Am I Gonna EAT? Or Am I Gonna STAAAARRRRRVE To Death? Eastern Fantasy UPDATED 06/12/15

[Benchley]

Looking forward to your report. We're busy planning for our cruise in 2016

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Looking forward to your report. We're busy planning for our cruise in 2016

Hi! Thanks for reading along, glad you could join in! I hope my report is helpful in your upcoming 2016 cruise! We had so much fun!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

The Sail Away party is cute and I'm glad we did it. While I would say it's a must do for everyone's first cruise - I don't think it's a MUST do every trip. However I do think we would do it every time just for the atmosphere. The excitement is palpable. Plus they had 2 for 1 drinks. How can you go wrong? They show everything on the big "funnel vision" screen which is nice because you don't have to be right in front to enjoy the show.

I really loved taking in all the details of the ship

We had decided to go to the upper deck to watch the sail a way party

Mickey and Minnie had joined in the fun

Donald, Chip, Dale, Goofy, Pluto also made their appearances

They kept walking around with 2 for 1 drinks as the party was winding down to get rid of them so these two were forced to do their part

We checked out the Aquaduck while we were hanging around - it was definitely on our must due list for the week

By that time it was closing in on our first night's dinner at Animator's Palate so we said goodbye to the deck for now

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

By now I was definitely sea sick. In hindsight, I probably should have anticipated it as I can sometimes get car sick, etc. But it wasn't just me, it was Laine as well. But we headed to dinner anyways, I didn't want to miss anything. Laine and Chase made it to dinner but left almost immediately as Laine wanted to go rest in the room.

When we made it to the dining room we found out we had a great seat right next to one of the monitors. The girls were super excited.

We were table "80" - the paintbrush buckets are too cute with the table #'s on them

A shot of the dining room

The little paintbrush knives were also cute

I decided to order basic chicken with root vegetables however once it arrived I realized I couldn't eat a bite. Luckily Andy was here to eat my dinner and his

Andy had some sort of steak

Someone ordered the fish - unfortunately I can't remember much from that night

Crush came swimming by

I seriously have no idea what was going on here with Zach, Mariah and our assistant server

Then desert - here are the items we had at our table

Cookies & Cream sundae

Mickey ice cream bar

a sampler

Once dinner ended I decided to head to bed for the night. Unfortunately Piper soon joined me - super sea sick. I felt horrible. Andy headed to the gift shop to get sea bands (which btw were $12 in case this helps anyone). She was crying and wanted a helicopter to come get her off the ship. I was thinking it was going to be a looooong week. Luckily by day 2 we all started perking up. I know for sure we will all be wearing patches and sea bands for future cruises.

Our beds were all turned down so cute with chocolates and an adorable towel animal.

End of day 1!

 

[sager1969]

Loving the coordinating outfits and fun ride pics! We like to have the on those, too. Enjoying your report - can't wait to read more.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Loving the coordinating outfits and fun ride pics! We like to have the on those, too. Enjoying your report - can't wait to read more.

Welcome and thanks for reading! Glad you could join in! More to come soon!

 

[bafleyanne]

Loving your report so far!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Loving your report so far!

Thanks so much! Glad you are enjoying the report and thanks for joining in!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

The next morning we woke up and were feeling a little better but still not 100%. Piper and her BFF showered and got ready to swim however we had tickets for the Anna and Elsa Meet and Greet that we had signed up for yesterday. The process was VERY efficient. When you get to the theater, they check your ticket then you are directed to join a very short line for your turn for the meet and greet.
there is no need to go early, you should go right at your assigned time. While we were there we waited no more than 5 minutes tops. The girls had their photo taken and we were off - we were probably there 10 minutes total. We had already met Anna & Elsa at the parks but it is definitely a great way to meet them! They have photographers there in case anyone is interested in purchasing the photo or has a photo package.

Since I was still not feeling quite right we spent most of the day sitting on loungers in the adults only pool area. The girls all had wave phones so they could contact us if they needed anything. I had a few bites of a wrap for lunch and that was about it.

Later that day we had our scheduled Mixology class which was something I had really been looking forward to. I wasn't totally thrilled with the timing as it was at 4pm on the same day as Formal Night but hey, it was 5 drinks for $15 (at that time) so sea sick or not, we were there

Our Mixology class was with a group from our FB cruise group. I appreciated one of the members setting it up and it was a nice way to see people!

When we walked into Skyline, Bryce our bartender from South Africa had everything set up and it looked really cool.

The way it worked is that Bryce would ask for 5 volunteers for each round of drinks. Each group would learn how to make one of the drinks Bryce had chosen and then we would all get one of the drinks to enjoy. Mr. T from our group was first up in group 1.

Close up of the drink set up

Bryce explained to us that "Mickey" pours are long pours. If bartenders "short pour" and don't put enough liquor in the drinks can be considered stealing. I am happy to announce I thoroughly enjoy Mickey pours

Unfortunately since I wasn't planning on a trip report so I didn't take any notes I don't recall what drink Mr. T made but we all managed to choke it down Sooooo good!

