Hello again, readers! I apologize that I have taken a mid-report hiatus. I have been a bit...well, no, truth be told...I have been VERY traumatized over this pandemic. I work in a hospital in Westchester County and let's just say...life has been upside-down and inside-out lately. Please pray for our friends, families and neighbors who have suffered and lost persons dear to them and that we all stay healthy and this thing ends soon. For those who don't believe that COVID-19 is real, I can assure you, it is way too real, and I hope it doesn't affect any of you. Things are starting to slow down perceptibly at work the past week or so, and I am starting to feel that maybe we might see the light soon...?
Anyway, I think finishing up this report will make us all feel a little better and more normal so...back to the part where we sailed away from the beautiful
DCL terminal in Port Canaveral!
We stayed up top there on the top deck feeling the moist breeze and smelling the salty air for a long time, and as we were exiting the harbor...we spotted a jumping dolphin! By the time we were finished sailing away from PC it was time for our main show of the night, the 6:15 showing of "A Fantasy Come True: Welcome Show" in the Walt Disney Theater.
It was basically a cute little intro to everything on the ship (which we didn't need, even though we had never sailed on DCL, we already knew everything they highlighted), told through the eyes of a family struggling to disconnect from their every day cares and reconnect with each other on their vacation. We have to hand it to Disney for their casting, which is always spot-on. The cast was extremely talented, and over the week we liked playing the game of identifying which cast member who played the part of Jasmine or Elsa was which character in the Welcome Show, etc. The Dad/Genie was easy, but the rest were harder! the costumes are amazing and the cast is so versatile.
I found these photos on my camera so I'm thinking these are from the Ladies' Room outside the Walt Disney Theater? I still can't get over how absolutely gorgeous this ship is from top to bottom, in every corner, including the restrooms. Also, I don't usually use or enjoy the word "lady" but seems appropriate in the context of this lavatory.
I'm obsessed with the light fixtures on this ship! T think this one is just outside the theater or maybe outside Royal Court?
Between the show and dinner we had a little time to check out the merchandise. A little background...Peter used to work in the Plush Toys industry and has a real affinity for merchandising in general, but specifically Disney merch, so he was ITCHING for the shops to open once we left port! Of course, I'm not going to complain if he wants to buy me some stuff...which he did over the course of the week!
Haha nope, those are not the things he bought me! We got ourselves some DCL specific merchandise you just can't find anywhere else, and then we headed back to the stateroom to drop off our loot. We found this, the first bed runner creature of the week:
I think it's a sea turtle? The thing I have noticed about the DCL "towel animals" is that they are a lot harder to identify than the typical ones you find in a resort. I think that makes them even more fun!
About our cabin attendant...always efficient, always mysterious. We barely ever saw him. It was as if things magically got done. The stateroom was always spotless, always well-cared for. At first, I was kind of annoyed that he didn't make a big introduction the first day. On all of my previous cruises on other lines, the cabin attendant always makes a point to find me and introduce themself and tell me they are there and ask what can they do special, etc. We didn't get that here, but after a few days, I realized that didn't matter. If we needed something we could write a note or call the desk. Stuff got done in that stateroom, and that's what counts!
It was time for our 8:15 second seating at Royal Court.
We had thought about requesting a table for 2, but decided against it, because most of our past encounters with fellow Disney fans have been positive, so we figured let's just see what happens. Well, we were glad we left it to chance, because we were assigned to Table 73 with 2 other wonderful couples who really enhanced our overall experience, and we are glad we had the opportunity to share that company over several meals. The one thing that was weird, though, is that I was the only one taking food pics!
Up next...the food pics of our first dinner on the Fantasy!