Square Life Round World

Getting Back on Track

by Melanie Adams

In a few weeks, I’ll be officially beginning my training for my fall race schedule. I have a pretty ambitious season planned, with 3 half marathons by the end of the year, a fall road race series consisting of 10 separate races of various distances from a 5k to a half marathon (in addition to the other 3), and a 10-week women’s program. I’m having just a little trouble getting back into the swing of things, though.

I’m still doing some exercising and running each week, though not as consistently as in the past. I still feel very close to my peak fitness level. I didn’t gain any weight in the off-season. I didn’t even gain any weight on my cruise. Yet, still, I’m having a very hard time getting back into my normal fitness and diet routine. I wanted to be back into my good habits before my official training begins, but with only 2 more weeks to go, it’s looking like that’s not going to happen. Last year at this time, I had no trouble hopping out of bed at 4:30 am to run. This year, I’m reminded of just how much I love sleep, and my bed just wants me to stay in it.

I am feeling very frustrated with myself, and that’s just not acceptable. I need some additional accountability. So, for the next week, I’m afraid you all are going to have to put up with posts about my workouts and food intake. For 1 week, I will be blogging daily about exactly what I ate, when I ate it, and what physical activity I did. It takes 30 days to make or break a habit so after a week, I hope to be well on my way to being back on track. I’m also hoping to get some positive feedback from you, my readers, that I can use as motivation. Please follow along and feel free to add any input or training suggestions. Last year was about just doing it and finishing. I want this year to be about being the very best I can be.

What do you do to get yourself out of a slump?

Follow me on Twitter @myglasssneaker.

I’m raising money as a Hero charity athlete for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. If you would like to make a donation, please visit my personal fund-raising page here. Any amount helps!

Diet and Fitness Races Running

Leave a comment »

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–Pirates of Nassau Museum

by Melanie Adams

Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate’s life for me! Most kids (and adults, too, for that matter) have dreamed at some point of being a pirate. Many have even dressed up as one, making pirate costumes some of the most popular and most sold of all time. The pirate lifestyle has been dramatized and romanticized by books, movies, TV shows and attractions for decades as a fabulous life on the high seas of eating, drinking, and being merry. There are no rules. Do what you want, when you want, however you want. Pirates seem to get away with everything so who wouldn’t want to be one? On our Nassau day, we visited the Pirates of Nassau museum and learned it wasn’t quite the glamorous and care-free lifestyle of our pirate dreams.

Pirates of Nassau Museum

Pirates were a big part of Nassau’s rich history so it’s only natural to preserve it with a museum dedicated to the pirate’s life. The museum is located at the intersection of King and George streets, very easy to remember (King George). It really is a very short walk from the port so no need to get a taxi and maps are available at the information desk at the port.

The information desk at the port in Nassau

The cost for the museum is $12 per person, but I’ve read that if you go on a slow day or later in the afternoon, there might be a guy standing out front ready to cut you a deal. They had plenty of patrons when we went so no deal for us! We were directed to the gift shop to purchase our wristbands (clever of them to start you in a gift shop) and then we were free to start the tour.

Wristband for Pirates of Nassau Museum

It was a self-guided tour, and it was VERY dark inside the museum.

There weren’t very many (if any) actual pirate artifacts, which was kind of a disappointment. I wanted to see some real, bona fide pirate stuff. Instead, displays were created to give visitors the feeling that they were stepping into a pirate ship and into the lives of pirates. The tour guided us through the “ship”, showing us the sights and sounds of a pirate’s life.

Displays depict the life of a pirate.

Placards were on the walls, giving information and also true/false trivia questions testing your knowledge of facts versus myths.

This placard sets the stage as you enter the museum.

While it wasn’t exactly what I expected, I did learn some things. For starters, most pirates got their start as legitimate ship workers, where the hours were long, the work was hard, and punishments were severe. The only escape from this very difficult lifestyle was to become a pirate. Instead of long days of hard work and punishment, pirates enjoyed days filled with drinking, games and merriment. Of course, the only way to fund this lifestyle was to steal, cheat and kill by overtaking other ships that passed through the pirate-infested waters of the Caribbean. Greed was prevalent and oftentimes they would turn on each other to get a bigger share of the loot. Also, most pirate ships didn’t have a doctor on board so any amputations and other surgeries had to be performed by the ship’s carpenter, using carpentry tools such as saws, with no anesthesia.

