Greengo

Precisely. The topic is Disney superiority over other lines and my point is they aren't! Are you limiting your comparison to cruises that cater to kids? If so, our grandkids who sailed with us last summer on RCCL's Allure of the Seas preferred it to the Disney Fantasy and the Allure was much less expensive than the Fantasy. Furthermore, our cruise on Regency Seven Seas was less expensive than the one on Disney. I realize that all of this is subjective and others will disagree with me. We enjoyed our cruise on the Fantasy as we have enjoyed all 15 cruises we have been on; however, we did not find it superior to the others.

The iguana was on the premises of the Dolphin Tour. While it may not have been part of the "tour" When you charge to take kids to a location, I think you should make sure that the area is safe. Apparently it is not uncommon for iguanas to become aggressive. Following Disney's logic that they bore no responsibility, they would also claim that the tenders who took everyone ashore weren't their responsibility because they were also 3rd party operations.

On the same cruise many parents complained that their kids had been stung by jelly fish at Castaway Cay.

I guess I just expected too much DCL.

We just returned from our first DCL cruise. While it was enjoyable, I hardly feel like it was superior. This is particularly true when compared to our last cruise 2 months ago on Regent Seven Seas Navigator. The Navigator's boarding procedure, cabin, food and debarkation were vastly superior to those on DCL's Fantasy.

On the Fantasy, I inadvertently locked myself out of my cabin. (This is easy to do since you have to leave your ship card in a slot to keep the lights on.) I was unable to locate my Cabin Steward, so I went down the hall and asked another Steward to let me back in my room. She immediately informed me that, "that wasn't her job!" I had to wait 30 minutes until my Steward returned to get back into my room. Also, my 6-year-old granddaughter was bitten by an iguana while on a DCL sold Dolphin tour on Grand Cayman. The tour operator stopped the bleeding and suggested that she be taken to the doctor on board the Fantasy. We took her there and they applied a band aid and gave her some pills, as well as a $150 charge. When I complained about the charge, Disney personnel told me that it happened on a third party operator's tour and therefore DCL was not responsible. After several "discussions" the Shore Excursion Director cancelled the $129 charge for the tour and gave us some tickets for freebees on Castaway Cay, but did nothing about the on board medical charges.

While we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise, it was definitely not superior to prior cruises we have taken. The food was a step below most cruise lines and several steps below RSS, Seabourn and Celebrity. We found the crew's attitudes to be a thin veneer of civility and we really detested the LONG LINES. That being said, our wait staff was among the very best.

It is interesting to note that our grandkids (ages 10, 7 and 6) preferred the RCCL's Allure of the Seas that we cruised on last year to the Fantasy. It was also considerably less expensive for similar cabins than on the Fantasy. The rest of our grandkids...three, 3-year-old boys were new to cruising and loved the mac and cheese, the chicken fingers, the chocolate chip cookies and most of all, the Mickey Mouse ice cream bars on the Fantasy.

Would we go on DCL again? If the grandkids want to - you bet. Otherwise, my wife and I will go elsewhere with our group of 14.

We just got back from a cruise on the Fantasy. This was our first DCL cruise and 15th overall. (Seabourn, Regency Seven Seas, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Norwegian and Commodore.) We found the food on DCL to be a step below all of the previous lines and several steps below RSS, Seabourn and Celebrity. The fact is DCL is catering to a catering to approximately 4,000 passengers and the food that is most in demand is Mac and cheese and chicken fingers. The truth is that most who sail on DCL could care less about the food. I must note however, that our waiters were among the best of any line.

We just got back from a cruise on the Fantasy. The one dish that no one has mentioned is Eggs Benedict. They were great and available in traditional form with ham or with smoked salmon. Both were delicious. Although we love traditional escargot dishes, the only escargot dish available on our cruise was a granulated form, which we found to be inedible. Most of the fish dishes were overcooked and rubbery, so you have a reason for avoiding them. The Tuna Tower, mentioned by another poster was a delicious appetizer. Shrimp cocktail was only on the menu one night. The servers were great!

Undoubtedly two compatible adults can enjoy a DCL cruise without kids. Based on our experience, my wife and I (both geezers) can only wonder WHY you would want to. We returned from our first DCL cruise a week ago. Our group totaled 14 (2 geezers, 3 kids and their spouses and 6 grandkids (ages 10, 7, 6 and 3 three-year-old boys.) We have never had a bad cruise, including this one. (Prior cruises were on Seabourn, Regency Seven Seas, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Commodore.)

Our last cruise before this was on Regency Seven Seas' Navigator - 2 months ago. Comparing the Navigator to DCL's Fantasy is night and day. The Navigator's food and service was superb, whereas the Fantasy's food was OK. We found the Fantasy to be noisy, crowded and everything involved LONG LINES. I can only suggest that you try something else before doing DCL without kids. Last year, we went on RCCL's Allure of the Seas with kids. My wife and I found it to be too big, but the price was less and the food was definitely a step above the Fantasy. The kids preferred the Allure to the Fantasy.

The good new is the choices are unlimited. If you prefer DCL, definitely go for it!

Sorry, I understand how you would be confused with the information I gave you.We ended up saving $1,123 to be exact. The saving was the difference between what the transportation to the Port Canaveral area hotel and the lower cost of rooms outside the Orland area.

Thanks for all of the information. The two suggestions that I get another TA should keep in mind that my TA recommended going through the hotel for the sake of economy. By doing so, she saved me over $1,000.

I am a grandfather who is trying to arrange for transportation for my family from the Hyatt International Airport to catch the Disney Fantasy's sailing on August 2, 2014. We already have reservations for the cruise.

We are a party of 14 (8 adults and 6 kids, ages: 10, 7,6, and 3 three year olds.) I was told that Disney provides a bus to and from the hotel. I called Disney and they said to call my travel agent. My travel agent said to call the hotel. The Hyatt's 1-800 number said they don't provide that service. I called the hotel directly and was told that I needed to call Disney. I called Disney and was told to call my travel agent again. I called the travel agent and she said that for the most economical transportation, I should call the Concierge at the hotel. I called the Concierge and was told that the round trip or our group would be $744 plus tax. Is that reasonable?

Surely someone else has done this successfully before.

I would appreciate any information.

Thanks for the information.:)

I understand that there is a hotel at the Fort Lauderdale airport where you can spend the night and they will put your luggage on a Disney bus and have it (1)Is that true? (2) If so, Has anyone tried it and would you recommend it? (3) Do they return you and your luggage to the airport after the cruise?:confused: