First timer on the Fantasy - my review and tips!

[shesesewsall]

Now that I've given our two cents worth about the excursions, I'll add our two cents worth about the food!

Before actually talking about our dinners--let me say something about the dining experience & the diners! I so totally agree with (and I think I'm correct in saying it was mamastrick who said this--I've read a couple other TR and it might have been someone else) the TR I read that said--get to know your servers and have fun with them. We had Nicholas (the assistant server) who tried very hard but he was just not quite used to the amount that we Americans drink at meals. But he knew when we came in who was who at the table and what each of us usually drank with our meals. He also learned early that our table liked to keep the bread baskets going! OMG the breads and different spreads they provide each night are SOOOOOO good! Putra (our server) was an absolute hoot! He would joke around with all of us and by the end of the week I was in tears that we'd have to say good bye to him! He was so concerned the night I didn't come to dinner due to a migraine headache that he sent a Sweet Temptations dessert plate up to the room with DH for me! He was such a sweetheart and like I said, we had so much fun joking around with him--our table was always one of the first to be seated and last to leave during our dinner time! Faisal (I think is how it was spelled) was our Head Server and he was also a lot of fun to have around. But he was also extra attentive to all of us and made sure that what we ordered was good and was what we ordered and that we were happy with our service.

And YES, the tips are pre-arranged as part of your bill--but trust me when I say that the service we received was every bit worth what they billed plus the extra we gave them--and we made sure that they received gifts from us other than monetary gifts--we included them in our beads we made for our FE gifts and they had other servers asking where they got them, and included the special made lanyards our DISgroup had made up for the week. They were so appreciative that someone would think of them and give THEM gifts. They work their butts off for us, so we like to do something nice for them!

Enchanted Garden: This was the first of our rotational dining and we had the early dining (which for us was awesome--it gave us a chance to eat, see the shows and still get to do other things if we wanted without having to go to bed on a full stomach). First of all, the setting of Enchanted Garden is beautiful. And be sure to watch the overhead fixtures as the meal goes along for the color changes and watch for the petals of the "flowers" (the light fixtures) to open. We were seated at a table next to the shuttered window--which we promptly opened and had a beautiful view of our voyage on the water. The second night we ate here I can't tell you anything about as I was sick in the room with a migraine that night.

This was also where we first met our dining companions for the trip. We were a party of 3 and they were a family of 5--mom, dad, 2 older children (19 and 21), and grandmom. My daughter would say that DH and I have never met a stranger--it’s just someone we haven't talked to yet. Well, apparently this family is similar in nature and by the end of the trip we had been "adopted" into the family as the grown children's aunt and uncle! LOL Needless to say, having table partners you can talk with and have some fun with really helps. But definitely make the effort to talk to your table mates, don't try to eat with them each day and think of them as just "people put at your table"! Enjoy the experience of meeting someone new! Who knows, you may make friends for life with them!

Royal Court: We were "lucky" enough to be in one of the "back rooms" where there were only a few tables. I say Lucky--some may not consider it lucky, but we did. We were in a quieter area to eat and it felt like it was more intimate and personable than when we were out in the open dining areas. And since we are from the Gulf Coast near New Orleans---and since my BFF, who was on the trip with us, loves frogs, it just seemed extra appropriate that we were in the Princess and the Frog room! This is where we had our Formal night meal (and our semi formal night meal would have been here as well, but that was the night we were at Palo's--and as it turned out, our table mates also were at Palo that night so my poor BFF ate by herself at the RC--but boy did she get extra personalized attention that night!)

I have to say that I LOVE the little touches that they put into each restaurant--the china is different at each, the bread baskets are different, the servers’ uniforms are different, and the backs of the chairs are designed for each. Each was themed to the restaurant! Be sure to check out the subtle things like the bread knives and the actual silverware and plates at each—or how the napkins are folded differently at each place. Anyway, back to what I was saying---And for formal night, they were all dressed (for better lack of terms) as royal footmen. And they treated us all as if we were royalty! We were also there for Pirate night (I had forgotten until just now we were scheduled at the Royal Court 3 times). Of course for Pirate night they were all dressed as pirates and they were thrilled that we'd dressed as well! As our last name is Roberts and DH is retired Navy, we often tease that he's the "Dread Pirate Roberts"--you know, from the Princess Bride? Anyway, since he had both his wife and wife's BFF dressed as his "waifs" with him, of course he had to play up that he was the Dread Pirate Roberts this evening! Our servers loved it!

