BBs, it’s a new week but the ladies are still salty about Carolina starting drama last week and stealing too much time with Grant even though she had a rose. Ay yi yi.
This week we are in Madrid!
Dina 1-1
Grant and DIna walk around the city and come across a wish wall. V cute. They go out in a row boat on a pond in a park. At Fake Dinner, Dina shares that as 1 of 11 (!!!) children, they didn’t talk about their feelings so she has a reputation for being an ice queen. Grant says he’s the same way because growing up he didn’t want to burden his mother with his feelings since she had so much going on. Dina gets the rose.
Back at the hotel, Carolina is complaining AGAIN about how she hasn’t had enough time with Grant, even though she’s had more time with him than anyone! She asks the group, what? Am I supposed to marry him after ONE date?? YES Carolina, that’s how the Bachelor works! Have you not seen the show???
Group Date
The girls and Grant ride donkeys around the town of Chinchon. SO Cute!!! They ride to an arena where they are shown how to be matadoras. Then the ladies have to dress up as matadoras and ride a mechanical bull. The one who rides the longest wins extra time with Grant. All the ladies are flung off the bull within a few seconds until Alexe literally grabs the bull by the horns and hangs on for dear life. She makes it almost a full minute! Zoe is the last to go and she copies Alexe’s technique, winning the contest and time with Grant.
After Party
Carolina is STILL complaining to anyone who will listen that she doesn’t like the whole Bachelor process and isn’t getting enough time with Grant. Juliana pulls Carolina aside and tells her to maybe keep all the negative thoughts on the down low. They go back to the group and all the other girls chime in in agreement with Juliana. Grant walks in and Carolina immediately starts crying. UGH.
Grant pulls Carolina aside to chat. Carolina tells Grant that Juliana questioned her intentions and made her feel attacked.
Back with the group, Grant says he was going to give out the group date rose but now he has to think about some things. He leaves.
Sarafiena 1-1
Grant and Sarafiena (why the extra E???) drive out to this bridge where they bungee jump off the bridge into a gorge. In the rain. Later, over fake dinner, Grant asks SarafiEna why she’s holding back when he kisses her? She answers that it’s really not that deep of a reason, it’s just that her mom is watching! Ha!!! Love it!
Cocktail Party
Grant immediately pulls Juliana aside to chat. Grant relays Carolina’s accusations. Juliana shares how Carolina has been acting and complaining the whole time. Then Carolina and Grant chat and G tells her that if she has concerns to bring them to him only. He’s not thrilled with Carolina at the moment, you can tell.
Carolina goes back to the group and starts sobbing. Dina is the only one on her side and now she’s crying too. LAWD!!! Meanwhile, Rose is spiraling because of Carolina throwing her under the bus last week to Grant and how it REALLY affected Rose and Grant’s relationship. Rose tells Grant all this and decides to go home. Of course, when Rose talks to Carolina about it Carolina acts all innocent. Bleh.
Rose Ceremony
It must be FREEZING because everyone is in big coats over their gowns. I’ve never seen this! Natalie (sad face!!! I like her a lot) and Parisa go home.
Next week we’re in Scotland and BBs, the drama appears to follow the group to the Highlands! Until then, xo 🌹
BBs, we’re only on week 3 and already there’s SO MUCH DRAMA!!! Let’s dive in!
Group Date
Today’s group date takes place in a bank!?! It’s all about finance since Grant is a finance bro- a day trader. Hannah Berner (comedian) and a Shark Tank Guy host this date. First, the ladies are quizzed to show their financial savvy. When asked what was your most risquè purchase, Alexe answers butt plug!!! Answers can earn the girls Grant bucks, and whoever has the most Grant bucks at the end will win a prize. Then the girls take turns in a money grab machine. I bet you’re wishing you’d worn a bra today, huh, Zoe??? Now you’ve got fewer places to stash Grant bucks! Bailey wins with the most Grant bucks.
After Party
Bailey spends her Grant bucks on one of G’s tshirts (that smells like him) to sleep in. Zoe is complaining and literally crying tears that she’s had a hard day in the group date and isn’t bubbly enough or getting enough time with G. I’m SO over Zoe! Zoe walks by Sarafina who says Zoe’s dress is the shortest she’s ever seen. So OF COURSE Zoe goes straight to G and says she’s being poked at and belittled in the house. EYE ROLL. I mean, Sarafina shouldn’t have said that but talk about blowing things out of proportion! Parisa gets the group date rose. But before he leaves, Grant addresses the ladies and tells them he knows there’s been belittling in the house and to be kind to each other. Juliana asks Zoe if she is the one who said that to G. Zoe says “I’m allowed to chat about what I want”. Ugh.
Next Day
Every girl in the house is crying, literally crying, over what G said last night about the belittling because they don’t want G to think it’s them.
Carolina 1-1
Carolina and G take a private jet (SO bad for the environment!!!) to Vegas. Carolina is wearing a short little skirt and a top that looks like it was made from a pair of men’s pants. Odd. They go to the Stratosphere and jump off the top. They are both terrified at first, then get comfy with it and jump again!
