It's a WONDER we have any money left after the Cruise! - All done!

[dgbg100106]

not just Disney cruises, my DH and I prefer the smaller ship no matter which line we are on.

I cringe when I think of oasis or Allure are just way too big

[ACDSNY]

Darn, I missed the crab. I should've ate lunch on our cruise, we usually skipped it

[Pinkocto]

Great update. I'm glad Fran was adventurous enough to go out on her own.

Sorry people were hogging the loungers. We tender to go up one deck when we wanted to lounge. There never seems to be enough around pools.

That gave me a good idea of BBB, thanks! I was just thinking this morning how much I'm looking forward to the Wonder. I have my eye set on two January cruises I'd like to do B2B in 2014 that I'll probably book while onboard.

By no means do I want Christmas over with but I'm ready to go on vacation again

[Linda67]

Coming out of lurkdom to say how much I am enjoying your TR

We will be sailing on the Wonder for the first time next year so I am loving the photos of the ship

It looks like you both had a wonderful cruise

[dolphingirl47]

That buffet looked yummy. What a pain about people saving the loungers though. They used to be pretty good about clearing them every so often on the Wonder.

Corinna

[Leshaface]

Yes! All caught up!

Loved the formal pics!

I am SO missing access to all that food right now. I'm sitting here reading this and STARVING! I really shouldn't be reading your TR's when i'm hungry.

Congratulations on the painting! Weren't there some amazing ones there?! Wish I could have taken them all.

Hey that's a great unexpected tour of the city you guys got. And for $30, not bad at all! And the jewelry, of course, is gorgeous!

[franandaj]

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Originally Posted by QuiltTeddy

Having taken many Disney cruises, most recently on the Dream in March, and seeing your food posts, it confirms how much nicer the Wonder and Magic are. Being a picky eater, the few times that DH wanted to go to the buffet, there was literally nothing I could eat and usually ended up with a Smuckers PBJ (which you can get if you ask). The food on the Wonder and Magic is much nicer and there was always something I would be happy to eat. We both prefer the smaller ships. Disney hasn't realized bigger isn't always better.

Can't wait to see more of your TR.

I've heard from many that the smaller ships are much more charming. That said, I am still interested in trying the Dream and Fantasy if just for the chance to dine at Remy!

Originally Posted by dgbg100106

not just Disney cruises, my DH and I prefer the smaller ship no matter which line we are on.

I cringe when I think of oasis or Allure are just way too big

I'm not familiar with those huge ships, but I wouldn't want to travel on a ship with too many other people. Even 2400 like the Wonder holds seems like quite a bit.

Originally Posted by ACDSNY

Darn, I missed the crab. I should've ate lunch on our cruise, we usually skipped it

We usually ate four meals a day! (at least!)

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

Great update. I'm glad Fran was adventurous enough to go out on her own.

Sorry people were hogging the loungers. We tender to go up one deck when we wanted to lounge. There never seems to be enough around pools.

That gave me a good idea of BBB, thanks! I was just thinking this morning how much I'm looking forward to the Wonder. I have my eye set on two January cruises I'd like to do B2B in 2014 that I'll probably book while onboard.

By no means do I want Christmas over with but I'm ready to go on vacation again

I really didn't want to sit for too long so it was fine. I need to start thinking about 2014 planning. I think a B2B would be fun. Especially if we could get the sane stateroom and not have to unpack!

Originally Posted by Linda67

Coming out of lurkdom to say how much I am enjoying your TR

We will be sailing on the Wonder for the first time next year so I am loving the photos of the ship

It looks like you both had a wonderful cruise

Welcome out of lurkdom! I think I have more pictures of the ship. I always like when people show the ships in their TRs! I hope you enjoy your upcoming cruise!

Originally Posted by dolphingirl47

That buffet looked yummy. What a pain about people saving the loungers though. They used to be pretty good about clearing them every so often on the Wonder.

Corinna

I think if the loungers had gone for a long time with no one using them they would have cleared them. I was really only on deck for about half an hour so it wasn't a big deal.

Originally Posted by Leshaface

Yes! All caught up!

Loved the formal pics!

I am SO missing access to all that food right now. I'm sitting here reading this and STARVING! I really shouldn't be reading your TR's when i'm hungry.

Congratulations on the painting! Weren't there some amazing ones there?! Wish I could have taken them all.

Hey that's a great unexpected tour of the city you guys got. And for $30, not bad at all! And the jewelry, of course, is gorgeous!

Thanks for all the compliments! I wouldn't mind having BBB one floor up right now! Although we do have quite a meal plan for Christmas day, including a trip to see "Wreck It Ralph".