It was here that we discovered that if you order the Sweet Temptations (which is a plate with 3 desserts on it) and one more (yes you can order more than one) you will have most all of the "featured" desserts of the evening! Often there were 3 or 4 of us at the table that would get the Sweet Temptations and another dessert--if for no other reason so that we could try them all! The Crème Brule is out of this world. Any of the sundaes are also great!

Actually, I can't think of ANYTHING I didn't like that I got to eat--and the only thing that DH didn't eat (and it wasn't because he didn't like it but because he was expecting something different than what it was) was the conch chowder--he didn't read it was conch and clam chowder and expected it to be in a red sauce base as opposed to a cream base. The server and head server about broke their necks trying to find a way to please him when he didn't eat it. They thought there was something wrong with it or it hadn't been cooked properly--it was just a matter of what he was used to and we had a time convincing them of that! (But, I'm getting ahead of myself!)

Animator's Palette: Remember how I said that the server’s uniforms were different each place? Well at Animator’s Palette, they have the same shirt both nights we were there, but they had a tie with “underwater bubbles” effect on the night we saw Crush. The second night (the night we were animators—to be explained shortly—they were wearing what looked like the red in Mickey’s red pants with the gold buttons on it as the their ties. Anyway, The first night at AP is when Crush comes to visit! What a great way to keep people entertained while waiting for food--and yes, Crush did speak to one of the "dudes" at our table. It was "righteous, dude." "Awesome!" Trust me, if you haven't been to this yet, you'll learn those are appropriate responses and they'll teach you to use them appropriately. You will also be able to guess pictures made by the moon fish and of course interact just a tad with Dory and Marlin--and the entire gang actually swims through and makes their appearances. Amazingly, Crush talks to not just someone at one table but many throughout the restaurant---ok, we've about figured out the magic behind it, but because it IS magic, we'll keep that to ourselves. But we will say, don't try to use the pencils or brushes in the centerpiece--they're not for use--
However, the second trip to AP they add markers to the pot and reel that you ARE able to use. Those markers are used to make YOU an animator for Disney's Animator Palette! You must do as the directions say (ok, so some of us didn't read the directions at first) DRAW WITHIN THE BLUE LINES!!! Anything outside the blue lines will not be seen! Mickey (as Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey) comes on the screen and asks for help with some animation. A while later, he comes back and shows everyone their artwork as animated work! Now what to me is the real kicker of it all is that what you're seeing on the screens around you is NOT what the people are seeing on the screens around them in other areas of the restaurant. They are seeing THEIR artwork and you are seeing YOURS! They take about 3 or 4 tables worth of drawings and put it together with REAL animation and make a wonderful show out of it--at the end, the names of all the animators are listed (in other words, your name is up on the screen as one of the animators). As the meal that is served with this show must somewhat be timed--there isn't as much "choice" to the meals as there is the other meals and the food is just kind of brought to you unless you specifically ask for something. Don't take it that you don't have any choices; they just don't give you a list of appetizers, then salads and/or soups, then main course, then dessert. You do have choice, but they don't have the time in between to spend as much time with you as a guest on that evening--as I'm sure they're spending part of the time scanning your artwork into a computer and getting the show set up as well. As this was still one of her first voyages (not the first, but one of the first several) the timing to us was just a bit rushed with the food and service compared to other evenings. It could also have been that it was our last night at sea. Or maybe they were all whooped (as the ones that work animator's palette at night work Cabana's during the day). I don't know what it was. Maybe we just didn't want it all to end and it being our last evening meal we felt it was rushed. Who knows?--I digress!

