Life with boys

18.11.11

Disney Cruise, Day 3

17.11.11

Disney Cruise, Day 2 Character Breakfast

We awoke early on Day 2 as we were having breakfast with the Disney Characters.... EVERYONE was excited..... before breakfast we went to Deck 9 (our favourite place cause of the pools and restaurants) And our boy was so excited that he had to dance it out.....it was still a little wavy so everything was quiet as some guests were trying to get a hold of their stomachs!

We arrived at Parrot Cay and had breakfast.....someone was too excited to eat and couldn't wait for the characters to come to our table. He kept checking to see where they were......

And then Mickey came over.....he signed Adrien's autograph book, hugged him and moved on to the next table. The wonderful thing was, that even though the Cruise Line had their own photographers that took pictures in an effort to sell them to the guests, they were VERY willing to take pictures with the guest cameras!

Then came Goofy....I don't think I stopped laughing the whole time. I don't know who had more fun, me, hubby or the kid!

While we waited for other characters to come to our table, the wait staff (whom we LOVED) made hats for all of us, they made me a Jasmine one (picture not posted) they made Adrien a Mickey Mouse one and Peter Pan!

Then Minnie came, Adrien became so bashful and enamored with her that he couldn't look at her. Instead, we got this picture, probably one of my favourites from the whole cruise.

And finally Pluto graced us with his presence....and is now Adrien's favourite Disney character (more to come on that story)

14.11.11

Disney Cruise Food!

I found a website that had all our cruise menus.......I have laid out only MY dinner choices for the week.....they were DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 1-Animator's Palate
Ahi Tuna Tartare
With Caviar, Chives, and Wasabi Cream
Smoked Salmon and Trout with Goat Cheese Salad
On Baby Greens, with Toasted Almonds and a Cranberry-Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
Asian Marinated Beef Tenderloin
on wasabi mashed potatoes with bok choy and a tamarind-barbecue reduction

Day 2-Parrot Cay
Baked Crab Dip Martinique
Jumbo Lump Crab Baked in Creamy Cheese Sauce served with colorful Tortilla and Plantain Chips
Cold Cream of Mango and Papaya
Flavored with Passion Fruit
Mixed Grill
Grilled Beef Tenderloin Steak, Lamb Chop, Bacon Wrapped Sausage and Jumbo Shrimp on Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Grilled Tomato with a Cabernet Mushroom Sauce
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Triple layer baked cheesecake topped with burnt sugar crust

Day 3 Lumiere's
"Gaston's" Escargots Gratinés
Herb-marinated Snails with Finely Chopped Mushrooms, topped with Garlic Butter
Avocado - Citrus Salad
With Iceberg and Radicchio Leaves and an Orange Vinaigrette
Aged Angus Grilled Beef Tenderloin
On Olive-Oil Smashed Potatoes, Bacon-wrapped Green Beans, and mustard madeira sauce
Brioche and Pannetone Pudding
With Toffee Sauce

Day 4- Animator's Palate
Pearls of the Caribbean
Crabmeat, shrimp and salmon mixed in pearls of couscous with lemon grass infused vinaigrette
Chilled to the bone Honeydew Melon and Watermelon Soup
Jack Sparrow’s Barbecue Marinated Beef Short Ribs
Rubbed beef short ribs with tamarind-barbecue sauce served with onion red bliss mashed potatoes and plantain chip
The Calypso Ice Cream Sundae
Rum and Raisin Ice Cream, Caribbean Cake and a Rum Caramel Sauce

Day 5- Parrot Cay
Garlic and Herb Sauteed Shrimp
on spaghetti vegetables drizzled with garlic butter
Californian Mixed Salad Leaves
served with crispy smoked duck strips and toasted pine nuts
Sesame Seared Tuna Loin
on lemongrass-infused bok choy, and carrots with wasabi and ginger drizzle
Banana Creme Brulee

Day 6- Lumiere's
Princess Madeleine Salmon Royal
Marinated slices of salmon with honey-mustard dressing
Coronation of Mixed Leaves
Vine tomatoes, blue cheese, apples, candied walnuts, and aged red wine vinegar
Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington
covered with mushroom stuffing wrapped in puff pastry served with fingerling potatoes, baby vegetables, and a cabernet black truffle jus
Princess Jasmine Banana Bread Pudding
Brioche bread pudding, caramel sauce and toasted macadamia nuts

Day 7- Animator's Palate
Artichoke, Spinach and Jalapeno Cheese Dip
with triangles of crispy pita bread
Potato Leek Soup
garnished with sour cream, chives and caviar
Yachtsman Steakhouse Center Cut Grilled Beef Tenderloin
served with William potatoes, asparagus spears, baby vegetables and bearnaise sauce
Baked Alaska
served with ice cream loaf, sponge cake and meringue mushrooms

Disney Cruise, Day 1

We stayed at the Sleep Inn the night before our 8:15 flight. We flew out of Buffalo and arrived in Orlando at 10:50. It was hot and we were tired and hungry! Our land transportation didn't leave the airport until 12:45 (after they told us we would be leaving by 11:30)...{note to those planning a trip, use the Disney Express. They pick up your luggage from the airport and deliver it to your room, then they take it the night before you leave the cruise and you don't see it again until you land at your destination!}

Driving to Port Canaveral, from Orlando, it's a pretty uneventful drive, until you get to the bridge. As you come to the top of the bridge, all you see are ships..... there were 3 in port that day.

As we boarded the ship, we were asked out family name and over a pa system we were welcomed....followed by a round of applause....for me, so embarassing....Adrien LOVED it!

We found a place to have lunch and get some drinks before heading to our wonderful stateroom. The ship was stunningly beautiful. With HUGE windows, Disney details everywhere and the friendliest staff on earth! Adrien quickly became a mini celebrity, a role he thrived in

We went to the Goofy Galley for lunch, then quickly toured our room before heading down to the Mandatory Safety drill.

After that we headed up to Deck 9 for the Send Off party. We met a wonderful British couple (who took us under their wing) and they told us where to be for the show. Adrien was exhausted and was falling asleep on my shoulder until he say Mickey. The look on his face was captured by hubby and he just stared at Mickey in awe.

Mickey came right over to high five and hug Adrien, bringing instant tears to my eyes. The sheer joy in his face at that moment made the trip worth it right then and there.

As we pulled into the ocean, the boat began rocking A LOT......people were commenting that it was extremely rough seas. As we had never been on a cruise before, we had no points of reference. We later found out that normal (smooth sailing) waves range between 4-6 feet. Ours were 30 ft that night and the boat was on a 5 degree angle. Needless to say, we laughed a lot as we were knocked off our feet and bumping into walls....

We had dinner at The Animators Palate and were seated with a family of 3 from Ohio with a 3 year old boy too! That first night, our servers, Issac and Ivett got to know us, found out our favourite drinks (which would be present waiting for us each night to follow) and would not let us cut Adrien's food, insisting they do it as we were on vacation.....Fabulous, I know!

That night sleeping was interesting. Just as I would fall asleep, a huge wave would hit and I would have to brace myself as to not fall out of bed....lol....and it was so wavy they closed Deck 10 and all the pools!

What a great day.......