Escape to Concierge

[Magical_Suitcase]

After we cruised the adult area we walked down to Cabanas because I wanted to snap a few photos. We had Palo's brunch scheduled for 11:30ish so we did not want to eat very much this morning. Just a heads up, a friend asked me to let them know what was on the breakfast buffet at Cabanas so I am posting loads of food photos. The items below are spread about Cabanas in several areas so if you approach one area that is crowded you can look around (probably on the other side) and find the same items.







Surfing Eggs and such. I am not a fan of eggs unless they are from small flock, farm range chickens. I have been spoiled...



The makings for Eggs Benedict.



Salmon and such.



Breads and such.




Biscuits and Gravy, which I love but have yet to eat onboard. Maybe next cruise.



Butter and stuff...



Pancakes and potatoes.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Cabanas opens at 7.30 a.m. Personally I wish they opened at 6.00 a.m.... As you can probably tell, I just started walking around starting at one door and snapping photos until I made it to the other door.

My absolute favorite foods on the Disney ships are BACON!!!! Hash browns!!! and oatmeal.





Eggs Benedict - again, and fixings.



Oatmeal and I think, cream of wheat. You could order grits in the dining rooms but I did not see it available at Cabanas.




Fruit. I always load up on the watermelon. The stuff we buy here in Michigan is void of flavor.



Dairy products. I am a fan of raw milk having lived on a dairy farm but since that is something hard to find, I am glad that at least Disney has whole milk. Sadly though I think they have stopped providing half-n-half for one's coffee. On our last trip I had a few small containers of half-n-half that I had, ummm, found in my bag after our hotel stay... that I used in my coffee.




Cereal. One or two of these may have made it back to our room for later snack... No one cares, you are welcome to fill up a plate and carry it back to your room.



Great toppings for your yogurt.



Some of the worst coffee in the world...and juice. The juice is ok, not great but ok. The coffee is not fit for compost.



And of course juice and tea.



There was also pop and water available. I find the water on the ship just fine to drink. It tastes like... "water".

Pop was available in Cabanas including regular coke, diet coke, Fuze ice tea, Minute maid light lemonade (seriously, light lemonade has fake sugar in it which is bad for you and really, really bad for children), and sprite.

 

[lorimay]

Love DCL oatmeal, eat it every morning!!!

 

[CarolynK]

I'm enjoying your wanderings around the ship, I feel like I'm there!

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Love DCL oatmeal, eat it every morning!!!

Oatmeal, bacon and a hash brown is my standard DCL breakfast, plus whatever else hits my fancy. At home, my breakfast consists of coffee, coffee, and more coffee. No wonder I gain weight when we cruise.

I'm enjoying your wanderings around the ship, I feel like I'm there!

Ahhh, thanks.

 

[lorimay]

Oatmeal, bacon and a hash brown is my standards DCL breakfast, plus whatever else hits my fancy. At home, my breakfast consists of coffee, coffee, and more coffee. No wonder I gain weight when we cruise.



Ahhh, thanks.

Ohhh yes, the hash browns are a must, yum, yum,yum..............

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

After roaming around enjoying the ship it was time to dress for Palo. Palo is an adult only venue with an additional charge. It cost $25 the first time we went, now it is $40 a person. Also, tips used to be included. Now they are vague on whether or not they are included. We always tip but never really know how much to tip.

Palo's has a "relaxed" dress code, relaxed in comparison to what it used to be. Frankly I like dressing up when eating in a nice restaurant. The dress code now recommends dress pants or slacks and a collared shirt for men, and a dress, skirt or pants and a blouse for women. Jeans may be worn if in good condition (no holes), no flip-flops, no tennis shoes.

See, I even have on shoes. This photo was an accident but I seem to take a lot of accident photos that actually are not too out of focus.



And I brought a purse. Actually, I normally carry some type of small bag with me since I have to carry around a rescuer (asthma inhaler thing).



