Mandymouse's Fantastic Fantasy Cruise .. and then another one (COMPLETE)

[mandymouse]

We then took the shuttle to Serenity Bay where we found some loungers and an umbrella and parked ourselves for the next few hours











The temperature probably got into the low 80's, but we had a lovely breeze keeping us comfortable. We ordered a Konk Kooler for me and a Bahama Mama for Paul (got to love those Konk Koolers, but I can only have one coz they always give me a brain freeze lol)





Around 1ish we headed to the Serenity Bay BBQ, where we enjoyed cheeseburgers, salads, chicken, steak etc



We then sat at the Castaway Air Bar for a Bahama Mama each. We sat out for another hour or so, and at one point there was a bit of commotion down the far end of the beach and the women were brushing their hair and preening themselves, then I saw the reason for all this ... yes Captain Jack Sparrow was walking up the beach and stopping for photo opportunities, :rotfl: so I put a comb through my hair and joined him (though he wasn't happy when I referred to him as Jack ... It's Captain Jack, he corrected me lol)







After a while we took the shuttle back to the family beaches. It was very warm over this side of the island, they didn't seem to have the breeze that we'd had, so we quickly took some photos and had one last cocktail at the Conched Out Bar


















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[mandymouse]

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We were back onboard around 4, we had a quick shower and went down to the Atrium to see some of the characters before watching the ship leave the island. We then went back to our room to pack as we had a different room for our 2nd cruise















A little while later we went up to top deck where we watched a lovely sunset, then we returned to our room to get ready for dinner







Tonight we were back in the Enchanted Garden. All our tablemates were there and we had a nice evening talking about the cruise, future cruises and what we were all up to next. For starters I had the potato & leek soup and Paul had the trio of salmon. For our mains we both had the Beef Wellington, which was very nice, then to finish off we both had the Apple & Cranberry Crumble with Vanilla Ice-cream, it was all very good

We said goodbye to our new friends and handed our servers their tip envelopes and took a few photos









We watched the Farewell show in the Atrium and had a few photos with the characters, then went to see Alisha in La Piazza for a one last Bahama Mama from her as she was moving to the crew bar the following day. We had one final drink in The Tube, then headed to bed













Tomorrow ~ Port Canaveral & re-boarding The Disney Fantasy

[mandymouse]

Saturday 27th April

I was awake around 6.15am, but I was a little mad at myself for not waking a little earlier as I wanted to get some laundry done while most people would've packed and the launderette would be empty. I was a bit rushed, but I put a load on, had a shower, got ready, then returned a little while later to put my washing in the drier

The procedure for us today was to :~

Have our bags packed and be ready outside our stateroom by 8am
We needed to disembark by 9.30am, go through Customs, then head straight back up the escalator into an empty Terminal
We would be checked-in, then we could sit in the Terminal till approx 10.30am, then we would be able to re-embark before most passengers arrived

We were packed and ready by 8am, then headed to see Billie in the Cove Cafe for a final chat and latte as she was moving to the Royal Court bar later that day and we probably wouldn't see much of her

We sat in the Cove Cafe for a while chatting, and I had a couple of pastries, then we killed half an hour or so on Deck 5 above the Atrium





Around 9.30am we leisurely disembarked



It was a lovely experience knowing that we wouldn't be picking up our luggage and having to leave. We joined the line for Customs, then moments later we were heading back up the escalator into a very quiet Terminal. We were checked in and given a green card to show were doing a back to back (though the green card didn't actually mention this -lol)



















We took lots of photos in the Terminal (a vast difference to the madness of the week before). At first we sat in the main part of the building, then a CM said we could sit in Concierge, and at roughly 10.30am we were able to re-board (though at this time there is no embarkation photo or announcement back onboard)





We took some photos in the empty lobby then went off to find our stateroom, which this time was # 5009, another inside cabin with a virtual pothole on Deck 5, as forward as we could go. Our lovely stateroom hostess Nan had already made our room up and our luggage was waiting outside. We quickly unpacked and had everything in the exact same place as in our previous room lol, and by 11.15 we were settled into our new room









