Wonderful Mexican Riviera Therapy! COMPLETED 10/8 with Galley Pics and more!

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

So it would appear the Wonder has had the AUDACITY to cruise without us onboard! The nerve...

In an effort to help my DD and I come to terms with real life (which I thought would happen by now!) we've decided to re-live the best week (for us anyway) ever on the Disney Wonder.

Amazing weather,

awesome food...

and lots more pix (including the galley/kitchen tour!)

Oh, by the way, we sailed 2/6-2/13/11 out of the frozen Midwest and into paradise.

Now I can see where this project can become quite a time stealer, so I'm going to do my best to keep it moving along, but be gentle with me... it's my first time.

So here's the cast:
Mom, Dad, DD (teen) and DS (little guy)

Hope you come along for the ride.

And, for all you Tangled fans... "Now's when my life" oops, I mean "thread" begins..."

 

[mbb]

I'm in, I'm in!!!!

Gonna go pop some popcorn in my disney bucket, and

Love it so far!!

 

[Mindyjoy]

I'm in!

 

[GranJan]

I can't wait to read your report. I've read all the ones here & I'm ready for a new one. We're booked for Oct so I can't get enough of these reports...makes the cruise seem closer.

 

[acpalmer]

Oh, I'm so glad to see another Riviera report--we are cruising next March and I can't get enough of reading about it!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

Thanks to everyone for sharing our tale with us! I’ll try to keep it interesting!

My goal is to be posting each evening, as I’ll be writing during the day and my DD will be my editor after school.

Here we go!

On every cruise, our family has “THE Moment.” It's not getting on the plane, or arriving safely at the hotel, though those are nice moments. It's also not getting on the bus on the way to the port or even reaching the terminal and checking your vast amount of luggage. You're getting warmer when you're in the terminal:

And when you can read this sign:

You know you've officially left reality when Goofy brings this concoction to your lunch table, insisting that you try his new "recipe":

AND he has a party when DH actually takes a bite:

No, THE Moment is walking through the doors of Animator's Palate to meet your new best friends (your servers for the week ~ in our case Teody and Agung) and knowing your luggage is safely in your cabin and that the Disney Wonder IS your home for a whole entire week!

You take a deep breath, and, when you see Baloo on the front of your menu, you can hear him saying, "Man, this is really livin'." The Bare Necessities plays in the background...

This is the life...

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

"Ma chere, mademoiselle. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax. Let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents

your dinner."

Be. Our. Guest! (Oops. Sorry. DD has a very strange tendency to start going off on Disney song tangents, and it's impossible to stop her... I guess that's what we get for taking her on Disney cruises!)

For appetizers, we enjoyed:

the Ahi Tuna Tartare:

Wild Mushroom Risotto:

the Shrimp and Onion Cheesecake:

Smoked Salmon and Trout with Goat Cheese Salad:

and Butternut Squash Soup:.

For entrees, DH and DD enjoyed

Phyllo-Wrapped Salmon:

and I scarfed down Asian Marinated Beef Tenderloin

And, when we thought we couldn't eat another bite, Teody brought us dessert menus.

I savored the Double-Fudge Chocolate Cake:

Somehow, we did not get a picture of DH's Apple Crumble, and DD got so excited about her sampler that she couldn't hold the camera still, and her picture turned out blurry.

With two and a half adults at our table, we shared lots of dishes! DD's goal was to try as many new foods as she could, and she discovered she loves shrimp. DH rediscovered that he loves salmon. DS discovered that he is not allowed, even on vacation, to order pizza at every meal. And as for me? I discovered that two desserts are better than one... and three are better than two.

Stuffed but blissfully happy, we headed off to the Welcome Aboard show where their motto is to "sing you off to sleep as you digest." (Sorry. DD is insisting that we finish "Be Our Guest"... "Teenagers... You give dem an inch, and dey swim all over you.")

After finally having lived THE Moment, we crawled into bed, full, giddy with excitement, and anticipating the days to come. We slept very well that night, dreaming Disney dreams...

On the next episode of Wonderific Mexican Riviera Therapy...

Napkin hats, Adventures Away, and Golden Mickeys. See ya real soon!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Loving your trip report (especially the Be Our Guest song lyrics)

Can't wait for more, we still have 19_? days until our own Mexican Riviera Cruise so I'm living vicariously through yours

 

[mbb]

........

(Oops. Sorry. DD has a very strange tendency to start going off on Disney song tangents, and it's impossible to stop her... I guess that's what we get for taking her on Disney cruises!)
.
.
.


Napkin hats, Adventures Away, and Golden Mickeys. See ya real soon![/I][/SIZE]

Sing away, DD!!!
We're all singing with you!!

Fantastic writing, fabulous pictures, and Love the Moments of family vacations...so glad you're welcoming us along on yours

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

Sing away, DD!!!
We're all singing with you!!

Fantastic writing, fabulous pictures, and Love the Moments of family vacations...so glad you're welcoming us along on yours

Thanks for the kind words... It's fun to share our experiences with such friendly people!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

Loving your trip report (especially the Be Our Guest song lyrics)

Can't wait for more, we still have 19_? days until our own Mexican Riviera Cruise so I'm living vicariously through yours

Thanks for joining us on our retrospective! When are you going?

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

I'm in!

Welcome, and thanks!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

I can't wait to read your report. I've read all the ones here & I'm ready for a new one. We're booked for Oct so I can't get enough of these reports...makes the cruise seem closer.

Wow! Lucky you! October will be here before you know it, but isn't the anticipation fun???

Hope our report adds to your excitement!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

Oh, I'm so glad to see another Riviera report--we are cruising next March and I can't get enough of reading about it!

