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Day 8 - Saturday, October 23, 2021 - Castaway Cay (Day 2)

Welcome BACK to Castaway Cay!

It was roughly midnight when I went to sleep, so the 7:15am alarm was quite unwelcome. Like clockwork, docking began almost immediately thereafter and a repeat of our breakfast Room Service arrived promptly at 7:30am at which time I got us in Group 5 to debark the ship at 8:30-8:45am.

Between being tired, knowing what the day entailed, and expecting it to rain, I struggled to just go to the island in t-shirt & shorts, which Kara elected vs full swimwear, which I ended up changing into. We were off the ship around 8:45am, as I was still loading my bag.

It was a gloomy overcast morning. By the time we got to a slightly different location today (on the other side of Sand Bar), the sun was fighting to come out and there was quite a nice breeze. With my temperature sensitivity, finding the perfect combo on a beach day is rare. This morning was it! Except the water. From our experience 2 days ago and seeing No One in the water this morning, we knew it had to be… brisk.

We read in our loungers until 11:30am lunch and headed back to Cookies Too for a slightly different lunch than when we were here previously. Part of my selections was a cold sweet potato salad with onions and corn, which was perfect on this hot day that was now full-on sun. And yes I implemented our traditional stealth plan of Cookie acquisition, storage, and eventual transport back to the ship!

Knowing the high temp with direct sun was a bad combo for Kara, we discussed about when to go back to the ship, which was pretty quick. Honestly, I wanted to get back and get past the worst part of every cruise: packing. [Insert pouting and crying here.]

Yes, we want these “golf carts” for retirement, but with tops, of course!

Usually we are rushing to shower after the island, pack, dash to dinner & the show, to get back, change, and set our bags out to be taken to the hold by 10:15pm. We didn’t want this glorious vacation to end like that. So we were back on the ship by 1pm to shower and be done with the vast majority of our packing by 2:30pm.

Above you can see with the color change where and how much they had to dredge in order to allow the ships to direct dock. This had to be increased with the larger size of these Dream Class ships. If you want a grand story about the lane marker pole in the distance, see our trip report from the 2008 cruise. Which was technically our first 8 night cruise. Hmm this reminds me I need to move that trip report from another platform to here on Tumblr. Stay tuned....

I went to Guest Services for change, and seeing the empty Atrium, drug Kara downstairs to video me doing a (very bad out-of-practice) cartwheel in front of the Minnie statue! Then it was a bit of a break to catch up on this writing and for Kara to contend with a headache. I also finally consumed the (incredible) Peanut Butter chocolate Mickey bar from a few nights ago….

Also, I calculated during this 8 night cruise, we left the ship for just over 10 hrs! #noregrets (If you’ve ever been on a Disney Cruise, you understand!)

Kara took a brief nap to try to rid a bad headache, as I finished an e-book. We chatted on the verandah about our careers and making different choices now and looking toward formal retirement. Then it was quick prep to get to dinner.

Luckily we also remembered we hadn’t yet selected our Platinum Guest Gift. If you have Platinum Castaway Club status, you get to choose a bottle of wine, fruit basket, or a box of truffles (one per stateroom). It was Kara’s turn to choose and I was surprised she chose the truffles, as there’s only one she truly loves (raspberry).

We were back in Royal Court for what is usually called the Captain’s Gala menu, which means one thing: Lobster! Some Disney differences are on display this night. First, the servers are in black tie tuxes. Second, the head servers de-shell the lobster tails at your table.

Third, in being in Royal Court, there is a baby grand that we were seated beside. We had live piano and violin players that reminded me of “Disney Piano Music” on YouTube that I often use to fall asleep.

With this and per social distancing, the tunes introduced the Princesses of Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, and Mulan as they processed through the restaurant as a Royal Promenade. This is a new result from COVID protocols and it was incredibly lovely. The princesses gracefully strolled through without the usual guest photographs or pre-COVID autograph work.

The final meal always ends in saying goodbye to our server team and presenting their gratuity envelopes. (We do this at dinner, as we never go to the final breakfast.) This was a special duo that we would very much enjoy having again and will likely look for Tony as a Head Server on the Wish (possibly)!

Inexplicably I got an alert Guest Services didn’t have my credit card on file, which I entered during Online Check-In, and apparently this happened to a number of guests. I will presume this is an error in the new Online Check-in & App. So it was upstairs to get the credit card and back down.

Kara here: I had gotten the same error the night before so we actually made this specific stop twice which was really about the only annoying thing that happened on the entire cruise.

We then continued on our planned final visit to Sweet on You, where I treated Kara as thanks for cruising with me. She got the PB Chocolate Mickey cookie I had earlier, the unicorn/Rapunzel cupcake, and more Mixed Berry gelato with roasted pecans. I got the same cupcake and a dish of Chocolate-covered Strawberry gelato, which was quite tasty.

I was so full I ended up consuming the cupcake the next morning at MCO.

We finished our gelato in our rooms and during the brief respite, we decided to skip the planned 2000s Music Trivia. Instead we changed into PJs in order to finalize and put our luggage outside our stateroom to be taken down to the terminal.

Then we settled in for one of our favorite aspects: completing the cruise survey! LOL! It was the perfect spooky-looking night to end a Halloween-themed cruise.

Disembarkation Day - Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021

Since there’s rarely anything truly noteworthy on the “last” day I’ll tack on our next-morning adventure here. As already shared, we prefer to go to Cabanas on disembarkation morning. Yet, we also kicked around the idea of trying to catch an earlier flight home.

As we were grabbing the last of our things to head to Cabanas for breakfast and await the call of our character luggage tag to indicate we could disembark, the all-ship speaker announces “All Guests may now disembark.” (I suppose that’s what you get only sailing at 25% capacity!)

We shrugged and said, “I guess we’re not going to breakfast!”

Going on a standby list is virtually impossible on the App (especially on American), so we got to MCO and as always the Magical Bubble of Disney was burst in chaos and long lines.

When we finally got to a airline rep we were told (along with everyone else) that every flight was full. We were put on a waitlist, but no joy. Otherwise the return flight home was without incident.

So if you’ve made it to this point, on behalf of Kara, thank you for joining us on this glorious return to cruising! We hope you enjoyed it and now better understand what an incredibly entertaining and relaxing vacation option and experience this is!

And just to keep your interest... what’s next for us? Well, per all the cancelations over the past couple of years, we booked a “back-up” trip. However, again after enduring the past couple of years, we just decided to keep it! So hopefully our next trip report will be from a January 2022 5 night Bahamian Marvel Day at Sea Disney Cruise! Because for you... “Whatever it takes!”

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 7 - Friday, October 22, 2021 - Nassau

Chilling out...

Like most, we intended to remain on the ship. It was the only morning docking truly woke me (before 8am) as it seemed to take forever. There is a bit of an inlet to the Nassau dock and there ended up being at least 3 other ships all at our same dock location.

FYI this is the only day the weather was less than ideal. About an hour before our departure from Nassau, the sky opened and let loose. We watched - from our dry verandah - guests, mostly on the other ships, getting drenched on their way back to the ships. (This is why I ALWAYS advise bringing raingear!) You can see here Nassau is purposefully and significantly increasing their dock space. This area is 3 ships worth of width from land. Good for them in trying to increase tourism. However, most Disney Cruisers don’t leave the ship at this port.

Not hungry Kara prompted us to a 9:30am breakfast in Cabanas. We ran into our Server, Tony, in a white jacket & tie, which means something very different! We learned he is training and awaiting a promotion as soon as a position opens (possibly on the Wish) and that one of our first and favorite servers, Plamen, from many cruises ago, helped him progress up in this career. A small world indeed!

At noon we played Disney Cruise Line trivia. We didn’t win this time, as I didn’t study and they asked harder questions. (Now I have a study guide for January.)

Still having mini golf on the list, we handled the fun 9 holes when it opened at 1pm. I believe I won 26 to 29.

The dog collar is in honor of Sir Kona, Kara’s Mini Double Doodle, who was sadly at home.

Next at 2pm we finally saw Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. It was something we’d planned to do on the cruise, as we felt safer seeing it here than “on land”.

