dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
You definitely should if you get the chance. I had an amazing time during both parties that I attended.
Corinna
-
Controversial Topics
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Princesses, Pirates and Pumpkins
- Thread starter dolphingirl47
- Start date
You definitely should if you get the chance. I had an amazing time during both parties that I attended.
Corinna
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
I love those photos, too. Still, I think my favourite is where I literally smell the roses at the flower cart.
Corinna
ForTheLoveOfDCL
A Dream is a wish your
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2008
What great pictures. I had never heard of "Trash the dress" before, not sure I understand the point...LOL but I absolutely love the pictures.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
There are some deep philosophical explanations for the idea behind Trash the Dress. However, what it boils down to is that I had a lot of fun doing it. It gave me an opportunity to take some photos inside Disneyland. I felt like a celebrity for the afternoon. I also absolutely adore the photos that resulted from this photo shoot. Is this not point enough?
Corinna
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
Day 7
I had actually set the alarm for this morning. I figured after the relatively late night the day before, I would need it. I did wake up just before the alarm call, but it was still nice to have it. It turned out that they use the same alarm call at the Grand Californian that they use on Disney Cruise Line. Once I was encouraged my Mickey to get going, we got up and got ready.
We had decided that this would be a non-park day for me. Not only was it a weekend during Halloween season, which on its own would probably have drawn quite a crowd, but it was also Disneyland Gay Days that weekend and I figured the parks would be packed. This was confirmed when I spoke to some people in the evening who had been to the parks that day. We headed over to Alamo to pick up the car. This was a smooth and quick process. Instead of the little runaround that we had requested, we had been allocated a full size car. It took us a little while to figure out how to move the driver's seat back, but then we were on our way.
Our first point of call was the Tucker Wildlife Preserve. We discovered this little gem on our first visit to Southern California and have been back there every time we have been to California. Tucker is about a 45 minutes drive from Disneyland and is located East of Disneyland at the fringes of the Cleveland National Forest. Some of the scenery that we passed on the way is absolutely stunning. Tucker Wildlife Preserve is owned and operated by the California State University in Fullerton.
It had been about 5.5 years since we last had been to Tucker and the map that came with the car was very basic. Still, I was very surprised how quickly the directions came back to me once I saw a few pointers on the map. On the way, we drove through the city of Orange. To me this is a real life Main Street USA. Once we had passed through Orange, we decided that it was time for breakfast. We saw a Denny's at a retail park and decided to stop. We both had orange juice and coffee. Graham had a full cooked breakfast and I had a Southwestern Steak Burrito.
When we had finished our breakfast, we continued our journey. To our surprise, we found Tucker on the first attempt. This was a first. It is down a little country lane, which is very easy to miss and not very well signposted. We normally overshoot and have to backtrack, but not this time. When we arrived, we headed straight for the entrance to the wildlife trail. It became obvious straightaway that some money had been spent since we had last been there. The paths had been tidied up, there was some additional landscaping, some more educational exhibits had appeared and the pond has been spruced up and now has koi carp and turtles in it. Near the entrance there was also a sign made from tiles that showed, which companies have contributed donations. It was nice to see that Disney was one of them.
We decided to walk around a bit. We encountered squirrels raiding the bird tables and also ground squirrels which we had not seen before. At the entrance there is a sign warning of potential wildlife hazards, but once I came across a sign warning specifically of rattlesnakes that are known to be present in that area, I decided that I had enough of that part of the adventure and retreated to the bird porch.
Tucker used to be somebody's home before the whole estate was donated to a wildlife charity and then eventually ended up with the California State University in Fullerton. The original house is still there. I don't know what the house itself is used for and if it is even used at all. However, the porch has been screened in with glass and assorted benches have been put in there and this is the prime bird watching spot. It overlooks a stream, that is usually dried out and there are bird tables and hummingbird feeders in that area. When I first sat down, I did not see any birds at all. However, I soon realised that there was a multitude of tiny birds around. Right in front of me, there was a hummingbird perched on a branch. Graham joined we after a while. One thing that we did not really see this time round is Scrub Jays. I love those birds and they have always been very plentiful on previous visits. This time I saw one in the distance. We decided to head outside to a bench near some bird feeders. The only thing we saw there were squirrels, more hummingbirds and some misbehaving kids.
We both needed the bathroom. We headed towards the visitor centre. After our pitstop, we went inside the visitor centre and had a look around. We got talking to one of the volunteers. I commented on the absence of the Scrub Jays. She asked us when we had last visited Tucker. When I told her that we had not been since 2006, she told us that they had major wildfires in that area in 2007 and the fires came within 15 feet of the preserve. A lot of birds were lost in this and bird numbers were only slowly increasing again. While we were at the visitor centre, I was even brave enough to touch a snake. They have a number of snakes there. I also learned that the only venomous snakes that are found in Southern California are rattle snakes. They have multiple species of those, but essentially, if you encounter a snake and it does not rattle at you, you are OK. We both had something to drink and then we headed out again.
I had actually set the alarm for this morning. I figured after the relatively late night the day before, I would need it. I did wake up just before the alarm call, but it was still nice to have it. It turned out that they use the same alarm call at the Grand Californian that they use on Disney Cruise Line. Once I was encouraged my Mickey to get going, we got up and got ready.
We had decided that this would be a non-park day for me. Not only was it a weekend during Halloween season, which on its own would probably have drawn quite a crowd, but it was also Disneyland Gay Days that weekend and I figured the parks would be packed. This was confirmed when I spoke to some people in the evening who had been to the parks that day. We headed over to Alamo to pick up the car. This was a smooth and quick process. Instead of the little runaround that we had requested, we had been allocated a full size car. It took us a little while to figure out how to move the driver's seat back, but then we were on our way.
Our first point of call was the Tucker Wildlife Preserve. We discovered this little gem on our first visit to Southern California and have been back there every time we have been to California. Tucker is about a 45 minutes drive from Disneyland and is located East of Disneyland at the fringes of the Cleveland National Forest. Some of the scenery that we passed on the way is absolutely stunning. Tucker Wildlife Preserve is owned and operated by the California State University in Fullerton.
It had been about 5.5 years since we last had been to Tucker and the map that came with the car was very basic. Still, I was very surprised how quickly the directions came back to me once I saw a few pointers on the map. On the way, we drove through the city of Orange. To me this is a real life Main Street USA. Once we had passed through Orange, we decided that it was time for breakfast. We saw a Denny's at a retail park and decided to stop. We both had orange juice and coffee. Graham had a full cooked breakfast and I had a Southwestern Steak Burrito.
When we had finished our breakfast, we continued our journey. To our surprise, we found Tucker on the first attempt. This was a first. It is down a little country lane, which is very easy to miss and not very well signposted. We normally overshoot and have to backtrack, but not this time. When we arrived, we headed straight for the entrance to the wildlife trail. It became obvious straightaway that some money had been spent since we had last been there. The paths had been tidied up, there was some additional landscaping, some more educational exhibits had appeared and the pond has been spruced up and now has koi carp and turtles in it. Near the entrance there was also a sign made from tiles that showed, which companies have contributed donations. It was nice to see that Disney was one of them.
We decided to walk around a bit. We encountered squirrels raiding the bird tables and also ground squirrels which we had not seen before. At the entrance there is a sign warning of potential wildlife hazards, but once I came across a sign warning specifically of rattlesnakes that are known to be present in that area, I decided that I had enough of that part of the adventure and retreated to the bird porch.
Tucker used to be somebody's home before the whole estate was donated to a wildlife charity and then eventually ended up with the California State University in Fullerton. The original house is still there. I don't know what the house itself is used for and if it is even used at all. However, the porch has been screened in with glass and assorted benches have been put in there and this is the prime bird watching spot. It overlooks a stream, that is usually dried out and there are bird tables and hummingbird feeders in that area. When I first sat down, I did not see any birds at all. However, I soon realised that there was a multitude of tiny birds around. Right in front of me, there was a hummingbird perched on a branch. Graham joined we after a while. One thing that we did not really see this time round is Scrub Jays. I love those birds and they have always been very plentiful on previous visits. This time I saw one in the distance. We decided to head outside to a bench near some bird feeders. The only thing we saw there were squirrels, more hummingbirds and some misbehaving kids.
We both needed the bathroom. We headed towards the visitor centre. After our pitstop, we went inside the visitor centre and had a look around. We got talking to one of the volunteers. I commented on the absence of the Scrub Jays. She asked us when we had last visited Tucker. When I told her that we had not been since 2006, she told us that they had major wildfires in that area in 2007 and the fires came within 15 feet of the preserve. A lot of birds were lost in this and bird numbers were only slowly increasing again. While we were at the visitor centre, I was even brave enough to touch a snake. They have a number of snakes there. I also learned that the only venomous snakes that are found in Southern California are rattle snakes. They have multiple species of those, but essentially, if you encounter a snake and it does not rattle at you, you are OK. We both had something to drink and then we headed out again.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
We went to Crystal Cathedral next. I wanted to check out possible photo opportunities. Before we went to explore the grounds, we went inside the cathedral itself. Graham had never been inside. They were getting ready for a wedding. The organ was playing and they were having a last minute rehearsal. I did wonder if we would get noticed if we stayed quietly in a corner. However, we had come to Crystal Cathedral for a reason. So we had a look around the grounds. I was particularly looking for the setting of a photo that I had seen in the wedding section of the Crystal Cathedral website. I had fallen in love with this photo and wanted to re-create it. It did not take me long to find this spot. I also spotted another photo spot that I really like the look off. Just in front of the Tower of Hope, where I had been told that the vow renewal ceremony would take place, were some stone benches facing a water feature. I thought that this would make a nice photo. I could not see an access to those benches, but figured that this might be from the Tower of Hope, which was locked. We had another wander around a saw many of the preparations for the wedding that was taking place. We had a quick look at the visitor centre, which was open, but deserted. I noticed a quote from Walt Disney on the wall " If you can dream it, you can do it." I had never spotted this before. It was pretty hot and we had achieved what we had come for, so we decided to move on.
