So we arrived at St Martin about 7:30am. We had breakfast ordered for 8am as we needed an early start having planned a trip over to Maho beach. Before breakfast Paul did another round of deliveries to our fish extender group. Today is pirate day so we gave chocolate coins, a pirate pack for the kids (containing an eye patch, a telescope and some sweets and stickers) and a booklet on how to be a pirate. This includes then pirate code and the rules of Parley. After our toast, pastries, donuts, tea and juice we got off the boat at about 9:30. After a few photos of the ship we found the Hertz office which was right at the port. We had pre booked a car so after the paperwork we got on our Toyota and set our sat nav to Maho beach. We had planned this trip for one reason, to be on the beach (which we think is the only one of its kind in the world) where a 747 jumbo jet will land right overhead, and I mean overhead as the landing runway is literally the other side of the beach. It only took us about 30 minutes to get to the beach, despite some heavy traffic. We parked and made our way to the beach bar. The arrivals are all listed on a chalk board and the KLM jumbie was due at 11:20. It was about 10:30 and there were a few smaller planes due in so we could practice our pics on them. As the first one came in I took side on shots and Paul went right underneath the flight path. It really was close and we got good shots. Sadly, we haven’t been able to share any pics on this blog as we have previously as the Internet connection is just about ok for uploading the text but would not handle images. We will try and post some when we return (if I remember!).
I made my way down to the beach to join Paul. As we stood under a 757 jet that came in the noise and the wind from the jet engines are incredible. There are actually signs up warning of danger of severe injury and even death from being in path of jet engines but still crowds gather to do it! In the UK and the US the area would definitely have been fenced off for safety purposes I’m sure.
After a few small and mid sized planes we saw the lights of the 747 approaching. Everyone was gathering with cameras and videos. It really was quite amazing, and actually a little scary as the jets did physically push you back. The plane was so close that in my pic my lens wasn’t wide angle enough to even get it all in! We did both get some great shots though and Paul got a great pic of everyone looking up with cameras taking their own pics.
After the jumbo had landed it just started to rain so we headed back to the car. As it was only 11:30 and we had the car for the day we decided to take a quick tour of the Island. It is half Dutch and half French and we drove all around both sides. After a quick stop to get a shot of the boat we eventually got back to port at about 1:30. We didn’t really want to go into town so we had a quick look at the shops that were around the port before getting back on board. By this time we were hungry so we headed straight up to deck 11 for some food. They have hot dogs, burgers, sandwiches, crisps, cookies and fruit all up on deck served all day. We opted for hot dog and chips and went into the quiet Cove to eat it. We noticed that the guitarist was playing one deck up on this cruise; we had written on our comments card last time that it kind of defeated the idea of a quiet area so whether we influenced the move or not, who knows.
After our late lunch we then got seats up on 12 where I blogged with my Piña Colada as you read earlier. I managed to finish all of day 3 by 3:50 which worked out perfectly for the Pirate trivia at 4pm that we had decided to do. The questions were about some Disney pirate films as well as questions about Treasure Island, real pirate names and other stuff. With 5 questions to go we were in second place so tried to go for the win. It was not to be sadly, and we ended up in second at the end. There are no prizes for second on Disney (unlike Royal Caribbean) so it was a case of so near yet so far. We left the trivia and went back to our room to get ready for dinner.
We were back at Royal Court for dinner and being pirate night we donned our pirate t shirts. The menu is Caribbean pirate themed. We had pot stickers to start, these are pork parcels and are really nice. After this I chilled melon soup followed by jerk chicken. Paul had the sirloin steak with extra sauce which our waiter is now getting used to. For dessert we had rum soaked chocolate cake. Again, a good meal all round.
After dinner there was no show but the main theatre we showing the movie “The Avengers” in 3D. I wasn’t overly fussed but Paul wanted to see it so we went in. It’s over 2 hours and sadly we had to endure lots of noise. There were people with what must have been the worlds loudest rustling bag which went on for a good 5 minutes. There were also kids crying, folks chatting and people leaving throughout. The movie was ok, I think we both felt it could have been shorter but the content was as expected.
Since it is pirate night, this is the night of Buccaneer Blast. Disney are the only Cruise line allowed to have fireworks at sea and whilst on a boat they are not quite up to Magic Kingdom standard they are still fab. Before the fireworks there is show on the pool deck stage. It starts Captain Jack Sparrow, who abseils down the funnel onto the stage. The premise is a gauntlet that the pirates fight over and eventfully Jack wins and pointed the gauntlet to the skies to start the fireworks. We got a pretty good view from between funnels, managing to see the show and the fireworks clearly. After the fireworks are done there is a deck party. It is quite cool to see everyone dancing under the stars on the deck of a ship at nearly midnight. It is also still perfectly warm enough to be in just t shirts.
We eventually turned in at about midnight, taking a cuppa down with us to enjoy before bed. We read our St Thomas brochures and supped our brew before bagging those zeds.
Monday saw us off for our posh brunch at Palo restaurant. We got ready in our semi posh togs, Paul in trousers and a shirt despite it being hot and sunny, and headed up to the restaurant. It’s at the back on the 12th deck with great views out to sea. We we looked after by Milos from Croatia and were seated in a booth table towards the back of the restaurant. Milos showed us the the food, which consisted of pastries, meats, cheeses, seafood, hot dishes such as chicken or risotto , pizza, omelettes and eggs benedict. There was also a dessert table with strawberries, tiramisu, mouse, cheesecake, brownies, cakes and probably much more. There was certainly no shortage of food. We both began with eggs benedict which was really nice. The egg yolks were really yellow and very tasty. We were served a complimentary mimosa with our breakfast as well as coffee and water. For second course we had some buffet items of pastries, cheese and Parma ham. Paul also opted for a frittata with onions, peppers and Italian sausage. I was getting full by this point with my sparrows eating habits but still managed some dessert. The chocolate covered strawberries are a fave of mine and were yummy. Paul was due to meet someone he was taking pics of at 11:45 so we only had just over an hour for brunch. We could have stayed longer and there was no rush to move us on (despite us not being able to get an 11:30 reservation yet still being at the table at this time). We paid our 40 dollar bill and headed back to the room to get changed.
By the way, as I know you like to hear where I am as I write, we are currently up on deck 12, I am supping a piña colada and Paul is on ice cream number 2. We’ve been ashore today but more of that when we get to it, no jumping ahead!
After brunch Paul’s model was not ready so we went to O’Gills Irish bar for 80’s tune trivia. We did pretty well scoring 32 out of 40 with some awesome answers such Tarzan Boy (although we couldn’t remember it was by Baltimore) Toni Basil and Culture Club. The top score was actually 39 and our 32 only got us 4th place. We then headed up to deck 12 to get some sun. We sat out an I blogged to complete day 3 for you.
By now it was almost 3pm and time for Disney tune trivia in La Piazza bar. This consisted of naming the tune, the movie and answering a bonus question. We did ok on some but then got Cinderella confused with Sleeping Beauty with her changing dress and 3 good fairies. We only scored an average 31 out of 45 and one team got all 45 points (although we reckon that must have cheated). Paul had more photo bookings at 4pm so we made our way back to our room and he gathered his gear. I opted to stay in the room and found the shopping talk on Chanel 9 so settled in to see what they recommended. To be honest it was the same old same old but I still enjoy it. Paul got back about 5pm with some shots of a female teen and family of 4. There were some decent ones in there so hopefully all will be pleased.
