A long time ago on a Fantasy far far away...Feb 2016 SWDAS TR, 5/17 CRUISE EPILOGUE - The End!

[Gracefulskinny]

OMG I did have fleeting thoughts about our driver stealing our luggage and we'd have to take a cab to port, but not have anything to wear.

Oh gosh that would be terrifying!

We got to the unloading area, got our luggage unloaded, tipped our driver (he was an oddball, but he got us there in one piece)

That was kind of you.

Once you get inside the security area, you're not allowed to take pictures. Trust me, I was told to stop.

You know your a good diser when you have to be told by security to stop taking pictures! LOL!

Finally we were at Minnie!

Finally it was our turn to be announced into the grand atrium of the Fantasy!
I gave them my maiden name and my married name as one word since I was with my sister and my DH. LOL.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'll keep that in mind. When we logged in to pick our PAT for the Magic, the first one available (but greyed out) was 11-11:30 (first one available to choose was 11:30-12:00pm which we took). Is it earlier on the larger ships?

I'm not sure, since we made it to silver CC with this cruise maybe it allowed us to book a little earlier therefore got better times. I can't remember what the first timeframe was for the Magic but I know everything was grayed out except for the 12:30-1pm slot.

Made it over! I have been a Dis - slacker lately! The Fantasy looks beautiful! Can't wait to hear more about it! We totally should have stayed in the MCO Hyatt for our night before cruise. Looks like it was much easier!

Yay!! I know the feeling of being a DIS-slacker, but I'll be sure to finish my TRs for this trip!
The MCO Hyatt is very convenient! It's just nice to be able to plop into a bed right after you get off the plane. Although if we had to stay longer than 24 hours I would think about spending one night at WDW or elsewhere.

Oh gosh that would be terrifying!

Yep...this TR would have turned out a lot differently if that happened.

That was kind of you.

Yup, it was, but I was in a happy mood and wasn't going to let it affect me...in another circumstance it would have been different.

You know your a good diser when you have to be told by security to stop taking pictures! LOL!

I do it for you guys!!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Day 1 Part 2: Exploring the ship, lunch at Cabanas, and a look inside our stateroom!

After we picked up our princess tickets, we continued our exploration of the ship. It was so much fun to explore when there were few people on board.

Love the portholes!

Some of the decks were empty! We walked around the Preludes area which is where all the shops are. The shops were closed since we were in port, but I was excited to check them out later. I ducked into the ladies room and fell in love with the Mickey mirrors. There was so much detail on the ship, and lots of little corners which would make great photo ops.

We moved up to Deck 5 on the way aft since we were heading up to Cabanas, and we passed by the Oceaneer’s Club. It was Open House time, so of course we had to visit! We were really smitten by the hand washing stations. You stick your hands in there and they spurt soapy water and then it rinses your hands. They should literally have them all over the ship for adults and kids to use! I think they are fun and it does not hurt, especially on a cruise ship. The Oceaneer’s club was really cool. We stepped into the Toy Story area and posed with all the toys. We hula-hooped on the dance floor, we explored all the different rooms. Boy these kids have got it all, and I understand why they wouldn’t want to leave!

After we pried ourselves away from the OC, we finally headed up to Cabanas. The elevators were getting crowded, and of course, Cabanas was crowded too. It was a little too windy to eat outside but we did find a table inside to plunk our stuff down and got ready to load up our plates! DH and CS raided the crab station. I found out that I am allergic to certain types of crab (I can eat king and snow crabs but think everything else is questionable) so I didn’t touch the crab, but I got some shrimp and all sorts of other things. Lots of variety at Cabanas which we enjoyed! We all sat and ate and talked about what we were going to do that day. We made sure the Navigator app was working with the onboard wifi on our phones and we sent a couple of text messages to each other. I said I’d probably meet them all in the stateroom later as I had to go to Senses Spa and then change our dining rotation.

