The ABCs of a Very Merry Christmastime Land and Sea Adventure-C is for: Christmas Cruise Bound! (1/7)

[missjackiemcg]

I'm here! Late to the party, but glad to have arrived and all caught up, as well.

 

[Steppesister]

C is for: Christmas Cruise Bound!
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Getting to bed by 11:00 was probably a good idea because the alarm blared at 6:30. We’d both packed up except our toiletries the night before and I was out the door headed for the Food Court by 6:45.

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I heated up the leftover Cheesy Dream Puffs and the fish taco from yesterday’s lunch at the Summerhouse; while free, breakfast was… subpar. But, when and where I can, I’ve been trying to be frugal. Not just because I need to be careful in general until I find a job, but if I am careful, I could use some of the money I'd saved (on things like doing mostly CS instead of TS or foregoing souvenirs for the most part, or by skipping coffee) on other luxuries like going on a cruise at all. Nevertheless, I do need to find a full-time job quickly as even those kinds of cost-cutting things I do at home are going to prove to not be enough to keep me from getting into a bit of financial trouble.

One thing that helped me save a bit of money on this trip was to do a Garden Grocer order for my breakfasts and my tail-end airport lunch. I am getting ahead of myself just a little, but part of the story starts here… The GG order was actually delivered to All Stars Music when we got back from the cruise, but I'd also brought some crackers, some granola, a big apple, and other dry goods with me from home. I don’t always, like never, travel like that. I like vacation to be vacation, but doing my breakfasts this way did save me enough to justify the couple of sit-downs and few splurgy cocktails I did treat myself to during the trip. You’re probably wondering what I did with all of that food as you can’t take any food at all onto the ship. I went to Bell Services to share my dilemma and with NO questions asked they said, “Oh, no problem! Just store it here with us and you can pick it up when you get back.”. This story has an even happier ending that I’ll share when I pick it all up.

Speaking of finances, and getting off-track a bit, I do have a PRN job that I work on weekends but have 2 very important interviews tomorrow. One is for a Provider at an Urgent Care clinic in a little town about 30 minutes south of me and the other is for a Primary Care Provider at a Family Practice in a larger healthcare group in town. I’ll keep plugging away at trying to find the place where I’m supposed to be.

The resort, I found, is actually kind of pretty in the early morning light.

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The Christmas trees and wreaths were all still lit up in Stadium Hall and I snapped a few photos to add to my Holiday Tree Collection which was growing very quickly!

(Zoom in to see the details of the ornaments. )​

Here’s the list of the trees I'd gotten photos of so far: (10)

At Disney Springs:

• Lion King
• Lilo and Stitch
• Moana
• The Sphere Tree
• Town Square Tree
• 4 Parks Tree
• Disney+ Tree
• Star Wars Tree

Hollywood Studios Tree in Echo Lake

All Stars Sports Resort

We hit the road right at 7:00, then got the car filled up and returned right around 11:30 with one potty stop. The drive from Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale seemed interminably long and I was VERY glad I’d pre-paid the tolls through the rental agency. Oy! That would have chewed up loads of extra time and our calculations checked out that we did save a bit by doing it that way. The Uber didn’t take long to get us to the Port and at 11:54 I was snapping photos of the cute, designated Disney terminal. Because it’s only used for Disney cruises, it has lots of really nice theming with murals and “bubbles” on the ceiling.

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Our arrival time slot had already passed so we breezed through the first checkpoint and security in no time. The process using facial recognition at Immigration takes literally seconds and soon we were in the large waiting room. There was a fairly large crowd waiting for their boarding group (assigned after you arrive and check-in) and we were called so soon I didn’t even have time to use the bathroom.

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I’ve cruised on other lines, but to my knowledge only Disney has the fun little tradition of announcing each party or guest as they board. Afterall, everyone’s royalty on a Disney voyage! The atrium is grand and quite stunning. One can immediately see the Art Deco décor infused in every corner, from the huge stained-glass chandelier to the elevator’s lines to the fonts, etc… The size alone is enormous; the staircase is gorgeous and no less beautiful than the huge Christmas tree next to it.

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I explored the atrium just a tiny bit while Kari took care of a little business at Guest Services. I can’t remember what it was, but I grabbed a quick photo in front of the lovely Cinderella mosaic. It felt good to be a princess in the neighborhood for a few days.

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There was also a gigantic gingerbread house to enjoy as well. It gave off a divine spiced scent adding to the holiday cheer!

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Our room wasn’t ready yet, but we did need some lunch. There were only two choices The Enchanted Garden or the buffet (Animator's Palette might have been open too?). I opted for the Enchanted Garden but think Kari was reluctant. After such a long morning already, I guess I just didn’t want to fight the crowd. The menu looked fine, and I went with the salmon salad which was quite filling and good. Because food is “free” on cruises and I was feeling like an oinker, I also got a ginormous gingerbread sundae. That is SOOOO not like me, but here I was, a princess, but rather resembling Fiona, not Cindy. It filled me up and, as you’ll come to see, this ended up being something that would serve me well later on...

