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

[Sereina]

I'm loving your Trip Report and looking forward to more! What fun that you were able to celebrate your daughters birthday on this ship.

I was wondering, what lens(es) you used on your dSLR on your trip?

 

[southlake]

subbing

 

[Cruzinmaniac]

I'm checking for updates, like, every day! Your detailed recaps are awesome, love the pictures, they're gorgeous, and your daughter is so darling! Please more?

 

[emmebear]

Hi! Loving your report! I'm sailing in June & I love your reporting on the ship!

Your daughter is adorable - looks like everyone was having a great time!

thank you so much!! we had an absolute blast. you will too on your cruise!!

Hello. I have been reading along and have been enjoying reading about your trip. It gets me so much more excited for out up coming cruise in june. I was wondering about the overall temp indoors on the ship in the dining rooms, clubs, theaters etc? Is it comfortable or is more on the cool side? Just wondering as I am trying to make my packing list

june is so close!! i bet you are excited.

we sailed late january/early february and the AC was cranking all the time. it was windy outside as well so i always had my hoodie with me. i thought it was more on the cool side but in june the temperature is definitely hotter so it might be on the more comfortable side. i would definitely take a light hoodie and some yoga pants or thin long pants....just in case. happy sailing!!

I have been having so much fun reading about your amazing trip! I love all the details, am learning a lot! We know we want a one bedroom suite and now just need to pick a date, they go so quickly!

the one bedroom suite was definitely pricey and totally worth it. i'm glad i sailed when i did as the same room is thousands more in warmer months. let me know which date you chose!

I'm loving your Trip Report and looking forward to more! What fun that you were able to celebrate your daughters birthday on this ship.

I was wondering, what lens(es) you used on your dSLR on your trip?

thanks for the nice comment!

i shoot with a canon 60D and use a 18-135mm lens as well as 50mm fixed portrait lens.

i will be updating soon!

subbing

welcome!

I'm checking for updates, like, every day! Your detailed recaps are awesome, love the pictures, they're gorgeous, and your daughter is so darling! Please more?

thank you for the kind comments!

i will be updating soon. i'm on a journey to become an ARNP & just started taking classes again. i work full time & am in school full time (i'm a mommy inbetween i think ) so i've been busy busy busy!!

i am hoping to update tonight with my palo brunch.

thanks again for following along.

i also keep a disney blog & photos HERE.

 

[Cruzinmaniac]

I am so looking forward to the next update...hint hint...no pressure though

 

[PacificDisMommy]

What an awesome trip report and such lovely photos!
Thank you for sharing with us!

 

[Cruzinmaniac]

When you wish upon a star...an update? No pressure...

 

[robin19871]

When you wish upon a star...an update? No pressure...

Love it.. I am here waiting too.. (No pressure.)

 

[emmebear]

before i begin this review, apologies for the delay! classes have started so i'm working full time as a nurse & also going to school full time & somehow my kid is still alive & doing well. ha ha. we also just returned from disney a few hours ago so it's been a wee bit crazy. thanks for being patient & hope you enjoy the review.


updated 5/27/13


PALO BRUNCH!! part 1

this was my first cruise & let me tell you, all the choices to eat were overwhelming. as much as i like to eat (i love to eat) & have had fine dining experiences in my life, the thought of a 3 hour meal at remy did nothing for me. the thought of my mom sitting through a 3 hour meal & complaining about the portion sizes (btw, my mom is a fantastic cook but just isn't into fancy food) did nothing for me....which is why i chose brunch at palo.

i've read really great things about both remy, palo brunch/dinner but another selling point for me was the king crab legs. i love snow crab legs & king crab legs are pretty expensive. the fact that i could eat as much as i wanted for $20 was a no brainer for me.

but i digress....

after dropping emme off at the oceaneer lab, my mom & i made our way to palo. it's located also on the 12th floor but getting there is tricky. needless to say, we found our way to the king crab legs.

palo & remy are located side by side to each other. we were greeted promptly & then taken to our seats. we were lucky enough to get a table by the windows. it was pretty surreal to sit & watch the ocean pass by. it was a very serene moment & totally felt like vacation.

it was nice to see real roses on the table. there was also real roses in the bathroom as well. nice touch!

