3 Families doin' a Surf & Turf Trip! AKL CL & Dream...Good-Byes

[hstrickland]

I asked Ed if he wanted me to book it but he said no. Of course, now it's all sold out.

I'm sure you'll have plenty of other stuff to keep you occupied No worries there!

Your pictures are pretty as always! I may have to check Reid into the club for a bit to go see the adult beach. It seems so nice there.

Thanks! Not a bad idea even if it's just for an hour. Faith and Jesse both really loved digging for whale bones. Not sure I would want the kids to stay there for more than a couple of hours because it gets really hot...everything was outside, and they don't take them to the water (which is a good thing) Kinda glad we got there early.

Alright, girlfriend...you have a week to wrap it up ...Packed Have we met?? Leaving Wednesday afternoon last time we left on our trip at 230p..I packed when 2ish

See!!! Another post!! Only 2 more to go...Remy and the last morning Then it's on to POR and MK. Good luck with the packing

Such beautiful pictures of CC. You all look like you really enjoyed your time there.

Thanks! Wishing I was back today. It's chilly here...not the usual Spring Break weather I'm used to

You'll be leaving in a week!!!! Are you excited or what??!!

I love Castaway Cay...such a wonderful place! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on Remy. I loved it on the Fantasy in October and booked a 4 night on the Dream so I could celebrate my birthday at Remy in October!

Jill in CO

We had a really nice experience. I'm hoping to get the post done by the afternoon...trying to get the TR wrapped up so I can move on to the next one.

Beautiful pictures! Loved the fresh fruit display ...beautiful carvings.

Thanks!! Disney always goes above and beyond!

Nice photography....nice island...I CAN'T WAIT!!! Thanks for the update Heather!

Your cruise will be here before you know it!!! And your WDW trip is quickly approaching...May is a fantasitc time to go. You'll love the F&G at EP....simply beautiful!!!

 

[shan23877]

Beautiful photos. CC looks like paradise. I can't believe how quiet the island looked for the first part of the day! I guess it pays to get up early.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Gorgeous photos of Castaway Cay! I wish that I was sitting on that beach right now

 

[hstrickland]

Beautiful photos. CC looks like paradise. I can't believe how quiet the island looked for the first part of the day! I guess it pays to get up early.

Thank you So glad we did get there early. We got lots done before the crowd descended upon the island. Snorkeling was much better during the morning before the water was stirred up. Hope y'all have a wonderful Easter!

Gorgeous photos of Castaway Cay! I wish that I was sitting on that beach right now

Thanks! And me, too!!! Our spring break weather has been less than "spring breakish" No fun in the sun for us this week.

Happy Easter!

 

[hstrickland]

Warning – These posts will be picture heavy and very detail oriented- TONS of information for the taking



Day 9
A Dining Experience…Remy



It was time to say farewell to Castaway Cay…a beautiful day it was! Standing on my balcony watching the Dream push back from the island, I was a bit sad. It kinda hit me…the cruise is almost over . But there was one last grand experience to be had….dining at Remy!

Of course we had to quickly get the kids bathed, dressed and fed….they would NOT be accompanying us on this dining adventure. The kid’s club was calling their names…thank goodness they absolutely adored their time in the Oceanear’s Lab.



Can you say “smooth sailing ahead”??!!

We wanted to make the most out of this night since it was the last. Quite honestly, I had mixed emotions about going to Remy on the last night of the cruise…usually they do something special in the main dining rooms. BUT…this was basically the only time we could get.



Pictures on the veranda…

As you’ve probably noticed, there is a dress code, and it is enforced during dinner.


Men: A jacket (such as a sports, suit or tuxedo jacket) is required, with dress pants/slacks and shoes. Ties are optional. No jeans, shorts, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.

Ladies: Cocktail dress, evening dress, pant suit or skirt/blouse are required. No jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or tennis shoes.




And then it was off to the kid’s club to make a quick drop-off. Stephen was going to be hanging out at the tween’s club for the evening. He just kinda mumbled good-bye and left in a hurry......kids



Next stop, Deck 12 aft….

This bar/lounge is placed between Remy and Palo. I like to be early (shocker, right? ) so we could have a cocktail or two before dining. While the inside of the Meridian is very nice, the weather was too perfect not to enjoy a drink on the deck.


Meridian Info…

Meridian is an adults-only lounge inspired by the early—and adventurous—days of sea travel, where Guests can enjoy a pre-dinner or post-dinner cocktail in an indoor ocean view setting or breezy outdoor deck. The décor incorporates navigational tools, maps on the walls, and an illuminated constellation map above the maitre d' station. The outdoor deck also provides a perfect spot to watch a romantic sunset or to relax with a cigar selected from a fine assortment available at the bar.