Pirate surgery without anesthesia–ouch!

It didn’t take long for me to decide that rum or no rum, the pirate’s life was definitely not for me!

Another thing I found quite surprising was their attitude toward and respect for women. The rape of a woman was totally against “pirate code” and was punishable by a very cruel death. Also, if a female pirate (yes, although rare, they existed) were caught and sentenced to death, she could easily get her sentence reduced to life in prison by simply claiming to be pregnant. Death sentences were normally carried out immediately, and because the judges of that day didn’t want to be responsible for the killing of an unborn child, they would not call for the execution of a pregnant woman. I also found it odd that there was no follow up to this. Wouldn’t they have caught on to her lies after 9 months in prison and no baby had popped out? Chances are, she was going to die of natural illnesses in prison anyway (according to the museum), so I guess they thought it really didn’t matter.

Even though it wasn’t quite what I expected, I really enjoyed the museum. It was very interesting and informative and it only took about 30 minutes to tour. It’s very close to all the shops, which makes it a great add-on if you are only planning on shopping in Nassau anyway. It’s probably not something you’d want to go out of your way to make time for if you are planning an all-day shore excursion.

Have you been to Nassau? What’s your favorite thing to do there?

Follow me on Twitter @myglasssneaker.

I’m raising funds as a hero for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. If you’d like to donate, please visit my fund raising page here.

Disney Cruise Line Vacation

Leave a comment »

How To Avoid (Or At Least Postpone) The Post Vacation Blues

by Melanie Adams

I don’t know about you but I always seem to come down with a serious case of the post vacation blues (PVB) after returning from a big trip. I was expecting my most recent case to be really bad since it was such an awesome vacation. However, my first week back was so incredibly busy and fun-filled that I didn’t have time to suffer. Here’s what I did.

First off, we usually have to stop for the night on the way back from Disney, and this normally means a business-travel-type hotel. That’s usually my first slap-in-the-face from the real world and is a stark contrast to the magical accommodations I’ve been accustomed to for the previous week. This time, however, we made a detour to Biloxi, MS to spend the night at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino. Even though it’s still not quite the fairy tale of a Disney cruise ship, it has a very vacationy feel to it. Everyone is still happy, and there’s no real world slap. The $43 I won within 10 minutes of playing the slots helped as well.

Our view from the Beau Rivage Tower–I’m not complaining!

The first few days back from work were relatively event-free, which always helps. I didn’t have a mess to return to, and nothing earth-shattering happened while I was away, so no PVB-inducing work needed to be done to fix anything.

Then on Wednesday after returning, I went to an outdoor concert at Levitt Shell, which is an amphitheater in Overton Park, located in Midtown Memphis. Levitt Shell is a free venue, and people simply bring their chairs or blankets, coolers filled with their favorite libations and noshes, and maybe a few dollars for food trucks and an optional donation to the band. Most of the time these concerts are held on the weekends but this one was a make-up date from a previously rained-out show. The band was mediocre but the vibe was cool and it turned out to be a very relaxing evening.

Free outdoor concert at Levitt Shell

The very next night, on Thursday, I got to volunteer with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at Target House Bingo. In case you missed it, read all about it here.

On Friday, I got to play hooky from work for the afternoon and attended the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic, an annual PGA golf tournament in Memphis.

Fed Ex St. Jude Classic Tickets

Fed Ex St. Jude Classic Entrance

This year, the biggest player in the tournament was Phil Mickelson, winner of 4 majors, including the Masters. It was funny because almost the entire grounds crowd, including me, was following Phil from hole to hole.

Almost everyone was following Phil Mickelson.

Apparently, cameras were not allowed, and I got reprimanded when I took this shot.

Phil Mickelson at the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic

They didn’t kick me out or confiscate my phone, though, so it’s all good. The Golf Channel was there filming, being super-serious.

The Golf Channel Camera Man

Unfortunately, I can’t recall who won the tournament, but I know it wasn’t Phil. It made for a relaxing, PVB-avoiding afternoon, though.

