Experiment-627: A Caribbean Double with a Wilderness Chaser

[Captain_Oblivious]

That might be one of your best "diversions" yet, Rob. Having read David MacCullough's (sp?) excellent "1776", I had heard of Nathaniel Greene, but certainly not all of the details. And that watercolor at the top is so good, I thought it was a photo.

Fascinating stuff. Thanks!

 

[afwdwfan]

Interesting info about Nathaniel Greene. Both the man and the sub.

 

[FreezinRafiki]

Revolutionary War history! Nuclear technology disposal! The cotton gin!
All neatly wrapped up in a Disney Trip Report. Well done, sir, well done.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

love reading TR - have just found this one and am up to chapter 2 and am loving your style of writing not to mention the pictures. Now the problem is do i read the rest of it now or do i wait a little and be patient and savor each piece of it

Well gawrsh…

Thanks and welcome to my TR, I’m very glad to have you along. If you’ve made it all the way through chapter two in one sitting, then you certainly need to take a break. If you were to continue on at that pace, dementia could set in at any moment. But… if you’re truly a thrill seeker, then you can always attempt to read my first TR (just click on the "Christmas at POR" link down there in my sig), but I’d strongly advise against it.

That might be one of your best "diversions" yet, Rob. Having read David MacCullough's (sp?) excellent "1776", I had heard of Nathaniel Greene, but certainly not all of the details. And that watercolor at the top is so good, I thought it was a photo.

Fascinating stuff. Thanks!

Interesting info about Nathaniel Greene. Both the man and the sub.

Revolutionary War history! Nuclear technology disposal! The cotton gin!
All neatly wrapped up in a Disney Trip Report. Well done, sir, well done.

Gentlemen (and y’all know I use the term loosely), I’m not worthy… but thanks anyway.

That last one gives you a good glimpse into the random and almost haphazard way my brain works. Knowing this, can you imagining the conversations that my patent wife and teenage son have had to endure while the three of us were stuck in any of the particularly long queues for an attractions at WDW? And yet… they are willing to go back and risk that possibility again and again. This sacrifice alone is proof of the powerful and almost addictive attraction of all things Disney.

(either that or a sign of outright madness)

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Bonus Feature 8.5 - Sub Addendum???

Well, I’ve decided to roll the next chunk of this TR up to the top of the next page (no reason… just wan’a) so I’ll be wasting this spot in the TR with the following bit of pointless gibberish...

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


Here’s a little addendum to that last post.




There are over fifty different memorials consisting of either an entire submarine or a fragment of a former sub throughout the country. Very often, only the conning tower was preserved and this is especially true of former nuclear submarines (and for obvious reasons as you learned in my last little feature) with the memorial at Port Canaveral being one of that number. Most of these memorials are near the oceans, but a few are located more inland in cities that are either river or Great Lake ports. Then again… there are a handful of these that are not where you’d expect to find a submarine at all.



My favorite example of this is the USS Batfish (SS-310), which can be found on dry land in Muskogee, Oklahoma

Another quirky sub memorial is that of the USS Hawkbill (SSN-666). Only the tower remains of this ship but you can find it along US Highway 20 / 26 in Arco, Idaho as a display outside the Idaho Science Center.

Then there is USS Pintado (SS-387). Again only the tower remains, but this one can be found in Fredericksburg, Texas. Although Texas does certainly have a coastline, Fredericksburg, ain’t on it. It’s nearly 200 hundred miles inland west of Austin. This town is also the home of the National Museum of the Pacific War (although it obviously nowhere near the Pacific). The museums existence explains why you’ll find the fragment of that sub there, but why is the museum in Texas in the first place? Andwer: because Admiral Chester Nimitz, the supreme navel commander in the Pacific during the Second World War, was born in Fredericksburg, and his home town has strived to put together an excellent little museum to his legacy and that important time in our history.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


Here are a couple of lists of the other US subs that you might encounter as you travel the country.



USN Submarines currently preserved and open to the public

USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Portsmouth, NH (Albacore Park)
USS Batfish (SS-310) Muskogee, OK (War Memorial Park and Museum)
USS Becuna (SS-319) Philadelphia, PA (Independence Seaport Museum)
USS Blueback (SS-581) Portland, OR (Oregon Museum of Science & Industry)
USS Bowfin (SS-287) Pearl Harbor, HI (USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park)
USS Cavalla (SS-244) Galveston, TX (Sea Wolf Park)
USS Clamagore (SS-343) Mount Pleasant, SC (Patriot's Point)
USS Cobia (SS-245) Manitowoc, WI (Wisconsin Maritime Museum)
USS Cod (SS-224) Cleveland, OH (downtown on the Eire lakefront)
USS Croaker (SS-246) Buffalo, NY (Buffalo-Erie County Naval & Military Park)
USS Drum (SS-228) Mobile, AL (Battleship Memorial Park)
USS Growler (SSG-577) New York, NY (Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum)
USS Ling (SS-297) Hackensack, NJ (New Jersey Naval Museum)
USS Lionfish (SS-298) Fall River, MA (Battleship Cove)
USS Nautilus (SSN 571) Groton, CT (USN Submarine Force Museum)
USS Pampanito (SS-383) San Francisco, CA (Fisherman's Wharf)
USS Razorback (SS-394) Little Rock, AR (Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum)
USS Requin (SS-481) Pittsburgh, PA (Carnegie Science Center)
USS Silversides (SS-236) Muskegon, MI (Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum)
USS Torsk (SS-423) Baltimore, MD (Baltimore Maritime Museum)


