A Divalicious World Excursion! (New photos added 1/28!)

[SoNotAPrincess]

You know how you plan trips in your head.. I read trip reports to get me through to my next one.

We can not go until December 2013 (which is forever in my book)
so I try to read everything possible regarding the same week (or thereabout)

Never been during the christmas season. Last time we went was during Halloween and that was only last year.

The upcoming trip will be ONLY my 4th.

I look forward to all your adventures.

I love planning trips in my head, too...thank goodness for the Dis and TRs to help us through the waiting!

Christmas at Disney is beyond magical; I know y'all will have a wonderful time. 2013 is a long time, but it's SO worth the wait!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

wow=- did they change this place in the last few years? We went to Beaches and Cream for burgers and ice cream.

Noooo! Beaches and Cream is still there just as it was. B&C was incredibly busy that day, and we were incredibly hungry; so we went to Captain's Grill at YC instead. (That's CG in the photo.)

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Oh, rain at Disney should just not exist!! Usually I just poncho through it, but I remember one December we went (2009 I think) that the rain was unending and torrential and we were just soaked through. But it's very hard to be entirely miserable about that while at Disney, that is the positive part!

Can't wait to hear about your dinner at California Grill!!!

December is usually one of the best months of the year here; but, as the saying goes, "Into each life a little rain must fall." And when you think about it, a rainy day at Disney beats a sunny day anywhere else!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

When I started planning our Divalicious World Excursion, I knew I wanted to include a signature dining experience, and I knew that it had to include sushi. We usually go to Wolfgang Puck for sushi, because Erica loves the eel there and always asks for extra eel sauce.

I selected California Grill for Erica’s official birthday dinner because it’s incredibly divalicious and has an unbelievable view of the castle, allowing us to have Wishes as our backdrop. But mostly because of Sushi Chef Extraordinaire, Yoshi.

While Erica was getting ready, I slipped out to the car and retrieved her presents from the trunk. She thought the trip was her only gift, but I had one or two surprises up my sleeve!

To say that she was surprised is an understatement of epic proportions. Unfortunately, when she was opening them, I grabbed her camera (it’s very similar to mine); so she has the photos.

I fully expect to get them from her by her next birthday.

At any rate, here are the catalog photos of her loot (Mickey bracelet; peace, love & Disney iPhone cover; Jack Sparrow’s Girl hoodie, and the pièce de résistance, her very own Disney Dooney!)

She squealed. She laughed. She jumped up and down. She took pictures with her phone and sent them to her friends. She called her BFF and described everything in minute detail. She called her mom (my sister who had forbid me to buy her anything) and ratted me out. She hugged me so hard I thought a couple of ribs might have cracked.

It was wonderful!

We arrived at the Contemporary a few minutes after nine and valet parked without checking the handicapped lot for a space. Divas valet, dahling, and damn the expense!

We checked in and confirmed my request for a window table with a fireworks view. The CM said, “Those requests aren’t guaranteed, but it’s your lucky night; there’s one left, and it’s yours.”

The young woman in a very tiny, very shiny silver dress who checked in behind us was told that she and her BF would have a fireworks view, but there were no more window tables left. She gave me a sad, pouty face and said that it was their six month dating anniversary. It felt like she expected me to offer her our table, so I explained that we were celebrating Erica’s 18th birthday. And did NOT offer her our table. We rode the elevator up with them, and because of my perpetual turtle walk, they got in front of us as we exited.

And were escorted to our table.

The window table with the castle view.

The last such table available.

I was upset to say the least. I wanted to throw a fit and show them how a Diva gets what a Diva wants.

But being a lady is more important than being a diva, and my mama raised me right; so we graciously accepted our interior table with a fireworks view.

While thinking some not-so-very-gracious thoughts about Miss Tiny-Shiny Silver Dress!

Our waiter, the suave, handsome and oh-so-very charming Roberto, brought our menus and called us princess. With his yummy accent and wavy dark hair, he actually reminded me of Gabriel…even Erica commented on the resemblance. When I told him he reminded me of my BF, he said, “Ah, I should be so lucky to have you for my princess.” Smooth, Roberto, very smooth!

He patiently answered all of Erica’s questions about the sushi, explaining that they don’t serve eel because it’s on the endangered list. He suggested, and she ordered, the spicy Kazan roll instead, which is crab, shrimp, bay scallops, and tuna served with a fireball sauce.

