A year without Disney? Who am I kidding?!(a PTR) LINK TO TR!

[DisneyCrafter]

Cruise TR, Day Four, Part I:​

I wipe the sleep out of my eyes and am instantly confused. With no window, I have no way of knowing what time it is. Do I turn on the television to see the time? I don’t want to wake Greg and the sudden burst of artificial light would most definitely wake him from his slumber. My cell phone is off and tucked away, no use for it on international waters. Ah well, television it is. I feel Greg shift next to me. “It’s okay sweetie go back to bed it’s still early.” It’s not even 7am to be exact. It’s vacation right? Ah well, I’m awake now. I quietly get out of bed and head into the shower.

As I would learn this morning showering on the cruise was…interesting. Number one, if possible shower with the door open, that way the shower curtain won’t adhere to your body. Number two, don’t drop anything. If it falls on the floor, it’s staying there. Number three, there is no shaving legs ladies. It just doesn’t happen. Well, unless you want to reach your leg out of the curtain and prop it up on the toilet (yes it’s possible).

When I emerge, Greg is awake. “You could have stayed asleep.”

“That’s okay, you’re awake.”

Greg gets just as quickly as I did and I only hear a few grunts as he wrestles with the shower curtain.

We head down the corridor and up the elevator to deck 11 for some breakfast at the Windjammer. Eating isn’t the first thing on my mind this morning, however, it’s to see outside. Are we moving? Are we anchored? I’ve read endless reports about many ships not being able to stop at Cococay because of the rough seas. I see land! We’re stopped! Cococay is a GO! It’s also sunny outside! We couldn’t have asked for better weather! As soon as my nerves are calmed, we pick a table and take turns going to the buffet. Although the food is mediocre at best, I still found myself leaving VERY full.
Back down the elevator we went, stopping on deck 5 for towels and walked down to deck 1. It was nearly 8am this point and the first tenders would be arriving shortly to take us to the island. We were second in line! Whatever happened to sleeping in on this vacation?

The captain makes an announcement and the area is filling up. The line is now snaked around the room. It’s after 8am. What’s taking so long? Finally, the rope is dropped and we hand over our seapass cards to be scanned and walk the plank. Now that I think about it, I can’t believe it was a simple metal bridge that was all that was between me and the deep blue sea. Okay, I need to stop thinking about that, I can feel my pulse quickening!
Allow me to share some pictures with you that might better put an image in your head of this deep blue sea and the little itty bitty boat we walked off the ship onto.

Look closely. The boat is along side the ship loading more people.

Obviously we were quite happy in this photo for a number of reasons. One, we’re on vacation. Two, it’s February and in Chicago, they’re experiencing negative temperatures and we’re wearing bathing suits and sunglasses outside. Three, we made it on the boat safe.

With the cool breeze on my face and the warm sun on my skin it's easy to forget about walking the plank. At least until we get to do it again when we return to the ship. It only takes but a few moments before we’re pulling up to the dock at Royal Caribbean’s private island, Cococay. What shall we do? Rent a float mat for the water? Snorkel? Take a walk around the island? Just lay back and relax on a lounge chair?

What do we do?

 

[DisneyCrafter]

In just 11 days my sister and I will be arriving at WDW for 3 nights and 4 days of non-stop (literally) fun!

Our flight is scheduled to take off right around 8am. We'll land at MCO around 1130am and instead of heading to baggage claim, we'll head straight for ME. After the experience I had on my honeymoon with luggage services taking HOURS to get my DH's bag to us, I'm hesitant but I'm not willing to wait for luggage today. I'm prepared to see and experience MCO the busiest that I ever have.

I'm hoping to pull into Pop around 1pm. We'll check in and drop off any bags we have in our room. I'm sure we'll be hungry by this point so we'll have some lunch at Pop before heading to MK.

We'll be arriving at the MK at the busiest time of day so my expectations for getting many attractions is not high. First things first, we start in Adventureland and I'll stop at Aloha Isle to get a Pineapple Dole Whip! We may make a detour to Tomorrowland before going over to Adventureland to grab FPs for Space Mountain if any are available. I'm hoping there are some left!