We have been lucky enough to have enjoyed a Palo brunch or dinner on every cruise and this was the first time that we have had a server that was inadequate. I wanted to snap a photo of the table before she removed the plates but as soon as we were sliding in our seats she grabbed the plates and said, these are just for show... She also neglected to bring items we ordered, I had to ask several times for coffee.... Since I could not take a photo of the place setting I took one of a napkin.



And one of the menu. I always want to try several different items but know I cannot possible eat more than one entree after stuffing myself at the buffet. On our last cruise on the Fantasy, we had an awesome waiter, Sasa who brought us samples of items from the kitchen so we were able to try several items. Another waiter we have had several times on the Wonder is also named Sasha (with an h) and he is also very awesome. But that is for another report..



After you are seated and have had a glance at the menu, the waitperson will show you about the buffet. They always encourage you to try the sticky buns. This was the first time I tried them. I was not impressed but then I love salty foods much more than sweets.

The breads.



The seafood area. I LOVE this table. Especially the shrimp shooters. There is no alcohol in them but they are still great!



A table full of cheese and such.



There was so many items on this table that I had to take two photos.



After we filled our plates and returned to the table we found our waitress had delivered our complimentary Prosecco. I was still waiting for my coffee... Rob had coffee. Maybe she liked him more than me.



Here is the only photo I took for my two runs through the buffet. The second run I filled a plate with veggies and cheese and another shrimp shooter.

 

[dizneeat]

See, I even have on shoes. This photo was an accident but I seem to take a lot of accident photos that actually are not too out of focus.

Hey, I have similar ones! I also like to wear them during a cruise! But last summer I forgot them in my Owner's Locker. And I do take a lot of accidential photos as well, mostly while we are driving. Unfortunately mine are usually blurry and only have half a foot in it.

We have been lucky enough to have enjoyed a Palo brunch or dinner on every cruise and this was the first time that we have had a server that was inadequate.

Oh no!

I was not impressed but then I love salty foods much more than sweets.

I have tried many a sticky buns. They are hit and miss. Last cruise they were really dry and "just sweet". The year before on the Dream, they were moist and soft and yummy.

I was still waiting for my coffee... Rob had coffee. Maybe she liked him more than me.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Ohhh yes, the hash browns are a must, yum, yum,yum..............

I agree!

Hey, I have similar ones! I also like to wear them during a cruise! But last summer I forgot them in my Owner's Locker. And I do take a lot of accidential photos as well, mostly while we are driving. Unfortunately mine are usually blurry and only have half a foot in it.

Half a foot.

Funny story with these shoes, I ordered them from an online site and when they came, the patterns on the two shoes were so different that I did not like them "as a pair". I then ordered another pair, chose the two shoes that looked most similar and returned the other set (one shoe from each order). But I still was not really happy with the shoes so I placed a third order and that time was able to get two shoes with similar patterns, again one shoe from each order. I also returned the extra shoes. It was a lot of work just for a pair of shoes.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

From the menu I had ordered my favorite Chicken Parmesan with Risotto. This is truly an awesome dish.



I was way too stuffed for dessert but how can you resist?



I wanted to try everything but limited myself to just a few. I wish Palo would allow you to take a doggy bag... I am sure Pluto would appreciate it.



As we were finishing our desserts our waitress brought us the check and this plate. We did tip her but not as much as we would have if she had been more attentive.



Our Palo brunch was scheduled from 11:00-1:00 and at 3:30 we had a Champagne Tasting scheduled so we rolled ourselves out of Palo and headed for deck four to do a walk about. We also stopped by the gift shops since we had yet to buy anything.

Love these shirts and hats but they are very pricy, at least the shirts are expensive. I am not sure I checked out the price of the hats.



Aren't these adorable, $34.95, my head is small enough that I might just have to break down someday and buy one.



This is a nice robe but it is made out of plastic (polyester), as are the ones that come with the Romance package that you can pre-order for your cruise.



Sundries, just in case you need something. Pricy though so if you can, pack them from home.



More sundries.



And finally, the item we bought. This cost $49.45 according to the printout of our charges. It is cotton and very comfortable.

