Who Needs Toes Anyway? A 2016 EBPC Trip Report *COMPLETE*

[arielmomma]

Following Art of Entertainment, we stayed in Studio Sea for the Cheese Seminar. James waited for all of the cheese to be handed out then slipped out. He was meeting Jimmy to play Marvel Trivia. We agreed to meet for lunch. I stayed for the seminar. It was interesting. I didn't care for the Brie, but I've never been a brie fan. The Boursin Cream Cheese and Smoke Gouda were out-of-this-world delicious!



Full of cheese, I went to find James. We were supposed to meet outside of Triton's.



I waited 15 minutes, but he never showed. I decided to hunt for him. While looking, I shared an elevator with a couple of characters, literally.



I also saw Chip-It Golf being set up in the Atrium.



However, I didn't find my husband. Considering I wasn't remotely hungry, I went to the Disney Vacation Club seminar. I didn't have any interest in buying into DVC, however, the chance to win a $200 onboard credit was appealing. Plus, I didn't have anything better to do.

When I entered Studio Sea, I filled out a form to be entered into the onboard credit drawing and selected a drink. I chose a mimosa and a water. The mimosa was too strong for my tastes.




I nearly skipped out on the end because I didn't want to miss the beginning of dance class, but I was glad I stuck it out. I won the $200 onboard credit! Yippee!

When I showed up late to dance, James was waiting for me. He completely excused my tardiness when I told him about the credit. We were both in good spirits as we learned the waltz. I barely even noticed the new injuries.

After dance, James and I parted ways. While I was in the DVC seminar, James had eaten a few slices of pizza from Pinocchio's Pizzeria, so he went to play various forms of trivia. I was finally hungry so I headed for Goofy's Galley on deck 9.



I selected a Turkey & Cranberry sandwich with honey-dew melon. It was very good.

 

[arielmomma]

I took my sandwich with me into The Buena Vista Theater. I watched Funny Girl. It was a good movie.



Following the movie, I returned to our cabin to shower and dress for dinner. Tonight was our second formal night. We had the Captain's Gala Menu.






One of the kids had the children's steak.



For his appetizer, James had the aged prosciutto.



I tried the oysters on a half shell. I didn't care for them.



Emily had the children's broccoli cheese soup.

 

[arielmomma]

Jimmy had the shrimp appetizer.



For his main course, Jimmy had the lobster tail.



James and I ordered a couple of items and shared them. First was the pork tenderloin. This was good.



Allison had the Thai Red Pumpkin and Coconut Curry.



James and I had the venison medallions. These were fantastic!



Someone had the chicken and fettucine.



Someone at our table had the apple pie.



James had the chocolate lava cake with extra ice cream.



Someone ordered the apricot trio.



I had double chocolate lava cakes. No, I wasn't able to eat them all.

 

[arielmomma]

After dinner, the kids abandoned us for the kids' clubs. James and I tried dancing in the atrium during the Officer's Reception. It was too crowded to remain for long. From there, we went back to our cabin, changed out of our dress clothes, then browsed the shops on deck 4 -- Mickey's Mates and Treasure Ketch.

Before long, it was time to find seats in the Walt Disney Theater. Tonight was VoicePlay. They were incredible!




It was a gorgeous night, so we decided to take a walk on deck 4.



We finished our walk and went to Wavebands to play Majority Rules. It was a hoot!



After the game, we stayed in Wavebands for Michelle Mallardi's performance.



Following Michelle was the second installment of Match Your Mate. Once again, it was hilarious! We did learn a valuable lesson during this game -- If you are going before an audience in any capacity, be conscious of the length of your skirt and what you may be wearing underneath. Feel free to use your imagination.



After the game, we collected the kids. Emily came back to the stateroom looking rather floral.



Tonight's towel animal.



Another incredible day was behind us.

Up Next...Our last port day.

 

[arielmomma]

On Wednesday 9/7, I woke at 10am. James had woken up early with a headache and already visited the hot tub. Today we were in Cozumel. We'd visited Cozumel twice in the past. It has some nice shops, but James' head still ached so we decided to stay onboard.



