Trip Report! ABD/DCL Mediterranean Magic Part 2 - IMAGE INTENSIVE!

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by HappyGrumpy

Your pics are awesome! I love your pics with Mickey and Dopey!!

Thanks, HG! I'm glad you like my pictures! I'm always so pleased with how they turn out.

If you don't mind me asking...have you always been a Disney Fan or was it not until ABD? I love to hear peoples Disney Stories if they have one!

I grew up less than 15 miles from Disneyland. My Dad's company gave him a membership to the Magic Kingdom Club, which gave us discounted access to Disneyland, so we went relatively frequently. Disney has been a part of my life all along. Disneyland while I lived in California, Disney World now that I'm in Ohio. As a kid, we'd go at *least* a couple of times a year. I went to Disneyland the night I graduated from High School. In college, I went even more often (I could afford to buy my own tickets). Later on, as a reward for losing 60 pounds, I bought myself an annual pass the first year they were available (they were INFINITELY less expensive when they first came out. I don't think they really believed a lot of people would be interested in them!) When I moved to Ohio, I went to Disney World for the first time. I've gone almost every year since.

So Disney is just a part of my life. I do love Disney. I always loved how clean Disneyland was. In the early days, you had to be careful. If you dropped something, it was *gone*... they swept up trash almost as fast as it hit the ground. I feel safe there. Same for WDW. I know I'll have a good time there, that there's always something interesting there. It's a comfort thing; a place to escape to that's familiar and relatively easy for me to get to. Disney Parks just make me happy.

So when I read about ABD, it just seemed a logical extension of my love of the Disney parks. And so far, I haven't been disappointed.

Oh, and talking about the Magic Kingdom Club... Back when Disneyland still had the A, B, C, D & E tickets, Magic Kingdom Club allowed you to buy a book of tickets that could be used for *any* ride. Essentially, it was a book full of E tickets. The only downside was, you didn't do the A & B ticket rides as much, because that same ticket could get you on an E ticket ride! Then, later, they offered a ticket that was, basically, a combination of park entry and entry to any & all rides. You pinned the ticket on, and it allowed you onto any ride without a ticket. It was the pre-curser to Disneyland going to just paying for entrance, with no more tickets. It was great, because you just didn't have to think about it; you could go on any ride, as many times as you liked. Eventually, the whole park went to paying for entrance only & no tickets (a lot of people lost jobs when they no longer needed ticket-takers!) At that point, Magic Kingdom Club became just a discount. Later, I got Magic Kingdom Club memberships at the places I worked. I had a Magic Kingdom Club card every year until they did away with it. I was SO SAD when they did away with it. I kept my last expired card for a long time... A part of my childhood gone.. Now I have a Disney Visa Card, but it's not quite the same. I tried joining D23 this year, but it was a total waste of money since I don't live in LA any more, and everything is focused around events out there.

Heheheheheh! You asked!

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[sayhello]

Originally Posted by 2GirlsMama

The pictures look like you stepped into a James Bond movie...well except Mickey & Dopey! Thanks for sharing!

A James Bond movie... I like that!

Glad you're enjoying!

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[HappyGrumpy]

Awesome! I knew you would have great story! I cant wait to take an ABD with you one day!! I really really really want to do Backstage and South Africa!

But that wont be at least till 2012/13.. ho hum!

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by HappyGrumpy

Awesome! I knew you would have great story! I cant wait to take an ABD with you one day!! I really really really want to do Backstage and South Africa!

But that wont be at least till 2012/13.. ho hum!

I really, really want to do Backstage Magic, too. Hmmmm.... could be fun! AlthoughI have to figure out how to justify that much money to stay in hotels when I can normally stay at my sister's house, though... But it does sound like a great tour!

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[kristilew]

SayHello, fabulous report, as always!

I love the picture of you with Mickey. And weren't the salt pans cool? We saw those in Peru as well, and found the process fascinating. I guess it never occurred to me to wonder before where salt came from.

Looking forward to the rest of your report, and more great pictures. Thanks for taking the time!

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by kristilew

SayHello, fabulous report, as always!

I love the picture of you with Mickey. And weren't the salt pans cool? We saw those in Peru as well, and found the process fascinating. I guess it never occurred to me to wonder before where salt came from.

Looking forward to the rest of your report, and more great pictures. Thanks for taking the time!

Thanks, kristilew!

I'd heard people talk about 'visiting the salt pans', and had no clue what they were talking about. Now I know. And yes, they're very cool!

More report very soon if I can get Photobucket to cooperate!

Sayhello

[2GirlsMama]

The Backstage trip is high on my list, but the cost makes us lean toward the out of country tours.

Sayhello, I keep checking for more pictures!!! Your trip reports are always GREAT!

[Disneygrl36]

Wow gorgeous views!!!!! Makes me really want to do a Med cruise. Love your Mickey & Dopey pics....so cute.

