3 generations on the Fantasy & cruising concierge: CABANA #10! [updated 10/12/14]

[emmebear]

Happy Lunar New Year

Emme looks like a real princess n her beautiful dress

thank you so much!!

we wore the hanbok to disney once & everyone thought she was mulan.

[close enough i guess].

 

[emmebear]

updated 2/10/13


DAY 2: EMME TURNS 3!


the big day had finally arrived. my emmebear is officially 3 years old.

even though we were on "vacation" emme showed no mercy & was waking up between 6:30-7am every day. it was pretty rough at times when all i wanted to was sleep in. sleep is such a luxury at home. but alas, no rest for the weary.

we headed to the concierge lounge to grab a "light" breakfast to start our day. our ritual during the cruise was having a "light" breakfast from the lounge which consisted of a flaky croissant, fruit & cafe latte for me and a strawberry yogurt for emme. we ate on the balcony together while my mom slept in. after emme & i did the morning character meet & greets, we'd go to cabanas and take some breakfast to go & have "brunch" with my mom. i guess it was my excuse to eat twice before noon.

i love those croissants & the blueberries were always really plump & tasty.

emme & i enjoyed our mornings together on the balcony.



while we were in the lounge, alice & julia greeted emme & they both sang happy birthday to her. there were some other guests in the lounge & they joined in. emme felt so special!


they also presented her this:

very cute, right?? it's these little things that makes disney so awesome.


after we finished our early breakfast, we got ready to go meet some characters during the first rush at 9am.

emme's special shirt was created by disboard member FRUTO76.


up first, mickey mouse!

it was so cute to see emme run into mickey's open arms!

and next up, donald!

donald was trying to get emme to show 3 with her fingers but she's just not that coordinated yet. is it just me but every donald that i meet in the parks or on the ship are just incredibly great with the kids. every last one of them. donald, you are #1!


we then waited in line to see chip & dale.

emme was unsure of climbing on the seat because she kept saying, "i don't want to fall in." i kept reassuring her that she would not fall in but she didn't believe me for a few minutes.

...and she's officially made herself at home.

hooray for chip & dale. they are so cute!



onwards to minnie mouse!

if anyone notice the white bracelet on emme's left wrist, that is the "mickey band". all children who attended the kids club area needed a mickey band. it's basically a tracker so that they can find your kid in the area. [more on this later in my report].


one last picture before heading to cabanas.

the cinderella mosaic was beautiful. it's even more beautiful in person. i loved it!


after our morning character meets, we headed to cabanas to pick up some breakfast. emme wanted pancakes so off we went.

cabanas is a really nice area. there are two sides to cabanas. it is buffet style with self drink areas but cast members pick up empty plates and are very helpful. in addition to the buffet area, there is a fruit area [you have to let them know which fruit you want], ice cream scoop area, grilled meats area, salad & soup area as well as a "sandwich" area where they had things such as prosciutto, mortadella & buffalo mozzarella. on certain days, there was also sushi. there's also snow crab legs, mussels & shrimp too. all are cold (which kind of turned off my mom) but very fresh.

for breakfast, there is a made to order omelette station which also has egg whites available. there's also krispy kreme donuts as wells! i'm not going to lie, i did indulge a few.

i can say that cabanas can get chaotic when it comes to getting your food. there really is no line and no one to guide you where to start. you kind of just go for it. some people are nicer than others, some were rude but in the end, everyone got their food.

when we sat for lunch, i would scope out which side looked the least busy as both sides had the same food. i really enjoyed my lunch at cabanas. in fact, i preferred it over some of the food we had at the main rotational dining areas. some stand outs during lunch was malaysian fish stew, bbq short ribs, lamb curry with heavy indian spices just to name a few. these 3 things were my favorite items from cabanas and it was DELICIOUS.



i have pictures of all the stations at cabanas and will post them later (i took too many pictures and haven't sorted through all of them yet).


here are some pictures of the breakfast buffet:

assorted breads, pastries & danishes.

smoked fish section.

made to order omelette station.

eggs of all types.


but for our "brunch", here's what we got:

cabanas had different types of pancakes, toppings, in addition to sugar free syrup.

the eggs benedict was quite good. the egg yolk oozed out perfectly. the hollandaise was decent. i think i ate an eggs benedict every day. what's better than an perfectly oozing yolk.


after we finished brunch with grandma, emme said she wanted to see kemisha who starts at 11am. kemisha sang happy birthday to emme & emme got lots of hugs.

kemisha, julia & alice gave emme one more surprise!

a play card to the ARRR-CADE! those 3 ladies are so amazing!



we've had such a good start to emme's birthday morning!

up next, emme & the princesses!!

