run around by themselves, and we (the parents) liked the days in port. 

There’s a sweet spot with Disney cruises, between maybe 3 and 10-years-old, when a lot of kids love Disney and the character interactions and shows are magical. Then the magic kind of disappears….except that my oldest daughter always watched the teens on the ship and thought they were having the most fun. On our last cruise she made us promise to bring her back when she was a teen. And this year, at 17, she took us up on it. 

A Disney Fantasy Cruise for Spring Break

As I’ve mentioned before, my youngest daughter has one-week school breaks in February and April, and my two high schoolers have a two-week break in March. This year my wife and I took our 13-year-old to Thailand for her February break , and then I was tasked with the Disney Cruise in March. Looking at Disney’s cruises, they only had one option for a 7-night cruise that fit within our spring break dates – the March 11-18 Western Caribbean sailing. The port stops on the itinerary weren’t exciting, but this wasn’t about the stops; it was about my daughter (hopefully) having fun on the ship with other teens. We dragged my 15-year-old son along since he had nothing else planned for break.

This Disney Caribbean Cruise Review

I hadn’t intended to write about our cruise, but so many people have commented on my Instagram posts and stories with questions about the cruise, wanting my honest thoughts about Disney cruises for families and for couples, that I’m writing this up. Just keep in mind that it’s coming from a cruise skeptic and a non-Disney person. If you love cruises and you love Disney and your kids love Disney, you can stop reading now. Just book it! You’ll love it. 

Disney Cruises – What Disney Does Well

We spent a few days at Universal Orlando before our cruise and then took an Uber from Sapphire Falls Resort to the Disney Cruise Terminal at Port Canaveral (1.5 hours with traffic, $58 plus a very good tip). Check-In was bizarrely easy. Getting out of our Uber, port personnel immediately took our checked suitcases. We then proceeded inside, well before our assigned arrival time, checked in right away with no wait, and were on the ship less than 5 minutes later. This was completely different than our last European cruise with Disney where check-in in Copenhagen was a disorganized nightmare. If you’re sailing from Port Canaveral from Disney’s Terminal 8, expect things to be easy. Then our luggage was delivered to our cabin a couple hours later, far earlier than promised. 

The Disney Fantasy itself

This trip we sailed on the Disney Fantasy. The ship is very nice – the attention to detail is impressive, and the ship’s nicer than a lot of others I’ve been on. We had a “Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah”. The two bathrooms worked out really well – my son and I had our things in the bathroom with the toilet, and my daughter took over the one with a shower. Speaking of the shower, it was excellent – really well-designed and larger than most ship showers, and the water pressure was better than at a lot of hotels. I like that there was a curtain between my bed and the kids’ beds, effectively turning the cabin into two bedrooms at night. I loved the main cabin door – it actually closed quietly so I could sneak out in the morning for coffee and not wake anyone. The balcony was great too. FYI, we were in cabin 7090 and loved it – a perfect mid-ship location. 

Dinners on a Disney Fantasy cruise rotate among three themed restaurants – Royal Court, Enchanted Garden and Animator’s Palate. Animator’s Palate is by far the best-designed – playful and creative, with interactive elements. 

Disney-Themed Things

At the beginning of the year I traveled to Antarctica with Adventures By Disney on an amazing trip and I liked that there were Disney elements but not too many. Antarctica was the star. That’s not the case with Disney Cruise Line though. Disney art, characters, shows and music are omnipresent. If you love or even just like Disney, you’ll enjoy it. For us it’s fine – impossible to ignore and we wouldn’t book a cruise because of it, but not a big deal. It’s fun to see kids walking around dressed up like pirates and princesses – kind of Halloween in March. And there were current Disney films playing in the theater every day.

The Staff and Service

I was impressed with the efficiency at which the Disney Fantasy cruise staff got us on and off the ship at every port stop, with our server at every dinner, and with all other staff that we interacted with (with the exception of the Vibe teen club staff, but I’ll get to that). Our cabin attendant was pretty good as well. On other Disney Cruises I’ve questioned some of the automatic gratuities, feeling like people didn’t always deserve them. I had no such thoughts on this cruise though. 

The Inclusions 

Food and soda are included in your cruise fare, with exceptions. And I was impressed that a Disney person handed out towels at every cruise stop. I forgot to pack towels and wasn’t sure if I should try to sneak some from the pool deck for our port excursions. No need – they give them to you. And free coffee is always available on the pool deck. 

I’ve felt like staff on other cruises were always trying to sell us on things – drink packages, art, onboard shopping, port excursions, future cruises. Disney doesn’t do that. You can purchase any of those things, but they’re not in your face. I really appreciate that. 

The Disney Cruise App

Disney used to deliver daily briefings, on paper, to every cabin at night. They were a huge waste of paper, especially in Europe where Disney didn’t have shopping partnerships and the briefings were sometimes 50% blank. They’ve moved everything to the Disney Cruise App, which works well on board. There’s passenger messaging within the app too, so I could communicate with my kids. If I could suggest three improvements, they would be:

• Please include the current time in the app. We had time zone changes and a daylight savings time switch during our cruise and people were often confused about what time it was, since we couldn’t trust our cell phones. 
• It would be great to send photos within the messaging platform, like of the lunch buffet if one kid was still in the room.
• I’d love to be able to add my own things to the schedule instead of only selecting from Disney’s pre-programmed options. Through a Facebook group a lot of the solo parents on board planned get-togethers. I couldn’t add those to my daily app calendar though and missed some of them.

