You know your youth is long gone when...

Disneyfalcon · Oct 4, 2012

Oh and I love the cabana! Everything about it! I'm there for the girls cruise! How awesome if we could get 3 right next to each other!

MagicMegan · Oct 4, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
Then we were informed that our next drink was..... a shot. Oh my! Okaaaaayyy... Soooooo, we were doing a layered shot called a B-52. My super-simple self thought of a shot as "pour the strong crap in a jigger & throw it down". I didn't realize you could get all fancy-schmancy with these things! For others like me who are utterly clueless, a B-52 is a layer of Kahlua, a layer of Bailey's, and a layer of Grand Marnier. Yep, we poured 'em, too! Here's Suelen's:

Tracey with his B-52. I wonder how he's feelin' about that drink before Mixology now! I do recall this is the point where he was mentioning it...

And me with mine. See my notebook? I was note-takin' like a good pupil!!!

HOLYCRAP... those shot glasses are huge! Maybe it's just a Buffalo thing, but our shot glasses are 1oz normally...

joanna71985 · Oct 4, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
For your sake, I hope it's a short-lived test, too. Next September, for the girls cruise, I'm voting party bus!!!! We set the pickup time!

Woohoo, party bus!!

Pooh'sBuddy · Oct 4, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
I could give you tips to talk your hubby into one but it's not very PG, if ya know what I mean. It's the ultimate barter, if ya know what I mean. I'm evil, I know... Sometimes a girl has to do what a girl has to do. LOL!

Well, alrighty then! LOL!!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

EpicMickey said:
That's why I'm very excited with this cruise. We love Disney so much but we're at the point where we've seen most of stuff and want to experience something entirely new but -as you said- infused with Disney. Going to WDW after the cruise is excellent, we're looking forward to it but going to the cruise itself excites us more.
We're afraid that the cruise will be the climax and it will be rolling down the hill from there. Hopefully that's not the case.

That's exactly how I felt last September when we did 5-nights at the WL, 3-night Dream cruise, then 6-nights at the YC. The first 5 nights we were super excited about getting on the cruise. It's what we were most looking forward to. The cruise itself was amazing. Then the 6 nights back at WDW were spent wishing we were back on the cruise, discovering that we now had more of a disconnect going on with the parks, and why. It's like Tammy said, I'd take a fully-paid trip to the park or the cruise. I'd not turn either one down. But if I had the choice put in front of me I'd choose the cruise every time. I have a feeling you're going to love the cruise, too!

EpicMickey said:
Those are awesome suggestions, I may get the kyss bag.

Yeah, I think we will prob'ly go ahead and get us one of those locking bags in the coming months, too. I'm sure it'll make the Christmas list. I think even if we have the cabana it's a good thing to have for lots of other uses in our other travels. Especially the larger tote-type bag. That would be great to slip a laptop inside and lock in a hotel room or when leaving it in the car or something.

EpicMickey said:
We already have the gears, we snorkel a few times in Bali.. but we don't have the vest yet. I assume the vest is required and renting a vest means renting the whole gear? Did you bring your own vest Sweetpee?

I'm not sure where you live or how economical it would be but you don't have to bring your snorkel gear in your luggage if you're flying. Remember, you are welcome to ship a box to yourself on the ship! I think the info was added to the cruise FAQs here on WDWMagic but if you can't find it I can get that info for you. It's a pretty specific process to do it but it's great to have things you don't need before or after the cruise without having to worry about room in the luggage.

I suppose you could bring your own vest if you wanted to but you don't have to. Even if you're not in a cabana, anyone who brings their own snorkel gear will be loaned a vest free of charge. Disney requires them. You can't go without. Believe me, I'd love to go without! Just go to the hut where the rental gear is, show them/tell them you brought your own snorkel & mask, and ask for however many vests you need. They'll hand 'em right to you!

EpicMickey said:
We will def go to the guess services first. I'd love to be able to rent it and get that 3d model thing

Yes! As soon as you cross the threashold onto the ship they'll announce your arrival (that's so fun!) then there will be CMs everywhere to help direct you. Mostly they tell you to go each lunch at Cabanas because most guests go straight to lunch. Tell them you need Guest Services. They'll point the way. When you walk onto the ship into the main atrium turn immediately to your right and that's where Guest Services is. You can't miss it. The only problem is when you walk into that atrium for the first time it's so grand, so inspiring, sooooo incredible that it's easy to forget everything you have on your mind and get lost in that moment. Even now, I walk into the atrium and I couldn't tell you anything...my own name...nothing! It takes my breath away! LOL!

Disneyfalcon said:
Okay, so much to remember. Thank you thank you for all the toes! I love it!! And you have Minnie toes which is even better!!

I was thinkin' of you and the toes! I was! So, hey, you know you were there in spirit because I was thinkin' of ya! I absolutely love the whole concept as a whole, Tammy. It's brilliant. No matter how awful I look because I have no makeup, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing frumpy pajamas, etc. I know I can get a perfectly great pic of myself on vacation. Just prop up the feet and see where the toes goes! It's perfect!

Disneyfalcon said:
Yes. I am down with helping you get to Platinum.

Seriously! I'm not kidding. We need to be watching the FLR discounts and try to hop some dirt cheapies. Especially with the obscure talk of restructuring how you earn the levels (by total days sailed vs. # of cruises) we need to get ourselves to platinum before any changes can be put into place. It'd be awful to do, I know, but I can force myself if I have to.... LOL!

Disneyfalcon said:
That giant/blanket towel animal is sooo awesome! But the model Cabana was even better!!! Wow wow!!