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[mandymouse]

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We wandered back to the Atrium, where people had already started boarding, we then headed up to the top deck for a stroll around. When we had first got off the ship it had been a lovely warm and sunny morning, but now it had clouded over and there was light rain in the air

















We went down to Cabanas for some lunch, where I had a delish turkey dinner (Mmm, it was good). When we came out it was raining properly, so we sat near the Cove Bar to chill for a while



By 1 o'clock the sun had reappeared, so it was sunbathing time, we sat out for a couple of hours, then we had our first Bahama Mama of this cruise from Currents, then when we got too hot we went down to the Cove Bar for another one



At 4pm we had the Muster Drill. This time our assembly station was an Deck 4. When it was over we had a quick chat to Kerry on-line then headed up to the Sailaway Party. The party was in full swing and thankfully it was a lot warmer than last weeks. Once again we waved to everyone on shore, and Kerry messaged us to say we were on the Fishlips webcam again (lol, she must've been mortified), thanks Sue for capturing the photo again for us







We watched the pilot leave the ship in his little dingy, then we called into La Piazza to make a reservation for the Martini Tasting later in the week





We had a quick snack of wraps etc, then we returned to our room where we found another Castaway Club gift, and a letter asking us to choose between a bottle of sparkly wine (we still had the one from last week to drink), a fruit tray or some truffles. We chilled for a while before getting ready for dinner



Our dining rotation this week was Royal Court, Animator's Palette, Enchanted Garden, Royal Court, Animator's Palette, Animator's Palette and Enchanted Garden. Once again we had the late seating (8.15pm), and our Dining Team was Roberto (Head Server) and Stefan (Server) same as last week, and Karen from St. Lucia joined us as our Assistant Server

We grabbed a couple of Rum Runners (which we thought could be our drink for this week) from Bon Voyage, then we were shown to table 72 again, and already seated were a young couple from Switzerland. We had two empty seats next to us, and Stefan mentioned that we should be joined by another couple during the week







To start we both had the duck, then for mains I had chicken and Paul had the rack of lamb, we had another Rum Runner then both finished with the strawberry short cake sundae. It was all very nice, and we finished the evening with a drink at the Bon Voyage lounge before heading to bed



Tomorrow ~ Day at Sea

[mandymouse]

Sunday 28th April

We slept quite well in our new room. I got up around 8.30am, showered and got ready for a few hours in the sun. Paul got up half an hour later and we headed up to Deck 13 just stopping off at the Cove Cafe for a latte for me and a croissant for Paul

We sat out for a couple of hours, where at one time we were interrupted by Mickey posing on the deck, then we returned to the room to get ready for Brunch at Palo



On the way we stopped off at the Atrium to watch Dash Dash's Diaper Dash, which consisted of several little ones crawling along on a mat to see who would reach the other end first, it was so funny to watch, I know, the little things eh?





We reached Palo and our table was ready, we were seated and Olivera served us some water and a Mimosa each. We were once again shown around the various tables of food, and then chose our plate of goodies to start with





We then chose our egg dishes, florentine for me and Julia for Paul, and Olivera once again brought out some Lasagna and this time also a mozzarella dish extra. As I was having Lasagna for my main, I let Paul have this one and I tried the mozzarella dish after my eggs, which was ok





We had another Mimosa each then we ordered our mains, Lasagna for me (which you already knew lol) and the Beef Tenderloin for Paul

We were full to the brim, but just had to have a dessert, a Panna Cotta for Paul and a couple of Tiramisu's for me



Once again we had had a wonderful Brunch, this really is worth the $20 fee per person, though this was free for us as we get a Palo meal under our Platinum membership

We went back to the room to change out of our ever tightening clothes and into something a little less restrictive, then we decided to have a walk around Deck 4. We did 3 laps around (btw, 2.5 laps = 1 mile), then thought we should be rewarded by our sudden desire for some exercise with a Rum Runner or two at the Cove Bar. This time they were frozen ones, oh yes, they were good



It was now time for a sunbathe, so we headed up to Deck 13, and as we settled onto our loungers, an announcement was made to the upper decks for the imminent arrival of some showers

