'Twas the Cruise Before Christmas ~ December 20th-23rd 2009

[Ware Bears]

Thought I'd copy this over from the UK Trip Report section as it may interest anyone going on a Christmas cruise this year.

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Sunday December 20th 2009
Weather ~ forgot to record the temperature but it was sunny and warm

We were up early as today we were off on a 3 night Disney cruise. It had been Bryan's big birthday earlier on in the year and when I asked him how he wanted to celebrate he said "A Disney cruise" ~ well, this was music to my ears! I'd gone on a Med cruise when at school and we'd been on a weekend cruise to Egypt and Israel together when we were first married so we knew we liked being on the high seas and had always longed to do another. We would have preferred to book the 4 night for the sea day but unfortunately the price was double as it was sailing over Christmas Day so the 3 night it had to be.

We spent ages choosing which stateroom to book ~ whether to have two insides, one outside and one inside, or one family. In the end the family won as we thought this will probably be the last family holiday with all of us yeah right and the only time we will all cruise together yeah right again and as it was only for 3 nights we could easily manage.

We decided to keep it a secret from the girls until Christmas Day it wasn't easy when we gave them each a copy of the postcard from Mickey and Minnie that DCL send out when you've booked and we watched the planning DVD. To say they were excited was the understatement of the century!

We had packed our cruise clothes the night before so it was just a matter of putting in the last minute things and having a spot of breakfast and we were on our way by 8:30am. We took a wrong turning but soon righted ourselves and it was then all plain sailing to Port Canaveral.

We had two rivers to cross, the Indian River and Banana River,

and as we reached the top of the first bridge I could see those infamous funnels in the distance!!

 

[Ware Bears]

Since we had booked our cruise I had read hundreds of trip reports and seen zillions of photos but nothing prepared me for the WOW factor of the Wonder. We live near Southampton so I am used to seeing the floating crates that pass for cruise liners these days but the Wonder and Magic are what I class as 'proper' ships.

Bryan went to park the car ($45) whilst the girls and I handed over our check-in luggage and gave the porter a generous tip as he had to get luggage tags for us remember some wally had left them at home then we went through security, checked in and had our Key to the World cards made. I was very grateful that it all went smoothly and we were now the proud holders of Boarding card number 5.

We enjoyed looking round the cruise terminal

and having our photo taken with Mickey

and Minnie.

Eventually it was time for our number to be called and it was our turn to walk through the 'ears doorway' to have our photo taken

then through that beautiful atrium and onto Parrot Cay where we had a delicious buffet, met Pluto

and enjoyed our first ever Bahama Mama.

 

[Ware Bears]

When we'd finished lunch we decided to see if our stateroom was ready and yes, it was.

The girls hung our fish extender (I forgot to take a photo but here is one taken earlier at home)

and decorated the door

whilst I took photos of inside.

 

[Ware Bears]

Once we'd unpacked we quickly explored the the ship before making our way down to the Promenade Lounge for our Cruise meet with some of the people we'd met on our Cruise thread. We spent a very enjoyable half-hour chatting away but silly me forgot to get the camera out so I don't have a photo.

It was soon time to go back to our staterooms to get our lifejackets for the Boat Drill

although this went smoothly and didn't take long. Once it was over we replaced the lifejackets in the wardrobe and made our way up to Deck 10 to watch the Adventures Away Celebration sail away party which is held on Deck 9.

 

[Ware Bears]

Then came the moment I had been waiting for ......... the horn boomed 'When You Wish Upon a Star'

and the staff came out of the cruise terminal to wave us off

and the combination of the sound of that horn and the sight of those Mickey gloves just made me but with happiness, not sadness.

The sun was setting and it was getting quite chilly but we stayed on deck to take some video and photos

and as we passed the spot where the Cocoa Beach webcam is I waved as I have spent many Thursdays and Sundays watching the Wonder leave and now it was finally our turn to sail on her. Then a little piece of Disney magic a lady drew up in the carpark, got out of her car and waved at us with her Mickey glove! I don't know whether she was a cruise terminal CM or just a fellow Disney lover, and maybe this happens every cruise, but that little piece of Disney magic sure made my day!

A final shot from our verandah.

