My 2nd tale... Fantasy Rd 2, TR Rd 2: NO sea sickness! [Apr '16-East Car.] (Upd Apr19: COMPLETED)

[jesterrific]

Continuing on from the first half of part 3:

And here are the natural “baths”!!! LOOK HOW GORGEOUSLY CLEAR THE WATER IS!!

Minus me in the photo, this is basically a postcard!

Here is dad’s photo

THIS IS JUST SOOOO COOL!!! BIG ROCKS!!! SUPER SOFT SAND!!!! CLEAR CLEAR CLEAR WATER!!!! WARM WEATHER!!! Seriously… I think I found heaven!

Here is a cute photo where you can just see mom in her sun hat, where she’s trying to take her post card photos haha

Mom and dad together in the water:

Watching the water come in this small area:

And then the beach area

The only complaint I would have is that…. the baths and beach area in actuality is not that large. In fact it’s pretty small. Plus this is a HUGE tourist attraction so all the cruise ships and vacationers are here haha.

Plus we were one of the earlier groups too. Imagine coming here on a vacation when you didn’t realize cruise ships were coming in and then suddenly a huge group of people came! (I think DCL was the only ship docked in Tortola this day though, so for us it wasn’t too too bad.)

Here is a goober photo of Glendon haha.

Anyways, Michelle and I definitely jumped into the water to swim around. Water was warm, so it was no problem for us to get comfortable in the ocean.

I do have to say though, the beach area itself is pretty small, AND the water gets to be drop-off deep pretty fast. If you are staying closer to the rocks then it’s not too bad, but otherwise if you start to venture out a bit the ocean floor definitely drops off. For Michelle and I it wasn’t too big of a deal, we both like ocean swimming. Mom, dad, and Glendon all stayed closer to the beach. Dipped their feet in.

Here are Michelle and I swimming. Don’t be fooled by our arms in the air… our feet are most definitely not touching ground!

We only swam for a little bit, because Michelle accidentally kicked a rock, and it ate a bit of her foot. Plus we definitely wanted to do the walk through the caves to go to Devil’s Bay!!

Haha.. here we go!

And here is the entrance to the caves!

Up next…

Walking through the caves to Devil’s Bay!!!

 

[franandaj]

Wow thanks for sharing this! We definitely can not do this excursion, it is not at all Handicapped Friendly. I'm thinking we will book a private tour. Thanks for sharing such detail on the walk down to the beach!

 

[jesterrific]

Wow thanks for sharing this! We definitely can not do this excursion, it is not at all Handicapped Friendly. I'm thinking we will book a private tour. Thanks for sharing such detail on the walk down to the beach!

I actually didn't remember it being that bad until I looked back on the photos!! Sorry this wouldn't work out for you guys, but I'm sure there are a TON of other really great tours. Will you be doing a TR? I'd love to see hehe

 

[lorimay]

I have been looking at this excursion for us for our April cruise, thanks so much for posting. This is now a must do for us!!!!

Your pictures are great.

 

[jesterrific]

Cruise Day 4 [part 4]: TORTOLA: Walk through the caves to Devil’s Bay!​

The caves! There is quite a bit of climbing and dipping and squeezing through rocks. The caves is basically a pathway through rocks and cave baths. This means you are mostly walking in pools of water that can go up to about knee deep (well, for children and shorter people like me), as well as on rocks and sometimes slippery rocks. I have some photos to show the climbing and sorts. But mom and dad were okay, so if you are careful it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Only problem was that tours were dropped off on the other side, so the caves tour was actually VERY crowded at some points. But even still, this was a LOT of fun.

(My photos are still kind of jumbled so I’m going to try to keep them in as good an order as I can!!)

Entering the caves!

This is a shot of some of the gorgeously neat rock formation inside of the caves:

I just find it all so cool! All naturally occurring

Family photo

Dad and mom!

Just before entering into the cathedral room.

