Mandymouse's Fantasy Back2Back ~ Part 2

[mandymouse]

...

It was getting very warm now, so we stopped at the Hard Rock Cafe for a Hurricane each and to buy some t-shirts, then we went to find an Indian restaurant (Shiv Shakti) that Sam from India had recommended to us. The restaurant itself was nothing to write home about, but the food was lovely. We had onion bahjis and samosas to start, then both had chicken tikka masala with a naan bread, it was all very nice and only came to $42 with some drinks

We had a wander around some shops, then caught the water taxi back to the ship where we chilled in our stateroom for a couple of hours

Later we watched from top deck as the Fantasy left St. Maarten, then we got ready for dinner. Tonight was Pirate Night, so we put on pirate tops and went to see Julian & Andrae in the Bon Voyage lounge where we met a couple of Brits on their first Disney Cruise, I had to smile, you know they'll love it and get sucked in lol

Anyway dinner tonight was in the Royal Court. We ordered a Sunken Treasure cocktail, then to start I had the jerk chicken salad and Paul had pot stickers. For our mains we both had steak and to finish off we both had the fruit cobbler (which we had last week and loved). Again we had a lovely meal and Emmanuel and Stacey were wonderful

After dinner we had a cocktail from our passport at the Skyline Lounge, then went up to deck 12 to watch the Pirate Night Fireworks, then it was time to par-tay as the disco started, it was lots of fun, and I was so happy to feel a lot better than last week

What a great day !!

Tomorrow ~ St. Thomas

 

[ukintheus]

I know that Paul was happy to get to see that KLM flight and get some photos. Is the fence holding still a thing of the past? Glad that you got to enjoy pirate night this time around, it looks like you were having fun!

ETA: I forgot to comment on the next B2B all booked already!!!!

 

[mandymouse]

I know that Paul was happy to get to see that KLM flight and get some photos. Is the fence holding still a thing of the past? Glad that you got to enjoy pirate night this time around, it looks like you were having fun!

ETA: I forgot to comment on the next B2B all booked already!!!!

It was so busy at the beach, that I doubt there was much room for fence holding, though I'm sure there's the odd half wit who has a go

Yes all booked for the same weeks next year Jen, can't wait !!

 

[mandymouse]

Wednesday 24th September

My good intentions of getting up early and doing some laundry went out of window as I slept badly. We got up around 8am, showered and got ready, and we disembarked onto St. Thomas

Our plan for this morning was to go up the Skyride (cable car) to Paradise Point where we could look over at the ships docked and I could have one of their Bailey's Bushwacker cocktails. It was $21 each and the cable cars arrived straight away. As we ascended the hill, it began to pour down. Thankfully as we reached the top, a rainbow appeared and the rain virtually stopped

We took lots of pics, then by 9.40am (yes you read right lol), I had a Bushwacker, well why not ? we'll be fricking home next week . So Paul had a Heineken and I had my cocktail. We made good use of the free wifi and I caught up with my trip report and messaged my girls who would be making their first stop in Kauai in Hawaii today, and then I tried a Key Lime Pie cocktail. We spent a relaxing couple of hours up there, then took the cable car back down the mountain

We had a look around the shops at the port, then got back onboard to drop our stuff off back at the room

...

 

[mandymouse]

...

A short while later we disembarked again for some lunch at Señor Frogs. We had a fancy 'Froggy' cocktail in a palm tree glass and enjoyed fish and chips which were served in a Croc of all things lol. As usual Señor Frogs was fun, noisy and the food was OK too

After lunch we wandered around the shop attached to the restaurant, then had a nice walk near the port. It was a really hot, sticky day, so we didn't last long in the heat. As we got back to the ship, an excursion must've just arrived back so there was a long line to get back onboard, so we had a look in a few shops to pass some time and Paul bought me a cute silver palm tree necklace

We had a look to see if the line had gone, which thankfully it had, so we got back onboard and chilled in our room while watching National Treasure 2

We checked our magical porthole, and it was pouring down, but thankfully it cleared an hour or so later, so we found some loungers for an hour then we watched the sun set