 

[dizneeat]

I was way too stuffed for dessert but how can you resist?

Sounds familiar.

As we were finishing our desserts our waitress brought us the check and this plate.

Did you get to keep the plate? When we went to Palo when Mathia was still there he brought out a plate saying "See ya in Austria" and we got to keep it. Made for a great souvenir.

Love these shirts and hats but they are very pricy, at least the shirts are expensive. I am not sure I checked out the price of the hats.

Tom has a similar one - older model, lovely cotton shirt, but we could not find his size on board. A few days after the cruise we headed to the outlet and voila - there it was, cost us a whopping 10$!!

It is cotton and very comfortable.

Wish they had more high quality cotton items. Not a fan of the synthetic fibres they use now.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Shoot, was trying to do an edit and wiped out my post. Once more...

After shopping we stopped by the laundry room so I could take a peak. This was such a short trip that we did not need to do laundry.



When I do anticipate doing laundry I bring with me a soap/dryer sheet combo that I bought years ago. I wish I could remember the name of it since my stash is getting low.



Just in case you need to iron. DCL also offers a pressing service which is fairly reasonable.



Finally, finally it was time for our Champagne Tasting. Remember we had a Prosecco with our brunch and now the Champagne tasting where we were served SIX glasses of Champagne and the pours were generous!




Compare the pours above from our tasting on the Dream to the pours below on the Fantasy. This was before we drank any. On the Fantasy we were given five drinks with very small pours, definitely a "tasting".



This one had ice. Moet Ice. YUM!



And more!!!




Can you see this stem? You cannot just "sit" your glass down but need to place it in the holder.




A better photo of the stems.


We were sloshed after this tasting. It was so informative and so much fun that we made sure to book it again on the Fantasy. Sadly, that one was pale in comparison, pours were about half the size of the ones we had on the Dream plus we did not get as many drinks. Oh well, that was probably for the better since we were not as wobbly when we left the Fantasy tasting as we were when we left the Dream tasting.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Did you get to keep the plate? When we went to Palo when Mathia was still there he brought out a plate saying "See ya in Austria" and we got to keep it. Made for a great souvenir.

The waitress did not mention it but I would have loved to have kept it.

Tom has a similar one - older model, lovely cotton shirt, but we could not find his size on board. A few days after the cruise we headed to the outlet and voila - there it was, cost us a whopping 10$!!

Score! I hope he bought it.

Wish they had more high quality cotton items. Not a fan of the synthetic fibres they use now.

I really hate wearing synthetics, they make my skin feel like I am dressed in a plastic bottle, which in a way, I would be.

 

[dizneeat]

Score! I hope he bought it.

We definitely did. It has made quite a few trips across the pond. Good quality at a VERY good price.

 

[CarolynK]

When I do anticipate doing laundry I bring with me a soap/dryer sheet combo that I bought years ago. I wish I could remember the name of it since my stash is getting low.

Were they Purex? I had a box a long time ago, too...pretty sure they stopped making them! Now, I just bring a ziploc bag of powdered detergent + Bounce sheets.


Oh, and we like to dress up, too. We took a Cunard Transatlantic cruise 4 years ago, and back then, most men wore tuxedos to formal dinner (though I do believe even they have gone more casual recently). Dressing nicely makes dining an event.

 

[lorimay]

Were they Purex? I had a box a long time ago, too...pretty sure they stopped making them! Now, I just bring a ziploc bag of powdered detergent + Bounce sheets.


Oh, and we like to dress up, too. We took a Cunard Transatlantic cruise 4 years ago, and back then, most men wore tuxedos to formal dinner (though I do believe even they have gone more casual recently). Dressing nicely makes dining an event.

Yes, I loved those things for traveling, its shame they stopped making them.

During out Panama Canal cruise this past Feb. on The Wonder, I had never seen so many mens and women dressed to the nines on formal night like this.
I lost count of the men wearing a tux. So many ladies in long dresses, I felt underdressed in a lace short dress.

 

[franandaj]

I love to walk and can walk miles, as long as there is not an incline. I can no longer do hills.

