jptsr1

Just back off the Dream and the DND sign was in place but probably didn't need to be. Not sure we left the room one time and the steward didn't pop his head out. This guy was like a ninja. I also don't remember him knocking even when we didn't have the sign out. Probably the best service we have had on any cruise.

We split time between RC and Disney. I think it all depends on what exactly you are looking for. I don't think RC compares to Disney in terms of the face to face service or activities for kids. I like RC's boats better and think there's loads more adult activities. We just came back from a cruise on the Dream and it was the first time my daughter (9) didn't do any kids club stuff. She asked if we could do Aulain next year instead of a cruise. If she stays her course we will likely be headed back to RC for the cruises we do. Disney service is great but the price is too high if my kid isn't participating in the activities.

Nothing compares to Disney when cruising with young children. For cruises without the kids I prefer Royal Caribbean. Completely different experience though.

There has been varied reports on higher prices' date=' some a lot and some not. We just booked a late March 2017 cruise on the Fantasy again, with only a $140 difference form this last weeks Fantasy.. All the lines are raising prices.[/color']

 

 

AKK

Definitely true about the food. I didn't care for it but others mileage may vary.

I make it a point not to talk to other peoples kids when their parents aren't present but I was certainly tempted a few times.

I hope you are right about the prices. This trip lined up perfectly with spring break for NJ schools. I would definitely do it again at the right price.

Just a bit more info on this - I copied this in the past from person who's much more knowledgeable about ship's workings than I am:

 

All cruise ships - for safety reasons - are divided into several Vertical Fire Zones.

These zones are nearly self-sufficient - especially with regards to ventilation.

This allows the Captain to completely seal off one or more zones to prevent the spread of smoke or fire, while the remaining zones can be operated more or less normally.

 

As a result, as many as 60-90 cabins -in a vertical configuration that covers several decks - are serviced by the same ventilation and A/C systems.

 

First, let's debunk a myth. You cannot turn OFF the ventilation to your cabin. You can turn down the cool air feed from the A/C, and some ships will allow you to turn down the fan speed.

But you cannot turn it OFF. Only a ship's engineer can do that.

 

The reason being that most ships are designed for the ventilation system to maintain an overpressure of air in ALL passenger cabins. This is a safety measure for fire emergencies.

In case of fire, the overpressure in your cabin will cause smoke and flames to move away from your cabin - rather than toward, or into it.

 

What happens when you leave your balcony door open?

The overpressure from your cabin disappears as the air rushes outside.

The ventilation system attempts to compensate by robbing the cool overpressure air from all your neighbors, pumping it into your cabin. But the overpressure is never achieved, so long as you leave your balcony door open. The system continues to take cool air from your neighbors as long as your door remains open.

 

Despite many caution notices in the daily programs, and occasional reminders in announcements, there is a certain percentage of cruisers who cannot or will not pay attention. They continue to leave their doors open, causing A/C problems for their neighbors, and safety hazards for themselves in case of fire.

 

A few cruise lines attempted to work around these careless people by installing magnetic switches on the balcony doors. These switches would automatically turn off the ventilation to any cabin with a balcony door left open.

But some enterprising passengers discovered that placing a small magnet near this switch would keep the switch open and the A/C pumping into their room - even though the doors are open.

These clever people then posted this information on Cruise Critic on numerous occasions, allowing their fellow cruisers to defeat the safety mechanisms, and cause continuing A/C problems for the cruise lines.

I am only willing to post that info here as the cruise lines have all but given up their attempts to convince cruisers to act responsibly. They have stopped installing the magnetic switches on the balcony doors.

They have instead decided to rely on passengers' common sense - which as we well know is not very common on cruise ships any more.

WOW!!!! I never thought twice about this before. Now that I know though it seems pretty obvious something bad could happen. There were two incidents during this cruise that I never experienced before. Both fit right into your info. One time we had the veranda door open and the suction was so strong I couldn't pull the cabin door open. I'm not the hulk but I am 6 foot 4 and most of the way to 370 pounds. I thought something was wrong with the lock and then it finally gave way when I put my back into it. Another time the door opened just fine but seconds after every piece of paper in the room was sucked out into the hall.

In any case, I'm sold. No more open Veranda. Thanks again.

Pic backing into Castaway. Zoom in and you can clearly see there's plenty staff on the Island before the ships even tied up. Trams are moving, staff are on the beach excursion operators are already setting up. So unless they jumped off and swam ahead......

