The McSparklesons Sail the Magic... AGAIN! $500 Potato Chips! 3/13

[PizzieDuster]

I am loving your trip report! All the pictures and especially the videos!

Thank you for having the index on page one! Can't wait to read more!

[rndmr2]

I was a couple updates behind, so I am getting caught up, Great first day!

I hope you have a good time on your Dream cruise!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you guys get back!

[dvc4life]

Have a great DisMom's Cruise! Can't wait to ready all about it.

[anewmac]

Originally Posted by dvc4life

Have a great DisMom's Cruise! Can't wait to ready all about it.

what she said!

[karajeboo]

Originally Posted by KristiMc

Matt has a soccer game at 4:00 tomorrow. If I get home in time before you sail I will get some shots. Have one of those fruity drinks for me

I had one..... or 7.....

Originally Posted by tony64

It's true Tilley ( our golden retriever) is getting on a bit but she can still spot a chewy from a hundred yards away.

Being an English gentleman I find it only proper to compliment a lady,specially one form the South. Where there quite a few south belles in your family tree?

PS good opertunity to have a few words with Minnie while your here, make sure she stays clear of Jeff in the future.

You are soooo sweet! And THAT is why you are my favorite! No southern belles in my family tree. In fact, Ally is the first true "GRITS" (girls raised in the south) in our family. I was born in Missouri and raised in Ohio so I will never be a "real" southerner..... But I could never move back north, I just LOVE the south - the food, the people, the weather, the culture!!!

Originally Posted by brookelizabeth

I'm late to see you off, but I hope you are having a fantastic time!!!

Let me think..... uh YEAH we sure did!!!!

Originally Posted by PizzieDuster

I am loving your trip report! All the pictures and especially the videos!

Thank you for having the index on page one! Can't wait to read more!

I have more video than I know what to do with and some of it was even properly recorded by Jeff!!!!

Originally Posted by rndmr2

I was a couple updates behind, so I am getting caught up, Great first day!

I hope you have a good time on your Dream cruise!! Can't wait to hear all about it when you guys get back!

I'll post the link once we get it up and running....

Originally Posted by dvc4life

Have a great DisMom's Cruise! Can't wait to ready all about it.

In a word.... AWESOME!!!!

Originally Posted by anewmac

what she said!

You are a gooberhead..... Thank you for the screen shot!!! So awesome! Jeff got one too, which surprised me! Although, he is descended from Steven Spielberg, James Cameron AND George Lucas..... as you can tell from his videos thus far!!!

[MAGICFOR2]

Originally Posted by karajeboo

As for shorts in the dining room, its not so much a big deal in a case like yours, and with little ones, but when people openly brag about it BEFORE the cruise, that they aren't going to pack any pants for their kids because it's THEIR vacation and they'll wear what they want..... that gets me.

I just find it totally disrespectful to not at least attempt to follow the guidelines. We saw one family wearing jeans and t-shirts on formal night. Part of me wonders if they were just not informed? Did absolutely no research? Did nobody tell them there's a formal night on most 7 night cruises? Or did they just not care? That's what gets me..... People like you I only give a slight snarl too..... j/k!

We had a family at our table who wore jeans and wrinkled T-shirts to semi-formal night. She was all over the DIS, and even organized our FE exchange. I'm thinking they got back from an excursion late and just flew in for dinner. I would have gone to the buffet or asked for another solution.

[jenseib]

I totally missed the send off...hope you had a great time.

[podsnel]

593

[MAGICFOR2]

Originally Posted by podsnel

593

Did you ladies rebook? No, that would be too far - unless you are doing land next time, then sea the next?

[podsnel]

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

Did you ladies rebook? No, that would be too far - unless you are doing land next time, then sea the next?

That's our date for our NYE cruise December 2013. It'll go by just like THAT!

And I agree- it IS too far!!!!!!

[karajeboo]

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

We had a family at our table who wore jeans and wrinkled T-shirts to semi-formal night. She was all over the DIS, and even organized our FE exchange. I'm thinking they got back from an excursion late and just flew in for dinner. I would have gone to the buffet or asked for another solution.

I just don't get it.....

Originally Posted by jenseib

I totally missed the send off...hope you had a great time.

What? You didn't set your alarm and drop EVERYTHING to see us go? Sheesh!

Originally Posted by podsnel

593

That's too long, Peas!!!!

Originally Posted by MAGICFOR2

Did you ladies rebook? No, that would be too far - unless you are doing land next time, then sea the next?

Originally Posted by podsnel

That's our date for our NYE cruise December 2013. It'll go by just like THAT!

And I agree- it IS too far!!!!!!

