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

[DMGeurts]

Trying to catch up everywhere... Sadly - I always forget your report is over here in the cruise section... I am guessing where I left off - so I hope this is OK...

From page 7:

Wow... Relieved that the luggage arrived just in time for the girls to dress up... I know my girls would have been really upset about this too.

Interesting about the restaurant rotation... I guess I'd probably leave it up to the Disney Gods, as well?

The food... Oh the food... It looks amazing! All of it! And so beautiful!

Hahaha about the cherry stems... Glad the cherries continued, but not the stems.

Dessert looks heavenly!

And I am happy you posted pictures of your server... I love that the server follows the same people for the entire cruise - I would love if this would be implimented through out Disney World, as well.

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

From Page 8:

Ooooh, that little chair, with your cuppa Joe and your view... Amazing. I could do that all day every day. I'd just set my sewing machine up right there and work forever.

I love that your girls spent time together and time apart. In my world - my girls would probably spend all of their time apart. Sigh.

All of this food sounds yummy - very, very yummy!

I am not sure I could do the Aquaduck... I have this "thing" with heights, and I just think the clear tube would freak me out? I think I could talk myself into trying it once though. I guess - my "thing" for enclosed spaces is so much worse than my "thing" for heights - I'd probably rather have it clear than not? Something I'll have to consider if I am ever standing at the top of those stairs.

Bummer that Brian had to spend so much time on homework this day... I hope he was able to enjoy more of the vacation later.

Hmmm... Chicken fingers? I guess I'd be willing to try them. LOL

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

From page 9:

Another non-Disney/Disney vacation!!!! Super excited for you about this! How awesome! I think I need to take some tips from you for Allison's grad trip (so I'll probably go back and read that TR soon), because we will have a day off or two... And it would be fun to be able to do some of those non-park things.

I've said it a bazillion times before, and I will say it again - you have SUCH a beautiful family Oopsi! The kids clean up so nicely (not that they ever need to, they are always impeccable - although, I feel like Gabe is missing a cape or something ::Yes: And, as usual - you and Brian look awesome too!

The food... Geez... Again - it looks amazing!

Hahaha... Happy 21st birthday to Gabe!

Only one stage show, huh? I bet Aladdin would be a cool one to see.

I adored all of your formal night photos... Of the big group - of the kids - of your family... I especially love Charity's dress - love the color!

D~

 

[DMGeurts]

OK - I guess that's it? I thought I would have pages upon pages to catch up on... I hope you'll come back and finish off this TR - I am anxious to hear how the rest of your trip goes!

D~

 

[Pluto0809]

OK - I guess that's it? I thought I would have pages upon pages to catch up on... I hope you'll come back and finish off this TR - I am anxious to hear how the rest of your trip goes!

D~

Me to D~ I miss Connie around here!

 

[Chicago Mo]

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Oh boy....yes I suppose I should finish this thing up...and I am only on day two of the actual cruise. What takes so long is labeling the food. I have to bounce back and forth between several web sites to get the menu items.

I vow to you all now, I will try to come back 2-3 times a week to finish this. I have just really lost interest in the Disboards for some reason, not even sure why. So, I may not be good at responding to comments. BUT, I will do my best, promise.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Oh boy....yes I suppose I should finish this thing up...and I am only on day two of the actual cruise. I vow to you all now, I will try to come back 2-3 times a week to finish this. I have just really lost interest in the Disboards for some reason, not even sure why. So, I may not be good at responding to comments. BUT, I will do my best, promise.

I totally get where you are coming from! Once they rolled out the "new and improved" Dis, I found it super hard to keep up and got frustrated. It sure was hard to make myself come back to the Dis. I'm still here and will be anxiously waiting on your posts!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Okay...time to have a go at it again. Are you ready to get off the ship for a bit? Well, first we gotta roll out of bed! Brian and the kids were still asleep, but I was excited to see land after two sea days! I crept out to the verandah to see what was up out in the Big Blue World. What I saw was us coming up on St. Martin with another cruise ship on our tails!







Then this little guy came onto the scene:



It was really neat to watch them pull right up to the side of our humongous ship, let the pilot off, and take off down the waterway...and the drop off only took like five minutes!

We are getting closer!