I can't walk miles, not can I walk inclines. I need to work on both!

If you are ever in our neck of the woods, come to dinner and we will make you a Citron Martini. Bring Fran.

I will be happy to. Not sure when I would ever get to your neck of the woods. Although there is a band in Lansing, if they ever hosted a conference....It's more likely that the Chicago band would host one. They did back in 2006, that's kinda close.

Softie! But we would also have problems rejecting the Momma cat in need.

We didn't know she was in need until 2-3 weeks before she gave birth, we thought we were getting one cat, not six!

True, cats live a long, long time. I am also a bonafide senior and it changes the way you think. I bought my last car a couple of years ago and I thought very hard about what I wanted to drive for the next 20+ years (we keep our cars until they are vintage...)

That's funny, we kept our last car for 16 years and counting, but we didn't give any sort of thought to this last car we bought and how long it would last. Maybe because our other six cars are bonafide classics. A couple of them are older than I am!

Ah, now I understand. Rob just informed me that he has a subscription to a photo-server and has had it for years. I had no idea, I guess we need to talk more. But for now, I will keep doing as I am doing, at least for this report. Maybe I will do something different for the next one.

So nice of you. I am one of those folks who often refer back to old reports to find some tidbit of information. Currently I am searching for one of Ellens about Hawaii. Any chance you have the link? (podsnel) I have tried the search function and can't seem to go back far enough.

Ellen's TR I just refer to Google, their search engine is fantastic, especially compared to the DIS one.

We go to the Cove and use an AeroPress. Sneaky me, I gave one to Rob a few years ago for a gift so when we travel, he is always the one to make the coffee. The aero press does a great job of providing a good tasting cup of coffee.

For me that's too much work especially on vacation. My Dad makes his coffee in a press and grinds his beans by hand. I'm spoiled with my easy Kuerig machine. I used to grind my beans daily and make coffee with a Melita, but too much work.

I think my issue with the Rainforest is that I am an introvert to the max and am not comfortable hanging out in my skimpies with folks I do not know.

See for me this is no problem. I was on swim team and grew up in a locker room. So much time was spent changing in and out of bathing suits that I'm not at all ashamed (well maybe a little now that I don't have my swim team body anymore! ), but really I have no problem running around in a bathing suit.

This one is pretty, however, you pay for the items in this shop. Vanellope Sweets and Treats, seriously though, why pay for food when most of the other food is included in the price of your cruise. It was very tempting though and we did (shhhh) stop by for a free sample.

On the Dream I never made it there, but we did sample it once on the Fantasy. I'm not a fan of soft serve and would much rather have real ice cream or Gelato. Plus they have some other treats that look absolutely fantastic! I'm just always so full from the complimentary offerings that I barely have room for the rest!

Only $46 for a shoulder massage. I can get one on campus for $15.... Plus I would never be able to relax and enjoy the massage with folks walking by.

That I can relate to, but I enjoy doing a private spa service on board, even if it is pricey. On a cruise less than a week long though, there isn't enough time.

I love this sign. Please, if you are a kid, no offense but stay away and allow the adults to enjoy the quietness of the adult... and if you are a noisy adult - go to the kids' area....

And if you're an adult with kids, take the mid ship elevator or the Aft to get to the pool or Cabanas, don't come up to the adult deck and go blatantly walking through the adult deck with your kids.

<steps down off soapbox>

Just a heads up, a friend asked me to let them know what was on the breakfast buffet at Cabanas so I am posting loads of food photos.

Great and when I quoted this, I hadn't eaten and boy was it making me hungry. Since then I had a small bowl of cereal and a glass of V8, but I'm not looking at the pictures now, and just this reply screen.

I find the water on the ship just fine to drink. It tastes like... "water".

That's good to know. Because Fran has a scooter, we always put a case of water on her floorboards when we board the ship. I like the idea of having cold bottled water (and wine) in my fridge. I tend to drink A LOT of water every day.

It cost $25 the first time we went, now it is $40 a person.

