A Fantasy of a Honeymoon....With Some Park Magic! *COMPLETED 10/31*

[JKSWonder]

Love your report so far!!! I Remy and booked next week's Dream cruise just so I can eat at Remy for my birthday. To the PP, you don't have to have seafood..the chef's will customize the menu for you.

Jill in CO

Thanks! David's Bridal is awesome for dresses like that on the cheap!

And Jill is right! They ask if you have an allergies or extreme dislikes and they can change it up for you! The chef is always very accommodating with making special orders and there are other options on the a la carte menu that are non-seafood that you can switch to. If you want to try the Collette, go to Meridian in between Remy and Palo. I bet they'll make you one or something similar to try without the meal!!

Thank you both. I didn't even realize they would do that...I thought it was just this is what the Chef's menu is and that's that. I guess I'll reconsider and give it a chance this summer!

The Meridian! I love, love that bar. We did a martini tasting there (very nice) and the view off the back of the ship is just gorgeous.

 

[PrincessForLife]

Remy ended about 9:30 for us and needless to say, we were stuffed! ...and I failed to get the towel animal picture! We waddled back to our room after dinner and pretty much fell right asleep. Since our entire honeymoon was getting up at ungodly hours, we decided to sleep in. The night was terrible because the food at Remy was so rich that we had indigestion ALL NIGHT LONG. Bring Tums or Imodium or something if you're not really used to very rich food. Well, there's a lot of rich food on a cruise in general, but Remy seemed even more so. When we finally rolled out of bed we decided to see Planes again in the Walt Disney Theatre. We really wanted to see Monsters University but we could never match our schedule to see it! We also had much better seats for Planes this time! After Planes we scheduled a martini tasting. This one was in Meridian instead of Skyline. I love martinis. But I have mixed feelings about it. Getting all the drinks and trying different things was great, but I felt like the atmosphere wasn't as fun as mixology. I'll share details when I go through the drink list...

First up on the roster of drinks was a Meridian signature martini made with lemon. I really don't remember the name but it was very tasty and quite refreshing! While we tasted, we also learned the basics of making a martini as well as the history and varieties of the alcohol used.


The lemon martini!

Next on the list was an old fashioned, original dry martini with vermouth. This one was my least favorite and only one I didn't finish. Kevin also didn't like it but he downed it anyways, allowing me to catch some great pictures of his sour face as pure alcohol ran down his throat. lol


The orginal

Okay, the olive wasn't that bad...

Oh that was horrible!!

By the forced smile, it was CLEARLY my favorite! lol

The next was my favorite martini in the whole world...the Cosmopolitan!! We learned that there was a right and wrong way of making a Cosmo. A Cosmo should be pink, not red. If it's red, there is WAY to much cranberry juice. There should only be a small splash mixed with a lot of fresh lime juice. Many of the Cosmo I have had were very red but this one was light pink and refreshingly light! Very good!


A Cosmo! Much better!!

There was also a spiced martini made with nutmeg and a creamy liquor. I've never had anything like this one before. It was light and had a kick of hot spicy at the end. It would be a great fall/Christmas cocktail!


The spicy one!

To round out the set of martinis was an espresso martini with a chocolate drizzle. We were taught that the chocolate drizzle was easiest to create when the martini glass is cold and what types of alcohols mix best with it. This one was also very tasty!!


Mmmmmmm....chocolate and espresso!

After the lessons were taught, there were still a lot of samples left from people who didn't show up. Instead of a free for all, they did trivia to give away the extra samples. They did simple trivia and I even got one! My question was "What is the name of the new slide on the Magic?" The Aquadunk!! So I got another one of the very tasty Cosmos!!


My prize!!

Now to give my detailed review...
We did it and it was fun, but I don't think we'll do it again in the future. It was great to have a variety of martinis and learn about their history and the staff was very friendly. I only have 2 complaints about the class. The first is that after a while we were bored because we were just sitting there and drinking. I much prefer the mixology class because we got up and learned how to make them. The class would have been a lot more fun if we got to participate. My second complaint was not feeling included in the class. There were groups of women who obviously take the class on every cruise together and can recite the lecture by heart. They would also make inside jokes with the bartenders and teacher and could be a little obnoxious. Yeah, they were having fun and I had no problem with that, but they made some of us other couples and individuals feel a little "out of the loop", almost like a clique. AGAIN, very small things that had no negative effect on the experience! That's just the type of people we are.... But do try it if you are a martini lover or someone who wants to try different things!!

