Adventure In The Great Wide Somewhere

Welcome Foodie Friday Blog Hoppers! Better than a what? Better Than a Mickey Bar Location: Room Service, Disney Magic Cost: Included in Cruise Fare I know, I know. What on earth is better than a Mickey Bar? Aside from the iconic nature of this snack, which has featured on t-shirts, magnets, pins antenna toppers and even air fresheners, it also is big in the allergy free community. This prepackaged frozen treat is relatively safe for kids without severe allergies. The bars are (per Disney) free of egg and soy but may contain traces of peanuts, tree nuts, gluten or wheat from possible line contamination. As always, check with Nestle for the latest on allergens in their products. Now let's make some magic!  Nothing is better than a Mickey's Premium Ice Cream Bar! Except This. I'm not going to debate Mickey Bars v. Dole Whips v. Churros. I'm merely letting you in on a little plus it up action that we on the cruise boards tend to keep on the quiet,...

Welcome Foodie Friday Blog Hoppers! White Bean Crostini Location: Palo, Deck 10 Aft Disney Magic Cost: $25 plus cost of cruise fare After arriving at Palo, getting a glance at the open kitchen design and enjoying a lovely Specialita’ Del Palo: Antipasto Freddo, the ordered portion of your dining experience begins. If you have any form of allergy or dining restrictions, this is where the chef begins to dazzle. One of the lovely parts of a Disney Cruise is the opportunity to try some truly delicious appetizers and those of us who eat slightly off menu (I'm a vegan) enjoy the royal treatment at sea. My last cruise I received this lovely new creation from Chef Silvio Jr.   Vegan White Bean Crostini A warm, aromatic white bean served rustic style atop crostini easily made a dent in my appetite. Homey comforting and garlicy (my three favorite food words after basalmic) this playful vegan appetizer satisfyingly sated my appetite without fe...

Welcome Favorite Food Friday Blog Hoppers! Mushroom Risotto served in a rustic bread bowl Location: Palo, The Disney Magic Cost: $20 per person for the meal plus cruise fare After Sylvester presented this lovely family style serving of risotto, Chef Silvio dropped by to let us know that this particular dish is how he would serve risotto at his home for his daughter. Ben and I found it delectable.  Warm, homey, vegan comfort food. Warm, chewy basil bread baked to a pleasant crunch on the outside housed a beautiful (nondairy) risotto. The sharp crisp counterpoint of the celery greens played beautifully with the earthy flavors of the mushrooms and the richness of the Chianti reduction over the creamy risotto. Basically Ben and I polished this off in it's entirety in under ten minutes. Delicious in every sense of the word. If you aren't vegan or special ordering for allergies, I believe the wild mushroom risotto is usually served as a single serving ...

A vegan mom, a dairy allergic preschooler, and a gluten intolerant kindergartner step onto a cruise ship ... No, this isn't the setup to a joke, but rather my life last November. Would we starve? Would we enjoy any of the allergy-free offerings? Would we all live on steamed vegetables for seven days straight? If there is one thing Disney does exceptionally well, it is their world-renowned customer service and nowhere does this Disney service shine more than in the instance of special needs. Given our various diets, going out to eat is a bit hazardous at best. When cruising hundreds of miles off shore, I had to go with a company I trusted to make that experience not only safe but downright magical. I had cruised with Disney Cruise Line (DCL) sans kids prior to becoming vegan, but after three allergy-free cruises, I've learned a thing or ten… My Tips for a Safe and Sound Allergy-Free Cruise 1.) Make the cruise line take note. I make sure each of our dining differenc...

So I woke up ridiculously early and indulged in two of my favorite hobbies, a quick run around the decks and some nearly empty ship photography. Self Portrait pre-run. One of the over 20,000 pieces of signage on board, this being the sign in deck 5 forward to the port of the stairwells. Stairwell between five and four forward Stairwell with a map of Castaway Cay... I promise I'm going back soon! Because why wouldn't the hallway need a traffic light. Beat Street Lobby Helmsman Mickey Even after three cruises on the Magic and only one on the Wonder, I still keep expecting it to be Ariel in the lobby rather than Helmsman Mickey. Anyone else notice that they expect things to be the same as on whichever ship was their first cruise ship? That's just me? My usual stretching spot. First time I’d noticed the portholes forward on the deck four walking track. what’s up there? The portholes on deck 4 aft show the Animator’s Palate galley area...

We went to figure out when our low stress Topsiders dinner would be ready… not yet although as a grammar notice-r, I found it hilarious that 1) the sign is being refreshed for “yourfuture” enjoyment and 2) that the sign had been fixed by sometime later the following day. I don't think it's possible to take a vacation and not take the "taking pictures of you taking pictures" shot. This shot involved massive amounts of peril as not only would the biscuits (the shuffleboard pucks) occasionally fly in my direction, but more than once, the entire tang (or "stick thingy" as we experienced cruisers call it) would be thrown as well.  I live dangerously. Chris decided to take me down stairs and school me in the ancient art of shuffleboard. A sport, which I am needlessly, remarkable terrible at playing. Ben and I took turns standing around taking photos of each other, the scenery, the ship and getting beaten mercilessly by our beautiful child. Not nec...

Welcome Favorite Food Friday Blog Hoppers! Gluten Free Muffin and Donut Plate Location: Animator's Palate, The Disney Magic Cost: Complimentary with cruise fare   We left our stateroom neat and tidy that morning, carrying only a single backpack down to wander deck four to watch the dock workers scurry about their business below. Huge crates of bananas, apples, and other produce waited in orderly rows as the enormous bins of luggage stuffed chock full of a weeks worth of memories exited from the lower decks. Our perambulating eventually interrupted by the realization that our tummies may need a spot of tea, or better yet a full breakfast. Rejoining our familiar servers and selecting our favorites for the meal, Chris suddenly looked down as his eyes brimmed with tears.  He hated this part. This would be the day of "sad last breakfast." Now only one thing lifts the doldrums of "sad last breakfast."  Okay, one thing aside from knowing that we al...

 After picking up pointers from Marisol, I finally let her go enjoy her cruise. We picked up the kiddos and took them back to the room for some rest and snacks. While they play with them endlessly, the counselors don't feed snacks in the clubs. If we hadn't picked them up they would've gotten hungry and super grump-tastic. I talked to a very kind lady at the room service number, who said that we couldn't order vegan cookies through room service. Well I knew (based on previous Disney trips) that perhaps I'd only caught the wrong cast member. I called right back and got someone else who said they'd be delighted to make us a plate of cookies, but that it takes a couple hours since they don't keep allergy free foods on hand. I asked if we could just order a plate for four the following afternoon. She said yes. But the kids still needed snack...so I ordered Chris his first ever Mickey Bar as well as one for Ben and a bowl of fruit for Kylee and me to split....