Fake Dinner
Carolina tells G she has epilepsy. It’s controlled with medication but she’s afraid he might think it’s too much responsibility. G gives her the rose.
Beverly 1-1
Beverly was supposed to have the next one on one date but we find out she got sick this week and is not coming back to the show. I honestly could not pick her out of a lineup.
Group Date
Now there’s an extra group date since the Beverly date fell through. Sarafina, Litia (who looks like a younger Sheryl Crow), and Dina meet up with G at Vanderpump Dog, a dog rescue. Lisa Vanderpump comes out and talks to the group then Dina and G give a dog a bath. Sarafina and G take a dog for a walk. Then G takes Litia on a Fake Dinner date. Litia shares with G that her dad (who was from Fiji) died in a car accident when she was just 3 months old. SO SAD. So G surprises Litia and FaceTime’s Litia’s mom. It’s so sweet! Litia gets the rose. Meanwhile, Carolina is crying because G’s out on the group date with other women just one day after their date. HELLO!!!! Have you not seen the show??? It’s a dating show! I swear!!! These girls are going to be the death of me!
Back at the house, now Carolina is crying because Rose allegedly told her that when Carolina and G were dancing at last week’s group date G was really thinking about Rose.
The next day a large box arrives for the ladies. They all receive wrist corsages and an invitation to prom. Grant arrives at the mansion followed by Gary, Jack, Keith, and Jonathan from the Golden Bachelorette! Grant never went to prom so they have a big prom party there at the mansion with a DJ and decorations and everything!
Carolina is still annoyed and pouting about the Rose situation. She asks G about it. G immediately asks who said that and Carolina won’t say. But G deduces it’s Rose so he confronts Rose. Rose says “I thought you said that. I was wrong. I’m sorry”. G is NOT HAPPY.
Apparently over the course of the prom evening, Carolina pulls G to talk to him multiple times, even though she has a rose. She even says at one point that she doesn’t care that she has a rose, she wants to go home. Drama mama!!!
Rose Ceremony
Rose gets the last rose. Going home: Alli Jo, Chloie (dang it), and Bailey! I’m surprised Bailey’s going home! Boo.
Next week we are off to Madrid BBs! Until then, xo 🌹
It’s time for the first dates of the season BBs! Let’s dive in!
First up we have the first Group Date of the week. Grant and the ladies go to a gym to play basketball with some children. Basketball is v important to Grant, as he grew up playing and even played in high school, college, and pro! During the slam dunk contest part of the date, it’s Zoe’s turn to shoot the ball. But instead of shooting, she says she’s forfeiting her shot and she takes G by the hand and leads him off the court and upstairs! The other ladies are NOT HAPPY about this and all kind of stand around not knowing what to do. When G and Zoe return the vibe is all awkward and off. Almost as soon as they return, Jesse comes in and says the ladies are about to play 5 on 5 ball against each other. The game is HILARIOUS!!! Fingernails are flying off every which way!!! Chloie wins MVP and she gives G a big kiss in front of everyone.
At the after party, all the girls are peeved with Zoe for stealing G away for most of the group date. They confront Zoe but she stands her ground. She gets on my nerves. She has a Joker smile. Too smug!
Natalie really connected with the kids during the date and G noticed. Juliana lost all 10 of her finger nails! G noticed and gives Juliana a hand massage. Juliana and G are kissing when Zoe interrupts them to steal G away. Juliana reports this back to the group. So Alli Jo steals G from Zoe who lurks near AJ & G and less than 5 minutes later, Zoe steals G AGAIN!!! This gets the girls all fired up and they are all arguing in the group. Natalie gets the group date rose.
Alexe 1-1
G & Alexe are all alone in a mall! G sings Alexe a song he plays on a piano. He just makes up a song. The man is v talented!!! G & Alexe run around the mall like kids. So fun! They make ice cream sundaes and jump on a bed (breaking it! lol). Alex gets the rose.
Group Date 2
G & the ladies arrive to a theatre to find Mario singing to the group. The girls have to write and sing a song to Grant, plus dance in front of a crowd. Robyn Antin (Pussycat Dolls creator) teaches the girls how to dance. G picks Carolina as the winner of extra time with him. Carolina then mounts G on the stage and straddles him and they start making out right in front of everyone! Bold! The rest of the girls are LIVID!!!
The vibe is all stuffy and off at the after party. Even G can tell something is off. Litia opens up to G and cries and they talk about how Litia doesn’t want to date anymore because it’s so hard. G gives Litia the group date rose.
Cocktail Party
Bailey is having anxiety and is spiraling tonight at the cocktail party. She says she’s just not getting validation like the other girls are. GIRL. It is week 2!!! CALM DOWN!!! If you think it’s hard now, just wait 4 weeks!!!
