It always amazes me that no matter how many times you have been on a cruise, and no matter the length, you always get to the last day at sea wanting to cram as much action into your last full ship day as possible. Have just come off two amazing island days ai St. Kitts and Tortola, today was going to be another one of those days on our last sea day on the Disney Fantasy. I got up a little bit before the rest of the family and grabbed a spot on deck 11 to do some writing as the sun came up. Our goal for the morning was to get going a little earlier than usual to have enough time to do the things that we were looking forward to doing. Before returning to the ship, I stopped by Guest Services on deck three to see what the schedule was for the following day regarding the Spider-Man Homecoming movie. Hunter was super excited to see it, but Emily and I thought it probably didn’t make sense to be up from midnight to two in the morning on the day before Castaway. I confirmed that they would be showing the movie several times the following day, so I was excited to have options to bring back to the group.
Our original plan for the morning was to get our suits on and do the deck 11 water activities, but we changed course because they were serving breakfast at Enchanted Garden. and we had never gone there for breakfast before. When we arrived on deck two we got a seat in the back corner which for dinner wouldn’t have been great, but it did have a porthole view of the ocean so it was slightly redeeming. It was nice to have a server who helped with the drinks and got us freshly cooked eggs but the rest of the experience was almost exactly like Cabanas in the food offering as well as the buffet style. Oh well, chalk it up to another unique experience on the Disney Fantasy.
Since the Midship Detective Agency is one of our favorite on board activities (although we have done it so much Hunter can recite most of the lines from all of the clues), we had to finish up the game that we started before dinner the previous night. We have gotten to the point now where we do a few clues as we walk around the ship and use it as an opportunity to travel to the activities that we want to do in between the clues. We took the opportunity on deck four to take the outside walking track, where we located another activity that was on our sea day bucket list, shuffleboard. Since it was still early in the morning there was a court available, so we took turns pairing up on different teams. I believe I have said this on previous blog posts, but I am not sure you can find a more amazing location in the world for a shuffleboard game. We grabbed a few family photos outside on deck four and continued on to finish our Muppet Midship Detective Agency game. This time it was Bobo.
As the competitive juices were flowing we headed up to deck 13 aft for a cutthroat game of Goofy golf. This time we kept score and the winner would get the first ice cream cone on deck 11. Dad won but it was down to the wire, sinking the final put into the kitchen sink in one stroke. We headed down to deck 11 for our celebratory smoothie, Captain’s Mai Tais, and ice cream. Like you do on your last sea day. As we were sitting overlooking the ocean we remarked on how smooth a sea day it was, with very little breeze on the deck of the ship. This also made it extremely hot on the outdoor portions of the ship.
We were all quite hot in our ship clothes, requiring a change into our swim suits for some water fun on deck 11. We arrived on deck 11 at about noon and were blown away by the fact that the Aquaduck line was only 10 minutes at noon on the last sea day. We chalked it up to the fact that there seemed to be many experienced cruisers on this itinerary, so most of them had probably had their fill of the Aquaduck on prior cruises. It worked out pretty well for us and we got to do two trips on the Aquaduck before the boys split up, with Sawyer and Em going to Nemo’s Reef and Hunter and I going to our new favorite pool spot, Donald’s pool. As the afternoon went on the pool areas were filling up a bit, making it a bit of a challenge to find any sort of space in the Donald pool. It at least provided an opportunity to cool off in the hot midday sun.
The line for the Aquaduck was still only 20 minutes long so we took one last ride since we were already suited up. We took the GoPro on these rides and got some fun video footage. We followed it up with a bit more pool time before drying off and catching the last bit of lunch at Cabanas at 1:45. Because tomorrow we were planning to do lunch at Castaway Cay, this would be our last official lunch at Cabanas, and we made the best of it. They changed up a few of the menu items with snow crab legs and build your own crepes which was kind of fun. We stacked our table with food and dessert because we knew the location would be closing before we finished eating.
The boys enjoyed the Thor experience at the Oceaneer Club so much the other day that they wanted to do it again. After getting back into dry clothes in the room, we dropped them off and took the time to head to Shutters and look at the family photos taken by the Disney Cruise team. We marked some of our favorites and then proceeded to the shops on deck three so Emily could get a few of the remaining items that she had been looking at. After getting our fill of grown up shopping we picked up the boys and returned to the stores for some kid shopping, as they had a little money left on their gift cards they wanted to spend. Naturally, we got a few more cars from Cars 3 that we could race and crash in our room, providing a nice personal hell for the people staying below us.