Palo's Restaurant: First of all let me say that we originally tried to get ressies at Palo’s the first night we were “able” to try to make ressies at anything online. Of course, those spots were all filled! We continued to log in every couple of weeks and we were finally able to get ressies the Thursday night (it was what was called the semiformal night and as it turned out, it would have been our 3rd night at Royal Court. At that point the only thing we cared about was that it wasn’t on Pirate night! We got ressies for what for us was late dining---almost killed the hietal hernia that night, but it was well worth it. We skipped our normal dining early that night in the RC so that we could go see the show that evening—Believe (I think was the show that day). We didn’t want to miss the show-so we skipped eating twice that night! LOL We went to Meridian (the bar that is the waiting area for both Palo’s and Remy’s) first and each got one of the specialty martinis from there. OMG the Crème Brule martini was to die for! I wasn’t thrilled with the one that DH had (it had cranberry something in it and I’m not real keen on cranberries). We then were brought in and had a most excellent meal with superb service. Oh and if you happen to go to Palo’s, be SURE to order the Lava Cake!!! It is this wonderful meld of white, milk and dark chocolates that melt in your mouth and makes you want to slap the ugly off someone! LOL Ok so that might not be exactly what it makes you want to do; but let’s just say, it is OMG good!!!! Would I say that the meal was better than what would have been served at our normal dining? I’m not sure that it is really a comparison of better or not or it is more of saying it was a different menu in a different setting with a different server and atmosphere. It was much more intimate and formal—or as some would say finer dining. I’ve been to fine dining and it isn’t always a matter of having better flavored or served food. But it was very appropriate for us wanting an intimate “anniversary” celebration dinner for the two of us. Apparently some that were there felt that the fine, formal dining atmosphere was nothing more than anything/where else they go and they were quite openly discussing things I wouldn’t think of discussing in a) that atmosphere or restaurant and b) with fellow passengers—whether they had known each other a long time and were all together on this cruise or not, and c) especially knowing how loud and boisterous their conversations were when you could see that most other diners in the restaurant were quietly enjoying each others’ company and the food and atmosphere. But I digress again. I did miss the camaraderie that we shared each evening with our table mates, but the point of that one meal for us was to have it as a special night for just the two of us. And we achieved that.

Now, on to the FOOD! OK so I’m finally getting here! The food was AWESOME! We may not be "foodies," but we do like to try new things. Whether it was the alcoholic or the nonalcoholic specialty drink of the evening, we usually tried at least one of the 3 listed--no matter what the restaurant we were in. We generally tried at least one food item out of each category (and often we each had something different so that we could both try at least 2 different foods). By the way, the SOUPS are divine! And when you see the soup listed as popcorn soup, do NOT shy away from it. I know it sounds weird and whacky, but OMG it is AWESOME!!!!! especially if you add the caramel pieces into it. I can't even begin to describe the warmth of the buttery goodness with the sweet flavor of the caramel corn in it. I think everyone of us had that same blissful expression on our face after the first bite! And yes we were all hesitant to try it, but it was such a dreamy soup, we could have made a meal and dessert off of it just by itself! But I've gotten ahead of myself (again!)

I don't know that I can break our meals down into what we had each night at each place. However, as you can see above, I’m not talking about the food—as I’ve gotten ahead of myself several times. Let’s see if I can break it down for you a bit.

Appetizers, Salads, Soups: Generally these were things that would order a salad or soup instead of---however, that doesn’t mean that they weren’t good. Many were just seafood related or things like escargot (which I have eaten before, but won’t order just to have it again! Don’t get me wrong, I do eat shrimp and a few other things that are seafood in nature, but it isn’t something I generally order. They did have several different salads and soups that I ordered—and I didn’t have a single soup that I didn’t like! The salads often contained things that I normally don’t eat either, so I didn’t always have those either. But from those at the table that did order the appetizers and salads and soups, they were delicious. I’m just not much of a “healthy” eater—hence for my above declarations of indulgence above! The Hearty Basil Tomato soup was REALLY good, there was a bacon, cheddar, potato (I think) soup that was good, but not as good as the tomato. Of course, I’ve already said how good the popcorn soup was. Oh, and the French Onion Soup???? I’ve never had it better anywhere!!! It was not overly salty, nor was the cheese so thick you couldn’t cut or chew it, and there was the perfect amount of onions in it. And did I mention the flavor was super good????