And THIS is the famous Cathedral Room where Tyra Banks shot her sports illustrated photo. I’m guessing this was a huge selling point for this tour because THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE HERE omg. Everyone wanted to be their own Tyra Banks but you know… kind of impossible when it’s this crowded hahaha

(It looks so serene when you google the scene but it looks entirely different when there’s a huge crowd! hahaha)​

The whole area is very neat though!

Here is a cute picture of mom

And I tried but I just feel silly

And then in order for us to move on we had to climb through here!

A look back into the Cathedral Room area

Managed to sneak through all the people and caught this shot though! You can insert some beautiful modelling in here that none of us are capable of lol!

(I tried to google image search this said famous shot but I can’t find it. Closest I can find is this gritty shot)

NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE ARE NOT TYRA BANKS lol lol


And now we are off! This area is a steep and sort of slippery rock. That’s why there is a rope along the side, they want you to hold on. I think it’s specifically for this area, that when you book the excursion they recommend strapped sandals or water shoes. Just in case.

Mom caught this silly photo of us from the other side while we’re waiting for some people to pass us

After the cathedral room, we just decided to take it a little bit slower than our group just so we could get a little more space and have some nicer family photos without too many other random people in our backgrounds

A very silly photo of dad

The big rock

All the rocks above you

Mom being super cute

This weird rock

So much!

And finally.. we have reached the other side just before the beach area!

Seriously the water is so gorgeous!

Overall, the walk through the caves was a lot of fun. Despite there being quite a large crowds in spots, we still managed to have a lot of private moments. We got to explore and take silly photos. Mom loved all the big rocks, especially the weird ones that looks like humans moved them there even though it's all nature. It kind of made us all feel like kids again to climb through the rocks and jump into the water!



To come…
Swimming in Devil’s Bay and the ferry ride back to The Disney Fantasy!

 

[bcwife76]

Harrowing boat ride aside, this looks like a cool excursion! However, for our upcoming cruise I'm glad I did not book this excursion for Tortola - I can just hear my kids now complaining about all the walking/hiking - figuring they'd fall at least a few times each too lol

 

[franandaj]

I actually didn't remember it being that bad until I looked back on the photos!! Sorry this wouldn't work out for you guys, but I'm sure there are a TON of other really great tours. Will you be doing a TR? I'd love to see hehe

I will be doing a TR, that's the only thing that keeps me sane in between trips and unless some major things happen at home, we won't be going on any trips after this one until we finish our major moving project. After seeing these photos, I'm sure a private Island tour is going to be our best bet. I need to start contacting tour operators so we can do a drive up to the top of the island around to the coast and back to the ship in about 2-3 hours. That will be perfect for us.

Overall, the walk through the caves was a lot of fun. Despite there being quite a large crowds in spots, we still managed to have a lot of private moments. We got to explore and take silly photos. Mom loved all the big rocks, especially the weird ones that looks like humans moved them there even though it's all nature. It kind of made us all feel like kids again to climb through the rocks and jump into the water!

Yeah, besides the walk down to the beach, this is way more than my other half can handle in an excursion. In fact, it might be more than I could deal with! We have Remy or Palo that night and I'm pretty sure with that amount of activity I'd be asleep and skip dinner!

 

[DisneyWagz]

Great report so far! My DH and I are surprising the kids for Christmas with this same itinerary for a March trip, so it is nice to see your experience. The baths look amazing. I appreciate the information on the drop off in the water. I'm not a great swimmer, so I'll have to keep this in mind. Can't wait to read more.

 

[jesterrific]

Harrowing boat ride aside, this looks like a cool excursion! However, for our upcoming cruise I'm glad I did not book this excursion for Tortola - I can just hear my kids now complaining about all the walking/hiking - figuring they'd fall at least a few times each too lol

Hahaha that is pretty silly. How old are the little ones?

 

[jesterrific]

Great report so far! My DH and I are surprising the kids for Christmas with this same itinerary for a March trip, so it is nice to see your experience. The baths look amazing. I appreciate the information on the drop off in the water. I'm not a great swimmer, so I'll have to keep this in mind. Can't wait to read more.

