Get Off The Ship - we are running out of towel animals! Update 10/25 Day 31

[dizneeat]

What a lovely relaxing day Karin

It definitely was!
And it was so exciting too, as we headed into a brand new itinerary!

Dinner looks great!!!

It was, Jen, it was!

Sounds like a perfect afternoon and evening. Drink, verandah, dinner, verandah. Perfection!

Dinner does look delish!

Yes, we put that veranda to good use!
That's the beauty of longer cruises, you have time to kick back and enjoy your surrounding and not have to rush from event to event.

Feels like Deja Vu all over again! Such a nice relaxing day to your first day of your second cruise. I would love to do a B2B. By the end of the second cruise, were you ready to get off?

It definitely does feel like Deja Vu! But it was so nice to be able to start all over again and meet some great new friends.
Were we ready to get off? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Looking back, I wish I would have asked for china while at the cafes. Seems so much nicer and fancy like that instead of the to-go cups. Good thinking!

Ah, the coffee in china cups! Coming from a country that prides itself in its coffee culture, coffee in to go cups gives me goosebumps.
Here, if you go to a "Kaffeehaus" (coffee shop) you will drink your favourite coffee with a glass of water, read the newspaper and people watch, national pastime. No refills on the coffee though.

That's so nice of you guys to give your dessert platter to Raj!

He had such a sweet tooth (guess he shared it with others) and why not give him an extra treat.

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin and Tom!

It's been a particularly quiet day at work so i have been drinking coffee and reading your TR from start to finish. One of the best i have read and looks like you had a great time, can't wait to see more.

Thank you for sharing

ETA - I have a real hankering for Eggs Benedict now. I wonder why?

Thanks for joining in and all your praise. I am trying my best given that English is not my first language.

You are craving Eggs Benedict??????? Hm, I wonder why that could be.

Karin - I love to read about your and Tom's adventures! I read through most of this report last night (at least from where I left off the last time!)

Great that you found the time to catch up!

We leave for our first Disney Cruise two weeks from tomorrow I have a question for you about tips. I see you mention that you leave tips at the end of many of your meals. Can you help me understand that? Is it customary to tip and all sit down meals except for your main assigned dinner? And if so, how to you calculate what is appropriate (since I am assuming there is no charge for the food). Thanks for your help! I want to make sure we treat all of our CMs fairly!

Jen is right, you do not HAVE TO tip extra at any other sit down meals. BUT ............
When we went back to back a few times on the Dream we got to know our servers very well and were let in on a few ins and outs. I will not repeat them all, but I can tell you that those servers work really hard and Disney pays them $50 a week!!! The rest they make in tips.
These servers work 16 hour days and go above and beyond for you. Tom and I both have worked in tipped jobs (Tom still does, here mailmen get tips at Christmas and I worked in one of Austria's most famous hotels) and we believe that these servers who are usually not our servers deserve a little extra as well. So if we receive good service we tip the dining room server and assistant server a few extra bucks, every time we eat at a TS restaurant. You do not need to do that, but to see their eyes light up makes it so worth wile .... and you will be greeted a lot more as they DO remember you very well, even a year or so later!
Oh, and as Jen mentioned, you can top up the tip for your server team - we do that too.

The food looked so good.
Cute backpack.
Those drinks look so good.
LOL. I thought the appetizers were the main course. They looked good and so did the soup.
Seems like a great start to the next chapter of the cruising.
Great updates and pics.

There is FAR too much yummy food on those ships, and someone has to take it upon themselves to help them not to let it go to waste.

It was such a great start to our second cruise, which was really great as this time we made some really great friends.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 12, August 18

Day at sea means lots of food - Part 1

We got up shortly after 7am, and after getting ready we spent a little time out on the veranda.
It was very peaceful to sit out there and watch the waves. Around 8.30 we headed downstairs to have breakfast at the Royal Court again. We were quickly seated and the server was right on hand to take our drinks orders and offer some breakfast pastries. Drinks were ordered, but we both passed on the pastries. It didn’t take long and our drinks and first courses were served. As always Tom had chosen the



Swiss Bircher Muesli, Muesli with raisins, shredded apples and yogurt and I got the



