Annie12345
Cruise Lover!!!
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2002
- Messages
- 458
Disney Dreams on the February 8 - 15, 2003 Eastern Cruise
The Cast: DH Randy (46); Myself - Ann (35); and DD Jaclyn (9)
Day 1 February 8th:
Our cruise followed five great days in Orlando where we stayed at the Comfort Suites. We booked a stretch limousine from Cartier Towncar to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the Port. What a fantastic way to start. Because we had been in Orlando for a few days, we didnt need a grocery stop but it was available for us if we wanted it Our DD was soo thrilled and surprised with the limousine.
We arrived at the port at about 11:15 a.m. and because we are from Canada, the line we needed to go through was nearly empty. Our DD had a few minutes to see Minnie Mouse, and then at 12:00 p.m. it was time to board. The lineup went very quickly and within about 10-15 minutes it was our turn! We got a big kick out of being announced as we stepped on board. We went to our stateroom (Category 11, #7063) and since it was ready, we dropped off our carryon luggage, and met our room steward, Kenneth from Trinidad. Off we went to make Palo reservations. We were able to book the high tea, and booked dinner for Valentines Day. We then went to Topsiders for brunch and then checked DD into the Oceaneers Lab.
At 3:00 p.m. we went to the Meet and Greet with all the friends we met through the DIS Boards. Renee and her son, Gary and Gail, Laura and Wayne, Chrissy and Tim, and Patty from the Boards all showed up. It was so great to finally meet everyone!!
After the safety drill, we went up to Deck 9 for the sailaway party. It was a very cool and windy day but that didnt slow down the fun!
We had early seating, and our rotation was LAP. All I can say about Lumieres is WOW! What a beautiful restaurant. We were seated at a table for three. Our server was Darko from Croatia, Assistant Server was Antonio from Mexico, and our Head Server was Nadege from France. They were all amazing!!! Nadege came by our table every evening, gave us tips for the ports, and remembered our names after the first night. We were very impressed. Darko and Antonio were such a great team Darko did lots of tricks, and they both visited with us after dinner quite a bit. We told Antonio that we wouldnt be drinking alcohol, so after the first night, he didnt ask us at all about wine, etc. Darko is leaving in May, and Antonio is hoping to become a server. If you are lucky enough to get either one of them, they will make the cruise for you!
On to the food . DH and I both had beef tenderloin medallions. DH started off with escargot and we both had a salad. Our DD was thrilled to see PB&J on the menu and when she saw how it was served with no crust, she was very impressed. She had that most nights for supper. For dessert, I had crème brulee, and DH had a new-to-the-menu dome dessert. The food was wonderful!!
We spotted Gary and Gail who were also at their own table, and agreed to meet up at Dueling Pianos later. DD wanted to check out the Lab, so we dropped her off and went to the Welcome Aboard Variety Show which we enjoyed, then off we went to Dueling Pianos. We had so much fun with Fidelio and Jeff! They are great talents!!
Day 2 - February 9th:
A day at sea We went for a sit-down breakfast at Lumieres. DH and I had the eggs benedict which was excellent; DD had cereal and waffles. We then took DD to get some autographs, and went to the pool. We all had a hamburger from Plutos. DD went to the Lab, and DH and I spent the afternoon reading on deck 4. What comfy chairs I took DD to Tea With Wendy. I was worried that she might be too old for it after reading about it on the DIS boards, but she LOVED it. She wants to go again next year.
We got all dressed up for formal night at Animators Palate. DH had the filet, I had pork medallions in Kentucky Bourbon and Maple Glaze sauce, and DD had the chicken. For dessert, DH had the banana crème brulee, I had chocolate decadence and DD had pudding. Darko also brought us a dessert called Celebration to try, which was delicious. We really enjoyed Animators Palate. DD went back to the lab, and DH and I vegged out That sea air really tired us out, and we didnt feel like doing anything.
