Our Thanksgiving Fantasy - Nov 22-Dec 1 - COMPLETE!!

[jecskc]

Yes, a new update. Just what I needed... Home alone.... No one to bother me !!! And sick with a cold.

Aw - girl !! I am sorry you are sick !! Enjoy your time alone !!

I read your chocolate/wine tasting while drinking moonshine and m&ms ... Same thing right ???

Close enough and I love how you are participating. Besides, alcohol kills germs, right ??

So relaxing reading your report ! Thanks !!!

Another update in 3 - 2- 1

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 – Part 2

Costa Maya Beach Day

After changing our clothes and trying our hardest to get DS to come along, DH, DD and I met our friends in front of the D-Lounge and we headed out and off the ship to have a day at the beach.

Now someone in our Facebook group had been there before and we all booked it privately through the owner and we all got seats together. I was a little apprehensive about getting there, so I was glad we had several people with us - one of them who had been there before.

This is where we were headed



A storm was moving in so we were a little worried that we would get rained out.





Looking the opposite direction it looked good



When we got off the boat and headed down the dock, it was raining, but not too hard.





We walked through the shopping center and headed out the other side to the taxi stand. Y’all – once you got out of the shopping area ?? This place was third world and I am not even kidding. We hailed a dirty cab that drove with breakneck speed out the Tropicante. It was $2 a person. Once we got there, we were like ….. this is IT ??

We looked back to see if our FB peeps were getting out too, and they were so we got out and paid the driver and walked in. Once you got to the beach it was better.



It was still raining a little, but we decided to stick it out since there were umbrellas.



DD was not letting the rain deter her from having fun.







It started to clear up some and we ordered drinks.





While we were there several locals came by selling things. I liked these and they were 3 for $5, so I got some.



And this



And this, too.



It stopped raining finally – YAY !!!





DD was having fun hanging with all of the kids.





We ordered some food – nachos and onion rings.



The food was good – not mind blowing – but pretty good.

This guy was selling stuff. I am not sure exactly what it was. Popcorn and fried plaintains, maybe ?? I dunno. I didn’t get any, but he had a good balancing act going.



The sun came out and there was a spectacular rainbow.





Here is a photo our friend Michele took and it turned out amazing. Too bad it was the other ship and not the Fantasy. Still an amazing rainbow though.



Continued next post.

 

[jecskc]

Costa Maya beach day continued …..

The kids headed out on a banana boat ride





Then they came back and played in the water some more.



Then it was time for us to head back. DH and I had Remy reservations and we needed to get ready. We very much enjoyed our beach day, but this place was a little primitive. I would recommend it for sure, but would keep that in mind. We really liked it though and we enjoyed getting to know everyone better. It was fun and I am glad we did it and that DD got to play with the other kids.

We got a cab back and we walked back through the shopping center.













There was a military presence in the shopping area.



And these guys





Looking back



And then back towards the boat.



DD and I on the way back.



We bought her a pretty dress in the marketplace.











And back in the room



I am going to say again that we very much enjoyed out day, but to be perfectly honest - I am surprised that Disney stops here. Besides the shopping center, this area was very remote and undeveloped. I am sure the port is great for the area, but it wasn’t a super nice place. Anyway, it was interesting to be sure.

Next up – REMY !!!!

 

[DSRMary]

I'm with you about Costa Maya. I wasn't real impressed. I think if we ever go on a cruise that stops there, I'll drop in on the marketplace, have a cerveza and enjoy some time back on the ship. g

PS - love the dress that you bought for DD!!

 

[Tricia's mom]

Thanks for the heads up !

I have been to costa maya as well. I don't know why dcl stops there either??

I was told at the market place that my "tomatoes" where to big to buy a dress.

Is the pool still there ? That was scary

Godd to see you made the most of the day!

 

[jecskc]

I'm with you about Costa Maya. I wasn't real impressed. I think if we ever go on a cruise that stops there, I'll drop in on the marketplace, have a cerveza and enjoy some time back on the ship. g

We enjoyed our time with our friends and we would do that again with a group. But otherwise, we wouldn't get off of the ship.

PS - love the dress that you bought for DD!!

I love it, too. Lots of pretty colors. They did have some cool stuff in the marketplace and the prices were very reasonable.

Sorry about the Bears -----

Thanks for the heads up !

I have been to costa maya as well. I don't know why dcl stops there either??

For realz. Some things about that place were scary.

I was told at the market place that my "tomatoes" where to big to buy a dress.

Hahahahaha Tomatoes ??? Maybe they should have said "honey dews". You kill me Janet - Hahahaha

Is the pool still there ? That was scary

Godd to see you made the most of the day!

The pool was still there and DD really wanted to get in, but we needed to get back to the ship.

 

[annie170]

I had a really busy weekend, but I'm all caught up now.

The turtles were too cute! Another great experience for the kids.

Royal Court looks amazing! Did the kids choose not to attend? At any rate, it's nice that you got in a few meals alone with the hubby.

Wine and chocolate?! That's what I call a win win!

