Sleepy's and Luv's Eeyore-ish Christmas Cruise on the Dream, 23-27 Dec 2019; Updated PALO BRUNCH pics! 9 FEB

sleepydog25

Been here awhile
Joined
Aug 27, 2004
So, Remy was fairly good. We had an early seating at 6 p.m. on Christmas night, a very special place to celebrate the holiday. Naturally, we dressed up because (a) we like to dress up on occasion, (b) it's required, and (c) we enjoy dressing up on occasion. . .especially meals that promise to be unique. This wasn't our first trip to Remy, either; in fact, it was the fourth time for us (no, not the same trip). 462378

What's that? I skipped something? Oh, yeah, this is the middle of the story. Sorry, still decompressing from the holidays. Well, let's use the flux capacitor, or if you must, Pym Particles, and start at the beginning, shall we?

This won't be a terribly long TR because I don't have that much time and patience in my soul. I just don't. So, let's just get on with it. . .

By way of introduction, that's us in the picture above. We're both Disney-experienced and were actually married at Disney. Plus, we've cruised four times on the Dream. We're empty nesters, and we thought why not a Christmas cruise, preceded by three days at Disney World and followed by one more day there after the cruise. But, I digress. You came for reviews and pictures, right?
Dec 23
We woke early at the WL, packed, grabbed a Starbucks on the way out of Dodge, and headed over to the port around 9:15 for our arrival time of 10:30. Traffic hummed along (we have EZ Pass), and we had partly sunny skies with mild temps to greet us. Not great weather but not awful. Still, we saw where a system was heading toward us and rain was likely for much of the cruise--an Eeyore cloud if you will.

Check-in was a breeze, and we got boarding pass 3.


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Soon we were click-clacking our way through the huge Mickey ears (umm, we had carry-ons). A few minutes, two photos, and one "Welcome the Butler Family" greeting later, we were on board. First stop: guest services. We had been unable to get a mixology class for the cruise despite Luv's best efforts in the preceding several weeks, so we knew that was the place to go immediately upon embarking. Leave the gawking and picture taking for others--that would come soon enough. Sure enough, we snagged a mixology class for our at sea day--perfect!

Cabana's was next since we were hungry, and it hadn't changed much since our last cruise three years ago. If anything, we found the food to be a bit reduced in quality in minor ways. Oh, sure, the shrimp was plentiful, as were the abundance of pastries and pastas. However, some of the items were notably inferior to prior cruises (looking at you lamb chops and Mickey waffles). Still, you don't go on a cruise looking for 5-star buffets, right?

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Well, that's a good tease, I hope. More to come tomorrow.

Next up: Our stateroom. . .with an extended veranda
 
We'd always stayed in a family stateroom with veranda on our previous cruises, but for this one we opted to try something different. We were intrigued by the oversized verandas that came with rooms in the aft section of the ship, so we snagged room 10658. The set up of the room is slightly different, too, as the two bathrooms are immediately on your left when you walk in, the closets are dead ahead, but then you turn to your right to walk into the stateroom proper. The TV isn't set against the opposing wall, either; instead, it's on the same wall as the headboard but with an arm that allows it to be pulled out for viewing. However, we were most impressed with the veranda that must have measured around 110-120 sq feet. It was huge.

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Our first order of business was to order wine and cheese plate from room service to celebrate the sail away party.

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Good choice since, despite the relative sunny nature in the pictures of the veranda, it clouded over, got cooler, and was very breezy out. The captain announced before departing that seas were 6-8 feet but wouldn't pose a problem. . .a theme that would resonate throughout the voyage.

