Disney Dream Senior Edition!!

[moopig]

Love your review! Keep it coming! Just booked this cruise for Hubbies b-day next month and am so excited :) First Disney cruise!

[rpow]

Thank you so much Host Mick. I knew that there just had to be a way to include the photos where you didn't actually need a magnifying glass to see them. :p

David is currently building a ramp for our 16 year old 'rottie'. when he is through with that he said he will tackle the whole photo thing. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it works. If not, there's worse things than breaking out the ol' magnifying glass i suppose. heehee

[rpow]

Thank you moopig. I am so glad that you are liking the report. I will admit that I tend to ramble both when I write and when I talk. what can I say, I come from a big puerto rican family and we all lo-o-o-ve to talk. :D

What a wonderful thing that you are taking your husband on a Disney birthday cruise! I just know that you are both gonna love it. I wish you both fair winds and following seas.

When you get back, I would love to hear all about your first experience with a Disney cruise.

[Shmoo here]

I tell ya, however we try it we can't seem to figure out the whole 'normal' photo size thing. If I may, is there anyone out there who can explain to us how to do this. I would truly appreciate any help. I know for sure that it can and is done all the time because I have read many reviews with wonderful photos included and they are all big and beautiful. we looked at the ones we want to include and they look nice and big but when the post goes up they are just thumbnail sized. kinda frustrating really. Sometimes being technology challenged is a drag!... sigh

 

I use Tinypic.com to download my pictures. You several size options there. I generally use "Messge Board" size. Then just copy and past the IMG code in your message.

 

I tried a couple of different sizes when I was first learning..

 

:)

[rpow]

I’m back! Ok so after we all checked out our new digs we decided to just chill in the room until our fire and safety drill at 4pm. Dad, mom and David took a little nap while I just sat on our balcony and relaxed. I keep a journal of all of our vacations so I did a bit of writing at this time.

When it was time, we got ready for our safety drill which was in the Buena Vista theater. It was a bit of a mad house at the elevators but we made it just fine. When we entered the theater, they instructed us to go up to the balcony to take our seats. Poor mom kept apologizing to the people walking up the stairs behind us for her being slow. I told her that she didn’t need to apologize. There’s no harm in being careful when climbing stairs and I’m sure that everyone understood. I will say that on her behalf those darn stairs seemed endless!! We did just fine and got comfy in our seats to wait for the drill to begin. The safety drill started on time and actually was a pretty quick and painless procedure. Now, while I am mentioning this, I want to mention something else about the drill nowadays. When David and I first started cruising with Disney, everyone had to don their life jackets and go to their lifeboat stations where the crew would demonstrate the proper way to wear the jackets and so on. It’s not like this at all anymore and just for myself I really wish that they would go back to the old way. There is a reason for my crazy and definitely unpopular opinion on this. David and I have been through countless of safety drills in the past. Heck David still has to go through them monthly on his ships. I did my stint in the Navy back in the day and the ships have always been about safety and the proper procedures for everything. I am of the frame of mind that in order to know how to react in an emergency and in order for absolute calmness to occur in said emergency you really need to practice what to do over and over. On the Naval vessels everyone knew exactly where they had to be and how to go about getting there with little or no chaos involved. This was drilled into the crew. Today because so many people have mentioned not liking to wear their life jackets or standing out in the elements for the drill, the cruise lines have tried to make the whole procedure as painless as possible. We don’t even have to bring the jackets with us anymore. I know that many people are of the thought that ‘well everyone can follow instructions and all will be smooth and well.’ Let me tell ya, when Heaven forbid that emergency does occur (and I pray it never does) there will be thousands of people who have no idea what to do. It’s all good and dandy to think ‘sure the crew told me how to put on my jacket and how to properly secure it and then I just go to wherever my group has to meet. Piece of cake.’ In an emergency your mind tends to go blank. Panic is the first emotion and for many the only emotion. So trying to remember what a crew member told you to do is not necessarily as cut and dry as that. But if you physically had to practice donning your own jacket and securing it even it was only a one time practice, I really think that you’d have a much better chance remembering what to do if the time ever came.

