Heat, Humidity, and Our Favorite Disney Dog Was a Thug! LINK TO NEW PTR!!

[RGirl]

I would like to be on CC today. How beautiful! Willow looks so cute in her BBB suit, I love it!

I hope that she was feeling better.

Oh, I can't begin to tell you how much I would like to be on CC today.....

Oh geez! Those pictures are really making me homesick for a Disney Cruise The weather looked absolutely beautiful, too. And Cabanas...one of my favorite places to eat on the ship! Now I'm hungry for some real breakfast Can't believe it's your last day Don't ya hate those. At least you always have another trip in the works. Or in your case, two or three in the works

Have a Happy Saturday!
Heather

Last days totally suck! But planning another trip always helps a little.

Castaway Cay looks GORGEOUS and so much fun! I want to go!

I had no idea they had waterslides just casually in the ocean, haha.

Right???? Doesn't that just crack you up?

 

[RGirl]

Roni, I'm so sorry to have fallen so far behind on your amazing TR! I just wanted you to know I'm still reading and still thoroughly enjoying it.

Hi Carol! It's great to see you again! I'm so glad you are reading along.

Oh, I shouldn't look @ these pics of CC....it'll make me want to rebook our cruise for next year.

Looks like y'all were off to a nice start on the beach!

You are going to LOVE DL!

Castaway Cay looks AMAZING! The water looks very calm. Are there any waves at all?

It really is amazing. I honestly don't recall any waves, but it's been a while now.... I will just have to go back so that I can check on that for you.

 

[RGirl]

your start sounds like how we always do it. no matter how many times I look around the room and pack up stuff the night before, somebody always forgets something....

It's like I am losing brain cells by the 1000s every day.

CC looks awesome! I can't wait until it's our turn to go and I can't wait to see what else you both do!

I can't wait for you to get to be there too! It's such a fun place - even for someone like me who is not a super-beach/heat kind of person.

Catching up on a few updates!!

Ahhhh - I am constantly playing this DIS games.

Yeah, that is most definitely NOT an overcast sky!! Haha!

We sure had some gorgeous weather that week!

So scary about your missing Willow -- so glad it was short-lived, and she was ok. I need to start working with DD on that rule...thanks for sharing.

It was very scary for a few minutes. I was so glad she had been listening all these years. I remember going over it with her on our first WDW trip before the trip, and then taking her to a CM right when we got to MK and showing her the name tag.

Your room service verandah dinner looks really nice...and relaxing! I could SO be there right now too

It was VERY relaxing - no complaints at all! I would sell the couch I'm sitting on to be transported back there right now!

Good start to your Castaway Cay day!!

What a great place that is!

 

[RGirl]

Pelican Plunge and Lunch​

Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunrise: 6:43AM
Sunset: 7:36PM
Port: Castaway Cay
All Ashore: 9:30AM
All Aboard: 4:45PM
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual
Friday: Partly Sunny, High of 82
Saturday: Overcast, High of 81

DD was gung-ho for Pelican Plunge at this point, so we headed over there. She was required to wear a life jacket.

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I waited out in the water for DD, so I took some pics while I was waiting.

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Here comes Miss Willow!

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She was a big fan and headed right back out, of course.

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If you look really carefully, you can see DD going up the stairs.

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After a couple of plunges, I think we swam a bit more and then went to Cookie’s Too for lunch. We weren’t very hungry…..

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Even the bathrooms were well-themed - of course!

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Gotta love all those little Disney touches.

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Up Next: Swimming with the Rays

 

[RGirl]

Swimming with the Rays​

Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunrise: 6:43AM
Sunset: 7:36PM
Port: Castaway Cay
All Ashore: 9:30AM
All Aboard: 4:45PM
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual
Friday: Partly Sunny, High of 82
Saturday: Overcast, High of 81

We went back to the beach for more swimming and floating after lunch. But at about 1:30, we got out and returned our floats because we had a stingray adventure to get to!

We had planned to take the tram to the first family beach (where the stingray spot was), but we just missed one and then waited and waited. Finally, DD decided we should just walk, and I concurred. Of course, she then proceeded to complain about walking the whole way. It was a scenic walk anyway!

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Before too long, we had found Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventures.

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We got our snorkel gear and headed in here to wait our turn.

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Pretty!

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Willow was VERY excited about the snorkeling. She had been dying to try it.