Dinner tonight was in Animator's Palate, and it was the animation show. We had a drink at Bon Voyage, where the bartenders were in fine spirits and dancing to 'Happy', we then headed to our restaurant

We did our pictures then our food was served. We both had the sampler starter, then I had the vegetable lasagne and Paul had steak. To finish off I had the sweet temptations and Paul had strawberry shortcake

We had a lovely evening chatting with our tablemates, then went to The Tube as the 'Halloween isn't just for kids' party was about to start. That was lots of fun, and I was pleased that Howard Wolowitz and Bernadette won one of the categories lol

After the party the DJ started a 80's/90's night and we boogied till about 1.30am

What a great day !!

Tomorrow ~ Day at Sea

 

[Chilly]

You are having too much fun and i'm very jealous sat at work bored stiff.

 

[mandymouse]

You are having too much fun and i'm very jealous sat at work bored stiff.

I'm jealous too Claire, I wish I was there right now lol

 

[mandymouse]

Thursday 25th September

Ok, this week's going far too fast, how can it be Thursday already? Sadly it was also our last day at sea. We didn't get up till gone 9am. Paul went off to Cabanas to get some juice and a croissant, and I went to see Andrae and Ari for my skinny latte

We found some loungers on deck 13 and it was lovely and sunny with a nice breeze

We lasted a couple of hours then around 12 returned to our room to freshen up, then went to Cabanas for some lunch, Mmm the veggie curry and cookies & cream ice cream were particularly nice

After lunch we wandered down to the shops, then watched from above the Atrium where people were getting ready for photos with the characters in their Halloween costumes. We then spent a lazy couple of hours just watching the sea passby from the comfy loungers on deck 4

After a chillaxed couple of hours on the loungers where I'm sure we also had a nap (lol, sea days are so exhausting) we wandered up to the Cove Bar for a cider for me and a Stella for Paul

We returned to our room where we got ready for dinner in Palo at 7pm

We arrived at the Palo/Remy podium early so had a drink in the Meridian Lounge. Damian was serving and we got chatting as he had hosted our Mixology class last year, and I asked him about the lovely range on Whiskies and Cognacs that were displayed, one of which cost per ounce the cost of our first weeks cruise. I'd love to say that if I won the lottery I would buy one, but I like neither lol

Anyway Paul had a delish Cosmo made by Damian and I had a glass of Rosa Regale. We were taken into Palo and seated, then Marco came over. We had some iced water with lemon, then he brought over the anti-pasti trolley and we chose some meats and cheese and we were given some breads (the pizza bread was delicious, though I may have said that last week too)

Next we both had the ravioli for our starters

Then the palate cleanser (I could eat a bowl of this lol)

And for our mains I had the chicken and Paul had the sea bass (as we had both had the Palo Tenderloin the previous week) which were lovely

For desserts we both had the panna cotta, but Marco also brought out an item from the wine pairing menu, a divine chocolate gelato with chocolate sauce and covered in hazelnuts. It was so good, and I was most disappointed to have to share it with Paul, even though I couldn't physically anything else

Then a funny thing happened. We sat chatting about previous servers and Paul remembered Olivera from last year, then Marco came over and mentioned that Olivera would probably be back next September. We assumed that there may have been a record of our previous servers but for the next 10 minutes we joked that there were microphones at the table and they were listening in. I was in fits laughing as we spoke to each other at the corner of our mouths in a Whoopie Goldberg style (you'll only get that if you remember her Jumping Jack Flash movie from the 80's), it gave us the giggles though

We finished off with the vodka based drink and thanked Marco for his wonderful service

We rolled ourselves down to the Skyline Lounge to see Lindsay and enjoyed a Paris 75 each, then Paul had another one and I had a Londinium

We had one last drink at the Bon Voyage Bar where Julien knew when we asked for a 'nightcap', it was a Captain Mai Tai we wanted

Tomorrow ~ Our last full day & Castaway Cay

 

[Chilly]

The pains had gone given the one or two cocktails you had today

 

[ukintheus]

This TR is going by way too fast!!! Last day coming up already!!!??? Your dinner at Palo looked lovely. I asked our table mates from this past cruise if they were served from the buffet type offerings instead of serve yourself, and they were. Looks its the new policy.

