MizDisney513
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2013
Joining in for the rest of your report! 
Disney Wonder Nov 16-23: To Galveston and Beyond!
- Thread starter FergusBC
- Start date
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
Oops...I titled this one wrong. That probably won't be the last time LOL
We gathered up our stuff and trooped down to deck 7 to find our stateroom. It didn't take long as it was just around the corner from the stairs! Well, that's handy!
And welcome to our home away from home...while it was still tidy(ish). The top of the desk quickly disappears under stuff as the week goes on.
I know that table can be raised or lowered, but either it was stuck or I wasn't doing it right so it stayed like that for the entire week.
There was a keychain as well in the backpack, but I think it disappeared into one of the kids treasure trove. I'll find it some day when I shovel out their room!
The infamous red pillow! Everyone was cautioned DO NOT TAKE THIS PILLOW. And every damn time DH saw a room steward with an open stateroom, he wanted me to create a distraction so he could pilfer one from another room. I did not go along with this plan so if anyone got charged for a missing pillow, IT WASN'T US! Unless it's that squishy package that DH put under the tree for me. Hmmmm...
Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so we emptied out our carry ons and organized as best we could. Our FE came out to mark our door as home. Our poor FE - made for our first cruise out of tea towels & liquid stitch. I may need to use more liquid stitch.
Oh, and bathroom supplies! Our stateroom host did bring extra shampoo and conditioner, but we never got any more of the lotion. The girls were fighting over it so mommy made it 'disappear'.
We gathered up our stuff and trooped down to deck 7 to find our stateroom. It didn't take long as it was just around the corner from the stairs! Well, that's handy!
And welcome to our home away from home...while it was still tidy(ish). The top of the desk quickly disappears under stuff as the week goes on.
I know that table can be raised or lowered, but either it was stuck or I wasn't doing it right so it stayed like that for the entire week.
Not much of a view yet
Yay, we got a pirate pic!
Our "Welcome Back" card!
Prezzies!
How'd they know Chip 'n Dale are my favourite?
Yay, we got a pirate pic!
Our "Welcome Back" card!
Prezzies!
How'd they know Chip 'n Dale are my favourite?
There was a keychain as well in the backpack, but I think it disappeared into one of the kids treasure trove. I'll find it some day when I shovel out their room!
And this most definitely is NOT a prezzie!
The infamous red pillow! Everyone was cautioned DO NOT TAKE THIS PILLOW. And every damn time DH saw a room steward with an open stateroom, he wanted me to create a distraction so he could pilfer one from another room. I did not go along with this plan so if anyone got charged for a missing pillow, IT WASN'T US! Unless it's that squishy package that DH put under the tree for me. Hmmmm...
Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so we emptied out our carry ons and organized as best we could. Our FE came out to mark our door as home. Our poor FE - made for our first cruise out of tea towels & liquid stitch. I may need to use more liquid stitch.
Oh, and bathroom supplies! Our stateroom host did bring extra shampoo and conditioner, but we never got any more of the lotion. The girls were fighting over it so mommy made it 'disappear'.
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
The kids were antsy to visit the clubs so we started out at the Oceaneer Lab and Club open house. The kids showed us around as we hadnt seen much other than the pirate ship on the last cruise.
This is where they put the bad kids, I guess.
Then we had to go down to deck 2 to check out the Edge. V looked around while we talked to a YAC from Canada! She let us know that V should come back at midnight because they were going to be doing an arcade night. Yeah, midnight. Can I go, mom? Can I? Sure <snicker> if you can stay awake, you can go. (Remember that - it will come up again later!)
Anyway, now it was mom & dads turn to check out the Spa. And..um yeah...and I may or may not have taken my kids through the quiet cove area. Yikes! We got turned around on Deck 9 and I suddenly realized we were in the adult area, and in my panic (yes, panic! Thats what being on the disboards does to you!) I couldnt think fast enough to figure out how to get back and up to Deck 10 and the Spa. DH didnt realize this was A BIG DEAL so I took my cue from him and tried to look like a newbie and just kept the kids walking. So if you were in the quiet cove area and were scandalized by the appearance of my kids, then I apologize. It was all my fault. I plead first day excitement/ignorance. And I swear, they never set foot in there again!
Whew, glad to get that off my chest!
It was very crowded up in the Spa area and I think they were trying to encourage people to flow through in a clockwise direction. So of course we went through counter-clockwise. Yep, that's us making friends all over the place .! It was too crowded to get a good feel for the spa and we just wanted to get out of there. And really, lets face it we were just there to get our name in for the raffle .
Back before we had things like vet bills and stuff, we had grand ideas of booking the romantic villa and spending some alone time. Instead, our dog got a tummy tuck. We did poke our head in to see one of the villas and got cornered into a sale pitch for a martian mud facial or some such thing...damn. We smiled politely and extricated ourselves as quickly as we could.
We had very good intentions and spent some time wandering through the fitness centre.
Unfortunately K had managed to deconstruct her lanyard so DH spent most of this part of the tour trying to put it back together
(there may or may not have been some shockingly un-Disneylike language involved)
That was the last we saw of the fitness centre for the week. Too bad, as the view from the treadmills/bikes is spectacular! Maybe next time.
By now wed had enough of the crowd and took off before the raffle, so hopefully they didnt draw our name. I guess well never know. It was almost drill time so checked back at the stateroom to find our suitcases had found us!
This is where they put the bad kids, I guess.
