2022 Disney Cruise Report Day 1 - Sailing Away

In the previous part of the 2022 Disney Cruise Trip Report, we had boarded the Disney Fantasy, finally after all this time of waiting! And now, our adventures actually on the ship begin…

Saturday, June 4 (Continued)

We were all hungry and ready for lunch. But a crew member stopped us as we walked and directed us to our assembly station, to check in there. Our station was K, on the port side of Deck 4. A crew member was waiting there to make sure we were connected on the Disney Cruise app, which would be the primary source of contact on the cruise. Laura, Jaylin, and I all got connected, but we had trouble with my parents’ phones. The crew member checked them in manually, and we could figure out their issues later. I liked that we got to do this on our own time instead of the old mandatory safety drill where everyone assembled later in the day before they could sail. I hope they keep it this way after COVID, if there is such a thing as after COVID.

The hull number of the Disney Fantasy, in case you were wondering when it was built and where.

After that, we headed up the elevator to the Cabanas buffet on Deck 11. There were new handwashing stations outside of the restaurant, and a crew member was encouraging everyone to wash their hands, which we did. Once inside, another crew member helped us to go ahead and find a table before getting our food. Some went to fill their plates, while my Dad and I stayed behind so that I could figure out his phone problems. It took a little time to figure it out, but once I switched on “Local Network” in the app settings, everything worked fine. I did the same thing for Mom’s phone when she got back, too.

I filled up my plate with shrimp, stir fry noodles, a piece of pizza, some pasta, and probably some other stuff. When you are hungry, it all looks good. And when you are at this buffet, everything is good. So you can’t really go wrong. And it was all delicious as always.

The Disney Cruise Line Terminal Building down below, and the garage (where we parked our car) off to the right behind it

Once we were full, we headed down to our rooms. One of the nice things about our rooms being at the aft end of the ship was that we were close to the Cabanas elevators. Not that we went there all the time, but it was handy when we did. Our room was 6148, and my parents were in 6150. We had a connecting door between our rooms, too. And the Luttrells were on the other side of us in 6146, so we were all right there together.

Passing through the Sweet on You Shop on our way out of Cabanas. How could you not stop there for a photo?

When we walked in, I was reminded of how small these rooms seem when compared to a “standard” hotel room. But I know why they make them the size that they do, so that they can get plenty of us on the ship. And besides, we don’t spend that much time in our room anyway.

We went outside on the verandah to check out the view. We had a nice view of the port right now, but it would be a nice view of the water later on. While we were out there and Jaylin was still in the room, our room hostess, Reeda, came by. Jaylin asked her about opening up the verandah dividers, and she said she would do it when she could.

We decided to go explore the ship next. We found Pluto posing for photos on the Atrium Balcony. We had gotten the unlimited photo plan before we left home because it was cheaper that way, so we had decided to have our photos taken lots of times. There wasn’t really a wait for Pluto, so we decided to get a photo. One of the COVID-era changes that had not ended yet was that we could not get close to the characters. No hugs, no autographs, no handshakes, or any of that. There was a spot for us to stand, and the character would be in the background. Not a huge disappointment for us, but I was a little curious why it was still that way when you can now hug characters in the parks again. Also, Minnie was downstairs on the Lobby Staircase for photos, so we got a photo with her, too. 

A photo with Pluto by the ship photographers…

And a photo with Minnie, too! And we even stood in the same order!

Because there was no safety drill in the afternoon, nothing on the ship shut down before we sailed. And that meant that activities were going on all the time, too. Laura, Mom, and I decided to go do a craft in D Lounge while Dad and Jaylin stayed in our rooms. The craft was making a 3-D Mickey or Minnie out of paper, cutting, folding, and gluing with glue dots. I made Mickey while Mom and Laura each made Minnie. It was a little challenging, but it was fun. We almost did not finish before the time was up, but we got it done. Our creations each had a little trouble standing up, but they were fun to do. Laura’s Minnie and my Mickey found a place on a small shelf in our stateroom.

Paper Mickey (made by Steve) and Paper Minnie (made by Laura) with the cool lights of D Lounge behind them.

Even though there was no safety drill this time, there was still a safety announcement that was played ship-wide. We were back in our rooms after the craft time, so we were able to hear it there. It was the same information that was given before at the safety drills, but we did not have to assemble to hear it. And those who were in the pools or other places on the ship could hear it where they were, too. A nice change.

Some SpaceX boats in the foreground, and Kennedy Space Center far in the background. I love seeing all the space stuff!

When it was getting close to sailing time, we went up to the top decks of the ship. There was going to be a sailing away party on Deck 11 around the pool, but that really did not interest us. Instead, we went up on Deck 12 so that we could see them cast off the lines, and so that we could see us moving out into the channel. We were a little delayed, most likely due to the weather, but at least it was not raining more than an occasional sprinkle drop here and there. They blew the ship horn for the party, but we still had not started sailing yet. Eventually, we began to move out, and we were finally underway.

Sailing away on an adventure!

Because of the rain and mist in the area, visibility was somewhat limited, so we could not see all the way over to the buildings of Kennedy Space Center. But we did sail past several of the SpaceX barges that served as rocket landing pads out at sea, and some other SpaceX boats, too, so that was pretty cool! We also saw a few dolphins out in the water. And we waved at the people at the restaurants and at Jetty Beach as we passed by. 

We could see that the water looked a little rough once we got out into the ocean. And it was much more windy once we got out there, too. The captain made an announcement at some point that the weather looked okay and we might avoid a good bit of the storm. He also said the water would not be that rough. I was perhaps slightly disappointed because if I am on a ship I like to feel like I am on a ship. As it turns out, I would not be disappointed after all.

Next time, our first evening on the Disney Fantasy! Check back soon for more from our 2022 Disney Cruise!