We had essentially the most unimaginable time and know deep in our hearts the 5-night cruise we took with my dad and mom and my sister’s household is a cruise we’ll keep in mind and treasure ceaselessly. Did I tear up a number of instances on the cruise? You wager I did. As I become old, I solely additional recognize each second I’ve with my dad and mom and being on one ship with my mother and pop and my sister and her great household — all of us in a single place, undistracted and absolutely having fun with one another — was a real present. Swirl these emotions round with the gratitude I really feel for my mother and pop and the childhood they gave to me and my sister and this Disney cruise was the proper storm of nostalgia, pleasure and household.
Disney Fantasy 5 Day Cruise
I toyed round with one of the best ways to share our expertise on our first Disney cruise on the weblog and settled on a basic recap of our five-day cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy ship with little ideas, highlights and proposals included. Buckle up as a result of it is a very lengthy weblog publish nevertheless it’s additionally the sort of publish I’d’ve needed to learn earlier than our journey once I was craving allllll the information and particulars a few Disney cruise aboard the Fantasy!
Our first Disney cruise was a 5 day journey we chosen primarily as a result of my mother was the queen of cruise analysis and all the things she learn led her to consider the Fantasy was an ideal ship for households with younger youngsters. Our itinerary for our 5 day Disney Fantasy cruise regarded like this:
- Day One: Board the Fantasy at Port Canaveral in Florida + Embarkation
- Day Two: Disney’s Castaway Cay (Disney’s personal island positioned within the Bahamas)
- Day Three: Lookout Cay (personal peninsula positioned on the southern finish of the island of Eleuthera within the Bahamas)
- Day 4: Nassau, Bahamas
- Day 5: Day at Sea (no stops)
- Day Six: Arrive again at Port Canaveral and disembark
Three stops within the Bahamas felt manageable, enjoyable and not-too-intense for our crew of 13 that included seven youngsters ranging in age from 10 months to 10 years previous.
Disney Fantasy Cruise Day One: Embarkation on Disney Fantasy
We break up up the 8+ hour drive from our house in North Carolina to Port Canaveral by driving to my dad and mom’ place in Jacksonville, Florida the day earlier than we have been set to embark on our cruise. We noticed sufficient individuals expertise cruise journey disasters throughout our Alaska household trip to plan for a buffer day earlier than our cruise was set to depart and this labored effectively for us.
On Sunday morning, the day we set sail, we drove to the port and arrived mid-morning. Up first was baggage drop-off and we discovered the curbside baggage drop-off system to be fairly environment friendly. We have been then directed into the terminal the place we went via safety with our carry-on bag (which we primarily full of swimsuits, goggles and water bottles) and waited till it was time to board, as we arrived a bit of earlier than our boarding time. (This was the one time through the journey that we have been requested to current our passports.)
The good factor occurs while you board a Disney cruise ship: Your loved ones’s title is introduced and also you’re greeted by smiling crew members and Disney characters waving to you from the balcony. It instantly units the tone for such a magical expertise!
Oceaneer Membership + Oceaneer Lab (Disney Fantasy Youngsters’ Golf equipment)
Up first for our household was making our approach to the Oceaneer Membership and Oceaneer Lab, the 2 connecting youngsters’ golf equipment for potty-trained kids ages 3-10. We have been strongly suggested to make this a “first cease” after boarding to keep away from lengthy traces and we have been glad we did.
We toured the services and registered our children for the magic bands that might give them entry to the youngsters’ golf equipment on board the ship and at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay all through the length of the cruise. (Youngsters membership is included in the price of the cruise, as are the youngsters’ membership magic bands until you fail to return them and you then’re charged $25.) This was a BIG a part of our household’s motivation to e book our Disney cruise this 12 months because it’s the ultimate 12 months Chase (10 years previous) may attend the youngsters’ membership with the youthful youngsters earlier than he would age out to the older youngsters’ golf equipment.
Our children’ first impressions of the Oceaneer Membership and Lab have been all extremely optimistic, and so they fortunately would’ve performed there all afternoon if we allow them to. My first impression was additionally optimistic (services have been clear and effectively organized and crew members have been participating) however as a really screen-light household, the sheer variety of screens within the youngsters’ golf equipment shocked me. There are screens in every single place — iPads with Disney video video games, Star Wars simulators, MarioKart, and so forth. — and I understand I could also be within the minority with this gripe, however it will’ve been actually great to see extra screen-free play areas. I say this as a guardian who retains scre…
