Over the years I have often found that some of the best and most memorable trips are the ones that you never expect to take – and I certainly never expected to find myself sailing onboard the beautiful Disney Fantasy on a Pixar Day at Sea cruise at all this year. I also know that it has been a little while since my last blog post but at no point did I ever imagine that my first post of 2026 would be another cruise one!

After working a mentally exhausting and physically demanding job full time for almost twenty five years, I finally decided to take a month of unpaid leave in February this year to give myself a much needed break from work as well as get some winter sun and escape the cold weather in the UK and I can honestly say that it was definitely one of the best decisions that I have ever made.

Even though we already had a cruise on the Disney Magic booked for the spring of this year, we spotted a five night Pixar Day at Sea sailing on the Disney Fantasy (one of our favourite ships) with stops at both Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point which sounded absolutely perfect and fitted our schedule perfectly. We had loved our Marvel Day at Sea cruise on the Disney Dream back in 2024 so a Pixar Day at Sea itinerary seemed like a natural choice for us. Whilst we could have booked to sail onboard the Disney Destiny instead which would be a brand new ship for us, the itineraries in February were not great so we decided that we will wait to sail onboard her at another time in the future.

Some people may say, “Another Disney cruise?! Don’t you ever get bored?” and the truth is that I honestly don’t. Whilst I love travelling the world and visiting new places (and I have some incredible plans for the rest of the year that I am so excited about), being onboard a Disney ship is one of my happy places. There is just something truly special about it and I firmly believe that whenever we are given opportunities like this, we should make the most of them and enjoy every minute.

Before our trip we completed our online check in thirty eight days before our cruise. However this time it was only approved ten days prior to our sailing date which although was a lot later than on any of our previous cruises is actually completely normal. So if you are also sailing on a Disney Cruise for the first time in the future, do not panic if your check in takes longer than you expect to be approved.

As we wanted a relaxing few days before boarding the Disney Fantasy on the Friday, we flew direct from London to Tampa on the Monday afternoon. After staying one night near the airport after we landed, we drove across Florida to Viera on the Space Coast the following day where we stayed at the brand new Homewood Suites by Hilton Viera Melbourne which made a great base for exploring the area. We then spent the rest of the week enjoying some great food and drink while also doing a little bit of random sightseeing including a visit to see Swampy the World’s Largest Gator. We also took a mini road trip to Daytona Beach to visit Buc-ee’s for the first time ever and eat our weight in Beaver Nuggets which I am now very happily addicted to and will definitely be purchasing more of whenever I can.

One huge piece of advice I would give to anyone planning to stay near Port Canaveral before their cruise is to book your hotel as early as possible. You can always keep an eye on prices in case they come down later as we always do, but booking early is important just in case there are any space launches scheduled as these can sometimes push hotel prices up to ridiculous levels and cause rooms to sell out very quickly. We booked our hotel early which turned out to be very lucky because the launch of Artemis II was later announced for our embarkation day. Almost everything in the area quickly sold out and the few rooms that were still available were incredibly expensive – at one point there was even a Hampton Inn near the Kennedy Space Center charging a ridiculous $3,000 a night for a basic room.

In the end, the launch of Artemis II was postponed the week before we sailed. Whilst it would have been an incredible experience to see it launch in person – especially from the deck of the beautiful Disney Fantasy – I have to admit that I was secretly relieved that it had been moved. As amazing as it would have been to watch, it would also have meant a huge amount of extra traffic around Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach on embarkation day so it was one less thing to worry about and we could simply head to the terminal without stressing about any possible delays.

When the morning of our cruise finally arrived, I woke up just after 7:00am after a solid night’s sleep where I did not wake up once which was a very welcome change. It seems that I can easily sleep all night before a cruise when I’m staying at a hotel where I cannot see the ship from! Whilst we sat in bed with a cup of tea (we never change), our first job of the day was to complete the short health questionnaire. You will receive an email as well as a notification on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator early on the morning of your cruise and there are only three questions to answer and they take no time at all to complete.

It was an absolutely beautiful morning and one of the reasons I love travelling to Florida in January and February is that the weather always feels just right as it’s comfortably warm without being too hot, which suits me perfectly as I prefer slightly cooler temperatures. After having breakfast and taking a shower, we packed up the last of our things and attached the purple luggage tags (we received two tags each) which had only arrived at home three days before we left the UK. However do not worry if your tags do not arrive before you travel as you can easily collect blank ones from the porters at the cruise terminal or you can also pick them up from Bell Services at any of the Walt Disney World Resort hotels in Orlando.

