Book it. Buy it. BELIEVE it! - TR is started! link posted 8/11

[eandesmom]

I have been lurking so decided to let you lnow that!!!

Hi Rosie! Update today or tomorrow

 

[dizneeat]

Caught up again, Cynthia!
Being busy (with leisure trips, school and a course) kept me away for almost two weeks, but you may go on with updates now! (just kidding! )

 

[winkers]

I have a question.....for the bread pudding, is it worth buying the kerry gold butter vs. regular? I found some at safeway here but it's more than double the cost. Being the cheapskate that I am, I really don't want to spend that much, but if it makes a difference I will.

 

[englishrose47]

I have a question.....for the bread pudding, is it worth buying the kerry gold butter vs. regular? I found some at safeway here but it's more than double the cost. Being the cheapskate that I am, I really don't want to spend that much, but if it makes a difference I will.

Sell pix of you falling in the bushes for the extra money !!Oh wait DJ and Jordan were to busy laughing to take pix !!!

 

[eandesmom]

Caught up again, Cynthia!
Being busy (with leisure trips, school and a course) kept me away for almost two weeks, but you may go on with updates now! (just kidding! )

I hear you! I am SOOOO behind, spring sports always kick my behind, it's nuts! Update coming shortly!

I have a question.....for the bread pudding, is it worth buying the kerry gold butter vs. regular? I found some at safeway here but it's more than double the cost. Being the cheapskate that I am, I really don't want to spend that much, but if it makes a difference I will.

Darn good question. It was crazy expensive for butter but as I didn't try it with regular butter I have no idea if that's what made it truly amazing or if it was other things. So I went for it but I imagine it would still be good with regular. Heck, you could google it to find out what makes it special or different, that might be what I'd do (says the person googling cat litter at the store yesterday to determine which one lol).

Sell pix of you falling in the bushes for the extra money !!Oh wait DJ and Jordan were to busy laughing to take pix !!!

Now there's a thought!

 

[eandesmom]

So where were we?

Before Easter, Track, Baseball, Music Ensemble competitions, houseguests and my yard took over my life? Not to mention trying to keep up on my physical therapy, reupholstery project and workouts. And then of course the little matter of paying off the cruise so I could try my hand at booking all the various extravagant things Jeff had in mind!

Oh, we were DINING!

At least we were contemplating where to dine, and what to cook, in Vero. But what about on the Cruise? Well, that actually had some planning applied to it as well. On our last cruise, I had no idea you could request a rotation order, or tablemates (or lack thereof) but apparently you can. So we did!

We have requested the following rotation

Day 1: At Sea - Enchanted Garden.

Appetizers

• Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower - with crisp noodles and wasabi dressing
• Golden and Red Beet Carpaccio - seasoned with Celtic salt and a ginger, garlic and rice wine vinaigrette
• North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli - with roasted garlic and sweet basil in a light tomato broth
• Thyme and Garlic Brioche - filled with Chanterelle, Hedgehog and Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Leek Stew in a light buttermilk cream

Soups and Salads

• Duck Consomme - with julienne of carrots, napa cabbages and shiitake mushroom
• Curried Carrot and Apple Soup - garnished with yogurt drizzle and carrot curls
• Romaine Wedge - fresh crisp romaine topped with creamy Romano dressing and homemade spiced croutons
• Baby Spinach Salad - tender spinach tossed with fresh sliced seasonal pears, toasted pine nuts and crumbled gorgonzola

Bread Service

• Multi-Grain Loaf and Country Currant Bread
• Chickpea-garlic puree

Main Course

• Caramelized Sea Scallops - with roasted asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and pearl pasta, garnished with caramelized leeks and veal jus reduction
• Pearl-Barley Cakes with Shallots, Leeks and Rosemary - over sautéed julienne of carrots, root celery and leeks in a light Saffron sauce
• Roasted Pork Tenderloin seasoned with Smoked Salt - Citrus flavored polenta cakes and oven roasted carrots, parsnips and caramelized Granny Smith apples.
• The Enchanted Garden Tuna Salad - sushi grade seared tune on organic field greens, micro greens, wakame and squid salad, sesame seeds and white shoyu and lemon vinaigrette.
• Pan-seared Sea Bass - with Saffron and fennel risotto with a sweet chili glaze
• Glazed Portobello Mushrooms - with brown lentil and parsley sauce and sun-dried tomato cream drizzle
• Marjoram Scented Organic Chicken - half a chicken served with baked sweet potatoes and sautéed baby spinach
• Grilled NY Strip Steak - thyme roasted vegetables, double baked potato topped with handmade herb butter.
• Baked Salmon and Oven-roasted chicken breast available upon request.

