Escape from Real Life to Paradise: A New Trip with New Memories - Completed 4/3

[TheMaxRebo]

all in all sounds like a pretty smooth trip once you finally got going!

My son has been pocket crazy of late too! And he does the "hands in the pants" thing too as a back-up plan ... must be a guy thing!

That view out the window of your hotel room makes it look like you were practically in the ocean! Too bad about the weather though

 

[cstorm65]

all in all sounds like a pretty smooth trip once you finally got going!

It really was. DS did so well on the flights and we are big fans of the CARES Harness for that reason.

My son has been pocket crazy of late too! And he does the "hands in the pants" thing too as a back-up plan ... must be a guy thing!

It is so funny the stages they go through like that. We are also in the middle of a phase where he wants shoes on at all times.

That view out the window of your hotel room makes it look like you were practically in the ocean! Too bad about the weather though

It was very close. We could walk to the ocean in about 60 seconds. It would really be a nice place if you wanted to get two nights/days in before a cruise as the price is reasonable and the proximity to the beach is great...and there is a Wal Mart across the street for some easy beach food!

 

[MidnightParade]

Wow that room does look nice! What a great deal! Bummer on the weather though, but better now then later!! (I hope!)

Seems like smooth second part of the travel day, yay! And you know chilli cheese dogs! nomnomnom.

 

[cstorm65]

Wow that room does look nice! What a great deal! Bummer on the weather though, but better now then later!! (I hope!)

Yes better now than later. I won't foreshadow the rest of the weeks weather though!

Seems like smooth second part of the travel day, yay! And you know chilli cheese dogs! nomnomnom.

It really did go very smooth and DS does great on the planes. I only wish he did that well during sit down meals!

 

[cstorm65]

Saturday, June 21 – Part 3 – “I Know Where We Are Having Dinner”

It was time for dinner on our first night of vacation and earlier while driving in towards the hotel we passed a restaurant about 500 feet from our hotel and DW and I immediately looked at each other and said, “I know where we are having dinner.” What was this restaurant that we both knew was the place we were going to eat?

Friendly’s! I know some of you are probably underwhelmed, but it has a sentimental value for us. On our honeymoon, now six years ago, when we were in Orlando we were staying at a hotel close to a Friendly’s. We ate there once and loved it and ended up back there two other times during that week. The pretty good diner type food paired with great ice cream treats had us hooked. So when we saw one heading into our hotel we just knew we had to eat there since we hadn’t eaten at one in six years. It even won out over wanting to find some good seafood, but we both figured we would be getting plenty of that on the ship.

Braxton had to put his shoes on before we could go…oh wait…I don’t think those are his!

I also took a few more pictures from the balcony.

It was drizzling as we left our hotel, but by the time we had driven across the street to the restaurant it was pouring. I was able to let DW and DS off at the door, but I had to run through puddles to get in. It was ok though; I was about to eat some good stuff!

DS already had a booster by the time I made it inside.

He also got into the mood of crossing his legs. His mommy was doing it so he thought he should do it as well.

DW ordered the sliders off of the kids’ menu and she really liked them. She said it was the perfect portion for her.

I ordered the Honey BBQ Chicken Melt. It was really good, especially the bread.

DS had cheese pizza and ate a ton of it. We all shared some type of dessert with Reece’s Pieces, but I forgot to take a picture of it. It was really good also. Our waitress was even Extra-“Friendly” and brought DS a cup of regular M & M’s, which he loved.

We got back in our room by about 7:00 and it was still sprinkling and so we were not able to go to the beach unfortunately. We ended up just packing our bags and getting ready for the cruise. We had one large bag with stuff in it that was going to stay in the car for Disney World and not go on the ship with us. So we went through it and double-checked to make sure there was nothing we needed. I took some more balcony pictures at some point during the evening as well.

Resting was probably the best thing we could have done at this point. We were all tired from the early morning flight and so it was best to get rested up. I have that we laid down with DS at about 8:15 to get to sleep and it did not take him long. DW and I fell asleep not long after. I know, I know what an exciting group we are on vacation. Oh well, at least we will be well rested for the cruise!