Mornin' Tug Boat, a fresh blend of strawberries, bananas, almonds, raisin granola and low-fat yogurt. Both were a lot better than the week before and we enjoyed them a lot. And as soon as we had cleared our bowls, our mains were served. This time I had ordered another favourite of mine, the



French Toast and Pineapple Stack, layers of French toast and grilled pineapple, topped with strawberry coulis, maple glaze and fruit salad. Very yummy! Tom had ordered the



Express, scrambled eggs, grilled ham, bacon, sausage. and hash browns, which he had asked to be exchanged for white toast. Needless to say that we truly loved our breakfast. Once we had finished it, we tipped the servers and before we headed back to our stateroom we took another stroll through the shops and I finally picked up some more items for my Chamilia bracelet.
Happy, well at least I was happy we got back to our stateroom to find Raj outside. He had already been able to clean up our stateroom and thanked us for the sweets we had left for him on the bed. We rested for a while, sat out on the veranda for a while and then finally got changed to walk down to the Tube to go to the Captain’s reception, held for Gold and Platinum Castaway Cay members.
We got our stickers and went inside, found a nice table at one side and were greated by one of the Cast Members we knew from the Tequila tasting a few days before.



She headed over to greet us with a hug and to then serve us some snacks to go with our Champagne. I had some



grapes and a peace of pineapple, a prociutto and asperagus canapé and a brie one. Tom got



some pieces of melon and the same two canapés. We sat and enjoyed our nibbles,



watched the room fill up and then noticed two faces we knew from a previous cruise.
Leslie and her mother Sandy had just sat down and started to nibble on their snacks, but once they had finished them they came over to sit with us. Quite a few officers came by and it was nice to have a native speaker sitting at the table as well.
And during the breaks, when we there were no officers nearby, we had a lot to catch up on and did so, even while trying to listen to Commodore Tom giving his little speech.





We all enjoyed the





cookies we were served while listening and time seemed to fly by and the meet and greet was over.
On our way out Leslie wanted to have a word with the cruise director and while we were all standing there chatting with him, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was Karin. And so we met some of the nicest cruise buddies.
Laura, her husband Richard and their two daughters were from Cornwall and we had been chatting a lot before the cruise. They even were on the same deck as we were and it was so nice to finally meet them in person. Leslie and her mother said their goodbyes, but the rest of us stayed behind chatting. It was fun to finally see one of the cast members come by handing out Mickey rice crispy treats and since we were the last guests in the room they urged us to take more than one. So Tom and I picked up two each and Laura and her family did the same.
But the server still offered more and more and I guess the girls each picked up about 5 or 6 each. We realized that they wanted to clean the area and get it ready for other events so we finally made our way back to our staterooms. And since we were on the same floor we made a pit stop in their stateroom as Laura had gotten us some presents for organizing the Fish Extender. It was past midday when we finally said our goodbyes and headed back to our stateroom.

To be continued ............ ​

 

[michelle9343]

Okay, sticking with the news theme .........


Our cruise docs came today! Makes it feel so much closer

AND

we are under 1 month from our vacation. 30 more days and we'll be on the way to the US again. ​

I agree it is so EXCITING when the Documents come in

 

[Linda67]

Your breakfast looks yummy Karin and the Castaway Club reception looks like it was a lot of fun. Especially as you got to meet your cruise buddies

 

[annmarieda]

We are back from our Disneyland Paris trip. It was short, but sweet and we enjoyed it a lot.

I hope you had a wonderful time!

Imagine my surprise yesterday when I called Tom after work to let him know that I was on my way home and he told me that he had missed the FedEx delivery but they had left him a note that they would come back the next day AND they wanted 1707€!!!!

I am so glad this was not actually what was owed. I think I would have freaked out too!! What an adventure with this delivery. Glad you didn't miss them again... what a pain that is to miss deliveries.

On another note ......
even though Tom doesn't have clearance for our Italy trip yet, I went ahead and booked us into our favourite place right inside the pedestrian area where we always stay.

Yay!!! Sounds like he got it approved so you are all set for this trip.

