Cass, Rob & Kira - Christmas on the Wonder, The Sequel ~ 2017
- Thread starter Timon
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Day 3, Part 2
We turned out of the terminal and onto Harborside Drive and saw this...
Oh my LORD!!! YESSSSSSS!!!!!
Do you see that? No traffic!!!!
This makes me so freaking happy!!
Looking back at the beautiful ship...
We turned left and then left again into the parking area and still...empty!
We drove all the way up to the little office trailer so I can go in and grab my free parking pass and this is where I found out that my back up plan was less than stellar. They said that they didn't even have valet for this cruise (can't remember why) so we would have had to join the hordes again if the fog had caused a delay.
So, YAY for no delays!!!
Here's our parking pass for the week.
She told me that DCL was parking on the other side this time so we were to just turn our car around and go back where we came from. They had us park in the Handicap Accessible spots right along the fence.
We waited about 5 minutes for the shuttles to come get us and then off we went!
I had a good laugh on the shuttle, our driver (who was a hoot!) pointed out two older gentlemen who were traveling together. They both had dropped off their respective families at the port and had parked the car and were now heading back to join them. I am assuming that the rest of their families were wearing matching shirts because they both had on a shirt that says "I don't do matching shirts" but as myself and the awesome driver pointed out to them, they were, indeed, wearing matching shirts
Back to the port, where I saw this sign, which is interesting!
For those of you who read my Christmas 2016 report, you will notice a slight difference in the next few photos, compared to last year.
No.
Lines.
Anywhere.
This part before security took us about 45 minutes alone last year! It was about 5 minutes this time
And here is the wonderfully empty check-in area!
I just kept snapping pics because I was so darn elated!
Easy breezy through check-in. Once again we brought a little gift of Canadian chocolate bars for our check-in CM.
And off we went up the escalators!
This is Kira's new thing...smiling with her tongue sticking out
Upstairs was a little busy because they hadn't began the boarding process yet but there were tons of seats, which is one thing I love here compared to Port Canaveral, where there are very few seats!
We found a spot and checked out the Navigator.
We checked the app and we were able to sign up for the chat right there! Rob was having an issue with his phone but after tinkering with it, we were able to get all three phones connected to the ship's wi-fi and start the chatting. This was awesome because with access to the app, we could check out the entire week's activities and that is exactly what Kira did. She favourited all the ones she wanted to see, mostly movies and characters greets
It was now boarding time but since I booked this about a month before, we had a later boarding time. But it was exciting because we knew we would be on soon! And now I am platinum so crossing my fingers that DCL doesn't change their Castaway Club policy before our next cruise, so we don't have to worry about that anymore.
Kira and I had a restroom break and then it was almost our time so we moved up a little closer.
Then it was our turn!!
They do the Welcome Aboard photo in the terminal, which is a tradition of ours, although I don't care for the graphics they added to it when we purchased it.
And honestly, I was not impressed with their prints. We bought 4 of them and they were all slightly blurry or just not the best pics. We had about 30 to choose from and it was tough. I didn't love any of them but we wanted a family photo and one of Kira in front of the tree and with Santa.
After checking this photo out at Shutters, I sadly realized that I had a stain on my shirt! Crap! I love this shirt and I only bought it 6 months ago at Disney Springs.
I wear it all the time, which kinda explains the stain. I'm terrible with my shirts, one day I will learn to use an apron
Just around the corner, we could finally see our ship!
This is where things get real
Just a few more steps...
Here is our welcome aboard video. Rob gets rather excited during boarding, this time to Kira's detriment
We turned out of the terminal and onto Harborside Drive and saw this...
Oh my LORD!!! YESSSSSSS!!!!!
Do you see that? No traffic!!!!
This makes me so freaking happy!!
Looking back at the beautiful ship...
We turned left and then left again into the parking area and still...empty!
We drove all the way up to the little office trailer so I can go in and grab my free parking pass and this is where I found out that my back up plan was less than stellar. They said that they didn't even have valet for this cruise (can't remember why) so we would have had to join the hordes again if the fog had caused a delay.
So, YAY for no delays!!!
Here's our parking pass for the week.
She told me that DCL was parking on the other side this time so we were to just turn our car around and go back where we came from. They had us park in the Handicap Accessible spots right along the fence.
We waited about 5 minutes for the shuttles to come get us and then off we went!
I had a good laugh on the shuttle, our driver (who was a hoot!) pointed out two older gentlemen who were traveling together. They both had dropped off their respective families at the port and had parked the car and were now heading back to join them. I am assuming that the rest of their families were wearing matching shirts because they both had on a shirt that says "I don't do matching shirts" but as myself and the awesome driver pointed out to them, they were, indeed, wearing matching shirts
Back to the port, where I saw this sign, which is interesting!
For those of you who read my Christmas 2016 report, you will notice a slight difference in the next few photos, compared to last year.
