Oleg's Westbound Transatlantic Cruise September 2015 - Barcelona to Miami

[gismo1554]

So I meant to post this ages ago but forgot so thought today I would finally get around to it! Hope people enjoy it! I should explain that Oleg is a meerkat from a British advert and since my sister started taking random photos of him he has to come on holiday everywhere hence there will be quite a few photos of him. As I travelled solo he was a great photo buddy for the entire trip!


DAY ONE – 18th September 2015

So I was set to leave for the airport at 9:40am so ordered a taxi for 9:15 however the taxi turned up late which added to my travelling stress. Arrived dead on time to find a huge queue of people waiting. It turned out there had been major traffic everywhere and a bus to Southampton was almost 40 minutes late. My bus arrived about 10-15 minutes late and was busy but there were still a few empty seats around. The bus journey took forever and roads were really busy. There were works on at the Central Bus station which meant we were dropped at Terminal 3 arrivals so easier to get to departures than normal. What I didn’t anticipate was being told I was too early to drop my bags off at check-in! I’ve never known an airline before to only allow bag check 3 hours before the flight. Most are 4 so therefore had to wait around for an hour. Also meant I had to call the No.1 Lounge as I had prebooked my arrival for 3 hours before my flight and was worried I would miss my nail appointment. As it was I needn’t have stressed. I checked in as soon as I could and there was no queue at immigration so went straight through to the lounge. Arrived about 40 minutes later than I had booked but it was fine.

The lounge was smart and had a lovely comfy cinema area. I ordered Cheesy Beans on Toast as my hot item and sat down and ate this before heading into the cinema area to watch Up. After about an hour I had to go and have my nails done, so I grabbed another glass of wine and headed to the spa area. My therapist was lovely and they had a lot of colours to choose from. I choose a turquoise colour and settled back to be pampered. The gel nail varnish was by OPI and came out looking quite nice in the end. Once it was finished I went back into the cinema area to watch the end of Up, which it would turn out to be the movie of my holiday as this was one of 5 times I saw this movie in part.

I checked the clock and it was time to head on out to the gate for my flight, which had been delayed about an hour by this point. I walked down to the gate and boarded with no problems whatsoever. Once onboard it wasn’t long before we were in the air. The flight was only 2 hours but they did a trolley service with a sandwich and cake on offer and a drink. I asked for both wine and coffee as was very thirsty but also falling asleep. The wine was great as it was a small screw top bottle so I decided to hang on to it to have once I got to the hotel instead of on the plane as the coffee was plenty.

No sooner than I had finished eating then it was time to start packing everything away ready for landing. It all went very smoothly and got to the baggage rack quickly. Unfortunately there had been lots of plane delays and it was very busy. Still managed to find my bag and headed through customs. Again the arrivals area was also packed but I knew where I was going. I got through to the otherside of the car park and the waiting area for the hotel shuttles. Within about 5 minutes the one for the Barcelona Airport Hotel appeared and I jumped onboard.

The hotel hadn’t changed since last year. Check-in was as quick as it always was and then I headed straight up to my room. Unlike last year there was no snack and drink area downstairs but instead it was situated on the floor of the rooms just outside the lift. I took my case to my room then went and grabbed some snacks and a fancy coffee before sorting out my bags.


As I didn’t really want to go and eat in the Restaurant I ordered room service pizza which turned out to be very tasty. Then I went to bed as I wanted to make sure I was refreshed for the morning. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to be the case as my neighbour was banging on his door at around 3am trying to get in to the room and I had to call reception it was so loud.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY TWO – 19th September 2015

Breakfast at the hotel was interesting to say the least. I know last year I felt it was just OK but this year it was a random mix of nice items that really didn’t go well together. I ended up have Churros with blue cheese which was a rather odd but tasty combination. They also had some great pastries and even English breakfast. Then I went back to the room and caught up on the news while waiting for the shuttle to the port.

At 10:30 I headed down to check out and was pleasantly surprised to be offered to pay in pounds rather than Euros. Then I stood outside in the sun and waited on the shuttle. There were quite a few of us waiting and soon the shuttles turned up – one to the town and one to the port. I handed over my ticket and bag and then got into the ship. Most of the shuttle were going to the Disney Magic apart from 2 going to Costa ship. There however were 5 people waiting and no seats in the shuttle. We therefore spent another 30 minutes sat waiting while the drivers worked out what they could do. Eventually they were put on the town shuttle instead and we could finally leave.

After a 30 minute trip down the highway we could finally see the Disney Magic. We snaked our way through the port and pulled up right outside. I grabbed my bag and went to check-in. Unlike last year they had arranged the check-in area through past the character meet and greets and the duty free shops. This made it a little awkward as you had to leave the waiting area to go get duty free.

