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

[PrincessForLife]

Next it was Insel Air's turn to take off. Just a suggestion, when a big airplane is taking off and the jet turbine is facing the beach you are on, RUN or sit at the bar and watch the people on the beach being blown into the water. Insel wasn't bad because it didn't kick up a lot of rocks and the power wasn't as strong as KLM. My DH held me during this one and it didn't feel like I was quite going to fall yet. We did however need to look away because of all the dust.


Turning the corner....



Getting ready...to pelt with rocks!!


Next plane!

After 20 minutes passed, it was KLM's turn to leave. Ugh, never again! Because the plane is so massive and the turbine is so strong, you will get knocked off your feet. Kevin was clinging onto the fence right behind it while I was down at the shoreline so I wouldn't get blasted as much. I dug my feet deep into the sand and held onto all our belongings facing the water. It was so strong that the waves were going backwards! It also hurt REALLY bad because of all the pebbles that were being kicked up and pelted against my legs. Don't make the same mistake that I did! We then took a couple minutes to recover and watch the last plane land in our allotted schedule. We had a few extra minutes so we went to the Dunes Casino right down the street. Don't go there! It's really shady and the payout sucks.


I'm ready for the KLM tortur!!

Kevin is super excited to be clinging to the fence for his life!

That's how big that sucker is!


Next in line:






We then asked our taxi driver to drop us back in the middle of downtown. We stopped at the Gauvaberry Rum store for some liquor and then went looking for a little more of a ligit casino. We found one at the end of Front Street that looked ok. Kevin went to the blackjack table while I lingered around the slots. He lost $30 and I won $57 on slots! Haha! I win. lol After that we went on a search for a pair of earrings for me. We ended up going to Effy Jewelry and I bought a very pretty pair of day-to-night drop tanzanite earrings! I love them so much! We then made our way back to the ship to get some lunch and allow me to go to the rainforest room for a while before Planes the movie!






My day-to-night earrings!

Same pair, let down!!

They made me soooo happy!!




My DH is ready to go back to the ship!




And finally...look what we found in our room! Our cabana information!!

 

[Princess Michelle]

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[PrincessForLife]

Those earrings are fantastic! I've never seen anything like that before!

The cabana info is super cute too!

I saw them on the shopping guide on the Magic last year where she demonstrated the 2 different looks and I fell in love! They had pairs made completely out of diamonds that were in the thousands of dollars range but mine were only $299 because of imperfect tanzanite and small diamonds. I think they are perfect!

I was bouncing off the walls when I saw the pop-up cabana! It's so cute and it folded flat so I was able to take it home. The really thing is even better! I have A LOT of pictures!!

 

[UmmGooD]

Ok first let me say congratulations on the happy wedding. I am loving your trip report. Anyway I LOVE YOUR HUSBAND'S SHIRT. I am always wearing funny shirts like that to work so I had to have one. I found one online and ordered it I can't wait to get it!

If anyone else wants one and won't get to WDW anytime soon they have them at shop goodie dot com.

I always have wanted to go on the Fantasy. Now I want to even more. Maybe a couples only trip.

 

[PrincessForLife]

Ok first let me say congratulations on the happy wedding. I am loving your trip report. Anyway I LOVE YOUR HUSBAND'S SHIRT. I am always wearing funny shirts like that to work so I had to have one. I found one online and ordered it I can't wait to get it!

If anyone else wants one and won't get to WDW anytime soon they have them at shop goodie dot com.

I always have wanted to go on the Fantasy. Now I want to even more. Maybe a couples only trip.

Thank you! And that's awesome! I'm so happy I can get him another one when he wears this one down!

The Fantasy is an awesome place for couples! I feel like it has a lot more adult exclusive areas than on the Magic and Wonder. And even though there aren't as many activities for adults, there's a lot more in terms of relaxation and partying than daytime filler activities.

 

[JKSWonder]

Aw, you guys are cute! Congratulations on your wedding!

I am loving your report. We sailed on the Fantasy in August 2012 and we are going again August 2014. Fantasy trip reports are the only thing that's going to get me through the next 10 months of waiting.

Thank you so much for posting the Remy Wine vault menu pic and that adorably cute standee cabana pic! I don't think I've ever seen pics of either one of those things before.

