Fantasy W. Caribbean Trip Report

[Entropy]

Excellent review! :)

 

Question: You said you didn't like the hair dryer because it wasn't high-powered enough. Did you plug it in at the round plug at the desk? That is the ONLY plug in the room that will provide full power for those dryers, unfortunately. I do prefer my own dryer, but only because mine is both powerful and lightweight. The dryer on the ship seemed really heavy to me.

 

Sparing you a lecture on electrical theory I'll just say that that's impossible.

If an outlet is unable to "provide full power" then it will trip the circuit breaker and not function at all.

[Taswira]

Sparing you a lecture on electrical theory I'll just say that that's impossible.

If an outlet is unable to "provide full power" then it will trip the circuit breaker and not function at all.

With all due respect, I'm sorry, but just ask the room host the next time you sail on the Fantasy or the Dream. They will verify this. Also, that particular outlet is the ONLY outlet that is MARKED specifically FOR the hair dryer (it says so!) and if you try it, you WILL notice the difference!

[sarbah77]

Hi! We have booked our very FIRST cruise ever, on the Fantasy in November. I am getting lots of guff from many friends who say that Disney is not worth the added cost versus other cruise lines. Have you cruised other lines? Do you think that Disney is worth the added cost? Also, besides sovenEARs (yes, I am a Disney-holic) did you spend a lot out of pocket?

 

 

Thanks!!

 

Our first Disney cruise was on the Dream last year. It was pricey, but we enjoyed it. We loved our stateroom and the bedding. We loved the look of the ship. We loved the adult-only areas and we loved the families. We loved the Aquaduck. We loved the free soda and the excellent food. Castaway Cay was pretty much what convinced us to book again, this coming January (I need to change my ticker!). It was the SAME price as the Oasis, so it was a no brainer for us to switch.

 

We do like RCI, too. We flop between them, depending on our moods. My husband's mood? Currently, he wants the big extravagant ships, so that's what we're doing.

[CactusGirly]

Excellent review! :)

 

Question: You said you didn't like the hair dryer because it wasn't high-powered enough. Did you plug it in at the round plug at the desk? That is the ONLY plug in the room that will provide full power for those dryers, unfortunately. I do prefer my own dryer, but only because mine is both powerful and lightweight. The dryer on the ship seemed really heavy to me.

 

I did plug it in there. I am spoiled with a professional grade blow dryer, so it's hard to use anything else. :)

[CactusGirly]

Thanks. Good to hear that the food quality was up there - do you remember what you ordered from room service that wasn't great?

 

Do you remember how much the mixology class was ... how long it lasted ... what do they do exactly ... not much of a drinker but it sounds like fun ...

 

Also do you recall what kind of discounts you receive if you book your next cruise onboard?

 

Thanks!

 

For room service we had chicken noodle soup, ceasar salads, and also chicken tenders and fries. The ceasars were small bowls of romaine lettuce with a few bits of parmesan cheese scattered on them and a couple of croutons, and came with packets of ranch dressing :confused:. The chicken tenders came with only two on a plate per order, and a very small amount of fries - I think I counted about 6 - and the fries were cold. There was no ketchup provided. The soup was hot and I think DD said it was ok.

 

The mixology class was $15pp. It was about 2 hours long. The bartender gave a history of cocktails from prohibition to current day, and showed us how to mix about 10 classic cocktails on that time span, allowing us to taste each one (about a shot glass size of each).

 

The offer we received for booking a future cruise was 10% deposit vs. whatever the normal amount is, and an OBC of $200 per stateroom. Because we booked a "dummy booking" (no actual date chosen since the 2014 itineraries are not out yet), we got a $100 OBC per stateroom instead. We made our dummy booking for a 3 night cruise so we would have a lower deposit to pay now. Once the itineraries come out, we will select the 7 night we want and pay the difference.

[ilovetexas]

Sparing you a lecture on electrical theory I'll just say that that's impossible.

If an outlet is unable to "provide full power" then it will trip the circuit breaker and not function at all.

 

Actually, while I would tend to agree with you, she's right. I plugged in the hair dryer and was NOT pleased about the way it dried my hair. Not enough power. The next time, I remembered something I read on the boards (and bothered to follow instructions), plugged it into the correct spot and the power easily doubled. Better than mine at home.

 

It was too heavy, though.

[FM]

For room service we had chicken noodle soup, ceasar salads, and also chicken tenders and fries. The ceasars were small bowls of romaine lettuce with a few bits of parmesan cheese scattered on them and a couple of croutons, and came with packets of ranch dressing :confused:. The chicken tenders came with only two on a plate per order, and a very small amount of fries - I think I counted about 6 - and the fries were cold. There was no ketchup provided. The soup was hot and I think DD said it was ok.

 

The mixology class was $15pp. It was about 2 hours long. The bartender gave a history of cocktails from prohibition to current day, and showed us how to mix about 10 classic cocktails on that time span, allowing us to taste each one (about a shot glass size of each).

