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

[Dugette]

Want to know how to avoid the post-cruise blues? Go to WDW after your cruise!! I know many people like to cruise after the parks but after doing WDW post cruise twice, I find I'm a big fan of that. I think it helps alleviate the sad feeling leaving such an awesome ship, plus now I've been recharged for the week ahead! I'm ready for you WDW!

Haha, I did both. But it did wipe us out. I think the problem was only having a 4 night cruise. 7 nights would be much more refreshing.

Love how you are both in the picture.

That's great - love the childlike enthusiasm!

Aw, so cute!

The look in his eyes!

Thanks for sharing all of the photos and allowing me to re-live your cruise again. I am chomping at the bit to write about ours. We were on it almost exactly a year ago and I am to the day prior to it in my TR now. Gotta move that thing along!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Castaway Cay is SOOOO beautiful. There is not much I love more than a Caribbean beach. The sand. The water.

I love all of your pictures.

Thank you! It was really pretty in Castaway Cay, despite the wind.

Too bad about the wind and cold water. Lunch looked like a great consolation, though!

Yup, when there's nothing to do, you eat! Or at least that is my motto...LOL

Your afternoon back at the ship, taking pictures during your "run" around the ship, then spending time at the Rainforest room was a great way to spend some time before the show and dinner.

Totally! I liked how we all did our own thing and then regrouped again later. That's the fun thing about cruises I realize.

Love reading your trip reports! Thank you

Thank you for reading!!

Bittersweet last night...

Once again, all of the food at the dining room sounds and looks really good. The tuna and salad are both light and fresh. I would have trouble choosing between the beef Wellington and the shrimp. Good thing Mark usually agrees to splitting meals. I know you can get both if you want, but SO MUCH FOOD!

It was so nice to be able to get all this unlimited table service! We did try to control ourselves but we definitely got seconds of our favorites if we wanted to.

Is there a more perfect way to end the night and the cruise than character palooza?!? There are some really fun shots!

Totally fun night! Definitely worth being in the Atrium at that moment, even though it was crowded. But I'm not sure why, but I think it was less crowded than the Magic's last year. No clue why since this was a bigger ship and more people...maybe it just felt that way because the Atrium is bigger.

I am so glad you mentioned about them showing scenes from the past week on the cruise. We have a couple of videos from cruises we took in 2006 and 2007 that we haven't watched in forever! The 2006 cruise was a family reunion cruise- Auntie Jeanne treated 42 members of our family to a Royal Caribbean Western itinerary.

Yup! They showed pictures from the cruise including some pics from SWDAS. I didn't make it up there though, LOL.

Happy Birthday from all of us, even though your family couldn't quite make it until midnight.

Thank you!! I know right...well technically they had been celebrating with me all week, so my actual birthday is really an afterthought. LOL

Never mind the sad little burrito. How about the names of the goodbye breakfast dishes?

"I'll have the -Get the hell off the ship, we're done with you now- over easy!"

Haha, yeah I liked their creative names for the dishes!

GREAT report! You guys really had so much fun and got into all of the fun activities. And so glad the fun ain't quite over yet. I'll finish up here then heading over to the WDW part of your trip.

We sure did! we took advantage of everything the ship had to offer but I still feel like we could have done more. I can't imagine going on the Dream cruises for 3-4 days. I'd probably not be able to do anything!

Oh, wow! Your sisters pictures are great, and I agree her collages are super-cute!

She certainly made the most of her selfie stick(s)!

Thanks! Well, she did go through 3 selfie sticks...so she has a ton of selfies. I only showed a small portion here.

It was fun going back to see some of the earlier parts of your cruise again.[/QUOTE]

Haha, yeah it was great to see the pictures that CS took! I forgot that we took some of those!

Haha, I did both. But it did wipe us out. I think the problem was only having a 4 night cruise. 7 nights would be much more refreshing.

I can see that. On a 3-4 night I'd be obsessed with doing everything on the ship that I'd forget to relax! At least the 7 night gave us a little down time.

