Disney Fantasy Ship Set Sail in 2012
LAST UPDATE: 12/3/13
The information on this page is from Disney press releases.
To read my first impressions of the brand-new Disney Fantasy cruise ship based on my tour of the ship in February-March 2012, click here!
To read my friend Beth’s account of sailing on the Fantasy with young children, click here!
The fabulous Disney Fantasy launched on March 30, 2012. Like the already-launched Disney Dream, the Fantasy is 122,000 tons with 1,250 staterooms (4,000 passengers maximum). However, it is different from the Dream in various ways. Below are some of the unique features of this new ship.
“Animation Magic” at Animator’s Palate
The magic of Disney animation comes into the dining room with a new show called “Animation Magic.” The dinner show celebrates the magic of Disney animation and allows families to create and participate in a whole new way.
As guests are seated, they are invited to draw a character of their own using a simple template on their placemat. During dinner, animated black-and-white drawings of Mickey Mouse appear on large monitors. When Mickey places the Sorcerer’s hat upon his head, magical transformations happen around the room!
For a finale, Mickey conjures the guest’s drawings – now fully animated and brought to life – into the onscreen action for a parade around the room. At the conclusion, guests will have their character drawing returned to them with an added touch – a golden seal proclaiming them an Official Disney Animator.
Europa Nighttime Entertainment District
Adults step into a world all their own at Europa – a nighttime entertainment district, exclusively for guests 18 and older, that features sophisticated bars and trendy lounges inspired by the very best in European travel.
- La Piazza draws inspiration from Italian cities and their decorative outdoor plazas. The bar is modeled after a colorful vintage carousel. Venetian masks and a classic Vespa with sidecar add to the Italian flair.
- Skyline is a chic bar that provides ever-changing, birds-eye views of stunning European city skylines that transform from day to night.
- O’Gill’s Pub is a rollicking Irish bar with modern-day twists. Dark woods, brass accents and a selection of Irish beers create the perfect pub atmosphere for sipping a pint and watching live sporting events.
- Ooh La La is inspired by an elegant French boudoir adorned with velvet tufted walls, Victorian furniture and Louis XIV-style chaise lounges. A jewel-box feature bar is backed with sparkling diamond-like facets.
- The Tube transports guests to a vibrant metropolitan club via the London Underground. Guests “mind the gap” as they walk across a Tube route map, pose by a red English phone booth and dance atop an illuminated Union Jack dance floor.
“Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular”
A new ship means new main stage entertainment at the 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theatre. Magic lamps, wise-cracking genies, princesses and evil wizards are all a part of this fast-paced musical comedy.
Of course, the production would not be complete without a magic flying carpet scene, which combines mechanical wizardry with state-of-the-art projections, allowing Jasmine and Aladdin to soar as they perform a heartfelt duet.
Royal Court
Guests are immersed in the lavish surroundings of an elegant dining room fit for a grand palace. Royal Court takes design inspiration from classic Disney films like “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Sleeping Beauty.”
Hand-crafted mosaic-tile murals of the princesses and their princes grace the walls. Inspired by the mosaic tile murals in Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom Park, the mosaics are being meticulously created by skilled Italian craftspeople using more than 200,000 individual tiles.
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
Aspiring young princesses and pirates receive the full fairy-tale treatment with pixie-dusted and piratical makeovers at this very special salon.
Exclusive to Disney Cruise Line, Captain Mickey Mouse, Princess Minnie Mouse and First Mate Minnie Mouse makeovers as well as special “Under the Sea” packages will be offered.
On pirate party nights, the salon transforms into the Pirate’s League, where swashbuckling boys and girls can get ready for the pirate life.
Atrium Lobby – Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse
The magnificent three-deck atrium lobby is reminiscent of grand ocean liners of the Golden Age. A focal point is a cascading chandelier of stained glass and crystal beads.
The pièce de résistance of the magnificent space is the atrium lobby statue – Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse. Inspired by travel of the 1920s and 1930s, Minnie, cast in bronze and dressed in vintage fashion with a parasol and steamer luggage at her side, serves to welcome all guests who board the ship.