minniesota
<font color=purple>Land is a good thing, too<br><f
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2002
- Messages
- 1,690
Monday, Day 3
I woke early and headed out to the verandah - the air seemed a little warmer, a little more humid. The tropics... I looked over todays Navigator and started formulating plans. I had a ticket for the wine tasting at 2:30 and I knew DS wanted to see Michael Harrisons magic and ventriloquism workshop at 2:15. That was it? This day would be a breeze...
The rest of the family lumbered out of bed and we headed to Topsiders for breakfast. This place is really well run. There never seemed to be any waiting and the staff was always very friendly and accommodating. DS got what was to become his daily breakfast - watermelon, bacon, glazed donut, Frosted Flakes and apple juice. The nutrition police were sailing the Princess this week. We finished breakfast and I took a stroll down to Shutters to see what the photographers had captured the night before. I took the advice from the boards and gathered all my prints together in one spot so I could decide if a package was the way to go as the week wore on. The portrait in front of the Magic was not the best and as I talked to other guests, I wished that we had tried a couple of different backgrounds. But with the time factor and DH losing his pants, we were lucky to get anything at all!
DH and the kids discovered they really enjoyed Deck 4 by the shuffleboard courts. They learned to play the first night and had a lot of fun with it. DH loved the comfy lounge chairs there and was often found there reading a book throughout the week. This morning, I joined him on Deck 4 and he said he wanted to talk to me about something. My antennae raised straight in the air and cautiously I asked,About what? He told me he thought I wasnt taking time for myself and that maybe I had over-planned and that just maybe I would enjoy the cruise more if I took more time for relaxation. And he was so right. Up until now, I was kind of running around keeping a schedule and hey, thats what my real life is about. So that was the turning point of the cruise for me. Thats the day I really fell in love ----with my verandah!
DH, DD and I decided to have a leisurely lunch at Lumieres - and it was. I had a shrimp medley and a salad Nicoise that was very good. A great glass of red wine accompanied my meal and I think we split dessert - key lime pie. I had a whole new outlook on life. Just relax, enjoy, take time for me!! Off to the wine tasting at 2:30 (which was the last scheduled thing I did onboard) with some fellow Disers. You were seated at a small table with six wine glasses, a plate of french bread and a glass of water. Five of the glasses were filled with a sample of different wines and the sixth was empty. We learned about the various varieties of wine and were instructed on how to taste wine. Very interesting and fun. Our last glass was filled with champagne and our wine steward demonstrated how to slice off a champagne bottle top with a champagne flute. Very cool.
I forgot to mention that DH bought the unlimited internet package simply because we own our own business and he had to have access to work. My DD was thrilled about this since she could keep in contact with the friends at home! I took the opportunity to post live reports on the cruise line forum which was really fun for me. When I was planning, I loved reading those live reports so I wanted to pay it forward as they say.
After the wine tasting, I walked Deck 4 and noticed the air warming even more. I love the sun but my skin does not so the shady side of Deck 4 worked out perfectly for me. Got back to my verandah and spent the rest of the afternoon reading, dozing and relaxing!!!
Dinner tonight was at Lumieres. I had a shrimp medley, DH had escargot and others at the table tried the camembert fritters. I also had the mixed garden salad, herb-crusted Atlantic cod which was yummy and the white chocolate domes filled with raspberry parfait! Our servers are just great -so accommodating and Okim has the warmest smile youll ever see. They enjoyed doing magic tricks for the kids and challenging them with crayon mind teasers.
The early seating seems to have a lot of little ones which made for some pretty noisy dinners. I know I was in that position once but when youre past that point in life, it can be a little challenging. We witnessed a lot of parents engaging in huge power struggles with their overtired kids. And because either these parents were too tired themselves, or were trying to make a point to their 3-year-old, we all had to suffer a bit. I guess thats the nature of Disney. Weve seen it time and time again at WDW -the kids screaming because theyre hot and tired and completely off schedule and mom and dad pushing onward because...well Im not exactly sure why. Anyway, my two cents. Maybe the late seating is different and Id be tempted to try that next time. Or maybe this time of year, there are just a lot more little ones onboard. Dont get me wrong. When they were happy, they were adorable. But when they werent, everyone paid the price.
The show tonight was Hercules and I must admit I fell asleep. It could have been the show, it could have been the wine at dinner or maybe its my new philosophy. Relax, relax, relax.
Tomorrow we arrive in St. Martin and swim with the dolphins! Towel animals and chocolates greet us again this evening when we return to the stateroom. A girl could get used to this!
