Trip Report COMPLETED:The “who told him about the panoramic setting on his phone?” Surf n’ Turf Anniversary trip

lostpro9het · Oct 22, 2015

Well now that we were well at sea it was time for the shops to start opening up. We made our rounds to pick out some prospective purchases for later in the cruise. We made a quick round of it as we were also heading to the Mirror Mirror show. But first, the tempting goods:

These made me wish I ever used cuff links; alas I am not classy enough for cuff links

Im fairly certain we picked this guy up

Cant not come away without one, or a dozen, pics of this chandelier

We made our way to the Mirror Mirror show and sat in the Sleepy section, team Sleepy Selfie

It was a fun show that included jokes that the adults would get.

On our way back we realized we were missing some bling. A quick stop at guest services remedied this!

Up next: Animator’s Palate, blanket art, and our first night out.

lostpro9het · Oct 22, 2015

So it was getting that time, we were in the late dinner rotation; we prefer that one as the smaller kids tend to be in the early rotation. So we arrived to learn that we would be table #1 during our cruise, that’s easy enough to remember!

We met our service crew of Mark, Uthen, and Vicky. They were a very pleasant trio that hit all their marks perfectly.

We were quickly greeted with the bread service while we decided on drinks.

We opted for a pair of Merlots tonight.

Theming is awesome as you’d expect.

And of course Crush made his rounds

We were still pretty full from breakfast, lunch and room service so we went lite and had the Black Truffle Pasta as an App

For our mains the DW went with the chicken that she really enjoyed on our last cruise, this on did not disappoint

I requested the Penne with a filet on the side. My order must have gotten lost in translation as I got the penne and the fillet with all the fixings

No complaints from me, I just hated to waste the veggies that came with the steak. After our Mains it was coffee and dessert time!

We shared the Sweet Temptation and the Crunchy Walnut Cake

After dinner we made our way back to our room before heading out to Evolution for Know Your Mate. When we arrived we had this critter waiting on us.

We also received a card from DVC wanting to give us more SWAG!

Still to come: Some drinks at Evolution, creating the magic, and waking up to Nassau.

Mom@disney · Oct 22, 2015

I need that dinnerware!

lostpro9het · Oct 22, 2015

We arrived back at our stateroom and decided to check out the happenings on the veranda. It was a pretty peaceful night and the crescent moon was casting an awesome reflection.

Additionally the lighting the Dream casts on the ocean at night is pretty cool too.

So after a short stateroom stay we made our way to Evolution for Match Your Mate. This was our first time checking out Evolution and it seems like a fun place to have a little party. Tonight’s fun, however, was Match Your Mate; think The Newlywed Game.

So we took our seat and I ordered a Guinness and the DW went with a mojito. Sorry, no picture as the lighting got turned way down for the show. With that the event began. The emcee, Jamezy, for the evening was extremely enthusiastic and played his roll well as modern Bob Eubanks. Like I said this game played out much like a The Newlywed Game with a twist. Instead of all newlyweds they picked one newlywed couple, one couple that was married about 10-15 years and finally a couple that had been married around 30-40 years. So the game rolled on and they sent the ladies away for drinks while Jamezy, my god it pains me to keep typing that name, asked the men a series a questions which included:
“What is your wife wearing right now?”
“If your wife were a poptart what flavor would she be?”
“Where was the first time the magic occurred?”

The ladies came back and the fun ensued until it was time for the guys to leave while the ladies got questioned. The questions given to the ladies where a bit more risqué.
“If your husband were a microwave what would his setting be to finishing cooking?”
“What song best describes your husband’s…well, you get the idea” They were provided 3 songs to choose from and one of them was It’s a Small World….
“What was the most unusual place you made the magic”

It was at this last question we learned that the contestants that had been married the longest actually had their adult son in the audience watching this game…awkward! Additionally, It’s a Small World was the answer from one of the ladies!

So the husbands come back and the embarrassing hilarity ensues until we find that the couple that had been wed the longest ended up winning the game! They won a day in Senses spa. I’ll talk about this place soon. They also won some jewelry and a bingo card for one game, which I learned after the cruise, won them $349!!

After the game it was getting late and we made our way back to the stateroom. Along the way we some magic in progress! No not that kind of magic…

Not sure why I took this picture other than I thought it was neat at the time.

So we were pretty wore out and went straight to bed after the Evolution fun. Morning came quickly and beautifully

We made our way to Cabanas for breakfast and had most of the place to ourselves. We are early risers though so I was not surprised by this.

As you can see above, Operation Castaway Cocktail part Deux was in effect.

Don’t ask, it’s just a disturbing tradition…

With our bellies full from breakfast and Senses passes waiting to be used we made our way back to the room. Along the way we saw something you don’t see every day.

Pretty neat to see a CM just walking in the tube like a human Habitrail.

Still to come: Nassau as seen from Senses Spa.

fractal · Oct 22, 2015

lostpro9het said:
We arrived back at our stateroom and decided to check out the happenings on the veranda. It was a pretty peaceful night and the crescent moon was casting an awesome reflection.

