Shaking Down the Fantasy and Three Encounters with a Dream!

When: March 21-26

Where: Coronado Springs for two nights and then a three night cruise on the Disney Fantasy

Why: This was a special cruise for agents from Disney Earmarked agencies. A shake down cruise if you will. It was preceded by a day of conference activities at WDW.

Here’s my cruise docs!

Who: My family came this time! If you've read any of my trip reports you know that m family can't always come. Ds is in high school, dd is in middle school and dh is in the Air Force. Not that people in the Air Force can't go on vacation, but he tends to be in really busy jobs that don't work well with the - "Hey, there's an awesome travel agent special in two weeks", or "I haven't been to Disneyland in 9 months and need to go this month to get caught back up" kind of trips.

But this one was too good to pass up! A preview cruise on the brand spanking new Disney Fantasy! Disney doesn't have any new ships in the works so this opportunity wasn't coming along again any time soon. We decided it was even worth taking the kids out of school this time.

It was. Really. No matter what their report cards say next week. :lookaroun

Even better, we had a room for 5 so ds brought a friend. You may recognize friend from my Alaska trip report this summer.

Here’s ds and friend in the Mr. and Mrs. Potato hats in Oceaneers Club:

Dd in the Oceaneer’s Club:

Dh and I heading to the beach. Check out what’s in the background!

You'll also see Pam - owner extraordinaire of Kingdom Konsultants and her family. Here’s Pam and her dh:

Here’s Pam’s dd on the right and her friend on the left:

And Missy (polymissy) who brought her hubby! They’re showing off the butter knives I was coveting:

Disclaimer – I took a lot of pictures of the Fantasy when I toured it in New York City back in February. I didn’t duplicate much, so here’s that report if you’re interested in more pictures of the ship:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=833556

 

[DAKOTADISNEY]

Loving your trip report, Tammy! When we got to our stateroom on the Dream we were looking for the pull down bed and there wasn't one. The girls were getting nervous that they would have to share the couch/bed. Then we saw the cabinet and figured it had to be a bed and sure enough when we got back from dinner it was all set up.

I was pleasantly suprised how adventurous my picky-eating girls were on the cruise. It was a great way for them to try something different and if they didn't like it they could have something else. And we didn't have to worry about paying for a barely eaten meal.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

OMG I'm so excited about Animator's Palate. How cool!

And WHAT??? No photos in shows any more. How sad!

It was so so cool. Seriously, I loved it.

No photos!!

Ah! Well, you've got that one on me - my daughter is soooooooo thin, but she is tall for her age so at least that lets me know she's growing. AND once, our pediatrician (a female who is tiny - about 5' 3" in shoes) remarked during my daughter's 3 year old well check up, "Well, she's in the 80th percentile in height and the 20th percentile in weight. Or in other words, every American woman's dream - including mine- come true." :lol: The she told me she was a perfectly healthy little girl. So ever since then I've tried to just stop fretting over it so much.

Well, he's had a while to grow into that! He was super skinny for a while. At his last physical (we change doctors all the time since we move so much so this doctor didn't know the history) the doctor said he was just where he should be on the height, weight and growth scale.

He actually said, "I don't know what you're eating, but it's perfect. Keep it up!"

Dd and I both screamed - "NOOOOO!!!!" at the same time!! :lol:

The doctor knew he'd messed up so he said, "Oh, I meant exercise! Your exercising great! Keep it up!" :lol:

I told my husband about the fancy restaurant and we decided there will be no need for fancy with our daughter - she'll be happy if her dates take her to Chick Fil A every time. Here's hoping your son can take his dates someplace similar without them minding either. Ha!

Red Lobster is his fancy place now. Popcorn shrimp. :lol:

Again, I digress - WOW, Animator's Palate! That is so cool. I know some will say it's just another 'screen' experience, but to me no one does 'screen' interaction like Disney. They really have gone above and beyond to make technology have that 'wow' factor. I feel like that's tough to do in this day and age. So amazing.

