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An EPIC Adventure - A Live & Interactive trip report

Day 21 - Disney Fantasy Day 2 - At Sea

Having a first day at sea is always nice as you have no real timetable, so we enjoyed a lie in followed by breakfast at Cananas then we just spent some time exploring the ship and relaxing in the sun, dipping in the pool and some alhchol may have been consumed too. The temeperature gods were still being kind to us so we were taking advantage of it. we really had been blessed with good weather so far.

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Rest and relaxation over, it was time to get ready for a mixology class we had booked earlier. The class runs a few times over the cruise but as it was a sea day today seemed as good as any. It was hosted in the Skyline bar in the entertainmant district of the ship, down on deck 4.

The class was full but we had a blast making, learning about and drinking all the delicous cocktails. The group was pretty quirt at the begining but an hour and 5 cocktails later we were all best friends. Mixology was so much fun but also really insiteful and you get 5 cocktails, it is an upcharge of $20 for the class but I doubt you could spend a better $20 anywhere else with Disney.


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So after our mixology class and a few nore drinks at the bar we were in hi spirits and dinner wasnt far off! We decided it was rain forest time to chill out and sober up before dinner.

Now at 6PM most people are at the first dinner sitting 6.15PM or the early showing of the nights big show, this often meant we had the rainforest to ourselves. This night we enjoyed the spa to ourselves but also enjoyed the most beatiful sunsets from the hotttub.

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It was formal night and we were dining at the Royal Court tonight, we dressed accordingly and made our way to dinner. We were handed free cocktails and beers tonight which was nice but we were just topping up from mixology earlier. Dinner was again really good, the only problem I had was deciding what to have as I could have eaten the whole menu, heres a few photos of the night..

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Another wonderful meal and service that couldnt be faulted, we really struck it of with our table friends tonight, any first night inhinitions long forgotten and we enjoyed a few beers at the bar, the bar on the upper deck closes at 10.30 but that didnt stop us, We just fetched our stash of beer and wine and sat getting to know our new friends under the stars in our own impromptu bar on deck 13. It was getting late, well early, and the clocks had changed so non of us were really clear of the time, my watch said 3am. Tomorrow was a port day and even though we had no solid plans we still wanted to make the most of it and head onland at a reasonable time. We all bid good night and made for our beds.


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Day 22 - Disney Fantasy Day 3 - Cozumel

I awoke surprisingly early and feeling quite fresh considering the night before. I got dressed and headed out to the upper decks to see where we were and just about caught the sunrise. Sam was ready by the time I went back down so after a leisurly breakfast at Cabanas we went ashore into Cozumel, Mexico. We had no real plans and had not booked any excursions ahead of time for the whole cruise, so we were pretty much winging it, and that suited us at this point of the trip.

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First point of call was at the Starbucks by the port so I could catch up with a few things on the wifi. I was chatting with my Daughter who had been on a similar cruise not two weeks before. Cozumel was one of her ports of call so she suggested the dolphin aqaurium which was walkable. I google mapped at and sure enough just a 20 to 30 min walk down from the port is the dolphinarium.

Us

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My Daughter 2 weeks previous
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We paid $95 for entrance which included a 40 min dolphin swim, buffet food and open bar, yes open bar! Let me tell you we had a great time here, the swimming with dolphins was great and we really enjoyed watching them from the viewing areas after, the food was good and plentiful and the bar, did I mention it was an open bar? we were once again more than a little anhibriated thanks to the Rum Runners, Margherittas, Pina Coladas, Long Islands, Mud Slides, Mojitos, beer and traditional Tequilla shots with salt and lime.




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Having drank what seemed like the value of our entrance fee alone we decided it was time to make our way back, we forfeited the included taxi back as we needed to drop by the supermarket to restock our bar and Sam wanted some souveneers too. We got all we wanted but did have an issue at the supermarket where they wouldnt allow us into the store with our bags, demanded we check them in somewhere or other, in the end Sam just waited outside with our bags whilst I grabbed 2 bottles of wine and 6 mexican beers, total, $12 (US), Result.