Additionally the lighting the Dream casts on the ocean at night is pretty cool too.

So after a short stateroom stay we made our way to Evolution for Match Your Mate. This was our first time checking out Evolution and it seems like a fun place to have a little party. Tonight’s fun, however, was Match Your Mate; think The Newlywed Game.

So we took our seat and I ordered a Guinness and the DW went with a mojito. Sorry, no picture as the lighting got turned way down for the show. With that the event began. The emcee, Jamezy, for the evening was extremely enthusiastic and played his roll well as modern Bob Eubanks. Like I said this game played out much like a The Newlywed Game with a twist. Instead of all newlyweds they picked one newlywed couple, one couple that was married about 10-15 years and finally a couple that had been married around 30-40 years. So the game rolled on and they sent the ladies away for drinks while Jamezy, my god it pains me to keep typing that name, asked the men a series a questions which included:
“What is your wife wearing right now?”
“If your wife were a poptart what flavor would she be?”
“Where was the first time the magic occurred?”

The ladies came back and the fun ensued until it was time for the guys to leave while the ladies got questioned. The questions given to the ladies where a bit more risqué.
“If your husband were a microwave what would his setting be to finishing cooking?”
“What song best describes your husband’s…well, you get the idea” They were provided 3 songs to choose from and one of them was It’s a Small World….
“What was the most unusual place you made the magic”

It was at this last question we learned that the contestants that had been married the longest actually had their adult son in the audience watching this game…awkward! Additionally, It’s a Small World was the answer from one of the ladies!

So the husbands come back and the embarrassing hilarity ensues until we find that the couple that had been wed the longest ended up winning the game! They won a day in Senses spa. I’ll talk about this place soon. They also won some jewelry and a bingo card for one game, which I learned after the cruise, won them $349!!

After the game it was getting late and we made our way back to the stateroom. Along the way we some magic in progress! No not that kind of magic…

Not sure why I took this picture other than I thought it was neat at the time.

So we were pretty wore out and went straight to bed after the Evolution fun. Morning came quickly and beautifully

We made our way to Cabanas for breakfast and had most of the place to ourselves. We are early risers though so I was not surprised by this.

As you can see above, Operation Castaway Cocktail part Deux was in effect.

Don’t ask, it’s just a disturbing tradition…

With our bellies full from breakfast and Senses passes waiting to be used we made our way back to the room. Along the way we saw something you don’t see every day.

Pretty neat to see a CM just walking in the tube like a human Habitrail.

Still to come: Nassau as seen from Senses Spa.

Hilarious!

sheriffwoody · Oct 22, 2015

Not that kind of magic! :hilarious:

MinnieM123 · Oct 22, 2015

I love the interior design of that cruise ship. There are so many nice touches; really first class. I particularly liked the pictures from the Animator's Palate. The dinnerware was creatively designed.

The gift shop merchandise also had a some style, and worth buying for some souvenirs.

lostpro9het · Oct 23, 2015

So it was still mostly early and the boat was still waking up as we were making our approach into Nassau. The DW and I decided to head to Senses to make use of our day pass. Like before, we had ZERO interest in Nassau and would be spending the day on the boat relaxing and exploring. The only promise we made to the DD was no AquaDuck rides without her so we honored this and had fun everywhere else. I’ll be up front, the Senses/Rainforest day pass was probably one of the best suggestions my DW had for this trip. At $16/person/day, It’s honestly a steal. You get unlimited access to all the saunas, hot tubs, heated recliners, and relaxation showers. PLUS you get unlimited access to the bathing showers too! We arrived right when Senses opened and got the tour of the place.

Here are some body scrubs, lotions, and fragrances.

They give you a very generic magic band type device that allows you to access the rainforest area.

Here is a view of the relaxation showers, saunas, and dry heat rooms.

After being shown Rainforest we shown the way to the locker room to change.

There was about six of these showers with plenty of soap, shampoo, and conditioner to use

Even more sauna action

And plenty of counter space for all that man pampering us men do…

Next we explored the solarium with the hot tubs and heated lounge chairs

All about the details! Here is the ceiling above the heated lounge chairs

View from the lounge chair while making port.

Still to come: Nassau as seen from Senses, Ant Man, and getting our tequila on.

catmom46 · Oct 23, 2015

Yeah, we all know you're a closet mani-pedi guy!

Mom@disney · Oct 26, 2015

That Match Your Mate show sounded hilarious!
The Spa looks and sounds good right about now.

lostpro9het · Oct 26, 2015

Ok, sorry for the delay, it was a fun filled anniversary weekend so I wasn’t really thinking about TR development. We last left off with a trip to Rainforest while we pulled into Nassau. Senses is forward in the ship so we got some interesting views as we pulled in

Turning the boat around to back in

After a couple hours in Senses we decided to make for the pool for a little while. It was DOTD time for the DW, I stuck to my Castaway Cocktail.

With our tequila class this afternoon we still needed to grab some lunch. We made our way back to our room to find some pirate gear waiting on us. Since this was our Palo night, purposely chosen to avoid the swashbucklers, we would just take this home for the cats.

