Skyline on Disney Fantasy

Location

Disney Fantasy, Deck 4 Aft

Summary

Skyline is our favorite bar on the Disney Fantasy. The idea for Skyline is that you’re in a lounge located high on the edge of some of the world’s most famous cities. Behind the bar are 7 “windows” – large, high-definition television screens – that give a panoramic view of seven cities: Paris, London, Barcelona, Athens, Florence, Budapest and St. Petersburg. That’s two more cities than are shown at the Disney Dream’s Skyline bar.

Each city is shown for about 15 minutes across all 7 screens, then the scene changes to another locale. The foreground of each view includes close-up views of apartments and offices, while the middle and background show each city’s iconic architecture and landscape.

That would be mildly interesting scenery on its own, but Disney has added special effects which make Skyline beautiful. The best is that each view shows the city in motion: cars move along streets, neon signs blink to illuminate sidewalks, and apartment lights go on and off as their residents come and go. (Look close and you can even see Mickey Mouse waving to you from inside a tiny apartment in Paris.) Adding movement to the scenery means the view at Skyline doesn’t get boring. It also means that Skyline doesn’t need a television to hold its patrons’ attention. And the cityscapes are a great icebreaker for starting conversations.

Skyline's view can't be beat.
Photo courtesy of Roger Weeks.

A second effect is that the scenery changes depending on the time of day you’re inside. If you get to Skyline at late afternoon, you’ll see the sun setting on these towns. Stay long enough (and we have), dusk turns to evening and evening to turns to night.

Last, Skyline uses mirrors on the walls perpendicular to the video screens. Because the mirrors are set at right angles to the screens, they reflect the videos and make the bar look longer than it is. It’s a well-known decorating trick for making a small room seem larger, but still nice to see included here.

The rest of the bar’s decor is natural surfaces: wood panels, ceiling and floors, in colors ranging from honey to mahogany; dark marble countertops, and leather chairs.

Comparing the Ships

Although there are Skyline bars on both the Disney Dream and the Fantasy, their drink menus are mostly different. Drinks on the Dream’s Skyline menu tend to be flavored with fruits, such as cranberry, pomegranate, lemon and lime. Drinks on the Fantasy’s Skyline include fruits too, but also herbs and spices such as basil, thyme, coriander, cilantro and paprika. In our opinion, these extra ingredients add another layer of flavor to the drinks, and take out some of the fruit juice’s sweetness. If you’re unsure about ordering one of these, ask the bartender to make the drink without the herbs or spices, and take a sip. Then add the remaining ingredients and sip again.

Photos