All Aboard! The Great Land and Sea Getaway - May 2009 PTR

[englishrose47]

Hi Lessa!!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

No. I mean so I can make sure we give you a bon voyage in the bon voyage thread!

Oh!

I just finished reading your thread Lessa. Great start for your trip on May, we are also planning a trip in May with my DH and kids but we decided to moved it on December so that my parents could come and join us. I'm looking forward to read more from you.

Have a nice day.

Thanks for joining in! December will be great seeing the castle all lit up.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

With the release of the May Park hours I have made up a tentative schedule for our days at WDW.

May 16th - Arrive at MCO around noon, pick up rental car, check-in at AKL.

If the room is ready drop all our stuff off and then probably make a quick run to the grocery store to pick up some food for the room. Mostly breakfast items and such.

Depending on the time we might hang out at the pool for a bit and then off to the Magic Kingdom for Spectromagic.

Dinner plans not too sure on yet, maybe Chef Mickey's, maybe The Plaza.

May 17th - Either Epcot or Hollywood Studios

If we go to Epcot then we will be having dinner at Chefs de France if HS then we will probably eat counter service or I might try and book the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose. Will try and go back to the hotel for a few hours during the day for some pool time. This day is interchangeable with the 20th.

May 18th - Magic Kingdom

Lunch at the Liberty Tree Tavern (?) or perhaps we will go eat at one of the monorail resorts. We did really like the Poly. Dinner will be counter service.

May 19th - Animal Kingdom

Possible dinner at Jiko this night, not sure if I can justify spending all that money though. I am rather cheap when it comes to food.

Pool time in the evening??

May 20th - Hollywood Studios or Epcot whichever we didn't go to on the 17th.

Mid-day pool break!

May 21st - Epcot

This will probably only be a half-day at the park to take in what we didn't see on our first day. I plan on lounging around the pool and possibly going to Downtown Disney.

May 22nd - Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Weekend

Possible dinner at the T-Rex Cafe in DTD


May 23rd - Wake up bright and early and drive an hour over to Port Canaveral to start off our Disney Cruise!

 

[jcc0621]

I am so excited! The May Park hours have FINALLY been released on Disney's website. Now I can really start making plans.

Are they not posting them so early now since they change ADR's to 90 days out

Possible dinner at Jiko this night, not sure if I can justify spending all that money though. I am rather cheap when it comes to food.

Me too!

PLans looks great Lessa. Should I start taking wagers over on TFW as to how many changes there will be

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Are they not posting them so early now since they change ADR's to 90 days out

It seems that way, we have been waiting for May hours since November! The most annoying part about it was that Disney never said oh by the way we have changed it to a 3 months out calendar, instead they left us hanging. The frustration on all the May threads has been maddening, all us planners were going stir crazy.

PLans looks great Lessa. Should I start taking wagers over on TFW as to how many changes there will be

Well I get to make ADR's on the 15th so I have lots of time between now and then to switch things around.

 

[PopArtGal]

Hey Lessa!

I'm back onboard!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hey Lessa!

I'm back onboard!

Thanks for coming over! Hopefully I will get things moving over here as my ADR window quickly approaches. I can't believe I am only three months out!

 

[englishrose47]

Hi Lessa ! We can make ressies on the 15th right !! I am going to Spectro on the 16th too was always my plan but waiting for those hours was maddening !!Wheredo you watch Spectro maybe we could meet up and watch together!!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hi Lessa ! We can make ressies on the 15th right !! I am going to Spectro on the 16th too was always my plan but waiting for those hours was maddening !!Wheredo you watch Spectro maybe we could meet up and watch together!!

I don't have a certain spot, usually decide spur of the moment depending on where we are at the time.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Hey guys!

So far I have only been talking about WDW but the real highlight of this trip is going to be the cruise. I am so excited for this! I have never been on a cruise before so it will be a totally different experience for me. The closest I have gotten to a cruise is when I took a night fairy from Sicily to Naples. That was quite the experience. One of the girls I was traveling with gave us all motion sickness patches and whatever was in them made us all VERY giddy. Oddly enough that was not the craziest we acted on that trip.

Disney has two cruise ships, the Magic and the Wonder, we'll be sailing on the Magic. The two ships are practically identical the only real difference is the itineraries they sail.

We have a Cat 6 stateroom booked which is a verandah room. We are very lucky and we got a primo room location midship right near the main bank of elevators and stairs so it will be easy peasy to get around the ship quickly.

Mom insisted on a verandah room as she plans on eating breakfast out there every morning and relaxing out there with a good book.

The itinerary for the cruise is as follows:

May 23rd - Port Canaveral
May 24th - Sea Day
May 25th - Sea Day
May 26th - Tortola (British Virgin Islands)
May 27th - St Thomas (US Virgin Islands)
May 28th - At Sea
May 29th - Castaway Cay (Disney's private island in the Bahamas)
May 30th - Port Canaveral

I am so looking forward to going to the Virgin Islands, I have wanted to visit them ever since I saw Weekend at Bernies 2 back when I was a kid. My brothers and I loved that movie and watched it like a million times.

I'll be back later to talk more about our plans for shore excursions.

 

[bawsmom]

we had a cat 6 veranda in september.. sounds like the same area... what a convenient room. of course i always got turned around as to which way to go coming off the elevators or the stairs but it was a wonderful location!!

and the room such a good size- plenty of room!! oh and the bathrooms!!

obviously i can't wait to hear all about it!!