No.
Lines.
Anywhere.
This part before security took us about 45 minutes alone last year! It was about 5 minutes this time
And here is the wonderfully empty check-in area!
I just kept snapping pics because I was so darn elated!
Easy breezy through check-in. Once again we brought a little gift of Canadian chocolate bars for our check-in CM.
And off we went up the escalators!
This is Kira's new thing...smiling with her tongue sticking out
Upstairs was a little busy because they hadn't began the boarding process yet but there were tons of seats, which is one thing I love here compared to Port Canaveral, where there are very few seats!
We found a spot and checked out the Navigator.
We checked the app and we were able to sign up for the chat right there! Rob was having an issue with his phone but after tinkering with it, we were able to get all three phones connected to the ship's wi-fi and start the chatting. This was awesome because with access to the app, we could check out the entire week's activities and that is exactly what Kira did. She favourited all the ones she wanted to see, mostly movies and characters greets
It was now boarding time but since I booked this about a month before, we had a later boarding time. But it was exciting because we knew we would be on soon! And now I am platinum so crossing my fingers that DCL doesn't change their Castaway Club policy before our next cruise, so we don't have to worry about that anymore.
Kira and I had a restroom break and then it was almost our time so we moved up a little closer.
Then it was our turn!!
They do the Welcome Aboard photo in the terminal, which is a tradition of ours, although I don't care for the graphics they added to it when we purchased it.
And honestly, I was not impressed with their prints. We bought 4 of them and they were all slightly blurry or just not the best pics. We had about 30 to choose from and it was tough. I didn't love any of them but we wanted a family photo and one of Kira in front of the tree and with Santa.
After checking this photo out at Shutters, I sadly realized that I had a stain on my shirt! Crap! I love this shirt and I only bought it 6 months ago at Disney Springs.
I wear it all the time, which kinda explains the stain. I'm terrible with my shirts, one day I will learn to use an apron
Just around the corner, we could finally see our ship!
This is where things get real
Just a few more steps...
Here is our welcome aboard video. Rob gets rather excited during boarding, this time to Kira's detriment
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
LOL, too funny! What a coinkidink
We saw Santa and the Mrs. but didn't do the decorating. Sorry it was too cool for the swimming, they have such a great pool!
Awesome
and DITTO!!! 
HAHAH, she is busy lady!
Glad to have you both here 
Oh man, we were loving the weather, it was perfect!!!
Yay! Our lovely Timon is back at again!
I'm in my comfy chair with my mug of cocoa and ready to read all about your adventures!
Yay! Glad you're here, hope you enjoy
Yea! It may be the same cruise as last year but Kira is a year older. Besides, it is winter, we could all use a Disney cruise fix. Thanks for taking the time to share.
We had a trip scheduled for this April 2018 but "life" (91 year old mother and 13 year old dog - health issues) got in the way. Sad but since we had to cancel this April we turned around and scheduled a b2b for late April/early May 2019. Hopefully we will see you or some of your readers on our cruise(es). Hint, hint.
Kate
I'm sorry to hear about your canceled trip but awesome on the b2b!!
I would love to do that one day
Enjoying another one of your awesome trip reports!!!
Thanks for joining in
HAHAHA, that is true! You have to be patient now but I will do my best to keep things going
I know, right? I don't think the fog had anything to do with it, they just need to update their hours online
Awww shucks, woman!!!
You are WAY too kind!!!
Too funny! If we lived close to a WH, Kira and Rob would be there all the time, I think!
They also love IHOP because of their pancakes though. Maybe it's just a novelty since we can't just go to a WH here. 
Yes, the snow looks beautiful but it's not fun to drive in
Thanks for joining in
We just got back from the Wonder yesterday
Sad day, but happy to see another TR from you! Yey!
I dress the same way as you when we travel even in the winter
There are highways over highways in Canada, no?
I think Toronto has them.
I also love the painted signs.
Oh wow, so you're missing her too!
I was going to wear shorts but I changed my mind at the last minute
Yes, Toronto has them, as does Montreal but not nearly as much as big cities in the USA. Plus, we are in the west and we don't get to Toronto or Montreal often so we are not used to seeing them
Yay, glad you made it, neighbour
Yes, I keep telling her that she will be taller than me very soon!
Oooh, I miss the Magic! I hope you have a MAGICAL cruise
I have no idea what you are talking about.
Hijoining in. I love reading your reports.
Thanks for joining in again Mrs. Grumpy
On the ship now!
If only!
I'm a fellow Calgarian who'll be headed off on my first cruise this October with spouse and beanie-boo loving daughter. Sound familiar?
Your TRs have been fantastic! I'm taking notes and have questions.
Mark
LOL! Sounds slightly familiar
Oooh your first cruise! Won't be your last
Yes it's sailing day!!! And so far looks a LOT better than the year before
Oh my good Lord, it was a million times better
You found me
That's not far at all! August will be here before you know it
Thanks!
