This cruise was basically the third change we had to make to our vacation plans thanks to work schedule. We originally booked our cruise with Allure of the Seas, but watching too many videos of that ship I had the impression that the Oasis-class ships are nothing but mere floating malls in the ocean - no theme, no character. We wanted a cruise that was going to be memorable before I head to a long deployment. After much deliberation, we went back to the Dream as our last cruise with them three years was exactly just that - it was magical. This cruise went out exactly the same way as we had it three years ago. We got our transportation arranged from the airport, and the whole embarkation process was smooth like before. Once on the ship, we had our cabin on the tenth deck, middle, just below the pool deck. I found our location to be very convenient to wherever we needed to go. We had access to two nearby elevators, and the pool deck are just a deck up. We also noted that our balcony is directly below the pool deck, so like an awning, it was well protected from the elements which I found nice. The room itself had shown some age to it. I'm not sure when and if the ship have ever been refurbished, but with my OCD, I quickly found scuff and wear marks on the light switches and fixture parts that have been heavily touched through the years. Expecting a premium product for this price, it was hard for me to see past that glare of the wear. Our embarkation lunch at Cabanas were not too pleasant. It was way too crowded, open tables were hard to find, and I found some of the servers unwelcoming. Once we got our seats, we did find the food less desirable than the last time we were on the ship. We brought these issues to management and were given immediate answers to our concerns. Over the following days, we experienced the same magical moments that we had the first time we cruised with these ship. Public spaces were clean and looked just as ornate as before. For those that haven't cruised on this ship, Disney did not spare on the small details in creating their theme on the ship. Their shows were of Broadway caliber, especially beauty and the beast. Their character meet and greets were always a hit with the kids, if you don't mind waiting up to a half hour. And because this was a holiday themed cruise, they went over the top for showcasing Santa. As well, their pirate show fireworks on the top deck was an extravaganza. Hands down it was the coolest experience I've ever had at Sea. Our day at Castaway Cay was just Divine. I still can't forget how beautiful and perfect the island looked. It didn't feel over crowded and there were ample opportunities to just unwind and take it all in. Buffet services followed us there and it was great. No complaints. Food was something that this ship have to at least revamp. It was almost the same menu we had three years ago, so we were not as excited this time. Also, we were not served lobster on this cruise, not one time, which I found surprising. On the other hand, we were able to enjoy our previous favorites instead. I was about to write off Disney from our future cruise consideration after this trip, but what made us book another future cruise with them is the fact that our daughter had the best time of her life at their Kids club while the peace of mind it gave us allowed us parents to enjoy our own time at Sea. I don't think we even want to risk trying that out with other cruise lines and be disappointed. Another biggest factor that made us decide to book another future cruise with them is their customer service. They truly went above and beyond to ensure that, despite the issues we raised, we had a magical experience on this ship. Our guest manager was exemplary, and nothing short of commendable. When we disembarked, we felt highly satisfied that the cruise fulfilled our expectations. So much that we ended up cancelling our Royal Caribbean cruise for next year, and ended up prebooking our next Disney cruise with an even bigger family in tow. Disney cruises are not the cheapest out there, but the many repeat cruisers we had on board can't be wrong on going again for the Disney experience. With the amount of people already prebooking their cruise, we can't be wrong on making that decision either. It's simply the best cruise experience for families, and definitely something to strongly consider if you've never cruised with Disney cruises before. Read Less

Overall appearance - Disney Cruise Line is a must for fans of Disney. Having visited Disney World, Florida and Disneyland, Paris we had high expectations and being first time cruisers we were unsure of what to expect. Of course Disney didn't fail in providing a one of kind experience for my partner and I, and one that will be remembered for years to come. The Disney Magic is the oldest of Disney cruise lines 4 ship fleet but from the outset you wouldn't be able to tell. The exterior of the ship is immaculate, complete with Mickey on the front and Goofy on the back with the infamous mickey heads on the two funnels. From the point of arriving at the terminal and seeing this magnificent ship in front of you, it really gets you excited for the adventure your about to embark on. Check In - Check in was seamless at the port and no sooner had we arrived, handover over our luggage, collected our keys to the world cards, a quick photo with sailor mickey and had a brief stroll around the terminal - we were boarding at midday! From then .. A walk up the galley and in to main atrium were you are welcomed aboard with an announcement of your family name and applause from Disney cast members. Again here the decoration is fantastic, a large open area with Lumière's Resteraunt on your left, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and your favourite Disney characters worked in to the surrounding stair cases and wall panels. State Room - Our room was ready at half 1 ... On the dot! We stayed in a class 9 stateroom on deck 7 with a large porthole. The rooms are beautiful, spacious and comfortable. We had a lovely queen size bed complete with a Disney cruise line pillow embroider with "a dream is a wish your heart makes". A curtained area with a pull down bunk bed (stored away during the day and for those who don't need it), a large comfortable sofa , vanity unit and TV complete the other side of the room. Our state room host was friendly and welcoming, popping in on our first evening to introduce herself and ask how we would like our room prepared during the evening. Every night we would retun to our room to fresh towels, an interesting and amusing towel animal, individual Ghirardelli chocolates and our Personal Navigator for the next day along with any other information for port of calls. The split bathroom was useful as well in that showering didn't block the use of the toilet. There is also a hairdryer in the room and a launch room on several floors (free use of the iron but washers and dryers would charge a small fee to your state room account). Entertainment - We always attended the first show of the evening at 6.30 ... Our logic was that the majority of families with children