Trip Report We're Sailing on the Fan-ta-sy!

The title sounds a lot cooler if you sing it to the tune of the Festival of Fantasy parade: a song that plays very frequently on our car rides. So it was only fitting that I altered the lyrics slightly to hype up the kids for their first Disney Cruise... on the Disney Fantasy! I booked this cruise the first day I could back in November 2023 after I got the serious itch to go Disney Cruising at the beginning of the year. I held out all 2024 in favor of the perfect itinerary and in hopes that we would be 42 inches tall to ride the AquaDuck. Then the waiting began. The kids knew about it from the moment I booked because I can't keep my mouth shut. They were excited, but the excitement really ramped up a few months out, asking every day to see the countdown and trying out everything from formal to pirate outfits. Also ramping up for me was the anxiety. I tracked the weather obsessively, worried that it would be too cold for us to enjoy the water or walking around the deck. I became an even bigger germaphobe than I already was, and hounded everyone to stay healthy. I just wanted it to be everything we dreamed it would be, but it was out of my hands. I would just have to take a deep breath and hope for smooth sailing.

Who: Our family of 4 - myself, husband J, son Nemo (6), daughter Boo (4)
What: 5-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
When: January 19 - January 24, 2025
Where: Nassau, Disney Castaway Cay, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
Why: J and I have been on two Disney Cruises. A 4-Night Bahamian Cruise on the Disney Dream in 2012 and a 4-Night Bahamian-turned-Caribbean Cruise on the Disney Magic in 2015. It's been a whole decade since we've been on a Disney Cruise, and it would be a great way to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. But mostly, our Walt Disney World-loving kids were so ready to experience some Disney magic at sea!

We flew into MCO the day before the cruise. We were staying at the Hyatt and taking Disney transportation to Port Canaveral. Was it the most cost-efficient option? No. Was it the easiest and most advantageous? It sure was. Nemo woke up in the morning and said “I think my wish is coming true today. I get to go on my very first cruise.” We were on the first bus to the port and were in the terminal before 11am. The kids were thrilled to see the boat from the window.

Boo: It’s the cruise boat!
Nemo: Yup, that's our boat!

The display provided lots of entertainment while we waited for embark. There were also lots of cute photo opportunities. Nemo saw the pressed penny machine and really wanted them, so I had to oblige. Although they aren't as cool anymore if you don't get to crank them.

We walked up the gangway and entered the Atrium to the announcement of our party. "Party?!" When I told Nemo that they were welcoming our family, he made an aw shucks face. Look who was there to greet us right away. Captain Mickey!

The Atrium was beautiful. Everything was gleaming gold and the chandelier was gorgeous. I loved the Dream's chandelier and could see the Art Deco vs Art Nouveau distinction.

We took the fancy elevator up to Deck 11 and the kids were taking all the newness in. Lilo and Stitch on Funnel Vision? AquaDuck? Pools? There was too much to process! The weather was very pleasant for the moment. The forecast had called for 100% chance of rain this afternoon, so we would have to see what that would mean for the Sail Away Party.

We went straight to Cabanas. There is no other way. I loaded the kids up on beef, fish, broccoli, and of course, mac and cheese. They ate it all before I came back with my own plate of food. We dined next to the window with a view of a Carnival ship which Nemo kept saying was "SO COOL" and I was like... c'mon man. We ate happily, vacation was finally here.

Nemo: There's a bird in here.
Me: *stuffing my face* Oh, really? How did it get in here?"
Nemo: No, look behind you.

Next up on the agenda was to visit the Oceaneer Club for the Open House. We were not planning on dropping the kids off there by themselves this trip, so Open Houses would be the only way we could all visit. They had the coolest hand washing station there. They loved it and so did I. DCL was taking cleanliness very seriously and it was appreciated.

J and I popped into the Open Houses on our other cruises just to see the space, and we dreamed of taking our own children someday. That day was here, and they were running across the floor and we couldn't stop smiling. They ran straight for the Star Wars: Command Post and Boo piloted a spacecraft. Nemo got an AT-AT for Christmas and screamed "AT-AT!" when he saw it.

