Think of all the joy you’ll find …….. Update - January 06

[englishrose47]

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/magicways/dogs/friend015qt9.gif

D is for DOGS

 

[englishrose47]

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l62/magicways/dogs/friend015qt9.gif

D is for DOGS

OMG Karin I did it again this was meant for Liesa's thread !!!Why s it always you who I post the wrong thing on your thread

 

[dizneeat]

I can't believe it's been two months until I last updated here!!!!!!!!
Time to get on with the show and hopefully wrap that baby up soon! I have another TR already waiting in the wings.

They are gorgeous !!! Also loved all the pix and the food porn!!

Thank you Rosie! It was a great trip and we loved all the yummy food.

Hi Karin,
Started seriously planning our September WDW trip this weekend - seems so long since we were there "properly" having done the WBTA the last couple of years and only managing a very few days at the end of our trips.

Yeah for the September trip. I fully understand about having "a real WDW" vacation again instead of just having a day added "somewhere". We had not been to WDW in a year and really enjoyed our Easter trip, even though it was packed.

We have two weeks free dining at OKW and thought I need to read through some of your old trip reports and dining reviews to get some additional ideas. It seems like much has changed in the last couple of years so we´ll need to try some new places along with our old favourites.

Be sure to book a meal at Olivia's and we just dined at Morimoto's at Disney Springs and it was awesome - worth a try.

So glad you had a better time on our home away from home the Disney Magic.

It was a completely different ballgame - a cruise like the ones we were used to!

Your upcoming Summer trip looks amazing!

Thank you! We are so looking forward to it. 100 days until we leave!

The last church in Florence on the top of the hill looked absolutely gorgeous!

We were so happy we had not found a parking space further down, as we would not have gone up to the church, but that way we just "had to" walk up and check it out.

Love the pictures of Venice. I gave myself way too little time there, hopefully one day I can get back.

You really need quite some time to really experience Venice. We quite often drive over there when we take our weekend breaks in Italy and there is always something new to explore.

The fish and fruit/vegetable markets look great. How can you resist buying when things are so fresh and pretty.

Now, that market was so awesome. The display was unbelievable and everything was so fresh.

The drive back home was beautiful.

It really is a nice drive, so scenic. Unfortunately living here you kind of forget how beautiful it is, but taking pics to share with my DISboards friends reminds me every time.

Great day on Grand Cayman I was thinking I remembered the first part of the day and then I definitely remembered when I saw the glassed off portion of the floor in one of the shops. What a nice day.

We loved that day on Grand Cayman. I remember looking for something to do and when I found out about that tour I was pretty happy with it. It turned out to be even better than I had thought.

I'm so glad this trip was so much better than your first time on the Magic.

It was a completely different trip. And as much as I was unsure if we should take this trip in the first place, we were both so happy we did as it changed our opinion of the Magic!

I have not heard many good reviews about Cabanas for dinner, I'm glad it was a good meal.

We have eaten at Cabanas a few times and other than having tough steak service has always been top notch. They usually have people's favourites from the main restaurants on the menu, so we really like it for a more quiet dinner.

 

[dizneeat]

You really need to go back to Florence and spend more time! I spent 3 days and it wasn't enough...some amazing museums and history there!

We will definitely go back as that 2 night stay was just not enough. But thankfully it will be easy to go back, just a few hours car ride.

I discovered the "A taste of" tours when I was in San Juan and they are awesome. Yours looks great...If I ever go back to GC I will book it for sure!

Those tours are so awesome - we did one in Barcelona as well and it was great!! And please take that tour in GC when you get back - it is awesome to learn about all the history and taste the yummy food.

We just got of the Fantasy a couple of weeks ago and also did the Taste of George Town tour. That pepper Jelly was amazing and I loved the spicy yellow sauce with the Roti! My wife loved the Tiramisu and has vowed to go back to eat at Casanova the next time we are in George Town.

It's a great tour, isn't it? As for Casanova - we prefer a real Italian restaurant, but that is because we are so close to Italy.