[franandaj]

When we left off, I had just been to the pool for a refreshing dip and Fran had visited the Flea Market for some more shopping. We both made it back to the room around the same time. There was a special concierge reception going on that evening and I was looking forward to going since I was pretty sure that there would be a character appearance of some sort. I hadn’t been able to get to see as many characters as I’d hoped this trip mainly because the lines were really long and filled with kids. Not wanting to fight off a lot of kids, I just skipped the characters instead. Fran was really exhausted now that she went back out shopping again, so she passed on the reception.

I was again back at the Cadillac Lounge, they had a very nice spread of appetizers.



This Pirate Shrimp Boat was quite impressive!







These were coconut shrimp and pigs in a blanket



These were Jalapeno poppers and tandoori chicken bites







After a little while Captain Mickey showed up







After the reception we needed to get ready for dinner. However, this was our day to deliver our Fish Extender Gifts. As it turned out this was a much more ambitious task than I had anticipated. Mostly because I went a little overboard on the gifts and sizes of the gifts. I know for the future that I can tone it down a bit, but here are some of the gifts that we handed out.

This is what we gave the DHs



This was for the boys around 8-10 years



And for the girls around 7-9 years



This was for the girls around 4-6 years



This was for the boys around 4-7 years



The teenage girls got this, but I think I also added another puzzle book and some pencils



Now we were supposed to have five kids under the age of 3, but it ended up that we only had about three so I gave a couple of the kids two of these books.













For the DWs, they got the same candies as everyone else, but I gave them some photo frames or plastic hanging frames for 5x7 photos to display memories from the cruise or other family moments. In addition everyone got five recipes. I’ll share them all with you here now.

---------------------------------------------------

Heirloom Tomato Salad - Chef Andrew Sutton, Napa Rose Serves 2

2 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces
¼ cup shallots chopped
1/3 baguette cut into bite sized pieces
4 tbl butter

½ cup Blue Cheese crumbles
3 Heirloom tomatoes, varied colors & varieties.
Vinaigrette or Caesar salad dressing
2 tbl chives chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Remove and drain reserving the bacon fat. Sauté the shallots in the bacon fat until they are tender. Remove and drain.

Meanwhile place bread chunks on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown. While the bread is baking, melt butter in a skillet over medium low heat. Add half the Blue Cheese and stir to melt. Add the baked bread crumbs to the butter mixture and toss to coat, making sure to use up every drop of the butter/cheese mixture. Return croutons to baking sheet and bake another 7-10 minutes to crisp croutons.

To Assemble the salad, cut tomatoes into pieces similar to the size of the croutons. Place tomatoes on plate, add croutons, sprinkle shallots, bacon, remaining Blue Cheese, and chives over salad. Drizzle with vinaigrette dressing, serve with remaining baguette, sliced.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Grilled Romaine Hearts - by Chef Sutton of Napa Rose Serves 2

ROMAINE HEARTS
1 head Romaine Hearts
1/2 cup Toasted Garlic Caesar Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
1/2-3/4 cup Toasted Garlic Croutons
1/3 cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese

TOASTED GARLIC CAESAR VINAIGRETTE
4-5 cloves roasted garlic
3/8 tsp Chopped Anchovies
¼ tsp Prepared Dijon Mustard
½ Lemon, juiced and zested
2/3 tbl Golden Balsamic Vinegar
2/3 tbl Red Wine Vinegar
1/8 tsp Worcestershire Sacue
Dash Kosher Salt
¼ tsp Cracked Black Pepper
1 tbl Grape Seed Oil
3 tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2/3 tbl Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 tbl Garlic Chips (thin slices, baked on low 10 min)

TOASTED GARLIC CAESAR VINAIGRETTE
Smash garlic and Anchovies in a bowl. Add Mustard, Lemon Zest, Balsamic and Red Wine Vinegars and beat with a whisk. Add Worcestershire, salt, pepper and mix again. Whisk in Grape Seed Oil, then Olive Oil. Add Garlic Chips and Parmesan.

ROMAINE HEARTS
Cut Romaine hearts in half lengthwise. Brush the cut side of each half of the Romaine heart with vinaigrette. Grill romaine on both sides for 1-2 minutes per side.

