Think of all the joy you’ll find …….. Update - January 06

[MAGICFOR2]

In German it is "Die Katze ist aus dem Sack". Sometimes the expressions are really similar, but slightly different. A famous example is "to pull someone's leg" in English would be "to take someone onto one's arm" (i.e. carrying around like a baby) in German. And some are the same. I think in both languages you don't look into a gifted horse's mouth? It is always fun to discover these things!

There you go! Maybe a lot of these sayings came from Germany ? The baby on the arm... pulling someone's leg means to lie or to trick, usually teasing. Not sure if that one is the same. I think I could recognize the Kat out of the sack, though.

 

[dizneeat]

Boo to saying auf wiedersehen to WDW and BLT but yay for heading to the port! Glad you figured out a way to get around the traffic jam. I love the birthday surprise! I liked Cariocas but it is loud!

Jill in CO

It was sad that we did not have more time at the park, but we were really looking forward to the cruise (even though I was a bit on the fence since it was the Magic again.

There was not much I could do for Tom's birthday, but I had to get him the birthday package and at least a bottle of the bubbly.

We both are not huge fans of the regular menu at Cariocas, but we just love to eat at the TS restaurant turned buffet when going on board. There are just too many people at Cabanas and even though I think they have more options at Cabanas I will happily find enough to munch on in Cariocas (or any other of the Embarcation restaurants).

Karin,
I am finally having a moment to read !! Your picture on main street that you mention about the childs toy, those "dogs" are actually named butterscotch and licorice. They are the pets of the main street new reporter Scoop Sanderson, he this the guy in your picture on the back of the trolley. Angelina is a very good friend of Scoop and many years ago when one of his "dogs" were retired they came home to live with us .
Tell Tom we all say HELLO !!!!

Welcome, Michelle!
Thank you for the insight on the toy dogs. I had never seen them before and we were in awe at this little detail. Now that I know the story behind it, it is even more special. And to know that you "took in" the retired days is awesome. Take good care of them - I bet Angie loves them.

 

[linetbo]

Karina asked me last night for your trip report, I guess she is also an addict!!

 

[dizneeat]

​

Day 2, March 29

They say it’s your birthday …… Part 5


Time was just flying by and we were asked to go up to the buffet again, before they closed it, but we were both full and soon got up to check out our stateroom in more detail.
Tom got to now closely inspect his birthday goodies and found that the card that had come with the birthday package was actually signed by Captain Mickey. We unloaded our carry ons and when we peaked out the door, one of our suitcases had arrived too and our stateroom host was just walking by and introduced himself. So with part of the luggage already at hand we started unpacking.
But not for long, as it soon was time to head to the D-Lounge for the DVC welcome presentation. We grabbed an offered drink,

found a table and watched and listened to the hosts excitedly talking about the new resorts. We were pretty pleased that there were no little “games” played in between and that it was kept fairly interesting. Point of the whole thing is selling more points and we are quite happy with what we have and don’t want to add on. At the end of the presentation we all got to keep the folders they had handed out and were handed a DVC hat and with that in hand we headed back up to our stateroom. We still had a little time before the Lifeboat Drill and wanted to unpack a bit more.
I was putting things into the big wardrobe when we saw that the safe was broken and I really mean broken.

Part of the outside panel was hanging down. And while we were still “admiring” it, the sliding door started moving and you could see that it just hit the panel when the safe was not closed. Off to find the stateroom host we went. He took a look at it and asked us to call guest services and they would send someone to fix it. But by now it was time to head to deck 4 for the Safety Drill.
Thankfully this time we had not forgotten to bring sunglasses and were now waiting for the drill to be over. The CM in charge of our group was pretty funny and cracked a lot of jokes so the time went by really quickly. And without further ado we were dismissed and ready to slowly creep up to our stateroom with the masses. Once there we finally had enough time to call guest services and let them know about the broken safe.
And we were impressed as within minutes someone knocked at the door, took a look, went to get a fresh panel and had it repaired. All in all it did not take more than 15 minutes and we were thoroughly impressed. And only when he left we noticed that the ship was actually already moving. So we quickly took our ship’s cards and headed to the top deck.

