Disney Fantasy - July 6, 2013 - Jetty Park - DCL Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Fantasy took its maiden voyage on March 31, 2012, a year after the Dream had its first sailing. Up to 4,000 guests can enjoy each cruise, spoiled by 1,458 crew members. The ship’s home port is Port Canaveral, 60 miles east of Walt Disney World. Cruising at a speed of 22 knots (25 MPH) this ship mainly takes people around the Caribbean islands. The Fantasy is similar to the Dream (2011), but the lobby of this ship is Art Nouveau style with a bronze Minnie Mouse statue in the atrium. The Dream is Art Deco with a Donald Duck statue. These second generation Disney Cruise ships could handle 50% more guests than the original Magic and Wonder with improved entertainment options. On board cruisers can enjoy the interactive Midship Detective Agency, virtual portholes for inside cabins, the AquaDuck water coaster, and Animator’s Palate dinner Turtle Talk show. The ship was built by Meyer Werft in Germany. It has 1,250 staterooms, 14 passenger decks, 2 theaters, 3 rotational dining restaurants, 2 signature (extra charge) restaurants, 1 buffet, and many bars and lounges. I have only seen the Fantasy from Jetty Park near Port Canaveral, but I have cruised on the Dream before. The godmother of the Disney Fantasy is pop icon Mariah Carey. In 1995 Carey had a hit song Fantasy and she had performed for several Disney parks’ Christmas specials in the past. On March 1, 2012, in New York, Mariah Carey christened the newest Disney ship while an enormous champagne bottle glitter bombed the whole atrium. CEO Bob Iger was there with Parks and Resorts Chairman Tom Staggs. Nick Cannon, Carey’s husband at the time, was with Minnie Mouse outside the ship and Minnie broke a bottle of champagne on the hull. The beauty of the Fantasy’s atrium with its Mademoiselle Minnie statue reflects a romantic 1930s transatlantic cruising time. Minnie is wearing 1930s clothing and is holding a closed parasol. She is given the name “Mademoiselle” because many 1930s ocean liner travelers went from New York to France. The Fantasy’s bow has Sorcerer Mickey and the aft has a Dumbo and Timothy Mouse statue. Dumbo is about eight feet long. Disney cruisers can experience three different dining locations on their nightly rotational schedule. Royal Court (Royal Palace on the Dream) looks like the ballroom from Beauty and the Beast and has a princess theme. Animator’s Palate looks like an animation studio and has interactive screens to entertain diners. Enchanted Garden resembles the gardens of Versailles in France. For an extra charge, adults can dine at the upscale Palo or Remy. Palo is themed to a fancy Italian restaurant in Venice while Remy is influenced by the Pixar movie Ratatouille. Resembling beach tents is the buffet Cabanas. Nightclubs and Lounges found onboard are the D Lounge, Currents, Ooh La La (Pink on the Dream), Skyline (with changing background behind the bar), Cove Cafe, Bon Voyage, La Piazza, The Tube, O’Gills Pub (687 on the Dream), Meridian, and Vista Cafe. The adult lounge area is called Europa, while on the Dream it is called The District. There are three stage shows currently performed in the opulent 1,340 seat Walt Disney Theater. Frozen: A Musical Spectacular features impressive Michael Curry designed Sven and Olaf puppets. Disney’s Believe is also presented on the Dream (and it made me cry), telling the story of a Dad who doesn’t believe in magic connecting with his teenage daughter. Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular is the show I would most want to see because it has a funny Genie and state of the art special effects, like the old California Adventure show. A first for the cruising industry was the AquaDuck water coaster. This special water slide premiered on the Dream and was also built on the Fantasy. A 765-foot clear tube encircles the top deck taking riders on a one minute trip down and up along the way. Right after the two person raft launches it goes over the side of the ship in a loop, 150 feet over the ocean below. Water gushes at 10,000 gallons a minute to move the rafts around the tube. There’s cool lighting effects around the forward funnel and ‘tween club patrons can watch the rafts pass by through an opaque window. Huey, Dewey, and Louie built the slide, but Uncle Donald wanted to ride first. Look at the ship’s funnel to see what happened to him. The standard lifeboat color is orange, but Disney got permission from the International Maritime Organization to paint their twenty lifeboats yellow. This fits with the “Mickey Mouse” color scheme of the ship: black, white, red, and yellow. REFERENCE: The Unofficial Guide: Disney Cruise Line 2019, Erin Foster, Len Testa, & Ritchey Halphen, 2019, AdventureKEEN Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line, Jim Korkis, 2020, Theme Park Press Fodor’s The Complete Guide to Caribbean Cruises 4th edition, Carrie Parker, 2012, Fodor’s Travel Disney Fantasy Fact Sheet (DCL News): https://dclnews.com/fact-sheets/2018/...