I Wanna Be Where The People Aren’t: Finding Some Calm On The Crowded Disney Dream

[Piglet_the_brave]

Tuesday 27th August: Embarkation day (cont)

After the show we made a quick exit and went back to our room to get ready for dinner. Our dinner tonight was to be at 8.30 in the Royal Palace just off the atrium.

One of the things we usually like to do before dinner is get to the atrium a bit early and listen to the musicians that are playing. They tend to play relaxed versions of Disney songs and are always excellent. Then we stroll into the dining room as it opens.

Tonight would be a bit different.

At about 8.20, a bit later than planned, we went down the midship staircase from our room on deck 6 to the atrium on deck 3. At the bottom of the stairs we faced a huge wall of people and the noise level was deafening. I wondered what was going on so tried to go around only to realise that this was actually the queue to get into the dining room. It stretched across the atrium to the midship stairs. We joined the queue and luckily it did start to move.

The atrium also had photoshoots going on down the side and there were character meet and greets. So this accounted for the noise levels. There may have been a musician playing but it was too loud to hear and too crowded to see. At this point I was feeling very overwhelmed by the noise and crowds.

By the time we were shown to our table the dining room was mostly full and the noise levels were still very high. Whereas in the past the late dining tended to be mostly older children and teens, it was obvious that tonight there were a lot of younger children. We did hear a fair amount of crying and screaming over the course of our dinners.

Anyway we were seated and our server came over to greet us. Expecting menus at this point I was a bit surprised when he told us he would show us how to look at the menus on our phones as that would be easier. At first I thought that maybe that was just how it was done now, but after he’d left us to decide I noticed a large table across from us did have regular menus.

Our assistant server then came over to take our drink orders. I decided to order the three bottle wine package to split across the five nights. My first choice wasn’t available so I chose this:

It was just ok. I regretted not getting the premium three bottle package, my first choice wasn’t available for the other nights either.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Tuesday 27th August: Embarkation day (cont)

Our server then came back to take our food orders. I gave him my starter and main course choice then was surprised when asked what I wanted for dessert. When I questioned this I was told he wasn’t sure if he would be able to get back over to us later to take our dessert orders. I just went along with it and gave my dessert order but again noticed that tables near us were later given the small dessert menus.

We didn‘t have the regular Royal Palace menu tonight, instead we had what I think was the Let The Magic Begin menu. I didn’t think to take screenshots so the menu descriptions are from the Disney cruise line blog.

For starters we all had the calamari

This was not very good calamari. A bit rubbery and bland even with lots of lemon. Unfortunately at this point, as soon as the food was put in front of me, I started to feel a little odd. Not quite nauseous, just not right. I made myself eat a bit of the food and did start to feel better.

For our main courses Lexi had ”PENNE ARRABBIATA: Penne Pasta tossed in Spiced Tomato Sauce with Basil and Garlic Shrimp” which she enjoyed but forgot to take a photo.

Alice had ”PAN-SEARED HALIBUT: with Smashed Minted Green Peas and Shredded Potato Cake, served with a White Wine Chive Cream Sauce” which she really enjoyed.

I had ”PORK TENDERLOIN WELLINGTON: Pork Tenderloin wrapped in Mushroom Duxelle, Crêpes and Puff Pastry with Gratin Potatoes, Roasted Baby Vegetables and a rich Bordeaux Wine Sauce” which sounded lovely but the pork was very dry. And as soon as food was put in front of me I started to feel a bit unwell again. I managed to eat some of it and did start to feel better.

For desserts Lexi had a mango cheesecake and Alice had a dark chocolate bombe

And I had a kahlua crème brûlée. This was delicious, definitely the best part of the meal

So overall it was not a very good dining experience, probably the worst I’ve had on a Disney cruise ship. The food wasn’t very good and the noise levels made it hard to hold a conversation. The dining experience did get better on subsequent evenings. I got to chat a bit to our servers at the end of the evening and they were both very nice, they just seemed absolutely rushed off their feet.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Tuesday 27th August: Embarkation day (cont)

Our dinner had taken quite a long time and since Lexi wanted to get to the Vibe for an icebreaker activity she left a little while before us. I did try to persuade Alice to go along as well but she was quite stressed about the noise and busyness everywhere so didn’t want to be around lots of people.

We went back to the room for a little bit of quiet and to decide whether we wanted to do anything else that evening.

Our room had been made up for the night.

