Are You Ever Coming Home?...No! I am playing with Wizards, Farkles and Sparkling Friends

[jenseib]

I do remember Patty texting me saying they had some seats but we were just getting off the banana boat and I knew we were only going to be on the beach for a short while so I told her not to save us seats.

We were shaded, but we really spent most of our time in the water. I don't know what all Brook and her family did, but we didn't see them most of the time either.

The only person I saw that day on the island was Brook and only as she walked by, she didn't see me.

I think she did the race that morning too. She was crazy.....it was HOT!

Sad I didn't get to join in on the card playing but our schedules were just so different and being with my family was my priority. The one time I had a few free hours, I messaged everyone to play but no one responded, oh well, c'est la vie

Oh man....I wonder if I saw it? Sometimes our apps would do crazy stuff and Claire and I wouldn't get each others messages till like an hour or 2 later. Other times it was spot on. We did have a lot of fun playing games. It was just relaxing and cool and away from crowds.

 

[jenseib]

As we got further out, we saw where they have tried to make man made reefs.


cast33 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast34 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast35 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast36 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast37 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This was a little better now than what we had seen on our way out, but we really had to come quite far to find this.


cast38 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We found a sunken boat and went over by that.


cast39 by Jenseib, on Flickr


My pictures all turned out pretty bad though.


cast40 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast41 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Claire was still struggling and just having problems today, so it was hard to explore and enjoy.


cast42 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast43 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I saw a stingray go by and I tried for a picture….and got part of his tail. LOL.


cast44 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I would have loved to have gone further out where all the red buoys were. Those marked areas of interest, but Claire was just struggling too much and complaining even more. We just gave up and started to swim back to shore. Sadly we didn’t make it out to much today.


cast45 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast47 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast48 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast49 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Hopefully next time we visit Castaway we can go further out and see some more sights. Fred had been out too and he said he did see some good stuff.


We headed off to the bathroom and ran into this guy.


cast97 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Olaf! You are going to melt out here!


cast98 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We then headed back in the water with Patty, Fred, and Caleb , and Brook, Joe and Henry.


cast50 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Patty had gotten a bunch of floats for the day, so she gave us one to use.


cast51 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I was trying to capture birds in flight in this picture…they basically look like specks. Hahaha


cast52 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had a lot of fun just floating in the water and talking. Brook and family headed to lunch after a bit.


Jeanne messaged me they were going for lunch so we headed up to meet her. She said her kids were going on a bicycle ride after and Claire could join them. Claire said it was way too hot to be riding bikes.


We had a nice lunch and Caleb decided to go ride bikes with the kids, but Claire stayed with me. She totally lost out as after their ride, they smuggled Caleb back to the Cabana they were at. I knew it was killing Claire that they were all having fun and she was stuck with me. LOL. I told her she should have went on the bike ride.


After a bit Claire needed something to drink, so we got her a virgin drink.


cast53 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast54 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast55 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

ugh...I see one picture is showing as a link. It's something with flickr I think....you can click on it and it will take you to the pic.

 

[jenseib]

We relaxed a bit then went for a walk.


cast56 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast57 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast58 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast59 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast60 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast61 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast62 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast63 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast64 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast65 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast81 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast82 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We then got back in the water with the floats for a while and just chilled. Patty went to take a nap on a hammock, so Claire and I stayed in the water with Fred and we all just chatted. I know it sounds boring, but we really had a great time. Fred is really easy to talk to and at this point it felt like we had known him forever.


Patty woke from her nap and joined us for a bit and then we decided to get out as we heard they were selling 2 for one drinks. Patty and Fred ordered one, but they charged them for both drinks because one was a virgin. They had been told at ordering they would be included in the special and they had to go back and forth to get it taken off their account.


We went to see if the smoothie place was offering the special, but they were closing up. It had gotten windy and a little grey and rain looked to be in the forecast. We all decided to pack up and start towards the ship, with a little shopping along the way.


I bought my granddaughter a shirt and I think we got a magnet as well. I also got myself a shirt. Patty bought a shirt that I had gotten a couple years ago and is one of my favorites. Patty wasn’t sure if Caleb was coming back with Jeanne’s family or not, so I messaged Jeanne to get Caleb back on the ship and literally 2 seconds later Caleb found us.


