Sarangel
<font color=red><font color=navy>Rumor has it ...<
- Joined
- Jan 18, 2000
- Messages
- 3,078
Day 6 At Sea
Our second day at sea, and we slept in because we knew that we were having Brunch at Palo. We had invited our tablemates Julie & Kristy, since they had been unable to get brunch reservations and we believe that brunch is not to be missed If I had to choose between brunch & dinner, Id take brunch every time.
Ill try to post pictures of the spread, but to keep us going until later I had Stollen (with fresh berries, my favorite), cherry custard pastries, chocolate croissants, Baked Eggs, and part of a sweet pizza, Mike had various pastries, Ahi & Shrimp shooters (which hes still raving about), Chicken Parmesan, veal w/asparagus and a port sauce, part of a margarita pizza. We tried their fresh juice of the day (watermelon grape juice), but neither of us were impressed with it. Unfortunately, we had a bad sugar day for the desserts everything was grainy to one degree or another. Despite this, the pots de crème, key lime taster, and tiramisu were all OK.
I like that they have re-sized the desserts to a couple of bites each That way, you dont end up wasting most of a full sized dessert that you dont like. Also, it made me feel less guilty (in the Im eating way too many calories sort of way) about trying different things.
Our waiter for brunch was Aleksander, who was vastly funny. He joked and teased with us all through the meal. One recurring theme was the fact that PJ (the Maitre D for Palo) was bringing his family on the Magic for vacation in a few weeks time All I can say (and not get Aleksander in trouble) is that he does a very funny PJ impersonation. Mike says that thats probably too much, but hopefully PJ isnt reading this.
After brunch, we went down to the Treasure Ketch for the Captains Signing. Wed bought the Caribbean map earlier in the cruise, and had Captain Tom sign it. He even drew in our course for us. I took pictures, just to prove that he actually signed. Wed also spent waaaayyy too much money at the shops, so we had a Helmsman Mickey (that they were selling for $20 if you bought more than $100 at one time) framed print that we had him sign too.
We took our signed stuff back to the cabin, and wandered around the ship for a little while. Mike stalled in the Promenade lounge to look at more stuff being auctioned off by Park West, while I went on the Galley Tour.
The Galley Tour was shorter than I expected, and the kitchens were smaller. Having fresh out of the oven chocolate cookies was nice, and seeing how organized the kitchens are was very instructive. Our guide emphasized that they used very few chemicals in the kitchens (he says his mother taught him that everything could be cleaned with some combination of water, vinegar and bleach).
When I was done with the Galley Tour, I met Mike back at the Promenade Lounge to find that hed bought another piece, a Willard Donald Duck. Today was the last auction, so I didnt need to worry about him buying more just paying for what wed already bought.
We did a little random Pin Trading before going up to the Cove Café to meet with Pete (of DIS Boards fame). We talked a bit about the state of Disney with Pete, and what we wished they were doing instead of what they were doing, when Bill and Tracy stumbled across us. After making the introductions, the four of us chatted a bit, both with Pete and with some of the crew members wed become friendly with (who had also stopped into the Café after Pete left).
It was here that I made my best pin trade of the cruise. One of the people wed talked to quite a bit was Cody (the shopping guru), and in the course of our conversation she asked if I liked pearls. The answer, was of course, yes. So she handed me a pouch with a choaker of black (or dark gray) pearls. As we got ready to leave, she noticed a pin on my lanyard that she liked So I gave it to her. I can now honestly say that I have traded pins for pearls.
Now, to really embarrass my DH: While were hanging out in the Café, Mike had been drinking some sort of smoothie (he had a couple of them), and I thought hed just put them all on his tab. So when we left and he didnt sign a receipt, I didnt think anything of it, but it turns out that hed walked out without paying for any of his smoothies (or the hot chocolate he got for me). Bill & Tracy, being the good sports they are covered him (and even went so far as to not mention it, until we met them during the dessert buffet). Needless to say, Mike was mortified. He tried to make it up to Bill by buying him a glass of champagne during the buffet, but Bill wasnt in much of a champagne mood.
