Well hey there friends.
Hope you are all having a super-duper Spooky Season.
Here we are with another blog post focusing on our August 2023 Disney Wish / Walt Disney World Land and Sea trip. This one focuses on our last night on the Disney Wish.
Relax. Relax. This trip is not over. We still have a whole bunch of “land” left in this Land and Sea trip. So don’t be sad, folks. You have a lot more puns and gifs to look forward to in the coming weeks.
And gifs featuring puns.
Yeah. I know. It’s a great time to be alive.
Day 6. Let’s go!
Our 2023 Disney Land and Sea Extravaganza: Day 6
Being that I ate like someone was paying me to do it on Day 5, I decided to wake up rather early today, around 6:30AM, to get some exercise in before starting our day.
I was initially considering doing a few miles on the treadmill at Senses. But when I got to the gym, I remembered how hot it got in there the last time I tried doing a run on the treadmill.
So I asked the girl working at the gym what the plan is regarding running outside on the ship. When we sailed on the Dream a while back, they had a running deck that ran around the entire ship. Which was nice. The girl informed me the Wish does not have a full running deck so what people do is they go out and run Decks 4, 5, and 6 but there aren’t any full decks that go around the ship. So let’s say you’re starting on Deck 4 – you have to basically run a portion of Deck 4, take the stairs up…
…run a portion of Deck 5, take the stairs up…
run around the front of the ship on Deck 6…
…then take the stairs down, run a different portion of Deck 5, take the stairs down, run a different portion of Deck 4, turn around and run it again in reverse.
It wasn’t optimal but it ended up being a pretty fun little run. It was a beautiful day out and the decks were largely empty at this time. Since distance was kind of hard to gauge, I just ended up doing a timed run of between 30-40 minutes.
It kind of felt like I had the ship to myself and at one point in the run, you get up close and personal with the lifeboats.
I even touched the butt.
And guys….I started to get some early views of Castaway Cay!!
But yeah, it was all kinds of gorgeous situations out here today.
Full transparency, I didn’t run like the wholllle time. I stopped A LOT to take pictures. So don’t go being all impressed with me.
I know.
That’s a big ask.
The girl working the gym let me leave my Hydro Flask at the gym while I went for my run. So when I got back, I hydrated like a mofo and filled up using their complementary filler-upper-things.
I went for the standard cold water but it’s pretty cool they also had sparkling available. Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize this was FancyPants Land.
On my way back to the stateroom, I snapped some pictures of the artwork along the way. On account of it’s legit masterpiece after masterpiece.
I also realized I hadn’t taken any pictures of the light fixtures in the hallway. So I remedied that obviously.
When I got back to the stateroom – look guys – Castaway Cay!!!
We all got our beach outfits on and packed a bunch of stuff we ended up using on Castaway Cay (like sunscreen) and things we didn’t (like books).
For those that don’t know, Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. Which is insanely nice since when you’re there, it’s only cast members and everyone from your ship that are there. Still. I mean, obviously a lot of people. But like, less than if there were two ships there, right?
Speaking of a lot of people, we lined up at around 8:35AM to head off the ship.
So did everyone else.
But eh, it honestly wasn’t that bad. Like I said, we lined up at around 8:35. We were off the ship by 8:40.
We grabbed our complementary towels they were handing out on the platform and headed off towards the beach.
We decided to forego the tram because we were looking for some sand strollers for the little ones. These weren’t really something you rent, they were more something like you just grab along the way. The walk was long, especially on account of the forecast today was “Hell.”
It was hot. Is what I am saying to you now.
But eventually we did find some strollers and stopping to grab them also afforded us this situation.
That, btw? About a 20-minute walk from the ship.
We also passed these guys, with a nice new paint job for the 25th anniversary of Disney Cruise Lines.
And one big benefit of making the walk was we got to run into Chip and Dale!
UGH Will you STOP.
I mean, seriously with these two. Their outfits? On. Point.
And we legit just kind of stumbled on them as they were getting set up so we had like no line to see them.