Up Next: Your Boarding Number Is…​

 

[TheMaxRebo]

that's really cute with your son crossing his legs

It's funny how if there is a chain restaurant not near you getting to go to one on vacation sounds exciting. We have tons of Friendly's near us so not something we do on vacation but there aren't any Joe's Crab Shacks so we like to hit them up when in Florida

Hey, resting up before getting on a cruise makes a lot of sense to me

 

[glennbo123]

Subscribing Jon! Always good to get another Dad's perspective on a TR. Loved the line about outkicking your coverage!

 

[MEK]

I have never been to the Atlanta airport. Glad you layover was uneventful and your flight to Orlando was smooth.

Nice score on the hotel room. I don't think you could be any closer to the beach. What a lovely view. Too bad it was raining, but I have a feeling you'll have some sunshine pictures in the morning.

Ahhh - Friendly's. What kid doesn't love Friendly's. The food is just OK, but there's something really fun about it. My kids loved it there. Heck, they still do!

Wow - you are almost on the ship. YAYAYAYAYAY!

 

[cstorm65]

that's really cute with your son crossing his legs

He was doing it on the airplane earlier and I failed to get a good picture because the lights were down, but I got him here!

It's funny how if there is a chain restaurant not near you getting to go to one on vacation sounds exciting. We have tons of Friendly's near us so not something we do on vacation but there aren't any Joe's Crab Shacks so we like to hit them up when in Florida

It is funny. I always hear about people loving to stop at Chick Fil A when they are on vacation in Florida. We have one about 1/2 mile from our house so it is not near as big of a deal to us, although we do love some Chick Fil A!

Hey, resting up before getting on a cruise makes a lot of sense to me

It ended up being a good thing to do for us. We were all in happy and excited int he morning!

Subscribing Jon! Always good to get another Dad's perspective on a TR. Loved the line about outkicking your coverage!

Thanks for signing on! I have enjoyed your reports as well.

I have never been to the Atlanta airport. Glad you layover was uneventful and your flight to Orlando was smooth.

It was very easy for the most part. We had to change terminals and there were tons of people on the trams trying to do that, but it was fairly easy.

Nice score on the hotel room. I don't think you could be any closer to the beach. What a lovely view. Too bad it was raining, but I have a feeling you'll have some sunshine pictures in the morning.

The room was very worth it, just for the view.

Ahhh - Friendly's. What kid doesn't love Friendly's. The food is just OK, but there's something really fun about it. My kids loved it there. Heck, they still do!

Yes, the food is typical diner food, but it is just a fun atmosphere and has a special place for us.

Wow - you are almost on the ship. YAYAYAYAYAY!

I know. Can't wait!

 

[cstorm65]

Sunday, June 22 - Part 1 - Your Boarding Number Is...

Today is the day, the Disney Dream! Due to our early bedtime the night before DW and I were up by around 7:00 AM this morning. The sun was really bright over the ocean and even with all of the curtains shut it still let in a lot of light. I snuck out while DS slept a little more and took some pictures from the balcony.

About 8:00 I took our bags down and double check the one that we were leaving in the car one more time. I got the car loaded and got the DCL luggage tags put on. I had been looking at those tags on our office desk for two months and was excited to finally be using them. I went back up and DW and DS were ready so we headed out at around 8:30. DW must have made these collages on the way since they were time stamped here from the pictures I pulled off her phone.

We drove through a Dunkin Donuts between the hotel and the port to get some breakfast and get DW some coffee. DS enjoyed his donut holes:

I also ran in Walgreens as we thought we would get some of the “Sea Bands” just in case one of us had problems on the ship. I also got DS a pair of Jake and the Neverland Pirates sunglasses since we didn’t have any for him and they only cost of $6!

We took some pictures as we were getting close to the port!

