The Last Trip: An (Eastern) Fantasy Food Adventure-Bonus Feature, Pam & Her Mom Pt 2 Sept 17 the end

[pkondz]

Further to our conversation on the musician who visited Kay's school.
His name is Ron Halldorson and he played (at least once) with Benny Goodman.
Kay told me this morning that Goodman wasn't a fan of electric bass and Ron was worried that he would get Benny Goodman's famous (not to me... but I guess in the industry) "look" of disapproval. But apparently, he got a smile and a nod instead.

 

[franandaj]

Whoops! Okay! Okay! You can have the Jacuzzi.

I'll see if I can get the details from Kay.

I saw you got the details. Thanks.

See? We make a perfect team!

Had you said "we make a pretty good team" I was having a Talking Heads flashback. Took me a whIle to figure where that one was coming from.

Hmm... Well, I'm in Jasper now (on the TR, I mean).
And... I'm not positive if I'll do Vegas or not.

Dunno.
If I do, it would be more of a one or two parter, I think.

Well I guess since I'm the only one who voted for shorter updates more often, you only have as many days left of the trip for number of updates.

Should I stop, then?

Well dang, two updates! Will try to get some comments in before I need to baby wrangle- currently asleep in the carseat (win!)

Sounds like everything is working out for you on that front!

Palo...so great! You do a great job capturing it! The chicken is yummy- it's actually something I haven't tried making, but I really should- key is to pound it pretty thin hey?

Yes, the pounding thin is the key. When you cook it, the chicken gets about 50% thicker. I may even try butterflying the chicken before pounding next time. It's on the menu for this coming week.

I love the sticky buns- they are so tasty, pretty sure I went back for one more, along with the chocolate strawberries- I remember the strawberries actually tasted like strawberries..some of the ones you buy these days just taste like..I don't know- dirt?

There's nothing better than a juicy fruity strawberry. We have a great farm here that has roadside stands throughout town. Their strawberries are the best!

Your mixology looks as fun as ever! You are the muddle queen! Our group was a great group off our FE- and boy did we have a good time- there were a a few "no shows" and thus extra drinks hehe. I think I will try some of those recipes- like you I do tend to prefer sour-ish over sweet but they sound nice

This was probably the most fun Mixology that I've had!

Score on JC for your formal pictures!

The fries and wine pic cracked me up- yum!

The ship at night was nice to walk around, we enjoyed doing that.

I think this was the first time I've seen JC out for photos. Why not have wine with your fries? It was really peaceful up there which was a big change from what I remember on the Dream.

Did you have a good genie? We will also miss the show at CA

I didn't particularly notice the Genie. The whole show was very well done.

How nice that you have another cruise booked.

And with friends makes it even better!

I think if you are not moved out by then, you really need to worry.

I hope by the time you are back and read this we are nearly there if not done!

That is nice that you gave them a place to stay.

I remember it was kind of tough when we had to do it, so I was happy to help them.

I keep my fingers crossed for you. You seem to have quite a bit of turnover at the moment.

It seems like every time we get one rented, another one moves out.

That is great that you got to see Jiminy Cricket.

He was a pleasant surprise.

That is great that they now offer wine as on option. On all of our Disney cruises, they only ever offered cocktails.

I believe this is the first time I've seen wine, usually they have a mix of cocktails and mocktails.

It is nice that this show was so popular.

It really was. I hope to see it again on our next Fantasy Cruise.

I hope not. I was under the impression that Frozen at California Adventure is not one of there bigger successes.

I haven't followed the show. It was wildly popular when it came out, but I don't know how popular it is now since I haven't tried to see it since last August.

That is such a beautiful backdrop for a photo.

That really surprises me. On all the cruises I have done, they had this out at least a couple of times.

Maybe they had it out, but I could never convince Fran to take a picture with it. I've seen it numerous times in your TR, but I wasn't wearing the best color to make it "pop".

What a shame that they had technical issues. I am glad that they got them resolved.

