On Saturday the kids and I slept in until 8:30 a.m.!  Well, we did turn our clocks forward 1 hour overnight, so it really felt like 7:30 a.m., but that is still pretty late for us.  D was disciplined and ran early in the morning everyday on the running track on Deck 4.

The kids grabbed breakfast from Cabanas.  They brought it back to our room and ate on the verandah.

D and I did not eat breakfast since we had brunch reservations at the adults-only Palo restaurant.

We dropped the kids off at the kids’ club.  They were supposed to make Stitch’s space goo (slime), but there was a mix-up, so they did not do that activity.  They ate lunch at Cabanas with my parents and went to a cooking demonstration after that.

There is a $30 surcharge per person for the Italian restaurant.  I think it was definitely worth it for the experience.  The service was exceptional–it felt like we had our own waiter, even though I think he did have at least one other table to take care of.  He accompanied us to the buffet and explained the offerings.

This huge wheel of parmesan cheese was quite impressive.  I had a small piece with a little bit of honey that had a really delicate taste.  It was like nothing I have ever tasted before!

I ordered a grape pizza that is no longer on the menu.  I had read reviews of people raving about the combination of grapes and bleu cheese and had to try it for myself.  D ordered a sausage pizza.  They were both really good, and the crust was thin and crisp.

For our main entrees, we had chicken parmesan and an eggplant dish.  Both were excellent, but kind of difficult to fully enjoy with all of the other offerings.

Plus, we had to save room for dessert!  I loved the presentation and small portions.  I think the waiter said it was mandatory for us to try at least five.

Well, if we must…

Last ice cream run.

Last dip in the pool and going down the slide.

While D and the kids were in the pool, I snuck a peak at the re-scheduled Frozen deck party.  We did the majority of our packing in the afternoon as well.  Our typical vacations have us staying in one place only one or two nights at a time so we never really unpack.  Here, we really made ourselves at home, so packing back up was quite an undertaking.

Our farewell dinner was at Animator’s Palate.  There was a special activity where you draw a character at the beginning of the meal and then it comes to life in a cartoon that is shown on the walls at the end.

D was serious about his drawing!

The walls coordinated with the servers’ shirts.

There were less choices during this meal because they wanted to expedite service for the animated show at the end.

Kids’ appetizer

Adults Appetizer Sampler

k had the Grilled Garlic Marinated Shrimp with Linguine, which she really enjoyed.  This picture is making me hungry right now!

n had the Chicken Schnitzel off of the adults menu.  Looking back, we did not eat too much chicken in the dining room on the cruise.

Beef Wellington–the kids were interested in this since they have seen Gordon Ramsay’s version on Master Chef.

Roasted Filet of Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

Shahrang had also told us about the “secret menu” Indian food that they offer and brought us some.  The chicken was a little spicy, and very tasty!

I was not able to figure out the video lighting until the very end, but this gives you an idea of how the drawings come to life.https://flic.kr/p/VbKBn6

We also had the servers sing happy birthday to my BIL, even though he does not like that type of thing.

The kids had decorate your own cupcakes for dessert.

The adults had Celebration Cake.

Our last towel creation. 🙁

I did my first pin swap with the ships’ officers and was able to snag these two Disney cruiseline pins.

We went to the last show, called Disney Dreams.  It was very well done, and a nice way to end our cruise.

We had to wake up n the last morning.  Our breakfast was scheduled at around 7:15, I think.  We had told Frances that we planned to eat our breakfast in the dining room, but that we would leave our luggage in the room and then do express walk-off.  He said that was fine, and it worked out well.

We were back in Vancouver, where it all began!

The menus were called “See Ya Real Soon!”  We all ordered the Route 66.

The debarkation process was remarkably smooth and efficient.  We took the Skytrain to Vancouver Airport even though our flight was not until 2 p.m.  (My parents and sisters stayed another night in Vancouver and did not leave until the next day).

