Monday, October 12, 2015

Living the Dream: 2015 Disney Cruise Line Trip Report - Day 4…SERENITY (Bay) NOW, Part 2

The first part of this day can be viewed HERE.


We dropped everything off in our stateroom, changed clothes, and decided on the next item to do.  

Sheri: Rest!  
Chris: Do the Travel Agent thing and Tour the Ship!


We both won.


I grabbed the camera and headed out.  Luckily, there were a couple of open houses in the youth clubs scheduled for this afternoon; this provided a perfect opportunity for me to look around.  I made sure to also grab my Midship Detective Agency log to see if I could finish up the case. I had it narrowed down to two people and needed one more clue It was for research, folks…yeah...research.



First up; Edge Tween Club:

Okay...actually, before I got to Edge, I nearly ran into Mickey taking an elevator up to the little-known Outlook Lounge on Deck 14.  We "talked" for a minute while waiting for the elevators.

NOW: Edge Tween Club (for ages 11-14):






Edge is located in the forward tunnel on Deck 13.  I loved the Wall-E picture in the stairwell:








After that, I snuck out to see Castaway Cay one final time for the trip:






I made my way back to down to Deck 4 and made my way aft to check out the D Lounge:


 A lot of family events take place here, along with seminars, presentations, etc.  



I continued back to the District and grabbed a few more pics:

 District Lounge, where live music can be heard most nights.


Another shot of Evolution





Up next was the Oceaneer Lab which, along with the nearby (and connected) Oceaneer Club, is set up for kids ages 3-12:





















At the time I was in there, they were starting an "Anyone Can Cook" (thanks to Gusteau from Ratatouille) event with cupcake decorating/eating.


On the way to the teen-only area, Vibe, I popped into the Buena Vista Theatre to see if I could grab a picture or two in there.  As luck would have it, they were showing a screening of Inside Out to a fairly full theatre.  I stopped and watched for a few minutes before heading out (no, I didn't take any photos with the movie showing).  These are free movies (with some in 3-D) and are typically 4-5 of the most recent Disney releases.


The entrance to Vibe takes a little effort to find, which is probably exactly what 14-17 year olds prefer.  Once I found it, it was pretty quiet as the teens had taken over the AquaDuck for a little bit (it was scheduled, which is why I was able to look around; normally, it's off-limits for anyone 18+):




 Why wasn't this around when I was a teen?  They even had the Bears game on the TV!





 ...complete with a coffee bar...


 The teens-only pool area at the very front of the ship




I loved the color-changing hallway you walk through to enter Vibe.



My mission to check out most of the areas of the ship was complete!

I made it back to the stateroom, and, since we had time, we headed into Skyline for a bit to talk to our favorite crew members (2 Caipirinhas, por favor, or however you say “please” in Portuguese).  While we were in there, a couple others from the Mixology class the previous day popped in, and we struck up a conversation with them (they were on their honeymoon).  They also ordered something that we made in Mixology – the one Sheri and I made that was no longer on the menu – the Coco Cadillac!


Sheri and I looked at each other at the same time.


You can order it even if it’s not on the menu?!


Ummm…Don?  We’ll also have what they’re having, please.



We knew we were going to be cutting it close to make it to the 6:15 showing of Believe, but we also knew that the Cadillac was an easy one to drink (translation: you didn’t have to sip it).  We had a good time talking with the other couple (who were also taking down their drinks quickly to make Believe). 


After settling up, we stopped by the room for just a moment (we loved the location of our room), and I noticed that the disembarkation (or debarkation, depending on who you talk to) package had arrived.  I immediately noticed that we received the luggage tags for those who wish to pick up their bags after they got off the ship.  We had signed up for the on-board airline check-in, so I made a note to stop by guest services after the show just to make sure.


We arrived at the theater and were surprised to find seats on the lower level that weren’t save---err---occupied, and we quickly grabbed a couple.  A few minutes later, the curtains parted in a section on the balcony, and Olga Altukhova, noted violinist performing on the Dream, started playing When You Wish Upon a Star.  The entire theater (well, there may have been one or two kids as an exception) all stopped, turned, and listened. 


Nice touch…perfect timing, Disney…


…and then she had to perform an encore with Let It Go on the violin.




Okay, she performed it flawlessly, and it sounded amazing; had our boys been girls, I might not be burnt out on Frozen as much.  Some of the kids in the audience were singing as she played, which actually did put a smile on my face.



Once she finished, the lights immediately dimmed, and Disney’s Believe started. 



There we go…THIS is Disney firing on all cylinders.  This was an excellent show that hits all the buttons that Disney hits so well.  It has the characters for the kids; it has great music; it has a really good story line; and it tugs at the heartstrings for the adults.  There’s a reason they hold this show to be the last one on the cruise; it’s definitely their best on the Dream!


After the show ended, we stopped by guest services to ask about the onboard airline check-in, since we got the regular tags to pick up after disembarkation.  They told me not to worry because they give those to everyone to ensure they all have the opportunity to utilize the service in case anything goes awry with the airline check-in.  They told us that we should receive the boarding passes and the airline tags later on this evening. 


No issues at all with the Guest Services desk...I think they do a fantastic job there!


We wrap up this day of the trip HERE.

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