I would have liked to see the monologue, but oh well.

I have always loved the time when people were at early dinner and the early show for just that reason. This does not work out the same on Royal Caribbean as the show for people with late dinner is usually after dinner and there are a lot of people on My Time Dining, too.

It's a shame that doesn't work out on RC. I'm hoping to try Cabanas on an upcoming cruise. It sounds like an interesting option, especially with the steaks cooked to order.

What a fun thing to do. What a shame that you did not win anything.

They key chains were not much to write home about.

The sandwich looked really nice.

It was very good. I would order it again.

 

[pkondz]

Well I guess since I'm the only one who voted for shorter updates more often, you only have as many days left of the trip for number of updates.

Then only... 2 or 3 to go.

 

[franandaj]

Great update!

That ship is gorgeous and especially stunning at night. And the kiddie pool area looks almost doable. I cannot tell you what total chaos it is during the day. Disney needs to make their kids' pool area bigger.

I do love the empty ship at night! That's the family pool, I'm not sure if I even walked through the kiddie pool area this trip. Every time we went to Cabanas we took the Aft elevator directly there.

Your formal photos are wonderful. Jiminy is one of my favorites.

Thanks!

Fun watching the Oscars on the ship. I missed the live blunder. We don't have cable anymore, haven't for about a year but I did see it on YouTube

I don't know how you live without cable/satellite!

Glad you got an other apartment ready to rent. Keep up the pace! And yay for another cruise booked with Pam!!!!

We've got to actually get it on the market, but it's ready to go....

Yay for our cruise!!!!!!

so great to have something that I can plan!!!!!!

Love the ship when it seems empty, its so magical.

I know. While I hate to skip dinner in the MDR, I also like the peace while everyone is otherwise engaged.

Cute towel animal! Is it a rhino?

I think so.

Fun fun fun to watch the Oscars on the ship.

It was pretty fun to do it in such a group setting.

We skipped Aladdin the last time we were on the Fantasy. Must correct that.

We definitely need to see that if it's still playing on our cruise.

The cat is out of the bag!!!!!!!!!!

Couldn't resist.

I love this!

Love the pics with Jiminy! He really is a rare character - I don't think we have ever seen him on board.

I was really surprised to see him. There were lots of rare Monster’s University characters that day as well. So rare I didn't know who they were!

That's when we like to hit the hot tub. We will sometimes either skip dinner altogether or eat at Cabanas and hit the pool or hot tub while everyone else is at dinner or at a show.

I would be interested in trying Cabanas for dinner on our cruise. The cooked to order steak sounds like a nice touch.

Tom likes it too - it's one yummy sandwich!

I rarely order room service, but that was one to try again.

You two sound a lot like us! Only that we watch something Gordon Ramsay and fall asleep despite his swearing

I would be too interested in what he was doing and it would keep me awake!

Pamela, that was a mistake - it is such a great show. Not as great as the one at DL, but given it is performed on a ship it is awesome (hope I make sense).

We'll have to make a plan to see it!

I love the Jimmy pictures. He was the very first character Lexi met on our very first trip to WDW. Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of my favorites. we own the dvd.

Where was Jiminy?

I really liked the movie, I had completely forgotten what it was about!

 

[pooh'smate]

Where was Jiminy?

I really liked the movie, I had completely forgotten what it was about!

He was outside of Pinocchio Village Haus but this was in February 2011.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Nice pics with Jiminy! Glad you were able to watch the Oscars live.

 

[franandaj]

Nice update!

Love that you got pics with Jiminy Cricket!

I was pretty happy about that too!

Your formal night dress is really pretty

Thank you! I liked it too!

How fun that you were able to watch the Oscars in the theater on the ship. I also rarely get to see too many of the ones that end up nominated but I still like to watch all the award shows.

I'm glad that they showed them, I would've been bummed to miss it.

So great you have a cruise booked with your friends, it's fun to cruise with a group.

Other than my parents, I've never cruised with a group. Looking forward to it!

