Resorts, Relatives & Restaurants - and a 3 day cruise!

[Mndisneygirl]

The sail away party sounds like a lot of fun!! Cute bookmarks and stocking. You're much more crafty than me. I'm so far from Martha Stewart that it's laughable!

The party is a blast!
Believe me, that is not a difficult project. I found it on the DISboards. DH was the one who thought of how to decorate the stocking. The only crafty thing I do is scrapbooking and cutting out paper hearts with the kids for Valentine's day! Martha would at me!

 

[Dancegrl624]

Loving all the cruise photos! There is nothing better than seeing pics like that when all I see is snow when I look out my window.

So....if a Disney trip doesn't work out for us this year, my DH is down with a trip to MN!!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Loving all the cruise photos! There is nothing better than seeing pics like that when all I see is snow when I look out my window.

So....if a Disney trip doesn't work out for us this year, my DH is down with a trip to MN!!!

Awesome!!! We would love it if you came out west!!

 

[ladybugmom]

YAY!! How fun!! The Sail Away party looks amazing! What a great way to start your cruise! Your bookmark and stocking is too cute!! You did a great job on both!! Can't wait to hear more about your cruise!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Sorry I wasn't able to get an update out this weekend!! I had planned to, but left all my notes at the office!!

It turned into a busier weekend than I planned anyway. I might not have gotten to it anyway.

Thanks for hanging in while I neglected my TR!! I really want to finish (sort of). Just a couple days left to tell you about!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

We were about to enjoy our dinner at Animator's Palate when I left off (about 3 weeks ago!). Our group was seated at a long table all together. The servers are so great - they (at least ours) seemed to really enjoy what they were doing. They sure made it fun for us! They would challenge the kids - even the teens - with puzzles made out of the crayons. Josi laid out the crayons in a certain pattern and told the kids to move one crayon and make a certain number or something. Very cute!

On to the scrumptious food!
I ordered Lemon Thyme Chicken with sour cream mashed potatoes (my picture does not look like that, but that's what my notes said. I guess I ate whatever was in the picture!) and for an appetizer had mushroom risotto. Very good! Glass of wine (malbec) and then for dessert had what they call the Sweet Temptations Trio! small little cranberry orange cheesecake, strawberry sable (with little cookies and passion fruit cream) and a chocolate fudge cake. Oh boy was this stuff good!! That cheesecake was 4 stars! I love sampler dessert platters!

The girls both ordered burgers, fries and milkshakes. The shakes were $3.50 additional and they could have shared one for all they drank! The food is all included but specialty drinks are extra and all alcoholic beverages are extra as well. Soda is included. The nice thing is that if you don't like the food, you can order something else. We had that happen a couple times with the girls. Nothing big, just them being picky. "I didn't want a cheeseburger, just a plain hamburger". Or DD8 didn't care for the mac and cheese, so they'd bring her something else. After the first night, the servers practically knew what they would order! HA! You can also order two appetizers, or soup, salad, two entrees, whatever. It's a great way to try lots of stuff!

DH had the beef tenderloin for his dinner and said it was good. He also enjoyed the trio for dessert.
After dinner, we went back to the cabin and changed clothes. My pants were SO TIGHT! Then we went and did some shopping in the gift shops. So much cool stuff! I don't have notes on what I bought that night, but at the end I will do a souvenir post with whatever I can find pictures of! I know I bought at least one Christmas ornament and scrapbooking stuff and a t-shirt, but don't know when I bought what stuff! The things that were dated 2009 were all 50% off! I suppose since it was December, they were looking to get rid of it. Okay, I'll help them out!
After a bit of shopping it was time to go see them light the big Christmas tree in the atrium! I had seen that this was listed in our Navigator (which, if I haven't mentioned is the daily newsletter that tells you EVERY possible activity you might want to try).
So we went up to the area overlooking the atrium and a CM asks the girls if they would like to help light the tree! Of course they said sure! She had them take a handful of pixie dust from her special sack and said to hold on to it until she told them to throw it on the tree.
They had a really cute ceremony where they picked a little boy to be the prince and they read a declaration. He got a crown and Mickey and Minnie were there too. Then the girls all through their pixie dust at the tree and the lights came on!! It was really cute!

pictures in next post...

