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

[dizneeat]

I was wondering why I didn't see you at the DISMeet Sailaway Party....now I know why. We saw the dolphins too. We were with Debbie and she wanted to the see the dolphins so badly but left to go do something right before we saw them.

I somehow had it on my mind that we wanted to meet at the Vista Cafe, but it turned out to be I was wrong.
We loved seeing the dolphins. And actually I could not believe that Tom was able to actually catch them on photo!
Ah, that's such a shame Debbie had to leave right before you saw the dolphins ..... reason enough for another cruise?

Love the Oceaneers Club -- so cool with Andy's play stuff. And love that fountain.

I made chocolate chip cookies last night, but those on the ship look so much better than mine.

It was so cool to be actually able to go in and explore for ourselves. We were very thankful to Jeff and his family for letting us drag along.
The chocolate chip cookies on the ship are the best I have ever tasted, but then I have not tasted yours yet.

I love the frozen coffee drinks. Sadly, I mostly go to Starbucks to get my coffee and they do not offer drinks like that. Ice cream and coffee are perfect together.

Those coffee drinks on board are so yummy and IF you put your foot down, they even serve them in real cups and glasses, but we mostly forget to tell them that we would prefer a real cup.
If you decide on doing a Disney cruise for your anniversary, don't miss going to the Cove Cafe, in the adults only area - it is such a nice place to be!

Wow...some people didn't make it on the cruise...did you find out why?

Love the dolphin pictures.

Jennifer, that was the cruise that left Port Canaveral when Hurricane Irene hit New York. A lot of cruisers could not fly down as the airports were closed.

The dolphins were fun. There were quite a few of them and they stayed close to the ship for some time.

 

[dizneeat]

Do you have to pay for the Frozen caps and cookies ?? They look delish!!!

You have to pay extra for the speciality coffees, but the cookies and pastries are free!
If you like chocolate chip cookies, these are out of this world good! Very moist and chewy on the inside with lots of chocolate chips!
They bake about 6000 of them per day on board!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 16, August 28

The Fishermans conquer the DREAM - Part 4

When we finally got back to our stateroom we found another gift. It was the first time being a gold castaway member, so we did not know what to expect, but there was a letter welcoming us back and asking us to accept the extra gift. No problem. There was a nice package and there was some stationary, an address book and a luggage strap, thank you very much.

The sun had started to go down and we walked outside onto the veranda to watch the sunset,

before we chilled for a little more and then got ready for dinner. Once we had changed, we walked down to the Royal Palace,

met up with Jeff and his family and then got in line to be seated.
It didn't take long and we were back in the dining room and welcomed by Ana and Sapto. They took our drinks orders and put the

Warm Herb Brioche and the

Olive Spread on the table and we all enjoyed it very much. Then our drinks arrived. I had the

Double Crowned, Crown Royal, Chambord, Cointreau, Cranberry Juice and Sour Mix, while Tom ordered a glass of

White Wine.
It didn't take long from placing our orders for dinner until the food reached the table. This time Tom had ordered

The Comtesse Du Barry's Soup, Rich velvety cauliflower cream, topped with salmon caviar croutons, while I had ordered the

Double Baked Spinach Souffle, Coated with a three cheese cream.
We all enjoyed our starters and shared a lot of laughs and soon our main courses were served. Tom had ordered the

Roasted Wild Boar Tenderloin, Sweet carrot and onion potato cake with a red currant reduction and I enjoyed 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.
Again, there was dessert to conquer. Tom went with his old favourite, the

Grand Marnier Souffle, Infused with fresh orange zest and served with creme Anglaise and I loved the

Peanut Butter Mousse, Dark chocolate infused with peanut butter, chiffon cake, and whipped cream.
We were all stuffed to the gills when we left the restaurant. After dinner we walked the Fishermans down to their stateroom and they handed out even more presents.
About half an hour later we went back to our stateroom,

and had a nightcup out on the veranda before finally heading to bed.