Disembarkation

There’s no way to quickly get 3,800 passengers off a ship at the end of a cruise, but Disney does a pretty good job. It took us roughly half an hour to leave the ship, go through immigration/customs and get to the Disney airport bus. FYI, buses were leaving as quickly as they were filling up. We had a seated breakfast at 8:10am, got in line to leave the ship just after 8:30, were on a bus at 9:00 and at MCO airport at 10:00, well before our 12:34pm flight to LA. It would be amazing if they could add a Global Entry line at the port – it’s the first time we’ve waited in line for US passport checks in ten years! FYI, no issues on our flight back. We grabbed our car at LAX parking and were home by 6pm – not a bad travel day.

What Disney Could Improve On

Disney outsources its spa and fitness center to a company called One Spa World. One Spa World also manages the spas for most other major cruise lines, including Celebrity, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Princess and Virgin. The problem is they’re publicly-traded and they, and their employees, have a financial incentive to upsell you. I booked a 50-minute massage for the first at-sea day. It was the worst massage I’ve ever had. The spa personnel and massage therapist tried to upsell me six times in an hour, which ruined the experience. Massages are supposed to be relaxing! And when I posted about it on Instagram, I received over 50 comments from others with similar negative cruise experiences that almost all went back to spas run by One Spa World. My massage, with gratuity, was over $180. But I also, according to them, needed an upgrade from soft/medium pressure to medium/firm pressure for $30, orthotics for $199, a skin brush for $45, body oil for $65 and refreshing gel for $59. Please put a stop to this Disney! This is a horrible experience for everyone getting massages on board. And after declining all of the add-ons, I’m pretty sure my masseuse dumbed down my massage. Of the 50 minutes I paid for, only 35 or so was spent on my body. The rest was a really weak head massage. Such a letdown, and not worth anywhere close to $180. 

The food onboard the Disney Fantasy was ok. I mean, everything sounds great on the menus, but then it comes to the table and it’s…ok. One staff member even commented that he could make a certain dish better than Disney. I understand that the kitchen staff is feeding 3,800 passengers on board every day, which is a crazy undertaking that I don’t pretend to have a grasp of, but I wish things tasted a little better.

I should note that I had an excellent brunch at Disney’s adults-only restaurant Palo for $45, which is some of the best money I spent. But that just served to show that there are people on board who know how to cook well. The pizza at Palo was so much better than the poolside pizza at Luigi’s. Why not make better pizza for everyone? 

Other thoughts: It would be great to have a buffet dinner option if you don’t feel like a rotational sit-down dinner. Indian entrée options would have been nice at lunch and dinner. And there’s a food dead spot between 6pm and 9pm at the casual places near the pool. That’s fine for people with the early dinner seating, but for us (with an 8:15 dining time every night), if we were hungry at 6:15 and needed something small to tide us over, the only option was room service. They should keep something open later than 6pm. 

Weird Pricing

My daughter loves Diet Coke. It was free if she got it herself by the pool or in the restaurants, or if a server in a restaurant brought it to her. But if a server from the bar or room service brought it to her, there was a charge of a couple dollars. Given that Disney Cruises don’t usually nickel and dime guests, it seems like a strange thing to charge for. They should be 100% consistent – included means included.

The Vibe Teens Club

My daughter had a lot of negative things to say about the staff at the Vibe Teens Club (for 14-17-year-olds). She and her friends just wanted a place to hang out, but it sounds like that’s not an option. If there was an event like karaoke or Disney trivia planned and you were in Vibe, you had to participate, and the other areas of the club were closed off when scheduled activities were going on. So she and her friends had to constantly move elsewhere on the ship. And there’s a Vibe sun deck, but it wasn’t open most of the time. Overall she says the counselors treated the teens like little kids, and were constantly disrespectful (except Casey). I heard the same thing from other parents, so it wasn’t just her. So disappointing since this should have been the primary teen hangout and the counselors continually sabotaged that.

St. Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day is my favorite food holiday and is always fun to celebrate. A lot of passengers wore green. Disney did…nothing. I wish meals had been St. Patrick’s Day-themed, with boxty, corned beef, potatoes, colcannon, soda bread and all other traditional Irish foods. There were no themed character appearances, no decorations, no green pools, no green soft-serve, no Irish food, no related activities – it was like every other day. Such a wasted opportunity to have fun! Beware if you’re booking a Disney Cruise over a holiday.

Light Switches

It seems like the most basic thing in the world to me: put bathroom light switches inside the bathrooms. That way if it’s dark you can go in, close the door and then turn on the light, so you don’t wake up everyone in the cabin by flooding it in light. Yet Disney put the two bathroom light switches outside the bathrooms. Every night my daughter came back to the cabin between 3am and 5am. She was quiet, but as soon as she turned on the bathroom lights, it woke me up. Grrrrr. How did you get this so wrong Disney?

