Fantasy Eastern Feb 8-15 2014-Cupids in the Caribbean-TRIP REPORT COMPLETED 7/17!

[JulieODC]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

 

[JulieODC]

A few thoughts on your last few updates...

We loved lunch at Cookies...something about the beach works up such an appetite, and the food there really hit the spot!

DD loved seeing Olaf...but when we visited, the poor guy was missing the tip of his nose!

And your assessment of the food was spot on...nothing terrible, but nothing fabulous. We enjoyed the dining, but didn't walk away wowed by anything in particular!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

So sorry for your loss Heidi. Prayers to you and your family.

Thanks Jen. We really appreciate that.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I'm so sorry for your loss.

Thank you.

A few thoughts on your last few updates...

We loved lunch at Cookies...something about the beach works up such an appetite, and the food there really hit the spot!

DD loved seeing Olaf...but when we visited, the poor guy was missing the tip of his nose!

And your assessment of the food was spot on...nothing terrible, but nothing fabulous. We enjoyed the dining, but didn't walk away wowed by anything in particular!

I totally agree with you about the lunch at Cookies. By the time we ate we were all starving!

Poor Olaf! I wonder what happened to his nose.

I have had other vacations where I have had something to eat that was so delicious that I would go back again just for the meal. I wouldn't go back on the Fantasy for any of the food, but there were many other things that would bring me back!

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

I started reading your TR because we are on the Fantasy Eastern for NYE14. Our itinerary includes St John, San Juan, and CC. I loved the entire report. Your photos are lovely - and the fire in the sunrise photos was perfect. Your TR has made me even more anxious for our own cruise - but it also gave me some great ideas. Thanks so much for this.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I started reading your TR because we are on the Fantasy Eastern for NYE14. Our itinerary includes St John, San Juan, and CC. I loved the entire report. Your photos are lovely - and the fire in the sunrise photos was perfect. Your TR has made me even more anxious for our own cruise - but it also gave me some great ideas. Thanks so much for this.

Thank you so much for your kind comments. I am glad that you able to get some ideas from our adventures. I hope that you have on a wonderful time like we did on the Fantasy!

 

[wendlle]

just a quick note to say thanks for the TR, you did almost all the things that I have planned for our eastern trip. Mixology, bernards and the dubloon snorkel excursion! So it was fun reading what you thought of it. Now i'm super excited and can't wait for september!!

 

[BethsTinks]

Thank you for sharing your experience on the Fantasy. I just booked our first cruise ever and we will have the same itinerary, just end of March 2015! I so can't wait to experience the fun of it all! Your daughters are ADORABLE!!! So much fun! Can't wait to be that relaxed in the haze of all things Disney!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

just a quick note to say thanks for the TR, you did almost all the things that I have planned for our eastern trip. Mixology, bernards and the dubloon snorkel excursion! So it was fun reading what you thought of it. Now i'm super excited and can't wait for september!!

You are very welcome! It sounds like you have some great things planned and I am sure you will enjoy every moment.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Thank you for sharing your experience on the Fantasy. I just booked our first cruise ever and we will have the same itinerary, just end of March 2015! I so can't wait to experience the fun of it all! Your daughters are ADORABLE!!! So much fun! Can't wait to be that relaxed in the haze of all things Disney!

That is so exciting that you have your first cruise booked! The time between now and then will drag on and fly by all at the same time. There is something very special about a cruise with a twist of Disney.

Thank you for the comment about the girls! I think they are pretty cute all of the time, but to see how happy they are in the pictures from our cruise I think makes them even cuter.

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Hello fellow Minnesotan!

First I wanted to say I am sorry for your family's loss.

I just found your TR today and am all caught up! I generally don't read reports for hours but it was a busy weekend so I was home for most of the day! Your report is great, thank you for all the information!

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Hello fellow Minnesotan!

First I wanted to say I am sorry for your family's loss.

I just found your TR today and am all caught up! I generally don't read reports for hours but it was a busy weekend so I was home for most of the day! Your report is great, thank you for all the information!

Hi! You've gotta love "The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes!"

Thank you for the condolences.

I am glad that my report kept you interested. I really enjoyed reading reports with a lot of detail while I was planning, so I decided to include as much detail as I could in my report.

 

[dawne98]

I too have loved your TR we been looking at the Fantasy and you truly make me want to go for it we are on the Wonder in Feb so we'll see.....also my DH to be (we are getting married in Dec) told me the other day he wants us to go parasailing so after seeing how much fun it looks I might have to do it now "thanks"
and I am truly sorry for the loss of your father in law.....

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I too have loved your TR we been looking at the Fantasy and you truly make me want to go for it we are on the Wonder in Feb so we'll see.....also my DH to be (we are getting married in Dec) told me the other day he wants us to go parasailing so after seeing how much fun it looks I might have to do it now "thanks"
and I am truly sorry for the loss of your father in law.....

