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LittleMissMagic's 2014 Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean Cruise - A Photo Review!


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That evening was the Captain's Reception. There was one at 5:00 PM and another at 7:30 PM. Rachel and my parents decided to double up and go to both.

 

By the time Max and I caught up with them, it was time for Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular. This show is quite similar to the stage show at Disney's California Adventure (which I saw nearly 10 years ago). This is perhaps the best stage show of the three. The sets and costuming are elaborate, the show is well-choreographed, and Aladdin and Jasmine are outstanding vocalists. On top of that, the Genie is hilarious. My mother believes that he may write his own material because he delivers it so well. The musical was very impressive and showcases their talented cast.

 

You are not supposed to take photos during the show. I learned on the tour guides that morning that up until about three years ago, it wasn't a problem.... until people started using iPads as cameras. People raise their iPads above their heads, block the views of the people behind them... not cool. So thank you, iPad camera users, for ruining this for the rest of us.

 

I was a rule-breaker and snuck two photographs during the show. I just couldn't help myself.... I had to be quick and use no external lighting so that they wouldn't catch me.

 

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Aladdin by vshingl, on Flickr

 

"A Friend Like Me" - This number was really fun to watch.

 

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Aladdin by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It was during the flying carpet scene that I picked up my camera to take a photo.... and there was a CM looking right at me shaking her head no. And I thought I was being sneaky! So I put my camera back down and didn't take anymore photos in the theater for the rest of the week. Okay, I lied... I did take a few photos of the hypnotist's show - more on that later.

 

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Aladdin by vshingl, on Flickr

 

During the Prince Ali parade number, it rained money. Read the money - it's funny.

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First I'd like to say that your review is amazing!

I subscribed to this thread a while back after coming across your NCL review and have been silently enjoying reading it, but after reading about the Aladdin show you saw I just had to break my silence.

 

I LOVE Aladdin. It's my favourite Disney movie and I saw the pre-Broadway musical here in Toronto and to learn that they not only have shows like that on the ship, but that it was pretty amazing just makes me want to book a Disney cruise just for that, haha! Though I'm not sure it's on every ship?

 

In any case, glad you were able to sneak in a couple shots before you got caught, haha. Please continue the great work!

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First I'd like to say that your review is amazing!

I subscribed to this thread a while back after coming across your NCL review and have been silently enjoying reading it, but after reading about the Aladdin show you saw I just had to break my silence.

 

I LOVE Aladdin. It's my favourite Disney movie and I saw the pre-Broadway musical here in Toronto and to learn that they not only have shows like that on the ship, but that it was pretty amazing just makes me want to book a Disney cruise just for that, haha! Though I'm not sure it's on every ship?

 

In any case, glad you were able to sneak in a couple shots before you got caught, haha. Please continue the great work!

 

Thanks for reading along! Aladdin is only on the Disney Fantasy.

 

You know, Disney Cruise Line actually trains their performers in Toronto for two months before they start performing on the ship. There's actually a very interesting recent article interviewing a performer from the Disney Fantasy - http://www.businessinsider.com/actress-on-disney-cruise-2014-2

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Thanks for reading along! Aladdin is only on the Disney Fantasy.

 

You know, Disney Cruise Line actually trains their performers in Toronto for two months before they start performing on the ship. There's actually a very interesting recent article interviewing a performer from the Disney Fantasy - http://www.businessinsider.com/actress-on-disney-cruise-2014-2

 

Guess I'll be cruising on the Disney Fantasy at some point then, haha! Hopefully it'll be playing that week if they rotate shows.

 

And wow, that's an interesting tidbit of information! That's cool to know there's a Toronto connection ^^

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I'm an architect and I'm also into photography so im really enjoying your trip report. Congratulations on graduating from Architecture school and congratulations on getting into UCLA's master's program.

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

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Great review, Victoria. Congrats on your graduation. I have a son who wants to be an architect when he grows up. He is 8 now.

 

Love the pictures and am very much impressed by your fish extender gifts!

 

We will be on the Magic but Fantasy is on the to-do list. Your pics really sell it!

