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

[Minnie&Nana]

That's fabulous news, Christine!!!

And as far as changing resorts goes - when I still booked with an Austrian TA you had to decide before you booked - no changing then. But now, since I do it myself and am on the DISboards a lot I have learned that changing resort is a sport I can really enjoy!
WL CL sounds great - we are doing our first CL stay at the Contemporary this summer - I'll let you know how we liked it!

Then you should join our thread!! Very nice and funny Disers! We'd love to have you t least stop by sometime! Some days that thread fkies and I cannot keep up!! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2855553&page=48

Hope you love CR CL!!! And that view!!! Only negative about WL CL is the enclosed balconies - will not like that at all...might reqest a room on the flooerbefore though.

 

[melmar136]

The food in the Enchanted Garden looks much better than Cabanas!

What a nice surprise in your stateroom from your friends. Your cruise is off to a good start!

Can't wait to read more

 

[pinkxray]

Great updates The Dream is such a beautiful ship. DH and I finally sat down and planned out our next few trips. We aren't going to get on to the Fantasy until Fall 2015 at the earliest, instead we are going to try the Oasis of the Seas or the Freedom. I am a little bummed but DH agreed we could go to Disney twice that year if I pushed back DCL. 2 Disney trips, the Fantasy and the Oasis seem like a good deal to me. Sure, it's a long time to wait but luckily I can see the DCL ships in all their glory on your reports.

 

[englishrose47]

Then you should join our thread!! Very nice and funny Disers! We'd love to have you t least stop by sometime! Some days that thread fkies and I cannot keep up!! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2855553&page=48

Hope you love CR CL!!! And that view!!! Only negative about WL CL is the enclosed balconies - will not like that at all...might reqest a room on the flooerbefore though.

I subbed to it Christine !!!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

I subbed to it Christine !!!

Did you see my reply????

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Oh, I am so excited to see you boarding the Dream! How cool that you got to get in a VIP line! I think you deserved it!

Lunch is looking good - especially the Bahama Mama!

So sweet of Stefy and Dave to leave you a gift!

 

[dizneeat]

Then you should join our thread!! Very nice and funny Disers! We'd love to have you t least stop by sometime! Some days that thread fkies and I cannot keep up!! http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2855553&page=48

Hope you love CR CL!!! And that view!!! Only negative about WL CL is the enclosed balconies - will not like that at all...might reqest a room on the flooerbefore though.

I went over to check it out yesterday, but it is REALLY fast moving. I need to go back and explore some more over the weekend!

We have always joked and dreamed about the fact that ONE DAY we would stay there at Club Level. So far it was always WAY out of reach - but Tom decided to "just go for it" this summer. We both cannot wait!!!!
I didn't know about the enclosed balconies at WL - I really need to "explore more" into the rest of the resorts!

The food in the Enchanted Garden looks much better than Cabanas!

What a nice surprise in your stateroom from your friends. Your cruise is off to a good start!

Can't wait to read more

We found the food at Enchanted Garden to be very good, and funnily enough it was not crowded at all.
Stefy and Dave have outdone themselves with their wonderful surprise! We were just stunned when we entered the room and found all those goodies.

Great updates The Dream is such a beautiful ship. DH and I finally sat down and planned out our next few trips. We aren't going to get on to the Fantasy until Fall 2015 at the earliest, instead we are going to try the Oasis of the Seas or the Freedom. I am a little bummed but DH agreed we could go to Disney twice that year if I pushed back DCL. 2 Disney trips, the Fantasy and the Oasis seem like a good deal to me. Sure, it's a long time to wait but luckily I can see the DCL ships in all their glory on your reports.

I know what you mean about DCL being way more expensive than the other competitors, but they must do something really right as our February cruise is SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!
And two Disney trips is just perfect. I cannot wait for your planning to start!
And I promise to take LOTS of pics of the DREAM and FANTASY just for you!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

I subbed to it Christine !!!

Did you see my reply????

Oh how very thoughtful and nice of you Christine! Rosie will love it!

Oh, I am so excited to see you boarding the Dream! How cool that you got to get in a VIP line! I think you deserved it!

Lunch is looking good - especially the Bahama Mama!

So sweet of Stefy and Dave to leave you a gift!

We were so excited as well! Even though it meant that the first part of our vacation was over.
We loved our (International traveller) "Fastpass" Line! I am definitely trying to get in that line again!

Lunch at Enchanted Garden was really good - we did it three times - every first day of each cruise!
And Stefy and Dave are just the best of friends - we were so happy with their surprise.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 9, August 21

Falling in love with the DREAM - Part 4

Everyone was cheering by then and it made our way out to sea extra special. Once we had made it out to sea we picked up the first of our Fish Extender gifts

and went on our merry way handing them out all over the ship.

