/Cruising on a Dream Full of Frights and Friends: 10/12/13-10/19/13 TR completed 4/21/2014 - Page 27 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Thanks everyone. This is the worst time to be working for an accounting firm! And I'm usually only able to get my updates done in here because I'm in mommy mode when I get home. I have been able to almost finish up the photo edits for this installment though, so I'm hoping either tomorrow or Thursday for another update. For now, I'm going to try and catch up on everyone else's TRs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OhToodles!
And I thought you were just waiting for me to catch up!
Day Five: Wednesday, October 16th
Part Two: Most Magical CM Moment of all Time
Once we had said our good-byes to Castaway Cay, we still had some time to kill before our nightly activities, so Chad ended up taking Hope back to ride the Aqua Duck a few more times, while I stayed behind to begin the oh-so-fun task of packing up the suitcases. I honestly don’t know why I felt so overwhelmed with the packing this time, but it was really difficult for me to get everything together like I normally do. By the time they came back to the room, I had a done a pretty good job, but I knew I still had a lot more to do. The most important pieces, the ones that needed to be placed outside of our room by a certain time, where done, so I felt better about getting ready to go out for the evening.
Hope wanted to see Minnie tonight, plus they were scheduled to have pin trading with the ship’s officers, and she really wanted to join in on that as well. But first we had to go back up to Cabanas and keep our promise of finding our favorite CM, Jason. It was really weird walking in there when everything was closed down and seeing a bunch of CMs cleaning every nook and cranny in the place. I almost felt like I was intruding in an area I wasn’t supposed to be in, but because there are elevators to access that level right in the middle of the restaurant, guests were still walking in and out of Cabanas in order to get to where they had to go.
I went over the first CM I saw and asked him where Jason was. I didn’t know if he was even going to know who I was talking about because I didn’t have a last name to give him, but sure enough, he did… only problem was that he didn’t know where he was. So he asked another CM, who then asked another and after a few minutes of searching, they found out he was actually on his break, but no one offered to tell me when he would be back or how to even get a hold of him when he was down there.
Hope was really bummed, and I was a bit disappointed too because we had a special tip we wanted to give him, along with a really big good-bye hug. So we decided to just head down to the lobby atrium. We went down the elevators on the opposite side of the ship, so when we exited, we happened to come out right where Goofy was meeting everyone.
After she finished up with Goofy, we started to once again head down to the atrium, but along the way we walked out on deck to have one more look at the ocean in the daylight. And since we were already out there I tried to get a nice picture of Hope again, but the wind didn’t want to cooperate with me, and Hope started getting upset about her hair blowing in her face.
We had nowhere else to go but the atrium this time, and once we were down there I decided to go stand in line at Guest Services to see if they could help me find Jason. As I was waiting, a ship’s officer came over to me and asked if he could assist me with anything, so I told him all about Jason. The officer seemed pretty shocked that I wasn’t going to voice a complaint because by the time I was done telling him my dilemma, he had a huge smile on his face. He told me to wait where I was because he was going to try and track him down.
A few minutes later he came back and told me that Jason was definitely on his break (which I felt bad about since they really don’t get normal breaks like the rest of us), and that he had him paged up to the atrium. He also told us it might be a few minutes, but to hold tight because he was definitely on his way up to meet us. The lobby was pretty empty at the moment, so what do you do when you get bored? You go to the bar and grab a drink. Meanwhile, Chad stayed with Hope, just in case Jason snuck in while I was busy ordering our cocktails. Chad wanted a Captain and Coke, but I decided to take a risk and order my favorite drink, a Lemondrop Martini. The reason I say it was a risk is because I don’t like my martinis too dry or having an overwhelming taste of vodka. Usually they don’t rim the glass with enough sugar, or make it sweet enough to mask some of the alcohol, so I was a little apprehensive when I tried to explain what I wanted to the bartender. He definitely took his time making it, and even made me take a sip before asking for payment. I have to say that was definitely one of the best Lemondrop Martinis I’ve ever had.
Jason still hadn’t made it to the lobby yet, so we just kept waiting, and as it got busier and busier, we eventually decided to grab a seat. Soon enough I looked over and saw Jason walking over to us with this big grin on his face. I apologized for taking him away from his break, and he said he was actually just finishing up so it wasn’t a problem. We just sat there chit chatting for a bit, asking him if he was going to stay on this ship or go to another one when his contract was up, and he said he wanted to stay on the Dream and hopefully work his way up to serving in one of the dining rooms.
