„Did you feel pressured to provide only EXCELLENT ratings?“

[dizneeat]

Smart chickie

How cool to be able to be on your back balcony and watch the ship back in!
I just have to smile - your breakfast is getting predictable! I'm glad to see you had "our" morning tugboat

Looks like you have the beginnings of another wonderful Cabana day! That little bird is cute company. Hopefully he didn't have any KK.

It was really nice to have all that space out there on the balcony.

CC days are always awesome days.

I miss the konk koolers!

Me too! There were none on the Magic this summer.

Beautiful photos from CC Karin
We'll be back there next month !!

Thank you, Linda!
How awesome that you will be back so soon!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 4, February 18

Big ship – beautiful small island - Part 3

After having finished the drinks we thought if we should go to have lunch right away or give the ocean another try.
Well, the ocean won.



It was now around noon and it was nice and warm and even though the water felt cold when we first went in it felt nicer once you were all wet and in the water. We swam and drifted for about half an hour, then hurried back to our Cabana, took showers and dried ourselves off.
Then we changed into dry swimsuits and walked down to the beach to go down to the Castaway Air bar and the barbecue station. We both love the salad buffet there, so we both filled our plates with salads and then I went and got myself some grilled Mahi Mahi



and Tom got some freshly grilled steak.



It was fun to see Corinne, one of the servers we had had at Palo’s before there and struck up a conversation with her. She clearly could not remember who we were, but let us know that she was still working at Palo and we told her that we would see her that evening. Food in hand we found a table and while I took pictures of the food, Tom went to pick up some drinks. Photos done and drinks on the table we were now able to dig in and enjoyed our lunch. When we had finished our plate Tom went to pick up our traditional Serenity Bay dessert –



Chocolate Chip Cookies. Tom picked up some more soda and we sat and enjoyed our cookies and time at the barbecue station. Once we were done we made a pit stop at the restrooms and then slowly walked along the water’s edge to our Cabana. We sat out on the deck for a while, watching other guests have fun in the water.
The sand bank that was there had come out now that it was low tide and people were sitting out there, enjoying the sun.



We changed into our still a bit wet swimsuits again and headed back out into the water. We quickly got over the initial cold water shock and headed out to the bank in the water, which was only about 2 inches deep there. We sat down with a view of the beach and enjoyed the sun, which was pretty nice and warm.









We must have sat for quite some time, as we did see a lot of people come and go and finally we both felt that we were starting to burn. So we slowly made our way back to the Cabana. And while we were still slowly moving through the water we saw a lot of fish, some of them really big ones.



Once we were back at our Cabana we took showers, then dried ourselves off, put more sunblock on and grabbed some drinks out of the fridge.
When we saw a Cast Member taking orders for “more spirited” drinks,we just waved at him and ordered our afternoon drinks. Tom read a bit, sitting on his lounger, while I sat at my chair close to the railing, looking out over the ocean. About 20 minutes later our drinks arrived. Tom had ordered a



Mojito and I had ordered a



Pina Colada, which again was a bit too much on the sweet side. But who cared, we were at Castaway Cay and it was really nice to enjoy the sun, but all too soon the Cast Members started to close umbrellas and collect chairs that were left at the water’s edge.






About an hour before we were supposed to be back on board we started to collect all our stuff again and get changed. Once we had packed our bag again and checked for forgotten items we decided that instead of ringing the bell to get the Cabana host, we would just walk down to the tram. Imagine our surprise when the Cabana host was already waiting for us.
So we quickly jumped into the Golf cart and he took us to the tram. We said our goodbyes and Tom handed him a tip and soon we were on our way back to Pelican Point where we had to change trams. It did not take long and another tram was coming in and we were able to get on. Back at the pier we had to hike all the way to the front of the ship to get on again and once inside we took the elevator up to deck 8 and hiked all the way to the back.Once we had both taken showers we sat outside on the veranda with a drink out of the fridge until it was time for the ship to pull out of Castaway Cay.