Walking into Cabanas. Love the murals:

DH's plate

CS's plate

My plate

After lunch we checked out the pool areas on Deck 11 – both the adult and the regular pools were empty so it would be a good time to go!

I realized that it was 1pm so I had to go to Royal Court to change our dining rotation. But since we were on Deck 11 anyways, I headed to Senses spa first. They were having full facility tours but I told them all I was interested in was the Rainforest Pass. The CM asked if I wanted just a tour of the Rainforest room and I said ok. She lead me to the enclosed section and walked me in. I was very impressed. The Rainforest room(s) were just beautiful! Four different rain “showers”, 2 steam rooms, one sauna with a glass window that looks out to the ocean. Then there was the room with the heated loungers. These looked wonderful, and just beyond were the 2 Jacuzzis with a view of the ocean. Definitely my kind of place! I bought the couples pass which was 193. They automatically add gratuity and tax to it making it about 227. It’s a good deal if you’re buying for 2. My sister ended up going on the full tour of the spa and gym so she was on the tour much longer. Her Rainforest pass was 144 I think plus all the gratuities and taxes which makes the couples pass a much better value. If I were solo, I’d think about just getting the individual day passes which you can order prior to your cruise on the in-room guest merchandise form on the DCL website.

Senses Spa reception. I will show pics of the Rainforest Room in another post.​

After Senses Spa, I headed down to Royal Court to change our dining rotation. There was a short line but I was able to sit down inside and wait. It’s such a pretty restaurant and I couldn’t wait to eat here tonight! I loved all the murals with the prince and princesses on the walls. Pretty soon it was my turn and I asked to switch rotation. I also asked to confirm that we had a separate table for 3. They confirmed that they were able to move our rotation to RAERAAE and we got our separate table we requested. Score!! They said it was lucky we were in late seating as main seating did not have any availability for any rotation. I had an overwhelming sense of relief and excitement at that point because I had checked off all the “tasks” on my list and now I was really free to do anything I wanted!

Royal Court, where we would be eating at later tonight!​

By now our stateroom was ready so I headed up to deck 6. Our room was 6592, a Category 4D Deluxe family ocean view with verandah. It was close to the midship elevators and overall a very convenient location. Upon first entering the room, I was amazed to see how spacious it was. The extra 50 sq ft of space that the deluxe gives you over the regular oceanview really makes a difference in a tiny stateroom!

Our deluxe family oceanview stateroom with verandah!

Since we were only a party of 3, we did not get the murphy pull-down bed, instead we just got more counter space on the vanity which was even better IMO!

Large vanity area, plenty of room for us ladies!

Sofabed situation. CS found it quite comfy.

See me peeking out?

The tub was round and had a little seating area which was really nice!

Split bathrooms are wonderful!​

I checked our in-room gifts which were laid out on the bed. We got the Silver Castaway Club tote bag, and also the Star Wars Disney Cruise Line cooler that I had pre-ordered from in-room gifts! I loved it! I thought the zipper pulls were really cute - they were the rebel symbol. There was also a cute note from Jedi Mickey!

The most awesome Star Wars cooler bag! A bit pricey, but when in Rome...​

First thing I did was fill out our Star Wars day at Sea meet n greet form. You rank 3 different scenarios: Tatooine, Dark side, or Bespin. I ranked them in that order: 1 – Tatooine, 2- Darkside, 3 – Bespin. You are supposed to drop off this form with Guest Services before noon the next day so I put it in my bag to drop it off later.

Next order of business…decorate our stateroom door! I had remembered to put our decorations in our carryon so that I’d be able to decorate our door as soon as the rooms were ready. I made a few tweaks since I posted the design in my PTR so here is the final result:

​

I’m happy with the way it turned out and we got a many compliments on our door from people walking by as well as our stateroom host!

We chilled in our room for a bit. It was sooo nice!