Then that night I was invited to the opening of The Crossroads of Memory: Carroll Cloar and the American South, a new art exhibit at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

Faculty and Honor Roll Students, Lewis School by Carroll Cloar

I’m a member of the Brooks, and this was a perk of membership. The wine was freely flowing, and there were tables practically overflowing with cheese, crackers, and fruit. The exhibit itself was beautifully curated and seemed to go on forever. Room after room was filled with his art depicting the rural American South of days gone by. It was all so gorgeous and detailed. I cannot even begin to imagine the amount of time it took him to create each piece.

After that, I capped my evening and first week back from vacation at Chiwawa, a new bar in Midtown Memphis’s Overton Square that serves Mexican influenced bar food and drinks. This is definitely not your typical Tex-Mex, pick-a-number-from-one-to-twenty-three type places. I wouldn’t exactly call it upscale, either, though. It’s more of a hip, modern place with a Mexican flare. I started off with a Strawberry Watermelon Sno Cone topped with vodka and some guacamole with chips. The “drink” was so refreshing! It appears as though there was a lot of ice, but it was plenty strong. The guacamole was chunky and flavorful, and the chips were house made. I followed that up with a brisket taco and a pulled pork taco (pastor style). Both had the most inventive and delicious house made toppings and were so good! I also had their version of Mexican street corn, which is slathered with mayo, cheese and other spices. I’m pretty sure they also soak it in milk or something because every kernel popped and exploded with juiciness with each bite. I would say it was the best corn I’ve ever had, and I’m not really a corn fan.

Chiwawa Memphis

It was the perfect ending to a week of avoiding PVB!

How do you recover from PVB?

If you haven’t figured out by now, St. Jude is my favorite charity. I’m running in the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon in December, and I’m trying to raise $500 for the kids of St. Jude. Please visit my fundraising page here, and I would love it if you can make a donation. Any amount helps.

Also, follow me on Twitter @myglasssneaker.

Brooks Museum Charities Concerts Memphis Restaurants St. Jude Vacation

Leave a comment »

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–Castaway Cay 5k and a PR, Well Maybe Sort Of

by Melanie Adams

If you’ve been reading along, you know that strangely enough the thing about this cruise I was looking forward to the most was the Castaway Cay 5k. On Tuesday of the cruise, the day had finally come.

Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island that most of their cruises sail to. It is gorgeous! The water is so blue, and the sand is pristine! There is plenty to do on the island. There is snorkeling, a sting ray interactive area, water toys, character experiences, parasailing, a glass bottom boat tour, and even a water slide. There is yoga on the adult beach (Serenity Bay), and massage cabanas for those who want to indulge on the beach. Then there is my most anticipated activity, the 5k.

Our personal Navigator for the day (a printout that tells you everything that is going on) said we should meet in Evolution at 8:15 am. Running also were my dad, my brother-in-law, and 2 of my nieces. So at 8:15 we signed in, were given our bibs, and Briana (a member of the activities crew) went over the course map with us.

We all met in Evolution to get signed in for the 5K.

Ok, this is not a great picture but they had the course map on the big screen.

We all got bibs, and they say runDisney!

My dad was wearing his t-shirt from the Mickey’s Happy Haunted 5k Trail Run from last year, which got Briana’s attention. She ran the 10 miler last year. When dad told her I ran the 10 miler also as well as Princess this year, she came looking for me. She is planning on running Princess in 2014 as part of the brand new Glass Slipper Challenge. From that point on, she kept calling dad and me her runDisney family. I thought that was really fun.

So about 8:45, we made our way as a group to the gangplank to exit the ship. We walked all the way to the second family beach. It felt like a long walk, but that is pretty typical of runDisney races. At one point during the walk to the start, my brother-in-law said, “Is this 5k almost over?” I thought it was a good warm-up, though. I like to walk for a bit before I start running.

We got to the start and I had the bright idea to go ahead and buy our 5k shirts. The gift shop is right next to the start. I’ve read that many people have their family members buy them while they are running, and if you wait until you finish they may be out of your size. Since none of our family members who weren’t running were planning on getting off the ship before we would be done, that wasn’t an option for us. So I grabbed the shirts and went to pay, thinking I’d be in and out in 2 minutes. The Cast Member was super friendly and talkative, wanting to know EVERYTHING about our trip so far. I told her we were about to start running and I needed to get to the start. Then she proceeds to tell me ALL the reasons she can’t run. Yeah, yeah, let’s pick this up! I was about to be left behind. She was SUPER careful to make sure they were folded perfectly in the bag, too! Well, needless to say, the other runners took off while I was walking out of the store. They have a box by the start for everyone to put their belongings, and I still had to do that, too. So, not only was I the last one to start, there wasn’t anyone in sight when I started. I wish I had checked the clock at the start to see just how far behind I was, but I didn’t. I’m going to estimate 90 seconds.

