Portland, England
Part 2
On our way to Weymouth, there were wonderful photo opportunities for the ship in the harbor
Random residential shot. It took us about 20 minutes to get to Weymouth
We were dropped off in a round-about and had to walk a bit to actually get into town. This was okay, but just a heads up for anyone wanting to do this. It was residential, so there were sidewalks. The walk, for someone slow like me, was about 5 minutes, not too far.
In town, I found this hilarious! Old Rooms Inn on the right, New Rooms Inn on the left
A view from the bridge over the canal, crossing into the downtown area
Rich liked the sleepy bird
We headed straight here
Marlboro is about as authentic as you can get with Fish & Chips, had amazing reviews and was also featured in Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The episode is ‘Intel from London’ if you wish to look it up. The restaurant is right after crossing the bridge, so quite easy to locate. It was a bit early to have lunch (11:30ish), especially after a filling breakfast but we knew this place was going to get quite crowded come actual lunch time, so we went in a tad early so we could enjoy the rest of Weymouth before heading back.
The entrance was a take-out counter but then there was a door to your left and it takes you into this small dining area
When you walk into the dining area, you see these lovely windows. Tired boyfriend not included.
Carrying on Rich’s quest in trying local ales, he asked the waitress what the local one was and this is what she came out with. He shared a sip with me (two drinks of alcohol before noon!)
My fish & chips … which is actually the small size!
Rich got the large size
One thing on our list for this trip was to try real fish and chips from a port town. So here we are. My gosh, they were so flaky! The batter was light and delicious. We both gave this dish two thumbs up and would definitely eat here again if given the opportunity. Rich said the fries were the best he’s ever had. There was also this salad sauce from Heinz that was REALLY good, I dipped my fries in it lol.
After our delicious (and filling!) meal, we went in search of a post office. We really wanted to send the postcard we got from the Harry Potter tour to Jane while we were still in England. We thought we had lost our opportunity until we realized we didn’t exactly have a huge itinerary planned for Portland/Weymouth. We started going into a little shop, kind of like at a gas station but without the gas, and asked if they sold stamps, but they did not. That’s when we were directed to go to the post office, which wasn’t too far, just down the road. Thankfully Weymouth isn’t a very large port town.
The post office worked very similar to one in the US; you had to line up and wait for a person to be available, they weighed the item and put a stamp on it. As mundane as it may sound, its experiences like these where you can REALLY see how countries are similar and/or different because the mundane acts are the most familiar and easiest to compare with.
After our thrilling trip to the post office we went to a glass studio that I looked up while planning our trip. Richard and I love the arts, and always try to purchase some while on our trips. I would highly recommend anyone doing the same practice because you can take a bit of the country home with you
The glass studio
The owner firing glass
The kiln is ridiculously hot. I forget how hot but when we went towards that area (behind a counter) you could feel the temperature rise just a bit
We watched him start making a piece …
Look at that concentration
He made a penguin!
The shop was full of beautiful pieces, such as sculptures, vases, glass flowers and a few other things. Most items were under £100, of course there were definitely items that went above that. Since our pre-planned funds were getting a bit low, we had a much lower budget but were able to find an adorably gorgeous piece which was a small polar bear (we named him Blizzard). He was a pretty rare piece to have in stock, the owner told us, because he normally makes bigger animals BUT this little polar bear was special because he had made a family set with a mommy polar bear and her cubs. Turns out that our little Blizzard ended up being an extra from this set! I originally wanted a cat (£45) but after finding out about the bear we were incredibly happy to be able to afford an animal piece from this studio, I was over the moon. We ended up talking to him and his wife after we made our purchase, we told them about Disney Cruises and how I had researched them before coming on the trip. They were flattered and so the owner signed his name (with date) on the bottom of the polar bear we bought
I kind of geeked out internally when that happened.
After our fantastic experience at the glass studio, we decided it was best to start heading back to the shuttle.
The cornerstone on the bridge
There was a small antique shop along the way so we decided to pop in to spend that extra money we had (really not much). Well, let me tell you, their antique shops are a bit more expensive than in the US. There are always expensive pieces in antique shops, but there are just as many affordable ones, too. Yeah, not here. All items were small enough to bring onboard but they were quite pricy for us. Well, thankfully … maybe, my stomach started having some issues when we were looking and so we were able to make a quick departure while asking where the nearest restroom was. Just down the road, going towards the shuttle, was another fish and chips shop and I was able to go inside to use the toilet room. Literally, it was a tiny, tiny closet with a toilet in it and a tiny sink. But you know what? In dire times like that, it was a palace.
Rich bough some tea cause he felt bad using the facilities without buying something, so there we go.
Walking back to the shuttle pick up point we found many people heading there as well. The last shuttle pick up is about an hour before ship departure, which was 3pm .. so the last shuttle was at 2pm. The shuttle we hopped on was about 1:30pm-ish, and the line to get on was pretty dang long! Sadly no photo, but it wrapped around the corner. Surprisingly, everyone in line were able to get a seat and we headed back to the port.
