To Russia with Mickey Bars. Trip report Summer 2015
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We are seasoned cruisers, and with
DCL we are
Platinum Cruisers, and we have been on other lines like RCI and Princess. We have been to WDW, DLP, DL far too many times. That cost a lot of Money Money Money.
Our cruises so far with Disney have been,
7/26/14-08/07/14 Disney Magic 12N Med.- 08/05/13-08/12/13 Disney Wonder Alaska
08/18/12-08/25/12 Disney Fantasy -08/11/12-08/18/12 Disney Fantasy Caribbean
07/18/10-07/30/10 Disney Magic Baltic. -08/15/09-08/22/09 Disney Magic Caribbean
08/17/08-09/01/08 Disney Magic Panama. -07/28/07-08/08/07 Disney Magic Med
08/19/06-08/26/06 Disney Magic Caribbean.-08/20/05-09/03/05 Disney Magic Panama
10/26/02 - 11/02/02 Disney Magic Caribbean
I have a number of blogs with photos online for Alaska and Mediterranean –including
Alaska Walt and whales and
MickeyMed. The 12 night Mediterranean cruise was our last summer cruise in 2014.Alaska was summer 2013, fantastic ports, great things to see from glaciers, to sealife to an eagle flying.
We also already have our next cruise booked for 2016, the Magic 12n Northern Europe 2015 12n Copenhagen to Dover -Norway, Iceland and already booked private tours for that one. I have been on three of the four Disney ships and I do have a Dream to go on the Dream one day.
We prefer going private tours in each port so you will see a lot different on our blog to anyone else on our cruise.
This cruise departs Dover and we live in London just over an hour away from the port, so it’s like living in Orlando and travelling to port Canaveral, no flights, no luggage issues, no delays. No USA border control, no jet lag or flight delays, and no airline food!!
So why read this blog! Well we will be posting a heck of a lot of photos and often it’s more of a travel log a guide to getting the very very best out of a cruise of this nature. So take a chance on me.
Upcoming, private tours in Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn. Included are Castles, -though its not the Magic Kingdom, Dover and North Zealand have wonderful castles, in Denmark it is where the King lost his crown. We have canal tours but it isn’t Venice, we have helicopters, yes helicopters and it’s not Alaska, we have Faberge and Abba, (Mamma Mia!) with Russian palaces, and fountain parks where you can sit under the palm tree and watch all of the beautiful sites. . And we are concierge on the Disney Magic so we should get to see a lot more, and do more on the ship, get you some great photos from three camera, Ipad, and Iphones, and we are going to post it live on the blog as it happens, with a busy schedule all of my family will be up early each day with a full day planned but they are all super troupers about fitting it all in, we need a rest post the cruise!( So the live blog is same name as the title- To Russia with Mickey Bars, bookmark it now) and then a summary and selected highlights here.
We should get some surprises, last year we had a room booked next to Karl Holz and had a chat with him and he is a really nice guy. I posted about use of Dover in future cruises, and that was right, and I posted about a return to New York and that was right, I even got the date of the 12 night Med trip correct to the day a year out and predicted the return to Norway. So keep an eye out if we get any hints or snippets of information. I wonder , what it will be this year, Like the Magic getting a concierge lounge etc.
Dover
Firstly for visitors Dover is a quaint old port for ferries to France and has an historic city centre. The is a great old castle above it built to ensure England was defended when under attack, and the coast is surrounded by the wonderful calk white cliffs of Dover, you know your coming to England when at sea and see them.
Dover is about 75 Minutes from London by Motorway, now there is a great rail connection from Dover priory a short taxi ride from the cruise port and great services to a number of London terminals including high speed trains to St Pancras, and commuter trains to Charring cross, Victoria, and stopping at Waterloo (East). We will drive down the day before, only to avoid the rush hour traffic. Staying just outside the city centre the night before. I have booked car parking at Dover cruise terminal for the length of this cruise.
Disney Magic
Well it’s been our second home, in fact its cost as much as a second home over the years. The ship has Three main restaurants, Cariocas Animators palate and Lumieres where you rotate dinner through different themes and an adult restaurant Palo to book Brunch and Dinner at a additional cost, and a buffet Cabanas. The ship will advertise opening hours, breakfast and lunch are open sitting and dinner is at a set time for two sittings one main around 6pm and one late around 8.15pm. The servers’ come from all over the world, so you could be served from Mehmet to Fernando, from Chiquita to Hasta Manana. There are two shows in Animators on the longer cruise, the first when you first go there is the black and white to colour show as your dinner progresses the animations come to life and the restaurant turns to colour the servers do a quick change and go form a suit of black and white to colour as well before a procession. The second here is animation magic where your drawing comes to life on the TV screens. Cabanas is great it has serving islands, you do not need to form one queue but go to any island that’s serving, plenty of different items available there some are laid back and watch their weight and only get a few items others go gimme gimme gimme and fill their plates up as if they will not eat again for a year. There are also snack places on deck 9 Daisy’s do lites for a nice Panini or fruit, Pates boiler bites for burgers, and Pinocchio’s pizza, I like mine hot but I hear some princesses like theirs Frozen. Cove cafe also has food this place serves premium coffee and tea at a charge and also has food during the day included in your fare, from cakes to cheese I hear that’s popular with some VIPs on the cruise. You can eat 24/7 by room service then breakfast lunch dinner with snacks in-between, and even late night. If you want to eat late go to the Afterhours district, where a boy told me it was the second bar to the right and drink to midnight. The DCL cruises sale year round, we like summer in Alaska and Europe but you can sail at Halloween Christmas, Easter and wish in a Happy New Year. The Magic had a dry dock in 2013 with a full refurbishment and travelling on it in 2014, it was as good as new.
