Taking Stitch to Hawaii and NOT Leaving Him There

[franandaj]

I would love to meet you when we next come over. At the moment the plan is that we fly in on the Thursday and then get on the Wonder the Monday.

Corinna

I'm sure we'll be in touch. I would love to know about your dressmaker, you have so many fabulous gowns! And the jewelery is beautiful too!

 

[JLSE50]

How did you make the green Mickey pins?

Where is the story of trashing the dress?

Thanks for the trip report--very enjoyable!!

Jan
2515

 

[dolphingirl47]

I'm sure we'll be in touch. I would love to know about your dressmaker, you have so many fabulous gowns! And the jewelery is beautiful too!

I get my gowns through Ebay. This one was not actually custom made, but came from the same company that I got the dresses for the vow renewal from. They can be found here:

http://g8.waimanman.com/

They are based in Hong Kong and are an absolute charm to deal with.

The jewellery that I wore that night was actually my vow renewal jewellery, but the same artist also custom made some jewellery for this cruise with a Hawaiian theme. All the jewellery that I am wearing in the photos comes from www.wyrdingstudios.com.

How did you make the green Mickey pins?

Where is the story of trashing the dress?

Thanks for the trip report--very enjoyable!!

Jan
2515

The Mickey Heads are actually resin scrapbook embellishments that I found on Ebay. I then just got pin backs and glued them to the back of the Mickey heads using E6000 glue.

We renewed our Wedding vows at Chrystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California last year. As part of the festivities, I did a ghost bride themed Trash the Dress shot at Disneyland. You can read all about this and see the photos under the Pirates, Princesses and Pumpkins link in my signature.

Corinna

 

[JLSE50]

I get my gowns through Ebay. This one was not actually custom made, but came from the same company that I got the dresses for the vow renewal from. They can be found here:

http://g8.waimanman.com/

They are based in Hong Kong and are an absolute charm to deal with.

The jewellery that I wore that night was actually my vow renewal jewellery, but the same artist also custom made some jewellery for this cruise with a Hawaiian theme. All the jewellery that I am wearing in the photos comes from www.wyrdingstudios.com.

The Mickey Heads are actually resin scrapbook embellishments that I found on Ebay. I then just got pin backs and glued them to the back of the Mickey heads using E6000 glue.

We renewed our Wedding vows at Chrystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California last year. As part of the festivities, I did a ghost bride themed Trash the Dress shot at Disneyland. You can read all about this and see the photos under the Pirates, Princesses and Pumpkins link in my signature.

Corinna

Thanks for the info
(I don't see that link on my I-phone so will check for it when I get to a computer later today.)
Jan

.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I had set the alarm for 7:00 AM again and I actually manage to sleep until the alarm went off. Graham had a 7:30 stretching class again and I went upstairs with him. I headed to the Cove Cafe and had a Mocha and a Chocolate Brioche. I recognised some people from the previous morning and started to chat to some of those. Soon it was time to head up to the Outlook Cafe for the early bird jewellery workshop.

People arrived in plenty of time again and it was a lot of fun doing the workshop. Half of the group had attended one of my workshops before on a different cruise so this was pretty much smooth sailing. This was just as well. I had the kids' workshop scheduled for 11:00 that day. With the unexpected reservation for Palo Brunch, I was now double booked. By the time the reservation was confirmed, it was too late to start ringing people. Fortunately there was a phone just outside the Outlook Cafe so I could just briefly leave the group to it and reschedule that workshop for 14:30. This made this an extremely busy day, but it was well worth it.

All the previous workshops had finished on time so I was very surprised that this one overran. I started to get a bit nervous at 9:15. This was the morning they were giving out the wristbands for the limited edition pins and this process had started at 9:00. So I left the group to their own devices and headed down to deck 4. There were two different wristbands. One was for the 6 pins that represented the ports on the the itinerary. Those pins were a limited itinerary of 1000. The second wristband was for the two logo pins, which were a limited edition of 2000. When I got down there, I started to get worried. The line looked huge and was snaking all the way around atrium to the entrance of Studio Sea. The tables were they were giving out the wristbands was actually outside the back entrance of Mickey's Mates. I had visions of getting to the front of the line only to find out that the wristbands had gone. I need not have worried. I got my wristbands and there were still plenty left over. They crossed off our stateroom number when I had my wristbands. With hindsight, I need not have worried. They still had full sets of pins on sale right at the end of the cruise. In any case, it was not too painful. It took only 30 minutes from leaving the Outlook Cafe until I was back there with my wristbands.

