Honest opinions about onboard shows on DCL Fantasy

[bizeemom4]

I know that we all have rose-colored glasses when it comes to all things Disney. I have only cruised on one DCL cruise and it was only a 3 night trip. I did NOT enjoy the shows on board. I thoroughly enjoy the theme park shows like BATB and FOTLK but the shows on the ship just didn't do it for me.

I'm leaving Saturday on the Fantasy. I intend to try Aladdin. Is there anything else for those of us not thrilled with the DCL shows that you would recommend? Anything I should definitely avoid? I'm taking my 2 sons (22 and 18) so I have to impress them too which is tough.

 

[dclpluto]

I know that we all have rose-colored glasses when it comes to all things Disney. I have only cruised on one DCL cruise and it was only a 3 night trip. I did NOT enjoy the shows on board. I thoroughly enjoy the theme park shows like BATB and FOTLK but the shows on the ship just didn't do it for me.

I'm leaving Saturday on the Fantasy. I intend to try Aladdin. Is there anything else for those of us not thrilled with the DCL shows that you would recommend? Anything I should definitely avoid? I'm taking my 2 sons (22 and 18) so I have to impress them too which is tough.

Aladdin is a copycat from Disneyland so you should like that one. I like all the shows on the fantasy. One of them is the same that’s on the dream guessed you seen that one. Wishes is the other one. I like it. But I hear some people don’t like it.

 

[MickeyD]

No rose-colored glasses here. I only liked Aladdin on the Fantasy, and that is "barely liked." The genie was funny, but the show was meh. The rest were, well cheesy. For your boys, I would suggest the lounge shows, whoever they have on as other entertainment, and avoid the stage shows. They also show first run movies, so if your guys like Marvel or Star Wars etc., those will be shown as well.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We really enjoyed Aladdin. Wishes was good, but not great. I have no intention of wasting any time watching Believe again.

 

[Dug720]

I'm opposite to most - I adore Believe. Completely skipped Aladdin, but that is probably because that is one of my least favorite Disney movies. I need to go back on the Fantasy to see Wishes because the one time I was on there, a family/group sat in the back behind me and spent the whole time talking and planning their day for the following day. I can only assume they thought you were required to go to the shows? But nevertheless it distracted me so badly I could not tell you what the show was about - just that I thought I would like it.

 

[CamColt]

I saw them all on our first Fantasy cruise. Since then I only make it a point to go to Aladdin. I do enjoy Believe thought and would say it's worth seeing at least once.

 

[mevelandry]

We really enjoyed Aladdin. Wishes was good, but not great. I have no intention of wasting any time watching Believe again.

OMG, there are no words strong enough to say how much I hated Believe...

 

[ChipNDale86]

I thoroughly enjoyed Wishes but HATED Aladdin & Believe. Aladdin just didn't work for me, I love Frozen on the Wonder but thought Aladdin was just so rushed and didn't offer anything fresh/exciting compared to the movie. Believe (like Wishes and most of the other DCL shows) is just a bunch of random Disney songs thrown together with a thin story line behind it. The story and songs work well for some shows IMO (Wishes, Golden Mickeys) but Believe's story was weak at best and the songs were mostly huge stretches trying to make them fit that story.

But I would always encourage everyone to check out each show at least once. As you can tell with the different responses, everyone has a very different opinion of the shows.

 

[Chemist]

We enjoyed both Wishes and Believe.

However, we viewed them as a weak storyline tying together a bunch of our favorite Disney songs. The main songs themselves were a great deal of fun.

If you don't enjoy musical scenes from Mary Poppins, etc., the shows might not be for you.

 

[kenthanson]

This might be an unpopular opinion but u Hate the genie on the fantasy and disliked how much they made him a part of the finale show.

 

[oklamomof4boys]

I know that we all have rose-colored glasses when it comes to all things Disney. I have only cruised on one DCL cruise and it was only a 3 night trip. I did NOT enjoy the shows on board. I thoroughly enjoy the theme park shows like BATB and FOTLK but the shows on the ship just didn't do it for me.

I'm leaving Saturday on the Fantasy. I intend to try Aladdin. Is there anything else for those of us not thrilled with the DCL shows that you would recommend? Anything I should definitely avoid? I'm taking my 2 sons (22 and 18) so I have to impress them too which is tough.