 

[mandymouse]

Friday 26th September

We watched our approach onto Castaway Cay from the bridge view on our TV, and as we got closer we got changed for our day at the beach. We went up to deck 13 as they were attaching the ropes to the island

We went to get some breakfast, then I grabbed my skinny latte from the Cove Cafe, we wandered the top decks and Ray our Cruise Director announced that we were able to disembark

We wandered down to the family beach, then took the tram to Serenity Bay. Once again it was busy, but this week the tide was a lot further in, and the sand bar people swam to and sat on last week was covered

Although it was a little cooler this week, it must've been more humid or the sun was more intense as we spent a lot more time in the water

We had a Konk Kooler and some water from the passing barman, then chilled for a couple of hours

The heat was getting quite uncomfortable so we decided to get some lunch at the Serenity Bay BBQ. The line was really long so we grabbed a drink at the Castaway Air Bar. The line was still quite long when we finished, so we hopped on the tram to the family beach and had some burgers at Cookies Two, which were very nice

We were starting to flag, so after having a quick mooch around the two shops we caught the tram back to the ship

After chilling in the air conditioning and having a shower, we went to see Sam at the Cove Bar. Not much later the ship pulled away from Castaway Cay. We watched sadly knowing the cruise was nearly over, but at least knowing we'd be back onboard in 50 weeks time !!!

Tonight our final dinner was in the Royal Court. Once again dinner was lovely with the highlight being the Beef Wellington. Emmanuel was on good form again, he's so funny, and we will be requesting him next year. We said goodbye to our servers and table mates, and popped to see our favourite bar staff to thank them and leave an extra tip. We then had an early night as it was going to be a mad early start in the morning

Tomorrow ~ Being physically removed from the ship kicking and screaming

 

[ukintheus]

Hmmm...question for you. Do you keep the same DCL cocktail glass and use it all week or is that a different one? Any benefit for reusing?

CC looks lovely as always. So hard to believe that the two weeks are gone already and you get kicked off tomorrow!

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am all caught up again. Looks like you had a lovely second part of your back to back cruise and I am glad that you have another booked for next year. I loved the photo of Maho beach. When we were there in 2010, we did not get as much time there as I would have liked and only saw some of the smaller planes. It was still impressive being able to swim right underneath the planes.

Corinna

 

[mandymouse]

Hmmm...question for you. Do you keep the same DCL cocktail glass and use it all week or is that a different one? Any benefit for reusing?

CC looks lovely as always. So hard to believe that the two weeks are gone already and you get kicked off tomorrow!

We were given a fresh glass each time Jenny, though I wish they would give you a token like the beer refills to save you carrying around The first drink is more expensive (as you pay extra for the glass), but then I think you just get charged for a regular sized cocktail after that

I am all caught up again. Looks like you had a lovely second part of your back to back cruise and I am glad that you have another booked for next year. I loved the photo of Maho beach. When we were there in 2010, we did not get as much time there as I would have liked and only saw some of the smaller planes. It was still impressive being able to swim right underneath the planes.

Corinna

Thanks for reading along Corinna

 

[mandymouse]

Saturday 27th September

I woke around 6am, it was the day I was dreading, leaving the Disney Fantasy. I quickly showered, then we finished packing our last few things

We were doing Express Walk Off, which meant we didn't need to leave our bags outside our room the night before and we could take them off ourselves around 7.30am once the ship had been cleared by customs

We left our room at 6.50am and two organised lines had already been started by those wanting to leave early

The doors opened around 7.10am, and we were quickly through immigration, and in a taxi by 7.25am. We could've waited for the free Enterprise shuttle to take us to our car hire, but we wanted to get to the Pop Century as early as we could. The taxi was $15 and 15 minutes later we arrived at Enterprise. It was quiet there so in no time we were in our way to WDW

