Baby on the High Seas - A Fantasy Eastern Caribbean Trip Report *new 4/15*

[KatMark]

Wow, that brunch looks terrific. I'm drooling just before I go to bed.

Just like the coffee at Disney, it stinks on the cruise. I'd be hitting the specialty coffee bar at all times.

Love the pictures of you and Michael.

And Rory looks like he is having a great time steering the ship.

 

[schmass]

The Brunch at Palo looks great! So. much. good. food. One thing is for sure, one won't go hungry on a Disney Cruise!

That is for sure! It was a shock when we got off the ship and went to the MK and actually had to pay for food if we were hungry!

Bummer about the regular coffee. We are kinda coffee snobs too (not that bad, but don't like "bad" coffee) so that would definitely be an issue (plus I tend to drink like 8 cups a day at work). I know they recently upgraded the coffee in the resorts at Disney World so hopefully they do the same soon on the cruise lines!

So unfortunately, I think this IS the upgraded coffee. I think it has to do with the way it is brewed that it tastes really bad. Like really, really, bad.

Of course he wouldn't want to leave the Captains Wheel .... you can't just leave?!?!?! Who would steer the boat!

HAHA!

Really nice to see what your Palo brunch was like! That is something we definitely want to do when we do a Disney Cruise. Looks awesome and thank you for the entree recommendations! I actually love lasagna, so I might need to try theirs!

You can order as many of the entrees as you want, too! I've been dreaming of that lasagna again today. They make it with a bechamel sauce instead of ricotta cheese, and it all kind of melts together. So good.

Too bad Rory didn't hit it off with Goofy, but glad he enjoyed driving the boat!

Yes, the ILs said he was happy as could be with that wheel!

Wow, that brunch looks terrific. I'm drooling just before I go to bed.

It really was excellent.

Just like the coffee at Disney, it stinks on the cruise. I'd be hitting the specialty coffee bar at all times.

At least they have the rewards card so every 6th drink is free!

Love the pictures of you and Michael.

Aw, thanks.

And Rory looks like he is having a great time steering the ship.

He really was!

 

[schmass]

Day 3 – Part 2 - Dinner and some Adult Time!

Dinner tonight was at the Royal Court. Our table was tucked into a corner, which turned out to be a good thing.

It was also right next to a porthole, which was a not so good thing. Rory was an animal this evening. He spent a lot of time doing this:

And this:

After two nights of the servers saying how well-behaved he was during our long dinners, he was definitely acting like a toddler this evening. All he wanted to do was play in the porthole. We let him for a while because it was keeping him quiet. He wasn’t content with just his parents, grandparents, and servers attention; he wanted attention from guests around us as well. Fortunately the lady at the table next to us thought he was cute and was distracting him a bit. She even took off her bracelets and let him play with them for a little while, which kept him entertained.

He finally settled down to eat a little of his dinner.

For my meal, I had the French Onion Soup and the Wild Mushroom filled Pasta in a Vegetable Broth. I don’t remember the entrée being exceptional, but I think it was fairly good. Michael had the Escargot and then some sort of fish that came out extremely dry. As soon as he mentioned that it was a bit dry, his plate was whisked away and a new entrée was in front of him almost immediately.

I ended up taking Rory for a little walk in the hallway, and as I did, I was thinking how this dinner was much different than the dinners we had experience on our past cruises, chitchatting with the other adults at our table. And yet as I walked down the hallway holding my little boy’s hand, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

That evening, in addition to Wishes, the show playing in the theater, I was hoping to see Michael Holly, the comedian/juggler that would be performing in the Tube. When FIL came to our room for his nightly reading/babysitting, Michael asked if we could bribe him with chocolates to stay an extra hour or two. Fortunately FIL had no problem with that and told us to enjoy! I grabbed a glass of wine and then we saw Wishes, which we had not seen before. Part of it takes place in Disneyland, which was cute. I really enjoyed it.