I agree.... as I sit here trying to figure out if I can swing a 3 night Dream cruise when Ally has fall break and Jeff has his golf weekend in October..... I cannot wait until next spring break for our Freedom of the Seas and then another 9 months after that for our NYE Fantasy cruise!!!! I've got it baaaaaad!

[karajeboo]

I'm working on uploading some video from Day 2 right now.... Once I get that where it needs to be I'll be back with an update!!!!

[karajeboo]

Well, Jeff woke up the first morning as he usually does on vacation.... at 530am! I have no idea why, but he doesn't do this at home.

So for those who said you oversleep in an inside stateroom? HA!

I woke up about 630 - again, HA! - and when I didn't see him, I got dressed and went up on deck and sure enough, he was out on deck drinking coffee and taking photos.



Apparently the funnel vision has the same internal alarm clock as Jeff...



This is the calmest you will EVER see the Goofy Pool!



And the Quiet Cove Pool is REALLY quiet at this hour!



We wandered around for a bit before heading back to get ready for our character breakfast, followed by our first port of the cruise!

Oh, and did I mention?





Happy 11th Birthday to my favorite daughter Ally!!!!!

As it turns out, LAST YEAR we also celebrated her birthday (Disney math.... 11 this year, minus 1 year ago = her 10th birthday!) at the character breakfast, too! How cool is THAT?





Now the really tough part was that Jeff, Tammi and I all had Palo brunch scheduled for today, and we talked about changing our character breakfast, but really, why bother? We could go and drink our coffee, say "hey" to Mickey and friends, and then turn the girls loose while we go and gorge ourselves, right?

I just LOVE Parrot Cay, and we would only have one meal in here this trip, so I was glad we came.







Before long, they came round one by one....



Character Breakfast - Minnie - VIDEO - click to play!





Oh, and Jeff's FAVORITE part of this breakfast!







Don't worry honey, your turn will come!!!!!













Character Breakfast - Mickey - VIDEO - click to play!



I was totally shocked that Chip n Dale were not there, like they were last year, especially since they are Tori and Ally's favorites! In fact, they were hard to find this entire cruise!

Maybe those squirrels were being chased by the rats around our cabin? Oh yeah, when you do see them? Call them squirrels, they REALLY like that!

Continued next post

[karajeboo]

Once Tammi and I finished our coffee, the girls finished breakfast, and Jeff finished his 1/2 breakfast ("gotta prepare my stomach for Palo buffet!"), and all the characters were gone, we headed out to go get ready for some adult time!

I mean, we'd already been gone for over 12 hours..... how much family time are we expected to endure??????

Heading back to our cabin, Jeff was careful not to work off too much of his breakfast, after all, it was "preparing his stomach" for brunch.... Need that expansion brother!



After we got changed, Ally wanted to show us the secret aft deck on 7, so we followed her and lo and behold.....







We tried to come out here a couple of other times and it was either locked, or filled with teenagers..... and I just don't wanna know.

So we took advantage of a late port day to make our Palo brunch reservations, and it was the perfect time!





Palo Entrance - VIDEO - click to play!





This was the first time we'd tried Palo for brunch, and I'm sooooo mad at missing it last year! Soooo much food, and all of it sooooo yummy!

Of course we started with mimosas.....



And then our incredible server, Mo, took us to explain the buffet.

Are you ready? Cause we all know Jeff's stomach has been prepared....

Palo Brunch Buffet - VIDEO - click to play!



















After he showed us the buffet items, he took us to the special order section where we could choose from various breakfast items, eggs florentine, benedict, fritattas, or heartier lunch fare like chicken parm, veal saltimbocca, and of course their incredible pizzas!





Mo insisted we try the gorgonzola and grape pizza, which was already on my radar even before he ordered it for us.....





Continued next post....

[karajeboo]

To that man I say....



Just a few platefuls up close....









Then Tammi asked me a question we have yet to answer.....

Is this made of sugar?



I told her if she'd go and lick it I'd buy her brunch.... but she's chicken!

Mo was such an excellent server and he spent a lot of time at our table chatting with us. I was giving him a hard time about this being our captain's first voyage, and watching out the windows as we approached Key West.

I was asking Mo if our captain was really qualified, or if we were just guinea pigs? And of course the language barrier had poor Mo defending the captain (his boss!) and assuring me that we were in good hands, while I just giggled and giggled at all my own stupid jokes! So much so that Mo started giggling right along with me and grabbed my camera to take MY picture!





Once we finished our meal and waddled out of Palo, we all headed to our cabins to get changed for the day, and I wondered the whole way why oh why I didn't bring a wardrobe in the next size up..... ugh.

Up next, Freakville!!!!