I miss you DCL...

[DisneYE]

Went to Cocoa beach yesterday.
I think this is the Dream. It was moving and maneuvering the couple of hours we were there.
And far in the distance (not pictured) were the Fantasy and Wonder.
It was a treat to see.

 

[DisneYE]

We then went to Gators and had a nice lunch outside in front of the DCL terminal. That sight was eerie with no ships in sight and the waters almost empty of any activity.
Gators was kind of lively, about 1/2 of tables filled. But it felt weird.
You know how when you go to a funeral service there's people chatting and sometimes there's snacks and it's still kind of lively, but mostly somber? It felt like that. People seemed to be in a sort somber mood.

 

[MomOTwins]

We rented an Airbnb cabin about 2 hours from home in the middle of nowhere to spend Christmas. We're going to hide from the world and have a change of scenery. We were supposed to be on the Dream but decided we still wanted to do something.

We did the same thing a couple of months ago. Just an airbnb for a change of scene. We enjoyed it, but that was probably because I was just so starved for an escape. Still had to shop for groceries, cook, clean up after my kids constantly... made me really miss the relaxation part of a Disney cruise.

I am getting the to the point where I am thinking of just booking a 3-night this year to tide me over until our Fantasy cruise next year. Will have to wait for them to announce a return-to-sail date though and see how modified the experience will be.

 

[DCLDVC1]

I h8 China so much for doing this to us.

It ain't China's fault. A little leadership in the USA and Americans willing to do the bare minimum would have helped a lot.

 

[DisneYE]

It ain't China's fault. A little leadership in the USA and Americans willing to do the bare minimum would have helped a lot.

Yeah ok. I don't want this to get political or controversial.
I'll edit out the part you commented on.

 

[deliela999]

We did the same thing a couple of months ago. Just an airbnb for a change of scene. We enjoyed it, but that was probably because I was just so starved for an escape. Still had to shop for groceries, cook, clean up after my kids constantly... made me really miss the relaxation part of a Disney cruise.

I am getting the to the point where I am thinking of just booking a 3-night this year to tide me over until our Fantasy cruise next year. Will have to wait for them to announce a return-to-sail date though and see how modified the experience will be.

Yeah, definitely not as good as a cruise but something different. It's pretty far to a tiny grocery store so I'm trying to plan ahead well enough to take all groceries with us. I have probably 6 grocery stores within a 5 mile radius of home so that level of planning away from my fully stocked kitchen is proving challenging. And my 8 year old is all nosey about presents so getting them there unnoticed it another challenge.

 

[bunnm09]

I really miss DCL but really any cruising. I had two cruises in 2020 that didn’t happen and we just had a newborn so it’s gonna be a while until we can cruise again so I guess that makes it worse. I miss cruising so much I’ve even been looking at carnival’s rates haha(DCL cruise snob joke)

 

[MomOTwins]

Yeah, definitely not as good as a cruise but something different. It's pretty far to a tiny grocery store so I'm trying to plan ahead well enough to take all groceries with us. I have probably 6 grocery stores within a 5 mile radius of home so that level of planning away from my fully stocked kitchen is proving challenging. And my 8 year old is all nosey about presents so getting them there unnoticed it another challenge.

Oof, I have two eight-year-olds so I hear you on the present hiding challenges (we have them in sealed unlabeled boxes in a secret hiding place in the boiler room as well as decoy boxes elsewhere and it is still stressing me out this will be the year when they stop believing). One of the twins has already declared several "tests" he has planned with respect to Santa (the one that cracked me up the most was putting out carrots for Rudolph in addition to cookies for Santa to "test" that it is not just mom and dad eating the cookies). That is definitely the age where they start to get resourceful!

 

[KashasMom]

I'm not really shedding tears about DCL but am really missing travel. We canceled some amazing trips this year. Also, moved our Aug 2021 cruise to Feb 2022. Hopefully , cruises will be back to...normal by then?

 

[deliela999]

Oof, I have two eight-year-olds so I hear you on the present hiding challenges (we have them in sealed unlabeled boxes in a secret hiding place in the boiler room as well as decoy boxes elsewhere and it is still stressing me out this will be the year when they stop believing). One of the twins has already declared several "tests" he has planned with respect to Santa (the one that cracked me up the most was putting out carrots for Rudolph in addition to cookies for Santa to "test" that it is not just mom and dad eating the cookies). That is definitely the age where they start to get resourceful!