Palo brunch is amazing, isn't it? Except, looking at your pics, I think you had some better stuff than we had. Also, the signs letting you know what everything was are much clearer than I remember. Maybe they put someone with better handwriting on that job?

 

[PrincessForLife]

Aw, you guys are cute! Congratulations on your wedding!

I am loving your report. We sailed on the Fantasy in August 2012 and we are going again August 2014. Fantasy trip reports are the only thing that's going to get me through the next 10 months of waiting.

Thank you so much for posting the Remy Wine vault menu pic and that adorably cute standee cabana pic! I don't think I've ever seen pics of either one of those things before.

Palo brunch is amazing, isn't it? Except, looking at your pics, I think you had some better stuff than we had. Also, the signs letting you know what everything was are much clearer than I remember. Maybe they put someone with better handwriting on that job?

Thank you!

I know I'll be looking at all the upcoming Magic reports after the remodel for our trip in April! lol I wanted to post pictures that are very rarely seen. I also have a FULL picture report on Cabana 20 on Serenity Bay! I've never seen many pictures of the Serenity Bay cabanas.

We are also trying to convince my in-laws to do Palo Brunch with us in April. They're almost platinum and have NEVER tried it! Most of the tags had nice writing but there were a couple that looked like the person writing ran out of time. lol

 

[TinkerPug]

Congratulations on your wedding and amazing honeymoon!!

Thank you for posting such great photos. We are on the Nov. 16 Fantasy cruise and your photos are getting me even more excited than I already am! I can't wait to see the cabana pics. Hoping that someone cancels and we can book one...

 

[PrincessForLife]

Congratulations on your wedding and amazing honeymoon!!

Thank you for posting such great photos. We are on the Nov. 16 Fantasy cruise and your photos are getting me even more excited than I already am! I can't wait to see the cabana pics. Hoping that someone cancels and we can book one...

If you want a family one, check as much as possible! If you want a Serenity Bay one, you have a better chance of getting one. I know they have one they leaving off of the booking site as an extra. When we were there, the cabana was occupied. I think the group booked it on the cruise. Check as soon as you get on!

Hoping the best for you! Cabanas truly are magical experiences!!

 

[PrincessForLife]

We ended up just relaxing and enjoying our room for the rest of the afternoon. We also got a bite to eat with room service which included my traditional tomato soup, pizza, and Mickey bar! Kevin and I then headed down to the Walt Disney Theatre to see Planes! It came out in theatres the previous Friday and we were super excited to see it. My DH is a pilot and him and I were dying laughing at all the aviation jokes. I swear the people around us thought we were nuts since there were parts when we were the only ones laughing! lol


Such a great movie!!

After Planes we decided to walk up to Deck 13 and watch us leave St. Martin. We were ready for some cool fresh air with the sunset. There was also a guitar player up at Currents and he was really good. It was so cool to see the planes fly in to the island with such a beautiful sunset behind them! Also very romantic.




A little blurry because of my crappy camera but you get the idea!










That night was Pirate Night for dinner. We don't go all out with the costumes but I like to get in the spirit. The menu is the same as the other ships and is always good. We also opted to skip the fireworks that night. We were so exhausted from the day that we called it am early night because the next day we had an all-day excursion on St. Thomas!!




Kevin getting into character!





Someone was very VERY tired after the long day in the sun!

And here's the final picture from the night!!


A flower!

Next up St. Thomas!

 

[PrincessForLife]

The next day we awoke to find ourselves docking into St. Thomas. Compared to St. Martin, this island is breathtaking! This is definitely my Caribbean paradise! We were up very early because we had an all-day snorkel and sail with a stop at Honeymoon Beach on Water Island. Let's just say that THIS is the ultimate excursion for St. Thomas.


A first look at St. Thomas!




After grabbing a quick breakfast in Cabanas, we went down to the Walt Disney Theatre where we waited with our group (Chip and Dale) to walk off the boat. After walking in our group of 30-40 people, we waited by the harbor for a few minutes for other boats to pick up their groups. Instead of a catamaran we got a pirate schooner named "Bones." Our deck hands (Anna and Alex) were very nice and got everyone to to have a great time. Even a little girl who was afraid of the boat hitting waves until they gave her a Sprite and got her to make friends with a couple other kids on the boat. The captain didn't say much. Then again, he looked like the stereotypical seaman who had been out drinking too late the previous night. He was really sweet though!








