Livin on a Fantasy!! September 29, 2012 Disney Fantasy

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Yeah. I'll be the one in the cabin with BeccaBelle and the two girls.

ohhhhh

 

[eva]

You can just sign up urself and DH. U don't have to sign up the whole gang for FE. I as an adult enjoyed it just as mush as the kids, if not more!!! U don't wanna miss out! I have an idea for my FE...something for adults, and something different for kids. I will probably work on them over the winter so I have them pretty much done before the summer. I hope that people register by the summer cause for those of us who do personalized gifts it's nice to know all the names of people. But we will just have a cut-off for registering just like on my last cruise. People order stuff and need a count , so a good cut off date will probably be Aug 1st.

I'll definitely let you know before next summer. Since we will be hosting a number of family members that have never cruised (ever) before, I am not sure I will have the time to run around the ship dropping things off. But I'll think on it.

Glad everyone found the previous excursions for Costa Maya helpful. I think we will do one of the beaches that day. I hear this beach excursion is great: Costa Maya Beach Break.

When we were at Grand Cayman the last time we did the DCL "Sea Trek" excursion. I highly recommend that one. But I don't think it would be good for kids. It is a bit creepy going down the ladder from the boat. You have to pinch your nose and blown to decompress a few times as you go down. And it is pretty dark that far down in the ocean. Even a couple of men chickened out and started to go down but didn't make it. But the fish were the most spectacular I have ever seen and they eat right out of your hands. I think this time we will hit Stingray City.

In Cozumel we did the DCL Jeep Excursion. We weren't too thrilled. It consisted of driving mostly on the main highway with three stops. Two of the stops were really just ploys to try to get you to buy things. The lunch break on the beach wasn't too bad. But I could have paid a lot less for lunch on the beach.

 

[AquaDame]

I'm at work daydreaming of the cruise again, lol! Does anyone know why Grand Cayman has an * and TENDER by it? I know they are all tentative times, so surely it means something more than that? TIA!

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

I'm at work daydreaming of the cruise again, lol! Does anyone know why Grand Cayman has an * and TENDER by it? I know they are all tentative times, so surely it means something more than that? TIA!

Ok....I know I am real busy this summer and just trying to keep up with DISing but Did I miss you introducing yourself....I swear I am feeling like I have so many blonde moments this summer --- HELP!!

Nevermind---got ur PM! Thanks

 

[AquaDame]

Ok....I know I am real busy this summer and just trying to keep up with DISing but Did I miss you introducing yourself....I swear I am feeling like I have so many blonde moments this summer --- HELP!!

Nevermind---got ur PM! Thanks

Heehee, yeah... I did on page 4 but no names or any of the "juicy stuff" I had put in the PM! I also forgot to say we are celebrating our 1st anniversary on the cruise (on the castaway cay day in fact, woohoo!) and have early dining. I looked and the people before and after were added... I need to learn how to make a bigger splash!

 

[MisterOJ]

I'm at work daydreaming of the cruise again, lol! Does anyone know why Grand Cayman has an * and TENDER by it? I know they are all tentative times, so surely it means something more than that? TIA!

In all the other ports, the ship just pulls up to a dock and you just walk right off. In Grand Caymen, there are no docks for cruise ships, there are just little tender boats that come up while the chip anchors and ferries people back and forth to the island.

I believe the asterisk is because the last tender boat boards something like a half hour before the time to be back on the ship.

 

[MisterOJ]

I'll definitely let you know before next summer. Since we will be hosting a number of family members that have never cruised (ever) before, I am not sure I will have the time to run around the ship dropping things off. But I'll think on it.

Glad everyone found the previous excursions for Costa Maya helpful. I think we will do one of the beaches that day. I hear this beach excursion is great: Costa Maya Beach Break.

When we were at Grand Cayman the last time we did the DCL "Sea Trek" excursion. I highly recommend that one. But I don't think it would be good for kids. It is a bit creepy going down the ladder from the boat. You have to pinch your nose and blown to decompress a few times as you go down. And it is pretty dark that far down in the ocean. Even a couple of men chickened out and started to go down but didn't make it. But the fish were the most spectacular I have ever seen and they eat right out of your hands. I think this time we will hit Stingray City.

