Port of Call ~ Funchal

In addition to Disney's private island Castaway Cay, we stopped at four ports; Funchal, Cadiz, Gibraltar and Barcelona. Maisie and I enjoyed our time in each port but my one regret of the cruise was that there wasn't enough time so we only got a little taste of each city and I really wanted to see and experience so much more.

I didn't plan to do any of the Disney tours as none would have been of interest to Maisie, were just too long and many included sitting on buses for long periods of time, just not appropriate for us so I planned activities at each port that I though we both would enjoy.

Our first port of call was Funchal which was just amazing to see. The port and along the waterfront was flat but then everything else was built on and went straight up the mountain. The city was just blooming with beautiful flowers and the day we were there was the final day of the flower festival, the day of the final Grand Parade. We followed our plan for the day which was to walk along the waterfront promenade to the cable car and ride it up to Monte. We then spent a few hours walking around the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens, we visited the Monte Church, walked up and down the steep streets and then watched people ride in the toboggans. We then took the cable car back down and walked through the old part of town to the Fortaleza de São Tiago for a little look-see and then we stopped at a nice little restaurant to try some of the local foods for lunch. I really wanted to try traditional foods for the area so Maisie and I ordered and totally enjoyed bolo de caco which is a warm flatbread that is halved and slathered with garlic butter and we dipped that into Sopa de Tomate e Cebola which is a very traditional tomato soup loaded with onion. That was followed by a locally caught delicacy, Espada (black scabbard fish) prepared a la Delicia (with fried bananas), totally delicious. Our meal also came with a glass of sherry and cake for dessert, yummy, yummy and even Maisie loved everything.

After our meal it was about the time that the parade was starting so we walked back along the parade route and it was heaving with parade onlookers and people in colorful costumes and we saw the gorgeous "floats" covered with flowers. We had walked about 10 miles up and down the side of the mountain and were both exhausted so we made our way back to the ship where Maisie took a quick swim before dinner. I suggested to Maisie that we just go to dinner in casual clothes but she wanted no part of that and told me that she had to wear her fancy dress, tiara and heels so that everyone would know to call her Princess. She was totally knackered that night as she fell asleep at the dinner table, my little pirate princess picture in the previous post. We loved Madeira and only got to see a tiny piece of it, we really need to plan a return trip.

Riding the cable car up to Monte. Our cable car rides were the highlight of the trip for Maisie.

Maisie and I in the cable car, such beautiful views.

In the Oriental Gardens at Monte Palace.

Beautiful views everywhere and we must have walked up and down a few thousand steps.

There were thousands of pieces of garden art.

Maisie imitating art.

A common view of Maisie, her racing ahead and having fun and me following behind.

Wonderful statues around every corner.

Even the water taps were beautiful.

Side view of the Monte Palace.

1000 year old olive tree.

View of our ship from the Palace.

Maisie imitating another statue, this one in front of the Palace.

The Palace overlooks a beautiful lake with fountains and a waterfall. The lake is also filled with lovely statues and other pieces of art. There were also two beautiful, giant white swans.

Maisie...well being Maisie and having fun.

Once you work your way from the entrance down, around, up, down, up, down and down, down, down, the only way out was the way in so it was a long climb of hills and steps back to where we started.

Zimbabwe stone sculptures were found both in the gardens as well as inside a small museum.

At the foot of the Monte Church where all the toboggans were lined up.

Some daring folks out for a Sunday ride. Eammon made me promise that we would not do this activity as I guess the idea of men using their shoes as brakes as you slide down the road which you share with cars, worried him a bit.

The Monte Church. See Maisie way up there at the top of the steps!

View of our ship from the Monte Church.

Fortaleza de São Tiago. The Museu de Arte Contemporânea (Museum of Contemporary Art) is housed here as well as a nice looking restaurant but we just strolled around and admired the views.

And what gorgeous views we saw.

Maisie enjoying the last of the sherry...it was delicious!!

Walking along the parade route we saw many beautiful flower covered floats.

We also saw dozens and dozens of beautiful costumed girls.

I know that I previously posted the following two pictures but this is how we finished our day in Funchal.

My little pirate princess sound asleep at dinner.

My beautiful and so grown-up looking Maisie with her towel animal.