It did feel slightly strange knowing we were about to board the Disney Fantasy that day, mainly because this trip had come together a lot quicker than nearly all of our previous cruises. We also had not really needed to do any planning at all for it as we had sailed on the Fantasy once before as well as her sister ship the Disney Dream several times. We had also kept the fact that we had booked another cruise fairly quiet, so hardly anyone we knew actually realised where we were going.

We left the hotel just after 10:00am and decided to take a slow and scenic drive (and avoid the Interstate) towards Port Canaveral via Cocoa Beach as we had plenty of time. This was actually the furthest that we have ever stayed from Port Canaveral the night before a cruise, however the drive was only about thirty minutes so it was still well within our personal comfort zone. Thankfully there was no traffic that morning although there were also several different routes we could have taken if needed on the day.

It was great to be able to see both the Disney Fantasy and the Disney Wish in the distance as we drove across the causeway towards Cocoa Beach. Our first stop was at Port Canaveral Park where we could see all of the ships docked in port that day as well as a Space X Falcon 9 first stage rocket booster that had launched into space a week earlier. Even though it was a bright and sunny day, there was definitely a strong and cold breeze blowing across the water that day at Port Canaveral so I was very glad that I had a hoody with me as it started to get a little chilly during the few minutes that we were standing there.

There really is nothing quite like the feeling of arriving at the port and seeing a Disney Cruise Line ship waiting there, knowing that you will be boarding it very shortly. It’s slightly addictive and definitely something that keeps us happily coming back again and again. There was absolutely no traffic on our short drive to Cruise Terminal 8 and once they had checked which ship we were sailing on (as the Disney Wish was docked at Cruise Terminal 10), there was no wait at all to drop our luggage off with one of the porters. Just remember to have a tip ready for them, which is usually around a dollar or two per bag.

We had originally planned to drop our rental car off at Alamo at Port Canaveral in order to save a little money. However they were not due to be open on the day that we arrived back in port (so make sure to check the opening times on their website), which meant we had no choice but to park the car at the terminal instead. Parking currently costs $20 per day plus tax which came to a total of $128.40 for the length of our cruise. One new change to parking at Port Canaveral is that you are now given a ticket when you pay which you need to keep safe as you will need to scan it when leaving the car park after you return from your cruise.

As soon as we parked and before we had even got out of the car, we immediately connected to the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app using the ship’s Wi-Fi. This is something I would always recommend doing straight away (do not wait until you are actually inside the terminal) especially if there is anything onboard that you were unable to book before the cruise. We had already managed to reserve both the Incredible Encounter and the Meet Rex special Pixar Day at Sea character meets online in advance without any problems, however the Royal Gathering had immediately sold out. By connecting to the app as soon as we arrived at the port, we were able to book it straight away for later in the cruise on our preferred day and time. I also noticed that all of the Pixar Day at Sea experiences including the Hey Howdy Breakfast with Woody and Friends as well as all of the beverage tastings (apart from World of Old Fashioned) were available to book on multiple days of the cruise.

As we still had about forty minutes before our Port Arrival Time of 12:00pm, we took the elevator up to the roof of the parking garage to take another look at both the Disney Fantasy and the Disney Wish gleaming brightly in the sunshine in front of us – it was the first time we had ever seen two Disney ships docked together in person. We last cruised on the Disney Fantasy back in 2019 which was one of our most favourite cruises that we have ever done and ever since then we had been saying that we wanted to sail on her again one day. It felt a little surreal knowing that the day had finally arrived and I could not stop smiling.

After soaking in the view for a few minutes (and taking far too many photos of course), it was finally time to make our way down to the terminal and officially start our fifteenth cruise – I still cannot believe we have reached that number as I once thought I would only ever go on one cruise and that would be it.

There were far more people than I have ever seen before waiting around outside the terminal as many had arrived very early and were simply hanging around until the lines for their Port Arrival Times opened. We quickly joined the line for the 12:00pm time just after 11:35am and were let into the terminal only a few minutes later at 11:43am.

Once inside the terminal we joined the very short line for Pearl and Platinum Castaway Club members which was a lot quieter than the regular line. Because we had completed our online check-in thirty eight days before sailing, everything moved very quickly once we reached the desk. Our passports were checked along with my US Visa and my boyfriend’s ESTA – make sure to bring a printed copy as they sometimes ask to see it – and the whole process took less than two minutes before we moved on to the short line for security.