I joined the queue to check in as by now I was late for my Port Arrival time. On the way through I ran into Mark and Mandy and managed to say a quick hello before having to get back to the check-in process. The queue moved quickly but was very long. When I finally checked in I got boarding group 3 and boarding group 1 had just been called. I rushed through and grabbed some rum in duty free, along with some magnets & postcards, and then headed to the boarding gate as by now groups 1-4 had been called.

I did have the obligatory Welcome Aboard photo as I always feel it starts the holiday off correctly. Then I joined the queue to get onboard. It took quite awhile get through as there was a hold up on the gangway but when it finally got to my turn I was pleased to be welcomed onboard. I even ran into Natalie the cruise director who welcomed me back. I however was on a mission to book my Meet & Greets, so joined the queue at Port Adventures.


I managed to book on to all the Meet & Greets and the Character Breakfast but was told to come back later to book the Miami Hop-on Hop-off Bus. I then went to Lumiere’s and book the Dessert Wine & Port tasting, and checked on my large print menus. Then I headed to Carioca’s for lunch and was sat with a lovely couple from England. I also ran into my evening table mates – Pat, Sue, Steve & Richard. The food itself was OK (nothing fantastic) and they had a nice pumpkin pie for dessert but once done I headed back to Port Adventures and got booked onto the Bus Tour.

By now it was 1:30pm and the rooms were available so I headed down to my stateroom. There was an odd smell in the corridor like really bad damp and it was in the room as well. The room itself was nice enough but the smell really made me feel sick. There was also a random case outside my room that twice my room steward tried to help me into my room.


I then headed back out for the ship tour as I like to do this each time to see what changes have happened. It was a busy tour but interesting, and once done I rushed up to the Spa for the raffle. I wasn’t lucky enough to win and headed back down to the Facebook group meet and greet. There were still a few people down there and managed to catch up with Leisbeth, Claire & John while picking up pins and lanyards.


The lifeboat drill was the next thing to participate in. Due to my eye condition, I had a steward knock to check I was OK to get down there on my own and I said I was. I left early and headed down the back steps to life boat station G. There were a few families missing from our lifeboat station even after the announcement was made by the bridge about the drill. Once over however I waited for the crowds to clear before returning to my room.

Then it was the Adventures Away show up on Deck. I headed up via Frozone Treats to get an Eclipse cocktail (wine & rum) in a cocktail glass. I then headed around to the party and enjoyed the music before the horn was sounded. I even managed to grab a slice of pizza and a vegetable wrap. Unfortunately we did not sailaway this year on time. In fact sailaway didn’t happen until 6:30pm during the Welcome Aboard show. Not sure why we were so delayed but there were lots of issues with cancelled flights and delays from the sounds of things.

When I returned to my room, my case had finally arrived so I put on the TV (which strangely went to a station showing Up again) and unpacked. I then headed to the All Aboard Show which always makes me smile. About half way through you could feel the ship start to move and we were finally on our way. After the show I looked through the shops and then wandered around catching up with old friends along the way. I also popped to guest services to complain about the smell in the room and was told there were no rooms to move to.

Tonight we had dinner in Carioca’s and as became the norm, I was first to arrive at dinner. We were on a table of 8 but it ended up just being the 5 of us. We met our serving team – Edward from England, Darko (assistant server) and George (head server). All seemed very nice and we had a lovely dinner. Afterwards though I was so tired I headed straight to bed.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY THREE – 20th September 2015

I started the day early with breakfast in Cabanas. I had a 9am Meet & Greet with the princesses so had to get down there asap. It worked so well and was the easiest way to see the Princesses. I met Cinderella, Rapunzel and Belle (in the Gold dress) all within about 10 minutes. Then I went straight to the Frozen Meet & Greet. Last year this had been just Anna & Elsa. This year they had Anna & Elsa one side of Animators Palate and then Olaf the other side. It was fantastic and I had so much fun.

Once I was done with the Meet & Greets of the day, I rushed to get to the Castaway Reception. I had missed last years and wanted to try and get there this time. I got a great seat and had a few lovely prosecco based cocktails. I also managed to grab some rice crispy treats to take home and got my photo taken with Mickey Mouse. I then rushed to get the recipe from Anyone Can Cook (Apple strudel) as had have to miss this for the Reception.

After this I was feeling peckish so had to grab a snack by the pool. I then headed to the Spa Pamper Package. I had no idea what to expect from this but it was strangely quite good. You sat within the gym area which was strange and then basically did your own facial. You also got to whiten your teeth and moisturise your hands. It was a very relaxing and interesting seminar and I am glad I went as my face felt fantastic afterwards.


