From the Sea to the World - Holiday Edition - Completed

[sager1969]

I totally feel the same way with the Cabanas first day lunch. I have always eaten in Enchanted Garden/Parrot Cay. It may have less options, but I find what I want and it seems so much less frantic. Loving the dual comments. It so funny how two people can have different experiences.

 

[glennbo123]

I guess people are starting to understand why we are getting along so well - the ability of being long-winded certainly is something that we share!

That is so funny! I read Michael's paragraph and thought "it sounds like Magdalene wrote this". I laughed out loud when I read your comment about it.

More and more people arrive and they are not lining up behind us, but kind of mill around. I am getting a bit worried. It seems like the shuttle is taking a long time to return, I think it might have been 20 minutes or so. Then the shuttle arrives and the nice lady who told us that we would be the first on the next shuttle keeps out calling names of groups that will be on this shuttle. It is everyone who arrived after us, but not us!!! We are now really rather annoyed. So we go to speak to her and she looks at us with quite some horror and realises that she forgot to write us down on her list because she was busy loading the shuttle when we arrived. So she takes down our information then and we kind of are unhappy as it will be another 20 minutes for the shuttle to make its round.

Oh, this would've driven me crazy and my wife even more so. She would've flipped!

Just as we leave the unloading station, we see the Alamo shuttle pull in! It seems that they went to a different ship first and somehow we beat them to the Fantasy!! So the little hiccup even saved us a few minutes!

Ahh, it worked out though!

I'm glad you're on the boat!

 

[Poolrat]

THAT BATHROOM sign should intrique Pat

I DO like it. I like them when they are not your "traditional" signs.

Glad to know I'm not the only one who remembers butter from 2 decades ago Alison!

2 decades!!!! When did THAT happen

I wrote it, but since I was told that I managed to tell the whole no picture of the ice cream story totally wrong, someone else is now reading the updates first in order to add his comments before I post them to avoid me getting it wrong again. And you know how this is if I need to submit those updates to my co-author first before I can post them.

My "co-author " proofs my posts too. But not until after I actually post so a secret, when you see I edited, usually a typo or a correction was fixed.

Magdalene asked if I would drop some comments in here from time to time -- I think her sister will enjoy them too! -- so I was only too willing to offer up ''the other side of the story.'' For

Michael!!! Glad to have you here ....sort of.



Enjoying the story so far. Yes I would have been a bit stressed getting to the boat. Sorry the enbarkation lunch was a bit frantic. Not a way to unwind right away.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

For Michael I think I will try how a dark orange works.

So, here is the first update with Michael's comments:

Welcome aboard Michael!

I have to say that from the beach “mine” looked the best!

If you get to Aulani, you'll get the same feeling. The other resorts I'm sure are fine...but they're not the Disney resort.

Unlike my Bavarian Beauty,

Magdalene, I think you have a new nickname for the DISBoards!

Yes, I am suggesting that she might have a slight crush on the dashing CD and I am OK with that because I understand those!

My experience is the women are always perfectly fine with our little crushes as well...

I guess people are starting to understand why we are getting along so well - the ability of being long-winded certainly is something that we share!

The details make the TR!

Yes, we were not travelling light…

To be fair, one of us worried way too much about ''missing the boat'' and it isn't me! We are always amongst the first 25% of guests to board it seems without any scientific proof to back that number up!

I don't want to sound like a beloved (or not) former Alaskan governor, but I can practically see the Bahamas from my house! ;-)

Have the Bahamas ever tried to invade us from there?

I am if nothing else, traditional and predictable! <--??? Well, maybe with regard to food...

I might know a thing or two about being predictable with food. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

And I was very amused when I saw the door. The other two cruises, I had been the lead name on the reservation. I am a DVC member. Both cruises, our stateroom was not on the list of DVC staterooms and we did not get a magnet beforehand. This time Michael was the lead name on the reservation. He is not a DVC member. And suddenly this time DVC realises that a DVC member is in the stateroom as an additional person?? How strange is that. I am really wondering what will happen with my next cruise when I am the lead name again.

I really have no idea there.

