Six years ago before I sailed on my very first cruise on the Disney Wonder, I honestly thought I would only ever do one cruise and that would be it. Fast forward to this year in May 2019 and we were getting ready to board our fifth Disney Cruise onboard the beautiful Disney Fantasy – the final ship in the current Disney Cruise Line fleet for us to sail on. What I love is in the five cruises that we have taken (and we have a sixth booked next year) is that they have all been completely different itineraries and with the exception of Castaway Cay, we have never repeated a port. I guess what I’ve loved about our cruises is the variety of places we’ve visited on all four ships – we’ve now been to Alaska, the Bahamas, sailed Transatlantic as well as cruising the Western and now Eastern Caribbean and soon to be Hawaii – I would never want to do the same itinerary again and again as I love visiting new places far too much.

I was also looking forward to spending seven nights on the Disney Fantasy sailing to the Eastern Caribbean ports of Tortola, St Thomas and Castaway Cay as when we sailed on the Disney Dream for four nights (which is the same size as the Fantasy), I thought the ship was too big and I found it to be far too crowded, noisy and manic at times (especially after cruising on the smaller Magic and Wonder) and I was hoping a longer cruise would be much more sane and relaxed. Spoiler alert: I loved the Disney Fantasy and I take back everything I’ve ever said about not wanting to sail on one of the bigger ships again – the key to relaxation, amazing personalised service and having a magical, unforgettable and incredible time it seems is the number of nights spent onboard which is why I love the longer cruises.

After flying into Miami the previous weekend and spending several days in West Palm Beach and Orlando (including one day where we visited all four Walt Disney World parks in one day), we headed out to Cape Canaveral the day before we were due to sail and finally visited the Kennedy Space Center before driving to our hotel on Cocoa Beach for the night. We booked to stay at La Quinta Inn and Suites Oceanfront once again as we had in September 2016 the night before we sailed on the Disney Dream and we also asked for the same room as last time as the view from the balcony was perfect. As it was a Friday afternoon, we were also able to watch the Disney Dream leave Port Canaveral on her way to the Bahamas.

The most incredible part of staying at Cocoa Beach on this trip though was being near Cape Canaveral. On our previous stay, I remember thinking how good it would be to be able to see a space launch from here (I even wrote that exact line in the blog from this trip) and amazingly that is exactly what happened on this visit! In the lead up to our trip I saw that there was a Space X launch due at the end of April and I remember thinking if it was delayed until we were in Cocoa Beach, then it would be perfect but the likelihood of that happening was slim to none. We had already woken up in the middle of the night several times that week to watch the launch from wherever we were staying in Florida and each time, the launch was scrubbed and delayed.

In the early hours of the Saturday morning, we once again woke up and walked down onto Cocoa Beach at 2:30am to hopefully see a rocket launch for the first time. There were already a lot of people sat on the beach all doing the same thing and there was a real excitement in the air – the atmosphere was amazing. I was listening to the webcast on my phone to hear the countdown and at 2:48am the entire horizon lit up so brightly as the Falcon 9 rocket blasted into the night sky. It was truly one of the most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed in my life and I cannot believe how lucky I was to see it. We saw the first and second stages separate, heard the double sonic booms and then just over eight minutes after lift off, we watched as the first stage landed back on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship which was situated seventeen miles offshore. Sometimes I think things were meant to be and this was definitely one of those times and what a date to see a rocket launch too – May the fourth be with you!

Usually on the day that I board a cruise, I normally wake up far too early and cannot get back to sleep no matter how tired I might be. It turns out the solution to sleeping in is to wake up in the middle of the night and watch a rocket launch before falling back asleep shortly afterwards. I had originally planned to wake up and watch the Disney Fantasy arrive at Port Canaveral from the balcony but I slept all the way through until about 7:30am. I woke up to find a cup of tea waiting for me – I’d been in such a deep sleep that I had not even heard my boyfriend when he’d gone to get Starbucks that morning.

