Video Killed the Trip Report Star: A Little Halloween Magic (Western) Complete!!

[myelton01]

Originally Posted by nenner1

Once heading into port we will first walk to the Kino sandal shop to buy shoes, then board the Old Town Trolley to take us around old town.

O.M.G.!!!!!!!!!! In all the threads, you are the ONLY person I have noticed that says you are going to get KINO's in Key West!!! I have 3 pairs, and every time I have a friend or family member going to KW, I BEG for a new pair! Those shoes! lol Sorry, I get excited easily.

I would love to see which pairs you got! Hope you had a great time!

[jns]

looking forward to hearing about it

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by anewmac

Love the tye dye shirts too cute! Great Job too!

THANKS! I was thrilled they turned out so well. When I saw the black seemingly taking over I thought they would look terrible!!

We stayed at Country Inn for the DD, LOVE IT.. great waffels and strawberry sauce LOL. oh and you can always upgrade when you get there we got a deal on Hotwire then upgraded to a suite for like $25 more

Yep, it was great. More dish on that to come, but for now anyone debating whether or not to do this hotel DO IT- it's GREAT!!! If you can get the deal, even better!! Two !

OH and Grills YUMMy we went there pre cruise also, met Kimberly and a few others. Carefull it gets a lil wild on friday on the outdoor patio if there later lol

Yep - funny story from there! Was a great pre-cruise get together!!!

And goodness that 1st port stop at Key West sounds FUN and FULL! Ive always wanted to try a chocolate key lime pie on a stick .. oh someday.. make sure you take good pics and details on that for me LOL.

KW ended up being our roughest port- not that it was bad, it wasn't, just we had waaaay too ambitious plans. Some things had to give, we didn't have time to do it all, sadly (not the key lime pie- did that of course!)

Im Jealouse about your Palo, brunch that is.. we didnt get it last time and it looks so yummy every time.

umm what else.. oh ya...

HAVE A GREAT TIME, CANT WAIT TO READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!

Thanks girl- it was a blast. Of course El and I got tanked and had some fun at the Magic Quest and with the chef at Palo...and did some te-kill-ya shots at Nachi. Oh... so many fun stories to come!!!

Originally Posted by Jennifer48

Ahhh I missed you!

Hope you are having a grand time and I can't wait to read all about it!!

Thanks so much, it was wonderful and I'm happy to report that I lived to tell the tale!

Originally Posted by TheThomsLuvDisney

Subbing in, can't wait to hear all about your trip!

Curious, is there something special about the Kino Sandal Shop? Let's see according to your itinerary, you are probably at Palo's for dinner right now......lucky!

Thanks so much for reading!!

I love the Kino shop because when I was a kid we went to KW two weeks a year. I really enjoyed going to get new shoes- loved watching the sandals being made and the smell of the leather inside. Now that I've grown up (and childhood memories aside) -they are just some great cute casual sandals for a terrific price!!

Originally Posted by taraandmike

Hope you are enjoying your day and night at Palo. Someone posted a picture of the Magic docking at Key West today and the weather looked perfect for all of you to enjoy!

Thanks!! It was great, can't believe it is already over. Key West was stinkin hot that's for sure. What a shock to return to Port Canaveral today and 50 degree weather- ack!

Originally Posted by Mindyjoy

Subbing in ....

I am IN LOVE with those tie-dye shirts!!! Please share how you made them (I know you are having fun on your cruise as I type so hopefully you'll see this when you get back!!)

Thanks- believe me when I say that if I can make them so can you!!! I am so not talented with hand crafts (I like to create digitally). There are at least three threads all about the T-shirts. I read all of them- LOL! Look HERE and HERE to get started- YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Originally Posted by myelton01

Subbing in! Hope you all are having a great time!!! Can't wait to read all the Halloween fun had by all!

Thanks so much! It was a wonderful cruise- and Halloween on the ship made it so special! I encourage anyone thinking if they should sail on a special holiday sailing to DO IT! The special Disney touches were terrific!!!

Originally Posted by myelton01

O.M.G.!!!!!!!!!! In all the threads, you are the ONLY person I have noticed that says you are going to get KINO's in Key West!!! I have 3 pairs, and every time I have a friend or family member going to KW, I BEG for a new pair! Those shoes! lol Sorry, I get excited easily.

