Thank you to all for your kind words. It is pretty funny I must admit. I do apologize for this unpolished version. I keep going back and finding mistakes in spelling and such. Please overlook these things. I am having fun writing it. But enough of this sappy writer acknowlegement crap...here is Chapter 4.
We clean up nicely and head out. Since we have the second dinner seating we catch the first show. Let The Magic Begin. LOP has read some tips that say you need to sit in the front row because you never know what may happen. So we sit in the front row and the only thing that happens is the kids behind us keep kicking our chairs. Where are their parents? The show was OK
I honestly do not remember much about it. Michael Harrison the Ventriloquist was pretty funny. John Charles the guitar player was great. Great on the guitar and great with the jokes. I really enjoyed his sense of humor. Now, I am not one for long applauses so I was not really applauding during the show. John Charles noticed this (remember we were sitting in the front row) and stood directly in front of me and glared. So I gave him the proverbial golf clap and that seemed to appease him. After the show we explored some more, Mr. KIA got a photo with Pluto in the lobby and then it was time for dinner.
Our rotation was PLA so off to Parrot Cay we went. Time to find out about what the
Disney Cruise Line dining experience is all about. Now, I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about the dining situation. I kind of figured we would be eating with strange people. Im sorry I should say strangers
I am strange people. There was a couple from Wisconsin first at the table. They had older children that they left at home to experience some alone time on the Magic. We introduced ourselves and started talking. Then we were joined by another couple from England and their son is about a year older than Mr. KIA. I must say looking back on the whole experience; we got along famously (as our British table mates would say.) I could not ask for a more fun group to dine with. Through out the week it was our standard to linger over dinner and then drop the kids off at the club and enjoy the adult only shows all together. We also got to meet our servers Marie from Hungary and Sonya from the Philippines. I hate to use the term server because by the end of the week they were like family. In my opinion Disney needs to change their titles. Heck they call other worker bees Cast Members. I will also mention about the head server. Sorry I just dont get it. This guy shows up and introduces himself
I cant remember his name (that is how good an impression I got) and you see him periodically through out the week. And you have to tip him too at the end of the week. Marie and Sonya did a fantastic job all by themselves. They did not need whats his name to make sure they were doing their jobs.
Anyhow, I honestly cannot remember everything that we ate during the week. There are some things that stood out along the way, but I was really expecting truly fabulous, outstanding and outrageous dinners and it just did not happen. Maybe it was because the company was so much better and we got along so well, but I did not care what I ate. Actually that was kind of good because I read on the boards of people eating 2 and 3 dinners and deserts so none of us overindulged.
Sorry folks, but after dinner we were all so tired we just went back to the stateroom after dinner and went to bed. Nothing more exciting than that.
Now I have read numerous reports about people getting up to watch the sunrise over the ocean. So I woke up at the crack of 8:30 Sunday morning. I will say I slept wonderfully. The beds were very comfortable and I am very picky. I hate the traveling part of my job because I spend many nights in hotel rooms and I just cannot sleep. I tell LOP it is just because I do not have her all snuggly wuggly next to me. She believes it, what can I say.
We have an 11:00am reservation for brunch at Palos. LOP gets in the shub to start getting ready while Mr. KIA is still sound asleep. I decide to go up to deck 4 and get a few laps in around the track. I had started a program back in June to change my shape from round to less round and I did not want vacation to kick me off the habit. I guess I did 2 miles (6 times around the ship) and went up to the spa/gym. I really liked the gym. I had been working out on elliptical trainers and they had some there. So I got on one on the ship and I dont know if it was the height or the rocking or both, but I fell off one. It was just weird to work out in front of those big windows with the ship swaying along; I just kept losing my balance. So I figure I would try something a little safer like a stationary bike. I get on one and get into a routine. I am humming along pretty good and I look over and who is biking next to me??? No, not CLG you all thought it was didnt you? It was John Charles from the show. He looks at me and says, Hey Mr. Golf Clap, how are you this morning. Oh no I am thinking I have met another stalker err friend. Actually he is a pretty cool guy to talk to. I ran into him a couple of times over the next few days. Then all of a sudden, on a port day, he was gone. Could it have been the Super Suck-O-Matic, or does the booked entertainment just change ships in port. I get back to the room and take Mr. KIA up for some breakfast, drop him off at the club and go get ready myself for Palos.