Day 11, August 17


They were all getting in a line, then went through the terminal with their luggage and out again one by one. There were A LOT of new cast members.
Soon it was time to head to the Enchanted Garden for breakfast. In the hallway we met Raj, who assured us that it would be perfectly okay to come back for our paperwork after breakfast, so we just took our Key to the world cards down for breakfast. The dining room had just been opened up for late breakfast and there were a lot of people trying to get in. How sad was it to see that they all had their carry-ons with them.
We found our table, Tom ordered some coffee and I got some water and orange juice and we both ordered our breakfasts. Tom got the Omelette Map, a Ham and Cheese omelette served with hash browns while I ordered the
Eggs for the Road, scrambled eggs, served with hash browns and bacon. Everyone who has ever sailed with DCL knows that this breakfast is not the very best and the servers are pretty hectic, as they have to get ready for the next guests.

Too bad the experiences is a tad hectic... but at least the food looked edible.

So we did not linger, we quickly headed back to our stateroom, grabbed the bag that held our paperwork, passports and netbook and then headed downstairs. There was quite a line to get off the ship and we sat down and waited and were with the last people to get off the ship.


Since we had no luggage we got right in line an going through customs was a breeze. Once we were through we walked outside, made a sharp right and up the elevator again, back to the terminal.



We made ourselves comfortable at one of the small tables and checked our email. Once we were done with it, we walked outside to have a look at the ship and noticed that they were having an evacuation drill.


We watched for a while, then walked back inside and were happy to see that there were now cast members checking us in again. It didn’t take long and we had a new set of lanyards in our hands, new Key To The World cards and were told to take a seat in the Concierge area,

The whole off and then on again is just so cool. I bet having the ship almost to yourself is like a pre rope drop breakfast in the park. So special and quiet.

as we were the first to board. And then we waited and waited and waited and the Concierge area got fuller and fuller and we waited some more. Finally shortly before 10.30am a lady came, checked our boarding tickets and we were free to head on board.
Our first stop was guest services to book more tastings, but they were only able to sign us up for another galley tour and one tasting. The rest of the tastings we wanted to do we would have to do at La Piazza in the early afternoon, so we were told. The ship was still empty and we walked around a bit, enjoying a completely empty ship.

I love the pictures of the empty ship.

News 2:
I have heard that to be able to get a Be Our Guest lunch fastpass, you need to be invited by email. While researching here I found a link, which got you onto the booking site as well, it just wouldn't give me a FP time.


Well, as every day I tried again today and VOILA, it offered me a few times to choose from. Not really the time I had wanted, but one that we were able to make work for us. So I booked it, even put in our order and once I was done the system asked if I wanted to make changes.
I thought it would not hurt to try and I scored the perfect time for us! So, the last part of the February vacation planning puzzle has fallen into place. I can now soon start posting our plans - and I promise we will stick far more to them then the Paris ones.

Yay!!! Very cool to get a fast pass for lunch there. I have not been impressed by the food or service there, but the atmosphere can not be beat!

Okay, sticking with the news theme .........


Our cruise docs came today! Makes it feel so much closer

AND

we are under 1 month from our vacation. 30 more days and we'll be on the way to the US again.

[/CENTER]

Soon the first guests entered the ship and we watched and listened for some familiar names, as this time we were looking forward to meet some new DISboards friends.

disboard friends can be so much fun!!!

returned to our table and enjoyed our feast. We skipped dessert and instead of it went on another walk around the ship and finally returned to our stateroom.
Raj was in the hallway delivering suitcases and we exchanged a few words before we headed back to our home for the next week. We put our things back into our room, sat outside on the veranda watching the steady stream of guests get on and then finally walked down to La Piazza to book the rest of our tastings. The cast member had a hard time getting the computer to work, then we needed to change the one reservation we had and book some more. It took forever. And while we were standing there waiting, someone from behind asked if we were Karin and Tom from the DISboards.
Yes, we were and we were happy to meet someone from our group. We chatted for a few minutes until our bookings were straightened out, then said our goodbyes and walked over to the Vista Café.

I imagine you get asked that a lot, eh? You are famous.

We both ordered a Cappuccino, made sure that the cast member understood that we wanted the coffee in a china cup and sat down on one of the couches.
They brought the coffee over and Tom picked up some pastries,

That cappuccino looks so good as do the pastries!