 

[Ware Bears]

We had second seating dining at 8:15pm so we made our way to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch The Golden Mickeys. This was a lovely show which far surpassed any I've seen in the parks and was made all the more poignant because there was an announcement after the show that it was to be dedicated to Roy E Disney who had died a few days previously.

We went back to our stateroom and got ready for dinner which was to be in Parrot Cay tonight.

We were seated with a dad and daughter, just a few months older than Francesca, from Florida who were cruising for their first time. The mum was also with them but unfortunately had a severe migraine so was resting in bed.

Our main server was I. from Thailand and our assistant was Panda from France and they were absolutely lovely and couldn't do enough for us.

For my appetizer I had Baked Crab Martinique jumbo lump crab baked in creamy cheese sauce served with colourful tortilla and plantain chips

and Bryan chose Jamaican-marinated Chicken Tenderloins in a sizzling spicy jerk sauce with a chunky blue cheese dressing

The girls didn't want anything to start so just chose mains; Samantha chose Caribbean Roasted Chicken half a chicken served with mashed sweet potatoes, corn kernels, and marinated shallots with a spice glaze

Danielle had an Oven-roasted Chicken Breast with jacket potato and veg

and Francesca opted for the same but with fries

whilst Bryan and I both chose the Mixed Grill grilled sirloin steak, lamb chop, bacon-wrapped sausage, and jumbo shrimp on mashed potatoes, asparagus, and grilled tomato with a cabernet-mushroom saice.

Then, just as we were expecting our desserts, Bryan had a lovely surprise when I. brought out a cake to celebrate his birthday

it was big enough for us all to share and for our tablemates to take a slice back for the mum.

Then came our desserts; we all chose Parrot Cay's Sweet Temptations a trio of creme brulee cheesecake, lemon meringue pie, and chocolate s'more vanilla cake the large square with the strawberry is the birthday cake

Drink of the Day was Bahama Mama ........ mmmmmmmmm

After dinner the girls went off to the Teen club with their new friend whilst Bryan and I went to watch A Christmas Carol 3D in the Buena Vista Theatre.

When we got back to our stateroom all the beds had been turned down and this little friend was awaiting us.

What a fabulous first day.

 

[Ware Bears]

Monday December 21st 2009
Weather ~ too busy to record the temperature but it was dry with a mixture of sun and cloud

Had a wonderful night's sleep and awoke to this view.

I could see Atlantis looming in the distance and sat out on our verandah watching it get closer and closer whilst the rest of the family woke up and showered.

Imagine living here!

We went up to Beach Blanket for breakfast where they had a lovely selection to choose from and sat out on deck to enjoy it.

Then we went back to our stateroom to get ready as the plan was to get a water taxi over to Atlantis to have a look round. The crewe were doing a check of the lifeboats so me being nosey had to watch.

The girls then decided that they didn't want to go to Atlantis as they wanted to spend more time on the boat. Bryan and I were in two minds ~ part of us wanted to go but we also wanted to spend more time onboard so in the end we decided to get off and have a little walk round Nassau.

We would like to have gone in Senor Frogs for a drink but the girls didn't like Nassau and wanted to get back onboard. I must admit we weren't very taken with Nassau either, and although I would have liked to have explored a bit further, we decided against it because there had been some security issues with tourists only a few weeks before.

We took some photos of the Wonder

We had a really good explore round the ship then wandered back up to Beach Blanket for some yummy lunch. Afterwards we felt so full that us oldies needed to relax so Bryan had a little snooze whilst I sat out on our verandah and read for a while whilst the girls went to watch The Princess and the Frog.

They loved the film and when they got back we got ready to go and watch Toy Story the Musical which was really good.

It got very cloudy so we didn't really notice sunset tonight.

After Toy Story we returned to finish getting ready for dinner and found this little friend and more chocolates!

 

[Ware Bears]

Dinner tonight was Pirate night in Tritons and we'd bought pirate T-shirts and hats in Adventureland to wear. Even though I'd read on the DIS that not many people dressed for Pirate night on a 3 night cruise I wasn't expecting us to be the only ones!! As we entered the restaurant I quickly scanned round and couldn't see anyone over the age of 5 dressed up so off came the hats and I would have bolted back to get changed only I. had already seen us and was making a fuss of our T-shirts! it was so embarassing

Oh well, I suppose it confirmed for the other family how mad the English really are! It was nice to meet the wife who'd recovered from her migraine and we all chatted about our day.

