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

[RGirl]

signing up to hear (read) more.

Welcome! So glad to have you along!

I'm sorry Willow wouldn't rest for you. I tried that the other day with my kids to similar results. Somehow "rest time" becomes "bounce on mommy" time.

I love Golden Mickey! What a cutie!

Free cocktails! I will quote Willow and say that sounds "fantastic and lovely!" Sounds like a great new friend!

Sounds like you and Willow had a great time in the lounge. It's the little moments when you can just be carefree and enjoy each other that make the best memories.

I can't wait to hear about your meal!

"Fantastic and lovely" - seriously, her descriptions are a little, um, odd.

Those little moments really are the most important, aren't they.

 

[RGirl]

14. Fine Dining with The Judies

When I last left you, DD and I were rockin’ out to 80s tunes in the Promenade Lounge. But soon, we had to make our way back to our stateroom. Because Mommy had a Palo reservation tonight!

We went up to Deck 9 first to check out the options for DD’s dinner at Goofy’s Galley. (Our Palo reservation was for 7:00, so DD would miss the option of eating dinner at the kids’ club.) DD wanted nothing but some fruit, which is not surprising with the amount of junk she had eaten already that day. We got a plate of fruit and returned to our stateroom, so DD could eat and I could get ready.

Sadly, our Palo reservation meant that we would miss the Golden Mickeys. We did watch some of it while getting read, however.

DD really enjoyed watching this. Another thing we will do differently if/when we cruise again - we will do a better job at getting our butts to these shows!

When I had gotten ready, I told The Judies that I would meet them at Palo. And then explained again where Palo was. DD and I headed out to the kids’ club. She was really excited because Pluto’s Pajama Party was coming up soon! When we arrived at the kids’ club, I told the counselor who scanned DD in that I was heading to Palo for dinner so it would be nice if, maybe, somehow, they wouldn’t call me if DD simply felt like leaving at a given moment. The counselor said something like, “Oh, Palo!!! We will only call you if there is an emergency.”

And then I headed up to Deck 10 to Palo! When I arrived, a CM spotted me and said, “Are you Roni?” I was a bit surprised but did manage to say, “Yes.” She said, “They are right this way. I recognized you because you have the same eyes as your mom.” WOW. These Palo folks are GOOD.

Soon I had joined The Judies and met our server (I think his name was spelled Selcuk (from Turkey)). He was great - took amazing care of us. He started by plating up our antipasto - chunks of parmesan cheese, parma ham, bresaola, marinated olives, marinated artichokes, tapenade, roasted peppers.

It was heavenly. There was bread too:

We also had cocktails - I guess I don’t have a picture. I know that The Judies had martinis, and I let Selcuk choose something for me.

When he found out that I could not eat the bread, Selcuk rounded up some gluten-free rolls and had them toasted, buttered, and garlicked. What a treat!

As he was serving up our antipasto, Selcuk was asking about what things we liked and disliked, etc. He then suggested that we put away our menus, and he would just start bringing us food based on the information that he had gleaned from us. Judy 2 and I were pretty excited about this opportunity. Judy 1 was a little cautious as she is a lot pickier than the rest of us. However, she decided to throw caution to the wind and just enjoy tonight - this evening was the first time I saw her really having fun and enjoying herself in a long time.

Selcuk started us off with a bevy of beautiful appetizers to share. He knew that Judy 1 loves shrimp, so he brought out these little beauties.

These were delicious, well-grilled shrimp. They do not match the description on the menus on-line, so that is about all I can tell you about them.

Selcuk did not stop at one appetizer. Oh no. We also had the mozzarella and plum tomatoes with balsamic dressing. I am not a big raw tomato fan, but the mozzarella was delish!

Selcuk did not stop at two appetizers. Oh no. He also brought the grilled portobello mushroom and polenta with a roasted shallot sauce - a light creamy polenta served with grilled portobello and parmesan shaving. This was soooo good!

Selcuk did not stop at three appetizers. Oh no. He also brought (for me, because I love this stuff so much) the Frito di Calamari - lightly crusted calamari served with deep-fried cherry peppers. (I realize that, although they usually do use rice flour on calamari, there is a good possibility of some gluten in these little suckers, but like I said, I am not militant about it - usually something this innocuous does not bother me.) These were some of the best calamari I have ever had - they were cooked perfectly. More times than not, when you order calamari, you get over-cooked calamari. What a delicious treat!