3,800 people are too many on what’s essentially a floating resort. The pools were packed, especially on days at sea. We preferred the smaller Disney Magic (2,400 passengers), and we like smaller ships even more.

Our Disney Fantasy Cruise

Having said all that, we had a good cruise overall. The Disney cruise was my daughter’s idea and I went into it thinking she would be disappointed. But she made great friends and stayed out until 3am or later every night with them, so from her perspective it was a success. My son and I hung out, played shuffleboard, threw a football in our cabin a lot, went to the fitness center daily, read and relaxed. There are worse places to spend a week than on a really nice ship.

Our Disney Fantasy cruse port stops were in Cozumel, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Falmouth, Jamaica and Disney’s Castaway Cay in the Bahamas. We went onshore at all four. In Cozumel and Grand Cayman we walked around a little and got lunch. In Jamaica we hired a driver for the day, Richard Brooks of Excursion Ocho Rios . Richard picked us up at 8am, took us to Dunn’s River Falls for a fun hour of waterfall hiking, drove us all around Ocho Rios, and then took us to lunch before we returned to the ship at 3pm. It was a great day. Castaway Cay was a lot of fun – far more than I was expecting. We took a water ball, football and frisbee and threw all three in the ocean and on the beach. We also rode bikes around the island paths several times. 

In a perfect world I would have selected more interesting ports, or at least places that I haven’t been before, but there weren’t any other options that fit into our spring break dates. A Disney Caribbean Cruise is more about the ship and Disney experience than the ports though – kind of the opposite of their Europe sailings for us. Our favorites were in reverse order of the stops: 1) Castaway Cay; 2) Jamaica; 3) Grand Cayman; and 4) Cozumel. 

I highly recommend Disney Cruises for families with young kids – under 10 or so. For couples and families of older children, if you don’t really love Disney, I’m not sure that it’s worth it? I loved sailing on the Celebrity Edge, and thought the food on the Edge was better than on the Disney Fantasy. If Celebrity Edge -class sailings are priced better than Disney, and especially if the ports are more interesting, I’d probably opt for those instead.

How much is a Disney Cruise?

Our Disney Fantasy 7-night sailing was $8,864 for three of us. That’s a lot of money and the reason why I’m a little negative above. Disney overall delivers a very good experience, but can do better – especially when it comes to food, the spa and the Vibe teen club. I noted that we were in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom. There are cheaper options available, including interior rooms. There are also more expensive rooms and, of course, if you have more people in your family it’s more expensive. 

We Ubered from Universal Orlando for $58. We paid twice that, $117, for a Disney transfer to Orlando Airport after the cruise, since I didn’t know how difficult it would be to order an Uber or Lyft from Port Canaveral. 

My massage was $185.82 with tip. Standard gratuities were $304.50. My daughter spent around $90 on internet access. Bicycles in Castaway Cay were $26 for two of us. Brunch at Palo was $55 with tip. Laundry was $7. Our driver for the day in Jamaica was $260. Dunn’s River Falls was $25/person. Internet seemed a little high at $24/device/day for the middle tier, and my massage was an absolute waste of money. 

I should note that on our Adventures By Disney trip in January on an expedition ship gratuities were included, as were sodas and premium coffees, and there was coffee in the rooms. If Adventures By Disney can do that, I would think Disney Cruise Line could do that too. Automatic gratuities are like Resort Fees – completely unnecessary. Just build them into the overall pricing to make it easier for people to compare vacation options. 

Disney Fantasy Cruise – Health

Passengers on our sailing seemed healthy, and Disney made sure the ship stayed clean. Most hand sanitizer stations looked to be empty, but staff handed out disinfecting wipes to everyone before heading into the restaurants. I only saw three families regularly wearing masks on board.

I averaged 12,000 steps a day while on the cruise and worked out daily. I lost two pounds and was in better shape after the cruise than before. I didn’t go crazy at buffets or drink.

I took along our medical kit from Duration Health but didn’t need it. My kids took maybe six Dramamine tablets total when they were feeling the motion of the ship. After Antarctica in January, I’m pretty sure I’m immune to minor ship swaying. We likewise didn’t need to use our travel health/cancellation policy from G1G Travel, but given how expensive the cruise was, and the fact that we would have lost 100% of the cruise cost if we canceled within 14 days and 75% if we cancelled within 29 days, I was glad we were protected.

Disney Fantasy Cruise – Packing

We packed light for our Disney Fantasy cruise. We didn’t bring door decorations or alcohol or clothes specifically for formal night or semi-formal night, and we didn’t bring costumes. The weather was warm everywhere. We easily could have gotten by with swimsuits, shorts, a couple t-shirts, slightly nicer shirts (and dresses) for dinners, sunscreen, flip-flops and walking shoes. I wore pants, a button-down shirt and nice shoes for my brunch at Palo, but Palo is optional. My daughter wore a hoodie for her late-night partying since the decks cooled down at night. We had two half-filled Patagonia rolling duffels thinking we may shop at the ports, but we didn’t buy anything. Per my Castaway Cay comments above, we were glad we brought balls and a Frisbee for the beach.

