I had the "Very Very French toast" with a hash brown and sausage.
The girls had orange juice, fruit salad, pancakes, sausage, and a hash brown.
The pancakes had strawberries and whipped cream on the side. All in all the food was good, nothing special.
The characters were making their rounds and the first to stop by our table was Fancy Nancy. We had a discussion about Piper and her both having the same curly hair. Nancy liked that!
The characters definitely took their time and were happy to take pics with anyone who wanted one so Zoe got one next
Before long Vampirina came along - she was cracking me up! She was making like all kinds of cute poses and really getting into it
Zoe seemed especially pleased to see Doc McStuffins. I think it's safe to say she was a fan favorite!
The pictures seem to tell the story about this breakfast so one more post about is as I'm already at my photo limit again!
I will finish this update with the main man himself....Mickey Mouse! What better way to end breakfast than getting to hang out with Mickey. He was all dressed up in his black jacket and traditional red pants and yellow bow tie. What a cutie!
In summary I would say if you have young children this breakfast would be a no-brainer in my opinion. For me, it was probably some kind of miracle that I dragged two teenagers to it at 9:00am on a sea day. But, I'm glad we went. It was something new for us and made for some good memories. It will be interesting to see if these eventually return once sailing resumes. I hope they do.
I hope you can join us for a ton more fun on day 2 and appreciate you reading along!
At 9:50am we were already finished with breakfast and "shockingly" everyone wanted to do some shopping before we went to sit out and get some sunshine.
As we walked through the atrium there didn't seem to be many people so I took advantage of the time to take some more pictures. Most of the people who were there at the time were on level 2 lined up for a Tiana meet and greet. We weren't worried about getting this photo op as we had reserved the princess meet and greet for later this afternoon. See you real soon Tiana!
I can't recall if I mentioned this before but if you are Gold castaway club members or DVC, you get 10% off in the shops.
Looking at this next pic I can't remember now but this shirt either HAD to be youth sized or I officially lost my mind for not purchasing it. I have sooo many Disney Halloween t-shirts they are my absolute FAVE. I'm just going to go with it being a youth shirt to make myself feel better about not owning it. I don't know if you ever find yourself saying this but there are SO MANY times when I see a shirt and think OMG I need it only to find out it's a youth sized shirt. Why Disney, WHY???? Like, hello, take alllll my money if you make these same shirts for adults. Can we get some XL's up in here???
Zoe and Piper have a pretty big Loungefly backpack collection so we took a few minutes to see what they might have available on this sailing that they don't already have.
The first one we saw was cute but it wasn't really "calling" either of them. I do like the Minnie nautical themed design though.
Next we checked out the navy blue sequined bags with a striped bow and cute gold anchor. We contemplated this one but we have the rose gold sequined bag and although they are cute sometimes the sequins can be uncomfortable and they also get caught in stuff so we did not purchase either of these.
We didn't buy sailor Donald because we already have him but how can you not love his little frowny face?
Now we all know I would have bought these but "we have too many cups". Fun fact, Andy's missing cruising so much he said I can "buy whatever I want" on the next cruise. Now, not that I don't already do that but I made a mental note of this for SURE. Then once he said it he started trying to add caveats like "but not from the Tiffany's store". Actually the one thing I have always wanted on a cruise but could never bring myself to pull the trigger to buy is one of the cruise themed pictures in the art gallery. The only artwork we've ever gotten was on the Star Wars Day at Sea sailing when it was the inaugural cruises we purchased a framed limited edition print that came with a collector's coin. This next cruise might be the one where I go for it!
They had the Captain and the Sailor spirit jerseys out along with the adorable Donald loungeflys and matching wallets. Also in this section were rectangle and circle picture frames, sling bags and backpacks.
The ear selection included the red sequined side bow ears, the blue sequin striped bow in the center ears, rose gold sequin ears with navy bow and gold anchors and traditional pink or purple ears.
Freedom to dream section had a mug and a couple of shirts - "Life's better at sea"
The next 2 sections had nautical themed Disney magnets for stateroom doors. If you didn't bring your own you could always pick these up!
We bought another one of the Fantasy itinerary t-shirts as Zoe wanted to take one to her friend at home. With the 10% off it ended up being $22.49.
I didn't take a picture of it but Piper got a navy blue Disney Cruise Line t-shirt that has the big DCL logo on the back. We also purchased one of the reusable DCL bags - the small ones were $1. I use these at home all the time so for the price you can't go wrong. I think Disney might have raised the prices of the bags slightly since then but it beats carrying all of your stuff around. It was $27.99 with the 10% discount.