​

At this point, it was getting pretty warm out so we decided to head up to the adult pool! We changed and got ready. First we headed to guest services to drop off our meet n greet form then we headed up to Deck 11.

After guest services, DH took this pic of me.

There were some people at the pool already but it was definitely the fewest people we would see all week at the pools. I couldn’t just sit still though, I had to get up and explore the adult areas a bit while DH and CS laid out by the pool. I went upstairs to where Currents was, which is the adult bar on Deck 12. I wanted to go to Satellite Falls but that area was roped off for now. So I took some pictures and went back down.

Adult pool

Currents Bar. Looks like it's 5pm for a lot of folks...

The adult areas were very chic and modern

Across the way was another kiddie pool - very cute!

Looking down at the Adult pool.

Then, I spotted Cove Cave, so I decided to get an iced latte. It’s really nicely decorated inside, and quite a bit different from the one on the Magic. I really enjoyed the interior.

Interior of Cove Cafe

Finally I sat down to chill out at the pool. It was magical to be in the sun and warmth!


Coming up, evening festivities, and dinner at Royal Court!

​

 

[disnygirl55]

OK - so first of all, you just added to my "to-do" list. (grumble grumble)

1) You just made me think of extra things I simply have to do before our cruise - namely, door decorations. I really wasn't planning to do much this trip, mostly because of the concierge stateroom doors, and having to buy extra strong magnets to make it work. But your door is so awesome. I'm loving it.

2) Next, that cooler is pretty cute. It would make a nice souvenir. I have to go look at the amenities I can pre-order again. That would sure be fun to have forever, even if we hardly ever use portable coolers. This may be a reason to start!

3) Your swimsuit cover-up is adorable. Looks like a dinner cocktail dress. I would be tempted to leave it on and wear it to dinner. Did you?????

Thanks for posting another update - you made my afternoon so HAPPY!!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

I love it so far! I hope you post pics of SF. I haven't seen it yet on the Dream but I hear it's nice! Glad you were able to get your rotation changed and your room looks fantastic!

 

[LizardQueen8]

Day 1 Part 2: Exploring the ship, lunch at Cabanas, and a look inside our stateroom!

After we picked up our princess tickets, we continued our exploration of the ship. It was so much fun to explore when there were few people on board.
​

​

We had a POT of 10:45am, so we were on the ship early and did the ship exploration thing too, which was so cool for a couple of newbies! We didn't think to explore the kid's area though - next time I am totally doing that.

Some of the decks were empty! We walked around the Preludes area which is where all the shops are. The shops were closed since we were in port, but I was excited to check them out later. I ducked into the ladies room and fell in love with the Mickey mirrors. There was so much detail on the ship, and lots of little corners which would make great photo ops.
​

I...can't believe I didn't notice the Mickey shaped mirrors. I must have been in that bathroom 15 times.

By now our stateroom was ready so I headed up to deck 6. Our room was 6592, a Category 4D Deluxe family ocean view with verandah. It was close to the midship elevators and overall a very convenient location. Upon first entering the room, I was amazed to see how spacious it was. The extra 50 sq ft of space that the deluxe gives you over the regular oceanview really makes a difference in a tiny stateroom!

​

We were in 6070, which was practically on top of the midship elevators. We LOVED the location. Of course, we ended up taking the stairs virtually every time, but the location was great .

Next order of business…decorate our stateroom door! I had remembered to put our decorations in our carryon so that I’d be able to decorate our door as soon as the rooms were ready. I made a few tweaks since I posted the design in my PTR so here is the final result:

​

Decorating our stateroom door was SO FUN. I love your decorations! We went with a half Star Wars, half Disneyland/DCA theme. I made magnets from extra maps I took from our trip in November.