Zach and Mariah were up next in the 2nd group. They listened to Bryce give the instructions for making their drink which I think was a muddled berry mojito

Zach actually bartends and this was sooooo good that he makes it as a drink special. i seriously want one right now

Adding the ice

Heaven...in....a... glass.

Next Mrs. D, Andy and I made some type of drink which involved champagne. I am not a fan of champagne at all so I basically blocked this one from my memory but it was fun anyways

Chase didn't want to join in so the next round 5 volunteers from the group made us all another cocktail. I don't recall what it was either unfortunately - sorry! But being that it was drink 4, it seemed to go down just fine Of course - no day would be complete without a "face" being made by Chase as I'm taking pics:

A close up of the drink

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Drink number 5....how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

By now, everything was cleared away but the supplies for drink #5.

The shot glasses were filled with guiness and there was a bottle of Baileys on the bar.

Baileys is my absolute all time favorite. For this drink all you had to do was pour the Baileys on top and it was really neat how it would sit on top of the guiness.

Sorry this pic is terrible but you can of get an idea from it

Now this is where Mixology realllllly got interesting.

Apparently, a chunk of our group was not a fan of the combination and didn't care to try it. Well, who are we to let all this deliciousness go to waste? We each had a "few"

All in all, Mixology was ahhhhhmazing. Loved every second of it. I will definitely be going on every cruise!

Right after Mixology ended, we had to go get ready for dinner as it was Formal Night. The youngest girls had all been getting ready while we were at Mixology so we were able to have them meet up in the hallway for some photos before dinner. Here's a tip for all the parents out there- take your girls shopping for cruise "formal wear" after prom season. Piper's dress was $12 and Zoe's was $16. Both were originally marked close to $200. It seemed like they were packed away in their closets forever but it was totally worth it in the end!

We took a few pics of the sets of sisters

Zoe and Piper:

Miss M and Miss A. Miss A did have her hair done in an "up do" at the spa that day. I believe it was around $86.

The dads showed up - don't the lanyards add a nice touch? lol

Remember how my family likes to make faces? Check out Andy on the far right and ask yourself where they might get this idea from

selfie time

The girls snapped a pic of the grown ups

The "big kids" were still finishing up getting ready. Heads up do NOT try to iron at the last minute on formal night LOL.

Just as we were headed downstairs they jumped into the elevator with us so they missed the "photo shoot". I'm sure they were disappointed

I did manage to snap a couple pics as we were walking into the dining room

And a quick group photo outside Enchanted Garden - I wish this would have turned out better - it's hard to see everyone and pretty blurry. I could cry for my Nikon at this point but we had to make due with our cell phone

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

I just found your trip report and read the whole thing. It looks like y'all are having a great time. I sure hope the seasickness only lasted a short time. I'm nervous about that too. Definitely bringing along some Bonin just in case for our cruise in May.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Since this was our first cruise (our friends 7th I believe) I hadn't worried about any particular dining arrangement but I was pleased with Enchanted Garden for Formal Night. It was very pretty. I don't think it would have been as nice had we been in Animator's palate that night. I will probably pay attention to dining rotations going forward as I truly enjoyed the one we had this cruise.

This trip really meant a lot to me because the boys don't always travel with us. They have their own lives and jobs, etc. It was so wonderful having them with us. Before we left I mentioned that I didn't care what anyone did other than I would love it if everyone joined for the main dinner each night and they all did. I think they clean up pretty nice

Mariah and Zach

Chase and Laine

Don't worry, there were definitely plenty of silly selfie faces too

The girls were coloring on the kids menus and of course into the bread service right away

Our main server Stipe came to take our order. I HIGHLY recommend Stipe. We had actually requested him as our server in case he was still on the Fantasy when we cruised. Our friends had had him previously and loved him. I see why - he was fabulous! We are definitely always going to request him. I can't say enough good things about his service.

Maria was our assistant server. She kept the girls happy with Shirley Temples - extra cherries

Even though we had just come from the amazing Mixology - Zach and Mariah were in the mood for another cocktail and I must admit they were tasty!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

I just found your trip report and read the whole thing. It looks like y'all are having a great time. I sure hope the seasickness only lasted a short time. I'm nervous about that too. Definitely bringing along some Bonin just in case for our cruise in May.

Thanks so much for reading my report! I hadn't planned on writing a report BEFORE i left but once we got back I knew I had to share what i could with everyone - I poured over reports before we left as I didn't have a clue what to expect! By the end of day 2 we were all over our seasickness and had a perfect trip! Now I will just go in prepared on our next cruise. I think taking something ahead is the way to go.

When are you cruising in May? We are on the Dream 5/18-5/22

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

We started off with a couple of different appetizers.
I believe this one that Zach ordered was a lobster ravioli. I love pretty much all food and I have to say this one really didn't do much for any of us

I ordered this - I can't recall the name either but didn't care for it - it was OK - but I didn't eat it so Zach ate it

This was the wedge salad - also OK according to Andy

The main courses were served and this is when something unexpected happened. Maria started cutting up Miss A's steak. Not that it was a bad thing, it was GREAT - I just never expected this. Usually I am the one cutting up food for kids as my food gets cold. They really went above and beyond with the service. We were truly lucky. Something else also happened that I thought was wonderful. Stipe would encourage the kids to try new things, and if they didn't like it he would bring something else. It was a great way for the kids to be able to try stuff and not worry about spending a ton of $$ on something they don't touch at a restaurant anywhere else.

