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

[Disneyducks12]

Hi and welcome! Thank you for reading! Thank you for the kind comments! We had such a great time. We've been touring WDW and DCL as adults for quite some time and we always have the most fun. I think your friend will have a blast. You have beautiful wedding pics BTW, how amazing that you got married on the Fantasy!

I think she will to its going to be so much fun especially with river of lights and the frozen attraction opening. and thank you! I love DCL and I originally wanted to get married at WDW but it was too expensive and we were engaged on the Disney Magic so it all went and the pictures we were able to get were so worth it!

 

[Conceptualice]

thank you for all your amazing photos and trip review! (I will add to the multiple compliments, LOVED your costumes!)

I had a quick question: What were the costume guidelines for dressing up that night? It seems Disney is OK with masks or costumes that cover the face.(Which are normally a big NO in the parks, even for Halloween) Was that night a 'dress up as you will'? Because I would *LOVE* to go on one of these cruises dressed as Hera from Star Wars Rebels. (kiddos and husband would have to figure out their own costumes. )

 

[chunkymonkey]

The show and fireworks look great. I got the nachos on our cruise too I miss the elaborate midnight buffets that they had on RCCL. DCL is okay but the food and food art never wowed me. Ah man, your cruise is almost over

That's true, the one RCCL cruise I took they had a midnight buffet with ice sculptures...the whole works, that was amazing although it was a long time ago!
Yes...sigh our cruise is almost over...but now I have to haul myslef over to the WDW TR section and start writing that...it's going to be a BIG TR!

You had a fantastic view of the fireworks!!!!

I know! It pays to come early to stake out a spot!

Those desserts are so cute!

They were! I think they looked better than they tasted though...they all kinda tasted the same...SWEET

Looks like they REALLY got into the Starwars theme that night, so awesome!

Yes they did! I was very happy with everything! I read all the negative feedback that have been posted on DIS and DCLBlog and I think a lot of it stems from people who a)paid too much b)non star wars fans c)parents whose kids didn't get pick for the Jedi Training. Hence my idea of spreading SWDAS over 2 days so all kids can get a shot at it!

I'm all caught up. I love all of this! I've never been on a cruise or thought I would want to but after reading this I think it would be great.

It was awesome!

Also I am a new Star Wars fan. My son and husband recently made me watch all the old ones so I could see the new one. I love it and I am in love with all of this. I loved the part of the Jedi mind trick in the elevator. Every time we go to a store with automatic doors my son has to use his Jedi powers to open them for us.

My sister is also a new Star Wars fan! She just watched the original trilogy a few months ago to prepare for this cruise and to watch the force awakens too! The force is strong with your son! That's really cute!

Your costume was great! So pretty!

Thank you!

What a fun day. I would totally go on the cruise even if it was one day. I agree more events over two days would have been beter. I love a good buffet and that looked soooo good. But i haven't eaten breakfast yet sooooo i am extremely hungry at this point. Lol.

LOL, it was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed everything about the day. It was just a little hectic, it felt like a day at the parks! But in the end, we were very happy (and tired!)

Star Wars day at sea looked like so much fun! Loved your costumes and CS's dress was awesome as well! Loved those menu's at Animators Palate. Such a fund idea to create the theme everywhere, all day long. Which is what Disney is really good at! I would love to do a SWDAS! Everyone walking around in their costumes looked like an event in itself. Glad you enjoyed every moment of it!

Thank you! We had a great time. The menus were awesome and they didn't let us take them home! It was a great day and the fan interaction was the best!

Wow... SWDAS was definitely action packed for your guys! The late night buffet looks AMAMZING....oh my goodness! I think I gained 5 lbs just looking at all that food...lol. I love how they themed out the area to incorporate the Star Wars theme. And I totally agree, it looks way more themed than the Star Wars Dessert Party that they have at HS. Great update

There was way too much food all the time but I guess that's why people love cruises! I think they did a good job with Cabanas and the theming. I was really surprised when we went to DHS for the dessert party and I was wondering where all the decor was. I mean, they had all the decor from last year's party why couldn't they reuse that? Oh I know...they gave it to the Fantasy to use in Cabanas!

I think she will to its going to be so much fun especially with river of lights and the frozen attraction opening. and thank you! I love DCL and I originally wanted to get married at WDW but it was too expensive and we were engaged on the Disney Magic so it all went and the pictures we were able to get were so worth it!

