Cruising Guide: Disney Fantasy
If the kids are happy so are the parents goes the old saying, and on a Disney Cruises voyage there's every chance Mum and Dad will also have a ball.
A Disney cruise is certainly animated and the whole crew makes an appearance - Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Captain Hook and Jack Sparrow.
And they are everywhere, from the cameos at breakfast to the dress-up parties and the animated portholes in the spacious cabins, which on the newest ship, Disney Fantasy, easily sleep four and have split bathrooms.
A young prince with Cinderella aboard Disney Fantasy. Picture: Gregg Newton
Launched in 2012 by godmother Mariah Carey, Disney Fantasy is a theme park on water. It's crowned by the AquaDuck (part water slide, part rollercoaster) and also has the AquaLab water park.
There's drier fun below decks on the 4000- passenger ship where the Walt Disney theatre hosts live shows such as Believe starring characters including Peter Pan and Cinderella. The ship is a spectacle in itself. The three-deck atrium evokes the grand ocean liners of the 30s with its Art Nouveau style, sweeping staircase, fluted columns, stained glass and bronze statue of Mademoiselle Minnie.
While children can play in the video arcade, frolic in one of the pools or get a princess makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, parents can relax in one of the adults-only lounges or get a tan on the Satellite Sun Deck.
Disney Fantasy. Picture: Diana Zalucky
There are 10 eating options, all Disney-themed, on Fantasy. They range from an ice-creamery and a snack bar inspired by the animation Cars to the Enchanted Garden based on the Gardens at Versailles.
Disney Fantasy cruises operate from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas and include a visit to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. disneycruise.disney.go.com.