Heading back to the Magic, our home in our hearts. Inadvertently getting a photo of school kids.
If you can’t tell, I was kind of determined to get this shot of the ship
Going back into the port was kind of a long process, it definitely took longer to get back in then it did to get out. We had to stop at a certain point just after entering the gates and allow a security dog to come on the bus to sniff for any contraband. Everyone was just excited to be around a dog. The security people were just doing their job and pretty focused on it. We then went just a bit further (there were buses in front of us returning other passengers as well) in the line and stopped a second time for an ID check. These agents were no joke. They, in every sense of the word, literally went to every passenger on the bus and checked their ID’s (passports). We had to use the paper that the cruise gave us while checking in but they were accepted by port authorities. They compared photos to faces and everything, quite serious on making sure only people on the cruise were let through. We also got stuck behind a bus trying to turn around, which made our trek to the ship a bit longer than usual. I want to say the whole process, from Weymouth to getting off the bus near the ship, took about 45 minutes.
Once we got back to the dock where the ship was, this choir was here to greet all the passengers.
Singing Choir
If you play the video, not only to you get to hear them welcoming us with their beautiful voices, but I pan around so you can see the steep ramp, Cast Members giving out water, people enjoying the choir from deck four and their balconies, and the bus area that we were dropped off at. I have no idea what the song they were singing was but I cry every time because it’s so beautiful and just takes me back to that moment, which was one of the best in my life.
We graciously had some fresh water and slowly made it up the ramp, listening to the choir the whole way. It really made me appreciate how these people volunteered to be there and emphatically welcome us to their port and give us such an amazing farewell. We got through security onto the ship just fine and we headed straight to the cabin to drop off our stuff.
Pixie dust Italian sparkling wine (basically champaign)
We were shocked and grateful to find us some pixie dust! No idea why this was dropped off, nothing really happened that
DCL needed to send, but we were thankful none-the-less. After some happy-fun-time, a knock on the door happened (seriously, it’s good they didn’t knock earlier) and we were surprised with yet some more pixie dust:
Chocolate covered strawberries
Note left with the wine
The note said:
Dear Richard & Kristal,
We truly hope you are having a wonderful vacation full of magical moments.
Please accept this gift sprinkle of pixie dust as a gesture of good will for you.
Please do not hesitate to contact us by dialing “0” or stopping by Guest Services on deck 3 midship, should you require further assistance.
Best regards,
Guest Services Team
It sounds like something DCL leaves when something adverse happens with the guest’s experience but we don’t feel that anything did. After the busy day onshore, we gladly ate up our chocolate dipped strawberries with the cider that came from our romance at sea package. It gave us a bit of extra energy to drop off our first FE gift of the cruise (anchor magnets we painted). While the FE is fun, sometimes you just need that little extra oomph to get going with the deliveries. I suppose some of that extra oomph for others could be their kids begging to drop the gifts off!
After our jaunt around the ship, we FINALLY went shopping! At this point, the ship has departed from the dock and so the shops were open. I know, I know, it’s only the second day but I was itching to get me some DCL swag.
What we ended up getting at the shop:
Europe Disney Dooney & Bourke wallet, a 20th DCL Anniversary pin for me, Europe 2018 hat for Richard, Transatlantic and DCL pin for both of us, and a Magic pin for Rich.
Rich couldn’t find the Magic pin displayed and he was quite sad because he is trying to get a pin from every ship he sails on. Thankfully, the CMs just didn’t have them out and there were plenty in the back. So far Rich has 2 of the ‘butt pins’ (the images are on the butt of the ship!); Wonder and Magic.
The lovely polar bear we got from the glass studio. I tried to get the signature on the bottom in the photo, hope you guys can see it.
We came back to the room and finished unpacking, from the day before, rested up, snacked on some candy and journaled. I think Rich took a nap while I was journaling.
I’d like to make a quick note about the Dooney wallet posted above; the wallet itself was 30% off when we walked into the store. I believe it was because this is the last Europe 2018 sailing there is. There were the other styles of purses for this print when I went to buy one for me, later in the cruise, only a few were displayed. I know these purses went to the Character Warehouses in Orlando for further discount. Keep this in mind for if you are on the last sailing of anything.
Another tip for the purchases; I got the Disney Visa Discount because I put my Disney credit card as our card for expenses even though we never actually used it for onboard expenses, this put the letters DV at the bottom corner of our KKTW card. We had no idea this was noted on our card, I thought to get the discount, we had to use the card for deposit and payment too. We were wearing our lanyards with our cards, so the CM ringing us up saw the DV and applied the 10% discount on the merchandise (on purchases $50 or more).
So there you go
Onwards to Dinner!
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