"I'm NOT a Princess, I'm Izzy!" - May '15 Land/Sea ~ Updated 6/4: Link to Disneyland TR!!!

[amazingact21]

The splash pad on the ship has always looked so cute to me. And it's an added bonus that the kids can play there safely while you can relax for a bit in a chair. My favorite kind of place.



That tour sounds really fun! The nerd in me would be so interested in all the details. Glad Dug got to experience it and relay the info to you. That one shot of the seats with the back cushions resembling suitcases was especially awesome and something I could a lot of people missing.


Love your photos from your walk around the ship. Reminded me how beautiful the ships are. And I enjoyed your FE delivery snapshots. Made me feel like I was there with you! I didn't participate in FE on my cruise, simply because some of those DISers are so creative and generous with their gifts that I did have the drive to match up.

 

[Dugette]

The splash pad on the ship has always looked so cute to me. And it's an added bonus that the kids can play there safely while you can relax for a bit in a chair. My favorite kind of place.

It is really cute. I didn't do any relaxing, though, as I was running around it with her for a bit, then standing at the bottom of the slide (lots of kids were slipping/tripping, so wanted to be right near her).

That tour sounds really fun! The nerd in me would be so interested in all the details. Glad Dug got to experience it and relay the info to you. That one shot of the seats with the back cushions resembling suitcases was especially awesome and something I could a lot of people missing.

I know, weren't those cool? I love all the little touches. I would have enjoyed the tour too, I think, but I wanted to use that time to get Izzy to the pool area. Glad he took lots of pictures. And he did show me some of the things later that night when we were up there.

Love your photos from your walk around the ship. Reminded me how beautiful the ships are. And I enjoyed your FE delivery snapshots. Made me feel like I was there with you! I didn't participate in FE on my cruise, simply because some of those DISers are so creative and generous with their gifts that I did have the drive to match up.

The Dream really was a beautiful ship. Wish it was a longer cruise so I could spend more time exploring and enjoying it. Glad you enjoyed a taste of our FE experience! I'm right there with you on being intimidated by participating...I am not at all crafty and I had a minimal budget, so it was a challenge. I think we did okay, though - I ended up utilizing the dollar spot at Target, the company store, a party supply store, and Amazon to come up with assortments for the various age groups. I'll try to include more details of what we did in a later post (where I also have more pics of things we received). It ended up being a pretty fun experience, if not totally my thing.

 

[Dugette]

Royal Palace Dinner

We got Izzy up from her nap so that we could bring her down to Royal Palace to consume her mass quantities of butter :





(Also, I am kind of creeped out by that first picture above...the chairs right above Izzy's head look like eyes! )

The dining room:



Awesome napkin folding:



Bread carriage:



For my appetizer, I ordered the Breaded and Deep-Fried Brie:



Yum! Very tasty.

I am sure Dug got Escargot, as it was on the appetizer menu, but no pictures of it. I think one of our tablemates got it too. I’m sure they enjoyed it.

Dug also got some French Onion Soup:



It appears I also ordered the Farmhouse Salad:



For his entrée, Dug ordered the Roasted Rack of Lamb:



He really enjoyed this. However, there was one other entrée that interested him, so they brought him a little side dish of the Lobster Macaroni:



I doubt that anyone will be surprised that Izzy picked mac and cheese again :



Nothing on the main course menu really appealed to me, so I orderd off the Vegetarian menu. I got Porcini Mushroom Ravioli:



I think I enjoyed it.

Izzy needed to attempt the potty a few times during this meal. I think we had to walk down a hall to get there:



Dug took her out once as well and our Head Waiter stopped by during that time. She was going around to inform everyone on the details of our stop at Castaway Cay the next day. She seemed very nice.

We had plans to run off after dinner to catch Minnie’s meet, so we ordered dessert to go. Got Izzy all cleaned up and were ready to go when our waiter came out with an unexpected Mickey bar for Izzy:



I was a little annoyed with this, as we hadn’t asked for it and we had just finished wiping all the butter and cheese off our kid. And now, of course, she wanted to eat it. We somehow convinced her just to eat a bite of the ear so that we could go meet Minnie. Waste of a Mickey bar, though.

We got in line for Minnie (all dressed up!) and met her around 7:30pm:



















Showing off the shirt!