Can't wait to hear more!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

LOVE your TR. We have been on the Fantasy last year and only now looking back at the pics and reading your TR do I realize how much I loved that ship. Yes of course we loved our cruise at the time, but I feel like we didn't fully take it all in... We had just been on the Magic prior to the Fantasy and I loved the Magic (in some ways more) but I remember thinking... I should pinch myself, are we really on the Fantasy? On the Aqua Duck... etc etc. Fantasy is the ship we want to go on again and hope to combine it with a trip to WDW next year. We would also like to try the Dream, but I don't love the idea of only a 4 night cruise... if you know what I mean. Looking forward to the rest of your TR and also Happy belated birthday! You are young of course, but you don't even look 40. Your sister and you both look to be same age, say around 30.

 

[bcwife76]

You look very regal and 'at home' sitting on your throne Cove Cafe looks much larger than the one on the Wonder (assuming the one on the Magic is the same size as Wonder?)

 

[Tinksdreams]

Love your TR!!!

 

[Dugette]

Nice ship explorations! Wish we'd had more time to do that - I felt like I was just rushing around and working on that "to do list" the whole time. Glad you got to check out the kids club too - it's so cute!

We had the same room type (on the Dream). Loved it - I think I'd have a hard time doing a standard sized one now. It was perfect.

Nice door!

That adult area looks so nice - hope to spend some time there whenever we cruise again!

 

[soniam]

It's already looking like an awesome trip. I have to get on the ship earlier next time. Cove Cave is awesome. They have free snacks at different points throughout the day that are really much nicer quality than some of the other places. The room looks great, and I am jealous of the cooler I am blown away by your door! You put in a lot of work and did an awesome job. I also really want to do the Rainforest room next time, but since DH probably won't be interested, I will probably just get a day pass for myself. I really love the two bathrooms too I have a weird seafood allergy. I seem to be allergic to squid/calamari and bay scallops, but luckily not sea scallops, which I adore.

 

[cheermom2four]

Im getting so very excited to experience the Fantasy late summer!!! My youngest will absolutely LOVE the OC as I showed her the pics and she loved the play area! My hubby and I will definitely be going to the adult pools. I agree I was just on the Magic and Cove Cafe seemed cramped and small compared to your pic of the one on the Fantasy! Cant wait to get my daily specialty coffee now!!!

 

[KathyM2]

Wow the ship looks amazing!! And a great first day so far. I don't think I'd be able to sit still either right away...The Rainforest Passes sound great ....that is a chunk of change to be able to use it but...sounds like it would be very relaxing and nice!! Looking forward to hearing more about it! And of course...your dinner

 

[chunkymonkey]

OK - so first of all, you just added to my "to-do" list. (grumble grumble)

Glad to be of service! LOL

1) You just made me think of extra things I simply have to do before our cruise - namely, door decorations. I really wasn't planning to do much this trip, mostly because of the concierge stateroom doors, and having to buy extra strong magnets to make it work. But your door is so awesome. I'm loving it.

It makes me feel like I'm in college again - to be able to decorate our door! It was so much fun. I didn't even know the concierge doors were metal, I always thought they were wood but I guess they are metal with a wood overlay? Have you seen concierge doors decorated before?

2) Next, that cooler is pretty cute. It would make a nice souvenir. I have to go look at the amenities I can pre-order again. That would sure be fun to have forever, even if we hardly ever use portable coolers. This may be a reason to start!

It's a really cute cooler. It's not that big, just the right size for drinks for 3-4 people. I plan on using it when we go on picnics, or road trips! But honestly, I just really liked it and thought it would be a good souvenir.

3) Your swimsuit cover-up is adorable. Looks like a dinner cocktail dress. I would be tempted to leave it on and wear it to dinner. Did you?????

Haha thanks, but the entire top half of the dress is just crochet so I'd have to wear my bathing suit to dinner which will probably offend most people. I guess I could wear a tank top underneath but since I know it as a cover up, it will forever be a coverup and not a dress to me!

Thanks for posting another update - you made my afternoon so HAPPY!!

I'm glad! I hope to post an update every day! Wishful thinking but I just want to download all the information when it's fresh in my head!

