Cruising for Practically Free…Yep..I said Free!

[WDW Fan]

So glad that you're posting your TR's on the DisBoards since Jennifer posted that she will be shutting down the Passporter Forums as of 12/31/18.

 

[jenseib]

Well, stuff there is usually really Pricey so they probably only have to sell a couple things on each cruise to make it worth it, LOL

You are probably right! hahahah

LOVE this Chandelier!

Me too!

Your day in Nassau looked fun! The last time we were there on the Dream we didn't get off the ship. Your dinner in the Enchanted Garden looked really nice. I was sick the last time I ate there and none of the food was tasting good to me, but I think it was more my taste was off. But we won't be experiencing it on our upcoming cruise we are going to Palo the night we will be scheduled there. You take such great pictures of the ship!

I really like Enchanted Garden. I always say on longer cruises I might skip the dining room one night to try Cabana's or just quick serve but I never do. I just love the dining rooms.

So glad that you're posting your TR's on the DisBoards since Jennifer posted that she will be shutting down the Passporter Forums as of 12/31/18.

I just read Cheryls facebook post this morning! I am shocked and sad! I wonder if we can start another board and get people over there?

 

[jenseib]

J and P messaged me that they were at Ooh La La and I better get my rear over there. On my way!


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They both had brought a drink with them and I ordered one and we talked for quite a while and had a nice time.


We wanted a picture up at the bar and the bar tender said he would take one. P has a convincing personality and soon we were behind the bar getting a few quick shots!


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And then we quickly scrambled back out.


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It was time for fireworks and Claire was messaging me, so I ran to get her and P got her girls and we met up top.


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And then they began!


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We didn’t have the best spot but we could still see them.


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Video

After that, we headed off to the pirate buffet. We weren’t really hungry but P’s girls wanted to go check it out.


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I got a couple of things to eat and snacked on them. I personally am not a huge fan of the pirate buffet.


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After that, Claire went back to the room and I headed up to J’s room where we chatted again into the wee hours of the night. Her kids were all laying in their beds but talking with us and it was like a big slumber party and we had a lot of fun again.


When I got too tired, I headed back to my room to head to sleep.

 

[WDW Fan]

You are probably right! hahahah



Me too!



I really like Enchanted Garden. I always say on longer cruises I might skip the dining room one night to try Cabana's or just quick serve but I never do. I just love the dining rooms.



I just read Cheryls facebook post this morning! I am shocked and sad! I wonder if we can start another board and get people over there?

Cheryl came up with a solution so go over to the forum thread that has Jennifer's announcement and see the posting.

 

[FSU Girl]

I love the fireworks Disney does. It’s so cool and unique, I think your pictures came out great! And the bar looks like fun I can’t wait to sail on the Fantasy your pictures are getting me excited

 

[DnA2010]

Totally late to the party but always love your TRs!

 

[jenseib]

Cheryl came up with a solution so go over to the forum thread that has Jennifer's announcement and see the posting.

Is it the facebook group or something else? I haven't been over there in a week (or here). I had some medical issues that basically had me confined to laying on my back all last week...I am so far behind now.

I love the fireworks Disney does. It’s so cool and unique, I think your pictures came out great! And the bar looks like fun I can’t wait to sail on the Fantasy your pictures are getting me excited

Thanks! It is fun to see fireworks at sea. The Fantasy is a fun ship.

Totally late to the party but always love your TRs!

Welcome! I kind of disappeared last week and hope to get more posted this week and get this close to done!

 

[jenseib]

Sept. 13, 2018, Friday


Today was J’s b-day….the main reason I was cruising this sailing….well there were several, but the main one was to celebrate with my friend.


I got up and did my morning routine of walking around a bit, and got Claire up earlier today. We had to get to that Beach!!!


We did have breakfast with some of our friends and a server J knew came up and they chatted a bit. He told us he would send us something special for dinner.


Off we went! A few pictures


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Ok, today I TOTALLY slacked at pictures. We were just having too much fun.


