Ho Ho Ho! Jason here, setting sail on a 4-day Very Merrytime Cruise through the Bahamas on the Disney Fantasy. While Scott is floating around on Explora I, we are sure to provide you with a plethora of holiday cruise content over the next two weeks. We will be following this sailing up with a few days at home for Christmas, then returning to sea for a New Year’s Eve sailing.
Port Canaveral, Florida
This voyage embarks from our port of preference, Port Canaveral, Florida. With all due respect to Port Everglades and the trash heap known as Port Miami, they simply do not compare to sailing out of Port Canaveral.
Getting to Canaveral is much smoother from anywhere in Central Florida, with easy access off I-95. You can reach the port from Daytona Beach, Orlando, Sanford, or Melbourne airports in under an hour and a half, which is about what it takes us to drive. Generally, from leaving our driveway to pulling up to curbside luggage drop-off is right at an hour and twenty minutes. Traffic in and out of the port is typically smooth, and even with multiple ships in port, the signage clearly directs passengers to the proper terminals.
If you have a little free time either before or after the cruise, you have only a five-minute drive down A1A from the port and you are at Cocoa Beach. Had enough beach lounging? Kennedy Space Center is just a few miles up the coast from Port Canaveral, giving the area its nickname, the Space Coast. You can actually see the iconic VAB, the Vehicle Assembly Building, from the port. And if you are lucky enough, you might even experience a launch from port or spot one of the recovered boosters from a SpaceX Falcon 9.
If you need more of a Disney fix, head west on Highway 528 past Orlando International Airport and visit the Mouse House itself at Walt Disney World Resort. Many Disney enthusiasts do just that and plan a “land and sea” adventure to make sure Mickey gets as much of the kids’ inheritance as possible. A major benefit of this approach is that if you stay at a Walt Disney World resort, you can take advantage of Disney’s bus transportation between the resort and the cruise terminal.
‘Tis the season
I should preface this by stating that I despise the holiday season and always have. I am the Grinch and Scrooge all wrapped up in one neat package, without any of that end-of-the-movie reckoning nonsense. I am sure I could spend weeks with a therapist psychoanalyzing the root of my displeasure. Forced merriment? Awkward social entanglements for an introvert? A perfect overlap with seasonal depression while growing up in Wisconsin, which is the very definition of hell freezing over? Take your pick.
I will say it has gotten better since we moved to Florida and traded frigid temperatures and snow for white sand and palm trees, but the resentment is still there.
What better way to offset this than with a tropical cruise? As the title implies, this is a holiday-themed sailing filled with special festivities throughout the voyage, including the atrium being “decked to the halls.” Since we have sailed on the Disney Fantasy many times before, I will focus my reviews more on these seasonal activities as we go along.
Our itinerary includes stops in Nassau and at Disney’s Lookout Cay, with a sea day in between.
As holidays are meant to be spent with family, we are joined on this voyage by my mother and in-laws. We even brought the tween this time!
Disney Fantasy
First, let’s take a quick look at the ship and some basic info. Built by the Meyer Werft shipyard, the Disney Fantasy was the fourth ship to join the Disney Cruise Line fleet in 2012 and is the sister ship to the Disney Dream. The hull is adorned with Sorcerer Mickey on the bow, along with Dumbo and Timothy Q. Mouse on the aft.
- Maiden Voyage: March 31, 2012
- Gross Tonnage: 130,000
- Fairy Godmother: Maria Carey, totally fitting for a Merrytime Cruise!
- Lobby Statue: Minnie Mouse
- Decks: 14
- Staterooms: 1250
- Inside: 150
- Oceanview: 199
- Verandah: 901
- Passengers: 4000
- Class: Dream
- Registration: Bahamas
- Captain: Michele Intartaglia
- Cruise Director: Jimmy Lynett
A key note is that the Fantasy just spent a month in dry dock in October so we’ll touch on some of the updates she received during this refresh in a future post.
We arrived shortly before our noon PAT and dropped off our luggage, then proceeded to park in the ramp and walk over to the terminal. The check-in line for the noon PATs had already begun clearing for entry, and we walked right up to an attendant for final passport verification and security. As we made our way up the escalator into the main terminal, Terminal 8, they had already called the first few boarding groups.
Since we were in Group 13, it was a short wait of about fifteen minutes, just enough time to get logged onto the ship’s Wi-Fi and check out our dining rotation and the afternoon activity list. From dropping luggage at 11:30 to boarding the ship at 12:05, it was smooth sailing all the way through.
We made our way directly to Cabanas for lunch and, of course, a large plate of shrimp and crab claws. I know, complete shocker.
With bellies fueled, we took the opportunity to show our family around the ship. This is only the second cruise for my in-laws, the first being on the Fantasy’s sister ship, the Disney Dream, a few years ago.
“Mustard Drill”
I say this in every embarkation review on Disney, and I will continue to harp on it until they join the rest of the cruise world. In-person muster drills. SMH. While everyone else in the industry has moved to some version of checking in at your station and then watching a video on your phone or stateroom TV, Disney has reverted back to pre-COVID attendance for the drill. We have gotten lucky many times, with our assembly station in a theater where you can at least sit down and pretend to pay attention. This time, however, our station was located on the Promenade Deck outside. Fortunately, it was December and a comfortable 75 degrees, so we were not melting in the Florida heat.
The other drawback is that the entire ship has to wait for every single passenger to be scanned in at their designated station before they begin the shipwide demonstration. Of course, it is always delayed by at least fifteen minutes while waiting for those last few stragglers to show up. Then you get all 4,000 passengers climbing over each other for elevators, trying to get to the Sail Away party that is about to start.
