Derek and I took a Disney Cruise all the way in Europe last year. I was so excited that Derek was willing to do Disney, even though I think he agreed mainly so he wouldn't have to hear me make comparisons throughout the whole trip like last time! I had been on one other Disney Cruise prior to this one, but this was Derek's first. Mini Stitch joined us again. I think he is a tradition now.
I had been to Europe one time before. My family took a trip to France when I was 14. I had forgotten what a big ordeal it was to fly there, and from here in California, it was even farther. Our flight was divided into several parts, and it felt like one long day because we easily went over 24 hours before we saw a bed again. My body completely lost it's sense of time!
Before we boarded, we waited with everyone else in a large room with seats until our number grouping was called. We really picked a great part of the ship for our state room- deck two right near The Edge for pre-teens. Yes, it got a little noisy at times, but the location was awesome. We were right near all the dining rooms and not far from the theater either. The only thing that was a bit of a journey to get to was the pool.
If there's one thing I miss when I'm on the non-Disney ships, it's the Sail Away party. I love hearing them sound the horn while everyone cheers, waves, and dances. And, of course, I love the characters!
We chose the late seating so we'd have some downtown after returning from our daily outings, so we headed to the theater first that evening. Because we were leaving from Barcelona, a good chunk of our fellow cruisemates were Spanish. It was wildly amusing to hear our cruise director seamlessly switch between Spanish and English. But get this- his name tag said he was from Switzerland! Go figure!
This night would also introduce us to an issue that would plaque every performance we went to. The audiences were the worst I've ever experienced! I'm usually very easy going, and it takes a lot to bother me, but I couldn't believe what happened. The lights would dim, and the chatting didn't die down one iota! Everyone continued to talk the entire time the cruise director spoke to us as if he wasn't there. I was aghast. I don't remember that happening so badly on my last Disney cruise.
I still managed to enjoy the show, however. The Welcome Show is cheesy as ever, but the Disney geek in me couldn't resist it. The magician act was actually pretty cool- he did Houdini's famous straight jacket trick! You know, the one where he escapes while suspended high in the air? I'd never seen it performed in person before. It's quite a sight!
Our dinner that night was in Lumiere's- my favorite of the three dining rooms for reasons that should be obvious to anyone who knows me. They seated us at a table with two other couples- an upbeat middle aged couple with grown kids not present and a fun gay couple. We didn't become best buddies with them, but they were cool, and we enjoyed catching up with everyone at the end of the day.
My first meal was French onion soup (always loved it), crispy duck, and the sweet temptations dessert. Whoever thought of Sweet Temptations is genius! It's basically an offering of 3 mini versions of that night's selections, and it's what I chose almost every night. For someone like me who hates having to choose between yumminesses (yes, I just made up a word), it was a godsend!
We finished the evening at the Rockin' Bar D where they were playing "Match Your Mate," a game in which they ask questions to 3 different couples and see if both parties of each can guess how the other answered. ("When your husband wakes up in the morning, what's the first thing he touches?" etc.) We'd end up seeing the MC many times throughout our cruise. She was a lot of fun- high energy, upbeat, and funny. You could tell she loved being there. Unfortunately, I forgot to write down her name. One thing that Derek and I noticed about this ship verses the Royal Caribbean is that while Disney does have plenty of adult only activities, they are not nearly as well attended as they are on RC. For instance, RC's equivalent of this game is done in the main theater, not the lounge. RC's version was also quite a bit raunchier from what I remember!
Our first full day would be an at sea day. Lazy days are good when you just crossed an ocean!
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