This guest trip report was written by Cynthia, who sailed the Disney Fantasy on July 27, 2019, on the 11 night Southern Caribbean itinerary. You may remember her as the guest blogger who shared her previous experience with the medical center on the Disney Fantasy, which you can read about here. She has now graciously offered to share her adventures with us! This is a unique itinerary not often offered on the Fantasy so I am very excited to get to share this with you!
Day 5: At Sea
You can start this trip report from the beginning by clicking here.
You can see the daily navigators for this sailing here.
We woke up bright and early for another relaxing day at sea. Because I had noon brunch reservations at Remy, I decided to skip breakfast all together and head to the fitness center for a morning workout. The fitness center is located in the Senses Spa on Deck 13, forward. I was surprised to find that fitness center was not busy at all. I had my choice of treadmills and other exercise equipment. It was a nice way to start the day.
After my workout, I stopped by the juice bar in the fitness center to check out the menu. Everything looked good, but I decided to go to Cabanas and grab some juice and fruit.
On my way to Cabanas I took a quick detour through the adult pool area and Deck 12 to see what was going on. There was already a lot of activity in the adult pool areas, but the rest of the deck was pretty quiet. If you want a good selection of pool lounges, head up early and you will have your choice of location and lounge.
Unfortunately, Eye Scream was closed so there was no ice cream available. My craving for ice cream had to be satisfied later in the morning!
After grabbing some juice and fruit at Cabanas, I headed back to the cabin to get ready for brunch. The girls were up already and off to Cabanas for breakfast and other activities, so I texted them on the Navigator App and let them know I would check in with them after brunch.
I headed up to Remy (Deck 12, aft) at about 11:45 for my 12:00 noon reservation. This was my first visit to Remy and I was anxious to experience the difference between Remy and Palo. As was with Palo, I was dining solo today. The dress code at Remy for brunch is a bit more relaxed than dinner. Gentlemen must wear dress slacks and a dress shirt. Women may wear either a dress or dress pants. No jeans are allowed. I wore a nice summer dress and dress flats and felt appropriately dressed. I did not see any gentlemen wearing a suit or sport coat.
When I arrived, the hostess asked me to take a seat in the Meridian Lounge which is just behind the hostess’ check-in table. This lounge/bar is utilized by both Remy and Palo patrons. There were several other guests waiting as well. At exactly 12:00 noon the hostess gathered all of us together – about 9 people – and escorted us into Remy. We were taken to an area where champagne and and a selection of ham and bread was arranged. We soon discovered that this was the first course of our brunch. During this course, we met one of the chefs – Arnaud Lallement – and he gave us an overview of the menu and the available champagne pairings (champagne is an additional cost of $35 per person.) I did not order the champagne, so the total cost of my brunch was $101 (brunch, Evian water, and tip.)
Remy brunch is an entirely different dining experience than Palo brunch. Palo is an Italian influenced restaurant that offers a wonderful buffet and menu brunch with numerous course selections. You are welcome to order as much or as little as you would like. Remy, on the other hand, is a French inspired restaurant with a pre-set six course meal. You are given a copy of the menu so you know what will be served, but you do not “order” off the menu. Except for changes due to dietary restrictions, you are served the menu of the day created by the chefs – Chef Lallement and Chef Scott Hunnel.
After we completed our first course and Chef Lallement finished his presentation – about 15 minutes – we were shown to our individual tables. I was seated at a very large table on the second level in the corner of the restaurant. No other guests were seated in this area, but were instead seated at tables close to the window. My table did have its very own stained glass window, but I still felt like had been “sent to the corner.”.
Soon after being seated, my waiter came to my table and took my drink order and served me a wonderful selection of bread and butter. I thought the butter presentation – complete with coarse sea salt – was lovely. Here is something to keep in mind: My waiter asked me if I would like water to drink and I responded “yes.” He quickly poured me a glass of Evian water out of freshly opened bottle. When I got my check at the end of the meal, there was an additional charge for the water. Evidently the $80 price of the brunch does not include the water they offer to you serve you.
