Let The Memories Continue! – Day 18
This would be the second day of our three day cruise aboard the Disney Dream. We awoke to the sight of the Disney Dream turning around at the port of Nassau. Fortunately for us, the seas near the port had calmed, and the ship was no longer rocking. I regained my balance and stumbled my way down the ladders of my bunk bed. Ashley had made good friends with the two girls of the Singaporean family, and we arranged to quickly meet for breakfast at Cabanas before our next activity.
The breakfast spread was also amazing, with variety to kill for. Our favourites include the corn beef hash, a dish that was very unique, and also their freshly prepared hash browns, which were crispy and tasty. Ashley also loved the Mickey waffles, that were also on offer, as well as the scrambled eggs.
Ashley could not chat long however, and we had to rush off to the Princess Gathering on Deck 3. This was a place where the classic Disney Princesses would be, so that the guests of the ship could have autographs signed or photos taken with them. Although Ashley already had a full collection of pictures and signatures from the princesses, she eagerly awaited this activity, as she could revisit some of the princesses that we did not bother to meet again at Walt Disney World. She had lots of fun chatting with the princesses as well as taking pictures with them. This was a short activity that in all took less than half an hour to complete.
After this, we headed back to the stateroom for a short rest, and to take photos. We also caught sight of the cruise ships conducting a live lifeboat test, which was very reassuring. We even noticed how much better quality the Disney lifeboats were, compared to the other cruise liners. I even jokingly commented that the lifeboat might as well be a boat of its own! Other lifeboats have canvas tops, whereas the Disney boats have its own bridge and a full fiberglass top. Even the propellers on the lifeboats were massive.
After that, we attended another activity, the making of the gingerbread house. Ashley was especially excited for this activity, as she enjoyed making and decorating items, and she is more artsy than I would ever become. The venue was at Animator’s Palate, where we were seated with a huge disassembled Gingerbread house in the middle of our table. They also provided icing and other small candies to decorate the house with. We followed the cast member conducting this activity, and got our house standing after a few attempts of trial and error. Ashley had a blast of a time placing the icing in cute little patterns around and on the house, allowing us to place the candies after her every movement. After awhile, our house was finally complete. The satisfaction finally came when we were complete, and were able to nibble at the house. It was extremely sweet, and we had enough of the gingerbread after a few tastes of its delicious texture, as we still had lunch to attend afterwards.
For a break off Cabanas, we decided to head to Royal Palace for our Lunch. The Disney also offers various choices outsides Cabanas, even for Lunch, which was amazing, considering the limited amount of staff onboard the ship at one point of time. Funnily enough, we bumped into Sinisha, our assistant server at Royal Palace, where he was working the Lunch shift. We ordered an assortment of burgers, shrimp and all sorts, all of them excellent in their flavors. We enjoyed the lunch, as it was a welcome break to have people serve us instead of having to queue at the buffet line for the food. We could even order a second main course, in case you are not satisfied with just one single dish. Ashley did just that, as she ordered a second Mickey pasta after she was done with her first one.
(SF: The restaurants on the Disney Dream are just as much about atmosphere as they are about food. Disney uses a combination of both atmosphere and food to create a truly immersive dining experience. Royal Palace is a salute to all Disney princesses and places diners right in the middle of a fairytale setting. The restaurant features beautiful, hand-painted portraits of various Disney princesses, such as Snow White, Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella, but the other details throughout the restaurant are far more subtle. Royal Palace is possibly the most elegant restaurant on Disney Dream and has the feel of dining in a grand ballroom. The fluted columns, polished marble floors, lush carpet, beautiful chandeliers contribute to create an air of refinement. What I enjoyed most about the restaurant’s atmosphere was all the little details and embellishments that really help to convey the theme of the restaurant – a glass slipper, a tiara, a rose, and an apple symbolically representing the different princesses. The magnificent chandelier at the center of the restaurant is themed and accentuated by glass slippers. Even the bread baskets are in the shape of Cinderella’s coach.)
We headed to the pool after that, where we tried out the Aqua Duck, and Ashley could have some fun playing in the pool. The Aqua Duck was extremely fun and we had a great time. The queue for it is not as horrible as we expected. We did not have to wait more than half an hour to get a ride on it, although other people may not get the same experience.