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

 

[jenseib]

I forgot about the hurricane. I think I need to take 3 back to back cruises to fit in all the food I want

 

[dizneeat]

I forgot about the hurricane. I think I need to take 3 back to back cruises to fit in all the food I want

We were happy that most of our DISgroup had made it to the ship, despite of the Hurricane, but there were still a few who didn't make it.
I can really recommand 3 back to back cruises, Jen! It is FUN!!!!!!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 17, August 29

And another trip to Nassau - Part 1

Again, we had decided to sleep in a litte and after getting ready at around 8am we headed to the Royal Palace for breakfast.
We were seated right away again and offered some pastries, which we declined. We were soon served some coffee and

hot tea and placed our orders. Tom started his breakfast off with the

Swiss Bircher Muesli, Muesli with raisins, shredded apples and yogurt, while I opted for the

Mornin' Tug Boat, fresh blend of strawberries, bananas, almonds, raisin granola and low-fat yogurt which we both enjoyed very much. Tom’s breakfast entrée that day was the

The Big Breakfast, a large filled omelet on savory toast with grilled tomatoes, bacon and baked beans topped with caramelized onions. I had ordered my favourite breakfast item again, the

Traditional Eggs Benedict, Toasted English muffin with grilled Canadian bacon, served with poached egg topped with hollandaise sauce, grilled roma tomatoes and link sausages.
We really enjoyed our breakfast and once we had finished it, we went back to our stateroom to chill for a while until we wanted to head into Nassau. At around 10 we left the DREAM together with Jeff and his family.
Once we had left the ship

the heat hit us and we slowly walked along the pier

to the photo opportunity at the end of the pier, where we all turned around and took a good look at our beautiful ship. Then we walked toward the city and were greeted by a lot of street vendors

who offered taxi rides and hair braiding. Molly wanted to have her hair braided, but the prices in the close proximity of the cruise ships were very high and we all decided against it. We slowly walked along the street vendors, who all had set up shop along the street that runs along the harbour as the straw market had been badly damaged in the storm a few days ago.
The kids loved the look of all the things displayed and we could not help ourselves, but buy Molly one of the straw bags, which we had embroidered with her name.

We slowly walked along the pier until the end of the street, then turned around and walked along the other side of the street, hopping in and out of the small shops as we walked by.
In one of the shops there was a T-shirt that Philip liked so we got that for him, so he would not feel left out because his sister had got a straw basket. We all paid a visit to the Tortuga Rum company for a rum cake sample and Tom wanted to buy some rum to take home as well.

We actually found some other little bits and pieces we bought as well. Once we were done eating samples and buying presents for ourselves we crossed the street and went to the grocery store to pick up a few bars of chocolate for our servers. By then it had gotten really hot and we all felt tired and sweaty, so we decided to slowly make our way back to the ship.
We made one more stop when Jeff wanted to check out the Hard Rock Café and Tom picked up a few more bottles of beer,

but after that we very slowly made our way back to the ship. Once back in the nice air conditioned environment we all decided to meet up again in a short amount of time for lunch at the Royal Palace.


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

 

[Sunstar]

Karin,

I've read just about all of your trip reports and I feel like I know you! You're so lucky to be able to take such long holidays to Disney. My husband and I were at WDW as Irene was heading for FL and then turned up to NY (where we live). Who would have thought we would be in FL but be worried about getting home to NY because that's where the hurricane went? Our area didn't get hit by Irene, but Tropical Storm Jose hit us hard just days after we got home.

I'm a teacher too. I teach high school English. What do you teach? Also, I wanted to say that you always apologize for your English at the start of your TRs, but it's far better than a lot of native speakers I know. I can't wait to read more about this trip.

 

[englishrose47]

Now those 2 breakfast would be hard for me to choose between, but I think the benedict would win !!!!I already have orders for The Rum shop from one of my staff !!!Is it cheaper than in the US ????

 

[jenseib]

So can you bring beer back on the ship...What is the alcohol rules? I need to check that. I might buy BIL a bottle of rum....he loves his rum....maybe a little too much.

 

[dizneeat]

Karin,

I've read just about all of your trip reports and I feel like I know you! You're so lucky to be able to take such long holidays to Disney. My husband and I were at WDW as Irene was heading for FL and then turned up to NY (where we live). Who would have thought we would be in FL but be worried about getting home to NY because that's where the hurricane went? Our area didn't get hit by Irene, but Tropical Storm Jose hit us hard just days after we got home.

I'm a teacher too. I teach high school English. What do you teach? Also, I wanted to say that you always apologize for your English at the start of your TRs, but it's far better than a lot of native speakers I know. I can't wait to read more about this trip.