For my appetizer, I ordered the triple cheese (Pecorino, Asiago, and Provolone with sun-dried tomato, arugula pesto) flatbread.

It was almost time for Wishes, so we left our table and went out to the observation deck. And turned right around and went back inside. It was too windy and cold for us!

The lights dimmed, the music started, and then the song that never fails to start the waterworks.

Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish, I wish tonight.

Oh, a world of wishes, a world where dreams come true.
So make a wish, see it through, dare to do what dreamers do.

Wishes...dream a dream.
Wishes…set it free.
Wishes…trust your heart.
Just believe.

We’re all just children, reaching for our dreams.
They’re shining high above us, and even though it seems so far, we put our faith and hope on a shooting star.​

It was as amazing as I’d dreamed it would be, being on eye-level with the fireworks…and it didn’t even matter that we weren’t at our intended table because when you get right down to it, the magic isn’t in how close you are to the fireworks. The magic is in watching them with someone you love, and the whiz-bang-pop of brilliant color is just an outward representation of what you’re already feeling on the inside.

As the lights were coming back up, Roberto brought us our appetizers. I pulled out the camera to get photos, and Erica just about had a conniption, whispering, “Aunt Lauri, not here! It’s too nice!”

I assured her that Disers take pictures of their food at Cali Grill every day, and none of them have ever been asked to leave; but she was appalled, and I thought she was so adorable that I didn’t push it. Thanks to the Internet, this is what her sushi looked like:

And my flatbread:

People, this is what food Heaven tastes like! Erica ate every morsel of her sushi and said it was “Sushi on a whole ‘nother level!” My flatbread was divine and my favorite food of the trip.

For her main, Erica took another of Roberto’s suggestions and ordered the Pacific Monchong fish. Roberto explained that it's a deep sea Hawaiian fish that’s flown in overnight from the market fresh, not frozen. As for me, I was horribly conflicted. The filet wasn’t on the menu, but Roberto assured me that it was available. But the pork tenderloin with goat cheese polenta, roasted mushrooms, Zinfandel glaze, and sage sounded wonderful, too.

Decisions, decisions!

Ultimately, I decided on the filet. Which means, of course, that I’ll have to go back to have the pork tenderloin! Gabriel has already agreed, which is further proof that the way I’m going to bring him over to Team Disney is with the food!

More Internet food porn:

Pacific Monchong

Filet

In my opinion, the food at Cali Grill is beyond compare. We both named this our favorite meal by a long shot…nothing else even came close! And it’s not just because of the food, which, of course, is amazing. It’s the atmosphere and the service…it’s being treated like an honored guest; more than that, like the ONLY guest.

After our plates were cleared, Roberto brought us the dessert menus, but that was just a ruse. It was time for the super-special, secret divalicious surprise!

The famed white chocolate Slipper Dessert, available only at CRT, GF restaurants and Cali Grill. I ordered it three weeks in advance and called every week thereafter to make sure the order was really, truly in.

And this is my girl’s reaction to this little bit of culinary perfection:

Tears of surprise and happiness!

As you can tell, the “no pictures” rule temporarily went out the window when the dessert came!

We shared the Slipper of Awesomeness and finished every morsel. I’ve already suggested to Gabriel that it would behoove him to order one for me when we go back.

Neither of us wanted the evening to end, and we lingered over our coffee, telling “I remember when” stories. The restaurant was pretty empty by then, and it felt like our very own piece of high-in-the-sky Disney real estate. Roberto kept refilling our cups and never made us feel rushed; but, eventually, I asked him for the check, which he brought back promptly.

And with it, the biggest surprise of not just the night, but the whole trip!

I opened the folder.

Blinked.

Closed it.

Looked at Erica.

Opened it again.

IT WAS EMPTY!

Erica and I looked at each other, mouths agape, in total confusion, slightly hysterical laughter bubbling just beneath the surface.

“What does it mean?” she whispered.

“Nothing,” I whispered back. “He just forgot to put the check in.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

Roberto came back to us and asked, “Are you missing something?” Then he explained that he had learned about the mix up with our table and was so impressed with the way we handled it that he told his manager; and they decided to sprinkle us with magical, enchanted, rainbow-colored Pixie Dust.