We got ready for dinner (casual attire) and headed off to Enchanted Garden. It’s my least favourite of the restaurants. It’s is based on the gardens of Versailles but there are no plants and it’s a bit plasticky – not up to usual a Disney standards in my mind. We started with tomato soup and a romaine wedge and followed with prime rib and sirloin steak. We ordered loads of extra gravy much to everyone’s amusement. Hayley and Adam had spent the day watching films on funnel vision whilst chilling out on deck an had already ridden the Aquaduck. We plan to ride this on Castaway day as most people will have gotten off so it should be quiet. After choosing desserts our waiter told us he had brought the wrong dessert menu out so we need to choose again. Poor old Hayley had her heart set on the bread pudding. We eventually went for passion fruit meringue and Sacher torte. It was ok but this is one of the weakest menus we believe.
After dinner we went along to Skyline for a drink. We didn’t have long as we had to get to the show but Paul had a tequila concoction with a plastic glowing souvenir ice cube(!) and I had an Absolut Pear on the rocks. When we arrived we were in St Petersburg but it changed to London where even Big Ben appears with the current time, and keeps time until we move to another city. If anyone’s not following this by the way, the whole idea of Skyline is that the skyline view though all the windows changes to a new city every 15 minutes. Windows are actually screens with panoramic views of a city that have moving cars, lights etc. it’s awesome tech.
After downing our drinks reasonably quickly we walked the length of the ship to the theatre (located at the front whilst the main bar areas are at the back) and took seats on the very back row (thus avoiding having the backs of our seats kicked which had happened the previous night). The show was called Wishes and the premise was 3 senior year kids at Disneyland for one last time before college. They wished for the ride of their lives and where whisked on an adventure where they met lots of characters and sang along to some classics including, Hakuna Matata, I Wanna be Like you, I’ve Got No Strings, Zero to Hero, Kiss The Girl and When You Wish Upon a Star. So, can you name all the movies theses songs are taken from? It was a good show and I was seated next to a retired lady from California who was doing her knitting. We chatted (about knitting amongst other things) and she told me she doesn’t like cruising! She was there to help look after a couple of 5 year old twins with their parents. What a nice lady.
After the show we went back to our room and read up on St Martin and the shopping guide. We considered the movie quote trivia but it was on late and after we’d sat down we really couldn’t be bothered with going out again. Plus we had a reasonably early start to get over the the airport at St Martin where we would experience a 747 flying a few feet overhead. But more of that in my next post. For now I am off to pirate trivia….
Sunday morning saw room service breakfast arriving at about 9am. It was the usual pastries, muffins (with grape jelly), doughnuts, juice and tea. We ate it on the balcony where it was a little breezy but warm enough. Shortly after we’d finished, our state room attendant turned up to say hello. We gave him a gift (the same as we had out together for the fish extender group) and in return he gave us an awesome limited edition print from the maiden voyage signed by Don Williams, the artist; we were over the moon with it.
We left our room at just after 11 and set about delivering our first set of gifts for our fellow fish extender group. We had 13 state rooms to visit so we certainly got some exercise walking up and down this 1115 foot long ship. Sorry, but I need a short interruption here as we just got the ships horn playing “When You Wish Upon A Star”. One of the best things about the Dream class of Disney ships is the range of cool ships horns playing classic Disney tunes. Anyway, back to delivering. Along the way we bumped into a Canadian couple in our group but other then that we delivered anonymously. We also stumbled across Pepe the king prawn’s room (from the muppets). There is small door, numbered 5148 & 1/2 and decorated as if it were his. I guess its not for everyone but I love all this Disney fun stuff and attention to detail. After this exercise we made a quick stop to see Michael at the DVC counter and got our membership goodies. These were a pin, an A4 folio & pen and a couple of baseball caps. Oh yes, and we got our welcome home magnet for our door.
We then decided to go and get lunch (well we are on a cruise so lots of eating is obligatory). We went to the Royal Court restaurant (which I think I called Royal Palace in an earlier post. It was Royal Palace on the Dream but has been renamed Royal Court on the Fantasy for some reason. We haven’t yet found out why). This is the only restaurant with a full service at lunch and we opted for a turkey melt toasted sandwich with crisps and coleslaw. It was really nice all washed down with Coke and Sprite.
After lunch we went out onto the Promenade deck where I blogged day 2 (I commented on the surroundings in an earlier post). It was nice to just relax and the weather could not be better. I am actually writing this entry from the top deck, 12, in the adults only sun deck at the front of the ship. The weather is still good but there is a sea breeze so I need to be really careful about not burning.
Anyway, back to yesterday. We chilled out on the promenade deck for about an hour before we were due to go and meet our fellow fish extender group. There was a quick stop at the atrium to get some snaps of the Disney Princesses and then onto meet our group. Paul naturally knew more about them than me as he is the forum member but I did my bit and socialised. Paul had offer to take picture of anyone in the group who wants them so a few were talking of arranging that. After this we, and a couple of others from the group, went to do the ships tour. We had done this on the Dream and it was really good as you get to learn loads. This was was almost identical being a sister ship but was still good all the same.
After the tour we headed over to the future cruise dude as we want to book a transatlantic from Galvaston to Barcelona next May. His computer was down so he had to take details by hand and will send them back to shore (very backward considering some of the tech on board). We then got an ice cream for up on deck 11 and sat and watched the end of the funnelvision film which was Brother Bear. At 4:45 Paul had his first photography appointment to take shots of a little girl fresh from the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. I stayed in the room and blogged some more before getting ready for dinner. It was for al night so we had to make an effort 🙂 . Paul retuned, with some shots of his model who had a sailor outfit on and some Dorothy shoes, and also got ready.
We went down for dinner and had to queue to get into Animator’s Palette. There we several photo points around the atrium including one with the Captain (who is actually Italian but we’re not worried, apparently they’re are no crew with families on near by islands on this trip). When we finally got into the dining room, our table mates were already seated and we had a table really close to a screen which we were pleased about. Crush (the turtle from Nemo for non Disney fans) did his usual routine as we ate, teaching us the turtle way to live which is “sweet dude” and “totally awesome dudettes”. For starters I had a black truffle and cheese pasta which was really nice. We then both had baked potato and cheese soup with bacon bits which we’d had on the Dream so knew it was gorgeous. For mains we both had the Angus beef with wasabi mash. The food was really good and Crush had gone through his usual interaction routine with various tables so we figured we would not be the lucky ones and ordered dessert. Just then Crush came to our screen and started talking to the guy in the white shirt, which was Paul. The conversation went something like this….
Crush:Hey dude, like what’s that around your neck?Is that like, a tie?
Paul:Yes it’s a tie
Crush:Loosen that off dude, your on vacation
<Paul loosens tie and undoes top button>
Crush:That’s better dude, you’re on vacation and you need to like, totally chill out
<Crush swims on his back to demonstrate chilling out then swims away>
I so wanted Crush to interact with us, it is very clever tech, so I was happy.