I was underwhelmed when I heard about the concept for Animators. I'm not a good artist and I don't enjoy drawing that much. I just didn't see how it would be that great. But I had faith Disney wouldn't disappoint.

Our servers were really making sure we all did it. Pam was a little late and wasn't drawing and our server kept coming back and trying to encourage her.

Once the show started, I understood why! It just blew me away with how fun it was!

Thanks for the shot of the room with the bed down. I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't notice that some rooms have the extra cabinet and some rooms don't. That cabinet just looks like it's supposed to be there in your room and in our room it didn't look like anything was missing - gotta love that kind of design detail!

The beds are so well hidden! It's kind of genius actually.

Loving your trip report, Tammy! When we got to our stateroom on the Dream we were looking for the pull down bed and there wasn't one. The girls were getting nervous that they would have to share the couch/bed. Then we saw the cabinet and figured it had to be a bed and sure enough when we got back from dinner it was all set up.

I was pleasantly suprised how adventurous my picky-eating girls were on the cruise. It was a great way for them to try something different and if they didn't like it they could have something else. And we didn't have to worry about paying for a barely eaten meal.

Thank you, Dakotadisney! The first time we ever took a cruise, we were looking for the beds too! I wanted to take our room steward home with us to make our beds and put chocolates and towel animals on them every night. :lol:

Ds is the same way on a cruise. I don't think he tried anything different on this one, but he has once or twice before tried something a little out of his comfort zone. It's just like you said, there's no pressure. If he doesn't like it, he can go get something else and we're not mad that we wasted money.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Ugh! Animators looks amazing! My burning question (I shoulda remembered to have you look!) is do they have the wasabi mashed potatoes like on the Dream?!?! Tracey and I flippin' loved those taters! They were so good, so yummy, then at the end you got left with a little warmth. Totally sealed the deal for us! I love that the show brings creativity to life. Even a silly stick figure can have life and personality. All it takes is a little imagination...and Disney! :lol:

I love the part where you may or may not have told the lady "Shut up!" when she shared the price of those dreamy pillows with you. :lol: I'm afraid I would've said something faaaar less magical in all my oober-classiness. :lookaroun $200?!?! Does Mickey come tuck you in every night for that amount???? Come on! That's insane! Okay. So another burning question would be: Did you buy one? You *did* say you only bought 2 of the Animator's butter knives which had something to do with the price of the pillows.... Back to the knives, tho. They sold the dinner plates on the Dream in September. Now they've added the butter knives to the shop's offerings. Maybe I should pick up the dinner plates & butter knives now and hope to see the rest of the place settings come out piece by piece in future years. All I'd need would be the bread plates (next year) and cups/saucers (year after that). Maybe a completer set 2 years down the road, too. I could have my full set by 2014 or so, right??? :hammer:

I think the only time we rode the Aqua Duck was at night on the Dream. I wasn't digging the daytime lines. I will say, it's really a neat vantage point. The boys said they were disappointed because it was such a slow/mild ride. I don't get it. It's not like you can't see practically the entire thing from the ship's deck. What did they expect??? It wasn't going to be a Schlitterbahn water coaster! :brick:

So funny about your son being the picky eater. I will no longer gripe when the boys are particular. There are times when having a pizza/chicken nuggets/popcorn shrimp ONLY kid would be a good thing. Like birthday dinners at nice restaurants. Chandler's 16th birthday dinner w/free-reign, anything goes, Mom & Dad can't fuss over price: 12 oz. prime rib w/lobster tail, sauteed shrimp topping on the steak, and extra lobster tail on the side. :lookaroun I think he was trying to see if he could get his dad to fall over on the floor and cry. :lol:

You know I'm eatin' up the cruise stuff. I'm checking ever half hour for more. The funny part is when I do see an update I don't look right away. I wait until I can get to my laptop, find a quiet place to hide, and savor the details.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Ugh! Animators looks amazing! My burning question (I shoulda remembered to have you look!) is do they have the wasabi mashed potatoes like on the Dream?!?! Tracey and I flippin' loved those taters! They were so good, so yummy, then at the end you got left with a little warmth. Totally sealed the deal for us! I love that the show brings creativity to life. Even a silly stick figure can have life and personality. All it takes is a little imagination...and Disney! :lol:

Shoot, I don't know! I was looking for a menu online to see what some of the dishes we had were and I can't even find the menu we had.

