Disney Cruise Line - Stateroom 12502 Report

Notes: We just returned from the best DCL cruise we have had to date. I was fortunate to sail on the Dream in the Roy Disney suite back in March 2011 and wrote a review. We have now sailed in the Roy suite on all 4 ships (never in Walt though) There are some other detailed reviews that are very good - lets see what I can add. First off we enjoyed the Fantasy over the Dream. How could you not like 7 nights vs 3 ?!? As far as the room itself, there are some changes. First of all, all the many light switches throughout the suite are tastefully LABELLED ... that is huge. On the Dream there was a standard kitchenaid fridge and a "cheapo" wine fridge crammed in corner if I remember right. On the Fantasy, there is a bona fide Subzero fridge/freezer elegantly integrated in there, a Bosch mini dishwasher (as if..), and the wine fridge was moved just outside the kitchenette under the glassware shelving and is a 2 drawer U-line unit wood trimmed and integrated into wall, looks great. Also the 'nook' off the master bedroom is improved as it is now a chaise you can lay on (it is a teardrop shape vs a circle) and there is a wine bottle holder/chiller there too. The fancy espresso/coffee machine is programed now, it says Roy when you turn it on and it was more intuitive and easy to use - just add milk to the separate container if desired and it also walked you thru rinsing / cleaning. The outdoor hot tub was easier to operate as well for us. We turned the temp down to 90 so the kids could use it for extended periods if desired. With the crowded small pools you can't swim in anyway - having the private 'pool' on our deck was amazing. As far as wind on the deck, the fist 24 hrs going out was rough as the outer bands of Isaac was passing south of us, apparent winds across the deck approached 60mph. After that however, it was great. We even had a party out there with our travel mates in the early evening of our last sea day and had no issue with wind at all. You can't beat having that private verandah in front of ship all your own to pull into port. The excellent coffee machine in the lounge has been tweaked too. It has a few more options for coffee drinks and you can also alter the strength from 1 to 3 'beans' on the display. I would not have known that if not for Julia pointing it out, she is the best concierge we ever had. A very close second was Kamisha on this sailing. They were proactive. They made sure we knew what we were 'entitled to' and it helped. They reminded us of the unlimited wifi, about complimentary shoe shine service, about ordering Palo. They facilitated everything for us. Our room host "P" was also top of the line. He gave the kids a towel animal seminar and the got printed up certificates. This may have been our last hurrah in a Royal suite the way pricing is going, it was quite a ride, happy to have been able to do it.

Notes: What a beautiful room. We unfortunately sailed during hurricane Irene. Being on the 12th deck and forward this meant for a rocky ride. We really enjoyed the hot tub on the deck. Nothing better than sailing away from the bahamas looking at the ocean from your hot tub. 5 of us stayed in the room, didn't feel crowded. Concierge were wonderful. Julia was the best. She even brought us a wonderful cheese tray to say sorry because our castaway day was cancelled. There is some noise from the deck above. Sounds like kids running around. Overall loved the room. Only downfall was the movement of the ship being so high up and forward,

Notes: The Roy O. Disney suite on the Dream is a beautiful space. There are pros and cons comparing to the classic ships. The big changes on the minus side would be the lack of a second bedroom and that the verandah is way to big unless you are going to throw a party for 50+ people (wasted space IMO). Concierge was quick to fix the initial hiccups: low water pressure on leaving PC, frozen TV's. The hot tub on verandah was great but it had mind of its own and the controls seemed more suggestions to the unit than commands. Despite this, it was really sweet to try it out. You really need a tutorial to work things like the $3K Jura capresso coffee - cappuccino - espresso maker in the kitchenette area. There is a far better one in the concierge lounge so the only reason to use it would be if you HAVE TO have one between 10p-7a when lounge is closed. Being forward was nice for the views as the deck sweeps from center of bow to starboard. It is very windy at sea and every morning almost all the cushions from the various furniture out there blew all over the verrandah. My wife loved the chair in the 'nook' and read while I stood out on deck watching ship pull into nassau... only thing is if you stand out by the railing, you notice there is a whole bunch of people doing the same thing one deck above also looking down on you - don't love. The master bedroom and bath was heavenly. A large plasma TV rises from the foot of the bed and we watched a late movie in bed the second night. There is a full size built in kitchen aid fridge/freezer stocked with water, milk, sodas. Also is full size microwave which I used to heat the cooled oatmeal from the concierge lounge. The wine fridge was stocked with 2 bottles champagne, and 3 whites, 3 reds from the premium list. I asked if they were included, was told yes and popped 3 bottles by the second day - later I was told that they weren't included but wouldn't be charged for anything we consumed thus far... it should be included, you get it for free in lounge 2 times a day. Overall, it is a space that makes you feel like royalty, it is aptly named