We both cried, then the manager came over, and we all laughed while I sang their praises and went on and on about what a great evening we had; and just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, they’d taken it up a notch. I told them that I experience magic every time I visit Disney World…but nothing like this!

We didn’t walk out of Cali Grill; we floated!

Up next: Click here for "Hooray for Hollywood"

 

[Nermel9]

Hi I'm here! I read your whole TR on my Iphone at work, and I'm really loving it!

I especially loved your last update, your Cali Grill experience! That's too bad those people stole your table but what can you do?

The food there looks amazing! I think I want to go there on my next trip! My DH LOVES sushi, so I think he'd really enjoy this place! I'd love to watch Wishes from there! What time did you make your ADR for?

I wish my DH knew about the slipper dessert so he could "surprise" me with one, but if I ever want one, I'll just surprise myself!

Wow, amazing pixie dust from your waiter!!! I had no idea they did that, and just because you didn't complain about your table! That's amazing!!! Gotta love Disney!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Hi I'm here! I read your whole TR on my Iphone at work, and I'm really loving it!

I especially loved your last update, your Cali Grill experience! That's too bad those people stole your table but what can you do?

The food there looks amazing! I think I want to go there on my next trip! My DH LOVES sushi, so I think he'd really enjoy this place! I'd love to watch Wishes from there! What time did you make your ADR for?

I wish my DH knew about the slipper dessert so he could "surprise" me with one, but if I ever want one, I'll just surprise myself!

Wow, amazing pixie dust from your waiter!!! I had no idea they did that, and just because you didn't complain about your table! That's amazing!!! Gotta love Disney!

Yay!

Cali Grill is amazing, and I highly recommend it. I can't imagine going back to WDW and not having a meal there. We made our ADR for 9:30, with Wishes at 10. If you have an earlier ADR, you can come back for Wishes and use the observation deck; watching them from our table made them just a little bit more special!

LOL...you sound like Stringbean with her sticky note reminders for Wingnut!

I've never experienced that kind of pixie dust before...but it goes to show why I keep going back to Disney!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe your California Grill story!!!!!!!!!!!! First off, how rude of sparkly silver dress and her accompaniment to steal your table! But that was amazing of the restaurant to really make things right! How awesomely wonderful of them!

Besides all of that, your meal looks absolutely wonderful! And the slipper looks gorgeous! Aren't they awesome?? I'm so glad you guys had a great time there!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot believe your California Grill story!!!!!!!!!!!! First off, how rude of sparkly silver dress and her accompaniment to steal your table! But that was amazing of the restaurant to really make things right! How awesomely wonderful of them!

Besides all of that, your meal looks absolutely wonderful! And the slipper looks gorgeous! Aren't they awesome?? I'm so glad you guys had a great time there!

I tend to say everything is magical at WDW...in fact, it's a running joke, such as "Ooooh, magical Disney popcorn/beds/French fries/shampoo", etc. But this was so far above anything I've ever experienced at Disney that I actually looked up "magical" in my handy dandy thesaurus. Results included thrilling, delightful, wonderful, enchanting, lovely, astonishing, and breathtaking...I'd say that just about scratches the surface in describing it!

The food was SO good, and the slipper dessert...well, yummilicious is how Erica described it!

 

[Joyciemc]

I just found your oh-so-Diva TR, and am all caught up! You two are having an amazing trip, I am loving hearing all about it.

Woo-hoo for winning at being the way-better-person than the shiny dress lady! And extra awesome that your waiter rewarded you for it!

 

[windi622]

Aaaaa...I just found your TR today, and I've enjoyed reading every bit of it so far!! First of all, I love the sweet relationship you share with your niece There is a special bond between an Aunt and her Niece/Nephew...and I love all of the love between you girls. And what an experience at Cali Grill!! I can't believe the nerve of that stupid shiny dress chick but Roberto was clearly even more wonderful than he first appeared Can't wait to hear more of your adventure!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I just found your oh-so-Diva TR, and am all caught up! You two are having an amazing trip, I am loving hearing all about it.

Woo-hoo for winning at being the way-better-person than the shiny dress lady! And extra awesome that your waiter rewarded you for it!

Glad you made it over!

It was AH-MAY-ZING!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Aaaaa...I just found your TR today, and I've enjoyed reading every bit of it so far!! First of all, I love the sweet relationship you share with your niece There is a special bond between an Aunt and her Niece/Nephew...and I love all of the love between you girls. And what an experience at Cali Grill!! I can't believe the nerve of that stupid shiny dress chick but Roberto was clearly even more wonderful than he first appeared Can't wait to hear more of your adventure!

