Day 2:
Awoke to find my wife had gotten up early to run the treadmill in the gym. DDs 7 and 3 were up at 7:00 a.m. bouncing off the cabin walls ready for the day. I took them up to Beach Blanket Bingo for breakfast. We absolutely loved the spread up here. Dont know where DCL gets their fruit for the cruises, but on our cruise it was some of the freshest produce Ive ever had. Pineapples, navel oranges, pink grapefruit, kiwi, grapes, melon etc everything was at the peak of ripeness. Then we moved on to more traditional artery-hardening fare crisp bacon, sausage links, eggs, biscuits and gravy, ham, etc. We didnt try everything, but I can vouch for the bacon being very good. I confess I didnt care much for the scrambled eggs. They have an aftertaste that I cant quite define . . . anyway, there are also mini waffles (both traditional and chocolate) of course in the shape of Mickey-ears, bagels, doughnuts. Etc. That is the end of the buffet line, where a server pours juices, coffee and teas on request.
But thats not the best part of breakfast. Dont forget to round the corner, where theres a cooked-to-order omelette bar (they will deliver to your table after you give your preferences), and my favorite, the smoked salmon. I know a lot of salmon snobs, my wife included, who are very particular, and typically this kind of fish can run the gamut from old/fishy to pink and fresh. This fish was very, very good --- I probably ate a couple of pounds worth over the 4 days, and its accompanied by all the traditional toppings onions, cream cheese, capers, etc.
Finally, there is a cereal bar as well, for those who cant go without their sugar frosted flakes, etc. I recommend eating outside overlooking the stern it was fantastic to finish breakfast and sip coffee leisurely while watching the ship glide into Nassau.
My wife joined us after her workout, and then the girls wanted to go back into the kids club for awhile. We have friends who lived in Nassau for years, and we know the area very well, including Paradise Island, so we did not even plan on disembarking that day, preferring instead to enjoy the ship while it was relatively uncrowded.
Besides, my favorite part of the cruise was scheduled for that morning. Beware the adults only portion of the review is about to ensue. On our previous cruise, I had heard about something in the spa called the Exotic Rasul, which essentially involved being locked into a steam/shower room with your significant other and a bunch of oils, muds, and lotions, with instructions to do whatever you want for an undisturbed hour. Sounded great to me, but alas, on our previous cruise, I found out too late that it was not offered on the last day at sea.
So this time we had booked the reservation before embarking, and our Rasul was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. We arrived at the spa and were led to the locker rooms where we changed into a robe and slippers. Then we were escorted to our room, which was actually 3 rooms -- an anteroom with a tiled sitting area, flanked by a shower area on one side, and a Greek-style steam-room on the other.
We were given instructions on how to use everything, which included a wink-wink nudge-nudge explanation that we had an hour to ourselves, and that the attendant would be given us a 10 minute warning knock before our hour was up. Well, I wouldnt be a gentlemen if I gave you a play-by-play of exactly what we spent our hour doing in there, but it involved a mudfight, a lot of steam and concerned expressions from my wife as to whether those in the hallway could hear anything. I dont know if they could or not, but at the time I didnt really care, either.
Anyway, if you plan on experiencing the Rasul, I have a tip bring extra towels from the locker-room. Those tiles arent cushioned, which makes for some logistical difficulties at times.
OK, on to more G-rated cruise fun. After the Rasul (boy was I relaxed) we picked up the kids and changed into our swimsuits and went down to the pool. Even with so many people off the ship in Nassau, there were still no loungechairs to be had. We grabbed a table across the aisle, and some lunch from the Goofy kiosk, and then let the kids splash around. The pool is well designed, with the Mickey ears in the pool serving as kiddie pools for the toddlers. They have also added a small splash zone area to one side for the little ones. My DD7 spent the next 2 hours on the big slide, which she absolutely loved.
