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Thread: Our First Family Cruise! (Disney Dream)

  1. #1

    Our First Family Cruise! (Disney Dream)

    Our First Family Cruise!

    Cast of Characters:

    Me—obsessed WDW fanatic
    DH—sweet hubby who tolerates my WDW obsession
    DS---15 year old son who can’t wait to eat 24/7 on the ship
    DD1---13 year old daughter who can’t wait to just get on the ship
    DD2---6 year old daughter who I have passed on my love for WDW down to

    We will have connecting rooms with my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, niece and her fiance’.

    Dates of trip: March 28-31, 2013


    Stateroom and ship: 6618 (connecting with 6616) on the Disney Dream

    Pre-Trip background info:
    We were originally going to sail in February of 2012, but my son found out our trip would be the same time as tryouts for his school’s baseball team. We did not want to jeopardize his first chance of making the high school baseball team so we postponed the trip. I am a teacher so we had to go when school was out (= higher prices)…Spring Break. Once again, I scheduled our trip only to have to change it again. Our school system for the last 10 school years has had Spring Break the week after Easter so that is when I scheduled our trip. When the school calendar came out…guess what? We were to have Spring Break the week before Easter….ugh! We called our TA (who is wonderful by the way) and she sprinkled some pixie dust and almost got us the same rooms with early dining. Yay!

    Now within two weeks of the trip….
    My husband was diagnosed with a blood clot in his leg. We were devastated. He is never sick and this just hit him out of the blue. The specialist cleared him to drive to Florida as long as he took frequent breaks and go on the trip.

    One week before our trip….
    My mother got really sick and was put into the hospital. Her blood pressure dropped really low and she had an obstruction in her large intestine. This put serious doubt in whether we would be able to go on the trip.

    We put off going to FL for the first part of Spring Break so I could be here for her and my dad who never wants to leave her side. She actually wasn’t able to have her surgery until the 26th. We continued to get ready for our trip, but I drove my husband crazy with “yes, we should go,” “no, we shouldn’t go.” He was very understanding, as were the kids. I could feel their disappointment. This was not the pre-trip excitement and joy we usually feel before a vacation. It was filled with a lot of tears and uncertainty on my part. My mom stabilized and at noon on the day before we were to get on the ship, we decided to load up and go. We made it to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law’s house in FL at midnight. I was exhausted and worried and excited all at the same time. My emotions were spent.

    Day One: March 28th

    We woke up early. I got everything in order…and I was still hesitant about going. I worried about my mom and DH’s leg. He didn’t stop as many times as I wanted him to on our trip down and I was worried what we would do, if he had complications while we were gone. Everyone else was so pumped about going, I put on a brave face and tried my best to be upbeat. I had a roller coaster ride of emotions throughout the whole trip. We started on our way (a little later than I would have liked). If I had been in my usual Disney mode, I would have pushed everyone a little harder to get moving! When we stopped for gas, I called and checked on my mom and she was stable…a sigh of relief.

    We made it to Executive Parking by 10:30 am. I think it took us about an hour to get there. The guys were really friendly and had the shuttle bus waiting for us. It is a gravel lot that is fenced in. It costs $6.99 a day to park your car there and they have a free shuttle that will pick you up and bring you back to your car. You keep your car keys. We boarded the shuttle with another couple who was going on a three day cruise on one of the Carnival ships…I believe the Sensation. He dropped them off first.

    As we were driving up, we could see our ship. Wow! The Dream is truly a dream. It is so beautiful! The driver dropped us off and immediately we were greeted by Disney CM’s. They were all great! Disney Cruise Tip: The CM’s who transport your luggage are not included in your pre-paid tips. We opted out of letting them help us with our luggage. We literally only had to walk across a small street and we were at the cruise terminal. We were in the terminal by 11:00 am. The terminal was very crowded. Check-in went very smoothly. A family beside us didn’t have original birth certificates for their three kids. The CM was trying to explain the difference of what they had and what was required to board….I wonder if they really didn’t get to go?...???

    We had our security family picture made. The kids were amazed how every time they swiped our KTTW card…the appropriate “mug shot” would come up on the computer. We were given a boarding pass of #14. DH got in line with DD2 to meet Cruise Director Minnie. I walked over to the Kids Registration Line….wow that line was mobbed! I had registered DD2 on-line, but you still have to get the security bracelet. I said forget it, I will figure it out once we are on-board. I wanted DH to sit down, but he said he was fine. We were next to last to see Cruise Director Minnie. While my in-laws were visiting with her, DD1 and DD2 got to hang out with Capt. Mickey as he waited his turn to get in the meet-and-greet line. They had a great time!