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by Disneygrl36

Wow gorgeous views!!!!! Makes me really want to do a Med cruise. Love your Mickey & Dopey pics....so cute.

Thanks! I'm sure you'd enjoy the Med!

Sayhello

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by 2GirlsMama

The Backstage trip is high on my list, but the cost makes us lean toward the out of country tours.

Sayhello, I keep checking for more pictures!!! Your trip reports are always GREAT!

I keep thinking I'll do the Backstage trip *some day*. We shall see.

More soon! Photobucket is giving me fits; if I can get it to behave, I should have more up tomorrow!

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[tig82174]

A wonderful second installment!! Now I can't wait to move on to part 3!!

Thanks for this great trip report....it's definitely getting my hubby and I excited about our trip!

I have a shopping/souvenir question for you........

the stairwell to our basement (which is our office/den & an extra spare bedroom when guests are visiting) is painted with "magnetic paint" so that your walls become magnetic. We use this area as a living scrapbook and put up pictures from our various Disney and DCL adventures....but we also buy a magnet for everywhere we vacation or visit (Any city we visit---magnet. Any attraction or amusement park---magnet. Any resort---magnet. Any port on a DCL trip---magnet.) We have amassed quite the collection of photos and magnets from our many vacations together. So that's the background----here's the question: In all the ports you visited with the ABD trip, did you have time and were there small souvenir-type shops that might carry inexpensive magnets with the name of the town/country/port? Doing the B2B, we're really excited to visit so many ports and get so many more magnets for our collection!

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by tig82174

A wonderful second installment!! Now I can't wait to move on to part 3!!

Thanks for this great trip report....it's definitely getting my hubby and I excited about our trip!

I have a shopping/souvenir question for you........

the stairwell to our basement (which is our office/den & an extra spare bedroom when guests are visiting) is painted with "magnetic paint" so that your walls become magnetic. We use this area as a living scrapbook and put up pictures from our various Disney and DCL adventures....but we also buy a magnet for everywhere we vacation or visit (Any city we visit---magnet. Any attraction or amusement park---magnet. Any resort---magnet. Any port on a DCL trip---magnet.) We have amassed quite the collection of photos and magnets from our many vacations together. So that's the background----here's the question: In all the ports you visited with the ABD trip, did you have time and were there small souvenir-type shops that might carry inexpensive magnets with the name of the town/country/port? Doing the B2B, we're really excited to visit so many ports and get so many more magnets for our collection!

Ohhhhhh.... this is dangerous! I never knew there was magnetic paint!!!! I also collect magnets everywhere I go, and my refridgerator is pretty much totally covered now. Expanding onto a wall...? DANGEROUS!

So anyways, the answer is yes. In most of the ports, you stop *somewhere* long enough to get a magnet, even if it's just in the port. I didn't get for *every* port, but I did get one for most of them, and more than one in some others... The guides are well aware that people want souvenirs, and they accommodate that.

Sayhello

[tig82174]

Originally Posted by sayhello

Ohhhhhh.... this is dangerous! I never knew there was magnetic paint!!!! I also collect magnets everywhere I go, and my refridgerator is pretty much totally covered now. Expanding onto a wall...? DANGEROUS!

So anyways, the answer is yes. In most of the ports, you stop *somewhere* long enough to get a magnet, even if it's just in the port. I didn't get for *every* port, but I did get one for most of them, and more than one in some others... The guides are well aware that people want souvenirs, and they accommodate that.

Sayhello

Fabulous!! That is very good news for us!!

And if I can say....magnetic paint is wonderful...but it does take several coats and then we've had the best luck using high power magnets if you want the magnet to hold anything up like photos. That said, our magnetic walls are one of our favorite things and we get many compliments on them. It's so nice to have all our pictures displayed rather than in photo albums!

[sayhello]

Originally Posted by tig82174

Fabulous!! That is very good news for us!!

And if I can say....magnetic paint is wonderful...but it does take several coats and then we've had the best luck using high power magnets if you want the magnet to hold anything up like photos. That said, our magnetic walls are one of our favorite things and we get many compliments on them. It's so nice to have all our pictures displayed rather than in photo albums!

I'm definitely going to have to look into this. Is there a particular brand you use? Where would I go to purchase such a thing? I really like this idea a LOT!

Sayhello

[tig82174]

Originally Posted by sayhello

I'm definitely going to have to look into this. Is there a particular brand you use? Where would I go to purchase such a thing? I really like this idea a LOT!

Sayhello

no special brand. We bought it in the home depot. It's just a standard paint that is very very thick because it's full of little flecks of iron. It goes on your wall black and you just put up a few coats until your wall is "metal" enough to hold a magnet up (we tested it throughout the process....ended up requiring 3 coats I think). Then once you have it as magnetic as you want it, you just paint over it (if you don't want a black wall) with whatever color walls you want and then your wall looks like normal but happens to be magnetic.