Eastern Caribbean Cruise
Aboard the Disney Fantasy
July 14-21, 2012
7/14/2012
Embarkation Day...
Another journey begins! This is the first time for most of the party on the larger vessel... we went on the Maiden Voyage... so we're veterans. :)
This time, it's a bit more packed than it was on the Maiden Voyage... at least it seems more crowded. But the larger vessel accommodates the guests nicely.
7/15/2012
At Sea...
Just a day to explore. I think Rob, my brother, and our nephew went on the Aqua Duck at least a dozen times each. I was going to try it out, but didn't get the opportunity.
The remainder of us just milled about and explored the ship. Shopped. And took LM to Nemo's Reef.
7/16/2012
At Sea...
Another day at sea. More exploring, more shopping, more fun in the Nemo's Reef with LM.
7/17/2012
St. Maarten...
We docked in St. Maarten and were on shore by early afternoon. We got a cab and went up to the French side of the island, where we encountered Rosemary's. They have been featured on Anthony Bourdain's show on the travel channel.
We had some lunch - for me it was red snapper, rice, beans, and salad. Amid lunch banter, LM got sick. At first we thought it was the heat. I whisked him off to the nearest bathroom to clean him up, only to find him getting sick more... and a bathroom troll demanding $1.00 (us) to use the facilities. I was frantic, in tears, and holding my crying child who just wanted to be clean.
I managed to talk the bathroom troll into letting us in, just to use the sinks. We cleaned up the little man... and went to find the cab driver... only to have a repeat performance. Again, a sobbing mess of a mommy pleaded with the bathroom troll to just let us clean the baby. I even showed her, we cleaned up after ourselves. She let us in again, but this time called security. Whatever, lady!
Once we got the LM cleaned up again, we rushed to the cab and had the driver take us back to the Dutch side of the island, where most of our party went to the beach... while myself, hubby, and LM headed back to the ship. The cabby was a wonderful person, who offered me pointers, and made sure we made it back to the ship without incident (so we gave her an additional tip).
Once back on-board, we contacted the health bay and asked to have them see LM. They gave him an anti-nausea shot... and some antibiotics for what they thought might be tonsilitis... and we went to our cabin to rest, bathe the tiny boy, and hopefully get him to nap.
I was a bit upset that we missed the Dutch side of the island... and not really certain if I'd want to return to St. Maarten after the experience with the bathroom troll...
Life was quiet that night. My parents took the LM down to their cabin so my father could tend to him. They were just down stairs a flight and over a couple of cabins, so it didn't bother me to have him down there. They had kept him every night during the cruise anyhow.
7/18/2012
St. Thomas/St. John....
After a fun battle with the sick bay folks, we were released to go on land. We had to buy some diapers (as they were almost $13 for a package of just 15 on the ship), so we were anxious to get out and about. We managed to mill about port a bit, and found some diapers (packages of 25 for $8... so I bought 3). Did some minor sight seeing, then decided to get LM back on the ship for a nap.
I felt fine for most of the day... but that evening we discovered the episode from the previous day did not end our fun. You guessed it, that evening, the hubby and I both got ill. We immediately contacted sick bay and got anti nausea shots for ourselves... the shot worked for me, not so much for the hubby... so he got another shot. My parents loved watching LM overnight in their cabin... which was downstairs and a couple of rooms away, so I was glad they had him that night.
The next morning, my father brought LM down to us and I had to ask that he keep him longer, as we weren't feeling well. Thus began one of the longest days of my entire life. I was lost without LM there to cuddle and make me laugh when I was feeling down. It wasn't until later that I discovered the ick had decided to maneuver its way through our entire party.
Of course, being ill assured us that we'd miss lobster night... double boo!
7/19/2012
At Sea....
Thankfully, another day at sea followed our excursion to St. Thomas. It gave everyone the time to rest, relax, and recuperate from the horrid ordeal we faced with the Noro Virus (that was what we were told was going around the ship). Let me tell you, if I never have that crappy virus again in my entire life, I will be one happy girl.
We decided to treat LM to a trip to Nemo's Reef and some fun on deck. We also got him entered into a diaper dash... which he did well at. He actually won his heat and the one after. But he lost the overall because a pretty little girl distracted him. (Yes, he was a day away from his first birthday... and already a pretty girl distracted him!)
Pirate Night was fun. LM dressed up as a pirate and we enjoyed supper and the festivities and fireworks. I wandered into the buffet and found some scrumptious turkey legs. Since I hadn't eaten much at supper, I indulged in one. It was delicious!
7/20/2012
Castaway Cay, Bahamas
Disney's Private Paradise
LM's big day... his first birthday! Thankfully, our entire party was feeling a lot better by this day... so we were all able to get off the ship and enjoy the peace and tranquility of Castaway Cay. Of course, no birthday would be complete without a picture with some characters... so LM was able to get his birthday picture with Goofy and Captain Jack Sparrow!
We enjoyed watching him build sand castles and play in the water. After a fun-filled afternoon, LM fell asleep in the shade, so we loaded him into his stroller and took him back to the ship.
Again, we faced the last night of the cruise. We had supper... my parents had purchased a captain's uniform for LM on St. Thomas... so I cleaned it up during our sea day and he wore it for dinner. A fitting outfit for his first birthday celebration!
After dinner, the crew came around and announced LM's birthday. They brought with them a Mickey Mouse shaped birthday cake. After singing Happy Birthday, they went to get plates and forks... and LM decided to take it upon himself to dig in! It was precious watching him grab at hunks of cake and shove them into his little mouth. He really enjoyed it!
After dinner, we watched the character goodbye in the atrium before going upstairs to make final preparations for debarkation and head to bed.
7/21/2012
Debarkation Day... a.k.a. fast train back to reality...
We all begrudgingly went down to breakfast this morning. Knowing we'd soon be parting ways with the Disney Fantasy for a while... we were all rather morose.
After breakfast, we disembarked from the ship... and took a cab back to my parents' resort. We decided to spend an extra day or two with them... and go to Walt Disney World.
As soon as we got things situated at the resort, we got comfy... and LM decided to take it upon himself to take his first excursion on foot. Of course, he'd experimented with walking plenty... but on this particular day, he took off. He didn't wobble... or bobble... he just walked like he'd been doing so for ages... completely without assistance or support. Little stinker!
7/22/2012
Walt Disney World...
Of course, no first birthday celebratory cruise would be complete without a trip to Disney World??? At least, LM's wasn't going to be complete without a day spent visiting his favorite character friends.
We spent the day at the park, enjoying the antics of LM... he was so funny and jovial. Back to his normal self, for sure. He seemed to enjoy the rides. His very favorite was "It's a Small World". I didn't know if he'd enjoy the ride or not... but when we went to get off the gondola, he literally threw a fit. He did NOT want to get off the ride, and kept saying "No, mommy. Nony ride again, please. Please mommy." I was thankful the people waiting for the gondola seats were patient as I talked to him and told him we'd maybe get to go on the ride again later in the day. Finally, he agreed to get off the ride and come with me.
After riding more of our favorite rides, and having something to eat... we decided to expend a bit more of our waning energy shopping some of the shops. (Hey, it was cool inside... not so much outside.)
After a day of fun at the park, it was time to enjoy the Main Street Electrical Parade... which is by far one of my favorite parts of a day spent at Walt Disney World. We enjoyed the parade... then the fireworks... then made our way out of the park to head back to the resort.
Sadly, the next day, hubby, myself, and LM were set to return home. *sigh*
