Dream CAME true! June 21-26, 2011 TR w/LOTS of pics! Update 8/1 Day 6, Part 4

[Leshaface]

Subscribing! bit late here but looking forward to hearing more about your cruise.. we were there too!

Emma x

Hi Emma!

Gonna check out your TR!

 

[franandaj]

I thought you were only going to have extra points at the beginning of 2013?

I have around 180 BCV points in my Sept 2012-Aug 2013 Use year set aside for you two. Those could always be "borrowed" into 2012 if desired and you were shortening your Winter trip. Also through creative point accounting I could have as many as 63 points available for you at 11 months prior to your cruise (depending on whether we have passed that date yet or not). That would be 3 nights in a studio. Right now I have them tied up in a reservation for me, but I could just as easily use some VWL points because ultimately we plan to stay at AKV & BLT for that trip.

If you're interested let me know before we pass the 7 month date when everyone can reserve there.

PS. We just had lunch at Chilitos! Homemade tortillas

 

[bangzoom6877]

I'm sorry you had to go through such a bad experience with that TA, but so happy for you guys that you booked another cruise! Hey, I warned you...they are highly addictive! Arent's the best vacations in the world, cruises and WDW?!

We are going to WDW next summer for sure. It looks like mid-July again...I think the 15th or 17th. The rest of the family is going to join us again for a couple of days, but they are looking into a Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami on Carnival, before coming to WDW. So they would arrive to WDW a few days after we get there, and leave a couple of days before we go home. DH and I are also 99% sure that we are going to spend 3 nights in Tampa before WDW, take the kids to Busch Gardens and maybe go to Legoland from there instead of from WDW, leaving more time on WDW property during our 10 nights there! The drive from Tampa to Legoland is about the same distance as it is from WDW to Legoland, give or take a few minutes literally. So I think a full day at Busch Gardens, a full day at Legoland, and then check out in the morning after breakfast and head to WDW nice and early! I will start booking for that trip in mid-August, at my 11-month mark.

OK, sorry for completely hijacking this thread here...no onto more about your cruise! Oh, and did you book the same ship and itinerary for next summer? Believe it or not, in 13 cruises (about to be 14), I have still never been on the same ship twice, but there are plenty I would go on again in a heartbeat!

 

[MomsOf2boys]

Wow. Sorry to hear about your AAA experience. I had the same type when we booked our 2nd cruise without them.

Hooray on your rebooking though!!!

 

[heathsf]

Oh my gosh that TA is INSANE!!!! Good for you for not letting her push you around!

Congrats on booking another cruise! That is so awesome. You should reconsider visiting WDW for a few days beforehand. Yeah, it's ridiculously hot but if you take a break in the afternoons and find ways to keep yourself cool it's still worth it to be there! I had an amazing time in August and will be doing it again next month. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny, it's still WDW!

 

[bangzoom6877]

Oh my gosh that TA is INSANE!!!! Good for you for not letting her push you around!

Congrats on booking another cruise! That is so awesome. You should reconsider visiting WDW for a few days beforehand. Yeah, it's ridiculously hot but if you take a break in the afternoons and find ways to keep yourself cool it's still worth it to be there! I had an amazing time in August and will be doing it again next month. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny, it's still WDW!

Wow, your trip is so close!! I agree...if given the chance to go to WDW for a couple of days, it is totally worth it. And yes, it is hot...and yes, it is CRAZY humid...but it is also a lot of fun! Try going to the parks at rope drop, leaving after lunch and going back in the evening after dinner. You will avoid the hottest and most crowded part of the day that way. A TS lunch also helps...gets you out of the heat, and allows you to relax and let someone serve you in air-conditioning!

 

[katiebelle21]

A little late, but joining in! Your dinner at Remy looked fantastic! I can't believe that the TA was so pushy--so unprofessional.

 

[heathsf]

Wow, your trip is so close!! I agree...if given the chance to go to WDW for a couple of days, it is totally worth it. And yes, it is hot...and yes, it is CRAZY humid...but it is also a lot of fun! Try going to the parks at rope drop, leaving after lunch and going back in the evening after dinner. You will avoid the hottest and most crowded part of the day that way. A TS lunch also helps...gets you out of the heat, and allows you to relax and let someone serve you in air-conditioning!