Security was very quick and efficient as always and we were soon through and heading up the escalator into the main terminal area where they were already boarding groups 1 to 4. It felt much quieter than normal as Disney are definitely enforcing and spreading out the Port Arrival Times a lot more now than they used to which in turn seems to be creating a much calmer atmosphere and making the whole boarding process feel far more relaxed and organised.

We were Boarding Group 13 which is the highest number we have ever had as the lower groups are now usually given to guests who book and pay for Disney Cruise Line transfers from Orlando International Airport or the Walt Disney World resorts to the port. As we had a little time to spare, we walked outside onto a completely empty viewing deck to take even more photos of the Disney Fantasy and the Disney Wish. Once back inside it was very easy to find a seat as the terminal was so quiet and we sat and waited until our boarding group (which made me laugh as it consisted entirely of adults and not a single child) was called just before 12:30pm.

After joining the short line to board, we passed through the giant Mickey ear arch where the QR codes from our Port Arrival Form were scanned. We had saved them in the Apple Wallet on our iPhones so they were easy to access and moments later we were walking along the gangway and finally stepping back onboard the beautiful Disney Fantasy after almost seven years away.

Walking onto the ship and having our name announced is a bit of a blur as everything happened so quickly. However once onboard we quickly made our way out of the Lobby Atrium which was very busy with long lines for both Guest Services as well as photos in front of the Pixar Day at Sea backdrop. We also passed a very long line for Animator’s Palate that stretched all the way down the hallway. Instead of joining the crowd, we headed straight down to the Aft elevators and with no wait at all, went up to Cabanas on Deck 11 for our traditional embarkation day lunch.

As always for my lunch I got a plate of Shrimp along with my favourite Disney Cruise Line Mac and Cheese as well as a few Steak Fries and a piece of Olive Focaccia which I had never tried before but looked really good. There was a cold wind blowing straight through the outdoor seating area at Cabanas so no one was sitting outside at this time, not even these two hardened Brits who rarely feel the cold. Thankfully we had no trouble getting a table inside and then almost as if by magic, Margaritaville began playing which is a song we always associate with Cabanas as we hear it every time we are there. For my dessert I got my favourite Celebration Cupcake and Strawberry Creme Pot which I always look forward to at the start of every Disney cruise.

Once we had finished our lunch, we left Cabanas and walked along the length of the ship before heading up to a quiet and almost empty Deck 13 (which was thankfully safe from the cold wind that was hitting the Aft of the ship) to look over at the Disney Wish once again. Seeing her there brought back so many memories and it only felt like yesterday that we were onboard ourselves, even though in reality it had been just over three years since we did our back to back sailing to the Bahamas on her. For a few minutes we simply stood there taking it all in, enjoying the view of a Disney ship from another Disney ship before turning our attention back to the start of our new adventure on the Disney Fantasy.

As it was almost 1:30pm we decided to take the elevator down to Deck 8 to see if the staterooms were ready and thankfully we arrived just as they were opening the doors to the corridors. It was a very familiar walk as we made our way along the corridor to stateroom 8528. We have stayed in 8526 on the Disney Dream many times, so this area of the ship feels very familiar to us and we have always found it to be the perfect location onboard.

Our Key to the World cards were waiting for us outside our stateroom door and once inside we also found our Platinum Castaway Club gifts waiting for us which included a beach bag, a wet/dry bag and a beach towel. We started unpacking our hand luggage and to our surprise, both of our suitcases arrived outside the door a few minutes later just before 2:00pm which is the earliest they have ever been delivered to us. We also met our Stateroom Host Oniel who was absolutely incredible and one of the best hosts we have ever had on any Disney cruise over the years.

Once we had unpacked and placed our cases under the bed and out of sight for the next five days, we decided to grab a drink and start exploring the ship. After walking back through the Lobby Atrium we stopped outside Mickey’s Mainsail where we spotted Evie the Towel Animal on display. I was hoping to purchase one once the shops opened later that day as I absolutely adore the Disney Cruise Line commercial featuring Evie (how can you get emotional over a towel animal?!) so I was really excited when it was announced just before our cruise that she would be available to buy onboard.

It would have been amazing if we could have purchased her as an onboard gift before the cruise so she would be sitting and waiting for us on the bed when we arrived in our stateroom (just like in the commercial) which really would be the cutest thing ever.