(No, I didn't eat even half.)​

I was really not completely clear on how Disney operates their dining logistics. Yes, Kari had explained it all to me, possibly numerous times, but I can be dense now and then, and need things spelled out more than once, it seems. This perhaps played into my regret about this first meal a bit, but well… there ya have it. Disney does not operate their buffet, Cabanas, for dinner, and our schedule ended up not having another opportunity for me to try it later in our itinerary at all. So, the one opportunity I had to sample their buffet wares was lost. Honestly, I’m okay with this, but would have liked to have tried it once just to compare cruise lines. Again, I chalk it up to just not investing much, if any, time in the planning or doing my due diligence in research leading up to this trip. I was finishing school (NOT an easy task!), and then was dealing with my dad’s stroke and his death. Stress was an issue, and it showed in my being a bit unprepared and unknowledgeable. I was grateful beyond words to be going with a bona fide expert in all things Disney cruising!!!!

Okay, back to lunch: The Enchanted Garden is a lovely venue. It reminded me of the book The Secret Garden a bit with a splash of fairies and Snow White mixed in. The wienie fountain (IYKYK) was really lovely and the whole concept is to resemble a trellised garden with a faux sky in the central atrium. My only complaint, and this is true of all restaurants I’ve encountered on all ship lines I’ve gone on with the exception of the specialty dining venues, is that the tables are packed together WAY too tightly. When you can overhear every word that your neighboring table has to say, it’s just too close. Of the three main dining venues- The Enchanted Garden, the Animators Palette, and The Royal Palace, this one seems to be most forgiving of this flaw due to the décor and lighting. I’ll have more photos of this restaurant in another chapter when we eat there later in our trip.

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Our room was ready when we were done, and we headed that way. Our cabin was full forward on Deck 6- room 6002. It was unique in that it had a slanted porthole that looked right at the helipad. When we got in there, in fact, there was a team of staff with pressure washers and squeegees getting it all back to its crisp white shipshape.

(View out the porthole)​

Kari had ordered the Holiday decorating package, and our room was wonderfully festive! Not only that, but she brought a little tree and even some lights to make things even more merry and bright! And what would a Merrytime Cruise be without some stockings hung on the door with care?! Those would be necessary because she also signed us up for a little Christmas ornament exchange. We passed ours out, and in return received the same number back. It was really fun to anticipate these little goodies whenever we came back from the room. I will say that there are a couple of parties who signed up but ended up on Santa’s naughty list for stiffing everyone. Booo!

(My "room" before turndown service)




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The bathrooms were really nice and, while small, there was a bathtub!

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The other toilet room:

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And some Castaway Club goodies waiting in the room (thanks, Kari!)

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Before the Sail Away Party, we went to our mandatory Muster Drill which was uneventful. There were a few folks who thought that "mandatory" didn't apply to them and showed up late or had to be paged which held everyone up, but eventually we were dismissed and free to go. I will say that I this is one area where Holland America does better. With them, you watch the safety video in your room then go to your muster station where they simply scan your Key Card. It's easy and WAY faster. To make sure you have watched the video, your TV will not work for any other reason until you do and I'm sure it's also somehow electronically tracked to ensure it's been watched. I believe it was roughly the same easy(ier) process on Celebrity as well.

After we got our things settled into the room and oriented there, it was time to head up to Deck 12 to watch the Sail Away party stuff. While I personally was far less interested in the loud music, show, and general party atmosphere, I was keenly anticipating the “Departure Signal” (sail away horn). As most of you already know, Disney uses short snippets of legendary Disney songs such as “A dream is a wish your heart makes…”; that’s exactly what we got after the enthusiastic countdown with Mickey and Minnie. I gotta say, this is one small detail that Disney wins at in the cruise industry.

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An Alphabetical Christmas Scavenger Hunt:

C is also for:

Candy Canes and Cookies



and Carolers!



Up next: D is for: A Dinner Disaster!

 

[Steppesister]

Oh! Good luck!

Thanks! One down, one to go.... Won't know for a few days.

I'm here! Late to the party, but glad to have arrived and all caught up, as well.

I'm so glad you're here, Jackie!! Until I find a FT job, I'll be cooking right along here.

 

[missjackiemcg]

There was also a gigantic gingerbread house to enjoy as well. It gave off a divine spiced scent adding to the holiday cheer!

Oh, yay, I am SO glad to find out they still do this post-Covid!! We sailed on a Very Merry Time cruise in 2019 and on Christmas morning we got to go INSIDE for sweet treats. I hadn't seen anyone else mentioning it since then and worried they stopped doing the big gingerbread house!

I will say that I this is one area where Holland America does better. With them, you watch the safety video in your room then go to your muster station where they simply scan your Key Card. It's easy and WAY faster.

On our first post-Covid cruise, Rob and I sailed a 7 night on the Fantasy and only had to show up at our muster station and have our app barcode scanned. It was MUCH easier and less packed in for sure! But, on my last sailing with my Mom in March 2024, the pack the house shoulder to shoulder drill had returned sadly. I wouldn't mind going back to that protocol at all!

 

[irene_dsc]

I think no one will fault you at all for being not entirely prepared for this particular trip! (((hugs)))

As for packing snacks, I usually do bring at least some with me. I dislike having to leave my room for breakfast if I don't need to, plus liking to have something available if I don't want to interrupt what I'm doing in order to grab food. Plus, an easy way to save a few bucks.

And having never been on any cruises, it's all new to me! I don't think I'm really a cruise person. Of all the options, I'm probably most likely to someday do an Alaska cruise of some sort, since it seems like by far the simplest way to visit there.