We learned that he was only 25 years old, and that when he lived in India he used to play soccer. He was so good at it that he when he was in school, the big soccer teams were coming to watch him play in order to try and draft him. But one day his back started hurting, and after a bunch of tests, found out that his back muscles had started weakening, which meant no one wanted to draft him anymore. Not only was he not going to be able to play soccer, he didn’t even know what sort of career he would have at all. He started looking into cruise lines and began working for Carnival (I think), and eventually made his way onto the Disney Dream. He just started his contract a month ago with Disney, and couldn’t say enough nice things about them, especially when it came to medical insurance he needed for his back problems.
After he told us all of that I liked him even more because he dusted himself off and got right back out there trying to do what was best for him and his family. We gave him his tip envelope and told him that out of all the cruises we’ve ever been on, we’ve never wanted to tip anyone other than our waiters and stateroom attendants, but he left such a wonderful impression on us that we had to show our appreciation in some way. He was so extremely grateful and told us that he wished we could exchange emails or friend each other on FB, but because he was so new he didn’t know what Disney’s policy was on this, and in the end, we just decided it would be best to hope that we would all see each other again.
Because he didn’t have much more time to spend with us, and also because this was the entire reason he had asked us to look for him in the first place, he went over to Hope and handed her a gift bag. Now, many of you might be disappointed to find out that our magical moment didn’t involve any backstage secrets, or special cruise treatments, but for me, the most magical moments come out of kindness and selflessness, which is what this was. Hope opened up her gift bag and pulled out a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and an exclusive limited edition CM Tinkerbell pin ID holder (which I didn’t know at the time). We also didn’t know at the time, but later found out (through the officer that helped us find him) was that Jason had used his own money to purchase those items for Hope, and that’s what made the entire thing so meaningful to me.
Before he left us, I got a few pictures of Hope and Jason together, and then we had to say our good-byes for the final time.
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Once he was gone, we got in line to see Minnie Mouse since she had already started greeting guests.
Then we immediately made our way over to the area where the officers were pin trading with everyone. Hope loved this…a lot. Like I said before, she may not be trading for certain pins, but she loves looking on everyone’s lanyard to find that one pin that catches her eye. And that one pin might end up getting traded the very next time if another pin happens to catch her eye even more, but at least she’s having fun.
It was almost time to head to dinner, but I noticed there was a photographer taking photos on the lobby staircase, so we decided to get that done too. After I uploaded this off of our disc, I thought the lighting that they used was a little too bright, but beggers can’t be choosers when you’re hardly ever in the picture.
Before dinner, I ran down to the cabin to drop Hope’s gifts off while Chad and Hope got in line to enter the restaurant. By the time I got back up there, the line was gone and they had already been seated. Tonight we were eating in Animator’s Palette, and on the Magic and Wonder it had been my least favorite restaurant. It just felt cold to me since everything was in black and white until they put the little show on, but the new style for version of AP was so much more enjoyable, plus I liked how the characters would come around and talk to everyone in the restaurant.
Once we were all together at our table, they came around and took our orders. This time the food was much better.
Chad and I both had the same appetizer (Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes - pasta purse filled with truffle scented cheese and coated with a delicate champagne sauce)
Entrée
Mine (I honestly can’t remember what this is. I know it’s some sort of fish, but all the menus online are saying this is Black Grilled Cod with Split Pea Puree, and I don’t think that’s what I had)
Chad (Marinated Angus Beef Tenderloin)
Dessert
Mine (Cookies and Cream Sundae)
Chad (Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake)
As for Hope, I think she had chicken strips, but again, I really can’t remember.
While we ate we watched as Crush came around the dining room to talk to all of the dinner guests. When he swam over to our area, Chad got lucky and was called out by Crush. He asked what we did today, so Chad told him we went to Castaway Cay. So then Crush asked what our favorite part of the day was, and Chad answered “snorkeling”. We didn’t even snorkel today! So, afterwards when I asked him why he gave that answer, he said it was the only thing that popped into his head right away. Of course Crush had to ask Chad what a snorkel was, so Chad takes his hand and makes the motion of something going from his mouth to up in the air, and says, “You know…a snorkel”. And Crush says, “So a snorkel is…a snorkel”? And by then everyone was laughing and I think Chad just wanted him to swim away.
After we got done eating our dinner, Kelly had made this the night she wanted the waiters to celebrate the boy’s birthdays, which they did, but they ended up including Hope in the celebration as well. So they all had Happy Birthday sang to them, and received their own little birthday desserts. You can see from these pictures just how tired the kids were starting to get towards the end of our cruise. These were taken when the waiters were actually singing to them, and it looks like they could honestly care less.
We waited as long as we could before we actually had to leave the restaurant. So after saying good-bye to our wonderful wait staff, we headed out so that we could all finish up our packing. But before we did, Kelly was nice enough to take one more picture of our family.
And as I’m writing this, I just realized that we never got our waiter to take a picture of all of us together at our table. Now I’m sad I forgot to ask him to do that.
