Pudge Controls the Weather-A Disney Dream TR 4/10-4/15(Last Day new 5/26)

[jecskc]

Day 4 of the cruise – Part Four

After dinner we all went back to the room

And we watched the Incredibles until everyone fell asleep. We were coming into some very windy weather and the captain was trying VERY hard to get us docked at Castaway Cay that night and the boat was rumbling bit time with the thrusters. But he just couldn’t do it safely, so he pulled out and we hoped to be able to dock in the morning.

More Fish Extender gifts.

 

[jecskc]

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Castaway Cay – Day 2

Day 5 of the cruise – Part One

Our last full day (waaaahhhhh!!!) We woke up about 8 AM and we could feel the boat docking. We looked out and sure enough, it looked like we were going to be able to make it in to Castaway Cay.

Our navigator for the day.

It was a little cooler and very windy on this day. But still it was a beautiful day. Just lovely. The kids didn’t want to get up so DH and I decided to go to Royal Palace for breakfast.

It was really nice to sit down for breakfast and order off a menu.

The waiter came to get our drink order which was coffee of course. DH had some juice. We were offered pastries and I was almost demanded to order a fruit plate. “You,” he said, “ You must have some fruit.” Okaaayyyy. So apparently I looked like I had the early stages of scurvy ?? I dunno.

It was good and fresh.

DH got some yogurt.

He said it tasted good, but was weirdly thin. More like a smoothie, he said.

For our entrée - DH and I both ordered - Express - Scrambled eggs, grilled ham, bacon, sausage. and hash browns

The eggs were a tiny bit better, but still not great. I am not sure why I kept ordering them. Wishful thinking, I guess.

Valance detail.

After breakfast, we ran up to Cabanas to get a some breakfast for the kids to take back to the room. We drug them out of bed and got ready and headed off the boat to Castaway Cay.

We got our rented floats and parked on the beach.

Ahhh yes.

To the left

To the right

This was a play structure that they wouldn’t let the kids play on until the tide was higher.

A photo of the kids in the water.

It was windy, but gorgeous. Several activities for the day had been cancelled because of the wind. DH took the kids out to the water to swim while I read a magazine and enjoyed the view. We stayed for a couple of hours and then went over to Cookies BBQ to get some lunch.

 

[jecskc]

Wow ....... it's kinda lonely over here on the Cruise TR boards ....<crickets>

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 of the cruise – Part Two

After lunch we decided to head back to the boat.

They have strollers, wagons and wheelchairs that you can use free of charge. Just grab one.

The wind in the palm trees

On the tram back to the boat.

DH went to go book another cruise for us and DD and I headed up to deck 11. I wanted to ride the Aquaduck again and DD wanted to ride the Mickey slide. DS took off to his club again.

We got up there and there is NO line for the Aquaduck. I step in at the entry point and the CM there tells me that they are not allowing single riders due to the wind. I was like, “ you are kidding, right?” And she said no, sorry. As she let’s two kids that clearly weigh less than I do – TOGETHER. I swear both of them together barely weighed 100 pounds. And clearly ….. I weigh much more. It was stupid and I couldn’t talk DD into going. So I just brushed it off. And ordered a drink.

A mai tai. And It was STRONG. But I loved it.

An empty Aquaduck …..grrrr

View of the pretty blue water

DD enjoying the slide.

Toy Story 2 was playing on Funnelvision.

The weather is still gorgeous and since it was cooler, I didn’t think to put on sunscreen. This will prove to be a bad decision later.

After about an hour, we head back to the room. But not without taking a photo of DD and her favorite snack.

Castaway cay from our room.

The jetty on the right.

Straight ahead

Another panorama

The dreaded bag tags and form to fill out. This means we have to leave the next morning. Boohoo !!!

We started getting packed up while watching Brother Bear. Which I have to say is quite the tear jerker. We filled out all our forms and stuff and got our tip envelopes ready. I made some.

I put the date of our cruise on it in the Disney font and Head Server, Assistant Server (x2 and Stateroom Host.)

 

[cheryllarsen]

I'm very worried about the weater on our Alaskan cruise in Sept!

 

[jecskc]

I'm very worried about the weater on our Alaskan cruise in Sept!

Worried it will be too cold ? I would so love to do the Alaska cruise.

 

[jecskc]

Day 5 of the cruise – Part Three

So that afternoon, we went to see the matinee show of Believe.

