A Happy Dog's Summer of Sea and Shore - *cough,cough, nudge nudge* 7/11

[Happydog]

Welcome to my second, Happy Dog Cruise TR/PTR !!!

Last February, DH and I escaped for a quick three night jaunt on the Wonder!

While aboard we booked TWO cruises: A four night cruise over President’s day for the two of us (just three short weeks away!!! ) and ONE for the HD family of four -- a five night, two stops at Castaway Cay, adventure! So what is the most exciting part of these plans?!? The fact that both of the cruises are aboard the NEW Disney Dream!! And if you have been scouring the cruise boards like I have you have seen all the pictures and conversations about the Dream ... and boy is there a lot to be excited about!!!

This TR/PTR/TR will include a variety of highlights, not only for the cruises, but also the time between, where there will be a flash from the past (a glimpse of Lego Land from November – for a few inquiring DISers ) as well as some comparisons from our adult getaway on the Wonder last year. I will also slide in a few updates on our upcoming spring break, which is not at all Disney, but will be our kids’ introduction to cruising, when we go off to Italy and Greece in April!

The HD family Disney cruise in June is part one of our summer fun. We will spend 5 nights on the Dream, followed by 5 nights at Disney’s Vero Beach! We are looking forward to the whole experience, and I look forward to sharing it with you! I hope what I put together will be useful for anyone wanting to do the same or learn more about cruising with kids and the resort at Vero Beach.

More exciting details to FOLLOW, including the who, what, when, and where of our first "PORT of CALL,” as we dock for one night, pre-cruise, at Bay Lake Tower!

Our FUN OFFICIALLY Begins three weeks from tomorrow, when we fly down to Orlando! BOY, I cannot wait!

So mateys! This ship will be leaving the dock soon! I hope you will join me for another Happy Dog and Happy Dog Family adventure!

Graphic courtesy of DISigner Millipie

 

[IluvXU]

First!

 

[Dugette]

I'm here and can't wait to hear about all these trips! Sounds wonderful!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

Wooo Hooo You Started!!!!!
Can't wait to read all about your plans!

 

[MeMom]

As much as I would love to roam around on a Disney ship and see all of the awesome stuff, and as much as I would love to visit Castaway Cay, I am too claustrophobic to ever be able to take a cruise. I would have to have the money to have the biggest, most open cabin that exists, and I don't see that ever happening. I'll take my cruises through the rest of you who do enjoy them so much.

I would like to check out Vero sometime, though. I'd like for the girls to have some beach time and do something a little different, yet still Disney quality and Disney safe. I'd love to be over there to do the sea turtle activity. That would be cool.

 

[DisMomAmy]

Page one!!!

 

[Happydog]

First!

Woot! Two for two I think you are!!!!

I'm here and can't wait to hear about all these trips! Sounds wonderful!

Yay! I gotta get back over to your Christmas TR!!!!

Wooo Hooo You Started!!!!!
Can't wait to read all about your plans!

Here we go!!!

As much as I would love to roam around on a Disney ship and see all of the awesome stuff, and as much as I would love to visit Castaway Cay, I am too claustrophobic to ever be able to take a cruise. I would have to have the money to have the biggest, most open cabin that exists, and I don't see that ever happening. I'll take my cruises through the rest of you who do enjoy them so much.

I would like to check out Vero sometime, though. I'd like for the girls to have some beach time and do something a little different, yet still Disney quality and Disney safe. I'd love to be over there to do the sea turtle activity. That would be cool.

Don't you worry MeMom! I will get lots of pics on the ship, so you can feel like you are there, without the negative aspects!, and lots of pics at Vero so you can check it out!!!

Page one!!!

YAY!

 

[Charleston Princess]

I am here for roll call and embarking on another GREAT Happydog clan PTR! With all the great photos and details coming out about the Dream, I can't wait to read about your adventures on it!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Present! Can't wait for more!!

 

[Native NYer]

Yay!!! I'm here for all the fun.

 

[Jaaaacki]

Joining in.

 

[Sleepingbooty]

Yay, I'm in! Sooooo looking forward to more firsthand reports on the dream, it'll be at least October before we get to see for ourselves.

 

[stace208]

I'm here and will try to do better with posting and keeping up!

 

[manntra]

Woo hoo!!! Ready for the muster drill!

Tracy

 

[pooh'smate]

I was perusing the boards and found this ptr. I have seen you on other peoples reports so I though I would join in. Sounds like a lot of fun. The Dream looks incredible.

 

[Happydog]

I am here for roll call and embarking on another GREAT Happydog clan PTR! With all the great photos and details coming out about the Dream, I can't wait to read about your adventures on it!

Oh me either!!!! I am excited to read about my adventure!!! Well HAVE it then read/write about it!!
Glad you are here AS always!!!

Present! Can't wait for more!!