Love your formal night photos!!!

Thanks!

Aladdin was a great show, it was one of the only ones we caught on the Fantasy in January but I do agree, not *quite* as good as the old one at DCA. But I would definitely catch it again if we are ever on the Fantasy (hoping for later in 2018!)

Spoiler alert: It was the only show we caught!

Love those late night, empty ship wanderings

I know! The ship is so calm then!

When we heard how much everyone enjoyed it we realized our mistake! I think we just enjoyed the Rainforest Room that night, it was so nice, and empty.



I LOVE the Friends picture!

I am getting a pass for the week to the Rainforest Room for sure!

You guys look great as always! I would have wanted to see Jiminy too. I'd like to do Palo for dinner one day. But I love Italian so the chicken parm and lasagna would have been a hit for me! Was the waterslide open when you were up there? If so, that's when I would want to go.

I didn't notice if the slide was open or not. I'll have to try that next time.

Congrats on having another trip booked! I'm sure you'll have #1 rented out by then.
Say hello to Darcy for me.

We darned well better have it rented by then!

What an awesome update. You and Fran look amazing and I love the picture with Jiminy! You're right about him being rare.

Thanks! I love meeting the more unique characters!

Good job walking round and taking pictures of the empty ship.

The ship is so peaceful when it's that empty.

Glad you got to see the Oscars'. I was watching it live as well. That was one almighty blunder, wasn't it?

It sure was. Were you on the DIS thread when you were watching?

I love Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I think that's one of the first Disney movies I remember.

I remember seeing it in the theater, but I had completely forgotten what the plot line was and how it turned out.

That is awesome that they showed the Oscars on the boat in the theater! Seems like such a nice set up and the trivia sounds like fun too (I love trivia!)

I've never watched the Oscars with a group, and it was kind of fun.

Joining in...first time on one of your TR! We have our very first cruise scheduled for this December and I can't stop thinking about it. Your TR is the PERFECT way to daydream about our future cruise. I'm absolutely loving all the pictures and details. Your writing is so fun to read and your descriptions really bring the experience to life. Can't wait to read more...and good luck with getting completely out of your old apartment! We just moved ourselves and I have an exciting day of getting odds and ends out and cleaning the old one, so I feel a little of your pain. And now I have to go try to find your other TR to enjoy while I drink my coffee and put off cleaning for a little longer.

If you haven't already found the TR, there is a link in my signature. I'm still adding on to that one with bonus material from my day trips to Disneyland/DCA.

I'm sure you will have a blast on your first cruise in December! Hopefully today we'll get some more accomplished on our move.

 

[franandaj]

Hmmmm... Serious question: Would you like company?
No. Not in your cabin or anything! But... I've never been on a cruise and.... every time we talk about it, we always worry about being sea sick. Our neighbors were really sick on theirs, although TBH, it may have been the flu.

But... if I have an actual firm date....

Maybe we could have a DISmeet at sea!

That is certainly an idea.....this is my first cruise ever having friends onboard, and it seems to me the more the merrier. What is great about a cruise is that you can have as much or as little privacy as you want. I remember you saying that you and Ruby would probably like to have your own table, but would that be the case if you knew some of your potential tablemates. Then again, it seems to me that your family eats a lot earlier, late dining is at 8:15. The nice thing is that you can always do your own thing, have a private table, even have a different dining rotation than folks you know on the ship. Or make arrangements to meet up at any time because they have these things called "wave phones". I've never been able to train Fran on how to use it. The few times I've called her on one, strangers around her helped her answer it! But the point is that at any time on the ship, one can call up and say, "Hey, I'm at the pool and no one is here, wanna come hang out?" or something like that. I would have said the Cove Bar, but from our previous discussions that sounded rather unlikely."

