Get Off The Ship - we are running out of towel animals! Update 10/25 Day 31

[englishrose47]

Hi Karin just keeping up while I have a chance!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin! I'm finally caught up. You had so much DISmeet time with Jeff and fam and with Michelle and fam too! How nice to see you having so much fun with your "imaginary" friends. The mini golf looks like it was a hit with everyone. Looks like a great way to catch up while you do something fun together.

Looks like a really nice dinner at BOG I'm glad you all enjoyed it. And also the for your VIP FP is awesome!

Lily, thanks for sharing your pics! It is fun to see Tom and Karin from the "other side of the camera" and the great pics of your kids!

The fireworks cruise was such a great way to spend time with special friends!

Looking forward to your cruise!

It was really nice to spend time with Jeff and his family again. We had been on a 4 night Dream cruise together and were instant friends. It was nice too relive that experience.
Tammie, the next time you vacation at WDW with your family again, you need to do one of these cruises - they are truely magical.

That sounded like a great day! Dont you find the movies have a little more magic when you see them at Disney...

You are absolutely right - watching a Disney movie while at Disney is A LOT more fun. Especially since you get to experience them in their original language. Here they have always been translated and many of the jokes just don't translate well.
Oh, and YES, we had a great day - and it was not over then, we had a blast in the evening and at night as well.

Fun fun day!!! I love the kids poses. They really like to ham it up.

It was really nice and we didn't miss the parks one bit. Those kids just LOVE to pose. And they are so cute too!

What an awesome, fun day! Love all the hats!

Jill in CO

It was a really fun day. No parks needed at all. And we had a lovely evening and night as well.
The kids loved to try on the hats and we just had to get them some. They wore them with pride!

Hi Karin just keeping up while I have a chance!!!

Glad you found the time to come by. Update coming right up!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 3, August 9

More firsts ………. - Part 2

We headed over to The Wave, signed in and were told that we were in for a short wait and would we please take a seat in the lounge.
That’s exactly what we did, we took a seat in the lounge and having a look at the drinks menu. Tom and I didn’t feel like anything, but Jeff found something that tickled his fancy.
But before he was even able to order it, our buzzer went off and we were led inside the restaurant and seated in one of the side booths. We quickly were handed menus and then our server came by to take our drinks orders. We all ordered soft drinks and Jeff finally was able to get his



Godiva Liqueur Flight, three half ounce pours of Godiva Liqueur, Chocolate, White Chocolate and Caramel topped with Godiva infused Strawberries. It was more of a dessert thing, but what the heck, this is Disney and why not have dessert first. The drinks were soon served and it was fun, seeing Jeff trying to “infuse” the strawberries.





No one really cared for starters, and so we all just ordered main courses. Molly who was sitting next to me ordered



some kind of grilled meat, which I think was pork, multigrain rice and green beans. I was impressed with her choice as this is not your regular child’s meal. And she seemed to enjoy it as well. Tom had ordered the



Herb-salt Seasoned Beef Tenderloin with tomato-green bean salad with Cypress Grover Creamery Lamb Chopper Cheese and citrus-herb butter, which he really liked. And my entrée was the



Thompson Farms Pork Tenderloin, soy-pineapple honey marinade, pineapple salsa, boniato and cauliflower mash, which was delicious. And while we had been waiting for our entrees to arrive, Lily had been starting to make glow stick bracelets for her kids to give away. Jeff had fun trying them on as Mickey ears as well.



Once we had finished our main courses and our server came by to pick up the empty plates we ordered some drinks with glow figures for the kids as we had heard them make comments about them. It was fun seeing their faces when they arrived.



And we all had to order dessert as well. Tom was full, but he ordered



an Espresso and while we waited for the rest of our desserts to arrive Molly made Be Our Guest napkin roses out of our napkins.



Very talented little lady. Our desserts arrived shortly after and we all started to dig in after taking photos of them.







My choice had been the



American Flavours,



a Coconut Raspberry bar with roasted pineapples,



Smores with house made Vanilla Bean Marshmallow and a



Key Lime Cube with Citrus Dream. They were all delicious and the perfect ending to our fun meal. Once we had paid our bill we made our way over to Bay Lake Tower.



There was another thing we still wanted to that night. We all wanted to go up to the Top of the World Lounge and watch the fireworks from up there. So once we had made it to the lobby we all presented our DVC cards and Tom and I showed our Keys to the World and were handed a little slip of paper to present at the elevator.
We all were excited to be at Bay Lake Tower, Jeff and his family because they were to stay there towards the end of their trip and Tom and I as we had just stayed there just a few months earlier. We didn’t have to wait long and were invited to enter the elevator and taken up to the deck. We thought about a quick drink in the Lounge, but there was not enough time left until the fireworks, so we stayed outside and saved our spot. It only then occurred to all of us that the wall was too high for little Philip to look over, so Jeff sat down with him on one of the benches, so Philip could stand on it and have a better view of the fireworks. Molly again stayed with us and we made sure NO one stood behind us, so Philip could see well.