At this point, i really hadn't eaten anything in a couple of days due to the sea sickness. BUT, after mixology and now feeling a bit better, I was a little hungry. I ordered the scallops and they were quite delicious. I actually had 2 orders of the scallops, i didn't really eat whatever was in the middle. Just the scallops.

Stipe brought out the fish of the day for us to try - Andy ate that

And Andy had a steak

Everything was good and we truly enjoyed ourselves.

Then it was desert time

I didn't eat any of the deserts but everyone seemed to enjoy them

Apparently the sundaes were good because the girls ate every last bite

After dinner we stopped at the pretty "throne" chair by the lobby for some pics

Then we decided to stop by the shops before the show and took pics in the hallway which of course involved making a variety of faces - we are pretty easy going/crazy/fun people lol

The girls had fun checking out the pirate gear in the shop

We went back to the room and found this cutie

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Aladdin was the show for the evening and I have to say I loved it. It was definitely my favorite show of the trip.

After the show was over I was feeling like relaxing in the room so I headed back. I thought maybe a little food in my stomach would help so I decided to order room service. i couldn't decide what "sounded good" to me so I ordered a variety. yes, just for myself I ordered:

The cheese plate

chicken fingers

and tomato soup

It got to the room really fast. I took one bite of the tomato soup and couldn't eat any of it. The soup actually tasted more like spaghetti sauce almost than tomato soup. I was not a fan. I felt bad but the food sat on our desk untouched and I went to bed.

Don't worry though - somehow when I woke up every last bite was gone. Apparently Andy and Zoe cleared the plates later when they got to the room LOL. I have to say, we enjoyed room service and the big kids ordered a ton of it!

 

[sager1969]

What a beautiful family! I had to take a nap after mixology so kudos to you for powering on. I have become a total light weight. Love the silly pictures. My DS14 is in that "I am a little cool for this" stage. I am hoping he gets out of it soon. Love the deal on the dresses. That is a great tip! The formal pictures were pretty cute! My guys are not really into the jacket thing. Maybe I can get them in vests. That looked pretty awesome with the blue shirt.

Looking forward to more!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

What a beautiful family! I had to take a nap after mixology so kudos to you for powering on. I have become a total light weight. Love the silly pictures. My DS14 is in that "I am a little cool for this" stage. I am hoping he gets out of it soon. Love the deal on the dresses. That is a great tip! The formal pictures were pretty cute! My guys are not really into the jacket thing. Maybe I can get them in vests. That looked pretty awesome with the blue shirt.

Looking forward to more!

Thank you! I think we probably all could've used a nap after Mixology for sure lol! I'm normally a light weight as well so I was definitely having a good 'ole time at that point! I asked the boys about jackets as well and they weren't wanting to deal with that on vacation but Zach actually brought up the vest idea so it might work with your guys too!

 

[ImDMous]

Really enjoying your pictures! It's been almost a year since our last cruise and I miss it, I love reading people's reports to get my fix. Cheaper than going myself.

It's always been just DH and me on cruises, it looks like it would be so much fun with a big group.

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

Thanks so much for reading my report! I hadn't planned on writing a report BEFORE i left but once we got back I knew I had to share what i could with everyone - I poured over reports before we left as I didn't have a clue what to expect! By the end of day 2 we were all over our seasickness and had a perfect trip! Now I will just go in prepared on our next cruise. I think taking something ahead is the way to go.

When are you cruising in May? We are on the Dream 5/18-5/22

We will just miss each other. We board on Memorial Day, 5-25.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Really enjoying your pictures! It's been almost a year since our last cruise and I miss it, I love reading people's reports to get my fix. Cheaper than going myself.

It's always been just DH and me on cruises, it looks like it would be so much fun with a big group.

Thanks so much! I love reading everyone's cruise reports as well - it makes me feel like I am there too Even though that was our first cruise I am beyond excited for our next one - I never knew if I would enjoy a cruise but now I have the cruise bug! We have 3 future cruises booked already I LOVED traveling with a large group. I have traveled with large groups at the parks and I feel it's a lot more stressful than it was on a cruise. On a cruise everyone can just go where they want, eat when they want, etc. So nice! Our May cruise is just going to be myself, DH, and our 2 friends we traveled with this cruise so adults only. Sooooo looking forward to this! I am sure it will be a much different experience than it was with the kids.

We will just miss each other. We board on Memorial Day, 5-25.

Oh wow - so close! That would have been awesome if it was the same cruise! Enjoy your trip! We are headed to the parks after the cruise so my husband can go to Star Wars Weekend. Such a good time! You will have to report back on your trip! I'd love to see pics, etc. if you do a trip report!