October 15 - October 22...Read Me (Now with more pictures)!!
- Thread starter oybolshoi
- Start date
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Greetings one and all, and thanks for stopping by! Join me now for a re-telling of a fabulous vacation...but I should warn you - I am truthful in these reports and that means you will read both good and bad. If you're looking for sugar-coated endorsements of all things Disney, this is not the thread for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for honesty, humor, and detail you've come to the right place!! 
Let's get started, shall we? I'll keep updating this thread, so if you want to read more about our trip just keep checking back - I'll try to update at least once a day.
The Cast - DH (Jason - 35) and me (Brenda - 36)
Pre-Cruise...10/13
We arrived in Orlando early Thursday afternoon to humidity and light rain...flight was packed and Florida Tours was late picking us up from the airport because the traffic was crappy. Our already tight schedule for the day was squeezing ever tighter...thank goodness for yoga pants.
We stayed at Portofino Bay Hotel over at the Universal Studios Resort this year - wanted to try something a little different. WOW! What an incredibly gorgeous hotel property. The attention to detail was amazing - I really felt like I could have been staying in a quiet Italian fishing village...until that drunken group of conventioneers barfed into the lake while we were enjoying a smooth voyage back from CityWalk.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself... We had a villa room that overlooked the hotel's fabulous villa pool which we unfortunately didn't have time to use on this trip. The room was lovely and large, the bathroom was great - spacious, lots of marble, separate bath and shower (that always makes me happy!), and the location was ideal - very close to the elevators that took us right to the lake area with the boat launches and restaurants.
Immediately after arriving we had to rush over to the Mandara Spa (don't you wish you all had that problem? ) for our 3PM appointments. We were a few minutes late and had called concierge from the airport to have them notify the spa manager about our transportation predicament but apparently there was a failure to communicate somewhere along the way and the spa front desk was a little...frosty...at first. 
No matter...we were soon whisked away for two hours of unbelievable bliss. I booked the hot stone massage and coconut milk body scrub / wrap for myself. Jason had a gentleman's spa package - a facial and a swedish massage.
The hot stone was the best massage I have ever had. I'm one of those people who's always cold so the sheer pleasure I experienced from this treatment can probably be best described as such: picture a lizard splayed out on a flat, hot rock under a blazing sun...its little feet curling randomly while it dozes... that was me. I am the lizard queen!!
The only downside was that once it was over the treatment room was freezing cold and it was hard for me to enjoy my wrap until I was buried under several pounds of blankets. But then I got to drown myself in a hot shower followed by a catnap in the sauna....ahhhhh.
Met up with the hubby who also enjoyed his pampering and we grabbed a quick snack at Sal's deli. Then it was time to get ready for our dinner at Emeril's. We'd been looking forward to this dinner since we ate at NOLA back in April and we were not disappointed. We decided to try the Degustation Menu...with the wine pairings, of course! For you, my dear readers, here is the tasting menu we got to try that evening and it was yummy:
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat w/Fire Roasted Corn, Apple Smoked Bacon Lardons, Frisee and Herb Vinaigrette - paired with Fume Blance, Ferrari Carano
Yellow Tail "Snapper Rome" with Seafood Bechamel, Cauliflower and Fingerling Potatoes - paired with Chardonnay 'Arthur,' Domaine Drouhin
Veal Marcelle - Paneed Veal w/Crabmeat, Asparagus and Hollandaise - paired with Chianti Classico, Coltibuono
Pan Seared Rib Eye Steak w/Serrano Ham-Artichoke Saute', Chanterelle Mushroom Reduction and Black Olive Tapanade - paired with Tempranillo, Dolium
Mango Orange Cheese Cake served w/ Macerated Berries, Dark Chocolate Shavings and Chantilly Cream
I also order a Grand Marnier Souffle because quite frankly I thought the above dessert sounded revolting. The souffle was to die for... and we each had cappucino with dessert.
Waddled out of the restaurant into the teeming wildlife that is CityWalk during Halloween Horror Nights...a much different crowd than we are accustomed to at the Mousetrap but highly entertaining. We come down quickly from our food-induced euphoria when we discover that our beloved Cardinals are losing to the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the NLCS and decide that it is best to return to the room where we can mourn in private.
Tomorrow (the 14th) is going to be a busy day... Islands of Adventure...Hard Rock Cafe...Halloween Horror Nights...Universal Studios... we are going to earn our cruise relaxation points!
Let's get started, shall we? I'll keep updating this thread, so if you want to read more about our trip just keep checking back - I'll try to update at least once a day.
The Cast - DH (Jason - 35) and me (Brenda - 36)
Pre-Cruise...10/13
We arrived in Orlando early Thursday afternoon to humidity and light rain...flight was packed and Florida Tours was late picking us up from the airport because the traffic was crappy. Our already tight schedule for the day was squeezing ever tighter...thank goodness for yoga pants.
We stayed at Portofino Bay Hotel over at the Universal Studios Resort this year - wanted to try something a little different. WOW! What an incredibly gorgeous hotel property. The attention to detail was amazing - I really felt like I could have been staying in a quiet Italian fishing village...until that drunken group of conventioneers barfed into the lake while we were enjoying a smooth voyage back from CityWalk.
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself... We had a villa room that overlooked the hotel's fabulous villa pool which we unfortunately didn't have time to use on this trip. The room was lovely and large, the bathroom was great - spacious, lots of marble, separate bath and shower (that always makes me happy!), and the location was ideal - very close to the elevators that took us right to the lake area with the boat launches and restaurants.
Immediately after arriving we had to rush over to the Mandara Spa (don't you wish you all had that problem?
) for our 3PM appointments. We were a few minutes late and had called concierge from the airport to have them notify the spa manager about our transportation predicament but apparently there was a failure to communicate somewhere along the way and the spa front desk was a little...frosty...at first. No matter...we were soon whisked away for two hours of unbelievable bliss. I booked the hot stone massage and coconut milk body scrub / wrap for myself. Jason had a gentleman's spa package - a facial and a swedish massage. The hot stone was the best massage I have ever had. I'm one of those people who's always cold so the sheer pleasure I experienced from this treatment can probably be best described as such: picture a lizard splayed out on a flat, hot rock under a blazing sun...its little feet curling randomly while it dozes... that was me. I am the lizard queen!!
The only downside was that once it was over the treatment room was freezing cold and it was hard for me to enjoy my wrap until I was buried under several pounds of blankets. But then I got to drown myself in a hot shower followed by a catnap in the sauna....ahhhhh.
Met up with the hubby who also enjoyed his pampering and we grabbed a quick snack at Sal's deli. Then it was time to get ready for our dinner at Emeril's. We'd been looking forward to this dinner since we ate at NOLA back in April and we were not disappointed. We decided to try the Degustation Menu...with the wine pairings, of course! For you, my dear readers, here is the tasting menu we got to try that evening and it was yummy:
Jumbo Lump Crabmeat w/Fire Roasted Corn, Apple Smoked Bacon Lardons, Frisee and Herb Vinaigrette - paired with Fume Blance, Ferrari Carano
Yellow Tail "Snapper Rome" with Seafood Bechamel, Cauliflower and Fingerling Potatoes - paired with Chardonnay 'Arthur,' Domaine Drouhin
Veal Marcelle - Paneed Veal w/Crabmeat, Asparagus and Hollandaise - paired with Chianti Classico, Coltibuono
Pan Seared Rib Eye Steak w/Serrano Ham-Artichoke Saute', Chanterelle Mushroom Reduction and Black Olive Tapanade - paired with Tempranillo, Dolium
Mango Orange Cheese Cake served w/ Macerated Berries, Dark Chocolate Shavings and Chantilly Cream
I also order a Grand Marnier Souffle because quite frankly I thought the above dessert sounded revolting. The souffle was to die for... and we each had cappucino with dessert.
Waddled out of the restaurant into the teeming wildlife that is CityWalk during Halloween Horror Nights...a much different crowd than we are accustomed to at the Mousetrap but highly entertaining. We come down quickly from our food-induced euphoria when we discover that our beloved Cardinals are losing to the Houston Astros in Game 2 of the NLCS and decide that it is best to return to the room where we can mourn in private.
Tomorrow (the 14th) is going to be a busy day... Islands of Adventure...Hard Rock Cafe...Halloween Horror Nights...Universal Studios... we are going to earn our cruise relaxation points!
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Welcome to Friday, October 14th... lots to do!!
We have the bed and breakfast package at Portofino so once we pull ourselves together we wander down to Trattoria (or whatever it was called) around 9AM and partake of their breakfast buffet. It's a smaller buffet than what we are accustomed to seeing at WDW and on DCL but for this reason I think it actually tastes better. The sausages are especially tasty and the fruit...I'd forgotten how good the fruit is this time of year in the southern states. Here in Missouri you can still purchase strawberries in the fall but they taste like straw instead of berry. I gorge on fruit for breakfast while Jason takes the Homer Simpson approach and tries to eat all seven weekly servings of pork in one meal.
Time for fun!! We catch the launch over to CityWalk and head for Islands of Adventure (we'd been to Universal back in 1996 but wow - have things changed since then!). First thing I noticed is that they are not checking bags, purses, etc as people come through the gates...this strikes me as rather odd considering how you can barely use a public restroom without getting frisked since 9/11. I also notice that IoA does not appear to have an adequate number of gates for the crowds given our wait time to enter the park...and this is in October. I shudder to think of the wait during the high season... and all gates were open as far as we could tell.
We're in!! Success!! First impressions - interesting theme...cool design...much smaller than we expected. Since we have the most excellent hotel fast pass we turn to the right and tour the park starting in Seuss Landing. We were delighted with this area - it was perfectly done! All the colors and whimsy and fun you'd expect from Dr. Seuss...and we went on every ride in this section and had a blast. Also got my picture taken with the Grinch who stole my squishee in true "Grinchie" fashion...it's good to know that success hasn't spoiled him.
From here we get to the guts of IoA...time for some thrills. We ride Dueling Dragons...way cool roller coaster...and at first we think it's the best one we've ever ridden on until we ride the Hulk. Wow! Hulk wins hands down even though I had to leave everything in a locker (including my glasses) and ride totally blind. I bet Jason never thought he'd end up guiding his super-nearsighted wife through an amusement park like a seeing-eye dog.
Spiderman and Doctor Doom's FearFall also get high marks...actually all the rides at IoA were a blast but we were suprised that we had made the circuit by about 1PM...guess we're just used to the size of the Disney parks.