$40 per person now? I think it was $30 on my last cruise. I know Remy went up to $125 which makes us rethink that one. We get a complimentary Palo dinner on our next cruise so that's a no brainer, and there's no way I could skip Palo Brunch, but the $40 price tag makes it a little less sweet.

We have been lucky enough to have enjoyed a Palo brunch or dinner on every cruise and this was the first time that we have had a server that was inadequate.

Our first cruise they only offered dinner, but every cruise since (except the one on the Dream cause we were too busy at Remy) we have been to both Brunch and dinner, sometimes twice for each one!

Another waiter we have had several times on the Wonder is also named Sasha (with an h) and he is also very awesome.

I have heard of him! But Hristo is our favorite.

I was still waiting for my coffee... Rob had coffee. Maybe she liked him more than me.

That's really weird. Or did one of you get decaf and the other get fully leaded?

From the menu I had ordered my favorite Chicken Parmesan with Risotto. This is truly an awesome dish.

I was way too stuffed for dessert but how can you resist?

How can you not?

As we were finishing our desserts our waitress brought us the check and this plate.

Did you ever end up getting your coffee??????

Love these shirts and hats but they are very pricy

Fran has both of those!

I am not sure I checked out the price of the hats.

I don't need to check them out. They are pricey!

Can you see this stem? You cannot just "sit" your glass down but need to place it in the holder.

I was wondering about that. I was looking at the previous pictures and it looked like there was some kind of "holder" that had multiple glasses in it. Interesting presentation.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Were they Purex? I had a box a long time ago, too...pretty sure they stopped making them! Now, I just bring a ziploc bag of powdered detergent + Bounce sheets.

Oh, and we like to dress up, too. We took a Cunard Transatlantic cruise 4 years ago, and back then, most men wore tuxedos to formal dinner (though I do believe even they have gone more casual recently). Dressing nicely makes dining an event.

YES! Purex. I wonder why they stopped making it.

At home I am normally dressed in my "yard" clothes if it is spring, summer or fall and my layered clothing if it is winter so dressing up when eating out makes it even more special, however, Rob does not own a tux nor I a long formal dress so we cannot dress up "that much".

Yes, I loved those things for traveling, its shame they stopped making them.

During out Panama Canal cruise this past Feb. on The Wonder, I had never seen so many mens and women dressed to the nines on formal night like this.
I lost count of the men wearing a tux. So many ladies in long dresses, I felt underdressed in a lace short dress.

It is a shame, I have tried to find the washer/dryer sheets but the few posted on amazon, etc are $$$$$$$. I wish now that I had stockpiled a few boxes. Oh well, I can pack a baggie of laundry soap/dryer sheets...

I can't walk miles, not can I walk inclines. I need to work on both!

I find that my lungs protest first when trying to walk uphill and then my back lets me know there are issues. I have tried to strengthen both by doing short inclines but have not made it to the point that I can climb a hill of any decent height.

I will be happy to. Not sure when I would ever get to your neck of the woods. Although there is a band in Lansing, if they ever hosted a conference....It's more likely that the Chicago band would host one. They did back in 2006, that's kinda close.

We seriously are in the middle of nowhere and it is difficult to get to us unless one is coming from the south or flying in. We have Lake Michigan on one side, Lake Huron and Lake Erie on the other. When we lived in Memphis, people visited often, same when we lived in Louisiana but Michigan . Flat and boring but a great place to raise kids.

We didn't know she was in need until 2-3 weeks before she gave birth, we thought we were getting one cat, not six!

That's funny, we kept our last car for 16 years and counting, but we didn't give any sort of thought to this last car we bought and how long it would last. Maybe because our other six cars are bonafide classics. A couple of them are older than I am!

My first car was a 57 chevy. I had no idea how lucky I was, even then it was an antique but to me, it was just a hand-me-down.

Ellen's TR I just refer to Google, their search engine is fantastic, especially compared to the DIS one.

Thank you! Why did I not think of google???

