Liverpool - Flight and Day 1 (Monday)

 We flew Air Transat, Club Class, which would have been great except for the guy at the gate in the airport who sat near us and would not cover his frakking mouth when he coughed, and the women who could not stop coughing to the point they had to find a doctor on board (yes! they really do that). In case you're wondering, the doctor and his travelling companion were permitted to stay in Club Class with all the perqs therein as a reward.

 While we enjoyed the wider seats, perhaps because of the medical emergency, we found the service coming back under Option Plus to be much better. Also, we had chosen the bigger seats because we were flying over night on the way and wanted to be able to sleep, so there may have been a lot of service we did not see.

Arrival and clearing customs in Manchester was simple. Once we got our luggage we went out and met the ride our friends had so thoughtfully arranged.

Dear Dos Equis,

  We have met the most interesting man in the world, and he is not the one from your advertisements. In fact, he lives in Birkenhead, England, and is the father of a good friend.

Sincerely,
Us.

 We had not gotten much sleep and were very happy to get to our hotel: the Radisson Blu. It is a very nice hotel convenient to the water and several fine tourist attractions.

We wanted to sleep, but were too excited, so we went for a walk instead.

Liverpool - On Our Way

We are just waiting for the limo to come and pick us up. Pele thinks she is coming with us.

The limo ride was nice. Lots of leg room. 

Now begins the long wait at the airport. I think we will go to the bar. 

Liverpool - Introduction

We are leaving this weekend to visit friends in Liverpool. They are very cool people whom we first met in person on the Freedom of the Seas.

Lisa and Kev

I had been chatting with Lisa for a while on Cruise Critic first. We had such a good time with them, we met them again in Florida the next year for a Disney Hallowe'en.

Here they are with Charlie at Animal Kingdom.

But, we are not done with them yet. Lisa joined me and some friends for a girls' weekend cruise to the Bahamas.

And soon, we will be joining them in their native land, to see the sights and drink the drinks.  I shall of course, blog all about it.

I hope you will join me. You are invited.

Castaway Cay

The Sea approaching Castaway Cay

It was a beautiful day as we approached Castaway Cay.  The sea was beautiful and calm.    I tried not to let the lack of chop disturb me. We had had some lovely rough seas on the way out, but we had left them far behind. We were really enjoying our veranda this morning.  

All Dressed up for the Holidays

Castaway Cay was decorated for the holidays, which we had not seen before. There was something very cheerful about it. 

Another Shot from Our Balcony

It didn't take long to clear the ship. Our plan for today included trying a couple of new things. But first, we had to get off the ship. 

The Stern of the Ship

I love the little details on Disney ships, but with the Fantasy it is a long walk. 

Action Shot

We usually end up with a few shots taking pictures of each other. It is a bit of a trek to the beach, but we preferred to walk out.

Family Beach

Ever mindful of the Bahamian sun and the amount of sand tourists can kick up, we decided to go snorkelling first. The gear hut guy was really sweet and lent us fins for free. You have to wear a snorkel vest, which they provide at no charge, but you don't have to inflate it. 

Snorkel Bay

We have done the snorkelling here, but this is the first time I haven't been stung. I did see a jellyfish, though. 

Under the Sea

Sea Level View of the Fantasy

I really liked this view of the ship. We were pretty much at the back of the snorkel lagoon.  

A Bit Reedy in Spots

They Put Things Down there for the Sea Life to Grow Around

I Found this Funny

The showers after, so we could wash off the salt, were bracing, to say the least. After this, we rented bicycles, which was a first for us on Castaway Cay. I really liked the bike. It was very comfortable. 

Bicycle Trail

The bicycle trail is scenic, and not particularly taxing. Once we finished our ride, we headed over to Serenity Bay, which was also a first. There is a greater variety of food here than at the regular buffet. The line was long, though.  

Adults' Barbecue

The beach is a little quieter than the family beach, but still quite crowded. 

Serenity Bay

The water seemed colder on this side of the island, so I didn't get in. We relaxed with some BEvERages, and headed back to the ship. 

Waiting for the Tram back to the Ship

One Last Look Before we Board

It was a nice day, but there was a tinge of sadness because we knew we were heading home tomorrow. 

Fantasy - Third Sea Day

View from the Balcony

We didn't take many pictures this day, but it is in my mind as one of our best sea days ever.  We took a few pictures about, had a leisurely breakfast with our awesome tablemates, and then I headed to Quiet Cove.

Looking Down from Quiet Cove

A Pint Sized State Room

 My Beloved joined me after a little while and discovered just how relaxing those round chairs are.  I did some swimming and some reading and conducted an important experiment.  I went to the drink station and got a cup with some milk. Off to soft serve, at which point I added banana and chocolate soft server. I then mixed the result and headed to the bar, where an obliging bartender assisted me in my quest for science by providing me with a shot of banana liqueur. Rapture! However, I don't recommend doing this often as they don't last more than a few minutes.

These Chairs are So Comfortable - Quiet Cove

 Other lovely points about a sea day on the Fantasy:

• Someone comes around frequently to the adult section with cold wet hand towels.
• 2 for 1 drinks! On this day they were "mai tais". Now, to anyone who has enjoyed the bliss that is a Trader Vic's recipe mai tai, this is not the little bit of paradise I am talking about. These are the cliche day-glo, fruit flavoured beverages one expects in most places not actually Hawaiian. However, fruit, rum and half price, not bad.

The Theatre

I don't think I can emphasize enough how much I love the Disney Cruise Line shows. They are always entertaining. I have heard people complain that the music is canned, but I find that doesn't detract from the story lines. On this cruise, we apparently were travelling with some hearing-impaired people. In all honesty, the interpreters were just as entertaining to watch as the actors.

Some Cruiselines still give you chocolates

Love these Portholes

And so, to bed, after a truly glorious day. We were well-fed, well-beveraged and well-entertained. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. The only sad note was that we knew we would only have one more full day before our cruise was over.

Disney Fantasy - San Juan

This is the third time we have been to San Juan, and the second time we toured San Cristobal. We had signed up for the Bacardi and City Tour.  The first stop was to see the statues of presidents who had visited Puerto Rico. San Cristobal was second.

San Cristobal offers many views of the city.

It is a very interesting fort with a lot of history, and much to see. It is also a stair climber's paradise. :)

You can see quite far away

After we finished re-acquainting ourselves with the fort, we got back on the bus and the driver gave us a rather good guided tour of the old city and on into the new city.

On the way, we saw beautiful beaches.

There was a combination of wild beauty and intensive industrialization. One of the sadder things was the abundance of garbage on the side of the highway. But we didn't see this for long, and soon we were approaching the windmills of the Bacardi distillery.

On the tour, they tell you what the bat device means.

They tell you about the bat device, and they lead you through a bit of a museum, but you don't get to see the actual distillery. They also don't allow pictures in the museum.

Bacardi has lovely grounds

They do allow you two drink tickets each, though, which you can spend before or after the tour to sample the various types and flavours of the Bacardi brand. You can also purchase mojitos. And, of course, there is a gift shop where you can buy all the product and merch you can imagine.

More lovely San Juan

On the way back we saw a little more of Old San Juan, and finished up near the port. We went and had lunch at a place with good, if pricey, food (mofongo), but a terrible hostess. After that, the sky began to darken, as is the tradition, so we headed back to the ship.