Next post, Port of Call ~ Cadiz

Sea Days

Of our 14 night cruise, a total of eight days were sea days and I have to say I really enjoyed those “down” days. For me, the sea days seemed a little less rushed as we weren’t trying to get out and going, there was no rushing around to see the sights and experience the port and there was no worry of making it back onto the ship by a certain time. There of course were plenty of activities to keep everyone busy and entertained, more than enough in fact as sometimes we had to choose between activities for what would interest us the most. On almost all of the sea days Maisie would spend from mid-morning through lunchtime at the Oceaneer lab or club, allowing me some time to attend some adult only activities. After lunch Maisie and I would take a nap together and then we would spend the afternoon together either at the pool, watching a movie or participating in one activity or another and then we'd take a trip up to Goofy's Galley so that Maisie could get her afternoon ice cream treat. The hours each day seemed to fly by and soon it was dinner time, then the theater or some other night-time entertainment, time for our hot chocolate & tea and in a blink of an eye it was 10:30 or 11PM so we'd be off to bed.

The one difficult thing about our six-day crossing was that for five nights running we turned our clocks forward an hour, thus losing an hour of sleep each night. For many this time change wasn’t an issue and they still got plenty of sleep as I noted that each day the do-not-disturb sign remained on their doors later and later. I though “forced” the issue and each sea day morning we were up at 8am and to breakfast by 9 so that 1) we didn’t sleep all day and stay up later and later each night, 2) were up and able to participate in all the activities and 3) when we did finally reach a port we were used to getting up and able to get up and out first thing in the morning to enjoy the full time in our port and not get out only after lunch like so many of the other people we knew. By losing those hours of sleep each night we were tired and after the third night of losing an hour it caught up with Maisie and it was another night of her falling asleep at dinner. Maisie really loved going to the theater each night so I knew she was "done" when she asked to skip the theater and just wanted to get her hot chocolate so that she could go to sleep. I too was knackered and I really didn’t care if we saw the show that night or not so I was happy to oblige. By 8:30 PM we were tucked in bed being rocked to sleep by some rough 13-foot seas which I have to say, we both found sort of comforting and enjoyable.

Maisie never asked or really wanted to go to the Oceaneer lab & club as she always preferred to stay with me, but I needed some breaks from her and once she was there, she always had a good time. Her favorite times there were when she was playing with Molly or Marta, watching one of the science projects or attending Ratatouille cooking school. Twice she and Molly partnered up to make and eat chocolate chip cookies and they were oh so cute together.

While Maisie was off doing her activities I was able to attend some of the adult only programs. I enjoyed seeing a lecture by Don "Ducky" Williams and watching him do about 20 drawings. I also attended a few cooking demonstrations with tastings and wine pairings, given by Chef Michael Bersell, some lectures by Disney Imagineer Gary Landrum and a few lectures about our ports of call, modern ship building, light houses and other nautical stuff by Capt. Kenneth Puckett. Maisie and I also became Disney VoluntEARs when we helped to paint a mural designed by Don "Ducky" Williams which was finished during our voyage and donated to a children's hospital in Barcelona when we arrived at the port.

Enough chit chat, on with the pictures. These are all stills taken off my Flip video which was easy to keep with me all the time so not particularly wonderful picture quality but memories none the less.

Maisie posing with Snow White

Maisie and Belle.

Formal night with Mickey & Minnie.

Maisie wanted me in the picture too.

Another formal evening with Belle and the Beast

Maisie giving the Beast a big hug.

Maisie and I being silly with Goofy & Max (yep, had to look up Max as I had no idea who he was!)

Goofy, Maisie and Max

More time with Goofy & Max

Maisie and ????, yeah I know, I should know who these characters are but Maisie didn't know either but wanted a picture. Thanks again to Ilene letting me know that this is Terk, Tarzan's friend.

Maisie painting part of the mural in Animators Palate.

Making good progress AND staying in the lines!

Maisie and I with Don "Ducky" Williams. Maisie wanted no part of wearing the Mickey ears as she told me, "I'm not a mouse silly, I'm a Princess and Princesses wear tiaras not ears!" Guess she told me.

The reveal of the mural.

The completed mural. Maisie and I helped to paint the square in the bottom row, second from the right. The hospital didn't have a wall large enough for the full mural so it was split into 4 pieces with each smaller mural having a character and balloons and they hung them on four separate walls.

Everyone sailing on this voyage received a limited edition commemorative lithograph, Who's the Vilest Villain of All? created by Don "Ducky" Williams and here I am having him sign it.

Children going onto the stage for the Friendship Rocks performance. See Maisie lined up in what was still the front row, tiny compared to those around her but adorable in her tiara and heels. All the children who attended the kid's clubs got up on the stage in the Walt Disney Theater to sing and dance and see a video of pictures taken during the voyage...very fun and cute and Maisie loved just being up on the stage.

