Einstein509
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2020
Hi folks, just returned from a weeklong Disney Fantasy cruise in the Western Caribbean. I'll post the good, the bad and the ugly from our experience. I like to be organized so I will make a list of itemized comments. Also, this won't be an inclusive list of everything so if you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer those. Here goes:
1. Itinerary: Port Canaveral, Day at Sea, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica, Day at Sea, Castaway Cay.
2. Embarkation: We were a party of four and one of us had to get tested for COVID prior to sailing. The other three were able to test and upload results two days prior. There are no signs from the parking garage to where you have to go test. Last time we cruised (about a year ago) we had everything done in the garage. The COVID testing site is now in a bunch of white tents across the street from the terminal. They are not lit inside, but air conditioned. The process went pretty smoothly and I did the actual swabbing for our DD. The technician sort of looked, but I doubt they could see anything based on the dimly lit interior so I didn't go full in for the brain scrambling swab. We were told the results would be available via email or the Safe Passage site in about 20 minutes. We saw them after 15 minutes. I imagine they are likely down to using the at-home tests we all likely have as those take 15 minutes, but I'm speculating here. Check-in was pretty smooth, so was security. Although they are pretty strict about your port arrival time. Don't arrive early or you'll be turned away. If you're like 15 minutes early, they will likely let you go, but it depends on the attendant. We had to go to the front desk for check-in because two people's pictures in our party didn't register for some reason at the first check-in. They were fine at the desk check-in upstairs in the terminal. Boarded the ship after that and did lunch. State rooms would not be ready until 2pm (we got on about 1:30pm) and when we went down from Cabanas a little after two, they had the hallway doors open so we could access our stateroom. We are Castaway Silver Club members at received the same across chest backpack that we got a year ago, nothing changed in this department.
3. People Numbers: I spoke to one of the attendants upon check-in and she mentioned that the this cruise was running about 3600 guests. The Fantasy apparently has a capacity of 4000 so almost full and it felt like it. The check-in had a bunch of people but immediately upon boarding, we noticed the increased crowds, especially from a year ago when everything was limited.....I miss those days!
4. Meals: The food is hit or miss. Some things are great, some not so much. I'll focus on the sit-down meals as we mostly did those and Cabanas is pretty standard with the buffet food. There are definite winners like anything Ahi Tuna. The steaks are hit or miss. Sometimes you get a good cut cooked properly and sometimes you don't. As most of you likely know, you can order as many appetizers, mains, desserts as you'd like (I mean within reason, the servers are people after all). So I would definitely recommend doing that if you're torn between dishes or are unsure about what you're ordering or just order two of things in case one is not that good. The servers are great as always, but it seemed like we had a fresh crew on board with new contracts. They stumbled a bit at first until they got into a bit of a groove. The Head Server mentioned that he had a new crew so that's how we knew. Not sure if this was ship wide or just with our team. As a side note, there's a little snack bar that opens up about 11pm near La Piazza with some late night munchies. It's decent for those looking to soak up the booze before heading to bed and if you're still up that late. All the menus are on the app so you can look ahead of time what is being served. I would also recommend the sit-down lunches in Royal Court as you can usually get a window seat, the food is better than Cabanas, and it's more relaxing than fighting the crowd in Cabanas. We had Pirate night which had it's own particular menu. They also brought back the animation in Animators Palate which was missing a year ago. That was a nice return on our last night.
5. Cozumel: We chose to pick one port to do one excursion on this cruise. That's usually what we do as these things are expensive enough. Cozumel was not the port. Plus we like to do some things on the ship when everyone is off like sleep in or the AquaDuck, which had a line as long as 60 minutes during the at sea days. We did come off the ship and our server suggested a Super Walmart like store really close to the ship to do our shopping. This was a great tip! In Cozumel, they make you walk through a touristy shopping district before you can actually get into town. By the way, IT.WAS.HOT and HUMID! We walked over to the Mega (the Walmart store) and did some shopping. I picked up a ton of Mexican hot sauces and salsas that I've never seen before in the USA. We also picked up some T-shirts for our DD (about $5 each), some beach toys (pails/buckets), and a long sleeve swim shirt with some Cozumel swag on it. Plus some other minor trinkets which they have as you enter the store. Definitely worth it for picking up souvenirs on a budget. We got back on the ship, did the AquaDuck and showered from all the sweating we did in port. Also, lots of thunderstorms in Cozumel. It rained every 30 minutes to an hour. The ship gave out plastic ponchos as we disembarked, but we didn't use them as I think I would bake like to easy bake chicken pouches in the heat.
