A Grand Dream of a Honeymoon - June 2011

[emma212010]

What a beautiful day at Castaway Cay! That spa sounds wonderful! That's so funny about being ticklish!! I'm the worst at getting pedicures! I have to warn the lady ahead of time!

 

[Dugette]

Sounds like such a wonderful and relaxing day! Really enjoying hearing about the Dream!

 

[disneylovin24]

All of your pictures are beautiful

I absolutely love those flip flops! Way too cute

That's nice that they put some little things out before the big breakfast buffet.

I feel like I had more comments to make but I already forgot them all

 

[Zarabear]

Just wandered by and I"m subscribing. Love your TR so far. I wish you and your husband the happiest of ever afters.

~Zara

 

[arthur06]

Great TR! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your wedding!

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

It sounds like you had an amazing day! I love that there is a TV channel on the ship that shows where the boat is - I would always be wondering! Castaway Cay is so beautiful! You have so many amazing pictures! What a great way to relax after the hustle bustle of the wedding. I'm so glad that Steve liked his spa surprise! It sounds like you had a wonderful experience there. And I love that your dessert menu came in an envelope! Great attention to detail.

 

[Shannon84]

What a wonderful update

The beach and water looks BEAUTIFUL! How wonderful that Disney has its own little island to stop on...so its really peaceful!

Sounds like the Spa treatment was a great choice for your first day...and sounds like all the extra time, service, and treatments were worth the extra money

 

[Lucille1963]

I can't wait to read more!!

 

[cdotla]

Emma! Just found your report, and bookmarking it now so I can get back later to get all caught up. I am so excited to read all about your honeymoon trip!

 

[MiaBella05]

joining in

 

[Dream426]

Loving your TR. Can't wait for more updates. The spa villa sounds amazing. DH and I went on the Wonder for our Honeymoon and we were seated by ourselves for dinner as well. I wonder if they do that because it is a special occasion. We were expecting to sit with other guests as well. It was nice just to two of us though.

 

[PrincessPaczki]

Wonder update. The beach looked very relaxing. How nice a couples massage.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

I am loving your trip report! DH and I are going on our first ever cruise in a few months (DCL of course) for our 1year anniversary. We are all about Disney . Disney Fairy Tale Wedding, DL and DCL for our 1year anniversary and we are already planning a cruise on the Fantasy and some time in WDW for Oct 2012!

 

[tatar63]

Count me in too! I am new to this so can someone please tell me how to bookmark a thread?

 

[disneybarbie]

It is uncanny how much we are alike, my Just Married flip flops turned up last week and I love them and can't wait to use them at the beach on CC We so have meet up one day as I feel like we would really get on well.

Loving your CC and the Spa Villa's look amazing. I bet you felt so relaxed and rejuvenated afterwards

RP dinner looks yummy, love the carriage bread baskets. Have you seen the lamps for one of the new restaurants on the Fantasy, they are so cute

Thanks Stefy! I was really glad I got the flip-flops.. there is so much of the 'just married' clothing available but I thought the flip-flops were quite subtle.. and they were pink which I would buy anyway! However I did find that on the cruise, the flip-flops got a little stuck to the metal floors (on the decks you get on and off the ship), it was like the soles created a vacuum.. I was having to walk like a penguin!

The spa looks wonderful. I lol when I read the part about you almost kicking your spa therapist in the face! I giggled like crazy the first time I ever got a massage. The person must have thought I was nuts.

Love your flip flops. Why didn't I find anything that cute when I got married? Love them.

Thank you - the spa villa was amazing and I'm so glad we did it - I have really ticklish feet - whenever I have a pedicure it's not at all relaxing when they are exfoliating/massaging the soles of my feet! hehe

We're planning on doing a couples massage on our cruise (we're booked in a spa-level cabin, so I feel like we should take advantage of it!) it'll be the first time I've ever had a massage, Geoff is really looking forward to it, but I'm super nervous!!