After enjoying the show, we took DD up to deck 11 to get her some pizza from Flo’s and went back to the room to get ready for our Palo Dinner. This is when I noticed I was sunburned from just the hour I spent up on deck while DD was riding the slide. Yep, I was a crispy critter. I should have put on some sunscreen.

We checked in on DS to make sure he had gotten something to eat and they were doing a photo scavenger hunt. We took DD to her club and headed over to Palo. We checked in and we were early, so we stepped into the Meridian Lounge to have a drink.

We ordered a drink to share.

Latitude 46.5 - Fresh Raspberry Puree, Chambord, Cognac, Taittinger Champagne

Very yummy.

Then they came to get us for dinner.

Centerpiece.

We were brought some bread.

Some crunchy breadsticks. I really liked these.

Freshly Baked Bread on Our Pizza Oven. These were good, too.

Our waiter told us a story about Palo. Palo is the Italian word for “pole”. What this signifies is that the first two Disney Cruise ships were made in Venice, Italy. “pole” referring to the pole the gondolas used to propel themselves along. And that is how the restaurant got its name. Neat story.

He brought us a plate of antipasti - Prosciutto, Bresaola, Parmesan Reggiano, Marinated Olives and Marinated artichokes, Roasted Red Peppers, served with Palo's famous Dips and Olive Oil

So good. As a matter of fact, this was my downfall. I ate too much of it and when I got my other courses, I got too full, too fast. So if you eat here, PACE yourself. Which I didn’t do.

When we finished our drink from the Meridian, I asked for a Pinot Grigio and our waiter said they were out, but he recommended a blend which we ordered and it was very smooth but not too dry. I looked for a Palo Wine list so I could tell you exactly what it is, but I can’t find a copy of the list.

DH got a red blend the waiter recommended.

For my appetizer – I ordered - Grilled Portobello Mushroom and Polenta with a roasted shallot sauce and a parmesan chip

This was a miss for me. I think it was the polenta that reeled me in but the sauce on top was just not my thing. I had about three bites and DH tried some and agreed. It was just OK to us. To someone else, it might be amazing.

DH ordered – Calamari

Which was good, but I’ve had better.

Then we were given a palate cleanser – lemon sorbet.

I loved this little touch. I ate it all. It was so light and fresh and citrus-y.


For my main course, I ordered - Chianti Braised Beef Ravioli tossed in a rich red wine reduction with oven-roasted carrots and celery.

This was very good, but very rich. Since I was so full by this time (durn that antipasti), I only managed to eat two of these ravioli.

DH ordered - Osso Buco di Vitello - Slow-roasted center cut veal shank with gremolata and risotto Milanese

He really enjoyed this. Said it was very tender and had a good flavor.

For dessert, we had - Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauces. We were going to order two, but I just couldn’t do my own justice, so instead of wasting more food, we just ordered one.

It was amazing !!!

To finish, our waiter brought this Lemon slushie thing made with Citron vodka.

Which I enjoyed almost as much as the Chocolate Souffle.

We very much enjoyed our meal here and we would definitely do this again. Two things that I will do differently: one, I will not eat too much bread and antipasti. And two, I will order lighter dishes and not the heavy rich stuff that I did order. So, live and learn.

Our Palo photo

You can really see my sunburn here.

We picked up DD from her club on the way back from dinner and DS called to check in once we got to the room. I finished packing and got our bags set out and DD and I settled in to watch The Little Mermaid. DH went to get our photos from Shutters. And then he and DS went to see John Carter at the Buena Vista Theater. It was a late showing about 11:00 PM. DD and I were asleep when they got back.

 

[kyirish25]

We had the same issue with the Aquaduck on this day, but they didn't tell us until we were all the way up and waiting to get on. Made no sense to me either as DH clearly outweighed all the kids going in pairs. The winds were crazy and I understand the safety issue but it should be based on weight and not number of passengers.

Looks like a lovely dinner at Palo. Maybe one day I will make it to a brunch or dinner. I always feel like I will miss something in the main dining rooms so never book dinner and the brunches fill up so fast.

 

[jecskc]

We had the same issue with the Aquaduck on this day, but they didn't tell us until we were all the way up and waiting to get on. Made no sense to me either as DH clearly outweighed all the kids going in pairs. The winds were crazy and I understand the safety issue but it should be based on weight and not number of passengers.

Looks like a lovely dinner at Palo. Maybe one day I will make it to a brunch or dinner. I always feel like I will miss something in the main dining rooms so never book dinner and the brunches fill up so fast.

