Embarkation Day

Today we leave Rome and get on the cruise! Keely, Liam and I woke up early and did a quick trip to see Trevi Fountain when it wasn’t quite as busy. We were surprised at how many people were up and about before 8 am on a Saturday and the fountain was plenty busy. We were, however, able to get right down near the water and found some young women taking glamor shots for Instagram to take our photo! While the fountain area was busy, in general the streets were quieter which made for a great morning with Liam.

Liam suggested we pick up some bakery items so we grabbed those on our way back and then started packing up the apartment. Everyone was downstairs by 10 in time for our drivers to take us to the port. We all wore our sweet corn man Mickey shirts and they looked great!

On the way to the port we read passages from the blog of our first few days on the cruise in 2023 which reminded the kids of a lot of things and they started to get really excited. I think they startled our driver when finally could see the ship in the distance at the port of Civitavecchia and everyone started shrieking!

Similar to Barcelona, the port was chaotic and lacked any sort of structure or clarity. Our car was the first to arrive and we unloaded and tried to figure out what to do. The kids and I stood in a very long line outside the terminal while Keely went up ahead. She came back with a plan and we were able to bypass most of the people in the line and got right inside the doors. Apparently the computer system was down and even though our arrival time was 11:45, no one had boarded the ship by 12:15. People in line were very frustrated with the porters and staff in the terminal. Eventually the other vans also made it and making everyone in line mad, we convinced them to let the rest of the family skip up the line to us. Wearing matching shirts was a great help!

Finally things were working and we made it through security and check in and we walked the gangplank to the ship. The Disney Fantasy is a beautiful cruise ship and striking at just how large it is. We got to the entrance and they announced, “Welcome Aboard, The Oppermann Family!”  Wahoo!!

Goofy was in the atrium so we grabbed a picture with him while Keely took care of some reservations for activities later in the week and then it was up to Cabanas for lunch. On our way we also saw Mulan and chatted with her for a bit. After lunch everyone changed into their swimsuits and it was into the pools. Peter, Sydney, Liam and I took a ride on the AquaDuck while other kids swam in the Mickey and Donald pools. At 90+ degrees outside, the water felt great.

The pools closed shortly after 3 so we all headed down to the room (with an ice cream cone of course) and changed in order to go to the safety drill. This time we were stationed in one of the movie theaters. Of course we were later than the rest of the family who got to sit in comfy chairs and we had to stand like sardines on the stairs. We were next to a very nice family with similar aged kids so the kids had fun while we learned what to do in case of an emergency.

As soon as that was over, we raced up the stairs to deck 11 for the Sail Away party. We got there almost too early and had to wait in the scorching sun for about 10 minutes before it started but the kids had amazing seats. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy and Chip & Dale all danced as we prepared to leave the port! After the characters left, there was a dance party and the kids along with Lillian and Sydney had the best time dancing with the cast members! Liam especially loved it!

Before dinner we took a few more photos with Mickey and Goofy and then it was down to Animators Palate for dinner. We had great seats in front of the screens. Our arrangement is a table of 6 right by the screens and then a table of 12 behind them. Our kids along with Lillian and Sydney sat at the small table and had a great time. The entertainment in Animators Palate is led by Crush from Finding Nemo. Griffin loved all the sea life floating around and Crush interacted with the kids table a few times. All in all, it was a fun dinner and everyone enjoyed themselves.

After dinner we stopped for a few more photos and then enjoyed the music in the atrium. A jazz band and tap dancer sang several Disney songs and the kids danced along. Finally it was time to get everyone up to bed. We change time zones tomorrow and it was already way past their bedtime. Whitaker and Liam are on the top bunks, Ainsley is in the big bed and Odin opted for the bottom bunk in the kids room.

After everyone was in bed, we met Peter and Arin for the late night adults show of the ventriloquist but after about 15 min and mostly lame jokes without puppets, we decided it was best to head back to the rooms instead. Whoops!

By midnight we had everything unpacked and ready to go for the week. It’s not easy getting all 17 people in the right spots but I think everyone had a wonderful first day at sea!