How 7 Days with DCL Trumps 5 Trips to WDW~ Fantasy Eastern Caribbean, Oct 4-11

Loved the movie night and halloween pics!!

I completely forgot about your TR and I just stumbled upon it now.

We did the same tour in St. Maarten. We toured the opposite of you, starting at the iguana farm and ending at Maho. Those planes coming in are awesome! We saw the big jumbo jet leave. We loved Orient Beach but we didn't have any seaweed. I was too cheap to pay for the loungers so we plopped our stuff right in the sand.

Your St. Thomas day looks great! We went to St. John that day. I must say I enjoyed St. Thomas/St. John a lot and would definitely return.

Pirate night looks fun! Your customers are great.

Oopsi - been thinking about you - have so enjoyed your cruise TR - are ya'll still going on vacation to Florida in October with your Mom and Dad? We need updates! Hope all is well.

Love your reviews so far. Can't wait to hear more. If you don't mind me asking, what category room did you have? Was it a Deluxe Oceanview with some whitewall verandah or a Family Deluxe Oceanview? Thanks.

thanks for sharing....

oopsiDAISY said:

We last left off with a nice dinner and settling in for the looong overnight ride to Port Canaveral. We all tried to sleep, but really the only ones to be able to sleep consistently were the teenagers...imagine that.

We did make a night time stop at the Florida Welcome Center, but we were all exhausted and looked pretty frazzled from trying to find comfy positions to rest in the van. I didn't want to tick anyone off by asking for pictures, LOL!

The sun finally rose in the sky, and we knew we were close!!! Well....maybe. (forshadowing) Rochelle had printed out mapquest directions to get there by avoiding toll roads. Sounded like a fantastic idea... 12 hours before. We were all tired and getting hungry by then, so the big people in the van decided to just ditch the cheap route in favor of the Turnpike. We hopped on it, and should be there in no time....




Over an hour later, we were still cruising along the turnpike. Brian and I had taken this route many times, and I knew that Port Canaveral should only be about an hour away from Disney....




I then noticed that the exit towns popping up on the signs were beginning to sound less and less familiar to me....




Rochelle was driving, and Stephen was navigating....




When we saw the sign that said "next exit Ft. Pierce 40 miles", I sensed something was amiss. I am smart like that, yes I am.






So, I asked Rochelle, "do we know what exit we should be taking?" Rochelle just looks over to her navigator... Stephen looks at the signs, looks at the odometer, looks at the useless mapquest directions in his lap, and then looks like this...




GREAT navigationg going on!!!

So, after taking the scenic route for a while, we pulled off at the next exit, and had some breakfast...in Ft. Pierce.... an hour PAST Port Canaveral. Yep, we knew this road trip would be fun!!!

At least we found a GREAT place for breakfast, as we were all STARVING by then! We had breadkfast at Cracker Barrel. Since we WERE starving, I failed to get photos of our food before we devoured it. But I did take a couple of photos while we were there:



And proof that the navigation snafu did not ruin our trip:



And that right there, folks, is Stephen and Rochelle in real life! They are the most kind, loving, affectionate couple we know. They are ALWAYS so happy and in love like little newlyweds... even having been married for over 20 years!

After some nourishment, we were back on the road to finish out the last leg of our trip...or would it be an extra appendage, since it ended up being 120 miles added on to the trip? Anywho, it wasn't long before we were FINALLY THERE!!!! We had requested early check-in, but did not know if our rooms would be ready or not...


They WERE!!!!

Not to waste any time on the suspense, our room for the night was fantastic!

Front entry (bathroom door closed on the right):



That open doorway led to the kids' room for the night:





It was a really cute room all decorated in cars, and had its' own TV. The kids loved that, since we do NOT allow them to have tv's in their rooms at home.

On down the hall, past the closet was this little area:



Then you have mine and Brian's place for the night:



The room was very spacious. We also had a great view from the window:



Before I close this update, I had one more tidbit to share with you about this room. I turned on the TV...and guess who was on!!!!!




STACEY!!!!!! We were an hour away from Disney, staying in a non-Disney hotel; but we still got to have our "must do Disney" fix! That right there is pixie dust at its' finest!!

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We stayed here before our last cruise. I loved the bunk bed room for the kids.

Just stumbled upon your TR as I was revisiting one of mine...that I have yet to finish...from January 2014 (link below) but loved reading yours. We are about to embark on our very first cruise on the Disney Fantasy in 24 short days, so I am looking to soak up as much info as I can about it. Yours was perfect since the timeframe is about the same and we know there will be lots of Halloween celebration stuff happening on the ship. Loved your costumes!

I would love to start a TR for our next cruise, but history has shown I am good at starting them, but not finishing them. I may still try to finish up that January 2015 Disney Magic TR at some point though, because it's just fun to revisit it.