Seconds after taking shelter from some spots of rain next to Satellite Falls, it absolutely hammered down. Woah! Where did that come from ? Don't be a smart Alec and say from the sky (lol)







At 6.15pm we went to our first show of our cruises, and went to see Aladdin. We hadn't seen it before and we really enjoyed it, the Genie was very funny

We went back to the room to get showered and ready for Formal Night, but we realised that we were still full from Brunch, so we decided to head to the Atrium for the free drinks at the Captain's reception (well it would've been rude not too) and skip dinner





After a couple of drinks we went up to Deck 11 to get a quick snack, then we went down to Europa (the adult area), and we decided on some proper cocktails at The Skyline Lounge. This is a really cool bar where the screens change to different cities in Europe. I had a Pomegranate Cosmopolitan and Paul had a speciality Cosmo from the menu complete with lit up ice cube (lol). We stayed here a good while and had another round











We then ventured over to O'Gills as I wanted to try their own version of Baileys (which was very similar). Here we ran into a couple of Brits who were from Newcastle but one of them originally came from the next town to us less than 10 minutes away. We had a nice chat, then we left for a final Rum Runner at Bon Voyage before heading to bed



Tomorrow ~ Grand Cayman

[mandymouse]

Monday 29th April

Once again it was a beautiful morning. We got up and lay out in the sun with my latte and Paul had some orange juice and a croissant and we watched as the ship sailed into Grand Cayman





Here we have to tender onto the island, we didn't have any excursions planned so we let the mad rush to disembark go ahead

Around 11ish Brent announced that the line for disembarkation was low, so we got ready and headed to Animator's Palette to pick up a ticket. We were able to disembark straight away and in no time were stepping into a tender boat





We had no plans for Grand Cayman so wandered around the jewellery shops (defo out of our price range), took some photos and then ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe where we were able to catch up with our girls on-line, check emails etc. we spent a very nice couple of hours having 3 Hurricanes each, sharing onion rings and chicken tenders and generally chilling, as you can imagine the time flew by















We called into various stores on the way back to the ship, looking at watches for Paul and buying our girls a pressy each from Victoria's Secret. We had a lovely afternoon













We made our way back to the tender boats and were back home in a few minutes. We dropped our stuff back at the room, changed into our sunbathing stuff then headed up to Deck 11 for some tuna wraps, fruit and a cookie

We grabbed a frozen Rum Runner from the Cove Bar, then watched the ship turn around and leave the Cayman Islands around 5pm





We sat out for a little while then returned to our stateroom to get showered and changed for dinner, which tonight was in the Enchanted Garden. We grabbed a Rum Runner from Bon Voyage, then joined our Swiss tablemates (it looks like we'll just be a table of four from now on), and we had a lovely evening talking about chocolate (one of my favourite subjects lol) and how we all enjoyed Cadbury's chocolate, and I was surprised that they had even tried a MaltEaster's Bunny (lol)

For our starters we both had Tomato Soup, then for our mains Paul had Sea Bass and I had Pork Tenderloin, and we finished off with the Sweet Temptation for me and the Sundae for Paul

After dinner we had a final drink in La Piazza, a delish lemon Cosmo for me and another Rum Runner for Paul, then it was time for bed



Tomorrow ~ Costa Maya

[mandymouse]

Tuesday 30th April

I woke around 7.30am and checked the Bridge Report on the TV and it was already saying that it was 84F (29C). Paul started stirring half a hour later so I showered and we got ready for a few hours sunbathing as we didn't dock into Costa Maya till lunch-time

We went up to Cabanas for breakfast, we just had poached eggs on toast snd orange juice, then I grabbed my usual latte from the Cove Cafe

We found some loungers and it was already very warm with not much of a breeze. We lasted out for a couple of hours then we could see Costa Maya in the distance





We got changed to disembark. We were cleared around 1ish, and walked along the long pier to the small port town. Unfortunately it was very much like Nassau where you were constantly hassled to look in their shops, and when I did venture into one hoping to buy a cheap costume jewellery ring and the vendor came out with his calculator (never a good sign) and a $235 price tag for something I may have at a push paid $40, we knew we had to make a hasty exit