This place was basically empty. I think there were a couple of ladies having cocktails outside as well, but no one else.



"…a Chocolate Martini, please."

And did I say “smooth sailing”?? Can you believe this??? Absolutely perfect weather!!

Pop and MaHopie finally arrived to enjoy the festivities…

Not sure where my sister was hiding or what she was doing. I’m guessing she’s running behind schedule…she missed out on the chocolate martini. Oh yes, I remember... they were getting their “free” coffee at The Cove….for heaven sakes At some point they did arrive at Meridian, but they were late.




It was about time for us to make our way over to …

Our dining reservations were for 7:30pm.



Remy Reservation info for the curious minds…

Reservations are required and can be made online or on board the ship. Guests will skip the regularly scheduled Main Dining restaurant. Online reservations are available at the following times:


*Concierge Guests: 120 days in advance

*Castaway Club Levels:
-Platinum Castaways: 120 days in advance
-Gold Castaways: 105 days in advance
-Silver Castaways: 90 days in advance

*First Time Cruiser: 75 days in advance ( this would be us…. )

An additional charge of $75 per person is required to dine at Remy, in addition to the cost of wine and alcoholic beverages.




If you remember from a previous post when Bill, Sean and my parents were touring the ship, mom asked the people at Remy about a specific dining room. Well…all you have to do is ask about this semi-private room, and if it’s available…. “voila” …it’s yours!


The Gusteau Room...

This was a little bit of Disney magic at its best! A perfect room in the perfect location! There was one couple dining in there as well. If I remember correctly, there was one other small table but it was never occupied.



Everything was exquisitely placed on the tables …

The dining room was perfectly themed from the Disney Pixar film Ratatouille.

Dining at Remy is like being transported to an authentic fine-dining restaurant in France. The dining room is softly lit and designed in an Art Nouveau style featuring soft greens, rich reds, and gold tones. Adding to the ambience, tables are set with Frette linens, Riedel glassware, Christofle silverware, and china created exclusively for the restaurant.

And for now, I leave you with this….

Up next…..cuisine fit for a king!




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[Disney9.9.10]

Very informative update, thank you for posting all of that! What a gorgeous last night you had - that must make it even harder to leave!

Happy Easter to you and your family!

 

[psac]

Mmmmmm..... Chocolate martini....

 

[Pinkocto]

Looks like I missed a few updates. Sorry. I've been seriously neglecting the Dis recently.

Sounds like you guys had a fantastic day at CC! Too cute about the fish hunting

Can't wait to hear about Remy, I've read very little about it.

Happy Easter

 

[pas130]

See!!! Another post!! Only 2 more to go...Remy and the last morning Then it's on to POR and MK. Good luck with the packing

You go girlfriend

You looked stunning as always for Remy And the chocolate martini...I'll take one please

 

[AvasMommy526]

Oh boy, the CC photos and Remy.......

Cannot wait to hear about this dinner!! I'm sad it's the last night though! But looking forward to hearing about the birthday trip

 

[Sue M]

caught up again!! CC looks amazing. Not too sure about parasailing though
Back to work. Just had 2 weeks Spring Break . I guess you must be almost finished with your school year? Since you start sooooo early in August!
Can't wait for our Aug wdw trip!!

You all looked very nice at Remy

 

[scottny]

Serenity Bay looks so peaceful.
The chairs in the water look so nice right now.
Looked like a fantastic day on the island.
That looks so relaxing outside with the drink.
Remy is beautiful.
Love the rose pic.

 

[amandaw]

Your pictures are making me more excited than I already am about our upcoming cruise!!

Can't wait to hear more about Remy. I didn't make a reservation for Ed & myself but my aunt did make one for her & my uncle so it'll be good for me to be able to pass some knowledge her way!

 

[hstrickland]

Very informative update, thank you for posting all of that! What a gorgeous last night you had - that must make it even harder to leave!

Happy Easter to you and your family!

VERY very hard to pack up and leave the next day. The entire cruise we kept saying that we should have done a 7 day

Mmmmmm..... Chocolate martini....

Looks like I missed a few updates. Sorry. I've been seriously neglecting the Dis recently.

Sounds like you guys had a fantastic day at CC! Too cute about the fish hunting

Can't wait to hear about Remy, I've read very little about it.