There was then a talk by the Cruise Art Director Ed Wilton (I think it was) who used to be a cast member on the ship and even managed Jennifer Hudson. It was such an interesting talk about the process of becoming a cast member and how he now works with casts on the ship. It was very interesting look behind the scenes of the ship.

After this I went to Animation Cells in the Oceanear’s Lab. This was probably the most unorganised activity of the cruise but it was still fun. First I was given a glass elephant to decorate before finally she found some actual cells to paint. I painted Woody and he looked OK but it was very hard with very little paint. I also popped by guest services again to complain about the smell and was told they would put a dehumifier in my room and replace my Frozen package at some point once the smell had got better.


As I had missed lunch I grabbed a second snack by the pool before heading back to the room to watch Fast & Furious 7 and get ready for formal night. I wanted to be ready early as wanted to get to Captain’s Gala, which I made with about 10 minutes to spare. I managed to get 2 free drinks, one to drink there and one I took to the show.


That night the show was Twice Charmed, and I got there early to make sure I got a good seat. The show as usual was brilliant although the bed didn’t spin (found out later it was a technical fault not something that no longer happened). After the show I headed back to Captain’s Gala round 2 and got a few more glasses of wine (including one for dinner). I did try one of the cocktails but it was horrid so I ended up leaving it.


Dinner that night was in Lumiere’s and unfortunately Sue had hurt her back so had to miss it. The food was one of the nicest meals and we had good fun at dinner. I even managed to convince all my table mates to come to make Flubber with me in the Oceanear’s lab.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY FOUR – 21st September 2015

I started the day with a Character Breakfast. Unlike previous ones it was done in Animators Palate and was rather sedate. The menu was the same so I just had eggs and bacon and some toast. I was sat with a lovely family from the US and we had a great chat about the cruise. We were however the last people to see the characters and were struggling towards the end on about the 5th cup of coffee (and the table next to us gave up and left before they arrived). When they did finally get there it was nice to get some pictures with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto & Goofy.

Next was family Flubber, which was fun but not as funny as the adult one. Afterwards I went to Anyone Can Cook Lobster Ravioli and then lunch in Lumiere’s. There was a talk with an Imagineer in the afternoon in Fathoms so I headed to this next. This was interesting too as he was very candid about what he was working on and the changes on the ship.

Today was the day of the facebook group Mixology and so I headed to Keys for this. Claire, John, Liesbeth, Paul, Sue, Richard, Pat & Steve were all there and we took 3 tables near the back giving us a great location and a spare set of cocktails next to me. You got to make 4 cocktails (and had one already made up). Some you just added mixer to but 2 you poured yourself. They were a fantastic mix and so I decided to sign up for the other one that Claire & John had booked on to and the Wine Tasting.

I then headed up and watched Wall:E by the pool. Unfortunately they have replaced the pool beds with pool chairs around the Goofy pool. Although these are great for movie watching they aren’t good for sunbathing while watching a move and so you had to use 2 in order to get comfy. The pool was also freezing cold and only one hot tub was working but it was still a nice few hours by the pool.


The show didn’t excite me tonight so I decided to instead go and see Cinderella in the Buena Vista Theatre with Mandy. It was as fantastic the second time as it was the first and I really enjoyed seeing it again. It was definitely the better choice than the theatre show.


After it was time for dinner. Tonight we were in Animators Palate but with the standard Mickey Mouse colour show rather than Animation Magic. Again it was a good meal and we had a great time. There was an ongoing joke on the cruise about the lack of wine available as most of the ones on the menu it turned out were out of stock and tonight was no exception (especially as Steve had ordered a bottle the night before and it wasn’t available).


There was a Disney Trivia after dinner and so I decided to attend. I played on my own and somehow managed to come second! I was very proud and went to bed very happy at my efforts.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY FIVE – Madeira 22nd September 2015

I grabbed a quick breakfast in Cabanas before getting ready for my Madeira Tour. The day before we had been told about our additional time in Madeira and my tour had been moved from 10am to a 9am departure so I didn’t have long to get ready. There were only about 30 of us on the trip in two buses (one from the 1920s and our one from the 1930s). We boarded the buses and headed out into Madeira. We came to our stop in Funchal and rather than the 40 minutes we were meant to have to explore we actually got a 40 minute walking tour of the city. It was amazing and showed us some wonderful artwork.

We ended the tour in the Madeira flower market and an optional jaunt into the fish market. I passed and instead went to a little stall nearby to get magnets and postcards. Then the group returned and we went and reboarded the bus. While waiting for it to appear I managed to log on to the internet to catch up with my sister as well which was great. Then we drove up to Hendrik & Hendriks – a large Madeira factory.

