Ooooh – we can have you all racing each other. Maybe @StinsyLinson can post graphics of ships like on Battleship as you try to finish your reports! 
3 Likes
The Wish has the Mickey’s BBQ that is unique to the newer ships. The taco cantina did used to be unique to the newer ships too but they’ve since added it to both the Fantasy & Dream. The Dream & Fantasy from what I remember of them had a counter for deli sandwiches and wraps and salads and fresh fruit labeled as Fillmore’s. And I haven’t been on them since they’ve added the cantina to confirm the new cantina didn’t replace the Fillmore’s. But I think I remember reading that the cantina was an addition and didn’t take away any of the existing counters. But I could be wrong on that. But the burgers/tenders and grill fare is the same on all the ships, as is the pizza. So those are all the same.
Rude! They have some good smokey chipotle ones when they put out the bar of them. I definitely say you need a redo.
2 Likes
HA! I love it! I will still probably finish last, I mean going by my track record of finishing trip reports. 
3 Likes
The cantina was there alongside Fillmore’s. Fillmore’s had like little sandwiches, wraps, and salads. Ramone’s had the tacos/bowls. Luigi’s for pizza, and then the burger/dogs/brats/tenders place, which I am blanking on the name of.
One evening my wife wanted a chicken wrap for an evening snack. There was no CM working the counter, and no one waiting except me. I waited a couple minutes, and the CMs were just ignoring me standing there. Finally, one of the ship’s officers still in his whites walked by and saw me there, so he went into the kitchen area and asked what I wanted. He served me the chicken wrap and I was on my way. I thought it was poor service on the part of the CMs there to ignore me, but above and beyond for a ship officer to step in like that!
9 Likes
Maybe. It is also possible that it was just not put the times I went there, but other times it was. I can’t say. I can only say it wasn’t available when I was there.
3 Likes
I am not surprised actually. Based on most my interactions pool deck quick service CMs, I would guess that they have the worst job on the ship. At least that’s the vibe I get whenever I need to approach the ones at the grill or pizza.
The cantina or BBQ counters have always been more on the friendly side CMs. Oh, and on the newer ships, the soft serve is behind a counter and CMs fulfill your requests, and those CMs are by far the friendliest of the pool deck QS set.
But somehow, they seem to put the ones who just don’t love human interaction on the pizza or grill counters (those also tend to get the busiest so I’m sure they are the most exhausted). And I try to give a lot of leeway to any crew on any ship because they live in little shoeboxes sometimes with a roommate they didn’t know or choose with little to no escape from that situation ever and work up to 12-16 hr days, with no days off until the end of a 3-5 month contract.
So I’m not there to ask for them to be smiley and bubbly, and I get they’re not living anyone’s dream and will have days they are just done somewhere in there. But I have been meaning to express in a comment or email to DCL that they really need to help give those CMs some better support in some way or another because we’ve had a couple make it uncomfortable by approaching the open counter to get the food we want to get.
6 Likes
Still there.
I don’t know, I have a lot of days! 
3 Likes
We agree! and on the NCL:Pearl we noted that their elevators were 3x bigger, more w/ half the cruise population size. It was helpful to have proper elevators.
NCL: freestyle… go as you are, when you want. I had a fun conversation w/ a brit in the OKW laundry room about this very topic. He wondered what they would do if they were assigned to sit w/ someone of a different mindset the whole cruise. 
I ate curry everyday b/c it was the only thing w/ flavor. And they made GREAT curry 
2 Likes
SERVICE
One of the supposed best things about a Disney cruise (according to Disney, at least) is their level of service. So, I thought it reasonable to have a post just about that.
I will start out by saying I can’t really say I ever had poor service (apart from when I was being ignored at the Fillmore’s location for a couple of minutes), but I also can’t say it was all a bed of roses either. I would say it was mixed.
