*~*Tomorrow I Shall Eat Air *~* Disney Fantasy Eastern Caribbean Halloween Cruise 9/7/19-9/14/19

[JM_97]

Looking forward to reading along!

 

[Jeepdisney]

All caught up! Can’t wai

 

[tink too]

Loving your report so far! It's my dream to go to a MNSSHP followed by at HOTHS cruise. Now, if only I could convince DH...

 

[DMMarla07860]

following along I'm finishing my trip report up now as we speak. I got off the day you got on

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

*~*Can we just pretend that it hasn't been 2 years and a global pandemic since my last update?*~*

We, like so many fellow Disney cruisers, have had many cruises cancelled and rescheduled and then cancelled again. If the next cruise we have booked sails, it will be the 10.30.21 HOTHS 7 night on the Fantasy which will be this exact cruise! I am sure so much will be different if it does sail but if it sails we will be there! Friday night at midnight we were able to book our cruise activities which always makes it feel a bit more real. We have a Palo Brunch (will keep my eyes on reviews to see if the "buffet" part returns or not). We will go regardless of it being included or not as it will be the first cruise where all of our children are finally, somehow, 18+ and all adults! It seems crazy, but yet here we are. I know Piper and Zoe would really like to go since they could never join us before. In addition I booked Mixology, snorkeling in USVI, and the Sandbar excursion on Castaway - we loveeee that excursion! There was only one excursion listed for Tortola so I will keep checking back to see if they add in the Day at the Baths. We took the Tour of Virgin Gorda half day Baths excursion on this cruise and WOW. LOVED IT. Loads of pics and details on that to come in this report! Also full details on the snorkeling excursion since that was also one of the highlights of this cruise!

Due to all of the cancellations, if cruises do resume after that we have a 4 night on the Magic booked for February 10, 2022 for Zoe's 21st birthday. Rapunzel is her absolute favorite and the girls have never been on the Magic. Andy and I did make it onto the Magic *just* before cruising was halted. We were the 2nd to the last cruise out I believe. But that is for another cruise report! After that we have Piper's 19th birthday booked on the Dream in June 7, 2022 and THEN, the Disney WISH!!! We managed to snag a sailing on August 8, 2022 and I cannot WAIT to get on that ship! So much to look forward to! Fingers crossed!

*~*~*~*~* The Room *~*~*~*~*~*
​

We had room 10570 which is a Family Verandah on midship deck 10. This is honestly my favorite location just due to super close proximity to Cabana's, the pool areas, etc.

I've fallen in love with the holiday room packages so I made sure to go onto the website ahead of time where you can choose Onboard Gifts. If you have more than one child traveling with you, yes even teens, you might want to order an extra so they each get a blanket . They love these blankets! So soft and cuddly and it gets a lot of use at our house even when it's not Halloween. Plus it washes really nicely. But anyhoo, the package included a plush Mickey Halloween blanket, a Going Batty Halloween treat bag, a Mickey vampire pillow, and the cutest little magnetic ghosts hanging from the ceiling. With or without the packages it's always so nice opening the door and seeing your room for the first time but it really does seem to add just a little something fun when you have one of these packages. I'm a fan!



Don't worry, Disney had not strayed from the famous Silver Castaway Club sling bag! If I'm being honest, we do use them but it would be nice if they spiced things up every now and then and changed up the gifts.

I was looking forward to being Platinum, then along came the pandemic. But this cruise was our 8th, and our cruise on the Magic right before shutdown was our 9th. Sooo, whichever cruise ends up being next will be our 10th and then we will finally have made it to Platinum. Not that it makes any huge difference but it will be nice to be able to book things in the earliest window. But I digress...the cute little hanging ghosts are just too adorable! We do usually move them off to the side so they aren't hanging in our faces but love them



It's a nice touch to see your personalized family info - Welcome Andrew, Zoe, Piper and Kristen - on the tv. If you aren't aware, the cruises have tons of on demand Disney movies and shows available on the tvs in your room. You can also catch the Disney broadway style shows in your room as well as see where the ship is located throughout the trip and see updates from the Captain and crew. We absolutely love this feature and pretty much always have a movie going while we are in our room. More to come on our selections throughout the cruise report!



This was our view at the port from our verandah. Always have to peek outside and just take in the fact that you are finally on your Disney Cruise! Parking lot and all.



