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

[dizneeat]

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 !!!

Rosie, you should just "talk" Judy into going on a Disney one!
And I cannot see you sitting and watching the time go by, so I am sure you'll find something fun to occupy yourself (Disney has Bingo and lots of fun tastings and food and food and did I mention the food? )
If you go to Nassau (YES, there are Dolphin encounters!) don't forget to sample the rumcakes!

 

[dizneeat]

.. to all our DISfriends!

 

[jenseib]

.. to all our DISfriends!

I have to steal that rabbit picture. too cute!!!!!

Happy Easter!

 

[jenseib]

When Skip and I sailed NCL many years ago, we took the official tour that took us to that fort and the Queens staircase. It was interesting, but a little boring on a guided tour as we had one of those people who holds up the tour because he asks so many questions. I wish I had a digital camera back then though. I tookd some pictures, but film was so precious, I didn't get many.

 

[annmarieda]

It is sad there was so much damage. Not only for you to have not been able to see things such as the Queens staircase, but for those who live there.

BTW, Love the disboard easter bunny! Happy Easter!!

 

[englishrose47]

Rosie, you should just "talk" Judy into going on a Disney one!
And I cannot see you sitting and watching the time go by, so I am sure you'll find something fun to occupy yourself (Disney has Bingo and lots of fun tastings and food and food and did I mention the food? )
If you go to Nassau (YES, there are Dolphin encounters!) don't forget to sample the rumcakes!

I would love to but the cost is so much higher and there are 5 of us !!! I am not a drinker but I will try the rum cakes and I am sure Judy will too !!! I would really like to surprise her with the Dolphin encounter !!The ones I have looked at are not bad in price , I would have to see if the kids wanted to do it too , I will be happy to sightsee in Nassau while she or they do it !!!!

 

[dizneeat]

I have to steal that rabbit picture. too cute!!!!!

Happy Easter!

Tom was pretty pleased, when I told him that you liked his "creation" so much that you had to steal it!
You are very welcome to use it.

When Skip and I sailed NCL many years ago, we took the official tour that took us to that fort and the Queens staircase. It was interesting, but a little boring on a guided tour as we had one of those people who holds up the tour because he asks so many questions. I wish I had a digital camera back then though. I tookd some pictures, but film was so precious, I didn't get many.

That is why I hate to take tours. There is always someone holding it up. I printed out a walking tour from the internet, checked the walk on Google Earth and just took it along. We didn't do the whole walk, but we might do it this summer.
Yeah, that reminds me .... the times when you had to buy film to take pictures! Thank god for digital cameras.
Tom just got us a new digital video camera - no more tapes, this one captures everything on a card!
Can't wait to try it at DLRP - new parade and Disney Dreams - should be interesting to tape.

It is sad there was so much damage. Not only for you to have not been able to see things such as the Queens staircase, but for those who live there.

BTW, Love the disboard easter bunny! Happy Easter!!

It was heartbreaking to see how much damage there had been. The straw market was destroyed and people were selling their goods in the street. And so many houses damaged. What really amazed me, though, was that even with all the damage, people were cheerful and friendly and helpful.

I would love to but the cost is so much higher and there are 5 of us !!! I am not a drinker but I will try the rum cakes and I am sure Judy will too !!! I would really like to surprise her with the Dolphin encounter !!The ones I have looked at are not bad in price , I would have to see if the kids wanted to do it too , I will be happy to sightsee in Nassau while she or they do it !!!!

I know Disney is at the top end of the price range, Rosie, but just in case you win the lottery .........
If I am not mistaken there are two different dolphin encounters in Nassau, worth checking into it.
And I guess if Judy wants to do it, so will the kids ..... at least I can see Kyle going for it.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 15, August 27

Missing Heaven on Earth because of Irene - Part 3

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.
We were seated right away and a server was there in a minute's time to take our order for drinks. Diet Cokes were ordered again and we had a good look at the menu while we waited for them. A breadbasket full of

cut baguette and some rolls was served and since we were really hungry we both had a piece or two. But very soon our starters were served. I had ordered

A Selection of Antipasto Brescaola, marinated olives, shaved parmesan and a grissini stick with a roasted garlic dip, which was really tasty and Tom was really adventurous and had ordered the

Chilled Strawberry Soup. After we had enjoyed the starters we were served our main courses. Tom had ordered the

Tamarind-glazed Beef Kebabs, skewered with peppers, mushrooms and onions served on cracked wheat, while I wanted to try the

Salad Nicoise, Tuna, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, eggs, black olives and crisp lettuce with balsamic dressing and both did not disappoint.
We had been a bit late when we had gone for lunch, so we skipped dessert and went back to our stateroom to pick up our tickets for the Wine Tasting we had signed up for. It was held at Meridian and we just had to walk up a few stairs and walked in.
To our huge surprise we found George, the sommelier again. He greeted us warmly and told us that they had decided that instead of doing the usual tasting we would have a tasting of some of his favourite Italian wines.
He also informed us that only 4 people had signed up for the tasting, so we were just waiting for one more couple to join us. A few minutes later that couple arrived and we could not believe it, but it was Alison (AlisonUK here on the DIS) and her husband.

