1st Time Cruiser just Got Back

[LC30]

In less than 2 weeks, we will be at Magic Kingdom enjoying MNSSHP and then hopping on the Disney Wonder! We can't wait.

 

[cakesnjammom]

In less than 2 weeks, we will be at Magic Kingdom enjoying MNSSHP and then hopping on the Disney Wonder! We can't wait.

thanks for your report...we sail the Magic on the 19th and MNSSHP on the 18th too....cannot wait. Have a great trip!

 

[LC30]

When we got back from our 1st cruise in May, we had the vacation blues because really who wants to ever get off a Disney cruise. We had another cruise booked for 2010 but that just seems so far away!

After 3 weeks of being back, I secretly booked our cruise for September. I told DH 3 weeks later. He was shocked but also very excited. When I checked the flight times, I realized MNSSHP was going on then, so I booked the flights a few days earlier so we can go to the party. Lo and Behold a trip plan was taking shape to my delight. Get in on Thursday evening, hang out and enjoy the pool Friday morning and be ready for the big battle to get DS to nap in the early afternoon. Head to MNSSHP party.

To date, we have 10 families participating in the FEs and we have a great group. We've spent the last few months getting to know each other on the boards. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone on the cruise.

I am less than 2 weeks away and I'm not anywhere near done with my planning. Being the planner that I am (as DH says I have a borderline disorder ), I am completely not ready. FE's aren't done, magnets are not and no packing pile. It's been a really busy summer with a new job, birthday parties, visits from out of town friends, small summer trips and getting DS ready for his new school. So, I've got to kick into high gear the next 2 weeks.

I'm starting to get really excited about the trip.

 

[LC30]

Travel was a breeze for us yesterday. We got checked into the Sheraton Vistana Villages and headed for Downtown Disney for our first night. We decided on the Sheraton Vistana Villages again because we stayed here last December and really enjoyed it. We stayed at Sheraton Vistana Resort in Oct 09 and loved that too. But we love these 2 property because it’s been my sister is Starwood Vacation Owner, so we were able to use her points last year twice. And this time, its free. I used my Starwood points for 2 nights. We also checked the rates – you can rent a 2 bedroom condo with full size kitchen and fridge with washer and dryer, free parking close to the parks for $119/night. You can’t beat that. We love being able to get away from the hustle and bustle as well. One of these days, we'll definitely stay on property just to have different experience.

DS(3) was so excited about it he chanted, “Downtown Disney! Here we come!” almost the whole way there. It was crowded when we got there and of course, my little man wanted to go to Legoland so he can play with the legos.

It was time for dinner and we ran through some dining options. Leave Downtown Disney for one of our favorite places, Johnnie’s - awesome service and great food (we love our waitress, Alana from Russia. She get in her section everytime! She was so great, last time she held DS and walked him around the restaurant for 10 mins while we ate. How can you beat that? Wow!), eat at McDonald’s or maybe try Fulton Crab House since its more upscale and on the other side of DD, we might be able to get in. We didn't want to leave DTD, so Fulton Crab House it was since we could get in with a 15 mins wait. While we waited, the boys went over to look at the fountains and we saw a hot air balloon going up and down in the air. Looks like a new ride, where you go in the balloon and get a view 360 degree view of DisneyWorld.

While we waited, a band started playing outside the crab house, called Nova Era. DS loved it. He stood there watching them play their instruments. They played there pretty much all night.

DH got a salad, the wild sockeye salmon in lemon caper butter sauce with a side of asparagus, DS got mac and cheese with a bowl of fruits, and I got the lobster and crab bisque, Dungeness crab and chef’s vegetables. The restaurant was fine dining like Johnnie’s but the food at Johnnie’s was definitely much better. DS got mango sorbet for dessert. That was delicious.

After dinner, DS wanted to watch the band again, ride the train and carousel. $20 later it was 9:30pm and way past his bedtime. Nighty night everyone!

Tomorrow pool time and MNSSHP!

 

[LC30]

We are boarding the Wonder later this morning!

I'll realized that my post for Day1 had no pictures, so I'll be adding pics when we get back. And I'll be posting the rest of trip report when I get back too. Something about seeing pictures makes the trip report so much more fun to read.

See you real soon!

 

[amyngary]

I just found your last TR from May and really enjoyed it. We will be going on our first Disney Cruise in December. And now I have your next TR to look forward to and hold me over ...

We have also stayed at the Sheraton Vistana Villages and Resort. They are nice and conveniently located. Looking forward to another great TR!

