LittleMissMagic's 2014 Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean Cruise - A Photo Review!

[LittleMissMagic]

I think it depends on what muster station you are assigned. We were on the Disney Magic in April and we mustered seated in the theatre while others mustered standing on the promenade deck. My husband was thrilled to muster in the theatre because it was actually the first time in our cruise history we have not had to stand on deck for a muster drill with people whining. He actually refers to these people as Colonel Muster's. :p

 

Ah, that makes sense. Come to think of it, I believe my parents mustered in Vibe.... don't quote me on that. I think I like mustering on the promenade deck because it makes me a bit nostalgic. I remember waddling around in the stiff lifejacket as a child, and sometimes I miss it... as annoying as it was!

[LittleMissMagic]

Awesome review! Can't wait to read more!

 

Thank you kindly!

 

Loving this review LMM!

Great photo's and to the point comments!

 

ex techie

 

Thank you very much, Ex Techie!

[ilovewdw]

Loving the review. You're right about the Adult entertainment being a bit tame. Hubby and I got picked for "Match Your Mate" on our Dream Cruise...we were the "Newlyweds"...married for 11 years at the time!!!!!!! :p

[Yurita]

Thank you, thank you for posting this review. We have been dying to try one of the newest Disney cruises; however, being both in our late twenties, we've been doubting if Disney is a good option for us.

 

My partner will turn thirty next year and she's been asking to go on a Disney cruise; but, I gotta admit, I'm a little nervous about booking it for the exact same reasons you posted..... Disney is for kids, it's too expensive, etc.

 

Seeing your review from a young adult like us, gives me a different perperctive. Again, thank you. Can't wait for your review of the adult pool area and of course, Castaway!!!

[chamima]

Victoria

I love your reviews!

We were thinking of taking our kids and grandkids on a cruise next year.

My first choice was Princess but one Granddaughter has Celiac's and my daughter (her mother) has done some research and said that Disney has a separate kitchen for people with Celiac's so there's no cross contamination.

Any chance you could check on this?

Thanks!

 

 

I just realized that you're back from the cruise already.

So I guess I'm just asking if you ran into this while on the cruise and know anything about it.

Edited May 21, 2014 by chamima

[bear3412]

.... Disney has a separate kitchen for people with Celiac's so there's no cross contamination......

 

This is true. Disney is very attentive and careful with allergies. Almost too aggressive for some. ;) lol.

 

Often meals are chosen the night before.

 

HTH

[LittleMissMagic]

Loving the review. You're right about the Adult entertainment being a bit tame. Hubby and I got picked for "Match Your Mate" on our Dream Cruise...we were the "Newlyweds"...married for 11 years at the time!!!!!!! :p

 

Newlyweds at 11 years! That's hilarious! :D

[LittleMissMagic]

Thank you, thank you for posting this review. We have been dying to try one of the newest Disney cruises; however, being both in our late twenties, we've been doubting if Disney is a good option for us.

 

My partner will turn thirty next year and she's been asking to go on a Disney cruise; but, I gotta admit, I'm a little nervous about booking it for the exact same reasons you posted..... Disney is for kids, it's too expensive, etc.

 

Seeing your review from a young adult like us, gives me a different perperctive. Again, thank you. Can't wait for your review of the adult pool area and of course, Castaway!!!

 

I completely understand! I hope that my review will give you a better idea of what to expect on a Disney Cruise as adults with no children. Thanks for reading!

[LittleMissMagic]

Victoria

I love your reviews!

We were thinking of taking our kids and grandkids on a cruise next year.

My first choice was Princess but one Granddaughter has Celiac's and my daughter (her mother) has done some research and said that Disney has a separate kitchen for people with Celiac's so there's no cross contamination.

Any chance you could check on this?

Thanks!

 

 

I just realized that you're back from the cruise already.

So I guess I'm just asking if you ran into this while on the cruise and know anything about it.

 

This is true. Disney is very attentive and careful with allergies. Almost too aggressive for some. ;) lol.

 

Often meals are chosen the night before.

 

HTH

 

I'm really glad that someone else was able to answer! As a Princess cruiser who has now done Disney, I'd be happy to answer any questions that you have as to how the cruise lines are different!