The lowdown on Room 10658
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike others' reports, we had very little issue with noise overhead in Cabanas. I did hear a chair scrape or two early in the morning twice, but I was already awake and each instance was just momentary. Other cruisers have also cited that the room rocks and sways a bit more, and given it's on the Deck 10, I'd have to agree with them. Given the weather for our entire cruise, we certainly felt the sway even more. . .but that was true throughout the entire ship on every deck. We don't get seasick, nor are we prone to motion sickness, so none of that mattered. Still, not once did the ship stop swaying or rocking when on the move, and after awhile, it just gets to be a factor in enjoying activities. I laughingly recall sitting in Palo, sipping my water, and gauging when the table would rise up so I could time putting my glass down. Well, in 10658 the swells cause even more movement. After a time, you just let the waves rock you to sleep.

There is also the issue of vibration and boat noise from the engines and propellers. Yes, you can absolutely tell you're above the propellers when in your room and a docking procedure begins. As we don't sleep late, that was never an issue for us, and it's not so pronounced that it shakes you immensely. Simply put, you can feel the cavitation and hear a low hum from the engines, but that only happens a few times, so it's not really an issue unless you sleep late and are a light sleeper.

Still others claim that aft is too far away from the adult areas of the ship, and to that I would agree, although we knew that going in. Senses, the upscale restaurants, Cove Cafe, and the adult pool/hot tub/bar are all the way forward. That being said, we're not opposed to walking, especially since we tend to eat a lot on a cruise (I mean, who doesn't?). The only times the distance was an irritant is when we'd not pay attention to our direction on the ship and wind up forward rather than aft. Still, would we stay in the same (or similar) room on the next cruise? Sure! It felt roomier, had easy access to Cabanas and the top deck, and you simply can't beat the views from the veranda. Moreover, it's rather tucked away in a corner so you don't have tons of people trolling by your room at all hours. We loved it.

Coming up: Our First Night at Sea
 
We love aft verandas!
It was our first time, and we loved the feeling of the space feeling bigger mostly due to the veranda. My wife literally (and easily) did her barre workout there. Next time, we might try port side as that seemed to get more sunlight when docked in both CC and Nassau.
 


Our First Night at Sea--Dinner at Enchanted Garden
A light rain came and went, rain being the theme of our vacation both at Disney the three days before, during the cruise, and the two days after the cruise at the World, as well. Thus, if you've read this far, the reason for Eeyore in the title. We had early dining, so by the time we set sail and went around exploring the ship a bit (my wife loves to look, re-look, and then look again at menus), it was time to spruce up a bit. Our dining rotation was ERRA, not what we had requested; however, given we had reserved both Palo and Remy, it wasn't a big deal. So, Enchanted Garden it was. Our server was just okay. We were a table of two, and he didn't seem to be too anxious to interact with us. He wasn't bad, certainly, and the timing of the food didn't vary from any other nearby guests who sat about the same time we did. But, his was a forced smile and energy, understandable given that all those holiday cruises had perhaps worked him hard.

The food was the pretty much the same as in years past, and this time the seams were showing. Perhaps it was our fatigue from the past few days or too high expectations (we realize it was only EG), but the plating seemed a little tired, the food a bit congealed. No, it wasn't terrible, and in fact, was fairly tasty.