We didn’t really get anything like a tour or information from the Madeira factory. Instead we got to taste some Madeira cake (like Christmas cake) and 4 different types of Madeira. I realised I didn’t like any of it but it was nice to see the difference between Sweet – Semi Sweet – Semi Dry – Dry. Afterwards we had time in the shop but there wasn’t much in there apart from Madeira.

Once finished we headed down to Camara de Lobos where Churchill vacationed after his stroke and painted many of his famous artwork. Here we had 30 minutes free time to explore but I decided I wanted to try a local specialty – Poncha which is rum and orange with some tropical spices. I went to a little café overlooking the bay and tried this along with Pineapple soaked in brown sugar and Madeira. The food was nice but the Poncha was way too strong and burnt.

Finally it was time to reboard the bus, passing by a cute little train that ran from the café down through the bay. We then were taken back to the ship where it was just about time for lunch. Afterwards I went to the pool and enjoyed the quietness, watching Cars from the hot tub. I met quite a few people doing the same thing and really enjoyed my afternoon. Also saw Aristocats for the first time ever all the way through.


Later in the afternoon they did a Sailaway party with characters on deck. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Chip & Dale and even Max was there to wave us off from Madeira. I even managed to nip up on deck and grab a few last photos of Madeira before we started on our Transatlantic adventure.


That night the show was the puppetry of Taylor Mason. It was OK, funny in places cheesey in others. Lots of people were involved in the show and it made it more enjoyable than if he had just been up there on his own. The kids from the audience definitely stole the show.


Before dinner they did an Open House in the Edge (11-14 year olds club) which had been relocated up to Deck 9 in the dry dock before the cruise. I just went for a nose around but it was very retro in there and looked a bit like a submarine. I was surprised how “undisney” it actually looked compared to the deck 2 Edge that had Diver Goofy in fake portholes. The port hole screens were cool though and it had Xbox games on the big screen.


Dinner tonight was in Carioca’s and was the standard menu. I decided to be adventurous and try a few things as nothing really grabbed me but the dinner was nice enough and the company was fantastic as per normal. After dinner I headed off to Trivia before going to the Adult Exclusive Becoming Iron Man/Marvel’s Academy Event in the Oceanear’s Club. I was one of the lucky 10 to be able to do the Becoming Iron Man that night and did purchase the photo from this ($29.95 for those interested and not counted as part of the photo packages). We then got initiated into S.H.I.E.L.D. and made capes and masks to become superheros. At the end Captain America even joined us and we got to have photos with him. It was a great surprise and the next day we got to pick up our S.H.I.E.L.D. IDs too which were pretty cool.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY SIX – 23rd September 2015

I grabbed breakfast up in Cabanas before heading to the Oceanear’s Club to pick up my S.H.I.E.L.D ID along with attending Nemo’s Coral Reef Adventure. Not sure what I expected from this one but it was very very odd. Definitely more aimed at toddlers than any other age group (unlike Alladins Adventure & Storytime with Belle that I attended last year that were more for all age groups). It was cute and it showed some nice puppetry but I think I could have skipped it.

I then went to Anyone Can Cook which today was Salmon. I enjoyed the wine but didn’t eat the Salmon as I really didn’t fancy trying it. I then made the rounds and gave out all my recipe cards before grabbing lunch in Cabanas.


It was DVC presentation day so I popped along to grab a few free cocktails and a lovely folder. I always like to attend to find out how many points it would take for me to be able to do my usual holiday (too many) and this time I won a memory stick. I then headed to the Walt Disney Theatre to enjoy the music of Gretta Salome who was a Eurovision entrant for Iceland. She was amazing – singing and playing the violin fantastically. Afterwards I managed to grab an autograph too.

I then went up to the pool and watched the end of Up (see here it is again) and Monsters Inc. I had 2 free bingo tickets from the DVC presentation so decided that today was the day I would use them. I headed down and got the cards scanned in (which they don’t tell you you need to do at the presentation so make sure you do!) and then got 3 numbers away from winning.


Tonights show was Junk so I decided to skip it and go and see Antman in 3D in the Buena Vista Theatre as it was on my list of things I wanted to watch. The movie was OK and afterwards I went to Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer but wasn’t chosen. The couple I sat with however were impressed by my skills and left me their numbers when they left half way through so I had more chance to take part.