Now, before I say more, I will say I recognize that the staff on these ships have a difficult job…long hours, living on a ship for months at a time, and all that. However, I am going to simply comment based on the service I received, and NOT what is happening behind the scenes and presumptions about how much Disney is or isn’t paying. I am not privy to that. So I can only comment on what I have EXPERIENCED.
Most of the CMs were, in fact, extremely friendly and willing to help. Some moreso than others. While others looked like they were almost lost. I noticed a whole slew of CMs were wearing little tags that said they were earning their ears, which means they are still in training. Plus, many of the CMs who didn’t have such tags seemed to be new as well.
My first “real” encounter with a CM was once we were on the pool deck, and I mentioned before about trying to obtain a Diet Coke because the machines were out. The fact that one machine was out is a simple oversight. The fact that two were is starting to be a problem. The fact that every machine on the entire side of the ship was out suggests a systemic miss. It was a poor first impression for me, honestly. Anyhow, I spoke with a lady about it, and she seemed confused and unsure what to do, but she did willingly and happily try to locate my Diet Coke. It took a while, but she brought it back for me. Prior to asking her, I had asked a CM on the pool deck about where to find Diet Coke since the pool deck machine was out, and he barely understood me, and just pointed to Cabanas.
Throughout the remainder of the cruise, I had similar interactions with CMs that seemed a little unsure of themselves. So, I assume these were more trainees. On the one hand, I’m understanding of that. And I’ve “heard” that many of the previous experienced CMs have been moved off the older ships to the newest ships to ensure those have top notch service. The implication of this, however, is that those of us paying a pretty penny for THIS cruise are somehow less deserving of this quality of service?
Again, none of my interactions were bad. But I wouldn’t call it exemplary at all. Compared to my experience on the Allure of the Seas, I would say that the OVERALL service quality was well below what I experienced on Allure. HOWEVER, there were exceptions, for sure. As I mentioned earlier, the lady (I think her name was Laura) who was running the Disney Trivia session was just amazing. Her interactions with the kids and adults alike was so sweet and authentic. She never came across as trying too hard, yet she kept us engaged the entire time.
The servers at the Cove bar were also very helpful. Not gregarious or anything, but not only seemed competent, but entirely willing to help. When I ordered a coffee for my wife and then a pina colada for myself, since they pool bar hadn’t actually opened yet, a CM from the Cove bar when over to the pool bar and made the pina colada for me. So, that was excellent service.
Our room hostess was friendly, and in fact at one point saw that I had my hands full as I approved our room, so she unlocked the door on my behalf. So that was excellent service as well. (But, I could tell she was in training still, because there were things she did in our room that was kind of annoying. Like, for example, she didn’t just unplug our cables, she wound them up in such a way that they were a tangled mess. But I’ll give her a pass in that she was TRYING to be helpful, even though it wasn’t ACTUALLY helpful.)
So, if I had to give a ranking of service, I would call it mixed, but overall all “good”, not necessarily “excellent”. Some interactions were excellent, some weren’t. But again, Disney’s claim (by the cruise director Jimmy, for example) that their service is second to none was not our experience. Service was definitely better on Allure…and Allure was, on a per night basis, a much cheaper cruise.
Another thing which happened on day one (which supposedly happens on other cruises, although we never had it happen on Allure) is the “sales push”. As we wandered around the pool deck, there were various CMs there ready to “pounce” on trying to sell you getting drinks, or going to the spa. We just said no thanks and moved on, but I was really surprised to have this experience on a Disney cruise. To be fair, this was ONLY on day one. Again, on Allure, we personally didn’t get this kind of pressure…but I know others did, so I guess it is just what happens on a cruise. Again, poor first impressions for me. Kind of tainted the experience unnecessarily.
4 Likes
THE SHIP
No doubt, the Fantasy is a beautiful ship. On day two, I took The Art of the Theme ship tour (which was excellent, BTW…do it if you can), which made me appreciate the design of the ship even more, and notice details I wouldn’t have otherwise. Why are there peacocks and references to peacocks everywhere, for example? The tour will explain it all.