By the time we made it up to the pool deck for Sail Away, it was already four deep along all the railings. We resigned ourselves to watching what we could on Funnel Vision while also enjoying the views around the port as we made our way out to sea.
Dinner at Enchanted Garden on Disney Fantasy
By now you know the drill. Rotational dining, servers follow you from dining room to dining room, rotating menus. Our rotation this week is Enchanted Garden, Royal Court, Royal Court for Pirate Night, and Animator’s Palate.
Enchanted Garden is always one of my favorites. Between the decor and the menu selections, it is always an enjoyable experience. Modeled after the Beast’s enchanted garden, the room evolves along with the meal. Flowers dangle from the ceiling as lanterns that slowly bloom as the night goes on, subtly changing colors throughout dinner.
Our servers, Dewa and Wawan, came over to introduce themselves and take our drink orders while also making their recommendations for the evening. As our preferred servers from past sailings on the Fantasy have recently moved to other ships, this was our first time with this crew. I can already tell they are going to be amazing for the duration of this sailing.
As the menus have remained constant for the past five-plus years on this ship, and I will be the first to say it is long overdue for a refresh, I have very much settled into my routine. However, for this cruise I made the declaration that I was going to try at least one thing each night that I have never had before. With that in mind, tonight I went with Atlantic Lobster Ravioli, Caramelized Seared Scallops, Pan-Seared Corvina Filet, and Slow-Roasted Prime Rib.
The lobster ravioli is a tried-and-true old friend. Shredded lobster-stuffed ravioli served in a light tomato broth, with a few small pieces of lobster swimming on top. The only way I could think to kick this up a notch would be to add some type of cheese with the lobster. Maybe a little cream cheese, like a crab rangoon? I may need to speak to the chef. I think we are onto something.
Tonight’s new addition was the corvina. I am a big fan of sea bass, and this was very similar. Texture-wise, it was closer to grouper with a meatier chew, but the flavor was very mild and not oily at all. The fava bean and pea risotto was a nice accompaniment and added a touch of dill seasoning, making it a perfect pairing alongside the prime rib. The prime rib I received was a little closer to medium than medium rare, but still delicious, and the twice-baked potato was creamy and light.
While I had asked for just a few scallops on the side, because there is no way I can pass those up, our server brought me a full plate with all the fixings. Marshmallows from the sea. Yummy!
Fun fact, when you order three entrees, they place them on the table in the shape of a Mickey.
I ended the meal with the Chocolate Garden Torte, which was amazing as always, but after powering through dinner I had to put the fork down without cleaning my plate.
Heeeeere’s Genie!
There was plenty to do after dinner this evening, starting off with the Broadway-style rendition of Aladdin in the Walt Disney Theater. It is hard to believe this classic came out in the 90s. I guess I am officially old enough to say I remember watching this on VHS when it was first released.
Prior to the show starting, we were happily surprised to find out that our Cruise Director for the week is Jimmy, without a doubt one of the best in the business. We first sailed with him back in 2019 on what became one of the more memorable cruises of our adventures at sea. As crew members move around the fleet, we have not seen him in a few years, so it was great to have him back. He brings an incredible amount of energy and just enough wisdom to make your time onboard unforgettable. His motto is, “If you see food, eat it.” Something I have taken to heart since the first time I heard it.
Jimmy came out and got the audience primed for the week, introducing the show with gusto and setting the stage for what the sailing will entail.
We have all seen Aladdin and know the story, so this really comes down to individual performances from the cast to make or break your expectations. Tonight was no different. The portrayal of Aladdin himself was solid, but nothing earth-shattering. Jasmine was excellent and truly brightened up the stage. The role of Jafar was good, but felt a little lacking in depth compared to other versions we have seen. He just did not quite have that deep bass voice and sinister snarl.
Iago was a fun display of puppetry and sidekick humor with a solid delivery. One of the harder roles to portray has to be the Magic Carpet, which relies heavily on pantomime paired with impressive acrobatics to glide across the stage.
That brings us to Genie, the role that will always make or break this show. Nobody, and I mean nobody, will ever compare to Robin Williams’ original portrayal. That said, tonight’s actor absolutely held his own and would have made Robin proud. I recognized him immediately from a previous cruise as soon as he appeared on stage and knew right then that the show was going to be a good one.
Let there be light!
I mentioned at the beginning of this review that this is a Very Merrytime Cruise and features daily holiday activities, the first of which was lighting the atrium Christmas tree.
The festivities kicked off with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto leading everyone in a few holiday classics before counting down to flipping the switch on all the twinkling lights. And of course, what would a Disney tree lighting be without Mr. and Mrs. Claus joining the fun?
Following the official tree lighting came story time with Mrs. Claus, as she gathered the smaller cruisers around her rocking chair and read them a holiday classic. It was the perfect way to get them ready for bedtime. Just as heads were starting to nod off, and it was already after 10:30, the rest of the characters rejoined the fun and kicked off a full-on dance party.
Sorry, mom and dad. These kids are staying awake forever!
Disney Fantasy Christmas Tree Lighting Video
Embarkation day is always busy and, for some reason, exhausting, so the ship quieted down after 11. From the start, you can definitely tell this is a holiday cruise that lines up with family vacations and kids being out of school. Even for a Disney Cruise Line sailing, the number of young children and multi-generational families is very noticeable.
During the warm-up for Aladdin, Jimmy did the usual “How many first-time sailors do we have with us?” and it felt like over half the theater raised their hands. That always leads to a more frenzied and hectic environment, as those who have not learned any better think they need to do all the things at all times instead of just kicking back and going with the flow.
That is enough merriment for one day. I hope you enjoy following along with the festivities as we sail into the holiday.
Daily Schedule
Coming Soon!