Thanks for reading!

You're right...being an aunt is one of the best things in my life!

Don't you just love it when things work out? It truly was Disney magic at its finest!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

We left the Contemporary with pixie dust zip-zinging in our veins, abuzz with Disney magic and the joy of being together. It didn’t bother us in the least that it was raining or that we backtracked twice before arriving safe and sound at CBR. My record as the worst Disney Property Navigator of all time remains intact!

We were giggly and goofy; and, if we’d been four years old, we’d have been jumping on the beds!

Eventually, we simmered down enough to formulate a plan for the next day, which included sleeping late, exploring the resort a little bit, and then hitting DHS. Since there’d be EMH, we weren’t concerned about getting there early; and neither of us were all that hopped up about joining the Toy Story Mania sprint for fastpasses.

(Don’t tell anyone, but I still haven’t ridden TSM.)

We crawled into our beds and fell asleep with visions of Wishes dancing in our heads.

I slept until a little after 10 a.m., which is unheard of for me. Erica was still sleeping soundly, so I enticed her to wake up by brewing a pot of the beverage sent down to mortal man by the gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus: Starbucks!

We were both moving a little slow, but eventually, fortified with coffee and yogurt, showered and suitably divalicious, we headed outside to see what we could see. CBR is really lovely, and if we were staying longer (and I didn’t have a bum knee), it would have been lots of fun to spend some time walking around taking pictures. As it was, we didn’t have to venture too far from the room in order to find a quiet pool and the beach.

The pool was deserted, and we sat there for a while, talking about everything and nothing. We talked about Erica starting college and when we’d see each other the next time. And we agreed that the Disney Dooney is the ultimate cool in purses. I could feel the end of our time together coming at me like a storm I was helpless to stop and made a conscious decision to pull a Scarlett O’Hara and “…think about that tomorrow.”

While we were sitting there, enjoying the stillness of the day, Gabriel called; and Erica took the opportunity to call her BF, too. She moved to another table for privacy, and I remarked to Gabriel that, “She’s so grown up…how did that happen?” His oldest daughter is 21, so he totally understood the sweet melancholy of my “Sunrise, Sunset” mentality.

Who knows how long we would have lingered if not for hunger? The bridge to Port Royale was right there; but, considering that every step over means a step back, we decided to get the car and drive back to the food court. The vegetarian offerings were disappointing (I miss you, POR!), so we opted to just have frozen cappuccinos and get something to eat at DHS.

Thank goodness the back entrance to DHS is so close to CBR…not even I could get us lost getting there!

In looking back over my TR notes, it says we arrived at DHS at 3:30, and I know that’s right because the parade crowd was exiting in droves when we got there. But for the life of me, it didn’t feel like we’d spent 5 hours getting ready, taking pictures, talking by the pool, and enjoying frozen cappuccinos at Port Royale. Time really does fly when you’re having fun!

There were no available parking spaces in the handicapped lot, so Erica dropped me off and went to park the car. On the way into the park, we added another Christmas tree to our growing collection.

We stopped to get an ECV, and I was relieved to see they still had two or three, fully charged and ready to go. The CM gave me the name tag and said, “Put whatever you want on it…it doesn’t have to be your last name, even though that’s what most people use.”

Erica and I looked at each other and smiled secret smiles of perfect understanding. What else could we possibly choose other than...

And then the traditional Sorcerer’s Hat/Sunset Boulevard photos!

Erica went to get a map to add to her “free Disney souvenirs” stash; and just as she returned with it, it started to rain. Since we were there, and there was no waiting, we ducked into The Great Movie Ride. I know it gets a lot of yawns and bad press, but I actually kinda like it. Do I ride it every time? Well, no. Do I wish they’d change it up somehow? Most definitely! I told Erica that she was likely to think it was lame, but she’s a movie trivia buff like me; and she didn’t hate it. In fact, she kinda liked it, too! She took photos (no flash!), and they looked pretty good on the camera display; unfortunately, I haven’t seen them full size yet. And I’m not holding my breath waiting for them!

We stepped outside to find it sprinkling, but it quickly turned to rain so I suggested we make a dash for the animation class; and we made it undercover just as it started to pour.