We watched this woman set up and basically run this Japa Dog stand just outside the airport by herself.  It opened early, so we were able to try it out.

Having had a big breakfast, we just shared one so we could have a taste.  Lots of umami going on here.

We also used our time at the airport to try another Canadian institution: Tim Horton’s.

We had an assortment of Tim Bits.  n liked the salted caramel flavor.

We boarded our plane, landed in LAX, picked up our car at the Parking Spot and returned home without incident.

Thank you for accompanying us on our adventure.  It was truly an experience that we will never forget, and I am so thankful to my parents for making it possible.  I hope this series of posts will help preserve our memories and offer some useful tips to those planning a trip of their own.  If you have not been to Alaska, I would definitely put it on your list of places to visit.  I know that going Disney-style is not for everyone, but the family-friendly atmosphere, impeccable service, excellent food, and outstanding entertainment were perfect for our three generations to enjoy together

After our crab tour, we walked around Ketchikan, “The Salmon Capital of the of the World”.

As you can see, it was still drizzly, so we did not spend as much time here as I would have liked.

We took a short walk to Creek Street, a cute little shopping area.

It is built on top of an actual creek!

We followed the signs the salmon ladder, but we were too early for the season.

On our walk we experienced why much of Alaska is considered to be a temperate rainforest.  The air was so moist even though it was cool.

We started walking back to the ship since it was almost time for dinner.

Salmon-colored federal building.

Whale-shaped bench.

Upon re-boarding, we were greeted with hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies!

Our dinner rotation had us at Triton’s.  The menu feature Alaskan “Regional Inspirations”.

Clockwise: Beefsteak Tomato and Vidalla Onion Salad; Marinated Tiger Shrimp; Thai Red Pumpkin and Coconut Curry (vegetarian entrée, just because I was curious); Alaskan King Crab Legs (yum!)

Both of the kids had Fettuccine with Parmesan Crusted Chicken.

Both D and I had the Oven-Baked Lobster Tail.

I had already started digging in when our server offered to cut the lobster meat out of the shell for me.  Oops!  This was definitely one of my food highlights for the week.

Dessert Menu

Apricot Trio; Rasberry Crème Brulee; Chocolate Lava Cake

Yes, it was all good!  Julie, one of our servers, presented the kids with calligraphy she did with their names; very sweet.

After dinner, we returned to a towel monkey.  I took k and n to the gift shop where they each bought a Captain Mickey Tsum Tsum.  Meanwhile, D went to guest services to reserve a placeholder for a future cruise!

The evening entertainment was a magic show by David Gatti.  He put on a good show, and made us wonder, “How did he do that??”

Our Alaska stops were now officially over, and we were headed back to Canada.

As we slept, the ship was making its way down the Alaskan coast for our final port stop, Ketchikan. The ship was not scheduled to dock until around 11 a.m., so we enjoyed a leisurely morning.

Another Cabanas breakfast.

After breakfast, the kids went to the Oceaneer Lab for a program called “Lava Flow”.  They tended to be drawn to the scheduled programs rather than the “free play” times.  I guess they like a structured environment!

D and I took this opportunity to go to the Adults-only Cove Café.  Although you have to pay for the drinks here, the prices are reasonable.  This mocha was $3 something, I believe.  Plus, you have free access to the pastry case-hehe.

When we to the upstairs seating area, we saw Doug Jones.  D just had to ask him a few of his infamous “quick questions”.

Next, I went off by myself to the Art of the Ship tour.  The group at Palo, one of the adults-only restaurants.

Our tour guide led us to a few different areas of the ship and pointed out many details about the design of the ship.  One tidbit I found interesting is that they made the ceilings on Deck 5 a little lower because that is where the kids clubs are located.  They wanted to empower the kids and give them a sense of confidence!  I was also fascinated by the fact there are more than 100 different designs of carpet throughout the ship.

The lobby is a prime example of how Disney incorporated their characters in a tasteful and elegant way.

