Trip Report Our 2nd Anniversary DREAMy Boardwalk Adventure (Sept. 2015) COMPLETED

catmom46 · Oct 11, 2015

Yes, both of you do look nice! Definitely not a tee shirt. He obviously needed to wear glasses. :geek:

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

Thank you

Don't get me wrong, I think he really thought he was being complimentary. DH was more offended than I, I think based on how much I worried before our trip that we had appropriate clothes for the various meals. It just struck us as weird and embarrassing when I replied "uh, no...it's a dress".

lostpro9het · Oct 11, 2015

myhappyplace said:
Somewhere during dinner, a ship photographer came and took our photo. He said "ooh, I like your tee shirt" to me...

I'm gonna try to give the photographer the benefit as he was no doubt quite foreign, I know ours was, and maybe he was saying preTTy shirt and the T is all that stuck out. Regardless, though, you're not wearing a shirt so maybe his vocabulary is off too

. I also had them bring out a small portion of the beef ravioli as I didn't want to pass on the Palo. Both were excellent to me. I think the biggest surprise for the two of was was the Tuscan White Bean Soup with Prosciutto and Parmesan Cheese. I'm not a fan of most beans, let alone bean soup, but I could eat that soup every day of my life it was so good.

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

We gave him the benefit of the doubt that he didn't know women's fashion and just said the wrong thing, we weren't upset or anything. But our photographer was definitely an English speaking person and said "I like the sparkles on your....is that a tee shirt?" But no worries.

I wish I liked beans, I would try that. But my mushroom risotto was possibly the best dish I had all cruise.

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

Sunday, September 20th

Wake up, wake up, it's Castaway Cay Day!!! Good morning from our verandah-

We were very close to CC

There was a large breaker, that separated the open ocean from the island, making for a gorgeous beach

I used my zoom lens some to get a closer look.

We headed up to breakfast; I wanted to be among the first to get off the ship and over to the adult beach. Breakfast was busy, but we found an open table on the outer deck, so we could continue watching us pull in. We could see cast members on the island prepping for our arrival.

DH'S breakfast

And mine

A view of the marina from our breakfast table

The cruise director came over the loudspeaker to announce that due to the windy conditions, may of the water sports activities, glass bottom boat, etc were cancelled or postponed. Didn't really affect us since we were just beachin it, but I was hoping that didn't mean more crowded beachin it.

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

OK, now off the ship, get ready for picture overload, and many angles of the same thing...but I couldn't leave any out!

The marina

DH- we were booking it along the path at this point...for some reason I had in my mind that I wanted to be among the first to get photos of empty beach, get pick of chairs, etc...probably didn't really need to. It was in the low 80s but felt soooooo much hotter.

Cause we have to get pics of the ship at every angle!!

Again, my obsession with umbrellas continues...

When we got to the middle part of the island, we got a little confused. We thought you could walk to the adult beach, but we couldn't find the path. Then we asked and found out you take a tram.

This sign made me a bit jittery, but not too bad. Anytime I'm in the ocean, and something touches me, I tell myself, and whoever is around that it was seaweed. They also had this posted on the family beach, though I imagine since it is pretty breakered off, it isn't an issue. I will tell you that one tropical fish of about 3 inches was very interested in me, and followed me for a bit, and then something most definitely flapped against my leg, though I'm sure it was a similar fishy.

Cause more umbrellas, on the adult beach now. We couldn't figure out how to put our umbrella up, like 2 doofuses. The second of these pics would have been one to frame in our beach themed bedroom if not for the man's head that I didn't notice at the time...

Selfie with DSLR

The open ocean

We had heard from a blog that you needed to wear water shoes, and yes, I HIGHLY recommend them, in the adult beach anyway. Very rocky coast. I hate proper water shoes, so wore my flip flops in, which became entertainment due to how many times they came off and I had to catch them!

DH and I both got in the water, pretty deep. And they weren't lying with the wind and current warnings today, it took ya! So much fun though. I did take pictures on one of those disposable water cameras, but haven't developed them yet. There were some people on tubes that you could rent, and they were getting away from some people, too!