While we endured having to wear masks the entire time, the “3 seats between each party” was nice. Too bad they don’t have our AMC recliners. This was actually tough to put in our week, as it was showing at either 11:45pm or during our dinner. It was also showing far fewer times than Black Widow, which we thought was odd since Shang-Chi was the more recent release.

Afterward we got ready for dinner and headed to Guest Services to add to the standard gratuities. Dinner was back in Enchanted Garden and another menu we weren’t excited about.

For appetizers Kara got the shrimp & jambalaya rice, while I tried raw salmon (for the first time ever!) with a bit of honey mustard sauce. It needed a lot more sauce! (It reminded me of Chick-Fil-A sauce! LOL!) It was good, but by the end it reminded me a bit of bologna, weird I know.

For our Mains we both got the Grilled Turbot over mashed potatoes, which seemed like a weird combo. The couple next to us remarked about our cookies from last night too, so they got a takeaway batch as well. We got to learn about NeiNei’s upbringing & home in South Africa and career choices with the cruise line.

I prompted again to get the cookie vendor. It seems Tony went to the lower deck freezer to take a photo of the label and then AirDropped it to me! Then Hasan offered to have more cookies delivered to our stateroom. I almost stupidly declined. Almost.

Next was the now nightly stop at Sweet on You, where Kara got Mixed Berry gelato (that she proclaimed was better than Palo - gasp!)...

...and I got a 50th Birthday Mickey cupcake that was chocolate cake with Chocolate mousse (which was dry). It was tough to both get out of the box and to eat with a tiny wooden spoon.

Kara wanted to go to 7:45pm TV Quotes, which I didn’t understand. (I thought we were going to the 7:30pm TV Tunes trivia.) We did just a respectable job here and will always remember the Welsh host offer a clue of, “Mar-cea, Mar-cea, Mar-cea” in her Brady Bunch attempt!

And because you rarely get the shot of an empty hallway (& we took plenty more like this)!

We decided to go ahead and see Disney’s Believe tonight (night 1 of 2), knowing how crazy busy tomorrow will be. Original Disney productions are unique to the cruises, so even if this isn’t our favorite (& we forgot about recycling the genie from Aladdin), we’re still glad we went.

We haven’t mentioned our nightly towel animals. Tonight was a new one for us and definitely our fave: Ms. Giraffe!

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Our first Double Dip; it’s back to Castaway Cay!

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 6 - Thursday, October 21, 2021 - Castaway Cay (Day 1)

After 7 years, we’re finally back to Castaway Cay!

Backstory: The last actual visit to Castaway Cay for us was in 2014. Since then we have surprisingly taken a number of West Coast-based cruises and went to the Med. Technically we were at Castaway Cay in 2017, but a storm rolled in before we even got to our chairs and they evacuated everyone back to the ship.

Yes there was a 7:15am alarm. Breakfast via Room Service (croissants, bagel, coffee, jelly, peanut butter, and OJ) was to arrive 7:30-8am. As directed we joined the Virtual Queue at 7:30am for an All Ashore at 8:30am. It was a bit glitchy, so we were in Group 43, but fear not! Our debark time was still estimated at 8:35-8:50am.

Our Queue came up right around 8:40am for a smooth and calm exit from the ship - our first in 4 days! This is a COVID process that I hope and expect they will keep, as it prevented the stairwells from being clogged with eager cruisers rushing for Castaway Cay.

Being an 8 night cruise in the fall already meant less kids onboard, and with the shockingly low kids count and reports from the prior cruises, we surmised the adult beach, Serenity Bay, would likely be more packed than the Family Beaches (which never happens). So we decided, likely for the first and only time ever, to try the Family Beach. Both from the in-app map and visual of the beaches this morning, we scoped out a couple of prime options.

We took the tram to Pelican Point/Stop 2 and grabbed a couple of shady loungers directly under a palm tree on the far side of Family Beach 2.

Introduction to Castaway Cay [Video]

We then ventured to the nearest store and sadly found only a majority of Castaway Cay 5K attire, as this is the start location for the race (that is currently on your own). Kara asked if the other store had different merchandise and we were told yes.

So we hopped back on the tram to loop back to Stop 1 at Scuttle’s Cove to visit our usual Sally Sells… Again disappointed in the options, we returned to our loungers. The day was already warm, headed for a forecasted high of 86 with clear skies, sun, and gratefully a moderate breeze. (If not for the breeze, the day may well have been intolerable.)

While the temps and sun were plenty hot, the water definitely was not! We strenuously (& sarcastically) called it “refreshing”. It was so chilly we didn’t bother getting floaties. At best, I could have gotten all the way in by mid-afternoon only per the blazing sun.

It was strange having little ones around. Luckily there weren’t too many!

Promptly at 11:30am, we headed to Cookies Too BBQ for lunch & ran into NeiNei.

Both Cookies locations offer salads, sandwiches, chips, cookies, drinks, and soft serve. I got a hot dog (that I never get), salmon, chips, a brownie, and 2 Big Island Cookies.

Side note about Big Island Cookies: These are my favorite cookies and they used to also have from Room Service. I would actually pack some back home and freeze them to consume throughout the year. (Shhh! Don’t tell!) It had been so long since we’d been to Castaway Cay, I didn’t know they even had them at all anymore!

What was I to do?! Kara and I searched through our bags and she found a Quart Ziplock, which is a near perfect size. I headed back to Cookies Too to secure 4 cookies for storage. (Stay tuned for a Saturday strategy….)

The afternoon was a significant time to read and randomly wade into the Bahamian blue. By about 2:30pm, we agreed we were done even though all aboard was 4:45pm. So it was packing up, back on the tram, and return to the ship where were greeted by a Crew Member offering cold/wet towels - Yes, please!

It was quick showers, and if we could make it, I wanted to try to go to Marvel Trivia. Very few people were in attendance, presuming they were still on or returning from the island. I think an expected sense was growing that we might be able to do ok. Then Mitchell walked in. Remember the aforementioned Mitchell from FL, who “ran the table” in Marvel Superfan Face Off? Well, at least we knew any hope of winning was firmly gone at this point.

The Entertainment host noted most of the questions related to the movies. (Yay!) We were going along pretty well, but uncertain or completely unknowing for a few. I figured we at least had a strong effort. We totaled 22 out of 25 - very respectable! Then the host had everyone indicate if they had earned increasing levels of correct answers. Then shockingly Mitchell tapped out at 19! What?! WE. WON!!!! This video is specifically for our Stranded Panda/MCU Podcast group:

A Message to our Stranded Panda Community!

For the record this is our 2nd onboard trivia win, the prior being Disney Cruise Line Trivia on the 2018 West Coast Vancouver to San Diego Repositioning cruise. I kinda wanted to prepare for trivia for our upcoming Marvel Day at Sea cruise, but figure(d) we’d have a low shot with other Marvel-lovers onboard. It seems we took advantage of the right cruise at the right time!

Soon it was off to dinner. Tonight was Pirate Night, meaning a themed menu and evening. So I donned my top that is only ever worn onboard on Pirate Nights!

We were in Animator’s Palate, probably the best restaurant for Pirate Night, but a menu we have little affinity for.

It again disappointed. We even skipped dessert to later go to Sweet on You instead, but did get to hear all about India from Tony.

Kara wanted to capture some very specific art & dog-oriented details in this fully themed restaurant. You could spend some serious time simply taking in all of the attention they gave to this restaurant decor!

We spoke with Head Server, Hasan from Turkey, about the Big Island Cookies. He said he was friends with the chef and would work to get the recipe. As I suspected they bring the cookies onto the ship; he would try to get the vendor info; and brought us a bowl of 4 of them! Score!

On the way back to the room we chatted with Hari about his contracts and preference for the Magic since it goes to different interesting places. A couple then stopped us to ask WHERE did we get those cookies?! It turned into a great and fun bantering conversation about the love of Big Island Cookies and how others have the same love and request they return to the Room Service menu! (Are you listening Disney Cruise Line?!)

