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

[highland lass]

Looking forward to more

[mandymouse]

Sunday 21st April - Day at Sea

I first woke around 6am and managed to doze till 9.30am. I had a shower as Paul went off to see if it was warm enough to sunbathe. He said if was still cloudy, but a lot warmer so we set off for deck 13. I grabbed a skinny latte from the Cove Cafe on the way, where we met the lovely Billie who worked there this week (she's a lovely girl from Newcastle who's mum was visiting her that week too and we would chat each morning about what they got up to)


(Thank you Lynne for the use of your photo, I can't believe I forgot to get one of her)


First skinny latte of the cruise

We chilled for a couple of hours though it was very windy up there. While lying there, Pluto went by and Paul grabbed this photo of him, then Paul ran into Goofy a little later





I caught up with my trip report and made a start on my Miranda book and around 12.30 we had some wraps and fruit for lunch

*btw, if anyone wanted to know, the Castaway Reception for Gold & Platinum members was held this morning at 11am (not that we went)*

It remained very windy all afternoon, though got a little brighter, and before we knew it the afternoon got away from us, we even missed our DIS/FB meet due to being totally lazy and losing track of time (sorry guys, look forward to catching up with some of you tomorrow at our Mixology class)

We returned to our room to chill some more and we found that our Platinum Gift had arrived, we had chosen a bottle of sparkly wine, though we also had the choice of a fruit tray or a 5 truffle box



We chilled for an hour, then noticed on our virtual porthole that the sun had come out, so we went for a walk on the upper decks. It was still very windy, but in some shelter it got very nice. We grabbed a snack from Flo's Cafe, I had some BBQ chicken pizza and Paul had a cheeseburger, we then continued around the ship







Shock! Horror! Our first alcoholic drink of the day wasn't till 4.30 when we had a cider and lager in O'Gills where we watched some footie on the tv. After our drinks we headed to the shops, and on the way we ran into Alisha who had worked in Bon Voyage last year and had made the best Bahama Mamas. It was her that recognised us first, and she said that she worked in La Piazza now and we promised to find her, she even remembered about the Bahama Mamas (lol)

We had a look around the shops, then went back to our room to try and chat to the girls on-line, but it's usually hard work getting connected on a day at sea

Tonight was Formal Night, so we showered and got togged up (not that we go all out, a nice dress for me, and a smart shirt and trousers for Paul. It's always nice to people watch and see everyone dressed up, and of course the free cocktails in the Atrium before dinner is a nice touch too









We were very lucky to be seated where Leo (not the Leo from last year), the bar tender would appear with a fresh stock of drinks and he kindly gave us 3 rum cocktails each as we waited to go into dinner

Tonight we were in the Royal Court. Once again we joined our tablemates and enjoyed a lovely evening of food and chat. To start I had the French Onion Soup and Paul had Duck, then for our main I had Rack of Lamb and Paul had Chicken, to finish I had the Mango Cheesecake and Paul had the Strawberry Sundae, once again the food was very nice and the service was good too

After dinner we changed into something a bit more relaxed and we went to find Alisha in La Piazza, where she served us a couple of yummy Bahama Mamas. There was a 'comedian' (I use the word loosely) on in The Tube, and it was being shown in La Piazza too, we've seen some comedians in the past, and sometimes we don't really get the humour, but it seemed tonight that the few Americans around us didn't get him either lol. Once his show was over, we wandered into The Tube where the disco was starting up, and we ran into Matt from England, who we saw on The Fantasy last year, but who will always be known as DJ Matt from the Magic to us. He came over and chatted with us for a good while as we caught up on all things typically English, like Football, the weather, work etc. it was lovely to see him again, he doesn't change

After one final Bahama Mama we headed to bed, and within no time we were out for the count



Tomorrow ~ Day at Sea, Palo Brunch, Mixology Class

[mandymouse]

Monday 22nd April

I woke just after 8am, and checked the 'bridge view' on the TV and I could see glorious sunshine, so we got ready and by 9 we were heading up to deck 12, with just a quick stop at the Cove Cafe for a skinny latte for me and a croissant for Paul, and a quick chat with Billie too

It was lovely and sunny, though it was still very windy (which made the sunbathing more comfortable). I caught up on my trip report and read and we lasted out till gone 11

We went back to our room to get changed for our Palo Brunch reservation at 12, and after a brief wait in the Meridian Lounge we were shown to our table by the window. Our server today was Olivera from Bosnia and after introducing herself and taking our order of water and Mimosas, she showed us to the tables of delicious food. First we saw the pizzas, then the breakfast items, seafood, cheeses, mains, egg dishes and finally the most important table, the desserts



















We were given a plate and I filled it with all my favourite food, this is probably my absolute favourite meal onboard









Then our egg dishes came out, I had Eggs Florentine and Paul had Eggs Julia, then Olivera brought out a dish of Lasagna to share. It was all very nice, but the Lasagna was delish, in fact so nice, Paul then ordered it as his main dish while I had the Beef Tenderloin which was a perfect size after eating all the other food







After our mains, Paul had a pot of tea, then we went up to get our desserts, and as ever the Tiramisu was divine



We enjoyed a leisurely hour and a half there, the food was delicious and our server was lovely too, we never once felt rushed

Cont'd ...