We spent, I don't know...30 minutes swimming maybe? Then we towed off, and stupidly put our towels in the towel return. Then we went back, via tram the whole way to right outside the ship, to a location called Marge's Barges (which is I think where you rent boats), because Captain Jack Sparrow was due to meet there.

Took this from the tram on the runway we drive down

My 5 year old nephew, Devin, is obsessed to say the least. Awhile back, he called me to ask how he could send a letter to Captain Jack, and I gave him the address that I've seen as the one where you can receive an autograph from WDW. He did, and never recieved it, and it broke his little heart. So my sister said that even if I couldn't get it on this trip, to forge it and mail it to Devin, and he would never be the wiser. So I did him one better:

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

I became first in line to meet him. Actually, I started the line, after informing the CM that Captain Jack was meeting at 11...which seemed like news to him. I had brought one of the postcards from our stateroom for Jack, ahem-Captain Jack to sign, and then I would mail it to Devin.

While I waited, DH took some photos

This was the area for his Meet & Greet

Here he comes!

Signing the postcard...he asked if it was okay to make his fancy flourish, and I said yes. I also complimented his penmanship.

We then headed straight to the Post Office to mail it. One thing I didn't think of ahead of time, was all I had was a $20. For a 65 cent stamp...oops. the postal worker didn't have enough change. I said that we wouldd go to a shop and be back later, when the kind woman next to us said "nooo, it's so far! I've got it for you", and proceeded to count her change. She could only come up with 60 cents or something, and the postal worker said "that's fine, I will take 60". So nice of both of them!! Now, Devin hasn't recieved it yet, but I understand it can take a month!! He anxiously checks his mailbox each day for it.

We decided it was time for lunch then, we were headed back to Serenity Bay BBQ. We walked, but enjoyed a much more leisurely pace, plus I was developing a blister from my flip flops at that point. Ouchies, but not a major deterrent.

mouse_luv · Oct 11, 2015

myhappyplace said:
Back to the lobby for one last look-

We loved our visit at AKL, and want to stay here sometime, if even only for a night or two. We took the bus to DHS, and this time, actually walked the path back to the Boardwalk. DH wanted to shower, and I wanted to look around the Boardwalk at night.

Coming up, Boardwalk nighttime entertainment...

I am loving your trip report! You two seem so fun! AKL/villas is my favorite resort, you should def. try to stay there sometime!

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

mouse_luv said:
I am loving your trip report! You two seem so fun! AKL/villas is my favorite resort, you should def. try to stay there sometime!

It is definitely on our "must do someday" list for sure!!

Thanks for the compliments, and for reading!

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

One more CC post

As we walked toward the tram to Serenity Bay again, we encountered Goofy and Minnie on holiday. We didn't get in line, but I was able to catch some pics between guests

Here we are!

Pretty view while in line-we were there just as it was opening

The menu

We were behind a woman, whose entire back half of her body-back, arms, legs, neck, etc- was covered in sand. Like she had lain right in the sand. We watched as she reached across the buffet for food, and sand fell off of her onto the buffet. We should've said something, really. We just made sure not to get any food with sand!

There was plenty of shaded seating. DH'S plate

And mine...I think I was hot, and not extremely hungry

DH went back up for more

We saw a woman try a homemade ice cream sandwich. It looked like a good idea, thouh DH later informed me that I must have not been watching her too well, because she had major trouble with her sandwich melting quickly, as did i...we didn't have much luck with ice cream sandwiches this trip, lol!

DH'S dessert plate

Then, we went BACK near the ship (via tram again) for towels, which we completely forgot when we were up there. They really need to hand them out at multiple places!!

Photo of the Post Office because we didn't get one before

The Aquaduck out over the ship...I like the sun flare in this picture

More lizards!!