After trying to treat another major migraine, we took a few laps around Deck 4, another thing we hadn’t yet enjoyed at night. Then it was up to Deck 12 to claim a “dot” (designated socially distanced area) to view the Happily Ever After fireworks at our assigned 8:45pm time (per being on Main dining).

We knew this would now be set to Disney music and far shorter than the historical Buccaneer Blast. This is also because they had 2 showings of it, connected to your dining time, just like the evening theatre shows. Unexpectedly all of the Executive Officers were out, including Captain Henry! We also learned the guest count is to steadily increase for the remainder of the year, so this was definitely a prime time for to be sailing!

After the first pyro exploded, I got a little teary eyed thinking about Kara losing her mom, the extended duration and effort it took to get back here, trying to endure through work stress, and more. Our location was perfect, directly under the fireworks show.

Happily Ever After Fireworks [Video]

Once we were released, we sauntered down to Deck 11 trying to find a path to Sweet on You. We ended up stopping along the way to join everyone, including some officers, in jamming to Justin Timberlake’s iconic “Can’t Stop the Feeling”. What a great stress-relieving night! (Yes, I shot video of us grooving at the party, but to protect our reputations, will not post it! Guess you have to sail with us if you want the experience!)

In Sweet on You we met the outlet’s chef, Chef Fanny from Australia. She may have given us some secret, unreleased information about the Disney Wish…! Kara got Brownie Batter & Mint Chocolate Chip with roasted pecans along with a chocolate peanut butter blondie. (She said there was no PB flavor.) I simply got Mint Chocolate Chip with fudge sauce and whipped cream.

Hold on for this - it was probably the worst mint chocolate ice cream I’ve ever had. My best guess is there was too much butter or milk fat in it. It definitely left an almost greasy residue on the spoon and my lips. Very weird.

After having taken all my drugs - 3 Excedrin Migraine, 2 ibuprofen, and allergy pill, and 1/2 Dramamine it was a late sleep time between 11:30pm-midnight.

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Nassau? No sir!

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 5 - Wednesday, October 20, 2021 - Day at Sea

A special guest and (finally) SWEETS!

It was a later start this morning of 9:30-10am. Planning to do absolutely nothing today (a day we typically name “Day of Sloth”), we read and didn’t leave the room until lunch. Kara desired shrimp from Cabanas and I finally got the beloved Chicken Tenders with BBQ sauce from the pool grills. (I know this sounds mundane, but these are the best chicken strips. They don’t taste the same anywhere else, even on the ship. Kara thinks it’s the extra “sea salt” in the air - LOL!)

Next I prompted completing the other Midship Detective Agency case, the Case of the Missing Painting, with the Classic Characters.

Introduction to Midship Detective Agency [Video]

Trying to get a bit of cardio, I set out on a much faster pace. We were done in just 50 minutes today and still trekked Forward to Aft plenty of times across decks 2-10!

There was a short break until an unexpected 1:30pm Broadway Guest Artist presentation by Ian Knauer. (This had not been promoted, so make sure you check the App; you never know what you’ll find!) With a career that included Broadway, the West End, and national tours, he was onboard to play Jaffar in Aladdin and the lead male/father character in Disney’s Believe.

Afterward we FINALLY went to Sweet on You. Remember I proclaimed I’d visit everyday? Well today was the first time - & it is Day 5! So to “make up”, I guess I’ll be doing “2 a days”. Amazingly the crew remembered our names, even though we hadn’t yet been in! Kara got a waffle cone with Chocolate Covered Strawberry gelato and 2 macaroons and I got a small cup of Peanut Butter & Snickers gelato and a Peanut Butter Mickey cookie. (FYI I had to avoid the Snickers pieces, because frozen, they endangered some of my very expensive dental work.) Tummies full, it was back to the room for reading & napping.

FYI it was a couple of days before I consumed the thick Mickey cookie/brownie above. It was more like a blondie, and also had melted peanut butter between the chocolate base and actual cookie! Silly me I should not have waited. It ended up being my favorite treat from Sweet on You and wished I’d gotten more!

At some point we again browsed the Shops and I finally decided on a new T, magnet and cling. (The long-sleeve T I loved the most, I’d already purchased online during COVID!)

As this had been proclaimed (mostly) our customary cruise “Day of Sloth” we skipped rotational dining (for which we would have been in Animator’s Palate) and most of the evening activities. This was the themed “Halloween on the High Seas” night with Halloween-themed dinner menu, photos, movies of Hocus Pocus & The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-a-long, and more.

Since we don’t care for Halloween, we had dinner via Room Service including salad, Margherita pizza, bananas, and yes, I made a 2nd trip to Sweet on You. This time it was a combo of Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut topped with chocolate crispies. Kara got the Mixed Berry Gelato, which she declared better than in Palo! (And yes they are made differently by different chefs in different kitchens.) Finally was a bucket of ice in preparation for tomorrow’s beach day.

We put Cars 2 on On Demand, as soon it was off to sleep (a broken night for me) per our 7:15am alarm for Castaway Cay!

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Will we finally get a Castaway Cay day after almost exactly SEVEN years?!

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 4 Tuesday, October 19, 2021 - Cozumel, Mexico

Making the most of our floating resort with a new spa option!

Like yesterday, we again stayed on the ship. Sound boring? No way! All of our wants and needs are being attended to with no work, chores, or worries! Plus we hadn’t had this experience in over 2 years, so we were going to embrace all we could!

We awoke as is now typical 8-8:30am and Kara declared she wanted breakfast. By 9:30am we were in Cabanas, which due to being a port day and the low guest count was blissfully not busy. Our plan had been to “be good” (read: semi-healthy), but soon the delights called us. I tried a couple of pork, black bean, and Mexican cheese wraps (which I am wishing I had right now)!. They were actually great and I wish they were a regular lunch offering. Inexplicably Disney Cruise Line rarely does Mexican food (but that will change in the upcoming Disney Wish).

Then I had OJ, a banana, & strawberries… but they were just topping, along with whipped cream, for the French Toast! (I promise it’s under there!)

Now needing to walk all that off, we set off for the Midship Detective Agency. Headquartered on Decks 5 & 2, this is a wonderful mystery quest requiring players to gain clues from Magical Art all around the ship. It can be played by 1 person or an entire group. There are usually 3 cases to choose from: one with Classic Disney characters, Puppies from 101 Dalmatians, and Muppets. Currently the Muppet version isn’t available, as it requires going to an area that doesn’t allow for social distancing.

It’s a fun way to get in steps and even teach directional skills! We solved the Puppy case in less than an hour. I highly recommend this activity for every Disney cruiser. (FYI we thought we’d be smart by getting our case on Deck 5, then going to the uppermost clue on Deck 10 and working our way down - admitting how out of shape we were for the stairs. However, Disney got us. We worked our way down to Deck 2 only to be prompted back up to Deck 9 to solve the case. Foiled!)

Next true cruising set-in… with a 2 hr nap! Then it was off to the Senses Spa Rainforest Room at 2pm.

This multi-area “room” has 2 wet saunas, 1 dry sauna, 4 various temperature and scented public “showers”, 8-10 heated tile loungers, and 2 hot tubs on an open air deck.

We spent most of the time with the heated loungers and hot tubs.

Usually you can buy a day or length of cruise pass to visit the Rainforest Room at your leisure. It’s luck of the draw in how busy/full the spaces might be during your visit. However, one of the best changes for COVID restrictions meant a single party of no more than 10 can reserve the Rainforest Room for 1hr and 45 min! No guessing if you might get a lounger or finding a space to enjoy! Again knowing we might never have this option again, like good introverts, we booked this from the terminal just before boarding the ship. (This could only be booked onboard, not in the pre-cruise booking window like most other spa services.)

Returning back to the room, we watched our departure from Mexico on our verandah and got ready for dinner.

It was back to Royal Court for dinner, with of course a different menu.

Kara got a Farmhouse salad and we both got the chilled Shrimp & Lobster appetizer, and Pasta with lobster (not shown!) as the entrée.

