Our Thanksgiving Fantasy - Nov 22-Dec 1 - COMPLETE!!

[jecskc]

Caught up again. That looked like a nice brunch.

It was great .... sooo yummy.

DD's stuffed animals look like my granddaughters room. There is no place for them to sleep on the bed and the took them in my car last year when we drove to Disney.

We have sooo many of them. I don't know what we are going to do with all of them when she outgrows them.

Ok, been away a while... and this will probably happen again next week, but I'm all caught up for now.

I'm glad you were able to catch the Osborne Lights being turned on. As awesome as they are any time, it is just absolutely magical standing there in the dark and all of a sudden seeing those lights and hearing the music. And I too, am glad to see the manger scene being kept there.

It was so amazing. Have you seen them ??

Your cruise looks like it is off to a good start too. It seems like the kids are enjoying their various age appropriate activities, as are mom and dad.

You wait until you read about mixology

Seeing your DD's stuffed animals all over the bed lead me to wonder though... exactly how big is her suitcase? Did she even pack any clothes???

She sneaked her backpack in the car during the chaotic loading process, so we didn't find out about it until we arrived. She's sneaky ....

 

[jecskc]

Day 3 – Part 3

So when I last left off, we were on our way to mixology !!



I was so excited about this because it was with people from our Facebook group that we had already met the day before.

We walked in and saw this …





We were greeted by Julian our mixology bartender.



This guy was amazing. Very friendly and enthusiastic. People started to trickle in and before long, we had about 40 people packed in there.

We got settled and Julian gave us a history lesson on the cocktail that was interesting. He asked for volunteers and we made our first drink.

Our first drink was called a Stingray. Here’s the recipe

¾ oz. Captain Morgan Rum
¾ oz. Midori
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
2 oz. Cranberry Juice

Julian showed the volunteers how to mix it and they got busy.





This is what it looked like.



I liked this one. It was pretty tasty.

And on to the next one. It was called a Mango Mojito. Here’s the recipe

1 oz. Bacardi White
8 mint leaves
3 lime wedges
1 oz. Mango nectar
¾ oz. agave nectar
Top with club soda

Again Julian showed us how to make it and more volunteers were enlisted.



Muddle, muddle, muddle

And this is what it looked like.



I remember thinking this one was just OK. It was very sweet and mango just isn’t my thing.



Then Julian asked for my visor.



And he began a series of entertaining, but mindboggling balancing acts with things from the bar …. And my visor, of course.









He didn’t just stand there and balance this stuff, he walked the length of the bar, high fived people and generally had us in awe of his balancing act.

On to the next drink.

More instruction from Julian and new volunteers for this round.



Our next drink was the Pomegranate Cosmo. Here is the recipe:

1 ½ oz. vodka
½ oz. Pomegranate liquor
1/ oz. Cointreau
1 oz. Cranberry juice
¼ oz. lime juice





This one was my favorite. I love me a good cosmo.



Next was the Royal Bellini. Here is the recipe

½ oz. Passion fruit puree
½ oz. peach schnapps
5 oz. champagne.

 

[jecskc]

Day 3 Part 3 (continued)





This was just ok. Peach isnt my thing either.

There was more balancing from Julian





Last was the Brain Hemorrhage. Here is the recipe

¾ shot peach schnapps
¼ shot glass Baileys
Splash of grenadine.

It looked really cool if you did it right.







This was just OK as well. Very sweet.

Overall, this was a super fun experience. It was more about the people and less about the booze. We were really glad we did it and would definitely do it again. It was over at 5 PM. We hit the ground running or wobbling as the case may be after so many drinks and we picked up DD from her club and called DS to meet us at the room to get dressed for dinner.

And it was formal night ..

 

[scottny]

Maybe someday we will cruise.
I will have one of each drink. LOL
He is a good balancer.

 

[MEK]

I'm surprised you could stand after all those drinks. Wow. Hope it wasn't on an empty stomach.

Honestly, that looks really fun. Those are some yummy drinks. I'm not quite sure about the Brain Hemorrhage. Just the name alone -

Thanks for taking such great pictures of the whole experience.

 

[afwdwfan]

Mixology definitely looks like a lot of fun. Hanging out with new friends, learning to make drinks and properly disposing of said drinks... Sign me up.

Julian has some impressive balancing skills.

 

[jecskc]

Maybe someday we will cruise.
I will have one of each drink. LOL
He is a good balancer.

He was quite entertaining ....

I'm surprised you could stand after all those drinks. Wow. Hope it wasn't on an empty stomach.

We had that brunch at Palo earlier in the day, so we were doing OK. A little wuzzy, but manageable

Honestly, that looks really fun. Those are some yummy drinks. I'm not quite sure about the Brain Hemorrhage. Just the name alone -

Yeah - that was a little graphic, but the whole experience was so fun.

Thanks for taking such great pictures of the whole experience.

Mixology definitely looks like a lot of fun. Hanging out with new friends, learning to make drinks and properly disposing of said drinks... Sign me up.

It was great fun !! I highly recommend it.

Julian has some impressive balancing skills.

He really did. It was like he was straight out of Cirque de Soliel

 

[wiigirl]

Great pics!

 

[jecskc]

Great pics!

Thanks !!

 

[jedijill]

Mixology really looks like fun. I'm putting it on my list for September!

Jill in CO

 

[jecskc]

Mixology really looks like fun. I'm putting it on my list for September!

Jill in CO

It was great fun !! We talked about it for days. I highly recommend !!

Susan

 

[jecskc]

Day 3 – Part 4

When I last left off, we had rushed back to the room from the mixology to get ready for dinner and it was formal night.
There were more fish extender gifts when we got back.