So then we took the tram back to the beach area...took these while on board

We stopped in a shop or two and found this guy

I gave him a warm (hot, very sweaty & sticky) hug

The beach was busy, but we didn't feel crowded, especially in the water, which is where we spent our time. My blister stung in the salt water for a bit, but overall, it was so nice and relaxing just floating and bobbing in the turquoise water. We did observe one tween/early teen girl being an absolute brat...she wanted to go back on the ship.

We probably spent about 45 minutes/ an hour in the water, then we're ready to call it a day. We dried off and trammed it back to the ship.

When we got back to the ship, since DH was already in his suit, he decided to go for another spin on the Aquaduck. He said the line was much longer, so we are guessing a lot of people had already came back on board. I went to the stateroom for a shower.

Next up, dinner at Royal Palace!

Mrhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

lostpro9het said:
Heck Yes! Post Away! I'm not a huge fan of tequila but this experience was a good substitute for the mixology class.

Even during my younger years when I indulged in regular recreational drinking I tended to avoid tequila. I much prefer whiskeys and rums. But the tequila tasting was good fun and reasonably priced and I also found the orange worked much better for chasing the shots then lime does. Also that hostess totally should have said sip the first shot instead of try the first shot as I think at least 80% of those attending the tasting did the shot as a shot.

myhappyplace said:
Don't get me wrong, I think he really thought he was being complimentary. DH was more offended than I, I think based on how much I worried before our trip that we had appropriate clothes for the various meals. It just struck us as weird and embarrassing when I replied "uh, no...it's a dress".

lostpro9het said:
I'm gonna try to give the photographer the benefit as he was no doubt quite foreign, I know ours was, and maybe he was saying preTTy shirt and the T is all that stuck out. Regardless, though, you're not wearing a shirt so maybe his vocabulary is off too . I also had them bring out a small portion of the beef ravioli as I didn't want to pass on the Palo. Both were excellent to me. I think the biggest surprise for the two of was was the Tuscan White Bean Soup with Prosciutto and Parmesan Cheese. I'm not a fan of most beans, let alone bean soup, but I could eat that soup every day of my life it was so good.

It wasn't like I wanted to punch the photographer or anything but after seeing multiple older guys who took the dress code much less seriously the comment put me off. Maybe I went into Palo with too high of a expectation I was basically expecting one of the best meals of my life and it fell far short of that. Now let me give a little background before I get into it, I had a Italian stepmother and grandparents for a good portion of my childhood and during my navy years my ship was home ported in Gaeta Italy and I in effect lived there for a little over a year. So I know good Italian food.

My fried calamari app was good but nothing special, the serving size was quite a bit bigger then I expected for a multi course meal. The beef ravioli was awesome and I really wish I hadn't taken the waiters recommendation of a half order on the pasta course to save room for the main course. Both main courses I tried were disappointing. All the desserts we tried were very good. The service well I don't know maybe as the night went on my mood soured cause initially I kinda liked our waiter but between the recommendation of half pasta orders his disapproving of my first choice for my main course which he did with shaking his head and a "no no no you can do better" the photographers comment and they waiting for a second main course which had us worried we would miss the fireworks and caused us to change our plans of going back to our room to change out of our nice clothes to just going out to the Meridian smoke deck (though no one was smoking out there). In retrospect it is probably one of the best places to watch the fireworks from and it worked out great but it was worrying me at the time.

Also with as good as the meal was at Animators Palette (and shh spoilers) Royal Palace I don't know that I would recommend Palo, or at least I'd say don't go into it expecting one of the best meals of your life. Not having tried Enchanted Garden's dinner I can't say for sure that it was a bad choice for us, the upcharge for the meal is reasonable and I'd probably do it again on a longer cruise but it isn't a must do for me.

Mrhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

About Castaway Cay

We did walk quite a bit that day probably more then we should have. The food at the BBQ was quite good everything had a nice smoky flavor, the only thing I had there that I would pass on if I visited again would be the steak it was too fatty for my tastes. Like DW I was surprised I enjoyed the family beach better then the adults only beach while there was plenty of children around and some were being comically annoying I think it would be hard to not enjoy yourself there.

lostpro9het · Oct 11, 2015

Mrhappyplace said:
Also with as good as the meal was at Animators Palliate (and shh spoilers) Royal Palace I don't know that I would recommend Palo, or at least I'd say don't go into it expecting one of the best meals of your life.

Based on your experience I don't blame you! A big plus for us with Palo is no kids, that alone is worth the up charge for us.

myhappyplace · Oct 11, 2015

We cleaned up and headed to tonight's show, Believe. We liked it a lot, though our favorite was Golden Mickeys on the first night. After the show, officers were out with their pin lanyards for a pin trading event. We did trade with a couple officers, as well as a little girl. Then we hit the gift shops. We had decided to buy 2 Christmas ornaments and 2 pins, and then because of our total, we also got one of the mystery pins. We took our purchases back to our room, where Rian left this for us

I loved how when Rian turned our bed down in the evenings, he flipped our pillow over to reveal

Seriously want one.

Down in the Atrium, they had officers meeting and posing for pictures, so we did that

Another look at the Jack o'lantern tree

And the tree with that darn chandelier!

Royal Palace is where we were dining tonight. As soon, AS SOON as we stepped foot in the place, Suka and I Gede said "Mr. David, Ms. Amber, we were looking for you on Castaway Cay, we missed you!!" We hadnt even gotten NEAR the table, they recognized us from the entrance!! I almost teared up, it was so sweet and personal and special. I love those two...anyone know if you can request a specific server's table on future cruises? We already asked and he will be working on our next one...

Loved how the place was styled...very Disney, made even me feel like a princess!

Loved the bread basket (in fact, seeing pictures of it on a trip report I'd read, is what made me not want to skip this restaurant for Palo, and we skipped Enchanted Garden instead...I don't know if DH even knows that....hi honey)

Here are our favorite guys! They got along so well, and worked together like a real team. We actually thouht to ourselves that they might be friends outside of work, too.

Picture of the lighting from our table...I took more later when we left

And theres that gorgeous basket made even more beautiful! This bread was divine. I gushed over it.

DH got a Double Crown. It had Crown and Chambourd and Cointreau, whatever that is, cranberry and lime. I love me some Chambourd and DH likes Crown.

Now for the food! For appetizers, DH got the Iced Lobster and Shrimp

I got the Deep Fried Brie with Orange and Cranberry Chutney -SO smooth and creamy, and the chutney with it was delish. I could have eaten another order, but refrained, cause we also shared a Duck Confit. My first duck ever, and I loved it.

I also had the French Onion Soup which did not disappoint!

Tried to capture the pretty plate edge

For our main dishes, DH chose the Conchiglie Pasta (lobster pasta with tomato shrimp terragon brandy sauce with lemon basil), which he really enjoyed.

And I had the Oven Baked Salmon Royale

myhappyplace · Oct 12, 2015

Whoa, I didn't realize when I started pulling pics for this post, that it would be my last!! I can't believe our trip report is almost over

We left off right after our main dishes at Royal Palace, so now it is time for dessert! The dessert menu comes in a little invitation envelope!

We decided to split 3 items: The Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee, the Grand Marnier Souffle, and the Apple Tart Tatin. We enjoyed all three, but I think our favorite was the souffle.

After dessert, Suka folded us a flip frog

And I Gede folded me a Minnie bow from a napkin, and told me to wear it!!

Suka wanted to get a pic of us together with the bow

And told us to look at one another...

We LOVED our service at our rotational dining...cannot say enough great things about Suka and I Gede. They made our meals such wonderful experiences! I was a little teary saying goodbye to them, but we did.

On the way out, some final decor photos

The floor

Royal Palace was my favorite restaraunt...Animator's Palette was DHs.

Out in the atrium, we asked a girl to take a pic of us, and it would be our last photo of the trip!!