my mom took this photo. kudos to her as she can barely turn on her phone! ha ha. as you can see, the view was really calming & gorgeous.


i can't remember my CM's name but she did take about 5 minutes before greeting us. my tummy was rumbling & i was so hungry! our cm was very professional, warm & inviting. her demeanor was completely different from the CM's that are in cabanas. she was also very pretty.


she let us know about the complimentary champagne or mimosa. i picked 12pm for our brunch so in my head, it's 5pm somewhere so i happily ordered a mimosa.

mmmmm mimosa.



our CM then let us know about the brunch offerings as well as letting us know about the hot food. she was very efficient! after about 3 minutes of food directions, we made our way to the food.



this is the display of the "hot" food you can order from the server at any time:

[terrible iphone photos...sorry].



and here are some of the "cold" offerings via iphone:

i overheard a CM tell another guests that these breads are specifically made for palo. i touched nothing on this side minus the fruit as the bread would have taken up precious space for my king crab legs.

mmmmm. caviar. it's not from a beluga well but i love caviar. all the extra toppings were a nice touch. i could have eaten that entire bowl myself. actually, i probably ate an entire bowl myself now that i think about it.

i loved these onions! they were a total treat. it may not be pleasant to everyone's palette but i loved them.

YES!! my beloved king crab legs. i would have rather eaten them warm but cold ones probably are easier to maintain. regardless, i was so happy to see my crabby friends already split & ready to eat.

this was my favorite section of brunch...the seafood section. check it all out! mmmmmm king crab legs!!




here is my first plate of food:

i went easy on the king crab legs this first trip. i did ask for a side of melted butter. it was heavenly with the crab meat.

the scallops were smoked & they were DELICIOUS! i had "seared" scallops in the main dining room & they are terrible. i mean, you really can't sear a frozen scallop but the scallops weren't fresh and just gross. ICK. so i was pleasantly surprised with the scallops.

the caviar was really tasty as was the fresh mozzarella cheese & tomatoes. the proscuitto was just ok. they served that at cabanas. the ahi tuna with the spicy rub was also a surprise. it was a cajun rub if i remember correctly. so fresh and delicious! no fishy taste or smell at all. even my mom (who doesn't really eat raw fish) enjoyed it & i think it was because of the spicy cajun rub.

but hands down, the best thing on the plate was the king crab legs. so sweet & moist. the melted butter was just an added bonus.



and this is my mom's first plate of food. notice the difference of veggies. she loves veggies.

i asked, "mom, out of all the things to eat, why are you eating vegetables?!' and she told me to just try it. and let me tell you, the grilled veggies were out of this world good. the asparagus weren't grilled but they were crunchy and very fresh. but i still considered it filler food. i had a date with some king crab legs.

my cute mom & her mimosa. she has a very low tolerance to alcohol. one sip & she gets the asian flush & is incapacitated. she had one very tiny sip & decided against trying any more. so being to good daughter that i am & not wanting to waste it, i drank it for her. that was the right thing to do.



here is my second plate of food:

more crab legs & ahi tuna. like i said, the proscuitto was just ok but i love the taste combination with the melon.



Part 2 to be continued....

 

[Cruzinmaniac]

Woohoo! My wish has been granted!

 

[jegsnakkernorsk]

great trip report. I just discovered this so I have a lot of catching up to do - but love it! thanks!

 

[emmebear]

great trip report. I just discovered this so I have a lot of catching up to do - but love it! thanks!

Thank you for reading & joining in!

Hoping to update tonight.

 

[cleophus12]

Were you at MK on Saturday 5/25? I swear I think I saw you, but said to myself, "That couldn't be them. They wouldn't be here." But maybe you were!
Love your trip report. Reading every word.

 

[emmebear]

Were you at MK on Saturday 5/25? I swear I think I saw you, but said to myself, "That couldn't be them. They wouldn't be here." But maybe you were!
Love your trip report. Reading every word.

actually we were in disney may 24-27th!

but we spent saturday @ epcot.

sunday & part of monday we spent @ magic kingdom.

magic kingdom fun on 5/26!