We wandered through some of the high end designer jewellery shops (well out of our price range), and passed an area where people were swimming with dolphins (can't say I liked the look of it, the pools looked very small)







We then stopped off at Señor Frogs. We had hoped to have a few Yards and some lunch there, but Paul took one look at the menu and said it was really expensive

We ordered a Big Hurricane Yard and sought out an internet connection and chatted to the girls back home who were immensely jealous that we were in Señor Frogs











After a while we paid our check ($40 inc tip), then wandered back to the ship where we ran into Alisha heading the other way







Once back on board, we were starving, so it was up to Deck 11 for tuna wraps and fruit for me and cheeseburger and fries for Paul. After finishing our lunch, a few cookies and sharing a bag of Lays we went to the Cove Bar for a frozen Rum Runner each, then after trying a bit of a BBC Davide (one of the barmen) had made for one of the regulars there, I had one of those too





We then sat out in the sun for a little while as the ship pulled away from Costa Maya

We really couldn't be bothered with getting ready for dinner tonight, so we changed into something casual and ate cheeseburgers and chicken strips on Deck 11 (perfect)

We decided on a drink in O'Gills tonight, so ordered a lager and a Strongbow, then somehow got caught up in a pub quiz that was going on, at least we didn't come last, and we had a laugh along the way too

We were shattered tonight, and I'm sure we were in bed by 10 (lightweights - lol)



Tomorrow ~ Cozumel

[mandymouse]

Wednesday 1st May

I was awake around 6ish and checked out the Bridge Report and it was already 82F. I showered and we were ready for a coffee and pastries by 8. Paul grabbed some orange juice from Cabanas and we went back to the room and finally opened last weeks bottle of Prosecco and enjoyed a couple of Mimosa's for brekkie





We had to meet in the Buena Vista Theatre at 8.45am for our Beach Excursion in Cozumel. We were given a wristband and asked to wear a Minnie Mouse sticker so they knew which group we belonged to. At 10 past 9 we were led down the mid ship stairs down to Deck 1 where we disembarked. We were led down the pier and over the main road where several coaches were waiting for us, by 9.30 we were on our way and reached Playa Mia 20 minutes later

The cost of this excursion was $79 each, and we were allowed the use of the loungers, umbrellas, unlimited drinks, pools, play areas, wifi and lunch. It was a lovely day, just a little bit cloudy and a bit muggy, but not too uncomfortable













We found some loungers and the rum punches began to flow, and they were pretty good too. We chilled in the sun, chatted on-line to Kerry & Becky, had lunch and generally had a good day, and later in the day found the frozen Bahama Mamas to be particularly worth trying once or twice too









At 2pm we were all back onboard the coach and heading back to the Fantasy. We dropped our beach stuff back at the room then disembarked once again into Cozumel









Like Costa Maya you are constantly hassled to go into the shops, but we just smile and quickly walk on, it's annoying but what can you do? We went to Señor Frogs to get Kerry another shot glass (yeah like that's the reason we go in there :rotfl and just had to have a Yard. The party was in full swing, but we just stayed for one drink. We went back to the shop for a couple of tops and souvenirs then continued walking around







Time was getting on and we had to be back on board by 5.30, so we had a quick Hurricane in the Hard Rock then headed back to the ship

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[mandymouse]

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Tonight was Pirate Night (which I had missed last week due to feeling unwell). We sat at the Cove Bar chatting to Davide enjoying a drink or two, then one of us would quickly nip back to the room to get changed as the early party was about to start. It looked like loads of fun, more like the main Pirate Party on the classic ships


Ahh, Pirates Jerry (from Ireland) & Davide (from Portugal)

Next it was time for dinner, which tonight was in Animator's Palette. Our tablemates had given dinner a miss tonight, so we were served very quickly. We both had the Potstickers to start, the rib eye beef for our mains and the fruit cobbler with ice-cream for dessert. It was all very nice


