talfonso Posted July 5, 2013 Share Posted July 5, 2013 Love, love, love those photos, Adam! Especially with the food! Oh, and BTW, I'm sailing on a Dream-class vessel this September (on Fantasy's older sister ship, the Dream)! This TR gets me so pumped up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disneygurlz2s Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Adam, I love all the pictures. We are giving serious consideration to doing the cruise/land trip next June to celebrate our 20th anniversary and Sammi's 16th birthday. My only question... the food looks way fancier than what we eat. I am pretty sure there are a lot more "regular folk" choices, but are those available in the nice restaurants, because I don't want to miss out on those experiences! Shari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Today's update is a little shorter to allow for the next one to be filled with the last of the tail end of the trip's best, so let's resume! Jack pointed the gauntlet towards the sky and this happened. And this... Some of this... Lots more of this... It really is something to see fireworks at sea. This isn't a Reflections of Earth style show, considering the limited amount of launchers they can have on the ship, but the sky lights up for a good portion of the show. This is a very impressive aspect of the overall Disney Cruise Line experience! After the fireworks, Club Pirate takes over with ghoulish pirate dancers taking the stage. Only on a Disney cruise can you find ghoulish pirate dancers that fly after a fireworks show at sea. The next day was a sea day, so I spent a good deal of time roaming the ship to get some photos. I think I like taking photos of the AquaDuck even more than I like riding it! Something about floating around the ship with a clear view of the ocean around you and the other guests below is wonderful! Mary Poppins on the Funnel Vision and me on deck. I seriously LOVE this. The kids of the ship really seemed to enjoy the AquaLab. The water play area has some fun interactive elements that add to the soakage. Also, notice how the AquaDuck wraps into the AquaLab perfectly! Goofy's Sports is at the aft section of the ship with a full basketball court, mini golf, ping pong tables and a special room with sports simulators available for reserving. Goofy's Golf is a very Disney mini golf course. The location also provides a great view! The little details... This ship really is something else! This is one of several adult pools on the ship to enjoy. The "wade-up" bar is awesome too. Currents is a bar found at near the front of the ship. I figured this photo was a must. My reaction: http://tinyurl.com/mfatx9r This is awesome though. It was lobster night... So naturally I ordered some. And it was some of the best lobster I've ever had! They also had venison on the menu, so I ordered some... Because I could! Amaretto Cheesecake. A combination of two things I really, really enjoy. Enchanted Garden really looks great by the end of the meal. For the index! With it being Semi-Formal night, I felt it might be appropriate to get some nicer photos on the ship. And this photo well... Because it's kind of my thing. #Rothing During the NBA Finals, we were able to watch the games on Funnel Vision. I really love the Atrium. If you're picking up on a common theme, I just really love everything about this ship. Shanghai Disneyland's Enchanted Storybook Castle is already included on the map! "Was he in a dolphin movie?" On to Castaway Cay where I really started to geek out! Castaway Cay is a huge island that Disney owns in its entirety. There's already a ton of things to enjoy here, but you can definitely tell that there's room to expand down the road. There's a complementary shuttle service available across the island that brings guests to all of the major destinations. Why thank you! It isn't Disney if it doesn't have a story! Growing up sailing a Catamaran as a kid, the chance to rent of these was extremely enticing. Disney Cruise Line is the only one in the industry to have a private island that the ships can dock directly at, as opposed to needing to tender. This may not sound like a big deal, but it is a huge convenience not only for the guests but for the operations on the island. There's no shortage of character on Castaway Cay! The signage throughout the island has that authentic island, aged feel to it. The Big Cheese himself! And Goofy too! For those of you wondering about prices of alcohol on the ship, this is the main drink menu from the island bars, which is comparable to what you find on the ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotlanta Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 There is Disney and then there is everyone else. It's too expensive to do it properly right now, but all these TR's are tempting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 I am amused, but not surprised, that Castaway Cay has to have a "backstory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Disney Cruise Line is the only one in the industry to have a private island that the ships can dock directly at, as opposed to needing to tender. Didn't Royal Caribbean upgrade their island to have a dock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 And now, it is time for the conclusion of this fabulous trip, picking back up where we left off on Castaway Cay! Wastin' away again at... the Conched Out Bar? Also notable at Castaway Cay is the significant presence of child-friendly play areas, including this large game area at the front of the island. Pelican Plunge is a part of the recent expansion on the island made right before the debut of the Disney Dream. The two slides float just off of the beach, one enclosed and the other open air. The platform also features a mini tipping bucket to further