would dine at this time and as a a result the theatre would be mostly full of adults ... This wasn't the case and as a result shows would tend to be very noisy as tge children would often get pretty restless and bored. Of course Disney this is to be expected when travelling with Disney but it was often a bit frustrating for those of travelling "adult only" . Perhaps Disney could consider a more adult friendly performance of there shows at a later point in the evening? The shows themselves where, for the most part, spectacular. Highlights being Tangled, The Musical; Walt Disney, The Dream Goes On and Disney Dreams, An Enchanted Classic. The cast and crew are world class and had the audience on their feet after several performances. If anything, the shows were perhaps a bit short at 30-40 minutes but with that being said its unlikely the children would have held out much longer. Evening entertainment however left a lot to be desired. Despite Jo Slow, who was hilarious, giving it her all in Fathoms for 30 minutes in the evening for a game show such as Match Make or the 80s Quiz ... It seemed Disney had planned adult only entertainment as an after thought and as a rsult from 10.30/11pm the resident DJ Simone was often left playing her club classics to 1 or 2 late night guests and the bar staff. There always seemed to be a lot going on for families but the adult only offering needs to be reconsidered. Dining DCL run a rotational dining system which allows all guests and he opportunity to dine in the 3 on board resteraunts ...Animators Palate, Lumière's and Carioca's. Animators Palate was by far our favouring dining area. On our first and last evening we were treated to a wonderful show ... I won't spoil the details but its fantastic. Lumière's had a more up market feel to eat and was obviously inspired by Beauty and The Beast ... When compared to Magic Kingdom's, Be Our Guest, it came up short but it was still a pleasant dining environment. Carioca's was our least favourite dining room and we only ate here once. We didn't feel we had missed out on anything. Overall the food was OK/ good ... It wasn't spectacular and wasn't without fault. It was often a tad cold when it was served and it was obviously mass produced. However, it was always well presented and it was clear that DCL were trying to produce good food whilst feeding 1200 people per sitting across 3 resteraunts. The service staff where fantastic and couldn't do enough to help, you build a good rapport with them over the week and they do their best to remember your preferences and your dislikes over the course of your holiday. Port Adventures - Excursions with Port Adventures where frankly hit or miss with DCL. We had is me fantastic experiences in the port of Naples visiting Pompeii with our local guide Vito who was knowedgable, funny and charming ... Guiding us through the old ruins and explaining the history as we went. As well as in Villefranche where we visited Nice, Monoco and Monte Carlo - a truelly beautiful part of the world where we could have spent an entire week let alone 1 day! However we had a dreadful experience in Rome ...Whilst it was the most expensive excursion we booked we returned feeling ripped off and with a bad taste in our mouth. Of course when you book a "Rome On Your Own" excursion you don't expect guided tours of every location however at $200 for 2 of us we expected more that was in essence a shuttle bus service. We were first dropped off at The Colosseum were we were told we had an hour and a half to explore but that this wasn't enough time to go inside to walk around and take a few photos. 20 minutes latest we are left with a collection of photos and nowhere to go. This was repeated in Rome city centre and again at St Davids Basilica in The Vatican .... But the service we have come to expect from Disney or any of its providors . We discussed this with the Port Adventures team when we returned but where basically told that we got what we signed up for but that our feedback would be noted ... Finally - Our only other thought was that for an "all inclusive" cruise ... We sometimes felt a bit short changed. Charging for soft drinks in the theatre, when the same drinks where free on deck 9, or for pop corn was a bit unfair. The cost of alcohol was also a bit of a concern, we aren't big drinkers but a cocktail often coated in excess of $10 ... Being a first time cruiser I'm not sure if this is the going rate ... But it seems a tad pricey for my tastes. The DCL beer mug and token is a good option if you drink beers though! Even with a few point for improvement Disney Cruise Lines offers a cruise with a unique selling point ... Where else can you do all this in the company of your favourite characters, unmistakeable Disney themed surroundings, world class performances and wonderful cast and crew members?! We had a fantastic holiday, wouldn't hesitate to recommend DCL to our friends and family and made some wonderful new friends! Read Less

My wife and I took the April 9 cruise offered by Disney on the Disney Fantasy. We are two seniors (68,69). The cruise was during many families spring break. The cruise director said there were 3800 passengers on this sailing so it was pretty full. We never at any time felt that the large number of kids on board was a problem. Spent our pool and sun tanning hours on the decks reserved for those 18+. Never had a problem finding a lounge chair to lay on to catch some sun. So, if you are traveling without any children I would hit the adults only areas. We had second seating at dinner. Most families with children eat at the main seating. We like second seating as it is later and we don't feel we have to rush back to the ship from shore excursions. We see the first showing (6:15) of the shows whatever entertainment is being offered and then still have time to kill before our dinner at 8:15. We had terrific food servers. Actually, the main server, Ronaldo, was our server on the Disney Magic in 2011 on a Mediterranean cruise. We requested him in 2013 when we found out he was sailing on the Fantasy for our western Caribbean cruise. Requested him again for our eastern Caribbean cruise April 9-16. We booked a cruise for summer of 2017 and told our server that we would see him again! That would be cruise number 4 with him. By the way, his name is Ronaldo and he is absolutely the best. Our cabin was a deluxe family oceanview cabin with veranda (9112). Plenty of storage, and plenty of room for two seniors that's for sure. The split bathroom is a real plus. Our cabin hostess was Andrea from Jamaica. She was absolutely the best. Cabin was spotless and sparkling. Provided us with fresh, clean towels at least three times a day and we didn't even ask for it. Our cruise took us to Tortola, BVI, St. Thomas USVI, and Castaway Cay. Three at sea days also. It was a very nice leisurely cruise for us which we enjoyed immensely. When in St. Thomas do take in the Paradise Point Skyride. Amazing views from the top. We had no complaints about service, food, entertainment. This was our 6th Disney cruise and we enjoyed it because of the great service Disney provides. If you have time and also don't mind an extra charge of $30.00 per person, you should eat at Palo for brunch or dinner. We did both the brunch and a dinner and it was fantastic as usual. Disney probably is more expensive than other cruise companies but I believe you get what you pay for. We were docked next to the Carnival Splendor and let me tell you looking at that ship compared to the Disney Fantasy, it is a rust bucket. The Fantasy was spotless!!! Read Less