 

How could you tell which crew live on the island and which come from the ship and differentiate the lower quality and not as friendly crew?

 

Was the scotch and pool good?

I'm guessing with the grill so close a good time was had!

Did you have trouble navigating such a large ship and getting back to your Stateroom?

 

ex techie

 

Good point. Perhaps I am assuming just based on the letdown in service that they couldn't have been crew from the ship. Maybe I am wrong and they were the ships crew. That would make it a little more disappointing really. The smokers however were parasail operators and right in the area just behind the ship near the Castaway sign. We were on the last tram back and they didn't look like they were making any moves to get on the boat.

 

Scotch was ok. They never have what I drink on cruises but I was happy to find better selections than Dewer's and Johnny Black. The grill food wasn't awesome but the pool area was incredible. The bartenders in whatever that little inside bar is called and in the pool bar were on another level. We drank inside a couple of days and then decided to sit outside one afternoon. The bartender inside brought my wife's favorite wine and a plate of cheese out to the area we were sitting at the pool seemingly seconds after we sat down. I mentioned not caring for the food at the grill to the bartender at the pool when he asked how our cruise was going and he sent someone to grab a few things for us from the kitchen. The service on this boat was incredible!

 

The last cruise we were on was the inaugural sailing of the Quantum of the seas which was HUGE. In comparison it was actually easier to find my way around then the Fantasy. All the tech on the Quantum really made getting from point A to point B simple. As you can see from the post above I'm still a little confused about the Fantasy layout. The Quantum kind of guided you where you wanted to go and the main attractions were all a little closer together. Even with the size difference I probably logged more steps on the Fantasy than the Quantum.

 

No trouble finding the bars though.

If I could add s note for the OP that is directly related to tipping and use of the MDR - please know that the people who serve dinners in the MDR are the same folks who serve you at breakfast in the buffet and dining room and at lunch on deck and in the dining room and buffet. We even saw our Palo server bussing tables in the buffet the next morning. They also all work on Castaway Cay, helping the buffet, cleaning the drink and ice cream area, etc. So just because you do not eat in the MDR each night does not mean that they are not providing you service in some area during your vacation. Please tip accordingly.

Was just about to type that. We saw our wait staff all over the boat and felt we got exceptional service from them everywhere we went to eat when they were on duty. I didn't enjoy the food for the most part but the service was great. That follow me dining or whatever they call it may be a gimmick but it worked on us. Our dining staff knew our names and went out of their way to make us feel special even when they saw us in Cabanas or out on deck. I don't fault anyone for tightening the purse strings, our Disney cruise was relatively expensive, but when envelope time came around we did a little extra for them like we felt they did for us. Don't even get me started on the stateroom attendant. I felt that dude was waiting outside my door the whole cruise just to see if we needed anything. 80 bucks would have been disrespectful for the type of service he gave us.

Well, there are signs in the rooms requesting that you keep the door closed. It has to do with messing up the air-conditioning system.

 

Holy cow! I saw that first sign and just took it as a suggestion. Never realized it could screw something up. AC makes me sick so I've slept with the door open for all or most of a dozen cruises. Once my brain is in vacation mode its kind of like cruise control.

Thanks for the info.

The bottom of the second picture is the railing that's located two decks up and forward of the Quiet Cove pool.

 

All that that you've described is the Quiet Cove pool. That's all located between the midship and forward elevators, not in the aft of the ship.

 

The midship and forward elevators are closer together than the midship and aft elevators are.

 

This picture is taken from deck 12 starboard (right above where you're saying you go through the frosted screens). Currents bar is forward. The railing on the lower part of the picture you look over to Quiet Cove pool:

 

 

This picture is taken from deck 11 port side, looking up toward the area where the last picture was taken. Cove Cafe is to the right, Quiet Cove bar is straight ahead and Currents is two decks up on the left:

 

I'm figuring the adult pool that's like a retirement area you're referring to is Satellite Falls. That's all the way forward.

Those are the two spots I'm talking about. I stand corrected on mid vs aft (Still both adult only though).

Thanks.

The staff on Castaway Cay is the same staff as on the ship. There is a small group of people who remain on the island to care for the animals and facilities' date=' but the people who serve guests on Castaway Cay come from the ship....supposedly the same ship where they were super friendly. I don't know about Coco Cay.[/quote']

 

Pic backing into Castaway. Zoom in and you can clearly see there's plenty staff on the Island before the ships even tied up. Trams are moving, staff are on the beach excursion operators are already setting up. So unless they jumped off and swam ahead......