I would love to see which pairs you got! Hope you had a great time!

LOL I know what you mean, I bought 4 pairs just for myself! The rest of the family got some too, I think (LMAO!)

I got black, white, and brown of these:


....And these in black, which is a new style for me!

Originally Posted by jns

looking forward to hearing about it

Thanks so much for reading! Hopefully it won't disappoint, we had such a wonderful group and I have some fun stories to tell!

So everyone, hope you all are ready, so soon as I have my pics sorted we will begin! Sit back, relax, keep all arms and legs inside while the vehicle is in motion!

[Mindyjoy]

Originally Posted by nenner1

Thanks- believe me when I say that if I can make them so can you!!! I am so not talented with hand crafts (I like to create digitally). There are at least three threads all about the T-shirts. I read all of them- LOL! Look HERE and HERE to get started- YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Thank you so much for posting the threads!! I don't venture away from the cruise section of this website, so knowing there is a creative section opens up a WHOLE NEW WORLD for me (as if I didn't spend too much time here already). I even showed these shirts to non-Disney-loving BF who said he would wear one on our cruise and even seemed interested in helping make them!

Can't wait to read your TR!

[myelton01]

Glad you had a good time! LOVE the Kino's!!! I think I'm going to have to talk DH into taking me in 2012 on either a week long cruise that hits KW or just taking me to KW. Can't wait to read your report!

[TotallyAngelic]

Pleased to hear you had a great time .. look forward to all the details !!

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by Mindyjoy

Thank you so much for posting the threads!! I don't venture away from the cruise section of this website, so knowing there is a creative section opens up a WHOLE NEW WORLD for me (as if I didn't spend too much time here already). I even showed these shirts to non-Disney-loving BF who said he would wear one on our cruise and even seemed interested in helping make them!

Can't wait to read your TR!

Awesome!!! I think they are just the coolest and I loved seeing them all over the ship and at MNSSHP. I'm glad your BF wants one, my DH decided he did after he saw how nice they were (said he wanted one all along).

The creative boards are addicting. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Originally Posted by myelton01

Glad you had a good time! LOVE the Kino's!!! I think I'm going to have to talk DH into taking me in 2012 on either a week long cruise that hits KW or just taking me to KW. Can't wait to read your report!

Oh its so worth it- we love KW. We were a bit disappointed we did not get to do all we wanted to while there, but I did over schedule us that day. Luckily we had spent time there in the past so it wasn't anything we hadn't done before. You could easily fill several days in the keys and then some!!

Originally Posted by TotallyAngelic

Pleased to hear you had a great time .. look forward to all the details !!

It was terrific- and the kindness and helpful friendliness of my fellow Dis friends was what made it so very special. I have been on a cruise with a fantastic participation and wonderful people, I could not have imagined this one could have measured up, but it did! Can't say enough how wonderful this site is for bringing great folks together to make a magical experience absolutely outstanding!

Pictures are off the cameras and in post production (aka croppin' and 'shoppin). I can't wait to share, hopefully I will be able to get started tonight!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I can't wait to read your TR! I thought about you all of last week!

[nenner1]

Originally Posted by TheDisneyGirl02

I can't wait to read your TR! I thought about you all of last week!

Amy! Yay! Welcome aboard!! I was actually thinking of you guys while we were onboard and how you were so recently there- almost there with us in spirit. LOL- like when the elevator said we were on Deck 13. Twice!

[nenner1]

The adventure begins Thursday October 28, 2010. It is a gorgeous, warm, blue skied Florida fall day.We are decked out in our festive candy-corn tie dye outfits, the van is packed and we are ready to head out on a 10 day, 9 night Disney World and Disney Cruise Line extravaganza!!

And away we go!!!



The first stop is our traditional pre-cruise breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It was mid-morning so there was no wait to be seated (thank goodness as those Country Stores are a money pit!). We had great service and enjoyed a fun and delicious casual meal.









Pecan pancakes- the best way to start vacation!