When I got back up there, most people had left. One of the people from the jewellery workshop was still there. I was quite relieved as I had left all my stuff including my iPad up there. The person who was still there was somebody who we cruised with on our Transatlantic Cruise in 2010 and it was nice to have the chance to have a proper chat. We were sitting there for a good hour just putting the world to rights.

I suddenly realised that time was creeping up on me. I quickly headed back to our cabin to change my flip flops for some proper shoes and to drop off my backpack. I had arranged to meet with Graham outside Palo just before 11:00. We were checked in as soon as we arrived and were taken to our table. We had a table by the window and it was nice to just watch the ocean. Our server came to introduce himself. We were offered a Mimosa or a glass of sparkling wine. I went with the Mimosa and Graham had some sparkling wine. We also had some water with a lemon slice. Once our drinks had arrived, our server gave us a guided tour around the buffet area and then we were let loose on the buffet. Graham had some Seafood to start with. We then shared a Spicy Sausage Pizza. Graham then had assorted Pastries, White Chocolate Strawberries, Fruit Tartlet and Panna Cotta. I had Cold Cuts, Cheese, Hummus and Focaccia, Almond Bread, Brioche filled with Mascarpone and Fresh Fruit. The Hummus was a little disappointing, but the rest was lovely. I then ordered Chicken Parmigiana with Risotto, which is one of my favourite dishes. This was every bit as gorgeous as I had remembered. For dessert I had Tiramisu, White Chocolate Strawberries and a Chocolate Pot.

Once we had finished Brunch, I headed straight to Animator's Palate for my scrap booking class. This had been organised by somebody on our Cruise Meet thread. We had paid $20 for this class ahead of time. For this we got the scrapbook and all the papers and embellishments for the layouts. Everything had been sorted by page and we got a pack with instructions and photos to show how it all gets together. I have always wanted to learn how to scrapbook. I was a little worried about how I would get on, but there was no need. The way it had been organised it was really easy to do and the layouts are really stunning. I have to finish a few more that I did not have the time to finish during the class and then I need to sort out some photos to add.

I could not believe how quickly time went. I suddenly realised that it was time to head downstairs for the kids' jewellery workshop. I went through the Promenade Lounge were the workshop would take place and most people were already there. I quickly told them that I was going back to my cabin to pick up the materials and the tools. Everything was still in my backpack so I just had to grab this and was on my way. The kids were doing three smaller projects: a Pirate themed key ring, a fairy themed bag charm and a princess themed bag charm. They took to this like a fish to water. The mums had come along to the workshop. One of the the mums had signed up for the adult workshop of this workshop, which did essentially the same projects with the exception that they made a Princess themed mobile phone charm. I had all the jewellery kits with me so I asked her if she wanted to make her jewellery at the same time, which she did. Everybody was finished well within the allotted time and the girls were very good about helping to tidy up. I said goodbye to everybody and headed upstairs to the Outlook Cafe for the next workshop.

Again everybody that was participating in the workshop was already assembled when I got to the Outlook Cafe. This time round I had a group of friends who had requested to do the workshop together. This was the one workshop that I was a little concerned about. I was worried that with everybody knowing each other, I would feel like the odd one out. I need not have worried. We all had a good chat while we worked and I enjoyed this workshop as much as the others.

When we were packing up after the workshop, I suddenly realized that I had ended up double-booked. When I had read the Navigator the previous evening, I had spotted a Mojito tasting. I had wanted to do this during the last two cruises, but it always had clashed with something else. So I was really excited that I could finally do this and had got a ticket for this earlier in the day. What I had conveniently forgotten is that the reception for Gold and Platinum Castaway Club members was during the same period of time. I only realized what I had done when the others commented that they needed to get away on time.

In the end it all worked out for the best. I had just under 30 minutes between the end of the jewellery workshop and the beginning of my Mojito tasting. So I decided to quickly check out the Castaway Club reception, which was held on deck 9 midship due to the sheer amount of Gold and Platinum Castaway Club members on this cruise. It was still incredibly crowded. I figured I would see if I could get a quick photo with Captain Mickey, before heading downstairs to the Cadillac Lounge for the tasting. I did see Mickey and Minnie and followed them, but they were just heading for the midship lifts. I was passed a very nice Bellini as I walked past and offered a couple more. I don't think I would have stayed even if I could have done.