Desserts

• Sweet Temptations - a trio of Esterhazy Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Chocolate Silk Mousse
• Steamed Lemon Buttermilk Pudding - with citrus reduction
• Esterhazy Cake - almond meringue soaked in maraschino liqueur and layered pastry cream
• Sacher Chocolate Torte - with apricot sauce
• Banana Foster Sundae - rum glazed bananas, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce

Day 2 – Nassau – Royal Palace. “Dressy” night. As it’s a 4 nighter, no official formal night

APPETIZERS

• Pomegranate Glazed Duck Breast with Gerwurztraminer Gelee and Pomegranate Glaze
• Double Baked Spinach Souffle - coated with a three cheese cream
• Escargots Gratines - herb-marinated snails with finely chopped mushrooms, topped with garlic butter and breadstick
• Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp - white and green asparagus, micro greens, and lemon-dill dressing with horseradish cream

SOUPS AND SALADS

• Avocado-Citrus Salad with Iceberg and Radicchio leaves and an orange vinaigrette
• The Comtesse du Barry's Soup - rich velvety cauliflower cream, topped with salmon caviar croutons
• Royal Market Green Salad - cherry tomato, cucumbers, peppered goat cheese, and a raspberry vinaigrette
• Belle's French Onion Soup with gruyere cheese crouton

MAIN COURSE

• Royal Palace Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin and Lobster Medallions - sauteed snow peas and marquis potatoes with a cognac reduction
• Oven-Baked Salmon Royale - Crowned with King Smoked Salmon and horseradish crust accompanied by sauteed swiss chard, truffle-infused cauliflower puree and white wine beurre blanc
• Roasted Wild Boar Tenderloin - sweet carrot and onion potato cake with a red currant reduction
• Grilled Farm-Raised Organic Chicken Breast Salad - romaine lettuce, herbed croutons, cherry tomatoes and a creamy parmesan dressing
• Double Cut Rack of Lamb with a Dijon Crust with fine green beans, gratin potatoes and rosemary jus
• Pan seared Tofu, Roasted Zucchini, Eggplant and Red Peppers on Israeli couscous with a lime-cilantro drop
• Baked Farm-Raised Organic Chicken Breast filled with escarole, raisins, and pine nuts on wild rice witha red wine reduction
• Wild Mushroom Filled Pasta in a Vegetable Broth topped with watercress, shaved parmesan cheese and a paprika oil drizzle
• Baked Salmon and Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast available upon request.

Bread Service - warm herb brioche with an Olive Spread

Day 3 – At Sea – Animators Palace. Pirate night.

APPETIZERS

• Smoked Salmon Tartare - capers, onions, and micro greens topped with American black caviar, seasoned with Celtic salt
• Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes - pasta purse filled with trufflec scented cheese and coated with a delicate champagne sauce
• Sesame-flavored Rock Shrimp and Caramelized Onion Cheesecake - with Asian barbecue sauce and topped with micro greens
• Wild Mushroom Risotto and Porcini Twist - served with Parmigiano-Reggiano

SOUPS AND SALADS

• Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup with bacon bits and chives
• Creamy Butternut Squash Soup garnished with chives and drizzled with sour cream
• Vine-Ripe Tomato Salad - bell peppers and onion brunoise topped with micro greens and herb dressing
• Curly Endive, Arugula and Watercress Salad - sliced peaches, toasted almonds and tossed with a sherry vinaigrette

THE FEATURE SELECTION

• Grilled Pacific Black Cod with sauteed morel mushrooms on a yellow split pea puree
• Animator's Trio of Veal - Grilled tenderloin, pulled shank and tortellacci pasta with a sun-dried tomato and sage reduction and garnished with a potato crisp
• White Shrimp Pennette Pasta tossed with a basil and Reggiano Parmesan cheese sauce and topped with a parmesan cheese wafer
• Stir-fry Vegetables on fried noodles, hearts of palm and oyster glaze
• Lemon-Thyme Marinated Organic Chicken Breast with sour cream mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables and grain mustard jus
• Black Bean Chipotle Cakes over corn kernels and brown rice topped with tomato-cilantro salsa
• Marinated Angus Beef Tenderloin carved to order on wasabi mashed potatoes with bok choy and a tamarind-barbecue reduction
• Arugula Leaves and Grilled Vegetable Salad topped with sliced beef tenderloin, marjoram, bacon, and a ranch dressing
• Baked Salmon and Oven-Roasted Chicken Breast available upon request.
• Bread Service - herb foccacia and ciabatta bread with an roasted garlic dip