Love how you are both in the picture.

thanks! It wasn't quite how I pictured it to come out but didn't realize he was taking the pic in front of the mirror. I just wanted him to take a picture of me wearing my Star Wars tank top. Haha.

That's great - love the childlike enthusiasm!

I think the kids clubs were made for ME, really!

Aw, so cute!

Really cute when Pluto does that!

The look in his eyes!

that no good pirate! LOL

Thanks for sharing all of the photos and allowing me to re-live your cruise again. I am chomping at the bit to write about ours. We were on it almost exactly a year ago and I am to the day prior to it in my TR now. Gotta move that thing along!

I was wondering when you'd be writing about your cruise! It will be interesting to read your experiences on the 4 night cruise!
It's funny, last year at this time, we were at WDW. I keep seeing those memory posts on facebook. Really brings me back to Star Wars Weekends last year!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Cruise Epilogue and Best of Lists!



That's all folks! That's the end of this TR! Thought I'd share a few notes and favorites of the trip.​

Thoughts on SWDAS:

We had a great time at SWDAS, but for us it was non-stop all day. I think when you are in costume, it's harder to take breaks, go to the pool etc. You're pretty much in it all day. Plus, they had activities, movies, characters, so we were always on the go, looking for the next thing to do or see. I think if they spread it out over two days, there won't be so much pressure to do everything on one day. I really appreciated having the second meet 'n greet the next day, although if I were to have met Vader wearing my Leia outfit, I'd run up to him and say "Daddy!!" and hold up a sign that said "Best Dad Ever" or something funny like that. Was it worth the extra cost over a non-SWDAS itinerary? Well I'm sort of going to be biased because I was going on this cruise regardless of the cost since it was my 40th birthday (and I was going to splurge anyways!). I didn't even look into the price of other cruises. Would I do this itinerary again? Absolutely. I would probably wait a year or two to do it again though. I'd like to see what changes and improvements Disney makes to the program, although I'm pretty sure they will reuse a lot of items from the inaugural cruises. Hopefully they will learn from some of the feedback, like people being extremely disappointed their kids weren't able to participate in Jedi Training. Maybe they will start using a ticket system like they do with some meet n greets. Or just hold more sessions over the course of the cruise. Hey, wait, maybe they will even have a Star Wars week at sea!?!? #wishfulthinking The best part of the day as I said before, was the fan interaction. It's basically an excuse for fans to dress up and get into character and take pictures of each other. Having roaming characters was a nice touch. I enjoyed Star Wars Day at Sea and we made the most of it but I think overall there were many divided opinions over the day.


Thoughts on the Fantasy vs Magic:

I absolutely loved the Fantasy. It is modern, large, and beautiful. I loved the intricate details, the awesome adult areas, and the themed restaurants. Animator's Palate was a different beast than the one on the Magic. I liked how they had interactive games (midship detective agency) and I especially loved the Rainforest Room. I felt like there was more to do on board, more options for food, and we never got tired of exploring. The shops were also larger and had more stuff. I did not feel that the crowds were more prevalent on the Fantasy, even though there were about 1000 more people. I guess the ship just felt bigger overall, and there were more decks. We didn't use the pools that much. Both family pools on the Magic and Fantasy were packed every day. We used the adult pool and jacuzzis a few times. The Jacuzzis are a little bigger on the Fantasy. That said, I think the Magic is just a beautiful classic ship and I'd be really happy to sail on it again. The Magic felt slightly more intimate and the service was excellent, in fact I think it surpassed the Fantasy in terms of one-on-one service. But our team on the Fantasy was great too. I'd sail on the Magic again in a heartbeat but I'd really miss some of the features of the Fantasy. The Magic and Wonder have more interesting itineraries whereas the Dream Class ships are pretty much dedicated to the Bahamas and Caribbean. One day I'd like to do the Eastern Caribbean the Fantasy.

Food-wise, they were about the same standard and one ship wasn't better over the other. Some things were hit or miss in the main dining rooms, and the adults-only restaurants were definitely the highlight of both cruises we took. I really loved Remy so that is one reason to return to the Fantasy. On both ships I really enjoyed the Animator's Palate dining room the most.