I had become so immersed in Italy I had forgotten what the original TR was about. I couldn't even remember which ship you were on! Thanks for the reminder. I had no idea they would do a TS for you at the buffet during dinner service!

So it was not such a bad idea to repost the start of that day again. Even I had forgotten how far I had told you the story. Cabanas isn't a buffet for dinner. They do TS in the evening (at least on most nights) and they serve guests favourites there. Very nice if you want a more quiet dinner.

All caught up! Thank you for taking us along on your European trip, I feel like I saw a lot of Italy I would never have seen otherwise. So many beautiful sights!

You are welcome! We loved our Italy trip and I am glad you enjoyed "coming along".

Loved the switch to the Magic cruise too Your food tour looked so interesting and delicious!

Glad you enjoyed it. That food tour was so much fun and had so many yummy treats - if you ever stop in GC, I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

The Yuengling Lager Tom had on the ship? Yuengling is from my area, a couple towns away from where I live
You must be so excited to travel to WDW soon!

We were! And we are already back again and counting down to the next trip.

 

[englishrose47]

We loved Olivias breakfast a few years ago !! Your recommendation !! They were the best at accommodating all our diet request !!

 

[dizneeat]

What a great trip report. Thank you so much for sharing. You and Tom seem to have a great sibling relationship. I wish I could convince my sisters to travel with me. I just looked at your fall 2016 travel dates. It looks like you are hitting WDW two days after I leave. Where are you staying in Sept? OKW?

Kate

Thank you! Yes, thankfully we agree on where we want to travel together and having the same interest helps a lot. We're arriving on Aug 3rd and only have one night after the cruise in September, which we will spend at Pop. Just need a place to rest our heads before heading home.

My bracelet is full I am going to need another one.

Already got one?

I really enjoyed all the pictures. What a great trip!

Glad you did, Teresa! But I bet we enjoyed the time together with you two, Tiffany and Otto even more.

I am caught up!!! I have been slowly reading a little bit each day.
Your Italy trip is just amazing. And I am now hungry.....

It's my turn now to play catch up. Italy was fun, lots of fun. Sorry for making you hungry, but you should know by now that you have to eat BEFORE reading my TRs.

I totally forgot about Toms Birthday cruise. hahaha. Your food tour looks fun, though I think I wouldn't like a lot of the things offered. How did you find this particular tour? I do know it would be something Skip would like.

I nearly had forgotten myself until I remembered that Italy was a TR inside a TR. And the tour was good fun.

I looked for tours on Trip Advisor. Then I googled for reviews of the tour and they were all very positive, so I went ahead and booked on their site. It combined a lot of yummy food with a lot of history of GC.

I'm FINALLY CATCHING UP! And feel free to not comment on everything I replied to, I was way behind.

I AM way behind in replying here. So many things going on and I just don't have enough time for updating. But I am on sickleave at the moment, so maybe I will be able to update a tiny bit.

How different is this?! Never thought of just piling on my normal side salad on top of my pizza! Great idea.

I wasn't sure how it would be, but it actually was very nice. Only a bit of the lettuce started to wilt and it still had a crunchy texture.

I know I've said this multiple times, but I just love the way you guys have your meals. Such a nice, different spread you have! If we ever make it over there, make us a meal please!

You are welcome. Just let me know when you will arrive and the table will be all set for you!

Ugh how devastating. California is all too familiar with mud slides as well. They are so dangerous and disastrous.

I still remembered it from the reports on TV, but seeing those pictures made it all come to life again.

I find that the older I get, the more nervous I become in the car. Especially if i'm in the passenger seat! I'd much rather be the driver than a passenger. But those one way roads, no thank you

I usually feel quite safe with Tom driving, but that road was something else. Steep ravine on my side and cars to get past. Not all that funny. But it was so worth it once we had reached our destination.

 

[englishrose47]

Karin your prayers were heard and while he isn't out of the woods yet, they know what it is and can fix it !!

