LittleMissMagic's 2014 Disney Fantasy Western Caribbean Cruise - A Photo Review!

[LittleMissMagic]

Immediately following the fireworks was a deck party.

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Rachel's dance moves earned her a spot on the Funnel Vision several times. The camera loved her... and so did this lady...

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

She actually tried to set Rachel up with her son back home. She even brought her phone over so that she could show Rachel Facebook photos of her son.

 

Dad's response?

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

After Rachel had enough of the spotlight, we left the deck party to change into our swimsuits so that we could ride the Aqua Duck which was open until midnight that night (on all other nights, it was scheduled to close at 10 PM).

 

We had to walk through Cabanas to get to our room, which is when we discovered the buffet! A midnight buffet? I haven't run into one of these in years! We weren't at all hungry, but Max got nachos and Rachel got a turkey leg.

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

"These cost like... $16 at the parks! Heck yeah, I'm getting a turkey leg!"

 

By the time we changed into our swimsuits and had arrived back on the pool deck, the party had abandoned.... because it was raining! They were still running the Aqua Duck, though, and there was no wait, so we took advantage of the opportunity. It was really fun at night, and the water actually felt really warm compared to the cold rain.

 

Turn Down by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Towel Animal by vshingl, on Flickr

[bransworld]

 

Pirate Night by vshingl, on Flickr

 

"These cost like... $16 at the parks! Heck yeah, I'm getting a turkey leg!"

 

vshingl, on Flickr

 

I have never had a Turkey Leg in the parks. I always think about getting one but talk myself out of it. So maybe on the Fantasy I will finally try one!

[doublemm16]

 

My family is going to be taking their first Disney Cruise next year. I am enjoying your review very much! I was a Gamma Sig at the University of Delaware. I really enjoyed my time a sister and participating in all of the service projects.

 

Glad you had a great trip. Congratulations on your graduation!!

 

Mindi:D

[LittleMissMagic]

I have never had a Turkey Leg in the parks. I always think about getting one but talk myself out of it. So maybe on the Fantasy I will finally try one!

 

They're really big! I split one with Max once, and we couldn't finish it. We ended up throwing a lot of it away. It was really good, though.

[LittleMissMagic]

My family is going to be taking their first Disney Cruise next year. I am enjoying your review very much! I was a Gamma Sig at the University of Delaware. I really enjoyed my time a sister and participating in all of the service projects.

 

Glad you had a great trip. Congratulations on your graduation!!

 

Mindi:D

 

How awesome - you're the second Gamma Sig I've met through writing trip reports! Gamma Sig was an excellent part of my college experience.

[LittleMissMagic]

May 15, 2014 - At Sea

Just like I start to get a little sad on the last few days of vacation, knowing that it's soon over, I start to get a little sad when writing the last few days of a trip report! Thank you to everyone who has been reading along!

 

Our blackout curtains allowed us to sleep in late that morning! Rachel and I woke up and were talking, and Max announces from the other side of the room, "No one is trying to sleep over here." "Max, it's 10 o'clock." "10 o'clock!? No way!"

 

Breakfast - Enchanted Garden

 

We caught up with my parents to go to Enchanted Garden for a late breakfast. When we arrived, we requested to be seated in one of the circular booths. The hostess told us that the table only seats four, but then another host walked up and said that we could fit five in the booth. So we did. But I should note that while the booth can seat five adults just fine, the table is really only intended to be set for four... there isn't much room for an additional place setting.

 

 

Breakfast in Enchanted Garden is buffet-style. A server brings your drinks and takes your omelette order, but there is a buffet for all other food.

 

Mickey Mouse Waffle by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It's not a Disney vacation without Mickey Mouse waffles.

 

Enchanted Garden by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Enchanted Garden by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

After breakfast, we passed by the Princess Gathering in the lobby atrium.

 

Princess Gathering by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Look at that madness!

 

Fish Extender Gift by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I haven't been giving updates about Fish Extender gifts, but we had been getting them randomly throughout the cruise. We got some really cool gifts that morning. Someone had personalized straw cups for all three of us with vinyl! I actually had a similar craft in mind for our Fish Extender gift, but the vinyl I ordered didn't arrive until after the cruise (A month and a half later! I wasn't happy). Probably for the best, as that type of craft looks really time-consuming and like something that would have stressed me out even more.

[LittleMissMagic]

Disney Animation - Staging a Scene

 

The entire gang went to Disney Animation. The room was quite crowded, as it was a sea day and the only animation class of the day, not to mention the final class of the series. There weren't any tables left, so we had to sit at the benches along the perimeter of D Lounge.