Happy Easter

Hope all is well with you. I know what you mean about neglecting the Dis...sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day. I need to do the next Remy post but I'm too tired Will have to wait.

You go girlfriend

You looked stunning as always for Remy And the chocolate martini...I'll take one please

Thanks Hopefully you're enjoying a chocolate martini as I type...you're at WDW, aren't you??!! With hubby only!!!

Oh boy, the CC photos and Remy....... :

Cannot wait to hear about this dinner!! I'm sad it's the last night though! But looking forward to hearing about the birthday trip

the birthday trip....Oh yes! the TR that should have been started last month!!! Soon, I hope...soon.

caught up again!! CC looks amazing. Not too sure about parasailing though
Back to work. Just had 2 weeks Spring Break . I guess you must be almost finished with your school year? Since you start sooooo early in August!
Can't wait for our Aug wdw trip!!

You all looked very nice at Remy

How's life?? Wow...2 weeks for Spring Break. That must be nice. We only had a week, but it's better than nothing We finish school around May 20th (or something like that) And please don't remind me about an August start WAY too early. So how many days did you end up adding to your trip

Serenity Bay looks so peaceful.
The chairs in the water look so nice right now.
Looked like a fantastic day on the island.
That looks so relaxing outside with the drink.
Remy is beautiful.
Love the rose pic.

Like the rose pic, huh Photobucket does wonders for pictures! Too bad it doesn't always function effectively

Your pictures are making me more excited than I already am about our upcoming cruise!! :

Can't wait to hear more about Remy. I didn't make a reservation for Ed & myself but my aunt did make one for her & my uncle so it'll be good for me to be able to pass some knowledge her way!

Can you believe you only have like a month??!! You aren't excited, are you Did you finish your other TR yet??? You'll have another one to start...right??

 

[Sue M]

Ok I promise not to remind you of your horribly early Aug start if you promise not to mention school in August

Who me add on days? Yes ok 3! I booked 1 day pop so I can be checked in first thing in the morning at GF for our 2 nights pre YC lol. Our Pop day we will be driving up from Lauderdale, doing grocery shopping and if we have time hit a water park. If not then EMH. All depends how early we feel like hitting the road for our drive up.

 

[hstrickland]

Ok I promise not to remind you of your horribly early Aug start if you promise not to mention school in August

Who me add on days? Yes ok 3! I booked 1 day pop so I can be checked in first thing in the morning at GF for our 2 nights pre YC lol. Our Pop day we will be driving up from Lauderdale, doing grocery shopping and if we have time hit a water park. If not then EMH. All depends how early we feel like hitting the road for our drive up.

Shocker!! Ya added a few days I knew you would...true to form Have you ever stayed at Pop?? I haven't but would like to try it. We have friends from FL that stay there quite frequently just for a weekend get-away with their kids....they love it. And a water park visit in August sounds GREAT!!! Think we might do TL on our next long trip. Did you request a building at the GF? I'm guessing the construction will still be going on but won't be a big deal. When my parents were there in December, they said it didn't take away from the trip at all. They actually got some pretty cool shots of the new villas. And the YC is still on my bucket list Will your friends be meeting up with you again? I'm full of questions, aren't I ?

 

[Sue M]

Shocker!! Ya added a few days I knew you would...true to form Have you ever stayed at Pop?? I haven't but would like to try it. We have friends from FL that stay there quite frequently just for a weekend get-away with their kids....they love it. And a water park visit in August sounds GREAT!!! Think we might do TL on our next long trip. Did you request a building at the GF? I'm guessing the construction will still be going on but won't be a big deal. When my parents were there in December, they said it didn't take away from the trip at all. They actually got some pretty cool shots of the new villas. And the YC is still on my bucket list Will your friends be meeting up with you again? I'm full of questions, aren't I ?

We stayed at Pop once, but didn't see any of it. We arrived at 11:00 pm and next morning checked into WL. I didn't feel like paying WL price for such a late arrival.

This time we will arrive late morning unless I get motivated to get up early for the drive up from Lauderdale. So I'll be seeing more of the resort! I just requested to be near parking on 1st floor. We will still have the rental car from Lauderdale until we check into GF. I also want to go over to AoA for lunch or dinner, we went over during our AKL trip to eat and look around. Friend & Ashley both had great meals, I had the Crab burger ( sounds good right?) but hated it. I was so disappointed. It was soggy, yuck. I was expecting a crispy crab cake. So I want to try something else, also the Mermaid section is open, want to look. It wasn't open last time. I would have booked AOA Mermaid room but it was excluded from BB. Boo. So we will just go snoop

Pop will also be grocery shopping day for us, and my friend who will be coming for 1 week of YC stay, she comes in later then us, and will stay a week after we go. So our trip overlaps a week. She likes early Sept, but as you know I have to be back for School AFTER Labour Day . (Ok sorry, my bad). I would love to stay that 1st week of Sept for even lower crowds.