We arrived at the port around 9:45. We were a little early and they were not taking bags quite yet, but we had a 10:30 arrival time. We unloaded our bags and DW sat by where the porters would start while DS and I parked the car. We got the 2nd space on the 1st floor of the parking garage! We were going to make a quick get away if nothing else! By the time we got back to DW at 9:55 the porters were going so we got our bags to them and headed up to the 3rd floor of the parking garage to wait for them to open the terminal.

The Dream from the parking garage:

DW and DS took some pictures together while we were waiting.

They opened the line to check out passports at 10:10 and we were going through security by 10:25 and headed into the terminal. We checked in by 10:35 and we got boarding number…3! That was pretty good for it only being our first cruise. DW and DS found us a seat in front of the TV, but DS wanted to sit by the window.

I took a few pics of the terminal while we waited.

Up Next: Tears for Mickey​

 

[TheMaxRebo]

that must have been such a good feeling after all the planning and waiting to see the ship come into view

man, you guys are slackers, all the way down the list at #3 in line?!?!?!

 

[Mickey'sMainMami]

I'm following along, even without being able to see the pics. Idk what is wrong with my computer, but I can't see anyone's pics. Oh, well, still enjoy your writing!!

 

[scholastica]

Joining in here! I am enjoying it very much so far! Your son is a doll by the way!

 

[heaven2dc]

What a great room you got for your overnight stay (and what a great bargain right on the beach)! Your little boy is a doll - can't wait to see how he interacts with the characters on the ship.

 

[MEK]

Woo Hoo for boarding group # 3. I guarantee you I will not be following in your footsteps. My strategy is to get there late so I don't have to wait.

That ship is freakishly tall. From some angles it just looks like it is going to topple. I am sure its going to feel overwhelming to actually be on board.

Good tip on the sea bands. I have to get those!

 

[cstorm65]

that must have been such a good feeling after all the planning and waiting to see the ship come into view

It is an awesome feeling when you see that ship for the first time.

man, you guys are slackers, all the way down the list at #3 in line?!?!?!

I know! We wanted to make sure we got on as early as we could that day so we could take advantage of it on only a 4 day cruise. I don't know how people do a 3 day cruise...that would be way to short!

I'm following along, even without being able to see the pics. Idk what is wrong with my computer, but I can't see anyone's pics. Oh, well, still enjoy your writing!!

Thanks for reading. Hope you can get to the pics soon. I promise they are better than listening to me!

Joining in here! I am enjoying it very much so far! Your son is a doll by the way!

Thanks...he is cute most of the time! Thanks for joining in.

What a great room you got for your overnight stay (and what a great bargain right on the beach)! Your little boy is a doll - can't wait to see how he interacts with the characters on the ship.

It was a great deal. Our first character meet is in the next update so you won't have to wait long.

Woo Hoo for boarding group # 3. I guarantee you I will not be following in your footsteps. My strategy is to get there late so I don't have to wait.

I see that. We were so early we beat some of the crowds, but I can see if you don't get one of the first couple of port arrival times that being late would work out too.

That ship is freakishly tall. From some angles it just looks like it is going to topple. I am sure its going to feel overwhelming to actually be on board.

I know. It is really amazing how something that large and heavy can float.

Good tip on the sea bands. I have to get those!

We figured we might as well have some options if one of us had some problems with motion sickness so we picked them up, probably more for peace of mind than anything!

 

[MidnightParade]

High fives on the parking spot and being #3! Ooooh!! So close now! You guys must have been bursting with giddy-ness!!

 

[Laura Bell]

Can't wait for more!! Your son is so sweet. My DS is also adopted and the biggest blessing in my life. Of course, he's an adult now and has his own family--Disney people one and all!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Joining in too! Wow, I can't get over that view you had in your pre-cruise room. We stayed at the Ron Jon Cape Carib some years back, pre-cruise, and while you could walk to the ocean, we had no view of it at all. Great deal!

Your son is adorable. I bet he had the time of his life.

There is nothing quite like seeing that ship for the first time, especially knowing you will be on it soon.

Great photos! Can't wait for the next installment.

 

[dmoore718]

I'm in!! I love it!! Your family is gorgeous and that little boy already stole my heart..I have a house full of girls. What a cutie! Can't wait to read more!