If we can DREAM it, we can do it! ..... another 30 day vacation Update 02/07

[wiigirl]

Great update and pics!

 

[dizneeat]

Great update and pics!

Thanks, I am glad you enjoy the updates and pics.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 19, August 29

See ya’ real soon! - Part 1

The day had come that the first cruise had come to an end. We slept in a little and got up around 7am, took showers and got ready for breakfast.
On the way down to the restaurant, we ran into Oana and had a little chat with her. It was then that she told us that once we had checked in and were back on board (before anyone else) we would be welcome to just slide under the ribbon and come back to our stateroom to drop our passports and paperwork. Nice to know. We headed downstairs for breakfast and joined the line of people to get into the restaurant.
We quickly found our seats



and our over friendly servers were right there to take our orders. Tom ordered some coffee and I just had some orange juice. They brought out



two bowls of fruit with the drinks and soon after our breakfast arrived. Tom had ordered the



Chef's Farewell, a large open-faced omelette topped with barbecued chicken, green peppers, onions and melted Swiss cheese, while I had opted for



a ham and cheese omelette, served with hash browns. While we were still eating the head server came by to tell us that on our next cruise we would have the same table number and the same servers and that he hoped we had enjoyed the first part of our cruise. We had.
Once breakfast was consumed we headed back up to our room and grabbed the bag with the paperwork



and then went back downstairs, just to be overwhelmed by the long line of people.





Since we weren’t in any hurry we found some comfy chairs and sat down waiting for the crowds to leave. And after about half an hour it was easy enough to get off the ship.



Since we did not have any luggage it was easy to get through customs and while everyone else headed outside we just turned right and went up the escalator again. Check in had not opened up yet, so we found a table and sat down to work on our photos and surf the web a bit. At around 9.45 CMs started to set up the check in counters again and soon enough we were able to check in again and were then invited to wait in the concierge lounge. There was only a handful of people going back to back and we had more than enough space in there.
Shortly after 10am the ship was cleared and a CM came to lead us back onto the ship. It was fun to have the ship more or less to ourselves. We set out right away to explore and went all over the ship.











Around 11am, just before the opened the doors to the new cruisers we were waiting for the elevator on deck 4 when we heard something behind us. And once we turn around there is Donald, waiting with open arms. Needless to say we had to hug the duck and take a few pics with him.



We headed up to decks 11 and 12 and stayed up there for a while, then went back down and watched people get on board. At noon we walked down to the Enchanted Garden for lunch. They had just opened up and we were quickly led to a table. A server took our drinks order and we were on our way to the buffet. We filled our plates with some yummy food,





asparagus, grilled chicken breast, wraps, shrimps and some olives, vegetables and a sandwich. We found our table, sat down, sipped our drink and started to dig in. The food was fresh and delicious and we enjoyed it a lot. We took our time eating and decided that instead of picking up dessert there, we were instead going to the Vista Café. Tom ordered a





Cappuccino, 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, 1/3 froth and I got a



Frozen Cappuccino, 1/3 espresso blended with vanilla ice cream and we picked up a plate of baked goodies,



two eclairs, a chocolate brownie, a pineapple tartlet and a brownie pop. We had asked to have our drinks in china and made sure we had told the server twice before we had taken the desserts and sat down. To our huge surprise both drinks were served in a Styrofoam container. I mentioned to the server that we were disappointed they were in that container and he happily took them back to return with new ones about 10 minutes later. So there we sat enjoying our coffees and desserts and soon the time had come so that we could go back to our stateroom.


To be continued ............

 

[englishrose47]

So one cruise ends and another begins !!! What Fun !!! The Fireworks looked great and what a great surprise to Have the MAN himself open them up !!!! Your lunch looked excellent !!! Can't wait for The second cruise to begin!!

 

[dizneeat]

So one cruise ends and another begins !!! What Fun !!! The Fireworks looked great and what a great surprise to Have the MAN himself open them up !!!! Your lunch looked excellent !!! Can't wait for The second cruise to begin!!

The pleasure of going back to back, Rosie.
It was awesome to see Mickey "set off" the fireworks. Something different.
I guess I need to hurry up and do more updates as we leave in 9 days. So, the second cruise is going to begin shortly (guess tomorrow morning, my time).

 

[Teri1]

I'm enjoying your updates! Love the treats at the Vista Cafe.