 

[Meganyvemarie]

That photo of Emme waiting in line to see Chip and Dale is priceless! She is so adorable!

 

[rachel09985]

I loveee that picture of her running to Mickey and I really really love the one of her laying in the porthole!!!

I need a kid to take cute pictures of!

That is it- I am going on a cruise next year! I want to take my mom too!

 

[JackieO]

Wow, these pictures are amazing! I'm going to have to check out concierge on our next cruise. So far it looks like you had an amazing time. Certainly pampering for your mom! I'll be watching for more.

 

[emmebear]

That photo of Emme waiting in line to see Chip and Dale is priceless! She is so adorable!

thanks so much!! she really thought she would fall into the water. but i realized i wasn't the only parent who had this conversation with their kid when passerby's gave her some encouraging words.

I loveee that picture of her running to Mickey and I really really love the one of her laying in the porthole!!!

I need a kid to take cute pictures of!

That is it- I am going on a cruise next year! I want to take my mom too!

you can practice on emme in april. your mom would love to cruise. i can't wait to cruise again!

Wow, these pictures are amazing! I'm going to have to check out concierge on our next cruise. So far it looks like you had an amazing time. Certainly pampering for your mom! I'll be watching for more.

we had a fantastic time! my brother deployed to afghanistan and she's been worrying herself sick so the trip was a nice break for her. my mom loved to put on her comfy robe that is included in concierge and drink her cafe latte at the dining room table with the balcony doors open. it was great to share so many memories with her & my daughter. memories of a lifetime (very cheesy but very true)!

 

[Linda67]

What great photos from the character meets

Having breakfast at the veranda looks so relaxing, what a great way to start the day!

 

[emmebear]

updated 2/11/13

EMME TURNS 3: AFTERNOON FUN!



at about 12:30, we descended onto the lobby atrium as the princesses would be there at 1pm. there was already a line.

the atrium is absolutely stunning. there's just so much to look at.

mademoiselle minnie mouse looking fabulous!

gorgeous light.

beautiful.



as we were waiting in line for the princess, aladdin visits everyone in line.

emme's patiently awaiting the arrival of the princesses.

and finally, did someone say princesses?

up first, snow white.

followed by, emme's favorite princess, ariel.

my friend sophie made this ariel inspired dress for emme.

then, we saw cinderella.

after that, belle (whose skirt almost knocked me over. ha ha)

last but not least, sleeping beauty.

i think we saw sleeping beauty the most on the ship.


i was really surprised when i was flipping through emme's autograph book to find these:

i thought that was really nice of them to do! the line for the princesses moved pretty quickly & there was no pushing or people being rude. quite painless & an airconditioned wait.


one more picture in front of the beautiful mosaic:

after our princess meeting, we headed to cabanas for lunch. here's some of our plates:

i thought it was great to offer sushi as the fish was fresh but the rice was cold & hard. it kind of defeats the purpose of sushi to have cold & hard rice. i just ate the fish off the rice so it was more or less sashimi.

emme's plate of black beans, roll, chicken fingers & penne pasta. god bless disney for the rice & beans as it was the main thing emme ate each day at cabanas. she's a pretty picky eater and i was so grateful they had some sort of rice dish for her.

this was one of my plates. the fish was snapper, the shrimp was cajun spiced and very tasty, the polenta cake was very delectable & the meat was over cooked. another winning lunch from cabanas!


up next, emme's bibbidi bobbidi boutique experience!

 

[emmebear]

What great photos from the character meets

Having breakfast at the veranda looks so relaxing, what a great way to start the day!

as much as i hated waking up so early with emme, it was actually quite nice to just spend time with her. no rush, no schedule!

and thank you for the compliments. appreciate it!

 

[emmebear]

updated 2/12/13


BIBBIDI BOBBIDI BOUTIQUE!

after a well deserved nap had by all, we made it to our 5:15 appointment at BBB. the boutique is located on 5 mid.

my friend sophie creates beautiful dresses & has made emme so many fabulous dresses for our trips to disney. she created a special birthday princess dress for emme & emme was so excited to wear it.


the boutique is not very large but the space was used very efficiently. we entered the wrong door and finally made it to the check in area. i chose the crown package which includes a hair style, nail polish & make up.

and so begins emme's transformation!


we had claudia, our fairy godmother in training. she was so very nice & patient with emme. emme has very long semi-wavy hair. they had to brush her hair straight with a comb so this of course brought on a very sad face & tears were shed by emme. but claudia and another cm really calmed emme down and within a few minutes her hair was ready for the updo.

emme got her nails did.

so cute!


claudia asked emme what color she would like for her eyeshadow. emme picked purple & blue. she also got to chose the rhinestone for her face. emme picked the largest one on the sticker sheet. ha ha.

after the hair was finished, claudia sprinkled the pixie dust all over emme's hair.

notice the plastic shield she's using to cover her face.


emme hasn't seen her makeover yet & she kept wanting to turn around in her chair to see herself.

patiently waiting.


you also get a very cute mickey rhinestone pin in addition to the tiara.

so very cute & sparkly. there's enough gel in her hair that her hair style lasted 10 hours of sleep!


