ELEVATE! Is that a whale out there? A three-generation cruise to Alaska!UPDATE 8/29

[RGirl]

Hey.. we are in this pictures.. I wonder if I would ever see ourselves in someone else pictures. We are sitting at the table behind your daughter up against the wall. DH is in blue.

That is awesome!!!! The cruises are such a small world, aren't they?

Lol.. I think they get a special bonus for getting us to buy these. I can't tell you how many Tinkerbells, Ariels and Buzzlightyears light ups we have from previous cruise.

Well, I'm glad to know that everyone else gets suckered into these as well. I actually love them and the light-up ice cubes from WDW and DLR - DD and I use them sometimes on the weekends to feel a little Disney at home.

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

And Doulson suckered me into buying this light-up Ariel.

​

Even we were suckered into these on the last night, and we don't even have little kids! We decided to buy them and the teens had fruit smoothies and we saved the cups and TinkerBelles (ours was TB) for my little nieces here at home! Win Win!

 

[amandaw]

That show in Animator's Palette looks really cool! I kind of wish they did that on the new ships.

So fun that Willow saw Tiana while y'all were waiting to get into the restaurant!

 

[megan511]

Animator's Palate looks so cute!

Only on a Disney Cruise would you just happen to run into a princess on your way to dinner! Tiana & Willow look like old friends just catching up.

More fine dining and booze? I can't wait!

 

[karajeboo]

That train out of Skagway... how fast does it go? After my panic attack in Yosemite last week, I'm just not sure if I could handle the heights! And that kills me to even think aobut that because we are considering an AK cruise in a couple of years......

 

[tnbeth1972]

Thanks so much for posting your trip report! We will be sailing on the Wonder in 14 days!!!! I have two girls, ages 3 and 5 so I have enjoyed reading about what Willow likes to do. You've done a great job!

 

[LittleGirlGrey]

Is there more trip report soon!?

I miss the fun!!!

 

[RGirl]

Even we were suckered into these on the last night, and we don't even have little kids! We decided to buy them and the teens had fruit smoothies and we saved the cups and TinkerBelles (ours was TB) for my little nieces here at home! Win Win!

They are irresistible!

That show in Animator's Palette looks really cool! I kind of wish they did that on the new ships.

So fun that Willow saw Tiana while y'all were waiting to get into the restaurant!

They don't do a color show?????

We love Tiana.

Animator's Palate looks so cute!

Only on a Disney Cruise would you just happen to run into a princess on your way to dinner! Tiana & Willow look like old friends just catching up.

More fine dining and booze? I can't wait!

It really is sad that we can't run into princesses like that in everyday life.

More soon!

That train out of Skagway... how fast does it go? After my panic attack in Yosemite last week, I'm just not sure if I could handle the heights! And that kills me to even think aobut that because we are considering an AK cruise in a couple of years......

I think you would be fine. It is a very tame ride. I would have FREAKED on that Yosemite drive, and I wasn't bothered at all on the train. It was very pleasant.

Thanks so much for posting your trip report! We will be sailing on the Wonder in 14 days!!!! I have two girls, ages 3 and 5 so I have enjoyed reading about what Willow likes to do. You've done a great job!

Thank you for reading! How exciting that your cruise is coming up so fast! I am a bit jealous though....

Is there more trip report soon!?

I miss the fun!!!

Right away!

 

[RGirl]

25. More Fine Dining with The Judies (Day 4)

When I last left off, DD had enjoyed a dinner at Animator’s Palate and then checked in at the kids’ club. After leaving DD at the club, I made my way back up to Deck 10 and Palo.

The Judies were waiting for me and were very proud of themselves! They had decided that their martinis at our previous Palo dinner had been kind of watered down. So they had come up with a solution - they both ordered double shots (one of them likes vodka, the other gin) and a separate glass with ice. They were having a good ol’ time!

Now when you dine at Palo more than once, you get your same server. So I told Selcuk that I would just have the same cocktail he had chosen for me last time. It was still good!

For my appetizer, I had the calamari. Yes, again.

The Judies both had the shrimp. Yes, again! Oops - I guess I didn’t get a photo this time. It looked the same as last time!

For my entree, I decided to try the Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Risotto - served creamy with freshly shaved parmesan and a chianti reduction. This was yummo!

Judy 2 decided to try what Judy 1 had enjoyed last time - the Penne Arrabbiata - with spicy fresh tomato and basil sauce and topped with grilled shrimp. She really enjoyed it.