We are looking forward to returning the bigger Disney ships once again. Our first Disney cruise was on the Dream back in Nov 2012, but it was only 3 nights and we ended up with sick people...it was not the best experience. Now with 7 nights on the Disney Fantasy and having a few cruises under our belt already we are hoping we can do lots more this time around!

Thanks for sharing!

Hi Everyone!!! I went MIA for quite a long time, but I am back to finish this trip report to any interested folks. I believe I have few Disfriends still out there.

Truthfully, I got the worst case of the Disney blues I have ever had. It was because I knew we would not be doing any sort of Disney vacation again for 2015. I know I am spoiled, so many folks do not get to enjoy Disney vacations every year as we did for four years in a row. In dealing with my disappointment, I went full-on no Disney for a while to help me to keep a positive perspective of my life, and not spend my time wishing and wanting. In doing so I abandoned the Disboards altogether and unsubcribed to all Disney blogs and emails I received, which was a LOT!

So, why am I back? In a week and a half we will FINALLY be booking our next Disney vacation!!! I really would like to start a PTR when it is booked, but I could not do that without finishing this TR. I hate to leave things unfinished, it is just not right. So, for those of you who have remained FB friends with me and have not given me a hard time about pulling away for a while, THANK YOU!!!! Now it's time to get on with the show!

I got your thread's email alert - and yes - oopsi is back!! Still following along and cannot wait to see more! Carol

I left off with a not so stellar report on our dinner beofre the Halloween party, and photos from the party itself. This leads us to Day 6 of our cruise. Can you believe it is almost over??? This was a day at sea. Staying with the theme of less rich food, I had oatmeal and a bit of Canadian bacon from Cabanas for breakfast:



After breakfast we headed to the room for a bit. Mario had been hard at work. Our room was cleaned, and all our stuffies were chiling on the couch.



After relaxing in the room for a bit, Brian and I headed for the adults only section of the ship. Brian had homework to do again, but rather than setting up in the Quiet Cove Cafe, he decided to hang out poolside with me. One of these came in short order:



The view from our loungers:



This pool was always packed, so I never did go in. If Brian would have been able to go in with me I MAY have, but I was not interested in going in alone. I was happy to relax in my lounger with a drink and a book. I read and people watched my morning away. Bfore we knew it, it was lunchtime. We decided to keep our poolside seats, and just take turns picking up some lunch from Flo' V-8, right outside the adult area. My lunch:



Grilled Chicken, French Fries, Fresh Pineapple

Brian's lunch:

He built a salad

Lunch was refreshing. Brian finished his homework, then we packed it all up and went to the room for a nap. The kids spent this day hanging out with new friends at the various clubs. Soon everyone came back to the room to get cleaned up, and it was off to dinner. This night was the Captain's Gala/ semi-formal night. There were free adult beverages, and kid's non-alcoholic drinks being passed around by servers. The wine was okay, the kid's drink tasted weird, like sprite and apple juice mixed with a speared cherry for garnish. But, mingling in the atrium with all of our Cruise friends was fun. Our dinner this night was back in the Royal Court.




Our napkin creation:



Bread Service was Sourdough with Roasted Red Pepper Dip:


Two of my Sweeties dressed up for the Captain:


Appetizers:


Marinated Tiger Shrimp


Aged Prosciutto with Parmesean Cheese and Roasted Garlic

Soups (I am not sure what these are as they do not match the soups listed on the menu I am using):





Salad:

Beefsteak Tomato and Vidalia Onion Salad

On Captain's Gala night you are served Lobster. Our waiter insisted that we neede TWO Lobster tails! Not only does your server team serve you the lobster, they also prepare it for you, cutting it away from the shell. THAT is great service!



Others in our dining party opted out of the lobster in favor of the steak and chicken selections that evening:





The Dessert menus were really cute this night:



And check out this mountain of chocolatey goodness!!!


Warm chocolate Lava Cake served warm with Double Chocolate Sauce and Vanilla Ice Cream

Since this is the only dessert I have a photo of, I am guessing we were ALL in the mood for Chocolate that night.

Beautiful towel animal that evening:



The next day would start early for me, for I had a mission to complete....

I woke up bright and early on DAY 7...how can this be the last day??? This day was Castaway Cay day. We had really looked forward to this day, we had heard so many great things about Castaway. But before that, I wanted to get a good photo of a sunrise over the ocean, and I knew exactly where on the ship to go for it. Unfortunately, it was quite overcast that day. I stayed out there for 45 minutes, and this is what I got...





