5 Adults, 2 Staterooms, 1 Amazing Western Caribbean (C) Cruise on the Disney Fantasy!

[jennab05]

I don't know if you already answered this but what camera do you use? your pictures are so clear!

 

[Chrispygal]

Following along! I am loving this trip report!!

 

[KelleyK75]

Great pictures! Loving your TR so far.

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

I don't know if you already answered this but what camera do you use? your pictures are so clear!

From Victoria's first post:
Nikon D7100 camera body
Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 lens
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 lens
Nikon SB-700 AF Speedlight
MeFoto Backpacker Travel Tripod
Wireless Remote

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I've been reading this TR for the past few days and I have to say, it's one of the best ones on here.. ah...the Fantasy...my fav ship..how i miss it..
Excellent job on the pics, the writing...you're a very talented girl and you have a lovely family..
Congrats on your graduation.
Thanks for sharing..

Thank you so much!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I don't know if you already answered this but what camera do you use? your pictures are so clear!

My camera is a Nikon D7100.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Following along! I am loving this trip report!!

Thanks for following!

Great pictures! Loving your TR so far.

Thank you!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Disney Wishes - Walt Disney Theatre

Max and I were a little late to the show because I had to iron Max's shirt and didn't realize that the laundry on the seventh floor was located in Narnia, all the way at the bow of the ship. Rachel said that we didn't miss much.

The concept of the show is that three friends are at Disneyland the night before graduation. The protagonist, Kayla, is Valedictorian of her graduating class and stressed because she still hasn't finished writing her graduation speech. Her friends, Nicole and Brandon, are boy/girl twins. Brandon has a major crush on Kayla and is trying to work up the nerve to tell her that he likes her (can you say Kiss the Girl?). Nicole is getting really annoyed that her friend is too worried about her graduation speech to have any fun. Kayla makes a wish to have the best night ever on a magical coin that she found the first time she went to Disneyland years ago, and the three friends get taken through Disney musical numbers. Perhaps it's a bit of an advertisement for Disneyland... but then again, aren't Disney Parks and Disney Cruises, for that matter, advertisement for Disney movies?

The plot is incredibly corny. The musical numbers, however, are exceptional. Disney Wishes, in my opinion, had the best choreography and set changes of all three main theater productions. My favorite number was a hip-hop spin to Pinnochio's "I've Got No Strings". It's a great remix of the song, awesome choreography, as well as great lighting effects. Wishes is Disney storytelling at its finest. The musical numbers are so well-written and cast incredibly talented that I'm willing to overlook the corny narrative.

Ooh La La - Champagne Bar

Max really wanted to visit Ooh La La because he wanted a Bellini. So Rachel, Max, and I decided to visit for pre-dinner cocktails before our dinner that evening at Palo. The lounge was almost empty when we entered. The only other guests were actually cast members on break.


Ooh La La by vshingl, on Flickr

While we were in the lounge, two other guests came in... and one was most definitely Deb Wills from AllEars!!! I made the mistake of telling Max and Rachel that I knew who she was, and they kept pestering me to go talk to her. "If you don't go talk to her, I'm going to go up there and introduce you to her!" Perhaps I should have spoken, but I was too nervous and didn't want to go do it with these two goofs surely ridiculing me in the background.


Ooh La La by vshingl, on Flickr

We all ordered champagne cocktails.


Elderberry by vshingl, on Flickr

I had the Elderbubble which Rachel and I agreed was the best.


Royal Bellini by vshingl, on Flickr

Max had the Royal Bellini which was his favorite drink of the three.


Blue Angel by vshingl, on Flickr

And Rachel had the Blue Angel which was very martini-like.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Palo (adults-only dining)

I made a reservation for Palo which is an adults-only restaurant for an upcharge of $25 per person. I booked it mainly because it's adults only and we're all adults, not to mention, I believe every review I have ever read raves about it. According to the message boards, Palo reservations are snatched up quickly. It's true - I was able to book online at 75 days out, and my first date of choice (the second sea day) was taken.