It wasn’t too long, though, before I was passing people, mainly the walkers. Then I had my dad in sight, who was mostly walking. I wanted to catch up to him, but every time I was almost to him, he would take off running, putting more distance between us. He can actually walk faster than I can walk/run so with him adding some running in, it was almost impossible. Then came the first water stop. Dad was stopped at it, and he spotted me. I stopped to refill my water bottle, and I was sure he would wait on me. But noooooooo! Dad, you’re KILLING me! I’m 38 years old. I’ve been running for a year and a half. I’ve completed 2 half marathons and a 10 miler in the last year. I have on expertly fitted running shoes and tech running clothes. And I’m being smoked by a 69-year-old man who doesn’t run or walk regularly, wearing 10-year-old Reeboks, khaki shorts and a cotton t-shirt. That was a lesson in humility.

The course takes you down the air strip, has you make a loop through the 5000 foot long bike trail, finish off the air strip to Serenity Bay, circle back and make another trip through the bike loop, then head home. It’s pretty clear to go counter-clockwise through the bike loop the first time, but for the second loop, some were going clockwise and some counter-clockwise. I was in the clockwise group and met my brother-in-law and one of my nieces heading the other direction. He indicated that he thought I was going the wrong way. I told him I didn’t think it mattered and continued on. At this point I vaguely remembered Briana mentioning that if you do something wrong, it could add a half mile to your trip. I couldn’t remember what that was, and I started questioning myself. The bike loop is marked in feet by thousands in both directions, and I had just passed the 2000 feet mark. I decided to try to estimate another 500 feet and turn around and head back the other direction (remember the bike loop is 5000 feet, so by my estimation I would be at the 2500 feet mark and doubling back would equal 5000 feet). I have no idea how close I was, but I don’t think I could have been that far off.

I headed to the finish and the clock said I had a PR by about a minute and 20 seconds. Since it’s not a certified course, I got stared late, and I got turned around, I have no idea how accurate this was. We all collected our medals, and I got a pic of Briana.

Briana gave us our medals!

We retrieved our belongings and headed to find a spot on the beach for the day.

Me after the race, with my medal and the ship

Dad and I after the race

It was really a lot of fun! I kept hearing about how hot this run can get, and it would have been much harder had the sun been out. It was overcast all day, though, with a good breeze blowing. It was very enjoyable. Plus, with this run, I can now call myself an international runner. The experience exceeded my expectations, and if I ever get the opportunity to go on another Disney cruise that stops at Castaway Cay, I will do it again for sure!

Have you ever done a 5k on vacation? Where was it?

Disney Cruise Line Races runDisney Running

Leave a comment »

Feel Good Friday–Target House Bingo for St. Jude Patients

by Melanie Adams

Last night I had the opportunity to volunteer with a charity that is near and dear to my heart, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. By far, it is my favorite charity. I’m going to apologize in advance because, out of respect for the patients and their families, I did not take any photos. I have a friend who works in the marketing department for ALSAC, the fund-raising arm for St. Jude, and in the future, I’ll have him use his channels to get a blog post with photos approved. Until then, all I have to offer are words.

Memphis has three houses that support St. Jude. Grizzlies House is a very short-term housing facility for families to use when they first come to St. Jude. Ronald McDonald House is a medium-term housing facility. Families can stay there for up to 60 days, I believe. Target house offers long-term, indefinite housing and is the only facility that actually operates under the St. Jude budget. Each month, Bingo is played at each of the houses for the kids to have an hour of fun. When I say an hour of fun, it’s like Christmas fun!