Rose Ceremony
Chloie gets the last rose. Going home: Ella (who breaks down crying and almost falls to the ground), Allyshia, Vicky, and Rebekah.
Y’all. It’s just week 2 and there’s already infighting and back stabbing and tears! I can’t even imagine how it’s going to be come week 4 or 6 BBs!!! Until next week! xo 🌹
It’s time BBs! Grant’s premiere is here! First we get to see Grant in his hometown of Houston, TX. We meet his mom, grandmother, sister, and father. Grant’s parents are divorced and his dad is sober after a 30 year issue with addiction. Then it’s time for us to head to LA for limo entrances at the Bachelor Mansion.
Grant looks v handsome and dapper in his black suit.
Some standout limo entrances:
Litia- girl is wearing SO MUCH body glitter I went temporarily blind!!! She looks like she’s covered in Crisco!
Alli Jo- from New Jersey, she brings pizza.
Dina- an attorney who is one of 11 (ELEVEN!!!!!) children!
Alexe- walks up to the mansion with Linda, the no drama llama, in tow.
Bailey- has Grant take photos of her, then they take a selfie.
Sarafiena- walks up toting a HUGE Grant head cardboard cutout!
Savannah- comes bearing a two tier wedding cake.
Vicky- drives up in a pink convertible holding a lit Viva Las Vicky sign.
Zoe- brings a tshirt cannon. She and Grant shoot shirts up and over the mansion!
There are 25 women total, including a couple of short haired girls! Yay!!! Grant comes in to greet them all and asks “What does love mean to you?” It’s v clear that G is here for a WIFE. He’s not just looking for Instagram followers. Bailey steals him away to chat first.
Parisa shows G a power point presentation including photoshopped wedding photos of the two of them. Grant kisses Allyshia first, RIGHT after she made a statement to the other girls that she doesn’t kiss on the first date. Juliana gets the 2nd kiss and then I lose count because kisses are coming fast and furious!
G is chatting with a woman when a limo pulls up. A woman gets out and walks v confidently through the mansion, not stopping to speak to anyone. She goes straight to Grant and interrupts Dina’s conversation. All the ladies are speculating who this mystery woman is! All the ladies gather in the main room and Grant walks in. He then introduces the woman….his sister Taylor! Taylor is gorgeous! She shows a bunch of baby and childhood photos to the group, then spends time with the ladies answering questions about Grant.
We then find out that whoever gets the First Impression Rose tonight will also get the first one on one date.
Rose has that vocal fry I can not stand where she elongates the last word of every sentence. “I really like himmmmmm.” “He’s so niiiiiiiice.” UGH.
Grant picks up the First Impression Rose and goes to find the recipient. He says she is smart and funny. It’s Alexe the llama girl! They kiss.
Rose Ceremony
Litia and her spotlight glittery chest gets the first rose. Parisa gets the last rose. Going home: J’Nae, Christina, Kyleigh & Neicy (from the Carolinas), Radhika, and Savannah.
It looks like a great season BBs! Although, even with the presence of Linda the No Drama Llama on night one, there’s apparently a LOT of drama ahead for our Grant and his Ladies!!! Until next week! xo 🌹
I was sound asleep until about 4 am when CSP woke me up in a panic! He had just woken up and realized that he had packed his Key To The World card away in his suitcase. The suitcase that he’d put in the hallway last night for porters to take to the terminal. That wouldn’t be a problem except you have to have your Key to the World card to get off the ship!!! The Key to the World card is the card Disney Cruise Line issues to you that unlocks your stateroom door, and you use it to make purchases on the ship. You also have to present your card to disembark and embark the ship in ports, and finally, when you disembark back at the home terminal. AY YI YI CSP!!!
Luckily, Guest Services is open 24 hours. I called them and asked what to do. They said to send CSP down to guest services and they would issue him a new card. Whew! Crisis averted!
An old Key to the World card of mine for reference.
So since we were awake we went ahead and got dressed and packed up our carry on bags with our pjs and last minute things. We dropped our extension cords off at Guest Services ( that we used for our CPAP machines. You can’t bring your own onboard.) then went to breakfast at Royal Court. We were the only people at breakfast this morning in Sheldon’s service area.
You have 2 options when it comes to disembarking the ship when the cruise comes to an end. You can do self assist where you skip breakfast and take your luggage off yourself. If you do that you can disembark starting at 7:30 am (or when the ship is cleared by customs). Or you can place your luggage in the hallway the night before you disembark and let the porters take your luggage to the terminal. If you choose the latter you go to breakfast at 8 AM in the restaurant where you had dinner last night. We enjoyed our breakfast and said our farewells to Sheldon and Darma. We went to the terminal and hired a porter to help us take our luggage to the car. All of that and we were on the road to home by 9:30 AM! Love Disney’s efficiency!
When we got in the car in the parking garage we noticed the Fantasy was docked right next to the new Disney Treasure! It’s rare to see 2 DCL ships in the same spot!