 

[Steppesister]

Ah!! Thanks! Yes, it is. And it is indeed a common typo I make as the combination of letters as in "ist" is something that kind flows naturally from my fingers when typing quickly. I think I was just looking at the "big words" in the sentence and totally missed the additional T.

I didn't think I was totally off there! I'm glad I wasn't losing my mind. (BTW, that's about the ONLY word I know in German... other than Hexen Hausel. I still have dreamy thoughts of that to-die-for purple cabbage dish.

When I wrote this update, I was thinking about your train trip to Nuremberg that was quite hellish as well...

Yes, for about 3 of us (not me thankfully!) it was quite hellish. OY! I kinda felt sorry for the hotel staff dealing with trash cans full of really bad "stuff". As well as the train staff, and worst of all other passengers and taxi driver, on that train. It was like the Exorcist but worse!!!!!

Lot's of pix coming up!! Katharina and Michael tell me that they read my trip report solely for the pictures as well...

OH NICE!! I am here, and after Tuesday, will be for a whole WEEK!! I'm giddy just thinking about it!!

VB was really wonderful! I am not sure I would want a two weeks vacation there, but for a few days of relaxing. Great place!

Someday we'll break out of the bubble and get to some other places. I just want to put in some time at the Motherland first.

 

[Steppesister]

Your little walk in the "jungle" reminded me of my very first trip ever to WDW back in like 2000? We were camping at FW and back then (I appreciated Michael's reminescing about old WDW charm!!!) you could take a REALLY cool little walk on boardwalk through the jungle there. I was really hoping to see a snake (I know that sounds weird), but I love seeing them in the wild. Anyway, we have a lot of ferns here in the NW, but none of those varieties.

Your picture of the purple berries also brings back a memory. I was intrigued by them when I saw them both at the POP and at DHS. One morning, I stopped and had a conversation with one of the gardeners at the POP and asked him what it was. He didn't know, but talked to me a long time about his job, and how to contact Landscaping Services and it was just such a lovely chat. To me that's what makes every trip special. Taking time out to just slow down and really see how much care and thought goes into each park and resort.

Orange crate labels are actually a collectors item here. They are sold in Antique stores and my parents used to have a few that I have memories of growing up. THey were framed and hung in our kitchen. I think I will keep my eyes out for a couple of the Donald Duck ones. But mostly in our antique stores they are selling ones from California and apple and other fruits from Washington and Oregon.

Your meal looked so amazing! But the butter really is a special touch.

 

[Steppesister]

Embarkation Day sounded... hectic and a little bit stressful with the rental return and a less than ideal lunch. I've never been on a cruise that originated in the US, but someday. Someday...

(by the way, welcome Michael! You're a crack up!! Hopefully, someday we can meet you!)

 

[aboveH20]

Hooray, another trip report. I thought the last one did you in so this is a nice surprise.

I used a couple things I learned from your last TR for our recent Magic cruise -- I spent lots of time on deck 4 reading AND walking (not at the same time) to get in shape to think about people running the 5K at Castaway Cay and I availed myself of Quiet Cove treats more than once. Thanks.

I didn't realize Vero Beach is in Florida, so I've already learned something. I thought it was in one of the Carolinas, whoops. And, I'll be interested to see how you like Saratoga. I live in Saratoga County and worked at the race track one summer. A couple years ago I was booked at POR and offered a free upgrade to Saratoga or Old Key West (I assume POR must have been overbooked) and chose OKW. I'm slowly working my way through the resorts so I'll get there eventually!

We've sailed on Wonder and Magic and already your photos are making me think Fantasy will be next.

 

[englishrose47]

Great Update and I LOVE the ORANGE comments !!! I tend to agree with Michael, the Embarkation lunch at Cabanas was th best of their buffets. I ate the Asparagus before I made it back to the table it was sooooo good I was not as impressed the couple of othertimes we ate there !!

 

[Flossbolna]

That trail looks wonderful and interesting. These are the kind of things that I miss being able to do. Well, I could do them, I would just have to do them by myself.

Well, I think the path was not paved, but a stroller would have been able to use it. So maybe a scooter would, too?

The turtle decorations are so cute!