    We couldn’t believe there wasn’t a PA system calling out boarding numbers so we walked down toward the Mickey tunnel to see what number they were on. This is when we found out the PA system was having technical difficulties. They had already called our number! We scrambled all together and “walked the plank” to board.

    Wow! The Atrium surely has the effect that the imaganeers hoped for! We were in awe! It is truly beautiful! They announced our families and we just couldn’t believe we were finally on the Dream…what a dream!

    We took lots of pictures. Tons of Disney details! We headed straight to Cabanas for lunch. The weather was quite chilly. Tons of kids in the pools though...brrr...not mine....at least not yet! We had seasonally low temps for our entire trip. It was very windy, too….so that added to the coolness of the trip. We found a corner table on Deck 11 that was blocked by a wall and had room to pile up our carry-ons. The food was super yummy! We used this as home-base. DH and my brother-in-law stayed here while the rest of us went exploring. First I took DD2 to the kids’ club to get her security bracelet. There was absolutely no wait! Disney Cruise Tip: Just wait until onboard to get kids’ security bracelets. DD2 wanted to explore it a bit…so we checked out all the different areas. So nicely done! She didn’t want to leave, and I couldn’t leave her because it was “open family time.” This when you can only be there with a parent. I wanted to get DD1 and let her see the areas because I knew she would like seeing all the Disney details. I assured DD2 I would bring her back once we found DD1 so she reluctantly went with me. We headed back to our “home-base.” DH and brother-in-law continued to stay with our stuff and the rest of us went back to the kids’ club. We took tons of pictures and even danced on the interactive dance floor with the CM’s. We also toured the older kids’ areas and got them signed in. They let me sign a waiver for my 13 year old to come to the 14 and older area. (She was thrilled, but in reality she only went up there one time with her brother.) We also toured the Adult only areas and took tons of pictures. I enjoy all the Disney details at WDW…so you can imagine how great it was to have all these Disney details so condensed and so beautifully done!

    We were in our stateroom by 1:00 pm. Once again, we were thrilled. I am so glad we opted for the verandah. It was such a beautiful place to hang out and chill. We unpacked and I took a pillowcase to Guest Services to have the characters sign. The CM wanted me to pick between the princesses or Mickey and the gang. When I hesitated with my choice, she said how about both. Absolutely! It was delivered to our stateroom on the last night of the cruise. I returned to the room to find DH sitting on the verandah. I joined him and called my dad to check on my mom. He assured me she was stable and just resting as they were trying to adjust all her meds to the appropriate levels. I had given him the emergency number they give you to give to family members…but I knew he wouldn’t use it even if he should so I told them both I loved them and that I would call them when we got back. I turned off the phone and put in the safety box. Once again…mixed emotions…sigh….

    We participated in the mandatory lifeboat drill and then headed off to stake a spot to watch the Sail Away show. We got a spot by the railing on Deck 12. Sister-in-law went down to Deck 11 to get the girls shakers so they could be part of the show. Right on cue, when the show started, another family tried to wiggle in our spot. Arghh….We stood our ground and let the daughter move up with us, but no way on the parents. The parents acted upset that we weren’t getting out of their way, but we didn’t move. Another family came up with two small girls. We let the girls go up towards the front and they were very appreciative. We shared our shakers and we enjoyed the show. We didn’t stay for the entire show. We wanted to go to the front of the ship and see it go out to sea. My husband was in the Navy and he wanted to show me some things you can only experience on a ship…this was one of them…going out to sea…It was so cold and windy, but we braved it so we could say we saw the ship going out. We let the kids come with us…as we broke the rule of “No kids in this area.” I think it was the Adults Only part of Deck 12, but there were lots of families taking in the sight…so we joined them. Man, was it cold!

    We went back to the room to get ready for dinner. We were at the Royal Palace tonight! Our head server was Tony and our assistant server was Guillame. They both were great! Guillame was still earning his ears, but he did great! DD1 and DD2 loved how they knew what they wanted to drink and how they would cut their food for them. Spoiled! My niece is having a Disney wedding. She loved the bread baskets that looked like Cinderella’s coach. She said those would be great for her reception…another great Disney detail! I had the steak entre…..super yummy!