Maisie after the Friendship Rocks performance.

Marta & Maisie being silly, cute and adorable together at dinner time.

Colin & Maisie at dinner time playing on my iPhone.

Maisie and Molly at Ratatouille Cooking School.

Another day at Ratatouille Cooking School. After all their cooking, Maisie & Molly got to enjoy the cookies that they made.

Getting braids. Maisie wanted two on each side but after the second one wanted to know if she was done yet so she ended up with three on one side and loved that she matched her friend Molly.

Maisie loved this experience of watching a movie out on deck one cold evening and being snuggled in with her hot chocolate and some chocolate chip cookies.

Maisie and Marta watching Pinocchio.

Enjoying an afternoon ice cream.

Maisie sound asleep at dinner in Lumiere's.

Once again sound asleep at dinner time, this night in Animator's Palate. Maisie managed to fall asleep at least one time in each of the three restaurants. I just adore this pictures of Maisie as I find something so sweet with it, I just love my little Princess Pirate. It was Pirates IN the Caribbean night and she was completely knacked as we had spent the day probably walking about 10 miles up and down the hills of Funchal. Maisie ended up not even eating a single bite of dinner and only wanted to get her hot chocolate and go to bed. Unfortunately we missed the big on-deck party and the fireworks but we both got a good nights rest.

 

During our 6 day Atlantic crossing we did encounter some rough seas which caused all the small pools to become huge wave pools. The pools were closed for 2 or 3 days but all the hot tubs and the kids Mickey ear "hot tubs" remained open so when it was warm enough Maisie could still "swim."

Character breakfast and Princess Party

During our six days at sea Maisie and I kept busy with all sorts of activities but two of Maisie's favorites were the Character breakfast in the Parrot Cay Restaurant and the Princess Party in Lumiere's. For the Character breakfast we were seated with our usual dinner mates but for the Princess Party we were seated at a table for four with a Mom Anna and her 5-1/2 y/o daughter Molly. Well Anna is blond and Molly looked Chinese so I inquired and sure enough, Anna adopted Molly in 2005 from Guangxi. Maisie and Molly immediately connected and became fast friends and after meeting at the party ended up spending numerous days together playing in the pool, cooking and playing together in the Oceaneer lab & club and sitting near one another many nights in the theater. During the party Anna kept looking at Maisie and said that she looked oh-so familiar and after a bit of back and forth we found out that Anna used to read this blog and remembered the day we were waiting for Maisie's referral and the name game I played with the letters for her wall, how's that for a small world and dumb luck in being seated together!

Well enough of my babbling, on to the pictures because that's the best part and what most of you come here to see.

~~ Character Breakfast ~~

Maisie ready for the character brekkie.

Maisie with Mickey. Can you tell that she's loving this, look at that smile!

Who needs to eat when you can instead get a snuggle from Goofy.

Maisie with Chip...or is it Dale? Nope after having to look it up, black nose and centered teeth = Chip.

Maisie smiling even bigger now that Minnie came to see her.

Maisie sharing a snuggle with Pluto & Marta

And a final hug from Dale.

~~ Princess Party ~~

Maisie loved that she received an invitation from Belle to attend a Princess Party and was so excited to attend. The day of the party Maisie chose to wear her Belle dress, tiara, one of my necklaces and of course high-heeled shoes. Maisie looked like a perfect little Princess as she entered the party, was announced and strutted down the center isle.

The two most adorable Princesses in attendance, Molly & Maisie.

I am so-not a Disney aficionado so I had to get help with this character but thanks to Ilene I learned that this is Suzy, a mouse from the Cinderella story.

Sadly I wasn't 100% sure of which Princess this was but thank you google. Cinderella sweetly snuggled with the girls.

Didn't know Perla either and neither did Maisie but she loved having her picture taken with her. I'm thinking that maybe Maisie and I need to watch the Cinderella movie so that we can figure out who everyone is.

Hostess Belle. We knew her as Maisie just adores her!

Molly, Dopey & Maisie

Molly, Snow White & Maisie.

Two little cuties.

Molly, Alice and Maisie

Maisie decided that Tiana has the most beautiful dress of all the Princesses, I may have to get her one for her birthday.

I just had to snap a piccie of this handsome little Prince who sat at the table next to us.

The party went on for quite some time and both Molly and Maisie reached their limit before all the Princesses came to visit so we ended up leaving before getting a picture with I think, Aurora, Princess Minnie and maybe another one or two but oh what a fun afternoon!