Mom's First Taste of Cruising with the Mouse! Oct 22-25, 2009 w/Pics COMPLETE 4/27/10

[iloverags2]

Ok, I am finally getting around to posting this trip report here. Sorry for the delay!

Cast of Characters: Mom (1st Disney cruise) and Me!
When: October 22 – 25, 2009
Ship: Disney Wonder

This trip was seven months in the planning after a morning conversation between Russ and me. One morning he woke up and asked, “What are your goals in life?” If you know Russ, you will realize this is not an unusual question coming from him. Of course, the first thing I blurted out was, “Spending more time with Mom!” I guess the past several years with her cancer and then near-fatal car crash have me realizing my time with her is precious. Not to mention, I’m insanely jealous every time I call and either she is at my sister’s or vice versa! When she moved closer to both of the sisters I knew they would have so many opportunities to spend time together – I guess I just didn’t realize how I would long to have the same opportunities.

But, I digress.

Anyway, Russ asked the question, I gave him my answer, and five hours later Russ had Mom and me booked on a Disney cruise and Mom’s flights in and out of Jacksonville were all set! I love my hubby!!!

The cruise was paid off immediately so there was no question at the 90-day mark I could make our Palo reservation. In addition I booked a Castaway Ray Stingray Adventure, which we eventually bagged. Mom had a hard enough time just tapping the very top of our cats’ heads! Poor thing is just not comfortable around animals.

I should mention here our original booking was for a category 12 inside stateroom. The intention was to upgrade us to an oceanview stateroom, which as the cruise drew closer I wasn’t absolutely certain was going to happen. It seems our cruise had been long sold out (with the occasional availability scattered in here and there); a large FSU alumni group was also booked for our sailing. Ack! (Time to get the Miami backpack out!) Around the third week in August we received a call from DCL asking if we would like to upgrade our stateroom to an oceanview for $99 total. You bet we do! I jumped on the offer and started plotting the next upgrade – to a verandah! Our current stateroom assignment though – 2100.

So, October finally rolls around and we picked Mom up from the Jax airport Wednesday evening. Her flight was completely full, and her window seat on the return flight didn’t seem so appealing anymore. Thankfully the woman at the United counter was more than willing to see what she could do, and on the return leg home she found Mom an aisle seat on another nearly full flight. With that taken care of, we were on our way to the house for the night.

Since Mom wasn’t getting much time to spend with Russ, whom she treasures dearly, I gave her a choice for the morning. Breakfast with Russ and leave around 9:00 a.m. (getting us to the port around noon), or leave first thing around 7:00 a.m. allowing us enough time to arrive at 10:00ish giving us a better chance of purchasing another upgrade. Mom was just happy having an oceanview and opted for time with her “son.” With those plans all set, I frantically began my packing (I’m notorious for last minute packing) and we finally settled in for the night around 1 a.m.!

As promised, we were out the door just a few minutes after 9:00, waving to my sad hubby. Don’t get me wrong – he was more than thrilled Mom and I were spending time together. He and I just hate being away from each other. The drive to the port was rather uneventful, with only one pit stop along the way. At this point I was in no rush to get there knowing if we arrived at noon, those who had already checked-in would be just boarding leaving us to just walk on the ship as soon as we had our paperwork taken care of.

I dropped Mom and the bags off at the drop-off area located by the DCL buses, (the construction at the terminal is in full force!) and then went to park the car while Mom waited inside. Although the new garage construction is directly across from the terminal entrance, having to park a bit further down was no big deal. It’s still a quick walk over, and hey – we’re going on a Disney cruise! Up the escalator I went and Mom was sitting on a bench right at the top.

