Heat, Humidity, and Our Favorite Disney Dog Was a Thug! LINK TO NEW PTR!!

[STLMickeyMom]

the new cupcake shirts are adorable! I see lots of etsy sales in your future!

willow looks so happy eating her mickey bar while dressed like a princess...seriously can't go wrong with either of those things!

Minnie running down the stairs would have given me a heartattack. I don't know how they walk in those shoes and costumes, much less be so animated.

do you just do your autograph book on your cruise, or have you ever dropped anything off for the characters to sign? I've been reading some stuff for our cruise next year (can never plan too early right?) and saw that you can leave a pillowcase or plate or whatever and they'll get it signed and back to you before the end of the cruise. just wondered if they still did that and what you thought.

 

[RGirl]

Glad you are feeling better now Roni! And another Disney trip how fun! I have one already booked and another one soon to be booked. And hopefully a cruise to be booked too! The shirts look awesome! I did a few foe Olivia when I took her in 2010 but bop never made her anymore. I got slack on them. Speaking of TR, I need to update mine. Maybe tomorrow morning in between taking a break from doing accounting homework. Lol. Looks like Minnie was going to fall, but if that was me I would not have fallen I would have slipped down half the stairs. But glad she made it down all safe and sound!

Wow - that's a lot of upcoming trips!!!

LOVE the cupcake shirts, as you know

Thanks!!

You will see no judgment here. Disney mac n cheese is the BEST.

Willow sure does think so!

Ugh, that lamb doesn't look great but it really does look like you guys had a ball and that matters most!

We did - and it's not like I was hungry anyway!

Sailor Minnie is so adorable!

Isn't she cute????

Caught back up here again.
Your poolside afternoon looked delightful. The pool was looking a bit full, I agree. And sitting and relaxing with a good book sounds like a sweet idea.

It was a wonderful and relaxing day.

Your meat did look a bit fatty. I am not a lamb eater either (unless it is mixed with beef in a Gyro, or chopped up in small pieces in my Grandma's pasty recipe).

Yeah, I never should have ordered it in the first place. I think I knew that I wouldn't be hungry so thought I would try something I wouldn't usually get.

What a lovely evening. All your pictures look wonderful. You really do seem to meet a lot of the characters without much of a wait.

We definitely make the characters something of a priority.

 

[RGirl]

Your family portraits look absolutely beautiful! I love the fact that they do that on cruises. DH and I usually try to get them done - we always get there early because as you noticed, the lines can be insane! We actually got engaged on a cruise (Carnival) and so we definitely had to make sure we did portraits after that

Thanks Becky! How cool to get your engagement photos on a cruise!

What an awesome CM to remember you for meeting Woody! Disney really does have the best people that work for them.

I am always impressed at the level of customer service on DCL.

Your dinner looks nice, but what a shame about the lamb. It really does look pretty disappointing... I can't stand a fatty meat and I've never seen lamb look like that! The desserts looked pretty tasty though

Yeah, it wasn't good. But I wasn't too broken up about it - I mean, it's not like I was hungry anyway!

Roni, I'm super impressed!! I just love those cupcake shirts!!! Have you made yourself one to match??? I wanted to order matching shirts for the family but didn't get around to it....we leave next Tuesday, so it's probably a little late

Thanks!!! I bet your family would be so cute in matching shirts!!!! You need to do it next time.

Great pics once again!!! Hope you have a fabulous Wednesday!

Thanks! I hope you have a fabulous trip! Let me know if/when you start a TR.

Cute new cupcake shirts! Love them!
Looks like lots of fun poolside!

Thanks!!

The character meets on the ships are the best! I think your family photos turned out awesome!

Thank you! We have a lot of fun with the characters, and I was really happy to get photos of us.

the new cupcake shirts are adorable! I see lots of etsy sales in your future!

Aww - thanks Lori!

willow looks so happy eating her mickey bar while dressed like a princess...seriously can't go wrong with either of those things!

Right?? I wish I was doing that right now!