6. Grand Cayman: This was our excursion port. We booked a snorkeling, Stingray City, Starfish Point, and a Seven-Mile beach excursion privately ahead of time. You save some cash doing it this way and it was our second time doing this with a different company. The service was great, but we ran out of time to head over to the last stop (beach), but the company refunded that portion of the excursion so nothing lost there. You do have to use tender boats at Grand Cayman as the ship doesn't dock at a pier. So plan on extra time getting off the ship. It took us about 20-30 minutes to finally get on a tender boat and that was after the initial rush of people in the morning.
7. Falmouth Jamaica: We did more shopping here at the port and picked up some trinkets. Lots of shops right there at the port with pretty much the same items in each store. The prices are negotiable so keep that in mind. Although remember, haggling over a dollar here or there is probably going too far as most cruise tourists spend thousands on a cruise. However, if you're talking a $20, $30, $40 or more price difference, then perhaps it's worth it. The original prices are always marked up. We picked up some nice hand carved wood pieces and got about $20 off the original price. There is room for another cruise ship at this port and we had a Royal Caribbean ship in port, so the port area felt crowded.....more on that later.
8. Days at Sea: The days at sea are relaxing in the sense that you can sleep in, but keep in mind that there are a lot of people on the ship, at least that was the case on ours. The pool deck was crowded. The pools were crowded. The kiddie pool had a cloudy appearance to it, so I think I know what all those kids were doing in that one. Chairs are hard to come by and people are pretty rude about not policing their towels when they leave. So you don't know which chairs are occupied or not. We took a risk at times and just moved towels off chairs that seemed like they didn't have any personal items around them. The activities around the ship are also, you guessed it, crowded. The character meet and greets, which they are still practicing social distancing even though the parks are not, have long lines. A bunch of people were doing the mystery game especially during the second day at sea, so keep that in mind as you're planning your trip.
9. Castaway Cay: We didn't fight the crowds in the morning to get off the ship. Patience pays off as it's easier to get off later in the morning, although you may be challenged to find some chairs on the beach (again people leave their towels). Snorkeling is a bit of a let down especially after snorkeling in the Caymans. It looks lie everything is just dead grass on the bottom and there are not a lot of fish. You have to swim way out to see any decent fish although I did see a Barracuda and a Stingray. Also, people start heading back to the ship after lunch starts or immediately afterwards. If you can wait until about 1pm, you will find more room on the beach and less crowds. The all aboard time for our sailing was 4:45PM so you can still get a good three hours on the beach, which is plenty for some of you sun sensitive folks. We brought our own snorkel gear so we didn't have to rent. Luckily, this time around the weather was great and no rain. Last time, we had a monsoon torrential storm that ate up about half the day. So be aware and plan accordingly.
10. Spa/Massage: I did get a massage, but there's a story to this. I can share if anyone is interested.
11: Shows: The shows were great as usual. Of the two musicals, I would rate Aladdin over Frozen. You can't beat the Genie's charisma! We also had a ventriloquist which I thought was great and we even caught his second smaller show in the Tube. We didn't like the magician. Thought he was boring and a bit condescending to the audience members. We actually walked out of that show. With a crowd this big, be ready to get to the main theater as soon as the doors open to get a decent seat. Usually that's around 30 minutes before show time.
