Ahoy, Stacy!
How lucky that you will be sailing on the gorgeous Disney Fantasy in less than a month!
On every 7-Night sailing on a Disney Cruise Line ship, you can expect there to be four nights of
cruise casual attire, specifically no tank tops or swimwear allowed in the main dining rooms. Then, you will have one Pirate Night, where your family can dress in their Pirate-y best (or worst!). Pirate Night is definitely my favorite night to dress up on any Disney Cruise Line vacation!
Finally, you can expect one optional formal night and one optional semi-formal night. On these evenings, you will see your fellow passengers dressed in everything from ball gowns and tuxedos (definitely my dress of choice on these evenings) to sundresses on women and khakis and polo shirts on the men. What you wear is completely up to you, as it is your vacation.
One of the best parts about these optional nights is that the characters are dressed in THEIR formalwear for photos. One of my favorite character photos of all time is of me in my lime green ball gown with Goofy in his tuxedo. We make a pretty good looking couple!
No one will even look twice at what you are wearing, it is your vacation, so pack what YOU want to wear. As far as it being more casual in the summer, I have found that no matter when I take a Disney Cruise, there will always be passengers dressed in ball gowns while others will not be. And I, for one, am totally fine with that.
Have an amazing cruise on the Fantasy, and please come back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel in the future with more questions! Also, while you are onboard, don't forget to visit the Future Cruise Bookings desk and book your next cruise to enjoy a 10% savings plus an onboard credit.
Happy Cruising, Tracy V.