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

[Dugette]

Aw, Rory's such a cutie! Love his little bowtie and his big grin.

Izzy sometimes goes on a crazy broccoli-for-dessert spree too. Sometimes she won't touch it and sometimes she just can't get enough like that. Funny!

Glad you enjoyed the show that night!

 

[pierresgirl]

Loving your report! Rory is just precious, so adorbs! I'd love to go to
St John one day, I've heard from people it's one of the most romantically beautiful islands in the Carribean. All the food pics look so yummy esp the seared fish at Palo!

 

[schmass]

Rory is just so cute...no matter what he is wearing...his dinner clothes or just his diaper. He just has the cutest smile.

Thank you. He is definitely a very happy and smiley little guy.

So glad you enjoyed the show this time. I think the performers make a huge difference in whether or not you enjoy something.

So true. It was so much better this time!

Wishing you and yours a very

​

Thank you, I hope you had a great Christmas as well!

Aw, Rory's such a cutie! Love his little bowtie and his big grin.

Thank you!

Izzy sometimes goes on a crazy broccoli-for-dessert spree too. Sometimes she won't touch it and sometimes she just can't get enough like that. Funny!

Kids are funny. I think since Rory so rarely has dessert, he didn't really even know that it comes at the END of dinner.

Glad you enjoyed the show that night!

Thank you, I am too!

Loving your report! Rory is just precious, so adorbs!

Thanks for reading! We think he's pretty cute, too.

I'd love to go to St John one day, I've heard from people it's one of the most romantically beautiful islands in the Carribean.

It really was beautiful. I'd like to go back for longer than a few hours some day. That water was just calling my name!

All the food pics look so yummy esp the seared fish at Palo!

All of the food on board was really good, but yes Palo was amazing!

 

[schmass]

Day 7 – Part 1 – Castaway Cay!
Rory woke up at 6:30 on Friday morning and resumed playing with his glowstick.

This day was a little bittersweet, as it was our last day of the cruise so we were a bit sad, but it was also Castaway Cay day! It was also Michael’s birthday! We headed up to breakfast, and we chatted with a couple of castmembers while we were there. It was raining out, but they thought that by the time we got to Castaway Cay it would clear up.

Rory's smoothie arrived in a bowl this morning, but that wasn't a problem for him!

After eating breakfast, I headed down to the Tube. All of the runners for the Castaway Cay were supposed to meet there by 9am. There were 140 runners. When I did this race back in 2011, there were probably only around 30 runners, and we just met up by the start line rather than on the ship. It was amazing to me to see how much the race has grown in just a few years. As soon as the ship docked, we headed off the ship. It was around 9:45 by this point and was no longer raining.
It was hot and humid during the race, but it was still enjoyable. I hadn’t been running as much as normal prior to the cruise, so the humidity and lack of training made me feel more like it was a 10k rather than a 5k, but 30 minutes later it was over and I felt a sense of accomplishment. I could now relax and enjoy the island for the rest of the day!

I walked back to the ship and wasn’t sure where Rory and Michael would be. I thought that they might already be on the island, but when I got back to the room, Rory had just woken from his morning nap. It was perfect timing! I was glad about this, because as much as I enjoyed the race, I felt bad that it had taken up so much Castaway Cay time.

Rory wanted to wear my new medal.

Michael had taken a few pictures of the view from our room.

We all quickly got ready and made our way to the beach.

We were on the lookout for Michael’s parents, but it was hard to find them because the beach was really crowded by this point. We finally found them over on the 2nd family beach. I realized that we should have gone to the 1st family beach because it was waaay less crowded, but they already had everything set up by that point, so we stayed put. Rory enjoyed the sand and water again.

Continued in next post!

 

[schmass]

We had lunch at Cookies BBQ and they had a special meal for Rory. I had to wait a few minutes to pick it up, and he was getting a little antsy. I was by myself because Michael was a few minutes behind me, so a castmember came over and grabbed some fruit and water for Rory. She was very helpful and I really appreciated it. At this point, Rory’s food was ready and Michael met up with me, so the three of us had a nice lunch. The food was really good!

After lunch I took Rory over to the splash area they have on the island. He LOVED it! It was so much fun watching him play. He would run through the little fountains, come back and touch my leg and then go run through again. He played for a while and then I could tell that he was starting to get a little tired.

It was looking like nap time for Rory, so Michael’s parents decided they would take him for a nap while Michael and I went for a bike ride. Originally we were planning to get a bike that had a baby seat so Rory could come with us, but decided to go without him so he could nap. I think it was around 3pm at this point, so instead of Rory sleeping in his stroller, they decided to go back to the ship.

Michael and I really enjoyed riding bikes around the island. We had done this back in 2011 too. It is a great way to get around the island.

We stopped at the lookout tower and took some pictures with the ship in the background.