Seriously, that whole Aqua Duck thing was stupid. Whatever. I was so peeved seeing those tiny little kids riding together and I couldn't ride it.

Palo dinner was A-MAZ-ING. You definitely need to try it. Too bad they don't give you your dining rotation ahead of time so you can plan ahead for that.

 

[jecskc]

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Disembarkation.

It is just a sad, sad word. We got up around 6:30 AM and began gathering our belongings. We looked outside and sure enough we were back at Port Canaveral

I popped down to Shutters to switch out some photos. When I got back, we got all of our carry on baggage together and set out for our last meal at Enchanted Garden.

For breakfast I ordered - For a Sweet Journey - buttermilk pancakes, blueberry pancakes, whole wheat pancakes, Belgium waffles (all served with honey or breakfast syrup) – I got buttermilk

They were OK. Edible, but nothing great. I’ve had worse and I’ve had better.

DH ordered - Eggs for the Road - scrambled fried or boiled and serve with hash browns and your choice of breakfast meat (bacon, grilled sausage, grilled ham) He got fried eggs because the scrambled eggs the whole cruise were just not good. DS ate his hash browns

DH said the fried eggs were much better than the scrambled ones.

DS had the - Route 66 - scrambled eggs, bacon, grilled sausage, grilled ham and hash browns
You didn’t get all of the meat, you chose one.

See those eggs ??? Nasty. Mushy runny and gross.

DD just wanted a croissant.

We took one last photo of DD.

And then we headed up to deck three and headed out. It was very hard to leave, but we got a porter and he carried all of our bags and found us the fastest line and really it didn’t take long at all. We walked across to the car and sadly headed home.


Closing thoughts.

I’ll will start with the negatives, so I end on positive note because I think that is important.

What I didn’t like – (not much really)

I guess the low points were Via Napoli and the odd smell in our stateroom bathroom and the breakfast food on the boat. Oh, and Disney coffee. It just isn’t good.

And those things weren’t even really all that bad. None of it ruined our trip at all. We just really had the best vacation ever.

What I would do differently on the cruise

I would get more photos taken.

I would try to get better excursions, like Dolphin swim, Atlantis, etc.

I would ride the Aquaduck more.

We would check out more things/activities at Castaway Cay.

I would NOT rent floats beforehand. We didn’t use them enough to warrant the two day rental.

I would have gotten a Konch Kooler.

I would have ordered room service for breakfast or the All Decks on Hand cheese plate in the afternoon.

See a Movie in the Buena Vista Theater.

Use more sunscreen.

Spend more time on deck.

Go to the buffet after the Pirate Show on Pirate night.

What I loved

Just about everything

Castaway Cay - seriously, this island is amazing.

Food - loved the food.

Getting waited on, hand and foot - I felt like I never had to do anything. Just relax. Which what a vacation ought to be. I did do laundry at the resort, but on the boat - I didn't have to do anything. It was awesome.


Well, I am sad my TR is finished. That means my trip is really over. Not just physically, but virtually as well. But don't you fret. I have another trip to Disney planned in June. Just 19 days. YAY !!

Thanks to everyone for following along and stopping to say hello. I really enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones.

Peace out.

 

[Skyw]

It is over!!!! Bummer. So sad!!!!

Thanks for the wonderful review!!!!

 

[jecskc]

It is over!!!! Bummer. So sad!!!!

Thanks for the wonderful review!!!!

It is sad. Very sad indeed. Thanks so much for following along and stopping by to keep me company.

 

[Dreamer04]

Thanks so much for posting. It will be quite some time before my next cruise, so I love to read about others.

It looks like everyone had a great time!

 

[jecskc]

Thanks so much for posting. It will be quite some time before my next cruise, so I love to read about others.

It looks like everyone had a great time!

Best vacation EVER !!! We very much enjoyed our cruise. Everything was amazing !!

Thanks for reading !!

 

[jennyjinx3]

Great trip report...loved all the details and all the beverage photos! We are close to booking the dream...so this was very helpful to me!! Funny, I looked at the glass bottom boat excursion, but I like the submarine boat one. Maybe we will just stay on the ship LOL! Thanks for sharing!

 

[jecskc]

Great trip report...loved all the details and all the beverage photos! We are close to booking the dream...so this was very helpful to me!! Funny, I looked at the glass bottom boat excursion, but I like the submarine boat one. Maybe we will just stay on the ship LOL! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for reading. We loved the Dream and our cruise was amazing. Yes, I would advise against the glass bottom boat tour. I know there are better excursions. That one was not a good value.