Stateroom
We like the midship Cat Ts four of them have a different layout to any other Cat T with a triple veranda great for lazy sea days, viewing sealift and other vessels and convenient for the midship elevators. There are four of us in the room. Concierge often fills up the wet bar with bottled water and a stock of soda in cans, and we get daily gifts such as fruit bowl, cheese, chocolate strawberries etc.
We booked this in March 2014, its always best to book on the release day as prices go up and up and up, and with an authorised
Disney travel agent so you get support and advice as well as on board credits and sometimes a gift from the TA. Mine on my last cruise fixed up the meeting with Karl Holz.
We will now have completed being in every Cat T Midship on the cruise, I do I do I do love them, we are close and under the goofy pool and the stage there, before in places like 8032 we were under the Cove Cafe, handy for getting the cakes and cheese that are free in there. The rooms have the ships Wave phones for keeping in touch so you can ring ring ring but also you can now text through the Disney Navigator App.
We also like the position of these staterooms middle middle of the ship it avoids seasickness and the ship will not rock me there. Do not book low rooms if you get seasickness as there enclosed and you need fresh air and to see the horizon, lower rooms are near the sea and the vibrations of the engines so midship middeck is best.
The great thing is we do not need to do anything in our room, the stateroom host for 12 days makes the beds, Hoovers, tidies up, replaces shampoo and soap, and is like an Angel Passing Through My Room when we are not there.
There are TVs to watch Disney shows and Disney movies on, in all parts of the room, but unlike the Cat Ts on the Fantasy, I can’t see it in the mirror of ours!
Door Magnets
We have prepared a number of door magnets for use throughout the whole cruise, and changeable for the ports of call. Look out for photos of them posted here.
Entertainment
I will post an entertainment schedule when I can, there is deck parties, main production shows, then smaller venue entertainers, movies and even mixology for drink classes and bingo where if you are lucky the winner will take it all, and a sports bar and a disco to 2am where you can be the dancing queen. If it wasn’t for the nights, entertainment I think we would just eat eat eat.
Safety
DCL takes safety very seriously a mandatory muster station drill is held before you depart so you know the location where to go if the ship gives out a SOS. Details are on your cruise card and on the stateroom side of your stateroom door. Lifejackets are normally in the cupboard closest to the stateroom door. Worth checking them out. When all is said and done then you know your safety is there no 1 consideration and your safe.
Shops and Spa.
The ship has shops that open when you are out of port and but Disney clothing and items, perfume, jewellery, bags, trading PINs, books, magazines, my son always says does your mother know the price of what is on sale in there? She doesn’t care it debits my credit card through the stateroom account.
Photos
You can take your own photos even with the characters but there are ships photographers available for character meets the prices are quite high but there cute, you can buy packages. They are put up on display and also digitally access by card, however sometimes there is a delay, I heard one lady say someday her prints will come. If you get a package you do not have to collect them all in one time but over the cruise, I collected all bar one of mine package and told the assistant you can owe me one.
Seas
Note the North Sea is very active it also can be cold and have very high tide variations, it is not the Med or the Caribbean! The Baltic sea is more enclosed less active but quite dirty and muddy in places, not great views of blue waters there. You get a lot of container traffic there, and great sunrises and sunsets and going in and out of Stockholm is magical going past the archipelago is wonderful, but apart from that most days there isn’t a lot to see bar the bridges over the sea at Copenhagen and entering St Petersburg. Having a verandah is my love my life, its so relaxing to have room service there and just relax.
St Petersburg- No need for a visa!
Do you need a Russian visa? How do you get a visa for Russia? You do not need a visa if you come to St.Petersburg
on board of a cruise ship or by ferry
A good local
travel agency will take care of all the paperwork. To disembark you will need your passport and the tour voucher.
You do need a visa if you come to St.Petersburg by train or by plane.
Anastasia who we booked with had 50% off their price if we prepared so for our family it was two for the price of one and far cheaper than DCL who set their prices early and in $ when the Russian Rouble had fallen a lot.
