Quicklabs
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2005
- Messages
- 1,980
After the sail away, we did our unpacking. Two words for you, my friends: Packing cubes. They're like mini compartments for your clothes and stuff and they fit perfectly in the drawers. I just threw mine in the drawers as they were and pulled out what I wanted each day. By the way, there is puh-lenty of storage space in those cabins. I didn't use but 2/3 of it. I do not get any kick backs on packing cube sales, but I got mine from e-bags on sale if you're in the market or want to see more about them. I use the "roll" method for my packing. I also carry some wrinkle release spray with me. Works like a charm!
After that, it was already dinner time! YAY. Mr. Quicklabs and I had a dining rotation that looked like this: AERAERA, where A=Animators; E=Enchanted Garden and R=Royal Court. I was really happy to see that, because we worked Remy and Palo in there, and I didn't want to miss either an entire restaurant or the fun shows at Animators. My wonderful TA at DU made a request for me, and apparently, our wish was granted.
Our server, Lady, met us at the door with a big welcoming smile. She was such fun throughout the cruise! Just the sweetest, young woman. And an excellent server. I miss her. She quickly caught on to what we liked and brought us two desserts when we only ordered one when it was clear that we couldn't decide. Here's Lady with Mr. Quicklabs in Enchanted Garden with one of those desserts. He was hesitating over the second dessert, but as you can see, Lady would not let him pass it up!
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself again, taking you to the Enchanted Garden and we haven't even sat down in AP yet.
Our assistant server, Injanda, who goes by "Ninja" was right there at our table. He has a big, genuinely happy smile that lights up the room, and honestly, he never stopped smiling. The kids at the other table loved him and Lady both. If you can request them, believe me, you'll be glad you did. I was so impressed by their teamwork--it make everything go smoothly.
So, here's a bit more about AP. The dining room looks just like an artist's studio. It's a very fun vibe. Check out those chairs! Aren't they darling? Now, I'm gonna tell you right here that this pic was taken during a ship tour. It's not like we get to the dining room at 3:30 in the afternoon for our 5:45 seating! (We always wait until at least 3:45
)
Now, when you first walk in, everything looks completely "normal". There's no end of things to look at.
But just when you think, "Gee, what a neat-o place"!, it gets even more neat-o! The screens and the ceiling and the colors start to change and before you know it, you're underwater with Crush in the "Big Ole Blue" and he's talking to you! And he swims around the room and talks to other folks and he gets a whole fun interaction going. Now, I'm sorry that I don't have pictures of that. I was so enthralled, I was just loving the moment and didn't even think to pull the camera.
And, oh yeah, you get to EAT there, too!
The menu changes every night, with a different theme. And when I say the menu, I mean, even the menu itself. Here's one of them. It's so hard to see, but Mickey actually moves on your menu, like an animator's flip book would. I kept flipping it around, I was so amused by it.
I had fish that night and it was very, very tasty. I was afraid that it would be overcooked, but it was spot on. I don't remember what Mr. Quicklabs had. I usually remember our meals, but the whole evening was just so dang fun and entertaining, I'm missing the details. Sorry about that!
After dinner, we went to the show. You can't take pictures in the shows, so I'm sorry I don't have anything for you here. Anway, it's a nice 45 minute long musical introduction to all the stuff that's available to do on the ship. Some of it was a little hokey, but the comedian was a riot! Mr. Q and I was laughing our socks off. The theater itself is very beautiful. (Did I capture anyone from our cruise in this photo?)
Now remember that our cruise was sailing at about 800 less than capacity. So we never, ever had any trouble getting good seats in the theater, and many seemed to go empty even on the big production nights. Your mileage may vary if the ship is full.
We still had lots of energy (this from a woman who usually hits the hay by about 9 p.m.), so we took a stroll on deck 11. I think the ship looks lovely at night. I'll have some more night pictures for ya later on.
Finally, it was time for sleep. We still hadn't met our cabin steward, Ed, yet, but everything was turned down nicely and there was a towel animal on the bed.
Now, unfortunately, during the night, I had to get up for the lav. My knee took that opportunity to remind me that it had not magically healed on the ship. And it was NOT happy with all I'd asked from it that day. Definitely not happy. In fact, she wasn't going to let me lift her up enough to navigate myself out of the bathroom. I tried to call Mr. Q for help, but he was in dreamland. It took me about 20 minutes to get back to bed. I wondered how I was gonna make it, since I swore to Mr. Q that I most definitely did not need a wheelchair on board. And I had been told that there were none available on the ship.
Well, thankfully, that last little bit was wrong. So this time, completely sober, I had to tell Mr. Q the next morning for the SECOND time on the cruise that he was right and I was wrong and maybe he could go to Guest Relations to see what could be done? Sure enough, they had a wheelchair for me! We had to put down a $250 deposit, which was quickly refunded to us when we returned the chair at the end of the cruise. I can't imagine how I would have done without it.