It works just like normal Bingo. The game is played, spaces are marked off, someone yells “Bingo” and wins. There is a wall, literally a wall, full of toys for the kids. As they win, volunteers (moi) hand out tickets to the winners. They go to the wall, pick a toy, hand in their ticket, and it’s a pretty continuous parade of cancer patients getting toys for the entire hour. Everyone wins so much, garbage bags have to be handed out to haul all the loot. Another thing that makes it special is there are no Bingo police checking cards to see if actual Bingo happened. We pretend to check, but the idea is that everyone wins! A LOT!!

Target House is where I volunteered last night. Like I said, I have a friend who works in marketing for St. Jude, and I was asked if I’d like to help. He knows that I ran as a fund-raiser last year in the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon, and thought I’d enjoy the interaction with the kids. He was so very right! I plan to become a regular Bingo volunteer. True to what St. Jude always does to me, I was so happy to be able to help and bring joy to the kids and their families. At the same time, it’s heart-wrenching that they have to face this terrible disease. Sickening, even! Yet, for an hour last night, there was a room filled with happy kids and their families, doing what kids do, playing Bingo, and being normal. The visual evidence of cancer was everywhere, all over the room, but cancer can’t kill the spirit of a child. When a child yells “Bingo” and high-fives you then excitedly collects the very toy he or she has been eyeing, cancer doesn’t exist in that moment. That’s pretty cool.

What’s your favorite charity or volunteer effort?

Follow me on Twitter @myglasssneaker!

Charities St. Jude

2 Comments »

Things I Like Thursday–FOE Hair Ties

by Melanie Adams

As a runner, one thing that is very important, especially in the summer, is getting and keeping my hair out of my eyes and away from my face. My hair is about medium length, but the only time I ever wear it pulled back is when I’m running or doing other physical activities. The problem with traditional hair fasteners is they tend to break your hair, which is not good for me since I wear it down most of the time. I recently have been introduced to fold over elastic hair ties, which solves the breakage problem.

Fold over elastic (FOE, for short) was created to be a trim or a binder for edges of fabrics. It has a line down the middle for easy folding, so you fold it over the edge of your fabric, sew it on, and you’re done. Then someone realized its softness made for great baby head bands. Baby head bands led to adult head bands, which led to hair ties. I’m really not completely sure of the exact chronology of events, but this seems logical in my mind.

If you buy FOE hair ties in a store, they can be kind of costly. They cost almost nothing to make, though, and they are a snap! First of all, get yourself some FOE in whatever color(s) you want.

Fold Over Elastic–it comes in all different colors!

I find the internet, specifically Etsy, to be an excellent source for this. Then you just need to cut it in 10 inch lengths.

10 inches of FOE

Yes, I know that sounds long but once you fold it in half and tie it off, you really need that much. This leads to the next step, which is, you fold it in half and tie it off. Just loop it around your finger and make a simple knot for this. Easy peasy! At this point, the only other thing you need to do is heat-seal the ends. I know this sounds scary, but it’s really easy. Just light a match or a lighter, hold the flame really close to the edge, as close as you can get it without catching it on fire.

You need a match or a lighter to heat-seal the ends.

You will see the edges start to melt a bit, and that’s it! That’s all there is to heat-sealing. If you do happen to catch it on fire, no biggie. Just blow out the flame, trim the ends, and go again.

FOE burnt ends, oops!

You could also heat-seal the ends before tying them off, if you wanted to. I’ve done it both ways, and really, it makes no difference. In fact, I’m pretty sure I sealed the ends before tying when I took the pics you see here.

The finished product, made in less than 30 minutes, probably more like 15.

So, if you are like me and love the FOE hair ties, do yourself a favor. Get yourself some FOE, take about 20 minutes to make a bunch, and save yourself some money! They also make great gifts. I’ve actually made more to give away than I’ve made for myself.

What’s your favorite quick craft?

Feel free to follow me on Twitter, @myglasssneaker.

Crafts Running Things I like Thursday

Leave a comment »

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–The Aquaducky Derby

by Melanie Adams

Thank you readers for hanging in there with me while I enjoyed fun and frolics aboard the Disney Dream and at Walt Disney World last week! I’m back so now you’ll have new stuff to read. I know you are excited!

First off, I want to share with you something entirely new for Disney Cruise Line, the Aquaducky Derby.