It was SO strange to see all the snow in Northern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina on our way home!!! We stopped at Buc-ee’s (of course) on the way home, and made it home by 6:30 PM!
***Update*** When I woke up the morning after we got home I noticed my left leg was swollen (HUGE) and bright red. It was hot to the touch. I called my doctor and they advised that I go straight to the emergency room. Remember that blister I told you I got on the cruise? Well it popped on Nassau day and apparently it was the perfect storm. The open blister plus walking around in sand and water where pigs were pooping equals a nasty infection!
They gave me some super duper antibiotics in the hospital and sent me home with a prescription that kept me on antibiotics 3 times a day for 7 days. I’ll spare you the photo of my giant, red leg and foot. I couldn’t even get a shoe on my foot without pain! It took quite a few days of elevating my leg to get the swelling down. All is well now though!
All in all, it was a great trip! We can’t wait for our next cruise!!!
This morning we were able to sleep in a little bit. Then we went to brunch at Palo. Gagi, our server last night, was our server again. He’s so great!
Peach Bellini!I love that when you order iced tea, they use ice cubes made from tea so your tea won’t get watered down!CSP had a fabulous Italian Bloody Mary! With rosemary and a dried orange.
Our bread basket that we never touched! lol There was just too much food!
The best almond croissant ever!!! Plus some breakfast pastries.
CSP’s seafood appetizer.My GIANT Mickey waffle! It had strawberries in the batter! Yum!CSP’s zucchini frittata CSP also had the celery soupThe pizza is so delicious! We got the goat cheese and sun dried tomato on one half and bleu cheese and grapes on the other half.Mushroom ravioli with pine nutsCSP enjoyed the red snapperHe also really enjoyed the lasagne with bechamel sauceMy favorite brunch menu item- the chicken parmesan on risotto!
Then it was time for dessert!
CSP had the limoncello torte. So pretty!
I had the panna cotta. It was topped with strawberry popping bubbles and a pistachio crumble, then a chocolate butterfly. Soooo yummy!!!
Everything was absolutely excellent and delicious! And the service is chef’s kiss. We were stuffed, and we didn’t come close to eating everything! Too bad they don’t have microwaves in our rooms, we’d have saved some for snacking later! We then waddled back to our room to change clothes and pack up a bit. I hate the last day of a cruise! It’s so sad! And we decided a 5 night cruise is just too short!
After we packed up a bit we went to get Mom of CSP a beer mug. Pro Tip: if you drink beer you can purchase a 24 oz beer mug for $15. Then your refills are charged at the 16 oz price. You don’t have to carry the mug around either because they give you a token to carry instead. CSP loves this deal! Then we went for one last walk through of the gift shop.
Next we went to the D Lounge for Animation: Learn how to draw Stitch. Stitch is my favorite character so I was v excited to learn how to draw him.
Note that I only have a golf pencil to work with. So be gentle with me!
My final product:
He looks a bit scary! But I couldn’t erase anything!
When we were finished with our class we were walking back to our room when we ran into Jasmine!
She’s so cute!
It’s so easy to get around a Disney ship! Informational signs at each elevator bank.I love the Mickey hand on the arrow at the top of the elevators!
When we got back to our room we discovered that someone had left a prize in our room!
It’s a box of truffles! We don’t know where they came from, but we are thankful!
We went out to our big ol’ balcony to hang out for a while. CSP took a wee nap while I listened to my book and edited photos from our trip on my phone.
Eventually we got hungry and ordered room service snacky snacks. Room service is free on Disney cruises! You WILL pay for sodas & alcohol though. Be sure to bring some cash to tip your room service server. And PLEASE call room service when you’re finished to come pick up your tray! They do NOT want you to put it in the hallway!!!
After our snack we finished most of our packing then showered and dressed for our last dinner.
We saw Cinderella on our way to dinner
Tonight’s dinner was back in Royal Court. We were so not hungry! LOL. Between brunch and our room service snack we picked at our dinner. This did not please Sheldon, our server! He kept saying “You don’t like it? I’ll bring you something else!”
CSP had his favorite appetizer- escargotI had the fried brieCSP had the lobster pasta. Please forgive me, I forgot to take the picture before we started eating!I chose the mushroom ravioli. Delicious!We shared the creme brulee. So yummy!
We gave Sheldon and Darma their gratuity envelopes and Sheldon gave us a magnet from his home country of India. So sweet!!!
We went back to our room and discovered more pixie dust!
lobster blanket animal
When we got back to our room we put our suitcases out in the hallway then went right to bed because we have a very early morning tomorrow!
This morning we woke up early again and had breakfast at Royal Court. Then we went back to our room to change into our swimsuits and apply sunscreen. It’s another beautiful day! And today we are visiting Disney’s newest private island Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas! Lookout Cay opened about 8 months ago and we’ve been dying to explore it!
We disembarked and took in the sight of the pier from the ship to the island. YIKES. It’s a half mile long with no shade or benches. There is one water station. Not that much of a problem in late January, but imagine walking back to the ship in July with small, tired, HOT children in tow. Again, I say YIKES. Do better Disney!