12. Random Thoughts: The staterooms on the Fantasy are showing their age a bit. One of our lamps was crooked. Rust on the balcony railing and other places and other minor things. Other parts of the ship looked great. They did not turn on the side sea lights during the entire cruise until we actually came back to Port Canaveral. Fireworks are shorter than I remember. We watched them from our balcony as most guests likely can (starboard side). Guest services is by appointment only. It takes a while to get an appointment. The chat feature for guest service is useless. Room service was prompt and courteous. Usually got our food within 30 minutes (remember to tip). Our room shook violently during higher speeds and when pulling in/out of port. We were on deck 8 in the aft, right below Cabanas. Be aware if you want some peace and quiet or if you're sensitive to noises. Most of the happy hours are now at 10pm or at inconvenient times like dinner or the shows. I remember they had better times during our last cruise.
13. Disembarkation: You have to put out your luggage in the hallway before 10pm the night prior if you don't want to carry it off yourself. All I'll say about disembarkation is that they want you off the ship. They are nice about it, but remember they have a ship to flip before it sails again that afternoon. That said, the server told us breakfast would be at 7:10am in the restaurant you ate the previous night or you can go to Cabanas. I was not about getting out of my room that early. We slept in a little and got to breakfast in Cabanas about 8:15. They said it closes around 8:30. We started to disembark about 9:00am and as we walked by the sit down breakfast (main dining) restaurants, we noticed a ton of people still in there and eating. So the 7:10am time is likely a bit flexible. When we got off, we noticed, based on the luggages in the terminal, that there were still a ton of people on board.
14. Last Thought: We left the ship on Saturday morning (20 AUG) and I had a little tickle in my throat that morning. The next day, the drive home was horrible. I felt terrible. Got home, took an at-home COVID test and guess what? I was a winner. None of the other three in our party got it, so that's bit weird considering we spent two days in the same car together. So be aware, that despite all of the protocols, don't go on a cruise unless you're willing to catch the VID. We were aware of the risks and I'm good with it. Had a great time, now I just have to pay some of that back. Remember Jamaica, if I had to trace back to where I got it, it was likely there. The shops were crowded and I am not sure what Royal Caribbean's protocols are, but we were mixing with those people. Plus we had split up into groups of two so maybe that's why others in our party didn't get it, but it still doesn't explain why DD, who walked around with me, didn't get it.
Happy to answer questions or elaborate further. Happy cruising!
1. Itinerary: Port Canaveral, Day at Sea, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth Jamaica, Day at Sea, Castaway Cay.
2. Embarkation: We were a party of four and one of us had to get tested for COVID prior to sailing. The other three were able to test and upload results two days prior. There are no signs from the parking garage to where you have to go test. Last time we cruised (about a year ago) we had everything done in the garage. The COVID testing site is now in a bunch of white tents across the street from the terminal. They are not lit inside, but air conditioned. The process went pretty smoothly and I did the actual swabbing for our DD. The technician sort of looked, but I doubt they could see anything based on the dimly lit interior so I didn't go full in for the brain scrambling swab. We were told the results would be available via email or the Safe Passage site in about 20 minutes. We saw them after 15 minutes. I imagine they are likely down to using the at-home tests we all likely have as those take 15 minutes, but I'm speculating here. Check-in was pretty smooth, so was security. Although they are pretty strict about your port arrival time. Don't arrive early or you'll be turned away. If you're like 15 minutes early, they will likely let you go, but it depends on the attendant. We had to go to the front desk for check-in because two people's pictures in our party didn't register for some reason at the first check-in. They were fine at the desk check-in upstairs in the terminal. Boarded the ship after that and did lunch. State rooms would not be ready until 2pm (we got on about 1:30pm) and when we went down from Cabanas a little after two, they had the hallway doors open so we could access our stateroom. We are Castaway Silver Club members at received the same across chest backpack that we got a year ago, nothing changed in this department.
3. People Numbers: I spoke to one of the attendants upon check-in and she mentioned that the this cruise was running about 3600 guests. The Fantasy apparently has a capacity of 4000 so almost full and it felt like it. The check-in had a bunch of people but immediately upon boarding, we noticed the increased crowds, especially from a year ago when everything was limited.....I miss those days!
