Let Your Fantasies & Dreams SET SAIL! March 2019 Western Caribbean TR *COMPLETE 9/6

Final Thoughts

Disney Fantasy
The ship itself was absolutely beautiful! All of the details we discovered around the ship were really amazing and we really enjoyed the size of it as well. It was quite a bit bigger than the Viking ship we were on last year, which is all I can compare it to, but not so big that it felt overwhelming. Without being able to compare it to the Magic or Wonder, it felt really perfect and never felt crowded, even on Castaway Cay. I have read people prefer the smaller ships when visiting CC because there are less people, but in our experience, it didn’t feel too crowded.


Activities
There were so many fun things offered on board, especially on our first sea day, which I thought was great. I did notice there was not quite as much on the one port day we treated as a sea day, and I felt the only real struggle for us was our Star Wars Day at Sea. As someone who isn’t much of a fan of Star Wars, I found it tough with pretty much everything that day being Star Wars themed. I really loved the fact that we had 2 nights of fireworks on board, that was very cool! A bit tough to keep the kids up so late to see them twice, but it all worked out fine in that respect. We loved the Aquaduck, and I look forward to next cruise being able to experience it with both kids! It was also really cool to be on board for a Marvel movie premier, even if it wasn’t a HUGE one like Endgame or something.

Pertaining to the activities on board, the Kids Club didn’t turn out how we expected. I was just sure we’d never see DS onboard and he’d want to spend all of his time there. I was very surprised that after the first day, he was hesitant to go back! They absolutely loved the Pluto’s Pajama Party, and they always enjoyed themselves once there, but they never really had the urge to go.

As far as nighttime shows, I really enjoyed Wishes & Aladdin head and shoulders above everything else. Believe was okay, and the performer/singer we saw one night was very entertaining as well.

Dining
Overall, I enjoyed the food in the main dining rooms so much more than I would have expected! Except for the one night at Enchanted Garden where the menu wasn’t too exciting to me and it was a bit of a struggle to find something I wanted to eat, I really enjoyed every meal! Animator’s Palate was by far the family favorite, both for the theming/shows, and for the food. I was a bit surprised that I wasn’t at all blown away by the service as I had been expecting after reading TRs and listening to lots of podcasts about the cruise. Service wasn’t bad at all, I just didn’t get the same experience as the rave reviews I have seen/heard.

The food at the pool grill and on CC were also very good for a quick bite. We are not stuffy people, so it was perfect for us when we wanted to grab something simple. Cabanas was great for breakfast, but we got a bit tired of it for lunch after a couple of days.

Port Adventures
Our favorite port day by far was Jamaica. We had a blast at the resort and for a fraction of the price of the same experience offered by Disney. The Cozumel chocolate & piñata excursion was perfect for our family at this time in our lives. We were limited to what DD could participate in due to her age, but this was something fun for both her and for DS even though there is a bit of an age gap between them and DH and I enjoyed ourselves there as well. Maybe by the time we go back, we will be able to participate in a dolphin encounter or something, which will be a lot of fun, but this was great for the time being. I’m also totally satisfied with not planning anything in port in Grand Cayman. I’m sure we will find something we will enjoy on a return trip if we have the same itinerary, but for this time and at these ages, staying on the ship was a good decision. I’m not a beach person, but I definitely enjoyed CC a lot more than I expected! It was very clean and we had a great time just getting to enjoy a lazy day.

Weather
The weather we enjoyed was so perfect! I would love to travel about the same time next cruise, but depending on price, we may end up going earlier in January, so we may not be as lucky. We never felt uncomfortably hot in any port, and the water temperatures at the beaches were a bit cool, but not freezing.


Overall, we were ALL fans of the Disney Cruise! It was an incredible vacation, and I wish we would have taken the plunge on this sooner, but better late than never. Even now 6 months later, both kids still talk about the cruise and beg to go on another one. We can’t wait to cruise again, hopefully/tentatively in early 2021!

If you’re interested, I did a podcast episode for To the Mouse and Back podcast about our trip, and you can listen to that
HERE. Also be on the lookout if you listen to The DCL Podcast, as I recorded an episode with the host Steve but it hasn’t been posted yet.

And if you want to continue following our adventures, DH, DS & I went to Universal Orlando in May of this year at the end of the school year, and had the most magical time! You can check out that TR at the link below:


 
I enjoyed so much reading about your cruise experience! I'm glad you all enjoyed it!! I really hope to get on one myself one day!!
 


I’m a big fan of their podcast too. I actually just listened to your episode the other day. Didn’t realize I had read your report too until I saw you post. Thanks again for sharing.
 


I just got around to reading your report. We were on the same cruise, so it was fun to relive it. But even on the same ship, there was very little overlap between what we did and what you guys did (except the sea sickness on star wars night). It really shows how much there is to do.
 
I’m a big fan of their podcast too. I actually just listened to your episode the other day. Didn’t realize I had read your report too until I saw you post. Thanks again for sharing.

It's a great podcast! It really helped me a lot in planning our first cruise, so I was excited to get to go on.

Thanks for following!

I just got around to reading your report. We were on the same cruise, so it was fun to relive it. But even on the same ship, there was very little overlap between what we did and what you guys did (except the sea sickness on star wars night). It really shows how much there is to do.

Yes, exactly!! We are using our placeholder for a January 2021 cruise, and as luck would have it, the week we can go is another Western Caribbean itinerary. But I'm not worried because I know with different port adventures and onboard activities it will likely feel totally different from our first.

Thanks for reading!
 

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