What a fantastic surprise for Christmas!
Yah, I don't know if you can tell from the photos but the ocean flooring has pretty steep of a decline. If you're staying close to the beach it should be fine, that's what my mom and dad did. But if anyone is actually thinking of swimming out to the buoys where it kind of marks the edge of the swimming area... that is DEEP water!

 

[bcwife76]

@jesterrific they are 8 & 6, so not toddlers or really little but knowing my kids, I know they would not enjoy this particular excursion. For Tortola we chose a land and sea tour I believe. If we ever return when the kids are older I would absolutely consider the excursion you did though!

 

[palenskec]

I will be doing a TR, that's the only thing that keeps me sane in between trips and unless some major things happen at home, we won't be going on any trips after this one until we finish our major moving project. After seeing these photos, I'm sure a private Island tour is going to be our best bet. I need to start contacting tour operators so we can do a drive up to the top of the island around to the coast and back to the ship in about 2-3 hours. That will be perfect for us.

@franandaj when will you be doing the Eastern cruise?? We are on the March 25th. super exicted!!!

Yeah, besides the walk down to the beach, this is way more than my other half can handle in an excursion. In fact, it might be more than I could deal with! We have Remy or Palo that night and I'm pretty sure with that amount of activity I'd be asleep and skip dinner!

 

[Time4disney]

I have a couple of questions about this tour. Once you get to the first beach, do you have to continue the tour and go through the caves to Devils Bay? Or can you remain at the first beach until it's time to leave to head back to the ship?
I have this tour booked for myself and other family members. Some of my family is reluctant to take this tour because it looks difficult to get through some of the tight squeezes, but the initial walk doesn't look that bad. So I'm wondering if some of us can stay at the beach and the rest of my party can continue the walk to devils bay. Thanks!

 

[jesterrific]

I have a couple of questions about this tour. Once you get to the first beach, do you have to continue the tour and go through the caves to Devils Bay? Or can you remain at the first beach until it's time to leave to head back to the ship?
I have this tour booked for myself and other family members. Some of my family is reluctant to take this tour because it looks difficult to get through some of the tight squeezes, but the initial walk doesn't look that bad. So I'm wondering if some of us can stay at the beach and the rest of my party can continue the walk to devils bay. Thanks!

You definitely have the option to stay on the first beach! The tour guide will let both beaches know when it's time to head back to the buses to take you back to the ship

 

[jesterrific]

Cruise Day 4 [part 5]: TORTOLA: Devil’s Bay and Ferry Back to the Fantasy! And back on the Fantasy!​

WHOOOOO Devil’s Bay!!!

Here we are! The other beach.

The sun is shining, sand is soft, the water is clear…

I think this side looks more of a swimming beach than the other side. Seems a little bit more open.

You might be able to tell from this photo… Right by the beach where the water comes in and out, it’s a touch rough.

Michelle and I immediately jumped into the water to swim. Glendon sat on the sand and dipped his feet in. Mom and dad wanted to venture into the water. Dad likes to make sure mom is okay, because she isn’t a very strong swimmer. So if she starts to scream because of a wave or anything, he immediately tries to help. (Honestly I think he should leave the “helping” to me, because he’s rather clumsy and I actually took lifeguarding when I was younger. But he is dad so he thinks it’s his job. I mention this because…. well… read on. I’ll post a picture first hahaha…)

Here is a nice picture of mom and dad standing on a rock before stepping into the water

And a close up photo!