 

[dolphingirl47]

I got to Cadillac Lounge well ahead of time and they were still setting up for our tasting. However, there were other people there already so I found myself a seat and watched the world go by out of the big portholes. I realised very quickly that this would not be a tasting for the faint-hearted. In front of each seat, the bartenders put a round wooden board with 5 numbered slots. This in itself was not surprising as many tastings that I had attended on previous cruises included 5 different drinks. However, those drinks had never been regular sized drinks, but ranged in size between half and third of the normal drink size. As the started to put out the drinks, it became very obvious that this time round, the drinks would be full size.

Once all the drinks had been put out and it looked like everybody that was going to come was there, one of the bartenders introduced the team and then went into the history of the Mojito. He then introduced the ingredients for the first Mojito, which was a Classic Mojito consisting of Lime, Sugar Syrup, Mint, Ice and Club Soda. He also explained that mint does not actually have a taste, but just strong smelling oils. He gave out some fresh mint leaves so that people could try for themselves. The next Mojito was a Raspberry Mojito, which was made with Bacardi Razz and fresh raspberries. I really liked this, but a lot of the others claimed it tasted like cough syrup. The next one was not to my liking. This was a Caipiroska, which is made with vodka rather than rum. Most people seemed to love it, but I found it to be too abrasive and just had a couple of sips. The next one was much more to my liking. It had another fancy name that I cannot recall and it actually tasted a lot like a Margarita. However, it was still a rum based cocktail, but instead of the sugar syrup, they used Agave Nectar. The last Mojito was a Mango Mojito and was probably my favourite. When the bartender introduced the drink, he asked us to try some, but also to leave some. The reason for this request soon became clear. He offered a spiced rum float to go with the Mango Mojito. It was lovely on its own, but it was out of this world with the addition of the spiced rum.

Once the tasting was over, I stayed behind for a bit and chatted with other people who had the same idea. The reason behind this mainly that I did not trust myself to stand up straightaway after all those Mojitos. It was however also nice to meet some new people. About 30 minutes later, I figured that I have to get up at some stage and it was not as bad as I had thought. I headed back to the cabin to drop of the stuff that I no longer needed and grabbed my swim stuff and the dress that I was going to wear that night. I then headed up to the Rainforest Room, where I settled down on a heated tile lounger with plenty of water to sober up. After a little nap, I was as good as new. I used one of the showers in the spa and got changed up there, to. I just had to take my stuff back to the cabin and I was ready for dinner.

Dinner that night was the rotational menu at Animator's Palate. We both like the menu, but neither of us is keen on the show. As I am also not too keen on the desserts that come with this menu, we agreed that we would make a swift exit once we had finished our main course. Graham had Ahi Tuna Tatare, Cheese and Bacon Soup and Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, Grain Mustard Jus. I had Wild Mushroom Risotto, Polenta Cake with Tomato, Portobello Mushroom and Monterey Jack Cheese and Lemon and Thyme Chicken Breast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables, Grain Mustard Jus. The chicken had been the recommendation of our server. I have to say I was not overly impressed. It was too plain for my taste and the chicken was rather dry. Next time I will have the beef again.

During dinner, suddenly one of the people at the table next to us asked us if we were from the UK, if Graham was a lawyer and if I worked for an airline. Initially we were just confused, but then the Penny dropped. We had shared a table with this lady one lunch on our Med cruise in 2010. We had hit it off straightaway, but we had not seen her again after that lunch and I definitely would not have recognised her. Once I had made the connection though, I remembered that she was going to travel around Europe for a couple of months before doing the inaugural Baltic cruise. So we chatted for a bit about her European adventures.

Once we had finished our main course, we got up and left. We explained to our server what we were doing and said goodbye. On the way out we bumped into our head server. He could not understand why we were not staying for the show, but after I explained to him that we hate the show, he wished us a good evening. We had a quick look at our photos in Shutters and then headed down to the atrium. We wanted to get some more photos, but we were way too early. So we decided to just sit on one of the sofas in the atrium and wait.

We had maybe sat there for a couple of minutes when somebody in an officer's uniform came up to us. I really was a bit slow on the uptake that day and I just assumed that we were in the way. I was just about to get up, when he said something along the lines of that there is to be no more talk of waves. It was actually Captain Fabian. He sat down with us and we had a great chat. He has been with Disney Cruise Line from the very beginning and was involved in the building of all 4 ships. It was very interesting to listen to him and he patiently answered any questions that we had. He spent a good 30 minutes with us. This was definitely a treat. Again, I was impressed that he not only remembered what Graham had said, but also that he had recognised us. He must have met hundreds of people the previous day.

