Hello 2025! What better way to welcome the new year than waking up to the beautiful island of St. Maarten?
Making our first port of call this morning on the Disney Fantasy, we were cleared to go ashore just ahead of the scheduled 9:30 a.m., with an all-aboard time of 5:45 p.m. Joining us in port today were the Carnival Magic, two Royal Caribbean vessels, and a Regent ship. It’s a gorgeous day with temperatures in the low 80s and a light breeze.
Scott visited St. Maarten last week and did a fantastic review of the port and island. No need to rehash that, but if you missed it, check it out here.
Enchanted Princess Eastern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 5: December 24, 2024
This is our second time visiting, the first being shortly after the COVID shutdown of cruise lines. Since the last visit was still under heightened restrictions and many shops were in various stages of reopening, we were looking forward to having a little more freedom to explore this time around.
With plenty of time in port, we decided to book a short excursion to see some highlights while leaving time to wander on our own.
Exploring Old Town
We chose the excursion: Explore Old Town Philipsburg by Trolley Train. For $69 per person, here’s what the website promised:
“On this adventure, you will…
- Embark on a Trolley Train for a captivating journey through the Old Town of Philipsburg, where culture, history, and shopping intertwine.
- Start your adventure with a 10-minute ride to an incredible Pirate Museum experience.
- During your 35-minute visit, learn the true stories of pirates, toast with homemade rum, and receive a surprise gift for the little ones.
- Board the train and immerse yourself in a 40-minute ride exploring Philipsburg’s natural, cultural, and historic landmarks on this scenic journey through town in a custom Trolley Train.
- Visit the famous Old Amsterdam Venue for a 20-minute tasting of Dutch Gouda cheese and fully experience the Dutch culture.
- Return to the ship or stay in Philipsburg at your leisure.”
In reality, it was a trolley ride just a few hundred yards from the dock to the “Rusty Parrot,” a small gift shop offering a walk-through audio tour about the real-life pirate Calico Jack Rackham. On this tour, you moved from one room to another while a narrator told the story. Following the tour, you could go to the “upper deck” for 360-degree views and a drink—essentially the second story of the shop with an outdoor bar and viewing deck. This stop lasted about 45 minutes, though honestly, 15 minutes would have been plenty. On the bright side, I did manage to get a few nice pictures of the ship from the deck.
After reboarding the trolley, we took a 10-minute drive to Old Town Philipsburg, about a mile away. During the ride, the guide pointed out a few landmarks and buildings as we passed by. However, the information wasn’t very in-depth, and it was difficult to follow due to traffic noise, poor overhead speakers, and the guide’s island accent.
The next stop was the “Old Amsterdam Venue for a tasting of Gouda cheese and fully experiencing Dutch culture.” Yeah, it turned out to be just a store selling imported cheese, where you were handed a tiny 1/4-inch square nibble as you entered. Don’t get me wrong—it was good, and I love Gouda—but “fully experiencing Dutch culture”? Please. Yes, we bought some cheese that I’m looking forward to enjoying at home, but the description was hardly truthful advertising.
From there, we drove a few more blocks to visit a local “market,” which turned out to be six tents selling flea market trinkets you can find at nearly every cruise port.
Needless to say, I was underwhelmed by this excursion.
The one silver lining was that as we drove through the main stretch of Front Street, we spotted another attraction we’d heard about while researching things to see: the Yoda Guy Museum. Since we were only about a half-mile away, we asked the guide at the “market” if we could end our tour there instead of returning to the ship and having to walk back later.
The Yoda Guy Museum in St. Maarten
If you’re into movie special effects—and Star Wars in particular—this is an attraction worth visiting. Located on Front Street, tucked among the typical jewelry and t-shirt stores, you’ll come across the façade of a Tatooine storefront. Inside, you’ll find the private collection of Nick Maley, also known as “The Yoda Guy.”
Nick earned this moniker as one of the key members of the team that worked alongside George Lucas and Frank Oz in the concept design and creation of Yoda, as well as countless other familiar faces in the Star Wars original trilogy.
Step inside and head upstairs to discover a treasure trove of movie props, life-size cutouts, and script pages from various films Nick has worked on during his 50+ years of crafting movie magic. Nick and his wife personally operate the museum and were on hand to greet guests, autograph souvenirs, and share fascinating stories about his adventures in a galaxy far, far away.
