"Your concern is hardly warranted." - October 2024 4 Night Disney Fantasy HotHS - Complete

[Dis_Yoda]

Dates:
October 11th to October 16th

The Cruise:
October 12th to 16th - Disney Fantasy
Cabin: 8560 (Category 5B)

The Who:
Dis_Yoda -> A 38 year old Aerospace Engineer

The Other Players:
Long time Disboard Friends turning 40 & 50 and their friends.​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Friday, October 11th - Arrival

At 5AM, Mr. Dis_Yoda and I headed to Houston-Hobby Airport to drop me off. It finally felt real, that this trip was happening. Because of Milton and the cancellations for Tuesday thru Thursday – we weren’t sure I was going to make it or not. This showed as I actually didn’t start packing until the day before the trip which is very unlike me and yeah, I may have ended up forgetting packing a few things but overall, nothing that bad was missing. The fact we had a wine dinner Thursday night at Fogo didn’t help so I was finishing packing at 10:30PM and we needed to be up at 4:45AM.

We said goodbye and he headed home as he was in charge of watching our dogs the next 5 nights.

I checked my luggage at Southwest and headed through security. They were training new scent dogs and there were 3 on the way to the official security screening. We had a little wait within the official TSA line as the dog was taking a break to play with his toy and I had a grumpy man behind me very upset that he had to wait an additional 60 seconds for that. I just shook my head as working dogs still need to have fun or be rewarded for their work.



Security overall was a breeze and I was through it all in 5 minutes despite not having TSA Pre-Check. I headed to Starbucks for breakfast where I got a Salted Caramel Foam Cold Brew and a chocolate croissant.



For my boarding group, I had B51 so I wasn’t hopeful for a great seat. Once we were boarding, I lucked out that I noticed the Southwest Flight Attendant was still in the exit row with two seats open in a row. I was able to sneak in and get that window seat and imagine my happiness when no one came in to take the middle seat. The flight was mostly full but many of the stragglers just took the first seats they found.



My flight was uneventful and we landed 15 minutes early into Orlando. We were one of the first flights to come in post Milton closure so it didn’t take long for our luggage to make it to baggage claim.

Because of Milton, I had decided not to do my usual Uber to Walt Disney World and instead purchased the $16 Mears Connect option as I wasn’t sure if there would be road closures or people available. I headed over to the B side to check in there. I think it was the same area of the airport that Magical Express was but it had been years since I had used that option even before it went away. There was a little wait before we were loaded onto a bus and traveled to the resorts. AKV-Kidani was the second stop after Jambo House so the journey only took about 45 minutes. Watching the roads on our drive in, I was glad I had used this option as there were some detours going on with Hurricane Milton recovery.

I had never done online check in for this stay because I forgot but when I was at the front desk at 12:10PM, I was happy to hear that my room was ready and I would be able to freshen up before heading to the parks and not store my luggage. I’m sure it’s because they had lots of cancelled trips as there was an odd vibe around the hotel. They still had their emergency signs up and such.



The animals were already back out on the savannah!



I got situated and headed back out!​

 

[KenyaSierra]

So awesome to see another Dis_Yoda report! We’ve missed you!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Friday October 11th – Food & Wine Festival

I walked out to the bus station around 12:30PM and ended up helping a family that was about to get on the EPCOT bus to ride the Skyliner. Sent them in the direction of Hollywood Studios for that! They didn’t have park tickets for today so that would have been wasteful. I was alone on the bus for my journey to EPCOT and got a better view on the vegetation damage around Animal Kingdom Lodge on the drive to the parks. I didn’t take photos then but I did take some later in the evening. I know the main guest areas would be the main priority for clean-up – not the places I was looking. EPCOT felt rather empty as I got to the park.

As it was near 1PM and I had only had a chocolate croissant 7 hours ago, I was on a mission for lunch! Luckily Food & Wine Festival is in full effect so I headed to the World Showcase.

I started in Mexico with the Flauta. This was a nice bite of food. The margarita was nice and smokey. Not an easy drinker so it forced me to pace myself which meant it lasted for me through the next booth!


Flauta de Barbacoa: Fried tortillas filled with barbacoa beef topped with salsa verde, crema Mexicana, and queso fresco
Mango Sunrise Margarita: Dos Hombres Mezcal, Centinela Tequila, mango purée, and black currant liquor with a chile-lime salt rim

My next stop was China. You can’t go wrong with a Crispy Duck Bao Bun? I was disappointed in the scallion noodles with the shrimp. They had a different version of this years ago that was much more flavorful so I pretty much ate the shrimp and tossed the noodles.


