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Just off the Disney Fantasy's six-night western cruise to Cozumel, Costa Maya and Castaway Cay. This was our 4th Disney cruise and 3rd on the Fantasy. We travelled as a family of eight (78 y/o parents, F54, M54,D29, S27, D23 & S11) We spent a week in Vero Beach prior to the cruise so we had our first experience with actually driving to the port and not taking the Disney express directly from the airport. Disney has the embarkation & disembarking thing down so no issues here. Weather was perfect the entire trip which makes everything better! As seasoned Disney cruisers we did not attend any of the shows but did catch Toy Story 4 and Aladdin in the movie theater....both were good. We had the early dinner seating (5:45pm) which is way too early but the 8:45 late seating is way too late....Disney really should consider the ATD plan that other cruise lines have, however, this would seriously mess with the rotational dining plan that they currently have. Service in general was excellent, however, for the first time our dinner servers were not that great......we passed it off at first but by the third night they were just completely out of sync.....mixed up orders, empty water & wine glasses, etc. and no real interaction with our table like we have had in the past. The head server stopped by and asked how things were going  so I took the opportunity to nicely explain our dissatisfaction. The next night the guys were spot on! We also were provided with a bottle of champagne and the remaining nights were excellent. I don't know what he said to them but whatever it was it worked!

Cozumel was the first port....we have been there many times so we were trying to find something different to do while in port. We decided upon the catamaran trip to Isla Pasion, a private island with food, drinks and various activities. I will give this excursion a 9+ rating and found it to be one of the best port excursions we have ever had....this was booked directly through Disney. Costa Maya was next....we never visited this port and upon first sight it really didn't look like anything special but once ashore we found it had a very nice port area with all kinds of things to do. I went diving (again booked thru Disney) and again found the excursion very good.....diving was very good (for the fellow divers out there....think Cozumel about 20 years ago) Final stop was Castaway Cay.....this was it's usual fun time with snorkeling, bike ride and just lounging on the beach.

We had balcony cabins 7570 & 7568.....solid mid-ship rooms with good access to everything. Worked out in the gym on three days.....small but everything you need. We typically got in at around 7:15am and had no trouble getting a treadmill or using the weights/machines. Did not use any of the spa services. Room steward provided us simple but efficient service and all bartenders we encountered were excellent....especially Larry in the Meridian cigar bar next to Palo & Remy. For those cigar smokers out there, this is an excellent place to settle in after dinner to enjoy a smoke and adult beverage overlooking the rear of the ship....great place to catch the sunset!

My 11 y/o only used the kids club a few times and was happy watching movies on funnel vision, playing miniature golf and basketball during the two sea days.

One tip I definitely will pass along.....once onboard everyone heads to the food buffet at Cabana's.....which is really good but gets crazy crowded.....so instead of battling the crowds for food and a seat they usually have at least one of the dining rooms open (this cruise it was Animator's Palate) for a more relaxing sit down lunch.

This cruise was at capacity (4000) with many kids so the pools midship were packed but overall I did not feel crowded the entire cruise. The adults only area at the front of the ship has all the amenities needed to avoid the crowded pools and have a bit more of a relaxing experience.

Once again we had an excellent experience and any issues we had (dining mainly) were quickly addressed and resolved.

Forgot to include info on tipping on last post for Plutos Twin....

Tipping (for room steward, waiters, etc.) is typically included in the plan....at least that is how we do it....it usually is a specific amount per person per day. We usually give a little extra in cash if we find that the service was really good. I also will tip a particular bartender or two that we have used regularly over the course of the trip in cash. Every drink you order has a built-in 15% gratuity that goes to the server....you can also choose to give more if you desire.

To Kfamily.....if you are already doing Disney and Discovery Cove prior to the cruise I wouldn’t think Atlantis is needed....not sure of how old your kids are? But a lot of the slides & rides have height requirements (48” I think)

Just be aware that there is not much else happening in Nassau

To Plutos Twin.....room charges are primarily alcohol, specialty coffee, photo packages and other non-included services (spa)....all of which can be avoided or limited with a bit of discipline and discretion!!!