Whew, what the heck, I went on a tangent there for a bit! :D Now back to the regularly scheduled program… I mean review. Heehee After the drill we made our way to what I consider one of the highlights of any Disney cruise, the Sail Away Party. Can I get a woop woop:D it was crowded up there but we were able to get a spot at the rail. We accidentally got off on the 11th deck and had to walk up to the 12th for a better view of the stage area. I was kicking myself left and right ‘cause here were some more darn stairs for mom and dad to climb. :( The party takes place right in front of the huge tv/movie screen on deck. Soon the dancing began and my beloved characters came out to wish us all a proper send off. We danced and sang and had a great ol’ time. It was wonderful. Mom and dad loved it. But wait, it didn’t end there. Nuh uhh, then came the ultimate and final part which was the blowing of the ship’s horn. I cried like a baby!!!! I’m such a sap I tell ya. The crowd roared their approval and we were officially off. (well, ok, not really ‘cause everyone was waiting for us to pull away from the pier but that part didn’t happen for another 10 or 15 minutes. But It really didn’t matter ‘cause with the sounding of the horns, there was absolutely no mistaking that our vacation had officially begun!! I tell ya, I have a lump in my throat just writing this part down.

We made our way back to the room as the characters left the stage. Crazy head that I am I was dancing and twirling all the way to the room. Heehee

[rpow]

Oh Shmoo, if you only knew how hard we've been trying to get these darn photos to come out normal sized. I tell ya, poor David is giving me the evil eye! My darling is out in the back yard with lumber stacked up all around him and I keep pestering him to figure it out! I've decided that for his sanity and my life's sake :p I will just submit the photos elf sized heehee

 

I am in complete awe of all you folks out there who have mastered the whole process. I really mean it when I say 'hats off to you all' 'cause over here we're just a hot mess!!

[Shmoo here]

I’m back! Ok so after we all checked out our new digs we decided to just chill in the room until our fire and safety drill at 4pm. Dad, mom and David took a little nap while I just sat on our balcony and relaxed. I keep a journal of all of our vacations so I did a bit of writing at this time.

When it was time, we got ready for our safety drill which was in the Buena Vista theater. It was a bit of a mad house at the elevators but we made it just fine. When we entered the theater, they instructed us to go up to the balcony to take our seats. Poor mom kept apologizing to the people walking up the stairs behind us for her being slow. I told her that she didn’t need to apologize. There’s no harm in being careful when climbing stairs and I’m sure that everyone understood. I will say that on her behalf those darn stairs seemed endless!! We did just fine and got comfy in our seats to wait for the drill to begin. The safety drill started on time and actually was a pretty quick and painless procedure. Now, while I am mentioning this, I want to mention something else about the drill nowadays. When David and I first started cruising with Disney, everyone had to don their life jackets and go to their lifeboat stations where the crew would demonstrate the proper way to wear the jackets and so on. It’s not like this at all anymore and just for myself I really wish that they would go back to the old way. There is a reason for my crazy and definitely unpopular opinion on this. David and I have been through countless of safety drills in the past. Heck David still has to go through them monthly on his ships. I did my stint in the Navy back in the day and the ships have always been about safety and the proper procedures for everything. I am of the frame of mind that in order to know how to react in an emergency and in order for absolute calmness to occur in said emergency you really need to practice what to do over and over. On the Naval vessels everyone knew exactly where they had to be and how to go about getting there with little or no chaos involved. This was drilled into the crew. Today because so many people have mentioned not liking to wear their life jackets or standing out in the elements for the drill, the cruise lines have tried to make the whole procedure as painless as possible. We don’t even have to bring the jackets with us anymore. I know that many people are of the thought that ‘well everyone can follow instructions and all will be smooth and well.’ Let me tell ya, when Heaven forbid that emergency does occur (and I pray it never does) there will be thousands of people who have no idea what to do. It’s all good and dandy to think ‘sure the crew told me how to put on my jacket and how to properly secure it and then I just go to wherever my group has to meet. Piece of cake.’ In an emergency your mind tends to go blank. Panic is the first emotion and for many the only emotion. So trying to remember what a crew member told you to do is not necessarily as cut and dry as that. But if you physically had to practice donning your own jacket and securing it even it was only a one time practice, I really think that you’d have a much better chance remembering what to do if the time ever came.