I am so happy that you have read most of my trip report (and there are a few ).
Staying for a longer time during the summer makes good sense as airfare is pretty high during the summer and so we can make the most of it. And now that we have discovered cruising as well it makes it much easier to fit it all in too!
Those hurricanes were pretty scary last year! I am so sorry you got hit hard.

I teach English to 10 - 14 year olds. They seriously start studying English at 10 (before that they only do kind of play with English, like songs and nursery rhymes).

And more trip report coming up shortly!

Now those 2 breakfast would be hard for me to choose between, but I think the benedict would win !!!!I already have orders for The Rum shop from one of my staff !!!Is it cheaper than in the US ????

For me the Eggs Benedict ALWAYS win. It is something I don't get/make at home, so it is my vacation treat!
Actually Rosie, I have NO idea of prices for alcoholic drinks in the US. We can only compare them to Austrian ones, but I guess that won't help you out.
Tom usually gets the rum as he can get some different flavours that we cannot get here, so we do not really compare the price.

So can you bring beer back on the ship...What is the alcohol rules? I need to check that. I might buy BIL a bottle of rum....he loves his rum....maybe a little too much.

You can bring whatever alcoholic drinks you want, only rule is that you have to carry it on board and cannot put it in your checked luggage.
We usually bring some Diet Coke and some beer with us when we board, rolling them on in our handluggage. There is no problem with it!

Tom loves to try some of the different rum flavours they offer in the shops. We cannot get most of them here, so he stocks up and we take some home.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 17, August 29

And another trip to Nassau - Part 2

Once back in the nice air conditioned environment we all decided to meet up again in a short amount of time for lunch at the Royal Palace.
Tom and I headed back to our stateroom and freshened up a bit before chilling on the veranda for a few minutes before it was time to meet up with the Fishermans in front of the Royal Palace.
We signed in and were immediately seated at a nice large table. We only sat there for a few minutes before we asked our server to move us to another table as the little girl at the next table kept shrieking at the top of her lungs and it was hard to follow a conversation at our table.
We then moved to the opposite end of the restaurant, where we could still hear her, but it was much easier to keep up a conversation. Our food got ordered and it didn’t take long until it was served. Tom had ordered the

Vegetable Quesadillas, served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo, while I wanted to try the

Ginger-infused Carrot Soup with yogurt, which I had had before and it was as good as I had remembered it. Tom wanted to try the

Chilled Mango Soup with a mint foam too and liked it very much. For our main courses Tom had ordered the

Turkey Melt Sandwich on Whole-Grain Panini, thinly sliced roast turkey breast, thousand island dressing, and melted cheddar cheese served with potato chips. I had my heart set on the

Glazed Meatloaf, with smashed Yukon potatoes, buttered carrots, long beans and gravy. We all enjoyed our lunch very much, but we had arrived pretty late and didn’t want to linger for dessert, as there were only a handful of guests still in the restaurant.
Once we had left the restaurant, Jeff and his family got in line for the character meet and greet, while we headed back to our stateroom to pick up some more of our Fish Extender gifts to hand out.
There were a lot of surprises in our Fish Extender and we had a lot of fun opening all the goodies.

Once we had checked out our loot we filled up our bag and headed all over the ship to deliver our goodies. When we got back to our stateroom we sat out on the veranda for a while enjoying the view and chilling before we decided that it was time to try something else we had wanted to try this cruise.
So we took our lanyards again and headed to Pink. We had done a Champagne tasting a few days earlier and now wanted to try the Pink Champagne. When we entered we were the only guests and it was fun to see that there were more Cast Members than guest. We were handed the menu

and had a good look at it, but we had known what we wanted before we had even set foot into Pink. We both ordered a glass of the

Pink Champagne and the Cast Member who took the order asked what our favourite flavour was, chocolate, raspberry or mango. Both of us had no idea what she was talking about and she just laughed and told us that the champagne came with a little surprise and she needed to know which flavour we would prefer. We both opted for chocolate. A little later she returned with our champagne flutes, filled with the bubbly pink drink and two small glasses of

Panna Cotta topped with chocolate. The champagne was very good and it went perfectly well with the sweet treat it came with. Since there were no other guests at the time, the Cast Members

entertained us very well with little stories about the bar and how they had to maintain it so absolutely beautiful. Needless to say that we lingered much longer than we had intended too. Before we headed back to our stateroom we walked up to deck 12, checking the enchanted art along the way and then walked along the deck for a while to take in the view of Nassau.