Desserts consisted of white chocolate cheesecake and cookie ice cream sundae. The food was good but were really full afterwards. Since they only serve coffee at the end of dinner we had taken our own tea bags so we got some hot water and had a nice brew after dinner – lovely.
We then went back to our room (to get my cardie as the theatre is always cold) and then went for a look around the adult Europa bars before the show. Ooh la la had the bubbles in the mirrors which did look stunning and Skyline seemed to be in Budapest at that time. We didn’t really have time for a drink as the theatre gets really full so we made our way there. There we loads of people around and free drinks as it was the Captains cocktail party. We got in a lift and as the doors closed a little voice said “my mom and dad are still out there”. It was a young girl of about 8 I would guess. Paul quickly pressed the doors open button at the next floor and she got out. Paul told her to go back down one floor and she just looked back at us with a sad, lost look. Even I could not have left her there so we both got out and set about finding mom and dad. She had started to get teary now so I asked her name, which was Chloe, and promised we’d find her folks. She knew they were headed to deck 11 so I waited with her whilst Paul went to check if her folks were still down a deck. Just then she spotted her dad, who was legging it up the stairs and she ran to him like Linford Christie, bless her. All was well so we made our way to the theatre. We took seats in the circle and it filled up completely around us. The show was Aladdin, which was pretty much a cut down stage version of the film. It was very well produced. The magic carpet flying scene was excellently done and the Genie was a definite crowd pleaser. The magic carpet was also a really good acrobat; its hard to explain and I know that sounds weird but it looked really good.
After the show we were both tired, Paul especially as he had woken up the previous night with aches and pains. We got some hot chocolate and Coke from deck 11 and went to bed.
Before I sign off this time I will just let you know what we have received so far from our fish extender group. We’ve had lots of sweets, some magnets, some lanyards, a couple of torches and an Edinburgh calendar. We think our personally designed post its and luggage tags are the best so far!
We needed to be up early on Saturday as we had a tight shopping schedule before we boarded the boat. We ended up being about half hour late somehow but eventually checked out just after 9am. The Caribe Cove apartments were definitely much quieter then the Bahama Bay ones.
First stop for us was McDonald’s in Disney on Osceola Parkway. We sat outside eating breakfast and it was really hot and sunny. We’d noticed since we arrived it had been quite humid heat but it was still nice to be outside and catch the rays.
After brekky we were off to Downtown Disney. I want to go to the marketplace World of Disney store to get a couple of Disney charms for my bracelet (they are Chamilia, like the Pandora style). I already have Tinkerbell, Cinderella’s coach and a star bead so added Eeyore and a Mickey symbol spacer to my collection. I really wanted a Mickey charm but not one of the dozen or so we tried would go on my bracelet. My bracelet is actually a pandora one so not all the Chamilia charms fit. I also bought a Cinderella cushion before we headed of to the Art of Disney to look for another Vinylmation for character signing. We we still running late against schedule (yes we still have these carefully planned despite it being a holiday!) so we were rushing around a bit. There were no 9″ vinylmations in the store so we decided that despite time constraints we would go over to Westside where the is a Vinylmation shop as it turned out so awesomely last time. I wait in the car and Paul ran in. He managed to get the glow in the dark green one so that should look cool when it’s signed up.
I know haven’t quite got to us being on board yet but I feel I need to tell you at this point that I am sat reclined on a steamer on the promenade deck with the sun on my legs. There are wispy clouds in a blue sky and the sea is calm – lovely!
So, where was I? Ah yes, we’d done at Downtown Disney so headed over to the Florida Mall. I needed to get some Bare Escentuals make up as its way cheaper over here than in Blighty. We parked out the back of the M and M’s store and walked through it to get to Sephora. I picked up my make up and some night cream and we let. Parking so close and getting to the store quickly meant we actually made some time up on our schedule so all was good.
We left Orlando at about 11:30 to head to Port Canaveral. It was a beautiful day to drive down and the roads were clear. We dropped our bags at the port and there was quite a queue of people to embark. We needed to drop the hire car off though so left to do that. Hertz was only about 3 miles away so we filled up with gas and returned the car. The shuttle back got us to the port about 1:20 and the queue had all gone. Embarkation was hassle free (despite an officious woman trying to stop us using the empty non US citizens lane) so we were on board by half one. We were announced, as is Disney cruising protocol, and first job was to go straight to the Royal Court restaurant to change our dinner seating to early. We had been on wait list but nothing had come through. We managed to change it easily and also booked a brunch appointment at the Palo restaurant. This is one of the chargeable restaurants on board. Even for brunch the dress code is no shorts, jeans or flip flops!
We then went to our state room to drop off our carry on luggage. We had a quick drink and then went up to Cabanas (the buffet restaurant) to get a quick bite to eat. After this I had a spa appointment for a manicure so we made our way to deck 11. The spa area was really busy as people were booking treatment. My therapist was Kadina from Jamaica and the treatment consisted of cold gel then hot stones with scrubs and oils. I’d brought my own lacquer so my talons now match my toes. As soon as the manicure was over it was time for muster so after a quick look around the adult quiet area up on deck 12 we made our way down to deck 5 to our muster station. Our station is actually in the Buena Vista theatre so we at least had comfy seats out of the crowds and humidity. We did have a slight worry that in an actual emergency watching a movie was not top priority but the drill did show us we were right next to a lifeboat so we should be ok!
After muster we had a bit of a wander around the ship, looking at the gallery and photo editing area before going back to our stateroom to get ready for dinner.
Our cases had all turned up by now and Paul managed to unpack but I left it for a while just in case of ruining the nails! A quick change, wash and brush up and we headed off to Royal Palace. I had found our table when we were in there earlier so knew it was a table of only 4 and as we were first we awaited our table mates. They turned out to be fellow Brits! A very young couple of newlyweds from Bagshot who were on honeymoon. Adam and Hayley were their names and Hayley was the big Disney fan. They were a really nice couple and we shared a few of our Disney experiences with them.
The food was good, escargot for me and shrimp cocktail followed by French onion soup for Paul got our starters underway. For main I had the rack of lamb and Paul opted for the beef sirloin. We made sure we left room for dessert and had the Grand Marnier Soufflé. It was nice to have a good meal especially for Paul after all his pre-cruise dieting.
After dinner we headed for the shops. I’d already decided I wanted the new inaugural Dooney and Bourke bag so made a beeline for them. I also got another charm which was a cruise ship, exclusively sold on board so was a must have really. Paul got some hats for a guy back at work and we also got the Fantasy and Castaway Cay Vinylmations (to go with our Dream ones). We took our goodies to our room before heading to the theatre for the show. We sat in the circle as ever and watched a weird kind of show about a family on board. It was almost a bit of an advertisement or information guide to what’s on board as it followed the family and their antics during their staged vacation. It was ok but we know there are better shows coming.
After the show we went up to the pool deck to look at the moon. It was a full moon and also the closest the moon gets to earth so it’s really bright and clear to see. Paul got some pics of it. By this time after an early start and hectic(ish) day I was shattered so opted for bed. I unpacked everything first then snuggled down.
