We’ve spent the last few weeks posting about vacationing on Disney Cruise Line. The experience is so epic; it takes a multitude of blog posts to cover it all. If you’ve been following along, you know that we’ve already talked about a day at sea. Because there are so many activities offered on the ship, it takes more than one day to enjoy and blog about it all.
After three consecutive days of excursions culminating with pirate night festivities as the ship departed Jamaica, it was quite tempting to wake up late and lounge in the stateroom. After it hit us that our time on the ship was coming to a close, it was easy to snap out of our slumber and make the transition from lazy day to active sea day. So the pajamas came off, and we were on our way to see what was happening on the main decks.
Character meet and greets are a must-do on sea days. On this particular morning, Tiana, Cinderella and Belle were taking photos, signing autograph books and sharing princess stories with their biggest fans. We opted to stand in line to meet Stitch, and what a great choice we made. Our interaction with Stitch was among the best character interactions we’ve had at any Disney Destination. Stitch was vivacious, friendly and demonstrative, even “commenting” on my son’s tropical necklace, likening it to his own Hawaiian flower lei.
What a great character interaction with Stitch on the Disney Fantasy! Before this photo was taken, he led us in a mini-hula lesson.
After saying aloha to Stitch, we decided to undertake the challenge of solving onboard mysteries at the Midship Detective Agency. An activity not to be missed, Midship Detective Agency is a self-led, interactive game where guests put their investigative skills to the test. The first stop is the game kiosk on Deck 5 where you receive instructions, a unique barcoded badge and a casebook. We chose to break the Case of the Missing Puppies. Using the map in the casebook, sleuths move throughout the ship unlocking clues from art hanging on cruise ship deck halls using the digital barcoded badge. Designed for children nine years of age and older, the Midship Detective Agency is a delightful way to spend one hour or two during a sea day - and there is no additional fee to participate!
After receiving instructions from Mickey, you’ll grab your badge to unlock clues from interactive art along the ship’s deck hallways and your casebook to eliminate suspects from the whodunit list. Was it Cruella de Vil or Captian Hook who dognapped the missing puppies? Only you can solve the case!
Although known as the ultimate in family vacationing, Disney Cruise Line does not forget about adults in the travel party. A sea day is the ideal opportunity to partake in the no-kids-allowed dining offered on a Disney ship. On this particular day, we made brunch reservations at Remy, a fine dining experience featuring elegant French cuisine specially crafted by the chef of award-winning Victoria & Albert's at Walt Disney World Resort and an advising three-Michelin-starred French chef.
Your meal starts with a glass of perfectly chilled champagne, the finest Spanish ham and an introduction to the menu by the chef. Over the course of two hours, you receive superb service and a five-course meal intertwining classic French cuisine with modern techniques. The serving sizes are small, but the food is incredibly rich - it was hard to finish an entire course. Remy brunch is $75 per person, and an additional $30 for the champagne pairing for each course. Dinner is $125 per person, making brunch a less expensive way to experience a very fancy and special meal. Remy does have a strict dress code; no shorts, capri pants, tennis shoes, jeans or flip flops are allowed. And with this caliber of food, you’ll want your attire to match the high level of the food.
We are certainly not professional food critics, but the food was exquisite - refined, sophisticated and delicate yet innovative and bold. We’ll let the following photos tell the story of the meal’s progression.
A small group of diners are welcomed to Remy’s wine room where they enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne and the most delectable piece of Spanish ham. I could live on champagne and this Pata Negra (black hoof) - the highest quality ham from Spain.
First course - Asparagus and Egg. This dish is almost too pretty to eat.
Check out the foam on this Tortellini Carbonara - very Top Chef.
I wanted to adore this Pain De St Jacques Oignon (like an onion tart), but the texture was soft and mushy without enough contrast elsewhere in the dish.
Look at the carmelization on the Poulet Rouge (heirloom chicken) - crispy and flavorful. I’m getting really full at this point.
For dessert, a rum-soaked (drenched) yeast cake enveloping a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream.
Continuing our adult afternoon adventure, we headed to O’Gills Pub to catch men’s college basketball games live on the tele. Little did we know that we had also grabbed a seat for TV theme song trivia. Led by the ship’s entertainment staff, participants heard five seconds of a theme song from a well-known TV show and had to guess which show the song was from. Although we didn’t win, we had a blast playing along.
We serendipitiously happened upon a TV theme song trivia game at O’Gills Pub while watching men’s college basketball games.
Unbelievably, over the course of two days at sea, we still didn’t experience all that Disney Cruise Line has to offer onboard. We missed out on bingo, spa treatments, beverage tastings, cooking classes, towel animal workshops, karaoke, talent shows, dance parties and family games.
What’s your favorite way to spend a sea day?