Fragments of USN Submarines currently preserved as memorials

USS Balao (SS-285) Washington, DC (Washington Navy Yard)
USS Boston (SSN-703) Buffalo, NY (Buffalo-Erie County Naval & Military Park)
USS Drum (SS-228) Muskegon, MI (Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum)
USS Flasher (SS-249) Groton, CT (Nautilus Park)
USS G.Washington (SSBN-598) Groton, CT (USN Submarine Force Museum)
USS George Bancroft (SSBN-643) Kings Bay, GA (USN Submarine Base, Kings Bay)
USS Grayling (SSN-646) Portsmouth, NH (USN Ship Yard, Portsmouth)
USS Greenling (SSN-614) Keyport, WA (Naval Undersea Museum)
USS Halfbeak (SS-352) Hackensack, NJ (New Jersey Naval Museum)
USS Hawkbill (SSN-666) Arco, ID (Idaho Science Center)
USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642) Pearl Harbor, HI (Currently in storage)
USS Lewis & Clark (SSBN-644) Mount Pleasant, SC (Patriot's Point)
USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636) Port Canaveral, FL (Port Canaveral AFS)
USS Parche (SS-384) Honolulu, HI (Naval Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor)
USS Parche (SSN-683) Bremerton, WA (Puget Sound Navy Museum
USS Pintado (SS-387) Fredericksburg, TX (National Museum of the Pacific War)
USS Roncador (SS-301) San Diego, CA (Point Loma Sub Base)
USS Squalus (SS-192) Portsmouth, NH (USN Ship Yard, Portsmouth)
USS Sturgeon (SSN-637) Keyport, WA (Naval Undersea Museum)
USS Tautog (SSN-639) Galveston, TX (Sea Wolf Park)
USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) Silverdale, WA (USN Submarine Base, Bangor)
​

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Chapter 4: The Tale - Day 1 (Sun)

Part 7: “Please come back… I’ll give you five bucks!”
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​

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If we were in London, we’d be talking about “The West End”; were it New York, the term would be: “Great White Way”; aboard the Dream, were talking about “Decks-3 & 4 Forward”. This is where you’ll find the Theater district. Of course, aboard the Dream there is actually only one venue: The Walt Disney Theater

…but there is a different show here each night of the cruise. There is no real dress code for the evening shows. This is especially noticeable during the early performance. We tend to just go casual, but Some folks go ahead and dress for dinner first (the later performance is for the folks with the early dinner seating, so they’re generally already dress up pretty nice). As we were making our way to the theater we even caught a glimpse of Tiana in her formal finery…

…but she was headed for some high and fine to-do somewhere else on the ship and couldn’t stop to talk at the time.

Now then, where was I? (and before you say it again Andy… I know the technical answer is: “on a ship”)… Anyway… The idea of having live entertainers aboard a cruise ship is neither a new concept nor an earth shattering one. Musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, and even Broadway style reviews have been entertainment staples since the early days of the luxury transatlantic liners. But with Disney, you expect a bit more magic to be built into you entertainment. And generally, you’ll get exactly that. Your expectations, however, will always play a part in you experiences (and that is true for most aspects of life).

The evening’s presentation will vary depending on the length of your cruise and the shows currently being offered. Generally there are three major Disney productions which is a perfect fit for the short cruises. During the longer sailings, the extra nights may include various live performers and even special presentations of first run movies. We’d see examples of all of these this time, but on any voyage longer then three days, the first night is usually a time to get acquainted. Once everyone had settled in, our “Cruise Director Julie”… no, no, no… wrong boat… ummmm… Rachel! Yah, that was it… our Cruise Director, Rachel Quinn, took to the stage to give us a rousing official welcome and generally talked up the events to come.

(My pics from in the theater ain’t the greatest, but they do ask you not to use a flash)



After all the proper salutations had been bestowed it was time to get on with the show…



= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


"Never work with children or animals."

That last subtitle is an old entertainment adage that has generally been attributed to the great W.C. Fields. It is also one well worth remembering if you’re in the biz. Why? Because kids and animals are almost assuredly going to 1) do something wildly unpredictable, 2) upstage you, or 3) both (there really is no “4”… one of the other three will happen if you put yourself in this position). But then again, if being upstaged is part of your act in the first place, then by all means, grab a kid out of the audience and then just wait for the hilarity to ensue. Allow me to illustrate…

Our first show of the trip was a comic duo performing an act called “The Dangerous Comedy of Wilde & James”.

These two fellows perform a comedic juggling act that was pretty entertaining. This type of act is actually common on cruise ships. I don’t know exactly why, but it is (although maybe it’s because juggling is seen as being somewhat dorky, so it’s easy to make fun of yourself while doing it, thus adding to the comedic effect, and bla… bla… bla…). Anyway, Mr. James and Mr. Wild were rather good at it.