 

[dizneeat]

Karin your prayers were heard and while he isn't out of the woods yet, they know what it is and can fix it !!

That is great news, Rosie!

 

[dizneeat]

The nervous nellie in me is coming out! What if there was an emergency at night and you had to leave the hotel?! Your car is stuck there until morning?!

Now that you mention it ......... well, I am glad I wasn't thinking about that when we were there.

I'm like that too, if I trip or fall, I always end up laughing at myself and DH is always like, "Why are you laughing?!"

I always do that! Something happens and I start laughing ...... maybe it's a girl thing.

Totally forgot that this was a TR inside a TR!!

As if I knew it would be a good idea to repost that few updates before I started with Italy. But to be honest, I nearly forgot about it myself.

How does he not like tiramisu?! Does he not like the sogginess of the bread? Either way, he got your beer, you get his tiramisu, good trade off i'd think

He's not very much into sweet things in the first place and there is something about the creamy consistancy that he does not like - well, but I do. So, good for me.

Love reading about Italy and really looking forward to Panama Canal

Thanks for reading along. I will try to wrap up Tom's birthday cruise quickly and post the link to my next TR here. The vacation including the Panama Canal is only 99 days away!

Hi Karin! I have to chime in and say that I have recently found your trip reports and have become addicted! Your pictures and descriptions are so vivid. I really enjoy your writing style and look forward to escaping into one of your reports each night after work! Thanks for sharing

I am so sorry it took me so long to welcome you here.
But I am really happy that you enjoy my TRs. I am working on wrapping this one up and then I have another one waiting - already have written quite a bit of it - our Easter trip to WDW. It was so much fun. Hope to see you there as well.

So much lovely architecture!

Both, Venice and Florence are such beautiful cities - you would really enjoy visiting them, and I hope you hop over here to our continent soon! Guess there are several of us on here, who would enjoy to show you and Pat round.

I am prone to trying some more colorful stuff in my wardrobe, but I often have to endure the snide remarks and jokes that go along with it........

As long as you don't copy that "guy" in the picture. That would definitely be a bit too much.

Wow.......Florence and Venice are so lovely. Would really love to experience them one day.

It was awesome to go from one beautiful place to the other in just a matter of hours and yes, they are both beautiful! Just come here and experience for yourself!

Thanks for sharing your trip to Italy! It was wonderful to experience it along with you.........so to speak.

You are very welcome to come along ....... and now even more welcome to come along for the rest of this trip (and the next one, which is going to be posted pretty soon, too!)

 

[dizneeat]

All caught up and so enjoyed the tour of Italy. Back on the cruise ship and remembering where you left off...

I am glad you did! It took me long enough to wrap the Italy trip up, but there were so many great things, I wanted to share them all with you all.

Looks like a nice tour- you always seem to know the good ones to pick

It really was an awesome tour. Our guide told us so much about the history and all along you got to taste those wonderful goodies. We have done a Disney excursion on GC too, but we got more info on this short tour than the one we did with Disney - so if you ever get to GC, I can really recommend this tour.

 

[dizneeat]

​

Day 6, April 2

Kicking back and enjoying the day - Part 1

Today started with sleeping in.
Our port of call today was Cozumel and we did not have anything planned, so there was nothing that pushed us out of bed. Around 9am we finally got up and ready to head down to breakfast. But before we were on our way down we headed to the laundry room to make good use of our FE gift or detergent and drier sheets. We filled one of the washing machines with our laundry and turned it on. There was a digital timer on the machine and we had more than enough time to go down for breakfast.
For a change we went to Cariocas today. We were obviously late as there were more people leaving than coming, but nevertheless we were taken to a table in the middle of the restaurant and a server quickly came to ask what we wanted to drink. Tom ordered some coffee and I just asked for orange juice and some ice water before we walked over to the buffet. We both started out with a fruit plate,

pineapple and oranges and a croissant and some jam for myself and

watermelon and pineapple and a chocolate croissant for Tom. The fruit were all fresh and tasty, but both, the croissant and chocolate croissant did not taste as fresh as we are used to. Once we had cleaned our plates, we went back to fill another plate with more hearty choices. I had my plate loaded with

scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, mushrooms and some grilled tomatoes, while Tom’s plate had the

same fare I had had plus added hash browns and baked beans. Again the complaint about the food was the same, once you got it on the table and were ready to eat, the food was only lukewarm. But for once we did not mind.
The scrambled eggs and potatoes lacked a bit of salt, but that was easily corrected. Breakfast done we walked right back to the laundry room and waited for about 2 minutes until it was done, then reloaded the laundry into a drier, stuck in the drier sheets and turned it on. And back to our room we went. Our stateroom host was busily working in one of the rooms but told us that our room was ready – and it really was.
He was just an awesome stateroom host and got rewarded daily with sweet treats. The ship had already docked in Cozumel and we sat on the veranda and watched the lifeboats doing a drill, which was quite interesting.

Soon it was time to retrieve our laundry and hang it back into the wardrobe.

Next we picked up our Fish Extender gift bag and headed out to deliver more gifts and once we were back we freshened up a bit and then headed to Lumiere’s for lunch.
We were taken to table at the side of the restaurant and our server quickly introduced himself and his assistant server and they took our drinks order of Diet Cokes. A bread basket filled with

slices of baguette and dinner rolls was placed on the table together with a small plate of

pre packaged butter. This was a different menu to the one we had had the day before and Tom ordered the

Herb Marinated Salmon served with Honey Mustard Dressing while I ordered the

Shrimp Cocktail. Both were very nice and since the restaurant was fairly empty

the servers were on hand all the time and even engaged in a little chat about where they were from and how long they had been with DCL. Once we had finished our starters we were quickly served our main courses. Tom had ordered the

Steak Frites, a grain fed Sirloin Steak, served with a grilled tomato, French Fries and herbed butter. I had ordered the

Captain’s Cobb Salad, which was not finely diced but everything was cut into rather big pieces and the server poured the dressing onto it. Both main courses were very nice.
We both had decided on the same dessert, the

Apple Strudel, which we had watched being made the day before. This time the Apple Strudel was served with custard and vanilla ice cream. Again, it did not taste like the apple strudel we are used to, but Disney’s version was quite nice as well. Once we had finished our lunch we thanked our servers with a little tip and then left the restaurant. And after a short stop in our stateroom we got ready to get off the ship. We had been to Cozumel on a previous cruise and it wasn’t our favourite port of call, but we needed to get some Coke and wanted to look around a bit, so by early afternoon we got off the ship. It hit us how hot it was, but we braved the heat and headed into town.

When you get off the ship you end up in kind of a mall and we walked around and looked at the souvenirs.

We even had a peak into one of the liquor stores and decided to come back for a special tequila if we didn’t find anything else somewhere in town. Then we headed towards the beach promenade.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

​

Day 6, April 2

Kicking back and enjoying the day - Part 2

Then we headed towards the beach promenade.
We walked along the shop front, as we wanted to head down to Del Sol, but we soon crossed over to the other side of the street, as all those merchants pulling you into their shop really got to us. So we leisurely strolled down the promenade on the less busy side

and finally we made it to Del Sol.
Unfortunately there was nothing that really peeked our interest, so we decided to head back to the pier area. ​

​

​

On the way we spotted a Pandora shop and walked over to ask if they had any Cozumel specific beads and yes they had a pendant, which we had a look at and then finally bought. Within an hour we had made it back to the pier and we walked on a little as we knew there was a “Mega” store, a mall that had a large grocery store on the second floor. We walked through the store, remembering the last time we had been there, when we had been hunting for Nutella for our Palo server. This time we were not hunting for anything, we were just browsing through and picked up an item or two. We finally bought some Diet Coke and some Mexican chips to try and take back to our stateroom. Shopping done so far we walked back the short distance to the Pier Mall and Tom went to have a closer look at the Tequilas they had to sell. He finally found one he liked and I had picked up two bars of chocolate which were high on cocoa content and we headed towards the register. Got in line, waited for a bit and then it was our turn and luck was on our side, as the bottle of Tequila Tom had bought came with two souvenir shot glasses.
Everyone loves free gifts and so do we.
Loaded with bags we made our way back to the ship.