We arrived at Manchester airport extremely early, even after a McDonald’s breakfast stop our rush hour contingency was not needed. The airport seemed quiet and we dropped our bags quickly and headed through security. No queues and no bag searches although I was selected for the random full body scanner.
We had a brief look around the shops but made no purchases (I know what you’re thinking, did I feel ok?). Despite our gate being advised as 206 we saw the Virgin jumbie at 203 so sat here and chilled. There was no one around and it was almost eerily quiet. There were a few folks at 206 who clearly seemed undeterred that there was no plane to take them anywhere. After an hour or so we went to get some food. With a late flight (2pm) it was lunchtime so Paul was hungry. This took us up to boarding time so we headed back to the gate. By this time is was heaving, no idea where everyone had come from!
We headed straight for the priority boarding line which meant the main queue was held back to let us on (people must just love us – not!) and made our way to our seats. We were upstairs in Premium Economy on the front row. As the cabin filled we found ourselves next to a family with a baby which filled us with dread.
The flight itself was ok. For an Orlando flight is was really short at just 8 hours. There were minor bumps as we reached the eastern seaboard but nothing to warrant the belt sign going on. The baby was reasonably behaved although the parents were most annoying being really loud. Paul quickly donned his acoustic 3’s to get some peace! Paul watched Mission Impossible 4 and listened to music and we both played the logos game on the iPad for quite a while; Paul finding my lack of logo awareness highly amusing!
We landed ahead of schedule and got off the plane as soon as we could. A route march to immigration was then met with horror as we saw the entirety of the Air France jumbo still queuing. It took ages to get through and the bags had been going around the carousel for an eternity. We picked them up quickly, got through customs and headed up the escalator. A couple of mins for a tram and we we on our way to get the car. Paul had opted for Hertz gold service so no rental desk but straight to the car lot. There was a small booth and a screen with Paul’s name and a parking bay number. Given the immigration delay this speedy service was appreciated and was excellent, I highly recommend it.
Our car is a Nissan Versa (or as Paul needed to pronounce it to the agent at Sun Pass; a Neessarn). We left the airport about 7pm which having landed at 5:30 was a worst in years.
We made our way to Premium Outlets as we had to pick up my watch. We stopped briefly at Marc Ecko for Paul to get some more polo shirts and also at Prada where I decided to treat myself to a new bag (made up for the lack of airport shopping already). We then headed to Tag and got my watch.
We stuck to our predictable routine after this and ate at TGIs (Jack Daniels sesame chicken strips and some fries went down well, although there was a problem with the soda in the soft drinks, it was really bitter). A quick stop at Publix for essentials and then we headed to our hotel.
It was 10pm by the time we checked in so given the 5 hour time difference we were getting tired. We headed to our room and pretty much went straight to bed.
OK, so I’ve remembered some stuff from the cruise you might be interested in; namely our purchases. Firstly, I treated myself to a Disney Dooney and Bourke messenger style handbag. It was the Dream’s inaugural voyage collection and had 40% off. We also bought some Cruise edition Vinylmations. There is a whole set of 12 or more but we just got 2: one of Captain Mickey and one of the ships livery. We considered the Chinese zodiac ones but decided against it. We are not about to become avid collectors but may get a few pertinent and meaningful ones as we go along.
So, back to journal (it’s Thursday am remember?). The 528 was quiet despite in being rush hour and we made really good time. Since it was early enough when we got back to the Orlando area we stopped at the World’s Biggest McDonalds for breakfast. Our plan was to go to the Premium Outlets (Previously Prime) at the top of I-Drive and got there by 9:45. Stores opened at 10am so we walked to the far end to kill some time. We bought some candles from the Yankee outlet and Paul tried to get some replacement foam pads for his earphones from Bose. The store didn’t have any but confirmed they do sell them so he can try elsewhere or online. We looked in Juicy and Neiman Marcus Last Call but there were no more purchases. The shops were really quiet. Not sure if that was because it was early or merely the time of year. Either way it was nice.
After the shops we went over to Saratoga Springs. It was a really hot again and a glorious day. We collected our membership cards, helped ourselves to a cookie and went to take a look at the model units. First we looked at the Aulani villas, the new unit in Hawaii now selling as DVC villas. Then we looked at the Animal Kingdom villas. Both were stunning. Fab décor, great amenities, huge whirlpool tubs, really comfortable and very inviting. We definitely think we will use some of our points for a stay in May.
We left Saratoga Springs and made our way to Downtown Disney, Westside. First stop was the silver shop where I managed to get a really nice amethyst ring. A little pricey but a really nice piece; very simple solitaire bezel set oval stone in silver. After this we wandered past the candy store, briefly stopping to watch the cast member making chocolate covered pretzel sticks, and into the store that sells Vinylmation. We looked at some awesome special editions, hand painted large pieces for $1,200 as well as some weird sets, like a sushi set! We did buy our zodiac editions; they were better than the Chinese zodiac ones so not getting those was a good decision!
It was now about 2pm so we decided to make our way to Bahama Bay to check in. After unpacking we headed over to the clubhouse to get some lunch. Since we had planned dinner at Longhorn we didn’t want too much so shared a portion of cheesy bacon fries. It was still a pretty big portion but they were yummy. We checked our email, having been at sea for 4 days before making our way back to our own verandah where I wrote yesterday’s blog entry.
After hours of typing we got ready and went to Longhorn. It was quite busy so we had a 20-minute wait. Thankfully this time they didn’t forget us and we sat down to eat around 6:30pm. We had our usual Flo’s Fillet and Paul tried the new bourbon glaze that was advertised. It was way more oniony than the TGI Jack Daniel’s glaze but he said it was OK. After dinner we went over to Target to get a few groceries then came home and watched an episode of Hawaii-5-O with a nice cup of tea.
Friday morning saw a bit of a lie-in but we were up and about for about 10am. We had considered going east to a mall called Waterford Lakes as it had a Bose store for Paul to look for his earphone pads but since I still had so much blog to write we decided to sit outside and chillax. It was a much cooler day and very cloudy but warm enough to be outside as our verandah is nicely sheltered. We eventually went out about lunchtime after posting the cruise blog. Our first stop was the Center State bank (on 27 by the Polo park). We wanted to open a checking account since it was recommended for offering free banking without a minimum balance. The bank requires you to own property in Florida and since our DVC membership comprises a formal ownership deed this allowed us to open an account. The process took about half an hour and we still have to email over the formal deed once we have paid up with DVC and receive the paperwork but we have 90 days to do this. Once we got out of the bank we went over to Animal Kingdom (our new home ?). Showing our membership card gets us in so easily with a great welcome and greeting. We firstly went to Jambo House, the original Lodge. We looked around the shop, which is really big and bought a couple of cushions that say “once upon a time, happy ever after” and “never grow up”. We then went out back to the viewing outlook but other than birds nothing was really near. We saw some Zebra and Wildebeest in the distance and Paul got some pics. There were 2 viewing areas with one being behind the pool area. This had some nice hot tubs and secluded seating areas. We then went over to Kidani Village and got a cup of tea each to drink as we sat in the rocking chairs at the overlook area. The Giraffes were around and there does seem to be better viewing from Kidani. We took a look in the shop on the way out and Paul bought a DVC members only pin whilst I bought a pink DVC members t-shirt with Tinkerbell embroidered on it. Sadly, this has turned out to be a little big so I need to try and swap it tomorrow. I also got some African made stone animals; a Hippo and a Rhino, which will go really nicely with my wooden Giraffe and Elephant back home.