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Enjoyed your 'Breeze' review, and sailed her about two weeks ago myself. Now I am here along for the Disney ride as we will be booking her for August 2015. This will be our 5th annual family and friends cruise so I look forward to your continuation and your take on the 'fantasy'....

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This is such an amazing review. Thanks for all the pictures, especially of the children's area. My son is so excited to go next April.

 

Thank you! I hope that you have a wonderful cruise!

 

I'm an architect and I'm also into photography so im really enjoying your trip report. Congratulations on graduating from Architecture school and congratulations on getting into UCLA's master's program.

 

Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

 

Thank you very much!!

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Great review, Victoria. Congrats on your graduation. I have a son who wants to be an architect when he grows up. He is 8 now.

 

Love the pictures and am very much impressed by your fish extender gifts!

 

We will be on the Magic but Fantasy is on the to-do list. Your pics really sell it!

 

I was actually 8 years old when I decided that I wanted to be an architect! It's a very time-consuming major and a lot of school, but it's also really enjoyable - I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

 

Enjoyed your 'Breeze' review, and sailed her about two weeks ago myself. Now I am here along for the Disney ride as we will be booking her for August 2015. This will be our 5th annual family and friends cruise so I look forward to your continuation and your take on the 'fantasy'....

 

Oh, how perfect! I hope that you had a wonderful time on the Breeze. And welcome to my Fantasy review!!

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Rachel and Minnie by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I'll be honest - what I really love about captain's receptions are the free beverages. Most cruise lines have bartenders circling the room with complimentary champagne, but I was really disappointed to find out over spring break that Carnival had done away with complimentary champagne for the captain's night. I was happy to learn that Disney Cruise Line not only offers complimentary beverages, but they have the largest variety that I've seen. While there was no champagne, Disney served cocktails, wine, and beer.

 

My family snagged a high-rise table at the Vista Cafe, and we were served cocktails by Jesse who really looked out for us. Typically at a captain's reception, you get one or two beverages... more if you drink fast and are good at seeking out bartenders. Jesse, however, brought us at least three - maybe four or five - rounds of drinks to us at the table. Whenever a glass was empty, Jesse was there to replace it!

 

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Formal Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Tonight's menu was French cuisine at the Royal Palace. Of the three rotation restaurants (and of the four restaurants we had dinner in, for that matter), Royal Palace was our favorite venue. It's a good thing, too, because our dining rotation had us eating there three different nights!

 

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Escargot Gratines by vshingl, on Flickr

 

For an appetizer, I had the escargot.

 

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Breaded and Deep Fried Brie by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And I substituted my salad for another appetizer - the Breaded French Brie!

 

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Oven-Baked Salmon Royale by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The entrees didn't feel especially French. I had the oven-baked salmon.

 

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Rack of Lamb by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel had the rack of lamb.

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Quest is not a new game for my family. We began playing over ten years ago on Royal Caribbean and are two-time champions. Since then, the other cruise lines that we sail have begun playing the game. Each line does it slightly different, but the concept is the same - crazy x-rated scavenger hunt. The "Quests" will start out simple and innocent. "Bring me a piece of fruit." "Bring me someone wearing two left shoes." But the game progresses into, "Bring me three bras." "Bring me a lady wearing a man's pants." Until the final Quest when men dress up as females and compete in a drag pageant.

 

Being two-time champions, we're quite competitive. We had scouted out the crowd the prior evening at Match Your Mate and realized that we had a really good chance, even as just a small team of five. So we arrived at the Tube early and snagged a table on the front row in the middle of the room.

 

The good thing about adult Quest being held in the Tube in the evening is that there were absolutely no children. Usually cruise lines have difficulty keeping the kids out and will have to continuously remind parents that this game is for adults. On our Royal Princess cruise, the game was completely taken over by children. Disney keeps Europa adults-only after 9:00 PM each night, so children crashing the adult entertainment is never an issue. The entertainment team also played family Quest a few nights that week, so kids had their own chance to play the crazy game.