 

[Mndisneygirl]

We were standing right next to the railing by the top of the tree.
After the tree lighting, we were headed to the Walt Disney Theater to see that night's show. It was called The Golden Mickeys. The premise is there is an awards show and they even do a little thing with red carpet interviews and show it on the big screen prior to the show starting. They have a lady all dolled up like the oscars and she interviews people going in to the show. Then in the real show, the emcee doesn't show up and the stage manager has to host the awards show. I won't spoil the ending, but it is cute and there's lots of great music and dancing too. It's definitely something you want to see!

After the show, it was time to crash! I was tired and could have gone to sleep during the show from sheer exhaustion.
This was the day of the release of The Princess and The Frog and they were showing it at Midnight on the ship. Nope, couldn't do it!! We made plans to see it the next afternoon instead. Still the first day out and it was FREE on the ship!
This was what was waiting for us in our room:

The girls were asleep in about 5 minutes after laying down! I think I was too!

The next morning we woke up by 7 and DH went to go get coffee or something. He opened the door and nearly tripped over all the FE gifts!! Our stocking had been filled, and all the extra was laid out on the floor outside our door! It was like Christmas!!

Can you believe all this stuff?? People were so creative and generous! We received handmade gifts, toys, games, pirate themed stuff, candy, magnets, bags, pencils (40!) and hair accessories, ornaments, a wreath etc. Just amazing!!!!

An aside:
Our room was the last on the right side of the hallway. At the end of the hall was a door for the crew. Turns out it is where the captain goes in and out and his quarters are at that end of the ship under where the bridge is. We didn't see him, but saw others coming and going.
Here's a shot that shows how the bunk beds looked: (along with my cute kid!)

Friday 12/11 was Nassau, The Bahamas

So this morning we went to have breakfast at Parrot Cay. This was a buffet, but there were also servers to get drinks etc. Josi came over to visit us! They have wonderful juice like at Tusker House or Ohana. I enjoyed an english muffin sandwich (like an egg mcmuffin) and fruit and a chocolate croissant. I think I'm addicted to those things!
I can't remember, but I think it was before breakfast the girls and I got in a very long line to see the princesses. I knew we would do this because we really didn't see many at WDW. They brought around trays of donuts while we waited and coffee as well. We got to see Tiana, Belle, Cinderella and Snow White. We also noticed up stairs one deck between the elevators that Peter Pan was accepting visitors. So we ran up there too (no line). Then we went to breakfast. Most of our group had already eaten.

All the princesses had ship photographers so we could buy the prints, but I took pictures too. As long as you don't waste time or stand in front of them, they don't mind. Peter did not have a photog there, so it was just me taking pictures.

I love all the details around the atrium. The Ariel statue is right outside the main entrance to Triton's dining room. The railings have sillouettes of Mickey and other characters. And the tree and garland were just gorgeous!!
Close up of the tree ornaments

After our big photo shoot, we disembarked and went into Nassau. I had planned to only spend a little time there as last time we went over to Paradise Island and toured the free part of Atlantis and wandered around Nassau a bit. I did not really think much of it and didn't care to spend a lot of time there. I'd rather be on the ship and by the pool! So the plan was to hit the rum cake store and head back. Well, you know, plans change! We decided to hit the stuffy, crazy straw market and I was really tempted to buy a knock-off handbag, but I didn't. In retrospect, I should have. It would have been cheaper than what I did get later.

We took a similar picture on the last cruise!
I have tried to get a picture at every port with a sign. We went on a Carnival Cruise in Jan 08 and did the same thing. It helped me remember where the pictures were taken on that day!

At the straw market, the girls each bought a bracelet and a straw bag with their names stitched on it. It was so hot and stuffy in there, and all these people trying to get you to buy from them, it was nuts!

We had noticed a rain shower, and it passed quickly. We got our rum cakes and I picked up a bottle of banana rum for a friend of mine. I was ready to go back to the ship. I was hoping to get some pool time since we had no day at sea on this 3 day cruise. Plus I'd read how there had been some crime against cruise tourists in Nassau, so the sooner I got out of there, the better.
Then DH said hey, let's go in that jewelry store. And that's where the so-called "budget" was blown right out of the water.

Stay tuned.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

WOW!!!! I am SOOOOO totally sold on a cruise now!!! Now we just have to find some $$$$$ somewhere. My parent keep saying they will take us all on a cruise so maybe I will just wait until then!

Great pics!