Then we had to go down to deck 2 to check out the Edge. V looked around while we talked to a YAC from Canada! She let us know that V should come back at midnight because they were going to be doing an arcade night. Yeah, midnight. Can I go, mom? Can I? Sure <snicker> if you can stay awake, you can go. (Remember that - it will come up again later!)
Anyway, now it was mom & dads turn to check out the Spa. And..um yeah...and I may or may not have taken my kids through the quiet cove area. Yikes! We got turned around on Deck 9 and I suddenly realized we were in the adult area, and in my panic (yes, panic! Thats what being on the disboards does to you!) I couldnt think fast enough to figure out how to get back and up to Deck 10 and the Spa. DH didnt realize this was A BIG DEAL so I took my cue from him and tried to look like a newbie and just kept the kids walking. So if you were in the quiet cove area and were scandalized by the appearance of my kids, then I apologize. It was all my fault. I plead first day excitement/ignorance. And I swear, they never set foot in there again!
Whew, glad to get that off my chest!
It was very crowded up in the Spa area and I think they were trying to encourage people to flow through in a clockwise direction. So of course we went through counter-clockwise. Yep, that's us making friends all over the place .! It was too crowded to get a good feel for the spa and we just wanted to get out of there. And really, lets face it we were just there to get our name in for the raffle .
Back before we had things like vet bills and stuff, we had grand ideas of booking the romantic villa and spending some alone time. Instead, our dog got a tummy tuck. We did poke our head in to see one of the villas and got cornered into a sale pitch for a martian mud facial or some such thing...damn. We smiled politely and extricated ourselves as quickly as we could.
We had very good intentions and spent some time wandering through the fitness centre.
Unfortunately K had managed to deconstruct her lanyard so DH spent most of this part of the tour trying to put it back together
(there may or may not have been some shockingly un-Disneylike language involved)
That was the last we saw of the fitness centre for the week. Too bad, as the view from the treadmills/bikes is spectacular! Maybe next time.
By now wed had enough of the crowd and took off before the raffle, so hopefully they didnt draw our name. I guess well never know. It was almost drill time so checked back at the stateroom to find our suitcases had found us!
We threw some magnets on our door and headed up for the muster drill.
ukintheus
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
I think you are safe.
We are kid-free and we always give a free pass in the Cove area on Day 1. 
It's a given that people with children are wandering around checking out all the areas. Now, day 4, when allowed to come and sit in Quiet Cove for 30 minutes while adult beverages are being finished....not so much! 
We always crack up at the "twitchy" adults when a child walks through the Cove area - reminds us of Monsters, Inc, and we expect a decontamination unit to come through. 
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
I think you are safe.
Thank you for that! I think I did glance up at Deck 10 to make sure the swat team wasn't flying down
LOLOn the other hand, the kids were all 'that's it?' I don't know what their imaginations had painted the adult areas as but apparently it was a bit of a letdown.
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
Muster drill was uneventful. They seemed to spend a lot of time looking for missing cabins, which always intrigues me. Are they people who didn’t come aboard? Did they fall asleep? Do they just not care? and what are the repercussions for people who don't attend? I always want to know but it seems rude to ask LOL…But on the other hand, they were delaying our prep for SailAway!
He grabbed a table but I didn’t want to sit…I wanted to be up and dancing but everyone else beat me to it. The kids disappeared into the crowd and next time I saw K she was up dancing on the stage. DH and I stayed on the fringe and I tried dancing a bit but V came back and asked me to stop. Geez, they never let me embarrass them anymore.
The sky had clouded over and the wind picked up. It was sort of threatening to rain but couldn’t quite make the commitment. V and I went up to Deck 10 at the stern while we cruised out of the harbour.
Finally we had to go in as we were getting cold…and it was time for our Facebook group meet and greet in the Promenade lounge. How fantastic to finally put faces to the names!
As the group split up for early dinner, we went back to the cabin to do some unpacking. DH and I decided to skip the show – shocking for us! I remember it as being a bit lame from the first cruise and we didn’t feel like rushing down to get seats in the theatre. K was a bit upset, but even V supported the no show side. Sometimes it’s just cozy to turn on Mickey cartoons and chillax in your stateroom.
I went out to the verandah to see if I could see any oil rigs ... Okay, I'm not a sailor but even I realized something was...weird. I called DH out and asked 'shouldn't we be moving faster?'...Seriously, we were barely moving. DH noticed that we also seemed to be ...turning? Definitely not going straight ahead anyway..So began a string of possibly poor taste Carnival references ...Eventually DH noticed a boat coming up behind us. We wondered if we really had left someone important behind and the Captain was moving slowly to give them time to catch up. It was great entertainment to watch it maneuver up to the ship - not my idea of a joy ride!
Anyway, the boat finally peeled away and the Wonder picked up speed so we stopped worrying that our holiday was over the same day it started. I think it was the next night that Cruise Director Peter explained that they were recalibrating some equipment on the bridge so hence, the turning and the extended Pilot stay. I think that's what he said...something like it anyway.
By now, it was time to run out to catch the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 7:30. We were late getting to the Atrium so we peeked over the banister from Deck 5. We couldn’t actually see the tree from our vantage point but we could see the handsome young man chosen to light the tree.
Finally, time to get ready for DINNER. Before we got on the ship, we’d been going back and forth wondering where we’d eat first night. Our first dining room on our last cruise had been Tritons so we had all tried to guess what would be up first this time. Guess what? Tritons!
Our tablemates were already there when we arrived at the table. Tablemates! We didn’t have those before so this was something new. They were a couple from Houston with two daughters, age 9 and 13 to our 8 and 12 year old. We made polite conversation through the dinner. K wanted to go to the Lab so she went off with the YAC as they did the tour of the dining room. Conversation got deeper over coffee and dessert and was a start to a wonderful week with an awesome family!