When we returned we had earned a beverage out of the fridge and tried a piece of our cake,

sitting out on the veranda. But not for too long. Once we had finished our snack we changed and got ready to go to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch the Golden Mickeys. We found a seat on the balcony in the front row and the show was as fun and professional as always.

After the show we still had a little time left to relax before it was time to get to our dinner reservation at the Enchanted Garden, the same restaurant we had had lunch at. We arrived right before they opened and joined the queue that had already built up. Once we got up front we were led to a small extra room off the main dining room where we were the first people at our table, that was laid for seven people. We were immediately greeted by Ana for Croatia who was our assistant server. Now, being surprised by being served by a "neighbour" we had a little chat until our head server Sapto arrived and introduced himself. It didn't take long and a very fun and friendly young couple joined us as well. Stephanie and her new husband Chris had been married just two days before and were on their honeymoon.

And finally our last table mates, a young couple and his daughter from a previous marriage, Paige, joined us. Luckily we all hit it off and shared lots of laughter even before our drinks were ordered. Once they had arrived and we had all made our minds up, our orders for dinner were taken. First we were served two baskets of Multi Grain Loaf and Country Current Bread and two helpings of

the chickpea-garlic puree. We all had a nibble and were pretty happy with the first taste of food for the evening. Tom had chosen

the Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower with crispy noodles and wasabi dressing as his starter and not even did it look very good, it tasted as good as it looked. My choice were

the North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli with roasted garlic and sweet basil in a light tomato broth. Another very good choice as they were very light and tasty. For our main courses Tom had ordered

the Pan-seared Sea Bass with a sweet pea risotto with a sweet chili glaze which he enjoyed very much, while I had ordered

the Roasted Pork Tenderloin seasoned with Smoked Salt Citrus flavoured polenta cakes and oven roasted carrots, parsnips and caramelized Granny Smith apples.
All the time Stephanie made us laugh with her litte anecdotes of her family and wedding. Sapto really enjoyed playing tricks on her,

as she really fell for them and seem to enjoy them. The whole table was in stitches when he showed her his magic tricks, which we all caught, but she didn't. It was hilarious.
Soon it was time to order dessert. Tom ordered

the Banana Foster Sundae with Rum glazed bananas, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and caramel sauce while I wanted to try

the "Sacher" Chocolate Torte with apricot sauce, which is as Austrian as can be, so it was a must have. When it arrived at the table it had deconstructed itself and the taste was different from what we are used to here, but it was a nice attempt. After dinner the newlyweds were surprised with some cake and sung to and everyone clapped and cheered.
Then it was time to say our goodbyes and leave the dining room. We then went to check out the stores, since we were now out at sea. We enjoyed having a look at all those fun things and were sure to return later in the cruise to pick some of those things up. Then it was time to head back to our stateroom.
We were happy to see that we had already received some Fish Extender gifts.

We both had a small slice of the cake out on the veranda and a glass of wine before we finally called it a day and turned over the extra bed, so we both could have our own beds during the cruise. Once the lights were out, we were out too, it had been a really exciting first cruise day.

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

 

[annmarieda]

Dinner looks like a good time. So forgive me as I ask some dumb questions... but this was a meal that when you book your cruise you set up your dining time, right? In other cruises (ie. not Disney) is this a "dress up" meal? And on Disney it isn't so much?

Just getting more and more curious about the cruising thing....

 

[jenseib]

What??? No picture of the 2 of you in your shirts?

The food looks so good. I am hungry now...and dieting...not a good combo.

And I think you might've used some of "my" pictures there. I know those Golden Mickey pictures are mine...even though they are taken from a different angle.

 

[englishrose47]

The food looks excellent !!Loved the pix of Steffie and the magic tricks !!!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

That thread moves like lightening, Karin, and I rarely keep up...there is a sort of core group who have been around for a long time and they are some of the nicest people - like on all threads where we get to know one another, we get a peek into one another's lives too. I get a kick out of how many times some actually change!! It can be several times in one day!! Oh and most of them stay CL every trip, so it is fun to live vicariously through them! I can hardly wait to hear about your CL stay at CR! Are you planning to watch Wishes from your balcony?

