Dreaming of Northern Europe: Day 11 & 12 – Zeebrugge, Belgium & Southampton, England

[Stewboy]

Friday 18th August 2023

Today we were in Belgium, our last port before home, and we had an excursion planned: Fairytales in Flanders Scenic Villages and Castle of Loppem.

Once again, we had a disturbed night's sleep when Isabella shouted out, “Where are you? Where am I?” in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, we all got back to sleep until about 7:30 a.m. when I got up, got dressed, and went to get coffee and milk from deck 11.

After enjoying a coffee in bed, we woke the children and headed to Cabana’s for breakfast. It was a fairly stressful affair today, not helped by the fact that it was very busy – I think a lot of people were heading off on excursions and getting breakfast early.

We were in a bit of a rush to make sure we didn’t miss our excursion check-in time, but unfortunately, Jo had an accident with the maple syrup and had to head back to the room to get changed, leaving me to try and hurry Caleb up because he wasn’t really eating.

He eventually decided he was finished, and we rushed back to the room, collected our stuff (and Jo), and headed to the theatre to check in.

After a short 5 minute wait we were ready to head off the ship to the waiting coaches – the time was almost 9:30 a.m. One of the crew members on our tour recognised Caleb from the nursery and said hello. Also on our tour were a mother and (grown up) daughter from New York who were on our last excursion and chatted to us.

Once on board, the coach set off from the port of Zeebrugge through the picturesque (but very flat) Belgian countryside to the city of Damme. We passed by the ‘For Freedom Museum’ and crossed the Leopold Canal before arriving at our destination about 20 minutes later.












Belgian countryside

Our tour guide started off in the market square where the town hall is (there was a wedding, which was lovely to see) before heading off along cobbled streets to the Church of Our Lady Ascension with it’s unique flat topped tower and some interesting art in the gardens – part of the Àmare 2023 art route.














Damme Market Square














Sightseeing around Damme










Church of Our Lady Ascension




Art








Nests & stork

Also of interest were the large bird nests seen throughout the city. They are the property of the storks that are regular visitors to the city and we even managed to capture a photo of one.

[Stewboy]

After our walk around the city took us back to the market square we reboarded the bus and headed to our next destination – Loppem Castle – via the outskirts of Bruges where we got to see the medieval city walls.


Bruges






































Loppem Castle

At the castle we walked through the grounds before being taken inside for a tour of the richly decorated and furnished interior, and the eccentric collection of art including a stuffed bear holding a drink tray.

The final destination for the tour was Roose’s Chocolate World where Isabella bought some chocolate and I spent most of the time outside with an increasingly irritated Caleb. He was tired and we were glad the tour was almost over as he needed to get back to the room for his nap.








Roose’s Chocolate World

Although it was a short journey back, once we arrived at the port we had to park some distance from the ship so that we could all go through security which meant getting a shuttle back to the ship.

Fortunately this didn’t take long and as soon as we were back on board (with a complimentary hot chocolate each, courtesy of crew members) I took Caleb straight to the room for his nap while Jo and Isabella went for lunch.





Jo bought me back some lunch – a cheeseburger and fries from Flo's Diner – and after I’d eaten, Jo and I went up to the Cove Bar for a ‘drink of the day’ while Isabella stayed in the room with a sleeping Caleb.


Drink of the day

Once I finished my drink I headed back to the room while Jo headed off to the D-Lounge to do another animation class. Back in the room, I sent Isabella off to join Jo in drawing Goofy.

When they returned I had my shower and got ready, while Jo got coffee and milk. Once she returned we woke Caleb and prepared for our final evening on board. While Jo did some packing, I took Caleb to meet Pluto and Donald in their 25th anniversary outfits, which he thoroughly enjoyed.




Drawing Goofy








Meeting Pluto










Meeting Donald

We returned to the room but Jo wasn’t ready, so I had a beer while I waited. I saw our stateroom host Alfie – who had been absolutely amazing – and gave him his tip envelope.

[Stewboy]

Once everyone was ready for dinner we headed to Animator’s Palate for the Animation Magic dinner show.