We quickly entered the Castaway Club member check-in line (which Mom was allowed to do so since she was with me), and waited no more than 2 or 3 minutes before we were being assisted by a friendly CM! She informed us our stateroom had been changed – ooooooh, could it be – to 2570. *Sigh* Not an upgrade, but! I was happy – we are going on a Disney cruise! By this time it was now around 12:30 p.m., and we are standing right next to the Supervisor’s desk. I see no “Sold Out” sign and make a beeline for the counter (poor Mom was left behind in my dust!). I’m not sure if I said anything other than, “Do you have any verandahs available?” When the CM responded, “I only have a category 4 available,” I was all over it! At this point I wasn’t sure if we were still considered a category 12 or now a category 9. Even after I did the $99 upgrade to 9, our reservations still showed 12, so I am thinking that is what they still considered us. Either way, I thought the $570 to go to a category 4 was more than worth it and snatched it right up! Good thing I did too – a family walked up just as we were getting yet another room assignment, and asked if any upgrades were available. They were told only oceanviews remained. Mom and I scored the last verandah! Whew!

With our third stateroom number in less than 30 minutes, we headed towards the entry way to the ship and were finally on our way to Cruising with the Mouse!

Next up: Checking out the ship and our first night onboard!

 

[PizzieDuster]

Great report! I was hoping you'd get your verandah! Yeah!

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Great start. Congrats on scoring the last verandah!

 

[iloverags2]

I was going to move my pics to Photobucket (making it easier to share), but just haven't had a chance to do so. Hopefully the links to Shutterfly will be ok. And we carry on...

Checking out the ship and our first night onboard!

After walking through the giant Mickey ears we were asked our family name, and had already decided to use Edwards since both Mom and I had been Edwards at one time in our lives (and quite honestly refer to ourselves as the Edwards girls still). Mom seemed quite giddy as we boarded the ship to the announcement of our arrival and the applause of many CMs. We were immediately directed to head up to Beach Blanket Buffet, but I was prepared to come back with a polite, “We would like to eat at Parrot Cay.” Our plans for the second night were dinner at Palo, and I had requested the APT rotation. This might be the only chance we would have to eat at Parrot Cay. The CM mentioned there was a wait, but we were more than welcome to head that way. Again, the CM at Parrot Cay mentioned the wait but did ask if we minded being seated with another party or parties. Being the easy-going gals we are, we let him know we were happy with however they wanted to seat us, which I think made him happy too. He directed us to have a seat in the Promenade Lounge, and that he would get us when the table was ready. Poor Mom was like, “He didn’t ask our name! How will we know when our table is ready?” Ah…the life of cruising! These people remember things like this. Sure enough, 5 minutes later (yes, 5 minutes if even that!) and the CM host came to the lounge to let us know we could be seated. And guess what? A table to ourselves! The place was not filled at all, but I think the main reason they like to keep it somewhat empty is due to turnaround time for dinner. (That’s just a hunch…don’t take my word for it!) We nibbled off the buffet, and I must say the carved beef was quite tasty!

Entrance to Parrot Cay

Mom really liked these painting at the entrance

Parrot Cay Dining Area

Chandeliers in Parrot Cay

By the time we were through with lunch, it was closing in on 2:00 p.m. (I believe it was closer to 2 than 1:30, but I could be wrong about that), and the staterooms were ready and waiting for cruisers. Mom took the elevator while I headed up the aft stairway, where we met up at the top of the stairs. Not sure how far we would need to walk to our room, we turned the corner and there it was – our doorway, literally steps from the lifts and stairs. Awesome! We threw open the door, and there was my Castaway Club gift waiting inside. I wasn’t sure if it would be there since we were on room number 3 since check-in just over an hour before, but somehow Disney, as usual, worked like magic! Of course, Mom was more interested in making a beeline to the verandah!

Castaway Club Member gift – inside the tote bag were two white water bottles and two Rice Krispie Treats in the shape of flip flops!

We noted the bed had not yet been separated into two twins, which we decided was fine with us anyway. The queen bed is just so much more comfy, and heck! We’ve spent enough time with each other throughout our lives. Sharing a bed was no big deal, and actually the thought of late night slumber parties was quite fun! Mom was quick to look around the stateroom – checking out the sitting area, the bathrooms, the closet, but most importantly the verandah! (Yes, it was made good use of throughout our cruise.) I honestly could not have asked for a better stateroom. The location was great, the room was in excellent shape, and the dry dock gave us a new flat panel TV. Love it!

I decorated our door, but we really didn’t need to since the room was so easy to find off the aft lifts/stairs

Fish Extender

Bed and sitting area

From the other side of the room

Mom, happy to be on the verandah!