For me that's too much work especially on vacation. My Dad makes his coffee in a press and grinds his beans by hand.

I use fresh ground beans but let the machine grind them.

I was on swim team and grew up in a locker room

I grew up in a house were the body was always covered and was never exposed to locker rooms.

And if you're an adult with kids, take the mid ship elevator or the Aft to get to the pool or Cabanas, don't come up to the adult deck and go blatantly walking through the adult deck with your kids.

We get a complimentary Palo dinner on our next cruise so that's a no brainer, and there's no way I could skip Palo Brunch, but the $40 price tag makes it a little less sweet.

I need to hurry and make it to Platinum.

Or did one of you get decaf and the other get fully leaded?

Both were fully loaded. The waitress was young and a bit distracted.

But Hristo is our favorite.

Hristo is on the Wonder? We will need to request him next time if Sasha is not available.

Did you ever end up getting your coffee??????

Finally, about half way through the meal.

Fran has both of those!

Fran has good taste.

I was wondering about that. I was looking at the previous pictures and it looked like there was some kind of "holder" that had multiple glasses in it. Interesting presentation.

I found it fun and classy but I was worried I would forget and just try to sit my glass down on the table.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Our last evening on the ship. I made sure to reserve a placeholder for a future cruise but with our schedule who knows when that may happen...But tonight was not a night to be sad. We still had plenty to do and enjoy.

First up was a trip to the C lounge so we could hang out and visit with some friends we made during this cruise. We are such introverts that we do not normally make friends but being in the C lounge made it easy to talk with others since there were not so many people in the same area.

The spread for this evening... the sweets



The apps... I have to say, I really liked the salads with the house dressing.



and more apps. The cheese with fig preserves was also one of our favorites from the lounge.



After visiting a bit we grabbed a glass of wine since we no longer were filling the effects of the champagne and headed off to dinner. As I said before, we had early dinner and generally prefer this but if we are lucky enough to cruise concierge again, we will request late dining since it is fun to hang out in the lounge and visit. It seems most of the folks in concierge were doing late dining.



I wish I could fold napkins like this. Believe me, I have tried but I do not have a crafty thumb at all. I have even gone to the napkin folding classes onboard the ships and I am so dyslexic that my napkins always look like something that came out of the dryer and laid in the laundry basket for a few days before folded.



I wish they would sell the bread baskets in the gift shops like they do the butter knives from Animators.



Tonight was Royal Palace which we always enjoy.





And tonight we managed to slow down our CMs enough to take a photo of them. Both were awesome!

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

Tonight's bread was French Country with Olive Spread. As usual I was not a fan of the spread/dip but the bread was good.



Rob ordered the Escargot for us to share and something else, but I do not remember what the something else was.. Our daughter, who is now vegan, started ordering this dish when she was about seven and turned us on to it. Now she will not eat it because of the butter and the snails.



I ordered the Fried Brie and am fairly sure Rob shared it with me.



My dinner was the chateaubriand-roasted filet steak, very good. I would have been happy to have had more of the veggies though. I like my vegetables.



At this point, either we were very hungry or very tired because that is the end of the dinner photos.

After dinner we hightailed it back to the room to finish packing and figuring out the tips. The paperwork for everything had been left the day before so now it was time to take action and "pay up".




An informative letter explaining the format of tipping. The suggested tipping at the time of our cruise was $12 per person per day, not counting Concierge staff. It is now $13.50 per person per day. We have always added a bit to each person's tip envelope and did so again except for the envelope for the head server. This time we did not add any extra but went with the suggested amount for the head server since we saw her one time only for about two seconds. For past cruises, the head server has always made an effort to stop by at least once every night but this time...





While packing I also found the pillow menu that is provided for C. Guests. You may order different types of pillows. Rob actually ordered a couple to try. I think they were the Elliptical Pillow and ???





I also found the room service menu for breakfast but this cruise it was not needed at all. We normally do not order morning room service ahead of time since the coffee sucks and that is the one thing we would want immediately after getting out of bed.



Up next, a few random photos Rob found for me to share and then .