Then it was time for dinner so I headed off to Lumiere’s. Had another lovely meal (so nice I forgot to take pictures of the 2 first courses so using last years) and tonight we had the Beauty and the Beast show in the dining room. After dinner there was another event in the Oceanear’s Club for adults – Super Sloppy Science Volcanos. This was so much fun and we made a complete mess of the club. It also went over by about an hour and so the club was still full of us “big kids” til around 12:30am. Then it was time to head off to bed and get some sleep.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY SEVEN – 24th September 2015

So I decided it was a good idea to do some laundry today. When I got down there was a washer free so I put it in and headed to Lumiere’s for breakfast. Breakfast seemed to take forever however so after 30 minutes waiting I had to nip out to get my washing out of the washer. There were no free dryers so I headed back and ate my breakfast then returned back to the laundry room. This time there were still no dryers and one wasn’t working so I hovered around for 30 minutes waiting on a dryer as there was no point going away again. Finally got it in one and headed up to the pool deck for 30 minutes while it dried. I then returned it all to the room in time to get to the Anyone Can Cook Chocolate Lava Cake presentation.

I left the presentation early with Mark as we both fancied going to the Lighting Seminar in the Buena Vista Theatre. This again was really interesting and was done by the guy who worked on “Glow with the Magic” and “Sing-a-long Frozen”. Although he claimed to be nervous he came across well and this was one of the most interesting behind the scene seminars.

After this I went to lunch in Lumiere’s which was actually my favourite lunch on the cruise. I then popped to the Promanade Lounge where they were making Christmas Ornaments which were actually Melted Olaf’s and very easy to make. After this I headed to the Oil & Vinegar Seminar with Leisbeth but had to run out to get to my Galley tour.

The Galley tour was possibly the biggest waste of time ever. Unlike last years where we got a drink and were in groups of around 10-15 people, we were in a group of over 25 and only did half the kitchen. I couldn’t hear anything and was stuck right at the back of the group. We did get a cookie but we came out of the kitchens by the Aft lift. I did suggest at guest services that groups should be smaller in future so fingers crossed they take this into account.

I then headed up to the pool and watched Sleeping Beauty in the hot tub. I then went down and got changed for Alley Cats in the theatre. These were a swing harmony group and were alright but probably would have worked better in Fathoms as the venue really didn’t suite that type of concert.


Between the show and dinner they did an Adult Exclusive event in the Edge club. This was a great opportunity to see inside and also get to make a fun Pasta Palace for the 4th Little Pig (Franco). It was so much fun and we all found it hilarious. Warren & Abbey’s palace looked very professional. Ours had a pool included and was based on the Polynesian.

Dinner tonight was Animation Magic in Animators Palate but with the Frozen menu. This caused a bit of a problem as you get a set starter and soup for this one. Luckily our server kindly went and got us the Jalsberg tart off the proper menu as I didn’t like the sampler. Unfortunately there was no “Build your own cupcake” on the kids menu either which was sad.


After an enjoyable meal and the great show we had the last Freezing the Night Away party of the season. It was a rather odd deck party. The concept was good but they sung Fixer Upper, Summer & Let it Go missing out the great Do You Want to Build a Snowman and For the First Time In Forever. Just seemed an odd mix of songs. They also had technical difficulties with Christophs microphone which meant twice he disappeared off and in the end they just gave him a hand held microphone. The snow effect however was amazing and I loved the light-up snowflakes they gave us all. Not sure how many people hung around however after “Let it Go” was sung as the entertainment staff disappeared and there was a party in Fathoms for adults afterwards.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY EIGHT – 25th September 2015

I had breakfast in Cabanas before heading down to the Promanade Lounge to play trivia (and have a smoothie). I didn’t win but followed this with Anyone Can Cook Pork Fillet. In my madness I then went for Ultimate Disney Trivia and again came nowhere near winning.


At lunch time I went to my second DVC presentation in hope that they might give me the points required for the Polynesian but it turned out they actually didn’t have any of those charts left. I ended up writing them down on a post-it but did once again win a memory stick.

I then popped up to the pool deck and caught the end of Dave Sharps set at the adult pool and the Ice Carving at the Mickey Pool. I thought I better grab a bit of food before Mixology so went to Cabanas. I then rushed back down to Keys for my second Mixology of the trip. It was the same as the first but different drinks. This time Claire, John, Mark, Mandy and me sat near the front to get the most out of it. There was even a cocktail with Peroni in and then we had to finish the bottle so did a Peroni Martin (peroni in a mini martini glass).

Me Clair and John then headed to Adult Crafts in Ogills where we made door hangers. After this I headed to the pool for a little bit before getting ready for dinner and going to the Walt Disney: Dream Goes On show. I then popped up to the pool deck and watched part of Old Dogs which I realised I had never seen before.


