Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust! Jenn & Kevin 10/12/14 Italy/ADH/France - The End (7/2016 New TR Link!)

[Disneyducks12]

I am a little behind but had to comment on your last sea day! The souflee omg is my favorite thing of the whole trip I am really really really bad and always order two plus a creme brulee I know really bad! but your st marteen day looked amazing its such a pretty island and we visted the plane beach too while we were there the plane took off and people had to hold on to the gate some people went flyings its so insane I am with Kevin I have no idea how people can be so close that? and pirate night I love the firework show its such a cool expierence while out at sea, and the buffet is so worth it you have to go next time! Can't wait to hear the rest of your trip!

 

[elphie101]

The pirate menu looks good (we missed it for Remy) and I love Kevin's Flash tshirt! Kevin looked so pirate-y and intense steering the ship. I'm going to miss the fireworks when we sail Alaska next year... But we get Alaska scenery so win some, lose some.

I keep forgetting they don't do it in Alaska! Alaska on DCL is next on my bucket list (cause we'll be able to do that before a transatlantic!) so I hope you do a TR eventually so we can all read

He's gotten so many comments about that shirt! The Flash is his favorite on the DC side of things.

Pirates Night looks so fun! You guys look so cute. And I couldn't solve the crayon puzzle either. It sucks you didn't get to try one of the tile loungers. I've always wanted to try one of those! Glad to hear that you think the day pass was worth it, though. I'm taking mental notes from your TR to plan our first cruise one of these days.

I just use the tile loungers as a reason to go back Maybe tack a short cruise at the end of your next WDW trip hmmmm?

Wow, amazing honeymoon up to now. It looke like you guys were having a blast. The pirate night looks so fun. I never been on a cruise because I get seasick really easily and am scared that I will feel ill on the entire trip. However, your pics are tempting me to try one. Who know maybe one day I will sum up enough courage to try it out but for now keep the pics coming. I am living vicariously through you

You should give it a shot! You can always get a low-deck, midship room (I've heard that's where you feel the motion the least) and I've heard seasick meds are free on the ship. If not, I'm happy to provide a vicarious vacation

Hi! I just read your whole thread in the last few days and must say I love everything you guys did! You were a beautiful bride and you and your hubby make such a cute couple! I cried through your video lol!
BTW I loved your bouquet.
Best wishes for many happy years together!

Awwww thank you so much It's so sweet of you to say that and I simply love seeing comments from new people even after all this time (this thread is almost 2 years old after all!) So glad to have you along for the ride and thanks for the well wishes!

I am a little behind but had to comment on your last sea day! The souflee omg is my favorite thing of the whole trip I am really really really bad and always order two plus a creme brulee I know really bad! but your st marteen day looked amazing its such a pretty island and we visted the plane beach too while we were there the plane took off and people had to hold on to the gate some people went flyings its so insane I am with Kevin I have no idea how people can be so close that? and pirate night I love the firework show its such a cool expierence while out at sea, and the buffet is so worth it you have to go next time! Can't wait to hear the rest of your trip!

Next time I've already decided we're watching the fireworks from the entrance to Cabanas, then running back into the buffet (I've heard it's madness!) And I like your thinking with desserts in Royal Court - I may or may not do that next time!

 

[Aschenputtel]

i'm soooo sorry I let you guys down, but I had a lot of drama and stress in my life - I'm trying to make up, I promise! Read everything I missed since yesterday! And I really hope you join me for my own adventure (I should be able to start my own journal soon!)

Sooo… everything looks sos so great, I really want to do a cruise now and your vendor reviews and the ways you planned your time wirh your family amd friends are really helpful for me - so thanks!

Moreover… you find out the secret of my name! Oh no ;-) (fun fact for you: although Cinderella is called Aschenputtel in Germany the Disney film(s) are actually both called Cinderella - that's why little Katharina didn't figure out the two were the same for a very long period (although in my childhood there was always the "Disney Snow White" and "Snow White" and so om :-D)

Hope you forgive me…

 

[elphie101]

i'm soooo sorry I let you guys down, but I had a lot of drama and stress in my life - I'm trying to make up, I promise! Read everything I missed since yesterday! And I really hope you join me for my own adventure (I should be able to start my own journal soon!)