They were contracted specifically to do several late evening adult only shows during the cruise (which I just did not catch this time around), but they were performing their “G-rated” version on the main stage tonight. They make fairly heavy use of innocent bystanders form the audience (another common practice of cruise ship entertainment in general)…

The grand finally was to include a guest form the audience and bowling balls. This is where they violated Fields first law of vaudeville (intentionally or otherwise). They pulled a nine or ten year old young’en up form one of the first few rows and then started with a simple visual joke involving a chicken egg…

Needless to say, the egg ended up getting broken (but not on the kid). After that, they proceeded to explain the coup de grace of the evening. The boy and one of the two performers were to lye flat on the stage while the other one juggled the bowling balls over them. The boy was hesitant (and rightly so). The guys reassured him that all was safe and that in any case he’d be on the outside farthest from the implements of doom. OK, back to the action… our hero was put in his places of honor…

…the drum roll commenced, the bowling balls started along their trajectories…

… and immediately one hit the stage with an ear splitting “clank”!. Of course this was a planed part of the routine and no one was ever “really” in danger, but our bright young man decided that he’d seen enough and was prudently heading back for his seat… the laughter was thunderous. Wild & James had to plead with their “subject” to entice him back on stage to finish the show. When one of them offered to pay the boy $5 if he’d come back (and even pulled a couple of bucks out of his pocket as a sign of good faith), then the boy was up out of his seat. At this… the laughter was even grander then before. OK… grand finale: take two…

Needless to say, all went well, applause was awarded, bows were taken, congratulatory hand shakes were offered, and the one fellow even gave up the promised hand full of bills to the youngster in question. Here’s where things really went awry. The kid quickly counted the bills and then informed our performers in no uncertain terms that they owed him one more buck. Now, you had to be there, but I was laughing so heard that I didn’t catch my breath for several minutes afterward. The other guy reached into his pocket and found the wayward “Georgie” and all was right with the world. Our first evening of Disney/Vegas style entertainment was a success.

​

 

[afwdwfan]

Well, I’ve decided to roll the next chunk of this TR up to the top of the next page (no reason… just wan’a) so I’ll be wasting this spot in the TR with the following bit of pointless gibberish...

You realize that one of these times you're going to try to pull this trick and some smart beverly is going to jump in and post a reply at the top of the next page before you can post the next update.

As we were making our way to the theater we even caught a glimpse of Tiana in her formal finery…

Hmm... looks like she was a little overdressed for the show.

(and before you say it again Andy… I know the technical answer is: “on a ship”)

I was going to say in a theater

“Cruise Director Julie”… no, no, no… wrong boat… ummmm… Rachel! Yah, that was it… our Cruise Director, Rachel Quinn, took to the stage to give us a rousing official welcome and generally talked up the events to come.

So is Rachel/Julie the live action, nautical version of Stacy?

When one of them offered to pay the boy $5 if he’d come back (and even pulled a couple of bucks out of his pocket as a sign of good faith), then the boy was up out of his seat.

Wow, this kid is a little too young and naive. He easily could have held out for 10 bucks.

The kid quickly counted the bills and then informed our performers in no uncertain terms that they owed him one more buck.

Hmmm... sounds like Alex Keaton.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

You realize that one of these times you're going to try to pull this trick and some smart beverly is going to jump in and post a reply at the top of the next page before you can post the next update.

A challenge?

Yah… I know it’s a possibility, but you’ll have to be quick on the draw to catch me considering the relatively low traffic level on my particular TR.

But I say… “Have at you!”

Hmm... looks like she was a little overdressed for the show.

Maybe a might… but like I said, she was heading off toward something better.
(The Captains table maybe?)

I was going to say in a theater

And you did

So is Rachel/Julie the live action, nautical version of Stacy?

Interesting insight…
didn’t really look at it that way, but I like the analogy.

Wow, this kid is a little too young and naive. He easily could have held out for 10 bucks.

Hmmm... sounds like Alex Keaton.

Or a young Tatum O’Neil
(yah… I’m a good bit older then you are )

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Now then, where was I? (and before you say it again Andy… I know the technical answer is: “on a ship”)

"I'm on a boat"

The idea of having live entertainers aboard a cruise ship is neither a new concept nor an earth shattering one. Musicians, singers, dancers, comedians, and even Broadway style reviews have been entertainment staples since the early days of the luxury transatlantic liners. But with Disney, you expect a bit more magic to be built into you entertainment. And generally, you’ll get exactly that.

I'm not sure these guys get enough credit. The ship was rocking and rolling in rough seas on the first night of our cruise, but the show went without a hitch. Considering the stage is moving while they're performing, I thought that was pretty impressive.

This type of act is actually common on cruise ships. I don’t know exactly why, but it is (although maybe it’s because juggling is seen as being somewhat dorky, so it’s easy to make fun of yourself while doing it, thus adding to the comedic effect, and bla… bla… bla…). Anyway, Mr. James and Mr. Wild were rather good at it.

Juggling is dorky until you try to do it yourself. I don't recommend starting with chainsaws.

… and immediately one hit the stage with an ear splitting “clank”!. Of course this was a planed part of the routine and no one was ever “really” in danger, but our bright young man decided that he’d seen enough and was prudently heading back for his seat… the laughter was thunderous. Wild & James had to plead with their “subject” to entice him back on stage to finish the show. When one of them offered to pay the boy $5 if he’d come back (and even pulled a couple of bucks out of his pocket as a sign of good faith), then the boy was up out of his seat. At this… the laughter was even grander then before.

