akasleepingbeauty
My favorite place to run is Disney!!
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2000
Our Happy Group:
Me, 36, compulsive planner, hoping all goes perfect
DH, 44, good sport, in need of a good vacation
Teen DD, 15, excited but in a cool way
Youngest DD, 13 months, oblivious to goings-on, just her generally happy self
My parents and sister (25) were traveling in our group as well. This is the first time we have all traveled as a group and it went surprisingly well!!
I will warn you now - these daily reports are going to be long - really really really long. So, if you don't like detailed reports go ahead and hit that back button now!!
I wrote this information as much for me as for all of you. I want to remember as much of it as possible - hence the ad nauseum detail.
Read, skim, or skip completely - whatever works for you!! I will post these by days and then add some general overviews on certain subjects. Please ask questions if you have them!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
5/27 Sunday Day at Sea
After a very good nights sleep, we awoke at 8:00 when DD decided it was time to get going for the day. We took our time getting dressed etc. and headed to Topsiders around 9:20. Teen DD decided to meet some of her new friends for breakfast but promised to meet us back in the room by 10:30. DH and I were not eating as we had Palo brunch reservations at 10:45 but wanted DD to get something to eat. The food was plentiful, fresh and looked good. We went back to the stateroom with both so teen DD could watch youngest DD while we were at brunch. They both took a good nap!!
Brunch at Palo was a wonderful experience. We had Zita from Hungary for our server and she was just fantastic. Very personable, funny, knowledgeable everything you could ask for in a server. Zita brought us our glasses of champagne and of orange juice the O.J. here is fresh squeezed and very very good. She then took us on a tour of the buffet items king crab legs, salmon, trout, shrimp, antipastos, wonderful bakery items, cheeses and crackers, etc. Everything was beautifully presented and very fresh. Next, she presented the hot items. The options ranged from pizzas, to omelets, to eggs benedict to beef tenderloin. We all then helped ourselves to the buffet items before making our final decisions on hot items. When our hot items arrived, Zita also added several of her choice so that we could try them. Everything was just soooo good. They have a small dessert buffet also with tiramisu squares, cappuccino cups etc. which we sampled but Zita also insisted we try the sweet pizza which was terrific slices of mango, strawberries, etc. with dollops of sweet marscapone cheese on top. Mmmm.. very nice ending to a great meal. We enjoyed this meal so much that we scheduled another brunch for Thursday as we were leaving. The brunch took a little over an hour and a half and it was definitely worth making time for!!
After brunch, we returned to the stateroom to find both DDs both still asleep. After only a few minutes though they were both awake. Teen DD went off to find her friends again and we took youngest DD to get some lunch and for a walk around the boat. Around 2:15 we headed back to the room to leave youngest DD in the care of my mom while DH and I went for our Surial bath at the spa.
Now, I had read sooo many wonderful things about the surial bath on the boards that I couldnt wait to try it myself. We arrived and were given robes and shown to our respective changing areas. We were also given a key to a locker so we could secure our clothes etc. After changing we were escorted to the treatment room down the hall. The treatment room is actually 2 rooms connected by a glass door. The door from the hall is solid and locks from inside to ensure privacy. The main room has a tile bench and a shower to the side. There is a small table with the muds, lotions, gels etc. The spa CM told showed us where everything was and gave us simple instructions (read the chart about which muds, turn on the steam and wait a few minutes etc.). She also said she would knock when we had 15 minutes left.
Well, the mud application was fun and messy all at the same time. We looked pretty funny but we enjoyed it just the same. The problem started when we tried to turn on the steam. We pushed the button as instructed and nothing happened. We did this several times and still no steam. One more try and now the button is stuck and still no steam. So, DH and I debated as to what to do next and decided to press the emergency/call attendant button. We waited and had to call 2 more times before someone finally responded. We put our towels around us and opened the door enough to explain the situation. She said she would get it fixed right away. Well, ten minutes later were still just waiting so I knocked on the door to get attention until someone answered. This employee said that the steam could not be fixed right away and that we would need to clean up and leave the treatment room. She also told us we would not be charged for the treatment.