I love it so far! I hope you post pics of SF. I haven't seen it yet on the Dream but I hear it's nice! Glad you were able to get your rotation changed and your room looks fantastic!

Thank you! I did visit SF later on that week - it was really nice but it was always windy up there!

We had a POT of 10:45am, so we were on the ship early and did the ship exploration thing too, which was so cool for a couple of newbies! We didn't think to explore the kid's area though - next time I am totally doing that.

The kids areas are so well themed, they were so cute. Definitely visit during open house!

I...can't believe I didn't notice the Mickey shaped mirrors. I must have been in that bathroom 15 times.

LOL that was the first thing I noticed!

We were in 6070, which was practically on top of the midship elevators. We LOVED the location. Of course, we ended up taking the stairs virtually every time, but the location was great .

I love being close to the elevators! On the Magic the aft elevators were 3 steps away, it was so convenient, and everyone was able to see our door decorations! Next time I'm gonna see if we can get even closer to a set of elevators. We took the stairs most of the time too! I had to get in SOME exercise. LOL.

Decorating our stateroom door was SO FUN. I love your decorations! We went with a half Star Wars, half Disneyland/DCA theme. I made magnets from extra maps I took from our trip in November.

Thanks! Wow, maps, that sounds really cool, do you have a picture?

LOVE your TR. We have been on the Fantasy last year and only now looking back at the pics and reading your TR do I realize how much I loved that ship. Yes of course we loved our cruise at the time, but I feel like we didn't fully take it all in... We had just been on the Magic prior to the Fantasy and I loved the Magic (in some ways more) but I remember thinking... I should pinch myself, are we really on the Fantasy? On the Aqua Duck... etc etc. Fantasy is the ship we want to go on again and hope to combine it with a trip to WDW next year. We would also like to try the Dream, but I don't love the idea of only a 4 night cruise... if you know what I mean. Looking forward to the rest of your TR and also Happy belated birthday! You are young of course, but you don't even look 40. Your sister and you both look to be same age, say around 30.

Thank you so much! We went on the Magic prior to the Fantasy and we love them both! The Magic does feel more personable, and the size of the ship was great. There were definitely more people on the Fantasy, but I guess there is also more space and more staff. I loved the new-ness and the decor of the Fantasy and felt there was a lot to do. I absolutely loved the Rainforest room so that is my only hesitation with booking on an older ship again, although most of the itineraries I'd like to do (europe, alaska, hawaii) seem to be on the smaller ships.

I know what you mean about doing a short cruise - I'd barely be able to get my sea legs and then we'd have to leave the ship. I'd rather save my money and days for at least a 7 night cruise.

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I guess I can thank good genes for looking young, but I definitely feel older physically. Appreciate the kind words though!! I get so excited when I get carded.

You look very regal and 'at home' sitting on your throne Cove Cafe looks much larger than the one on the Wonder (assuming the one on the Magic is the same size as Wonder?)

LOL, I felt very at home on the Fantasy! Yup the Cove Cafe was larger on the Fantasy. I am assuming it's the same layout/decor on the Magic and Wonder!

Love your TR!!!

Thank you and thank you for reading!

Nice ship explorations! Wish we'd had more time to do that - I felt like I was just rushing around and working on that "to do list" the whole time. Glad you got to check out the kids club too - it's so cute!

I know the feeling...the "to-do" list - I'm glad I was able to get everything done. The kids clubs were so cute - and definitely love all the Disney touches.

We had the same room type (on the Dream). Loved it - I think I'd have a hard time doing a standard sized one now. It was perfect.

Yes I loved it! Although if it were just DH and I I'd be ok with not doing the deluxe and just having the verandah. Maybe I'd even try just having a porthole room one day...that way we can cruise more!

Nice door!

thank you!!

That adult area looks so nice - hope to spend some time there whenever we cruise again!

They adult areas were lovely but I think I spent more time in the rainforest room than at the pools!

