Trip Report We're Sailing on the Fan-ta-sy!

belledream · Jan 28, 2025

We've been to Serenity Bay before, but it still took my breath away.

It was so quiet. Just the sounds of the water ebbing and flowing on the shore. Crystal clear water.

We dove in and started looking for life. Nemo has been asking about a sand dollar (again, from our photo album) so I felt pressure to find one. I did not, but I did find a sponge. Terrible picture below. I also spent a lot of time following a long, translucent fish who evaded me.

We swam around more. The floor here is not the smoothest. In fact, we were tiptoeing around saying "ouch" and a few other words quite a bit. Then we heard someone call to us, "There's a stringray near you." I was like "Oh!" in equal parts excitement and fear.

But he was just doing his own thing. So cool though, and you bet the kids were impressed when I showed them later.

It was an enjoyable half an hour or so. This brought me straight back to January 2012 when we were just two college kids who were enjoying time together on this very beach.

We still wanted to pick up the kids soon because we were not nearly done with Castaway this afternoon, so we went back to the tram stop. But Serenity BBQ smelled pretty good and even though we weren't particularly hungry, we decided to check out the offerings. They had a few items that weren't at Cookie's. For me, it was a plate of beans. They were pretty spicy, which I loved. J said he thinks it was supposed to be a topping for a burger or hot dog, because we got a weird look when we asked for just the beans. He himself ate a hot dog.

And we're back.

Nemo had been eyeing this Disney Cruise ship sand toy and I decided to buy it and surprise them when we picked them up. I really do love it myself. The fun souvenir to play with for the rest of the day, and to remember the good times by later on.

The Mount Rushmore of Castaway Cay.

At the entrance to Scuttle's Cove, the first thing we saw was Nemo and Boo running to the water cooler with a youth counselor and drink some water. Why was that just so cute?! The little black wetsuits and their blue and purple hats. Then they ran off again and I could see Nemo's hat behind the bushes and hear his yelling at the splash pad. Boo was squatting and digging something in the sand. When they came out, I asked them what they did and Boo said she "played with Nemo." Nemo said he "made a racetrack in the splash area and showed it to a friend who had never seen one." It sounds like they really enjoyed it.

We did have a bit of drama though. They could not find Boo's water shoes in the cubby, which we saw her put them in there. They looked around the area to see if she had left them somewhere, but I knew she didn't remove them from the cubby. They said that it was possible that someone else took them by mistake and that it would be returned. I was skeptical, but I appreciated that they offered to take me to a shop and get a replacement for her. Unfortunately, they only had flip flops available. While we would make do with it for today, I knew that it would not be sustainable tomorrow. But I took them because we needed something, and just hoped that by some miracle, we would get her shoes back. But it goes to show that Disney will take care of you. I didn't doubt it for a minute, and we were able to go on and enjoy the rest of our day.

belledream · Jan 28, 2025

It was about 2:30, so we had about two hours left on the island. We went back to the Family Beach and the kids' imaginations ran wild with their new ship. Nemo said, "And now I'm going to dock the ship" and used the rake as the anchor. Boo created a little 2D world with the castle, Mickey, and starfish. After a while, I suddenly had the thought that all the rental things would probably close earlier than 4, so I ran over to the rental area to inquire. I almost choked at the $34 but got over it quickly. I don't want to hear about not doing the water trike for the next however many months. Plus, I know he will enjoy it.

The CM said the last rental was at 3:15, but he would save one for me. So I ran all the way back and told Nemo and J to get ready. I would have liked to take him, but I figured that J would be better equipped to handle the solo effort and pedal since Nemo would not be able to reach. Boo wanted to just continue frolicking in the water, so I stayed with her and she liked when I twirled her in the water. She also wrote her name in the sand and told me I could use it if I needed help spelling. Eventually I convinced her that we should go see the boys on the trike for a bit.

It was so cute seeing them out there, with a perfect view of the ship. They were bobbing up and down a bit in the waves, and I could see Nemo trying to propel the wheel with his hands. I did lots of crazy waving.

Boo and I drew pics in the sand and she chased after seagulls. She wanted to sit on the stand up paddleboards that were on the beach and the CM said sure. When J and Nemo returned, J told me that they never even charged him for the rental. He said that "My wife told me to get here before 3:15 for the water trike." The CM asked, "What time is it now?" J said, "3:09..." Guess we were pixie dusted, hooray!

We went back to the family beach and played for a little longer. The chairs were being packed up and the crowd had thinned out. I was actually hot and wanted to go in the water again. Not a single drop of rain today. The weather had been divine.

We had been at Castaway Cay from 8:30 to 4:00 and it was one for the books. It was better than how I dreamed it would be. My heart was full because the things we enjoyed to the max 10+ years ago are somehow even more enjoyable now with our children.

We found another wagon and pulled them all the way back to the ship, beating the tram, and right up to the gangway. A Crew Member even offered to take it from us. When we got back to our room, we hosed the sandy kids off in the shower and then let them relax in a bath tub while I went to get them slices of pizza and fruit to hold them over until dinner. When I got back, I received a message from Oceaneers saying to give them a call. They said that Boo's shoes had been returned and that they would drop it off at our stateroom, right now. I opened the door to a kind youth counselor who handed me the shoes inside a DCL drawstring backpack. These humans really are the magic.

belledream · Jan 29, 2025

We went to Deck 4. It was the perfect time to watch the sun set. I kept my eyes on it and within a span of thirty seconds, the sun disappeared over the horizon.

We were up to our usual antics, and then we saw Thor walking down the deck towards us. The kids stopped in their tracks and just gaped. So did J. He was like, "That guy is f***ing huge. Have you seen any cast members that big around here, cause I haven't. Is that his only job?!"