After dinner, we picked up K from the lab and went back to the cabin. DH fell asleep reading, and V decided to nap before going to the Edge for arcade night. She made me promise to wake her up in time.
- Sure honey, no problem (damn, now I had to stay awake). I gave her till 11:30 and then gave her a gentle shake and asked her if she still wanted to go to the arcade. With a confused look she opened her eyes and looked at me…”why would I want to go to the airport?” Laughing, I said…no, the ARCADE, do you still want to go to the Arcade? Yep, she still wanted to go so I went back and sat on our bed…but no kid. I went back and she’d fallen asleep again. So once more to brave the dangers of waking a sleeping V…another gentle shake…no, mommy …I just want to sleep. Good choice so with that I decided it was safe for me to crawl into bed as well…(Oh, those heavenly pillows!)
Oh, there. DH is ready for SailAway
He grabbed a table but I didn’t want to sit…I wanted to be up and dancing but everyone else beat me to it. The kids disappeared into the crowd and next time I saw K she was up dancing on the stage. DH and I stayed on the fringe and I tried dancing a bit but V came back and asked me to stop. Geez, they never let me embarrass them anymore.
Now it's a party!
Cruise Director Peter
Cruise Director Peter
The sky had clouded over and the wind picked up. It was sort of threatening to rain but couldn’t quite make the commitment. V and I went up to Deck 10 at the stern while we cruised out of the harbour.
Hey, there goes our hotel...!
Vacation!
Vacation!!
Uh oh...did we forget someone?
Vacation!
Vacation!!
Uh oh...did we forget someone?
Finally we had to go in as we were getting cold…and it was time for our Facebook group meet and greet in the Promenade lounge. How fantastic to finally put faces to the names!
As the group split up for early dinner, we went back to the cabin to do some unpacking. DH and I decided to skip the show – shocking for us! I remember it as being a bit lame from the first cruise and we didn’t feel like rushing down to get seats in the theatre. K was a bit upset, but even V supported the no show side. Sometimes it’s just cozy to turn on Mickey cartoons and chillax in your stateroom.
I went out to the verandah to see if I could see any oil rigs ... Okay, I'm not a sailor but even I realized something was...weird. I called DH out and asked 'shouldn't we be moving faster?'...Seriously, we were barely moving. DH noticed that we also seemed to be ...turning? Definitely not going straight ahead anyway..So began a string of possibly poor taste Carnival references
...Eventually DH noticed a boat coming up behind us. We wondered if we really had left someone important behind and the Captain was moving slowly to give them time to catch up. It was great entertainment to watch it maneuver up to the ship - not my idea of a joy ride!(Click to see video)
Anyway, the boat finally peeled away and the Wonder picked up speed so we stopped worrying that our holiday was over the same day it started. I think it was the next night that Cruise Director Peter explained that they were recalibrating some equipment on the bridge so hence, the turning and the extended Pilot stay. I think that's what he said...something like it anyway.
By now, it was time to run out to catch the Tree Lighting Ceremony at 7:30. We were late getting to the Atrium so we peeked over the banister from Deck 5. We couldn’t actually see the tree from our vantage point but we could see the handsome young man chosen to light the tree.
Finally, time to get ready for DINNER. Before we got on the ship, we’d been going back and forth wondering where we’d eat first night. Our first dining room on our last cruise had been Tritons so we had all tried to guess what would be up first this time. Guess what? Tritons!
Our tablemates were already there when we arrived at the table. Tablemates! We didn’t have those before so this was something new. They were a couple from Houston with two daughters, age 9 and 13 to our 8 and 12 year old. We made polite conversation through the dinner. K wanted to go to the Lab so she went off with the YAC as they did the tour of the dining room. Conversation got deeper over coffee and dessert and was a start to a wonderful week with an awesome family!
After dinner, we picked up K from the lab and went back to the cabin. DH fell asleep reading, and V decided to nap before going to the Edge for arcade night. She made me promise to wake her up in time.
- Sure honey, no problem (damn, now I had to stay awake). I gave her till 11:30 and then gave her a gentle shake and asked her if she still wanted to go to the arcade. With a confused look she opened her eyes and looked at me…”why would I want to go to the airport?” Laughing, I said…no, the ARCADE, do you still want to go to the Arcade? Yep, she still wanted to go so I went back and sat on our bed…but no kid. I went back and she’d fallen asleep again. So once more to brave the dangers of waking a sleeping V…another gentle shake…no, mommy …I just want to sleep. Good choice so with that I decided it was safe for me to crawl into bed as well…(Oh, those heavenly pillows!)
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
Please, go ahead
Glad I had a couple for you! But tell me, did your DH get picked for any dancing this time ? 
Grumpy's Wife
Dollar Tree gal here
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2005
Joining in. 
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
So, what's the first thing I hear in the morning from V? A very aggrieved "why didn't you wake me for the arcade?!?!?!"
I tried to explain - she didn't believe me at first because she didn't remember any of it! And I had no one to back me up because K & DH had been sleeping. She eventually gave me the benefit of the doubt, the detail about going to the airport seemed to ring a faint memory with her...
Monsters U was playing at 9am so that seemed to be a good way to ease into the day. It was okay, but glad we hadn't paid to see it.
After movies, we were getting hungry so up to Beach Blanket Buffet for a fresh air breakfast.