 

What is fun about playing Quest on a different cruise line is that the Quests are almost all surprises to us. Disney's Quests were rather tame in comparison to Royal Caribbean and Carnival. Usually team members are stripping articles of clothing at Quest 5 or 6, but Disney didn't ask for anything R-rated until the second to last Quest asking for a bra, and then the last quest requesting a man wearing a bra (over his shirt... on other cruise lines, the man would be shirtless, probably pant-less, and in as much female clothing as possible). The crowd, however, was surprisingly almost as rowdy as always. Coming back from one Quest, I was knocked onto the ground by another woman and trampled over. I actually had a bruise from where I was stepped on which was rather painful the next few days. There was one Quest where everyone was called to canoe on the dance floor which was absolute madness - several people were injured doing that.

 

The Quest that gives you the winning edge is the final Quest - the drag pageant. We wanted Max to be our girl because Dad has been our girl before, and he sucked at it. Max, however, refused, so we had to send Dad up there again. Disney asked for the men to impersonate female Disney characters. The entire time Dad stood in the line-up, he looked miserable - like he was going to blow it. Then when it was his turn, he strutted down the runway and said in a shockingly high-pitch voice, "Hi, I'm Minnie." The crowd loved him.

 

They tallied up the points and called out third place... second place... first place...

 

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The Quest by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We won!!!

 

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The Quest by vshingl, on Flickr

 

This was Max's first time ever playing Quest (we watched on the Carnival Breeze). Maybe next time he'll agree to be our girl.

 

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The Quest by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The prize wasn't nearly as good as that spa package they had given to the Match Your Mate winner the night, but it was better than the plastic medals you get on other cruise lines. We received a DCL water bottle, journal, and keychains.

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Hypnotist Ricky Kalmon (adult show)

 

I've seen a few hypnotists, now - all on cruise ships. The first hypnotist I saw was on the Carnival Dream in 2010, and to this day, his show was the most entertaining that I've ever seen. I tried to be hypnotized on the Island Princess in 2012 and ended up dismissing myself from the stage because I realized that I wasn't "hypnotized". Rachel had chosen not to go on stage to be hypnotized with me, so I was a little surprised when she jumped up and claimed her spot on the stage on the Disney Fantasy.

 

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Hypnotist by vshingl, on Flickr

 

See her second from the left end?

 

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Hypnotist by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel (and another girl) was actually soon dismissed from the stage because she wasn't hypnotized. She was supposed to smell something incredibly bad when he said "Atlanta," and she missed that cue. A "good hypnotist" wants to make his show as entertaining as possible, so he'll dismiss the people who aren't "hypnotized" or cooperating. I would say that good hypnotism for entertainment is more about the ability to read his or her subjects and decide who is the most likely to do the most outrageous things.

 

What was really weird is that he dismissed the guy wearing the grey Mickey Mouse shirt (to the right of Rachel in the photo). Then just a few minutes later, whoever was beside this guy - his father, I think - stood up and said that he was hypnotized again. Then Ricky Kalmon announced that this guy wanted to be up there so bad that he had self-hypnotized himself, and he invited him back on the stage. The entire situation was bizarre, and in my opinion, took credibility from Kalmon.

 

I'd have to say that of all of the hypnotism shows I've seen, this was the least entertaining. He spent way too much time having everyone sit in chairs and smell or feel things, rather than having them get out of their seats and do things. Maybe it was just a bad show, but I was far from impressed and am wondering why he is the "#1 Most Requested Hypnotist in the Country".

 

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Towel Animal by vshingl, on Flickr

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I was wondering if you noticed any Tuxedos on the formal night? Thank you again for such an incredible review

 

I did see a few tuxedos on formal night, but suits and dinner jackets were definitely more common.

 

This is a great report... Thanks for showing so many great pictures :-)

 

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying it!

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May 12, 2014 - Cozumel, Mexico

 

We docked that morning at the Punta Langosta pier in downtown Cozumel.