And the video:

(click to watch)

Always nice to see Minnie!

Up next: Izzy heads to the “toy room” so we can have a “date night.”

 

[soniam]

I love the butter. My son still does that at 10. I don't know where the gets it from though The food looks so good. That mickey bar was annoying though Looks like such a good time though, and yay for adult time.

 

[Imagineer5]

We ended up spending the balance of our time in Nemo’s Reef, the splash pad. She enjoyed that a lot, especially the small slide. She did that slide over and over and over.

Okay I went on my cell phone to see your photos, then am commenting here on my desktop! LOL. Anyway, I need to write down a list of the pools/splash pads/slides for each ship. For a while there, I thought the two newer ships had the same and the two older ships were the same, but then I got confused when it seemed like 1 of the newer ships had a tube slide - Aquaduck and one was a body slide Aquaduck? IDK I'm obviously still confused. Anwyay, I am glad though to hear your ship had a slide on the splash pad. If we cruise before Maya is out of diapers, the only area she's allowed to go in pool-wise is the splash pad, so she would probably love to have a little slide.

After a bit, Dug joined us (maybe that had been when he went for coffee?). He took over supervising Izzy while I headed for the large Aquaduck waterslide (which Izzy was also too small for). This is the tube slide that goes all around the upper deck of the ship.

I was thinking the tube slide version had a shorter height requirement when doubling up on the tube slide, do you remember that? (Again, totally confused here)

Continuing with Dug’s tour of the dining and lounge areas, more Remy photos:

Remy looks amazing, and that bar tour Dug did sounds super cool

Bread carriage:

Love this!

For my appetizer, I ordered the Breaded and Deep-Fried Brie:

I'm starving here at work, omg that and your ravioli both sound amazing

We had plans to run off after dinner to catch Minnie’s meet, so we ordered dessert to go. Got Izzy all cleaned up and were ready to go when our waiter came out with an unexpected Mickey bar for Izzy:

Why would they bring that out when you ordered desserts to go? I'd be annoyed too, although I'm sure the intentions were good! Cute Minnie meet though!

Up next: Izzy heads to the “toy room” so we can have a “date night.”

Fun!

 

[IowaTater]

Holy cow! That's a lot of Fish Extenders! I love it.

We got Izzy up from her nap so that we could bring her down to Royal Palace to consume her mass quantities of butter

Are you all secretly related to Paula Deen? lol

Also, I am kind of creeped out by that first picture above...the chairs right above Izzy's head look like eyes!

For my appetizer, I ordered the Breaded and Deep-Fried Brie:

That looks really good. Did it come with any sauce or anything?

Those are good pictures of Minnie and Izzy. Izzy really enjoys meeting her, doesn't she?

 

[pkondz]

I'd heard that Nassau was not really a must-see destination and a lot of people skip it to spend more time on the ship. Seemed like a good idea to us, given the short cruise and all. We were there for the ship more than the ports.

Interesting. It never would've entered my mind to not go.

Remnants of whatever Dug had :

Well it must've been good!

I think I got a cheeseburger:

Don't eat it! It's got a bite taken out of it!!

Though, as you can see, the first bun broke. That was unacceptable to her, so I had to go back up in line to obtain a second bun.

She's right. A broken bun is unacceptable.

Mmmm, Dug apparently found a yummy sandwich as well:

Want.

In case you were wondering if that neighboring Carnival ship had a waterslide:

As a matter of fact, I was just thinking to myself "I wonder if that Carnival ship has a waterslide?"

Actually, it doesn't look very inviting.

After lunch, Izzy and I went back to the room and got changed for some pool time. What better time than when we are docked and lots of guests are off the boat?

She was more interested in the big yellow slide, but she was too small for that, which upset her quite a bit.

Aw, poor Izzy. But I can see how she'd be upset. I'm sure it looked like fun.

She did that slide over and over and over.

Been there!

I thought it was interesting that the CM at the top was very personable and had gotten quite skilled at chatting with guests just enough to pass the required time between riders.

Good talent to have.

Also, while I was up there, Dug took Izzy to the restroom. This was a successful visit and she happily declared, “I didn’t change my mind!”, which cracked Dug up.

Wow.

There he is on the chair:

Nice detail!