They gave us a wheelchair that could have fit two people in it, it was so large. And I'm a Pooh-sized gal myself. It was too large to negotiate the hallways and doorways easily, I'm afraid. I couldn't even propel it myself, it was so wide. So the first 4 days in the chair were a bit difficult. On the fifth day, Mr. Q found out they had smaller chairs and everything was A-OK from there on. So, if you ever find yourself in need of a wheelchair, you know the scoop.
I've gotta tell you about the showers. (No pictures in this segment!) First thing in the a.m., I gotta have my shower. And the rainforest heads on the Dream and the Fantasy are legendary, so I was keen to try it. The problem is, I had no idea how to work it! And Mr. Q couldn't figure it out either. And I don't like to think that we are stupid people, but nothing in our 22+ years of formal education EACH (OK, so obviously, we weren't engineering students) helped us in figuring out the shower. So, since we still hadn't met our Cabin Host, ( thought this was strange itself--in all other cruises I have taken, the host quickly introduced him/herself on the first day). Mr. Q flagged down the first cabin steward he could find. I hid in the other room of the bath in the altogether
while Mr. Q learned how to work the shower. So, make sure you future cruisers test this out soon after you arrive in your cabin, and if you are "shower challenged" the way were were, get your cabin steward to show you how to turn on the shower the first day!
Day two was a Sea Day, so we had breakfast in Cabanas. I hung out for about three hours in the Rainforest Spa and Mr. Q read his Kindle in the Quiet Cove area. I loved the Rainforest. In fact, those heated chairs were sooooo nice that I couldn't be bothered to use the energy or effort it would have taken to (horrors) actually hold my own Kindle and read to myself. I had downloaded an audiobook, so that's what I listened to. Now, is that the height of lazy or what?
The Rainforest was one of my happy places on the ship. Others have posted pictures. I'm always a little leery of public whirlpools, but these were spotlessly clean. There's nothing like a nice warm whirlpool, with a full ocean view as you sail along. Each of the three saunas was its own unique experience: I think I liked the Laconium the best because it smelled soooo nice. It rained most of the day, but that made the Rainforest experience seem even more enjoyable.
Even the showers in the spa area are nice. They hadhgreat Elemis shampoos, conditioners and body washes, lotions, toners for our use. I'm a product freak, as you'll recall, so I was happy. I got into the habit of going to the spa every afternoon.
We didn't do much else during the day except practice building strong sitting and laying down muscles. But in the evening-- ah, that was Remy. And that is what will be up next!
After that, it was already dinner time! YAY. Mr. Quicklabs and I had a dining rotation that looked like this: AERAERA, where A=Animators; E=Enchanted Garden and R=Royal Court. I was really happy to see that, because we worked Remy and Palo in there, and I didn't want to miss either an entire restaurant or the fun shows at Animators. My wonderful TA at DU made a request for me, and apparently, our wish was granted.
Our server, Lady, met us at the door with a big welcoming smile. She was such fun throughout the cruise! Just the sweetest, young woman. And an excellent server. I miss her. She quickly caught on to what we liked and brought us two desserts when we only ordered one when it was clear that we couldn't decide. Here's Lady with Mr. Quicklabs in Enchanted Garden with one of those desserts. He was hesitating over the second dessert, but as you can see, Lady would not let him pass it up!
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself again, taking you to the Enchanted Garden and we haven't even sat down in AP yet.
Our assistant server, Injanda, who goes by "Ninja" was right there at our table. He has a big, genuinely happy smile that lights up the room, and honestly, he never stopped smiling. The kids at the other table loved him and Lady both. If you can request them, believe me, you'll be glad you did. I was so impressed by their teamwork--it make everything go smoothly.
So, here's a bit more about AP. The dining room looks just like an artist's studio. It's a very fun vibe. Check out those chairs! Aren't they darling? Now, I'm gonna tell you right here that this pic was taken during a ship tour. It's not like we get to the dining room at 3:30 in the afternoon for our 5:45 seating! (We always wait until at least 3:45
)
Now, when you first walk in, everything looks completely "normal". There's no end of things to look at.
But just when you think, "Gee, what a neat-o place"!, it gets even more neat-o! The screens and the ceiling and the colors start to change and before you know it, you're underwater with Crush in the "Big Ole Blue" and he's talking to you! And he swims around the room and talks to other folks and he gets a whole fun interaction going. Now, I'm sorry that I don't have pictures of that. I was so enthralled, I was just loving the moment and didn't even think to pull the camera.
And, oh yeah, you get to EAT there, too!
The menu changes every night, with a different theme. And when I say the menu, I mean, even the menu itself. Here's one of them. It's so hard to see, but Mickey actually moves on your menu, like an animator's flip book would. I kept flipping it around, I was so amused by it.
