Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean Cruise

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A Disney Cruise is something I always wanted to do with my kids, but it was something that my husband and I agreed would be a “one and done” kind of trip for us. First, like everything Disney, it’s a large financial investment. Second, our kids would be growing up, so by the time we could afford another trip, they’d likely be too old for Disney. Well, that was our initial thought, but before we even disembarked from our Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise, we were already talking about our next Disney cruise adventure…

Because this was supposed to be our one and only Disney cruise, we wanted to do it right. We booked a 7-night Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise, leaving from Port Canaveral, and visiting 3 ports in the Caribbean, including Castaway Cay. We chose a verandah family stateroom on the 10th floor in the middle of the ship so that we would be centrally located to all the fun the ship had to offer.

Disney Cruises can be overwhelming in so many ways. That’s why I created a list of 5 Disney cruise tips for first-time Disney cruisers.

One of the top things on that list is to join a Disney cruise Facebook group if you’re even thinking about booking a Disney cruise. I joined Disney Cruise Line Junkies, but I’m sure there are several you can choose from. There’s definitely more information on there than I ever needed to know, but it was a great resource for getting questions answered and for seeing recommendations from past cruisers. That’s how I knew which excursions I wanted to book and which activities I wanted to prioritize on the ship.

The Fantasy Cruise Ship

I’m not sure it’s possible to get bored on any cruise ship, but especially not on the Disney Fantasy. There were character meet and greets, character breakfasts and character dance parties, along with traditional cruise activities like Bingo, trivia, shows and more.

We spent a ton of time at the pool–the AquaDuck was a huge hit amongst all of us, as was the entire pool deck. We enjoyed cooling off in the pools (one of them shaped like Mickey) while watching various Disney films playing on the poolside Funnel Vision screen.

Kids Club on the Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean Cruise

The kids absolutely loved the kids club on the ship, and wanted to go there as often as possible. In fact, our oldest probably spent more time at the kids club than he did hanging out with us on the ship. The interactive floor was a big hit with all three kids, as well as some of the crafts and slime-making activities they had.

Because this was our first Disney cruise, we had nothing to compare it to. However, now that we have also been on the Magic, I can confidently say that the kids club on the Fantasy is amazing and is better than on some of the other Disney cruise ships.

Free Entertainment

My favorite free events on the ship included the Character Dance parties. It was so cute watching the kids interact and dance with various Disney characters. I also loved the Silent DJ party. Of course the nightly shows were a big hit as well. Our favorite was the Aladdin Musical Spectacular.

Paid Extras on the Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean Cruise

My favorite paid extras on the ship included the Bippiti Boppiti Boutique for my daughter. She had her hair and make up done at the boutique before heading to the Royal Princess Tea Party (which also costs extra). We did cut some expense at the Bippiti Boppiti Boutique by planning ahead and bringing our own dress for my daughter to change into rather than purchasing one on the ship.

Many people in the Facebook group asks if the Royal Princess Tea Party is worth it, and for us, it definitely was. The swag alone (a Cinderella doll and jewelry box) was incredible. Plus the experience of watching my daughter’s favorite princesses sing and have tea with us was absolutely magical. But then again, I only have one daughter. I can understand how quickly it would add up with multiple daughters or children wanting to attend.

This was definitely a one-time splurge for us. I didn’t even entertain the idea on our next Disney cruise.

Another paid extra that I recommend while on the Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise is enjoying an adult-dining experience. We ate dinner at Palo one night and loved it.

Palo is an upscale Italian eatery that requires a separate reservation and fee. Remy is the other adult dining venue available on the ship, serving French food for dinner and brunch. It is more expensive than Palo, and I didn’t book a reservation there. But people rave about this place, so it must be tasty. Read more about the Disney Cruise restaurants here.

Ports & Excursions

Our most favorite excursion out of any cruise we’ve ever done was the Jost Van Dyke Beach Day in Tortola. I would have never known about it had I not read all the recommendations in the Facebook group.

In this excursion, you take a boat ride through the Sir Francis Drake Channel to get to Jost Van Dyke, the smallest of the British Virgin Islands. You then arrive at the most beautiful white-sand beach. This island is home to the famous Soggy Dollar Bar and its signature drink, The Painkiller.

I enjoyed a couple of drinks on the island, not realizing that it was unlimited drinks on the boat ride back to the ship… yikes! It was definitely an interesting Pirate Night for us that night (I was drunk like a pirate). But I was able to rally after a filling dinner helped sober me up a bit. When in Rome…

The excursion we did in St. Thomas (and every cruise since) was just average compared to that beautiful beach escape. We did the Secret Sands Beach excursion in St. Thomas. And in Castaway Cay, I didn’t book anything extra ahead of time, but my husband and son ended up doing snorkeling there.

The snorkeling at Castaway Cay wasn’t great for seeing fish. But they did have fun searching for sunken treasures and hidden Mickeys. Castaway Cay is a lot of fun without booking anything extra. We all enjoyed the waterslides and beautiful sandy beach. There were also character sightings there and more character dance parties.

Final Thoughts

One last recommendation I have is that you purchase the unlimited picture package if you take this same cruise. I will say that I’m not sure we really used the package enough on our 5-day cruise on the Magic. But we most definitely did on this Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise.

There were photographers at the Royal Tea party and Castaway Cay. Plus, all the characters on the ship. So we most definitely got our money’s worth on the photo package during this cruise. I would hands down buy it again.

Still debating? Check out my post, “Is a Disney Cruise Worth It?” to help you decide. Once you’ve booked your next Disney cruise, be sure to check out the Disney cruise packing list I created. And take a look at these amazing family beach resorts or these top family resorts in Florida if you need a place to stay before or after your cruise.