For dessert I convinced Kara to get the Strawberry Shortcake, while I got my favored Grand Marinier Soufflé. Sadly, it was not cooked properly tonight and was very much leaning toward runny scrambled eggs - a rarity :( They also celebrated Kara’s birthday.

Afterward we visited the other jewelry store location as Kara continues her search for a piece to commemorate her mom. Then it was off to 90’s Music Trivia, which moved from O’Gill’s Pub to The Tube due to popularity and capacity. It was definitely the largest activity we had witnessed all cruise. Since Kara is a stronger musician than I am, I always presume she will take the clear lead in our duo. Uh, wrong. Very quickly it was obvious I was scribbling in the answers to the majority of the questions.

Finally we headed back to our stateroom, as we change time back & lose an hour tonight. Inexplicably I got a zapping headache, which required “all the drugs” and a start of sleep after midnight.

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: A special guest and (finally) SWEETS!

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 3 - Monday, October 18, 2021 - Costa Maya, Mexico

Taking you on a Ship Tour! (Photo-heavy, long post!)

Having taken only 1/4 Dramamine, it was another blissful night of rest, awaking around 8-8:30am.

Per the complete itinerary change and our ongoing lack of interest in Mexico (with limited activities per COVID), as is tradition, we remained on the ship (like most guests).

At 10am Kara was off to “Kick-Start Your Day”. (Gotta love a “start your day event at 10am! Ahh vacation!) This was a beverage tasting. Kara said it was a new effort to showcase to guests, as the Spa juice/smoothie bar is closed per COVID. They had Mimosa and Bloody Mary. Kara said she’ll never be able to drink these again unless all the juices are fresh-squeezed like onboard!

The tastings were all hosted in Skyline, our favorite adult club on the Dream-class ships. It’s small with velvet furniture and a faux fireplace. The highlight are the active LED panels around the club. They feature “skyline” views and location-themed music of various international destinations, changing roughly every 12 minutes. (There are even a couple of surprises hidden with them!)

We had heard it was otherwise closed per COVID social distancing. However, I heard after we got home it was open in the evenings. Sad we didn’t spend time there.

We quickly met afterward to grab a bit of food at the pool deck grills. I had a Chicken Caesar Wrap and Kara got a Panini. She was then off to an 11:30am Pedicure in the Spa.

During Kara’s events, I went on a Photo Scavenger Hunt. It was my effort to take many photos across the ship to benefit my Travel clients. ;) So here we go! We’re starting at the top on Decks 13 & 12 with the adult-only pool & lounge areas.

Next is Goofy-themed Mini-Golf.

And onto the shaded Nemo’s Reef for the littlest cruisers, Aqua Lab, and the Family pool & AquaDuck.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique - Where Princesses and Princes can receive Royal and Pirate makeovers.

The “it’s a small world” Nursery for the littlest cruisers and the welcoming Youth Counselors of the Oceaneer Club for ages 3-12 on Deck 5.

Want to take in a premiere, first-run, or classic Disney, Pixar, Marvel, or Star Wars feature film in 2D or 3D? Then the Buena Vista Theater (Decks 4 & 5) is for you!

Back up on Deck 11 are the Cars-themed quick service Grills offering burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza, fruit, and our favorite chicken tenders (with BBQ sauce, of course)!

Still want to plan a shore excursion? Then stop by the Port Adventure desk!

Welcome to the Midship Detective Agency (that we’ll tell you more about later).

Walk to relax or go for a stroll (without hitting the gym)? Then enjoy Deck 4 where you can read or nap in a lounger as the sea rolls by, play shuffleboard, or get in your steps around the entire circumference of the ship!

Now to the three Main Dining Restaurants on Decks 3 & 2 of Animator’s Palate, Royal Court, and Enchanted Garden.

Need in-person assistance beyond the App? Visit Guest Services. FYI the maps on the back wall always show where all the ship in the fleet are currently stationed. (I think they are going to need smaller ship markers soon in order to add the Wish next year!)

Looking for that perfect souvenir (or 10)? Welcome to the Shops promenade.

Here is where you will find the evening Broadway-style shows and entertainment!

The Deck 3 Atrium features not-so-hidden characters in the railings, the ship-specific statue of Mademoiselle Minnie (on the Fantasy), and the Halloween on the High Seas icon tree.

Then there’s D Lounge, a multi-purpose space for family games, speakers, demonstrations, and more in a flexible space surrounded by engaging video screens.

Now it’s off to international destinations of Europa, the Adult Clubs Deck 4, Aft with:

Skyline - specializing in martinis

The Tube - hosting interactive games, trivia, speakers, a DJ/dance floor & more

O’Gills Pub - for trivia and live televised sporting events

Ooh La La - champagne bar

La Piazza - carousel-themed open bar

After Kara’s pedicure, being a hot and sunny day and with some people going ashore, we headed up to Deck 13 Satellite Falls for a bit of “pool” time.

While the deck takes a good bit to get hot, I somewhat burnt the bottom of my foot in a remarkably fast time/short distance. We then rode the AquaDuck. Because of the low guest count, there was NO line/wait, which at this time of year and with this weather, is virtually unheard of!

Again with the vast majority of guests being adults, Satellite Falls got loud (a rarity). So we packed up, grabbed a bite at the Grills (another Chicken Caesar for me and Chicken Tenders & fries for Kara). After a bit of rest, it was showers in preparation for dinner. Tonight we are back in Royal Court.

We let our service team know that if possible, we’d like to be done by 6:45pm in order to catch a 7pm movie. (Keep in mind our dinner began at 5:35pm.) In what had to be unquestionably our fastest 3-course rotational meal, we were done by 6:30pm! (Yikes.)

For our appetizer Kara & I both had the Lobster Ravioli.

Then we also both got the Sea Bass and I added on the Scallops as well. (This had to be one of the best Sea Bass we’d ever had - to the point the scallops were superfluous for me.)

Then for dessert Kara had a Pecan Tart, which surprisingly was cold and crumbly, but not bad. Meanwhile I had the Peanut Butter Brownie bites sundae. I didn’t really taste the peanut butter and, if I’d known there were walnuts in the brownie bites, probably wouldn’t have ordered it. But it was still good nevertheless.

Jetting back to our room, we interrupted Hari completing our turndown service. We quickly changed clothes and arrived at the pool deck with plenty of time before our movie, “Incredibles 2” on Funnel Vision. Let’s pause here, as this is something I’d always wanted to do - a nighttime movie under the (not visible) stars on the ship. However, either we were usually too busy doing other things or it is typically too cold for me. (Tonight was a 2nd night of “Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular in the theatre.)

We were glad we arrived early, as there were many chairs with direct viewing and remarkably, they were eventually all taken during the movie. This was one of those lifetime, yet incredibly simple memories. The giant screen was clear and bright, as was the moon; we were surrounded by the lights of the AquaDuck; we were conveniently steps away from the drink station; Sweet on You was within sight; and the weather was perfect, needing only a light jacket with a calming breeze. This was just our 2nd viewing of the film, which was made so much better with the environment.

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: A Trek ALL around the ship!

#dclreturn

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 2 - Sunday, October 17, 2021 - Day at Sea

It’s Double Palo Day!

I woke up just a few minutes before the 8am alarm. That was extra, long overdue sleep! Hallelujah! I usually sleep better on a cruise that just about anywhere else; I don’t know if it’s the motion of the ship, the Dramamine, or both!

We each took our time showering and getting ready for our 10:30am Palo Brunch. We don’t think we’d done Palo Brunch since perhaps our first cruise in 2006! Since we have extra days and it has new COVID modification, we thought it was a good time to give it another try.

As expected, everything is now ordered instead of having part of the meal be via mini-buffet self-serve options. Because we know what we like (or not) and have an idea of the order, we threw our waitress with indicating an out-of-order pace. We did begin with the offered bread service, an almond croissant for Kara and a Nutella muffin (below) for me.

These might have been the best breads of my life. They tasted house made, straight from France (even though Palo is Italian-themed. Remember Remy, French-themed is right next door!)

Kara decided to try the seafood antipasto, but as expected didn’t like the tuna and overall doesn’t like mussels. While I began with the lasagna.