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Someone came in and told us a bit about the rays - most importantly, that they clip their barbs. And then we headed out to the water. We split into groups each with a CM and this sort of floating u-shaped table thing with ramps both ends of the U. We all stood around the table, and the rays would swim up one side, get some fish from whoever was holding it out and swim down the other side. We were allowed to feed the rays, which was a FREAKY feeling, and pet them - very soft and velvety. This was cool!!!!

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After feeding the rays, we were given plenty of time to snorkel around with them. We were cautioned to shuffle instead of walk so that we didn’t step down on a ray. Willow wasn’t into touching or feeding the rays, but she was VERY into snorkeling with them. Well, she was very into snorkeling - with or without the rays. And she was a total natural. I am a TERRIBLE snorkeler; I really can’t do it for more than a couple of minutes. I just can’t get over that initial panic of sticking my face in and BREATHING while under water. Willow had no such issues.

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Over all, this was a fantastic experience for us, and I’m so glad I booked it for our one port day.

Up Next: Back to the Fantasy

 

[RGirl]

Back to the Fantasy​

Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunrise: 6:43AM
Sunset: 7:36PM
Port: Castaway Cay
All Ashore: 9:30AM
All Aboard: 4:45PM
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual
Friday: Partly Sunny, High of 82
Saturday: Overcast, High of 81

We finished up with the rays a little before 3:00.

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We decided to go over to the tram and head back to the ship at this point. I think we were both feeling the effects of a full day in the sun and sand.

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We were so happy to arrive back at the ship and find that they had a spot for us to wash the sand off our feet, a CM handing out cool wet towels, and big vats of cold fruit-flavored waters. Perfection!

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And Willow was really happy to see Hook and Smee out meeting guests next to the ship. Two characters she had never met before!

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And before we knew it, we were headed back to our room.

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We arrived in our stateroom at about 3:15 and both took very refreshing and much-needed showers. (I got some more packing done while Willow was in the shower.)

Up Next: An Unexpected Good Time

 

[amandaw]

What a fun, full day on CC!

The stingray excursion looks like a lot of fun. Not that my family will ever experience it because Reid is scared of any type of critter. Not sure where he gets that from. But, I'm glad y'all had a good time. It's awesome that Willow is such a good swimmer and willing to try new things!

Such pretty pics of CC! And I love that Willow got to meet Hook & Smee by the boat.

 

[dizneeat]

Caught up here as well! Since I am not a runner there is not much to comment on, just wanted to say that the pics of the last run are too funny. Kira looks like a very happy bunny.

 

[STLMickeyMom]

oh my goodness....that looks like a day of perfection to me! love the sand, love the water, love the sun, love it all! it never seems like it's too hot, or too sunny, or too anything when i'm at the beach. clearly, I live in the wrong state!

the stingrays look so fun! we have an exhibit at our zoo every summer, but we haven't gone this year yet. last time we tried it Hannah was smaller and got splashed and was over it.

willow is so brave! how awesome that she went snorkeling! I always have some anxiety at the beginning about putting my face in, but once I get over it, I love it! however, I can't dive down like my DH does. i'm convinced i'll forget to blow out and suck in sea water and choke underwater and it'll be a whole thing.....i'm crazy, I know!

how awesome to meet hook and smee! our oldest loves smee! I had to show her the pictures....of course, she screamed! she's so excited for our cruise!

 

[Jackiemarie21]

Looks like so much fun! We just booked a cruise next March and reading your TR has me so excited for CC! Swimming with the sting rays looks like so much fun! We might have to try that one!

 

[RGirl]

What a fun, full day on CC!

Sure wouldn't mind days like that more often!

The stingray excursion looks like a lot of fun. Not that my family will ever experience it because Reid is scared of any type of critter. Not sure where he gets that from. But, I'm glad y'all had a good time. It's awesome that Willow is such a good swimmer and willing to try new things!

We really enjoyed the excursion. I'm sure Reid will grow out of the fear - he will likely love all things furry, slimy, etc. someday soon.

Such pretty pics of CC! And I love that Willow got to meet Hook & Smee by the boat.

We were pretty psyched when we spotted those pirates standing there!

Caught up here as well! Since I am not a runner there is not much to comment on, just wanted to say that the pics of the last run are too funny. Kira looks like a very happy bunny.

I think this comment was meant for a different TR, Karin!!!

oh my goodness....that looks like a day of perfection to me! love the sand, love the water, love the sun, love it all! it never seems like it's too hot, or too sunny, or too anything when i'm at the beach. clearly, I live in the wrong state!