Alice wanted to do something outside so we decided to head up to the pool deck to watch a movie on funnelvision. We grabbed some hoodies first in case it was cold.

It was pretty chilly and blustery out on deck so we sat on the loungers snuggled in blankets and watched about 20 minutes of the live action Mulan. It was so peaceful up there, a lovely end to what had been a very crowded, noisy evening.

Meanwhile, I had forgotten to give Lexi any kind of curfew when she headed off to the Vibe. At about 11 I messaged her to tell her to be back by 11.30 but she ‘didn’t see the message’. She eventually got back at close to midnight very happy as she’d had a great evening.

 

[King Panda 77]

Glad you managed to find some peace in all the chaos.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea


We’d put our clocks forward an hour overnight and this together with the girls dawdling getting ready meant we were later going to breakfast than I would have liked.

In contrast to the lovely weather we’d had in Southampton the previous day, this morning was looking a bit grey and rainy.

Our usual view of Lexi on the way to cabanas.

By the time we got to cabanas, at about 9.30, it was absolute chaos. We circled the tables a few times with no luck so decided to try outside. Luckily we were wearing flip flops as the back deck was just a big puddle that we had to slosh through. There was just enough shelter that we stayed dry while eating. A few other people had the same idea as us, but it was lovely and peaceful out there.

The breakfast itself was definitely aimed at us British guests, who were by far the majority on this cruise. I was a bit disappointed that there weren’t any biscuits and gravy, which I love and haven’t had for a long time. And Lexi had been looking forward to pog juice but there wasn’t any . There was enough variety to satisfy us though and Alice did enjoy her eggs.

The weather wasn’t showing any signs of getting better

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea (cont)
Because of the rainy weather we decided to combine playing a game of Midship Detective Agency with a tour of the artwork on the ship. We opted to play the case of the plundered paintings and set out with our map.

I had to take these photos of the girls, we have similar ones from every cruise.

The atrium was roped off for the princess meet and greet. We never did get to go up the fancy staircase on this cruise, it always seemed to be roped off.

Lexi steering the painting

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea (cont)


We had fun playing the game and successfully solved the mystery. Lexi headed off to Vibe at this point while Alice and I continued with our art tour.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea (cont)


A hidden Mickey in one of the frames

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea (cont)

Love the Lady and the Tramp art

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea (cont)


And Alice taken by Alice

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at sea (cont)


Finally Dumbo . We had a lovely time exploring the art.

We decided that we needed some fresh air at this point so went for a walk around deck 4. This is my favourite place on a sea day, I love to just sit on the loungers and watch the sea, and it’s usually really quiet. Today though, because of the rainy weather and the shelter of the lifeboats, it was really busy. It was not my usual haven of calm. We walked a couple of laps and agreed that it was just too busy.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at Sea (cont)


We wandered into the atrium which was again packed with people. Lots of meet and greets and photo shoots. Walking past D Lounge where there were family activities going on we saw that this was also very busy.

Before the cruise I had said to the girls that I would spend time with whoever wanted me to. I was happy if they wanted to do things on their own, then I would find something to do by myself. Lexi wanted to go to Vibe and hang out with her new friends pretty much all the time. But Alice wanted to do things with me. It did mean that I couldn’t go in the adult only areas, but I didn’t really mind because it’s lovely that I have a teenager who wants to spend time with me. The only organised activity that Alice had said she wanted to do was the animation classes because she’s very arty. I remember going to family classes on our Fantasy cruise and we all really enjoyed it. Unfortunately the only animation classes on this cruise were 18+, so we had to miss out.

Alice decided that ice creams were needed so we headed up to the pool deck. Navigating the stairs where it seemed like hoards of unsupervised tweens were racing and jumping.

It was still a bit rainy out so we took our ice creams and sat under a shelter by the Funnel Puddle Pool. We were the only people there and it was lovely.

As it was so quiet we decided to spend some more time there. The rain had stopped but it was a bit chilly so we wrapped ourselves in towels and read our books.

And watched some ships go by.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at Sea (cont)


We loved the little spot we’d found. Even when the weather improved and it started to fill up with people it never felt as chaotic as the main pool area. I would definitely recommend the Funnel Puddle Pool to families with kids who are happy with just a little splash pool. And I always think the main family pools with kids packed in together are just gross . These loungers with our view of the water became our spot for the rest of the cruise.

We decided to stay here and grab some lunch from the quick service windows rather than go to cabanas.
A hot dog for me and pizza for Alice which were quick service standard food.