Once you walk the pier, you get to the entrance.
Beautiful colors! We went through the entrance and walked to the tram stop after consulting a map of the island.
Our first stop was the gift shop so we could get a magnet.
Then we toured around the family beach section and got drinks at the family beach bbq area called True True BBQ.
Covered dining areas in the Family beach area
We then walked over to Serenity Bay, the adults only section.
You get around Lookout Cay by walking on boardwalks, which is nice because you’re not trudging through sand. But they need more signage. We constantly got turned around trying to find our way to Serenity Bay (and CSP is great with directions).
Look at that water!!!The cultural center. CSP said it looks like Pringles and now I can’t unsee it!!! lolCabanas (the colorful roofs) at Serenity Bay
We then went to check out the beach at Serenity Bay. The sand is powder soft! And the water is a beautiful turquoise.
This part confused me ^^^^^. pictured above are the 2nd through 5th rows of chairs and umbrellas at Serenity Bay. WHY would you want to sit here? You can’t see the ocean from these chairs!!! You can only see the dune in front of you. Odd.
It’s just gorgeous here! Only downsides are – limited shade. You only have your umbrella, which is fixed and can’t be adjusted. I burn to a crisp so we didn’t stay long on the beach. Other downside is if you don’t get here quickly enough, you can’t find a chair with an umbrella so you’re relegated to the behind the dunes section. Lame.
We stopped by the Serenity Bay BBQ for a quick snack. Lookout Cay has a more varied menu than Castaway Cay, which is nice. But there aren’t very many tables.
Serenity Bay BBQ
After our snack we went back to the ship. BTW, the tram ride back to the ship is about 20 minutes. Then add in the 10-15 minute walk on that long pier. If your goal is to spend time at Serenity Bay, you’re going to spend a good hour just getting to and from where you’re trying to go! Didn’t like that.
On our walk back to the tram we spotted this cool looking bar.
see the big birds hanging from the ceiling? Water station at the tram stop. Nice that they provide water for free!View of the ship from the entrance/exit to Lookout Cay. It’s a LONG walk.
When we were on our way back to the ship we saw a dad with his wife and 2 young daughters who were also heading back to the ship. Dad said “Take a good look around girls because we’re NEVER coming back here again!” Bahahaha!!! I’d say he wasn’t a fan of the island!!! Oh, and I just realized we didn’t see a single character on the island today! That’s odd, especially with the amount of characters we normally see on Castaway Cay!
We went to the room and dropped off our souvenirs, then went up to Satellite Falls. Satellite Falls is our favorite feature of the Fantasy. It’s like you can hang out in a giant white noise water feature! So relaxing! There was NO ONE there! It was awesome!
CSP loves sitting in the water at Satellite Falls. I like it too, but it was a bit on the chilly side so I wrapped myself up in towels and listened to my book, The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.
CSP being a creeper! LOL
After a while we went to Cove Cafe and the bev station for drinks and snacks.
Caramel tart on the right- not my favorite. CSP loved his chocolate orange cupcake.
The Cove Cafe is right next to the Quiet Cove pool and bar.
At about 5:30 we went back to try and get CSP a ride on the Aquaduck again. I found a chair on deck 11 by the giant movie screen that gave me a great view of the Aquaduck. But, just like yesterday CSP appeared again at my side in less than 10 minutes! There was a 45 minute wait to ride the Aquaduck and then they were closing it for maintenance. Whomp whomp. We didn’t have time for CSP to wait the 45 minutes because we had a dinner reservation at Palo tonight for 8 pm. Palo is the adults only Italian restaurant. We love it!
Our room is near the aft elevators, which bring you straight into Cabanas buffet on deck 11. This pelican ^^^ greets you as you exit the elevators. On our way to the Aquaduck we were able to take a close look at this huge mosaic in Cabanas while it was empty.
So we went back to the room to shower and change for Palo. I brought a Spongelle sponge with me on this trip. If you aren’t familiar, Spongelle makes body wash infused sponges that last at least 14 showers/baths. They smell great and save on packing space because you don’t have to pack a shower poof and body wash since the Spongelle combines the two! Today is day 7 of our trip so my Spongelle should have been in great shape as far as how much body wash and lather it was giving. While I was showering I noticed I couldn’t smell the Night Jasmine scent anymore. Weird. And there was VERY little lather. Odd. Luckily Disney provides a very nice body wash as well as shampoo and conditioner in large pump bottles in the shower. So I used the body wash and finished my shower. Then it was CSP’s turn to take a shower. When he was finished he commented to me that he really liked the flower sponge I brought on this trip. What, now??