Sooo… everything looks sos so great, I really want to do a cruise now and your vendor reviews and the ways you planned your time wirh your family amd friends are really helpful for me - so thanks!

Moreover… you find out the secret of my name! Oh no ;-) (fun fact for you: although Cinderella is called Aschenputtel in Germany the Disney film(s) are actually both called Cinderella - that's why little Katharina didn't figure out the two were the same for a very long period (although in my childhood there was always the "Disney Snow White" and "Snow White" and so om :-D)

Hope you forgive me…

You're so silly! First of all, welcome back!! Second of all, can't wait till you start your own PJ so I can follow along You have been missed!!

 

[elphie101]

Wednesday October 22 - Cruise Day 5 (St Thomas/St John)

Good morning St Thomas!! Once again we woke up in port and ran outside to check our view.





Eh, almost the same! Today we had booked an excursion through DCL to go hiking and swimming on St John - because we had to be All Aboard by 4:00pm and the ferry between St Thomas & St John seemed to run on "island time", we decided to go with the security of a Disney excursion knowing that they wouldn't leave us behind if we were somehow delayed. I also really wanted to swim on St John, as I heard it was some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Being that we were now in a US territory, we gleefully turned off airplane mode on our cell phones to check in with the outside world and give our parents a call. Well, one of us did - try as I might my phone would not connect to any cellular signal. Kevin meanwhile, was browsing his email and Facebook with ease, and casually mentioned "Oh gee, The Roots posted a preview of our wedding photos". I have never moved so fast in my life, I'm pretty sure I tackled him in an effort to look at the first (stunning) glimpse of our wedding pictures!

We had to rendezvous in the Walt Disney Theatre for our excursion at 8:00am, and thanks to the wedding photo distraction we had to scramble to assemble our backpack (towels, plastic bags for wet clothes, flip flops for the beach part of the day) and run up to Cabanas for a quick breakfast - so quick I didn't grab a photo!

We checked in outside the theater and were each given a character sticker to note which excursion we were on (three different excursions were on the same ferry boat to St John) and headed into the theater to grab a seat.




We were the Belle group!

After a brief spiel, we were led off the ship (where they were providing towels to us - oops!) and to the end of the dock, where the ferry was waiting for us. Passengers from the Norwegian & Carnival ships we had seen in St Maarten as well as a Royal Caribbean ship were also making their way down the dock - DCL doesn't actually run the excursions, rather they vet outside companies and therefore we again spent the day with people from multiple ships.


The view of St Thomas from the second floor of the ferry

The ride to St John took about an hour - one of the drivers was spieling to us the whole way about celebrity homes we were passing on St Thomas and other island facts, but because we were sitting outside of the cabin we couldn't hear a word. Finally, we docked at St John, and the people doing the Island Tour and Trunk Bay excursions were led to taxis, while us Eco Hike-rs gathered on the dock to meet our hiking guide.


The ferry boat

The hiking guide was a woman around our age, who seemed to have some trouble reaching the actual person who was supposed to be leading us on our tour, because she spent some time on her phone and then announced that "well, I guess I can lead you today!" (Sounds very uncomforting but I'll save you the suspense - she was awesome). We walked over to the National Parks Visitor Center on the island, where we were instructed to take a quick bathroom break if needed and met up with a second hiking guide who would follow the rear of the pack.


Ready to go!


And we're off!

The Eco Hike was a .75 mile hike through the National Park that is St John to Honeymoon Beach (how appropriate!), where we would swim and relax before hiking through an old abandoned sugar plantation on the island and then taxing back to the dock to return to St Thomas.