Disney Caribbean Cruises – Your Turn

Have you taken a Disney cruise in the Caribbean with your kids? How do your thoughts (pro/con/good/bad) compare to mine? Please comment below!

And I have a post on how to decide if a Disney cruise is right for your family , summarizing all of my thoughts from our four cruises.

More from Travel Babbo

January 21, 2024 at 8:36 am

Thank you for your review, and I agree for the most part. Having cruised 12 times with Disney, I got used to the food. The first 2 or 3 years, I ate off of the children’s menu, but eventually learned to enjoy the higher class of food above a burger and fries. The events are great, the guest costuming is fabulous, but the after dinner snacks were few and there was no late night buffet except for Pirate night. Very expensive is the only way to describe a Disney cruise, but you do get a lot more that what some other ships offer. You are paying for a 5 star experience in the dining room, up on deck, in your room and in your entertainment. All the other cruise lines are playing catch up with Disney. It is worth the one time experience, but at the lower price tiers, their is a lot of competition.

January 21, 2024 at 8:49 am

Oh, by the way, I believe you can still get a copy of the paper Navigator with the days activities at the concierge desk or from your room steward, at least at Royal Caribbean you could. For us seniors who have difficulty with the app life, the paper version is needed, and also I did not care for the pay for ice cream salon… again a nickel and dime-ing that Disney is not known for. Finally, they need more on board activities on at sea days. 90% of the offerings are alcohol related tastings. Cooking, towel folding, origami, etc. I do appreciate the DVC members meeting, they should have more DVC sponsored events.

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Royal Caribbean vs. Disney Cruise: The Major Differences

I f you’ve been a frequent reader here, you know that I am an avid cruiser on the Disney Cruise Line. I love their beautiful ships and fantastic service and have been happy on every single sailing I’ve done. We’ve reviewed all of their ships here and we’ve always had a positive experience.

However, this past winter break, my family sailed on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and also really loved it. Many people have asked for a Royal Caribbean vs. Disney Cruise comparison so they can choose the best option for their family.

We have loved our experience on both cruise lines, and I plan to travel on both in the future. But there are some discrete differences that are good to know, and you are likely to have a different experience on each line. Both are great for a family vacation, and both are great cruise lines for young adults and teens.

Disclosure: I’ve been on cruises on both lines at no/discounted cost, and have also paid my own way on both. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links and a purchase/click through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us at no additional cost to you.

Book your cruise through Get Away Today .

Royal Caribbean vs. Disney Cruise: The Most Major Differences

Number of ships on royal caribbean vs. disney cruise..

There are currently five Disney Cruise ships in service, with an additional ship, the Disney Wish, which began its inaugural season in 2022. These five cruise ships are in three different classes- with the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder being the two smaller ships and the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy being the larger two ships.

The Disney Wish is a new class – the Triton class. An additional two ships in the same class as the Disney Wish have been ordered for the future.

Royal Caribbean has twenty-seven ships in service, with more announced (including three in the new Icon class). There are several different classes – including the Oasis, Freedom, Quantum, Radiance, Voyager, and Vision Classes.

Because of the larger number of Royal Caribbean ships, you are likely to find an itinerary with ports of call that work for your busy schedule. Royal Caribbean sails in many places that Disney Cruise Line doesn’t, including ports in Asia.

With the smaller number of ships and classes on the Disney Cruise Line, there is a sense of familiarity when sailing. Every time I step onto a DCL ship, I feel comfortable, almost like going home.

On the other hand, Royal Caribbean ships, with their large fleet, vary by class and have exciting, active entrances. I don’t feel the sentimentality but do get excited to explore the ship. There are some similarities among the ships but also many differences.

For many families, this is the most important factor. Cruises can be expensive. In general, I’ve found that the base rate on the Disney Cruise Line tends to be higher than a similar-length cruise on Royal Caribbean.

However, you’ll want to look at the inclusions. Some things are included in the Disney Cruise Line that isn’t included in Royal Caribbean . These include soft drinks and room service fees (for delivery of everything except for continental breakfast).

Drink Packages

Both cruise lines offer complimentary basic beverages, including tap water, coffee and tea (excluding premium coffee), and standard juices. Other beverages are available a la carte, and each cruise line has different beverage purchase options.

On Royal Caribbean, there are several beverage packages available for purchase in advance or once you are on board (you can usually save money by purchasing in advance). The options include the Deluxe Beverage Package, the Refreshment Package, and the Soda Package. Drinks at the Starbucks locations on the ships (for those with a Starbucks) are not included in any of the packages.

Disney Cruise Line doesn’t have a package that includes all alcoholic drinks. They do, however, offer standard and premium wine packages .

Beer packages are also offered. They also have an alcoholic and nonalcoholic drink of the day which is offered at a lower price.

Keep in mind that soft drinks are included in a Disney Cruise, so you won’t have to pay separately for these. Premium coffees are also offered on Disney Cruise Line for an additional fee.

Both cruise lines have plenty of activities to keep you busy while you are at sea. The activities that you’ll experience on these lines vary, however.

The Disney Cruise Line ships have lots of Disney magic, as you’d expect. You’ll see Disney characters, Disney entertainment, and Disney movies.