We had met on the first day when they had walked by our stateroom and now we were the only four people doing the tasting. We took our seats at the bar and tasted the wines, talked about how they were made and had a really fun time. All to soon our last wine was poured and we had to say goodbye again.

Tom and I went back to our stateroom and checked the weather for Hurricane Irene and the news that reported on her slamming the New York area.

We had a few more DISsers coming in the following day from that area and were very worried about them.

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

 

[annmarieda]

How fun to do the tasting with another diser!!!

 

[dizneeat]

How fun to do the tasting with another diser!!!

We were so surprised to see THEM there and loving it at the same time. Now, what are the odds on a ship that has 4000 passengers that you will end up with some newly made friends in one of the tastings. And it was only the 4 of us and there were two CMs doing the presentation.
I think you can say that was money well spent!

 

[jenseib]

I would love to do a wine tasting, but I am not a big wine drinker.....Maybe someday I'll go for it.

 

[tinacaplan]

The wine tasting looks like so much fun. And interesting, too. I love learning more about wine, the more I learn the more I like it.

 

[HowieHowie]

Day 15, August 27

Missing Heaven on Earth because of Irene - Part 3

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.
We were seated right away and a server was there in a minute's time to take our order for drinks. Diet Cokes were ordered again and we had a good look at the menu while we waited for them. A breadbasket full of

cut baguette and some rolls was served and since we were really hungry we both had a piece or two. But very soon our starters were served. I had ordered

A Selection of Antipasto Brescaola, marinated olives, shaved parmesan and a grissini stick with a roasted garlic dip, which was really tasty and Tom was really adventurous and had ordered the

Chilled Strawberry Soup. After we had enjoyed the starters we were served our main courses. Tom had ordered the

Tamarind-glazed Beef Kebabs, skewered with peppers, mushrooms and onions served on cracked wheat, while I wanted to try the

Salad Nicoise, Tuna, tomatoes, green beans, potatoes, eggs, black olives and crisp lettuce with balsamic dressing and both did not disappoint.
We had been a bit late when we had gone for lunch, so we skipped dessert and went back to our stateroom to pick up our tickets for the Wine Tasting we had signed up for. It was held at Meridian and we just had to walk up a few stairs and walked in.
To our huge surprise we found George, the sommelier again. He greeted us warmly and told us that they had decided that instead of doing the usual tasting we would have a tasting of some of his favourite Italian wines.
He also informed us that only 4 people had signed up for the tasting, so we were just waiting for one more couple to join us. A few minutes later that couple arrived and we could not believe it, but it was Alison (AlisonUK here on the DIS) and her husband.

We had met on the first day when they had walked by our stateroom and now we were the only four people doing the tasting. We took our seats at the bar and tasted the wines, talked about how they were made and had a really fun time. All to soon our last wine was poured and we had to say goodbye again.

Tom and I went back to our stateroom and checked the weather for Hurricane Irene and the news that reported on her slamming the New York area.

We had a few more DISsers coming in the following day from that area and were very worried about them.

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

Karin...It was pretty scary for us NYers as it is very unusual to have hurricanes here. We were thankful we were at WDW already, but were very worried about our house not knowing what we were going to find when we got home 10 days later. I spoke to my parents while we were at Port Canaveral and they had already lost power and didn't get it back for 3 days. Also we knew Jeff, Sil and Ileana were flying to Florida on Sat. We were relieved when Jeff called us on Sat and told us that they were able to change their flight to Fri. Debbie and us were meeting Sil & family at Port Orleans for a night of fun and were so happy to see them there. Sil told us that they were the last flight out of NY. We didn't see Ileana until the sail-away party and was thankful she also made it to Florida. After that ordeal at least they were able to relax on the beautiful Dream.

 

[englishrose47]

How well I remember that weekend , Judy and I were on pins and needles as to whether we would make it home !!Christine kept us posted on all the latest news !!Thank goodness we had a direct flight anf Buffalo was not in the danger area !!

 

[dizneeat]

I would love to do a wine tasting, but I am not a big wine drinker.....Maybe someday I'll go for it.

Jen, they are so much fun. I am not a big wine drinker either, but it is nice to learn about how they are produced and what to look for.
Plus a winetasting usually has some yummy chocolates to sample as well!

The wine tasting looks like so much fun. And interesting, too. I love learning more about wine, the more I learn the more I like it.

You sound just like me, dear friend.
It was a really fun experience, even more so as we got to do it with Alison and Nigel and George as our sommelier!
The wines were yummy too and it was so much fun to see how we Europeans went far more for the crisp wines, than the sweet ones.