Animation Magic


For our dinner we ordered the following:

Jo: Porcini Sacchetti (Pasta filled with Porcini Mushrooms, Swiss and Fontina Cheese with Garlic, Thyme and a Prosecco Wine Sauce) / Lobster Bisque (With fresh Lobster and Sour Cream) / Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington (Covered with Mushroom Stuffing wrapped in Puff Pastry served with Fingerling Potatoes, Baby Vegetables, and a Cabernet Black Truffle Jus)


Porcini


Lobster Bisque

Me: Malaysian Chicken Satay (Grilled Chicken skewers Marinated in Turmeric, Chili and Coriander served with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber) / Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington (Covered with Mushroom Stuffing wrapped in Puff Pastry served with Fingerling Potatoes, Baby Vegetables, and a Cabernet Black Truffle Jus)


Chicken Satay


Beef Wellington

Isabella: Malaysian Chicken Satay (Grilled Chicken skewers Marinated in Turmeric, Chili and Coriander served with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber) / Roasted Filet of Beef Wellington (Covered with Mushroom Stuffing wrapped in Puff Pastry served with Fingerling Potatoes, Baby Vegetables, and a Cabernet Black Truffle Jus) / Orchard Peach Tart (warm Almond Peach Tart with rich Vanilla Sauce and Dulce de Leche Ice Cream) & Celebration Cake (Baked Cheesecake, fresh Strawberries, Pastry Cream, White Chocolate Glaze)


Orchard Peach Tart


Celebration Cake

Caleb: Baked Cod (Green Beans, Jade Rice, and Strawberry Yogurt Parfait. Served with choice of small Low Fat Milk or Water)


Cod

Isabella had two desserts tonight, nobody else had any, not even Caleb. Instead he ate loads of bread.

Once dinner was over it was time to hand out our tips. We gave our head server Steve his tips - he had been really good, the best we’d ever had on a cruise. Before we gave our servers – Jason & Kadek – their tips, Caleb got a photo with them. They had also been amazing and we made sure to tell them – and Steve!


Jason, Caleb & Kadek

As Caleb was booked into the nursery, I took him back to the room to grab one of his books and then checked him in – he walked in happy and ready to show everyone his book.

I headed back to the restaurant to meet Jo, and then we went to Pink for a cocktail while Isabella went back to the room for a while.

We got seated and ordered an Elderbubble (Absolut Raspberri, St. Germain Elderflower, Moët & Chandon Imperial) for Jo and a Pomegranate Passion (Pama Pomegranate, Passion Fruit Purée, Moët & Chandon Imperial) for me.








Pink

It was a really lovely bar and we enjoyed our cocktails. We decided to order a glass of Cava next – just as we got the drink we had a message from the nursery to call them.

I set off to find a phone but in the end I just went straight to the nursery, It turned out to be nothing major, just that Caleb had been accidentally hit in the cheek with a toy by another child, and after some initial crying, he was ok now.

I went back to Pink, finished my drink, and then we headed to the Walt Disney Theatre where Isabella had saved us seats for the final show of the cruise – Believe.

We’ve seen this one multiple times on other cruises but it’s a good one. Unfortunately I could only watch half before heading back to the nursery to collect Caleb.

He’d had a great time and had made a friend over the last few days. Apparently it was a little girl who liked stroking his face – he liked it too!

We were so happy that he’d enjoyed the nursery so much. He’d made quite an impact on the ladies who worked there and they made him a card and said how they’d loved having him there.








From the ladies in the nursery

Caleb and I went back to the room for his bath. Jo returned to finish packing and while she put the cases outside the room to be collected I put Caleb to bed.

She went to the atrium to meet Isabella and watch the ‘See Ya Real Soon’ character goodbye show.

While they were gone I caught up on my notes and Jo soon returned with coffee. We read our books until Isabella returned and then we went to bed for our last night’s sleep aboard the Disney Dream.










