Fantasy Realized - MV 3/31/12 About This Page:

[kcooley]

I'm not even sure where to begin. My DW and I were fortunate enough to go on the Maiden Voyage of the Disney Fantasy. We heard all about the horrors of the Dream MV but felt that Disney would learn from their mistakes. We heard about how much bigger the Dream and Fantasy are than the Magic and Wonder (we haven't sailed the Dream yet) and how many more crowds there were to have to fight through. We heard all the issues but still decided to go on the one-and-only MV of the Disney Fantasy.

We booked via DVC as soon as the process opened and we were able to get the category stateroom we wanted (5D - midship). We then had to wait until our activity booking window arrived. We are Gold Castaway Club members, so our booking window for activities is 105 days pre-cruise. Life got in the way and we totally forgot to book anything until 88 days! That meant all Castaway Club members had already had their shot so we didn't get any of our dining (Remy or Palo dinners, Palo brunch, Palo high tea). We did get the spa reservations my wife wanted though.

My wife was determined to get in Palo or Remy for something, so she would check daily for any openings. At about the 60 day mark she was able to book Remy for the first night of the cruise!

She kept checking all the way up to the close of the booking window but nothing for Palo opened up. We had read on the PP Boards that the reason those reservations could have been so hard to come by was due to so many Platinum members and Concierge passengers having booking priority, as well as VIPs, and just special dinners for groups. That made sense but still didn't ease our disappointment. When we read that another Gold CC member tried to book at the 105 day mark and didn't get any dining reservations, we felt a little better and that seemed to validate the theories about so many Platinums, etc.

Before we knew it, the day had arrived to go to the port.

[lauriep]

Can't wait to hear about the ship! I think it's true that on special itineraries the proportion of platinum-level cruisers is much higher so the reservations are harder to come by.

[chezp]

Oooh I'm looking forward to hearing all about this - I do hope this is better than the horror stories I heard about the Dream's Maiden Voyage.

[GATechGal]

Can't wait to hear all your stories.

[kcooley]

So, we spent the night in Orlando and got up early for the exciting journey to PC. The plan was to drop off DW with the luggage, then take the car to Avis, then catch the shuttle back to the boat. We arrived around 9:30 at the port, unloaded and I left. She called me about 10 minutes later saying they had already taken the luggage. That was a good sign. I got to the Avis location, only to be told they weren't taking passengers to the boat until noon!

I'm a little worried, but I said, they are already lining up in the terminal since there aren't any passengers getting off. My wife said they were lining up but I embellished a little. The guy realized that there weren't any passengers getting off and they might actually let people on early, so he agreed to let me take the shuttle. I got to the port and found my wife about 10:15. She was about 20 people back from the gate, so I prepared to wait the next 45 minutes to be let in.

A CM came along and said that we could go wait on the second floor of the garage and it would be in the shade, and they would let us in earlier than if we stayed on the ground level. A lot of uptight people (grumpy platinums who made it known as such) were complaining about being in line for an hour only to have people able to go upstairs and get in before them. The CM said, "You are welcome to go up stairs and join them and get in as soon as they do but you get a 'group 1' boarding time anyway as Platinum anyway, so it won't matter." We went up and left the grumpy people behind.

They did let us in early (about 10:50) by checking IDs and getting us through the scanners, but held us at the next door for about 5 minutes. They let us in and we immediately filled out our health form and got in line. I looked around and we got in line about the same time as the grumpy Platinum, so I guess it all worked out for everyone in the end. She got in as early as us, and we didn't have to stand next to her in line.

Our official "arrival" time was supposed to be 11:30 but they weren't checking that. We got our boarding group number of 11 but we were boarding by 11:20. My DW and I were going to take a divide and conquer approach. She was going to the spa to get the stuff she couldn't book on-line (Rain Forest passes, etc.) and I was headed to Palo for dinner, brunch, and high tea reservations. We were thwarted by the CMs when we were told our rooms were ready immediately upon boarding.

We were carrying a lot of stuff, so we went straight to the room. We had our clothes for our Remy dinner at 6:30 as we've never gotten all our luggage before 4. We wanted to ensure we had everything ready to change into after the Sail Away Party. We also carried on my camera equipment and 2 12-packs of Diet Dr. Pepper (she was asked many times where she got them during the cruise - we could have set up shop and paid for our cruise by selling them from our stateroom). We unloaded our stuff and she ran to deck 11 forward and I ran to deck 12 aft (Senses Spa and Palo respectively). I got a Palo dinner time and she got the passes. She came back and met me while I was touring Remy. I made a request with the staff to see if we could eat in the Gusteau room that night for our reservation - after all, it was our 7th anniversary.