The weather outside was hot but seemed to be changing constantly and going from clear to overcast every few minutes. All I wanted for the day was for it to stay dry until we left Port Canaveral as the rain on the previous two afternoons had been extremely heavy and I knew that it would mean having the sailaway party held indoors which happened when we sailed on the Disney Dream back in 2016.

After having a shower and getting ready, we finished packing our suitcases before attaching the luggage labels and left our hotel for Port Canaveral just after 10:10am as we had the earliest Port Arrival Time of 10:30am. The drive to the Disney Cruise Line terminal (Terminal 8) took just over ten minutes and once we were there, we waited about another ten minutes to drop our bags off with the porters outside the terminal as there was already a long line of cars waiting. We parked our rental car on the ground floor in the parking garage at 10:35am which cost $136 for seven nights. Whilst this might seem excessive, it is a price that we do not mind paying as the convenience of having your car parked right next to the terminal and being able to be on the road immediately when you disembark the ship far outweighs the misery and lines of people waiting for a shuttle bus to a rental depot or a cheaper offsite parking area.

One benefit of having to wait those ten minutes to drop our bags off was the long line of people that we had seen waiting outside had disappeared as the terminal was now open. There was a short line to go through security and I was immediately reminded of how wonderful the air conditioning is at Port Canaveral as it was a very hot and humid day outside. There was a short line for first time cruisers to check in but there were no lines for any of the Castaway Club desks (we were directed straight to a desk with no wait) however the Concierge desks in the corner of the terminal building once again had the longest line of all!

During the check in process, we had our photos taken and we then waited a few minutes whilst the Cast Member printed out a copy of our I-94 immigration arrival record for each of us so we would have no problems when we arrived back into Port Canaveral the following week as our passports had not been stamped when we had landed into Miami the previous weekend. We were also handed a silver Castaway Club lanyard each which even though we never use them, felt quite sentimental as it was the last silver one we’ll ever receive as we’ll both be gold on our next cruise. We were given Boarding Group 2 but was told that boarding was delayed until at least 1:00pm (however they were hoping it would be earlier) and that the staterooms would not be ready until 2:00pm. It turned out that there had been a sickness bug on the previous cruise and they were taking extra time to clean the ship before boarding could start.

As we had plenty of time before boarding started, we headed out onto the Observation Deck to look at the Disney Fantasy. It still seemed unreal but so exciting that she was our fourth Disney ship to sail on. After taking some photos, we walked around the terminal but decided not to wait to meet Captain Mickey or First Mate Minnie (she did wear her Captain’s outfit during the cruise) as the lines were quite long and we had all week to get photos with both of them.

The terminal started to get very busy and there was not much room to move around at all – this is why they ask people not to turn up before their Port Arrival Time as there simply is not the room for everyone to wait.

At 12:20pm boarding started with the “Family of the Day” and Group 1. As they had said boarding would not start until 1:00pm, this was brilliant and less than an hour from when boarding would have normally started anyway so the delay was not too long at all. Two minutes later they called Group 2 and we tapped our Keys to the World for the first time, skipped the boarding photo opportunity and made our way onto the gangway where we were shortly announced onboard the Disney Fantasy. It had been eighteen months since our previous cruise and it felt so good to be back onboard a Disney ship once again.

As we had an early boarding number, we made our way straight to Cabanas on Deck 11 for lunch by using the Aft elevators as there is never a wait for them unlike the busy Midship ones. There was only a handful of other people here at this time so we grabbed a drink, some food (my traditional embarkation day lunch of Shrimp with Mac and Cheese followed by a beautiful Strawberry Creme Pot) and a table by the window before it started to get busy with everyone else arriving.