It thought it was kind of funny to see all the turtles in that Florida environment as we have become so used to Crush as the "Disney turtle" and he lives in Australia!

It's great to see an homage to the history like that!

I think they did a great job with making this resort fit with its environment. Obviously they went even further with Aulani, but you can see the same appreciation for an area and its history there.

I've never even seen that character before.

I guess neither of us watched Kim Possible on a regular basis!

I remember when they served butter like that at the Coral Reef Restaurant.

Seems like you and Glenn ate there in the same time frame!

That is a HUGE salad!

Yes, that's why I did not finish that pizza... Michael adores wedge salads. If one is on a menu, you can bet that he is going to order it.

Love Pizza for breakfast!

Me too. I have even been known to eat cold lasagne for breakfast...

 

[Flossbolna]

Oh, that's great to hear! It's good to know that all of the documentation is of help to somebody.

 

[Flossbolna]

Dude! Sweeeeeet.

Yes, I just commented to Alison that those turtles kind of don't fit with the Disney character repertoire that we are used to: Disney turtles are from Australia...

Such a change from other Disney vacations!

I was surprised that even on Thanksgiving weekend we did not need a reservation.

What a nice little gift! I guess it doesn't hurt to mention the special occasions.

It was really nice to get something! The card was really lovely, too!

So did it taste any different from regular butter? Was it magical to use a knife to slice off parts of Mickey's face?

No, it was only the shape that was magical. Sorry!

Sam Adams is usually a solid choice.

That's good to know. I have no clue about American beers. Besides that I need to stay away from the big breweries.

I can't imagine wanting to drink anything with the word "bilge" in the title!

Well... it would be bilge with an additional "i"... Not sure that that would make it better.

Breakfast of champions!

Another one who likes my breakfast choice!!

 

[Flossbolna]

I really like those!

Those pictures were really neat!

I like the chairs better than the turtles!

The little beach chairs? Those were cute as well!

This I find really creepy!

I thought it was hilarious!! Even kind of retro...

Does American Italian Sausage taste different than German Italian Sausage? Because here and in Italy I really like it. It would be handy to know, what would await me in the US..

Difficult to say... I think what I did not like about it was the consistency. It was more like a "fine sausage". It also seemed to have spices in it that I did not agree with very much. It reminded me a bit of English breakfast sausages... Not at all like the Italian sausage I have gad here in Germany.

 

[Flossbolna]

I'm in!

Okay. .....I guess I can't read if I don't at least join..........

I am happy that you are taking up the chore of the new DIS to read my trip report!

 

[Flossbolna]

Nice to hear from you Michael! You sound just like a Southern Californian! Those of us who live in climates that never see the coldest of weather! Most of us rarely stick our toes in the Pacific in the Summer! Only the crazy surfers and little kids.

You are all just so spoiled weather wise!! Even though Michael would tell you that California has a far far better climate than Florida as he hates the summer humidity. Here people go and swim in the North Sea in the summer when the air outside is only 75 °F!

That's "not travelling light"! I'll take a picture of our suitcases when we leave next month!

I'll post a picture of Katharina's luggage when we go on our Norway cruise. She always has the tiniest of luggage! But then she is tiny as well - I think she can pack the same number of t-shirts as me in half the space that my t-shirts require...

We're not going on the Dream to go to the Bahamas, we're going on the Dream to get away on a Disney cruise after a WDW holiday. We will most likely not even get off the boat, but this cruise on the Dream gets us to Gold! We're really looking forward to getting to Platinum, although we are wanting to branch out and try some other cruise lines as well. We really enjoyed Celebrity many years ago....

I think it really depends what kind of vacations you want. Michael has been on several transatlantic cruises and I think once you get used to longer cruises, it is very difficult to go back to the short ones. I noticed that after our Panama Canal cruise. I think for me the ideal cruise would be 10-12 days.

I'm sorry to hear that you, Magdalene, did not enjoy the Cabanas lunch. After reading about Karin and Tom, I had decided we were going to Enchanted Garden, it sounded so much nicer and calmer. I didn't realize that it was a limited buffet, but that's OK, it's not like I'm going to starve on a cruise ship! I did find it interesting that Michael thought Cabanas was one of the better embarkation buffets. We have always gone to Parrot Cay for embarkation lunch, and I've found plenty to eat there.