It was perfect! Thanks for joining in
Awesome!
Can't wait to share more
Grumpy's Wife
Dollar Tree gal here
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2005
- Messages
- 26,988
Isn't the beginning of the cruise just the best? You have your whole vacation ahead of you. So glad you didn't have any fog issues this year.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Day 3 Part 3
Rob and Kira headed for Cabanas straight away while I made a quick stop at The Promenade Lounge to see if I could change our dining time. We have always done late dining (except on Kira's first cruise back in 2007 because we cruised with Rob's family and they wanted early) and loved it. Knowing my kid, however, I knew that main dining would suit us better so that she could have more pool time. We had just seen all of the shows last year so it would be awesome to have early dinner and then hit the pool since they close now at 10pm. I did put us on the waitlist as soon as I booked it but unfortunately it never came through, which is understandable since this was a Christmas cruise filled with young children.
I spoke to our head server and main dining was booked solid. I asked to be put on the waitlist but we were second on that list so I figured we wouldn't get it. He said if we wanted to share a large table, he could switch us right away but we've had our fill of sharing tables and with it being Christmas, we wanted a table for just us. He said he would call us if something opened up.
On my way out, I snapped this.
And then I snapped this, which is one of my favourite pieces of art on the ship. I can't even tell you why I love it so much but it stopped me in my tracks every time I passed by it.
Up to Cabanas I went, where I met my family. They had just grabbed a table inside so I asked if we could go sit outside. I love sitting outside to eat but I often don't get to do it on our cruises because it's just too darn hot for me but since this was Galveston, the weather was perfect for me! I found a table in the shade (also important to me with my Lupus) and they went and got some food.
Kira went to Pete's to grab this...
This is pretty much her cruise staple. While I do encourage her to have fruit and at least one vegetable a day, I don't bother her too much about her food choices on a cruise. She almost never eats hot dogs at home and although she is a picky eater, she eats well most of the time. She also has about 3 or 4 ice creams per day on a cruise which also doesn't bother me because she doesn't eat too much junk at home. She also drinks water 95% of the time at home but on cruises she will drink lemonade, which she often waters down.
Besides, we're on vacation
So, prepare yourself for a lot of hot dog photos
Rob grabbed this...
And this...
While I grabbed this...
Our first cruise meal
I did NOT like mine. The meat was just okay, very chewy and my potatoes were like a rock! Rob's potatoes tasted just fine so I guess I got mine from a different batch
I could not eat it at all! 
I decided Kira had the right idea so I went and got this...
Sadly, it wasn't much better It was okay but it tasted like it had been sitting there since the last cruise and the fries were cold. 
Oh well, it's not like I wasn't going to eat again soon
Once we were done, it was almost 1:30 and the rooms would be ready by the time we got down there so off we went to find our room.
We were in 5140, which was only 3 rooms away from the room that Rob and I stayed in on the Magic in 2005, so we knew we would love the location.
This would be our first stay in a Navigator's Verandah so we were excited to see it!
It was also an easy location for Kira to find on her own.
And here is us following Kira into our room. This little clip shows how clumsy she is as she fell onto the sofa
And some pics...
Loved this bag, HUGE improvement over the burlap bags!
We all loved the Navigator's Verandah. It was neat and different and very very private! The only downside to this verandah was that you couldn't sit and see the ocean, which we kind of missed.
Two out of three of our bags had arrived so I was able to get some unpacking done and I gave Rob the stuff to decorate our door.
The finished product, although we did move them around a lot during the week because the door has been painted over so much, some of the magnets had a hard time sticking, especially when you opened and closed the door.
I also brought two sets of lights for the inside of the room (cheap thin wire lights from the dollar store) and this ended up being one of our favourite things! We put them on each evening until we went to bed and sometimes we would all just snuggle on the bed and watch the lights together, it was so pretty and probably the most Christmassy thing we did all cruise!
Laying there in bed snuggling together watching the lights was also one of my best memories of the cruise.
We put up a string in front of Kira's bed for her to enjoy and then hung up one set in front of our bed for us. We didn't use tape or anything, they were super thin wires and we just hung them over the mirror and pictures on the wall.
Here is a video of us enjoying the lights later on in the cruise...hard to really capture the magic of it but trust me, it was amazing
I also brought 4 of the hanging decorations we got last year with the Christmas decor package and I hung them over Kira's bed for her.
Kira loved this bench! She would often sit out there and journal, it was a great space for her!
Just as we finished decorating, we stepped out onto the verandah all together...
and spotted some dolphins!