We sat and sipped our coffee and nibbled our baked goods and soon enough it was time to head to the DVC presentation.
We were handed two Mimosas and sat down at one of the small tables in the Tube. Soon the presentation was on it’s way

not having ever been to a presentation, I can't know for sure... but seems like it would be a fun thing to do with a mimosa in hand.

There was another task still left to do, we had to decorate our door again
and hang up the Fish Extender. Decorations done we headed upstairs again to deck 12 to watch the ship sail out. It did not take long and the ship started to move.

Sometimes decorating can be so fun and make your space feel more like "home"

After we had left the port we walked around a bit and finally grabbed a seat in Currents after picking up a drink of the day, the Ooh La La.

What a yummy looking drink!

There was just enough time to freshen up again and get changed and then we headed to the Royal Court for dinner. Since we had the same table and already knew most of the servers, we had no problem getting to our table. Our servers were right there to greet us and without even having to order them, two Diet Cokes magically appeared. He also placed a small plate of the


Olive Spread and a “carriage” basket full of fresh, slightly warm Herb Brioche on our table and we started munching right away. Our server came to take our order and soon after we were served our starters, the


Pomegranate Glazed Duck Breast with Gerwurztraminer Gelee and Pomegranate Glaze for Tom and the


Double Baked Spinach and Cheese Souffle, coated with a three-cheese cream for me. They were both really nice and we enjoyed every last bite.
We were on a cruise, so we also ordered some soup,


The Comtesse du Barry's Soup, a rich velvety cauliflower cream, topped with salmon caviar croutons. And while the soup was really good it was a mistake as once we had finished the soup we were getting full already. We still had our main courses to come and it did not take long for them to make an appearance. Tom had ordered the


Double Cut Rack of Lamb with a Dijon Crust with fine green beans, gratin potatoes and rosemary jus and I had ordered the



Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin topped with garlic shrimp, with sauteed snow peas and marquis potatoes with a cognac reduction. We took our sweet time enjoying our mains, but once we had finished them there was no way to fit in dessert as well. But we had had an idea. Why not order a sampler dessert platter and take it with us? We asked our server if that was possible and he was just happy to oblige. So a few minutes later we were served a dessert sampler on a plate and covered with a lid, complete with napkin and cutlery. We said goodbye to our servers and walked out of the restaurant by the side entrance and over to the back elevator. It didn’t take us long and we were back on deck 8 and luckily ran right into Raj, the happy recipient of the dessert platter. He was so surprised when we handed the plate to him and told him that we had picked it up just for him.

Oh my! dinner looks and sounds like it was amazing!

We got up shortly after 7am, and after getting ready we spent a little time out on the veranda.
It was very peaceful to sit out there and watch the waves. Around 8.30 we headed downstairs to have breakfast at the Royal Court again. We were quickly seated and the server was right on hand to take our drinks orders and offer some breakfast pastries. Drinks were ordered, but we both passed on the pastries. It didn’t take long and our drinks and first courses were served. As always Tom had chosen the Swiss Bircher Muesli, Muesli with raisins, shredded apples and yogurt and I got the Mornin' Tug Boat, a fresh blend of strawberries, bananas, almonds, raisin granola and low-fat yogurt. Both were a lot better than the week before and we enjoyed them a lot. And as soon as we had cleared our bowls, our mains were served. This time I had ordered another favourite of mine, the French Toast and Pineapple Stack, layers of French toast and grilled pineapple, topped with strawberry coulis, maple glaze and fruit salad. Very yummy! Tom had ordered the Express, scrambled eggs, grilled ham, bacon, sausage. and hash browns, which he had asked to be exchanged for white toast. Needless to say that we truly loved our breakfast.

I can totally see why you loved your breakfast. Start to finish looks amazing!

On our way out Leslie wanted to have a word with the cruise director and while we were all standing there chatting with him, someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was Karin. And so we met some of the nicest cruise buddies.

See... famous.

