Greetings From England – The Brits Are Back!! **COMPLETED 07/05**

[Linda67]

Originally Posted by mamaboogie

Great Bounty advert Linda!

It looks absolutely heavenly there!

It's pouring with rain in London this morning
It looks more like a 'book your next vacation now' commercial outside my window

Originally Posted by TanzUnited99

Wow at the food and cruise pics/review!

Although I have only just booked my first trip to Disney I now want to go on a cruise as well!

Love the muffins, fruit, drinks and hammock!

Oh you will be hooked after your first trip
Be careful though you could end up like me

Originally Posted by dizneeat

You made me so HOMESICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot wait to go back to MY tropical paradise!

Castaway Cay is beautiful, isn't it? And then being served a nice cool adult beverage - Conch Cooler !

Thanks Linda, you are building up my excitement, big time.

Not long until you feel the sand between your toes Karin

Originally Posted by librarygeek

Just from the few pictures I've seen, Castaway Cay does look incredibly beautiful! And that drink they brought you looked pretty tasty Fresh mango is an amazing thing, your fruit looked so delicious.

There is something very, very special about eating fresh Mango in a hammock

Originally Posted by plien69

Had to do some research on this, as Bounty in the US is a popular brand of paper kitchen towels, and their commercials rarely feature tropical islands as a setting.

Come to find out Bounty is a chocolate-covered coconut candy bar in the UK, and its commercial (or "advert" if you prefer ) is appropriately set in a tropical island paradise.

Too funny
I can just imagine a commercial demonstrating the absorbant powers of a kitchen towel on a tropical island
Come to think of it I did make quite a mess with my Conch Cooler

[Linda67]

Saturday May 21st Continued

It was the last night of our Cruise when we finally stumbled upon The Meridian Bar

The outside deck here is probably the best setting for a pre-dinner cocktail I have ever found

I ordered a Latitude 46.5; Fresh Raspberry Puree, Chambord, Cognac and Tattinger Champagne



Why oh why did we only find this bar on our last night

Our final dinner was one that we were particularly looking forward to and it turned out to be our most enjoyable so far

The Royal Palace is again a beautifully themed restaurant.

We had a table in the centre of the restaurant close to the stunning Glass Slipper Chandelier

I didn’t bring my camera down to the restaurant this evening but as it turned out non of our table mates joined us tonight so I could have got some photos for you but never mind

Our servers joked with us that we would be getting VIP attention this evening once it became apparent that our circular table for six was just for the two of us

The whole evening was perfect, we had such a lovely time and we felt extremely pampered by our servers all night

I had a long chat about wine with our assistant server and took his recommendation of a Pinot Grigio (sorry didn't note the details) that he claimed was his absolute favourite

The servers also introduced us to a lovely girl from France who had only joined the crew that week; she was a total star and you could tell right away that she was an excellent addition to the team

We spent much of the evening practising our high school French on her and generally having a laughter filled evening

The bread service tonight was a Warm Herb Brioche with an Olive Spread; this was my favourite bread so far and as I love Olives I really enjoyed the spread

Onto appetisers; I chose the Double Baked Spinach Soufflé Coated With A Three-Cheese Cream

Another excellent started which I really enjoyed, the Souffle was very light and fluffy

DH tried the Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp which he enjoyed but I think secretly he was jealous of my soufflé!

We decided not to opt for a soup or salad course and instead went straight to our entrees

I selected the Oven-Baked Salmon Royale; Crowned with King Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crust; accompanied by Sautéed Swiss Chard, truffle-infused Cauliflower Puree and White Wine Beurre Blanc

There was a lot going on in the dish but everything worked well together.

I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as my Sea Bass from the previous night and to be honest I was chatting so much I didn’t concentrate on the food!

The Pinot Grigio was a great pairing with the fish by the way

DH wanted a change from steak so he chose; Roasted Wild Boar Tenderloin with Sweet Carrot and Onion Potato Cake with a Red Current Reduction

He had never tried Wild Boar before but thoroughly enjoyed it.

Forgive my descriptions as I don’t eat meat but he claimed it was a ‘Meaty Meat’ whatever that means??

It was full of flavour and had a much firmer texture than the steaks from the previous night but was still very tender; it was a big hit with him and probably his best entee of the Cruise

Half way through our entrees Snow White and Belle strolled through the centre of the restaurant much to everyone’s delight

Finally it was time to decide on our desserts; I chose ‘Sweet Temptations’; A trio of Peanut Butter Mousse, Mango Cheesecake and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee

My favourite was the Mango Cheesecake but all of these mini desserts were good

DH chose what was to be his favourite dessert so far; Strawberry Short Cake Sundae, Strawberries, Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Cream and Angel Food Cake

The Mmmms and Ahhhs he made whilst eating it are probably the best review I can give it

Just as we had finished desserts our assistant served asked if we would mind waiting for a couple of minutes as he had a surprise for us; we said of course and we wondered what it could be

He re-appeared a few minutes later with the most delicious soufflé which he expertly cracked the top of with a spoon to create a heart shaped well before pouring in a wonderful mango sauce.