After sitting a while longer we felt like we needed some dessert. We were after the lunch rush at cabanas so quite calm in there, but we still sat outside to eat.

Then back to the room. I think Patch is looking for snacks as well

And then continuing the afternoon with chilling on the verandah while Alice went off on her own exploring the ship some more. It was a pretty lazy day.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at Sea (cont)

Tonight’s show was Beauty and the Beast, a show we hadn’t seen before so were really looking forward to. There had been an extra performance during the day so we were hoping a lot of the younger children had seen it then and that there would be less disruptions. Lexi didn’t want to join us and we just arranged to meet her for dinner later.

We arrived about 10 minutes before showtime and sat in the balcony seating again. Alice snuck a quick photo before the show started.

We absolutely loved this show, the cast are just so talented. A particular standout was the guy playing the Beast, he had the most amazing voice. And an added bonus of much less disruption from the audience than the previous evening. A few latecomers, but otherwise not too bad.

After the show, back to the room to get ready for dinner.

Tonight’s dinner was to be in Animator’s Palate and it was the Pirate Night menu. After the chaos of the atrium the night before we walked the length of the ship on our deck and went down the aft staircase straight to the entrance, so we completely avoided the crowds. We were also there at 8.10 and there were only a few families in the queue in front of us. This worked out much better, the dining room was empty when we went in and although the noise levels were still high during dinner they built up slowly so we didn’t hit a wall of noise when we first went in.

Still no physical main menus, but the girls did have kids menus waiting for them. Lexi just eyerolled at hers and refused to even look at it, but Alice enjoyed some colouring.

I do think Animator’s is the best dining room for Pirate Night because its theme can be changed. I managed to get a few photos of the pirate screens before all the tables were occupied.

 

[King Panda 77]

I really don't understand why you didn't get physical menu's. We had them on the two sailings prior to yours

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

I really don't understand why you didn't get physical menu's. We had them on the two sailings prior to yours

It did seem like most tables around us did have them. I was thinking that maybe with it being the end of the Europe season some had been damaged and there just weren’t enough. And we drew the short straw

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at Sea (cont)


The food at tonight’s dinner was so much better than the night before.

For starters Lexi and I had ”ANGELICAS LIME MARINATED SHRIMP: With Chili, White Corn, Sweet Potato and Onion”. We both enjoyed this, I could have eaten a bigger portion.

Alice had “DEEP FRIED CALYPSO CRAB CAKE: With Cajun Remoulade, Green Onion and Lemon” which she loved.

For our main course we forgot the photos, but Lexi had the pasta while Alice and I had the fish. Everything was really tasty.

We also ordered “BARBARY COAST FALAFEL: Fried Ground Cumin Chickpeas with Spiced Vegetables and a Mint Yogurt” to share between us. The sauce was flavoured well but didn’t make up for the fact that the falafel were a bit dry.

Lexi hadn’t ordered dessert and once we’d finished our main course asked if she could leave to meet up with friends from Vibe. I wasn’t overly keen on her leaving before dinner was finished, but the alternative was sitting across from a grumpy teen so I agreed.

For dessert Alice hadn’t liked the sound of anything on the menu so ordered a Mickey bar.

I ordered “BOUNTY FRUIT COBBLER: With Vanilla Ice Cream” and wished I hadn’t. The cobbler part was hard, the best part of the dessert was the ice cream. I should have ordered a Mickey bar like Alice.

Overall it was a much better dining experience than the night before (apart from my dessert). We didn’t linger to chat with our servers tonight because it was already 9.45 when we finished dessert and we wanted to go to the pirate party on the pool deck which started at 10.

Finishing with a photo of the butter knife at Animator’s just because I love it.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Wednesday 28th August: Day at Sea (cont)


When I said that we wanted to go to the pirate party what I really meant was that Alice wanted to go. I wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about it. I was concerned about crowds and I knew that there weren’t going to be any fireworks. In the past the main reason I’ve gone to the party is for the fireworks, they’re one of my absolute favourite things at Disney. But Alice really wanted to go so I agreed and am glad I did.

We managed to get a spot on a step at the back of the deck and although we couldn’t see the stage very well, it wasn’t very crowded around us. In fact it didn’t seem that bad at all. Maybe with so many very young children on the cruise a lot of families had already gone to bed, or maybe the lack of fireworks didn’t draw so many people up there.

Our view of the show

Alice really enjoyed herself, I’m really glad I went along with her.