Once we had finished our lunch, Cabanas was very crowded and noisy so we quickly left and headed down to Enchanted Garden on Deck 2 to check if our request for our own table at dinner had been honoured which once again, thankfully, it had. We were also told that we had a great table location for dinner which I was immediately looking forward to. We had also been assigned a perfect dining rotation for us as we would be missing the Turtle Talk with Crush show (which neither of us was bothered about) at Animator’s Palate the night we had dinner booked in Remy. Our dining and menu rotation for this cruise was:

Saturday – Enchanted Garden – Standard Rotational Menu
Sunday – Royal Court – Standard Rotational Menu (Formal Night)
Monday – Animator’s Palate – Standard Rotational Menu (We had Remy booked instead)
Tuesday – Enchanted Garden – Pirates IN the Caribbean
Wednesday – Royal Court – Captain’s Gala
Thursday – Animator’s Palate – Animation Magic (Semi Formal Night)
Friday – Enchanted Garden – Prince and Princess

After this as we still had time to kill before the staterooms would be ready, we decided to explore the ship a little – a top tip from me for embarkation day is to bring a wheelie bag with you so you do not have to carry a bag on your shoulders everywhere as that would soon get very heavy and tiring. Deck 4 was extremely quiet and we noticed that they had added water fountains where you can fill your empty bottles which is a great idea. I also picked up an extra paper Personal Navigator from Guest Services – in the run up to our cruise, I had read that they were no longer being left in your room each night and you had to queue up at Guest Services and ask for one if needed. This was not our experience though as they always had them out to help yourself to whenever you wanted.

We then walked around Decks 11 and 12 where we saw that the framework for the backdrop for the Sailing Away party had been assembled but the backdrop had still not been put up as it was still unknown at this time whether the party would be outdoors or not. I was hopeful (and keeping my fingers crossed) that the weather would hold out but I was also well aware of how the weather in Florida can change at a moment’s notice and what the rain, thunder and lightning had been like on the previous days – there was even a lightning strike when we were at Kennedy Space Center the previous day.

Just after 2:00pm, we walked down to Deck 8 Aft where our stateroom which was a Category 5E with an oversized verandah was located. We originally had another verandah cabin nearby on Deck 8 booked but I switched rooms one night nearly a year ago when I saw that this one was available. It also came highly recommended by some friends of ours who had stayed in the same room on the Disney Dream and I can see why – that giant verandah was amazing! The only downside at this time was that it was covered with loads of those dreaded lovebugs that invade Florida twice a year – still at least we knew that we wouldn’t see any of them for the next week.

Our bags had not been delivered yet so we took the opportunity to go up to Cove Cafe and grab a coffee – embarkation day is always a long day as well as being very busy and tiring so taking a few minutes out in the middle of the day always helps. The only downside was that Cove Cafe no longer serve my beloved Vanilla Cupcakes that I became addicted to on our previous cruises as they have changed their menu. It was not a surprise though as I knew they no longer had them on the other ships as friends had sailed on them and had already warned me in advance! On the way back to our stateroom before the muster drill, we noticed them putting up the backdrop on the Deck 11 stage ready for the sailaway party which I took as a good sign that it was going to take place outdoors.

We collected our cameras ready for the sailaway party before walking down to our muster station which was “O” and located in the Tube – one of the bars on Deck 4. I’ve never planned it this way but on all of our cruises, our muster drills have always taken place inside which is great as you get to sit down inside in the air conditioning. The drill seemed a lot calmer than on our last two cruises and once it was over, I ran up the stairs like crazy (most people wait for the elevators) to Deck 12 to get a good spot to watch the sailaway party and as luck would have it, I was the first person there so I had my pick of where I wanted to stand!

It did not take long for the party to start and I was so happy that I was finally getting to see an outdoor sailaway party on one of the bigger ships as on our last cruise on the Dream, the indoor party in the lobby atrium felt so rushed as it was such a short and cut down version compared to what I had watched on YouTube before the cruise. What I loved though is that Sailing Away (the bit with the characters and the ship horn) took place straight away before the cruise staff and DJ took over which meant that those of us who just wanted to see the characters could do so before then heading to the side of the Disney Fantasy and watching us set sail from Port Canaveral. I think I had a massive smile on my face throughout as I really could not have envisaged the day getting any better at this point.

As we were leaving Port Canaveral, we could see lots of lightning and a storm in the distance so I think the sailaway party took place just in time with maybe minutes to spare. We really were incredibly lucky that the weather held out for as long as it did – again it was just another thing that I think was meant to be.