Lastly we took a few minutes to decorate our door with our Haunted Mansion themed magnets. I think it's a lot of fun to pick out seasonal magnets for our door. It also definitely helps to identify your room easily. When you're wandering down the long corridors they all start to blend together!



Up next we will explore the deck before the safety drill and sail away party!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

*~*~*~ The Main Deck *~*~*~

By now there were definitely more people on board and the pools were starting to fill up a bit. We hit the drink station and just wandered around taking it all in. We weren't ready to get in the pool yet as we were wanting to stay on the dry side to get through the safety drill and then enjoy the Sailaway party. I love all of the ships for different reasons but I can definitely say that the AquaDuck is such a fun ride and one of my favorite things on the dream class ships. If you like to ride it or haven't ridden it before but would like to, shortly after boarding is a great time to do so. Definitely shorter lines!



Drinks of the day were available in the Disney souvenir cups at the bar stand by the pool. You could also buy the beer mugs or the bags with water.



Main pool by the Funnelvision had a few families in it but there were still loads of empty chairs for sunbathing or just relaxing.




Deck shots, it just never gets old to me







The obligatory funnel shot with my HOTHS drink cup.




One thing I forgot to mention in the room update above was that in our room there was a letter advising that they would be filming a musical performance by Kylie Cantrall from Gabby Duran & the Unsittalbes. I did attend that filming so there will be more to come on that later in the report! The rest of my family was sleeping away and couldn't be convinced to emerge from bed in order to be there at 7:30am. Overall I am glad that I went even if it was on my own as it was interesting to watch everything that goes into filming a Disney show. They were actually filming a Christmas special so stay tuned to read all about it.



In addition to the Kylie Cantrall filming there were other filming events throughout the cruise including some commercials as well as we saw some Disney you-tubers, etc. on this cruise.

By now it was 4:00 and time to head to the Safety Drill. Our location was inside the theater which is nice because some of the locations are outside and it can get really hot standing outside in the sun on the deck.

When you are making your way to the assembly drill the CM's will be out with their bright yellow assembly team gear and Mickey signs which they hold up to help direct you. If you aren't sure where you are headed be sure to check with one of the cast members and they can guide you in the right direction.



By the time we got to the drill the theater was PACKED. We ended up standing in the aisle which was fine but definitely not as cozy as the theater chairs are.



All in we were done and headed out of the Safety Drill at 4:15! It's really not that long at all the majority of the time is just ensuring that all of the families are accounted for. It will be interesting to see if the safety drill remains done as a virtual check in style drill as I am seeing on some of the vlogs and reports so far. That seems like it would be really nice! Much better than being outside in the blazing sun lined up on deck which depending on the weather might not be the most pleasant experience. That's one change I feel like I would love but would love to hear everyone else's thoughts as well!



Now that we've gotten the boring (but necessary) drill out of the way, let's get this party started! It's time to Sail Away!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

*~* Sailing Away*~*​

We are sailing, sailing away...on a wondrous journey beginning today! it's fun and exciting, the sea is inviting, us off, to go sailing away!

That's me singing really loud. I can hands down admit that for whatever reason, probably sentimental, the Sail Away party is my absolute favorite cruise activity. I can't say that my family shares my enthusiasm but it's just so much fun. The energy of it is palpable and it's exciting knowing your cruise is officially beginning at that moment. I am really going to miss that part of the cruise if they end up not having them at first when cruising resumes. Obviously I will just be happy to be on the ship but I will definitely miss that if that ends up being the case. We shall see!

If you haven't been to a Sailing Away party before, they have a stage at the front, right up under the Funnelvision. They bring out cast members to get the crowd going and then characters join as well. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip & Dale, the whole gang. There's lots of music, dancing, and it's just all around fun. They project everything onto the screen as well so you don't need to be right up front in order to see everything. I actually have a favorite spot to watch the show from which I will show you shortly. My family knows if they want to hang with me for the party that's where I'll be. Andy has his own preference which is at the front of the ship. He likes to watch everything from there as we push off and out into the open water. I'm fine with meeting up with him there after the party ends. We're both easy to find as we have our favorite spots!



They have a couple little square wooden (?) boxes that performers are on during the party as well that are in the crowd. They use these same type of platforms during the pirate party as well. These were marked with these super cute poles with red Mickeys and streamers on them. Adorable!