We then headed down to Serenity Bay, the adult only beach. We were only there for a couple of minutes, but it was so nice for the short time we were there. I swear that even the water felt warmer there!

Unfortunately it started sprinkling when we got there, so we headed back. We took several pictures on the way back to the ship, it was like I didn’t want our time there to end.

Up next: Our final night on board!

 

[jennifermturner]

How did you keep your little guy from getting sea sick. We will be traveling with dd 7 ( who we give Dramamine) and dd 9mths ( no dramamine can be used lol). Thanks!

 

[VbChristy]

How did you keep your little guy from getting sea sick. We will be traveling with dd 7 ( who we give Dramamine) and dd 9mths ( no dramamine can be used lol). Thanks!

So my son occasionally gets car sick and on cruises at 7 months and 9 months we really didn't have an issue with him. The plane usually does him in. Towards the end. But so far the cruises haven't... Another cruiser used this for herself and it says it is good for the little ones. I'm bringing it on an upcoming cruise.
Motioneaze, 0.17 Fluid Ounce
Sold by: amazingindustrialfullfillment

 

[Dugette]

Castaway Cay looks pretty great! And I had no idea there was a splash pad there - Izzy will love that! Rory looks like he had a great time in the sand! Oh, and good job finishing the race - looks like Rory enjoyed the medal!

 

[schmass]

How did you keep your little guy from getting sea sick. We will be traveling with dd 7 ( who we give Dramamine) and dd 9mths ( no dramamine can be used lol). Thanks!

Is it bad that we didn't even think of bringing anything for him to prevent seasickness? I guess since Michael and I have never had an issue with it, it didn't even cross our minds that Rory might get seasick.

So my son occasionally gets car sick and on cruises at 7 months and 9 months we really didn't have an issue with him. The plane usually does him in. Towards the end. But so far the cruises haven't... Another cruiser used this for herself and it says it is good for the little ones. I'm bringing it on an upcoming cruise.
Motioneaze, 0.17 Fluid Ounce
Sold by: amazingindustrialfullfillment

This is good to keep in mind for future reference.

Castaway Cay looks pretty great! And I had no idea there was a splash pad there - Izzy will love that! Rory looks like he had a great time in the sand! Oh, and good job finishing the race - looks like Rory enjoyed the medal!

Castaway Cay is AMAZING!! Yes, the splash area was great - Izzy will have a blast! Thank you - the medal was an upgrade from when I had run the race before - we didn't receive anything that time!

 

[KatMark]

What a wonderful update. It looks like a good time was had on Castaway Cay beach. The picture of Rory in the water and sitting on the chair had me . Priceless!

Glad you and your hubby got a little bike time alone. Looks like a scenic ride and the adult beach looks heavenly.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

sounds like you guys made the most of your time on Castaway Cay and got a little bit of everything in. The bike ride sounds fun and that is a great picture with the boat in the background.

Congrats on running/finishing the race!

That splash area looks really cool and sounds like Rory had a lot of fun. Glad they were able to get him special food on the island as well

 

[Imagineer5]

Eeek so excited to see the photos of Castaway Key!! I can't wait to visit! The splash area looks cool and I am a little worried about the food on the island but we'll see. I am considering using the nursery to put Aria down for a nap so we can spend some time together at the adult side (or possibly ride bikes) but I'm going to play it by ear since we'll also have the stroller she can nap in. Or maybe I'll be ready to go in from the beach early.

 

[schmass]

What a wonderful update. It looks like a good time was had on Castaway Cay beach. The picture of Rory in the water and sitting on the chair had me . Priceless!

Thank you, it was a fun update to write because it was such a great day! Yes, Rory is definitely getting pretty expressive!

Glad you and your hubby got a little bike time alone. Looks like a scenic ride and the adult beach looks heavenly.

Next time we need to plan for more time at the adult beach. The few minutes we were there wasn't nearly enough!

sounds like you guys made the most of your time on Castaway Cay and got a little bit of everything in. The bike ride sounds fun and that is a great picture with the boat in the background.

Yes, we had a busy, but really fun day! Riding bikes around the island is so much fun. I love riding bikes but am nervous to do so at home because of cars. Island riding is more my speed.

Congrats on running/finishing the race!

Thank you!

That splash area looks really cool and sounds like Rory had a lot of fun. Glad they were able to get him special food on the island as well

The splash area was great. While the food at Cookies was good, his special meal was really delicious. We kept stealing bites of his, it was so good.

Eeek so excited to see the photos of Castaway Key!! I can't wait to visit! The splash area looks cool and I am a little worried about the food on the island but we'll see. I am considering using the nursery to put Aria down for a nap so we can spend some time together at the adult side (or possibly ride bikes) but I'm going to play it by ear since we'll also have the stroller she can nap in. Or maybe I'll be ready to go in from the beach early.

