Disney Fantasy “Halloween on the High Seas”
7 Night Eastern Caribbean
October 24-31, 2015
Aft Verandah Cabin 6188
October 24-31, 2015
Aft Verandah Cabin 6188
I had every intention of writing a traditional trip report with loads of photos and corresponding text, but it is now one full month since our cruise and it just ain't happening. Instead, I will give you the details and a link to our video/slideshow (and just so you don't think I’m totally lazy, I did take the time to create a beautiful scrapbook/photo album for my family). I know you all deserve better, but that’s how this is going down.
Background: DH and I are in our mid (me) to late (DH) thirties, and DS is 6 years old. We live in central Florida and are Disney AP holders. This is our second Disney cruise. Our first was a VGT rate in February of this year on the Wonder, 5 Night Western Caribbean, out of Miami. Needless to say, we were hooked. We had booked a place holder while onboard, and in mid-March I was able to find a very decent rate on the 7 Night Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy that corresponded with DS’s Fall Break. DH and I personally have zero interest in anything “Halloween”, but we knew DS would love it. The Halloween decor and activities on board were festive, well done, and not over the top. The weather and the itinerary ended up being perfect for us and it was an awesome vacation.
Embarkation: After a 1.5 hour drive from our house, we arrived a PC at 9:50am. I thought this was a bit early since we had a PAT of 10:30, but DH was adamant, and heck, we were excited! We parked on level 3, unloaded our luggage, and found our place at the end of a line of about 20 people (ok, it's not just us). The doors to the first security check opened at 10:00 (earlier than I had expected) and a porter came to us while were in line and grabbed all of our checked luggage. I will go ahead and admit that I over-packed for this cruise, but it was an indulgence that I did not regret. I mean, we weren't flying, and those luggage tags they send you are just so darn cute… So we had 4 bags for the 3 of us. What the heck did we bring you ask? The usual, plus our own snorkel gear, some beach toys for CC, and so on and so forth. But I digress… We went through the second security check at 10:15 where they scanned our carry-on. We carried on our allotted (post- alcohol policy change) 4 bottles of wine, some bottled water and 8 cans of Lacroix sparkling water in a rollerboard. Security Man politely asked how many adults were in our cabin. We told him there were 2, hence the 4 bottles of wine, and that the cans were water and he was welcome to open the bag and check. He just sent us on our merry way. We walked straight to the Castaway Club check-in desk with zero line and a very nice agent. With our KTTW cards around our necks and boarding group number 3, we went straight through the kids club registration line with zero wait. Our group was called at 11:20 and by 11:30, I was at the Port Adventures Desk, midship deck 5, for Frozen Meet and Greet and Disney Junior Character Breakfast tickets. We declined Princess Meet and Greet. We totally nailed Embarkation.
We checked out the kids clubs, ate lunch outside at Cabanas, and got in our room at 1:40. I (and about 3,000 strangers) made the mistake of assuming the staterooms were ready at 1:30 and we were all squished together on the stairs and landings for 10 minutes with nowhere to go until the ropes dropped. I will give all of the details on our cabin later on in this report. Our view during the Muster Drill was the Disney Dream that was docked next to us, fresh out of dry dock
Sail Away party was everything we remembered and managed to bring a tear to my eye. One of my favorite parts is when the ship blows the horns at Sail Away, and of course the Fantasy horn plays quite a collection of Disney tunes. To our delight, the Dream answered back and sent us off with a double dose of DCL magic. The Carnival Victory had slipped off to sea, unnoticed, about 30 minutes before. I’m glad she left first. No need to dampen the spirits of her passengers in the first 30 minutes of their vacation
The show that night was “Sailing Away” and it was our least favorite. It was a little cheesy and we just didn’t get into it like the others. Dinner was at Animator’s Palate and the Black Truffle Pasta Pursettes were everything they were promised to be. DS had Penne Bolognese and a Mickey Oreo ice cream sundae and loved both. DH had Beef Tenderloin and enjoyed it. I had Grilled Tuna which was just OK because of the quality of the Tuna steak. DH and I shared the Sugar Free Chocolate dessert. DS left dinner with the Kid’s Club counselors at 9:15 and we picked him up at 10:15, calling it a day.Day 1: At Sea