We found a nice spot with not too many people around and started waving, especially when we got close to Fishlips

as we knew there were several friends watching and they might just spot us if we waved just enough. And needless to say, a little later I got a message from my friend Teresa with a photo of us attached.

We stayed on the top deck for quite a while

until the ship had left the port and the captain had even used the Mickey whistle twice. Before we headed back to our stateroom to finally unpack Tom picked up a

Hot Dog and some fries and we added a bit of coleslaw for a quick snack in our stateroom. And after that it was finally time to unpack and unwind a bit. We were far happier with our stateroom this time, as there were no smells and even though you could definitely still see a lot of wear and tear it looked all in all better than the one we had had during the Med cruise. Once our second suitcase had arrived and we had everything unpacked

and stowed away we sat out on the veranda with a beer and some Diet Coke and celebrated Tom’s birthday again. Time flies when you are having fun and it was soon time to get changed and ready for dinner. And at precisely quarter past 8 we walked down to Carioca’s for our first dinner on board. There is this thing about Europeans being on time, but we have learned that when we leave at exactly the time we should be there we can walk right in with very little to no wait.
Works like a charm.
So we arrived at the restaurant a few minutes after it opened and there were only two families ahead of us and within a few seconds we were led to our table for two. Our serving team came right over and introduced themselves, went through the allergy spiel and soon brought out our Diet Cokes, followed by the bread service,

Warm Banana Bread with a

Mango-Mint Mojo. We are both no big fans of banana bread, but we tried a small piece and then went for the rolls. Tom quite enjoyed the Mango-Mint Mojo, while I stuck with butter after tasting it. There were recommendations for dinner and after ordering it didn’t take long for the starters to come out. Tom had chosen the

Tiger Shrimp Ceviche and Palmitos Salad, with Cucumber, Cilantro and a Tomato Citrus dressing. It looked really good and he enjoyed it. I had opted for a salad as well, the

Cuban Salad, with Watercress, Avocado, Pineapple, Toasted Cuban Bread and a Cider Vinegar Dressing. It was really nice and fresh and hit the spot. Soon it was time for main courses. Tom had ordered

Prime Rib, that I don’t see on the online menu and it came with a baked potato and some veg. I had

Roasted Chicken over polenta, which I don’t find on the menu either. But both were really nice and a perfect main course. For dessert Tom had the

Coconut Tres Leches “Three Milk” Cake, Moist Coconut Cake soaked in three milks and I don’t recall what mine was and if it was even from the Carioca’s menu as it looks much more like the

White Chocolate Fudge Cake, served with Raspberry Coulis and Whipped Cream, which is on the Animator’s Palate menu. After finishing dinner we said goodbye to our server team and headed back to our room where we were greeted by a towel swan

and our stateroom host had even refilled the ice bucket with fresh ice. It was still Tom’s birthday, so we opened the sparkling wine

I had ordered for him and sat out on the veranda enjoying the night air before going to bed.

To be continued ..........​

 

[dizneeat]

Karina asked me last night for your trip report, I guess she is also an addict!!

Love it!

 

[jedijill]

I'm glad your stateroom experience was better this time. I can't believe that the stateroom host hadn't had the safe fixed prior to you getting onboard though!

Jill in Co

 

[dizneeat]

I'm glad your stateroom experience was better this time. I can't believe that the stateroom host hadn't had the safe fixed prior to you getting onboard though!

Jill in Co

As you might guess, this time we came prepared with an air freshener, but would not have needed it. The room was clean and smelled fresh and we had the nicest stateroom host we have had in a long time.
It would have been easy for the host to overlook the safe. It you pulled the panel up and closed it carefully it would not move much, so I guess it was really just an oversight. No biggie. (Might have been a problem in the Med, as I was so annoyed with everything then, that this could have turned out to be a problem. )

 

[KatMark]

I'm too far behind again to comment on everything, but I have read.

Again, love your view from BLT; first thing in the a.m...so pretty. We looked at the menu for BOG breakfast, but for the price it did not appeal. But I'm glad you enjoyed it. And you finally got to ride Mine Train.