We ended up losing Patty and Fred at some point and we headed for the tram to get back to the ship. We could tell rain was in the near future.


cast99 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast100 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast101 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast102 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast103 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast104 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast105 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast106 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast107 by Jenseib, on Flickr


As we approached the ship we could feel a few random raindrops, so we knew it was coming.


cast108 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We headed to the far ramp, which had a little line.


cast109 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Literally, just as we stepped inside the rain came…and hard. The people behind us were getting wet.....that’s how close we were to getting poured on.


We headed back to the room and Claire went to get showered. Jeanne messaged me that she was stuck out in the rain and waiting on a tram. I later saw them all coming down the hall totally drenched…..at least they had swimsuits on.


I headed up top as we were close to sail away time. I saw a bunch of people getting pictures and it took me a while to figure it out….Beautiful rainbow!!!!!


cast110 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This was our view as we left Castaway Cay. Just perfect!


cast111 by Jenseib, on Flickr


One of my friends got a perfect picture with the island in the background too. At some point I went back to the room to get cleaned up, but took pictures from the window.


cast112 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast113 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Good Bye slice of Heaven!


cast114 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I set to the task of packing. I hate packing, and after 10 days, it was even worse than normal. I set out the clothes and things we would need for tomorrow and then gathered Claire’s fish extender gifts. I had been trying to keep them condensed and in a suitcase for most of the cruise, but I had to reorganize now.

I will take a minute and just say what wonderful friends we have. The gifts we got were phenomenal. Claire was truly spoiled. We got candy from around the world. Claire got a brand of lipsticks she loves…and not just one tube, but a whole set of different ones. She got make up stuff, manicure stuff, cute little gifts from peoples home state/country…etc. I was amazed at the generosity of our friends.


Also on that note, my friends have amazing kids. Jeanne’s daughters were so nice and fun and treated me just like one of the family. Nick warmed up to me after a few days and he too was so polite and nice.

Cass’s daughter Kira was just a sweetheart. I would see her in the hallway at times and she always stopped to talk.

Patty’s boys were super nice and also would say hi anytime we ran into them. We got to know Caleb more, and he was a lot of fun. I really think he had a good time this cruise and I think Patty was happy he decided to hang out with other kids and not stay with her and Fred 24/7.

Brook’s Henry is the cutest guy. I would see him running around the ship with his buddies playing the Midship Detective Agency game and he would always say hello to us when he saw us. Most kids that age would never even think about doing that. He’s a super friendly guy and just so adorable. (He may not know it, but we plan to have him marry my niece, Abby. LOL)


All that generosity takes space and that suitcase I brought full of gifts…thinking I would not be filling it with gifts on the way home…was full and I had to put some in one of the other suitcases. I got most of everything together but not completely packed.

 

[ukintheus]

ugh...I see one picture is showing as a link. It's something with flickr I think....you can click on it and it will take you to the pic.

I never was able to get mine to correct themselves once they did this. I had to delete the original and then upload again to Flickr and put in the new link. Having people clicking on it is a lot easier.

Shame you didn't make it out far for snorkeling but I heard it was quite a long swim, how long do you think you were out there?

 

[jedijill]

Packing on the last night is so hard! Sounds like a great day on Castaway Cay!

Jill in CO

 

[bcwife76]

Looks like a great CC day, glad you were able to miss the downpour at the end!!

Ugh.....packing.....bleck

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Amazing rainbow photo!

 

[jenseib]

I never was able to get mine to correct themselves once they did this. I had to delete the original and then upload again to Flickr and put in the new link. Having people clicking on it is a lot easier.

It's so annoying. I posted to other boards and the pictures show up. So I am not sure if it is a flickr and Dis thing together or what.

Shame you didn't make it out far for snorkeling but I heard it was quite a long swim, how long do you think you were out there?

We were out there quite some time, but we are slow swimmers and came back once.

Packing on the last night is so hard! Sounds like a great day on Castaway Cay!

Jill in CO

I hate the last day packing. It's just so depressing!

Looks like a great CC day, glad you were able to miss the downpour at the end!!

I was happy to miss the downpour!

Ugh.....packing.....bleck

exactly!

Amazing rainbow photo!

It was so pretty. a Great ending to a great day

Goodness! I totally missed a post..I am going to squeeze it in here since I can't add it to another one.

After we were cleaned up and mostly packed, we went to 90’s trivia with Jeanne and Emily. Claire came with us, even though it was for adults as we had noticed that since O’gill’s and La Piazza didn’t turn to adult only till later in the evening, there were often kids at the adult trivia sessions held in the afternoon and evenings. I told Claire if they asked her to leave, to just go back to the room. They never did and she wasn’t the only kid.