I know! I loved the blanket critter! That was so awesome! The model cabana? Love! I asked Jack & Lisa if they got one. They didn't. I offered to ask Andreia if I could get another one for them and they said not to worry about it. I should've asked her for another one to send to you! Dangit!

Disneyfalcon said:
And you are so incredibly nice getting someone to join you in your cabana. Seriously. That is so nice.

Yeah, Jack & Lisa gushed the thank-yous and really made a fuss. They told all sorts of people how we gifted them that opportunity. Pius, our cabana host, even mentioned how generous a gift it was when we were alone with him. To us, we thought it'd make the entire thing more fun. I think from the very get-go we intended to find someone who might enjoy it as much as we did. We had so much alone-time on the cruise. With our boys being teens now we can leave them here and go to dinner or whatever. How many chances do we have to make new friends and share something THAT special? It was just the thing to do. We enjoyed the company so very much. In a way it was a little selfish of us to want to add to our day that way so it was a win/win all the way around. I'm glad we had such a great time. Glad Jack & Lisa did, as well.

Disneyfalcon said:
So glad you had a better spa experience.

Me, too! I still don't know that I'd spend $100 on a pedicure on the cruise when I can get a full set + pedicure at home with the tip for less than that. I'd splurge for a the blow-dry & straighten service again. I'm glad I'm not so terrified if I should ever need a polish change because of a chip or something. LOL!

Disneyfalcon said:
Your underwater pictures are so awesome! I love them all! I am so glad snorkeling went better this time too! It's one of our favorite things!

Seriously! I almost feel like I've found my inner beach-girl. The cabana helped with that because I could do the foot wash thing a bazillion times if I felt the need. LOL! The snorkeling was such fun. On the girls cruise I think I'll be bringing my gear to do some more! It's so fun!

Disneyfalcon said:
Party bus! Score!!

Yeah! I vote we get a limo or bus or something to pick everyone up and get out to the port on OUR time. We decide. We can make it a "party bus" or a "it's-way-too-early-for-this bus" or whatever. I like the thought that it's on our terms. Although, I do sorta like the movie that builds you up on the Disney bus. That was cute. And I totally smoked the trivia. Tracey laughed a said I was a "know-it-all". When it comes to Disney, aren't we all???

Disneyfalcon said:
And yes, I still love the parks too. If I had a fully paid pick at either one, I'd definitely pick a cruise, but we still love going to the parks.

Ditto! Couldn't be stated any better!

Disneyfalcon said:
Oh and I love the cabana! Everything about it! I'm there for the girls cruise! How awesome if we could get 3 right next to each other!

I hope hope hoooope we can get cabanas right in a row! Maybe we should find out which one is held back from online bookings (is it #17?) then book the ones next to it. That way, if one that we end up booked with is way off from #16 we can request a switch to #17 for that one and have them side-by-side. Yes?

MagicMegan said:
HOLYCRAP... those shot glasses are huge! Maybe it's just a Buffalo thing, but our shot glasses are 1oz normally...

I asked Tracey if he thought these shot glasses were oversized. He said, no. He thinks our total drink size was 1 oz. I dunno. I think the glass was a little bigger. We didn't fill it all the way up. Maybe she had us pour an oversized shot because trying to do them in the smaller glass might have made it harder. The middle & top layers we poured over the back of a spoon so there had to be room to get the spoon in there. LOL! When I downed the shot I was able to do it in a single swallow so it couldn't have been that huge. Well...I did used to be excellent with shotgunning beer...that could be just me & my long-lost talent.... LOL!

joanna71985 said:
Woohoo, party bus!!

Yes, ma'am!!!

Pooh'sBuddy said:
Well, alrighty then! LOL!!

fractal · Oct 5, 2012

Holy cripes Kelly! You did all that snorkeling and diving with a buoancy vest and no "flippers"? I bet you guys burned 1,000 calories or more. That was a hell of a workout!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

I really have to get this report finished. There may be a mutiny in this family if I don't hurry. The guys are tired of eating out and the laundry is getting ridiculous. LOL!

We had received a message earlier that there was plenty of availability at Remy if we wanted to show up earlier than our reservation time of 8:00. We went straight from the theater (deck 4, forward) to the restaurant (deck 12, aft) arriving at 7:45. We weren't tremendously early. We were immediately seated by a window and Olivier from France (the Remy representative we met 2 days ago in the Concierge Lounge) was our waiter. Olivier (I read his name as "O-liv-ee-ay" in proper French but Tracey swore it was just plain "Oliver") had a pretty thick accent and was sorta hard for me to understand at first. I was so nervous. I've eaten in plenty of nicer, upscale restaurants. No problem. But this was different. It's like soooo elegant and fancy, so proper. I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman getting ready to go to her first dinner with Richard Gere. I needed someone to give me some etiquette training! Ugh!

Olivier brought out the menu and briefly explained. I was so confused. I got when he said the 2 different menus at the top were comprised by the 2 chefs who had created the dishes for Remy.

The "Saveur" on the left was created by Chef Arnaud Lallement, someone well-known from France. The "Gout" on the right was created by Chef Scott Hunnel, the chef at Victoria & Alberts at the Grand Floridian/WDW. Basically it's a choice between French & American or so it was explained. Then, there's an a la carte menu below (not pictured) that you can order from to create your own menu. I was thrown by the a la carte. I know Olivier said we could change something as we wanted to but wasn't sure if we could make changes to the chef's menus pictured. I was so confused! I kept leaning over to Tracey and quietly asking what some of the things were because I honestly did not know. A lot is in French. I know an itty bit of French but not much. Tracey, on the other hand, traveled to Europe in '84 when his grandfather was working on a platform project with Marathon Oil. He'd done these types of fancy meals with his grandparents and, yes, he was sent to etiquette class to prep. I felt soooo intimidated! I expected an experience unlike anything I'd ever done before but the weirdness of it all was starting to feel uncomfortable. I was really trying hard not to convey my cluelessness in the hopes I'd come off having at least a minute amount of class but, to be honest, I just wanted to run away.

