Somewhere Beyond the Sea: Transatlantic Cruising with Disney Cruise Line
MVT Agent Elisa and her husband spent 21 days aboard the Disney Fantasy.
Last month, MVT Agent Elisa and her husband, Fernando, took on the open ocean for their first transatlantic cruise aboard the Disney Fantasy.
The pair had previously sailed twice with Disney Cruise Line – a Bahamian trip aboard the Wish, and a Western European sailing on the Dream. They knew they wanted an even longer itinerary this time around, so they booked a two-week sailing from Port Canaveral to Barcelona, immediately followed by a weeklong Mediterranean cruise aboard the same ship.
“We first booked the transatlantic voyage because the idea of being on a Disney ship for that length of time, and enjoying so many days at sea was very appealing to us,” she said. “Then we thought, since we were already across the pond, that we would stay on for the Mediterranean cruise. It just snowballed from there.”
After a quick visit to their home-away-from-home of Walt Disney World, the two settled into their verandah stateroom and set sail from Port Canaveral.
The two-week sailing included stops at a variety of ports, including Castaway Cay, Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Lisbon, Portugal, and Cadiz, Spain.
There were also a whopping eight days at sea, which turned out to be anything but repetitive.
In addition to the daily calendar of planned Disney events, several passengers had organized niche gatherings to meet up with other cruisers.
There were photo scavenger hunts, knitting groups, lending libraries and daily table games where guests would meet up for drinks and dice or cards.
Some went truly above and beyond, including a guest from the Netherlands who organized an onboard 5k with custom medals, or another who booked a “sweets and treats” gathering for passengers to bring dessert items from their part of the world to share in cookie-swap fashion.
Of course, a Disney cruise comes with top tier entertainment.
Elisa and Fernando made sure to catch performances from magicians, musicians, lecturers, comedians, and even a celebrity chef who cooked for guests to sample with a professional wine pairing. In fact, the “Anyone Can Cook” demonstrations were so fun and popular that Fernando (voluntarily!) arrived early each time to ensure seats right up front.
On top of the larger events, Elisa and Fernando were able to snag spots for a mixology class, chocolate and liquor tasting, and the Royal Gathering to meet and get photos with Disney princesses.
When it came to accommodations, Elisa said she and her husband never felt cramped or uncomfortable staying in the same room for such a long trip. They made the ship their home – unpacking their clothes, decorating their door and getting to know their stateroom hostess.
They packed enough clothes for about a week, so it was imperative to use the onboard laundry services. While you can opt to have Disney do your washing for you, Elisa said there was a laundry room on nearly every deck complete with washers, dryers, steamers and irons, which come in handy since these items aren’t permitted in your stateroom.
Even more convenient was the ability to stay in the same stateroom between cruises.
Elisa explained how she and her husband were far from the only cruisers doing back-to-back sailings aboard the Fantasy. Upon arriving in Barcelona at the conclusion of the transatlantic trip, Elisa, Fernando and all others booked on the next sailing were escorted off the ship, through immigration, and right back onboard to start the second leg of the tour.
“We went back to our room to get changed, then headed back up to the adults-only area while they turned over the boat,” she said.
Plus, back-to-back guests were given priority to keep their same dining space and servers, who had already grown to know their preferences and accommodations.
The second itinerary of their trip was faster paced, with one day at sea before four straight days of ports in Civitavecchia, Livorno, Genoa and Toulon.
She and Fernando adored the port cities and excursions, only wishing to spend more time in the dreamy cities and countryside of France and Italy.
When they disembarked after 21 days aboard the Disney Fantasy, the pair spent a few days exploring Barcelona and then Amsterdam before flying back home to New York.
Though they’d just spent three weeks onboard a cruise ship, Elisa and Fernando couldn’t wait to soak up even more of the Disney Cruise magic… and are already booked for another transatlantic sailing next May. This time around, Elisa says they hope to add a Parisian land trip to the itinerary once they’ve exhausted their sea legs!
Transatlantic cruises offer a completely unique experience to traditional sailings. Whether you’ve sailed Disney Cruise Line or not, consider diving out of your comfort zone – and be sure to ask our agents for firsthand tips and tricks – with one of these extraordinary itineraries.