I thought the guy in front of us took the pirate theming a bit too far

The dance party afterwards

After the dance party finished the crew started to put the loungers back out on the deck and I strolled round to Cove Cafe for an essential. Photo is from our last cruise

Cove Cafe was lovely and quiet, only a few people in there, I would have loved to sit there for a while. Espresso martini is a tradition for me on pirate night.

I took my drink back to the pool deck to join Alice in watching Pirates of the Caribbean, it was a lovely end to the day.

We only watched the beginning of the movie, we didn’t want too late of a night because we were planning on being up early the next morning. I’d given Lexi an 11.30 curfew so just before that we headed back to our room.

It looks like Patch is guarding the other toys.

I think we really managed to turn this day around. What started out as not the best day with a chaotic Cabanas and crowded areas around the ship actually turned into a nice relaxing day once we managed to get away from the crowds. We had our first port day the next day, and were planning to try to beat the crowds at Cabanas and then get off the ship early.

 

[Piglet_the_brave]

Thursday 29th August: A Coruña, Northern Spain


The plan for this day was to be up early, get to Cabanas for breakfast and off the ship before the crowds. I’d set my alarm the night before but was awake before it went off. This quite often happens to me on board a ship, I think the change in movement when the ship approaches a port wakes me.

It was still dark when I looked outside.

I could see the lighthouse flashing in the distance, this was our destination for the day.

The photos while it was still dark would be the prettiest views we had from the ship in this port.

We’d been told the night before that we wouldn’t be docking at the main cruise terminal and that shuttle buses were being provided to take us into the town itself.

It seemed like we were docked in the more industrial part of the port, the view from our room wasn’t very picturesque.

It looked like Royal Caribbean had got the good parking spot.

I managed to get the girls moving quickly, and we were at Cabanas by about 8.30. It was so much quieter than the previous day, maybe a third of the tables were occupied. A much less stressful breakfast.

We ate quickly and hurried down to deck 3, we had our cards scanned (no queue there) and were off the ship by 9.15.

The gangway was very steep, there was a lady in a wheelchair in front of Alice being rolled slowly backwards by four people.

A shuttle bus was waiting with only a few other seats occupied. I thought we might have to wait a while for it to fill up but we left almost straight away. We hadn’t been told how long the bus journey would be but it was only a few minutes. It just got us out of the industrial part and dropped us near the cruise terminal.

We took a photo to remind us where to go back to.

There were a few people outside giving out maps and advertising tours but they weren’t at all pushy. My only experience of ports up to now was in the Caribbean and I’d felt quite intimidated by how pushy people could be, this port was a much better experience.

 

[King Panda 77]

Thursday 29th August: A Coruña, Northern Spain


The plan for this day was to be up early, get to Cabanas for breakfast and off the ship before the crowds. I’d set my alarm the night before but was awake before it went off. This quite often happens to me on board a ship, I think the change in movement when the ship approaches a port wakes me.

It was still dark when I looked outside.

View attachment 819495

I could see the lighthouse flashing in the distance, this was our destination for the day.

The photos while it was still dark would be the prettiest views we had from the ship in this port.

View attachment 819496View attachment 819497

We’d been told the night before that we wouldn’t be docking at the main cruise terminal and that shuttle buses were being provided to take us into the town itself.

It seemed like we were docked in the more industrial part of the port, the view from our room wasn’t very picturesque.

View attachment 819498

It looked like Royal Caribbean had got the good parking spot.

View attachment 819499

I managed to get the girls moving quickly, and we were at Cabanas by about 8.30. It was so much quieter than the previous day, maybe a third of the tables were occupied. A much less stressful breakfast.

We ate quickly and hurried down to deck 3, we had our cards scanned (no queue there) and were off the ship by 9.15.

The gangway was very steep, there was a lady in a wheelchair in front of Alice being rolled slowly backwards by four people.

View attachment 819500View attachment 819501

A shuttle bus was waiting with only a few other seats occupied. I thought we might have to wait a while for it to fill up but we left almost straight away. We hadn’t been told how long the bus journey would be but it was only a few minutes. It just got us out of the industrial part and dropped us near the cruise terminal.

We took a photo to remind us where to go back to.

View attachment 819502

There were a few people outside giving out maps and advertising tours but they weren’t at all pushy. My only experience of ports up to now was in the Caribbean and I’d felt quite intimidated by how pushy people could be, this port was a much better experience.

We had the royal Caribbean spot when we went there . There were certainly some interesting statues straight off the ship