And then I was seriously debating in my brain whether I should even attempt to take pics of my food, etc. It didn't seem like that would be the classy thing to do but then I wanted to remember the details. So I kept my iPhone handy and decided to be super-discreet.

When Olivier returned to take our orders I apologized for my confusion and asked for clarification if I could change out some of the dishes for the ones I didn't care for in the Chef's menus. I told Olivier my problem was I don't care for seafood but I'd heard the Wagyu Beef on the Chef Hunnel's "Gout" menu wasn't to be missed. Of course I can make changes! Whew! That was a relief! So I ordered the "Gout" menu but changed my first 2 courses to the a la carte Tomato Tarte followed by the "Saveur" 2nd course, the Gnocchi Vin Jaune. That was stressful! Ugh!

First we were brought some bread to select from. That was served with butter and salt in cute little containers. We also were served the signature champagne cocktail which I really enjoyed. Here's a pic of it from the Disney Food Blog:

Next we were brought this little dish which is intended to "cleanse the palette. It's some sort of like pudding-type stuff (I forget what it was) that has a salty caramel in the bottom and macadamia nuts. Olivier instructed us to dip our spoon all the way to the bottom and back up to get a little of all the flavors at once. I'm glad he told us that. I might have sat there stirring like a fool. LOL!

Considering what I might have done vs. how I was supposed to eat that last one ~PLUS~ listening to the couple at the next table over from us....I swear I don't know if they were more impressed with themselves or each other...the mister gushed about how he'd been able to use 4 of the languages he knew while on this cruise...blah blah blah....((gag)) I'm tellin' you, I felt like a right-proper-hillbilly. Killin' me! I'm like the fancy-schmancy city-girl in my extended family! My dad's family has literal "hillbillies" out there. Seriously! So I'm sitting here feeling totally uncomfortable and clueless. I'm telling you, I just wanted to cry. I wasn't expecting this reaction from myself at all!

When we'd finished our "cleansers" Olivier returned to remove the dishes. He removed every dish in front of us and all the flatware, even the stuff we hadn't touched. He took everything away and quickly returned with fresh silver, etc. He busied himself resetting the table in front of us. I sat quietly watching and wondering why all the new stuff even if we hadn't yet touched the stuff he took away. That seemed silly. One of the pieces of silverware he placed in front of me I'd never even seen before. It looked like someone took a spoon, hammered it flat, then cut a notch in one side for some reason. I just sorta looked at it. Tracey was watching me and totally delighting in my impressions. It was all very surreal. When Olivier left to go get our first courses I pulled my gaze away from that flattened spoon and whispered to Tracey, "What the hell is that for?" He giggled. But then Olivier was back with our first course. I had the tomato tarte:

And Tracey had the Crab Cannellonni from the "Gout" menu:

I was quite overwhelmed when the first dish was placed in front of me and I could stand this no longer. When Olivier was close to me I sighed and said, "I'm so sorry. I know you're going to think I'm pathetic for asking you this so I apologize ahead of time. I have to ask you, tho....." I think Tracey was preparing to crawl under the table.

Olivier smiled. "Anything, Madamme..."

"What is that," pointing to the mystery flatware piece, "and how do you use it?"

Olivier's smile widened. He said the name of the thing but I didn't understand what he said. I'd never heard the name before. He told me all of my dishes would include it but that nobody ever uses it. He explained it's use how the notch side fits the inside rim of the plate perfectly. It was used when dishes had sauces and things because you could get under them easier. Well that made sense! Okay!

With that, I think I broke the ice. I stopped trying to pretend I was Mrs. Smooth and decided I was going to be myself. If I wanted to know something I was going to politely ask. How would I ever know if I didn't ask? Right? I had to get honest. I am who I am and that begins with true to what you see. I'm not very good at pretending to be something I'm not. So if that's a bad thing, then bad I am. At the very least, I'm honest.

So, look back at the tomato tarte picture above. Do you see my glass of ice water with lemon sitting next to a flute of a mystery clear liquid? The mystery stuff is and essence of tomato & cucumber water. Olivier explained how this was made. The only part I remember is that it takes a really long time. Anywhoo, that stuff was amazing! The tomato tarte was good but the essence water stuff was shockingly incredible! When you sipped it you got this total flavor explosion in your mouth of savory but refreshing tomato, cucumber, and shallots. It immediately made me think of the Gene Wilder version of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" when Violet ate the 4-course meal gum and she was going off on the flavor explosions from a piece of gum. Yes! It was flavor explosions from water!!! It was like MAGIC!!!

When we'd finished Olivier was back to clear everything and reset. Again. This is where more of my honest questions poured out. "Will you be puting all new silver out with each course? What if we don't use something? Like the flat spoon. If we don't use that, why would you bring another for us not to use?"

Olivier was so gracious and light-hearted. He replied, "I'm sorry. It's part of the proper service."

I said, "Oh, I understand. It's what you have to do but, still, I've been wondering if you all enjoyed washing dishes that much."

Olivier laughed, "Well, polishing the silver does give us something to do during the day."

We definitely rounded a corner. It was much more light-hearted and enjoyable now. Even the couple behind us picked up on it and I heard some light-hearted laughs from their direction when before they were all proper-ish in their sophistication-ified conversation. That's a Brian word: sophistication-ified. LOL!

Next course, my gnocchi from the French "Saveur" menu:

Yes, I even ate the little leaves on top.

