Disney Fantasy brings Star Wars, Marvel
It’s a Marvel vs. Star Wars throwdown coming to Disney Fantasy this spring as Disney Cruise Line announced changes coming to their youngest ship after it comes out of its first ever extended dry dock.
The 4,000-passenger Fantasy debuted in 2012 and is venturing into its scheduled refurbishment after five years in service from April 30-May 14 in Freeport, Bahamas. As the newest and — along with Disney Dream — the biggest of the fleet’s four ships, no major overhauls are coming like the two older ships Disney Wonder and Magic received in the last few years.
What is coming is a revamp of the Oceaneer Club play area that’s geared toward children ages 3-12. The two new spaces are: Star Wars: Command Post, which draws on both the old and new movies; and another Marvel Super Hero Academy, this one featuring character appearances from Doctor Strange.
“We continue to reinvest in our products and experiences — while reinventing them as well — in order to deliver family vacations that can’t be found anywhere else but Disney,” said Tom Wolber, Senior Vice President of Disney Cruise Line Operations.
The Star Wars space is the second on a Disney ship, following the debut of the Millennium Falcon play space on board Disney Dream. This new space will let children train to take on the First Order, as introduced in 2015’s “The Force Awakens.” A unique feature of the space will be a holotable that projects 3-D images of famous Star Wars ships such as the Millennium Falcon as well as the Death Star. Character interactions will include meeting members of the Resistance and of course, learning how to use the Force.
A Force of a different universe will be in action in what will be the third Marvel-themed space on board a Disney Cruise Line ship. While Captain America was the first character to hold court on board Disney Magic and Spider-Man is the star of Disney Wonder, the Fantasy’s Marvel Super Hero Academy hopes to open your mind and change your reality.
That’s right, children can learn the values of enlightenment, worthiness and loyalty as Doctor Strange makes his debut on board the cruise line. A not-too-advertised space at Disney’s Hollywood Studios featured the Master of the Mystic Arts teaching Agamotto-inspired sorcery as passed on to him by the Ancient One. Think hand gestures, spells and meditation. The ship’s new space also promises interactive portals to parts of the Marvel universe and a gaming experience exclusive to the cruise ship.
The new spaces will replace the Monster’s Academy space based on the Pixar films and the Explorer Pod related to “Finding Nemo.” Staying will be Andy’s Room from “Toy Story” and Pixie Hollow from the Tinker Bell movies.
The new children’s spaces are the highlight of Fantasy’s refurbishment, but there are a couple of other changes coming.
One is a new ice cream and sweets shop on Deck 11 next to the family pool. Sweet on You ice cream shop is themed on the recent Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts and will offer gelato and ice cream, specialty sundaes, homemade chocolates, truffles and candy for purchase. This is in the same place and a similar approach as Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats on board Disney Dream. It replaces the arcade.
Also new to the cruise line will be a Tiffany & Co. store.
As its newest ship, Disney Fantasy already had several of the features that have made their way to the other ships. It was the first to feature Animation Magic at the Animator’s Palate, which lets diners draw a simple character before dinner and watch it come to life on the screens as they dine. It was also the first ship with the Muppets-themed detective game as part of its shipwide interactive art adventure, and the first with the AquaLab play area featuring spouts and buckets. Other major features on board include the AquaDuck water coaster, three Broadway-style shows and the Europa adult entertainment complex with La Piazza, O’Gills Pub, Ooh La La and Skyline.
The ship will debut its new spaces on a special three-night cruise from Port Canaveral on May 17 and then resume its regular seven-night alternating eastern and western Caribbean cruises beginning May 20.
Inside cabins for the three-night cruise start at $1,983.16 for two passengers. Seven-night cruises in May start at $4,558 for two passengers.
Find out more information at disneycruise.com or call 888-325-2500.