Dina's and Peter's FANTAS(y)TIC First!!

My mom and I are also not fans of the coffee!! We bring the little Starbucks Via packets with us around the ship and to dinner. It's not fresh coffee but it's definitely a bit more enjoyable! TY for your report!

I had been advised to bring those packets before sailing but alas, we did not heed the warnings!

You are so welcome for the report. Thanks for reading and commenting!
 
Saturday, January 4 - Embarkation Day Continued

Part of the unpacking on a Disney cruise is, of course...decorating the door! We were on it immediately, and here is the final effect (not too shabby for our first time):

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Once unpacked, it was almost time for muster. We headed out a little before 3:30 (we thought it was before 3:30) to grab a drink before the bars closed for muster. By the time we got down to the Bon Voyage bar, it was already closed, so we just grabbed some waters and took some photos around the gorgeous lobby to send home to the family.

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Honestly, the photos just don't do it any justice. IMO the ship is just gorgeous in every way.

We made our way out to muster and we were pretty sheltered from the weather. Honestly, it seemed like it had stopped raining and the sky was showing some promise of starting to brighten up. I was thinking maybe we'd get our sail-a-wave party up top after all, but sadly that was not to be! I believe there was an announcement as muster was ending inviting us to the atrium for the celebration.

We were a bit late to the party and the best place we could find was on deck 5 a little too close to the "stage"

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I did take some other shots but honestly, the pics just aren't any good because of where we were standing. We enjoyed the celebration none-the-less! And it turned out we were in a pretty great spot, as the characters paraded right past us! We were only inches from a bunch of them, though I only got a great shot of the captain herself!

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After the celebration, Peter and I headed up to deck 12 to watch sail-away. It was pretty windy, but it was dry. We didn't sail as early as expected...more in next post.
 
Saturday January 4 - Sailing Away!

At 5:10 pm, as Pete and I stood up there in the wind...we saw a DCL pull into the terminal and unload a family!! We were trying to guess their story, but I'm thinking that their flight was delayed and the magical bus waited for them. We later heard rumors that MCO had been closed for part of the day for tornadoes warnings, but I never confirmed that. Anyway, we were happy this family made it and thinking they were very lucky they had booked official DCL transport, or we may have sailed without them. To me this was an important reminder that if we ever fly in the day of the sailing, 100% sure to book transfer trough the cruise line, which ever one it may be. Anyway we watched as the family boarded the ship, no longer the traditional way up the ramp that we took, they were loaded straight into the belly of the ship right below us. And very shortly after that, we started to shove off...around 5:20 or 5:25.

Brightening sky
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Where is everybody?
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Braving the wind
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Waving to Fishlips...it's down there somewhere, we saw ourselves on the recording later.
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Full sun in the west!

And we're away!! Next, our first evening on the Fantasy!
 

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Ok I'm on board. I really need a good story and some pixie dust to get me back track to being excited and overjoyed for my own cruise. We will be on the Fantasy in December, though we were supposed to be on the Magic in April. Anyway, I'm not a coffee drinker. The wife is the coffee drinker for sure. You mentioned a Cove Café coffee card..... can you tell me more about that? Our cruise will be our 5th with Disney. Coming all the way from Japan we don't get to go often. Each one has been incredible, but this will be our first time on the Fantasy.
 
Following along!
I’ve been married for 20 years and have 4 kids. We have never been on a cruise. The kids are still pretty young but maybe for our 30th anniversary we can take a “no kids” cruise! You guys really seem to be enjoying yourselves. Can’t wait to read more.
 


Following along!
I’ve been married for 20 years and have 4 kids. We have never been on a cruise. The kids are still pretty young but maybe for our 30th anniversary we can take a “no kids” cruise! You guys really seem to be enjoying yourselves. Can’t wait to read more.

It was incredible! Yes, since our family has been blessed to include 2 children, we did miss them for sure. But the opportunity to be "just us together" AND in an atmosphere so familiar to our family was very special. The fact that the "over 18" sections were so less crowded than the general sections gave us a small, private cruise feel, while enjoying the assets that a bigger ship contains.
 
The wife is the coffee drinker for sure. You mentioned a Cove Café coffee card..... can you tell me more about that?
Its a frequent customer card. I think its buy 6 get one free but it might be B5G1. You get a stamp for each purchase and as I understand it you do not need a card for each person so that might help you get to your freebie just a little faster. Say you want to join your wife for a hot chocolate or another drink after dinner one night, you should get 2 stamps for that visit. ICR if alcoholic drinks are included but I think so.

Disclaimer: Ive never actually used this so if anyone that has chimes in with different intel, listen to them.
 
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I love your door decorations! Did you make these yourself, or purchase them somewhere? :artist:

Thank you! These were our first-ever Etsy purchases. I found them through different vendors. Just search Disney cruise door magnets and you find multiple hits. These were all done on heavy magnets, so I figured they'd be more durable, and also, I'm just not that crafty. Wish I were!