This is the Skyline bar:

Before we had to cancel our cruise, this was one of the places I was most looking forward to going to.

For example, the Pink champagne bar you just saw was based on the pink elephant scene in Dumbo

I thought it might be that!

It was a dad and his two kids delivering Fish Extender gifts for us. It was cute, they were all working together to get the correct assortment of items put in our FE pockets. Funny to see another group in action – it was the only time I did.

Cute.

I like that one.

Another packed fish extender:

Look at all that stuff!

We got Izzy up from her nap so that we could bring her down to Royal Palace to consume her mass quantities of butter :

(Also, I am kind of creeped out by that first picture above...the chairs right above Izzy's head look like eyes! )

It does! Run! Runnnn!!!!

Awesome napkin folding:

That is pretty cool.

I doubt that anyone will be surprised that Izzy picked mac and cheese again :

What?!?!? I'm shocked! Shocked!!

Got Izzy all cleaned up and were ready to go when our waiter came out with an unexpected Mickey bar for Izzy:



I was a little annoyed with this, as we hadn’t asked for it and we had just finished wiping all the butter and cheese off our kid. And now, of course, she wanted to eat it. We somehow convinced her just to eat a bite of the ear so that we could go meet Minnie. Waste of a Mickey bar, though.

Tough call.
On the one hand.... pixie dust!
On the other hand.... Ask before giving something to a little one.

 

[afwdwfan]

Finally caught up... started with traditional Minnie and ended with dressed up Minnie!

I can't believe the experience in line to meet Cinderella. I mean you'd think that CM's and other guests wouldn't expect to see a child on a Disney Cruise... the horror!! At least it looked like it was worth it in the end when Izzy got to meet her.

I think staying on the boat to enjoy it instead of going into Nassau was a good idea. The Frozen overlay for the M&G really is nice even if a bit dark. The picture of Izzy showing Elsa her socks really looks like she's bowing down before Queen Elsa!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

We got Izzy up from her nap so that we could bring her down to Royal Palace to consume her mass quantities of butter :

... I mean, as long as she is getting value out of the cost of the cruise, guess it is all good

Dug's lamb looks really good - and good to know you can get like a side of another dish as sometimes there are a couple of things that look interesting but I won't want to get two full entrees as it would just be a waste of food ... seems like a good compromise

wow, fancy Minnie! Looks like a fun meet!

 

[Leshaface]

Yep adorable dress!

It’s basically stuck between the bed and the wall (bathrooms on the other side). It wasn’t ideal, but it worked fine for a few days. It wouldn’t fit under the bed or in the closet.

Ugh and those rooms are tiny as it is, you really do want to keep it clutter free so it can feel more open in there!

Though, as you can see, the first bun broke.

That's right! No broken food for Izzy! Although, it really grinds my gears when my taco breaks so I totally understand

Um, and another burger?

Remember: Cruise=AYCE

Wish I could start all my mornings off with a cocoa dusted Mickey head on my coffee!

Aquaduck waterslide (which Izzy was also too small for).

What is the height/weight limit, do you know? OT: did you hear about that poor boy on that waterslide?

This was a successful visit and she happily declared, “I didn’t change my mind!”, which cracked Dug up.

Now that is some cool detailing!

This is the Skyline bar

Then onto the Champagne Bar, Pink:

Both of these bars are awesome! I remember the last night of our first cruise on the Dream at Pink, the bartender was so nice he gave us like two free rounds of drinks! We were happy cruisers!

It was a dad and his two kids delivering Fish Extender gifts for us.

Aw so cute. I love when dads get into doing things like that!

Have you ever seen anyone steal FE gifts before? It's so packed that really someone could take an item and that family wouldn't even know.

(Also, I am kind of creeped out by that first picture above...the chairs right above Izzy's head look like eyes!

^that is PERFECT!!!

 

[Dugette]

I love the butter. My son still does that at 10. I don't know where the gets it from though The food looks so good. That mickey bar was annoying though Looks like such a good time though, and yay for adult time.

I figure Izzy has a "dairy gene" since I was born in WI and clearly must have one that I've passed on.