Minnie running down the stairs would have given me a heartattack. I don't know how they walk in those shoes and costumes, much less be so animated.

Oh, I nearly passed out - I was sure she was going to fall!

do you just do your autograph book on your cruise, or have you ever dropped anything off for the characters to sign? I've been reading some stuff for our cruise next year (can never plan too early right?) and saw that you can leave a pillowcase or plate or whatever and they'll get it signed and back to you before the end of the cruise. just wondered if they still did that and what you thought.

I have read about the pillow case thing many times, so I'm guessing they still do it. For us, the real fun is meeting the character and seeing them sign, so I have never bothered with the other option.

 

[RGirl]

Some Morning Errands and Swimming​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

Today we woke up at about 8:00. I wandered out on the verandah to see Cozumel. My camera was fogging up big time!

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Miss Willow did not want breakfast, which was odd. She did, however, want to go swimming!

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We had some errands to take care of first though. When Willow had done the BBB the day before, her FGiT had told her that she could stop in anytime for pixie dust during the rest of the cruise, so she was eager to head over there. Unfortunately, when we got there, the BBB had been transformed into the Pirates League, and they were not willing to do any pixie dusting. Might have been nice if they had mentioned that yesterday. Oh well! Willow did find this cool art piece that changed when you used the wheel.

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Our next stop was the rebooking desk so that I could book us another cruise. When you book onboard, you get a very nice discount and on-board credit, and back then, you could change that reservation as many times as you wanted to, so it was crazy not to rebook while on board. That has since changed, and you now have to sail within 18 months of booking. Anyway, I booked us on the Alaska cruise for summer 2014, because my mom had indicated that she might want to do that one again. (This has since changed, and we will be back on the Fantasy in 2015 instead.)

We headed back to the stateroom a little before 9:30 so that I could get my swimsuit on.

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Yeah - definitely no picture of me in a swimsuit!

And then we headed right back out!

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Into the elevator and up to Deck 11.

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It was now 9:30, and we were headed here!

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We did the AquaDuck twice in a row and then settled in at the Donald pool for another great morning of swimming!

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Willow made friends with a sweet tween girl, and they decided they wanted to do the AquaDuck, so we went over there. I rode with Willow, of course.

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The girls then decided to hit the Mickey pool for a bit and do the slide there.

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I let Willow walk over to the ice cream self-serve area with her new friend. Look at Willow’s ridiculous cone! (I blurred out her friend’s face - I try not to post pictures of other people’s kids on the internet if I can help it!)

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Willow’s friend had to leave for an excursion with her family, but soon Willow had made another tween friend. And of course, they wanted to ride the AquaDuck! I made a deal with Willow that we would go ride one more time and then we needed to go back to the stateroom and get ready for lunch. I figured that I would let her go back to the pool after lunch if she wanted. However, after the AquaDuck, she had a rather ugly temper tantrum about leaving, so no way were we coming back!

When we got back to the stateroom, these bandanas were waiting for us.

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Up Next: Another Yummy Lunch

 

[RGirl]

Another Yummy Lunch​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

After Willow’s post-pool melt-down, we headed down to Deck 3 for lunch. We always loved looking at the art around the ship.

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And I guess I was still pretty blown away by the whole atrium area as I was still taking pictures of it.

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We were headed to Royal Court again for lunch since we had had so much fun there the day before! We must have been seated in the same spot as the day before because I think this is the same mural.

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Willow enjoyed some bread. (The red wrist band was from being measured for the AquaDuck - the color meant that she was tall enough to ride but only with an adult, I think.)

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And some chocolate milk.

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Were you feeling a bit bad for DD that there was no mac and cheese on the lunch menu today? I hope not because it didn’t matter at all.

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I had the seafood risotto, which was very tasty.

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And we both had Mickey bars for dessert today!

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Up Next: We See a Movie

 

[RGirl]

We See a Movie​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

Our plan after lunch was to see the premiere of Planes in the Walt Disney Theater. We had a little time before the show was going to start at 2:30, so we just spent some time really checking out the atrium and the view.