After our late breakfast, K wanted to go to the Lab so DH & I took V to Diversions to find a game to play. We ended up with Yahtzee but there were no paper or instructions in it. Thankfully DH has a good memory and remembered the rules, mostly. We scored with pencil & paper from the bar. What a great way to spend some time. There never seems to be enough of it at home to sit and relax and actually enjoy your kids. Sadly, we got our butts whipped by DH (at the game, that is) but that's pretty normal. It's also why we never play for money.
At noon we pried K out of the lab and went up to poolside for some lunch: chicken strips and a tray of nibblies from BBB.
The Edge was having a scavenger hunt at 1pm so V ditched us for that and K went back to the Lab.
And DH and I went to our first nominal!
I'm not generally a martini fan, but I love the martini tasting. Bottom row, left to right: the first one is the traditional martini. I drink down as far as the olive, then I have to hand it over to DH (I can't stand olives). The others are more to my liking. I wonder what they were? LOL
The second one from the left (the clear one) was mighty powerful! I remember that much. [DH chimed in to let me know it was a vodka martini!] Then there was a chocolate martini! (very popular), I think a green apple martini? and the last one was passionfruit or pomegranate. Sigh...so much for a detailed report.
Random photos from
Afterwards, we walked (staggered?) back to the cabin to meet up with V. DH was feeling badly for her about missing the arcade night so he bought an arcade card for her, and she entertained herself there as we popped into the Quiet Cove (kidless! Please note, we were kidless - this time!) for today's drink of the day: a Cool Breeze. Dh is actually having a beer, but that's my drink of the day on the table.
You see, I had a To Do list that I made up before we left. One of my must do's was to have the drink of the day, every day. Spoiler alert: I succeeded! I need more to-do lists like that at home.
By now V had gone through her arcade card so we popped down to Wavebands for BINGO. For $50 (maybe $60?) at Bingo we got one electronic board and two sets of paper boards/cards.
V played the electronic one but DH and I are more conventional and punched out the numbers.
This was a Spa bingo so lots of free goodies being handed out - but not to us. Good thing its fun to play because we never win LOL.
By the time we were done there it was time to fetch K and herd everyone back to the stateroom to get everyone cleaned up and into our fancy duds for Formal Night. DH looked sharp in his tux. I haven't seen him in a tux since our wedding so it was love at first sight all over again
As we sailed through the Atrium on the way to the Golden Mickeys show, we discovered that there's trays of cosmos (and another drink that I've forgotten, because I was drinking cosmos) wandering through the Captains Welcome Reception in the Atrium.
Would I like a drink? Oooh yes please!
Et voilà, I had a (free) drink for the show.
And for those smarty pants who are thinking "but if you're coming from deck 7, you don't go through the Atrium on the way to the theatre"....To them I reply, 'you do when there's free cosmos being handed out!'
We even got to the theatre in time for the girls to be interviewed on the red carpet.
There's just no living with them now!
We had missed the Golden Mickeys on our last cruise, due to a certain someone who shall remained nameless but happened to be violently ill that night (okay, it was V!) so we were really looking forward to finally seeing it. DH was feeling a little concerned that he wasn't seeing a lot of men in formal wear. As we were enjoying our drink and waiting for the show to start, another gentleman in a tux came over to shake his hand. The upper classes must stick together and all that LOL...What was funnier was he came from the same part of the world as us!
(okay, everyone into a chorus of It's a Small World...')
Ha, now you're all mad at me cause you have that song going through your head.
Ah, my work here is done.
After the show (which was wonderful! One of my faves, tho I admit I do like them all) we wandered back through the Atrium.
Oooh, a drink? Why, yes, don't mind if I do!
However, we weren't just trolling for drinks at this point (maybe a little). One of the other items on the To Do list was FORMAL PHOTOS! Is it too much for a mother to ask to have everyone cleaned up and looking snazzy for a photo? Apparently not as my family cooperated enthusiastically!
You get the picture. And so did we. Yay, now we have something to put in our Christmas cards!
There were also the poses where they have the girls do the hands on the hip thing. The turned out looking dumb, but not as dumb as having DH do the rapper arm cross LOL. We didn't buy those ones or I'd have a visual aid to help explain. This is where you just have to use your imagination.
Oh yeah, and don't our shoes look lovely? I think that was the last time we wore them (more like the only time) as omg were they uncomfortable. I figured the kids would be the first to give up on theirs, as we had bought them new just before the cruise (and V's were bought against maternal advice!) but they had promised to wear them for the photos. Mine were hand me downs from my mom and had been soooo comfy to wear at home. They got pitched in the garbage at the end of the cruise, you know...to save on packing space LOL . So again, if you were horrified at a family running around in stocking feet on formal night, yeah, that was us. DH was the lone hold out. I believe he made it through the evening fully shod.
After the photos, we may or may not have snagged another cosmo (okay, yes we did) and then ran into a FB group friend in the Promenade Lounge so sat and socialized for a bit while we waited for dinner.
I will say I much preferred having the late dining. There seemed to be more time to do things, and to have time for a drink before dinner and relax. The only downside was we did seem to arrive late to the evening parties i.e. Pirate Party. But that's still a couple of days away so forget I said that!
Sadly, I have no recollection of what any of us ate, nor do I have any food photos. I love food porn on the disboards. But I haven't mastered the art of photographing &/or remembering my meals. When it is served, I'm too busy eating it to stop and think of photos. I apologize for that. I will say I didn't have anything that I didn't enjoy. Some things were delicious, some things were okay, but everything was eaten with gusto.