Dinner #3 would be at Animator's Palate. We knew this would be a hit, so we didn't give the kids any inkling of what to expect. Discoveries, incoming!

The kids ogled at the gigantic pencils and paintbrushes, and very quickly realized the action that was going on. They loved playing Impressions and guessing what the moonfish were making. And of course, they were thoroughly entertained by the visits from Nemo and his silly friends. When the restaurant changed colors, Nemo shouted, "Now we're underwater!"

I loved our table location here. It was in the corner, tucked away from everyone else, and had good views of all the screens, and the restaurant as a whole.

This was the display behind us. It was like a little museum. There was so much to look at, and we had conversations with the kids about different types of animation.

belledream · Jan 29, 2025

A rare photo of the kids' meals. I got one salmon and one steak and split it up between them. Boo enjoyed getting her Mickey ketchup made to order.

And for our appetizers...
Smoked Salmon Tartar: yes please.
Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes: J thought these were delicious, I thought they were okay.
Sliced Serrano Ham: I can't say no to any type of cured meat.
Tomato Tarte: not bad at all, but filling for what it was.

J got the Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup. I got the Creamy Butternut Squash Soup. We were both pleased with our choices.

J got the Ginger-Teriyaki Dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin. He had no complaints. Surprisingly, this meat eater liked the bok choy a lot.

Herb-Crusted Pork Chop for me. It came on top of sun-dried tomato risotto which tasted so good at first bite, and then became almost too rich for me. As for the pork chop, I must say I think J does a better job at home. That was a first.

For dessert, J said he was going to get the Warm Sticky Date Pudding. I was like, hold up - what? There was a Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae on the menu. He quickly changed his mind.

My Crunchy Walnut Cake was SO good. Anything dark chocolate and raspberry is always my #1, but the walnuts really made this. I don't eat a lot of dessert at home, and I have been trying to wean myself off of needing that taste of something sweet after meals, but thinking about this does not help.

The kids got Mickey Ice Cream bars of course. But they were mostly in it for the Mickey sprinkles. After she finishes eating every meal, Boo announces, "I want to sit on your lap." And she'll make her way over and sit on either of our laps and changes her mind every so often. Today, she favored J's lap and wanted to give him messy kisses on the cheek.

At the end of dinner, Sashelle told J that she had something for him. She came over with a sweet treat and a few other servers and they sang Happy Birthday to him. This is like J's worst nightmare, but he played along. I had kind of forgotten I marked a Birthday celebration for us. It was indeed not his birthday, but his was the closest to our sail date... At least the kids got to witness the fun.

belledream · Jan 29, 2025

We had made an important decision during dinner. We decided it was prime AquaDuck time. The kids chanted "AquaDuck!" as they ran down the hallway to our room. We changed into bathing suits and went all the way up to Deck 12. We walked straight up the stairs, almost to the top, and Nemo read us the story of the AquaDuck. He thought it was hilarious that Huey, Dewey, and Louie built this slide and Uncle Donald ended up being the test dummy.

I rode with Nemo. When sailed across the deck with all the lights on, he said, "WOW!!!" He said going up and down was fun, and that water shot back at him. It was definitely as fun as I remembered. We waited for Boo and J. I thought the next one was them and started oohing and ahhing like an idiot, then I heard Boo right behind me say, "I want to do it again!"

Nemo said no thanks, so Boo and I went up to ride again. She's so little and doing such big things. She was down for a third time, so I told her and J that we'd wave to them from the Mickey Pool. Nemo and I hopped in and it felt nice and warm. We could only spare about fifteen minutes before we had to get ready for the show, so we made the most of it, swimming and splashing around in the night. Mission accomplished and memories made. Hard work pays off.

We hurried back to our room to change into warm clothes and headed to Walt Disney Theater. It was going to be a big one...

It was spectacular. The beautiful set, the lovely costumes, the humor, the Olaf puppeteer. And of course, the songs. That Elsa was AMAZING. I got emotional when she transformed herself during Let It Go. Boo sat up straight and alert the whole time and smiled at me when they talked about true love. Nemo was asking J questions like, "How did they do that?" At one point, Boo was hugging my arm and Nemo J's.

Of course, it was almost 10pm and they wanted to play more shuffleboard, so here we were again, stretching every moment. When we said to finish up, Nemo did one more and then went over and put his stick and puck away, and I was pleasantly stunned.

These were some of my favorite artwork on the ship. Nemo kept telling Boo, "Snowflakes are actually fairies."

I seriously want this for her room.

As we walked back to ours, Nemo asked, "What’s our next cruise going to be?" I think he saw someone's door magnets (First Cruise, Favorite Cruise, Next Cruise). That is a good question, sir. They did their bunk bed playtime ritual with pets and pulleys. Boo tucked both pets in bed. Lights out and she said, "I have to tell Nemo one more thing: are we going to have a good day tomorrow?" Nemo said, "Yes." Then he said, "Boo I have to tell you one more thing. I love you."

cgersic · Jan 30, 2025

belledream · Jan 30, 2025

Like clockwork, I was up early for my morning walk. We had already docked at Lookout Cay, and I was eager to go after yesterday's very successful day on the beach.

From Deck 4, I surveyed the same view as the one from our porthole. The infamous walkway... dun dun dun. I enjoyed watching the golf carts speed down and away. I also counted twenty red wagons lined up against the railing. We would definitely be needing one of those. Not just because of the long walk, but because I knew the kids thought it was just plain ol' fun yesterday and would be disappointed to miss out.

It felt warm outside and was slightly cloudy, which was good. We were starting to look a bit toasty.

Up to Cabanas I go.

I discovered the breakfast smoothie section for the first time and couldn't believe I had lived the past two mornings without it in my life. I downed one, but in reality, it should have been at least 5.

