There are moments and situations that arise across the course of a day that can be rather trying to the sole
Quite the understatement that
For some folks, life in general can be neigh on to overwhelming. There are those that have so much thrust upon them that just one more little inconvenience can be the spark to set off an inferno. My world aint that bad to be sure, but I will tell yall a secret. I have a companion that tags along with me everywhere I go and generally makes sure that I always know hes there.
depression
Yah
I said it (well whispered it actually
best not to kick sleeping dragons). A good Disney visual representation of this blanket that covers everything might look like this
Now its starting to sound like Im poor mouthing, but knowing this fact gives you a bit of a window into why I see things the way I do. That being said, Im here to tell you that I actually consider myself to be one very lucky fellow. No, really! Ya see
I may have inherited a genetic disposition for the pall of melancholy, but somehow or other Ive learned to keep it at bay
mostly
Oh, and praise the maker, my son did not inherit that d***ed shroud. I have a few secret weapons in my arsenal of survival. The first one is named Tamara (and honestly, shes all I really need)
just thinking about her drive most of the monster from my mind
(OK
snap out of it!)
Oh
yah, anyway
another major one just happens to be all things Disney. They do such a marvelous job of giving us all a place and a way to just escape. And if escape is your desire, then a
DCL cruise is one of the best places to disappear. That being said
even during something as relaxing and revitalizing as a Caribbean holiday, there are still times when you have to set down that mug of Jungle-Juice and stop parting long enough to take care of the mundane details and comply with unwavering regulations.
It was right after we left the Walt Disney Theater that one of those details just about bit us in the
ummmmm
tail. On the last night of a cruise you need to have all luggage (that you dont intend to carry off yourself) packed up, correctly tagged, and sitting outside your cabin door prior to 10pm. We had started on this before the show and intended to finish this evening. Having the second seating for dinner however, we probably wouldnt get back to our stateroom until near the deadline (yah
didnt think that one thoroughly), which meant that we had to get it done now
as in: right now. With all the fury of a tropical storm, things were flying off hangers and out of drawers and getting crammed willy-nilly into to every available bag. There was mayhem and ciaos reminiscent of a scene out of a Disney feature.
Luckily I did remember to fill out the luggage tags that had been left for us the night before so that job was done. It was also lucky that we remembered
not to pack the things wed be needing in the morning. The CMs are not kidding when they tell you that folks have been known to find themselves walking down the gangway in their pajamas because they mistakenly put everything out the door. As you might expect, I didnt have nor wish to take time to document this part of the cruise photographically, which is why Ive been letting Disney (and Tom) handle the visuals for this part of the TR.
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Thats enough of the minor trials
its time for some triumphs!
First triumph, we actually did get all that mess packed up and on the curb and still made it down to dinner on time. A little bit harried maybe, but on time. The next triumph? Dinner itself (imagine that). On cruises of five days or longer, the last evening has a unique menu. On the Dream, its called the See Ya menu as in see ya real soon. Like Pirate night, the same choices are offered in all three main dining rooms, which is not a problem, because by this time youll be making a repeat visit to one of them anyway (usually ending up back where you started). For us
the venue for the evening was Royal Palace.
Heres a look at the menu
And heres the English translation of that unreadable gibberish
Appetizers
Artichoke, Spinach and
Jalapeño Cheese Dip
with triangles of crispy Pita Bread
Sesame-Crusted Tuna Sashimi
Wakame Salad, and American Caviar
with Pickled Ginger Wasabi and Soy Sauce
Chilled Seafood Medley
Lemon Shrimp, Smoked Salmon Tartare,
and Marinated Bay Scallops
Grilled Chicken Sate
with Mint-Yogurt sauce
and spicy Cucumber Salad
Soups and Salads
Crawfish and Lobster Bisque
served with Roasted Corn-Chili Relish
Potato Leek Soup
garnished with Sour Cream, Chives and Caviar
Romaine Leaves with Artichoke Chips
a Roasted Bacon-wrapped Date
and Caesar Dressing
Florida Citrus and Baby Spinach
with Blue Cheese-Ranch Dressing
Bread Service
Six-Grain Country Bread
with Caramelized Onions and Sun-dried Tomato Dip
Main Course
Roasted Half Cornish Hen
With Israeli Couscous, Mediterranean Vegetables, and a Lemon Herb Sauce
Seafood Linguini Pasta
Lobster, Scallops, Shrimp, Clams, and Asparagus with a White Wine Sauce
Portobello Moussaka
Portobello Mushrooms, Eggplant and Potatoes served with Feta Cheese
Yachtsman Steakhouse Center Cut
Grilled Beef Tenderloin
served with William Potatoes, Asparagus Spears, Baby Vegetables,
and Béarnaise Sauce
Vegetable Strudel
Lentils, Carrots, Leeks, and Parsnips wrapped in Phyllo Dough
served on Duo of Red and Yellow Pepper Coulis
Oven Backed Orange Roughy
filled with Crabmeat, served on a Spaghetti of Leek and Carrot
with a Dill-Saffron Sauce
Grilled and Rosemary Marinated Lamb Sirloin
with Onion, Leek, Potato Gratin and Sun-dried Tomato Jus
Till We Meet Again Chicken Salad
with Oven-roasted Corn, Romaine Leaves, Tomatoes, Green Onions,
and Blackened Chicken Brest with a Zesty Dressing
Backed Salmon and Oven-roasted Chicken Breast
available upon request
Care to guess?