You definitely need a CC day!

the stingrays look so fun! we have an exhibit at our zoo every summer, but we haven't gone this year yet. last time we tried it Hannah was smaller and got splashed and was over it.

They were kind of freaky when I fed them - felt like they were biting me but not. Weird!

willow is so brave! how awesome that she went snorkeling! I always have some anxiety at the beginning about putting my face in, but once I get over it, I love it! however, I can't dive down like my DH does. i'm convinced i'll forget to blow out and suck in sea water and choke underwater and it'll be a whole thing.....i'm crazy, I know!

Oh, I could NEVER dive down like that! I'd have a heart attack or something. Willow is definitely the water baby in this family.

how awesome to meet hook and smee! our oldest loves smee! I had to show her the pictures....of course, she screamed! she's so excited for our cruise!

Awwww - I hope you see them there too!!!!

Looks like so much fun! We just booked a cruise next March and reading your TR has me so excited for CC! Swimming with the sting rays looks like so much fun! We might have to try that one!

Oh, how exciting!!!! And March isn't THAT far away.

 

[RGirl]

Okay, I apologize for the way this TR is really dragging on at this point. I have been sick pretty much all summer, and most days it's been all I can do to go to work, come home and take care of my child, and go to bed. I think/hope that I am finally on the upswing, and I really want to get this TR finished without dragging it out any longer. I have always vowed that I would never have a TR incomplete a year after the actual trip, and I am getting very close! More importantly, Willow and I leave two weeks from tomorrow for our great road-tripping two-week adventure to Disneyland! And I know when we get back, I'm going to want to focus on THAT trip! So here's an update, and you should expect the other few remaining updates to be done soon - definitely before we take off on our next trip. Oh, and I will be updating the DLR TR quite regularly before our trip as well. I hope you will join me on that one as well!

An Unexpected Good Time​

Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunrise: 6:43AM
Sunset: 7:36PM
Port: Castaway Cay
All Ashore: 9:30AM
All Aboard: 4:45PM
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual
Friday: Partly Sunny, High of 82
Saturday: Overcast, High of 81

We were cleaned up and ready to leave the stateroom at 4:15.

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We were really happy about our timing because the See Ya Real Soon “show” was starting in the atrium at 4:30. This had not been a big deal at all on the Wonder, but we wanted to do something together tonight since my Remy reservation had to be changed to tonight. We decided to take it easy because we knew (or thought we knew!) there was no big show or anything, so we decided to have a seat at the cute Bon Voyage bar that we had seen earlier that morning.

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We ordered yummy frozen drinks and totally enjoyed just hanging out there together.

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The See Ya Real Soon thing started pretty soon thereafter, and we could see some characters coming down the stairs. Willow said she would prefer to just stay at the bar and watch what we could from there. I was good with that too!

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It was kind of interesting because there really weren’t hardly any people around for this since it wasn’t even All Aboard time yet, and I’m sure a lot of people were packing as well. And then, much to our surprise, when the characters ended their very brief “see ya real soon” thing, all the characters scattered to different spots in the atrium for meet and greets! (You can imagine the joy this brought us!)

Chip ‘n’ Dale walked right by us and set up in the corner across from Bon Voyage, so Willow was able to run right over to see them. A CM nearby didn’t even let me get up to take a picture but instead grabbed my camera and did it for me.

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This whole thing was just FANTASTIC. It was not crowded, and it was a great way to alleviate some of the sadness of this being our last night on board - a chance to say “see ya real soon” to some favorite friends. The bartender told us to just leave our drinks there, she would watch them (and our bill) while we went off to visit with Willow’s friends. Willow immediately spotted her good buddy Snow White with no line at all, so we headed there next.

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Time to tell Cinderella See Ya Real Soon!

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Up Next: An Unexpected Good Time (cont.)

 

[RGirl]

An Unexpected Good Time (cont.)​

Beloved Non-Thug Pluto!

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DD had a little trouble saying good-bye to “Plute-y.”

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See ya real soon, Tiana!

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See ya real soon, Goofy!

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See ya real soon, Daisy!

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After saying good-bye to everyone we could, we returned to Bon Voyage and our drinks.

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This little event was one of the best moments of the cruise - it was unexpected, and it really took away from that last-night sadness. Best of all, it was not well attended, so it was really easy for DD to say good-bye to a lot of friends without waiting long at all. Soon all of the characters were saying See Ya Real Soon and leaving the atrium.