It was now just after 10am and we were ready to get changed into our swimsuits and lounge in the sun. We have a spot we always go to which makes it really easy to meet up if we lose one another. Today it happened that they were filming a Disney Cruise Line commercial right next to where we were lounging so stay tuned for our fun in the sun, the commercial, lunch, formal night, and so much more on day 2!
By 10:30am we were changed and up on the top deck in our usual spot for sun bathing. The chairs were calling us!
Whenever it's available we set up "base camp" at the lounge chairs right at the top of the stairs if you go up and turn right at the Funnelvision screen. We like it here because we can catch whatever is playing on Funnelvision at the time and it's also convenient to bop down and pick up drinks or anything else you might need. At this time they were playing Lilo & Stitch on the big screen.
It's also a fantastic location to watch the Aqua Duck go by and I've gotten some excellent pics of the girls riding it before by waiting for them to pass by me as I sat here.
Plus, this is a pretty nice view, and it's a great location when the ships horns go off! We love hearing the Disney songs blast through!
However, today was a little bit different as shortly after we arrived they started setting up and filming a Disney Cruise Line commercial.
They stacked up all of the lounge chairs that were between where we were and the other side of the Funnel so they had a clear area for filming.
The commercial ended up being a scene where a family that was composed of a father, mother, son and daughter is walking on the deck when Captain Mickey comes strolling up and surprises the family. The family emerges from the area on the opposite side of the funnel from where we were sitting.
Mickey entered from our side so we got to see him peeking around the corner each time they did a new take.
The little boy had a stuffed Captain Mickey in his hands throughout which was totally adorable! He got to introduce captain mickey "junior" to the big guy lol.
I took a ton of pics so I'll wrap up the commercial section by these last few pics, hope you enjoyed this part of the report! I hope that it gave you a glimpse into how the commercials are filmed!
By now we had been out in the sun for quite a while so we wanted to cool off. The main pool/deck area was PACKED and we weren't all 18 so we couldn't head to the adults only area as a family so we have a spot we like that we headed to where we knew we could all cool off together.
On the opposite side of the funnel if you are overlooking the adults only pool area, there is a little wading "pool" that we find convenient to cool off and enjoy a beverage.
I'm having trouble getting pics to upload into this post so to be con't in the next post!
There was a handful of people in the "Funnel Puddle" pool but it wasn't bad at all. It's a really nice way to cool off without having to go into the main family pool. If you want to get a little bit of sun tan it's great because you can be sitting in the water to stay cool but you're not completely submerged.
Andy ordered a banana carib drink and the girls had water in their hydro flasks
The ships horns went off as we were sitting in the pool which is always nice!
There were some kids playing with their toys in the little fountain
By now everyone was getting hungry as it was about 12:45 so we decided it was a perfect time to head to Cabana's and get some food for lunch. We only had an hour until the princess meet and greet and we wanted to make sure that we had time to get changed before that.
Stay tuned for the meet and greet, formal night and lots more!
We love this little pool! It's often completely empty and when it's not it's never usually that crowded. I have a feeling a lot of people don't know it's there either! I hope you can give it a try in the future!
We only had a short time to get food and eat before the princess meet and greet so we threw some clothes on over our bathing suits and quickly picked up some food at Cabana's. We took some back to our room with us so we could get changed for the princess meet and greet at the same time as we were eating.
We had a plate with a little bit of everything - some rice pilaf, grilled shrimp, zucchini, a pork chop, white rice, etc.
My absolute favorite thing to get from Cabana's during the lunch buffet is the sushi.
Along with the sushi I had one ravioli and a couple grilled shrimp.
Piper had some macaroni and cheese, plain rice, grilled shrimp, and some pasta with parmesan cheese.
We had registered online prior to the cruise for the meet and greet and it was now our turn so we headed down to the atrium to meet Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana. Cindererlla was first she was very sweet.
Throughout the atrium they were playing Disney music and one of my favorites was playing - a Whole New World. Love Aladdin!
Next was Belle who was also very beautiful and sweet to the girls.
The star of this show was Tiana. Not only was she stunning! but she just had the greatest personality and was lots of fun.
Goodbye Tiana!
It was time for me to go to the future cruise desk and set up a placeholder. I always liked to do this at the beginning of the cruise as it gets so crazy at the end of the cruise plus I don't like to spend the last time on the ship messing around with it.