I wasn't fast enough to grab a photo but I did get two of them on video
Rob and Kira headed for Cabanas straight away while I made a quick stop at The Promenade Lounge to see if I could change our dining time. We have always done late dining (except on Kira's first cruise back in 2007 because we cruised with Rob's family and they wanted early) and loved it. Knowing my kid, however, I knew that main dining would suit us better so that she could have more pool time. We had just seen all of the shows last year so it would be awesome to have early dinner and then hit the pool since they close now at 10pm. I did put us on the waitlist as soon as I booked it but unfortunately it never came through, which is understandable since this was a Christmas cruise filled with young children.
I spoke to our head server and main dining was booked solid. I asked to be put on the waitlist but we were second on that list so I figured we wouldn't get it. He said if we wanted to share a large table, he could switch us right away but we've had our fill of sharing tables and with it being Christmas, we wanted a table for just us. He said he would call us if something opened up.
On my way out, I snapped this.
And then I snapped this, which is one of my favourite pieces of art on the ship. I can't even tell you why I love it so much but it stopped me in my tracks every time I passed by it.
Up to Cabanas I went, where I met my family. They had just grabbed a table inside so I asked if we could go sit outside. I love sitting outside to eat but I often don't get to do it on our cruises because it's just too darn hot for me but since this was Galveston, the weather was perfect for me! I found a table in the shade (also important to me with my Lupus) and they went and got some food.
Kira went to Pete's to grab this...
This is pretty much her cruise staple. While I do encourage her to have fruit and at least one vegetable a day, I don't bother her too much about her food choices on a cruise. She almost never eats hot dogs at home and although she is a picky eater, she eats well most of the time. She also has about 3 or 4 ice creams per day on a cruise which also doesn't bother me because she doesn't eat too much junk at home. She also drinks water 95% of the time at home but on cruises she will drink lemonade, which she often waters down.
Besides, we're on vacation
So, prepare yourself for a lot of hot dog photos
Rob grabbed this...
And this...
While I grabbed this...
Our first cruise meal
I did NOT like mine. The meat was just okay, very chewy and my potatoes were like a rock! Rob's potatoes tasted just fine so I guess I got mine from a different batch
I could not eat it at all! I decided Kira had the right idea so I went and got this...
Sadly, it wasn't much better
It was okay but it tasted like it had been sitting there since the last cruise and the fries were cold. Oh well, it's not like I wasn't going to eat again soon
Once we were done, it was almost 1:30 and the rooms would be ready by the time we got down there so off we went to find our room.
We were in 5140, which was only 3 rooms away from the room that Rob and I stayed in on the Magic in 2005, so we knew we would love the location.
This would be our first stay in a Navigator's Verandah so we were excited to see it!
It was also an easy location for Kira to find on her own.
And here is us following Kira into our room. This little clip shows how clumsy she is as she fell onto the sofa
And some pics...
Loved this bag, HUGE improvement over the burlap bags!
We all loved the Navigator's Verandah. It was neat and different and very very private! The only downside to this verandah was that you couldn't sit and see the ocean, which we kind of missed.
Two out of three of our bags had arrived so I was able to get some unpacking done and I gave Rob the stuff to decorate our door.
The finished product, although we did move them around a lot during the week because the door has been painted over so much, some of the magnets had a hard time sticking, especially when you opened and closed the door.
I also brought two sets of lights for the inside of the room (cheap thin wire lights from the dollar store) and this ended up being one of our favourite things! We put them on each evening until we went to bed and sometimes we would all just snuggle on the bed and watch the lights together, it was so pretty and probably the most Christmassy thing we did all cruise!
Laying there in bed snuggling together watching the lights was also one of my best memories of the cruise.
We put up a string in front of Kira's bed for her to enjoy and then hung up one set in front of our bed for us. We didn't use tape or anything, they were super thin wires and we just hung them over the mirror and pictures on the wall.
Here is a video of us enjoying the lights later on in the cruise...hard to really capture the magic of it but trust me, it was amazing
I also brought 4 of the hanging decorations we got last year with the Christmas decor package and I hung them over Kira's bed for her.
Kira loved this bench! She would often sit out there and journal, it was a great space for her!
Just as we finished decorating, we stepped out onto the verandah all together...
and spotted some dolphins!
I wasn't fast enough to grab a photo but I did get two of them on video
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Day 3 Part 4
It was now time for the safety drill. We lucked out because ours was in Animator's Palate! We arrived early enough to get a seat, which is so much better than standing outside being squished by hordes of people, which always seems to happen to me
We used the secret stairs at the back of the ship, which are super handy to get around if you are staying at the very aft.
And then we used the super duper secret stairs into Animator's, which are not usually open to guests except during the safety drill.
We sat at this table and as soon as I sat down, I exclaimed that this would be the perfect table for me to have dinner at.
It was super painless and once we were all done, we headed up to deck 9, where Kira grabbed this...
Then off to watch the sail away party, which we had totally missed last year because we were boarding at the time.