A mid-hike selfie

We stopped here and there for our hiking guide to share facts about the flora and fauna of the island (like the island lore that despite being a US territory, drivers drive on the UK side of the road on the islands because it was too hard to train goats to go the other way!) She also mentioned that AT&T was pretty much the only carrier to have decent service on the islands, which explained why Kevin could get online but I could not (I have Verizon!)


We stopped to greet a hermit crab


See that thing that looks like a lump of mud in the middle of that tree? That is a TERMITE NEST. Yep. It was enormous.


The inside of a different, old termite nest on the ground, full of tunnels and passages

The vast majority of the trail was uphill, and especially Kevin was regretting that we hadn't brought any bottled water with us, as it was incredibly warm and he was carrying our backpack. After about a half hour or so, we started to descend down a rocky path towards Honeymoon Beach, which our guide called her "favorite beach on St John". We came out of the woods and slowly the beach came into view...





This. was. PARADISE. We all practically ran onto the beach, where there was a little shack to rent chairs, buy beach toys, and shower. A guy from the excursion company was waiting for us with a case of waters (yessss) and pointed us towards a section of beach chairs reserved for our groups. We dumped our bag and headed straight into the water.





This was the bluest and the warmest water I had ever seen in my life! We waded in about chest deep and just floated in the water for half an hour, just chatting and enjoying each others company. There was only about 10-15 other people on the beach besides our group, and it felt like we had found our own private little getaway. It was just so romantic and peaceful and exactly the kind of beach I was hoping to find in the Caribbean.


We didn't realize until we took this photo we accidentally matched!

30 minutes was up way too fast and we reluctantly waded out of the water and showered/toweled off and bid a sad goodbye to gorgeous Honeymoon Beach.

 

[twinkybel81]

That water is stunning! You guys look so happy!

 

[Seia]

Nightmares forever at that nest of termites! Ahhh!!

Man, that beach is gorgeous!! It looks like what I envision as a true tropical oasis. I have to ask, is it really called Honeymoon Beach? I can totally see how it would live up to that name!

 

[disneybarbie]

All caught up.. I love reading about the cruise.. it's fun to hear about your first impressions and seeing all the photos of the beautiful Fantasy! We did the mixology class in April and it was with Damian too! Isn't it amazing how you can be on a ship with 4000+ people but at times be almost alone.. we found that in Sky Line and the other bars too. Interesting to read about St Maarten as our itinerary didn't stop there (we went to San Juan instead).

Can't wait to read more

Emma x

 

[elphie101]

That water is stunning! You guys look so happy!

Awww thanks!! It's so hard to pick a favorite moment of the trip but if I absolutlely had to, this beach would be in the top 3 for sure.

Nightmares forever at that nest of termites! Ahhh!!

Man, that beach is gorgeous!! It looks like what I envision as a true tropical oasis. I have to ask, is it really called Honeymoon Beach? I can totally see how it would live up to that name!

It really is Honeymoon Beach! That's the name! So ironic right? I loved that it was the same beautiful water as the more popular Trunk Bay but without the legions of crowds. We definitely want to go back to St Thomas some day and will for sure be returning to Honeymoon Beach.

All caught up.. I love reading about the cruise.. it's fun to hear about your first impressions and seeing all the photos of the beautiful Fantasy! We did the mixology class in April and it was with Damian too! Isn't it amazing how you can be on a ship with 4000+ people but at times be almost alone.. we found that in Sky Line and the other bars too. Interesting to read about St Maarten as our itinerary didn't stop there (we went to San Juan instead).

Can't wait to read more

Emma x

Good to see you over here again! I totally agree, for a ship that is so enormous (and especially considering how the Fantasy/Dream are bigger than the Magic/Wonder) there were plenty of times we felt like there were only a handful of people on the ship. It was really only for the one-time-only events like the deck parties and the fireworks that we felt the crowds onboard the ship.

 

[elphie101]

Cruise Day 5 Conitnued

Once our time was up on the beach we all gathered by the showers and walked a little ways into the woods, popping out right at the sugar plantation.





