2017 WBPC: Zen, Self-Deprecation, and Reflections of a Life Well Cruised

Day 9, Monday, May 1, Sea Day, Part III
Music Recommendation: “Blowin in the Wind” Bob Dylan

Photo burst is a wonderful thing! I'd like to tell you that I knew that I was activating this cool feature for the previous posting, but the truth is that the 72 pictures taken in the space of about 10 seconds were a happy accident. Ok, enough camera goofing. It was finally time for Frozen. Here's a picture of the curtain before the performance started. I respected Disney's request to not take pictures during the performance......even though I wanted to real bad!

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And here we are in the audience waiting patiently. Glad to see I put on a clean shirt. I must have been real real busy, because I obviously couldn't be bothered to button up the shirt. What a dork.

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Frozen! What can I say that hasn’t already been said? It was out of this world good. The two leads hit the highs, hit the lows, and the entire cast was talented and professional. DW’s special friend from Cozumel was out there, and he did great too. The special effects were everything you would expect from Disney and more. Here's the thing. Of course we all go to Frozen expecting it to be great because we've all heard such great things about it. But in truth - our expectations were exceeded! It was absolutely fantastic.

As we left the Walt Disney Theatre, DW commented that it was really cool that we got to see Frozen on the final night that this specific cast was performing it. They were so outstanding, it's difficult to imagine another cast. Good point DW. I believe I'll quote you on that. Although, because of your "familiarity" with one of the cast members, I don't know how truly objective you can be. (I'm probably going to pay for that.)

We headed back to the room and I (finally) buttoned up my shirt and put on a tie and my sports coat. DW put on her fancies too. She looked fantastic in her black dress. Tonight happened to be a formal night, so we didn't feel out of place. Did I say she looked fantastic in her black dress?

We hadn't eaten since I don't know when and we were sufficiently famished for our Palo dinner. I know what you're thinking. You're sitting there, looking at your computer screen and your thinking, "Didn't they already go to Palo earlier on this cruise?" Don’t judge me! 10,000 years from now the earth will have melted and no one will remember that we did Palo twice on this cruise.

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So we loved it. It was was culinary explosion of great food, great service, and great chocolate souffle. Here's my recommendation - If you can only get in to Palo once during your cruise - do the brunch. I personally think it was slightly better. If you can do Palo twice - do both brunch and dinner, and drop me a line letting me know which you liked better. Everyone has a favorite; ours turned out to be brunch.

It's funny. The first half of the cruise had us staying up till midnight on 3 or 4 consecutive nights. But on the backside of these 14 days, we frequently skipped the late night entertainment, opting instead for the comfort of our stateroom sanctuary. I think the late nights were beginning to catch up with us, and unless there was a compelling reason not to, we were headed to bed after dinner; well, after DW's required constitutional stroll around deck 10, which turned out to be crazy windy tonight! I think it's the headwind thing I described earlier. No clue why she likes this so much; I guess the answer is blowin in the wind; or tonight at least, nearly blowin us off deck 10! Although the wind was strong, it still felt warm and full against our faces, and when we finally returned to our room, my shirt was damp with a pungent combination of absorbed humidity and perspiration.

We cleaned up and readied ourselves for bed. I gave myself a quick rinse in the shower; such was the humidity. I truly had a blessed birthday. I wish I could spend them all on a Disney ship. Tonight there is no bitterness, no self loathing, no pity parties. Tonight, I am just thankful and happy to be on this ship on this date with my bride of 31 years. Did I say she looked fantastic in her black dress tonight? Goodnight everybody.

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Of course we all go to Frozen expecting it to be great because we've all heard such great things about it. But in truth - our expectations were exceeded! It was absolutely fantastic.

That was our take on it too. :thumbsup2

It sounds like a perfect birthday, especially the "no bitterness, no self loathing, no pity parties" part. :laughing:
 
I wanna see her dress!!
So question! - Your wife's camera is a Rebel Ti5? Was it bulky to carry around? I leave in 11 days on the Dream and I am debating between taking my Rebel or carrying a tiny point and shoot... It will just be me and the toddler.

And sidenote. So I never knew what schawarma was. We ordered office lunch the other day and it was on the menu so I thought of this report and ordered that! IT WAS AMAZING!

Oh and, welcome back!
 
Just wanted to pop in and say I'm only on page two but I'm loving your report so far! :) Looking forward to getting caught up on your adventures!

-Kelly
 


It's a blast. If I can swing it, we'll do it again in 2018 or 2019.

Thanks for following!

JG


Amazing, I didn't run into either of you throughout the entire cruise. Loving your TR and it's making me want 2019 even sooner. We plan on another WBPC then.
 
Frozen was FANTASTIC! Even my husband, not the biggest fan, LOVED it.

On our Alaskan cruise we did both Palo dinner and brunch so no judgement here :rotfl2: Overall I like brunch better. I feel like we linger longer over dinner but besides the desserts and the antipasto plate, the rest of the dinner menu doesn't wow me. But brunch.......yeah.....All. The. Food. :car:
 
I have unashamedly read this whole TR in a matter of 2 days - it is highly entertaining and informative! Thanks for taking the time to share this with us!

Although it was earlier in the TR, I wanted to say that I am also a "no talkie before coffee" person - even my kids know not to bother me until that entire cup of magical goodness is consumed!! So I concur with your wife that we are all sisters in that regard :)

And as a daughter who has my own pod now, I cherish my relationship with my Dad even more. Especially after having my own children and realizing the immensity of a parent's love. I will say though, my parents always comment that being a grandparent is a lot more fun! :)
 


So far this trip review has been amazing! Thank you for sharing! It's is on my bucket list to go through the Panama Canal and now I think I desperately want to do the WBPC Disney cruise SOON! Thank you for the lively commentary and wonderful photos. I especially enjoyed all of the photos on the Panama Canal crossing; just awesome! Can't wait to read the rest of your report!
 
Thanks so much for this report. It has been a fun and informative read. I mean c'mon, when you quoted the Princess Bride I just had to read it all! :crazy:
Plus the fact that I will be on the EBPC in a couple weeks!! :cool1::boat:
 
Loving your report! Sounds like a fantastic cruise and definitely one on my bucket list.

We are from Oklahoma as well (Norman) and I think you did the right thing driving to FL. You never know when those spring storms will put a wrench in your plans.
 
55 days until we leave on our 35 year anniversary WBPC cruise. I know these reports have been labor intinsive but thank you so much for painting such a beautiful picture and giving such great advice.
 
What a wonderful trip report. It's easy to see all the work that went into it. Hope all is well with you and your family.
 
I have read your TR in a matter of 2 days and I was hoping I didn't have to wait for more! As other posters have said, you have a wonderful writing style. Between taking us on a thrilling water slide adventure, feeling the heat of the day to the love that you share for your family. Wonderful read!

We'll be taking our first Panama crossing DCL cruise in February. You are making me even more excited!
 
Thank you so much for writing your trip report. It was an interesting read. Looking forward to being back on the Wonder in 33 days. Second Panama crossing for us - we were lucky enough to do the EBPC in 2008.
 
I just spent a snowy afternoon in CT binge-reading all 12 pages of your report, and I love it! I laughed! I cried! I laughed some more! Way better than anything on Netflix! Thanks for sharing :-)
 

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