Steph and the girls went up first. And Scarlett was a tad hesitant up there.
This chronological series of pictures really kind of tells the story perfectly. So like, to start, Dale tried to hold her hand for the photo. She wanted nothing to do with him.
This made Dale very sad.
So. When Dale came back, Scarlett stayed firmly behind Stephanie to start.
And then, with Dale’s head turned, Scarlett started to poke her head out like a Boo in Super Mario Bros.
And then, determining things were safe, she bravely posed for the camera.
Chip, meanwhile? A consummate professional through this entire ordeal.
We were next up. And our story was much less interesting. We just kind of stood there and got our picture taken.
And then came the Falzones, Mia first.
But eventually, Tony and Larissa grew tired of Mia getting all the attention and forced their way into a picture.
I get it though. All that looking great couldn’t go to waste.
When we got to the family beach, the Marquados and O’Learys had already secured us a spot.
Mikey and Scarlett? Ready.
A few of us (me, Owen, Myles, and Larissa) headed straight over to Pelican Plunge to get some slides in before the lines formed. And OF COURSE on account of me being terrible at this whole blogging thing, I took zero pictures of Pelican Plunge. Therefore, I am gonna have to borrow a picture from everythingmouse.com. Thanks everythingmouse.com! You’ve made it so I don’t even have to be good at this at all.
But I mean, I had to get a picture up in this mofo. I mean look at this thing.
However, we did have to eventually abandon those activities. Because we had other activities booked that we had to get to.
So many.
We and the O’Learys had booked some kayaks at 10AM so we had to head over to pick them up.
We had a total of 4 double kayaks booked between all of us – Nickie and I went together, Myles and Owen had one, Terry and Jimmy, and Robyn and Maryanne.
We had a half hour to paddle around.
It was beautiful out there, plus it gave us a chance to get up close and personal with the Wish.
We were so close to the ship, in fact, that we could see and hear A Goofy Movie playing on Funnel Vision. Which made it MUCH harder to paddle back in.
I should also mention there were ropes designating where we could not go. And at one point, I was really trying to get a picture of all 8 of us in front of the ship. But I wanted to do that, getting as close as possible. This had us right up against the ropes.
Well, to start.
At some point, we started to drift over the ropes. And as we drifted over the ropes, the kids FREAKED THE F OUT. And Maryanne, at one point, raised her hand.
Oh right. I should mention that the guys giving us the kayaks mentioned that if we were in any sort of trouble, we should raise our hands to get their attention.
Thankfully, Robyn got her hand down before the dudes on the beach spotted it.
But yeah, we were like inches away from a legit rescue mission.
To get us back over the rope.
Eventually and unfortunately, we did have to head in. And as we did, we paddled alongside the border between us and the stingray experience.
See those black blobs in the water?
Yup, stingrays.
I know – it’s like you were there.
Now, we had kayaked for like a whole half hour so we were OBVIOUSLY parched.
Seriously though you guys. It was hot as crap out there.
So we stopped off at Conch’ed Out for a drink.
And that drink? It was…a drink!
Yup. I ordered. Um. A drink.
Yeah, that’s all I got. Legit no idea what that drink is. But I am sure I enjoyed it. On account of alcohol.
We brought our drinks down to the beach, where we grabbed our chairs to bring into the water.
Lux. Yer. Eee.
Also? Everyone else was already in the water. So it was like a giant friend soup.
It was really nice just relaxing in the water, having some drinks, enjoying the company of people I truly love. I could have literally just sat there in that chair in the water forev…
Huh? Oh, right. It’s lunchtime.
On Castaway Cay, there are two main dining locations near the family beaches – Cookie’s and Cookie’s Too. There is also an adults-only location near Serenity Bay, the adult beach, but since we were drowning in children, we settled on Cookie’s Too.
Well, actually, we started walking towards Cookie’s at first, before we knew there WAS a Cookie’s Too right next to us. Pfft. Oh us.