Your pictures look amazing! I really want to see Rivers of Light! We didn't make it to AK on this past trip...we were too immersed in Star Wars Launch Bay and went there multiple times! LOL

 

[Dentam]

What an awesome end to your Star Wars Day at Sea!! That midnight buffet looked like fun - at first when I was scrolling down I thought that stormtroopers were serving the food - now that would be cool, ha!

 

[rndmr2]

Still getting caught up but had to jump in and comment how much I love this cute little pitcher they used for the sauce in this above pic! I bet each dish has it's own special serving items like this.

Remy dinner looked really great! I am usually very picky but I would eat most of what was on your part of the menu (except the caviar and maybe not the foie gras, though).

 

[rndmr2]

Love all the character pics but I think Tiana has my favorite dress/costume of all the princesses, I just love her necklace too.

Fun report, looks like the Star Wars Day was fun! I am not a Star Wars Fan really but I remember some of the Characters from when I was a kid so it is neat to see them.

 

[chunkymonkey]

What an awesome end to your Star Wars Day at Sea!! That midnight buffet looked like fun - at first when I was scrolling down I thought that stormtroopers were serving the food - now that would be cool, ha!

Haha, you're right! It does look like the CMs are wearing Stormtrooper helments in the first picture! That would be an awesome touch! They should call Cabana's "Death Star Mess Hall" or "Starkiller Base Cafeteria"

Still getting caught up but had to jump in and comment how much I love this cute little pitcher they used for the sauce in this above pic! I bet each dish has it's own special serving items like this.

They did! They also had new silverware laid out for each course and the utensils are carefully selected to follow the contour of the plate being used.

Remy dinner looked really great! I am usually very picky but I would eat most of what was on your part of the menu (except the caviar and maybe not the foie gras, though).

It was delicious and you could always let them know if you have a aversion to certain foods. I'm sure they would have accommodated you.

Love all the character pics but I think Tiana has my favorite dress/costume of all the princesses, I just love her necklace too.

Tiana has the best attitude and she was so much fun! I do love her dress!

Fun report, looks like the Star Wars Day was fun! I am not a Star Wars Fan really but I remember some of the Characters from when I was a kid so it is neat to see them.

It was a lot of fun, and even for not big Star Wars fans, like my sister, she still had a great time. It's fun just to people watch and to check out their costumes!

 

[Elevationist]

We had to decide what to do now. Should we head to the late buffet or go to the superfan trivia? We decided we would check out the buffet since, well it is food.

When presented with any option, always choose the one with food. Always!

I wish I was eating this.

And this.

Looks like a Tie Fighter is guarding all these rolls!

Yeah, guarding them from ME. Om nom nom.

Mmm, plastic cheese!

Hey if there were a Star Wars Week at Sea, sign me up!

Me too, me too!

 

[Heather Meaney]

Agreed! We just finished the April 2 SWDAS cruise on Fantasy. We enjoyed it a lot, but wished that all three days at sea had been Star Wars days. We didn't get to do nearly all the things we wanted and it would be so cool if every kid 12 and under got to be in a Jedi training. And looking at the details many people put into their costumes they should get more than one day to wear them. On the Castaway Cay day two people with very elaborate Tuskan Raider costumes were getting off the ship in all their gear. It was awesome. I bet they took some awesome photos in the sand.

 

[chunkymonkey]

thank you for all your amazing photos and trip review! (I will add to the multiple compliments, LOVED your costumes!)

Thanks! Sorry I was a little late in replying to your post, seems like I had accidentally missed it a few posts back! I think we must have posted at the same time! Thank you for reading and welcome!

I had a quick question: What were the costume guidelines for dressing up that night? It seems Disney is OK with masks or costumes that cover the face.(Which are normally a big NO in the parks, even for Halloween) Was that night a 'dress up as you will'? Because I would *LOVE* to go on one of these cruises dressed as Hera from Star Wars Rebels. (kiddos and husband would have to figure out their own costumes. )

There was really no guideline on the ship. You could wear masks, and you could carry a fake lightsaber, but you couldn't carry any toy guns. I think the toy guns were the only big no no but I've heard people get away with it. Because of that I didn't bother to get a fake blaster for DH's costume. I think Hera would be awesome! I did see a few Ashoka Tanos.

When presented with any option, always choose the one with food. Always!

Like, duh, is there any other option?

I wish I was eating this.

Me too

And this.

I wish I was eating everything that was on the cruise!

Yeah, guarding them from ME. Om nom nom.

It looks like a pile of gold....mmmmm

Mmm, plastic cheese!

