After going on a Marvel cruise and a Christmas cruise last year, I booked a 5 night Bahamian Pixar cruise for February 1 to 6 with a friend.  I actually wrote about the exclusive 1 day Pixar day at sea on a separate post here.

This post will focus on the accessibility and what I thought about the Disney Fantasy ship.  I paid for a $250 USD placeholder on my last cruise which gave me 10% off for this cruise.  The placeholder amount was also used towards my deposit for this cruise.

The Ship

Disney Fantasy had its maiden voyage in March 2012 and is the fourth ship from Disney Cruise Lines.  It is the second of the Dream class and was preceded by a sister ship, the Disney Dream.  The Fantasy has 1250 staterooms and carries a maximum of 4000 passengers and a crew of 1458 on 14 public decks.

Getting There

We were stay at Universal’s Endless Summer Resort: Dockside Inn and Suites and there was no dedicated bus shuttle service to Port Canaveral.  We called for an accessible taxi with a ramp and it shortly arrived.  The vehicle was a bit small for all our luggage and my commode but was still doable.  The 1 hour ride costs just over $205 including tip.

We arrived at the cruise basically the exact time for our PAT (port of arrival time) of 12:15 PM.  There were no issues checking in for our cruise and it was a smooth process.  Our cabins were not ready when we got on the ship, so we immediately went to get food as we were quite hungry.

We went to Cabanas for our lunch buffet.  It was very crowded but the food was pretty good.  There was lots of food and desserts to choose from.

Cabin Rooms

We got interior room 2033 on the 2nd deck.  There was a wheelchair button to open the room door once our Key to the World card is scanned.  The room was very similar to our cabin on the Disney Dream and is pretty spacious as I got a nice Queen size bed on one side and my friend had the sofa bed on the other.  I could easily move around the room in my wheelchair.

Being a Silver Castaway club member for sailing two to five Disney cruises, I got a Castaway beach bag and a silver colored Mickey lanyard.  The room also has a magic porthole which randomly has Disney characters appear throughout the day.  This feature can be turned off so it will not be a bother to those who are sleeping.

The bathroom was very similar to the other Disney ships that I have been on.  It was a bit hard to get my commode to fully go back enough to fit over the toilet.  The roll in shower was great and had a hand held shower head, grab bar, flip up shower seat and an emergency pull cord.  The roll under sink was good too.

Accessibility

Like any other cruise ship, the accessibility on the Disney Fantasy was great.  It was easy to get around the ship as the hallways, deck and pool areas are either flat and carpeted or tiled.  Some high traffic times can be chaotic at elevators or theater showtimes though.  It has a very similar layout to the Disney Dream as they are sister ships and are in the same class.

Accessibility at Walt Disney Theatre for the Broadway shows were either at the very front row or at the back.  We had to be accompanied by a cast member to go through back areas and use a service elevator to get the front row.  Deck shows accessible seating is at the front left too.  We always arrived about 30 minutes before shows to get the best spots.

All the restaurants had tables that I could fit under without any issues.  Sometimes my one arm had to be flipped up so I could get closer to the table.  There were several accessible bathrooms located throughout the ship so we didn’t have to go back to the room just for that.

Port Stops

Our 5 night cruise had 2 port stops and 2 sea days.  I wrote about each port stop separately which is at Lookout Cay and Nassau.  Our first sea day was the Pixar day at Sea while the second sea day was spent at our booked Royal Gathering, exploring the ship more, and watching Lilo & Stitch at Buena Vista Theatre.

Pixar Day at Sea

Pixar Day at Sea was the main event and the whole reason I booked this cruise.  It took place on our first sea day and it was a full day of everything Pixar.  From character meets and pics to amazing shows and food, this day was so fantastic, I wrote about it in a separate post here.

Food and Drink

As with other Disney ships, the Fantasy has 3 main dining rooms that is included with your cruise fare: Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, and Royal Palace.  These are the same 3 restaurants found on the Dream ship.  Disney uses rotational dining which means we get to eat at a different restaurant each night with the same wait staff following you each night to better serve us.

There are no drink or alcohol packages to buy as all sodas, juices, and basic coffees and teas are included in our cruise fare.  Alcoholic drinks are purchased each on its own.  There are 2 dining times: 5:45pm and 8:15pm.  We got the later and less popular time since I didn’t book the cruise early enough.  I was put on the waitlist for the 5:45pm time slot but none was available.  This was my first out of five Disney cruises having the late dinner time.

Our first night’s dinner was at Royal Court which is themed around Princess movies like Cinderella.  It features a French inspired menu.  The menu was just too I had to order 3 items.  Lucky, they weren’t to huge, I got: Gaston’s Escargot Gratinee, Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp, and the French Onion Soup.

For my main course, I had the Chateaubriand Roasted Filet Steak.  It was really good but I was glad my meal portion was small as I already ate too much from the appetizers.  For dessert I got my favorite: Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar and sampled my friend’s Apple Tart Tatin and the Classic Opera Gateau.

For the second night, it was the Pixar menu at Royal Court again.  I wrote about that separately on its own post.  Third night was at Animator’s Palate.  There was an interactive part where Crush from Finding Nemo engages with guests, and screens on the walls switch from sketches to an interactive video featuring him.

I wanted to try something I never had before and ordered the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes for my appetizer and the Angus Beef Tenderloin for my main.  I had the signature dessert which was the Lemon Icebox Pie.