Everyone was still sleeping when I returned, so I ate my own breakfast sitting in our porthole. J came and joined me shortly after. I had a specific vision for this cruise in getting an Oceanview Stateroom with the kids sitting in the porthole and being so close to the water in a safe way. But between me going to Deck 4 for the weather report and J and I squishing ourselves in the porthole, I think we are definitely ready for a verandah next time around.

Nemo and Boo woke up with big smiles as they enjoyed breakfast in bed and singing their favorite song: Can You Feel The Love Tonight.

belledream · Jan 30, 2025

We lined up a little earlier than we did for Castaway Cay and ended up being the third family in line. Even as All Ashore time came closer, it didn't seem like there were as many people as there were yesterday. It made me wonder if people really were in fact not fans of the new island. Well, we were on our way, that's for sure!

With the wagon secured and catchy music in our ears, I was positively beaming as we started walking.

The water was among the bluest I've ever seen, and it was dancing with the wind that was keeping us cool and comfortable.

The walk was over before we knew it. I can definitely see how it would be harder to handle in the warmer months, and 100% it would not have been as pleasant without the wagon, but for us on this day, it added to experience and anticipation. I would take it over waiting to be tendered to a destination any day.

Another thing I heard was that the vegetation left something to be desired. I guess I could see that, but in my ever-optimistic point of view, I kind of liked being there for the beginning and seeing the promise of something new.

At Mabrika Cove, trams were there to take us to the Goombay Cultural Center. I didn't know any of this and asked J why he didn't tell me, and he said, "Because you told me not to."

Again, sitting on that tram and feeling the smooth ride and winds, I got WDW pangs. The ride was quite nice, complete with narration from Sandy the Sand Crab and Lizzy the Lizard, two animals we could spot on the island. As we pulled up, we sighted what looked like a pretty cool Little Mermaid themed splash pad. Figuring it was part of Sebastian's Cove, the island's Youth Club, we would definitely be venturing over sometime today.

Since we had to ditch the wagon for the tram, I had separation anxiety. But it was foolish of me to worry, because of course Disney had more waiting here. Oh, and I thought the name of this shop was so clever.

So far, I had only seen a few photo opportunities of the Mickey motif-variety. Otherwise, it seemed like the Bahamian culture was taking prominence and being highlighted on the island. I was enjoying what I was seeing so far.

All four of us were very intrigued by Rush Out Gush Out, but we kept walking.

We were in for a treat.

belledream · Jan 30, 2025

I was honestly stunned because I was walking backwards to talk to the kids, ("Yay! Let's go hunting for seashells. Come on, Mom!") and when I turned around and saw this view, it took my breath away.

Ocean, ocean, ocean. As far and wide as the eyes could see. Untouched sand because we were literally the first people to walk onto the beach! Pale skies and water shimmering in the sunlight.

I said "Wow..." then I heard Nemo yell "WOW!" as he and Boo just took off straight towards the water. They galloped around in the wet sand and shallow waters with looks of pure joy on their faces. The sound of their little feet pattering as they ran away screaming from the waves that were coming toward them... J and I agreed that this was hands down, THE memory of the trip.

Back to the sand. The sand was PINK. Not only was it pink, it had the most satisfying, addictive texture, weight, and consistency. It was like clay, or mud, or something. But I could not put it down. It had specks of dark pink and red that took me a little while to place, but finally I figured out what it reminded me of. Haagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream.

We were truly in paradise. For the longest time, it felt like we were the only souls on the beach. Nemo and Boo were going left and right, up and down with such elation.

I went to put some stuff on a chair and when I came back, they were working together to drag a chair into the water to sit on it together. They braced for the wave and it got them pretty good.

"That was one big wave." We all ventured out into the deeper waters. Like yesterday, it was cold at first touch, but we just went for the dive and it became absolutely refreshing. When we made it back to land, they asked for their dinner cups and shovels and went to work making a big hole to fill up with water.

Boo was hard at work shoveling sand out and ended up making a huge anthill-looking mound that was at least a foot tall. Nemo splattered sand on my feet at one point and left and came back with a cup of water to wash my feet off. J went on a quick run to the end of the beach and came back with this picture of Serenity Bay.

In all, we sat and watched our children play for two whole hours without a care in the world. Our own version of Serenity Bay.

belledream · Jan 30, 2025

We knew we would want to eat lunch as soon as it opened, so we eventually trudged our sandy selves away from the beach and to Rush Out Gush Out. It was crowded, but the kids weren't interested in doing the slides at the moment anyways. They are water table children, and so that is where they remained for the majority of the time. Spinning, blocking, spilling.

We did explore the whole structure though. It was literally a playground in the water. Like, I feel like I've seen this exact playground model with the drums and xylophone on land, which is Boo's favorite. This water tower got some love from Nemo as well.

It was time for lunch, and I knew that we could come back here much later when most people have called it a day. So we put a pin in the fun and went to True-True BBQ. As usual, I loaded up the plates. A lot of the food was the same or similar as Cookie's Too. But they also had a Spicy Fried Chicken Sandwich which ironically, I had asked J the previous day, "If you could eat anything that the cruise doesn’t have, what would it be?" and that was his answer. So I picked one up for him, but ended up having to go back and get one for myself as well. Our Assistant Server Allan stopped by to say hi to use while we were eating. He was so sweet and the kids were happy to see him. The kids ate their standards, and Nemo ate the lone cookie.

In fact, he ate it on the go because we wanted to catch Rush! A Junkanoo Celebration. We went to visit the shop area and Sashelle was there directing traffic. "Switching it up," she said.

It was neat how the shops had the traditional (and adorable) Disney merchandise, but also some more Bahamian-inspired items as well.

For the parade, we parked it near one of the Mickey photo backdrops.