 

[perfectmatch300]

I have a serious case of cruise envy. We drove to Port Canaveral today to wave Bon Voyage to some friends who sailed away on their first ever cruise - aboard the Disney Dream! I can't even begin to tell you how badly I wish we were sailing with them! I figured a good dose of a Karin and Tom trip report would help me get our of my cruise envy and you did not disappoint. Your reporting and pictures always make me feel like I'm right there.
I did send my friends a link to your turnaround day pictures from this trip so they could get an idea of what the terminal looked like. They loved being able to see the terminal and the Fantasy atrium not jammed full of people.
It was great to see our friends sail away aboard the Dream. They were so excited!
I think I need to head over to your DLP report now. I expect I have some catching up to do there.

 

[jenseib]

I had a grapefruit and banana for breakfast today....and now my tummy is rumbling at what I see in your pictures!
How nice to run into so many people. That really does make it fun.

 

[englishrose47]

You are getting soooooooooo close Karin !!!!

 

[KatMark]

Well, it's a good thing I ate lunch BEFORE I came to try to catch up.

Everything looks so yummy.

But the thing that I want right now is one of those cocktails and to be sitting on the deck of a ship or a pool and relishing some warmth...something we haven't had in over two months.

 

[dizneeat]

I agree it is so EXCITING when the Documents come in

I cannot believe it is almost time to cruise again - I wish we would be on the same cruise, but one day we will be on the same one again.

Your breakfast looks yummy Karin and the Castaway Club reception looks like it was a lot of fun. Especially as you got to meet your cruise buddies

As always cruise breakfasts (apart from the last one) are very yummy and we love to go to the CC reception. It is a fun event and meeting Laura and her family and Leslie and her mum were great too!

I hope you had a wonderful time!

We DID!!!

I am so glad this was not actually what was owed. I think I would have freaked out too!! What an adventure with this delivery. Glad you didn't miss them again... what a pain that is to miss deliveries.

To be honest I was already researching if we could just "not accept" the parcel. Thankfully, it all worked out nicely in the end.

Yay!!! Sounds like he got it approved so you are all set for this trip.

YES, he gets the time off!!! It's only one day, since May 1st is a national holiday and he only needs May 2nd. Should be a nice long weekend in Italy.

Too bad the experiences is a tad hectic... but at least the food looked edible.
The whole off and then on again is just so cool. I bet having the ship almost to yourself is like a pre rope drop breakfast in the park. So special and quiet.

I think it sounds more hectic than it actually is, and we just love to have the terminal and ship more or less to ourselves!

I love the pictures of the empty ship.



Yay!!! Very cool to get a fast pass for lunch there. I have not been impressed by the food or service there, but the atmosphere can not be beat!

We really enjoyed lunch the last time we went there. And it was fun to be able to get that FP and already order our food.

disboard friends can be so much fun!!!



I imagine you get asked that a lot, eh? You are famous.

Well, I would not say famous, but it is nice to meet your readers.

That cappuccino looks so good as do the pastries!

It WAS really good, especially in a china cup. And the pastries are free - makes them even better.

not having ever been to a presentation, I can't know for sure... but seems like it would be a fun thing to do with a mimosa in hand.

These presentations on the ship are kind of nice, as long as they are not doing "kiddy party games"
And a free drink (or two) is always nice to enjoy at the beginning of a vacation.

Sometimes decorating can be so fun and make your space feel more like "home"

It makes your door easy to find too!


Oh my! dinner looks and sounds like it was amazing!

Food on board is very nice and since we have had it "a few times, we have our favourites and don't even need to study the menu much.

I have a serious case of cruise envy. We drove to Port Canaveral today to wave Bon Voyage to some friends who sailed away on their first ever cruise - aboard the Disney Dream! I can't even begin to tell you how badly I wish we were sailing with them! I figured a good dose of a Karin and Tom trip report would help me get our of my cruise envy and you did not disappoint. Your reporting and pictures always make me feel like I'm right there.
I did send my friends a link to your turnaround day pictures from this trip so they could get an idea of what the terminal looked like. They loved being able to see the terminal and the Fantasy atrium not jammed full of people.
It was great to see our friends sail away aboard the Dream. They were so excited!
I think I need to head over to your DLP report now. I expect I have some catching up to do there.

