Characters are one of the best parts of a Disney Cruise Line vacation. It’s always fun to see your favorites, all dressed up in different outfits. My family and I were recently on a seven-night voyage on the Disney Fantasy. I was a bit worried about the characters and other entertainment, but it turned out that my fears were unfounded. Learn more below.
There were plenty of characters throughout our cruise! They were often seen on Level Four above the atrium. Sometimes they were on the stairs. There were also characters on Deck 11, which was nice because face coverings could be removed for outdoor photos. Face coverings were required indoors.
We weren’t allowed to get too near the characters. There was a circle on the ground that we would stand on, and then a Shutters photographer would snap the picture. The Crew Members could not take a picture with our phone, but other passengers were always happy to take them for us if we wanted a family picture.
There were 1,345 passengers on the ship, which meant there was rarely a line for the characters. There was plenty of interaction with them. We helped a Crew Member find Stitch when he was hiding. We had a long conversation with Peter Pan about playing games. The face characters and entertainers were the only people (over two years old) on the ship who did not wear face masks.
Credit: Paula Brown It was also fun to see all the different outfits. Even though there was no Pirate Night, the characters still dressed in pirate costumes. We couldn’t dock at Castaway Cay because the seas were too rough, but we still saw the characters in their beach outfits. We had both formal and semi-formal nights, and the characters went all out for them.
The entertainment was a little bit different but still excellent. The Disney Fantasy has three shows in the Walt Disney Theater. Each of the shows ran two nights, to keep the number of audience members down. We watched all three shows, and we often showed up just a few minutes before showtime. We never had a problem getting a seat.
When we arrived at the theater, we were asked to use hand sanitizer. We would then be escorted to seats. Every other row was used, and there were at least three empty seats between parties. Food and beverages were not allowed in the theater, and masks needed to stay on at all times during the show. Cruise Director Matthew reminded everyone of this when he addressed the audience before the shows.
Our cruise was seven nights, which meant that there was one night without one of the three main shows. Since it was a Star Wars Day at Sea cruise, “Star Wars” movies or “The Book of Boba Fett” played in the theater the other evening.
There were other entertainment offerings as well. One was the jump rope group Flight Crew, who we saw in The Tube. Many of the tables were blocked off, to keep parties apart. We had a Crew Member help us find a table since it was near capacity when we arrived.
Our cruise was Star Wars Day at Sea, which I couldn’t wait to experience. I am a huge “Star Wars” fan, and this has been my dream cruise since I first heard about it.
For Star Wars Day at Sea, there are extra “Star Wars” characters throughout the ship. This was the best part, in my opinion. Several of them were face characters, so we got to have conversations with them. Asoka and I complained about Anakin, and we warned Ezra and Sabine that there were Stormtroopers on the upper decks. The characters weren’t always where we would normally find them, so we did a lot of extra walking that day!
Credit: Paula Brown Credit: Paula Brown
There were also two character encounters that we needed to book ahead of time. Darth Vader intimidated possible rebels in The Tube. There were two greetings that we needed one reservation for in Animators Palate. These were C-3PO and R2-D2, followed by Chewbacca. We could make reservations in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App 30 days ahead of time. The reservations went quickly at first, but many people canceled their plans and there were reservations available the day of.
On Deck 11 by the pool, a short show ran several times that day. It started with a confrontation between some Stormtroopers and Rey. The Stormtroopers then stayed a few minutes for pictures, until Rey returned. The times for this show were found in the Navigator App.
There was also a special “Star Wars” themed dinner that evening. This was my favorite meal of the vacation, and not just because of the names of the dishes. It was the best food of the trip. The names didn’t hurt, with Sand People Salad and Lord Vader’s Nerf Steak as some of the choices. I laughed out loud when I saw Princess Leia’s Warm Apricot Pudding, it was as creative as it was delicious.
Credit: Paula Brown Twice that evening a deck show took place. Each party picked a dot to stand on to keep apart, even though it was outdoors. The show featured both sides of the Force. My first cruise was Marvel Day at Sea, and the show for that was much better. There wasn’t anything wrong with this show, but it felt as if it was lacking something.
We enjoyed “Star Wars” themed fireworks, but they were not part of our Star Wars Day at Sea day. They were the next evening. They took place twice so that crowds would not gather.
I miss seeing characters up close, but I was not disappointed by the characters or the entertainment on the Disney Fantasy. Disney Cruise Line is doing a great job of providing extra fun while keeping everyone safe. As far as Star Wars Day at Sea is concerned, if Disney brings it back at some point I would love to go again. It looks like this could be the last year, since Pixar Day at Sea will take place on the Disney Fantasy in 2023. I’m glad that we finally got to go.
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