We didn’t win, but had fun.


Then we headed to dinner and had an Ariel spotting.


cast66 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The last menu is always sad. They are telling us that they enjoyed having us, but you have to leave tomorrow.


Tonight was Royal Court. Cass and family decided to do the pool again tonight, so Patty’s family joined us again. Cass did tell me later that Rob and Kira were the last ones to officially ride the Aquaduck on this sailing.


We arrived at Royal Court, but Nick and Kelsey didn’t show up. Emily messaged them, but no response.


We made our orders.


cast1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I think Emily ran back to the room then to see if Kelsey and Nick had fallen asleep….and they had. LOL. They came and both looked so tired. They ordered some food then, but not much.


cast3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Everyone was tired after this long cruise and busy day.


cast67 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had them do a picture of the 3 girls “sleeping”. LOL.


cast5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Dessert time.


cast6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Jeanne’s birthday was coming up after our cruise, but we noted it was her birthday, so they brought her out a treat and sang.


cast68 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast69 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


They also brought her cans and cans of Coke Zero….her favorite drink. We lingered around dinner a bit and talked. We saw Brook leaving her table and Henry in complete tears. We figured he was sad the cruise was coming to an end and later she confirmed it. He had had to say goodbye to his tablemate, who became a good friend on the cruise…and it was hard on him.


We had to say goodbye to our servers too. I really liked Ferdi again this trip. He was super friendly to us and he did a good job. Lewis also had been super nice and seemed to get better at the end of the cruise. Ferdi asked me when my next cruise would be and I told him I am currently booked for next Oct., but on the Magic. He told me to ask for him whenever I make it back to the Fantasy. I asked him if he would be on THIS Oct. as I have a friend sailing then and he would be for the first part of the month and we have requested him as her server and I hope she gets him.


Finally, after lots of talking, we got up and left our last dinner. Jeanne and I decided we needed a picture of the kids so we headed towards the Walt Disney Theatre. We had them pose in front of Walt’s picture. They had been carrying the cans of Coke Zero, so they started doing silly poses with the cans.


cast70 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast72 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast73 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast74 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And then back to the room to get the bags out for the night and be sure everything was packed.


cast75 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Claire settled down to finish her last movie and I headed back out. I got to talking to someone and was about to go get some drinks for Claire and I when I got a message from Cass. Let’s meet up!


cast76 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast78 by Jenseib, on Flickr


cast77 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I messaged Claire that I was going to go see Cass before coming back to the room and I found Cass and we sat in the adult area and chatted for about 30 minutes or so. It was the best time I had with Cass this trip. We had no family interrupting us and we could be just ourselves with each other. I felt so sad that we didn’t spend as much time as I had hoped to during this cruise. I know that she gets tired easily, so I never wanted to bother her too much to have her do things with us. I think she had a few days where she was feeling a little sick too.

We had such a wonderful talk, and I wished I could have seen her more this trip. We talked about what we did, about the annoying family next to me, about the kids, and how we wished Kira and Claire would have hit it off better, and how we would have to travel together again without the family so we could have more time together.


Claire had been messaging me and I kept telling her I was talking to Cass, and then once we left, I told her I would be down shortly, but I still needed to get drinks. Well I ran into the hypnotized lady, and we got to talking too. She was really such a nice person and we talked for probably another 15 minutes or so and I finally had to leave as Claire kept messaging me.


I got back to the room, chatting cheerfully to Claire, when I noticed the red eyes. She was crying. She didn’t want the cruise to end. She wants to cruise again with “these people”. LOL. All the same people on this cruise ship…..except the annoying neighbors. She was devastated that she wouldn’t be able to hang out with Kelsey, Emily, Nick and Caleb anymore. They were all so wonderful and she had so much fun with them. I felt bad and reassured her that we would try to make it happen again in the future. I had a good time too and I was going to miss them all. I loved all my friends we sailed with, but Jeanne and I ended up spending the most time together because neither of us had spouses onboard. We even started referring to each other as our “cruise wife”.


I told Claire she is very fortunate to have been able to do this cruise as not many kids her age that she knows has ever even been on a cruise, let alone a 10 night one. She agreed and finally calmed down and we went to sleep. It was the end of our cruise, but we still had 2 more days at Disney World, so we did need to get some sleep.