I actually skipped the appetizer course all together. I just didnt know what I wanted from that list. If I had thought about it a little bit longer, Id have probably gotten the Grilled Chicken Sate (poultry is generally safe when you dont know what you want). Tamara got the Artichoke, Spinach and Jalapeño Cheese Dip, and I helped make sure that none of that had to hit the disposal (so I guess I actually did have an appetizer). The soup/salad course ended up being the Potato Leek for me and Florida Citrus and Baby Spinach for Tam (but basically, we shared these as well and both were excellent).
Note that DCL was playing with the menus again here and you may notice some slight variations in the sauces and vegetables in the images to follow.
The real win was the main course. Again Tamara and I were of a same mind and had the kitchen staff corral us up a couple of the Beef Tenderloins.
Yumm does not even begin to express just exactly how good these were (oh, and sorry about the orange-ish hue to the images
I had the bloody flash off again and wasnt paying attention
). Max took a slightly different tack (and an adventurous one for him) by trying the Grilled Lamb Sirloin (lamb being a new concept for him).
He must have been please with the choice, because I got one small bite to taste (which was really good), but no more then that.
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Bittersweets
It was about here that we noticed something different about the wait staff. There was a third person taking turns with Katarina in the assistant server position. Daniel explained this as he was going over the desert menu. It seems that his stint aboard the Dream was coming to an end and he would be leaving the ship in the morning as well and be bound for Wales by the end of the day. He had mixed feelings about this. Hed worked at WDW or many years and in a number of capacities and then with DCL and loved doing so. However, hed also come to the end of options for extending his green card for the time being, so it was time to come up with a new plan. We asked him what hed miss most and he said the people he worked with. That made perfect sense and was a testament to all of the CMs aboard. We then asked him what he was looking forward to most. Answer? Wearing my own clothes for a change. Thats a very interesting insight in to the CM world and something I wouldnt have thought of.
What this change in Daniels life meant to Katarina (apart from missing her partner) was that shed now be the head server for their tables, and the new girl who was learning the ropes was to be her assistant. Interestingly enough, the new assistant was also named Katarina, but rather then being from Slovakia, this Kat was from the Czech Republic (neighbors
yes, but no longer the same thing).
Anyway
back to desert. There was an updated desert menu this evening that they were experimenting with as well. Truth be told, I dont remember exactly what was on it and I didnt get a picture (just as I didnt get the dinner menu earlier
I think my mind was somewhere else). Just as with the dinner menu, I was able to find the one that was in use up to that point and a good bit of it looked familiar. Heres a copy of that version of said menu
And of course the transcript
Dessert
See Ya Real Soon Sweet Temptations
A trio of Celebration Cake, Chocolate Decadence,
and Cappuccino Mousse
Chocolate Decadence
For the real Chocolate lover! This Chocolate dessert
lets you experience Chocolate in all its glory
Celebration Cake
Layers of Cheesecake covered with Strawberries
embedded with rich Vanilla Cream and glazed
with White Chocolate
Deep-Dish Apple-Cranberry Pie
served warm with Vanilla Ice Cream
Baked Alaska
Sponge Loaf layered with Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry Ice Cream
covered with Burnt Meringue
No Sugar Added Dessert
Seasonal Fruits with Sugar-free Cookies
Cappuccino Mousse
Assorted Sugar-free Ice Cream
I dont believe that the pie was there this night because Im a sucker for savory pies, yet I did not order such.
What I did have was the Chocolate Decadence, which looked like this
Youll notice that the menu didnt describe it, so there was a bit of a mystery until the plate hit the table. It turned out to be chocolate cheesecake on a chocolate crumble crust with a chocolate ganache frosting accompanied by a mousse of dark chocolate with a whipped white chocolate cream and shaved chocolate garnish. Did I say the word chocolate enough there? Tamara got the trio (as is her way
having a hard time picking between deserts) but it was a little bit different from the trio listed on that menu above.
The Decadence and the Celebration Cake are there but the Cappuccino Mousse was replaced by something else, and I didnt get a taste of that one so I dont remember what it was. I do know that it didnt last long on the plate.
As we were enjoying desert, the show got underway. Show? Yep
this is also common in the last night. As you never see them during the cruise, the chefs will come out into the dining room with music blaring and carrying flaming deserts as they parade around the room.
The napkins generally start twirling at this time as well so be sure to duck when you see bit of food (and other such gra-du) go flying across the room.
The passengers can and do use this opportunity to offer up applause for culinary staffs hard work across the cruise. Next is the march of nations. All of the wait staff takes a musical turn around the dinning room carrying the flags of their various homelands and Mickey himself makes an appearance (youd expect no less now would you). Right after the festivities, refills of coffee and drinks were offered up and the last morsels of sweetness were being diligently chiseled away from all the plates (the clank of silverware on porcelain is audibly noticeable). We would sorely miss these fine dinning experiences, but even still
all was right with the world.
We also took this opportunity to offer tip envelopes to our gracious hosts. Theyd worked hard for us all week and my tipping rate reflected that fact for the both of them. I know I used this same picture earlier on the TR, but like a bonehead, I didnt get any other good ones until now
so allow me to reintroduce to you
Daniel and Katarina!
We also got to talk to our headwaiter this evening. Not seeing much of him until now is actually a good thing, because if we had seen a lot of him on the floor during meals, that meant that things were not going well in his section. As it turns out, we recognized him from our previous sailing aboard the Magic. We related this fact to him (obviously he didnt remember us specifically from two years prior), and had a very nice conversation about the Magic and the Dream and the work that goes on in the dinning rooms.
As meals go
this was one of the best all around services of the trip. There was certainly a good time had and we were genuinely remorseful that it had to end. But end it had. It was time to pick our selves up and partake of one more little bit of the Dream experience before heading off to slumber in our beds one last time aboard this fine ship. Just maybe a little bit of music would be the cure for misty haze that had descended over the table.
Shocking!