You are going to love it - I'm so excited for you! Don't be worried about the food on the island, I think you will be okay. I know that I didn't eat any meat while I was there and still found plenty of good options at the buffet.

I would definitely consider some nursery time for Aria if you want to enjoy Serenity Bay together. If she's potty trained, you can also leave her at the kids club area on the island.

She can also ride in the kids seat on one of your bikes if you are comfortable with that. They had plenty available when we rented ours.

 

[schmass]

Day 7 - Part 2 - Final Night on Board

We got back on board, showered, and started packing. I had some things to take care of before dinner, like returning Rory’s band to the nursery (so we didn’t get charged!), and heading to Guest Services so we could add more gratuities for our servers and room steward. We felt like they really went above and beyond and deserved more than the standard gratuities. I came back from running my errands and told Michael that I booked another cruise while I was out. I hadn’t, and was just looking for a reaction from him. He was actually happy when he thought I had booked, so I admitted I hadn’t but said we could after dinner if he wanted to!

Michael had given Rory a pre-dinner snack of a whole apple, and I was unsure of how Rory would react to it. I didn’t think he’d be able to eat it, but he had no problem at all!

We were told to head down to dinner a little early because it was show night in Animator’s Palette. I was really excited about this dinner, because I had heard great things about the animation show. We got there, and the restaurant wasn’t open yet so there was a line to get in. Rory entertained himself by playing in a porthole again, and continuing to chomp on his apple.

I had read so not-so-great reviews on the See Ya Real Soon Menu, which we would be having this evening, and while I can’t remember now what we ate, I remember being pleasantly surprised. I know I had a soup for an appetizer that I enjoyed. Rory enjoyed his watermelon appetizer!

Michael and I were also surprised at the end of the meal with special birthday desserts and singing. My birthday wasn’t until the following week, but I think my in-laws wanted my day to be celebrated as well, which was nice.

The animation show during dinner was amazing. I won’t give any details away, but it was really great, and I loved that we got to experience it on our last night. It really made our last night special.

Saying goodbye to our servers was very difficult, as we really enjoyed them. Rory had some pictures taken with Alexa and his favorite statue. He was obsessed with this Dopey statue every time we ate in this restaurant.

After dinner we had another quick conversation about rebooking on board, and decided to go for it! The discount was too good to pass up, and if we decided we couldn’t go after all, we could cancel without penalty. Our big hangup was the fact that we’d have to sail again within 18 months, which would mean prior to Rory turning 3 (so no kids club!). The other issue was that we’re hoping that Rory would no longer be an only child by then, and didn’t know if the timing would work out. About a month after we returned from the cruise, DCL changed their policy, and now we have 2 years! We had booked for October 2015, but will be changing that, most likely to May 2016, so Rory will just have turned 3 and the baby will be…well, we’ll just have to wait and see…

We got back to our room and had our final towel animal waiting for us.

We put Rory to bed, and got our luggage out in the hallway by 8:30. FIL came by for his final babysitting shift and we headed down to the show, which was a nice wrap-up to the cruise.

We were in bed around 10 and set our alarm for an early wake-up the next morning. Since we had the early dinner, that meant we also had early breakfast on the last day.

Up next: Saying goodbye to the Fantasy and hello Magic Kingdom!

 

[KatMark]

Sarah, what a fun update again. It was nice of you to arrange extra gratuities for the awesome servers you had who took such good care of you all, especially Rory. I love the pictures of him and Alexa...he does have some great facial expressions.

I'm glad you were able to book another cruise and then be able to extend the date. There was something on FB the other day though about children having to be a certain age to get on the ship...some new policy or something (be sure to look into it).

I am glad you enjoyed the animation show.

Looking forward to your last meal on ship and going to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Dugette]

Wow, Rory did awesome with that whole apple. I've never tried that with Izzy - I wonder how she'd do.

That's great that you had such good servers and service in general. I know it's not Disney, but when we took our Royal Caribbean cruise back in 2008 we had amazing service too - I feel like the people who work on cruise ships are just (nearly) universally awesome. Hoping for more of the same magic when we do the Disney Dream.

Yay for booking another cruise! So, currently, the window is 2 years? That is good to know.

Also good to know that the early dinner seating comes with early last-day breakfast. We are hoping to have the early dinner seating, but I've heard recommendations to do room-service breakfast on the last day and the fact that we'd have to be dining really early otherwise is another good reason to consider that, I think.

Sad that the cruise portion is ending, but looking forward to MK!

 

[Imagineer5]

Ummm so I did NOT know there was a kids club on Castaway Key! LOL! Looking into that now.

So excited for you and booking another cruise on board!! I plan to look into it, but I guess we will see. I think DH will like the cruise over WDW, whereas I feel like I'd choose WDW over the cruise, but I'm keeping an open mind of course and SUPER excited to be trying it out!

