Going back to the WONDERful Disney WONDER and some WONDERful surprises

We were up early this morning and got ready. While Tom was checking for forgotten things I packed up last night’s clothes and whatever was still out. Once we were sure we had everything we carried suitcase by suitcase down to the car and loaded everything into the car. It needed a bit of rearranging until everything was finally fitted in and we were able to leave our wonderful holiday retreat.

We had saved two Counter Service Credits for breakfast at Wolfgang Puck’s Express, so our first stop was Downtown Disney. Since we were so early the parking lot was empty and we were able to park really close to the restaurant. It was fun to see CJ, and while he was taking our order we talked about the fact that we were going on a Disney Cruise. He seemed all excited and we promised to get him a souvenir!

Then it was time to pick up drinks and find a table. Tom got himself some Coffee and I had another cup of Tea. I really like their tea, they offer an organic Earl Grey and it is very fragrant. We both actually got the same breakfast item, the Smoked Bacon Pizza - scrambled eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella and cheddar cheese and Ranch Dressing. This is one of the best breakfast items I have ever had. Since we got a second beverage with our meal we both opted for a bottle of water. Once we had finished our meal we walked back to the car, had a sip of water out of one of the bottles and got going. Off to see the WONDER again! We hit the highway, paid the tolls and finally got close to Port Canaveral.

The last time it had been raining so heavily we actually missed the port completely, so this time we were determined to hit it straight on. Um, guess what, even though we did look out for signs we missed the correct exit again, but we noticed right away, got off at the next exit, turned around and in no time we were at the right part of the port. There were some CM directing you to the correct place to go to and we soon were in line to drop off our luggage.

Once that was done we got into the car again and drove over to the parking lot. We paid our fee and actually found a spot that was close to the exit and even close enough to be seen from the ship. We unloaded our hand luggage, got our passports and paperwork out and off we went to check in. There weren’t too many people around so we got through the first check point easily, then we got in line for the security scanning. Managed to get through it in about 5 minutes and up the escalator to finally check in and receive our stateroom keys and charge cards.

They had already started boarding and it did not take long until it was our turn to get on the ship. We skipped the photo options and were soon announced in the lobby of this wonderful ship. There was only about half an hour until we could finally get to our stateroom and leave our luggage there, so we decided that instead of lugging our luggage around at lunch we would wait until we could finally drop it off.

We walked around the ship and actually wandered into areas we had never been to before. About 5 minutes prior to opening the staterooms we walked up to our floor to wait with the rest of our fellow cruisers. They opened the rooms really on time and we walked to our stateroom. It was the same stateroom we had had the year before on our first cruise and we felt at home right away. Tom put the key in the door and opened it and even walked in. He was surprised to find some wonderful gifts in our stateroom. I knew we would get a welcome back gift from DCL but I didn’t expect it to be several gifts! Once we got close enough we found out that on the bed there was a nice beach bag full of goodies, a keyring, two drinking bottles and two rice crispy treats from DCL. On the table there was a huge tray of fruit, cheese and nuts and on the sideboard there was a cooler with a bottle of wine.

We went and read the little card that came with it and to our huge surprise we found out that our friends Mary Ellen and Joe had sent us this present! What a way to start our magical second cruise. Once we had recovered from the surprises and we had stowed away our hand luggage we made our way up to Deck 9 to have a little lunch.

We got in line, were handed some hand wipes and some finally some trays, plates and silverware. The food looked yummy and we both quickly filled the plates and picked up some drinks before we went to find a table. We found an in door table, got settled and started our meal. It did not take long for a cast member to come over and offer us a Welcome Cocktail, a Bahama Mama! Needless to say, we both got one and enjoyed it very much. And this time we even remembered to take the souvenir glasses with us! Once we had finished our main courses we needed to try and sample the desserts. So we both got a plate full of yummy desserts, which we really enjoyed together with our Bahama Mama. There were still a lot of people looking for a table, so after we had finished our lunch we got up and let someone else have our table. We walked back to our stateroom to find that our luggage had arrived.