We decide this would be a good time to head over to the Hard Rock for a late lunch. We have an All Access card so we don't have to wait in line for a table - also, we've earned enough All Access points over the last two years to completely cover the cost of lunch. Yeah, baby! Of course, now that we're here we must purchase more pins...one of the cool things HRC is doing for hurricane relief is they are selling a special guitar pin and donating the proceeds to the American Red Cross. We buy two. They also give you the option of rounding up your final bill and will donate those proceeds to the Red Cross as well - we round up because it feels like the right thing to do even though it's a small gesture. Enough small gestures like ours could result in one huge donation.
We have passes for Halloween Horror Nights and head back to IoA for Stay and Scream. We wait for the park to empty out and then around 6PM they let us loose on the haunted houses. There are seven of them total scattered around IoA and Universal - very cool and some of them are very very creepy. They also have scare zones set up between houses so as you walk through the parks there is all this fog and creepy music and people jump out at you or sneak up behind you to scare the S*** out of you. Very effective once the sun goes down. This is definitely not MNSSHP! And I say that based not only on the setting and atmosphere but on the crowd and amount of alcohol being consumed. Oh, my!
We had a blast going through all the houses and we were thrilled that we had the chance to get over to Universal to check out some stuff there as well. By the time we left at 9PM we were exhausted (and we had a cruise to get ready for!!) and just a little uncomfortable. A very big crowd, lots of drinking, lots of agressiveness...next year we're headed back to Mickey's party. On the way out...guess what! METAL DETECTORS set up at the gates as people were coming in for the event... and more police than I have ever seen at any amusement park, ever. And the people were just pouring in...where on earth did they put them all?
It's close to 10PM by the time we get back to the room and get cleaned up. We're two tired middle aged children and we sleep hard...gotta get ready to cruise with Mickey on the morrow!
Next up...Embarkation Day...Will the Magic be at Port Canaveral? Will there be a weather disruption on this cruise? And just how much alcohol can Brenda and Jason put away in a 10-hour timespan?
We have the bed and breakfast package at Portofino so once we pull ourselves together we wander down to Trattoria (or whatever it was called) around 9AM and partake of their breakfast buffet. It's a smaller buffet than what we are accustomed to seeing at WDW and on DCL but for this reason I think it actually tastes better. The sausages are especially tasty and the fruit...I'd forgotten how good the fruit is this time of year in the southern states. Here in Missouri you can still purchase strawberries in the fall but they taste like straw instead of berry. I gorge on fruit for breakfast while Jason takes the Homer Simpson approach and tries to eat all seven weekly servings of pork in one meal.
Time for fun!! We catch the launch over to CityWalk and head for Islands of Adventure (we'd been to Universal back in 1996 but wow - have things changed since then!). First thing I noticed is that they are not checking bags, purses, etc as people come through the gates...this strikes me as rather odd considering how you can barely use a public restroom without getting frisked since 9/11. I also notice that IoA does not appear to have an adequate number of gates for the crowds given our wait time to enter the park...and this is in October. I shudder to think of the wait during the high season... and all gates were open as far as we could tell.
We're in!! Success!! First impressions - interesting theme...cool design...much smaller than we expected. Since we have the most excellent hotel fast pass we turn to the right and tour the park starting in Seuss Landing. We were delighted with this area - it was perfectly done! All the colors and whimsy and fun you'd expect from Dr. Seuss...and we went on every ride in this section and had a blast. Also got my picture taken with the Grinch who stole my squishee in true "Grinchie" fashion...it's good to know that success hasn't spoiled him.
From here we get to the guts of IoA...time for some thrills. We ride Dueling Dragons...way cool roller coaster...and at first we think it's the best one we've ever ridden on until we ride the Hulk. Wow! Hulk wins hands down even though I had to leave everything in a locker (including my glasses) and ride totally blind. I bet Jason never thought he'd end up guiding his super-nearsighted wife through an amusement park like a seeing-eye dog.
Spiderman and Doctor Doom's FearFall also get high marks...actually all the rides at IoA were a blast but we were suprised that we had made the circuit by about 1PM...guess we're just used to the size of the Disney parks.
We decide this would be a good time to head over to the Hard Rock for a late lunch. We have an All Access card so we don't have to wait in line for a table - also, we've earned enough All Access points over the last two years to completely cover the cost of lunch. Yeah, baby! Of course, now that we're here we must purchase more pins...one of the cool things HRC is doing for hurricane relief is they are selling a special guitar pin and donating the proceeds to the American Red Cross. We buy two. They also give you the option of rounding up your final bill and will donate those proceeds to the Red Cross as well - we round up because it feels like the right thing to do even though it's a small gesture. Enough small gestures like ours could result in one huge donation.
We have passes for Halloween Horror Nights and head back to IoA for Stay and Scream. We wait for the park to empty out and then around 6PM they let us loose on the haunted houses. There are seven of them total scattered around IoA and Universal - very cool and some of them are very very creepy. They also have scare zones set up between houses so as you walk through the parks there is all this fog and creepy music and people jump out at you or sneak up behind you to scare the S*** out of you. Very effective once the sun goes down. This is definitely not MNSSHP! And I say that based not only on the setting and atmosphere but on the crowd and amount of alcohol being consumed. Oh, my!
We had a blast going through all the houses and we were thrilled that we had the chance to get over to Universal to check out some stuff there as well. By the time we left at 9PM we were exhausted (and we had a cruise to get ready for!!) and just a little uncomfortable. A very big crowd, lots of drinking, lots of agressiveness...next year we're headed back to Mickey's party. On the way out...guess what! METAL DETECTORS set up at the gates as people were coming in for the event... and more police than I have ever seen at any amusement park, ever. And the people were just pouring in...where on earth did they put them all?
It's close to 10PM by the time we get back to the room and get cleaned up. We're two tired middle aged children and we sleep hard...gotta get ready to cruise with Mickey on the morrow!
Next up...Embarkation Day...Will the Magic be at Port Canaveral? Will there be a weather disruption on this cruise? And just how much alcohol can Brenda and Jason put away in a 10-hour timespan?
Muushka
<font color=red>I usually feel like I just stepped
- Joined
- Aug 16, 1999
- Messages
- 13,845
We have not been to USF/IoA in almost 2 years. I think we may have to cash in our AP voucher and get there this December. I really need to get on Hulk and Dueling Dragons. You reminded me of that!
Love your writing style, more more more!!!
Love your writing style, more more more!!!
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Saturday October 15 - Embarkation Day!!
The long awaited day is here! And it seems only fitting that if yesterday was all about not having to wait, today will be about hurrying up to wait...testing Brenda's too obvious impatience and Jason's severely repressed impatience resulting in a potentially volatile mixture of "Just how much alcohol do I have to pour down your throat to get you to relax ?
We're up early...we have to re-pack, tag the luggage, and indulge my anal planning nature which means that we are so organized as to be unorganized. I might as well be talking to myself when I ask such questions as: Where did I put the cruise docs; Have you seen the passports; Where is my Goofy dressed like Mickey Mouse pin for my lanyard; and perhaps the most important...did you take my vicodin???
Jason's response: What's the phone number to Busch Stadium so that we can each call to order World Series tickets and aren't you ready for breakfast yet?
Food is a good idea so we head back down to Trattoria. It is a glorious morning and eating outdoors seems like a good idea at the time. Problem number one: We were apparently seated in the "these-people-actually-only-showed-up-to-watch-everyone-else-have-breakfast-not-actually-eat" section on the patio. Problem number two: Have you ever seen The Birds? I need say no more.
After about twenty minutes of the "invisible couple" treatment and then watching a family seated right next to us get waited on almost as soon as their collective butts touch the chairs I am fuming...I grab the first warm body I see and explain the situation using very short sentences. What a nice young lady (and Jason says I actually was pretty nice, too!)... we have coffee and water and silverware shortly thereafter and leave to pillage the buffet. I am too wound up to eat much and nibble some fruit and a rather dry biscuit...Jason decides to lay off the pork today in anticipation of glorious seafood once aboard the Magic...we never actually see our waiter but we do see plenty of birds dive-bombing tables and snatching food off of unguarded plates. We speculate that the waiter may have been carried off by one of the larger birds to serve as food for her young...based on our level of non-service we decide this may not be such a bad thing.
We wander the grounds a bit taking some pictures and trying to get decent cell phone reception to call St. Louis for baseball tickets. Looking back on it now this exercise in cellular baseball futility is very funny on many levels - but at the time it was deadly serious...never interfere with a Cardinals fan and his / her desperate efforts to purchase post-season tickets!
**We never were able to purchase tickets, by the way, which is just as well seeing how things turned out.**
By 10:45 AM we have checked out and are waiting under the hotel's front portico with zillions of other guests who are also leaving today. Because I must always find something to worry about I wonder aloud how the Florida Tours driver will see us with so many other cars and people milling around. Jason's response is to keep hitting the re-dial button on both our cell-phones. Never fear...the driver shows up five minutes later, marvels silently at the amount of luggage required by two childless, middle-aged baseball dorks, and we are on our way!!!
My thoughts on the last two days: 1) Loved Portofino Bay and would very much like to come back to stay and enjoy the property without the rush of going to IoA and Universal; 2) Must spend more time at the spa; 3) Drunk conventioneers are very much the same no matter where you see them; and 4) I still like WDW better.
The drive to Port Canaveral is smooth and uneventful...then the worry bug bites again. About 10 miles from our exit I look over at Jason and give him that "You're going to think I'm an idiot but I have to verbalize this" smile that he knows so well. I remind him that the Magic has been in drydock since the beginning of the month and that we have been out of touch since Wednesday night...what if the ship were delayed and we pull into PC and the Magic isn't there???? What if we were supposed to board somewhere else and DCL tried contacting us at home but couldn't reach us because we were gone???
Jason, bless his wonderful heart, says, "This trip involves a ship?"
I get it: Knock it off. Breathe. Take a pill. Relax. This is supposed to be fun, damm it!
And then...there she is...rising up against the horizon...big and beautiful and I didn't know just how much I missed this experience until I was bouncing around in the back seat trying to take pictures through the window and completely blocking the driver's view.
OK..brace yourselves...potentially negative commentary is coming...
See...based on our experiences last year I made sure we didn't get to the terminal until after noon...thinking that by the time we checked in the bulk of the early arrivals would already have boarded the ship...
