Cruising the Norwegian fjords without Disney! COMPLETED - Page 17 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Oh no, no free ice cream? That's too bad. I really like that at the Disney ships, pretty much anything is free, and you know exactely if you have to pay for something. Glad you liked your massage so much!
That stinks about the ice cream. Our ice cream bill would be extremely high if we had to pay for it every time DD wanted some on a cruise!
I love the photo of you and Mark before dinner!
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I dunno Chez, I feel the same as Mark. Absolutely hate dressing up, as you probaly know already. . If it is more than jeans and a t-shirt, it's too dressy for me.
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Definitely some things in this update that DCL does better, but the ship really does look beautiful and there's some interesting art work. Incredibly annoying that you couldn't get a straight answer about the port times in advance. Also, the water pressure in the shower would definitely get to me!
It certainly got to Mark. I know he thought about asking for maintenance, after others told him it was fine in their cabin, but after a conversation we had with our room steward (I don't remember where that was, but I don't think you've had it yet), we decided not to bother, as she told us how long it took to get them to do anything....
I dunno Chez, I feel the same as Mark. Absolutely hate dressing up, as you probaly know already. . If it is more than jeans and a t-shirt, it's too dressy for me.
Lovely photos of the ship and the North Sea.
Just as well we're not taking you out anywhere smart then....
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To continue the theme - no free ice cream?? To a DCL fan that's like saying "What happened to the rum?"... that would have been a strike for me - and low water pressure in the shower -- well that would not be good either. Although I have to admit, I usually shower in the women's changing room of the spa on DCL - I ADORE those showers... You look fabulous all dolled up - and even though he doesn't like it - Mark looks pretty decent all cleaned up!
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Since I haven't tried DCL, I can't compare this with Disney, but it still seems a bit cheesy not to offer free ice cream!
I'm glad you had a good massage. It just makes all the difference when you get a good therapist, doesn't it? I need to start setting money aside for another big ol' massage!
You look so elegant in your evening wear! Mark looks great, too...it's a shame he doesn't like to dress up because the two of you look quite lovely!
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I've never cruised at all and don't realistically see one in my future (DH's idea of dress up night is wearing the black jeans and a black t-shirt or turtleneck--shirts that button are evil) so I'm just enjoying the ride on this one! It all sounds wonderful to me--except for the low water pressure. Please, ma'am, may I have some more?
Since I haven't tried DCL, I can't compare this with Disney, but it still seems a bit cheesy not to offer free ice cream!
I'm glad you had a good massage. It just makes all the difference when you get a good therapist, doesn't it? I need to start setting money aside for another big ol' massage!!
I've never cruised at all and don't realistically see one in my future (DH's idea of dress up night is wearing the black jeans and a black t-shirt or turtleneck--shirts that button are evil) so I'm just enjoying the ride on this one! It all sounds wonderful to me--except for the low water pressure. Please, ma'am, may I have some more?
Coming right up! And don't be put off cruising because of the dressing up - you don't have to dress up on the shorter Disney cruises.
Monday 30 April – part four: enjoying formal night dinner
We looked for some official photographers, and found a couple, so we got in line for them. The only one we bought in the end was this one:
As we were done, Mark spotted Adrian, so we headed over to see them, and managed to snag a free glass of wine, which they were offering tonight. It wasn’t the greatest of wine, but then again, if it’s free, what do you expect? We noticed with great amusement how quickly the tables with it on were taken down – heaven forbid that anyone should get a second free glass!
While we were there, the captain came over to do the introductions, a Yorkshire lad, who then introduced the rest of the senior officers. It was a nice touch, and I enjoyed it.
We got some photos of each other in the atrium, once that was done.
We saw another official photographer and she got a lovely shot of the four of us:
Then it was time to head off for dinner, so off we went. We were the first there and took the same seats we’d had the night before – well it had worked well for us then....
The menu didn’t appeal to me as much tonight as last night, especially the desserts, which seemed to be focused on all the fruits that I’m allergic to but I’m getting ahead of myself....
