Disney Fantasy

Theater

The stage shows are unlikely to disappoint (unless you love -- as we do -- DCL's "Golden Mickeys," which isn't in the Fantasy repertoire). The lavish Walt Disney Theatre is home to "Wishes," a 45-minute musical centering on three teens worrying about the ramifications of growing up. Before you know it, a steady stream of Disney characters is warbling to the trio. It's harmless, infectious, big-budget fun. Ditto "Disney's Believe," which focuses on the story of a workaholic single father who reconnects with his daughter. Another host of old-time favorites make song-and-dance appearances, including Cinderella and Peter Pan.

Our favorite show, however, is "Disney's Aladdin -- A Musical Spectacular," which lives up to its title. A Disney theme park favorite, the show is a don't-miss. The special effects are terrific, the jokes timely, the music lovely -- you'll recognize some old favorites mixed in with new tunes -- and the story familiar if you've seen the flick.

Speaking of movies, you can catch a wide variety for free on demand in your cabin or in the lovely Buena Vista Theatre, which features first-run films (some in 3D), as well as classics. Movies, sporting events and music videos are also shown on the poolside Funnel Vision movie screen.

Daily Fun

Let's get right to the point: Character meet-and-greets are the heart of a Disney cruise, and you'll see Mickey and Co. everywhere onboard, from the sail-away party and shows in the D Lounge (a family-friendly gathering spot featuring karaoke and the like) to random sightings on Castaway Cay and in the atrium. As excited as kids can get at the theater productions and interactive events, nothing brings bigger smiles than snapping a one-on-one photo with Minnie.

In addition to scheduled and impromptu character appearances, passengers can also hear live music, participate in family arts and crafts, play bingo, go head-to-head with other onboard know-it-alls in trivia competitions or check out the Midship Detective Agency, a detective game featuring The Muppets that takes passengers around the ship in search of clues.

At Night

In addition to nightly production shows, movies and character experiences, cruisers will find family dance parties, trivia and karaoke.

One of the most popular nighttime activities is the "Pirates in the Caribbean" deck party. It's broken into separate parts on Fantasy, though darned if we didn't think the kids' portion was just as fun as the one for adults. A sing-along early in the evening for little ones called "Mickey's Pirates in the Caribbean" is followed by a live-action show that features Jack Sparrow rappelling off the funnel. The latter ends on an explosive high: Disney's now-iconic "Buccaneer Blast" fireworks. (Tip: For an unobstructed view, catch it from the Currents Bar on Deck 13 or from Deck 12 starboard, just beside the Funnel Vision screen.)

Afterward, the family-friendly Club Pirate has everyone shaking their (pirate's) booty. It ends, unfortunately, precisely at midnight -- just when things really start to rock.

Adults can check out the Europa adults-only area after hours for trivia and DJ-spun music until late.

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Disney Fantasy Bars and Lounges

Currents Bar (Deck 13 forward): Currents, the ship's top-deck outdoor bar, is one of the few spots onboard that allows smoking. (Other smoker-friendly hangouts are the Deck 4 promenade on port side, aft, between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., and the Deck 12 outdoor area that's accessible through Meridian.)

Waves Bar (Deck 12 aft): The Waves Bar, all but forgotten since it was largely taken over by the kids' AquaLab water play area, is tucked away in a remote outdoor corner of Deck 12 and offers a standard assortment of beverages at a walk-up window.

Meridian (Deck 12 aft): This cocktail bar, tucked between Palo and Remy, serves as the waiting area for both. Awash in dark woods with a navigational theme, this watering hole also offers an outdoor terrace that doubles as a cigar lounge.

Senses Juice Bar (Deck 11 forward): If you're feeling like a healthy drink after a spa treatment or day in the sauna and aromatherapy rooms, check out the Senses Juice Bar, located just inside the entrance to Senses Spa. Choose your poison -- freshly squeezed juices or one of several concoctions that combine berries, herbs and spices with spinach and avocado -- from an electronic menu for a fee ($3.95 to $4.95).

Cove Bar (Deck 11 forward): This bar serves the Quiet Cove adults-only area on Deck 11.

Buena Vista Theatre Snack Bar (Deck 5 forward): Found just outside the Buena Vista Theatre, this concession stand sells popcorn, candy soda and beer whenever movies are being shown in the theater (and often between showings, as well). Souvenir cups and popcorn buckets are available for an upcharge.