I said “You’ve been using my sponge?” He said “Of course!” OF COURSE??? I had no idea! After some more questions, I found out that my knucklehead husband had not only been using my sponge (which I didn’t mind), but he was loading it up with the H20 body wash Disney provides, and then AGGRESSIVELY rinsing the sponge at the end of his showers. He couldn’t figure out why the sponge wasn’t rinsing clean of body wash and lather!!! He was spending a good 15 minutes in the shower and it wasn’t just because he was enjoying the water pressure that we sadly lack at our house. He was busy rinsing my yummy smelling body wash down the drain!!! 😂😂😂
We got ready and went up to Palo and checked in for our reservation. They had us wait in Meridian, the bar between Palo and Remy, until our table was ready.
Our table was ready so we made our way into Palo.
CSP ordered an Old Fashioned
I ordered a La Margarita martini. I’m the worst alcohol drinker. I hated it. It tasted like ethanol. So they gave me a new cocktail, which I can’t remember the name. But it was much better! And it was pink!
You start your dinner at Palo with an amuse bouche, which is a little one bite of mushroom gnocchi. It was delish!
CSP had cioppino, a seafood stew. Mussels, and shrimp, and scallops, oh my!
Then he had osso bucco.
Our bread basket. DON’T fill up on the delicious bread because they bring you so much food!!!
Our server was Gagi from Serbia and he was wonderful! Again, I forgot to get a photo. Ay chihuahua!
For my dinner I chose the seafood appetizer.
Look at the size of that shrimp! I ate him but CSP ate the rest of the items. Calamari, etc.
My entree was the scallops over risotto. OMG. SO good! Scallops melted like BUTTAH!!!
Pro tip: at Palo when you ask for salt they bring you fancy salt with a tiny wee spoon.
The smoked salt is our favorite. For dessert we both ordered the chocolate souffle. It comes with 2 sauces- a chocolate and a vanilla. CSP likes chocolate more than I do so he gets my chocolate sauce and I get his vanilla sauce.
The souffle comes with a scoop of vanilla gelato.
Gagi pouring CSP’s chocolate sauce into the souffle.
Tonight was Pirate night. So after dinner we went out onto Palo’s secret verandah where there were only about a dozen people, including us, to watch the fireworks. It was funny, 4 other cruise ships circled us to watch our fireworks since DCL is the only cruise line that is allowed to shoot fireworks at sea.
Here’s a snippet of the fireworks:
the beautiful glass sculpture in Palo’s entry.
For Pirate night DCL give you a bandana for each person in your party. Also pictured below are the gratuity envelopes. We pre pay our gratuities so the green paper is how much we paid to each crew member. You can tear the perforated paper and put each slip in their corresponding envelopes then present them to the crew. You can also add some cash to the envelopes if you’d like.
Time for bed! Tomorrow is a sea day and we have lots of plans!
This morning we woke up early and went to Royal Court for breakfast. The grand atrium was nice and empty so I was able to get a couple photos with no bystanders.
Royal Court has lots of mosaics. So pretty!CSP was thrilled to find out if he went to the Cabanas bar before 10am he could get a Bloody Mary for $5!
Today we’re at Castaway Cay! Disney’s original private island. Another perfect weather day!
After breakfast we went back to our room to apply sunscreen and grab our things. We disembarked and walked the short distance to the tram station.
We spotted Captain Jack Sparrow on our walk to the trams.Map of Castaway CayPluto
Characters abound on Castaway Cay! Above is Mickey and his beach buggy! Below is Minnie.
Goofy
We took the tram to the shops first.
Then we hopped back on the tram to go to Serenity Bay- the adults only beach. We found a couple of chairs under some shade and parked ourselves on the beach.
Look at all the shade! As a pale, pale, girl, I really appreciate shade! I discovered that listening to an audio book is where it’s at on the beach! You can “read” AND people watch at the same time! Just be sure to wear your sunglasses! Ha!
Eventually we got hungry so we went over to the Serenity Bay BBQ and grabbed lunch. So yummy! After lunch we took the tram back to the ship. We stopped for a photo op.
Note that I perfectly lined up the ship and CSPWhy couldn’t CSP line up the ship for my photo?? Knucklehead!!!
We stopped by our room to grab our cups for drinks. I found I’d been pixie dusted! A fellow Swiftie made me a friendship bracelet! So sweet!
We passed this door. It’s just a regular door that had been closed. But Disney decorated it with Sorcerer Mickey! Love that DCL makes the ordinary extraordinary!
We stopped by deck 11 to fill up our tumblers at the bev station then headed up to Satellite Falls. It was practically empty since everyone was still on the island.
We saw this cool towel animal on the way to Satellite Falls. Looks like a rooster doing yoga. Once we’d relaxed at Satellite Falls for most of the afternoon, we stopped into the sweets shop on board, Sweet On You. We got chocolate covered strawberries, macarons (NOT MACAROONS), and CSP got himself a gorgeous chocolate cupcake.
We dropped our sweets off in our room then went back to deck 11 so I could find a spot to camp out in while CSP rode the Aqua Duck. I found the perfect spot so I could video CSP as he flew by on his wee raft. Well CSP showed back up at my chair not 10 minutes after he left because they were doing maintenance on the Aqua Duck. I looked up and sure enough, there was a dude walking his way through the tunnel. Whomp whomp.