We had Disney Junior Character Breakfast at 7:45am. We are typically pretty early risers, but this was just too early for DS after a late night. Next time, I will ask for options at the Port Adventures desk. The breakfast went very smoothly and we met Doc McStuffins, Sofia, Jake and Mickey. Next, we explored the ship, took photos while there weren’t many people around, and DS and I did one of the Midship Detective Agency games (the missing Dalmatian puppies). I thought I was pretty smart because we worked our way up the aft stairs then back down the forward stairs (instead of trekking back and forth on every other floor) since there was no set order to where we gathered our clues. With a sense of accomplishment upon completion of the game, I gave myself a figurative pat on the back, and we were off to the Frozen Meet and Greet in AP at noon. Next was lunch at Cabanas. I enjoyed my sushi and tortilla soup and I think the guys might have eaten some of everything that was offered. DH went to O’Gills to watch football and DS and I went to do another Midship Detective Game. This time it was the Muppets and my systematic aft/forward plan of attack flew out the window. This time, the clues sent us to specific locations each time. We eventually managed to solve the crime, even though I lost my patience and skipped a few clues. We hit the 2:00 show in the WD Theatre which was Michael Holly who is a juggler/comedian, then followed that up with our first time on the Aqua Duck. It was formal night and the show was Aladdin (loved it!). We hit the free drinks at the Captain’s Gala, took some photos and had dinner in Enchanted Garden. DH had the Tuna and Avocado Stack (which I coveted) and the Pork Loin. I ordered just an entree, the Scallops, and they were excellent. I was saving room for my favorite dessert from our cruise on the Wonder: the Warm Sticky Date Pudding. DH ordered his own since I would not be sharing. It was not well executed
The texture was more dense and very dry. DS was beyond exhausted and picked at some plain buttered pasta. Side note: we did not have a choice on dinner seating times on our first cruise, but we actually did well with the late seating. We liked going to the early show and that the dining room was not completely full at 8:15. We chose late seating this time, but DS struggled with eating the rich, heavy food so late. We had a snack each day around 4:00, but we packed more activities into our days this cruise than on the Wonder so he was more tired.We went back to the room and put DS to bed and watched Pitch Perfect 2 “on demand’.
Day 2: Sea Day
Breakfast in Cabanas, then off to find Minnie and Jessie for photos. DS went to the Club, DH went out to deck 4 with a book, and I hit the Fitness Center to log some time on the treadmill. When I was finished, I found the boys up top playing mini golf. The upper decks and pool areas were absolutely packed! Since we live in Florida and have a pool in our backyard, we don’t even so much as dip a toe in the pools on the ship. It's just too crowded for us and we would rather do the other activities on board on Sea Days. I showered, then we had lunch in Royal Court. I had a Nicoise Salad, DH had Beef Kabobs and Apple Crisp, and DS had Duck Breast for an appetizer, Fettuccine with Meatballs, and a Mickey Bar. I don't know where he put it all. At 2:00, the boys went to learn how to make paper airplanes and I was off to D-Lounge for “Anyone Can Cook”. We learned how to make Pan Seared Sea Bass and Risotto from the head chef of Remy. It was a good presentation, complete with a small food and wine tasting and Q and A time. A woman in the audience raised her hand and asked if you could use “flat wine” in your risotto. After some obvious confusion from the chef (and the audience), she proceeded to explain “You know, because you open a bottle of wine, and no one can finish a whole bottle of wine before it goes bad… can you use the bad wine in your risotto…?” HUH??? People are fun. I headed up to the room and DH had put DS in our bed for a nap (I can count on one hand the number of naps the kid has taken since the age of 3, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures). I opened the door to the room and it was pitch black, so I worked my way ‘ninja style’ past the bed and through the curtain to the couch to watch TV. After nap time/happy hour, it was time for me to head to the Atrium and scope out a prime viewing location for Mickey’s Mousequerade Party later that evening. I determined that Shutters would provide a clear view without the crowds. Mission accomplished. I then somehow found myself on deck 12 getting pizza for a snack. Not sure how that happened. On my way back down, I ran into Captain Hook just hanging out by the stairs and we took a quick photo together. Always have your camera with you. Dinner was in Royal Court. Side note: As you have probably already figured out, our dining rotation was AERAERA. This was fine with us since we are just happy to have delicious food brought to us night after night, regardless of the setting. Ok, back on track... Apparently I had Fried Brie, a Farmhouse Salad, Chateaubriand, and the Grand Marnier Souffle. I must have been hungry. DS ordered Escargot and some sort of lobster pasta that looked better than it tasted. At some point, he caught on that mine was quite tasty and confiscated the remainder of my entree. We watched the family show after dinner in the Tube which was “Ryan and Friends”. I apparently did not write down what the show in the Theatre was that night. We liked them all except the first and last ones which were just OK.