After the tour, I met up with the rest of the family and we watched Born in China, a Disney Nature movie released earlier this year.  The stories that they were able to glean from following select animal families through the course of a year were amazing.  Now I want to go watch all of the other Disney Nature movies that have been made!

We did the quick service counter for lunch and brought it back to our room since it was drizzling outside.  I had a gyro, which is strangely served in a tortilla.  Pita bread is provided upon request.

This was our view as we were now docked in Ketchikan.

My mom had booked us all on the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman’s tour.  It was still raining out, so crew members were handing out free ponchos as we left the ship.

This was perfect for n because the jacket he had brought was not totally waterproof.

PC: KTM

We boarded just a little early, so we were able to grab prime seats near the action.  This is a popular excursion–the boat seemed packed to capacity.

Complimentary coffee and hot chocolate were offered in the galley.  The seating area was heated, they offered heavy jackets, and the bathrooms were nice and clean.

I believe this was the owner of the Alleutian Ballad.  Before he turned it into a tour boat, it was a working boat that was featured on the Deadliest Catch.

There was a tank of crabs right in front of us.  The crew members told us a little about them and then let everyone hold them.

It took some of us a little time to warm up to the idea.

These two shots were taken by my talented brother-in-law.

I like this pic my dad took of us.

The crew demonstrated crab pot and barrel fishing.

I wouldn’t mess with this guy.  However, despite his tough exterior, he became quite emotional when retelling his story about how he started in the business.

The crew gave us just a brief glimpse about the intensity of the physical labor required to work on one of these ships.  The stories about some of the conditions that they had to work through were incomprehensible.  Their passion for their work really came through.

The highlight of the tour actually did not have anything to do with crabs.  The boat stopped when we arrived at a small island.  One of the crew members started to throw pieces of fish in the water and then bald eagles were swarming all around us!

D took this on his iPhone!

Enjoying his catch.

According to the crew, the only reason they are allowed to feed the bald eagles here is because we were sailing in territory owned by Native Americans and it is not under federal jurisdiction.  The captain made a special deal with the Native Americans that allows them to do the feeding on the tours.  I am not certain about these details, but the spectacle is one that I will always remember.

This is a fun excursion that is suitable for all ages.  It was also nice that we were not really affected by the weather since the boat is covered.  I am glad this is the day it was rainy, and not when we went ziplining!

We did not have any more plans in Juneau, so we went back to the ship.  Our ship was parked a little farther from town, but there was a free shuttle.  Since we had the time, we chose to eat in the Triton’s dining room, which is open for lunch.

Clockwise: Steak Frites; Salmon Salad; Cheeseburger; Lemon Sole.  All were solid choices!  It was nice to be able to share, too.

For dessert, we had Pineapple Bread Pudding and Lemon Meringue Pie.

After lunch, we watched the new live action Beauty and the Beast in 3D in the Buena Vista Theater.  This is the smaller theater, but both the screen and the sound were excellent.  I really enjoyed this movie.  Now the kids have to see the animated version!  And it was nice that I did not feel like I was missing any scenery, since our ship was still docked.

Dinner that night was at Tiana’s Place.  Since it was our second time dining there, it was a Mardi Gras theme.  The waiters gave us beads to wear, there was lively live music by the Crawfish Crooners, and there was a parade at the end of dinner.

On the way to dinner.

Clockwise: Pickled Gulf Shrimp and Satsuma Orange Salad (light and fresh!); Iceberg Wedge; Sauteed Gulf Shrimp and Grits (highly recommend!); New Orleans Seafood Pepper Pot.  I also ordered the Boudin Sausage Fritters for n to try as an appetizer, but they were too mushy and a “miss”.

I think I have neglected to mention the bread service.  It changed every meal, and sometimes came with dipping sauce.  That night it was herbed brioche.