 

First, we learned about storyboards and how to stage a scene. We had picked up paper with four squares. Inside the first square, we were to draw our character. In the second square, we put him in an environment. For the third square, we introduced a conflict. And in the fourth square, we resolved the conflict.

 

I really enjoyed Rachel's storyboard...

 

Disney Animation by vshingl, on Flickr

 

She created Wedgie, the slice of cheese who gets cut in half, but then finds his "other half". Pretty darn cute!

 

Dad's is also funny...

 

Disney Animation by vshingl, on Flickr

 

I think it's a flower. Another flower makes a naughty gesture at him. And I suppose there is no resolving that conflict.

 

We then drew Winnie the Pooh. They gave us paper with pre-drawn circles which was really nice because drawing the initial circle is such a pain.

 

Disney Animation by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The key is to keep his eyes really small. The eyes that I drew are a bit too big which give Pooh a weird alien-looking appearance.

 

After Pooh, we tried to tackle Tigger...

 

Disney Animation by vshingl, on Flickr

 

A very Muppet-looking Tigger.

 

If you'd like to learn more about Disney Animation classes on Disney Cruise Line, I suggest that you read my post on "The Persistence of Disney Animation" class and my tips on what to bring to improve your animation class experience.

[LittleMissMagic]

Satellite Falls (adult-only sundeck)

 

This is funny.... for the first and only time all week, I was (kind of) ID'd. I was walking up to Satellite Falls and was a bit ahead of Max when a bartender says, "Excuse me, miss. This area is for adults 18 and older, please." Uh, yeah... that's why I'm here. "I'm 22." He looked skeptical, and then I was a bit sassy, "Here - I can show you my card. It has a big 'A' on it for Adult." "Oh, no. I trust you. I trust you." And then he quickly walked away, avoiding eye contact. UGH! I HATE it when bartenders say, "I trust you." Trust me?? You don't have to trust me because I just proved it to you. It is a fact that I am adult. That's when you apologize and perhaps awkwardly compliment me for my youthful appearance. I think he was just really embarrassed and ready to get away as quickly as possible, but I was peeved.

 

What's weird is that I was a lame target. I was alone (if he didn't see Max), and I walk like I'm on a mission. So even if I was a teenager, it's not like I was being loud or disruptive, and perhaps I just needed to find my parents quickly. On the other hand, I am very glad that Disney enforces its adult-only areas, I suppose even if that subjects me to awkward encounters with bartenders who confuse me for a child. It's just completely strange that the one time I got mistaken for someone underage, it wasn't when I was purchasing an alcoholic beverage.

 

Quiet Cove Pool by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Satellite Falls by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Currents by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Max and Dad had been talking all week about having a beer chugging contest. Loser fills the other's mug.

 

Satellite Falls by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Place your bets!

 

Satellite Falls by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And the winner is....

 

Satellite Falls by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Max!

[LittleMissMagic]

Satellite Falls by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Disney Fantasy by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Aqua Lab by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Aqua Lab by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Max and I went to Flo's V8 Cafe. That's when I realized that they were serving Mickey Mouse-shaped pretzels. The pretzels were all plain, and you added the salt or cinnamon yourself. Because we love Walt Disney World, we really enjoyed finding Disney Park food on the ship.

 

Mickey Mouse Pretzels by vshingl, on Flickr

[RNGALNG]

My daughter is also 22, just graduated from college. (A degree in commercial photograph) She is 5'2" and a size 4-5. She gets carded all the time as well. And yes, it seems to be only when alone and not with family or boyfriend. I understand!

 

She and I went on a trip this winter break and she lost all her credit cards and DL the night before we left. All she had as ID was her passport. She hated that in order to get a drink when we went out for dinner she had to pop the passport open UNTIL the waiter thought she was from a foreign country. Met some really nice guys that way!

 

I'm sure your mother, as have I, has told you how much you will enjoy this later on in life. If not, let me, you will enjoy this when you are a bit older. . .

 

Thank you for your reviews. I have been making my way through them all as I really enjoy how you write, your humor, all your photos, and your southern charm! I look forward to looking them all over! I feel like I have sailed with you and your family!

[chamima]

My daughter is also 22, just graduated from college. (A degree in commercial photograph) She is 5'2" and a size 4-5. She gets carded all the time as well. And yes, it seems to be only when alone and not with family or boyfriend. I understand!