Judy 1, who loves lamb, ordered the Garlic Roasted Rack of Lamb - served with barolo roasted shallots, crushed potatoes, and herb jus. And Selcuk did not try to make her feel bad for preferring well-done lamb.

Selcuk also brought out the Chicken Braciola - baked chicken breast filled with escarole, raisins, and pine nuts served with a light marsala sauce. This was surprisingly good (I don’t usually bother with chicken when there are more interesting things on the menu)!

I could not resist the chocolate souffle again for dessert.

Judy 2 tried the gelato and thought it was heavenly.

Chocolate-loving Judy 1 loved what she got, but it is not on the menu. It was some kind of chocolate thing topped with a cannoli!

You probably won’t believe me, but once again, Palo delivered whales for our viewing pleasure. I am sure that you WILL believe me when I tell you that, in addition to our cocktails, we had wine with dinner, and then Judy 1 decided that we should enjoy a bottle of rosa regale with our dessert! Yikes!

It was a great meal. And as we were enjoying our desserts, Selcuk asked me whether DD liked chocolate. I told him that she liked it more than anyone I knew. He said that he was going to have a chocolate souffle prepared for her and packaged up but not to tell his boss. : And he did!

After dinner, I picked up DD at the kids club. As we were leaving, we spotted Ariel and other characters two floors below in the atrium. DD just HAD to see Ariel again because she had forgotten to tell her something the last time she saw her. So we raced downstairs. By the time we reached the atrium, Belle had departed, Hook was leaving, and Stitch had fled. Luckily, Ariel was still there, so DD got to tell her her important message. And I don’t know what it was!

When we returned to our stateroom, Clive had left The Judies an elephant.

And we had a bear.

DD ate about half of her dessert from Selcuk, and we eventually went to bed.

At some point today (I’m pretty sure it was today), I could not take the suspense any longer and filled out the little card to find out the prices on two potential future cruises. I dropped it off at the booking desk at some point - maybe before picking DD up from the club.

Up next: 26. A Little Doulson, A Little Exploring​

 

[RGirl]

Thought I would do a really quick real-life update here since I have a couple of extra minutes.

I'm sorry that I've been a bit pokey in getting the updates posted. We are having a family/medical issue that is stressing me our a bit. It will also mean MORE travel, so that could slow me down again on the report - or not, depending on how much waiting-around/downtime there is.

On a much brighter note, Sunday marked the 5-year anniversary of the day that Willow and I traveled home from Guatemala together as a family. We celebrated by going out to lunch and hitting a park with a little water-splash play area. We had a good time, although it was a wee bit too hot to enjoy it as much as we otherwise might have. I also gave Willow her present - a headband from Guatemala (I picked up a bunch of presents when I was there to pick her up, and I give her one every year on this date).

Anyway, I hope to keep things moving along here, but I am so exhausted in the evenings - just a side effect of work and personal stress, I think. I try to come on here anyway though because it cheers up the evening getting to read everyone's reports and catch up with you all. I am serious thinking about starting a pre-trip report as well because thinking about the next trip always helps me get through the less-than-great times of the year. Plus, I need all of you to help me plan it!

 

[amandaw]

Another lovely dinner! That Risotto looks delicious! Well, all of it looks delicious! And how sweet of the server to package up a souffle for Willow!

Thank goodness Ariel didn't disappear before y'all made it down to her! Is it just me or does Ariel have a painful expression on her face?

They don't do a color show?????

No, they don't do that color show on the Dream or the Fantasy. On the Dream, it's a show with the Nemo characters. They swim "around the room" on these big screens. Then throughout dinner, Crush swims to the different screens & he talks to the guests sitting right by that screen. Kind of like Turtle Talk at EPCOT.

On the Fantasy, I've heard they do the Nemo show plus a second show. During the second show, you draw pictures on a paper or something before getting your food. The papers are taken by the servers. And then during dinner, everyone's drawings are animated & brought to life. Hope I explained that correctly.

 

[amandaw]

I was posting as you were posting your real life update.

First......Congrats on the anniversary of bringing Willow home. How very special that must be for both of y'all!

Second.....you & your family continue to be in my prayers. If you need anything (to vent or chit chat or whatever), you know how to find me.

You know I'm always up for a new TR or PTR to follow!

 

[LittleGirlGrey]

Oh no!!! I'm sorry I pushed you!! I'm a big dork! You take care of your family and yourself! We're all here for you. Take your time and if you need anything let us know!