The dining at these locations is largely the same with the exception of some added choices at the adults-only location. But overall, they all offer a BBQ buffet. And the food here is included as part of your cruise.
So let’s dig in, yo.
They had a whole bunch o’ sides, like Cole Slaw, Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad.
Burgers, Hot Dogs, Ribs, Grilled Chicken, Corn on the Cob.
Look at this dude. Making burgers like he the BurgerMeister MeisterBurger.
And sweet situations like Corn Bread and, of course, Cookies.
I said the thing.
Being that I am a man that values experiences, I went for a little bit of most things.
I got myself a Cheeseburger, Hot Dog, Ribs, Corn on the Cob, Potato Salad, Cornbread, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. Oh, and two Diet Cokes. I’m pretty fancy.
The food was fine, honestly. I mean, the burger was a little overcooked, but the hot dog and the ribs were tasty. I also should mention they have soft serve ice cream as well, but I was too full to indulge.
And filling up even more would DEFINITELY not have been a good idea since we had some more…you know…
So many.
We had some snorkeling to do. We had rented some equipment prior to getting on the ship, so we walked over to the shack to pick it up and head into the water.
Now, initially, all four of us were going to be snorkeling along with a bunch of others in our party. But Owen and Nickie bowed out so it was just me and Myles repping the Goodys in the big blue.
Coo coo ca choo.
As for the others joining us – from the O’Learys, we had Terry and Maryanne…
From the Falzones, Tony and Mia…
And while we were out there, Liz and Jack from the Marquado clan joined us. So like, all the fam squads were represented though we all made the wise decision to leave some family members back on shore in case we were washed away and someone needed to be left to tell our tales.
Smart.
Those are, unfortunately, the only pictures I have of the whole snorkeling experience since I didn’t have any way to keep my phone dry. But it was really great. In the 22-acre snorkeling area, there are all these markers letting you know where different landmarks are. Among those landmarks were a bunch of Disneyfied (and some non-Disney) sunken treasures. Some of the things I remember seeing while we were swimming around:
- Boo’s Door
- The Prince Eric statue from The Little Mermaid
- An old Dumbo ride vehicle
- The Nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Old cannons and cannonballs
- A Mickey Mouse statue that appears to have broken off a shipwreck
- A Minnie Mouse statu
The water was super clear so we also saw a good bit of underwater wildlife. Lots of tropical fish, at least two stingrays, and at one point, Maryanne shouted over to us as she was swimming up close to the net protecting the lagoon, “Hey there’s a big fish over here.” We all made our way over there to find, staring us straight in the face, a barracuda. Thing was just straight chillin, but his mouth was doing a pretty constant opening and closing situation, which I presume he did so we could get a good look at his teeth.
Thing was deadly-looking but it never bothered us. That being said, we all did back away kind of slowly.
Protective net, my butt.
I honestly think we snorkeled for like two hours but the equipment we had included both a float vest and flippers (in addition to, obvs squad, mask and snorkel) so the swimming wasn’t really all that strenuous.
Especially for me.
On account of I am a specimen.
When we got back to the beach, Terry and Maryanne made straight for the hammock. On account of they earned it.
The rest of the crew was back over at Conch’ed Out so we grabbed all our stuff and made our way over.
It was Miami Vice O’clock you guys.
Aw yeah. Probably the most perfect frozen drink ever invented in that it takes two frozen drinks that were already pretty great – a Strawberry Daiquiri and a Pina Colada – and mushes them together into some sort of miracle.
Also, check out these fashion models.
Ha, just kidding. It’s us!
It was getting close to when we wanted to be heading back to the ship, but we wanted to grab some Castaway Cay-specific merch so we hit up a couple gift shops before getting off the island. I picked up a rather schnazzy tie-dye Castaway Cay t-shirt myself.
However, Owen was VERY indecisive today. He was having a rather hard time picking something out for himself. So I took him deeper into the island to see if there was anything else at another shop he might want.
While I took him looking for something that was just right, Nickie and Myles headed back to the ship to wait for us.