 

[jenseib]

July 8, 2017, Day 13, Disembarkation Day


All good things must come to an end and today was that day for this cruise. Luckily we were staying in Florida for a few more days. Most of my friends had flights home at some point today, with a few going over to Disney Springs before heading the airport. Jeanne’s family would be doing some more Disney time as well.


I went up top to take a look at the port while Claire got ready.


debark3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


debark1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I went back and fetched Claire and we headed up to Cabana’s for breakfast. We were taking DCL transportation back to Disney today and we had to be on the bus by 9 AM so eating in the dining room was out of the question for us today. I actually prefer Cabana’s on the last day though anyways.


As we left the room, we noticed that the room next to us with the terrible family had a bunch of ship officers outside and also customs officers…..hmm wonder what is going on?


I had debated renting a car or taking DCL transportation for quite some time. When I had the original flight that left WDW very early on our last day, I figured having a car would be the best option. When I changed it to a later flight, I looked at what a 1 day price would be for a rental for one day and Alamo was sold out. I could still get a car with other car vendors, but there was no way to return it the same day without going to the airport. In the end, DCL transportation was the most cost effective and convenient.


As we ate, our friends all started coming up too and we started saying our sad goodbyes. Cass messaged me that Rob tried to come into Cabana’s but was told it was closed. I told her to send him back as it was not closed and people were still coming in.

Claire was pretty sad that this cruise was ending, but she hooked up with everyone and they all started inputting their snapchat and Instagram info so they could stay in touch.


debark4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We gave everyone hugs and wished them all safe travels home. We really didn’t want this cruise to end. It was just so amazing and we had so much fun as a group.


We headed back to the room to grab our carryons.


debark2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We saw the custom officers were still inspecting the room.


debark5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Cass got a better picture.


debark17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


As we went in our room I did say to one of the officers….”I don’t want to be nosey or know what’s going on….but these people were the worst neighbors ever! They were loud and ran up and down the hall and were not nice at all”. He said ok, thanks, and we went in our room and fetched our bags and headed down to get off the ship.


And we were met with this.


debark6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The line was all the way back to the stores on this side and there was a second line going back towards Animator’s Palate too. Jeanne and Patty’s family got in that line a little later and for some reason they seemed to be moving faster.


We inched our way to the exit.


debark7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


debark8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


debark9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


debark10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Jeanne and Patty’s family were almost by our side. Claire was mad we weren’t waiting with them so she could see them some more.


debark11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Someone is NOT happy that the cruise is over….I hear ya Claire!


debark12 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Just as we were just a few people away from check off the line stopped and they told us they had to wait for it to clear downstairs in customs a bit more. Then we started moving a family a few people in front of us was told they could not get off. I believe their credit card was declined and they had to make other arrangements to have the bill paid. They argued a bit, but really they were just holding up the line. It’s not like these CM’s are going to say..OK, I’ll take your word for it. At that time then Jeanne and Patty’s family passed us and waved and laughed that they were beating us off the ship.


As for the credit card issue with that family….I actually heard that several people had this issue. It seems that many card companies were stopping charges because of them being out of the country. I never have had this issue, but it certainly can be one. Since I was going to different ports than I have been to before, I did notify my CC Company that I would be cruising and they asked for the ports and then told me if there was a change in ports to let them know. Um….OK…I won’t have wifi. LOL.


We headed down the stairs and there were porters waiting and we did tell them we would need help. We had a girl this time…..never had a girl porter before! We gathered our bags and she took us through customs and then led us over to the DCL buses and asked which resort and led us to the correct bus and dropped our bags off. Super easy and well worth it for us to have a porter. The less I have to handle the bags the better.


We boarded the bus and it did leave a little after 9, I think because so many were having issues getting off the ship in a timely fashion. We are now on our way to Disney World once again….with another new to us resort…All Star Music!


debark13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Goodbye my beautiful ship!


debark14 by Jenseib, on Flickr


debark15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We both kind of dozed as we made our way back to Orlando. I did check emails and facebook as well. Someone in our cruise group said that a man had been arrested and taken off the ship in handcuffs. I wondered if it was our neighbor. I later heard through the grapevine that it probably wasn’t him, but that his room was picked in a random customs inspection because they were not US citizens. I like to still go with the theory he was arrested. LOL!!!!


