Inside Disney Fantasy cruise staterooms: Imagineer-guided look at Interior, Magical Porthole, Deluxe Veranda, and Suites

in Disney, Disney Cruise Line, Entertainment

Just as we were sailing away from Port Canaveral on Friday on the Disney Fantasy Inaugural Magical Preview Cruise, I offered a quick tour of our stateroom on Deck 8, a Deluxe Veranda room. Now that our voyage has ended, we have an even closer look inside several of the staterooms available on board the newest Disney Cruise Line ship.

Interior Stateroom with Magical Porthole

We begin with the room style that was most talked about when it first debuted aboard the Disney Dream in January 2011. Interior staterooms are notoriously dull aboard most cruise ships, offering no view of the outside and cramped living quarters inside. But the opposite is the case on Disney’s Dream and Fantasy ships, for which Imagineers have created Magical Portholes, providing live HD views via video screens of the outside of the ship, plussed with some Disney magic.

Interior Stateroom with Magical Porthole - Disney Fantasy

Magical Portholes are enhanced by Disney character fly-bys (sometimes swim-bys) every 15 minutes or so, with even more animation added on the Disney Fantasy after guests on the Dream expressed their enjoyment of the feature. The HD video screen “opens up” the room, offering a lifelike view outside of the room that otherwise doesn’t have a window. Several cameras are mounted on each side of the ship – forward, aft, port, and starboard – allowing each interior stateroom the proper view depending on the direction it is facing.

Learn a bit more about these Magical Portholes and the Interior Staterooms from Walt Disney Imagineer Bob Zalk, on board the Disney Fantasy in the video below.


Video: Imagineer Bob Zalk talks Magical Porthole Interior Stateroom on the Disney Fantasy



Interior Stateroom with Magical Porthole - Disney Fantasy

On the Disney Dream last year, we toured an identical Interior Stateroom to learn more about the Magical Portholes and accommodations. Here’s a look back at the same type of room on the Fantasy’s sister ship:


Video: Magical Porthole Interior Stateroom on the Disney Dream


Video: Interior Stateroom tour on the Disney Dream


Stateroom Access

Decks housing staterooms on the Disney Fantasy almost all feature the same decor. Recognizable elements tell you you’re somewhere between decks 1 and 9 as soon as you step off the elevator.

Stateroom deck elevators - Disney Fantasy

Hallways of staterooms seem to stretch on forever, as they span nearly the entire length of the ship.

Stateroom Hallway - Disney Fantasy

Carpets lining the halls feature graphics showing the various ports of call Disney Cruise Line visits around the world – though the United States doesn’t quite look like I remember it…

Stateroom Hallway - Disney Fantasy

(What happened to New England and Florida?)

Deluxe Veranda Stateroom

Getting back to our Deluxe Veranda stateroom on the Disney Fantasy, we walk down the hall on Deck 8 to room #8594. Here’s a look around:


Video: Deluxe Veranda Stateroom tour on the Disney Fantasy


The Deluxe Veranda stateroom offers more spacious accommodations than an Interior stateroom, with the addition of a couch and balcony. The spit bathrooms are the same, with a toilet and sink in one small room and a shower and sink in the other, though the showers have been improved over the Disney Dream, offering a rain fixture overhead, a handheld shower head, and a small round tub to soak in.

Deluxe Veranda Stateroom - Disney Fantasy

Deluxe Veranda Stateroom - Disney Fantasy

Deluxe Veranda Stateroom - Disney Fantasy

“Wave” phones are included with every stateroom, allowing guests board both of Disney’s newest ships to communicate between staterooms and on the go, taking them throughout the ship’s decks and even onto Castaway Cay. They aren’t for making landline calls, but work well to chat with fellow shipmates.

More space aside, the best part of the Deluxe Veranda room is the veranda, or balcony, itself, offering wonderful views of the passing ocean, both day and night.

Stateroom Balcony View - Disney Fantasy

Stateroom balcony view - Disney Fantasy

Balcony view  - Disney Fantasy

Night balcony view - Disney Fantasy

Not every Deluxe Stateroom is the same, as we were lucky on the Disney Dream to have one of a few wrap-around balconies at the rear of the ship. Take a comparison look around our Disney Dream room and balcony in the video below:


Video: Deluxe Veranda Stateroom tour on the Disney Dream


Crews maintain cleanliness around staterooms when it’s vacant, often leaving behind towel sculptures. I found one hanging bedside wearing my sunglasses.

Towel sculpture - Disney Fantasy

Towel Sculpture - Disney Fantasy

Concierge Suites

If the standard and deluxe staterooms aren’t grand enough, the Disney Fantasy does offer a variety of concierge-level suites up on deck 11, with a special outdoor seating area available only to concierge guests on the top deck. The most lavish of the suites aboard the Disney Fantasy is the Walter E. Disney suite, though the “smaller” suites are nothing to frown at. Enjoy one more stateroom tour of these suites in the video below:


Video: Disney Fantasy suites tour including the Walter E. Disney Suite


When the Disney Fantasy sails on her maiden voyage just a few days from now, beginning March 31, 2012, guests aboard will be housed in a variety of staterooms, each with its own uniquely attractive features. No matter if it’s an interior stateroom, a deluxe stateroom with a balcony, or a sprawling suite, there are few complaints to be had about any of the accommodations as Disney Cruise Line has made sure to utilize every available square foot with efficient floor plans, pleasing decor, and surprising amenities that provide a home away from home while at sea.

More photos from the Disney Fantasy staterooms:

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