There are also fun deck activities, including pools, a splash area for young kids, a play area, water slides, hot tubs, a sports deck (with a basketball court), and outdoor movies.

If you are sailing on Disney Magic, you’ll get an opportunity to ride the AquaDunk, while the Disney Dream and Fantasy offer the AquaDuck. The Disney Wish offers a new attraction called the AquaMouse.

Royal Caribbean ships are filled with fun activities, but these vary by ship. For instance, on the Royal Caribbean Odyssey of the Seas , different experiences include an iFly, a climbing wall, a FlowRider, a North Star observation capsule, and bumper cars.

On the Wonder of the Seas , you’ll see a FlowRider, two rock walls, a carousel, Ultimate Abyss slides, mini golf, zip lining, ice skating, and a sports deck. Be sure to check the specific activities on the ship you are booking because they do vary.

If you are interested in gaming, both cruise lines offer bingo. However, the Disney Cruise Line ships do not offer casinos, while the Royal Caribbean ships do.

Entertainment

All of the cruise ship entertainment that I’ve seen on both cruise lines has always been top-notch. Disney Cruise Line offers Broadway-style musicals in the Walt Disney Theater. On longer sailings, there are often other entertainers, like magicians and ventriloquists, who perform there.

You can also see first-run movies from Disney-owned studios in the onboard theater. Singers and other musicians perform at various venues across the ships, throughout the day.

There are also other entertainment options on the Disney Cruise Line ships, including animation classes, trivia, game shows, and more. The schedule for these can be found in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.

Royal Caribbean also boasts fantastic onboard entertainment. Their shows showcase wonderful talent but aren’t specifically family-friendly.

They also have some very unique venues, including an ice-skating rink, an aqua theater, and smaller theaters like Two70. Keep in mind that these venues do vary by ship. Like on DCL, performers can be seen in bars and other venues throughout the day.

They also offer karaoke, game shows, trivia, laser tag, and other programming each day. There’s no lack of entertainment. I’ve found that the shows on Royal Caribbean are especially unique, innovative, and enjoyable, and often have great special effects.

Restaurants

Disney Cruise Line offers rotational dining. Each night, you’ll visit a different restaurant of the three options, and your serving team travels with you.

I’ve always loved this because you never get tired of the restaurant, and it’s great to have the same team traveling with you, especially if you have dietary restrictions. The restaurants are heavily themed, often with entertainment and typical Disney magic. For longer cruises, you’ll visit the same restaurants again, in the same rotation.

There are two premium restaurant options on the Disney ships. Remy and Palo are adult-only restaurants that are available on the Disney Fantasy and the Disney Dream , while the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder only offer Palo. The Disney Wish has Palo and a new restaurant called Enchante. These are offered for an additional fee.

In addition to the dining rooms and restaurants, there are lots of quick-service options available throughout the ships. Complimentary room service is also available.

Royal Caribbean typically offers one main dining room, although some ships have two. There are two seatings, as well as “My Time Dining”. You’ll have the same servers in the main dining room throughout the cruise.

Unlike DCL, Royal Caribbean ships offer many specialty restaurants that are not included in your cruise fare. These specialty restaurants include varied options such as Johnny Rockets, Izumi Sushi and Tepanyaki, Chops Grille, and Hooked Seafood (they vary by ship) and they can be a great add-on to your cruise.

Themed Cruises

Unlike Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line offers themed cruises throughout the year. These can make your cruise experience even more exciting, with special events, decor, and characters. Some of these included:

• Halloween on the High Seas
• Marvel Day at Sea
• Pixar Day at Sea
• Very Merrytime Cruise

If your cruise is one of these special-themed cruises, it will be clearly labeled when you book.

Laundry Facilities

I generally don’t like to do chores on my family vacations, but sometimes I do have to wash clothes. Disney Cruise Line has several self-service laundry facilities onboard.

There is an additional fee for using them, but they are very easy to use and you’ll get an alert on your app when the machine stops.

Royal Caribbean doesn’t have any self-service facilities. However, there is a full-service laundry option if you need clothes to be cleaned during your trip. Sometimes, there is a promotion where you’ll receive a bag in your stateroom, and everything that fits in the bag is washed for one flat fee.

Private Islands

A private island or island resort can be one of the best cruise ship excursions. Both Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line offer these experiences.

Disney Cruise Line’s Caribbean and Bahamian itineraries typically stop once at Disney’s Castaway Cay, a private island in the Bahamas. Castaway Cay is stunningly beautiful, with excursions, character interactions, beaches, a kids’ club area, and much more.

It’s usually my favorite stop on the Disney Cruise Line. There’s a new private destination in the works, also in the Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean has two private island/resort areas with more on the way. Perfect Day at CocoCay is a newly-renovated Bahamian Island offering a water park, hot air balloon, private beach club, excursions, and more. It has something for everyone, and after several trips, there are still so many things I haven’t explored there.

In addition to Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean also has a private resort area in Labadee , Haiti. Labadee offers an inflatable water park, an alpine mountain coaster, an overwater zip line, along with beautiful beaches. Both of these private properties are offered on select, but not all sailings in the Caribbean.

Kids’ Clubs

If you are traveling with children, kids’ clubs may be a big part of your cruise ship experience. Both cruise lines offer kids’ clubs with great programming.