We watched with a drink in hand, until we were quite far out at sea. And by that time it was about time to get ready for the next point on our agenda.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[dizneeat]

Day 4, February 18

Big ship – beautiful small island - Part 4

And by that time it was about time to get ready for the next point on our agenda.
We changed and headed upstairs to Palo, for our 6pm dinner reservation. We were a tiny bit late, so they did not even ask us to sit in Meridian for a minute, but we were escorted right in by Corinne! After meeting her at the barbecue, where indeed we had told her that we would be having dinner at Palo she had made sure we were her guests. We were led to a lovely table right by the window and handed the menus. Then Corinne went to get some water before she would take a drinks order and get the antipasti. Fresh water with a slice of lemon on the table we decided that we would both get a glass of the



Moet Ice to enjoy with the antipasti plate. So, before our drinks were delivered, Corinne rolled the antipasti cart over to our table and filled a plate very generously with



marinated olives, red peppers and artichokes, Parma ham and Brescaola and quite a lot of nice pieces of Parmesan cheese. She then offered us several infused oils and an aged Balsamic to drizzle over it. There was nothing to debate, we asked for the Balsamic and a minute after she had put the plate on the table she returned with a basket of



house made breads. And while we started to try the goodies on our table she went to get our drinks and returned with them shortly after. It only took a few minutes until our starters were delivered. Tom had ordered an old favourite, the



Fritto di Calamari, lightly crusted calamari served with deep-fried cherry peppers, and I was served the



Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes with Balsamic Dressing, their Modern Interpretation of a Traditional Dish. And both were really well seasoned and fresh and we enjoyed them very much. Corinne stopped by ever so often to make sure we were happy and we chatted a bit with her too. Knowing from previous visits we knew that many European cast members were missing European kind of sweets and Corinne was no exception. Once we talked about things she missed, we learned that she missed French baguette, some savoury dishes and European chocolate. Yeah, score, I was carrying a bag of chocolates in my new Disney cruise line Dooney and Bourke bag. But there was no chance to hand it over right now as she was busily hurrying away to get the palate cleanser,



lime sorbet, which was nice, cool and refreshing. Soon after we had finished them, our main courses were delivered. Tom had ordered the



Pan-seared Calves Liver Mele e Cipolle, on polenta cake with caramelized apples and onions, garnished with air-dried prosciutto. Ever since it had been a special on the menu, Tom had loved it and so he had ordered it as his main course. He raved about it. I had ordered something I had had before too, the



Fagotti di Petto di Pollo con Ricotta e Basilico, Baked chicken breast filled with ricotta, basil and red peppers served with pinot grigio reduction, which was to die for. We both took our sweet time enjoying our main courses and while we still did so, Corinne came by to ask if everything was okay and if we would like Palo’s signature dessert.
Yes, that was what we wanted and since it takes 20 minutes to make she put in the order for us. And once we had finished our main courses, our plats were whisked away and we were left to enjoy the evening and the quiet of the restaurant, while everywhere else on board the pirates had taken over. We sat for about 10 minutes and then Corinne arrived with our dessert, the



Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauce. And after opening the Souffle up and pouring in equal amounts of Vanilla Sauce and Chocolate Sauce we started to enjoy this heavenly dessert. When we had finished it, Corinne brought over the bill, which was on Mickey, we only had to pay for our Champagne and add the tip for our server. When we handed her our card to run it for the tip we handed her her bag of sweets as well. And I kid you not, she was so excited and went to the back room to try one of the chocolates right away. When she finally returned, she mentioned that she could not stop at one piece, but had two of them and put the farewell drink, Palo offers in front of us. This is some



Limoncello, some lime sorbet, topped with a bit of Prosecco. Very nice and very cold! When we were finally ready Corinne hugged both of us and told us to come back soon. Well, her wish was our command as we had a reservation for brunch the next day and we told her so. She just laughed and said, that she would be here to take care of us and make sure we had a nice table. We said our goodbyes for the day and rolled back to our room where we found a towel money waiting for us. We changed into more comfortable clothes and sat out on the veranda for a while.
When we had recovered from food overload a bit we grabbed our Fish Extender gifts for that day and headed out to deliver them. It did take us a little longer to deliver them that day, as there were so many pirates in the hallways. When we returned to our stateroom we were both done. There was still about an hour and a half until the fireworks, but we were both so tired that we decided to skip the fireworks and instead have an early night. So by 10pm we were already in bed and when the fireworks started we peeked out on the veranda and could see hints of it, but we very quickly returned to our beds and called it a day.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[DisneyDreamerMN]

Loving that sand bar! I hope to be able to enjoy it in November when I cruise on the Dream.