 

[jsbgeo]

We did the martini tasting on our cruise as well. I think we liked and didn't care for the same ones! I got a trivia question correct about a hidden Mickey in the Meridian and also chose the extra Cosmo. Agree, I think I had more fun doing the Mixology class, just a little more interactive and participatory was good for us.

But I do wish now that we had gone to brunch at Palo! Oh well, next cruise!

 

[PrincessForLife]

We did the martini tasting on our cruise as well. I think we liked and didn't care for the same ones! I got a trivia question correct about a hidden Mickey in the Meridian and also chose the extra Cosmo. Agree, I think I had more fun doing the Mixology class, just a little more interactive and participatory was good for us.

But I do wish now that we had gone to brunch at Palo! Oh well, next cruise!

I think Palo Brunch is worth it much more than the dinner. It's now a must do on our Disney cruises!

 

[PrincessForLife]

After the martini tasting we went to Adventures By Disney presentation. We were very interested in the program and wondered about the prices, excursions, etc. It was really fun and the presenter was great. However, when we asked about the price range for the trips, all she said was, "Come back to my desk and we can talk details." MEANING: This are ridiculously priced vacations!! We never went back to the desk but our guess is that these trips range from $3,000-$15,000 person. (That's not in our budget right now....) We then saw Disney's Believe in the Walt Disney Theatre. Again, this was one show we didn't much care for. It was once again a loose storyline intertwined with random Disney songs. Instead of going to the second show before dinner we decided to go to our hang out in Skyline for a couple of extra drinks. We got the Passport which is buying 7 drinks for the price of 6 and we wanted to finish it up. The bartender keeps the passport at the bar so you don't always have to bring it. Every drink is another stamp in the book. It also has a couple recipes to try at home!! It was well worth the money since we were in there almost every night!








My Favorite! The St. Pete's Sling!



Since we had a couple extra drinks instead of going to the show, the ship was hitting some pretty big waves. It was the Captain's Gala for dinner and we were in Enchanted Garden. The main menu item: lobster!! Marajan, our server, suggested that we order the number of lobster tails we wanted all at once because it's so popular that it takes him at least 20 minutes to get another plate! Kevin ordered 2-3 lobster tails while I ordered one and another dish to try. Everything that night was excellent!! Marajan was also kind enough to cut our tails out of the shells! Since we were quite tipsy, Danni, our asst server, entertained us and the table next to us with napkin hats and art. She was just the best!


Kevin and all his lobster glory!!

Like a pro!!


Danni starting the napkin art





I'm Minnie Mouse!

I also realized that I didn't get many pictures of the Enchanted Garden so I snapped a couple more pictures as well as some on our way back to our room...with the ship still hitting large waves. lol


We made the discovery that the shutters open and reveal a port hole!







Still fascinated with the lights....








The rest of the night was another relaxing one in our room and on the verandah. Here's our towel animal for the night!!



Up Next: Castaway Cay and the Cabana!

 

[slykrab]

I'm so addicted to your story! I just discovered this thread yesterday. We're having our honeymoon on the Fantasy next year, and this is getting me super excited!!!! Thanks for writing such a great trip report!

 

[PrincessForLife]

I'm so addicted to your story! I just discovered this thread yesterday. We're having our honeymoon on the Fantasy next year, and this is getting me super excited!!!! Thanks for writing such a great trip report!

Congrats!!! I guarantee that you guys will have an amazing time! It'll be a well needed break after the craziness of the wedding!!

Let me know if you have any other questions! You can ask me here or PM me! Thanks for following along!!

 

[silverangel879]

I've been enjoying you report so far! My hubby and I will be celebrating our 5th year anniversary on board the fantasy on May 2014! We are planning on doing the mixology class and getting the one day at rainforest!

 

[PrincessForLife]

I've been enjoying you report so far! My hubby and I will be celebrating our 5th year anniversary on board the fantasy on May 2014! We are planning on doing the mixology class and getting the one day at rainforest!

Thanks and congrats!! I hope Alonso and Pedrique will be there for you guys! They are the best bar servers on the whole ship!!

 

[scrpbookr]

I've just read your honeymoon adventure "cover to cover" thus far and I'm loving it! Congratulations on your marriage! You're happily ever after is off to a great start with this trip! I'm looking forward to your Castaway Cay report! The way you take so many pictures and share so many details is perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

[PrincessForLife]

I've just read your honeymoon adventure "cover to cover" thus far and I'm loving it! Congratulations on your marriage! You're happily ever after is off to a great start with this trip! I'm looking forward to your Castaway Cay report! The way you take so many pictures and share so many details is perfect! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thanks for following along! I'll be starting the Castaway Cay portion sometime today!