For dinner I had the Mushroom soup, salad w/Duck Jerky, Parmesan Crusted Chicken w/fettuccini, and Amaretto Cheesecake. Mike had the Garlic Shrimp, Chilled Tomato Consommé, Surf & Turf, and Cherries Jubilee. I dont remember much else about dinner (and only that much because I took notes).
After dinner, we went to see Rick Pupuras comedy show. We were supposed to meet Bill & Tracy, but we couldnt find them. I think the only complaint I have about this show was that it was too short. Rick was quite funny, and his magic tricks were entertaining. Rockin Bar D was packed, and Im not surprised now that Ive seen his show.
The last stop for the evening was the vaunted Dessert Buffet in Lumieres. Frankly, I was unimpressed. There was a lot of chocolate, but very little variety in the desserts. Some of the sugar sculptures were beautiful, but you werent allowed to eat any of them (and I find that if something looks beautiful, it often tastes awful). We nibbled, but didnt have anything worth remembering. After we had finished eating, and declined the glasses of champagne they were pushing on people (which are not gratis, just as the drinks of the day they push on deck during the sailaway party, they are $9.75/glass which is a lot in my book), we ran into Bill and Tracy in the hallway. We stood and chatted with them all the way through a second time through the line for the dessert buffet (since they hadnt been yet). It was at this point that Bill mentioned the ill-fated Cove Café incident.
As we were trying to wrap up the evening outside of Lumieres we met the Foxxy Boys and talked with them for a bit with Bill & Tracy. I think they were a little surprised that my aging red-neck looking DH could actually be unfazed by Connie Little did they realize that not only are we from San Francisco, but we have friends that regularly cross-dress. We finally made it to bed @ 12.45am Saturday.
Our second day at sea, and we slept in because we knew that we were having Brunch at Palo. We had invited our tablemates Julie & Kristy, since they had been unable to get brunch reservations and we believe that brunch is not to be missed If I had to choose between brunch & dinner, Id take brunch every time.
Ill try to post pictures of the spread, but to keep us going until later I had Stollen (with fresh berries, my favorite), cherry custard pastries, chocolate croissants, Baked Eggs, and part of a sweet pizza, Mike had various pastries, Ahi & Shrimp shooters (which hes still raving about), Chicken Parmesan, veal w/asparagus and a port sauce, part of a margarita pizza. We tried their fresh juice of the day (watermelon grape juice), but neither of us were impressed with it. Unfortunately, we had a bad sugar day for the desserts everything was grainy to one degree or another. Despite this, the pots de crème, key lime taster, and tiramisu were all OK.
I like that they have re-sized the desserts to a couple of bites each That way, you dont end up wasting most of a full sized dessert that you dont like. Also, it made me feel less guilty (in the Im eating way too many calories sort of way) about trying different things.
Our waiter for brunch was Aleksander, who was vastly funny. He joked and teased with us all through the meal. One recurring theme was the fact that PJ (the Maitre D for Palo) was bringing his family on the Magic for vacation in a few weeks time All I can say (and not get Aleksander in trouble) is that he does a very funny PJ impersonation. Mike says that thats probably too much, but hopefully PJ isnt reading this.
After brunch, we went down to the Treasure Ketch for the Captains Signing. Wed bought the Caribbean map earlier in the cruise, and had Captain Tom sign it. He even drew in our course for us. I took pictures, just to prove that he actually signed. Wed also spent waaaayyy too much money at the shops, so we had a Helmsman Mickey (that they were selling for $20 if you bought more than $100 at one time) framed print that we had him sign too.
We took our signed stuff back to the cabin, and wandered around the ship for a little while. Mike stalled in the Promenade lounge to look at more stuff being auctioned off by Park West, while I went on the Galley Tour.
