Exploring the DREAM and BELIEVE!!

We slept in and only got up around 8am. So, after taking a shower and getting ready we set out to have another breakfast at the Royal Palace. We hopped into the elevator and soon were in the Atrium and found ourselves walking over to the restaurant. After using another antibacterial wipe we were led to a table. Once seated we ordered some Coffee and some Hot Tea and checked the menu again. Tom found something on the menu that he really wanted to try, the Swiss Bircher Muesli, Muesli with raisins, shredded apples and yogurt. It tasted really nice. His hot course was the Express, Scrambled eggs, grilled ham, bacon, sausage and hash browns, which he enjoyed a lot.

I wanted to try something different, so I ordered the French Toast and Pineapple Stack, Layers of French toast and grilled pineapple, topped with strawberry coulis, maple glaze and fruit salad. Bellies filled we first stopped at the future cruise desk to book next summer's cruises. Since we could not get the same stateroom we chose the one next door and will now be able to spend another 9 glorious days on board the Disney DREAM in 2012. Then we walked along the running track on deck 4, exploring more of the ship. When we got to the area where all the bars are, we went to explore the Skyline bar and Pink without disturbing a lot of other guests.

We finally got a chance to explore the toilets our tour host had pointed out during the tour and she was not mistaken, they are a sight in itself. Shortly before 11am we headed to the D-Lounge to watch a cooking demonstration. We found a nice table up front and watched chef Kristian from Hungary make Apple Strudel. During the presentation they handed out samples which were really tasty. It was so fun to listen to people commenting on him working the dough then pulling it out. He did very well and people asked a lot of questions afterwards. After the demonstration we walked through the Art Shop and then headed towards the elevators to go up to our stateroom. We spent a little time watching TV and finding out the location of Hurricane Irene which was heading our way.

 Around noon we walked down to the Royal Palace again, this time to have lunch. We expected the restaurant to be full, but it wasn't. So we were led to a table in the middle of the restaurant and handed our menus. A server was coming by right away to take our drinks orders and we both ordered a Diet Coke, then started to read the menu. A bread basket full of dinner rolls and slices of Baguette was placed on the table and the baguette was really nice and fresh. Tom ordered the Shrimp Cocktail with Wakame Salad and a zesty cocktail sauce. My choice was the Dill Marinated Salmon, with Mache, Micro Greens and Honey Mustard Dressing.

Both looked and tasted delicious. The Chilled Tangerine Soup with with lemon thyme cream intrigued Tom too, so he ordered it as well. As his main course he ordered the Steak Frites, Sirloin Steak with French Fries, Grilled Tomato and Herb Butter, while I chose the Captain's Cobb Salad, chopped cucumer, tomatoes, avocado, eggs and onions with sliced turkey, bacon, romaine lettuce, watercress and blue cheese crumbles. It was served with a choice of dressings and I had some balsamic dressing with it. I have had Cobb salad at the Hollywood Brown Derby before and did not like it at all. Now that salad was truly wonderful. Having watched the pastry chef prepare the Strudel, we had to try the Viennese Apple Strudel with Vanilla ice-cream for dessert. We both ordered an Espresso to go with it and enjoyed the rest of our dinner very much. Once done we dragged ourselves back to our stateroom, pulled out the rest of our Fish Extender gifts and went to hand them all out and while we were still doing that we got a good view of the princesses holding court.

When we came by the Atrium the next time, the regular lines for the princesses had been gone and there were cameras and a family meeting the princesses was filmed. As we later found out they were a family that was featured on Extreme Makeover Home Edition. After we had finished our duty we crashed in the stateroom for a while until it was time for our next appointment. I packed my box of tea which I had brought and we headed upstairs to Palo for afternoon tea. We had to wait at Meridian for a while and then were led to a nice four top at the window. Ann-Marie from South Africa was our server and she was very nice and polite and explained the process before she handed us the tea menu.

I had looked at that menu beforehand and had not found anything remotely to my liking, so this is where my tin of tea came into play. I very politely asked her if she minded if I use my own tea, as there was nothing on her menu that  I particularly liked. She laughed and then told us that she had sailed on the Disney ships for 8 years, but she had never had a guest who brought their own tea. She was happy to use my tea and asked if she could smell the tea. Sure she could and we offered her some tea to try which she and her friend happily did. A short while later we were served our water, to which we added our tea. While the tea was still brewing we were brought a plate of little finger sandwiches to share.