Whew, what the heck, I went on a tangent there for a bit! :D Now back to the regularly scheduled program… I mean review. Heehee After the drill we made our way to what I consider one of the highlights of any Disney cruise, the Sail Away Party. Can I get a woop woop:D it was crowded up there but we were able to get a spot at the rail. We accidentally got off on the 11th deck and had to walk up to the 12th for a better view of the stage area. I was kicking myself left and right ‘cause here were some more darn stairs for mom and dad to climb. :( The party takes place right in front of the huge tv/movie screen on deck. Soon the dancing began and my beloved characters came out to wish us all a proper send off. We danced and sang and had a great ol’ time. It was wonderful. Mom and dad loved it. But wait, it didn’t end there. Nuh uhh, then came the ultimate and final part which was the blowing of the ship’s horn. I cried like a baby!!!! I’m such a sap I tell ya. The crowd roared their approval and we were officially off. (well, ok, not really ‘cause everyone was waiting for us to pull away from the pier but that part didn’t happen for another 10 or 15 minutes. But It really didn’t matter ‘cause with the sounding of the horns, there was absolutely no mistaking that our vacation had officially begun!! I tell ya, I have a lump in my throat just writing this part down.

We made our way back to the room as the characters left the stage. Crazy head that I am I was dancing and twirling all the way to the room. Heehee

 

 

I'm enjoying reading your trip report. Could I ask a little favor? Could up break it up a bit? As in not one big block of words? Paragraphs? Thanks.

 

:)

[rpow]

Dad took another nap until it was time for us to get ready for dinner. Tonight our dining room was the same as lunch. Dad decided that he’d had enough excitement for the day and decided to rest in the room while mom, David and I went to eat. I don’t even remember what we all ate but everything was delicious. I believe mom and I had the lamb though. Come to think of it, I think I had lamb everyday. I’d had it at the buffet for lunch earlier too. Since I am the only one at home who likes it I don’t tend to make it. So, any opportunity that I had on the ship to eat it was an opportunity not wasted. :p

[rpow]

After dinner, we came back to the room to check and see if dad wanted to come to the show which was the ‘Golden Mickeys’ but he was sound asleep. We all loved the show. We were early enough so that we scored great seats right up front. This helped mom tremendously. I was so glad ‘cause that really allowed her to appreciate the show all the more. After the show, we made our way back to the room. Dad was awake and he was plenty hungry. We ordered room service for him which came like in 10 minutes. That to me was shocking but in a most awesome way ‘cause when I was on the Carnival Dream back in August with my family room service never failed to take a minimum of 45 minutes to arrive!! We all settled in for the night and each one of us had the best sleep in the world’s most comfortable beds!! :D I tell ya, Disney just gets better and better. Even down to the small details like how super comfy their beds are. Heehee Next up, day two—Nassau

[moopig]

What was the show like? I have heard Disney shows are very good.

 

I agree with you about the safety drills!

[rpow]

Day two… Nassau, the Pirate Party and Disney fireworks. Yippee!!! Last night David filled out the room service breakfast order form that we’d found on our desk so that we could enjoy a light breakfast on our balconies. He’d wanted mom and dad to fill one out for their room but they were hesitant. So, we just ordered enough for everyone to have a small taste. Room service came right on time at 7:30am. We tipped them and invited mom and dad to come have some ‘vittles’ as dad calls it.

 

 

 

The day had dawned beautiful and warm for Nassau. It was great being able to sit on the balcony and enjoy a hot cuppa joe or a glass of orange juice in my case. Mom and dad decided it was most wonderful and that they would do their own ordering for the next morning. We created instant fans!! Since we are huge fans of that first cup of coffee/juice early in the a.m. out on the balcony, we couldn’t agree more with their enthusiasm. :D

 

Once dad looked over the balcony railing and saw how far we would all have to walk just to get to the tourist shops at the beginning of town, the decision was made to stay on board.