Our Staterooms were comparable, but on the Magic we were in a 5C and on the Fantasy we were in a 4D which is slightly bigger. They were identical in decor - but the Fantasy had the round bathtub which was much larger than the smallish tub on the Magic. The Magic staterooms were definitely a little bit older and did have some wear and tear - not the decor or furniture, which were new since the refurbishment, but things like worn-out door hinges, and paint peeling on the verandah. Nothing to complain about really, just some things to note.

Here ia my best-of list from the cruise!

Best Restaurant Decor: Animator's Palate
Best Rotational Theme Night: Star Wars Day at Sea! Duh. Made even better because we were in Animator's Palate!
Best Food Item (Main Dining Room) - a tie between the truffle pasta pursettes and the seared tuna I had on our first Animator's Palate night. Those two dishes were executed extremely well and tasted delicious that it stuck with me.
Best Food Item (Palo or Remy) - gosh this is so difficult, but I'd have to say the deep fried egg dish we had during Remy brunch. I love eggs, and loved the preparation and flavor of this dish. I loved how the yolk was still runny and you cut into it and it was just a really great dish. I also really like the french-style caviar add-on we had at Remy but it was pretty expensive as an add-on.
Best Day of the Cruise: Well, there is no doubt about it but we went on this cruise because of Star Wars Day at Sea so that day wins!
Best Theater Show: It's between Wishes or Believe and I loved them both, but I'd have to give Wishes the edge just because it is teeny-boppy disney-channel fun!
Best Outdoor Show: Well, it would by default have to be the Star Wars Fireworks and pre-show because I think that's the only show I watched outside. Oh the Sail Away party but that was pretty standard.
Best Character Meet: it would have to be Darth Vader...I mean...he is Darth Vader. Plus, I had a matching dress! The droids come in a very close second!
Best Port of Call: Well considering we did nothing much in Cozumel and Grand Cayman, I'd have to say Castaway Cay despite the cold water and wind. It's just so pretty there, and the included BBQ lunch didn't hurt!
Best Area of the Ship to take a break: The Rainforest Room or Cove Cafe, which I didn't spend quite enough time in (most likely because I was in the Rainforest Room!)
Best alcoholic/specialty drink: I loved how they had Moet Ice with a twist of fruit!
Best Adult Ship Activity: Aside from eating, if you get the chance, try Mixology! Even though I came out a little tipsy, it was a ton of fun and well worth it!


I did a lessons learned type thing in my previous TR here. And I really tried to take my own advice!

• I brought more heels
• We brought less clothes
• I wore less "breezy" clothing up on deck
• We ordered room service
• We ate in one of the MDRs for breakfast
• We didn't need an alarm clock since the Fantasy did have one in the stateroom
• I brought higher SPF sunscreen and I even brought lots of bug spray with all the Zika warnings going on.
• I stored all my navigators in a folder.
• Took advantage of spa specials so didn't pre-book spa treatments and saved some money

OK everyone...It's a WRAP!!


Thank you everyone for reading and for your kind comments. I really enjoyed sharing our experiences and reading your feedback.
Hope to see you all on my WDW TR!

​

 

[dmlovullo]

Thank you for sharing your DCL experiences, especially the SWDAS! Looks like it was such a great time. All the food looked wonderful, the Spa sounded amazing, and the Ports of Call were definitely a great adventure! All your outfits were super cute! Finally made it over for your wrap up! (For some reason my alerts, don't alert me of some updates.) Loving the WDW TR so far as well! Nothing beats a double feature!

 

[bcwife76]

Thanks for the recap!!!

Catch ya on the flip side (of WDW)

 

[mlegerto]

I'm very sad that your TR is over, but thank you so much for writing it and sharing your trip with us!

You've made me ever so excited for our future Disney Cruise - now only to wait until they announce December 2017 sailings :|. I know who to come to with my questions !