A lovely touch and another reason why we can’t wait to cruise again

Coming Up Next ……………….. Breakfast At The Royal Palace

[Linda67]

Sunday May 22nd 2011

Breakfast on our debarkation day (is that an actual word ) was at the same restaurant as the previous night; The Royal Palace

Two of our table mates were already at the table when we arrived but were just finishing up

After coffee and OJ; DH chose ‘Route 66’; Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Grilled Sausage, Grilled Ham and Hash Browns

I went for carb overload with ‘For A Sweet Journey’; Buttermilk Pancakes, Blueberry Pancakes, Whole Wheat Pancakes and Belgium Waffles all served with honey or breakfast syrup

I could actually feel my hips growing

Everything was wonderful, DH loved his breakfast and my low calorie healthy choice was delicious

In no time at all we were back in the car heading back to WDW (gotta love that non-US Citizen Line )

Our final thoughts on our dining experience on The Dream ………. Excellent

I don’t know if our opinions were influenced by fairly low expectations going into our first Cruise but we were pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality on offer

The servers are wonderful at their jobs and you have to admire the smooth way in which DCL run the restaurants both front of house and in the kitchens

Can’t wait to do it all again

Coming Up Next ………… Normal Service Is Resumed Back To The World With Camera In Hand

[dixonsontour]

You are doing a great advert for disney cruise line Linda - some stunning pictures and all the food sounds so good - would like to do a cruise when DD is older.

[PrincessBetsy]

I have finally gotten all caught up! Both of your meals at the Royal Palace sound quite delicious!

I'm glad you had such a wonderful time on the Dream. I would love to try a Disney cruise sometime, especially after your review! Oh, how I would love to lay in a hammock on Castaway Cay...

[TanzUnited99]

The Royal Palace experience sounds great!

I bet if you had taken your camera other diners for your table would have shown up!

[hogwartsdropout]

I love your report, can't wait to hear the rest

[librarygeek]

Mmm, your last dinner sounds delicious! I love salmon so your meal sounds like something I would like. Also both of the desserts have got my stomach growling!

[mamaboogie]

Wonderful review of the Dream! You really do make it sound tempting. I'm almost sad it's over! But back to the rest of the food!

[Linda67]

Originally Posted by dixonsontour

You are doing a great advert for disney cruise line Linda - some stunning pictures and all the food sounds so good - would like to do a cruise when DD is older.

I wonder if I could negotiate a discount from DCL for promoting them

Originally Posted by PrincessBetsy

I have finally gotten all caught up! Both of your meals at the Royal Palace sound quite delicious!

I'm glad you had such a wonderful time on the Dream. I would love to try a Disney cruise sometime, especially after your review! Oh, how I would love to lay in a hammock on Castaway Cay...

I really didn't think I would enjoy it but DH convinced me I would.
He was right all along but don't tell him that

Originally Posted by TanzUnited99

The Royal Palace experience sounds great!

I bet if you had taken your camera other diners for your table would have shown up!

You are probably right about the camera

Originally Posted by hogwartsdropout

I love your report, can't wait to hear the rest

Another update (with photos ) coming rignt up

Originally Posted by librarygeek

Mmm, your last dinner sounds delicious! I love salmon so your meal sounds like something I would like. Also both of the desserts have got my stomach growling!

It was a wonderful meal; it amazes me that they can keep the standard so high when they are serving so many people

Originally Posted by mamaboogie

Wonderful review of the Dream! You really do make it sound tempting. I'm almost sad it's over! But back to the rest of the food!

Back to photographing food now we don't have 'guests' to dine with

[Linda67]

Sunday May 22nd 2011

It took no time at all to drive back to the Wilderness Lodge from Port Canaveral

We planned to have a relaxing day at the resort as Magic Kingdom had EMHs until 3am and we wanted to make the most of it

After unpacking from the Cruise we headed down to the pool for a swim and I headed over to Sturdy Branches Health Club for a Massage and then met DH for lunch at:



DH headed over to the grill area and I headed over to the sandwich and salad counter

Everything is made fresh to order so if you time it wrong you can face a lengthy wait but if it ever looked too busy in there we would simply pop back later

Here is my lunch (well not all of it is my lunch, DH's is in the picture as well )



Tuna Salad Sandwich - with marinated cucumber salad

I love this sandwich

I first had this for lunch in 2010 when we were touring around the resorts to decide where to stay on this trip and I enjoyed it just as much as I did back then

It’s a very simple tuna sandwich but is wonderfully fresh and the mayo/tuna ratio is just right – a very important factor to a tuna sandwich lover

You can chose to have homemade chips instead of the cucumber salad if you prefer

DH opted for this:



1/3 lb. Angus Bacon Cheeseburger - with French Fries

It didn't last long so I am sure he enjoyed it

For our dessert we decided to get two items that we would be enjoy and split them



OK, I’m not actually sure what this is called but I think it might be the legendary ‘Magic Cookie Bar’

I have heard them mentioned on other DIS dining reviews

Whatever it’s called its heaven on a plate

It’s packed full of yummy, chewy goodness and seems to be a mix of oats, chocolate chips, coconut and caramel

It is very, very sweet so it was a good idea to split one but we both agreed it was our best Roaring Fork’s treat so far



Sugar Cookie

We ate this back in the room later that day and although it was good it didn’t hold a candle to the Magic Cookie Bar

Later that day we headed down to the WL boat dock and made the short and pleasant journey over to MK

The lines weren’t too bad and we had a lovely afternoon touring the park

We happened to be walking past ‘The Lunching Pad’ when I remembered there was a particular snack I wanted to try so I redeemed one of my credits for this baby



Sweet Cream Cheese Pretzel

DH hates cream cheese and isn’t a big fan of Pretzels so I told myself I would only eat half ………… yeah right………….one bite was enough to tell me that I would be chowing down on the whole thing

Yep, I am greedy but it was delicious, what a great use of a snack credit!

So, feeling slightly guilty about the calories I had just consumed, we continued our touring at a slightly faster pace so that I could build up my appetite for tonight’s main event

Wishes Dessert Party

There was a fairly long line when we headed over to the Tomorrowland Terrace to check in but it moved very quickly

The CM at the podium took our name, checked us off the list and gave us both a green wrist-band so that we could come and go as we pleased

At this point you get a long speech about the Wishes Dessert Party being a standing event and that people may stand at the railing in front of your table and that you were not allowed to move the chairs or tables closer to the railing

I got the impression that people were getting upset about having to stand during the fireworks and had not surprisingly thought that everyone would sit at their designated table for the entire show

I knew in advance that this wouldn’t be the case (thanks to other DIS reviews) so I totally understand why the CMs want you to be aware

Regardless of what time your ADR is for or when you check in, your table is pre-assigned and we scored a wonderful one, right on the front row directly underneath Tinkerbell's flight path



As soon as we had been shown to our table we wasted no time in hitting the buffet!

I grabbed a coffee and DH a coke and we filled our plates



My first plate

The stand out for me was the chocolate dipped strawberries, they were HUGE and delicious (I headed back for many more of these)

I didn’t really care for the Key Lime Pie, it didn’t have much flavour and only the slightest hint of lime

The Vanilla Cupcake was lovely and very light

The fruit was excellent and very fresh, the pineapple was particularlty good



My second plate – Chocolate Dipped Strawberry, Rice Crispy Treat & Mango Shooter

First prize goes to the Mango Shooter which was wonderful!



DHs First Plate

He is a much bigger fan of fruit tarts than I am so he said these were his favourite, the cannelloni wasn't great (I agree, it was very dry) but he really enjoyed everything else



DHs Second Plate

Following this plate DH went back for more chocolate dipped strawberries, fruit and a brownie, I think he got another of the vanilla cupcakes as he really enjoyed the first one but I don't seem to have a picture

Overall we were both really impressed with the Wishes Dessert Party and the food was plentiful and regularly re-plenished; as you get close to show time they do start to run out of the more popular items so grab your faves first

As soon as people started to head to the railing we took the few short steps from our table to watch the show

It was very cool to see Tinkerbell up close and she blew a kiss when she was directly above our heads

Just as an FYI, there is a Photopass Photographer at the Terrace so you can get some great Castle shots whilst you are there

Pumped full of sugar we headed back into the park knowing that we had five whole hours ahead of us

The park really cleared out after the final Main Street Electrical Parade of the night and hitting the rides without any lines was a delight

Before heading back to the boat dock we met this guy ………..



It was 2.30 in the morning

Coming Up Next ……………. More Waffle About Waffles!

[MickeyMoguls]

Really enjoying your reviews! Can't wait to read more!

[PrincessBetsy]

Another great review! I love it when the Magic Kingdom is open until 3am. It is so much fun to walk around a nearly empty park and hit all your favorite attractions. I would love to try the Wishes Dessert Party sometime. I love Wishes and I love dessert, so that means I would definitely love the Wishes Dessert Party, right?

[librarygeek]

Those desserts look soooo good! I really, really want to do to that dessert party, but at least according to the website you can only make a reservation for like the next month. I'm hoping they add September soon...

[wilma-bride]

Can't believe I have only just spotted these reviews Linda. Thanks for the cruise food reviews. The Dream sounds wonderful. I am really excited for our 7-night Eastern this October but have been constantly second-guessing our decision to do East instead of West so can't wait to hear what you think of the Western. And I always have the Route 66 breakfast on our last morning - it helps to lessen the sadness of having to get off the ship.

The Fireworks Dessert party looks great. I agree, those strawberries are HUGE!