But due to several issues...late arrival at PC, unsatisfactory levels of cleanlieness (I mean the ship, not us!!), DCL's attempt at trying a new boarding process...a seething mass of cruisers was packing ever-tighter into the cruise terminal and we weren't being allowed on the ship. We had wine and fruit and cheese waiting in our room, but we wondered about people who were going to want to eat at the buffets...would they still be open by the time we were allowed on board? And I had really hoped to get to the pool before the lifeboat drill...would the sun still be shining by the time I could put on my suit?
Luckily for all of us they started boarding around 1PM. Jason and I were boarding group 7 and we were on the ship and in our room by 1:30PM. Not what we planned but still acceptable.
Comments - the boarding process with designated groups did not work well, probably for two reasons: 1) Late boarding had everyone itching to get on the ship and most of us were crowded together in an effort to be the first in our group to get through those mouse ears, and 2) DCL was not really ready for the new boarding process. Their speaker system was crap - the only way anyone knew that their group was boarding was because a cast member was holding up fingers for people to see and then people in the crowd would tell each other which group was up. No one could hear any announcements over the public address system.
No embarkation pictures! We didn't have one last year so we really wanted to get one this year. Guess what! When we went through the boarding area after they swiped our KTTW cards the backdrop was up and there were no photographers anywhere - someone later told us that they were unprepared because of dry dock. Sounds like a lame excuse to me, especially because I did see some embarkation photos in Shutters later that weekend. But we shrugged it off thinking there would be plenty of other photo ops during the week...and there were but then again there weren't (aren't you intrigued now? You'll have to come back for more just to find out what that comment means!! )
Oh dear...I have a meeting to go to. I will have to post part two of Lemme on that Ship later this evening. Thanks for reading so far - hope you're enjoying the weird travels of Jason and Brenda.
The long awaited day is here! And it seems only fitting that if yesterday was all about not having to wait, today will be about hurrying up to wait...testing Brenda's too obvious impatience and Jason's severely repressed impatience resulting in a potentially volatile mixture of "Just how much alcohol do I have to pour down your throat to get you to relax ?
We're up early...we have to re-pack, tag the luggage, and indulge my anal planning nature which means that we are so organized as to be unorganized. I might as well be talking to myself when I ask such questions as: Where did I put the cruise docs; Have you seen the passports; Where is my Goofy dressed like Mickey Mouse pin for my lanyard; and perhaps the most important...did you take my vicodin???
Jason's response: What's the phone number to Busch Stadium so that we can each call to order World Series tickets and aren't you ready for breakfast yet?
Food is a good idea so we head back down to Trattoria. It is a glorious morning and eating outdoors seems like a good idea at the time. Problem number one: We were apparently seated in the "these-people-actually-only-showed-up-to-watch-everyone-else-have-breakfast-not-actually-eat" section on the patio. Problem number two: Have you ever seen The Birds? I need say no more.
After about twenty minutes of the "invisible couple" treatment and then watching a family seated right next to us get waited on almost as soon as their collective butts touch the chairs I am fuming...I grab the first warm body I see and explain the situation using very short sentences. What a nice young lady (and Jason says I actually was pretty nice, too!)... we have coffee and water and silverware shortly thereafter and leave to pillage the buffet. I am too wound up to eat much and nibble some fruit and a rather dry biscuit...Jason decides to lay off the pork today in anticipation of glorious seafood once aboard the Magic...we never actually see our waiter but we do see plenty of birds dive-bombing tables and snatching food off of unguarded plates. We speculate that the waiter may have been carried off by one of the larger birds to serve as food for her young...based on our level of non-service we decide this may not be such a bad thing.
We wander the grounds a bit taking some pictures and trying to get decent cell phone reception to call St. Louis for baseball tickets. Looking back on it now this exercise in cellular baseball futility is very funny on many levels - but at the time it was deadly serious...never interfere with a Cardinals fan and his / her desperate efforts to purchase post-season tickets!
**We never were able to purchase tickets, by the way, which is just as well seeing how things turned out.**
By 10:45 AM we have checked out and are waiting under the hotel's front portico with zillions of other guests who are also leaving today. Because I must always find something to worry about I wonder aloud how the Florida Tours driver will see us with so many other cars and people milling around. Jason's response is to keep hitting the re-dial button on both our cell-phones. Never fear...the driver shows up five minutes later, marvels silently at the amount of luggage required by two childless, middle-aged baseball dorks, and we are on our way!!!
My thoughts on the last two days: 1) Loved Portofino Bay and would very much like to come back to stay and enjoy the property without the rush of going to IoA and Universal; 2) Must spend more time at the spa; 3) Drunk conventioneers are very much the same no matter where you see them; and 4) I still like WDW better.
The drive to Port Canaveral is smooth and uneventful...then the worry bug bites again. About 10 miles from our exit I look over at Jason and give him that "You're going to think I'm an idiot but I have to verbalize this" smile that he knows so well. I remind him that the Magic has been in drydock since the beginning of the month and that we have been out of touch since Wednesday night...what if the ship were delayed and we pull into PC and the Magic isn't there???? What if we were supposed to board somewhere else and DCL tried contacting us at home but couldn't reach us because we were gone???
Jason, bless his wonderful heart, says, "This trip involves a ship?"
I get it: Knock it off. Breathe. Take a pill. Relax. This is supposed to be fun, damm it!
And then...there she is...rising up against the horizon...big and beautiful and I didn't know just how much I missed this experience until I was bouncing around in the back seat trying to take pictures through the window and completely blocking the driver's view.
OK..brace yourselves...potentially negative commentary is coming...
See...based on our experiences last year I made sure we didn't get to the terminal until after noon...thinking that by the time we checked in the bulk of the early arrivals would already have boarded the ship...
But due to several issues...late arrival at PC, unsatisfactory levels of cleanlieness (I mean the ship, not us!!), DCL's attempt at trying a new boarding process...a seething mass of cruisers was packing ever-tighter into the cruise terminal and we weren't being allowed on the ship. We had wine and fruit and cheese waiting in our room, but we wondered about people who were going to want to eat at the buffets...would they still be open by the time we were allowed on board? And I had really hoped to get to the pool before the lifeboat drill...would the sun still be shining by the time I could put on my suit?
Luckily for all of us they started boarding around 1PM. Jason and I were boarding group 7 and we were on the ship and in our room by 1:30PM. Not what we planned but still acceptable.
Comments - the boarding process with designated groups did not work well, probably for two reasons: 1) Late boarding had everyone itching to get on the ship and most of us were crowded together in an effort to be the first in our group to get through those mouse ears, and 2) DCL was not really ready for the new boarding process. Their speaker system was crap - the only way anyone knew that their group was boarding was because a cast member was holding up fingers for people to see and then people in the crowd would tell each other which group was up. No one could hear any announcements over the public address system.
No embarkation pictures! We didn't have one last year so we really wanted to get one this year. Guess what! When we went through the boarding area after they swiped our KTTW cards the backdrop was up and there were no photographers anywhere - someone later told us that they were unprepared because of dry dock. Sounds like a lame excuse to me, especially because I did see some embarkation photos in Shutters later that weekend. But we shrugged it off thinking there would be plenty of other photo ops during the week...and there were but then again there weren't (aren't you intrigued now? You'll have to come back for more just to find out what that comment means!!
)Oh dear...I have a meeting to go to. I will have to post part two of Lemme on that Ship later this evening. Thanks for reading so far - hope you're enjoying the weird travels of Jason and Brenda.
d'Isigny
WDW/DCL Dreaming
- Joined
- Dec 19, 1999
- Messages
- 888
oybolshoi said:
FIRST Brenda...you rock!!! Thanks for the time you are taking to write this trip report. Love your writing style...
I have to agree with you that the test boarding process was quite a challenge. We were one of the families that pulled up to the terminal just after 10:30 (maybe 10:35). I dropped the family off at port before returning the van to Hertz. My DW received a number 4 boarding card (yes, FOUR) and felt there were only 10-12 groups that arrived ahead of us. Boarding was open 20-30 (painful) minutes before we were allowed to get in line to enter the ship. This was a little discouraging to us...we worked our butts off getting out of the condo to be at port early.
I would have applauded DCL for using this system IF; 1) boarding pass numbers were offered in order of your arrival to the ship, 2) the PA system needed to be MUCH louder a megaphone would have been more appropriate tacky...yes - but we would have heard the announcements, 3) people were encouraged to stay away from the embarkation entry area (mickey ears) till their group or the one before them was called.
I still give a shout out to DCL for trying something to enhance our cruise. This program still has merit. Id love to see this fine-tuned...having someone from your party in line all morning sucked.
Kevin
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Apologies for not finishing this post up yesterday...work got in the way and I didn't make it home until after 8PM last night...just didn't have the energy to do justice to this incredible trip report!
Also, I agree with Kevin that DCL deserves some applause for trying something new...as time goes by I think the new boarding process will work much more smoothly.
And now...for our irregularly scheduled update....
When last you joined us, our intrepid childless travelers had just boarded the Disney Magic after enduring a wait filled with such worrisome issues as: What type of fru-fru drink should we try at the pool; Do you think we'll be able to watch the baseball game this afternoon; and, Did that kid just sneeze on me??
We cross the walkway grinning at each other like idiots and then...we have arrived! We're in the Magic's three-story atrium lobby and it is just as beautiful as I remember it from last year. The light is bouncing off that funky blown glass sculpture hanging from the ceiling, some weird character I don't recognize from a movie I've never seen is standing off to the side of the staircase while small children clamor for autographs, and overall good cheer just radiates from the cast members. They announce our family of two (I'll have to remind the mother-in-law that Disney thinks we're a family even though we don't have kids...but I'll stop now or this will become a rant) and a warm comber of applause washes over us. We wave to our adoring audience of three - I can't remember the last time Jason and I were on the receiving end of so much approval. Oh, wait...yes I can. It was Thursday evening at the Mandara spa right after I said, "just charge it."
Well...what to do? Our Palo reservations and shore excursions were made on-line, as were certain spa treatments that shouldn't be discussed in polite company until the sun dips below the horizon. We decide to check out our stateroom on deck 8...for the next seven nights cabin 8578 will be home and we're anxious to see it. We have no problems finding our way around the ship...after last year's trip we're pros. It sounds corny, especially coming from a cynic like me, but being on the Magic feels like coming home.