Bread service. Rather dull affair. It was some sort of dry, raisin (currant?) bread that lacked flavor, and a typical roll of indistinct taste. The hummus was bland, largely unseasoned and drowning in oil. We sampled a piece of each and stopped after a couple of bites.
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Nicoise salad. A middling attempt at a classic. You can tell the salad was overdressed, and the tuna wasn't truly seared, just cooked evenly. The potatoes were fine, yet the onions were somehow bland and added no piquancy to the dish at all. The whole thing needed seasoning. That being said, if you're a frequent cruiser, you'll note that EG doesn't actually have a nicoise salad; Royal Palace does. Our server was gracious enough to send out for it at my wife's request. So, while it wasn't a great rendition of the salad, kudos to the staff for securing one in the first place. For those who wonder why order this when RP was on our rotation twice, it's because we went to Palo and Remy on the two nights we were scheduled for RP. ;)
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Spinach & raspberry salad. This was actually good--forgive the picture but I had already started eating! Oops. While the spinach was a touch tired looking, the bleu cheese provided a spark to the dish, and along with the brightness of the raspberries was a good wake up call for my taste buds.
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Lobster ravioli. I was the only one who ordered an appetizer, and obviously I went with the highly touted lobster ravioli. The pasta was slightly rubbery, and while the broth and filling were bright and creamy, respectively (a desired thing), the entire dish was room temperature. I rarely send anything back unless it's inedible, and in a high turnover environment like dining on a DCL cruise, it is to be expected occasionally. So, I ate it and enjoyed the acidity of the broth mostly. From a plating perspective, you can tell the chiffon basil had been sitting for some time given how limp and wet it looked.
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Pan seared sea bass. This was highly suggested by our server, and we both love fish and seafood of all sorts (who am I kidding? We love food, period). The bass looked pretty but was overcooked, though it was at least served warm. The risotto was almost non-existent but creamy. The menu says that's a dill-chive Riesling sauce--got no hint of dill or chives, really. Fortunately, we're huge fans of fennel, and that faint licorice taste came through to offset the heartiness of the bass. I would order this again.
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Caramelized sea scallops. That's sun-dried tomato couscous in the middle, surrounded by asparagus, caramelized leeks, and a red wine veal jus. Hmmm. Sadly, this dish was also room temperature and had obviously been sitting for some time. The scallops were had been cooked properly but were a bit lifeless. The couscous was downright cool to the touch; the veal jus was flavorless; and the leeks very obviously were nowhere near caramelized. Moreover, I found the plating sophomoric. I will say the asparagus were cooked al dente, so that's a plus. The fact they were room temperature to cool, not so much.
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Pecan tart. I was the only one to spring for dessert from the menu, as Luv went off script again and ordered a Mickey bar. The tart was, again, highly recommended by our server, and it's actually listed as the signature dessert. Being a southern boy from way back, I thought "heck, yeah!" I mean, who wouldn't want a "southern style pecan tart with a bourbon caramel sauce?" Well. What can I say? It was gummy, dry, and I'm still looking for the bourbon caramel sauce (that's a small quenelle of chocolate mousse mid-plate, not a sauce). I had two bites of it and stopped. I make a mean pecan pie back home, and when I make a bourbon sauce, it has (a) a sauce and (b) bourbon. This was a very disappointing end to a mixed bag dinner.
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Our overall experience at Enchanted Garden would rate a B- at best. Between cursory service (aside from the salad request), lukewarm to cool food, missing taste elements, and clumsy plating, we were underwhelmed.

Next up: Lighting the Tree
 

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Tree Lighting
It's tres cute. We didn't quite get to the atrium/lobby early enough to get great position, but as you can tell from the shots below, we managed to score a place along the railing above the guests of honor. It's wonderful they allow the kids to get down close to the tree, and all those children were so excited and awed at the same time. Marvelous moment.
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And the family chosen to do the countdown were fun and excited, too.
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That was it for the first day and night for us. No hard partying, just a date in our gorgeous room watching one of the Avengers movies on the TV before we turned in. Oh, and Luv had purchased a room decoration package that you see below. . .it was very festive.
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What greeted us each night when we came back to the room. . .
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This was mostly all my wife's doing. She reserved the room package in the picture above, shopped Etsy for most of the door magnets, and even brought a small Christmas tree for the room--yeah, the one in top right corner above. She even brought lights! She might have forgotten to pack batteries for the lights. Okay, that's not technically true. She DID bring batteries, but they were in a bag of items (gifts from the parks, etc.) that we had no need to bring on board. . .except for the batteries. So, we used our battery-operated Mickey holiday necklaces we were wearing in the parks and when boarding the Dream. Anyway, all the credit to my beautiful and thoughtful LOML 😘. . .

On a side note, we were a bit surprised that there weren't more doors decorated along the corridors. Quite a few--perhaps 30-35%--had no decorations at all. I've no doubt they had a blast, anyway.