We stayed at AK until about 5pm before heading over to Kobe for dinner. We shared a meal again but as well as the shrimp and fillet had some teriyaki chicken. The food was as good as ever and our chef had some new tricks like ‘lava from the volcano’ which was the sauce spitting our of the onion volcano. We didn’t really talk to our tablemates again which consisted of a family of mum, dad, 2 kids and grand parents then one other couple.
We finished at Kobe around 6:30 and after a stop for gas went over to the Polynesian to watch the Wishes fireworks from the beach. It was cool but not too cold and we perched on sun beds. The film on the beach was “Tangled” and there was a dad with his 2 kids next to us who was struggling to get them to sit and wait for the fireworks as all they wanted was to go and watch Rapunzel! We saw, and heard, a couple of Pirate firework cruise boats out on the lake. Wishes was good and half way through I swear I saw an Alligator swimming past in the lake. Paul saw something too but thought that folks swam in the lake. After the fireworks we checked the signs which do say ‘no swimming’ so I am still convinced it was a gator.
We came straight back after the fireworks and after a welcome cuppa we did most of our packing. We had bought out 3 suitcases (one inside another on the way out) so have plenty of space and should be able to even out the weight.
It is now nearly midnight. Paul is in the tub whilst I finish up this last blog update before we head back to Blighty tomorrow ? ?
Well hello again, it’s been a while. We are now back on dry land (suffering with sea legs a tad) and sitting out the back of our Bahama Bay apartment. Good news is the bed is bigger in the deluxe. It is peaceful again and very sunny as I type at just after 4pm. I think I must have about 3 days to catch up on so this could take a while. You might want to put the kettle on, treat yourself to a biscuit as well and settle in…
…so, some pertinent updates for you to begin with. Firstly, the Vinylmation Mickey came back all signed and is AWESOME. They have made such a good job of it we were both in wonder. It will be displayed well away from Norah as it is (to quote a famous credit card ad) priceless! Secondly, the cruise itself was also awesome. Probably the best Cruise we have done. Definitely not too overbearing on the Disney although it was busy with 4000 passengers. The time flew and we didn’t even get to do everything we wanted but have vowed we will definitely do it again. Very probably we will book in Jan next year and try to get the same deal we did this time. Finally, before I go back to Monday afternoon, we are now members of the Disney Vacation Club. We have pondered if for some time but there was an on board offer so we took the plunge and signed up. I’ll not go into the details of how it all works and what that means in this blog.
So, where did I leave you? Monday lunchtime I believe as we were getting off the boat to take a wander around Nassau. It was a pleasant day, a little cloudy but warm enough and no sign of the forecasted rain. We looked in a few shops and in ‘Diamonds International’ I tried on a canary yellow diamond ring, which was a snip at $600,000!! I also was interested in some Amolite pieces but the prices were not even comparable to what I can buy from jewellery channels on TV, and it’s the same branded stone. We tried to barter and get a deal but the shops didn’t seem to want our business. Maybe they get enough sales from all the tourists but they seemed happy to let us walk away. I also looked at the Larimar (the stone of the Caribbean) but that too was way more then back home. So, after a couple of hours we got back on board with our dollars in our pocket. On board we went up to deck 11 to get a hot dog and fries and a drink. We sat in the quiet cove (which is mis sold as a live guitarist ruins the peace) before heading back to our room to watch the Princess and the Frog.
Dinner was at the Enchanted Garden restaurant which we were told was based on the gardens of Versailles although it was a tad tacky for our liking. The food was ok and after appetizers of soup and salad I had the roast chicken with sweet potatoes and Paul had prime rib. There was no entertainment in this restaurant and the evening was slightly marred by the entire table (10 of them) of children behind us that were very boisterous and loud. Our fellow table guests were not best pleased either.
After dinner we went to the theatre for the evening’s show that was “Villains Tonight”. It was a stage production with Hades (the ruler of the underworld from the film Hercules) trying to ensure he was still evil enough (having been defeated by Hercules) by enlisting the help of his friends such as Ursula,The Evil Queen, Maleficent, Jafar and Scar. It was not as good as the first night’s show but still good. Afterwards we went back into Pink and had a champagne cocktail then watched a family Disney quiz show before bed.
Tuesday began as all cruise days with breakfast being delivered to our room and consumed on our balcony. We were docked at Castaway Cay (pronounced ‘key’ by Disney for some reason) which is their private Island. It has clearly been well “designed” and was quite idyllic. We got off the boat about mid morning and wandered along the pathways to the beach areas taking photos. At lunchtime we stopped for the on-shore BBQ food which was really good. The weather was amazing, so amazing that I have burned arms to show for it. There were plenty of activities for families to do including lots of the usual water sports as well as bike rides and a water slide called Pelican Plunge.
There were bars and shops as well so we each bought a souvenir t-shirt and had an official photo taken as a memento. We walked all the way down to Serenity Bay, which is the adults’ only beach. We had a paddle in the turquoise blue ocean and then sat in beach chairs with our feet in the sea as the waves lapped. To be absolutely honest, the water was freezing but the scene was certainly paradise. We had decided to get back to the boat for about 2:30 for a ship tour so got the tram all the way back to the boat. We were cutting it fine time wise and then struggled to find the bar the tour start from so ended up missing it. Instead we went to a presentation on the making of the Disney Dream (our boat). I’d got myself a frozen Piña Colada with lashings of rum to sip on so was happy enough 🙂 After this we stayed in the same lounge to here the DVC presentation and as you have already read, they did a good sales job on us! We left there having made an appointment for 9:30pm and went back to our room to get ready for dinner.
Tonight’s dinner was Pirates night and we were in the Royal Palace restaurant. The restaurant was really nice with particularly cute Cinderella Coach breadbaskets. The menu was Mickey and Pirate themed with a Caribbean flavour. I had a Pineapple appetizer whilst Paul opted for the pork dumplings. I then had a jerk chicken salad before a main course of sirloin steak. Paul went for the shrimp and scallop linguini, asking Sean (our server) to de-shell his shrimp. Deserts were rum soaked sponge, yummy. In our cabin we had each been given a bandana and some families had really gone to town with the dressing up. After dinner we went to the theatre, we were late out so had no time for a pre dinner drink. The show was Ronn Lucas, the ventriloquist we had seen on the first night. His main show did not differ much sadly so we saw a lot of the same. He was funny though and is definitely very talented. After he finished we darted to our DVC meeting and were “sold to” by Rob, a very typical American salesman from NJ whose wife was called Cindy. We asked all our questions and got our info but did not want to sign there and the as we still wanted to think about it and work some numbers. He really wanted the sale but we said we may well be back. We were with him an hour which meant we had to run up to deck 11 afterwards as this was fireworks night. DCL is the only ship allowed to set off fireworks at sea from on board. They are called Buccaneer Blast:-
They were excellent, obviously smaller scale as they we set of from the ships funnels, but still excellent. Afterwards there was a show on the deck stage with Captain Jack Sparrow and various Pirate dancers. It was really mild out on deck with no wind and plenty warm enough with just a light cardie. Once the show was over we headed for bed. There was a 3D showing of the 4th Pirates movie in the cinema that we considered but tiredness over ruled.