 

 

 

We all went up to Cabanas for a ‘real’ breakfast. As you all can imagine, it was a bit chaotic up there. Everyone who was going ashore wanted to get in a good breakfast before departing and I didn’t blame them one bit. It was at this time as we were going through the buffet line that David decided he really much prefers the Disney Wonder. This is for two reasons: the Wonder has much less people which he considers a plus. And, the way the buffet is set up on that ship is completely different. On the Wonder you have stations for different groups of items. So, in the three prior trips that we’d taken on her there was never really an instant of having to wait in line. On the Dream, the line starts as soon as you enter through the doors and walk a few feet forward. Now, we found out later that in that same line the food items actually repeat themselves every so many feet. I think that maybe if Disney stationed a crew member inside the door to keep the line moving and instruct people of the repetitive items then maybe it would have been better. For example, we shop at the Commissary on the military base which is the equivalent of a supermarket out in town. Anywho, the line starts the same as the line on Disney but at the Commissary there is someone there constantly directing shoppers to which lines are available. So, there is literally no reason for a bottle neck to form. I think this system is pretty genius and it seems to work really well ‘cause let me tell ya that place can get crazy crowded. :p

 

After breakfast we made our way back to the room and dad was having a bit of a time with his breathing. He had to do one of his oxygen treatments but after he relaxed for a little while, he felt better. We all went to the atrium to take some photos and just have a look around. I guess quite a few people had gotten off the ship ‘cause both in front of and inside the elevators was blessedly empty!!!! Yea, no waiting around!! I was especially grateful because dad was hauling his oxygen with him. We took a few pictures and headed back to the room for everyone to nap and rest up some. Well, except me, I just hung out on the balcony writing in my journal.

 

 

 

My peeps woke up around 2pm and we decided to go up top for a little bit. We were all a little hungry so we got some food stuffs from the quickie serve places up there. David and I had an appointment at 3pm to hear a Disney Vacation Club seminar. We brought mom and dad back to the room and off we went. It was a pretty cool seminar but I have to say, when it ended David and I just looked at each other like huh!!! We were so confused as to how the thing worked. They encouraged those of us who had any questions to pick a time for a one on one meeting. Good thing too, ‘cause David snapped up the very first one quick fast and in a hurry. Heehee

 

 

 

I went back to the room to get mom and dad ready for dinner. David would meet us up there once he was done. Tonight dinner was in ‘Royal Palace’. We all got gussied up and off we went. Dad came along this time and it was really great. Before we entered the dining room, lined up right outside were a bunch of crew members and they were dressed to the nines in their spiffy uniforms. They looked awesome and it was great. They greeted each of us with warm welcomes as we made our way to our table. Oh my gosh, can I just say that Royal Palace is just beautiful. All of the lovely details come together to create such a wonderful atmosphere. Two thumbs up for sure. Heehee Please forgive me for this next part ‘cause I had written down everyone’s names that we’d had personal contact with such as our room attendant, our head server, waiter and assistant waiter and I cannot for the life of me find that darn piece of paper. This presents a huge problem for me since I am the world’s worst when it comes to remembering names!!! Faces are another story entirely. Those I could recognize even after years of the last encounter. :eek:

Dad fussed some because although he felt that the room was beautiful, he felt that the menu was too fancy for his taste. David pointed out that they had beef tenderloin and he was happy with that. Our waiters were really great and put him and all of us at ease right away. I tell ya, these people work so very hard and they do such an awesome job of making sure everything is just perfect so that all of the guests can enjoy the very best experience. Kudos to Disney!!!

[rpow]

Lawsy, I am totally giving up on the whole photo thing for this review!!!! I just tried twice to send some more photos but it keeps coming back to me as an error. So, the rest of the report will have to be sans photos. boo!!!!!

[rpow]

the Golden Mickey's was really neat. I've always enjoyed the Disney shows big time.

 

I don't want to give anything away 'cause y'all are gonna see it next month. But, it has something to do with someone needing some encouragement and positive thinking in order to do something that they really think they can't. Gosh, I hope I hope I didn't let the cat too much out of the bag with that not so subtle hint!!! heehee

[rpow]

I completely agree with you Shmoo!! I have no idea what happened.