In Cozumel we did the DCL Jeep Excursion. We weren't too thrilled. It consisted of driving mostly on the main highway with three stops. Two of the stops were really just ploys to try to get you to buy things. The lunch break on the beach wasn't too bad. But I could have paid a lot less for lunch on the beach.

Do you think we'll be in Costa Maya long enough to do a beach day?

Since we won't even be getting off the ship until nearly 1 p.m. and we have to be back onboard by 5:30, that doesn't seem like much time to really enjoy the beach. Especially when you consider traveling to and from the beach. Any idea how long that takes?

When we did a western cruise back in April, we did a beach day at Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and it was perfect. We spent a good 5-6 hours there at the beach. It was just about right and we'll probably go there again on this cruise. I just worry that with less than 5 hours to spend off the ship, it will be too rushed to do much in the way of excursions.

 

[eva]

Do you think we'll be in Costa Maya long enough to do a beach day?

Since we won't even be getting off the ship until nearly 1 p.m. and we have to be back onboard by 5:30, that doesn't seem like much time to really enjoy the beach. Especially when you consider traveling to and from the beach. Any idea how long that takes?

When we did a western cruise back in April, we did a beach day at Nachi Cocum in Cozumel and it was perfect. We spent a good 5-6 hours there at the beach. It was just about right and we'll probably go there again on this cruise. I just worry that with less than 5 hours to spend off the ship, it will be too rushed to do much in the way of excursions.

I am not really sure how time will work for the beach at Costa Maya. But I know that 4 or 5 hours of sun is usually more than enough for us. The major problem I see is that we have earlier dinner seating. So getting to dinner by 5:45 or 6:00 maybe be the biggest problem. Although, we could book Palo or Remy that night a bit later at 7:30 or so. Cozumel has a lot more excursion opportunities than Costa Maya. So I think we will probably stick to the beach in Costa Maya and do something different in Cozumel. The speedboat excursion looks interesting. We may give that one a try.

 

[AquaDame]

In all the other ports, the ship just pulls up to a dock and you just walk right off. In Grand Caymen, there are no docks for cruise ships, there are just little tender boats that come up while the chip anchors and ferries people back and forth to the island.

I believe the asterisk is because the last tender boat boards something like a half hour before the time to be back on the ship.

Ah, I get it, thank you!

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

Ok so I think I have the website updated now. Will go thru our thread this weekend(I am off work) and make sure I didn't miss anyone. Sorry Shanna!! So far it's just u and I on the FE list. I think there are a couple more but I will have to go back thru and fix it. Work has been crazy but I will take it cause I have almost 800 saved for my trip to WDW in Sept. I have to save for Syd's braces too. She enters Phase 2 in October so braces back on AGAIN probably just in time for Thanksgiving!! Lucky girl Now to save 1500....this time ins will cover a portion...at least I HOPE!!!! So that $6000 smile will cost me $4500 and hopefully no more Well off to take the girls to gymnastics and competition dance practice, then off to get my hair cut and all by myself!!!

 

[MisterOJ]

I am not really sure how time will work for the beach at Costa Maya. But I know that 4 or 5 hours of sun is usually more than enough for us. The major problem I see is that we have earlier dinner seating. So getting to dinner by 5:45 or 6:00 maybe be the biggest problem. Although, we could book Palo or Remy that night a bit later at 7:30 or so. Cozumel has a lot more excursion opportunities than Costa Maya. So I think we will probably stick to the beach in Costa Maya and do something different in Cozumel. The speedboat excursion looks interesting. We may give that one a try.

We have first seating for dinner too and I wasn't even taking that into consideration. Glad you brought that up... since it's something else to think about.

Unless I see something that just really jumps out to me, we probably won't do much at Costa Maya. Maybe get off and look at some shops and then get back on.

Considering transportation to and from a beach and then getting back to the ship, that would be probably less than 4 hours of beach time. Just doesn't seem long enough to be worth it to me.

