Chip is a Maniac! aka A Magical Birthday Weekend (January 10 from PC - complete!)

[disneyfanbecky]

Thanks for the trip report! Looking forward to hearing about Alaska

 

[Shazzie B]

Thanks for posting all the room pics, I know they're all the same but it's doubled our excitement seeing 'our' actual room. Just been allocated 6080 after booking GTY for WBTA

 

[Lauren1027]

Hello everyone! I'm Nanci, and this is my very first trip report.

I just turned 33 and live in Orlando with my fiance and dog. I love Star Wars, Disney, reading, Star Wars, writing, HGTV, and Star Wars.

Even though I've lived in Central Florida since I was seven years old, I wasn't always enamored with the Mouse. I first went to Disney World with my parents when I was five. I remember loving it, except for getting scared out of my mind on Snow White's Scary Adventures. (I wasn't able to go on that ride again until I was in my 20s.)

Two years after my first visit, we moved to Daytona Beach to get away from the cold New York weather. Over an hour away from Disney World, it wasn't exactly conducive to regular visits. But I visited occasionally over the years and always had a great time, even though the original Star Tours ride made me sick. It got a lot easier to visit when I moved to Orlando to attend college (Go Knights!).

Fast forward to 2011. I'd moved to the Davenport area, about 15 minutes from WDW, in 2008. Since it was much easier to get to Disney, I visited more often than before. I especially loved Downtown Disney (RIP Pleasure Island). Then, after years of hemming and hawing, I finally did it - I splurged and bought an annual pass. I will admit that a big part of the reason for that was Star Wars Weekends and the new Star Tours (that, for some reason, doesn't make me sick like the old one).

My fiance (Brian) moved here from Seattle at the end of July. He is also a big Star Wars/Disney fan, so first order of business was purchasing him an annual pass. A few weeks later his parents and sister visited, and they offered to take us on a Disney cruise. It only took us about five seconds to say YES. We'd taken a Carnival cruise in January 2013 when he was still living in Seattle. We loved cruising and even more, we loved the idea of a Disney cruise, but we weren't sure if we could afford it. (If I'd known about the wonderful Florida resident specials back then I would have booked Disney in a heartbeat.) So his parents offered to give us some financial help until he got a job.

The cruise was awesome! We sailed on the Disney Dream for three days and I fell in love with Castaway Cay. Brian and I had already been discussing going to Alaska for our honeymoon on Royal Caribbean out of Seattle. On the second day, I asked him if he'd rather do a Disney cruise out of Vancouver. Thirty minutes later, after looking at rates online, we were at the Future Cruise Bookings desk with passage on the Disney Wonder in July 2014.

I lurked on the Disboards for several months before finally joining. All during that time I was reading trip reports and getting antsy to go back on another cruise. July was too far away! And then I saw it: a Florida resident special on the re-imagined Disney Magic, sailing from Port Canaveral on January 10.

And docking at Castaway Cay on January 12. My 33rd birthday.

I sent Brian the link and it took him about five seconds to say YES. So we booked it. I was going to be in my favorite place in the world on my birthday. I couldn't wait!

I debated whether or not to do a trip report. I haven't been on the Disboards very long and wasn't sure if I'd have anything to contribute. But I love to write, and a bunch of people were asking for Navigators and information about the new Magic cruises from Port Canaveral, and I'd learned so much from other trip reports that I decided to throw caution to the wind and write my own.

Thanks for joining me!

I know its a little late, but I'm reading along! I just booked my first Disney cruise with my boyfriend (3-day Bahamian Disney Dream in January 2015) and I'm going a little trip-report crazy! Plus yours stood out to me because we are in the same-ish age group, I'm from Orlando, WDW passholder and we LOVE Star Wars too! Nice to "meet" you!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I am really, really, REALLY late to the party, but I just wanted to say......what a GREAT trip report!

Your pics were awesome, and you and Brian are absolutely adorable .

I have never been inclined to cruise, but your report sells it well. Perhaps its something we'll consider someday as well!

 

[Frozen2014]

What an awesome report. I was lead to it from your other post about a short cruise, and you show how it can be done and still get tons done with full days. Looks like you had a great time. Thanks for sharing. You and your fiance are adoarable and make a lovely couple.

 

[DnA2010]

That was really fun, thanks for sharing!