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]

Looking out our porthole on the final morning, we were already back at Port Canaveral. Same exact spot with a view of the gangway, where I watched some people walk off in the wee hours of the morning. I, myself, went for one last walk.

One last chance to soak in the smells, sounds, and feelings that a simple hallway can evoke.

I went up the Atrium and then Deck 4, and it was absolutely frigid. Thankful that we spent the coldest week of winter on those sunny beaches. I didn't linger because I wanted to give J an opportunity to walk around too. He braved the cold and went up to Deck 12 for a last look.

On Deck 13, he saw the Wish docked right next to us, which is a rare sight to see.

He came back down and we watched out our porthole a little more, and did some last checks before waking Nemo and Boo right before 7am. They were sleeping like little angels. Boo climbed up to Nemo's bunk and they "stargazed" one more time and were all over each other in laughter. As Boo would say, "We are hilarwious."

We said goodbye to our stateroom and Nemo turned out the lights (he is "the light person" because his Key to the World card was always the one stuck on the wall) and Boo closed the door one final time (she is "the door person" because she can't be left out of a job). We saw Sana one last time and thanked him for everything, and then we rolled right on into Enchanted Garden in our PJs. Well, the kids did.

They are big breakfast eaters, so I ordered them Belgian Waffles and Buttermilk Pancakes off the main menu. I had Eggs for the Road, and J had the Denver Omelet, plus some smoked salmon. I also ordered Nature's Muesli, which, being mixed in milk and honey, was one of the tastiest things I had on this cruise. We were actually brought us two, and J downed the whole thing as well. We said our goodbyes to Sashelle and Allan, and were ready to head out. Before we walked up to the Atrium, I told the kids to go see their favorite painting one more time.

Debarkation was quick and seamless. We were on the bus before we knew it. As we started moving, we waved goodbye to the Fantasy and to Dumbo, and also to the Wish and Rapunzel. Nemo seemed to have found the answer to his own question: ("What's our next cruise going to be?") "Maybe our next cruise will be on the Wish!" Boo concurred. Maybe, my dears.

I am determined to continue making magic for them. I've printed out our stateroom porthole number and fake paper magnets for them to decorate their bedroom doors. They walk around at home with a Midship Detective Agency map and I make up clues for them to find around the house and solve a mystery. They draw pictures of the ship with Mickey puffs of smoke coming out of the smokestack and play make-believe with their pets yelling, "I'm going to the Atrium!" One night, while I was tucking Nemo in bed, I was reminded of this beautiful memory: we had been browsing the shop onboard one day and he saw a pin that stuck with him. Later that night, from the top of his bunk, he said, "Mommy, my happy place is with you."

A cruise is a totally different world than the parks, yet because of Disney's steadfast attention to detail and service, all the good things felt quite familiar. The music, the decor, the storytelling, the comfortability, the support... it was all there. Our first Disney Cruise as a Family of 4 had been a resounding success. We embarked on this new journey and experienced so much joy in living daily life out of our little stateroom, eating to our heart's content, AquaLab during the day, AquaDuck during the night, and exploring every nook and cranny of the Disney Fantasy. Our days at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay were nothing short of magical. The islands were good to us, and we made some memories that will last forever. We had been waiting and waiting to go on a cruise, just needing a little more time to make it right. I truly feel like we hit the jackpot with the kids' ages. They were big enough to do all the cool things that a kid can only dream about, but little enough that they genuinely adored everything that they came across. Honestly, I don't see that changing anytime soon. They both have this spirit where they see the good in everything. From bunk beds to kids menus, to towel animals to just running down a hallway... everything is worth celebrating to them. To see them engulfed in curiosity at every turn, enveloped in happiness with every look at me... it was everything I could have hoped for and more. And for me and J? It's been ten years since our last cruise, and we're celebrating ten years of marriage this year. How did I get so lucky to find a guy who had never been to Disney in his life, and fall in love with it as much as me? Counting my blessings for all the time we got to spend with each other and with our family on this cruise. Another dream come true.

And that concludes our first adventure aboard the Disney Fantasy. It's been a whirlwind, but a good one at that. If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading!