I probably took way too many pics with that Mickey head in it, but it's cute so here's another! The crowd was starting to build up on the 2nd floor on each side by this time. If you have a certain spot you like I would just head there right after the safety drill as that's what I like to do to make sure I can have a good view. CM's are usually wandering around with trays of the drinks of the day so it's easy to grab one of those when they walk by if you want to toast in the party!



My favorite spot for Sailing Away is right at the base of the stairs to the Aqua Duck. When you go up the stairs from the pools to the base of the Aqua Duck there is a nice railing that faces the stage that gives a great view from the 2nd floor. You can definitely see all of the party and it's nice to not have to try to see over heads, etc. if you are in the middle of the dance floor area. Don't get me wrong, I've also done the party down front and I was able to snag some amazing character pics but this spot is my fave.



This next pic will give you a good idea of the number of people that were starting to line up for the party. Kids were still using the Mickey slide, it looks fun!



This trip the girls decided to hang with me instead of their father. #winning! These might give you a good idea of the view from our location. Zoe was actually sitting in front of the railing for a bit and Piper was standing with me.



Then I managed to get Zoe to take a pic as well



By now the party was in full swing and the characters were out. Good, good, good, good times! Who doesn't love Disney characters in sailor suits? Gah, so stinking cute



At the very end of the party they shoot off streamers. They do this really slow motion path through the air and for whatever reason I just love it.



As we headed off to the front of the ship to go find Andy, I saw some people from our cruise group on FB. Howdy!!



Up next, the title of this chapter, day 1 dinner! Where green beans go to die!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

*~*Die green beans, die....*~*
​

In looking at my pics from dinner, I did a really bad job of taking pics of our serving team the first night. They will make many appearances throughout this report though so I'll do a much better job at fully introducing them and including pics of them as we go. We started our dining rotation with dinner at Royal Court.

There are wine packages you can get if you like to have wine with your dinners. I have never purchased one of these but have considered it. We just tend to drink more mixed drinks while on a cruise than wine though so have never taken the plunge and gotten the package.



The girls always order whatever the non alcoholic specialty drink they have on the menu at dinner and it changes daily. Tonight's drink was the "Princess Delight" which is made of passion fruit juice and mango puree. I've never heard a complaint about these drinks from either of the girls and I think they look forward to these more than the rest of their meal!



Each meal begins with a bread service. Spoiler alert - There will be much more on the bread in this report. We love bread. Loveeeeeeee bread. Like, not a little. A lot. Like so much so that if we go to a restaurant like Texas Roadhouse, if you've ever been, you know that they have great rolls that are all you can eat. Well, Zoe would literally go there and have water and rolls. She always orders an entree but doesn't eat it because she's too full from rolls. So anyhoo, you get the idea.

Well, each day on the cruise, they rotate through various types of breads and dipping sauces. However, many of the dips we do not care for. We really just like the one that we had this night which is like an olive oil dipping sauce with focaccia bread. Our assistant server noticed how fast it was gobbled down and brought more. You have to move pretty fast to beat my family in a roll eating contest. We got into a chat about how we liked this particular bread and dipping oil. More to come on that later!





For this menu the appetizers include Duck Confit, Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp, Gaston's Escargot Gratinee and our favorite the Breaded and Deep Fried Brie. None of us need to look at the menu as we all know we are going to go for the Brie with orange and cranberry chutney. I have tried all of these appetizers with the exception of the duck confit as I really don't care for duck. They are all ok however hands down the Brie is the winner for us. Actually the first time I had this I really didn't think it was very good but it was kind of cold and just not great overall. But everyone raved so I gave it another whirl on a later cruise and now it's my favorite as well. Love the combination of the brie with the chutney. So good! I will say that one thing I really like on cruises is that it allows you to try things you might not otherwise try. We gave the escargot a go on one of our cruises and I don't think I would have ever tried it if it weren't for cruising.



Next up I ordered the French Onion Soup with gruyere cheese crouton. I think this soup is a solid choice. It's not the best I've ever had in my life but I enjoy it. They also have potato and leek soup and a farmhouse salad.



For entrees the choices are Conchiglie Pasta, Oven-Baked Salmon Royale, Crispy Roasted Duck Breast, Roasted Rack of Lamb, and Chateaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak.