 

[AquaDame]

Thats a really good point... we technically have until 5:30PM to be at the ship on two days so we'd have to come back early twice (well, once - we are hoping for Palo one night too). this is our first 7 night cruise though so I'm not sure if the concern about 'missing' something at dinner is there. I know there is a character breakfast but are there any other 'must dos' during dinner other than the pirate night?

 

[MisterOJ]

Thats a really good point... we technically have until 5:30PM to be at the ship on two days so we'd have to come back early twice (well, once - we are hoping for Palo one night too). this is our first 7 night cruise though so I'm not sure if the concern about 'missing' something at dinner is there. I know there is a character breakfast but are there any other 'must dos' during dinner other than the pirate night?

Any other 'Must Dos' sorta depends on what you're into. For me, Pirate Night isn't one of them. I'll do it for the girls, but after seeing it once, that was enough. In fact, on our last cruise Emily was way tired after a long day in Cozumel, so I took her back to the cabin and we both went to bed before Pirate Night even started.

A lot of the cool things they do on the 7-night cruises are for kids - like Tea With Alice (and the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts) and the Mickey 200, where you construct a race car from veggies and then race them.

Some of the cool stuff for adults that I enjoyed was the beer, wine and tequila tastings. They offer different ones from cruise to cruise and the offerings on the Fantasy will probably differ from the Magic. They had a few others that I wanted to try but never got around to it. If you're into food, they do a really cool cooking class where they show you how they prepare some of the dishes on board. I thought that was neat and they also gave you some free wine and let you try what they were cooking. They even give you a recipe card at the end so you can do it at home if you like.

Most of the stuff like this happens on the sea days. There is so much planned stuff to do, you'll never be bored. I am getting excited just remembering all the cool things.

 

[eva]

Thats a really good point... we technically have until 5:30PM to be at the ship on two days so we'd have to come back early twice (well, once - we are hoping for Palo one night too). this is our first 7 night cruise though so I'm not sure if the concern about 'missing' something at dinner is there. I know there is a character breakfast but are there any other 'must dos' during dinner other than the pirate night?

Well to be honest, we rarely stay off the ship all day anyway. We normally hit an excursion and then walk around for an hour or so and then get back on the ship. So the only time I see a problem with this is at Costa Maya. And the reason for that is the 12:45pm arrival time. That doens't leave a lot of time for an excursion or an afternoon on the beach. But I've read such good things about the beaches there that I am sure that we will probably hit one for the afternoon there. It just means we will have to try to get Palo or Remy for that night.

As to "not to be missed" dinners on the Fantasy, I think it will be tough to say until we start seeing some Navigators and hearing what others are experiencing. Pirate night is not a biggie for us. I'm not a huge fan of the food on that night on the Magic or Wonder. And missing dinner doesn't mean you will miss the show. I think that is the big draw, the show and dessert buffet. I usually try to make it to the main dining room on the night they serve lobster. But even the lobster is a bit hit or miss. Some cruises it has been excellent, other ones just ok. Can't wait to start seeing those Navigators and menus.

 

[MisterOJ]

Oh man, I totally misread your question.

If you've never been on a DCL trip before, the dinners are pretty neat. But after the first time through the rotation or restaurants, they are nothing special.

I agree with Eva, the Pirate night menus in the past were not that great. the only other difference with dinner that night is the servers were pirate gear and they try and sell smoothies in these light-up cups to the kids. We caved and bought them on both our cruises.

And Eva is also right about the lobster. On our last cruise, the lobster was downright bad - tough and flavorless, like it had been cooked hours earlier and sat around under a heat lamp until they brought it out to us. We had second dinner seating, so I really suspect this is something close to the truth. Luckily, that was the night I ordered two entrees because I couldn't decide. The tuna they brought out was pretty tasty.

 

[AquaDame]

That's good to know! I am not much of a lobster person anyway... I prefer shrimp to it since restaurants tend to be boring with lobster - slab it on a plate with butter and charge a huge fee... We "did" pirate night this last time but dinner took too long that night ( well, every night really ) and we missed half of the first show so I *might* do it again or just skip dinner that night and eat in the buffet or something so I don't miss it again!