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Up Next: The Finest of Dining at Sea

 

[shan23877]

What an awesome evening! I love all the pics with the characters. It looks like Goofy is proposing . And, how cute are those outfits?

Every time I read your updates I think "I need to go on a Disney Cruise". And then when I'm not reading them I think "I can't miss park time!"

 

[hstrickland]

Getting caught up on your TR#2 I'm so behind!


Hate that you have been feeling bad this summer. Hope that is all behind you, Roni. I know that makes for a really long day with work and mom duties. Take care of yourself...you have a trip coming up very soon!!!!


Can I just say, I am getting sooooo excited about our next cruise....and it's 10 months away!!! CC is totally awesome! Such a beautiful place. And you are so right about the attention to detail. No one else does it like Disney. Going to have to make sure we catch the "See Ya Real Soon" show. Such sweet pictures of Willow saying good-bye.....it totally made me smile

Happy Saturday!
Heather

 

[STLMickeyMom]

what a fun surprise for your last night! that looks really cute and a fun way to see everybody one last time. I love how willow gets so excited about meeting characters. her smile is too precious!

your drink looks yummy too!

 

[amandaw]

I'm so sorry you've been feeling bad. Hope you're on your way to feeling completely better!

I'm so excited for y'alls upcoming trip....can't wait to hear about it!!

What a nice afternoon on the ship! We have never attended the "See Ya Real Soon" party & now I wish we had. So glad Willow got to tell all of her friends bye!

 

[RGirl]

What an awesome evening! I love all the pics with the characters. It looks like Goofy is proposing . And, how cute are those outfits?

It was SUCH a fun time! Such a nice surprise.

Every time I read your updates I think "I need to go on a Disney Cruise". And then when I'm not reading them I think "I can't miss park time!"

Well, you know my solution to that little problem!!! :

Getting caught up on your TR#2 I'm so behind!

Well, you know I'm ALWAYS behind!

Hate that you have been feeling bad this summer. Hope that is all behind you, Roni. I know that makes for a really long day with work and mom duties. Take care of yourself...you have a trip coming up very soon!!!!

Thanks Heather! I think I am finally starting to feel better, so hopefully our trip won't be affected.

Can I just say, I am getting sooooo excited about our next cruise....and it's 10 months away!!! CC is totally awesome! Such a beautiful place. And you are so right about the attention to detail. No one else does it like Disney. Going to have to make sure we catch the "See Ya Real Soon" show. Such sweet pictures of Willow saying good-bye.....it totally made me smile

It makes me excited for our next cruise too - and that's about 13 months away!!!

Happy Saturday!

To you too, Heather!!

what a fun surprise for your last night! that looks really cute and a fun way to see everybody one last time. I love how willow gets so excited about meeting characters. her smile is too precious!

She had such a great time saying good-bye to all her friends, although it was, of course, somewhat bittersweet. I hate the end of vacation.

your drink looks yummy too!

Totally wish I had one right now!

I'm so sorry you've been feeling bad. Hope you're on your way to feeling completely better!

Thanks Amanda! Definitely think I'm starting to get better finally.

I'm so excited for y'alls upcoming trip....can't wait to hear about it!!

Thanks! I'm pretty excited for it too - it is definitely going to be a very different sort of TR though what with all the road tripping adventure!

What a nice afternoon on the ship! We have never attended the "See Ya Real Soon" party & now I wish we had. So glad Willow got to tell all of her friends bye!

You know, we went to the one on the Wonder, and it was very brief with no interaction with characters. This took us totally by surprise, and it was GREAT!

 

[RGirl]

I am bound and determined to finish this TR!!!!!!

The Finest of Dining at Sea​

Friday, August 23, 2013
Sunrise: 6:43AM
Sunset: 7:36PM
Port: Castaway Cay
All Ashore: 9:30AM
All Aboard: 4:45PM
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual
Friday: Partly Sunny, High of 82
Saturday: Overcast, High of 81

After our wonderful See Ya Real Soon experience and after finishing our frozen beverages, we returned to our stateroom at about 5:15. We hung out together on the verandah for a while. Willow was being silly.

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Sometime between 5:30 and 5:45, however, DD decided that she wanted to head to the kids’ club early. So we journeyed down there.