For reasons that escape me, I ended up ordering the Wild Mushroom-Stuffed Pasta in a Vegetable Broth from the vegetarian menu. Now, I have a mild mushroom allergy...more to come on that later in the week but let's just say that I didn't care for this at all which was probably a good thing in hindsight. Here it is, looks much better than it was. I did not get a replacement entree as I was already full from the bread, brie and soup and wanted a bit of desert.



Everyone else got the Chateaubriand-Roasted filet steak which comes with crushed new potatoes with shallots, buttered green beans, red win jus, and a béarnaise sauce on the side.



Zoe, Piper and Andy all really love this entree. I have also had it and enjoyed it myself however for some reason I went rogue and ordered the mushroom pasta this time. However, what they DON'T like is green beans. Personally, I love them. But there is only so many green beans one person can eat.



This my friends, this is the result of no one eating their green beans. This is what our servers came back to. This is what they lovingly referred to as "where green beans go to die"....



I'm not sure why they had to all pile up on this plate. Apparently everyone thought I should eat them all so no-one would notice. Oh, no-one will notice this heap of green beans casually sitting next to me. Definitely inconspicuous.

We had a really good laugh about the green beans with our servers and now it was time for desert!

I need to wrap up this post for tonight but I hope you will join me for desert and the rest of day 1 in the next update. Thanks for reading along, I promise not to make you wait 2 more years for the next installment!

 

[tink too]

Yay! You came back! Loving the Haunted Mansion magnets - they’re so cute. We’ll finally be able to do a WDW Halloween party (in whichever form it will be moving forward) then a HOTHS next year on the Wish.

 

[CaseyJo]

Loving your report so far!!!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Yay! You came back! Loving the Haunted Mansion magnets - they’re so cute. We’ll finally be able to do a WDW Halloween party (in whichever form it will be moving forward) then a HOTHS next year on the Wish.

Thank you! I just love the Haunted Mansion so I was definitely excited when I saw those magnets! The Halloween party and then a Halloween cruise on the Wish sounds magical! Can't wait to check out the Wish! I know you will have an amazing time!

Loving your report so far!!!

Thanks so much for reading! So happy to have you here!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

*~* Day 1 Where Green Beans Go To Die Continued*~*

After dinner they have specialty coffees and after dinner drinks available for purchase. Today's offerings included espresso, cappuccino, caramel pecan chai, and tiramisu Mocha Latte. They also had "Adventurous After-Tinis" which were Espresso Martini (Absolut Vanilla, Godiva White Chocolate Liquer, Frangelico, Espresso) and Creme Brûlée (Grey Goose, Baileys Irish cream, Amaretto, Caramel Syrup, Half & Half). Night caps such as Courvoisier, RumChata, Samba, Johnnie Walker Odyssey, etc are also available.

Tonight's deserts included the Grand Marnier Soufflé, Apple Tart Tatin, Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brûlée and the Strawberry Shortcake Sundae. The no sugar added option was a Duo Chocolate Slice.

I do not normally eat ice cream that often however there is something about the sundaes on the Disney Cruise that keeps me ordering them. They are soooo good! I ordered the Strawberry Shortcake Sundae which is strawberries, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and shortcake with a cute little chocolate Mickey square.



Piper and Andy had the Grand Marnier Soufflé served with Grand Marnier Creme Anglaise. They both love this one! You poke a little hole in the top of the cake and pour the sauce into it. Yum!!



Lastly, Zoe had the apple tart tatin - caramelized baked apple served with vanilla ice cream. This also got a thumbs up so there were no "losers" at desert! The only one we didn't try was the creme brûlée which I have had before and it's definitely delicious! Normally I would be all over that when it's available but these darn Disney sundaes get me all the time!



Dinner was a wrap! It was time to head to the atrium for the 7:30pm Pumpkin Tree Lighting ceremony. On the way down the hall we took a few minutes to check out all of the super cute pumpkins in the port hole windows. One of the details I love about these is that all of the pumpkin faces are a little bit different. Disney could easily make them all the same but the expressions, eyes, teeth, etc. all vary slightly. I included a few pics of them below as I think it's really cool!








After that huge dinner I think Andy was ready to fall asleep in one of the windows but no way, we got stuff to do!



I was super excited to check out the tree lighting. When we approached the atrium the live music was in full force and Rude by Magic was being played. "Why you gotta be so rude, don't you know I'm human too"..... There were quite a few people there and lots of the kids were seated on the floor in front of the tree.