Your trip is even closer!!!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Hi!!! Just subbing so, I get notification when your pictures are up again. I love your Remy pictures. We went on the 6/26 cruise but did not sign up to do Remy but another couple in our group did but they didn't describe anything about the meal so, I had no idea if I would want to do the meal in the future. It does look yummy....

 

[Shell54]

Lesha, wanted to let you know we just got home from our cruise and you were sooo right about Remy I did the gout tasting menu and DH ordered a la cart. Everything was fantastic and we were so spoiled. I knew to expect a little table for my purse from reading your TR LOL. Our table was by the window too, but we had to look at an ugly Carnival Crulse ship as we dined on Nassau nite. And you were right about the cheese course!!!!! My faves were the gouda and the soft one that came w/ the honey. Anyway love your TR it helped make the decision even easier to dine at Remy.

 

[Leshaface]

I have around 180 BCV points in my Sept 2012-Aug 2013 Use year set aside for you two. Those could always be "borrowed" into 2012 if desired and you were shortening your Winter trip. Also through creative point accounting I could have as many as 63 points available for you at 11 months prior to your cruise (depending on whether we have passed that date yet or not). That would be 3 nights in a studio. Right now I have them tied up in a reservation for me, but I could just as easily use some VWL points because ultimately we plan to stay at AKV & BLT for that trip.

If you're interested let me know before we pass the 7 month date when everyone can reserve there.

PS. We just had lunch at Chilitos! Homemade tortillas

I'm trying to convince Dan to let us do a few nights at the World before our trip! HELP ME CONVINCE HIM! He says if I bring a good price to him he would consider booking a few nights. I was thinking maybe 3 nights? What do you think? And then I was debating...would it be smarter to do the QSDP and OOP for Yachtsman? Or do the Basic plan and combine the table service credits to pay for Yachtsman? What do you think?

How is your friend doing?!

I'm sorry you had to go through such a bad experience with that TA, but so happy for you guys that you booked another cruise! Hey, I warned you...they are highly addictive! Arent's the best vacations in the world, cruises and WDW?!

We are going to WDW next summer for sure. It looks like mid-July again...I think the 15th or 17th. The rest of the family is going to join us again for a couple of days, but they are looking into a Western Caribbean cruise out of Miami on Carnival, before coming to WDW. So they would arrive to WDW a few days after we get there, and leave a couple of days before we go home. DH and I are also 99% sure that we are going to spend 3 nights in Tampa before WDW, take the kids to Busch Gardens and maybe go to Legoland from there instead of from WDW, leaving more time on WDW property during our 10 nights there! The drive from Tampa to Legoland is about the same distance as it is from WDW to Legoland, give or take a few minutes literally. So I think a full day at Busch Gardens, a full day at Legoland, and then check out in the morning after breakfast and head to WDW nice and early! I will start booking for that trip in mid-August, at my 11-month mark.

OK, sorry for completely hijacking this thread here...no onto more about your cruise! Oh, and did you book the same ship and itinerary for next summer? Believe it or not, in 13 cruises (about to be 14), I have still never been on the same ship twice, but there are plenty I would go on again in a heartbeat!

Omgosh Bonnie, you were SOOOOO right about cruises being addictive! I can't believe the cruise bug actually bit DH! And I'm so happy it took over his body!

Isn't Busch Gardens a bigger theme park with big thrill rides? Maybe i'm getting confused with another theme park...

So pretty much as soon as you get back from your cruise (which is coming up! ) you're gonna get started on planning for your WDW trip right?!

I enjoy hijacking! I love the chit-chat!

And we're booked for the Dream again, with a slightly different itinerary than our first trip...

Day 1 - Port Canaveral
Day 2 - Castaway Cay
Day 3 - Nassau
Day 4 - Day at sea
Day 5 - Castaway Cay
Day 6 - Back to Port Canaveral

I'm actually glad that we have a sea day after Nassau this time!

Wow. Sorry to hear about your AAA experience. I had the same type when we booked our 2nd cruise without them.