The plan from here some might consider odd, but we continued past WDW and headed over to Port Canaveral first to check in prior to heading to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) at the Magic Kingdom. The reasons for this were twofold. First just to be checked in and have our bags in the room, as we knew that we would be coming in very late at night after the party. Also we wanted our name on the list for the 10:00 shuttle to the Port ASAP! (more on how this works in a bit)

In any event it was a nice drive, and before we knew it, this is what we saw:




(OK, OK, that’s not the Magic, it’s really the Wonder but it was great to still get that special moment of being able to see the DCL ship as you crest that first hill)


We continued just past the Port exits to the Port Canaveral Resort Area. We were staying at Country Inn and Suites (CIS) which is a very popular low-cost option for cruisers. Two of the reasons this hotel is so popular are the Kids Suites and Priceline. There is a long thread on the main DCL board about how to get rooms at this hotel for $49/night on Priceline. While we did use Priceline to bid for our stay, we were not able to get the $49 price (although some of our fellow cruisers who bid prior to us were able to snag it). One of the factors behind this was the Cocoa Beach Air Show that weekend and also the scheduled Shuttle Launch on Monday 11/1. In fact it was estimated that there would be an extra 200.000 people would be in Port/Cape Canaveral-Cocoa Beach area that weekend! Yikes!

The first in a string of hotels/resorts we approached was the CIS. While not a 5 star resort it certainly was comfortable and well-appointed for families. The price we had bid online was in the $70/night range and we found this hotel and amenities well worth that cost. (If you can get the $49 deal, even better!!) As we drove over in our own vehicle, we elected to do the Park & Stay which is an extra $20 added on to the total cost of your room and allows you use of the shuttle to and from the port and also to park your car at the CIS for the duration of the cruise. We found this a very good deal. So for a few bucks more than what it would have cost just to park at the port for the cruise, we got to park, had a Kids’ suite for 2 nights, and the shuttle to and from the port! Excellent value!!

The Country Inn and Suites at Port Canaveral:



Check in was quick and painless and we were able to get not only a kids’ suite (available upon request on a first come-first serve basis) but all of our names on the list for the earliest shuttle to the port, which was 10:00 AM. They also had 11:00 and Noon shuttles. There were appx. 15-20 spots per shuttle and they will not open up the list until about 2 days before the sail date (you can try calling the desk to inquire about shuttle availability if you are not checking in 2 days prior like we were).

We were given a handful of colorful flyers:



Each had a different purpose. The bright pink one was our Parking Pass for our vehicle, which we got once we paid for the Park & Stay. The lime green one was our Shuttle Voucher TO the port, which listed our time to meet in the lobby and number of people authorized to board the shuttle. While they do take your names, you definitely need the voucher to board the Shuttle, and more importantly you need to keep the RETURN shuttle voucher. That one is the bright orange and it had the info on it to call for our shuttle back to the hotel from the port after the cruise. The last green slip is a breakfast voucher. CIS offers a wonderful complimentary HOT continental breakfast to lodgers. It had items like Belgian waffles, omelets, hash browns, sausage, bacon, etc. So keeping track of all of this paperwork is very important during your stay.

We then headed to our room, 107, a kids’ suite on the first floor. We were impressed by the very large size of the kids suite and expansive ceilings. In the kids’ suites there is a small little kids bedroom area consisting of 3 beds, a standalone twin and a set of twin bunk beds and also their own TV , decorated in a cute nautical theme.

This view shows the entryway, looking in to the room from the door:



The main bed/sleep area:



The living area, looking back towards the entrance:



Kids’ suite standalone bed:



The kids suite bunk area:



Sarah makes her choice!



We spent a few minutes getting acclimated and refreshed and then it was time to head back out onto the road towards MNSSHP and the beginning of the Halloween festivities!

Up Next: It’s Really Not So Scary

[TotallyAngelic]

WOW ... your report has started !!! And what a great start! Those outfits are gorgeous. And Sarah has grown up so much since your last trip report

[JKSWonder]

Yay, official trip report started!

It's going to be interesting to see our cruise through someone else's perspective.

Jane

[livingis2me]

Less than two weeks ago, yet it seems like so long. I wish we could go back to this day.

Keep it coming!!!!

[TheDisneyGirl02]

I can't believe that grown up toddler is baby Sarah from the DDD! She has gotten so big! Granted, all of your kids have grown, but Sarah actually started to walk since I saw her! LOL!!!

Can't wait to read more!!!

[Jennifer48]

Thanks for all that awesome info on CIS!

I can't wait to read more!