Selcuk discussed our entress with us and chose something for each of us after chatting a bit about what we like. I am pretty sure he brought wine by this point as well.

On to the entrees! Selcuk chose the Beef Tenderloin “Palo” - served with Palo signature Barolo red wine sauce or Gorgonzola sauce - for me. He did not feel that I should have to choose sauces, so he plated it up with both.

This was fantastic. It blew that old sirloin from last night right out of the Alaskan (okay, probably Canadian at this point) water!

For Judy 1, Selcuk chose the Penne Arrabbiata - with spicy fresh tomato and basil sauce and topped with grilled shrimp. Judy 1 loves spicy foods and can never get enough shrimp. She absolutely loved this dish.

For Judy 2, Selcuk chose the sea bass. I can’t find this on any of the on-line menus. It was cooked en papillote, and Selcuk removed it from the paper and plated it table-side. Judy 2 said it was fantastic!

But Selcuk did not stop at three entrees. Oh no. He also brought out a small plating of the Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli - freshly prepared and served with a light truffle beurre blanc - for The Judies to try. This got a too. In fact, I think they actually polished it off completely.

Up next: 15. ELEVATE, Sweet Magic, and Good Night!​

 

[amandaw]

OMG! So many wonderful things to comment on.

First off - that's so nice that the CM at the club understood about only calling with an emergency. If we do Palo or Remy on our cruise, I need to remember to tell the club CMs that's where we're going.

How awesome that the CM recognized you! Talk about attention to detail!

Ok on to Palo! Your server sounds phenomenal!!! I mean, I love that he told y'all just to put away the menues & started bringing out food. And all the appetizers! Everything looks delicious!! I'm with your mom - I could definitely eat shrimp at pretty much every meal. I love it. Good thing I live in a shrimping state & can get it pretty much everywhere. I think you have definitely sold me on trying to get a Palo reservation.

 

[shan23877]

Love the CMs at the Kids Club! Only in an emergency? God bless them.

Sounds like Seluk was a real gem! I was drooling over all of those amazing looking dishes!

How adorable was that server? You really shouldn't have to decide between sauces! That ravioli might have sent me over the edge. I think that I must have some!

I think that I hit my exclamation point quota for the day, but I'm really excited about that delicious looking food

Can't wait to hear the rest! --agggghhh I snuck in another one.

 

[JLCJMC]

Wow! Dinner is looking delicious! It is probably a good thing that we don't/can't cruise -- I would be the size of a whale by the time we were done! I am glad all of his selections were a hit, sounds like fun having someone who knows the menu/kitchen do the choosing.

 

[CandleontheWater]

Oh my gosh, that food! I am literally sitting here drooling! We've cruised before (not on Disney) and I've never been able to convince DH to try one of the signature restaurants, he won't pay for food when there is free food for the taking, but I'm going have to put my foot down about this. If we ever do a Disney cruise, we'll going to HAVE to try Palo!

I can't wait to see what comes next!

 

[RGirl]

OMG! So many wonderful things to comment on.

First off - that's so nice that the CM at the club understood about only calling with an emergency. If we do Palo or Remy on our cruise, I need to remember to tell the club CMs that's where we're going.

How awesome that the CM recognized you! Talk about attention to detail!

Ok on to Palo! Your server sounds phenomenal!!! I mean, I love that he told y'all just to put away the menues & started bringing out food. And all the appetizers! Everything looks delicious!! I'm with your mom - I could definitely eat shrimp at pretty much every meal. I love it. Good thing I live in a shrimping state & can get it pretty much everywhere. I think you have definitely sold me on trying to get a Palo reservation.

I got the feeling that, if you tell them that you are going to Palo, they just don't call you unless they have to. That proved true later when I just said I had a Palo ressie and nothing else.

Selcuk was great! I am sure all the Palo servers are though. My mom ended up having shrimp at at least one meal every day of the cruise!

 

[RGirl]

Love the CMs at the Kids Club! Only in an emergency? God bless them.

Sounds like Seluk was a real gem! I was drooling over all of those amazing looking dishes!

How adorable was that server? You really shouldn't have to decide between sauces! That ravioli might have sent me over the edge. I think that I must have some!

