Day 5: A Marvel-ous Morning! Our First Disney Cruise 2021! (Staycation)

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Beverage Tasting Seminars

Disney Cruise Line offers a range of Beverage Tasting Seminars, which are an extra charge and can be booked before you cruise (how long before depends on your Castaway Club status).

The charge is per person and will also depend on what seminar you attend. We knew we wanted to go to one or two of these, but they are VERY popular!

For our first cruise, they had sold out before we even got a chance to book. The reason? Cruisers with Silver, Gold, and Platinum status can book before everyone else.

However, it was on the off-chance I was checking the Navigator App a few weeks before our cruise and some sessions came up!

I was so glad the Mixology Seminar appeared and then went for whatever else I could get, which was the Chocolate & Liquors Seminar (more on that tomorrow!). We had also fancied doing the Rum Tasting and the Margarita Tasting, but they were booked out.

You can find out more about the Beverage Tasting Seminars on the Disney Cruise Line website.

Keys Lounge

The Mixology Seminar took place in Keys Lounge, which is on Deck 3, Forward. Keys is an adults-only lounge inspired by the famed piano bars of Hollywood’s heyday. It serves a large selection of beers, wines, spirits, cocktails, and specialty coffees. In the evenings a piano man and guest vocalists entertain as you enjoy a relaxing nightcap out at sea.

Along with O’Gill’s Pub and Fathoms, Keys is a trio of After Hours venues that resemble an upscale downtown district in the heart of a bustling city. Closing times may vary, so always check the Navigator App!

We didn’t make as much use of the adult-exclusive areas as we perhaps could/should have, but we certainly will on future cruises!

Since Keys is a piano bar, the decor is suitably themed, with the ebony and ivory keyboard wrapped around the ceiling, which was curved to give it a grand piano feel.

The sleek black furniture and gold finishes provided a luxurious feel, and there is a touch of Disney if you look hard enough!

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Mixology Seminar

Once again, Covid got in the way of the Mixology Seminar – it is usually a Mixology Class where you get the chance to make cocktails yourself, but for the seminar, they were ready-made and laid out on the tables for us.

As we have established, I do enjoy a cocktail, so was looking forward to this seminar! The cost was $25 per person, which included the five cocktails and of course the seminar which was around 40-minutes.

The mixologist who gave the seminar was really informative, and I love learning about the history of food and drink and so, this seminar was right up my alley.

We didn’t just have five random cocktails, they were five specific ones to demonstrate the different types of cocktail starting with a Built Drink, which essentially means it’s a drink that has all the ingredients poured into the glass with no need for special equipment, like shakers, stirrers or strainers – just pour and drink!

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Built Drink »

Our built drink was called Elder Bubble and was made with St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Raspberry Vodka, and Prosecco (or Champagne).

This was fruity, fresh, and delicious and a perfect cocktail for brunch!

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Elder Bubble

Punch Drink »

Next was a Punch Drink. These types of cocktails tend to have a lot of fruit juice in them. We have probably all heard of a Mai Tai which is a classic Tiki Room drink made with rum, Curaçao, orgeat (almond) syrup, and lime juice, but we were having a twist on this classic.

The Captain’s Mai Tai is made with Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum, Disaronno (an almond-flavored liqueur), Pineapple Juice, and Myer’s Dark Rum which is floated on top for an extra kick of rum.

As a rum drinker, this cocktail was my favorite of all five that we tasted. I could have easily sunk another glass of this! In fact, Steve did an audio recording of the seminar so I could relay everything on my blog, and as I take a sip of this, you can hear me say “oh my God that’s good!”.

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Captain’s Mai Tai

Muddled Drink »

Muddling is the act of crushing herbs, fruit, sugar, or spices to draw out their flavors to blend with the alcohol in this type of cocktail.

A famous muddled drink is a Mojito, which is a Cuban rum cocktail, but we would be trying a traditional Brazilian cocktail made with Cachaça. Cachaça is a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice, and it is sometimes described as Brazilian rum – but never say that to a Brazillian!

The Caipirinha is made with muddled lime and sugar and Cachaça. Of all the drinks, this was the least favored amongst the crowd. It was very sour in flavor, and definitely an acquired taste as it’s not as close to tasting like rum as I was led to believe! In the audio I say “I quite like it” so that’s my review!

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Caipirinha

Martini »

Martinis were invented in the 1930s during the Prohibition Era, and are famously enjoyed by James Bond. Served in v-shaped glasses, a true Martini is made with gin or vodka (or both) mixed with vermouth. But many drinks these days are described as a Martini when served in the classic glass.

We had the classic Cosmopolitan made with Vodka, Triple Sec, Lime Juice, and Cranberry Juice.