We love Disney and it was are first cruise so we decided to try Disney. We picked a 3 night cruise with a Halloween theme. The Disney Dream was an awesome ship with much do and it was always clean. The entertainment was excellent , the rooms were spacious and clean. The restaurant themes were cool and fun , the food was good but the service was horrible. They promote that the servers will take care of you personally each night knowing what you like after the first night but that was not true are server pushed alcohol on us every night and we told him that we do not drink but he still pushed it on us. I complained and Disney did nothing to help with the situation. We were very disappointed because I work for them and I always pride myself in great service and I try everyday to make Magic. I still would recommend them because the ships are wonderful and the entertainment I s the best. Read Less

Background Information Last year on the Mediterranean DCL cruise, we played with the idea of booking a new trip onboard, this time to Norway. The idea nearly felt a bit preposterous - as we were both native Norwegians living in Norway - should we really do a Disney Cruise to our own homeland? Then again, thousands of Norwegians travel the coast of Norway with Hurtigruten, so why should going with the award winning DCL be any less of a choice? Thus, we booked this June 6th inaugural sailing to our "own" Norwegian fjords. We had to go first to Copenhagen, Denmark, to embark the Disney Magic. Travel To Port of Embarkation We took the transportation ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen the day before the cruise, arriving the morning of the first cruise day. The Norway-Denmark ferry is rather far away from where the port of the Disney ship (5+ kilometers), and taxis were few and far between. We were waiting in line for nearly an hour, and had no Danish currency to pay for the bus. Finally, several taxis showed up, and we could relieve some stress as we were taken to our "final" destination, the Disney Magic. The taxi was less expensive than in Norway. Checking in was pleasant, as we were met with the regular (in other words, wonderful) cheery Disney service. We had not received our luggage tags in the mail (do to an oddness of more than one address registered in the DCL systems), and could not find the registration print-outs we were supposed to have at check-in. Luckily, this is not a problem, and all things were taken care of swiftly. Stateroom As we are budget travelers for the moment, I had asked the booking agent to "give us the most affordable stateroom she had". Which was both spacious and comfortable enough for our liking. We didn't spend much time there anyway. The bathroom was not split this time (we still survived), and the tub is really tiny. I did notice some wear and tear in the bathroom, which is unfortunately expected, especially when running water is involved. Ship Info The Disney Magic is one of the two older DCL ships. Everything looks (and is) clean, polished, and working seamlessly. We have started to avoid visits to the spa, however, because of the disappointing visit last year. It's dark (inside, now windows), showers are broken, and in stark contrast to the Disney Fantasy, where it's simply amazing. There is a certain scent to some of the hallways outside the restaurants which I can never place - it's distinctly "Disney food scent" or perhaps it's the scent of Florida. Who knows. It is ALWAYS a thrill to enter the now familiar atrium with the Mickey statue and chandeliers. That is in my opinion the heart of the ship. The bars are great, and as always, there is absolutely no awkwardness in being a childfree couple on a Disney cruise. This cruise line really caters to all sorts of families - and singles. Dining Animator's Palate is always a thrill. On the main show night (yes, it is a show with a dinner), we were seated with a delightful couple that provided "wow factor" animated figures. I always try to make grotesque figures. Food was good, although I was surprised at some of the "regional inspirations". Norway has a far better cuisine than I could trace here, so although tasty and well done, it could have been even more Norwegian fare. Oh well. Lumiere's is in my opinion just okay as a restaurant, and Cariocas is downright almost boring (as a location). The food in every location, however, is excellent. If you leave this cruise hungry, you have not been on a cruise. We also ate at Palo (with our great Facebook pre-cruise group!), yet another delightful experience. Palo is a must. I am glad it's only available on the Disney cruise ships... The rotational dining system is nice, as always. The Coconut Tres Leches cake at Cariocas which was drenched in a caramel sauce last year was a disappointment this time around. Come on, DCL, gimme more caramel! Oh and breakfasts at Cabanas were better than ever before, I think! Very tasty food. Kudos for no dry pancakes this time. I almost prefer this to the Lumiere's breakfast, which is nearly dull in comparison. Activities Because weather was fairly cold (unusual for this time of the year - May and early June was below normal temperature wise), we only used the adult pool once on the final sea day. Usually I am crazy about the pool, but this time we huddled with lots of provided fleece blankets and read books on deck. Cove Cafe provides cakes, food is of course omnipresent, and we brought our own coffee travel mugs (the Bodum french press kind) because the DCL coffee is, well, not as good as we are used to. We also did the Tequila Tasting, Margarita and Caipirinhia Tasting, and Chocolate and Liquor Tasting. All good fun. We do these on every cruise anyway. Additionally, we attended the Anna's Chocolate Hunt or whatever it was called. We saw families, both adults and children, doing this. The rice crispie treat we got didn't exactly meet our expectation of an award for a "chocolate hunt". I think it had white chocolate on it... oh well, no biggie. We tend to really enjoy relaxing on deck with a drink and a book. Service Disney service is usually above and beyond. It is always promptly and excellently delivered, so we were happy. It's one of the delights you get to indulge yourself with when on a Disney cruise. I have to say it is great to be recognized an entire year later by cast members. Entertainment I finally got to see Twice Charmed! I loved it, what an excellent show! Although every show is great, I found the "welcome aboard" part a bit strange. They could have regionalized it more - this wasn't the Med or the Caribbean. I have to say, the Frozen part of Disney Dreams - An Enchanted Classic, was INCREDIBLE! I was not expecting