I woke early and headed out to the verandah - the air seemed a little warmer, a little more humid. The tropics... I looked over todays Navigator and started formulating plans. I had a ticket for the wine tasting at 2:30 and I knew DS wanted to see Michael Harrisons magic and ventriloquism workshop at 2:15. That was it? This day would be a breeze...
The rest of the family lumbered out of bed and we headed to Topsiders for breakfast. This place is really well run. There never seemed to be any waiting and the staff was always very friendly and accommodating. DS got what was to become his daily breakfast - watermelon, bacon, glazed donut, Frosted Flakes and apple juice. The nutrition police were sailing the Princess this week. We finished breakfast and I took a stroll down to Shutters to see what the photographers had captured the night before. I took the advice from the boards and gathered all my prints together in one spot so I could decide if a package was the way to go as the week wore on. The portrait in front of the Magic was not the best and as I talked to other guests, I wished that we had tried a couple of different backgrounds. But with the time factor and DH losing his pants, we were lucky to get anything at all!
DH and the kids discovered they really enjoyed Deck 4 by the shuffleboard courts. They learned to play the first night and had a lot of fun with it. DH loved the comfy lounge chairs there and was often found there reading a book throughout the week. This morning, I joined him on Deck 4 and he said he wanted to talk to me about something. My antennae raised straight in the air and cautiously I asked,About what? He told me he thought I wasnt taking time for myself and that maybe I had over-planned and that just maybe I would enjoy the cruise more if I took more time for relaxation. And he was so right. Up until now, I was kind of running around keeping a schedule and hey, thats what my real life is about. So that was the turning point of the cruise for me. Thats the day I really fell in love ----with my verandah!
DH, DD and I decided to have a leisurely lunch at Lumieres - and it was. I had a shrimp medley and a salad Nicoise that was very good. A great glass of red wine accompanied my meal and I think we split dessert - key lime pie. I had a whole new outlook on life. Just relax, enjoy, take time for me!! Off to the wine tasting at 2:30 (which was the last scheduled thing I did onboard) with some fellow Disers. You were seated at a small table with six wine glasses, a plate of french bread and a glass of water. Five of the glasses were filled with a sample of different wines and the sixth was empty. We learned about the various varieties of wine and were instructed on how to taste wine. Very interesting and fun. Our last glass was filled with champagne and our wine steward demonstrated how to slice off a champagne bottle top with a champagne flute. Very cool.
I forgot to mention that DH bought the unlimited internet package simply because we own our own business and he had to have access to work. My DD was thrilled about this since she could keep in contact with the friends at home! I took the opportunity to post live reports on the cruise line forum which was really fun for me. When I was planning, I loved reading those live reports so I wanted to pay it forward as they say.
After the wine tasting, I walked Deck 4 and noticed the air warming even more. I love the sun but my skin does not so the shady side of Deck 4 worked out perfectly for me. Got back to my verandah and spent the rest of the afternoon reading, dozing and relaxing!!!
Dinner tonight was at Lumieres. I had a shrimp medley, DH had escargot and others at the table tried the camembert fritters. I also had the mixed garden salad, herb-crusted Atlantic cod which was yummy and the white chocolate domes filled with raspberry parfait! Our servers are just great -so accommodating and Okim has the warmest smile youll ever see. They enjoyed doing magic tricks for the kids and challenging them with crayon mind teasers.
The early seating seems to have a lot of little ones which made for some pretty noisy dinners. I know I was in that position once but when youre past that point in life, it can be a little challenging. We witnessed a lot of parents engaging in huge power struggles with their overtired kids. And because either these parents were too tired themselves, or were trying to make a point to their 3-year-old, we all had to suffer a bit. I guess thats the nature of Disney. Weve seen it time and time again at WDW -the kids screaming because theyre hot and tired and completely off schedule and mom and dad pushing onward because...well Im not exactly sure why. Anyway, my two cents. Maybe the late seating is different and Id be tempted to try that next time. Or maybe this time of year, there are just a lot more little ones onboard. Dont get me wrong. When they were happy, they were adorable. But when they werent, everyone paid the price.
The show tonight was Hercules and I must admit I fell asleep. It could have been the show, it could have been the wine at dinner or maybe its my new philosophy. Relax, relax, relax.
Tomorrow we arrive in St. Martin and swim with the dolphins! Towel animals and chocolates greet us again this evening when we return to the stateroom. A girl could get used to this!