Little did we know that one of the highlights of the trip was waiting just inside!


Up next: Click here for "Hey, You're a Really Good Drawer!" or "All Good Things Must Come to an End"

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I've never been on TSM either!!! So I totally get that! It just seems exhausting to have to deal with getting to the actual ride!

Your morning at CBR sounds so nice and relaxing! I love all of the pretty beaches around that resort!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

It was raining at DHS.

The upside of the rain is that a lot of people left.

The downside of the rain is that it was cold and wet.

Who knew?

We made a mad dash for the Art of Animation building, which was kinda crowded, but not as bad as I’d anticipated it would be. Sorcerer Mickey was meetin’ and greetin’, but Erica wasn’t interested.

Mr. Incredible was out with his bestie, Frozone, but I didn’t even bother to suggest that she meet them. If Violet had been there, she might have gone for it. She was a big Violet fan at one time.

And then she saw him.

And transformed into a three-year-old right before my eyes.

“It’s Pooh! It’s Pooh! I want a picture with Pooh!”

Well alrighty then, let’s do this!

I love this picture…you can almost feel her excitement!

She was so happy to meet the willy nilly silly old bear that she had me take a picture with her phone so she could send it to her friends. Her texts lit up because they were as excited as she was. It just goes to show that you’re never too old for Winnie the Pooh!

One of the things we were most looking forward to was the art class. Erica loves art and has a talent for it…I love art, too, but my talent is minimal at best. While we were waiting, I was telling her the characters I’d heard about, which were Pooh, Stitch, Tigger, Jiminy Cricket, and Stitch. I thought they did Grumpy, too, but I wasn’t sure. We were hoping for Stitch because he’s Erica’s ultimate favorite character of all time (she does an excellent imitation of him). OMG, if she’d seen Stitch, I’d have probably had to pick her up off the floor!

Mushu, not surprisingly, was funny and adorable in a smart-mouthed dragon kind of way, and then it was time for the main event. After polling the class to see what characters had been drawn before, the instructor settled on…

…Tigger!

Mine isn’t terrible. I mean, you can definitely tell that it’s Tigger.

But Erica’s is really good and prompted the little girl next to her to announce loudly, “Hey, you’re a really good drawer!”

After class, we looked at the Snow White art on display, along with Walt’s Oscars and then went into the gift shop.

Did you ever play “If I had a million dollars?”

Well, if I had a million dollars, I could spend every penny of it in that store!

I love these colorful, oh-so-groovy figurines…I want them all!

My favorite princess and her beast. I totally understand their relationship…I have a thing for beasts, too! For Christmas, I made Gabriel this sign (framed and matted, of course):

I’d love it if he hung it at work (doubtful!), but I’m very happy that he immediately put it on the wall (in a very prominent place) in his home office!

The original Disney Divas…Erica and I totally coveted these!

Jedi Mickey…Gabriel said, “That’s pretty cool.” Which in Gabriel-speak is high praise. My nephew, Jackson, wants this SO badly…his birthday is in February; I’m thinkin’ the odds are good that he’ll have it for his very own!

Ariel has the best song (Part of Your World) in her movie!

After perusing the art for a while, we noticed that the rain had slowed a bit, so we dashed between the raindrops and headed for the most thrilling ride in all of Disney…TOWER OF TERROR! We were pretty wet when we got there, but it didn’t matter at all cuz we were ready to get our terror on!

And to make the theming even more ominous, there was no one in line.

Zip.

Zilch.

Zero.

The creepy CM told said he’d been waiting just for us.

We were scared!

The rain, dark skies and deserted queue line just added to the eerie feeling of impending doom.

We loved it!

We loved it so much that we rode again!

And then again again!

With no waiting!

Awe. Some.

The third time around, the CM said, “I see we have a couple of gluttons for punishment in our midst,” in the most sinister voice I’ve ever heard.

It was amazing!

After ToT, I suggested that Erica ride RnR because she loves it so. I ride it sometimes (not every time!), but there is no way I could do it because of my knee. I’m sure I could have gotten in the limo, but getting out is a whole different story! There was no line for RnR either, so after assuring her that I really, truly honest to god didn’t mind waiting, off she went for her date with Aerosmith.

After our thrill ride-induced adrenaline rush passed, we realized that we were wet, cold, and hungry…the trifecta of ickiness!