Coming: Day 2 (Nassau Day)
 
Nassau Day
Nope. Didn't go ashore. We've been a few times, and we've enjoyed hiking up to Queen's Stairs and the fort; however, we opted to just stay on the ship this day. I gotta say, by this time after a few days at Disney and a day plus at sea, we were a bit exhausted from all the planning and expectations. We hit Cove Cafe, Senses Spa (I did it twice!), ordered room service, napped, watched FROZEN 2, caught BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, and prepped for Palo that evening.
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For the record, if you order a salad through room service, you don't get much lettuce. Luv would run up one quick flight of stairs and grab lettuce to supplement her salads, such as this Greek salad pictured. The wings are very saucy, but the meat itself is dry which wasn't unexpected. Still, a nice option if you want to chill in your room. Obviously, that shot with the building is the view from our room while docked at Nassau. Truly lovely and came during a brief break in the rainy weather.

Tomorrow: Palo Dinner!
 


Yes, imagine my surprise when I ordered a greek "salad" only to find it included only cucumber, onion, tomatoes and feta? It was accompanied by a yummy greek dressing served on the side, which I appreciate. And fortunately, Cabanas was a short flight up for a quick lettuce run. The second time I got smart and ordered both a tossed salad AND the greek one!
 
I have been served that lettuce-less Greek salad in the dining room too! :sad2:

Enjoying reading along!
 
I have been served that lettuce-less Greek salad in the dining room too! :sad2:

Enjoying reading along!
Technically, I suppose one can call it salad, but the obviously the expectation was one with lettuce, too. Thanks for posting!

So that is actually how I prefer my Greek salad. :)
You're in luck! pirate: My wife loves her chopped veggies in a salad, too, but in this case was hoping for a bit more of the leafy stuff. My salad looked similar to buffalo wings. . .:rolleyes1 Thanks for dropping by!
 
Palo Dinner, Part I
We've done Palo each and every cruise, and we've never had a bad meal. The same still holds true. . .BUT, we did feel as though the attention to detail has slipped slightly. There were no major issues: service was fine, food tasty, ambiance good (minus the constantly rocking ship, but that's not their fault). Still, the server's attitude, while good, seemed forced, as if he was working through a bad day. We all get those, I know. The food for the most part remained excellent though the pastas were a little gummy and the sauces a bit less fresh than we remembered. Then again, maybe it was our senses tainted by the gloomy-ish weather and the swells of the seas. Still, overall it was a top flight meal. Here are some pictures and comments from our meal there. . .

Amuse-bouche: Honestly, I can't remember what it was exactly, other than it had to do with crimini mushrooms. I thought it tasty; Luv wasn't impressed, though she didn't hate it, either. The mushroom sauce was full of umami and complimented the mushroom tart quite well.
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Bread service: Basically, pizza bread and bread sticks.
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Caprese salad: While touted as heirloom, the tomatoes themselves were rather bland. The buffalo mozzarella was solid, but like most fresh mozzarellas, was very mild and needed more of a kick which is usually provided by the balsamic vinegar. In this case, they went light on the balsamic. I suppose I could have asked for a bit more, but I didn't. Still, this was a bit of a whiff for me. I've had tons of caprese-style salads, and while they're meant to combine creaminess and tartness, this one was simply too bland.
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Cioppino: One of the better dishes on the night. Now, I make a mean cioppino at home, made to my wife's specs; however, this one was good. Lovely, deep, briny broth with the seafood cooked properly, even the calamari. Hard to find fault here.
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Lobster pappardelle: This dish was slightly disappointing. The lobster was cooked well, but the pasta itself was overdone and a bit of a gloppy mess. I could have overlooked that aspect except the leeks were chewy while the tarragon sauce was nearly overpowering. Lobster is a mild, rich meat and sauces should reflect that, underscore its nature, be a supporting character. This sauce was more of a leading man. I did eat most of it, to be fair, but it was a heavy-handed dish.
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Vegan arancini: Our server mentioned that a special treat that many had enjoyed was a vegan option of a plant-based arancini, and it sounded very appealing. It was not. By far, it was the worst thing of the night--tasteless, bland, and in dire need of seasoning, we ate only a couple of bites and pushed it aside. We aren't vegans, but if we were, it would still be disappointing.
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Palo Dinner, Part II
If you've ever been to Palo, you know you can get whatever you want off the menu. . .everything off the menu if you dare try. No, we did not. Among other things, I had to leave room for dessert, naturally. But, before we could venture into sweet territory, we had a bit more to try from the savory side.