much as I am already very tired of Frozen, but wow, this was amazing. They have added effects for this part, also with the Lion King bit. Well worth the watch! Villains Tonight! was fun yet again. We watched Clara Oman singing and playing the piano each night at Keys. The Frozen Deck Party was really nothing to write home about. Home being Norway, the place that inspired Frozen. No fireworks (which is okay), but not very funny or entertaining either. So many missed opportunities. We rarely interact with characters, although this time Mickey, Minnie and Daisy wore Norwegian costumes (bunads), and Goofy was dressed in Viking gear! The non-Disney show The Magic of Light was also great! Kind of a strange storyline, but still not something you would want to miss! Port & Shore Excursions The Port Adventures we did through Disney. We did the Lysefjord Cruise (SV01) from where you get to see Prekestolen (The Pulpit Rock) from underneath. It really shows high far up and gigantic this vista is! Several spectacular views on this trip. Also, we did the Iconic Norway By Train And Bus (BG36) from Bergen to Flåm, Voss, and Stalheim Hotel, where we were served a buffet lunch (it was okay). Would do the last one again in a heartbeat. People said they wish we had more time at the different stops. In Ålesund we walked up to Aksla by ourselves, and went to the Atlanterhavsparken Aquarium. Unfortunately, we were met with a very rude and unpleasant service upon entering the aquarium. It made the wolffish on display seem friendly. Luckily, the guy in the shop was nice when we left later on. The Stavanger Oil Museum was just okay. It seems dated to me. Disembarkation On disembarkation day we were just sad. Having met so many great people, it's sad to know you won't be seeing them again for a while, if at all! We went with newfound friends to Tivoli Gardens in the middle of Copenhagen (I have been many times as a child) and enjoyed a splendy sunny half-day there. You don't need a lot of time to do most things they offer - but at least try the gigantic Danish ice creams "with everything". Summary To quote Walt Disney: “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality”. Whether it is the cast members or other guests, we always feel exceptionally lucky to be surrounded by so many friendly, interesting, and nice people. We meet new friends from all over the world (oh who am I kidding - it's mostly Americans), and make wonderful memories together. So is a Norwegian Disney cruise worth it for Norwegians - and everyone else? Only if you love life, and all of the above. Come on. Of course it is. Read Less

I knew what to expect of Disney after our 3-night trip on the Dream in January, but I could not have believed that the Magic would find its way into our hearts as our second home! Embarcation was a breeze, we arrived at the port about 1pm and walked right onto the ship. We killed 30 minutes and were in our stateroom (7616) by 1:30pm. After stopping to make Palo bunch reservations, getting tickets to the martini tasting, and asking to have a table for two, we made our way deck 9 to have a late lunch. Our luggage arrived shortly after we ate and after the muster drill we made our way to the deck party. At dinner (late seating) we were pleasantly surprised that our table request was granted and we had a table for two at table 67. Our dinning team was was Pedro and Avril (of Paraguay and St. Lucia), they were beyond amazing and I hope we see them again! Our room host was Lyon from India and he took great care of the room. Even though the Magic is Disney's oldest ship, they take great care of her and you need to look really close to see her age. The Magic is noticeable smaller than the Dream, but the only time we felt cramped were in the tiny lifts. The evening shows were typically Disney good, their show Dreams is the highest rated show at sea and I can see why. We even got to watch Cinderella one evening, a nice touch to save us from going to the theater when we got back home. The adult life on the ship was considerably more lively than I expected, much to the credit of the adult activity cruise director Jo. Our favorite bar was Keys, Claudette and Tim make killer martinis and each night there is live piano to keep the atmosphere light. Quiet Cove is the adult only pool and it there was always a crowd, but chairs were easy to find. Quiet Cove Cafe is the speciality coffee bar, the drinks do come with a fee but be sure to get the punch card for buy 5 get 1 free. The rainforest room was nice, but not something we'd probably do again. It seems to be a bit dated with two showers, three saunas and four heated tile chairs. We were in a category 5B Oceanview Stateroom with a Verandah. The room as located aft starboard side and I have booked the room for our next trip on the Magic in 2016. We loved the location as it made getting around very easy being a few steps from the aft stairs and lifts. Commodore Tom was the captain while we were on the Magic. He made a few appearances throughout the cruise, with photos formal night and a signing one of the sea days. Brent from Australia was our cruise director and he did so much that he lost his voice and the ACD Trent (from Australia as well) had to take over making the announcements. Overral, I would say this was a fantastic cruise with weather so perfect the crew and cast members were amazed. I would and do recommend the Magic to all my friends and would encourage everyone to experience this ship at least once. Read Less

Our three night voyage on the Disney Dream was an absolute Dream! The ship was immaculate and the crew was friendly. From the moment we stepped onboard, we were in a in for a whirlwind of excitement. The first night we enjoyed the Sailing Away deck party, spent some time exploring the ship, caught the Golden Mickeys, and wrapped up the night with a cognac tasting. The second day we woke up early and enjoyed a spa treatment as the ship moved into dock at Nassau, the view from the spa is spectacular and watching the view change as the ship maneuvered into dock is very memorable. We spent a couple of hours exploring the shopping area right off the ship, but didn't feel very comfortable wondering around, so we returned to the ship. The rest of the day we relaxed onboard, enjoying Quiet Cove and meeting the various characters. The show for the second night was Villains Tonight, another enjoyable production. After dinner we went up on deck to enjoy the Pirates in the Caribbean deck party. We had the most amazing spot to watch the fireworks and boy was it a fantastic show! Following the deck party we had a late night Pirate Meal at the buffet. After bar hopping between Skyline and Pink we headed to bed. The next morning we woke up and enjoyed room service on our verandah as the ship docked at Castaway Cay. The view from our starboard cabin gave us an amazing opportunity to watch the beaches come into view as we enjoyed our coffee and pastries. We got ready and head off the ship to enjoy the morning out at Serenity Bay, having the required mixed drinks and great conversation with some new friends we made. We had lunch and headed back to the family area. We made it back to the family area to have a dance party with Minnie (boy can she get down!). Before heading back to the ship we took a few trips down Pelican Plunge. The last night of the cruise we bounced around to the various parts of the ship and stayed up as late as we could to make the trip last as long as we could. The show for our last night was Disney's Believe; this was by far my favorite show. The only thing that we regret about our vacation was that we only did a three night. The extra day at sea would have given us that much more time to enjoy the ship. Read Less