The ride seemed to go fast and soon we saw this.


debark16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We pulled into Music and unloaded and grabbed our bags. I had gotten an email that our room was NOT ready yet. Never had one of those before. LOL. So we checked our bags in at Luggage services and took a quick look around.


music78 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music41 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music42 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music43 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music44 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music45 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music46 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music47 by Jenseib, on Flickr


music48 by Jenseib, on Flickr


With our stay here at Music, I have now stayed at all the Value resorts. Also with my stay at Riverside pre-cruise, I have now stayed at all the Moderates.


We headed off to the bus stop to wait for a Hollywood Studios bus. Our fastpasses were for there today and we needed to get a move on to enjoy the park before they came due.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

As for the credit card issue with that family….I actually heard that several people had this issue. It seems that many card companies were stopping charges because of them being out of the country. I never have had this issue, but it certainly can be one. Since I was going to different ports than I have been to before, I did notify my CC Company that I would be cruising and they asked for the ports and then told me if there was a change in ports to let them know. Um….OK…I won’t have wifi. LOL.

This almost happened to us. Within two days of our cruise beginning, both of our credit cards were halted for fraud prevention. We used the phones at Guest Services to call the CC companies. One company took my wife's info over the phone and reactivated our cards. The other company wanted to text me to verify my identity. I explained that I had no cell service and could they at least e-mail me for confirmation. But they were adamant. They offered to call me. No help. (Hello? No Cell Service. In the middle of the ocean?) We never did get that card reactivated until we returned home the following week. So we could easily have ended up like that family if the other card hadn't been reactivated.

I took two lessons. One, always notify the CC company that you are traveling out of the country, even though most of them now say that isn't necessary to tell them in advance. Two, always bring a CC that you do not intend to use AT ALL during the cruise (or some other form of payment) in case your CCs get turned off and you can't get theme back on, so you have some way to settle up your bill at the end. Most people think this won't happen, but it is surprisingly common.

Loving your trip report by the way! So interesting and informative!

 

[canyoncam]

What a rainbow!!!

And What!!! The cruise is already over!!! Even those long ones fly by.

The last time I called my cc company for traveling out of country they did specifically ask if it was a cruise and if I would be using it for onboard charges. Something new.

ASMusic is my favorite of the AS resorts. Love the Broadway section.

 

[bcwife76]

Wow, that was quite a bit of drama (thankfully none involving you guys!) at the end of the cruise!

Well, what better way to beat the post-cruise-blues than another stay at WDW?

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

This almost happened to us. Within two days of our cruise beginning, both of our credit cards were halted for fraud prevention. We used the phones at Guest Services to call the CC companies. One company took my wife's info over the phone and reactivated our cards. The other company wanted to text me to verify my identity. I explained that I had no cell service and could they at least e-mail me for confirmation. But they were adamant. They offered to call me. No help. (Hello? No Cell Service. In the middle of the ocean?) We never did get that card reactivated until we returned home the following week. So we could easily have ended up like that family if the other card hadn't been reactivated.

I took two lessons. One, always notify the CC company that you are traveling out of the country, even though most of them now say that isn't necessary to tell them in advance. Two, always bring a CC that you do not intend to use AT ALL during the cruise (or some other form of payment) in case your CCs get turned off and you can't get theme back on, so you have some way to settle up your bill at the end. Most people think this won't happen, but it is surprisingly common.

Loving your trip report by the way! So interesting and informative!

We were cut off as well just over a year ago-- right before we got on the cruise. Denied at a gas station near the terminal. I have found over the last couple of years that credit card security has gotten tighter. We have had a few emails asking to verify purchases. Now we call ahead.

 

[jenseib]

This almost happened to us. Within two days of our cruise beginning, both of our credit cards were halted for fraud prevention. We used the phones at Guest Services to call the CC companies. One company took my wife's info over the phone and reactivated our cards. The other company wanted to text me to verify my identity. I explained that I had no cell service and could they at least e-mail me for confirmation. But they were adamant. They offered to call me. No help. (Hello? No Cell Service. In the middle of the ocean?) We never did get that card reactivated until we returned home the following week. So we could easily have ended up like that family if the other card hadn't been reactivated.

I only alert them occasionally....honestly I forget a lot of times. But I am so glad I did this cruise.

I took two lessons. One, always notify the CC company that you are traveling out of the country, even though most of them now say that isn't necessary to tell them in advance. Two, always bring a CC that you do not intend to use AT ALL during the cruise (or some other form of payment) in case your CCs get turned off and you can't get theme back on, so you have some way to settle up your bill at the end. Most people think this won't happen, but it is surprisingly common.