    DD2 wanted to go to the Kids’ Club. We dropped her off and to our surprise she just walked right in…no hesitation. The rest of us went back to the rooms to get warm…just too cold on the decks. We picked up DD2 and went to see the Golden Mickeys show. Very nice show! Everyone enjoyed it. We also started a Mid-Ship Detective Agency game…searching for who was stealing the paintings. There was a very cute towel animal waiting for us with chocolates in our room. The couch had been made into a bed and the bunk bed was pulled down and the chair had been made into a bed. DH, DD1, and DD2 and I snuggled down to sleep. DS, my niece, and her fianc decided to hang out and possibly ride the AquaDuck. Late night hanging out they did and riding the AquaDuck they did! They said it was freezing and the water felt like ice hitting them! Brrrr….cold…but what an adventure!

    More Disney Cruise Tips: Just wait until the time of your dining rotation to actually go to the restaurant. You can just walk in...no waiting in line. Go to the shows...they are so wonderful!
    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

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  3. #2

    Sorry it took me so long to continue our trip report....the end of school was CRAZY!

    Day Two: March 29th

    DD1, DD2 and I got up early so we could participate in the Princess Gathering. DD2 decided on her Snow White costume. We met Ariel (who made a fuss over DD1's pearl earrings), Belle, Cinderella, Tiana, and of course...Snow White. Snow White enjoyed meeting her mini-me! We headed back to the stateroom and DD2 changed out of her costume. We all headed to Cabana's for breakfast. Super yummy as usual! We got off the ship so the kids could say they had been to another country...a first for them! We browsed through the straw market and the Harley shop. We really just wanted to get back on the ship and enjoy it so we went back and my SIL, BIL, Niece, and Niece's fiance' continued to shop and explore Nassau.

    We ate lunch at Cabana's. We hung out in the room and on the verandah. DD2 hung out in the Kids' Club for awhile. We all did the Animator's class in the D-Lounge at 2:00 pm. We had a great CM. We learned how to draw Mickey. She showed us how to tweak the drawing to make in Minnie and Winnie-the-Pooh. We got ready for pirate night. It was fun meeting all the characters in their pirate garb. (Chip and Dale, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy) We also ran into Pluto in the hallway and some fun interaction with him. DD1 said it wasn't fair...he should at least get a pirate bandana!

    We all met up for dinner at Animator's Palette. We weren't seated right by a screen, but we were close enough for Crush to talk to us. This was my favorite dinner restaurant. I loved the atmosphere and food! Our server, Tony made a bow for DD2 to wear in her hair from a napkin and a Peter Pan hat for DH to wear. I suggest the Black Truffel Pasta and the Steak Medallions. Yummo! It was a fun dinner! DD2 wanted to go to the Kids' Club so she went there for a little while. DH and I hung out in the atrium and chilled. Everyone else went to the theatre and watched the "Great and Powerful Oz" in 3-D. At times, they said the combination of the boat rocking and the 3-D effects made them feel a little queasy. We decided to skip the pirate show, and just stake out a spot on Deck 12 to watch the fireworks. First things first, pick up DD2 from the Kids' Club and get she and I light up drinks! Yay! We hung out in the atrium for a little while longer. We enjoyed watching DD2 twirl and dance to the lounge music. We stood on the deck behind the smokestack. We used the wave phones to communicate with the others where we were. DD1 was a little upset she wasn't in time for a light up drink, but the firework show distracted her and all was well!

    We headed back to the room. We had a monkey towel hanging from our ceiling with pirate gold coins (chocolate)! DS went to the teen club and niece and her fianc went to the sports club. It was strange to go to bed with DS not there....but DH said like really where is he going to go...DS closed down the teen area every night.

    At some point we also did the Mid-Ship Detective Agency game. DD2 chose the game where you try to solve who stole the paintings. We all thought it was cute, but I wish there was more closure to the game. Maybe there is and I just didn't figure out that part...I just thought there should be some way to input who you thought the culprit was and have it say "good job" or "try again." Does anyone know if I just missed this part????

    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

  4. #3
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Blue House

    Thank you for coming back to your trip report. Sounds like a fun cruise.
    Glad you got to go after all the health scares your family had beforehand.


  5. #4

    Thanks! I plan on typing more tonight!

