Before her Maiden Voyage on March 31, we told you about several of the differences between the Disney Fantasy and her sister ship, the Disney Dream. And if you’ve had the chance to sail on both ships, I’m sure you’ve been able to discover some yourself.

But what about the magical touches not as easy to spot? There are plenty, and we want to put you to the test to see who can tell us which design details are from which ship.

Is it the Disney Fantasy or the Disney Dream? The answers are posted below:

1. A. Disney Fantasy / B. Disney Dream
2. A. Disney Dream / B. Disney Fantasy
3. A. Disney Dream / B. Disney Fantasy
4. A. Disney Fantasy / B. Disney Dream
5. A. Disney Fantasy / B. Disney Dream
6. A. Disney Fantasy / B. Disney Dream

1. Atrium chandelier

A.

B.

2. Lobby statue

A.

B.

3. Lobby mosaic

A.

B.

4. Royal dining room

A.

B.

5. Stern character

A.

B.

6. Bow design

A.

B.

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy

Filed: Disney Cruise Line

What better way to celebrate the arrival of our newest ship than to mark the occasion with a donation of $250,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida?

The Disney Fantasy is a place where imagination comes alive. I saw this for myself this morning when some children from Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida joined us on the ship for a very special check presentation from Disney Cruise Line to this youth development organization. As the children laughed and played in the specially designed youth spaces onboard and discovered some of the hidden wonders of our new ship, there was a feeling that anything is possible.

The donation will assist in the development of a new Boys & Girls Clubs facility close to our homeport in Port Canaveral, Florida, which will allow our crew members to further support these children through Disney VoluntEAR efforts in the future. Last year, Disney hosted a one-of-a-kind benefit cruise on the Disney Dream, the sister ship of the Disney Fantasy, raising $750,000 for the organization.

You may not know that the relationship between Boys & Girls Clubs and The Walt Disney Company started more than 50 years ago when Walt Disney was made an honorary member of the organization’s national board of directors. Disney has been an active supporter ever since, and as the Disney Cruise Line fleet has expanded and the business has grown, it is our pleasure to help the clubs grow as well.

This was also a special day for another reason. In keeping with maritime tradition, Disney Cruise Line hosted a plaque exchange ceremony with key members of the port and community leaders commemorating the inaugural call of the Disney Fantasy on Port Canaveral. Welcome home, Disney Fantasy!

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Video

Filed: Community Outreach, Disney Cruise Line

Today, Disney Cruise Line officially welcomes the Disney Fantasy into its fleet of ships when it will be christened in New York City. This marks the first time a Disney Cruise Line ship christening will take place outside of Port Canaveral, Fla. The Maiden Voyage for the Disney Fantasy will be March 31 from Port Canaveral.

Below is a look back at the christening ceremonies for the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder and Disney Dream.

Every cruise ship has a Godmother, and our Disney Cruise Line ships are no different. The Godmother for the Disney Magic was Patty Disney, for the Disney Wonder it was Tinker Bell, while Jennifer Hudson was the Godmother for the Disney Dream. And later today, the Godmother for the Disney Fantasy will be revealed. Any guesses?

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Magic, Disney Wonder

Filed: Disney Cruise Line, Disney History

Earlier this month we gave you an inside look at decorating the Disney Dream for her very first holiday season. Now that the trees are up, the garland is hung and holiday spirit is in the air, we checked in with Mickey Mouse and his friends to see how they are celebrating this special time of year on the ship.

Along with Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale, Mickey Mouse flashed his smile in front of the 20-foot-tall tree in the atrium lobby of the Disney Dream.

He told us about some of the special onboard holiday events including:

• Nightly tree lighting in the atrium lobby, where a young guest helps Disney characters light the glittering, three-deck-tall tree
• Family holiday crafts such as decorating stockings, building gingerbread houses and making holiday cards
• Holiday storytellers sharing tales of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa
• Traditional holiday feasts in the themed dining rooms

At Castaway Cay, Santa Goofy snuck off to do some decorating of his own…

…while Pluto started playing in the “snow flurries” amidst the island’s special decorations.

There’s no doubt about it, holidays with Disney Cruise Line are magical. But even if you aren’t celebrating this year on a Disney ship, the crew sends this special message:

Tagged: DCL, Disney Dream, Holidays, Video

Filed: Disney Cruise Line

Now that I’ve shared with you two of the newest menu items at Remy aboard the Disney Dream, Jamon Wrapped Shrimp and Tomato Ratatouille, it’s time to talk about my favorite – dessert!

Also new to the Remy menu is Tropical Fruit Mousse on Almond Cake. Coupled with apricot sorbet, this colorful and artsy sweet tastes as good as it looks and is the perfect ending to your gourmet meal.

In this video, Master Pastry Chef Erich Herbitschek of Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World Resort gives us a look at the new delectable dessert.

Tagged: DCL, Dining, Disney Dream, Video

Filed: Disney Cruise Line, Disney Dining

What are your favorite parts of a Disney Cruise? If you follow my Disney Parks Blog posts, you’re probably aware that dining is high on the list for me.

Especially when it comes to dining at Remy on the Disney Dream.

Remy’s French-inspired gourmet menu was created by Chef Arnaud Lallement from l’Assiette Champenoise—a Michelin 2-star restaurant just outside Reims, France—and Chef Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World Resort.

By continually adding touches of seasonal ingredients from around the world, these renowned chefs keep the menu fresh and ever changing. In this video, Chef Scott Hunnel shows us one of their latest creations — Jamon Wrapped Shrimp, a mouthwatering Italian-concept dish that is both salty and sweet.

Tagged: DCL, Dining, Disney Dream, Video

Filed: Disney Cruise Line, Disney Dining

If you think decorating your home for the holidays is a big task, imagine decorating a 1,115-foot-long ship.

For the first time ever, that was the task this year for the Holiday Services department at Walt Disney World Resort. They worked hard to prepare and install more than 300 custom designed décor pieces to adorn the Disney Dream for its very first holiday season.

Check out this video for an inside peek:

Since the first holiday season of the Disney Magic, it has been a tradition to transform Disney Cruise Line ships into a winter wonderland for the holidays. But with a ship three decks taller and more than 150 feet longer, the task this year of decorating the Disney Dream was much larger than years past. Here’s a look at some of the décor by the numbers:

• 1,016 feet of garland, which is more than three football fields and nearly enough to stretch the entire length of the ship
• 66 holiday sprays ranging from 15 inches to six feet
• 29 wreaths ranging from 24 inches to five feet in diameter
• 41 Christmas trees ranging from two feet to 30 feet
• One 20-foot-tall tree takes center stage in the atrium lobby weighing more than one ton and featuring 300 branches and more than 20,000 white LED lights

What’s more, the holiday décor is designed uniquely for specific locations around the ship, with themes and customized ornaments for certain spaces like the youth clubs and dining rooms.

Do you have themed décor for different rooms of your home?

Tagged: BtS, DCL, Disney Dream, Holidays, Video

Filed: Behind the Scenes, Disney Cruise Line