By the time the kids and I got around, breakfast was over. The kids ran off, while I went up to deck 9 for some pictures and a snack.




I hit Goofy's Galley for a Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich and honeydew melon.

 

[arielmomma]

It was time for lunch. As always, my family went to Triton's. Today's menu was a repeat.



Once again, Jimmy had the seafood sampler.



The kids and I all had the mango soup.



James had the turkey melt.



I had the fusilli pasta with extra sauce.



Emily had the meatloaf.



Emily also had a side of French fries.



For dessert, James had the chocolate fudge pudding.



Emily had the strawberry shortcake.



I had the key lime pie.

 

[arielmomma]

The boys left lunch early to play a game in Diversions, so I ordered Jimmy a sundae to-go.



He appreciated the gesture.



Since we decided to remain onboard today, I thought I'd start to pack. The items waiting for me on the bed were another reminder that our Wonderful cruise was coming to an end.



I hadn't seen these in almost two weeks.



A quick update on the menagerie. There were a lot of animals on that table.



I spent the next two hours packing while watching The Princess and the Frog and the beginning of Ant Man. With that chore behind me, I headed up to deck 9 for a snack and a few more photos.

Here's a quick picture of the toppings bar for your burgers.



They finally served my favorite soft-serve flavor -- coconut/pineapple! I had to have one.



More pictures of Cozumel.

 

[arielmomma]

That breathtaking Caribbean blue.



I joined James, Emily, and the Irelands in the Promenade Lounge for Disney Trivia. By the time the game ended, it was time to collect Jimmy for dinner.

Tonight we had the Toy Story Menu.



James started with a roll.



Jimmy had the shrimp cocktail.



Lauren ordered the children's macaroni and cheese.



Emily had the children's steak.



For my appetizers, I had the bruschetta...



and the flat bread. This was soooo good!

 

[arielmomma]

Allison had the fire roasted tomato soup.



She also had the asparagus.



James had the potato croquettes.



Jimmy and I had the Trenette Pasta "Frizzi."



James, of course, had the rib eye steak.



All of the kids had the bubblegum sundae.



James had A LOT of ice cream, courtesy of Claudius.



I had the cobbler and the cheesecake.

 

[arielmomma]

After dinner, we went to Studio Sea to play Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer. Neither mine or the Ireland kids were selected to play. Out of five cruises, it was the first time I saw a child lose at this game. In the past, the MC has always given the children hints until they guessed the correct answer. I guess Leslie wasn't feeling particularly generous today.



Our next activity was the Crew Talent Show. The Wonder has some very talented crew members. My family kept joking about the skills required to work for DCL. "So you want to scrape barnacles off the bottom of the ship? To qualify, you must be able to sing, dance, play three different instruments, and hold a smile for twenty hours straight."



We returned to our cabin after the Talent Show because our room hostess, Nerissa, granted my children a Magical Moment. She was going to teach them the art of napkin folding. Lauren accompanied us.

 

[arielmomma]

It was kind of Nerissa to take time out of her busy day to share this magical moment with us. We were thankful. Plus, now we can make our own menagerie at home.

Emily got new special sheets tonight.



When Nerissa left us, we headed to Studio Sea for family Karaoke. We ran into Sully along the way.



The kids chose to sing "Love Story" by Taylor Swift. Let's just say, we won't be winning a Grammy Award anytime soon.



After karaoke, we parted ways once again. James and I went to the Walt Disney Theater to watch John Charles' adult show. I swear that man can play every song known to man. He was entertaining.

We collected Emily after the show. Jimmy planned to stay in the Edge until 1am. James and Emily went to bed. I read my book and waited up for Jimmy.

Tonight's towel animal (in addition to all of the others).



Only one day left of this cruise. We intended to make the most of it.

Up Next...Our very busy final day.

 

[arielmomma]

On Thursday 9/8, we woke to our last full day on the Wonder. According to the Navigator, it looked like it would be a fun-filled day.