Sadly Kira has reached the age where she doesn't want me recording her dancing
She loves to dance, just like us and until this cruise, had no qualms about me taping her but she was very adamant about me not filming her this time. She kept looking over her shoulder, watching to see what I was doing and if I was recording, she would immediately stop dancing.
So no video of my girl dancing.
I have quite a few like this though...
She kept hiding behind her daddy so that she could dance but not be filmed
Once we had our fill of the party, we moved to the side to watch us sail away from the terminal.
Our friends Nancy & Chuck were watching us sail away on the web cam but I did warn them that the last few sail away videos were not good! They had focused on people on the balconies and not the top decks like they do at Port Canaveral but we went anyway, just in case.
The camera was on the roof of that building with all of the shutter looking windows.
As we passed downtown, you could see right up the streets, pretty cool
You can see the camera now, on the roof of the hotel.
Sadly, they didn't see us, the webcam dude was all over the place.
We enjoyed the views as we sailed away. We had been in the theatre watching the welcome aboard show last year when we sailed away so this was all new to us.
Here is Seawolf Park, the place we originally were going to go visit the day before. Maybe next time
And then we headed to the front of the ship.
It was super windy and Kira left to go back to the room while Rob and I enjoyed sailing out of the channel, even with the wind
Once we were almost into open waters, we headed back down to our room.
We watched as the Pilot boat captain got back on his boat and sailed off.
I don't know why this fascinates me so much but I always enjoy watching this! The good thing was that we had a great view for it at every port and got to see it just about every single time
It was now just after 6pm and we hadn't heard from the Head Server about main dining, which had begun 20 minutes ago so it was safe to assume that we didn't get it.
Kira and I changed into our swimsuits so we can enjoy some pool time in lieu of watching the Welcome Board Show and we were just getting our flip flops on when the phone rang.
It was now time for the safety drill. We lucked out because ours was in Animator's Palate! We arrived early enough to get a seat, which is so much better than standing outside being squished by hordes of people, which always seems to happen to me
We used the secret stairs at the back of the ship, which are super handy to get around if you are staying at the very aft.
And then we used the super duper secret stairs into Animator's, which are not usually open to guests except during the safety drill.
We sat at this table and as soon as I sat down, I exclaimed that this would be the perfect table for me to have dinner at.
It was super painless and once we were all done, we headed up to deck 9, where Kira grabbed this...
Then off to watch the sail away party, which we had totally missed last year because we were boarding at the time.
Sadly Kira has reached the age where she doesn't want me recording her dancing
She loves to dance, just like us and until this cruise, had no qualms about me taping her but she was very adamant about me not filming her this time. She kept looking over her shoulder, watching to see what I was doing and if I was recording, she would immediately stop dancing. So no video of my girl dancing.
I have quite a few like this though...
She kept hiding behind her daddy so that she could dance but not be filmed
Once we had our fill of the party, we moved to the side to watch us sail away from the terminal.
Our friends Nancy & Chuck were watching us sail away on the web cam but I did warn them that the last few sail away videos were not good! They had focused on people on the balconies and not the top decks like they do at Port Canaveral but we went anyway, just in case.
The camera was on the roof of that building with all of the shutter looking windows.
As we passed downtown, you could see right up the streets, pretty cool
You can see the camera now, on the roof of the hotel.
Sadly, they didn't see us, the webcam dude was all over the place.
We enjoyed the views as we sailed away. We had been in the theatre watching the welcome aboard show last year when we sailed away so this was all new to us.
Here is Seawolf Park, the place we originally were going to go visit the day before. Maybe next time
And then we headed to the front of the ship.
It was super windy and Kira left to go back to the room while Rob and I enjoyed sailing out of the channel, even with the wind
Once we were almost into open waters, we headed back down to our room.
We watched as the Pilot boat captain got back on his boat and sailed off.
I don't know why this fascinates me so much but I always enjoy watching this! The good thing was that we had a great view for it at every port and got to see it just about every single time
It was now just after 6pm and we hadn't heard from the Head Server about main dining, which had begun 20 minutes ago so it was safe to assume that we didn't get it.
Kira and I changed into our swimsuits so we can enjoy some pool time in lieu of watching the Welcome Board Show and we were just getting our flip flops on when the phone rang.
Last edited:
DisneyPiPhi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 1, 2008
- Messages
- 1,381
I'm so glad your embarkation day went more smoothly this year! You are the reason that I was obsessively watching the Galveston port cam on the morning of our cruise - it was pretty foggy on December 14 and 15, too, so I was concerned. We had a totally normal embarkation day, and it looks like you did, too!
We had a totally normal embarkation day, and it looks like you did, too!
cntkg1
<b><font color=blue>Runs with Scissors!!<br><font
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2005
- Messages
- 10,349
Wait, wait! I thought I was reading Cass’ trippie. I was so confused when I read the part where you were watching a Christmas movie. I almost had to look to make sure I was reading your’s. LOL!!!