soak guests. Geronimo! Look out below! Skloosh! He can fly! He can fly! He can fly! People watching at Pelican Plunge is very entertaining! Considering my hatred for salt water, I know how he feels. Back on the shore, there are high powered water guns that you can use to further soak guests swimming to and from Pelican Plunge. I believe the Heads Up Bar was also added during the recent expansion to Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay features a HUGE wading/snorkeling/swimming lagoon that is naturally barricaded from the ocean. Throughout the evening and morning, Disney scuba cast members actually comb through the lagoon to ensure that no sea urchins have gotten in--safety first! There's also lifeguards throughout the entire lagoon, so you really can go out as far as you'd like without worrying about safety. Castaway Cay also features an indulging 5K path for runDisney enthusiasts. Not sure if you get a medal for running it though... There are several family-friendly splash zones across the island for guests to enjoy. And they even use fresh water! Plain and simple, this was THE BEST island food I've ever experienced on a cruise. And yes, I did pig out. And much like on the ship, soda is unlimited and FREE! It is the little details that make me love Disney so much. This was actually a plane once! Serenity Bay is the adult-only side of the island, and features its own BBQ location (with a few unique food items not found on the other side). Serenity Bay's main appeal is the huge, quiet, adult-exclusive beach. And it just so happened that Jack Sparrow was roaming Serenity Bay looking for buried treasure! Looks amazing! Fun fact: The island has a formerly-active runway that is now that path in which the shuttles bring guests back and forth between Serenity Bay and the main portion of Castaway Cay. There's another plane at the entrance to the main portion of the 5K trail! I've got knee problems, so running really isn't much of an option for me, but I was urged by my friends to visit the observation tower along this path, so I opted to walk it. About 20 minutes later, I arrived! Even at the observation tower in the middle of the island, there were awesome Disney touches. Fun stuff. The top of the tower provides a gorgeous view of the island's unique landscape. And of course, it provides a fantastic view of the ship! The rest of the 5K trail features some really awesome moments of "natural beauty." It may have been insanely hot out, but the open sky, quiet road and my casual pace made the experience thoroughly enjoyable! Back in the main portion of Castaway Cay, there were hermit crab races for the younger guests. Karl Holz shout out! Live entertainment on the island... Remember when Matt Ouimet worked for Disney? And a Tom Staggs tribute to boot! Do you get it? This stamp of authenticity proves that Castaway Cay is in fact a part of the Bahamas. Tom Wolber used to be the COO of Disney Cruise Line. Back on the ship, I thought I'd take the time to walk around and admire the island from high up... But I ended up admiring the AquaDuck some more instead. The back of the ship features a small room with two sports simulators for guests to enjoy. As you can see, there is still much of the island available to be developed. Another look at the Castaway Cay lagoon. Quite picturesque, no? Satellite Falls really did become one of my favorite amenities on the ship. A sign of quality! Captain Mickey looks ready to meet guests today! Love this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted August 3, 2013 Author Share Posted August 3, 2013 (Concluded) The farewell show on the ship was pretty neat and features appearances from all of the characters in addition to video clips from throughout the week. Hi Elissa! Gawrsh, I'm gonna miss this ship! The Goat Cheese and Potato Napoleon was definitely my kind of appetizer! I loved it! I had to try the Beef Wellington. It was awesome! There was this awesome dessert! And another dessert trio for good measure! I spent a lot of time in The Tube over the course of the cruise and it ended up being one of my favorite venues on the ship! There's even a royal thrown in The Tube! La Piazza was also a really great place to grab a drink and relax. I loved these giant porthole loungers! I even got the chance to catch up with our TPR friend Soren! But now the dreaded moment has arrived... Say it isn't so! I certainly hope so! This really was an amazing, unforgettable, insanely relaxing experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Serenity Bay looks like the island that Capt. Jack Sparrow was marooned on--twice. Was there any rum left? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBpony414 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Still drooling over all the delicious looking food! The snorkeling area of Castaway Cay is pretty impressive. Too funny that you ran into TPR friend Soren, I didn't know he was working on the ships now. Thanks for posting your detailed TR! I enjoyed reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjaco Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Great report, Adam. Nice to see Soren as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Nice to see the Beef Wellington, too--I want that now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Awesome report! It's been a while since we did our Disney Cruise and your report sure makes me miss it! Their food really is amazing, and the free Coke products is a major plus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted August 13, 2013 Share Posted August 13, 2013 Kristen actually asked the other day to go back on a Disney cruise...may have to start looking at prices again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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