D and I both had the Cajun Spiced Sea Bass on Shrimp Jambalaya with crisp Fennel Salad and Remoulade.  This dish was solid, so I am glad we both ordered it!

Cute children’s menus.

The kids had the salmon off of the children’s menu.  This time, we asked for some soy sauce.  Not very Cajun, I know.

For dessert we had the New Orleans Bananas Foster Sundae and Tiana’s Buttermilk Beignets.

These could have been a little warmer, but were still yummy.  I know temperature control is difficult when serving such a large crowd at once.

Our head server Mehmet was quite a character and threatened to turn my nephew into a frog!

After dinner we returned to a towel bear, and scenery that would just not quit!

Our evening entertainment that night was the new Frozen musical.  We made sure to arrive early, about twenty minutes before the doors opened to make sure we obtained good seats.  Although the rule is that no one is allowed to save seats, everyone does.  One tip is that there are booster seats for the kids in case you end up behind a tall person.  I would say this show is not to be missed!  In the very beginning, I was a little annoyed by the puppets and nasally voices because I forgot that the story began when the main characters were children.  Once the main story unfolded, however, I was quite impressed with the visual effects and the singing.  I can totally imagine this being fleshed out as a full-blown Broadway musical, like Lion King.  It was a wonderful end to a wonderful day.

On Friday morning, we were scheduled to dock in Juneau, the capital of Alaska.

We had breakfast at Cabanas again, and the kids were a little tired of it.  It would be nice if they changed up the menu a little more there.

One of the main attractions in Juneau is Mendenahall Glacier.  There is a shuttle that departs from the port that costs $35 per person round trip.  However, I did my research and made reservations with Evergreen Taxi.  We were able to hire a van for the ten of us for about $120 round-trip, including admission fees to Tongass National Park.  We scheduled the taxi for 8:15 a.m. so we could beat the first tour buses.  The van was on time and our driver was a talkative guy from Cuba.  The drive took about 30 minutes.  On the way we saw an open field with bald eagles just hanging out on the grass. (Was unable to take a picture).

You can practically see Mendenhall Glacier from the parking lot!  It is quite massive, although it is receding at a rapid pace.

To the right of Mendenhall Glacier is Nugget Falls.

We took a short hike/walk to get a closer look.

Both the glacier and the falls are spectacular by themselves, but seeing them right next to each other is truly magnificent!

Skipping rocks

After we finished taking in the scenery we went to the visitors center.  We watched the short movie and the kids completed their junior ranger booklets.

Swearing-in

The taxi driver was waiting for us and we had him drop us off downtown.  We did a little shopping and then headed back to the dock.  This is the Mount Roberts Tramway, that we did not ride, but it is an easy landmark to spot near the dock.

Instead of food trucks, Juneau had a line of these little food huts, which I imagine are similar to the ones in Portland.

Although we planned to eat lunch back on the ship, I wanted to try the famous crab bisque at Tracy’s King Crab Shack.  You cannot miss this place if you are anywhere near the dock.

We arrived before the lunch crowd, so there was plenty of seating.

I am not sure if n is allergic to shellfish, but he was fine with just eating some of the rolls!  D, k and I shared a small cup, which was just right for us to all have a taste.  It had small chunks of crabmeat and a little kick to it; very good on a cold day.

Each port has several excursions to choose from.  For Skagway, we chose Grizzly Falls Ziplining.  Ziplining has been something D and I have wanted to do for a while now.  Both of the kids had gone on one zipline through scouts.  We boarded a bus and waited for our fellow zipliners.

It seems that there is beautiful scenery everywhere you go in Alaska!

At the base camp, there was a small gift shops and most importantly, clean restrooms.

We then waited for an all terrain vehicle (U-mog) to pick us up.

We got all geared up and were split into groups.  Our group consisted of our family and a mother-son duo.  We were led by Dusty and Makayla.  It seemed that all of the employees were enthusiastic 20-something adventure-seekers.

