Just the two of us! (Need I say anything more?) Our Fantasy & Dream trip~many photos

[shadowryter]

I haven't posted in a while due to family issues but thought I would try again so here I am with a TR that will hopefully keep you wanting to come back for more. First off I want you to know that I never seem to know where to posts PTR’s and TR’s but since this is more DCL than WDW I figured this was the place to start.

I started planning this trip pretty much as soon as I finished our last one in October of 2012. My cast of characters have shrunk by one this year. Our daughter Heather joined the work force and after a few bumps finally found a good place of employment. This left me with the question of are you going with us? Can you go with us? Well between a new job and a new boyfriend I soon leaned the answer was no. Sad!!!! Heather not only decided to stay at home she also made the decision to take care of her grandmother when she came home from rehab after a second broken hip. Little was I or anyone else to know that my mom would have a series of health issues that would keep her from coming home for many more weeks and right through our vacation.

Who’s going?:

Linda…me…age 58. I love all things Disney, especially Tink. I’m a photo bug at heart so I will be posting many pictures of our adventures to keep you smiling, interested and maybe entertained. My husband tells me that I should have been a travel agent because I am so meticulous about my Disney planning. Which brings me to the other character.

Dan…my dear husband…age 49. Dan loves Disney but got bit by the cruising bug a few years ago and will only cruise with Disney. He loves the ships, loves dressing like a pirate and just being a kid at heart for a week or so. Can you blame him?

Our plans:

We will arrive at Disney from MCO on November 29th where we will spend one night at Port Orleans Riverside, a new resort for us. The rest of the day will be spent at the Magic Kingdom then off to Boatwright’s for dinner to celebrate Dan’s 49th birthday. The next morning we will be picked up by Florida Tours limo and head to Port Canaveral where we will board the Disney Fantasy on November 30th for a seven day Eastern Caribbean cruise to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Disney’s Castaway Cay: Cat 08B – Deluxe family ocean view stateroom. Our first porthole.

After this cruise we will head back to Disney on December 7th for a one night stay at the Wilderness Lodge and a day spent at Epcot followed by another trip to the port on the 8th for a four day cruise aboard the Disney Dream: Cat 05E – Deluxe ocean view stateroom with oversized verandah. On the 12th we will finally and sadly return home. All of this because our daughter decided not to go. Now understand that this was the first vacation Dan and I have ever taken without our daughter. The first time alone in twenty years! I think I went kind of crazy with the planning. Lol!!!

So there you have it. The beginning of our vacation. There’s so much more to come. Lots of fun, celebrations, meets and surprises and of course many, many photos.

 

[disny_luvr]

I'm following along, Linda. I can't wait to hear all about your trip, especially the Fantasy.

Louise

 

[Cheryl726]

Looking forward to seeing all the pics!

 

[Lisa Lisa]

Wow, the Fantasy AND the Dream?! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

 

[shadowryter]

I'm following along, Linda. I can't wait to hear all about your trip, especially the Fantasy.

Louise

Welcome Louise. I so love the Fantasy but just one day of Disney to get through first. Lol.

Looking forward to seeing all the pics!

There are quite a few, Cheryl...will take more than one post to finish a day.

Wow, the Fantasy AND the Dream?! Can't wait to read about your adventures!

Welcome Lisa, coming up!

 

[shadowryter]

November 29th
The plan was to go to bed early in anticipation of our limo ride to T.F.Green Airport in Providence R.I. Originally Heather was going to drive us but being this was Black Friday and she was working a twelve hour shift we decided to keep the limo and let our girl get some much needed sleep. We both just laid there wide awake possibly dozing here and there. I don’t really remember but when the alarm went off at 4am we were up, dressed and waiting. The limo was on time so our bags were collected as I said goodbye to an angry cat. The ride was a little over an hour and I think I fell asleep on the way. We did curbside check-in, went through security which was heightened, found a seat and waited. A little before 8 am we boarded and less than 3 hours later we were in sunny Orlando.

Our Magic Bands were in my carryon and we were quickly reminded as we approached Disney’s Magical Express that these must be worn to get through the process quicker. I opened my bag, found the bands and Dan and I struggled with putting them on for the first time. The rest was a breeze. No paperwork just the bands that held all the information and we were done and on our way to Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside.

I had previously done the online check-in and was surprised when we were met by a young woman holding a tablet instead of standing in line. She scanned the band and told me that our room was ready. She gave us our KTTW card just in case along with some little 2013 glow in the dark additions to our Magic Bands. I’ve heard in some cases the bands fell off and these were to make sure that they didn’t. Now one thing I forgot to do was ask for a Mansion room. I really liked the looked of these and hoped to get one. My heart kind of sunk when we were told that we were in Alligator Bayou but as we made our way through the paths to our room I was quite taken by the beauty of the landscaping as well as the buildings.
Alligator Bayou grounds

I asked for a corner room on a top floor. We already had a king-size water view room so I was pleased that we also had our requests except for the Mansion part. We entered our room in building 38 via the Magic Bands which mine did not work…oopsy!!! Dan’s did so I never bothered to say anything about mine. The room was absolutely lovely and I wasn't disappointed at all.
Our AB room

After checking out the room and taking lots of photos we went to find the bus that would take us to the Magic Kingdom. We finally entered MK at around 12:30 a lot earlier than I was expecting all due to the expediency if our Magic Bands. Now some of you may recall that I managed to get a Fast Pass for lunch at Be Our Guest. I kind of cheated but got my ressies even ordering our meal ahead of time and wasn’t sure that they would be there when we arrived. We headed for the New Fantasyland and was too early for lunch so we wandered around to check out all the new and exciting things. Our BOG ressies were between 2:15 and 2:45 followed by our first FP ride at 3 to 4 on Dumbo. Dan had never ridden Dumbo and I was so surprised when he said he wanted to. After checking out the sights and Big Top Treats it was time to head for lunch…hopefully.

 

[shadowryter]

Continued...

Train station greets all

Main Street Christmas lanterns

A peek at BOG

The Beast’s castle

Prince Eric’s castle

Ariel at entrance of Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

Big Top Treats

I checked in for the FP at BOG and was told everything was all set. YEAH!!! We were told to go straight to the front where we would be greeted and enter the “castle”. Once there we were told that we could sit anywhere we liked. I chose the Rose Room where you are met by a beautiful rotating statue of the Beast and Bell. Dan and I found an empty table and waited. He was a bit concerned because no one came to our table and I kept telling him to be patient and just wait. About 10 minutes passed and a young woman with a cart approached our table. Ahhh the magic…unfortunately our order was completely wrong and included two child’s plates???

After a few more minutes another cart arrived with a different server and our meal was served. The problem was that the original woman also appeared with the same order. It seemed to be a lack of communication and as our meal progressed we heard a lot of wrong orders all around us. About 6 or so that I recall. The magic does not have quite all the kinks worked out yet I guess. Lol!

All in all we enjoyed our pre-planned meal. It was a bit too much as I ordered some extras that maybe I should have resisted. Oh well.

Potato Leek Soup…Very velvety and yummy

French Onion Soup…A classic. Dan loved it

Croque Monsieur and Pom Frits…Very good. Crisp on the outside….gooey on the inside…nice large potatoes

Carved Prime Chuck Roast Beef Sandwich and Pom Frits…Dan liked this also. Lots of nice beef and hot fries.

The Master’s Cupcake…The Grey stuff piled high on a moist chocolate cupcake.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cupcake…moist and flavorful…another winner

Neither one of these desserts are meant to pick up and eat. Use a fork if you please!
Tropical Fruit Cream Puff….remember the extras? So yummy.

Chocolate Cream Puff…Rich and chocolaty.

After lunch it was time to shoot some photos and I didn’t leave until I checked out every room.
The Rose Gallery

 

[shadowryter]

Still continued...

The Ballroom

The West Wing...what part of you dont use a flash on a projected image do they not understand?

Entrance Inside

Entrance Outside

Next...off to ride Dumbo, the Little Mermaid and Haunted Mansion. Will our FP luck continue?

 

[disny_luvr]

I love your pictures of POR. I haven't stayed there in a long time. Heck, last time I stayed there it was still called Dixie Landings. I may just have to show my DH these pictures. I think he'd like it there. I'm glad you got a corner room. We had a corner room last time we stayed at CBR and we think the two windows makes the room appear larger. We'd definitely request a corner room again.

BOG looks awesome. Hopefully we'll get back to WDW before too long and we can try out that restaurant. I thought your food looked amazing (l love French Onion soup also so I'd definitely be getting that) too and the desserts - yummy!

 

[Linda67]

Lovely photos of POR.
We are staying there for two nights ahead of our cruise at the end of May
Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip

 

[maslex]

Can't wait to hear more

 

[shadowryter]

I love your pictures of POR. I haven't stayed there in a long time. Heck, last time I stayed there it was still called Dixie Landings. I may just have to show my DH these pictures. I think he'd like it there. I'm glad you got a corner room. We had a corner room last time we stayed at CBR and we think the two windows makes the room appear larger. We'd definitely request a corner room again.