And now comes the part where most people with scream, “Blasphomy!” I thought my frozen Stouffers from home tasted just as good, even knowing Palo makes all their pasta from scratch. (Sorry!)

Kara then got the Eggs Benedict and we both got the (giant) strawberry Mickey waffle (where I consumed 3 condiment cups of whipped cream).

Shockingly, it was quite rubbery. Kara got a side of the plain risotto, which was nowhere near the life-changing saffron risotto they used to have at dinner.

She also got a Raspberry tart, that as expected, she only took a couple of bites of.

Now hold onto your hats - I ordered no dessert, because I didn’t think I’d like any of the FIVE options. So our waitress just brought me 2 more of the Nutella muffins - & a Happy Birthday plate for Kara, since her birthday was the week prior.

As a benefit of being Platinum Castaway Club we can choose between complimentary Palo Brunch, pre fixe Dinner, or $45 credit toward a la carte Dinner. We went ahead and had the complimentary Brunch applied. In reviewing afterward, we would give Palo Brunch a solid B; I’d say B-. So many people absolutely rave over Palo Brunch and it’s usually a tough reservation to get. Perhaps others better appreciate the menu options and/or the all-you-can-each format, but from this experience… I just don’t get it. Different strokes for different folks!

Bellies definitely full, we headed back to our stateroom. Relenting (& knowing we have onboard credit), we ordered a case of water, I caught upon this blog, and Kara napped.

At 3:30pm we attended Marvel Superman Face Off. (This is dedicated to my Stranded Panda/MCU Podcast friends!)

This multi-round trivia game is typically only offered on Marvel Day at Sea sailings (on Disney Magic, Jan.-Mar.) I didn’t have high expectations for my performance based on my MCU Podcast Wednesday Trivia nights - & knowing the Disney Cruise version includes not just the movies, but also the TV shows and comics. Yet it was still a surprise when we were out after the 2nd question!

As we sat down, I remarked to Kara I’d love to see Melissa Khalil run the board on this. There was a Training Round, Agents of Shield (not specific to the show) Round, and a Super Hero round. It worked to the point only 2 people were left for the final round, which was to watch a monitor and name as many characters in 35 seconds as possible. Holy Smokes! A man named Mitchell from FL Ripped It Up; he would give Melissa a tough battle. (I nearly went over to ask him if he’s a member of the Stranded Panda Army!) I can’t wait to see how this goes down in January during our Marvel Day at Sea cruise!

Too soon it was time to get ready for dinner - Palo Dinner. I knew booking 2 Palos in 1 day was a risk, but we would have a gap of at least 6 hrs. Yet, it wasn’t enough. Neither of us was hungry and my tummy wasn’t doing so well already! I took a few drugs and off we went. (FYI our Main Dining would have been in Animator’s Palate tonight. We specifically arranged to do Palo, as the Animator’s Palate menu isn’t to our liking.)

On the way we discussed how different going to Palo felt since the change in Platinum benefit. Over the years Palo went from $5 to $20-25 and then to about $45pp, which by then we were Platinum with the complimentary benefit. Now they changed it to being either a pre fixe menu or a la carte. We knew we would do the latter, as we have our favorite items. I estimated my meal would be $60-70 and Kara’s even more, plus adding on the tip. Yikes. Compared to an equivalent land version, this was likely still a good value. But compared to previously having it complimentary was a big jump. We feel good about next time using the $45pp Platinum credit, which makes it feel more in line with what we are accustomed to (even with the generous tip)!

Palo has a very different look and feel at night. It’s quieter, calmer, the pace is slower, and the interactions with the staff are more conversational. We had asked for a different server for this evening and were gifted with Borys from Ukraine. (Yes, he has a Y in his name, just like me!) We love hearing the staff member’s stories.

Borys is from a town where being a “seafarer” is common. He did 2 contracts (typically 2-6 months) each on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. Since then, he’s been with Disney for 10 years. (This tells you a lot about the culture of different cruise lines….) He had been in a main dining room as Assistant Server for just 6 weeks before moving to Palo. This is virtually unheard of, as you must have very specific training and be among the best to earn a position in Palo! And he definitely ranked as the best with us!

We had the customary bread service and Kara got an appetizer of Caprese.

Then our pasta & entrees matched. The Pappardelle (my favorite dish across the fleet) was as dreamy as I remembered topped with a perfect de-shelled lobster tail. The portion even seemed larger than normal. At this point we were both full....

Alas, next were the Scallops over risotto. Borys described them as “marshmallows for adults”! They were also excellent, but we missed the saffron risotto, which is now paired with a different item.

For dessert Kara ordered 2 scoops of mixed berry gelato...

...and I, of course, had the Chocolate Soufflé, which was just as perfect as it always is.

At some point Kara also got coffee, which Borys described as:

Noting we hadn’t consumed any alcohol, Borys ended our meal with a shot of apple cider & grenadine. (I actually missed the customary limoncello.)

Afterward, Kara browsed the jewelry store in her quest for a piece commemorating her mom.

We were then seated socially distanced (every other row & 3 seats apart) in the theatre for the 8:45pm “Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular”. Before the show, the Executive Staff of the ship was introduced and the crew count of 1269 was noted. This had to be the very first (& probably last) time we will experience the guests being outnumbered by the crew!

So we have seen Aladdin on this ship previously, along with the now-retired Disneyland show, and the Broadway Tour in Chicago. Surprisingly, this was our least favorite. The Aladdin was a bit weak and the Genie was WAY too far over the top.

Side note: There was a Disney Cruise original, now retired, show of Hercules. The great part about that show was it purposefully infused current cultural references in a hilarious way that usually only the adults understood - like making light fun of current pop stars, etc. It seems they’ve tried to apply that in Aladdin; however, it just doesn’t feel right. The Genie was forcing it and the musical number with a bunch of masked Genies was just plain creepy.

Afterward it was quickly off to sleep as the original “Parent Trap” played on the TV.

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Bonding with our Ship

#dclreturn

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 1 - Saturday, October 16, 2021 - Embarkation Day (Long post!)

Saturday, October 16, 2021 - Embarkation Day

I felt like jumping out of bed a la Anna from “Frozen” declaring, “It’s Embarkation Day!” except...

4am.

Yes, you read that right. As I have long-suffered insomnia (work and personal stress + COVID + cruise protocols) and with it claiming Kara as well recently, we were both awake at 4am, even though the alarm was set for 6:30am. During the extra time we randomly checked the weather, news, our “Plan B” if we were denied boarding, and more useful timed wasters. I also unpackaged the stickers I bought for us “Stay Positive - Test Negative”.

When breakfast started at 6am, we went down to grab a few things (in our PJs) to supplement snacks we brought. Then we were headed out the door promptly at 8am for our return shuttle to the airport to take the Disney Cruise transfer to the port. (If our hotel hadn’t been covered by a Marriott certificate, we would have chosen the more effortless Hyatt IN the Orlando airport.)

We were probably about the 3rd party to arrive and a nice older couple from Alabama struck up a conversation with us. (Knowing what you already have in common makes for easier small talk!) I’d heard the first busses might be leaving around 9:30am. This was a little bit earlier than normal, but the “normals” were uncertain because we heard the resort busses were leaving around 9am instead of the traditional noon! Would all the busses be arriving at the same time?! That would be chaos!

Notice we went all-out with KN-95s (also on the plane).

We were on the first bus from the airport leaving around 9:20am. We both rested our eyes on the way out. Upon arriving at the port I tried not to look at the ship. It would be too heartbreaking if we weren’t able to board. In case you didn’t know, a cruise ship is difficult to avoid!

After a brief wait, we were offloaded and led to the testing tent. Kara remarked this was the most stressful test of our lives, even more so than our doctoral comprehensive exams. (Ok, in hindsight that might be a little overdramatic.) We were each given a bag with a vile, pen, & label. We waited our turn to enter a curtained cubicle area where a staff member from Inspire Diagnostics instructed us to fill out the label and place it on the vile. Then just like our CVS tests, we completed a timed swab of each nostril, inserted into the vile, and closed the bag. We were told it would be a 45-75min wait. Then we were directed to one of the Waiting Tents.