I think that I hit my exclamation point quota for the day, but I'm really excited about that delicious looking food

Can't wait to hear the rest! --agggghhh I snuck in another one.

The Judies said the ravioli was amazing. And Judy 1 had said earlier that she wouldn't order it because she doesn't like ravioli. :rofl:

Something about Disney brings out the exclamation points in all of us!

 

[RGirl]

Wow! Dinner is looking delicious! It is probably a good thing that we don't/can't cruise -- I would be the size of a whale by the time we were done! I am glad all of his selections were a hit, sounds like fun having someone who knows the menu/kitchen do the choosing.

You know, it wasn't too bad because they keep the portions relatively small. And you walk a lot of stairs.

 

[RGirl]

Oh my gosh, that food! I am literally sitting here drooling! We've cruised before (not on Disney) and I've never been able to convince DH to try one of the signature restaurants, he won't pay for food when there is free food for the taking, but I'm going have to put my foot down about this. If we ever do a Disney cruise, we'll going to HAVE to try Palo!

I can't wait to see what comes next!

Palo was definitely worth every penny of the slight up charge. I will make a ressie for just me if DD and I go by ourselves on a cruise. Totally fun and delicious.

 

[karajeboo]

Omg the sea bass is to die for!!!! I had it on our first cruise and we asked for the recipe - our server brought it to our room the last night and Jeff has made it 2 or 3 times at home. Believe it or not it's not that tricky....... I just looooove Palo!

 

[pas130]

Something about Disney brings out the exclamation points in all of us!

SO TRUE So much yummy food

 

[RGirl]

Omg the sea bass is to die for!!!! I had it on our first cruise and we asked for the recipe - our server brought it to our room the last night and Jeff has made it 2 or 3 times at home. Believe it or not it's not that tricky....... I just looooove Palo!

Oooooh, sure would like to have that recipe.

 

[RGirl]

SO TRUE So much yummy food

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[karajeboo]

Remind me again for the recipe - I have it and will share with you..... I'm last minute packing for San Fran but when I get back I will give it to you!!!

 

[tnbeth1972]

I have loved reading about your cruise!! We are going in one month w/my 3 and 5 year old girls! Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[RGirl]

Remind me again for the recipe - I have it and will share with you..... I'm last minute packing for San Fran but when I get back I will give it to you!!!

Fabulous! Thank you!

Have a wonderful time on your Cali trip.

 

[RGirl]

I have loved reading about your cruise!! We are going in one month w/my 3 and 5 year old girls! Thanks for sharing!!!

Thank you so much - lots more to come!

You are going to have such a great time!!!

 

[RGirl]

15. ELEVATE, Sweet Magic, and Good Night! (Day 2)

When I last left you, we were enjoying our entrees at Palo.

Now, in case you don’t know, Palo is all the way aft on Deck 10, and the walls are windows, so you have absolutely amazing views while you dine. At some point while we were stuffing our faces with delicious food and swilling goblets of wine, a commotion occurred by the windows - we were one table away from the window as most of the window tables are two-tops. What could it be? It was whales. WHALES! Awesome. We could see the spouting and tails flipping from our seats, but we did stand up for a bit to get better views.

When you are dining in Palo, you just can’t help but be in a good mood. So everyone in there is pretty happy and chatty. And since we were all watching the whales, we were pretty much hanging out with the couple at the table nearest us against the window. They were very cool. The husband kept saying, “Elevate!” when the whales would disappear for a while. And usually it worked - more whales would surface.

And then, other people on the ship started to realize that whales were near, and some of them came out on the deck by the Palo windows. One of these whale watchers was a young woman in a very short, sparkly dress (formal night, remember). She was lovely - I mean, she looked really nice in that dress - but remember, we’re sailing to ALASKA. It is COLD. So the sight of this woman teetering in her high heels in this super-short, feather-enhanced dress out in the cold had us all giggling a little. And she was standing on her tip-toes at the railing to see the whales. For some reason, under my breath, totally without even thinking, I said, “Elevate.” Well, the husband at the table right there obviously either had the same uncontrollable urge or heard me and boomed out, “ELEVATE!!!” And she did!!! At the very moment he said it, the short-dress woman stepped up onto the first rung of the railing - she elevated (and so did her skirt - thankfully it did not elevate any further or we would have had quite a new view!). We were all just rolling. It is probably not that funny in the telling, but The Judies, the couple whose window we were sharing, and I were hysterical. It was just so dang funny!