Now I will get this over with right now. Palos was wonderful. Next cruise I am seriously thinking about booking brunch and dinner there everyday if they will let me. I am not saying that our serving team during the week did not attend to our needs but Palos is a whole different level. They started me with a belini that was very good. I also tried fresh carrot juice. I cant say that it is something I want to drink every day but it was different. And I felt amazingly energized after drinking it
more than Red Bull and coffee. (How would you like to have that job, squeezing some juice out of carrots?) There were 5 tables of food you could eat. All kinds of things. Fruits, cheeses, breads, seafood just unbelievable. After our tour (they take you on one for those of you that have not been) we started some feasting. Then you order stuff from the chefs. I had some eggs benedict (very very very good, and I am a connoisseur of EB.) LOP got an omelet that was very good. Then our server Garrish told us to get some other stuff. Who am I to disappoint him? So I ordered some veal dish and some fish dish while LOP got a pasta dish. Then we started some of the desserts. Everything was fantastic.
We are sitting there basking in the fullness thereof and all of a sudden, my leash umm pager starts to beep. The message; Mr. KIA would like to be picked up from the kids club. The honeymoon is over. I was trying to wait it out so I could eat some more like maybe for LINNER. My good man Garrish asks me to sign his slip acknowledging the $10 surcharge for the Palo experience and hoping to get a little more. Now, I customarily over tip especially for good food and good service
so I add $20.00. Garrish is very thankful and we leave to collect Mr. KIA and on our way out we ask to have Garrish as our server for Thursday nights dinner. Stupid rookie cruiser that I am did not realize that he already gets the $10 per person. I guess most others leave a few extra dollars or so if the service is really good. So I am sure he is a happy camper, oh well I am on vacation.
We roll to the KC to see whats up and find out that they were getting ready to serve lunch and Mr. KIA did not want to eat what they were eating. They had some PB&Js on the table with the crust cut off of the bread. Are you kidding? You disturbed my brunch for this? You eat PB&J everyday and I will not cut crust off for you no matter how much you beg me to. This is like your dream come true. What really got me, and I found out while he was eating up at Topsiders, was that he saw another kid asked to have her parents paged. I never explained that he could have us paged if he needed us. He saw that and figured he could have his parents paged too. Sometimes they are just too smart.
We happened to catch Mickey in his sailor suit sans the hat in the atrium that afternoon. Mr. KIA ended up going back to the club and believe it or not LOP and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean. I swore I was not going to waste any of my time on board watching movies and we ended up watching 3 of them over the course of the week. I think we were still just really tired and really full and just needed to relax. It was so nice to sit and hold LOPs lovely hand and enjoy a movie
it really was. (I know it is sappy, but we are on vacation.)
The show that night was Golden Mickeys and again we sat in the front row and again our chairs were kicked albeit by different parentless children. Now, this is when I find out about the drink of the day. Bahama Mama. And I rather enjoy Bahama Mama. So I get a few of them to last me through the show. Again, alright show but not WOW. Formal photos in the atrium including one with Captain Tom. Talking to Captain Tom, I am thinking we need to turn this ship around and go back to port to find his personality. Maybe they should look in the lost and found for it. I was not expecting Captain Stubing from The Love Boat
but I could have had more fun with a cardboard cutout. Dinner is in Lumieres which is nice because it is formal night and I look good. I look real good. I look so good, I wish I had rented a tux so I could look gooder. Again, dinner OK but the company was fantastic. I remember I had halibut and it was good. We ate, we drank, we lingered. I drank some more. LOP decided we were dropping off Mr. KIA and going to the adult show. Michael Harrison
pretty darn funny. I love ventriloquists to begin with. I love it even more when they can get someone in the audience involved in a conversation with the dummy. AND THEY KEEP TALKING TO THE DUMMY. A few more rum type cocktails and it is off to bed for us. Drifting off to that wonderful rocking of a ship on the ocean.
Mr. KIA All Dressed Up for Golden Mickey's
LOP with her date for the evening Mr. KIA
The Rest of Our Table Mates
Next up: What the heck is that!!? Day Two at Sea and Land HO!
I LOVE taking new people on a cruise and waiting!! 
My mother yelled also. We made an agreement not to say anything to my dad on his first cruise. My mother said it was priceless!
I love the TR. Your son is super-duper cute!! Thanks for the giggles. It's probably a good thing you were indoors when you commented to your wife that you wish you had bubbles for the party! She may have pushed you overboard!! 
I think I would have to cut that guy out of your picture. Love reading your report. 