We were skeptical about booking a Disney Cruise as we have no kids. But we heard about the amazing service and true Disney feel of the ships so we took a chance and rolled the dice..... AND MAN WE HIT THE JACKPOT! Embarkation- Probably the easiest of all the cruises we have ever done. They were quick, polite, organized and we were onboard 30 minutes after they began boarding (and we were in group 13). One thing we loved was the fact we were allowed to bring on our own alcohol with no limitation or restrictions (Again traveling without kids so we were looking to relax). The Ship- The Dream lives up to her name. It truly is a floating Disney park, and they keep it as clean as the parks. You will always see crew members scrubbing or cleaning something, and they are very proud of their ship. The Modern interior design is beautiful, from the lobby atrium with the grand staircase, The District with it's amazing modern and up to date design is probably the most amazing and underused part of the ship (It's for adults only after 9pm), To the Open Decks with the Aqua duck and the Adults only areas. We loved the fact we had our own pool, our own cafe, and several adult only bar areas. The entire front of deck 11 and 12 are adults only, with amazing views of the front of the ship. The Dining- We were on a 3 day cruise so we were scheduled to dine in each of the three restaurants on specific nights. We started in the Enchanted Gardens on Deck 2 Midships. It is a great themed dining area with lots to see while you dine. Second night we were in the Royal Palace, which for it's name it is a let down. I have seen just as beautiful spaces on other ships. Our last night was in Animators Palate, which was honestly both sensory overload and underwhelming at the same time. We had heard such amazing things about this space and were disappointed in our experience. We sat in the middle of the room away from the video screens and while we were trying to take everything in we missed a lot. You have the same wait staff in all three of your venues as they shift with you. Darko and Casimo were great, a lot of fun and very attentive. Overall though the food left me expecting the Disney wow. We have had better and more interesting food on Carnival. Cabanas, the buffet, was simply amazing though. I have never had a cruise line continually offer fresh seafood on it's buffet day after day. entertainment - While geared for kids, there is always something to be done, weather it is a first run movie in the movie theater (we had Planes, Monsters U, Iron Man 3, and Lone Ranger) to one of the amazing evening shows. Disney Characters are always around somewhere and it's fun to see the kids get so excited when a character comes out of the lift. Pirate night was AMAZING the whole show complete with Jack Sparrow jumping off the fake smoke stack (The forward smoke stack is fake and contains the tween club) and the fireworks. We didn't take in many adult activities in the District as we were wanting to relax. Disembarkation- Simply the best, fastest, we have ever gotten off the ship. We carried our own luggage out and were told we would disembark @ 7am since we are carrying our own luggage. We were about 20th in line to get off the ship and we made it through customs and were in our car leaving at 7:20am. I really wish other cruise line's would take a look at how well this is executed! Read Less

BACKGROUND INFO Wow! What a great cruise! We are a newlywed couple who decided to spend half our honeymoon on a Disney cruise (both male, age 32 and 35), and what a great decision that turned out to be. HOTEL INFO Coming into Orlando from New York, we decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport Hotel, as the airport is included in the Disney transport to Port Canaveral. The hotel is a very convenient choice to do unless you really want to do the Disney hotels (our usual choices). The hotel is nice, well kept and provides adequate (expected) service. We didn't make much use of their amenities as we mostly used them for the lodging. TRAVEL TO PORT OF EMBARKATION The Disney's Magical Express to Port Canaveral magically sweeps you from the airport to the port, and all the friendly Disney cast members courteously guides you along the way. It is greatly hassle free, something we value and appreciate. I didn't find it an expensive add on. SHIP INFO The Disney Fantasy is at the time of this review the newest ship in the Disney fleet, and certainly looks the part, too! The crew keeps the ship impeccably clean at all times, and your stateroom is made neat and tidy twice a day. The only thing we can complain about here, is other guests either throwing garbage into the sea, or on deck in places where its hard for the crew to spot. The common areas are plentiful, spacious, and themed down to the tiniest details. You will wander around the ship in awe for a couple of days before its full glory actually starts to settle on you. In fact, the amazing service and familiarity started acting like our "safe spot" once we got into the different ports. If we ever ran into something less likeable ashore, a feeling of wanting to get back to the ship asap quickly emerged. STATEROOM Our stateroom had a veranda, and we got it to "spoil ourselves" for the honeymoon. I was worried we wouldn't use it, but we did every day. It's quite nice to have your own outside area within your stateroom to enjoy the view and watch every different scene that floats past you outside the ship. Had it not been for the fact that staterooms with verandas are nearly double the price on the Mediterranean cruise we book for June 2014, we wouldn't have hesitated to get it again. Very little noise, only children and parents screaming at each other every now and then. DINING The Disney Cruise Line dining rotation is nice, and makes for a comfortable and easy "choice" each night. We opted out once for dinner at Remy, an experience you should try. It is VERY high class fine dining, so if you're uncomfortable being pampered, served by five-six different servers, every meal an artwork, and being surrounded in a quiet luxurious setting by other guests also wearing suits and nice dresses, then Remy is not for you. Probably the most exclusive dining experience I've ever had, and Gianluca (from Italy, yay!), our main server, deserved every bit of the 30% tip we gave him. Had it not been for the fact that we came straight from a mixology (drink mixing) class that same nice we would have also tried the wine pairing menu. Interestingly, the entire Remy