See Ya Real Soon

[Stewboy]

Saturday 19th August 2023

So this is the end. Our wonderful adventure on board the Disney Dream had come to an end. All that remained was to have one last trip to Cabanas for breakfast (we always do that rather than have breakfast in the restaurants, which is what they always say you’re supposed to do) and then debark the ship.

We were up at about 6:45am so that we could do the final bits of packing, have coffee and the aforementioned breakfast.

Once we were done with breakfast, our luggage area – Pluto – had been called so we headed to the atrium and joined the long queue waiting to get off the ship.



Last breakfast on board






Queuing to get off the ship

Our trip home was slightly convoluted due to us starting the trip by flying to Copenhagen from Heathrow to board the ship, and the trip having ended with the ship making port in Southampton. As I mentioned in the pre-travel day we’d explored various options for our out- and in-bound journeys and had settled on parking at Heathrow, then Heathrow to Copenhagen by plane on the way out and Southampton to Heathrow by National Express on the way back.

It took us about 20 minutes to get off the ship. Picking up our cases was quick and easy and then we began our walk to the National Express Coach Station to get our coach home.

The station was just under a mile away and our coach was due in about 25 minutes so we did need to get a move on. We got there with about 5-10 minutes to spare and once on board we could relax and ‘enjoy’ the 1 hour 20 minute coach journey back to Heathrow to pick up the car.

It was actually a straightforward journey home and the coach was pretty comfortable. Isabella fell asleep at one point - although she claims she was just resting her eyes!

When we finally arrived back at Heathrow we decided to get some lunch from Costa before making our way back to The Sofitel.

After a little confusion as to what level I parked on (it all looked the same!) we were eventually loaded up and ready to go home – the drive home was uneventful!


Goodbye Disney Dream


National Express


Back to Heathrow


Loaded up and ready to go




Sleeping children


The end.

I hope that you have enjoyed it. We certainly did! Disney Cruises remain one of our favourite holidays; we love the ships, the entertainment, the food, the drink, and (some of) the ports. We hope to do another Disney Cruise next year, but until next time Thanks For Reading!

[spenners]

Loved following along, thank you for posting 😀

[Stewboy]

Originally Posted by spenners

Loved following along, thank you for posting 😀

See more...

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it

[Cutiepie]

Thank you for posting. I have really enjoyed reading along. We enjoyed a few Disney cruises when our kids were younger so it’s nice to see your family enjoying them

Looking forward to the next one!

[DizzyDisneyMum]

I've really enjoyed reading about your trip, thank you.
Caleb is adorable and Isabella is so grown up! It must have been lovely for her to have so much independence on board.

[Jaty]

I have finally read your report in one go and it was great! I was actually on the same cruise as you so I loved reliving last summer too.

I saw you all around the ship a few times and actually queued behind you and Caleb to meet Donald on the last day but I was too nervous to talk to you even though I’ve read your reports for years!

Thank you for writing and sharing, and enjoy your holiday this summer- looks like we’re in Florida at the same time haha!

[Stewboy]

Originally Posted by Cutiepie

Thank you for posting. I have really enjoyed reading along. We enjoyed a few Disney cruises when our kids were younger so it’s nice to see your family enjoying them

Looking forward to the next one!

See more...

Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it.

Originally Posted by DizzyDisneyMum

I've really enjoyed reading about your trip, thank you.
Caleb is adorable and Isabella is so grown up! It must have been lovely for her to have so much independence on board.

See more...

Thank you. Yes, she did enjoy being able to do her own thing and go in the clubs.

Originally Posted by Jaty

I have finally read your report in one go and it was great! I was actually on the same cruise as you so I loved reliving last summer too.

I saw you all around the ship a few times and actually queued behind you and Caleb to meet Donald on the last day but I was too nervous to talk to you even though I’ve read your reports for years!

Thank you for writing and sharing, and enjoy your holiday this summer- looks like we’re in Florida at the same time haha!

See more...

I love being able to relive our holidays through reading these trip reports, and it's nice that others can too!

Thank you for reading – not just this one, but any of the others that you've read!

If you see us in Florida feel free to say hello!