There's our boat!




Our first stop was out to Turtle Bay to snorkel with the turtles. On the way we encountered a guy with a water jet pack and we got a little show from that as well as Alex feeding the seagull out of his hand. We were also treated to the views of the mansions along the shore as well as chips and salsa. The adults also got "the orange stuff." A combination of orange juice, pineapple juice, and large quantities of rum. Lets just say that we were slurring words and stumbling along the whole day. lol

 

[PrincessForLife]

Let's just say that snorkeling with turtles should be on everyone's bucket list. They are so graceful in the water and if you float in one spot long enough, one will swim up to the surface right next to you! I didn't get a chance to experience that but my DH stayed still and one came within inches of his face! He said the turtle looked into his soul. (A quote from Alex who told us about the turtles surfacing.) lol The pictures are a little bad because I used an underwater disposable but you can see a few!




A pretty reef!

He's down there!







Anna was a great guide! She would point out different fish as well as tell us all about the turtles!




After the epic snorkeling for about an hour, it was time to set the sails and have a relaxing 45-60min cruise to Water Island. Kevin even got to help hoist the sails!







More of the orange stuff was passed around and Anna and Alex entertained the crowd. The captain also let people take turns at the helm so Kevin went up again! lol While listening to some good music, Alex came around with tattoos and literally slapped them on everyone in the boat. It was hysterical! Needless to say, there was never a boring moment on board!


Hey look! We're beating the other boat!!

And all because Kevin was driving!












We are official pirates now!!!

 

[PrincessForLife]

As we rounded the corner of Water Island, Alex gave us a brief history about it being the newest addition to the US Virgin Islands and the 200 residents that live there. All we saw were beautiful rocky cliffs until the boat turned into the bay that had a BEAUTIFUL palm tree lined beach! I almost couldn't believe it was real! Honeymoon Beach looks like a painting or somewhere in a far off land that has only been photographed.






And then BAM!!
















We had to tender to the beach because of shallow waters. We had the option of swimming from the boat or taking the small raft boat. Kevin swam while I took the raft. (I would have swam if I didn't have the camera and towels!)


Kevin swimming while....

I was on the raft...

On the beach we enjoyed a BBQ lunch with salads under the palm trees. We were then given about an hour to relax and swim before heading back to the boat. Once everyone was safely back, we headed back to port passing some great sites such as the old sugar mill!





If you are looking for a great excursion for the nature lovers in your family, this is a great way to experience the beauty of St. Thomas. It was about $105 per plus the $20 tip we gave but it was definitely worth it! I highly recommend this excursion!!

 

[PrincessForLife]

After getting a quick bite to eat, it was time for me to go to the Rainforest Room in Senses!! I was really excited to try it because I've heard so many good things about the experience. When you check in at the front desk, you bring the voucher that was delivered to your room and exchange that and your key for a green bracelet that allows you access into the room. You then go into the locker room and change into your bathing suit/robe and leave all extra item in the lockers. The Rainforest Room is right across from the locker rooms.



Once you enter, you are greeted by a small relaxation area with towels, inlaid seats, and lemon/cucumber water. There are also extra robes and slippers provided. Right past that area on the left are the sensory showers and saunas. This was a nice area to take a break from the water and sauna experience and relax with a glass of refreshing water.





I was told to try one shower and then a sauna and repeat this process. Since I was a little sunburnt, I tried the Cool Mist Experience first. There were two buttons, Cool Mist and Siberian Night. The cool mist was very refreshing and just as it sounded, a mist. The Siberian night was a little intense. It was a combination of the cool mist and high power jets of freezing cold water. It felt great coming out of the wet sauna and into the cold water but on its own is a little too cold.