 

She and I went on a trip this winter break and she lost all her credit cards and DL the night before we left. All she had as ID was her passport. She hated that in order to get a drink when we went out for dinner she had to pop the passport open UNTIL the waiter thought she was from a foreign country. Met some really nice guys that way!

 

I'm sure your mother, as have I, has told you how much you will enjoy this later on in life. If not, let me, you will enjoy this when you are a bit older. . .

 

Thank you for your reviews. I have been making my way through them all as I really enjoy how you write, your humor, all your photos, and your southern charm! I look forward to looking them all over! I feel like I have sailed with you and your family!

 

 

Victoria

This story reminded me that on our honeymoon 44 years ago I had to show ID everywhere and I was 23!

RNGALNG is correct - you WILL come to be happy about this later. You can do the math about how old (young) I am now and looking younger is to be prized !

 

Again - I'm loving your travelogue! Thanks for writing and for all of the great pictures.

[Cupcrazy]

Another amazing review Victoria! I'm upset I found it so long after you started, but happy I'm here now. Once again I'm loving the pictures and the details of your report. Your writing style is fantastic and your family is great.

There aren't many good Disney picture reviews out there so I'm happy you guys went on a DCL ship so you could show the ship. From the looks of it, they haven't left out any little detail right down the the knobs on the drawers, Sleepy turndown chocolates and the mickey pretzels. The Fantasy looks amazing and just based on your review alone, I'd love to go on this ship.

 

Congratulations on graduation!

[LittleMissMagic]

My daughter is also 22, just graduated from college. (A degree in commercial photograph) She is 5'2" and a size 4-5. She gets carded all the time as well. And yes, it seems to be only when alone and not with family or boyfriend. I understand!

 

She and I went on a trip this winter break and she lost all her credit cards and DL the night before we left. All she had as ID was her passport. She hated that in order to get a drink when we went out for dinner she had to pop the passport open UNTIL the waiter thought she was from a foreign country. Met some really nice guys that way!

 

I'm sure your mother, as have I, has told you how much you will enjoy this later on in life. If not, let me, you will enjoy this when you are a bit older. . .

 

Thank you for your reviews. I have been making my way through them all as I really enjoy how you write, your humor, all your photos, and your southern charm! I look forward to looking them all over! I feel like I have sailed with you and your family!

 

Congratulations to your daughter on her graduation! And I understand her carding pain! I am sure that looking young for my age is something that I'll appreciate in the future. My mother was carded until she turned 35, so I suppose that is good news for myself. Hopefully I don't just have terrible luck and baby-face until I'm 25, then age fast. :D

 

Thank you so much for your kind words! I am glad you enjoy my reviews!!

[LittleMissMagic]

Victoria

This story reminded me that on our honeymoon 44 years ago I had to show ID everywhere and I was 23!

RNGALNG is correct - you WILL come to be happy about this later. You can do the math about how old (young) I am now and looking younger is to be prized !

 

Again - I'm loving your travelogue! Thanks for writing and for all of the great pictures.

 

Well I'm glad to know that all of the carding will pay off in the end! And thank you for your kind words!!

[LittleMissMagic]

Another amazing review Victoria! I'm upset I found it so long after you started, but happy I'm here now. Once again I'm loving the pictures and the details of your report. Your writing style is fantastic and your family is great.

There aren't many good Disney picture reviews out there so I'm happy you guys went on a DCL ship so you could show the ship. From the looks of it, they haven't left out any little detail right down the the knobs on the drawers, Sleepy turndown chocolates and the mickey pretzels. The Fantasy looks amazing and just based on your review alone, I'd love to go on this ship.

 

Congratulations on graduation!

 

Well, I'm glad you found me!!! I tried to advertise on every board, but the Disney board being so underused, this review hasn't gotten nearly as much traffic as my others which is a shame because I believe it is one of my best, yet.

 

The Fantasy is an amazingly beautiful ship! I have many long exposure photos of the ship at night that I can't wait to share.

 

And while we're on the topic of long-time followers of my reviews, if anyone sees KPfromCT, I'd appreciate it if you would send her my way!

[LittleMissMagic]

Disney's Believe - Walt Disney Theatre

 

Like Disney Wishes, Disney's Believe is a mash-up of popular Disney songs. Dr. Greenaway is so focused on his garden that he overlooks his daughter Sophia's birthday. He is stressed about a flower which won't bloom, so Sophia tells him that he just needs a bit of magic. Dr. Greenaway doesn't believe in magic, so Sophia makes a special birthday wish to turn her dad's watering can into a magic lamp. Out pops Genie (yes, the same spectacular Genie from Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular) to grant Dr. Greenaway's accidental wish to believe in magic.

