We cruised with Disney on the Disney Fantasy out of Port Canaveral in May 2015 and had an amazing time. At that time, the ports of call were in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay.
We have 6 children from 6 to 14 so Disney was an obvious choice for us because we knew that everything would be first class, the children would be entertained non-stop and we would have a little child-free fun. We knew we would not have to worry about a thing and we were not disappointed.
With 6 kids and 2 adults we had to get 2 connecting rooms – one for the girls and one for the boys. So this trip was expensive and a once in a lifetime event for us. In order to save money, we pre-purchased some surprises for the kids. We purchased Mickey and Minnie ears which we gave to the kids right before we boarded the plane. We purchased Disney character pajamas that we had for them the first night. We purchased Disney character swimsuits which they wore the moment they entered the ship and we purchased beautiful (but inexpensive) necklaces to present to the girls on their ‘formal night’ to wear with their pretty dresses. With all of this, the kids really asked for very little on the cruise, which saved a lot of money and anguish.
We had 2 cabins with a connecting room. We are very glad that we reserved rooms with the Verandah as we enjoyed watching other ships off in the distance or the ship pull into the ports. Although we didn't spend a lot of time in the room, it was nice to sit out on the balcony with a glass of wine and enjoy the view during short room visits.
Castaway Cay was a great experience. It felt very 'safe' and 'arranged'. Since it is owned by Disney we knew that it would be done well and it was. We had a great time exploring the island and enjoyed all it had to offer. However, if you are expecting something more raw and adventurous, you will have to find another island.