 

I just looked at that one section and it looks like one big mess of words without beginning or end. I thought I was breaking up the paragraphs but as is quite common for me, it did not go as planned.:D I promise I will keep a better eye out.

 

I tell ya, life around me is a comedy for sure. Think of an 'I Love Lucy' episode and you will have pictured it perfectly. :p My number one line is always 'Houston we have a problem'. Of course my number two line is 'honey it wasn't me but if it was I can explain'. heehee I can say one thing though, it's never boring around here!!

[rpow]

After dinner, we went up on deck 12 to this time get a really good spot for the Pirate party. Turns out it was seriously windy up there. Mom and I were having quite the time holding down our dresses. It was actually pretty funny. We decided to go back to the room and change into some pants.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, by the time we made our way back up, the place was hoppin’ with people everywhere. Oh well, we still got a nice spot just not quite as nice. The Pirate party is my second highlight of a Disney cruise. It started at 7:45pm. The show was great as always. They make it so much fun and festive.

After the party, we headed straight to the evening’s show. Tonight it was Disney’s ‘Villains’. We didn’t have the perfect seats like the night before. This time we sat in the balcony. I felt so bad for mom as she wasn’t able to really see the performers from up here. She could see the stage and the colors of the costumes etc but any specific details were a no go for her.

 

 

 

Ok, so there was another hiccup to tonight’s entertainment. Dad took one look at the main character of the show and refused to stay. You see, the show took place in ‘Hades’. This was a huge no-no for dad. We tried to explain that it was all done very tongue in cheek with Disneys usual spin and was all meant in the spirit of fun. But dad refused to stay.

 

 

 

David took him back to the room and came back to enjoy the show with me and mom. The show did in fact turn out to be really funny. We all loved it. Me and mom giggled throughout the whole thing. And when they brought out some of Disneys well known villains, well, the crowd just roared with applause. I mean who can resist some our favorite villains that we just love to hate?? Just to name a few, there was ‘Cruella De vil’ from 101 Dalmations; she was a scream!! and both evil witches from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and let’s not forget ‘Ursula’ from the Little Mermaid. I loved the whole spin on the more nefarious characters of Disney. Big winner for us.

 

 

 

To end the night in true Disney style, we went up to see the Disneys fireworks at sea. For those of you who have never seen it, this show is not to be missed. It was awesome. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s my first time or 50th, this one is a keeper!!! Mom had such a big smile on her face when those fireworks went off. Heck, the whole crowd was cheering and clapping up a storm. I am soooo glad that the weather held up for this and that they could do it.

 

 

So, this ended for us what was a long but very nice day. We went back to the room and me and mom sat on the balcony and just chatted about how much fun we were having. she repeated what she’d been saying since the moment that she first stepped on board which was ‘this is a dream come true’. It made me smile ‘cause she was totally 100% correct. It was a dream and how apropos that we were indeed on the Dream. :D

 

 

 

I’m gonna stop for the night. I will be back tomorrow with part three of my very lengthy review. But, before I go, I just wanted to say thank you for all those who have joined me in reading my review for what will definitely go down in my heart as one of the all time best experiences ever!! And to have been able to spend it with my beloved mom and dad, well, it just can’t get better than that and that’s for sure.

[Shmoo here]

I completely agree with you Shmoo!! I have no idea what happened.

 

I just looked at that one section and it looks like one big mess of words without beginning or end. I thought I was breaking up the paragraphs but as is quite common for me, it did not go as planned.:D I promise I will keep a better eye out.

 

I tell ya, life around me is a comedy for sure. Think of an 'I Love Lucy' episode and you will have pictured it perfectly. :p My number one line is always 'Houston we have a problem'. Of course my number two line is 'honey it wasn't me but if it was I can explain'. heehee I can say one thing though, it's never boring around here!!