 

The narration and story line in Disney's Believe isn't quite as corny as Disney Wishes. However, I found the set changes and choreography to be more impressive in Wishes. For a great portion of the show, the setting remained in the garden and Disney characters came there. It wasn't until later that the set began changing. I suppose you could look at the set changes as symbolic of Dr. Greenaway's ability to believe in magic. As he becomes more open to the idea of magic, he is able to leave the garden and enter new, fantastical worlds.

 

This show wouldn't be nearly as impressive without Disney's incredible cast. The actor who plays Genie is very talented and adds the perfect dose of comedic relief throughout the show. At first, I wasn't too sold on the actor who played Dr. Greenaway, but throughout the show we hear more of his great vocal talent. Also, this show incorporates an incredibly catchy original song, "What Makes the Garden Grow" which we found ourselves singing the rest of the week.

 

Disney's Mirror Mirror

 

After Disney's Believe, we decided to check out Mirror Mirror in the D Lounge. It is an incredibly cute game show hosted by the Huntsman (who didn't kill Snow White) and his wife. The banter between the wife and the huntsman is hilarious, and the entertainment team does a great job hosting the show. The game show was judged, of course, by the Magic Mirror.

 

Mirror Mirror by vshingl, on Flickr

 

The room is split into teams by six of the Dwarf names. The seventh dwarf, Dopey, was there with us to help with the game. We just happened to be sitting in the team which consisted only of adults. The first game was a Disney quiz which our team did really well on. The guy answering for us knew a lot about Disney movies. The second game required two team members to go to the stage, and the host actually sent two little boys from a different team up for us. I suppose it was so that we wouldn't have had an advantage because the game was finishing the lyrics of Disney songs and had Rachel and myself gone up there, we would have crushed our competition. The little boys representing our team didn't do so hot. Not one answer. And the third game was a crazy relay for which Rachel and my mom were selected!

 

Mirror Mirror by vshingl, on Flickr

 

My mom had to dress up like a dwarf (that's her in the green), and Rachel brought her gems to place in the holes. They were supposed to place their color gems, but it turned out that some teams didn't have colors in the treasure box at the back of the room, so everyone was just placing random gems wherever.

 

Mirror Mirror by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Run, Rachel, Run!

[LittleMissMagic]

Ooh La La - Champagne Bar

 

We had to take Mom and Dad to Ooh La La for pre-dinner drinks. Once again, the lounge was practically empty.

 

Ooh La La by vshingl, on Flickr

 

VIC_6864 by vshingl, on Flickr

 

This time, I tried the Pomegranate Passion (left), and Dad had the Blue Angel.

 

Ooh La La by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Dinner - Royal Court Captain's Gala

 

It was our third time in Royal Court that week. I am glad that of all three restaurants, Royal Court was the one that we had three evenings in because it was our overall favorite.

 

Oysters Rockefeller on the Half Shell by vshingl, on Flickr

 

For a starter, I had the Oysters Rockefeller on the Half Shell.

 

Garden Fresh Salad by vshingl, on Flickr

 

For a second course, the Garden Fresh Salad.

 

Oven-Baked Lobster Tail by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And it was lobster night, so we had Oven-Baked Lobster Tail all around! I was happy to see that Disney presents the lobster to you in the shell and then the waiter removes it for you. I appreciate the presentation which it seems like other cruise lines are doing away with. On our Carnival Breeze cruise, the lobster was already removed from the shell when we received it.

 

Warm Chocolate Lava Cake by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And for dessert, I had the Warm Chocolate Lava Cake... which I personally enjoyed more than the Chocolate Souffle at Palo.

 

Chocolate Cheesecake (Sugar Free) by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Max finally got his Chocolate Cheesecake. It was actually on the Sugar Free menu.

 

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bar by vshingl, on Flickr

 

And Rachel got her Mickey Mouse ice cream bar (offered every night on the kids' menu). What lovely presentation!

[LittleMissMagic]

Royal Court by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Royal Court by vshingl, on Flickr

 

Royal Court by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

Buckets N Boards (adult show)

 

Max and I were planning to meet my dad at the Rhythm and Comedy of Buckets N Boards adult show, but by the time we arrived, The Tube had reached maximum capacity, and they had overflow seating in La Piazza. We went to La Piazza where they had set up a large screen with a projector. I think I would have enjoyed the show more if I was actually in the venue. Max and I both agreed that the percussion part of their show was really entertaining, but they took too much time for the "comedy" part which wasn't even really funny. The breaks between musical numbers were ridiculously long, and it didn't really keep my attention. At one point in the show, one of the guys ran over through La Piazza and high-fived us all for watching in overflow. After that, Max and I left, so I'm not sure how the show ended.