So we started unpacking and asked our stateroom host, Arturo if he would be able to separate the beds. He was sorry he didn’t have time right away, but would do so before turn down service. We unpacked all of our things, hung the Fish Extender outside our door and decorated the door with our magnets, and then stowed the suitcases under the writing desk for the time being. After everything was done we sat outside on the verandah for a while. It was soon time for the safety drill. So once we heard the signal we put on our life jackets and went outside to join the stream of people.

 We made it to our station in no time and the drill was over in just a few minutes and we were on our way back to our stateroom to put away the life jackets. We both got our cameras and headed upstairs again to watch the Adventures Away Party. They were just warming up the audience when we arrived and we were able to find a nice spot to watch all the action.

The party was real good fun and soon it was time for the countdown and Captain Henry to steer the ship out of the port! We stood on the top deck and waved to CM at the port and people who were watching the ship leaving port. Very soon we had left the port and were on our way out to sea and Nassau. Once we got back to our stateroom we found out that Arturo had already separated the beds, and put fresh ice into the wine/ice-bucket. We sat on the balcony again for a while watching the sea, then got changed and walked downstairs to watch the early performance of The Golden Mickeys. It was as fun as it had been the previous year and time just flew by. There was just little time left before we were supposed to go to dinner, so we after walking around the ship we just sat out on the balcony until it was time for dinner. Our first dinner was at Triton’s and we got there a little early. We joined the queue and were let into the restaurant after just a few minutes.

Our server introduced herself and soon after a second couple joined our table. They did not seem interested in conversation much, so we just kept it to ourselves. Then a third couple was seated and that is when the husband of the second couple started to get talkative. He told everyone that he had 5 sons and that he had left them all at home for this trip and how he was a brilliant auctioneer and how he did everything in his life brilliantly and he knew everything, had been everywhere, had seen everything. The more he talked the quieter we all got. Finally the fourth couple joined our table and was told everything about Mr. Know it All’s past too. Tom and I ordered and drink each and it was good we did as it might have helped getting through the evening with Mr. Know it all. Tom got The Royal, Sparkling wine, Crème de Cassis and Peach Schnapps, while I ordered the Cosmopolitan L'Orange, Grey Goose L'Orange, Grand Marnier, Cranberry Juice, dash of lime juice. The server quickly came round to take our orders for the starters. Tom ordered the Duck Confit, Salted and Slow-cooked Duck, Dried Prunes, Candied Walnuts, Chicory and Mixed Leaves with Apple Walnut Dressing. I ordered the Avocado - Citrus Salad with Iceberg and Radicchio Leaves and an Orange Vinaigrette, which was far too sweet for my liking and I didn’t really eat much of it. Next up were the main courses. While Mr. Know it all informed everyone that he thought there was nothing to his liking on the menu, Tom ordered the Slowly Braised Lamb Shank with a Creamy Polenta and Portobello Mushroom in a Red Wine Sauce as his entrée, which he really enjoyed. I ordered the Three-Cheese Lobster Macaroni, Lobster Meat, Gruyère, and Cheddar Cheese Sauce tossed with Tubular Pasta and topped with a Parmesan Wafer. Tom had had it the year before and I could not wait to order it myself. It was as good as it looked and we both cleared our plates. Next up were the desserts. Tom ordered the Chocolate Mousse with Brandy-marinated Cherries, which was not too sweet and he enjoyed it very much. I guess I hit the dessert jackpot. I had the Brioche and Pannetone Pudding with Toffee Sauce. OH MY GOD, this was a little piece of heaven. The Pudding was soft and gooey and the toffee sauce was out of this world. It was well worth the wait, as the server had brought out the wrong dessert first, and it took a little while for the pudding to arrive!

 By then we had all heard far too much about Mr. Know it all and everyone quickly made their escapes. We walked back to our stateroom, got changed into something more comfortable and then finally took our map and the first part of our Fish Extender goodies and went on our first round to fill the Fish Extenders of this cruise’s participants. It took us nearly an hour to actually find all the cabins as some people had been upgraded or moved but in the end we made it.

Once back in the stateroom we opened the bottle of wine and the cheese plate and nibbled for a while until we were too stuffed to eat just one more bite. We sat on the balcony for a few more minutes, enjoying the sound of the waves and the smell of the salty sea air before it was time for us to finally get a little rest.