Tracey had the wild turbot from the Americanized "Gout" menu:

The turbot is the one I had to ask Tracey if that was fish when reading the menu. LOL!

From here on all our courses were the same because we ordered the "Gout" menu. Next up was the Roulade of Poulet Rouge. Don't ask. I think it was red hen or something. Tasted great.

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

fractal said:
Holy cripes Kelly! You did all that snorkeling and diving with a buoancy vest and no "flippers"? I bet you guys burned 1,000 calories or more. That was a hell of a workout!

Yes it was! I brought my running clothes and "business" shoes with me with the intent of running on the ship but that didn't happen. Tracey wanted "flippers" but I refused. When I was a kid we were like little fishies always swimming...lake, beach, creek, pool, didn't matter. My brother and I once did a water treading contest to see who could do it longer. After an hour and a half we called a tie so we could go get something to eat before hitting the pool again. I love to swim. The thought of having anything on my feet while I'm swimming is terrible. It's bad enough having the stupid vest on. You might as well be sending me out with a corset cinched around my middle and concrete shoes on my feet. I know, it makes no sense at all my thinking about the flippers. Maybe I'll give them a try in our pool. I'm glad I got the workout, tho, because I really did need it. Tracey, notsomuch. He's not near as fit as I am but that's with reason. When he's off to work (mostly behind a computer) at 4:30 in the morning I'm savoring my last few hours of sleep before waking & heading out for a run. LOL!

Pooh'sBuddy · Oct 5, 2012

Oh, you sound like you were so stressed. I wouldn't have the courage to even try to have dinner at Remy.

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

I guess it's a good thing that I'm not at all afraid to try new things. Plus, having such country-fied relatives and living in the deep south for so many years, I've personally hunted many a critter and eaten things most city-folk would turn their noses at. LOL!

Next up was the dish I'd been looking forward to the most! The Wagyu Beef! Yes, we live in Texas. Beef is golden!!!! Starting at the top left of the plate and working clockwise: there's an "au jus" for the beef, a dish of cream potatoes with bbq spare rib, the Wagyu beef, then tender baby veggies.

We both ate everything. I did put some of the saucy stuff on the beef which was delish with or without it. I had only ever heard of Wagyu beef. I knew it was good stuff and expensive. This was my first occasion to eat it and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were told the Waguy we had was Australian. I'd love to order some but at the cost to obtain it I think I'd be afraid to try cooking it. If I messed up steak that expensive I'd be sick. Literally. The veggies were yummy as far as veggies are concerned. But those potatoes with spare rib were another crazy flavor explosion! Oh how that impressed me! And inspired! I make a hellacious cream cheese mashed potato dish. I also make a fantastic bbq pulled pork (a healthy recipe, actually) with my own homemade Kansas City bbq sauce that will make your toes curl. I had grand visions of knocking the socks off some country-folk next time I have an occasion to bring a covered dish to a family gathering. Oh yes. I shall be one impressive wannabe chef! LOL!

By now the couple behind us had left and there were very few diners left in the restaurant. As the evening pressed on I was more and more comfortable with all the formalities. I guess I was getting accustomed to it all. Some of it I loved. Like having a little silk-covered setee just to have a spot to lay a girl's clutch. Genius!

Next, Olivier asked if we wanted to try some cheeses before dessert. I love cheese! I wasn't about to say no to that offer. So out came a whole cheese cart thing and we were served a full sampling of cheeses and some bread. Olivier said where he is from nothing is served without bread. He insisted that he never ate anything without good bread either. I think I like this French thinking. I love bread, too! Too bad it doesn't like my hips or my butt. The cheeses:

I won't even try to remember all these cheeses for you. Olivier suggested we start with the orange one at 10:00 in the picture then work our way around counter-clockwise to gradually increase in intensity. The first one was very delicious. That was Tracey's favorite. He didn't try all of them, tho. He said he's tasted the weird cheeses before and knew better. Well, I wanted to know better, too, so I tried them all. Let's see... after the orangy one was the blue cheese which I liked very much. I love blue cheese. It was a powerful flavor. The next was kinda icky. The best way to describe it is if you've ever toured an old military ship. When you go down to some of the bottom-most decks you can smell like a burnt oil smell. That's what the one at the bottom was like: it tasted like the smell of burnt oil. The next cheese was a brie, very creamy and pleasant. The next up, there's 2 slices of it there, I can't remember if it was a hard mozarella or a parmesan. It was my favorite of the plate, tho. Loved it! The last one, it's on the spoon, good Lord! Don't eat that. It was awful! I can't even describe that taste to you. It was a nightmare on a spoon! To use my husband and brother's favorite descriptive phrase for something that's so terrible it's inedible, it tasted like @$$. Straight up. When Olivier returned he asked what we thought. We were honest which he didn't seem surprised in the least. He got a good laugh at our thoughts on the spoon crap. LOL!

So then it's time for dessert! Ooooooh!!!! One of the selling points of this entire meal for me when I was considering if I wanted to try it was when I read about "....between the dessert courses...." More than 1 dessert course?! Sign me up!!!! First we had the Tanzanie Chocolate:

I'm salivating just thinking about it. The cone of bliss on the left is a chocolate mousse that will make your toes curl it's so dang good. The chocolate pyramid over the top is a dark chocolate that made me want to cry. I love dark and/or semi-sweet chocolate with my whole heart. At the base of the pyramid were 2 perfectly ripened blackberries (which made me giggle because I wanted so badly to tell Olivier what Tracey grew up callin' these but it would've been terrible to say it out loud. Those that grew up like we did where a favorite summer activity was going out and picking blackberries will totally get the term "dog-p!$$ berries". They grow on little bushes down low...where dogs do their thing). On the right is a concave "dish" of drizzled chocolate with a dollop of vanilla gellato between 2 perfect raspberries. Neither Tracey or I like raspberries all that well so we both scooted them out of the way. When I was eating the little drizzled "dish" of chocolate Tracey said, "You're eating the eyelashes! Are they good?" I was giggling like crazy. It was all pure bliss!

