Disney Cruise - Part 1: Fantasy (the ship)

Custom shirts

How do I even begin to describe the most fantastic vacation we as a family have ever spent? It'd be hard to do a day by day run through so I'm going to give the good, the bad, and the funny. We spent 7 nights on the Disney Fantasy ship sailing through the Eastern Caribbean.

Formal night occurred on the first At Sea Evening

To begin the trip I got shirts for all of us including Jamie's dad and his girlfriend. We were super excited for the cruise and got to the port terminal early (next time we'll schedule the car service a little later than 8am). We weren't alone. Checking in was quick and painless and we got to wait in the concierge lounge until it was time to board the ship. Our reward for getting there early was being one of the first families on board. We had our swimsuits in our carry on luggage so changed quickly and found poolside lounge chairs. Jamie and Caleb rode on the AquaDuck waterslide while Lucas was literally the first one in the Mickey pool. After the pool and quick lunch we headed to our room and then the Oceaneer Club.

Sailing Away deck party

First one in the Mickey pool

Group picture with our custom shirts - believe me we were not the only family who had custom shirts

Our Stateroom

We got a suite that also happened to be handicap accessible which meant it was a little more spacious. The downfall to this was no bathtub but that made bath time easier since I would quickly use the handheld shower to hose the boys down. It was a very comfortable room for the four of us. When we're on vacation the boys always gets to sleep with one of us. Jamie and I had to alternate sleeping on the sofa bed. There was also a murphy bed that we never used.

Tall railing to ensure my kids can't lean over. Phew!

Bedroom

Sofa bed

The Pools/Splash Pads

I'm not a big pool person but since the boys have been taking swimming lessons we were definitely going to be spending as much time in it as possible. I felt one of the downsides of the pool was the pool depth. The Mickey pool was 2 feet while the Donald Duck one was a little over 5'. I would've liked a 3 or 4 foot pool so I could easily stand. The boys were happy with hanging out in the Mickey pool but it also was very crowded and I had to constantly remind them to be careful they're not kicking someone. There were two different splash pad areas that the boys really liked. The AquaLab was located in the back of the ship and seemed like it was hardly ever used. Caleb was tall enough to go on the AquaDuck waterslide and Mickey slide. I thought Lucas was tall enough to go on the Mickey slide but when he got measured he was turned away. Of course he cried about it and I felt really bad. Luckily there was a super short slide in the Nemo Reef splash pad that he went on several times. Jamie and Caleb got a chance to go on the AquaDuck the first day but I waited a few days and went on it first thing one morning where there were no lines and went on it twice in a row. yippee!

Mickey pool

Nemo's reef

Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab

The Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab had an open house for kids and parents to check it out on the first day. During an open house is the only time parents are allowed to be in there. When you pick up your child you need to give them a password and wear a lanyard that says "Pickup" while you search the area for your child. They are scanned in and out of the club with wristbands. The boys loved the Oceaneer Club and Lab. They spent a portion of each day there. One time Jamie's dad went to pick them up to see if they wanted to go watch the illusionist show. Caleb said no but Lucas was willing to go but didn't stay long and returned to the club. Another time when Jamie and I had reservations at the adult only restaurant, Lucas fell asleep at dinner (we still took them to our scheduled dinner rotation) and so when I brought him to the Oceaneer Club they set out a nap mat in the corner and he stayed asleep. During our dessert we got a text message saying Lucas woke up and wanted to go home. I went to pick him up and found him cuddling with one of the staff. The great thing about the Oceaneer Club is not having to reserve ahead of time and the cost is included. The place always had lots of staff directed activities and staff overseeing different play areas. Caleb even won a small tote bag from an activity involving racing cars. Lucas got his face painted green like a frog once and was totally bummed when I had to wash it all off. I was a bit worried about Lucas going to the bathroom himself. I made it a point to show him which one to go to (the one with the Peter Pan door). Much to my dismay he ended up having a potty accident. Jamie dashed back to the room for a change of clothes and returned to the theater (we were watching Monsters University) with soiled clothes in a plastic bag. I know it must happen every so often but it still bummed me out.

