First Cruise--Gluten Free Me-Fantasy Eastern Mar.9-16

[petbren]

was the bartender you had for Tequila & Margarita tasting Christina? I met her and Billie at The Tube the two weeks after you since I did a back-2-back and Christina did the tequila tastings the next two weeks, loved em

I think so yes, but I am terrible with names.

 

[DMMarla07860]

I think so yes, but I am terrible with names.

I'm guessing prob was her since she is from Montreal

 

[k3chantal]

Got to follow your cruise report; my dad is Canadian!

 

[petbren]

Got to follow your cruise report; my dad is Canadian!

Good to have you following along.
Where bout is your Dad from?

 

[petbren]

The kids had gone to Vibe, so we met back at the room, and relaxed some before dinner.

The on-demand movies are great, and we saw many new, and classic Disney movies we had not watched in years.

DD has collected autographs/photos of characters for years, and has only a select few that she doesn't have. Each day, she would go through what characters would be out that she still needed.
Tonight, it was.............



DH had to get into the action too.




Dinner tonight was AP, Cruise Casual. We got a table right by one of the screens.
The interaction was cute, a lot like Turtle Talk with Crush at EPCOT.









I know this is suppose to be about GF foods, but I didn't take any photos. I had Smoked Salmon Tartare, the Vine Ripe Tomato Salad, the Marinated Angus Beef Tenderloin.

Up next: Land Ho!!! St. Thomas and one of the highlights of our trip---Captain Nautica's Snorkeling Adventure.

 

[k3chantal]

Good to have you following along.
Where bout is your Dad from?

He is from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. He hasn't lived there for years though. He played hockey and after a game, met my mom, who was from California and she convinced him to move there and raise a family.

 

[papertraveller]

Loving the trip report -- and sorry we didn't cross paths on the cruise!

We took Disney transportation from the resort to the port, and so by the time we got on board most of the tastings were full. We did manage to wait list for Mixology, though, and they had enough people to add an extra class. That's where we saw Vivig -- loads of fun!

We also did Captain Nautica on a previous cruise. Really enjoyed it. The sea turtles were amazing.

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Luv Luv the report thanks so much for sharing we will be on the Fantasy in Dec and cannot wait.

 

[petbren]

He is from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec. He hasn't lived there for years though. He played hockey and after a game, met my mom, who was from California and she convinced him to move there and raise a family.

Wow, she must have made a really good first impression
DH is from Montreal. He moved here for work, that's how we met.

Loving the trip report -- and sorry we didn't cross paths on the cruise!

We took Disney transportation from the resort to the port, and so by the time we got on board most of the tastings were full. We did manage to wait list for Mixology, though, and they had enough people to add an extra class. That's where we saw Vivig -- loads of fun!

We also did Captain Nautica on a previous cruise. Really enjoyed it. The sea turtles were amazing.

That's one of the reasons we didn't take Disney transportation--I wanted to get there earlier, and the limo was cheaper
I remember Vivig saying that they had waitlisted for the Mixology, glad you made it in. I found it was good, but the group of people we were with were not quite our style (enough said).
We loved Captain Nautica....the sea turtle are something I will always remember.
My BFF is a Biology Prof. at U of T, and teaches a course now in The Galapagos Islands every May. She came home the first year and immediately got a sea turtle tatoo Much less touristy where she goes, maybe one day I'll be able to tag along.

Luv Luv the report thanks so much for sharing we will be on the Fantasy in Dec and cannot wait.

Thanks for reading along.
You will have a great time.

 

[Goldeelox9]

Great Trip Report!! I am enjoying it!

 

[petbren]

We woke up around 9 to see this off our balcony.







We had booked Captain Nautica's Snorkeling Expedition for the later departure, 11:30-3:30 as I didn't want to feel rushed, and wanted us to get a good breakfast if we were going to be in the water for several hours.
We met in D Lounge at 11:30, so as it was, we didn't actually board the vessel 'till close to 12.
There were about 20 people and two crew on the boat.

Here's the captain, I don't remember his name--it was not Nautica



I don't seem to have a photo of the woman who was the crew. She was an interesting character. Probably about my age (25) and had moved to St. Thomas about 10 years before from Denver. Quite a change. She said to live on the Island is very expensive, but peaceful and quite, and sounding inviting to me in the hustle and bustle we live in some days.

The scenery on the way to Turtle Cove was beautiful. I snapped off some photos of some of the resorts on the way out of port for future reference.







Approaching Turtle Island

 

[petbren]

Once anchored, we were briefed about where to go, and when to come back to the boat. There were probably 4 other boats in the area, it did not seem overly crowded.

DH had taken a scuba course before, but didn't finish it, none of the rest of us had ever snorkeled before. I am a good swimmer, DD is a good swimmer, and DS is a certified Lifeguard. Even so, we were a bit nervous.

DS--first one in.



DD, thinking about getting in.