So we went back to the room to shower and change for dinner. Dinner tonight was at Enchanted Garden.
CSP had a tuna and avocado tower, sea bass, and a sundae.
I chose a mushroom tart, scallops, and sticky toffee pudding.
SO yummy!!! On the first night of the cruise, Sheldon, our server, asked us when was our anniversary. I told him March 3. So imagine our surprise when Sheldon arrived at our table tonight bearing an anniversary cake and 4 other servers singing to us! So fun!
After dinner we were walking back to our room when I spotted Dante from Coco at the Port Adventures desk. I think he’s so beautifully done! The colors!
Not sure what tonight’s animal is! Ha! We hit the hay early tonight because tomorrow is another early morning as we will be at Disney’s new private island- Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point!
We woke up at 7 today because we had an excursion at 10:30 am. I noticed I have a HUGE blister on my foot. Pro tip: always wear sneakers on embarkation day- don’t wear cute slip on shoes that will give you a giant blister!
Today we are in Nassau! Before we disembark for the day we take the elevator up to Cabanas buffet for breakfast. Our room is close to the Aft elevators that are located IN Cabanas on deck 11, so it’s really convenient to pop up to Cabanas or the beverage station. So we have breakfast then go back to the room to change into our swimsuits and apply sunscreen.
Our breakfast view. Note my wristlet on the table. Pro tip: pack a wristlet to use on the cruise ship. You don’t want to lug a purse around the ship, but if you’re like me, you need something to hold lip balm/gloss, your phone, etc.
We got off the ship and went to our meeting spot for our excursion. Then we were led to the office of the tour company where we signed our waivers and waited for the rest of the group. Our group only had 13 people in it! Love a small tour group! We then walked to the boat and boarded and drove over to Atlantis so people could take pictures of the resort from the boat. Another beautiful day weather wise! High of 74* and mostly sunny skies.
Next we drove for about 30 minutes to Pigs Beach! Yep, today we are swimming with pigs! Who knew pigs could swim?!? These pigs can! They are apparently descended from wild boars.
Most of the pigs were female and a couple were pregnant, their bellies hanging low and dragging the sand!
Lex and Sterling (our guides) gave us cups filled with sliced apples and chicken.
We would then skewer the food and hold it out for the pigs who knew exactly how to take the food off the skewers. If you ran out of food or wanted the pig to go away, you’d hold up both your arms and the pigs would turn away from you. They are v intelligent! We spent a little over an hour on Pigs Beach. We had the entire beach to ourselves!
It was all v nice until one of the pig wrangler men alerted us to the fact that they were going to be vaccinating the pigs. WHAT??? Right then??? We were only there an hour or so, they couldn’t wait until we left?? The poor pigs were screaming!!! Thank goodness they were behind fences and we couldn’t see what was going on. Made me sad. But there were also baby pigs and the babies made me v happy! In fact, we were able to hold one and pose for photos.
The baby was so sweet! It was a boy and his wee belly was so warm in my arms. His hair was more coarse than I would have thought. When our turn holding the baby pig was over I went to hand him off to the next girl. She looked me up and down and said “Um. No thank you. And you may want to get back in the water.” The baby had pooped all down my arm!!! lol
baby pig at pig’s beachmore baby pigshungry!
The thing about pigs, when they eat, they poop. Right there, wherever they are! So you had to dodge pig poop in the water!
the pigs were large! but v friendly and well trained
Bahamas Jet Boat is the name of the tour company that took us out today. They took lots of photos of everyone and sent them to us for free! Lex and Sterling are AMAZING! Super friendly and helpful and kind. I booked this excursion through Shore Excursions Group, an Expedia company. They guarantee you’ll get back to the ship on time!
A storm was approaching so it was time to get back on the boat. In fact, the storm caused a water spout!
That was pretty cool to see. On the way back to Nassau, Sterling pointed out all the celebrity homes. Oprah, Shakira, and Shaq apparently all have homes here on Paradise Island.
Shaq’s house is the white one on the left.
We were passing all these yachts and one looked v familiar! Sure enough, Sterling asked if any of us are Below Deck fans, because this is motor yacht Home that Captain Sandy helmed last season on Below Deck Med!!!
Spotted a pirate ship on the way back to Nassau
We even sailed right past our ship on the way to the dock. Too bad they couldn’t have dropped us off here! We were delivered safely back to the dock, we tipped our guides and we made our way back to our ship.
We went to Cabanas buffet since we were in our swimsuits and got some lunch. CSP ate his weight in peel and eat shrimp!!! Then we went back to our room to nap. Our room is on deck 5, which is where you’ll find the kids’ clubs. Just around the corner from our room is Pepe the King Prawn’s room! His door is about 2 feet tall and is so cute!