Dinner tonight was in Carioca’s and we had a lovely time. The menu was rather interesting however and the rest of the table shared a Thai Green Chicken Curry that the chef had whipped up especially. I however stupidly ordered the Prime Rib which was huge.


After dinner I went to the Promanade Lounge and listened to Dreem Duo for awhile. Disney Tune Trivia followed but I didn’t win as some of them I had never heard before. Then there were snacks out so I decided to grab a few before heading back to the room. They had mini macaroons, chicken wings, cheese & fruit.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY NINE – 26th September 2015

As I was up mega early I watched Iron Man 3 (I think or No. 2 – the one with Guy Pearce in) in the room before breakfast. Then after breakfast I went to Trivia again and managed to get a smoothie from the Promanade Lounge. Straight after they did Family Olaf Animation in there so I stayed to do that too.

After I went to Anyone Can Cook Orange Almond Cake which was lovely and the wine that went with it was wonderful. When I left Chip It Golf was going on outside so I watched a bit of this as well – seeing the Captain John and the Cruise Director Natalie both play (Captain John won). I then headed up to the pool and did some sunbathing as well as grabbing some lunch.

In the afternoon I went to Napkin Folding and then went to the Oceanears Lab to take part in Anyone Can Cook Cookies. Then there was another Adult Exclusive Event this time in the Vibe (15-18 year olds). This was a fun music quiz although we all established we were too old to actually know half the answers. We were only good at the “oldies” section.

The show tonight was Magic Dave. Although bits were funny it was probably my least favourite show as I just find his type of magic trying. Afterwards though I headed to the Promanade Lounge to play the Wheel which was great fun (and I got one of the answers for our team – Baymax).

Tonight for dinner my table mates ate up on deck 9 so I was solo. It meant I not only got to order loads of the menu and not feel greedy, but could also do suduko at the dinner table. I was out of dinner however by 9:15pm which gave me time to get to Magic Quest. This was insane as per normal and was followed by A Pirate’s Life For Me show which was a great laugh. Then I headed to bed as I was very tired.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY TEN – 27th September 2015

Today started much the same as yesterday with breakfast in Cabanas and then the quiz in Promanade lounge. The weather was cloudy and turned to rain later so the ship was a bit choppy. I went from there to Anyone Can Cook Pork Potstickers, which were amazing.

After that I had the Theatre Tour, where I got to go behind the scenes in the threatre. This included a lift down on the platform into the storage area of the ship. It was great fun and I got to see some of the new costumes for Disney dreams as well as feeling how heavy Cinderella’s wedding dress is. After I had to nip off from Ogills to get to Keys for Wine Tasting with Claire & John. This wasn’t as good as Mixology but still fun and at the end I jokingly said to the waiter clearing glasses that the two untouched red wines on the table next to us was a waste so he gave them to me and John.

Claire & John mentioned trying to get booked on to the Mixology that afternoon so after we all went to guest services to try and book. There was only one space though so I took that and they decided to come along anyway to see if people didn’t show. We therefore rushed up to Cabanas to grab some food before it closed and then to the Cheese Seminar before heading back to Mixology. Luckily there was space and so they joined me too. It was great fun and the best of all the Mixologys.

Afterwards I went to Ogills for Adult Stich Animation and then popped to the pool to grab a snack, catching the end of Up (see told you I saw it lots). Tonight Gavin Lee was performing so I went down to this and had a great time. It was a wonderful show and after I joined the queue for a photo with Captain Jack Sparrow.

Dinner was at Animators and although my table mates planned to eat on Deck 9 then at the Pirate Night Buffet, the weather was so bad they joined me for appetisers. The food was OK although the short ribs were rather chewy. The nicest thing was the pot stickers strangely enough. Afterwards we went up to the Pirate Night Show which went ahead thanks to the Captain avoiding the storm. There was a slight bit of rain but nothing major. It was a great show as per normal but I skipped the Pirate Night Buffet as I was still full from dinner.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY ELEVEN – 28th September 2015

I went for breakfast in Lumeire’s this morning and then went to Disney Trivia. It was then the last Anyone Can Cooks where they did Battle of the Chefs. They had Captain John & Assistant Cruise Director Carley vrs Cruise Direct Natalie & Hotel Director. Captain John won but it was very fun to watch.

Then it was time for Dessert Wine & Port Tasting which I was worried would be boring. However it was fantastic. You got 6 different wines (4 white and 2 port) paired with a Mango dessert, a Chocolate one, a piece of parmesan and some Peanut Butter Blondie. It was great trying all the possible combinations along the way.