The water was this glorious blue:



I must have stood on that verandah for an hour, all by myself in the quiet, just gazing at the beauty before me:





Soon enough it was time to wake the rest of the family and grab some breakfast before getting off in St. Martin. The night before, I had ordered some PBJ Uncrustables from room service to throw in our bags with some other snacks for our time on St. Martin. The plan was to eat a big breakfast, snack while on land and before dinner, then have dinner at our regular time after leaving St. Martin...in other words, no meals while out and about. Did I say BIG breakfast?



Yep, I had a big one! That is steak, a ham and cheese omelet, another one of those yummy cheese pastries, some fresh pineapple, and the BEST hash I have ever eaten. Seriously, it had white and sweet potatoes, and the seasoning had just a little kick of spicy. YUM..and I ate every bite on the plate!

As we unloaded off the ship, crews were already busy washing it. Gotta love the Disney difference!



Now, this next photo is going to make you laugh, so just get ready. I have LOVED posting this one on FB and tagging Jillian in it so all her friends could see. My Jillybean is NOT a morning person!



But Brian and I were READY for our adventures on St. Martin:



So, upon disembarking the ship we wandered around in circles for an hour trying to find where to check in for our island tour. We had booked with Bernard's tours, which come HIGHLY recommended both on the Disboards and Cruise Critic. It took us forever, and by the time we made it BACK around to almost where we started, there was quite a line formed for that company's tours. We literally had to ask people standing in line if that was where Bernard's tours were to meet. There were no signs or ANYTHING to indicate that is where check in was. So, fo those who do the Eastern Carib cruise and book with Bernard's, be on the lookout for THIS building, it's where you need to go for your tour:



See what I mean? We thought that was just like a St. Martin Welcome Center or something.... anyhow, moving on!

Another cruise ship had docked by the time we got to the tour check in point, so I took a few snapshots while we waited out turn to leave:





We finally got in our little van, and off we went for a tour of the island. We ended up behind this dude on a bicycle. We stayed behind him for like two miles. Keep in mind, the roads were narrow, and there was absolutely no way to pass him. Our driver tooted on his horn non-stop so the bike dude would pull over and let us go ahead....nothing doing. He just kept peddling away. At one point we went up a VERY, VERY steep incline. Our driver just kept on tooting, and what did bike dude do? He turned around and smiled the biggest smile at us and waved...and kept on going! It was SO FUNNY!!! Here is biker dude (and you can see from the photo how close our driver was to him):

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Now, sit back and relax and enjoy some of the gorgeous scenery:





Our driver pulled over to give everyone a nice family photo op (and you can see Jillian has wakened nicely by this point):



Such beauty:



Our tour driver had a cooler full of drinks for us. Jillian wanted me to take a photo of her drink for her to show Grandma:



Our first stop on the tour was Maho Beach. For those not familiar with Maho, the beach backs up to the St. Martin airport landing strip. Little puddle jumpers and BIG GIANT passenger jets all use this landing strip....and they fly right over your head! Google it, it is a sight to see, for sure! Brian was very excited about this stop. We got there about an hour before planes came in, but it was a nice place the kids to play and swim.



And a nice place to take photos.



You will see from this photo, the beach is rather small.





At this point Brian grabbed the camera to take some geeked out photos for his buddies at work (he works at the Nashville airport):





And apparently, he wanted a photo of my backside:



Kiddos out for a swim:



Then all of a sudden, a restaurant owner comes out shouting "da plane, da plane"...and I will give Brownie Points to whoever can figure out that reference. We see this on the horizon:



So this one was a MEDIUM sized jet, and you can see from this picture just how close they get:



Next came a little puddle jumper:



And then a few minutes later it was time for the Big Kahuna:



We wanted to pose nicely for it....but, unfortunately, Brian was only able to catch the tail of it with our little point and shoot camera:



Maho beach was so fun!!!! But, we still had two more stops on our tour....

 

[bbn1122]

Really enjoying your report! We are hoping to be on that same cruise in a few years. First things first, Aulanii in 2016!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Hey!!! I am SO GLAD you came back to finish this off!!! It was killing me!

I vow to you all now, I will try to come back 2-3 times a week to finish this. I have just really lost interest in the Disboards for some reason, not even sure why. So, I may not be good at responding to comments. BUT, I will do my best, promise.

Aww this makes me sad.