[mandymouse]

...

We returned to our room to get changed and chilled for a while till our Mixology class at 3pm

Our Mixology class had been arranged by Emily from our Facebook group and when it was announced, it filled up very quickly. It was held in the Skyline Lounge, and after a couple of laps around deck 4 to try and walk off some of our Brunch, we headed to our class

The Mixology Class had been very popular (thank you Emily for organising it), and when we got there we sat with Emily and her hubby Scott

Damion was hosting this class, and I knew it was going to be fun once I saw all the glasses lined up and looking inviting





Groups of 4 or 5 of us took turns making different cocktails. First up was a Raspberry Mojito, I wasn't looking forward to this one as I find the mint very off putting, but it turned out to be very refreshing.





Next up was a Sea Breeze which was a Malibu based cocktail, it was very nice





Next, I volunteered to be in the group to make the Champagne cocktail, well it was Prosecco actually, but it made a good Kir Royale







The next group made a Martini cocktail, this one was a good one too, and looked cool with all its layers









Then we finished off with Paul joining the group to make a shot cocktail







As we had already had a couple of Mimosa's that lunch time, these cocktails really went to my head (lol) it was a great way to spend an hour or so on a sea day, and afterwards we sat with a few of our group just chatting. I would definitely do this again, and it was fun to do it with people we had been chatting to over the last few months

We returned to our room to change back into our swimwear, and we sat out in the sun for a little while, though it was still very windy

We returned to our room to chill, get showered and get ready for dinner which tonight was in Animator's Palette. Tonight was the Crush Show. It was lots of fun as Crush interacted with the kids in the dining room







For starter I had the sweet potato soup and Paul had the baked potato soup, for our mains I had the lemon thyme chicken and Paul had beef, to finish off I had cookies & cream sundae and Paul had apple pie with ice cream from the kids menu, (lol), it was all very nice and washed down with a couple of Bahama Mama's

We were shattered tonight, so once dinner was over we headed back to our room and bed



Tomorrow ~ St. Thomas

[Bats]

yay, another report!

Theme of the report seems to be alcohol and shopping!

Looking forward to more!

[mandymouse]

Tuesday 23rd April

Paul was up early as he wanted to take some photos as we docked in St. Thomas, I got up a short while later. You could disembark at 8.00am, but the Skyride didn't open till 9.30/10, so I grabbed a skinny latte from the Cove Cafe and we sat on top deck enjoying the lovely warm temperatures (todays high was due to be in the high 70's !~ perfect) and with a slight breeze









While sitting out I started to get some bad stomach cramps, I went to get some water but they persisted. Not being one to let a stupid tummy ache ruin my day, we disembarked around 9.30 and headed to the Skyride. There was quite a line and I started to feel a little uncomfortable. We waited a good 15/20 minutes or so and I had to keep sitting down. When we got on the cable car, I came over rather peculiar. I was hot, sweaty and feeling a bit faint(sorry, I know, too much information), so I sat on the floor, and thankfully I just looked like I was scared of heights







Once at the top we found a seat and I ordered a bottle of water and Paul had a Heinekin. We sat there for over an hour enjoying the view of all the ships in port and I was able to chat to the girls on-line and check my emails





I started to feel a little better, so ordered a Bushwacker (the popular Bailey's based drink that is Paradise Point's speciality). No sooner as it arrived, I felt poorly again, so I was gutted to only have a few sips





I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't be able to get back to the ship and was dreading the ride back down the mountain. We didn't take as many photos up there this time as there was a lot of construction going on, and I looked like a bag of spanners anyway :rotfl:



We waited to booard the last cable car and headed back down the mountain. On the way back to the ship I had to keep stopping every now and again to gather myself, and Paul went to get me another bottle of water

We finally got back to the room without incident, and I got into my pj's and went to bed and watched The Bourne Legacy on demand. Once Paul knew I was OK and wasn't wanting to go anywhere, he headed back to shore to wander around the mall at the port. I was gutted that I had missed out on our usual visit to Señor Frogs, I love the one at St. Thomas, it has a great atmosphere there













Paul returned an hour or so later, he hadn't bought anything, but he'd had a good look around. I was starting to feel a little peckish, so Paul went up to deck 11 to get me some chicken strips and fries. I only managed some fries, but then the pains returned

Later in the afternoon Paul went for a sunbathe and I had a good kip, when I woke over an hour later, I felt a bit better

Cont'd ...

[mandymouse]

...