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.

Here’s where things really went awry. The kid quickly counted the bills and then informed our performers in no uncertain terms that they owed him one more buck. Now, you had to be there, but I was laughing so heard that I didn’t catch my breath for several minutes afterward.

Quite the little mercenary! Are we sure he wasn't a plant?

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

"I'm on a boat"

But this one doesn’t “fly to the moon somehow”, cause it don’t need to.

(Sheeeze… this is becoming a running joke… y’all do me a favor and don’t be quoting too much of that one… we got kids reading along around here ya’ know).

I'm not sure these guys get enough credit. The ship was rocking and rolling in rough seas on the first night of our cruise, but the show went without a hitch. Considering the stage is moving while they're performing, I thought that was pretty impressive.

Expecially when their tossing the knives and axes around.

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are.



Quite the little mercenary! Are we sure he wasn't a plant?

Kind’a like the fellow in the Indiana Jones Stunt Show…
Hummmmm, could be…

 

[afwdwfan]

(Sheeeze… this is becoming a running joke… y’all do me a favor and don’t be quoting too much of that one… we got kids reading along around here ya’ know).

I thought that's what peanut butter and beverly were for.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

I thought that's what peanut butter and beverly were for.

All rightie then… here’s your chance to get creative.

Since you brought it up first, you might as well go on ahead and rummage up a copy of that lyric, replace the rougher stuff with DDC approved vocabulary and then post the whole thing back over here. It might actually be a good read if altered into that format, and every one who isn’t getting the gist of this can laugh along as well.

If you do it, I’ll add it to my “Bonus Feature” table of contents back on page-1 and give you full credit.

 

[afwdwfan]

Wow, as you can tell, it has obviously been slow at work since I've returned from lunch.

All rightie then… here’s your chance to get creative.

Yeah... takes a lot of creativity to remove @#$% and replace it with beverly.

Since you brought it up first, you might as well go on ahead and rummage up a copy of that lyric, replace the rougher stuff with DDC approved vocabulary and then post the whole thing back over here. It might actually be a good read if altered into that format, and every one who isn’t getting the gist of this can laugh along as well.

If you do it, I’ll add it to my “Bonus Feature” table of contents back on page-1 and give you full credit.

Done, but I don't want credit for this... I'm afraid I might get kicked of the DISboards or something! Blame it on Andy.... Andy Samberg.

If I was at home, instead of at work, I'm pretty sure I'd be watching this video on Youtube right about now.


(Shawty) Aww Beverly
Get your towels ready it's about to go down (yeah, shawty)
Everybody in the place hit the beverly deck (yeah, shawty)
But stay on your peanut butter toes
We runnin this, let's go

[Chorus (T-Pain)]
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)
Everybody look at me cause I'm sailin on a boat (sailin on a boat)
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)
I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the peanut butter boat (boat, yeah)

[The Lonely Island (T-Pain)]
I'm on a boat peanut butter take a look at me
Straight floatin on a boat on the deep blue sea
Bustin five knots, wind whippin at my coat
You can't stop me peanut butter cause I'm on a boat

Take a picture, trick (trick) I'm on a boat, beverly (beverly)
We drinking Santana champ, cause it's so crisp (crisp)
I got my swim trunks, and my flippie-floppies
I'm flippin burgers, you at Kinko's straight flippin copies

I'm ridin on a dolphin, doin flips and beverly
This dolphin's splashin, gettin e'rybody all wet
But this ain't Seaworld, this is real as it gets
I'm on a boat peanut butter, don't you ever forget

I'm on a boat and, it's goin fast and
I got a nautical themed pashmina afghan
I'm the king of the world, on a boat like Leo
If you're on the shore, then you're sho' not me-oh
{Get the beverly up, this boat is real}

Beverly land, I'm on a boat, peanut butter (peanut butter)
Beverly trees, I climb buoys, peanut butter (peanut butter)
I'm on the deck with my boys, peanut butter (yeah)
The boat engine make noise, peanut butter

Hey ma, if you could see me now (see me now)
Arms spread wide on the starboard bow (starboard bow)
Gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow (moon somehow)
Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible

[T-Pain]
Yeah, never thought I'd be on a boat
It's a big blue watery road (yeah)
Poseidon, Look at me, oh (all hands on deck)
Never thought I'd see the day
When a big boat comin my way
Believe me when I say, I Beverly a mermaid

[Chorus]
I'm on a boat
I'm on a boat
Everybody look at me cause im sailin on a boat
I'm on a boat
I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the peanut butter boat

[T-Pain]
Whoahhh
Sha-sha-shorty, shorty
Yeah yeah yeahhh

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Done, but I don't want credit for this...

Well you’re getting the “credit” anyway. Thanks Andy



And there you have it folks, that last post is now officially……

Bonus Feature #9 – I’m on a Boat

Yeah... takes a lot of creativity to remove @#$% and replace it with beverly.

Hay I was giving you an opportunity to invent some new Disney-esk replacement words.

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Chapter 4: The Tale - Day 1 (Sun)

Part 8: I ate What?​

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After the show we dropped back by the cabin to get changed and then headed off to dinner. Our first restaurant of the trip was going to be the Royal Palace.

This is the main dinning room right off the grand lobby on Deck-3. We arrived just before the staff opened the doors for the second seating. There was a small jazz ensemble set up on the foyer just behind the statue of Admiral Donald.

