Trip Report Buffalo, Bugs, and Beer - A lostpro9het Surf 'n' Turf report.

Alright, alright, alright let’s get this beast going! As pointed out in the PTR, this trip had some purpose to it and I wont rehash the reasons why here. I will say that we had an amazing time saying goodbye with some great surprises along the way. With that, lets go!

Saturday May 11th
We got up bright and early at 04:00 and were pulling away by 04:30. This seems to be the only time one can navigate through Atlanta without hitting traffic, sadly the same cannot be said for Henry County’s traffic. Anyway, our go-to pit stop is always Tifton where we fueled up and grabbed some breakfast at Starbucks, we skipped ChikFilA for some reason. About an hour later and we passed the boarder.

All was going swimmingly until around the time we hit Gainesville. Then it was tick….tick…tick..tick. The swarm made its first appearance. The windshield started to look like a Jackson Pollock painting that could not be undone with wipers and fluid. I swear, lovebugs bleed quick dry contact adhesive, more on this later. Soon we were hitting the turnpike and then 429 to Western Way. We made right for home.

 

[Janir]

Saturday May 13th, cont.

The bugs had done their business all over the veranda too! Thankfully once we set sail the bug problem stayed behind.
View attachment 382050
View attachment 382051

Like WDW, DCL has adopted the pump.
View attachment 382048

In addition to the pumps they also added a makeup towel to the room as well.
View attachment 382052

Few more shots of the "room"
View attachment 382046
View attachment 382047
View attachment 382049


Yeah, Iger's quest to deny us nice things has reached Casey's.

Those love bugs look like a plague of locusts descended on the ship! (and I'm also sorry to hear Casey's foot longs are gone now too. One of those and I was fueled for the afternoon walking around MK.)

 

[lostpro9het]

Monday May 13th, cont.

So after settling into the room a bit it was coming time for the DVC member gathering in The D Lounge. While ultimately this is a sails pitch for buying more points it does have some redeeming qualities like free adult beverages, free bottled evian, a chance to win $250 on board credit, and of course meeting some friends like.

and my relative from Massachusetts, everyone say "Hola Tony!" #tonyfromspain

So I hung out with my bride here for a bit before having to leave for something VERY important...Beer Exchange time!

If you've followed any of our previous trips then this is no surprise to you. For the newbs, the beer exchange is pretty much a group meeting where everyone brings a 6-pack of local beer and then we each take turns picking 1 beer until we each have a new 6-pack. This is a great way to meet new people and try some beer you would otherwise never get to try. Leading up to this trip I had 27 people signed up for the exchange which was both exciting and a little scary. Scary because we outgrew the small coffee table in the atrium and I had to find a new location for the exchange. I ended up relocating the exchange to the District Lounge knowing it wouldn't be used until after 5:00. This ended being a great idea and will probably be where I hold the exchange from here on out. Now I also said this was exciting and if you haven't figured out why yet, here is a hint.

This was a picture about 5 minutes before we started the draft, we ended up have 6 more folks bring beer right after I took this for a total of 24 participants! This was a new exchange participant record for me and I was thankful I made the move to the DL. We had folks from Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Florida , UK, and even Spain participate! Our friend from Spain brought this array along with bottle openers:

He talked about each of them and how they were made, one was even brewed with distilled sea water! So at 3:15 sharp we started the exchange and I kid you not it was like Christmas morning in that it took us less than 10 minutes to tear through 144 beers. There were so many good brews to choose from but I knew I wanted one of those from Spain. Being pick 11 I didn't think they would last but I lucked out and was able to get one! Here are my picks:

I'll go over each one during this TR.

After the exchange I made my way back to the room to put my picks in the fridge and meet the DW before our muster drill. FYI, the muster drill is a mandatory safety drill everyone has to participate in before we can set sail. After your first one they get pretty old. Just look how excited my bride is

Buffalo checking in finally!!!! Loving the trip report so far!!!! We are also in the process of booking another cruise for this October and DL next spring!!!!!