Checking out the computer games

easy peasy lemon squeezy hand washing station. They just need to stick their hands in and the machine does the rest.I think the soap solution contains sanitizer.

Holding up their Oceaneer Club wristbands

Adult Only Restaurants - Palo & Remy

There are two adult only restaurants. There was an extra cost to dining there but well worth it. We ate at Palo for brunch and dinner and at Remy twice for dinner. The food was amazing especially at Remy. The restaurant is named after the main character in Ratatouille and there were hidden Remys throughout the restaurant. At Remy there was a tasting menu that had lobster and the Palo brunch had caviar! I'm not a caviar person but I was impressed that they had that on board. There was also foie gras in one of my squab dish at Remy and Jamie was ecstatic. It was such a treat to dress up and have a dinner date twice in one week.

Family Activities

Every day we would receive the "Navigator" that listed the various activities happening throughout the day. There was always a Disney movie like Cars and Finding Nemo in one of the theaters and on the huge screen at the pool area. There was at also a list of character appearances for photo opportunities. The boys were glad enough to see the characters from afar and weren't into standing in line for autographs or pictures. We did crafts, played Bingo (Jamie won twice and I won once for a total of $313), participated in a Quest, and built a car out of vegetables to race down a track. One of the funnest things we did was be a detective. All around the boat there were these "paintings" where you hold up your detective badge to find a clue. It was interactive so sometimes you had to use your badge like you would a computer mouse and pull a lever or pop a balloon. We definitely got a little workout going up and down stairs and traversing from forward to aft. We also played miniature golf and hung out in the Arr-cade. One night we joined the family dance party. The Quest activity involved accumulating points by doing something the leader says. For example: "Show me a picture of Mickey". One of us ran up and showed him our key card since it had a picture of Mickey on it. Other people quickly browsed through their cameras. At one point, Jamie would just run up show him our group number and point to some other group who actually HAD the object. For instance, "Show me a braid" Jamie ran up and just pointed to a girl's braid and we got the point. And actually that was well within the rules of the game.

Detective Breslow

Family dance party

coloring what will be a 3D paper craft of Pascal the chameleon from Tangled

Caleb's car

The racetrack

Grandpa's carrot car beat our potato car but lost in the finals

Entertainment/Shows

The cruise had 3 different Broadway type shows that we enjoyed - Aladdin, Wishes, and Believe. We watched 2 of the 3 during the matinee showing instead of the evening since we had adult dinner plans. It was really nice that there was an extra performance for flexibility. On Pirate night the show was out on the pool deck (the pools are covered) and then there were fireworks. On one of the nights they showed Monsters University in 3D. I was surprised that they would show a current movie on the ship. We were pretty happy since we hardly ever go to the movies. It so happened that there was a premiere of a made for Disney TV movie (Teen Beach Movie) and they even showed that on the premiere date just like if you were at home. I'm sure there were a bunch of tweens happy about that.

He may be cute but sure can be a monster

the giant screen at the pool deck

Pirate show

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is aimed for girls and making them into princesses but Disney does make an effort for the boys. There was a Royal Knight package which consisted of spiking up the boys hair, adding glitter and Mickey shaped confetti. The confetti was just plain weird. The boys then got to choose between a foam shield and sword or a light saber. Caleb got the shield and sword and Lucas got the other. Once they both had their swords dueling commenced and we had to usher them quickly out of the boutique. Now for Pirate Night the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique turns into Pirates League and for boys it's a real treat getting a makeover. We signed up both boys but Caleb was hesitant at first(no surprise there) so Lucas got to go first. Once he saw what was happening Caleb decided he wanted a whole costume too minus the makeup. They looked awesome. (btw.... if anyone is need of a XXS Captain Hook costume, you know where to go)

Jamie and I brought our own "piratey" clothes.