The Galley Tour was shorter than I expected, and the kitchens were smaller. Having fresh out of the oven chocolate cookies was nice, and seeing how organized the kitchens are was very instructive. Our guide emphasized that they used very few chemicals in the kitchens (he says his mother taught him that everything could be cleaned with some combination of water, vinegar and bleach).
When I was done with the Galley Tour, I met Mike back at the Promenade Lounge to find that hed bought another piece, a Willard Donald Duck. Today was the last auction, so I didnt need to worry about him buying more just paying for what wed already bought.
We did a little random Pin Trading before going up to the Cove Café to meet with Pete (of DIS Boards fame). We talked a bit about the state of Disney with Pete, and what we wished they were doing instead of what they were doing, when Bill and Tracy stumbled across us. After making the introductions, the four of us chatted a bit, both with Pete and with some of the crew members wed become friendly with (who had also stopped into the Café after Pete left).
It was here that I made my best pin trade of the cruise. One of the people wed talked to quite a bit was Cody (the shopping guru), and in the course of our conversation she asked if I liked pearls. The answer, was of course, yes. So she handed me a pouch with a choaker of black (or dark gray) pearls. As we got ready to leave, she noticed a pin on my lanyard that she liked So I gave it to her. I can now honestly say that I have traded pins for pearls.
Now, to really embarrass my DH: While were hanging out in the Café, Mike had been drinking some sort of smoothie (he had a couple of them), and I thought hed just put them all on his tab. So when we left and he didnt sign a receipt, I didnt think anything of it, but it turns out that hed walked out without paying for any of his smoothies (or the hot chocolate he got for me). Bill & Tracy, being the good sports they are covered him (and even went so far as to not mention it, until we met them during the dessert buffet). Needless to say, Mike was mortified. He tried to make it up to Bill by buying him a glass of champagne during the buffet, but Bill wasnt in much of a champagne mood.
For dinner I had the Mushroom soup, salad w/Duck Jerky, Parmesan Crusted Chicken w/fettuccini, and Amaretto Cheesecake. Mike had the Garlic Shrimp, Chilled Tomato Consommé, Surf & Turf, and Cherries Jubilee. I dont remember much else about dinner (and only that much because I took notes).
After dinner, we went to see Rick Pupuras comedy show. We were supposed to meet Bill & Tracy, but we couldnt find them. I think the only complaint I have about this show was that it was too short. Rick was quite funny, and his magic tricks were entertaining. Rockin Bar D was packed, and Im not surprised now that Ive seen his show.
The last stop for the evening was the vaunted Dessert Buffet in Lumieres. Frankly, I was unimpressed. There was a lot of chocolate, but very little variety in the desserts. Some of the sugar sculptures were beautiful, but you werent allowed to eat any of them (and I find that if something looks beautiful, it often tastes awful). We nibbled, but didnt have anything worth remembering. After we had finished eating, and declined the glasses of champagne they were pushing on people (which are not gratis, just as the drinks of the day they push on deck during the sailaway party, they are $9.75/glass which is a lot in my book), we ran into Bill and Tracy in the hallway. We stood and chatted with them all the way through a second time through the line for the dessert buffet (since they hadnt been yet). It was at this point that Bill mentioned the ill-fated Cove Café incident.
As we were trying to wrap up the evening outside of Lumieres we met the Foxxy Boys and talked with them for a bit with Bill & Tracy. I think they were a little surprised that my aging red-neck looking DH could actually be unfazed by Connie Little did they realize that not only are we from San Francisco, but we have friends that regularly cross-dress. We finally made it to bed @ 12.45am Saturday.
. Love to see more of your pictures it brings back great memories. We have not been back a week yet and already we cant wait to go back..Take care..
I got you a coin and some tanzanite earrings. Also got you charms at DI in all ports, including St. Kitts, they gave us Cancun's charms. I'll be sending them soon, promise 