    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

  6. #5
    Day Three: March 30th

    We woke up this morning excited to see Castaway Cay. We again enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Cabanas. SIL and her crew came down as we were finishing. I told them we would go ahead and see if we could find any chairs. We did not get off the ship as early as I would have liked. It was about 10:00 when we finally made it off. DD2 wanted to meet Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, but I talked her out of it. I was worried there wouldn't be any chairs left for us if we didn't get it going! We continued walking and who should we see...Stitch! My least favorite Disney character, but DD2 really enjoys the characters so we stopped and let her visit with him for a little while. We took the tram to Pelican Plunge. DH wasn't feeling well today. I think his leg was bothering him more than he wanted to admit. I desperately wanted to find a chair for him in the shade. There were no lounge chairs available. We walked a little while longer and still we found no lounge chairs. I made the executive decision to head back to where the tram let us off and just get some of those low-seat chairs and move them to some shade. We did just that. We found enough for all of us with a few extra for my SIL, BIL, Niece and her fiance'. DH stayed in his chair the entire day. He only got up to get something to eat...so I knew he wasn't feeling well. I urged him to go back to the ship with me to the medical office, but he wouldn't. The kids and I walked down to the water. It was like ice water! Too cold for me and them to go swimming. This area was very crowded! The air temperature was about 12 degrees lower than normal...so I am sure the water temperature was lower than normal. Before we left, DH looked up water temperatures in the Bahamas, and he talked me out of paying for the snorkel equipment ahead of time. I am glad we hadn't paid for it ahead of time because for me that money would have been wasted. It was just too cold for me. The kids and I walked back to DH and the chairs. I had told DD2 about the dinosaur dig. She wanted to find that so the kids and I rode the tram over to Scuttle's Cove. If she wanted to do the dinosaur dig now, she would have to go in by herself. She wasn't up for that. She wanted me to go in with her. The CM said at 1:00 there would be family time there so I told her we would come back. We looked at the gift shop there and met Jack Sparrow. I give this Jack Sparrow a C+/B-. He wasn't much of a "character." I think if you are going to be Jack Sparrow, you really have to go all out and he really didn't. Anyway, we rode the tram back to DH. SIL and her crew were there now setting up camp. DS and DD1 went with my niece and her fiance' to find the observation tower. DD2 was hungry. I took her to Cookies Too. I nibbled on a bag of chips while she had a hot dog and chips. The picnic tables were clean and the area had a fun atmosphere. As we were leaving we lucked up on the crab races. There was a rather large group gathering to watch. The CM was trying to get one more family to adopt a crab. No one was stepping up so I said we will! I called my SIL to see if the older kids were back so they could be a part of the fun, but they weren't. SIL headed over to snap some pictures. DD2 was given the last crab #8. You are given a chalkboard and asked to name your crab. She named hers Mickey. DD2 is painfully shy but she was thrilled to have her very own crab. They race four heats and the winners of those heats get to go to the finals. Our Mickey won the second heat...so off to the finals he went. When they started the final race, two of the crabs didn't even move! One crab took off like a shot and our Mickey slowly proceeded to the finish line. Everyone was cheering and clapping and trying to get the crabs to move faster. DD2 was squealing with delight! I just knew the other crab was going to win. He was headed to the finish line, when the most "magical" thing happened. He turned around and headed the wrong way! Our Mickey just kept going his slow steady pace towards the finish line...and what do you know...he won! DD2 was thrilled! She just kept saying over and over, "I can't believe I won! Our Mickey won!" It definitely was a priceless moment. The CM declared her the winner and gave her her prize! It was a blue and black DVC sling bag filled with some very nice DVC goodies. She ran to DH's chair clinging to her bag saying, "I won! I won!" After everyone mooned over her prizes, she and I headed back to Monstro's Point to dig for dinosaur bones. The others decided to eat at Cookies Too while we went there. DH said the Mahi Mahi was awesome. I just wasn't hungry. Monstro's Point was a little hard to find, but we found it. It is a very peaceful place. There were only about four other kids and parents there...perfect for DD2. The CM was interacting with the kids. He would talk to them about dinosaurs or anything they wanted to talk about. He would also ask the kids for the dinosaur bones they had found and then "discreetly" hide them again. DD2 enjoyed her time here, but after about 30 minutes, she was ready to get back on the ship. Even though I wasn't that hungry, I felt like I should eat something because they were about to stop serving lunch. It was almost 2:00. I tried the tomato salad with couscous and the potato salad. Yummo! We called the others on the wave phone and said we were done. They headed our way and we shopped the gift shop. DD2 and I got our souvenirs. She got some plastic cruise ship figurines and I got some fancy Mickey sunglasses! DD1 got a cute Castaway Cay hoodie. We also got some postcards. DH is feeling better. We got to all walk down to the water to put our toes in the water one last time. I guess since it was too cold this time to really enjoy that beautiful turquoise water, we will just have to go back! We took the tram back and stopped at the post office to mail ourselves a post card! Disney Cruise tip: You have to use cash here to buy the stamps!