Day 3: St. Maarten and Pirate Night
Let me begin by saying that the Fantasy was the only ship in port this day. Score! We had done a TON of research on activities for both St. Maarten and St. Thomas, including excursions provided through DCL, exploring on our own, and absorbing every bit of info provided by Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic. We knew that we did not want to be on a tour bus or van for a land tour, and we did not want to be crammed like sardines on a public beach. We finally decided on Captain Alan’s 3 Island Snorkel and Beach Tour, which I found on Trip Advisor. We opted to pay a small additional fee and use their preferred transportation from the port to the marina. After a comfortable and air conditioned bus ride with one other family from the ship (5 adults, 3 kids?) we arrived at the marina and divided into two groups for our tours. DH, DS and I joined 6 others for our 4 hour tour with Captain Alan, himself. The other family joined a few others for a 6 hour tour on another boat. It was an AWESOME day spent snorkeling with sea turtles and exploring a coral reef. They provided bottled water, soda, beer, and sandwiches. We were also taken to a beach where we could hang out, explore and even feed Iguanas. DS was the only child on our boat, but he bonded with Captain Alan pretty quickly and we had an incredible morning. We would go again in a heartbeat. Our same driver picked us up after our excursion and we had the whole bus to ourselves. We asked where we could buy wine and he pointed out a grocery store 15 min (walking) from Port. He offered to drop us off at the shopping area if we wanted, but we went back to the Port. Beer and wine options are very slim at the port. We did have to try a couple of Guava Berry Daiquiris on our way back to the ship.
It was Pirate Night and I was already stressed out as to how DS was going to stay up for the festivities and be able to get up for another excursion the next morning. On our previous cruise, the fireworks were at 8:30pm instead of 10:30pm so it was not an issue. We grabbed snacks and got DS suited up in his pirate gear. You will see from the photos that he is a huge Jack Sparrow fan. I have the make-up routine perfected now after 1 Halloween and 2 cruises. We did character photos, played pirate games in D-Lounge, watched the early Pirate show on deck, and ate dinner in AP. All 3 of us had the potstickers and loved them. I had shrimp and scallop pasta and the boys ordered beef short ribs. DS finished with a Mickey Bar, DH had some sort of Rum Chocolate Cake and I had a Sugar Free Banana Chocolate Crepe. 40 minutes before show time (9:50pm) I went up to deck 12 and reserved the last 6 inches of rail space for viewing the Pirate show and fireworks. After 35 minutes, (yes, 5 minutes before the show started) DS found me and told me his stomach hurt. He was, as predicted and rightfully so, exhausted. I left DH with the camera to enjoy the fireworks and took DS to bed. In hindsight, it was just too much for our 6 year old. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future for us to see fireworks and we might not ever have another chance to snorkel in St. Maarten. We should have called it a night after dinner. Moving on!