 

[annmarieda]

So cool that you did a back to back cruise and it allowed you to have so much of the ship to yourself in between the checkout/checkin

Food (and coffee drinks) look yummy!

I love that Donald was just waiting for you like that!!!

 

[dizneeat]

I'm enjoying your updates! Love the treats at the Vista Cafe.

Thank you, Teresa!
Not much longer and we all can enjoy those treats again.

So cool that you did a back to back cruise and it allowed you to have so much of the ship to yourself in between the checkout/checkin

Food (and coffee drinks) look yummy!

I love that Donald was just waiting for you like that!!!

Ann, we just love our back to back cruises. The one this summer will be our longest, 14 nights on board.

Cruise food is FAR too yummy. Thankfully the plated portions are not too large, so you can sample more.

We were so lucky, catching quite a few characters without any wait. I would not wait in line just for a photo of Tom and myself, but if the characters have nothing else to do, then I LOVE having my picture taken with them.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 19, August 29

See ya’ real soon! - Part 2

So there we sat enjoying our coffees and desserts and soon the time had come so that we could go back to our stateroom. And who should we run into, ready to have another photo taken? No other, than Pluto himself. Second score of the day.



A few minutes later we were back in our stateroom, walked out onto the veranda and yip, same view as when we had left. We chilled for a while, put out the FE one more time and decorated our door with our magnets.



Oana came by to chat a little and tell us that our host from former cruises, Narciso, had told her he intended to come visit us one night after his shift. Once everything was done and we had had a drink out on the veranda we walked down to deck 3 to join the DVC presentation. Again, we were handed hats, a shopping bag and found that we were not on their list. We walked into the room found a nice small table and sat down. Soon enough we were served some champagne and a few canapés.



And while we were still enjoying those, someone came over to ask if we were who we are. Turns out they were in our FE group and had recognized us from a former trip report. The presentation was about to start and they returned to their table. This time the presentation was much better. No silly little children’s party games, but a proper presentation.



It took a little longer than we had thought though.
When we finally left the DISmeet had already been going on for quite some time, so we decided to skip it altogether. There was about half an hour left until the Lifeboat Drill, so we went back to our stateroom and headed outside, just to realize that there was someone smoking in one of the staterooms next to ours.
It really was a downer and we hoped that we would not be bothered once the ship was in motion. So we sat inside and chatted until it was time to leave the stateroom and head downstairs to the Lifeboat Drill. This time we were better equipped and brought our sunglasses, so we didn’t have to shield our eyes with our hands. And once the drill was over we headed back to our stateroom, I picked up a hairband and we headed upstairs to watch the ship sail out.
We wandered around deck 12 for a while until we could feel the ship move. Then we found a nice spot from where to watch the ship leave the channel.













And after quite some waving we returned back to our stateroom and watched the pilot boat trying to catch up with the Dream

















and finally picking up the pilot again. By then the first dinner seating had started and the show had begun, so we picked up our first set of FE gifts and headed out to deliver them. After we had delivered them we stopped in at the stores one more time, to slip Oxana a little more chocolate and to chat a little while. Then it was time for us to return to our stateroom and get changed for dinner.

To be continued ............

 

[dizneeat]

Day 19, August 29

See ya’ real soon! - Part 3

Then it was time for us to return to our stateroom and get changed for dinner. Today’s dinner was at the Royal Palace again and we were quickly led to our table.
Our servers came by to greet us and the assistant server just asked if we wanted the usual drinks, Diet Cokes. And while he was on his way to fetch them, we sampled the



Warm herb brioche and the



olive spread, which were both very good. It didn’t take long and our server took our food order and quickly brought out the first course. I had ordered



the Double Baked Spinach Souffle, coated with a three cheese cream, while Tom had opted for



The Comtesse Du Barry's Soup, a rich velvety cauliflower cream, topped with salmon caviar croutons. Both were as good as the last time we had had them. After we had finished them our mains were quickly delivered. Tom had ordered the



Oven-Baked Salmon Royale, crowned with king smoked salmon and horseradish crust accompanied by sauteed swiss chard, truffle-infused cauliflower puree and white wine beurre blanc and I got the



Double Cut Rack of Lamb with a Dijon Crust, with fine green beans, gratin potatoes and rosemary jus. Both were delicious and we enjoyed them very much. We had both ordered the same dessert, the







Grand Marnier Souffle, infused with fresh orange zest and served with creme Anglaise, but our server brought us the



Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee with a macaroon to try as well. Once we had finished our dinner we said goodbye to our servers and headed over to browse the shops one more time.
After that we walked up to our stateroom,



found quite a few gifts in our Fish extender and after having a good look at our goodies we sat outside on the veranda for a while, until the cigarette smoke hit our veranda again and we had to flee inside. We talked for a little while longer and around 11.30 we heard a knock at the door. We were not sure we had heard right, but there was the knock again.
So we looked and low and behold, Narciso was there to visit it. We welcomed him in and he inspected Oana’s work, before sitting down with us to chat. Once we were all comfortable he handed us a huge bag. He explained that he had gotten us some gifts which he wanted to give us now.
Inside the bag there were two Disney Fantasy Maiden Voyage sweaters and a few bags of cakes from the Philippines. We were blown away. And while it was fun talking and catching up on old times and learning about his family life in the Philippines it was past 2am when he left. Now, it was no big deal for us, as we were on vacation and well rested, but Narciso had to be up by 5am again. And so, after he had said his goodbyes we both fell into bed.

To be continued ............

 

[michelle9343]

So great to read the next update!!! Can not wait to see ya real soon!!!
Especially love the photo of Angelina!!!

 

[dizneeat]

So great to read the next update!!! Can not wait to see ya real soon!!!
Especially love the photo of Angelina!!!

I really need to hurry up with this report. I need to get as much of it done as possible, so I can start a new one pretty soon. But I am still 11 days short of finishing.

Glad you liked the photo of Angelina. She was SO happy to see her man that one day!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 20, August 30

Nassau revisited ………… AGAIN!!! - Part 1

We didn’t sleep too long, only until 6.30, even though the night before had been a short one.
When we got up and walked out on the veranda we could already see Nassau in the distance. So, after getting ready we sat outside and watched the ship dock. At 8 we got ready to have breakfast. We walked down to deck 3 and headed to the Royal Palace and were seated immediately.
Once a server was at hand we ordered our drinks and breakfast. Tom had some coffee, while I stuck with the orange juice. The water for tea is never really hot enough and those small little cups are too small to produce a really decent cup of tea. We both ordered some breakfast starters. Tom tried something new,



the Mango Mountain Hike, a fresh blend of mangoes, honey, granola and low-fat yogurt, while I went with what I always order,



the Mornin' Tug Boat, a fresh blend of strawberries, bananas, almonds, raisin granola and low-fat yogurt. Funnily enough they arrived at the same time as the mains and this time we both had opted for



the Traditional Eggs Benedict, a toasted English muffin with grilled Canadian bacon, served with poached egg topped with hollandaise sauce, grilled roma tomatoes and link sausages. We didn’t mind, especially since they put a lid on the Eggs Benedict, so we could enjoy the cold course first. Once we had finished our breakfast, we headed back to our stateroom, exchanged a few sentences with Oana and then got ready to leave the ship.
It looked like everyone had decided to get off the ship at the same time, as there was a long line. It took a few minutes to sign off and then we were on our way into Nassau.





We only had a few things we wanted to do there. Get a few more drinks for our in room fridge, some Vanilla rum and check our email. So once we were off the ship and had left the customs building we headed right for Starbucks. Tom ordered



some kind of iced tea and I got a



Caramel Frappuchino, we paid for the internet and up we went to the second floor, where we found a table, connected to the internet and checked our email while sipping our drinks.
After the hour was up we took a short stroll over to the Tortuga rum company, just to find out that they hadn’t gotten their delivery yet, but they should get some Vanilla rum later that day. So we decided to just pick up some rum cakes and headed over to the Bacardi shop to do a little shopping around.
Tom found some speciality rums he wanted to try and we got those before we went back to the ship. We made a short stop at the grocery store to pick up some Diet Coke and then another short stop at the off licence to get a few beers for Tom and back we went to the ship.



Once we got to the customs house we were shocked to see the LONG line we had to queue up in. There were a lot of people cutting in line, which made for some uncomfortable waiting. I think it took us about 10 minutes to get to an officer who than not even glanced at the passport, but joked at the masses heading back to the ships. They were running shuttles back and forth, but we decided to just walk. It was a nice slow walk back





and felt wonderful to be back in the air conditioned Dream. We used the elevator to get back up to deck 10, freshened up and then quickly discussed where to have lunch. Well, actually it was no discussion at all, as we both quickly agreed on heading to Royal Palace. We decided to just walk down and when we walked up to the restaurant, who should be there all on his own, but Mickey himself. We could not pass up the chance of saying hello and having our picture taken with the Big Cheese himself.