crew was European, so we felt very much at home. At Palo, where we had lunch, the environment is slightly less upscale than at Remy's, but that does not need it's any less incredible. Food is ridiculously good, and so plentiful and beautiful to look at. I've never seen an all you care to eat restaurant like it before. Amanda, our server from Mexico, may have been the most memorable Disney server I have ever had. Not only was she a theatrical delight, but she brought surprise plates of food and desserts to us, and made us laugh and enjoy the brunch even more. I hope they recognize her, and push her upwards in the company. My only complaint with the dining, is that our table on the regular dining rotation consisting of only adults and no children, seemed to get far less attention than the tables that did have kids. I found this odd, having been a Disney server myself. I know that "happy parents" usually are good tippers, but I would never have left any table out of the extraordinary Disney service you are supposed to provide each and every guest. Oh well, it only meant I found the service adequate. I don't even remember the servers' names, and we had them for nearly a week! The food elsewhere on the ship is bountiful and at every corner. You get as simple or as incredible food as you would like. ACTIVITIES The ship has so many activities that you will find something you'll like no matter what your preferences are. We did minigolf, the spa, and participated in several adult quizzes that were a lot of fun! The days are so packed with fun things to do you just have to pick what you think sounds most fun, and do that. You can't do it all. Chocolate and wine tasting, and mixology class, is highly recommended. SERVICE Well, the Disney service standard is world renowned, and pretty much sets the standard for any other competing company. They all smile, and are always friendly, polite and helpful. I can't remember one single time I felt they didn't do well. The only place where it is a bit lackluster, is when reentering the ship from a port through security. When booking, we were asked (DCL website) if we were celebrating anything. I do remember mentioning this was our honeymoon, and thought they might recognize this in some way. Well - they never did - not at dinner, either. I saw other tables get attention for birthdays and other occasions, but they never said a word to us about anything. Maybe they were just asking for statistical and marketing purposes, and you have to tell DCL again later while onboard. ENTERTAINMENT Besides the first show which is an odd infomercial Disney mix about your cruise, and the tedious cruise director appearances ahead of any movie or show (I mean, he's funny, but does he have to be there every time?), the shows are Broadway worthy. They are that good. The actors are super good, and the entire theater is used on several occasions. Don't miss out on any of them. Also, they show all the latest Disney movies, and may even premiere one on the ship if they can. Often we basically ran back from a Port Adventure and straight into a show or movie starting up. Then you get a little break before heading to dinner. They also play live music in the atrium / lobby area, but I found that a bit cheesy and off. I did see some people dance though. PORT & SHORE EXCURSIONS I am very underwhelmed by the Mexican ports Costa Maya and Cozumel. Maybe we chose the wrong excursions, I don't know, but several of the experienced cruisers either just strolled a bit through the shopping areas or stayed on the ship. We probably will, too, next time. Snorkeling at Stingray City on Grand Cayman and hanging out at Castaway Cay were definitely the highlights! I have gone into a little more detailed in the port reviews. I do on the whole feel like they are less interested in catering to gay couples on these Caribbean destinations though, unfortunately. DISEMBARKATION Very easy, and we did the Express Walk Off. You get up EARLY, and drag your suitcase with you straight back onto mainland on Port Canaveral. The Disney bus brought us right back to the airport, and everything was a breeze. There was very little you had to do, except for customs which was very quick, too. SUMMARY Did I mention we booked another Disney cruise in the Mediterranean next year? It was that good. All in all, the seamless experience Disney provides makes everything incredible easy - and you actually start to forget what time it is. Being without a steady cell phone service and internet, and in incredible surroundings with a line of top notch experiences lined up all the time, sucks you in. Reality is slightly more bleak after this cruise. We can't wait to go back. Read Less

We had an excellent experience. There was some turbulence on the first night and several in our group was a bit ill. The wait staff (all 17 of us were on two tables with the same servers) went out of their way to find us something to get food on our stomachs. We had one child that couldn't swallow the pills for seasickness without applesauce and with applesauce no where to be found, the head server ground up granny smith apples for him. For the Royal suite there was a room attendant who also had an assistant. Not sure if this is always or if he was training him. But the attendant is the one that refilled drinks, tidied up the balcony after night winds, restocked things etc. We made sure to tip extra knowing there has to be some division of funds there. The room was wonderful as we were 4 adults and one teen using this room. The kitchen had a full refrigerator and was always well stocked with sodas, water, and milk. There was a coffee machine in the kitchen and they gave us instructions on how to use it. Loved it!! There was also a wine cooler in there as well as an assortment of dishes etc.The dining room had a table that seated 8 people. When we called room service they would come in and place a table cloth and set the table up before putting the room service plates at the table settings. We did not order Palo in but it was offered to us. We had free wifi and also checked out an ipad to use as we didn't bring ours. We had 17 people in total on board with us, family and friends. We had plenty of room to host them and they often gathered in our room and on our deck. The deck had a full size jacuzzi and towels rolled and placed out there as well as sun loungers and a couch and two chairs. We found it hard to find reason to leave our room.The pull down beds are in the dining room. One is a single, the other a double. Both were comfortable and had lights and curtains surrounding each for privacy and such. The master bedroom was wonderful and the bathroom had the jacuzzi jetted tub, while the shower had a sauna use as well as rain shower. The mirror had the tv image built in and this room has the bottom of the bed lift up TV. There is a cozy little round built in chair in the window for great morning views of the ocean while drinking coffee or reading. We loved this room and were spoiled by it for sure. It was the most relaxing cruise I have ever taken as we really just enjoyed spending this time with family and friends. There was nothing that would have made this trip any better other than a longer cruise, LOL Read Less

