There is something very wonderful and special about a day at sea on a Disney cruise ship especially onboard a Transatlantic sailing when you get to experience this numerous times as you slowly cross the Atlantic. I find it so relaxing to look out from wherever you are on the ship and see nothing else around you apart from the vast blue ocean as any stress or worries that you may have had just instantly disappear.

After waking up just before what we thought at the time was 6:00am, my day began with one of my favourite things to do on a sea day which is to watch sunrise from Deck 13 at the aft of the ship. We stood outside for nearly half an hour enjoying the view of a thunderstorm in the distance as well as a fiery coloured sky and it truly was a beautiful sight to see and the perfect way to begin our day.

On the way back down to our stateroom we grabbed a cup of tea each as well as a few pastries to enjoy as a light breakfast as we did not want to eat too much as we had brunch at Palo booked at 10:30am. However once we were back in the room, we were both confused as we had no idea of what time it actually was. We had both turned our clocks back one hour the previous evening as had been mentioned on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app as well as at dinner, but the app as well as the television were both showing the time being an hour later than what we thought it was.

However a quick call to Guest Services confirmed that the time on the app and the television were correct as there had been some confusion as the the time change in the UK and Europe for the end of Daylight Savings Time had also taken place overnight which had cancelled out our hour change onboard. All this meant was that it was an hour later than we originally thought when we woke up that morning and that we also now had one hour less to wait for our Palo brunch which is not a bad problem to have at all.

Not long afterwards Guest Services sent a message to everyone onboard via the app to let them know the correct time and we also had a message directly from Palo as well regarding the time change issues and our upcoming brunch reservation. We later found out that the time change confusion had even caught out the majority of the crew as well as many were late for work that morning and had phone calls waking them up and asking where they were as everyone thought that it was an hour earlier than it actually was.

We had booked our brunch at Palo 120 days before our cruise when our online booking window opened and all dates and times were available which is another benefit of sailing on a cruise with so many days at sea especially on a cruise with such a high number of Castaway Club members. If you cannot get a brunch reservation, make sure to keep an eye on the Disney Cruise Line website or the Disney Cruise Line app every day in the days leading up to your cruise just in case anyone changes their mind and cancels their booking and you can also check as soon as you board the ship to see if there are any reservations available as well.

After being treated to the sight of a beautiful rainbow out at sea whilst we were getting ready, we soon made our way up to Palo on Deck 12 Aft and were warmly welcomed back once again and shown to one of the tables by the window.

The amazing Grace from South Africa was our wonderful server for our brunch that morning who brought us out a complimentary Mimosa and Prosecco (you can also have a Kir Royale or a non-alcoholic drink) as well as a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water to begin our wonderful meal.

If you have ever read any of my previous blogs then the next few paragraphs are going to sound extremely familiar (even more so than they already do) as I always order the exact same dishes at Palo – and I already know that I will get them again on my next cruise too!

Along with the basket of freshly baked breads including the incredible Red Onion Focaccia, I ordered a small plate of my favourite Spiced Ahi Tuna and Shrimp to start (as I did not want or cannot eat the rest of the two different Antipasti plates) along with the one and only Grape and Gorgonzola pizza which is no longer on the menu but still available if you request it. I always dream about this pizza and look forward to having it on every cruise that we take and it is simply my favourite part of brunch at Palo.

Once again I ordered the Wild Mushroom Ravioli which thankfully I really enjoy but I do honestly wish that there could be at least one more vegetarian main course option on the Palo brunch menu (there are plenty of different meat dishes) so I could at least be able to try something new on my next visit.

I had made sure that I left room for the last course as I had to order two (they are so light) of the Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Strawberry Popping Pearls and Pistachio Crumble which is my absolute favourite dessert of all time onboard Disney Cruise Line along with a much needed double Espresso.

Brunch at Palo is currently an upcharge of $50 per adult but both Pearl and Platinum Castaway Club members receive a complimentary meal at Palo (which can be either brunch or dinner) as a benefit so all we had to pay for was the bottle of San Pellegrino that we ordered as well as the gratuity for the incredible Grace who was simply the best and who we were already looking forward to seeing again at dinner a few days later.

After having such a wonderful and filling brunch, we once again decided to have yet another lazy afternoon relaxing on Deck 4. As it was warm and the sun was shining, the pool decks were very busy so this was the perfect place to enjoy some peace and quiet whilst doing absolutely nothing and along with a cup of tea and sorting out some more photos on my iPad, I even managed a short nap as listening to the sound of the sea immediately sends me to sleep as I find it so calming.

At 4:30pm I walked back inside and joined the line to meet both Daisy and Donald who were out together on the Deck 4 balcony however the line moved extremely slowly and I think that it was the longest that I waited to meet a character the entire cruise but it was definitely worth it. That morning whilst we were at Palo we had also missed another Mickey and Friends group photo opportunity – this time in their classic outfits – but this was not an issue as we still had two more of these scheduled in the next few days.

We continued our afternoon of doing very little when we went back up to our stateroom where we also decided to make use of the time and do some laundry as all of the machines were empty at this time. The self service washers and dryers cost $3 for each use (charged to your Key to the World) and they are truly invaluable especially on such a long cruise. I also love that you get a notification on the Navigator app to tell you when the washing/drying cycle has finished so you can go back and empty the machine as soon as possible so someone else can use it.

Another top tip that I discovered on this cruise is to bring a mesh laundry bag for any underwear that you need to wash and that way you know you are not accidentally contributing to the pile of lost socks and random pants that you see growing in each laundry room throughout the cruise!

We did not plan to see any characters on this night however just before our dinner as we walked along Deck 4 past the Lobby Atrium, we saw Chip, Dale and Pluto who had been out meeting together at 7:15pm.

Tonight’s dinner was the World of Flavour menu in Animator’s Palate which we have had before and enjoyed although we found the Indian Prawn Curry to be very mild and not at all spicy. So the previous evening we had asked our Head Server if it was possible to get a spicy version of it for our dinner which he said was not a problem.

To start the meal I ordered the amazing Vietnamese Spring Rolls which had the most delicious Soy Tamarind dipping sauce before we each had one of the most incredible curries that I have ever had outside of India itself as it truly had such a perfect spice level (I want a curry to have a real kick to it) as well as the most intense flavour and I pretty much licked the plate clean as it was that good! To finish the meal we shared the Tiramisu which whilst small was just what we both wanted.

Once we had finished our dinner, we checked the time and the pool at the Quiet Cove was still open for another thirty five minutes so we quickly changed and sat in the empty hot tub until it closed at 10:00pm. Even though it was raining at this time, the hot tub was sheltered and the water was warm and it was the perfect way to end the day.

We made a green tea to take back to our stateroom and also watched for a few minutes as a dress rehearsal for Mickey’s Color Spin Dance Party was taking place which we would be seeing properly a few days later.

A towel/blanket turtle was waiting for us on the bed back in our room and we remembered to turn our clocks back once again ready for another time change overnight.

We did so little on this sea day onboard the beautiful Disney Dream and yet it felt truly amazing at the exact same time. We do so many trips where we do not stop and tire ourselves out so whilst this felt very strange, it also felt so good at the same time. And the best thing was we still had another four sea days to go!

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