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I have a thing for Minnie’s shoes.

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Before long, we headed to the theater.

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This theater is so beautiful.

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I think we got some popcorn and beverages at Preludes just outside the theater. Unfortunately, even tasty treats couldn’t make this movie good. It was Planes - Willow actually asked if we could leave in the middle of it. B-O-R-I-N-G!

Up Next: Ahoy, Matey!

 

[shan23877]

Yay for a pool and AquaDuck morning and new friends!

Boo for 7 year old attitude.

Lunch looks good! I could eat some risotto right now...

I'd have been annoyed that the BBB/PL wouldn't do pixie dust. Irritating.

Sorry the movie was bad, but thank you for telling me that when you got back so that I didn't waste my money!

 

[chattadisser]

You are rolling with the updates now!

Love the family pictures. I didn't know that they did that, especially if you are planning on getting the CD anyway. Do they do the family pictures on every cruise or just the longer ones? I'm like you, and most Mom's, never in the picture, always taking them!

The cruise looks so nice and relaxing...oh to be there now!

Christine

 

[STLMickeyMom]

I just love all your pictures of everything! They are just making me so happy!

Willow and our youngest could definitely bond over their love of Mac and cheese and chocolate milk. I sometimes worry that Madison will turn into Mac and cheese and chocolate milk!

We still haven't seen planes. I was bumming because we skipped seeing it "under the stars" last Friday due to rain but now I'm not feeling so bad about it!

If you love Minnie shoes, you should check out these Minnie inspired ones

http://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2014/06/01/jeffrey-campbell-minnie-flats/

I'm not so into pointy toed shoes but those are still super cute!

Can't wait for more! Do you have another cruise planned because I love reading about your cruises!

 

[freckles04]

Just wanted to pop in and say I am still reading and enjoying your TR. Your latest update sounds like the most relaxing day!! Sorry the movie wasn't any good. We haven't seen it and probably will not... I actually wasn't a huge fan of Cars to start with (I know, blasphemy!).

 

[DisneyJo]

How cute that Willow made some friends, it's amazing how quickly kids do isn't it

Trust her to get mac & cheese again We don't really eat it here so don't bring Willow to England

 

[JulieODC]

DD ate mac n' cheese for 7 straight days...sometimes twice a day...on our cruise!!

What a great morning!! The ship is SO quiet...that's the best time to explore!

I did not rebook on our cruise...and I'm kind of regretting it...just to have had a fall back would have been nice.

 

[courtneybelle]

That's awesome that you get such a good deal when you rebook on board, and even better that you'll be back next year

So sweet that Willow made a friend, and Willow's cone made me laugh

HAHA of course she got mac n cheese. I like the ketchup Mickey!

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PAINTING! *hyperventilates* The decor of the ship is just so beautiful!

I love that grand chair next to the Cinderella mosaic. I know a girl who went on a cruise earlier this year and took a picture on that chair every day haha. I probably would too!

The photo of Willow and Walt is amazing

 

[amandaw]

Love the cupcake shirts. Mickey is my favorite!!

The family portraits came out so lovely! Looks like y'all had a great night.

The next day was off to a good start....until the tantrum. Been there. Why do kids do this on vacation? You'd think there'd be nothing to be upset about, right?

 

[RGirl]

Yay for a pool and AquaDuck morning and new friends!

Wish I was having that kind of day today....

Boo for 7 year old attitude.

Lunch looks good! I could eat some risotto right now...

Me too!

I'd have been annoyed that the BBB/PL wouldn't do pixie dust. Irritating.

It was irritating - she had made such a big deal about it that Willow was dead set on getting some before doing anything else. Surely they could have pulled some out!

Sorry the movie was bad, but thank you for telling me that when you got back so that I didn't waste my money!

Ugh - I'm pretty sure I saw a poster at the theater for Planes 2! WHY???

You are rolling with the updates now!

I just realized that I only have a month and a half until we leave for another trip. I need to get my dual TRs completed!

