Thursday, February 11, 2010

2010 Disney Med Cruise Itinerary

Hello!  Jeff here again.  I figured I might as well start blogging a bit about our upcoming Mediterranean cruise on the Disney Magic in May.  Wait, what?  Didn't you guys already do that?  Yes, we did...well at least 75% of us did back in June 2007.  Unfortunately, our son Brian didn't get to make the first trip as he was in summer classes at Auburn University.  Soooo...since we had such a FABULOUS time back in 2007 AND Brian is graduating in May AND Disney tempted us again with those low Category 12 cruise fares, I ask...how could we NOT go?  See, it all makes sense.  :-)

Disney tweaked the itinerary a bit this time, dropping Olbia (Sardinia) - YEA!, Marseille (France) - we actually liked Marseille, but OK, and Palermo (Sicily) - wasn't bad.  In their place they've added Ajaccio, Corsica, Tunis, Tunisia and Valletta, Malta.  So we'll be adding the second largest continent to our travels - Africa.  I haven't made our flight arrangements yet (been watching airfares and hoping for them to drop) but the preference would be to fly out of Huntsville on May 13th and arrive in Barcelona in the morning on May 14th.  Our hotel this time is the Novotel, Barcelona City.  Looking forward to February 14th, which is when we can begin making reservations for Palo and any Disney tours that we might like. 

Here is the cruise itinerary.

Day Port Guest Ashore Guest Aboard
Saturday (5/15) Barcelona, Spain 4:00 p.m.
Sunday (5/16) At Sea
Monday (5/17) Valletta, Malta 8:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday (5/18) Tunis, Tunisia 8:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m.
Wed (5/19) Naples, Italy (Pompeii) 8:30 a.m. 9:00 p.m.
Thursday (5/20) Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome) 7:45 a.m. 9:00 p.m.
Friday (5/21) At Sea
Saturday (5/22) La Spezia, Italy (Florence, Pisa) 7:30 a.m. 7:30 p.m.
Sunday (5/23) Ajaccio, Corsica 7:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
Monday (5/24) Villefranche, France (Monte Carlo, Cannes, Nice) 8:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday (5/25 At Sea
Wed (5/26) Barcelona, Spain 7:00 a.m.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Victoria & Albert"s and Heading Home

Hello Everyone!  Susan here.  Last night we got all spruced up for dinner at Victoria & Albert's, Disney's premire restaurant.  I got some interesting looks as I emerged from the Comfort Station at the Fort Wilderness Campground in my cocktail dress.  Of course, the fancy dress with clogs would get some looks  (didn't want to put on the heels until I had to).  Jeff looked very dapper in his suit.  We headed over to the Grand Floridian Resort and valet parked (that's part of the deal with Vicky & Al's), and the valet directed us to the restaurant.  First, let me say that the Grand Floridian is lovely.  There was a pianist playing when we walked in and the band was getting ready to play as we walked by.  The lobby is just a wonderful place to go and relax and listen to music in the evenings.

When we walked into Victoria & Albert's, it was like we had left the normal cacophony of Disney behind and entered a very genteel home.  They took my coat and offered me a cashmere shawl so I wouldn't be chilly.  We were taken to our table which was in a room with a fireplace, near the harpist.  (we swear that she was union - played about 10 minutes and took a 10-15 minute break)  There were two other couples in the room with us.  Our server was Bill and his assistant was Ann.  Ann welcomed us and poured glasses of champagne (part of the wine pairing with dinner) as we looked at our personalized menus.  We had to make six selections for our dinner.  We carefully chose different things from each other in order to maximize our experience (so we could taste each others' food).  Each selection had a wine pairing with it. 

After we ordered, Ann was back with an amouse bouche, compliments of the chef.  The plate was like a work of art, and they only got better as the evening progressed.  Listed below are the remaining six courses we each ordered, along with some additional photos of the wonderful food.

Susan

Maine Lobster with Watermelon Radish, Kohlrabi and Vanilla Aioli
Diver Scallop with Zellwood Corn and Chorizo Sauce
Duck Breast, Duck Sausage, and Confit with Salsify, Pomegranate Sauce
Colorado Lamb with Fresh Cannellini Bean Cassoulet (Photo 4)
Thomas Hoe Stevenson Stilton, Couronne Lochoise, 36 Month Aged Parmigiano, Thomasville Tomme
Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Purse with Blackberry-Violet Sherbet (Photo 6)

Jeff

Colorado Buffalo with Fennel, Olives, Artichokes and Sherry Vinaigrette (Photo 1)
Sake-Soy-marinated King Salmon with Bok Choy and Soy Beans (Photo 2)
Poulet Rouge with Mushroom Truffle Ragout, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and English Peas
Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin with Marble Potatoes and Sauce Soubise (Photo 3)
White Chocolate Gelato with Tableside Shavings and Micro Orchids
Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle (Photo 5)







































After the amazing dinner, we headed back to the camper.  It was cold again, so Jeff had both heaters running.  Not long after we went to bed, he noticed that the power was out.  We had no flashlight, so he used my Blackberry for light as he checked the breakers.  Nothing would work, so he decided to go to Wal Mart for another extension cord and a different adapter for the heavy duty extension cord that we had in the camper.  He also got a couple of flashlights.  I stayed bundled up under the quilts and the extra sleeping bag that he pulled out before he left.  After he returned, he got the heater going again with the extension cord, so we didn't freeze!  Not the best ending to a wonderful evening but it could have been worse!