The fourth night was after a day port stop in Nassau.  It was Pirate Night so we were at Animator’s Palate restaurant again.  Happening on all Caribbean and Bahamian sailings, there is Pirate themed activities, character meets, shows and a special menu.  We also get a Pirate bandana to dress up for the night.

I had exactly what I ate on the last cruise: the crab cake, lamb shank, bananas in paradise, and my favorite Mickey’s premium ice cream bar.  I also got to try some of my friend’s rum soaked chocolate cake.  The rum flavoring wasn’t too overpowering which was fine by me.

Our final and fifth night was at Enchanted Garden.  It is such a nice restaurant and resembles being inside a greenhouse with lots of plants, flowers and a centerpiece water fountain.  I ordered the North Atlantic lobster ravioli, slow roasted prime rib, and the chocolate garden torte for dessert.

We ate at Cabanas buffet a few times for either breakfast or lunch.  Items change daily and there is a huge selection of different types of food.  I really like the crab claws, shrimp, steaks, and the prime rib.  There were drink stations where soda, juices, milk and basic coffees are all included.  Mickey churro waffles were only available once during breakfast so we made sure we were there as they were so tasty.

The Disney Fantasy also has a few quick service food places just like the Disney Dream at Flo’s Cafe.  There are 4: Luigi’s Pizza, Tow Mater’s Grill, Fillmore’s Favorites and Ramone’s Cantina.  Guests just order at the counter and the food items includes burgers, hot dogs, pizzas, tacos, salads and sandwiches.  Throughout our cruise, I did try the pizza slice, cheeseburger, Bratwurst, chicken tenders and fries.  All were good.

Eye Scream Treats serve soft serve ice cream free for the entire cruise.  Disney’s private islands has them too.  I definitely ate there a few times.  Sweet On You shop is a specialty dessert store that is an extra charge and has items like gelato, cookies, cupcakes, candies and more.  I didn’t buy anything on this cruise though.  At Cove Cafe, I did get the Cinnamon Swirl as all the pastries and baked goods were “free”.

Entertainment

The Entertainment on a Disney cruise is always high quality, fun and worth attending.  There is a daily list of what’s happening each day on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.  This works without a wifi package.  The first main event was the Sail Away Party on the top deck to celebrate the start of our vacation.  Mickey and friends dance and sing with cast performers.

I mentioned the accessibility of Walt Disney Theatre above.  There were accessibility wheelchair spots at either the very front row, the back of the front section, or the very last row of the theater.  No pictures and videos are allowed during the shows.  The first night was Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular and we sat at the very back since we were with friends.  The Genie was pretty funny and we laughed lots.  We saw this on the Disney Wish six weeks ago.

There was no show on the second and fourth night due to the Pixar and Pirate night shows.  See above for more details on the Pixar show.   Pirate night happens on every cruise and is a guest favorite.  Some people really dress up in pirate costumes but we just wore out bandanas that is given out to everyone. We both did enjoy the deck party with fireworks at sea.

On the third night it was Frozen: A Musical Spectacular.  We sat at the very front row for this show.  I prefer sitting this close to the stage as I can connect with the show and story better.  The show was fun and features some cool costumes, set designs, and some dazzling special effects.  Songs were catchy too.

The last night was Disney Seas: The Adventure is an original story where Captain Minnie sets Goofy on a magical journey filled with musical numbers and Disney classics.  This Broadway show is 30 minutes and is the shortest of them all.  We just saw this on the Disney Wish six weeks ago.

There were other activities like the sports deck, water slides, trivia and karaoke that we did not do.  We didn’t go to bingo, play board games, attend liquor tastings or go to the night club either.  We did do the Midship Detective Agency game which is an interactive who done it mystery game that involves the picture frames across the ship.  We also watched a magic show, a movie in the theater and a match your mate show.

Characters Encounters

Taking pictures with your favorite Disney characters is one of the main reasons on booking a Disney cruise.  A list of which character appearing at what location and time could be found daily on the app.  Lines are never too long like the theme parks and can range from a few minutes to 20 minutes.

The Royal Gathering is a meet up and photo op with several princesses and this is the only meet up that requires a reservation to attend.  Spots for this is very limited and is full pretty fast.  The more Disney cruises you sail, the higher the Castaway status you are, the sooner you get to book things.  I managed to get a reservation for this cruise after missing it on the last cruise.

Disembarkation

Since we had late dining time for this cruise, our scheduled disembarkation time was also the late time of 8 AM.  This was better for us because our flight was late afternoon on disembarkation day.   It was a limited menu quick breakfast.  I had some smoked salmon, a Denver omelette, and some pastries.

We already had our checked luggage tagged and left in front of our cabin door before bed time the previous night.  By the time we were done breakfast, the line to disembark on the ship was short and went fast.  We then picked up our checked luggage in the terminal and went to the pre booked bus line.  I had to pre purchase our tickets which were $45 USD each.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed my fifth ever Disney cruise but didn’t buy a placeholder this time.  It cost $250 and is a deposit towards my next Disney cruise.  It also gives me 10% off the cost of the cruise.  It must be used within 2 years or the placeholder is refunded.  I already have my Disney Adventure cruise booked for this September and didn’t need another placeholder.  Having the Pixar addition was excellent and I would love to do another themed cruise and try a Halloween or hopefully the return of the Star Wars cruise.