The only thing you should consider about this cruise (being a first time cruiser and all) is that it is a week long, and once you're on the ship, you're there, unless you warrant a medical evacuation. I've never gotten seasick, and my second cruise was a doozie! It was VERY rough seas off the Coast of Mexico and the ship was lurching like crazy. However, there are multiple products out there, patches you wear behind your ears, Dramamine, and they'll even give you stuff at the infirmary if you're having that much difficulty. If you're really interested, I can PM you the date. Let me know.

OMG! She fumigated her cats!?!!?!?

No silly, her cats stayed at my old house!

The traps were laid out at 4:30."

You are one sick puppy!

I'm not big into characters as you know. But even I would have stood in line for Jiminy.

And there was almost no line. I think we had two groups in front of us, maybe.

Is it an earlier seating? Or just limited seating?

I believe that there are two areas for seating, we were in the back at the top of the theater. Evidently if you go down one deck, there is an alternate entrance closer to the stage, but I think it's a little more of a pain to do that. They can only fit so many wheelchairs and scooters in the area that they have.

What???

A really good TR writer would have taken some anyway.
The lifetime banning from all things Disney would've been worth it.

So you're saying I'm not a really good TR writer?

"And partly because Fran had parked her scooter on my foot."

No, she's done that before and that causes shrieks and screams, nothing as subtle as tears.

Hmmm...

I really like them both, but I like the mosaic one the best.
1. I like the handholding pose better.
2. I guess because I shoot those myself, the luster isn't quite there

I picked the handholding pose because it hides my belly and then I don't have to photoshop it out!

(An example.)

Very nice picture!

typically watch the GGs and almost never watch the Emmys... but I always watch the Oscars.

We record all those and the Tonys too.

Well.... crap.

But it did give us a chance to get some grub.

Good idea. Especially considering this year the Oscars were over 18 hours long.

Is that why I didn't get to bed until really late?

It's like a ghost ship!

I'm thinking, except for late at night, that's a rarity.

Late at night, early in the morning, and sometimes when in port.

Too bad. That's usually one of my favourite parts.

I know mine too.

No. .... Commercials....

We did trivia instead!

Way to go Fran!

She's smart like that.

I would've guessed Ben Hur too.

But at 2.5 hours, it's almost half the length of Wind's 4 hours!

Except on this question.

I heard it before I watched. I was working and didn't watch til the next day (or two). But the PVR cut out well before the final Oscar was even starting to be presented... even though I'd added 30 minutes to the recording.

Do you guys in Canada have a different name for Digital Video Recorders?

That looks... bland. How was it?

The steak was actually seasoned nicely. You couldn't tell cause it was inside the bread.

I loved that show when I was a kid!

I know I did too, but I didn't remember anything about it at all.

I remember the flying bed... and the suits of armour.... but that's about it.

I didn't even remember that much!

Had to read that twice.
"Wants to watch it... so turns it off..

Yeah, it's important not to have something you're interested in watching, playing on the TV when you intend to fall asleep.

Awwww.... good night, ladies.

Snore..........

 

[franandaj]

Further to our conversation on the musician who visited Kay's school.
His name is Ron Halldorson and he played (at least once) with Benny Goodman.
Kay told me this morning that Goodman wasn't a fan of electric bass and Ron was worried that he would get Benny Goodman's famous (not to me... but I guess in the industry) "look" of disapproval. But apparently, he got a smile and a nod instead.

I have not heard of him, but that's neat that he came to their school and talked to them.

Then only... 2 or 3 to go.

Is that how many days you stay in Banff?

He was outside of Pinocchio Village Haus but this was in February 2011.

That's a sensible place for him. Perhaps he appears there intermittently.

Nice pics with Jiminy! Glad you were able to watch the Oscars live.

Thank you, I hadn't even considered the Oscar's when I booked the cruise.

 

[franandaj]

Day 4

Just a little look back at the day before, we went to bed after midnight and had to shift our clocks forward to boot. Needless to say, I did not make the sunrise this morning. I think I woke at 7AM (new time) downed a liter of water (remember scored a few glasses of wine at the Captain’s Reception) and went right back to bed.

