From the Sea to the World - Holiday Edition - Completed

[Flossbolna]

That is just Captain Tom. He is a bit on the stiff side. Not my favourite captain of all the ones we have had so far.

Michael claims that he was very personable on a previous cruise... Was he the one that did not want to use the whistle on one of your cruises? I remember a trip report title... And we will see Tom again in Norway. He is taking over the Magic to sail her to his home country (Norway) for the first time in forever!

Isn't that the reason we travel with a gentleman - to bring us more drinks when we feel like them?

See, you would agree that it would be really odd if a German server would just introduce himself by name!

Magdalene, I am clueless as well.

Ok, I did my research. It is a 1960s comedy TV series about a fictional prisoner of war camp in Germany during WWII. I think the Wikipedia entry says that it depicts the prisoners as very smart and the Germans all as very stupid. Herr Schultz (see the difference from my Herr Schulz who was missing the T!) was a Bavarian guard who was very easy to be bribed with food (I am starting to understand why me picking a random very common name for a server was rather funny in that context). It was shown on German TV in the mid-90s under the title "Ein Käfig voller Helden" (a cage full of heroes).

As much as we loved Remy (and Mathieu, our oh so amazing server - who is married to an Austrian girl ) we really love lunch/brunch or whatever they call it even more. A little less food and still great service! And the Champagne pairing is just perfect with it.

I can see the appeal of brunch there. But it seems to be only one set menu and with Michael's preferences that would make things a bit difficult... Maybe we need to sign him up as a vegetarian...

And champagne pairings sound like something I need to do with my sister one day!!

To come back to the wine pairing you denied - we did it when it was still more or less full servings with each course - it was nice but WAY too much alcohol and we won't do it again.

I can see that! We have a local restaurant that has excellent food in a similar style and they offer 0.1l wine pairings. I had that for a four course meal and found that getting to the limit of what I want to have with one meal. But I loved the experience of having wines selected to go with my courses!

I am glad you enjoyed the Konk Kooler as the last one we had in April was just WAY too sweet and ended in the trash.

Oh, that is a shame! It was sweet, but I enjoy it that way.

Glad to say that I am now officially all caught up again. Sorry it took me so long to come back to the DIS, but it took me forever to get over my bronchitis, and back to work was really hard. Took me a while to get into the groove again. Then we headed to Italy and had to celebrate a birthday. But I am determined to get back to the DIS on a very regular basis.

Great to have you back!! Sorry that you were so sick!

Loved your day at CC and the idea of the salad wrapped burger patty sounds awesome. I need to keep that in mind.

And YES, that last day on board is always a hard one and having to pack up is a pain even without the door getting stuck several times. Could not agree with you more on that last dinner - not a fan of it either.

I guess that is one reason why you enjoy your back to back cruises!

 

[Flossbolna]

D'oh! I guess you left your mark on the ship so they would remember you!

I guess one can see it that way!

Oh, sure, blame the design guy...

Of course! Since he is not around to defend himself!

Much better than I could do!

Thanks! I think my work of art was also superior to Michael's!

In the USA, we pronounce it worcesterstersterstersterstsershire sauce.

That is interesting!

I guess sometimes you just want a plate of noodles.

Exactly. We found that out on the Panama Canal cruise. Too much fancy cuisine is getting boring after some time.

Man, you would think it would at least get you a free day's admission or something.

Oh! That is an idea! I should bring it the next time I visit WDW and demand my free entry!

I'm sure that kids love to see their drawings up on the screen, though.

Yes, and I think that is a bit my problem with the show. Dinner should be something enjoyable for the whole family and not just a big show for the kids. I really liked the show in AP on the Wonder and the Crush show we had on the first night. But this just seems to be mainly for the kids. And it kind of goes against that famous story about Walt Disney and why he came up with the idea of Disneyland - a place where kids AND parents could enjoy things together. As compared to parents enjoying something because they like to see their kids being happy. (sorry for the soapbox moment)

Wow, they couldn't wait to get rid of you!

Knowing how long hours these CMs work and that the turnover day must be the most stressful day of the week, I am sure they want to get all their duties done as soon as possible so that they can rush off to sleep to have enough energy for the coming day.