 

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Cozumel, Mexico by vshingl, on Flickr

 

That morning after eating breakfast in Cabana's, Rachel and I realized that it would be the perfect time to ride the Aqua Duck. Sure enough, there was no wait (wait time was listed at 10 min). After each round we'd look at each other and say, "Just one more time!"

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Dad can't resist a photo op...

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

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After we got off the Disney Fantasy and had an up-close look at her, we realized how beautiful the ship truly is. The paint job is incredible, and the ship is really clean.

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Cozumel, Mexico by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It's been several years since I've docked at Punto Langosta. More recently, I had been on ships docking at the Puerta Maya Cruise Center. It appeared that the Carnival Sunshine was docked over there. It was good to be downtown, again.

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

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There is a great picturesque lookout at the end of the pier which allows for great photos of the ship.

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Cozumel, Mexico by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Now, the plan was to go to a beach. Rachel and Mom had been to Cozumel in March and had visited Paradise Beach, but didn't really care to go back there. I had read about several great Cozumel beaches online and remembered Mr. Sancho's and Nachi Cocom. Now, I knew that Mr. Sancho's was an all-inclusive beach and that perhaps an advance reservation was required. I didn't realize that Nachi Cocom was the same deal. Luckily, our cab driver asked us if we had reservations which was a red flag that we probably shouldn't go there. We asked him how much it cost, and he really didn't know and guessed $75.... more than we wanted to spend. Our cab driver recommended Playa Mia at around $30 per person.

 

Since getting back and doing my research (yeahhh... probably should have done that pre-cruise rather than post-cruise), I can tell you that Nachi Cocom limits its day guests to 100 people and is all-inclusive (all you can drink, all you can eat) at the rate of $55 per person over 16 years of age. Mr. Sancho's doesn't require reservations and is $55 per person 18 years of age and older. Mr. Sancho's also offers packages with activities like parasailing and horseback riding.

 

So back to the cab. We realize that Nachi Cocom is not going to work out, so we decide that we might as well just go to Paradise Beach because we would at least know what to expect. And then we saw the billboard for Playa Mia which has a "waterpark". Rachel, Max, and I had been talking earlier that day about wanting to go to a waterpark. We asked our cab driver if it was too late to switch. This poor cab driver had now been told three different destinations!

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Playa Mia Grand Beach + Waterpark

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Playa Mia is as all-inclusive as you want. Starting at $30 per adult, you get all-inclusive beach, pool, waterpark, and non-motorized watersports. At $45 per adult, you can get all of that, as well as all-you-can-eat. And at $60 per adult, you can get all of the above, as well as all-you-can-drink. We went with the base package at $30 per person.

 

She's basic...

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

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The beach was typical of Cozumel beaches - kind of rocky with grainy sand. It's definitely not the most comfortable sand to walk on.

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel, Dad, Max, and I soon headed out to the aqua park to give it a try while Mom quite contently stayed in her beach chair. It was a long swim out against the current. We were exhausted by the time we got there! The entire aqua park was actually a giant obstacle course which was a lot more challenging than it looked. I felt like an idiot as I wiggled my body to crawl across the inflatables without falling in. It turned out to be quite the workout, but it was great fun and hilarious! And I don't know if I laughed harder the entire trip than I did as I watched my dad climb up the repelling wall. I really wish that we had taken a camera out there (but then again, we were having enough trouble with nothing in our hands).

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14276910742_9d94e3e496_b.jpg

Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We then decided to cool off in the pool. I was carrying my silver Castaway Club beach tote and realized that I had to be careful because everybody was carrying that bag! I made sure to leave something sticking out of the top of mine so that hopefully no one would grab it by mistake. Still, we kept a close watch on it at all times.

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After a few runs, we determined that the blue slide was faster than the red one.

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

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Playa Mia by vshingl, on Flickr

 

When we went back later to do the water slides with my dad, the lifeguard gave Max a tip on how to go really fast - lay on your back and lift up your butt, putting all of your weight on your heels and your shoulders. You fly!!! I ended up using this tip on water slides for the rest of the week. The lifeguards got a real kick out of Max and would shout, "Tsunami!" as he flew down the slide.

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