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I went back to the stateroom and got ready for my Remy dining experience. I did not need to be at Remy until 6:40, but I headed up at 6:10 to have one last drink at Meridian - another Moet Ice, of course!

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This worked out nicely, because I was able to be seated early as my wonderful server Niko only had one other table that night. I was taken to the same perfect little booth with a lovely view. And there began the best dining experience of my life!

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Niko was absolutely phenomenal. Again. I told him that I would leave it to him and the chef to decide all of my courses. This was such a fun thing to do!

Since I already had my champagne from Meridian, Niko said that he would bring me a glass of champagne with dessert instead of the starter champagne cocktail. I thought that was a nice touch.

First up was the amuse-bouche, which featured a poached qual egg. Now, this may be shocking, but I have never in my life eaten a poached egg or a qual egg! My mom has a thing about “wet” eggs, and she kind of passed that whole thing on to me, I guess. But I was determined to try whatever the chef wanted to present at Remy, so I went for it. And you know what? This little sucker was DELICIOUS!

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Niko also presented me with some of that tasty gluten-free bread and butter and salt.

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Next up was, of course, ratatouille with an olive oil ice cream. Oh my! This was fresh and tasty. The combination of the veggies with the savory ice cream was unexpected and very good.

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The very french sommelier and I became good buddies during this meal. She came over to chat, and I had her pick a wine for me. She also told me that the Moet Ice thing could be done just as well with any champagne but only 2 or 3 ice cubes should be used (and she is right - I had champagne on ice several times last summer at home, and it was so refreshing!). She brought me a nice glass of wine; too bad I no longer remember what it was.

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My next course was a lobster salad of sorts. This was delicate and flavorful in a wonderful subtle way.

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The next course was an absolutely divine sea bass with baby leeks and ponzu sauce. The chef had even come up with some gluten-free soy sauce in order to make mine just right.

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Up Next: The Finest of Dining at Sea (cont.)

 

[RGirl]

The Finest of Dining at Sea (cont.)​

The sky was darkening into night as I enjoyed my amazing meal.

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Next (I feel like I keep saying that - so many courses! Thank goodness they keep the portions quite small) was a Maine Lobster with cauliflower puree and lobster emulsion. This was lovely - full of sea flavor and nice textures.

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Before my next course, I let my sommelier friend pick out another wine for me to pair with the “main” course.

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My “main” course was Kurobuta Pork; I believe it was tenderloin and belly, and there were some potatoes in there somewhere as well. Holy pig! This was heaven on a plate, folks!!!!

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At some point during my meal, the chef came around. We visited for quite a little while, and it was such a treat. I was able to thank him for not making me feel like I was missing out on anything due to the gluten thing. We chatted about how the restaurant came to be and how they keep food fresh on the ship. It was just a wonderful experience.

And then the very French cheese girl (I am sure there is a fancy name for this position, but I don’t know it!) came around with the cheese trolley. Mmmmmmmm! You can basically pick out whichever cheeses you would like to have. She was explaining them all, and I indicated the ones that I was most interested in just because they were the moldiest and weirdest. She asked me if I was French. I told her that I would really love it if she would choose cheeses for me since she would know them best. She really seemed to get a kick out of that, and boy did she choose some cheeses for me!

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These were all phenomenal. I love cheese though!

Niko then brought out a clean napkin, and I was provided with a lovely glass of champagne as well.

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Niko then presented a beautiful, light (thank goodness!) strawberry meringue dessert.

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Remy provides some lovely treats at the end of the meal too.

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This was quite honestly the best meal I have ever had. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

I picked Willow up from the club at about 9:30. Our room was all ready for us.

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I then finished up the packing and dragged the suitcases out the door. Actually, our stateroom host grabbed them just as soon as he saw me open the door. He was so helpful and sweet all week. Actually, he was the only one of our tipped CMs that I ended up giving a good deal extra to (in addition to the standard tip). (Not counting the folks at Remy, of course!) Although we had very good service from CMs on the Fantasy, our dining team paled into comparison to the team we had on the Wonder. The Fantasy team was nice and helpful, but they were kind of slow and, as I mentioned, utterly terrible at filling drink glasses of any kind. Additionally, we only ate in the main dining rooms four times, so we probably didn’t get to know them as well as we otherwise might have - obviously not in any way their fault, just the way our cruise went this time. Not complaining in any way, but explaining the approach I took to any substantial extra tipping.

Up Next: A Last Meal on the Fantasy