On Royal Caribbean, ships offer the Adventure Ocean Club – which is split into babies, juniors, and kids. The Adventure Ocean Club is free and offers “edutainment” programming for younger kids, including talent shows, art programming, science projects, and much more. There’s also an area dedicated specifically to teens.

The Disney Cruise Line offers the Oceaneer Club and Lab. These innovative kids clubs have some fantastic theming and activities, including Star Wars and Toy Story-themed areas.

Kids have so many different areas to play in. Disney Cruise Line also offers dedicated teen and tween clubs along with their youth clubs.

Both Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line offer paid WiFi access. Royal Caribbean has two levels of internet access- a standard and one that allows steaming and is paid by the day.

Disney’s internet access has changed from a data-based fee to a flat fee. There are several tiers of Disney Cruise Line WiFi offered .

Both cruise lines offer apps that are free to use while on the ships. Disney’s app allows for free messaging to others on the ship, while Royal Caribbean charges a nominal fee for that service (although they’ve recently been waiving that fee). Disney Cruise Line also offers complimentary iMessage access for all guests on the ships.

Have you been on a Disney Cruise and/or a Royal Caribbean cruise? Which do you prefer, and why?

Considering a family cruise? Check out our guide to family cruising , with posts about popular cruise terminals, cruise ships, and cruise lines, as well as tips for cruising.

The post Royal Caribbean vs. Disney Cruise: The Major Differences appeared first on Family Travel Magazine .

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 Port Adventures Caribbean

Exciting shore excursions specially selected by Disney Cruise Line

•  Basseterre, St. Kitts
•  Bridgetown, Barbados
•  Castaway Cay
•  Castries, St. Lucia
•  Costa Maya, Mexico
•  Cozumel, Mexico
•  Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
•  Falmouth, Jamaica
•  Fort-de-France, Martinique
•  George Town, Grand Cayman
•  Key West, Florida
•  Kralendijk, Bonaire
•  Miami, Florida
•  Oranjestad, Aruba
•  Philipsburg, St. Maarten
•  Port Canaveral, Florida
•  Progreso, Mexico
•  Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
•  Puntarenas, Costa Rica
•  Roseau, Dominica
•  San Juan, Puerto Rico
•  St. John’s, Antigua
•  St. Thomas, U.S.Virgin Islands
•  Tortola, British Virgin Islands
•  Willemstad, Curacao
• Clear Filters
•  Sightseeing
•  Private Adventures
•  Signature Collection
•  Beach and Water Adventures
•  Culinary Adventures
•  Port Adventures by Accessible Travel Solutions
•  Wheelchair Transfer Required
•  Wheelchair Accessible
•  Less than $50
•  $50 to $99
•  $100 to $199
•  $200 to $399
•  $400 to $799
•  $800 and Above

 Ports of Call

 experience type,  activity level,  accessibility,  price range, twelve metre regatta (sm04).

• Active, Nature
• $104.00* (ages 12 and up)
• Philipsburg, St. Maarten

2 Tank Certified Dive (For Certified Divers Only) (CM20)

• Active, Beach and Water Adventures
• $145.00* (ages 12 and up)
• Costa Maya, Mexico

2-Day Bicycle Rentals - Castaway (C16)

• Active, Sightseeing
• $19.00* (ages 10 and up), $19.00* (ages 3 to 9)
• Castaway Cay

2-Day Castaway Cay Getaway Package (C17)

• Active, Nature, Beach and Water Adventures
• $75.00* (ages 10 and up), $45.00* (ages 5 to 9)

2-Day Float/Tube Rentals - Castaway (C15)

• Nature, Beach and Water Adventures
• $19.00* (ages 10 and up), $19.00* (ages 5 to 9)

2-Day Snorkel Lagoon Equipment Rental (C14)

• $57.00* (ages 10 and up), $33.00* (ages 5 to 9)

2-Tank Dive Tour (G03)

• $219.00* (ages 12 and up)
• George Town, Grand Cayman

4 X 4 Beach Adventure (TT13)

• Nature, Sightseeing
• $99.00* (ages 10 and up)
• Tortola, British Virgin Islands

4 X 4 North Coast Adventure and Beach Break (AR20)

• Active, Nature, Sightseeing
• $114.00* (ages 10 and up), $89.00* (ages 6 to 9)
• Oranjestad, Aruba

4x4 Adventure and Monkey Encounter (B04)

• $89.00* (ages 10 and up), $64.00* (ages 5 to 9)
• Bridgetown, Barbados

4X4 Beach Safari (SL01)

• $58.00* (ages 10 and up), $31.00* (ages 8 to 9)
• Castries, St. Lucia

4x4 Island Safari and Beach (SK20)

• $84.00* (ages 10 and up), $69.00* (ages 5 to 9)
• Basseterre, St. Kitts

4x4 Jeep Expedition and Beach (SK48)

• Sightseeing, Beach and Water Adventures
• $84.00* (ages 10 and up), $74.00* (ages 3 to 9)

4x4 Jeep Safari and Beach - 4 Person Jeep (SM96)

• $449.00* (All Ages)

4X4 Natural Pool Adventure (AR11)