I then went in the dry sauna. This was my favorite sauna because it wasn't too hot and it had a floor to ceiling window to the outside where I watched us leave St. Thomas. Next was the Rainforest shower. This one included a setting of a waterfall jet that alternated with jets. The water also alternated from cold to hot. There was also a setting for a warm mist alternating with hot jets for that muggy rainforest downpour. The hot/dry sauna was next and it was just okay. The seats were too hot to sit on without a towel but you were able to control the amount of steam produced! The Water Fun shower was great! It had settings that included a multitude of jest/temperatures/scents. My favorite in this one was the Atlantic Coast setting. Finally I braved the wet sauna for a couple minutes. (I'm not a huge fan because I feel like I can't breathe in there..) Then we come to my favorite shower, TROPICAL THUNDER! This one had my absolute favorite shower, the Southern Storm. It reminds me of what a Disney World rainstorm is like!


I could spend all day here!!


Just right!




Way too hot!

After going from shower to shower for the next 30 minutes, I decided to take a break and try the whirlpools out on the verandah. These were the same ones as I reported earlier in the private villa and felt very nice. We were still in the process of leaving St. Thomas so I got to watch the island disappear into the distance. After turning all wrinkly, I laid down on the heated loungers and took a quick cat nap. It was so relaxing! I then came back to the room to find my DH sleeping and I came to find out that he started a movie when I left and never made it past the first 5 minutes. I guess all that snorkeling and swimming really tired him out!


Very relaxing!


Up next: Remy!

 

[JKSWonder]

St. Thomas is the best place we've visited on a cruise so far.

I think I am going to try the Rainforest on the next trip. I can't believe I have never gotten myself there before!

Can't wait to see your review of Remy. This is something I would like to try, but DH is NOT an adventurous eater (and he doesn't drink wine, if you can believe that!), so I'm not sure it would be something he would enjoy.

 

[PrincessForLife]

St. Thomas is the best place we've visited on a cruise so far.

I think I am going to try the Rainforest on the next trip. I can't believe I have never gotten myself there before!

Can't wait to see your review of Remy. This is something I would like to try, but DH is NOT an adventurous eater (and he doesn't drink wine, if you can believe that!), so I'm not sure it would be something he would enjoy.

The Rainforest Room is now on my must visit places for the cruises. I'm extra excited to go to the newly renovated one on the Magic next year!

As I'll post soon, Remy has it's highlights and down sides. It's pretty adventurous but at the same time, it has some good options for the not-so-adventurous eater.

 

[PrincessForLife]

Because we thought it would be a good way to relax, my DH and I planned our Remy dinner the night after the all day excursion to St. Thomas. That was such a bad choice! First of all, we were exhausted from all the swimming and drinking. Second, we were burnt, which made us look like fancy lobsters. Third, we were exhausted! I almost didn't want to go but I was so excited to try what I've heard such good things about! When we got to the restaurant, we were seated right away in a back corner table up against the back wall. I really enjoyed our spot because it was already dark, so having a window view would be pointless. Instead we were able to admire the beauty of the detail in the murals next to us! I was also very surprised at how private and secluded Remy was. Palo had tables so close together that you were almost touching seats next to you. In Remy, the tables are spaced farther away making it feel like you have a private dining space. The first thing you get is a champagne cocktail called the Collette after the female lead in the movie. It had pear vodka, champagne, and candied fruit and flower pieces. It was quite tasty! I saw that there was also an alcohol-free version made of fruit puree for those who don't drink.




The Collette

Our bottle of Remy's Vault wine





Oh look! We are fancy lobsters!!

I can't remember our waiter's name but he was fantastic. I want to say it was Roberto or Luca. All I remember is that he was from Italy, worked in fine dining restaurants around Europe, and we were some of his first customers since he's only been on the floor for about a week. He explained the menu flawlessly! We had three choices for dinner: The Gout menu, by American Chef Scott Hunne, Saveur menu created by French Chef Arnaud Laillement, and a la carte items from both menus. Our server recommended that we choose a menu rather than items. I chose the Gout menu and my DH chose the Saveur. For everyone wondering, if you have a not-so-adventurous eater, go for the Gout menu by Scott Hunne. Even if the menu changes, Chef Hunne's menu is in the traditional style of American cooking rather than the VERY expressive and experimental French menu. My DH wished he would have gotten the Gout menu...