Just when you think you've had the best dessert you will ever have in your entire life they bring out the next dessert course. OMG. I want to cry now. I'd do ANYTHING to have this in front of me again! It's an assortment of candies and sweets made in-house by the pastry chef:

From left to right: there's suckers (you can sorta see the sticks), maccaroon things, marshmallows, chocolates, nouget thingies with white chocolate domes on top, buttery crisp cookie things, and caramels underneath that will bring tears to your eyes. Seriously. I was so full at this point but I couldn't not try the caramels. Oh my word, no lie, I have never in my life had a caramel so amazingly creamy & rich with the perfect salt to balance. It was PERFECTION!!! I tried a few things. Tracey ate one of the cookies. Remember, he's not much for sweets and he just ate the chocolate cone from heaven. He wasn't eating much candy. Never fear, however. What you don't eat from your candies they will package up in a beautiful little take-home bag and send it with you. Looooove!

Naturally, we were presented with the anniversary plate. It was beautiful. You see our packaged leftover sweets behind the plate:

Olivier saw us taking the picture of our anniversary plate and came over to offer to take our picture. Absolutely! So I handed my new iPhone 5 to him and his eyes widened in disbelief:

"Is this the 5???"

Well, yes. He was so excited! He explained he'd not seen one yet and had just purchased the 4S a few weeks prior. He was upset the person who sold him the 4S didn't tell him the 5's were about to come out. He asked if I minded if he looked it over which of course I didn't. He was so enthralled and asked questions. The dining room was empty now so he called over a few of the other waiters to see. He excitedly waved to them and held up the phone, "Cinq! Cinq!", which I know means five. I laughed and told Tracey what cinq was. It was adorable! So now all the wait staff are gathered around oohing & aahing over my phone...then the chef came out to look. Oh my! It was all so comical and fun! Much less formality and more of everyone just being themselves. This is definitely the way I roll! The chef was funny making jokes about how Samsung had "already done that" about a lot of the features. Tracey joked that they were paying for that now that they'd lost the big lawsuit. We had a blast! Eventually we got around to the picture:

The chef, Chef Patrick Albert, came back to visit with us, as we'd seen him do at each table during the evening. Again, he spoke with a French accent so sometimes I had difficulty understanding. Tracey and I both later geeked-out over how much he looked like Chef Gusteau from Pixar's Ratatouille! I wish I had taken a picture or could find one with him smiling better because he really did look like him when he smiled. Here's a pic from the Disney Food Blog that shows Chef Patrick in the center:

Chef Patrick is flanked by Chef Arnaud Lellement on the left of the picture and Chef Scott Hunnel on the right of the picture. These are the 2 chefs who create all the recipes and menus for Remy. The menus are tweeked and changed every 6 months so these gentlemen remain very involved in what you eat here.

Chef Patrick asked where we were from then told us lots of info about the beef since Texas is sorta known for their beef. We discussed cooking methods for beef and I got some great info for techniques I'd like to try. Amazing. I hate cooking but I've really started to open up to it in the past year.

The chef asked if we had any questions which I did. I put thought into this one, too. Considering the name of the restaurant we were in and how complex all the dishes seemed to be, I was curious if our chef was able to change recipes, tweek or play with them, or did he have to follow the recipes for the dishes he served. I also asked this because I promised some pickier eaters before the cruise that I'd ask if things could be personalized to their tastes. The answer? Chef Patrick must follow the recipe. I think, tho, that for the pickier eaters as long as you don't get too finicky or limit yourself too much that you will be okay here. I went in not wanting to eat any seafood. There's a LOT Of seafood on the menu! I was somewhat afraid in ordering because some things I didn't even know what it was. I asked. That's all you can do. Super-picky people might not enjoy the food as much but it's truly a dining experience worth having. Definitely. But whether or not to spend that on a meal is always a personal decision so it'd have to be something picky-eaters would be willing to risk to try. You never know, tho. You might find it's something that opens your eyes to a whole new world.

Chef Patrick also asked what we enjoyed most. We gushed over the Wagyu beef then the potatoes with prime rib. I described my cream cheese potatoes and how I make my bbq. I joked and told him how I was inspired to go home and knock the socks off some country folks. He loved that. We discussed more cooking techniques.

Oh then we talked about cuisine in New Orleans and how the flavors of the food their are so rich and amazing. Chef really seemed to enjoy all this conversation and we chatted for 30 minutes easily. He was very personable and fun, informative, and interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

While we waited for Olivier to "sort out the check" (<--nice way to say it!) I took a pic of the now empty dining room:

From my reading I knew that every lady who dined at Remy was presented a red rose. I had observed the ladies tonight each leaving with 2 or 3 roses each. Imagine my shock when Olivier brought over a bouquet of a dozen roses for me! I almost cried! They were so pretty! Pic to come, I promise.

Tracey paid the bill. Again, not to be tacky but for information-sake, I'll tell ya what we paid. The meal itself is $75 per person. During the meal I'd had an additional champagne cocktail and Tracey had ordered a Crown & Coke. The alcohol was comped to us so that was not on the bill. Also, I knew the $75 supposedly included the tip but that the wait staff actually got but a fraction of that for their services so we left an additional $60 for Olivier. The Remy total was $210, well worth it.

When leaving the restaurant we were presented with a thank you card and a small box of chocolates in addition to our take-home bag of candy and my bouquet. Wow. Just wow.