One of the activities that the family wanted a second try at was splitting up into teams and doing a competitive Midship Detective Agency race. Hunter wanted to be by himself, so Emily, Sawyer, and I teamed up against him. We did the Puppies challenge, and the first one to arrive at the Vista Cafe on deck four would be the winner. It was so fun to watch the competitive juices flow in Sawyer, racing around the ship and knowing exactly where all of the interactive paintings were without even looking at the map. We thought we were making good time, but when we finished our last clue and raced to deck four midship, Hunter was already there waiting for us, complete with a smug look on his face. It turns out he has a pretty good memory of this ship game as well.
Back in the room it was time to start the inevitable process of getting some of our things packed so that we wouldn’t have to do it all on the Castaway Cay day. Emily took on that task, and I took on the task of getting the crazed boys out of the room so that she could pack in some semblance of quiet. The room is also not that large, so having three less people to share the space would make it a more efficient task.
I took the boys to deck 13 aft for another round of Goofy golf, but we agreed it would just be a fun round with no score keeping. The winds were still quite calm so the heat on the deck was pretty intense. By the time we were finished we were ready for some drinks and ice cream to cool off. While we were eating our snacks on deck 11 we played another round of imaginary headbands (which we also played at lunch) where the group decides on the character you are and you ask yes or no questions. I believe the idea came from the Oceaneer Club where they play that (the real game) with the cruise staff.
Emily and I were ready for a little time away from the boys and the timing couldn’t have been better as tonight was our Palo dinner reservation. While the boys and I were on deck 11, we grabbed some pizza and fruit from Flo’s V8 Cafe and brought it down to the room so they could eat before going to the Oceaneer Club. One of the requests from Stateroom Santa the previous evening was for the boys to try something new on the cruise. They tend to be creatures of habit, which is fun, until they get bored of those same activities. Hunter decided that they would attend the Anyone Can Cook activity which started at 7:15. They got their fill of dinner as Emily and I got dressed for our fancy dinner. We grabbed a few photos on our veranda and got the boys to the Oceaneer Club in time for their activity.
After a few long, deep breaths, we found our relaxed state at the Meridian Bar, which is located on deck 12 aft just outside of the Palo restaurant. We had reservations for 8:00 but when we visited earlier in the cruise for our brunch we saw Amanda, the server that we had on our cruise the prior summer when we dined at Palo. We really enjoyed her as a server, so I requested her at check in. She was in high demand as she was requested from other guests as well, but they actually sat us a little early so we could have her as our server again. She did not disappoint. We enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere, the great conversation, and the delicious food. Emily and I ordered many plates to share including: calamari, gnocchi, scallops, Dover sole, and of course our myriad of desserts that included; chocolate soufflé, lemon sorbet, and panna cotta. Amanda has a standing invitation to visit us if she ever makes it to Orlando! It was a perfect evening and a great way to finish off a busy day at sea.
We picked up the boys at the Oceaneer Club just after 10:00 pm, asking Hunter for his final decision on if he wanted to see the midnight movie or go the following day. He was still on the fence, but we luckily convinced him that sleep would be a good idea and we could see it the following day. We returned to the room to find gifts that were left by Stateroom Santa. The boys each got a Spider-Man premiere pin and another Cars 3 race car. Stateroom Santa’s message for the day was as follows:
Your last day at sea was a busy one as you explored the Fantasy
From Midship Detectives to the Kids’ Club there is so much to do and see.
I am proud of you for trying something new and doing an activity
You deserve this treasure in your stocking for your bravery.
Be sure to get your pajamas on and get tucked in real soon
As the Fantasy travels the Atlantic under the beautiful moon.
Tomorrow you visit Castaway Cay for more sun, sand, and sea
Be sure to ride the Pelican Plunge for an extra special final treat.
We were beyond tired from our day, so we skipped room service. Emily still had some energy, so she played with the boys and I crashed. Although tomorrow is our last day we are all excited because we get to spend it at Castaway Cay!
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Disney Fantasy 10 Night Caribbean Cruise Day 9 at Sea Photo Slideshow