Mine told me one of her friends stayed up last year and saw her mom put all the presents under the tree, then asked if that's what I do! I busted out the good old what do you think? She said I put out the presents from Dad and me then Santa comes and puts out presents from him. Yes, that's exactly what happens! The whole point of spending so much on the cruise for Christmas is that we're nearing the end of Santa magic. Now we have over $5K in Disney gift cards to take a last minute cruise when we feel safe. I'm embarrassed to admit the amount to others in our lives, but people here understand that's not such an insane amount.

 

[ChicosWife]

 

[Figment_Fan]

I miss DCL! I can hardly wait to get back on one of these ships. The ship is always full of really good people: staff and passengers. All having this sense of adventure and love of Disney. It really seems to condense the parks and adds the exploration of new places.

 

[DisneYE]

We went to Gators for lunch today and this majestic queen was at the port.
She's so beautiful and I miss her dearly.
I want to sail with her again this year.

 

[MickeyD]

Today was the day we were supposed to be getting onboard the Fantasy. Hoping for next year...

 

[Hegemon]

Today was the day we were supposed to be getting onboard the Fantasy. Hoping for next year...

Oh I'm so sorry. I remember when we hit our "should be sailing" date on the July 2020 cruise...that was a really sad day. We're going to move our 2021 cruise to 2022 and it's good to know that we have something on the horizon, although it's becoming less and less fun to "dream" about an upcoming cruise after so many cancellations. I hope you get on a ship as soon as you want to!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Today was the day we were supposed to be getting onboard the Fantasy. Hoping for next year...

I feel your pain. So far we've missed cruises for March and now February. They haven't said it yet but I'm doubtful that May will happen too.
All we can do is keep hoping.

 

[DIS_MIKE]

We went to Gators for lunch today and this majestic queen was at the port.
She's so beautiful and I miss her dearly.
I want to sail with her again this year.

I've only ever taken the DCL transfer buses to the port so I never had the opportunity to explore the area. I'm looking at a possible trip this spring to the Orlando area so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to head to the port and see the ships up close. I can hit a few of the restaurants where I always see people waving from and walk along that observation path.

Is Gators better than Fishlips?

 

[MickeyD]

Oh I'm so sorry. I remember when we hit our "should be sailing" date on the July 2020 cruise...that was a really sad day. We're going to move our 2021 cruise to 2022 and it's good to know that we have something on the horizon, although it's becoming less and less fun to "dream" about an upcoming cruise after so many cancellations. I hope you get on a ship as soon as you want to!

It is sad, but I do agree with you about being less and less fun to "dream" about any upcoming cruises with cancellations and then new restrictions etc. We ended up just getting a refund and will hopefully cruise in 2022. Probably not as soon as I want to, but will be as soon as feasible. I hope your cruise in 2022 "sticks" and is as memorable and fun as previous.

 

[MickeyD]

I feel your pain. So far we've missed cruises for March and now February. They haven't said it yet but I'm doubtful that May will happen too.
All we can do is keep hoping.

I am guessing May will be cancelled too. I cannot see the ports letting anyone in quite yet. I think some of Disney's are cancelled through early May, right?
Sure hope you are able to sail soon. Sorry you have had more than one cancelled. that would be very frustrating.

 

[DisneYE]

I've only ever taken the DCL transfer buses to the port so I never had the opportunity to explore the area. I'm looking at a possible trip this spring to the Orlando area so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to head to the port and see the ships up close. I can hit a few of the restaurants where I always see people waving from and walk along that observation path.

Is Gators better than Fishlips?

An Orlando/CentralFL getaway is a great way to get your fix in the absence of DCL sailings.
We love the Melbourne/Cocoa Beach/Port Canaveral area. You could go to a different place each day. Is what we do on weekends.
Gators is our favorite bc its closest to the port (it's where you wave to when on the ship) and imo it has a better vibe, better outside seating, less crowded than Fishlips, which we always find too busy. We also like Grills, although its a bit further down the docks. Grills has the best live music if you're into that.
If you want to see the ships anchored at sea, the best spot is the cocoa beach pier or just by the beach there. bring a beach chair and binoculars. it's a fun few hours.