Ann Marie explained what they were and mentioned her favourites. There were Shrimp Sandwiches, really well spiced Egg Salad Sandwiches, a wonderfully light and fresh Cucumber Sandwich and a pretty dry Salmon Sandwich. Once we had had our first cup of tea and had enjoyed the sandwiches, we were served some Scones. They handed them out from a large plate and you could have as many as you wanted. They were served with strawberry preserved and some wonderful thick clotted cream. We enjoyed the scones, our tea and the beautiful view from our table and once we had finished the pastries we were brought a plate of petit fours, miniature pastries.

There were four different pastries for each one of us. And we still were not done, we still had one more course to come. The last course was a Strawberry Trifle. We really enjoyed the whole experience but felt like all we did all day was eat, especially when we knew that we had a reservation for Palo for dinner as well. We said goodbye to Ann-Marie, then headed downstairs to our stateroom and crashed for a while. We tried to watch a movie but were too tired. So after an hour or so we got ready again to go down to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch this night's performance of Disney's Believe. Again we found a seat at the front row of the balcony and were chatting and watching people finding a seat on the main floor when someone approached us.

Paige and her parents were sitting just a few rows behind us and she had a Tinkerbell pin for us to remember her by. What a cute idea. We thanked her and told her that we had a small present for her as well, but it was still down in our stateroom. We let them know that we would not have dinner with them that day as we were heading to Palo, but we would all have breakfast together the next morning, so we would bring her present with us then. Shortly after our conversation with Paige, the show began and while it was very nice and sweet it was just not as tear quenching as Disney Dreams on the Disney Wonder. Back in our stateroom, found more gifts in the Fish Extender and another towel animal on the bed.

We rested for a while and were happy we didn't have to do all the packing, as we stayed on for two more cruises. The sea was a bit rougher that day as Hurricane Irene was getting close and Captain Henry was trying to get into Port Canaveral early. The time seemed to fly by and all too soon it was time for us to get changed again and get ready for our dinner at Palo. We just walked up to the restaurant and were asked to have a seat at Meridian until our table would be ready. It took about 5 minutes and since it is a nice and quiet little bar we really enjoyed the time in there. Then we were called and led to the same table we had been sitting for tea in the afternoon. Ann-Marie was our server again. Right when we were seated Ann-Marie filled our glasses with ice-water and we did not even need some Diet Coke. While we were still looking through the menu Ann-Marie came over with an antipasti cart. She explained what she put on the plate, piece by piece, then added some chunks of Parmesan cheese and some aged balsamic before she put the plate on our table. Next she put some Basil Butter on the table and a basket of different Breads. We then placed our orders and started to nibble away. The bresaola, marinated fennel and roasted peppers and the olives were really wonderful, but the parmesan pieces with the balsamic was just divine. . It was nice to look out onto the ocean, see some lights afar and have a wonderful dinner. It didn't take long for our starters to be served.

Tom had decided on an old favourite, the Tuna Carpaccio and Lemon Oil Dressing , thin slices of ahi grade tuna brushed with our Chef's special lemon oil, which was really wonderful. I had chosen the Sicilian Pesto Marinated Grilled Shrimp  on a mussel, crab and cherry tomato ragu. When we had finished our starters we were brought a Palette Cleanser, lime sorbet with a blueberry on top. We had thought long about what to order for our main courses, but then gave in to curiosity. So, Tom ordered the recommendation of Ann-Marie, the Pan-seared Calves Liver Mele e Cipolle on polenta cake with caramelized apples and onions, garnished with air-dried prosciutto and it lived up to all the hype Ann-Marie had created for it.

And as a little extra she brought some Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli with a light truffle buerre blanc to try. I wanted to try something different myself, so I ordered the Fagotti di Petto di Pollo con Ricotta e Basilico, Baked chicken breast filled with ricotta, basil and red peppers served with pinot grigio reduction which was equally delicious. We were both really stuffed after all we had had on our plates that day, but there is one thing we just can't let behind at Palo. Their devine Chocolate Soufflé with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauce. So we both ordered it and since it is freshly made it takes about 20 minutes to arrive. Ann-Marie brought them out and poked a hole into the souffle, then poured the sauces inside and left us to enjoy our dessert. This is one of the best desserts I have ever eaten and we both worked hard to conquer this treat. After our meal we were then served a digestive, a shot glass full of Prosecco with a scoop of lime sorbet on top. This is very nice, cool and refreshing and the perfect end to a perfect dinner. We left the restaurant, thanking Ann-Marie for her services and left her a nice tip too. We walked down to our stateroom and removed the door decorations, so no one would think we had forgotten them and took them home. Then we grabbed some adult beverages and sat outside on the veranda watching the lights go by. We were surprised to see that we pulled into Port Canaveral around midnight. So the storm was really coming after us as we had never seen one of the Disney ships pull into port that early. So, when we went to bed we were already docked at Port Canaveral.