 

 

:)

[rpow]

Oh Shmoo, that totally rocks!!!! I love, love, love Stitch!! I have watched Lilo and Stitch so many times I actually believe I could quote all the lines in that movie. He is my second favorite after Tigger of course. heehee If you don't mind, I may have to adopt this as my 'new' thing to say. :D

[rpow]

Day three-Castaway Cay. This is the day that I’d been waiting for. The day was just perfect. It was sunny and hot and completely inviting. In my opinion, there’s something about Castaway Cay that I find positively magical. I’d been trying to explain it to mom but really I knew that she just had to see it for herself. We scored big time and our balconies faced the island. I knew that I had to prepare myself ‘cause I’d read here on cruise critic that hurricane Sandy had done a lot of damage here. Of course, Disney being true to form, went to work right away making repairs and cleaning everything up. I was curious to see if I would notice anything different.

 

 

 

We all woke up early, well, except for dad. Mom had to wake him up ‘cause he did not want to get out of that bed. I’m telling you those beds were super comfy. We all slept like babies every night. We enjoyed our morning breakfast. We had discussed the day before that the room service breakfast would suffice as our main morning meal because we knew that we had a lot of walking to do on the island. There’s nothing worse than having to walk around on a full tummy.

 

 

 

We took our time leaving our rooms in the hopes of being able to just walk off the ship without waiting in any lines. Our plan worked. The hallways were empty, the elevator banks were empty and walking off the ship was a snap.

We just meandered along the walk way until we got to the first tram stop. The only real changes that I could see was that there was lots of greenery with not much in the way of flowers. I knew that Sandy must have done this ‘cause David and I have always come to Castaway in December and I have tons of pictures of the island’s beautiful blooms as far as the eye could see.

 

 

We took the tram to the second stop where there’s a souvenir shop that had all kinds of cool Disney stuff for sale. Dad was really having a time with his breathing this morning. No matter how easy we took it, he just couldn’t seem to catch his breath. We sat down on some benches right across from the shop until he felt better. David wanted to go back and get his oxygen but dad said he would feel better in a few minutes. We were a little worried ‘cause this was the second time in two days that he felt a little short of breath. I was ready to use the shop’s phone to call for assistance but I was vetoed. I just didn’t want dad to have to hoof it to the next tram stop.

 

 

 

While looking at the map, I realized that anyway you sliced it we would have to walk in either direction to catch a tram. I just hate it when any of my peeps doesn’t feel well. We probably sat for about an hour when dad said he was good to go. I had my doubts but he was a trooper and we took it slow and steady to tram stop #3.

 

 

 

When we got back to the ship, dad decided to lay down for a little bit and we all agreed that that was a great idea. Mom also decided that she could use a little nap herself. She never said it but I know dad not feeling well scared her a little. David and I made sure that they had everything they needed including the wave phone and we took off to take some pictures of random stuff. We did this for a little bit until David noticed it was time for lunch.

 

 

 

He wanted mom and dad to experience lunch on the island since we’ve always considered it a treat. Mom was awake when we got up to the room but dad was still asleep. He woke up enough to say that he’d take a rain check on any more walking for the time being but that he would be good to go for dinner.

 

 

 

In looking over the map of the island I realized something weird. It showed Cookies I and Cookies II but nowhere did it show the name of the Serenity Bay food spot. I had written down the suggestion that ‘pavteam’ had given me before we’d left for the cruise so I knew that it existed. I had the brilliant idea of calling up information and finding out for myself just what was up. They said that yes Serenity Bay served it’s own lunch and no it was indeed not on the map. Okaaaay that makes all kinds of sense… not!! But on further thought I figured hey maybe Disney just wants to keep it a well guarded secret. Oh wait, uhh I guess I just kinda let the cat out of the bag and confirmed ‘pavteams’ spot on information!! Heehee

 

 

 

So, off David, Mom and I went in search of the ‘not so secret’ Serenity Bay vittles. We walked to the second tram stop and caught a ride for the remainder of the trip over. Yup, sure enough there was food over there. :D They had all kinds of stuff. Mom was like a kid in a candy store. She couldn’t decide if she wanted ribs, chicken, fish, or steak so she got some of each. Ooh, she was having a good ol’ time. Believe me she was not the only one either. The food was sooo good. We truly stuffed ourselves.