Okay I went on my cell phone to see your photos, then am commenting here on my desktop! LOL. Anyway, I need to write down a list of the pools/splash pads/slides for each ship. For a while there, I thought the two newer ships had the same and the two older ships were the same, but then I got confused when it seemed like 1 of the newer ships had a tube slide - Aquaduck and one was a body slide Aquaduck? IDK I'm obviously still confused. Anwyay, I am glad though to hear your ship had a slide on the splash pad. If we cruise before Maya is out of diapers, the only area she's allowed to go in pool-wise is the splash pad, so she would probably love to have a little slide.

That's annoying about Photobucket being blocked - have you tried other browsers? I noticed at my work that Dropbox is blocked on one browser, but not the other.

You know, I'm not certain I have them all straight either. I know that the Dream had the Aquaduck and that is the big tube slide where you ride on a raft (1-2 people) around the perimeter of the ship. I know there is an Aquadunk on another ship, not sure which one. Then we also had the yellow slide going into the pool, which I think was probably the same as your cruise? And then the little "Mr. Ray" slide on Nemo's Reef splash pad.

I'm sure Maya would be happy with that little slide. Izzy technically could use the pools because she was potty trained, but she just wanted the splash pad. Guess we rushed potty training for nothing.

I was thinking the tube slide version had a shorter height requirement when doubling up on the tube slide, do you remember that? (Again, totally confused here)

It does, but I know it was still a lot taller than Izzy was at the time. Oh, well here you go: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/aquaduck-water-slide/ Both the Dream and Fantasy have the Aquaduck and the minimum height is 42" (um, probably without cowboy boots ) to ride with an adult.

Remy looks amazing, and that bar tour Dug did sounds super cool

I think I would have really enjoyed that tour too. Great spaces and stories!

Love this!

All the little details are great!

I'm starving here at work, omg that and your ravioli both sound amazing

I could have made a whole meal of that deep fried brie (and apparently people do, as it was listed as a vegetarian entree as well as an appetizer).

Why would they bring that out when you ordered desserts to go? I'd be annoyed too, although I'm sure the intentions were good! Cute Minnie meet though!

I was thinking about it after and remembering that people say your servers try to get to know you and anticipate what you like...so I think they had determined that Izzy likes Mickey bars (correct!) and they just didn't consider that we were taking things to go and trying to leave.

Fun!

It was a lot of fun to have a toddler-free evening halfway through this crazy trip!

Holy cow! That's a lot of Fish Extenders! I love it.

Are you all secretly related to Paula Deen? lol

Not that I know of.

Perfect!

That looks really good. Did it come with any sauce or anything?

It did, let me check what it was...looks like "orange and cranberry chutney". I think I mostly stuck to the brie itself.

Those are good pictures of Minnie and Izzy. Izzy really enjoys meeting her, doesn't she?

She and Minnie are BFFs.

 

[Dugette]

Interesting. It never would've entered my mind to not go.

My understanding is that it's not the most exciting port. Unless you are doing an excursion (which we didn't have the budget for), there's just a lot of people trying to sell you things as you walk around. I'd rather spend the time onboard, at least for our first Disney cruise.

Well it must've been good!

Guess so!

Don't eat it! It's got a bite taken out of it!!

She's right. A broken bun is unacceptable.

Want.

Me too!

As a matter of fact, I was just thinking to myself "I wonder if that Carnival ship has a waterslide?"

Actually, it doesn't look very inviting.

Better than nothing, I guess!

Aw, poor Izzy. But I can see how she'd be upset. I'm sure it looked like fun.

All slides look like fun! I think she's a slide-a-holic!

Been there!

Good talent to have.

I was quite impressed with his conversational skill as I stood there watching him.

Wow.

Pretty impressive!

Nice detail!

I love that!

Before we had to cancel our cruise, this was one of the places I was most looking forward to going to.

It seems like a really neat place to hang out - hope you get there someday!

I thought it might be that!

Good guess!

Cute.

It kinda was, though I felt a bit creepy peeking out at them...

I like that one.

There's a lot of neat stuff. I know I ran across some Etsy shops that have all sorts of variations on these types of magnets.

Look at all that stuff!

It does! Run! Runnnn!!!!

That is pretty cool.

Impressive napkin folding!

What?!?!? I'm shocked! Shocked!!

Tough call.
On the one hand.... pixie dust!
On the other hand.... Ask before giving something to a little one.