Costa Maya appears a bit sketchy. Sounds like the kind of port that scares me on a cruise. I know a military presence should make you feel safer, but it can be a tad unsettling.

I love that bag you bought and those onion rings look tasty!

 

[scottny]

Nice photo of you both.
The food looks good.
Very nice bar.
Love wine and chocolate.
Those drinks look good on the beach.
I love the Dumbo on the ship.
Great updates and pics.

 

[afwdwfan]

The wine and chocolate tasting looks like a lot of fun. Not to mention a bargain.

I'm glad you had a good time at the beach in Costa Maya. I've got to say though, hearing your description of the area and then seeing military personnel standing guard, I don't think I'd want to hang around too long. I mean, I guess it is good that they have a military presence there, but the thought alone that they would need it is a bit concerning!

 

[wiigirl]

Beatiful pics!

 

[marDgreen88]

The dolphin experience looks like it was amazing! I'm loving all the pics of the ocean, and the ship, and ALL of it!

 

[jecskc]

I had a really busy weekend, but I'm all caught up now.

YAY !! Yeah, it has been crazy here, too.

The turtles were too cute! Another great experience for the kids.

DD loved it, DS needed food and was getting crabby.

Royal Court looks amazing! Did the kids choose not to attend? At any rate, it's nice that you got in a few meals alone with the hubby.

No, they didn't want to go. We said fine and went without them. Ahhh - Disney Cruise.

Wine and chocolate?! That's what I call a win win!

Word.

Costa Maya appears a bit sketchy. Sounds like the kind of port that scares me on a cruise. I know a military presence should make you feel safer, but it can be a tad unsettling.

The whole place just had a bizarre vibe to it. I am still amazed that Disney stops there.

I love that bag you bought and those onion rings look tasty!

I though that bag was lovely. And it was only 3 dollars. The onion rings were good !!

Nice photo of you both.
The food looks good.
Very nice bar.
Love wine and chocolate.
Those drinks look good on the beach.
I love the Dumbo on the ship.
Great updates and pics.

Thanks Scott !!!

 

[jecskc]

The wine and chocolate tasting looks like a lot of fun. Not to mention a bargain.

It was awesome !! I'm so glad we did it.

I'm glad you had a good time at the beach in Costa Maya. I've got to say though, hearing your description of the area and then seeing military personnel standing guard, I don't think I'd want to hang around too long. I mean, I guess it is good that they have a military presence there, but the thought alone that they would need it is a bit concerning!

Yeah - it was an interesting day. We had a great day, but the place was a little weird. But hey, it is a foreign country, right ??

Beatiful pics!

Thanks !!!

The dolphin experience looks like it was amazing! I'm loving all the pics of the ocean, and the ship, and ALL of it!

It was AMAZING !! You need to put it on your Disney bucket list, Marissa !!!

 

[LifeIsDis]

The dolphin encounter looks really cool!

Random chickens are cool. The town I go to school in has chickens that roam around the downtown area. Florida is weird…

The Royal Court is GORGEOUS OMG.

Well that food looks amazing.

Yeah, some of the ports Disney stops at aren’t fantastic. Why they do it, I don’t know.

 

[tazdev3225]

That day excursion actually looked like fun to me. I like anywhere that I can sit on the beach and watch the ocean, add onion ring and I'm happy. Then you get some nice inexpensive souvenirs. Who could ask for more.

My DD wants a destination wedding in a few years. I think I'll try and sell her on a cruise destination wedding.

 

[jecskc]

The dolphin encounter looks really cool!

It really was. The dolphins were so happy and cute. Very enjoyable.

Random chickens are cool. The town I go to school in has chickens that roam around the downtown area. Florida is weird…

Yeah - that is weird. On a farm?? Not so much. In the middle of town?? Strange.

The Royal Court is GORGEOUS OMG.

It was !!! You know you want that carriage lamp !!

Well that food looks amazing.

All of it was amazing. I loves me some DCL.

Yeah, some of the ports Disney stops at aren’t fantastic. Why they do it, I don’t know.

Yeah me neither. I did read somewhere that Costa Maya was not included in 2015 itineraries.

That day excursion actually looked like fun to me. I like anywhere that I can sit on the beach and watch the ocean, add onion ring and I'm happy. Then you get some nice inexpensive souvenirs. Who could ask for more.

We really had a great time. It was more about the people that day than the location. I was glad we went.

My DD wants a destination wedding in a few years. I think I'll try and sell her on a cruise destination wedding.

Disney Cruise Wedding !!! Can you imagine how awesome that would be ??? FUN !!!

 

[chicagolaw]

Looks like so much fun! I did the Dolphin Discovery in Cozumel and we found they were willing to bargain on the pictures there too.

Jill in CO

That is good to know about Cozumel we are going in a few weeks.

I am enjoying reading your review and the pictures. We leave for our cruise on the Fantasy and the Western Caribbean in two and half weeks!! So reading all your reviews is getting me very excited.

I have read a lot of people say Costa Maya is not very nice. I am planning on staying on the ship with my boys and we are hoping to enjoy the ship with fewer people on board.