What a nice birthday surprise for Tom in your room on the ship.

And, as always, the food looks marvelous.

 

[dizneeat]

Again, love your view from BLT; first thing in the a.m...so pretty. We looked at the menu for BOG breakfast, but for the price it did not appeal.

The view was such a treat. I had been happy to stay at BLT again anyway, but that upgrade really added a lot of Pixie dust to our trip.
Yes, the price for breakfast is a bit on the steep side, but since it was Tom's birthday and brandnew I thought it would be a good idea to go for it.

And you finally got to ride Mine Train.

So fun!!

What a nice birthday surprise for Tom in your room on the ship.

It was a pretty neat surprise and he seemed to enjoy it a lot.

 

[GoofyFan1515]

Once we had exited we headed towards the resort monorail, so we could fit in another “ride”. The monorail just pulled into the station when we reached the top of the walkway and since about everyone left to visit the Magic Kingdom we got to have the car all to ourselves.

That's not something you see every day.............

So we started to slowly move down Main Street, just to see the dancers perform right where the side streets enter.

The Trolley Show is something I enjoy stopping to do every few trips............

Love Tom's Classic Mickey shirt!!!

But wait, we needed to do a little shopping beforehand, so we drove towards Downtown Disney, saw all the work going on and went towards the Publix that is close to Lake Bryant.


And hit the traffic jam.

How does traffic always seem to know when you are in a hurry so it can delay you when you need it least..........???

There were two things we still wanted to do, one of them being to check if we had been granted our request of a table for two. So we walked to the side entrance of Lumiere’s and had a CM waiting right there to take us to the right table and in a matter of seconds we knew that our request had been granted.
Yippie.

Always great news when you get exactly what you requested!

A look at our watch told us that by now they must have opened the staterooms and before we went in search of some food we headed up to our room to drop off our carry ons. I had Tom walk in first, as there was another surprise waiting for him, a DCL Birthday Package, which included a bed runner, a greeting card and a banner

So cool.........what a great surprise!

 

[JKSWonder]

I love your FE. It's adorable.

 

[dizneeat]

Just wanted to fill you in on what has happened here this last weekend.

Tom and I have had a bit of the Disney Blues, knowing that our next Disney trip was not until August 2016. We have been checking Lufthansa airfare, but it was just not in the budget.
Now, this weekend I got an offer from Airberlin, a low cost carrier, offering a really low fare of just 700€ per person to go from Salzburg to Miami in the Spring. My pulse started racing when I quickly checked if that would be within our budget and even though it would be tight, it would work.
So Tom and I sat down, signed up for their rewards programme as it sounded like a good thing, then started the booking process. And really, the flight was just the 700€ of the offer,
BUT
then it started to add up. We priced out parking and gas to go to Salzburg, we priced out the train to find a cheaper option, but it really added to the airfare. Then we found out that they charge for seats and if we wanted seats with a little more legroom it was 140€ extra per person. They charge for food and the meals that you can order online are not on the cheap side. Sure I can bring my own food, but that would cost money too.
When we got to the 2000€ mark for the two flights we gave up.
Not in the cards.
Not in the budget.
To say I was crushed would be an understatement.

All afternoon yesterday I was dreaming up strategies of how it would be possible to maybe find a way to travel, but NO, there was none.

In the late afternoon I thought, as a last resort and to put my mind at rest, I would do something that Magdalene (Flossbolna) had told me to try.
I still had this summer's flight, but the receipt said
"non refundable, non changeable"
and I was sure that flight was lost, since we would not be able to travel this summer, and lost were the 2500€ I had paid for the tickets.
So, around 6pm I picked up the phone, called Lufthansa and asked if there was any way to change the date on this flight.
I talked to a very nice employee, who didn't give me much hope at first, but said, he would try to find a solution, but he had to put me on hold. Took 45 minutes for him to come back,
and now.......









We




have



got



some



news



for



you!

He WAS able to change our flights to Spring/Easter 2016 for a fee of 240€ for the two of us and we are now going back to WDW for 9 days during Flower and Garden.