These cats were very good and they held down this spot on the ship each evening at dinner time.

Once the doors opened all the late evening dinner folks started filling into the Palace. The maître d' greeted each party in turn, checked on the seating assignments and then had one of the staff lead each of group to their table.

<Full disclosure here… I didn’t get very good pictures of the Place so these were taken from DCL’s web site (they’re better photographers then I anyway).>


Depending on the size of you party, you may well find yourself sharing a table with one or more other groups. Being as there are only three of us, we have always found ourselves in this situation. Not being all that outgoing, this can be a bit awkward, but so far our table mates have always been good folks. This time around, we’d be sharing table #66 with a family of 5 from Iceland (father, mother and three daughters aged about 15, 10 and 9). No, really… they were from Iceland. I’ll give y’all more details about them as we go, but for now just know that they were charming and very polite folks. One thing though is that most of the clan spoke English only as a second language, so our conversations, though pleasant, were generally pretty basic. Hay no problem… the person I most like talking to in the first place is Tamara, so I was never bereft of conversation.

The other folks that you’ll be meeting at dinner on the first night are your personal wait-staff. Of all the CMs aboard the ship, you’ll get to know these two folks the best (and they’ll get to know you pretty well in return). Katarina introduced herself as our assistant-server only moments after we’d taken out seats. She hails from the Czech Republic and to get it right, you need to pronounce all of the syllables of her name: Ka-ta-ri-na (as opposed to the way most Americans pronounce the name of a certain well known storm, although she moved about as quickly as a hurricane at times). Your assistant-server may well be a trainee, and service can vary widely, but they all try very hard to keep you happy. Katarina, however, was experienced at the job, and did a fine job looking out for everyone through the whole trip. Once drinks had been served and menus had been passed out, we meet Daniel. Our Server was a native of Wales, a Disney CM veteran of both the World and DCL, and one dang fine fellow. Far and away, these two were the best servers I’ve encountered on any ship and a joy to be around.

<This was taken on the last night, honestly, they were moving so fast the rest of the cruise that you really couldn’t get a good picture. Well… that combined with the fact that we were so intent on enjoying dinner each evening that we often forgot to take pictures of anything >

Now then… where was I? Oh yah…

The menu for this evening had a distinct French influence and looked a lot like this…

OK, it looked exactly like that, but to help you work through that overly tiny picture here’s a better glimpse of what all was listed there:


Appetizers

Pomegranate Glazed Duck Breast
With Gewürztraminer Gelée and Pomegranate Glaze

Double Baked Spinach Soufflé
Coated with a Three-Cheese Cream

Escargots Gratinés
Herb-marinated Snails with Finely Chopped Mushrooms,
topped with Garlic Butter and Breadstick

Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp
White and Green Asparagus, Micro Greens and
Lemon-dill dressing with Horseradish Cream

Soups and Salads

Avocado-Citrus Salad
With Iceberg and Radicchio Leaves
and an Orange Vinaigrette

The Comtesse Du Barry's Soup
Rich Velvety Cauliflower Cream,
topped with Salmon Caviar Croutons

Royal Market Green Salad
Cherry Tomato, Cucumbers, Peppered Goat Cheese
and a Raspberry Vinaigrette

Belle's French Onion Soup
With Gruyère Cheese Crouton


Main Course

Royal Palace Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin
and Lobster Medallions Sautéed Snow Peas and
Marquis Potatoes with a Cognac Reduction

Oven-Baked Salmon Royale Crowned with King Smoked Salmon
and Horseradish Crust accompanied by Sautéed Swiss Chard,
truffle-infused Cauliflower Purée, and White Wine Beurre Blanc

Roasted Wild Boar Tenderloin Sweet Carrot and
Onion Potato Cake with a Red Currant reduction

Grilled Farm-Raised Organic Chicken Breast Salad
Romaine Lettuce, Herbed Croutons, Cherry Tomatoes
and a Creamy Parmesan Dressing

Double Cut Rack of Lamb with a Dijon Crust
With fine Green Beans, Gratin Potatoes and Rosemary Jus

Pan seared Tofu, Roasted Zucchini, Eggplant and Red Peppers
On Israeli Couscous with a Lime-Cilantro Drop

Baked Farm-Raised Organic Chicken Breast Filled with Escarole,
Raisins and Pine Nuts on Wild Rice with a Red Wine reduction

Wild Mushroom filled Pasta in a Vegetable Broth
Topped with Watercress, Shaved Parmesan Cheese
and a Paprika Oil Drizzle


Baked Salmon and Oven-roasted Chicken Breast available upon request.


Bread Service

Warm Herb Brioche with an Olive Spread


Dessert

Sweet Temptations
A trio of Peanut Butter Mousse, Mango Cheesecake,
and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée

Grand Marnier Soufflé
Infused with fresh Orange Zest
and served with Crème Anglaise

Peanut Butter Mousse
Dark Chocolate infused Peanut Butter,
Chiffon Cake and Whipped Cream

Strawberry Short Cake Sundae
Strawberries, Vanilla Ice Cream,
Whipped Cream and Angel Food Cake

Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée
With Macaroon

No Sugar Added Dessert

Chocolate Ganache
Served with Breton Sablé and Mango Coulis

Mango Cheesecake
With Whipped Cream and Fruits


There’s a lot to choose from there and most of it is not the kind of thing that you’d generally run across at a national chain, or on the local buffets or even at the better fish camps back at home.