Palo looks delicious as always
I've read several TRs where people rave about the Moet Ice. Is it expensive per glass?

 

[MEK]

I always love your drink poses! And they always make me crave an adult beverage!

That's a cool picture from the cabana when the umbrellas are down.

That water is so amazing and blue. I can't imagine finding an actual whole sand dollar. Neat!

Dinner looks fabulous. I seriously can't wait to eat there!

 

[jedijill]

What a wonderful day! I'm going to be sad to miss CC this cruise but I'm sure the itinerary will make up for it.

Palo dinner looks divine as always. So sweet of you to treat your server with the chocolate. I can't wait until I eat some of that souffle in 12 days!

Jill in CO

 

[jenseib]

Lunch looks great.....but Tom ordered liver for dinner???? Oh Tom we need to teach liver is BAD!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Loving that sand bar! I hope to be able to enjoy it in November when I cruise on the Dream.

Palo looks delicious as always
I've read several TRs where people rave about the Moet Ice. Is it expensive per glass?

Ah, so jealous that you get to visit "my" sand bar in November. Enjoy it for me too!

It is just so nice to dine at Palo, quiet and very good food. Comes pretty close to real Italian.
The Moet Ice is my absolute favourite champagne! Sooooooooo good. I think they sell it for about 15$ per glass.

I always love your drink poses! And they always make me crave an adult beverage!

That's a cool picture from the cabana when the umbrellas are down.

That water is so amazing and blue. I can't imagine finding an actual whole sand dollar. Neat!

Dinner looks fabulous. I seriously can't wait to eat there!

It is so easy to take shots of the drinks at CC. The backdrop is always amazing.

CC is just so beautiful. You are so going to love it on your cruise. And if you are lucky, you might even have a visit of some rays out on Serenity Bay. We have often seen them swimming there.
The things you might find there are amazing too. We have picked up whole Konks (and put them right back where they belonged after taking the photo).

Do you have a sea day on your cruise? Or are you having dinner at Palo?

What a wonderful day! I'm going to be sad to miss CC this cruise but I'm sure the itinerary will make up for it.

Palo dinner looks divine as always. So sweet of you to treat your server with the chocolate. I can't wait until I eat some of that souffle in 12 days!

Jill in CO

It was a really beautiful day and we were so happy it had turned out like this as even though we would be on a Disney ship in the summer, we were far away from CC.
And I am more than sure that your itinerary will make up for it too.

Isn't that souffle just divine? We really love it, unfortunately we are always so stuffed already.

Lunch looks great.....but Tom ordered liver for dinner???? Oh Tom we need to teach liver is BAD!!!!

Yes, Jen, unbelievable, but Tom ordered that wonderful calf's liver for dinner. It tasted really good - and I do NOT like liver.

 

[pas130]

Karin...the crystal water, the food..a sand dollar Awesome pics

 

[dizneeat]

Day 5, February 19

Lazy day gone busy - Part 1

We were up around 7am,



took showers and sat out on the veranda for a while until it was time to get ready for our brunch reservation at Palo. About 5 minutes early we headed upstairs and again, were led right to our table by Corinne.
It was fun to see that we had the same table we had had the night before and after a short chat, Corinne pointed out that the first rush at the buffet was over and there was a lot of room for us to be shown around. Not that we still need the tour, but it is nice to have everything pointed out by the server.



























And after our tour around the buffet and a photo taken by another Palo server, Corinne handed us a plate and told us to make sure to come back to the buffet as often as we wished. We started our way around and picked up an item here and an item there and soon our plates were filled with yummy items. When we returned to our table we had been served some water with lemon slices in it and Mimosas.





Corinne came to ask if we wanted some coffee or tea, but we both declined. It was wonderful to enjoy the delicious offerings from the buffet,





while looking out onto the ocean, where we could see several other cruise and cargo ships. It was interesting to see how fast the cargo ships moved, while the cruise ships just sat there.
Once we had finished our first plate, we went back for a second round, this time consisting of sweet breakfast items and fruit.