I think you would be far better off in Enchanted Garden. Especially since you are dealing with a scooter! We have been at Parrot Cay the other cruises as well and I liked it well enough. I don't think that Enchanted Garden will have less offerings than PC. But Cabanas lunch did have far more variety. That was the reason why I wanted to go there. And the food was really good, no complaints about that. I just think, I rather have less choice and a more relaxed meal in the future.

I'll have to notice about the desserts this time, we thought they were pretty good one most of our past trips, but then the only ones I would order over and over were the soufflés. That Grand Marnier Souffle is one of my favorites ever. Although there are two others in the world that I consider better, one is in Las Vegas and the other is at Disneyland. I'm looking forward to seeing what your room looks like!

I love the Grand Marnier Soufflee!! Where can I get one at Disneyland???

Actually, the menu that has the Grand Marnier Soufflee also has the creme burly which Michael loves. We always comment on that this is the one night during the cruise that we both are actually looking forward to dessert. What a shame that they have both of them on the same night...

 

[Flossbolna]

I totally feel the same way with the Cabanas first day lunch. I have always eaten in Enchanted Garden/Parrot Cay. It may have less options, but I find what I want and it seems so much less frantic. Loving the dual comments. It so funny how two people can have different experiences.

I loved lunch at Parrot Cay and I think I would enjoy Enchanted Garden equally well. Hell, I could even imagine getting something from the fast food places to eat on deck if the weather is nice.

That is so funny! I read Michael's paragraph and thought "it sounds like Magdalene wrote this". I laughed out loud when I read your comment about it.

Oh, this would've driven me crazy and my wife even more so. She would've flipped!

Ahh, it worked out though!

While I was totally annoyed, it was an honest mistakes and things like that can happen. And they did work out a solution.

I DO like it. I like them when they are not your "traditional" signs.

Me too. I am a bit sad that there seems to be a trend away from these individual signs at the theme parks. Someone once tried to tell me it is because they need to incorporate braille on all the signs. But that really does not mean that you can't also have a cute picture.

My "co-author " proofs my posts too. But not until after I actually post so a secret, when you see I edited, usually a typo or a correction was fixed.

I hope Michael will correct any typos he comes across when he reads my posts to add his comments...

Enjoying the story so far. Yes I would have been a bit stressed getting to the boat. Sorry the enbarkation lunch was a bit frantic. Not a way to unwind right away.

The chaos bothered me, but I still felt more relaxed than when we boarded the Wonder for my first cruise. Knowing what to expect and the excitement of being on the ship really helped me to not feel totally frazzled.

 

[Flossbolna]

If you get to Aulani, you'll get the same feeling. The other resorts I'm sure are fine...but they're not the Disney resort.

I can very well imagine that!

Magdalene, I think you have a new nickname for the DISBoards!

Not so sure how much I like that... It reminds me far too much of a TV series that was popular when I was a kid about a horse that was called "Black Beauty". I never liked that series, but all my friends loved it.

My experience is the women are always perfectly fine with our little crushes as well...

The details make the TR!

Yes, I think so!

Have the Bahamas ever tried to invade us from there?

Who knows - weren't they where the British sent their former king who wanted to marry a divorced American? He might have had grand allures of invasion...

I might know a thing or two about being predictable with food. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

However, there have been rare incidents when even you did not order a burger...

 

[Flossbolna]

I didn't think I was totally off there! I'm glad I wasn't losing my mind. (BTW, that's about the ONLY word I know in German... other than Hexen Hausel. I still have dreamy thoughts of that to-die-for purple cabbage dish.

Don't you have red cabbage in the US?? If you have it, I can send you a recipe for Blaukraut (that's the German name for it, we call it blue, not purple). It is made from red cabbage, but by not making it sour, it turns purple as the color in it is an indicator for acidity.

Yes, for about 3 of us (not me thankfully!) it was quite hellish. OY! I kinda felt sorry for the hotel staff dealing with trash cans full of really bad "stuff". As well as the train staff, and worst of all other passengers and taxi driver, on that train. It was like the Exorcist but worse!!!!!