Time just flew by and it was soon time for the fireworks to begin. We all loved them, but more than the fireworks we loved to watch the children, as Molly was so so excited and Philip was jumping up and down with excitement. The fireworks just fly by and far too soon the grand finale was on and we were all singing along. Fireworks over, we paid a short visit to the Lounge to have a good look around and then took the elevator back down and headed over to our cars. It was a very sad goodbye as the very next day Tom and I were heading towards Port Canaveral to get on the first of our cruises and Jeff and his family still had a few more days to spend at Disney.
But thankfully we had agreed to meet again the next morning. So after hugging each other we headed our own ways. Once back at OKW we finished packing, had another drink



and then went to bed. There were more adventures ahead the very next day.

To be continued ............

 

[jenseib]

What a wonderful way to end the evening. The food all looks very good

 

[englishrose47]

Molly seems like a charming and talented youg lady!! You and Tom obviusly enjoyed all of thenm's company!!!

 

[KatMark]

Karin, what a lovely way to end a day: dinner and fireworks with friends.

What did you think of The Wave? We've never done it--we've read pros and cons.

 

[RGirl]

Oh Karin - what a great time with friends!

Your Wave dinner looks so good. I hope it was as good as it looked!

And what a wonderful way to end a great day together - watching the fireworks without being packed in like sardines.

Can't wait for more!!!!! Especially the cruises!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Love the fireworks pics! It is fun to read about how the children enjoyed the fireworks, and all the extra little surprises you did for them! I know you helped make their time extra special!

 

[Toria]

I am enjoying all of your pictures and that last dinner looks delicious!

 

[dizneeat]

What a wonderful way to end the evening. The food all looks very good

We love the food at the Wave and watching the fireworks from BLT was just the icing on the cake.

Molly seems like a charming and talented youg lady!! You and Tom obviusly enjoyed all of thenm's company!!!

Molly definitely is a sweetheart, but so is her brother Philip. They are both so well mannered, it was unbelievable.
It was great to see them all again and relive the fun times we had had on the Dream.

Karin, what a lovely way to end a day: dinner and fireworks with friends.

What did you think of The Wave? We've never done it--we've read pros and cons.

It was just perfect to end the day like that, with a fun and yummy dinner together and then top it with fireworks.

Kathy, we really love the Wave. We have been numberous times and what I like most about it is, that their menu is about outside the box. We love to try new things and the Wave is perfect for that.

Oh Karin - what a great time with friends!

Your Wave dinner looks so good. I hope it was as good as it looked!

And what a wonderful way to end a great day together - watching the fireworks without being packed in like sardines.

Can't wait for more!!!!! Especially the cruises!

It was really all we could have wished for. We loved so much those first few days, it was just like the perfect start to everything.

Dinner at the Wave was as yummy as it looked. We love it there.

Cruise coming up shortly - and there will be more than enough cruise reports - we had two full weeks of Fantasy fun ahead of us.

 

[dizneeat]

Love the fireworks pics! It is fun to read about how the children enjoyed the fireworks, and all the extra little surprises you did for them! I know you helped make their time extra special!

Yes, it was really nice to be able to view the fireworks from up there. And it was fun for us as well to spoil the kids a bit. They are such lovely children. It was hard to say goodbye to them the next day.

I am enjoying all of your pictures and that last dinner looks delicious!

I am glad you enjoy the pictures. I hope to be able to update a bit more this week, so at least you will get to read a bit more about our time on the Fantasy.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 4, August 10

A sad Goodbye and off we go …….. - Part 1

Our first three nights had gone by far too soon.
One last visit to the balcony









and then it was time to leave and load all our stuff into the car,





drop off our Owner’s Locker box at Bell Services and off we went to Downtown Disney to have our traditional cruise breakfast at Wolfgang Puck’s Express.
But before that we wanted to meet Jeff, Lily, Molly and Philip one more time and have breakfast together. When we arrived at the Downtown Disney parking lot we were really lucky as we scored a spot not only right at the “back” entrance, but right next to Jeff’s car. So we quickly locked the car and headed over towards the restaurant. Jeff and his family were already waiting and the kids came running towards us, then stopped and we were warned not to hug them, as they were soaking wet. They had been running through the kids water play area while waiting. We all headed over to the restaurant, ordered our breakfast and Jeff beat me to it and paid for our breakfast as well.
Since the kids were so wet it was decided that we would sit outside, where it was nice and warm. Soon after we had sat down a server brought out our breakfast. Tom had ordered



Wolfgang’s Breakfast Pocket, scrambled eggs, ham, roasted peppers, red onions, mushrooms, and cheddar cheese, which we were happy to see back on the menu. And I had my favourite breakfast food ever, the



Breakfast Pizza, scrambled eggs, bacon, mozzarella, cheddar cheese and caramelized onions. Both dishes were equally delicious and it was nice to share some of our favourite dishes and have one last fun breakfast together. Once we had finished our hearty breakfast, we all headed towards the parking lot, but first the kids wanted to get into the splash area again.
We all sat and watched them run around and getting soaked and they even sometimes slipped, but were up and at it again in a second.





