After the show we headed to the Tube, and had a little time to kill so we wanted to pop our heads into some of the other bars. As we approached Skyline, there were two guys that worked there standing outside the doors and they told us to come in. I still had a glass of wine with me, so they said “you don’t need to buy anything, come check out the skyline”. We sat down on a little couch and saw that the skyline behind the bar looked like Paris. The server said it was his favorite scene but that in a few minutes it would change. Sure enough, in about 5 minutes, it changed to Greece. It was really cool. I wish that we could have spent more time in there and checked out all of the different scenes.

We headed to the Tube and there was something called Ice Breakers going on. There was a lot of audience participation and was hosted by Tisa, who was the host of a lot of the adult activities. She had also been on the Magic when we sailed in 2012, and is so funny. She has a great personality and is perfect for her role! We had fun watching that, and then we really enjoyed Michael Holly. We had seen him on the Magic, as well. After his show ended there was going to be a 70’s dance party in the Tube. Since I really dislike 70’s dance music and we had to get back to our room to relieve FIL, we headed out. We had a really fun night and were glad that we got to experience the Tube at least one night!

Up next: St. Maarten!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

To be fair, that porthole looks pretty fun! I am sure he is not the first, nor the last toddler to spend some time there

"And yet as I walked down the hallway holding my little boy’s hand, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything" ... ok, got a little misty eyed reading that. Reminded me of our last trip to Disney which was our first with 3 kids and had not other adult help - and we didn't get on BTMRR or Splash Mountain or ToT or RNRC ... and I definitely wouldn't trade it for anything either.

Glad you did get some adult time though that night and enjoyed yourselves. That Skyline bar sounds very cool!

 

[KatMark]

I have to say if my seat was at that porthole I would be wanting to look out too to see the big, blue ocean. It was nice of the lady at the other table to entertain him a bit. And, yes, you couldn't talk with others as much as you have on past cruises, but as you said, you wouldn't trade it for anything...it's so special having a child to do these things with.

I'm glad you got to see Wishes and the show that you wanted to afterwards. And what a great FIL you have.

 

[schmass]

To be fair, that porthole looks pretty fun! I am sure he is not the first, nor the last toddler to spend some time there

Ha, definitely not!

"And yet as I walked down the hallway holding my little boy’s hand, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything" ... ok, got a little misty eyed reading that. Reminded me of our last trip to Disney which was our first with 3 kids and had not other adult help - and we didn't get on BTMRR or Splash Mountain or ToT or RNRC ... and I definitely wouldn't trade it for anything either.

It's amazing how much things change when kids are involved. I feel like I'm finally growing up.

Glad you did get some adult time though that night and enjoyed yourselves. That Skyline bar sounds very cool!

I wish we could have spent more time there, but really I'm thankful that we even got to experience the little time we did there.

I have to say if my seat was at that porthole I would be wanting to look out too to see the big, blue ocean. It was nice of the lady at the other table to entertain him a bit. And, yes, you couldn't talk with others as much as you have on past cruises, but as you said, you wouldn't trade it for anything...it's so special having a child to do these things with.

I know, I was looking out the porthole a bit, too, hoping to see some whales or dolphins like on our past cruise.

It was SUCH a different cruise than our past experiences, but so awesome to have Rory with us!

I'm glad you got to see Wishes and the show that you wanted to afterwards. And what a great FIL you have.

My FIL is pretty awesome.

 

[Imagineer5]

Ahhh only now seeing you started your TR!! What an awesome start.

I love the fact that sailing out of Port Canaveral allows you time at WDW before/after the cruise. I think for future cruises (I'm sure we will have more after our Feb one!) I will look at that port vs. miami. What a nice "standard" view room at Kidani - definitely not my experience in August! LOL.

So nice that your in laws were along but they don't seem to be "in your face" constantly? Sounds like the perfect combo. Glad your FIL was able to watch Rory in the evenings and you got that awesome brunch at Palo. I really want to do that, but not sure if I will be able to grab a reservation at 75 days out with only 2 at-sea days. We'll see!

Rory is SO cute! His interaction with the characters is exactly how Aria was too - her first trip (at 8 months) was awesome for them, then for the next year she screamed! Haha!

Nemo's reef looks super cute, and the 30 minute toddler play was cute as well. Also, so glad they are so amazing with food allergies, I know you mentioned being worried about that before you left. Your food looks AMAZING though too bad the regular coffee is awful!