Here are just a few of the pictures I took while walking through. I could have easily spent hours reading every script page and placard, but I chose to snap pictures of everything to explore in detail later.
Back to the ship
From here, we decided to walk back to the ship and support the local economy along the way. A brief 10 minutes later, we were back onboard. In hindsight, we would have been better off skipping the excursion entirely and just exploring on our own. Lesson learned—but that’s part of the adventure!
The walk did give me a chance to scout for native plumerias, which were spread all around, adding a touch of natural beauty to the journey back.
Dinner at Enchanted Garden on Disney Fantasy
The third MDR in the rotation is The Enchanted Garden this evening. Of the three, this is my favorite.
Another menu that I always look forward to! With so many delicious options to choose from, I skipped the soup and salads to save room for the main event.
The North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli appetizer features two large ravioli shells filled with pieces of lobster in a light tomato broth and topped with grated Parmesan. It was a terrific start to my surf-and-turf night.
For the main course, I had the Slow-Roasted Prime Rib, which was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and had a nicely seasoned crust. The twice-baked potato was a solid filler.
To complement the Prime Rib, I also ordered the Pan-Seared Sea Bass and Caramelized Sea Scallops dishes to share. The Sea Bass is simply one I can’t pass up—light and flaky with no oily fish taste, paired with a delicious cream sauce and risotto. And how can you go wrong with seared scallops? They were as delightful as always.
Some of the other choices enjoyed by the table were Cucumber Garden Rolls, Wedge Salad, Heirloom Tomato Soup, and Cream of Green Asparagus Soup.
For dessert, we chose the chocolate dessert, a sundae, and some chocolate chip cookies.
Moonshot in the Walt Disney Theatre on Disney Fantasy
Performing this evening in the Walt Disney Theater was the a cappella group Moonshot. Made up of veteran Disney performers who earned their ears in shows like Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Dapper Dans, High School Musical, Voices of Liberty, and Finding Nemo: The Musical, they put on a solid show.
The performance was perfect for Disney fans, as they delivered reimagined versions of many popular Disney songs.
Pirate Night on Disney Cruise Line
What would cruising the Caribbean be without running into some pirates? Tonight was our Pirate Night, a staple on Disney Cruise Line sailings. Throughout the evening, there were pirate-themed dance parties, character encounters, and, to top it off, an appearance by Captain Jack Sparrow to engage in some shenanigans that got a little “flashy.”
This is a night many DCL cruisers look forward to, with guests dressing in their pirate best. You’ll see everything from simple bandanas left in your room by the room host to full families cosplaying in elaborate pirate costumes.
Watch the Pirate Night Fireworks!
Europa Adult District on Disney Fantasy
If the Pirate Dance Party isn’t your thing and you’d prefer a more adult atmosphere, head down to deck 4 aft to Europa.
This European-themed family entertainment district transforms into an adult playground at night, boasting a unique collection of lounges, bars and nightclubs. Experience live music and Italian cocktail culture at La Piazza. Lose yourself to the refinement of Paris at Ooh La La Champagne bar. Savor a taste of Ireland at O’Gills Pub. Sip on craft cocktails at Skyline. And mind the gap as you step into The Tube, a fab nightclub inspired by 1970s-London.
Here, there’s a little something for every taste. You can enjoy live music in La Piazza, catch sports in the pub, watch entertainers in The Tube, or relax in a cocktail setting at Skyline.
Disney Cruise Line Drink Packages
Since we’re on the topic of adult entertainment, let’s talk drink packages—or rather, the lack thereof! While there are plenty of places to grab an adult beverage, including wandering servers on the pool decks, Disney Cruise Line doesn’t offer traditional drink packages like many other cruise lines.
The only discounts available are through purchasing a DCL beer mug, which gets you discounted refills throughout the cruise, or buying a 6-, 12-, or 24-pack of bottled beer. One bonus is that the beer mug is yours to keep and can be used on future cruises without the need to repurchase it.
Soft drinks, coffee, tea, and water (from the beverage dispenser) are all included in your cruise fare. There are self-serve beverage fountains located on either side of Donald’s Pool, as well as throughout Cabanas. This applies to all dining rooms as well.
Specialty coffee can be purchased at Cove Café and some of the lounges on deck 3.
We’re heading to our next port of call, San Juan, Puerto Rico where I’ll have more to report on tomorrow!