Hi! I'm sure you'll love the massage - I hadn't had one before (usually have facials) but it was really nice - the ladies at the spa made us feel really comfortable, there's no awkward moments and you're always covered with a towel lol

what a wonderful update!!!!
the spa villa looked soooo amazing!
i love all the details, especially the carriage bread basket!!!!
xo

Thank you! I loved the bread basket.. such a simple but wonderful touch, very Disney!

So many things to comment on, let's hope I don't forget anything.

First, Castaway Cay is so lovely and gorgeous. I LOVE swimming in the ocean in the Caribbeans, the water is so clear and the sand to white and soft. It looks almost clearer than Cuba, which was already very pretty.

It's really nice of Disney to make sure to have an adult only beach, as well as an adult only section on the ship.

I already said it before, but I'll say it again, the spa villa looks wonderful. It must have been so relaxing! I can totally relate to the foot thing though, as I'm very ticklish myself. My mom wanted to treat me to a pedicure before my wedding, but I was way too afraid of not being able to sit through it without my foot flying everywhere.

I love the bread bin too.

Thanks Mel - the spa villa and Serenity Bay were wonderful - there's so many great things for couples/adults on the Disney cruises

Emma, your TR is getting better and better!!! The cruise is amazing and your spa treat so romantic!! Can't wait to read more!!!

Thanks Sara, we had such an amazing time on the cruise - it's fun to write about it & remember it all again!

Omgosh Emma! I was there when that barracuda came swimming up! We HAD to have seen each other on the beach at CC and didn't even know!

I'm sooo jealous of your spa day! I would LOVE to do something like this on our next cruise. I'm sure it was expensive, but quite worth it. You didn't feel tired afterwards? That's the only thing i'm worried about. Whenever I get massages here at home, I usually take the whole day off from work so that I can nap afterwards I just don't want to feel sluggish and lazy after.

That's so funny we were so close to each at Serenity Bay! We just heard some people shout 'shark!' then the barman said "no.. it's a baby barracuda"

We didn't feel at all tired after the spa, just really relaxed - even more than we'd been after the morning at Serenity Bay .. hope you two get to try the spa out on your next cruise

Oh wow, that spa villa looked amazing! I've never had a massage, but I would so love to try something like that there.

Thank you - it was really lovely, definitely a highlight of the cruise and honeymoon

 

[disneybarbie]

Everything looks and sounds like a dream! That spa treatment sounds to die for! I can only imagine how amazing it was to be on the ship whilst looking out at Castaway Cay. So jealous! Cannot wait to hear more!

Thank you! It really was fabulous - I think Disney named that ship the 'Dream' for a reason! more to come very soon

Wow reading your TR is making me want to book a Disney cruise! I love the view from your Veranda and the Just Married prints in the sand.

Am glad you guys enjoyed the spa treatments and the food at Royal Palace looks soo yummy! I love the bread bin and the royal invitation

Thank you! I'm so glad I got those flip-flops, sort of wish I'd got Steve to take a photo of me walking along the beach with the prints behind me lol
If you ever get the chance to do a Disney cruise I'd really recommend it, we absolutely loved every moment of it!

Emma, your spa experience sounds amazing! Sorry Steve's appetizer at dinner wasn't that great, but it's incredible that that was the ONLY thing neither of you liked on the cruise!!

The spa villa was so good - I think we'd have to book one if/when we went on another cruise!
Yes that really was the only thing either of us didn't like of all the food on the ship - I think Steve was expecting a warm duck salad, but what was served was a chilled duck-breast in a fruit sauce!

What a beautiful day at Castaway Cay! That spa sounds wonderful! That's so funny about being ticklish!! I'm the worst at getting pedicures! I have to warn the lady ahead of time!

Thanks Emma! I love to have my toes painted but the rest of the pedicure isn't enjoyable for me lol

Sounds like such a wonderful and relaxing day! Really enjoying hearing about the Dream!

Thank you! more relaxing days to come - can't believe it was 6 weeks ago already hehe

All of your pictures are beautiful

I absolutely love those flip flops! Way too cute

That's nice that they put some little things out before the big breakfast buffet.