After a few minutes of checking out the stateroom, we headed off to check out the ship in general. Mom was amazed I knew my way around so well. (Hey, even thought I don’t get on Disney cruises often, I read about them enough to have good orientation on the ships! Plus, once I go somewhere once, it’s all relatively easy for me to navigate in the future.)

Checking out the new Outlook Bar exterior

Another view of the Outlook Bar

Mickey’s Pool Slide

Walking along Route 66 (special meaning to us since we frequented this route in the Chicago area)

And still one of my favorite signs – 46 feet to the Lobby!

Mom in the porthole along Route 66 (I forgot to use force flash! Ugh!)

By this time, though, it was closing in on the mandatory life drill time and we decided to head back to the room, see if our luggage arrived (it had not!), and just wait out the announcement for the drill. Our muster station ended up being down on Deck 4 and another couple was also heading down early. We decided to beat the crowds. Not a bad choice; our team leader was already in place at the station, and he was a hoot! (We bumped into him several more times during the cruise, and he always managed to remember us – nice guy!) Uneventful the muster drill was, and we made our way back to the stateroom to drop off our life vests before heading up to Deck 10 for the Sail Away Party!

Bagging Deck 9 was probably a good idea, and we found a quiet place to sit on Deck 10 prior to the festivities beginning. It turned out to be a good place to be – a group of CMs waited in this area also before heading down the stairs to the Deck 9 stage. They made for good entertainment! It was so funny to see them just having a ball themselves; several of them had their own cameras, and were taking shots of themselves with the others in their group.

Mom ready for the Sail Away Party!

Cast Members waiting for their part in the Party

Mom enjoying her Sail Away Party drink (I asked the CM who was serving these what they were, and of course my hearing just didn’t pick up what she said, other than Pina Colada and Strawberry Daquiri – so I believe they were a mix of that. You could definitely taste the coconut from the Pina Colada, and the strawberry from the Daquiri.)

Cindy and her drink (the same as Mom’s)

 

[iloverags2]

After the infamous “When You Wish Upon A Star” horn blasted, we decided to return to our stateroom and watch us sail off from our verandah (seriously, we made good use of this!) Since we had late dining, we would be watching the shows early in the evening. Thankfully, our luggage had finally arrived and we were able to get ready in no time. The first evening’s show was “The Golden Mickey’s” (which ranks a close second to Disney Dreams for me!). Mom was really looking forward to this, as she had only sailed on Royal Caribbean before and was looking forward to the Broadway style shows Disney puts on (versus the Vegas style revues found on other lines). As promised, the show was wonderful!

Red Carpet leading to The Golden Mickey’s

Outside the theatre

Opening Number of The Golden Mickey’s

Snow White portion of The Golden Mickey’s

Love how they use children on the cruise for this segment

My favorite segment!

The Big Cheese himself closing the show!

We had a few minutes to kill between the show and dinner, and decided to check out Mickey’s Mates and Treasure Ketch. There was really only one purchase I wanted to make early in the cruise – the scrapbook for Mom. (I’m putting together my first ever scrapbook, and had already made several of the page layouts before we even left!) They had three books to choose from, so I let Mom decide which one she wanted. She chose the classic book, which apparently does sell out rather quickly so I’m glad we made the stop now instead of later in the trip. We did take the bag back to the stateroom before heading off to dinner at Animator’s Palate.

We arrived just a few minutes after our seating time, which was perfect. The line was manageable again (no long waits for us!), and we were seated immediately with two of the three other couples at our 8-top table. (It turns out the other couple was at Palo this night.) Now, I’m usually pretty good with names, but to be honest here I don’t remember anyone’s names from our table. Actually, I don’t think I ever heard their names in the first place! One couple was from California, and were on their 6th – 10th cruise (I know this only because the husband wore his Gold Castaway Club lanyard the entire cruise!), and the other couple were from Mississippi and were on their first cruise ever! Turns out they had been married just 7 months, both having been widowed for a few years prior. They were just such a sweet couple, who we clicked with right off the bat!