Wednesday was our sea day so we had a little more of a lie in before breakfast was delivered at about 9:30. Having looked at our planner (called the Personal Navigator as opposed to RC’s Cruise Compass) there was a lot we wanted to do including the ship tour we had missed the day before and various quizzes. Before all of this however, and having done some sums, we called up Rob and made an 11:15 appointment to give him the good news. We couldn’t sign up there and then as paperwork needed t be drawn up but we paid or closing costs and agreed to come back and sign at 2:30pm. We left with a few freebies such as baseball caps, a bag and a really nice wooden box. We grabbed some lunch before we met for the ship tour at 1pm. It was hosted by Lauren; a Brit from Basingstoke. She was new to it (this only being her second tour) but was very good. Her grammar was a little lacking in places (lots of ‘them features’ and ‘them characters’ with seemingly no knowledge the word ‘those’ even existed) but she was enthusiastic and friendly. We learned all sorts of facts from this and the previous days presentation including:
(OK, I’ll be honest, I had to stop here and go for dinner and being really tired after an early start I couldn’t do anymore before bed. So, it’s now Friday morning but I have made a commitment to finish this!)
The ships colour scheme of black, yellow, white and red are the colours of Mickey Mouse
Painting the hull of the ship pure black was a little too imposing so Disney wanted a very dark navy blue. After searching unsuccessfully a meeting was called with several top Disney bigwigs and one of them was a lady in navy trousers; the exact colour they wanted, so they took her trousers and had paint made the same colour. They then named it Monica blue in her honour!
Disney had to get special permission from the Coast Guard to have yellow lifeboats instead of fluorescent orange as was the law. They had to prove their colour was just as noticeable but eventually were granted permission.
Magic and Wonder hold 2000 passengers, the Dream and Fantasy hold 4000
The Magic and Wonder only have “When You Wish Upon A Star” as their horn sound but the Dream has several. On You Tube you can find a video of the ‘battle of the horns’ when The Magic and Dream met each other at Castaway Cay. We’ve watched it and it is so cool.
The tour took us into Remy, one of the restaurants you can pay to eat in. It is $75 a head and French themed. It is based on the film Ratatouille and has a glass model of Remy worth over $45,000 as well as a private dining room that looks exactly like the one in the film. It also has little stools at each table for a lady to put her handbag on so it never has to touch the floor. We also looked at the Bar areas. We had already seen Pink, the champagne bar, but there are about 3 or 4 other bars one of which is called the Skyline. The views from this bar are all LCD screens showing an evening view of a major city. The view looks lifelike with moving cars, flashing lights and waves on the water. Every 15 minutes pixie dust covers the screens and they change to another city. There are about 4 in all so guests can drink for an hour or so and get to see all revolutions. I told you earlier this cruise was neat and way more than just Mickey and his friends. Some if the features and technology are really clever and that’s the Disney we love.
The tour took about an hour and finished in the grand atrium where there is a bronze statue of Admiral Donald. Each ship has a statue: the Magic has Captain Mickey, the Wonder has Ariel and the new Fantasy will have Mademoiselle Minnie. Apparently she has been in over 75 cartoons with Mickey but has never starred in her own feature so the fact she now has her own ship that is bigger than Mickey’s is well deserved according to all the crew.
After the tour concluded we were just in time to see the Princess parade in the Atrium. Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora, Tiana and Belle all floated down the grand staircase and then pranced around signing autographs for the kids. We got a few pics, especially of “Cinders” with “Cinders”. It was now time to go and sign our DVC deeds so we made our way to the office. The whole process took about 20 minutes or so but by 3pm on Wednesday 1st Feb 2012 we were members of the family. Now wherever we go in DVC areas we are greeted with “Welcome Home”. Since the membership gets us some discounts on property (including Raglan Road the Irish Pub at Pleasure Island) we were told we could pick up our membership cards at Saratoga Springs when we disembarked so we could start enjoying our membership immediately.
We had missed one of the trivia quizzes but headed up to another one in the 687 lounge; so named as that was the hull number of our ship as she was built (it is bad luck to refer to a ship by name before it is completed). The quiz was about the Fantasy and as we had learned a lot on our tour and presentation we got quite a lot correct. We were late starting though so couldn’t win as we hadn’t answered all questions.
After a quick look at our Castaway Cay photos in Shutters we got a place on the atrium balcony to see the “See Ya Real soon” show. It turned out not to be a show, just Mickey and friends signing autographs. Since we still had about an hour before dinner we decided to complete the ‘Midship Detective Agency’ assignment. This is another really cool Disney feature. Each ‘detective’ (young or old and trust me there were several adults having more fun with this than the kids) has a key card that is registered to a screen with your detective number. You then need to seek out the enchanted artworks and solve clues. Enchanted artwork are interactive pictures (LCD screens in reality) but again really cleverly done as framed art. You hold your key card to the screen and your clue could be found in some way such as popping the on screen balloons by pointing your card at them, removing metal objects as your card became a magnet and brushing dust away to reveal stuff. All this was done by merely holding a piece of card about 18 inches from the screen – really neat! We solved our crime, that of the missing artwork and it turned out to be Ymza from the Emperor’s New Groove. The other really cool thing is that if you take another assignment you’ll get different clues for a different crime and criminal. We saw our tablemates on their 3rd assignment.
This took us nicely up to getting ready for dinner and we both felt that for a sea day it had absolutely flown by. Not only this but we could have done more and were both a little disappointed that we didn’t ride the Aquaduck but we’ve decided that it’s a reason that we have to come back.
Dinner was in the Royal Palace again and the menu was easily the best all cruise. Paul had 2 steaming bowls of Belle’s French Onion soup whilst I had some sliced duck and then the garlic escargot which were fab. Main course for me was the lamb and Paul had the Beef with Lobster although he didn’t realize it was a lobster medallion and so left it, much to the disgust of fellow diners and serving staff! Desert was an amazing Grand Marnier Soufflé with Crème Anglaise and Paul also had tasters of the others including a peanut butter chocolate mousse that was really nice. Like I said this was definitely the best meal. We gave our tips to our staff (not paying the prepaid full amount) and made our way to the theatre for the final show. The show was called Believe and was the story of a man who didn’t believe in magic but his daughter wanted him to. After finding the Genie he went on a journey with various characters to make him believe. There were plenty of Disney classics like Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast along the way so we sang and clapped to our faves. This was the best show of the cruise and we both loved it.
After the show we needed to get some packing done so went back to our room and stuffed it all in our cases, remembering to keep out the next day’s clothes and filling in our comment form. We did take a stroll up to the Outlook bar, the highest point on the ship, but it was closed so we headed down to deck. Paul grabbed a coke and I had a hot chocolate and we went back to bed.