 

My dad had come later and was able to get into The Tube because some people had left, so he watched the show from in there.

 

Movie PremEAR: Million Dollar Arm

 

What is unique about Disney Cruise Line is that they show first-run movies at sea. And because they own their own movies, they can also premier their movies at sea when they premier on land. I was really excited to find that Million Dollar Arm would be premiering while we were on our cruise because it was a movie I was truly interested in seeing. The movie stars Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi), Madhur Mittal (Slumdog Millionaire), and Pitobash (debut).

 

While throughout the cruise, first-run movies are played several times a day in the Buena Vista Theater, the PremEAR event was held in the larger Walt Disney Theatre. Before the movie, Rachel, Max, and I went to the pool deck to fill up cups of soda to bring into the theater. We also bought popcorn outside of the theater. It's a little funny that of all of the food that Disney does not charge for (Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, Mickey Mouse pretzels, turkey legs...), they do charge for popcorn. It's $3.50 for a small popcorn or $7.00 for a large reusable container with $3.50 refills. If you think you'll get popcorn several times throughout the cruise, it might be wise to purchase the refillable container, as you get a large popcorn for the price of a small.

 

The PremEAR was surprisingly uncrowded. The next morning was Castaway Cay, so I think many other guests were going to bed early since they had an early morning the next day.

 

Towel Animal by vshingl, on Flickr

[LittleMissMagic]

May 16, 2014 - Disney's Castaway Cay

 

Castaway Cay is Disney's private island in the Bahamas, and all Caribbean itineraries visit the island at least once. It is rated the most popular port of call by Disney cruisers and is arguably the best cruise line-owned private island in the industry. When Disney first purchased (actually leased from the Bahamian government for 99 years) the island, the requirement was that they could build a pier so that the ship would be able to dock right on the island so that they would not have to tender passengers ashore. Disney was the first cruise line to be able to dock on their private island (Royal Caribbean has since built a dock for their private island, Labadee).

 

Castaway Cay 5K

 

Rachel and I had signed up to run the Castaway Cay 5K. The 5K is complimentary and is offered on all cruises to Castaway Cay, weather permitting. I had read that this started as a casual event when cast members invited guests to run with them in the morning, but has become so popular that it has been taken over by runDisney, the same branch of the Disney Company that coordinates the Walt Disney World Marathon, Princess Half Marathon, and so many more races in Walt Disney World and California Disney Parks. To register, visit the Port Adventures desk during operating hours up to the day before your stop in Castaway Cay.

 

I am not a big runner. In fact, I hardly run at all. But I take all of Rachel's indoor cycling classes, so I would say that I'm in fairly good physical shape. Rachel runs charity 5Ks all of the time, usually to get credit for her sorority. I actually ran my first 5K the month prior when The Color Run came to Clemson. And I'm not sure if that counts because I'm fairly certain that the route wasn't actually 3.1 miles, and they don't keep up with the runners' times.

 

We were scheduled to meet in The Tube at 8:00 AM. Rachel and I got up and ate a light breakfast in Cabana's before heading down. We arrived about 10-15 minutes early which was before the long line accumulated. To check in, you just need the Port Adventure ticket that they give you when you register, and they give you a bib. They also asked to make sure that we had our Photo IDs before exiting the ship. We did not, as we were just walking straight off the ship and going to Disney's private island, but we ran back to the room and got them, anyway.

 

Castaway Cay 5K by vshingl, on Flickr

 

After everyone had checked in, the entertainment team discussed the route with us, showing us a map of it on a projector. We would run the bike loop once, then run down the airplane landing strip, then run back down the airplane landing, then do the bike loop a second time, then head back to the finish line. We were cleared to leave the ship around 8:30-8:45, and two members of the entertainment team guided our group to the gangway, asking that parents who were checking their children into Scuttle's Cove leave first. However, the entire group had to wait about ten minutes in the stairwells before we could actually leave the ship. Looking around, I noticed several Disney Marathon shirts, and even a guy wearing a Goofy's Race and a Half challenge shirt (that's 39.3 miles over two consecutive days!!!).