Our dining servers were Kabelo (from South Africa) and Pablo (from Argentina), both just wonderful guys who we were fortunate to meet on this cruise. Kabelo was so full of energy and joy, and Pablo was an absolute sweetheart. Ok, back to food. If you can believe it, neither Mom nor I can remember what we had for dinner here! Crazy, eh? We figured it must have been just an ok meal if we can’t remember it! (Although I’m pretty sure we both had the Lemon-Thyme Marinated Chicken Breast, we just don’t remember it!) Mom did love the animation in the dining room though, and thought the experience itself was just so cute. What we do remember is dessert! Again, we both ordered the same thing, Double Fudge Chocolate Cake with Caramel-Orange Chocolate Sauce, which was heavenly! To top dessert off, Kabelo and Pablo brought out a cake for Mom. See, when Russ initially made the cruise reservation, we were asked if there was a special celebration. I just responded, “No, just time with Mom. October will be her 5-year anniversary as a breast cancer survivor.” Nothing was said about it again, and I didn’t think about it after that even. But as Disney always does, a note was made and her anniversary was celebrated (turns out our first night on board was the exact 5-year mark even!). The cake was just so nice, and had a pink filling to boot (which was an awesome strawberry mousse). Everyone at the table by this time was stuffed to the gills, so only Mom and I had a small bit of cake before Pablo brought out a plate cover so we could take it back to the room and enjoy throughout the rest of the cruise.

Entrance to Animator’s Palate

Walkway into Animator’s Palate

Mom’s Celebration Cake

We purchased from Shutters the picture of us taken at Animator’s Palate. As soon as I get those scanned, I will post it.

Again we stopped in the shops to have another look around, this time a bit easier as the show crowds were nowhere in sight, before heading up to our room to watch the night pass by from where else? The verandah! (I’m not kidding when I say we used this often during our cruise!) It was probably around 1:30 a.m. when we finally declared lights out!

Next up: Mickey’s sunrise and Nassau
 

 

[iloverags2]

Forgot to add this!

 

[Señor DonDuck]

Wonderful first day report! Love the pics.

How nice that they made note of your mother's anniversary.

Looking forward to the next update.

 

[okwminnie]

Great report and pictures! Looking forward to day 2!

 

[iloverags2]

Mickey’s sunrise and Nassau

The night before, I had set a wake-up call for 6:30. The Personal Navigator showed a 7:15ish sunrise, and we wanted to be sure we were up and about for it! Mom must have answered the phone because I for one never heard it ring. Then again, not sure I would’ve heard it anyway. By the time I was finally able to pry my eyes open it was close to 7:00 and Mom was already out on the verandah enjoying the tropical air.

It wasn’t long before the sun began to peak through the clouds. I should mention here, the night before was a bit rocky. The TV channel set to news from the bridge had been showing rough seas all night, and apparently we had some pretty big waves – and you could feel it! I love the rough seas – it puts me to sleep, and keeps me that way! Mom apparently loves it too. Anyway, back to the sunrise. There were still some heavy clouds on the horizon, and in fact we could see a few storm clouds behind us. No perfect sunrise, but beautiful cloud color.

Mom up and at ‘em, bright and early

The sun showing its color

Here’s Mickey’s sunrise!

And if you need a little help finding him, here’s a close-up

The sun shining in full force behind Mom

After catching our first morning sunrise, we decided to head up to Beach Blanket Buffet. Our initial plan was to grab breakfast and bring it back to the room to eat on the verandah, but Mom decided it would be nice to sit outside on the 9th deck and take in Nassau from there. Breakfast was the standard buffet fare – scrambled eggs, Mickey waffle, toast, etc. etc. All good; well as good as buffet food goes! (I’m not the biggest fan of buffet breakfasts, but hey – we are on a Disney cruise and that’s all that matters!)

We knew our time spent in Nassau would be rather short. Mom’s only agenda items included finding a few gifts to take back home to her hubby and my sisters and niece. And Mom is a power-shopper, so that wouldn’t take us long! There was no rush to be off the ship first thing, so we decided to take in our entrance into Nassau from, where else? The verandah!

Gotta love the blue water!