I am glad that our trip report was able to help with your cruise withdrawel.
Did your friends enjoy their trip on the Dream? It is such a beautiful ship - we cannot wait to go back - well, WAIT, we will be back in a little over two weeks.

 

[dizneeat]

I had a grapefruit and banana for breakfast today....and now my tummy is rumbling at what I see in your pictures!
How nice to run into so many people. That really does make it fun.

Jen, there is a rule, NEVER visit any of my TRs on an empty stomach!

We were so lucky to meet so many awesome people on that cruise! We really loved it.

You are getting soooooooooo close Karin !!!!

Only a little over two weeks left, Rosie! We cannot wait!

Well, it's a good thing I ate lunch BEFORE I came to try to catch up.

Everything looks so yummy.

But the thing that I want right now is one of those cocktails and to be sitting on the deck of a ship or a pool and relishing some warmth...something we haven't had in over two months.

Good thinking about havin lunch before reading.

Kathy, we have not had the cold wave you had, but it has been snowing last week and I am so sick of it. I cannot wait to head for Florida for a little sunshine.

 

[Toria]

I have spent the last 2 hours catching up on your TR. I have really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[perfectmatch300]

I am glad that our trip report was able to help with your cruise withdrawel.
Did your friends enjoy their trip on the Dream? It is such a beautiful ship - we cannot wait to go back - well, WAIT, we will be back in a little over two weeks.

Our friends are due back tomorrow, well, actually later today since it is after midnight here. I can't wait to hear how they liked it. We have to wait until September for our turn to sail the Dream again. We did have a nice "port excursion" going down to Port Canaveral to watch their sailaway from Fishlips!


I hope it warms up a bit here before you arrive. It's been a bit chilly lately, at least for us. I really have no reason to complain though after seeing the problems they are having in so many other places. I was just listening to a report saying that some children and their teachers were spending their second night in their schools because the weather was too bad to get them home safely! I can't inagine being in that situation.

 

[michelle9343]

I cannot believe it is almost time to cruise again - I wish we would be on the same cruise, but one day we will be on the same one again.

I keep telling Vito I can not believe we will be cruising the same week but on different ships. I wish it had worked out that we would be together but I know we will cruise together again someday !!!

 

[dizneeat]

I have spent the last 2 hours catching up on your TR. I have really enjoyed it. Looking forward to the rest.

I am trying to post more pretty soon. We are close to half term here and things at school get pretty hectic, not to mention that I enrolled in two all day courses.
But I hope to be able to get a bit done this weekend.

Our friends are due back tomorrow, well, actually later today since it is after midnight here. I can't wait to hear how they liked it. We have to wait until September for our turn to sail the Dream again. We did have a nice "port excursion" going down to Port Canaveral to watch their sailaway from Fishlips!

I cannot wait to hear what your friends thought of their cruise.
And like you we just love driving to Port Canaveral - we have waived goodbye to the ships from Jetty park many a times.

I hope it warms up a bit here before you arrive. It's been a bit chilly lately, at least for us. I really have no reason to complain though after seeing the problems they are having in so many other places. I was just listening to a report saying that some children and their teachers were spending their second night in their schools because the weather was too bad to get them home safely! I can't inagine being in that situation.

I did follow the weather reports for Florida and it looked quite chilly, but I am SURE it is warmer than it is here.
It has been very cold with lots of snow lately.

I keep telling Vito I can not believe we will be cruising the same week but on different ships. I wish it had worked out that we would be together but I know we will cruise together again someday !!!

I can't believe we are missing each other in two weeks. But at least we are planning on going back for 4 weeks in August of 2015, so plenty of time to plan and plenty of time there to meet again.

 

[JCinMN]

Guten tag! (Gruss Gott? - sorry no umlaut on my computer)

I am enjoying your reviews, especially the photos of the Italian pizza and gelato (and Venice in the cooler weather). Some of my favorite things!!

Can't wait for more. Bon voyage to you shortly!

 

[perfectmatch300]

Checked the weather report, next 5 days should be in the low 80's! That's why we moved to central FL!

Our friends LOVED the Dream! Somehow I knew that was going to happen! I was a bit surprised that they didn't do an OBB - until I remembered that their son is getting married this spring and that takes priority in their travel plans. Besides, they got a great deal for this cruise they just took with FL resident rates. I expect they will start looking for another FL resident rate once the dust from the wedding all settles.