Andy's Room was the other highlight. They sat in RC Car and turned the wheel furiously. "The eyes move!" of course they do. That's Disney magic! That's something Nemo has been telling me a lot recently. "Disney magic is real!" Since we were early, people were still boarding and/or eating, we had the whole room to ourselves for a bit.

Connected to the Oceaneer Club was the Oceaneer Lab. The kids went to The Wheelhouse to steer their own ship. I literally had a picture of J doing the same thing all those years ago. Just one of those surreal moments. There was also Animator's Studio where they could choose a character drawing and trace it on the lighted table. Boo made Nemo a Pooh Bear drawing that said "Hero Hunny" which he laughed at, and then kept saying for the rest of the day. When we left the Lab, we saw a tiny stateroom door for the Muppets. The kids tried to open it with the MagicBands that were lent to us for the kids club, but no success.

Deck 5 is lined with hilarious artwork. Nemo would explain what was happening in each one to us, and this one was his favorite. Coincidentally, it was my favorite on the Dream as well. Looking at all the artwork around the ship is truly one of my favorite things.

 

[belledream]

These made me stop in my tracks. I want them!

We were on our way to Deck 4 to visit the D Lounge. They had 3D Paper Crafts going on in there. It was a cruise ship, so that was perfect. The kids appreciated the ships Mommy and Daddy made for them. Then we walked down to the Atrium on Deck 3 and saw an absolute downpour taking place from the gangway. It seemed like embarkation had paused and I was feeling really grateful we weren't stuck in that. We took some pictures in front of the pretty mosaics and then continued down one more deck to our room.

We were on Deck 2. Immediately walking down to that floor brought me back. The glass flower decor, the vases in the walls, they were long lost memories. Our room was ready and the kids were so excited to go in. They ran straight for the porthole and sat in it, just as I had envisioned. I adored the curtain, my favorite lampshade, and the split bathrooms again. The room is definitely a lot smaller when you have double the amount of people in it... good thing we all like each other. Nemo was very invested in the bunk bed and wanted to make sure it would be happening.

Our luggage had not arrived yet so we did not stay long. We decided to go up to Deck 11 to get some ice cream. We got the cool corner elevator this time and like another long lost friend, we were surprised to see a bunch of characters going up with us. Carl, Russell, and Dug, the 3 Good Fairies, the Incredibles, Dumbo, Three Caballeros, and Mickey and Goofy flying a plane. The kids were overtaken with all the magic. We got our ice cream from Eye Scream, except Nemo. He doesn't like ice cream but he does just eat the cone. The rain had stopped, but the pool deck had flooded and Boo got her shoes wet, so we went back to the room to drop them off. This is different from park life for sure, where we never go back to the room. We met our Stateroom Host this time. His name was Sana. He was from Indonesia. He was so friendly and pleasant. I told Nemo to ask politely for the bunk bed and he did, and Sana assured him that he would have it ready for him during turndown service.

We ended up back at the Oceaneer Club, which was more crowded now, but things were happening. We met C-3PO and there were games going on on the PlayFloor in the Lab. I looked away for a second and looked back to see Boo and Nemo holding hands and jumping up and down together on the floor. My heart... it was the sweetest thing.

We decided to go visit Europa, the bar area, while there was nothing going on. One thing about my kids is that they find entertainment in anything. Little things excite them. I have never heard them say something is "boring" or that they are "bored." Therefore, they loved The Tube. No one was there and they went in the phone booths and gave us a small performance on the stage. Boo is a little dancer. She even told me when she grows up, she wants to be "a star." They stood on the chairs and grabbed the hand rails and pretended to be on the metro. In the nearby La Piazza, there was a cool motorcycle/sidecar that they played in. We explored the Skyline lounge where Nemo found a small green duck hidden in the bookshelf. He was confused when I told him he could keep it. I never really understood why people do things like hide ducks but now I kind of get it. The kids were really excited about it and we ended up finding four more during the cruise. But while I’m ranting, I also don’t get Fish Extenders... like why do kids need gifts when they're on a Disney Cruise? Is that not enough already? And why do people decorate their doors to make it look like a college dorm? Too much STUFF… I want the clean, classy look. But again, the kids loved it. And that being said, I did come prepared with three homemade DCL themed magnets cause I knew I would get questions about it.

