Trip Log Day 2: 3-Night Very MerryTime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida – At Sea

Trip log, day two. At Sea.
3-Night Very MerryTime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida 
November 12, 2022
Personal Navigator – Day 2

Day 2 was originally scheduled to be a port day in Nassau, but due to our late departure from Port Canaveral, the itinerary was modified to make today a day at sea. Thankfully, the weather was cooperative, and the additional time onboard allowed for a more relaxing day, especially for those in our group who were experiencing the Disney Wish for the first time.

Disney Wish Staterrom Map Day 2 At Sea 20221112

After a long first day, I choose sleep and to attempt to try taking pictures of the decorated Grand Hall in the morning rather than the wee hours of the morning. Well, the gamble paid off as it was fairly quiet in the Grand Hall until about 7:30 AM. Just a few folks walking through and stopping for a quick photo.

While I miss the traditional holiday color palate used on the other ships, I will admit, the gold tree and garland pair well in the Grand Hall, castle at sea – enchantment motif aboard the Disney Wish.

The AquaMouse was scheduled to open up at 9AM, and the plan was to rope drop the line so we could be done and have enough time to get to our 10AM brunch reservation. We were not the only guests with this idea. Not all that unexpected considering the weather was lovely and I keep hearing Nassau is trash, so by that I’d expect today was going to be a sea day for most regardless of the ships position. Side note, I have come full circle on Nassau; I now quite enjoy going ashore for a few hours, but then again, I like cruising for the adventure, not the floating resort aspect of the cruise experience.

We did not succeed in the rope drop attempt as the queue was filling with the end of the line just beginning to extend down the staircase to deck 12. The AquaMouse was running raft after raft and the wait was just over 30 minutes. I kinda lied to the family saying they wouldn’t get soaked… Well, I forgot about the misters and the water jets…

Disney Wish AquaMouse Family

After a very quick turnaround, we were off to Palo Steakhouse for brunch with fellow DCL Blog Group Cruise passengers. Originally, our group ended up with staggered seating times, but that was resolved and we were seated at the same time. Although, we were split up into multiple tables because I assume the tables are bolted to the floor.

The brunch is essentially the same experience as it was back in June. The bread service was much improved along with presentation. The antipasti is where the brunch offering really misses the mark. This was a huge part of the self service options where guests could pick and choose various items based on personal preferences and favorites. I’m not complaining about the absence of self service, that ship has sailed and I’ve moved on. However, why not offer an antipasti cart like they’d wheel to your table at dinner service? That way, if someone wants a half a plate of shrimp, a pile of parmigiano-reggiano, and a taste of sliced coppa they could get exactly what they want. During both brunches, the table has split both antipasti selections and both times there were items not touched and others that disappeared quickly.

The table shared a goat cheese and sun-dried tomato pizza which was just ‘ok’ and the same could be said for what used to be a sleeper hit, the lasagna bolognese. The lasagna that was served was more of a deconstructed casserole version or what was left in a pan scrapped together and dressed. up with a drizzle of olive oil and basil. The wild mushroom ravioli was a lovely dish and if you were to tell me these were not made in house, I’d demand to know where they were purchased because the pasta was great and the accompanying sauce was good.

A blogger’s delight, Mary, who we were seated with, ordered each of the poached eggs, and they were presented on one glorious plate!

Palo Steakhouse Brunch Poached Eggs
Poached Eggs

Dessert time: the limoncello torte was a popular choice along with the amaretto chocolate fondant at our table and actually compliment to each other nicely.

I don’t think New Palo Brunch will have the same fate as New Coke – it is what it is, just another thing about New DCL I’ll need to get used to, or in my case may just skip in the future. I gave it a couple of tries but, brunch just doesn’t feel like brunch without the self service component. It is worth pointing out, our server, Daniel, was fantastic.

After brunch, we took a stroll down to Mickey’s Mainsail in hopes that more Very MerryTime merchandise soon would be there. The shirts were nestled all snug on their racks, while a variety of ornaments hung on their hooks. When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, nothing more than last night.

As luck would have it, guests now have a slightly more options available on the Disney Wish.