The hours of alone and reflection time on your veranda sounds so peaceful

Did you compadre's come off the ship with you?

it truly is a beautiful sight thanks for posting.. but those planes?!?! HOLY MOLEY! that is crazy close!!! LOVE how you tried to pose!!

 

[CaseFace5]

Love all the scenery pictures!!! I just might use these to show Sken so I can convince him to go!!

 

[jedijill]

Maho Beach is so cool! We missed the big plane but even the medium ones are cool!

Jill in CO

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Thanks Everyone for sticking around!!! Our next tour stop was at the market for a bit of shopping. I didn't really take any photos of the actual market since, to me, it looked and felt like a flea market. I do have a funny story...

Gabe had his eye on a wooden machete and a fedora hat. We walked all around to other stalls to make sure that is what he wanted. So, we finally get up there to buy. Our driver had warned us to BARTER. He said otherwise the seller will rip you off AND pass word on to the other sellers that you can be ripped off. So, when Gabe was ready to make his purchase we told him to let Brian do the purchasing. So, Brian walks up to the stall. Lady tells him $20. He offers a lower cost, and Gabe blurts out "But Daddy, I have $20 in my wallet!" Oh well! LOL!

We stopped for some ice cream:



This was some sort of pineapple-cherry ice cream, and it was SO GOOD!!!!

The scenery around the market was GORGEOUS!



After shopping, we loaded up in the van, and we were on to the next stop..Orient Beach. Okay, I had done my research and Orient Beach was on the French side of the island.... anyone know beach attire in France? We immediately told the driver to PLEASE take us to the family friendly part of the beach! This beach was sort of a disappointment for us. There was a LOT of seaweed both on the beach and in the water. Brain and I did not swim, but we paid to have a couple of loungers and an umbrella to relax for awhile while the kiddos swam. My view:



The kids swam for a while and played in the sand for a bit. Then, while we were there the coolest thing happened. This dude on a jet ski went out in front of us. He had another guy with him that was hooked into the jet ski with this sort of "jet pack" under his feet. This little "show" entertained us for like half an hour, so cool to watch.







After Orient, we were supposed to go to an Iguana Farm. The Farm had been closed a few weeks earlier, so we just opted to head back to the ship. It had been a long day, and we were ready to relax in luxury again. Upon getting back to the ship, the crew was still hard at work:



When we got back to our room, there was a surprise waiting for us:



Stuff for PIRATE NIGHT!!!!!

This is always the highlight of the Disney cruises. We were excited...Gabe was over the moon excited. He would finally be able to meet his favorite character!!!

He and I got ready for dinner early, to get down to the atrium to meet Jack Sparrow. The line moved pretty quickly, and soon it was Gabe'e moment:



There was a bit of interaction, and when I asked him what Jack told him.."he said I was a quiet Pirate." My rambunctious-talks non-stop-sword and lightsabre weilding little guy was made SPEECHLESS upon meeting Capt. Jack!!!

Here is the professional photo from Shutters:



This photo is Gabe's pride and joy, and has a prominent home on our living room mantle now! After meeting Jack, he and I headed back up to the room to grab the rest of the family and head out to dinner...

 

[oopsiDAISY]

We were back in Animator's Palette for Pirate Night. This was really great, because they showed all sorts of Pirate related slides and film clips on the screens. Awesome place for Pirate Night dinner. Pirate Night napkin creation:



Not sure what it is, but it's really neat.

Bread service on this night was a southern girl's dream!



The menu calls it Johnny Cake with Pigeon Pea Relish...we southerners call it sweet cornbread with hillbilly caviar! It was SO GOOD!!! I was the only one from my family that would eat it since the others are not fans of black eyed peas. But, the combination of flavors had my taste buds dancing a hoe-down!

Appetizers next:



The Buccaneer's Sun-Ripened Pineapple~fresh island Pineapple with Coconut covered Banana and Orange Glaze. YUM!!!!!



Pirate's Golden "Pot Stickers"~ Oriental Pork “Dumplings” deep fried and served with a Tamarind-Ginger Soy Sauce and Pickled Vegetables.



Pearls of the Caribbean~ Crabmeat, shrimp and salmon mixed in pearls of couscous with a lemon grass infused vinaigrette.

Time for soup and salad course...



Caribbean Style Conch Chowder~ with sherry, sweet peppers, onions, tomatoes, thyme, and garnished with diced potatoes and crispy bacon bits.