Day 3 February 10th:
Another day at sea We went to the character breakfast at Parrot Cay. What a fun restaurant! The breakfast was great Mickey waffles, omelets, etc. We had visits from lots of characters and they took their time at our table. We had asked Nadege to join up our table with Gary and Gails since both of our tables were in Darkos section so they had it ready for us this morning. DH and two other girls were inseparable during the cruise, so she went off to the lab and spent most of the day there. We had a relaxing day including a nap in the afternoon We were supposed to have afternoon tea but we had become overcome with tiredness so I called up to say that someone else could have our spot.
That evening, we had dinner at Parrot Cay. DH and I both had the ribs they were awesome! DD went back to the PB&J. We went to see Hercules the Muse-ical, then DD went back to the lab, and we went to the Dueling Pianos with Gary and Gail. They actually called Gary up to sing Mack The Knife with them We had a great time!! Then we went to the 50s party which was very fun! I even got to dance with Eugene (he dipped me). Then we went back to Dueling Pianos til 1:00 a.m! Good thing we had afternoon naps!!
Day 4 February 11th:
St. Maarten We woke up at 9:00 a.m. and got ready for the island. We went to Parrot Cay for the buffet breakfast. I loved all the fruit. We decided to go shopping in the morning. We enjoyed checking out the souvenir shops in St. Maarten. We then went back to the ship and had a burger up on deck 9, then we hit the beach! The water was so blue and the sand was white and soft. We bartered with a woman to braid DDs hair for $25. We had a great time. We rushed back to the ship to get ready for Tropicalifragalisticexpialidocious night. Everyone looked great in their tropical wear. We were in Lumieres again DH had the shrimp, I had ravioli, and DD had the PB&J. After dinner we enjoyed the show put on by the servers and then we all did the limbo! After dinner DD went to Treasure Island with her friends, then they had a glow in the dark dance party. We played So You Think You Know Your TV Theme Songs. Then we went up on deck for the deck party.
Day 5 February 12th:
St. Thomas We were not thrilled to go through immigration at 6:00 in the morning! It was a fairly long process but then we were able to go back to sleep. It would be nice if they didnt have to make all the announcements in all staterooms for those people who dont show up though! We met Gary and Gail for breakfast around 9:00 at Parrot Cay. We took a cab downtown to do some shopping. We went to a store called Royal Carribean and bought a camcorder. We were very pleased with the deal we got. It is twice the price at other places weve checked, plus we got a bunch of extras with it. Then we walked around the market place and took a cab back to the ship (cab far was $3 per person each way). We then took another cab ($5 per person) to the beach at the Marriott Hotel (Antonio and Darko had told us about this beach). It was beautiful and very quiet. When we got back to the ship, we cleaned up and went to Animators Palate for dinner. This was the night that they did the show. We were very impressed to say the least!! DH had veal chops, I had maple glazed salmon (we both started with an appetizer of baked tomato and a tomato salad). DD tried the chicken fingers. For dessert DH and I both had Boston Cream Pie and Darko brought us the Chocolate Decadence cake AND strawberry shortcake to try. DD stuck with ice cream. We then went to Who Wants To Be A Mouseketeer and I was picked to be a panelist. Yippee! The panel got three out of four right (fortunately, on the answer we got wrong, the contestant didnt go with our answer ) After that, DD went to the Lab and we went to Dueling Pianos. Tonight was 80s night but we couldnt tear ourselves away from Jeff and Fidelio. It was another great day.
Day 6 February 13th:
A day at sea We all caught up on our sleep by sleeping in until 10:00 a.m. DD spent all day with her friends at the Lab. DH and I were lured into the high-test bingo room in the morning and in the afternoon. Of course, we were sure we would win the jackpot which was over $5,000 but instead we contributed $90 in total Thats okay, it was fun! We had lunch at Lumieres which was excellent! Dinner tonight was semi-formal and we were in Parrot Cay. DH and I had the filet and DD went back to the PB&J. I had the lava cake for dessert (yum!!) and DH had the Cherries Jubilee. We went to Disney Dreams (DD had seen it in the afternoon but she came with us to see it again). What an amazing show. After that, DD joined her friends again, and went back to Dueling Pianos.