Not all WL balconies are enclosed, there are a few in certain areas of the resort, but all the CL balconies are enclosed. My friend Janet and I stayed in the Villas, which we loved, especially with the Christmas decorations, but we had one day in a regular Lodge room and it felt too small for a deluxe - the WL and AKL rooms are the same size as CBR, so with all that big dark furniture it really felt small. Still, I would stay in the Lodge after the refurb to give it a try. In some of Courtyard view rooms there can be a full view of the Lake and the EWP every evening!

Day 9, August 21

Falling in love with the DREAM - Part 4

Everyone was cheering by then and it made our way out to sea extra special. Once we had made it out to sea we picked up the first of our Fish Extender gifts

and went on our merry way handing them out all over the ship.

My goodness, what an incredible likeness to the real CM pins!! What fun to give them out - everyone must have been thrilled!!

I still have my CM pin somewhere and it is a rare style, which is pretty neat. When we were first given our pins we were told to be prepared to be offered surprising amounts of money for it - at the time the highest offered had been $500. Should a CM get caught having sold his/her pin they would be fired on the spot. It was smart on Disney's part to begin making pins for everyone.

We were also given earrings, a watch, white sneakers with pink trim, skirt, varsity sweater and pink blouse. The only items we had to purchase were white socks and nylon stockings (for women). Back in those days if we left in costume we were often stopped on the street like a mini celeb - it was different time and much fun!

Anyway...I digress... LOVE the photos... so much yummy food, entertainment and more fun on every Cruise - no wonder you and Tom enjoy Disney Cruising so much!! Fabulous update!!!

 

[AlisonUK]

Hi Karin! I am very late coming to this trip report but have just read the whole thing! I don't know if you remember us but we were on the fateful Irene leg of your cruise and we gatecrashed your room before we set sail, as we recognised your names from your magnets! We also met up again at the wine tasting.

Really enjoying your report and will make much more of an effort to keep up now. Your plans for your next trips sound really exciting, too.

We have just booked our second cruise - booked it last week, actually! - and we are going over Easter! Eek - leaves very little time for planning but hopefully we will get to experience all those things that Irene denied us on our last cruise. Stephen doesn't know yet so that will be a big surprise! We are going to have a couple of days at the World before hand, too.

Looking forward to your next instalment and please pass our best regards to Tom.

 

[KatMark]

Great update, Karin. The dinner looks yummy.

 

[Teri1]

Karin, I'm enjoying visiting the Dream again with you. Thanks so much for the great pictures! I can't wait to hear all about your back to back to back.

 

[dizneeat]

Dinner looks like a good time. So forgive me as I ask some dumb questions... but this was a meal that when you book your cruise you set up your dining time, right? In other cruises (ie. not Disney) is this a "dress up" meal? And on Disney it isn't so much?

Just getting more and more curious about the cruising thing....

There are NO dumb questions, Ann!!! This is a regular dining rotation dinner. Cruise casual (no torn, no swimsuits kinda dress code) is the dress code. You do NOT have to set this one up additionally.
Just your regular dinner - looks good, doesn't it?

What??? No picture of the 2 of you in your shirts?

The food looks so good. I am hungry now...and dieting...not a good combo.

And I think you might've used some of "my" pictures there. I know those Golden Mickey pictures are mine...even though they are taken from a different angle.

We did have a photo of us taken in our shirts, but never got around to actually get to Shutters to buy it.

Our pictures are pretty similar aren't they?

The food looks excellent !!Loved the pix of Steffie and the magic tricks !!!

The food not only looked excellent - it WAS excellent - we really enjoyed the experience.
Stephanie was so cute - so young and so excited to be on her honeymoon!

That thread moves like lightening, Karin, and I rarely keep up...there is a sort of core group who have been around for a long time and they are some of the nicest people - like on all threads where we get to know one another, we get a peek into one another's lives too. I get a kick out of how many times some actually change!! It can be several times in one day!! Oh and most of them stay CL every trip, so it is fun to live vicariously through them! I can hardly wait to hear about your CL stay at CR! Are you planning to watch Wishes from your balcony?

Unfortunately I didn't have much time last week, but I promise to check out the thread again this weekend.
We definitely are planning on watching Wishes from the balcony! We really wanna make the most of our stay at the Contemporary!

Not all WL balconies are enclosed, there are a few in certain areas of the resort, but all the CL balconies are enclosed. My friend Janet and I stayed in the Villas, which we loved, especially with the Christmas decorations, but we had one day in a regular Lodge room and it felt too small for a deluxe - the WL and AKL rooms are the same size as CBR, so with all that big dark furniture it really felt small. Still, I would stay in the Lodge after the refurb to give it a try. In some of Courtyard view rooms there can be a full view of the Lake and the EWP every evening!