I got a message from the kids that they were looking in the shops (big surprise) and that they liked the Donald lounge fly bag and the dry fit spirit jerseys.
I had checked into the line for the vacation planning and at 2:17pm I was 3rd in line. 2:34pm I was 2nd and then at 2:39pm it was my turn! Once it was my turn I was in and out within just a couple of minutes as I already know I am just going to want a placeholder, pay the $250, and off I go!
With the placeholder booking out of the way it was time to get ready for formal night! We've done super dressy prom type gowns in the past but this time we kept it a lot more casual. Everyone opted for nice but not full on glitz which ended up working out just fine and was much easier to pack!
Zoe was out on the verandah just taking in the surroundings so we spent a little time just watching the ocean go by before going downstairs for formal night.
There was nothing but endless horizon
And completely mesmerizing water
It was around 3:15 and we had plans to hit up some of the character lines since they would be out in their formal wear. So once everyone was ready we headed downstairs and outside to get some fresh air in.
I'm going to call this series "when your family doesn't feel like posing for your pics"
I'm gonna call this one "walking on sunshine"
And guess what? I got ONE pic of their faces!
Next up it's time for characters and formal night!
Daisy was our first character meet of the evening and I have to say she absolutely knocked it 'out the park. Her line was pretty long and we were at the very end but it was worth every second. She had on the CUTEST sparkly blue ensemble and she was strutting her stuff, twirling, and striking so many poses.
She immediately twirled and then motioned for Zoe to twirl even though Zoe had a romper on. They both twirled and then did a few different poses for pics that Daisy had Zoe copy her in.
After Zoe and Daisy took pics I asked if I could take a pic of just Daisy. I never expected her to take the opportunity to basically put on a runway show but she sure did! And she killed it! She started out shaking her tail feathers, then she slowly strutted over to the railing. The cast member was right in on it...."wait for it....yes girl, yes girl....ohhhhhhhhh". We had such a great interaction and we were all laughing.
I'm going to call this resulting photo series "The many poses of Daisy"
She didn't miss a beat even when she was leaving the meet and greet area for the characters to swap out she was blowing kisses to everyone she went by. We heart you Daisy! Our plan was to get right back into the line to wait for the next character meet which was none other than Andy's favorite - Donald!
Donald was looking quite charming in his tuxedo for formal night! He has pretty much always been Andy's favorite character and when Andy walked up Donald was making motions like he was slicking his hair back and being "cool." You're definitely cool in our book Donald!
Just the girls with Donald - he gave them hugs and led them over and pretended to kiss both their hands.
Andy had to have a pic of his own with his favorite
We circled back in line as there was one more photo op we wanted to get which was Captain Mickey himself! The main man. The big cheese!
BONUS - Cast members bring around complimentary drinks during the time before dinner on formal night. It would be "rude" not to accept one, right? I was enjoying my drink - I believe it was one of the Sunken Treasure drinks of the day. Delicious! They had the live music going in the atrium which at they time they were playing Wicked Games by Chis Isaak. "No, I don't wanna fall in love"....... too late Disney Cruise Line! I fell in love with you a very long time ago!
Andy had a beer and was sure to make his "deer in the headlights" look for me when I snapped the pic of him. Why do drinks taste even better when they're "free"? I don't know, but they sure were tasty and hit the spot while we waited.
After enjoying our beverages it was our turn for Mickey! Mickey gave Andy a high five and fist bumped/blew it up like Baymax does. He was too cute.
It was now time to head to our dinner which was in Animator's palate tonight. As we began walking away from Mickey we ran across Pluto in the area where you can view your photos.
Next up - formal night dinner in Animator's Palate!
We really like Animator's however the lighting is definitely never picture friendly so just another disclaimer about the weird lighting before we get started!
The tables were set up as adorable as ever. I really think it's the cutest dining room on the Dream class ships. It won't beat Tiana's or Rapunzels on the Wonder or Magic, but I am obsessed with the Mickey chairs, and the way it comes to life with the different "shows" on the screens is great!
We were led to our table - 81- the menu itself is really neat with the cover featuring a sketch of Sorcerer Mickey. In case you don't know, your servers will "follow" you to each of the main dining rooms and your table will be the same number at each location. This is definitely one of the things we love about DCL as you truly get to know your serving team and by the end of the cruise they're like old friends.