The Goofy food kiosk around the corner from the Mickey pool had surprisingly sophisticated food Portobello wraps, roastbeef/horseradish sandwiches, etc., all on great grainy breads, etc., and there was also a lot more of that fantastic fruit. Across the way on the other side of the pool was the more traditional fast food chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, etc. After stuffing myself, I settled back with a drink of the day and watched the kids wear themselves out.
In midafternoon we went back to our stateroom so our little one could nap. I took my DD7 to the movie theatre on Deck 5 to watch Meet the Robinsons, which was watchable if not unforgettable. Amazing that they can put a movie theatre sideways into a ship and yet give it a spacious, almost luxurious feel.
After the movie it was time to change for dinner. Tonight was Animators Palate, which I knew the girls would love. I had the bacon-wrapped filet, the gazpacho and a salad. As was the case the previous day, although dinner was fine, I wasnt as impressed with it as with the other meals of the day. The AP experience is a lot of fun. Our girls can sometimes become restless over the course of a long dinner, but the ever-changing and more colorful décor kept them entertained with trying to notice the changes, which are sometimes surprisingly subtle.
We left dinner and asked the kids if they wanted to see the evening show, but not surprisingly, they opted for the kids club. So we dropped them off and my wife and I headed for Diversions for a cocktail. It was surprisingly empty in there, but the tavern host is a very engaging and talkative American with a penchant for bar tricks and good conversation. He made the rounds of the few occupied tables, and I managed to stump him with one of the only bar tricks I know involving a matchbook and two matches balanced against each other. Meanwhile, he took a straw and rested it on top of his four fingers, then took the middle two fingers and curled them under and then over the straw without the straw falling of the remainig two fingers. I dare any of you to try that without dislocating something. My wife finished her Cosmo and I finished my single malt Glenlivet and we strolled the gently rolling Deck 4 for awhile until we picked up the kids and retired to our stateroom. Steven had made a very amusing towel monkey hanging from a coathanger, and left another generous helping of pillow mints. We went to sleep with the girls excited about knowing that they were going to be playing on Mickeys private island all the next day.
Awoke to find my wife had gotten up early to run the treadmill in the gym. DDs 7 and 3 were up at 7:00 a.m. bouncing off the cabin walls ready for the day. I took them up to Beach Blanket Bingo for breakfast. We absolutely loved the spread up here. Dont know where DCL gets their fruit for the cruises, but on our cruise it was some of the freshest produce Ive ever had. Pineapples, navel oranges, pink grapefruit, kiwi, grapes, melon etc everything was at the peak of ripeness. Then we moved on to more traditional artery-hardening fare crisp bacon, sausage links, eggs, biscuits and gravy, ham, etc. We didnt try everything, but I can vouch for the bacon being very good. I confess I didnt care much for the scrambled eggs. They have an aftertaste that I cant quite define . . . anyway, there are also mini waffles (both traditional and chocolate) of course in the shape of Mickey-ears, bagels, doughnuts. Etc. That is the end of the buffet line, where a server pours juices, coffee and teas on request.
But thats not the best part of breakfast. Dont forget to round the corner, where theres a cooked-to-order omelette bar (they will deliver to your table after you give your preferences), and my favorite, the smoked salmon. I know a lot of salmon snobs, my wife included, who are very particular, and typically this kind of fish can run the gamut from old/fishy to pink and fresh. This fish was very, very good --- I probably ate a couple of pounds worth over the 4 days, and its accompanied by all the traditional toppings onions, cream cheese, capers, etc.
Finally, there is a cereal bar as well, for those who cant go without their sugar frosted flakes, etc. I recommend eating outside overlooking the stern it was fantastic to finish breakfast and sip coffee leisurely while watching the ship glide into Nassau.
My wife joined us after her workout, and then the girls wanted to go back into the kids club for awhile. We have friends who lived in Nassau for years, and we know the area very well, including Paradise Island, so we did not even plan on disembarking that day, preferring instead to enjoy the ship while it was relatively uncrowded.