ASSEMBLY
Drizzle each half of the grilled romaine with vinaigrette. Top with purchased croutons and the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve with a knife and fork.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Beer Cheese Soup - Le Cellier Serves 6

¼ lb. smoked bacon finely chopped
1 medium red onion cut into 1/4 in. pieces
1 cup finely sliced celery
½ cup finely chopped carrots
3 tbl all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 cups chicken stock
12 oz grated white cheddar,
3 dashes Tabasco
½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup Moosehead Ale, room temp
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbl thinly sliced chives

Cook the bacon in a large heavy-bottomed, non-reactive soup pot over medium heat until wilted but not browned.

Add onions, celery and carrots and cook until the onion is translucent and bacon has crisped.

Sprinkle in flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Stir in milk and stock, a little at a time, blending well to ensure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, Tabasco, Worcestershire and ale. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with your favorite bread and top with chopped chives.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Lamb Burger - Catal Restaurant & Uva Bar Serves 2

1/2 lb ground lamb
4 oz Feta Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Kaiser rolls (I prefer the mini rolls)
2-3 tbl butter
2-3 tbl mayonnaise
2-4 slices roasted red pepper (I keep a jar in my fridge, I make these so often!)
2 slices red onion (from a whole onion, not just a couple strips)
Arugula leaves (I use 2 leaves red leaf lettuce, but any kind is fine)

Mix lamb, Feta, salt and pepper. Don't over mix as it will make the meat tough. Butter the Kaiser Rolls on either side. Brown in a skillet over medium heat until the rolls are golden brown. Cook lamb patties for about 3-4 minutes per side (longer if you prefer medium or well). Spread rolls with Mayonnaise, and assemble each burger with the red pepper, onion and lettuce.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Disneyland's Blue Bayou Monte Cristo Sandwich Serves 2

BATTER
2/3 cup water
1 small eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

SANDWICHES
4 slices white bread
2 slices roasted cooked turkey
2 slices tillamook swiss cheese
4 slices smoked ham
vegetable oil, for frying

GARNISH
Currant Jelly
Powdered Sugar

BATTER: Place water, egg, salt, and pepper in a bowl and using an electric mixer, mix well at low speed. Add flour and baking powder and mix until batter is smooth. Chill.

SANDWICHES: Make 4 sandwiches, putting cheese between ham and turkey. Cut into fourths and put a toothpick through each quarter. Heat about 6" of oil to 340 degrees in a fryer. Dip sandwiches in batter to cover all surfaces. Deep fry sandwiches until golden brown, turning as needed. An alternate way of frying is to put approximately 1/4" oil in a large pan and fry the sandwiches on both sides until crispy and brown.

Remove from oil and take out toothpicks. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil. Sprinkle sandwiches with powdered sugar. Serve with currant jelly sauce.

---------------------------------------------------------

I still have a few of the cards that I printed out, in case anyone would like me to mail them to you. Oh yeah, and after all the discussion about how to laminate them. I saw a laminating machine at Costco the other day for $19.99. Might be worth the investment for the future.

[Pinkocto]

Merry Christmas!

The spread at the reception looks delicious!

Great ideas for the FE gifts. I will definitely be trying some of those recipes.

[franandaj]

Originally Posted by Pinkocto

Merry Christmas!

The spread at the reception looks delicious!

Great ideas for the FE gifts. I will definitely be trying some of those recipes.

Merry Christmas to you too Pam! I just wish I wasn't so full, from lunch. I couldn't eat as much as I would have liked!

I'm just putting up a few updates I've had in word for about a week before we move on to our Christmas Festivities. We are watching the Disney Parade special on our new TV in our room at my parents before venturing out into the kitchen/family areas.

[franandaj]

Dinner was at Animator’s Palate tonight. For those who haven’t dined at Animator’s Palate on the Wonder or Magic, it’s a lot different than the Dream or Fantasy. When you enter the dining room the walls are black and white with character sketches and other animator’s tools throughout the room.



The menus were cool with lenticular pictures on the fronts. Sorry they are blurry, but you can see how the pictures change as you move the menu.











Some more shots of the room





And the pictures on the wall at the beginning of the evening.





Here was the menu for the night









Our bread



And the Roasted Garlic dip



Here’s Rose with my bottle of Sancerre



I ordered the Tuna Tartar. It was OK, I was probably expecting it to be seasoned with wasabi and soy sauce, that’s how I like my tuna sashimi! Oh well, I ate it all so it couldn’t have been that bad.



Fran got the Wild Mushroom Risotto with a Porcini Twist, she seemed to like this.



As dinner progressed, the pictures got more and more colorful. However, it seems to me that when we were on the Wonder in 2001, the walls also became colorful. Perhaps I could have been imagining things, that was a long time ago, but it seems to me that the show was a little more impressive back then. Fran said it was because technology has improved so much in over 10 years.