We'll then enter the queue for Pirates. After our boat ride we'll head over to Splash. I'm hoping to grab FPs for Splash either before or after we finish riding depending on when the time for our next FPs becomes available (if we were able to grab Space FPs). We'll skip BTMRR for now and head over to Haunted Mansion. Then we'll make it to Fantasyland and see Philhar Magic, at this point I'm anticipating it will be after 8pm. We'll grab snacks (I already know everything I want) to makeup a dinner and find a spot close to the entrance to Tomorrowland to watch MSEP and Wishes. Instead of heading out of the park with the masses, I'm hoping to redeem our FP's for Space Mountain and Splash Mountain before heading back to Pop. However, if we are just too exhausted, we'll leave right after MSEP and Wishes.

I know that 5 attractions are not very many for such a long period of time but I'm anticipating the park to be VERY crowded and I don't want to be disappointed or feel too rushed.

Do you think that my plan is feasible? Would you do anything different?

 

[DisneyFirefly]

It looks feasible to me

 

[DisneyCrafter]

It looks feasible to me

I'm just very concerned about wait times. I remember going back in 2006 over spring break and most of the memories I have are of us waiting in line. Even the line for Philhar Magic was out of control!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

No, I totally understand. I think when it's that busy, it's best to go with a small amount of expectations. That way, if you do more than planned, it's awesome

Then again, I'm a strange mix of commando and desperado touring

 

[DisneyCrafter]

No, I totally understand. I think when it's that busy, it's best to go with a small amount of expectations. That way, if you do more than planned, it's awesome

Then again, I'm a strange mix of commando and desperado touring

Exactly!

I tour pretty similar to you! I have a hard time straying from what I plan even though I know there's a good chance that I (or we) won't feel like doing what I've planned months before. Such is life!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

See, I usually don't Plan. Yes, with a capital P, meaning the way most other Disers do it. I make a list of what I want to do, but the only real Plans I make are ADRs. Everything else? I do it as it comes. I know that if Space has too long of a line, I can go on TTA or COP or Laugh Floor and come back later. I don't mind going in circles Then again, I know some shortcuts around MK and a few around DHS

 

[Joyciemc]

I think your MK plan sounds doable! Just remember to stop when/if it isn't fun anymore. That is my biggest problem. DH and I will be tired and grumpy but it doesn't occur to us that staying in the parks isn't worth it if we aren't happy!
Leaving early just means you'll be better rested for the next day of fun!

I can't believe you go in 11 days, and I'm just a week behind you!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

See, I usually don't Plan. Yes, with a capital P, meaning the way most other Disers do it. I make a list of what I want to do, but the only real Plans I make are ADRs. Everything else? I do it as it comes. I know that if Space has too long of a line, I can go on TTA or COP or Laugh Floor and come back later. I don't mind going in circles Then again, I know some shortcuts around MK and a few around DHS

Last trip, I planned which days we'd go to which parks and I made a attraction wish-list. Once we got to the parks we did whatever we felt like. There were definite positive and negatives of that. A big positive was that I didn't feel as though we HAD to stick to the outlined schedule. A negative was that our time was not utilized most efficiently so we ended up not getting to everything that we wanted. This trip, I'm planning what we'll do in the parks but still planning open time to do what we feel like. A happy mix of both!

I think your MK plan sounds doable! Just remember to stop when/if it isn't fun anymore. That is my biggest problem. DH and I will be tired and grumpy but it doesn't occur to us that staying in the parks isn't worth it if we aren't happy!
Leaving early just means you'll be better rested for the next day of fun!

I can't believe you go in 11 days, and I'm just a week behind you!

I have a feeling we'll be leaving after Wishes is over. We can still get around 6 hours of sleep if we do that and that's a good amount!

 

[Nermel9]

Hi, I'm joining! I can't wait to read about all of your plans and your cruise TR! I gotta go back and catch up later tonight though, since I have to go force myself to exercise now.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Hi, I'm joining! I can't wait to read about all of your plans and your cruise TR! I gotta go back and catch up later tonight though, since I have to go force myself to exercise now.

I'm so glad you came by! I love sharing my plans, even though they change frequently!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

On our first full day of our girls' trip we'll wake up nice and early and head over to Hollywood Studios for rope drop.

We'll say goodbye to the majority of rope droppers as they head towards TSM and we head toward RnRC. We'll grab fastpasses and then enter the queue. After that we'll head over to ToTerror.

I'll probably duck into Starring Rolls at this point for an iced coffee and then we'll make it over to TSM.

If our time becomes available to grab more fastpasses by now, we'll head back down to Tower of Terror and grab them. Also, if our time to ride RnRC is at this point we'll ride that.