Pretty pictures, but still not what I was hoping for. After that failed attempt, it was time to head back to the room to wake Brian. Today was a big day for him...his first 5K!!! He had been running with a friend, and wanted to do the Castaway Cay 5K. We both got ready, then went to Cabanas for a little bit of breakfast. Not sure what Brian had, but I am sure it was something light before running. Here is my plate:


Corned Beef Hash, Grapefruit, Canadian Bacon...and yes, baked beans. The first time I saw those beans on the breakfast bar I thought it was so odd and just gross, to be honest. By our last day there, I was just willing to try anything. LOL!

After brekkie, it was time to get set for the run. Remember, it was still pretty early. The kids chose to stay in the room and sleep. They set an alarm. They intended to get up, get dressed, and have breakfast by the time we got back from the race. Then we would all get off the ship together for Castaway Day.

Runners were to meet up in The Tube (one of the bars). I love how Brian matched the seats in there, great photos!



It was very cool to get off the ship, and see Castaway before others were able to get off. Runners are allowed off the ship about an hour before others. We got a good photo of the Fantasy en route to the race:




Brian ended up walking part of the way. I got this gorgeous photo of him crossing the "finish line":



He got a cool Mickey medal for finishing:



He also bought a t-shirt, but I do not have a photo of it. He had fun doing the race, and even ended up meeting a couple who live in the next town over from us. Our daughters play each other in basketball, and we seem them often now. You just never know who you will meet through Mickey!

We headed back to the ship so that Brian could shower and change quickly. The kids were all awake, fed and clothed. It was now time to explore Disney's private island...

Connie, I'm so glad to see you back on the Dis again. Disney blues are the worst kind of blues there is!

Way to go Brian on finishing the Castaway Cay 5K! Doesn't matter one bit that he finished it up with walking....he still finished which is much better than what I would have done.

mickeystoontown said:

Connie, I'm so glad to see you back on the Dis again. Disney blues are the worst kind of blues there is!

Way to go Brian on finishing the Castaway Cay 5K! Doesn't matter one bit that he finished it up with walking....he still finished which is much better than what I would have done.

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It is good to be back on the Dis. Cannnot wait to start my PTR! I was proud of Brian for doing that 5K! He ran and exercised a lot while he was in the military years ago, but he had pretty much stopped altogether since then. Want my man to stay healthy, so I can have him around for many years to come.

Would anyone like to hang out at Castawy Cay today? I know I sure would! This report update wil have to do...

After Brian got showered and changed, we headed off of the ship and back onto the island for some fun. We saw Olaf enjoying some warmth and sunshine at Castaway:



Our next stop was to Cookies for some lunch. We made the girls have lunch WITH us before going off with their friends. Lunch was a BBQ buffet. My plate:



The girls went off on their own after lunch, and Gabe was stuck with his parents. We went in search of a few loungers to set up as our "home base" for the day.



As you can see, it was a gorgeous day to be there. The water was a bit cold, but that did not keep Gabe from having some ocean fun on this bad boy.



We had worked on his swimming skills all summer long so that he could have some fun at Pelican Plunge, and it did not disappoint, He loved it! The view overhead from my lounger:



Amd just ahead...yes, there were a TON of loungers on the beach. But, I was just fine with it. Just chillin'!



We spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing in the sun, and reading. We ended up on loungers right next to some of our newfound friends from our cruise FB page. They were from Atlanta, but make it to Nashville once or twice a year for a Predators hockey game. We spent quite a bit of time visiting with them. The day was fun and relaxing. On the way back to the boat, we took some great photos of our sailing vessel:







The beach and marina:









Charity's favorite part of the ship:



When we got back to the room, sadness awaited our arrival.



This stuff would be the equivalent of the Tragical Express packet that is left at your resort the night before departure from WDW. This was our luggage tags and debarkation instructions. WAAAAAH!!!!

Gorgeous pictures from Castaway Cay! Yep, I'd much rather be there right now! It looks like y'all set up camp in about the same spot that we did except we were just a tad bit further down the beach. Lunch looks absolutely delicious and I'm now officially hangry!

mickeystoontown said:

Gorgeous pictures from Castaway Cay! Yep, I'd much rather be there right now! It looks like y'all set up camp in about the same spot that we did except we were just a tad bit further down the beach. Lunch looks absolutely delicious and I'm now officially hangry!

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Hahaha!! I am going to assume since Thanksgiving happened since your reply that you are well fed now, my friend!

It is time for me to crank this report into high gear, and get it finished. Why? Because.....Look at my signature now. WE ARE BOOKED for our next Disney adventure!!!! I am so ready to start the PTR for that. I already have a great report title chosen!

But, before that... we must finish our cruise! This was our LAST night on this awesome cruise. We were all so sad to see it end. We genuinely loved every moment of this vacation. Our last dinner would be at Animator's Palette.