It's so true! Who would have thought a stick figure would be so cool!

I love the part where you may or may not have told the lady "Shut up!" when she shared the price of those dreamy pillows with you. :lol: I'm afraid I would've said something faaaar less magical in all my oober-classiness. :lookaroun $200?!?! Does Mickey come tuck you in every night for that amount???? Come on! That's insane! Okay. So another burning question would be: Did you buy one? You *did* say you only bought 2 of the Animator's butter knives which had something to do with the price of the pillows.... Back to the knives, tho. They sold the dinner plates on the Dream in September. Now they've added the butter knives to the shop's offerings. Maybe I should pick up the dinner plates & butter knives now and hope to see the rest of the place settings come out piece by piece in future years. All I'd need would be the bread plates (next year) and cups/saucers (year after that). Maybe a completer set 2 years down the road, too. I could have my full set by 2014 or so, right??? :hammer:

I did!! Thank goodness I didn't push her across the store like Elaine used to do on Seinfeld! :lol:

It is insane and no I didn't buy one. I was good! I may have a full set of butter knives by 2014 too! :lol:

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I think the only time we rode the Aqua Duck was at night on the Dream. I wasn't digging the daytime lines. I will say, it's really a neat vantage point. The boys said they were disappointed because it was such a slow/mild ride. I don't get it. It's not like you can't see practically the entire thing from the ship's deck. What did they expect??? It wasn't going to be a Schlitterbahn water coaster! :brick:

It is a really neat vantage point. Ds said he was underwhelmed too. I tried to warn them that it wasn't a thrill ride so to speak. I think my video of our first ride with us cackling and screaming the whole way (partly because of the cold water) made him expect more.

So funny about your son being the picky eater. I will no longer gripe when the boys are particular. There are times when having a pizza/chicken nuggets/popcorn shrimp ONLY kid would be a good thing. Like birthday dinners at nice restaurants. Chandler's 16th birthday dinner w/free-reign, anything goes, Mom & Dad can't fuss over price: 12 oz. prime rib w/lobster tail, sauteed shrimp topping on the steak, and extra lobster tail on the side. :lookaroun I think he was trying to see if he could get his dad to fall over on the floor and cry. :lol:

:lol: I guess it is good that he doesn't like steak and lobster tail! Dd likes lobster and steak and she threatens us with the most expensive thing on the menu sometimes. We just smile and say no way.

You know I'm eatin' up the cruise stuff. I'm checking ever half hour for more. The funny part is when I do see an update I don't look right away. I wait until I can get to my laptop, find a quiet place to hide, and savor the details.

That is so awesome.

 

[stillgoofy]

Tammy,

This TR is so awesome. I've been checking it out each day to see more info. Your pictures are great, makes me feel like I'm right there (at least I wish I was). It's hard to believe theat after the TR so far you are only at the end of the first night. Way to get the most out of your time

Good to know about the adult areas being monitored. We actually didn't go to them much on our last Dream cruise but plan to use this area more on our upcoming September cruise on the Dream. My daughter looks young but is actually 21 (almost 22) so I guess we better have her KTTW card in case they try to kick her out.

Also love the show in the Animator's Palate. I have no artistic ability and was leary about this but will definitley try it now.

Everytime I open this thread and start reading I get the biggest smile on my face (and tears in my eyes). Wow, what a ship. Only Disney could do all of this!

 

[DznyGrlSD]

OH. My. GOODNESS!!! What a beautiful ship. I am SO glad we went on the Magic for our 1st cruise instead of the Fantasy - I would have NEVER wanted to cruise on the Magic, ever!