The port was awaiting our arrival

Nassau

Mom enjoying the view

Since our stateroom was aft, we had to walk to the forward section to debark since debarking would take place Deck 1 forward. Deck 3 seemed the best place for us to move forward, so another shot of Mom in a porthole, this time with Nassau (and the blue water!) in the background.

Thankfully the folks who wanted to be the first off the ship had already debarked, and there were no lines to get off the ship! Yea us! The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We had been a bit concerned about the weather as it had been raining for the past few weeks in Nassau, and all the forecasts we had been seeing the week prior to the cruise were for rain. Well, the skies cleared and the sun was shining. And the temps were just beautiful! As soon as we were off the ship, Mom realized she left her sunglasses in the stateroom. Right back on the ship she went, which gave me a chance to take a few pictures of the Wonder close-up.

A close-up of our stateroom. Hard to explain, but we are on the deck directly below the slightly protruding enclosed glass area. There is a double verandah (no divider), which is a suite; we are directly to the right of that one (meaning directly to the right if you are looking at the picture).

The only shot I could get without someone walking into the picture – unfortunately I didn’t get the Wonder entirely into the picture

Time for shopping! We skipped doing the Festival Marketplace right away, with the thought if we still needed to find anything, we would take a browse on our return to the ship. In and out of a few stores we went along Bay Street, not finding a whole lot that knocked our socks off! (Although we did pick up nail polish for Caitlin at Del Sol.) Normally we aren’t that picky, but for some reason nothing was just grabbing our attention. No biggie! Just wandering the streets was enjoyable for us! I guess my love of adventure and checking new places out comes from my mom! On our return through Festival Marketplace, Mom did find Jamaica Blue coffee for Julie so she was happy. We had spent about an hour and a half off the ship and were ready to relax away the day. Returning means one thing – more pictures!

I love Donald here!

Ship’s bow

Once back onboard it was nearing lunch time. Oh, the choices and what to do! Mom remembered I had made a list of things I wanted to do/try during this cruise and mentioned Goofy’s Galley. How could I have forgotten! There have been so many excellent reports of the sandwiches here, and I just knew we would have to give this a try. We decided we would grab a bite and bring it back to our stateroom, and finally have a meal on the verandah, something we really wanted to do. We decided on a two different sandwiches – Turkey with Cranberry sauce on Ciabatta bread and a Bacon, Tomato, and Havarti cheese Panini. Both were absolutely delicious, and I’m so glad we tried the sandwiches here rather than doing the buffet or one of the sit-downs. This was probably one of our favorite times on the cruise – not only yummy food, but just a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. (It seems every time I have cruised on Disney I have had a verandah room, but have always let it go to waste essentially. That did NOT happen this time around, and I am so thrilled we used it to the max!)

Lunch

Our lunchtime view

 

[iloverags2]

Mom also remembered a few dessert items on my to-do list. Those were located up at Cove Café, which offers pastries in addition to specialty coffee (the coffees are extra, but the pastries do not have an additional fee!). This would also give us a great opportunity to check out the new Outlook Café above the Quiet Cove pool, and see how this area will be for the Alaskan cruisers. On our way over to Cove Café, we bumped into Captain Henri, who was an absolute gentleman. He even made a visit to the Outlook and stopped for another chat.


Captain Henri roaming the ship

Ok, now for those desserts! I was on a mission to try the chocolate cups filled with cream and strawberries. Let me tell you, these were just heavenly! Mom declared we would have to return later for another! We also tried some type of chocolate cake, which was just ok; a fudgy-brownie like thing which was rich and good; and carrot cake. I’m not a big carrot cake eater, but Mom thought it was wonderful!

Mom and our goodies!

The size of the Outlook Café seems quite small for its intended purpose, although I do like the coziness of the place. It will be interesting to see how this holds up to those crowds want to catch a glimpse of glaciers passing by, but in a warmer environment than the outdoors! The other thing Mom and I wondered – what about the little ones? We certainly feel the younger crowd should have the luxury of viewing Alaska’s beauty too from a cozy environment. But with the Outlook Café being a part of the adults-only area, we wondered how this would be handled. I’m hoping those under 18 will be able to enjoy at least this area during those cruises.