We headed off the ship and found a bunch of seats together. Mom was not getting off right away so I told her to message when she was getting off and I would try to keep checking. I also told her I would try to message her our location too so she would have an idea where we were too.


It was hot but we had some fun. I am not posting our pics since we are silly and in bathing suits…but we did a photoshoot…of stupid poses and silliness. Some of J, P and I, some with our kids….etc. We just had a good ole time and were doing a lot of laughing.


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Then we headed out to the water. It was so stinking hot and it felt good.


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J’s girls were flipping each other around and having a good time. I then spotted Mom walking and shouted and waved and she found us. Perfect timing. And though she hadn’t found our chairs she actually had set her stuff only a few chairs away. My Mom is not a swimmer, but it was so hot that even she stayed in the water a long time with us.


We went out to the rope and the water was deep. Wow! I didn’t remember it being so deep before. We could not touch! Then we came back and played around and went and sat down in our chairs a bit and some had some drinks and some might have gotten a little tipsy….hahaha. Not me though! I was the mother hen!


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Time for lunch!


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Love the potato salad!!


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I think P took this picture of all of us. Too bad we didn’t get someone else to get it so we could have had her in it.


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We had a fun lunch and then headed back to the beach.


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At one point it looked like rain in the distance and many people got worried and packed up and went back to the ship. I think Mom was one of them…but she also had enough of the beach and heat.


We stayed put.


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We went back out to the water for more fun too.


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Some of the kids grabbed some abandoned floats and tubes.


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I was amazed at how much the water had gone down…The tide had gone out.


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We headed back out to the rope again…….remember we couldn’t touch this morning. Well it was chest high now. We had to do the squat to keep our shoulders under.


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The kids were having a lot of fun.


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Claire is too shy to join, but she loved watching their antics.


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We had a lot of fun. Again I was amazed at how low the water got…and how fast. We later heard that Disney has said they have had some of the lowest tides ever this year at Castaway Cay and this day was one of them.

 

[bcwife76]

Catching up! We just got back from a week on the Fantasy (ok, we got off November 3rd but it still feels like yesterday lol).
I'm bummed we we didn't get to Sweet on You (though went by it so many times and walked in twice). Meanwhile, you went to Cove once and I filled two cards

So friggin weird people would just sit down at your table on the first night....were they not escorted in??? Something doesn't add up. Can't wait to read about your BIG table experience. We were a party of 9; our first night was in Royal Court and near the end our head server came over and asked us if we would mind moving to the big table for our next time in RC (which was 3 days away). Nope, we were excited to go there! In fact, my husband and I had Palo ressies for that night and changed it to the next night so we wouldn't miss the big table

3 days is short but hey, 3 days on the Fantasy is better than 3 days pretty much anywhere else

 

[jenseib]

Catching up! We just got back from a week on the Fantasy (ok, we got off November 3rd but it still feels like yesterday lol).

I totally understand how that is. That week or so coming home can be a blur as you catch up with everything.

I'm bummed we we didn't get to Sweet on You (though went by it so many times and walked in twice). Meanwhile, you went to Cove once and I filled two cards

I wish I had been there more often, but with such a short cruise it wasn't in the cards...but I do like the ice-cream there!

So friggin weird people would just sit down at your table on the first night....were they not escorted in??? Something doesn't add up. Can't wait to read about your BIG table experience. We were a party of 9; our first night was in Royal Court and near the end our head server came over and asked us if we would mind moving to the big table for our next time in RC (which was 3 days away). Nope, we were excited to go there! In fact, my husband and I had Palo ressies for that night and changed it to the next night so we wouldn't miss the big table

It was really weird!
That is so cool you got to be moved to that table!

3 days is short but hey, 3 days on the Fantasy is better than 3 days pretty much anywhere else

Exactly!

 

[jenseib]

Sadly all good things must come to an end and we had to head back towards the ship. But we did it as slowly as possible…stopping to take pictures, shop, and goof off a bit.