Hooray on your rebooking though!!!

Wait! Are you saying, ALL AAA TA's are like this!?

I know! I'm so happy and excited! This has given me motivation to start working out again, since I stopped immediately after we got back from the cruise!

Oh my gosh that TA is INSANE!!!! Good for you for not letting her push you around!

Congrats on booking another cruise! That is so awesome. You should reconsider visiting WDW for a few days beforehand. Yeah, it's ridiculously hot but if you take a break in the afternoons and find ways to keep yourself cool it's still worth it to be there! I had an amazing time in August and will be doing it again next month. Hot, cold, rainy, sunny, it's still WDW!

This is SO true! We know it's gonna be crazy busy at the World (which we can deal with) but we're just having a tough time trying to deal with the heat/humidity issue. DH gets hot really quickly, which also means he gets frustrated quicker too!

When in August are you going?!

A little late, but joining in! Your dinner at Remy looked fantastic! I can't believe that the TA was so pushy--so unprofessional.

Remy was wonderful! Dh and I were just talking about how great it was and how fantastic the experience was!

Hi!!! Just subbing so, I get notification when your pictures are up again. I love your Remy pictures. We went on the 6/26 cruise but did not sign up to do Remy but another couple in our group did but they didn't describe anything about the meal so, I had no idea if I would want to do the meal in the future. It does look yummy....

Oh you HAVE to do it next time! Service, food, atmosphere is TOP NOTCH! And thanks for joining!

Lesha, wanted to let you know we just got home from our cruise and you were sooo right about Remy I did the gout tasting menu and DH ordered a la cart. Everything was fantastic and we were so spoiled. I knew to expect a little table for my purse from reading your TR LOL. Our table was by the window too, but we had to look at an ugly Carnival Crulse ship as we dined on Nassau nite. And you were right about the cheese course!!!!! My faves were the gouda and the soft one that came w/ the honey. Anyway love your TR it helped make the decision even easier to dine at Remy.

Omgosh how was your trip?! Was it the best ever?!

I'm so happy you enjoyed Remy! Did you end up staying there for 3 hours like we did?!

 

[DisneyMommy1022]

Loving your trip report but is it just me or did something happened to the pic I cant see them......

 

[Leshaface]

Loving your trip report but is it just me or did something happened to the pic I cant see them......

Yes, I have two photobucket accounts and they both exceeded the bandwidth. However, one of the accounts is up (which is why you can see some photos, but not all) and the other account should be up and active by Monday I believe!

I'm cheap and don't want to pay to get unlimited bandwidth! But thanks for the compliment and please stick around for my next update, which will probably be Monday, when my pics all show again!

 

[franandaj]

I'm trying to convince Dan to let us do a few nights at the World before our trip! HELP ME CONVINCE HIM! He says if I bring a good price to him he would consider booking a few nights. I was thinking maybe 3 nights? What do you think? And then I was debating...would it be smarter to do the QSDP and OOP for Yachtsman? Or do the Basic plan and combine the table service credits to pay for Yachtsman? What do you think?

How is your friend doing?!

OK, I can PM you the details to help convince him. I just checked the price of a Moderate for three nights in late July (no idea when your trip is scheduled for) and a Value. If you rent points from me for a studio for three nights it will be 25-50% cheaper than either of those. Possibly even the cost of two nights at the GCH (not sure what you pay for that, but I know what the rack rates are.) As I said before with creative point use, I could find BCV points for summer 2012 in this UY that I could book ASAP.

I am not a fan of any of the DPs, so I'm not the one to ask. For someone on the dark side of 40 it's just too much food all around. Perhaps with your metabolism you can eat that much, I'm pretty sure I could when I was your age, but after 40 it seems every calorie counts, and I've been inactive for too long. I just started walking a couple weeks ago, not far, but hopefully I'll eventually get to the ocean and back on my walks. I do have to worry about the broken bone in my foot, so it's a fine line I tread!