Another item on the To Do list was to enjoy a nightcap each night in a different lounge. This turned out to be an enormous FAIL. We didn't manage to stay awake long enough for a nightcap until the last night. Oops...spoilers!
Oh oh oh...had to come back and edit because I'd forgotten we DID do something after dinner.
I tried to explain - she didn't believe me at first because she didn't remember any of it! And I had no one to back me up because K & DH had been sleeping. She eventually gave me the benefit of the doubt, the detail about going to the airport seemed to ring a faint memory with her...
Monsters U was playing at 9am so that seemed to be a good way to ease into the day. It was okay, but glad we hadn't paid to see it.
After movies, we were getting hungry so up to Beach Blanket Buffet for a fresh air breakfast.
Humid much?
Note to self: Carry lens cloth with you EVERYWHERE!
Some random ship photos:
Note to self: Carry lens cloth with you EVERYWHERE!
Some random ship photos:
After our late breakfast, K wanted to go to the Lab so DH & I took V to Diversions to find a game to play. We ended up with Yahtzee but there were no paper or instructions in it. Thankfully DH has a good memory and remembered the rules, mostly. We scored with pencil & paper from the bar. What a great way to spend some time. There never seems to be enough of it at home to sit and relax and actually enjoy your kids. Sadly, we got our butts whipped by DH (at the game, that is) but that's pretty normal. It's also why we never play for money.
At noon we pried K out of the lab and went up to poolside for some lunch: chicken strips and a tray of nibblies from BBB.
The Edge was having a scavenger hunt at 1pm so V ditched us for that and K went back to the Lab.
And DH and I went to our first nominal!
Martini Tasting in the Cadillac Lounge!
The tasting was led by Ivan, who is fantastically entertaining.
Turns out he's leaving ship in January so if you're cruising soon, stop by to say hi.
The tasting was led by Ivan, who is fantastically entertaining.
Turns out he's leaving ship in January so if you're cruising soon, stop by to say hi.
I'm not generally a martini fan, but I love the martini tasting. Bottom row, left to right: the first one is the traditional martini. I drink down as far as the olive, then I have to hand it over to DH (I can't stand olives). The others are more to my liking. I wonder what they were? LOL
The second one from the left (the clear one) was mighty powerful! I remember that much. [DH chimed in to let me know it was a vodka martini!] Then there was a chocolate martini! (very popular), I think a green apple martini? and the last one was passionfruit or pomegranate. Sigh...so much for a detailed report.
Random photos from
Afterwards, we walked (staggered?) back to the cabin to meet up with V. DH was feeling badly for her about missing the arcade night so he bought an arcade card for her, and she entertained herself there as we popped into the Quiet Cove (kidless! Please note, we were kidless - this time!) for today's drink of the day: a Cool Breeze. Dh is actually having a beer, but that's my drink of the day on the table.
You see, I had a To Do list that I made up before we left. One of my must do's was to have the drink of the day, every day. Spoiler alert: I succeeded! I need more to-do lists like that at home.
By now V had gone through her arcade card so we popped down to Wavebands for BINGO. For $50 (maybe $60?) at Bingo we got one electronic board and two sets of paper boards/cards.
V played the electronic one but DH and I are more conventional and punched out the numbers.
This was a Spa bingo so lots of free goodies being handed out - but not to us. Good thing its fun to play because we never win LOL.
By the time we were done there it was time to fetch K and herd everyone back to the stateroom to get everyone cleaned up and into our fancy duds for Formal Night. DH looked sharp in his tux. I haven't seen him in a tux since our wedding so it was love at first sight all over again
As we sailed through the Atrium on the way to the Golden Mickeys show, we discovered that there's trays of cosmos (and another drink that I've forgotten, because I was drinking cosmos) wandering through the Captains Welcome Reception in the Atrium.
Would I like a drink? Oooh yes please!
Et voilà, I had a (free) drink for the show.
And for those smarty pants who are thinking "but if you're coming from deck 7, you don't go through the Atrium on the way to the theatre"....To them I reply, 'you do when there's free cosmos being handed out!'
We even got to the theatre in time for the girls to be interviewed on the red carpet.
There's just no living with them now!
We had missed the Golden Mickeys on our last cruise, due to a certain someone who shall remained nameless but happened to be violently ill that night (okay, it was V!) so we were really looking forward to finally seeing it. DH was feeling a little concerned that he wasn't seeing a lot of men in formal wear. As we were enjoying our drink and waiting for the show to start, another gentleman in a tux came over to shake his hand. The upper classes must stick together and all that LOL...What was funnier was he came from the same part of the world as us!
(okay, everyone into a chorus of It's a Small World...')
Ha, now you're all mad at me cause you have that song going through your head.
Ah, my work here is done.
After the show (which was wonderful! One of my faves, tho I admit I do like them all) we wandered back through the Atrium.
Oooh, a drink? Why, yes, don't mind if I do!
However, we weren't just trolling for drinks at this point (maybe a little). One of the other items on the To Do list was FORMAL PHOTOS! Is it too much for a mother to ask to have everyone cleaned up and looking snazzy for a photo? Apparently not as my family cooperated enthusiastically!
You get the picture. And so did we. Yay, now we have something to put in our Christmas cards!
There were also the poses where they have the girls do the hands on the hip thing. The turned out looking dumb, but not as dumb as having DH do the rapper arm cross LOL. We didn't buy those ones or I'd have a visual aid to help explain. This is where you just have to use your imagination.
