robyncandland
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Aug 13, 2012
Does anyone have experience chartering a catamaran in Tortolla?
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Disney Fantasy December 12th-19th 2021 thread
- Thread starter Tinkerbell0614
- Start date
iadizfans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
We have been on catamaran excursions from Tortola and would be happy to share our experience with that... but if you're talking about a private charter, we have not done that.
iadizfans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
Not really.... Still a lot fewer than the packed ships we've been on in the past. Are you concerned about spreading the bug??
Katesdad
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
Not worried, just concerned about things like the number of people who will have to be tested before sailing (it is going to SLOW the system down), the number of people NOT being able to watch shows and participate in events as DCL continues to "socially distant" passengers (I am sure we will not be able to do all we have in the past), and the need for a third seating for dining times to handle the increased capacity (who wants to eat dinner at 4:30?). I guess I am JEALOUS of those cruisers who are now sailing at 30% capacity knowing our ship will not be that empty.
Katesdad
iadizfans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
The folks that got to cruise at 30% capacity really had it made.
FroZone the Pirate
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2015
I was late pulling the trigger for the Jost Van Dyke excursion and it sold out.
Does anyone have a recommendation for another excursion provider to get to JVD?
We want to hang out at the beaches and of course experience the Soggy Dollar.
Thanks in advance… G
Does anyone have a recommendation for another excursion provider to get to JVD?
We want to hang out at the beaches and of course experience the Soggy Dollar.
Thanks in advance… G
Katesdad
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
[QUOTE="FroZone the Pirate, post: 63505626, member: 556931"...[snip]...Does anyone have a recommendation for another excursion provider to get to JVD? We want to hang out at the beaches and of course experience the Soggy Dollar. Thanks in advance… G[/QUOTE] Did you try asking this on the Facebook group site? Also try DCL Fan group site. You might do better getting an answer from a larger base. Katesdad
Katesdad
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
From what we can gather from press reports, the virus is "milder" than the current Delta variant so getting it if you do would be like getting the flu. It sucks to be sick but at least you won't be in the hospital. We too are getting excited about the upcoming cruise. However, I think we will be just a little more cautious when out and about in crowds.Less than 2 weeks to go... DW is starting to get frazzled with planning activities.
Katesdad
Katesdad
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
Our last one was October 2019 (Fantasy HOTHS). So we are ready to jump aboard too.
Got to ask, what do you all think the occupancy will be on the cruise? They've been increasing head count lately and I'm kind of speculating that we will be up to around 3,000+ by the time we are sailing given what I am seeing as adds in the Facebook group.
Katesdad
Got to ask, what do you all think the occupancy will be on the cruise? They've been increasing head count lately and I'm kind of speculating that we will be up to around 3,000+ by the time we are sailing given what I am seeing as adds in the Facebook group.
Katesdad
iadizfans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
We were thinking still in the 50% area..... 2000-2500ish?? But not sure.
Katesdad
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
You will be on the plane a few hours before us. We leave at 7 Thurs morning to spend three nights at the YC. Then on to the cruise!!!
iadizfans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
And we'll be at AKV.... our home resort DVC that we have not visited in 6 years!!
Katesdad
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2002
Same for us, returning to the house in Cincinnati from Orlando at 11:00pm. on Sunday. Cruise was great. Next one booked on the Wish for December 2, 2022 doing a B2B (too many 2's). Looking forward to the double dip on CC that the B2B gives you.
Katesdad
iadizfans
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2011
Review of this sailing -
Before I get into the details of our experience I want to say that I understand there is another forum/thread for posting trip reports. Unfortunately I have no idea where that is or how to access and post on it. I only know that it's out there somewhere because people talk about it. If someone wants to move this to that thread. Feel free.
Two opening general comments - We do not sail with children so the below has no information on DCL's offerings for the younger folks. We also did not do any character greetings or attend and of the stage shows.
Stateroom # 12508 Concierge Verandah (Starboard Forward Deck 12)
1) Embarkation / Testing -
As I'm sure most of you know, everyone boarding a DCL ship needs to provide proof of vaccination and go through testing at the port terminal. DCL has an outstanding process of testing everyone before they get onboard. I understand there is a different process for guests who drive themselves and park a car in the terminal garage. The below describes our experience after being dropped off by a private car. Upon arrival porters were available to take our luggage. I'm not sure how DCL would have handled our bags without a porter. We simply tipped him and the bags showed up in our room onboard.
After dumping the luggage, we were directed to a gate (staffed by a cast member) in the fenced in parking lot across the street from the terminal. We were then directed to a large tent in a fairly large group of tents to begin the testing process. The testing process is handled by "Inspire Diagnostics." A technician has you swab your nose - YOU DO IT NOT THEM - and put the cue tip in a vial. You are then directed to another tent to wait for your results. Throughout this process you will be asked to confirm your ID and reservation number. Have that QR code handy. It will help.
You will wait in that tent along with about 30-40 other guests for approx. 45-60 minutes for test results. They have a screen that shows the results as they come in or you can use their website. Everyone refreshing their smart phones every couple of minutes!! LOL. If you do not pass, you are told to see an Inspire consultant. If you pass, you are directed to the terminal.