Back to the report though. After indulging in those sinful sweets, we decided to take another stroll around the decks. I wanted to capture a few pictures of the Atlantis Resort.

With that out of the way, we were back to exploring the ship. Mom wanted to do this while in port, when the bulk of the crowds would be off the ship making it easier to navigate around. I knew one place I just had to show her – Studio Seas! My dad was a HUGE film buff. I mean HUGE! To the point where we had an actual projection room in one of our houses. Dad was having Mom’s dream house built (this was back in the 70’s), and the builder determined there would be a small un-used area in the sunk-in family room. He asked my dad if he wanted a closet or if it should just be closed off. Dad, with his thinking cap on (uh-oh…this could be trouble!) asked the builder if he could cut away a small, square hole “about this size, and at about this height” in the wall and have a small door also leading to this enclosed room/closet. Then after cutting the hole into the wall, he wanted a small door made from the wall paneling, that would swing open and closed (with a small hook on the inside to keep it locked when closed). This would be where the projector would be shot out of, and on the opposite wall in the family room would be where we had a hook that help one of Dad’s many projection screens!

Again, I digress! So for those of you familiar with Studio Seas you can understand why I just had to show this to Mom. And she loved it! I didn’t say anything to her before we arrived there, but the first thing she said was, “Dad would have loved this!” Yep! (And the fact he was a huge Walt Disney fan doesn’t hurt!)

Studio Seas

At the entrance to Studio Seas

Our journeys then took us over to the Ships Shops, which of course were closed (we were still in port), where Mom decided she wanted a picture with Captain Mickey.

One place we hadn’t checked out yet was Diversions. Seems each time we had passed by earlier in the cruise there was something going on in there (DVC gathering, then the FSU game). I am so glad we stopped here! Mom saw the checker boards and did a happy dance! (Mom is a huge game person, as am I.) We played a few games, each winning one, and just enjoyed the quiet surroundings.

Mom’s a happy camper!

I’m always up for a game of checkers

It was getting late in the afternoon and we had a 6:00 p.m. Palo reservation. In addition, I wanted to book a future cruise for Russ and me, and the desk would be opening at 4:00. We decided to mosey on back to the room and rest a bit before having to get ready for dinner. On our way back to the room, the Buena Vista Theatre happened to be open, even though no shows were playing. I, of course, took that opportunity to snap a few shots!

Buena Vista Theatre

When we arrived back to our stateroom, the Carnival ship next to us was finally fully into its slot, but thankfully it didn’t block our view of Nassau!

Next up: Palo! Pirates! Piano!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Hi, Cindy! I just came across your report and am loving it so far!! It's so nice to see you and your Mom having a great vacation together! You both seem like such fun, happy-go-lucky people! I can't wait to read more!

 

[iloverags2]

Palo! Pirates! Piano!

Mom decided she was going to hang out on the verandah while I made a trip to the Future Cruises Desk. Since it was scheduled to open at 4:00, I decided to leave the room a few minutes to four. Get this! A couple was already being assisted at the desk, and two more people (well, a guy and another couple) were ahead of me! Ack! My plans to be back and get ready for Palo might be foiled! Especially when the guy who was alone was up to the plate. Seriously, this dude took forever! I’m not sure what his big contemplations were, but he was jotting down all sorts of things. Then to top it off, he walked off without booking anything! Seriously? Oy! So much time wasted (at least for me!). Thankfully the couple ahead of me knew what they were looking for, and although had to move dates around a bit, were able to make their booking in a reasonable amount of time. My plans were to book as far out in 2010 as possible with the intention of rebooking for the Dream once that becomes available. The CM confirmed I could do this, although she did mention there would be blackout cruises for the discount and OBC. Fine with me. I just want to sail on the Dream – I’m not picky about when. I was booked and deposit paid in no time.

Stitch wandered by the desk as us future cruisers were waiting to book

Up I dashed to the room and had plenty of time to get ready for our 6:00 dinner. Mom brought with a nice pants outfit rather than something all-out fancy, so that pretty much sealed the fate of one of the four dresses/outfits I had brought with for Palo. Now, about the other three. Decisions, decisions! I tried all three on, getting opinions from Mom on each, before finally settling on the same exact dress and shoes I wore last time I dined at Palo on my last cruise!