Oh yeah, and don't our shoes look lovely? I think that was the last time we wore them (more like the only time) as omg were they uncomfortable. I figured the kids would be the first to give up on theirs, as we had bought them new just before the cruise (and V's were bought against maternal advice!) but they had promised to wear them for the photos. Mine were hand me downs from my mom and had been soooo comfy to wear at home. They got pitched in the garbage at the end of the cruise, you know...to save on packing space LOL . So again, if you were horrified at a family running around in stocking feet on formal night, yeah, that was us. DH was the lone hold out. I believe he made it through the evening fully shod.
After the photos, we may or may not have snagged another cosmo (okay, yes we did) and then ran into a FB group friend in the Promenade Lounge so sat and socialized for a bit while we waited for dinner.
I will say I much preferred having the late dining. There seemed to be more time to do things, and to have time for a drink before dinner and relax. The only downside was we did seem to arrive late to the evening parties i.e. Pirate Party. But that's still a couple of days away so forget I said that!
Dinner was in Animators Palette tonight.
Sadly, I have no recollection of what any of us ate, nor do I have any food photos. I love food porn on the disboards. But I haven't mastered the art of photographing &/or remembering my meals. When it is served, I'm too busy eating it to stop and think of photos. I apologize for that. I will say I didn't have anything that I didn't enjoy. Some things were delicious, some things were okay, but everything was eaten with gusto.
Another item on the To Do list was to enjoy a nightcap each night in a different lounge. This turned out to be an enormous FAIL. We didn't manage to stay awake long enough for a nightcap until the last night. Oops...spoilers!
Oh oh oh...had to come back and edit because I'd forgotten we DID do something after dinner.
Back to the cabin to check the map:
Then we put on our comfy clothes and went to Studio Sea...for Karaoke Night! V used to sing in a choir and has a pretty darn good voice. She does. I don't. She wanted to sing. I didn't. She picked her song - Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 and then we waited for her turn. What a great supportive environment - everybody was cheered and applauded. And then V started to get stage fright.
- Mommy, come up and sing with me!
What the...yeah, NO.
- Please please, Mommy.
sigh...okay
So I got up and sang with her. I am so, so sorry. But I didn't sing long. Once she got going, then I just...stopped. She was very peeved with me but she kept on till the end of the song.
Then it must have been back to the cabin to say good night to our towel friend:
Then we put on our comfy clothes and went to Studio Sea...for Karaoke Night! V used to sing in a choir and has a pretty darn good voice. She does. I don't. She wanted to sing. I didn't. She picked her song - Bryan Adams' Summer of '69 and then we waited for her turn. What a great supportive environment - everybody was cheered and applauded. And then V started to get stage fright.
- Mommy, come up and sing with me!
What the...yeah, NO.
- Please please, Mommy.
sigh...okay
So I got up and sang with her. I am so, so sorry. But I didn't sing long. Once she got going, then I just...stopped. She was very peeved with me but she kept on till the end of the song.
Then it must have been back to the cabin to say good night to our towel friend:
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
Just another perfect day in paradise! Blue, blue sky! Hot, humid temps!
I love sea days! I like to get up early and explore the ship.
On my way to deck 9 to pick up coffees & hot chocolates, I always took the long way up, wandering around to snap photos first.
Deck 4 Jogging Track
Deck 4 Forward. I love this part. I hadn't noticed before but there's a jet ski hanging from the ceiling!
Yep, still Deck 4
Up to Deck 10 now:
Sports Deck
And that orange thing closer up:
Oh, it's the ship's black box...???
Interesting...
Captain, bring me that horizon!
Back to Deck 9 and the Quiet Cove is very quiet
Lady & the Tramp on Funnelvision
Touching up the varnish. Wouldn't want people on the disboards complaining about wear and tear!
Back to the cabin to wake up the sleepyheads
because we have to go to
The kids came up with the brilliant (?) idea to bring their travel journals they had bought in Galveston and get character autographs. Ugh. (Second confession of the day: I hate autograph books).
Although they got Mickey Mouse to sign the front cover, which is kind of cool now that I see it sitting on the coffee table, day after day.
"Hey kids, put your stuff away!."
ukintheus
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
Love the updates and very glad to see that you managed to snag several of the cocktails. 
The character breakfast isn't our favorite either, we skipped it completely last cruise, but I would have had a hard time being you and not eating anything if I were starving hungry!
The character breakfast isn't our favorite either, we skipped it completely last cruise, but I would have had a hard time being you and not eating anything if I were starving hungry! 
jjje
One time I saw a guy wear cut-off jean shorts to d
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2012
Haha! No. We watched the whole thing from deck 10 this time. I think my husband is still traumatized by the whole event.Please, go ahead
*spoiler alert!* Did you guys do the mixology class? I feel like I might have seen you there.
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
Haha! No. We watched the whole thing from deck 10 this time. I think my husband is still traumatized by the whole event.
*spoiler alert!* Did you guys do the mixology class? I feel like I might have seen you there.
Uh-oh...that depends...were we the annoying ones of the group? Then I'll deny everything. Altho' stay tuned, maybe there'll be photographic evidence
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
We finished the character breakfast with a few minutes to spare, so V took off to go to the Edge and I think DH took K down to the Lab and I wandered up to wait for him just outside of Palo. I think he may have also gone by our cabin to pick up our Palo tickets. Not that anyone asked for them anyway.
But in any case, I had a few minutes to wander around...and take pictures
I find the masks kinda creepy
The three stages of a Palo meal:
1) I can't wait for the meal!
2) Wow, look at all the food
3) Omg, I can't believe I ate all that!