Lively music started up and Mickey and Minnie came to dance! They seriously had the moves.

Local Junkanooes followed in fantastic outfits, blaring trumpets, trombones, sousaphones, playing drums, bells, and Nemo's absolute favorite: a conch shell. "I didn't know it could do that!"

Best of all, they were playing Beauty and the Beast. Boo looked at me with a huge grin on her face.

The parade was short and sweet, as it was making its way to the Goombay Cultural Center, but we saw what we wanted to see, and headed in the opposite direction for the afternoon.

belledream · Jan 30, 2025

One thing J did tell me in preparation for Lookout Cay was that there was a Discovery Trail that led to the lighthouse and the end of the beach. Originally, I thought that would be nice for all four of us to do together, but I changed my mind pretty quickly. Pretty sure the kids would agree, as they were very excited when we said "Time to go to Sebastian's Cove." That splash pad looked pretty sweet... I wish I could go. But off they went, and off we go.

We walked hand in hand along the empty boardwalk, listening to the cheerful music that eventually disappeared as we entered the trail.

It was a dirt path trail, and we were wearing sandals, but it was not a strenuous hike by any means. Saw some snails, which I thought the kids would appreciate a picture of.

Lots of unique vegetation and limestone cliffs to see. The lizard and sand crab characters (and a few others) were featured on informational boards along the trail.

We came out to the end of the beach where the cliffs were. The water was so blue with the midday sun shining.

Back on the path, we saw the lighthouse in the distance. As you can guess, this is how the name Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point came to be.

This marked the end of Disney property. We took in the sweeping views atop the cliff.

Heading back, we were feeling the heat, even though it was only 70 something. I couldn't imagine this being very comfortable in the summer months. I guess it's winter cruises forever (except probably not - I do think we got extremely lucky with everything). Good thing there were ice cold water stations along the trail. The sand in my flip flops was irritating my feet. My thoughtful husband offered to switch shoes with me, probably as a joke, but I took him up on the offer and we did it for about a minute.

We stopped by Sebastian's to see how the kids were doing. Nemo had an excavator truck in his hand and was running all around the splash pad, and Boo was his little shadow. They looked like they were having fun so we decided to leave them to it. J wanted to make himself an ice cream float, so we went back to True-True and he made some nasty concoction I didn't try. We went back to the beach and swam pretty deep into the water. It felt divine.

We picked the kids up from Sebastian's Cove around 2:00. Boo always gives me the biggest smile when she sees me from afar. Nemo went right to telling me about his excavator, and they both mentioned a huge sandbox. They were not done with the fun at all! We went back to the beach to finish getting our fill. They did all the same things and I was very content just sitting in my chair and feeling the water and sand on my feet. It was true paradise and I didn’t want to leave! But about an hour later, we went back to a much emptier Rush Out Gush Out and they both tried the waterslides (Boo twice) and had one last go at the water table.

While Nemo was still going strong, Boo was ready to call it a day. She sat on the bench with a towel wrapped around her looking completely zoned out. As always, she held her own and had big kid fun. I'm so proud of her. At 3:30, I gathered the crew to start heading back. Nemo was very understanding (and probably pretty tired himself, though he'd never show it). We hopped right on the tram. I told Boo to rest her head on my lap for the quick ride, and she was asleep within seconds. This was good, because we were going to have a late night. This was also problematic, because we couldn't put a sleeping Boo in the wagon. If we were lucky enough to get one, that is.

When we got off the tram, I saw a single one. I told J, "You have to get that wagon." He hopped off the tram as soon as he could and got it. I lugged Nemo and our stuff in the wagon while J carried Boo all the way down that pier. Though I'm sure it was not easy, it was pretty cute, and J was the real MVP for that. We had such a good day at Lookout Cay. The morning was a moment in time that I'll never forget.

belledream · Jan 31, 2025

We made it back to our stateroom and woke Boo up. She was good as new. Threw them in the shower and they bathed for a while. So much sand today. We set them up with Mickey cartoons while J and I watched people returning from Lookout Cay from our view of the pier. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but the number of people who were so casually cutting it close to the 4:45 All Aboard time still astounded me. It was definitely 5:00 and they were sending golf carts to round up the latecomers. J was rooting for the ship to leave.

We got ready for pirate night. I didn't purchase a single thing for these outfits... just DIY and years of hoarding finally paying off. Nemo was wearing old red karate pants, a henley shirt, a vest I cut up from an old t-shirt, and a pirate hat I got from a neighbor. I also packed him his foam pirate sword, which I knew would be worth the trouble of bringing. Boo was wearing an Elena of Avalor cloth dress probably from on Amazon, but handed down from a family member. She wanted to be a princess but I convinced her that she was a pirate princess and that "Princess Night" would be tomorrow. I wore a white blouse and gold skirt, and best of all, made J French braid my hair. Yes, he knew how to do this. He himself wore the one striped shirt he has, and a felt mustache sticker which brought the kids lots of laughs. The boys both incorporated the pirate bandanas given to us on their heads. Pirate Mickey was meeting in the Atrium but the line was predictably way too long. I jumped in line for the pirate portrait backdrop instead, and we got what we wanted. Nemo was instructed to stand with one foot up on the barrel, and he got into character.

We went to Deck 4 and the kids shuffleboarded while we pulled away from Lookout Cay. I was feeling emotional that the next time we'd be on land it would be at Port Canaveral. The kids also kept saying the cruise would be over "tomorrow" but I confidently assured them it would not be. It would be a full day and night aboard the Disney Fantasy which we were calling our home all this time.

The sky was turning dark just five minutes later. This time of year worked really well for us to catch the sunsets.

It was time for Pirate Night dinner at...

Animator's Palate!

Same restaurant, different vibe.