We loved the sneak peak we had gotten during the two half days we had had after Tom's birthday cruise, but there was so much more to see, that we missed because of the short time we had had.
Now we will be able to enjoy Easter and Flower and Garden again with far more time.

Needless to say we both are over the moon. ​

 

[jedijill]

Woot Woot! That is super exciting news! Yay Lufthansa!!!!! That is amazing! Congrats!!

Jill in CO

 

[Teri1]

Karin I am so glad you did not lose your money on your plane fare. Although I am very sad we will not get to see you this year. We are going to WDW in Nov. 2016 for Lily's first visit.

 

[franandaj]

You have certainly been putting on your creative planning skills!

I've lived in Long Beach for almost 20 years, so if you need any reccomendations for restaurants in Long Beach, I would be happy to give you some of our favorites. That's great that you will be getting back to see Walt's park, so much has been changing recently. And what a nice long trip, and then a Panama Canal Cruise! How great is that?

You seem to be getting off to a good start for Tom's 50th Birthday trip! He and I both hit the big 5-0 this year. I had a great time at mine with Jill, Alicia, and Cynthia. (Jenny too, but she isn't following your reports).

And then this new trip, how great that Lufthansa was able to work with you and change the airfare. I don't know how much 240C is, but I'm guessing it wasn't nearly as much as the original price of the flight. I had to cancel my Flower and Garden trip this year, but just re booked one for next year, I cant wait to see it because we only got a taste of it four years ago when we were there the day after it closed.

 

[dizneeat]

That's not something you see every day.............

We especially don't see it often, as we usually travel at the height of the travel season, so we REALLY love to see the monorail so empty.

The Trolley Show is something I enjoy stopping to do every few trips............

We just love watching the entertainment at the parks. And the MK has some of the best.

How does traffic always seem to know when you are in a hurry so it can delay you when you need it least..........???

So true!

So cool.........what a great surprise!

I have often gifted the package to friends who were celebrating a birthday at sea and was very happy to be able to buy it for Tom's special birthday.

I love your FE. It's adorable.

Thank you! It was a spur of the moment decision when I could not find our other one and it has been the one to take every cruise since then.

Woot Woot! That is super exciting news! Yay Lufthansa!!!!! That is amazing! Congrats!!

Jill in CO

It is super exciting. We were really missing WDW since we only had had 3 hours before the cruise and two "half" days after it. This gives us an opportunity to really enjoy Flower and Garden. We missed so many of the yummy food options they offered for it too.

And since Lufthansa saved the day it is also included in this vacations picture. Did you spot it?

Karin I am so glad you did not lose your money on your plane fare. Although I am very sad we will not get to see you this year. We are going to WDW in Nov. 2016 for Lily's first visit.

Teresa, no one was more thrilled about being able to change the flights than I was. There was no chance we would have been able to take summer flights and it IS a lot of money that we would have lost. (about $2800)
Not being able to see you this summer is a bummer for us too, but I hope we will be able to meet up with you in the very near future, even though Nov 2016 is just not in the cards. Can't get away at that time as long as I am still teaching.

 

[dizneeat]

You have certainly been putting on your creative planning skills!

I've lived in Long Beach for almost 20 years, so if you need any reccomendations for restaurants in Long Beach, I would be happy to give you some of our favorites. That's great that you will be getting back to see Walt's park, so much has been changing recently. And what a nice long trip, and then a Panama Canal Cruise! How great is that?

Thank you for your great offer of giving us recommendations for restaurants in Long Beach. I will definitely come back to you to ask for advice! Locals always know the best spots.
We have been to DL several times but the last time was 10 years ago and we cannot wait to see all the new additions and changes.
Guess I will have to check back with you for advice on the park as well, if you don't mind.

You seem to be getting off to a good start for Tom's 50th Birthday trip! He and I both hit the big 5-0 this year. I had a great time at mine with Jill, Alicia, and Cynthia. (Jenny too, but she isn't following your reports).

Happy belated birthday to you!!!!!!! Hope you had a great party! Is it possible I saw a picture of your party on Alicia's FB page?