• $124.00* (ages 10 and up), $94.00* (ages 8 to 9)

4X4 Rainforest Drive, Trafalgar Waterfalls & Cave Swimming (RSU19)

• $89.00* (ages 10 and up), $64.00* (ages 6 to 9)
• Roseau, Dominica

5-Star Catamaran and Turtle Encounter (B03)

• $112.00* (ages 10 and up), $85.00* (ages 5 to 9)

A Dino Quest (PGO34)

• $169.00* (ages 10 and up), $139.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• Progreso, Mexico

A Flair of Spain - Paella Cooking Demonstration and Flamenco (SJ57)

• Sightseeing, Cultural
• $115.00* (ages 10 and up), $99.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• San Juan, Puerto Rico

A Mexican Halloween and Beach Adventure (CZ91)

• Signature Collection, Beach and Water Adventures, Cultural
• $79.00* (ages 10 and up), $64.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• Cozumel, Mexico

A Mexican Winter Holiday and Beach Adventure (CZ92)

• Signature Collection, Cultural
• $94.00* (ages 10 and up), $79.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

A Tale of a Local Farmer (SL78)

• Nature, Cultural
• $69.00* (ages 10 and up), $55.00* (ages 2 to 9)

A Walk In The Clouds (PU18)

• $98.00* (ages 10 and up), $90.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Accessible Chankanaab National Park (CZ205A)

• $199.00* (ages 3 and up), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Accessible Chankanaab National Park (For Guests with Limited Mobility) (CZ205)

Accessible city tour by trolley (cz208a).

• $69.00* (ages 10 and up), $64.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Accessible City Tour by Trolley (For Guests with Limited Mobility) (CZ208)

Accessible dutch & french island tour (for guests with limited mobility) (sm206).

• $69.00* (ages 10 and up), $69.00* (ages 3 to 9), $0.00* (ages 0 to 2)

Accessible Dutch & French Island Tour (SM206A)

Accessible grand cayman island tour (for guests with limited mobility) (g205).

• Sightseeing
• $119.00* (ages 3 and up), $00.00* (ages 0 to 2)
• * All prices subject to change without notice.

Screen Rant

Disney's pirates of the caribbean replacement sounds better than potc 6 with johnny depp.

Disney may have finally found a suitable Pirates of the Caribbean substitute, and it's a much more exciting prospect than a sixth Johnny Depp film.

• Disney may have found a better replacement than another Johnny Depp-led Pirates movie.
• A Space Mountain film could fill the void left by the declining Pirates franchise.
• Space Mountain can learn from Pirates' mistakes and offer a fresh space adventure.

Disney may have found a replacement for the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and it certainly sounds better than another Johnny Depp-led installment of the franchise. The Pirates of the Caribbean series was a big hit for Disney, with the five films earning a combined box office total of $4.5 billion (via The Numbers ). However, the last movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales , was released seven years ago and in the time since, Disney has struggled to come up with a suitable replacement . Now they may have the answer, and it's a much better prospect than a sixth Pirates film.

Originally based on the popular theme park ride of the same name, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies first started with The Curse of the Black Pearl way back in 2003. The franchise became a showcase for Johnny Depp whose Captain Jack Sparrow has become one of the most recognizable and beloved movie characters of the twenty-first century. A sixth Pirates of the Caribbean movie has been confirmed to be in development, but it doesn't sound half as interesting as another Disney project which could replace the Pirates of the Caribbean films for good.

Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean 6 Plans Still Have A Big Johnny Depp Problem

Disney's space mountain movie can replace its pirates of the caribbean franchise, the studio is in need of a replacement.

After years of being in development hell, Disney's Space Mountain movie recently got a positive update. Writers Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec are said to be working on a new version of the script after previously collaborating on 2021's Cowboy Bebop , as well as the Amazon Prime Video series Citadel and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. While a Space Mountain film is likely still a long way off from coming to fruition , the news that an updated draft of the script is currently in the works demonstrates that Disney is still keen to make it happen.

Martin Landis originally sold a Space Mountain script to Disney way back in 2012.

This is certainly good news. After all, a Space Mountain movie is just the thing Disney needs to fill the Pirates of the Caribbean -shaped hole that has existed ever since the release of P irates 5 . Similarly to the Pirates movies, Space Mountain would take inspiration from the Disney theme park ride of the same name , a space-themed roller-coaster that first opened at Disney World Florida in 1975. Though not all of Disney's previous attraction-based films, such as Jungle Cruise and Tomorrowland , have been successful, Space Mountain 's popularity and cosmic theme mean it has the chance to be a hit.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise Is Struggling (With Or Without Depp)

The series has been on a downward trend for a while.

Despite being financially successful overall, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies have been on something of a downward trend . With each new installment, the films have performed increasingly worse at the domestic box office ever since 2006's Dead Man's Chest. The worldwide box office totals for each movie tell a slightly different story, but even they show a sharp drop-off with 2017's Dead Men Tell No Tales . There's a good chance that Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will continue this downward trend.