 

[askelton]

Sea days are my absolute favourite! I love having all day to sit by the pool and read or whatever. You're going to love it!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

we had a cat 6 veranda in september.. sounds like the same area... what a convenient room. of course i always got turned around as to which way to go coming off the elevators or the stairs but it was a wonderful location!!

and the room such a good size- plenty of room!! oh and the bathrooms!!

obviously i can't wait to hear all about it!!

I'll probably get turned around a lot as well.

One of the reasons DCL really appealed to me was the rooms size, the bathroom set-up and the decor. The staterooms just look sooo much nicer than the pictures I have seen of other cruise lines.

Sea days are my absolute favourite! I love having all day to sit by the pool and read or whatever. You're going to love it!

The sea days should be nice and relaxing, or maybe not depending on what activities I decided to take part in! I have heard that they have so much going on that your relaxing sea days can turn into running around the ship trying to fit everything in days.

 

[askelton]

I have heard that they have so much going on that your relaxing sea days can turn into running around the ship trying to fit everything in days.

That's what Mitch did while I sat by the pool! He loved it though.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

One of the biggest decisions when taking a cruise is what excursions you want to go on. I get to book them in about a month so it is time to make some decisions. Here are some of the excursions being offered for our first stop, Tortola.

Tortola by Land and Sea

The Virgin Islands are made up of over 60 isles and cays. Cruise past the islands by motor launch and tour the length of Tortola by tour bus, while also enjoying some shopping time at a picturesque marina.

Board open-air tour buses for a short transfer to the marina where your launch awaits to take you on a scenic cruise among the beautiful islands of this unique archipelago. View the southern shoreline of Tortola and the surrounding islands of Salt, Peter and Norman, made famous in legend as hideaways for pirates and buccaneers. Your journey takes you past uninhabited islands and the island of St. John, preserved for posterity by Laurence Rockefeller as a nature reserve, before arriving at Sopher's Hole, the first landing place by European settlers in these islands.

Enjoy a stroll along the board-walk and enjoy some time to browse in the colorful boutiques and souvenir shops before boarding open-air safari buses to continue your journey on land. Drive along the north shore of Tortola through small fishing villages before ascending to the ridge road, which twists its way along the top of the island offering spectacular views of Tortola and the surrounding islands. Snap a photo during a scenic stop before descending to Road Town, the capital of the British Virgin Islands, and onto the cruise ship pier to conclude your tour.

A Day at the Baths

Board a ferry boat for the scenic 40-minute cruise along the Sir Francis Drake Channel to Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda. Next, hop onboard an open-air safari bus for a short 20-minute tour through Spanish Town to a stunning overlook of Savannah Bay where a stop will be made for photos. The tour continues, following the twisting road to the Top of the Baths where your local guide will introduce you to the area and lead you to the Baths beach. Nature has created a series of secluded beaches, spectacular pools, and grottoes, formed by volcanic activity and flooded with seawater.

Explore the intricate network of trails and boulders to discover hidden caves and sea pools and the sandy beach of Devil's Bay. Enjoy approximately two hours of free time to swim and relax before making your way back to the Top of the Baths. Take in the spectacular views of the surrounding islands over a tasty lunch followed by some time for souvenir shopping. Finally, board the safari buses once more for the return drive to the boat and cruise back to the pier.

Jost Van **** Beach Day

Board a boat and set a course along the Sir Francis Drake Channel where you can take in the unspoiled beauty of the BVI. Jost Van **** is the smallest of the four main islands in the British Virgin Islands archipelago. The island's name comes from that of a 17th-century Dutch privateer, Joost van Dyk, who used its harbors as a hideout. You arrive at Great Harbour, where you will transfer to tender boats for a short journey to spectacular White Bay Beach.

Be ready to get your feet wet as there is no dock on this white-sand beach, featuring crystal-clear water and waving palm trees. White Bay Beach is also known as the home of the famous "Painkiller" drink — a blend of rum and tropical fruit juices. Upon arrival, the day is yours to enjoy — swim, stroll along the shoreline or why not take advantage of complimentary use of the water trampoline and peddle bikes? A freshly prepared BBQ lunch and beverages will round out this perfect day in paradise.

When it's time to return to the ship, take the tender boat back to Great Harbor, followed by the 30-minute cruise to the pier.

There are many more excursions but those are the top three I am looking at. What do you all think?

 

[englishrose47]

All sound good Lessa !! I like the first one the best!

 

[troobabiee7]

Your plans sound great Lessa! I really don't know which excursion I'd pick, that's a really tough decision. I'd probably go with one of the first two. I love how the first one gets you a complete tour and times to stroll around and shop, but I also love how the second onegets you a tour and time at the beach. You've gotta go to the beach while in the Caribbean! I guess it depends on which shore excusrions are available for your other stops, so you can get a good mix of experiences. Let us know what you decide!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Well this looks like it will be a brotherless trip report no more! If you are still subbed to my Silly report you will see that Erich has threatened to do his own trip report inside mine!

 

[jcc0621]

Lessa - What is the name of the Beach that keeps getting bleeped out


I see you doing the first one...the word that caught my eye in that one was shopping

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Lessa - What is the name of the Beach that keeps getting bleeped out

Think actor and comedian Dick Van D...

I see you doing the first one...the word that caught my eye in that one was shopping

I don't know where people get this idea that I like to shop.