 

[franandaj]

Ok, I did my research. It is a 1960s comedy TV series about a fictional prisoner of war camp in Germany during WWII. I think the Wikipedia entry says that it depicts the prisoners as very smart and the Germans all as very stupid. Herr Schultz (see the difference from my Herr Schulz who was missing the T!) was a Bavarian guard who was very easy to be bribed with food (I am starting to understand why me picking a random very common name for a server was rather funny in that context). It was shown on German TV in the mid-90s under the title "Ein Käfig voller Helden" (a cage full of heroes).

Not to mention that it ran in syndication for many years after the original run, so many generations of folks got to watch it in the 70s and probably 80s. Heck I would be surprised if it was still airing somewhere on TV Land or Nick at Night!

 

[Flossbolna]

I can think of worse places to be stuck. This is very much home. Although I technically have had dual nationality since December 2012, I no longer have a German passport as my last one expired last summer. I always said I would give up my German nationality, but this requires a trip to the German embassy in London and seems like too much trouble.

Oh, I agree! I would not have minded if things had turned out differently. I love the UK and it has been far too long since I was there last.

Maybe keeping a German nationality might not be such a bad thing in case there really is a "Brexit" (that is what they are calling it here in the media). A passport to a EU country might come in handy one day, for whatever reason. And it seems to be easy enough to get rid off if it ever becomes a huge disadvantage.

I would have thought that the stateroom door would be more solid than that. This really sounds like bad design all around.

I think the doors are really hollow, just a thin sheet of metal. I am not sure why they went from sliding doors to normal doors...

That is one aspect that I am worried about. I would only eat the mozzarella. Good to know that salad is an alternative.

Yes, certainly talk to your servers before that day about your options. They are able to modify, but it makes sense to warn them.

The whole meal sounds less than magical

The last night menu is not my favorite to begin with. And I really did not appreciate how the show took precedent over the meal itself.

 

[Flossbolna]

Not to mention that it ran in syndication for many years after the original run, so many generations of folks got to watch it in the 70s and probably 80s. Heck I would be surprised if it was still airing somewhere on TV Land or Nick at Night!

I will search for it on my next trip to the US! I am wondering if I even saw an episode once in the UK. It somehow seems familiar...

 

[Flossbolna]

Enjoyed your latest update !! Have to admit the meal didn't look o great !!

It was not too bad. Just not as good as the other meals.

Now I do have to add my 2 centss regarding Worcestershire sauce !!Although Worcestershire is a county in England ,in all honesty I do NOT remember seeing it before I came to live in the States , But I have yet to meet anyone here who can pronounce it

That is interesting! I think I read something at some point that it kind of is related to Brown Sauce (which I think is vile stuff!).

The best in writing I can do is Woostersheer!!!!

Of course - how could it be pronounced any different?? Even though when we were in Worcester itself, people there seemed to pronounce the place "Wowster".

My gues is Michael may be able to and you too Magdlena as you speak with a British accent !!!

Michael is a smart and well travelled guy! Unfortunately I am losing my British accent because I am talking too much with Michael. I am very good at picking up someone else's accent. I need to get back to England and speak with people there to get back into the groove!

 

[Flossbolna]

This definitely sounds like a design flaw to me! I wonder why they moved away from the sliding doors on the Magic and Wonder?

I have no idea! I don't even think it makes a difference with regard to high seas. Both kind of doors can open if the magnet is not strong enough to hold it in place.

That's a pretty good record to keep up!

Well, we had paid for all the drinks. Of course we needed to finish our passport!

I heard about this whole thing at a D23 Convention about Imagineering the Fantasy, and wondered just how entertaining it really would be.

Yes, I already went in rather skeptical about it after what I had read about that show here on the DIS...

That bites that they don't give you a choice on that night, at least let you choose one of the three or the sampler. That way they aren't making too many different things, but if you only like one or two out of three you can have your choice. I understand that they are streamlining things so they can throw you off the ship the next day, but still!

My server said that they had tried different ways and that this was the one they had stuck with. I got the feeling that he did not like it that much either. I think they always have people who are unhappy and as a server you rely on people giving you nice tips and good evaluations, so you don't want your guests to be disappointed by being told that they can't have choices.