If we can't do either at this point, we'll head over to Great Movie Ride. We'll ride if the wait is not more than 30 minutes. If it's more than 30 minutes, we'll skip it. We can always try to get in on a animation academy class or wait in line for a picture with a character to pass the time until we can ride RnRC or get ToT fastpasses. However, if the return time for the ToT fastpasses are past 2pm, we may just enter the queue if the wait is less than an hour.

After we ride RnRC for a second time and have our (possibly) ToT fastpasses in hand, we'll head over to Muppet Vision 3D and see that (only if the wait is less than 30 minutes, however).

I hope to ride ToT after seeing Muppet Vision 3D before heading out of the park for a break back at the resort.

With crowds being what they are predicting, I need to be prepared. I need to have a Plan A, B, and C and I think I have just that.

A: (If everything goes as planned)
RnRC Fastpasses
RnRC
ToT
TSM
ToT Fastpasses
Great Movie Ride
RnRC
Muppet Vision 3D
ToT

B:
RnRC Fastpasses
RnRC
ToT
TSM
Great Movie Ride
ToT Fastpasses
RnRC
Muppet Vision 3D
ToT

C:
RnRC Fastpasses
RnRC
ToT
TSM
ToT
Great Movie Ride
RnRC
Muppet Vision 3D

Today, I can do the single digit dance! Only 9 more days!!!!!!!!! I packed my toiletries today and went to Walmart to get some last minute items so I don't have to check any bags. It's going to be interesting especially depending on how many souvenirs I purchase but we are only going for 3 nights, so I know that I can make it work.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Where is everybody??? Today, I'm doing the 7 day dance!

Pretty much exactly 7 days to the minute we'll be landing at MCO. We're both traveling with only carry on luggage so we'll be briskly walking over to ME so we can get to WDW ASAP!

I'll continue on with my daily plans.

On Saturday (our first full park day), after we leave DHS, we'll head back to the resort for a break. At least that's the plan and I'm pretty sure we'll welcome the break. We'll either nap or hang out by the pool. We'll head to Epcot in the evening and spend a few hours there. We'll do half the World Showcase tonight (and we'll finish the other half on Monday). We'll start in the UK and make it to Japan. If the boat is still running between FW and WS, we'll reverse and start in Japan and end in UK. I plan on exiting through the International Gateway, walking over to the Boardwalk and hopping on a bus to DTD. I'd like to leave Epcot at 830 so we are beating the crowds at the end of Illuminations.

 

[DisMomAmy]

I'm here... sometimes I read on my phone & forget to go back & comment!

Your plans sound great - I was cracking up at your options A, B & C. But it's good to have some flexibility with your plans in case something doesn't work out.

I love the image of you walking right off the plane & heading to ME!!

 

[DisneyFirefly]

I'm still here, I just sometimes forget to comment

Those plans look good I might have to steal your idea of carry-on's only for the trip The only problem is that my friend Cherry will probably overpack

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I'm here... sometimes I read on my phone & forget to go back & comment!

Your plans sound great - I was cracking up at your options A, B & C. But it's good to have some flexibility with your plans in case something doesn't work out.

I love the image of you walking right off the plane & heading to ME!!

My sister will just roll her eyes at me!

I'm still here, I just sometimes forget to comment

Those plans look good I might have to steal your idea of carry-on's only for the trip The only problem is that my friend Cherry will probably overpack

Now, the only reason I'm not checking a bag is because it's only a 3 night trip. On DH and I's 10 night in October YOU BET I will be checking a bag!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Okay...so I know that I haven't been the best at getting you more Cruise TR Updates or even being consistent with the posting of the girls' weekend daily plans but I just have to share some information with you!

We booked the airfare today. After stalking SW for weeks, I finally found the lowest fares yet this evening, $110/one-way...in/out from Tampa! Ugh! However, we're going to need a car anyway the day after we arrive to go to Universal, so it's not a big deal to drive from Tampa to WDW. It would be more of an inconvenience for the trip back home if it weren't for us being booked on a 3 night Bahamas trip on the DREAM! At only $619/person for a Family Oceanview Room, I couldn't pass it up! I've become obsessed with the ship over the past couple of weeks and I took the plunge! I'm definitely VERY happy right now! We're still arriving on September 30 and departing on October 10 but we'll be spending October 6-October 9 sailing on the Dream! So stay tuned for lots of updates!

Plus, I leave for WDW with my sister in just 4 days!

 

[DisMomAmy]

Wow!! That's amazing!!!

The drive to & from Tampa is a breeze.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Wow!! That's amazing!!!