After your cocktail is served, a server brings out a variety of bread, a cup of unsalted butter, and a pot of sea salt. All the breads were delicious and small sizes so you can try then all and not get full on them. Next was the Amuse Bouche which is meant to awaken the taste buds. (I didn't get a picture) It was a small cube of tomato soup in a fried cube. Different but very good. Next we got a plate with Remy's signature Ratatouille with olive oil ice cream and the somelier brought our wine choice (2007 Pahlmeyer for the Remy vault). I loved the stewed veggies but the ice cream was a little out there for me. My DH didn't like it period. lol


Ratatouille with Olive Oil Ice Cream

For the first official course my DH got the Tomate En Declinaison, tomato tart and essence of tomato drink. We didn't try each others plates very much like at Victoria & Albert's but by the look of it, he liked the tart but not the drink. I smelled it and it was essence of garbage juice to me. I, on the other hand, had the Maine Lobster with Herb Aoili from the Gout menu. One word: Delicious! It was made of huge chunks of lobster is a creamy sauce with greens.


Tomate En Declinaison

Maine Lobster with Herb Aoili

Second course consisted of Saumon (raw salmon) for my DH and Loup De Mer for me, which was white fish with a yellow tomato sauce. Mine was very tasty and flaky. A perfect white fish! Kevin said that his salmon was the best piece of raw salmon he has ever had.


Saumon

Loup De Mer

Third course for me was the Poulet Rouge Oscar (chicken) with a mayo sauce and asparagus. The chicken was so tender and light with very crisp asparagus. I wish my chicken at home would turn out as good! My DH got a Bar Chilean which was a Chilean sea bass with foam sauce and sauteed veggies. He said it was okay but I could tell he really enjoyed it.


Poulet Rouge Oscar

Bar Chilean

Fourth course was the Boeuf De Wagyu for my husband, which was an Australian beef cut with a taco crunch. My DH went gaga over it but I'm not one for taco seasoning so it wasn't my favorite. Mine was the Kurobuto Pork. It was chunks of pork belly and bacon seared with veggies. It was nowhere near the top of my favorite dishes, to say the least...


Boeuf De Wagyu

Kurobuto Pork

Then came the course I had been waiting for all night, the cheese course!!! I LOVE international cheeses. The problem with the Remy cheese was that it was mostly soft cheese and I'm a hard cheese kind of a girl. There were many bleu cheeses and I couldn't stomach half of them. The server sympathized with me since he likes the hard Italian cheese like me.




Cheese cart!!!!


I was so grateful for the dessert course next because it got the awful cheese taste out of my mouth! Kevin had a Chocolate Praline with an Espresso drink that you ate with a spoon. He really enjoyed both of them. I got the Chocolate Morelle Cherry Tarte. It was fantastic! The tarte was all chocolate with a hint of bitter cherry. The whole thing was topped off with a chocolate sculpture that looked like a tiara and ice cream covered in gold leaf! I've never had gold leaf. It was so cool!


Chocolate Praline with an Espresso drink

Chocolate Morelle Cherry Tarte

We also got a special plate that said Happy Honeymoon in French with a couple of truffles and edible glitter gel. It was such a nice touch! The finishing for the evening included an assortment of chocolates, lollipops, pralines, and marshmallows for us to take back to the room. I also got a long stem rose!







Overall, Remy was definitely a special experience to be experienced. There was a lot of rich food, so bring Tums for the aftermath, and a lot of experimental food on the French menu. For the quality of the ingredients and presentation, it was totally worth it. If you have never had fine dining, take this opportunity to try it at a fraction of the cost of a regular fine dining restaurant in a big city. You won't be disappointed!!

 

[JKSWonder]

First, pretty dress! Nice red and a great neckline.

Second, yep, we are going to skip Remy. Neither one of us eats seafood and that does seem to be what people like there the most.

If I could just go for the champagne cocktail, wine, dessert and chocolates I would be all in!

 

[jedijill]

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

 

[PrincessForLife]

First, pretty dress! Nice red and a great neckline.

Second, yep, we are going to skip Remy. Neither one of us eats seafood and that does seem to be what people like there the most.

If I could just go for the champagne cocktail, wine, dessert and chocolates I would be all in!

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!!

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

Thank you and happy birthday! I'm sure they'll do something special for you!!