Disney Cruise | Cruising to the Bahamas on Disney Fantasy

Welcome to the first post of the year! Here comes our spectacular experience on the Disney Cruise!

2025.01.28 - 02.02 Disney Cruise Line - Disney Fantasy → Nassau, the Bahamas → Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, Island of Eleuthera, the Bahamas → Port Canaveral, Florida, the United States

A dear friend of mine casually asked us if we wanted to go on a Disney Cruise with their family back in winter 2023. The timing was such a rush and we were about to dive into our home addition construction; so we declined such enticing invitation. Anyhow, I couldn’t get this “Disney Cruise” idea out of my mind ever since. In the meantime, I’ve been hearing stories about how much the school workload increases over the years. I made up my mind that before my oldest became a middle schooler, I'd take them on a Disney Cruise! 

We picked the winter season to avoid crowds and hurricanes. An Oceanview Stateroom with the itinerary 4-night Bahamian Cruise, sailing to Nassau, Bahamas & Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, for a family of five comes to $4,813.34 grand total. Compared to the popular seasons like spring break, summer, and winter holidays, it was a pretty decent deal. Of course the kids had to sneak out of the school for a few days, but I think it was totally worth it.

We were really lucky to have family friends who live on the east coast so that we didn’t need to worry about the logistical matter. We were over the moon to know that they were able to join us to dip in the Caribbean water!

Not many cruise lines offer an Oceanview stateroom for a family of 5 (mostly for 4). Our Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom gives the most out of it. We didn't need to book two connecting rooms or level up to a more expensive stateroom. It has an upper-berth pull-down bed and a wall pull-down bed that accommodate our three little ones. 

Moreover, we were able to enjoy the beauty of the ocean and the coastline right inside the room. We loved our big porthole window and the cozy configuration all very much :)

Our decision to go on the Disney Cruise this year turned out to be the perfect timing. The kids club, aka Oceaneer Club/ Lab, is categorized for children 3 to 10 years old. The three kiddos were able to participate in the same club together (en at age of 10, el was 8, and little i at 6). The club held open houses occasionally throughout the trip. It was the only time that adults could take a sneak peak into the area. We dropped the kids off a few hours everyday so that we could enjoy some adult only events, such as offshore sightseeing, adult only activities, and adult dining.

I was super impressed by this automatic hand washing machine!

Frankly speaking, I watched way too many videos about Disney Cruise before on board the ship. Some planning was definitely helpful but I also felt that too much of it spoils some expectations. Disney Cruise filled a whole lot of activities and events that we didn’t want to miss. It was stressful to find out that it was just impossible to do it all! 

In my opinion, there’s NO must-to-do-list because each family has their unique preference and traveling taste. For example, we were recommended to book the photo package; but later on we realized that it did not align with our family vibes. Both Charles and I like candid shots as opposed to posed photos; and most photos were taken with a harsh flashlight. On top of that, our kiddos were not into character greeters. Taking pictures with them was definitely not our kids' priority thing to do. They did not understand why we needed to wait in line to take photos with them. XD

We copied the idea of Peter Pan, Wendy & Tinkerbell again from our 2021 trip to Walt Disney World

Day II: Nassau, the Republic of Pirates