DESSERT

• Sweet Temptations - a trio of crunchy walnut cake, pineapple financier, and lemon mousse
• Crunchy Walnut Cake - dark chocolate mousse and raspberry coulis
• Pineapple Financier - almond cake served with whipped cream
• Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake with whipped cream and raspberry coulis
• Cookies and Cream Sundae - vanilla ice cream, chocolate wafer cookies, and whipped cream
• Lemon Mousse with mango coulis and dark chocolate
• Dense Chocolate Cake - brownie, caramel sauce and whipped cream

Day 4 – Castaway Cay – Animators.

My thought process went as follows. Royal Palace is by far the place I am most looking forward to checking out. The E’s on the other hand, adore Animators. With this rotation I figured we’d get my top choice on dress up night (win) and the kids would get their favorite twice which opens up Palo quite nicely for us. Now you never know, they might skip Animators on our Palo night and go to the buffet but I figure we will play that by ear.
So when is Palo night? Well, our PIF day isn’t until 5/18 but we could start booking excursions as early as 5/3 if we’d paid by then. So..of COURSE we did! That is always a really great feeling! I tried to get online at 9:30 and then again at 10:30 on the 2nd to book, it did work last year with a midnight “start” but didn’t this year. Not sure if they changed things or what. So I didn’t get online to book until about 6am my time, 9am EST.

I was trying to book

1. A Cabana for Castaway Cay
2. Atlantis Aquaventure
3. Palo Dinner

I ended up with

1. Atlantis Aquaventure
2. Palo Dinner
3. And…a Palo Brunch

I was pretty sad about the Cabana, though not surprised and booked the brunch for the heck of it. Not sure if we will do it but wanted to have it just in case. So, with that, here’s what it looks like!

Day 1: At Sea - Enchanted Garden.
Day 2 – Nassau – Atlantis Aquaventure excursion. Dinner at Royal Palace. “Dressy” night.
Day 3 – At Sea – Animators Palace. Palo Brunch. Pirate night.
Day 4 – Castaway Cay – Animators. Palo dinner for the adults!

I do have a strong feeling we will end up canceling Atlantis, we’ve had a lot of expenses lately that have hit hard and I am just not seeing it as being remotely responsible. That said, I’m still waiting to see what my annual bonus looks like and given the glowing review I received (actual dollars are not discussed at the review, it’s about a 2 week delay) you never know. But if I put on my practical hat (and this trip is anything but) I am thinking that it’s a no go. Brunch on the other hand I may fight to keep. We will see.

I did order 3 cruise specific items that just arrived yesterday. Check them out! The boys actually picked out exactly what they wanted on theirs this time. K was non committal so you know what? I got her one anyway! Plus the colors match her new paint colors

While I was at it, I ordered a little special something for my goddaughter. Apparently I’ve ruined her and she runs around the house saying MICKEY MOUSE! LOL. Pictures are a little fuzzy as they are from my phone, too lazy to get out the camera lol!

I picked up some cute Cars 2 placemats for her big brothers and plan to get them a couple of star wars old navy t's as they can't get those in Germany and send them with my folks who head over there soon.

Up next...ADR's for the Disney Days!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Great update, Cynthia.
Actually I never thought of requesting a rotation, but it would make life much easier to do so, so how do you go about it? Call them?

Love all your restaurant pics, they all bring back so many fun memories. PLEASE, try to have breakfast at the Royal Palace (and maybe lunch too) - it's delicious - or disneylicious as we say here.

I love all your purchases for the cruise and for your goddaughter! That dress is just too cute.

 

[MEK]

Thanks for listing out all the food choices like that. It will be very helpful when I start planning for my October 2013 cruise.

You should definitely sub to Pinkoto's (I think I spelled it wrong) cruise TR. She did an excellent review and got fab pictures.

Love the pillow cases.

Yeah for Palo brunch and dinner.

Too bad about the cabana.

Happy Mother's Day!

 

[jnsolomon]

Sorry if I missed it, but would you mind telling me where you ordered the pillowcases from?

Thanks.

 

[englishrose47]

Sorry if I missed it, but would you mind telling me where you ordered the pillowcases from?

Thanks.

I was about to ask too !!Could you PM me the cost!!!