It was nice being greeted with a cold towel and a

cool drink at the gangway. And soon we were back in the air conditioned environment of the ship. We walked right to our stateroom, unpacked our new goods and had a shower.
Feeling refreshed, we headed to the Cove Café for an afternoon treat.
It was empty so we got a window table,

looked through the menu and soon our order was put in. Tom had decided to try the

Café Mocha, 1/3 Espresso and Chocolate, 2/3s Steamed Milk and topped with Whipped Cream. I had ordered my favourite, the

Frozen Cappuccino, 1/3 Espresso blended with Vanilla ice cream and topped with Whipped Cream.
Yummy.
We sat and talked about our cruise experience so far and how nice and quiet it was while most people were on excursions. It took us quite a while to finish our drinks but finally we were ready to head back to our stateroom.
When we arrived we found the light on the phone blinking, we had a message. So I picked up the receiver and learned that our galley tour had been cancelled. There were some sick people on the cruise and they did not want to run any risks. Well, we can live with that.
We sat on the veranda for a bit and before we knew it, it was time to get ready for a much earlier dinner tonight. ​

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

​

Day 6, April 2

Kicking back and enjoying the day - Part 3
​

We sat on the veranda for a bit and before we knew it, it was time to get ready for a much earlier dinner tonight.
Dinner at Palo.
5 to 6 we arrived at the restaurant and had to wait for 5 minutes together with two other couples before we were welcomed and led to a nice table by the window.

Our server was super friendly and let us have a minute to study the drinks menu while he went to get us some water.
And we both really found something that interested us and that we wanted to try. Tom ordered the

“Palo”, Absolute Pear Vodka, Limoncello, Alexander Grappa, Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice and Agave Nectar, while I wanted to try the

“Limone Basilico”, Absolute Citron Vodka, Limoncello and Freshly Muddled Basil Leaves.
And while Ritesh went to get our drinks we started to think about what to eat. Just a few minutes later he returned with two tiny cocktail shakers, shook them at the table and strained the drinks directly into our glasses. It was very impressive to watch him. Drinks on the table Ritesh placed a

basket of Pane Casalingo, Freshly Baked Bread from their Pizza Oven and then he started to fill a plate with Palo’s Cold Antipasti Specialties presented on their Antipasti Carrello,

Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives and Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Grilled Red and Yellow Peppers and artichokes served with Rosemary Oils and Aged Balsamic Vinegar. We were in Antipasti heaven.
Ritesh took our order and just came by to ask if we liked our Antipasti and if we needed some more. We had just finished our plate when our starters arrived. Tom had ordered his favourite, the

Fritto di Calamari, Lightly-crusted Calamari served with Deep-friend Cherry Peppers which are to die for. My choice was a favourite as well, the

Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes, a Modern Interpretation of a Traditional dish. So after taking some photos we started to enjoy our delicious starters. The one thing about Palo is, that they pace you a bit and we had asked Ritesh not to hurry our food too much.

So, it took a few minutes after we had finished our starters until we were served the Palate Cleanser,

Lime Sorbet. This is one of the best sorbets I have ever had, tart, but not too tart, really refreshing.
Again, a few minutes later our main courses were served. Tom had ordered the

Osso Bucco, Slow roasted centre cut Veal Shank with Gremolata and Risotto Milanese, which looked delicious with deep fried leek on top and I had stuck with my all time favourite main course at Palo, the

Beef Tenderloin “Palo”, Topped with melted Gorgonzola Cheese. But Ritesh had another surprise for us. He wanted us to try the

Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli, with a light Truffle Beurre Blanc, which he placed in the middle with a huge smile. The food was delicious and we slowly enjoyed every single morsel of it. While we had still been eating Ritesh had asked if we needed the dessert menu or if we would go for the Chocolate Souffle.
There was no need for a menu as we both opted for the soufflé. And it was perfectly timed as we had a few minutes to digest until our server came out with the wonderful Chocolate Souffle.
He placed it in front of us and then proceeded to open it up and pour Vanilla and Chocolate Sauce into it.