Heck yeah! Your part is coming up #spoilers. I know of two people that will be at DL in September 2020 if spring just happens to turn into fall ;-)

This is my favorite Margarita ever! Coincidentally I was there enjoying one that same day (ADR time was 1:15-Did we overlap?)

We were probably close to walking out as you were walking in. --><-- so close.

Those love bugs look like a plague of locusts descended on the ship!

I really felt for the CMs on this day. They cleaned and cleaned and cleaned but as soon as they had an area clear the swarm returned. Thankfully once we pulled away the problem went away.

 

[lostpro9het]

Monday May 13th, cont.

For us, like the muster drill, the sail away party is one and done for us. I'm certain we will have a change of heart during the NYC sail away party in October. Anyway, we used this time to walk the ship a bit and take in some sights.

While in the area we decided to book our placeholder, which we already used! #dcladdict

 

[LadyBelle]

everyone say "Hola Tony!"

Hola Tony!

 

[LeighM]

I'm really hoping the hubby doesn't decide to cancel our Disney cruise next April!!! I got my dream room 8188 (again!) LOL. I did book a room at WDW just in case I'm not taking any chances - we don't have a good track record. Cruises booked - 3, Cruises taken - 0.

 

[lostpro9het]

I'm really hoping the hubby doesn't decide to cancel our Disney cruise next April!!! I got my dream room 8188 (again!) LOL. I did book a room at WDW just in case I'm not taking any chances - we don't have a good track record. Cruises booked - 3, Cruises taken - 0.

8188 is an awesome room! I hope it happens for you.

 

[MinnieM123]

Beautiful photos of the ship.

And, Hola Tony!!

 

[KellBelle]

First you entice me with your restaurant choices and now I am getting convinced to lean towards DCL.. you guys are a bad influence lol

 

[imahistorygeek]

First you entice me with your restaurant choices and now I am getting convinced to lean towards DCL.. you guys are a bad influence lol

 

[lostpro9het]

Monday May 13th, cont.

Since we were now technically "at sea" the shops were allowed to open up. We figured we would do a quick walk-through and secure some of our must haves.

The must haves:

First you entice me with your restaurant choices and now I am getting convinced to lean towards DCL.. you guys are a bad influence lol

Excellent, bad influencing is our specialty!

 

[lostpro9het]

Monday May 13th, cont.


Another benefit of being at sea is those fornicating flies were behind us so we went topside to look around a bit.

 

[MinnieM123]

Since we were now technically "at sea" the shops were allowed to open up. We figured we would do a quick walk-through and secure some of our must haves.

Is it my imagination, or do the cruise ship gift shops have better quality merchandise, than many of the (parks) on-site gift shops? The photos you shared caught my attention -- unless it's a mixture of both high-end and cheap, but you took photos of the "better" stuff? Just curious.

 

[imahistorygeek]

Is it my imagination, or do the cruise ship gift shops have better quality merchandise, than many of the (parks) on-site gift shops? The photos you shared caught my attention -- unless it's a mixture of both high-end and cheap, but you took photos of the "better" stuff? Just curious.

I'm not sure it's better merchandise, but instead, less of the cheap stuff. DCL has already roped you in to buying a cruise, which is $$$, so they figure you got some cash to spend on more expensive souvenirs. You'll see a few impulse purchase types of items (like in the queues to check out at WDW), but not much.

 

[Rista1313]

The Spain beer "Cerveza Ale" cracked me up.... Here have some Beer Ale!

 

[Rista1313]

Hey @lostpro9het you forget about us?

 

[lostpro9het]

Hey @lostpro9het you forget about us?

Oh my, I am a slacker. I'll blame a ridiculously busy summer at work and a little TR fatigue. Thanks for the nudge!

Monday May 13th, cont.