I feel like I had more comments to make but I already forgot them all

Thank you! Yes we were glad there was an 'early bird' breakfast available - the buffet restaurant was so quiet, we did hear a few guests ask the servers where the sausages/bacon/eggs were... but all we wanted that morning was fruit & pastries anyway!

Just wandered by and I"m subscribing. Love your TR so far. I wish you and your husband the happiest of ever afters.

~Zara

Thank you so much Zara! more updates to come soon

Great TR! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your wedding!

Thank you for reading so far!

It sounds like you had an amazing day! I love that there is a TV channel on the ship that shows where the boat is - I would always be wondering!Castaway Cay is so beautiful! You have so many amazing pictures! What a great way to relax after the hustle bustle of the wedding. I'm so glad that Steve liked his spa surprise! It sounds like you had a wonderful experience there. And I love that your dessert menu came in an envelope! Great attention to detail

Hi Courtney, Castaway was amazing, I am still day-dreaming about it now!

I loved that channel in the stateroom with the map - it also had wind speed, how fast the ship was moving and the temperatures in the pools!

There was also a channel that showed the view from the bridge

We'd leave this channel on a lot during the cruise, it was like a screen-saver - beautiful sea & horizon!

What a wonderful update

The beach and water looks BEAUTIFUL! How wonderful that Disney has its own little island to stop on...so its really peaceful!

Sounds like the Spa treatment was a great choice for your first day...and sounds like all the extra time, service, and treatments were worth the extra money

Thank you! We definitely recommend the spa villa, it was worth every penny! When we were on the bus from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Port Canaveral, another guest told us that "Castaway Cay alone was worth the price of the cruise".. and we had to agree! It was the perfect Caribbean island

I can't wait to read more!!

Thanks for reading so far!

Emma! Just found your report, and bookmarking it now so I can get back later to get all caught up. I am so excited to read all about your honeymoon trip!

Hi Trish! Thanks for reading -I'm enjoying your report about the D23 events

joining in

Thanks for reading, more to come very soon!

Loving your TR. Can't wait for more updates. The spa villa sounds amazing. DH and I went on the Wonder for our Honeymoon and we were seated by ourselves for dinner as well. I wonder if they do that because it is a special occasion. We were expecting to sit with other guests as well. It was nice just to two of us though.

Thank you - sorry for the shortage of updates this week, been so busy at work!
Maybe that is something Disney does for honeymoon couples - we wouldn't have minded sitting with others but it was lovely just to be the two of us

Wonder update. The beach looked very relaxing. How nice a couples massage.

Thanks for reading, it was such a relaxing day - wish I could be there right now!

I am loving your trip report! DH and I are going on our first ever cruise in a few months (DCL of course) for our 1year anniversary. We are all about Disney . Disney Fairy Tale Wedding, DL and DCL for our 1year anniversary and we are already planning a cruise on the Fantasy and some time in WDW for Oct 2012!

Hi! I've just started reading your PJ - I really hope you enjoy your first cruise.. we really didn't know what to expect but think it's easy to say we loved it! It's the Disney level of service and magic, but at sea!

Count me in too! I am new to this so can someone please tell me how to bookmark a thread?

Hi! Thanks for reading so far.. to bookmark a thread, scroll to the top and there is a box that says 'Thread Tools' then click on 'Subscribe to thread' .. it'll then show in your User CP area and you can opt to get emails every time a new post is added



Ok everyone.. next update will be posted soon!



Emma x

 

[disneybarbie]

Thursday 23rd June 2011

Day at Sea and dinner at Palo

Today was the one and only full day at sea during our cruise. Before going on the cruise, I was a little worried that this would be the day we might feel a bit claustrophobic or the ship would feel too busy… but once onboard we found there was so much space everywhere, and so much to do – that I actually think we could do several days at sea on our next cruise!

Navigator for the day..

We decided to go to the Royal Palace for breakfast – our server had told us on the first night that the Enchanted Garden had a continental buffet for breakfast, while Royal Palace had an a la carte menu.

We went down to the restaurant deck and walked by an empty Animator’s Palate..

And down the corridor to the Royal Palace.

The restaurant wasn’t busy at all – I imagine most people used the buffet, which is where I would have headed if our server hadn’t told us about the other options for breakfast!