Well, buckle up then! My DD and I are finding out that reliving the experience IS actually quite therapeutic... and she has a knack [that I do NOT possess] for remembering details.

You're so lucky to have your next cruise planned. The anticipation is like a little gift you get each day!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

My DH and I are going on the Oct 30 MR cruise... It's our first cruise to celebrate our first anniversary! (We also got married at WDW)

 

[MagicMe]

I'm in!! I love reading DCL trip reports!!!

 

[Our 2 Princesses]

We were on your cruise! It's going to be great reliving it with your family. Thanks!!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

"7 AM, the usual morning lineup. Start on the chores, and sweep till the floor's all clean." No, wait! Today is anything but the usual morning lineup! And there are definitely no chores! Today, we are waking up on the Disney Wonder! Yay! We were up bright and early (right around 7, in fact...) because we did not want to miss a moment.

First things first! Off to a wonderful character breakfast with all of our best friends.

Goofy: (Luckily, he didn't have any new "recipes" for us to try.)

Chip:

Dale:

Minnie: (with whom you can see our lovely head gear, provided by Teody and Agung, master origami-napkin-hat-makers)

Pluto:

Of course, we were very excited to see Mickey making his rounds! When he was a few tables away, we got our cameras ready and waiting excitedly for him to come and see us. But, somehow, our table got overlooked! Mickey started to walk away down the aisle behind us. DD, who was not going to be ignored, started calling, "Mickey! Mickey! Come back!" Luckily, his handler heard her pleas, and Mickey made a special trip back for us. Here it is!

After a big breakfast, (Sorry, no food pics. We were too busy with the characters.) DS got settled in at Oceaneer Club, DH got to enjoy Vista spa (He got a Rainforest package, and enjoyed every moment he could all week!), and DD and I walked around the jogging track. (We were still full from breakfast. There was no jogging in our near future...)

We went to the wonderful safety drill, (Actually, all sarcasm aside, we think it is much improved from having to wear those lovely, fashionable life jackets...) and then it was time for the Sail Away Party! After some wild partying, it was time to eat again! Triton's was the venue of choice, and the whole clan ate together.

While we were in the middle of our entrees, a message from the cruise director came on giving some announcements for the day's activities. We didn't listen very carefully until DD heard the word Tangled. DD, who has a penchant for delayed gratification, had fallen in love with Tangled the first time she saw a trailer. But when she found out that it would be showing on our MR Disney cruise, she thought "How cool would it be to see Tangled for the first time on the Wonder!" Well, after waiting two and a half months and hearing everyone's rave reviews, DD was itching to see it. Cruise Director Christian said that the movie would be starting in ten minutes, and DD's eyes grew wide. She knew she would have to forfeit dessert, or risk missing the first few minutes of Tangled. The correct choice was clear. She gave us all kisses and rushed off to the Walt Disney Theatre, a huge smile on her face. (Just for the record, I had dessert, and I made it to the movie just fine.)

After watching Tangled, DD was in love. She immediately deemed it her new favorite. We went to Goofy's Galley for some ice cream afterward. (Feeling cheated out of her first lunch dessert on the Wonder, DD was not going to pass up something sweet...)

Then it was off to a wonderful afternoon and evening!

Coming up next on Wonderific Mexican Riviera Therapy:

The Golden Mickeys and Formal Night at Parrot Cay!

 

[mbb]

.... knew she would have to forfeit dessert, or risk missing the first few minutes of Tangled. The correct choice was clear. .......

Dessert?....or a Disney Movie??
Delayed gratification!!!

Good choice, DD!
Soooo much more magical - you can see a new movie any ole time...but a new Disney Princess? On a Diney Ship...I so totally understand!!

Keep writing ladies!!!

 

[Schmoopsie Poo!]

After an ice cream outing which had been highly anticipated, we went our separate ways: DD to try out the Stack, me to Quiet Cove for some "alone time." After some relaxation, it was nap time! DS, who was completely off his schedule and could go all Jafar on us at any moment, desperately need some extra zzz's...

Exhibit A

(DD came along too...)

After our "beauty rest", in the words of Yzma, "it's dinner time!" We got ready for formal night and headed down to Parrot Cay.

Despite our best efforts to get DS rested up, he still trotted out his best Grumpy imitation. When the camera came out, he was not having any of it. But we still tried.

He improved slightly after some food...

And around dessert, he had a breakthrough!

But backtracking a little, the food for the Golden-Mickeys-themed dinner was phenomenal!

Broccoli and Maytag Bleu Cheese Soup:

Crispy Cheese Ravioli:

Grilled Ginger-Lime Swordfish Steak (mine):

Yachtsman Steakhouse Grilled NY Strip: (I'm not ashamed to say that this one was mine as well! What can I say? Sometimes you just need two entrees... I am on a Disney cruise, after all! I am happy to report I ate every bite of each.)

Jumbo Shrimp and Porcini Mushroom Tagliatelle (DD's second favorite all week!):

And, of course, our decadence knew no end with...

Creme Brulee:

The Golden Chocolate Award:

And the best of both worlds plus raspberry cheesecake... also known as a Dessert Sampler:

Once again stuffed, we went to the almost-as-good-as-we-remembered Golden Mickeys. It was a great show, but Cruise Director Christian came out after Colors of the Wind. We looked at each other confused as Christian explained that due to "technical difficulties" (the stage had a gaping hole that would not close...)the show would end there. We left with heavy hearts. No grand finale. No confetti. Then, *gasp* it occurred to us: Mickey had not even been in the Golden Mickeys! Well, there's always next time...

The boys, tired as usual, headed off to bed. But we womenfolk, with boundless energy, had time to spare! We continued to explore and party, and we even ran into some friends...

But even we ran out of steam eventually... Off to bed, anticipating another wonderific day!