What we were greeted with when we sat down... ... and the front cover of tonight’s menu
Before any of the food came out, I noticed that there was a stunning sunset outside. Well, what else could I do but go back to the room to get my telescopic lens (have I told you how much I love it? I suspect I probably have by now.... ) and headed out on the promenade deck to get some photos. It was certainly a shock to the system out there, as it was a bit windy, but despite the fact that it was now nearly 9:00 pm, it wasn’t overly cold, and it was nice that it was still light.
Back at the dining table, attention turned to food. For appetiser, I went for the steamed buttered asparagus with fried duck egg and parmesan crisp. It sounded a bit odd when I read the description, but actually it went together very well.
Mark went for oak-smoked Scottish salmon with capers, onions, and buttered wholemeal bread, which he enjoyed.
For the soup, I had the wild mushroom and white wine one, which was very nice, although very rich. I loved every mouthful of it, although it would prove to be a bit much, bearing in mind what was to come next...
Mark had the petite Marmite with lean beef, chicken, vegetables and a French stick crisp bread. I have to be honest, it looked awful when it turned up – very running, but Mark seemed to enjoy it.
For entree, I opted for the Maine lobster Newburg in a Sabayon cheese gratin with Marquise potatoes. The clue should’ve been the cheese gratin, as it made the dish taste really sickly. To begin with, the taste was lovely, but as I took more mouthfuls, it got more and more sickly, until I couldn’t finish it, which was a shame. It was just too much.
Mark had the rack of lamb with balsamic onions, garden peas, sliced potatoes and a rosemary jus, which seemed to be much better than last night’s meat offering.
For dessert, nothing grabbed me. The emphasis was on all the fruits I can’t eat and one dessert had ricotta in it, which I can’t stand. I thought about the pink grapefruit sorbet, as that’s what I wanted, a nice palate cleanser, but I didn’t like the sound of it, so asked if there was any of the tropical mango sorbet left from last night. Daz told me probably not, but did manage to find me some.
Mark went for two desserts, the fresh strawberries with whipped cream, toasted almonds and a warm chocolate biscuit and the pear tarte tatin (see what I mean about using all the fruit I’m allergic to? ) with vanilla bean ice cream. He told me the base of the tart was far too hard.
Mark finished off the rest of the bottle of wine from last night, while I opted for a pina colada. I’m starting to have problems with some cocktails, getting overly hot after I have them, and the same thing happened again tonight, so I had to pop back outside onto the promenade deck to get some fresh air, then I felt much better.
Cheryl, Adrian, Michael and Madeline decided that they were going to go and see the comedian, who was on at 10:45 pm, but we decided to leave them to it, and head back to the room instead. I really wish that they’d have earlier shows, so that you can do what you do on Disney, see the show first, and then eat and go to bed. There was supposed to be an earlier show tonight, but it got cancelled, so I guess there just isn’t the demand for that. Sigh.
The weather today was sunny, with temperatures in the high 50s and low 60s. The best thing today was formal night. The worst thing today was having to wash my hair again after the scalp massage. The funniest thing today was being able to sit outside and sunbathe in the North Sea. Today we tried going for lunch at the Meridian restaurant And the result was it wasn’t a bad buffet, although it looked similar to the Peninsula, where we dine. The most magical moment today was getting our official photos done at formal night.
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That's too bad. I really like that at the Disney ships, pretty much anything is free, and you know exactely if you have to pay for something. Glad you liked your massage so much!
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Absolutely hate dressing up, as you probaly know already. 
. If it is more than jeans and a t-shirt, it's too dressy for me. 
Great pictures from the ship! Can't wait to hear about dinner! 
Always studying for my next WDW trip!
And don't be put off cruising because of the dressing up - you don't have to dress up on the shorter Disney cruises. 
We noticed with great amusement how quickly the tables with it on were taken down – heaven forbid that anyone should get a second free glass! 
I thought about the pink grapefruit sorbet, as that’s what I wanted, a nice palate cleanser, but I didn’t like the sound of it, so asked if there was any of the tropical mango sorbet left from last night. Daz told me probably not, but did manage to find me some. 
) with vanilla bean ice cream. He told me the base of the tart was far too hard. 
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