Crispy Duck Bao Bun with hoisin sauce
Shanghai Scallion Noodles with shrimp

I noticed the Refreshment Outpost essentially had a large Zebra Dome. While this was really good, it was also really rich and probably not the best thing to order solo. I felt bad tossing half of it but I reached the limit of sweetness.


Chocolate Amarula Mousse Dome with white chocolate

I went shopping in Japan to pick up my husband some candy as that is all he requested from Disney. Their selection was a little different than usual so I got him some new things to try.

Eventually, I made it to Canada where I went with the new take on their steak. Sponsorships changing it away from the truffle butter and making it Boursin cheese instead. The steak was ok – it was a bit too cooked for my liking but I enjoyed the mashed potatoes and the butter.


Filet Mignon with mushrooms, Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs mashed potatoes, and Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs butter

For my last stop, I went to a new booth, Forest and Field. I really enjoyed the fresh burrata with the fruit and pecans. The apple puree wasn’t my jam but overall a solid pick!


Burrata with seasonal fall fruit, spiced pecans, apple purée, and fig vinaigrette

Overly full, I headed over to Imagination to learn about my senses with Figment and then went to Living with the Land to see this years Food & Wine Festival displays.



The lack of sleep from the night before (or really the wine filled sleep) hit me like a ton of bricks. I decided it was time to head back to the resort and take a short nap before continuing on for the day.​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

So awesome to see another Dis_Yoda report! We’ve missed you!

Thank you! I know - I've been busy in real life that some of our recent trips really lacked photos or just trying to enjoy ourselves. Hopefully, I will do better moving forward but we don't have a ton of Disney planned next year. So far just the Springtime Surprise races in April and possibly December for the same time as the AKC Championships.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Friday October 11th – Jiko

My nap was wonderful and I woke up about 90 minutes later. I deal with some club business for Rhodesian Ridgebacks and played on my cell phone as I started to become functional again. Eventually I walked over to Jambo House so that I could have dinner. Here you could really see more of the storm damage.




I headed downstairs and checked in at Jiko. The restaurant felt really empty still. They sat me at the Cooking Place where the salads and wood-fired appetizers are prepped. They were in a good mood but the cook was like I’m at the end of 48 hours on as he was part of the ride-out crew in the resort and obviously, ready some time off! The chefs had prepared them a family meal themselves which he was ready to go eat as well. That is totally fair for working through the hurricane! From talking with them, they had a large number of no-shows and cancellations but they were expecting that.



I reviewed the wine list. I sent the list of rare pours to my husband to and got his feedback and I decided on the Boekenhoutskloof.
They had updated the bread since the last time I was at Jiko. The bread is topped with rice flour so it gets a crackle along the time. It gave it a slightly tangy bite to the crust.


Giraffe Bread

For my main, I went with the classic Jiko entrée. I really enjoyed the filet and the new take on the four-cheese macaroni.


Bone Marrow-crusted Filet Mignon, Four Cheese Macaroni, Seasonal Vegetable, Chocolate-Red Wine Demi-glace

For dessert, I went with a cocktail and something off the kid’s menu. I was pretty much done with the martini by the time my dessert came out. Fancy worms & dirt just makes me happy. Add in the chocolate rocks & marshmallow fluff? I’m very content.


Zebratini - Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Mozart White Chocolate Liqueur, Frangelico Liqueur, Amarula Liqueur, and a shot of Espresso in a Chocolate Zebra-striped Martini Glass


Pumbaa’s Dessert Grub

As I paid my bill, I was given another small bite. It was a fruit gel that was just light enough to not put me over the edge.


Pineapple Jelly

I walked back to Kidani Village and got settled for the night.​

 

[Lilias]

Following along! We were on that same crazy cruise and I've still got the sea legs from it, whew!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Following along! We were on that same crazy cruise and I've still got the sea legs from it, whew!

Welcome! I hope you had an amazing time as well.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Saturday October 12th – To The Ship!

As I was using Disney transportation to the port, I knew it was possible that my luggage may end up picked up as early as 7AM. This meant I needed to be up by 6:45AM to at least get dressed and put everything in my suitcase which I wouldn’t see until much later in my stateroom on the ship. I’m glad I set that alarm as they were getting my luggage at like 7:05AM. As Sanaa wasn’t open yet, I played on my phone until 7:30AM.