I did have 2 with me, but I really didn't want the other one charged....but luckily, I had enough in gift cards to pay for almost everything. I think my card was only charged like $36. It did give me a nice wake up seeing that happen though to remember to call. One of my friends was using a debit card and theirs got denied mid trip and they were called down too. Same issue...suspicious charges....which is funny because she cruises a lot....you would think they would be used to seeing cruise line charges coming through.

Loving your trip report by the way! So interesting and informative!

Thanks!

What a rainbow!!!

It was really pretty.

And What!!! The cruise is already over!!! Even those long ones fly by.

I know! It really flew by. I thought 3 extra days would be enough to do extra things...nope...still too short.

The last time I called my cc company for traveling out of country they did specifically ask if it was a cruise and if I would be using it for onboard charges. Something new.

I only alert them about 50% of the time, but I think I am going to do it more often now so I don't end up in trouble.

ASMusic is my favorite of the AS resorts. Love the Broadway section.

That areas is really cute. I walked around my last morning and took in the resort.

Wow, that was quite a bit of drama (thankfully none involving you guys!) at the end of the cruise!

I know. But we were all hoping that they were getting in trouble in some way. hahaha.

Well, what better way to beat the post-cruise-blues than another stay at WDW?

Exactly. My husband couldn't imagine why we wouldn't want to race home...we missed him of course....but not enough to race home. hahaha.

We were cut off as well just over a year ago-- right before we got on the cruise. Denied at a gas station near the terminal. I have found over the last couple of years that credit card security has gotten tighter. We have had a few emails asking to verify purchases. Now we call ahead.

Such a pain! What's funny though is, I did have a charge for a Marriott I found when I got home, but I didn't stay at a Marriott the whole time. I alerted the card company and then they shut my card off without telling me and I went to use it a few weeks later when I was visiting my sister and it was declined. I was a little annoyed they didn't tell me and issue a new card right away. It took me asking what was going on for them to tell me and then issue me a new card....but the charges were also removed from my account...thank goodness. It wasn't much, but I don't want to pay for something I didn't have.

 

[jenseib]

We boarded the bus and it was a pretty full bus, but we found seats. The whole ride there, there was a child who cried…but it was more of a fake cry….the whole entire ride!

We arrived at Hollywood Studios!


hs31 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Last Oct. we did not go to the parks, except for the Halloween party one night. But we did take a bus to Hollywood Studios to transfer to a boat over to the Yacht Club. Claire had teared up when we arrived…sad we weren’t going to the parks, but these were tears of joy with all the good memories she had coming as a kid (as she was much older then at the age of 11. LOL). She promised she wouldn’t tear up today!


hs1 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We entered the park and we heard Storm Trooper music and there were crowds all around. We caught a quick glimpse of the Storm Troopers leaving.


hs2 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We moved on then.


hs3 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I could tell the crowds were a little less than when we had been here before the cruise.


hs32 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We made our way to the Great Movie Ride. At this point it had not been announced that they were closing it, but I had heard rumors over the past few years that it may be going, so we wanted to ride it at least one last time.


The line moved fairly fast and as we were close they were ready to send out a tram and asked for a party of 2. We’re a party of 2! They were going to have us fill in a row, but there was no way 2 people would fit in there. The row ahead had room for another person though, so I sat there and Claire sat behind me.


hs33 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs34 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs35 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs36 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We had a girl gangster today.


hs37 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs38 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs40 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs41 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs42 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs43 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs44 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs45 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs4 by Jenseib, on Flickr


My favorite room is always the Munchkinland room.


hs5 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs6 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs7 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs8 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs9 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs10 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs11 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It’s sad that it is now gone, but honestly this was never a favorite ride of mine. I am glad we did get to see it one last time and it was a nice way to stay a little cooler too.


Claire needed a snack, so pretzel time it was!


hs12 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

After we finished that up we heard the Storm Trooper music again and went to watch them come.


hs23 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs24 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs25 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs13 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs26 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs15 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs27 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs16 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs17 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We laughed at how close they got to the people.


hs18 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs28 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs29 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs19 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs21 by Jenseib, on Flickr


They then marched off again. It was neat to see. Not something we need to see every time and honestly, I don’t know if every little show they do is the same or not, but I am glad we took time to watch it.