 

 

 

David wanted to walk over to the beach which was right there but I told him he had to give me a couple of minutes. I was so full and I had serious doubts that I could move at that moment. Mom agreed and for some reason this cracked us up big time. We were making jokes about rolling around to get anywhere and the image made us laugh even more. I had tears in my eyes, my cheeks hurt from laughing and my tummy hurt too. I was a mess!!!! David just rolled his eyes and walked away from the two loons sitting there.

 

 

 

Eventually we managed to stop the giggling and we walked along the walkway where the beach was. It was so beautiful. There really weren’t many people out and about. Mom was really impressed with the island. We walked almost all the way back to the ship but at one point I knew that mom was getting pretty tired. We stopped by one of the shops and mom bought a few souvenirs for her peeps back home. We hopped on a tram and we were back at the ship in no time.

[rpow]

We went up to the room, ordered room service for dad and made sure that they had everything that they needed. You see, I was on a mission. I’d seen in the navigator earlier that Stitch was gonna be on the gangway at 3pm. There was no way that I was missing that. David wanted to look at our pictures in Shutters photo gallery but I was like ‘Have you lost your mind??? Did you not hear me say that Stitch was gonna be down below?? I mean seriously, it’s S-T-I-T-C-H!!!!!’ I would push over someone’s child to be near Stitch. Ok, I actually would never do that ‘cause that’s mean but I would make sure I’d run full speed so I could get next to him first. Heehee

 

 

 

David just sighed ‘cause he knew when to throw in the towel. :p so, off we went to wait for stitch to show up. I know, I know, I really am a nut but in my defense, I did confess at the very beginning that I am a big kid at heart so you’ve been warned. Stitch came walking out of the ship using the crew’s entrance and I could barely contain myself. We were at the wrong gangway so I had to run, yes, you read that right, run to where he was standing. I'm sure it was a sight to see.

 

 

There was a guy already there who wanted a picture with him so I had to wait my turn. Darn and drat!! Stitch being Stitch was hilarious. At first he pretended he was scared of the guy then he was pretending to lick his paw and remove the tattoo the guy had on his arm. It was so cute. When my turn came, Stitch was playing with my hair and cutting up and I just ate it all up. I wanted to stay right there and not move. But his handler had other plans. Apparently, I was taking too long. Apparently those darn kids wanted a turn too. I mean really!!! How rude. Didn’t they understand how hard it was for me to tear myself away?? :p

 

 

David finally told me I had to move along and give someone else a chance. (party pooper) so off we went in search of photos. I was waving at Stitch like someone possessed and he was throwing me air kisses. Oh that Stitch, he’s such a tease!! Heehee

 

 

 

The pictures all looked great. We couldn’t decide which ones to get but we knew we were definitely gonna be buying them. We normally don’t buy the ship’s photos but this time was special and we wanted to get an album for mom and dad and for us. we decided to wait until after dinner tonight so that we could have a choice of all the photos. This would turn out to be good and bad but I’ll explain that part in a bit.

We went back to the room and got ready for dinner. Dad was awake and feeling much better which was great. Tonight we were supposed to dine in Animator’s palate. But, David had a surprise in store for mom and dad. I had reserved a spot in Palo’s back when I’d first paid for the cruise. this was in celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary. The only time slot available was for 8:30pm which was too late for mom and dad. On our first day on board while we were eating lunch in Enchanted Gardens, I zipped out and had our time changed to 6:30pm. A much better time. What I’d failed to consider though was how long it takes when you eat in Palo’s. a 6:30pm time slot is simply not good if you want to see the 8:30pm show. So, If I could make a suggestion to anyone out there considering Palo’s, try to schedule the time with plenty of leeway if you have your heart set on seeing the show after.

 

 

 

Anywho, off to Palo’s we went. Dad started mentioning right away that the place was too fancy. When our guy brought over the menus and started making suggestions for dishes he recommended, dad was way convinced it was too fancy. David kept telling him that he had to open his mind to new experiences and that if he just gave it a change he’d have a good time. I could tell that dad was not convinced. Our guy brought over a couple of anti pasta dishes and once dad tasted some stuff, he felt better.