Then DH arrived. We didn't actually have to wait for our table but he posed for effect:
Palo brunch was again, awesome. Some day we'll try having dinner there as well, but for now when travelling with the kids we just hate to give up a night in the MDR. We had Eve as our server today, from Wales - so of course we had to drop in a few Doctor Who references.
We skipped the tour of the brunch tables and just got at 'er. DH and I love to graze, so the brunch is right up our alley!
Last time I had ordered the chicken parmesan and (shhh...) while it was yummy, I was ready for something different. So this time I went with the Eggs Julia(?)....Eggs benedict but with smoked salmon. I was very happy with my choice. I tried to talk DH into ordering the grape & gorgonzola pizza because I've heard wonderful things about it. I don't like strong cheeses so didn't want to order it for myself, just to have it go to waste. But curiosity makes me want to try it. He didn't cooperate though so maybe next time.
Part way through our meal DH happened to look out the window and see V running past! She was engrossed in another scavenger hunt or something. The people around us were laughing at our 'hey, that's ours!' surprise. She never realized we were even in there.
Last time as well, our server made up a tray of desserts for us to take back to the kids. This time Eve said that technically no food was allowed to leave the restaurant, then added if we were to sneak something out, she would be sure to look the other way LOL...Really all we wanted was some of the panna cotta so V could compare it to what she makes but sneaking it out seemed complicated so we didn't bother. It wasn't like the kids were in danger of starving on the ship!
After our wonderful brunch, we rolled ourselves out to get K from the Lab and waddle back to the cabin.
But in any case, I had a few minutes to wander around...and take pictures
I find the masks kinda creepy
The three stages of a Palo meal:
1) I can't wait for the meal!
2) Wow, look at all the food
3) Omg, I can't believe I ate all that!
Then DH arrived. We didn't actually have to wait for our table but he posed for effect:
Palo brunch was again, awesome. Some day we'll try having dinner there as well, but for now when travelling with the kids we just hate to give up a night in the MDR. We had Eve as our server today, from Wales - so of course we had to drop in a few Doctor Who references.
Eve waits patiently while DH gazes longingly at the liquor-so-expensive-it's-kept-behind-glass display!
This is one of the captive bottles. John (not Johnny - that's for the cheap stuff!) Walker. I can't remember what she said it cost...more than the cruise, I'm sure!
Oh, DH says it's so expensive because the cap is real gold and the 'glass' is Baccarat crystal!
He says it's about $5,000.
I said he's not getting it for Christmas.
Not our table but I took the picture to remind me to request a table by the window next time:
This is one of the captive bottles. John (not Johnny - that's for the cheap stuff!) Walker. I can't remember what she said it cost...more than the cruise, I'm sure!
Oh, DH says it's so expensive because the cap is real gold and the 'glass' is Baccarat crystal!
He says it's about $5,000.
I said he's not getting it for Christmas.
Not our table but I took the picture to remind me to request a table by the window next time:
We skipped the tour of the brunch tables and just got at 'er. DH and I love to graze, so the brunch is right up our alley!
A bit of Palo food porn
DH ordered the tomato basil soup and I believe I had the chilled strawberry soup for starters, or in-betweeners I guess would be more accurate.
We ordered Oysters Rockefeller to share. Here's a picture of the shells LOL
DH ordered the tomato basil soup and I believe I had the chilled strawberry soup for starters, or in-betweeners I guess would be more accurate.
We ordered Oysters Rockefeller to share. Here's a picture of the shells LOL
Last time I had ordered the chicken parmesan and (shhh...) while it was yummy, I was ready for something different. So this time I went with the Eggs Julia(?)....Eggs benedict but with smoked salmon. I was very happy with my choice. I tried to talk DH into ordering the grape & gorgonzola pizza because I've heard wonderful things about it. I don't like strong cheeses so didn't want to order it for myself, just to have it go to waste. But curiosity makes me want to try it. He didn't cooperate though so maybe next time.
Eggs it is!
Part way through our meal DH happened to look out the window and see V running past! She was engrossed in another scavenger hunt or something. The people around us were laughing at our 'hey, that's ours!' surprise. She never realized we were even in there.
Last time as well, our server made up a tray of desserts for us to take back to the kids. This time Eve said that technically no food was allowed to leave the restaurant, then added if we were to sneak something out, she would be sure to look the other way LOL...Really all we wanted was some of the panna cotta so V could compare it to what she makes but sneaking it out seemed complicated so we didn't bother. It wasn't like the kids were in danger of starving on the ship!
And to prove that we had a balanced meal, here's dessert!
After our wonderful brunch, we rolled ourselves out to get K from the Lab and waddle back to the cabin.
UmmGooD
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
Thanks for the update. I think it depends on your server if they let you take something out. We were on the winder when our son was 3 months old. My mom was watching him when my wife and I went to palo for dinner. We got about half way through our dinner before my mom called and said he would not stop crying. So my wife had to leave. Our server made us up 4 deserts to go including the soufflé.
Our mistake with brunch was we went the last sea day of our cruise. We were so full by the end of the cruise we couldn't really enjoy it. This time we are booked for the first sea day.
Our mistake with brunch was we went the last sea day of our cruise. We were so full by the end of the cruise we couldn't really enjoy it. This time we are booked for the first sea day.
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
Ah yes, waddling back to the cabin to hang out…
Pictures of our door, with magnets.
The FE fairies had been so K spent some time checking out the loot. We had a blast doing the FE, altho' it's hard to convince the kids that they don't have to run back to check the FE every 10 minutes!