Actually a better description is Waiting and Tension Tents. They were noisily air conditioned and a monitor (with too small print) would list results of either Terminal or Inspire Consult. We had decided to put on “Thor: Ragnarok” during the wait, but neither of us wanted to hassle with our Bose headphones. So we turned on the closed captions and turned the volume all the way up, which really didn’t help because of how loud the A/C was.

After about 20 minutes what we now realize is results from the group prior to us was listed. A teenager in front of us jumped up yelling “Yes!” and most people exited. We recognized others from our bus still with us.

About 10 minutes later, Kara let out a little shriek that she was cleared. I couldn’t login to the site fast enough. There was my Clear to Board as well! I took a long overdue breath and felt tears welling in my eyes. All the stress, testing, keeping up with protocol changes, and enduring work stressors had, in the end, been worth it.

Somehow I kept my wits about me, stowed the iPad, changed from my KN95 to an anchors mask, and donned the silver sequin Ears. Thus, we were the only people left in the tent/last out.

We crossed the street back to the terminal and showed our Disney Cruise Line Port Arrival Time (PAT) QR codes to enter the building. (I have no idea how many times we had to the show the Safe Passage and/or Disney Cruise Line QR codes, but it was A LOT! We had these in print and saved in a photos folder, which I strongly recommend the latter. A Cast Member said the Disney Cruise Line code should have been asked for 7 times!)

Kara was behind me somewhere, as at this point I was on a mission. Entering the building I saw a line of people - and knew that simply couldn’t be for us! LOL! So I quickly scan the area - Silver… Gold… Platinum - that’s us! (Concierge, yeh good for you people who paid A LOT.)

There was just one party ahead of us. And since all of our forms were filled out (thanks to Kara for handling the very last day-of Health Verification form), we were quickly cleared to security.

Security is just like TSA, except oddly I got to keep my beverage, but Kara had to dump hers. We proceeded up the familiar escalator from which you can see the terminal ceiling with wavy panels like the sea. I proclaimed I didn’t know if I’d ever see them again!

Traditionally we would have Group 1 boarding with Platinum status, but per COVID. We had to choose a PAT. The first groups began at 11am and somehow we ended up with Group 4?! However, it was ok as our time was 11:15am.

While we waited Kara informed me we could go ahead and connect to the ship-only WiFi. Only Guest Services & Dining were showing as Chat options that would begin at noon. However, after a couple of tries, while still in the terminal, I was able to connect to Guest Services, who called the Spa for us to reserve the Rainforest Room later in the week. Win! #expertcruiser

Boarding began just before 11 and our group was called by 11:20am.

One of the terminal construction projects now meant the pre boarding photo was in the terminal (actually where Platinum & Concierge used to check-in?!). We always skip the photo, but that didn’t speed us through with the new setup.

Another COVID-related change was in boarding the ship. The traditional announcement thankfully remained and there is now a new mini-Welcome Aboard by Mickey & Minnie. Since they can only accommodate about 10 families for this with social distancing, it definitely slowed-down boarding. Loved the little show, but there’s no way they can keep it once things get back to capacity. (This paced boarding definitely kept Cabanas from being crazy.)

Welcome Aboard Video (Sorry I cannot get the Embed to work!)

Instead of going straight to lunch, we were directed to complete the new Virtual Muster Drill. While we’re starving, we went ahead and complied. Since you board on Deck 3, we simply took the stairs up to 4 where all the Assembly Stations are. (I admit I didn’t look on the map to see where ours was, but I did know it was “P”.) We asked the first Crew Member we saw and he pointed & said “The Tube”, which as returning cruisers, we knew exactly where & what that meant!

There was a family in front of us who obviously didn’t, so when we passed (with purpose) they got the message and indicated to follow us. Here’s the thing, the Tube is the adult-only night club and the adults section of this ship has a number of different areas and lounges. It’s also one of the few areas that doesn’t have a square or straight layout. In fact, it’s the opposite. Just Google ”Disney Fantasy adult club bathrooms” (weird I know!) These are curved walls with a stone finished and a very tight walkway. If you didn’t know all this, you’d think you were lost or not in a public area.

Yet like Formula 1 drivers, we zipped through there, which dumps you right into The Tube, snapped the photo of our Muster station, and headed to lunch.

On the way to lunch (being roughly 12:30pm at this point), we kind of decided to just head to the poolside grills instead of fighting the masses in Cabanas. Coming up to 11 Aft, I think we forgot this brings you to the hallway WITHIN Cabanas. While we tried to tell the Crew that no we weren’t eating in Cabanas, which I think they tried to ignore, because eating in Cabanas is WHAT YOU DO upon boarding, it gave us time to look around. Astoundingly Cabanas was indeed not chaos. So we not only decided to stay, we elected to eat outside - a rarity for us as I’m super temperature sensitive to cold, as Kara is to hot. Like Goldilocks, today was just right (in the shade)! This was probably the first moment I finally paused to realize we’d made it!

Cabanas being cafeteria-style service instead of self-service was a bit of a change, but it was fine. In fact it might have been better from a logistical standpoint. It’s just with set stations, there is far less food variety.

Staterooms weren’t to be ready until 3pm. So I found us shady chairs by the pool, as Funnel Vision was showing Cars, one of my faves. (Trust me, the picture quality is excellent in person!)

I tried to shoot some pool/adult quick videos for my travel agent clients from here and up on Deck 12. By 2:30pm we were getting too hot and headed inside. With luck and a bit expectedly, the staterooms were available; we met our stateroom Steward Hari from Indonesia; and our luggage had arrived! My BESTEST Friend Kara surprised me/us with some stateroom krispie treat goodies!

As well as some beautiful sparkling apple cider:

I shot a pretty terrible video of our stateroom (that I now cannot find, which must be fate?) before we went to work unpacking and stowing the bags. The 4am start and emotions of the day were taking their toll as we collapsed for a bit and then endured a too long series of loud Welcome announcements over the PA at 4pm. During all this time I kept popping over to the Facebook group for this sailing and learned the rumored numbers/capacity for this cruise:

1080 Guests, of which

Less than 200 were kids

What?! Whoa. And YESSSSSS!!!!!

For perspective, the Fantasy capacity is usually 4000 Guests. Hello Introvert Heaven! (This is as close to an adult-only sailing as we will likely ever get!)

At this point we were super glad to be on Main Dining at 5:35pm, because honestly we were so tired we just wanted to go to sleep. We’d been going for over 12 hrs at this point.

As requested, our Rotation was RAERAAER, which meant we were in Royal Court tonight. Luckily, Kara looked at the menu in advance, as it wasn’t the usual that we expected. She surmised this was due to the 8 vs 7 night sailing and it appeared as if the first night was different than usual.

Arriving to the Deck 3 Atrium, we were stunned. Pre-dinner is typically a really busy time in this area with character greetings and family photos. From Deck 5 we saw Pluto, so we scurried down for Kara to have pictures taken with her now-second favorite pup and a Donald. Per social distancing they are much further apart than usual!

There was so no line to get into Royal Court, so we thought they might be loading from the side door. Nope. They were just finishing a Crew meeting prior to opening the doors.

Assigned Table 8 we were in the center of the dining room right next to the unplayed baby grand piano. Royal Court is one of our least favorite decorated restaurants. While it is a nod to the classic Princesses, it took us a bit to figure out how to describe it, which is probably “antique”. However, we also spied Carriage light posts, which I honestly don’t know if they were there previously or not!

Our Server was Tony from India and Assistant Server, NeiNei from South Africa. (FYI it’s pretty rare to have a female server at all.) They will be a great duo for us, especially because it seems NeiNei will laugh and joke around with us!

I have no idea what Kara had for her appetizer:

I tried a new option of Chicken Mastela(?), described as chicken wrapped in a phyllo topped with cinnamon & sugar. This sounded like “chicken dessert”! I’m not sure what it was spiced with that held a moderate heat; it was quite good.

For the entrée we both ordered the same, also a rarity, of the Pasta Arribiatta. This is penne topped with a red sauce and shrimp. It felt like there was A LOT more pasta on the plate than usual, and somehow I ate it all.