We really need to check out the other DVC resorts - guess what they opened up online booking for DVC yesterday and I played around with it for a good chunk of the evening, while chatting with my aunt in London - I cannot wait to really book something - February 2nd should be the date!

My goodness, what an incredible likeness to the real CM pins!! What fun to give them out - everyone must have been thrilled!!

The magnets look pretty cool on the doors and once you have gotten the template right, they are pretty easy to make - just a lot of work cutting out!

I still have my CM pin somewhere and it is a rare style, which is pretty neat. When we were first given our pins we were told to be prepared to be offered surprising amounts of money for it - at the time the highest offered had been $500. Should a CM get caught having sold his/her pin they would be fired on the spot. It was smart on Disney's part to begin making pins for everyone.

They really know all their marketing strategies. For years those "guest of honor" nametags were a huge hit - you could see so many people with them - guess who had some made too.

We were also given earrings, a watch, white sneakers with pink trim, skirt, varsity sweater and pink blouse. The only items we had to purchase were white socks and nylon stockings (for women). Back in those days if we left in costume we were often stopped on the street like a mini celeb - it was different time and much fun!

Do you have photos of yourself in your costume? I would love to see one!

And may I add that I feel honoured to know a Disney mini celeb

Anyway...I digress... LOVE the photos... so much yummy food, entertainment and more fun on every Cruise - no wonder you and Tom enjoy Disney Cruising so much!! Fabulous update!!!

Like anything else, Disney knows how to do it REALLY right! We cannot wait to go back to the DREAM!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin! I am very late coming to this trip report but have just read the whole thing! I don't know if you remember us but we were on the fateful Irene leg of your cruise and we gatecrashed your room before we set sail, as we recognised your names from your magnets! We also met up again at the wine tasting.

Really enjoying your report and will make much more of an effort to keep up now. Your plans for your next trips sound really exciting, too.

We have just booked our second cruise - booked it last week, actually! - and we are going over Easter! Eek - leaves very little time for planning but hopefully we will get to experience all those things that Irene denied us on our last cruise. Stephen doesn't know yet so that will be a big surprise! We are going to have a couple of days at the World before hand, too.

Looking forward to your next instalment and please pass our best regards to Tom.

Hi Alison!
Sure I remember you! How could I forget opening the door on you while you were "admiring" our door decorations!
Thanks for stopping by and PLEASE feel free to chime in ..... we were in this adventure together.

for booking your second cruise! Are you going on the DREAM again? I'll keep my fingers crossed that you'll make it to CC this time! On our next cruise (last summer) we actually went back and the storm had done a lot of damage to the island, but they were really working hard to get it back to the island paradise it is!
And guess what, just the other day I was telling a friend of fun it was when we did the wine-tasting and we knew there were only 4 of us and YOU joined us! We really enjoyed that tasting.

Great update, Karin. The dinner looks yummy.

Thanks, Kathy!

Karin, I'm enjoying visiting the Dream again with you. Thanks so much for the great pictures! I can't wait to hear all about your back to back to back.

Teresa, I cannot wait for the day when the four of us are "taking over" the Fantasy for a week - it should be so much fun!
Lots more adventures to come ...... REAL soon!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 10, August 22

Nassau – take 1! - Part 1

We were up early today

and when we walked out onto the veranda we could see Nassau in the distance. Soon we got closer and closer and finally we could watch the pilot get on board

and then we pulled into the harbour.

We both took a shower, tidied up the stateroom and headed out to the Royal Palace for breakfast. The restaurant was half empty and we were led to a table right away.

We had a good look around and the restaurant looked beautiful. Shortly after we were seated a server came by and took our drinks orders,

coffee for Tom and hot tea and orange juice for me. I had studied the menu beforehand, so I knew what I wanted to order,

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, which was wonderful, apart from the sausage, which I didn't like. Tom went for the

The Big Breakfast, a large filled omelet on savory toast with grilled tomatoes, bacon and baked beans topped with caramelized onions. He finished his plate which might indicate that he really liked his breakfast.
We were also offered some pastries, but declined as we just didn't feel like anything sweet.
After breakfast we went back to the room and our stateroom hosts hadn't made it there yet, but we had plenty of loot in our Fish Extender.

We took everything inside, and decided to have a little rest out on the balcony.
Once we were out there we discovered that they were having a drill and were lowering the life boats and driving around with them in the harbour.

But after some time we decided we wanted to head into Nassau. So we packed our IDs and some cash and headed towards deck 1 to disembark.

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

 

[jenseib]

Gorgeous shots! That water is so blue. It looks so pretty as I sit here and see snow out my back window.