Well, we were quite disappointed but had no choice at that point. So we entered the steam room where there are also several showers to try to rinse off the mud. We encountered another problem the showers were SCALDING hot you could not stand underneath them long enough to get the mud off. We tried every shower and they were all the same. We finally ended up splashing ourselves with the water from the fountain sink in the middle of the room as it had the coolest water. I have heard from others on our same cruise that they also had problems with overly hot showers and were also told they were being worked on sounds a bit odd to me.
We took so long just trying to get the mud off that the spa CM came back and basically said that we HAD to leave as they now had maintenance available. We explained the problem with the shower but she just shrugged and said we could go back to the changing rooms now. We were not given the option of showering elsewhere and so had to put our clothes on even though we were still somewhat muddy. As we left, the spa CM at the front desk apologized and gave us 3-day sea passes for the Rainforest Room.
Not a great experience for the surial bath but well do it again on our next cruise. We did have some fun and at least we did not pay for it and we did manage to use the Rainforest Room once on Monday.
We returned to our room to shower and change clothes boy was that mud hard to get off!!! We felt better though and picked up DD from my mom and headed out to explore the ship some more. We had DD in the backpack and she enjoyed seeing everything. We stopped by the DVC social since we are now members. They were serving free wine, cocktail snacks etc. while playing a DVC trivia game. We ended up winning a DVC note cube and then had to leave early as DD was not enjoying it as much as us!
By now it was time to get ready for dinner. Since this was a formal night, it took a bit longer than the night before. We had hoped to get pictures done before dinner but we werent ready in time. We were in Lumieres for dinner that night and it was just right for formal night. Such a lovely restaurant!! Tonight, I had the seared scallops for an appetizer (yummy!), rack of lamb with gratin potato and roasted vegetables for an entrée (soo sooo good), and caramelized pecan cheesecake for dessert (very creamy). Others at my table had the tossed fields greens and shrimp and lobster spring rolls for appetizers, roasted turkey and mahi-mahi for entrees, and chocolate coffee tart for dessert. Once again, everyone was happy with his or her food.
After dinner, we stood in line to get our formal pictures taken. There are several stations around the atrium and each has a different background. We wanted the background of the ship at night. The line was pretty long and it ended up taking about 45 minutes to get through the line. Therefore, we missed the Cest Magique show (it was standing room only by the time it started).
We went back to the stateroom where we discovered our first towel animal!! It was a snake sitting up like a cobra and he was wearing my DDs sunglasses. It was too cute so we took a picture before DD got to it!! We did the requisite pajama/sippy cup/pacifier routine with DD and then dropped her off at Flounders. Since we werent going to the show, we stopped in the stores while they were quiet and bought a few pins and a watch etc. We then walked around the ship for a while and about 9:30 decided to go to room and change into bathing suits and head to the pool. We went to the adult pool and saw my parents and sister in one of the hot tubs. We joined them and another couple, Carol and Nelson, joined us as well. We would end up seeing Carol and Nelson and their sweet kids many times throughout the cruise such a nice family!! We stayed in the hot tub and chatted for about an hour or so and then headed back to the room to change.
After changing, we decided to make a quick stop at the Dessert Buffet in Lumieres. Luckily, it started at 11:30 so we were able to have a quick snack before needing to pick up DD at Flounders at midnight. The buffet was beautiful and delicious they had tons of different desserts along with an ice sculpture and chocolate sculptures. They also had a table where they were making hot peach crepes but we didnt see this until too late and we were too full! We had an assortment of desserts (we couldnt really tell what the desserts were so we just picked what looked good) and everything was great. Too bad we were still stuffed from dinner!!
After finishing what we could at the dessert buffet, we picked up DD at Flounders and we all went back to the room and went to bed. Teen DD came in about 12:30 but she was very quiet and not even the baby was disturbed.