Lemon sorbet: A traditional palate cleanser, I found it to be marvelous--just tart enough to wake up the senses but not overpower them.
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Lamb ragu with pappardelle: The menu calls for paccheri with the lamb; however, Luv asked if perhaps the ragu (our server called it bolognese) could be served with the pappardelle. As you can see, the kitchen obliged. Unfortunately, much like my own pappardelle, this one was also gummy. Further, as you can tell by the picture, the ragu was on the lean side. . .as in there wasn't much lamb there. Granted, some ragus call for more of a minced meat, but she was expecting more of the meatier version we make at home. Still, it was tasty, just enough of that mildly, gamy flavor you get from lamb to make it a comforting dish.
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Grilled tuna: Essentially, this is a tuna nicoise, and it was well-crafted. The tuna had a bit more sear than our meal the night before, and the addition of the quail eggs gave it an elegant look. No complaints here. I am so jealous about those darn eggs. First, where we live, it's tough to find quail eggs. Hell, we can barely find duck eggs much less quail. Second, when we do travel beyond our normal radius to find said quail eggs, I forget from the last time that I am a ham-handed, all thumbs cook. I can neither master cracking them to cook them nor cooking them in the shell to the consistency you see in this picture. Yeah, yeah, I know quail eggs don't really taste significantly different than chicken, but I still want to master them!
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AND, this is a good spot for story. No, it does not involve quail eggs, but it does involve duck eggs. Read on, McDuff. . .if you dare. A few years back, Luv and I had been searching for duck eggs and quail eggs with no success. We finally drove to an international market nearly two hours away. It's a marvelous place with exotic smells mixed with those of an outdoor fish market. Want chicken feet? Check. How about whole tile fish, red snapper, et. al., or fresh crab crawling around in a tank (just use the tongs!)? Yep. Durian? Oh, yeah. (And, oh no, we didn't!) Vegetables and greens? So many varieties of unheard of or little known delicacies. It's an amazing place.

We headed back to the dairy area and looked hard. They had quail eggs! Score!! Now, time to look for duck eggs. None near the quail eggs nor near the regular chicken eggs. But, across from that cooler section--could it be?--it was duck eggs! Only a half dozen. . .in a clear plastic six-pack format. Yes! Now, they looked a tad dirty, so we figured they were perhaps locally harvested from a small-time breeder or the like. We were excited at our finds, and we scurried home. We tucked our quail and duck eggs in the fridge to work with at breakfast the following morning. Visions of sugar plum fairies kinda thing.

I could hardly wait to crack these beauties open when I woke up the next morning. We'd had duck eggs and quail eggs, but had only cooked with them a couple of times before when gifted them by a friend. This morning was going to be a duck egg benedict morning, and I eagerly assumed my task while Luv brewed us some coffee. I cracked the first one, but the shell seemed tough which I knew was the case vs chicken eggs. Yet, this seemed tougher, and I'd had to rinse the egg a bit more than expected, too. Then, a startlingly discovery. The egg appeared spoiled. Oh, good god! We had only six eggs and one was bad. So, I started in on the second egg (stop me if you know where this is going) and soon realized I had the same problem--it appeared, well, as though something was in the egg. About that time, a slow dawn of realization crept over me, a creepy crept if you will. I stopped, returned the two slightly cracked eggs back to the container, and said to Luv, "Umm, I don't think we can use these eggs, babe." But, we just got them! Are they bad? "Not exactly." What do you mean, 'not exactly'? "Well, there appear to be feathers. . .and feet. . ."

