Cruising concierge on the Fantasy! [Eastern Caribbean||1.26.13]...a PTR. :)

[emmebear]

hello everyone!

i wanted to begin my PTR for my very first cruise (ever) on the disney fantasy. we will have the eastern caribbean itinerary setting sail on January 26, 2013 which leaves from port canaveral. we are staying in room 12020 which is a one bedroom suite. i booked the cruise on my 17, 2012.

i completed my very first dining PTR/TR (which is included in my signature) and it really helped me coordinate my trip. i received a lot of great feedback & help while planning & posting. i'm hoping this PTR will be just as helpful as this is my very first cruise ever & any advice is appreciated as i am undecided for port excursions.

i booked this cruise for my daughter, mom & myself. girls only vacation!



this is me. i am a single mother to a very amazing little girl! i currently work as a nurse (also do freelance photography) and am looking forward to our vacation. we currently reside in florida and are annual passholders and try to make it down to disney once a month for some quality mommy/daughter time.


this is my amazing daughter emme. emme will be turning the BIG 3 on the second day of the cruise!


she would be my awesome mom. i booked this trip not only to celebrate my daughter but to show my mom some appreciation for being such a fantastic mom & even better grandma. she is indeed my #1 cheerleader & i wanted to show her some thanks for all the love & support she has given me (very cheesy, i know).


we have three trips to disney planned before the cruise! it's been pretty hard to focus on the cruise as life gets in the way but i've been doing a lot of research online when time permits and i'm not going to lie, all this cruise planning seems overwhelming at times.

i unfortunately missed the 120 day window to book for concierge guests on 9/28/12. i had completely forgotten to submit my final payment on my disney visa. the shoreside concierge team was great by sending me emails and text messages and i finally submitted my last payment two days ago. i had every intention to pay sooner and be at my computer at midnight to book at the 120 day mark but i literally forgot & fell asleep.

i will update later this week of what i have booked so far.

now, i must sleep!

thanks for reading.

 

[cblack]

Hey, Emmebear!

Your daughter is so cute! I am joining in for the pre-cruise trip report fun!

 

[emmebear]

onwards to updating this PTR. my little brother deployed to afghanistan today & it has been a very emotional week for our family. he is a sargeant in the US Army reserves and a combat medic in the military police. he already served in iraq & now will be in afghanistan. he will be the head medic during this tour. please keep him in your prayers.

i was very saddened when i made an attempt to book a cabana online & all the cabanas were sold out. i did however register my daughter for the kids club and started the check in process.

i had emailed concierge a few days ago and they responded that there were many cabanas available but that this could change quickly. of course, with my luck, all the cabanas were sold out. i did email once again to see if any pixie dust could happen.

on monday, i called concierge and the lines were busy for a solid hour. on my last attempt (after firing off another email), i finally got through to concierge shoreline services.

i inquired about cabana availability & was pretty sure she was going to tell me that all the cabanas were still sold out. however, she replied that cabana 10 was available & immediately said that i would take it! i definitely felt the pixie dust & was so excited to have a cabana for our stay at castaway cay.

these are the pictures of cabana 10 that disney concierge sent me in the confirmation email.

i did some research online and cabana 10 seems to be in a perfect spot. the cabana will be especially great for my mom & i'm thinking about getting her a cabana spa as well. my daughter is going to love the cabana! i really hope we get gorgeous weather in castaway cay during our stop. i still cannot believe my luck!

now, i'm currently trying to figure out our dining rotations. i chose second seating for my family. i've currently booked palo brunch, remy champagne brunch and remy dinner but may switch the days.

i will update again soon....we leave for disney on thursday morning!

happy sunday everyone.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Best wishes for your trip. Did they say what things come with a cabana rental? We've heard soda, water, but were curious.

 

[cblack]

We will be in cabana 7, so I'm sure we will see you on the beach!

 

[Mauicshell]

My family sailed concierge on the Fantasy last July. PJ, Andy and Sarah (the concierge team on board) were so amazing. We had cabana 10 on Castaway and it is so nice to have. I know you will have an amazing trip!

 

[Mauicshell]

You will get water and sodas in the fridge. The cabana concierge will get you anything you want, just ask. There will also be sunblock, towels, cool cloths in the fridge, and snacks. There are beach toys in a bucket, a hammock, flotation stuff at the beach with the chairs and umbrellas. You will with for nothing I promise!

 

[emmebear]

just 76 days until our cruise sets sail. i remember my ticker stating 276!

i've read that the cabanas have everything you need. towels, cold drinks (water, sodas), fruit, snacks, sun block, water toys, floats, bike rentals but also a golf cart will take us to our cabin. also, a cm will check in on us & take drink orders etc. i can't wait to do NOTHING and enjoy the cabana. i am hoping for beautiful weather!

i have not booked any excursions yet. i have however booked our on board activities: remy dinner, remy champagne brunch, palo brunch, spa treatments for my mom. i also picked our dining rotation.

i'm thinking of independent tour guides instead of the disney excursions. any thoughts?

 

[emmebear]

hello!


i received my cruise documents last week & i am so excited!!

this little packet has everything we need to prepare for our cruise including luggage tags, my itinerary & lots of useful information. it is nicely packaged and so pretty!


i've also booked remy champagne brunch & palo brunch. we are skiping on remy & palo dinner as i want to spend that time with my daughter.

for excursions, i don't have anything booked for puerto rico. i think we will just get off the cruise ship and hang out in old san juan. i've read the boat docks in old san juan and there is plenty to do there. we will also get to see the two forts as well.

we have a cabana for castaway cay and i'm still undecided for our stop in st. martin. i think i might flip a coin.

happy planning everyone!!

 

[emmebear]

just returned from our cruise and will be starting a trip report soon!

what a fantastic time!!!

the trip report can be found here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3058300

thanks for reading!