We love our "Port Excursions" to PC to watch sailaways. On nice days we do the beach at Jetty Park, too. Cooler days, or days like our friends sailaway when we get a later start we head to Fishlips for dinner and a lot of waving.

Of course, I would certainly prefer to be aboard one of the gorgeous Disney ships during sailaway!

 

[dizneeat]

Guten tag! (Gruss Gott? - sorry no umlaut on my computer)

I am enjoying your reviews, especially the photos of the Italian pizza and gelato (and Venice in the cooler weather). Some of my favorite things!!

Can't wait for more. Bon voyage to you shortly!

Hi!
I am happy you enjoy them!
If you hang out here long enough there should be some more interesting photos to be seen.

And thank you for your "Bon voyage" wishes. I can't believe we will already be travelling two weeks from today.

Checked the weather report, next 5 days should be in the low 80's! That's why we moved to central FL!

Our friends LOVED the Dream! Somehow I knew that was going to happen! I was a bit surprised that they didn't do an OBB - until I remembered that their son is getting married this spring and that takes priority in their travel plans. Besides, they got a great deal for this cruise they just took with FL resident rates. I expect they will start looking for another FL resident rate once the dust from the wedding all settles.

We love our "Port Excursions" to PC to watch sailaways. On nice days we do the beach at Jetty Park, too. Cooler days, or days like our friends sailaway when we get a later start we head to Fishlips for dinner and a lot of waving.

Of course, I would certainly prefer to be aboard one of the gorgeous Disney ships during sailaway!

Hm, I had a feeling your friends would like the Dream. What's not to like about that beautiful ship?
And with the new restrictions for OBB it's not as easy as it used to be to have a booking and just push it forward. But since they seem to be Florida residents they always have those nice last minute discounts to fall back on.

Oh, and 80° F sounds heavenly - we are below freezing here!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 12, August 18

Day at sea means lots of food - Part 2

It was past midday when we finally said our goodbyes and headed back to our stateroom. The Fish Extender was filled with lots of fun goodies,









which we took inside to have a closer look at. But we didn’t really have a lot of time to play with them, as we had another appointment at 12.30. So we quickly freshened up and soon left our stateroom again to head to Ooh La La for the Champagne tasting we had signed up for. When we arrived the room was already half full and there were some single seats left and just a few seats together, but we manage to get seats together and waited for the presentation to begin.



First we were told a little bit of history about Champagne and then the tasting began.





The first one we tried was the Imperial Moet & Chandon,





next was a Taittinger,



followed by a taste of a Bollinger,



then a rose Taittinger





again. And with all that we were served some Panna Cotta with raspberry coulis



on top to clean our palate and to even enhance the taste of some champagnes. The last one we got to try was my absolute favourite, the Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial,







a champagne served on ice. After the presentation the Cast Members stayed for a while to answer any questions, but after about 40 minutes it was over and we decided that, as tipsy as I had already gotten I needed a bite to eat.
And so, since the Royal Court was still open we headed there for some lunch. We were quickly led to a table and asked for our choice of drinks and handed a menu. It did not take very long until the server came by to give recommendations and take our order. And while we waited we started to nibble on the



fresh baguette, which we topped with a little butter. The server was quick to bring out our appetizers. We both had chosen the same thing, the



Vegetable Quesadillas, served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. We had had them before and they were just as good as the previous time we had had them. For our main course we had ordered the same item as well, the





The Angus Chuck Burger a, grilled 1/2 lb burger with a choice or bacon, cheddar or swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions, served with coleslaw and french fries. It was huge, juicy and tasty and the server was determined to put ketchup on our plates, a kind of Mickey shaped blob for Tom and a Minnie shaped one, complete with bow for me. And, did I mention that this was a HUGE portion? So large, that we were not able to fit in some dessert. We tipped the servers and rolled out of the restaurant and back to our stateroom for a little rest. We crashed in front of the TV for a while watching a movie on demand.
But about an hour later we were out and about again, heading up to the top deck for the drink of the day.

To be continued ............ ​