 

[Native NYer]

Dining on the Dream is going to be quite an experience!
Is there a way to check for a cabana once you're on the ship? I wonder if Disney has lots of cancellations.
I LOVE the pillowcases and the dress. So cute!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hello! Happy Mother's Day! I've been a little distracted here - moving out of our house this coming week.

Mmm, why didn't I remember Margaritaville? Well, I'm sure I remembered you would have a margarita! No, not really - I assumed you would be looking for a hand crafted beer!

So much food to plan, and so little time!

I think if I were cooking on the first night, I would do some little meat and veggie pouches in foil and just toss them on the grill! easy peasy! Maybe some chicken breast cutlets, onions, carrots, fresh broccoli, sweet potato chunks or potato chunks - toss in olive oil, sprinkle with some seasoning salt and pepper Jim's aunt used to do sort of a meat loaf version of this when he was little - they buried it in the coals at the campfire when camping

I know you can request your dining rotation once you board, so I bet you can do it ahead. Some people request certain servers, etc. I was thinking it would be cool to request a "booth table" in the Secret Garden. Not sure if it is large enough for your group, though.

Oh, and on the bread pudding - the boys weren't impressed with the "cooked bananas" in it. The sauce turned out TDF!!! But why not with all that heavy cream? There's still a batch of sauce in the freezer, but I think I would make the Ohana banana bread recipe next time instead of the Boma version.

 

[natebenma]

Happy Mother's Day Cynthia (and friends)- Hope your families are all treating you well today!

Oh wow!

The dining rooms are amazingly gorgeous and the menus? Shut up! I can't even begin to say how yummy it ALL sounds! Seriously, I wouldn't be able to choose just one or two selections from each of the courses. And I know that is permitted, but physically impossible, even for an enthusiastic eater like myself.

So far so good on your excursions. I'll be interested to see if you keep or ditch Atlantis. I definitely have a lot of info for you if you stick with it and want to hear more about it.

Really, really cute purchases!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Cynthia, I completely missed the fact that you missed out on the Cabana.
If your heart is set on it, check online AND if you cannot get one, get on the waitlist as soon as you board. I am pretty sure you might score one.

 

[englishrose47]

Happy Mother's Day

 

[DisMomAmy]

Happy Mother's Day Cynthia! I'm all caught up again... It's amazing how far behind you get when you go on your own trip!

I love all of your plans. Sorry you couldn't get the cabana - that would be a fun way to spend the beach day.

When do you find out if you got the dining rotation you requested? Do you know that already? The unknown would drive me crazy!

Sorry, I don't know anything about Vero so I don't have any suggestions for you there, but I agree an easy dinner is the best way to go on arrival day. I always prefer to get the grocery shopping done as early in the trip as possible.

 

[Chilly]

very cute dress.

 

[eandesmom]

Great update, Cynthia.
Actually I never thought of requesting a rotation, but it would make life much easier to do so, so how do you go about it? Call them?

I would never have thought of it either, Happydog mentioned it so I asked her a bazillion questions about it, then figured out what the rotations even where and then picked from there. And yep, just call. It was easy peasy! I forgot to mention what we asked for, for table mates so I'll need to update that part.

Love all your restaurant pics, they all bring back so many fun memories. PLEASE, try to have breakfast at the Royal Palace (and maybe lunch too) - it's delicious - or disneylicious as we say here.

I love all your purchases for the cruise and for your goddaughter! That dress is just too cute.

I wouldn't mind doing RP for lunch on embarkation day although I'm not sure if it's open then or what the options are besides Cabanas (which is what the kids will want). I'd like to do it for breakfast but honestly can't figure out when we'd fit it in unless we did it on castaway cay day or if we gave up Palo brunch. If we keep Atlantis we'll need to head out early enough that a sit down breakfast won't work. That said your pictures of that breakfast looked AMAZING so I do need to try to make it there!

Thanks for listing out all the food choices like that. It will be very helpful when I start planning for my October 2013 cruise.

You should definitely sub to Pinkoto's (I think I spelled it wrong) cruise TR. She did an excellent review and got fab pictures.

Love the pillow cases.

Yeah for Palo brunch and dinner.

Too bad about the cabana.

Happy Mother's Day!

Thanks! I've lurked on hers before, just not in awhile as I'm incredibly behind everywhere as it is. I wasn't surprised about the cabana so it's ok, if it works out it will and if not we will have a great day. Besides honestly I still think it's a bit crazy for the $$ much as I know Jeff wants to so it.