But your food pictures we're beautiful and I just want your TR to keep going forever because they are so much fun to read!

 

[shan23877]

Sounds like another amazing dinner! That risotto looks delicious!

Love the Judies' style! Good for them working the system to get their drinks the way they wanted them!

How sweet that the server sent you "home" with a dessert for DD!

So glad that you got to see Ariel again! Sometimes little girls forget to tell their friends important stuff!

*******

I almost teared up reading about you giving Willow gifts that you'd gotten for her in Guatemala. That's such a thoughtful and sweet idea.

Happy anniversary to you both. I hope that you'll always remember the day that God made you a family.

I hope that you're doing okay. Sending you positive vibes and thoughts. Hopefully everything will be resolved very soon (for the good of course).

Don't worry about speeding through the TR. We'll be here.

If you ever need anything or just to talk, feel free to reach out. I cherish the friendships I've made here, and will do anything that I can to help.

 

[pas130]

Thought I would do a really quick real-life update here since I have a couple of extra minutes.

I'm sorry that I've been a bit pokey in getting the updates posted. We are having a family/medical issue that is stressing me our a bit. It will also mean MORE travel, so that could slow me down again on the report - or not, depending on how much waiting-around/downtime there is.

On a much brighter note, Sunday marked the 5-year anniversary of the day that Willow and I traveled home from Guatemala together as a family. We celebrated by going out to lunch and hitting a park with a little water-splash play area. We had a good time, although it was a wee bit too hot to enjoy it as much as we otherwise might have. I also gave Willow her present - a headband from Guatemala (I picked up a bunch of presents when I was there to pick her up, and I give her one every year on this date).

Anyway, I hope to keep things moving along here, but I am so exhausted in the evenings - just a side effect of work and personal stress, I think. I try to come on here anyway though because it cheers up the evening getting to read everyone's reports and catch up with you all. I am serious thinking about starting a pre-trip report as well because thinking about the next trip always helps me get through the less-than-great times of the year. Plus, I need all of you to help me plan it!

Roni if you need to vent...laugh....anything, we are here for you!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the yearly presents for Willow from her birthplace

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

Hi Roni,
Hope your family health issues are not too worrisome. Sending our prayers...
When you wrote about giving Willow a gift from Guatemala every year it reminded me of our neighbors. They have 3 "kids", the older two from Ecuador and the younger one (she is 17!) from Guatemala. We recently attended the wedding of the oldest daughter, and in addition to a beautiful wedding dress, she had a beautiful small tattoo on her upper back, "Made in Ecuador", with an outline of the country. I loved that! I usually don't love the idea of tattoos, but this one just made me smile!

 

[CandleontheWater]

Roni- I'm sorry to hear that family/medical issues are getting you down, and I echo what everyone else is saying- please know that we are here for you, and take all the time you need to get everything in order. We care about you and we'll be here!

I also wanted to comment that your meal at Palo looks awesome once again, I think the Judies had the right idea with their cocktails! I might have to remember that idea if I ever get on a Disney cruise

How sweet of your server to box up a souffle for Willow, that kind of thoughfulness is what Disney is all about!

 

[Momma2Jax]

Thought I would do a really quick real-life update here since I have a couple of extra minutes.

I'm sorry that I've been a bit pokey in getting the updates posted. We are having a family/medical issue that is stressing me our a bit. It will also mean MORE travel, so that could slow me down again on the report - or not, depending on how much waiting-around/downtime there is.

On a much brighter note, Sunday marked the 5-year anniversary of the day that Willow and I traveled home from Guatemala together as a family. We celebrated by going out to lunch and hitting a park with a little water-splash play area. We had a good time, although it was a wee bit too hot to enjoy it as much as we otherwise might have. I also gave Willow her present - a headband from Guatemala (I picked up a bunch of presents when I was there to pick her up, and I give her one every year on this date).

Sorry to hear at the medical issue, hope things calm down soon!

I love the story about your celebration! My DS is adopted as well, and we love celebrating our family days!

 

[RGirl]

Another lovely dinner! That Risotto looks delicious! Well, all of it looks delicious! And how sweet of the server to package up a souffle for Willow!

It was a great dinner, and it was so sweet of Selcuk to think of DD - I mean, he really had no reason to, so I was blown away.

Thank goodness Ariel didn't disappear before y'all made it down to her! Is it just me or does Ariel have a painful expression on her face?