BOG looks awesome. Hopefully we'll get back to WDW before too long and we can try out that restaurant. I thought your food looked amazing (l love French Onion soup also so I'd definitely be getting that) too and the desserts - yummy!

Thank you. There are so many photo ops at POR. Believe it or not there are more to come. Really liked BOG lunch but hoping to get dinner ressies next time.

Lovely photos of POR.
We are staying there for two nights ahead of our cruise at the end of May
Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip

You will love it there!

Can't wait to hear more

More coming up!

 

[shadowryter]

November 29th continued….

After our filling lunch and my photo’s Dan and I made our way past BOG and headed towards Dumbo. I paused to look at the new Ariel ride and told Dan we had a FP for this in a couple of hours to which he crinkled his nose and shook his head. We got in line for Dumbo and it wasn’t a very long wait at all. Dan and I shared an elephant and away we went. It was fun and the look on Dan’s face was priceless. I could not believe that this was the first chance he had ever ridden this iconic ride.

After Dumbo we had some time to burn until our next FP so we headed out of Fantasyland and through the castle. Now as many times as I have been through the castle I can’t say that I have ever taken the time to admire the tiled murals that line the walls never mind thought of taking a picture. So while Dan stood guard I took a picture of each wall. He stood by because he is bigger than I am and some over enthusiastic tourists might just run you over.
Dumbo

Gaston

Castle Murals…so pretty

Castles Christmas decorations

A pretty flower

Alice Topiary

Time for some shopping

And a Pineapple Dole Whip Float

It was finally time to ride Little Mermaid but I had to explain to Dan that this was a ride. No…we were not going to visit Ariel, though her grotto for meet and greets was just next door. Lol! The ride was real cute but on the dark side at times so photos were impossible. At least for me.
Waterfalls in queue line

Not so focused…sorry

On the way to Adventureland to ride Pirates we passed a few interesting photo ops.
Beast’s Castle at dusk

Rapunzel’s Tower

Riverboat reflection

Our last FP was the Haunted Mansion and then we were off to catch the castle lights.
Beautiful Castle Lights


To be continued...

 

[shadowryter]

A few images from my Samsung Galaxy

Flowers everywhere

Walt and Mickey

And friends

Though Magic Kingdom was open until 1 am we had dinner reservations at Boatwright’s at 9:50 and decided to leave the park around 8 but not before stopping for a little bit of shopping.

Busy Castle Forecourt

Tin Soldier

Blurry Balloons

We arrived back at POR in plenty of time to freshen up and head to our diner ressies. Arriving a little early we waited no more than ten minutes then were shown a nice little table upstairs. Dan didn't care for the atmosphere but I thought it was fine. Our server brought us our menus along with ice water and a basket of corn bread. We made our orders and in the back of mind I was thinking…will there be cake?
Boatwright’s

Menu

Corn Bread

Dan talked me into getting an Ultimate Long Island Ice Tea. I swear there was no tea in this drink.
Ultimate LIIT

Yummy aps
Cajon-seasoned Crawfish Bites…served with Remoulade Sauce

Shrimp & Grits…Sautéed Grits with Tasso ham and Red-eye Gravy over a grilled Grit Cake

Both of these were soooo good and so very big. One was enough for two people. Next up….the entrees.
Dan chose Crawfish Étouffée…Crawfish simmered in a rich seafood sauce served over rice

I chose the Pasta with Shrimp…Spinach, Mushrooms, Shallots, Peas, Sun-dried pesto and Asiago cheese over Orecchiette pasta.

Again so delicious but such huge portions. I bet that I ate less than half and Dan ate about two thirds. I have to admit that the Étouffée was incredible and Dan raved so much about it that the chef came to our table and gave me the recipe. Dan told him that this was the best he has ever eaten and the chef was thrilled. I can’t wait to make this though craw fish is hard to come by here. Lobster may be substituted.

Still more to come....

 

[shadowryter]

Up next was dessert and though I was thinking about a slice of pecan pie or seasonal bread pudding I had to ask? Is the cake I ordered for my husband’s birthday here? The look on her face was priceless. She obviously knew nothing about my cake but she scurried away and we waited while Dan worked on his second “Ice Tea” and I nursed my first. In a few minutes our server returned. She was behind Dan and I tried to suppress a smile as she approached with Mardi gras beads and balloons in one hand and Dan’s birthday cake in the other. She came up from behind him as some other servers joined in in a hearty Happy Birthday song. Dan had his cake, balloons, beads and a birthday pin. What a great ending to an already perfect day.
Birthday cake….Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting

Birthday Boy

Shots around POR at Christmas Time

Next…One last chance for photos before heading to the port and boarding the Fantasy

 

[tweis]

Great TR so far! I can't wait to read more!