Nemo kept pointing out scenes from Pirates of the Caribbean ride to me. He also liked to show me scary pictures to make me scared. We enjoyed the ambience and had fun seeing all the servers guests all dressed up in theme. Allan even came by and stole Nemo's sword for some mischief for a bit.

belledream · Jan 31, 2025

Everyone says the Pirate Night menu is not their favorite. We would probably agree based on this meal, but still left nice and full.

Sri Sumbhajee’s Vegetable Samosa: Neither of us can remember this.

Angelica's Lime Marinated Shrimp: I liked the sauce and the onions.

Deep Fried Calypso Crab Cake: We both thoroughly enjoyed this. Should have ordered two.

Srvann's Red and Yellow Beetroot Carpaccio: Mmm I love beets and thought this was the winner.

Not pictured: I got the Fennel, Orange, and Quinoa Salad which hit the spot. I hadn't done a lot of salad this cruise.
J got the Chilled Mango Soup which he enjoyed.

Now onto the Main Course...

J got Tia Dalma's Jerk Chicken at Sashelle's recommendation. "You know I gotta go home," she said. He said he liked it and wanted to get some jerk seasoning when we got home so he can try it out.

I was leaning towards Jack's Treasure of the Seas, which so happened to be Sashelle's other recommendation. I hadn't had any scallops yet and they were delicious. The pasta was pasta.

J chose Bananas in Paradise for dessert. He enjoyed the hazelnut flavor.

I chose the Bounty Fruit Cobbler, which wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking it was more like a pie. But it was still pretty good, and the ice cream was refreshing.

The kids have been circling Mac n Cheese on their menus every meal, but I've always overrode it with more worthy choices. Today I chose Chicken Skewers for Boo, which came without the skewers. She still ate the chicken, but she obviously would've eaten it better with the stick. Nemo had a steak. He's definitely a beef guy like his father. They both had Mickey Ice Cream Bars again, but I've noticed them eating less and less of it each time.

It was a fun meal. Allan would walk behind the kids and tap their heads and it would make a squeaking noise. Very mysterious. When Allan wouldn’t tell Nemo how he did it, Nemo leaned back and stuck his head into the kitchen area and yelled after Allan, "Spill the beans!"

belledream · Jan 31, 2025

For the first time this cruise, we were definitely feeling the movement of the ship. We have never been affected by motion sickness before, on land or sea. But J mentioned he was feeling slightly uncomfortable, but couldn't determine if it was because he was getting old, or if he ate too much. It might have been a little of both. But he clearly wasn't feeling that bad because we went all the way up to Deck 12 just to realize we forgot to bring to kids' bubble wands with us. Those things were a pain to pack and I was not going to let that be in vain. So J said he would go get them. It was Rush Hour though. He left and came back pretty quickly, but he was wheezing. He said he ran down the stairs from Deck 12 to Deck 2, and then ran all the way back up.

Thanks Dad! The kids suddenly became very popular as we all waited for Mickey's Pirates in the Caribbean. They were spinning around in circles sending a flurry of bubbles up, up, and away. With jolly music playing in the background, it definitely felt like we were at Disney World waiting for the nighttime spectacular to start.

The show itself was entertaining enough. Nemo said he wanted to go wander around at night, which sounded like the perfect plan to me. The air was still warm. I had brought their jackets but they didn't need them.

We made our way to the front of the ship where it was empty and quiet. We looked up at the stars and enjoyed the tranquility. According to J, we saw Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. He's always told them that if we went somewhere where it's really pitch black, we'd be able to see much more, and here we were doing just that.

After a while, Nemo made his next request. To wander around inside the ship, like maybe the shop.

They had been so well-behaved. Good listeners, trying new things, going with the flow, and being such joyful little things. They definitely deserved more souvenirs so Nemo chose a DCL diecast bus/ship combo, and the Aurora stuffed doll that Boo had been asking about. "Briar Rose" is her new favorite princess, I think solely for the pink dress. (Which it should be blue!)

Since we had almost TWO HOURS before the Buccaneer Blast, we went to the room to drop off our purchases and just decided to stay and rest. The bunk bed was out, and the kids played happily with their new toys while J complained about the ship rocking. We headed back up to Deck 12 about a half an hour before fireworks and settled on standing in front of a divider. It was kind of far back, but we could hold them up without disturbing others. We got duped because the Buccaneer Blast was thirty minutes of pirates interviewing people from Michigan. J was like, "Literally no one wants to see this." But finally, they asked if we were ready for something more "explosive" and the first firework shot off from the smokestack. It was really cool. Boo was on J's shoulders and I put Nemo on the divider railing standing with me supporting.

We could feel the ship moving as fireworks lit up the sky to Pirates of the Caribbean music, which is epic music. At the finale so many went off it was so bright all around. Right when it ended, Nemo said, "The shooting star fireworks were so cool!" You know who else probably thought it was cool? The Carnival ship that was hovering conveniently close to us all night. J joked that they probably put 'Fireworks' on their itinerary.

We raced down ten flights of stairs and got the kids showered and in bed within ten minutes. I drew the curtain two-thirds of the way and told them goodnight, and went to take my shower while J went to get water. When I came out and J came back, they were already asleep. Our kids are absolute rockstars. Nemo said he wanted to do AquaDuck again tomorrow, during the daytime this time, and I promised him we would do it all. We are going to do everything we ever wanted to do on this cruise because we live life to the fullest.

belledream · Feb 1, 2025

I woke up the earliest yet. I guess my mind and body were trying to tell me to make the most of the last day. I didn't mind. In fact, my early morning walks around the ship were some of my favorite moments.

Since I had extra time today, I decided to go all the way to Deck 12 and watch the sunrise.

I love hearing the hum of the ship up here with no one around.