We still had some time until we needed to be back at Disneyland for our dinner reservation. We decided to head to the Brea Mall, which was an old favourite. It is operated by the same people that are behind the Florida Mall. This has changed, but not for the better. I did find a branch of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company that I did not recall being there before. I bought us both a couple of chocolate covered strawberries. I had milk chocolate and Graham white chocolate. They were significantly cheaper than at Disneyland and very yummy. There was a seating area by the shop and Graham decided to sit down and wait for me. I was chiefly looking for Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candles. There was no Yankee Candle Store and no other shop selling them. There was a nice big Bath and Body Works shop and I had fun browsing, but did not buy anything in the end. I also had a look at Torrid, which is an old favourite, but maybe I am finally too old for their clothes as there was nothing in there that appealed to me. I went back downstairs to find Graham and we went back to the car.
When we arrived back at Disneyland, we returned the car. Initially the plan had been to go back to our room, but as we were so close to the Disneyland Hotel, where we would have dinner, Graham decided to stay there. He found himself a quiet corner with comfortable chairs and sat down. Considering all the construction that is going on, it was actually a miracle that there was a quiet corner. I headed back to our hotel to drop of the things that we no longer needed and to pick up the Mickey ears and the lanyards for the pre-cruise meet, which was planned to take place at Trader Sam's Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel after dinner. Downtown Disney was absolutely packed. It took a lot longer to get to our hotel and back again than it would have done normally. On the way back I realised that there were a bride and groom having photos taken just outside the Disneyland Hotel.
I made it back in time for our reservation. I got Graham from his comfortable spot and we got in the very long line for the check in for Goofy's Kitchen. The line moved fairly quickly and they had multiple check in positions open. Part of the reason why the line was so long was that they did not only check you in at that point, but you paid for your dinner at this point as well. They also add an auto- gratuity to your bill so you don't have to worry about anything else once you are seated. At first I thought that this was a strange way of doing things, but I have to say, it really works.
When we were checked in, we were asked to wait in a little area off to the side while they were getting a table ready for us. Soon we were called and were taken to have our photo taken with Chef Goofy. After this, we were shown to our table. Our server came and introduced herself to us and took our drinks order. I had an Orange Soda and Graham an Ice Tea. She also told us which characters were in the restaurant that evening. We would have the chance to meet Peter Pan, Alice, Cinderella, Suzy, Perla, Pluto and Minnie. With all the formalities out of the way, we were let loose on the buffet.
They had a huge salad bar with all kinds of cold cuts in the same area. They also had a gorgeous Tomato Bisque. Graham helped himself to some salad and I had a look around what else was on offer before getting some of the soup. When I got back to the table, Graham mentioned that the character manager had been over to introduce herself and that we are to let her know if any of the characters had not been to see us. This was a novel concept and nothing that I had ever encountered at a character meal before.
Shortly after I returned to the table, Cinderella came to visit followed by Perla, who arrived shortly afterwards. Once I had photos taken with both of them, I decided to get some more food as it did not look like any more characters would arrive immediately. I had some mashed potato, carved strip loin, a stir fry and some chicken casserole. Graham also had some of the strip loin, stir fry and some plantains. He went went back to get some fish that he had overlooked on the first visit and I raided the children's section and had some popcorn shrimp, meatballs and macaroni cheese. When I got back to the table, Minnie was just entering the area where we were sitting and Pluto followed closely behind.
I did not really have room for dessert even though the dessert buffet looked very tempting. However, I had spotted the famous Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza in the Pizza section. I had been under the impression that this was only served for Brunch and was very happy to see it at dinner. So I had a slice of this for dessert. It was very tasty. Graham had some fruit cobbler for his dessert. Once we had finished our meal, we waited for Suzy to come and visit and then we left. We never saw Peter Pan or Alice even though we had been in the restaurant for nearly 2 hours, but that was OK. I am not overly keen on the face characters anyway.
We had a quick look at the displays near the restaurant, which were showcasing both the history of Disneyland and the history of the Walt Disney Company. One display that I particularly liked was full of Disney toys through the ages. While we were in that area, another bridal party came by. It looked like everybody was getting married.
I had a pre-cruise meet to go to, which was taking place at Trader Sam's Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. When we had originally planned this, Graham had said that this sounded like fun, but he did not fancy it on the day. So I said goodbye to him and headed off to find the bar. This area was heaving as well and it was like finding a needle in the haystack to find other cruisers. Fortunately the person who had organised the meet had also been on the Panama Canal cruise and recognised me. As soon as she saw me, she waved. We were waiting for one of the larger tables to become available as we were expecting at least 4 more families. Unfortunately two of the families never made it, but it was nice to meet everybody else. It was nice just chatting and talking about the plans that everybody had for the cruise. The Margarita that I had was rather nice as well. It was nearly 22:00 when we finally said goodbye to each other. One of the families had to still get to the port as they were staying at a hotel near the port.
When I got to the hotel, I had a message on the phone. Fortunately I decided to listen to it. It was somebody from Guest Services "reminding" us of the pick up arrangements for the next day. We were suddenly told that our luggage had to be ready for collection at 8:00 AM the next day. This was after I went to Guest Services twice earlier in the week to check on the transfer arrangements and on both occasions I was told that the luggage would come on the coach with us. When I queried this and mentioned that I had heard that the luggage was collected earlier in the day, I was told that this is only the case at Walt Disney World as this was a much bigger operation. I was spitting nails, but set the alarm call for an hour earlier than I had intended and went to bed.
We still had some time until we needed to be back at Disneyland for our dinner reservation. We decided to head to the Brea Mall, which was an old favourite. It is operated by the same people that are behind the Florida Mall. This has changed, but not for the better. I did find a branch of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company that I did not recall being there before. I bought us both a couple of chocolate covered strawberries. I had milk chocolate and Graham white chocolate. They were significantly cheaper than at Disneyland and very yummy. There was a seating area by the shop and Graham decided to sit down and wait for me. I was chiefly looking for Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candles. There was no Yankee Candle Store and no other shop selling them. There was a nice big Bath and Body Works shop and I had fun browsing, but did not buy anything in the end. I also had a look at Torrid, which is an old favourite, but maybe I am finally too old for their clothes as there was nothing in there that appealed to me. I went back downstairs to find Graham and we went back to the car.
When we arrived back at Disneyland, we returned the car. Initially the plan had been to go back to our room, but as we were so close to the Disneyland Hotel, where we would have dinner, Graham decided to stay there. He found himself a quiet corner with comfortable chairs and sat down. Considering all the construction that is going on, it was actually a miracle that there was a quiet corner. I headed back to our hotel to drop of the things that we no longer needed and to pick up the Mickey ears and the lanyards for the pre-cruise meet, which was planned to take place at Trader Sam's Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel after dinner. Downtown Disney was absolutely packed. It took a lot longer to get to our hotel and back again than it would have done normally. On the way back I realised that there were a bride and groom having photos taken just outside the Disneyland Hotel.
I made it back in time for our reservation. I got Graham from his comfortable spot and we got in the very long line for the check in for Goofy's Kitchen. The line moved fairly quickly and they had multiple check in positions open. Part of the reason why the line was so long was that they did not only check you in at that point, but you paid for your dinner at this point as well. They also add an auto- gratuity to your bill so you don't have to worry about anything else once you are seated. At first I thought that this was a strange way of doing things, but I have to say, it really works.
When we were checked in, we were asked to wait in a little area off to the side while they were getting a table ready for us. Soon we were called and were taken to have our photo taken with Chef Goofy. After this, we were shown to our table. Our server came and introduced herself to us and took our drinks order. I had an Orange Soda and Graham an Ice Tea. She also told us which characters were in the restaurant that evening. We would have the chance to meet Peter Pan, Alice, Cinderella, Suzy, Perla, Pluto and Minnie. With all the formalities out of the way, we were let loose on the buffet.
They had a huge salad bar with all kinds of cold cuts in the same area. They also had a gorgeous Tomato Bisque. Graham helped himself to some salad and I had a look around what else was on offer before getting some of the soup. When I got back to the table, Graham mentioned that the character manager had been over to introduce herself and that we are to let her know if any of the characters had not been to see us. This was a novel concept and nothing that I had ever encountered at a character meal before.
Shortly after I returned to the table, Cinderella came to visit followed by Perla, who arrived shortly afterwards. Once I had photos taken with both of them, I decided to get some more food as it did not look like any more characters would arrive immediately. I had some mashed potato, carved strip loin, a stir fry and some chicken casserole. Graham also had some of the strip loin, stir fry and some plantains. He went went back to get some fish that he had overlooked on the first visit and I raided the children's section and had some popcorn shrimp, meatballs and macaroni cheese. When I got back to the table, Minnie was just entering the area where we were sitting and Pluto followed closely behind.
I did not really have room for dessert even though the dessert buffet looked very tempting. However, I had spotted the famous Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza in the Pizza section. I had been under the impression that this was only served for Brunch and was very happy to see it at dinner. So I had a slice of this for dessert. It was very tasty. Graham had some fruit cobbler for his dessert. Once we had finished our meal, we waited for Suzy to come and visit and then we left. We never saw Peter Pan or Alice even though we had been in the restaurant for nearly 2 hours, but that was OK. I am not overly keen on the face characters anyway.
We had a quick look at the displays near the restaurant, which were showcasing both the history of Disneyland and the history of the Walt Disney Company. One display that I particularly liked was full of Disney toys through the ages. While we were in that area, another bridal party came by. It looked like everybody was getting married.
I had a pre-cruise meet to go to, which was taking place at Trader Sam's Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. When we had originally planned this, Graham had said that this sounded like fun, but he did not fancy it on the day. So I said goodbye to him and headed off to find the bar. This area was heaving as well and it was like finding a needle in the haystack to find other cruisers. Fortunately the person who had organised the meet had also been on the Panama Canal cruise and recognised me. As soon as she saw me, she waved. We were waiting for one of the larger tables to become available as we were expecting at least 4 more families. Unfortunately two of the families never made it, but it was nice to meet everybody else. It was nice just chatting and talking about the plans that everybody had for the cruise. The Margarita that I had was rather nice as well. It was nearly 22:00 when we finally said goodbye to each other. One of the families had to still get to the port as they were staying at a hotel near the port.