 

It was once we were off the ship that I was really kicking myself for not bringing Rachel's little camera. It was actually an idea that had crossed my mind that morning, but I decided against it because I thought we wouldn't want to keep up with it. I didn't realize that the walk to the start of the race would be long, overlooking the yet-to-be occupied beaches and the most exciting thing that we would see the entire run.

 

It was a *long* walk to the start of the run. It is considered a run and not a race because they do not actually keep times, but they do run a clock so that you can see for yourself. The serious runners started positioning themselves at the front of the pack, and we decided to fall back to the middle. And the middle of the pack (well, it was a really spread out pack) is where we stayed the entire time.

 

This photo was taken later in the day, but it is of a [portion] of the airplane landing strip that we had to run -

 

Airplane Landing Strip by vshingl, on Flickr

 

At first I thought, "Oh, this isn't bad." But then I started to feel the humidity. It was awful, and for several portions of the bike loop, there was no wind - just the stagnant heat. Rachel compared it to running in Florida. The bike loop was far from interesting. We were surrounded by palm trees with nothing to look at. It really reminded me of the golf cart paths at our old home in Haines City, Florida. Every once in a while, we would pass a bit of theming, like an anchor or a barrel of rum. Or the distance marker. It was far from inspirational. After finishing the bike loop and running the airplane landing, it took a lot of motivation to go back through that dreadful bike loop, again. Rachel said that this had to be her worst 5K time ever. When we neared the finish line and could see the clock, we had just hit 30 minutes... sprint it out! We crossed the finish line at 30:30 which wasn't too terribly bad. We made sure to find the entertainment cast member to get our Mickey medals.

 

Castaway Cay 5K by vshingl, on Flickr

 

It is not an event-specific medal, but the generic plastic Mickey-shaped medal that Disney Cruise Line distributes to winners of a variety of different onboard games.

 

While not competitive and very laid back, I wouldn't describe this as a "fun run". Rachel and I, familiar with runDisney events, were expecting to run surrounded by gorgeous views or at least get to interact with Disney characters. So we were disappointed by the lack of theming and "Disney" that went into the Castaway Cay 5K. However, it is completely free of charge which is unusual of running events. The Castaway Cay 5K t-shirt was sold at the finish line for $21, and Rachel and I both bought one because we didn't run in that humidity for nothing. I suppose that because this is becoming a more popular runDisney event that there might eventually be a fee to run.... and then maybe they would include the t-shirt (not that I'm complaining about having to purchase my own t-shirt... I really didn't mind at all).

 

After the race, Rachel and I took a break on the beach before catching the tram (yes, the tram!) back to the ship. From the tram, we watched another 5Ker run all the way back to the ship. You go, guy!

 

Back to the room to wake up Max!

[bmc alabama]

 

 

 

 

 

Movie PremEAR: Million Dollar Arm

 

 

 

What is unique about Disney Cruise Line is that they show first-run movies at sea. And because they own their own movies, they can also premier their movies at sea when they premier on land. I was really excited to find that Million Dollar Arm would be premiering while we were on our cruise because it was a movie I was truly interested in seeing. The movie stars Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi), Madhur Mittal (Slumdog Millionaire), and Pitobash (debut).

 

 

 

While throughout the cruise, first-run movies are played several times a day in the Buena Vista Theater, the PremEAR event was held in the larger Walt Disney Theatre. Before the movie, Rachel, Max, and I went to the pool deck to fill up cups of soda to bring into the theater. We also bought popcorn outside of the theater. It's a little funny that of all of the food that Disney does not charge for (Mickey Mouse ice cream bars, Mickey Mouse pretzels, turkey legs...), they do charge for popcorn. It's $3.50 for a small popcorn or $7.00 for a large reusable container with $3.50 refills. If you think you'll get popcorn several times throughout the cruise, it might be wise to purchase the refillable container, as you get a large popcorn for the price of a small.

 

 

 

The PremEAR was surprisingly uncrowded. The next morning was Castaway Cay, so I think many other guests were going to bed early since they had an early morning the next day.

 

 

 

 

Towel Animal by vshingl, on Flickr

 

 

We were on the Fantasy 2 weeks after you and got to premEAR "Maleficient". On our cruise both theaters were full and folks were lining up an hour beforehand. I agree, it is a very cool thing!

 

Love the review!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HeatherC430]

Great review Victoria (AS ALWAYS)! I love the gold bangle bracelet with the anchor charm you wore on the night you ate in Palo - I'm dying to know where you got it from! I love all things nautical! ;)

 

I look forward to reading more reviews of yours in the future!