northernmouse
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2001
- Messages
- 199
Oops -- real life took me on a detour, off of memory lane! But I'm back now . . .
Sunday morning probably dawned bright and clear, but we missed the sun-up part, partly because of the late night and mostly because of the heavy drapes that blocked the sun and the curtain 'wall' that separated us from Tanner's verandah 'room'. Some mornings (and afternoons!) we really appreciated those curtains!
David, who is the earlier riser, went up to deck 9 to our little thermos's with coffee (we have a couple of 2-cuppers, which we take to work since we have a long commute and like our coffee strong) and we sat on the verandah to simply enjoy the prospect of a full day to do -- anything we wanted, even if what we wanted to do was nothing. No house work. No yard work. No homework. No phone calls. No job jar. Nothing. Except decide where to go for breakfast.
So -- since such weighty decisions deserve full concentration -- I leaned over the veranda to focus on the water -- and was thrilled to spot a small pod of dolphins! They were just off the port side of the ship. One of them swam toward the Magic, and then veered in a small circle while the rest of them just bobbed along. They didn't follow us, so they were gone as soon as we moved out of sight, but we got to watch them for a very short while and we were so thankful for that very brief, serendipitous moment. It's weird, but I'm dubbed the family wildlife spotter -- it seems I'm always seeing something out of the corner of my eye. Glad 'the eye' was still sharp!
But back to breakfast. Since the best decision when you don't want to decide is a buffet, we ventured off to Topsiders. It was the last time we went to the buffet (which was very good), but certainly not the last time we would have scrambled eggs!
While David and I had yet another cup of coffee, Tanner went to check out the lab. So off the adult went to check out the pool. Sunday was as glorious a day as Saturday was -- and as every day that followed would be. It was, from start to finish, a cruise with weather perfection.
For amusements' sake, David and took the route past the Mickey pool, which was very -- lively -- and past the Goofy pool, which was very -- active -- and arrived at the serenity of Quiet Cove, which was -- peaceful. There was no problem finding a chair (our cruise was not sold out, but it wasn't empty, either), or space at the pool. It didn't take David and I long to decide that being adults with an independent and self-mobile child on a family cruise was probably a better deal than being adults on an adult-oriented cruise. While all those parents of younger kids were bonding at the other pools, the competition for the adult space was minimal! Now, if only we could find a way to convince our non-Disney friends to think about it from that angle . . .
Second observation from the day -- if you discover you've missed a spot with sunscreen, like say, your back -- don't rationalize that you're mostly in the shade so that you don't have to make a trip back to the room. Go get the sunscreen! Or better yet, carry it with you. Especially if you're a pasty person from a northern climate that's barely seen spring by early May. Extra especially if you're so thrilled to see the sun you stay out all day. And are prone to momentary total lapses of common sense. Just a little more SPF 45+, and your vacation will thank you for it.
Having had about all the total relaxation we could stand, the dearly beloved and I determined it would be a good idea to go back to the cabin for a nap. Tanner had gone with the lab kids to see a movie -- Jungle Book 2, I think. Which led to our third important discovery of the holiday (and what a bonus it was so early in the week
). Early afternoon. Parents and kids on vacation. Kids committed to a movie for two hours. Parents relaxed, rested and reconnecting on a tropical vacation. . . just for fun, take a walk through the 'residential' decks during the prime afternoon kid's movie time. Count the 'Privacy Please' signs, and I'll bet the number of signs is 'almost' equal to the kids in the theatre. Just a guess not everyone's napping! Disney really does think of everything for everybody for the perfect vacation! 
Dinner that evening was semi-formal, at Animator's Palate, which is easily our favourite restaurant for theming. Once again, table 8 was perfectly located, and great fun! I don't remember what we ate -- mostly because every meal was wonderful. Disney has worked on improving its menus. Mind you, we were pretty impressed on the Wonder last year, too. It just seemed there was more variety this year, including lighter choices {my personal philosophy is 'light' is not the point on a vacation!} and vegetarian options {though we are card-carrying carnivores so we didn't have any}.
We *love* the show at Animator's palate! Tanner likes art, (and we think has quite a talent), so he was particuarly interested in the animators sketches on the wall. He was sitting right beside them, and commented on how a number of them were done, so I really hope it was an inspiration for him.
After dinner, Tanner went back to the lab, while David and I went to Dueling Pianos at Off Beat for a nightcap, settling at the back by the bar. Now, we're not big drinkers, but we enjoy a social cocktail. Nor are we 'clubbers'. We rarely get out in our 'real lives' because, well, we're at that age where there just *never seems to be enough time.* It's almost a cliche, but the Magic provides the time, one luscious day and night at a time, for couples and families to rediscover the things they'd love to do together *if only they had the time*. I'm sure there are reasons and times everyone onboard feels like they've stepped out of the mundane everyday and into a personal fantasy. For me, to be dressed up, out enjoying a nightclub, sipping a cocktail with my husband (who's also dressed up and looking even yummier than I remember from our dating days) and with every *normal* distraction thousands of miles away was simply, and utterly, perfect.
Great news, though! It's only Sunday night! We get to explore another moment tomorrow -- as we join a group of wonderful DIS'ers and gracious newlyweds at a wine-tasting in the Walt Disney Suite.