And then this new trip, how great that Lufthansa was able to work with you and change the airfare. I don't know how much 240C is, but I'm guessing it wasn't nearly as much as the original price of the flight. I had to cancel my Flower and Garden trip this year, but just re booked one for next year, I cant wait to see it because we only got a taste of it four years ago when we were there the day after it closed.

We have always liked Lufthansa as an airline, even though they are not considered low cost. I would never have thought that they would so easily agree to change our booking.
250€ are about 270$ so that is so much less than what we had paid for the initial flight which had been 2800$ in the first place.
It was funny to read how you got a glimpse of F&G arriving one day after it closed, as we were always there at the end of February and caught them preparing for it. It was awsome to see little bits and pieces, but in March this year we got to see it in full bloom, unfortunately the time was just too short, so we have been longing to go back.
I guess you will not go during the Easter week, because we would love to meet up with you, if our dates overlapped.

 

[KatMark]

Such exciting news on not losing the money and getting a bonus 9-day trip to Flower & Garden.

 

[JKSWonder]

How wonderful that you get to go in March! That's some terrific customer service on Lufthansa's part too.

I love Flower and Garden. My daughter and I both have birthdays during the last week of March, so we have been there a couple of times during Flower and Garden, but not since they added the food kiosks to the event.

 

[Leshaface]

and Tom put on some coffee, we grabbed some doughnuts and sat out on the balcony watching the sun and enjoying the view.

Seriously the best way to start your morning.

At around 7am we shared the second half of Tom’s birthday cake for breakfast,

Oh wait, this is DEFINITELY the best way to start a morning! BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR BREAKFAST!!

It felt so good to finally be back to the park after 13 months and we loved walking down Main Street

Wow, that is actually a long time for you two.

Open-Faced Bacon and Egg Sandwich, Poached eggs, Applewood smoked bacon, Brie cheese and Arugula on a toasted Baguette served with Fresh Fruit and the

Eggs Florentine, a Puff Pastry Shell with Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and fresh Spinach served with Country Ham and Roasted Plum Tomatoes. We were also served a plate of

I had no idea they were serving breakfast at BOG! Very awesome and it all looks delicious.

It wasn’t all that easy but we succeeded in the end and were quite pleased with the photos when we checked them lateron.

I had one heck of a time too! I never really paid attention to videos before we left (Wanted to be surprised!) so when we got on and I started taking video, I was all over the place I felt like! And I had forgotten that the ride rocked.

The monorail just pulled into the station when we reached the top of the walkway and since about everyone left to visit the Magic Kingdom we got to have the car all to ourselves.

Love when this happens. You're own private monorail

Thank GOODNESS we weren't there around Easter time. DM would have gone nuts over these!

Love Tom's shirt! Did you guys make it?

We arrived about 10 minutes later, paid for parking the rental car (and for those of you who wonder why we would pay for a rental car to just sit in the parking structure AND pay for parking – it saved us a lot of time on our last day! And since we were so short on time to spend at WDW this time it was more than worth it)

Very smart

a DCL Birthday Package, which included a bed runner, a greeting card and a banner

Oh my gosh, love the runner! And you can take it home too?

and a bottle of Fairytale Sparkling Wine to toast his special day.

Perfect.

And we must have caught his as well, as Jason, our server during the Med cruise, came hurrying over to us to hug us and say hello.

That is so awesome that he remembered you. You guys are definitely popular.

Wow, that is super broken

All in all it did not take more than 15 minutes and we were thoroughly impressed

That's great that it didn't take long, but i'm surprised that the stateroom host didn't notice it when getting it prepped for new guests

LOVE THIS!!!

Ugh, this looks good.

I had ordered for him and sat out on the veranda enjoying the night air before going to bed.

Perfect way to end the night!

He WAS able to change our flights to Spring/Easter 2016 for a fee of 240€ for the two of us and we are now going back to WDW for 9 days during Flower and Garden.

I am SO happy that you were able to get someone helpful on the phone to get those tickets reused! So now you really only have 9 months till a Disney trip!!!