And while we were nibbling on those, Corinne came by to ask if it was too early to put in our order for a hot course. Sure, so we let her know what we wanted and kept on stuffing our faces.
As soon as we were done, our plates were whisked away and just a few seconds later, we were served the pizza we wanted to share. We had ordered a half and half pizza,




half sun dried tomatoes and cheese and half blue cheese and grapes, my favourite. Corinne helped putting it on our plates and then we were on our own enjoying it. We were getting pretty full already, but we had wanted to share the



Chicken Parmesan on top of creamy Risotto as well. So, as soon as we had finished our pizza, Corinne changed our cutlery and served the Chicken Parm. Food overload!

To be continued ............ ​

 

[dizneeat]

Karin...the crystal water, the food..a sand dollar Awesome pics

Thank you! Disney definitely bought the perfect island to create paradise.

 

[RGirl]

Hi Karin!

You are really making me wish I was on CC right now…..

Your lunch looks so good! I’m impressed - we didn’t find a lot of appetizing things when we were at Cookies II or whatever it is called. But it didn’t really help that we weren’t at all hungry.

Reading this is making me so excited to be back on the Fantasy next summer. I can’t wait!!!!

Although I will likely opt for more Remy instead of Palo next time, I sure do love that Palo antipasti! Mmmmmm And the brunch is always tempting…..

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin!

You are really making me wish I was on CC right now…..

Me too, back to work ..... NO fun!

Your lunch looks so good! I’m impressed - we didn’t find a lot of appetizing things when we were at Cookies II or whatever it is called. But it didn’t really help that we weren’t at all hungry.

We found lunch at Serenity Bay a bit different to Cookie's. And we are always looking forward to the many salads they offer there.

Reading this is making me so excited to be back on the Fantasy next summer. I can’t wait!!!!

But you are on the Fantasy too soon. I wish we were on the same cruise again.

Although I will likely opt for more Remy instead of Palo next time, I sure do love that Palo antipasti! Mmmmmm And the brunch is always tempting…..

We just love Palo brunch, so that is a must and Palo dinner is on Mickey (Platinum bonus) so we cannot miss that either.
I am really looking forward to Remy lunch next summer though. I have to admit that I enjoyed it more than dinner.

 

[Teri1]

Love the pics of the food at Palo! Can't wait to eat there again. Karin I love the D&B purse, I have to save up for one. I couldn't decide which one last time, so I didn't get one. Maybe you can help me pick one out on our cruise?

 

[pas130]

Thank you! Disney definitely bought the perfect island to create paradise.

That Palo brunch!!!! My DH and I could probably spend the entire day there and be totally happy. So much I'd want to eat!! WOW!

 

[jenseib]

I LOVE that Chicken Parm and risotto! I wish I knew how to make it just like that!

 

[annmarieda]

I can not get over just how clear those waters look!

Your cabana looks to have been perfect! And you even had a special little guest.

Your meal at Palo looks amazing. The presentation alone is outstanding I can only imagine what it must actually taste like. Course, I am sure all the food (not just the food at Palo) is great. All of your pictures certainly make it seem so.

 

[RGirl]

But you are on the Fantasy too soon. I wish we were on the same cruise again.

Me too. Are we going to be at WDW at the same time at all? Or are you doing WDW after the cruise (or not at all)?

 

[dizneeat]

Sorry I have been neglecting this thread AGAIN. But the start of the school year AND "house (and flat) trouble" required all of our attention.

Love the pics of the food at Palo! Can't wait to eat there again. Karin I love the D&B purse, I have to save up for one. I couldn't decide which one last time, so I didn't get one. Maybe you can help me pick one out on our cruise?

We are under 50 weeks for our cruise, Teri, it will be here soon and this time we will be able to enjoy Palo together.
I sure can help you pick a D&B I have no problem with that.

That Palo brunch!!!! My DH and I could probably spend the entire day there and be totally happy. So much I'd want to eat!! WOW!