You learn something new everyday. To my surprise, rubber ducks are quite popular on cruise ships, our plan to hide 50 ducks and see who could find the most in the afternoon became a bit more challenging. Roughly 44 ducks were found by those outside of our group. Three groups of people each found 2 ducks making it a 3-way tie. Isabelle not only hid the ducks, she took pictures of each location and afterwards went back and made sure all were found.

Disney Wish Grand Hall Duck Hunt

During the duck hunt, there was the second wedding of the day; the first was in a private ceremony in Nightingales, the second a more public affair in the Grand Hall – a little different setup than the Disney Weddings rendering utilizing the stage instead of the staircase landing.

Disney Wish Grand Hall Wedding

Very MerryTime continued expand around the ship with the construction of a gingerbread house, tower, cake…. tower of houses? Compared to the gingerbread houses across the fleet and those at the various Disney resorts on land, this was underwhelming. So much in fact, I didn’t return to take a photography once it was completed.

Disney Wish Gingerbread House Construction

Isn’t it neat? The tree inside Treasures Untold is simply wonderful.

Disney Wish Treasures Untold Very MerryTime Decorations

Storytime with Mrs. Claus was one of the unique Very MerryTime events offered during this voyage. Mrs. Claus appears from at the top of the staircase on deck 4 where she stops to welcome everyone before depending the grand staircase as she makes her way to the Grand Hall stage.

Mrs. Claus begins by interacting with young guests, then reads two stories before… she is joined by some special guests culminating with a dance party in the Grand Hall.

Over at Luna Libations, you can buy the Disney Parks holiday souvenir musical popcorn tin as well as the parade reindeer sipper.

Disney Wish Very MerryTime Merchandise Popcorn

We stopped in Keg & Compass to check in on scores and watch some of the college football game(s) – The next big Walt Disney Company collaboration should be with the WORLDWIDE LEADER IN SPORT and the cruise line… DCL x ESPN to build a sports bar venue/experience onboard the next ship that is willing to show more than 2 games and not turn off a game heading into overtime. 687, although limited to the same ‘broadcast restrictions’, 687 remains the best place to watch live sports across the fleet. Icing on the cake is a seat in one of the 687 recliners in front of the big screen.

We conviened in a side room in Marceline Market for our own version of Christmas movie quote trivia. Tammy, the mastermind behind the DCL Blog Group Cruises, came up with some great quotes ranging from the classics like Home Alone and Miracle on 34th Street to timeless treasures such as A Christmas Story, Elf, and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.

DCL Blog Group Cruise Trivia Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

When it comes to ugly christmas sweaters, we made a splash. However, the winner was clearly Dave who took it to another level by customizing his tree hoody with a string of lights!

DCL Blog Group Cruise Trivia Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest

Sometimes, you are in the right place at the right time. This evening or late afternoon since it gets dark so darn early these days, we were treated to an incredible Bahamian sunset.

Disney Wish Sunset View

If this sunset picture is worth a 1,000 words, what is time-lapse worth?

Dinner this evening was in Worlds of Marvel where we were able to try some of the menu changes such as the new Grilled Tuna Steak and the revised Dill And Meyer Lemon Marinated Shrimp.

The dinner show was paced well and the Avengers Quantum Encounter show is re-watchable! You never know who may show up at dinner in Worlds of Marvel… Ok, be ready with your camera for when Ant-Man and The Wasp walk around.

Disney Wish Worlds Of Marvel Dinner Ant Man Wasp

Save some room for bonus dessert; tonight we received the brownies, and they were delicious!

On a somewhat related note for those interested, up at the pool deck bar, I found this Disney Wish Avengers Quantum Encounter tumbler.

Quite possibly the best offering anyone on land or sea… The Silent DJ Party. I believe the kids would say IYKYK.

Disney Wish Luna Silent DJ

In case you were wondering, the Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party still rocks.

Disney Wish Pirates Rockin' Parlay Party

A little bit or randomness to cap off the evening of our day at sea. Sitting out on deck, relaxing in a lounger, I saw something in the night sky… That ain’t the friggin’ Christmas star, Gris. That’s a light on at the sewage treatment plant! Actually, maybe, it was the space station, a helicopter hovering for an at sea rescue, or something unexplained. Whatever it was led to a fun conversation that would not have happened if I didn’t take the time to sit down and enjoy the night sky with a friend and a slice of pizza.