I was so sad for you that that little trip had such a bad start!

OH NICE!! I am here, and after Tuesday, will be for a whole WEEK!! I'm giddy just thinking about it!!

I need to make sure to stay current on the DIS for the short week you have lots of time!

Someday we'll break out of the bubble and get to some other places. I just want to put in some time at the Motherland first.

Since you haven't been there for quite some time that is totally understandable. I find after plenty of trips in the last 10 years, I am more looking forward to exploring other things besides Disney as well.

Your little walk in the "jungle" reminded me of my very first trip ever to WDW back in like 2000? We were camping at FW and back then (I appreciated Michael's reminescing about old WDW charm!!!) you could take a REALLY cool little walk on boardwalk through the jungle there. I was really hoping to see a snake (I know that sounds weird), but I love seeing them in the wild. Anyway, we have a lot of ferns here in the NW, but none of those varieties.

I made it to FW for the first time this trip - and I would have loved to do more exploring there! I wonder whether that boardwalk still exists.

Your picture of the purple berries also brings back a memory. I was intrigued by them when I saw them both at the POP and at DHS. One morning, I stopped and had a conversation with one of the gardeners at the POP and asked him what it was. He didn't know, but talked to me a long time about his job, and how to contact Landscaping Services and it was just such a lovely chat. To me that's what makes every trip special. Taking time out to just slow down and really see how much care and thought goes into each park and resort.

That sounds like a great memory! I remember being fascinated by the exhibit about WDW landscaping that they had during the Flower and Garden festival.

Orange crate labels are actually a collectors item here. They are sold in Antique stores and my parents used to have a few that I have memories of growing up. THey were framed and hung in our kitchen. I think I will keep my eyes out for a couple of the Donald Duck ones. But mostly in our antique stores they are selling ones from California and apple and other fruits from Washington and Oregon.

I would think that California had Donald Duck oranges as well. I had no idea that they were such a collectors item. But they are really cute!

Your meal looked so amazing! But the butter really is a special touch.

The butter just put a smile on my face!

Embarkation Day sounded... hectic and a little bit stressful with the rental return and a less than ideal lunch. I've never been on a cruise that originated in the US, but someday. Someday...

You will get there!!

(by the way, welcome Michael! You're a crack up!! Hopefully, someday we can meet you!)

 

[Flossbolna]

Hooray, another trip report. I thought the last one did you in so this is a nice surprise.

I used a couple things I learned from your last TR for our recent Magic cruise -- I spent lots of time on deck 4 reading AND walking (not at the same time) to get in shape to think about people running the 5K at Castaway Cay and I availed myself of Quiet Cove treats more than once. Thanks.

I didn't realize Vero Beach is in Florida, so I've already learned something. I thought it was in one of the Carolinas, whoops. And, I'll be interested to see how you like Saratoga. I live in Saratoga County and worked at the race track one summer. A couple years ago I was booked at POR and offered a free upgrade to Saratoga or Old Key West (I assume POR must have been overbooked) and chose OKW. I'm slowly working my way through the resorts so I'll get there eventually!

We've sailed on Wonder and Magic and already your photos are making me think Fantasy will be next.

I think as long as I have new things to write about I am kind of hooked on writing TRs... They do become a little bit addictive. And it is just great to have them for myself to go back and look at and read. Such a nice vacation memory!

I am glad that you got some good hints out of my previous report! Deck 4 is a great space!

I think you were thinking of Hilton Head, which is another DVC property outside of WDW. That is in South Carolina (I think...). And I can very well understand why you would chose OKW instead of SSR! If Disney had a "Bavarian Village" resort, it would not be very high on my list to stay there at all. SSR was lovely and I think I have some really nice pictures of it.

 

[Flossbolna]

Great Update and I LOVE the ORANGE comments !!! I tend to agree with Michael, the Embarkation lunch at Cabanas was th best of their buffets. I ate the Asparagus before I made it back to the table it was sooooo good I was not as impressed the couple of othertimes we ate there !!

The Asparagus was delicious! I had that, too. My problem was not the food, but the craziness.