We left and immediately went to the Royal Court to change our dining rotation. We had asked not to start at AP, but our rotation started there and we didn't want to miss the AP show while at Remy. We got that changed and then went to Guest Services to see about any wine tastings. We got tickets to the Wine and Champagne tastings. Then it was time to eat, so off to Cabanas we went. I must say it was the best embarkation buffet we've had on the ships.

More later. A couple of picts just for an appetizer.

[chezp]

Great update - boarding doesn't sound too bad, after the wait to get into the terminal itself. I'm so glad you were able to get everything you wanted when you boarded and I had no idea you could swap your dining rotation - useful to know.

[lauriep]

Glad you're on board and were able to get things added and changed! It's always a bit hectic the first few hours on board and once all those details are taken care of you feel you can relax and enjoy.

[kcooley]

So, after lunch, we went back to our room to discover our luggage was all there! This was 1:30! We were shocked to say the least. So, we immediately changed into our swim gear and headed to the deck. We didn't get in the pool or try the Aquaduck for some reason. We just went to the adult end and found a great seat to sit and enjoy. DW got a latte from the Cove Cafe and I got something a little stronger.

We sat there until it was almost time for the safety drill. They didn't make us wear our life jackets, which I thought was odd. Every other DCL cruise we've been on has required that. No big deal - just an observation. After the safety drill we headed back to the Quiet Cove for a little bit then to the room to change for Remy.

Since we haven't sailed on the Dream, we haven't eaten at Remy, so we were excited since we've heard so many great things about that restaurant. We arrived at about 6:40 for our 6:30 - it took a little longer than anticipated to find the entrance. It's not as accessible as Palo is on the smaller ships. Once we finally got to the hostess stand, we were told we would be dining in the Gusteau room, so the pixie dust has begun.

We not only dined in the Gusteau room - we dined there for over 2 hours by ourselves! It was very nice and quite a treat in more ways than one since we were celebrating our anniversary. We were joined in the room for the last 1.5 hours of our meal by a group of 4. Not long after they came in, we had a visitor:



For those of you who don't know him, this is Chef Scott Hunnel - the executive chef at Victoria and Alberts at WDW. He was one of the chefs to create the menu for Remy. Meeting him in person was a treat.

As if that wasn't enough, about 10 minutes later, in walks Chef Arnaud Lallement from l'Assiette Champenoise—a Michelin 2-star restaurant just outside Reims, France. He is the other chef that created the menu for Remy. The night just keeps on getting better and better.

[WishIwasinDisney]

Loving your report so far, can't wait for more!

[GATechGal]

WOW. Awsome. I'm dying to hear all about your food at Remy's. We are SO looking forward to it and our booking comes up this Sunday morning.

[pamcarey]

Great start! How exciting to meet the chefs who designed Remy's menu! I'm sailing on the Fantasy in FOUR days, so I can't wait to see it in person!!

[TraD4Disney]

Loving your report!! Keep it coming please!

[lauriep]

How great to meet the chefs at Remy. One of the perks of being on the Maiden Voyage! Sounds like a nice afternoon, with relaxation by the pool. So convenient when your luggage arrives early.

[Tig&Poo]

Sounds exciting and you are just beginning. Looking forward to hearing more.

[kcooley]

So, I said the previous picts were the appetizer. Sorry, here are the real appetizers:

This is the pre-dinner drink. Champagne with vodka and fresh mint, raspberry and apricot. The vodka kills the bubbles of the champagne but the fresh apricot cube at the bottom of the glass causes the champagne to bubble again. (sorry for the focus issues)


Next we have a "Tomato Soup bite". Sounds strange. Basically it's a sauce inside the breading so when you bite into it (single bite for the whole thing) you get a mouth full of tomato soup. Really neat.


After our journey through a strange soup course, we get an appetizer. Good old ratatouille, with olive oil ice cream. Yes, you read right - olive oil ice cream! Not as strange as it sounds, especially when paired with the warm ratatouille.


So, those were the starters. Now we get to the "actual" menu. My DW ordered the "Saveur" (French for Flavor) menu, which is a 5 course fixed menu and I ordered the "Goût" (French for Taste) menu. We then each ate half of our plate and switched plates. Up to this point we each got the drink, tomato soup bite and the ratatouille.

From the Saveur menu - Saint Jacques Olives Noires Fenouil Cru et Cuit - Sautéed Scallops with Black Olives and Cooked and Raw Fennel - the dark lines on the plate are the olive paste painted on the plate


From the Goût menu - Smoked Buffalo with Jicama, Hearts of Palm, and Minus 8 Vinaigrette