 

[meggo819]

Looking out our porthole on the final morning, we were already back at Port Canaveral. Same exact spot with a view of the gangway, where I watched some people walk off in the wee hours of the morning. I, myself, went for one last walk.
View attachment 842170
One last chance to soak in the smells, sounds, and feelings that a simple hallway can evoke.
View attachment 842172
I went up the Atrium and then Deck 4, and it was absolutely frigid. Thankful that we spent the coldest week of winter on those sunny beaches. I didn't linger because I wanted to give J an opportunity to walk around too. He braved the cold and went up to Deck 12 for a last look.
View attachment 842169
On Deck 13, he saw the Wish docked right next to us, which is a rare sight to see.
View attachment 842173
He came back down and we watched out our porthole a little more, and did some last checks before waking Nemo and Boo right before 7am. They were sleeping like little angels. Boo climbed up to Nemo's bunk and they "stargazed" one more time and were all over each other in laughter. As Boo would say, "We are hilarwious."

We said goodbye to our stateroom and Nemo turned out the lights (he is "the light person" because his Key to the World card was always the one stuck on the wall) and Boo closed the door one final time (she is "the door person" because she can't be left out of a job). We saw Sana one last time and thanked him for everything, and then we rolled right on into Enchanted Garden in our PJs. Well, the kids did.

They are big breakfast eaters, so I ordered them Belgian Waffles and Buttermilk Pancakes off the main menu. I had Eggs for the Road, and J had the Denver Omelet, plus some smoked salmon. I also ordered Nature's Muesli, which, being mixed in milk and honey, was one of the tastiest things I had on this cruise. We were actually brought us two, and J downed the whole thing as well. We said our goodbyes to Sashelle and Allan, and were ready to head out. Before we walked up to the Atrium, I told the kids to go see their favorite painting one more time.
View attachment 842176
Debarkation was quick and seamless. We were on the bus before we knew it. As we started moving, we waved goodbye to the Fantasy and to Dumbo, and also to the Wish and Rapunzel. Nemo seemed to have found the answer to his own question: ("What's our next cruise going to be?") "Maybe our next cruise will be on the Wish!" Boo concurred. Maybe, my dears.

I am determined to continue making magic for them. I've printed out our stateroom porthole number and fake paper magnets for them to decorate their bedroom doors. They walk around at home with a Midship Detective Agency map and I make up clues for them to find around the house and solve a mystery. They draw pictures of the ship with Mickey puffs of smoke coming out of the smokestack and play make-believe with their pets yelling, "I'm going to the Atrium!" One night, while I was tucking Nemo in bed, I was reminded of this beautiful memory: we had been browsing the shop onboard one day and he saw a pin that stuck with him. Later that night, from the top of his bunk, he said, "Mommy, my happy place is with you."

A cruise is a totally different world than the parks, yet because of Disney's steadfast attention to detail and service, all the good things felt quite familiar. The music, the decor, the storytelling, the comfortability, the support... it was all there. Our first Disney Cruise as a Family of 4 had been a resounding success. We embarked on this new journey and experienced so much joy in living daily life out of our little stateroom, eating to our heart's content, AquaLab during the day, AquaDuck during the night, and exploring every nook and cranny of the Disney Fantasy. Our days at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay were nothing short of magical. The islands were good to us, and we made some memories that will last forever. We had been waiting and waiting to go on a cruise, just needing a little more time to make it right. I truly feel like we hit the jackpot with the kids' ages. They were big enough to do all the cool things that a kid can only dream about, but little enough that they genuinely adored everything that they came across. Honestly, I don't see that changing anytime soon. They both have this spirit where they see the good in everything. From bunk beds to kids menus, to towel animals to just running down a hallway... everything is worth celebrating to them. To see them engulfed in curiosity at every turn, enveloped in happiness with every look at me... it was everything I could have hoped for and more. And for me and J? It's been ten years since our last cruise, and we're celebrating ten years of marriage this year. How did I get so lucky to find a guy who had never been to Disney in his life, and fall in love with it as much as me? Counting my blessings for all the time we got to spend with each other and with our family on this cruise. Another dream come true.

And that concludes our first adventure aboard the Disney Fantasy. It's been a whirlwind, but a good one at that. If you’ve gotten this far, thanks for reading!

Beautiful words to end with!