On the DCL website, it seemed to make it sound like we would actually explore the plantation, which didn't happen at all - it felt a tiny bit like false advertising. We mostly just walked by it on the asphalt while talking to our guide about her life on St Thomas and moving to the islands from the States. Pretty soon, we reached the end of the asphalt road where our taxi back to the dock was waiting for us.


Not your traditional taxi!

We all piled into the open air cab and set off - the breeze felt amazing in the hot air! As we drove up over a hill the driver pulled over so we could all get a photo of yet another one of St John's glorious beaches.



Once we arrived back at the dock, the ferry was over a half hour away, so we were set loose on the Cruz Bay area to shop and pass the time as we pleased. After our active day both Kevin & I were getting a little hungry, but the only food establishment in the vicinity was an ice cream shop, and our stomachs were empty enough that ice cream didn't sound so appealing. Rather than venture further onto the island (not confident we wouldn't miss the water taxi) we headed back to the National Park Visitor Center, to pick up a magnet and enjoy some air conditioning.


Where we had hiked (the Lind Point Trail & Honeymoon Beach). Everything within that bold green line is National Parks land, 2/3 of the island!

The ferry was due in any minute, so we went back onto the dock where the other two excursions were waiting for the ferry to dock. And waited. And waited. It was about 20 minutes late, which wouldn't have been so bad except we were waiting in the sun. There was a little shaded tent set up, but with the number of people the space under there filled up pretty quickly. One woman in particular from the Royal Caribbean ship (she had their towels) was simply beside herself at our wait, shouting loudly to anyone who could hear about her outrage and trying to insist her fellow passangers accompany her to the Guest Services desk of their ship to demand a refund for their inconvience. Sure, we weren't exactly thrilled about the late boat, but she was definitely taking her injustice a little too far.

Thankfully, the boat soon arrived and we were able to get a seat at what looked like a dining booth on the second level & inside.



The combination of the heat, the bouncing boat, and a very empty stomach was starting to get to me, so I put my head down on the table and zoned out (I couldn't really nap) for the whole ride back. We finally made it back to the dock and onto the Fantasy, where we booked it straight to Cabanas, wet bathing suits and all.


While we were gone, the Pumpkin Tree had grown pumpkins! (This is inside the atrium elevators)


That unattractive blob is some kind of beef dish


Plus a side of "chips" with salsa, guac and sour cream!

I piled my plate high in Cabanas, I was so excited to eat. I inhaled everything so quickly, I don't even remember how the new things tasted - having food was just so good! Once the beast was satisfied, we headed back down to our stateroom so we could unpack from the excursion.

Even though we still had a few hours in port, we both agreed we didn't feel much like straying from the ship and decided to change into fresh swimsuits and visit the adult pool in hopes that us still being in port would make for a less crowded ship like it had the day before. We spent about 45 minutes swimming, but it was far more crowded than it had been in St Maarten - probably because we were less than 2 hours from sailing away! After getting pretty pruney we decided to get a drink from the pool bar to go and head back to our stateroom to watch the sail away.


One daiquiri to go!



If we leaned over the edge we could watch the crew members tossing the lines off, then slowly we started to back away from the dock.


The Norwegian Getaway was already making her way out

We sailed by the Royal Caribbean ship, and everyone was out on their balcony watching the Fantasy go by!!


__________ of the Seas - isn't this one of the ones with a park inside it? It was massive!


One final glimpse of St Thomas

That night's show was Buckets N Boards, a "comedy percussion duo". Early on in the cruise we had talked about skipping any of the entertainment that wasn't a Broadway-esque performance (we saw a preview of the ventriloquist during the first evening's show and it was not our taste at all) but we decided to go sit in the balcony for tonight's show, with the promise that if it was bad we could easily sneak out.

That's Clayton, the Cruise Director introducing the show - his cape is because it was optional Halloween Costume night


I am SO glad we went to the show - we were laughing so hard we couldn't breath! The guys put on a fantastic performance both of musical talent and comedic timing. We loved them! The guys mentioned they had an 'adults only' performance the following evening, and we agreed on the spot that we would attend that performance the next day.