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

Pooh'sBuddy said:
Oh, you sound like you were so stressed. I wouldn't have the courage to even try to have dinner at Remy.

I was stressed in the beginning but, honestly, that was my own fault. I did that to myself. When I finally got honest and stopped trying to play off what my momma refers to as "the dog & pony show" as old-hat it got better. And, really, it felt as if Olivier was able to enjoy us more when he could relax and be light-hearted as well. It makes sense that the waiters would take their cues from the guests as to what sort of service they wish to receive. I think it shows how incredibly professional they are when they can be perfectly proper serving guests who are looking for that then turn around and make someone as laid-back as me feel right at home while serving the exact same meal. As long as you can refrain from belching at the table or squeeling loudly when you discover something delicious, you'd be fine. Seriously. Don't limit yourself in what things you get to experience in life by fear of not fitting in. Go for it! You'll never know until you try, right? Even a girl like me had a totally fabulous, memorable experience eating such a fine meal as I did at Remy. Maybe being in the right company would help you enjoy it, too. You gotta have fun with it. Don't think for a second Tracey and I weren't cracking quiet little jokes about the disgustingly frou-frou couple at the next table. They were trying entirely too hard. It was entertaining!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

Can't not tell y'all about this! I'm a lot like my mom in many ways except I'm way more girly than she is and willing to throw myself into things like Remy whereas she probably wouldn't. She's about as laid-back as they come. She's not gross or without manners because she totally is "lady" just not into the frou-frou so much. So when I got home she called to see how the trip went. I told her all about Remy and she died laughing with me. It was such fun telling her about it. Like I told her, and I told this to Chef Patrick as well, I could live without a lot of the pomp-n-circumstance of it all. Just bring me a slab o' that Wagyu, a good dish of the taters-n-bbq, and the desserts in double portions. She laughed and laughed then said, "Don't forget the Wonka Water! You'll need a mason jar full of Wonka Water!" Oh yeah! My momma knows me! Gots ta have a big ol' glass of the Wonka Water!

We alked out of dinner at quarter after 11. Yep. You're not reading that wrong. We just spent 3 1/2 hours eating a meal. LOL! I'll type out what I wrote in my notes because it's the most pure of first-impressions and I think nails the summary for me:

Fabulous meal. So glad we tried it! Not a must-do but different experience. 3 1/2 hours for a meal was a whole new thing for us. So much of the service & details are lost on me. I find all the silverware-swapping & things distracting more than anything. Food was good but not he best I've ever had. Still, glad we tried something new. Definitely fun. Honestly, I'd be happier to have the excellent food but in a more low-key, laid-back setting. I'd rather sit at an open kitchen table, laugh & interact w/chef in big, cushy chairs. Definitely can appreciate the "finer" experience but prefer something more like me: laid back package w/uncommon substance on the inside!

We made a bee-line down to the shops. During dinner Tracey laid down the threat over the Dooneys. Good timing. I couldn't smack him right there in the middle of that restaurant. He told me if I didn't take my butt down to the shops, pick out a bag & matching wristlet in both Dooney patterns, he'd go down there, do it himself, and I'd be stuck with whatever he chose. So, there's the answer to the burning question: Which Dooney & Bourke bag did I end up leaving the cruise with? Here ya go:

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Evil man! LOL! Just kidding! He had the CM checking us out in the shop rolling laughing. He got both bags, both wristlets, and some dental floss. He's like, "Look at this! She gets all that...and I'm getting floss!" It was so funny! We had some other shopping to finish up. Then we remembered we hadn't been to Shutters yet. We ran over there hoping we weren't too late. We could order prints via the kiosk still but we'd be limited to what was already in our folio which the computer kiosk would tell us. Surprise. Everything was the 8x10s at $20 a pop. Tracey was irritated and refused to buy any. It's kinda like Coke, the actual soda is GIVEN to Disney in exchange for the advertising so it's not like Disney loses so much on the sodas. It's likely the same with the photo paper and ink. I don't see Disney throwing away that kind of money (they print everything & put it in your folio so you'll feel like you have to have it). Other cruise lines discount and make what they can on the final night. Not Disney. They're happy to throw away the pictures. To be honest, none were all that outstanding anyway. We decided to leave 'em behind.

Last nights stink! Waiting for us when we returned:

This part was my addition:

We still had to pack up so we dove into that loathsome task. Midway thru we took a break to enjoy our verandah again. I love love loooove the glowing below the water line on the new ships. That's so stinkin' awesome!

Sideways panorama so I could get the water and the glow of the full moon:

We went to bed at 1:30 or so. I had me a little cry on Tracey's shoulder. Our little getaway has truly been a Dream come true...

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

Sunday, Sept. 30
At exactly 6:05 the cell phone in the stateroom next to us was ringing like crazy. I had my alarm set for 6:30 but in my sleepy stupor I thought that was one of our phones ringing. I leapt out of bed to check the phones. I was so confused when it was neither of them. LOL!

We showered, dressed, packed the final items, and got out of the stateroom at about 8:00. We had a debate over my roses and if I could bring them with me. I knew plant items is a no-no but I soooo longed to bring my roses. I knew if customs or anyone saw them they'd take them so I opted to leave them perched beautifully in our suite vs. watching some stranger throw them in a garbage can. I've never loved a single bouquet so much. It reminded me of my bouquet when we got married...

Our flight home was at 12:30-ish and we'd seen some pretty wild security check lines when we walked out from the Hyatt 3 days ago. We didn't feel comfortable lingering on the ship so we decided to find some breakfast in the airport once we cleared the security lines. As we were walking off the ship Captain Henry was there. We thanked him again for a fabulous time. I can honestly say, Capt. Henry is a very gracious host, very personable. He definitely makes a fantastic face for Disney Cruise Line. They should totally work that to their advantage!!!