Hope you had a great mothers day!

Sorry if I missed it, but would you mind telling me where you ordered the pillowcases from?

Thanks.

Not at all, I got them from Stitches N' Bows. She is a DISer and is on FB and has an etsy site. If you look her up on FB it will take you to her etsy site and you can see prices etc, she does a lot more than just the pillowcases. She did our FE last year as well as those pillowcases and a couple of aprons. She is great with answering any questions you might have about options.

I was about to ask too !!Could you PM me the cost!!!

Hi Rosie! Her pillowcases run $10/$15/$26 I think, depending on what you do. You can get the design on the end, or in the center like I did. The center ones cost more and I tend to have her put a LOT more text on than most and be a bit picky/change up some of the colors and she hasn't charged extra for that. The designs on the end are just embroidery I think, no appliques but I'm not sure.

 

[englishrose47]

How long does it take for her to do them !!!I am thinking about it for next year when I do the Free Cruise !!! Do you have a link to her site ??

 

[eandesmom]

Dining on the Dream is going to be quite an experience!
Is there a way to check for a cabana once you're on the ship? I wonder if Disney has lots of cancellations.
I LOVE the pillowcases and the dress. So cute!

We can wait list once we get on, just have to figure out where to go!

Hello! Happy Mother's Day! I've been a little distracted here - moving out of our house this coming week.

exciting though!


And overwhelming I imagine

Mmm, why didn't I remember Margaritaville? Well, I'm sure I remembered you would have a margarita! No, not really - I assumed you would be looking for a hand crafted beer!

Well, it will have been 2 years so you are excused! And honestly, after the red eye with a drive ahead it will likely be an ice tea to keep me going! With a BIG FAT CHEESEBURGER!

So much food to plan, and so little time!

I think if I were cooking on the first night, I would do some little meat and veggie pouches in foil and just toss them on the grill! easy peasy! Maybe some chicken breast cutlets, onions, carrots, fresh broccoli, sweet potato chunks or potato chunks - toss in olive oil, sprinkle with some seasoning salt and pepper Jim's aunt used to do sort of a meat loaf version of this when he was little - they buried it in the coals at the campfire when camping

We've done that camping before although not in a long time. Sounds like a lot of chopping lol! Leaning towards a chinese chicken salad, one of our standby hot night quick dinners. After a big lunch that will probably hit the spot unless we feel like pizza (but after burgers for lunch sounds like way too much to me!).

I know you can request your dining rotation once you board, so I bet you can do it ahead. Some people request certain servers, etc. I was thinking it would be cool to request a "booth table" in the Secret Garden. Not sure if it is large enough for your group, though.

A booth would be cool, I imagine they only seat 4 though and I'm not sure if we will end up being 5, or 8 depending on table assignments. I made a request on that but forgot to put it in my update so will put it in the next one.

Oh, and on the bread pudding - the boys weren't impressed with the "cooked bananas" in it. The sauce turned out TDF!!! But why not with all that heavy cream? There's still a batch of sauce in the freezer, but I think I would make the Ohana banana bread recipe next time instead of the Boma version.

I can see where some might not love cooked bananas, but if it's in banana bread might work better for people who have texture issues. I do think the raglan version would be good without the raisins too!

Happy Mother's Day Cynthia (and friends)- Hope your families are all treating you well today!

Oh wow!

The dining rooms are amazingly gorgeous and the menus? Shut up! I can't even begin to say how yummy it ALL sounds! Seriously, I wouldn't be able to choose just one or two selections from each of the courses. And I know that is permitted, but physically impossible, even for an enthusiastic eater like myself.

So far so good on your excursions. I'll be interested to see if you keep or ditch Atlantis. I definitely have a lot of info for you if you stick with it and want to hear more about it.

Really, really cute purchases!!!

Ah, Atlantis is killing me. The thought of $845 for a water park day gives me MAJOR heartburn. Comfort suites would be a whopping $67 less but since the DCL one includes lunch it's literally a wash. I really need a back up plan, cool as it seems.

Hey, I could book ONE room for all 5 of us there for a mre $1700. Whatcha think?

It does look supremely cool although the losing a kid on that river concept kind of freaks me out. We've lost Eric at SAB before!

Cynthia, I completely missed the fact that you missed out on the Cabana.
If your heart is set on it, check online AND if you cannot get one, get on the waitlist as soon as you board. I am pretty sure you might score one.

We will likely waitlist. I have checked online a few times and will continue to but I'm not really expecting it. You never know though!