My promise to Nemo was at the forefront of my mind today, knowing he would absolutely love the sensation of going over the side of the ship on the AquaDuck.

I walked all the way to the back of the ship and watched the sun, which did indeed rise.

The moment it hit the clouds and the colors changed... magnificent.

I continued my walk, watching the ship come to life. It always felt so exciting, getting ready for a new day. The crew members are so dedicated to their role, no matter what it is. From Ordinary Seaman doing maintenance work, to the greeters standing outside Cabanas, everyone is exceptionally diligent and pleasant. It makes all the difference.

Speaking of Cabanas, it was not open at the time I was up here, which was fine because we had decided we would dine there together in the morning since it's been a few days.

I look the long way back to the room. This hallway from Animator's Palate to the Atrium became one of my favorites. Peeked into Royal Court on the way as well.

I was all the way back here listening to the most pleasing rendition of Little April Showers when I decided to scrap our breakfast plans and walk all the way back to Cabanas to pick up food for everyone. I just wanted to feed them, roll out in our swim gear, and head straight for AquaDuck when it first opened this morning so we could avoid long lines, malfunctions, etc. Plus. we'd be right back at Cabanas for lunch for that experience anyways.

I messaged J the new plan and the only thing he requested was that I get a bagel with lox and cream cheese.

belledream · Feb 1, 2025

I got the bagel with lox and cream cheese. I got a lot of stuff. The most yet, probably. I mean, they had the special Churro Mickey Waffles, so that was a must. I heard some guy say, “Someone’s a hungry girl” as I walked out of Cabanas with my two plates piled high with food. So embarrassing. The kids were still asleep so J and I devoured the bagel and 2/4 of the Churro Mickey Waffles in the porthole. Then Boo woke up said "You're in my spot." Once Nemo woke up, she moved back to the bottom bunk and ate a lot of bacon. Nemo was still lying down on the top bunk and eating a Churro Mickey Waffle, Cinnamon Roll, and bacon off of a towel.

Since we were at sea away from the tropics, I figured today would be on the cooler side. It wasn't cold by any means, but it was cloudy, so no sun to warm us up. That plus the 9am opening of AquaDuck when people were probably taking it slow today led me to believe we wouldn't encounter a long line. I was right. We were on in less than ten minutes and Nemo and Boo got to see themselves glide over the side of the ship, over open water. So glad we got to experience AquaDuck during both the day and night!

We hopped right into the Mickey Pool, which felt nice and warm. Aladdin was on Funnel Vision and it was near the end, so we finished it out in between some swimming and splashing.

We moved over to the little fountain pool briefly while it was nice and empty. J went to get some more Mickey Churro Waffles because they were that good.

The kids went back into the Mickey Pool while we dined on the pool deck with a view of them. Living the life. (But also still processing that my kids are old enough now that I can do this?!) Frozen was up next. I watched Boo closely to see when she would realize what was going on, as she was busy splashing Nemo. Once those ice picks started going, she turned around suddenly, alert. Thus, they stopped moving around and got cold in the water, so we pulled them out and went back to the room to change into warm clothes.

We checked the Navigator to see what we wanted to do. It seemed that Vibe, the teen youth club, had an Open House and they had a Forky craft coming up. Might as well explore every inch of the ship, plus the kids said, "Forky!" The entrance to Vibe is kind of unassuming in that it was just a dark room. We weren't sure we were in the right place until a youth counselor opened up a door and led us down a color-changing hallway to a bunch of couches and charging ports, which seemed accurate. The teens do have access to their own pool though, which is cool.

Toy Story 4 was playing on the big screen and the kids plopped right down on a gigantic cushion and didn't move for a little bit. I myself sat on the couch on my phone, but I wasn't on Insta or TikTok. I was buying our Placeholder. Ya never know!

Meet Forky! Nemo and Boo were very pleased with their creations and went right to playing. We walked at a leisurely pace back to our room to drop them off and they joined our collection of cruise odds and ends. I proposed we go to The Tube to do some Star Wars 3D crafts next and Nemo said, "Oh yeah!" He volunteered to go up to the table and get all the supplies for our family. I helped him with R2-D2 while J made Yoda for Boo. After finishing, Nemo went to the CM to proudly show off the R2-D2 "he" made.

After that, it was lunch time at Cabanas. Frankly put, it felt like the apocalypse. I just tried to get whatever food I could find amongst all the people in there. When I came outside to fresh air and our quiet table, I just had to sit there and decompress for a minute. J took a go at braving the inside and between the two of us, we brought a good amount of food to the table. Nemo has been eating so much lately. I'm always worried we didn't have enough at the parks, so I've really enjoyed having unlimited food options on this cruise.

We decided to give Goofy Golf one last go. Nemo noticed the golf bag said "Goofballs" and he and Boo pointed to themselves. They are indeed Goofballs.

Boo thinks that minigolfing is just hitting the ball once and walking to pick it up wherever it ends up, and then moving on to the next one.

It was super windy up here, which the kids found amusing. Nemo said he wanted to wait until the wind stopped to putt and I said it was not gonna stop any time soon so he should probably just do it.

belledream · Feb 1, 2025

Then I made a mistake. I thought I saw that the Oceaneer Club had an Open House this afternoon, but it was the Oceaneer Lab. The kids wanted to go to the Club specifically since we had spent the majority of our Nassau day at the Lab. So even though we had not planned on dropping them off at the ship youth clubs, we decided to on the spot and they were very excited. Nemo took off straight to Star Wars while Boo veered right to Andy's Room. Now... what to do? I sometimes imagined if we did drop them off that we’d go to Cabanas and eat a ton of crab legs without interruption. But we just did that, and were so full. Hot tub/Quiet Cove pool that always looked so tempting on those late nights? Not feeling like changing into swimsuits if we were being honest. Deck 4! Our forever favorite. We sat on the best loungers there for an hour and laughed and joked and pondered random things like we always do and it was the perfect way to spend the time. So warm, so relaxing.