The sun was out again but it had cooled down a bit and was probably not swimming weather. The AquaLab looked SO cool. I couldn't wait to go tomorrow. Like, I actually wanted to go and play too.

We were slowing down, but were happy to just be exploring the ship. Nemo had even asked me before we got on, “Since you have been on a cruise before, will you give me a tour?” We did the Muster Drill and they were shockingly well-behaved. Then it was Elevator Wars to get up the Deck 12 to watch the Sailing Away Party. I held Boo the whole time and we bopped to the music. She likes watching the dancers. Nemo went in and out of watching and was more interested in watching us pull away from port. We are sailing, sailing away… made me teary-eyed. We were here. It was actually happening.

We left the party when they started playing real world music. No thanks! We made our way to the very front of the ship where all was quiet. Until the ship horn blared the classic "When You Wish Upon a Star" and other tunes. Nemo was excited that we were following the Carnival boat. He also found a “not-so hidden-speaker” which made everyone around laugh and then he struck up conversations with these adults. He is a better conversationalist than us.

When we hit open water, we went back to our stateroom to relax and get ready for dinner. Our luggage was here so J and I unpacked. J said, “You brought 5 pairs of shoes?”

Seeing us moving along through our porthole so close to the water was something else. We were all were mesmerized. The kids sat in the porthole with their hands and noses pressed up against the window and Boo said, "This is so beautiful!" and "Wow the clouds are pink!" I asked them where we were going and they said, "Bahamas!" Then they shut the curtains in their porthole and claimed it "The Kid's Club No Adults Allowed.”

 

[belledream]

First up on our Dining Rotation was Enchanted Garden, my personal favorite, and right outside our room. We are those overdressed people on the cruise. Boo was so cute in her new dress with a bow in her hair and Nemo was handsome in a brand new white polo. We were Table 2 which made me jokingly wonder, was I one of the first people to book this thing? The kids went right for the kids menu and colored feverishly. Boo's coloring has improved a lot. She was using appropriate colors for Rapunzel's hair, dress, and everything. She can also do pretty advanced mazes no problem. Our Servers were Sashelle from Jamaica, and Allan from Brazil. Both were very nice and welcoming, and brought the kids their requested lemonade right away. Nemo circled Mac and Cheese on his menu but I told Sashelle he would actually be getting the pork. Same with Boo. They both ate well and I felt relief that I don't normally feel on Disney World trips.

J and I split all four appetizers and left nothing to waste.

Prosciutto, Mozzarella, and Tomato Bruschetta: delicious.

Fried Spice Calamari: so delicious, even the kids both tried it.

Smoke Salmon Carpaccio: delicious, but to be fair, anything smoked salmon we will devour.

Chicken Bastilla: okay. I barely remember it.

Clam Chower: always delicious.

For the main course, I chose Pan-Seared Halibut. I mainly chose it for the smashed green peas. I had a pea puree at Cabanas earlier and couldn't stop thinking about it. Very good meal.

No question, J was going to get the Pork Tenderloin Wellington. He's never had one before and this was his chance. He liked it but did wish it was beef instead.

For dessert, I got the Dark Chocolate Bombe. Chocolate and raspberry are two of my favorite combinations and I shamelessly ate ever last bit.

J got the Kahlua Creme Brulee. The kids ate the biscuits on top, and each ordered a Mickey Ice Cream Bar which came in a dish with a good amount of Mickey sprinkles. Dipping the ice cream parts into the sprinkles enticed Nemo to eat some. Boo's face was a mess and she was proud of it.

 

[belledream]

It was a wonderful first dinner and with so many more to come, I was feeling very grateful. We stopped by the fountain to admire and they grabbed hands again and pretended to dance a little.

I absolutely love how we watched the sun set in the restaurant. Nemo even noticed that the flower lights were originally closed and had now opened.

