Since today is the first of two sea days to start this voyage, it’s a good time to take a look at what you can expect to find aboard the Disney Fantasy, along with a few things you won’t.
As the early riser of our group, my day always starts with a trip to Cove Café for a Caramel Mocha Latte, followed by heading up to the Satellite Falls quiet deck. This is the perfect spot to do a ship overview.
The Fantasy can fairly be divided into a few essential areas for your enjoyment. These include the Atrium, Europa, Theaters, and pool decks.
“Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.”
Okay, not a Disney song, but Julie Andrews—so close enough!
Disney Fantasy Atrium
As with pretty much every cruise ship, the main Atrium spans multiple decks in the center of the ship. In this case, it’s decks 3, 4, and 5. Here, you’ll find the grand staircase, a popular picture spot, as well as a grand piano and the ship’s signature statue on deck 3.
The entrance to The Royal Palace dining room can be found behind the piano. This is a primary gathering area for all the Princess and character greetings throughout the week, along with nightly performances of ambient music.
We were pleasantly surprised to see the holiday decorations still up from last week’s final Very Merrytime sailing of the year. You can smell the gingerbread house as you walk by!
A look up to deck 4, and you’ll see Shutters Photography Studio, where you can view all the photo package options as well as keep track of the photos taken throughout the week.
On deck 5 of the Atrium, you’ll find the Port Adventures desk to assist with planning or modifying excursions while in port.
Does your little Princess or Prince need a makeover? Then head to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, also on deck 5, for a magical transformation!
Europa on Disney Fantasy
The next area of note is Europa, located on deck 4 aft. Europa is a collection of lounges and pubs for adults in the evening, but they are also open during the day for all guests to enjoy activities such as crafts, towel animal folding classes, trivia contests, and bingo. We’ll dive deeper into the nightlife in Europa in a future post.
Disney Fantasy Theaters
Onboard the Fantasy, you’ll find not one but two theaters. The Walt Disney Theater is located on decks 3 and 4 forward and showcases three Broadway-style productions each cruise. On alternate nights, it serves as the stage for featured entertainment such as magicians, comedians, ventriloquists, and theatrical releases.
If you’re looking for the newest Disney movies, head to the Buena Vista Theater on decks 4 or 5 to see what’s playing. We’re looking forward to seeing Mufasa this week!
Shopping on Disney Fantasy
If you’ve ever been on a ride at Disney World, you know they almost all end the same way—in a gift shop! Would you expect any less on a Disney Cruise? On deck 3 forward, leading toward the Walt Disney Theater, you’ll find an assortment of shops, including Mickey’s Mainsail, Sea Treasures, Bvlgari, and Diamonds and Wishes.
Pool & Outdoor Decks on Disney Fantasy
While that covers the lower decks, the area where guests will spend the majority of their time is on decks 11, 12, and 13.
On deck 11, you’ll find Mickey’s and Donald’s Pools with a view of the Funnel Vision, as well as Nemo’s Reef splash pad for the smaller sailors (toddlers). For adults, you can head over to the Quiet Cove Pool, which features a swim-up bar and hot tub. The Cove is exclusively for guests 18 and older.
On deck 11 forward, you’ll find Senses Spa for all the pampering you deserve, along with the fitness center to work off last night’s indulgence!
If you’re looking for something to eat throughout the day, deck 11 offers Cabana’s buffet, Flo’s Café (burgers, tenders, pizza), Frozone (frozen beverages), Eye Scream (soft serve), and Sweet on You (specialty treats).
There are additional areas on deck 12 to find lounge chairs if you didn’t snag a spot by the pool on deck 11.
Deck 12 is also where you can enter the line for the AquaDuck, Disney’s water coaster. Here’s what DCL has to say about its headlining attraction:
The AquaDuck is an exhilarating waterslide that takes riders on a wet and wild journey up, down, around, and off the side of the ship, through the Forward Funnel—on a daredevil 4-deck drop.
As you whiz through 765 feet of snaking tubes, transparent and uncovered sections afford you breathtaking views of the ocean and ship below—assuming you can keep your eyes open! Get a bird’s-eye view of pools throughout the ship as powerful water jets propel you and your 2-person raft through uphill climbs and then splash into a lazy river at the end of the plunge.
If you’re feeling left out of Nemo’s Reef, don’t worry—the AquaLab play area can be found behind the aft funnel, offering another opportunity to splash around and stay cool.
Palo and Remy’s adult dining can be found on deck 12 aft. We’ll be dining at Palo later in the week, so you can look forward to a full review then.
Goofy’s Sports Deck on deck 13 aft includes a full-size basketball court, sports simulators, a 9-hole miniature golf course, as well as foosball and table tennis.