Mom ready for Palo

Cindy ready for Palo

Entrance to Palo

I love these masks at the entrance

We had a lovely seat right by the front window, which unfortunately you cannot see in this picture

For those of you who have never had the opportunity to eat at Palo, all I have to say is, “Make it an opportunity!” This is seriously one of the best meals I have ever had. The food is fabulous, and the service outstanding! Our server for the evening was Michael (from the Philippines), who was an absolute sweetheart. His knowledge of the menu was incredible, and his sweet demeanor just made us feel like we were meeting up with an old friend again. He noted Mom’s special anniversary on this cruise, and mentioned to us his mother is also a survivor! We had lovely conversations with him throughout the evening, and I didn’t even hesitate to write DCL upon our return to let them know they have a true gem in Michael.

As for the meal itself, as usual – Wow! I indulged in Asti Spumanti (yum, yum), while Mom had a glass of Cuvaison Merlot at Michael’s suggestion. (We are big Merlot fans, which he found out and knew she would love this. I have to admit, it was excellent!) Both Mom and I started off with the Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes for an appetizer, while enjoying our array of breads and spreads. Mom’s favorite was the olive spread….so not surprising! For our entrée, we both ordered alike again (and I now know where my carnivore-like ways come from) and had the Beef Tenderloin Palo. Michael decided to bring both the Red Wine Sauce and the Gorgonzola Sauce out on the side so we could each try both. We agreed the Gorgonzola Sauce was the far better one of the two. Dessert time rolled around, and I had already discussed with Mom we would order three and split them since I can’t decide between the three, and knew Mom would love all of them. Chocolate Souffle, Chocolate Amaretto Indulgence (my favorite), and Panna Cotta (a close second for me). Mom agreed with me regarding the Chocolate Amaretto Indulgence being the best of the three, but also agreed it is impossibly difficult to decide between the three! Our meal was topped off with Palo’s famous Lemon Sorbet and vodka (with a splash of sparkling wine) shot. Love this!!! Mom gave this a huge thumbs-up also.

After our yummy dinner, we decided there was no way we were going to attempt a double-dip at Parrot Cay (our rotation dinner for the night), so it was a good thing we ate lunch at PC after embarking at Port Canaveral. Mom wasn’t totally keen on seeing the Toy Story show (and having never seen the movie, I didn’t feel she would be missing much anyway). Both of us had wanted to swim in the Quiet Cove pool at some point, and with it being around 8:30 we felt this would be a good time to check it out. Sure enough, not only was it a good time, it was the PERFECT time! There was no one else in the pool, and three people in the hot tubs. The water was absolutely perfect, and the slight rolling of the ship made for some fun waves in the pool!

Forgot to put change the camera settings before taking pics, but here is Mom getting ready to “jump” in

Cindy totally ready to “dive” in

We spent a few minutes in the hot tub after the pool, although the water in our hot tub was only lukewarm. Suited us fine! We love the hot tubs, but not so crazy about hot water! LOL The air temperature must have been perfect because once out of the water, we didn’t feel the need to run for our towels for warmth! At this point, Mom was still in awe over the CM who found towels for us when we first arrived at the pool. We didn’t see any out and I wasn’t sure where they were located, but a CM happened to be passing by right at that moment. I believe he was from one of the bars, as his costume had a bartender look to it. Anyway, he said he didn’t know where they were, but he would certainly find them. At that moment he had us follow him to the cabinet where they are kept (ha ha, he didn’t know where they are!), and as my Mom tells it, “Not only did he walk us over there, but he took the towels out and handed them to us. He didn’t just point at the cabinet, he actually got them! They really know all about service!” (Mom was thoroughly impressed with the level of service we received throughout our entire cruise!)