We were watching this ship in the distance and took a zoomed in picture to see what it could be. Didn't work.

Although it was hard, we went down the room to do a little pre-packing since our bags had to be outside the room by 10:30pm tonight and there was a party at 10:15? That's rough. But we honestly didn't have much to do and it was a little time well-spent to make sure we were confident tonight. We went to pick them up from Oceaneer Club and I asked them what they did. Nemo said he played Star Wars and RC car. He said "Boo just watched TV the whole time in Andy's Room."

We went straight to Midship Detective Agency to do our second case: The Case of the Missing Puppies. Boo loves puppies and was very invested in this one. Nemo understood the game better this time and led the charge. He started talking about doing the last case, the Muppets one, but we said we didn’t have time and would save it for next time.

I was really going to miss all the paintings around the ship, interactive or still. They were such a joy to look at.

The kids asked for me to take a picture of them by this statue. I have a picture by it too from the Dream. Choosing the Fantasy for our first family cruise was definitely the best choice. Seeing all these little things come full circle was so rewarding.

So today was my invented "Princess Night" for Boo. I originally had Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique booked for this very afternoon, but as the cruise went on, I had my doubts about doing it. I wanted to see if she noticed other little girls walking around with their tight buns and sparkly dresses and whatnot, but she really didn't seem to notice or care. Since I already brought the dress with us, I decided the hair was not worth it and she would not miss it at this stage, so I canceled it the prior day. We were going to do it our way. We went back to the room and changed her into her beautiful, stunning, unique Show Yourself Elsa dress, complete with the sheer cape that graces the ground, and skirt that lights up. She looked angelic, and I could tell she felt beautiful by the way she smiled as she glided around the empty Atrium.

We got some wonderful pictures by the staircase, which was my wish. And to top it off, I told Nemo to go dance with Boo and he took both of her hands and started moving gently from side to side and turning in circles with her, and she was so into it. They were waltzing! I saw her do a leg lift at some point. Then Nemo went back into Nemo-mode and said, "Now I'll take over the dancing!" and started jumping up and down more forcibly.

But dancing in a ballroom with music playing in the background, Boo definitely had her princess moment.

belledream · Feb 2, 2025

Mulan was meeting in the Atrium soon, so we decided to stick around. Things were getting a little crazy. Nemo thought it would be funny to hide behind some curtains, fall off some couches, and end up hiding on the base under a table laughing hysterically with Boo trying to pull him out saying, "A little help please."

After we met Mulan, who loved Boo's dress, we decided to walk around Mickey's Mainsail and Sea Treasures one more time. Right outside the shops, we heard squeaking noises. The kids were alerted right away of the prospect of getting more ducks. Turns out a kind lady was just sitting outside the shop handing pixie dusting ducks, and so we got two, and the kids were grateful.

This print came on a fleece blanket which I was seriously considering buying, which is wild because I never buy things for myself. So I settled on pictures.

Boo liked this so I took a picture as well.

And one for the shirt collection.

After we had our fill, we went back downstairs to Deck 2 and the kids watched this magic Bambi painting for a while. They proclaimed it to be their favorite one on the entire ship. It made me so happy because it was one of those things that I saw when we first arrived on the ship that struck a familiar chord with me. And every time I went on my morning walks, I would see it and smile every time.

On the Dream, there used to be an art gallery that displayed all kinds of things but that seems to have been relegated to right outside Enchanted Garden here on the Fantasy, or just these days in general, I'm not sure.

Either way, I'm glad that they still have it somewhere. This one transported me back in time to two days ago in that exact spot, with that view.

We went back to our room and the kids had time to watch an entire Pooh movie while J and I finished packing and doing mental gymnastics over what to pack/carry/wear.

2550. The kids had memorized it immediately and knew it was home.

belledream · Feb 2, 2025

Our last dinner was Enchanted Garden. From watching the flower lights bloom to the sun setting through the roof, it was my personal favorite restaurant.

Nemo was very invested in seeing the flower lights bloom as well so we both kept a sharp eye on it while we ate.

Applewood Smoked Bacon Wild Mushroom Tart: Not bad, not great. It was soft and eggy in the middle which was nice.

Cucumber Garden Roll: I've always hated cucumbers with a passion, but had found I was able to stomach them slightly in microscopic pieces in a salad or something. Gave this one nibble and almost gagged. Yup, still hate them.

North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli: It was fine. I think we were reaching the point of no return, eating-wise. On Day 1, we probably would have raved.

Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower: Exceptions can be made, of course. J and I had this in 2012 and drool over the picture quite often. We actually ordered two because we didn't want to share. And we ate it all.

Unpictured soups: Heirloom Tomato Soup for me, Cream of Green Asparagus for J.

Caramelized Sea Scallops for my main course. I love scallops but don't usually order them at restaurants because it's pretty pricey and not very filling. But since I was reaching my breaking point, it was the right portion for me, and quite satisfying.

Slow Roasted Prime Rib for J. It was good, but for the first time since I've known him, he left scraps on the table. He was just too full.

Nemo and Boo both had Cheeseburgers and Chicken Noodle Soup, which they ate with enthusiasm. Boo, to the point that she picked up the bowl and started slurping. I was glad she wanted to change out of her Elsa dress for dinner. One last Mickey Ice Cream Bar for them.

One last chocolate-y delight dessert for me: Chocolate Garden Torte. That coffee cream was heavenly.

J ate what he could of his Chocolate Brownie Sundae. Man is getting old... his metabolism is not what it used to be.