 

[chunkymonkey]

Thank you for sharing your DCL experiences, especially the SWDAS! Looks like it was such a great time. All the food looked wonderful, the Spa sounded amazing, and the Ports of Call were definitely a great adventure! All your outfits were super cute! Finally made it over for your wrap up! (For some reason my alerts, don't alert me of some updates.) Loving the WDW TR so far as well! Nothing beats a double feature!

Thank you so much! I know, the DIS is not always the best with the alerts. But I'm happy to share our experiences since it was an epic trip. I hope to continue to write TRs from now on although that is a tall order to fill!
Hopefully at least for the cruises we take since they are so special. Thank you for reading!!

Thanks for the recap!!!

Catch ya on the flip side (of WDW)

Thanks for reading!! It was fun to write and re-live the memories!

I'm very sad that your TR is over, but thank you so much for writing it and sharing your trip with us!

You've made me ever so excited for our future Disney Cruise - now only to wait until they announce December 2017 sailings :|. I know who to come to with my questions !

Of course! Ask me anything and I'll try to help as best I can! You are definitely making the right decision to go with Disney Cruise Line that's for sure! Thanks for reading!

 

[Dugette]

Thanks for the wrap-up and tips! Loved hearing all about this and I think you need to do another cruise soon so I can follow along with you again!

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, I nearly missed your recap! Your thoughts about Fantasy and Magic are exactly like mine! While I can understand that some prefer the more intimate feel of the classic ships, for me all the sparkling grandeur of the Fantasy has a large appeal as well. I have never found it overly crowded either (besides the embarkation day lunch at Cabanas). My dream cruise would still be a transatlantic cruise on the Fantasy with all those sea days!

 

[chunkymonkey]

Thanks for the wrap-up and tips! Loved hearing all about this and I think you need to do another cruise soon so I can follow along with you again!

Hehehe. I wish! Our next cruise is more than a year away....sigh. Sept 2017! I hope the Wonder gets a nice update during it's dry dock. That's one of the reasons I'd go for the Wonder!

Oh, I nearly missed your recap! Your thoughts about Fantasy and Magic are exactly like mine! While I can understand that some prefer the more intimate feel of the classic ships, for me all the sparkling grandeur of the Fantasy has a large appeal as well. I have never found it overly crowded either (besides the embarkation day lunch at Cabanas). My dream cruise would still be a transatlantic cruise on the Fantasy with all those sea days!

Very true that lots of people like the classic ships for it's size and intimacy. I spoke to some people and they also said a sense of Nostalgia because the Magic was their first and they always go back. The Magic was my first too but I love the Fantasy so much! I can't wait to see what they put in the new ships they are building. I have a feeling I'll LOVE them!

A transatlantic on the Fantasy would be such an awesome cruise! Honestly a cruise to nowhere on the Fantasy would be great. This cruise was the first time that I was more excited about the journey rather than the destination. Except for Castaway Cay though, I was really excited to see that again!

 

[Beth D]

​

[/QUOTE]

So if you look really closely at the above pic, way up in the top right corner, you can see where we sat! I have the dark curly hair, and am talking to our waiter - we were right on the edge of the first/second rooms, a table right at the window. DH has his back to you in this picture...

 

[chunkymonkey]

​

So if you look really closely at the above pic, way up in the top right corner, you can see where we sat! I have the dark curly hair, and am talking to our waiter - we were right on the edge of the first/second rooms, a table right at the window. DH has his back to you in this picture...[/QUOTE]

Why hello there! That is too funny!! Hope you guys enjoyed brunch as much as we did! Did you have fun on SWDAS?

 

[Sydnerella]

Hey! I just saw you and your hubby in your Star Wars attire being introduced in the atrium in someone's family Youtube trip report video! EvantubeRaw, SWDAS part 6 at about 7:25. It is a clip but perhaps you can contact him for more raw footage!?!?

Im super excited about this, like a celeb sighting or something... such a disney dork! Anyway, hope you enjoy!