Cosmos are often considered a girly drink because of their color, but we know that is just nonsense! It is a very dry drink, with just a splash of cranberry juice for color. If you enjoy vodka and orange you’ll enjoy a Cosmopolitan!

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Cosmopolitan

Shot »

Resembling a pint of Guinness, the Baby Guinness is a shot drink made with a Coffee Liqueur on the bottom and Bailey’s Irish Cream on top.

The coffee liqueur used in our Baby Guinness was Patrón XO Cafe Tequila Coffee Liqueur, but you could use Kahlúa or Tia Maria.

This was a yummy shot for sure! It went down smoothly and would be a perfect dessert shot!

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Baby Guinness
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Belle, Snow White & Mulan in the Atrium

Main Dining Room: Rapunzel’s Royal Table

We are back at Rapunzel’s Royal Table for dinner this evening, and Paulo has returned after his sick day. Fortunately, he was feeling a lot better, and we were happy to have him back with us!

Once again, since I went into a lot of detail on our first dining experience here, I won’t go into everything again, but will tell you about our food choices on this visit!

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Our Server, Paulo at Rapunzel’s Royal Table
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Rapunzel’s Royal Table »

Bread Service…

  • Warm Pretzel
  • Dinner Rolls
  • Whole-Grain Mustard Dip

Once again, the pretzel did not disappoint! I always find the Mickey pretzels at Walt Disney World really dry and salty, but the ones on the Disney Magic were chewy, soft, and just the right amount of saltiness.

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Appetizer…

Me: Crisp Arendelle Shrimp – with Pea Purée, Fried Potato, Pancetta, and Pea Shoots served with a Lemon-Tarragon Caper Mayonnaise

Steve: Romaine Wedge and “Hot” Smoked Salmon Salad – with Raspberries, Candied Pecans, and Brie Cheese served with a creamy Lemon-Parsley Dressing

I went straight for the same appetizer – that fried shrimp was so delicious! The coating was crunchy and the shrimp itself was huge! As I said before, it was like posh fish and chips and I need this to be a main dish!

Steve ordered one of the salads as his appetizer and really enjoyed it. Hot-smoked salmon has a slightly different flavor and texture to regular smoked salmon and tastes so good. It’s just a shame it was the tiniest amount on the big wedge of lettuce.

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Crisp Arendelle Shrimp (Rapunzel’s Royal Table)
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Romaine Wedge and Hot Smoked Salmon Salad (Rapunzel’s Royal Table)

Entrée…

Both of Us: Captain of the Guards Roasted Prime Rib of Beef – with a Double Baked Potato, Broccoli, Sweet Roasted Carrots, and a Red Wine-Veal Sauce

We both decided to have the prime rib, and it was an excellent choice because the meat was juicy, tender, and packed with flavor.

The veggies were crisp-tender (just the way I like them!) and the potatoes were so fancy!

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Captain of the Guards Roasted Prime Rib of Beef (Rapunzel’s Royal Table)
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We didn’t notice the Rapunzel Tower design on our plates last time!

Dessert…

Me: Birthday Cupcake Sundae – Butter Cupcake with Strawberry Compote, Birthday Ice Cream, Whipped Cream and topped with Celebration Confetti

Steve: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake – Layer of Baked Cheesecake with Caramelized Crème Brûlée served with Fresh Whipped Cream

Since we are at Rapunzel’s Royal Table to celebrate the Princess’s birthday, and because it was mine just a few days ago, it felt fitting to have the Birthday Cupcake Sundae! It was just a standard strawberry sundae and was sweet and delicious.

And I don’t think you can go wrong by combining two amazing desserts into one, like the Crème Brûlée Cheesecake that Steve enjoyed.

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Birthday Cupcake Sundae (Rapunzel’s Royal Table)
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Crème Brûlée Cheesecake (Rapunzel’s Royal Table)
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Frog Towel Animal

After dinner, we spent a little time out on Deck 9 before returning to our stateroom (and seeing a whole load of new magnets on doors!).

Tonight’s towel animal was, we think, a frog (we confirmed with Victor, our Stateroom Host the next day!) – it’s so much fun to come back to your room to be greeted by a new animal!

And that’s it for day 5 of Our First Disney Cruise 2021! Tomorrow is our last day and night at sea, it’s gone by so quickly!


Read about the day after:
Day 6 – Last Night At Sea!
Breakfast from Cabanas, Chocolate & Liquors Seminar, Dinner at Lumiere’s

Read about the day before:
Day 4 – Back To Back!
Breakfast at Rapunzel’s Royal Table, Disembark/Re-embark, Open House, Tangled: The Musical, Dinner at Animator’s Palate

» Read ALL the days!


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