After our nap we went to the Quiet Cove for coffee, and we stopped by the medical center for large bandages. My huge blister had popped this morning walking to the boat and the bandaids we’d brought with us weren’t big enough to cover it. I didn’t think it would be appropriate to snap photos in the medical center, but it was BIG! Way bigger than I thought it would be. It had a waiting room like a regular doctor’s office and everything. The nice lady there gave me enough of the giant bandages to last me the week.
Back to our room to shower and change for dinner. Tonight’s dinner was in Animator’s Palate.
The lights in the dining room dimmed for the show tonight. Crush came on the screens by the tables and talked to some of the passengers. It’s all v cute.
For dinner tonight, CSP had salmon tartar, serrano ham with machego cheese, and the pork chop on sun dried tomato risotto. I couldn’t believe he chose the pork chop after swimming with pigs!!!
For dessert he chose the cheesecake.
Tonight for dinner, I chose the truffle pursiettes, the roasted chicken, and an apple crumble rice pudding. The chicken came with mashed potatoes and root vegetables. I’m not a fan of that so I asked for a side of CSP’s risotto and Sheldon, our server, was happy to bring it to me. It was delish!
Everything was wonderful! Because they are producing so many dinners at a time (literally hundreds), the chefs can’t do substitutions, but they can always bring you something extra that’s on the menu. And now’s your chance to have 2 appetizers, or try something you’ve never had before!
After dinner we went to The Tube. It’s a nightclub on the ship. They were putting on a game show called Seriously.
It’s dark in The Tube, but their menus are back lit!!!
Then it was time for bed so back to the room. Pro tip: Disney Cruise Line cabin doors are metal and they allow you to decorate your doors. Some people go ALL OUT! It’s helpful when you are looking for your room in a sea of white doors, if it’s decorated it will stand out.
Penguin (I think) towel animal. So cute!
Tomorrow we are at Disney’s original private island- Castaway Cay! (pronounced Key)
This morning we had breakfast at the hotel (they have a pancake machine! cute!), packed up our things and drove the 20 minutes to Port Canaveral.
The Disney Cruise Line terminal with the Fantasy behind it
This is our first cruise as Platinum with Disney and we started enjoying the perks immediately! We were able to get through security and check in LIGHTENING fast! We went from parking the car to onboard the ship in 20 minutes! First thing we did was go to Guest Services to reserve extension cords for our CPAP machines.
The line was not short, but it moved quickly. Then we went to lunch at Animator’s Palate.
It was so nice to be able to sit down and have a relaxing lunch while we waited for our room to be ready. The buffet in Cabanas is open for lunch too, but I prefer a sit down lunch. Your room is ready by 1:30 pm so after lunch we went to our room and our luggage was already waiting for us! Disney Cruise Line is on FIRE!!!
We unpacked then went for the muster drill.
I don’t know why Disney insists on still doing in person muster drills! UGH. It’s the worst part of a cruise. Luckily it had just rained so it was nice and cool out on deck. Once the muster drill was finished we went back to the room to call home before we set sail and put our phones in airplane mode. Our room was 5150 on Deck 5.
Our Castaway Club gifts on the vanity, underneath is a small fridge.
Disney Cruise Line gave us a large tote bag, 2 platinum lanyards, a wet/dry zippered bag, and a huge beach towel.
Lots of storage in our room
It’s a standard verandah room, but with a secret HUGE oversized balcony!
There were 7 chairs on our balcony! Plus a table! Check it out:
By now we had set sail. We went up to Quiet Cove (the adults only section) and the Cove Cafe for snacks and drinks. Fun fact: you can ask the baristas at the Cove Cafe for any of the snacks in the display case without having to make a purchase! I took my reusable tumbler to the beverage station and filled it up with Vitamin Water. Pro tip: bring a reusable tumbler on your cruise so you can take a bev to your room or the movies, shows, etc.
Next we went shopping at the gift shops onboard. We always get a magnet with the year on it for our fridge. Plus we had to get a present for our in-laws who are taking care of our pups while we’re gone.
Back to the room to freshen up and change for dinner. We met our room steward, Maha from Indonesia. He’s so sweet and friendly! I’m mad I didn’t get a photo of Maha.
Dinner tonight was at Royal Court.
We are seated at table 57 in every dining room. Your serving team follows you to each dining room, so you really get to know them.
Our servers are Darma from Indonesia (assistant server), and Sheldon from India (main server). I totally forgot to take their pictures too! Immediately we noticed that Royal Court doesn’t have the Cinderella’s carriage bread baskets anymore! I loved those!!!
The old carriage bread basket
Tonight CSP enjoyed the calamari, salmon, halibut, clam chowder, and for dessert, a Mickey bar with Mickey sprinkles.
I had the couscous salad, chicken bastilla, spicy shrimp arribiata penne pasta, and for dessert, the sticky fig and pecan pudding. SO yummy!
After dinner we go back to our room and to bed.
Tomorrow we have to get up early because we’ll be in Nassau and have an excursion in the morning!
Bless Your Heart 