Danielle fancied an appetizer tonight and chose Duck Confit salted and slow-cooked duck, dried prunes, candied walnuts, chicory, and mixed leaves with apple-walnut dressing

Samantha chose Avocado - Citrus Salad with iceberg and radicchio leaves with an orange vinaigrette

whilst Bryan and I both chose Chilled Jumbo Shrimp with white and green asparagus, micro greens, and lemon-dill dressing with horseradish cream.

Bryan had been dithering over whether to order soup or not and the next thing we knew we were also given a soup each to try, "Chef Louis" French Onion Soup with gruyere cheese crouton

and Tomato and Basil Soup rich blend of tomato, fresh basil and cream

then I think perhaps I made admiring comments about Samantha's appetizer because I was also presented with one of those too! Don't I already look like I enjoy my food too much??!!!

Honestly, I didn't eat all three appetizers well, I did finish the shrimp but just sampled the other two and very yummy they were as well.

Then on to the main course

Samantha chose "Triton's" Seared Sea Bass with a mushroom and herb risotto, sweet onion marmalade, and garnished with a potato chip

Danielle and Francesca chose Grilled Farm-Raised Chicken Breast with green asparagus, pineapple, and raisin barley with herb-lemon jus

whilst Bryan and I ordered Crispy Roasted Duck Breast with braised napa cabbage, potato cake, and pomegranate jus

Thank goodness we were only given one main each!

 

[Ware Bears]

Then came the desserts!

Danielle and Francesca chose Chocolate Mousse with brandy-marinated cherries

I chose my favourite, Creme Brulee with seasonal berries

and Samatha chose Triton's Sweet Temptations a trio of creme brulee, chocolate mousse, and praline petite choux

then blow me if I. didn't suddenly whip out a Grand Marnier Souffle with vanilla sauce for the men!

You can all have a good laugh at us in our Pirate gear

In this one we are supposed to be doing scary Pirate actions

Drink of the day was Planters Punch .......... OK, but not as nice as the Bahama Mama.

 

[Ware Bears]

After waddling out of the restaurant we did a bit of retail therapy in the shops then made our way up to Deck 10 to watch the Pirates In the Caribbean Party.

Of course, our hero Mickey flies in to save the day

and we were treated to fireworks.

Then came more food!!

The girls went off to the Teen Club and Bryan and I settled down in deck chairs to watch POTC: Curse of the Black Pearl.

Out on the ocean waves with Jack Sparrow on the big screen ~ does life get any better than this?

 

[Ware Bears]

Tuesday December 22nd 2009
Weather ~ cloudy at first but soon turned out hot and

Yet again we had a wonderful night's sleep and after breakfast at Beach Blanket wandered round taking lots of photos whilst we waited until it was time to disembark on Castaway Cay.

This was our next door neighbour

and this is the royal suite on the port side

 

[Ware Bears]

As soon as we disembarked we were met with a huge Christmas tree and yes, it was snowing.

It was a bit nippy first thing and we do look rather cold in this photo!

As this was our first visit to Castaway Cay (hope it won't be our last ) we didn't want to miss anything so decided to walk rather than catch the tram.

We went to the shop to see what exclusive Castaway Cay merchandise they had and bought a couple of pins, christmas decorations, T-shirts and of course my obligatory fridge magnet!

 

[Ware Bears]

We decided to cycle round the island ..... or I should say Bryan, Samantha and I did. Danielle and Francesca found a hammock where they could lie whilst they waited for Cookies to open and we went off to collect bikes.

It was a very easy route up the old runway to the look-out tower although it must be very hard work in the summer months! There are plenty of water stops.

I'd read that less than 10% of the island has been developed and it was nice to see how the rest of it looked. Next time I'd like to do the kayaking excursion to see more of the natural habitat.