At about quarter to 10, I woke up again and felt like I'd had enough sleep. Fran was still exhausted.

I went up to the Cove Café and got my free Coffee. I had saved my coffee card from the Wonder in Alaska last summer and yesterday's Coffee made five thus making today's free. I got a great surprise, when he gave me my new card, he had ticked off two drinks, my free coffee and the Hot Chocolate I had ordered for Fran. She asked about something to nosh on besides a croissant so I got her two of these cinnamon scrolls.



It was so late that the smoothies place was open, so I stopped by to ask if they were included in the cruise or extra. He said they were $4.75. Wow! I'm not paying that much for a drink without any alcohol! So I passed.



Back in the room we watched more of the movie and I played Mahjong and updated my journal. We were picking out Fran's clothes when we got a call from Remy. Our reservation was at a time that did not coincide with other guests. We could either come 20 minutes earlier or twenty minutes later. She picked later and we relaxed a little more.

We were the first of our group to arrive, and once everyone else arrived they took us to the wine room where they had poured champagne and served up some Spanish ham.









The chef talked about what we would be having for lunch. He kept joking with the Sommelier about how he was always drinking and they had a little banter going on. The Sommelier talked about the different champagnes from which champagne is made and one lady had taken a champagne tasting the day before. She started piping in about what she had learned, and he asked her if she would rather give the talk. “Please feel free to come up here.” He said.



There was another champagne that we had back in the Dream. He asked why the bottle was so small, and I piped in with, “So it could fit your pocket!” He looked at me, and asked the same question, gesturing to the side as if to make room for me.

After everyone was taken to their seats, I was taking photos of the bottles and he began talking to me. He said I seemed to know a lot about champagne. I mentioned I did the lunch before on the Dream, plus I had toured many Sparking Wineries in California. I told him some of the American terms for processes he told us. And also mentioned that I can not drink sparkling wine that is not made in the “traditional” method, as the additives give me a headache. He agreed and I went on to my table.

We were served a truffled brioche, some butter and sea salt. I do have to say that it was a most interesting taste combination.







Our first champagne was a Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial. Pleasantly sweetened, but not overly so.



We were served a green pea soup, with green pea Ice Cream, topped with house made crisped rice. Now normally I am not a fan of peas. I pick them out of my fried rice, I don't do mushy peas with my Bangers and mash, and don't even try me on split pea soup. However, I have learned that when English peas are served fresh, I've enjoyed them. I gave this one a go, and I wasn't disappointed. It was very good and both Fran and I cleared our plates.



Next up was another dubious dish. It was a cauliflower Panna Cotta with lobster meat topped with caviar. Some house made mini potato chips were served with it.

Again this surprised me, I wasn't sure what to think but it was very good!



At this point Fran said to me. “I reserve the right to get a burger after this if I'm still hungry.” I laughed, knowing full well that it wouldn't be necessary.

We were served our next bottle of champagne. While the other servings were three oz pours, this small bottle was split between a pair of diners. I still had some of the second glass left so I could do a side by side comparison. This one was less sweet and a little more full bodied, which would stand up well to our next two courses.

The next course was a tortellini carbonara. All the staff kept saying that this was their most favorite dish and I can see why! This was absolutely delicious. We were served the little pasta purses.



Then they poured a sauce of pancetta infused cream combined with buerre noisette (burnt butter, sounds better in French).





The main course was a Chicken Oscar, it was the same main course as had when we ate brunch at Remy. However that was in no means a disappointment, in fact it was quite the contrary!



They served some Hollandaise on the side.



It was just as good as I remembered. The chicken was tender, but they had seared the skin after slow cooking, so that was nice and crispy. The asparagus was cooked perfectly! It was melt in your mouth tender, but yet crispy too, and it still tasted like asparagus. The little crab ball was good too! Like a little crab cake, only French.



I ate almost everything on the plate and only left a little chicken, but Fran was more than happy to finish that little bit. She remarked that she was getting very full, but wasn't going to let this wonderful meal go to waste. As the server took her plate, she leaned back in her chair and her eyes rolled back in her head.