They cut off your Dining Review before you got to tell us whether or not you came out ahead on the whole DxDDP vs OOP, but just the sheer amount of food you folks ate, I would have been comatose! For us, we would do fine with one DxDDP between the two of us. We'd spilt a TS lunch and then split a signature dinner adding an extra app OOP at both. Yogurt or bagels in the room for breakfast and we would be totally set. Unfortunately they don't let you do it that way. They do let you segment your reservation, so that is something to consider. If you think it would save you money, you could do the DxDDP for the day you plan on eating at the Yachtsman and that would give you six TS dining credits for one day of hotel stay. You could use 2 each at the Yachtsman and then 1 each for a regular TS the next day, but that might be only for DVC members and guests.

Our friend was released from bed rest, so we'll have to see how she does. She is trying to escape from her partner who died a few years ago by doing, doing, doing. She admitted that she can't stand her home so she runs around to keep herself busy. She moved to Tulare to be with this man who had a big family and his wife passed away. He died suddenly and the family shunned her, so she is having a hard time without him. She has friends, but they are older (even than me! ) so they have a hard time helping her out. Hopefully they will be able to help her in the meantime. We'll be back probably on the 9th of August because she has a plan to visit her daughter in San Antonio and the flight is from Long Beach on the 11th. So we'll be up to get her the 9th, back on the 10th and she'll fly out on the 11th.

Anyways enough hijacking of your TR. I'll PM you the details of renting points and the costs....

 

[bangzoom6877]

Hi! Your itinerary on the Dream looks great! It is nice to have a relaxing day at sea before returning. Then you feel very relaxed when you get back!

Yes, Busch Gardens has several thrill rides, and I thought it would not be great for my kids. But then, I remembered how my parents took my and my sister to the one in Virginia when I was 11 and she was 13...and none of us go on thrill rides. Yet, all 4 of us had a great time going there. There was plenty to do without the coasters. And I looked into BG in Tampa, and there are a lot of animal attractions, shows, and kiddie rides that my boys would enjoy. I have read reviews about it, and a lot of people said they like it better than AK because they saw more animals at BG, and there were more interesting shows and stuff. There are also educational exhibits where the boys can learn certain facts about the animals. It sounds nice! So, I would like to stay in Tampa for 3 nights, go to BG one day, and go to Legoland one day. Then we would head to WDW early on check-out day...maybe even make it to Kona for a late breakfast as our first meal of the trip! There I go again...thinking about the restaurants...I always seem to gravitate in that direction!

Yes, serious plans for next summer's WDW trip will be underway once we return from the cruise. I am also planning to write an extensive review of the cruise over on Cruise Critic message boards, under the Norwegian Cruise Line threads. I am planning to do a day-to-day review, and include some pics! OK, I don't want to think about writing the review right now...that means the cruise will be over...I want to enjoy looking forward to it in 9 days!

 

[Shell54]

Lesha, Yes our cruise was fab we got a couples massage that was heavenly and spent a lot of time at the adult pool..so fun. Yes, it was a good 3 hours at Remy LOL. We ordered a bottle of wine, we let the sommelier pick it we told him we liked Pinot Noir and not to break the bank price wise LOL. He did a really good job with his selection..it was so yummy..we couldn't finish it though and he corked it and he had it sent to our dinner at Animators Palate the next night. Now back to your fun TR and hoping your photos return soon

 

[heathsf]

This is SO true! We know it's gonna be crazy busy at the World (which we can deal with) but we're just having a tough time trying to deal with the heat/humidity issue. DH gets hot really quickly, which also means he gets frustrated quicker too!

When in August are you going?!

Hmm...if he really can't deal with the heat it can be a problem. The last time I was there in August was 2 years ago and my worst memory of it was standing in line for ToT first thing in the morning and sweating so much! But other than that, no memory stands out where I was really uncomfortable. There are so many opportunities to get wet and cool down or just walk into any store and enjoy the a/c. I'll have to get back to you after this August trip and let you know how bearable (or unbearable it was). Only 30 days to go! I'm actually thinking I will do a PTR to help me pass the time over the next month and write a TR when I get back to help pass the time until I can go back...whenever that will be. I REALLY need my bf to fall in love with WDW so he'll agree that we should go back next year. But I don't know...he's a skeptic.