Day 4: St.Thomas/ St. John:
We were bound and determined to experience St. John today. After the above mentioned research, we booked the Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel through DCL. We had a frustrating experience with taxis in Grand Cayman on our previous cruise and we decided that the security and peace of mind with a DCL excursion was worth the extra expense. DH was up bright and early and brought bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon back to the cabin for DS and me. We met in the WD Theatre at 8:15 am and were soon loaded onto open air taxis. Imagine the Kilimanjaro Safari ride at Animal Kingdom, but at 35 mph, and with goats and chickens instead of elephants and giraffes… Just kidding. No I’m not. It was fine…
We were split onto two boats, roughly in groups of 25 or so. The boats hold up to around 50 people so we had plenty of room. We had another awesome morning. The snorkeling itself was not as good as the day before, but who the heck cared? The scenery was AMAZING. They provided cheese, fruit and bread on the slow sail back to the marina, as well as bottomless rum punch and “champagne”. Even cheap sparkling wine tastes just fine with that incredible view. Again, our photos speak for themselves. Our crew was Captain Nathan, Michael and Caroline and they were great. After the bus ride back to port, DH hit the Gourmet Gallery for wine replenishment (thank you, Michael, for the recommendation). Back on board, the boys hit the Aqua Duck and I took some photos and had an icecream cone. In case you were wondering what the weather is like on St. Maarten and St. Thomas in late October, it is HOT. I was bound and determined to have a relaxing and early night tonight. We skipped our late dining and hit Cabanas (Prince and Princess menu) at 6:30. We let DS hit the Lab for a bit while DH and I watched some of the World Series in O’Gills and looked at our photos in Shutters. In bed by 9pm!Day 5: At Sea
Up at 8:30 and took DS to Cabanas for breakfast, followed by 3 hours in the Club/Lab. DH and I had breakfast in RC. DH had Eggs Benedict and I had the Buckwheat Crepe. Then we walked around, checked out the shops (I bought a scrapbook kit) and then started a movie in our cabin. Lunch was in Cabanas and I had my usual sushi and some really tasty chickpea curry. Then, redemption! Cabanas had warm chocolate date bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and it was everything it was supposed to be
At some point we watched Ghostbusters, Frozen and 101 Dalmatians on demand in the room. The boys hit the “Nightmare Before Christmas Sing and Scream” at 2:00 and I went to the final Installment of Anyone Can Cook which was Apple Strudel. I was anything but hungry, but I ate it anyway. We ordered room service for DS so he could spend the evening in the Club for Story Time and Pluto’s Pajama Party. DH and I ate at RC. It was packed, loud and crazy. I guess because it was lobster night. DH had oysters rockefeller (ok) and lobster (good) and I had prosciutto (good) and red snapper (ok). I should have ordered lobster. Why didn't I order lobster? Definitely order the lobster. DH had taken up residency in O’Gills (shout out to Craig and Erwe) but I was determined to check out Ooh La La. After a brief consultation with the bartender (I like dry champagne, not sweet), I ordered a “Legend” made from champagne, cognac and bitters. I was a happy girl. After listening to music in La Piazza, DH got DS and they headed to the room. I went out for some late night photos.Day 6: Castaway Cay
This is one of the times the Aft Verandah cabin definitely pays off. We enjoyed our breakfast as we backed into Castaway Cay. Let me take a moment to explain how excited we were about Castaway Cay… On our February cruise, there were 40 knot winds that prevented us from docking at CC. We watched as the Captain made 3 attempts to dock, then we sadly pulled away...It was a serious bummer, but we tried to make the best of it. But now we were docked at CC! All ashore was 9:45. We joined the masses on deck 4 and were stuck like a giant herd of cattle trying to get down the stairs to Deck 1 and off the ship. We were seriously. Not. Moving. On a whim, I grabbed the fam and shoved them on an open elevator and hit “1”. Down we went and off the elevators, then off the ship. To the hundreds of people crammed in the stairwell, Sorry! Sort of…We walked straight to the family beach and claimed an umbrella on the front row. DH and DS snorkeled for a while then hit Pelican Plunge. Cookies Too opened at 11:30 and we hit it (with zero lines) at 11:45. We thought the food was perfectly fine. DS liked his burger. DH had ribs, I had grilled chicken, and there were lots of sides. The boys checked out the splash zone, then more swimming and sand sculpting. DH and I tried to hold out for BOGO drinks at 2:30, but at 1:45 I went to the bar for Konch Koolers
