Cake Boss is Back! Buddy & Lisa's Vow Renewal

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I was a little surprised to see that this show was back on so soon. I figured that they'd wait until Cake Boss: The Next Great Baker was wrapped up (which is only two weeks away), but apparently not. I'm glad that they did an hour-long episode about the vow renewal, since there was a ton to see. There are certain things that I would have focused on differently, but I thought that it was a nice overview of the family vacation. I did have a couple glaring questions though... for instance, why in the world did Buddy want to make his vow renewal cake so ENORMOUS?!? I just couldn't figure that out - I mean, it's one thing to want something grand and stunning, but if you're going to throw away half of it, who's winning? Another thing, on at least two of the four cruises I've been on, there were strict regulations about not bringing flowers, plants, fruits, etc. back onto the ship, since there are concerns about non-native species being brought to other places. Maybe not all cruiselines enforce this? Regardless, this was a cute, memorable episode that I'd watch again.

Cake Boss "Cake Block, Cruise, & a Carlo's Ceremony" (S05E01): Buddy is working on coming up with a neat cake design for the vow renewal. They use styrofoam cakes to get a feel for it, since Buddy wants a combination of the original design with some newer stuff because he's learned a lot in ten years. [makes sense.] Buddy got some hints from Lisa about what they dress looks like so he can work some appropriate lace into the cake, and has has a new mold to make sugar lace. Problem is, it doesn't work well. Luckily, they found that baking it at 100 degrees for 15 minutes helps the lace come out of the molds, which helps. [this was interesting to me. I don't know that I'd want to go through the same tedious trouble, but it was interesting to learn about.] They're also doing tropical flowers and fondant seashells for the vow renewal cake because the ceremony is on the beach (but the reception will be on the ship). After the lace is on the cake, Buddy isn't thrilled with the look (he really struggled to see where the cake was going), so he just starts piping. [that cake is SO BIG!] Everything is going super until they drive the truck to Florida (the family is going out of Port Canaveral), and the humidity makes the flowers fall a bit. [awww!]

The gang is also doing a replica of the the Disney Dream for the ship's first anniversary of sailing. Mauro hasn't been on a ship since 1968, when he came over from Italy, other than "booze cruises."[wow... that cake looks AMAZING!] Everything goes smoothly with this cake until it comes time to present it at the event, and it's too large for the ship's elevators! Everyone has to carry the cake up several floors.

Now, on to the trip itself! The Valastros manage to pack 20 suitcases for their family alone - they're over-packers. [how would you know which piece of luggage was missing if one was?? I struggle when we bring three bags on a trip!] They board, take some photos, and then we see the family up on deck, on the slide, etc. The family makes a big deal of getting Mauro to go on the water slide, since he's a big fraidy-cat. They finally convince him to go on it, tho. We see the family at Animator's Palette for a meal, interacting with a computer-generated Crush from Finding Nemo. In Nassau, the women and kids take a bus to do some shopping while the guys go buy some fresh flowers to solve the sugar flower dilemma.

Phelan Ebenhack/DCL

The vow renewal is planned for the day that they're at Castaway Cay, and the ladies get their hair and nails done while the guys work on fixing the flowers on the cake. [I liked the original flowers better... just me?] While everyone's getting ready, clouds roll in and a storm brews. When the rain starts coming down, Lisa's mother tells Buddy that they just can't do have the ceremony outside. [major bummer. It's tough to have rain spoil your wedding day. Having been to a dozen weddings in Florida, it happens a lot!] So, they do it in a beautiful room with a 360-degree view. [I liked how Buddy shuffled his feet a bit while waiting for Lisa to appear, so cute!] Sophia is the Maid of Honor, and the three boys are the Best Men, which is a big switch from the original bridal party - Buddy and Lisa had eighteen bridesmaids and eighteen groomsmen!!