Indeed! I was surprised they didn't run it by us or anything.

Finally caught up... started with traditional Minnie and ended with dressed up Minnie!

Gotta bookend all the update sessions with Minnies!

I can't believe the experience in line to meet Cinderella. I mean you'd think that CM's and other guests wouldn't expect to see a child on a Disney Cruise... the horror!! At least it looked like it was worth it in the end when Izzy got to meet her.

It was definitely worthwhile, but a really odd and uncomfortable wait. Glad she loved Cinderella so much!

I think staying on the boat to enjoy it instead of going into Nassau was a good idea. The Frozen overlay for the M&G really is nice even if a bit dark. The picture of Izzy showing Elsa her socks really looks like she's bowing down before Queen Elsa!

I'm glad we stayed onboard and got to enjoy the meet and some other fun! Haha, I hadn't thought about her bowing down to the queen, but I see it now!

 

[Dugette]

... I mean, as long as she is getting value out of the cost of the cruise, guess it is all good

Haha, we'll get our money's worth out of this cruise one way or another...

Dug's lamb looks really good - and good to know you can get like a side of another dish as sometimes there are a couple of things that look interesting but I won't want to get two full entrees as it would just be a waste of food ... seems like a good compromise

Yep, that was just perfect that they brought him the little dish when he expressed interest in trying it.

wow, fancy Minnie! Looks like a fun meet!

It was, gotta love seeing all of Minnie's cruising attire!

Yep adorable dress!

Thanks!

Ugh and those rooms are tiny as it is, you really do want to keep it clutter free so it can feel more open in there!

Agreed - that's why I had it shoved back where I did - at least it wasn't in the way (except a bit to access that side of the bed, but we worked around it).

That's right! No broken food for Izzy! Although, it really grinds my gears when my taco breaks so I totally understand

Ha, me too! I hate broken tacos!

Remember: Cruise=AYCE

Wish I could start all my mornings off with a cocoa dusted Mickey head on my coffee!

It's a nice touch!

What is the height/weight limit, do you know? OT: did you hear about that poor boy on that waterslide?

Well, since I just looked it up for Lauren, I can tell you that it's 54" solo and 42" with adult. I didn't see a weight limit. Honestly, it's not a wild slide at all. The height limit seems pretty extreme considering Aulani didn't have any and there were a lot more twists and turns there and that one plunged into the water vs. the Aquaduck was just a big chute at the end.

She cracks us up!

Now that is some cool detailing!

I love seeing all the things they do to "plus" the ship!

Both of these bars are awesome! I remember the last night of our first cruise on the Dream at Pink, the bartender was so nice he gave us like two free rounds of drinks! We were happy cruisers!

Sounds like a fun night!!

Aw so cute. I love when dads get into doing things like that!

Agreed, it was nice to see him and the kids having fun together.

Have you ever seen anyone steal FE gifts before? It's so packed that really someone could take an item and that family wouldn't even know.

I've never seen it, but I believe it could happen. Heck, I wouldn't have known if someone stole a bunch from us, as there were just so many things! I think most people are pretty honest, though. I do wonder what the "common cruiser" thinks these are if they are unfamiliar, though.

^that is PERFECT!!!

It really is!

 

[pkondz]

My understanding is that it's not the most exciting port.

You're not the first person I've heard say that.

Unless you are doing an excursion (which we didn't have the budget for), there's just a lot of people trying to sell you things as you walk around. I'd rather spend the time onboard, at least for our first Disney cruise.

Interesting.

Better than nothing, I guess!

Looks kind of.... industrial.

All slides look like fun! I think she's a slide-a-holic!

And at such a young age!

It seems like a really neat place to hang out - hope you get there someday!

Maybe... I have a feeling that unless we do a land/sea, we might go NCL instead.

It kinda was, though I felt a bit creepy peeking out at them...

It's only creepy if you're peaking into a room. Not out of it.

Indeed! I was surprised they didn't run it by us or anything.

Some people don't know that rule.

 

[Dugette]

Villains Tonight

We got back to the room from our Minnie meet and found these things laid out for us:



Mmmm, chocolate!