Back to the evening now, and back to the room we went. Tonight was pirates night, and we needed to change quickly in order to find a good spot on Deck 10 for the festivities. Mom was tiring out, but she wanted to see the fireworks. I had hoped we would find a few chairs up on deck, but by the time we arrived, there were none to be had! Thankfully the Pirates party began shortly after we arrived, and we did find a spot to stand near the railing where a rather large cabinet was situated next to it. This at least gave Mom something to lean on while the party went on in full groove! Mom totally loved how the characters came into the crowd to dance, and was amazed at how cruisers really showed restraint with them. Mickey eventually swooshed in to save the day, although this time he didn’t fly down the cable between the smokestacks – bummer! He appeared amongst our crowd on Deck 10 (don’t know how I missed his arrival), and he eventually “flew” down the stairs behind the stage to bring the pirates under control. And then – fireworks! It still amazes me how Disney sets these off from the ship, and how close they are; one of my favorite moments on a Disney cruise!

The start of the Pirates in the Caribbean Party

Good Pirates

Minnie dancing up a storm

Goofy getting’ down with it

Bad Pirates

Fireworks!

With Mickey saving the day, we felt safe to journey further on the ship. Mom really wanted to check out the Cadillac Lounge and piano player, and tonight was Sinatra night so off we went! We had pretty much left the Pirate Party right after the fireworks, and were able to find a good table in the lounge right off the bat. Finally, I was able to order my Margarita! (On the rocks, no salt, please!) I must say, the singer/piano player (and I’ll be darned if I can remember his name) was pretty impressive. He had Sinatra’s intonation down good. Our intentions weren’t to sit through the entire set, but we did! And by the time we left, the place was pretty full!

At this point, we were ready to call it a night. Mom and I still had thoughts of a slumber party in our heads (we often refer to nights spent chatting and giggling as slumber parties). Again, with towel animals in place, and Ann sitting amongst them (if I haven’t mentioned before, this is an Ann Russ gave to me – she travels with me whenever he isn’t with).

Puppy dog!

We enjoyed one last look at the moon before finally settling in for the night

Next Up: Paradise Found!

 

[okwminnie]

Great trip report and pictures! I can tell that you and your Mom are having a great time!

 

[iloverags2]

I finally figured out how to reply to multiple quotes in one reply! (Little things like this excite me! )

Great report! I was hoping you'd get your verandah! Yeah!

Great start. Congrats on scoring the last verandah!

Thanks! I was insanely thrilled getting the verandah for Mom! I just knew she would love having it!

Wonderful first day report! Love the pics.

How nice that they made note of your mother's anniversary.

It was definitely a nice touch they noted Mom's anniversary! Truly a wonderful celebration!

Hi, Cindy! I just came across your report and am loving it so far!! It's so nice to see you and your Mom having a great vacation together! You both seem like such fun, happy-go-lucky people! I can't wait to read more!

Thanks! We tend to go with the flow! I'm trying to talk her into coming with on my next cruise in December.

Great trip report and pictures! I can tell that you and your Mom are having a great time!

My sisters both have mentioned how she just raved about the cruise for weeks after she returned home!

 

[UGAFan0829]

Wow, what a wonderful evening...First Palo, then a swim in the Quiet Cove pool followed by fireworks at sea--it doesn't get much better than that.
Your Mom looked really nice in her pants suit, and I have to say that I LOVED your dress!!
I hope your Mom decides to join you again in December!!
Can't wait for more!

 

[kittychatalot]

Subscribing to the fun!

 

[Señor DonDuck]

So many great pics around and out of the ship! Palo experience sounded soooooo good.

 

[bld disney]

We were on this cruise too! It was a wonderful time! You're bringing back good memories!!

 

[iloverags2]

Wow, what a wonderful evening...First Palo, then a swim in the Quiet Cove pool followed by fireworks at sea--it doesn't get much better than that.
Your Mom looked really nice in her pants suit, and I have to say that I LOVED your dress!!
I hope your Mom decides to join you again in December!!
Can't wait for more!

Thanks! That dress is so insanely comfortable! Needless to say, I was happy to choose it again.

So many great pics around and out of the ship! Palo experience sounded soooooo good.

Palo was incredible! Even better than I had remembered, and I remembered it was incredible previously too!

We were on this cruise too! It was a wonderful time! You're bringing back good memories!!

How cool is that! Did you do anything in Nassau?

 

[iloverags2]

Subscribing to the fun!

Glad to have you onboard!