We continued exploring the top deck and made our way through Goofy and Max's golf course.

 

[lostpro9het]

Monday May 13th, cont.

We made our way inside after having our fill of the top deck. We decided to explore deck 5 a bit since we had some time to kill before our first game of the trip. We typically have no reason to come to this deck since its very kid focused. Oceaneer's club, BBB, and IASW nursery are all up here. We had been up here at least once before for The Midship Detective Agency, which is a ton of fun, and walking

Oh, there is also a pretty famous bachelor up here too.

We came across some interesting art that we've ignored in the past.

Also some interactive art across from BBB. You get to control the pirate ship with the wheel and lever collecting booty!

Oh, and more chandelier

 

[lostpro9het]

Monday May 13th, cont.
Time was closing on our first piece of entertainment of the week so we made for 687 for the fun.

Thew DW went with a Keel which is Makers, Campari, Limoncello, ginger, OJ, and mint. This guy was STRONG. No ninja drink here, this sucker came out swinging.

I went with on of my regulars. Those crazy canucks got this one right.

We played a little chess before the main event, I won't say who won...

Around the time 'Mate' was called #tonyfromspain came in like a hurricane. 70's music trivia time.

The kids from the 80's did good but not great today and the gray hairs did us in with their knowledge of three dog night era bands.

 

[Rista1313]

Here's your gentle reminder that we are still here waiting... =D

And here is the name of my Aunts cookie shop I talk about having back in the 90's in Dahlonega... I have all the recipes... but they never turn out as good as when she makes them!

 

[lostpro9het]

Here's your gentle reminder that we are still here waiting... =D

Total honesty here. I had to stop because my service team notes were at home and I was on the road! Back home now and I have my notes.

Monday May 13th, cont.

So after a dismal attempt at some 70's music trivia it was time for our first night of rotational dining. On this cruise our rotation was Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, Royal Palace, and Animator's Palate. So up first was EC. We had to travel down to deck 2 for EC dining and we were running a tad late, 5ish minutes. We made it to the desk and a host directed us to our table when we we greeted with a most excellent surprise...#TeamBuffalo was at our table!!! For those that enjoy back story, read This: #tonyfromspain: A Prophet Surf ‘N Turf story. We knew they were on this cruise but what were the odds that they would be at our table! Anyhow, after a few hugs we probably spent the next 5 minutes in surprise catching up mode with @Brian & Jill before it hit us, we still had two other table mates sitting there watching this go down! We had to step back from Team Buffalo mode and get acquainted with Team Canada! They were a mother/son combo who were on their first Disney cruise. The son was still in high school and the mom was telling us that the two of them were on this trip because her other son was just contracted to perform the Beauty and the Beast stage show on the ship. They wanted to support him on his first performances. She shared some cool stories about her son and what he was going through to be a part of the cast on board. So our table was full of conversation when our service team came by and introduced themselves. We had Burak as the head server and Leo as our server who was assisted by Suwitra. We had a great team this trip and we will go more into them later. So it was time to order food. I'll be honest, EC is probably our least favorite food option which is a shame because the themeing here is pretty nice. For starters we went with the bacon and mushroom tart, its decent:

And the romaine wedge:

For mains the DW went with the sea bass:

And I had the port tenderloin:

The pork is consistent and one of the better options, IMO,on the mains menu. We were pretty full but Leo was pretty heartbroken that we weer going stop skip dessert that we felt compelled to pick something from the menu.

I ultimately chose the pecan tart because who doesn't like pecan pie.

DW settled on the orange yogurt cake. I don't think Leo wanted to bring it to the table. It did not impress but looked pretty

We really had a great dinner. It was great catching up with old friends and making some new ones while being supported by a great staff. We probably dined for about an hour and a half and the time flew. The only thing that stopped the great time was knowing #tonyfromspain was about to start some entertainment soon. This triggered some brief goodnights as we departed to make the show.