First we were offered tea, coffee & juices – then a server came around the tables with a huge basket of every pastry you could imagine!

There was so much to choose from on the menu – I decided on smoked salmon with a bagel and Steve had eggs Benedict.

It was all delicious and a really nice way to start the day!

Next we went for a walk around the shopping district.

The theatre was ready for tonight’s show – the Golden Mickeys

And the premiere at 12.01am of Cars 2

We popped back to our room to get changed, and headed up to Deck 11 to the Quiet Cove pool – there were plenty of sunbeds to choose from on Deck 12. They were nicely padded and had a ‘pillow’ on the head rest too.

DCL has a policy of not allowing guests to reserve sun loungers, we thought this was a good idea and it would be nice if hotels did that at the pools too!


We spent the morning sunbathing and reading – the ship wasn’t moving very fast, it was warm but there was a lovely breeze.
There was nice music being played around the adult-only area, but every now and then I’d hear a song from the movie that was being played on the ‘Funnel Vision’ screen in the family area! As it was Hunchback of Notre Dame, I didn’t mind
Throughout the morning there were servers with trays of mimosas and bloody mary cocktails! We didn’t have any but I thought it was a nice touch – we got a few soft drinks throughout the morning from the Deck 11 soda station.

About 11.30am we went down to Deck 11 and had an icecream from ‘Fro Zone treats’

(icecream before lunch? We must have been on vacation!)

.....

 

[disneybarbie]

....

Then we went inside for a while to cool off, and got a coffee from the Vista café in the atrium – we sat on a large sofa and noticed that there was hardly anyone around… funny considering there were 4000+ people onboard with us!

Prince Ali meeting guests..

We thought about doing the mid-ship dectective agency (an interactive game with the enchanted art) but when we got to the kiosk it was quite busy, so we left it – this one thing I wish we had had a chance to do because it looked really good fun.

Next we went shopping – I bought a Dooney & Bourke purse and a Disney Dream inaugural year pin (funny thing but I was surprised there was no sales tax added – guess there can’t be on international waters!)

We went back to our room for a while and thought about where to have lunch – we read through the room service menu (this is included in the price of the cruise, you just have to add a gratuity) – but we decided to go up to Cabanas instead.

It was a little busy but didn’t take long to get our food.

There was absolutely everything you could think of to eat! I had some salads and sushi, Steve had a few different items including steak.

In the afternoon we played mini golf,

Enchanted was showing on Funnel Vision.

Then went back up to Deck 12 and sunbathed, there was a musician singing and playing guitar by the Quiet Cove pool – it was a really chilled atmosphere.

My plan had been to use the gym on this afternoon (really to see the views from the treadmills of the ocean!) but Steve decided that he didn’t want to go, so I decided not to either.

At 3pm we went to watch the ‘Any One Can Cook’ presentation in the D-lounge.

The sous chef, Andrew, from Remy was the presenter – he was a little nervous as his ‘boss’ (the head chef who has two Michelin stars) was watching him! Andrew was from Wales and had worked for 5 years with Gordon Ramsay – he was a little shy at first but then seemed to enjoy it more, he answered any questions the audience had about the cooking.

At one point it sounded like a volcano had erupted on the deck above us.. but it must have been some game they were playing the kids’ club!

Recipe cards to keep..

We enjoyed the cooking presentation – especially getting to try the food! The lobster ravioli was what Steve had had for appetiser at the Enchanted Garden on our first night – we found it interesting that they use wonton wrappers rather than make fresh pasta for the dish.

There were a lot of other presentations and lectures during our cruise that I would quite liked to have gone to – one was a tour of the ship to point out all the details, and another was a lecture in the theatre about how the ship was made.


We also went to Shutters to have a look at our photos so far on the cruise – we swiped our room key on a screen and it told us that our photos were in brown book #18 ‘pluto’…

All of the photos had been printed out, and we could also view them on a screen.


We went back to the room about 5pm and got ready for the evening, Steve had to go to the laundry room (a little further down the corridor) to iron his shirt!