Back in the room we found this guy.
And then I got back to work while Hope lay in bed for about 5 minutes before falling asleep. I followed shortly after, enjoying my very last night in this heavenly bed.
What a sweet, sweet person Jason is! I'm happy to hear that DCL is being good to him and that he's happy with them. He sounds like just the right fit for the job. When he becomes a server his guests will all adore him! I hope you get to see him again. It's probably a good thing that you ended up asking the officer for help in finding him because it made him be noticed in a very good context by his superiors. The last night is so sad, but the kids do look very sleepy at dinner!
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Wow, Jason is truly a sweet, sweet guy! What a wonderful and unselfish thing he did for Hope! I love when CM go above and beyond to make guests feel comfortable and at home.
What a great final night! Love the family picture!
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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I honestly don’t know why I felt so overwhelmed with the packing this time, but it was really difficult for me to get everything together like I normally do. By the time they came back to the room, I had a done a pretty good job, but I knew I still had a lot more to do. The most important pieces, the ones that needed to be placed outside of our room by a certain time, where done, so I felt better about getting ready to go out for the evening. 
but because there are elevators to access that level right in the middle of the restaurant, guests were still walking in and out of Cabanas in order to get to where they had to go. 
So he asked another CM, who then asked another and after a few minutes of searching, they found out he was actually on his break, but no one offered to tell me when he would be back or how to even get a hold of him when he was down there.
So we decided to just head down to the lobby atrium. We went down the elevators on the opposite side of the ship, so when we exited, we happened to come out right where Goofy was meeting everyone. 
The lobby was pretty empty at the moment, so what do you do when you get bored? You go to the bar and grab a drink. 
Meanwhile, Chad stayed with Hope, just in case Jason snuck in while I was busy ordering our cocktails. Chad wanted a Captain and Coke, but I decided to take a risk and order my favorite drink, a Lemondrop Martini. The reason I say it was a risk is because I don’t like my martinis too dry or having an overwhelming taste of vodka. 
Usually they don’t rim the glass with enough sugar, or make it sweet enough to mask some of the alcohol, so I was a little apprehensive when I tried to explain what I wanted to the bartender. He definitely took his time making it, and even made me take a sip before asking for payment. I have to say that was definitely one of the best Lemondrop Martinis I’ve ever had. 
and as it got busier and busier, we eventually decided to grab a seat. Soon enough I looked over and saw Jason walking over to us with this big grin on his face. 
I apologized for taking him away from his break, and he said he was actually just finishing up so it wasn’t a problem. We just sat there chit chatting for a bit, 
asking him if he was going to stay on this ship or go to another one when his contract was up, and he said he wanted to stay on the Dream and hopefully work his way up to serving in one of the dining rooms. 
He was so good at it that he when he was in school, the big soccer teams were coming to watch him play in order to try and draft him. But one day his back started hurting, and after a bunch of tests, found out that his back muscles had started weakening, which meant no one wanted to draft him anymore. Not only was he not going to be able to play soccer, he didn’t even know what sort of career he would have at all. 
He started looking into cruise lines and began working for Carnival (I think), and eventually made his way onto the Disney Dream. He just started his contract a month ago with Disney, and couldn’t say enough nice things about them, especially when it came to medical insurance he needed for his back problems. 
We gave him his tip envelope and told him that out of all the cruises we’ve ever been on, we’ve never wanted to tip anyone other than our waiters and stateroom attendants, but he left such a wonderful impression on us that we had to show our appreciation in some way. 
He was so extremely grateful and told us that he wished we could exchange emails or friend each other on FB, but because he was so new he didn’t know what Disney’s policy was on this, and in the end, we just decided it would be best to hope that we would all see each other again. 
And that one pin might end up getting traded the very next time if another pin happens to catch her eye even more, but at least she’s having fun. 
He asked what we did today, so Chad told him we went to Castaway Cay. So then Crush asked what our favorite part of the day was, and Chad answered “snorkeling”. 
We didn’t even snorkel today! So, afterwards when I asked him why he gave that answer, he said it was the only thing that popped into his head right away. 
Of course Crush had to ask Chad what a snorkel was, so Chad takes his hand and makes the motion of something going from his mouth to up in the air, and says, “You know…a snorkel”. And Crush says, “So a snorkel is…a snorkel”? 
And by then everyone was laughing and I think Chad just wanted him to swim away. 
which they did, but they ended up including Hope in the celebration as well. 
So they all had Happy Birthday sang to them, and received their own little birthday desserts. You can see from these pictures just how tired the kids were starting to get towards the end of our cruise. These were taken when the waiters were actually singing to them, and it looks like they could honestly care less. 
we headed out so that we could all finish up our packing. But before we did, Kelly was nice enough to take one more picture of our family. 
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