On the tour, the lady giving it mentioned that in EVERYTHING Disney does, they never just put something in because it looks pretty. There is a reason for everything, every design element, etc. Sometimes that reason can be apparent to the guests, but often not. So, I’m sure this ship has so many details to notice that we never realized the significance to. But the tour helped a lot.
Anyhow, I’ve made some allusions to the ship in prior posts. And my observations where purely experiential here. I recognize that there are limitations in the ship. Nothing can be done to make the ship bigger or anything. But it doesn’t change that experience. And, also note my ONE comparison point is to Allure of the Seas which is SIGNIFICANTLY larger in side…almost 50% wider…although, Fantasy has a max guest capacity of 2500 versus Allure’s I think it is 5500 to 6800, depending on how full it is.
Anyhow, immediately, first impression was that the ship felt smaller than I had expected. The hallways felt more cramped, and it seemed like you were always in the way of other people. Even the main lobby, which quite large, felt “small” compared to what I was expecting. As the days passed, though, I came to see the lobby in a different light. It didn’t need to be bigger than it was, really. So you might say it was right-sized for the ship.
The elevators, as previously discussed, were far too small and/or not enough of them. Lots of crowding, and at times guests would seem to forget their etiquette…trying to get on before letting people get off, or “cutting” in front of others to get on the next elevator even though others had been waiting ahead of them. BUT, during other times of the day, the elevators were perfectly sufficient, never having to wait long for one, etc.
The stateroom itself was perhaps a little dated, but by no means in poor condition or anything. The bed was comfortable, and even though the room initially felt small (again comparing to the Allure), we did find that the overall utility of the room on the Fantasy was probably better. Our stateroom (9764) was on the very aft of the ship. Now, this was a choice because for the price, we were able to secure a room with a relatively HUGE verandah. But we knew this meant dealing with more of the engine noise/vibration and motion of the ship. I don’t regret the verandah…BUT, I’m not sure I would choose an aft room again due to the level of vibration, particularly on the third night when the cruise ship was, well, REALLY cruising to get back to Port Canaveral from Castaway Cay.
And speaking of motion, we could definitely feel more motion on this ship versus the the Allure. Not that I didn’t feel motion on Allure. But it was pretty clear the stabilizers just aren’t quite as effective on this ship. Ship size might play a role in that as well. I took Meclizine for the first day, but didn’t after that, however, and I was fine. Ironically, it was my wife who started to experience motion sickness on night three when I didn’t. Usually I’m more prone to motion sickness than her. I guess I was able to find my sea legs better?!?
The adults-only (quite cove) pool area wasn’t quite as much of a respite as it probably could have been. I think it wasn’t really big enough, and so at times the hot tub was completely full. Felt “busy”. Plus, there is a pass-through, so kids were still walking through to get to the ship forward area. Having said that, on Castaway Cay day, we stayed on the ship and spent time there when we were practically the only people there! That was nice. (Yeah, we didn’t go on the island, so I won’t offer comment on that, but we really wanted to be on the ship when no one else was around, because it was always feeling overcrowded most of the time.) I overheard a couple CMs talking, and one mentioned that this cruise had 2000 guests. It handles up to 2500. I can’t imagine how much more crowded it would have felt if it had been completely filled to 2500 guests!
The adults-only themed bars in the aft of the ship (Ooh La La, The Tube, La Piazza, and the Skyline bar) were cool/cozy spaces during the day, full of activities. We never really spent time there, however, other than for the trivia session we went to, so can’t speak to the evening vibe there at all.
We spent time on the promenade deck just sitting, talking, watching the ocean. It was lovely out there. Not very crowded, either, even at busy times, so a great way to escape the crush of people you’ll find elsewhere on the ship such as the pool deck. A great option, if looking for an alternative to holing up in in your stateroom.