This gift included nail polish so we sat out on the balcony for an impromptu manicure!
OMG, the clouds! Okay, was it just weird that we kept seeing clouds in the shape of Disney characters? I mean, how do they do that?
DH and I definitely enjoyed the verandah more on this trip. Our last cruise had been more on the cool side (think cold and rainy!) so hadn’t had much opportunity to just sit and watch the ocean go by.
V was still at the Edge (I think it was the Ratatouille cooking school) so we hung out at the cabin for a while. Apparently at some point I wandered through the Cadillac Lounge taking photos. I don't remember why I was there...maybe in pursuit of fresh wine glasses?
When V came back from the Edge, we went down to browse the shops and to line up for a Stitch photo op.
K had bought a Stitch stuffie in the morning so this time, V got to pick out her souvenir. She bought the Mickey hands. I was trying to talk her into something smaller but she really, really wanted these. They turned out to be kind of fun, and she didn't make me carry them around, so it all worked out well.
Stitch is waiting to see Stitch!
What do you do while waiting for Stitch? Well, K does this…
Apparently Stitch is K’s FAVOURITE! Funny, first time I’ve heard of it.
Conversation while in line with other kids all around:
(K) “Remember mommy when I saw him at Disneyland”…
(me) oh yeah, maybe he’ll remember you!
(K) “Oh mommy, I’m sure it’s a different guy inside.”
(me) SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Then the CM – What do you mean ‘guy’? There’s only Stitch.
Sigh...
Pictures of our door, with magnets.
The FE fairies had been so K spent some time checking out the loot. We had a blast doing the FE, altho' it's hard to convince the kids that they don't have to run back to check the FE every 10 minutes!
This gift included nail polish so we sat out on the balcony for an impromptu manicure!
OMG, the clouds! Okay, was it just weird that we kept seeing clouds in the shape of Disney characters? I mean, how do they do that?
How many do you see?
DH and I definitely enjoyed the verandah more on this trip. Our last cruise had been more on the cool side (think cold and rainy!) so hadn’t had much opportunity to just sit and watch the ocean go by.
V was still at the Edge (I think it was the Ratatouille cooking school) so we hung out at the cabin for a while. Apparently at some point I wandered through the Cadillac Lounge taking photos. I don't remember why I was there...maybe in pursuit of fresh wine glasses?
When V came back from the Edge, we went down to browse the shops and to line up for a Stitch photo op.
K had bought a Stitch stuffie in the morning so this time, V got to pick out her souvenir. She bought the Mickey hands. I was trying to talk her into something smaller but she really, really wanted these. They turned out to be kind of fun, and she didn't make me carry them around, so it all worked out well.
Stitch is waiting to see Stitch!
What do you do while waiting for Stitch? Well, K does this…
Apparently Stitch is K’s FAVOURITE! Funny, first time I’ve heard of it.
Conversation while in line with other kids all around:
(K) “Remember mommy when I saw him at Disneyland”…
(me) oh yeah, maybe he’ll remember you!
(K) “Oh mommy, I’m sure it’s a different guy inside.”
(me) SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Then the CM – What do you mean ‘guy’? There’s only Stitch.
Sigh...
The great man himself
And then the fuzzy freak himself
And then the fuzzy freak himself
FergusBC
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2010
And as we were now nice and handy to the theatre, we were one of the first families in, so got seats fairly close to the stage. DH wasn’t there, so again, I’m having kittens because is having three people taking four seats considered saving seats?! Wave phone to the rescue “Get here NOW”. And V’s big Mickey hands helped flag him down to the right seats.
Tonight it was the Magic Dave Show! I don’t like magic acts, but throw in some good comedy and I’m a fan. And I’m a Magic Dave fan We had seen his show on our last cruise and V had even been picked as an assistant. She tried oh, oh, oh so hard to get picked this time. Those big Mickey hands were hard to miss but he picked instead…our tablemates! Well, dad and his teenage daughter anyway…It was a great trick which ended up with the dad being pie’d with whipping cream. It made for some fun teasing at dinner that night.
And dinner that night was in Animator’s Palette again. And finally, it was show night! Something else we missed on our first cruise, due to someone’s upset tummy. It was great fun, but you end up with a sore neck as you try to see what’s going on in every picture!
I have to admit I’m in awe of the dining room serving staff. I mean, isn’t it hard enough trying to keep everyone’s meal & drink orders straight, but then to have to manoeuvre through kids running, Mice dancing, people jumping around, trying to get video and/or photos. I’m amazed they’re not all off on stress leave!
I leave you with....DESSERT!
Tonight it was the Magic Dave Show! I don’t like magic acts, but throw in some good comedy and I’m a fan. And I’m a Magic Dave fan
We had seen his show on our last cruise and V had even been picked as an assistant. She tried oh, oh, oh so hard to get picked this time. Those big Mickey hands were hard to miss but he picked instead…our tablemates! Well, dad and his teenage daughter anyway…It was a great trick which ended up with the dad being pie’d with whipping cream. It made for some fun teasing at dinner that night.And dinner that night was in Animator’s Palette again. And finally, it was show night! Something else we missed on our first cruise, due to someone’s upset tummy. It was great fun, but you end up with a sore neck as you try to see what’s going on in every picture!
I have to admit I’m in awe of the dining room serving staff. I mean, isn’t it hard enough trying to keep everyone’s meal & drink orders straight, but then to have to manoeuvre through kids running, Mice dancing, people jumping around, trying to get video and/or photos. I’m amazed they’re not all off on stress leave!
I leave you with....DESSERT!
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