4. Meals: The food is hit or miss. Some things are great, some not so much. I'll focus on the sit-down meals as we mostly did those and Cabanas is pretty standard with the buffet food. There are definite winners like anything Ahi Tuna. The steaks are hit or miss. Sometimes you get a good cut cooked properly and sometimes you don't. As most of you likely know, you can order as many appetizers, mains, desserts as you'd like (I mean within reason, the servers are people after all). So I would definitely recommend doing that if you're torn between dishes or are unsure about what you're ordering or just order two of things in case one is not that good. The servers are great as always, but it seemed like we had a fresh crew on board with new contracts. They stumbled a bit at first until they got into a bit of a groove. The Head Server mentioned that he had a new crew so that's how we knew. Not sure if this was ship wide or just with our team. As a side note, there's a little snack bar that opens up about 11pm near La Piazza with some late night munchies. It's decent for those looking to soak up the booze before heading to bed and if you're still up that late. All the menus are on the app so you can look ahead of time what is being served. I would also recommend the sit-down lunches in Royal Court as you can usually get a window seat, the food is better than Cabanas, and it's more relaxing than fighting the crowd in Cabanas. We had Pirate night which had it's own particular menu. They also brought back the animation in Animators Palate which was missing a year ago. That was a nice return on our last night.
5. Cozumel: We chose to pick one port to do one excursion on this cruise. That's usually what we do as these things are expensive enough. Cozumel was not the port. Plus we like to do some things on the ship when everyone is off like sleep in or the AquaDuck, which had a line as long as 60 minutes during the at sea days. We did come off the ship and our server suggested a Super Walmart like store really close to the ship to do our shopping. This was a great tip! In Cozumel, they make you walk through a touristy shopping district before you can actually get into town. By the way, IT.WAS.HOT and HUMID! We walked over to the Mega (the Walmart store) and did some shopping. I picked up a ton of Mexican hot sauces and salsas that I've never seen before in the USA. We also picked up some T-shirts for our DD (about $5 each), some beach toys (pails/buckets), and a long sleeve swim shirt with some Cozumel swag on it. Plus some other minor trinkets which they have as you enter the store. Definitely worth it for picking up souvenirs on a budget. We got back on the ship, did the AquaDuck and showered from all the sweating we did in port. Also, lots of thunderstorms in Cozumel. It rained every 30 minutes to an hour. The ship gave out plastic ponchos as we disembarked, but we didn't use them as I think I would bake like to easy bake chicken pouches in the heat.
6. Grand Cayman: This was our excursion port. We booked a snorkeling, Stingray City, Starfish Point, and a Seven-Mile beach excursion privately ahead of time. You save some cash doing it this way and it was our second time doing this with a different company. The service was great, but we ran out of time to head over to the last stop (beach), but the company refunded that portion of the excursion so nothing lost there. You do have to use tender boats at Grand Cayman as the ship doesn't dock at a pier. So plan on extra time getting off the ship. It took us about 20-30 minutes to finally get on a tender boat and that was after the initial rush of people in the morning.
7. Falmouth Jamaica: We did more shopping here at the port and picked up some trinkets. Lots of shops right there at the port with pretty much the same items in each store. The prices are negotiable so keep that in mind. Although remember, haggling over a dollar here or there is probably going too far as most cruise tourists spend thousands on a cruise. However, if you're talking a $20, $30, $40 or more price difference, then perhaps it's worth it. The original prices are always marked up. We picked up some nice hand carved wood pieces and got about $20 off the original price. There is room for another cruise ship at this port and we had a Royal Caribbean ship in port, so the port area felt crowded.....more on that later.
8. Days at Sea: The days at sea are relaxing in the sense that you can sleep in, but keep in mind that there are a lot of people on the ship, at least that was the case on ours. The pool deck was crowded. The pools were crowded. The kiddie pool had a cloudy appearance to it, so I think I know what all those kids were doing in that one. Chairs are hard to come by and people are pretty rude about not policing their towels when they leave. So you don't know which chairs are occupied or not. We took a risk at times and just moved towels off chairs that seemed like they didn't have any personal items around them. The activities around the ship are also, you guessed it, crowded. The character meet and greets, which they are still practicing social distancing even though the parks are not, have long lines. A bunch of people were doing the mystery game especially during the second day at sea, so keep that in mind as you're planning your trip.