Next song was "All about that base" and by now the 2nd floor above the atrium was also beginning to fill in. They have really gorgeous deep purple tapestries with pumpkins hung all along the 2nd floor railings. Absolutely beautiful decorations! Quite a few people were signing along to the songs and there was even a little bit of dancing.

But.....nothing got the crowd going like the next song "Ghostbusters!" Who ya gonna call? EVERYBODY loved this one! I ain't afraid of no ghost!



I'm at my photo limit so this will be continued in the next post!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

The music ended and it was time for the "creepy Haunted Mansion dog guy" to come out. Yep, that's my super fancy, definitely official name for this guy. Ya'll remember the scene in the Haunted Mansion ride when you fall out of the attic and descend backwards in your doom buggy to the bottom where the guy is standing with his lantern and the skinny dog is shaking? Yeah, that guy. That's who he reminded me of! He greeted everyone and ask everyone to come closer, gather round! The lights dimmed a bit and more of a purple hue came over the atrium. He actually introduced himself as "The Caretaker". Now obviously Creepy Haunted Mansion Dog Guy has a much better ring to it, but alas Disney didn't consult me as their creative director for this show. He began his tale...."Do you feel that? It's the memories of Halloweens past".... the Halloween tree is a very special kind of tree...only one night of the year, on Halloween, deep within the gnarled branches are the spirits of Halloween memories gone past....the pumpkins are not real pumpkins, each has a face slashed into it all from your imagination.



Owls could be heard hooting in the background as he began to tell the tale of Ichabod Crane and Sleepy Hollow. At the stroke of midnight on a dark night, with no moon, the only light was that from his lantern, Ichabod's heart was pounding.....




He came upon a large horse, carrying a headless rider. The horse leapt towards him at full gallop....then he remembered that evil spirits dare not cross running water....just as he threw a large flaming pumpkin towards him, we heard a loud "splat" of a pumpkin and a small child screamed...everyone had a laugh and it seemed to lighten the mood lol.



"That wasn't too spooky was it? Just enough to get your heart pumping"...

And then it was the perfect time to wake up the pumpkin tree! "Don't be afraid, we'll do it together"

"Are you ready?"

Spooky music similar to that of the haunted Mansion began playing in the background.

"Spirits of the pumpkin tree, the biggest we've ever seen...wake up and talk to us, it's time for Halloween!"

The tree wasn't waking up, that's not good! So the creepy haunted mansion dog guy aka the caretaker asked for everyone to help!

Wake up!

Everyone joined in yelling "wake up!"

Twinkling music played and lights started flashing. And then it happened! The Pumpkin Tree woke up!!!



"Greetings! You are all here for fun and surprise! Don't be scared I want smiles not fright!"

He called for everyone to scream as that is what is needed to summon Halloween!

Everyone screamed!

Then he called for a laugh instead as that is needed to rattle the dead!

Everyone laughed!

The Halloween spirits were intrigued!

Then everyone screamed Trick or Treat!

The pumpkins then came to life for it was Halloween!

At that time the pumpkins all lit up and they played "this is halloween" from Nightmare before Christmas.

This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat 'til the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween​

Everyone was clapping, the caretaker was leading everyone in song, the pumpkin and all of the lights were flickering and the atmosphere was absolutely amazing. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! I wish so bad I was there right now!



At that time it was a 7:42 when we headed off from the show. I really, really loved it. It combines so many of my favorite things....spooky legends, Haunted Mansion vibes, Halloween, pumpkins, Nightmare Before Christmas, music, etc.... all around AMAZING!!! This day just kept getting better and better!

We decided to swing through what I call the adult entertainment district to see what was happening next.

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

We wandered through the bar areas and stopped to listen to the musical entertainment for the evening at La Piazza for a couple of songs. "Stay with me, won't you stay with me....cuz you're all I need".





Then we stopped to check in on the LSU/Texas game. Hook 'em!



What everyone was actually interested in though was SHOPPING! Here's one tip I stand by whole heartedly. If you see something you like in a shop, BUY IT. Don't think to yourself "I'll grab it later". More on that to come but I say this because on the ships supplies are limited and if they run out, they run out. Not like they can grab more!