Love the family pictures. I didn't know that they did that, especially if you are planning on getting the CD anyway. Do they do the family pictures on every cruise or just the longer ones? I'm like you, and most Mom's, never in the picture, always taking them!

I would think that they would do them on the shorter cruises as well, but I honestly don't know for sure.

The cruise looks so nice and relaxing...oh to be there now!

Me too! I could use some relaxing right about now!

I just love all your pictures of everything! They are just making me so happy!

Aww - thanks!!!

Willow and our youngest could definitely bond over their love of Mac and cheese and chocolate milk. I sometimes worry that Madison will turn into Mac and cheese and chocolate milk!

Willow doesn't have either at home, so she makes up for that big time while on vacation!

We still haven't seen planes. I was bumming because we skipped seeing it "under the stars" last Friday due to rain but now I'm not feeling so bad about it!

Oh, it was dreadfully boring.

If you love Minnie shoes, you should check out these Minnie inspired ones

http://www.themainstreetmouse.com/2014/06/01/jeffrey-campbell-minnie-flats/

I'm not so into pointy toed shoes but those are still super cute!

So cute!!!!

Can't wait for more! Do you have another cruise planned because I love reading about your cruises!

Thanks! Yes, we will be cruising on the Fantasy again next summer.

Just wanted to pop in and say I am still reading and enjoying your TR. Your latest update sounds like the most relaxing day!! Sorry the movie wasn't any good. We haven't seen it and probably will not... I actually wasn't a huge fan of Cars to start with (I know, blasphemy!).

Hey there! Glad to "see" you here. I am not a huge Cars fan either, although I can appreciate it - this thing was just a snooze-fest.

 

[RGirl]

How cute that Willow made some friends, it's amazing how quickly kids do isn't it

Isn't it amazing? I just love the way they make friends so quickly at this age.

Trust her to get mac & cheese again We don't really eat it here so don't bring Willow to England

Well, she doesn't eat it in real life, so I think she would survive. Certainly isn't going to stop me from traveling to England with her at some point!

DD ate mac n' cheese for 7 straight days...sometimes twice a day...on our cruise!!

I can still remember when Willow HATED that stuff. So funny how much she likes it at Disney.

What a great morning!! The ship is SO quiet...that's the best time to explore!

It was a very pleasant morning - any DCL morning is though, I suppose.

I did not rebook on our cruise...and I'm kind of regretting it...just to have had a fall back would have been nice.

Yeah, I will always rebook while onboard for the discount just in case. It is not such a great deal anymore because you can't be very flexible in changing dates and stuff, but I still think it's worth doing. We shall see if I continue to think so next year when we're onboard again!

That's awesome that you get such a good deal when you rebook on board, and even better that you'll be back next year

I am SO glad we will be cruising again next year - it's such a wonderful vacation.

So sweet that Willow made a friend, and Willow's cone made me laugh

Wasn't that the saddest cone you ever saw???

HAHA of course she got mac n cheese. I like the ketchup Mickey!

Oh yes - the servers always make those Mickey ketchups. Sometimes they do other things too - a Pluto paw, Dumbo.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST PAINTING! *hyperventilates* The decor of the ship is just so beautiful!

It is gorgeous - you spend a lot of time just staring at stuff.

I love that grand chair next to the Cinderella mosaic. I know a girl who went on a cruise earlier this year and took a picture on that chair every day haha. I probably would too!

I feel like I have quite a few pics of Willow in that chair.

The photo of Willow and Walt is amazing

I had forgotten I took that until I posted this update. I really like it too.

Love the cupcake shirts. Mickey is my favorite!!

Thanks!!!!

The family portraits came out so lovely! Looks like y'all had a great night.

Thank you! We really did have a very nice night.

The next day was off to a good start....until the tantrum. Been there. Why do kids do this on vacation? You'd think there'd be nothing to be upset about, right?

I tend to have tantrums at WDW as well, but on DCL? Come on!