D Lounge (Deck 4 mid): This family-focused lounge plays host to all-ages dance parties, arts and crafts, bingo and family karaoke.

Europa (Deck 4 aft): At night, adults can head to Deck 4's retooled "entertainment district," Europa, comprising a European-themed quintet of bars and lounges. The areas include La Piazza, an Italian fun zone with a giant bar in the shape of a carousel; O'Gill's, an Irish pub packed with sports fans; Ooh La La, a sumptuous French Champagne bar; The Tube, a late-night club awash in a London vibe, complete with phone booths you can boogie in, subway-like seating and an illuminated dance floor; and Skyline, which features large-scale photos of European capitals that change every 15 minutes.

Bon Voyage Bar (Deck 3 mid): Although this bar isn't technically in the atrium, it's located just past it, offering alcoholic beverages along the main thoroughfare opposite the guest services desk.

Preludes (Deck 3 forward): Stop at Preludes during show times to grab snacks (popcorn, candy) and drinks (soda, beer and mixed drinks) before heading into the Disney Theatre for a performance

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Disney Fantasy Outside Recreation

Pools

Deck 11 is home to Donald's Pool, the ship's main pool. Further aft is Mickey's Pool, which is shaped like Mickey's head and bears a likeness to his face; it tends to draw only kids. Still farther aft is Nemo's Reef, a splash area for the youngest cruisers who aren't yet potty trained. (Swim diapers are OK.) It offers water features molded after the characters from "Finding Nemo."

A top-deck adults-only area called the Satellite Sun Deck (Deck 13) is centered on a water feature called Satellite Falls, a circular splash pool with benches and a fountain that runs its circumference and drips water down on the overheated masses. In addition, the upper deck of the adults-only Quiet Cove Pool and Cove Bar (Deck 11), both line staples, have been configured with protective canopies to provide shade and a small wading pool.

Recreation

On Deck 4, there are shuffleboard courts and a jogging track (2.5 laps equal a 1 mile). A few floors up, on Deck 11, passengers can watch movies, concerts and sporting events on the Funnel Vision big screen, and the little ones can try out Mickey's Slide, a short corkscrew water slide. Up one deck is the entrance to the AquaDuck water coaster. Riders on rafts zip through a transparent tube that rings the pool area, at one point swinging out 13 feet off the side, 150 feet above the ocean. There is a 42-inch height requirement, so prepare younger siblings, and try to go in the early-evening pre-dinner hour, when the line dwindles to nothing. On the same deck is the AquaLab splash park, a 1,800-square-foot water play area. Expect pop jets, geysers, bubblers and all manner of watery mayhem.

Deck 13, Goofy's Sports Deck, is great for active cruisers, featuring a basketball court, Goofy's Mini-Golf (a nine-hole course), and golf and sports simulator machines.

Sun Decks

Decks 11, 12 and 13 offer plenty of space and sun loungers for catching rays. Adults-only sun deck areas are found at the aforementioned Quiet Cove (Deck 11) and Satellite Falls (Deck 13).

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Disney Fantasy Services

The guest services desk, passengers' main onboard go-to for questions, resides on Deck 3 midship, along with the majority of the ship's retail stores: Mickey's Mainsail for Disney-branded toys, trinkets and apparel; Sea Treasures, which sells clothing, jewelry, sundries and duty-free alcohol and cigarettes; and Whitecaps for high-end jewelry, watches and purses.

For additional retail therapy, check out Tiffany & Co. (Deck 4) for high-end jewelry and the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (Deck 5), which makes over little boys and girls as princesses and pirates for an astronomical fee ($200 for a package that includes a princess costume, makeup and hairstyling). Meanwhile, Whozits & Whatzits (Deck 11) is the place to go for pool essentials like swimsuits and sunscreen.

For paintings, try the Vista Gallery on Deck 2, just outside the Enchanted Garden, and Shutters, the photo gallery on Deck 4, next to the portrait studio of the same name.

To plan your in-port adventures, visit the Port Adventures desk on Deck 5; to plan your next cruise adventure, check out the Disney Vacation Planning desk on Deck 4.

Like the other ships in the fleet, Disney Fantasy offers neither a library nor a casino. And while there is Wi-Fi throughout the ship, there is no dedicated internet cafe. The Cove Cafe, a Wi-Fi hot spot, does have laptops you can use for an additional fee. Disney Fantasy offers a Connect@Sea program in which you pay for the data you use instead of per minute. Sample rates start at 25 cents per megabyte and increase depending on what you do online. Examples include the small package at $19 for 100 megabytes, the medium package at $39 for 300 megabytes and the large package at $89 for 1,000 megabytes.

