Memories of the DREAM come true .. 08/09 All 30 days done!

[Linda67]

Great update Karin

I do hope they have Champagne tasting on the Fantasy!

I have to say that your swan towel animal is the best one I have ever seen

 

[dizneeat]

Great update Karin

I do hope they have Champagne tasting on the Fantasy!

I have to say that your swan towel animal is the best one I have ever seen

Thanks, Linda.

I am pretty sure they will have a Champagne tasting on the Fantasy as well. It is so much fun, and the longer cruise will give you more time to explore, even though it will never be enough!

Our stateroom host, Narciso, was a master at making towel animals! They were all wonderful and so much fun to find in the room. This year's host tried, but was never able to produce as nice ones as Narciso.

 

[jenseib]

I was surprised how nice the water looked too.
You are making me once again excited for Nov. Now that I am home, I can't wait to get back on vacation again. At least this time I have something to look forward too.
If 2014 rates are out when we sail, I may just try and book a Fantasy cruise while onboard.

 

[Grooovertoo]

Hi - What a fun TR. I found this TR because I'm trying learn as much as I can about a B2B cruise as we are taking one in December of 2013. We can't wait. We were on the Dream a little after you in October and had a great time. It's amazing how much I learn from reading from other TRs. Keep up the good work.

 

[dizneeat]

I was surprised how nice the water looked too.
You are making me once again excited for Nov. Now that I am home, I can't wait to get back on vacation again. At least this time I have something to look forward too.
If 2014 rates are out when we sail, I may just try and book a Fantasy cruise while onboard.

The storm had passed over Nassau two days before, so maybe this is another reason why the water looked nice.
If you are excited for your November cruise, guess how excited we are for our summer back to back! We cannot wait to get back onto that beautiful ship again.
I really hope that by November they have at least part of their itinerary up, and you get to book another one.
Cruising with Disney can become pretty addictive, can't it?

Hi - What a fun TR. I found this TR because I'm trying learn as much as I can about a B2B cruise as we are taking one in December of 2013. We can't wait. We were on the Dream a little after you in October and had a great time. It's amazing how much I learn from reading from other TRs. Keep up the good work.

Welcome!
Glad you found us! We had a blast on that cruise.
B2B cruises are the most fun! You get to go back to a practically empty ship and have it more or less for yourself for an hour or so.
My only advice is to stay in the same stateroom, no packing up, just sleep in, sign out, check in and you're good to go!
I did check out your trip report, but haven't posted (yet!) as the DIS was very slow yesterday. I could not believe that you had to spend the night at Port Canaveral, but reading that they needed tug boats to get out to the open waters makes it an even more reasonable decision on the Captain's part. Do you recall who the captain was, when you sailed?

 

[dizneeat]

Day 14, August 26

Nassau, brides, pirates and fireworks - Part 4

It was time for another rest and we watched a little TV, checking the ship's channel for information if we were to make it to Castaway Cay the next day.
When it was time to leave Nassau again we walked up to Deck 13 and enjoyed seeing the DREAM leaving.

And while we were up on deck we heard the news we didn't want to hear. Because of the storm the day at Castaway Cay was cancelled and we would return to Nassau again the next day.
Well, not the news we wanted to hear but we still had another cruise and another visit to Castaway Cay to look forward to. The sun was going down and we watched the sunset

before we went back to our stateroom for another little rest and getting ready for dinner. Shortly before the doors to the Enchanted Garden restaurant opened we got in line and were led to our table.
Ana and Sapto came over to greet us and Ana brought our Diet Cokes without us even asking for them. Then she brought us some

Multi Grain Rolls and Country Current Bread with

chickpea-garlic puree.
We placed our order and just a short time later the starter was served. Tom had ordered the

Thyme and Garlic Brioche, filled with chanterelle, hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms and leek stew in a light buttermilk cream, while I had wanted to try the

Cream of Asparagus soup, served with Asparagus tips. We both enjoyed our starters and once the plates were cleared we were served our main courses, Tom had

Prime Rib with Thyme roasted vegetables and a double-baked potato, while I went with the

Baked Salmon, which came with a Baked Potato and a medley of vegetables. We were really full already, but our servers did not let us leave without having dessert.
I had the

Esterhazy Cake, Almond meringue soaked in maraschino liqueur and layered pastry cream and Tom ordered the

"Sacher" Chocolate Torte with apricot sauce. Both are originally from the Austrian-Hungarian region but the ones served on the DREAM had not much to do with them.
While we still enjoyed our dessert, Sapto brought us a plate of sweets, cubes of

Fudge and Papaya jelly. When we had finished our dinner we said our goodbyes to Ana and Sapto, left them some rumcake we had bought in the morning and headed back to our stateroom.