 

[RGirl]

Ahoy, Matey!​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

After the movie, we headed back to the stateroom so that Willow could take a shower. We rested up a bit as well and then headed out again a little after 5. We had some more big plans!

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Yep, we were off to the Pirates League on Pirate Night!

On our way back to Deck 5, I took pictures of one of my favorite little art series:

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Pirates were already out and about!

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The princess decor was gone, and the BBB had been taken over by pirates!

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We got some pirate maiden names.

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Willow was pretty excited to be turned into a pirate princess!

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So was Puffball Yeti!

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We had a lot of fun in here getting transformed and taking our pirate oaths!

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And we were ready to hang out with some other pirates now!

Up Next: We Meet Some Pirates

 

[RGirl]

We Meet Some Pirates​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

Someone was now ready to meet the head Pirate!

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Pirate Mickey is so cute!!!

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We headed back to the stateroom briefly to drop off some stuff because there was a break in character meets. Looks like we were sailing away.


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We headed right back out - a little before 6:30. We checked out the shops for a bit.

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And then it was time for a must-do Pirate Night meet.

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He was VERY interested in her pirate gold piece:

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There was one more pirate we needed to meet tonight.

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No, we’d already chatted with him!

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We made a detour to take a look at our book of photos at Shutters - I was glad to see that we actually had quite a few, which made me feel a bit better about spending all that money on the CD!

Up Next: We Party with the Pirates

 

[RGirl]

We Party with the Pirates​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean party was going to start at 7:45, so we headed up to Deck 11 a little after 7:30. We got some glowing beverages right away!

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It was pretty crowded, and the excitement was building!

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Another family made some room for Willow to sit up out of the fray where she could actually see something.

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And soon the party started! There were characters, an unfriendly visit from Hook, and then we all helped Mickey save the Fantasy from Hook’s diabolical take-over attempt. It was pretty much impossible for me to get good pics, so these are the best I could do.

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After that close call with Hook, we had to zip on down to Animator’s Palate for our pirate dinner.

Up Next: A Pirate Dinner and an Earlier-than-Expected Night

 

[RGirl]

A Pirate Dinner and an Earlier-than-Expected Night​

Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Sunrise: 6:29AM
Sunset: 7:12PM
Port: Cozumel, Mexico
Evening Attire: Pirate or Cruise Casual
All Ashore: 8:30AM
All Aboard: 5:30PM
Wednesday: Partly Cloudy, High of 82
Thursday: Partly Cloudy, High of 84

After the big show, it was time for dinner at Animator’s Palate with the Pirate Menu. Unfortunately, Willow was starting to get really grumpy, so I was coming to the realization that we would likely miss our very last chance for Disney fireworks. (DCL puts on a fireworks show at sea on Pirate Night!) But we soldiered on to dinner. Don’t you just love the carpet in here?

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She was still looking pretty happy at this point.

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The restaurant had changed over to a decidedly more pirate-y theme tonight.

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Willow ordered an appetizer from the adult menu tonight - potstickers; she is a big fan of potstickers! (Note that our assistant server cut them all up for her. )

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I had the tasty conch chowder.

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Willow’s dinner will come as a huge surprise.

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I also enjoyed a salad.

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For my entree, I had some gluten-free pasta with seafood and red sauce. It doesn’t look very nice here, but I recall it being pretty tasty.

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Willow enjoyed a Mickey bar for dessert.

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And our server surprised me with a meringue dessert.

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By the end of dinner, Miss Willow was VERY grumpy! I soon realized that we were going to be a 100% fail as far as Disney fireworks on this trip. There was no way she was going to be able to stay up for the fireworks and festivities that didn’t start until 10:30. Therefore, after dinner, we threw in the towel on Pirate Night and headed back to the stateroom where we had another new towel animal awaiting us.

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While Willow settled down for the night I headed out on the verandah. I was not able to see the fireworks from there (other than some colorful reflection in the water), although I sure could hear them. I did see some lightening off in the distance. As always, it was wonderfully pleasant and relaxing out there.

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Up Next: More Swimming and a Lost Willow!