We headed back to the ship at 2:30 and the boys hit the Aqua Duck repeatedly with no line. There was a brief rain shower at 3:15 while we were getting cleaned up for the evening. The boys hit See Ya’ Real Soon at 4:30 in the Atrium for some final character photos, then one last Midship Detective Game. DH recommends the See Ya’ Real Soon at 4:30 because there were not any lines for the characters. He did mention that there are no DCL photographers there so you will have to take your own photos. We watched Monsters University while getting cleaned up for dinner and started packing My notes actually stop here. I guess I was depressed about the packing and shut down. We had dinner in AP and it was our animation show night. I know that we ate every bite of our appetizers, whatever they were. I had the Cornish Hen and Couscous as my entree because I liked it so much on the Wonder. DH had Beef Wellington. We ordered a dessert to share but our server brought DS a Mickey Bar anyway. I appreciated her thoughtfulness, but we really didn't want him to have that much sugar after cookies and ice cream on CC. Our Head Server was Massiel and our Assistant Server was Levent, from Turkey. We really bonded with Levent. Massiel was very efficient but we had no real connection with her. Levent has a son about the same age as ours. He just seems like such a happy person and he was very respectful of not pushing extra food on us and the fact that we like to moderate DS’s sugar intake (which is really in everyone’s best interest. Anyway, the AP show was very cute and we liked seeing our drawings in action on the big screens. DS went to the club until bed time, I had another “Legend” from Ooh La La and DH put his beer mug to use as we parked ourselves in O’Gills for a while.Debarkation: So I actually just Googled “disembarkation” and “debarkation” and it seems that both are acceptable, even though spell check doesn't like the latter of the two.
We had done early walk-off after our first cruise on the Wonder and it has some serious appeal for us. We decided to leave our bags out the night before this time (mostly due to my excessive amount of luggage) and ate breakfast in AP at 8:30am. After collecting our luggage, the line to get through customs was LONG. Pay attention, because this is important: If there are 2 lines, get in the same line as all of the porters who are carrying passengers’ luggage. They know something that the rest of us do not. We learned this the hard way.
Aft Verandah Cabin 6188:
We would definitely book this cabin again. It sleeps 3 people and is a bit more narrow than other Verandah cabins. The only time we really noticed how narrow it is was when the Room Service person had to shimmy sideways past us with the tray to get to our sitting area. We all got a little laugh out of it. The larger verandah with a wider view off the back of the ship was a big bonus in our opinion. We especially enjoyed the views when sailing away from the ports. If you are sensitive to vibrations and ‘“white noise”, this cabin is NOT for you. There is a constant vibration when the ship is moving (make sure your ice bucket and glassware aren’t even close to touching before you go to bed
and the low “hum” of the engine. We had no problem with the noise or vibrations and had to giggle a bit when we were cruising at 22 knots between St. Thomas and CC. We had perfect weather and incredibly smooth seas so I can't comment on other movement due to rougher conditions.Wonder/ Fantasy comparison:
Size: We prefer the walkability of the smaller ship. DS prefered the amenities that the larger ship offers, specifically the Aqua Duck, Midship Detective Game, and larger Kids Clubs. We really enjoyed the movies in the theater on the Wonder. We planned to watch at least one on the Fantasy but the times were not convenient and the selection was less appropriate for younger children. We definitely utilized the On Demand movies in our stateroom on the Fantasy. I expected to be in awe of the larger atrium on the Fantasy, but I find the atriums on both ships to be equally impressive.
Food: The selection and layout of Cabanas on the Fantasy was slightly preferable to that of Beach Blanket Buffet. The overall quality of the food seemed better on the Wonder to us. I would possibly attribute this to the fact that there is generally less food to prepare for the smaller (and less full on that particular sailing) ship. I know I’m living dangerously by giving my opinions on food quality, so please be gentle. I assure you that none of us went hungry.
What is next for us? DH and I are going to test the waters (haha!) on some other cruise lines. We are trying Princess in March (Princess Cays and Grand Turk), and Alaska on Celebrity for our Anniversary in September. And just a year ago, we didn't even think we were “cruise people”. We did rebook on board while on the Fantasy, and the current plan isBahamas/Key West on the Magic out of Miami (with early dining this time) for DS’s birthday in February of 2017. We just let our WDW Annual Passes expire and have decided to give the old wallet a break from the Dis in 2016.
I want to end with a HUGE thank you to all of you who share their experiences and opinions on this forum! DH and I are big “planners” and the amount of information available here is invaluable.
Here is the link to our slideshow/video