Dropped a few things off in our room and saw Sana there. The bunk bed was in progress. He kept the room divider curtain drawn to keep it a surprise for later. We went upstairs to the shops, which were a madhouse and I honestly was not impressed with the merchandise. Not as much cruise specific merchandise as I thought there would be. It was just not our jam or scene there. They were tired. We came back to the room and were all smiles when the bunk bed was revealed. Also, the towel animal would become a highlight every night.

While they showered, I got a few homemade surprises ready for them. I had brought our old Castaway Club lanyards and put keychains I had won from Disney music trivia on our Magic cruise, and Minnie and Mickey keychains from home. I told them they could store their pressed pennies from the port in them and it would be both a useful and meaningful souvenir. Nemo asked where I got it from and I just said playfully, "Oh you know." He smiled at me. He just knew it was that Mommy magic.

They were giddy on the bunk beds. I designed a pulley system from them out of our sand bucket and the new lanyards to pull their stuffed animals up and down (or swing, as I saw them invent while I was watching from the shower door mirror). J went up to Deck 11 to get some fruit at Flo’s Cafe and they shared it while watching a few short cartoons before bed. It was the perfect little evening we needed after two days of stop and go travel. Nemo was so excited to sleep on the top bunk. I was not quite sure how comfortable I would feel with him sleeping up there, and I totally forgot once I saw how happy he was. There were even constellations on the ceiling! How cool is that? Boo was also so happy and proud in her lower bunk and I waved to her from the bed. We pulled the room divider curtain, which was so handy. I need these at resort rooms so I don't have to hide under the covers to use my phone.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Great start, looking forward to more. It’s lovely to read how magical your children are finding everything, mine were a similar age on our first cruise and absolutely loved it.

 

[Tiki Traveler]

Following and singing along!

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Following along.

 

[belledream]

Great start, looking forward to more. It’s lovely to read how magical your children are finding everything, mine were a similar age on our first cruise and absolutely loved it.

Thank you! That’s so nice. I definitely feel like we hit the a sweet spot for introducing them to this side of Disney.

Following and singing along!

Yay! Away we go.

Following along.

Welcome aboard!

 

[belledream]

I don't sleep very much on vacation. Too much excitement I suppose. I laid in bed for a few hours until it started to get light outside and took a peek out of the porthole window. Watching the water go by to the hum of the ship was soothing.

I also got bathroom pictures since it was impossible to get them in all the chaos the previous day.

I do enjoy the split bathroom, but with so much stuff this time, I kept forgetting which one everything was in. Thus, I kept having to move between the two which made me feel silly.

Everyone was starting to wake up and were praising the bunk bed. I felt they did sleep better in comparison to when they share a bed at Disney and are constantly rolling on top of each other. While they rested in their beds and looked out the window, I decided to go take a walk by myself. The hallways were nice and quiet and just had that yummy hotel smell.

Turning these corners never failed to make me smile. And those green vases I was talking about earlier.

J joked that we were on Deck 2 "with all the poors" but the more we explored the ship, the more I appreciated the extra touches and space that wasn't just all staterooms. I would stay on Deck 2 again in a heartbeat.

Plus, the curved staircase walk right up to the Atrium was always a treat. All nice and empty early in the morning.

Fancy elevators dripping in gold on the outside and the inside.

And a closeup of this jaw-dropping chandelier. I will never get over it.

I was treated to a beautiful sunrise on Deck 4.

I took in the breeze for a little bit before deciding to go get my party so they could see it as well. And of course, we had breakfast at Cabanas waiting for us.

 

[belledream]

The kids wandered curiously after me to Deck 4. They were intrigued but obviously unfamiliar with their new home. We played some shuffleboard and had a few falls on the slippery deck, but no harm done. We could already see improvement in their skills.

Cabanas opened at 7:30am and we were there. I loaded up plates with Mickey waffles, cinnamon rolls, eggs benedict, croissants, muffins, yogurt, eggs, sausages, and bacon, and everyone just took what they wanted. We sat next to the ocean and it was windy but warm enough to be pleasant.

Outside Cabanas, I told them, "Someone wants to see you." Nemo took a picture with Nigel, and Boo hovered in the corner, not sure how she felt about it.