Breakfast at The Waffle House looked pretty good. It’s been at least 35 years since we ate at one.
Cass, you know you can text me ANY TIME during the night and early morning and I’ll be awake. I was happy to hear from you before you left on your cruise.
Glad you didn’t have the debacle from last year at the terminal. Big difference, eh?
Loving the pics of the verandah. That map is awesome looking!! I’m not a fan of the slingback bag from DCL and will gladly trade you mine for the one I loved from 2007!!! I still can’t believe I lost mine somewhere. I used that bag to death.
It was still fun watching the ship take off except that we couldnt see you. It would be been so much nicer to see your smiling faces though.
Breakfast at The Waffle House looked pretty good. It’s been at least 35 years since we ate at one.
Cass, you know you can text me ANY TIME during the night and early morning and I’ll be awake. I was happy to hear from you before you left on your cruise.
Glad you didn’t have the debacle from last year at the terminal. Big difference, eh?
Loving the pics of the verandah. That map is awesome looking!! I’m not a fan of the slingback bag from DCL and will gladly trade you mine for the one I loved from 2007!!! I still can’t believe I lost mine somewhere. I used that bag to death.
It was still fun watching the ship take off except that we couldnt see you. It would be been so much nicer to see your smiling faces though.
jenseib
Mommy to Claire
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
- Messages
- 30,734
I am slowly catching up....but just saw this picture...That family was on our summer cruise! They were with the partying gang in the smoking section and the guy had the same bag with him then too. LOL. Small world!
jenseib
Mommy to Claire
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
- Messages
- 30,734
I need to cruise just to get the new bag. I wish we got them last summer!
I was going to ask if you saw dolphins. We were amazed at all the dolphins in port when we sailed out of Galveston.
I am really really wanting to be on a ship right now!
I was going to ask if you saw dolphins. We were amazed at all the dolphins in port when we sailed out of Galveston.
I am really really wanting to be on a ship right now!
DreamtheImpossible
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2011
- Messages
- 230
Hopping out of lurk-mode to chime in! I read and loved your last report!!! Can't wait for the next installment!
tinkerbellmagic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2003
- Messages
- 3,220
So about that phone call....
Love that pic of Kira and the ice cream cone. I still remember that priceless pic your hubby took of Kira on the stairway with that second cone in her hand and that cute busted look on her face. Priceless!
I was happy to see a pic of the Waffle House waffle on your second day at the Waffle House because I've never been to a Waffle House (the closest one is 250 miles away) and have never seen a Waffle House waffle, and I absolutely love waffles.
Your stateroom door is amazing!!! I love the little touches with the Christmas lights. I can never get enough cheeseburger pics, so I'm always happy to see those too. Really, could that cheese be any more golden?! Too bad it didn't taste as good as it looked but it sure was photogenic, I'll give it that.
Aww, too bad Kira is at that age where she doesn't want to be filmed dancing. I remember trying to get my grandson to play the drums in Animal Kingdom one year so I could film it (he was taking drum lessons at the time) and he wouldn't do it, so I have a pic of him standing next to the drums with his arms folded, refusing to play).
I have to say that I really do appreciate everyone who takes pics of the airports and check in processes along the way. It sure does help set the scene and let's others know what to expect. Thank you for sharing!
Happily reading along.
Love that pic of Kira and the ice cream cone. I still remember that priceless pic your hubby took of Kira on the stairway with that second cone in her hand and that cute busted look on her face. Priceless!
I was happy to see a pic of the Waffle House waffle on your second day at the Waffle House because I've never been to a Waffle House (the closest one is 250 miles away) and have never seen a Waffle House waffle, and I absolutely love waffles.
Your stateroom door is amazing!!! I love the little touches with the Christmas lights. I can never get enough cheeseburger pics, so I'm always happy to see those too. Really, could that cheese be any more golden?! Too bad it didn't taste as good as it looked but it sure was photogenic, I'll give it that.
Aww, too bad Kira is at that age where she doesn't want to be filmed dancing. I remember trying to get my grandson to play the drums in Animal Kingdom one year so I could film it (he was taking drum lessons at the time) and he wouldn't do it, so I have a pic of him standing next to the drums with his arms folded, refusing to play).
I have to say that I really do appreciate everyone who takes pics of the airports and check in processes along the way. It sure does help set the scene and let's others know what to expect. Thank you for sharing!
Happily reading along.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Day 3 Part 5
It was the head server Ronald on the phone saying that he had a private table for us and to come down to Tiana's straight away!
Oh wow! I'm glad I hadn't been to the pool already and that I looked somewhat presentable
It felt a little odd walking in there about 25 minutes into dinner service but Ronald was there to greet us and led us to table 39, a table for four, next to a pillar.
Nobody puts Baby in a corner but this chick LOVES corners.