Jerk Chicken Salad~ jerk-seasoned chicken strips over fresh crispy greens with a citrus dressing and plantain chips. This was mine, and it was totally enough food to have been an entree!

Apparently Jillian snuck the camera away from me for a moment, because she took the BEST SELFIE EVER at some point:



Entree time!



Castaway Chicken Breast~ rubbed with Pirate Island Spice, rice and beans, and fried okra on rich spiced glaze. This was probably Charity's, she pretty much got chicken every night. :-/



Treasures of the Seas Grilled Shrimp and Seared Scallops~ served on strings of pasta and fresh creamy tomato sauce. This, I am certain, was Brian's. His two favorite things are seafood and pasta. This was the best of both worlds.



Captain Hook's Macadamia Nut-dusted Mahi Mahi~ Jasmine rice and sautéed pineapple on a mild curry sauce. OH MY YUMMINESS!!! This was mine, and it was SOOOO GOOD!!!

There was also a spare rib entree. None of us wanted to order it, but we all wanted to try them. So, our server brought us a plate of just the ribs...



Jack Sparrow's BBQ Marinated Beef Short Rib~ rubbed beef short ribs with tamarind-BBQ sauce.They were good, but we were all happier with the entree choices we ended up with.



The Dutchmen's Dijon-Crusted Sirloin of Beef~ thick cut of beef with oven-roasted sweet potatoes and a black spot tomato with deep red wine glaze.

And on to dessert...

Jillian went for the Sweet Temptations as usual~ A trio of fruit cobbler, floating island and chocolate cake:



Brian decided to be a goober as I was trying to get a photo of MY dessert of choice that night:



As you can see, tonight was my night for a Mickey's PremiYUM!



Brian chose Rum Soaked Chocolate Cake~ with raspberry glaze and whipped cream.



I tasted it. It was okay, but I was super happy with my Mickey bar. I REALLY enjoyed the Pirate Night menu. Everything was an absolute homerun, in my opinion.

To wrap this up, here's the little dude that was waiting for us when we returned to our room after dinner:

 

[oopsiDAISY]

And because I am sure you are all wondering...our pirate night costume photos:

 

[ShellB8585]

Great updates!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

First and foremost your girls are becoming beautiful young ladies. Oh my goodness they are gorgeous
so funny about Gabe.. he needs to work on his bartering especially if he wants to become a pirate. He is so cute..

All your pictures are amazing. you all look adorable! just love you guys! I think if i were ever to take a cruise i would want to eat there every night..

 

[oopsiDAISY]

Here we go again...I am on a roll, folks! This day would be an early rise day. On this day we would be docking in St. Thomas. We had booked a Disney excursion for this stop...Snorkeling in Turtel Cove! As usual, I was the first one up. So I stood on the verandah to take photos of us coming into St. Thomas...I LOVED St. Thomas! It was So Gorgeous!!!!!









My favorite photo (which I took upon myself to make the screensaver on Brian's laptop, LOL) :





Is it not just absolutley picturesque??? I was a bit obsessed with getting pictures of St. Thomas, because I was so in awe of the beauty! Upon getting off the ship, this greeeted us:



We got off the ship, then realized our tour group was meeting ON the ship in the Tube (one of the bars). So we got back ON the ship, met up with our group...then headed OFF the ship again. Our excursion boat was very close to the ship, so we really didn't explore the island at all like we did at St. Martin. BUT, this excursion was our favorite part of the trip, so none of us regretted our decision to forgo island touring. Upon our walk to our sailing vessel, we saw this cool looking fountain:



One of the reasons we chose this particular excursion was because of the actual sailing vessel:



It is sort of hard to see from that photo, but we would be sailing on a pirate ship...the Doubloon! Here is a stock photo I found online of the ship in all its glory:



This was for Gabe, and he LOVED it! Here's our happy little snorkler:



It was a gorgeous day, as you can see. We were so excited about this excursion. Brian is the only one who had been snorkeling before, but the rest of us practiced over the summer so that we would be ready!

The rest of these photos were taken with a disposable waterproof camera. They are not of the finest quality, but we HAD to have pictures of our underwater adventures!



This excursion was just awesome. We loved every second of it! When we got back to the room, there were goodies awaiting us again:



These were treat bags, because next we would be having Halloween on the High Seas!!!