Oh it is coming today!!!!

Yay!!! I'm here for all the fun.

Woot Woot! Thanks for jumping on board!!!

Joining in.

Hiya! Welcome!!! I promise to have a lot of fun!

Yay, I'm in! Sooooo looking forward to more firsthand reports on the dream, it'll be at least October before we get to see for ourselves.

Great!!!! Well I will take lots of pics and take lots of notes!!!

I'm here and will try to do better with posting and keeping up!

Oh just glad you are here for the fun!!!

Woo hoo!!! Ready for the muster drill!

Tracy

YAY! I will make sure you get your life jacket on properly!!! Look, Tracy, you didn't even need a bat signal

I was perusing the boards and found this ptr. I have seen you on other peoples reports so I though I would join in. Sounds like a lot of fun. The Dream looks incredible.

Hi there! So glad you are here! If you have seen me posting on other TRs then you will be in good company over here... we tend to travel in packs...

Glad you came to join in the fun!

 

[Charleston Princess]

Oh it is coming today!!!!

C'mon, HD! I need an update to distract me from the house I should be cleaning.

... we tend to travel in packs... :laughing

Like wild dogs? We could be the DIS Dogs!

 

[Happydog]

So in a few short weeks DH and I will be off for our “scouting” adventure on the Disney DREAM!
This is a photo taken LAST February, at Palo’s... it is a picture of a picture, so sorry it is a little grainy! LOL!

And here we are, this summer in the heat at DHS!

Our two boys are not coming with us for the first adventure, but will be with us this summer for leg two of our Disney Sea and Shore adventure!

Here they are, in our most recent Disney inspired family vacation... Halloween at Disneyland ...

Our primary goal on this 4 night cruise is to check out the ship! For our family trip, of course…

WE won’t be having any fun at all….

Here are the details for our expedition!

For this trip, we have booked a Deluxe inside cabin.

We went with an inside for two reasons:

ONE:
With the onboard booking deal, the inside room was a great discount (including OBC!) and since we were doing two cruises, we wanted to keep costs for this getaway reasonable.

TWO:
We wouldn’t book an inside room as a family, so as a couple traveling, it would be the only opportunity to check one out! (last Feb we were in an ocean view). The fact that the inside rooms on The DREAM have the “virtual porthole” also peaked our curiosity – there has been a LOT of interest and such surrounding these portholes… With the ship being brand new, and the rooms well appointed, it seemed a no brainer for this four nighter.

We head out on this adventure on Sunday, Feb 20th!

However the night before, on the 19th, we spend the evening at Bay Lake Tower, in a MK view room!!

We are in a studio again (like the one we stayed in last summer) but will hopefully have this view out our window!!!!

This will be a new experience for us, what a great view this will be! I am hoping we will have a high floor, so we can see the fireworks, or at least inside the park a bit!


We fly out early in the am on the 19th, and plan to hang out at the Top of the World lounge for the day. We went up there a few times last summer, mostly to go out on the viewing deck, but it looked like such a great place to relax and read!! I remember thinking how nice this area would be for some R & R!!!

I borrowed these photos of the inside!

I even have an ADR at Cali Grill that evening so in many ways, we will definitely be staying put! LOL! Well, I may head to DTD if I am so inclined!!! LOL! Actually, I will most definitely, b/c I want to go to WOD to check out any pirate accessories I might need for the boys…

We are renting a car for this leg of the trip. We have it for one day, out from the airport and with a drop off at Port Canaveral -- they have a rental location right there! and they have a shuttle to the port… so we are hoping that will work out well to our advantage. I am hoping this will allow us to get to the port earlier than had we taken the ME from the resort… it also gives us flexibility that day, so I can go to DTD or the outlets!!! -- something I have never done. We are taking the ME from port to Airport on our way home…

There is so much to read and try to get a handle on regarding the new ship. Earlier in December, I bought myself this:

Only to find out that a new edition is coming out in March!! So even though I have the 2009 and 2010 edition, I still want to buy that 2011 one!!! LOL!

For now I am reading all that I can on the cruise boards… There are lots of great reports coming in from the Maiden Voyage!

FOr my next post, I will share what we have planned for the cruise and a few pre-trip purchases!!!
I will be back SOON!

LESS than 20 days now!! WOOT!

 

[Native NYer]

You have a fun couple of adventures planned!
The inside staterooms on the Dream are beautiful! I love the virtual portholes.

Can't wait to read about your Dream and Vero plans.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

20 days! I'm so excited for you. A relaxing day at BLT sounds perfect and score on the CG ADR!! Those inside staterooms look pretty roomy... can't wait to hear what you think of the real thing. And I'm super anxious to hear about the virtual porthole...sounds like such a cute idea!

By the way, how generous of you and DH to make the sacrifice to take this scouting trip so that the family can have more fun this summer.