 

[PrincessForLife]

We are finally arriving at the end of the trip report and it's time for the much anticipated Castaway Cay Cabana report!! I have lots of pictures so bear with me if I don't get it all out in one sitting. We awoke early that morning to a VERY gloomy-looking day, but I knew with past experiences that it clears up as the day goes on. We were actually quite happy for the relatively overcast skies for a good part of the day since it was really hot! Instead of fighting the crowds at Cabanas we decided on the Enchanted Garden for breakfast. We were really happy we chose to eat there because the head server for that rotation, Kapor, was our head server on the Magic last year! It was so great to see him again! He even offered to put us in his dinner rotation for the night before to see the Animator's Palette show that we missed due to Remy! He is seriously the best head server ever!!


It looked so gloomy!!





Kapor is on the very far left.

After a good breakfast we made our way with the swarms of people to the gangway to disembark. Instead of walking with the rest of the people to get the best spot on the family beach, we took the tram to Pelican Point to transfer over to Serenity Bay. Here are some pictures of the island along the way!















When we got to the Serenity Bay area, off to the right is a small shack that has a sign that says "Cabana Check In." After showing our cabana wrist band, your "host" takes you to your private cabana on a golf cart. I have to say that the only bad thing about the cabanas is that you have to go to the check in point at the beach instead of having a check in at the entrance of Castaway Cay. It would put the cherry on top to be driven in a golf cart all the way from the ship to the cabana in one felt swoop! He showed us around the cabana and told us to press the red button if we needed anything or when we wanted to eat or use the restrooms. From the outside, the cabana looked tiny!! We wanted to walk the beach and go on a bike ride right away so we took a quick glance at our private area and headed down to the beach.


Our Cabana!!





Our next door neighbors!

We were number 20!!


What's really nice about the cabana is that it is at the farther end of Serenity Bay. There were barely any people down there the whole day! You even have more privacy with the sea grass hedge and "Cabana Guests Only" sign! When we got down to the water the tide was out. This meant that the water level was about 10 feet further than it should be. It did go up to the normal point later that day but I didn't care. It gave me a better view for my seashell hunting!! lol


Our sea grass privacy curtain. lol



The water was REALLY far away!

My DH watching me get seashells

Some of the only inhabitants at our end of the beach. lol

 

[PrincessForLife]

To tell you the truth, it's been a VERY long time since I've ridden a bike. Not like I didn't remember period but it definitely took a while to get used to. When I finished collecting my treasures, my DH pressed the red button and a couple minutes later we were whisked away to the Serenity Bay bike rentals. They are normally $6 per person but you get a complimentary hour for each person using the cabana. We got to choose our rusty, vintage bikes and we were instructed on the riding locations.













We set out down the main runway for the bike trail to the observation tower. We were lucky that the 5k runners were already past that point so we didn't have to worry about people running in between us. It was a little difficult to get to the tower because the path has a slight incline, and being a little out of shape didn't help. lol On the way we encountered little areas of old maritime memorabilia. There were rusted anchors and barrels or all sorts to make it look like a deserted island. It was so cool!







Once at the tower, you could climb to one of 2 levels. (NOTE: The tower shakes...a lot! When you get 10 or more people on it, it feels like it's gonna fall a part! It didn't however...) We were the only ones when we got there and it was so nice and quiet! There was a gentle breeze which felt quite nice after trekking uphill! lol When you get to the top you have a panorama of the island. It's a lot smaller than you would have thought.










My squeaky wheel bike!


We also encountered some pelicans making mischief around the tower!





We then rode to the family beach and back making use of the runway. I wish we would have went to the other lookout point though! There is a bike path behind the Serenity Bay cabanas that leads to a beach look out past the Serenity Bay beach. I've seen pictures and it looks so cool! Anyways, the bikes are totally worth taking advantage of whether you have a cabana or not. It's only $6! Totally worth it for the exercise and beautiful scenery!!









Up next: Full details of the cabana!

 

[magrudersmakes3]

I loved taking that ride. We also took a lot of the same pictures

 

[ParrishMama]

Thanks for the trip report. We are looking forward to our second cruise on the Fantasy and it's nice to have so many recent pics.

Thank you!!
ParrishMama

 

[PrincessForLife]

Thanks for the trip report. We are looking forward to our second cruise on the Fantasy and it's nice to have so many recent pics.