When I got to the hotel, I had a message on the phone. Fortunately I decided to listen to it. It was somebody from Guest Services "reminding" us of the pick up arrangements for the next day. We were suddenly told that our luggage had to be ready for collection at 8:00 AM the next day. This was after I went to Guest Services twice earlier in the week to check on the transfer arrangements and on both occasions I was told that the luggage would come on the coach with us. When I queried this and mentioned that I had heard that the luggage was collected earlier in the day, I was told that this is only the case at Walt Disney World as this was a much bigger operation. I was spitting nails, but set the alarm call for an hour earlier than I had intended and went to bed.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
Day 8
Today was the end of the first part of the holiday and the beginning of our cruise. We had set an alarm call for 7:00 to get all packed up as we had been informed the previous evening that our luggage would be collected at 8:00 and taken to the ship. We were finished in plenty of time and left the suitcases just inside the door as instructed. While we were packing, our invoice was pushed underneath our door and I checked this. It was a good job that I did as there was a charge on there that should not have been. I had one drink at the meet the previous evening, but there were two separate charges. So I decided to head down to reception to sort this out. Graham decided to come with. So we made sure that our carry ons were far enough away from the other luggage so that they would not be accidentally collected as well and then we went downstairs. To give them credit, they were very good about putting the problem right. I could fortunately remember exactly how much I had paid. So they just took the charge off the account.
As we had nothing else to do, we stayed in the lobby and watched the world go by. Our photographer was due to come to see us at 9:00 so that she could meet Graham before our big day as well. I was definitely getting antsy. It was new concept for me to go on a cruise and not going to the port as early as possible. We were not due to be collected until 12:15. So I tried to distract myself by browsing in the shop until Jennifer got there. I was wearing the cruise shirt that I had made and got talking to a couple that was also going on the cruise. Shortly before Jennifer was due, I headed back to the room to collect the wig. I also wanted to ask her to look after a mug for me while we were away that I had made as a wedding favour. I was to worried that it would get broken if I took it on the cruise. When I got up to our room, I noticed that our luggage had been collected.
We had originally considered having some breakfast before Jennifer arrived. However, we did not fancy Whitewater Snacks and I had noticed that the Hearthstone Lounge was not only open already, but also sold various speciality coffees and assorted pastries. In the original email about this meeting, Jennifer had suggested that the Hearthstone Lounge would make a nice meeting place, but was unsure if they would be open that early. So once she arrived, we headed there and had some muffins and coffee. We spend the next 2.5 hours just chatting about various things and generally getting to know each other. Shortly before 11:00, Graham went up to the room to get our carry on bags as we had to vacate the room by 11:00. At 11:30 we said goodbye to each other and we went to find where we needed to check in for the transfer to the port.
Our paperwork that we had received that morning, we were advised that we needed to report to the Conference Centre reception at the hotel. I knew where the conference centre was, but had never seen a reception. Still, we found this without any problems and when we approached, somebody in DCL uniform was already waiting with a clipboard. We were soon checked off the list and our paperwork was checked. We were then told to come back a bit later, but we decided to hang around. This area looked completely different from the rest of hotel. It was very light and airy and did not look as rustic as the main part of the hotel.
Apart from us, there were two other couples who had all checked in nice and early and the coach also arrived ahead of schedule. Soon we were on our way. They do not have the Disney Cruise Line themed coaches in Los Angeles, but we still got the preview video that I like so much followed by Disney cartoons and Disney trivia. About 50 minutes later, we were approaching the port. You do not get quite as nice a first look at the ship then you do at Port Canaveral, but we saw some Mouse funnels peaking out in the distance. We only got the first proper look when we pulled up to the terminal.
The terminal is organized very differently at Los Angeles. You do your check in first and then you go through security. We were directed to a document check area first, where they made sure that we had everything and I had to fill out the health questionnaire. Then it was straight to the check in. They have no different check in area for international cruisers at Los Angeles, but just divide by first time cruisers and Castaway Club Members. I am sure there is also a separate check in area for Concierge guests and Platinum Castaway Club members, but I did not see this. We were directed to the Castaway Club line and were called to a check in desk straightaway. When we got to my passport, we got the usual scratching of head. Fortunately this time I was prepared as I had been told at Port Canaveral in January that my nationality does not auto-populate when they swipe the passport. Once I told her that, she updated the nationality manually and then all was well or so we thought. It still would not let her complete check in. We had transfers booked both ways. Our plans had changed and we no longer had any intentions to use the return transfers. However, they still had to confirm where we were going to be able to complete the check in process. The problem was that it did not show any of the Disneyland Resorts, but only the resorts at Walt Disney World. After trying this on multiple computers, they just chose a random resort and we were on our way. After the fun and games we had at Port Canaveral in January for not having a print out of the ESTA confirmation, we were not even asked for it this time. They also did not take photos so the photos that were attached to our Key to the World cards were the ones from the Transatlantic cruise last year.
Once we were finally checked in, we went through security and from there we were allowed to head straight to the ship. I did not see any characters about and I was a little sad that I did not get a character photo. The embarkation photos were taken outside on the walkway leading to the gangway. This was a bit of a novel experience. Still, for once I actually liked the embarkation photos. We were also having a bit of fun and were wearing our bride and groom Mickey ears.
After we had our photos taken, we headed towards the gangway and finally stepped into the atrium. We were announced. As soon as I was on the ship, I was glad to be back. Up to the last minute I had doubts if I was doing the right thing. Too many things at changed in the run up to the cruise starting that the people I had planned the cruise with all had to pull out and we subsequently ending up cancelling the vow renewal on the ship. Still, as soon as I walked down the hallway, it felt right and I was so glad that we did not cancel the cruise.
One of the drawbacks of getting to the ship so late is that Parrot Cay was already closed. So if we wanted some lunch, we had to go to Beach Blanket Buffet. This is something that we so far had always managed to avoid on embarkation day. I realised very quickly that there was a good reason for this, too. The way Beach Blanket Buffet is set up, you have to go through the buffet line first before finding a table. To start of with, it is not really much fun to juggle the carry on and a tray. There were also no seats either inside or outside and we ended up sitting next to the Mickey pool. When we went outside, a couple of officers noticed that we were struggling and offered to help. I had my tray taken for me. It was nice to sit outside and watch the ship being loaded. Lunch was pleasant enough. I had Pork Schnitzel, Roast Beef, Macaroni Cheese, Chicken Fried Rice and Pasta Bolognese. Graham had Salad, Peel and Eat Shrimp, Roast Beef, Potatoes and Chicken Fried Rice. He also had White Chocolate and Banana Parfait and Fruit Tarts for dessert. I was just about to go to the drink station to get something to drink when they came around with Bahama Mamas. We figured that it would we rude to refuse. Graham had an alcoholic Bahama mama and I went for the non-alcoholic option as the alcoholic version contains Crème de Banana and I am allergic to bananas. We both enjoyed our cocktails.
Today was the end of the first part of the holiday and the beginning of our cruise. We had set an alarm call for 7:00 to get all packed up as we had been informed the previous evening that our luggage would be collected at 8:00 and taken to the ship. We were finished in plenty of time and left the suitcases just inside the door as instructed. While we were packing, our invoice was pushed underneath our door and I checked this. It was a good job that I did as there was a charge on there that should not have been. I had one drink at the meet the previous evening, but there were two separate charges. So I decided to head down to reception to sort this out. Graham decided to come with. So we made sure that our carry ons were far enough away from the other luggage so that they would not be accidentally collected as well and then we went downstairs. To give them credit, they were very good about putting the problem right. I could fortunately remember exactly how much I had paid. So they just took the charge off the account.
As we had nothing else to do, we stayed in the lobby and watched the world go by. Our photographer was due to come to see us at 9:00 so that she could meet Graham before our big day as well. I was definitely getting antsy. It was new concept for me to go on a cruise and not going to the port as early as possible. We were not due to be collected until 12:15. So I tried to distract myself by browsing in the shop until Jennifer got there. I was wearing the cruise shirt that I had made and got talking to a couple that was also going on the cruise. Shortly before Jennifer was due, I headed back to the room to collect the wig. I also wanted to ask her to look after a mug for me while we were away that I had made as a wedding favour. I was to worried that it would get broken if I took it on the cruise. When I got up to our room, I noticed that our luggage had been collected.
We had originally considered having some breakfast before Jennifer arrived. However, we did not fancy Whitewater Snacks and I had noticed that the Hearthstone Lounge was not only open already, but also sold various speciality coffees and assorted pastries. In the original email about this meeting, Jennifer had suggested that the Hearthstone Lounge would make a nice meeting place, but was unsure if they would be open that early. So once she arrived, we headed there and had some muffins and coffee. We spend the next 2.5 hours just chatting about various things and generally getting to know each other. Shortly before 11:00, Graham went up to the room to get our carry on bags as we had to vacate the room by 11:00. At 11:30 we said goodbye to each other and we went to find where we needed to check in for the transfer to the port.
Our paperwork that we had received that morning, we were advised that we needed to report to the Conference Centre reception at the hotel. I knew where the conference centre was, but had never seen a reception. Still, we found this without any problems and when we approached, somebody in DCL uniform was already waiting with a clipboard. We were soon checked off the list and our paperwork was checked. We were then told to come back a bit later, but we decided to hang around. This area looked completely different from the rest of hotel. It was very light and airy and did not look as rustic as the main part of the hotel.
Apart from us, there were two other couples who had all checked in nice and early and the coach also arrived ahead of schedule. Soon we were on our way. They do not have the Disney Cruise Line themed coaches in Los Angeles, but we still got the preview video that I like so much followed by Disney cartoons and Disney trivia. About 50 minutes later, we were approaching the port. You do not get quite as nice a first look at the ship then you do at Port Canaveral, but we saw some Mouse funnels peaking out in the distance. We only got the first proper look when we pulled up to the terminal.