Additionally, the Pirates of the Caribbean films have experienced a notable drop in quality over the years . While 2003's The Curse of the Black Pearl currently holds a fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 80%, Dead Men Tell No Tales is stuck with a rotten score of just 30%. In fact, the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie to accumulate a Rotten Tomatoes higher than 50% was 2006's Dead Man's Chest , which managed 53%.

Ultimately, what both trends indicate is that audiences and critics have grown tired of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise . It's certainly true that, as they went on, the films began to run out of fresh ideas. Johnny Depp played a large role in making the movies the success they once were, but even with his involvement, the franchise started to struggle. It's understood that Depp won't be returning for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 , but even if that ends up changing, the movie has a big challenge on its hands.

Space Mountain Can Use The POTC Franchise As Its Template

It can also learn from its predecessor's mistakes.

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies may have run their course, but the franchise still works as a good template for Space Mountain going forward. At their heart, The Pirates of the Caribbean films are adventure stories , with each installment delivering a new sea-based caper. Space Mountain could essentially copy this formula but with a space setting instead of the sea. Furthermore, if Space Mountain casts a well-known actor as a charming lead character whom audiences can follow from story to story, the movie could prove to be a hit.

Pirates Of The Caribbean 6’s Reboot Plan Can Embrace A Franchise Aspect Not Seen In 21 Years

However, possibly the most important reason why Pirates of the Caribbean is a valuable resource for Space Mountain is because the latter can learn from the former's mistakes. As the series progressed, the Pirates of the Caribbean movies began to repeat ideas and plot points. Almost every installment saw Jack face a new villain with ties to his past. As a result, the films lost a lot of their initial scale and grandeur. A Space Mountain franchise could avoid these pitfalls by striving to keep each entry feeling fresh and not falling back on the same tired tropes.

Source: The Numbers , Rotten Tomatoes

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

*Availability in US

Not available

The Curse of the Black Pearl is the film that kickstarted the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, a series of supernatural swashbuckling adventures. In 1720, blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

The Disney Cruise Line Blog

An unofficial disney cruise line news, information, weather, and photo blog..

Personal Navigators: Disney Fantasy 7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral – March 23, 2024

Personal Navigators, and other details from the   7-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral . The  Disney Fantasy  set sail from  Port Canaveral, Florida  on March 23, 2024. There are  additional  Personal Navigators from other sailings of this same itinerary for comparison. During this cruise, the ship was under the control of Captain Michele Intartaglia. The Cruise Director during the sailing was Ashley Long. 

Day 1 – March 23, 2024 –  Port Canaveral, Florida

Guests Onboard : 3:45 pm Personal Navigator – Day 1 (PDF not available)

Attire : Cruise Casual

Dinner Menus :

• Royal Court :  Royal Court
• Animator’s Palate :  Animator’s Palate
• Enchanted Garden :  Enchanted Garden

Day 2 – March 24, 2024 – At Sea

Personal Navigator – Day 2

Attire : Formal

Drink of the Day :  Cool Breeze  •  Non-Alcoholic :  Crazy Shake

Evening Entertainment :

• Walt Disney Theatre Production –  Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular

Day 3 – March 25, 2024 –  Cozumel, Mexico

Guests Ashore : 8:30 am  Guests Onboard : 4:45 pm Personal Navigator – Day 3

Drink of the Day :  Bahama Mama  •  Non-Alcoholic :  Coco Bali

• Featured Act –  The Percussion & Comedy of JunNk

Day 4 – March 26, 2024 –  Grand Cayman

Guests Ashore : 10:30 am  Guests Onboard : 5:30 pm Personal Navigator – Day 4

Attire : Pirate or Cruise Casual

Drink of the Day :  Sunken Treasure  •  Non-Alcoholic :  Parrot Song

• Royal Court :  Pirates in the Caribbean
• Animator’s Palate :  Pirates in the Caribbean
• Enchanted Garden :  Pirates in the Caribbean
• Pirate Night

Day 5 – March 27, 2024 –  Falmouth, Jamaica

Guests Ashore : 7:30 am  Guests Onboard : 4:45 pm Personal Navigator – Day 5

Drink of the Day :  Yellow Bird  •  Non-Alcoholic :  Lava Smoothie

• Royal Court :  Captain’s Gala Dinner
• Animator’s Palate :  Animator’s Palate – Animation Magic
• Enchanted Garden :  Prince & Princess
• Featured Act –  Kid’s Ace Evening of Wonder

Day 6 – March 28, 2024 – At Sea

Personal Navigator – Day 6

Attire : Semi-Formal

Drink of the Day :  Mai Tai  •  Non-Alcoholic :  Cranberry No-Jito

• Walt Disney Theatre Production –  Frozen, A Musical Spectacular

Day 7 – March 29, 2024 –  Castaway Cay

Guests Ashore : 8:30 am  Guests Onboard : 4:45 pm Personal Navigator – Day 7

Drink of the Day :  Stingray  •  Non-Alcoholic :  Princess Delight

• Walt Disney Theatre Production –  Disney’s Believe

Buena Vista Theatre Movies

• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
• Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
• Next Goal Wins
• The Little Mermaid
• The Marvels

Thank you  Sarah C   for sharing. If you have any navigators you would be willing to share, please send me an email. If you would rather upload the files you can use our  upload form .

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