Today is the special day. My parents have been married nearly 36 years and my sister and I organized a vow renewal for them onboard the Fantasy. Although my mom did keep misspeaking and saying vow removal instead of renewal. We joked that that was the reason dad agreed to it because he thought it was a vow removal
We had breakfast in the concierge lounge because we had early morning appointments (8 AM) for pedicures in the spa. The lounge is supper convenient and I think it is good spread considering it is continental. The croissants are really fresh and flaky and big enough to share.
My sister and I got mani/pedis on the Magic last year but this year on the Fantasy it seemed more like a sales pitch the entire time. Plus they didnt do a great job. I still enjoyed it since I havent had a pedicure since the Magic last year but my sister was disappointed. Sometimes it is hard to recreate memories and I think that is what I was aiming for with booking the pedicures onboard the Fantasy.
After the spa we decided to play the Muppets game on the midship detective agency. It was still early and we were still 10 minutes before the game opens at 9 AM. The game takes you past a lot of staterooms so they probably dont want people to play too early so as not to disturb others. There were a few of us lined up to get out assignments. Dont worry if someone in front of you is doing the same case as you (puppies, Muppets, or art theft) the system sends you to different locations and after the first clue you have your map to decide where you want to look next for clues.
The Muppets was more challenging than the stolen art game but it was a lot of fun. If I were to rank them based on difficulty I would say stolen puppies is the least difficult, then stolen art, then Muppets. Although we never actually played stolen puppies this is what I observed from others.
It was raining that morning so a lot of people were playing midship detective games. As we were finishing up the game we asked a cast member if the aquaduck was open in the rain and he said yes so it was off to our rooms to throw on swimsuits and head to the duck for the first time.
The skies were starting to clear but there was no line for the aquaduck. We rode twice. Both times I rode with my sister and both times I managed to hit her getting in. The first time with my elbow to her leg and the second time my foot to her head honestly not on purpose!
The aquaduck is so much fun!!!
For lunch, I really wanted to order the steak sandwich from room service. Dad spent twenty minutes deciding what he wanted. And then all four of us ended up with steak sandwiches that we ate at the table in the one bedroom suite.
My sister and I went to the concierge lounge to grab some sodas when we ran into PJ. We told him that we went on the aquaduck and said how much fun it was. He then said you have to try it at night. We've heard this a few times from cast members including during the first musical. But the problem is the aqauduck closes at 10:00 every night. We have late dinner which means before dinner it is still light outside and by the time we are done with dinner the aquaduck is already closed. So we said this to PJ who told us that we would have to skip dinner one night for the aquaduck. We enjoy the restaurants too much for that : ) we suggested that they keep it open late at least one night on future cruises to accommodate the late diners or stop telling people to "try it at night" since that really isn't feasible for so many.
Soon it was time for our hair appointments all except my dad of course. We had scheduled up-dos which turned out so nice!
At 5:00 we headed to Outlook Lounge on the 14th deck (the fake flume) for the Vow Renewal. My sister and I set up pictures from their wedding in 1976 and our friends soon arrived to fill the seats. It is an intimate setting perfect for a vow renewal with a beautiful view of the water and upper decks. And honestly we filled the room with our party of 9. So it is a small room but absolutely perfect for us. There is a grand piano in the corner and a musician is part of the package for the wedding/vow renewals.
The best surprise was Captain Marco was the officiant. The Captain doesnt do many vow renewals or weddings and it was really special that he officiated my parents vow renewal. The vow renewal was really special!
After a quick bite of wedding cake and champagne toast we were all off to see the musical Wishes. This was my favorite show onboard. It is great for anyone who likes to channel surf. Basically you get the best parts from each movie. Still cant believe the productions they put on!
We then headed back to my parents suite for some more champagne and laughs in celebration of the vow renewal before dinner. My parents had reservations at Palo that evening and the rest of us were in Royal Court.
Upon arriving in Royal Court we saw our surprise! We were seated at the Royal Court table in the center. Since it was just one man and six women we were quite the sight. The lone male was hamming it up being the Lord at court, with three women on either side. Apparently people asked our head server, Jaime, who we were and how was it that one man was with so many women. Our head server simply replied that he didnt know the mans secret : ) And our friend told the head server that he was fine with six women but any more than ten he has to call for back up. Which Jaimie was pleased to offer his support.
That evening we went to Skyline bar for the first time. Unfortunately the drinks were not the greatest, well actually, they were flat out undrinkable. The drinks all had strange ingredients like pepper and paprika not typical cocktail ingredients. Plus we sat through at least 4 cities (12 minutes per city) before out drinks arrived. I was the only non drinker which turned out good for me because the frozen drink they got from the Tube was great! Although at first when I said I dont want something with alcohol the server told me that the drinks dont taste like alcohol. When I clarified that I dont want any alcohol he offered non-alcoholic beer not exactly what I had in mind, but the frozen drink they brought was perfect. The real drinks being so terrible the bartender took them back and made more traditional cocktails that were much better, but we wouldnt be back to Skyline. We were really missing Sessions on the Magic that night! Especially Stanislav and Abby who made the best drinks!
