A Mother's Day Cruise on the Fantasy sandwiched between BCV (Complete 10/12, p.33)

[Pinkocto]

Hi! It has been a long time and I am happy to be joining in on your TR! We have taken a couple of cruises, but I did not do any TR's though. I am currently trying to talk the DH into going on one next month. Can't wait to read the rest!

Hi it has been a long time I hope you can convince DH! Is there a good GTY that you can take advantage of? It's probably good I'm not down there or I'd be taking cruises left and right!

 

[Pinkocto]

Looks like a great day! I love the pizza at Via Napoli! There are just too many good places to eat at WDW you can't fit them all in!

DTD is even more torn up than when you were there. They are turning it into another new themed area called "Disney Springs". There are supposed to be more retail and dining experiences once they are finished, but it will be a painful process while they are working on it.

One of my bosses at work talks badly about the food at WDW, saying it's like cafeteria food. I tell her she's eating at the wrong places! I told mom I have to take her to Le Cellier, that pasta was so delicious!

Any date on when the Springs will be open? Are they renaming DTD? More shops is a good thing, I like more shops

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

What a shame about Tom Jones tickets and cancelling his show due to health :-( maybe catch him next time! I will keep my eye out for Chubby! I must look at schedule for F&W this year!

 

[Pinkocto]

I figure I better move this TR along or they're going to boot me off the DCL boards.


After our delicious dinner at Via Napoli we moseyed on back to BCV.

Some flowers along the way

I love funky flowers and these were right up my alley. Neither of us had seen them before

I can't tell you how much we loved being able to walk back to the resort

Magnolias

After the bloom drops off

They had this gorgeous display of all sorts of different plants/flowers

Some of my favorites

We took the back way to the villas

We stopped by the store to get mom some milk for her morning coffee and then headed to find a movie. We thought they'd be with the DVC concierge but they were gone for the evening. I gave mom my bag and she went to the room and I went on a movie hunt. Love the movie rentals. I had a bit of a time finding them though. I went to the front desk who directed me to either the Solarium or the kids room. Well I had just passed the Solarium and knew there was nobody in there. The kids room just sounded wrong so I went back to the gift shop. That was where I should have started because that's where the movies were. Of course we had just been there buying milk The gift shop CM was quite annoyed with the front desk CM because that's where the movies have always been... Movie finally in hand I went back to the room.

I surprised mom with Pete's Dragon. It had been years since we'd seen it and there were some odd parts to it. It entertained but neither of us need to see it again. Mom fell asleep during the movie and I caught up in the journal. I also did a post on Jenny's TR since I'd be on the ship the next seven days and be without internet.

I left home with severe allergies. Coughing, nasal congestion, the whole bit. I somehow forgot to bring any medication. Usually they clear up in FL, this time they didn't.

I fell asleep around 10:30, we'd be back on the Fantasy tomorrow!!!!!!

 

[franandaj]

What a nice relaxing evening. I had never seen Pete's Dragon until a couple of years ago, and I was flabbergasted when I did. I couldn't believe that Disney made a drunk the sort of hero of the storyline and gave him such a prominent part. And that they had a full on Production number based around a bar and kegs popping open with beer shooting everywhere!

I don't think Disney would touch that one with a 10 foot pole nowadays!

Yay for the Fantasy the next day!

 

[MEK]

Beautiful flowers! You certainly had your photography eye going on the way home!

Wow - you would think the front desk would know exactly where the movies are! Sheesh!

Sorry about the allergies. I hope they disappear once you are on the cruise!

Cruise!!!! Yay!

 

[dolphingirl47]

The flowers are beautiful. What a shame that they kept sending you from place to place to find the movies.

Corinna

 

[Leshaface]

Sorry it took me a while to comment

Oh geez that would have made me nervous if there was something wrong with the bus. But glad everything was fine and just needed to be reset.

Well I know you're going to disagree with me, but I like seeing pictures of you.