Sunday morning probably dawned bright and clear, but we missed the sun-up part, partly because of the late night and mostly because of the heavy drapes that blocked the sun and the curtain 'wall' that separated us from Tanner's verandah 'room'. Some mornings (and afternoons!) we really appreciated those curtains!
David, who is the earlier riser, went up to deck 9 to our little thermos's with coffee (we have a couple of 2-cuppers, which we take to work since we have a long commute and like our coffee strong) and we sat on the verandah to simply enjoy the prospect of a full day to do -- anything we wanted, even if what we wanted to do was nothing. No house work. No yard work. No homework. No phone calls. No job jar. Nothing. Except decide where to go for breakfast.
So -- since such weighty decisions deserve full concentration -- I leaned over the veranda to focus on the water -- and was thrilled to spot a small pod of dolphins! They were just off the port side of the ship. One of them swam toward the Magic, and then veered in a small circle while the rest of them just bobbed along. They didn't follow us, so they were gone as soon as we moved out of sight, but we got to watch them for a very short while and we were so thankful for that very brief, serendipitous moment. It's weird, but I'm dubbed the family wildlife spotter -- it seems I'm always seeing something out of the corner of my eye. Glad 'the eye' was still sharp!
But back to breakfast. Since the best decision when you don't want to decide is a buffet, we ventured off to Topsiders. It was the last time we went to the buffet (which was very good), but certainly not the last time we would have scrambled eggs!
While David and I had yet another cup of coffee, Tanner went to check out the lab. So off the adult went to check out the pool. Sunday was as glorious a day as Saturday was -- and as every day that followed would be. It was, from start to finish, a cruise with weather perfection.
For amusements' sake, David and took the route past the Mickey pool, which was very -- lively -- and past the Goofy pool, which was very -- active -- and arrived at the serenity of Quiet Cove, which was -- peaceful. There was no problem finding a chair (our cruise was not sold out, but it wasn't empty, either), or space at the pool. It didn't take David and I long to decide that being adults with an independent and self-mobile child on a family cruise was probably a better deal than being adults on an adult-oriented cruise. While all those parents of younger kids were bonding at the other pools, the competition for the adult space was minimal! Now, if only we could find a way to convince our non-Disney friends to think about it from that angle . . .
Second observation from the day -- if you discover you've missed a spot with sunscreen, like say, your back -- don't rationalize that you're mostly in the shade so that you don't have to make a trip back to the room. Go get the sunscreen! Or better yet, carry it with you. Especially if you're a pasty person from a northern climate that's barely seen spring by early May. Extra especially if you're so thrilled to see the sun you stay out all day. And are prone to momentary total lapses of common sense. Just a little more SPF 45+, and your vacation will thank you for it.
Having had about all the total relaxation we could stand, the dearly beloved and I determined it would be a good idea to go back to the cabin for a nap. Tanner had gone with the lab kids to see a movie -- Jungle Book 2, I think. Which led to our third important discovery of the holiday (and what a bonus it was so early in the week
). Early afternoon. Parents and kids on vacation. Kids committed to a movie for two hours. Parents relaxed, rested and reconnecting on a tropical vacation. . . just for fun, take a walk through the 'residential' decks during the prime afternoon kid's movie time. Count the 'Privacy Please' signs, and I'll bet the number of signs is 'almost' equal to the kids in the theatre. Just a guess not everyone's napping! Disney really does think of everything for everybody for the perfect vacation! Dinner that evening was semi-formal, at Animator's Palate, which is easily our favourite restaurant for theming. Once again, table 8 was perfectly located, and great fun! I don't remember what we ate -- mostly because every meal was wonderful. Disney has worked on improving its menus. Mind you, we were pretty impressed on the Wonder last year, too. It just seemed there was more variety this year, including lighter choices {my personal philosophy is 'light' is not the point on a vacation!} and vegetarian options {though we are card-carrying carnivores so we didn't have any}.
We *love* the show at Animator's palate! Tanner likes art, (and we think has quite a talent), so he was particuarly interested in the animators sketches on the wall. He was sitting right beside them, and commented on how a number of them were done, so I really hope it was an inspiration for him.
After dinner, Tanner went back to the lab, while David and I went to Dueling Pianos at Off Beat for a nightcap, settling at the back by the bar. Now, we're not big drinkers, but we enjoy a social cocktail. Nor are we 'clubbers'. We rarely get out in our 'real lives' because, well, we're at that age where there just *never seems to be enough time.* It's almost a cliche, but the Magic provides the time, one luscious day and night at a time, for couples and families to rediscover the things they'd love to do together *if only they had the time*. I'm sure there are reasons and times everyone onboard feels like they've stepped out of the mundane everyday and into a personal fantasy. For me, to be dressed up, out enjoying a nightclub, sipping a cocktail with my husband (who's also dressed up and looking even yummier than I remember from our dating days) and with every *normal* distraction thousands of miles away was simply, and utterly, perfect.
Great news, though! It's only Sunday night! We get to explore another moment tomorrow -- as we join a group of wonderful DIS'ers and gracious newlyweds at a wine-tasting in the Walt Disney Suite.