[LittleMissMagic]

May 11, 2014 - At Sea

 

Rachel woke up early that morning (7AM!) for yoga at the Donald pool. I thought about going with her... until the wake-up call, and I decided it was way too early.

 

She gave me a report of how yoga went (Rachel is a group fitness instructor and teaches cycling classes). So she arrived at her class 15 minutes early because she always goes to fitness classes early so that she'll have time to set up equipment, get a good spot, etc. Other women came, and they waited... and waited... it's 7:00, and they are wondering if the fitness class is canceled or if they are in the wrong location. Then three minutes late, the instructor rolls in carrying his yoga mat. Nobody else has yoga mats. The instructor tells them that they need to go to the fitness center and pick up yoga mats. So they all go and get their mats, and by the time that they are back at the Donald pool and set up, it is 7:15. So they finally begin and it soon becomes pretty obvious that the instructor has NO IDEA WHAT HE'S DOING. He didn't know the names of any poses except downward dog and child's pose (not even warrior 1, warrior 2). So he would tell them, "Now go into this pose. And hold it. And breathe." As the class goes on, more and more people are getting frustrated. Rachel said that it wasn't just getting pathetic - it was getting dangerous. There were senior citizens in the class, and the instructor was having them do challenging balance poses (some of which were made up) with no alternatives. Some people walked out or just started doing their own thing. Rachel said that it was nice at first because it was very peaceful and relaxing... and then children started to show up... and then music started to play. But at least she got to bond with the other yoga attendants about how terrible the class was. She said that another lady suggested that they should just call it "morning stretch" and then no one would expect anything. The next day, morning stretch was listed on the Navigator, so I think that Disney believes they're really teaching yoga.

 

I got up and finished unpacking Rachel while I left Max sleeping. Rachel came back to the room with Dad, and they were going on the walking ship tour. I decided to join them!

 

The tour is nothing behind-the-scenes, and some people left after they learned that. I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into from reading others' reports online, and I just wanted to learn my way around the ship better. The tour guides were from the entertainment crew, and they were really fun and energetic.

 

Hey, Mickey!

 

Mickey! by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After our tour, we decided to visit the open house at the Oceaneer Club. The tour guides suggest that even if we don't have children, we should go inside during an open house and check it out.

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Everything is at a kids' scale. The ceilings are lowered, the chairs are smaller - it is truly a space built for children.

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Well, it's also appreciated by kids at heart...

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

This is the interactive floor. I never saw it in action, but I did hear it several times from downstairs in the D Lounge!

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The Toy Story room was by far the most popular.

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

Edited May 21, 2014 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Monster's Inc didn't get nearly as much love.

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

Edited May 21, 2014 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel's favorite part was the hand washers. She said it's like little hot tubs for your hands.

 

Oceaneer Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

You just stick your hands in and it rinses them with warm water!

[LittleMissMagic]

We had enjoyed the Oceaneer Club open house and realized that Vibe (Teen Club) was also having an open house at the time, so Rachel and I went to check it out.

 

We walked in and there were two female CMs who greeted us. "Hey, girls! First time here? Let's see your key cards and get you checked in!"

 

"Oh, no - we're not teens. We're just here for the open house. Is it okay if we look around?"

 

"Absolutely! Yeah, feel free to look around and take pictures."

 

Vibe is located forward on deck 5 and is a rather large and very awesome place for teens. It's something that makes you say, "Where was this when I was a teen?"

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Now for the really cool part.... the teen club even has its own outdoor area with a pool and loungers!

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

Edited May 22, 2014 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We felt the water of the two hot-tub looking pools, and they weren't warm. I don't know if the heat was turned off or if maybe they aren't hot tubs for safety reasons.

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The little orange circles on the wall are actually cubbies to store your towels and belongings!

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

They had just started a dance game on the big screen, so Rachel and I stood there like awkward parents watching. I won't lie... I was kind of wishing that I was a teen so that I could join in on the fun.

[LittleMissMagic]

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Here is the entrance to Vibe.