After I enjoyed my bread, my second course arrived: Asparagus with Egg.
This course was interesting. It was good, but there was a texture issue with the egg element of the dish.
The third course followed soon thereafter – Pate’ En Croute.
Based on the explanation given by my server, this was a pork pate’. It was actually very enjoyable.
The fourth course was a green pea tart. This was the tiniest tart I had ever seen – about the size of a half-dollar. As with the asparagus course, it was good but the texture of the dish was a bit off for me.
The final savory course was next – Poulet Rouge with Corn. This dish was amazing! I wanted seconds and thirds. Not only was it a beautiful dish, but it was one of the most elegant chicken dishes I have ever tried. This was a definite 10 and the high point of the meal.
Dessert was served next – a Rum Baba with Vanilla Cream served with a hot rum sauce. I was told by my server that this is a Polish dessert. Think bread pudding with a thin whipped cream all doused in rum. I tried a few bites but could not get past the very heavy rum taste. It was a bit “boozy” for me. If you like your desserts with kick, you will love this dessert.
The meal ended with a small tray of bite sized sweets called canele’. A small French pastry with a vanilla custard center and a caramelized coating. Think bite sized creme brulee in a pastry shell with a crunchy exterior. They were outstanding. I ate a few and took the rest with me for my girls.
So, did I enjoy my meal? Was I comfortable dining solo at Remy? Here are my thoughts: This was truly a dining experience. Remy is a beautifully run restaurant. Often I found myself observing the interactions of the wait staff. It was like watching a choreographed dance. There was very little unnecessary movement. Everything was very quiet. No one was rushing around. The guests were simply given the opportunity to enjoy the experience. As for the food, I felt several of the courses were very good. Others, not so much. For me, the food did not meet my expectations, especially for the $100 cost.
As for dining alone, I would have to say my experience at Palo was more enjoyable than Remy. I think one of the problems I had with Remy was being seated way back in the corner at a table that was intended to accommodate at least four guests. I felt very removed from the hub of the dining room. Also, I missed the interaction with the wait staff. The service of the food itself was outstanding – all the courses arrived on time and were beautifully presented. However, there was very little interaction or conversation once the food was served. When my meal was over, I was simply given the check, to sign. No one came over to ask my how my meal was or whether I enjoyed myself. It seemed a bit odd to me. Based on my brunch experience, I am not inclined to dine at Remy on future cruises. I will, however, continue to enjoy Palo.
After finishing up at Remy, I found my oldest daughter. She was on the hunt for Minnie hoping to find her in her new Captain’s uniform. We found her in the Lobby Atrium.
Bingo in the Buena Vista Theater was next on the list. We played both paper cards and the electronic cards. Even though we came up empty, we had a blast!
After bingo, we headed back to the cabin to rest for awhile before getting ready for dinner.
On our way to dinner, we ran into Minnie Mouse dressed in her finest dinner dress.
Dinner tonight was at Animator’s Palate and was “cruise casual.” I started with Potato Croquettes – excellent. Next on the menu was Coriander and Tomato Soup – very good. For my entree I decided to order Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin – also very good. My oldest daughter asked our head server if she could order “off-menu” and he said absolutely. He asked her what she was thinking she wanted to try and she said she was craving a good curry dish. Before she knew it, she was being served a full Indian dinner complete with vegetable curry and roti – an Indial flatbread. She loved her meal. If you ever have a desire to try something different, ask your waiter or head server about ordering “off-menu.” We were told they can accommodate just about any request.
After dinner we went back to D-Lounge for more Disney Trivia. My daughter and I discovered that there were a lot of Disney trivia buffs on this cruise. We managed to do fairly well, but never quite good enough. After trivia, we stayed at the D-Lounge for family game called Generation Gap – a game show pitting parents against the kids.
By the end of Generation Gap, we were all ready to head back to the cabin so we could get a good night’s sleep and be ready for our day in Barbados.
Up Next: Day 6 – Barbados
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