The check kiosks are now located on the first floor of the terminal. You check in there and are directed upstairs to wait for your boarding group. We were concierge this sailing so were ushered directly to the gangway.
Stateroom 12508 -
We really liked this cabin. Plenty of space for our clothes and personal items needed for a 7 night cruise . The balcony for this room is a "bump out" so a little deeper than normal which was nice. Being starboard also provided a great view of Castaway Cay and the fireworks (which DCL is requesting you do not view from your balcony for some reason... not sure why??). The stateroom has a connecting door to a 1 bedroom suite forward and is a few steps away from the concierge lounge.
Dining -
We were very happy with the main dining room food quality. I would say this sailing ranks at or near the top of all our dining room food experiences. The menus are fairly easy to find online so I will not get into specifics other than to restate... the MDR food was very good. As always, the servers were fantastic. They really work their butts off to provide guests with a great level of service.
Remy -
We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary so we decided to treat ourselves to Remy. OUTSTANDING. I did the wine experience as well (DW not a huge fan of wine so she did not). The menu is set up in a way that provides you with a choice of Prix Fix $125 pp upcharge or ala carte. There are two separate Prix Fix options - A 6 course French option created by Arnaud Lallement and a 6 course American option by Scott Hunnel (of Victoria and Albert's fame). I chose the American with DW doing the French and we of course shared. It was a wonderful experience. Again, the actual items on the menu are fairly easy to find online, although they do change them, so I will not use more space on that. If you do enjoy good wine with your meal and are willing to part with the additional $105 pp, strongly consider the wine pairing experience. The sommelier on duty that night was Ari. His explanations of the wines and why he selected them was a treat in and of itself.
Palo Brunch -
As DCL platinum sailors we are offered a complimentary Palo experience - either dinner or brunch. We chose brunch due past outstanding experiences. Unfortunately, DCL has done a poor job of transitioning that great "buffet" type brunch experience through COVID protocols. Of course it is no longer a good idea to have everyone getting their own food. So the Palo brunch menu was slashed down to a few sections to choose from and your server will bring them to you. There are fewer options for sure, but the real issue is food quality. It did not live up to the usual standards that we've come to expect from Palo. DCL needs to get this right or they will start losing guests to other shipboard options.
Ports -
We stopped at Tortola, St. Thomas, and of course Castaway Cay. The only new thing to report on about Castaway Cay was the virtual cue process using the DCL app that they ask everyone to go through. What a nightmare. On our sailing, nobody seemed to use that and the gangways were backed up to the 2nd deck!! Horrible. This led to back ups at the tram stops as well. But the island itself remains the same wonderful place it always has been.
Tortola -
I did the Treasure Island Sail and Snorkel port adventure. DW stayed onboard the whole cruise. My port adventure was enjoyable. Treasure Island is actually Norman Island BVI. I was directed to a catamaran docked very close to the main cruise pier and taken to a snorkel spot with a few caves. Fish and coral were somewhat limited but it's always a treat getting in the water around the virgin islands so I was not disappointed. After snorkeling they took us to Pirate's Bight restaurant in a bay on Norman Island where we were given another hour or so to have a drink (not provided) and relax on the beach.
St. Thomas -
Here I did the Ultimate Island Experience. A drive up to a great gift shop - "Top of the Mountain" and then a stop at Magen's Bay where we were given 2 hours to swim and relax on the beach. There was a restaurant here but the tour took our group so far down the beach that I decided not to make the trip down there. It really was only about 1/2 mile walk so not a real big deal but I simply decided to relax a little more.
Entertainment -
We always make use of O'Gills or it's equivalent when onboard. This sailing no exception. The service and availability was very good as usual. The internet and TV offerings are not good but we always sail with the expectation of being "disconnected" so this does not bother us. The trivia offerings at the pubs are a favorite activity and did not disappoint.
Final Comments -
The ship was about 50% full. I was told approx 2200 guests. That was of course really nice in keeping the crowd factors down. The ship was spotless everywhere we went. Overall great cruise.
Before I get into the details of our experience I want to say that I understand there is another forum/thread for posting trip reports. Unfortunately I have no idea where that is or how to access and post on it. I only know that it's out there somewhere because people talk about it.
If someone wants to move this to that thread. Feel free.Two opening general comments - We do not sail with children so the below has no information on DCL's offerings for the younger folks. We also did not do any character greetings or attend and of the stage shows.
Stateroom # 12508 Concierge Verandah (Starboard Forward Deck 12)
1) Embarkation / Testing -
As I'm sure most of you know, everyone boarding a DCL ship needs to provide proof of vaccination and go through testing at the port terminal. DCL has an outstanding process of testing everyone before they get onboard. I understand there is a different process for guests who drive themselves and park a car in the terminal garage. The below describes our experience after being dropped off by a private car. Upon arrival porters were available to take our luggage. I'm not sure how DCL would have handled our bags without a porter. We simply tipped him and the bags showed up in our room onboard.