 

[manntra]

Oh my gosh I am just in awe of all of your FE gifts!!!! How wonderful!!
I love Belle's holiday dress! So pretty!! We always had a lot of fun looking for our pictures each night (and maybe sometimes chuckling at others )
Nassau leaves a bit to be desired IMO. I have stayed at Atlantis and had a wonderful time....it was such a beautiful, luxurious resort The women wanting to braid hair was my niece did end up doing it but had it done on the ship.
When we were on the Wonder I booked the Dolphin Excursion but not through the cruise so that we were able to do the dolphin swim. It was pricey but was so worth it having two dolphins push you through the water I needed two while my niece only had one
Can't wait to see what you bought!!

Tracy

 

[DisneyDaddio]

Wow, that was quite a haul of FE gifts!

Also great seeing the holiday decorations on the ship.

 

[Pluto_fan]

Ooh, a cliffhanger!

"So-called budget"...

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

Great update, great pictures!!

Can't wait to hear what happens next!

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

You got some serious loot in your stocking! My goodness!

I LOVE all the princess pics especially Belle in her Christmas dress and Tiana! They are so great! And Peter Pan on the floor! Love it!!!!!! You really hit the jackpot. You are killing me with these cruise pictures.

 

[stace208]

Wonderful cruise pictures!! My wheels are turning for my birthday next year

Can't wait to see what you got in that jewelery store!!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Yep, I have been pricing cruises, Sheree!!!

What a great bunch of FE gifts! How fun!!!

The pictures of the girls with all the princesses are so cute! Belle's Christmas dress is just gorgeous!

Can't wait to see what you bought at the jewelry store.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

WOW!!!! I am SOOOOO totally sold on a cruise now!!! Now we just have to find some $$$$$ somewhere. My parent keep saying they will take us all on a cruise so maybe I will just wait until then!

Great pics!

Make sure it's a Disney cruise!! I hope you get to do it!

Oh my gosh I am just in awe of all of your FE gifts!!!! How wonderful!!
I love Belle's holiday dress! So pretty!! We always had a lot of fun looking for our pictures each night (and maybe sometimes chuckling at others )
Nassau leaves a bit to be desired IMO. I have stayed at Atlantis and had a wonderful time....it was such a beautiful, luxurious resort The women wanting to braid hair was my niece did end up doing it but had it done on the ship.
When we were on the Wonder I booked the Dolphin Excursion but not through the cruise so that we were able to do the dolphin swim. It was pricey but was so worth it having two dolphins push you through the water I needed two while my niece only had one
Can't wait to see what you bought!!

Tracy

Yeah, I'd rather they didn't stop at Nassau at all, but where else would they go?
I'll be showing you my budget-buster soon!

Wow, that was quite a haul of FE gifts!

Also great seeing the holiday decorations on the ship.

We were so amazed at the FE gifts! People were crazy generous and creative! I thought I took a lot of pictures of the Christmas decorations. Wait until you see the cool stuff at Castaway Cay!

Ooh, a cliffhanger!

"So-called budget"...

Yeah, the cliffhanger lasted longer than I planned. Sorry about that.

Great update, great pictures!!

Can't wait to hear what happens next!

Thanks, and you won't have to wait much longer!

You got some serious loot in your stocking! My goodness!

I LOVE all the princess pics especially Belle in her Christmas dress and Tiana! They are so great! And Peter Pan on the floor! Love it!!!!!! You really hit the jackpot. You are killing me with these cruise pictures.

We were really excited about the characters, especially since we didn't see that many at WDW, knowing we could see them on the cruise. It was easier to wait in line on the ship, it wasn't like we were missing out on rides or a parade. Tiana was a surprise, although her movie came out that first night, so I should have expected it. Peter Pan was fun.

Wonderful cruise pictures!! My wheels are turning for my birthday next year

Can't wait to see what you got in that jewelery store!!

Oh, I hope you can do it! Even a 3 day is fun - and much more affordable.

Update coming up soon!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Okay, thanks for waiting so patiently!

We walked into Tanzanite International. On our Carnival cruise in 2008, we had gone to a Diamonds International store in Belize. I bought myself a pendant with australian (or austrian) opal and tanzanite. Got the whole spiel about tanzanite and how it's a limited resource, and will continue to increase in value, blah, blah, buy it, it's an investment, blah blah. So anyway, I bought it. Sorry I don't have a picture.
I really like Tanzanite, so we were browsing in the store and the sales people are what I consider marginally agressive. They are friendly, but will let you say no and walk away.
So I was thinking about a ring, or earrings. I usually wear my diamond earrings most of the time, so I thought, maybe a ring. I looked at a few, and the lady told me the prices. Well, let's just say, I could take another cruise for the price of some rings!!!