It's already looking like an awesome trip. I have to get on the ship earlier next time. Cove Cave is awesome. They have free snacks at different points throughout the day that are really much nicer quality than some of the other places. The room looks great, and I am jealous of the cooler I am blown away by your door! You put in a lot of work and did an awesome job. I also really want to do the Rainforest room next time, but since DH probably won't be interested, I will probably just get a day pass for myself. I really love the two bathrooms too I have a weird seafood allergy. I seem to be allergic to squid/calamari and bay scallops, but luckily not sea scallops, which I adore.

The snacks at cove cafe look really good, they also had snacks at the vista cafe on deck 4. I was always not hungry everything we were there though since we've usually just eaten or right about to eat a large meal. LOL

Thank you!! Yeah we put in some effort to the door decorations! I found the graphics online and we blew them up, printed and laminated them. I loved them!

A day at the Rainforest Room is pretty awesome! I'd definitely do just day passes if it were just me. I'd get one for each sea day.

That's weird that you're allergic to bay scallops but not sea scallops. Then again I'm allergic to certain crab. I also think it's where they source the seafood from, could be something in the water in the particular area.

 

[SonyaShay]

I purchased 1 day passes for my sister and I on our Fantasy cruise last summer. We used them on our last sea day and it was heavenly! Not too crowded and we both took a quick nap on the heated loungers overlooking the water. It was pretty perfect!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Im getting so very excited to experience the Fantasy late summer!!! My youngest will absolutely LOVE the OC as I showed her the pics and she loved the play area! My hubby and I will definitely be going to the adult pools. I agree I was just on the Magic and Cove Cafe seemed cramped and small compared to your pic of the one on the Fantasy! Cant wait to get my daily specialty coffee now!!!

You will love the Fantasy. It is big and there is a lot to do. Many people think that the Fantasy is too crowded and impersonal but I didn't really find that to be the case. the ship is big, and yes most people would congregate around the pools, but I expect that on any cruise ship. We saw the same people all the time, and we made friends with our servers and the shutters photographer (because my sister loves her character photos!). The cove Club on the Fantasy is another league than the one on the Magic. I think even the coffee is yummier!

Wow the ship looks amazing!! And a great first day so far. I don't think I'd be able to sit still either right away...The Rainforest Passes sound great ....that is a chunk of change to be able to use it but...sounds like it would be very relaxing and nice!! Looking forward to hearing more about it! And of course...your dinner

Thank you! Yup Rainforest pass is expensive but we got a 200 OBB credit when we booked on the Magic last year so we put it to good use.

 

[chunkymonkey]

I purchased 1 day passes for my sister and I on our Fantasy cruise last summer. We used them on our last sea day and it was heavenly! Not too crowded and we both took a quick nap on the heated loungers overlooking the water. It was pretty perfect!

I love those heated loungers! I took a nap on them each time I visited. I wanted to bring one home. If I ever won the lottery I'm building myself my own rainforest room lounger!

 

[DisneyCoasters]

This looks like a great first day! You are totally right about how amazing all the little touches on the ship are. Those Mickey mirrors are the cutest! You did a great job with your door decor and your state room looks really nice. I was imagining the state rooms would be more cramped, but that looks like a good amount of space for the three of you. (Originally typed "three of us" there...apparently I am ready to join you guys! ) Deluxe seems worth it to me. Also agree that the spa passes sound worth it...go big or go home, I say!

 

[soniam]

They just announced Star Wars at Sea for 2017 I see another cruise in your future Unfortunately, they fall on either side of DS Spring Break again

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...-returns-to-disney-cruise-line-in-early-2017/

 

[dmlovullo]

This is so making me want to go on another Disney Cruise! I would love to go on one longer than the 3 days we went because I felt there was so much more to do and explore that we did not get to do! That Star Wars cooler is amazing! Great choice! I tend to say "when in Rome" a lot when it pertains to Disney things! haha!