We made our way past the pumpkins again, they looked different at night so here they are again! Hope you guys don't get sick of them cuz I sure didn't





We checked out the t-shirt collection. We did not get this Pocahontas one but looking at it now I really wish I had! After the couple of years we've all had that will definitely be me if our October cruise sails!



Andy and Zoe both got this next shirt. It's really cool because it has the ship name on the front and then the cruise ports on the back.



If I'm being honest, I'm a bit "Salty" that I didn't get this one. I don't know what I was thinking! Guess I just have to steal Andy's! If they still have it next time we sail I'm going to grab it.



This might be one of my favorite things that I DIDN'T buy. Honestly, looking at this picture I am shocked I didn't buy this. I must have had a whole lotta self control this trip which is a miracle but I can also hear Andy in my ear telling me how we don't need any more cups. Apparently he doesn't share our love for a gazillion different Starbuck's cups and Yeti's.



I also didn't pick up this Dumbo Fantasy shadow box and I'm not really sure why as I do have the one from the Magic. Might also have to grab this next cruise. Dumbo is adorable! So are the Dumbo Fantasy mugs, I'm sure Andy would be thrilled

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

The shops were pretty empty at this point so it was the perfect time to check out all of the merchandise.



Loved the Marvel Loungeflys!



For whatever reason we had a huge laugh over Andy in this hat.



Every time we are in the Norway shop at Epcot World Showcase we look at the Helly Hansen jackets. I love them but have never ended up getting one. Thought it was awesome to see them on the cruise ship as well. One of these days I'll pick one of these up.



By now it was 8:50 and the girls were done. Stick a fork in 'em, done like dinner. We walked past the Walt Disney Theatre, this area was very peaceful at the time.



It was time to see what our first towel animal was! We weren't exactly sure - is it a rabbit? A dog? I honestly don't know but oh so cute and waiting with the little chocolates on our bed! I really, really would like one of the heavy blue blankets they use to make these animals from.



No surprise that the first night's movie pick was Tangled, Zoe's absolute favorite Disney princess movie. "Flynn Ryder's so hot" was an actual quote from Zoe as she sat there and meanwhile Piper was asking me how to spell Brie as she was making trip notes on her phone when she laid down.



Andy proceeded to come in from the balcony and announce that he almost lost his bathing suit - you definitely should not leave any clothes or other items out on your balcony but apparently he had and it was hanging on the railing! He was quickly told to be quiet because Zoe couldn't hear her movie and her favorite song was on

Then after lunch, it's puzzles and darts and baking
Paper-mache, a bit of ballet and chess
Pottery and ventriloquy, candle making
Then I'll stretch, maybe sketch
Take a Climb, sew a dress​

After Andy and his runaway swim suit were under control we got the girls settled in for bed. I wanted to head down and see if there were any extra paper navigators at Guest Services so we decided to go back out for a while before bed. Usually I'm the first one in bed so I was doing a good job of staying awake!

I have Jury duty in the morning so I have to wrap up for the night but stay tuned for the rest of night 1 and all of day 2 which starts off bright and early with the Disney Jr. character breakfast!

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

Our first stop was the main pool deck to grab some drinks at around 9:20pm. It was absolutely beautiful out with a gorgeous breeze. Moana was playing on funnel vision and there was quite a few people still out at this time.



Fun fact - Andy and I have been working from home since March 2020 after we got home from our cruise on the Magic. During work we have the tv playing Disney movies or vlogs pretty much all day long as background noise. The other option is the you tube video that is the Disney Parks calendar that plays in your room at the resort and shows park hours, etc. Anyhoo, every.single.day we play Moana and Coco. Other than that it varies but those two are a given. I don't even want to know how many times we have played those movies! The soundtracks are just brilliant!



Perfect timing for I am Moana (Song of the Ancestors)

And the call isn't out there at all
It's inside me
It's like the tide
Always falling and rising
I will carry you here in my heart
You'll remind me
That come what may
I know the way
I am Moana!
​

I did forget to mention that when we were in the shops earlier I purchased cruise ears and a stuffed Captain Mickey for our grandson. He is absolutely obsessed with Mickey Mouse! I wanted to make sure we got that no matter what the first day so there was no chance of it being sold out. I can't wait until he goes on a cruise with us and gets to meet Captain Mickey in person!

Now I do not know what I was thinking but for some unknown reason I decided I needed to hit up Flo's Cafe for 2nd dinner.