Besides, my favorite part of the cruise was scheduled for that morning. Beware the adults only portion of the review is about to ensue. On our previous cruise, I had heard about something in the spa called the Exotic Rasul, which essentially involved being locked into a steam/shower room with your significant other and a bunch of oils, muds, and lotions, with instructions to do whatever you want for an undisturbed hour. Sounded great to me, but alas, on our previous cruise, I found out too late that it was not offered on the last day at sea.
So this time we had booked the reservation before embarking, and our Rasul was scheduled for 11:00 a.m. We arrived at the spa and were led to the locker rooms where we changed into a robe and slippers. Then we were escorted to our room, which was actually 3 rooms -- an anteroom with a tiled sitting area, flanked by a shower area on one side, and a Greek-style steam-room on the other.
We were given instructions on how to use everything, which included a wink-wink nudge-nudge explanation that we had an hour to ourselves, and that the attendant would be given us a 10 minute warning knock before our hour was up. Well, I wouldnt be a gentlemen if I gave you a play-by-play of exactly what we spent our hour doing in there, but it involved a mudfight, a lot of steam and concerned expressions from my wife as to whether those in the hallway could hear anything. I dont know if they could or not, but at the time I didnt really care, either.
Anyway, if you plan on experiencing the Rasul, I have a tip bring extra towels from the locker-room. Those tiles arent cushioned, which makes for some logistical difficulties at times.OK, on to more G-rated cruise fun. After the Rasul (boy was I relaxed) we picked up the kids and changed into our swimsuits and went down to the pool. Even with so many people off the ship in Nassau, there were still no loungechairs to be had. We grabbed a table across the aisle, and some lunch from the Goofy kiosk, and then let the kids splash around. The pool is well designed, with the Mickey ears in the pool serving as kiddie pools for the toddlers. They have also added a small splash zone area to one side for the little ones. My DD7 spent the next 2 hours on the big slide, which she absolutely loved.
The Goofy food kiosk around the corner from the Mickey pool had surprisingly sophisticated food Portobello wraps, roastbeef/horseradish sandwiches, etc., all on great grainy breads, etc., and there was also a lot more of that fantastic fruit. Across the way on the other side of the pool was the more traditional fast food chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, etc. After stuffing myself, I settled back with a drink of the day and watched the kids wear themselves out.
In midafternoon we went back to our stateroom so our little one could nap. I took my DD7 to the movie theatre on Deck 5 to watch Meet the Robinsons, which was watchable if not unforgettable. Amazing that they can put a movie theatre sideways into a ship and yet give it a spacious, almost luxurious feel.
After the movie it was time to change for dinner. Tonight was Animators Palate, which I knew the girls would love. I had the bacon-wrapped filet, the gazpacho and a salad. As was the case the previous day, although dinner was fine, I wasnt as impressed with it as with the other meals of the day. The AP experience is a lot of fun. Our girls can sometimes become restless over the course of a long dinner, but the ever-changing and more colorful décor kept them entertained with trying to notice the changes, which are sometimes surprisingly subtle.
We left dinner and asked the kids if they wanted to see the evening show, but not surprisingly, they opted for the kids club. So we dropped them off and my wife and I headed for Diversions for a cocktail. It was surprisingly empty in there, but the tavern host is a very engaging and talkative American with a penchant for bar tricks and good conversation. He made the rounds of the few occupied tables, and I managed to stump him with one of the only bar tricks I know involving a matchbook and two matches balanced against each other. Meanwhile, he took a straw and rested it on top of his four fingers, then took the middle two fingers and curled them under and then over the straw without the straw falling of the remainig two fingers. I dare any of you to try that without dislocating something. My wife finished her Cosmo and I finished my single malt Glenlivet and we strolled the gently rolling Deck 4 for awhile until we picked up the kids and retired to our stateroom. Steven had made a very amusing towel monkey hanging from a coathanger, and left another generous helping of pillow mints. We went to sleep with the girls excited about knowing that they were going to be playing on Mickeys private island all the next day.