The Sommelier came by to give us our last serving of Champagne. It was a Moet Ice, the server brought us a glass with some ice and the Sommelier poured another glass of champagne. He asked me, what was the purpose of serving the nectar over ice?

I simply repeated back to him what he told us in the wine room earlier that day, which was that the Moet Ice was a more concentrated champagne and by pouring it over the ice it awakened the true flavors. He said that he was very impressed and no one else seemed to remember what he said before the lunch. Most people used words like “dilute” or “chill”, I guess they didn't pay attention. I explained that I am a bit obsessed with both food and wines. Because I write about this stuff so others can read it, I try to make sure that I have my facts correct, and that I understand it properly so I can tell others.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with Lemon sorbet in the center, coated in a dark chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings. It was small but intense, and I was definitely stuffed by the end of this meal.



Then they brought us these little cake morsels. They had a vanilla filling, the cake exterior was cooked until it was crispy, but the center was buttery. Then they were coated in sweet glaze. We had then wrap most of them up to take with us.



As we got up to leave Fran pointed out the back of this chair.



I also took pictures of the namesake of the restaurant who oversees all guests who enter and leave. I forgot to do this on the Dream.

 

[Pinkocto]

Yummy!!! We were going to try brunch on our last Fantasy cruise but ended up skipping it. They confirmed they could do a vegetarian meal for mom, and I went to look at reviews for gluten free and it looks like they do it. We absolutely loved the dinner we had there.

 

[pooh'smate]

I am starving now after reading this update. Everything looks so amazing

 

[rndmr2]

Wow that Brunch looked really good! Very interesting flavor combinations. I'm usually not too terribly adventurous but I have branched out over the years. Although DH is not a seafood fan this menu sounds do-able for us.

 

[bcwife76]

Oh my goodness, that looks amazing!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Were you on the DIS thread when you were watching?

Yes. It's always a fun thread to hang out on, especially for the Red Carpet.

He looked at me, and asked the same question, gesturing to the side as if to make room for me.

Hmmm. Why ask questions if you don't want anyone to answer??

We were served a truffled brioche, some butter and sea salt. I do have to say that it was a most interesting taste combination.

That sounds delicious!

It was a cauliflower Panna Cotta with lobster meat topped with caviar. Some house made mini potato chips were served with it.

Again this surprised me, I wasn't sure what to think but it was very good!

That sounds even more delicious!

tortellini carbonara.

Ooh! I bet that was delicious too.

Chicken Oscar

OMG! Pure deliciousness.

He asked me, what was the purpose of serving the nectar over ice?

Finally! He asked a question where he expected an answer.
Full marks to you.....but did you score an extra drink for answering it correctly???

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with Lemon sorbet in the center, coated in a dark chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings

OMG!!!! I'm rolling down the hallway here....that sounds like the best ending to an awesome meal.

Lucky you!!

 

[pkondz]

That is certainly an idea.....this is my first cruise ever having friends onboard, and it seems to me the more the merrier. What is great about a cruise is that you can have as much or as little privacy as you want. I remember you saying that you and Ruby would probably like to have your own table, but would that be the case if you knew some of your potential tablemates. Then again, it seems to me that your family eats a lot earlier, late dining is at 8:15. The nice thing is that you can always do your own thing, have a private table, even have a different dining rotation than folks you know on the ship. Or make arrangements to meet up at any time because they have these things called "wave phones". I've never been able to train Fran on how to use it. The few times I've called her on one, strangers around her helped her answer it! But the point is that at any time on the ship, one can call up and say, "Hey, I'm at the pool and no one is here, wanna come hang out?" or something like that. I would have said the Cove Bar, but from our previous discussions that sounded rather unlikely."