And Owen and I ran around in the heat looking for his perfect t-shirt.
He ended up settling for a ringer with the Castaway Cay logo.
Worth it.
Once t-shirt was in hand, back to the ship we went.
We were kind of rushing back because we had some other stuff booked relatively soon. And I only mention this because guys, I know I said it before, but it was HOT today.
How hot was it?
It was so hot, the thermometer on my phone read “Nonsense.”
It was so hot, we invited the sun to join us and he was like, “nah man. I’m heading to Wal-Mart to buy an air conditioner.”
It was so hot that if Frodo threw the ring onto that beach, Gollum would be all, “eh forget it, let’s get some ice creamses, precious.”
Basically, it was so hot that people and things were saying stuff you wouldn’t expect them to say.
Thankfully, there were cast members handing out water and cold towels when we got the platform to meet up with Nickie and Myles.
We went up to our stateroom so Nickie and I could change and get ready quick-like. Because, guys. We had…
So many.
Nickie and I had booked for ourselves a beer tasting today at 4PM. On account we love both each other AND alcohol. The beer tasting was being held in the Keg & Compass, a location we hadn’t been able to spend much time in up until this point.
We grabbed a couple seats at one of the tables on the outskirts of the bar.
And in front of us were five glasses filled with beer. And a glass of some sort of clear liquid. Had really no taste. I think they called it Wurtour? I dunno.
And alongside our beverages was also a pretty tasty snack mix.
Thing had candied nuts, chocolate chips. And I think it had dried banana chips? I wouldn’t know on account of Nickie took them all.
But yeah, fava beans are nice and all, but this snack mix was LegitTown.
The tasting itself was, I mean, it had its high points and low points. The low point was it wasn’t all that much of an experience. The dude running it seemed a little less than invested. He was nice enough but there wasn’t a whole lot of background in terms of the beer we were drinking. And the beers we tried didn’t seem all that thought out. It was just sort of a “well what do we have laying around today” kind of feel to it.
That all being said? The tasting was $45 and as you can see, the pours were pretty generous. Plus, it looked like they set up for like 20 more people so when we finished up, we were free to grab as many of our favorites as we wanted. So like…still. Totez worth it.
I wish I could remember all the beers we had but I know we had La Fin du Monde (the one I tried at Palo brunch the day before…still delicious), a Loose Cannon IPA I think?, and we also got a try of the Kentucky Bourbon Ale (which was fantastic stuff). He also poured us a bit of the Maelstrom Stout, which also was a tasty situation.
So yeah, I think I’d recommend the beer tasting. I mean, we had A LOT of beer for $45. In fact, we got to take a couple glasses back to our room since so many people didn’t show. So ok – I’d recommend the beer tasting and I’d recommend doing it at 4pm on Castaway Cay day. Because my guess is people were still either on the island or making it back to the ship.
So yeah pro tip. You’re welcome cheap drunks!
Back up at the stateroom, Tony and Larissa were getting packed up so they opened up a bottle of packing wine. And being they’re so generous with their wine always, they offered us some. And being that I had two glasses of beer already in my hands, I accepted.
We started packing as well. Because, boo to the hoo, this was our last night on the ship.
Womp.
Town.
But we soon had to put all that packing on pause for the time being because we had to get ready for dinner. Dinner tonight was at Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, which was this whole dinner-and-a-show experience we were all looking forward to.
Come on, right? Who was looking forward to this one? Show of Hans.
Also though? Sophia and Scarlett were looking forward to it. And they were dressed for the occasion as well.
I tried to snap a picture of them both smiling.
Instead? I got one of Sophia smiling.
And one of Scarlett smiling.
Hrm…maybeee…through the power of TECHNOLOGY…
There we go.
I made that.
The four of us were also ready. And while we didn’t look like Arendellians.
Arendellites?
Arendellicans?
We were wearing matching Mickey and Minnie “Cruising” t-shirts. So that’s something.
That our kids did begrudgingly.
Off to Arendelle!