It wasn’t cold when we arrived at DHS, so naturally we left our hoodies in the car.

Because we’re brilliant like that.

Erica made a run out to get them and moved the car to the handicapped lot while she was at it. Smart girl! It actually worked out OK that they’d been in the car because we were able to put warm, dry hoodies on our cold, wet bodies. Woo hoo!

The next order of business was to get food. Since the park was pretty empty, I figured it couldn’t hurt to try to get in at Sci-Fi, and whaddaya know, in we got! All the cars were taken, so we sat at one of the little tables in the back, which was fine with us. It was warm, dry, and smelled delicious!

We were very hungry, and everything on the menu sounded heavenly. That morning we had determined to eat light today because we’d eaten SO MUCH the last couple of days.

Yeah, that didn’t happen.

Sorry, but there are no pictures of the food from this meal…my camera got a little wet earlier, and for a while I was worried that it would never work again.

We started with the spinach artichoke dip. I don’t know if it was our extreme hunger or what, but it was to die for; and I think it took us about 12 seconds to devour it.

Let me backtrack her for a second…I forgot something!

Due to the pain medication I was taking for my knee, I avoided alcohol all weekend. But then I saw this on the menu at Sci-Fi:

Magical Star Cocktail - Light up your celebration with X-Fusion Organic Mango and Passion Fruit Liqueur, Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, Pineapple Juice, and a souvenir Multicolored Glow Cube

And being responsible went out the window.

Erica pouted, not because she wanted the drink; but because she wanted the glow cube! The waiter overheard me saying that since we were celebrating her birthday, I’d give her the cube; and when he brought the drinks, there were TWO glow cubes in her cherry Coke.

My drink was veryveryvery good, and so was I. I also got an ginger ale and alternated sips.

We both ordered the shrimp pasta (bow tie pasta and sauteed shrimp with olive oil, garlic, basil, and fresh tomatoes, topped with parmesan), and it was SO good. For dessert we ordered one red velvet cheesecake and one peanut butter-chocolate cake to share, and they were sinfully delicious!

Sci-Fi was my second favorite meal of the trip. Erica loved it, too, but thought the desserts at GFC were just a tiny bit better, giving it the edge.

When we left the restaurant, the rain had stopped; and we headed towards the Osborne Lights. I’d given Erica the lowdown on this extravaganza of Christmas awesomeness, but she was unprepared for how amazing it really is!

The lights!

The music!

It’s like being swallowed up by Christmas!

And my camera dried out just in time!

We enjoyed the spectacle for almost an hour before the rain started again. And this time it wasn’t messing around. The word torrential comes to mind.

Erica sprinted for cover, and I followed her as fast as the ECV would go. The first building we came to was the Muppet Show, so we went in to get out of the rain. A show was starting, and since we were there….

I’d never seen the Muppets before, and I wish I could say I loved it. Unfortunately, I didn’t. And neither did Erica.

Oh, well, not even Disney hits a homerun every time!

Once again, the rain had abated somewhat, but we were soaked to the skin (I kid you not…it was like I’d stepped out of a shower); so we decided to call it a night. We were both disappointed because we were looking so forward to EMH, but it wouldn’t have been much fun to stay until midnight if we were cold and wet. And after checking the weather on my phone, I was pretty sure we hadn’t seen the last of the rain, either. As we passed Star Tours, I noticed it had a five minute wait time. I told Erica that is was sure to be a better finale than the Muppets, so in we went.

And, boy, were we glad we did!

We both loved it! And to top it off…

…Erica was…

…wait for it…

…the Rebel Spy!

It was such a great “Last Ride of the Trip”!

Well done, Disney, well done!

We made it back to CBR with no wrong turns. Naturally, just as the trip is ending, I’m starting to know my way around! We drank hot coffee and took hot showers to help us thaw out and relived the highlights of the trip as we packed.

I hate the last night of a Disney trip. You’re still at Disney, which makes you happy; but you have to leave in a few hours, which makes you sad. I wanted to extend the trip a few days…or weeks…anything to make it last longer.
But, alas, that was not to be.

The next morning before Erica woke up I made a quick trip to the Custom House to do her flight check in, but the CM couldn’t give me her boarding passes because she’s 18. But she printed them and said Erica could pick them up on our way out. After going back to the room to get our stuff loaded in the car, we stopped at Port Royale for Mickey waffles because it’s not a Disney trip without having Mickey waffles at least once! We laughed and joked and talked some more about the phenomenal time we’d had. And did our best to pretend like Erica wasn’t getting on a plane and that it would be months before we’d see each other again.