The fact that it had a skin on the top is kind of nasty.

It looks worse on the picture than it did in real life!

Sometimes, I just want a plate of noodles. Oh yeah, they need to be made of Quinoa and Brown rice for me to have them now.

Sorry! Have you tried buckwheat noodles? Japanese soba noodles are made from buckwheat and I really like them. Buckwheat is gluten free.

Neither one sounds particularly good to me.

However, that was partly due to the fact that it was the last night's menu which just is not too exciting in the first place.

I was kind of thinking the same thing. I actually enjoyed the show on the Wonder as the pictures came to life or color.

I really like that show, too. Michael has seen the updated version on the Magic and said that that is even better.

I'm surprised you have the energy for that. By the time I'm at the last dinner, I'm struggling to pack up the suitcases and get them out the door before I fall flat on my face in bed! But perhaps I indulge in a little more wine than you do!

 

[Flossbolna]

Finally caught up here. Was back in San Juan. That looked like a nice little sight seeing trip.

San Juan was really lovely!

Remy looked awesome but quite a few times I was wondering if I could have that or in some cases knew I couldn't.

I think if you get on the Fantasy and want to try Remy. Talk to them early in the cruise and give them your long long list of forbidden foods. I am sure they will try their best and you might end up with a very special menu! I know they do special menus for vegetarians and vegans.

Beautiful day on Castaway Cay and dang - you dented the door.

Yes, the door think is so embarrassing!

I knew I am probably missing some things here but it was kind of nice catching up to the end of the cruise in one sitting.

I know, sometimes getting a lot of updates at one time is a real treat!

Will have to keep in mind that last dinners tend to be pared down and maybe what is left over by the last day.

It is not the last night, it depends on which restaurant you are assigned to. It is the second time you are in Animators Palette (unless your second time is during Pirate Night).

Do you think that the sliding doors would have moved in the weather you had? Maybe the reason for the switch?

I was thinking about that, but there are magnets that hold the doors shut, sliding or swinging. So, I think it would not make much of a difference.

 

[Flossbolna]

A Tale of Two Busses – Part 1

December 6

The next morning we were thrown off the ship! Well, not literally, but it always feels like that.

I woke up at 7:15am and got ready. At some point I managed to convince Michael to get up. Unfortunately as you might have noticed, he is a bit jaded about WDW since he gets to visit often enough as a Floridian, that I could not even entice him to jump out of bed full of excitement when I told him that we were going to Disneyworld now!!!

Nah. On my recent visit sans M, I got up at home at 9 a.m., didn't leave until noon, stopped at a friend's and arrived at the rainy MK around 5:30 in the afternoon. I am quite nonchalant about most theme parks in general. The only ones that I'll be there at opening, or before, are the Tokyo Disney parks -- by far the best theme parks in the world.

There were other ships in port with us in Port Canaveral.

The one with the mouth at the bow is actually one of the Aida ships, the cruise line I talked about in the previous update. I had no idea that they were having cruises stopping at Port Canaveral.

We left our stateroom at 8am with our carry on bags. We took the elevator down to the Atrium and quickly walked off the ship. There really was no line whatsoever. A very different experience from the disembarkation of the Wonder the last time.

We quickly got to the luggage hall and collected our bags and then waited in a short line for customs. It all was rather seamless. And then we followed the signs to the transportation to WDW.

There was a podium where we said our names and where we wanted to go. I had heard before that they would need our KTTW card and had told Michael so, but then no one was interested in them.

We were not put on one of the DCL busses, but instead got to climb into a van. I thought that this would be good as it would get us to our destination earlier. Well…

Well, they sorta sent us to a van when we checked in at the podium where the buses were ...

We sat in there and there was a family already in the van. The mother was not happy it seems and it turned out that the family had already been sitting in the van for quite some time waiting for it to leave. I thought that with us and them in there, the van was full enough to leave now. But instead we waited even more. At some point it looked like they were going to put in another family, but then they sent us a mother and son. And finally we were off.