Score on getting your room early! And what a room it is! I really wanted to stay at BCV for our next trip, but when I went to check out the dimensions of the 1 bedroom, I realized there was only 1 bathroom. I'm sure it would be fine, but we're spoiled now with Kidani and having 2 full bathrooms in the 1 bedroom.

Ooh that salted caramel sundae sounds delicious! And absolutely about the cookie! I need to spread my cookie knowledge around lol!

I love that you took a picture of the guy falling asleep!

Yikes! I hope Mr. Chubby Checker wasn't too hot in that tight jean ensemble!

Haha aw I love seeing DM's pizza faces! She's so cute. I just love you guys!

I figure I better move this TR along or they're going to boot me off the DCL boards.

I should have been booted a LONG time ago!

 

[Angeejoe]

So sorry that I have been MIA, my grandpa was diagnosed in Feb with a form of brain cancer & has had 5 hospital stays & 2 rehab stays since them. He took a turn for the worse with his last hospital stay this wk & just went to inpatient hospice today. I came home this evening to regroup & just wanted to put my mind somewhere else for a little bit. So I'm looking forward to going back & reading your updates....

 

[rentayenta]

Love the funky flowers!

Bummer about the movie search. I like pete's dragon but it's not one we watch often. I've got to be in a nostalgic mood.

Via Napoli, thank you! Its going on the must list for our next WDW trip.........whenever that is.

And if you get kicked off the DCL forum for not posting fast enough, I'll be banned for life.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Oh gosh Pam those flowers are such eye candy! Are you trying to pull the wool over our mortal eyes? Are you sure you and Mom didn't zip on over to Aulani?

Oh my I have done that DVD rental run lol. It seems every DVC resort they are located in a different place! What's with that! Not only that but the CM don't seem to know same thing happen to me at AK. At SSR they are in Community Hall so I said to Jo just going for a dvd and went there. Then no...no community hall try the gift shop in Jambo..then Kidani..oh my...no scooter I nearly passed out lol. Jo was pacing up and down room just about to phone security where is she lol.

Pete's dragon lol. Chasing the dragon mmmm. Maybe Disney need to move slowly away from that one like they did Dixie Landings...

The BCV looks so lovely! Thanks for update.

 

[Pinkocto]

What a nice relaxing evening. I had never seen Pete's Dragon until a couple of years ago, and I was flabbergasted when I did. I couldn't believe that Disney made a drunk the sort of hero of the storyline and gave him such a prominent part. And that they had a full on Production number based around a bar and kegs popping open with beer shooting everywhere!

That's what mom couldn't get, the drunk guy, the pub scene, and the weirdo bad people that were trying to get Pete. I didn't remember any of that stuff. It was WEIRD!

I don't think Disney would touch that one with a 10 foot pole nowadays!

I agree!

Yay for the Fantasy the next day!

 

[Pinkocto]

Beautiful flowers! You certainly had your photography eye going on the way home!

You are too kind there was so much eye candy at the F & G!

Wow - you would think the front desk would know exactly where the movies are! Sheesh!

Exactly! Some of the CMs at the BC failed completely this trip.

Sorry about the allergies. I hope they disappear once you are on the cruise!

Sadly no

Cruise!!!! Yay!

HOORAY!!!!!

 

[Pinkocto]

The flowers are beautiful. What a shame that they kept sending you from place to place to find the movies.

Corinna

All the resorts seem to have the movies at different places but the front desk should know where they are in my opinion...

 

[Pinkocto]

Sorry it took me a while to comment

No worries! You have a lot going on!

Oh geez that would have made me nervous if there was something wrong with the bus. But glad everything was fine and just needed to be reset.

I had never even heard of that happening before. I was immediately thinking of how long it would take if we needed to get another bus and transfer all of us

Well I know you're going to disagree with me, but I like seeing pictures of you.

Thank you

Score on getting your room early! And what a room it is! I really wanted to stay at BCV for our next trip, but when I went to check out the dimensions of the 1 bedroom, I realized there was only 1 bathroom. I'm sure it would be fine, but we're spoiled now with Kidani and having 2 full bathrooms in the 1 bedroom.