I had fish that night and it was very, very tasty. I was afraid that it would be overcooked, but it was spot on. I don't remember what Mr. Quicklabs had. I usually remember our meals, but the whole evening was just so dang fun and entertaining, I'm missing the details. Sorry about that!
After dinner, we went to the show. You can't take pictures in the shows, so I'm sorry I don't have anything for you here. Anway, it's a nice 45 minute long musical introduction to all the stuff that's available to do on the ship. Some of it was a little hokey, but the comedian was a riot! Mr. Q and I was laughing our socks off. The theater itself is very beautiful. (Did I capture anyone from our cruise in this photo?)
Now remember that our cruise was sailing at about 800 less than capacity. So we never, ever had any trouble getting good seats in the theater, and many seemed to go empty even on the big production nights. Your mileage may vary if the ship is full.
We still had lots of energy (this from a woman who usually hits the hay by about 9 p.m.), so we took a stroll on deck 11. I think the ship looks lovely at night. I'll have some more night pictures for ya later on.
Finally, it was time for sleep. We still hadn't met our cabin steward, Ed, yet, but everything was turned down nicely and there was a towel animal on the bed.
Now, unfortunately, during the night, I had to get up for the lav. My knee took that opportunity to remind me that it had not magically healed on the ship. And it was NOT happy with all I'd asked from it that day. Definitely not happy. In fact, she wasn't going to let me lift her up enough to navigate myself out of the bathroom. I tried to call Mr. Q for help, but he was in dreamland. It took me about 20 minutes to get back to bed. I wondered how I was gonna make it, since I swore to Mr. Q that I most definitely did not need a wheelchair on board. And I had been told that there were none available on the ship.
Well, thankfully, that last little bit was wrong. So this time, completely sober, I had to tell Mr. Q the next morning for the SECOND time on the cruise that he was right and I was wrong and maybe he could go to Guest Relations to see what could be done? Sure enough, they had a wheelchair for me! We had to put down a $250 deposit, which was quickly refunded to us when we returned the chair at the end of the cruise. I can't imagine how I would have done without it.
They gave us a wheelchair that could have fit two people in it, it was so large. And I'm a Pooh-sized gal myself. It was too large to negotiate the hallways and doorways easily, I'm afraid. I couldn't even propel it myself, it was so wide. So the first 4 days in the chair were a bit difficult. On the fifth day, Mr. Q found out they had smaller chairs and everything was A-OK from there on. So, if you ever find yourself in need of a wheelchair, you know the scoop.
I've gotta tell you about the showers. (No pictures in this segment!) First thing in the a.m., I gotta have my shower. And the rainforest heads on the Dream and the Fantasy are legendary, so I was keen to try it. The problem is, I had no idea how to work it! And Mr. Q couldn't figure it out either. And I don't like to think that we are stupid people, but nothing in our 22+ years of formal education EACH (OK, so obviously, we weren't engineering students) helped us in figuring out the shower. So, since we still hadn't met our Cabin Host, ( thought this was strange itself--in all other cruises I have taken, the host quickly introduced him/herself on the first day). Mr. Q flagged down the first cabin steward he could find. I hid in the other room of the bath in the altogether
while Mr. Q learned how to work the shower. So, make sure you future cruisers test this out soon after you arrive in your cabin, and if you are "shower challenged" the way were were, get your cabin steward to show you how to turn on the shower the first day!Day two was a Sea Day, so we had breakfast in Cabanas. I hung out for about three hours in the Rainforest Spa and Mr. Q read his Kindle in the Quiet Cove area. I loved the Rainforest. In fact, those heated chairs were sooooo nice that I couldn't be bothered to use the energy or effort it would have taken to (horrors) actually hold my own Kindle and read to myself. I had downloaded an audiobook, so that's what I listened to. Now, is that the height of lazy or what?
The Rainforest was one of my happy places on the ship. Others have posted pictures. I'm always a little leery of public whirlpools, but these were spotlessly clean. There's nothing like a nice warm whirlpool, with a full ocean view as you sail along. Each of the three saunas was its own unique experience: I think I liked the Laconium the best because it smelled soooo nice. It rained most of the day, but that made the Rainforest experience seem even more enjoyable.
Even the showers in the spa area are nice. They hadhgreat Elemis shampoos, conditioners and body washes, lotions, toners for our use. I'm a product freak, as you'll recall, so I was happy. I got into the habit of going to the spa every afternoon.
We didn't do much else during the day except practice building strong sitting and laying down muscles. But in the evening-- ah, that was Remy. And that is what will be up next!
With your dining rotation, when was the "show" in AP? My cruise is just under a year away, but we are definitely trying to book Remy on the last night, as it is our 16 year anniversary. I'm trying to figure out a dining rotation (to request) so we don't miss the show in AP (because of Remy), but also want our formal night be in either Enchanted or Royal. Thanks so much and can't wait to read more!! 