 

There is also a pool in the Adults only section at the rear behind the grill on 11. There is a pool there an outside bar and an inside bar with wine and scotch accessed by push button doors on both sides. There is a lounge area between the two and another adult only bar above.

 

I think you're a little mixed up. All the adult area pools/bars are forward.

 

On deck 11, forward, there's the Quiet Cove pool right behind the staterooms. Quiet Cove Bar is on the starboard side of it. And Cove Cafe is just aft of it. Those are all adult only spaces.

 

Then, on deck 12, right above Cove Cafe is the Funnel Puddle (small wading pool). That's not an adult-only area. Unless it's been changed.

 

Then, on deck 13, two decks above and forward of the Quiet Cove pool is Currents Bar. Adult only. And forward of the that (past the stack) is the Concierge Sun Deck, with the Satellite Falls area being all the way foward. Again another little wading/soaking pool. Adult only.

 

 

I'll sift through my pictures and see if i can find it. I believe the area I am talking about would be just about at the bottom of your last pic. When you come off the mid-ship elevator on 11 and make a left (from the vantage point of facing the little store) you come out a door between the grille and behind the giant movie screen. Another left and immediately past the second grille window on your left (condiments on your right) there are two frosted screens. Past them is an adult only area with two bars and a small pool. Up one flight is another family area and up another is an additional adult only bar. We tried the other adult pool in the front but it was a bit of a retirement home.

Cabin made of plastic??? On the Disney Fantasy that I've cruised on it is coated wood and metal. White noise pumped in???Never experienced this. You are on a ship' date=' and there is some creaking. We had one cabin with a loose panel and the creaking stopped when this was fixed.[/quote']

 

Picture of our cabin from in front of the veranda. Not sure what the walls were made of but it wasn't wood. All the trim you see along the top is plastic and thats where the creaking was coming from. Not sure if it was rubbing together or against the top of the wall but whatever it was it was loud.

 

I am surprised you could hear noise from the shuffleboard courts - they are on deck 4 and you were on 8. If anything, you would be more likely to hear voices from the pool deck. The entire ship pretty much shuts down at midnight - even the pools are closed and the pool deck food service is long closed at that point. And to be able to hear shuffleboard loud enough to be awakened from sleep from four decks away, you had to have been sleeping with the balcony door open, which is a big no-no.

 

I was surprised I could hear it as well. Why is sleeping with the veranda door open a "big no-no"? Never been a problem on any other cruise I've been on (actually other than Carnival I should say).

 

I have never had an issue with CASTAWAY Cay and over crowding. Most folks plop down on the first chair they find, but if you take the tram to the second stop, there is tons of space. The cabanas are booked up way in advance by suite and platinum guests.

 

Thats where we were and the beach was packed. We wound up grabbing some of the short chairs and staking out a claim on the beach behind the rocks near the water slide and pier bar. No spots to be had on either side if you didn't get out early.

 

I will agree with the hallway noise, if not the timing - my main complaint was always that people incessantly run in the hallways and slam doors. It was never an issue late at night, but it made it hard to take an afternoon nap...

I was out and about during the day. Only time the noise was an issue for me was at night.

Ummm....what ship/cruise line were you on? You said the Fantasy and I guessed that we the Disney Fantasy (Carnival also has a Fantasy)' date=' but there is so much misinformation in the post that I have to wonder.

 

Comments--"for its age" The Fantasy is the newest ship in the Disney fleet, I really don't understand the age comment

 

 

 

Co-co Cay??? Disney's private island is called Cataway Cay. Royal Caribbean has Coco Cay.

 

[b']Sorry, I meant Cast Away not Co-Co[/b]

 

The rear of the upper deck is adults? On the Disney Fantasy, the forward section contains the adult pool, spa, Satellite Falls, Cove Cafe, etc. The aft is where the mini golf is located, and also contains Cabanas, the casual restaurant.

 

There is also a pool in the Adults only section at the rear behind the grill on 11. There is a pool there an outside bar and an inside bar with wine and scotch accessed by push button doors on both sides. There is a lounge area between the two and another adult only bar above.

 

The staff on Castaway Cay is the same staff as on the ship. There is a small group of people who remain on the island to care for the animals and facilities, but the people who serve guests on Castaway Cay come from the ship....supposedly the same ship where they were super friendly. I don't know about Coco Cay.