For dessert Kara tried the chocolate bomb with raspberry filling.

Even though she hates all “gooey” textures, she keeps trying these Disney Cruise Line desserts, which are often this texture. Meanwhile I ordered the Magical Express Sundae. (First, why would you name a dessert after a form of transportation and Second, one that is about to be ended?!) Regardless, the mint chocolate ice cream with hot fudge, whipped cream, and a square of shortbread (yum!) & Mickey chocolate, was the perfect ending to this meal.

Next we headed to the Shops conveniently on Deck 3 and encountered the busiest area so far. We browsed and were pretty disappointed- the new items weren’t intriguing and the few things we loved, we already had. Fear not, we’ll definitely give it all another look in the coming days.

I wanted to introduce myself to the Sweet on You staff (Deck 11). This is MY spot on the Dream-class ships - a dedicated dessert shop! The highlights are gelato, ice cream, sundaes, shakes, and themed baked goods. I walk in and say, “Hello! I’m Gayle. I’ll be seeing you every day!”

In Sweet on You I snapped all the pictures since it was empty, met the staff, and inquired about any daily specials or different options during the cruise.

Still stuffed from dinner, we got cups of water from the staffed drink station and returned to our stateroom.

We elected to not go to the opening night show, as it was a variety act, which we typically don’t love. The only reason I wanted to go was learn the guest count (which we kinda already knew) and the Castaway Club ratio, which honestly you can tell by lanyards around the ship.

We were informed since we’re headed to Mexico, the clocks were turned back (to Central time). What?! A blessed extra hour of sleep?! Yes please! While I usually wind-down by journaling for this blog, I was too tired to even turn on the iPad (especially when I figured out I’d need to use Notes instead of Google Docs, since I didn’t think to start the doc while still having internet).

Even being exhausted and having taken 1/2 a Dramamine (habit), I feared not being able to go to sleep and turned on Princess Diaries from the On Demand. No fear. I was probably asleep by 9:30-10pm (Central)!

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Double Palo Day!

#dclreturn

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Day 0 - Traveling to Orlando

Friday, October 15, 2021 - Transport to Orlando

We left Kara’s house as the contractors were still hard at work installing new cabinets as part of her “kitchen gut project”. Due to so many of the unknowns of COVID, Disney Cruise Line, and the recent weather & air traffic control issues for Florida flights, we considered some alternatives like flying a night early or just an earlier flight, but the latter had our layover even further away from FL. Kara had gotten to the point of just wanting to drive (16 hrs!), which was my “break glass in case of emergency” option.

Thanks to our Atkinson friends, we had insights that helped us feel a bit more confident in our set flight plan. With all of these stressors and more, we had upgraded to first-class on American due to my credits. This was a very good thing, as the check-in lines were long since curbside check-in isn’t currently available.

Inexplicably we had to confirm we were actually flying First by the agent. (What? We were dressed just fine, so no idea what that was about.) TSA was as good as we could expect; Pre-Check was still a slightly shorter line.

Our first flight (1:02pm) to Philly was smooth and First was only about half full; there weren’t any people in the seats in front of or behind us! Wow. Everything was right on time, so our potential curse from the prior business class flight through Philly for a Disney Cruise seems to have gratefully just been a fluke! Phew!

We had just enough time to get to the next terminal, visit the restroom, and grab some snacks before boarding to Orlando. There was a plane change, but otherwise smooth & on-time flying to Orlando. (Slight note: Kara’s First seat was marked out of order for reclining and the 2nd flight had a lavatory out of order, so we don’t know what American was doing during all of these COVID slow-downs, but it doesn’t seem to have been maintenance….)

At Orlando our bags dropped quick since they were marked Priority. We called the hotel shuttle and after a moderate wait we’re headed to the hotel. We figured out the driver had a pick-up at the other terminal. I haven’t seen traffic that crazy at MCO in a LONG time. It was 8pm by the time we got to the hotel (a new TownePlace Suites by Marriott Orlando Airport) - and I still needed to shower and we hadn’t yet had dinner.

Kara quickly ordered Chick-fil-A via DoorDash and we were fully lights-out between 10:30-11pm

Next Up: Will we fail our test?!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

#dclreturn

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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Kara's Cruise Prep Journey (3 days pre-cruise)

Hi all! I'm Kara.

As G (Gayle) said, I'm a type A planner in my work life who very much prefers to go into chilled out vacay mode and just let G sweat all the details of our vacation planning. I have many, many times said just take my credit card and tell me when to be at the airport. [Side note: She actually did this once and it was such a fun trip!]

For this trip though, maybe it was the fact that I had to set up my own Safe Passage account and upload my vaccination card but I have been teeming with anxiety for about the last two weeks. It might also be because I've got a crazy job, a soon to be 10 month old puppy that I love and adore and am training to be a therapy dog and that I am quite literally in the messy middle of a full gut of my kitchen and replacement of more than 800 square feet of flooring. Regardless of the reason, I've been in full on freak out mode for about two weeks.

Let's start with the specific details of what's causing anxiety as we make the run up to this trip:

Covid Testing - First, just COVID (can I get an amen?!). I got my vaccine appointment the day I was age group eligible. I had made it through the entirety of 2020 and 2021 without a COVID test. Then about three months back Disney changes their rules and says you have to be vaccinated AND have a negative test AT THE PORT!

G and I were lucky enough to attend the Disney Women's Leadership Summit a couple of years ago and heard presentation after presentation where Cast Members shared that Disney's first value is SAFETY. I get it. I appreciate it. But AT THE PORT?! I don't relax on most trips until I'm on the plane to my destination. (Read departure day of our 2019 med blog if you want just one example of why that last flight to the destination is really the time to relax. Well, now, I won't relax until I see "CLEARED TO BOARD" after my embarkation COVID test at the port.

I do get it. Part of me even agrees with it - the part that cares about corporate values on display in living color. The part of me that really, truly needs this vacation is worried sick.

In order to "prepare" for the trip, Gayle and I both agreed we'd get voluntarily tested a few days prior to leaving. I mean, Why go if you test positive before you even depart? Due to my work schedule, I had to get mine scheduled for Sunday, October 10 at 3 p.m. I scheduled it about a month in advance at my local CVS. I woke up Sunday morning and - voila! - there is an email from CVS confirming my appointment. I pull up to the drive thru window after I've already psyched myself up for the nose tickling experience and proudly say, "I'm here for my COVID test." The woman at the register says, "You've got the wrong CVS - we're not doing tests anymore."

CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC

I blame fog of war for the fact that I don't really remember exactly what happened next but after a conversation with the store manager and pharmacist who both confirmed that there were no COVID tests on premise or they would administer one for me since a) I had crazy eyes and b) my email clearly showed I was in the right place at the right time for the right thing. I drove to Home Depot to pick up my kitchen sink (see the aforementioned kitchen remodel - this was my fifth trip to a store this weekend to make the final pick ups of the various parts and pieces that were needed and couldn't get delivered for whatever reason).

IMPORTANT LEARNING...Did you know, if you say "ducking" with an "f" into Google's Voice to Text for Android Auto that it will actually bleep it when it reads it back to you? That word was in my text to Gayle while I was driving to Home Depot frantically trying not to fall apart while also explaining that my COVID plan had failed.

[Let's pause here for a moment, shall we? This test is NOT required. It was for our own mental sanity. And yet, I'm freaking out. This is my rational brain talking. The brain that is normally running my life. I'd like that brain back please....okay, freaked out brain is back to tell the rest of her story.] So, somehow I find out while waiting on the nice people to bring my sink out that there is a fall festival at a church right around the corner where they are doing drive in vaccination and TESTING and they have appointments still available. I make one for 20 minutes later, get my sink and hightail it over to this church where I proceed to the well marked check in tent, check in, and then proceed to the testing tent where some military personnel were ready to perform my test. [Dog training pause: Kona - the nearly 10 month old miniature double doodle that is the light of my life - is training to be a therapy dog.