Haha, ,my guilty pleasure is plastic cheese! Like the nacho cheese you get at movie theaters and sports cames...yum

Me too, me too!

I would be on top of this if they ever did it!

Agreed! We just finished the April 2 SWDAS cruise on Fantasy. We enjoyed it a lot, but wished that all three days at sea had been Star Wars days. We didn't get to do nearly all the things we wanted and it would be so cool if every kid 12 and under got to be in a Jedi training. And looking at the details many people put into their costumes they should get more than one day to wear them. On the Castaway Cay day two people with very elaborate Tuskan Raider costumes were getting off the ship in all their gear. It was awesome. I bet they took some awesome photos in the sand.

I know right? It would have been so nice if they spread out the activities a bit more so we could get a rest in between. That's really funny about the Tuskan Raiders on Castaway Cay! I'm sure lots of people mistook them for actual CMs and tried to get pictures with them. They will have some awesome pictures in the sand!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 6 Part 1: From Royalty to the Dark Side

This morning we had two very different meet 'n greets only an hour apart. We had the Princess Gathering in the Atrium and right after was a meeting with the Dark Side. My sister and I decided to wear different outfits for the meet n greets, and DH decided he'll do the Dark Side but skip the princesses.

Oh I forgot to show a picture of The Force is Strong on this Ship sticker which was found in our stateroom sometime the day before. I honestly had barely noticed since we were in and out of the stateroom a lot and never spent a lot of time there on SWDAS.

Since the princesses were first, CS and I got ready and headed down to the Atrium. Here was my outfit for the princesses. This would be the outfit I'd spend most of the day in, since we were also having brunch at Palo.

Down on Deck 3, there was already a small line there for everyone meeting with the princesses, but it was very orderly and the wait is actually very short.

Our first princess was Tiana! These photos are from my own camera. I liked them better than the Shutters photos, which looked kinda dark and over-saturated.

then Belle,

Ariel,

and finally, Cinderella!

I think Ariel's Shutters picture is the only one I liked out of the bunch.

After the Princess Gathering we thought we were done but then we noticed Princess Sofia on Deck 4 and she didn't have much of a line at all! So here's my first picture with Princess Sofia!

We now had to change for our meeting with the Dark Side! Our princess attire wasn't quite right, and my sister and I had an outfit planned in any case. We changed quickly and the three of us headed over to The Tube for our second SWDAS meet n greet. I'm really happy they were able to give us our top two choices.

The Dark Side meet n greet gives you a chance to meet Darth Maul or Darth Vader. Although I don't have a picture with Darth Maul yet, I really wanted Vader just because I feel like it won't be an official Star Wars Day at Sea without meeting him just once.

And we were lucky because upon checking in at The Tube, we entered and found out we were indeed meeting with Darth Vader!

Since we weren't the first group of meet n greets today the line was considerably longer than our meet n greet with the droids yesterday. Here's what we wore:

My sister and I are wearing the same Darth Vader dress! Although she said I looked naked next to them and I should have worn a sweater and leggings too. It was just too hot for it that day!

Here's some pics from my camera:

I honestly cannot remember what Darth Vader was saying to us, but I think he approved of my outfit and just gave DH a once over with his hands on his hips.

It was a pretty cool meet n greet though! I think I was just in awe so I can't remember what Vader actually said.

As we were leaving the Tube we ran into a bunch of Stormtroopers who gladly took a picture with us, most likely because of me and CS's Vader dresses. They told DH to move along after he had his picture.

Still in our Dark side gear, we walked down to Deck 2 to check out the breakfast at Enchanted Garden. We hadn't eaten at this restaurant yet and we wouldn't be eating here until the next day for dinner.

Enchanted Garden is pretty, I admit, but I think it's just a bit too Vegas for me. The best part of the restaurant is at the entrance. It is also open seating and it's buffet style but there is table service for drinks.

I did like these fan lights though.

Service for breakfast is buffet style and the food was very good. There is less selection than Cabanas but I think to its advantage the food quality seemed to be better. I enjoyed breakfast here. We just had a light meal because we would be having a decadent brunch in a few hours at Palo so here is what I consider a "light" breakfast. LOL.

Because I can't pass up bacon and those Mickey waffles! I also got some fruit to balance my meal out. The fruit here is behind a glass case and you tell the CM what you want and they put it on a plate for you.