If you have toddlers and/or infants...by all means...take this one. Unfortunately we have teenagers 17 and 15....not unfortunately we have them, but the way they put it..."if it weren't for other kids we met, it would have been the most boring cruise yet!". My 15 yo son states one of the nights, one of the Disney employees at the teen club was so bored...she BEGGED for them to entertain her!!!....the one that's supposed to entertain them!!! As far as me and the Mrs goes...well...the same...as much restricted the kids felt in their activities, the same feeling we had as adults!!! We particularly don't drink alcohol...which i think is a disadvantage...the adult clubs at THE DISTRICT...a place for adults in the ship...basically were tiny hallways, very nicely decorated , with a bar. The is a so called dance club which we attended...very poor choice of dance music...and when they did play something decent...it was time for THEIR DISNEY DANCERS to hit the stage!!! BUMMER!!! By midnight???....ALL PRACTICALLY CLOSED...NO DISNEY EMPLOYEES IN SITE...very very sad scene. There were otherwise some positives, food - EXCELLENT. Spa, NICE. There is a sauna for adults to share, and one in the men's change room, which i enjoyed ....I'm assuming the same for the ladies. The room- IMMACULATE. The service in the restaurants, slow but good. They showed AVENGERS in their theatre in 3D! AWSOME! The shows?...the mickey golds award and villains were two of them. Not so good. Ive heard the third one...believe...was really good. I was disappointed by then, so i didn't go to it. My eleven year old...did enjoy her kids club....A LOT! So in general, nice food, clean boat, lame shows, no after hours activities for adults and teens, unless you as an adult like to drink alcohol. LOTS of shows for the toddlers/infants. Read Less

On this cruise, we sailed with another couple along with one of their parents and a single friend of ours. Two of the group had never been on a cruise before. The other two had been on Holland America but not on Disney. We had previously sailed on the Wonder. This trip had been almost a year in the planning and were all greatly looking forward to it. We had used DVC points to pay for the cruise while the others paid cash for theirs. We used hotwire.com for hotel the night before as we had previously done and ended up at the Crown Plaza at the airport. It was okay. The property and the rooms were actually nice but the whole place has a musty, moldy smell to it as others have mentioned and we did notice that as soon as we opened the door to our room. After we were in it a little while and had the air on it wasn't so noticeable. We used Happy Limo for transportation to and from the Port. We had used them before and this time had an actual stretch limo which was a lot of fun. Their service is impeccable and is a better value than using DCL transportation. Embarkation was flawless. As before, we had selected the earliest possible arrival time of 11am. Some of our group had 11:30 but we were told to just present our 11am slip and tell them we were a group. That worked like a charm and we were on board having lunch by noon. We didn't wait in line at all to check in. Just to summarize some key points: Food - I suspect this is true of most cruise lines, but I would give DCL a 'B' overall for food. Some of the food in main dining rooms is great, some not so much. The quick service food by the pool is very much like fast food but tasty none the less. The pizza is good but not great. But if you like a particular style of pizza and that isn't it you will be disappointed. We ate at Palo for the first time and the food and service were spectacular. Public Spaces - This ship isn't new. It is 13 years old and it went through a major dry dock at 10 years old. There are places where you do see some wear and tear, but as another writer said, your house probably has wear and tear as well. We did see them doing some maintenance here and there. I think I was looking at this with a magnifying glass after reading comments on here. There were some surprises - the adult pool area is surrounded in wood and there are places that doesnt' look very good. There are spots where you see rust in small amounts around the ship. We thought there was mold on the ceiling of this one spa room but when we inquired we were told it was rust and they were waiting for a special paint. Is it perfect? NO Is it fine? For us sure. Is it okay given a premium price? I'm going to say that unless a ship is brand new I would think you would see this stuff on most ships. We are on the Dream in February so it will be interesting to compare. Shows - The shows are classic Disney and they are perfection. The audience and us loved them. Nobody can do this better in my opinion. I know RCCL has Chicago and Hairspray and they are probably great for that one show. Drinks - We were pleasantly surprised by drink prices. Typically we found drinks to be priced comparable or less that what we would have paid at a local restaurant. Service - Our service experience was excellent, worth every penny. Our dining team was terrific, the cabin host took care of everything you could imagine. I will also say that with two Disney cruises now under my belt that there is NO pushiness in my opinion from drink servers, photographers, etc. They may ask you if you want a drink but if you say no they just go away and the same one won't likely ask you again at that time. So having said all that I have to take a step back and think about it from an objective place. I know if you are paying cash, DCL is a premium. We are planning a small group cruise in 2013 to western Caribbean and originally I planned on Disney Fantasy. However, I am now considering RCCL Oasis/Allure, as well as the HA Ryndam. They start at around $700 for inside while Fantasy would start around $1100 (both for inside room based on double occupancy). I think for the value comparison it is possible we will use a line other than DCL. I think we'd get comparable food, service, and rooms on the other lines. The entertainment won't be the same. We are a largely kid free group so cannot comment on the kids programs. I know I will sail on DCL again, particularly on the Magic and Wonder. Taking a group and recommending it, I may lean toward a different experience from the value proposition. So, in the end. I love sailing on DCL. Is is perfect all the time? No. But I doubt any cruise line is...I could be wrong though. I will sail on other cruise lines also...trying a 3 night on NCL Sky in 2013 just to try another line. Read Less