Once to Sanaa, I ordered at the register my meal and a double espresso and headed to a table for it to be served. Sanaa, while “quick service” in the morning, still serves the food on real plates and utensils but you have to go get your own condiments and things. I went for the French Toast as bananas sounded nice this morning and who doesn’t love caramel sauce and Chantilly cream? It was a filling start to the day!


Banana Brûlée French Toast - Banana-Caramel Sauce, Chantilly Cream, Toasted Pecans, and Brûléed Banana

Afterwards, I headed over to Jambo House to check in with the Disney Cruise Line people to wait for them to load the bus for the port. I hung out in the Sunset Lounge until a little after 9AM where they loaded us on our Motor Coach and we headed to the port.




By 10:30AM, this was our view:




It took no time for us to be let off the bus and through security to wait for boarding.






With using Disney transportation, you get an earlier boarding group than using the normal check in (but after Concierge & Pearl Members & Back To Back Cruisers) I was being called onto the ship in Group D in no time! My friends had just made it to the port for their checkin process with their Milton related delayed travels so I headed to Cabanas to enjoy some lunch and cocktails. Yes my first plate was rather boring with shrimp, onions, cheese and bread. I also got whatever the cocktail of the day was which was very fruity.





It was a bit too fruity for me so I went with an espresso martini next as I waited for the first of my friends to arrive. They did and we enjoyed cocktails until moving to a table big enough for the next group of friends to arrive so they could all eat.

We hung out here until the doors opened to the staterooms where we all went our separate ways until later.

I had booked a Veranda Cabin (5B) midship on deck 8. This location was fabulous as it was near the elevators but not close enough to hear the dings from my door and nothing was too far of a journey up or down if the elevators were taking too long.








My luggage arrived shortly after that and I got unpacked before it was time to head to my first booked activity.​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Saturday October 12th – Mixology & Safety Drill

I headed downstairs and got a look at the lobby as last people were still boarding the boat as it was nearing 3PM.



I loved how the porthole windows were decorated for Halloween as well.



I was headed to Skyline for the Mixology seminar. They didn’t have me on the list but it showed that I was signed up on my DCL app so we were able to work through that issue. Isn’t technology great? I was sat in the corner with room for my friends to arrive who would also be attending.

I will say this Mixology Seminar felt really rushed and a lot less fun than the ones I remembered going 10 years ago. I do wonder if the rushed feeling was because it was before the mandatory safety drill at 4PM or because its now such a well-oiled machine that the variations and silliness doesn’t happen as much? I’m not sure I would attend again to be honest, especially at the $50 price tag unless I was meeting up with friends again.


French 75


Captain’s Mai Tai/Whiskey Sour


Lemondrop Raspberry Martini


Green Tea Shot

As we were rushed out, I went separate ways from my friends I needed to get to Muster Station D for the Safety Briefing. That was nice and uneventful. My station was in the Walt Disney Theater so I got to sit and watch the video.





The popcorn stands were open and I was really sad to see they didn’t have any Vampire Stitches on board so I saved my cash from buying any of the other buckets.

Once that was completed, it was time to sail away! I decided that I wanted to sail away from a nice relaxing heated lounger in the Rainforest Room so I went to the spa to activate my pass and did exactly that until it was time to change and get ready for the evening.



​

 

[Lilias]

We were in the same muster group!

How was the rainforest room? I cancelled it as the last minute and kindof regretted it

 

[Dis_Yoda]

We were in the same muster group!

How was the rainforest room? I cancelled it as the last minute and kindof regretted it

That's too funny we were in the same group! Well, I'm glad we never had to see it again and I love how its been updated from the days of old where you had to wear your life jacket and hang out on the deck. This was such an easy smooth process.


I love the rainforest room but I think it depends on what you value in vacation. While I used the saunas and showers some during the trip - I'm all about those heated loungers and relaxing away from the crowds and away from direct sunlight so less worries about needing sunscreen on. My other friends bought the passes as well and didn't use it nearly as much as me but we all had different priorities going on.

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Saturday October 12th – DVC Member Celebration & Royal Court

At 5PM, the DVC Member Celebration was being held in the D-Lounge. As it is vacation and it was encouraged, I took two of the special DVC cocktails.

The member celebration also involved a family feud type game where I volunteered myself to be one of the three captains. Apparently, we had to be reminded that former WDW attractions don’t count when it comes to “scary” rides (Mr. Todd would like to say he does exist in Disneyland!) But I was probably one of the few that still remember Alien Encounters…



I got a prize for my willingness to embarrass myself of a draw string bag (different than the daily freebie one) and some DVC coasters.