We arrived at the Pop Century around 8.50am. We knew our room wouldn't be ready, we just wanted our wrist bands. We then left the car there and caught the bus to DHS. It was very busy there, this whole Frozen thing was so popular. The only time I've seen it busier was Star Wars Weekends and Christmas

Anyway we had a few FP+ made, and our first stop was RockNRollerCoaster. There was no wait and before we knew it we were 'walking this way' ... love this ride

Our next FP+ was for Terror of Terror. The standby line was 70 minutes and hardly moved. Even our line was 10 minutes. Once through the library you found out the reason for the lines, they only had one side working

We wandered through the shops and everyone was holding these Olaf pics on a stick, but I couldn't see where to get them

We had a little time till our next ride, so stopped for a coffee and cake at the Writer's Stop

The Frozen parade had just finished, and there was a huge line for Star Tours, so we went for a wander

I got myself an Olaf tattoo (lol), then when we returned to Star Tours it was a lot quieter. Again we really enjoyed this ride and I always laugh when the Wookie is holding onto the front of the screen

When we came out it was raining. It looked like it had really come down when we were on the ride, but it wasn't too bad when we came out

We wandered around to Pixar Place, and checked out the shops on our way out. At the entrance someone was giving out the Olaf pics, so I grabbed one (how did I miss this on the way in lol)

As we walked over to our bus stop the Pop Century bus pulled out, so we decided to hop on the Art of Animation bus and have a wander around the Cars area then walk back over the bridge to the Pop Century

We popped back to the check-in desk to find out our room number, then we dropped our luggage off

As it looked like it could rain that afternoon we drove up to the Mall at Millenia for a bite to eat in the food court and a mooch around the shops

... Cont'd

 

[mandymouse]

...

Once back at the Pop Century we got changed and caught the bus to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. I love this park, and even though we weren't there for any rides, I just like the atmosphere

It started to rain so we looked around Mouse Gear then headed for World Showcase. We put $50 on a wrist band (which obviously needed topping up later in the evening ) and I had a glass of champers at the Desserts & Champagne Stand

As you can see we had a few lovely drinkies as we wandered around the world

We were shattered tonight, and Paul was looking forward to taking some photos of IllumiNations, but while chilling in Italy it was announced that the fireworks would be on at 10pm. At any other time we would've been thrilled about this, but we were so tired, but hey ho, it's the last night, so better make the most of it

We had a dinner reservation at Teppan Edo at 7pm. We checked in, were given a beeper that went off moments later, then we were shown to our table

The chef was lots of fun, throwing food around and doing the usual onion volcano, it was a fun and delicious meal

After dinner we walked off our meal by doing some shopping back at Mouse Gear, then grabbing a drink here and there as we walked back to Japan for the fireworks

When IllumiNations had finished we decided to walk back to the BoardWalk and get a taxi back to the Pop, it was the best $7 (before tip) we had spent

We had one last drink at Petals Pool Bar, then it was off to bed

Tomorrow ~ Last day in WDW

 

[dolphingirl47]

That was a very busy day. I am not surprised you were tired between the early start, all the drinks and everything you managed to pack in. I love the Olaf tattoo. I am glad that you managed to see the fireworks and I love the fireworks photos.

Corinna

 

[ukintheus]

I don't know how you stayed up for Illuminations Mandy! Looks like another lovely day at WDW but those days when you have just got off the ship are a killer.

 

[Chilly]

You should get a real Olaf Tattoo

 

[mandymouse]

That was a very busy day. I am not surprised you were tired between the early start, all the drinks and everything you managed to pack in. I love the Olaf tattoo. I am glad that you managed to see the fireworks and I love the fireworks photos.

Corinna

I don't know how you stayed up for Illuminations Mandy! Looks like another lovely day at WDW but those days when you have just got off the ship are a killer.

You should get a real Olaf Tattoo

Thanks for reading along girls, I can't believe how long it has taken me to finish this, but my final installment is coming up (about time lol)

Lol Claire, I would love an Olaf tattoo, but I'm too much of a wuss