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

 

[dizneeat]

Day 14, August 26

Nassau, brides, pirates and fireworks - Part 5

When we had finished our dinner we said our goodbyes to Ana and Sapto, left them some rumcake we had bought in the morning and headed back to our stateroom.
We still had a little time to sit out on our veranda before we made our way up to Deck 12 to see the fireworks. It was pretty crowded but we still found a nice spot to watch the fireworks

and then we headed for the nearest door to leave the deck again as we had no intention to stay for the rest of the Pirate Party.
Our way down brought us right by Cabanas

where they had already decked everything out for the Pirate buffet

and we stopped and took some photos and Tom decided that he wanted to try one of their

giant turkey legs. We got one and took it back to our stateroom where we ate it a little later, while watching a little TV. It had been another fun filled but long day and around midnight we both fell into bed and we were out like a light.

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

 

[annmarieda]

Such a bummer the day at Castaway Cay was cancelled.

Fireworks were beautiful. So colorful and it looks like they were close.

Food... Food and more food.... all look very yummy.

 

[Grooovertoo]

My only advice is to stay in the same stateroom, no packing up, just sleep in, sign out, check in and you're good to go!

Yes, we were able to get the same stateroom by our TA. That was the deal breaker.

I did check out your trip report, but haven't posted (yet!) as the DIS was very slow yesterday. I could not believe that you had to spend the night at Port Canaveral, but reading that they needed tug boats to get out to the open waters makes it an even more reasonable decision on the Captain's part. Do you recall who the captain was, when you sailed?

We had Captian Gus

 

[dizneeat]

Such a bummer the day at Castaway Cay was cancelled.

Fireworks were beautiful. So colorful and it looks like they were close.

Food... Food and more food.... all look very yummy.

It was especially bad for the first timers on the cruise, as Castaway Cay is always the highlight of the cruise. We had already had a day there and were hoping to stop there four days later on our next cruise.

The fireworks at sea are awesome. I mean, don't get me wrong, they are no Wishes, but for fireworks at sea they are just wonderful! And being on the s ship of the only cruiseline which is allowed fireworks at sea always puts a HUGE smile on my face.

I never imagined the amount of food you eat on a cruise, but everything is so yummy and there is just too much of it.

Yes, we were able to get the same stateroom by our TA. That was the deal breaker.
We had Captian Gus

We don't use a TA, but I make sure that we get the same stateroom when we do back to backs. Nothing like NOT having to pack up and move somewhere else.
We had Captain Gus as well, he is very nice and fun to talk too. So far we also got to know Captain John and Captain Henry. They are all very nice and easy going.

 

[jenseib]

OOOH. We'll have to grab a turkey leg. Claire kept eyeing them at Mk on Thursday. I haven't had one for many years myself either.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I don't like those turkey legs, I would have grabbed one of those loaves of bread! We have two turkey legs in our freezer that DH bought at the end of one of our events last fall!

Tom's prime rib looked delicious, cooked just the way I like it.

 

[dizneeat]

OOOH. We'll have to grab a turkey leg. Claire kept eyeing them at Mk on Thursday. I haven't had one for many years myself either.

They are very yummy. Claire should SO have one! And maybe mum too. They are huge! We shared the one Tom took and it was plenty.

I don't like those turkey legs, I would have grabbed one of those loaves of bread! We have two turkey legs in our freezer that DH bought at the end of one of our events last fall!

Tom's prime rib looked delicious, cooked just the way I like it.

We don't have anything like it here, so now and then Tom will get one, and we usually take them back to the villa and eat them there. These things are HUGE!
They have some really nice prime rib on the ship and in the resort restaurants.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 15, August 27

Missing Heaven on Earth because of Irene - Part 1

Since we knew we would be back to Nassau we decided to sleep in a little and when we got up we had already docked in Nassau.
We quickly took a shower and then headed to the Royal Palace for breakfast. We quickly signed in and were led to a table.

Our server was quick to introduce himself and ask for what we wanted to drink. Tom ordered some coffee and I ordered some Hot Tea. And he came right back with a large wooden box from where I could pick my tea, Earl Grey. Another server came by with a huge tray of pastries, but we didn't feel like any. Tom ordered the

Swiss Bircher Muesli, Muesli with raisins, shredded apples and yogurt again, while I ordered the

Mornin' Tug Boat, a fresh blend of strawberries, bananas, almonds, raisin granola and low-fat yogurt. We both enjoyed our starters very much and once we were finished our main courses arrived. I had ordered the

Disney Cruise Line Breakfast Trio, French toast, Belgian waffle, and buttermilk pancakes served with cinnamon butter, syrup and whipped cream, accompanied with bacon and it was the only food I was not happy with. Tom had ordered

The Express, Scrambled eggs, grilled ham, bacon, sausage, hash browns and a side of toast. Not the world's most famous breakfast either, but it filled Tom up.
Once we had finished breakfast we went back to our stateroom to decide what we would do all day and since I had printed out a walking tour of Nassau we decided to try that today and to have a look at all the storm damage, Hurricane Irene had done.
Having been in the air conditioned surroundings of the Disney DREAM for quite some time we were not prepared for the heat outside. We started to walk towards the town center,

then headed towards the Water Tower and the Queen's Staircase.

It was an uphill climb and we took lots of time and were really shocked at all the damage that the storm had done.