light saber

sword and shield

Dining/Food

One thing about a cruise... food is abundant and it's easy to be gluttonous. We had most breakfasts and lunches at the Cabanas buffet. We found out on maybe the 5th day that you could also have lunch at one of the dining rooms. Each night we rotated through three different dining rooms - Royal Court, Animator's Palate and Enchanted Garden. The funnest was Animator's Palate because there are screens everywhere. The first time you eat there Crush the sea turtle from Finding Nemo "talks" to the diners. The second time at Animator's Palate you're told to show up early or on time so that you have time to draw a character. The servers then collect your drawings and then an animated show plays on the screens during dessert. It was fun to watch and see the different characters of everyone in the dining room. The Royal Court restaurant was beautifully decorated with murals of different Disney princess movies/scenes made out of mosaic tiles. The Enchanted Garden wasn't anything too special other than the lighting changed from day to night. Upon that happening the flower shaped light fixtures "bloom" and open up. The best part of Enchanted Garden was sitting in one of a handful of booths. The food itself was nothing spectacular. Some nights were better than others. For the kids meals, there were always the staples (cheeseburger, pizza, and chicken nuggets) and then a few entrees that was similar to the adult menu. Caleb ate A LOT of cheeseburgers while Lucas had more variety. He loved the shrimp cocktail at the lunch buffet.The boys got a dessert every night plus a daily stop at the self serve ice cream cone station. (I may have also gotten a dessert every night and a daily vanilla cone.) I pre-ordered a 4 night wine package. One of the nights we ate at the adult restaurant we had a glass of wine while the boys ate their dinner and then the bottle was sent to the adult restaurant for us to finish.

Self serve soft serve ice cream on the same deck as our stateroom. It was so hard to pass up without stopping.

Servers got to know the boys preferences for chocolate milk and chocolate ice cream for Caleb and strawberry for Lucas

If you want ketchup the server pours it Mickey shaped

Pirate ship napkin for pirate night

Jamie's character is on the left

My character is on the right

Credits!

Mickey ice cream bar with Mickey shaped sprinkles

Snow white mosaic tile mural

Beauty & the Beast mosaic tile mural

Cinderella mosaic mosaic tile mural

Disney Staff/Service

It's amazing. I think what is most amazing is how does everyone stay so cheerful or at the least not blow up and have such great customer service day in and day out. We found out that the staff have contracts that basically have them work 6 months STRAIGHT with NO days off and then have 2 months off. That to me is absolutely insane. The amount of detail is also unbelievable and almost to the point of going overboard. I mean really does the ketchup need to be poured out to look like Mickey? The concierge service we received was great. They were always so friendly. We kept changing dinner reservations. I think what also made an impression on me is how CLEAN the ship feels. When you arrive to any dining room you are greeted by someone handing out hand sanitizer wipes. And there are signs in the bathrooms suggesting you to use a paper towel to open the door. I also loved that in every bathroom there was at least one kid height sink. I did not have to prop my kid on my knee in front of the sink so they can wash their hands. I wish every bathroom was equipped with one or at least a stool. One thing about Disney, their attention to detail is pretty remarkable and all part of the experience.

Caleb and the Captain

Our servers

Woody - The one character Caleb stood in line to get a picture with

Goofy doesn't look so goofy in a tux

One last thing... 

The stateroom doors (with the exception of concierge suites) are metal. I will admit that I read a tip on MouseSavers.com about bringing magnets so that you and your kids can easily identify your door. So yes I might've had a few magnets in my bag to do just that but talk about going overboard....(I was a bit bummed that I wasn't able to use the magnets) When going from forward to aft sometimes we went down hallways and we would see doors decorated with magnets, message boards, etc. This door in particular had an embroidered letter holder I'm guessing in case you want to leave a message for one of the occupants. I'm also guessing this family must have traveled with a bigger group. I admit I embraced the fact that I was on a Disney cruise by getting custom shirts and bringing my own pirate outfit but to fully outfit the stateroom door seemed a bit much.

Next up... Ports of Call