Looks like Dug decided to dig into his to-go dessert, which appears to be the Grand Marnier Souffle:



Izzy enjoyed the view from the balcony:



I think I took Izzy down to the “toy room” (as she called it) while Dug finished up and headed to the theater to find us seats. We had decided in advance to sign Izzy up for the nursery this night as the show didn’t seem terribly toddler-appealing (and I’m glad, as I think she would have been scared by it). Dug’s journey down to the Walt Disney Theater:



I spy Captain Mickey:



Can’t get enough of these views:





The Golden Mickey:



And he arrived:



He got us seats in this balcony off to the side:



He liked that the chairs were more comfortable than the standard fold-down theater ones.

Meanwhile, I dropped Izzy off in the Small World:



And then apparently went back to the room to eat my dessert in peace. Mine was the Sweet Temptations (A trio of Peanut Butter Mousse, Mango Cheesecake, and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee):



I think I enjoyed it, though I can’t say I really remember after all this time. Guess I need to take another cruise.

Then I met Dug down in the theater:





No photos are allowed during the shows, so all you get is a snippet of the pre-show when we saw this guy walking around:





The show started at 8:30pm. We enjoyed it quite a bit. We found out later that our table-mates REALLY enjoyed it – was the highlight of their cruise, I think. Brief summary is that Hades gathers up a bunch of Disney villains for maximum evil. It was actually very funny.

On our way out after the show, Dug took a picture of this sign:



I still have absolutely zero idea what this could mean?! I guess we should all run towards the people trapped in the upside-down vehicle?? If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me.

Since we had a long block of nursery time reserved (hoping Izzy might go to sleep there), we had a mini date night. Walking along deck is so nice:



And then we headed up to where Dug had been touring earlier:







He showed me around a bit and filled me in on some of the details from his tour. I took some pictures as we passed through the various spaces:























Ooooh, I see the Eiffel Tower!



Up next: Date night continues!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

The sign is to indicate it's a muster station I believe

 

[Dugette]

Date Night

We chose to get drinks at Meridian (just outside Palo), as there was outdoor seating available and the options sounded good. The bar:



Menu:






I took a picture of those cool booth cushions that Dug pointed out to me:



I think that Dug got bourbon:




I wish I could tell you what mine is, but I’m not sure:




I want to say maybe the Crème Brulee Martini, but that raspberry is throwing me off and making me think maybe the Latitude 46.5? Beats me. We both enjoyed our drinks, though. It was about 10pm and the outdoor deck was very pleasant and quiet, but it was too dark to really see much (if you leaned over the deck, you could see water, but not from the table):



After just sipping and chatting and enjoying the toddler-free time, we wandered a bit more. Checked out the mini golf course, which we never did have a chance to play:






Also checked out the Aquaduck at night:



A few people were still swimming while Frozen was on the big screen:





Since we didn’t have Izzy, we ventured up here (adults only area):



Looks pretty nice:



We never did get there to swim, though.

Looks like we popped into the Cove Café to check out the offerings:



Our spontaneous moment came when we realized we could get free pizza to eat while we wandered :



Something about late night free (and tasty) pizza while riding a cruise ship elevator struck us as particularly fun (maybe it was the drinks? )

After that, we picked up Izzy at the nursery. She did not sleep. I think they tried, but she wasn’t cooperative. Spoiler alert: she never slept in the nursery, despite the cribs and prime sleeping times. Guess that was a theme for this trip – overtired kiddo! She was in good spirits, though:



A brief video clip of her driving the boat:

(click to watch)

We arrived back to EVEN MORE amazing Fish Extender gifts waiting for us! I don’t know if this is normal or if our group was extremely generous and thoughtful, but I sure felt spoiled! We all shared this fantastic cookie for a late-night snack (and we saved the matching one for later):



I’m going to say someone in our group was from Maine (people often bring things unique to their area):



There was a ton of other stuff too, but those were the only pictures I took.

Izzy had a good time playing in the bed, which was made up with rails for her:



However, she wanted to sleep in the pack ‘n’ play again.

Around 11pm, she was still lively and walking around the room in everyone’s shoes:



Yes, her sleep schedule was really messed up on this trip!