The terminal is organized very differently at Los Angeles. You do your check in first and then you go through security. We were directed to a document check area first, where they made sure that we had everything and I had to fill out the health questionnaire. Then it was straight to the check in. They have no different check in area for international cruisers at Los Angeles, but just divide by first time cruisers and Castaway Club Members. I am sure there is also a separate check in area for Concierge guests and Platinum Castaway Club members, but I did not see this. We were directed to the Castaway Club line and were called to a check in desk straightaway. When we got to my passport, we got the usual scratching of head. Fortunately this time I was prepared as I had been told at Port Canaveral in January that my nationality does not auto-populate when they swipe the passport. Once I told her that, she updated the nationality manually and then all was well or so we thought. It still would not let her complete check in. We had transfers booked both ways. Our plans had changed and we no longer had any intentions to use the return transfers. However, they still had to confirm where we were going to be able to complete the check in process. The problem was that it did not show any of the Disneyland Resorts, but only the resorts at Walt Disney World. After trying this on multiple computers, they just chose a random resort and we were on our way. After the fun and games we had at Port Canaveral in January for not having a print out of the ESTA confirmation, we were not even asked for it this time. They also did not take photos so the photos that were attached to our Key to the World cards were the ones from the Transatlantic cruise last year.
Once we were finally checked in, we went through security and from there we were allowed to head straight to the ship. I did not see any characters about and I was a little sad that I did not get a character photo. The embarkation photos were taken outside on the walkway leading to the gangway. This was a bit of a novel experience. Still, for once I actually liked the embarkation photos. We were also having a bit of fun and were wearing our bride and groom Mickey ears.
After we had our photos taken, we headed towards the gangway and finally stepped into the atrium. We were announced. As soon as I was on the ship, I was glad to be back. Up to the last minute I had doubts if I was doing the right thing. Too many things at changed in the run up to the cruise starting that the people I had planned the cruise with all had to pull out and we subsequently ending up cancelling the vow renewal on the ship. Still, as soon as I walked down the hallway, it felt right and I was so glad that we did not cancel the cruise.
One of the drawbacks of getting to the ship so late is that Parrot Cay was already closed. So if we wanted some lunch, we had to go to Beach Blanket Buffet. This is something that we so far had always managed to avoid on embarkation day. I realised very quickly that there was a good reason for this, too. The way Beach Blanket Buffet is set up, you have to go through the buffet line first before finding a table. To start of with, it is not really much fun to juggle the carry on and a tray. There were also no seats either inside or outside and we ended up sitting next to the Mickey pool. When we went outside, a couple of officers noticed that we were struggling and offered to help. I had my tray taken for me. It was nice to sit outside and watch the ship being loaded. Lunch was pleasant enough. I had Pork Schnitzel, Roast Beef, Macaroni Cheese, Chicken Fried Rice and Pasta Bolognese. Graham had Salad, Peel and Eat Shrimp, Roast Beef, Potatoes and Chicken Fried Rice. He also had White Chocolate and Banana Parfait and Fruit Tarts for dessert. I was just about to go to the drink station to get something to drink when they came around with Bahama Mamas. We figured that it would we rude to refuse. Graham had an alcoholic Bahama mama and I went for the non-alcoholic option as the alcoholic version contains Crème de Banana and I am allergic to bananas. We both enjoyed our cocktails.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
Once we had finished our lunch, we headed for the spa. We figured as we were already on deck 9, we might as well sort this out. We wanted to get a length of cruise pass for the Rainforest Room. This time they were offering a couple's VIP pass, which also included a Exotic Rasoul session. So we decided to go for this. We were given the full guided tour. As always, we were longingly looking at the Spa Villas, but knew that at the prices that they charge for a couple's treatment, we would never indulge. However, when we had a look through the treatment list, we spotted that they offer a new couple's treatment in the Spa Villa, which was about half the price of the other options. You still get the same time in the hot tub and they add a glass of sparkling wine. You then had a choice between a 50 minute Swedish massage or a 50 minute facial rather than the more extensive treatment options of the normal package. You also did not get the time to relax on the day bed on the veranda nor the tea and fruit, but in all honesty, this had never appealed to me anyway. So we decided that we would treat ourselves and booked this for the next morning. We booked our Exotic Rasoul for the morning of the last sea day. While we were there, I asked if they have the facilities to soak off Shellac. I had a Shellac French manicure done before we left the UK, but I managed to somehow split a nail that morning. I was very happy when they said that they cannot only soak off the Shellac, but they are now offering it on the ship, too. So I booked in for a manicure and to have the Shellac re-applied after the safety drill. Graham decided that he would make an appointment to have his hair cut at the same time.
We headed down to our cabin to drop off the hand luggage. It was a little bit strange. This was our favourite cabin, but we only ever stayed in it on the Magic. The artwork was different and on the Wonder they also now have the same bedding as on the Dream. So it did look quite different. I quickly unpacked my magnets and the Fish Extender and decorated the door. I also had to get the lanyards that I had made for the group and the packs for the Scavenger Hunt before heading off to our meet.
When a lot of the original group that was booked on this cruise ended up cancelling, it had kind of fallen on me to organize group activities. I had never done this before, but it was actually a lot of fun organizing things like Fish Extenders and Secret Mickey. Other things like lanyards and Scavenger Hunts, I had done before. In the whole planning process, I had got to know people quite well and it was nice to finally meet in person. Fortunately most people were in attendance and I was able to give out the bulk of the lanyards and the Scavenger Hunt packs. It was also nice to be able to just talk with people. The time went rather too quickly and soon it was time to get ready for the safety drill.
I met Graham back at the cabin and we waited for the sound that signals the beginning of the safety drill. We headed upstairs and lined up at our assembly station. This was not very well organized this time round. Normally they ask people to line up roughly in the order of height, but this time there were some very young children surrounded by people that were much taller them then and this led to inevitable tears. The rest of it worked well though. We were asked to give our room number to one of the crew members at our station before lining up. That meant that not many people were missed off the list and the ones that were, were late arrivals. I also liked that they dismissed people with young children before the general announcements were made.
Once we had been dismissed, we headed straight up to the spa for our salon appointments. The spa was still closed. Quite a few people were lined up outside by the time they opened the doors. We filled out the health questionnaires and then we were introduced to our respective beauty therapist. The salon also had a bit of a make over and they now have gorgeous glass birds hanging from the ceiling. It was a shame that I did not have my camera. I was a little upset that I would not hear the horn, but you can actually hear it in the salon. Graham had his haircut and as it was the first day, they even threw in a beard trim. He was finished before I was and headed up to deck 10 to see if he could spot any dolphins. I took a bit longer between having the Shellac soaked off, having a manicure followed by reapplying the Shellac. I also got a hand and arm massage with hot stones. I was so relaxed, I could have fallen asleep.
I quickly headed down to our cabin and saw that our suitcases had arrived. I put the evening gowns that I wanted to be pressed in the laundry bag on the bed and headed upstairs to find Graham. We enjoyed the view for a bit and then went to get our swim stuff and headed to the Rainforest Room to chill out for a bit. We had this to ourselves. Even for the first day this was a little unusual. When I had relaxed for long enough, I went and had a shower in the changing room so when I came back to the cabin, all I had to do was to get changed.
We have always been very lucky with our table mates and we are still in touch with a few of them. For me, sharing dinner with other people is a very enjoyable part of the cruise. We are always joking that at some stage, we will end up with the table mates from hell. Well, when we were shown to our table that evening, I noticed straightaway that there were only two place settings on a table for four. Graham did not pick up on this at first. I was teasing him that we have finally ended up with the table mates from hell. I have to say that I was more than a little disappointed that we would not have any company for dinner on this cruise. However, in the end, it worked out quite well. We met our serving team and all three were very nice. We had dinner at Parrot Cay that night and the rotational dinner was served, which is my favourite menu from the standard menus for a 7 day cruise. Graham did his usual trick and had our server choose for him. He ended up with Crab Martinique, Parrot Cay Salad and Mixed Grill. He passed on dessert. I had Jerk Spiced Chicken Tenderloins, Island Spiced Romaine Salad, Jerk Pork Chop with Polenta Cake and Curried Peach Relish. This menu has two of my favourite desserts. I did not have really have any room for dessert either. Fortunately they offer Sweet Temptations, which provides a bite-size taste of three desserts. The three desserts were Crème Brulee Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate and Vanilla S'mores Cake.
We were finished with dinner in record time. I don't think we ever left a dining room before 22:00 on previous cruises. This time round we were finished by 21:30. We had some photos taken in front of the white backdrop and then headed back to our cabin, where we were welcomed by a towel bunny. I had a quick look at the Navigator for the next day and then we went to sleep.
We headed down to our cabin to drop off the hand luggage. It was a little bit strange. This was our favourite cabin, but we only ever stayed in it on the Magic. The artwork was different and on the Wonder they also now have the same bedding as on the Dream. So it did look quite different. I quickly unpacked my magnets and the Fish Extender and decorated the door. I also had to get the lanyards that I had made for the group and the packs for the Scavenger Hunt before heading off to our meet.
When a lot of the original group that was booked on this cruise ended up cancelling, it had kind of fallen on me to organize group activities. I had never done this before, but it was actually a lot of fun organizing things like Fish Extenders and Secret Mickey. Other things like lanyards and Scavenger Hunts, I had done before. In the whole planning process, I had got to know people quite well and it was nice to finally meet in person. Fortunately most people were in attendance and I was able to give out the bulk of the lanyards and the Scavenger Hunt packs. It was also nice to be able to just talk with people. The time went rather too quickly and soon it was time to get ready for the safety drill.
I met Graham back at the cabin and we waited for the sound that signals the beginning of the safety drill. We headed upstairs and lined up at our assembly station. This was not very well organized this time round. Normally they ask people to line up roughly in the order of height, but this time there were some very young children surrounded by people that were much taller them then and this led to inevitable tears. The rest of it worked well though. We were asked to give our room number to one of the crew members at our station before lining up. That meant that not many people were missed off the list and the ones that were, were late arrivals. I also liked that they dismissed people with young children before the general announcements were made.
Once we had been dismissed, we headed straight up to the spa for our salon appointments. The spa was still closed. Quite a few people were lined up outside by the time they opened the doors. We filled out the health questionnaires and then we were introduced to our respective beauty therapist. The salon also had a bit of a make over and they now have gorgeous glass birds hanging from the ceiling. It was a shame that I did not have my camera. I was a little upset that I would not hear the horn, but you can actually hear it in the salon. Graham had his haircut and as it was the first day, they even threw in a beard trim. He was finished before I was and headed up to deck 10 to see if he could spot any dolphins. I took a bit longer between having the Shellac soaked off, having a manicure followed by reapplying the Shellac. I also got a hand and arm massage with hot stones. I was so relaxed, I could have fallen asleep.