Since there are very few actual reviews in the Disney area I thought I would post a quick one from our recent cruise on the Disney Dream 5-day to Nassau. This was a family cruise with a total of 14 of us including an infant, married millennials, single millenials, parents and grandparents. We always take advantage of Disney's travel services for flights, bus to the port, etc. The best perk is your bags, once checked at the airport, go directly to your room on the ship. The flight, bus transfer to port and check-in was smooth and we were in our cabin by 1:30pm with all bags accounted for. The disembarking was just as smooth....bags put out the night before are checked thru to your final destination so all you need to do is get up, have breakfast, get off the ship and go thru customs hop on a bus and off to the airport....this also went smoothly.

This was our third Disney cruise, the other two were on the Fantasy (Dreams sister ship). We tried booking the Fantasy again but the ship was full on the dates we wanted so we settled on the Dream with the shorter itinerary. The itinerary for the short 5-day is Castaway Cay/Nassau/Castaway Cay/Sea Day.....While Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) is fun and has lots to do I would have preferred another separate stop (Key West?) rather than a second day there but the weather was great the entire cruise so not much to complain about! Nassau is also not a great port but we decided to do the day at Atlantis. Since there is only one sea day we spent the majority of the time off ship.....some folks choose to stay on the ship during these ports to take advantage of the empty ship....no crowds in the pool, lines for the slides or issues getting prime seating....During the sea day things can be a bit crowded but we always seem to find good chairs, etc.

The Dream and the Fantasy are basically the same ship with a few minor differences. We found both ships to be very clean, well maintained and the service on both were very good to excellent in all of the areas (dining room, bars, etc.) Disney does the rotational dining thru three main restaurants with your wait staff moving with you each night. The food is definitely not 5-star but we found it to be very good as far as cruise ships go. There are plenty of places to get food during the day from sit down service, buffets and other walk-up sandwich and pizza options. Plenty of bars and drink services to meet your alcohol needs. There is a separate adult area and pool. Disney movies are played continuously on a large screen near the two main pools. The pools are small and can get crowded but just fine for a quick dip to cool off on a hot day. Disney also has a kiddie waterslide as well as their main Aquaduck ride that is pretty good.

I had read a lot of reviews about the day at Atlantis in Nassau and was somewhat weary about booking this for my family of six.....many complained about the lines, crowds, etc, and for the cost of $1,000 just to get in I thought this could be a total bust. We opted to go directly thru Atlantis for the passes (a few dollars cheaper than Disney) but we were responsible for the cab back and forth ($30 each way so the overall savings was minimal. We were off the ship at 8:30am and a quick and easy cab ride (it's literally a few miles away from the port) over to the resort....a short wait in line to check-in and we were in the resort by 9:30am. The resort is big, beautiful and very clean...we went thru the aquarium (a must see!) and easily found chairs by the main pool. We got a locker for our valuables and proceeded to take advantage of the numerous slides and rides...lines were not an issue and the rides were pretty intense! My fears of overcrowding were quickly dismissed as we found the place to be a total blast (my kids are 10 thru 28) The food and drinks can be a bit pricy as well...$120 for burgers and fries for six! drinks ranged from $10+ for beers and $12+ for mixed drinks....not far off what you would pay on board the ship. Overall the food was very good, drinks as well and the service and friendliness of the Atlantis staff was a pleasant surprise. I would not want to spend a week here but highly recommend the day pass if the prices don't scare you off.

The shows are total Disney and are pretty good...this being our third cruise we opted to catch a first-run movie (Incredibles 2) and skipped a few to just chill out. Didn't use the Spa but they have a decent gym that never got too crowded. This is Disney so no casino and the nightlife pretty much ends at midnight. We did not use the Kids Club since our 10 year old wanted to hang with us and play shuffle board, Goofy golf and basketball. My niece used the infant care for dinner each night and said they were very good. We don't typically use the specialty restaurants since we are fine with the MDR (we prefer the early seating at 5:45pm since it works best with the shows scheduled at 8:30pm) I have heard pretty favorable reviews of the two specialty restaurants (Palo & Remy) just remember to book well in advance of your cruise.

Overall this cruise was very enjoyable....the weather was great so that is a key factor on any cruise. I really enjoy the Disney cruises but we have also cruised a number of times on both Royal and Carnival and quite frankly we really enjoyed them too. While Disney does Disney very well and service is their hallmark their cruises usually cost about 2X other lines.....that's a pretty big up charge that you will have to wrestle with when booking/comparing cruises. As I sit here sifting thru the room charges from the cruise it's a hard pill to swallow but we had a blast and I'm sure we'll do it again!

Hope this review helps you out as you look to book your next cruise.