    DH was feeling so much better he wanted to partake in our next mission....riding the AquaDuck! We knew it was going to be freezing, but really how can you go on the Dream and not ride the AquaDuck!

    We hurried back to the room and dropped off our stuff and headed back to main pool area. There was a 30 minute wait posted, but we bravely go in line! The wind was cold...so we tried to stay in the sun spots as long as we could. We chatted with the family who was in line if front of us. The time passed quickly. It was more of a 20 minute wait. DD2 and I rode together. DD1 and SIL rode together. DH and DS and Niece and her fiance' rounded out our crew. It was a lot of fun, but oh my it was frigid! We all jumped off the AquaDuck and sprinted to the towel station! In case you didn't get it...it was really cold! BIL had secured us some lounge chairs out of the wind and in the shade. SIL took the older kids to look around the gift shops, while DH and BIL got a beer. I got a Pina Colada and DD2 got an ice cream. We enjoyed the water view...until...DD2 looked down and saw Captain Hook and Mr. Smee meeting with people as they re-boarded the ship! She, of course wanted to march right down there and meet them. We told her we weren't going to do that, but later she could meet some characters! She just chilled out with DH on the lounge chairs. I was still cold from the AquaDuck so I moved over to a chair by the Mickey pool (it was in the sun) and watched the trivia on the big screen. I took some pictures of Deck 11 and I walked around the plexi-glass wall to the adult area. Wow...it is like a totally different world! So peaceful and calm...soothing music...hushed conversations...you get the idea. I went back to our lounge chairs. The CMs were securing the chairs down so we could leave Castaway Cay. We decided we would head back to the rooms to get ready for dinner. We were met with a huge alligator towel animal and more Sleepy chocolates! Our customs papers were there too. Boo! We have to go home tomorrow!

    Tonight's dinner was at the Enchanted Garden. This dining room has a much more crowded feel to it. The food was good, but I liked the other two restaurants better in both categories: food and atmosphere. Another great thing happened to DD2...during dinner tonight she pulled her loose tooth! Thank goodness! She can't stand to have a loose tooth and she absolutely hates to pull it! With it out, she was able to enjoy eating again! Woohoo! I went to Guest Relations and got her an "I Lost a Tooth" button. She was excited that the tooth fairy would be coming and the Easter Bunny! After dinner, the girls and I got in line to see Minnie in her white evening gown. DH and DS went to the theater to get some seats. Others went shopping. After posing with Minnie, we hurried to the theater. I thought the show started at 8:15, but we were lucky. It really started at 8:30. I headed to Shutters to look at our pictures. This is a good time to go...not too busy. Everyone is either in a show or at dinner, but of course, I got behind the one person who had to ask fifty million questions. She was really trying to work the CM. She wanted to be able to take her pictures to her room to look them over in quiet and then decide which ones she wanted and she would just leave the ones she didn't want in her room. The CM handled her very nicely. I, on the other hand wanted to scream at her!

    I made it back to the theater...the show had already started, but I didn't miss much. This show was awesome! I loved it! This was the "Believe" show. After the show, we went back to the room and packed and organized everything. I took back DD2's bracelet for the kids club and our survey. She was sad to give her bracelet up. The CM printed her out a new one minus the RFID chip so she could keep it...she just beamed! When I got back to the room, DH was thrilled. He wanted to show me the moon rise. He was in the Navy and he was on the ship he hoped he would be able to share a moon rise with me. It was beautiful, and I am glad he was feeling better and we got to enjoy it together on our verandah! Disney Crusie tip: Just get the room with the verandah...it is a great place to hang out and have some quiet family time! DH and I walked around the District. We listened to some of the 80's trivia game. At some point during the cruise I had walked around down there with my niece and her fiance'. I wanted DH to see it, now that he was feeling better. We decide to go back to the room and get SIL and BIL to come back down and hang out with us. Back in the room, we let the kids order Mickey ice cream bars from room service. When the ice cream got there, we had a great silly time...toasting each other with our Mickey ice cream bars and our great family vacation. We got DD2 in bed with visions of a visit from the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny dancing in her head. Our niece and her fiance' offered to stay with the kids so we could go back down to the District. DH, BIL, SIL and I headed down and had a drink and wished they were playing better music! There was only about six other people in there. We walked around and looked at all the areas. As we were heading back in the room, Dante brought our signed pillowcase. It was really cute! It was signed by the fab five and the princesses! We didn't even have to stand in line! Heehee! We all got in bed, except DS. He headed to the teen area so he could close it down one last time. My feelings were torn. I didn't want our vacation to be over, but I was anxious to get back home to check on my mom. The only down side to the cruise...They make you get up way too early to disembark!
    Last edited by mickeymom5; 06-26-2013 at 05:52 PM.
    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