Day 7 February 14th:
Castaway Cay/Valentines Day We met Gary and Gail for breakfast in Lumieres and then got off the boat and into Paradise! Ive read many trip reports that speak about how amazing Castaway Cay is, but until you see it for yourself, its impossible to imagine! We found a great spot on the family beach. Our DD has gone swimming in the ocean many times, including at St. Thomas and St. Maarten but for some reason, she got freaked out by a fish at Castaway Cay. That was it for her, she lounged on the chair and read a book. The water wasnt as warm as at the other islands, but it was still really nice. We had a great lunch from Cookies Barbecue consisting of ribs, corn, burgers, cookies, and fruit. I signed DH up for parasailing from 2:30 3:30 so DD and I went up to Deck 9 to videotape him. He loved it. DD then went to the Lab to get ready for their farewell show and she got a t-shirt. She had the counselors sign the back of her shirt. The farewell show was great. This was our night to go to Palo. DD had planned to eat supper with the Lab but Darko and Antonio insisted we bring her to Lumieres for dinner and Gary and Gail were happy to have her as well, so we dropped her off at Lumieres and off we went to dining heaven. Elle from Sweden was our server (recommended by Antonio). She was fantastic! We started with a mozzarella and tomato salad, then had filet with peppercorn sauce and red skinned potatoes. For dessert? You guessed it we each had chocolate soufflé. I have never in my life tasted anything so decadent! A person sitting at the table just down from us, actually commented on the look on my face when I took my first bite! Elle also brought out a special Valentines Day dessert that consisted of various berries in a heavy cream sauce. It was also excellent! My wonderful DH gave me a beautiful gold bookmark with a heart AND the crystal tinkerbell I had been drooling over all week.
After dinner, DD went back to the lab to say goodbye to her friends. We packed, then went to Dueling Pianos and met up with Gary and Gail, Laura and Wayne. They had a talent show and Gary sang Margaritaville. Then Jeff and Fidelio tickled the ivories one last time At 1:00 a.m. we reluctantly went to bed.
Day 8 February 15th:
Disembarkation We had to be at immigration at 6:00 a.m. That was tough! Then we went to breakfast at Lumieres with Gary and Gail. We were sad to say goodbye to Darko and Antonio as well as to Gary and Gail. They had become such good friends. We took a shuttle to Avis and rented a convertible Ford Mustang. Then we drove back to Orlando to check into Westgate Lakes. We spent an additional 10 days in Orlando before heading home to Saskatoon and 30 weather!
Overall:
Nadege, Darko, Antonio and Kenneth were all so great, that we ended up giving much more than the recommended amount for tips. We brought pop and non alcoholic beer on board with us and found the cooler in the room to work just fine. The over the door shoe holder was probably the best tip from the Disboards. It was invaluable. To protect ourselves against the Norwalk Virus, we each carried a bottle of hand sanitizer with us and used it ALL the time. We were kind of obsessive about it, but we didnt get sick Chances to meet the characters were plentiful. The highlight was when our DD met Cinderella. She asked Cinderella if she remembered dancing with her at the parade at WDW on her third birthday. Cinderella didnt miss a beat, and she said that she did remember, and talked about how much DD had grown. Our DD is so mature, but she is still in complete wonder when she sees the characters. That was truly a MAGICal moment. We are so glad that we attended the Meet and Greet. It was like meeting long lost friends. We all got along so well, and it really made our holiday even more MAGICal. I know well keep in touch, and hopefully we can cruise together again in the future!
We didnt do half the things we had planned to do, so we booked two weeks for next year. Our entire family really enjoys cruising and weve been to WDW lots of times, so we decided to do two weeks of cruising back to back. Well be going on the January 31st Western and staying on for the February 7th Eastern. We enjoyed our category 11, but this time decided to book a category 6. The ship is beautiful. There was absolutely nothing negative about our entire week. We could sail for all seven days and not stop at any ports, but we really enjoyed each port as well. We thought all of the restaurants were excellent, as were Scoops, Plutos, and Topsiders.