Sweet decadent and oh chocolate heaven.
And like with main course, Ritesh surprised us with another dessert as well. He wanted us to try

Palo’s Homemade Tiramisu , Layered coffee-infused Ladyfinger with Mascarpone Cheese. Dessert overload for both of us. Once we were done with everything we asked Ritesh for our bill, but he said that we could not leave just yet. He returned with another plate, which thankfully did not have any food on it, but it was a great birthday wish from the Palo team.

It was so nice to see. Then he brought over the

Limoncello and Prosecco topped with Lime Sorbet and finally our bill which had been “picked up” by Mickey as this was one of our Platinum Castaway Club perks. We said our goodbyes and mentioned to Ritesh that we would be back for brunch the next day and would love to have him as our server again to which he gladly agreed. Once we had left the restaurant we headed back to our stateroom where our stateroom host had already turned down the beds and left us another fun towel animal.
Tonight was Pirate Night and there were lots of pirates all about, but we needed some time to chill before the fireworks, which were still about two hours away. We decided not to join the masses on the open decks right now, but to enjoy the night air and sit out on the veranda.
Since we needed some ice for our Prosecco, Tom offered to go up and get two cups from the drinks station. He was gone for a really long time and when he came back he told me that today the whole drink area had been roped off, there had been a line and a cast member was serving the people. And since he was on his own most of the time it took forever for the line to move.
We both were very surprised, as in all our cruises we had never experienced anything like it, but we did not give it much thought. The evening was nice and warm and we sat on the veranda,

listening to the music and laughter from up above but we were pretty tired as well. So we just gave in and laid on the bed and watched some TV until the fireworks were about to start. We then walked outside and watched them from our veranda. Not all of it could be seen, but we could see enough and hear enough to have a good impression and we were able to just sit there and sip a drink. We finished our drinks and then just went right to bed. It had been another great day.

To be continued ..........​

 

[jedijill]

Another lovely dinner at Palo...even better when Captain Mickey pays! There must have been a lot of illness if the galley tour was cancelled and the drink area was roped off.

Jill in CO

 

[dizneeat]

Another lovely dinner at Palo...even better when Captain Mickey pays! There must have been a lot of illness if the galley tour was cancelled and the drink area was roped off.

Jill in CO

It was a nice dinner and we really liked Ritesh's service. He was so observent. And then having Captain Mickey pick up the cheque, can it get any better?

We should soon find out that they were battling quite a lot of people being ill, guests and crew, but they did their very best, not to let other guests suffer and to keep us all safe and healthy.

 

[linetbo]

Karin, which cruise are you doing on 2017?

 

[dizneeat]

Karin, which cruise are you doing on 2017?

Linet!! How nice to talk to you again.

We are booked on the Magic in the Med again (yes, I know ...... ) on the August 26 sailing. What are your plans? Will we see you in Europe?

 

[jenseib]

well...Now I am hungry! LOL.

I love Cozumel but every time I have gone I have done a nice excursion of some sort.

 

[linetbo]

Linet!! How nice to talk to you again.

We are booked on the Magic in the Med again (yes, I know ...... ) on the August 26 sailing. What are your plans? Will we see you in Europe?

We are doing North Europe this year and Norway next. Maybe 2018 Karin!!

 

[Teri1]

Already got one?

I didn't get a new bracelet while I was there, we didn't get a chance to go back to Disney Springs to look again. We will be back in Sept. with our other daughter and Lily. We just booked free dinning!

Glad you did, Teresa! But I bet we enjoyed the time together with you two, Tiffany and Otto even more.

We so enjoyed getting to spend time with you and Tom! Thank you so much! Hope we can do that again. Otto is still talking about the Monorail and the buses.