I'm not sure how long it took. I was tired, feeling lousy and I got a troubling email regarding my father's health from a family member who gently suggested that it might be a good idea to return home instead of going to WDW with M. ...I figured I'd talk to my folks in a few hours and see what they said, but didn't think exposing my father to whatever I picked up would be a good idea. I also didn't want to leave M alone in Orlando after planning the trip together, so very quickly I was back in the real world and not happy at all.

When we were getting closer to WDW, I thought for sure we were going to dropped off first as we were going to SSR and this is kind of directly behind the gates into WDW property. But then it became clear that we were going somewhere else. We went to all the way to the Polynesian. This is where the family was staying… I kind of did not really appreciate that massive detour. I thought when they put us on the van, they would group parties together that were going to similar destinations.

Yes, I was not happy about getting up so early so we'd be there and have the entire day and then see it start to slip away due to Disney's transport issues.

And then we had to go to Riverside next to drop off the mother and son before we finally got to Saratoga Springs. It felt like we spent as much time driving around Disney property as we did to get to Disney property from the port. I was not very happy about that. I guess on one of the DCL busses it would maybe have been the same, but there the seat would have been more comfortable than on the van. I was also annoyed at the father of the family who kept taking pictures of his little girls who were directly in front of me and I could tell that I was involuntarily photobombing every picture he was taking. I really did not appreciate that. Oh, and I am sure that on the DCL bus they would have shown us some cheesy video about how we should book our next cruise as soon as possible or about all the adventures we could experience at WDW!

Up Next: Reflections and then A Tale of Two Busses - Part 2

 

[Flossbolna]

Reflections:

I think this is a good moment in the trip report to pause for a moment and give you some general thoughts about the cruise experience. I won’t call it final comments, as there is a whole other week left in this trip report. But we completed the “Sea” part of the vacation.

1) The Fantasy is awesome. The ship is beautiful all around. She is new, sparkling and I love the décor. There are so many lovely details to look at, I never got tired of that.

Yep. I sorta know the old ships inside and out now. But this was all new ...

2) I never found the Fantasy to be obviously more crowded than the Wonder. There are plenty of people on the ship, but venues are larger. In some ways the Panama Canal cruise felt more crowded as there were more experienced adult cruisers who are huge Disney fans on the ship and they tended to congregate at the same events. I also could not see a difference at Castaway Cay.

Yep again. Most crowded DCL cruise ever was Panama Canal due to all the childless adults (many of whom might act like kids themselves!) on said voyage.

3) I did not find the distances on the larger ship to be of any concern to me. But then I am someone who regularly hits her daily goal of 10.000 steps on my fitbit without problems. I have many weeks that are close to 100.000 weekly steps. I am used to walking. I also never felt that it took me too long to get from point A to point B. To a certain point this is helped by certain things being located better strategically on the ship. For example the drink station on the Fantasy is not all the way aft like it is on the Wonder. One thing though that surprised me was how close the midship elevators were to the forward elevators. One could say they are not really midship, but 1/3-ship. There is a long stretch from the midship elevators to the aft ones.

4) This leads to the next point: I have come to the conclusion that for a couple like us – or any other adult group, being forward is the place to be. Being so close to the adult pool area was a huge bonus for us. On the classic ships you even have the adult bars forward as well.

5) As beautiful as the Fantasy is, she does has some design flaws and things that I did not like that much: The adult pool and the strange thing that the aft elevators are in the middle of Cabanas. I also thought that the design of “Tube” the night club in the adult district was quite hideous. I wonder what British people think about it, but to me it looks like a bad American fantasy of what is “British”. I also think that this venue is not as good for shows as Wavebands on the Wonder as it has less of a stage. But we never were there for a show, so I can’t really judge it.

No one ever seemed to be in there! And the adult pool was nice, but definitely not well located or thought out. There's almost no sun there. So you have to sun yourself a deck up and then walk down to cool off. Bad design.

6) On the other hand the Fantasy has some features that are really great: I loved the Vista Café on the deck 4 balcony overlooking the atrium. I also loved the variety of bars in the adult area. Even though we ended up just visting one, it just felt more luxurious. Also, the bars on the Fantasy are smaller and give off a more intimate vibe. I liked that.