 

The offer we received for booking a future cruise was 10% deposit vs. whatever the normal amount is, and an OBC of $200 per stateroom. Because we booked a "dummy booking" (no actual date chosen since the 2014 itineraries are not out yet), we got a $100 OBC per stateroom instead. We made our dummy booking for a 3 night cruise so we would have a lower deposit to pay now. Once the itineraries come out, we will select the 7 night we want and pay the difference.

 

Wow ... that is about the worst room service I've heard about ... is there any dining venues (buffets) that is open almost all day ... I haven't wrapped my mind around the names of the venues so do not know which one it is ...

 

Thanks for the info re: booking future cruises ... I'm hoping that they may be able to offer special deals for cruises that occur a few weeks of the cruise that you are on that TA's may not be aware of ...

[davidmbfonz]

Awesome review. Very helpful. Thank you! Does anyone know where to find sign-up info on the mixology class? We're sailing on the Fantasy. Thanks!

[HUBison2008]

Hi Lemur:

 

I was on the May 19 Eastern Fantasy cruise. The adult areas on the Fantasy are MUCH improved over the Dream. There are 3 water features, one on each deck (11, 12 & 13). Disney did NOT enforce the no kids rule though. By the third day, the little wading pool on deck 12 was moms and toddlers. But with the other two features open, I didn't mind too much. Went up front to Satellite Falls and there were no children up there. I do wish that Disney would enforce at least that one rule.

 

John

 

John,

 

Did you write a review for your cruise? We're thinking about taking this next year instead of the Bahamas.

[SuzanneSLO]

Hi Lemur:

 

I was on the May 19 Eastern Fantasy cruise. The adult areas on the Fantasy are MUCH improved over the Dream. There are 3 water features, one on each deck (11, 12 & 13). Disney did NOT enforce the no kids rule though. By the third day, the little wading pool on deck 12 was moms and toddlers. But with the other two features open, I didn't mind too much. Went up front to Satellite Falls and there were no children up there. I do wish that Disney would enforce at least that one rule.

 

John

 

I know it doesnt seem like it should be due to its location overlooking the main adult pool, but the wading pool on Deck 12 is NOT an adults only pool. Did Disney enforce the Adutls only rules for the Quiet Cove pool on 11 and the satellite Falls on 13? -- Suzanne

[DeltaDL]

We have late seating on the Fantasy...what time does the aquaduck close? thanks! :)

[Steve78]

This is an awesome review! Thanks heaps for posting!. I think you've just convinced me to take my two sons on Disney next year :)

 

Cheers

Steve

[kstetser]

Sparing you a lecture on electrical theory I'll just say that that's impossible.

If an outlet is unable to "provide full power" then it will trip the circuit breaker and not function at all.

 

I must disagree (about the dryer, not electrical theory). I used that stupid dryer plugged into the wrong outlet for 2 days before the room steward told me I needed to plug it into a different one. It was full power and full heat after I made the switch. Before that, it totally worked, it just wasn't very good.

[kstetser]

I have been asking my TA about the little wading pool overlooking the adult pool since before the Fantasy first sailed. She was on a the pre-maiden voyage sailing and said that the pool was restricted to adults only. I think eventually DCL just gave up on enforcing it.

 

I don't think it sounds very "quiet cove-ish" to have a pool full of toddlers right above the adult pool. Or where you have to see a pool full of toddlers from the adult only bar.

 

Before I get bashed for a kid-hater....I have a kid and she goes on cruises with us. But when she is in the kids club and my husband and I are enjoying adult time, I really don't want to spent it with other kids. Disney sells their ships as having adult only areas and I think the placement of that wading pool was poorly planned.

 

The foot traffic from the aft elevator across the adult pool deck was also a serious bit of bad planning n the Dream. Has that been corrected on the Fantasy?

[CactusGirly]

Wow ... that is about the worst room service I've heard about ... is there any dining venues (buffets) that is open almost all day ... I haven't wrapped my mind around the names of the venues so do not know which one it is ...

 

Cabanas is open most of the day, if I remember correctly, and there is also a grill near the pool deck, and both had some pretty good selections.

[CactusGirly]

davidmbfonz - we were able to sign up for it on the first day. If you don't see it listed in the activities, just ask the concierge when it is offered and they can sign you up.

 

DeltaDl - not sure what time AquaDuck closes, maybe someone else can chime in with that info?

 

Steve78 - you will not be disappointed! Best family vacation we have ever taken. We are so excited for our next one in 2014!

 

kstestser - not sure about the foot traffic issue, we never used the adult pool on the Fantasy, but did go there a couple times to get coffee and didn't see kids anywhere near it. The pool I was describing that we could see from the aft bar was far enough away that you really couldn't hear the kids, so it didn't bother us. I do understand, with 3 kids myself when I want downtime I am SERIOUS about it being downtime. :)

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review.

[Cupcrazy]

Thanks for taking the time to post this review