I think we stopped and got some beverages to cool down and then headed off to Rock n roller coaster. Claire has never road it before.


hs30 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It started to rain a little bit while we were in line outside, but it was pretty light.


hs46 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs53 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We noticed this door and we touched it and were surprised it was made of marbles. Of course after we discovered this several other people now had to come and touch it too. LOL.


hs52 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs51 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs55 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I think this was actually the first time I ever went through the whole line. In the past I have always done the single rider line.


hs56 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Here comes our limo!


hs47 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I told Claire to be prepared to have her stomach in her throat. I just find this take off the most intense thing and I get so nervous. She loved it.


hs48 by Jenseib, on Flickr


As you can see….I shut my eyes till we have reached our speed.


That was a lot of fun. We decided to skip Tower of Terror as the wait time had gotten longer since we walked by it before. We then walked back towards the hub and found some Streetmosphere going on.


hs57 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs58 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs59 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We didn’t have a set agenda and just kind of walked around. We found some Storm Troopers out harassing people.


hs49 by Jenseib, on Flickr

We then walked in to see what characters were meeting in the Launch Bay.


hs60 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The Jawas were out.


hs61 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs62 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

I kind of tricked Claire into seeing BB8. I just didn’t even really tell her she would be seeing him. I just made our way towards his line and got in it. LOL


hs50 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs63 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs65 by Jenseib, on Flickr


After our meet we looked around a bit then headed out.


hs54 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs66 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We looked in One Man’s Dream for a bit, but Claire complained the whole time we were in there, so it was short.


hs67 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Then it was time for our Toy Story Fastpass.


hs71 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs68 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We love this ride. The standby line was much shorter than normal now that the 3rd track was open, but it was still longer than we wanted to wait for a second ride.


We then wandered a bit more.


hs69 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs70 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs79 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs72 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Toy Soldier!!!!


hs73 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It was then time for our late lunch reservation….a new place for us…50’s Prime Time.


hs74 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I have wanted to eat here for YEARS! I have had reservations several times and always ended up changing or cancelling. When Claire was younger I had told her about the place and she was scared to death to go here. She was sure they would yell at her and I figured it wasn’t worth the hassle to have her be afraid the whole time. One time Patty….yes the Patty I just cruised with…..Patty and I had a reservation here when we were here for training and we ended up cancelling it last minute as we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. It just never seemed to work for us…or when it would, I couldn’t find an open reservation. Finally…years later….we were going to try it.


hs80 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We headed inside and got checked in.


hs81 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We were told to go wait and we grabbed a menu to look over as well.


hs82 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs83 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs84 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs85 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs75 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs76 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We didn’t wait long and we were called back to be seated. Lil John was our server and he was so much fun. He played with us and the tables by us for a bit. He introduced all of us to each other and we just kept laughing.


hs86 by Jenseib, on Flickr


He was such a ham and I thought I was videoing his super funny antics and then I realized I was NOT actually recording. UGH!! He had totally been playing up to my camera too. I tried again, but this time it was not as funny.

hs87 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs88 by Jenseib, on Flickr


See this curtain behind Claire? Lil John would peek through every so often. It was hilarious!


hs89 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs90 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs91 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We got milkshakes….which were really good and super filling!


hs77 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Claire is super picky with food, but they had soup and she was happy.


hs92 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And onion rings…another thing she likes.


hs93 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Peek a boo!


hs94 by Jenseib, on Flickr

 

[jenseib]

Our entrée’s came out then. Claire went with nuggets and fries. I’ll just say we got way too much food and could not eat it all.


hs95 by Jenseib, on Flickr


I got the combo meal with a taste of several things….I found it delicious.


hs78 by Jenseib, on Flickr


Our section started clearing out as we ate. Lil John did mention to a few tables that we were the last of his tables for the day. He never once rushed us and he was super attentive. As much as we wanted to try dessert here, we were just totally stuffed. The shake did us in. I guess we’ll have to come back another time and eat less so we have room for dessert. We finished up and paid our bill and headed out. We will be back. It’s a new favorite for us.


Our next fastpass was for Star Tours, so we headed that way.


hs112 by Jenseib, on Flickr


We got a different scene that we have not seen before and it was fun.


We had a little time before our next fastpass and Claire wanted frozen lemonade, so we got that and sat down for a bit. I think I may have called home during that time while she worked on her lemonade.