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Links to other days' trip reports
Day 1: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45110
Day 2: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45111
Day 3: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45112
Day 5: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45116
Day 6: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45117
Day 7: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45119
Day 8: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45121
Day 9: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45122
Day 10: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45123
Me, 36, compulsive planner, hoping all goes perfect
DH, 44, good sport, in need of a good vacation
Teen DD, 15, excited but in a cool way
Youngest DD, 13 months, oblivious to goings-on, just her generally happy self
My parents and sister (25) were traveling in our group as well. This is the first time we have all traveled as a group and it went surprisingly well!!
I will warn you now - these daily reports are going to be long - really really really long. So, if you don't like detailed reports go ahead and hit that back button now!!
I wrote this information as much for me as for all of you. I want to remember as much of it as possible - hence the ad nauseum detail.
Read, skim, or skip completely - whatever works for you!! I will post these by days and then add some general overviews on certain subjects. Please ask questions if you have them!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~
5/27 Sunday Day at Sea
After a very good nights sleep, we awoke at 8:00 when DD decided it was time to get going for the day. We took our time getting dressed etc. and headed to Topsiders around 9:20. Teen DD decided to meet some of her new friends for breakfast but promised to meet us back in the room by 10:30. DH and I were not eating as we had Palo brunch reservations at 10:45 but wanted DD to get something to eat. The food was plentiful, fresh and looked good. We went back to the stateroom with both so teen DD could watch youngest DD while we were at brunch. They both took a good nap!!
Brunch at Palo was a wonderful experience. We had Zita from Hungary for our server and she was just fantastic. Very personable, funny, knowledgeable everything you could ask for in a server. Zita brought us our glasses of champagne and of orange juice the O.J. here is fresh squeezed and very very good. She then took us on a tour of the buffet items king crab legs, salmon, trout, shrimp, antipastos, wonderful bakery items, cheeses and crackers, etc. Everything was beautifully presented and very fresh. Next, she presented the hot items. The options ranged from pizzas, to omelets, to eggs benedict to beef tenderloin. We all then helped ourselves to the buffet items before making our final decisions on hot items. When our hot items arrived, Zita also added several of her choice so that we could try them. Everything was just soooo good. They have a small dessert buffet also with tiramisu squares, cappuccino cups etc. which we sampled but Zita also insisted we try the sweet pizza which was terrific slices of mango, strawberries, etc. with dollops of sweet marscapone cheese on top. Mmmm.. very nice ending to a great meal. We enjoyed this meal so much that we scheduled another brunch for Thursday as we were leaving. The brunch took a little over an hour and a half and it was definitely worth making time for!!
After brunch, we returned to the stateroom to find both DDs both still asleep. After only a few minutes though they were both awake. Teen DD went off to find her friends again and we took youngest DD to get some lunch and for a walk around the boat. Around 2:15 we headed back to the room to leave youngest DD in the care of my mom while DH and I went for our Surial bath at the spa.
Now, I had read sooo many wonderful things about the surial bath on the boards that I couldnt wait to try it myself. We arrived and were given robes and shown to our respective changing areas. We were also given a key to a locker so we could secure our clothes etc. After changing we were escorted to the treatment room down the hall. The treatment room is actually 2 rooms connected by a glass door. The door from the hall is solid and locks from inside to ensure privacy. The main room has a tile bench and a shower to the side. There is a small table with the muds, lotions, gels etc. The spa CM told showed us where everything was and gave us simple instructions (read the chart about which muds, turn on the steam and wait a few minutes etc.). She also said she would knock when we had 15 minutes left.
Well, the mud application was fun and messy all at the same time. We looked pretty funny but we enjoyed it just the same. The problem started when we tried to turn on the steam. We pushed the button as instructed and nothing happened. We did this several times and still no steam. One more try and now the button is stuck and still no steam. So, DH and I debated as to what to do next and decided to press the emergency/call attendant button. We waited and had to call 2 more times before someone finally responded. We put our towels around us and opened the door enough to explain the situation. She said she would get it fixed right away. Well, ten minutes later were still just waiting so I knocked on the door to get attention until someone answered. This employee said that the steam could not be fixed right away and that we would need to clean up and leave the treatment room. She also told us we would not be charged for the treatment.