After that we walked right over to the restaurant, signed in and were taken to a very nice and quiet table towards the back of the restaurant. The assistant server went to fetch our drinks and we were still studying the menu





a bread basket with freshly baked rolls and slices of whole wheat bread was placed on the table. It was funny as we both decided on the same starter and main course. It didn’t take long and our starters were served,





the Vegetable Quesadillas, served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo. It was the first time I had tried them and they were really tasty. As soon as we had put our forks down, the plates were taken away and new ones with our main course were placed in front of us. We both had ordered



the Glazed Meatloaf, served with smashed yukon potatoes, buttered carrots, long beans and gravy. A generous and tasty portion that we both enjoyed very much. When it came to dessert, the server insisted we had to order something, we were on vacation and needed some extra treats, so in the end we gave in and Tom ordered



the Apple Pie with vanilla ice cream, while I could not pass up



the Key Lime Pie, Lime custard on graham cracker and a meringue topping. So yummy. After we had filled our bellies, we handed the servers a small tip and wobbled back to our stateroom.
We chilled for a short while, but then we wanted to get going again. So we again packed our day bag, and I wanted to grab one of my necklaces, just to find that the silver chain was broken. Now we had one more thing to shop for in Nassau. We went down to deck one, signed off and walked into Nassau again. First we headed up to the Main street to look if we could find a necklace.



We checked several stores, but the price was way over the top and I am not very good at bargaining, so we just moved on. Right when we had decided to give up we walked into one more store



and I liked the necklace, the price was right and so we bought it. First part of our shopping done we walked back and had another peek into the DelSol store. There were no new adult shirts, but we picked up a super cute one for our little cousin George. Next stop, Tortuga rum company. Walked in and the shelves for the Vanilla rum were still empty. We asked about it and they had gotten a delivery, but no Vanilla rum. So we headed back to the Bacardi shop and Tom got some more of the rum he had bought and tried in the morning. Once our shopping was complete we walked back to the customs house





and this time we walked through without a line at all. Outside the customs house we stopped for one last time. There is WiFi right outside the building, so we connected to the internet one more time and checked the reponses on what we had posted earlier on. Then we slowly walked back to our beautiful ship.



When we got to our stateroom I noticed that for the first time in 9 cruises, some of our magnets were missing.

To be continued ............

 

[dizneeat]

Day 20, August 30

Nassau revisited ………… AGAIN!!! - Part 2

When we got to our stateroom I noticed that for the first time in 9 cruises, some of our magnets were missing.
It really spoiled the beautiful day, but you can’t change it anyway, so we just tried to forget about it. Once back in our stateroom we settled on the veranda





with a drink and some of the cake we had gotten from Narciso.





It was beautiful out there, sitting in the shade and doing nothing. We sat out there for quite a while until we could smell that someone in the staterooms around us had started to smoke on the veranda again. Since it is allowed there was nothing else to do than retreat to the stateroom



and close the veranda door. We checked the TV programmes, but there was nothing of interest to us, so we decided to hand out a few more fish extender gifts. When we got back to our stateroom we were wondering a bit why there were no presents in our fish extender, as some of the ones we had just delivered to were really full, but you never know how someone does the delivery rounds, so we did not give it any more thought. We freshened up a bit and then headed out to the Skyline bar.
In the corridor we ran into Oana and she asked if we had taken off some of our magnets. She had noticed, that some were missing and when we told her that they indeed had been stolen she promised to keep an eye out for them. A few minutes later we arrived at the bar, found an open table, sat down and started to read the menu. We “were” in New York at the moment, so we both chose a New York themed drink. Tom ordered the