Just let your imagination run wild. Mine did. If you know what we found, then you've done a fair amount of culinary research or traveled a bit outside the U.S. If not, I'll simply give you this: balut. Look it up. I did. Well, I looked up what I had that would be peeking out at me. Balut. We had bought balut. We don't eat balut. We eat most everything, will try most anything. We did not try balut. So, there's the story, sparked by that cute little picture of the quail egg above. You're welcome.

Osso buco: I love Osso buco. If a restaurant has it on a menu, I usually order it. It's an unctuous dish, full of depth, a beautiful pairing of hearty herbs and slow-roasted shank (veal in this case). There was a risotto underneath and a gremolata on top. In the shank itself was the roasted bone marrow. Heaven. . .on. . .earth. In past visits, I had gotten the veal shank except our last cruise a few years ago. Not sure why I didn't then, but I wasn't going to make that mistake again. By far, it was the best dish of the night, savory category. The meat was fall off the bone and hearty. The risotto, though finished with cream, was perfectly cooked and the perfect complement to the meat and broth. I could have used a more gremolata to offset the richness of the meat and risotto, but that's a minor misstep. And, then there was the marrow--so very creamy and buttery, just a marvelous addition. Not all Osso buco I have includes this marvelous touch (the marrow), so when they do, I dig in, pun intended. The server actually brought a small spoon just for that purpose. This was worth the wait. Now, I've had better Osso buco: one spot in Anchorage lives on in my dreams as having the best meat (lamb) while BiCE over at the Portofino Hotel at Universal reigns supreme with the best overall broth, risotto, and marrow combination. Still, Palo's is a succulent version that didn't disappoint.
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Chocolate soufflé: No dinner at Palo is complete without the soufflé. I mentioned it to the server when we first sat down: "You can mark me down for a chocolate soufflé right this very moment." He willingly obliged. What can I say that many others have not? It's rich, decadent, pillowy, and made even better by the two sauces the server pours into the steaming dessert. There's nothing quite like seeing your server tap open the chocolatey middle of your soufflé and pour in those creamy streams of goodness. I didn't leave a bite. Oh, yeah, and there's ice cream. . .what a magnificent combination and fitting end to our meal.
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Overall, we had a wonderful experience at Palo. Our server was excellent, and we enjoyed talking with him about his family. He excitedly told us about his wife (who had worked for DCL), his new son, and his father. He was diligent without being overbearing. The food was mostly topnotch though, as mentioned, the pastas were a bit overdone, and that vegan arancini was downright inedible. However, our main dishes, the ones we had chosen to focus on, were excellent. As such, Palo remains worth the extra charge and will continue to be on our rotation when we cruise.

On the docket: Castaway Cay at Christmas
 
Yum, delicious dinner! I love Palo dinner & brunch, counting down to our next cruise to get there and enjoy their offerings.
Ummm,,,, the duck eggs, just no, what a way to ruin a good breakfast!
 
We had 10658 on the Fantasy recently and loved it for the same reasons you did. We too got those room decorations, and were actually quite thrilled with the comfort of that blanket!

Enchanted garden has long been one of our least favorite restaurants on the ships. As for the Osso buco, that is something I too order every Palo!
 
Yum, delicious dinner! I love Palo dinner & brunch, counting down to our next cruise to get there and enjoy their offerings.
Ummm,,,, the duck eggs, just no, what a way to ruin a good breakfast!
Yep, we love Palo, as well. I think Luv may like the brunch a little better while I prefer the dinner. I mean, who can say no to the Osso buco and souffle, right?

We had 10658 on the Fantasy recently and loved it for the same reasons you did. We too got those room decorations, and were actually quite thrilled with the comfort of that blanket!