We learnt the best way to see the turtles was to spot one on the bottom, where they feed on the reeds and watch from the surface.



Within a few minutes, they come up for air.





One was within a few feet of us. It was so difficult not to reach out and touch it.



There were also sting rays there.



We all look so attractive in this get up. The salt water takes a bit to get use to.








Back to the boat--the blond lady is the crew member I was speaking about before.



Once back on the boat, we headed for the next stop--on to Shipwreck Cove.

 

[Candy Apple]

Enjoying your TR. I'm newly GF and going on the Magic next month. I've done Palo, but never GF, so I'm waiting to see how it went for you.

 

[Sereina]

Loving your TR! That sea turtle is really cool.

 

[4newtocruise]

Great TR! What kind of underwater camera did you use?

 

[petbren]

Enjoying your TR. I'm newly GF and going on the Magic next month. I've done Palo, but never GF, so I'm waiting to see how it went for you.

I had a great meal at Palo--soufflé too. You will have many options.

Loving your TR! That sea turtle is really cool.

One of the highlights of my trip.

Great TR! What kind of underwater camera did you use?

I purchased a Fuji XP that I got with Airmiles specifically for the trip. It retails for under $200, and took quite good images under water. It has many gadgets, most of which sadly, I didn't really use.
We were happy with it.

I am going to post more soon. Tomorrow I promise.
DH has been using my laptop for a big work project so I have had limited access to it.

 

[petbren]

Once all back on the boat, we headed off to Shipwreck Cove. It was about a 10-15min. ride.
We were given snacks which consisted of shrimp with red sauce, fruit platters and soft drinks or water.

We were told to save the rinds from the fruit to feed the fish when we got to the next stop.

Back in the water.





We were told to keep a tight grip on the fruit rinds, as the fish were VERY hungry.



Not quite piranha like, but they did swarm around you, it was kinda fun.




Most of the fish were this kind, not sure what they were.


He swims with the fishes



There was some coral around, but it wasn't very colorful.



If you really focus, you can see a shipwreck here.



It became obvious that we were the only ones still in the water. I thought the water temp. was fabulous, but I am Canadian eh

Soon we were back on shore, and decided to return to the ship for some activities before getting ready for Pirate Night.



Up Next: OZ, and Pirate Night Fun.

 

[petbren]

We went back to the ship right after the excursion finished, so no shopping on the Island was done.
We decided to catch the 3D showing of Oz the Great and Powerful.

On the way to the movie, another character autograph stop.




Let's just say, we are not big Wizard of Oz fans
In fact, DH HATES the original movie--the dwarfs, and flying monkeys traumatized him for life as a kid..
It was playing in the Walt Disney Theater in 3D, so we decided to see it.
Let's just say, it is 2 hours of our cruise that we will never get back
None of us really liked it, some of us hated it. I guess it didn't have much of a chance with us, but it's Disney so we thought we'd give it a try.

We went back to change quickly into our Pirate attire.



I only took a few photos of my food, appetizer, and dessert, the two things I usually like better than the main meal anyway.

The Buccaneer's Sun-Ripened Pineapple - fresh island pineapple with a coconut covered banana and orange glaze. This was quite tasty.



I had the Chilled-to-the-bone Honeydew Melon and Watermelon Soup. I do not have a photo, but remember it was quite tasteless.

Main course, I had Treasures of the Seas Grilled Shrimp and Seared Scallops - served on strings of pasta and fresh creamy tomato sauce. On GF pasta for me. It was good, basic seafood pasta.

There was nothing on the menu other than ice cream I could have, so I pre-ordered the Crème Brule the night before. Our server brought me 2, which was a waste, as I could not eat 2 and no one else had room for it either. It was sad to see it go to waste. It was excellent.



We stopped for some photo ops after dinner.





We went up for the fireworks, and to see some of the deck party.





I never seem to take good photos of fireworks. I wish we could have watched them from our balcony, but you are not suppose to go out (fire hazard) while they are on, and they put a note in your room as a gentle reminder, that you are not to.





We watched from the upper deck for 20 minutes or so, then went back to the room to watch some Disney classics and sleep. It had been a long day, and San Juan was up next.

 

[HeyyCali]

This looks like a really fun trip! We will be on the Wonder cruising up to Vancouver next year. DH has a recently discovered wheat sensitivity so it is good to see what his options will be on board.

I love the pics of the sea turtles! Now I want to book another cruise so we can do that too!

 

[petbren]

This looks like a really fun trip! We will be on the Wonder cruising up to Vancouver next year. DH has a recently discovered wheat sensitivity so it is good to see what his options will be on board.

I love the pics of the sea turtles! Now I want to book another cruise so we can do that too!

Yes, we loved the Sea Turtles.
My DF teaches a Biology course in Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands every year,and the turtles there are amazing...so much so, she returned the first year with a sea turtle tattoo. She is there now, not sure what she'll come back with this time.

Hoping to update soon.