I have been reading both of your trip reports from 2016 and loving them since we will travel on the Fantasy in October, our 1st cruise ever. Hoping to preface our cruise with a quick WDW stop but we are not sure yet. We were just there in February so it may not happen.

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hey! I just saw you and your hubby in your Star Wars attire being introduced in the atrium in someone's family Youtube trip report video! EvantubeRaw, SWDAS part 6 at about 7:25. It is a clip but perhaps you can contact him for more raw footage!?!?

Im super excited about this, like a celeb sighting or something... such a disney dork! Anyway, hope you enjoy!

I have been reading both of your trip reports from 2016 and loving them since we will travel on the Fantasy in October, our 1st cruise ever. Hoping to preface our cruise with a quick WDW stop but we are not sure yet. We were just there in February so it may not happen.

OMG Thank you so much for sharing that! That's really awesome!!! Haha I just realized we are probably in a few people's cameras and camera phones. And we do have a bunch of clips of other people as well!

I hope you enjoy the Fantasy!! Without the Star Wars Stuff it is equally as good and just such a gorgeous ship. I'm really really looking forward to when I can board her again. Have an amazing cruise! I hope you do a cruise report too!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Hey Su-Lynn!

I'm finally done reading this TR. Absolutely LOVED the way you tell it and ALL your pictures!!! Ever since I got into vlogging, I've been taking a lot less pictures.

I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE CS's dresses!!! Every single one of them!! And her bags too! She just looked sooo good in her outfits.

Reading your TR makes me really miss cruising. I think I should start planning one for next year...

The Rainforest Room sounds like a DREAM. I wish the RCCL ships had something like that. Or maybe the Oasis class and higher does.... I would definitely spend a lot of time in that room too. I love heated beds.

How much were the brunches at Remy and Palo? They look so decadent! And the Palo brunch had SO MUCH FOOD! I've never had caviar but from what I've heard and read about it, it sounds like something I would like.

Ok, I'm going to hop on over to your next TR then. Toodles!

 

[bcwife76]

Sooooo....I'm going to need to reread your entire TR (and show my DH) because we switched our January cruise to a SW cruise!!! We are doing the Eastern Car.....eeek!! We leave one day later than our original Wonder cruise lol If you can believe it, eventhough the cruise is more expensive (I owe $1100 more now, the other one was paid off already!!) the airfare is cheaper!!! And from Vancouver, not Seattle!! And we will only need hotel one night instead of two. And transportation is cheaper! My DH is really excited about this cruise, which is new - he hasn't been super thrilled with the other ones so there's that as well ;-)

 

[chunkymonkey]

Hey Su-Lynn!

I'm finally done reading this TR. Absolutely LOVED the way you tell it and ALL your pictures!!! Ever since I got into vlogging, I've been taking a lot less pictures.

Thanks Yuki!! It was an amazing experience. I have to work on my video-taking. Sometimes I forget I can record things and just rely on pictures.

I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE CS's dresses!!! Every single one of them!! And her bags too! She just looked sooo good in her outfits.

Haha, I'll let her know! She's very meticulous about planning her outfits for each day and which characters she'll meet! She's starting to plan her outfits for Disneyland now. LOL

Reading your TR makes me really miss cruising. I think I should start planning one for next year...

Yeah! You should come on our Canadian cruise from NYC! Although not sure you'd want to do a Canada cruise, LOL. But at least it won't be too far to travel to get on the ship!

The Rainforest Room sounds like a DREAM. I wish the RCCL ships had something like that. Or maybe the Oasis class and higher does.... I would definitely spend a lot of time in that room too. I love heated beds.

It was wonderful! I think some of the larger cruise ships will have something similar. I'm not sure! I'd like to try another cruise line but I keep having to go with Disney. The characters and the theme...I'd miss it! Of course it costs a pretty penny for the privilege of cruising with the mouse.

How much were the brunches at Remy and Palo? They look so decadent! And the Palo brunch had SO MUCH FOOD! I've never had caviar but from what I've heard and read about it, it sounds like something I would like.