He was with me for the errands and so came along to the tents with me. Can I just pause for a moment and say what a good boy he was?! It was a proud momma moment for sure as he sat politely while everyone played with him and petted him. It was a great time to educate folks about therapy dogs and the differences between them and emotional support dogs. While you should always ask to pet a dog with a vest on, his specific role in life will be to cuddle and get love from anyone who needs to give it. He did an amazing job in our little impromptu training session.] By the time I got home (not more than 30 minutes later), my results were in...and they were ...........INCONCLUSIVE. So, while I'm forever grateful to the Indiana State Department of Health volunteers (several of whom were students and faculty at the college where I work) and the military personnel serving this particular mission, it did not advance my goal of seeing the word NEGATIVE next to my name on a COVID test before we leave. So, I trolled through test site after test site after test site and finally found a test site at another CVS in Middletown, Indiana on Monday afternoon at 4:40. I should say that my job ordinarily involves a lot of driving between our various college campuses. That Monday, I was already scheduled to do about just over 4 hours and 46 minutes (201 miles) on the road. This little detour added another hour and another 55 miles. In the grand scheme of things, it's nothing, but still! I arrived at this CVS, was greeted by the lovely young woman who has clearly done the COVID testing spiel about 1000 times. I pulled forward, did my test and I'm now anxiously awaiting my results.

Flights - So, the airlines right now. Between family, friends, and Gayle's clients, NO ONE WE KNOW THAT HAS FLOWN IN THE LAST WEEK has had an even decent flight experience. And, no, they are not all on Southwest.

I have a wonderful friend whose husband works in the airline industry so I called her. They are also leaving on Friday morning at 6 a.m. from our same airport on American. Her husband says that American will be fine and we'll be fine. His endorsement and the fact that this friend will text me if anything at all goes wrong with their flight and the fact that we can still toss our bags in my car and drive all night from our local airport and arrive for our PAT (Port Arrival Time) is the ONLY thing keeping me from going into a full on breakdown right now. So, will we fly or will we drive? Will I get a negative test result back before we go? What will we do if I don't, but Gayle's was already negative (YAY!!!)? Will my contractor be able to get my kitchen cabinets in in time for the counter top installers to come and template while we're gone? Will the dog do okay with my dad and my sister for 10 days? What will blow up at work while I'm gone? So, today (Tuesday of embarkation week), I went into full on meltdown mode about the flights and have begun trying to convince Gayle that we should just load up and drive to the port - that would take 16hrs. G is doing her level best to be the voice of reason and I gave her every reason in the book why none of the options she has presented will help us in our quest to arrive at the port by our designated Port Arrival Time (PAT). And, let's not even go to the point that our connection is through Philly (see the aforementioned departure day from the 2019 Med trip for reasons why the very idea of Philly might cause me some anxiety). I NEED A VACATION...PLEASE LET IT BE THIS CRUISE!

Disclaimer: Gayle is a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact her today for a no-obligation quote!

#dclreturn

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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PACKING

Do we even remember how to do this?

If you’ve never heard the foundational basis for packing for a cruise, it is “Pack. Then take out 1/3-1/2.” It sounds crazy, but it is SO true! I was excited to finally unearth my big Dakine rolling duffle and Kara had to buy a new piece entirely. (Due to the supply chain creating a struggle, she ended up with a highly-rated TravelPro option, as we couldn’t find a Dakine she liked that was in an acceptable price range and actually available!)

Normally I could pack for a cruise fairly quickly (which for me is a couple of days)! However, being out of practice and not wanting to miss anything, I pulled-up my Excel-based foundational packing list - those things that go on EVERY cruise. A few tips:

Take a laundry bag, preferably a compression/Space Bag - Pack your clothes like normal to go and then use a bag like this for laundry for the return. The compression then makes room for any souvenirs you buy!

Bring a bit of bubble wrap - In case you acquire anything fragile.

Packing Cubes - It took me years to warm up to these. Especially for cruises, where your space is limited, they can keep like items together and contained.

Plastic baggies (in various sizes) - You never know what might need to be stored, especially liquid/spillable items, for your entire trip, in a day bag to the beach, etc. For this trip we brought along travel-sized sanitizer and foaming soap pump bottles with our favorite Bath & Body Works soap since we knew we would be sanitizing far more than usual!

Take a photo of your luggage - If your luggage ever gets delayed or lost, this is EXTREMELY helpful to the airline in trying to recover it! (See our 2019 Med Cruise....)

Wristlet/small phone bag (especially for the ladies) - Now that virtually everything is on the App and phones are cameras, the days of (gloriously) locking our phones in the safe for the duration of the cruise are long-gone. We never buy an internet package, which is a whole other topic.... I didn’t want to have my hand cramping in a claw from from clenching my phone for hours at a time (as we know most ladies’ clothes don’t have deep enough pockets - if any at all). So you will see a blue rectangle in the lower left corner. This was a convenient wristlet to hold my phone and a separate pocket for notes, cash, etc. The clear plastic allowed for using it in the case and using facial recognition, but I did have to keep taking it out for photos....

Back to the overall strategy, you can barely see small strips of paper on the couch. Learned from our Med cruise, I make one label for each day. This helps me visually see what I might need for each day (on or off ship) and mostly to determine multi-functional items that can be casual day items and also dressed-up for dinner & show nights.

A tip on behalf of BFF Kara - make sure to travel with a friend who packs less than you do. This way if your bag is overweight, you can transfer a few items from your bag to hers. ;)

Below is just me wanting to post my new shoes that reminded me of ocean waves. These were purchased in March 2020 - & worn for the first time on this cruise!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

#dclreturn

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dclreturn · 3 years ago

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The Journey to this Cruise

Did anyone ever envision using the term “global pandemic” in a trip blog?! Well, here we are! Let’s see how many times things changed....

June 2019 - During our Med cruise, like usual we purchased a Placeholder. A few days later we applied this to the November 2020 5 night Very Merrytime cruise from San Juan to Miami. While we had stopped at San Juan previously, we hadn’t gotten off this ship. Now both Kara and I had ideas about how to specifically spend time in San Juan. So flying in as the departure port would allow us the time we desired. (You know where this was headed, but let’s “put a pin in this”.)

March 2020 - Here we go.... Gayle was to co-lead a university study abroad to Rome & London in May and Kara was to join her for the London portion. In early March COVID news began; Italy closed; and the trip shifted entirely to London. Then it was cancelled. Immediately we grabbed a “last minute” short DCL cruise for May 2020 as a sub. We even booked a GTY stateroom, which we’ve never done.

June 2020 - May 2020 DCL was cancelled and we received a 125% Future Cruise Credit.

July 2020 - November 2020 DCL cruise cancelled. The very next day we applied the May 2020 125% credit for “this” cruise - an Oct 2021 8 night Eastern Caribbean Halloween on the High Seas. Not only have we longed for a >7 night cruise, but are also to the point we look for new and different itineraries. If you are a seasoned DCL cruise, you know the 8 night option is rare. The itinerary was to be:

And hey, Look! There’s San Juan, for which we even booked an independent food tour! Then, the cold, isolated winter months of COVID continued.

March 2021 - As a birthday present to myself we booked a Jan. 2022 5 night Marvel Day at Sea Western Caribbean, but that’s a topic for a separate trip blog!

June 2021 - After the long-awaited announcement, on Opening Day we booked a Sept. 2022 4 night Bahamian on the new Disney Wish launching in June 2022!

Aug. 2021 - COVID protocols changed (for the seemingly millionth time) to require all guests, regardless of vaccination status, to test at the port. This is something we said would make us cancel the cruise, as we couldn’t fathom the time and effort to get to the port and all of the stress of not knowing if we might be denied boarding - as we stare longingly at the ship! However, desperation won-out and we kept the reservation.

Sept. 2021 - Then a somewhat expected itinerary change was communicated:

Apparently San Juan is never to be! However, this would be our first “Double Dip” with TWO stops at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Plus, we were offered a $500 onboard credit if we kept this sailing. At this point we didn’t care about anything except just getting on the ship!

So THIS is now our cruise!

Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

Next up: Do we remember how to prepare and pack?

#dclreturn

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