A long time ago on a Fantasy far far away...Feb 2016 SWDAS TR, 5/17 CRUISE EPILOGUE - The End!

[chunkymonkey]

Oh, wow! Just fabulous! So, you say you were presented with two tasting menus. Is this the American / French regular choices, or were the tasting menus an entirely different choice altogether? You definitely had some different items than we have ever had at Remy. I want the duplicate of your experience so far. It looks just perfect!

It was amazing! Yes one menu was French and one was American. We did one of each and added the caviar course. There was also an all-truffle menu as well (not quite sure what the upcharge was on that...think about 100 pp?). Can't wait to see your experience at Remy!

 

[bcwife76]

Oh wow, what a beautiful and decadent meal!!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

O.M.G!!!!!!!

Must.try.Remy!!!

I seriously am dying right now looking at those pics and reading your review. Especially after just eating crackers I grabbed on the way out the door to work for breakfast today!

 

[DisneyCoasters]

!!!!

Your meal looks absolutely incredible! I would have been a bit intimidated by some of the food (squid ink and foie gras both scare me a little! ) but with that impeccable presentation and service I am sure I would have tried everything and loved it! Such a special way to spend your 40th birthday...hooray for you!

 

[BlvInMagic]

Holy Smokes, that Jack Sparrow looks like Johnny Depp's twin! Great shots. I love it when the Characters dress up in costume -- so much fun. CS rocked those character meets and photo ops... way to go!

The Remy dinner view is breath-taking -- combined with the beautiful sunset = perfection!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Oh wow, what a beautiful and decadent meal!!

It most certainly was!

O.M.G!!!!!!!

Must.try.Remy!!!

Definitely! I highly recommend it!

I seriously am dying right now looking at those pics and reading your review. Especially after just eating crackers I grabbed on the way out the door to work for breakfast today!

LOL yeah serious food withdrawal here too after eating so splendidly on the trip!

!!!!

Your meal looks absolutely incredible! I would have been a bit intimidated by some of the food (squid ink and foie gras both scare me a little! ) but with that impeccable presentation and service I am sure I would have tried everything and loved it! Such a special way to spend your 40th birthday...hooray for you!

They do ask if you have anything you don't eat or are allergic to. So I'm sure they could have made some modifications. There was nothing "weird" in this meal though, even the foie gras mousse was very "light" compared to actually getting a chunk of foie gras. Otherwise, it's an amazing experience, and to be able to do this on a Disney Cruise is just wonderful!

Holy Smokes, that Jack Sparrow looks like Johnny Depp's twin! Great shots. I love it when the Characters dress up in costume -- so much fun. CS rocked those character meets and photo ops... way to go!

Yeah that was a pretty cool Jack Sparrow! Too bad I didn't get his picture too but I'll leave all the picture-taking to CS!

The Remy dinner view is breath-taking -- combined with the beautiful sunset = perfection!

It was an amazing experience!

 

[TigerTown]

Wow! That cheese looks amazing!!! I think I would pay the Remy up charge just for that! We will definitely be trying this the next time we cruise those ships.

 

[KathyM2]

Wow the food at Remy's looked amazing!!! Especially the desserts and cheeses...I think I'd like to make a meal out of just those lol

 

[soniam]

Ah, Remy I can't decide what I want to book for our next cruise. We have done Remy dinner. Both the brunch and dessert thing sound awesome. I don't think I can physically manage to eat/drink all 3 though Maybe just the brunch and dessert thing. They seem less indulgent somehow The food looks awesome. We loved the cheese cart too. If we don't do dinner, we don't get the cheese cart though The woman who brought us the cheese cart was explaining the cheeses. We basically wanted them all, but she was trying to warn us against some. I then said that we had had most of them before, some in France. She then perked up and gave us big hunks of everything I guess she didn't realize that she was dealing with cheesaholics

 

[Dentam]

I'm SO hungry right now!! Man, that meal looked amazing!!

 

[cinderkelly]

Holy WOW batman! Your Remy dinner looks amazing! What beautiful food, I'd be afraid to eat it! It looks like you had a fantastic birthday dinner, can't think of a better way to turn 40. Thanks for sharing that with us! I'm going to go sulk in the corner with my chicken strips now.....