(Remember this rock)​

Mom and dad decide, for some reason, to get into the water very close to this rock. But as I mentioned above, the water right where the beach is where the waves come in is a BIT rough. So for Michelle and I, we just rode with it and swam into the ocean, because it’s fine once you’re in the water. Well for mom, she panicked a bit and got swept onto her bum. She would have been fine, because once the wave pulls back into the water, there’s time for you to get back up onto your feet. But because she shouted, she made dad panic, who then tried to pull mom back onto the beach while the water is pulling her down the beach. Of course, Michelle and I aren’t far away but we aren’t fast enough to shout at dad IT’S OKAY WE GOT HER. Because while he tried to “save” mom, he ended up falling into the water while at the same time pulling mom’s arm too hard. And in the end, a new wave came in and he got pushed right into that rock that they were just standing on. Noooooooo dad why! SO needless to say, he got a bit banged up before Glendon, Michelle and I managed to run over and pull them out of the wave to rock path.
(Mom definitely shouted at dad, “I was FINE! Now you’re hurt for trying to be a hero”) Haha. Well after that, dad stayed on the beach and mom stood in the sand where the water will just touch her feet haha.

Here I am swimming right after a wave hit me:

And here is Michelle!

After swimming, Michelle and I wandered and climbed the rocks a little bit. But it was quite slippery and we didn’t really want to take any chances (especially since her foot got pretty beat up at the last beach and dad actually smashed into that rock pretty hard…). We played it safe and knew our limits so we only climbed a little bit and then headed back to the beach to hang out with everyone else.

That yacht life!

Ocean!

Then we got the call from our guide that it was time to head out!

One last beach shot!

And we followed the signs back to the parking lot! This walk felt so much longer than the walk to the first beach. Probably because we were heading slightly uphill… and plus it was much less covered on this side!!! It honestly felt like walking through desert heat. I definitely felt miserable! (We finished our water so we got pretty thirsty hiking back)

Cacti. So much cacti!

(Sorry we didn't get too many pictures of Devil's Bay. Glendon spent a lot of his time exploring the beach and rocks areas, and Michelle and I were too busy swimming around. Mom was enjoying herself. And Michelle's GoPro died. All in all we were having too much fun and didn't think about taking more photos)
By the time we got back to the buses we were all exhausted. After the excitement of swimming and the hike, the HEAT really got to us. We were excited to hop onto the buses and for them to get going so we could get some breeze on us.


Got back to the ferry and they had water bottles for everyone, as well as some rum punch! Ahh, why not haha. A lot of people were already on the ferry by the time we got there, and most of the shaded areas were already taken, so we just split up. (Let mom and dad sit in the shaded areas.) Glendon and I climbed the stairs to the second level and sat under my wet towel. Yes, I definitely put my wet towel over our heads so we could be cooled off and be away from the sun. Glendon didn’t want to sit under it with me.

And we are OFF!

Mom noticed these huts and loved them

On the ocean again! (The ride back was not as bad as the ride there. Or maybe it was just as bad but I couldn’t remember because I fell asleep under my towel)

Aaaaand…. There she is! Just spotted the Fantasy!

The lone ship at port!

And here we are once again, next to the Fantasy!

(I honesty don’t think I can ever get tired of taking photos of the Fantasy! What a beautiful ship)


A couple of photos while we waited to get off the ferry

Mom and dad with the ship

And we are back! Walking back (we are eager for lunch)

As we were walking back, the next group for the afternoon tour for the baths were just leaving! (When we had just gotten back to the buses while we were still on the island, another DCL group had just arrived. I think this one must have been the tour that was called “The Baths” that included the lunch.) Looks like everything was timed perfectly for the ferry and buses for a staggering of the tours. It made perfect sense to me haha.


As soon as we got onto the ship, we decided to head straight to Cabanas before changing so we don’t miss out on lunch time. We just made it! And while we sat inside to eat, the weather decided to change and it started to rain a bit! We got so lucky that we decided to book the morning tour and missed the rain entirely!

You can just see the rain coming on (and reflection of dad eating)

And here is dad eating haha

My small lunch

Just kidding, I got myself a burger and fries from Flo’s too.

And after we finished lunch mom decided she really wanted to ride the AquaDuck again! So Michelle and I accompanied her (Dad stood on deck to help us take photos and Glendon went back to the stateroom to wash up and get changed) There was no line up so we got to go on right away!