...and the big reveal!

she was so excited to see herself.

happy emme!



in addition the the tiara & rhinestone pin, emme also received a special "birthday princess sash" that claudia adjusted to ensure it draped her correctly. also, each princess gets to keep the nail polish, comb & extra stickers which is placed in a pink back pack as a keepsake! i thought that was really nice.

the entire makeover took about 45 minutes and cost $59.99. it was a really great experience & emme felt really special! i highly recommend this for your princess.

afterwards, we made our way to the concierge lounge but ran into a few friends along the way.

princess aurora was randomly walking around the 4th deck in front of shutters.

donald was looking very dapper this evening!

mickey in his handsome outfit!



emme loves the cinderalla mosaic and wanted to sit in the royal chair once again.

princess emme!



...back in the concierge lounge as our dinner was at 8:15.

grey goose vodka + club soda + lime

the very awesome kemisha

fantastic julia escorted us to enchanted garden as she didn't want us to get lost.

me & emme.


and off we go for our dinner @ enchanted garden during formal night.

btw, this is our hallway on floor 12, port side.



up next, our dinner @ enchanted garden which had my favorite entree of the cruise.

 

[Luv2Diz]

I'm enjoying your TR. Fantastic photos!

 

[rachel09985]

Aww she still loves baby simba! Did stuffed chip and dale make their appearance on the fantasy? Has she ever done bbb in Disney world?

 

[Linda67]

Aww, Emme looks beautiful

I adore the Birthday Princess Sash

Can't wait to hear about you dinner at Enchanted Garden

 

[emmebear]

I'm enjoying your TR. Fantastic photos!

i appreciate it...thank you so much! it's been nice to relive these moments but it also makes me go, "dang, i took a whole mess of pictures!"

Aww she still loves baby simba! Did stuffed chip and dale make their appearance on the fantasy? Has she ever done bbb in Disney world?

chip & dale did not make the trip. at the gift shop on the boat, you could buy chip & dale separately. emme's still pretty obsessed with baby simba! we have not done BBB at disney world...never had the time.

Aww, Emme looks beautiful

I adore the Birthday Princess Sash

Can't wait to hear about you dinner at Enchanted Garden

thank you for reading along & all the nice comments about emme.

 

[MomToPrincePhillip]

I'm joining in too! Your Emme is so sweet and your photos are great!

 

[emmebear]

I'm joining in too! Your Emme is so sweet and your photos are great!

thanks for joining in & for the very nice comment about my photos!

 

[emmebear]

updated 2/15/13


DINNER @ ENCHANTED GARDEN: FORMAL NIGHT



enchanted garden is located on the second floor. it was a bit tricky to get there from our room 12(forward) so julia escorted us down to enchanted garden. while we were waiting for the dining room to open, we went to a shutters kiosk and browsed the pictures taken by cast members. it was a nice way to pass the time as we were 10 minutes early.


table 74 was literally the first table when you entered enchanted garden on the left side. this made it great to leave quickly when dinner was over and also gave us quick access to the bathroom. since we were one of the first tables to be sat, i got a nice picture of the dining area.

enchanted garden


i was really happy to have a table to ourselves! and i was also glad we had a booth instead of a table. it was very nice.

happy 3rd birthday emme!!


i brought along my external flash for my camera during this meal. my camera itself is heavy & cumbersome at times and with the flash, it gets really heavy & awkward during dinner.

these flower lights change colors & also opened & closed when the day turned to night. it was very neat!

cupid mickey at the fountain centerpiece of enchanted garden.

emme wanted a closer look.



after a few pictures and looking at the menu, we were ready to order.

there's always a bread service.