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Walking back to the ship always means to me….snap as many pictures as you can so you can remember everything!


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I always love seeing the ship from different angles on the island.


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We then had to go through and show our ID…something that is a bit newer for Castaway. I personally think it is stupid….it’s their private island, so why do they need to see everyone’s ID and cruise card. If you don’t have a card….you can’t get on the ship! Right?


Back on the ship we made our way to our room. Claire went to get in the shower and hollers out that there is no shampoo. That’s odd? Mom then says…Oh I love that stuff…I packed it away. Hahaha. Well. First off NO! I LOVE this stuff and I am taking it home with me. Hahaha…and secondly….We still need to shower! I did tell her they sell it in the gift shop and also at the Disney resorts and she said she was going to buy some.


Sadly, it was time to start packing so we started on that a bit too. Then it was time for dinner.


Tonight we knew exactly where to go! The big table!


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Chloe sat next to Mom, which made her happy. Mom just loved Chloe. She loved all the girls, but Chloe talked to Mom a lot and Mom really liked that. Sydney and Sadie did as well. Mom was impressed with how friendly the girls all were.


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I took a pano picture and then we totally laughed at how it came out.


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Claire has a mis-shapen head! Hahaha.


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I took a quick video of us too.

The bad thing about the big table….hard to talk to anyone unless they are right next to you.

 

[bcwife76]

Isn't that chandelier amazing? I took several photos of it!

And yes, talking to others at the table was a bit of a challenge, but it was still an experience!

 

[jenseib]

Isn't that chandelier amazing? I took several photos of it!

And yes, talking to others at the table was a bit of a challenge, but it was still an experience!

It is and so neat to be right under it!
Exactly! It was just so neat to be right there in the center and envied by all. hahahaha.

 

[jenseib]

We were brought out some special plates to get started with tonight.


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Super yummy…but I just didn’t have enough room in my tummy for everything.


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Claire and I got our favorite….the Princess delight! I think P’s girls might have gotten them too after seeing them.


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I went with the escargot to start.


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And Shrimp.


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And a hunk of beef for my entrée!


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They also brought out curry for us and some rice.


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The kids got smoothies again as well and we got wine.


Then they delivered J’s cake.


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She took it back to her room as we had ordered deserts too.


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We told the servers that we did not want to come to early breakfast and would just be heading to Cabana’s. They told us to come in for late and they would find us a table to sit at….Ok…that works.


We had a lot of fun…but I was fading fast and felt so tired. After dinner we headed back to the room to pack up and leave our bags out. Then I did some roaming and ran into this gal!


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A walk out on the deck to enjoy our last evening.


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Our little cruise getaway had just flown by!



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Our towel animal for tonight.


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As it got dark we could see we were sailing along the coast.


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Claire and I got some ice-cream at Sweet on You…even though we were stuffed we just had to have some. Claire pointed out these letters for the muster stations…her initials.. She said this was her personal spot on the ship!


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Our violinist couple were playing again tonight so we stopped and watched.


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They were just as amazing.


Claire eventually headed back to the room and J messaged me to come to hers so I did. P was talking to the girls in their living area and I went out on the balcony and chatted with J. P came out later then and we chatted some more. They started talking about the cake that J got…..I guess they had cut into it before I arrived….and it was solid whipped cream! OMG! I just started laughing and thought they were joking, but they weren’t. Kelsey did call and complain and got her money back too.

Why on earth would they serve a whipped cream cake?


We just enjoyed the evening then and chatted. But all good things must come to an end and I had to get some sleep. We still had 2 more days on land! We said goodnight and headed off to our rooms.


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[Woth2982]

Such a great update! We are sadly home from our Dream cruise that FINALLY Happened! I swear I was convinced it was doomed lol. Thank you for your help with all of it btw! Your photos of castaway cay are making me long to be back there in the 85 degree sun verses the 27 degree whatever we have going on over here! Dinner looked great! I cannot believe anyone would serve a whip cream cake! I am glad your friend was able to get her money back! I would have been so mad!