Daniel was recommending the Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin and that sounded mighty good to me. As it turns out, he was right (and generally was always right when it came to suggestions… a good thing to remember). Actually there’s a story related to Daniel’s desert suggestions that I’ll get into later on in the TR, but I’m already running long here so I’ll come back to it later on (just remember that Daniel likes to pull for the underdog).

Anyway… back to dinner…

I paired the tenderloin up with the Avocado-Citrus Salad and then had Crème Brûlée for desert (a quick note on that desert: Tamara makes brûlée for us from time to time at home <if I beg and plead enough> and I’m completely addicted to the stuff… oh yah… Disney’s version wasn’t bad either).

Did you notice that I didn’t mention the appetizer course? Well, there’s a story there, so let me digress for just a moment. First off… my son likes Calamari and has been partial to it since her was about five years old.

“Really” (you say… and “what’s that got to do with the story”)? Yep (I say… and I’m getting to that, just hold your horses). I know that’s a fairly odd item for an American teen much less a first-grader, but here’s how it came about. We were out at a rather good restaurant one evening about ten years ago and I ordered up some of the stuff for myself. When it arrived the conversation went like this…
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Max: “What’s that?”

Me: “Calamari.”

Max: “So what’s Calamari?”

Me: “Calamari is Calamari.”

Max: “D-a-d! …what’s it taste like?”

Me: “Like Calamari”

Max: “<sigh> OK, what’s Calamari taste like?”

Me: “It’s close to shrimp, but maybe a bit chewier”

Max: “Chewier?”

Me: “You know… chewy like a gummy-bear. Try it you’ll like it.”
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Now, over the years I’ve been fairly honest with Max as to whether or not I thought he’d actually like the taste of a thing (there are dishes I purposely steered him away from cause I just knew better). As such, he has learned to trust me... somewhat. That being said, you and I both know that if I had told him that it was “squid” right out of the box, the conversation would have ended right there. As you’ve already surmised, he did try and like the stuff and still does. Now I told you that story so I can tell you this one… It’s easier to learn to eat something if you don’t have a preconceived notion of just how gross it “might” be. And this brings us around to… wait for it…

Escargots

I’ve known exactly what that is since I was a kid and needless to say… I would no more have consider trying the stuff then I would consider taking a swan dive into a pigsty (well… being a Southerner, a belly flop might be a different story given that one’s honor were on the line and more then enough beer had entered into the equation… but you get the point). Anyway… When I saw that particular item on the menu it made me stop and think (and thinking is usually a bad thing in my case). I thought for a moment and then I said to myself…
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Me: “Self… you ought’a try that”

Self: “Are you nuts?”

Me: “Come on… you know that our tastes have changed over the years…”

Self: “And that constitutes a reason to dive head first into a chum bucket?”

Me: “Now that’s not fair.. we don’t really know what it’s like, and wont unless we try it.”

Self: “I.. d’know…”

3rd-Self: “Pansies!”

Me: “Again I say… no one yanked your chain so you just stay out of this.”

3rd-Self: “You two ain’t got the guts God gave a Billy Goat!”

Me: “I do believe that’s quite enough out of you…”

Self: “No good will come of this…”

Me: “I said: that’s enough now… both of ya’! Look… this is our great Experiment 627 trip. So I say we need to get out of the box and try something new and I don’t want to hear anymore about it. The snails are going to hit the table and y’all can just get the “Beverly” over it… ya’ hear!”
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Needless to say… Escargots got ordered… Escargots got tried... and no one had to bring a bucket.

Actually I’m here to tell you that it was a whole lot like Max’s Calamari experience. The texture of the stuff is very similar to grilled shrimp and the flavor is fairly neutral. Actually most of the flavor of the dish comes form the sauce it’s roasted in which is ninety percent garlic and butter (“and garlic don’t need no reason”). I closed my eyes and popped the first byte in my mouth. Mere moments later the last one had vanished and I was using the Herb Brioche to sop up the rest of the drippings. A successful experiment indeed, and trust me… I’ll be having that particular dish again (especially if I’m on a DCL ship).

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[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Chapter 4: The Tale - Day 1 (Sun)

Part 9: Turned Down​

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OK… truce. That last one was a bit long, so I’ll keep this post somewhat shorter. Actually, once dinner was over (and especially since we eat during the late seating), it was pretty much the end of day one. Now there is still a lot to do in the evening on a Disney ship, but a good bit of it is geared toward the adults only crowd. There are a number of very fine lounges and a couple of dance clubs all clustered together in an area called: “The District” on Deck-4 aft. But… It’s still better for the world if I’m not seen in public attempting to dance (and I don’t miuch enjoy it in the first place). Also… since Max isn’t eighteen yet he really couldn’t tag along and that didn’t seem fair to us.