Multi-grain Loaf and Country Current Bread

Chickpea-Garlic Purée



here are our appetizer choices that we shared between the two of us:

Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower With Crispy Noodles and Wasabi Dressing

i really wanted to like this as it was very pretty. there was just something a bit off with the combination. the tuna was fresh however.



next, we have:

North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli With roasted Garlic and sweet Basil scented Tomato Juice

minus the red color from the tomato juice, the ravioli was actually quite good! this was our favorite of the appetizer. we ordered another one to share.



lastly,

Cucumber Garden Roll Filled with Julienne of Carrots, Bell Peppers and Zucchini, flavored with Cilantro and dressed with White Shoyu and Lemon Dressing

this appetizer was very crisp & refreshing. my mom enjoyed this very much. we ordered an additional roll to share.



entrees:

Caramelized Sea Scallops With Roasted Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomatoes, and Pearl Pasta, garnished with caramelized Leeks and Veal Jus Reduction

this entree was one of the worst on the trip. the scallops were very rubbery and very unappetizing. they also had a strange smell to them as well. the scallops were frozen so it's hard to get a nice sear on them. i was anticipating scallops like the ones i've had at california grill which were ridiculously delicious & this was far from it. the entree looked pretty but after 1/2 a scallop each & a few bites of everything else on the plate, we stopped eating from this plate. two thumbs down.


onwards to hoping for better...

Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Thyme-roasted Vegetables, Double-baked Potato, Horseradish, and Natural Jus

i asked for medium rare but this was more of a medium. the horseradish never made it onto my plate. however, the prime rib was juicy & not dry. the double baked potato was dry & definitely not worth the precious space in my belly. this was much better than the scallop dish and overall an OK entree.


and now, my favorite entree of the entire cruise.

*drumroll*

Pan Seared Sea Bass With Fava Beans and Pea Risotto and a sweet Chili Glaze

this entree was absolutely delicious. the sea bass was perfectly cooked & had no fishy smell or rubbery texture whatsoever (unlike some of the other fish we had on board). it was a very generous portion of fish as well. the fava bean & pea risotto was amazingly tasty. i absolutely loved everything about this risotto. not too thick & not too runny. it was perfectly seasoned as well. i didn't think the dish needed the sweet chili glaze and i ate around it as i felt it didn't add anything to the dish. in fact, it kind of threw my taste buds off.

my mom & i shared the entree & ordered a second. unfortunately, the second serving was a completely different story. the fish was pretty unappetizing, very flat and not cut properly. however, the risotto was still on point.



and here's emme's dinner:

it's the same nuclear orange mac & cheese found in the theme parks. i love that macaroni & cheese!



after our entrees, our server, assistant server, manager (bhoola) and what seems to be a football team of servers came over with cupcakes for emme & then they sang happy birthday to emme. it was such a surprise! i was running out of space on my sd card so i only got bits & pieces of the singing.


here are the desserts they brought out (we did not order this, it came along with the singing).

emme loves her some cupcakes.



as emme was finishing up her cupcakes, enchanted garden was changing into night.

overall, the dinner at enchanted garden was a very fun experience. the place itself is so nice to look at. i wish i would have gotten up and walked around the place but i spent the majority of my time stuffing my face. priorities i guess! emme felt very special during the meal and the staff went out of their way to make sure she had a very special birthday.

the meal was much better than animator's palate the night before. despite being "formal night" some people arrived in very casual clothes....very casual meaning shorts & flip flops. it was a weird mix of people in tuxedos and full on ball gowns to others in sundresses, shorts & flip flops. to each their own i guess.



after dinner, we headed back to our room to find this:

LOBSTER! (i wish i ate more lobster on board). i think i'm going to devote an entire post on the very impressive towel origami btw.

our stateroom hosts did some incredible things with towels.

they also left this for emme.

we pulled the curtain back & was absolutely surprised! emme could not believe it. she kept saying, "OH MY GOODNESS MOMMY!!

i have never seen a birthday cake made out of towels.

the birthday girl & her birthday cake.



emme had a very spectacular birthday on board the fantasy. from the start of the day and until the very end we celebrated, disney style. we had such a great day & it as only day 2 of our trip! we finally called it a night a little past midnight. boy, was i exhausted & so was emme who was loudly snoring & taking up 95% of the bed.



up next, the morning after & the kids club!

 

[bellasmom10]

Great report so far. I am in the midst of planny a 3 generation trip for myself my 2 yr DD and my amazing mom who has helped so much since my daughter was born, also a single mom.
Emme is gorgeous, please tell me where you got her adorable sandals from? Can't wait to read and see the rest of your photos..

 

[Ensusieasm]

I love your trip report. What a great birthday for your beautiful daughter! I can't wait to read more and see more of your gorgeous photos!

 

[Ensusieasm]

I'll be boarding The Fantasy in just 21 days!!!!!! So I am reading every word with great interest and excitement!