**your author apologizes for that moment of unexpected sentiment and promises to be on guard against future instances of irrational emotional displays in this trip report**
The room is ready!! First things first... make sure the bathroom is in working order! Then...open the wine and eat that yummy fruit and cheese that's been waiting for us. A bottle of Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio has been chilling and that first sip sure hits the spot....cool and light and smooth. Now for the food...I've just got to say for $24 that fruit and cheese platter could have fed a family of four. It was a veritable smorgasboard of cheesy goodness: Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss, Camambert, Brie, Blue Cheese, Herbed Cheese Spread...put all that with grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple...add some crackers...I wish I was eating it right now. A nice private lunch with the man was a good way to calm down after a rather stressful morning. Now...I must tell you that this lovely spread was sent to us by our cat - Handsome Pete. He's thoughtful like that. But check out the card he sent with it:
Thanks for leaving me behind - again. I might behave myself while you're gone, but then again I may leave a hidden delight somewhere in your bed...I haven't made up my mind yet. Try to bring back a better souvenier for me than that lame catnip cigar you picked up last year - five times more powerful than the garden variety catnip, my a**.
Happy sailing, jerks. HP
Wow! Someone was definitely not happy about being left in the care of his perfumey grandma (that's my mom, bless her heart...she drove out to our house every other day to check on Pete and then she'd go to the casino! A win-win siutation for everyone).
Jason reads the note and just looks at me.
"You." He eats a piece of cheese.
"Are." He takes a sip of wine.
"A Freak." He pops a grape in his mouth and practically chokes to death trying not to laugh.
Enough humor...you probably want to know about the room, right? We had a category 4 - originally booked a 6 last year on board but got bumped up. It was nice having a little bit of extra space and we noticed that there is less traffic in the passageways because there are fewer rooms, but otherwise I wouldn't suggest paying the extra money for a Category 4 versus a 6 unless you just really need the extra sleeping space for a 4th or 5th person. Room was clean - same decor as last year - didn't notice new towels or linens - dining tickets, excursion tickets, and on-board credit notifications were all waiting for us on the desk. The verandah was bliss and it looked like DCL got some new deck furniture. The chairs are white plastic and they recline! Ahhh...there is much relaxation to be had in these chairs.
We order a case of water from room service and load up the beverage cooler. For us this is a good deal - it's convenient and it ensures that we keep drinking the H2O. I also have to be sure that I'm getting enough water thanks to certain medications I take (and no, they're not related to any mental issues you may think I have after reading my trip reports!). Now it's time to get ready for the pool, but first we must go to the spa. See, we got this sugar-spun letter from DCL about all the exciting drydock changes and one of the things that jumped out at me was the addition of treatment suites in the spa...private treatment room, private verandah, private whirlpool...oh yeah. This sounds like something we would definitely like to experience.
D'OH moment of the day: The very suave spa manager proceeds to tell me that the treatment suites will not be ready probably for another week. He takes my name and cabin number, promising to call me if something gets finished early. I'm still waiting for that call.
Disappointment...the letter said the fitness room wouldn't be ready but sure made it sound like those suites would be. To alleviate the pain of not being able to spend even more money at the spa we purchase week-long Rainforest passes - this pleases my inner lizard and then we head to the pool to soak up some sun. There are a few hardy souls who have beaten us to the punch on this one, but not many. Weather is glorious but the water in the pool is a little chilly. I decide that we need a silly drink because that's what you're supposed to have on a cruise while you lounge at the pool - after that the lizard queen is going to boil herself in the heated whirlpool.
The bartender at Signals is very patient as I tell him all the fruity tropical drinks I don't like. He invents some sort of strawberry-banana multi-rum smoothie...this is a fine way to begin a serious vacation: Jason, sun, pool, drink...life is good.
Back to the room by 3:30 to prepare for the lifeboat drill. The luggage is beginning to arrive and we finish the wine while figuring out where our muster station is. There are new life jackets on board the Magic and they are much more comfortable than the old ones - lighter and now you can actually move your head! Personally I think this is a real improvement because if I'm floating helplessly in the ocean I'd like to have full range of motion to see the sharks before they devour me. Room numbers are also on the front of the jackets and did you know each jacket comes with its own whistle? I did not know this until Jason pointed it out...shortly thereafter I made sure he regretted showing me this feature. Who needs kids with "adults" like us?
Once the obligatory safety drill is over (thank you US Coast Guard for looking out for us little people!) we are faced with a dilemma: Sailaway party with 2,000 of our newest friends and neighbors or baseball game? We are confident that the Redbirds will rebound from their unfortunate Thursday night loss and we know where our priorities are...Diversions it is. Table for two, please, next to the big sunny porthole window and could we go ahead and try that martini flight I've heard so much about?
For $15 you too can try the martini flight... five miniature martinis that are still big enough in size that you can easily share them with someone you love. They were all very tasty indeed, and dear reader, I don't know if it is possible for you to end up more annoyed with me than I am with myself right now...but I lost the sheet that described each drink. From what I remember there was an Appletini (too sweet - Jason had to finish that one), a Citrontini (mmm...just the right balance of sweet and sour), a Cosmopolitan (always a safe choice), a Blue something-or-other (it was made with blue curaco and it was actually pretty good but I have no idea what it was called), and a chocolate martini...defies all possible description other than glass-licking good...go get your own and grab another for me while you're at it.
By the 6th inning the game was tied at 2, it was closing in on 6:30PM, we still had to unpack, make ourselves presentable for dinner, and shake off the effects of 5 martinis, a bottle of wine, and a rum smoothie. Reluctantly we headed back to the room - by the time we got there the Cardinals had coughed up the lead again (worse than a cat with a hairball) and the first rumblings of baseball unease could be heard in cabin 8578. Have we perhaps been cursed? The Cardinals lost to Boston in the World Series while we cruised last year...surely they wouldn't do the same and lose to Houston in the League Championship Series this year while we were cruising? The answer, as we found out later, was yes - of course they would lose because for some reason they forget how to play the game in the most crucial part of the post-season. We decide never to cruise during post-season play again.
Somehow I am ready for dinner with 30 minutes to spare...a miracle of time and space that will not be repeated again on this cruise. We head down to the promenade lounge since it is close to Parrot Cay and that's where our dinner rotation starts. You know, we didn't sit there with the intention of ordering another drink, but this nice waiter shows up, hands us a menu with a plethora of tempting martinis, and the next thing I know I'm ordering something...and so is Jay. I wish I could tell you specifically what those drinks were, but I can't remember. They were good drinks, but not strong enough to block out the noise of the band...High Society(?)...playing in the lounge. Personal opinion...that space is too small to have a band that loud playing in it. You can't have a conversation with yourself, let alone the person you're sharing a drink with. It just wasn't a pleasant experience when they were "on." We planned all our future visits to this lounge around the band.
Time for dinner...and another ridiculous line. In their mania to ensure that we're all germ free DCL is handing out sani-wipes to each person before they enter the restaurant. This really slows the seating process, especially on the first night, to a crawl. The line stretched all the way through the Promenade Lounge back past Lumiere's. Oh well, nowhere to go and we're not in a hurry...
We're seated with Jen and her husband Mark. They are from Minnesota - my inner lizard shivers at the thought of how cold their weather must be. Jen is a charter member of the Molar Express here on the DIS and we decided to link dining reservations a few weeks back. They were a great couple and made our dinners a very enjoyable experience.
**Nancy, are you reading this? You're going to love this next part!**
Jason and I decide to purchase the Premium Wine Package this week...yep, that's a bottle of wine each night with dinner. We're lucky to drink seven bottles of wine in a year let alone in a week...what are we thinking? Obviously we're not thinking, we're drinking. So we start off dinner with our second bottle of wine for the day ...Louis Jadot Pouilly Fouisse...one of my favorites. I have no idea what we had for dinner (that was for you, Nancy!) but I'm sure in my case it invoved shrimp for an appetizer, fruit as a salad substitute, some entree that I didn't finish, and a nibble of dessert. I do know that we finished the wine.
Afterwards we have just enough time to catch Match Your Mate over in Rockin' Bar D. What do you think that "D" stands for anyway? Is it something obvious like "Disney?" Is it a warning of your financial condition at the end of the trip..."Debt?" Or is it something obscure and pointless like "Dirigible?"
The game is predictable, but cute. They pick a honeymoon couple, another couple that's been married between 7-10 years, and a couple that's been married for 20 years. They send off the guys first and then ask the ladies three questions... the guys come back and have to answer the questions the same way as their wives did (just like that honeymooners game that used to be on TV in the 70s). The fun starts when they send off the ladies and then start asking new questions. The question: "where is the most unusual place you and your spouse have discovered the 'magic'? gets lots of laughs. It's probably a good thing they didn't pick Jason and I for this game...we would have shocked and horrified the audience and crew members with the answer to that one: The mud room upstairs in your spa!
Game over...I think the honeymooners won. It's time for bed - a long day filled with much drinking and there is much to do tomorrow. Somehow we make it back to our room...taking the stairs no less. At one point Jason did or said something so funny that I was sprawled across the sixth floor stairwell laughing so hard I was crying...oh, those are the best laughs, aren't they?
Tune in for tomorrow...A Full Day at Sea AKA Where is the Sun and Who the Heck is Wilma? Also on the agenda...The Molar Express Dismeet, Tooth Tag begins, Afternoon Tea, Formal night and the lonely Captain, and Why did we wait until now to go to the Cove Cafe?
Thanks for reading!!
Brenda
Also, I agree with Kevin that DCL deserves some applause for trying something new...as time goes by I think the new boarding process will work much more smoothly.
And now...for our irregularly scheduled update....
When last you joined us, our intrepid childless travelers had just boarded the Disney Magic after enduring a wait filled with such worrisome issues as: What type of fru-fru drink should we try at the pool; Do you think we'll be able to watch the baseball game this afternoon; and, Did that kid just sneeze on me??
We cross the walkway grinning at each other like idiots and then...we have arrived! We're in the Magic's three-story atrium lobby and it is just as beautiful as I remember it from last year. The light is bouncing off that funky blown glass sculpture hanging from the ceiling, some weird character I don't recognize from a movie I've never seen is standing off to the side of the staircase while small children clamor for autographs, and overall good cheer just radiates from the cast members. They announce our family of two (I'll have to remind the mother-in-law that Disney thinks we're a family even though we don't have kids...but I'll stop now or this will become a rant) and a warm comber of applause washes over us. We wave to our adoring audience of three - I can't remember the last time Jason and I were on the receiving end of so much approval. Oh, wait...yes I can. It was Thursday evening at the Mandara spa right after I said, "just charge it."