 

[LC30]

DS slept in till about 10:15 a.m. after a big night in DTD. It’s pool time next! While waiting my DH to get a couple of call done, I watched my DS run around the condo with his Mickey backpack on calling it a jetpack. Picture this. My 3 year with his only pajama top and a Mickey Mouse backpack on his back that is twice his size running at full speed around in the condo and yelling, “My jetpack! My jetpack! Zoom, zoom!’ I was in hysterics.

The pool was nice, water was the perfect temperature. I don’t like getting into a cold pool was this was perfect! And it wasn't busy at all at the pool, we pretty much had the pool to ourselves. There were a few people that were laying out but it was a relatively quiet morning. He’s a little fish!

DH showed him how to do a forward roll from the wall into the water and the little guy was able to do it no problem!!! WOW! I was completely scared and impressed at the same time. I couldn’t decide if I should be reprimanding my DH for teaching DS this or hugging my DS because I’m so proud of him. After about 2 hours, we came up to the room ate lunch and got ready for MNSSHP. We put him in regular clothes and brought his costume to change into. I figured it would be more comfortable for him to be in regular clothes until the party started.

 

[LC30]

We left the hotel around 3:15 p.m. and got to the gate right at 4:00 p.m. DS has been looking forward to riding the monorail all day. This is still definitely one of his favorite “attractions”. When we got to the gate, they were already starting to let people in for the party. The park wasn’t horribly crowded. We got our wrist bands and walked right in to get our stroller.

We tried to get in the Harmony Barber shop to get DS’s hair done but it was pretty crowded. So we headed straight to Fantasyland where all of DS’s favorite rides are. Guess which one is first? Of course, it’s Small World.

After going through it several times, just about enough to make me hum that song in my head for the next 5 hours! There were little to no lines anywhere and it was probably around 4:30 p.m. The crowd would only get thinners the evening wore on. We rode Dumbo, Cinderella’s Carousel, Pooh several times. Most of the rides, we didn’t even have to get off the ride. The playground at Mickey’s ToonTown Fair wasn’t busy either. We also rode the WDW Railroad, DS loved trained and especially this. I was all for it since we were able to relax for 20 mins on the ride and enjoy a little breeze.

It was time for dinner and I wanted to do quick dining, so we can spend time enjoying the party and since DS didn’t nap this afternoon because he got up late in the morning, I didn’t think he would last the whole night. I thought we would be there till at least 11 p.m. But that was definitely a pipe dream.

On our way to Cosmic Café, DS saw Alice and the Tea Cup, so we rode that a few times. He loved it. But man was I dizzy. The teacup ride probably was not a good idea for me since I just recovered from vertigo a week ago, but it’s worth seeing the sheer joy on DS’s face and him laughing.

As we got off the teacups, DS saw Tomorrowland Speedway and bolted for it. “It’s time for dinner!”, I said. No way, we’re definitely not going to dinner. He was definitely going to be driving the speed cars at Tomorrowland Speedway. LOL. So, the boys headed that way and I headed to get us dinner. It was 2 cheeseburger, 1 hotdog, 1 order of fries, 1 side of grapes and 1 side of apples, plus 2 sodas and 1 milk for $27. This reminds me of the ad: MNSSHP tix $163, dinner at Cosmic Café for 3 $27, seeing my DS having the time of his life, priceless.

After dinner, I got DS changed into his pirate costume. He was so cute, everyone kept looking at how cute he was. The CM’s were all giving him lots of attention and what 3 year old doesn't like that. When we came out of Cosmic, there was a CM blowing bubbles and DS spent a little time chasing them.

We decided it was time for a little trick or treating and then face painting. This was the longest line we would encounter all afternoon and evening. I think it was about 10 – 15 minutes. All 3 of us got our face painted. We went through Alice’s tea party trick or treat spot. I took pictures of DH and DS with Alice and we headed down the treat path. Again, all the treats were mostly filler candy with some chocolate sprinkled in here and there. It was easy to walk right in and out of the treat spot, again no crowd whatsoever. When we came out, we walked right into Club 626 where Goofy, Pluto and Stitch were having a dance party. DS wanted nothing to do with it because it was too loud. So we decided to cut through Tomorrowland to get to Main Street. We walked right into Buzz Lightyear. DS wanted pictures with him, so we waited in a "line" behind 2 people. I was surprised at how light the crowds were but am glad for it.

