The Disney Fantasy cruise ship, the newest in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, launches on its maiden voyage tomorrow with a number of features and modifications from Disney Dream, its sister ship that entered service a little over a year ago.
Ask a Disney Imagineer on the record, though, and none of these changes are “improvements.” Rather, the differences are explained as necessary for passengers who, unlike those who go on the shorter three- and four-night sailings offered on the Dream, need to be entertained during the longer, seven-night Fantasy cruises. After all, referring to upgrades as “improvements” implies that Disney identified problems or mistakes with last year's Disney Dream.
The Disney Fantasy docks at Castaway Cay during a preview tour for media and travel agents. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Whether you call them improvements, upgrades, or differences, when the Disney Fantasy greets its first official passengers this weekend, they are sure to be pleasantly surprised by the changes to be found onboard.
[Spoiler warning: If you are going on the Disney Fantasy soon, you may wish to skip this article if you want to be surprised.]
AquaLab
When I wrote about the Disney Dream last year, I noted that while that ship technically has more public pools than the original Disney Magic and Disney Wonder classic ships, they are collectively smaller. The Disney Fantasy has the same number of pools, but the builders added several water play areas to offer more options during the additional sea days on longer cruises.
The 1,800-square-foot AquaLab is one of the major additions to the Disney Fantasy. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The biggest addition to the Fantasy is the AquaLab, located on deck 12 aft, replacing the Waves Bar from the Dream. The 1,800-square-foot AquaLab is where Donald's nephews are said to have designed the AquaDuck water slide, and all of the overhead pipes and sprayers are supposed to supply water to the slide. The area features an leaky wall, dripping pipes, a boat that fills with water and then overturns to drench the unwary, and a play floor covered with misters, fountains, and pop jets.
The 1,800-square-foot AquaLab is one of the major additions to the Disney Fantasy. Video by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The AquaLab has several interactive elements, with no real safe zone—prepare to get soaked if you climb the steps. This is a fun play area for kids who have outgrown Nemo's Reef but are still too short to ride the AquaDuck, yet has enough to keep older kids interested between rides down the water slide. Though there were relatively few children on our preview cruise, there was almost always a small group in the AquaLab. Depending on how popular the AquaLab is on the Fantasy, the area may be replicated on the Dream during a future renovation.
Satellite Falls splash pool
The Satellite Sun Deck is an adults-only space located on deck 13 forward, and offers a fantastic ocean view. Large plexiglas wind screens cut much—though not all—of the wind noise, and the new Satellite Falls splash pool provides a shaded spot to rest and soak your feet. Unfortunately, the rain curtain generated by Satellite Falls is highly susceptible to wind (the spray can completely soak anyone sunning downwind) and so may not operate depending on weather conditions. However, even the addition of a shallow splash pool is enough to lure people from the crowded adult pool, and the extra shade canopies provide some much-needed relief on this deck.
Satellite Falls is one of many new water features added to the open decks of the Disney Fantasy. Photo (c) Disney.
Disney also added a stage and a small splash pool to deck 12, directly above the Cove Bar and overlooking the adults-only Quiet Cove pool area. The new stage is especially welcome, as it frees up space around the adult pool. This area is officially categorized as a family zone, which may prove unpopular with adult passengers if noise from younger cruisers in the splash pool interrupts the intended serenity of the adult area. On the preview cruise this pool was largely occupied by adults, so perhaps the setting alone was enough to discourage children from lingering.
Dumbo and Timothy Mouse hang out on the back of the new Disney Fantasy. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
Muppet Adventure Game
Building on the popularity of Mickey's Midship Detective Agency, the interactive game that debuted last year on the Disney Dream, the Fantasy introduces the Muppet Adventure Game. Passengers who may already have solved the two mysteries presented on the Dream now have a new case to crack, and new detectives will have an extra mystery to solve during the longer cruises. Imagineers also installed a second kiosk for the game, on deck 2, right outside the Enchanted Garden restaurant, helping reduce the wait to start the adventure.
A king prawn-sized door is used as a clue in the Muppet Mystery Adventure on the Disney Fantasy. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The basic game play is the same as Mickey's Midship Detective Agency. Using a special “detective badge” issued at the game kiosk, would-be detectives try to help Kermit determine who stole the Muppets' props just before their big show. Players use the badge to activate sensors in some of the digital artwork displayed around the ship, triggering a special interactive game. You may need to manipulate a virtual wrench, move digital knives, or pop balloons to solve the crime. This game incorporates two new prop-based locations around the ship: a Muppet's bulletin board outside the Walt Disney Theater, and the half-size stateroom door of Pepe the King Prawn. Each interaction eliminates one or more suspects, until only one remains to be interrogated. The game is different each time you play, giving you added incentive to try this more than once.
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is the popular princess makeover salon found at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and now onboard the Disney Fantasy. The Disney Cruise Line tested temporary Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique offerings on the earlier ships, and built a permanent salon on deck 5 of the Fantasy, replacing the conference rooms found in the same location on the Dream. The boutique offers most of the same makeover packages found at the theme park locations, with prices starting at $54.95. In addition to the basic hair-and-makeup packages, there are several costume packages starting at $185. The usual assortment of princess costumes are available, along with a Fantasy-exclusive “Under the Sea” package, featuring a two-piece swim suit and matching mermaid tail cover-up instead of the princess costume, and colorful sun block instead of makeup.