We'd built up quite an appetite by now so returned our bikes, found Danielle and Francesca relaxing on their hammocks, and went to join the queue at Cookies. It had become really hot by now and we were just looking for a table in the shade when I. (our dining server) appeared and led us to one. Danielle and Francesca said when they'd visited Cookies while we were on our bike ride he'd been looking after them, such a lovely man.

After lunch we relaxed on loungers for a couple of hours then decided to do a spot of snorkelling. We'd brought our own masks and snorkels so only needed to collect flotation vests which are free. The water was so warm, it was like relaxing in a hot bath! I understand there are Mickey and Minnie statues hidden under the water but we never found them although we did find these which I believe may be from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

As we didn't have flippers it was pretty tiring work so we just had to have another little relax when we came out the sea before reluctantly making our way back to the ship.

 

[Ware Bears]

I think Francesca's face says it all

We showered and got ready for our last evening onboard and I spent a lovely, relaxing half-hour reading on the verandah. Many people don't think a verandah is worth the extra $, especially on such a short cruise, but I loved having it and would always book one again, provided I can afford it, that is!!

The show tonight was Disney Dreams:An Enchanted Classic which was lovely, although my favourite of the cruise was The Golden Mickeys.

Our last restaurant was the one I'd been looking forward to the most ~ Animator's Palate.

I finally lost the plot here and didn't take photos of everyone's food so here are the ones that I did take.

Bryan had Wild Mushroom Risotto and Porcini twist served with parmigiano-reggiano and black truffle oil

whilst Samantha, Danielle and I chose Smoked Salmon and Trout with Goat Cheese Salad on baby greens with toasted almonds and a cranberry-balsamic vinegar dressing

For our main course Danielle and I had Lemon-Thyme Marinated Chicken Breast on top of sour cream mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and grain mustard jus

For dessert Bryan chose Bucked Warm Apple Crumble

Danielle and Francesca chose Double-Fudge Chocolate Cake with caramel-orange chocolate sauce

I had Strawberry Sable with passion fruit cream

whilst Samantha chose Animator's Sweet Temptations a trio of strawberry sable, cranberry and orange cheesecake, and double-fudge chocolate cake

Drink of the day was Stingray.

I loved this restaurant and am so glad it was the one for our last night.

Us with I. and Panda

Inbetween the show and dinner we'd had photos taken by the Christmas tree so we had to hurry to Shutters to buy them along with the others we wanted

before getting back to see 'Til We Meet Again in the atrium

then rushing back to our staterooms to finish our packing and get our suitcases outside which we managed by the skin of our teeth!

Our last towel animal sob sob I just didn't want tonight to end.

 

[Ware Bears]

Wednesday December 23rd 2009

Weather ~ hot and sunny 72*F

After another fantastic night's sleep (I think I will go and live on a houseboat LOL ) we awoke to this view which meant we were back at Port Canaveral.

We packed up the rest of our things and took our hand luggage down to breakfast which for us was Animator's Palate.

With our table mates

and after saying our final goodbyes to them, I. and Panda we reluctantly disembarked.

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I hope you enjoy reading it, I have enjoyed writing it as it's good to relive the memories. We're now saving for another cruise for our silver wedding anniversary in 2013.

 

[crabbie1]

What a fantastic detailed report.I really enjoyed reading this.We are going to book dec 11 and it really has confirmed what I thought.I know it will be on the dream but I am sure it will be just as good. As we have never cruised would you say do a 4 night over a 7 night.Almost decided on a 4 night but after reading your report and the photos I dont know if to do the 7 night. Food looks amazing and the general theming as well. Was planning on a port hole but may jsut have a virtual as dont think we will be in the room much. Thanks for sharing your cruise.
alyson

 

[Ware Bears]

Thank you.

As we have never cruised would you say do a 4 night over a 7 night.Almost decided on a 4 night but after reading your report and the photos I dont know if to do the 7 night.

Ooh, that's difficult, I wouldn't want to do less than a 7 night next time but perhaps as its your first cruise it might be better to choose a 4 night first? Whatever you decide I'm sure you'll love it!

I also love the sound of the virtual, I think I'd rather choose one of those than a porthole!

 

[hayanyujah847]

Thanks so much for sharing! We are doing a 3 night on the 16th of December so I really enjoyed yours~!