Those two bathrooms at Kidani are a real draw. We stayed in a 1BR after the cruise and it was HUGE! Definitely worth a stay at some point.

Ooh that salted caramel sundae sounds delicious! And absolutely about the cookie! I need to spread my cookie knowledge around lol!

I must try that salted caramel sundae at one point. So many delights to discover!

Yes, spread the cookie knowledge, the world deserves to know!

I love that you took a picture of the guy falling asleep!

I couldn't believe he was falling asleep so fast. He woke up at one point and fell right back to sleep. It was early afternoon!

Yikes! I hope Mr. Chubby Checker wasn't too hot in that tight jean ensemble!

He's probably so used to those jeans it feels weird not to wear them. But it was HOT!

Haha aw I love seeing DM's pizza faces! She's so cute. I just love you guys!

Love that picture. She was excited for PIZZA!!!

I should have been booted a LONG time ago!

No no no, I needed to get to the cruise part so I could justify being on the cruise boards.

 

[Pinkocto]

So sorry that I have been MIA, my grandpa was diagnosed in Feb with a form of brain cancer & has had 5 hospital stays & 2 rehab stays since them. He took a turn for the worse with his last hospital stay this wk & just went to inpatient hospice today. I came home this evening to regroup & just wanted to put my mind somewhere else for a little bit. So I'm looking forward to going back & reading your updates....

I am so sorry Thoughts and prayers for you and your family.

 

[Pinkocto]

Love the funky flowers!

I love funky things

Bummer about the movie search. I like pete's dragon but it's not one we watch often. I've got to be in a nostalgic mood.

I thought it was so weird how they started the movie off with those horrible people.

Via Napoli, thank you! Its going on the must list for our next WDW trip.........whenever that is.

Definitely put it on the list. I hope a WDW vacation gets put on the books within five years at least

And if you get kicked off the DCL forum for not posting fast enough, I'll be banned for life.

I needed to get to the cruise part

 

[Pinkocto]

Oh gosh Pam those flowers are such eye candy! Are you trying to pull the wool over our mortal eyes? Are you sure you and Mom didn't zip on over to Aulani?

Those WDW horticulturists are amazing. There are so many gorgeous plants at the F & G festival.

Oh my I have done that DVD rental run lol. It seems every DVC resort they are located in a different place! What's with that! Not only that but the CM don't seem to know same thing happen to me at AK. At SSR they are in Community Hall so I said to Jo just going for a dvd and went there. Then no...no community hall try the gift shop in Jambo..then Kidani..oh my...no scooter I nearly passed out lol. Jo was pacing up and down room just about to phone security where is she lol.

Oh my goodness, how could they send you over to Kidani, the movies are at Jambo? I don't blame Jo for a second, you were probably gone half an hour!

Pete's dragon lol. Chasing the dragon mmmm. Maybe Disney need to move slowly away from that one like they did Dixie Landings....

Some good parts, but overall a very odd movie. And usually I like odd.

The BCV looks so lovely! Thanks for update.

It's a beautiful resort. Not as unique as my beloved AKV but a very lovely place with perfect location and an awesome pool.

 

[Pinkocto]

Saturday May 10, Day 2 of vacation


Embarkation Day!!!

This might have been a very exciting day but it started off quite stressful. Last year when we went to Port Canaveral from a Disney resort we were called the night before, told that the next day our bags would be picked up around 8 am, and before 8 am the next morning bell services called to make sure our bags were ready. This time I did not get a call the night before, there was no paperwork left on the door the night before, and when I woke up at 6:30 on embarkation day there was still no paperwork outside on the door. Panic was slowly starting to set in.