It was still early and things hadn't opened yet, so we just wandered and scoped out everything we'd want to do (or eat) later.

We went up to Deck 12 and Timon and Pumbaa were giving some of their Wild About Safety tips. We're big Timon and Pumbaa fans over here and had to stop and watch a bit.

Nassau was coming into view. We watched as the pilot boat came closer and closer to ours so the pilot could hop on and steer us into port.

The kids think Donald is hilarious. Boo always asks, "Why is Donald so grumpy?" Well, this is why. I told them Donald tested the AquaDuck for safety so they could go on it later.

We wouldn't be getting off the ship today, but it was cool to watch us move in.

All while playing a round of Goofy Golf, of course. Nemo was focused on getting through the tricky/fun parts of the course and didn’t really care much for getting the ball in the hole after that. Boo would just hit and continue to walk through. Though she loved taking a few balls from the bucket and putting them in the no return hole at the end.

I even hit a casual one-handed hole-in-one at the end and J couldn’t believe my luck.

 

[belledream]

Nemo had been telling everyone it’s his first cruise and that it’s his first time sleeping on a bunk bed. We went back to our room to get our autograph book for Royal Gathering and saw that it had been folded back up for the day. Nemo checked with Sana to ensure that it was going to come back, and that it was his first cruise and that it’s his first time sleeping on a bunk bed. Anyways, Royal Gathering. Boo was jumpy and smiley while we (hardly) waited to meet the princesses. She went right up to Cinderella, Tiana, Jasmine, and Belle. Nemo was a good sport and gave hugs. You can tell he's still excited and believes in it. While they're not the most interactive children when it comes to characters, it's always fun for them. Worth the midnight rush.

After that, it was finally time to get wet. We changed into our swimsuits and headed up to the pools. We admired the colorful buildings of Nassau.

We hopped in the Mickey Pool just to get kicked out cause someone pooped. Good thing we were only there for a literal second. We pivoted to the AquaLab and oh my goodness, it was Disney adorableness personified. Leaky pipes from above, spraying jets from below, water tanks, splash zones, Plug the Leak, and buckets of water being dumped on top of us.

They used their sunhats to block the jets of water and did it for at least 30 minutes. I had such an enjoyable time just watching them up close and from high above while also watching J play some basketball.

There was also a narrow pool, basically a fountain, on the side of the ship that had bubble fountains that the kids liked to sit under. On the Dream, it was where the hot tub was. We unfortunately did not get any hot tub time this trip.

But when one door closes, another door opens because now that we had kids, we were able to go into Nemo's Reef!

Boo lined up for the Mr. Ray slide all by herself. My big girl.

There was also what I imagine the Rainforest Room is like, but for children, where they could walk under the curtain of rain and sit on a coral chair and enjoy the ambiance. Yeah, the spa is still not our thing.

I just loved it all.

Boo was cold so we left J and Nemo, who was using his hat to collect water from the rain curtain, and get some drinks. I would dilute the juice so they could have a sweet drink that wasn't terrible for them. I told Boo to save some for Nemo and she said, "Nemo can have his own." Well alright then, I guess that's true. We brought the drinks back to the table where J and Nemo were watching a lifeboat drill.

We hopped in line for the AquaDuck a few minutes before noon when it opened, and it was quite long, but moving. When we reached the staircase, people started walking down. Apparently the conveyor belt got stuck and so yeah, we weren't riding. I promised the kids that we would make it happen and they were fine with it. The good news is that we did measure Boo and she would be tall enough! We were quickly distracted with mac and cheese at Cabanas. Nemo insisted on sitting at the high table under the umbrella, but it did not fit the normal plates. So J and I sat at the next table with them behind us. They ate so quietly I almost forgot they were there at times while I chowed down on crab legs that J cracked for me. Later on, I'd realize that I'm a lot better at it than he is so I would take over. I took the kids to the dessert area and they both screamed Jello-O! I had a delicious raspberry cheesecake and was seriously just eating everything without a second thought. No food pictures though because we are hungry monsters.