The host who welcomed us was very friendly, and I really liked him. He had us look up before entering the restaurant and told us that the chandelier was created to resemble pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce.


VIC_6596 by vshingl, on Flickr

And then we met our waiter... who was just too much. Perhaps it was because he was over-the-top that he seemed less personable, and frankly, less likable. But we all found him weird and annoying and wished that he would just leave us alone.


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr

He did offer to take our picture, though, which was nice. However, after he used my camera, he wouldn't stop asking me questions about it. Whenever he saw me taking photos of my food, he would ask me how I adjust my settings. While that might seem like a simple question to someone who has never used a DSLR camera before, it's not, and I really struggled to think of something quick to say that would kind of (not really) answer his questions. I already feel weird enough taking photos of my food in a fancy restaurant - please do not call me out on it!

Deciding what to order was a bit of a struggle for us. My mother and father both had the same question, and I think it was my mother who understood our waiter and my father who did not. There is a wine pairing menu which is $59 per person and includes six courses with pairings. However, you can order the courses off the wine pairing menu without the wine at no additional cost. I didn't mess with any of that and just ordered from the other categories.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes by vshingl, on Flickr

I ordered the Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes. I found it slightly over-salted for my tastes.


Gnocchi di Patate by vshingl, on Flickr

And Gnocchi. I'll note that the names on the menu are all in Italian which I found slightly obnoxious. In fact, the actual listing is "Gnocchi di patate con Gorgonzola e Asparagi". I had to interpret Italian menus for the five months that I lived in Italy; don't give me that language barrier on a cruise ship owned by an American company. Menus in restaurants don't make you look fancy - they make your guests feel stupid. Anyway, the gnocchi was good. Perhaps the Italian name was fitting, considering the dish actually reminded me of my semester in Italy.


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


VIC_6595 by vshingl, on Flickr

The atmosphere in the restaurant was very dark. Perhaps they were going for a mysterious vibe. But we found really surprising was that the restaurant was really loud. Honestly, it was no quieter than our meals in the dining rooms (well, except Animator's Palate... hard to beat that). Instead of children screaming, it was adults talking loudly... and I guess I can understand why because I had to raise my voice to speak to my mother who was across from me at the giant round table. On top of that, there was a lot of dish clanking. However, there was no background music of any sort which I believe might help to drown out the noises coming from the kitchen.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr


Palo by vshingl, on Flickr

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Mom had ordered the Grilled Tuna medium-rare and was incredibly concerned when it was placed in front of her. She's not a big tuna eater and was worried that the fish looked raw and would make her sick. Max, who loves grilled tuna, had the Beef Tenderloin and offered to trade, so they swapped dishes. We realized later that they didn't think to swap silverware, so Max had the steak knife while Mom struggled with a dull knife.


Beef Tenderloin "Palo" by vshingl, on Flickr

For my entree, I ordered the Beef Tenderloin "Palo", medium-well. I order all of my steaks medium-well. Perhaps it was because the cut was so thick... I could hardly chew it. I had just taken a big bite when our waiter came to ask me if I liked my steak. I shook my head no, but couldn't chew the bite fast enough to swallow and talk to him. So our waiter stood there beside me and everyone watched for what seemed like an eternity as I struggled to get down that bite of food.

Finally, I was able to swallow and tell him that I did not like the steak (I did like the potatoes, though, and was sad to see those go). He asked if I would like a different dish, and Max suggested the Grilled Tuna. That's when our waiter realized that Mom and Max had swapped dishes. I tasted Max's tuna and decided that I would get exactly that - no surprises.


Grilled Tuna by vshingl, on Flickr

The grilled tuna came out shortly.

For dessert, we were still eating our main course when our waiter came to ask if we wanted the chocolate souffle for dessert, which he recommends, because they take about 15 minutes to prepare. We all said yes, but asked to see the dessert menu later to see the other options.


Chocolate Souffle by vshingl, on Flickr


Chocolate Souffle by vshingl, on Flickr


Chocolate Souffle by vshingl, on Flickr


Chocolate Souffle by vshingl, on Flickr

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Palo by vshingl, on Flickr

Now, I hadn't arranged for this to be a special meal for me, but my parents had called beforehand and ordered champagne for my graduation celebration. So our waiter brought out a graduation plate which he decorated for me (doubt he really did it himself, but sure, he can have the credit).