It took a couple days on the ship before I found my bearings enough to get around the ship competently. The layout is “funky” in that sometimes it isn’t entirely obvious how to get from A to B. On Allure, since there is kind of a central area, it was really easy to navigate (one you figured out which decks had what), but on Fantasy, the pathways were less “direct”. It makes sense of the size of the ship, and did give a bit of a “cozy” feel to the ship that you don’t really have on Allure. But it also contributed to the sense of overcrowding, constantly having to walk single-file to pass by others, etc.
The pool deck pools, AquaDuck, and water slide, plus the sports area, we didn’t really spend much time on apart from when getting food or the sailing away and pirate parties. Had the cruise been longer, we may have tried. We originally had hoped to try the AquaDuck while at Castaway Cay…but they didn’t open it until 1:30 pm, so I guess they want everyone off the ship. In fact, they assumed this was the case, really. Every CM we spoke with later in the day asked how we liked the island, and were kind of shocked when we said we didn’t go. (Although, a couple of CMs then acknowledged that it was a great time to enjoy quiet on the ship, to which we totally agreed.)
Overall, I would say the ship was beautiful, with details all over the to be admired. At the same time, the ship felt overcrowded much of the time (not always) unless you knew were to go. Had we been on the ship longer, we probably would have taken advantage of those quieter locations.
Fun fact: The carpet in the halls where the staterooms are have stars. The stars point toward ship forward. And the larger pattern with the flags and map on the carpet has meaning. The small stars on the map represent the places the ship initially sailed from (California, Florida, and Italy, since the ship was built in Italy). The flags spell out “Disney Fantasy”, if you know how to read “flag”. 
5 Likes
We did this too and loved it!
I find this is just the way people are now. I have this experience everywhere!!
Could you smell the engine too? We were thinking of trying this location for the view after sitting outside at Cabana’s to watch the sunrise but the smell was awful!
2 Likes
Not that I recall. I can see it more at Cabana’s, since you are closer to the funnel where the exhaust is. We were on deck 9…and the verandahs are “mostly” shielded due to the slope of the aft of the ship. BUT, I will say I don’t have the best sniffer in the world. My wife is far more sensitive to smells. I don’t recall her mentioning it, though.
If the motion/vibration doesn’t bother you, I’d definitely recommend the location due to the verandah.
1 Like
Sounds like maybe they have improved this on the Wish. We were on the Dream. Flo’s was the only quick service option for “dinner” and I use the term loosely. It was fine as a snack but it’s not a real dinner substitute in the way a real buffet would be. For example, nary a single vegetable in sight! (It sounds like maybe they have recently added a taco bar?)
1 Like
The only “vegetable” at the taco bar, as I recall, was the fajita veggies (peppers and onions). But, Fillmore’s, which is adjacent to the taco bar, had salads and sandwiches/wraps if you want something a bit more refreshing. Still, I agree that Flo’s really isn’t a good substitute for having a place to eat other than the dining room. Having said that, the hot dogs were good (NOT the brats, though! Blech!), as were the chicken tenders. I mean, good as far as hot dogs and chicken tenders go. (Oh, but the buns were always dry.)
2 Likes
I should probably post the next chapter of my report as well
3 Likes
SUMMARY REVIEW
I think I covered things pretty well, although if I think of anything else I’ll tack that on later. But now I just wanted to give more of a summary review that is now subjective things, and less about “just the facts”. I suppose this is where my view could be polar opposite to how others feel. That’s fine. I recognize that. As we all know, how each person/family does Disney looks different.
First, did we have a good time? Absolutely. There was so much to love about the Disney Fantasy, and so much to do that we never got a chance to do mostly due to the short itinerary. We intentionally picked a 3 night because we wanted to experience DCL without necessarily paying an arm and a leg. (Instead, I think we paid a leg and a few fingers, maybe.) There is such a variety of activities, too, that I would say there is something for everyone. Character meets? Got 'em. Spa services? Got 'em. Fun and games? Got 'em. Shows and music? Got 'em. You get the picture. I think if we had more time, we could have easily done more of the trivia sessions, etc.
