Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Disney Cruise Line guests have blasted one of the fleet’s ships amid reports of unsatisfactory service.
First launched in 1998 with the Disney Magic, the Disney Cruise Line has always set itself apart from other cruise operators worldwide. Unlike its rivals, Disney designed its fleet to immerse guests in a themed experience, blending the company’s signature entertainment with high-end hospitality and, of course, a dash of Disney magic (hence the name of its inaugural vessel).
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The early success of Disney Magic and its sister ship, Disney Wonder, quickly established the Disney Cruise Line as a premium family-friendly cruise line, setting itself apart with Broadway-caliber shows, rotational dining, and exclusive island destinations like Castaway Cay. Over the years, Disney expanded its fleet with the Dream and Fantasy in the 2010s, introducing larger ships with more advanced amenities, followed by the Wish in 2022.
We’re currently in the midst of an exciting period for the Disney Cruise Line. Not only was yet another new ship – the Disney Treasure – launched in 2024, but the Disney Destiny and the Disney Adventure are also set to join the lineup later this year, with the latter setting sail from Singapore. Five more ships are slated to set sail within the next six years, with several of these counting Tokyo, Japan, as their home port thanks to a new partnership with Tokyo Disney Resort’s operator The Oriental Land Company.
But with these exciting new additions, some believe one ship isn’t meeting the Disney Cruise Line’s usual standards.
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Complaints Hit the Disney Fantasy
A recent guest on the Disney Fantasy took to Reddit to share their critique of the experience, which they claimed “was not up to Disney standards at all.” They listed five primary complaints about their trip.
- Dinner service was over 2 hours long
- Food was cold and quality decreased drastically
- Dirty plates remained on our table the entire meal
- Drinks were never on the table when we arrived and never received a refill
- We were always the last table in the dining room
Worst of all, they claimed that they “witnessed someone throwing up multiple times, saw multiple piles of vomit and some sat and weren’t cleaned.”
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In general, the Disney Cruise Line has extremely high approval rates from guests. This user actually noted that this hasn’t been their experience on other cruises with the company. However, there were those who shared their negative sentiment towards this ship in particular.
“We had a similar experience on the Fantasy, but complained on board and it improved,” they wrote. “The food was fine, service wasn’t great. I do think there was a high number of sick crew on our sailing that impacted things though.”
A third user also allegedly experienced their fair share of disappointing food and sickness aboard the Fantasy. “Exceedingly long waits, cold food, some food never showed up and gross amounts of sick kids that required entire tables to be flipped/sanitized/re-served,” they noted. “We were told protocol is to strip the table, change the chairs and give everyone a new plate of food… But they can’t ask a guest (even if they are actively sick) to leave. They do notify the nurse/doctor on board to have them come evaluate the guest back in their room.”
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It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
If you have a trip scheduled for the Disney Fantasy, don’t panic too soon. Others followed up with their own experiences aboard the ship, which were notably more positive.
“We were on the Fantasy January 24-29 and did not experience this at all,” said one user. “Had a great time and great service team. Food was hot, always good, and drinks were ready for the kids before we sat down. We had early seating and were out of there within an hour 15 each night. We were usually able to finish our dessert and duck out if we wanted to make a 7 pm activity. But usually we sat around a little longer and just hung out until 7:15.”
Another user who happened to be on the same cruise wrote, “Our experience was the same – excellent and prompt service, our serving team knew exactly what our kids wanted and brought it out almost immediately. Drinks and food for the 4 adults were served promptly, and we were out by about 7:15.”
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Like all Disney Cruise Line ships, the Disney Fantasy features multiple Disney-inspired restaurants, including the princess-inspired Royal Court, the Versailles-esque Enchanted Garden, and the animation-focused Animator’s Palate. Elsewhere on the ship, guests can enjoy Broadway-style retellings of Aladdin (1992) and Frozen (2013).