Satellite Falls
Now, the aforementioned Satellite Falls… Satellite Falls is located on deck 13 forward, overlooking the bow of the ship, and is exclusively for those 18 and over. This is my quiet space to enjoy my coffee and a book while taking in the spectacular views of the open ocean as far as the eye can see.
It is generally empty in the early morning, as most of the ship is still asleep. There are a number of padded lounge chairs on either side of the deck, as well as a covered portion at the front of the ship. The shaded area typically fills up the quickest, as it not only provides relief from the sun but also offers the best views.
If you need to cool off, hop into the circular wading pool, which features a tiled bench surrounding the interior and a cascading rain curtain. The namesake satellite transmitters for the ship are encased in a globe perched above the pool.
On sea days, if I’m not eating, I can generally be found relaxing with a book up in my “happy place.”
But What About the Casino?
That’s a lot of ship! However, some of you may be thinking there’s something missing. One area most cruise lines rely on that you won’t find on any Disney ship is a casino. With the focus on family fun and entertainment, the closest thing to gambling you’ll find is Bingo—although I’m sure some proud dads make friendly wagers on Jack-Jack’s Diaper Dash!
Dinner at Animator’s Palate
Dinner this evening is at Animator’s Palate. As you can see from the pictures, this restaurant centers on Disney animation. All around the room, there are graphics in various stages of completion from many of your favorite animated films.
There are also interactive screens spaced throughout the restaurant that keep you entertained with Nemo and his friends. During the meal, Crush himself will swim his way around the room and make sure your meal is “awesome”! If you’ve ever been to Epcot and visited Turtle Talk with Crush, this is a very similar experience as he appears and chats it up with guests.
For appetizers, we chose Sliced Serrano Ham and Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes.
Anything that resembles a charcuterie board is a win for the kid, with thin slices of ham and chunks of parmesan cheese. The truffles consisted of a few cheese-filled tortellini in a light cream sauce.
Soups offered this evening were Creamy Butternut Squash and Baked Potato and Cheese Soup.
For entrées, we had Lemon-Thyme Marinated Chicken Breast and Ginger Teriyaki-Dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin.
As you probably noticed, they look the same. I’m not a fan of the wasabi mashed potatoes and bok choy that the steak is served with, so I requested the chicken sides with the tenderloin, while the rest of the table opted for the Lemon-Thyme Chicken.
The tenderloin was slightly closer to medium than my preferred medium-rare but still lived up to its name. The root vegetables, particularly the beets, were a perfect complement. Everyone agreed the chicken was well-seasoned and savory.
To top off the dinner, we enjoyed Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake, Crunchy Walnut Cake, and Lemon Icebox Pie for desserts.
After completing our dinner, there were a few minutes to head back to the room and digest before heading down for the show.
Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
The featured entertainment this evening was Aladdin in the Walt Disney Theater. Premium seating always fills up quickly (especially considering nobody follows the “no saving seats” rule), but we found decent seats in the lower-right orchestra. There really isn’t a bad seat in this theater, and the shows never fail to impress.
This is a live-action stage adaptation of the classic Aladdin in a Broadway-style presentation. We’ve seen this show a number of times aboard The Fantasy, and it’s always a treat. While Aladdin is the show’s namesake, this rendition is all about the Genie’s performance, and tonight didn’t disappoint. Although the story and script stay true to the animated movie, it allows for some improv and one-liners by Genie that make it a unique show every time, with updated pop culture references and impersonations.
This show includes the choreography and vocals you would expect from a Disney-caliber production. Aside from Genie, the role of Aladdin was solid, and Jafar offered a sinister portrayal with a deep baritone. Iago was performed with puppetry and gave comic relief even Gilbert Gottfried would be proud of. Carpet did a wonderful job of pantomiming, along with some gifted acrobatics.
Now for Jasmine. WOW. She was the “belle” of the ball here (sorry, I had to!). Her beautiful soprano filled the theater with ease, and honestly, they could have turned her mic off, and you wouldn’t have noticed. It would have been easy for her to steal the show, but she played the supporting role perfectly. I look forward to seeing her perform alternate roles in the shows later this week.
Jonathan Burns: Physical Comedy
To finish off the night, I ventured down to The Tube, located on deck 4 aft within Europa, to watch comedian and contortionist Jonathan Burns perform. Jonathan has been a regular throughout the Disney Cruise Line fleet over the past seven years. His IMDb bio includes Season 14 of America’s Got Talent, Penn and Teller’s: Fool Us, and appearances on the late-night show circuit.
He offered slapstick-style comedy with great audience involvement and closed with some truly unique “twists.” A bit silly, but he was definitely worth seeing. He’ll also be performing a family-friendly version in the Walt Disney Theater tomorrow afternoon.
That’s a wrap as we spend another day at sea tomorrow and lose an hour as we adjust our clocks overnight. Thanks for checking in!