Wow, that family was indeed lucky!

Indeed! I can't imagine their stress! I wonder if other families missed the ship because they hadn't booked Disney transportation for that day?


Ok I'm on board. I really need a good story and some pixie dust to get me back track to being excited and overjoyed for my own cruise. We will be on the Fantasy in December, though we were supposed to be on the Magic in April. Anyway, I'm not a coffee drinker. The wife is the coffee drinker for sure. You mentioned a Cove Café coffee card..... can you tell me more about that? Our cruise will be our 5th with Disney. Coming all the way from Japan we don't get to go often. Each one has been incredible, but this will be our first time on the Fantasy.

The Fantasy is amazing, I'm sure your cruise will be great! So sorry about your April Magic cancellation. DH and I were supposed to sail in May on Royal (Freedom, Southern Caribbean) and that has now been cancelled so I feel your pain. We rescheduled for late August...hoping things will have mostly settled by then, but I don't know...

Someone else has explained the Cove Cafe card above, it is a frequent buyer's card that gets stamped or punched every time you make a purchase. Then after so many, you get a free one, I think 5 or 6 purchases. I believe you ask for it right at the Cafe upon your first purchase. We didn't get one (so have no personal experience) because on principle, we just don't think we should have to pay for coffee considering the price we paid for the cruise. That said, sometimes one has to loosen one's standards for the sake of the addiction, you know what I mean?! It's a must-do next time!

Following along!
I’ve been married for 20 years and have 4 kids. We have never been on a cruise. The kids are still pretty young but maybe for our 30th anniversary we can take a “no kids” cruise! You guys really seem to be enjoying yourselves. Can’t wait to read more.

Oh, yes, we really enjoyed ourselves! It was amazing! You MUST try a cruise! I hope you are on this site because you are planning one?

It was incredible! Yes, since our family has been blessed to include 2 children, we did miss them for sure. But the opportunity to be "just us together" AND in an atmosphere so familiar to our family was very special. The fact that the "over 18" sections were so less crowded than the general sections gave us a small, private cruise feel, while enjoying the assets that a bigger ship contains.

<3

Its a frequent customer card. I think its buy 6 get one free but it might be B5G1. You get a stamp for each purchase and as I understand it you do not need a card for each person so that might help you get to your freebie just a little faster. Say you want to join your wife for a hot chocolate or another drink after dinner one night, you should get 2 stamps for that visit. ICR if alcoholic drinks are included but I think so.

Disclaimer: Ive never actually used this so if anyone that has chimes in with different intel, listen to them.

Thanks for the explanation, no experience, but this is exactly as I understand it as well.
 
Hello again, readers! I apologize that I have taken a mid-report hiatus. I have been a bit...well, no, truth be told...I have been VERY traumatized over this pandemic. I work in a hospital in Westchester County and let's just say...life has been upside-down and inside-out lately. Please pray for our friends, families and neighbors who have suffered and lost persons dear to them and that we all stay healthy and this thing ends soon. For those who don't believe that COVID-19 is real, I can assure you, it is way too real, and I hope it doesn't affect any of you. Things are starting to slow down perceptibly at work the past week or so, and I am starting to feel that maybe we might see the light soon...?

Anyway, I think finishing up this report will make us all feel a little better and more normal so...back to the part where we sailed away from the beautiful DCL terminal in Port Canaveral!

We stayed up top there on the top deck feeling the moist breeze and smelling the salty air for a long time, and as we were exiting the harbor...we spotted a jumping dolphin! By the time we were finished sailing away from PC it was time for our main show of the night, the 6:15 showing of "A Fantasy Come True: Welcome Show" in the Walt Disney Theater.
It was basically a cute little intro to everything on the ship (which we didn't need, even though we had never sailed on DCL, we already knew everything they highlighted), told through the eyes of a family struggling to disconnect from their every day cares and reconnect with each other on their vacation. We have to hand it to Disney for their casting, which is always spot-on. The cast was extremely talented, and over the week we liked playing the game of identifying which cast member who played the part of Jasmine or Elsa was which character in the Welcome Show, etc. The Dad/Genie was easy, but the rest were harder! the costumes are amazing and the cast is so versatile.

I found these photos on my camera so I'm thinking these are from the Ladies' Room outside the Walt Disney Theater? I still can't get over how absolutely gorgeous this ship is from top to bottom, in every corner, including the restrooms. Also, I don't usually use or enjoy the word "lady" but seems appropriate in the context of this lavatory.
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I'm obsessed with the light fixtures on this ship! T think this one is just outside the theater or maybe outside Royal Court?

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Between the show and dinner we had a little time to check out the merchandise. A little background...Peter used to work in the Plush Toys industry and has a real affinity for merchandising in general, but specifically Disney merch, so he was ITCHING for the shops to open once we left port! Of course, I'm not going to complain if he wants to buy me some stuff...which he did over the course of the week!