We headed down to the baggage claim area and got into the customs line. We usually are off the ship well before now so we've never seen the terminal this crazy. I also noticed for the first time the crazy-awesome artwork they have down here. Gorgeous pictures that get lost in the blur of luggage and people. I turned to snap a picture of the crazy tons of people...

But a TSA or customs person immediately shouted at me, "No pictures!" Oops. Sorry. Didn't know. But then when you think about it, how dumb is it to put such beautiful things where you don't want someone to take a picture??? Just make it plain, then. Sheesh! So now my little rebel self is highly interested in how to go about gaining access to this area when photography IS allowed because it's a cryin' shame for those cool pieces to be down there. Would you put some awesome Disney art from the Vista Gallery in your garage??? No! Duh!

We got right on the bus and headed back to the airport. Goodbye Dream. See ya real soon!

Both Tracey & I dreaded the video on the bus on the way back. When we took the ME back to the airport from WDW years back it was a total tear-jerker of a video. We both wanted to fling ourselves off the moving bus it was so sad. The cruise video on the way back isn't bad at all. It's upbeat, talks about all the fun you have to look forward to when you come back. Yes! This is what we need!

We got to MCO at about 9:00. We had to check our bags with Southwest then join the herd at the security checkpoint. The line said 15 minutes wait. It was 35 minutes.

Wish we were staying here and starting over:

I got pulled for the random shoe test. New one on me. We finally got out to our terminal area and found some breakfast. I was starving! Tracey had Sbarro's pizza. I had Au Bon Pain. Good bagel. Terrible coffee.

Sat at our gate relaxing. Plugged in our phones at the cushy chairs. I edited photos on my phone. Snacked on my Remy candies. A man & woman walked up while Tracey was gone to the restroom and the man tried to park himself in Tracey's seat. Right there! With all our stuff on the floor partially in front of the chair, Tracey's stuff on the little table surface next to the chair, and the guy was just going to plop his butt down. I was like, "Um, excuse me, my husband is sitting there. He'll be back momentarily." The guy snaps back, "Well can't he sit over there?" motioning to the seat on the other side of me. The audacity! I was shocked. I was about to ask if he could just sit in that seat so I wouldn't have to move our backpack, our carryon, Tracey's charger, and the print in the folio but the wife pulled her man away saying something about sitting elsewhere. Tracey returned and asked what that was about. I explained. So nuts! In the end, where we were sitting by our gate wasn't even the gate for that couple's flight! Nuts, I tell you!

Going home. It blows.

I'm so grateful to whatever angel decided to put Starbucks in multiple locations in the airport. Bless you. Some things are a sure-fire way to take the edge off an otherwise miserable day:

Short nap on the way home. Lots of "weather" on the flight. Craziness when we got on the ground in Houston and it was only 66 degrees! Boys picked us up at the airport then we picked the dog up at the kennel. Coming home stinks but it's good to have all my babies to make it sweeter.

Thanks for tuning-in, y'all. Hopefully we'll have some other surprises pop up before too long. If not, we'll see ya again next June to share our Western Caribbean adventures on Disney's Fantasy!

emcclay · Oct 5, 2012

Your experience at Remy looked to be truly magical. I am drooling over the dessert and candy pictures. Love that Chef Patrick came out and talked to you both! Personally, I can't wait to be able to concoct desserts for guests AND interact with them.

Also, I love your TR's and they are REALLY making me want to cruise. Maybe I will be able to snag a good deal as a CM..

Disneyfalcon · Oct 5, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
I was thinkin' of you and the toes! I was! So, hey, you know you were there in spirit because I was thinkin' of ya! I absolutely love the whole concept as a whole, Tammy. It's brilliant. No matter how awful I look because I have no makeup, my hair is a mess, I'm wearing frumpy pajamas, etc. I know I can get a perfectly great pic of myself on vacation. Just prop up the feet and see where the toes goes! It's perfect!

That's exactly my reasoning! I don't have to worry if my hair is done, if I look fat, nothing! I can take pictures of my toes!! It's not about the toes! It's where the toes goes.

sweetpee_1993 said:
Seriously! I'm not kidding. We need to be watching the FLR discounts and try to hop some dirt cheapies. Especially with the obscure talk of restructuring how you earn the levels (by total days sailed vs. # of cruises) we need to get ourselves to platinum before any changes can be put into place. It'd be awful to do, I know, but I can force myself if I have to.... LOL!

I'd be willing to make that sacrifice too! Lol!

sweetpee_1993 said:
I know! I loved the blanket critter! That was so awesome! The model cabana? Love! I asked Jack & Lisa if they got one. They didn't. I offered to ask Andreia if I could get another one for them and they said not to worry about it. I should've asked her for another one to send to you! Dangit!

It's okay! I will admire yours!

sweetpee_1993 said:
Me, too! I still don't know that I'd spend $100 on a pedicure on the cruise when I can get a full set + pedicure at home with the tip for less than that. I'd splurge for a the blow-dry & straighten service again. I'm glad I'm not so terrified if I should ever need a polish change because of a chip or something. LOL!

I'd do the blow dry and straighten! Still afraid of pedicures though.

sweetpee_1993 said:
Seriously! I almost feel like I've found my inner beach-girl. The cabana helped with that because I could do the foot wash thing a bazillion times if I felt the need. LOL! The snorkeling was such fun. On the girls cruise I think I'll be bringing my gear to do some more! It's so fun!