The popular Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique has a permanent location on the Disney Fantasy. Photo (c) Disney.
If you're really looking to splurge, the Royal Sea package offers the chance to visit the boutique three times to experience three separate makeovers on different days. Priced at $595, the package also includes a framed photo of the Fairy Godmother, an invitation tied with a glass slipper necklace, and a souvenir glass slipper. You'll need another suitcase to carry home the three costumes your child will collect during three makeovers, so the package also comes with a Disney Princess rolling trunk.
On Pirates night, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is transformed into the Pirates League, offering pirate-theme makeovers for all ages. Prices start at $34.95 for a “face transformation,” which includes hair style and application of either makeup (for girls) or facial hair and fake scars (for boys), plus a bandana and eye patch. Pirate costume packages, including a Fantasy-exclusive Empress dress for girls, start at $99.95. Adult costumes and accessories are also available from the Pirates League, so the whole family can participate.
Customers will be able to book a Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservation before their cruise using the online Disney Cruise Line Planning Center once that function is enabled on the website. For now, however you'll need to book onboard—and given its small space, we recommend that you book on embarkation day to ensure a reservation.
Animation Magic
All four Disney ships have a restaurant called Animator’s Palate. On three of the ships, screens around the room showcase the best work of the Disney animators, with the Dream offering an interactive encounter with Crush from Finding Nemo during dinner. But Animator’s Palate is a little different on the Disney Fantasy, where it showcases the best work of the amateur animators right at your table.
As you are seated at Animator’s Palate, your server points out the specially designed placemats at the table, and hands you a washable marker with which to draw your own character on the template provided. Your character can be as simple or complex as you wish—even a basic stick figure will work. The servers collect the placemats just before they serve the first course, and Mickey Mouse makes a brief video appearance to introduce a montage of Disney animation relating to food gathering, preparation, and serving.
Columnist Mark Goldhaber gets ready to make a little Animation Magic on the Disney Fantasy. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
After dinner, Mickey returns for the big reveal: an animated sequence featuring the characters you drew. The characters come to life on the screens around the room, at first just walking and marching in line, then eventually interacting with animated Disney characters—dancing with Snow White, waltzing with Cinderella, or marching along with Jiminy Cricket. The music playing during much of the show is Dukas' “The Sorcerer's Apprentice,” but cries of “that's mine! there's mine!” from the diners generally obscure the melody. Credits at the end of the show list all of the guest animators.
Passengers dining in Animator’s Palate onboard the Disney Fantasy can watch as their drawings animate and interact with the Disney characters. Photo (c) Disney.
After the show, the placemats are returned to the delighted diners, each sketch embellished with a gold seal naming the artist an Official Disney Animator. If you want to pad your resumé a bit, be sure to add “award-winning Disney Animator”—Animation Magic was recently honored by the Themed Entertainment Association for “Ingenious Use of Technology.”
Unfortunately, all of this animation magic comes at the expense of the meal, and some diners were decidedly unhappy with the new Animator’s Palate menu. In order to time the meal to the show, the menu has been dramatically modified. Rather than the usual four of five appetizers for the first course selection, the meal starts with an set appetizer sampler featuring marinated shrimp, sesame tuna and proscuitto with melon. Several people at my table skipped the first course entirely; we later learned that there is an alternative for vegetarians or guests who simply don't like fish.
This short video contains highlights of the Animation Magic show, so don't watch if you want to be surprised on your next cruise. Video by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
In place of the usual salad or soup course options, the Animator’s Palate show menu has just one option, “corn three ways,” consisting of buttered popcorn soup served with caramel popcorn and spiced cornbread. Again, I enjoyed this unusual dish, but again, several people at my table passed on it. This made for an awkward meal, as half of the table had to sit through the first two courses before being served their entree.
Wishes and Aladdin
A seven-night cruise means seven nights of entertainment in the Walt Disney Theater, and the Disney Fantasy debuts two new stage shows during its inaugural season: Disney Wishes and the first cruise line production of Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular.
The setting of new Wishes show is in Disneyland, and follows the adventures of three high school seniors as they visit the original Magic Kingdom. Twins Brandon and Nicole have come to Disneyland with best friend Kayla to celebrate their pending graduation. With their adult lives about to begin, each friend struggles with a different problem: Valedictorian Kayla doesn't know what to say during her graduation speech, talented Nicole doesn't know how to break the news that her plans for the future have changed, and Brandon has a confession to make to Kayla. As is common in Disney Cruise Line shows, a 35-minute parade of Disney characters arrives to help our heroes conquer their fears, and they all live happily ever after.