At GF I requested a Marina View, so that should keep me away from the construction. They just re-opened the courtyard pool, and they fenced it yuck. Maybe in person it won't look so awful.

Pas will be at GF same time as us, so we are trying for a meet!

YC I requested an upper floor near lobby. We'll see what I get!! We loved BC, so are looking forward to comparing YC to see which side we like best! Ashley is liking the nautical theming and has no idea we are staying at GF too. She still thinks we are booked at POFQ! Can't wait to drive up to GF and see her face!

Looking forward to seeing your Royal Room pics! I want to try those rooms maybe for next January?

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Total cliffhanger on your Remy food. I tell you what... you have just about convinced me to try a cruise. Castaway Cay (I'm a little behind in my reading) looks totally amazing and love the idea of just whiling away the day doing nothing sitting in your chairs in the water... minus the fish eating at your fingers.

Question for you... from what you say do you think there is any advantage to renting the cabanas they have?

Last night of vacation stinks but it has to happen and you might as well celebrate in style, as it appears you did. Your crew looks awesome and ready for a yummy dinner!!

PS - can't believe your sis missed the chocolate martini!

 

[MEK]

I have managed to get pretty far behind on your TR, but read through your last couple of updates.

Your pictures of lovely. I can't wait to see Castaway Cay with my own eyes. It really looks amazing.

And Remy - nice! Can't wait to hear what you thought. Nice picture of you and DH on the verandah.

Imagine someone picking coffee over a chocolate martini? Is that possible?

Looking forward to catching up!

 

[hstrickland]

This is a continuation of the Remy post on the previous page



Day 9
Remy - Part 2



Let me go ahead and preface this by saying I have NO idea how to pronounce some of the following menu items, nor do I know exactly what I was eating on the night of June 28th. If you decide to give Remy a try, you have to be a bit of an adventurous eater and willing to try food items that you otherwise might not cook at home.


To begin the evening, our waiter (French, of course) introduced himself Adrien. He was wonderful, and fortunately had a sense of humor. (You never know what Pop might say) There was just one small problem I was having a difficult time understanding his English. His accent was super thick but did add to the overall ambiance of the evening....I just kept smiling and replying with a "yes, that sounds great"....It worked for me

He rolled out a cart topped with a variety of items to prepare a pre- dinner cocktail while explaining how the evening would unfold.

Adrien explained that he was preparing a Colette a Champagne Cocktail served exclusively at Remy onboard the Dream and Fantasy. Ingredients included fresh blueberries, mint, dried apricot, champagne, and pear-infused vodka.


We patiently waited for our Colettes to be served....

And finally...the Colette and let me add, it was very nice! I wanted another, but thought it might be tacky to ask (didn't want to seem like a lush)

Not that you can really get a clear picture of our view, but it was quite breathtaking as the sun went down over the ocean.

First course...

Foie Gras Siphon
Macadamia Espuma
(very good!)

Not sure why I didnt get a picture of the bread but we did get a pic of the butter dish&thought it was interesting.

And here we are again...enjoying a most memorable evening!

Second Course...


Tomate
Jus et Croustillante
(excellent and one of my favorites!)

...and along with this, champagne was served (just what I need...another drink) And notice our plates....nothing left!

At some point, Bill and Sean ordered a bottle of red wine&dont remember what kind.

Third Course..

Langoustine
Tartare
(ok, but not my favorite. Glad I had the opportunity to try it...kind of )

Fourth Course...


Halibut
Bouillon Dashi
( loved it!! loved it!!)


Everyone was served at one time...

..and our beautiful matriarch of the family MaHopie.

and finally the Halibut...

Fifth Course...


Lamb
Herb Crusted
(most enjoyed this, but lamb isnt my favorite)

Bill said this was nicely prepared. Again, Im not a lamb fan&so it did nothing for me. However, it was beautifully plated.

Sixth Course...

Boeuf Kobe
Garlic- Potato
( soooooooo good!!!! no...let me rephrase that...OUT OF THIS WORLD!!)

For now, we leave you with the Kobe beef and mashed potatoes...there will be more to come at Remy! Stay tuned...



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