 

[Linda67]

Yummy Palo Brunch pictures

You are such a good daughter for finishing your mom's mimosa for her

 

[starousse]

Hi Emmebear, I've been following all of your reviews on Disboards and now that I'm looking at booking a cruise, I found your report here. First of all, again, your pictures are phenomenal. Do you take pics professionally or is that just an amazing camera? This trip looks amazing and is getting me really psyched to book a cruise. Do you prefer the land vacation or the cruise better?

Btw,we were in Disney from May 23-31 and were in the MK the same Monday as you!

 

[emmebear]

Hi Emmebear, I've been following all of your reviews on Disboards and now that I'm looking at booking a cruise, I found your report here. First of all, again, your pictures are phenomenal. Do you take pics professionally or is that just an amazing camera? This trip looks amazing and is getting me really psyched to book a cruise. Do you prefer the land vacation or the cruise better?

Btw,we were in Disney from May 23-31 and were in the MK the same Monday as you!

thank you for reading & the comments!

i do some photography work on the side (weddings, portraits...all that fun stuff).

i'm not sure which i prefer as i've only been on one cruise & it was concierge...i don't think any of my future cruises will compare.

in march, i'm planning on doing 1 week in disney...4 days on land & 3 on sea!

 

[emmebear]

updated 6/22/13


PALO BRUNCH part 2



after enjoying the cold buffet...it was time to move onto the hot dishes that were offered at palo.

Oysters Rockerfeller

these were our favorite hot entree of the day. the oysters were succulent & the toppings did not over power the delicate taste of the oysters. we ordered 2 servings of these. absolutely delicious!

Tilapia w/ a creamy risotto

i LOVED the grilled lemon aspect of the dish. however, no amount of lemon could get rid of the absolutely horrid fishy-ness of the fish. it was pretty putrid. i don't know if maybe the fish was frozen but it was inedible. the risotto however was absolutely heavenly. i could have eaten an entire bowl of this with a side of crab legs & would have been perfectly content. sadly, two thumbs down for the fish. YUCK.

Chicken Parmigiana w/ creamy risotto

i asked for a half order on all our entrees. can you believe this is a half order?! it was still a large portion in my book. the chicken was so moist and flavorful. the breading was light & crisp. it was really really good. and paired underneath was the delicious risotto. this was another winner in my book.

Orecchiette Pasta w/ smoked salmon

this dish was absolutely beautiful but i have no idea why there was smoked salmon on this dish. the pasta & sauce were mediocre & very heavy. i had no idea if i were to eat the pasta with the smoked salmon or separately. so i tried both way & neither way worked for me. i'm glad this was only a half serving as i had about 4 teeny tiny bites and couldn't have any more.



i headed back to the cold buffet to try a few more things and to erase the two bad hot dishes from my memory...

YES! delicious grilled veggies.

the smoked salmon mousse was just so cute. i couldn't resist. the caviar was also tasty.

Bloody mary shooter

this was an abomination. i was so happy erasing the two bad dishes from my memory & then i ate this. there was thawed out frozen shrimp on the bottom of this shooter. the shrimp was not fresh and made the entire thing taste like dirty socks. i've never actually eaten a dirty sock but if i did, it would taste like this bloody mary shooter. YUCK. avoid it like the plague. i love me a bloody mary but this was terrible. tomato juice mixed with bad shrimp. GROSSNESS.



onto dessert. i'm not a huge dessert fan but they were calling my name. i had to try it.

mmmmmm..this was either mango or passion fruit. either way, it was very good.

lovely, isn't it??

the berries had grand marnier on them. why, yes. yes, i will eat you.

overall, palo was a complete bargain at $20.00 a person. the service was impeccable & the view was gorgeous. it was so nice to just be wit my mom & stuff our faces together. the complimentary mimosa was also a very nice touch. i really enjoyed my palo brunch experience. there were some definite misses with the food but everything else made up for it.

book palo early...you will not regret it!!

 

[princess aleya]

Yummy, your pics of Palo are great I hate to hear that you didn't enjoy the fish. I had it back in November on the Magic and loved it, not fishy at all. Hopefully it was just an off day . Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip.

 

[kittymamma]

Enjoying your TR. About the shop where you purchased Louis Vuitton bag....do they sell first run bags or are they from their outlet/seconds/overruns ? Do they keep a large variety ? Liked the ones you and your mom selected. We are going there next year and after reading your report I think I should put off a purchase until then perhaps.