Okay, enough of that silliness. A quick shot of the restaurant.

And on to dessert! Selcuk informed us that we all had to have the chocolate souffle, and we were not about to argue with him - he had been right about everything else. We enjoyed our wine and the amazing view until this arrived:

What can I say about this? I am not really a dessert person (although you would never know it by the number of desserts I consumed during this week at sea). I like chocolate, but I also understand something being “too chocolate-y” (a concept that totally eludes DD). This, however, was magic on a plate. It was so good. I can’t begin to explain it. Honestly, I won’t even try - you will just have to book a cruise, snag a Palo reservation, and try it for yourself!

As I mentioned before, The Judies were really enjoying themselves at Palo. Judy 1 was actually smiling and laughing, which is not something she does very often anymore. She really wanted to dine here again. So we asked Selcuk if it was at all possible to get another reservation. He said that it absolutely was. So we talked with Veronique (from France), the manager. She made us another dinner reservation and a brunch reservation! Judy 1 would have happily reserved a spot for us every night of the cruise, but I managed to keep it to one more night since I wanted to spend at least a few meals with my kiddo!

And the cost for all this food and fun? Well, as you know, Palo is an up-charge place; you do have to pay, unlike the main restaurants, which are all included in that hefty sum you paid for the cruise itself. But the up-charge for Palo is, wait for it, twenty bucks. $20. Yep - that’s it. (Of course, you pay for alcohol as well, but we had already paid for a wine plan, so it was just the cocktails.) WELL WORTH IT, PEOPLE, WELL WORTH IT!

Okay, eventually, we heaved our much heavier selves out of the Palo chairs and lumbered off to the kids’ club to collect DD.

DD on her evening: “Pluto’s Pajama Party was so good. There was a screen, and it lifted up, and we saw Pluto sleeping! And they said, ‘count to 3 - one, two, three - Pluto, wake up!” Pluto woke up. We danced with Pluto. Pluto was yucky because he was sweaty and had to take a bath.” I guess he left to take a bath then. “There was a lady with Pluto, and she said, ‘Let’s sort out Pluto’s food.’ But they were balls.” I have no idea what she is talking about. She also saw the whales - “I saw their heads poking up and the water squirt.”

When we got back to our staterooms, we had a new friend from Clive:

DD was hungry and wanted an ice cream cone. Man, I love this ship - we just turned around, went out our door, headed up to Deck 9 and got her a cone, dangit!

DD and I enjoyed the views for a bit from our verandah:

We marveled at how light it still was. It had to have been close to 10:00 at this point. (The Navigator says that sunset was at 10:14 tonight.)

Now this is a pitifully bad picture, but I have realized that it is the ONLY pictorial proof that I was even on this cruise. No one else ever took a picture! In my own defense, I am fat, but I am not as fat as this picture makes me look. I hope....

After DD went to bed, I perused the reading material that Clive had left on my bed - a booklet filled with other cruises that I could book while on board. Tempting, very tempting. You could also fill out a little form and then someone would provide you with the cost of said tempting cruises. I did not succumb. Not tonight anyway……..

It was late. We needed to go to bed. And, in case you were wondering, DD chose to “get back on the horse” and try the top bunk again.

Our character breakfast was scheduled for 0800 tomorrow. I told DD that we probably would not make it. She wasn’t terribly pleased about that, but it was LATE. We did set the clocks back an hour that night, so it was still possible, but it definitely seemed unlikely.

However, you will not be subjected to a cliff hanger if you simply read the following update title:

Up next: 16. A Breakfast with Character and Willow Falls in Love (Day 3)​

 

[shan23877]

You described it perfectly, that would have been hilarious to see! I can just imagine that young woman in her sequined, feathery dress up on the rail at just the right moment.

I cannot believe that Palo was only $20! That's insane! It sounds like an absolutely incredible meal.

Yay for Judy 1 enjoying herself so much! That's great to hear. I'm glad that you were able to book 2 more meals there.

And Yay Willow for getting back on the top bunk!

OOOOhhhhh. I can't wait to hear about breakfast!