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Haha nope, those are not the things he bought me! We got ourselves some DCL specific merchandise you just can't find anywhere else, and then we headed back to the stateroom to drop off our loot. We found this, the first bed runner creature of the week:

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I think it's a sea turtle? The thing I have noticed about the DCL "towel animals" is that they are a lot harder to identify than the typical ones you find in a resort. I think that makes them even more fun!

About our cabin attendant...always efficient, always mysterious. We barely ever saw him. It was as if things magically got done. The stateroom was always spotless, always well-cared for. At first, I was kind of annoyed that he didn't make a big introduction the first day. On all of my previous cruises on other lines, the cabin attendant always makes a point to find me and introduce themself and tell me they are there and ask what can they do special, etc. We didn't get that here, but after a few days, I realized that didn't matter. If we needed something we could write a note or call the desk. Stuff got done in that stateroom, and that's what counts!

It was time for our 8:15 second seating at Royal Court.

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We had thought about requesting a table for 2, but decided against it, because most of our past encounters with fellow Disney fans have been positive, so we figured let's just see what happens. Well, we were glad we left it to chance, because we were assigned to Table 73 with 2 other wonderful couples who really enhanced our overall experience, and we are glad we had the opportunity to share that company over several meals. The one thing that was weird, though, is that I was the only one taking food pics!

Up next...the food pics of our first dinner on the Fantasy!
 
Still on Saturday, January 4, 2020- Dinner at Royal Court

Our table mates were lovely! We were 3 couples around the same age. One couple was from the Outer Banks, NC and another from Missouri. The couple from Missouri had sailed on DCL before but had never been to the parks. The couple from NC had sailed a few times on DCL and were DVC members. We had great conversation! And they all tolerated my unusual food photograps.

As I was getting acquainted with my table mates, I never took a photo of the delicious bread service that included an olive spread that was delicious!

Between Peter and I we had 3 appetizers.

Escargots:

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Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp:

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French Onion Soup:

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All of these were delicious, but the lobster did not have much flavor and was such a small piece that to me it was basically shrimp cocktail, which I didn't really need after all the incredible shrimp I had enjoyed at Cabanas for lunch. Certainly didn't need this as my second appetizer. The escargot were soooo good, really tender and that garlicky butter sauce!

For entrees...

Roasted Rack of Lamb Medium:

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Chateaubriand (ordered Rare)

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Between these two entrees, I preferred the lamb, I thought it had much more flavor than the beef. I think Peter agreed.

And for dessert, we both ordered the famous Grand Marnier Souffle:

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This was just as delicious as we expected and yes, it lived up to the hype.

And then, just because he could, Peter ordered a Mickey Premium Bar:

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Which was delicious by itself, but unfortunately, was ruined by those vile confetti candies (well, in MY opinion). The ruining was great news for Peter...more for him! Haha

After dinner we made our way to The Tube for some games and the late show of the Ventriloquism of Taylor Mason, who was hysterical.

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There's Peter in the center playing a silly game in The Tube with our Activities Director, Matt (with his back to the camera). So sill, so much fun.

This finally concludes day 1 on the Disney Fantasy.

Coming up on Day 2, Couples' Choice at Senses, Brunch at Palo and MORE!
 
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I'm so sorry for what you've had to experience with your work. Thankfully I haven't had any friends or family who have gotten the virus. I am so thankful for all the medical professionals and essential workers who are putting their lives on the line for all of us. Thank you and may God bless you and keep you safe.
The pic of the light is from Royal Court. I'm sorry about your cancelled cruise. We've had Taylor Mason on a few cruises. He was on our Fantasy cruise this past Jan. We had 2 port days turned into sea days because of bad weather. He wasn't able to get off the ship at the one port. So instead he did some extra shows, all were packed full and all so hilarious. Glad you had a great first Disney cruise.
 
I’m enjoying your report and looking forward to a time when we can cruise again! I’m glad you’re back, thanks for all you’re doing to help those with COVID-19.
 
Really enjoying your trip report! We should be on the Fantasy right now 😥 but of course it was cancelled. Would have been our first Gold level Cruise. I too am in health care, a cardiology NP in SC. Thank you for all you are doing at work. You all are hit much harder than us but the whole thing is so terrible. Can’t wait for things to settle down and get back to cruisin’!
 
Not sure why I hadn't stumbled across your trip report before. Loving it! Almost flew into white plains this year but due to flight cancellations, ended up in and out of Hartford. It looked like a super easy airport to get around. Did they even have a TSA Pre check lane?

We love being on the starboard side as well. Generally has great views of Castaway Cay. Can't wait to see what else is in store for your trip
 
Thanks for this trip report and all you're doing in the healthcare industry! I hope you and your family are safe and healthy. :)
 

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