 

[Leshaface]

OK, I can PM you the details to help convince him. I just checked the price of a Moderate for three nights in late July (no idea when your trip is scheduled for) and a Value. If you rent points from me for a studio for three nights it will be 25-50% cheaper than either of those. Possibly even the cost of two nights at the GCH (not sure what you pay for that, but I know what the rack rates are.) As I said before with creative point use, I could find BCV points for summer 2012 in this UY that I could book ASAP.

I am not a fan of any of the DPs, so I'm not the one to ask. For someone on the dark side of 40 it's just too much food all around. Perhaps with your metabolism you can eat that much, I'm pretty sure I could when I was your age, but after 40 it seems every calorie counts, and I've been inactive for too long. I just started walking a couple weeks ago, not far, but hopefully I'll eventually get to the ocean and back on my walks. I do have to worry about the broken bone in my foot, so it's a fine line I tread!

They cut off your Dining Review before you got to tell us whether or not you came out ahead on the whole DxDDP vs OOP, but just the sheer amount of food you folks ate, I would have been comatose! For us, we would do fine with one DxDDP between the two of us. We'd spilt a TS lunch and then split a signature dinner adding an extra app OOP at both. Yogurt or bagels in the room for breakfast and we would be totally set. Unfortunately they don't let you do it that way. They do let you segment your reservation, so that is something to consider. If you think it would save you money, you could do the DxDDP for the day you plan on eating at the Yachtsman and that would give you six TS dining credits for one day of hotel stay. You could use 2 each at the Yachtsman and then 1 each for a regular TS the next day, but that might be only for DVC members and guests.

Our friend was released from bed rest, so we'll have to see how she does. She is trying to escape from her partner who died a few years ago by doing, doing, doing. She admitted that she can't stand her home so she runs around to keep herself busy. She moved to Tulare to be with this man who had a big family and his wife passed away. He died suddenly and the family shunned her, so she is having a hard time without him. She has friends, but they are older (even than me! ) so they have a hard time helping her out. Hopefully they will be able to help her in the meantime. We'll be back probably on the 9th of August because she has a plan to visit her daughter in San Antonio and the flight is from Long Beach on the 11th. So we'll be up to get her the 9th, back on the 10th and she'll fly out on the 11th.

Anyways enough hijacking of your TR. I'll PM you the details of renting points and the costs....

Wow! This offer looks super tempting and I can't wait to show Dan tonight to see what he thinks!

The days we would be looking at would be check-in Tuesday, June 26, 2012 and check out Friday, June 29, 2012. So that would be 3 nights, 4 days. So if we decided to do WDW next Summer, we would have to book 7 months out which would be this November, correct?

And we know FOR SURE we wouldn't want to do the Deluxe Dining plan if we went next Summer. We don't get hungry when we're hot, and the Deluxe has way too much food. I think I just need to figure out which will be a better purchase in the long run..i'll need to run some numbers.

I remember when my dad died, mom didn't NOT want to be at the house EVER! She would always be in her car going somewhere, doing something. Making purchases that weren't needed, just because she didn't know what else to do. Hopefully her trip to San Antonio will do her some good

Hi! Your itinerary on the Dream looks great! It is nice to have a relaxing day at sea before returning. Then you feel very relaxed when you get back!

Yes, Busch Gardens has several thrill rides, and I thought it would not be great for my kids. But then, I remembered how my parents took my and my sister to the one in Virginia when I was 11 and she was 13...and none of us go on thrill rides. Yet, all 4 of us had a great time going there. There was plenty to do without the coasters. And I looked into BG in Tampa, and there are a lot of animal attractions, shows, and kiddie rides that my boys would enjoy. I have read reviews about it, and a lot of people said they like it better than AK because they saw more animals at BG, and there were more interesting shows and stuff. There are also educational exhibits where the boys can learn certain facts about the animals. It sounds nice! So, I would like to stay in Tampa for 3 nights, go to BG one day, and go to Legoland one day. Then we would head to WDW early on check-out day...maybe even make it to Kona for a late breakfast as our first meal of the trip! There I go again...thinking about the restaurants...I always seem to gravitate in that direction!