I always prefer to be on an end or a corner or preferably in the corner of a booth
And while I didn't know this yet, table 39 in AP and Triton's was even better!
If you remember from my last report, I love love love Tiana's!!! It's one of my favourite Disney movies and it was the very first movie Kira saw in the theatre, so it's pretty special to me and I love everything about this dining room! They have great menus, great music and entertainment and it's just beautiful
Some of the Crawfish Crooners were familiar from last year but it was a new Tiana this cruise.
We met our server Joel and our assistant server, Juan. They both did a great job the whole week, we would definitely request them again. As we were being escorted to our table, we actually ran into Aaron, our server from last Christmas! Funny enough, we found out a few days later that had we kept our late dining, he would have been our server again! I was sad about missing out on Aaron but super glad we got the early dining. Plus we got to know Joel and Juan, who really were "excellent"
Sorry no dinner menus from me, I think we were feeling a little rushed and I totally forgot but I think they were the same as last year.
Kira got her cruise dinner usual
We got a few appetizers to share, like we often do.
And then we had a visitor to our table...
Tiana was also making the rounds and visited all the tables around us but didn't come to our table. No big deal, we knew we would be back two more times and we were bound to see her then.
Our entrees...
I just love the details in this restaurant. It's always loud and crazy and people are very busy eating and stuff but if you ever dine here, make sure to check out some of the little details!
Again, we got a few things to share...
This was my favourite from last year...
It wasn't as good as last year but still good! The portion seemed quite smaller to me though, which is something that we really noticed this time. I am totally fine with smaller portions and actually I think it's better that way because there is less waste! What I didn't care for was the noticeable cutbacks in other areas
After dinner, Kira and Rob decided to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. While I loved the movie, that was something I could watch at home so I went to see something I couldn't watch at home, the Be Our Guest welcome aboard show.
I like seeing who the cruise director is as well as seeing the performers for the week. Usually the Captain is there too but he wasn't. Actually, I don't even know who our Captain was! That's a first!
Back to the room once I was done to find this guy wearing my sunglasses
And Kira's bed ready for the week.
I should mention that we met our room host, Cipto (pronounced Chipto) earlier and he had asked if we had any requests, which are always the same, lots of ice for me, extra pillows for the pillow hog (that would be me) and to keep Kira's bed as a bed all week.
He met all of our requests and was rather amazing about doing his job and not being seen We didn't see him again until day 5 I think! It was rather odd because we ran into the room host next to our section a bajillion times over the week but rarely saw Chipto. Like I said though, he was great at cleaning our room during the times we were not there and some days that was quite the task so yeah, he was kind of brilliant
I forgot to mention that we stopped by the stores sometime after sail away to check out the merchandise. We bought this as I thought it would make a nice decoration for the week as well as at home
And each one of those strips fold over each other so it made it super easy to pack!
While at the movie, Rob got these for us. I was shaking my head (just as I did last year) seeing the Disney Parks verbiage on there.
Disney has 4 ships that do two months of Merrytime cruises, you'd think they would offer a DCL specific mug, for Pete's sake! At least I didn't see any Disney Parks shirts like last year. They were smarter and actually had a decent section of DCL Christmas stuff for sale in the stores this year.
Sorry this is blurry but I love checking out the TV to see where we are
We got into our PJ's, watched a movie, put our Xmas lights on and enjoyed being on a cruise, in our room.
With early dining, we ended up being quite hungry by about 9:30-10pm. Since we were used to late dining, when we would have an early bite at Pete's by about 4pm then our dinner at 8:30 ish, we figured we could just flip this custom of ours but by the time we were hungry, we realized that Pete's closed every night at 9:30pm!!!
Talk about cutbacks!!!
So, our only option was room service, something we haven't actually done in years!!! We've always done late dining and grabbed a snack from Pete's/Mater's in the late afternoon to tide us over until dinner so room service was never really needed.
Let me tell ya now, I think we ordered room service every single night of this cruise
This was either fabulous or terrible, depending on which night it was. I will warn you, if you want room service, order it at least 30-60 minutes before you are actually ready for it. Some nights I had to wait on hold 5-10 minutes just to get through to them! Then the time from phone call to delivery from anywhere from 30-60 minutes, so be prepared! Plus always have a few dollar bills for a tip!
Tonight, it was actually quite delicious!
Since I brought water and Diet Coke and we had mugs and ice, we didn't need to run up to deck 9 for drinks. Plus Kira always enjoyed having milk to dunk her cookies in.
I perused the Navigator for tomorrow and then we went to sleep. It had been a long, fun day and we were all exhausted.
Couldn't have asked for a better first day of the cruise
It was the head server Ronald on the phone saying that he had a private table for us and to come down to Tiana's straight away!