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Back onboard we bumped into Stitch & Captain Hook, with hardly anyone else around the had some fun interaction with we also spent some time looking at some of the art work of Walt around the boat. We had had a fun time in Cozumel but now we needed some downtime followed by some realaxing in that oh so tranquil rain forest before dinner later that night.

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So following on from being back on-board from our trip ashore at Cozumel. Sam had been to see the Aladdin Show whilst I relaxed and got ready in the spa. Our Floridian friends were out to the late show so were dining elsewhere on the ship so there was just the 4 of us to dinner that night.

We dined at Animators Palate and I had a fun conversation with Crush, Duuuuude! After dinner we joined our Bostonian friends and had a real good laugh watching the Mr and Mrs show in The Tube the ships nightclub, themed to the London Underground. The show was really well put together and the camp Irish compare certainly had the wit to make it work, the packed house loved the show and we had too, but we were tired and had drunk enough that day so we bid good night and walked the stairs back up to the room.

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We didn't have many photos from this evening. at this point my phone hadn't been charging for a couple of days because of moisture in the USB, I tried everything to dry it out, I it left in rice, blow dried, left in sun it wasn't drying out and so would not charge and it was running on fumes. My only hope was to get a wireless charging unit during our port of call at the Cayman Islands the next day, In the mean time I carried on helplessly with the rice and the blow dryer. But hey, at least Sam still got the towel animal shot :).
 
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Day 23 - Disney Fantasy Day 4 - Grand Cayman Islands

We woke up in good spirits and were looking forward another day ashore. We were soon up and ready so headed to the Royal Court for al a carte breakfast. I had an omelette which was ginormous, that with the smoked salmon and condiments, bagel, cream cheese and pastries was more than enough to tied me over til we got back on-board later. It was time to hit the stairs again, 4 days in and we had stuck to our guns and not used the elevators.

Breakfast over it was time to go see the Cayman Islands, But first we had to get ashore, the port here is to small for the Disney Fantasy so we were tendered in. You had to get a ticket at the ships theatre where they would seat you and take you out a tender boat load at a time, this was Disney doing what Disney does well, handling masses of people, efficiently.

This again was a port of call my Daughter had on her cruise so she was supposed to hide "treasure" for us to find 2 weeks later. Short tender ride over we were ashore so we made our way on foot to where X would mark the spot, well kinda.

By luck we passed a mobile phone shop so in search of a wireless charger we called in, they had a cheap no brand one that worked when we tested it, result, but they wanted 50US for it and as much as I could have used it at 50 bucks I decided to take my chances on my trusty s9 drying out.

We wandered along the road towards beach and was amazed to see full sized iguana in the trees, we saw dozens of them on our walk. It wasn't long before we were seeing signs heading us down to the beach, we followed and were soon walking in the sea, feet sinking into the sand, it was beautiful, rain threatened but we only felt a spot before it brightened up, everything was perfect, until......

I slipped on a stepping stone bashed the big toes on both feet, not only that, I dropped my trusty S9 straight in the sea as I fell. My toes were throbbing and my already moisture ridden S9 was saturated.

We carried on along the ocean front and found the beach club my Daughter had frequented those 2 weeks earlier, we didn't find any treasure but we did stop and have a beer or two, the views from the beach club were beautiful and my Daughter although fell short with the treasure was spot on with her recommendation. oh and we saw another Iguana, this time on the beach.

The pain in my right toe was now pretty back so after a couple of hours we decided to get back and get in in an ice pack. We got the mini bus back just as the heavens opened so at least that was in our favour. Grand Cayman from what little we saw was beautiful but I was glad to get back on board, take some pain killer and eat room service mac and cheese with my foot in a cool bag of ice.


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Day 23 - Disney Fantasy Day 4 - continued - Remy

The big toe on my left foot was still throbbing and was now turning black. Id had it in ice for an hour and hobbled to the spa to get ready for tonight's dinner, now here I was back in the room trying to a squeeze a shoe onto a swollen foot. I had no choice as it was the only pair I had and further more tonight we were dining at Remy which has a strict jackets, collar, shirt and shoes policy.