Main Dish: Oh how do I even begin to describe the main dishes? Hmmmm Delicious? Delightful? Delectable? Scrumptious? Mouth-watering? Luscious? Appetizing? Wonderful? Enchanting? Enticing? Tempting? Appealing? OK any of those words will work! We had lamb, lobster, shrimp, boar, roast, pork loin, prime rib, sirloin, chicken, and too many more that I don’t remember! There were vegetables of all kinds. There were potatoes, rice, and a few that I’m not overly familiar with as well served with the meats. All was cooked to perfection and were tender and juicy. For those that wanted “lighter” meals, there were things that were also listed under the soups or salads or even the appetizer area that could be chosen as your main course as well. And NO you weren’t limited to any one choice. We could have ordered one of each and they would have brought it to us. As I said, we often ordered things that were different from each other so that we could each try something different. There wasn’t a meal that I ordered that I didn’t like, not one I would have sent back and a few that if I thought my stomach could have held it without exploding that I could have eaten even more of.

Desserts: Hmmm have I not covered that area well enough already? I think indeed I have.

Side note: Just to say that we had wonderful food is an understatement. One of the biggest complaints I hear from people about dinners and dining on any cruise is that the portion sizes are so small and that you don’t get enough to eat. Well, let me tell you, yes compared to the normal over sized portions of most American’s dining experiences everyday of their life, YES, the portions are small. But then again, how many of us in normal everyday dining experiences spend time to thoroughly taste and eat our meals and allow the food time to start digesting while the brain figures out you’re eating? How many of us eat an appetizer, salad, soup, main dish then a dessert along with breads at every meal? When you look at the amount of food served as each course of the meal, you will see (and if you let your stomach and brain catch up to each other) and feel that it is MORE than enough food. There wasn’t a dinner that we didn’t leave the table thinking (or in actuality saying to each other) “OMG I’m so full! I couldn’t eat another bite!” And we all felt that way. If there was ever a time that there wasn’t anything on the menu that you couldn’t find something on there to eat and fill you up, and then I’d be surprised. Even my picky, finicky eater, my BFF always found at least 3 courses (usually 4) that she could and would eat. She never had a complaint about the food and she was the one that we all thought WOULD be complaining or asking for the sirloin steak and baked potato every night or eating off the children’s menu of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. That was NOT the case though.

But as I said, to come off this cruise thinking that you couldn’t or didn’t get enough to eat would be strictly your own fault. Because in addition to all the places I’ve mentioned to eat so far, I still have not mentioned Cabana’s or Flo’s V-8 Café! I also haven’t mentioned the pastry shops or the coffee shops nor any of the other areas on board that you could find food and beverages. Do I dare go into any of those here and now? Maybe I’ll save those for the next thing I remember to write about!

 

[mamastrick]

I'm so glad you added your review! I have to agree on the food on board - delicious! My daughter's favorite meal was the Teriyaki Beef Tenderloin and Wasabi mashed potatoes. Not something she would normally eat, but in the spirit of trying new things she went for it! My favorite soup (I think it was on formal night) was the wild mushroom. Fantastic! We were full every night and our waiters were so much fun. We ended up at our own table (4 of us) and were kind of disappointed that we didn't have table-mates to get to know. Maybe next time!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I love your review and all the details! Makes me more excited for our upcoming cruise.

 

[gumbo1009]

However, the second trip to AP ...

As the meal that is served with this show must somewhat be timed--there isn't as much "choice" to the meals as there is the other meals and the food is just kind of brought to you unless you specifically ask for something. Don't take it that you don't have any choices; they just don't give you a list of appetizers, then salads and/or soups, then main course, then dessert.

I thought there was no choice for course1 and course2 - the only choice was "get the course, or don't." After course 1 and 2, you *can* choose your course3 (main entree), and then you have a smaller set of choices for dessert (smaller compared to the menu in the other MDRs that evening). Is this an accurate summary??? (I'm curious b/c my mother will probably need to forgo course1 since it's heavy on seafood, and she's allergic.)