The drive to & from Tampa is a breeze.

I can't wait! I always like to relax on vacation and I think this will be perfect. I have a hard time relaxing in WDW because there is so much to do so I know the cruise will be the perfect way to still experience the magic of Disney while relaxing!

I'm glad you said that about Tampa. My biggest thing is to find a car rental company that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg, I think we are just going to keep the car the entire week as we'll need it a total of 5 times. It just makes sense. I don't want to pick up the car, drop it off, pick it up, etc.

 

[DisneyCrafter]

Cruise TR, Day Four, Part II:

So when I last left off DH and I were arriving at the beautiful Cococay Island. Ahhh…pure relaxation. The weather couldn’t have been any better, it was 80 degrees and sunny! We were on the first tender of the day so we had our choice of chairs, and there were plenty of them!

We lounged around for a bit before deciding to test out the water. Brrrr! It was FREEZING!!!

I also had the SMARTEST *cough*dumbest*cough* idea to rent a float mat. I laid for a bit on it but Greg had to direct me so as not to get too close to the splashing kiddies! Once I had enough of that or whenever my lips began to turn blue, I went back and relaxed on the lounge chair again. Greg stayed in the water for a bit longer before joining me.

I took out my book to read but because of the warm sun I got sleepy and drifted off to sleep. Did I mention how relaxing this trip was??? When I woke up I noticed a family near us had rented the snorkeling gear and I had been debating whether or not to do it. I’ve only ever been in the ocean (aside from this day) one other time and I didn’t go past my ankles. It’s the unknown that scares me: stingrays, jellyfish, etc. Also, today with the water being so chilly (it was the middle of February after all), I just wasn’t sure it was a good idea. But-it is on my bucket list and I just went for it!

The snorkeling gear they provide isn’t the best but it’s sufficient. My mask didn’t work correctly and kept letting a trickle of water in. Also, the water was a bit choppy so you had to be careful because water swooshed into the snorkel pretty frequently and let me tell you salt water is DISGUSTING! Yuck! I did spot quite a few fish and we had a water camera but I didn’t get the pictures developed yet (there’s still quite a few pictures left on the film). I never saw a large group but I also didn’t go out very far. I was scared and there weren’t a lot of people out there so I didn’t feel brave enough to head out very far. Eventually I started to feel nauseous because the water was so choppy and my stomach couldn’t handle being thrown around anymore so I told Greg I was heading back in. I assumed he would join me and when I got closer to shore and could stand on my feet I looked next to me and he wasn’t there! Let the freaking out begin! I couldn’t spot him anywhere! I was panicking and calling out his name. I went back into the water and spotted him behind a jetty. He had gone further to find more fish. Phew! We both had enough at that point and returned our snorkeling gear. At this point, I tried to find a spot to rest but I just was being indecisive. We went and showered off at the outdoor shower and I attempted to run a brush through my tangled hair! We found a spot and stayed for a while until they opened up the BBQ buffet. We had some lunch (again, just mediocre) and decided to take a walk around the island. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Once we made it to the other side of the island, we decided to lounge again. (After all, this is a relaxing vacation!)

Don’t you just love my Mickey straw bag? I got it on the second half of our honeymoon in the Bahamas and I just thought it was perfect. It had Mickey Mouse on it and said Bahamas. Where did we spend our honeymoon? Disney World and the Bahamas!

After relaxing for just a bit we decided to head back to the more populated side of the island. This side had maybe 20 people and the views were breathtaking. I really hope the my DBIL and DSIL took our advice and went all the way to that side of the island when they were there this past weekend. It really is beautiful!

At this point, I decided to walk through the “straw market” but aside from a sundress or two, nothing really caught my eye so I decided to wait until we docked in Nassau the next day to do any island shopping. We caught one of the next tenders back. I believe it was about 230 at this point. The ride back was CHOPPY! Up and down! Up and down! Up and down! Phew! Was I glad when we made it back to the big ship!

We both cleaned up and then I asked Greg to teach me how to play chess! I’ve tried a few times before but I just wasn’t into it. This time, however, I caught on and we really had a great time! At about 530 we went to dinner. Again, mediocre food. The best part of the meal again was the Caesar salad and the bread! Once dinner was finished I believe we may have headed to the casino for a bit before heading back to the room.

I actually believe that I fell asleep this night around 830. The snorkeling must have wore me out! Greg stayed up to read and went to bed not too long after me.

We had another early morning ahead of us. We were scheduled to get a couples massage!