Yes, serious plans for next summer's WDW trip will be underway once we return from the cruise. I am also planning to write an extensive review of the cruise over on Cruise Critic message boards, under the Norwegian Cruise Line threads. I am planning to do a day-to-day review, and include some pics! OK, I don't want to think about writing the review right now...that means the cruise will be over...I want to enjoy looking forward to it in 9 days!

BG sounds amazing! I love animal exhibits! I would love to do an animal encounter at a zoo one day!....but not like, an attack encounter, more like a petting encounter!

at the bolded! I'm always thinking like that as well! Whenever we make trips anywhere, in the back of my mind, i'm always thinking about which restaurants we'll be near and what the hours are! I even have the Yelp and Urbanspoon App in my phone so i'm always prepared!

I will most definitely be over on the Cruise Critic to check out your pics and reviews!

I'm not sure if you already said you would, but do you plan on taking the DCL out of NY soon? We were considering doing that, since the itinerary looked super relaxing! I think it's 2 nights at sea, then Nassau, then Castaway Cay, then Port Canaveral (with 1 park hopper per person for WDW included in price), then 2 more nights at sea before returning back to NY!

Lesha, Yes our cruise was fab we got a couples massage that was heavenly and spent a lot of time at the adult pool..so fun. Yes, it was a good 3 hours at Remy LOL. We ordered a bottle of wine, we let the sommelier pick it we told him we liked Pinot Noir and not to break the bank price wise LOL. He did a really good job with his selection..it was so yummy..we couldn't finish it though and he corked it and he had it sent to our dinner at Animators Palate the next night. Now back to your fun TR and hoping your photos return soon

My hubby LOVES Pinot Noir! It's his all time fav wine! I prefer Merlots and Cabs, but that's not saying if there's a pinot in front of me, I won't drink it! And that's awesome that they re-corked it for you and sent it to your next dinner!

Also, we were SO looking into doing the 8 night DCL cruise out of NY too! And I see that you booked it! Did you rebook on the cruise to get the 10% off and OBC?!

Hmm...if he really can't deal with the heat it can be a problem. The last time I was there in August was 2 years ago and my worst memory of it was standing in line for ToT first thing in the morning and sweating so much! But other than that, no memory stands out where I was really uncomfortable. There are so many opportunities to get wet and cool down or just walk into any store and enjoy the a/c. I'll have to get back to you after this August trip and let you know how bearable (or unbearable it was). Only 30 days to go! I'm actually thinking I will do a PTR to help me pass the time over the next month and write a TR when I get back to help pass the time until I can go back...whenever that will be. I REALLY need my bf to fall in love with WDW so he'll agree that we should go back next year. But I don't know...he's a skeptic.

Wow, only 30 days left! If you do decide to do a PTR/TR, please post it here! And yes PLEASE let me know how the weather is when you get back. Although not sure how different the weather is from late June vs August, but it would have to be around the same right?

 

[Leshaface]

Today is our 5 year wedding anniversary!

We're not doing much today, except FINALLY going to see Harry Potter! Then later this evening, we'll be going out to eat with my mom, brother and sis-in-law.

Usually every Thursday, we have what's called the 'Johnson Family Date Night' where all 5 of us go out to eat. It's usually a different restaurant every week and it allows us all to catch up with each other, etc. So we're just combining our anniversary with JFDN, since DH and I did Remy for our anniversary dinner.

Then this Sunday will be DH's 28th birthday, so we're having a party with a taco bar and drinks at our place on Saturday.

Speaking of drinks, I 'inherited' a LOT of alcohol from my grandpa (About 20 bottles of rum, brandy, tequila, vodka, and whisky) and i'd like to make some sort of party punch using the BRANDY (since I have about 6-7 bottles). I was reading about mixing ginger ale with Brandy and OJ concentrate, and Pineapple concentrate. What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

 

[heathsf]

Happy Anniversary!!!

According to weather.com August and June are very similar with highs in the low 90s and lows in the low 70s, except June gets a little more rain.

On a side note, it's going to be hotter here in NJ the next couple of days than it is in WDW!

Sorry I've got nothing for you about mixing drinks...especially Brandy which I know *nothing* about. Taco bar sounds delicious though! Yum yum