I quickly headed down to our cabin and saw that our suitcases had arrived. I put the evening gowns that I wanted to be pressed in the laundry bag on the bed and headed upstairs to find Graham. We enjoyed the view for a bit and then went to get our swim stuff and headed to the Rainforest Room to chill out for a bit. We had this to ourselves. Even for the first day this was a little unusual. When I had relaxed for long enough, I went and had a shower in the changing room so when I came back to the cabin, all I had to do was to get changed.
We have always been very lucky with our table mates and we are still in touch with a few of them. For me, sharing dinner with other people is a very enjoyable part of the cruise. We are always joking that at some stage, we will end up with the table mates from hell. Well, when we were shown to our table that evening, I noticed straightaway that there were only two place settings on a table for four. Graham did not pick up on this at first. I was teasing him that we have finally ended up with the table mates from hell. I have to say that I was more than a little disappointed that we would not have any company for dinner on this cruise. However, in the end, it worked out quite well. We met our serving team and all three were very nice. We had dinner at Parrot Cay that night and the rotational dinner was served, which is my favourite menu from the standard menus for a 7 day cruise. Graham did his usual trick and had our server choose for him. He ended up with Crab Martinique, Parrot Cay Salad and Mixed Grill. He passed on dessert. I had Jerk Spiced Chicken Tenderloins, Island Spiced Romaine Salad, Jerk Pork Chop with Polenta Cake and Curried Peach Relish. This menu has two of my favourite desserts. I did not have really have any room for dessert either. Fortunately they offer Sweet Temptations, which provides a bite-size taste of three desserts. The three desserts were Crème Brulee Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue Pie and Chocolate and Vanilla S'mores Cake.
We were finished with dinner in record time. I don't think we ever left a dining room before 22:00 on previous cruises. This time round we were finished by 21:30. We had some photos taken in front of the white backdrop and then headed back to our cabin, where we were welcomed by a towel bunny. I had a quick look at the Navigator for the next day and then we went to sleep.
Chilly
RIP Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
You look like you had so much fun having your photo taken at the party. Love your necklace.
Looking forward to hearing more about the cruise.
Generally the bride and groom take "Trash the Dress" photos after the wedding and involve photos that might dirty or trash the dress, so examples are in swimming pools or rolling around on the floor.
Looking forward to hearing more about the cruise.
Generally the bride and groom take "Trash the Dress" photos after the wedding and involve photos that might dirty or trash the dress, so examples are in swimming pools or rolling around on the floor.
ForTheLoveOfDCL
A Dream is a wish your
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2008
I so love reading your trip reports...However...I really hate that I am one of those people who had to bail on this MR cruise which led to no cruise vow renewal. I will never be able to apologize enough.
I am so excited to hear all the good things and cruise secrets to this cruise as well as the wonderful vow renewal after the cruise!!!!!
I am so excited to hear all the good things and cruise secrets to this cruise as well as the wonderful vow renewal after the cruise!!!!!
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
Don't be. I don't think a vow renewal on the Wonder would have been half as magical as what I have ended up with and the first sea day that I am about to post about would not have been as relaxing.
Corinna
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
Day 9
We had another fairly early morning as we had a spa treatment booked at 8:00 AM. Still, we were awake half an hour before Mickey reminded us that there are "doings going on". We got up, got dressed and headed upstairs. As we already had filled out the questionnaire the previous day, we were sent straight to the changing rooms to get changed into our robes. I went and sat down in the relaxation area once I was changed, but one of the beauty therapists, who we knew from the Panama canal cruise, came to tell me that Graham was waiting for me by reception. Shortly after I got there, one of the beauty therapists that would do our treatment, came to get us.
Once we got to the spa villa, our two beauty therapists introduced themselves to us. We were asked if we wanted a massage or a facial and we both opted for the massage. They then asked a few questions about any issues that we had before explaining how this whole treatment would work. They added some sachets and potions to the hot tub and asked if we preferred sparkling wine or a sparkling apple juice. We both opted for the real thing. They went to get us a glass each and then we were told to relax in the hot tub for the next 25 minutes. This was absolutely heavenly. I cannot imagine anything more relaxing than sitting in hot tub on a veranda, with the person I love and a glass of sparkling wine while the ship was gently rocking and we were surrounded by the ocean with only some other ships in the distance. I just felt totally at peace. Unfortunately time does fly when you are having fun and we were soon told to get showered, dried off and to put our robes back on. The shower is also outside on the veranda and was lovely and warm. We also had been left with all kinds of Elemis products to use in the shower.
Once we were ready, we went back inside and everything had been set up for our massages. We were told to get underneath a lovely big and fluffy towel on the treatment tables and they left us to our own devices while we got ourselves sorted out. All of our aching muscles where then pummelled into submission for the next 50 minutes. I was aware of some of the knots that had to be worked out, but she found a few more. Once the treatment was finished they put our hands into each other. We were then told to relax for a few minutes before getting up slowly. Our two beauty therapists came back about 10 minutes later with some water. We got the usual spiel about which products we should be taking home. I made it very clear from the beginning that I was happy to listened, but would not buy anything. To their credit, they did respect this. I explained that I can get the products cheaper in the UK and also had limited luggage space. It turned out that I had quite a few of the recommended products anyway. At least one of the products is also significantly cheaper in the UK. They quoted me around $200 for some bath sachets and the same product costs £52 in the UK. They also recommended some further treatments. We were offered a discount if we booked a further massage this cruise. They recommended a bamboo massage for Graham and a hot stone or Thai Poultice massage for me. We were released with the advice not to exercise that day and to drink plenty. With hindsight, I am sure that they had a different kind of drinking in mind from the one we ended up doing.
When I looked on my watch, I had a bit of a shock. It was just before 10:00. We had been up there for a full two hours. I wanted to attend the DVC Member Celebration, which was starting at 10:00. So I quickly got changed and headed down to Diversions on deck 3. Graham decided to stay in the spa and chill out in the Rainforest Room.
I arrived a little bit late for the Member Celebration and all the seats had been taken. When I came in, I was equipped with some baseball caps. I was not the only late comer and they managed to find some extra chairs somewhere. They had started to divide everybody in the room into four teams for a team challenge. We had done this on the Med cruise last year and it was a lot of fun. Our team did not do particularly well and I was not much help. Tasks were to bring as many DVC Membership cards as possible to the front. I have one of those, but that was safely in the cabin. Other things like a Disney Visa card, something from Hawaii or a Mickey watch I simply do not own ( or in the case of the watch, did not at the time). Still, we made up for this with enthusiasm. I wonder if the Mimosas that were flowing liberally had something to do with this. I limited myself to ones this was my second drink of the morning and I still had not eaten anything. Once the team challenge was over, they told us what the add on offers for the cruise were, but that was fairly low key this time round. The emphasis was on having fun rather than on a sales pitch. They also did an individual trivia challenge. I was not chosen to answer a question, but I helped a couple of my team mates to win a price as I am full of useless trivia.
Once the Member Celebration was over, I headed back to the spa. Graham was no longer in the Rainforest Room. I could not find him by the pool or in the gym either. I figured he would turn up when he is ready. I got myself a cup of green tea and settled down on a tile lounger. At midday I figured that even though I did not want to risk spoiling my appetite for High Tea at Palo later, I really needed to eat something. I still had not eaten, but had two alcoholic drinks. All considering, I felt very sober. I headed for Beach Blanket Buffet. They had an Italian buffet that day. I had a bowl of soup and some sundried tomato risotto and a big glass of fruit punch. Once I had finished, I headed back to the spa to get my things that I had left in a locker.
I headed back to our cabin. I was feeling a bit achy, which was probably a side effect of the massage. So I decided to stretch out a bit and read. However, I realised very quickly that I was pretty tired. So I set myself a wake up call and had a nap.
We had another fairly early morning as we had a spa treatment booked at 8:00 AM. Still, we were awake half an hour before Mickey reminded us that there are "doings going on". We got up, got dressed and headed upstairs. As we already had filled out the questionnaire the previous day, we were sent straight to the changing rooms to get changed into our robes. I went and sat down in the relaxation area once I was changed, but one of the beauty therapists, who we knew from the Panama canal cruise, came to tell me that Graham was waiting for me by reception. Shortly after I got there, one of the beauty therapists that would do our treatment, came to get us.
Once we got to the spa villa, our two beauty therapists introduced themselves to us. We were asked if we wanted a massage or a facial and we both opted for the massage. They then asked a few questions about any issues that we had before explaining how this whole treatment would work. They added some sachets and potions to the hot tub and asked if we preferred sparkling wine or a sparkling apple juice. We both opted for the real thing. They went to get us a glass each and then we were told to relax in the hot tub for the next 25 minutes. This was absolutely heavenly. I cannot imagine anything more relaxing than sitting in hot tub on a veranda, with the person I love and a glass of sparkling wine while the ship was gently rocking and we were surrounded by the ocean with only some other ships in the distance. I just felt totally at peace. Unfortunately time does fly when you are having fun and we were soon told to get showered, dried off and to put our robes back on. The shower is also outside on the veranda and was lovely and warm. We also had been left with all kinds of Elemis products to use in the shower.
Once we were ready, we went back inside and everything had been set up for our massages. We were told to get underneath a lovely big and fluffy towel on the treatment tables and they left us to our own devices while we got ourselves sorted out. All of our aching muscles where then pummelled into submission for the next 50 minutes. I was aware of some of the knots that had to be worked out, but she found a few more. Once the treatment was finished they put our hands into each other. We were then told to relax for a few minutes before getting up slowly. Our two beauty therapists came back about 10 minutes later with some water. We got the usual spiel about which products we should be taking home. I made it very clear from the beginning that I was happy to listened, but would not buy anything. To their credit, they did respect this. I explained that I can get the products cheaper in the UK and also had limited luggage space. It turned out that I had quite a few of the recommended products anyway. At least one of the products is also significantly cheaper in the UK. They quoted me around $200 for some bath sachets and the same product costs £52 in the UK. They also recommended some further treatments. We were offered a discount if we booked a further massage this cruise. They recommended a bamboo massage for Graham and a hot stone or Thai Poultice massage for me. We were released with the advice not to exercise that day and to drink plenty. With hindsight, I am sure that they had a different kind of drinking in mind from the one we ended up doing.