Allan kept playing with Nemo and tapped him on the shoulder and walked away and Nemo was like, "Did you tap me?!" Also the squeaking mystery was still at large, even though Allan dropped his squeaker on the ground right in front of us at one point. Even though we would see Sashelle and Allan for breakfast tomorrow, it was our last dinner, and so we brought our gratuity envelopes to give. I gave them to the kids to hand out and they felt very special doing so. They are truly good kids. They know how to ask for something politely, they know that it's important to show gratitude, and they understand that people are working hard. These are the kids we are trying to raise and this trip has made me see that we are doing well so far.

We walked back to our room and Sana was in the middle of cleaning our room. We were so happy to see him. The kids even gave him hugs, it was so sweet. He promised to make the best towel animal yet, and the kids were so happy. We changed quickly. Everyone was basically wearing airport clothes except Boo, who changed back into her Elsa dress. We came back out and Sana was in awe of Boo’s dress, saying he had never seen anything like it. She was so special. I couldn't believe that we were not going to see this sweet man anymore. We met a lot of great crew members over the course of the cruise, but he will surely be the one that we all remember when we reminisce on this time.

belledream · Feb 2, 2025

Boo lit up the night on Deck 12 in her sparkling dress, just as she had dreamed of. Nemo grabbed her hand and they danced in front of Funnel Vision for a few seconds, before they both stopped to watch Zootopia. Still holding hands though, very cute.

It was downright COLD now. We stumbled in the wind down one side of the ship and went back inside. We walked through an empty Cabanas and admired some details for the last time.

Ironically, the cold only really bothers Queen Elsa-Boo. Nemo was down to brave it outside a little more. We went down to Deck 4, me holding her cape behind her like the royal she is. Boo sat in a porthole with a perfect view of her brother and Daddy playing shuffleboard. They could see her glowing through the window and waved. Children and adults alike were smiling at Boo and complimenting her dress. One lady said, "I didn't see that dress on board." I told her, "Amazon."

The boys finally came in from the cold, but we still had a little time before Believe. Nemo was still talking about the Muppets Midship Detective Agency game, so I told J we should at least start it. Otherwise, we would never hear the end of it. So J ran to grab a map and bring it back, and we found one clue before we went to find seating for the show. It seemed like a light crowd for this one. We got first row center seats on the balcony. A violist started playing the most gorgeous rendition of Go the Distance. I was spellbound by the beauty of the music.

Meanwhile, Boo was fading hard. She fell asleep sitting up, leaning on J. Cruise Director Ashley came on and did the, "How’s everyone doing today? I can't hear you!" And the "This side of the theater will do x and the other will do y." I looked over at J and he had his 'I hate this s*** face' on.

Eventually, I got Boo in my lap and woke her up a little bit at a time and she got right into the show. It was a good one. A medley of some classics telling the story of parent/child love and believing in magic. Nemo explained the story to me and it was a sweet moment. He watched very intently and would guess what the next movie was as soon as he could figure it out. When the father sang Baby Mine near the end of the show, I thought, of course they make this show the last one to get those tears flowing. Confetti fell from the skies at the end and we caught some. That's always been a huge adrenaline rush for me (which J always teased me about). I was getting real jealous of the people sitting on the lower level the past two times.

The ship was ROCKIN during the show. I don't get motion sickness and I involuntarily reached out and grabbed J's shoulder at one point because I was unsettled. There were times during the show I felt like I was on Star Tours or something, and the tilting and rumbling were special effects of the show.

Now we knew why. It was storming outside and the waves were coming.

Despite her nap, Boo was still looking sleepy, so I took her to find a spot for the See Ya Real Soon party that was happening in the Atrium in less than an hour. Meanwhile, it was a race against time to do whatever we could to finish the Muppet thing. The boys left to try to cram as many clues in as possible. J messaged me asking if I had a picture of the Muppets door by the Oceaneer Lab to save them a trip. He was doing whatever he could to finish.

Boo and I sat and listened to this talented pianist play the Happily Ever After fireworks show song! We even saw J in the elevator going up from where we were sitting, which was funny.

The boys returned a little before party time. They still had a few clues left, and the party bamboozled us again with the whole "We're going to do a Meet and Greet for 15 minutes before the party," so they left again to keep going. I noticed there weren't a lot of people around. I guess everyone was too tired or busy packing. But we were hanging in there. The boys came back almost done, but not quite. The real See Ya Real Soon party was a proper sendoff, and of course we ran down a level to collect some Golden Mickey confetti.

We opened the door to our room to see the that "best towel animal" and Nemo laughed so hard he collapsed on the bed and banged his fists on it. It was a swan leaning back on the bed reading a book. Thank you Sana! The kids got a second wave and did some toned-down playing for a little after their shower. And we have a Best Dad in the World Alert: one who offered to run about the ship and finish up the last few Muppets clues while we got settled for the night. On the way, he also attempted to raise a Best Husband Alert by trying to offer me food that no one should be eating this late at night. But it's the thought that counts.

That last message was at 11:04. Turns out that the Midship Detective Agency has operating hours just like everything else. And I just about died of laughter reading this. Good news is he solved the mystery, he just didn't get to see the final video confronting the culprit. He even recorded the videos for Nemo too, who could now sleep soundly. Just kidding... both kids would have fallen asleep instantly no matter what. But talking about completing all three Midship Detective Agency cases has been a big source of pride for them.

Today at dinner, Nemo said “Our cruise was beautiful." It sure was. I was not really even feeling sad it was over. I was overwhelmingly happy, grateful, and honestly just amazed at how everything went. We were healthy, the weather was beautiful, the itinerary was perfection, we did everything we wanted to do, there were kind people everywhere, crew and guests alike, and Nemo and Boo lived their best lives on a Disney cruise ship. It’s like we had stepped back in time, but with our family now. I went to bed feeling like the luckiest person in the world.