That poor Ariel - she looks like that in every pic I have. I think she may just not have been terribly photogenic.

No, they don't do that color show on the Dream or the Fantasy. On the Dream, it's a show with the Nemo characters. They swim "around the room" on these big screens. Then throughout dinner, Crush swims to the different screens & he talks to the guests sitting right by that screen. Kind of like Turtle Talk at EPCOT.

Oh, that's right - I have read about Crush. I just didn't realize that it had replaced the color show; I thought they would have both!

On the Fantasy, I've heard they do the Nemo show plus a second show. During the second show, you draw pictures on a paper or something before getting your food. The papers are taken by the servers. And then during dinner, everyone's drawings are animated & brought to life. Hope I explained that correctly.

Whoa - that sounds crazy! And pressure-filled! I am NOT a great artist!

I was posting as you were posting your real life update.

First......Congrats on the anniversary of bringing Willow home. How very special that must be for both of y'all!

Second.....you & your family continue to be in my prayers. If you need anything (to vent or chit chat or whatever), you know how to find me.

You know I'm always up for a new TR or PTR to follow!

Thanks. I am sure that things will improve soon. I do think I may treat myself to the start of a PTR after we get through next week.

Oh no!!! I'm sorry I pushed you!! I'm a big dork! You take care of your family and yourself! We're all here for you. Take your time and if you need anything let us know!

But your food pictures we're beautiful and I just want your TR to keep going forever because they are so much fun to read!

Oh no! You didn't push at all - I'm just glad you are enjoying the report! Posting on here is such a great way to take a break from all that the day throws at us, isn't it?

 

[RGirl]

Sounds like another amazing dinner! That risotto looks delicious!

Love the Judies' style! Good for them working the system to get their drinks the way they wanted them!

How sweet that the server sent you "home" with a dessert for DD!

So glad that you got to see Ariel again! Sometimes little girls forget to tell their friends important stuff!

*******

I almost teared up reading about you giving Willow gifts that you'd gotten for her in Guatemala. That's such a thoughtful and sweet idea.

Happy anniversary to you both. I hope that you'll always remember the day that God made you a family.

I hope that you're doing okay. Sending you positive vibes and thoughts. Hopefully everything will be resolved very soon (for the good of course).

Don't worry about speeding through the TR. We'll be here.

If you ever need anything or just to talk, feel free to reach out. I cherish the friendships I've made here, and will do anything that I can to help.

Thanks Shannon. The Judies were cracking me up with their giant martinis!

I can't take credit for the birth-country-presents idea, but it is something I read about many years ago, and I made sure to do it when I was there. I love being able to give her something every year from Guatelama. And, of course, I look forward to the year that we can travel back there and visit as well.

Thanks for all the support. I am just letting things get to me too much, I think! I will be really happy when next week is over, although I will still be FREAKING OUT about how fast kindergarten is coming up after that.

Roni if you need to vent...laugh....anything, we are here for you!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the yearly presents for Willow from her birthplace

Thanks pas.

Hi Roni,
Hope your family health issues are not too worrisome. Sending our prayers...
When you wrote about giving Willow a gift from Guatemala every year it reminded me of our neighbors. They have 3 "kids", the older two from Ecuador and the younger one (she is 17!) from Guatemala. We recently attended the wedding of the oldest daughter, and in addition to a beautiful wedding dress, she had a beautiful small tattoo on her upper back, "Made in Ecuador", with an outline of the country. I loved that! I usually don't love the idea of tattoos, but this one just made me smile!

Aww - what a cute story!

Roni- I'm sorry to hear that family/medical issues are getting you down, and I echo what everyone else is saying- please know that we are here for you, and take all the time you need to get everything in order. We care about you and we'll be here!

I also wanted to comment that your meal at Palo looks awesome once again, I think the Judies had the right idea with their cocktails! I might have to remember that idea if I ever get on a Disney cruise

How sweet of your server to box up a souffle for Willow, that kind of thoughfulness is what Disney is all about!

Thanks Marissa.

The Judies were so funny with their cocktails!!!

Yes, Selcuk did not have to do anything like that - I mean, DD wasn't even there; he could have easily waited on us both nights and never even realized that there WAS a DD. But not only did he take note of that, but he went a step further to try to make her evening a little special too. Just amazing.

Sorry to hear at the medical issue, hope things calm down soon!

I love the story about your celebration! My DS is adopted as well, and we love celebrating our family days!

Thanks.

Family day is such a special day every year, isn't it?