TR: Last Trip of 2012 and First Trip of 2013 Pt. 7: Disney Dream, First Evening On Board (1/2/2013)
(version with pictures;
http://realtalkguidetoawesome.wordpr...-board-122013/) Lines through Terminal 8 at Port Canaveral were long but flowed quickly. We had all of our paperwork in order well before getting to the desk, which meant that we had our Keys To The World (seapass) in what seemed like record time. Before boarding, there was the commensurate embarkation photo for future cruise line revenue possibility, and then we were to board the ship. With many lines, a glass of champagne or sparkling wine is handed out at entry. Disney instead asks for the name of your party in a rushed setting, then speaks it out on the atrium loudspeaker. Ours was a little muffled, but they said it. I would have preferred the alcohol, I guess. Much of the early part of sail away was spent in the cabin - we'd venture out to the pool deck for V8 Cafe food and some of Mickey's Sail Away Party, but that area was a bit busy for us and the show frankly ridiculous to be attending. Watching us pass onlookers in Port Canaveral and see the Space Coast shoreline disappear slowly on the horizon was far more relaxing and almost necessary after dealing with the madness that was the always purposeless muster drill. In many public areas, much of the ship's Christmas decor was still present. A large gingerbread house was set up over in one area, a cable stayed Christmas tree towered two stories up, and garland was all over the place. There was also decoration still throughout the buffet area up on deck 11. This contrasted quite a bit with NCL, and how within a day or so all New Years decoration was pulled from the Pearl and stored away when we sailed them almost a year to the day prior. Chosen for our seating was the later second dinner seating, which meant that we'd be attending the first show. Opening night on the boat was Villains Tonight, a song and dance spectacle based around Hades from Disney's Hercules attempting to regain his evil mojo. Of the three shows we saw on board, this was probably the least serious and most self-aware. There were jokes towards a number of other Disney properties and even on Disney itself; legit lulz were derived from a crack on John Carter. As would be the case with a number of shows, there were transparent screens, really cool digital projections, and even pyro mixed in to give the shows a spectacular appearance. On our first night, dinner was served in Enchanted Garden down on deck 2. There was some waiting involved getting to the entrance and being given our table number on this evening, and as we pushed and shoved our way through with the throngs, I only then realized that this scenario would be repeated again at least twice more because of the rotational dining system. I really, really hate that part of it. We were seated at table 33, a table of 6. Two of the tablemates never showed up. We gave a decent effort at trying to interact with the newlywed tablemates that did appear, and that went nowhere. My wife ultimately compared them to the Dementors from Harry Potter: they seemed to exist to suck the fun out of the experience with horrible babble, zero sense of humor, and complaints about the menu items. The husband was particularly striking on this, choosing only to eat the most basic salad and the "everyday" steak entree and complaining about the hummus like spread for the bread (which we enjoyed much of).\ My wife and I are a bit more adventurous, to say the least, and we went after a variety of items. Her starter was the Thyme and Garlic Brioche filled with various mushrooms, followed by the Heirloom Tomato Soup, and the Glazed Portobello Mushroom entree. She found all to be quite tasty and had zero complaints. I chose the Ahi Tuna and Avocado Tower to start with, followed also with the Tomato soup, and the carmelized Sea Scallops to finish. The Scallops were good, the soup also quite tasty, but the Tuna and Avocado Tower had a wildly insufficient amount of wasabi on the plate. I ran out about 2/3 through, leaving the rest with what I thought was an essential component. I suppose I could have sent the remainder back and asked for the Lobster Ravioli starter instead, but I wasn't exactly starving when we had started our meal. For dessert it was all about the Bananas Foster Sundae; not as much rum taste as perhaps when I make it at home, but that could be because I way over do that part. To the uninitiated, it is important to discuss that the biggest aspect with Disney's rotational dining is the differing themes of each venue. Enchanted Garden is themed after a classic french formal garden, and the LED lighting inside it changes from dusk to night time during the meal. It isn't terrifically dramatic; in fact, my wife indicated that to her, the change was so subtle that she barely noted the change at all. If not prompted to look you might entirely miss it. Of course, most everyone on the ship knows what is coming, and are ready to "ooh" and "ahh." There were some options for more adult entertainment in the evening, but were a bit tired from having been active all day and instead chose to head to sleep and get ourselves ready for an exciting day at sea. |
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