We spent our final day of our New Year's Cruise at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. Personally, I would much rather have spent Day 6 at Castaway Cay and Day 7 at sea. After spending the day at the private island, it's a little hectic to come back and then have to pack everything up. I also wouldn't have minded a reversed itinerary where we spend the first day at Castaway Cay (that way they could take advantage of the close proximity to Florida).

On Day 4 of our New Year's Cruise, the Disney Fantasy arrived in Grand Cayman. After dealing with tender boats and a mostly closed port the week prior on our Celebrity Summit cruise, I was happy with our decision to stay on the ship today.

We started our day with 10AM brunch at Palo, one of the two adult-only restaurants on the Disney Fantasy. In the past, I've had not-so-great dinner experiences at Palo, but we really enjoyed brunch at Palo on the Disney Dream.

Gooooood morning! The sun was shining, and we had great weather - hooray! This view isn't a bad way to start 2023.

Rachel and I had agreed to walk Deck 4 with Judy at 8:30 AM.... pretty ambitious considering how late we were up, but somehow we made it.

It was very quiet - I think a lot of other people were sleeping in that morning.

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.



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

May 11, 2014 - At Sea

Rachel woke up early that morning (7AM!) for yoga at the Donald pool. I thought about going with her... until the wake-up call, and I decided it was way too early.

She gave me a report of how yoga went (Rachel is a group fitness instructor and teaches cycling classes). So she arrived at her class 15 minutes early because she always goes to fitness classes early so that she'll have time to set up equipment, get a good spot, etc. Other women came, and they waited... and waited... it's 7:00, and they are wondering if the fitness class is canceled or if they are in the wrong location. Then three minutes late, the instructor rolls in carrying his yoga mat. Nobody else has yoga mats. The instructor tells them that they need to go to the fitness center and pick up yoga mats. So they all go and get their mats, and by the time that they are back at the Donald pool and set up, it is 7:15. So they finally begin and it soon becomes pretty obvious that the instructor has NO IDEA WHAT HE'S DOING. He didn't know the names of any poses except downward dog and child's pose (not even warrior 1, warrior 2). So he would tell them, "Now go into this pose. And hold it. And breathe." As the class goes on, more and more people are getting frustrated. Rachel said that it wasn't just getting pathetic - it was getting dangerous. There were senior citizens in the class, and the instructor was having them do challenging balance poses (some of which were made up) with no alternatives. Rachel said that it was nice at first because it was very peaceful and relaxing... and then children started to show up... and then music started to play. But at least she got to bond with the other yoga attendants about how terrible the class was. She said that another lady suggested that they should just call it "morning stretch" and then no one would expect anything. The next day, morning stretch was listed on the Navigator, so I think that Disney thinks they're really teaching yoga.

I got up and finished unpacking Rachel while I left Max sleeping. Rachel came back to the room with Dad, and they were going on the walking ship tour. I decided to join them!

The tour is nothing behind-the-scenes, and some people left after they learned that. I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting into from reading others' reports online, and I just wanted to learn my way around the ship better. The tour guides were from the entertainment crew, and they were really fun and energetic.

Hey, Mickey!