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

$200 for that pillow?! that is absolutley ridiculous. i have never heard such craziness. is the pillow made with gold thread? i mean really. i would love to buy one but there is no way i would spend $200 on a pillow. and that would have been hilarious if you had pushed the lady like Elaine on Seinfeld would have. i can see it now. :lol: i am glad you were able to restrain yourself and just say "shut up".

the animator's palate show looks awesome! that is such a cool way to incorporate the diners into the vibe of the restaurant. can't wait to read more!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Tammy,

This TR is so awesome. I've been checking it out each day to see more info. Your pictures are great, makes me feel like I'm right there (at least I wish I was). It's hard to believe theat after the TR so far you are only at the end of the first night. Way to get the most out of your time

Good to know about the adult areas being monitored. We actually didn't go to them much on our last Dream cruise but plan to use this area more on our upcoming September cruise on the Dream. My daughter looks young but is actually 21 (almost 22) so I guess we better have her KTTW card in case they try to kick her out.

Also love the show in the Animator's Palate. I have no artistic ability and was leary about this but will definitley try it now.

Everytime I open this thread and start reading I get the biggest smile on my face (and tears in my eyes). Wow, what a ship. Only Disney could do all of this!

Ahh! Thank you Kris!! I'm so glad I can show you some of the magic!

Definitely draw when you're there! No artistic ability required!

I am only at the end of the first night onboard! Sadly there were only 3 nights onboard! 3 night cruises are toooooo short!!

OH. My. GOODNESS!!! What a beautiful ship. I am SO glad we went on the Magic for our 1st cruise instead of the Fantasy - I would have NEVER wanted to cruise on the Magic, ever!

Isn't it beautiful! It's going to be a little hard to be back on the classic ships, but I'll tough it out. :lookaroun:lol:

$200 for that pillow?! that is absolutley ridiculous. i have never heard such craziness. is the pillow made with gold thread? i mean really. i would love to buy one but there is no way i would spend $200 on a pillow. and that would have been hilarious if you had pushed the lady like Elaine on Seinfeld would have. i can see it now. :lol: i am glad you were able to restrain yourself and just say "shut up".

the animator's palate show looks awesome! that is such a cool way to incorporate the diners into the vibe of the restaurant. can't wait to read more!

Absolutely ridiculous!! And I saw someone buying one!

It would have been hilarious, but she may have had me arrested for assault. :lol:

It is a great way to make the diners a part of the show. Just genius!

 

[disneygirl1]

Great update Tammy!!! I am at a loss for words over the whole drawing show at Animators!!! That looks absolutely amazing!!! Disney sure knows what they are doing!!!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Ohhhh, I'm so hoping they have the butter knives when we go on the Dream next year!! We (well, me since I'm the one buying all the stuff but my sister lives there too) are redoing our kitchen in the yellow, red, black adn white Mickey collection from the parks. No dishware yet! But I will be bringing some back with me next month!! Figured I would bring the glassware when we're driving and not flying. But those butter knives would look oh-so-awesome in my kitchen!!

LOVE Aminators!! Disney is just so creative when it comes to some things and those screens are AMAZING!! And looking at the food has made me hungry now. Thanks a lot!!! Good thing it's almost lunch time!!!!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Great update Tammy!!! I am at a loss for words over the whole drawing show at Animators!!! That looks absolutely amazing!!! Disney sure knows what they are doing!!!

It was! I can not tell you how impressed we were with it!

Ohhhh, I'm so hoping they have the butter knives when we go on the Dream next year!! We (well, me since I'm the one buying all the stuff but my sister lives there too) are redoing our kitchen in the yellow, red, black adn white Mickey collection from the parks. No dishware yet! But I will be bringing some back with me next month!! Figured I would bring the glassware when we're driving and not flying. But those butter knives would look oh-so-awesome in my kitchen!!

LOVE Aminators!! Disney is just so creative when it comes to some things and those screens are AMAZING!! And looking at the food has made me hungry now. Thanks a lot!!! Good thing it's almost lunch time!!!!