It was nearly time for Art of Entertaining. James had woken up early to use the hot tub so he was already up and around. He went to save us a seat in Studio Sea, while I got dressed. Today was the chef battle. We were both disappointed when we discovered that we wouldn't be sampling any food today. No wonder it was so easy to get a good seat!



When Art of Entertaining ended, we did our errand running, which included checking out today's lunch menu at Triton's.



We had eaten this menu earlier in the cruise, so we opted for the seafood barbeque that was taking place at Beach Blanket Buffet.

 

[arielmomma]

The DCL crew prepared a delectable seafood barbecue in Beach Blanket Buffet for our last day.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Such a great review! Thanks for all of the menus and pictures.

 

[arielmomma]

The goodies continued out onto the deck.

 

[arielmomma]

James' plate.



Emily’s first, rather empty plate.



Jimmy’s plate



My 1st plate. The potato and shrimp salads were really good. So was the key lime pie!



Our shared dessert plate.



My 2nd plate. The grilled lobster was yummy. So was the garlic bread (wrapped in the foil).

 

[arielmomma]

We left the kids with some snacks in the Promenade Lounge to play Disney Trivia. James and I went to dance class.



Willem and Natalia allowed us to video record them as they recapped everything they’d taught us during the cruise. Of all the activities we participated in onboard, I miss their class the most. They were amazing!

The kids met us in Wavebands for Kyle Knight and Mistie’s magic workshop. They taught us all a magic trick with string. Emily practiced and practiced the trick until she had it down. Then she did it for everyone she encountered the rest of the day. She was so proud of herself.



We dropped the kids off at the Oceaneer Lab so that they could practice for Friendship Rocks -- an end of cruise stage performance the kids put on for the parents in the Walt Disney Theater. James and I went back to the cabin to do a little housekeeping then went up to deck 9 to get an ice cream treat. They only had chocolate, vanilla, and twist. I chose vanilla.



From here, we went out on deck 4 to read for the last time. Usually we spend a lot more time out here, but we were so busy on this cruise that I only finished one book in two weeks. I’m usually a much heavier reader than that.



While we were on deck 4, a pod of dolphins swam by. I missed the shot, but here’s a picture of where the dolphins had been. You'll have to use your imagination.



Before long, it was time for Friendship Rocks. It was a cute program. Jimmy and Emily were in the back row so I didn’t get to see them during the performance, but they were in some of the pictures that appeared on the screen in the background. They both received blue Friendship Rocks t-shirts to take home as souvenirs.

When the program ended, it was time for dinner. We had the Till We Meet Again Menu.




Emily ordered the children’s surf–n-turf.



Emily also ordered the lobster bisque. She didn’t care for it.



Christopher ordered the children’s macaroni and cheese. He and Lauren had this a lot during the cruise. They loved it!

 

[arielmomma]

Lauren ordered buttered noodles.



For my appetizer, I had the gravlax. I love smoked salmon.



Someone ordered the children's broccoli-cheese soup.



Allison had the asparagus spears.



Jimmy had the garlic-marinated shrimp.



I had the cranberry salad.



Jimmy also had the dill and lemon marinated shrimp.



I had the chicken schnitzel.



Allison had the sweet and sour tofu.



Don ordered the salmon.

 

[arielmomma]

For his main course, James had the beef wellington. This was one of his favorite dishes on the cruise.



Onto dessert...



Jimmy and Emily both ordered double baked Alaska. They loved this dessert!



Lauren ordered a standard portion of baked Alaska.



Allison had fruit and cookies.



Jimmy also ordered the sweet temptation. He only liked the celebration cake.



James had apple pie with ice cream and caramel sauce.



I had the celebration cake. It was yummy! I also tried a sliver of the kids' baked Alaska. I didn't care for it.



I also had the apple pie.



To end the meal, the servers performed a parade of nations around the restaurant. It was a very Disneyesque way to wrap up our dining experience.

 

[Jess_S]

Thank you so much for doing such a detailed trip report. I am getting full just looking at all the food photos.