9. Castaway Cay: We didn't fight the crowds in the morning to get off the ship. Patience pays off as it's easier to get off later in the morning, although you may be challenged to find some chairs on the beach (again people leave their towels). Snorkeling is a bit of a let down especially after snorkeling in the Caymans. It looks lie everything is just dead grass on the bottom and there are not a lot of fish. You have to swim way out to see any decent fish although I did see a Barracuda and a Stingray. Also, people start heading back to the ship after lunch starts or immediately afterwards. If you can wait until about 1pm, you will find more room on the beach and less crowds. The all aboard time for our sailing was 4:45PM so you can still get a good three hours on the beach, which is plenty for some of you sun sensitive folks. We brought our own snorkel gear so we didn't have to rent. Luckily, this time around the weather was great and no rain. Last time, we had a monsoon torrential storm that ate up about half the day. So be aware and plan accordingly.
10. Spa/Massage: I did get a massage, but there's a story to this. I can share if anyone is interested.
11: Shows: The shows were great as usual. Of the two musicals, I would rate Aladdin over Frozen. You can't beat the Genie's charisma! We also had a ventriloquist which I thought was great and we even caught his second smaller show in the Tube. We didn't like the magician. Thought he was boring and a bit condescending to the audience members. We actually walked out of that show. With a crowd this big, be ready to get to the main theater as soon as the doors open to get a decent seat. Usually that's around 30 minutes before show time.
12. Random Thoughts: The staterooms on the Fantasy are showing their age a bit. One of our lamps was crooked. Rust on the balcony railing and other places and other minor things. Other parts of the ship looked great. They did not turn on the side sea lights during the entire cruise until we actually came back to Port Canaveral. Fireworks are shorter than I remember. We watched them from our balcony as most guests likely can (starboard side). Guest services is by appointment only. It takes a while to get an appointment. The chat feature for guest service is useless. Room service was prompt and courteous. Usually got our food within 30 minutes (remember to tip). Our room shook violently during higher speeds and when pulling in/out of port. We were on deck 8 in the aft, right below Cabanas. Be aware if you want some peace and quiet or if you're sensitive to noises. Most of the happy hours are now at 10pm or at inconvenient times like dinner or the shows. I remember they had better times during our last cruise.
13. Disembarkation: You have to put out your luggage in the hallway before 10pm the night prior if you don't want to carry it off yourself. All I'll say about disembarkation is that they want you off the ship. They are nice about it, but remember they have a ship to flip before it sails again that afternoon. That said, the server told us breakfast would be at 7:10am in the restaurant you ate the previous night or you can go to Cabanas. I was not about getting out of my room that early. We slept in a little and got to breakfast in Cabanas about 8:15. They said it closes around 8:30. We started to disembark about 9:00am and as we walked by the sit down breakfast (main dining) restaurants, we noticed a ton of people still in there and eating. So the 7:10am time is likely a bit flexible. When we got off, we noticed, based on the luggages in the terminal, that there were still a ton of people on board.
14. Last Thought: We left the ship on Saturday morning (20 AUG) and I had a little tickle in my throat that morning. The next day, the drive home was horrible. I felt terrible. Got home, took an at-home COVID test and guess what? I was a winner. None of the other three in our party got it, so that's bit weird considering we spent two days in the same car together. So be aware, that despite all of the protocols, don't go on a cruise unless you're willing to catch the VID. We were aware of the risks and I'm good with it. Had a great time, now I just have to pay some of that back. Remember Jamaica, if I had to trace back to where I got it, it was likely there. The shops were crowded and I am not sure what Royal Caribbean's protocols are, but we were mixing with those people. Plus we had split up into groups of two so maybe that's why others in our party didn't get it, but it still doesn't explain why DD, who walked around with me, didn't get it.
Happy to answer questions or elaborate further. Happy cruising!