After breakfast we had a few hours to kill before brunch so we all kinda split up and did our own thing. I did some browsing in the stores and relaxed in Cove Cafe, DH went to the gym and did some Midship Detective, and CS apparently found Doc McStuffins.

I call this Darkside and the Doc.

Coming up...our decadent brunch at Palo!!

Stay tuned...
​

 

[soniam]

I love those Vader dresses. I haven't seen those before. We didn't do any character meet & greets on our cruise. I guess they only had princesses, and DS isn't really into them, except Mary Poppins

 

[chunkymonkey]

I love those Vader dresses. I haven't seen those before. We didn't do any character meet & greets on our cruise. I guess they only had princesses, and DS isn't really into them, except Mary Poppins

Thanks! We both got our dresses from Hot Topic/Torrid. They were specially designed by Her Universe, Ashley Eckstein's line of clothes. It's an awesome dress and I wore it in the parks and got lots of great picturs too!

Yeah I'm pretty sure the princess gathering is not your DS's thing. What did he like to do on the cruise?

 

[soniam]

Thanks! We both got our dresses from Hot Topic/Torrid. They were specially designed by Her Universe, Ashley Eckstein's line of clothes. It's an awesome dress and I wore it in the parks and got lots of great picturs too!

Yeah I'm pretty sure the princess gathering is not your DS's thing. What did he like to do on the cruise?

I love the Her Universe stuff. I like the light saber skirt, but I just have no idea where to wear it. Since I am an engineer, people dress very casually at work. Plus, I get cold with the AC blasting if I am in anything shorter than my ankles.

He loved the kids club. He would go in there for hours and just play games, usually the computer/video games. He liked swimming too and the movies. He never would do the Aquaduck. He didn't really like water slides then, but I think he would do it on the next trip. We did shore excursions at every port. We snorkeled twice. He loves it. He did it in Hawaii for the first time when he was 7 and loved it.

 

[bcwife76]

Those dresses are awesome!! I love Hot Topic lol

Hope Vader wasn't too .....you know....all doom and gloom.....

 

[Conceptualice]

Thanks! Sorry I was a little late in replying to your post, seems like I had accidentally missed it a few posts back! I think we must have posted at the same time! Thank you for reading and welcome!

There was really no guideline on the ship. You could wear masks, and you could carry a fake lightsaber, but you couldn't carry any toy guns. I think the toy guns were the only big no no but I've heard people get away with it. Because of that I didn't bother to get a fake blaster for DH's costume. I think Hera would be awesome! I did see a few Ashoka Tanos.

No worries! I understand with all the posts and comments! Thank-you for taking the time to answer that helps out a lot! (Definitely want to do this in the future! It sounds like a blast!)

Thank-you for this amazing trip report!

 

[cheermom2four]

Since the princesses were first, CS and I got ready and headed down to the Atrium. Here was my outfit for the princesses. This would be the outfit I'd spend most of the day in, since we were also having brunch at Palo.

I HAVE to know where you got this dress though!!! I love it!

 

[chunkymonkey]

I love the Her Universe stuff. I like the light saber skirt, but I just have no idea where to wear it. Since I am an engineer, people dress very casually at work. Plus, I get cold with the AC blasting if I am in anything shorter than my ankles.

Haha, I work in corporate America so there is absolutely no use for any of my Disney clothes at work. So I literally have a separate vacation closet for all my Disney and Star Wars gear, LOL. My sister really loved the lightsaber skirt but she wanted the dress version. It sold out everywhere and she couldn't get her hands on one in her size.

He loved the kids club. He would go in there for hours and just play games, usually the computer/video games. He liked swimming too and the movies. He never would do the Aquaduck. He didn't really like water slides then, but I think he would do it on the next trip. We did shore excursions at every port. We snorkeled twice. He loves it. He did it in Hawaii for the first time when he was 7 and loved it.

Cool! The kids club is so awesome. I'm definitely going to make it to another Open House on our next trip. What excursions are you planning on doing next year? We ended up booking the 7 night Alaskan on Sept 4 next year. I am not 100% sure we will do it. It's pretty pricey and it does not include the airfare to Vancouver/hotel etc. Plus, I'd really miss that Rainforest room on the Fantasy. We'll see, it's more than a year away now anyways. Alaska is definitely on my bucket list though because I've always wanted to see glaciers and stuff up close.

Those dresses are awesome!! I love Hot Topic lol

Hope Vader wasn't too .....you know....all doom and gloom.....