 

[DisneyMouseHouse]

oh - thank you, thank you for all of your wonderful suggestions & tips. I really appreciate it! I think that we are considering the pirate adventure in Grand Cayman & then the Fury Catamaran & Beach Party in Cozumel. I'm glad to hear positive things about the Fury in Cozumel.

Not trying to butt into someone else's report, but we did the Pirate Adventure and it was really great. The only thing I thought was interesting is that the ship (boat, really) was much smaller than it looked on the Disney Cruise site. The kids had a GREAT time, they all swabbed the decks and walked the plank, and I was the one who was "lucky" enough to get tied to the mast pole for some "good, clean fun" - LOL!

 

[mamastrick]

I thought there was no choice for course1 and course2 - the only choice was "get the course, or don't." After course 1 and 2, you *can* choose your course3 (main entree), and then you have a smaller set of choices for dessert (smaller compared to the menu in the other MDRs that evening). Is this an accurate summary??? (I'm curious b/c my mother will probably need to forgo course1 since it's heavy on seafood, and she's allergic.)

That was my understanding also - we were given the appetizer and soup and the main course was the only thing we had a choice of on the menu. I would guess that if your server knows about the allergy they may substitute something for her. They definitely hurry through this service because once the show starts they servers have to be out of the way.

 

[mamastrick]

Not trying to butt into someone else's report, but we did the Pirate Adventure and it was really great. The only thing I thought was interesting is that the ship (boat, really) was much smaller than it looked on the Disney Cruise site. The kids had a GREAT time, they all swabbed the decks and walked the plank, and I was the one who was "lucky" enough to get tied to the mast pole for some "good, clean fun" - LOL!

That sounds so fun! Maybe next time I can talk someone into going on this one

 

[goofymama]

I thought there was no choice for course1 and course2 - the only choice was "get the course, or don't." After course 1 and 2, you *can* choose your course3 (main entree), and then you have a smaller set of choices for dessert (smaller compared to the menu in the other MDRs that evening). Is this an accurate summary??? (I'm curious b/c my mother will probably need to forgo course1 since it's heavy on seafood, and she's allergic.)

I have a shellfish allergy. My server knew that is while he brought everyone else an appetizer sampler, he brought me a different appetizer that didn't have any seafood on it. They are very old about things like that and will ake care of your mother!

 

[WeAreGoofyforDisney]

Thanks for taking the time to post the info. We are off to our fifth cruise, first on one of the new ships, the Fantasy, next week!

 

[Dclnut143]

Hey Mamastrick! We were also onboard with y'all! I thought I'd give the folks our two cents worth to go along with yours (since we haven't written our TR yet).

Excursions: Grand Caymen (or was it Costamaya--I lost track of ports and days--DH just told me this WAS Costamaya!)we did the Salsa & Salsa. It was fabulous! You get off the ship and are on a short bus ride to this hotel that is really kind of cool to walk through--although I don't know if I'd want to actually stay there! LOL Anyway, the guide taught us how to Salsa (thedance) and then how to make 3 types of Salsa (to eat). Not exactly the salsa any of us are used to out of a bottle, but not unedible! They provided margaritas or soda to drink and provided the chips to taste the salsa with. It really was great fun. For those wishing to stay and play on the beach, that option was available. We chose to get a taxi and return to the port area and did some inexpensive shopping.

Speaking of shopping--please note that if you are going to ONLY take a Visa/MC with you or a debit card off the ship with you along with your government issued ID and KTTW card, remember that purchases must be over $20 before they'll accept your VISA or MC! If you want cheap soueveniers--they are plentiful, but if you don't want to carry any cash on you, then be prepared to spend $20 per place. Some will take it for less, but many don't!