Well...what to do? Our Palo reservations and shore excursions were made on-line, as were certain spa treatments that shouldn't be discussed in polite company until the sun dips below the horizon. We decide to check out our stateroom on deck 8...for the next seven nights cabin 8578 will be home and we're anxious to see it. We have no problems finding our way around the ship...after last year's trip we're pros. It sounds corny, especially coming from a cynic like me, but being on the Magic feels like coming home.
**your author apologizes for that moment of unexpected sentiment and promises to be on guard against future instances of irrational emotional displays in this trip report**
The room is ready!! First things first... make sure the bathroom is in working order! Then...open the wine and eat that yummy fruit and cheese that's been waiting for us. A bottle of Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio has been chilling and that first sip sure hits the spot....cool and light and smooth. Now for the food...I've just got to say for $24 that fruit and cheese platter could have fed a family of four. It was a veritable smorgasboard of cheesy goodness: Gouda, Cheddar, Swiss, Camambert, Brie, Blue Cheese, Herbed Cheese Spread...put all that with grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple...add some crackers...I wish I was eating it right now. A nice private lunch with the man was a good way to calm down after a rather stressful morning. Now...I must tell you that this lovely spread was sent to us by our cat - Handsome Pete. He's thoughtful like that. But check out the card he sent with it:
Thanks for leaving me behind - again. I might behave myself while you're gone, but then again I may leave a hidden delight somewhere in your bed...I haven't made up my mind yet. Try to bring back a better souvenier for me than that lame catnip cigar you picked up last year - five times more powerful than the garden variety catnip, my a**.
Happy sailing, jerks. HP
Wow! Someone was definitely not happy about being left in the care of his perfumey grandma (that's my mom, bless her heart...she drove out to our house every other day to check on Pete and then she'd go to the casino! A win-win siutation for everyone).
Jason reads the note and just looks at me.
"You." He eats a piece of cheese.
"Are." He takes a sip of wine.
"A Freak." He pops a grape in his mouth and practically chokes to death trying not to laugh.
Enough humor...you probably want to know about the room, right? We had a category 4 - originally booked a 6 last year on board but got bumped up. It was nice having a little bit of extra space and we noticed that there is less traffic in the passageways because there are fewer rooms, but otherwise I wouldn't suggest paying the extra money for a Category 4 versus a 6 unless you just really need the extra sleeping space for a 4th or 5th person. Room was clean - same decor as last year - didn't notice new towels or linens - dining tickets, excursion tickets, and on-board credit notifications were all waiting for us on the desk. The verandah was bliss and it looked like DCL got some new deck furniture. The chairs are white plastic and they recline! Ahhh...there is much relaxation to be had in these chairs.
We order a case of water from room service and load up the beverage cooler. For us this is a good deal - it's convenient and it ensures that we keep drinking the H2O. I also have to be sure that I'm getting enough water thanks to certain medications I take (and no, they're not related to any mental issues you may think I have after reading my trip reports!). Now it's time to get ready for the pool, but first we must go to the spa. See, we got this sugar-spun letter from DCL about all the exciting drydock changes and one of the things that jumped out at me was the addition of treatment suites in the spa...private treatment room, private verandah, private whirlpool...oh yeah. This sounds like something we would definitely like to experience.
D'OH moment of the day: The very suave spa manager proceeds to tell me that the treatment suites will not be ready probably for another week. He takes my name and cabin number, promising to call me if something gets finished early. I'm still waiting for that call.
Disappointment...the letter said the fitness room wouldn't be ready but sure made it sound like those suites would be. To alleviate the pain of not being able to spend even more money at the spa we purchase week-long Rainforest passes - this pleases my inner lizard and then we head to the pool to soak up some sun. There are a few hardy souls who have beaten us to the punch on this one, but not many. Weather is glorious but the water in the pool is a little chilly. I decide that we need a silly drink because that's what you're supposed to have on a cruise while you lounge at the pool - after that the lizard queen is going to boil herself in the heated whirlpool.
The bartender at Signals is very patient as I tell him all the fruity tropical drinks I don't like. He invents some sort of strawberry-banana multi-rum smoothie...this is a fine way to begin a serious vacation: Jason, sun, pool, drink...life is good.
Back to the room by 3:30 to prepare for the lifeboat drill. The luggage is beginning to arrive and we finish the wine while figuring out where our muster station is. There are new life jackets on board the Magic and they are much more comfortable than the old ones - lighter and now you can actually move your head! Personally I think this is a real improvement because if I'm floating helplessly in the ocean I'd like to have full range of motion to see the sharks before they devour me. Room numbers are also on the front of the jackets and did you know each jacket comes with its own whistle? I did not know this until Jason pointed it out...shortly thereafter I made sure he regretted showing me this feature. Who needs kids with "adults" like us?
Once the obligatory safety drill is over (thank you US Coast Guard for looking out for us little people!) we are faced with a dilemma: Sailaway party with 2,000 of our newest friends and neighbors or baseball game? We are confident that the Redbirds will rebound from their unfortunate Thursday night loss and we know where our priorities are...Diversions it is. Table for two, please, next to the big sunny porthole window and could we go ahead and try that martini flight I've heard so much about?
For $15 you too can try the martini flight... five miniature martinis that are still big enough in size that you can easily share them with someone you love. They were all very tasty indeed, and dear reader, I don't know if it is possible for you to end up more annoyed with me than I am with myself right now...but I lost the sheet that described each drink. From what I remember there was an Appletini (too sweet - Jason had to finish that one), a Citrontini (mmm...just the right balance of sweet and sour), a Cosmopolitan (always a safe choice), a Blue something-or-other (it was made with blue curaco and it was actually pretty good but I have no idea what it was called), and a chocolate martini...defies all possible description other than glass-licking good...go get your own and grab another for me while you're at it.
By the 6th inning the game was tied at 2, it was closing in on 6:30PM, we still had to unpack, make ourselves presentable for dinner, and shake off the effects of 5 martinis, a bottle of wine, and a rum smoothie. Reluctantly we headed back to the room - by the time we got there the Cardinals had coughed up the lead again (worse than a cat with a hairball) and the first rumblings of baseball unease could be heard in cabin 8578. Have we perhaps been cursed? The Cardinals lost to Boston in the World Series while we cruised last year...surely they wouldn't do the same and lose to Houston in the League Championship Series this year while we were cruising? The answer, as we found out later, was yes - of course they would lose because for some reason they forget how to play the game in the most crucial part of the post-season. We decide never to cruise during post-season play again.
Somehow I am ready for dinner with 30 minutes to spare...a miracle of time and space that will not be repeated again on this cruise. We head down to the promenade lounge since it is close to Parrot Cay and that's where our dinner rotation starts. You know, we didn't sit there with the intention of ordering another drink, but this nice waiter shows up, hands us a menu with a plethora of tempting martinis, and the next thing I know I'm ordering something...and so is Jay. I wish I could tell you specifically what those drinks were, but I can't remember. They were good drinks, but not strong enough to block out the noise of the band...High Society(?)...playing in the lounge. Personal opinion...that space is too small to have a band that loud playing in it. You can't have a conversation with yourself, let alone the person you're sharing a drink with. It just wasn't a pleasant experience when they were "on." We planned all our future visits to this lounge around the band.
Time for dinner...and another ridiculous line. In their mania to ensure that we're all germ free DCL is handing out sani-wipes to each person before they enter the restaurant. This really slows the seating process, especially on the first night, to a crawl. The line stretched all the way through the Promenade Lounge back past Lumiere's. Oh well, nowhere to go and we're not in a hurry...
We're seated with Jen and her husband Mark. They are from Minnesota - my inner lizard shivers at the thought of how cold their weather must be. Jen is a charter member of the Molar Express here on the DIS and we decided to link dining reservations a few weeks back. They were a great couple and made our dinners a very enjoyable experience.
**Nancy, are you reading this? You're going to love this next part!**
Jason and I decide to purchase the Premium Wine Package this week...yep, that's a bottle of wine each night with dinner. We're lucky to drink seven bottles of wine in a year let alone in a week...what are we thinking? Obviously we're not thinking, we're drinking. So we start off dinner with our second bottle of wine for the day ...Louis Jadot Pouilly Fouisse...one of my favorites. I have no idea what we had for dinner (that was for you, Nancy!) but I'm sure in my case it invoved shrimp for an appetizer, fruit as a salad substitute, some entree that I didn't finish, and a nibble of dessert. I do know that we finished the wine.
Afterwards we have just enough time to catch Match Your Mate over in Rockin' Bar D. What do you think that "D" stands for anyway? Is it something obvious like "Disney?" Is it a warning of your financial condition at the end of the trip..."Debt?" Or is it something obscure and pointless like "Dirigible?"
The game is predictable, but cute. They pick a honeymoon couple, another couple that's been married between 7-10 years, and a couple that's been married for 20 years. They send off the guys first and then ask the ladies three questions... the guys come back and have to answer the questions the same way as their wives did (just like that honeymooners game that used to be on TV in the 70s). The fun starts when they send off the ladies and then start asking new questions. The question: "where is the most unusual place you and your spouse have discovered the 'magic'? gets lots of laughs. It's probably a good thing they didn't pick Jason and I for this game...we would have shocked and horrified the audience and crew members with the answer to that one: The mud room upstairs in your spa!
Game over...I think the honeymooners won. It's time for bed - a long day filled with much drinking and there is much to do tomorrow. Somehow we make it back to our room...taking the stairs no less. At one point Jason did or said something so funny that I was sprawled across the sixth floor stairwell laughing so hard I was crying...oh, those are the best laughs, aren't they?
Tune in for tomorrow...A Full Day at Sea AKA Where is the Sun and Who the Heck is Wilma? Also on the agenda...The Molar Express Dismeet, Tooth Tag begins, Afternoon Tea, Formal night and the lonely Captain, and Why did we wait until now to go to the Cove Cafe?
Thanks for reading!!
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
I just had to tell you how much I am enjoying your trip report!! It has to be the best one I have ever read!! My husband, daughter and I went on our very first cruise this year (8/28 Wonder) and have already started saving up for a 7-day, maybe in 2007. I, too, loved those little martinis and I have the papers at home if you ever want a copy!
Thanks so much for taking the time to write!