Dinner was back in Enchanted Garden, with the Prince & Princess menu. I forgot to get pictures of this menu again, but thanks to the internet I can look up what we had!


I decided to try a specialty drink, the Golden Slipper: Peach Schnapps, Creme de Cassis and Sparkling Wine. I didn't like it much - 0/2 with the menu specific drinks!

Kevin and I both got the same appetizer, the Slow Roasted Duck and Cheese Quesadilla, with Mango, Cilantro, and Red Peppers, Chimichurri Sauce and an Arugula Drizzle:



It was average, nothing special - neither of us particularly loved it. We both skipped soup & salad, so next came out our entrees.


I had the Peppercorn Crusted New York Strip - sauteed Green Beans and Corn, whipped Yukon Gold Potatoes, and Brandy Sauce. I don't have any pictures of Kevin's entree, so I'm going to assume it's because we had the same thing, looking at the menu. The steak was like the quesadilla, just ok. Nothing special. Looking at the menu now, I can't even see anything I would have preferred to order, like some of the other menus where I maybe didn't love my selection.

While we were eating, I managed to catch 'sunset' in the restaurant. So pretty!



The dessert menus came around and Kevin passed as always, but I saw something I had to try:


Princess Jasmine's Banana Bread Pudding: Brioche Bread Pudding, Caramel Sauce, and toasted Macadamia Nuts. Unlike the other courses, this was quite yummy and the perfect little size! It was a great sweet treat to end the meal.

I may have mentioned it before, but this was definitely our least favorite menu of the week, and one we'll skip for Palo or Remy in any future cruises (I think it's only on the Fantasy right now, though I could be wrong about that). I am a little tempted to go back just for that dessert though!

Before we left, Alfredo once again insisted we stay for a magic trick, this time with cards.



I don't remember any of the specifics about it, so I can't spoil it for you! Afterwards, we bid farewell to Enchanted Garden - for the first time we would not be returning to a restaurant, the beginning of the end of the cruise.



We walked back upstairs, past the Halloween Tree to admire the pumpkin "blooms".



Once we returned to our room, we were greeted with the latest towel animal from Okta:



Kevin gave me a completely stumped look - he didn't know how to hit this one! He paused for about half a second, then leaped into the air and did a belly flop onto the stingray, I couldn't stop laughing!

There was a late night showing of Nightmare Before Christmas in the Walt Disney Theatre that night for Halloween, but we decided to turn in so we could get plenty of rest before our big reservation the next morning: Palo brunch!

 

[Seia]

It's too bad you didn't like the specialty drink - it looks really good! I laughed out loud at the image of Kevin doing a belly flop on that sting ray. I'm so eager to hear about your brunch.

 

[SevenWonkas]

We sailed by the Royal Caribbean ship, and everyone was out on their balcony watching the Fantasy go by!!


__________ of the Seas - isn't this one of the ones with a park inside it? It was massive!

That's Freedom of the Seas. One class below the Oasis/Allure Class, which has Central Park and the Boardwalk. Freedom may be big, but Oasis and Allure are much bigger! Freedom has a maximum capacity of 3,634 passengers, while Oasis has a maximum capacity of 6,296! Fantasy has a max capacity of 4,000. This is all according to Wikipedia.

 

[LadyD]

Man I never knew how much food there was on a cruise. You two look like you had a ton of fun on your cruise I love all the pictures! (especially the foods ones haha).

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I love the image of Kevin doing a belly flop onto the stingray

 

[elphie101]

It's too bad you didn't like the specialty drink - it looks really good! I laughed out loud at the image of Kevin doing a belly flop on that sting ray. I'm so eager to hear about your brunch.