A good size group of us were booked on the Disney Wonder for a 3 night cruise out of Port Canaveral on April 2. We were a good mix of adults and kids and age ranged from 2 - 40. This was our first cruise on a Disney boat. We're all basically within a two hour drive of the port but decided to continue our tradition of driving over the day before and staying at the Radisson in Port Canaveral. The hotel is ok (and since I saw someone else ask, they don't care if you put 5 people in a 4 person room) and has just finished a large refurbishment project which was very much needed! Due to a late night at the Radisson bar watching the UFC fights, we got up around 11 and headed over to the port. There were a lot of people already there but surprisingly, no lines. We went to station 11 and started our check in process. The lady at the counter (and unfortunately, I don't recall her name) was talking to another employee who clearly ticked her off and then took it out on us. She was rude and very short with us. We were in a CAT4 and had asked if suite upgrades were available. She told us, "I think we have a few rooms available but you're going to have to talk to the supervisor at the end of the line as I just don't have time for this." Wow... I was shocked. We walked to where the supervisor sits and lucky us, it was the employee who had clearly put our check in lady in a bad mood. Bummer for us. We decided not to bother with a suite upgrade (a mistake for us) and we met up with the remainder of our party. Once the parties had all met back up, we compared dining room assignments. We were all over the place... in fact; people in the same rooms had different dining tables and different dining rotations. We inquired with guest services and were told that we'd have to address this once on board the ship at the guest services counter on desk 3. We boarded in group 3 and went to get on board where the entire group realized that none of us had taken our pictures. We all checked in with the same lady who seemed to forget to point us to the kiosks where they take your picture for your room key card. Oh well, they fixed that pretty quickly and we were on board in no time....woo hoo. Vacation time! We headed to guest services where we were told that they couldn't do anything about it and we'd need to head to the waverly on deck 3. The group walks over there only to find out it doesn't open until 1p (and its 11:45 am now!). We were getting pretty fumed! Luckily, a guy named Alen from Croatia walked by and asked us why we were waiting there and we explained that we were a large group, wanted the same dining room table and restaurant rotation. He thought it was pretty silly that this had gotten messed up so bad, took out his notepad and assured us it would be resolved. We were a bit skeptical, because his English was very sketchy, but low and behold, about 3p, he came knocking on all of our doors with new dining assignments. That was some of the best customer service I have ever experienced and we rewarded him very well. Thanks to Alen's assistance, we were then able to head back to the aft part of the ship to enjoy lunch. The buffet lines were a bit crazy, but we expected that. The food was good, though I miss Royal Caribbean's Honey Stung Chicken on the departure day! We hung out for about an hour and then headed to our rooms. We're used to cruising in suites and were pleasantly surprised by the size of the CAT4 rooms. Not as big as a suite, but easy to move around in. What we were most disappointed in was the bathrooms. Holy cow they are SMALL!!! The section with the shower was ok but where the commode was, was almost unusable for us. I guess that's the price you pay for being 6'4" and 300lbs. Aside from some air conditioning issues that were never resolved, that was our only major disappointment with the rooms. Our room attendant "weekly" met with us and did a great job keeping the room clean and tidy and always making sure our "cooling box" was well stocked. We toured the ship and were amazed at how nice it was, for a kids and family ship. It is very well maintained and has an unspoken elegance about it. Not having a casino is a bit of a bummer, but that was replaced with glee when I found the Quiet Cove area (the adult pool) and the almost freezing coffee house attached to it. We had first seating and our rotation was P-T-A. I don't recall our server's name, but he was very good. His assistant waiter "Oscar" wasn't very good. We constantly had to get up to grab our own drink refills. After the first day, our main server had a plate full of jumbo shrimp waiting for me every night. I was in heaven. I was stunned at the food quality on Disney... clearly better than any other cruise line we've been on. It was FANTASTIC! In our party, we had a few adults and kids with food allergies and our head waiter continuously went above and beyond to make sure they were taken care of. Dinner service was a bit slow because of this (we were literally the last ones out, every night) but it was well worth the wait. Our first stop was Nassau... its Nassau, been there too many times to care anymore. I ended up staying on the boat, popping on my iPod and just being a lounge rat at the adult pool. Life is good! Our second stop was Disney's Castaway Cay (or Key, as they keep calling it). We got on to the island fairly late, but it wasn't that hard to find some nice seats. The island is laid out nicely and it is a nice break from the cruise ship. A big disappointment on this island, the bathrooms! Not sure how you think having 3 sets of restrooms (with 2 stalls each) is going to be ok for 2700 guests. I made most of the runs with the kids and each time, it was a 5-10 minute wait for a stall. There were two separate instances of kids who "didn't make it" and had accidents right there in line. I felt so bad for the kids and their parents who were clearly very embarrassed. I was embarrassed for Disney. Other than that, the food and service was great and I bought a few of their "survival" packs on the island, what a great idea. We arrived back at Port Canaveral pretty early, about 4:30 and the noise from docking and starting to unload the ship woke us up. We went back to sleep pretty easily and woke up around 8. We had a quick shower and headed straight for disembarkation. Holy cow again... boy do they have this down to a science! No fluff here folks, it took us exactly 9 minutes from the moment we closed our door to the second we made it to our car and that includes the time it took us to find our luggage! The other cruise lines need to come figure out how Disney managed to make this process as smooth as it was. The Good The ship is in immaculate condition and is very well maintained. The food is spectacular. The best I've had on a cruise! The service is for the most part very good. They have a strong focus on customer service! The Bad! The bathrooms in the rooms are ridiculously small. The folks in the check in area of the terminal need a refresher on providing good customer service! They need to put more restrooms on Castaway Cay. The Parents... holy crap are we raising a generation of kids who are going to be out of control. When did we start negotiating with children???!!! When did parents stop being parents???!!! Ok... that's for another thread! LOL! Overall Though it was a fun getaway with our friends, we'll likely not do another Disney cruise. We missed the Casino, we missed having things to do in the late night hours and I guess I prefer a cruise where the adults would have a fighting chance if the kids were to declare a mutiny on the boat. :-) Read Less