 

[cheermom2four]

Im still in awe at the Remy food pics!!! wow, now I"m thinking My DH and I may skip one meal some evening and let the kids fend for themselves so we can experience this wonderful experience!!

 

[momtoleasawav]

I am enjoying your trip report. I am thinking of getting the rainforest pass next year when I cruise! It looks so nice and relaxing. Was it crowded?

 

[chunkymonkey]

Wow! That cheese looks amazing!!! I think I would pay the Remy up charge just for that! We will definitely be trying this the next time we cruise those ships.

It was a lovely selection of cheese and we were delighted with everything they served us!

Wow the food at Remy's looked amazing!!! Especially the desserts and cheeses...I think I'd like to make a meal out of just those lol

I know! I totally could eat cheese all the time! It was an amazing meal indeed!

Ah, Remy I can't decide what I want to book for our next cruise. We have done Remy dinner. Both the brunch and dessert thing sound awesome. I don't think I can physically manage to eat/drink all 3 though Maybe just the brunch and dessert thing. They seem less indulgent somehow The food looks awesome. We loved the cheese cart too. If we don't do dinner, we don't get the cheese cart though The woman who brought us the cheese cart was explaining the cheeses. We basically wanted them all, but she was trying to warn us against some. I then said that we had had most of them before, some in France. She then perked up and gave us big hunks of everything I guess she didn't realize that she was dealing with cheesaholics

Yeah 3 Remy meals may have been too much...brunch and desserts sound great though! Cheesaholics!! LOL I'm gonna have to join the club!

I'm SO hungry right now!! Man, that meal looked amazing!!

It was amazing! I look back and say wow, that was just awesome...

Holy WOW batman! Your Remy dinner looks amazing! What beautiful food, I'd be afraid to eat it! It looks like you had a fantastic birthday dinner, can't think of a better way to turn 40. Thanks for sharing that with us! I'm going to go sulk in the corner with my chicken strips now.....

It was an amazing dinner! LOL, since I've been back it's back to fast food and take out meals and I have no time to cook...sigh.

Im still in awe at the Remy food pics!!! wow, now I"m thinking My DH and I may skip one meal some evening and let the kids fend for themselves so we can experience this wonderful experience!!

LOL I'm sure the kids will have fun on their own! Remy was very special and I think you'll have a great time!

I am enjoying your trip report. I am thinking of getting the rainforest pass next year when I cruise! It looks so nice and relaxing. Was it crowded?

Thank you!! The Rainforest room was amazing! It wasn't crowded really, yes we did see more people during sea days and in the late afternoon/evenings but I was always able to get a lounger. There were times when I went in the morning and it was empty!

 

[disnygirl55]

I imagined a conversation like this happening in the near future:

"Hello room service, I'd like the cheese cart from Remy delivered to Room 6592 please, thank you."
"No, not the All Hands on Deck platter, I want the whole cart with premium cheese"
"What do you mean the cart can't leave Remy's premises?!?"

You crack me up. This is exactly what I would dream of being delivered to my room during a perfect cruise. Mmmmmm..... cheeeeeeessse.....

Oops forgot to add that we did end up watching the late showing of The Empire Strikes Back! And it's even better after a glass of wine!

Agreed! All movies in the Buena Vista Theatre should be served with wine. We like to split a bottle into our Tervis cups (classy, I know) - and sip through the entire movie. It just screams, "I'm on a cruise, and if you don't like it, you are just jealous that you didn't think of it first!"

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 4 Part 1: A Spa-cial morning and Grand Cayman!

We woke up early to a beautiful morning! We had not docked at Grand Cayman yet and there was endless ocean out on the verandah.

It was nice that we did not dock until 10:45am so we were able to partake in a couple of morning spa sampler packages at Senses Spa. First we grabbed some breakfast at Cabanas.

Then we headed to the spa and checked in. Our package included a massage, mini facial, reflexology, and a scalp massage. My therapist was really nice and the massages felt great! I really needed it after all the travel and activities we'd been doing! She did try to sell me some stuff for my face and shoulder tension but I told her I already bought some stuff that I was still using from my last cruise (and still am!). DH though, got suckered into buying some of those muscle tension release oils. Oh well, at least I can use them too.