 

Vibe Teen Club by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel really wanted to do a heel click. She said that she thought the little circle was a mirror, but realized when she was heel clicking that it was actually a window, and that the CM inside was looking at her, probably thinking that she was a weirdo.

 

Promenade Deck by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Deck 4 is a really great spot on the ship. It's also a running deck - just 2.5 loops equals a mile. I never ran there, but Rachel said that she really appreciated the longer track. On most ships, the jogging track is on the sports deck, and you have to do 10 or so tight loops to equal a mile. That's a lot of turning.

[LittleMissMagic]

Rachel and I returned to the room to wake Max and go eat breakfast.

 

That's when Rachel exclaimed - "Guys! Guess what they're doing at 12:15?"

 

"Umm.... what?"

 

"THEY'RE RACING BABIES!"

 

"What?"

 

She read us the description - "Calling all baby Cruisers! It's time to take the mat to see who's the fastest crawler of the seven seas! Register your baby 15 minutes prior to the big race."

 

Max - "That sounds awesome. I kind of want to go to that."

 

 

In the meantime, we ate breakfast and then met our parents in Satellite Falls. Satellite Falls is the adults-only sundeck (and wading pool). It was 11:30 in the morning, so on any other cruise ship, we'd be hard-pressed to find a chair right now. However, there were plenty of chairs available, especially in Satellite Falls. We were able to get five cushioned lounge chairs right next to one another! I'll go ahead and say that at no time during this cruise was finding a deck chair an issue. Perhaps it was because everyone was either in the pool or inside the ship participating in activities. Whatever the reason, it was really nice to not have to wake up early in the morning and park oneself in a deck chair (because that's what you have to do if you want a deck chair on other cruise ships that I've been on).

 

At 12:15, Max, Rachel, and I decided to go see Jack Jack's Diaper Dash.

 

They would race two babies at a time. The parents could use whatever motivational methods they needed to get their baby to crawl to them - food, toys, whatever. The only rule was that the babies had to crawl. If a baby got up and walked, that's awesome, but because it's a crawling race, the baby would be disqualified.

 

Jack Jack's Diaper Dash by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It's completely adorable.

 

They raced the two babies on the right first, and the one on the far right, in the cute little Mickey swim trunks won.

 

Jack Jack's Diaper Dash by vshingl, on Flickr

 

But the other baby gave a valiant effort.

 

Jack Jack's Diaper Dash by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Then with the second qualifier, the little boy in the green darted straight across the mat like he knew what he was doing. He had watched his older brother crawl back and forth on the mat before the race, so perhaps that was what motivated him. Whatever it was, that was one fast crawling baby!

 

Jack Jack's Diaper Dash by vshingl, on Flickr

 

His opponent was very happy for him. She sat down in the middle of the mat and started clapping - how precious!

 

Jack Jack's Diaper Dash by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Time for the big qualifier... Rachel and I had our money on the baby in green, but Max was rooting for the underdog.

 

Jack Jack's Diaper Dash by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And the baby in green took home the prize! Look at that adorable champion.

[greenie082756]

Thank you for taking the time to review your vacation! You do such a wonderful report! Great pictures and narration!

It was because of Disney that my husband and I have decided that cruising is the best vacation ever!

Disney brings the child out in all of us! ;)

[AF-1]

All I can say is wow!!. I was cruising the Disney Thread and came across your review; Anytime I see a review that has pictures, I stop and look. You have done an amazing job; and by reading your review I sense you are so full of life. You enjoy life and you enjoy making people happy. All the people reading your review are happy; why; because of you. Thanks..

[LittleMissMagic]

Thank you for taking the time to review your vacation! You do such a wonderful report! Great pictures and narration!

It was because of Disney that my husband and I have decided that cruising is the best vacation ever!

Disney brings the child out in all of us! ;)

 

Thank you very much!

 

All I can say is wow!!. I was cruising the Disney Thread and came across your review; Anytime I see a review that has pictures, I stop and look. You have done an amazing job; and by reading your review I sense you are so full of life. You enjoy life and you enjoy making people happy. All the people reading your review are happy; why; because of you. Thanks..

 

Thank you so much for your incredibly kind words! I am so glad that you are enjoying my review.