Next, did we like the ship? Well…yes and no. It just felt too crowded much of the time. It was beautiful, no doubt, but I think the layout wasn’t the best. Like, at Flo’s, the lines of people were extending and blocking the walkway into/out of the quiet cove pool area, and the self-service ice cream area was a mad house anytime I walked past there. The restaurants were loud and chaotic, and all that. So, despite how beautiful it is, I think I would have preferred a little more more utilitarian layout to help keep the crowded feeling down.
Third, would we do another DCL cruise? My wife and I discussed this quite a bit during the trip. Neither of us regret taking this cruise. It was lovely. But…for US, I think it is a one and done. I think there is an ideal target audience for a Disney cruise, and we probably aren’t it. If we had kids with us, particularly younger ones, I think a DCL cruise would be an amazing experience. SO MUCH of the cruise is targeting, it seems, families. I mean, that makes sense. It is Disney, after all. But, as adults who are practically empty nesters, we wanted a bit more of an adult experience. Not that you can’t find adult-targeted activities…only that we were constantly surrounded by kids who were running around being kids. I don’t blame them…but it wasn’t really the vibe we wanted. But there were times when, for example when Mrs. Claus was reading to the kids, that you could see the wonder and excitement in their eyes. So, DEFINITELY think families are the main audience. And, if we were the kind of Disney adults who were into character interactions or whatever, perhaps we would have been more drawn to it. But in the end, we were glad to do it, glad to check it off our bucket list…but also glad to go back to RCCL for our next cruise. (And, our next cruise will be on Independence of the seas, which is closer in size to the Fantasy than the Allure, so it will be a more fair comparison.)
One aspect of this was simply the fact that, compared to our cruise on Allure, it was odd to walk around the ship seeing kids and whole families in their PJs…including in the dining rooms. They weren’t wrong to do that. In fact, it is the “vibe” you can expect there. But it wasn’t the vibe WE were looking for. We like to dress up a little bit for dinner. The dining experience on Allure felt more “upscale” and special. The dining experience on Fantasy felt more relaxed (in terms of the other guests).
I would say we felt the service on Allure seemed better than on Fantasy, although only marginally so. And we felt that on Allure, the food options were far better/superior. You were never lacking for a place to find a variety of food/snacks on Allure. On Fantasy, it basically always came back to Flo’s, which just isn’t great.
Would we recommend a DCL cruise to others? Absolutely. Particularly to families with younger kids (we didn’t notice a whole lot of teens on the cruise but perhaps they were just hanging out in the teen club), who also have more disposable income. But…if you are an older adult like us, or perhaps have less funds available, or aren’t really into Disney, I’d say try another cruise line. RCCL has a lot of ships with so much for kids, for example, just without the Disney characters.
Now what about the shows/entertainment? Well, again, if you have kids, I think the DCL options were excellent. BUT, I would say that the production quality on the Allure was truly Broadway quality. A complete Broadway show, and not a “edited down” version. And more show variety. Diving shows, ice skating shows, movies, and stage musicals. BUT, some of their shows are less family friendly. The comedy club, for example, was definitely rated R (kids were not allowed). Music around the ship was more varied than on the Fantasy. BUT, the trivia sessions were more aligned on the Fantasy to our personal interests than on Allure. And due to the number of guests on Allure, getting IN to see the shows or do trivia means arriving quite early.
So, in the end…it is unlikely we would do another DCL cruise, but by no means did we regret doing one nor would hesitate recommending one. We just want a bit more adult experience now. Had we done this cruise, say, 10 years ago when we had younger kids, we probably would have a very different response.
4 Likes
deck level affects your experience, but being able to see the horizon helps for me too
2 Likes
For sure. It was definitely worse on the lower decks at the aft of the ship than the upper decks.
2 Likes
interesting…. I thought the opposite; I felt less motion on the lower decks… Now I need to investigate if it has to do w/ the ship design
1 Like
Let me clarify. It is probably safe to say there was more motion in general on the upper decks…but the KIND of motion we felt on the lower decks was more problematic. More engine vibration for example, and no referential sightlines outside the ship.
2 Likes