March 8th, Tuesday ~ Disney Wonder Day at Sea

March 8^th, Tuesday ~ Disney Wonder Day at Sea

Today we got up early and enjoyed breakfast at Parrot Cay! It is our day for a Character Breakfast! Mickey and all his friends came to visit us at the table dressed in their best tropical beach clothing. Our friends did not join us for breakfast so we had the characters to ourselves. Duffy and Piglet joined in the fun and said hi to Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Chip. Dale was there but did not stop at our table. What a fun time we had! The food was great and the company even better!

At 10:15 am we went to see Chef Marcel from Disneyland’s Club 33 do another Disney’s Art of Entertaining. Today he was to teach us how to make Braised Prim Short Rib and Horseradish Foam. Instead of that he showed us how to make Dark chocolate Terrine with Strawberry Chantilly Cream. I must say we LOVED it!! After he showed us how to make it we got to taste it and they even pared a wine with it to show us how to pick a good wine to go with desert.

Next it was to the Buena Vista Theater to watch Tangled! We had hoped they would play this movie on the ship because we had not seen it yet. We loved the entire movie but the mime bits were amazing to us. (We are retired professional mimes.)

Right after the movie we enjoyed lunch and a few minutes to relax. Then back to the theatre to see a Disney’s Behind the Scenes with Leslie Iwerks! She is the granddaughter of Ub Iwerks, Walt’s original partner and co-designer of Mickey Mouse. In truth, as Ms. Iwerks says, Ub was the “Hand Behind the Mouse.” We watch her new award winning documentary on ILM (Industrial Light & Magic) and how they have affected the art of movie making and society in general. After the show there was a Q&A with Leslie Iwerks. It is interesting to know that 4 generations of Iworks have worked for the Disney Company, starting with Ub.

After the show it was back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Tonight we are in the Animators Palate and tonight the room changed colors right before our eyes! What a wonderful meal and fin place to eat! Even though we will eat at Animators Palate 3 times on the trip this is the only night the room will change color during the meal.

We chose not to see tonight’s show because it was the Comedy and Ventriloquism of Taylor Mason. He is really a good performer but just not to our taste. He is clean but had a “touch of blue” in his humor, even when he knew his audience was families. Nothing rude or crude just a little on the edge for our taste. Instead of the show we spent time in the Quiet Cove adult pool area. We swam in the pool and relaxed in hot tub with our friends.

What a wonderful day!

March 7th, Monday on the Disney Wonder ~ Formal NIght and Golden Mickeys!

March 7^th, Monday ~
Formal NIght and The Golden Mickeys

Today we had breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet on Deck 9. It is a wonderful place on the aft of the ship. We chose to sit outside and enjoy the sunlight and view off the back of the ship.

After breakfast we went to an Art of Entertainment class with the head chief of Club 33! Chef Marcel St. Pierre taught us how to make Falafel Crab Cakes and other wonderful things to go with it. Along with the cooking lesson we got a short talk on how to pair wines with this dish. After the lesson and talk we got a taste of both and really enjoyed! Watch Minnie’s Kitchen for the recipe for all we pick up from Chief Marcel! (They have been posted!)

Then it was off to lunch at Parrot Cay with our friends. After lunch we went to a video presentation on the top 10 innovations in Disney Animation. It was interesting to see how much the Disney Studios added to the art of animation! Disney has done everything for being the first to use synchronized sound to being the first to use stereophonic sound with animation. They also developed the multi plane camera along with many other innovations that improved the art form. After the video presentation we decided to just spend some time walking around the ship before we had to go get ready for dinner.

Tonight was Formal Night and the night we got to meet the Captain of the ship Captain Thord was there to take pictures with all the guests. Pictures were taken in the Main Lobby. We also got our pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie all dressed in their formal attire. We got all dressed up for dinner and enjoyed a great meal at the Animators Palate. Tonight the menu in all the restaurants is the same. Tonight the room did not change color but stayed a formal Black and White. The food was wonderful! What a great meal! After diner we had time to run back to our cabin for a few minutes to change for the Golden Mickey’s! The Golden Mickey’s are the ships version of the Oscars! The show was fun and fast paced. The show had lots of singing and dancing along with characters, both hero and villain.  The show has been updated since we saw it last in 2005. They added some of the newer characters from Disney Movies to the show. After the show we went to the Golden Mickey’s Family After Party in Studio Sea. There was music and dancing with kids joining parents having a good time. There was also an adult After Party that we decided to pass on.

The Quiet Cove pool is open until midnight most nights. After the show and after party we went to the adult Quiet Cove Pool to sit in the hot tub for a few minutes to relax. What a wonderful way to end the day!!

Back in the cabin we found Fish Extender gifts in our pockets.

Aladdin the Musical vs Toy Story the Musical

Aladdin the Musical vs Toy Story the Musical

Which play should be at DCA??

Last year Disney said they were going to stop the Aladdin the Musical show at DCA and bring a play from the DCL to the park to replace it. As an annual passholder at the DLR  and a lover of the Aladdin the Musical play let me share my humble opinion on the subject.

Disney officials said they were going to close Aladdin and bring in Toy Story the Musical from the Disney Wonder to replace it. From the very beginning I did not want Aladdin to close. Having just sailed on the Disney Wonder and having had the pleasure of seeing Toy Story the Musical I can now share an informed opinion.

Aladdin the Musical is a fast paced retelling of the Aladdin Movie. The sets and special effects are amazing! It has many places were several characters can “adlib” and make small changes to keep it fresh for those of us seeing it over and over again. Genie changes some of his jokes to fit the news of the day and adds some adult humor while still keeping it family friendly.

Toy Story the Musical is a family fun adaptation of the Toy Story movie. It is a good play with well done sets and acting. The new songs are fun and keep the feel of the original movie. There is more than enough to keep the kids interested and the adults entertained.

Both shows live up to the strict Disney standards and are very enjoyable. The difference between the two shows is clear at one viewing. Aladdin has so many places where little changes can be made to can keep people wanting to come back to see it again and again. I myself have seen it at least 200 times, maybe more and I still look forward to seeing it again.

Toy Story does not feel as flexible as Aladdin and is not as interesting to adults. Toy Story is not as fast moving nor does it have adult humor or jokes. I felt no place where actors could adlib or change things up to keep it fresh.

Therefore I believe the correct decision was made when they decided to keep Aladdin at the park and leave Toy Story on the Wonder. Toy Story is great for an entertaining evening on the ship. Most people only go on a cruise once in a lifetime or maybe, if they are very blessed every few years. People can get to the parks more often than they can the cruise.

It is a shame that the final decision was made to keep Aladdin after several key members of the original cast decided to leave after being told Aladdin was closing. At last report they were all doing well on Broadway in many different plays.