At the airport, we waited until the last possible minute for her to get in the security line, then hugged each other as tightly as possible for as long as possible. I went to sit down so I could watch her until she was out of sight, and she turned around and shouted across the crowd, “I love you, Aunt Lauri!” And I shouted back, “I love you, too, Erica!”

When she was out of sight, I started making my way to the garage; and just as I was getting in the car, my cell phone rang. It was Erica telling me that her flight was delayed an hour. Aaaaaagh! We debated whether or not she should get on the fake monorail while I walked back and we’d meet at the Disney store but ultimately decided not to put her through the security ordeal again or push my knee any further than it had to be pushed. We talked for a few more minutes, said our “I love yous” again and hung up.

I was about half way home when she called again and said the flight had been delayed two more hours but she’d talked to an airline rep who put her on another flight to Charlotte, and she was calling from the plane before she turned her phone off. For someone who had never flown alone before, I thought she was pretty savvy.

She made it home safe and sound, as did I.

And I bet you’re thinking that that’s the end.

Almost, but not quite.

When I got home, I decided to leave my suitcase in the car and let Gabriel bring it in for me, at which time he said, “It’s really light. You always pack way too much junk.” Junk? Hmmph. So I told him that he missed the Disney laundry bag containing all the clothes I’d worn during the trip.

“There’s no laundry bag in the car,” he said with certainty.

I sighed expansively. “Yes, there is.”

“Let’s go look together,” he suggested.

So we did.

And he was right.

I hate when that happens!

Which could only mean that my laundry bag was still at Disney.

Lucky laundry bag!

I called CBR and was told that anything left in the room would be taken to lost and found but there probably hadn’t been enough time for them to drop it off yet. So I called back the next morning, and they assured me that it was there. I was ready to say that I’d drive over on Saturday to pick it up; but before I could, the CM asked for my address and said they’d ship my stuff.

And that’s how my clothes got an extra two days at Disney!

Epilog: Because Disney is the king of marketing, there was a Disney Cruise brochure in our room. Erica took it home with her (another free souvenir), and my sister called a few days later to say that Troy (Erica’s dad) was very interested in going on one. I told her about the land ‘n sea packages, and now we’re trying to figure out how and when we can make this happen. Even Gabriel is fully on board…even, dare I say…excited about it.

So, just to stoke the fire a little, yesterday I drove out to the port and got some photos of the Dream, which I promptly emailed to my sister.

The day was a bit cloudy, but I got pretty close…I was VERY excited. Gabriel was impressed by the ship…it made the other ships that were docked look like toy boats!

Thanks for coming along on the Divalicious World Excursion!

Stay tuned to my PTR for details on our next trip!

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

I'm surprised you guys didn't like the Muppets!!! That's our favorite show!! Oh well!

It sounds like you and Erica definitely did have a fabulously divalicious trip!!! How cool would that be if you guys all did a Disney cruise?? That ship looks awesome!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I'm surprised you guys didn't like the Muppets!!! That's our favorite show!! Oh well!

It sounds like you and Erica definitely did have a fabulously divalicious trip!!! How cool would that be if you guys all did a Disney cruise?? That ship looks awesome!

I was surprised we didn't like the Muppets, too...I mean, Kermit is the coolest, right? Maybe being cold and wet had something to do with it!

I hope we can make the cruise happen! If I dream it, it's certain to come true!

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

I'm shocked! Awed! Amazed! Erica finally got me some of her Divalicious World Excursion photos. I don't think this is all of them (there's NO WAY it's all of them), but I'm not gonna quibble with her. ENJOY!

Day 1—No Park Day

Checking in at CBR

Pretty Yacht Club

It’s called the “Grand” Floridian for a reason!

Wishes at the Poly

Day 2—Kona Café and Epcot

Christmas Topiaries

Some Miscellaneous Ep-shots

Oh Canada!

Morocco

China

Japan

Continued in the next post...​

 

[SoNotAPrincess]

Day 3—DHS

Welcome to Hollywood!

Ooooh, lights!

"Th-th-th-that's all folks!"

 

[Stringbean&Wingnut]

Love Erica's pictures!!!!