When I looked on my watch, I had a bit of a shock. It was just before 10:00. We had been up there for a full two hours. I wanted to attend the DVC Member Celebration, which was starting at 10:00. So I quickly got changed and headed down to Diversions on deck 3. Graham decided to stay in the spa and chill out in the Rainforest Room.
I arrived a little bit late for the Member Celebration and all the seats had been taken. When I came in, I was equipped with some baseball caps. I was not the only late comer and they managed to find some extra chairs somewhere. They had started to divide everybody in the room into four teams for a team challenge. We had done this on the Med cruise last year and it was a lot of fun. Our team did not do particularly well and I was not much help. Tasks were to bring as many DVC Membership cards as possible to the front. I have one of those, but that was safely in the cabin. Other things like a Disney Visa card, something from Hawaii or a Mickey watch I simply do not own ( or in the case of the watch, did not at the time). Still, we made up for this with enthusiasm. I wonder if the Mimosas that were flowing liberally had something to do with this. I limited myself to ones this was my second drink of the morning and I still had not eaten anything. Once the team challenge was over, they told us what the add on offers for the cruise were, but that was fairly low key this time round. The emphasis was on having fun rather than on a sales pitch. They also did an individual trivia challenge. I was not chosen to answer a question, but I helped a couple of my team mates to win a price as I am full of useless trivia.
Once the Member Celebration was over, I headed back to the spa. Graham was no longer in the Rainforest Room. I could not find him by the pool or in the gym either. I figured he would turn up when he is ready. I got myself a cup of green tea and settled down on a tile lounger. At midday I figured that even though I did not want to risk spoiling my appetite for High Tea at Palo later, I really needed to eat something. I still had not eaten, but had two alcoholic drinks. All considering, I felt very sober. I headed for Beach Blanket Buffet. They had an Italian buffet that day. I had a bowl of soup and some sundried tomato risotto and a big glass of fruit punch. Once I had finished, I headed back to the spa to get my things that I had left in a locker.
I headed back to our cabin. I was feeling a bit achy, which was probably a side effect of the massage. So I decided to stretch out a bit and read. However, I realised very quickly that I was pretty tired. So I set myself a wake up call and had a nap.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
I woke up just before the wake up call went off and Graham arrived back in the cabin shortly afterwards. He had spent most of the morning in the sauna and relaxation area in the men's changing room. It was just as well that he arrived at the cabin in plenty of time for tea. I had got a lovely new dress for my Halloween costume for the second instalment of Mickey's Halloween Party. As this was referred to as a tea length dress, I decided to wear it for tea as well. I even had got a matching fascinator, but I did not end up wearing this. One little draw back with this dress is that it has a lace up back. So Graham had to tie me into it. He is getting plenty of practice as my favourite evening gown also has a lace up back. I was tied into my dress in know time and although it was still a little early, we decided to head up to Palo.
Even in my wildest dreams I could not expected the welcome that we would get up there. They were not quite ready yet and asked us to sit down by reception. We had known Marco, the restaurant manager for years. He was already there when we first on the Wonder in 2008, had turned up on the Magic in 2009, while the Wonder was in dry dock and was also on the Wonder for the Panama Canal cruise. He recognised us straight away and gave us a very warm welcome. Shortly afterwards some of the servers arrived near reception. Nikola, who had been our server for tea on the Panama Canal cruise, welcomed us back and told us full of glee that he would be our server again that afternoon. Marianna, who had been our server for dinner on the last cruise also came over to welcome us. There were a lot of greetings and stories being exchanged and we felt right at home. There was another couple already waiting there when we arrived and they looked kind of bewildered by it all. Once the signal came that everything was ready, Marco escorted us to our table. This had never happened before. The other couple were shown to their table shortly afterwards.
Tea is a very relaxed affair. They only allow about 20 people per sea day for tea. So the servers are not as busy as they are for the other meals. Once we were seated, we placed our order for tea. Graham had Imperial English Breakfast Tea and I had Orange Pekoe. The tea was served in proper teapots with strainers as they use tea leaves rather than tea bags. We were then served finger sandwiches. We had Curried Chicken sandwiches, Cream Cheese and Cucumber sandwiches, Prawn sandwiches and Salmon and Cream Cheese sandwiches. Unfortunately they no longer have my favourite, which was Parma Ham with Grilled Vegetables and Parmesan Shavings. Still, the Curried Chicken sandwiches were a worthy replacement. Next up were fresh scones with clotted cream and raspberry and strawberry jam. We ended up with seconds as we enjoyed them so much. Then came what is normally my favourite part, a silver cake stand with loads of different cakes. This time round we got Brownies, Chocolate Éclairs, Fruit Tarts, Ginger Cake and Macaroons. The only problem was that by this time, I was already stuffed and we had the Trifle still to come. I had the Chocolate Éclairs and then I decided that I had enough.
Throughout the meal, we were chatting to our server. We started with reliving memories from the Panama Canal cruise and then he told us about the Alaska season. We were very interested in hearing all about this as Alaska is definitely on our bucket list. Eventually we had all the food we could eat and the tea pots were empty. So we said goodbye. I took some photos around the entrance area as during previous attempts to take photos in Palo, the light was never good enough.
I had some work to do. I still had a number of lanyards and Scavenger Hunt packs to distribute for those families that had not made it to the meet. While I was at it, I figured I might as well do the first gift drop for the Fish Extender exchange. I had made beaded metal bookmarks as the cabin gift, bottle cap key rings with villains, Nightmare Before Christmas, Jungle Book or Toy Story designs for the boys, Mickey head hair clips for the younger girls, Mickey head cuff links for the men and Princess bag charms for the ladies and older girls.
I asked Graham if he fancied coming along for the walk, which he did. So we spend a good hour or so walking up and down corridors dropping off various things. I love seeing what people have done to decorate their doors. I had bait of a challenge as I did never get the cabin numbers of two families. Neither of which took part in the Fish Extender exchange, but I still had lanyards for them. I managed to find one of the families because they had door decorations with their names on. It would have been too much of a coincidence that another family had exactly the same first names. So I left their lanyards hanging from their fish. The other family I never managed to find.
I had a special pillowcase embroidered with Mickey and Minnie, our names and the date of the vow renewal before the cruise and had brought fabric markers for the characters to sign this with. You can drop something off at guest services for the characters to sign and this will be delivered to the cabin on the last evening. So I wanted to drop this off at Guest Services. I also needed to get a ticket for the Martini tasting the next day. While I was talking to the Guest Services representative, inspiration struck. I gave them the first names of the family that I had not been able to find and asked them if they could make sure that they get their lanyards. They were happy to help with this.
Once this was all sorted out, we realized that the Captain's reception for those people with early dinner had already started. As we were both quite smartly dressed after our tea at Palo, we decided to get a photo with the Captain as there was no line.
One of the people doing crowd control was a member of cruise staff who was our walking buddy on the Panama Canal cruise. She recognized us straight away and gave us a big welcome. Of course, the couple from Palo were in the vicinity as well. I could overhear that the man say to the woman "I wonder who those people are. They must be some kind of celebrities as everybody knows them.". I have to say I was struggling to keep a straight face. Graham had not overheard this, but when I told him this later when we were back in the cabin, we both had a good laugh.
While we were still in the atrium, we were passed a complimentary cocktail each. I had a Sour Apple Martini and Graham had some tropical concoction. Normally the drinks that are served at the Captain's Reception are pretty watered down, but those were pretty strong.
Even in my wildest dreams I could not expected the welcome that we would get up there. They were not quite ready yet and asked us to sit down by reception. We had known Marco, the restaurant manager for years. He was already there when we first on the Wonder in 2008, had turned up on the Magic in 2009, while the Wonder was in dry dock and was also on the Wonder for the Panama Canal cruise. He recognised us straight away and gave us a very warm welcome. Shortly afterwards some of the servers arrived near reception. Nikola, who had been our server for tea on the Panama Canal cruise, welcomed us back and told us full of glee that he would be our server again that afternoon. Marianna, who had been our server for dinner on the last cruise also came over to welcome us. There were a lot of greetings and stories being exchanged and we felt right at home. There was another couple already waiting there when we arrived and they looked kind of bewildered by it all. Once the signal came that everything was ready, Marco escorted us to our table. This had never happened before. The other couple were shown to their table shortly afterwards.
Tea is a very relaxed affair. They only allow about 20 people per sea day for tea. So the servers are not as busy as they are for the other meals. Once we were seated, we placed our order for tea. Graham had Imperial English Breakfast Tea and I had Orange Pekoe. The tea was served in proper teapots with strainers as they use tea leaves rather than tea bags. We were then served finger sandwiches. We had Curried Chicken sandwiches, Cream Cheese and Cucumber sandwiches, Prawn sandwiches and Salmon and Cream Cheese sandwiches. Unfortunately they no longer have my favourite, which was Parma Ham with Grilled Vegetables and Parmesan Shavings. Still, the Curried Chicken sandwiches were a worthy replacement. Next up were fresh scones with clotted cream and raspberry and strawberry jam. We ended up with seconds as we enjoyed them so much. Then came what is normally my favourite part, a silver cake stand with loads of different cakes. This time round we got Brownies, Chocolate Éclairs, Fruit Tarts, Ginger Cake and Macaroons. The only problem was that by this time, I was already stuffed and we had the Trifle still to come. I had the Chocolate Éclairs and then I decided that I had enough.
Throughout the meal, we were chatting to our server. We started with reliving memories from the Panama Canal cruise and then he told us about the Alaska season. We were very interested in hearing all about this as Alaska is definitely on our bucket list. Eventually we had all the food we could eat and the tea pots were empty. So we said goodbye. I took some photos around the entrance area as during previous attempts to take photos in Palo, the light was never good enough.