Anyway glad your final night was great and food better than expected. Did you leave your luggage outside? I am debating what to do - let them take our luggage or take it off ourselves.

 

[schmass]

Sarah, what a fun update again. It was nice of you to arrange extra gratuities for the awesome servers you had who took such good care of you all, especially Rory. I love the pictures of him and Alexa...he does have some great facial expressions.

They definitely deserved the extra grautuities. The service was really exceptional!

I'm glad you were able to book another cruise and then be able to extend the date. There was something on FB the other day though about children having to be a certain age to get on the ship...some new policy or something (be sure to look into it).

Thanks for the heads up! It was probably about them changing the minimum age from 3 months to 6 months. I just recently became aware of that change and was a little nervous about timing, but I think we'll be okay .

I am glad you enjoyed the animation show.

I may have even cried a little...

Looking forward to your last meal on ship and going to the Magic Kingdom.

Hopefully I'll have that update soon!

Wow, Rory did awesome with that whole apple. I've never tried that with Izzy - I wonder how she'd do.

Rory can definitely eat. He's really tiny for his age (doesn't look like it because of those cheeks!), but he eats all day long. The whole apple is great because it keeps him busy for a while. You should try it with Izzy - we were definitely surprised with how well Rory did with it.

That's great that you had such good servers and service in general. I know it's not Disney, but when we took our Royal Caribbean cruise back in 2008 we had amazing service too - I feel like the people who work on cruise ships are just (nearly) universally awesome. Hoping for more of the same magic when we do the Disney Dream.

I bet your servers on the Dream will be amazing, especially with Izzy. We have had great service on all of our cruises, but it really showed with how they interacted with and took care of Rory.

Yay for booking another cruise! So, currently, the window is 2 years? That is good to know.

Yes! They changed it about a month ago!

Also good to know that the early dinner seating comes with early last-day breakfast. We are hoping to have the early dinner seating, but I've heard recommendations to do room-service breakfast on the last day and the fact that we'd have to be dining really early otherwise is another good reason to consider that, I think.

I have also heard the recommendation for room service that day, or to head up to Cabanas. We always just want that last interaction with our servers. I think next time we'll try the Cabanas route, though.

Sad that the cruise portion is ending, but looking forward to MK!

Coming up soon!

Ummm so I did NOT know there was a kids club on Castaway Key! LOL! Looking into that now.

I didn't know either, but as we were walking to the start line for the 5k, there were kids with us and they got dropped off at the club on the way.

So excited for you and booking another cruise on board!! I plan to look into it, but I guess we will see. I think DH will like the cruise over WDW, whereas I feel like I'd choose WDW over the cruise, but I'm keeping an open mind of course and SUPER excited to be trying it out!

You might be surprised at how much you like it. I LOVE the parks, but there is just something about the cruise that I like maybe even a little better. I feel almost guilty saying that, but it's true. I think it's the combination of pure relaxation, pure fun, and amazing service that just makes it so enjoyable. The only thing missing is the rides, and to be honest I don't even miss them on the cruise (and I LOVE rides!). I can't wait to hear about your experience!

Anyway glad your final night was great and food better than expected. Did you leave your luggage outside? I am debating what to do - let them take our luggage or take it off ourselves.

We did leave our luggage outside. We have done that each time. I think my in-laws carried theirs off.

 

[Flossbolna]

Not sure when I last commented, but really liked your last day. I thought the picture of Rory with the apple was really funny! Here you will see plenty of babies/toddlers munching on pretzels (yes, they are considered a staple here) that seem far too big for them either. The surprising thing is that a tiny 1.5 year old seems to have no difficulty to eat the whole thing!!

I read in your comments about doing room service on the last day for breakfast to avoid the very early times and just wanted to warn you that you can't order it the last morning. What I have read that people do is that they order food before they go to bed and just keep it in the room over night. But Cabanas is an option - you can always just send one person up there to bring stuff back to the room while everyone is getting ready.

 

[schmass]

Not sure when I last commented, but really liked your last day. I thought the picture of Rory with the apple was really funny! Here you will see plenty of babies/toddlers munching on pretzels (yes, they are considered a staple here) that seem far too big for them either. The surprising thing is that a tiny 1.5 year old seems to have no difficulty to eat the whole thing!!

Oh, Rory would have a field day with one of those huge soft pretzels. When Michael gave him the apple, I didn't know how he'd do, but now he eats them that way all the time!

I read in your comments about doing room service on the last day for breakfast to avoid the very early times and just wanted to warn you that you can't order it the last morning. What I have read that people do is that they order food before they go to bed and just keep it in the room over night. But Cabanas is an option - you can always just send one person up there to bring stuff back to the room while everyone is getting ready.

Oh, good to know! Thanks for pointing that out!