Im sorry I was so longwinded. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask
- Annie
The Cast: DH Randy (46); Myself - Ann (35); and DD Jaclyn (9)
Day 1 February 8th:
Our cruise followed five great days in Orlando where we stayed at the Comfort Suites. We booked a stretch limousine from Cartier Towncar to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the Port. What a fantastic way to start. Because we had been in Orlando for a few days, we didnt need a grocery stop but it was available for us if we wanted it Our DD was soo thrilled and surprised with the limousine.
We arrived at the port at about 11:15 a.m. and because we are from Canada, the line we needed to go through was nearly empty. Our DD had a few minutes to see Minnie Mouse, and then at 12:00 p.m. it was time to board. The lineup went very quickly and within about 10-15 minutes it was our turn! We got a big kick out of being announced as we stepped on board. We went to our stateroom (Category 11, #7063) and since it was ready, we dropped off our carryon luggage, and met our room steward, Kenneth from Trinidad. Off we went to make Palo reservations. We were able to book the high tea, and booked dinner for Valentines Day. We then went to Topsiders for brunch and then checked DD into the Oceaneers Lab.
At 3:00 p.m. we went to the Meet and Greet with all the friends we met through the DIS Boards. Renee and her son, Gary and Gail, Laura and Wayne, Chrissy and Tim, and Patty from the Boards all showed up. It was so great to finally meet everyone!!
After the safety drill, we went up to Deck 9 for the sailaway party. It was a very cool and windy day but that didnt slow down the fun!
We had early seating, and our rotation was LAP. All I can say about Lumieres is WOW! What a beautiful restaurant. We were seated at a table for three. Our server was Darko from Croatia, Assistant Server was Antonio from Mexico, and our Head Server was Nadege from France. They were all amazing!!! Nadege came by our table every evening, gave us tips for the ports, and remembered our names after the first night. We were very impressed. Darko and Antonio were such a great team Darko did lots of tricks, and they both visited with us after dinner quite a bit. We told Antonio that we wouldnt be drinking alcohol, so after the first night, he didnt ask us at all about wine, etc. Darko is leaving in May, and Antonio is hoping to become a server. If you are lucky enough to get either one of them, they will make the cruise for you!
On to the food . DH and I both had beef tenderloin medallions. DH started off with escargot and we both had a salad. Our DD was thrilled to see PB&J on the menu and when she saw how it was served with no crust, she was very impressed. She had that most nights for supper. For dessert, I had crème brulee, and DH had a new-to-the-menu dome dessert. The food was wonderful!!
We spotted Gary and Gail who were also at their own table, and agreed to meet up at Dueling Pianos later. DD wanted to check out the Lab, so we dropped her off and went to the Welcome Aboard Variety Show which we enjoyed, then off we went to Dueling Pianos. We had so much fun with Fidelio and Jeff! They are great talents!!
Day 2 - February 9th:
A day at sea We went for a sit-down breakfast at Lumieres. DH and I had the eggs benedict which was excellent; DD had cereal and waffles. We then took DD to get some autographs, and went to the pool. We all had a hamburger from Plutos. DD went to the Lab, and DH and I spent the afternoon reading on deck 4. What comfy chairs I took DD to Tea With Wendy. I was worried that she might be too old for it after reading about it on the DIS boards, but she LOVED it. She wants to go again next year.
We got all dressed up for formal night at Animators Palate. DH had the filet, I had pork medallions in Kentucky Bourbon and Maple Glaze sauce, and DD had the chicken. For dessert, DH had the banana crème brulee, I had chocolate decadence and DD had pudding. Darko also brought us a dessert called Celebration to try, which was delicious. We really enjoyed Animators Palate. DD went back to the lab, and DH and I vegged out That sea air really tired us out, and we didnt feel like doing anything.