 

[FSU Girl]

Your day at Castaway Cay looks like so much fun! Seems you had perfect weather to go swimming. And I love the big table for dinner! It looks very royal. You guys had such a great cruise!

 

[jenseib]

Such a great update! We are sadly home from our Dream cruise that FINALLY Happened! I swear I was convinced it was doomed lol. Thank you for your help with all of it btw! Your photos of castaway cay are making me long to be back there in the 85 degree sun verses the 27 degree whatever we have going on over here! Dinner looked great! I cannot believe anyone would serve a whip cream cake! I am glad your friend was able to get her money back! I would have been so mad!

I am glad you finally got on as well! We have snow today....and it was a winter mix as well...enough to have school cancelled. Claire was pretty happy about that.

Your day at Castaway Cay looks like so much fun! Seems you had perfect weather to go swimming. And I love the big table for dinner! It looks very royal. You guys had such a great cruise!

It was a lot of fun being at that table. I now can brag I got to experience it too!!!

 

[jenseib]

July 14, 2018, Saturday


Again, I am a total slacker this morning and never took pictures on the ship.


We got up and ready and all met for breakfast in Royal Court and our guys found us a table to sit at together. It was a little crowded but we managed. We had different servers but they were given instructions to treat us well…and they did. Steven did come over for a visit to say good bye too.


After breakfast we got our bags and made some bathroom stops and said our good byes and headed off the ship. J had her rental parked in the garage, so she could leave quickly. She texted me to say she already got an email saying her room was ready at French Quarter. I had not yet.


We got through customs with the help of a porter and then headed to the Alamo shuttle and road over to get our car. They gave me a free upgrade, but it was still tight getting the luggage in. I try to think about luggage when I rent because I know we pack big, but Mom packs REALLY big. Claire and I wore almost everything we packed at least once….Mom said she didn’t wear half of what she packed…..So there….you see she REALLY over packs.


I just want to add that I can’t remember now exactly what we spent on the ship totally, but I had applied a gift card and I think my credit card was only charged like $35. We didn’t buy a lot, but I did buy a long sleeved shirt with the 20 year celebration of the Magic on it. They said they weren’t supposed to be released for another week or 2, but since this was a special short sailing they allowed them to put them out this cruise. So this was the first Fantasy cruise they were for sale. I love the shirt…and I wore it one night to the county fair in Sept. I had to walk out to my car and get something, so they stamped my hand. As I walked out I got pushed by people coming in and my hand hit my shirt…and stained it!!!! I was so mad! I have bleached it and tried everything on the spot and even though it’s faded it’s still there. I guess I need another cruise so I can get another one!


Off we went to Disney! The ride was boring, but we made it easily. When we arrived I did see we had gotten our email as well stating our room was ready and we headed right to it.


We dragged our bags up to the 2nd floor…I forgot to put in that we like first floor rooms… and I took some pictures before they could mess up the room too much.


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The new flooring…..


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I do not like how they have the shampoo, conditioner and soap in these big bottles though.


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We had stayed here 1 night a few years ago and we liked the updated look now.


We headed up to the lobby to see about opting out of House Keeping.


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I also had a packet to pick up.


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We ended up not opting out. Mom was in total panic mode that I would consider opting out of House Keeping. And the amount they were offering was not as good as it has been in the last year. I know you can sometimes negotiate but it wasn’t happening today. On top of that, they give you so much per night you stay…minus your check in date…so it wasn’t going to be much of a deal for me and the added stress of Mom freaking out about not having housekeeping just didn’t make it worth it to me.


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[FSU Girl]

Your hotel looks nice. I've never been to that one before. I heard how some of the hotels did away with the little shampoo bottles. That's a shame we really like those.

 

[jenseib]

Your hotel looks nice. I've never been to that one before. I heard how some of the hotels did away with the little shampoo bottles. That's a shame we really like those.

Sadly I think disney is going that way for all the hotels now. I don't like it.