 

Not all of the staff are the same. The vast majority are from the boat but there were many people already there on the Island as we pulled in.

 

Cabin made of plastic??? On the Disney Fantasy that I've cruised on it is coated wood and metal. White noise pumped in???Never experienced this. You are on a ship, and there is some creaking. We had one cabin with a loose panel and the creaking stopped when this was fixed.

 

All of the trim in our cabin was plastic and the walls were coated in what seemed like some sort of vinyl. Only wood was furniture.

 

There is a group for every age from 3-17. No child is "too old for the kids club but too young for teens. There is the Oceaneer's Lab for kids up to age 12, the Edge for kids 11-14, and the Vibe for 14-17. The overlaps are intentional so the kids and parents can evaluate where they best fit. The reason for packs of kids running the halls is that some parents get on board and think that a vacation means they do not have to supervise their children. And yes, this is a problem on most DCL cruises.

 

By too old I meant too old to want to go not that they weren't allowed.

 

I've seen price increases, but no where near 60%. There have been sizeable increases each of the last 3 years, but again, not to this extent.

Haven't attempted to book yet, just going on what I've read in the forum.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2343877

Just back from our 7 day aboard the Disney Fantasy and I thought I'd write put down some of my thoughts while they are fresh. We did the BVI, VI, Co-Co Cay run. It was spectacular with only a few misses here and there. Some things I think Disney can improve and some may just be the nature if cruising since I have experienced them on other lines as well.

First the positives.

-The ship is absolutely immaculate for its age. The crew does an incredible job keeping things tidy. Every corner ever crevice every surface inside is constantly being maintained by a staff member. It seemed at every port the outside of the ship was being painted. There were only two areas where they fell short which I will mention in the Cons section because they are biggies.

-The service is wonderful. Smiling faces on almost every staff member, helpful people everywhere on the ship. We didn't run into a single impolite staff member. In fact, most of the staff were so over the top polite and friendly that it made crew members who were only just pleasant seem like there was something wrong with them.

-Great activities for children and adults. Upper deck activities like the Aqua Duck and kids slide were great. There was also mini golf, basket ball courts, ping pong and a giant screen showing Disney movies almost 24/7.

-Nice adult areas. The rear of the upper deck is almost entirely dedicated to adults. There are a couple of nice bars, great sitting areas and an adult only pool that was fantastic. The bars and clubs below deck at the rear of the ship were nice as well. We didn't eat at either of the adult only restaurants but heard good things about them.

-The kids club is awesome. If you think you are going to have trouble getting any alone time think again. We thought dropping our 7yo off there was going to be a problem but it was just the opposite. She wanted to go every day and never called for a pickup less than 2 or 3 hours or so after we dropped her off. We even had to wake up a couple of times to take her to the late night pajama parties there. The security there is great too. I felt like I was withdrawing gold from Fort Knox every time I picked her up. Really well done.

-The shows and parties were good for the most part. We loved Aladdin but the other two shows seemed thrown together (still fun though). The movie theater was nice and the above deck parties were great. There was also plenty of meet and greet with all of the characters. You could get a picture with whatever character you wished and there was no in your face selling of the opportunities.

__________________

Cons:

-I would have to say that compared to the rest of the trip Co-Co Cay was a big disappointment. We didn't do any of the excursions there so it was really just about the beach and facilities. The island itself is not big enough to handle a ship the size of the Fantasy. Everyplace on the Island is super crowded and lines were long. Veterans of earlier cruises knew to heard off the ship like cattle as early as possible to steak out their little patch of sand. The other option is to pay extra for cabana service. The exclusive cabana beach had less than 100 people on a space about ¼ the size of the rest of the beach (which looked to hold the balance of the ships 4000 passengers). Had we of known we would have booked a cabana as soon as we boarded the ship.

-The resident staff at Co-Co were not of the same quality as the staff on board the ship. Not rude, but just a little less friendly. There were a couple staff members smoking on duty. Just a pet peeve of mine but I don't think I should be subject to the side effects of your disgusting habit. The island just seemed like a poorly designed last minute money grab for Disney. I would rather have skipped it.

-The next con was the food on board. Its passable but not great. I loved that they had peel and eat shrimp and crab legs every day at lunch on the buffet but the rest of the food there just wasn't very good. Same really with the formal sit-down dining. The food was just ok. Another problem we experienced over and over while dining was dirty dishes and utensils. We were switching out plates, forks and knives almost every meal. They weren't just spotted some of them still had food particles on them. It was actually quite disgusting and made the mediocre food seem even worse.