By the time we had said goodbye to Captain Fabian, the photographers had reappeared. We had our photos taken against a pink backdrop and then had some more photos taken against the white backdrop. This time round, they had some props and we also ended up with a couple of magical photos with Captain Hook and Tinkerbell.

Once we had finished with the photographers, we headed back to our cabin. The Navigator for the next day had not arrived yet. I took a couple of photos of our towel animal and then got ready for bed.

 

[tiggrbaby]

What a busy day! Cute pics!

 

[dgbg100106]

I agree a very busy day indeed and beautiful pictures! Sounds like it was tons of fun and exciting!

 

[Pinkocto]

What fun to see people you cruised with before.

Palo brunch looks and sounds marvelous. I'm really hoping I'll be able to get a reservation.

I'm glad you were able to fit everything in, you really had a full day!

 

[JLSE50]

I get my gowns through Ebay. This one was not actually custom made, but came from the same company that I got the dresses for the vow renewal from. They can be found here:

http://g8.waimanman.com/

They are based in Hong Kong and are an absolute charm to deal with.

The jewellery that I wore that night was actually my vow renewal jewellery, but the same artist also custom made some jewellery for this cruise with a Hawaiian theme. All the jewellery that I am wearing in the photos comes from www.wyrdingstudios.com.



The Mickey Heads are actually resin scrapbook embellishments that I found on Ebay. I then just got pin backs and glued them to the back of the Mickey heads using E6000 glue.

We renewed our Wedding vows at Chrystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California last year. As part of the festivities, I did a ghost bride themed Trash the Dress shot at Disneyland. You can read all about this and see the photos under the Pirates, Princesses and Pumpkins link in my signature.

Corinna

I have time at the computer and can find the link to the "Pirates, Princesses and Pumpkins" Trip Report. I loved the photos and this is my favorite!

Thanks for sharing!

Now back to the TR to read the rest!

Jan

 

[dolphingirl47]

I have time at the computer and can find the link to the "Pirates, Princesses and Pumpkins" Trip Report. I loved the photos and this is my favorite!

Thanks for sharing!

Now back to the TR to read the rest!

Jan

I was not to sure about this pose at first, but my fabulous and very talented photographer insisted and I loved how it has come out. My favourite photo is however this one:

Corinna

 

[Chilly]

How great to get to chat to the captain.

 

[dolphingirl47]

How great to get to chat to the captain.

That was definitely one of the highlights of the cruise.

Corinna

 

[JLSE50]

I was not to sure about this pose at first, but my fabulous and very talented photographer insisted and I loved how it has come out. My favourite photo is however this one:

Corinna

I thought that was your favorite and it is nice too!

Where was Graham all day?

.

 

[JLSE50]

Lovely, lovely, lovely.
So special that you got the fancy venue!

I think this is my favorite picture because it shows both of your faces at the same time and I like the pastor's hand on yours in blessing.

But I like this one too!

Did you wear the dress off the ship or did I misunderstand?

Jan

 

[dolphingirl47]

Lovely, lovely, lovely.
So special that you got the fancy venue!

I think this is my favorite picture because it shows both of your faces at the same time and I like the pastor's hand on yours in blessing.

But I like this one too!

Did you wear the dress off the ship or did I misunderstand?

Jan

No, you understood correctly. I put the wedding dress on as soon as I got up and got off the ship in this. This caused a bit of attention.

Corinna

 

[JLSE50]

No, you understood correctly. I put the wedding dress on as soon as I got up and got off the ship in this. This caused a bit of attention.

Corinna

I can understand that it would attract attention!

Your enjoyment in wearing the other dress at the Halloween photo shoot and the gowns on the ship makes me not at all surprised that you would wear the wedding dress off the ship.

How did you happen to have two wedding gowns in the first place? Do either of them look like what you wore to your wedding?

Jan

 

[franandaj]

I loved the pictures with the sword and Captain Hook! What an awesome photo shoot!

Great day! I've been checking out some of the dresses in the link, and they are all strapless. With my farmer tan I don't do strapless well!

 

[LindaBabe]

I was not to sure about this pose at first, but my fabulous and very talented photographer insisted and I loved how it has come out. My favourite photo is however this one:

Corinna

Is that YOU????????????? I'm STUnned how different you appear as a brunette :faint

 

[JLSE50]

Is that YOU????????????? I'm STUnned how different you appear as a brunette :faint

More pictures from the before-the-cruise photo shoot (with the dark wig and wedding gown) and after-the-cruise vow renewal with the platinum hair we know and a crown are on her trip report:

Princesses, Pirates and Pumpkins
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2826215