Let me talk a little bit about that age thing. During the day, anyone can go anywhere in any of the public spaces on the ship (except that the teens would really, really prefer that mom and dad stay out of “Vibe”). These being the case, if you want to go check out “687” or the “Skyline lounge” and you want to bring your family along, you’re welcome to do so. But in the evening, you have to be 18 to get into The District. Even then the CMs still won’t serve alcohol to anyone under the age of 21 aboard a DCL ship but you can come into the clubs. Do keep in mind though, that of the countries on this earth that allow the consumption of alcohol, only one of them has a minimum drinking age over 18 (and that would be the US). The oceans are international waters and whenever a ship is in a port, that nation’s laws apply, but Disney follows the US drinking age law by choice. Many other cruise lines allow drinks to be sold to folk 18 and over while not in US territory. Just something to keep in mind.

That’s enough PSA for now. After dinner, we just walked around the ship for a bit to see what we could see and to enjoy the night sea air.

Then we ducked into Cabanas just to look around

They were closed by now

…but since we hadn’t been up here yet we just wanted to see what it looked like. There are some really nice mosaics on either side of this space near the main entrances

<that one’s just for Ron>



There is also a purpose built “Photo-Op” spot by the aft elevators as you’re leaving

OK… so why didn’t we take turns standing there and getting your picture with Nigel... Well, actually… we did, but none of them turned out worth a dang…

…see what I mean. So y’all will just have to do it for us and post your photos in your own TRs so I can go look at them. What’a ya’ say?






So we moseyed on down to Deck-9 and headed back forward toward our cabin to settle in for the evening and found that our first F/E gifts had arrived (you do remember about the F/E right?)

The can cozies will come in handy the next time I head to the beach back at home, and the little magnets went straight onto our door for the rest of the cruise.

Once back inside our stateroom, we found that the couch had been set up as a single bunk, our bed had been turned down, and the first towel animal of the cruise was waiting on us… with chocolates no less. We never quite figured out “exactly” what it was but we decided to go with “Piggy”

(what do y’all say?)


Day one was a roaring success and we had much more to look forward to. The weather for tomorrow was predicted to be excellent all morning, and that was extremely important to us given the destination of the day.

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[Grooovertoo]

Reading your TR is like reading a Clancy novel. The history, the insight, and then, and then....a couple chapters later, it all ties in. And I love a good Clancy read, so keep on with the TR...LOVIN EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Your section on the subs had me ready to dig out The Hunt For Red October.

I haven't been able to get to the boards in a few as I have my own trip to get ready for, but I thought I would get caught up this morning with a little coffee and a good read. This gets me ready to work with the DW and have an all day planning/packing session!!

Also, I've read plenty of TR's about the Dream and yours is the only one to ever mention the sink controls and I think something like that can be just a little important too!?!

 

[Kez250]

Glad you gave the Escargots a try - DD (8) and I really enjoyed them on our cruises - then again she is my adventurous eater (think oysters, tuna tartare, mussels to name a few) as opposed to DS (9) who will eat shrimp if it's salt and sugar shrimp or occasionally coconut shrimp that's about as adventurous as he gets

The Dream looks awesome, looking forward to hearing more of your comments and opinions

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Reading your TR is like reading a Clancy novel. The history, the insight, and then, and then....a couple chapters later, it all ties in. And I love a good Clancy read, so keep on with the TR...LOVIN EVERY MINUTE OF IT. Your section on the subs had me ready to dig out The Hunt For Red October.

I haven't been able to get to the boards in a few as I have my own trip to get ready for, but I thought I would get caught up this morning with a little coffee and a good read. This gets me ready to work with the DW and have an all day planning/packing session!!

Also, I've read plenty of TR's about the Dream and yours is the only one to ever mention the sink controls and I think something like that can be just a little important too!?!

Glad to be of service. I like’s me a good sub story or military adventure as well.

That’s quite a lot of very high praise for such a humble author. Honestly, I figured no one would ever bother reading any of this but I just enjoy writing it down. I figured that I’d write it the way that I’d go about talking about it (which means that every time I run across an interesting detail, I go off the rails over explaining it). As you might expect, conversations with me tend to ramble all over God’s creation.

Glad you gave the Escargots a try - DD (8) and I really enjoyed them on our cruises - then again she is my adventurous eater (think oysters, tuna tartare, mussels to name a few) as opposed to DS (9) who will eat shrimp if it's salt and sugar shrimp or occasionally coconut shrimp that's about as adventurous as he gets

The Dream looks awesome, looking forward to hearing more of your comments and opinions

Me too. I figured that if your going to try something really exotic, you might as well make sure that it was made by a competent artisan (and the chefs aboard DCL’s ships will qualify for that title). My son was a bit picky about what he consumes as well, but he is getting better about it. Actually it was during a Disney trip that he chose to surprise us with his choices of cuisine on a regular basses. I actually got to write about it a bit in my last trip report. If you’d like to see how that turned out just give the link below a click or click the link in my Sig for the entire TR (Christmas at POR) and use the table of contents to find it (but I’d advise doing so)


Chapter 6 (Day-3) - Part 5: Room at the Inn

 

[GoofyIsAsGoofyDoes]

Bonus Feature 10:

Now how’d I get here?
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At 1,115 feet in length, 125 feet on the beam (that’s width to you landlubbers) and 128,000 tones, the Disney Dream is a fairly large ship. You can climb nearly fifteen stories above the waterline and there is another twenty-six feet of hull beneath the waves that you don’t generally see at all. It takes a crew of just under 1,500 to man her and of the sixteen decks; fourteen of them are at least partially open to the nearly 4,000 passengers that can be onboard at any one time. Given that amount of space combined and that density of humanity, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that finding your way from Point-A to Point-B can at times be somewhat confusing. Well… this little post is here to give you a hand.