I eventually managed to squeeze the shoe on and hobble down the corridors down towards the back of the boat and up to deck 12, here is the meridian bar which is flanked by restaurants, Palo and Remy. Both are high end adult exclusive dining experiences and whilst I had really enjoyed dining at Palo in the past this would be my first time at Remy. Remy is a 3 Michelin star restaurant and has been voted best in the world at sea. So despite my throbbing toe I was really looking forward to this meal.

We were a little early so we started the evening with a drink in the Meridian bar, I had a dirty martini but had to take it through to dinner as no sooner had I taken the first sip we were being called. We were shown through the restaurant to our table and we also saw the actual bottles of wines that are used in the Ratatouille movie, $265 a bottle if you so pleased. Our table had a lovely view looking out to sea and was booked to coincide with sunset, however tonight was raining so no sunset.

The table napkins were changed as we were seated as they didn't match our outfits, we were then left to ponder the wine and water menus, yes they had a water menu. A choice of different mineral waters from around the world, 8 still and 8 sparkling, ranging from $7 to $95 a bottle. The $95 bottle was from Norway and harvested from glaciers in the Fjords. We had the $7 Saratoga Springs mineral water, to be honest id have been happy with Zephyrhills. We also ordered a glass of wine each from the menu.

Dinner was preset tasting menu with a choice between a French and American chef, we both chose the US chefs menu but Sam did switch out one dish for the French chefs pigeon pie, I also added the Miyazaki beef to my course.

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The whole meal was extravagant from start to finish, the gold glitter on the butter, tarts served on the finest silver and a violinist playing by the table, everything was so very decadent. The service matched this and could not be faulted. Everything was done with such precision, each and every course our food was served simultaneously to us, our servers whilst very efficient, attentive and
knowledgeable were also friendly and welcoming. The attention to detail given to us over dinner was second to non, Samantha left the table to use the bathroom at one point during the meal and was escorted there by the arm of one of the waiters before being escorted back again.

So what about the food you all cry, it was amazing, every course was so full of flavour and perfectly cooked it was an absolute joy to have eaten it. The courses although small and dainty were rich and indulgent so were more than plentiful. The courses kept coming as the chefs would send out surprise dishes along with what we had ordered from the menu. We had so many incredible courses and we were told so much info about them that a lot of it got lost, I can say though that each and every course was amazing, tasted as it should and was perfectly presented.


Amuse Busch

Cauliflower Tartlet
Sweer Potato Tartlet
These little tarts were delicous and were the perfect start to our meal, nice and light but packing enough flavour do get those taste buds going

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Next up was a bread course, they had a good choice of artisan breads served with butter stencilled with gold

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The second course was a treat from the chef. Parsnip crisp with cauliflower puree and peas, this doesn't sound much on paper but those three flavours sang, the taste of parsnips, cauliflower and fresh pea was incredible.

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Next were the fish courses

Langoustine with coconut. This was lovely, langoustine cooked to perfection topped with crispy coconut and im pretty sure the cream had coconut and yuzu juice.

Halibut with Broccoli. As it says really, perfectly poached halibut, steamed broccoli and a cheddar cheese sauce.

Both of these courses were so good and like all good dishes left you wanting more.

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Next up were the meat dishes

Pork with Pea Agnolotti. Berkshire pork cooked med/rare served with little pea raviollis, I forget the sauce but remember it being rich and velvety, lots of butter.

Kobe style beef with potato tatin. 4oz steak served with potato gratin and jus, Amazing steak and the potatoes were delicous too

Beef Miyazaki with wine pairing -This was an add on course.
Miyazaki is some of the finest beef in the world, I also had the Numanthia wine pairing -The 4oz steak was served alongside my Kobe so I could compare the two. Whilst both were unbelievably good the Miyazaki was knock out, flavour and melt in the mouth texture were on another level, you could eat the thing with a spoon too.

Pigeon Pie. Sam asked for this from the french side of the menu instead of the beef dish. Sam really enjoyed it, I tried it and it was good.

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Dessert Courses to follow
 
Desert was worth waiting for

First up was plateau de fromages - Im a real sucker for cheese, the server did talk us through all the cheese and where they were from and what they were paired with, but I honestly forgot as soon as she was telling me, there was simply too much to reconcile. The cheese was amazing non the less and I tried some of each.