Wishes is Disney Cruise Line's newest stage show, and presented only on the Disney Fantasy. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
I had the opportunity to see a preview of Wishes last December at the Disney Cruise Line rehearsal space in Toronto, Canada, and I have been eagerly awaiting the chance to see the show in finished form. The production follows closely the outline presented three months ago, and the final product is an enjoyable show. Where Disney's Believe, the original stage show created for the Dream and also presented on the Fantasy, deals with parent/child relationships, Wishes is aimed at the pre-teen and young adult segment of the audience. I did find the show to have a very slow start—once the three friends embarked on the “ride of their lives” and met the first character guide, it took a while for the pace to pick up. I could happily have skipped the Lion King and Jungle Book sequences and jumped straight into the lovely duet between Mulan and Kayla, or the funny, rowdy Tangled number featuring Nicole in the Rapunzel role. The “I've Got a Dream” and “Got No Strings” numbers were everything I hoped they'd be, and more than made up for any pacing issues in the rest of the show.
Some time ago, Disney announced that Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular would be leaving Disney California Adventure park to be replaced by land-based version of Toy Story: The Musical from the Disney Wonder. In an unexpected reversal, Disney later announced that Aladdin's DCA run had been extended indefinitely—and that the show would be featured on the new Disney Fantasy. The cruise line production is quite similar to the theme park version, with some minor changes to adapt to the new theater. One noticeable change is that Aladdin arrives for the big parade astride a horse, not an elephant as in the movie or in the DCA production. The horse prop is very convincing—so much so that I did a double-take, with the intellectual side of my brain saying, “You know there's no possible way that there's a horse on this ship,” while at the same instant, my inner horse-mad girl was saying, “Look! Horsie!”
Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular is presented on the Disney Fantasy. Photo (c) Disney.
Lakisha Bowen performed the role of Jasmine in the Disney California Adventure production of Aladdin, and reprises that role in the cruise line production. Like the DCA version, the Disney Fantasy's production includes the original song “To Be Free,” written by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice for the stage production. The “Whole New World” sequence has been a source of much speculation, especially following the incident in which the flying carpet overturned during a performance at Disney California Adventure last year. The Fantasy's production was never intended to have the flying carpet out over the audience. Instead, a combination of machine, smoke and projection combine to create a realistic flying effect.
Europa
While occupying the same space on both ships, the Fantasy's adults-only bar area is a marked contrast to the Dream's collection of bars. Europa is a series of five themed bars and lounges, all designed to evoke a different country. The design is said to provide passengers the opportunity to go “country hopping” without ever leaving the ship, and the result is a space that even a non-drinker like myself can enjoy.
Europa is centered around La Piazza, a space designed to evoke an open-air plaza. The highlight of La Piazza is the carrousel-themed bar, decorated with Italian masks and surrounded by carrousel bar stools. The room is ringed by elevated couples booths, and a nearby Vespa, complete with sound effects, makes for an engaging photo opportunity.
La Piazza unifies the theme of the new Europa bar and lounge complex on the Disney Fantasy. Photo (c) Disney.
From La Piazza you can enter Ooh La La or O'Gills Pub. Ooh La La replaces Pink from the Disney Dream, and, while still a feminine champagne lounge, is at least a space where men won't feel actively uncomfortable. Furnished with Louis XIV chaise lounges and plush sculpted chairs, Ooh La La serves champaign cocktails and mixed drinks.
O'Gills Pub is the Fantasy's sports bar, with comfortable leather seating, and flat-screen televisions on most walls. Themed to an Irish pub, O'Gills offers its own private label Irish cream, vintage Irish whisky, and a red lager draft made especially for the Fantasy.
The Tube is the Disney Fantasy's dance club, and is themed to England's Underground train system. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
The Tube is the ship's dance club, and is themed to England's Underground train system. While essentially identical in layout to the Evolution bar on the Dream, The Tube is set with “mod” furniture (think Arne Jacobsen chairs) and has a light-up Union Jack dance floor. Four traditional English call boxes on the stage serve as dance cages for the most adventurous.
Next to The Tube, but thankfully shielded from the noise from the dance floor, is Skyline, the only direct carry-over from the Dream. On the Fantasy, Skyline's shifting vistas change to show the city lights of St. Petersburg, Russia; Athens, Greece; Florence, Italy; Budapest, Hungary; Paris; London and Barcelona.
Disney differences
The lobby of the Disney Fantasy is decorated in an Art Nouveau style, and features a statue of Minnie Mouse. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
There are dozens of additional differences between the Dream and the Fantasy. Some are very noticeable, like the Art Nouveau design of the Fantasy's common areas compared to the Art Deco decor of the Dream. Others are less obvious, like the elimination of the massive metal gates separating the concierge staterooms from the rest of the ship. Comparing the sister ships is inevitable, but to some degree pointless—you're more likely to book your next Disney cruise because of the ship's itinerary, not the pattern in the main lobby carpet. So keep your eye on the itineraries—with the two new ships now complete, and no more (officially) on the horizon, we can't wait to see what Disney does to grab our attention next year. For now, I'm looking forward to the first official voyage of the Disney Fantasy this weekend, and hope to share even more photos when I return.
The Disney Dream (right) sails around Castaway Cay while sister ship the Disney Fantasy (left) is in port. Photo by Adrienne Vincent-Phoenix.