Amaretto Indulgence by vshingl, on Flickr


Amaretto Indulgence by vshingl, on Flickr

After looking over the dessert menu, Max requested the Amaretto Indulgence which he loved.... so much that he requested one to go!

Our waiter brought out Max's Amaretto cake wrapped to-go, and we thought we were all set to leave. We had pre-paid for the meal and thought that if we hadn't gotten a bill yet that we weren't going to. So we got up and left.

Well... after getting back to the room, Dad got a call to go back and sign the check. And when Dad went back up, our waiter gave him Limoncello shots which he brought back to us.


Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

We were ready to go to bed, so we put the shots in the refrigerator... where they stayed all week. We actually never took them.

Overall, I was disappointed in Palo. With all of the great reviews, I was expecting something exceptional. However, I found Palo to be extremely mediocre. Sure, the food was above dining room quality (I wouldn't say that's particularly difficult to accomplish), but I don't think it was worth $25 per person. Rachel suggested that the real appeal of Palo is that it is child-free. For us, every meal was without children, so eating at Palo wasn't really that special. But for adults with kids, Palo is an excuse for parents to leave their children in the Oceaneer Club and enjoy some sacred "adult time".


Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

I think it's a scorpion?


Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

[AndymanGA]

I think it is a lobster or crab towel animal.

Sorry Palo wasnt as great as we have found it. I still wish they hadnt messed with the limoncello shot recipe

Loving your TR and pics

 

[Cruella 66]

My first thought was 'is that a scorpian?' too. Did you all try Remy? We've been to Palo twice for dinner. Our next cruise, the end of June on the Fantasy, we'll try brunch at Palo and dinner at Remy. We go for the food and experience, though, not to get away from our kids'.

 

[Cruella 66]

And I absolutely love your TR!!! Cindy

 

[KelleyK75]

I'm sorry Palo didn't live up to the hype. Your graduation celebration looks nice though. Still loving reading all of your reviews.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I think it is a lobster or crab towel animal.

Sorry Palo wasnt as great as we have found it. I still wish they hadnt messed with the limoncello shot recipe

Loving your TR and pics

I have a really embarrassing story about Limoncello. When I was studying in Italy, one of our long class trips took us to Naples. Our entire class, along with our professors and professors' family, had a reservation at "the best pizza restaurant in Naples". Well, it had been a long day of touring Pompeii, and I wanted a drink... I saw "Limoncello" and thought it sounded like a fun, hard lemonade. So I ordered it. Before bringing out our pizzas or anyone else's drink... the waiter brought me a shot of Limoncello. I was so embarrassed that I had just ordered a shot accidentally in front of everyone (not to mention... Limoncello is an after-dinner drink, so it's interesting that they brought it to me before my meal). I took a little sip (this was NOT sweet to sip), but my classmates were egging me on to take the shot, so I finally gave in and took the shot. To this day, they still give me a hard time about Limoncello!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

My first thought was 'is that a scorpian?' too. Did you all try Remy? We've been to Palo twice for dinner. Our next cruise, the end of June on the Fantasy, we'll try brunch at Palo and dinner at Remy. We go for the food and experience, though, not to get away from our kids'.

We did not try Remy, and we have two different ideas about it....

You need to fork out the extra $50 if you really want an upgrade in the quality of food.

- or -

$75 - that's an even bigger rip-off!



It's a little more money than I, personally (broke college kid), would want to spend on food at this time in my life. That's something that Max might be interested in splurging in. He likes fine dining (and I would definitely say yes if he wanted to take me).

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I'm sorry Palo didn't live up to the hype. Your graduation celebration looks nice though. Still loving reading all of your reviews.

I think that Palo was such a great disappointment to us because the rest of our Disney Cruise met or exceeded our expectations. Having sailed five cruise lines, I think this speaks great volumes about "the Disney experience".