Next was another change of table napkin, this time in preparation for dessert

Sam had - Fraise. A strawberry based desert, with meringue, white chocolate tuile and strawberry jus

I had the Peruvian chocolate - A sumptuous chocolate cake with chocolate lashes and gold leaf to garnish, oh and a rich velvety chocolate drink on the side, this was heaven and by far the better of the 2 desserts. We did split the desserts and both agreed the chocolate was the best.

Just when we thought we were done the chef sent out one last dessert course, two tartlets to bring the night full circle. This time they were sweet ones, chocolate and lemon. The were delicious, the lemon one was a quite tart but intense with lemon.

We had coffee but had the chocolates to go, seriously, we were beat. We were also given a box of handmade chocolates, some champagne jellies, a keep sake menu and Sam got a rose.

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We had had a wonderful evening and eaten some of the most fabulous food at one of the finest restaurants anywhere, the only place Ive been that rivals it was Victoria and Albert's. The whole experience is faultless with service usually only afforded for the rich and famous, this is fine dining at it best and no it doesn't come cheap, but for a treat, now and again, its worth it.


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Our dining friends knew to meet us in the Meridian bar so we sat enjoying after dinner drinks until they joined us later. Whilst we had not seen a sunset at dinner we had been watching the most amazing storm brewing up. It was now in full force with thunder and lightening all around us, we sat drinking and enjoying the storm out on the bars deck.

We closed out the Meridian bar, then closed out Oh La La' downstairs, by now it was bed time, my toe still hurt but Id eaten a lot so the stairs it was.


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That meal looks incredible. It's always reassuring when a chef gives high praise as well.

Dare I ask how much the bill was?

It was $95 each up charge on your regular dining, but then you factor in water, wine and extra courses and it soon goes up, then with the tips and it starts getting pricey.

Our total $365 plus tip

It was an incredible dining experience and I was happy to pay it. Like I mentioned before the only place Ive been that was anything like it was V&A, I could see little touches in Remy's menu that were reminicent of V&A , for the record that bill was over $650 but we had more courses and the full wine pairing at V&A and of course it isn't off set by the ships evening meal.
 
It was $95 each up charge on your regular dining, but then you factor in water, wine and extra courses and it soon goes up, then with the tips and it starts getting pricey.

Our total $365 plus tip

It was an incredible dining experience and I was happy to pay it. Like I mentioned before the only place Ive been that was anything like it was V&A, I could see little touches in Remy's menu that were reminicent of V&A , for the record that bill was over $650 but we had more courses and the full wine pairing at V&A and of course it isn't off set by the ships evening meal.
and a loud thud in Scotland:faint:....Scott Walker feints. :lol:
 
and a loud thud in Scotland:faint:....Scott Walker feints. :lol:

That’s kind of the pricing I was expecting. I had tried to get a reservation at V&A this year but couldn’t get a table and after the meal experiences in Disney I’m kind of glad.

If I had to pick between Remy and V&A though, I think Remy is more up my street.

The way I see it with both of them is that for me it would probably be a once and a lifetime experience and it’s worth the money.
 
That’s kind of the pricing I was expecting. I had tried to get a reservation at V&A this year but couldn’t get a table and after the meal experiences in Disney I’m kind of glad.

If I had to pick between Remy and V&A though, I think Remy is more up my street.

The way I see it with both of them is that for me it would probably be a once and a lifetime experience and it’s worth the money.

To be honest there isn't a lot between the two. the menus are very similar and Id even go as far to say that the same chef has had a hand in the menu or someone had worked at V&A,s before. I would do either again in a heart beat but I think V&A edges for me, both amazing experiences though.

Once I get wrapped up with this report Ill do a quick one from my Victoria and Alberts photos so you can compare, in the mean time Here's one of the Deserts from V&A 2016, recognise those chocolate lashes and gold leaf?

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It's only 365 McDonalds cheap burgers. This has been a thorough and wonderful trip report! Booze not inclusive?

Thanks for staying the distance :thumbsup:

"The" BEST trip report I've ever seen on any theme park site, by far.....and there's still 9-10 days more to come.

Thanks buddy, glad to have you on-board, still quite a bit of typing to go yet and I know of one post that will be pretty long :ears:
 
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