[Continued in Next Post]

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

Next our soup courses arrived.

She had the Butternut Squash Soup.



I had the Baked Potato and Cheddar Soup, why of course! It had bacon in it!



The pictures just kept changing images and changing color too. I thought I was going crazy that the walls were supposed to change colors too.















Fran and I both enjoyed the Veal Chop.



The room continued…





And then it came time for dessert





If I hadn’t been here before it was pretty easy to tell that something was up. The servers were all trying to get us through dinner and dessert quickly making sure that we had everything we wanted right away. I had the Buckled Warm Apple Crumble.



You have to ask for ice cream on the side



Fran got the Double Fudge Chocolate Cake



And then (for those who didn’t know it) we realized why the servers were all a twitter (not the social media site, sillies!)







Our servers had told us that had a really great location, and when the show came by us, we realized why. Mickey was dancing to the tune of Fantasmic! And the servers all paraded past him with their colored vests. I guess this is where the color on the walls comes in, but I could have sworn that it happened gradually throughout dinner.







[Continued in Next Post]

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

So I mentioned on a previous night about how well I had the servers trained. They brought me the menu for tomorrow night, however, we would not be dining from this menu as we had booked Palo specifically because I wanted to avoid Pirate night’s menu. Fran said that she would have enjoyed eating some of the items on this menu, and I felt bad that I had deprived her of it. Maybe on our next cruise we will eat in the dining room on Pirate night and skip a different menu night. I’ll have to find out what the rotations are for the six night cruises.

Here is the menu.











Fran and I ended up going back to the room. She straggled behind to take these pictures of the artwork in the stairways.









I guess I went back to the room without stopping because she informed me that she took a picture of a discarded gingerbread house left in the hallway! I guess it was from that class that I didn’t choose to sign up for.



Tonight Lucifer was not harassing our towel animal!

[dolphingirl47]

Merry Christmas.

I love your Fish Extender gifts. This was quite a spread at the reception. I would have loved the Jalapeno Poppers and the Coconut Shrimp. It was nice that you got the chance to have some photos with Captain Mickey.

We try to escape to Palo on Pirate night as well. There are some nice things on the Pirate Night menu, but we don't like the noise in the dining room that night.

Corinna

[QuiltTeddy]

I've heard from many that the smaller ships are much more charming. That said, I am still interested in trying the Dream and Fantasy if just for the chance to dine at Remy!

The Magic is our favorite ship, with the Wonder closely following. We just cruised on the Dream in March this year and, while they have some huge improvements, there were major flaws -- at least in our opinion.

The ship is huge, but the adult pool and lounging area is extremely small. On a sea day, if you didn't get to the pool VERY early, you had to find a lounger on another deck and then walk down to the pool if you wanted to swim. With the pool being so small, it was wall to wall people on the sea days in the pool. Absolutely not enjoyable in the least bit!

The "swim up" bar attached to the pool also led to some extremely unruly patrons in the pool.

The hot tub was very cool in that you could see down to the deck below, but, again, it was very small and a limited number of people could utilize it.

The "adult only area" had a constant stream of children and family walking through as the foreward elevator dumped out at the pool.

Service suffered in many areas -- the wait staff, cleanliness, food quality, etc. Throughout the cruise we kept saying "it's just not the typical Disney quality". One curtain was actually falling down in one of the restaurants.

One really fabulous addition was the inter-active art that was displayed throughout the ship. You could sign up for a detective game and work to solve the mystery and while doing so, you visited various artwork displayed throughout the ship. When you stood on a marker and displayed your detective badge the artwork came to life. VERY COOL!!! We loved this and while participating saw many areas of the ship that we would not otherwise have seen.

The other unbelievable addition was Animators Palate. On the two new ships it is now interactive. I won't say more because it's just something that needs to be experienced. All I'll say is AWESOME DUDE!

Dispensing our FE gifts was lengthy with the size of the ship. We basically had to do one deck a day in order to be able to cover all the rooms. We had a lot of rooms who were participating.

We didn't dine at Remy (since I'm such a picky eater), but choose to have dinner at Palo (can't miss out on the chocolate souffle!) and then had brunch there another day.

While I'd love to be able to say I've been on each and every ship in the Disney fleet, I don't think I will make it a point to hit the Fantasy since it's basically the same design as the Dream......although we are considering a Christmas and/or New Year's cruise in 2013 if they don't offer the pacific cruise again in 2014. We are waiting anxiously for any word.

Loving your TR and each update. It's making me want to cruise again long before the end of 2013 or beginniing of 2014.