We made our way to Cabanas for lunch before the movie, so many food options to choose from!

Our view while we enjoyed lunch

Finally, some porthole fun.

Still to come: District Lounge fun, more DVC swag, and a Palo sunset dinner.

fractal · Oct 26, 2015

Nice panorama shots!

lostpro9het · Oct 26, 2015

fractal said:
Nice panorama shots!

I was like a kid with a new toy when I learned my phone could do this! I think I may have abused it but it was so cool!

ScarletBegonias · Oct 26, 2015

Ohhhh Senses seems awesome! What a perfect way to relax!

lostpro9het · Oct 26, 2015

So it was time to head to District Lounge to get our tequila on! Along the way we noticed they had started the Trick-or-Treating so we grabbed a bag and hit up some spots along the way to District.

We arrived on time but there seemed to be some confusion with our guide, Myra. She was pretty unnerved by the large group that was there and what continued to flow in. It seems there is a cap for this event and we may be exceeding it today. The lack of a mixology offering on this cruise probably diverted a bunch of people to this session, I know it did for us. Let’s move on shall we. We were introduced to three levels of tequila today including how they are distilled and aged. To accompany the shots we were given a plate of limes and oranges.

Myra led us in taking the shots and, in hindsight, we probably should have been sipping these shots since tequila was foreign to most of us buuuut…bottoms up! After our three dances with lady tequila we were on to making margaritas! First up was the traditional margarita. Volunteers were requested and of course…

So several of us got up ready to take on the task.

Again, three shots of tequila allowed us to have too much fun with the shake…

Of course our volunteering wasn’t over until we served.

I don’t know what constitutes a perfect pour but lets just agree that this is it

After enjoying our masterfully created traditional margaritas it was time for a new set for volunteers, naturally the DW is game. You'll kindly excuse me if I omit the She-Ra meme here; I’m limited to 20 photos a post… Anyway, this round was a passion fruit margarita.

Again, too much fun was had during the shake.

Mustn’t forget to serve!

They came out really good too!

So while we were thoroughly inebriated we figured it would be a good time to get us some more DVC swag. Along the we saw the fruits, get it, of the magic we caught the night before.

Goofy was out there making some friends too

Still to come: DVC swag, you DON’T touch the wine bottle at Palo, and some pirate fireworks!

lostpro9het · Oct 26, 2015

Like I said, we had just finished getting our tequila on when it was DVC swag time again! What better way to work off a buzz than free drinks and free giveaways!

They were pushing Aulani HARD! One of their main selling points, which I found hilarious, was “Hey you never have to go there! You can just use your points at one of our other fantastic resorts!” Well done DVC….well done. Anyway, they talked about the good ol’ days of how the Poly was only $29/night in 1971 and what it costs now. They added “can you imagine what it will cost in another 40 years?” Again, I’m not 100% confident in their selling strategies here but who cares, right, free drinks and other tangibles! Anyway, our final tally on swag was two hats, two tervis mugs, six lanyards, a DVC notebook cover, and a pair of DVC bracelets that lit up.

So it was soon that we were leaving port

Leaving port meant one thing; PALO TIME!!!! So the DW and I started getting ready and before you knew it, it was go time! Again, can’t not take enough pictures of this. Can you?

On our way there we wanted to confirm some details at guest services when we bumped into our new buds @cfry06 and her hubby! Do costumes come any more awesome than this!?!? My garbage camera did not do them justice, they looked fantastic.

We took a few selfies on the way there

Ugh…yes another one

After our little selfiefest we finally arrived at Palo…but you’ll have to wait a little longer

Still to come: Palo, Pirates night, and a Castaway 5k!

catmom46 · Oct 26, 2015

Yeah, Aulani is a tough sell, given its location. But, that's where we bought in, so we obviously fell for the "you can use the points elsewhere" scheme. I regret nothing, though.

I want a DVC bracelet that lights up!! :arghh:

lostpro9het · Oct 26, 2015

catmom46 said:
Yeah, Aulani is a tough sell, given its location...

Absolutely! I don't know I could handle the air fare there. Fortunately, for me though, the DW HATES flying so it was never an option. In reality my biggest fear may be coming in April when we try out the Poly for our first time. I'm seriously concerned I'm going to love it and thus need to buy more points.... :grumpy:

catmom46 · Oct 26, 2015

lostpro9het said:
Absolutely! I don't know I could handle the air fare there. Fortunately, for me though, the DW HATES flying so it was never an option. In reality my biggest fear may be coming in April when we try out the Poly for our first time. I'm seriously concerned I'm going to love it and thus need to buy more points....

At the rate you're going, I'm becoming concerned you may need to join a DVC addict support group soon...

myhappyplace · Oct 26, 2015

We were definitely tequila newbs too, though Myra wasn't too clear that she wanted us to take a sip of the first selection first...we just shot it.

Trip Report COMPLETED:The “who told him about the panoramic setting on his phone?” Surf n’ Turf Anniversary trip

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