I am so happy that you have enjoyed our trip report! I am sure that you would love the Fantasy, but an upcoming trip on the Wonder sounds wonderful.

Congrats on your upcoming wedding!

The parasailing was such a highlight for us. It was so intimidating to me leading up to it, but I am so glad that I decided to join in. Do it!

Thank you for your condolences.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

On our final morning I glanced outside to see that we were already at Port Canaveral. I don't know if it was our location being our stateroom was mid ship, but I never noticed vibrations or movement on the Fantasy. We decided to skip the main dining room for breakfast and just make our way to the buffet in Cabanas one last time. Once we finished up we made our way to Shutters to pick up our photo album, which was ready and waiting for us.

We decided to keep our bags with us and do the express walk-off. We were still considering going to Universal for the day, so we wanted to get back to Orlando as soon as possible. We made our way to the atrium just as they started to allow people to debark. We made our way to the customs officer and were on our way in just moments.

We made our way to the shuttles for our ride to the Avis office. Prior to getting off of the Fantasy we had filled out the evaluation. One of the questions that lead to discussion between DH and myself was if the cruise was a good value. We weighed the cost vs. experience and decided that it was. While we were waiting for the shuttle I suddenly felt very emotional and felt like I could cry. I turned and looked at my girls and I just crumbled. In turn they did as well. We came to the conclusion there on the curb that any trip that could reduce us all to tears when it was over was probably a good value!

When the shuttle arrived there was one other family waiting with us. Along the way we stopped at the Carnival stop and picked up two more people. After a short drive we arrived at Avis, where DH ran in and grabbed the keys to our waiting vehicle. With the express walk-off and being one of the first people at Avis we ended up getting on the road right at 8 a.m.

Along the way we decided to pass on Universal because we decided to just have a relaxing day. We ended up going to Downtown Disney for the day. I don't know if I would call it a relaxing day, but it allowed us just a little more time in the Disney bubble.



That evening we stayed at the Hyatt at the Orlando Airport. I booked the hotel through Last Minute Travel for $137. I felt like this was a great value for the convenience of being able to just walk to security in the morning for our flight home. Thankfully our flights home in the morning were on time and uneventful. I am so glad that we allowed ourselves that one last day in Florida to decompress before heading back to the real world.

Up next: Top Moments

 

[princess333]

I have enjoyed reading your trip report. We will be on the Fantasy in September and like you I always feel sad about leaving the ship.

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

I have enjoyed reading your trip report. We will be on the Fantasy in September and like you I always feel sad about leaving the ship.

Thank you for reading along!

It really is sad when it is all over, isn't it?

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

To wrap things up for our trip report I interviewed my family to see what their top 5 moments were on our vacation. DD7 could not stop at just 5, so here is her top 9.

1. AquaDuck-"It was super fast and I liked that."





2. Spending time with family-"We did fun stuff together."





3. The room-"I loved the bunk bed. There were stars and constellations."



4. The pool-"You could watch shows from the pool."





5. Mickey Bars-"I loooooved those Mickey Bars!"



6. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique-"I was really pretty after I was done."





7. Characters-"They were cool." Who was your favorite? "Well, Mickey of course."











8. The Oceaneer Club and Lab-"I liked arts and crafts. That fan I made was pretty nice."











9. The beach at Castaway Cay-"It was really, really cool, but the water was freezing. I built a sand Disney cruise."







Up next: Top Moments According To DD10

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Here are the top moments according to DD10.

1. Spending time with family-"It was fun and I loved doing all the cool things."















2. Parasailing-"I loooooooved it! I mean hear me. I loved it!"









3.Snorkeling-"I thought it was really cool to see all those turtles."





4. Oceaneer Club and Lab-"I liked all of the activities that they had."







5. Hair braiding-"I thought that it really, really hurt, but it looked really, really cool."







Up next: Top Moments According to DH

 

[LoveMyTwoPrincesses]

Here are the top 5, that turned into the top 6 moments according to DH.

1. The sunrise at Port Canaveral-"It was a good start to our trip. It was relaxing, calming, and beautiful. It washed away all of the other junk." (Such as work stress and the weather we had been experiencing back home. DH still tells people how wonderful it was to be "unplugged" from the rest of the world)









2. Palo brunch-"Good food, good company (me), and beautiful views."



3. Mixology-"It was fun to be the bartender and to meet new people from different parts of the US and Canada. Of the drinks that were made, the mojitos were particularly good (He made the drink and he got to muddle the mint)."







4. Snorkeling-"Swimming in the ocean was in a way disturbing and comforting at the same time. Watching the turtles in their environment was particularly cool. A unique opportunity to see my family do something new and their practice in the swimming pool payoff."







5. Orient Beach at St. Martin-"It was what you would expect when swimming in the ocean - beautiful beach, blue water, good weather, and riding the waves."







6. Spending time with my family-"Each time I've looked at the pictures in the trip report, it brings a smile to my face to remember how much fun the whole trip was. It sounds cheezy, but there were many moments that were priceless."