Day 3 February 10th:
Another day at sea We went to the character breakfast at Parrot Cay. What a fun restaurant! The breakfast was great Mickey waffles, omelets, etc. We had visits from lots of characters and they took their time at our table. We had asked Nadege to join up our table with Gary and Gails since both of our tables were in Darkos section so they had it ready for us this morning. DH and two other girls were inseparable during the cruise, so she went off to the lab and spent most of the day there. We had a relaxing day including a nap in the afternoon We were supposed to have afternoon tea but we had become overcome with tiredness so I called up to say that someone else could have our spot.
That evening, we had dinner at Parrot Cay. DH and I both had the ribs they were awesome! DD went back to the PB&J. We went to see Hercules the Muse-ical, then DD went back to the lab, and we went to the Dueling Pianos with Gary and Gail. They actually called Gary up to sing Mack The Knife with them We had a great time!! Then we went to the 50s party which was very fun! I even got to dance with Eugene (he dipped me). Then we went back to Dueling Pianos til 1:00 a.m! Good thing we had afternoon naps!!
Day 4 February 11th:
St. Maarten We woke up at 9:00 a.m. and got ready for the island. We went to Parrot Cay for the buffet breakfast. I loved all the fruit. We decided to go shopping in the morning. We enjoyed checking out the souvenir shops in St. Maarten. We then went back to the ship and had a burger up on deck 9, then we hit the beach! The water was so blue and the sand was white and soft. We bartered with a woman to braid DDs hair for $25. We had a great time. We rushed back to the ship to get ready for Tropicalifragalisticexpialidocious night. Everyone looked great in their tropical wear. We were in Lumieres again DH had the shrimp, I had ravioli, and DD had the PB&J. After dinner we enjoyed the show put on by the servers and then we all did the limbo! After dinner DD went to Treasure Island with her friends, then they had a glow in the dark dance party. We played So You Think You Know Your TV Theme Songs. Then we went up on deck for the deck party.
Day 5 February 12th:
St. Thomas We were not thrilled to go through immigration at 6:00 in the morning! It was a fairly long process but then we were able to go back to sleep. It would be nice if they didnt have to make all the announcements in all staterooms for those people who dont show up though! We met Gary and Gail for breakfast around 9:00 at Parrot Cay. We took a cab downtown to do some shopping. We went to a store called Royal Carribean and bought a camcorder. We were very pleased with the deal we got. It is twice the price at other places weve checked, plus we got a bunch of extras with it. Then we walked around the market place and took a cab back to the ship (cab far was $3 per person each way). We then took another cab ($5 per person) to the beach at the Marriott Hotel (Antonio and Darko had told us about this beach). It was beautiful and very quiet. When we got back to the ship, we cleaned up and went to Animators Palate for dinner. This was the night that they did the show. We were very impressed to say the least!! DH had veal chops, I had maple glazed salmon (we both started with an appetizer of baked tomato and a tomato salad). DD tried the chicken fingers. For dessert DH and I both had Boston Cream Pie and Darko brought us the Chocolate Decadence cake AND strawberry shortcake to try. DD stuck with ice cream. We then went to Who Wants To Be A Mouseketeer and I was picked to be a panelist. Yippee! The panel got three out of four right (fortunately, on the answer we got wrong, the contestant didnt go with our answer ) After that, DD went to the Lab and we went to Dueling Pianos. Tonight was 80s night but we couldnt tear ourselves away from Jeff and Fidelio. It was another great day.
Day 6 February 13th:
A day at sea We all caught up on our sleep by sleeping in until 10:00 a.m. DD spent all day with her friends at the Lab. DH and I were lured into the high-test bingo room in the morning and in the afternoon. Of course, we were sure we would win the jackpot which was over $5,000 but instead we contributed $90 in total Thats okay, it was fun! We had lunch at Lumieres which was excellent! Dinner tonight was semi-formal and we were in Parrot Cay. DH and I had the filet and DD went back to the PB&J. I had the lava cake for dessert (yum!!) and DH had the Cherries Jubilee. We went to Disney Dreams (DD had seen it in the afternoon but she came with us to see it again). What an amazing show. After that, DD joined her friends again, and went back to Dueling Pianos.