Then dad headed back to the room to get washed up and changed. Mom, Michelle, and I decided to take advantage of the empty ship and we went and sat in the hot tub for a few minutes before realizing we were all tired. We washed off as much sand out of our butts as possible in the showers on deck in the adult only area, then finished cleaning up in our stateroom.



To come…
Pulling out of port! Palo dinner! Pirate night!!! Fireworks!!!

[Update Jan6... Just found these three photos so I'm adding them!!!]

​

 

[bcwife76]

Ouch, your poor dad! Luckily it wasn't worse.

That beach looks amazing! Glad you missed the rain too. Sometimes it's all about timing ;-)

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Loved the update the baths looked amazing.

 

[jesterrific]

Ouch, your poor dad! Luckily it wasn't worse.

That beach looks amazing! Glad you missed the rain too. Sometimes it's all about timing ;-)

Yeah, he got a little bruised up but other than that he was okay!

 

[jesterrific]

Cruise Day 4 [part 6]: PORT TORTOLA - Empty Ship, Pulling out of Port, Palo Dinner!​

Definitely time to head back to our room… can't believe how dark the sky got with the sun covered!

When everyone got all cleaned up out of our port adventure wear, we all discovered that we possibly had too much fun and excitement. Mom, dad, and Michelle all passed out sharing the bed (I have no idea how they were comfortable on the bed! That’s three grown adults on a queen bed haha. But I guess if you don’t move around too much that’s enough room when you are exhausted.) Glendon passed out on the couch. I was the last one to get cleaned up… so by the time I was showered and changed, everyone had already claimed a spot! Since it was day, the murphy bed and the pull down bunk were put away haha.

I sat out on the verandah for some me time. Aka… Time for some reading and Hard Cherry Cola (we brought these onboard)

I do enjoy a nice view when I am relaxing

But… with our room being port side and the direction of the port… I was getting absolute no sun. It SEEMED to have stopped raining. At least, it was starting to get bright again. But I wasn’t warm out on the verandah, and everyone else had claimed all the blankets inside the room. SO I decided, it was time to head back up onto deck!

Bringing with me, some sunnies, my kindle for reading pleasure, and corn pops.

Hmm it seems as though the sun is still coming and going.

But hey, if the sun decides to shine even if just in spurts, I will sit in it! Plus the deck is so much quieter since we are at port! (Yes I also picked up two bags of chips while on my way hehe)

Yaaaaay and Peter Pan has started on Funnel Vision

Peter Pan! (We actually got so lucky during our port adventure! The sun keeps disappearing!) I moved closer to the screen so it was easier to watch while lying down

It was actually pretty chilly, so when I got up to move closer to the screen, I decided to grab some towels so I could use them as a blanket... Aaaaaaand after only a few minutes, I fell asleep. But after sleeping for a bit I felt a little bit silly sleeping on deck under towels… especially since it was starting to pick up with families returning back onto the ship haha. Time to head back to the room to see what everyone wanted to do! (Mom really wanted to watch Zootopia but we all slept through the start time)


When I get back, the Fantasy is just about ready to start leaving! All of us decided to hop out onto the verandah and watch!

Then Glendon decides to sports-tape his phone to the window to record a time lapse of us pulling out of port

Slow video

And basically.. we are OFF!

A lonely island

Finally we decided we were done watching… (we missed sunset as it was on the other side of the ship!!! We totally wished we had a room on the other side can you imagine our view??) SO it was time to get ready for dinner! Glendon, Michelle, and I had tonight booked for Palo dinner. Mom and dad didn’t really feel like doing an up-charge for dinner (they are very very happy with just the regular dining options) so the three of us decided that they can enjoy a nice dinner just the two of them. Michelle had thought about letting Glendon and I have a nice dinner together, but in the end we convinced her she HAD to try Palo. SO mom and dad headed down to Royal Court for their dinner while we headed up to Palo!

Here we are.