Oh wow! I'm glad I hadn't been to the pool already and that I looked somewhat presentable
It felt a little odd walking in there about 25 minutes into dinner service but Ronald was there to greet us and led us to table 39, a table for four, next to a pillar.
Nobody puts Baby in a corner but this chick LOVES corners.
I always prefer to be on an end or a corner or preferably in the corner of a booth
And while I didn't know this yet, table 39 in AP and Triton's was even better!
If you remember from my last report, I love love love Tiana's!!! It's one of my favourite Disney movies and it was the very first movie Kira saw in the theatre, so it's pretty special to me and I love everything about this dining room! They have great menus, great music and entertainment and it's just beautiful
Some of the Crawfish Crooners were familiar from last year but it was a new Tiana this cruise.
We met our server Joel and our assistant server, Juan. They both did a great job the whole week, we would definitely request them again. As we were being escorted to our table, we actually ran into Aaron, our server from last Christmas! Funny enough, we found out a few days later that had we kept our late dining, he would have been our server again! I was sad about missing out on Aaron but super glad we got the early dining. Plus we got to know Joel and Juan, who really were "excellent"
Sorry no dinner menus from me, I think we were feeling a little rushed and I totally forgot but I think they were the same as last year.
Kira got her cruise dinner usual
We got a few appetizers to share, like we often do.
And then we had a visitor to our table...
Tiana was also making the rounds and visited all the tables around us but didn't come to our table. No big deal, we knew we would be back two more times and we were bound to see her then.
Our entrees...
I just love the details in this restaurant. It's always loud and crazy and people are very busy eating and stuff but if you ever dine here, make sure to check out some of the little details!
Again, we got a few things to share...
This was my favourite from last year...
It wasn't as good as last year but still good! The portion seemed quite smaller to me though, which is something that we really noticed this time. I am totally fine with smaller portions and actually I think it's better that way because there is less waste! What I didn't care for was the noticeable cutbacks in other areas
After dinner, Kira and Rob decided to go see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. While I loved the movie, that was something I could watch at home so I went to see something I couldn't watch at home, the Be Our Guest welcome aboard show.
I like seeing who the cruise director is as well as seeing the performers for the week. Usually the Captain is there too but he wasn't. Actually, I don't even know who our Captain was! That's a first!
Back to the room once I was done to find this guy wearing my sunglasses
And Kira's bed ready for the week.
I should mention that we met our room host, Cipto (pronounced Chipto) earlier and he had asked if we had any requests, which are always the same, lots of ice for me, extra pillows for the pillow hog (that would be me
) and to keep Kira's bed as a bed all week. He met all of our requests and was rather amazing about doing his job and not being seen
We didn't see him again until day 5 I think! It was rather odd because we ran into the room host next to our section a bajillion times over the week but rarely saw Chipto. Like I said though, he was great at cleaning our room during the times we were not there and some days that was quite the task so yeah, he was kind of brilliant I forgot to mention that we stopped by the stores sometime after sail away to check out the merchandise. We bought this as I thought it would make a nice decoration for the week as well as at home
And each one of those strips fold over each other so it made it super easy to pack!
While at the movie, Rob got these for us. I was shaking my head (just as I did last year) seeing the Disney Parks verbiage on there.
Disney has 4 ships that do two months of Merrytime cruises, you'd think they would offer a DCL specific mug, for Pete's sake! At least I didn't see any Disney Parks shirts like last year. They were smarter and actually had a decent section of DCL Christmas stuff for sale in the stores this year.
Sorry this is blurry but I love checking out the TV to see where we are
We got into our PJ's, watched a movie, put our Xmas lights on and enjoyed being on a cruise, in our room.
With early dining, we ended up being quite hungry by about 9:30-10pm. Since we were used to late dining, when we would have an early bite at Pete's by about 4pm then our dinner at 8:30 ish, we figured we could just flip this custom of ours but by the time we were hungry, we realized that Pete's closed every night at 9:30pm!!!
Talk about cutbacks!!!
So, our only option was room service, something we haven't actually done in years!!! We've always done late dining and grabbed a snack from Pete's/Mater's in the late afternoon to tide us over until dinner so room service was never really needed.
Let me tell ya now, I think we ordered room service every single night of this cruise
This was either fabulous or terrible, depending on which night it was. I will warn you, if you want room service, order it at least 30-60 minutes before you are actually ready for it. Some nights I had to wait on hold 5-10 minutes just to get through to them! Then the time from phone call to delivery from anywhere from 30-60 minutes, so be prepared! Plus always have a few dollar bills for a tip!
Tonight, it was actually quite delicious!
Since I brought water and Diet Coke and we had mugs and ice, we didn't need to run up to deck 9 for drinks. Plus Kira always enjoyed having milk to dunk her cookies in.
I perused the Navigator for tomorrow and then we went to sleep. It had been a long, fun day and we were all exhausted.
Couldn't have asked for a better first day of the cruise
Last edited:
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