First off there are some general design elements on the dream that will help you get your bearings (and the first part of getting anywhere… is first knowing where you are). The easiest thing to remember is that for the vast majority of cabins that you might find yourself living in…

playtime and a snacks are up / diner and a show are down.


= = = = = = = = Going Up = = = = = = =

The top zone (Deck-11, 12 & 13) are where you’ll find all of the outdoor amenities and play areas (sports, pools, gym and the spa), and most of the counter service meals and snacks (including Cabana’s). The other things that reside up here are the concierge cabins forward on 11 & 12 and the high end restaurants (Palo & Remy) aft on 12.


= = = = = = = Going down = = = = = = =

The bottom of the ship is where most of the indoor activities are found. The middle of Deck-5 is home to all of the kids clubs but there are also staterooms forward and aft (and the teen club is all the way toward the front). Deck-4 is home to most of the nightclubs and lounges (in the back) and the lower entrance to the movie theater and the balcony of the main theater(forward). Deck-3 is the Grand Lobby, shopping, main entrance to the Walt Disney Theater (toward the bow) and most of the restaurants (mid ship and aft). Deck-2 is home to one restaurant (Enchanted Garden amid ship) and the rest of the staterooms (forward of the restaurant).

So basically it’s 2 & 3 for food, 4 to party and 5 for the kid’os.

You only need to head down to Deck-1 to leave the ship when in a port (other then Port Canaveral). The only other thing down that way is the doctor but if you need to see these fine folks, do make sure that you use the forward elevators or stairwell cause there are no connecting hallways from the other two banks of elevators on this deck.


= = = = = = = Home Time = = = = = = =

The middle of the ship is where the bulk of the cabins are found. Starting at Deck-6 and ascending up through Deck-10 there are nothing but long hallways of staterooms, so except for the one where your stateroom is likely to be located, you can completely ignore these decks. But it is also true that a lack of windows and the continuous sameness make these living decks the easiest place to get turned your self around. As such here are a few trick for knowing where you’re going. First of all… as you walk the halls, you will run across these medallions in the carpeting at regular intervals…

These are set into the carpet so that when the map is right side up (north to the top) then you’re heading forward. If it’s upside down you’re walking toward the stern. Now, while your looking at that little image there, here’s a simple little game (and one you can put you kids onto)… can y’all tell me just what the signal flags in the borders might be spelling out? I’ll check back with y’all on that one latter if I don’t hear from anyone.

Ok here’s another trick that will let you quickly know which side of the ship you on: Just look for the little fishy.

These are only on the port side of the Disney Dream (but remember that this wont work on the Magic or Wonder). If you’re in the starboard hallway, that little fishy will look more like a seahorse.

The other quick way to know where you are is to just look for the cabin numbers. The first digit will tell you which deck your on. The next one will identify the side of the ship (0 for Port forward, 1 for the port aft, 5 for starboard forward and 6 for starboard aft). The last two digits identify the individual staterooms starting at the bow and heading back with even numbers for the outside cabins and odd numbers for the inside cabins (which will also help you know which way your heading).


= = = = = = = Suds n Duds = = = = = = =

While I’m heading off through Bonus feature land this seems like a good place to tuck in a little extra bit of useful info. Specifically… how do I go about getting the wrinkles ironed out of my dinner clothes that have been stuffed in a suitcase for the last couple of days? Well there are laundry rooms scattered all over the living decks of the Dream and each location generally has at least a couple of washers and dryers, 1 iron and an ironing board.

This is the one on Deck-10 (and just as a clue that little game I tossed out there a bit ago, the three signal flags worked into the tile floor just happen to spell out “DCL” and you’ll run across them all over the ship) OK, back to the laundry rooms… some of them will also include a folding table and seating bench. At least one location (on Deck-6) has 8 washers, 4 dryers and 2 irons/ironing boards (according to the DCL FAQ on these boards). An added bonus here is that there’s no need to carry quarters. With just a swipe of your room key and you can charge a load to wash (45 minute cycle) and/or dry (45 minute cycle) and even purchase laundry supplies (Tide, Clorox and/or Downey), but… they cost a couple of bucks per cycle. The iron is free to use, but you may have to wait in line if you wait until just before dinnertime to use ‘em. So where are these magical little locations? You’ll find them just across the hall from the following cabins: 2002, 5192, 6508, 7014, 8150, 9500 and 10572. Something to keep in mind is that if you have any of these cabins (or one of those in the immediate vicinity), finding the laundry will be dead easy, but conversely there will also be a good bit of foot traffic around your stateroom.




Now just for giggles we can use that little list of cabin numbers back there to practice our navigation skills.



2002 - would be on Deck-2, port side as far forward as you can go.

5192 - Deck-5, port side, all the way back to the stern.

6508 - Deck-6, starboard side, up near the bow

7014 - Deck-7, port side, just a little back off the bow

8150 - Deck-8, port side, about three quarter of the way back (a little ahead of the aft elevators)

9500 - Deck-9, starboard side, all the way up at the bow

10572 - Deck-10, port side, amidships (just a little aft of the amidships elevators)

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