We then headed to the Frozen sing along…a new attraction for us. As soon as we entered I recognized the waiting area….it was where Doug Live was many many years ago. I had never seen the Drew Carey thing that was here before (though Skip had) and I had always wondered where Doug Live had been as I couldn’t remember. Doug used to be a show on Nickelodeon and then it went to Disney. My older 2 kids LOVED that show and when I had taken them to Disney…about 18-20 years ago, this was a must do. Paige had been so excited about this show the whole time it was going on. I quickly took a picture and texted it to her.

In the waiting area of the place that used to be where Doug Live was at.


hs113 by Jenseib, on Flickr


She responded with an “OMG….I loved that show”. LOL


When we entered we sat towards the middle and I recognized the theatre as well. We had sat in the front row when we watched Doug.


hs114 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs115 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs97 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This character was pregnant. I wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be a pregnant character or if the actor herself was really pregnant. It almost looked like a fake belly, but then again it could be just how the costume lay on her. At times she would make small jokes about being pregnant and then other times she would say things that would make you think she wasn’t married and her guy partner was not her husband and they kind of flirted.


hs98 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs116 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs99 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs117 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs100 by Jenseib, on Flickr


The show is cute and it kind of takes you through the Frozen story.


hs101 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs118 by Jenseib, on Flickr


And it is a sing along, so you all sing together most of the songs from the movie.


hs119 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs120 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs102 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs121 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs103 by Jenseib, on Flickr


It was also cool in the theatre, so that gave me a nice break from the heat.


hs122 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs104 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs123 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs105 by Jenseib, on Flickr


At one point it snows, which was a huge highlight for all the kids.


hs106 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs107 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs108 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs109 by Jenseib, on Flickr


hs111 by Jenseib, on Flickr


This show is a must for anyone with a Frozen obsessed child. For us, I am glad we saw it but it won’t need to be repeated. It was cooler in the theatre, but I was also super tired from our long vacation and fighting sleep as I sat there. It’s a cute show, but we are not huge Frozen fans anymore. We did like the ride in Epcot, but we don’t need to do a sing along every trip.


We then were tired and decided it was time to take a break. We figured we would come back in the evening for the fireworks. I had gotten the email that our room was ready not long after we had entered the park, so we figured a little nap and cooling off would do us some good and we headed to the bus stop.

 

[Lesley Wake]

It was then time for our late lunch reservation….a new place for us…50’s Prime Time.

I have wanted to eat here for YEARS! I have had reservations several times and always ended up changing or cancelling. When Claire was younger I had told her about the place and she was scared to death to go here. She was sure they would yell at her and I figured it wasn’t worth the hassle to have her be afraid the whole time. One time Patty….yes the Patty I just cruised with…..Patty and I had a reservation here when we were here for training and we ended up cancelling it last minute as we decided to go to the Magic Kingdom. It just never seemed to work for us…or when it would, I couldn’t find an open reservation. Finally…years later….we were going to try it.

We were supposed to go here on our trip last month but also cancelled the day before. I think we were just tired of doing table service meals, so decided to just do QS and free up any scheduled time. Good thing too because we were stuffed from breakfast (Boma buffet)!

As soon as we entered I recognized the waiting area….it was where Doug Live was many many years ago. I had never seen the Drew Carey thing that was here before (though Skip had) and I had always wondered where Doug Live had been as I couldn’t remember. Doug used to be a show on Nickelodeon and then it went to Disney. My older 2 kids LOVED that show and when I had taken them to Disney…about 18-20 years ago, this was a must do. Paige had been so excited about this show the whole time it was going on. I quickly took a picture and texted it to her.

In the waiting area of the place that used to be where Doug Live was at.

There was a live Doug show?! I loved that tv show!

This character was pregnant. I wasn’t sure if she was supposed to be a pregnant character or if the actor herself was really pregnant. It almost looked like a fake belly, but then again it could be just how the costume lay on her. At times she would make small jokes about being pregnant and then other times she would say things that would make you think she wasn’t married and her guy partner was not her husband and they kind of flirted.

If it was fake, it wasn't a normal part of the show, as when we saw it there was no pregnant women. I don't think I've heard other people have pregnant storylines.

At one point it snows, which was a huge highlight for all the kids.

More like a snowstorm! It was pretty windy and blowing hard at our area of the theater! Lots of snoap on my nose and hair!

I liked the sing along, but it was a bit underwhelming as I've seen the full Frozen stage show at California Adventure, which is pretty awesome! I also think our audience, or at least our section of the audience, wasn't as into it and wasn't singing along!