The first couple of courses were trial runs.  When I was doing research, n was not old enough or big enough for ziplining. This company takes kids six years and up and 50 pounds minimum.  Well, n barely made the weight minimum, so on a couple of lines, they told him to do a cannonball so he would have the momentum to reach the other side.  On the longest line, n had to go tandem with one of the instructors.  k had to pull herself in a little bit on that one too.  Other than that, it was pretty easy, as the instructors did most of the work in stopping and catching us at the end.

Once we mastered letting go of the rope, the next step was hanging upside down!

k was brave enough to try the flip.

I think that I was unsuccessfully trying to do the “ceiling fan” here.

Aside from the two test runs, we went on nine lines.  It was kind of difficult for me to pull my phone out of my pocket while I had all of the gear on, so I do not have too many pictures.

At the end of the excursion, they gave us water from glacier run-off, which was a welcome refreshment.

Three people from our group realized that their Princess cruise ship was scheduled to leave before we were scheduled to return to the port.  They hurried everyone back on the bus and the driver hightailed it back to port.  Meanwhile, the late party was receiving phone calls from their cruise director and they were frantically pleading for the ship to wait.  When we arrived, they ran off the bus, and were able to board their ship.  Lesson learned: make sure your excursion ends with plenty of leeway of the all aboard time so that you are not left stranded.

Our ship was not scheduled to leave until 7:45, but I did notice that we started moving at 7:50!

When we returned to our ship, there was some washing going on.  I appreciated how the crew did such a good job with the upkeep of everything on the ship, inside and out.

For dinner, the theme was “Frozen”, as in the movie.  I had k wear her Frozen-ish dress and we wore light-up snowflake necklaces that were left in our stateroom.  There was supposed to be a Freezing the Night Away party on the top deck, but it was cancelled due to inclement weather.

n did not really have any attire that was appropriate for the occasion!

It was nice that our Frozen dinner was scheduled in Animator’s Palate.  The screens had scenes from Frozen, which added to the ambience.

For appetizers, D had the Oaken’s Red and Yellow Beetroot Salad and Elsa’s Coronation Scallops (Princess scallops baked in a shrimp cognac tarragon cream sauce, topped with flaky pastry).

I had Sven’s Carrot Soup.

All four of us ordered and enjoyed Anna’s Honey Mustard Marinated Salmon.

D continued his adventurous eating and also ordered Hans’s Juniper Wild Boar Filet.

My sister requested extra vegetables and they brought them for our whole table every night.

There were too many desserts that we wanted to try.  They were all delicious!  (clockwise): Elsa’s Chocolate and Raspberry Tart; kids’ Frozen Sundae; Oaken Warm Apple Pudding Cake; Olaf’s White Chocolate Floro Dome.

We returned to a towel elephant.

We were still passing beautiful waterfalls.

The evening show was the newly released Cars 3 movie.  However, we had just seen the movie the week before through D’s work, so we skipped it.  Instead, we took showers, changed into our pajamas and continued to enjoy the scenery.  The kids watched Mulan on television and we called it a night.  We were on our way to Juneau!

We were excited to be able to put our feet on solid ground in the first time in 2.5 days at our first port stop, Skagway, Alaska.

When we woke up, we were already docked, and this was our view.

Before leaving the ship, we ate our buffet breakfast at Cabanas.

Skagway is a tiny town, and the ship pulled up to port right at the end of the street.

We were not the only ships in town that day, but it still did not feel overly crowded.

Isn’t it funny how it looks like the Wonder is practically parked on the street?

This is their “Main Street”.  No traffic signals necessary.

At around 7:40 a.m., we started off on a walk to the Yakutania Point hiking trail.

It was overcast, but only a tiny bit drizzly.

Low hanging clouds.

k remarked that she had never seen a sign with low fire danger.

We were surprised to see not one other person while on the trail.

Disappointed to see this graffiti from another passenger.

That house!

We walked back to town and tried to imagine living there.