Afterwards me Claire & John headed to the Gavin Lee Q&A in Fathoms. This was really interesting and followed by an autograph session. I had to rush out after to get to my Marvel Meet & Greet where I met Captain America again and Thor. I then went up to the pool for a quick dip.

In the afternoon I went to Adult Animation where we did both Olaf and Buzz Lightyear. I even tried a Chilled Leprachuan drink which was wonderful (Baileys, Kahlua and Vanilla Ice Cream). It was then time for the Crew Talent show where Gretta Salome sat next to me which was fun.

Afterwards I went to Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer again. This time however my number was picked as the first contestant and I managed to get through all 5 questions without any life lines. I won a limited edition pin and a winners medal which was really fun. Then I had to head to dinner which was great as per normal. Afterwards I went back to pack as it was Castaway tomorrow and Miami the day after, and enjoyed Pitch Perfect 2 while doing it.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY TWELVE – 29th September 2015

I had breakfast in the room from Room Service along with the BLT from yesterday. I then popped up to deck to take photos coming in before heading to Fathoms to check-in for the Castaway 5K. There were a lot of serious runners in there but also some people who clearly weren’t too like me. It took about an hour for me to complete the race and I have never been so tired or hot! Afterwards I just ended up sitting on a crate next to the new Olaf drinks place for ages.

When I finally had enough energy I went and got an Arandelle Winter (coffee and coconut slushy). I then made it to the water before collapsing under a palm tree. A bar man came around and I sent him off to try and find a Sand Bottle of Corona for me but he returned about an hour later after going to every bar on the island with no luck. I felt bad as I didn’t want anything else but he seemed fine about it.

At 11:30 I headed for food at Cookies Too which I hadn’t been to before. I then did a photo trip around the island although was too knackered to get off at Serenity Bay just took photos from the tram. I then went and did a bit of shopping and caught the end of the Mickey Dance Party and the start of Dave Sharps set. I then headed back to the Post Office but it was closed so had to take postcards to guest services instead. On way back however I ran into Richard and Sue who kindly donated me their Sand Bottle (empty obviously) so I did manage to get one in the end.


I got changed and headed up to the adult pool as every day it had been too busy to go to during the crossing. I did a few laps and spent some time in the hot tub before heading around to the Goofy Pool for a movie. I however managed to fall asleep on deck and in the 2 hours I was sleeping for, all the pool deck chairs around me were moved to face the screen for movie time and it was only the ships horn that woke me.

I headed back to my room and finished off the packing. I then went to Disney Dreams which had a pre-show of Gretta Salome which was fantastic. Me and Mandy loved this bit. Then the show came on and it was so much better than before. Every scene seemed to have changed. The Aladdin scene now had a larger Prince Ali procession stand so looked more impressive. The Little Mermaid scene had less puppets. The Beauty & The Beast scene was just the main song and dance. Then there was the additional Frozen scene with Olaf singing Summertime and Anna singing for the First Time in Forever followed by Let it Go with snow effect. Then came the reimagined Lion King scene which was my favourite and consisted not only of new costumes but just the Circle of Life song with a beautiful projection along the sides of the scene of animals moving through the savannah as the sun rose and set. It was so beautiful. Definitely better than it used to be.


After this Gretta Salome gave a show in Fathoms which was amazing. I managed to get some great photos and video of her and was blown away by her taken. Then I went to our final dinner and I managed to nab a photo with Captain Mickey beforehand which was great. We said a sad farewell to our server team too although we didn’t have the flaming baked Alaska like you normally have on the last night.

Then I rushed to put my case out, putting my lithograph we had only got that night away last minute, and then ran back to the Atrium for We Will Meet Again. This year they did character meets on each of the floor for not only the fab 5 and the princesses but also for the show casts as well. I rushed around and got all of them apart from Goofy and the Princesses as I just didn’t have enough time. Then they did their cute little goodbye show and we all waved them off. Then it was time to go to bed, although I decided to watch Terminator Genysis rather than go straight to bed.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY THIRTEEN – 30th September 2015

Today was our check-out day so I ate leftovers mainly for breakfast. I did pop upstairs for some pictures of Miami as well as to grab some bacon and an English muffin as well as some fresh tea as well. I also did a quick sweep of photos around the ship as it was the last day. I even managed to catch the bit of Terminator Genysis I’d missed the night before so I had seen it all.


At 8am I checked in to the Miami Hop-on Hop-off Tour in Fathoms. Then there was a long wait until we could leave the ship. Claire & John were about five minutes late but even after they arrived we still had a long wait. When they finally said we could move up to Deck 4 it was chaotic and there really wasn’t room for us. We eventually managed to manoeuvre down into immigration and finally get our bags together. We checked them into a storage truck at the port then jumped on to an open top bus to the main Bayside Marketplace Bus stop.