[LittleMissMagic]

Rachel wanted to get mom on the Aqua Duck for Mother's Day. The line was 30 minutes, and Max wasn't really feeling the wait, but I wanted to do it and persuaded him to come along. The wait was actually more around 15 minutes. It seemed to be a pattern that the wait time listed was longer than it actually was. Perhaps that is to scare away people from a long wait and keep the wait time down. But when the wait listed was 30 minutes, I found it to be 15-20, and when the wait listed was 15 minutes, it was more like 5. If it said 10 minute wait, that meant there was no wait.

 

The Aqua Duck is incredibly fun, and I understand its popularity. You actually pick up a good bit of speed on the first leg, but they intentionally slow you down when you turn around the funnel. The second leg is much more leisurely, so we took that as an opportunity to rock the boat.

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We took a dip in the Quiet Cove pool afterwards. The water is actually very warm. It was almost too warm to be refreshing that day.

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Max and I then had to go back to the room and clean up a bit before our 4:00 PM Mixology session in the Skyline Lounge. Before the cruise, a lady from our Roll Call asked if anyone was interested in arranging a private group Mixology session with DCL. I thought that Mixology sounded like something that Max would enjoy, so I signed us up. It turned out that a lot of people were interested in Mixology, and DCL broke us up into three different sessions of about 20 people each.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We arrived 10 minutes early and were the second group to arrive. Max and I were nervous because we're both a bit socially awkward when it comes to meeting new people.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It was set up so that we would learn to make five drinks - that's a lot of drinks!

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Our bartender/teacher's name was Arthur, and he was great. We got to take turns behind the bar making the drinks which was fun. Three people at a time would make the drink, then switch out for three more people until all drinks were served.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The first drink was Berryoska, a St. Petersburg drink off the Skyline Lounge menu consisting of Russian Standard Original, lime and blueberry, and white sugar. All of the ingredients were in the glass, they just needed to be muddled.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After the first three people muddled, I convinced Max to have a go.

 

Honorary bartenders hard at work -

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The next drink was perhaps the most complicated (well, of the things that we had to do) and stupidly the one that I volunteered to make.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The most complicated part was remembering the instructions. Thankfully, the women in front of me were helping me out. I had to pour 2 seconds of white rum and creme de banana at the same time, then 3 seconds of dark rum. Then I had to add ice, pineapple juice, and orange juice before shaking. Then more ice and grenadine. IT WAS EXHAUSTING! I now have an entirely new appreciation for bartenders.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Max told me that I have a very bad shaking technique. Apparently I'm supposed to do it above my head. Now I know why it felt so awkward.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And there we have it, the Bahama Mama.

Edited May 23, 2014 by LittleMissMagic

[LittleMissMagic]

I should have held out for the next drink.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It was a Raspberry Bellini with Bacardi Razz and raspberry puree already in the glass... all you had to do was add champagne! I believe Arthur said that this drink isn't even on a menu on the Fantasy.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Max decided to have another go and make the Paris 75, from the Paris section of the menu at the Skyline Lounge, which he was really excited about. It consisted of Grey Goose Citron, peach schnapps, blue curacao, pineapple juice, sugared rum, and a souvenir glow cube. We didn't get glow cubes because ours were served in smaller glasses, but Arthur did make one regular-sized Paris 75 to show us.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

So that's how you shake it.

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It turned out that of all of the drinks that we learned to make, Paris 75 was Max's least favorite. I think it was just a little sour to drink after the Raspberry Bellini!

 

Mixology by vshingl, on Flickr

 

We ended by taking a shot together that everyone poured themselves, a Baby Guinness. The Kahlua was already poured in the shot glasses, and we added the Bailey's Irish Cream. It's a very sweet, chocolatey-tasting shot. Max loved it so much that he purchased Bailey's and Kahlua in Cozumel so that he could make more!

 

Overall, the group Mixology class was really fun. We learned to make (though I don't know if I'll be able to replicate) five drinks, and Arthur was very friendly and knowledgeable, answering any questions we had. And I talked about our fear of awkwardness.... not a problem. Never worry about awkwardness when there are drinks involved! The class was also a great bargain at only $15 per person!

Edited May 23, 2014 by LittleMissMagic