Here is a neat feature of the drop down stateroom beds (no not the quote); there is a USB port in the light. The same light with USB port is also part of the Murphy beds.

We think tonight’s towel animal is Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas. What do you think?

Disney Wish Stateroom Towel Animal

Tomorrow is a day at Castaway Cay, so it was time to rest up!.

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14 Replies to “Trip Log Day 2: 3-Night Very MerryTime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida – At Sea”

  1. mschreib13

    So only if I need a well made egg Benedict or truly fluffy pancake should I try for Palo brunch. DCL didn’t even try to create new names for the or menu items. That is a disappointment. I love your description of the Lasagna Bolognese. I guess I’ll stop trying for the brunch and concentrate on the dinner at Palo.

    Reply
  2. Toni

    Couldn’t get a Palo brunch reservation but got dinner. We’ve never done dinner (always love brunch, even the “new” version). Is dinner worth missing the MDR? (We enjoy the MDRs and don’t usually miss them, but we are on a B2B. ) Also love the silent disco! Who knew it would be so fun?

    Reply
  3. Shari DeMarco

    Scott, we did for just parmigiana cheese and prosciutto and was able to just get that. We ate it all with no other items wanted. This was in October on the Magic.

    Reply
    1. Jo

      Hi, Michelle wasn’t that place unique. Remember the mural of the crowd at a game and the neat stadium seats. Where are today’s imagineers? Disney certainly has the money, but they seem to be lacking in creativity. To you, Scott, and everyone on his blog, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

      Reply
  4. j

    I had Palo Brunch on the Fantasy and the Wonder this past September, and definitely agree with Scott. Very standard feeling meal, not much individualization. I use to look forward to using my Platinum Palo perk for Brunch in the past for the buffet, but after experiencing the new set up on 2 different ships, I may just decide to do Palo Dinner on Pirate night in the future instead of brunch… Maybe the brunch will come back someday…

    Reply
  5. Chrissy

    On our cruise in October (10/24-10/28), all the hot food (which is all we had) in Palo was mediocre, and lukewarm at best. Our experiences in the MDRs was that the main courses were lukewarm as well. Our server seemed to do the work of both his job and the assistant server. Our assistant server didn’t really do anything except bring ONE drink refill towards the end of the meal when we were getting ready to leave! I think the best thing we ate was the BBQ kielbasa from the quick service place. The Wonder is still our favorite ship and can’t wait to go back on her in February 2024!

    Reply
    1. Krista

      I hear you.. In April we took a 7 Nighter on the Fantasy- # 9. After not sailing for 2 years I was so looking forward to my Roasted squash soup, it was cold. And one of our other nights the food was barely warm. We told Kerry Sean. Our head server he said he really wanted to know so we were honest. Our serving team there was awesome they worked hard. Dining on the Wish, Chaotic, Slow and left Arrendale with a migraine.

      Reply
    2. Krista

      Didn’t mean to complain too much we will still keep cruising because we still enjoy it and we love Disney. Everything about taking a cruise is luxurious. We are thankful to be able to take the cruises.

      Reply
  6. Jo

    @ Krista, You do not need to apologize. With the prices DCL charges, they owe a lot of people an apology for the mediocre experience many are having these days especially in the area of food. We are not willing to pay DCL prices for their current product.

    Reply
    1. Luis

      Shocked that the author is so disrepectful of other world cultures and no one calls them out on it. Very entitled viewpoint. Sad to see.

      “I keep hearing Nassau is trash, so by that I’d expect today was going to be a sea day for most regardless of the ships position.”

      Reply
      1. Scott Sanders Post author

        Luis, please take a minute to re-read my statement. This is NOT my commentary on Nassau. I very much like going ashore in Nassau. Look at message boards, social media posts, etc. This is not an uncommon reaction when the port is discussed. To the contrary, I am trying to share my experience going ashore in Disney Cruise Line’s most visited port of call aside from Castaway Cay.

        Reply

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