As that was wrapping up, it was time for dinner. Originally, we were supposed to have 2nd seating but our group got moved to 1st seating before the cruise started as the family with kids preferred that. That was ok with us but it meant on this first night, I needed to run away after the first two courses as I had Palo Primo Notte booked.



I got a selfie with the tree before checking in at Royal Court & heading to our table.

I will say our assistant server and server looked at me funny when I only ordered two courses and said I had somewhere I needed to be at 6:30. I also ordered a bottle of Pellegrino when our assistant server took the drink order but that process is so slow. It took 20 minutes to get which was about the same time I was needing to get out of there. Our assistant server seemed annoyed I didn’t sign my bill as I was leaving when I said my table mates can sign for it anyway. I did take my mostly full bottle and run it up to my room so I would have it for later. Sorry, not sorry!

We got a group photo as well of all of us having fun this week!



As far as food at the Royal Court, I went with Deep Fried Brie & French Onion Soup. The Brie was luke warm but I can’t complain too much as I do love cheese. The soup was fine but apparently, I forgot to take a photo. Shame on me but just your standard French onion soup produced for a banquet hall type dining situation.


Deep Fried Brie

I missed out on the main and the dessert as better things were coming my way! I ran away after I finished my soup and I figured out I would see my friends at some point again – we just weren’t sure exactly when yet as depended on how the night progressed if it would be today or tomorrow.​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Saturday October 12th – Palo Primo Notte

After dropping off my mostly full glass bottle of Pellegrino, I headed to Deck 11 and checked in at Palo for Primo Notte. As you walk to your table, you are handed a glass of Bellavista Alma Gran Cuvee Brut. I was sat with a married couple and another solo gentleman. Turns out that the lady is also heavily involved in the dog fancy which probably bored the two men at the table to tears but it is what it is. She shows American Eskimo Dogs which are very different than my life of hounds (Saluki and Rhodesian Ridgebacks)



For our first bite of food we had Sliced Herbed Yellowfin Tuna and Biscotti di Regina served with a glass of Jermann Vintage Tunina. This was a blend of grapes from Northeast Italy that paired well with the tuna.



Our next plate was gnocchi with pine nuts and a basil pesto Prosecco wine sauce. This was really good and I wish I had more than just one bite of it! This was served with a Chianti Classico Riserva.



This was a small serving of Snake River Farm Wagyu and Tenuta Luce, a Tuscan Merlot and Sangiovese red blend. The beef was perfectly tender



The final pairing of the evening was a chocolate mousse served atop a dusted chocolate disc. The dessert wine for this course was a Fattoria Zerbina Arrocco.





We also were gifted a special pin for the event as we paid our bills. Overall, I enjoyed this event. There was a nice amount of wine included of high quality.



​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Saturday October 12th – Relaxation then Bourbon Tasting

After Palo, I knew I had a bourbon tasting to go to in about 2 hours and my stomach needed more food if I was going to survive that. Luckily the pool deck was open and I asked for just 2 chicken fingers but they threw some fries on there as well. I took them back to the room so I could change out of my dress.





My nightly towel animal!

I had some time to kill before my 10PM tasting but I wasn’t feeling very peoplely but also knew if I stayed in the room, I probably would fall asleep so I headed back to Senses and relaxed on the heated loungers listening to the waves until it was time to head to the back of the ship at Meridian for the Bourbon tasting. The tasting was full but it took a bit for all the participants to arrive as either their dinner was running late or people weren’t sure where Meridian was yet but they were all there by 10:15 and we got started.

The bourbon tasting was blind so that no one could have preconceived notions of the bourbon based off the name. He went over the history of bourbon and such. I was the only woman there without her significant other but that’s ok.






It was Maker’s Mark, Larceny, Angel’s Envy, Woodford Reserve and Wild Turkey Rare Bird that we tasted.

I had a lot of fun. Afterwards I headed back to my stateroom for bed.​

 

[bbn1122]

Saturday October 12th – Mixology & Safety Drill

I headed downstairs and got a look at the lobby as last people were still boarding the boat as it was nearing 3PM.

View attachment 906420

I loved how the porthole windows were decorated for Halloween as well.

View attachment 906421

I was headed to Skyline for the Mixology seminar. They didn’t have me on the list but it showed that I was signed up on my DCL app so we were able to work through that issue. Isn’t technology great? I was sat in the corner with room for my friends to arrive who would also be attending.

