Welcome Aboard, Sharon!
How exciting that you are getting ready to set sail on your first ever Disney Cruise Line vacation! It won't be long now!
Our family has taken four 7-Night Western Caribbean sailing with Disney Cruise Line. We have had a wonderful time on each of them. If you decide to splurge on just ONE Port Adventure, I would highly recommend the
"Island Tour and Snorkeling with Stingrays" in Grand Cayman. This is my most favorite Port Adventure of all time! There is a short bus tour, with a stop at the famous rock formation, "Hell", Grand Cayman. Then, you make a stop at the Cayman Islands Turtle Farm to check out sea turtles of all sizes. The BEST part of this Port Adventure is next! After boarding a catamaran, you take a 30 minute ride out to the Stingray Sandbar. The stingrays swim around everyone and the guide teaches about them.
Should you choose to not book a Port Adventure at any of the ports, you can always walk from the ship to a close shopping area. If you visit the shopping desk onboard, they can give you ideas of what is in the area. One thing we have done is hop in a taxi and ask the driver to take us to a local beach. This worked out well, and our driver came back to pick us up when we asked him to.
The Disney Fantasy is an amazing ship. I feel like I could spend 7 days just doing things on the ship, so that is always an option as well. If you return early, you might get the Aquaduck all to yourselves for a bit.
Be sure to encourage your son to head to Vibe, the teen club, on the first night of your Fantasy cruise. This is the night where ALL of the teens are new, and they play "get to know you" games as well as begin planning the week. I'm sure he will make many new friends.
Happy Cruising, Tracy V.