Each deck has a laundromat with an iron to work out the creases before dinner. Disney Fantasy's medical facility is located on Deck 1.

Like all other Disney ships, Fantasy uses a rotational dining system, with cruisers moving from one eatery to the next each night, their regular servers in tow. One thing: While you move from one restaurant to another each night, there are still prescribed times to dine, a bother if you'd prefer to chow down on your own terms.

There are three (free) main themed-dining restaurants -- Animator's Palate, Enchanted Garden and the Royal Court -- as well as a variety of complimentary grab-and-go options and two for-fee specialty dining eateries.

Overall, the quality of the food is good, as is the service, but options can be limiting if you're scheduled to dine in a restaurant such as the Royal Court and you're not a huge fan of, say, French cuisine. Servers are diligent in asking if there are any allergies. Each menu features vegetarian and always-available "lighter fare" sections, and special dietary needs can be accommodated, though it's best to give the line advance notice.

The children's menus throughout the ship are predictable, featuring items like burgers, pizza and chicken fingers, but they work and feature special flourishes -- like ketchup doled out in the shape of Mickey's head.

Soda and juice are included free of charge at meals and on the pool deck. (Beverages from any onboard bar will incur a fee.)

Note: On the morning of disembarkation, breakfast is served in all three main dining restaurants. Passengers are assigned to whichever restaurant hosted their dinner the night before.

Free Dining

Animator's Palate (Deck 3 aft): Animator's Palate, a dinner-only venue, is a colorful pastiche of giant paintbrushes, cartoon art and big-screen TVs that feature "Undersea Magic," which stars an animated Crush the Turtle from "Finding Nemo." He interacts in real time with diners, which can be both thrilling and a little off-putting if he starts chatting you up when you have food in your mouth.

The surf-and-turf at Animator's Palate is a standout. Other entrees include beef tenderloin and lemon-thyme chicken breast, with appetizers of salmon tartare and black truffle ravioli and soups like butternut squash and baked potato and cheddar. Vegetarian options might include black bean chipotle cakes and sesame halloumi. For dessert, expect creme brulee, cheesecake and ice cream, among other options.

Enchanted Garden (Deck 2 mid): The French countryside-inspired Enchanted Garden, open for dinner and sometimes lunch, transforms from day into night at dinnertime, complete with starry sky.

For lunch, the restaurant serves beef empanada appetizers; pastas, sandwiches and salads as mains; and cheesecake and ice cream for dessert.

Enchanted Garden features a seasonal menu in the evening. Think prime rib, sea bass and wild boar, with desserts like creme brulee.

Royal Court (Deck 3 mid): The Royal Court -- a richly appointed palatial affair with a huge chandelier, plush furniture and myriad princess references, including waiters dressed as princes -- is open daily for breakfast and dinner.

At breakfast, cruisers can expect fruit, yogurt, cereal, pancakes, waffles, grilled veggies, bagels with lox, a selection of pastries and a variety of egg dishes -- omelets, fried eggs and not-as-appetizing premade scrambled eggs, all with the option of hash browns, bacon and sausage.

At dinner, the Royal Court menu has a French accent, so plan on such offerings as duck confit, escargot, French onion soup, roasted rack of lamb, crispy duck breast, Grand Marnier souffle and a wine list that harks back to the Continent.

Cabanas (Deck 11 aft): Other dining spots include Cabanas, also on Deck 11, a mammoth buffet with a beach theme. Seating is indoors or out, and there's ample space to tuck into the decent variety of chow, including fresh-carved meat, pasta, a salad bar and the like. Passengers can go there for breakfast (pastries, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, waffles and pancakes, fruit, cereal, yogurt), lunch (soup, salads, sandwiches, carving station, hot entrees) or dinner (a sit-down affair with four appetizers, six entrees and two desserts that mimic what's offered in the dining rooms). Note: Dinner is not served at Cabanas on the first and last nights of a cruise, which we found exceptionally annoying, given the rigid structure of dining in the main restaurants.