We allowed everyone to order specialty drinks on this last night of the cruise:



Before food was served, each person at the table had a placemat to color in a "stick figure". Servers collected these, then started serving dinner.

Bread service: Sour Dough Bread with Roasted Red Pepper Dip


Appetizer: Animator's Workshop Sampler


Soup: Buttered Popcorn Soup (I really do not think that is what this is. The menu says the popcorn soup was topped with caramel popcorn, and this is not. I do know that I did not have the popcorn soup. I seem to recall that someone else at the table did.)


Roasted Red Snapper served on a bed of Fennel, Olives, Sweet Peppers, and a Yukon Gold Potato Ragout with Saffron Broth:


I chose something from the "Lighter Fare" menu, again~ I was burnt out on rich foods by this time.


Seafood Linguini Pasta


Between entrees and desserts, our artwork came to life on the big screens around the dining room.

This is my girl at the back of the dancing line with the polka dotted Mickey shirt on:


I won't post the rest of them, since I cannot remember which figures in the photos belong to whom. But, I can say this..this was an awesome way to end our cruise!!!

Desserts were served. Jillian got the Sweet Tempations, as always.


The rest of us went with the specialty dessert for the night...Baked Alaska.


Gabe and Little E got the Decorate Your Own Cupcakes dessert:


We had to take one last photo of Gabe with his buddy, Sawek:



On the way out, I stopped to snap a picture of one of the light up characters on the floor of Animator's:


One last blanket creation from Mario when we got back to the room:


At this time we made everyone get luggage packed, as it had to be put out in the hall for pick-up. They get luggage ready to unload the night before arriving back at Port Canaveral. After we were all packed up, we made the kiddos join us for one last family hurrah before they all went off to say goodbye to friends at the clubs.

One of the Fish Extender gifts we had gotten were Ice Cream sundae kits to use with the unlimited soft serve available on the 11th deck. We all headed down for an ice cream sundae and a movie under the stars...


One of my all time favorite photos from the whole trip:


After our little family gathering, Brian and I headed back to the room for our own last night of the cruise moment:


The next day would be debarkation....but, we also had a bit more magic before we headed home.

Time to wake up...and get off the ship. :-( But first, everyone was scheduled for breakfast in the dining room they had dined in the night before. We would be having breakfast in Animator's. Our last napkin creation:

http://www.cengage.com/search/produ...&N=16&Ntk=APG||P_EPI&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial

There was a very select menu, but it was still quite tasty. I stayed with my "bland food" theme of the last couple of days.





After breakfast, we hung out in the atrium for a bit waiting for the Quackattack family.









I was really sad to leave, can you tell? Lots of last minute pictures...

Then it was time to walk the plank...I mean the gangway, off of the ship. I could not help taking my last photos of this beautiful ship.





The saddest picture of all:



Upon disengorging, I mean disembarking the ship, you would dumped into the luggage area. Remember those orange tags of Goofy? This is how you found your luggage....the Orange Goofy luggage area:



It all went very quickly and efficiently. Of course it did, it's Disney! After leaving Port Canaveral, we wanted to squeeze in just a bit more Disney magic... Where do you think we headed?

I wish we could have gone to the parks, but alas, that was not possible. The next best place? Downtown Disney! We first went into Basin:





The stuff in this store is so glorious, just a bit pricey. Next, we moved on to the Mecca of Disney shopping, World of Disney.



They had Halloween merch out:



No trip to World of Disney is complete without a silly hat or two:



And a photo we try to get every time we go:



Moving on to the Lego store:



Then we were about to mark something off of our Disney must-try list:



We had never eaten at Earl before, and had heard such great things about it. Here is Brian with our bag of goodness:



My Hawaiian BBQ:



NOM NOM...it was DELICIOUS!!!!



It definitely lived up to the praises. It will be a repeat, I am sure! After lunch, we moved on to Once Upon a Toy. Another oopsiFAMILY tradition- build a Potatohead:





We were all pretty tired, and ready to hit the road at this point. BUT, Jillian had a bit more souvie money to spend, and she already knew what she wanted:



We go on a fabulous 7 day cruise, visit two Caribbean islands, and the girl uses her money for CHOCOLATE! LOL!

Before leaving, one last photo:



We headed home at this point. It was a vacation dream. It was the BEST. We made so many memories. We visited new places. We made many new friends. It was everything you could ever wish for in a vacation. Brian fell in love with DCL, and if we could afford it, we would do it every year.

Last days on vacation suck! I'm talking seriously suck. But, you made the most of it by stopping at Downtown Disney, eating at Earl of Sandwich and doing your traditional things like taking silly hat pictures and building Potato heads. I am now ready to give another Disney cruise a try but my wallet is already screaming from the Senior fees that keep popping up this year for Hunter.