As soon as you turn the corner to make your way down the hallway to the dining room, the theming of this place? On. Point.
So much Anna.
So much Elsa.
The story behind Arendelle is that we we’re being invited to Anna and Kristoff’s engagement party where we would eat Arendellian…Arendellish…cuisine and be treated to a show and all kinds of Frozen-ness.
We were split into two tables and, for some reason, Tony and Larissa were sat with A BUNCH of the kids.
Probably because of Tony’s infinite patience.
Our meal started with bread service – Six Grain Viking Loaf with a Roasted Onion Dip.
Which was fine. The bread wasn’t anything super special or anything but the onion dip was a unique touch.
We put our orders in and the show began. The show happens on a stage in the center of the room and the MC for the night is Wandering Oaken. Which makes a lot of sense on account of he and Anna and Kristoff are very close. The dude playing Oaken was great tho.
He also welcomed to the stage some local musicians…
…
And Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, and Olaf.
I swear it was them. That lighting was not erm…the best…for picture taking.
They sang a bunch of songs from Frozen and Frozen 2. And they invited all of us to sing along. I, of course, obliged on account of I have the voice of an angel.
Sophia also joined in.
Legit INTO it.
Scarlett, meanwhile, watched Frozen on the tablet.
Which, like, I can respect. It’s like going in a pool right next to the beach. It’s like you’re saying, “yeah, I see what you’re doing over there, but I’m in control here.”
After the initial songs were over, the characters started walking around the room. I only got a picture of Anna and Kristoff on account of they spent the most time at the table.
Elsa did a legit drive-by and Olaf was leaving our table just as I got back.
Those two? Cold.
Alright, let’s get to the food.
Well, before the food. Let’s get to the drink.
For my drink, I OF COURSE ordered the Frozen Fractal (Ciroc, Peach, Moët & Chandon Ice).
I mean, yeah, I guess those ingredients wouldn’t necessarily make this an “of course” for me but I mean, look at this thing.
It’s so glittery.
I do seriously worry that someday, they will ask what killed me and the answer will be, “Glitter. He consumed too much glitter.” But on the bright side, when the coroner opens me up and flashes his little light in there? Disco morgue.
Sorry.
It’s October. I’ve been watching a lot of 70s horror movies.
Look, this was our last night you guys. So I went ALL IN on the appetizers and ordered three of em.
I got Elsa’s Royal Baked Scallops (with Shrimp Tarragon Bisque, Rainbow Carrots, Leeks, inside of a Flaky Pastry).
Here it is, untouched.
And here it is. Touched.
Very good stuff. The scallops were tasty and super buttery, the bisque was really nice, and the pastry was definitely flaky, as described. I wouldn’t have minded at least like one more scallop. But overall, would def get again.
Plus, I love “themed” food that just throws a character’s name in front of it. Like, there were no scallop-focused scenes featuring Elsa were there? Maybe I should check the deleted scenes in the extras on my Blu-Ray.
I also got the Jarlsberg Cheese & Rosemary Ham Tart (with Gala Apple and Williams Pear Compote).
Also very very good. It was like a little quiche type of situation happening up in there. And I love me some quiche you guys. Quiche and glittery drinks. No one ever accused me of being TOO macho.
I ALSO got Anna’s Koltbord – “Hot” Smoked Salmon, Smoked Fiord Trout, Horseradish Lefse, Salmon Gravlax, Sweet Shrimp, Dill Honey Mustard, and Crisp Knackerbot. Ha, remember that scene where Anna fell slipped on a Crisp Knackerbot in Frozen 2? This brought me right back there.
Also really good. Gravlax continued to be something I didn’t know was something and now I am glad to have met it.
But hey, why stop there right? I also got Sven’s Favorite Carrot Soup (with Caraway and Rye Sippits).
This was yumtown. And? Sven actually does like carrots. This soup? Canon.
For my main, I went with the Arendelle Kjottkake. Braised Meatballs, Rosemary Cream Reduction, Egg Noodles, and Lingonberry Chutney.