7) The food: I so often read on the boards here that people say that they were served food that was “inedible”. I never experienced that. Everything was edible. Nearly everything was good (that soup from the last night stands out as not good), a lot was delicious and Remy was out of this world. Overall the dining experience was far far better than what we got on the Wonder during the Panama Canal cruise (and then we thought that the Wonder had been better on our 5-night cruise on her in 2013).

I can't agree enough with this. The food is noticeably better than on the Wonder. Much better. Still, they need to improve desserts and start making ice cream gelato and sorbet on the ship daily. Crappy soft serve on deck and a choice of three flavors in the dining room is what you might expect from a budget line, not a premium one.

8) Entertainment: The big production shows had two really excellent shows that I would rank as the two best I have seen on DCL so far (Aladdin and Believe). Otherwise I think I was a bit spoiled with all the entertainment they had on the Panama Canal cruise. I missed my Cruise Director’s Morning Show, there was less Trivia going on, less lectures etc. Still, I was never bored. It is just that for the long cruises with a ship full of adults, they just go all out. And to be fair, we could have made more of a point to take part in the special Christmas happenings and we did not.

9) CMs: We met many really wonderful CMs once again on this cruise. I said this after my first cruise that it amazes me how much pride everyone working on the ship takes in their ship and how seemingly genuinely they enjoy trying to do their best to make your experience magical. One story that I think I did not tell in the report was one time I was in the shops, or walked by, our friend Craig from Scotland (the one who had no clue who Craig Ferguson was) was in a wild sword fight with two little boys – they were attacking him and he was already defeated lying on the floor. It was such a funny scene. How often do you have the salespeople in a shop playing with the customer’s kids? Also, for the first time I felt that we had that type of magical DCL servers that people keep talking about. Sughit was really excellent and I made a note of his name as he is a server whom I would like to request on a future sailing.

I am glad we have a reader from Scotland who actually knows who Craigy Ferg is. I also want to clear up a point from our last report post ... I am indeed fantasizing about each and every one of you. You have no idea how much I lust after y'all ... or how long it takes daily. But who needs work, am I right? ;-)

(Huh??? I am wondering what he was drinking when he wrote that comment...)

10) Ports: I loved the Eastern Caribbean itinerary we had. I especially enjoyed the history of San Juan and that we were not just laying around on a beach there. But at the same time, it showed me the one aspect I don’t like about cruising: you only get a glimpse of a place and then you are off again. I would love to return to both places – whether it was by cruise ship or for a real vacation. But I could not imagine to go on multiple cruises to those same islands. There is just a limited amount of things you can do there and I just enjoy doing new stuff.

That's why someone suggested a Southern Caribbean Wonder voyage ... you can relax on a ship and then vacay on 1-2 islands after.

11) Embarkation and Disembarkation: You can tell that this was DCL’s home port. Everything went like a well oiled machine. I think we also arrived at a good time after 12 noon when the crowds had died down. Getting off the ship was refreshingly easy as well. Once again, I think we hit the sweet spot there as well as the people who had the first breakfast seating had already cleared out while the second breakfast people were still at breakfast.

12) Did we get cruising out of our system? Ahem…. No, we did not. All these great plans lead to totally reviving our cruising desire. Ultimately we want to go on a longer cruise on either the Dream or the Fantasy. As of 2017 both ships are no longer bound by contract to home port in Port Canaveral, so they can go and explore the world. There might be chances for cruises that are longer than 7 nights and that is something we really would love to do. In the meantime I have currently three bookings showing up when I log into the DCL website… One is the Norway cruise this summer with Katharina, but the other two are our onboard bookings that we made in December. We would love to take both of these, but that depends on finances and schedules. There are different options being thrown around and we will also take a look at the fall 2016 schedule that should be released at the end of May… Maybe something interesting pops up?

Maybe!!!

(Well, I wrote this update a week or so ago and today the fall 2016 schedule was announced. Something interesting did pop up!! I am quite confident that there will be a M&M cruise happening in the second half of 2016!)