Karin...It was pretty scary for us NYers as it is very unusual to have hurricanes here. We were thankful we were at WDW already, but were very worried about our house not knowing what we were going to find when we got home 10 days later. I spoke to my parents while we were at Port Canaveral and they had already lost power and didn't get it back for 3 days. Also we knew Jeff, Sil and Ileana were flying to Florida on Sat. We were relieved when Jeff called us on Sat and told us that they were able to change their flight to Fri. Debbie and us were meeting Sil & family at Port Orleans for a night of fun and were so happy to see them there. Sil told us that they were the last flight out of NY. We didn't see Ileana until the sail-away party and was thankful she also made it to Florida. After that ordeal at least they were able to relax on the beautiful Dream.

Wow! I never thought about not knowing IF you had a home when you got back! Thank god your parents kept you informed.
I was pretty worried about Jeff not being able to fly in as he was already hurt and was so much looking forward to it.
You must have been so relieved to meet Debbie and Sil at POR .... and happy that they made it.

How well I remember that weekend , Judy and I were on pins and needles as to whether we would make it home !!Christine kept us posted on all the latest news !!Thank goodness we had a direct flight anf Buffalo was not in the danger area !!

We were thinking of you often, Rosie. We didn't get a lot of news, but what we saw was just aweful and having to get home or to somewhere in that weather was no fun!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 15, August 27

Missing Heaven on Earth because of Irene - Part 4

We had a few more DISsers coming in the following day from that area and were very worried about them.
We were both tired and sat out on our veranda, watching the DREAM pull out of Nassau in the early afternoon.

After some time we returned to the TV and watched a little more CNN, munching some

Caramel popcorn from the Epcot Karamellkuche.

We decided to again skip the show and picked up our last fish extender gifts for this cruise and headed out.
Once we had finished delivering our gifts we paid another visit to the shops and picked up a few more gift items,

then took them back to our stateroom and picked up our cameras to check out the bars and lounges on board. First up was 867, a sports bar with huge TV screens and momentos of how the DREAM had been built.

Tom wanted to try their

867 beer and I got a Diet Coke

and we sat and discussed the first part of our vacation and what was still to come. We sat there for quite some time and before we left we went around the room taking pictures of some of the things on display. We were both surprised that there were not more people using those areas, but we also enjoyed the peace and quiet. Once we had taken all the photos we wanted we moved on and walked around that area for a little while before we decided to check out the Skyline Bar as well.

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

 

[HowieHowie]

Wow! I never thought about not knowing IF you had a home when you got back! Thank god your parents kept you informed.
I was pretty worried about Jeff not being able to fly in as he was already hurt and was so much looking forward to it.
You must have been so relieved to meet Debbie and Sil at POR .... and happy that they made it.


We had to forget about the hurricane and enjoy the cruise...nothing we could do at that point. We have a lot of old tall tress around our house and we were afraid that either they would fall or branches would fall on the house or car and do damage. We were also afraid of flooding in our basement. When we docked back in Port Canaveral we made a lot of phone calls. My neighbor looked around our house and saw that a branch just missed my car windshield. We didn't loose power so I knew my food was ok. When we got home no flooding in the basement, but a a lot of clean-up work in the yard. We missed some week....an earthquake and a hurricane. I kept saying...we were in the hurricane state and in hurricane season, not supposed to be hurricanes back home!

 

[KatMark]

I know I posted the other day when the DIS was up and down all night and my response did not post. UGH!!!! I just wanted you to know I'm still reading even if I don't post (engaged couple keeping me hopping, boss ill)I am enjoying as always. You sure like your cruises.

 

[dizneeat]

We had to forget about the hurricane and enjoy the cruise...nothing we could do at that point. We have a lot of old tall tress around our house and we were afraid that either they would fall or branches would fall on the house or car and do damage. We were also afraid of flooding in our basement. When we docked back in Port Canaveral we made a lot of phone calls. My neighbor looked around our house and saw that a branch just missed my car windshield. We didn't loose power so I knew my food was ok. When we got home no flooding in the basement, but a a lot of clean-up work in the yard. We missed some week....an earthquake and a hurricane. I kept saying...we were in the hurricane state and in hurricane season, not supposed to be hurricanes back home!

I cannot even imagine what it must have meant not knowing and being on the cruise.
You know that's what I said to Tom, when we talked about your last post ..... they went to the hurricane state in hurricane season and had a hurricane back home. I completely forgot about the earthquake, but if it were me, I would have preferred not to have to live through it.
And I am glad to hear that the branch missed your car and that your food was okay.

I know I posted the other day when the DIS was up and down all night and my response did not post. UGH!!!! I just wanted you to know I'm still reading even if I don't post (engaged couple keeping me hopping, boss ill)I am enjoying as always. You sure like your cruises.

Kathy, you did post on my other cruise thread (yip, I do have two of them ) and I did catch up on your activities on FB too. Hope you can relax a little in Florida next week!
Give Nicki a hug from Tom and me!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

So strange to think there was a hurricane in NY. I'm glad everyone was okay.

Your wine tasting was such a pleasant surprise! How fun to make new friends on a cruise. Looks like you're taking us bar hopping! I love seeing all the different places on the Dream!