Interesting flagpost.

That’s a lot of firewood!

We had booked a walking tour with the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park.  It was too much history/talking for us, and it was starting to drizzle more, so we went back to the Visitors Center and watched the movie.  The kids also worked on their junior ranger badges.

Not sure about k’s expression here…I am pretty sure she was just pretending.

There are a lot of historical buildings around the town.

One of the main features of Skagway is the White Pass Railroad.  If I ever return to Skagway, I would like to ride the steam train.

We did a little shopping and then headed back to our “home” for lunch.

As we approached the glacier, we passed numerous waterfalls.

It was really exciting when we started to see black dots on the icebergs.

They were seals!  I guess mama seals have their pups on the icebergs.  How cute is that? k thought they looked like little sausages.

All of a sudden, Dawes Glacier was in view!  (I wanted this shot of D wearing his Mazda Ice Academy jacket, which seemed quite appropriate in this environment).

Once we arrived the glacier, the ship stopped for a while and then turned around so people on both sides had a good view.  We went up to the top deck for a little bit, after the crowds had died down.

And to grab some ice cream!

You can see the excursion boat that went closer to the glacier.  It provides some perspective as to how massive the glacier is.

Could not get enough of those plump seals!

We also watched as some of the crew brought a small iceberg onboard so that we could take a closer look.

I pretty much sat on that verandah until dinnertime–the scenery was just so mesmerizing!

Our dinner that night was at Triton’s.

The kids menu was from Big Hero 6, k’s favorite Disney movie.

I had the Iced Lobster and Jumbo Shrimp as an appetizer, and the French Onion Soup.

I ordered the Fried Pierogi for n as an appetizer.  He did not look too excited…

D was feeling adventurous, and ordered Gaston’s Escargot Gratinee

k and n surprised me when they agreed to try it.

I thought it tasted like a buttery mushroom.

My nephew said he really liked it and wanted to order more!

For dinner, k and I order the Conchiglie Pasta with Buttered Lobster, tossed in a Tomato Shrimp Tarragon Brandy Sauce with Lemon Basil.  While the description sounds good, the execution was not.  I remember Shahrang had tried to steer us away from this dish, and we should have listened.  I appreciated how Shahrang was always eager to give us his recommendations before we ordered.

D did better with his Oven-Baked Salmon Royale.

n’s order of Chateaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak was also quite good.  We always ended up sharing our food so that we could try more things.

And onto dessert: Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee

Apple Tart Tartin

And perhaps my favorite dessert on the cruise…Grand Marnier Souflee with Crème Anglaise.

We caught Minnie Mouse in her Alaskan garb on our way out from dinner.

We returned to a lobster towel.

And another glorious view.  We decided to skip the show that night since the ventriloquist was scheduled to perform.  It was kind of nice to just relax in our room after dinner.

The kids showered and reminded me that we still had yet to order room service.  Well, I had promised to order cookies since we pulled them from the kids club before they could eat the ones that they baked.  D decided it would be silly to just order cookies, so he added on buffalo chicken wings, plus you need milk with cookies, plus he had not had his own Mickey bar yet–haha.

The kids watched a movie on television while I took pictures of the sunset.  Please indulge me…

Slight rainbow.

Good night!

Wednesday was technically another sea day, as we were not leaving the ship.  However, our ship was headed to Endicott Arm and was going to make a stop at Dawes Glacier later in the afternoon.

To start off our day, we had our first breakfast at Cabanas.  We were there at 7:00 a.m., right when it opened.

After breakfast, D captured another heart-warming moment. (*Edit–k and n would like me to clarify that this was actually not a heart-warming moment.  Instead, they were playing a game where k’s hat was covering her eyes, and n was trying to guide her.)

The scenery was ever-changing.

The kids tried to shoot some hoops, but the crew was preparing Deck 10 for the glacier-viewing.

Next we checked out the Oceaneer Lab.  Look at all of that space!

