Hi all. I didn't think I'd get an update in before our road trip but M and the kids decided to watch The Hobbit: the desolation of Smaug. My options are to slam my head into the wall, poke my eye out with a hot fork, or finish an update. My insurance company surely thanks me for choosing to update.
It was finally dinner time. I did forget to share this cute pic of me and Joshua on the deck. He was thanking his mumsie (me) for the trip.
After enjoying the deck and watching the sunset, we ventured in to dinner.
Pam can correct me but I think the rest of our table mates were sat before us. Pam and I had requested to sit together. I was hoping we'd also sit with a family with kids Joshua's age.
We had tablemates. Very nice table mates. And for future updates, as you'll hear more about said table mates, they'll be referred to as parent, adult child, adult child's SO, tween, and friend of tween. Parent was generous and decided to treat them all to a cruise. In one cabin was parent, tween, and tween's friend. In the other cabin was adult child and adult child's SO. Adult child and adult child's SO had recently moved in together and had been dating about 6 months. No judgement on shacking up, I did myself. This was parent and tween's 6 or 7th
Disney cruise, yay them. To say the dynamic was interesting would be an understatement. I couldn't put my finger on what was unsettling but something was fishy.......we all chatted and it seemed like we'd have a blast during our MDRs and boy did we ever. Huh Pam?
I was overwhelmed by the sheer coolness of AP. The concept is brilliant. The art and changing colors lend to the mood and vibe. It's brilliant. AP would be our first and last dinner MDR and of course the final breakfast.
My menu:
If you've read any of my other bazillion reports you know that Lady is my all time favorite. I was in heaven. Serious heaven.
Menu photos. Sorry they are cell photos.
Ariel was on our wall:
Other shots around the joint:
I had read SO much about Disney's food and couldn't wait to dig in although I was under the impression I wasn't going to stuff myself silly. I'm still carrying 3 solid cruise pounds. Ho hum.
We had enjoyed our chicken fingers just a couple hours earlier so we weren't starving.
Arjay from the Philippines was our assistant server and Ozzy from Turkey was our main server. Paulo from schmoozeville was the head server, ya know guy who walks around telling us our real servers a doing such a good job because of him.
Nice guy, not my style. He reminded me a little of Mr. Big from Sex and the City. I think I had some transference going on.
I like the worker bees better. Maybe it's because I was a server for many years. Ozzy and Arjay were friendly and prompt and we really enjoyed them. We got to know them more as the cruise went on.
We both ordered water for drinks and Pam got a diet Coke. I was pretty mellow from the day before and the emotion of today. Joshua was soda'd out already as he doesn't drink much at home. We both failed our Drink of the Day goal. Disney losers. With our drinks came as did a basket of bread aka Bread Service; garlic and herb focaccia with a Rosemary Virgin Olive Oil. I picked at a piece. Joshua devoured it.
For appetizers I ordered the Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup. It was fabulous!
Joshua didn't want an appetizer so I ordering him the Truffle Pursettes. I just had to try them as I had read so much about them. They were so good too. I could have had these for a main meal but double the portion of course. I love that rich truffle flavor. The sauce was light so it went perfectly together.
Joshua wasn't all that hungry so he ordered the Grilled grain-fed Sirloin Steak off the lighter menu, medium-rare. Sadly it came out more medium-well but he's not picky and ate about half anyway. It tasted very bland to me. We both said Michael makes a way better steak. This was the only so-so meal of the trip. It came with his choice of veggies and baked potato or steamed rice. He chose a baked potato of which he didn't touch. I'll let Pam-ella fill you in on her eats. Plus kids, her pics a way better!
I ordered the Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin at the suggestion of Ozzy. I was torn between that and the veal chop. The tenderloin was served with wasabi mashed potatoes and bok choy in a Tamarind- Barbecue reduction. I ordered it medium-rare and it was cooked perfectly. I only finished about half of it and it pained me to have it thrown away. I hate wasting food. I liked both the BBQ sauce and wasabi potatoes. I am not huge starch person, I'm usually more impressed with whatever protein is being served.
Remember the black and white from before? Look at it now! Amazing!
More Ariel in the darkened dining room:
Joshua had his Icebreaker at the Edge at 9:30 so he said his good eyes and rushed off, wave phone in hand. I told Pam if he made it more than a couple hours I'd be shocked. I hoped he would......
We chatted and enjoyed our dinner. Pam was so much fun and I am so glad we decided to take a chance and request a table together. Score! Our tablemates were mellow, chatting but not overly so. Tween's friend was only 9 and wasn't able to go into the Edge so they opted for the Oceaneer's Lab after dinner. Sweet kids.
Dessert menus presented after our delicious dinner:
I knew exactly what I was going to get even before I sat down:
It doesn't get any better than this for me.
I also ordered what could have been the worst cup of coffee known to man. How can Disney call it coffee? There was hardly enough cream and sugar to choke it down. Seriously Disney, you're top notch across the board; I am begging you to invest in more than instant muck served as coffee. I got decaf to be exact. Sewage.
Dinner was relaxing and wonderful. Pam and I looked over the Navigator and mulled over our evening choices. Guess what these two party girl did? We opted for Mary Poppins on funnel vision.
Before the movie I wanted to run upstairs and grab a light blanket as its chilly on deck. I came back to find tomorrow's Navigator for our day at sea, some chocolates, and a towel swan. Lovely. There was also the onboard booking temptation paper as well as Joshua's OBC and my Rainforest pass.
Here are a few shots of the room after turn down:
I grabbed those blankets you see and headed to deck 10 for some Mary Poppins. Pam met me up there too. There were more people than I anticipated but no where near crowded.
Jane and Michael Banks!
I don't think we watched the movie more than 10 minutes when I got a text from Joshua saying: this (meaning the club) sucks. LOL! I was not surprised at all. He met Pam and I and cuddled with me while we all watched the movie. It was the perfect way to end our first ever Disney cruise day; full bellies, good friends, on the open sea, watching a Disney movie. I mean how cool is that?!?!
We made it until almost midnight but couldn't stay awake another minute. Joshua and I said bye to Pam and headed to our cabin. I made sure to put out the room service ticket before laying down. I opened the door to the verandah so we could sleep to the sound of the waves. Wow, just wow. It was so relaxing and soothing. We fell sleep quickly.
Up next: our first sea day.
To be continued......