Only when they were thoroughly soaked and it was really time to leave and we were on our way towards our cars did we notice that Philip had scraped his elbow while falling.
It was funny to watch but the second he realized that he had hurt himself the pain started and tears came to his eyes. It was definitely a good idea to carry a few Disney band aids, as once they were applied, Philip’s pain subsided. Once we were at our cars, we all hugged and said our goodbyes over and over again, but we just could not part ways.
We all had had too much fun those past few days. But finally it was us who really had to leave in order to arrive at the port in good time.
So after a final hug and a few shed tears we got into our cars and had to drive away. Soon we had made it out onto the highway



and were on our way to the port. About an hour later we caught the first glimpse of the Disney Fantasy



and our excitement grew. A few minutes later we exited the highway



and drove towards the terminal.





We stopped, dropped off our luggage and went on our way over to the Dollar Rental car location to drop off our car.



It didn’t take long to get our zero balance bill and then we headed for the shuttle. We sat on the shuttle for a while, but soon it filled up and we were on our way to the ship.
Once we had gotten through the initial passport control, we were directed towards the upstairs security check. Up the elevator we went and there we joined the line for security.
It wasn’t very long and moved reasonably fast and soon it was our turn to go through. It felt really good to be inside the terminal and so much closer to our first cruise on the Fantasy. First off we were stopped at the DVC desk and asked if we were members and YES, we were, so we received our lanyards and then were told we were put on the list, so we would receive our gifts as well. Then we headed over to check in and were directed towards the Castaway Club check in.
Again, the line moved pretty fast and soon it was our turn to fill in the health form and be checked in. We were handed our Keys to the World with a smile, then the cast member went to pick up our new lanyards. Black ones! For the first time! And while she handed them to us she mentioned that next time we cruised we would be able to use the Concierge desk to check in! I had heard conflicting reports about it, so was not sure if we should have gotten in that line, but it was nice to know now.
Since we were Platinum Castaway Club Members there was no more port arrival time for us, so we were able to head on board right away. We skipped the photo op and were soon in line to be announced. It was fun to hear the cast member announcing our family with a “And now, all the way from Austria .....”!
On board we stepped and were in awe with the Atrium. It was so beautiful. Not that I am not in awe with it on every one of the three ships we have been on, but nothing says vacation more clearly than to step into the grandeur of a Disney cruise ship Atrium. One of the officers just went up to us, welcomed us and asked if we had any questions, but was sure we would know our way around the ship, since we had sailed with Disney Cruise line quite a bit. And after a little more friendly chit chat we headed to the Enchanted Garden for lunch.

To be continued ............

 

[jenseib]

Oh Karin!!!!! You can't stop there! I need pictures of inside th ship!!!!!!

 

[KatMark]

Oh Karin!!!!! You can't stop there! I need pictures of inside th ship!!!!!!

Seriously! This is where she stops?

Nice last breakfast with your friends before heading off on your cruise.

 

[jedijill]

I'm so shocked you ate at WPE for breakfast....not!!!! That breakfast pizza is amazing!

I love the first glimpse of the ships from the road...it just gets me even more excited!

Jill in CO

 

[Queenofallthings]

Well I definitely know what I'll be trying next time we have breakfast at WPE! Both your's and Tom's meals look delish!

What a great way to spend some time with your friends before heading to the ship! Can't wait for the next update!

 

[pas130]

Those Godiva shots look like the bomb-diggity

Time for the cruise

 

[mickeystoontown]

The breakfast looks extremely good and a nice way to spend those last few minutes with friends.

I'm excited to see pictures of the Fantasy!

 

[englishrose47]

Those breakfast meals looked yummy and such cute pi of the kids getting soaked !!! Souinds like your cruise is off to a great start!!!

 

[dizneeat]

Oh Karin!!!!! You can't stop there! I need pictures of inside th ship!!!!!!

Sorry, I had to go to work and earn some money for Mickey (and catfood! ).
More updates coming up tomorrow morning.

Seriously! This is where she stops?

Nice last breakfast with your friends before heading off on your cruise.

So, you wanted MORE pictures of food?

While we enjoyed the breakfast a lot, it was so sad knowing that we had to say goodbye to Jeff and kids.

I'm so shocked you ate at WPE for breakfast....not!!!! That breakfast pizza is amazing!

I love the first glimpse of the ships from the road...it just gets me even more excited!

Jill in CO

Yes,I know, so NOT me to eat at WPE. But seriously, having breakfast there before a cruise is kind of a tradition for us.

I really wait for that moment when you get the first glimpse of the ship. It gets me SO excited.

Well I definitely know what I'll be trying next time we have breakfast at WPE! Both your's and Tom's meals look delish!

What a great way to spend some time with your friends before heading to the ship! Can't wait for the next update!

Oh please, try the breakfast pocket and pizza! They are both so yummy - but be sure to come hungry or bring someone to share - those things are huge.

We had a blast watching the kids get soaked, but it was so sad to have to say goodbye to them. We had such a good time.