Thursday was an early start; up at 7 for disembarkation. Paul went for breakfast in the dining room but I skipped that. We were all ready to get off by 8am and the atmosphere was very different to RC. There was no push to get out of the stateroom, no sitting around in lounges and no time to disembark. We headed up to mid ship and merely wandered off. No line, no fuss, just shook the Captain’s hand and got off. We have no idea why RC make such a meal of disembarkation and seemingly cause more trouble as a ‘free for all’ by Disney worked way better. We found our cases, had a short wait in line for customs and were in our car and on the road by 8:30am which was amazing (and unheard of with RC).
I’m gonna stop now and get this posted for ya (you’ve probably drowned in tea and put on half a stone from all the biscuits). I’ll complete the ‘back on land’ stuff in the next post.
It’s now Monday morning and we have just had breakfast. A toasted English muffin with grape jelly, a selection of pastries, some juice and a nice cup of tea. We docked about about an hour ago here at Nassau and watched from our balcony as we came in, turned around and docked. It seems like a nice day, although there is a chance of rain in the forecast. We plan to head off for a wander about town once I’ve updated you all on the last day or two.
So, where did I leave you? Saturday night I believe as we headed out to Kobe for dinner. We go there about 5:30 and having made a reservation online were seated within 5 minutes or so. We had two groups of 4 at our table; the first a group of middle aged women seemingly doing Disney and the second a family with parents, adult child and respective partner. We didn’t chat amongst the table to be honest so I can tell you no more about them than that. It was absolutely freezing in Kobe; the whole table ended up donning cardies and jackets. Our chef was Kenny and the food and show was as good as ever. Paul had the shrimp and I had the fillet. The beef was as tender and flavoursome as ever and given we had only had a pastry for lunch we ate a lot; even half the rice bowl! A couple of guests had teriyaki chicken which Paul wants to try next time to see how that flavour compares. We finished up by just after 6:30 and the plan was to go to the beach at the Polynesian to watch the Wishes fireworks. Since we had time to spare we took a scenic route to Disney to ‘sit our dinner down’! We had coats etc in the car as the temperature does drop at night. The car park at the Polynesian was absolutely heaving. We had no idea why but we drove around and around to look for a space. After about 10 minutes we eventually found one and parked. We never did find out why it was so busy, there was no evident signs about an event or anything, strange. There were a few people on the beach and the movie playing was “Cars”. We got a bed to sit on (dusted it down with a towel as there was sand everywhere) and perched. The music was difficult to hear from the speakers but the fireworks were good. The night was very still so the after smoke hung in the air a lot. You a could still see but it became very smoky/cloudy. We made our way home for about 8:45. We did some packing and prep for our cruise but had an early night as we were both shattered.
We were up at 8am on Sunday as we had a 10am checkout. We asked about a top floor room for our reservation later in the week but were told we’d been upgraded to a deluxe suite which is ground floor only so we opted to stay with that and check out the deluxe difference!
We had decided to go to Premium Outlets before making our way down to Port Canaveral and since we knew we had early seating on board, decided on brunch as our best option so headed straight for the food court. We had wanted Charlie’s Steakery Philly Cheese Steaks but when we got there Charlie’s had gone! The other choices weren’t great so we end up with Chinese! It was ok though and did the job.
We had 2 hours before we knew we had to leave so scooted around the shops that we liked. Paul bought a t shirt from Marc Ecko and saw some new polo shirts that he is hoping will be discounted when we are back here in May. We also bought some stuff in the Disney Character Warehouse. Paul got a cool rain pac-a-mac that was on offer, I got a Pirates t-shirt (there is a pirate night on board), we bought some magnets to decorate our stateroom door (as yet still in situ and not been thieved!) and a couple of beach towels that were buy on get one free, so at 10 bucks seemed ideal for a cruise. We reckon we got about $25 worth of savings again, we’re deffo good at this savings lark. I did search for some crop jeans but couldn’t find any at all :-(.
We left Premium at half twelve and got on the 528 to Port Canaveral. It was a gorgeous day. Cooler at 70 degrees but still nice and sunny. We saw several Disney cruise Line coaches on the road and made good time arriving at the port about 1:30. We had pre-booked a check in time of 2pm so all was good. We had considered parking at the Park and Cruise which was cheaper that the port itself but it was a long way out so we opted to pay the extra for the convenience, especially when lugging cases etc. We dropped our cases with the porter and parked in the multi story. There was a gangway into the terminal building and it was very quiet. Boarding had commenced about midday so a lot of passengers were already on board; you could even see folks in the aqueduct. Check in was quick, Paul had completed most things online so it was pretty much a case of getting our key. We were then straight on board for just after 2pm where every family or party is announced on board!
We made our way to our state room to drop off our hand luggage bags (we had packed our evening change of clothes and toiletries just in case the suitcases didn’t get to us in time). The state room is very nice with a sofa area and balcony. The bathrooms are typical cruise ship small but we do have a tub: the worlds smallest tub mind and Paul is practising contortionism as he bathes. We then went exploring the ship staring with handing in our Vinylmation and pens at guest services. After a shaky start the Italian cast member soon knew what we meant and it was absolutely no problem so we will get our signed piece back in our state room on the last day – how cool is that? We then went to Cabanas, the buffet restaurant, as we were a bit peckish and had chip butties. Afterwards we wandered out on the pool deck and into the over 18’s area to get some peace. There were a few kids that kept wandering through so if that continues I feel a complaint coming on! I had a frozen piña colada and Paul had a coke as we sat in the sun and Paul phoned home. We also took a look at the restaurants we’d be eating in. We move between 3 but our serving staff moves with us. Tonight we are at “Animator’s Palate” so we found our table number and had a look around. We are at a table for 8 so we’ll find out later who we are dining with.
The muster drill was planned for 3:45 so we left this area about then and made our way to our muster point K. There is no need to wear the life jackets but the check in and line up is the same as RC. It took about half an hour and afterwards it was the sail away party on deck. We went to take a look and saw the characters and dancers etc. we were each given streamers to wave by a crew member. There was a keen wind on deck and it was very busy so we came to or room to get ready and sail away. The ships horn as we left port is in the tune of “When You Wish Upon A Star”. The ‘bing bong’ for an announcement is the same. I like the little things like that and so far do prefer this to RC.
We got ready and then went for our dinner (our cases had arrived by the way) at 5:45. The waiting staff at “Animator’s Palate” all had shirts with character sketches all over them and the restaurant had screens all around and was decorated with artwork and figurines. As we ate the screens showed Crush (the turtle from “Finding Nemo”) talking to us and there we’re quizzes in the form of fish making shapes of characters that we had to guess. The coolest thing of all though was when Crush had a conversation directly with some diners at tables right by the screens. We tried to spot the guy or cameras but couldn’t.