Flo's Cafe (Deck 11 mid): Flo's Cafe is an amalgamation of three different walk-up food service windows, located on Deck 11 in the pool area. Luigi's Pizza offers plain, pepperoni and barbecue chicken pies, as well as a vegetarian option and a rotating daily special. (Gluten-free pizza is available, but it's best to give advance notice.) The Tow Mater Grill specializes in burgers, grilled chicken, hot dogs, sausages and chicken fingers. French fries and a condiments bar round out the meals. Fillmore's Favorites features made-to-order sandwiches, paninis, wraps and salads.

Cove Cafe (Deck 11 forward): This tiny bar and cafe in The Cove adults-only area serves free light bites and for-fee coffee beverages.

Vista Cafe (Deck 4 mid): The Vista Cafe shares space with Shutters Photo Gallery and serves up complimentary snacks like pastries and cookies, as well as coffee beverages for a fee.

Eye Scream (Deck 11 mid): Eye Scream is where passengers will find free self-serve soft ice cream in chocolate, vanilla and twist. Cups and cones are available. Sadly, the machines aren't open 24 hours, but you can enjoy it from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Room Service: Room service is free and includes a reasonably sized menu of soup, sandwiches, pizza, salads, fruit, cake, pie, cookies and "American Fare" like hamburgers, mac 'n' cheese, hot dogs and chicken fingers. For-fee snack and beverage options are also available. A tip of a dollar or two is customary to whoever delivers your order.

Fee Dining

Remy (Deck 12 aft; $95 per person, $200 with wine pairing; $60 per person for brunch, $90 for Champagne brunch): Remy, the French blockbuster introduced on Disney Dream, is named for the main rodent character in Disney's "Ratatouille." At $95 a pop, Remy remains the most expensive restaurant at sea, and if you add in the $105-a-head fee for the wine-pairing option, you could be talking about one of the most expensive meals you've had on land as well. Is it worth it? We were wowed by the exquisite service, languorous pace of the meal (more than three hours) and, of course, the food -- seven courses of ultra-rich Gallic grub that we're still dreaming about.

For dinner, menu items might include salmon, gnocchi, wagyu beef, king crab and lamb with a selection of chocolates for dessert. For brunch, expect to find ham, cucumber and dill salmon, and tortellini among the options.

Passengers are invited to meet with the sommelier before dinner to plan the wines for the evening (nice touch), and we were surprised to find a box of Remy chocolates on our bed when we returned from our gastronomical expedition.

Palo (Deck 12 aft; $30 per person for dinner, $59 with wine pairing; $30 per person for sea day Champagne brunch): Disney stalwart Palo, an Italian holdover from the line's other ships, offers alfresco dining, as well as seating in a warm Italianate space showcasing floor-to-ceiling windows with amazing views. This Northern Italian eatery serves dinner nightly, as well as a Champagne brunch on sea days. Carb-cravers may refuse to share the awesome breadbasket, but don't fill up on those empty calories: Our lobster ravioli rocked, though we also coveted our tablemate's osso bucco. Other menu items include a charcuterie plate, mozzarella caprese salad, potato gnocchi, deep-fried shrimp and calamari, a selection of pastas like mushroom risotto, sea scallops, tuna steak, beef tenderloin and roasted lemon-rosemary chicken, among others. Brunch includes a cold buffet (meats and cheese, shrimp, salads, desserts) and a selection of hot made-to-order items (omelets, fish).

Sweet on You (Deck 11 aft; a la carte): Added to the ship during a 2017 dry dock in place of the ship's former arcade, Sweet on You is a vintage cartoon-themed sweets shop that sells extra-fee prepackaged sweets, loose candy by the pound, macarons, chocolate-covered Oreos, cupcakes, bonbons and other treats. Or choose from 16 ice cream flavors and 20 varieties of egg-free gelato ranging from standards like vanilla and chocolate to more creative ones including Cap'n Crunch, caramel popcorn and candy explosion (with Nerds). They can be combined into a number of sundaes, as well as a "milkshake of the day." Prices are reasonable; we scored a chocolate-dipped rice cereal treat, a chocolate-covered Oreo cookie and two scoops of gelato in a waffle cone for about $12.

Frozone Treats (Deck 11 mid; $3.95 for a small, $5.25 for a large): Just next to Eye Scream's free soft-serve, you'll find Frozone, which doles out smoothies for a fee. Available combinations blend yogurt with ingredients like blueberries, raspberries and blackberries; peaches and blueberries; and pineapple, mango, lychee, ginger and lemongrass. Bottled beer is also available there.