Thank you!!
ParrishMama

Thanks for joining! There's always something in a trip report that has never been shown before. Even now, after our trip, I still love looking at the different experiences everyone had!

 

[PrincessForLife]

The moment is finally here! This is the part of the trip report that I've been the most excited to share.....the cabana!!! I've seen other people post a couple cabana pictures but I have never seen detailed pictures of what is included in the cabana. I searched internet and found a couple YouTube videos that showcase Cabana 19 but there was NOTHING on Cabana 20.....so here it is!!

When you are first dropped off at your cabana, you are greeted by a cabana number sign that includes a chalkboard with "Welcome *insert last name here* Family! It was funny because ours had both of our last names because we were just married and I didn't go through the name change yet. If you have more than one last name in your cabin, you will have them all on the cabana welcome sign. It was no biggy because our host just used some water and rubbed off my last name. lol


You cans till see the and before I erased it!

All better!

From the beach, the cabanas look tiny but in reality, it was huge. You can see the scale with my DH walking up to it and massive it compared to him. I know some resorts offer pool/beach-side cabanas at hotels and they are flimsy tents that don't look worth it. However, on Castaway Cay, it feels like you have your own beach house. We even had our own welcome mat at the front door! The whole structure is made of solid, weather-worn wood in bright seaside colors. It was also decorated with some beautiful carved beach wood.


A lot bigger than expected!



A pretty mermaid!

Beach wood!

There are a lot of amenities in this place! My favorite is the amount of seating you get. In the covered shelter there is a loveseat and 2 armchairs as well as a coffee table and 2 side benches to store all bags. On the canopy covered area outside the wood roof, there are 2 chase loungers pushed together with extra throw pillows. Next to the stairs there is also a mini side chase lounger and a side table. Did I mention that all the seating was very cushiony and VERY comfortable??








My favorite seat!

Inside the shelter was also a mini changing area. This came in handy after our bike ride when I changed into my swim suit!



Now for all the other amenities. To start, there is a safe! This was so nice to leave all of our electronics and cards in there while we were swimming. We didn't have to worry about a thing! The safe is hidden in a closet that also contains tissue and extra towels. We also had a mini fridge that contained water, soda, fresh fruit, and wet towels. The water was very nice to have on hand with the very hot day and the wet towels were great for refreshing after bike riding and right before we got back on the boat. I never thought something as simple as a cold, wet towel could make a huge difference! lol We also had a basket of granola bars and chips, as well as plates, silverware, napkins for anything else. (We never used them...) We also brought a bottle of champagne we received on the ship! There was a drink menu but we never ordered from it because of the champagne and had so much to do! On the coffee table and in a basket there was a variety of magazines to choose from. It was all travel magazines boasting tropical getaways...like the one we were at! lol











In the canopy area we also got sunscreen! This came in handy because we were slathering sunscreen all day long. We didn't use ours as much because it was a spray and didn't work as well as the lotion kind that was provided. On the outside area down the steps we also had a freshwater tall and foot shower. The foot shower was really nice to have so we weren't always tracking mounds of sand into the cabana. We also used the floats and hammock. But...the hammock broke half way through the day. (The beam snapped) We told our host and he said they would take care of it the next day. He was so nice!




The lovely foot shower

....and our broken hammock. lol

Overall, the cabanas at Castaway Cay are totally worth it! We wouldn't do them every time we did a cruise since they are kind of expensive, but it's nice if you have a group of people or want it as a romantic hideaway. There were some wonderful amenities and the views from the cabana were out of this world!


The view from my favorite seat


Up next: Leave the Island...

 

[OSUBuckly]

Wow, thanks for the details on the cabanas. I had no idea they were that elaborate.

Were the food and drinks included in the cost or were you charged for what you ended up using (like a hotel minibar)?

 

[PrincessForLife]

Wow, thanks for the details on the cabanas. I had no idea they were that elaborate.

Were the food and drinks included in the cost or were you charged for what you ended up using (like a hotel minibar)?

Yes they were! Everything I shared (minus our bottle of champagne) was included! The only thing that wasn't included was the alcoholic beverages that you order through the bar. But at $399 for the Serenity Bay cabana, they almost should be!! lol

 

[JKSWonder]

Yes they were! Everything I shared (minus our bottle of champagne) was included! The only thing that wasn't included was the alcoholic beverages that you order through the bar. But at $399 for the Serenity Bay cabana, they almost should be!! lol

Very nice pics of the cabana.

Even if they didn't include all alcohol in that price, I think it would be nice if they would throw in just one welcome drink per person. Like one Konk Cooler each sort of thing?