Our fellow diners were all couples older than us. There were a quiet couple who were first timers like us and the others were gold members consisting of a couple from California and a couple originally from NY state who had retired to Orlando. We talked with them a lot as they were opposite us. They were retired teachers and each worked part time at Disney. He was on the gate at Epcot and we never did quite catch what she did ;-). They travelled a lot too and their retirement sounded idyllic to us. They were a really nice couple and we were envious of their lifestyle. Dinner was 4 courses. Paul started with a mushroom risotto but I skipped appetizers. We then both had the baked potato and cheese soup with bacon bits. It was really nice although each course did seem to arrive with a skin on it as though it had been sitting for a while. As we talked to the couple opposite they said that their favourite cruise line was Carnival which surprised us. We thought this was a bit if a party chavvy boat but they say the food is the best. They actually said that Disney food is the worst although the Disney entertainment on board is easily the best. For main course we chose the Angus beef, cut to order. It was very tender and tasty. I did swap out my wasabi mash for a baked potato but Paul said the wasabi mash was really nice. For desert Paul had the cookies and cream sundae and I had the chocolate brownie cheesecake. Soda is free on board so coke and sprite kept coming to wash it all down. There was some more entertainment from Crush with dancing and a turtle pledge so all in all dinner was pretty good.
We left the dining room at about 7:30 and the show was at 8:30. Doors did not open until 8 so we looked around the ship. Donald Duck was in the atrium and the photo place had a cool twist. Each guest has an allocated photo album where any shots that have been taken are put so no trawling through everyone’s pics and at least no one can man handle your pics. Mind you, it means you can’t laugh at others expense!
We got seats on the front row of the dress circle in the theatre although it was tight I space and Paul’s legs didn’t quite fit! The was some pre show fun in the shape of screens showing the audience with Disney characters super imposed sitting amongst them and also a pre show interview with kids as they came into the theatre. The show was the “Golden Mickeys” which was a tribute to great films and music with awards for friendship, love, hero’s etc. it was a mix of on screen and on stage with excerpts from The Lion King, Mulan, Toy Story, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Tarzan and The Hunchback of Notre Dame to name but a few. In true Disney style it was excellent.
After the show we made our way to the Pink bar. It is designed to look like a pink champagne glass with bubbles all around. It is adults only so again we could get some peace. We had a champagne cocktail and chat to the bar tender, a young Slovenian girl. She had plenty to say so we whiled away 40 minutes or so. We had considered going to a show called Mirror Mirror but she said it was for kids so instead we went to another adult lounge to watch Ronn Lucas, a ventriloquist. He has been on TV loads, including the UK where he appeared on “A Night At The London Paladium” in front of the queen. His show was hilarious and we sipped cocktails as we watched; Paul with a mojito and me with a chocolate martini. The show ended just before 11 and as we were tired we opted for bed. I slept really well, comfy bed and pillows but Paul said he was a bit restless. It is quite noisy though with a fair amount of banging and clattering going on.
So, we’re back to this morning and now we’re all showered and this is typed we are off to explore Nassau.
Yippee I hear you cry; a blog to read at last! I’ll get on with it then and our journey begins with a very long flight from Manchester: 9 hours 40 mins in total. We were about an hour late leaving too as there had been a delay to the incoming flight. It’s was actually the Gatwick flight (as always) but they seemed to swap our planes so we can’t seem to avoid the dreaded Gatwick curse no matter how we try. The flight was ok. The new Premium seats are comfy enough and after no queue at check in we managed to get moved to the front row with oodles of leg room. This also meant we got stand alone foot stools which were pretty cool too. The cabin was half empty and the crew we really good (a tad northern so there were lots of “love”, “darlin” and “duck” as they addressed us but definitely very friendly and helpful). The food was a bit grim. We are not used to the tightly packed tray of square plastic containers and foil covered muck, and missed our china plated course by course service. There was a very nice Lilly O’Brian’s desert though and some cheese and crackers to fill up on. Afternoon tea was cheese and onion finger sandwiches and a scone. Not a warmed scone with your choice of fruit or plain but a cold dry one so Paul proceeded to pick out his fruit as I picked the onion from my sandwiches. Have we become too fussy and spoiled do you think??
The flight itself was relatively smooth. Landing was bumpy but other than that no seat belt signs. Paul amused himself with a very macabre foreign film (The Skin I Live In) that we were amazed was shown on a flight. I did lots of puzzles, read lots of magazines and had a snooze I must confess.
We landed at about 3:30 local time and made it off the plane, through security and into our hire car in under an hour. Virgin do excel at priority baggage it had to be said. The airport was very quiet. We made our way directly to the Mall at Millenia, parked outside Neiman Marcus (creatures of habit that we are) and headed to Tiffany’s. We did stop briefly at Jimmy Choo and the Sony store en route. We picked up my bracelets (plain silver with an open heart and starfish charm on them) then had a brief look in L’Occitane and Swarovski before heading back to the car. It was rush hour traffic so I4 was heaving as made our way back to the 192 and into TGI’s for some food. Paul had Jack Daniels sesame chicken bites and I had Jack Daniels chicken breast. Great food as ever and needed after the inflight servings. We made a final stop at Publix for some essentials before checking into the Bahama Bay resort.
Our apartment is good. Great location over looking the lake, quiet and sunny outlook and given the price (35 quid a night) awesome value. The ordinary double bed was a bit of a shame as we like a king and the child upstairs is annoying as he/she runs up and down their apartment. The wifi is slow and the tub is small but despite those niggles it’s extremely pleasant as I sit on our balcony and type this.
Today we we up about 8. I think Paul was earlier so I made the most of having all of the double bed. We left about 9:15 and went for breakfast at the McDonalds on Osceola Parkway in Disney. Even at that time in the morning as the sun shone down on us it was really warm. We ate brecky in t-shirts outside in January. As Paul tweeted this morning, this is why we’d rather be in Florida at this time of year than Blighty.
After breakfast we made our way to Downtown Disney, Marketplace. It was really warm and sunny. We wandered around the shops and made a few purchases (well it is me after all). I got a top (blue with red lip shapes on it) and a case for my camera (so that Paul could have my existing one). It was actually an iPhone case but fits my camera perfectly and being purple with Tinkerbell on it is right up my street. Being an iPhone case it came with a hard shell for the iPhone so Paul now proudly displays the WDW Cinderella castle on the back of his phone.
We also bought a large white Mickey Vinylmation that we intend to get signed by the characters on our cruise. Apparently you can give any item to a cast member to get signed so we’ll find out later if that’s true. If not then look on eBay for the Vinylmation ;-).
Paul also bought a Disney book with photography ideas and we each bought an insulated mug for our morning tea on the way to work. Our purchases allowed us to get some items on offer so we now also own a Disney tote bag and a fleece throw with the castle on it.
We left Downtown and headed over to the Florida Mall. The traffic was pretty good so we made good time. The Mall was reasonably quiet. Local weekend folk but nothing too busy. Purchases included some Pandora beads for my bracelet (which retail at the same amount in dollars as pounds back home), some nail products (incl a purple lacquer), some Yankee candles (gingerbread mmmmm), a Tinkerbell shower gel and body lotion set (from the Disney store) and a very cool PanAm flight bag, authentic as carried by those in the recent TV show. We also got the ‘Sharpies’ for the character sigs I mentioned. All this expense better not be in vein. We managed to use vouchers and save about $50 in all as well as getting some freebies incl shampoo and lipgloss samples.
We returned to the apartment about 4pm and had a cuppa on the balcony. We are now going to freshen up before going to Kobe for dinner. We are going to meal share as the supplement still makes it cheaper. We are coupon and savings aficionado’s now!!
