DISNEY FANTASY!!!

Magic, a Dream, a Wish – and Now, a Fantasy

Do your fantasies involve tropical breezes, white-sand beaches, lavish beauty, family fun ... and time enough to enjoy it all? If so, the Disney Fantasy will soon be ready to make your own personal fantasy come true. Launching in March, the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet will soon set sail for seven-night Caribbean cruises, giving up to 4,000 Guests (per cruise) a chance to explore both the beautiful tropic islands she visits and the ship herself.

And the Disney Fantasy will be well worth exploring. Cruise Director Brent Davies tells us, "It's a sister ship of the Disney Dream, but there are many differences because we always like to surprise the Guests, and because we're designed for a seven-night itinerary, which gives us the opportunity to add more entertainment features. Imagineering has a done an outstanding job and it feels like a completely different ship. As soon as Guests walk on the ship, they'll notice the difference – it has an art nouveau design, while Dream is art deco." Guests will be greeted by peacock feather designs, rich vibrant colors, and the curvy elegant lines of the Belle Epoque.

Kids should be sure to explore the AquaLab water-play area, which has fantastic new interactive elements like water jets to surprise them. In fact, surprise is one of the delights of a cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy, and Brent encourages Guests to explore. "There's so much to enjoy! People come on vacation to relax, and there are many ways to do that during your cruise, but see what the ship has to offer as well. And be immersed – stand and look at the incredible design."

One fun way to discover those surprises is by playing along with the Muppets Adventure Game, exclusive to the Disney Fantasy. "You have to play detective to see what happened to Kermit's ukulele, and a key part of the story is told by interacting with digital screens around the ship – we send the Guests away from the screen and then the clues lead them back. There are elements in the décor that are pieces of the game, and you'd never guess why they were there unless you were playing!"

The Disney Fantasy does share many delights with her sister ship, the Disney Dream. For one, the revolutionary AquaDuck "water coaster" introduced on the Disney Dream can be experienced on the Disney Fantasy as well. As Brent says, "The one on the Disney Dream is open until midnight to handle the Guest volume, because people just love it!" And the onboard dining is just as lovely and luxe as on the Disney Dream. The Disney Fantasy will also feature the Enchanted Garden, Palo, Remy, and Animator's Palate, plus the Royal Court restaurant, inspired by classic Disney animated fairy tales, which is exclusive to the new ship.

Seven nights at sea give Disney Fantasy Guests seven chances to enjoy the nightlife. The night-time entertainment district, Europa, carries on the theme with trips to different cities of Europe in different venues. "You really do get the flavors of Italy, Spain, France, and the U.K.," says Brent. "There's even an Irish bar." The long itineraries also give Guests a chance to sample the shipboard entertainment – which Brent assures us is not to be missed! "I can't wait for Guests to see the new shows – we have brand-new welcome and farewell shows, plus a spectacular new show, 'Wishes,' created just for this ship. In 'Wishes,' three teenagers are about to graduate, and they're visiting Disneyland, talking about years gone by and what they want to do going forward. Then you go from reality to imagination – they go down a wishing well and they learn how to get their courage from great moments of Disney movies past. The show has many classic Disney songs and lots of great contemporary songs as well – including one from the hot band Lemonade Mouth. We haven't done this type of show before, and it really shouldn't be missed."

With the Disney Fantasy about to become a reality, Brent is seeing a long journey from the drawing board to the Caribbean finally nearing its end. "Because we've been involved in the creation of the ship from when it was just an empty shell of steel, one of the best things for me is finally having Guests onboard and seeing their reaction. You just can't wait to see it become a reality," he says. "The launching is amazing, because it's a long, gradual process seeing a ship come to life, and we celebrate every milestone. As we go from creative concept to reality, even the cutting of the first piece of steel is a milestone for those of us involved. We recently floated out from the shipwrights for the sea trials. Then we'll head across for our christening event, presenting the ship to the world, and finally the maiden voyage – it's just exciting every step of the way."