(SF: Being on a 3 night Disney cruise is simply not enough. There were so many activities going on and there was no way that we could do all of them. Ashley chose to forego the Disney Junior Dance Party for the Aqua Duck.)
Afterwards, we had sometime left before the next big activity, the second show provided, Villains Tonight!, and we decided to clear the remainder of our fish extender gift exchange gifts. We went from room to room, conquering a good afternoon workout, before returning to the room to prepare for the show.
Villains Tonight! was a very well done comedy show, hosted by Hades, who had the task of filling an “evil-o-meter” so that he could maintain his rule over the underworld. The show was hilarious, and the jokes were modern enough, even Ashley had a good time. Soon, it was time for the pirate party.
We headed to deck 11, where the party was already well going on. People crowded around the center of the pools, looking onwards onto the huge stage onboard. Suddenly, the cast members jumped onto the stage and put on a show, telling us the 6 lessons to become a true pirate, and these lessons helped us defeat the evil Captain Hook. The show was very well done, and we enjoyed every part of it. Ashley was also happily dancing away to the music and the dance moves of the other cast members.
Dinnertime approached after the pirate party, and it was located at Royal Palace, which was the same location as we chose to have our lunch. The menu was delightful and also filled with variety. We all chose the Double Cut Rack of Lamb with a Dijon Crust, which was the most interesting. It was semi-breaded with crumbs and the meat was tender, while Ashley had the Mickey Pasta. We were all delighted. Ashley also did not attend the Play N Dine due to the time constraints, as there would be one last activity after dinner.
(SF: For dinner, Royal Palace features a menu of French-inspired, continental cuisine fit for a king, queen, prince, or princess. It is a menu offering a complete four-course meal comprised of an appetiser, soup or salad, entrée and dessert. Our favourite appetiser was Escargots Gratines, herb-marinated snails with finely chopped mushrooms, topped with garlic butter and a breadstick. The snails were fantastic and buttery, and I enjoyed every bite. For desserts, Jarod had the Peanut Butter Mousse while ZA and I had the Strawberry Shortcake Sundae and they were all good. Our servers, Shawn and Sinisha were really good with the kids. They kept them entertained by showcasing the many magic tricks. they had so much fun that Kevin, a server from another table joined in, He showed the girls the coin trick which he practised faithfully for 2 hours every week. While the girls were kept entertained, we adults could sit back and enjoy our dinner. The service that we had been accorded on Disney Dream was truly remarkable.)
After dinner, there were to be fireworks as well, and we were entertained by a skit of Captain Jack Sparrow, and one of his many adventures throughout the Carribean. Soon after, the fireworks were launched, and although not as beautiful as the ones on land, they were just as impressive.
(SF: The Pirate Night Deck Party is a fun and high energy party with a fireworks spectacular as the grand finale. Many people came decked in their favourite pirate costumes. We were also given the pirate bandannas in our stateroom last night in case we had forgotten our pirate gear. Disney used to be the only cruise line that lights up the sky on sea till Norwegian Breakaway joined in last May. However, Disney remains the only cruise line that offers the fireworks on sea fleet wide.)
There was also supper, but we could not gain the “courage” to finish the food that we had taken.
(SF: After the on deck festivities, there was the infamous Pirates of the Caribbean midnight feast at the Cabanas. There were tons of buffet options with special fruits carved like ships, parrots and pirates. One of the most unique items on the menu is the whole turkey legs. Although I did not take a bite at all, I enjoyed gazing at the little decorative touches like the carved watermelon. In fact, we felt so stuffed and were never hungry on our cruise. We did not even manage to order our from complimentary in room menu which had the buffalo wings with blue cheese that I really wanted to try!)
This had been a very exhausting day, but we still look forward for what awaits us at Castaway Cay!
(SF: As we returned to our stateroom, a surprise was awaiting us at our door. A cast member had delivered a certificate to Ashley for starring as a Dwarf in the Golden Mickey’s the previous night. It was a very thoughtful gesture indeed.)