We quickly got ready and headed out to the Enchanted Garden for dinner.



DD loved her new dress.







We got seated and ordered.



We got our bread



Bread Selection - Multi-grain Loaf and Country Current Bread with Chickpea-Garlic Purée



DD ordered chicken and french fries.



DS got steak and rice.



I got a salad.

Romaine Wedge - fresh crisp Romaine topped with a creamy Romano Dressing and homemade spiced Croutons



DH got lobster ravioli

North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli - With roasted Garlic and sweet Basil scented Tomato Juice



And he got a cup of soup

Heirloom Tomato Soup - With Sour Cream, Croutons, and Basil



For my entrée, I ordered

Slow Roasted Prime Rib - Thyme-roasted Vegetables, Double-baked Potato, Horseradish, and Natural Jus



DH got

Pan Seared Sea Bass - With Fava Beans and Pea Risotto and a sweet Chili Glaze



DS left to go meet up with his friends, but we managed to get a photo for the three of us.



For dessert, DH and I both had

Sweet Temptations - a trio of Esterhazy Cake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Chocolate Silk Mousse



DD got some ice cream



And we were brought some gels and fudgy things



We stopped by the DVC booth to get our daily freebie



DD wanted to ride the Aqua Duck again, so we changed clothes again – fourth time that day - and went up to deck 11





After that, we went back to the room, settled in and went to sleep. Our next day was a big one. Grand Cayman and ---- the Extreme Dolphin swim.

 

[afwdwfan]

Dinner looks great, and I can't argue with the idea of ending the day on the Aqua Duck. Even if it does mean another extra change of clothes!

 

[annie170]

Mixology appears to be a lot of fun. Your hubby looks like a pro!

Did you bring an extra bag for all the gifts you received? You made off with quite a haul!

DD is adorable in her new dress. I remember my girls spinning in their dresses. They grow up so fast....

Looks like you had another great meal!

 

[LifeIsDis]

They take pictures on the Aquaduck now?! That is so cool.

I got the lobstah ravioli when we went on the Dream. It was so good. Sadly, I am now allergic to lobster and am pretty sad that I cannot have it anymore but anyways…

 

[jecskc]

Dinner looks great, and I can't argue with the idea of ending the day on the Aqua Duck. Even if it does mean another extra change of clothes!

They liked going right after dinner. There wasn't a line at all.

Mixology appears to be a lot of fun. Your hubby looks like a pro!

He was LOVING it !!

Did you bring an extra bag for all the gifts you received? You made off with quite a haul!

Of course. We had gifts for 70 people ourselves. So whatever space we used for our gifts to give out - we used to bring back the gifts we received.

DD is adorable in her new dress. I remember my girls spinning in their dresses. They grow up so fast....

They really do. She is just right on the edge of still liking little girl stuff, but starting to get interested in bigger girl things

Looks like you had another great meal!

All of the food was amazing !!

They take pictures on the Aquaduck now?! That is so cool.

I thought so, too !! I was so excited to see several photos of DD riding ....

I got the lobstah ravioli when we went on the Dream. It was so good. Sadly, I am now allergic to lobster and am pretty sad that I cannot have it anymore but anyways…

I feel your pain, sistah - I am allergic as well !!

 

[marDgreen88]

All caught up! This is a fun report and the Fantasy looks incredible.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[jenseib]

Catching up again....

I am lving your first 2 days on the ship. I really want to cruise. I think Skip is planning on something to do as a family in the next few months and i am pushing cruising. Even a short one. I just NEED to!

I love DD's pink dress. Where did you get it? I have to say this year has been a challange as Claire is now borderline between kids and teen clothing. And then when we looked for Christmas dresses the selection around here just sucked. I got her something on clearance and it's OK, but not really what I would call pretty at all. Normally she likes a frilly dress. That pink one would be up her alley. I probably should've started looking online and gotten one there.

 

[MissPrice]

Hi Susan All Caught up! Wow, you are so crafty! Love those little coin purses. The cruise looks like so much fun. I really want to go on one now. I love the picture of your DD on the water slide. Her face is just pure joy! Maybe I can convince my DH to go on a quick cruise before the baby comes lol. Looking forward to next update! -Amanda

 

[jecskc]

All caught up! This is a fun report and the Fantasy looks incredible.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Thanks Marissa !! It really was incredible !!

Catching up again....

I am lving your first 2 days on the ship. I really want to cruise. I think Skip is planning on something to do as a family in the next few months and i am pushing cruising. Even a short one. I just NEED to!

I know what you mean. DD wants to go back, but we didn't book on board because we weren't sure we would travel in 18 months. We are looking at Alaska in June of 2015 and that was farther out than the 18 month window.

I love DD's pink dress. Where did you get it? I have to say this year has been a challange as Claire is now borderline between kids and teen clothing. And then when we looked for Christmas dresses the selection around here just sucked. I got her something on clearance and it's OK, but not really what I would call pretty at all. Normally she likes a frilly dress. That pink one would be up her alley. I probably should've started looking online and gotten one there.

Hey, thanks !! I think that pink dress would have looked good on Claire. I got it at Target, I got the black from the first day there as well. Something like $25 a piece.

Hi Susan All Caught up! Wow, you are so crafty! Love those little coin purses. The cruise looks like so much fun. I really want to go on one now. I love the picture of your DD on the water slide. Her face is just pure joy! Maybe I can convince my DH to go on a quick cruise before the baby comes lol. Looking forward to next update! -Amanda

Oh Amanda !! I didn't know !! Congratulations !!! That is sooooo exciting !!!