Thank you! They do have cute stuff! Perfect for our disney and star wars vacations!
Haha, he was actually quite fun although intimidating. I thought Kylo Ren was more doom and gloom than Vader. There is still light in him!

No worries! I understand with all the posts and comments! Thank-you for taking the time to answer that helps out a lot! (Definitely want to do this in the future! It sounds like a blast!)

Thank-you for this amazing trip report!

Thank you!! It was an awesome cruise and I highly recommend it!

I HAVE to know where you got this dress though!!! I love it!

LOL, thanks! I got it on vacation in Mystic Connecticut at one of those cute little boutiques. The brand is "Anna Ocean" I can't seem to find many of the clothes online and those that I find don't really seem to match the style of this dress. Oh well. If I come across it I'll send you a link!

 

[soniam]

Haha, I work in corporate America so there is absolutely no use for any of my Disney clothes at work. So I literally have a separate vacation closet for all my Disney and Star Wars gear, LOL. My sister really loved the lightsaber skirt but she wanted the dress version. It sold out everywhere and she couldn't get her hands on one in her size.

The lightsaber stuff seems really popular. Plus, the Her Universe sizing is pretty small, so it kind of limits the available sizes for most people.

Cool! The kids club is so awesome. I'm definitely going to make it to another Open House on our next trip. What excursions are you planning on doing next year? We ended up booking the 7 night Alaskan on Sept 4 next year. I am not 100% sure we will do it. It's pretty pricey and it does not include the airfare to Vancouver/hotel etc. Plus, I'd really miss that Rainforest room on the Fantasy. We'll see, it's more than a year away now anyways. Alaska is definitely on my bucket list though because I've always wanted to see glaciers and stuff up close.

We never did the open house, but I want to next time. I think we will do the Secret River in Cozumel, but I am a little bit afraid of the ferry from what I have read. In Cayman, we will probably do a snorkeling thing. We did one with 3 of them last time and really enjoyed it. DS has not been to Dunn's River falls yet, so we will do that for sure and may add the bobsled. I plan to at least get a day pass to the Rainforest Room. It looks like you can buy those ahead of time. Did you book the full trip one on the boat?

I am scheming to do an Alaskan cruise in summer 2018, but I think it will be RCCL. They have a 7 night that starts in Vancouver and ends in Seward, so we could then do more land stuff, because I really want to be able to see some of the interior, like maybe Denali. You will have to let me know how the Alaska one goes next year. They look really cool and are very tempting despite the big price difference.

 

[chunkymonkey]

The lightsaber stuff seems really popular. Plus, the Her Universe sizing is pretty small, so it kind of limits the available sizes for most people.

Yeah tell me about it. I ended up buying the dress from Torrid and it's the smallest plus size they have, even though it fit like a regular size! But I liked the fact that it was at least a foot longer than the non plus-sized dresses. I asked my sister if all plus sizing was like this and she said that because it was from Her Universe it was smaller than usual. That is a relief, because I thought I had crossed over into plus sized territory!

We never did the open house, but I want to next time. I think we will do the Secret River in Cozumel, but I am a little bit afraid of the ferry from what I have read. In Cayman, we will probably do a snorkeling thing. We did one with 3 of them last time and really enjoyed it. DS has not been to Dunn's River falls yet, so we will do that for sure and may add the bobsled. I plan to at least get a day pass to the Rainforest Room. It looks like you can buy those ahead of time. Did you book the full trip one on the boat?

Those excursions sound fun. Next time I'll let my planning committee know beforehand.
We booked the full trip one on board. You can get the individual day passes before. I think they are listed in the in-room gifts section but I think you have to call to buy them.

I am scheming to do an Alaskan cruise in summer 2018, but I think it will be RCCL. They have a 7 night that starts in Vancouver and ends in Seward, so we could then do more land stuff, because I really want to be able to see some of the interior, like maybe Denali. You will have to let me know how the Alaska one goes next year. They look really cool and are very tempting despite the big price difference.

You know what, I think I am with you on these outrageous prices for Alaska that DCL charges. I'm going to wait until we hear more about the Wonder refurbishment and what's going to be offered on this cruise (toy story night? frozen deck party?) I know there are no fireworks on Alaska sailings. What I really wanted was to make sure we had a balcony and right now we are in a Cat 7a which is a navigator's balcony. If we cruise on different lines we will be able to get a full balcony for almost 1000 cheaper pp and we can even cruise in a concierge-like room for around the same price as what we're paying right now...I'll have to think about it. I have to see if having all the Disney extras will be worth it.