Enchanted garden has long been one of our least favorite restaurants on the ships. As for the Osso buco, that is something I too order every Palo!
Are we long lost twins? pirate: Yeah, that cabin was marvelous, though we're not quite certain how we managed to snag one like that since every date we've checked into 2021 shows them already booked. The blanket is not only "oh, my gosh, that's so cute!"(Luv's words), but it is plush and is now being used on our couch in the mountains of southwest Virginia. On a side note, the cats like it, too. :cat: We weren't thrilled with our rotation, though to be fair, we had only intended to eat in the rotation two of the four nights; however, we wanted Royal Palace the last night for some reason I'm sure the LOML could provide. Didn't get it; wound up not caring. As for the Osso buco, again, what's not to love? If not the king of comfort food, it's certainly part of the royal family (who hasn't decided to go live in Canada). :duck:
 
Are we long lost twins? pirate: Yeah, that cabin was marvelous, though we're not quite certain how we managed to snag one like that since every date we've checked into 2021 shows them already booked.
Maybe! We got the room through a 5e GTY. Though we had 2 kids. So we used curtains and magnetic hooks to make a divider that the room didn't have. This isn't our first 5e room though. We do love them and prefer them! I use the blanket for its plushness too! Our doggo likes to try and get under there and then my wife has to share!
 
Maybe! We got the room through a 5e GTY. Though we had 2 kids. So we used curtains and magnetic hooks to make a divider that the room didn't have. This isn't our first 5e room though. We do love them and prefer them! I use the blanket for its plushness too! Our doggo likes to try and get under there and then my wife has to share!
We were just looking yesterday at future cruises and didn't find a single one of those rooms on dates when we could cruise. We looked into doing a concierge suite, but they don't qualify for the current 50% off down payment offer, and if we had to cancel, we lose the deposit. No thanks.
 
Christmas Day - Castaway Cay
The prettiest day we had all trip (WDW and DCL combined) was this day. Started out sunny and warm and stayed that way for much of the day. That was a bonus (not "added bonus," just bonus--added bonus means a bonus on top of a bonus :smokin:), especially as we started the day with the Castaway Cay 5K. Now, I used to be a runner--marathons, halfs, 15Ks, long trail races, 10Ks, and 5Ks. You name it, I ran it. I even did a couple of triathlons. Luv? Never was a runner, but she trained hard for the Princess Half four years ago, and I trained with her. That was our last race as back issues have forced me to largely stop running, and she has no desire to train hard again. All that to say, we (read: she) really wanted to get one of those medals for running the CC 5K.

I've run it a few times, the first 15 years ago before it was popular and back when they didn't even give out ribbons--they just greeted you and said, "way to go!" Anyway, I ran it on our last cruise years ago and got the rubbery bauble, and ever since, Luv has been envious of mine. That's right, medal envy. It's a thing. I was also used to just showing up at the appointed time, giving your name, and then taking off when the starter yelled, "go!" I see that's changed, as well. Had to show up for some briefing about the course (umm, you just go out to the loop, run around it, go to the turnaround at the adult beach, then retrace your steps. For some reason, that's now become boring, yet mandatory, meeting the evening before. Without going to that, you can't fill out your "I ain't gonna sue you if I fall into a snake pit or get lost in the mangrove fields" piece of paper, nor can you get your runner's bib. Now, you CAN go by yourself and do it for both you and your wife. . .ask me how I know.

Thusly prepared, we get a bit of a late start and miss the giant exodus to the race start. We're obviously not the only ones, as we're in a loose gaggle of people all dressed to run and with bibs pinned on. CONFESSION: I didn't pin my bib correctly. I know; I'm ashamed. During the briefing the evening before, we were told no less than three times (felt more like a dozen) to pin the bibs on the top right and bottom left with the two pins they give you. I didn't. . .I pinned using the ol' top two corner method. I thought I might be disqualified since the drag coefficient might give me a competitive edge, but I wasn't. I sneaked it by them. I'm such a rogue. Anyway, we got to the starting point literally moments before the race began, set our watches, crouched, and put on our running game faces. START! Off we went. . .at a blazingly moderate walk. Yep, we walked. Now, it was actually a power walk, and we smoked quite a few people: the woman pushing the stroller with quintuplets, the old guy out with his metal detector, some couple who were running in flippers, and a few scattered lizards.