Trina

 

[shadowryter]

Great TR so far! I can't wait to read more!

Trina

Thanks Trina.

 

[shadowryter]

November 30th
We woke up in plenty of time before our limo pickup of 10 am arrived. I headed out and walked around the grounds of Port Orleans Riverside to look for some photo ops which seemed to be around every corner. I took my time and got some great shots hopefully not too much for you all to view.
Some of my favorites...ok, a lot!!!

So that’s what in there?

Goodbye 38 Alligator Bayou

I returned and did the last minute check before call bell services to help with our luggage. Problem was when I called they said they were backed up and the wait would be about 50 minutes. What??? So Dan and I reluctantly dragged our luggage and carryon’s through the walkways and finally to the front. Our limo was actually early and before we knew it we were on our way to 7 days on the Fantasy.

Continued next post...

 

[shadowryter]

November 30th continued...

Our limo driver Damian was very chatty which was nice. He was actually filling in for someone on his day off but the conversion made the ride to the port very pleasant and quick. Soon we were crossing the bridge and getting the first glimpse of the Fantasy.
There she is...
First glimpse…through tinted glass…sorry

We checked in and got into a seemingly long line for security but soon we were through it and inside the terminal. We were directed to the counter which was #23, turned in our paperwork and received our lanyards and boarding pass which was #3. We found a place to sit which was a task in itself because the place was already packed. I spent some time taking some pictures as always until I heard the family of the day being announced which sounded familiar to me and just happened to be one of the families from our Face Book page. In a few minutes we heard our number, went through the yellow Mickey ears, checked in with our KTTW card and had our photo taken.
DCL Terminal

Close-up of cute Mickey hands….Hey I wonder if the time is always off???

Christmas inside the terminal

Boarding pass

Here we go

Love this!


Once our photo was taken it was up the gangway where we would be welcomed home. Now some of you may remember that last year when I gave them our family name I wanted to make sure they said it correctly. Koo-z-an. Kuzian with a K and we were promptly welcomed as the Guzman family. We still laugh about it today. So a young man from Canada welcomed us and asked our name to which I explained briefly what happened last time and that we were Kuzian with a K. Then came the announcement. “Welcome aboard, the Kuzian family. Kuzian with a K!” Oh well at least he got it right.

We quickly got in line for guest services to sign up for tastings and drop off my plate for character signatures. Dan wanted champagne which was not offered. We already had a group Mixology booked so I grabbed up the Wine and Chocolate to Dan’s dismay. I asked if he wanted anything else but nothing appealed to him so we left it at that. We had in past done Mixology, Martini, Tequila and Margarita and Whiskey so I was fine with just the two. I also learned at Guest Services that the Fantasy was a full sailing not even an upgrade to be found.

We were directed to Cabana’s for lunch and headed for deck 11. We grabbed a table, Dan ordered us a drink in a souvenir glass and we were off to the buffet. Oooo so many choices. I didn’t take any pictures of the food offerings due to the crowds.
So many yummy things though the steak was waaayy overdone.

Stone Crab….Dan loves these

Potato and Leek soup…this was so good

Desserts for two!

After lunch we headed outside to find a table and fill our glasses with Coke. It was here that Dan decided to play photographer and you can see the results. Lol!
Striking a pose

Really now?

Final shot…ok not to bad. I would have removed the glass!


Continued next post...

 

[shadowryter]

November 30th continued...
By now it was a little after 1:30 so we decided to head up to deck 9 and see if our room was ready which it was. This was our first Porthole window stateroom and I was a tad curious of what I would see. I was pleasantly surprised.
Our Forward Stateroom #9506

Another Silver backpack

Love this round tub<3

Asti for two

Room art

I’m going to love this window

We had a meet at three with our Facebook friends and headed to D-Lounge where a group was already wandering around. One of our cruisers a gentleman from Australia had special bracelets made so we could identify each other during our cruise. They were only buck and really cool. We sat and chatted with many of our cruise mates some of which I recognized and some I did not but soon the crowd had to disperse to get ready for the lifeboat drill.
D-Lounge

Can you see the Mickey head in the ceiling?
FFV Bracelet

Not my image
Next...leaving Port Canaveral as that familiar feeling strikes again.