I chose a bratwurst with sauerkraut and Andy grabbed an ice cream cone from the Eye Scream station which we lovingly refer to as the "Ice cream social." Meet you at the ice cream social! While we chowed down we watched a bit of Ant Man which was now showing on funnel vision.





After 2nd dinner we decided it was just too gorgeous to end the night yet so we walked around the deck and it was dead! There was honestly no-one walking around at about 9:40pm.

Donald was looking so adorable all lit up on the Aqua Duck.



The funnel is amazing at night when it's lit up as well. It takes on such a different vibe and I honestly could cry just thinking about it and missing it soooo much!







To Be Continued....

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

We made our way to the adults only section of the ship to go look out over the ocean. It was so peaceful and we just spent a few minutes soaking it all in.





By now, according to Buzz Lightyear it was 10:12pm and it had been a really long day and I still wanted to go look for the paper navigators.



I had to take advantage of the opportunity for empty atrium pictures





No-one was at Guest Services at the time however sadly they didn't have any paper navigators left at this time.



But who could be upset when you were greeted by a carved pumpkin Mickey?



OMG Disney please make these for purchase! UGH I love this!



And that is a wrap on Day 1 - Where Green Beans Go to Die! I hope you've enjoyed the trip so far and please stay tuned and join us on Day 2 - To Fly Like Peter Pan Think Happy Thoughts. We will be starting off with our first Disney Jr. character breakfast at Animator's Palate at 9:00am!

 

[CaseyJo]

I always love a 2nd dinner. I look forward to cruising again because it is one of the few places were it is appropriate/encouraged

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

I always love a 2nd dinner. I look forward to cruising again because it is one of the few places were it is appropriate/encouraged

Right?!?!? When I look back on it I'm always wondering how I even managed to shovel it all in yet every cruise I find myself right back at it again I'm already mentally picking out what I'm going to eat at Palo Brunch if our October Fantasy cruise sails! I reallllllly want that chicken parm, the lasagna, and the flat bread pizza. Just writing it, it sounds ridiculous

 

[PiperGirlInWondrland]

*~* Day 2 - To Fly Like Peter Pan Think Happy Thoughts *~*​

By 8:25am we were all up and showered and ready to go attend the Disney Jr Character breakfast. I had always been curious about the breakfast on board as we have enjoyed many character meals at the parks and resorts but had never gone to the breakfast on a cruise before.

We spent a few minutes looking out over the water on the verandah as it was a gorgeous day and the water looked so beautiful.

The character breakfast is located in Animator's Palate. We arrived just before 9 at 8:56am at the podium where the ask for your stateroom number in order to check you in. Once they have your room number you are led to your table. Our assistant server Gigi was working so he escorted us and we were greeted by so many cast members along the way.

My first impression was how adorable Animator's looked with the Disney Jr. makeover and how empty it was! I thought it would be packed but honestly there was only really one section that had most of the tables and the rest of the restaurant was empty.



If you have been in Animator's before you might know that the lighting is really a weird hue of blue or reddish depending on what's happening at the time so the pics are not always the best but you just have to kind of go with it!

I love the poles that are shaped like paint brushes. It's kind of hard to tell in the picture but they have loads of sparkly lights all over them and in the ceiling as well. Sooooo cute!









Once we were seated we looked over the menu which is quite cute and themed to the Disney Junior characters.



In case you didn't already know this you can actually buy the cute paint brush knives from the gift shop. I never bought one on a cruise but I did get one off the Shop Disney site one of the times they had a free shipping on any order offer going. I love having a little cruise touch in the kitchen!




They bring around a selection of pastries, juices, and coffee as a starter.





I will say that in all honesty this breakfast is not about the food. It's all about the characters! Now when you go to a character breakfast at the parks or resorts, I can say some of them ARE great food. We love Ohana's Lilo & Stitch breakfast and Donald's Safari breakfast never disappointed either. Our absolute favorite breakfast anywhere in Disney is at Trattoria for Rapunzel's breakfast. That food is amazing! The king triton's calzone is to die for! For me, this was one where the characters were unique and I'm really glad we did it but I would say it would most likely be a one and done for us unless we bring the grandkids because the food is much better at cabana's and you wouldn't need to worry about being anywhere at a certain time. BUT I definitely am glad that we did it once!

To be Continued in the next post...