We also walked a few laps of Deck 4 which is something that I had really missed doing on our last cruise onboard the amazing Disney Treasure (despite her being one of my favourite ships – the other is the Disney Wonder if you are curious). Strangely it was very quiet everywhere we went and we really had not seen that many people anywhere onboard so far apart from when we boarded, but we knew that was not going to last for long.

Our Muster Station was “H” which was located outside on Deck 4 and we made our way there about ten minutes before the emergency drill was due to start as it is not something you ever want to be late for. On our way down to Deck 4, we stopped back at our stateroom to collect our bags with our cameras and lenses as well as spare batteries so that we could head straight to the sailaway party once the emergency drill was over.

I have said it before and I know I will say it again and again, but I really do miss the virtual muster drill, where you simply had to watch a much more detailed safety video (which I thought was far more informative) and then check in at your muster station. It was so quick, easy and painless in comparison. Thankfully it was very calm for the drill on this cruise and it was made even better by the view of the beautiful Disney Wish.

As soon as the drill was over, we used the midship stairs and quickly made our way from Deck 4 up to Deck 12 to try and grab a good spot ready for the sailaway party which was due to start at 4:00pm which we managed without any trouble. The entire area was almost empty when we arrived, so we had our pick of spots and decided to stand on the starboard side of Deck 12. I even managed to quickly grab us both a cold drink before the decks began to fill up. It took a little while, but slowly more and more people started to arrive and it quickly became clear that this was going to be a very busy cruise.

During the Sailing Away deck party, Captain Minnie and Captain Mickey are joined by Chip and Dale, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto as they take to the stage to dance along to songs including Clap Your Hands, Minnie Oh! Minnie, Staying Alive, Shake Your Tail Feather and Sailing Away before the ship’s horn blasts A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes which is definitely the moment that makes everything feel very real and reminds you that your cruise adventure at sea has definitely begun.

Once the party had finished, it was very busy so we quickly escaped the crowds by walking up to the front of Deck 13 to watch sailaway from a much quieter spot. All of a sudden we heard Cha Cha Slide which was coming from the Disney Wish when it suddenly dawned on me that we were going to experience two sailaway parties that afternoon as Set Sail on a Wish began just a few minutes later which we could clearly see. Another thing that I noticed was that it was also perfectly timed so that there was just enough time for Mickey and the Gang to quickly make their way from one ship to another which is true Disney magic!

We watched as the Disney Wish set sail just before 4:30pm and we slowly followed her along the channel at Port Canaveral and out to sea a few minutes later.

I absolutely love cruising out of Florida during the winter months and it really was a perfect sailaway that afternoon, with not a single cloud in the sky and a beautiful warm breeze. It was the complete opposite of some of our other cruises, especially those during the summer months and hurricane season when there is always a thunderstorm or two in the afternoon.

As we sailed out of Port Canaveral, we saw the SpaceX recovery ship called Bob (named after Bob Behnken who was one of the first two NASA astronauts to fly on the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule during the Demo-2 mission) and we could also see the Vehicle Assembly Building as well as the launch pads at Kennedy Space Center in the distance. From the ship we could even make out Artemis II standing on the pad ahead of its mission around the Moon – it really would have been an amazing view if it had launched that day as originally planned!

As we left Port Canaveral and sailed out into the ocean behind the Disney Wish, all of the ship’s horns were blasted as we passed Jetty Park and Cocoa Beach.

It was just after 5:00pm and as beautiful as sailaway had been, the only thing on my mind at this point was getting down to the shops which were opening at 5:30pm to try and purchase an Evie the Towel Animal. I knew she was going to be popular so I did not mind getting there a little early to wait in line. There was a short line when we arrived at Mickey’s Mainsail on Deck 3 about fifteen minutes before it was due to open – if there had been a longer line then I probably would not have waited – and I could even see a giant bag of Evies behind one of the desks so I was feeling very hopeful of being able to get one.

When the shop opened at 5:30pm, the line had grown much longer and luck was definitely on our side as we were standing right by the doors (they opened every set of doors at the same time) which were close to the desk where the Evies were. I was third in line at the desk so I was overjoyed to be able to get one for myself and there was a limit of two Evies per stateroom. She cost $26.99 (which I honestly expected to be more) and I was also able to use my 10% merchandise discount from being a Platinum Castaway Club member.

Even though the shop was a little busy, I have definitely seen it a lot worse on other cruises and I also bought the Pixar Day at Sea pin as well as the monkey towel animal Christmas decoration that I had wanted for a long time. Once we had finished looking around the shops I took Evie (who I was guarding with my life as they sold out within an hour) and the rest of our shopping straight back to our stateroom for safekeeping.