Menu! (Sorry, it's kind of blurry)

(Sorry I’m going to do my best to remember what all the food was but off the top of my head I can’t remember. Plus it’s extra hard to remember because I never remember when something is named in Italian)

Cured meats. mmmmmm. (I would probably pay the up-charge every time just to sit and eat all of this... over and over)

Breads

I do believe this is the Ciuppin Soup (mussels, shrimp, calamari, red mullet, and monkfish poached in a garlic basil, white wine tomato broth)

(I remember that this time around compared to first time visiting Palo, there were a lot fewer options for a dairy-allergy girl like me. I also wasn’t sure if our server didn’t understand… because all night she kept saying “lactose intolerance” and I had to keep repeating no no not just lactose… dairy in general… this includes butter and whey… So I played it as safe as possible and chose things that were clearly dairy free… Which meant I couldn’t order any of the pastas!!! She basically said no to all of those =( )

Palette cleanser!

This was Michelle’s entree. I think it’s the Pappardelle con Aragosta (pappardelle pasta tossed in lobster tarragon sauce with leeks, white truffle oil, and grilled lobster)

Glendon had the Pennette Pasta (tossed in a spiced san marzario basil sauce, topped with garlic shrimp.

Glendon and Michelle also shared the grilled tenderloin

Aaaaand I had the Piquant Dover Sole - fileted table side. (in 100% honestly, if I could have ANYTHING off the menu, this would not have fallen onto my top 5 at all. I’m not a HUGE fan of ordering cooked fish. This goes the same for ordering any chicken dishes… but I would rather have fish than chicken. I’m weird.)

Everything was super super yummy. Michelle was so sad, her stomach was hurting really bad still, and couldn’t finish her pasta. Glendon’s stomach was okay enough that he ate all his food, but they were both not that well… and it looked as though they would have to skip dessert. BUT our server said if we had to skip dessert tonight because of stomach aches, we could let our head server know at dinner on another night, and he can call up and they will get dessert ready for us and we just head up after our regular dining to have the famous Palo souffle! =O So we did, we decided to just head back to our rooms after dinner and come back for dessert on another night. Poor Michelle kept trying to eat her pasta, but it just wasn’t happening. (To this day she still talks about how sad she is that she never got to finish her delicious Palo pasta.) My dover sole was good, but because I was ready for some mouth watering pasta it didn’t QUITE satisfy my desire for a melt-in-your-mouth-delicious meal. It was still tasty though! (I think this was Glendon’s…. 3rd or 4th time coming to Palo and he ALWAYS orders the tenderloin and the pennette. So we know he likes that haha.)


We headed back to our room to rest up a little bit before getting changed for PIRATE NIGHT!!!

(I think this might be my favourite towel animal)

Mom and dad were still just finishing up at dinner, so I decided to head down to Royal Court just to meet up with them. (Glendon and Michelle passed out again to let their stomachs rest.)

Passing by the Atrium! Looks like Captain Hook and Smee are meeting! As well as I think that’s Pirate Minnie!

Got to the restaurant and find my dad. He’s got on the bandana! I was not expecting him and mom to put them on! I thought it was so cute haha

(Mom tells me later… that even though we told them that this night was pirate night, they didn’t really think about it. They thought it was cool that DCL gave out bandanas to everyone, but was only going to wear it to the party at night. But when they got down to dinner and saw that everyone around them was decked out in full on pirate outfits, they felt out of place so dad ran back to the room to get the bandanas while mom ordered food!!!)

This is a photo from mom’s phone. Where she said “look we can take a selfie too!”

(I think they’re hilarious ahahaha)


This is mom’s photo when we got back into the room. She also LOVED the towel animal

(omg, look at Glendon and Michelle. Poor kids they look OUT)​

To come…
Mom and dad’s pirate dinner at royal court! Pirate Night!!!! Fireworks! Late night buffet!!!!!

 

[TestingH2O]

Your parents' selfies are the best. They seem like a lot of fun.