Then she quizzed me about the settings I liked and what shape stone. At this point I still hadn't even committed to spending any money! But Dave said, let's see what they have etc. I figured, I would decide on an amount and if I couldn't get something for that, I'd walk. Guess I should have set a lower amount.
The woman suggested I pick out a setting and a stone separately. So I found one that I liked and she told me what it would cost. Still too much. She got a manager. That's what they do. Then the manager asks my price range. This is where I should have really lowballed her. So I gave Dave a look, and we told her a number. She said okay. I'm still not sure, but it looked like it was happening.
We asked how long it would take to do the mounting/setting. about 2 hours! Well there was no way I was hanging around Nassau for another two hours! I had been ready to get back on the ship an hour ago. The kids were definitely ready!

You can see their little baskets. I think the manager was the lady in the picture on the bottom right of that sign.

So then they tell us that the "shopping lady", whose name was Marissa, would bring it to me on the ship! I was a little skeptical, but then Marissa herself popped over to say sure, she makes the rounds of the stores prior to departure and picks up stuff and we can get it from the "something" desk after a certain time. Okaay...
Next thing I knew, I had given my room number and handed over the Visa card. (yup, the Disney visa card! I was going to earn more rewards!!).
So, I really didn't know what my ring would exactly look like, and we left the store.
On the way back to the ship, I kept second guessing myself. Why did I spend so much money? Dave didn't seem to be bothered. It was exactly like in Belize! I have now come to realize that it was a good purchase, and I'm happy with it. No, I didn't NEED to spend the money, but it was a really good "souvenir"!
It also started POURING down rain! We ran to the little building you have to pass through and waited. Then they told us they had courtesy vans that would take you to the ship. We got on one and we were back on the ship in time for lunch.
I suppose you are still waiting to see what I got. Well I didn't actually get the ring in my hands until dinner, but I will be nice and save you the suspense. I'll fill in the rest of the day's story and what I thought when I saw the ring later.

Here is my purchase:

It is a white gold setting with a couple small diamonds on the side. The stone is a light purple color. It's kind of hard to tell from this picture. I have decided I love it! I wear it almost every day.

That same morning the Royal Caribbean ship Oasis of the Seas docked at Nassau. It is their newest and biggest ship. This was the inaugaral cruise, and I think it was mostly travel personnel. The Wonder looked like a row boat in comparison!
Dave took some pictures. His two sisters were going on the ship at the end of January. (Sharon was on the cruise, but I don't think she took a lot of pictures)

This is the view of the Oasis from our cabin. You can still see the raindrops on the window. Sarah felt the need to be in the pictures.

This one was taken from up on deck. You can see the Atlantis resort on Paradise Island on the right.

We got the girls some chicken nuggets from Pluto's and they ate in our room watching Monsters Inc. It had stopped raining and I decided to go get some sandwiches from Goofy's Galley. They were okay, nothing great. Then I decided I should just go into the buffet and grab a plate full of desserts! That was a wise decision! YUMMY!

At 3 p.m. we went to see the new movie, The Princess and the Frog. We just loved it! I know pretty much nothing about New Orleans, but it made me want to go there. The music was great, the story cute. Well, by now most of you have probably seen it. Great beautiful animation!!!
After the movie, we wandered through Shutters (the photo shop where they display all the ship's photographer's pictures of you) and picked out a few pictures. We had decided to split a package with SIL Donna.

Next it was dinner at Parrot Cay - Pirate Night!!!

 

[Pluto_fan]

WOW! Gorgeous ring, Sheree! I'm so glad you bought it!

 

[Charleston Princess]

That is a gorgeous ring, Sheree!!! I have a hard time parting with large amounts of money, but I think you made the right choice!

That cruise ship is huge!!! I don't know if I would want to be on a ship that big!

Sounds like you had a nice relaxing afternoon! Looking forward to the Pirates' Night!

 

[stace208]

Your ring is gorgeous!! Great purchase and every once in a while we all deserve a splurge!

That other cruise ship was a monster.