Aquaducky Derby

It’s so new that ours was the very first cruise to ever do this event. It was a fund-raiser for Make a Wish International, and we were able to raise over $5000 on our cruise for this fabulous organization. Did you know that every year Disney Cruise Line grants 735 wishes to children with life-threatening diseases? That’s just Disney Cruise Line! That does not include what they grant in their theme parks. That’s pretty awesome of Disney but Make a Wish International still needs cash to operate with so that’s where this fund-raiser comes in.

Throughout the cruise, passengers were able to purchase cute rubber duckies for $5 each.

Rubber Duckies were purchased for $5 each.

We were asked to write our room number on our ducky with a Sharpie so they could track the winner. This also made it easy to return the ducky to its rightful owner after the Derby. People even decorated their ducks in all different colors. Anything was fine as long as it was done with a Sharpie. Then on the last day, Disney VoluntEARS were on hand to collect the ducks in these mesh bags.

Disney VoluntEARS collected the ducks to take to the start line.

Even Donald and Daisy were there to cheer for the event, dressed in their cruise duds.

Donald and Daisy were excited for this event!

So, basically what happened is the water was turned off of the Aquaduck (the water slide/roller coaster which can be found on the Dream and the Fantasy), all the ducks were dumped in, the water was turned back on and each duck had to fend for itself to find its way to the finish line.

And they’re off!

More VoluntEARS collected the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers, the winners were announced, and the owners were presented with medals.

Here come the winners!

It was so much fun and way more exciting than I would have ever imagined a duck race in the Aquaduck could have possibly been.

They were also really organized about getting the ducks returned to their owners. I was curious as to how they were going to pull that off since there were over 1000 ducks participating. They had tables roped off and set up according to floor number. You walked up to the table that corresponded to your floor number, told the VoluntEAR your room number, and they found your duck(s) for you. I have to say, though, that my duck had a pretty rough ride!

My ducky got a little scarred and bruised.

He was all bruised up from all the other duckies’ Sharpie decorations. He was still smiling, though, so he didn’t seem to mind.

I really love that Disney did this event! It felt good to be a part of something meaningful on vacation, and they did a great job of putting on an exciting show. I don’t know if they have plans to do this every cruise but if they do, I would definitely do it again!

Would you participate in a fund-raiser on vacation?

Charities Disney Cruise Line Make a Wish

Leave a comment »

Cravebox May Giveaway Winners

by Melanie Adams

I know I’m a day late announcing the winners, yes, winners of my Cravebox giveaway. Please forgive me. Both the winners were contacted yesterday and I was waiting for the second one to respond before making the official announcement. So without further ado, I’d like to wish a big congratulations to Samantha C. and Tracey C., both from Florida.

Wow! It was a big weekend for Florida! That was the place to be! First the Powerball winner was from Florida and now both my Cravebox winners are from Florida. I think there’s a message in there somewhere. Everyone, quick! Move to Florida!

So, why are there 2 winners, you ask? Cravebox was kind enough to provide 2 Cooking Light Fast Meals Craveboxes. My original intentions were to host 2 separate giveaways for them. However, when I realized there were coupons in the boxes that expire on May 31 (2 of them for free items) I decided I needed to get them into the hands of lucky readers as soon as possible.

If you didn’t win this time, keep reading! There will be another Cravebox giveaway coming up in June.

Which Cravebox would you choose if you could pick any of their instant boxes?

Feel free to follow me on Twitter. I”m @myglasssneaker.

Box Subscriptions

2 Comments »

Blog Rewind Wednesday–Disney Dream Cruise May 2011

by Melanie Adams

I’m very excited because I’ll soon be going on my 2nd cruise with Disney Cruise Line aboard the Disney Dream. I’m a creature of habit, so yes, I’m repeating the same ship. Lately I’ve been reminiscing a lot about the last cruise in anticipation of this one. So I thought I’d share with you a few of my thoughts from last time. I will have a much more in-depth account of my upcoming trip when I return.

The iconic DCL smoke stack and horn

First of all, I cannot even begin to explain the level of excitement when we saw the ship for the first time. We drove from Pop Century at the Walt Disney Resort to the port the morning of boarding, and for some reason, we thought the port was much further from WDW than it actually was. We knew we would cross a bridge over a body of water but we incorrectly thought the port was another 30 minutes away after that. We were in no way prepared for the beautiful sight of the ship as we topped the bridge. I was much too excited to take pics, and we were almost there before I thought to snap this pic.