So if your sightseeing, or going to the palaces or going to see a ballet performance with say, Nina, Pretty Ballerina, you do not need a visa from the ship.
So lets go, or should we say, let it go?
The day before you came I was writing the draft of this blog, and I assure you reading this will be a lot of fun so lay all your love on me and bookmark my live blog, honey honey, and you will be inspired and have your breath taken away. I will be taking photos all the time and posting them as long as when I ma on the ship I do not see my camera slipping through my fingers. The name of the game is fun, and have you noticed it yet? Well knowing me and knowing you, I think you might have noticed something by now. If you think of a port of call and something we are going to then you will know the name of the game by now, as one of us is having a bit of a laugh as this blog is typed. Anyway I will not go on and on and on, I will move on, so long for now and Voulez-Vous.
Competition
OK
Who noticed it???
I have a competition for you.
Highlight below>Run your cursor and cover the hidden text below.
How many Abba song titles could you find in this opening post?
FROZEN NIGHT MENU
Bread Selection
- Knäckebröd – Dark Rye Bread
with Liver Pâté Dip
Appetizers
- Duke of Weselton’s Favorites
Assorted Meats and Cheese with Knackerbrot, Pumpernickel and Pickles
- Arendelle Gravlax
with Apple Chips, Lingonberries and Crème Fraiche
- Elsa’s Coronation Scallops
Princess Scallops backed in a Shrimp Conac Tarragon Cream Sause, topped with Flaky Pastry
- Jarlsbert Tart
with Onion and Thyme
Soups & Salads
- Oaken’s Red and Yellow Beetroot Saladwith Asparagus, Pickled Radishes, Cornichons, and Mustard Dressing
- Andersen Baby Field Greens
with Vanilla, Apricots, Brioches Croutons, Candied Walnuts, and Lingonberry Dressing
- Sven’s Carrot Soup
with Caraway and Cream
- Portobello Mushroom Consommé
with Vegetables and fresh Herbs
Main Course
- Herb Roasted Chicken
with roasted Fennel Seed Potatoes, Seasonal Baby Vegetables and Port Wind Sauce
A generous, mild, slight toffee flavor of a Icelandic Pale Ale
- Anna’s Honey-Mustard Marinated Salmon
with Sautéed Spinach, New Potatoes and an Aquavit-Sour Cream Sauce
Linie Aquavit, light and crisp with her and spice flavors.
- Hans’s Juniper Wild Boar Filet
with Sparrle, Kale, Baby Roasted Turnips and Wild Mushroom Cream Sauce
A robust and full bodied Barolo with violet and truffle notes
- Veal “King Agda”
Veal Lion topped with Pulled White Crab Meat and Béarnaise Glaze, served with Buttered Spinach, Creamy Polenta and a Red Wine Reduction
A refreshing elegant and crisp Red with a kiss of spice on the finish.
- Kristoff’s Rosemary Marinated Striploin
with Crushed Red Bliss Potatoes, Butter Green Beans and Cabernet Jus
Cabernet Sauvignon with wonder surprises.
Vegetarian
- Pabbi’s Stuffed Babbage RouladesSavory Cabbage stuffed with Brown Rice, Asparagus, Leeks, Carrots, and Lingonberry served with a Dill Cream Sauce
- Bulda’s Vegetable Lattice
Celeriac, Carrots, Spinach and Shallots, Baked in a Puff Pastry served with a White Wine-Thyme Cream Sauce
Lighter Note Offerings
- Alesund Smoked Trout SaladFlaked Smoked Trout with Roasted Carrots and Parsnips, Sour Cream, Beetroot, and Walnut Vinagrette
- Grilled Grain-Fed Sirloin Steak*
- Slow Rasted Chicken Breast*
- Oven Baked Filet of Salmon*
*Served with Garden Vegetables and choice of White Rice or Baked Potatoe
Freezing the Night Away with Anna, Elsa and Friends Dessert Menu
Frozen Desserts
- Sweet Temptation
A trio of Olaf’s White Chocolate Floro Dome, Almond Berry Crumble Cake, and Norwegian Pancake
- Oaken Warm Apple Pudding Cake
served with Butterscotch Cinnamon Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Olaf’s White Chocolat Floro Dome
Centered with Carrot Cake, Norwegian Cardamon Cookie, and Marshmallow Whipped Cream
- Pannekaken – Norwegian Pancake
Pancakes rolled in with a Sweetened Lingonberry with Cream Cheese
- Frozen Yogur Romanoff Sundae
Fresh Strawberries marinated in Cointreau, Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and Chopped Pistachio Nuts
No Sugar Added Frozen Desserts
- Sitron Mousse
Light Creamy Lemon Mousse Served with Rhubarb Pure
- Almond Berry Crumble Cake
Served with fresh Berry Compote