By the time we showered, changed and got ready, the tender boats were already departing. There is a process to the tender boats. You have to go and check in at the Walt Disney Theater and they give you a number. You wait in the seats until your number is called. The number is pretty much the group number that will be taking the tender boat to shore. I had never done this before, but it's pretty straightforward once they call your number. You head down to Deck 2 (or 1?) and then hop right onto the boat!

There were a few other boats tendering in Grand Cayman. None of them as nice as the Disney Fantasy though!

Here's us on our first tender boat ride!

After about 15 minutes we were docked at Grand Cayman!

OK as I mentioned before, no one did any research. This was our plan:

Me: Su-Queen so what did you come up with when researching what to do?
CS: Well, I thought you said we could take a cab to a beach?
Me: Ok what beach?
CS: That beach you told me about! Seven Dwarves beach?
Me: You mean Seven Mile Beach.
CS: Yes, that's it!
Me: Well, did anyone grab any towels?
CS and DH: No...

OK so I guess our thoughts of going to a beach weren't really happening today. I think none of us really had our heart set on that idea. I definitely wanted to have some Caribbean food though, so we headed out towards the main drag of Georgetown to see what we could find.

As we were walking around I spotted a little outdoor bar/restaurant called Caribbean Kitchen. It sounded pretty good and there was Wifi too.

The menu looked like it had some local dishes so we sat down and shared a few things. Here's what we ordered:

A conch ceviche, that was slightly spicy

Oxtail stew served with rice n peas, plantains and breadfruit.

"Cracked Conch" which is just breaded and deep fried conch

And some coconut shrimp

The food was good, with the exception of the conch ceviche/salad. It wasn't like the Bahamian version that I we had last year and liked a lot better. This one had too much dressing or something that hid the flavors of the conch. The oxtail stew on the other hand was really yummy, the meat was really tender and the gravy was savory and rich. Everything went really well together. The fried seafood was good, nice and crunchy.

After lunch we continued to walk around. We ducked into a few stores but a lot of them were the same stores we'd see at all the Caribbean ports. CS was on the hunt for her THIRD selfie stick. It was quite warm here too and since we weren't beach-prepared I thought, won't it be a good idea to go back to the ship and ride the Aquaduck? DH agreed with me so we decided to head back, leaving my sister to hunt for her selfie stick. I told her not to be captured by pirates and that we'd see her back on the ship.

Walking back to the ship we stopped by a vendor who had some fresh coconuts, so we got one!

When we were done with the coconut water, he was nice enough to cut it open and scrape some of the meat out for us to eat. It was yummy!

Back at the dock, DCL had set up some cold towels and water. It was a nice welcome back!

Pretty soon we were on the next tender boat back to the ship. In actuality, the tender boat is an attraction in itself. Some beautiful views of Georgetown, plus all the cruise ships in port! I definitely suggest sitting outside to get the best view.

Someone was feeding the fish and they swarmed the side of the boat where the food was.

Heading back to the Fantasy!

We passed by this cartoon-y pirate ship. I guess it's some sort of attraction on it's own?

We didn't see anyone on the ship though, or maybe you could charter it for a ride around the area.

Once we boarded the ship and headed back to our stateroom, I wanted to get started on a project that I needed to finish before tomorrow's Star Wars Day at Sea festivities! I had to tape red ribbon to DH's navy pants to make it look like Han Solo's. I got some temporary fabric tape and stuck it down the side of the seams. Looked pretty good and I just hoped it would stay on!

With that done, it was Aquadunk time! We went on a few times, it was so much fun! It wasn't super crowded but there was a sizable crowd at the pools. Think many people did not bother to get off the ship at all.

Today would have actually been a good day to head to Satellite Falls but in all honesty, I totally forgot about it! We hung out at the adult pool but the Rainforest Room was calling me so we headed there after a bit. Think DH went to the gym and I met up with CS in the Rainforest Room. ​

She did not get captured by pirates and she found another selfie stick! She even bought herself two fresh coconuts to enjoy!

(In the voice of Maz Kanata): The Rainforest...it calls to you...