Deena (from NJ)
I just had to tell you how much I am enjoying your trip report!! It has to be the best one I have ever read!! My husband, daughter and I went on our very first cruise this year (8/28 Wonder) and have already started saving up for a 7-day, maybe in 2007. I, too, loved those little martinis and I have the papers at home if you ever want a copy!
Thanks so much for taking the time to write!
Deena (from NJ)
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Hi Deena!
Thanks for reading - I'm glad you're enjoying our goofy tale. I have way too much fun typing these up but it's one more way for me to re-live the trip.
You guys will have a blast on the 7-night, how could you not?
I'm going to dig through all of my stuff this weekend and if I can't find that martini sheet I just might take you up on your thoughtful offer.
Thanks again!!
B.
Thanks for reading - I'm glad you're enjoying our goofy tale. I have way too much fun typing these up but it's one more way for me to re-live the trip.
You guys will have a blast on the 7-night, how could you not?
I'm going to dig through all of my stuff this weekend and if I can't find that martini sheet I just might take you up on your thoughtful offer.
Thanks again!!
B.
Mia's Mom
There are no seven wonders of the world in the eye
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2005
- Messages
- 72
Brenda -
Thanks for taking the time - your writing cracks me up! I am having a blast reading your side of the story, are you going off of memory? I keep checking back hoping you've had time to add a bit more!
Griselda
Thanks for taking the time - your writing cracks me up! I am having a blast reading your side of the story, are you going off of memory? I keep checking back hoping you've had time to add a bit more!
Griselda
...
Brenda, What you forgot to mention is what I paid you for saying that.
I am so absolutely enjoying your trip report. Can't wait to read the next installment. Oh, and loved the card from HP! I think Jason is right, though!
No, too funny, too funny. It was a great idea, wished I would have thought of it. I'm not done reading yet, but I wanted to comment on two things....
First, I'm glad to know that our Amazing Race type arrival to the port means we avoided the boarding challenges you had. I knew there was a reason why we stay in Disney MGM until 1:30 each year!
We noticed that some of the towels were bigger, more like bath sheets. Each day two out of the four towels were big.
First, I'm glad to know that our Amazing Race type arrival to the port means we avoided the boarding challenges you had. I knew there was a reason why we stay in Disney MGM until 1:30 each year!
We noticed that some of the towels were bigger, more like bath sheets. Each day two out of the four towels were big.
STB ON THE BEACH
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2005
- Messages
- 147
I have never laughed soooo hard reading a report! You're a hoot!
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Happy weekend everyone...well, as happy as it can be when you're not on vacation. Thanks again for reading - glad to know it's funny to someone other than me.
Lessee... a few answers to some questions...
Griselda...I do pretty much go off memory when I write these...I also save everything and had the advantage of going through our digital pics a couple of times before I started posting.
Jen...I expect to find a cashiers check in the mail early next week for the PR spot I did in my last installment for you and Mark!
Suzpasq...I wish we'd seen those big bath-sheet towels in our cabin...we might not have used up so many smaller towels. Then again, with that water pipe break later during the week they probably needed some of those big towels to soak up the mess.
I will be updating today...am just now beginning to digest the first cup of warm caffeinated goodness...take care and thanks again for re-living the trip with us!
B.
Lessee... a few answers to some questions...
Griselda...I do pretty much go off memory when I write these...I also save everything and had the advantage of going through our digital pics a couple of times before I started posting.
Jen...I expect to find a cashiers check in the mail early next week for the PR spot I did in my last installment for you and Mark!
Suzpasq...I wish we'd seen those big bath-sheet towels in our cabin...we might not have used up so many smaller towels. Then again, with that water pipe break later during the week they probably needed some of those big towels to soak up the mess.
I will be updating today...am just now beginning to digest the first cup of warm caffeinated goodness...take care and thanks again for re-living the trip with us!
B.
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Welcome back to the weird and goofy tales of Brenda and Jason and thanks for reading!
First...a few random things I can correct and / or forgot to mention about yesterday...
1) I found the information on the martini flight! The drinks were: Citrontini, Appletini, Blue Barracuda, Stawberrytini, and Toblerontini. Looks like my fuzzy memory has been impaired by too much alcohol consumption. The strawberry martini was good and did taste a lot like a cosmopolitan, maybe a little sweeter...the toblerontini was very similar to a chocolate martini and I stand by my earlier description...glass-licking good!
2) Castaway Club gift...delivered while we were out somewhere, probably drinking. A very nice canvas tote that can be purchased in Treasure Ketch for about $45. I think it's great that Jason and I only had to pay about $2,800 to receive this "free" returning cruiser gift. I'm not knocking DCL, they don't have to do anything for repeat guests at all and I do appreciate the gesture, but let's not pretend that it's free, OK?
3) Dinner - table location and serving team: Oh, dear...the negative nellie that makes up about 75% of my personality is rearing her tousled head. Jen, if you're out there feel free to add to my comments...our table location suck-diddley-ucked. Table number four (did they seat us here because there were four of us??) was not located near just one beverage / serving station... but depending on the restaurant at least two of them and at Lumiere's three...and it was actually more like we were seated between them. I usually left dinner with something of a bunker mentality because it felt like we were hidden from the rest of the dining room and depending on the amount of alcohol I consumed I often had to resist the urge to scream "INCOMING" when our server or assistant server approached the table. As for our serving team...the server and assitant server weren't bad...it seemed to me that they hadn't been working together for very long and maybe hadn't developed a smooth rhythm yet. Our assistant server had a difficult time remembering that Jason and I preferred Pelligrino to tap water, but that wasn't really a big deal once we opened the wine! The head server...what was his name...Gaspare? We saw so little of him that I took to calling him Caspar the friendly ghost in honor of his white jacket and overall absence from our dining experience.
4) Haven't made contact with our stateroom host (?) / hostess (?) yet. This elusive person is named Gerry...which is no help in determining between the host / hostess issue. We are a little concerned because He-She has not left us much in the way of towels and we're not sure if we've seen Him-Her yet in order to ask for more so that we can do our part in further degrading the environment. We have no towel animal tonight and this makes us sad...
Enough about yesterday! It's time for: Enjoy a Day at Sea???
I phrase it as a question because I think there may be a lot of people who are definitely not enjoying their day at sea. I wake up very early...before the sun even dares to shine through the clouds...there are two reasons for this very unsatisfactory situation: I drank too much which always messes up my sleep, and I am sharing a cabin with a man whose snoring decible levels make it sound as though a twin-engine plane just touched down beside me in bed. As I lay here, no wait...As I lie here, uh is that right?...as I wonder whether I should get up (I hate that whole lay / lie thing) I notice that the motion of the ship seems much rockier than I remember from last night. Did I drink so much that my equilibrium is already screwed up? I don't think so...this is much more than leftover tipsie-wipsies. I fall out of bed and crash over to the verandah door, wrenching it open on my third try...Jason sleeps through all of the noise I make and I am left pondering for the millionth time how it is that someone who makes so much noise when he sleeps is able to sleep through any amount of intentional or unintentional noise that I make. There is no justice in this world.
I find outside that it is very humid and very windy and very wavy on the open seas this morning. I wonder idly about tropical storms but don't recall hearing about any bad weather on Wednesday (which was the last time this brain surgeon bothered to check)...and what day is this anyway? I go back inside and decide to get organized for Tooth Tag, which will start up after our Dismeet this afternoon. And...I may be able to go up to Cove Cafe soon for the first of many mochaccinos...why we didn't go yesterday is a mystery that will plague us all week but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with alcohol.
Snore-monster V.2005 wakes up soon - he is also feeling the effects of too much alcohol and too much motion. We decide that the Rainforest would be a good way to start the day and perhaps help us sweat out some of the residual booze. We vow to cut our alcohol consumption for the rest of the week...it will take us less than eight hours to shatter that committment.
The rainforest opens at 8AM - we are the first ones in and have the place to ourselves...sort of. Apparently dry dock should have been a little longer and perhaps a bit more thorough. The steam room and the sauna are not working...the heated tile loungers are just now starting to warm up..the gentle sauna (the lizard queen's personal favorite) is not very warm either. There are lots of workers coming in and out of the room...not very relaxing. We do find it amusing that the water in the fountain in the middle of the room pours over the side with a big SPLASH! every time the ship rocks one way and then the other. In the ladies changing room I notice that there is a big open crawl space near the fabric loungers outside the sauna...this creeps me out as every horror movie I've ever seen involving a cruise ship and some super-intelligent terribly hungry deep sea creature comes rushing back to me. I rush out of the changing room...being devoured by a prehistoric sea-dwelling monster that may even now be roaming the bowels of the ship is not part of my vacation plans. Jason can tell something is up...when I tell him my fears he swears he saw a slimy trail of seaweed, a half eaten shoe, and some electrical wires in the men's changing room.
He is not funny.
OK...yes he is. But to calm my nerves he suggests that we have the first of many mochacinnos at the Cove Cafe. We love this place! It's quiet...there are always tasty snacks...and the drinks (non-alcoholic in this case!) are yumptious!! I got hooked on the mochaccino when we sailed last year...espresso, chocolate ice cream, crushed ice, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream...does someone have a hanky or maybe a drool cup I could borrow for just a minute?
We take our drinks and some croissants to one of those nice cozy tables for two that overlook the ocean...slowly we come back to ourselves with the help of caffeine and sugar. But we have to be lookin' pretty rough right about now...it's been one of those "hair of the dog" type mornings and it's only nine o'clock. As luck would have it one of our other charter Molar Express members happens by...he thinks he recognizes me and I think I recognize him...he speaks first (it's a good thing because right about now if I had to stand up suddenly and speak I might lose my mochaccino and that would be unpleasant for all parties involved). I would have preferred our first meeting with Kevin to be when everyone involved was 100% sober rather than 66% hungover (that would be Jay and me - Kevin is spruce-goose Sunday clean!) but he's such a nice guy that I'm glad we had a chance to speak with him alone for a moment. His neat appearance serves as a reminder that we are stinky slovenly slugs and that perhaps a shower might be a really good thing right about now.
Once clean and refreshed we decide to take in the Sunday brunch at Lumiere's. By the time we get there most people have cleared out...we end up seated at a table...you guessed it...right in front of a beverage / serving station! I tell Jason that we must be giving off some sort of dirty dish / spotted drinking glass aura on this trip as there are several empty tables and idle serving terms in the dining room. Oh well...we have a really chatty assistant server from Scotland who gives me great advice about the trip I've been wanting to take there for the last 15 years. And we have a very tasty meal that includes fruit and shrimp and eggs benedict and some sort of omlette. Once we're finished it's time to gather for the Molar Express Dismeet on deck 10.