We started meandering through Tomorrowland and got right up to the spoke on Main Street to take a our picture in front of the Castle with the photopass. We were wondering how to cut through the crowd, when the photographer said, the parade is coming. “You have great timing, just walk up to watch it. “ We figure it would be too crowded and we would just walk through to get some ice cream and wait for Hallowishes but when we walked up, there was a spot right behind some kids and we watched the first parade no problem. We literally walked up right before the first parade float was coming. We did miss the headless Horsemen but we’ve seen it before, so it was fine. This is definitely one of my favorite parades. I do love the one at Animal Kingdom too. After the parade, DS still wanted ice cream, so we got 2 scoops of chocolate/vanilla swirl and I got a Mickey bar. Love that Mickey bar! DS ended up eating most of my Mickey bar and his swirl. LOL. But there was a lot of Mickey bars in my future so I wasn't too disappointed.

By the time we were done, it was almost time for Hallowishes and DS was about ready for bed. There’s no way we were going to be able to do any more rides or hang out past the fireworks. (I have to post the video of the fireworks on youtube.) I could go on for hours but the boys were worn out! We found a spot right in the middle of Main Street with no one obstructing our view. There were plenty of spots to stand or sit and watch. I was amazed that it wasn’t busy especially on a Friday night. This was definitely the way to do it! I love these fireworks! After the 15 minutes of fireworks was over, it was time to get the boys back to the condo for some shut eye. I was sad to leave the park but DS was worn out and my poor DH who was recovering from pneumonia the week before needed some rest. By the time we left the park, it was a couple of mins before 10 p.m. and the crowds were already very thin by this time.

DS was chatting up a storm the whole time we were walking to the monorail, the tram and the car. He was asleep 10 minutes into the car ride. I picked him out of the car seat, got his changed into his jammies, wiped off as much of the pirate makeup as I can and he slept through the whole thing! What a fun night we had! If only we could do it again tonight. I just loved the parks all decorated up for the fall. Nothing beats the MNSSHP or the MVMCP. We're off to the port tomorrow for our 2nd Disney Cruise!

 

[LC30]

I made us a leisurely breakfast at the condo and took our time getting to Cape Canaveral. We got to the port and checked into our hotel by 12:30 and by 1:30 we were at Cocoa beach having lunch. We’re planning a relaxing day today since everyone is still trying to recover from the last 2 late nights. Oh Shucks had a private party and Atlantic Grill was closed for lunch, so we ended up at Marlin’s. It was on the pier and had a nice view of the beach and the end of the pier where there was a bar. The food was basic bar food and casual seafood. If they fried it, we ate it - coconut beer shrimp, fries and buffalo wings. DS had grilled cheese. Food was ok but we would definitely try out a different place next time.
Cocoa Beach was nice. It reminded us of Port Aransas or Corpus Christie, a nice local beach, bustling with activity. Since it was raining, we came back to the hotel and watched the rain outside. From our room, we actually had a good view of the ocean and the pool. DS got a special treat and watched a movie, while DH took a little nap.
Around 5:30 p.m. we headed out to Rusty’s for dinner. Since they don’t take reservations for parties less than 10, we wanted to get there early to avoid any long waits. We took the complimentary Country Inn & Suites (CIS) shuttle and Will, the driver from our visit in May was driving again tonight. There was no wait at Rusty’s and we got a nice table by the window, where we would see some dolphins swimming. They went by quick and it was a nice treat to see dolphins right there. There were there in May, so maybe they are there all the time. It makes me wonder if we can just hang out there and just watch them frolic in the water. I ordered the snow crab claws again – delicious! The sides were a salad and rice, these weren’t great, and so I didn’t eat much of it. DH had the crusted mahi mahi again. He says its one of the best mahi mahi dishes he’s had in a while. DS had pasta with marinara sauce and I also got him a side of mac and cheese wedges and applesauce. The mac and cheese wedges are delicious but it’s as healthy as eating a fried bacon. It’s basically mac and cheese that has been battered in triangles and fried. But the best dish was definitely the lump crab meat au gratin. Oh my, it was delicious! I’m salivating just thinking about it. DH got the key lime pie for dessert. (Reminds me. I have to take pictures of the food next time.) After eating a few bites, DS finally fell asleep while eating, so DH and I took turns holding him and eating. We got his food to go because we had a small fridge, which kept things pretty cold and a microwave in our hotel room; just in case he woke up and is still hungry. And I’m glad we did because he woke up and was famished! After dinner, we called Will and he came promptly to pick us up. Time from hotel to the port restaurants was less than 10 minutes. We were back and ready for bed by 9:30 p.m.