Looking forward to reading the rest.

 

[jecskc]

That is good to know about Cozumel we are going in a few weeks.

I am enjoying reading your review and the pictures. We leave for our cruise on the Fantasy and the Western Caribbean in two and half weeks!! So reading all your reviews is getting me very excited.

I have read a lot of people say Costa Maya is not very nice. I am planning on staying on the ship with my boys and we are hoping to enjoy the ship with fewer people on board.

Looking forward to reading the rest.

I am so glad you are reading along and thanks for taking the time to say hello. I hope reading along will help you.

We certainly would have stayed on the boat if we had not planned the beach day with our friends. I will say that the shopping area is interesting and maybe worthwhile to take a stroll down the dock to look at. If not, you aren't missing much.

Susan

 

[jecskc]

Navigators

I totally forgot that I saved all of the navigators and scanned them so I could post them in my TR. We are currently on day 4 of the cruise, so I am going to post the first four days in this page and then as I start each other day, I will post it on that day.

So basically, this will catch us up to where we are right now.

Day 1 – Embarkation Day





Day 2 – At Sea













Day 3 – Grand Cayman



















Day 4 – Costa Maya

















OK – all caught up now.

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 – Part 3

In my last update, we had just boarded the ship and we headed back to our room to get ready for our dinner at Remy.

So we got showers and got all gussied up and took DD to her club while we headed to dinner.



Remy is the other adults only restaurant and there is an up charge of $75 a person. French cuisine in the menu and I believe there are seven courses. We were excited to give it a try.



They have the little character from the movie Ratatouille all over the restaurant.



It is in the rear of the ship on the 12 floor and offers a lovely view of the ocean. It was dark by the time we got there and we were seated in a nice cozy booth against the wall.

We were offered a complimentary champagne cocktail. Yes please !!



Our amuse broche was a little “nugget” - for lack of a better word. Inside was basically tomato soup.



It is very important eat this in one bite. If you try to bite into it and the whole thing isn’t inside your mouth, there is a huge mess gonna happen.

It was very interesting and very tasty.

They brought us bread and butter as well while we look a look at the menu.





There were three kinds of bread, onion brioche, whole grain and a baguette. All of it was warm and delicious.

From what I remember, there were two options on the menu you could pick from.

Choose from one of two tasting menus developed by Chef Scott Hunnel from Walt Disney World’s Victoria & Albert’s Restaurant and Chef Arnaud Lallement from L’Assiette Champenoise, a Michelin two-star restaurant located just outside Reims, France.

One option was called Saveur and the other was Gout. We chose the Saveur because the Gout had several items with lobster and I am allergic to that.

What we actually ate and what is on the Menu from the website don’t really match up, so I will try to do this from memory. I did take photos and notes, so I should be able to patch it together.

Our first course was a Ratatouille, I believe.



It had olive oil ice cream on top and it was a very interesting texture combination. We liked it.

I wanted another drink so I ordered a drink that I enjoyed on the last cruise we went on.

Latitude 46.5 - Fresh Raspberry Puree, Chambord, Cognac, Taittinger Champagne



It was so tasty.

Next up was a tomato tarte



Sorry for the blurry photo. This was OK. I liked the crunchy bottom. It came with some gazpacho water.



This was gross. It was cold and kind of bitter. It tasted like old soup. I dunno. We saw a lot of these go back to the kitchen. One sip was enough for me.

Next up was a salmon tar tare with a champagne cream sauce.



I don’t usually enjoy the texture of raw fish, but this was pretty good and the sauce was amazing and that certainly made it more palatable.

Next up was a sea bass.



This was amazing and cooked perfectly with a nice crisp outside and a nice flaky inside. Very enjoyable.

Next up was our favorite. Waygu beef.



This tasted amazing and even though we were getting pretty full at this point, we kind of wished there was more of it.

Next up was the cheese course. They bring this huge cart of all different kinds of cheeses. The person that brought that cart over was a cheese expert and we told her what kinds of cheese we liked and she picked out four different kinds with some lovely accompaniments. We enjoyed this course so much that I failed to get much of a photo.



We really enjoyed her selections she made for us and she was nice enough to write them down.



Next, we had coffee and dessert.





It was some kind of dense chocolate mousse cake thingy. I was very enjoyable and went so well with the coffee.

Then they brought out a tray of other sweets that we absolutely HAD to try.





So amazing. We saved the lollipop things at the end and took them back to the room when we were done.

And I think there was some kind of chocolate martini that came with it as well.



So incredible.

As we settled the tab, they brought us a rose and a box of chocolates.





We saved those for later as well. They were heavenly.

So even though there was a couple of things we didn’t really like, this overall experience was incredible. We really enjoyed it. We waddled back to the room where I got some ice and DD and DH settled in to wait for midnight.

This was the night for the Frozen PremEAR on the ship and DD was SOOOO excited to see it. I was too tired to stay up, but they went and saw it and DD was instantly obsessed with it.

Next up Cozumel.