We went back to our stateroom and changed, and went to the 10:00 3D showing of Ant Man, and really enjoyed it. We had decided to do Express walk off, so we didn't need to worry about any luggage in the hall, or waiting. The next morning, as soon as my alarm went off, I was grumbling...it couldn't be over!! But alas, it was. Leaving the ship with our luggage ourselves was super easy, and we were to our car and on our way in no time. But....

We booked our next cruise on board!!! So we will be sailing on a 4 day itinerary on the Dream on December 5, 2016. We just need to decide on what we are doing for our WDW portion before. Having the next trip to look forward to, even if it's over a year away, made leaving more bearable.

We want to thank everyone for reading along and reliving our wonderful trip with us; hope you all enjoyed, and maybe we convinced you to try a land and sea trip, too

prfctlyximprct · Oct 12, 2015

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SHARING! I cannot believe your trip report is over!!! I loved every minute of it! Your pictures are much clearer than my memory, thanks for bringing back my happy times!

Mom@disney · Oct 12, 2015

I absolutely adore your dress you wore to the Royal Palace dinner and your previous dress was really cute and stylish too...not at all a tshirt or casual looking. I'm sad to read the end of your trip report, but happy to know you will be cruising again soon! I am so terrified of the open ocean, but if I were to ever take a cruise it would most definately be Disney...you both made it sound and look (thanks to your wonderful picture taking) AMAZING!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful memories with all of us!

catmom46 · Oct 13, 2015

Aww, the end already?? But now you can start your pre-trip report for next year's trip.

Thanks so much for all the fabulous pics and commentary from both of you! I think the joint effort made your TR even more interesting and fun to read. Perhaps you'll spearhead a new trend in TRs? :cat:

FlaggNL · Oct 13, 2015

myhappyplace said:
I will anxiously await your trip report so I can see if POFQ lives up to what I am hoping it's like

You bet there will be a TR after arriving home again. Although I don't want to think about that

That means our trip is over and is not even started yet

myhappyplace · Oct 13, 2015

prfctlyximprct said:
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SHARING! I cannot believe your trip report is over!!! I loved every minute of it! Your pictures are much clearer than my memory, thanks for bringing back my happy times!

You're welcome, I really enjoy doing the reports so I can relive my trips later, and I'm glad you enjoyed it!!

Mom@disney said:
I absolutely adore your dress you wore to the Royal Palace dinner and your previous dress was really cute and stylish too...not at all a tshirt or casual looking. I'm sad to read the end of your trip report, but happy to know you will be cruising again soon! I am so terrified of the open ocean, but if I were to ever take a cruise it would most definately be Disney...you both made it sound and look (thanks to your wonderful picture taking) AMAZING!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful memories with all of us!

Thank you so much; both are from the company Stitch Fix...I stocked up on items and saved them for the cruise. I knew as soon as I got the orange dress that it would be perfect for Palo, and a sailboat dress is perfect for a cruise, too.

I hope you can give a cruise a try someday, especially the 3 day...you really aren't aware of the open ocean because it mostly happens at night.

catmom46 said:
Aww, the end already?? But now you can start your pre-trip report for next year's trip.

Thanks so much for all the fabulous pics and commentary from both of you! I think the joint effort made your TR even more interesting and fun to read. Perhaps you'll spearhead a new trend in TRs?

I know

Thank you for reading...it really helped having the mister's input, as we have such different viewpoints at times. Ha, we shall see!!

FlaggNL said:
You bet there will be a TR after arriving home again. Although I don't want to think about that That means our trip is over and is not even started yet

I know, bittersweet isn't it?

Trip Report Our 2nd Anniversary DREAMy Boardwalk Adventure (Sept. 2015) COMPLETED

Well-Known Member

Crazy Cat Lady

Well-Known Member

Crazy Cat Lady

Crazy Cat Lady

Crazy Cat Lady

Crazy Cat Lady

Well-Known Member

Crazy Cat Lady

Crazy Cat Lady

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Crazy Cat Lady

Crazy Cat Lady

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Crazy Cat Lady