#tianas

Now back to our regularly scheduled blog.... Around 1:30pm we headed up to Deck 9 for water (& Kara saw someone coming out of the buffet with a plate full of shrimp cocktail).

Then since it was a second Day at Sea we stopped into the shops for a calmer perusal and bought postcards. Then we handled our “business” by stopping by Guest Services to checked our folios and move around some charges. All the tips went on Kara’s folio since that’s where our onboard credit was, made sure we had only the gratuity charge from Palo, and verified our onboard re-booking (next cruise).

Just after getting back to the stateroom Kara relented and succumbed to the awareness of shrimp cocktail and headed back up to Cabanas to grab some. Having FOMO I followed her up to investigate the desserts (maybe for later). I ended up with a bowl of chocolate pudding cake with vanilla sauce, while Kara had her healthiest meal of the trip! #ThatsVacation This only made us more hungry so we ordered a Margherita Pizza & cookies (of course) from Room Service. 

During the call to Room Service, they thankfully reminded me we’d yet to order our Platinum in-room gift of a fruit tray, sparkling wine, or chocolate. Chocolate? Chocolate isn’t mentioned in our letter (& wasn’t offered on our previous cruise).

Since this was our final cruise of only me being Platinum, technically this was “my” benefit, so of course I selected the unknown “mystery” chocolate option!

I (more so than Kara) was delighted to receive a box of truffles (my fave!) 

To make best use of them to help our moods, we shared them on the (always sad) flight home! We split the Sea Salt, Kara had the Raspberry & Milk Chocolate, while I relished the Vanilla & Dark Chocolate! Yay!

This afternoon we flipped around the TV options & enjoyed uninterrupted reading before having to pack and discussing our plan for arrival in San Diego. Packing is always tough as 1) we usually do this before we are in our dinner wear, 2) limited space, and 3) we don't wanna! Between packing and the folio task, the final day always feels like a bit of work.

As we were packing, showering, and getting ready for dinner - Finally! - Avengers: Age of Ultron was on the Marvel channel!

Since we were on Second Dining (8:15pm), our Show time was 6:15pm. However, Kara keenly noted tonight’s performance of the newest show, “Frozen” was listed earlier at 6pm. Again, with all the first-time sailors and the popularity of this film, we knew getting to the theatre early was key (& still strange). There was even a line of people queued before they opened the theatre! 

I had heard a less than stunning review of this show online, but was trying to approach it with an open mind. Sadly, I have to agree with others; I have no interest in ever sitting through that again. First, it was LONG - an hour & a half! Normally the stage shows are about an hour-ish. However, my core peeve was that it was nothing more than a stage production of the film (maybe with one original song?). I could have stayed in the stateroom (or heck, stayed home!) and watched virtually the same thing!

This may sound gripey, but I think Disney Cruisers are very accustomed to original offerings onboard, something you cannot get anywhere else (including the parks)! Further those original offerings usually live up to their “Broadway-style” description with regard to quality. So having nothing more than a rehash of arguably one of the most over-played films/soundtracks in a good long while may not have been the greatest move. On the other hand, I’m sure the addition of this show and the “reservation” option of meeting Elsa and Anna encouraged families to try DCL for the first time. 

We will encounter something similar next May on the Magic with Rapunzel/”Tangled”. However, I adore that movie & soundtrack, so I’m interested & uncertain in what my reaction to that will be.

After we escaped the theatre(!), we headed back to our usual Crown & Fin for 90′s Music Trivia. Wow was the place packed for this! The entertainment Cast Member assigned to Crown & Fin was a real British ham, so having a bigger crowd just energized her. It was an incredibly fun time - & that’s saying something from an introvert who works to avoid crowds! 

Tonight’s dinner was in the newly re-imagined Tiana’s Place, themed (as you’d guess) from “The Princess & the Frog.” While the menu looked intriguing, I was really worried about this experience. Knowing there would be a combo of singing, dancing, and characters DURING the meal conjured chaotic images (similar to character meals at Walt Disney World that I typically avoid these days.) Additionally, I’m not a fan of this movie.

Honestly I was amazed and pretty blow away at the level of detail. The flooring, walls, tables & chairs, and especially the ceiling & lights - wow! 

Of course the menu was an exact duplicate from the movie.

Now onto the food! For the appetizer Kara ordered the traditional Shrimp & Grits, while I opted for the Boudin Sausage Fritters.

We found both of our dishes to be quite tasty! Unsurprisingly we ordered the same entree of the Cajun Sea Bass with Jambalaya.

It was equally tasty. (I mean, it is Sea Bass!!) And note the cute little frog on the plate! 

For dessert Kara tried the Southern Style Pecan Nut Tart.

Then, for our final dinner, I ordered THREE desserts: Tiana’s Buttermilk Beignets, the Chocolate Doberge Gateau, and Mama Odie’s White Chocolate Bread Pudding. (We had never dined in this restaurant previously and didn’t know when we might be on the Wonder next/again, so I had to try all of these, right?!)

Sadly, we were impressed by none of the desserts. Kara didn’t care for the tart. The Chocolate Doberge Gateau was the best of my options. The Beignets were the most disappointing in they had a bland flavor and I knew I wouldn’t appreciate the espresso in the sauce. I’ve never had an affinity for white chocolate, so I should have skipped the bread pudding altogether. I honestly thought it would be a more pure bread pudding, instead of swimming in ice cream, so I didn’t even bother finishing it.

So that was all the food, but a significant thread throughout the evening was the musical entertainment. First, we were lucky enough to be seated in the main aisle of the restaurant and only the second table from the stage. (A few photos up you can see the stage; we were the 2nd table on the right.) Second, Tiana introduced the entertainment and made her way around to each table for greetings and photos. 

Throughout the appetizer & entree courses, we had the New Orleans-style entertainment of The Crawfish Crooners. While I was concerned about overwhelming noise (especially that close to the stage), I must admit this was my favorite part of the entire dinner experience. It wasn’t too loud; they chose recognizable songs (of course), and they were quality entertainment. It was nice to “tap my toes” and even sing along at times! (I do wonder if the guests at the back of the restaurant could hear them or not???)

As we approached the dessert course, the music increased with the arrival of Louie. 

During and at the end of dessert was a full-on Mardi Gras-type parade around the restaurant. Personally I got into it (while staying in my chair) because it was a new fun experience, but normally this would have been too much for us in a dining room, as the sound grew far beyond a conversation level. 

We stayed for much of this just to see the entire production, but were beyond ready to dash back to our stateroom, mainly because we had to set our bags out.

We raced back upstairs (as is tradition) to change out of our dinner clothes and put our checked bags out by the 10:30pm deadline. I realized after my bag had been whisked away I’d packed the Dramamine and had only left out enough Bonine for morning (as we - more so Kara) tend to have a touch of imbalance acclimating back to solid land.

So clad in PJs, we worked our way through the obstacle course of hallway bags to trek down to the Medical Center on Deck 1, knowing they have a complimentary 24/7 bin of seasickness pill packets! (I can now confirm they are the non-drowsy meclizine formula!) 

This last night sleep was a struggle, probably because I’m become accustom to the Dramamine of nights past.