Ahh, Pirates Stefan & Karen




Ahh, Pirate Karen cutting up my steak (lol)

We went up to Deck 13, by Currents Bar to watch the fireworks. There was the sound of thunder closeby and then the lightning started (though no rain). The fireworks were good, but I'm sorry Disney, tonight you were outdone by Mother Nature who got the biggest oohs and ahhs






Love this pic









Paul dropped his camera back at the room and we went down to Deck 11 for the party. We were having a good boogie, then it started to spit with rain, within minutes we were all dancing as the rain poured down. It was fun and no one seemed bothered about getting wet









After a while we'd had enough and headed to bed, it had been a fun day



Tomorrow ~ Day at Sea

[mandymouse]

Thursday 2nd May

I woke at 6.20am, but it was really 7.20 as we'd forgotten to put the clocks forward an hour. I lay there knowing I needed to get some laundry done, and after reading some scary stories on the DIS of how busy the final day at sea can get, and how some people will remove your stuff from dryers and put theirs in instead, I thought I'd go nice and early and get it sorted

My fears had been unfounded as the launderette on Deck 6 was empty (as normal people were either enjoying a lie in or breakfast ). Anywho, I put my washing on, and had 26 minutes to get showered, wash my hair and put some slap on. I returned and put the washing in the dryer and went back to the room to finish off getting ready. All clothes were dry in 45 minutes and it was time for a coffee

I grabbed my skinny latte from Anja in the Cove Cafe, and as we got to Deck 13 to find some loungers, Billie (who had worked in the Cove Cafe the previous week) came over for a chat. It was really windy on the upper decks, but Billie said to make the most of the sunshine today as it wasn't looking good for Castaway Cay the following day (boo! )

We sun/wind bathed for a couple of hours, then it was time for a bit of lunch. Paul chose something from Cabanas and I got some wraps and fruit and joined him in Cabanas

After lunch we watched the kiddies disco in the Atrium, which was lots of fun, especially watching Joshie (the most energetic and fun Castmember I have ever met) who was bopping around on the Atrium staircase and encouraging the kids to dance (though it looked like most of the parents were enjoying the disco too). We then walked around Deck 4 a few times (it was getting even windier by now), then we did a bit of shopping







At 3pm we had a Martini Tasting in the Meridian Lounge. Christina from Canada was hosting it, and it was lots of fun. We tried 5 different 'Martinis'. A lemony one to start (nice), a classic salty one (yuck!), a classic Cosmopolitan (delish), a chocolatey topped with nutmeg one (nicer than I thought it would be) and finally a tequilla/chocolate one (Mmm, even with evil tequilla in it ). Once again we enjoyed this tasting, and although I had tried to remember to make notes about the various 'Martinis', I failed miserably, lol, but hey, it was lots of fun





















After our tasting we went to see Davide at the Cove Bar. It was VERY windy by now, and some of the doors on the starboard side of the ship were temporarily closed. We had a couple of Bahama Mamas, then as the wind picked up Paul had another one and I popped into the Cove Cafe for a coffee with Bailey's in it. There was a few of us up there, and we sat around chatting, enjoying the drinks and watching the rain and lightning



Whilst checking out Facebook, I noticed that my friend Jenny (ukintheus) who was sailing on the Disney Magic and at Key West today had posted this photo ... things really weren't looking good for Castaway Cay tomorrow



After a while we popped back to the room, where Paul promptly fell asleep (and I typed this up). Paul was out for the count for a good hour and a half, and when he finally woke up we grabbed some burgers from the top deck, I'm really going to miss these burgers, but come Monday I'll be back on my diet (Note to self as of 17th June, when is this diet actually going to start ? )

Dinner tonight was in Animator's Palate, but it was Lobster Night (yuck! ), so once again we decided to give it a miss and have some fast food from Flo's Cafe

After our very unhealthy dinner we decided on a drink inside as it was so windy and wet, so we went down to O'Gills where we watched a re-run of the Chelsea/Basille game and Paul had a couple of Stella's and I had first a classic Cosmo then a lemony one before heading to bed



Tomorrow ~ Castaway Cay

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