After waving to friends and family at home on the Port Canaveral Webcam, the day if you can believe it, got even better. As I was taking a photo, my boyfriend pointed to the Space X Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster on the “Of Course I Still Love You” drone ship that was waiting to arrive into Port Canaveral. After seeing the launch in the early hours of the morning to now seeing this, I was speechless and completely geeking out and I took so many photos. May the Fourth was truly a great day!

Shortly afterwards, all the swimming pools onboard were quickly closed as the storm was closing in on the ship and we could see lightning all around us. As we still had three hours before dinner and were both feeling a little hungry, we each got a slice of pizza from Luigi’s Pizza at Flo’s Cafe and sat undercover on Deck 11 watching the rain which was coming down. We also used this time to set up our account on the Disney Cruise Line app on our phones. The app has completely changed since our last cruise and you can do so much on there including being able to view your stateroom bill at any time.

Because of the sickness bug on the previous cruise, you were not able to serve yourself at either the drink stations or the ice cream machines located on Deck 11 and instead there were Cast Members stationed at them 24/7 who were available to get your drinks and ice cream for you instead.

Our Remy invitation was waiting for us at our stateroom door and we were both so looking forward to our dinner there two days later as it was one of the many reasons we chose to book a cruise on the Disney Fantasy. We used our time back in the room to unpack and put away all of our belongings before stowing our suitcases under the bed where we would not have to see them for the next week.

Standing on our balcony watching the lightning surrounding us was an incredible sight. I’m not sure if I’m the only one but I love watching thunderstorms and I could not think of a better place to watch one from. The colour of the sky and the clouds was constantly changing and was fascinating to see.

The show on the first evening in the Walt Disney Theatre was called A Fantasy Come True which we did not want to go and see so as always on the first night of any cruise, we headed to Sea Treasures, Mickey’s Mainsail and White Caps to do any shopping we wanted to do. It’s always a good idea to get any shopping you know you want on the first night in case they run out of stock later in the cruise. I usually happily spend a fortune (well a fortune to me) on the first night of a cruise but this time, apart from a Captain Minnie Mouse luggage tag, there was absolutely nothing else I wanted to buy – it was the cheapest shop I’ve ever had on any cruise!

If you’ve never been on a Disney Cruise before, it’s also good to know that on the first night of a cruise, the lobby atrium is always busy between shows and dinner seatings and the lines for characters are always long. As we already have so many photos with Captain Mickey, First Mate Minnie, Goofy and Pluto we decided not to wait to meet them as we would see them throughout the cruise and instead went outside onto Deck 4 to continue watching the lightning storm which was still chasing and surrounding the ship.

Our first night dinner was in Enchanted Garden on Deck 2 and as we had second seating, it started at 8:15pm every night. I was looking forward to seeing what table we had and was completely shocked and surprised to find out we had been assigned one of the round booths near the centre of the restaurant by the Mickey fountain which was perfect as it was only the two of us (they would be a tight squeeze for any more than three people). On our cruise on the Disney Dream, I remember thinking how good those booths looked never thinking I would ever sit at one – this cruise really was getting better and better and it made me feel so happy. We also met Xavier who was our Server for the week, Tanya who was our Assistant Server as well as Ciao who was our Head Server. Again, we loved all three of them and were incredibly grateful that they looked after us so well throughout the cruise.

For my first dinner onboard, I ordered the Cucumber Garden Roll and the Green Asparagus Soup to start followed by the North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli which I ordered as a main course. All three dishes were absolutely delicious and a perfect way to start the cruise. As we were both starting to feel incredibly tired towards the end of the meal, we shared the Lemon Raspberry Mousse Bombe for dessert.

Once we left Enchanted Garden, we took the elevator to Deck 11 to get a tea to take back to our stateroom with us. After such a long day (especially with waking up in the middle of the night to watch a rocket launch), we were both struggling to stay awake. Back in our stateroom, our first blanket animal of the cruise was waiting on our bed for us along with some Ghiradelli chocolates.

It had truly been a great first day and I really was loving our experience on the Disney Fantasy. I could not wait to get a good night’s sleep ready to start our first full day at sea onboard.

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