Approaching the ship

The food aboard the ship was just wonderful! I consider myself a foodie and had no trouble finding things I liked and am even looking forward to having again. My favorite main dining room menu was the Royal Palace regular menu. I had a lobster/shrimp appetizer, french onion soup, filet mignon, creme brulee, and Grand Marnier souffle.

Royal Palace Dinner

Yes, I had 2 desserts. They let you do that on Disney Cruise Line. In fact, you can have 2 of anything you want (or more). Don’t get me wrong. I’m not condoning gluttonous behavior, but it’s nice to know you can have something if you really want it.

Palo brunch was another highlight. Palo is one of 2 adult dining venues with a surcharge on the Dream (Remy being the other one). Palo serves dinner each evening and brunch on sea days for a $20 per person surcharge (advance reservations are required, and there is a dress code). At brunch, each person gets 1 included glass of champagne or a mimosa, which is always a great way to start brunch. I had the best chicken parm I’ve ever had.

Chicken Parm from Palo

It’s legendary, and now I know why! There was also an extensive brunch and dessert buffet to enjoy in addition to the entrée ordered from the kitchen.

Desserts from Palo Brunch

Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island and most of their cruises make a stop there. It was gorgeous!

Castaway Cay

I wish they would build a resort there so it could be its own destination. That’s how much I loved it! Castaway Cay has 3 beaches. One of them is an adult beach (nothing crazy, though) called Serenity Bay, and that’s where we stayed most of the day. I also parasailed, and my parents did a glass bottom boat tour (both excursions are for an additional fee and advance reservations are required).

The view of the ship from the air while parasailing

Lunch was a barbecue right on the beach featuring steak, Mahi Mahi, chicken and ribs in addition to the usual hamburgers and hot dogs.

Serenity Bay Lunch Menu

Castaway Cay is also the sight of one of my top 5 favorite cocktails I’ve ever had, the Konk Cooler. I’ve even re-created my own recipe, which you can read about here.

I also really enjoyed getting room service whenever I wanted it. Mickey ice cream bars are available from room service 24/7 as is a fruit and cheese plate that made for a great snack while getting ready for the evening activities.

All Hands On Deck fruit and cheese plate ordered from room service with our own champs that we brought on board with us

The room service menu is pretty generous, although these were the only items we ordered. Room service is included, however a tip for the delivery person is appreciated.

The shows were also wonderful. Disney really does a great job of making sure something is available to entertain everyone. There were so many shows and other forms of entertainment that you really had to pick and choose what you saw and did. This time I’m looking forward to experiencing some of what I missed last time. My favorite was Pirate Night.

Pirate Night

There was a stage show on deck, cute light-up cocktails (with and without alcohol both for a charge) and fireworks!

Pirate Night Cocktails, with and without alcohol

Pirate Night Fireworks at Sea

Yes, fireworks at sea! Disney was the first cruise line to offer this. There was also a late night pirate themed buffet, but we were still full from dinner and didn’t have any of it.

Pirate Night Buffet Decorations

Then there’s the Aquaduck!

Aquaduck

That’s the water slide/roller coaster that is the first of its kind at sea. It can only be found on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. It was so much fun! Lines can get long, so in true Disney fashion, a little strategy can go a long way. I also recommend riding it both during the day and at night. It’s a completely different experience at night with the lighting effects.

There is no way I can share enough about this cruise in one post, but these are the high points. I remember when I booked the last cruise, the first thought that came into my head was that I was going to get to ride the Aquaduck. This time when I booked our upcoming cruise, my first thought was that I’m going to get to do the Castaway Cay 5k. How I’ve changed in just 2 short years!

Have you been on a Disney Cruise? What were your favorite parts?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway to win a Cravebox! Find out how here.

Blog Rewind Wednesday Disney Cruise Line

3 Comments »

Cravebox Review–Girls Night In

by Melanie Adams

By now you should all know that I really like Cravebox. Of all the box subscriptions I’ve tried, this is the only one I’ve become a repeat customer of. When Cravebox opened the drawing for Girls Night In, I did not hesitate to enter (being chosen in a drawing means that you get to purchase the box at a discounted price). At first they said there were certain states the box couldn’t be delivered to. A few days later they announced that the drawing had opened up to all states but that if you lived in a previously exempt state, one item would not be included in your box. I knew all of this could only mean one thing: that alcohol would somehow be involved. Keep reading to see if I was right.