The napkins are all folded so nicely
Andy and Zoe were pursuing the menu which includes the following appetizers:
Smoked Salmon Tartar
Sliced Serrano Ham
Black Truffle pasta Purseittes
Tomato Tarte
Soups & Salad:
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup
Arugula Leaves
Chicken and Walnut Salad
Bread Service:
Garlic and Herb Foccacia with Roasted Garlic Dip
For the Non Alcoholic Specialty Cocktail tonight they were featuring the Bora Shake. This is made up of Pina Colada, fresh Bananas, and Blue Ocean. The girls absolutely loved this as usual! They love all of the fun nightly drinks!
Next up we have the famous appetizer - the Black Truffle pasta purseittes. Honestly, this is in my opinion the best appetizer on the 7night cruise. We have actually ordered this as our entree before. Piper has decided this is the "best thing she's ever tasted". I can't say I disagree however I will sadly NEVER be eating these again! I have a lot of allergies and for whatever reason that night my face BLEW UP after eating the mushrooms in these. It was NOT pretty. So I will forever be mourning the pasta purseittes on future cruises. This could potentially be the worst photo ever taken of them, but it's the only one I had so here they are in all of their glory. I will miss you purseittes!
Andy and Zoe both had the baked potato and cheddar cheese soup. This is something they always pick. I've had it before and it is good, but it's not great in my opinion so I like to save room for other stuff instead.
Crush was swimming around the room. "Heyyyyyyyyy Dudes." (a few people responded). "Let's try that again! I said heyyyyyyyy dudes"..... quite a few people responded so he said we did much better!
For the main courses there was a choice of:
Herb Crusted Pork Chop
Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin
Pennete Bolognese
Grilled Tuna Steak
Lemon-Thyme Marinated All-Natural Chicken Breast
Every dinner menu also includes a vegetarian section and a "lighter fare" section. If you don't see anything on the main menu you like there is always the grilled chicken breast and sirloin steak in the lighter fare that will usually keep everyone happy. You could also order a larger portion of the items on the kids menus such as the chicken fingers.
I went with the herb crusted pork chop. It is good, nothing amazing but I would definitely get it again.
Zoe and Piper had the Lemon-Thyme chicken which they really like. I have had that in the past as well and it's very good. While Animator's wins my vote for best theming of the restaurants it's not necessarily the winner for food in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the pursiettes are there, so that would make it worth it all by itself.
The Lemon-Thyme chicken is served on sour cream mashed potatoes and surrounded by roasted root vegetables.
Andy went with the Teriyaki tenderloin which he really enjoyed
Zoe also spent some time checking out the activities for the evening on the DCL app. She found an 80's flashback and seemed excited to show that to us. Apparently she has learned a lot about the 80's from Andy and me. The room shifts from blue, to red, to normal lighting throughout your meal. Ya just never know what you're going to get.
Even though we were already stuffed it was desert time! The desert menu's specialty drinks which are available for an extra cost were Espresso, Caramel Pecan Chai, and Tiramisu Mocha Latte. They also featured two cocktails which were an Espresso Martini and Creme Brûlée.
I already knew without looking that I would be having the Cookie's 'n Cream Sundae. It's SOO GOOD. I am actually intrigued by the apple crumble rice pudding as well and I don't think I've ever seen that one before so I just might order it when we sail later this month on the Fantasy! I'll be sure to take pics and notes if I do!
Andy selected the chocolate fudge cheesecake. I definitely didn't hear any complaints about this one.
My "you can't go wrong" cookies and cream sundae. Absolutely delicious. The chunk of cookie and chocolate on the top really just finish it off. And I honestly don't know why I like their sundaes so much but their whipped cream and chocolate syrup are really good. I enjoyed every calorie of this one.
Lastly, the girls ordered the crunchy walnut cake which has a raspberry sauce with it. I'm allergic to walnuts so I won't be trying that one ever, but they seemed to like it.
Thank you so much for this great report. I’m totally living vicariously through you until we can cruise hopefully in fall 2022. Can’t wait to read more.
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but I made a mental note of this for SURE. Then once he said it he started trying to add caveats like "but not from the Tiffany's store".
Actually the one thing I have always wanted on a cruise but could never bring myself to pull the trigger to buy is one of the cruise themed pictures in the art gallery. The only artwork we've ever gotten was on the Star Wars Day at Sea sailing when it was the inaugural cruises we purchased a framed limited edition print that came with a collector's coin. This next cruise might be the one where I go for it!
Why do drinks taste even better when they're "free"? I don't know, but they sure were tasty and hit the spot while we waited. 