Well, we were quite disappointed but had no choice at that point. So we entered the steam room where there are also several showers to try to rinse off the mud. We encountered another problem the showers were SCALDING hot you could not stand underneath them long enough to get the mud off. We tried every shower and they were all the same. We finally ended up splashing ourselves with the water from the fountain sink in the middle of the room as it had the coolest water. I have heard from others on our same cruise that they also had problems with overly hot showers and were also told they were being worked on sounds a bit odd to me.
We took so long just trying to get the mud off that the spa CM came back and basically said that we HAD to leave as they now had maintenance available. We explained the problem with the shower but she just shrugged and said we could go back to the changing rooms now. We were not given the option of showering elsewhere and so had to put our clothes on even though we were still somewhat muddy. As we left, the spa CM at the front desk apologized and gave us 3-day sea passes for the Rainforest Room.
Not a great experience for the surial bath but well do it again on our next cruise. We did have some fun and at least we did not pay for it and we did manage to use the Rainforest Room once on Monday.
We returned to our room to shower and change clothes boy was that mud hard to get off!!! We felt better though and picked up DD from my mom and headed out to explore the ship some more. We had DD in the backpack and she enjoyed seeing everything. We stopped by the DVC social since we are now members. They were serving free wine, cocktail snacks etc. while playing a DVC trivia game. We ended up winning a DVC note cube and then had to leave early as DD was not enjoying it as much as us!
By now it was time to get ready for dinner. Since this was a formal night, it took a bit longer than the night before. We had hoped to get pictures done before dinner but we werent ready in time. We were in Lumieres for dinner that night and it was just right for formal night. Such a lovely restaurant!! Tonight, I had the seared scallops for an appetizer (yummy!), rack of lamb with gratin potato and roasted vegetables for an entrée (soo sooo good), and caramelized pecan cheesecake for dessert (very creamy). Others at my table had the tossed fields greens and shrimp and lobster spring rolls for appetizers, roasted turkey and mahi-mahi for entrees, and chocolate coffee tart for dessert. Once again, everyone was happy with his or her food.
After dinner, we stood in line to get our formal pictures taken. There are several stations around the atrium and each has a different background. We wanted the background of the ship at night. The line was pretty long and it ended up taking about 45 minutes to get through the line. Therefore, we missed the Cest Magique show (it was standing room only by the time it started).
We went back to the stateroom where we discovered our first towel animal!! It was a snake sitting up like a cobra and he was wearing my DDs sunglasses. It was too cute so we took a picture before DD got to it!! We did the requisite pajama/sippy cup/pacifier routine with DD and then dropped her off at Flounders. Since we werent going to the show, we stopped in the stores while they were quiet and bought a few pins and a watch etc. We then walked around the ship for a while and about 9:30 decided to go to room and change into bathing suits and head to the pool. We went to the adult pool and saw my parents and sister in one of the hot tubs. We joined them and another couple, Carol and Nelson, joined us as well. We would end up seeing Carol and Nelson and their sweet kids many times throughout the cruise such a nice family!! We stayed in the hot tub and chatted for about an hour or so and then headed back to the room to change.
After changing, we decided to make a quick stop at the Dessert Buffet in Lumieres. Luckily, it started at 11:30 so we were able to have a quick snack before needing to pick up DD at Flounders at midnight. The buffet was beautiful and delicious they had tons of different desserts along with an ice sculpture and chocolate sculptures. They also had a table where they were making hot peach crepes but we didnt see this until too late and we were too full! We had an assortment of desserts (we couldnt really tell what the desserts were so we just picked what looked good) and everything was great. Too bad we were still stuffed from dinner!!
After finishing what we could at the dessert buffet, we picked up DD at Flounders and we all went back to the room and went to bed. Teen DD came in about 12:30 but she was very quiet and not even the baby was disturbed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to other days' trip reports
Day 1: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45110
Day 2: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45111
Day 3: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45112
Day 5: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45116
Day 6: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45117
Day 7: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45119
Day 8: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45121
Day 9: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45122
Day 10: http://www.disboards.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45123