Day 7 February 14th:
Castaway Cay/Valentines Day We met Gary and Gail for breakfast in Lumieres and then got off the boat and into Paradise! Ive read many trip reports that speak about how amazing Castaway Cay is, but until you see it for yourself, its impossible to imagine! We found a great spot on the family beach. Our DD has gone swimming in the ocean many times, including at St. Thomas and St. Maarten but for some reason, she got freaked out by a fish at Castaway Cay. That was it for her, she lounged on the chair and read a book. The water wasnt as warm as at the other islands, but it was still really nice. We had a great lunch from Cookies Barbecue consisting of ribs, corn, burgers, cookies, and fruit. I signed DH up for parasailing from 2:30 3:30 so DD and I went up to Deck 9 to videotape him. He loved it. DD then went to the Lab to get ready for their farewell show and she got a t-shirt. She had the counselors sign the back of her shirt. The farewell show was great. This was our night to go to Palo. DD had planned to eat supper with the Lab but Darko and Antonio insisted we bring her to Lumieres for dinner and Gary and Gail were happy to have her as well, so we dropped her off at Lumieres and off we went to dining heaven. Elle from Sweden was our server (recommended by Antonio). She was fantastic! We started with a mozzarella and tomato salad, then had filet with peppercorn sauce and red skinned potatoes. For dessert? You guessed it we each had chocolate soufflé. I have never in my life tasted anything so decadent! A person sitting at the table just down from us, actually commented on the look on my face when I took my first bite! Elle also brought out a special Valentines Day dessert that consisted of various berries in a heavy cream sauce. It was also excellent! My wonderful DH gave me a beautiful gold bookmark with a heart AND the crystal tinkerbell I had been drooling over all week.
After dinner, DD went back to the lab to say goodbye to her friends. We packed, then went to Dueling Pianos and met up with Gary and Gail, Laura and Wayne. They had a talent show and Gary sang Margaritaville. Then Jeff and Fidelio tickled the ivories one last time At 1:00 a.m. we reluctantly went to bed.
Day 8 February 15th:
Disembarkation We had to be at immigration at 6:00 a.m. That was tough! Then we went to breakfast at Lumieres with Gary and Gail. We were sad to say goodbye to Darko and Antonio as well as to Gary and Gail. They had become such good friends. We took a shuttle to Avis and rented a convertible Ford Mustang. Then we drove back to Orlando to check into Westgate Lakes. We spent an additional 10 days in Orlando before heading home to Saskatoon and 30 weather!
Overall:
Nadege, Darko, Antonio and Kenneth were all so great, that we ended up giving much more than the recommended amount for tips. We brought pop and non alcoholic beer on board with us and found the cooler in the room to work just fine. The over the door shoe holder was probably the best tip from the Disboards. It was invaluable. To protect ourselves against the Norwalk Virus, we each carried a bottle of hand sanitizer with us and used it ALL the time. We were kind of obsessive about it, but we didnt get sick Chances to meet the characters were plentiful. The highlight was when our DD met Cinderella. She asked Cinderella if she remembered dancing with her at the parade at WDW on her third birthday. Cinderella didnt miss a beat, and she said that she did remember, and talked about how much DD had grown. Our DD is so mature, but she is still in complete wonder when she sees the characters. That was truly a MAGICal moment. We are so glad that we attended the Meet and Greet. It was like meeting long lost friends. We all got along so well, and it really made our holiday even more MAGICal. I know well keep in touch, and hopefully we can cruise together again in the future!
We didnt do half the things we had planned to do, so we booked two weeks for next year. Our entire family really enjoys cruising and weve been to WDW lots of times, so we decided to do two weeks of cruising back to back. Well be going on the January 31st Western and staying on for the February 7th Eastern. We enjoyed our category 11, but this time decided to book a category 6. The ship is beautiful. There was absolutely nothing negative about our entire week. We could sail for all seven days and not stop at any ports, but we really enjoyed each port as well. We thought all of the restaurants were excellent, as were Scoops, Plutos, and Topsiders.
Im sorry I was so longwinded. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask
- Annie
Dueling Pianos was a blast and I hope they keep it after the dry dock refurbish in September.