Stiletto Manhattan, Crown Royal Canadian Whisky, Amaretto Almond Liqueur, Dry Vermouth and Bitter Orange, while I ordered



the New Yorker, Kettle One Vodka, Acai Liqueur, Pomegranate Liqueur, Cranberry Juice, Agave Nectar, Freshly squeezed Lemon Juice, a Sugar Rim and a souvenir glow cube. They also brought over



a small container full of roasted, salted nuts. We sat, enjoyed the drinks and nibbles and talked about our vacation so far. Tom finished his drink faster than I did, so he ordered



a 687 beer, which they were happy to get for him. We had spent more time than we had expected there and when we got back to our stateroom we decided that we didn’t feel like eating in the main dining room.
We contemplated to just order room service, but then we decided to give something else a try. I had read that Cabanas offered a table service menu on select evenings and we had quickly checked the Navigator and found that they were open that night.
So we walked up one flight of stairs and peeked into Cabanas. There were quite a few tables prepared, but only about 3 other families were eating there. We decided to stay and were quickly led to a table. The menu has best sellers from all three main dining room menus and after ordering our Diet Cokes we had another look at the menu.
Before we could place the order, our server came over with



a basket full of all different types of rolls and some butter. Tom and I ordered, enjoyed the quiet dining room and were very happy with our decision. It only took a few minutes and our starter arrived. We both had ordered



the Baked Potato and Chedder Cheese Soup, with bacon bits and chives, which was creamy, hot and very tasty. Once we had finished our soup, our main courses were served. I had ordered



the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes. Pasta purse filled with truffle scented cheese and coated with a delicate champagne sauce. The portion was sure larger than the starter one, but oh still so good. Tom had hit the jackpot. He had ordered the daily special, which was





a huge steak, served with



a baked potato, sour cream and chives and



a side salad. It was such a change from the regular main dining room menu and he really enjoyed it.
The service was immaculate, our glasses kept being filled and plates were removed as soon as the cutlery was put down. Again, the server kind of insisted on us having dessert. So Tom ordered



the Cabanas Sundae, vanilla ice cream, topped with caramel sauce and I ordered



the Sacher chocolate cake with Apricot jam. And while the Sacher cake definitely has no connection to the real thing, which originates in Austria, the Cabanas Sundae was really yummy. When we had finished our meal we tipped our servers, who had been very nice and helpful and walked up to deck 12 to enjoy the evening.
Since the second show was just on and late dinner seating was in session we had the deck mainly to ourselves. It was nice to explore with no one else around and when we saw the Mini golf course we just had to try. It was so much fun and we giggled like little kids.
After finishing the course we sat out on deck for a while enjoying the evening air and then returned to our stateroom. Funnily enough the FE was empty again, but we did not give it much thought. We sat on our veranda for a while and then got ready to go to bed





when I heard some commotion outside our stateroom. I looked through the peephole and there were a bunch of boys around 12 – 14 years old. At first I was not sure what I should make of it, but then one of them reached into our FE, grabbed whatever was in it and while I was opening the door, they ran. So now we knew, this was a ship of thieves.

To be continued ............

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

So sorry your gifts were taken. I bet they are the ones that took the magnets as well.

 

[Teri1]

Karin I am sorry about your trouble with thieves on the cruise last year. I had not noticed teens running around like that on any of our cruises. I did read about it on the longer cruises, with teens getting bored easy.

 

[englishrose47]

The meal at Cabanas looked awesome !!Tom's steak looks wonderful!!! I am hoping that those boys were caught and duly punished !1Walking the plank comes to mind !!!!

 

[MEK]

Wow. I can't keep up with all your great updates. I know you are working hard to get this TR down before you leave next week.

How much fun is it to get off the cruise and right back on again? That's awesome. It's like deja vie.

Nice dinner from Cabanas.

Still no vanilla rum? What the heck?

So you caught the thieves. I hope they bring your magnets back. I agree with Rosie - time to walk the plank!

 

[podsnel]

OMG!!!! Those BOYS!!!! That is HORRIBLE! I really hope you see them again on the ship, this time with their parents. Who I HOPE do something other than defend their misbehaving kids.

And I am VERY envious of that great big plate of truffle pursettes! YUM YUM YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are my favorite, too. Was that offered as a main course, or did you just ask for a larger plate full of them?

I am really bothered by the FE & magnet theft- I hope this story has a happy ending!

And thanks for the advice on the cabanas and Remy! I have seen that brunch in Remy, it does look really good. HMMMMMMM...... too bad we won't have that on our DD. That would have been the perfect time to do it, Evie is like me, she loves bubbly- Pods, not so much.

 

[annmarieda]

I am so sorry! Between the cigarette smoke wafting in at you and the thieves... Please tell me the hooligans were caught!

As always... lots of yummy food pics!

But OH! I am still irritated by the boys' behavior!