D tried his hand at the ship navigation game.  We left the kids there.  According to k:

Nathan and I went to the kids club to do Spider-Man 101.  We did an easy obstacle course.  Next, at 11:00, we made chocolate chip cookies at the kids club.

At this point, I wanted to go back to our room, and take in all of the sights from our verandah.  However, our room had not been cleaned yet.  I felt upset, and then I felt bad because I knew I was being selfish and had a bad attitude.  So we went to another Doug Jones talk instead.

(BTW, that’s not Doug Jones, just a random person standing up).  After the talk, we checked back into our room, and it was still not done.  This is not a complaint about our stateroom host–he was wonderful.  And busy.  I just had expected him to read my mind, which I realized was unreasonable.

I grabbed a couple of sandwiches from Daisy DeLites, a quick service counter, and sat on Deck 4 with D.  Trent and his cohort passed by, and D struck up a conversation with him about Australia.

This time when we went back to our room, it was ready!

We received our prize from the Anna’s Chocolate Chase scavenger hunt that we had completed the day before.

I bundled up, and had my binoculars and camera ready at hand.

Look at how smooth that water is!

I was really excited when I spotted my first iceberg!

Such a pretty blue

Soon we were coming upon a hanging glacier, which we had learned about from Doug Jones.  I told D he had to go pick up the kids from the kids club so they could see it.  They missed eating their chocolate chip cookies, but they were not too disappointed since I promised we would order some through room service later.

Then we went to Deck 9 to pick up some food for lunch.

They were passing out pea soup in bread bowls, so I nabbed one.

We also picked up some shwarma (weirdly on a tortilla), pizza, a hamburger and chicken tenders and had a mish mash lunch.

We picked up a few desserts from Cabanas and went back to our verandah to take in more of the views.

The kids chose green jello with marshmallows–haha!  Looking at it now, the marshmallows mirrored the little icebergs floating in the water that was now becoming more greenish:

We would be approaching the Dawes Glacier soon!

Soon it was time to change our clothes for formal night.  It was kind of a pain to pack fancy clothes for one night, but it is kind of nice to follow tradition.

D took this cute and candid series of k on our verandah.

The scenery was just gorgeous.

Our dinner rotation put us at Tiana’s Place for dinner.  This restaurant is newly opened after the Wonder’s drydock last year.

The restaurant is based on the movie Princess and the Frog, which is set in New Orleans.  We watched the movie before the cruise so we would know the backstory.

In the movie, Tiana has a dream to open up her own restaurant, so this restaurant is the fulfillment of her dream!

The Crawfish Crooners provided some live music during dinner, which provided a lively atmosphere.  Tiana made guest appearances, but did not really sing.

Louis the Crocodile also did his rounds.

Staring Contest

Clockwise: Warm Cheddar Cheese and Applewood-smoked Bacon Tartlet; Louisiana Hot Crab Dip; West Coast Lobster Salad; Fish Nuggets (for n); Lime Marinated Jumbo Shrimp with Jambalaya Rice (really good!); Baked Filet of Bering Sea Halibut.

Dessert: Banoffee Cream Pie and Baked Alaska

Our server Julie made origami animals for the kids.

Shahrang stumped us with crayon puzzles.

We stopped by the Captain’s reception for some free after-dinner drinks. (Cosmo for D and fruit punch for k).

After dinner, we came back to a towel penguin and a reminder to turn back our clocks one hour.

The show for that night was called “The Golden Mickeys”.  The storyline involved a pretend awards show and there were musical numbers from a wide variety of Disney movies.  The staging, singing, and costumes were all well-done!  This was our second favorite show of the week.

There was still plenty of sunlight after 9:30 p.m.  D took the opportunity to relax in his whale socks from Society Socks.

Time to say good night–we needed the extra hour of sleep.  There was a curtain that divided the room into two.  It was nice because when D woke up early to go running, the kids stayed asleep.