stephanie1977
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2012
- Messages
- 17
We had such an awesome vacation. Can I go back?
Six of us went, three couples (adults only no kids), all with veranda rooms.
A few highlights and recommendations:
Pre-cruise: We stayed at La Quinta Oceanfront in Cocoa Beach for two nights before our cruise. It's right on the beach, directly next to the pier, within three blocks of Publix/Dunkin Donuts/restaurants, and a mile down A1A from the awesome Ron Jon Surf Shop. They recently remodeled. Rooms are clean, staff is nice, and breakfast (included) is passable. Nice large pool area too.
-We used Royal Shuttle for transportation. I started another thread on this, but here will simply mention don't use them!
Satellite Falls: I love what they did with the front of the ship. We spent most of our time there on days at sea.
Stateroom 6684: about as aft as you can get. There was a lot of vibration in this room. It didn't bother me at all, but it did drive my husband a little nutty. He was up one night at 4 a.m. moving hangers because he heard them rattling around.
Entertainment: We didn't find Outlook until the last night on our cruise, and what a shame. It's a really cool space with a sweet view of Currents Bar and the pool area. It feels almost secret. If you can catch Andy Johnson there on the piano, do it! He's great and a nice guy.
We also thought the Match Game was a riot the first night, and we enjoyed various quizzo type activities throughout the week.
St. Martin: We booked a private tour with Bernard's (http://www.bernardstours.com/) for six of us. It was awesome. Our tour guide David was so knowledgeable about the island, and doing a private tour enabled us to spend as much time as we wanted in different places. We tipped David at the end per person, as tips were not included. At the port, try the Guavaberry rum drink if you like that sort of thing!
St. Thomas/St. John: We did the champagne catamaran sail with Theresa, Joe and Chris as our crew (booked through Disney). That was a fabulous day. Five in our party snorkeled and said it was great. I didn't snorkel, so they shuttled me to shore on St. John and I sat on the deserted Honeymoon Beach and read my book. Heaven. Make sure you eat before you leave the ship! The snacks they give you won't be enough after all the activity.
Palo brunch: Do it. More than worth the $20. Go hungry! We tipped the server extra also.
Remy: We weren't going to do this, I thought $75PP plus tip and wine was insane. But it was our second anniversary, so we did, and oh my I'm so glad we did. The experience was spectacular. The service was impeccable, and the food was amazing. My husband got the french chef's menu, I got the american chef's menu, and we had a contest. It was a tie to the end, but the french menu won. If you're looking to treat yourself and like fine dining experiences, this is the way to go.
Over the door shoe holder: This is the first time I've used one, and I loved it. It doesn't fit over the bathroom doors, but it does fit over the closet doors. It kept everything organized. I hate clutter, so that was key.
H20 body lotion: If you have $24 extra dollars, buy it in Whitecaps. I'm so glad I did, it makes me feel a tiny tiny bit like I'm still being pampered on the Fantasy.
The service was impeccable all around, the boat was clean and glamorous, the food was great, and I want to go back!
Six of us went, three couples (adults only no kids), all with veranda rooms.
A few highlights and recommendations:
Pre-cruise: We stayed at La Quinta Oceanfront in Cocoa Beach for two nights before our cruise. It's right on the beach, directly next to the pier, within three blocks of Publix/Dunkin Donuts/restaurants, and a mile down A1A from the awesome Ron Jon Surf Shop. They recently remodeled. Rooms are clean, staff is nice, and breakfast (included) is passable. Nice large pool area too.
-We used Royal Shuttle for transportation. I started another thread on this, but here will simply mention don't use them!
Satellite Falls: I love what they did with the front of the ship. We spent most of our time there on days at sea.
Stateroom 6684: about as aft as you can get. There was a lot of vibration in this room. It didn't bother me at all, but it did drive my husband a little nutty. He was up one night at 4 a.m. moving hangers because he heard them rattling around.
Entertainment: We didn't find Outlook until the last night on our cruise, and what a shame. It's a really cool space with a sweet view of Currents Bar and the pool area. It feels almost secret. If you can catch Andy Johnson there on the piano, do it! He's great and a nice guy.
We also thought the Match Game was a riot the first night, and we enjoyed various quizzo type activities throughout the week.
St. Martin: We booked a private tour with Bernard's (http://www.bernardstours.com/) for six of us. It was awesome. Our tour guide David was so knowledgeable about the island, and doing a private tour enabled us to spend as much time as we wanted in different places. We tipped David at the end per person, as tips were not included. At the port, try the Guavaberry rum drink if you like that sort of thing!
St. Thomas/St. John: We did the champagne catamaran sail with Theresa, Joe and Chris as our crew (booked through Disney). That was a fabulous day. Five in our party snorkeled and said it was great. I didn't snorkel, so they shuttled me to shore on St. John and I sat on the deserted Honeymoon Beach and read my book. Heaven. Make sure you eat before you leave the ship! The snacks they give you won't be enough after all the activity.
Palo brunch: Do it. More than worth the $20. Go hungry! We tipped the server extra also.
Remy: We weren't going to do this, I thought $75PP plus tip and wine was insane. But it was our second anniversary, so we did, and oh my I'm so glad we did. The experience was spectacular. The service was impeccable, and the food was amazing. My husband got the french chef's menu, I got the american chef's menu, and we had a contest. It was a tie to the end, but the french menu won. If you're looking to treat yourself and like fine dining experiences, this is the way to go.
Over the door shoe holder: This is the first time I've used one, and I loved it. It doesn't fit over the bathroom doors, but it does fit over the closet doors. It kept everything organized. I hate clutter, so that was key.
H20 body lotion: If you have $24 extra dollars, buy it in Whitecaps. I'm so glad I did, it makes me feel a tiny tiny bit like I'm still being pampered on the Fantasy.
The service was impeccable all around, the boat was clean and glamorous, the food was great, and I want to go back!
It was embarassing but great because people came up to us all week and it was nice to meet people!!