Some back story is needed. When I called DCL to arrange transportation to the port and back again there was a bit of trouble. I did this well within the window required but something gave the CM on the phone some trouble and she had to involve her supervisor. For some reason they had a hard time adding the transportation to my reservation. After about 15-20 minutes the CM came back and said everything was settled. I got an email with the transportation added to my reservation. Everything seemed arranged. Well of course all this came back to me when it was the morning of the cruise and I had heard nothing about our bag pickup. I figured I’d call DCL to make sure I was on the roster for the morning but DCL does not start taking calls until 9 am on Saturdays… I then called the front desk and Josie had no idea. She suggested I check in with the DCL people when they arrive between 8-9 in front of the ‘big tv’ between the YC and BC… More panic.

I showered and packed and at 8:00 headed down to look for the DCL people. Well when I passed the DVC concierge I figured why not ask Chip, the very friendly and already helpful CM. Within 5 minutes he had everything figured out. He said I should have called him first and he would have been able to help right away. He called bell services, asked if our room was set up for DCL transfers and received the affirmative. Bell services seemed surprised we had not received an information packet on our door the night before. They said they’d send paperwork up with the bellman when he came up to get our bags shortly. Chip, the savoir of the morning, told me DCL usually meets in the Solarium at 11:45. With my mind at ease and much thanking of Chip I headed back to the room.

I was very happy to tell mom the good news. A bellman did come and get the bags at 8:40 but he didn’t have any paperwork for me. Lots of miscommunication this morning. When the bags were gone I heated up the leftover pizza and we ate it on the porch. DCL called shortly after the bags were taken to confirm our transfers that morning. They also confirmed the Solarium as the meeting place and the time Chip told me. I'm glad they called but I realy think somebody dropped the ball on us this morning...



Mom swore she spotted a turtle in the water. Of course I didn’t see it. ‘There, right below the fourth pole’ I couldn’t see any turtles for a while but eventually I did. I took oodles of pictures but I’ll only share a few. We were captivated.













We watched them for a while and then headed out about 10:30. I needed to try and find some cough medicine and stop by the ATM before going to the Solarium.



The gardenias along the walkway were so fragrant and beautiful



We stopped in the shop and a very helpful CM directed us right to the cough syrup. It was $10 but I was able to use my DVC discount which helped a little. Then to the ATM to get some cash which I hadn’t had time to do before leaving home. Then we went to the Solarium a little early. A very very VERY chatty CM named Richard talked our ears off. I was attempting to journal but he paid that no mind. Eventually it was time to leave and Richard had to go back to work.



We had to stop at the BW first and then we were off! It took about an hour but check in was a breeze and we were heading through the Mickey Ears probably within 10 minutes of arriving at the port.





My time stamp for the Ears is 1:44 and for the chandelier is 1:46. We were being super speedy. The DVC meeting was at 2:30 and we both wanted to do that. The room should have been ready so we headed up there right away to drop off our stuff. I was basically herding mom at this point, we’d have plenty of time to enjoy the surroundings later.



Quick look at the room, we both had seen pictures of it but they really didn’t prepare us for the amount of space it had. It was at the very bow of the ship and because of the curve some of these forward cabins are quite bigger than normal. More pictures later but we were in love.



We had about 40 minutes before the DVC meeting and I needed some lunch. I sped an ooing and awing mom out of the cabin and up to Cabanas.

Quiet Cove adult only area.







No pictures of the buffet, sorry, absolutely no time.

My plate



Mom’s plate



People, those steak fries are to die for. Perfectly crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Yum yum yum! You already know I love the mac and cheese.

Mom went back for dessert. Mom, we have no time for dessert! Ok, I’ll make a coffee float and take it with me. She loved it.




It was quite a whirlwind of an embarkation but we slowed down a little after lunch.


More to come later.

 

[Angeejoe]

I loved the updates! I thought the one purplish flower looked liked a tarantula!

I can't believe how torn up DTD is! How's the new parking looking? It's such a pain to park there.

I'm glad you liked SAB! The lazy river is our favorite. I can just float in it for hours. I'm wishing I was in it right now as its so relaxing.

Thanks for taking me away from my troubles for a little while