The only thing you should consider about this cruise (being a first time cruiser and all) is that it is a week long, and once you're on the ship, you're there, unless you warrant a medical evacuation. I've never gotten seasick, and my second cruise was a doozie! It was VERY rough seas off the Coast of Mexico and the ship was lurching like crazy. However, there are multiple products out there, patches you wear behind your ears, Dramamine, and they'll even give you stuff at the infirmary if you're having that much difficulty. If you're really interested, I can PM you the date. Let me know.

I'll have to get back to you, Alison.
But I will give it some thought....

No silly, her cats stayed at my old house!

I know, just having fun.

You are one sick puppy!

Pretty much!

And there was almost no line. I think we had two groups in front of us, maybe.

Huh.
Probably because no kid knows who he is.

So you're saying I'm not a really good TR writer?

Terrible!
That's why I'm here reading everything you write.
Just so I can point and say how awful it all is.

No, she's done that before and that causes shrieks and screams, nothing as subtle as tears.

Ah. You take the more vocal approach.

I picked the handholding pose because it hides my belly and then I don't have to photoshop it out!

Very nice picture!

Thanks!

Is that why I didn't get to bed until really late?

Because Fran was feeling frisky.

Do you guys in Canada have a different name for Digital Video Recorders?

Personal Video Recorder.

Yeah, it's important not to have something you're interested in watching, playing on the TV when you intend to fall asleep.

I have not heard of him, but that's neat that he came to their school and talked to them.

I didn't know who he was either.

Is that how many days you stay in Banff?

Not there long.


Will come back to read the update later.

 

[jedijill]

OMG, I need another cruise on the Fantasy again!!! I miss Remy!!! I'm drooling!

Jill in CO

 

[pkondz]

Just a little look back at the day before, we went to bed after midnight and had to shift our clocks forward to boot. Needless to say, I did not make the sunrise this morning.

Not surprised.
I hate that time change.
I much prefer the other, when you get an extra hour of sleep.
(Unless I'm working through it. Then having to work that extra hour on the midnight is torture.)

At about quarter to 10, I woke up again and felt like I'd had enough sleep.

Not bad!

Fran was still exhausted.

Awww... poor Fran. All tuckered out.

I got a great surprise, when he gave me my new card, he had ticked off two drinks, my free coffee and the Hot Chocolate I had ordered for Fran.

Nice! Is Fran like me? Not a coffee drinker?

It was so late that the smoothies place was open, so I stopped by to ask if they were included in the cruise or extra. He said they were $4.75. Wow! I'm not paying that much for a drink without any alcohol! So I passed.

And I'm thinking $4.74 for a smoothie? Not bad!

Our reservation was at a time that did not coincide with other guests. We could either come 20 minutes earlier or twenty minutes later.

Why? You had to be paired with someone? Or?

one lady had taken a champagne tasting the day before. She started piping in about what she had learned, and he asked her if she would rather give the talk. “Please feel free to come up here.” He said.

My mom always says "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

I get that people are enthusiastic, but...

He asked why the bottle was so small, and I piped in with, “So it could fit your pocket!” He looked at me, and asked the same question, gesturing to the side as if to make room for me.

After everyone was taken to their seats, I was taking photos of the bottles and he began talking to me. He said I seemed to know a lot about champagne. I mentioned I did the lunch before on the Dream, plus I had toured many Sparking Wineries in California. I told him some of the American terms for processes he told us. And also mentioned that I can not drink sparkling wine that is not made in the “traditional” method, as the additives give me a headache. He agreed and I went on to my table.

You probably scored points there.

Thank you for shooting that with the lid off the butter!
Did you do that before or after the conversation about Victoria and Albert, butter dish?

Our first champagne was a Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial. Pleasantly sweetened, but not overly so.

Looks pretty, too.

We were served a green pea soup, with green pea Ice Cream, topped with house made crisped rice.

Whoa!!! Now that is a combination!!

Next up was another dubious dish. It was a cauliflower Panna Cotta with lobster meat topped with caviar. Some house made mini potato chips were served with it.

Again this surprised me, I wasn't sure what to think but it was very good!