When we dropped our shopping back in the room, we could see that a beautiful sunset was about to happen so we headed straight up to the open decks to watch. While we were there we also grabbed a slice of pizza each from Luigi’s Pizza at Flo’s V8 Cafe to tide us over until dinner which wasn’t for another few hours. We also got a cup of tea and walked around Decks 12 and 13. It was so quiet, so chilled and the perfect start to the rest of our evening onboard.

We also walked a few more laps of Deck 4 before heading back inside ready to meet our first characters of the cruise. The Lobby Atrium was completely empty as Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular was taking place in the Walt Disney Theatre while the majority of the other guests onboard were at the first dinner seating.

One of my favourite things on a Disney Cruise is when you randomly see characters when you least expect it. These are the magical moments you cannot plan as they just happen and they are often the best ones. While we were hanging out on an empty Deck 4 near the Vista Cafe, Chip and Dale suddenly appeared out of nowhere and spent a few minutes hanging out with us which was such great fun.

Our first official character meet of the evening was Captain Minnie Mouse who was out on the Balcony at 7:15pm and as we were at the start of her line, we were quickly able to meet her and then walk straight down to Deck 3 and join the line to see Princess Jasmine was also meeting at 7:15pm in the Vestibule. The character lines are normally open for ten or fifteen minutes each (you can see all of the exact times and schedules on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App) and as long as you join the line during this window, you will meet the character.

We then joined the line to meet Captain Mickey Mouse by the staircase at 7:30pm before heading to meet Cinderella by the Port Side Mural who we met just after 8:00pm as she had a slightly longer line as the Lobby Atrium was now a lot busier as it was the time between the two dinner seatings and the two theatre shows.

For our first evening onboard our dinner was at Animator’s Palate which was due to start at 8:15pm. The reason I have not really mentioned dinner much so far – or even the dining rotation we were given like I usually do – is because we only ate in the main dining rooms once during the entire cruise. And that one visit was because we were given Animator’s Palate on the first night and we both really wanted the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes which are simply the best.

The reason we decided to skip the dining rooms is simply because we have another cruise coming up very soon. It was never in our original plan for this year to have two cruises so close together, but since the next one is fourteen nights (our longest cruise to date) and on the much smaller Disney Magic, we decided we would rather save the main dining rooms for that sailing when we know it will be a much more peaceful and calmer experience.

We both still remembered how noisy dinner was when we sailed on a five night Marvel Day at Sea cruise on the Disney Dream, so we were expecting this cruise to be very similar as both sailings were close to capacity. Because of that, apart from visiting Animator’s Palate on our first evening, we decided to book Palo for dinner (instead of brunch) on one of the other nights, then just have deck food on the other evenings. That way we could relax and enjoy some of the quieter areas of the ship, which we knew we would appreciate much more on such a crowded (and very noisy) cruise.

For our quick and simple dinner at Animator’s Palate, I ordered three appetisers which were the Smoked Salmon Tartare, the Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (which tasted a lot sweeter than it normally does) and my favourite Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes. To finish our meal, I had the amazing Lemon Icebox Pie which is a dessert I always enjoy whenever I get the chance to have it and I would recommend it to anyone.

After leaving Animator’s Palate, we walked back along the long hallway towards an empty Lobby Atrium which was an oasis of calm once more. We then met Merida on the Balcony, Daisy Duck at the Port Side Mural and Pluto in the Vestibule who were all out at 9:30pm and as it was so quiet, we were able to meet all three of them one after the other with no wait at all.

We then met Princess Tiana by the Staircase at 9:45pm followed by Donald Duck at the Port Side Mural and Goofy in the Vestibule who were both out at 10:00pm. We never expected to meet so many characters on the first night as it is usually so busy but it was the complete opposite on this cruise as the lines only got longer and longer throughout the sailing.

As there were no more character meets, we headed up to Deck 11 to get some tea to take back to our stateroom as we were both feeling seriously under-caffeinated which was probably the reason we were both feeling as tired as we were.

It had been such a great first day back and I was already loving being onboard the Disney Fantasy again as she really is such a beautiful ship. It had been the perfect way to start our cruise and we still had so much to look forward to including Pixar Day at Sea the following day.

We knew it would be a long and busy one if our Marvel Day at Sea was anything to go by, so a good night’s sleep was definitely needed and absolutely essential before all the fun ahead that the next day would bring.

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