There were lots of downed trees and buildings with damaged roofs. And then we arrived at the Princess Margaret hospital and could see the Water Tower in the distance. There was a path going up and we followed it.

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

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Oh my...I think that is the only food pictures that have not been appealing. A scoop of scrambled eggs?

Irene did some serious damage ...so sad. I grew up with hurricanes and have been at Disney for two. It sounds weird, but it was always exciting to prepare for a hurricane and watch as it came through. Hurricanes do not scare me, even though I experienced some of the worst to hit the Boston area and one horrible one when we lived on a small island when I was about 6. Lighting and tornado's terrify me though - we have a lot of both here in the NC tornado alley.

Must go back and catch up...darn real life gets in the way.

 

[annmarieda]

Storm damage is always a bit unnerving. At least I think it is. We have storms here quite often and down trees still make me feel unsettled.

 

[jenseib]

Wow...I might be confused with other of your reports, so did you do 2 days at Nassau that trip instead of going to CC?

 

[dizneeat]

Oh my...I think that is the only food pictures that have not been appealing. A scoop of scrambled eggs?

Irene did some serious damage ...so sad. I grew up with hurricanes and have been at Disney for two. It sounds weird, but it was always exciting to prepare for a hurricane and watch as it came through. Hurricanes do not scare me, even though I experienced some of the worst to hit the Boston area and one horrible one when we lived on a small island when I was about 6. Lighting and tornado's terrify me though - we have a lot of both here in the NC tornado alley.

Must go back and catch up...darn real life gets in the way.

It WAS the only breakfast we both were not fond of.

You know, before our first Hurricane I was always major concerned about them, but I think, sitting them out at Disney is the best you can do.
We stayed at AKL for Hurricane Charley, then had Fay a few years later, flew home before Katrina hit and now Irene. Stayed at Disney for all of them and always felt safe!
But the damage those storms did to the area were horrible.

Same here in Nassau, so many houses destroyed, roofs taken off ... we were shocked.

Take your time catching up .... you know me, I am not THAT fast posting.

Storm damage is always a bit unnerving. At least I think it is. We have storms here quite often and down trees still make me feel unsettled.

We were not allowed to venture too far away from the harbour the first day we went to Nassau, so when we got the chance to explore we did and the damage we noticed was HUGE. Lots of damaged houses, downed trees ...... the people there aren't rich in the first place, and to be hit with Mother Nature's worst was not a very nice sight to see.

Wow...I might be confused with other of your reports, so did you do 2 days at Nassau that trip instead of going to CC?

You are perfectly right, Jen. Instead of going to CC we went back to Nassau. A LOT of unhappy people on the DREAM, but safety comes first and there was a lot of damage done to CC when we returned 5 days later.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 15, August 27

Missing Heaven on Earth because of Irene - Part 2

There was a path going up and we followed it. After a few steps a man joined us and started telling us about the history of Nassau.

We stood and listened for about 10 minutes, then he told us that he wasn't a tour guide, but would accept tips.
Tom gave him a few dollars and up we went. Since the climb was steep we took our time and very slowly walked up to the Water Tower in the sweltering heat.

We stopped ever so often to turn around and look at the scenery below us and finally made it to the top. We walked around and over to Fort Fincastle,

where we paid our entrance fees and met another nice guy, who again was not a tour guide, but gave his little speech about the Fort. He was pretty hard to understand and we were happy when he was done with it, so Tom forked over a few dollars and we went to explore on our own.
You have a lovely view from the Fort and we enjoyed it for quite some time. A while later some other people came up and we decided it was time for us to leave. We still had not found the Queen's Staircase, so we walked past all the vendors and finally found it.

Unfortunately the storm had damaged some of the trees and the walkway was blocked and we could see people working at the very end of the Staircase. There was a sign that said that the staircase was closed, so we took a few photos before we headed back to the way we had come up on and started walking down.
We then headed towards the harbour again, but took a few other roads and explored a little more.

The town is very nice and some of the buildings are very spectacular. We finally got back to Charlotte Street, and did a little more window shopping before we headed to the Tortuga Rum Company again for a taste of their rum cake and we picked up three rum cakes, one for Ana and one for Sapto, our dining room team and one for our stateroom host.
Then we were done and we slowly walked back to the DREAM. Once back on board we emptied out the Fish Extender, then stowed away our purchases and freshened up before we headed to the Royal Palace for lunch.

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

 

[englishrose47]

Great Update !! Sounds like the unofficial guides are Con Artists !!We are planning a Cruise ( not Disney) in 2014 for the girls High School Graduation !!Judy wants a 7 day minmum one and she wants the Bahamas in it so I think I may well get to see Nassau myself !!Also I believe the have Dolphin Encounters and that is a DREAM of Judy's !! She will love the Cruise as she likes a relaxing vacation , I will get bored , other than when we are in port !! I don't sit and do nothing very well !!Last time I was on a cruise I did marathon walks around the boat and knew each gift shops entire inventory by heartI did LOVE the dining !!!