My boys are 19, 21,22,&25 and they don't care for most of the shows. If there is a comedian, magician or ventriloquist they will sometimes go to that. But we love going to the adult only shows at 10:30. They love doing the different trivia games (even the Disney tunes one) and going to movies. They also enjoy shuffleboard, playing basketball on the sports deck, mini golf, lounging in the adult areas, bingo (but this costs), watching a movie in the room and ordering room service (we never allow them to get room service at a hotel), and eating. Lots and lots of eating. I think they wander the ship half of the day just looking for food to try! One of my boys really enjoys getting a massage. For Christmas or his birthday, he always gets a "gift certificate" for a massage on our next cruise. On Castaway Cay they really like renting bikes and exploring the island. They don't particularly care for the Aqua Duck (too tame) but will ride it once. None of them have ever enjoyed the 18-21 club but they were never thrilled about the kid's clubs either.

 

[bizeemom4]

My boys are 19, 21,22,&25 and they don't care for most of the shows. If there is a comedian, magician or ventriloquist they will sometimes go to that. But we love going to the adult only shows at 10:30. They love doing the different trivia games (even the Disney tunes one) and going to movies. They also enjoy shuffleboard, playing basketball on the sports deck, mini golf, lounging in the adult areas, bingo (but this costs), watching a movie in the room and ordering room service (we never allow them to get room service at a hotel), and eating. Lots and lots of eating. I think they wander the ship half of the day just looking for food to try! One of my boys really enjoys getting a massage. For Christmas or his birthday, he always gets a "gift certificate" for a massage on our next cruise. On Castaway Cay they really like renting bikes and exploring the island. They don't particularly care for the Aqua Duck (too tame) but will ride it once. None of them have ever enjoyed the 18-21 club but they were never thrilled about the kid's clubs either.

Your boys sound like mine. I could never convince them to go to the kids club (beyond the introductory visit). Now that they are adults, I doubt they will enjoy the 1820 group but I'm going to try to get them to go.

 

[bizeemom4]

Thanks for the replies. I honestly thought I was going to get nailed for daring to say something negative about Disney. Hahaha. Thank you all for your honest opinions.

 

[Pens Fan]

Not knowing your sons, but having an almost 20 year old son myself, I'd recommend sticking with the variety acts. We sat through two of the Disney shows on the Fantasy - Aladdin and one of the others (couldn't even tell you which one it was - that's how much of an impact it had on me). While I wouldn't say that I hated them, I would never go back. Unless your sons are true Disney fanatics, I'm guessing they would be more entertained elsewhere on the ship.

We've found that during the shows is a great time to explore the ship. The lounges aren't too crowded and they often offer some good musical acts, the pool deck / aquaduck is pretty empty, etc. Movies in the Buena Vista Theater are always a hit with our entire family. As a matter of fact, if you ask me to name the number one thing we all missed by sailing on another cruise line last summer it would be the great movie offerings in an actual movie theater on Disney.

 

[FigmentSpark]

So you'll be on the Star Wars sailing? You don't "have" to do any of the shows. Star Wars will be playing, probably every night somewhere. Free movies sold my DS.

 

[Dug720]

So you'll be on the Star Wars sailing? You don't "have" to do any of the shows. Star Wars will be playing, probably every night somewhere. Free movies sold my DS.

Bingo!

The only thing every passenger is required to attend is Muster Drill.

Other than that, it’s all optional.

 

[starvenger]

I liked Aladdin. Found Wishes and Believe to be fine but a bit ham-fisted at times trying to work the Disney songs in.

 

[alexce]

We enjoyed both Wishes and Believe.

However, we viewed them as a weak storyline tying together a bunch of our favorite Disney songs. The main songs themselves were a great deal of fun.

If you don't enjoy musical scenes from Mary Poppins, etc., the shows might not be for you.

I’ll second this. Some of the stage effects, puppetry, choreography, etc., are just super cool if you like the music of Disney. I’ve seen all the Fantasy shows and couldn’t really tell you what they’re about, but I remember the songs I loved.

 

[NZMUM]

I like Aladdin (will always see it), Wishes is ok, but I really don't like Believe. My daughter "makes" me go them all though . My son is 18 and refuses to go to shows anymore. He did however enjoy the entertainers (magicians etc) in the adult clubs.

 

[JPTexan82]

Aladdin should be replaced. How many years is it going on now? Heck try Nemo, Ratatouille, LILO and Stich, Up. Just a thought.