Paul wanted to photograph the sunset, so I made the effort to shower and get changed, but there was no way I was going to make it to Pirate Night Dinner, which wasn't a biggy as we had another one next week









I'm really not sure what had been wrong with me today, I guess with all this lovely food, too much alcohol or a bit of dehydration (or a combination of all three) had got to me, or maybe it was just a bug, anyway the rest of my evening was spent mainly resting in our room, and Paul went out to photograph the Pirate Party fireworks


The earlier kids Pirate Party



















Tomorrow ~ San Juan

[mandymouse]

Wednesday 24th April

I had a very restless night, and when I woke up I felt a lot better, but still not right

Sadly my plans of getting a ferry/taxi to the Bacardi Factory had gone out of the window, I was gutted, it was something I had really looked forward to, but I didn't want to wander too far away from the ship and was worried if the ferry would make me feel worse

Paul got up to see the ship dock at San Juan and promptly went back to bed. A little while later I showered and got ready, then we went up to get some breakfast. I was starving, but just stuck to toast and coffee, Paul had a yummy looking plateful in Cabanas





We disembarked and it was a lovely warm day, as we exited the dock we saw a Señor Frogs (yay! though that excitement was short lived)

Although I was feeling a lot better, it was Paul who was feeling under the weather as he had a bad cough and was full of cold

We wandered around the old town and up to the fort, where we took a few pics, we then walked back into town and popped into a CVS to pick up some cough medicine and tissues for Paul





















At first we thought of popping into Señor Frogs, but like yesterday, alcohol was the last thing we needed, yes we truly weren't well. I did call into the shop though as I'd promised Kerry a shot glass, I hope next week we'll be back to our usual alchofrolic selves (lol)

We then decided to get a taxi to Plaza Las Américas, a shopping mall. It only cost $17 for the two of us, and it was huge. We had a good look around and even caught up with the girls on some wifi

A couple of hours later we shared a taxi with two others for the trip back to the port ($5 each)



We went to get some food from Flo's Cafe, I had a cheeseburger and Paul had wraps, then spent the next few hours chilling on top deck













We both didn't feel up to going to dinner tonight as I was still getting tummy aches and Paul didn't want to cough or sneeze over everyone, so we gave it a miss again. We left the room at the time we'd normally leave for dinner so our stateroom host could sort the room out and headed to deck 11 for something to eat. I just had a plate of fries and Paul had a cheeseburger and fries. After dinner we went to the Cove Cafe for a nice cup of tea (goodness, we're so rock n roll aren't we? lol). After our tea and a chat with Giovanni, we grabbed some cookies and ice cream and headed back to our room for an early night



Tomorrow ~ Day at Sea

[mandymouse]

Thursday 25th April

I woke around 7.30am and felt a lot better (yay!), I got showered, sorted out my book and iPod and was ready for a morning of sunbathing as it was a be-oot-iful day at sea (as Brent the Cruise Director would say). I grabbed a latte at the Cove Cafe which was free as I'd had my card stamped 5 times and we headed up to top deck. It was so nice out, not too hot at all, and we enjoyed a lazy lie out for a few hours

Before long it was lunch time, so we headed to Cabanas. I had some parsnip soup, some chicken and some veggies, then a small plate of red Thai chicken curry, Paul had some chicken and chips and a bit of steak, there was so much to choose from and it wasn't long till we were full to bursting

We had a very chilled afternoon where we would relax in our room or had a Bahama Mama or two at the Cove Bar and had fun watching the kiddies disco in the Atrium




View from our virtual porthole


Our 'Roaming Mickey', a new idea on the DIS, a door magnet that is sent around the ship and you can leave a message on

This evening we had a reservation for Palo at 6.30pm. We got showered and changed and as we were a little early for our ressie, we had a drink in the Meridian Lounge. Once we were taken though to Palo, we were seated in a booth and once again Olivera was our server











We had a lovely meal, to start we were given breads and a plate of anti-pasti. I ordered mozzarella and tomato to start and Paul had a small portion of the ravioli and we ordered a bottle of Asti Martini







Next came a sorbet mouth cleanser



For our main I had the rack of lamb, and Paul had the beef tenderloin Palo with red wine





For dessert I had Tiramisu (of course) and Paul had Panna Cotta









And we finished off with their vodka/limoncello drink. It really was a lovely meal and evening too



As we were leaving Palo, we noticed two of our tablemates, Terri & Jimmy eating there too, so we stopped by for a quick chat

We popped back to the room to change into something less tight lol, then we went to La Piazza to see Alisha and have a couple of Bahama Mamas, then we called it a night



Tomorrow ~ Castaway Cay

[mandymouse]

Friday 27th April

We got up around 8.30am, and we were already docked at Castaway Cay. It was another lovely sunny morning, so once showered and changed we headed up to deck 11 for Paul to get some breakfast from Cabanas, and I got my usual Latte from Billie in the Cove Cafe (along with a couple of yummy looking pastries)

While I was being served, our Cruise Director, Brent announced that we were able to disembark. We took our time and wandered up another deck or two to take some photos of the island

















After a short while we disembarked and walked down towards the family beach calling in at the shops along the way

















Cont'd ...