I bet they will!! I'll be buying some more too!

Glasses are so hard, I agree! I always see some I like but don't want to deal with the shipping or packing or whatever. The butter knives are so great!

Sorry, I should have warned people that food pictures were coming! I was much better about taking them this time!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Saturday, March 24th - Day at Sea

We slept in today! Woohoo! With the curtain drawn it was very dark in our room and we were shocked when we woke up at 8:30.

We got ready for the day. The shower in our stateroom was absolutely wonderful. We had a round bathtub and you could pick whether you want the shower to come through a hand held sprayer, or fall from directly overhead. The overhead option was amazing.

The Fantasy still has the blow dryer plug out in the room by the desk. On one hand it’s great that you don’t have to take up a bathroom drying your hair, but when people are trying to sleep while you’re blow drying your hair 3 feet away, it’s the dumbest idea in the world. It was definitely a non-blow-drying-man who designed that.

Luckily it was after 9 and I wanted the kids up anyway.

We went to Cabanas for breakfast. Hello one of my favorite food items onboard – breakfast potatoes!!

Dd joined us:

The view off the back of Cabanas:

There’s our verandah we have reserved for Thanksgiving of 2013!! :sohappy: I can’t wait! It’s huge! I heard some people were afraid that people in Cabanas could watch you on your verandah, but as you can see from this picture, you can’t see most of the verandah.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Dh took a walking tour of the ship after breakfast. I must have stopped by the room, because this is definitely our verandah:

Dd wanted to try the Midship Muppets so she started that.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I had signed up for an animation talk at 11:00 with Stacia Martin. All of the conference activities today were optional and I wanted as much time as I could to enjoy the ship, so I only signed up for one talk today.

Here are the chairs in the Buena Vista Theater:

I was really glad I signed up for this one. Stacia has been an animator for Disney for more than 30 years. She drew while she talked and gave away her drawings. She was super interesting.

At the end of the talk she asked if we were sad that we didn’t all get a drawing. Of course we were. Until she told us she had brought one for everyone! Yay! :sohappy:

They gave us all one as we left. They were all different but I got the big cheese! Woo hoo!!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I went back to the room and found dh and dd there waiting. We decided on Royal Court for lunch.

Dh and dd:

Royal Court is beautiful and I thought it was prettier than it’s counterpart, Royal Palace, on the Disney Dream. The little touches were amazing.

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Here’s that beautiful table we wanted for the girls cruise, but I think we’ve outgrown it! That's a good thing!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

I had pasta:

Dh had fish:;

Dd photobombing my bread basket picture!

Love the bread basket!

I had a Mickey bar for dessert of course.

So did Dd.

Dh had key lime pie something I think?

Everything was yummy and we had the rest of this beautiful day ahead of us! :sohappy:

 

[joanna71985]

Great TR so far Tammy! I am just loving it (especially the pictures).

Yep. I didn't try it, but I saw it being strictly enforced.

This stinks! I wish they would go back to the old way

I had been getting texts from the fam all day with picture from the Flower and Garden Festival. They looked like they were having a great time. Dh was picked to be Sir Gallahad in the Quest for the Holy Grail in the UK. He danced and everything. I am told there was some river dancing involved. :lookaroun I need to post that video!

Please do!!

At the end the names of the “guest animators” scrolled across the screen. There we all are up top!

This is SO COOL!! Now I want to go on the Fantasy just to see this

Here’s that beautiful table we wanted for the girls cruise, but I think we’ve outgrown it! That's a good thing!

It's a very good thing!

 

[Disneyfalcon]

Great TR so far Tammy! I am just loving it (especially the pictures).

This stinks! I wish they would go back to the old way

Please do!!

This is SO COOL!! Now I want to go on the Fantasy just to see this

It's a very good thing!

Thanks, Joanna!

I hate the photography thing too. I really wish they would let those of us with our flash and screens turned off, keep doing it.

You will have to try the Fantasy! It's so cool!

And yes, that's a very good thing!