I blame the creme de cassis on me not liking the drink, since I never had it before, or possibly the sparkling wine (since peach schnapps is definitely yummy to me!) I've since tried the cider & black at Rose & Crown (which also has blackcurrant) and that was delicious, so I don't know what went wrong there! I'm also generally turned off by a rim of something on my drinks - I don't get why they're there

I just wish I had gotten photos of the full buffet offering at brunch to show everyone!

That's Freedom of the Seas. One class below the Oasis/Allure Class, which has Central Park and the Boardwalk. Freedom may be big, but Oasis and Allure are much bigger! Freedom has a maximum capacity of 3,634 passengers, while Oasis has a maximum capacity of 6,296! Fantasy has a max capacity of 4,000. This is all according to Wikipedia.

Thanks for the info! I know nothing about RC.....except they have some huge ships!

Man I never knew how much food there was on a cruise. You two look like you had a ton of fun on your cruise I love all the pictures! (especially the foods ones haha).

There is so....much.....food! I've heard on the cruise boards you can order multiple entrees/apps/desserts and nobody bats an eyelash! That, and food is quite important to me, so I made sure to get plenty of pictures of it

I love the image of Kevin doing a belly flop onto the stingray

Every time I think about it I crack up! For sure a highlight

 

[Doodlebug25413]

Pot stickers!!!!!! num num num

St. John. Check will be putting that on the places to see before I die list. I would have spent more time at the beach then a ruined building. You can see those just about anywhere. That's a bummer that you couldn't go explore it.

Your TR is funny! Love seeing the posts & you guys having such a good time!

 

[elphie101]

Pot stickers!!!!!! num num num

St. John. Check will be putting that on the places to see before I die list. I would have spent more time at the beach then a ruined building. You can see those just about anywhere. That's a bummer that you couldn't go explore it.

Your TR is funny! Love seeing the posts & you guys having such a good time!

I hear you! The sugar plantation was about the only thing that sold Kevin on the excursion (see aforementioned history-buff husband who burns easily at the beach) but we definitely felt like it was worth our money overall. I really want to go back to St Thomas/St John someday, I think it would be a wonderful trip!

 

[Aschenputtel]

Wow, St. Thomas is stunning! We're still debating on one more week in WDW or adding a cruise - and you make the decision really hard! And of course you were in the Belle group (brunette princesses rule!).
And the food! Can't wait to see what you got at the brunch!!! (and I'm about to start my PJ, but let me assure you: we already talked to Nate and Jensey (before DFTW)).

 

[Blairblair]

I've been a long time lurker on your PJ and finally decided to speak up and share how much I've enjoyed reading along! I just realized I was there the weekend of your wedding on a trip visit my parents and run the Tower of Terror 10-Miler. I would've loved to do the Everest Challenge!

Everything looked gorgeous at your wedding! I especially loved the first look and then holy cow the food! And I'm glad some epic dancing went down- that's one of the best parts!

Can't wait to hear more about the honeymoon!

 

[elphie101]

Wow, St. Thomas is stunning! We're still debating on one more week in WDW or adding a cruise - and you make the decision really hard! And of course you were in the Belle group (brunette princesses rule!).
And the food! Can't wait to see what you got at the brunch!!! (and I'm about to start my PJ, but let me assure you: we already talked to Nate and Jensey (before DFTW)).

You know I totally get you on booking The Roots before DFTW

I vote cruise!!! Though I think if I had asked DH he would have picked more WDW time, but partly because he's a creature of habit. But I vote cruise all the way!

I've been a long time lurker on your PJ and finally decided to speak up and share how much I've enjoyed reading along! I just realized I was there the weekend of your wedding on a trip visit my parents and run the Tower of Terror 10-Miler. I would've loved to do the Everest Challenge!

Everything looked gorgeous at your wedding! I especially loved the first look and then holy cow the food! And I'm glad some epic dancing went down- that's one of the best parts!

Can't wait to hear more about the honeymoon!

Thank you for coming out of lurkdom!! I can't even begin to describe the warm fuzzies I get seeing new faces along our journey, especially where it's grown to such a mammoth length as this one. How funny that we somewhat crossed paths!

Thanks for reading