Palo Brunch was 30 pp I think, not sure about dinner...think 40 or 50. Remy brunch was 50 pp and dinner was 85 pp, but we went well over that with the caviar course. Of course if you want wine pairings it's all additional. But I loved our meals there and it was all delicious. I think the main dining room food is ok to good. I'm actually surprised it's not better, but I think Disney can get away with it because of the themes, and the fact it's so kid-friendly. The themes and the service are what makes the dinners so fun. I would say a few entrees and appetizers were excellent though.

Ok, I'm going to hop on over to your next TR then. Toodles!

Sooooo....I'm going to need to reread your entire TR (and show my DH) because we switched our January cruise to a SW cruise!!! We are doing the Eastern Car.....eeek!! We leave one day later than our original Wonder cruise lol If you can believe it, eventhough the cruise is more expensive (I owe $1100 more now, the other one was paid off already!!) the airfare is cheaper!!! And from Vancouver, not Seattle!! And we will only need hotel one night instead of two. And transportation is cheaper! My DH is really excited about this cruise, which is new - he hasn't been super thrilled with the other ones so there's that as well ;-)

Aaaaack so exciting!!!! Great choice!! How will you avoid the Jawas though? Are you guys going to dress up?? You'll have so much fun!! The Fantasy is such an amazing ship! Although after the Wonder's refurbishment I'm sure it's going to be amazing too. But yeah I'd go with Star Wars in a heartbeat!
Hmm, looks like we'll be missing each other by a week in Disneyland based on your ticker. That's too bad! Have a great time though!

 

[bcwife76]

Haha, I know....how will I avoid Jawas??? My hubby might dress up but at the very least we are hoping to get Star Wars shirts for our entire family (not matching though). My dh has this awesome shirt that is a huge pic of Darth Vadar and it says 'this is my weekend face' he gets tons of comments on that shirt lol

I am still super excited for all the changes they are making to the Wonder and we'll see them when we sail to Alaska later in 2017 but I'm thrilled to be on a different Disney ship. Getting to Galveston was proving to be a logistical nightmare. Not only was airfare to Houston more expensive than flying to Orlando (figure that one out!) getting from Houston to the port was annoying and expensive. I'm a little bummed we won't have time to do WDW as well but one day.....one day!!

We leave Disneyland on September 2nd and I think you're arriving a couple days later? What are the odds, eh?

 

[chunkymonkey]

Haha, I know....how will I avoid Jawas??? My hubby might dress up but at the very least we are hoping to get Star Wars shirts for our entire family (not matching though). My dh has this awesome shirt that is a huge pic of Darth Vadar and it says 'this is my weekend face' he gets tons of comments on that shirt lol

That will be so cute! I think you're going to have so much fun on that cruise, oh and you must do a TR for me, OK? I need to see hos the SWDAS is evolving!

I am still super excited for all the changes they are making to the Wonder and we'll see them when we sail to Alaska later in 2017 but I'm thrilled to be on a different Disney ship. Getting to Galveston was proving to be a logistical nightmare. Not only was airfare to Houston more expensive than flying to Orlando (figure that one out!) getting from Houston to the port was annoying and expensive. I'm a little bummed we won't have time to do WDW as well but one day.....one day!!

True. I am definitely excited to be on the wonder some day. Maybe when we actually do that Alaska cruise! That's crazy about the airfare, but the the supply and the number of flights to orlando are just making it cheap enough to get there at a decent price. Galveston can be tricky I bet.

We leave Disneyland on September 2nd and I think you're arriving a couple days later? What are the odds, eh?

SAD...we arrive on the 3rd actually and we head up to DH's Parent's house about 1.5 hours from Anaheim. We'll be there for a few nights before heading out to Disneyland Resort!! So exciting! But yeah. Bummer we will miss seeing each other!!

 

[Sheryl Moroschak]

I loved reading about your trip. We have a SWDS planned in March 2017. I was super excited before but even more so. My husband and I are thinking of doing either Palo for Remy. Which would you recommend for 1st timers? Also, when/how do you request your dining rotation before cruising?