We finished under 50 minutes, though technically, I believe we finished third and fourth, respectively. See, the briefing the evening before specifically mentioned--again, more than once--that when you came back after turning around by the adult beach, you actually run clockwise around the loop (having run counter-clockwise on the way out): "The green arrows show your path on the way out--counterclockwise, and the red arrows show the way back where you run clockwise instead." It was official. Well, we saw two people out of the thousands who ran actually taking the correct path back to the start. Thus, we were third and fourth. Just sayin'. And we collected our hardware. . .well, it's actually software. . .no, that's not right. . .rubberware. That's it. So, now Luv and I have medals that match once again.

After the race, we took a few pics and headed back to the ship. We hadn't eaten yet, and we were sweaty, so we needed to take care of both those items.

The view from our verandah. . .
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The 3rd and 4th place finishers!
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Quick story for the picture below. We were headed back to the Dream, and we saw a short line for a picture with Mickey! Yay, us! There were maybe five people ahead of us. The man and his son directly in front of us was trying to work his way to the head of the line, and sure enough, a CM pulled them up. We wondered why when all of a sudden we heard a CM saying to the front of the line, "Don't worry, Minnie will be here in just moments." We realized Mickey was due for a break, and the guy in front of us had wanted Mickey, not Minnie. Same for us! So, I stepped out to ask if the line was for Minnie, and everyone said "yes." I leapt over to the CM and pleaded, nicely, "One more for Mickey!?" As you can see, Mickey obliged.

Mickey congratulating us on our 3rd and 4th place finishes!
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Obligatory ship shot (our cabin is top right just beneath Cabanas. . .in the shade)
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The Christmas tree that greeted you as you got off or boarded the ship. There are lots of gifts that sit below and beside the tree, and one of those spews "snow" and lots of it! We didn't get a picture, but we did get it on video. Truly a nice touch for the holiday vibe and experience.
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Okay, at this point, my memory is hazy, and it turns out we didn't take a lot of pictures until dinner. I BELIEVE what we did was go back to the ship, eat, shower, and then head to see MALEFICENT 2. Maybe. Probably. Possibly. We also decided to hit Senses Spa again (remember, we had that great couples package for the heating beds, hot tubs, showers, and saunas), and one of us (hint: Luv) likely took a nap. Somehow, we spent an entire day just goofing off and relaxing--isn't that what vacation is truly about? Oh, yes, we also sunned for a bit after the spa because we had, well, sun. It began sunny enough, but after half an hour or so, we began to see high clouds which, combined with the very breezy conditions, meant it was slightly chilly. Luv headed off to the room to begin the ramp up to dinner, and I went to jump on the Aquaduck. Just like every other time I checked it after that, there was a sign that read along the lines of "We apologize but only 2-riders at a time are allowed on the Aquaduck due to windy conditions." Now, I suppose I could have pushed the situation given that I saw two small children going down the Duck, and I weigh more than they would, but I didn't. So, I went and played a quick round of Goofy golf. Did you know they no longer have the regular golf balls of various colors? I didn't. Now, they have soft foam golf balls of various colors. . .and they don't work well in the wind. At all. I think 17 was the lowest score on any one hole. It's normally windy at the Goofy golf, but on this trip, the winds were even worse. I will say, all those eating in the restaurants beneath Goofy golf (think Palo) are glad the golf balls are now foam. I know I am, but it makes for difficult mini-golf. pirate:

Next on the docket: R-E-M-Y, you ain't got no alibi, it's Remy, hey, hey, it's Remy!
 
Our 5k Path in November on the Fantasy didn't do the bike trail 2x. We ran behind the Cabanas on Serenity Beach, turned around and then straight down the runway back to the start!
 

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