Dug decided to run out quick and do the Aquaduck, as it would be closing for the night soon. After he got back, we got Izzy to bed and I decided to go deliver some more of our Fish Extender gifts:



I went back to my Pre-Trip Report to find some details and pictures of what we passed out and here’s a copy/paste of that section:


Backtracking a bit to yesterday, I picked up the candy for the Fish Extenders, which meant I had everything except the Mickey straws that I’m getting at WDW. So, time to assemble them! (If any of Group Mickey is lurking, shut your eyes now! ) Because I’m me, I had to start with a spreadsheet that told me what goes to who:



(I noticed we have a lot of people on deck 5, some even seem to be next door to each other!) Then I pulled all the bags from the closet where I’d been stashing them. Man, there were a lot of them (piled high in the high chair - notice Bailey's cameo ):



Looked a bit less intimidating when I took things out of bags and organized it:



Oh, I forgot to mention, I also found little treat bags at Party City that I thought would be nice to put the toddler items in:



I worked and worked and bagged and labeled and eventually ended up with this:



Close-ups:





Leftover candy and other goodies for Izzy:



I am thinking all of this will take up the majority of a carry-on sized bag. I mean, it fills this diaper box pretty well:



I tried to get mostly “small” things, but it adds up. I don’t know how some groups do like 50 cabins. I mean, ours is 13. We’re still waiting on our actual Fish Extender, which is why you haven’t seen a picture of it yet. I’ve been freaking out a bit, since we are so close, but the lady making it (Etsy) assured me I’d have it. It looks like it’s going to ship tomorrow and she uses 2-day priority mail. Whew, cutting it close! I just hope it arrives in time and we like it!



Back to the TR now! So, I passed out some more gifts and admired a Star Wars Fish Extender:





Here you can see how I had to put things on the floor by these two cabins:



Too much stuff to fit in the pockets!

I headed back to the room about 11:45pm to rest up for our next day at Castway Cay.

Up next: The island is calling!

 

[Leshaface]

Looks like Dug decided to dig into his to-go dessert, which appears to be the Grand Marnier Souffle

Ugh that souffle is so stinkin' delicious!

And then apparently went back to the room to eat my dessert in peace.

This sounds like me, I have to sneak my dessert at nights around Cal. He hears a wrapper and says, "What's that you're going to eat momma?!"

I still have absolutely zero idea what this could mean?! I guess we should all run towards the people trapped in the upside-down vehicle?? If anyone knows, feel free to enlighten me.

Never seen that before, what the heck?!

 

[Dugette]

You're not the first person I've heard say that.

I saw a lot of comments on the DIS saying that too.

Interesting.

And also this.

Looks kind of.... industrial.

True. Not as pretty as Disney's for sure.

And at such a young age!

All these years of slide addiction ahead of her.

Maybe... I have a feeling that unless we do a land/sea, we might go NCL instead.

Well, enjoy whichever one you take! I'd love to go on another cruise!

It's only creepy if you're peaking into a room. Not out of it.

Very true.

Some people don't know that rule.

The sign is to indicate it's a muster station I believe

Thank you! That makes perfect sense! I mean, I still don't understand the graphic, but it makes sense that we should all run to the muster station.

Ugh that souffle is so stinkin' delicious!

Yum!

This sounds like me, I have to sneak my dessert at nights around Cal. He hears a wrapper and says, "What's that you're going to eat momma?!"

Yep, Izzy rarely lets anything get by her without a taste. That's why I do most of my chocolate snacking at work.

Never seen that before, what the heck?!

So crazy to interpret. But, as @TinkLoverSam pointed out, it's probably a muster station sign. So odd.

By the way, forgot to address one of your comments - yes, I heard about that boy and the waterslide (well, I'm assuming you're talking about that awful thing). These slides on the Dream (and Aulani) are NOTHING compared to something like that. Sad story.

 

[Leshaface]

We chose to get drinks at Meridian (just outside Palo), as there was outdoor seating available and the options sounded good.

Never did make it to this bar, hear it's nice though! And more quiet than the other bars.

Our spontaneous moment came when we realized we could get free pizza to eat while we wandered :

(maybe it was the drinks? )

I'm sure it helped!

She did not sleep. I think they tried, but she wasn’t cooperative. Spoiler alert: she never slept in the nursery, despite the cribs and prime sleeping times. Guess that was a theme for this trip – overtired kiddo! She was in good spirits, though:

Glad to hear she enjoyed the nursery at least!

OH wow, this is really cool!

Yum!