There is SO much to try at that brunch and even though we have been so many times there are still items I want to try.

I LOVE that Chicken Parm and risotto! I wish I knew how to make it just like that!

It is really good, isn't it? We often get it, as the US is the only place where you can get a chicken parm.

I can not get over just how clear those waters look!

That is the reason we love it so much. I will only step into an ocean if I can see my toes if that makes sense. And CC is perfect. :clould9:

Your cabana looks to have been perfect! And you even had a special little guest.

It is an awesome retreat. It comes with a hefty price tag, but we only get to CC once or twice a year, so it is more than worth.
Ah, that little birdy was just too cute.

Your meal at Palo looks amazing. The presentation alone is outstanding I can only imagine what it must actually taste like. Course, I am sure all the food (not just the food at Palo) is great. All of your pictures certainly make it seem so.

Ann, my photos don't do the buffet justice. It is incredible. And I have not found anything yet, that was not tasting great.

Me too. Are we going to be at WDW at the same time at all? Or are you doing WDW after the cruise (or not at all)?

I am not sure we are there at the same time, Roni.
We will arrive on Saturday, Aug 15, then stay at WDW (Pop is booked at the moment, but that may change IF they come up with a fair AP discount). The last two days we will move to a DVC resort (not sure yet) as I want EASY access to a washer and dryer before the cruise.
We will board the Fantasy on Aug 22 and stay on until Sept 6. We will then stay for another week at OKW preferably.
What are your dates?

 

[dizneeat]

Day 5, February 19

Lazy day gone busy - Part 2

So, as soon as we had finished our pizza, Corinne changed our cutlery and served the Chicken Parm. Food overload!
At least when we had finished that we could have a little break. Corinne came over to chat some more and we learned that she had less than a month until the end of her contract and a 6 week break at home in Paris.
And she told us that when she had come back to her room she had been hiding her chocolate, her roommate had seen her and she was now sharing it. It was dwindling fast. No problem, as we stocked that up right away, which we were thanked for with a huge hug.
Then it was time to hit the dessert table. We both filled a plate with what looked yummy and headed back to our table to give it all a try.





When we were done we were brought our bill and then after hugging Corinne one more time we headed towards the exit. But there was one more stop to be made as we saw Holly at one of the tables and we stopped to say hello. After that we headed back to our stateroom, got changed and headed back upstairs, because with our large veranda and the fact that this was such a short cruise we had not been up on the top deck in 3 days. So we walked up, walked around and enjoyed the sun and the ship gliding through the sea.





We returned to our stateroom about 40 minutes later and sat outside on the veranda





with a beer and a glass of the Prosecco. But we did not stop long. We had one more round of Fish Extender gifts to deliver and grabbed our prepared bag and off we went. When we had finally delivered our last gifts we headed back to our stateroom to find our Fish Extender filled as well.
So we took everything inside to examine it thoroughly, then started to pack away the first few things, but we did not have too much time to do that. We had another appointment to be at. We had signed up for the galley tour. So we walked down to the Royal Palace,







but the side entrance was closed and when we got around to the Main entrance and there were already people waiting. About 5 minutes before the tour was supposed to start we were directed to the side entrance and we all headed over and were immediately welcomed inside the restaurant. The Chef and one of the head waiters were introducing themselves and gave us an insight of what was to come.
And then we headed off towards the kitchen.





We have been on that tour on the Fantasy before and it was as interesting as it was the first time around. We were shown the different areas, their ordering system and were told how operations ran on a busy night.











The tour lasted for about 25 minutes and then we strolled through the bars back to our stateroom.









We did some more packing, which was a lot easier after only a four day cruise than it had been after two weeks on the Fantasy. When we were nearly done with it, we headed to 687, so Tom could have their signature beer.
Once we had made it there he did not feel like it any more and ordered a Beercktail,





the Baha Fog, Corona, Jose Cuervo 1800 Tequila and Fresh Lime, while I stuck with a



Strawberry Daiquiri, which he had to go and have made in one of the other bars. It was nice that it was so quiet in there, even though they were preparing for a tasting of some sort. When we finished up our drinks the room filled with people for the tasting and it was time for us to leave.

To be continued ............ ​