I had some work to do. I still had a number of lanyards and Scavenger Hunt packs to distribute for those families that had not made it to the meet. While I was at it, I figured I might as well do the first gift drop for the Fish Extender exchange. I had made beaded metal bookmarks as the cabin gift, bottle cap key rings with villains, Nightmare Before Christmas, Jungle Book or Toy Story designs for the boys, Mickey head hair clips for the younger girls, Mickey head cuff links for the men and Princess bag charms for the ladies and older girls.
I asked Graham if he fancied coming along for the walk, which he did. So we spend a good hour or so walking up and down corridors dropping off various things. I love seeing what people have done to decorate their doors. I had bait of a challenge as I did never get the cabin numbers of two families. Neither of which took part in the Fish Extender exchange, but I still had lanyards for them. I managed to find one of the families because they had door decorations with their names on. It would have been too much of a coincidence that another family had exactly the same first names. So I left their lanyards hanging from their fish. The other family I never managed to find.
I had a special pillowcase embroidered with Mickey and Minnie, our names and the date of the vow renewal before the cruise and had brought fabric markers for the characters to sign this with. You can drop something off at guest services for the characters to sign and this will be delivered to the cabin on the last evening. So I wanted to drop this off at Guest Services. I also needed to get a ticket for the Martini tasting the next day. While I was talking to the Guest Services representative, inspiration struck. I gave them the first names of the family that I had not been able to find and asked them if they could make sure that they get their lanyards. They were happy to help with this.
Once this was all sorted out, we realized that the Captain's reception for those people with early dinner had already started. As we were both quite smartly dressed after our tea at Palo, we decided to get a photo with the Captain as there was no line.
One of the people doing crowd control was a member of cruise staff who was our walking buddy on the Panama Canal cruise. She recognized us straight away and gave us a big welcome. Of course, the couple from Palo were in the vicinity as well. I could overhear that the man say to the woman "I wonder who those people are. They must be some kind of celebrities as everybody knows them.". I have to say I was struggling to keep a straight face. Graham had not overheard this, but when I told him this later when we were back in the cabin, we both had a good laugh.
While we were still in the atrium, we were passed a complimentary cocktail each. I had a Sour Apple Martini and Graham had some tropical concoction. Normally the drinks that are served at the Captain's Reception are pretty watered down, but those were pretty strong.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
I had briefly considered to go back up to the Rainforest Room, but decided against it. I decided to relax in the cabin for a bit before getting changed into my evening gown. When the time for the Captain's Reception for late dinner arrived, we headed back downstairs. We had another photo taken with the Captain. Again, the line was basically not existent. We had one family in front of us. We could see the line for Mickey in his formal outfit and that was pretty long.
We had another complimentary drink and chatted with one of the officers for a bit. We had our photo taken on the staircase in front of Tritons and then I decided to brave the line for Mickey. I especially got a gold evening gown to go with the Golden Mickeys theme so I definitely wanted a photo with Mickey in his gold tuxedo. The line was not too bad and moved pretty quickly especially as they only allowed one photo per family rather than taking individual photos and different group poses. So in the end, I was just a couple of minutes late for dinner. I still got teased mercilessly by Graham and our server.
Dinner that night was the Golden Mickeys menu. Graham ended up with Crispy Cheese Ravioli, Broccoli and Maytag Blue Cheese Soup topped with crushed Walnuts and Oven-roasted Tom Turkey Breast with Green beans, Sweet Mashed Potatoes, Rosemary Stuffing, Giblet Gravy, and Cranberry Relish. He passed on dessert. I had the same starter and soup, but then went with Yachtsman Steakhouse Grilled NY Strip with Marinated Green Asparagus, Oven-baked Potato, and topped with Herb-Garlic Butter. For my dessert I decided on the Sweet Temptations which consisted of Crème Brulee, The Golden Chocolate Award, and Raspberry Cheesecake. We washed everything down with a bottle of Enchanted Rose Sparkling Wine. I had discovered this during a champagne tasting on the Panama Canal cruise. It is not only very tasty, but at less than $30 for the bottle, it is also very good value.
Because the dress that I was wearing looked a bit like Belle's dress, our server made me a paper rose to go with it. Graham could not resist goofing around with this. Still, the rose survived not only this, but also the journey back to the UK and is now proudly displayed in our living room.
During dinner, a photographer came round to take photos. We are not normally big fans of the photos taken in the dining rooms, but they actually came out quite well.
After dinner, we had our photo taken in front of a backdrop of the ship at night.
Once the photos had been taken, we headed back to the cabin, where we found a towel lobster. I had a quick look at the Navigator for the next day and then we switched off the light and went to sleep.
We had another complimentary drink and chatted with one of the officers for a bit. We had our photo taken on the staircase in front of Tritons and then I decided to brave the line for Mickey. I especially got a gold evening gown to go with the Golden Mickeys theme so I definitely wanted a photo with Mickey in his gold tuxedo. The line was not too bad and moved pretty quickly especially as they only allowed one photo per family rather than taking individual photos and different group poses. So in the end, I was just a couple of minutes late for dinner. I still got teased mercilessly by Graham and our server.
Dinner that night was the Golden Mickeys menu. Graham ended up with Crispy Cheese Ravioli, Broccoli and Maytag Blue Cheese Soup topped with crushed Walnuts and Oven-roasted Tom Turkey Breast with Green beans, Sweet Mashed Potatoes, Rosemary Stuffing, Giblet Gravy, and Cranberry Relish. He passed on dessert. I had the same starter and soup, but then went with Yachtsman Steakhouse Grilled NY Strip with Marinated Green Asparagus, Oven-baked Potato, and topped with Herb-Garlic Butter. For my dessert I decided on the Sweet Temptations which consisted of Crème Brulee, The Golden Chocolate Award, and Raspberry Cheesecake. We washed everything down with a bottle of Enchanted Rose Sparkling Wine. I had discovered this during a champagne tasting on the Panama Canal cruise. It is not only very tasty, but at less than $30 for the bottle, it is also very good value.
Because the dress that I was wearing looked a bit like Belle's dress, our server made me a paper rose to go with it. Graham could not resist goofing around with this. Still, the rose survived not only this, but also the journey back to the UK and is now proudly displayed in our living room.
During dinner, a photographer came round to take photos. We are not normally big fans of the photos taken in the dining rooms, but they actually came out quite well.
After dinner, we had our photo taken in front of a backdrop of the ship at night.
Once the photos had been taken, we headed back to the cabin, where we found a towel lobster. I had a quick look at the Navigator for the next day and then we switched off the light and went to sleep.
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
It was out of this world.
Nikola is a real star. He should be on board for our Hawaii cruise, too, with a bit of luck. I have one more installment pre-typed and hopefully can post this tomorrow. Then I have to do some more typing up.
Corinna
dolphingirl47
In Search of the Tag Fairy
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
ay 10
We had a bit more of a relaxed start to the morning. We had brunch booked for 11:30. So we passed on breakfast as we knew that we would be stuffed after brunch anyway. We also had nothing planned until the Castaway Club reception at 11:00 so we had a leisurely morning with a bit of a lie in and then just wandered around the ship for a bit revisiting some of our favourite haunts.
It was a bit of a shame that that the Castaway Club reception overlapped with our Brunch at Palo especially as there were not that many people there. We went there first as I wanted a photo with Captain Mickey in front of the Castaway Club backdrop. When we entered the room, somebody who I had met at the DVC Member Celebration the previous day waved us over. We went to go and join her. Shortly after we sat down, servers came round with trays of drinks and canapés. We had a Bellini each, but declined the canapés. Captain Mickey was fashionably late. However, when he arrived, I was first in line for a photo. As soon as I had my photo taken, we said goodbye to the person we had sat with and headed up to Palo.
We had not been to Palo brunch for a couple of years and I was really looking forward to it. Nikola was around and said "hi", but we had another server this time. He was also very nice. As soon as we were seated, we were offered a complimentary champagne cocktail. We both opted for another Bellini. We were also both given a glass of lemon-infused water. Once we had our drinks, we were then given the guided tour of the buffet and were also advised what hot dishes were on offer to be cooked to order. There was a good selection of pizzas, breakfast dishes and lunch dishes. Then we were let loose on the buffet. Graham headed straight to the seafood section and had crab legs and claws and some smoked salmon. As I do not eat seafood, I headed for the anti pasti section and had some Mediterranean bread, olives, marinated sun dried tomatoes and some hummus. The hummus was a bit disappointing. Having eaten the genuine article in Dubai on numerous occasions, I found this to be a poor and fairly tasteless copy. Still, the rest of the food was delicious. I had also helped myself to some almond bread. This was previously known as Stollen bread even though Stollen is something completely different. It was precisely the same bread, but the name had changed. As we were just finishing with our first plate of food, our server asked us if we wanted to order any hot food. We decided to share a couple of pizzas. Graham chose a spicy sausage pizza and I went for a pizza with Cambozola and red grapes. I am not normally a fan of blue cheese, but I have heard so much good about this that I had decided to try it. It was utterly delicious. The spicy sausage pizza was however a little to spicy for my taste. We also had decided to order a lunch dish each. I went with Chicken Parmigiana with Risotto and Graham had some past dish with seafood. We both loved our main courses. I run out of steam before I could finish mine. I had managed to eat all of the risotto, but Graham ended up finishing the chicken for me. Graham had some of the mini desserts and some fresh fruit. I was not going to have any dessert, but the chocolate-dipped strawberries proved too much of a temptation so I had a couple of those.
When we had finished our Brunch, I noticed that I had missed the meet and greet opportunity with Stitch on deck 9. I had not realized how much time we had spent over Brunch. Next on my list of things to do was a Disney Cruise Line Trivia Challenge. It thought that it would be a bit of fun and figured that I would do OK with this. Graham initially told me to have fun, but then he decided to sit down with me. We were soon joined by two other people from our cruise meet thread. We made a great team, but one did not know, somebody else did. We ended up winning the trivia and we were each given a Disney Cruise Line baseball cap. The other two were heading for Family Wonder Quest in Wavebands. I quickly wanted to check out the photos that had already been taken, but said that I would join them afterwards.