This is what a Cravebox looks like when you first open it upside down.

Girls Night In Cravebox Contents

My Girls Night In Cravebox contained the following:

Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm
Tree Hut Moroccan Rose Renewing Hand Cream
Fruit 2 O, Strawberry Flavor
New Girl Nail Polish
The Mindy Show Nail Polish
Hills Bros. French Vanilla Cappuccino Mix
New Girl/The Mindy Project Nail File
Zaca Recovery Patch (for hangovers!)
Warriors in Pink Bandana (I actually thought this was a scarf but according to the Cravebox website this is a bandana.)
*******A $50 Nakedwines.com gift card!!!!!!!!!*********

Yay! I was right! Let’s hear it for wine! As always, I loved everything in the box. I received the box on a Tuesday, and the funny thing is, I was watching New Girl on Fox as I was opening the box. I did a double take when several pieces of the contents were promotional items for the very show I was watching at that very moment! I thought the Zaca Recovery Patches were absolutely hilarious. Of course, who doesn’t love a good lip balm? The hand cream smelled wonderful, the nail polish was beautiful, the bandana was neat, and the cappuccino was delish! However, the crowning touch to the box, and the thing I was most excited about was the $50, yes, $50 gift card from nakedwines.com.

Nakedwines.com box

I have never ordered wine online before, and I was a bit skeptical. With that being said, I immediately went online to place my order. I ordered what nakedwines.com calls the “Nifty Gifty”. It was a mixed case of both domestic and foreign whites and reds. After I applied my gift card, with tax and shipping, my total came to $47.30. For a whole case of wine, you can’t beat that! When it came in (one week later), the screw tops kind of threw me for a loop since I usually only buy wines with corks. To date, I’ve only tried 2 of the bottles, a Chardonnay and Malbec. The Chardonnay was one of the best I’ve had. The Malbec wasn’t one that I would buy again, but I’m still pleased with my purchase.

The “Nifty Gifty” contained a mix of domestic and foreign whites and reds.

All-in-all, this was a great box! I might even go so far as to say it’s my favorite one yet! I don’t know how Cravebox does it, but for $13 the value was phenomenal. As always, there were items in there I use on a regular basis, and items I’ve never heard of but am excited to try. I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

If you’d like to win your very own Cravebox, please enter my giveaway. One lucky reader will receive a Cooking Light Fast Meals Cravebox, compliments of Cravebox. To find out more about this box, check out my review of it here. The contest period is open to US residents living at a US address only from now until May18. You may get one entry per day by leaving a comment below. An additional entry may be obtained by following me on Twitter (@myglasssneaker). Want even more entries? Tweet about the contest to get up to one more entry per day. Be sure and mention me in the Tweet (@myglasssneaker) and use #CLFastMeals and #CraveOn. The winner will be chosen by random draw and will be announced here at my blog on May 19.

Have you tried Cravebox yet? Which one is your fave?

Disclosure: I purchased Girls Night In Cravebox with my own money. All thoughts about this Cravebox are my own. The giveaway was provided by Cravebox for winning their Fast Meals Cooking Light Cravebox blog contest.

ETA: Please note the ending date of the giveaway has changed from June 3 to May 18. I realized there are coupons in the box that expire on May 31 and I’d like for the winner to be able to use them.

Box Subscriptions

16 Comments »

Square Life Round World

I'm navigating through this round world while living a square life, and it fits exactly as it should.

Getting Back on Track

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–Pirates of Nassau Museum

How To Avoid (Or At Least Postpone) The Post Vacation Blues

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–Castaway Cay 5k and a PR, Well Maybe Sort Of

Feel Good Friday–Target House Bingo for St. Jude Patients

Things I Like Thursday–FOE Hair Ties

Disney Cruise Line Dream Cruise 2013–The Aquaducky Derby

Cravebox May Giveaway Winners

Blog Rewind Wednesday–Disney Dream Cruise May 2011

Cravebox Review–Girls Night In

Recent Posts

Archives

Square Life Round World Facebook Page

Follow Blog via Email

Let’s keep in touch!

Categories