-Another con was the stateroom. We had the upgraded family stateroom with veranda (cabin 8088. I think the class was 4c). It had a great view and was plenty big. There were only three of us but it could accommodate 5 easily. I liked that it had a separate tub/shower and commode area but despite out attendants best efforts the toilet always smelled like urine. I witnessed him on several occasions hand scrubbing the bowl until it shined like new money but it never got rid of the smell. I've seen this in a couple other reviews of the same level cabins so I'm thinking it may be a design error. Whatever the reason it was unpleasant to say the least.

-The other issue with the cabin was noise. Everything but the furniture is made of plastic for the most part. The entire cabin creeks and squeaks as the ship sways on the ocean. Its just above the volume that I could have ignored. They seemed to be pumping in some white noise from a little speaker behind the TV but it didn't work.

-Last con was after hours noise. I wish they cut the shuffleboard game (4 levels down) off at a reasonable hour. Several times during the cruise I woke up after midnight to the pinging of shuffleboard pucks colliding. Speaking of cut off times, perhaps a curfew for underage children out without their parents. There were packs of “tweens” running up and down the halls almost constantly through the trip. I guess the problem for these kids is they were too old for kids club but too young for the teen areas. As it was they were left to roam the ship at night in competing packs of 5 to 10 kids getting into all kinds of trouble. Something needs to be done about that. Not only does it disturb other passengers it just doesn't seem safe.

Thats all I can think of for now. I really enjoyed the trip. I'm saddened to hear that Disney is raising the rates by as much as 60% for the 2017 season. As much as I enjoyed the Fantasy it was already expensive. At the prices I'm seeing for the same cruise next year I probably wont be back.

We priced both the 11-night and 10-night Southern Caribbean cruises just released for June 2017. We've done the 4-night Bahama, the 7-night Alaska, and the 7-night Eastern and Western on DCL, so were looking for something new. Both came out just over $11k for me, my husband, and my daughter. That's before airfare, excursions, specialty dining, insurance, etc.

At those rates this will be my first and last Disney cruise. Again, it's been great but nowhere near 11k great.

I'm at day 5 on the Fantasy and although it's been wonderful two more days is plenty. Any more and I might go batty.

Holy smokes! Where are you booking that it's coming to 11k. I am on the Fantasy right now with my wife and daughter on. 7 day (Tortola, St. Thomas and co co cay). We have an upgraded cabin #8088 and it was $5200 all in. I'm enjoying the heck out of this cruise with only a few quibbles but no way would I pay 11k for it. That's almost 3 cruises on RC.

Can I ask whether the steward close the sofa bed each morning, open it in the afternoon, or does it remain open and bed just tidied (unless we close ourselves?)

Our cabin attendant asked us if we wanted it up or down the first couple of days then we told him to just leave it out for the rest of the trip.

So, is a cabin with a sofa bed (sleeping 3) still the same size as a cabin without a sofa bed (sleeping 2)?

 

And assuming the cabins are the same size, if the sofa bed is not "opened" does it take up any more room than a standard sofa?

 

Thanks. :)

I'm sure you have already gotten your answer from somewhere else but just in case you haven't. We had 12 cabins across 26 people ranging significantly in price and location. To my eye all of the cabins were exactly the same size. They varied only by configuration. The luxury cabins were of course the exception but all the "regular" cabins were the same size.

I drink scotch and take it neat so the skill of the bartender is a non issue. Michael's had a nice "Dark" Pub-like atmosphere and was the only bar I found that had Lagavulin. All the bartenders in there had stiff slow wrists especially if you tipped over the automatic amount. $40 for a double though so it got quite expensive.

Although I gave it 2 stars in my review I think its far from a failure. Every issue I had on board (and I had a bunch) can be fixed. I think they rushed it into service but once they get the kinks ironed out it will be awesome.

Preparing for Christmas cruise on Quantum.

Does anybody have teens program from it?

Or did you see teens area? is it cool?

Thanks

Peaked through the door and saw a couple of loungers and TV's. I heard they had x-box set up in there but cant confirm. I thought it looked cool for teens but it never looked full. A lot of them spent their after hours time on the steps between 13/14 and the windjammer. Saw lots of card, dominoes and just general hanging out up there almost every time I went late.

link wont work but there's an explanation of the pink bear and all the other art on board on RC's website.

Porter on carry off is what we always do. They told us the room would be open when we got on but it wasn't.