Deck 10 was a bad idea...we wanted to meet in the Promenade Lounge but they were having some sort of pre-auction for people with way more money than Jay and I have to spend on artwork by famous dead people. So, the pre-cruise thinking was deck 10 will be awesome...sun, warmth, sea...well, one out of three ain't bad. There was definitely sea...still wavy-gravy as Jay and I like to call it. By now we're having fun with all the motion but we hear that there are people who are not having fun and who have ordered dramamine and bonine and plastic lined-bags for lunch...too bad. It is super windy today and during the early part of our meet it also begins to rain - Mother Nature is being something of a b**** today, is she not? No, someone else says...our Dismeet has been crashed by some crazy chick named Wilma. This is the first we hear of her but definitely not the last. We refuse to let her spoil a good time. Many of us have been in communication for the last twelve months and we are anxious to put names with faces. Everyone seems so nice (I know I fooled everyone!) and time flies...suddenly Kevin is explaining the tag rules, giving everyone their lists, and the game is afoot!
**Allow me to say here that I truly enjoyed meeting the Molar Express group and just wish there had been more time and opportunity to interact with everyone.**
Jason and I are going to afternoon tea at Palo...based on last year we almost decided against it but then we thought...what the heck? Let's give it another shot we may never get another chance. Good call on our part - Palo has definitely improved their version of tea. The sandwiches are mostly tasty...shrimpie, egg salad, duckie (blech! Jay can have mine), and some sort of salmon paste. Three out of four ain't bad. The scones are warm and yummy...I love the presentation of the devonshire cream...it's in a little bowl and it looks like a garlic clove...it doesn't make any sense to me but I love it! They also bring out a silver three-tiered thingie with three types of desserts...chocolate eclairs, strawberry tarts, and some kind of nutty cake thing. The eclairs are a dream...I choose to ignore the other desserts in favor of another scone and the english trifle. They got it right this time (last year they made it with jello and it was revolting) but it hasn't chilled long enough...the bottom of the custard is...dare I say it...a trifle runny. I have the darjeeling tea with lots of cream and sugar...Jason has some kind of spicy tea, with no good stuff added in.
We slosh our way back to our cabin to change clothes...for some insane lack of reason I purchased tickets to a 4PM martini tasting...where are we going to store all this extra liquid? Down to Sessions we go where we are pleasantly surprised to find Lourdes is leading the lesson. She gives us an interesting history lesson on the development of the martini and we each get four drinks to try: the traditional gin martini (someone stop the ship I think I'm going to be sick); an apple martini (yeccchhh...too sweet); the cosmopolitan (now we're talking...vodka, chambord, cranberry juice), and the real chocolate martini (mere mention of this drink in our house today results in spontaneous toe curling). She also tells us to stop by the Promenade Lounge in the evenings to try some of her secret recipes, including the Love Potion and the Espresso Martini. Sounds like Lourdes is our new best friend.
Boozing complete for now, we head next door to Diversions to catch the baseball game and are in for a rude surprise.
D'OH moment of the day: today is Sunday...Football is played on Sunday...No one here cares if you're from St. Louis, your team is destined for greatness, or if your birthday is tomorrow and you think they should just default to your sports-viewing wishes. The sports diva running the place pretends to try to pick up the Fox Sports signal but we're not fooled...there is waaaaay too much testosterone in this bar for her to overrule the pigskin gods. We leave quietly...heads bowed in defeat...and swear never again to cruise during post-season play (I know we said this yesterday but it's a recurring theme).
We go back to the room, clean up again, nap briefly, and are forced to leave ESPN Rodeo on the television in order to get the sports crawl updates. Turns out it wasn't such a bad thing that we weren't able to watch...we just would have ended up mad. Baseball unease has changed to baseball angst...but vanity calls and I want to get my hair fixed for formal night. I'm not sure that I couldn't have done the same job the spa guy did but it was fun talking with him...and Jason seemed to like it. Anyhoo...we get all dressed up for formal night with Jay donning the tux and me sucking in the gut to put on the long dress with all the wrinkles that I forgot to iron...classy!
Dinner is at Lumiere's and we've got about 5 minutes to spare. I want a picture because it's not often you get to see Brenda and Jason all dressed up...even less often that you get to see Brenda wearing contact lenses and make-up. This is an OCCASSION and we need photographic evidence for the folks back home. Hmmmmm...where are all the characters? Where are all the photographers? Not much to choose from and we're afraid that if we don't act now our chance at any picture at all will be long gone. I spy Captain Thord standing all by himself against a picture backdrop and grab Jason's hand - we're going to really dork it up by having a picture taken with the captain!
Poor Captain Thord. So lonely. So isolated. So puzzled. He has the look of a man who doesn't really understand where he is or how he ended up there. He is probably tired of talking about the weather and I bet he is hungry - I know I am. We thank him for the picture and he smiles somewhat blankly...I wonder if his job drives him to drink?
Dinner at Lumiere's...our favorite restaurant on the ship aside from Palo. We are dining alone tonight because Jen and Mark are doing the Palo thing. Jason and I decide to have the Fairy Tale Cuvee with dinner...we are pigs tonight, ordering all four appetizers on the menu (I do not eat escargot... Jason takes all the blame for that one), one salad, one soup, one entree each and I guess Julio didn't think we'd had enough because he brought us a third entree...duck...which wasn't bad although I wouldn't order it my own. Dessert time: I think Jason had something chocolate but I had the grand marnier souffle...yummy! Washed it down with some port while Jay indulges in some Irish coffee...yeah, we did real good with that whole "less booze is better" vow we made this morning. We push away from the table pleasantly squiffed...change clothes in the cabin...and decide to take a walk.
On deck four while lounging on those amazing deck chairs we run into Nancy and Suzie and their respective spouses. We chat for a while and share some early tag tales...the game is going well so far and we've tagged four or five people since the afternoon meet. It is lots of fun to try to tag people without getting caught and equally fun coming back to the cabin to find little surprises waiting. I'm sure these surprises are much better than anything Handsome Pete may have waiting for us at home.
Soon it's time for bed. Tomorrow promises to be a good day...Tune in later for: Brenda's birthday means she enters a less desirable marketing demographic; Sunshine means the inner lizard performs a happy dance; Brunch at Palo probably does encourage gluttony; and You can't spello Relaxo without Relax.
PS - we did finally meet Gerry, our stateroom host. He has been giving us extra towels and tonight's animal was a peacock wearing sunglasses - cool! Also, in regard to my earlier comment about pictures...experienced disappointment at Lumiere's because there was no roaming photographer taking formal night pictures like last year. Or perhaps I should say that our table defenses were so strong that the photographer was unable to storm our position? Either way I am not pleased...and am even less pleased when the next day at Shutters I see photographic evidence of professional picture taking in Lumiere's from the previous evening...
First...a few random things I can correct and / or forgot to mention about yesterday...
1) I found the information on the martini flight! The drinks were: Citrontini, Appletini, Blue Barracuda, Stawberrytini, and Toblerontini. Looks like my fuzzy memory has been impaired by too much alcohol consumption. The strawberry martini was good and did taste a lot like a cosmopolitan, maybe a little sweeter...the toblerontini was very similar to a chocolate martini and I stand by my earlier description...glass-licking good!
2) Castaway Club gift...delivered while we were out somewhere, probably drinking. A very nice canvas tote that can be purchased in Treasure Ketch for about $45. I think it's great that Jason and I only had to pay about $2,800 to receive this "free" returning cruiser gift. I'm not knocking DCL, they don't have to do anything for repeat guests at all and I do appreciate the gesture, but let's not pretend that it's free, OK?
3) Dinner - table location and serving team: Oh, dear...the negative nellie that makes up about 75% of my personality is rearing her tousled head. Jen, if you're out there feel free to add to my comments...our table location suck-diddley-ucked. Table number four (did they seat us here because there were four of us??) was not located near just one beverage / serving station... but depending on the restaurant at least two of them and at Lumiere's three...and it was actually more like we were seated between them. I usually left dinner with something of a bunker mentality because it felt like we were hidden from the rest of the dining room and depending on the amount of alcohol I consumed I often had to resist the urge to scream "INCOMING" when our server or assistant server approached the table. As for our serving team...the server and assitant server weren't bad...it seemed to me that they hadn't been working together for very long and maybe hadn't developed a smooth rhythm yet. Our assistant server had a difficult time remembering that Jason and I preferred Pelligrino to tap water, but that wasn't really a big deal once we opened the wine! The head server...what was his name...Gaspare? We saw so little of him that I took to calling him Caspar the friendly ghost in honor of his white jacket and overall absence from our dining experience.
4) Haven't made contact with our stateroom host (?) / hostess (?) yet. This elusive person is named Gerry...which is no help in determining between the host / hostess issue. We are a little concerned because He-She has not left us much in the way of towels and we're not sure if we've seen Him-Her yet in order to ask for more so that we can do our part in further degrading the environment. We have no towel animal tonight and this makes us sad...
Enough about yesterday! It's time for: Enjoy a Day at Sea???
I phrase it as a question because I think there may be a lot of people who are definitely not enjoying their day at sea. I wake up very early...before the sun even dares to shine through the clouds...there are two reasons for this very unsatisfactory situation: I drank too much which always messes up my sleep, and I am sharing a cabin with a man whose snoring decible levels make it sound as though a twin-engine plane just touched down beside me in bed. As I lay here, no wait...As I lie here, uh is that right?...as I wonder whether I should get up (I hate that whole lay / lie thing) I notice that the motion of the ship seems much rockier than I remember from last night. Did I drink so much that my equilibrium is already screwed up? I don't think so...this is much more than leftover tipsie-wipsies. I fall out of bed and crash over to the verandah door, wrenching it open on my third try...Jason sleeps through all of the noise I make and I am left pondering for the millionth time how it is that someone who makes so much noise when he sleeps is able to sleep through any amount of intentional or unintentional noise that I make. There is no justice in this world.
I find outside that it is very humid and very windy and very wavy on the open seas this morning. I wonder idly about tropical storms but don't recall hearing about any bad weather on Wednesday (which was the last time this brain surgeon bothered to check)...and what day is this anyway? I go back inside and decide to get organized for Tooth Tag, which will start up after our Dismeet this afternoon. And...I may be able to go up to Cove Cafe soon for the first of many mochaccinos...why we didn't go yesterday is a mystery that will plague us all week but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with alcohol.