Up Next: A Tale of Two Busses - Part 2

 

[Zarina]

Love the review to wrap up the cruise portion. It's great that you didn't get cruising out of your system , I really enjoy your trip reports . Interesting to hear that you now prefer the newer ships, so far we only sailed the Wonder (Alaska) and loved how easy it was to get around the ship. Though I think the magical portholes and on demand Disney movies would be a nice treat. Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I woke up at 7:15am and got ready. At some point I managed to convince Michael to get up. Unfortunately as you might have noticed, he is a bit jaded about WDW since he gets to visit often enough as a Floridian, that I could not even entice him to jump out of bed full of excitement when I told him that we were going to Disneyworld now!!!

Yep, definitely jaded. I know a certain family from Delaware that will be more than happy to take his place next time! We'll even get up for Rope Drop!

We sat in there and there was a family already in the van. The mother was not happy it seems and it turned out that the family had already been sitting in the van for quite some time waiting for it to leave.

Ugh. That sounds less than ideal.

I also didn't want to leave M alone in Orlando after planning the trip together, so very quickly I was back in the real world and not happy at all.

The real world stinks. Take us back to Disney!

When we were getting closer to WDW, I thought for sure we were going to dropped off first as we were going to SSR and this is kind of directly behind the gates into WDW property. But then it became clear that we were going somewhere else. We went to all the way to the Polynesian.

Clearly these Disney folks need a quality transportation engineer to help them with details like this.

I was also annoyed at the father of the family who kept taking pictures of his little girls who were directly in front of me and I could tell that I was involuntarily photobombing every picture he was taking. I really did not appreciate that.

Time to start making faces!

I have come to the conclusion that for a couple like us – or any other adult group, being forward is the place to be. Being so close to the adult pool area was a huge bonus for us. On the classic ships you even have the adult bars forward as well.

Makes sense to me.

One story that I think I did not tell in the report was one time I was in the shops, or walked by, our friend Craig from Scotland (the one who had no clue who Craig Ferguson was) was in a wild sword fight with two little boys – they were attacking him and he was already defeated lying on the floor. It was such a funny scene.

Very cool! I'm glad you mentioned it. I always enjoy hearing about great CM's.

I also want to clear up a point from our last report post ... I am indeed fantasizing about each and every one of you. You have no idea how much I lust after y'all ... or how long it takes daily. But who needs work, am I right? ;-)

Um...

(Huh??? I am wondering what he was drinking when he wrote that comment...)

Diesel, maybe?

But at the same time, it showed me the one aspect I don’t like about cruising: you only get a glimpse of a place and then you are off again.

Bingo.

One is the Norway cruise this summer with Katharina

I'm really excited to hear about that!

(Well, I wrote this update a week or so ago and today the fall 2016 schedule was announced. Something interesting did pop up!! I am quite confident that there will be a M&M cruise happening in the second half of 2016!)

Excellent!

 

[stephaniesnyder]

I am all caught up. Awesome report! My husband and I are going on the Fantasy Eastern Caribbean and then 6 nights at WDW. So your report has helped me learn the process. Can't wait to read more.

 

[franandaj]

The next morning we were thrown off the ship! Well, not literally, but it always feels like that.

I resist this as much as possible and try to milk our cruise for all it's worth. We linger at breakfast no matter how hurried our servers may seem!

We left our stateroom at 8am with our carry on bags. We took the elevator down to the Atrium and quickly walked off the ship.

No breakfast?

We sat in there and there was a family already in the van.

That sounds awkward.

I was also annoyed at the father of the family who kept taking pictures of his little girls who were directly in front of me and I could tell that I was involuntarily photobombing every picture he was taking

Even more awkward! I agree with the Captain! Make faces!

I never found the Fantasy to be obviously more crowded than the Wonder.

That's good to know.

But then I am someone who regularly hits her daily goal of 10.000 steps on my fitbit without problems.

Yikes! On the days I hit 10K I'm usually wiped! I'm more of a 6-7000 kind of girl.

Overall the dining experience was far far better than what we got on the Wonder during the Panama Canal cruise

Good to know.

I also want to clear up a point from our last report post ... I am indeed fantasizing about each and every one of you. You have no idea how much I lust after y'all ... or how long it takes daily. But who needs work, am I right? ;-)

it showed me the one aspect I don’t like about cruising: you only get a glimpse of a place and then you are off again.