So. Good. I mean, an insanely simple looking dish but that rosemary cream reduction added a nice complexity to it. Seriously good stuff.
I should also mention the kids had the silly spillies tonight. On account of pretty much every child spilled their drink tonight for some reason. Here are Jimmy and Owen dealing with the aftermath of their spills.
I don’t know what the heck they’re smiling about though. They really disrupted Anna and Kristoff’s engagement party.
Oh, maybe they’re happy on account of it was dessert time. See – here’s Jimmy with his Mickey bar.
Nickie and I continued our trend of ordering two desserts to split. We got the “It’s Elsa’s Coronation Sundae.” Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream, Marshmallows, Whipped Cream, and Snowflakes.
Which I mean, jeez Elsa. You can’t even let Anna have today?
But it was a pretty good sundae. Mint chocolate chip isn’t like…my absolute favorite. And Nickie was very put off by the consistency of the marshmallows. I still finished it though. So obviously, things could be worse.
We also got the signature dessert – the Troll Family’s Rock Chocolate Bar Chocolate Cake, Pistachio Cookie Rocks, and Elderflower Meringue.
This was pretty good as well. I mean, it was basically like a pretty standard chocolate cake. But like, there ain’t nothing wrong with that.
Amirite?
Yeah, you know I’m right.
I also paired my dessert with a cappuccino. Like I do.
So yeah, that was Arendelle. Overall, I dug it. It definitely scored high on both food and theming. And the entertainment was great as well. I mean, yeah, maybe a tad more character interaction would have been nice but I get it. This is a pretty big restaurant.
I should probably just…
Here it comes…
You knew it was gonna happen…
Apologies in advance…
I should probably just…
Let it go.
There. OK.
After dinner ended, we went back up to our room to grab some drinks for our last night of entertainment on the ship. And when we got there, we had another towel animal waiting for us.
Though I am not 100% on what that is. Anyone? I’m gonna go with some sort of demon?
After we grabbed our drinks, we walked down
Tonight’s show was…
Aladdin!
As per usual, I couldn’t take any pictures during the show but man. This show was excellent. Even though I loved Seas the Adventure on the first night, this was definitely the best show of the trip. The sets. The actors. The singing. It was just so well-done and every actor on that stage was incredible. Especially that genie. Dude killed.
After the show ended, we went back to hang out in the room for a little bit and pack some more before heading out for our final activity of the day.
So many.
A few of us (me, Owen, Myles, and all the O’Learys) were catching a 10:30PM showing of The Haunted Mansion at the Neverland Cinema.
Well at first that was who was going. When we were out getting refreshments at the concession stand, Mikey showed up as well. Which was a surprise. On account of I don’t think Mikey is the biggest fan of Disney movies.
Or spooky movies.
Or really, movies in general.
Honestly though, it all played out pretty much as we all expected it to, with Mikey asleep before the first line of dialogue was even spoken.
He tried though. And for that, I commend him.
Also though, I want these sconces for my house.
Oh, also. Before the movie began, Owen had asked if we could run over to Mickey’s Mainsail to get a hat he wanted. And as we were walking over, we ran into this goof.
Legit no line. We just walked right up, like straight up VIPs.
Good stuff.
Haunted Mansion, btw? Thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of fun nods to the attraction but it was also something of its own as well. I could see it being a regular Halloween watch in the Goody house.
I will say, though? The seats in the Neverland Cinema were not the most comfortable. With how modern and luxurious everything else was on the ship, this was a surprise. Big miss on the cinema seating, Disney Wish. Really made me wish I was in a recliner.
The movie ended a little after 12:30AM. So tonight was going to be a night without room service on the verandah. It was a long day, guys. Remember all those activities?
And yeah, this was our last night on the ship. But don’t go thinking this trip is over. Far from it. Tomorrow we move into the next phase – the Walt Disney World phase. Get excited.
See you all on Day 7!
Last post – Day 5
Next post – Day 7
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