Snore-monster V.2005 wakes up soon - he is also feeling the effects of too much alcohol and too much motion. We decide that the Rainforest would be a good way to start the day and perhaps help us sweat out some of the residual booze. We vow to cut our alcohol consumption for the rest of the week...it will take us less than eight hours to shatter that committment.
The rainforest opens at 8AM - we are the first ones in and have the place to ourselves...sort of. Apparently dry dock should have been a little longer and perhaps a bit more thorough. The steam room and the sauna are not working...the heated tile loungers are just now starting to warm up..the gentle sauna (the lizard queen's personal favorite) is not very warm either. There are lots of workers coming in and out of the room...not very relaxing. We do find it amusing that the water in the fountain in the middle of the room pours over the side with a big SPLASH! every time the ship rocks one way and then the other. In the ladies changing room I notice that there is a big open crawl space near the fabric loungers outside the sauna...this creeps me out as every horror movie I've ever seen involving a cruise ship and some super-intelligent terribly hungry deep sea creature comes rushing back to me. I rush out of the changing room...being devoured by a prehistoric sea-dwelling monster that may even now be roaming the bowels of the ship is not part of my vacation plans. Jason can tell something is up...when I tell him my fears he swears he saw a slimy trail of seaweed, a half eaten shoe, and some electrical wires in the men's changing room.
He is not funny.
OK...yes he is. But to calm my nerves he suggests that we have the first of many mochacinnos at the Cove Cafe. We love this place! It's quiet...there are always tasty snacks...and the drinks (non-alcoholic in this case!) are yumptious!! I got hooked on the mochaccino when we sailed last year...espresso, chocolate ice cream, crushed ice, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream...does someone have a hanky or maybe a drool cup I could borrow for just a minute?
We take our drinks and some croissants to one of those nice cozy tables for two that overlook the ocean...slowly we come back to ourselves with the help of caffeine and sugar. But we have to be lookin' pretty rough right about now...it's been one of those "hair of the dog" type mornings and it's only nine o'clock. As luck would have it one of our other charter Molar Express members happens by...he thinks he recognizes me and I think I recognize him...he speaks first (it's a good thing because right about now if I had to stand up suddenly and speak I might lose my mochaccino and that would be unpleasant for all parties involved). I would have preferred our first meeting with Kevin to be when everyone involved was 100% sober rather than 66% hungover (that would be Jay and me - Kevin is spruce-goose Sunday clean!) but he's such a nice guy that I'm glad we had a chance to speak with him alone for a moment. His neat appearance serves as a reminder that we are stinky slovenly slugs and that perhaps a shower might be a really good thing right about now.
Once clean and refreshed we decide to take in the Sunday brunch at Lumiere's. By the time we get there most people have cleared out...we end up seated at a table...you guessed it...right in front of a beverage / serving station! I tell Jason that we must be giving off some sort of dirty dish / spotted drinking glass aura on this trip as there are several empty tables and idle serving terms in the dining room. Oh well...we have a really chatty assistant server from Scotland who gives me great advice about the trip I've been wanting to take there for the last 15 years. And we have a very tasty meal that includes fruit and shrimp and eggs benedict and some sort of omlette. Once we're finished it's time to gather for the Molar Express Dismeet on deck 10.
Deck 10 was a bad idea...we wanted to meet in the Promenade Lounge but they were having some sort of pre-auction for people with way more money than Jay and I have to spend on artwork by famous dead people. So, the pre-cruise thinking was deck 10 will be awesome...sun, warmth, sea...well, one out of three ain't bad. There was definitely sea...still wavy-gravy as Jay and I like to call it. By now we're having fun with all the motion but we hear that there are people who are not having fun and who have ordered dramamine and bonine and plastic lined-bags for lunch...too bad. It is super windy today and during the early part of our meet it also begins to rain - Mother Nature is being something of a b**** today, is she not? No, someone else says...our Dismeet has been crashed by some crazy chick named Wilma. This is the first we hear of her but definitely not the last. We refuse to let her spoil a good time. Many of us have been in communication for the last twelve months and we are anxious to put names with faces. Everyone seems so nice (I know I fooled everyone!) and time flies...suddenly Kevin is explaining the tag rules, giving everyone their lists, and the game is afoot!
**Allow me to say here that I truly enjoyed meeting the Molar Express group and just wish there had been more time and opportunity to interact with everyone.**
Jason and I are going to afternoon tea at Palo...based on last year we almost decided against it but then we thought...what the heck? Let's give it another shot we may never get another chance. Good call on our part - Palo has definitely improved their version of tea. The sandwiches are mostly tasty...shrimpie, egg salad, duckie (blech! Jay can have mine), and some sort of salmon paste. Three out of four ain't bad. The scones are warm and yummy...I love the presentation of the devonshire cream...it's in a little bowl and it looks like a garlic clove...it doesn't make any sense to me but I love it! They also bring out a silver three-tiered thingie with three types of desserts...chocolate eclairs, strawberry tarts, and some kind of nutty cake thing. The eclairs are a dream...I choose to ignore the other desserts in favor of another scone and the english trifle. They got it right this time (last year they made it with jello and it was revolting) but it hasn't chilled long enough...the bottom of the custard is...dare I say it...a trifle runny.
I have the darjeeling tea with lots of cream and sugar...Jason has some kind of spicy tea, with no good stuff added in.We slosh our way back to our cabin to change clothes...for some insane lack of reason I purchased tickets to a 4PM martini tasting...where are we going to store all this extra liquid? Down to Sessions we go where we are pleasantly surprised to find Lourdes is leading the lesson. She gives us an interesting history lesson on the development of the martini and we each get four drinks to try: the traditional gin martini (someone stop the ship I think I'm going to be sick); an apple martini (yeccchhh...too sweet); the cosmopolitan (now we're talking...vodka, chambord, cranberry juice), and the real chocolate martini (mere mention of this drink in our house today results in spontaneous toe curling). She also tells us to stop by the Promenade Lounge in the evenings to try some of her secret recipes, including the Love Potion and the Espresso Martini. Sounds like Lourdes is our new best friend.
Boozing complete for now, we head next door to Diversions to catch the baseball game and are in for a rude surprise.
D'OH moment of the day: today is Sunday...Football is played on Sunday...No one here cares if you're from St. Louis, your team is destined for greatness, or if your birthday is tomorrow and you think they should just default to your sports-viewing wishes. The sports diva running the place pretends to try to pick up the Fox Sports signal but we're not fooled...there is waaaaay too much testosterone in this bar for her to overrule the pigskin gods. We leave quietly...heads bowed in defeat...and swear never again to cruise during post-season play (I know we said this yesterday but it's a recurring theme).
We go back to the room, clean up again, nap briefly, and are forced to leave ESPN Rodeo on the television in order to get the sports crawl updates. Turns out it wasn't such a bad thing that we weren't able to watch...we just would have ended up mad. Baseball unease has changed to baseball angst...but vanity calls and I want to get my hair fixed for formal night. I'm not sure that I couldn't have done the same job the spa guy did but it was fun talking with him...and Jason seemed to like it. Anyhoo...we get all dressed up for formal night with Jay donning the tux and me sucking in the gut to put on the long dress with all the wrinkles that I forgot to iron...classy!
Dinner is at Lumiere's and we've got about 5 minutes to spare. I want a picture because it's not often you get to see Brenda and Jason all dressed up...even less often that you get to see Brenda wearing contact lenses and make-up. This is an OCCASSION and we need photographic evidence for the folks back home. Hmmmmm...where are all the characters? Where are all the photographers? Not much to choose from and we're afraid that if we don't act now our chance at any picture at all will be long gone. I spy Captain Thord standing all by himself against a picture backdrop and grab Jason's hand - we're going to really dork it up by having a picture taken with the captain!
Poor Captain Thord. So lonely. So isolated. So puzzled. He has the look of a man who doesn't really understand where he is or how he ended up there. He is probably tired of talking about the weather and I bet he is hungry - I know I am. We thank him for the picture and he smiles somewhat blankly...I wonder if his job drives him to drink?
Dinner at Lumiere's...our favorite restaurant on the ship aside from Palo. We are dining alone tonight because Jen and Mark are doing the Palo thing. Jason and I decide to have the Fairy Tale Cuvee with dinner...we are pigs tonight, ordering all four appetizers on the menu (I do not eat escargot... Jason takes all the blame for that one), one salad, one soup, one entree each and I guess Julio didn't think we'd had enough because he brought us a third entree...duck...which wasn't bad although I wouldn't order it my own. Dessert time: I think Jason had something chocolate but I had the grand marnier souffle...yummy! Washed it down with some port while Jay indulges in some Irish coffee...yeah, we did real good with that whole "less booze is better" vow we made this morning. We push away from the table pleasantly squiffed...change clothes in the cabin...and decide to take a walk.
On deck four while lounging on those amazing deck chairs we run into Nancy and Suzie and their respective spouses. We chat for a while and share some early tag tales...the game is going well so far and we've tagged four or five people since the afternoon meet. It is lots of fun to try to tag people without getting caught and equally fun coming back to the cabin to find little surprises waiting. I'm sure these surprises are much better than anything Handsome Pete may have waiting for us at home.
Soon it's time for bed. Tomorrow promises to be a good day...Tune in later for: Brenda's birthday means she enters a less desirable marketing demographic; Sunshine means the inner lizard performs a happy dance; Brunch at Palo probably does encourage gluttony; and You can't spello Relaxo without Relax.
PS - we did finally meet Gerry, our stateroom host. He has been giving us extra towels and tonight's animal was a peacock wearing sunglasses - cool! Also, in regard to my earlier comment about pictures...experienced disappointment at Lumiere's because there was no roaming photographer taking formal night pictures like last year. Or perhaps I should say that our table defenses were so strong that the photographer was unable to storm our position? Either way I am not pleased...and am even less pleased when the next day at Shutters I see photographic evidence of professional picture taking in Lumiere's from the previous evening...
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New Pride Popcorn Bucket & Novelties Just Dropped at Disneyland
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GET UP TO A $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE GIFT!
If you make your Disney Cruise Line reservation with Dreams Unlimited Travel you’ll receive these incredible shipboard credits to spend on your cruise!
Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!
Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
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