 

[disneybarbie]

........

We watched the 6.15pm showing of the Golden Mickeys – this show is a bit like the Disney Oscars, as we approached the theatre, there were ‘paparazzi’ taking guests photos as they approached the entrance, shouting things like ‘love your dress’, ‘you look fabulous’ ! The presenter was also outside the theatre doing an introduction on the red carpet (like Joan Rivers) – which was then shown on the big screens inside before the show began.

In the Snow White scene, Dopey appeared on stage – with 6 children dressed as dwarfs! It was so cute.

We both really enjoyed this show, probably our favourite of the two we saw (we didn’t get to see Believe which was a shame because I’ve heard it’s excellent).

My new favourite Disney princess.. Rapunzel!

There was a really touching part of this where Walt Disney was mentioned – I got a little choked up and wondered what Walt would think if he knew that the company he started now had cruise ships like this… yup… I’m a Disney geek, I know!

At the end of the show – golden Mickey-shaped confetti fell onto the audience…

After dinner, we popped back to the room to get Steve’s jacket – as tonight we were dining at Palo.

I really liked that we had invitations/reminders about our dining reservations and spa appointments put in the holder outside our room each day.

The elevator nearest our rooms went up to Deck 13 to the two signature restaurants – when the doors opened, it was like stepping out onto a street in Italy or Paris, the walls are made to look like they are made of stone and the lightning is really nice.
We checked in a the podium, and then went for a drink in the Meridian lounge, located between the two restaurants.

It was really quiet up there, just us and another couple – some people were sat outside smoking cigars, and there was also a table of engineers/crew of the ship (all wearing their white uniforms), some had their wives with them, they were all having dinner in Palo.

The drinks here were a little more expensive – my glass of wine was $10 whereas everywhere else it had been $5, but I think it was a better grape/vintage of wine.

We got to see the sunset over the ocean.

I overheard the server from the podium (who was from Wales – there were a lot of British crew members!) ask one of the English bar staff if she watched a show called ‘Gavin and Stacey’ – because she was trying to think of a quote from it to tell one of the engineers (who was also Welsh). The bar server hadn’t watched it – but it is a show that Steve and I love! So as she walked past our table, I asked her about it – and told her the quote… she smiled and ran into Palo to tell the engineer! (This is a bit of a random story but there is a second part to it in a few nights time!)

 

[disneybarbie]

....

Very soon it was time for our dinner in Palo.
The restaurant is beautifully decorated, with big pictures of Venice on the walls.

We started with anti pasti which our server brought to us on a trolley.

For appetiser, I had fish stew while Steve had the tomato & mozzarella salad.

Between courses, we were served a lemon sorbet to cleanse the palette.

For entrees, I had scallops and Steve had shrimp arribiata penne.

All of the food was delicious, but the star of the meal was definitely the chocolate soufflé!

Just before the server poured the chocolate & vanilla sauces into the soufflé, she said to me “did you want to take a photo?” … guess she noticed I was taking photos of every course!

I knew before even getting to the restaurant that I would be having this for dessert, I’d heard so much about it – we could smell it before the server even got to our table!

Our server also brought us a limoncello and vodka sorbet as an aperitif, this was really refreshing.

While the meal was fabulous at Palo, something we’ll probably remember most about it was this was the only time we really felt the ship moving… neither of us said anything at first in case it wasn’t really moving; but it was definitely rolling on the waves! We might have felt the movement more as we were right at the back of the ship.

I could see flashes in the windows behind us (looking out over the back of the ship) and at first thought they were camera flashes, but soon realised it was a storm!
The next day on the the cruise map channel, we could see that the ship had done a big loop around an area of sea – I guess that was the captain navigating around the really rough seas.

The ship rocking wasn’t really too bad though, and neither of us felt ill from it. After our meal at Palo, we went back to our room and stood out on the balcony for a while watching the storm in the distance – the whole sky would light up at times, it was quite eerie but fascinating being out on the sea at night.

I think tonight’s towel animal was an owl…

Coming up tomorrow… Nassau, dolphins.. and pirates!




Emma x