I'm not. I've made a... well... cauliflower puree. (close enough) And while I don't care for cauliflower, I did like that.

At this point Fran said to me. “I reserve the right to get a burger after this if I'm still hungry.”

I'm with Fran!

The next course was a tortellini carbonara. All the staff kept saying that this was their most favorite dish and I can see why! This was absolutely delicious.

Really! Would not have guessed.

They served some Hollandaise on the side.

That looks super thick!

The little crab ball was good too! Like a little crab cake, only French.

You could tell because of the accent? Or the tiny beret he wore?

As the server took her plate, she leaned back in her chair and her eyes rolled back in her head.

That good, huh?

I simply repeated back to him what he told us in the wine room earlier that day, which was that the Moet Ice was a more concentrated champagne and by pouring it over the ice it awakened the true flavors. He said that he was very impressed and no one else seemed to remember what he said before the lunch.

Interesting. I certainly would not have known that...

Most people used words like “dilute”

... but I definitely wouldn't have said that!!

Because I write about this stuff so others can read it, I try to make sure that I have my facts correct, and that I understand it properly so I can tell others.

And you do an amazing job of it, Alison.

Dessert was a chocolate mousse with Lemon sorbet in the center, coated in a dark chocolate ganache and chocolate shavings.

As we got up to leave Fran pointed out the back of this chair.

Really nice detail!

 

[Dis_Yoda]

That brunch is amazing! I love how creative they are with their dishes and you can tell the chefs really want to make a great experience. I'm glad you both enjoyed it so much! Too bad some people weren't paying attention to the talk at the beginning!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

But first another transgression with respect to the travel moratorium, I booked another Fantasy cruise to travel with @dizneeat and @Pinkocto .

Aha! Don't worry, I wouldn't be able to hold back, either.

We decided to skip Mickey as his line was probably long and instead went for Jiminy Cricket who is a rare character.

Spoken like a true Disney veteran.

I was in tears most of the show, partly due to the storyline, and the other part because they replaced my favorite show with Frozen. The genie made a couple “Frozen” jokes and I hope he was not alluding to the mortality of this show, now that they are showing Frozen on the Wonder.

I'm still sad I missed that show at DL.

You see the second night of our cruise was Oscar night. Rarely do we see many of the movies that are up for Oscars, but I think it has something to do with living in the Greater LA area that we always enjoy watching the Oscars, Golden Globes and the Emmys.

I never bother watching. They never nominate movies featuring exploding helicopters, which, of course, are the best movies.

I went up to the Cove Café and got my free Coffee. I had saved my coffee card from the Wonder in Alaska last summer and yesterday's Coffee made five thus making today's free.

for free coffee!

The Sommelier talked about the different champagnes from which champagne is made and one lady had taken a champagne tasting the day before. She started piping in about what she had learned, and he asked her if she would rather give the talk. “Please feel free to come up here.” He said.

Let's call him the Passive-Aggressive Sommelier from now on.

Now normally I am not a fan of peas.

Hey, me neither! I know you're shocked.

However, I have learned that when English peas are served fresh, I've enjoyed them. I gave this one a go, and I wasn't disappointed. It was very good and both Fran and I cleared our plates.

You're braver than I am. I would have passed. Again, I know you're shocked.

At this point Fran said to me. “I reserve the right to get a burger after this if I'm still hungry.”

I'm with Fran!

Then they poured a sauce of pancetta infused cream combined with buerre noisette (burnt butter, sounds better in French).

Yeah, in French it sounds fancy. In English, it sounds like a mistake.

I explained that I am a bit obsessed with both food and wines. Because I write about this stuff so others can read it, I try to make sure that I have my facts correct, and that I understand it properly so I can tell others.

Only to have jerks like me who don't understand it anyway. I'll show myself out.

Just kidding, you really do a great job!

As we got up to leave Fran pointed out the back of this chair.

Cool!

I'm with Fran!

Hey, you stole my line!