 

[schmass]

Ahhh only now seeing you started your TR!! What an awesome start.

Hi Lauren! Welcome!

I love the fact that sailing out of Port Canaveral allows you time at WDW before/after the cruise. I think for future cruises (I'm sure we will have more after our Feb one!) I will look at that port vs. miami. What a nice "standard" view room at Kidani - definitely not my experience in August! LOL.

I'm sure you'll have more cruises after your February one, too! Seriously the best vacation ever.

So nice that your in laws were along but they don't seem to be "in your face" constantly? Sounds like the perfect combo. Glad your FIL was able to watch Rory in the evenings and you got that awesome brunch at Palo. I really want to do that, but not sure if I will be able to grab a reservation at 75 days out with only 2 at-sea days. We'll see!

If you can't get a Palo brunch reservation online, I bet you'll be able to get one when you board the ship. That is what we did on our first cruise, and got one no problem. Good luck!

Rory is SO cute! His interaction with the characters is exactly how Aria was too - her first trip (at 8 months) was awesome for them, then for the next year she screamed! Haha!

And now Aria is a pro!

Nemo's reef looks super cute, and the 30 minute toddler play was cute as well. Also, so glad they are so amazing with food allergies, I know you mentioned being worried about that before you left. Your food looks AMAZING though too bad the regular coffee is awful!

The rest of the food made up for the coffee!

 

[schmass]

Day 4 – Part 1 – St. Maarten

Rory slept until 7:45 this morning – I think that is the latest he has EVER slept. He awoke, and as usual we headed up to Cabanas for breakfast.

Our plan today was to just take the water taxi over to the public beach. Many of the excursions have a minimum age of 5, which really limited us on what we could do. The beach excursions allowed for babies/toddlers, but seemed really pricey to me. Since we’re not really beach people anyway, we figured this way we could spend as little or as much time as we wanted, and head back to the ship whenever we felt like it.

We got off the ship around 9:30 and started making our way over to the water taxi area.

Here we had a little debate whether we should actually take the water taxi, or just walk. It was supposed to be a 15 minute walk. We ended up taking the water taxi since it was only $7 for all day trips and because it was already hot and sunny.

The water taxi was a quick ride over to the beach, I think it took about 10 minutes or so. Rory was almost asleep, so they let us keep him in the stroller, which was nice. We got to the beach and there were many people there offering a spot on their section of the beach. I thought I had read to keep walking and negotiate further down, but we ended up talking to someone right there and ended up going with him. We walked a ways down the beach and we got 4 lounge chairs, umbrellas, and restroom access for $30. He also threw in some beach toys for Rory to play with. For an extra $10 we could get a bucket of six drinks, so we got a few beers and a few bottles of water.

Clear, blue water

The water was sooo nice. It was warm enough that even I, a huge wimp when it comes to water temperature, got right it. Rory also loved his beach experience, both playing in the sand and in the water!

We stayed there for a few hours. Rory took a little nap in the stroller, and I was surprised how quickly he fell asleep. He missed his usual morning nap, so I think he was really ready to sleep. He didn’t sleep long enough though, so when he woke he was a little cranky. We decided to head back to the ship for some lunch, and so Rory could get a proper nap in. As we walked back, we went through town so that we could see the shops. The town is just one street away from the beach, so it’s definitely an easy walk from the water taxi, and probably even from the ship. It was hot though, so we didn’t spend a lot of time before heading back to the water taxi. This time even though Rory was just about passed out again, they made us take him out of the stroller and fold it up. This seemed like a smaller boat, and the benches were really high. I felt like I was precariously perched on the bench and I was holding the almost-sleeping Rory. I was so nervous that I was going to fall over. Fortunately we made it back to land safely, and re-boarded the Fantasy around 2:15.

I liked St. Maarten more than I expected to, especially for not having done an excursion. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same thing again – just go to the public beach, although I have heard really good things about Bernards Tours and may check that out next time. The only thing that was a little annoying was that we were relaxing on the beach, there were ladies walking up and down constantly trying to sell things – massages, hair braiding, bags, towels, dresses. Ignoring them didn’t really work, and even when at one point we were dealing with a crying Rory, they were still being pretty pushy. Despite that, it was still an enjoyable day.

