Castaway Cay
We had to set an alarm this morning so we could get up and get breakfast before disembarking for Castaway Cay. Breakfast was not too crowded in the market and we had some time to chill out before the all clear came from Darren, the cruise director. We headed off the ship and caught the first tram to the transfer point and then a second tram to Serenity Bay. We found a couple of loungers under an umbrella and sat down to relax. It would have been more relaxing were it not for the loud talker behind us trying to impress his friends with his network admin knowledge which made us laugh because it was not all that impressive to those of us who also work in the field. It seems like we always end up sitting on the beach next to people who insist on loud talking.
The water was cold so Janie spent little time in it so we mostly just read and listened to music by the water and enjoyed a Konk Kooler. We had lunch at the adult BBQ which was just okay. The layout is poor and seating is limited so you end up merging in front of other people after getting your burger condiments.
We left around 1 PM to head back to the main area to browse the shops but there wasn't a lot of good selection. We walked back to the ship and went to our room to shower off the sand.
Keg and Compass
It was getting closer to NFL game time so we decided to hit the Keg and Compass before it got too crowded. The pub is styled as a Scandinavian lodge with a map on the ceiling with Disney characters. We were a little confused why Aladdin and Jasmine were flying over Southeast Asia instead of Arabia, but we guessed Carpet can go wherever he likes. J. R. enjoyed a drink in a Viking horn, which was good, but was more like a beer than the cocktail advertised.
Keg and Compass Menu
NFL on the Big Screen
With some time to kill before dinner, we went upstairs to the pool deck to get some more sun and watch the Philadelphia vs. San Francisco game on the big screen with some chicken fingers and fries and Diet Coke.
Back to the Bayou
We were looking for cocktails before dinner so our next stop was the Bayou to try the Around the Bayou Experience which was three specialty rums. We determined they were just okay.
The Rose
Our pre-dinner cocktail was at the Rose, which is the lounge near Enchante and Palo. The bar service here was also pretty slow and we had to flag down the server twice to get our check to avoid being late for dinner, despite arriving at the bar 45 minutes before dinner time.
Rose Menu
Arendelle Dinner
Our final dinner was An Enchanted Evening in Arendelle. This restaurant still seemed a miss for us in terms of theming and the way we were seated, those on one side of the table, as J. R. was, could not see the show without turning around in his seat. The show was abnormally loud making it an uncomfortable dining experience. Service was very slow with our assistant waiter being absent most of the meal with the excuse of having to pick up main courses, which tells us the restaurant is too far from the galley to be effective.
Arendelle Menu
Rum Tasting
After dinner, we went back on deck to watch a little more football before our rum tasting with Jen. This tasting was a little different because she started out with four rums on the table but then after we took a sip of each, she would add ice and some other ingredients to make cocktails. The first rum was Seven Fathoms Cayman Islands Premium Rum, which is supposedly aged underwater. This rum was very biting but Jen added a little bit of a 1/4 Disaronno and 3/4 pineapple juice and an ice cube. Next up was Bacardi Reserva Limitada which she turned into a Painkiller by adding coconut creme and orange juice. The next rum as Flor De Caña 18, to which she added a splash of ginger ale. Finally, she treated us to an infused Zacapa 23. She had taken a bottle and added cloves, which she later strained. She added Filthy Cherries, Grand Marnier and Cherry Heering to make her Rum Cake Old Fashioned.
Whiskey Tasting
We headed back out on deck to wait an hour for our Whiskey tasting with Jen. We watched nearly to the end of the Kansas City-Cincinnati game but missed the final field goal by fellow Georgia Tech alumnus Harrison Butker. But it gave J. R. something to brag about as he wore his Georgia Tech polo, especially with a guy in a uGA polo in the tasting. Jen served us four whiskeys, starting with the Macallan Terra, then Yakatori Suntory, Rye Rare Perfection and finally Russell's 10, which we had tasted at the bourbon tasting. We had added the whiskey tasting at the last minute and while it was a good finish to our cruise, J. R. wished they would do a Scotch tasting instead.