I don't really go on a cruise to "see" places. In fact a cruise to nowhere is just fine with me. My next cruise is a 2 day to nowhere! The aspect of getting a taste of a place where I would otherwise not choose to stay (ie most places in Mexico), but I mostly go on cruises for the pampering in the dining rooms, the drink tastings, games like Bingo, character meets. That's why I cruise on Disney. However, after getting a taste of Grand Cayman that is a place I would like to go back to for say a Monday-Saturday vacation.

Did we get cruising out of our system? Ahem…. No, we did not. All these great plans lead to totally reviving our cruising desire.

I can't see how taking a cruise would help you get it out of your system! Each cruise just makes me want to go back again and again! I can never do it all

 

[dolphingirl47]

Maybe keeping a German nationality might not be such a bad thing in case there really is a "Brexit" (that is what they are calling it here in the media). A passport to a EU country might come in handy one day, for whatever reason. And it seems to be easy enough to get rid off if it ever becomes a huge disadvantage.

I think my fellow country folk has got more sense than that. I think the majority know that this would not be in our interest.

When we were getting closer to WDW, I thought for sure we were going to dropped off first as we were going to SSR and this is kind of directly behind the gates into WDW property. But then it became clear that we were going somewhere else. We went to all the way to the Polynesian.

This has happened to us as well, just with Old Key West. We virtually went past Old Key West, but went to Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian first before being dropped off at Old Key West. Again, this was a Mears van.

Great summary. What a shame that there was some worrying news at the end of this part of the trip.

Corinna

 

[Flossbolna]

Love the review to wrap up the cruise portion. It's great that you didn't get cruising out of your system , I really enjoy your trip reports .

Thank you!

Interesting to hear that you now prefer the newer ships, so far we only sailed the Wonder (Alaska) and loved how easy it was to get around the ship.

The new ships are just so wonderfully sparkly and fascinating. I am wondering what I feel like once I had 6 cruises on the Fantasy. But we really did not have any problems with crowds or distance. I think the two areas that I liked better on the Wonder were the Outlook Cafe (I am still sad that the Magic does not have it, it would be perfect for Norway) and deck 4.

Though I think the magical portholes and on demand Disney movies would be a nice treat.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

Next update coming up!! I am still trying to get as much done as possible before I leave for Copenhagen in TWO WEEKS!!

 

[Flossbolna]

Yep, definitely jaded. I know a certain family from Delaware that will be more than happy to take his place next time! We'll even get up for Rope Drop!

I will keep that in mind!!

Ugh. That sounds less than ideal.

The whole van thing was just a bit ridiculous.

The real world stinks. Take us back to Disney!

That is exactly what Michael felt like this morning - and me. Can't really be totally happy if your boyfriend is worrying about his dad.

Clearly these Disney folks need a quality transportation engineer to help them with details like this.

That is an idea!!! I totally approve of that and I know a guy from Delaware that would be perfect for the job!

Time to start making faces!

I never thought about that!

Very cool! I'm glad you mentioned it. I always enjoy hearing about great CM's.

Next great CM story coming up in the next update!

Um...

Yes, I agree!

Diesel, maybe?

In Germany there is even a real drink that is called Diesel (besides the engine fuel, we don't drink that on a regular basis). It is a nickname for a drink that is mixed out of beer and coke. Yes it is as horrible as it sounds! While beer and Sprite is a great drink - that is called Radler, which means cyclist. (Ok, enough random facts for the day...)

Bingo.

I know that that is what you don't like about cruises. Actually our Norway cruise is better in that regard. We visit four different cities in Norway, not too far away. It is kind of an itinerary that one could do with a car as well, we just get to go back every evening to our hotel which transports us to the next place...

I'm really excited to hear about that!

TWO WEEKS!!! Until I get on a train to travel to Berlin to meet up with Katharina to then fly to Copenhagen the next day. Hopefully it will be a train, not a bus. Currently I have booked both as there is a danger of a train strike...

Excellent!

