A WONDERful Disney Cruise: Days 5 & 6

Good morning, ocean!

We only have two days left!  Well, one and the morning of another.  The time flew by, but at the same time didn't.  It's so hard to explain.  We woke up and got ready for our final visit to Palo.  I almost think it's worth it to eat every dinner (and brunch) during the duration of the cruise.  We had Samet as our server again, and he gave us a tour of the buffet and menu.  There was a full menu with calzone, pizza, steak, and more! Not to mention the delicious spread of imported cheeses, honeycomb, jumbo shrimp, homemade breads, king crab legs, desserts... the list is never-ending.  We stayed the entire duration brunch is served.  And no, it wasn't completely sold out, so nobody was waiting for our table.  We also got to talking to a couple from our FE group who happened to be dining at Palo as well.  It was like we had known them for ages.  Looking back, I wish we had talked to them more often.

Sparkling cider.

The menu for brunch
(included w/the buffet items).

Just a sampling of some things offered.

Delicious chocolate
strawberries.

I'm not a fan, but
look at all that caviar!

Round 1

After brunch we went back to the room to start packing.  We meandered around more, taking note of what we want to do if we ever go on another Disney cruise.  The characters came out throughout the day, and before we knew it, it was dinner time.  Our last meal and final breakfast were at the Animator's Palate.  I am so glad that was our final restaurant.  Its interior is so fun and light-hearted.  Sketches of Disney characters are on the walls, and the framed screens come to life during the final night's show.  Animator's Palate is the only location with this particular show.  Sorcerer Mickey came out, followed by the restaurant staff; the paint brush columns lit up, and it looked like the sketches on the screens were being drawn right in front of you.  What an experience!  The food that night was one of the best out of the three in the rotation.  I had pasta bolognese, soup, and a beignet.

Our favorite of the three restaurants.

The screens come to life!

Inside Animator's Palate.

Page 1.

Page 1.

The table's centerpiece.

Pretty good bolognese,
even though
it doesn't look appetizing.

Soup.

Beignets from Tiana's

Creamy truffle pillows.

We packed up the door and room, because luggage had to be out by 10:30pm, unless you were debarking with it.  The tags for the luggage are color-coded, and the two dining rotations had breakfast if you chose to partake.  Since it was the last night of the cruise, room service is only offered until 1:30am.  We made our last call, and went up on the deck for our last late-night drink and pizza run.  It became routine to get drinks after dinner and to just sit and talk, that I really missed it.  Something about the atmosphere and offerings is truly magical.  It was incredibly windy and cold, so we took everything back to the room.

The final pizza slices.

The last towel animal.

We docked in San Diego just after 7:00am.  We had the luggage out by 10:00pm the night before, and our breakfast was scheduled at 9:15am (I think).  I'm so glad we had the second rotation, otherwise breakfast would have been at 8:00am.  There were quite a few things to choose from, which surprised me since they had to get ready for the cruise going out later that day, and the first boarding time is at 11:00am or 11:30am.  After breakfast we grabbed our carry-ons and headed down towards the exit.  They checked our identification, and then we made our way down to the terminal for our luggage.  Everything was sorted, we went through customs, and out to the parking lot.  What a breeze!  If only the airports were like that.

Good morning, San Diego!

Our last meal.  Waffles!

We made some really great friends at our table and through the FE group, who we hope to remain in contact with.  It was such an indescribable experience.  Disney always sets the bar when it comes to travel, and the cruise was exceptional.  I know people complain, and my response is always that they should be grateful to even be there.  So many others won't have the opportunity to go.  If we ever go again, I would like to see some of the live shows and movies.  The reason we didn't go was because we hit a rough patch of sea-- nothing bad, but most people aren't used to it-- and people were getting sick in the theater.

This trip was one of the best I've been on, and I would love to go on one of their Christmas-themed cruises in the future.  Unfortunately the airfare oftentimes costs more than the cruise itself!  Have you taken a cruise?  How about a Disney one?  I'd love to know your experiences.

Stay beautiful!