I was quite surprised when Graham decided to join us as well. Wonder Quest is a scavenger hunt. In theory only things that can be found in the room are needed. Each team is given a number and a different amount of points is registered depending on the order in which the teams come up to the stage. This was a lot of fun and Graham joined in with the fun. There is also an adult only version, but I was told that this is a bit on the raunchy side and they actually need bouncers as this can get out of control. I would not hesitate to attend the family version again, but I think I pass on the adult version. We came 4th out of about 30 teams.
I headed off for my Martini tasting. Before I went, I was invited to join our team mates for general trivia later in the afternoon. I said that I would see how I felt after the tasting. The tasting took place at Diversions. I ended up sitting with two other ladies. We each got 5 half-size Martinis, but that was more than enough for me. The bartender who did the tasting was very knowledgeable. He explained a bit about the history of the Martini. We started off with a Classic Martini and then had four different Vodka Martinis. We had a Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, a Lemon Drop Martini, a Melon and Apple Martini and a Chocolate Martini. I enjoyed them all, but the world was definitely moving afterwards.
I joined our two team mates from earlier for the trivia. Usually I am not too hot on general trivia on the ships, as a lot of the questions are geared towards people living in the USA. However, as the rest of the team was from the USA, I figured that this would be fine. I even knew the answers to a few questions. During the trivia, it felt suddenly like the ship was changing direction. I was all ready to blame it on the Martini, but shortly afterwards the Captain made an announcement that we had a medical emergency on board and had to turn around to head back to Cabo San Lucas, which we had passed lunch time. We headed at top speed towards Cabo and we were advised that a boat would be meeting us there to take the passenger to the hospital. We were also advised that our estimated arrival time in Puerto Vallarta was now 9:30. I started to get a slightly sinking feeling as our excursion was meant to meet at 7:00. We did the same excursion on the Panama Canal cruise and really enjoyed it. I had been looking forward to this for months. Still, the most important thing was that whoever needed to be evacuated was OK. Everything else would fall into place. Once the Captain had finished his announcement, the Cruise Director came on line and advised that they were in touch with the tour operator in Puerto Vallarta to see if excursions could be postponed and to find alternatives for those excursions that could not be amended. He also appealed to people not to approach the Shore Excursions desk unless they have been advised that changes had to be made to the excursions. Once all the announcements were over, we carried on with the trivia. Our team managed to win again. We got another set of baseball caps, but were able to trade them in for a nice Disney Cruise Line key ring.
I have to say Disney Cruise Line does not hang about. When I came back to the cabin to drop off my stuff and to get my camera, I already had a letter from DCL in my Fish Extender. As I had feared, our excursion stood as cancelled. Because the snorkel site is quite far away, they could not delay the excursion. I think this had also something to do with the fact that this is not an excursion exclusively for people from the Wonder, but also for hotel guests that stay at Puerto Vallarta. Instead they were offering us an excursion to Las Caletas, which was due to leave at 10:00. They also said that they would offer us the excursion for the same price as the original excursion. Alternatively we had the option to just get our money back. I did not know anything about this excursion. Because we were set on the same excursion we did in January, we had never even looked at other excursions. So I figured that I would head down to the Shore Excursion desk to get a bit more information. I have never seen such a long line in my life! I gave up on that idea pretty quickly. Instead I went to Guest Services to check if they had a leaflet with all the excursions. They were able to equip me with a shore excursion guide. I had a quick read through it and it sounded OK. The excursion is normally also $25 per person more expensive then the one we had booked so we got a pretty good deal. I decided that I would discuss this with Graham later and that we then would make a decision.
We had a bit more of a relaxed start to the morning. We had brunch booked for 11:30. So we passed on breakfast as we knew that we would be stuffed after brunch anyway. We also had nothing planned until the Castaway Club reception at 11:00 so we had a leisurely morning with a bit of a lie in and then just wandered around the ship for a bit revisiting some of our favourite haunts.
It was a bit of a shame that that the Castaway Club reception overlapped with our Brunch at Palo especially as there were not that many people there. We went there first as I wanted a photo with Captain Mickey in front of the Castaway Club backdrop. When we entered the room, somebody who I had met at the DVC Member Celebration the previous day waved us over. We went to go and join her. Shortly after we sat down, servers came round with trays of drinks and canapés. We had a Bellini each, but declined the canapés. Captain Mickey was fashionably late. However, when he arrived, I was first in line for a photo. As soon as I had my photo taken, we said goodbye to the person we had sat with and headed up to Palo.
We had not been to Palo brunch for a couple of years and I was really looking forward to it. Nikola was around and said "hi", but we had another server this time. He was also very nice. As soon as we were seated, we were offered a complimentary champagne cocktail. We both opted for another Bellini. We were also both given a glass of lemon-infused water. Once we had our drinks, we were then given the guided tour of the buffet and were also advised what hot dishes were on offer to be cooked to order. There was a good selection of pizzas, breakfast dishes and lunch dishes. Then we were let loose on the buffet. Graham headed straight to the seafood section and had crab legs and claws and some smoked salmon. As I do not eat seafood, I headed for the anti pasti section and had some Mediterranean bread, olives, marinated sun dried tomatoes and some hummus. The hummus was a bit disappointing. Having eaten the genuine article in Dubai on numerous occasions, I found this to be a poor and fairly tasteless copy. Still, the rest of the food was delicious. I had also helped myself to some almond bread. This was previously known as Stollen bread even though Stollen is something completely different. It was precisely the same bread, but the name had changed. As we were just finishing with our first plate of food, our server asked us if we wanted to order any hot food. We decided to share a couple of pizzas. Graham chose a spicy sausage pizza and I went for a pizza with Cambozola and red grapes. I am not normally a fan of blue cheese, but I have heard so much good about this that I had decided to try it. It was utterly delicious. The spicy sausage pizza was however a little to spicy for my taste. We also had decided to order a lunch dish each. I went with Chicken Parmigiana with Risotto and Graham had some past dish with seafood. We both loved our main courses. I run out of steam before I could finish mine. I had managed to eat all of the risotto, but Graham ended up finishing the chicken for me. Graham had some of the mini desserts and some fresh fruit. I was not going to have any dessert, but the chocolate-dipped strawberries proved too much of a temptation so I had a couple of those.
When we had finished our Brunch, I noticed that I had missed the meet and greet opportunity with Stitch on deck 9. I had not realized how much time we had spent over Brunch. Next on my list of things to do was a Disney Cruise Line Trivia Challenge. It thought that it would be a bit of fun and figured that I would do OK with this. Graham initially told me to have fun, but then he decided to sit down with me. We were soon joined by two other people from our cruise meet thread. We made a great team, but one did not know, somebody else did. We ended up winning the trivia and we were each given a Disney Cruise Line baseball cap. The other two were heading for Family Wonder Quest in Wavebands. I quickly wanted to check out the photos that had already been taken, but said that I would join them afterwards.
I was quite surprised when Graham decided to join us as well. Wonder Quest is a scavenger hunt. In theory only things that can be found in the room are needed. Each team is given a number and a different amount of points is registered depending on the order in which the teams come up to the stage. This was a lot of fun and Graham joined in with the fun. There is also an adult only version, but I was told that this is a bit on the raunchy side and they actually need bouncers as this can get out of control. I would not hesitate to attend the family version again, but I think I pass on the adult version. We came 4th out of about 30 teams.
I headed off for my Martini tasting. Before I went, I was invited to join our team mates for general trivia later in the afternoon. I said that I would see how I felt after the tasting. The tasting took place at Diversions. I ended up sitting with two other ladies. We each got 5 half-size Martinis, but that was more than enough for me. The bartender who did the tasting was very knowledgeable. He explained a bit about the history of the Martini. We started off with a Classic Martini and then had four different Vodka Martinis. We had a Pomegranate Cosmopolitan, a Lemon Drop Martini, a Melon and Apple Martini and a Chocolate Martini. I enjoyed them all, but the world was definitely moving afterwards.
I joined our two team mates from earlier for the trivia. Usually I am not too hot on general trivia on the ships, as a lot of the questions are geared towards people living in the USA. However, as the rest of the team was from the USA, I figured that this would be fine. I even knew the answers to a few questions. During the trivia, it felt suddenly like the ship was changing direction. I was all ready to blame it on the Martini, but shortly afterwards the Captain made an announcement that we had a medical emergency on board and had to turn around to head back to Cabo San Lucas, which we had passed lunch time. We headed at top speed towards Cabo and we were advised that a boat would be meeting us there to take the passenger to the hospital. We were also advised that our estimated arrival time in Puerto Vallarta was now 9:30. I started to get a slightly sinking feeling as our excursion was meant to meet at 7:00. We did the same excursion on the Panama Canal cruise and really enjoyed it. I had been looking forward to this for months. Still, the most important thing was that whoever needed to be evacuated was OK. Everything else would fall into place. Once the Captain had finished his announcement, the Cruise Director came on line and advised that they were in touch with the tour operator in Puerto Vallarta to see if excursions could be postponed and to find alternatives for those excursions that could not be amended. He also appealed to people not to approach the Shore Excursions desk unless they have been advised that changes had to be made to the excursions. Once all the announcements were over, we carried on with the trivia. Our team managed to win again. We got another set of baseball caps, but were able to trade them in for a nice Disney Cruise Line key ring.
I have to say Disney Cruise Line does not hang about. When I came back to the cabin to drop off my stuff and to get my camera, I already had a letter from DCL in my Fish Extender. As I had feared, our excursion stood as cancelled. Because the snorkel site is quite far away, they could not delay the excursion. I think this had also something to do with the fact that this is not an excursion exclusively for people from the Wonder, but also for hotel guests that stay at Puerto Vallarta. Instead they were offering us an excursion to Las Caletas, which was due to leave at 10:00. They also said that they would offer us the excursion for the same price as the original excursion. Alternatively we had the option to just get our money back. I did not know anything about this excursion. Because we were set on the same excursion we did in January, we had never even looked at other excursions. So I figured that I would head down to the Shore Excursion desk to get a bit more information. I have never seen such a long line in my life! I gave up on that idea pretty quickly. Instead I went to Guest Services to check if they had a leaflet with all the excursions. They were able to equip me with a shore excursion guide. I had a quick read through it and it sounded OK. The excursion is normally also $25 per person more expensive then the one we had booked so we got a pretty good deal. I decided that I would discuss this with Graham later and that we then would make a decision.
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