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

 

[cjlvsccm]

HI Karin,
We went in to Pink one day for pictures before they were serving, but never made it back to try the Pink Champagne! Looks like a MUST for the next cruise! yum.

 

[dizneeat]

HI Karin,
We went in to Pink one day for pictures before they were serving, but never made it back to try the Pink Champagne! Looks like a MUST for the next cruise! yum.

You definitely have to try the Pink Champagne. We have been to Pink several times and really enjoyed every visit (and extra dessert )

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Now those 2 breakfast would be hard for me to choose between, but I think the benedict would win !!!!I already have orders for The Rum shop from one of my staff !!!Is it cheaper than in the US ????

it's cheaper to buy the rum,etc. in the Islands than the US. You are not paying all of the taxes & it's duty free. There is a limit to the amount, but depends on where you get the booze.

 

[englishrose47]

Another question ??? I fwe were flying and getting transportation from the airport right to the ship, could youpack abottle in checked luggage and then take it out before going on the boat ????

 

[jenseib]

I was meaning for buying alcohol on the islands and bring it back on th ship...what are the rules for that?

I really want to try that Pink Champagne. It was a goal Ididn't get done last time.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I was meaning for buying alcohol on the islands and bring it back on th ship...what are the rules for that?

I really want to try that Pink Champagne. It was a goal Ididn't get done last time.

You bring it aboard ship just like any other souveneir. When we cruised the only thing they didn't like was drinking your liquor outside of your cabin.

 

[tinacaplan]

You had eggs benedict for breakfast? You? I'm teasing.

That champagne looks so good. I'd love a glass right now, especially after this past week.

Also, I wanted to say that you always apologize for your English at the start of your TRs, but it's far better than a lot of native speakers I know. I can't wait to read more about this trip.

This is SO completely true!

 

[annmarieda]

I am with Tina. Shock and dismay at the notion of you having eggs benedict for breakfast. You know, in all of my life I have not once tried it? I will...someday. Just so I can know why you order it so often.


Great updates. You make it sound as though it was really hot. I know I have a hard time functioning when it is super hot.

Food pics (as always) look amazing!

 

[dizneeat]

it's cheaper to buy the rum,etc. in the Islands than the US. You are not paying all of the taxes & it's duty free. There is a limit to the amount, but depends on where you get the booze.

Thanks for helping out, Doris!
And you are absolutely right - there IS a limit on how much you are allowed to bring into the US, but since the amount we are allowed to bring back to Austria is even lower than yours, I cannot comment on how much it is.

Another question ??? I fwe were flying and getting transportation from the airport right to the ship, could youpack abottle in checked luggage and then take it out before going on the boat ????

It would depend on IF you have access to your luggage. I don't know how they handle it if you fly and then directly go on the ship, if it works like Magical Express. We have never used that service.
If you have access to your suitcase, you could fly it in in your checked luggage and than carry it on, no problem.

I was meaning for buying alcohol on the islands and bring it back on th ship...what are the rules for that?

I really want to try that Pink Champagne. It was a goal Ididn't get done last time.

You are allowed to bring back any amout you like (well, not really barrels, but I am sure you can take several bottles. Disney doesn't mind. We have bought lots of drinks in Nassau, Coke, water, beer and rum (not in one go!) but they didn't mind at all. It's customs when you come back to Port Canaveral who care!

That Pink Champagne comes with a price tag, but it was so worth it! I highly recommand that you try it on your November cruise, Jen!

You had eggs benedict for breakfast? You? I'm teasing.

That champagne looks so good. I'd love a glass right now, especially after this past week.

Yes, I thought I better completely do something strange and order the Eggs Benedict!
Well, I guess you can see, I LOVE them!

Well, after all I read about your last week on FB your more than deserve a glass of Champagne!

I am with Tina. Shock and dismay at the notion of you having eggs benedict for breakfast. You know, in all of my life I have not once tried it? I will...someday. Just so I can know why you order it so often.


Great updates. You make it sound as though it was really hot. I know I have a hard time functioning when it is super hot.

Food pics (as always) look amazing!

Ann, you really need to try the Eggs Benedict one day! Sooooooo good and soooooo many calories. But thank god this is Disney and they sprinkle everything with pixie dust ...... so NO calories!

It was VERY hot that day and you feel it even more once you get off that air conditioned ship! We were all beat when we got back to the ship.