 

 

Next, came the appetizers then some lemon sorbet to cleanse our palates then the big guns were rolled out... the main course. I had lamb (of course) :D, mom had liver which she proclaimed was delicious. I just kept thinking eeew liver. My mom made me eat so much liver as a girl and I HATE liver!!! I forget what David and Dad had but they said their dishes were delicious too. Our guy (can you tell I’ve forgotten his name?) was a hoot. He was cracking jokes and making us laugh. At first dad wasn’t impressed with him ‘cause he couldn’t understand his accent. But, believe me, by the end of dinner, dad loved him. He complimented him on what a good job he was doing and what a hard worker he was and folks that is high praise indeed. For dad, being a hard worker means everything.

 

 

 

We were so stuffed at this point that there was no way we could eat dessert. Our guy was having none of that so we all got dessert! it was déjà vu for me for sure. Once again I needed to take a deep some deep breaths to give myself the energy to walk out of the joint. Once dessert was served, here came our guy with this huge plate decorated with the words 'Happy 60th Anniversary'. That was sooo sweet. I didn't expect that at all. Mom and dad loved it. we took lots of pictures.

 

 

We made our way to our rooms and settled down for the night. We had missed the start of tonight’s show which was Disney’s ‘Believe’. I was a bit bummed ‘cause I’d never seen it but we all decided to forgo the theater since the show had been on about 20 minutes already. David and I tried to watch it on our tv but we couldn’t figure out how to do it. We were pretty tired anyway so after relaxing out on the balcony for a bit it was off to dream land for us.

[rpow]

The next morning a voice came over the intercom telling us it was time to get ready to leave the ship. She stated that all passengers had to be off by 9am. Boo!!! We had put our suitcases out the night before so getting ready was a snap. We were slotted to eat in Enchanted Garden for breakfast but David didn’t want to do that.

 

 

 

So, we went up to Cabanas and had a nice leisurely meal. It was bittersweet ‘cause our cruise was officially over. The only thing left to do was exit the ship. Now, about that, that part took a really long time. We’ve never experienced that on any of our other cruises so we were a little surprised. We never did find out what the holdup was. Probably just people like us waiting for the last possible moment to take their leave. I was super proud of myself that they didn’t have to pull me off the ship kicking and screaming ‘cause I really did not want it to be over.

 

 

 

We snagged a baggage handler right away and he led us to what turned out to be the shorter of the lines. He got us through customs and out to the curve where our shuttle was waiting for us. I had tears in my eyes as I was waving my final goodbye to this magnificently beautiful and elegant ship.

 

 

 

I just wanted to end this report with some tidbits about our cruise. Mom and dad never did use a wheel chair. Even though we were right next to the mid/main elevators, there was still a lot of walking that was done. Both mom and dad were troopers and they did great. So, for anyone out there who may have a bit of trouble walking or standing for periods of time, I say just it nice and easy. Give yourself plenty of time to get to where you want or need to be and you will be just fine. There are places to sit everywhere. Even along the hallways leading to the dining rooms or theater there are seats. So, if you need to, just take a breather for a bit and then continue on.

 

 

 

Know that the elevators may be crowded and you may not be able to board the first or even the second one but you will get on them eventually. I still feel that even one soccer chair would have been a good thing to have for the times where there was standing involved like waiting for shows to start or just waiting for a ride on the elevator.

 

 

 

Mom and dad did not end up having any issues with the food for which I am extremely thankful. I worried so much for nothing. But, in retrospect, I’d rather worry and have nothing come of it then not anticipate a thing and something go wrong.

 

 

 

We had the most wonderful cruise and it will be something that we will be talking about for a good long time. Even with the small hiccups here and there, I wouldn’t have changed the experience as a whole for anything in the world!!! :D

[moopig]

Awwwwww You are such a great daughter in law! :) Glad everyone enjoyed themselves. Thanks again for posting such a detailed trip report!

[PathfinderEss]

Great review, looking forward to more of it. Thanks for taking the time to write and post it.:)

[rpow]

Thank you so much 'moopig' and PathfinderEss'. I was really nervous about writing my very first review but I have to say that it was a lot of fun. As I wrote each section, it helped me relive our wonderful cruise over again. Of course, I know the absolute best remedy for that is to take another Disney cruise!!! heehee