  7. #6
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Drexel Hill, PA

    Awesome report. My niece wants to take her kids on a Disney cruise. sounds like they keep them busy


  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by suejacken View Post
    Awesome report. My niece wants to take her kids on a Disney cruise. sounds like they keep them busy
    Thanks! We really enjoyed it. I was afraid it wouldn't be as special as my WDW trips, but it was! I am sure your niece and her kids would love it!
    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

  9. #8
    Day Four: March 31st

    We all reluctantly got up this morning because we knew that meant our vacation was over...all except the long trek up I-95 back home. DD2 actually was very happy to wake up this morning. She had to check out if the tooth fairy and the Easter Bunny had found her on the high seas. They both came through for her. The tooth fairy gave her a dollar for her tooth and the Easter Bunny had a Disney theme this year. The Easter Bunny brought all the kids some Disney chocolate and Disney notepads and pens. DD1 got the cute starfish from Finding Nemo...not sure her name?!!?? We just love her during the Nemo ride in Epcot when she counts all the visitors for the day. DD2 got a Mickey who is in a yellow bunny costume. It looked like the Easter Bunny had done some shopping at the Disney store....

    We did not get up early enough to eat breakfast at the Enchanted Garden so we headed off to Cabanas for one last time. It didn't disappoint! Still yummy. Since it was Easter morning, they had special decorations in the dining room with Easter candy for the kids. We waited until the very last minute to disembark. We had several people ask DD2 where she got her special Easter Mickey....the Easter Bunny of course! The gift shops did have some very pricey Easter baskets. They were filled with items available in the gift shop, but bundled in a basket...

    Exiting the terminal isn't nearly as nice as when you enter it. They lead you down to the basement to pick up your luggage. Ours was in the Orange Goofy section. I started to take pictures of the signs, when my husband pointed to a very large sign that I did not see...NO PICTURE TAKING! Oops...I put up the camera. I guess they don't want you taking pictures of this area because you are going through customs. This part of the trip didn't have the same Disney magic. It felt very rushed and bye-bye to me! They didn't physically push you out the door, but you could tell they wanted to.

    Customs was a breeze. We hadn't bought food or anything exciting so we went through quickly. We met up with SIL and her crew outside of the terminal. BIL called Executive Parking to tell them we were ready for the shuttle to pick us up. It took him quite awhile to get to us. He made it and we rode the shuttle back with just our family on board. We had to say our good-byes in the parking lot. SIL and crew live in FL so they had an hour drive ahead of them. We had a 10 hour drive ahead of us.

    Ride home was uneventful. DD2 was thrilled to try Krystal burgers for the first time. I was a little disappointed...Three days of great food and service, and I end up eating a Krystal burger on the side of I-95!

    My mom was doing well...so the ride home was more relaxed than the drive down.

    I will try to type up some closing thought later tonight!

    Thanks for reading!
    If you can dream it, you can do it. ~ Walt Disney ~
    1982 Off-site, BC 9/01, ASMo 1/04, ASMu 8-9/08, POFQ 4/09, BC/POR 7/10, AKL and Wyndham Grand Resort at Bonnet Creek 7&8/12, CS 11/12, Disney Dream 3/13, POR and BW 12/13-1/14, Pop Century 7/14, Fort Wilderness 8/15, POR/AoA (MNSSHP and Food and Wine Festival 10/15), Fort Wilderness 7/16, Off-site 12/16, Off-site 12/17, Off-site 12/18 and Disney Magic, 7/19 Off-site DL/DCA

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