Back to the Excursions! We also did the City Tour and Turtle Farm (at where ever that was---maybe that was Grand Cayman! Yes it was Grand Cayman, DH just said. Like I said, I lost track of where we were and what day it was! I just loved being in PARADISE.) The City Tour I would say SKIP IT!!!!! It is no big deal and I heard more than I wanted to about our tour guides ex wives and him being from East Germany. Anyway, I digress. The Turtle Farm on the other hand is AWESOME!!!! I wish we'd just paid to do the farm and be able to play in their pools and water park area. Also, I saw where some (depending on what color arm band you had on) were allowed to get in and swim with the turtles. But just being able to reach in and "pet" (do you pet a turtle???) the turtles or pick them up was wild. We had an Olympus underwater camera with us that was awesome for getting some up close and personal pictures of them underwater! I could do without seeing the governor's mansion (oh wait, I should say seeing the gates of the governor's mansion), the other house that they drove up, stopped and said, "here is....." and then drove off (oh by the way, that house looked nicer than the governor's mansion), and all the hoopla of seeing Hell --well, needless to say, it's a bunch of hoopla of nothing! You get to see the lava rocks where it gets it's name from, you see the post office where (if you are lucky enough to have the preaddressed, pre stamped cards you can mail to yourself or loved ones from Hell) and they showed us the barn that the man started the whole "from Hell" business--and yes it all started as a business for tourists! That was the extent of the City Tour! Again, I would say, SKIP the tour----go straight to the Turtle Farm Excursion!

Cozumel I stayed on board and enjoyed having a mostly empty ship to myself! We had gotten our one main purchase that we wanted from the cruise (2 bottles of vanilla) at the previous port, so we didn't feel like there was anything we HAD to get off the ship for.

Castaway Cay--Honestly--since I didn't have the physical stamina to walk the distance required (having had back surgery less than a year ago I wasn't up to long walks), I stayed on board and again enjyoed having a mostly empty ship to myself. Loved being able to walk around at a slow pace taking in all the sites and sounds, talking to staff members, enjoying the empty pools, etc. Although, DH went ashore and did some snorkeling. Again, he took our Olympus waterproof camera and has some AWESOME photos from his time snorkeling. He had thought about trying to get me out to the area and I might have been able to get there via the trams, but the walk down the beach and then the swim out to the snorkeling area I never would have made it. And I figure him bringing a drowned wife back on board was not in his plans, so it was best I stayed on board. He was so glad to see that one of the subs from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride had found a resting place at Castaway Cay. And of course, we was glad to see the masthead Mickey down there as well. Note of caution to any of you that plan on snorkeling or scuba diving--leave your rings on board. The one "casualty" of our trip is that the water was cold enough that his fingers shrank up and when he went to reach for something under water his ring slid off his finger. He saw where it landed and it was just out of snorkel depth. His trying to "fish it out" of the sand stirred up enough sand it just buried it. Luckily, it was JUST a ring--no great loss--but for those of you that wear expensive rings or other jewelry, just a warning to you to leave it on board if you're going to go underwater!

I have a question about costamayas salsa and salsa. We did the one in cozumel and really liked it so i wanted to try the one in costa maya. Plus, There a $20 difference, its different. Minus, its not the same company and they have a lot less salsa (cm does 3 while coz does 7) and its all u can drink at coz, where only 3 drinks at cm. do u think it is worth it? U said it was fab, but then u said the salsa is eh?

 

[bluejasmine]

What did you put in the over the door shoe holder? Is there any counter space to store items in bathroom?

 

[mamastrick]

What did you put in the over the door shoe holder? Is there any counter space to store items in bathroom?

There is some space to store things in the bathroom - two small glass shelves on the wall, a little space around the sink and a shelf under the sink. I use the over the door holder for everyone's toiletries, make up, sunscreen, hairbrushes, etc. With two teenage girls in my room, the extra space was great. I preferred it to having everything spread all over the bathroom!

 

[wishuponastarforever]

Something else I forgot to mention but think is important! The deck flooring around the pools and stairs up to aquaduck and deck 12 get extremely slick when wet! My husband, both daughters and I slipped several times. We saw two women who broke their ankles on board and heard about another who fell and broke her wrist! Walk carefully - we went barefoot and got better traction in these areas.

Thank you for your informative trip report. Thank you especially for the slippery deck flooring warning. Good to know.

 

[All Things Simba]

Hi, what are the early (main) dining times on the Fantasy?
Are they staggered?... and can someone list the times please?!