After we were done and scrubbed and buffed from the spa, CS and I felt a little hungry so we got some snacks at Flo's: pizza, fries, a plate of fruit, and of course, some soft serve ice cream. The Rainforest room certainly works up an appetite even though you aren't doing much.

FLo's was pretty crowded though. Think everyone at the pool area wanted a bite to eat!

Took me a bit of time to get the fries because the line was long!

It was worth it though!

Later tonight was the Prince and Princess dinner and we'd be in Royal Court. I've never experienced this dinner yet so was pretty excited to check it out!

Coming up...some Royalty on the Fantasy!
​

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Gorgeous pics from the tender boat ride! I've never cruised before and I've never heard of this...just went to google and learned all about docking vs. tendering. I've only ever seen ships docked before when I've traveled in St. Maarten and Puerto Rico. You learn something new every day!

Your Caribbean food looks really good. Also love getting to drink fresh coconut water right out of a coconut. It's worlds different than the commercial coconut water you can get in New England. Really nothing like it!

 

[bcwife76]

Look at the colour of the water, just gorgeous!!
That is a great shot of your dh on the tender boat heading back with the Fantasy behind him!

So, if you have numbers for your tender when you leave how do they keep track of people who are returning, as obviously the tenders are a free for all so you can come and go as you please. How do they keep track of all the people and know for sure that they have ALL DCL passengers at the end of the day? Do you have to sign in with your cabin number and number of people when you get on the returning tender?

 

[chunkymonkey]

You crack me up. This is exactly what I would dream of being delivered to my room during a perfect cruise. Mmmmmm..... cheeeeeeessse.....

Haha, yes, the perfect cruise! Hey, just had a thought, can concierge get you some of these cheeses? I don't see why not?

Agreed! All movies in the Buena Vista Theatre should be served with wine. We like to split a bottle into our Tervis cups (classy, I know) - and sip through the entire movie. It just screams, "I'm on a cruise, and if you don't like it, you are just jealous that you didn't think of it first!"

I am jealous I didn't think of that first!! Good idea!

Gorgeous pics from the tender boat ride! I've never cruised before and I've never heard of this...just went to google and learned all about docking vs. tendering. I've only ever seen ships docked before when I've traveled in St. Maarten and Puerto Rico. You learn something new every day!

It was our first time doing the tender boat thing too! It was actually quite fun and it was like taking a scenic boat ride.

Your Caribbean food looks really good. Also love getting to drink fresh coconut water right out of a coconut. It's worlds different than the commercial coconut water you can get in New England. Really nothing like it!

Yup I agree! Fresh coconuts can't be beat!

Look at the colour of the water, just gorgeous!!
That is a great shot of your dh on the tender boat heading back with the Fantasy behind him!

It was a gorgeous color!
Thanks! I'll tell him people actually like his picture...

So, if you have numbers for your tender when you leave how do they keep track of people who are returning, as obviously the tenders are a free for all so you can come and go as you please. How do they keep track of all the people and know for sure that they have ALL DCL passengers at the end of the day? Do you have to sign in with your cabin number and number of people when you get on the returning tender?

Yup coming back is a free for all you just wait for the next boat. When you get back to the ship they scan your key to the world card and you go through a quick x-ray security bag check, same as all ports. So I guess if they were missing a few people they may have to delay the boat a bit...or find out a way to contact you or something. Or leave you behind I guess! LOL

 

[disnygirl55]

Haha, yes, the perfect cruise! Hey, just had a thought, can concierge get you some of these cheeses? I don't see why not?

I would sadly never have the guts to ask, unless it was in a jokey manner. I will never feel that entitled, probably not even if we were in the Walt or Roy suites. I even preordered the higher-end cheese platter to be waiting in our stateroom on arrival. Any type of cheese is great, and you will never see me say "no" to a daily All-Hands-on-Deck cheese plate, but I feel that embarkation deserves a nice selection of cheese and a bottle of Fairy Tale Cuvee waiting for me. Ahhhh.... so relaxed, just thinking of it. Three weeks, one day.... Three weeks, one day..... Three weeks, one day.....

I don't think you've said yet - did you book another cruise while on board this one??? Either I missed it, or you're just keeping us all in suspense.