Me Claire and John decided to do the City Loop first as this was the one that covered the most things. Sue Richard Pat and Steve went for the Beach Loop so I said goodbye to them at the bus station. Then we headed off around Miami. We saw so much but the things I can remember are:

• Freedom Tower – where in the 1920s Cuban immigrants were processed
• Amaerican Airlines Arean – where Miami Heat play
• Vizcaya & Science Museum
• Coconut Grove District
• The Biltmore Hotel
• Venetian Pool
• Coral Gables Museum
• Little Havana
• Domino Park
• The County Courthouse

It was a great tour if you wanted to see the best bits of Miami in 2 hours. Then we decided to go for the Beach Loop as it was already there and waiting. This showed you less but was also shorter. It included:

• Freedom Tower again
• American Airlines Arena Again
• Perez Art Museum Miami
• MacArthur Causeway
• Millionaire Island
• Washington Avenue
• DASH – the Kardasian’s shop
• Collins Avenue
• Fontainebleau
• Flooded streets
• South Beach
• Lincoln Road
• Old Miami Beach City Hall
• Ocean Drive
• Burger King Whopper Bar – only BK to serve beer
• Jungle Island

Then when we got back I said goodbye to John and Claire and grabbed some postcards and magnets. Even managed to drop in to Hard Rock for pins before getting back on the Cultural or Uptown Loop. This included a lot of street art but also a few points of interest:

• Freedom Tower again
• American Airlines Arena again
• Perez Art Museum Miami again
• Miami Childrens Museum
• Jungle Island again
• Wyndwood
• Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
• Design District
• Prohibition – still in operation speak easy
• Overtown
• Black Police Precinct Museum
• Lyric Theater – where James Brown amongst others have played
• History Miami Museum
• First ever Macy’s

Finally I returned to Bayside Marketplace and went to Bubba Gumps for some food. I was too full for dessert so headed around the shopping centre and ended up in the Disney Store where I found out they still do trading of Vinylmations. Then I went back to the Bubba Gump bar for dessert before finally heading back to the bus station for my transfer to the airport. Strangely I was the only person on the last transfer (4:45pm) and we got to the airport about 5:15.

Check-in opened at 5:40pm and once I had checked-in I went through to the Miami airport lounge. I still don’t like this one as there really isn’t a good selection of snacks (pretzels or fruit and cookies) and the wine is horrid but had mango juice and rum which was nice. Then I headed down to the gate and boarded the plane home but spent an hour sat on the run way waiting for slot to take off with the air conditioning not working. As soon as we took off it was time for dinner which I had ordered the Asian Vegetarian meal and got a great Tofu Tikka with Naan bread and fruit salad.

 

[gismo1554]

DAY FOURTEEN – 1st October 2015

I didn’t sleep much on the flight but managed to watch San Andreas, Age of Ultron twice as fell asleep during it and then an episode of Inside No.9. I missed two drinks service and the ice cream as it was too dark for me to notice them in time. We were woken early and I got a Veggie rolls for breakfast plus yoghurt and muesli.

The flight was in late so everywhere was busy. I had put 2 hours between landing time and my bus home but as it was I only just made my bus with 5 minutes to spare once my luggage had finally come through on the carousel. The bus home was then long and delayed due to the Rugby World Cup and a strike in Cardiff so arrived home around 30 minutes later than I expected but was very happy to see my own house. Gladly apart from a leak in one of the flats beneath me there were no major issues while I was gone and I could finally get to sleep in my own bed.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

Loved your report, thanks for sharing! I don't suppose at any point you went and had a nose at BBB did you? I've been trying to find out (any!) information on the Anna / Elsa makeover without any success!

Claire

 

[gismo1554]

Loved your report, thanks for sharing! I don't suppose at any point you went and had a nose at BBB did you? I've been trying to find out (any!) information on the Anna / Elsa makeover without any success!

Claire

I went past a few times but it never seemed to be open! I don't know if it was because it was the first cruise with it so not many people had actually booked or whether it just looks closed from the outside even when its busy.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

I went past a few times but it never seemed to be open! I don't know if it was because it was the first cruise with it so not many people had actually booked or whether it just looks closed from the outside even when its busy.

Ah, ok! Not to worry, thankyou!

Claire

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Loved your report, seems like you had a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!

 

[gismo1554]

Loved your report, seems like you had a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks! I had a fantastic time! And looks like you are on the 2017 one too so will see you there!

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Thanks! I had a fantastic time! And looks like you are on the 2017 one too so will see you there!

Yes, definitely!