Up Next: Pirate Night!

 

[KatMark]

It sounds like a lovely morning at the beach (despite the pushy ladies). Rory's smile in the water pictures just warmed my heart this morning.

 

[Imagineer5]

I am not much of a beach person either (though that is much more so up here in MA where the water is WAY too cold to be enjoyable IMO) but it sounds like a nice day. Though I hate pushy sales people and the whole process of having to pay for the chairs and such would turn me off to something like that, I think. Nice that you got a little walk in to town. I am trying to figure out which stroller to bring with us, considering the City Mini because it does recline for nap time, but not sure if it is still too big for the cruise ship? It would be nice if Aria would take her afternoon nap in it when we are at Castaway Key and also when we are on the ship vs being stuck in the room.

Anyway can't wait to hear about pirate night!

 

[schmass]

It sounds like a lovely morning at the beach (despite the pushy ladies). Rory's smile in the water pictures just warmed my heart this morning.

Aw, I'm so glad. I hope you are doing okay.

I am not much of a beach person either (though that is much more so up here in MA where the water is WAY too cold to be enjoyable IMO) but it sounds like a nice day. Though I hate pushy sales people and the whole process of having to pay for the chairs and such would turn me off to something like that, I think. Nice that you got a little walk in to town. I am trying to figure out which stroller to bring with us, considering the City Mini because it does recline for nap time, but not sure if it is still too big for the cruise ship? It would be nice if Aria would take her afternoon nap in it when we are at Castaway Key and also when we are on the ship vs being stuck in the room.

Anyway can't wait to hear about pirate night!

I think since we knew that we'd have to pay for the chairs and umbrella, we were okay with it. And it still worked out to be a lot cheaper than if we had booked a beach excursion through Disney.

I think the City Mini is about the size of the Britax B-Agile - do you know if that's true? If so, I don't think you'd have a problem bringing it, and it will fit under the bed for storage. There was one guy on board with a BOB stroller. I'm not even sure how he got it in the stateroom!

 

[schmass]

Day 4 - Part 2 - Pirate Night!

When I last left off, we had just gotten back to the ship after spending the morning and early afternoon on St. Maarten. Michael ran up to Cabanas to pick up Rory’s special lunch order before they closed, and I took Rory back to the room. I tried to put him down for a nap, and thought I was successful. However, as soon as Michael got back to the room with the food, Rory started crying and wanted to eat. We fed him and then put him back down.

Since we hadn’t eaten, we ordered Room Service for ourselves. We always wanted to order Room Service on our past cruises, but never had the chance since we were always so full, so we finally got our chance. I got a caprese panini which I thought was very good. Michael ordered buffalo wings and mac n’ cheese and wasn’t impressed with either. His buffalo wings arrived as BBQ wings, and the mac n’ cheese just wasn’t great. Oh well, it was late to be eating lunch anyway since dinner was at 5:45!

While we ate our lunch, we started Divergent again, but as soon as I was done eating I fell asleep again! I think I told Michael to keep watching and I’d catch it another time.

Tonight was Pirate Night!

We were back at Animator’s Palette this evening. It was fun seeing everyone dressed up. The variety of dressing up goes from not at all to full on pirate costumes, and everything in between. We saw one guy dressed as Davy Jones, and we wondered how much room that costume took up in his suitcase. In the dining room, they were playing the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack, which I love.

For dinner, Rory and I both had a watermelon soup. His came out first and was delicious, so I was really excited for mine. However when mine came out, I didn’t like it nearly as much as his! That was the second time that his soup was really delicious. He ended up drinking it through a straw!

For dinner he had salmon and vegetables.

For the rest of my meal, I had gotten some sort of glazed pineapple appetizer, and then black-eyed pea and quinoa croquettes. I don’t think that I even had dessert that night. Most of them had rum in them, and while I don’t mind rum, I don’t like it in my desserts. Overall, the food wasn’t my favorite this night, but then again, I don’t think I made the best choices.