After dumping the luggage, we were directed to a gate (staffed by a cast member) in the fenced in parking lot across the street from the terminal. We were then directed to a large tent in a fairly large group of tents to begin the testing process. The testing process is handled by "Inspire Diagnostics." A technician has you swab your nose - YOU DO IT NOT THEM - and put the cue tip in a vial. You are then directed to another tent to wait for your results. Throughout this process you will be asked to confirm your ID and reservation number. Have that QR code handy. It will help.
You will wait in that tent along with about 30-40 other guests for approx. 45-60 minutes for test results. They have a screen that shows the results as they come in or you can use their website. Everyone refreshing their smart phones every couple of minutes!! LOL. If you do not pass, you are told to see an Inspire consultant. If you pass, you are directed to the terminal.
The check kiosks are now located on the first floor of the terminal. You check in there and are directed upstairs to wait for your boarding group. We were concierge this sailing so were ushered directly to the gangway.
Stateroom 12508 -
We really liked this cabin. Plenty of space for our clothes and personal items needed for a 7 night cruise . The balcony for this room is a "bump out" so a little deeper than normal which was nice. Being starboard also provided a great view of Castaway Cay and the fireworks (which DCL is requesting you do not view from your balcony for some reason... not sure why??). The stateroom has a connecting door to a 1 bedroom suite forward and is a few steps away from the concierge lounge.
Dining -
We were very happy with the main dining room food quality. I would say this sailing ranks at or near the top of all our dining room food experiences. The menus are fairly easy to find online so I will not get into specifics other than to restate... the MDR food was very good. As always, the servers were fantastic. They really work their butts off to provide guests with a great level of service.
Remy -
We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary so we decided to treat ourselves to Remy. OUTSTANDING. I did the wine experience as well (DW not a huge fan of wine so she did not). The menu is set up in a way that provides you with a choice of Prix Fix $125 pp upcharge or ala carte. There are two separate Prix Fix options - A 6 course French option created by Arnaud Lallement and a 6 course American option by Scott Hunnel (of Victoria and Albert's fame). I chose the American with DW doing the French and we of course shared.
It was a wonderful experience. Again, the actual items on the menu are fairly easy to find online, although they do change them, so I will not use more space on that. If you do enjoy good wine with your meal and are willing to part with the additional $105 pp, strongly consider the wine pairing experience. The sommelier on duty that night was Ari. His explanations of the wines and why he selected them was a treat in and of itself.Palo Brunch -
As DCL platinum sailors we are offered a complimentary Palo experience - either dinner or brunch. We chose brunch due past outstanding experiences. Unfortunately, DCL has done a poor job of transitioning that great "buffet" type brunch experience through COVID protocols. Of course it is no longer a good idea to have everyone getting their own food. So the Palo brunch menu was slashed down to a few sections to choose from and your server will bring them to you. There are fewer options for sure, but the real issue is food quality. It did not live up to the usual standards that we've come to expect from Palo. DCL needs to get this right or they will start losing guests to other shipboard options.
Ports -
We stopped at Tortola, St. Thomas, and of course Castaway Cay. The only new thing to report on about Castaway Cay was the virtual cue process using the DCL app that they ask everyone to go through. What a nightmare. On our sailing, nobody seemed to use that and the gangways were backed up to the 2nd deck!! Horrible. This led to back ups at the tram stops as well. But the island itself remains the same wonderful place it always has been.
Tortola -
I did the Treasure Island Sail and Snorkel port adventure. DW stayed onboard the whole cruise. My port adventure was enjoyable. Treasure Island is actually Norman Island BVI. I was directed to a catamaran docked very close to the main cruise pier and taken to a snorkel spot with a few caves. Fish and coral were somewhat limited but it's always a treat getting in the water around the virgin islands so I was not disappointed. After snorkeling they took us to Pirate's Bight restaurant in a bay on Norman Island where we were given another hour or so to have a drink (not provided) and relax on the beach.
St. Thomas -
Here I did the Ultimate Island Experience. A drive up to a great gift shop - "Top of the Mountain" and then a stop at Magen's Bay where we were given 2 hours to swim and relax on the beach. There was a restaurant here but the tour took our group so far down the beach that I decided not to make the trip down there. It really was only about 1/2 mile walk so not a real big deal but I simply decided to relax a little more.
Entertainment -
We always make use of O'Gills or it's equivalent when onboard. This sailing no exception. The service and availability was very good as usual. The internet and TV offerings are not good but we always sail with the expectation of being "disconnected" so this does not bother us. The trivia offerings at the pubs are a favorite activity and did not disappoint.
Final Comments -
The ship was about 50% full. I was told approx 2200 guests. That was of course really nice in keeping the crowd factors down. The ship was spotless everywhere we went. Overall great cruise.
mzspaz
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2004
Thank for sharing your experience. We sail on the Fantasy on 1/22/22 so I have been looking for recent experiences and have had a hard time finding any willing to share. Your review is our exact itinerary so I really appreciate the feedback on Tortola and St Thomas.
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