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

I personally think it's a hit or miss. Last Disney cruise my DH had FIVE lobster tails. They were excellent everytime we have been on the Magic. We personally love going to the dining room. I mean I am not paying for this cruise to go buffet at nt. I don't personally care for buffets really. I like going to the dining room for breakfast too. The only reason I liked Topsiders is I would get an omlet and sit outside and watch us sail away! We like Pirate night--DD's love going around the dining room in the dark with their flashing light Mickey necklaces and doing the Limbo. Plus they love dressing up! We have made friends with our servers and keep in contact on facebook and would love either of ours from our 3 previous cruises to be our servers again. Plus we dress up for formal, semi formal and pirate nights and the other nights we dress up(well we seem that way according to how some dress)

I would say Tea with Alice (or Wendy--we had her once)is a must. Even though my girls have aged(12& 8 at cruise time) they still love doing this as it is our tradition to do together!! Other then that we don't have must do's...it's all about our time uninterrupted together with no phones, no schedule just relaxation!! I do however wanna swim with the dolphins if we can afford it!

 

[eva]

I personally think it's a hit or miss. Last Disney cruise my DH had FIVE lobster tails. They were excellent everytime we have been on the Magic. We personally love going to the dining room. I mean I am not paying for this cruise to go buffet at nt. I don't personally care for buffets really. I like going to the dining room for breakfast too. The only reason I liked Topsiders is I would get an omlet and sit outside and watch us sail away! We like Pirate night--DD's love going around the dining room in the dark with their flashing light Mickey necklaces and doing the Limbo. Plus they love dressing up! We have made friends with our servers and keep in contact on facebook and would love either of ours from our 3 previous cruises to be our servers again. Plus we dress up for formal, semi formal and pirate nights and the other nights we dress up(well we seem that way according to how some dress)

I would say Tea with Alice (or Wendy--we had her once)is a must. Even though my girls have aged(12& 8 at cruise time) they still love doing this as it is our tradition to do together!! Other then that we don't have must do's...it's all about our time uninterrupted together with no phones, no schedule just relaxation!! I do however wanna swim with the dolphins if we can afford it!

We really enjoy going to the diningroom each night too. But Cabanas will not have buffets for dinner. They will have a sitdown experience with limited meals from all the diningrooms each night. They do this so that people who can not make their assigned time or who want something a bit more relax can still have a nice sitdown dinner. We enjoy making freinds with our severs too. But Cabanas can be a good option when you are running late at port.

 

[ForTheLoveOfDCL]

We really enjoy going to the diningroom each night too. But Cabanas will not have buffets for dinner. They will have a sitdown experience with limited meals from all the diningrooms each night. They do this so that people who can not make their assigned time or who want something a bit more relax can still have a nice sitdown dinner. We enjoy making freinds with our severs too. But Cabanas can be a good option when you are running late at port.

Ohh I didn't know that. from the pics I saw it looks like the Dream has a bunch of different locations...kinda like quick service meals. I am assuming since the Fantasy is its sister ship it would be the same It would be an option if we didn't make our dining for some reason but I doubt that will happen...we love dressing for dinner!!!

Today I started packing for our WDW trip in 63 days. I am soo excited...just trying to get the luggage together so I can see what I have...I buy most outfits new so I wanna see if I need anything before the summer stuff is gone completely and Fall is only what is in the stores. Plus I will see what they might have I just have to have for the Fantasy trip!!

 

[eva]

Ohh I didn't know that. from the pics I saw it looks like the Dream has a bunch of different locations...kinda like quick service meals. I am assuming since the Fantasy is its sister ship it would be the same It would be an option if we didn't make our dining for some reason but I doubt that will happen...we love dressing for dinner!!!

Today I started packing for our WDW trip in 63 days. I am soo excited...just trying to get the luggage together so I can see what I have...I buy most outfits new so I wanna see if I need anything before the summer stuff is gone completely and Fall is only what is in the stores. Plus I will see what they might have I just have to have for the Fantasy trip!!

Cabanas on the Dream is like that at breakfast and lunch. But for dinner it turns into a sitdown restaurant. I assume it will be the same for the Fantasy.

I'm jealous! I wish I was going to WDW too. I'm still trying to figure out how I am going to add a few days there along with the cruise next year. Have a great time!