Rory wouldn’t sit still for very long at dinner, and was doing laps around our table. Since he wasn’t getting in anyone’s way and wasn’t bothering other diners, we let him do his laps, but I still felt bad about it. We left about 7:30 and went back to the room. Our plan for tonight was that the ILs were going to the Fireworks, Michael was going to an 8:30 movie, and I was going to hit the Rainforest Room until it was time for Michael to leave for the movie. I was a little sad to not be going to the Fireworks, but it was fine.

When I came back from the Rainforest Room, I poured myself a glass of wine and started Divergent AGAIN. I’m pretty sure I only made it about 30 minutes before falling asleep again, and I don’t think I ever did finish that movie. Michael really enjoyed his movie and climbed into bed around 11.

Up next: St. Thomas/St. John

 

[Dugette]

Just got caught up on the last few updates.

I like the sentiment about not trading that time with Rory for the world. It's different, but so special. Plus, you did still get that no-kid time in the evenings when FIL watched him, so the best of both worlds.

Good to know that our B-Agile should be okay on the ship! I hadn't even thought about that.

Awww, Rory as a pirate! Too cute!

 

[Flossbolna]

I like the pirate bandana as a head band! Great way to make use of it!

And how funny that Divergent kept putting you to sleep!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

the beach at St. Maarten looks really nice and a lot of fun! Kind of annoying to try to decide where to pay to use the beach, etc. - but sounds like you got quite a bit included with your fee so that it good at least. The ladies selling things also sound annoying. I get they need to make a living - but doesn't make it less annoying

Pirate night sounds fun and you all look great! Sorry you didn't like your food better though! One of these days I am sure you will see that whole movie

 

[grantclaire]

Loved the pictures of your little guy on the beach! We will be there in December. Was there a place to change into swim suits on the beach? Thanks

 

[KatMark]

Rory made the cutest little pirate. I've heard that they go to extremes with the costumes.

I'm sorry that your meal wasn't very good. I love that Rory drank his soup out of a straw.

 

[schmass]

Just got caught up on the last few updates.

I like the sentiment about not trading that time with Rory for the world. It's different, but so special. Plus, you did still get that no-kid time in the evenings when FIL watched him, so the best of both worlds.

We were definitely lucky that we got to experience both aspects during the cruise.

Good to know that our B-Agile should be okay on the ship! I hadn't even thought about that.

Yep, should be fine! I kind of regret not bringing ours but only because he sleeps better in the B-Agile than the umbrella stroller we brought.

Awww, Rory as a pirate! Too cute!

Aw, thanks!

I like the pirate bandana as a head band! Great way to make use of it!

Thank you! I'm surprised it took 3 Pirate Nights for me to figure out that I like wearing it that way the best!

And how funny that Divergent kept putting you to sleep!

I know! I had read the book and really enjoyed it!

the beach at St. Maarten looks really nice and a lot of fun! Kind of annoying to try to decide where to pay to use the beach, etc. - but sounds like you got quite a bit included with your fee so that it good at least. The ladies selling things also sound annoying. I get they need to make a living - but doesn't make it less annoying

The paying for the chairs and umbrella was fine, but those ladies really were annoying.

Pirate night sounds fun and you all look great! Sorry you didn't like your food better though! One of these days I am sure you will see that whole movie

Thanks, it was a fun night! We'll see about the movie, falling asleep while watching movies/tv is pretty typical for me!

Loved the pictures of your little guy on the beach! We will be there in December. Was there a place to change into swim suits on the beach? Thanks

Aw, thank you. When we rented the chairs, etc it also came with use of a bathroom, but it was pretty sketchy. I would probably wear your suit off the ship if possible. Have fun!

Rory made the cutest little pirate. I've heard that they go to extremes with the costumes.

I'm sorry that your meal wasn't very good. I love that Rory drank his soup out of a straw.

He loved drinking it out of a straw - he could suck it right down without a spoon slowing him down!

 

[BarbP]

Really enjoying your report as we are considering doing a cruise for the granddaughters first Birthday. Your observations and things that you did with Rory are very helpful. And he is a cutie!