I will definitely be snorkeling on the girls cruise. Especially with the gear being included with the cabana. I know it's leaky sometimes. I can deal.

sweetpee_1993 said:
Yeah! I vote we get a limo or bus or something to pick everyone up and get out to the port on OUR time. We decide. We can make it a "party bus" or a "it's-way-too-early-for-this bus" or whatever. I like the thought that it's on our terms. Although, I do sorta like the movie that builds you up on the Disney bus. That was cute. And I totally smoked the trivia. Tracey laughed a said I was a "know-it-all". When it comes to Disney, aren't we all???

I have to say, I do enjoy the Disney transfers a lot. I always said they were too much, but now that I've done them a couple of times, I see the appeal.

sweetpee_1993 said:
I hope hope hoooope we can get cabanas right in a row! Maybe we should find out which one is held back from online bookings (is it #17?) then book the ones next to it. That way, if one that we end up booked with is way off from #16 we can request a switch to #17 for that one and have them side-by-side. Yes?

Yes! Good idea!!

Disneyfalcon · Oct 5, 2012

And I forgot to comment on Remy! What an amazing dinner! I'm so glad you relaxed. It's Disney after all. They're not going to mock you or look down their noses at you.

Your beef, potatoes and dessert made it for me. I don't care if I liked another thing, those would have made it worth it.

I am soooooooooo glad you decided to take pictures! For our benefit of course!

I definitely want to do Remy on the girls cruise! Who's with me?!!

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

Disneyfalcon said:
And I forgot to comment on Remy! What an amazing dinner! I'm so glad you relaxed. It's Disney after all. They're not going to mock you or look down their noses at you.

Your beef, potatoes and dessert made it for me. I don't care if I liked another thing, those would have made it worth it.

I am soooooooooo glad you decided to take pictures! For our benefit of course!

I definitely want to do Remy on the girls cruise! Who's with me?!!

I want to try the Remy brunch. I *may* be willing to do dinner again. I wonder if I could order my slab of Wagyu, taters, and Wonka Water??? LOL!

MagicMegan · Oct 5, 2012

sweetpee_1993 said:
I asked Tracey if he thought these shot glasses were oversized. He said, no. He thinks our total drink size was 1 oz. I dunno. I think the glass was a little bigger. We didn't fill it all the way up. Maybe she had us pour an oversized shot because trying to do them in the smaller glass might have made it harder. The middle & top layers we poured over the back of a spoon so there had to be room to get the spoon in there. LOL! When I downed the shot I was able to do it in a single swallow so it couldn't have been that huge. Well...I did used to be excellent with shotgunning beer...that could be just me & my long-lost talent.... LOL!

LOL I don't know then... maybe I'm just a whimpy NYer.

It looks huge though, but whatevs lol. And I am not good at shotgunning... I can use a beer funnel though...

sweetpee_1993 · Oct 5, 2012

emcclay said:
Your experience at Remy looked to be truly magical. I am drooling over the dessert and candy pictures. Love that Chef Patrick came out and talked to you both! Personally, I can't wait to be able to concoct desserts for guests AND interact with them.

Also, I love your TR's and they are REALLY making me want to cruise. Maybe I will be able to snag a good deal as a CM..

Once I relaxed Remy really was pretty cool. I'm glad we did it. While there we discussed if we wanted to do it again next cruise. Tracey says no. If my brother wants to try it he said I should go with him Tracey doesn't want to spend that long on a meal again. Chef was very cool. I got him talking a bit about what level of input he has on the recipes when chefs Lallement & Hunnel come to tweek things. He had me giggling, especially about Lallement. Lallement is a good bit younger than Chef Patrick. He said Lallement will come excited to use a "new" technique to make something then Chef Patrick shows it to him. Lellement will be confused, "You know this?" Well, yes, it's a technique that's been around a very long time. LOL! Whenever you start concocting desserts & interacting look me up. I'll come be your guinea pig and give you honest (not mean) feedback!

Definitely try cruising if you can! It's every bit as wonderful as a parks vaca, it's just different. I've heard there are good CM deals to be had in the slower seasons. When you do go, you have to come tell us all about it!

Disneyfalcon said:
That's exactly my reasoning! I don't have to worry if my hair is done, if I look fat, nothing! I can take pictures of my toes!! It's not about the toes! It's where the toes goes.

Genius, I tell you! It makes perfect sense to me. I love it!

Disneyfalcon said:
I'd be willing to make that sacrifice too! Lol!

Great! Let's keep our eyes peeled. Before I left on our cruise last week I saw 4-nighters for $666 for double occupancy inside. That's amazing!

Disneyfalcon said:
I'd do the blow dry and straighten! Still afraid of pedicures though.

I get pedicures regularly and I'm afraid of pedicures at Senses still. I'd do a polish change but there will be no sharps near my tootsies. Not there.

Disneyfalcon said:
I will definitely be snorkeling on the girls cruise. Especially with the gear being included with the cabana. I know it's leaky sometimes. I can deal.

Yay! That's 2 for the snorkel lagoon!

Disneyfalcon said:
I have to say, I do enjoy the Disney transfers a lot. I always said they were too much, but now that I've done them a couple of times, I see the appeal.

The transfers were really nice. So easy, comfortable, and enjoyable!

MagicMegan said:
LOL I don't know then... maybe I'm just a whimpy NYer. It looks huge though, but whatevs lol. And I am not good at shotgunning... I can use a beer funnel though...

Um, no way are you wimpy. LOL! I think I remember the glasses being a bit big, too, which prob'ly added to my hesitation. You gotta remember, Tracey had a Crown & diet before Mixology. He prob'ly doesn't remember it straight. Heehee!

joanna71985 · Oct 5, 2012

WOW, the pictures from Remy look good! I don't think I would eat there (Palo is more my style), but I enjoy the pictures all the same

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