The problem is that we now have different options and will have to make a decision at one point... Can't fit in all the vacations I can think of...

 

[Flossbolna]

I am all caught up. Awesome report! My husband and I are going on the Fantasy Eastern Caribbean and then 6 nights at WDW. So your report has helped me learn the process. Can't wait to read more.

I am happy to hear that you found the trip report helpful!

 

[Flossbolna]

I resist this as much as possible and try to milk our cruise for all it's worth. We linger at breakfast no matter how hurried our servers may seem!

I just don't find the atmosphere that inviting, so I don't really get much joy out of lingering. I wonder what Katharina and I will do when we get to back from Norway. The huge advantage is that we should not have to go through immigration and customs as we never left the Schengen area (common area for most of the EU countries and a few non-EU-countries like Norway that have abolished interior borders within the Schengen area and instead have one common outside border, it is so nice to be able to travel to most of Europe without the hassle of having to show your passport etc.).

No breakfast?

I was not really hungry after a week of eating - and thought that we would soon be at Epcot where I could get something at the new Starbucks.

That sounds awkward.

Even more awkward! I agree with the Captain! Make faces!

The whole van thing was just not pleasant...

That's good to know.

I think every cruise has its own pattern and depending when you cruise, it will feel more crowded or less. I could imagine a July cruise would have felt quite different. But then I guess you are not going to cruise during school vacation peak season anyway.

Yikes! On the days I hit 10K I'm usually wiped! I'm more of a 6-7000 kind of girl.

Yes, not having a car and relying on your feet or public transport makes you collect your steps... If I would bike more, I would have less steps, but even then I usually am able to get at least 8000. Last Saturday I ended up with 27.000. I was wiped then!!!

Good to know.

I have read reports from the classic ships from last year and this year and it seems there might have been an overall lack in quality on the classic ships last year. But then I recently read a report from someone who said that all the food on the Fantasy was "inedible" and that last year's WBPC had so much better food. So, YMMV. (And as an aside, I never understand why so many people claim that the food was inedible or disgusting on any of DCLs ship, but this a common thing. I can understand that some food is not to someone's taste. On my first cruise I ordered a dish which I just did not like at all. But I would never claim that dish to be inedible or disgusting. I just plain did not like it because I don't like braised meat and I had not realized that the dish was exactly that.)

Yes!!

I don't really go on a cruise to "see" places. In fact a cruise to nowhere is just fine with me. My next cruise is a 2 day to nowhere! The aspect of getting a taste of a place where I would otherwise not choose to stay (ie most places in Mexico), but I mostly go on cruises for the pampering in the dining rooms, the drink tastings, games like Bingo, character meets. That's why I cruise on Disney. However, after getting a taste of Grand Cayman that is a place I would like to go back to for say a Monday-Saturday vacation.

I can see the appeal of that - I think you would love a Panama Canal or Transatlantic cruise then. I like the aspect of having a bit of both. And I think I am just too curious about new places to not go out and explore if my ship stops there.

Interesting that you enjoyed Grand Cayman. Michael and I are thinking about a Western Caribbean cruise as we want to go back to Cozumel to do that Secret River excursion that we were too chicken to do before. The only thing I know about Grand Cayman is that is a center for dubious offshore banking...

I can't see how taking a cruise would help you get it out of your system! Each cruise just makes me want to go back again and again! I can never do it all

I guess you are smarter than us then!!

 

[Flossbolna]

I think my fellow country folk has got more sense than that. I think the majority know that this would not be in our interest.

I am so happy to read this! Somehow the media makes it appear different and I am a bit out of the loop with following UK news more closely as I did for years. I am only still listening to the Archers Omnibus podcast religiously every week. And while I know everything about the flood in Abridge and how the Grundys lost their home, it does not really deliver UK news on a larger scale!

This has happened to us as well, just with Old Key West. We virtually went past Old Key West, but went to Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian first before being dropped off at Old Key West. Again, this was a Mears van.

It makes you really wonder what the thought process is behind that.

Great summary. What a shame that there was some worrying news at the end of this part of the trip.

Thanks!

We kind of were prepared for the news to be even worse. But it still was a shock for Michael to be back in the real world so quickly.