I will say this Mixology Seminar felt really rushed and a lot less fun than the ones I remembered going 10 years ago. I do wonder if the rushed feeling was because it was before the mandatory safety drill at 4PM or because its now such a well-oiled machine that the variations and silliness doesn’t happen as much? I’m not sure I would attend again to be honest, especially at the $50 price tag unless I was meeting up with friends again.

View attachment 906422
French 75

View attachment 906423
Captain’s Mai Tai/Whiskey Sour

View attachment 906431
Lemondrop Raspberry Martini

View attachment 906426
Green Tea Shot

As we were rushed out, I went separate ways from my friends I needed to get to Muster Station D for the Safety Briefing. That was nice and uneventful. My station was in the Walt Disney Theater so I got to sit and watch the video.

View attachment 906427


View attachment 906428
The popcorn stands were open and I was really sad to see they didn’t have any Vampire Stitches on board so I saved my cash from buying any of the other buckets.

Once that was completed, it was time to sail away! I decided that I wanted to sail away from a nice relaxing heated lounger in the Rainforest Room so I went to the spa to activate my pass and did exactly that until it was time to change and get ready for the evening.

View attachment 906429

View attachment 906430​

That's a great place for the Sailaway.

 

[Mich123]

Enjoying your report! I was looking forward to your Palo first night review because I was wondering if it was enough food to constitute dinner. You inadvertently answered my question with the next post. Thank you!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

That's a great place for the Sailaway.

It is! Nice and relaxing which was my goal for this trip! We've done the big sailaway parties before but I like how there are options for whatever you are feeling like.

Enjoying your report! I was looking forward to your Palo first night review because I was wondering if it was enough food to constitute dinner. You inadvertently answered my question with the next post. Thank you!

I think if I wasn't going to be drinking more not long after, I would have been fine with the amount but yeah, I knew it wasn't enough to make sure I had in my stomach to be drinking bourbon on top of having had all that wine or drinks earlier in the day. I really enjoyed the event but I know they don't vary the food options so not sure I'll do it again next time we cruise (which is still to be determined anyway)

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Sunday October 13th – Spa Time, Origami, Disney Food Trivia, Martini Tasting

I woke up around 7:15AM and watched one of the guide boats bring us into Nassau before heading up to Cabanas for breakfast.






I had some bacon, cheese, and bread that I ended up making into a little breakfast slider. I’m not the biggest breakfast eater in general so this was just enough to start my day.

From there, I went back up to Senses to relax for an hour in the Rainforest Room. I had paid for the upgrade for the scrubs that you can use in the showers and today’s was a scrub then mud combo. You scrub in the shower then head to the dry sauna to put the mud on and let it dry out before you wash it off and use the rest of the salt scrub. I did that and my skin felt very refreshed. I then headed to the heated lounger to dry off and relax for a bit. I had gotten a message from my friend that she was planning on doing Disney Food Trivia and if I would like to join them.



Afterwards, I went back to the room to change and head to my next activity I had seen on the navigator app. Origami!





This was a silly activity and really family friendly but I had fun making a cat, a dog and a rabbit. Origami was in the same location as Disney Food Trivia so my friend & her husband joined me at my table. We did well as we got 19/20 right! Someone still was perfect so we didn’t win but when the only question we got wrong was what was the original name of Casey’s Corner – I’m ok with that.

At the end of Trivia – I had to take a call for the Ridgeback Club and deal with that before I was able to run upstairs to get some chicken fingers so I had something in my stomach before my martini tasting in Skyline.

I checked in for my martini tasting which was a good time. We learned lots of the history of a martini. I had some fun people sitting next to me which always makes it a good time.











I did drink one martini I probably shouldn’t have (I’m sure the tiny bit of grapefruit in it won’t affect me that much)​

 

[Dis_Yoda]

Sunday October 13th – Hot Tub, Halloween Decorations, Trivia

Afterwards, I needed a nice relaxing afternoon. I changed and headed back to the Rainforest Room to spend some time in the hot tub and then more time on the heated loungers.



Eventually, I went and got changed into my Halloween shirt and decided to walk around the ship to look at the various Halloween activities.



Pluto was out being adorable!




I sent my husband a video of how crazy of a line that existed for The Sanderson Sisters which once I saw who it was made a lot of sense as it was Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle all dressed up!





I also had a close encounter with Donald as I watched the Sanderson Sisters come out.





From there I headed to the Tube for some trivia with my friends. I think it was Movie Quotes? I could be wrong. We split up after that round of trivia and I took a nap until it was time for dinner. I would be enjoying dinner alone this evening as they had reservations at a different specialty restaurant.

​