Magical Double Dip Trip Report (11/11/06)

[Vanvmom]

This morning I awoke at about 3am to an amazing lightning show outside my porthole window. I woke up to flashes of light strobing on the horizon. I went to the window to watch (I love to watch lightning storms). I didn't see any bolts, but I did see many times when a large grouping of clouds was fully illuminated by the flashes. As I was very tired... I went back to sleep

The wake up call came at 8am for our 8:45 character breakfast. Yeah Mickey, tons of fun in store... yeah, I know, but my family was DRAGGING! My entire family did make it to the breakfast (along with one other member of our traveling group of 16). Here are a couple of my favorite photos from our character breakfast. This is one of our tables from breakfast.

Here is Conner Pan pointing to the 2nd star to the right.

After breakfast, the boys were off an about the ship. Youngest DS wanted to swim - fine by me. It was sprinkling, but not hard, and the temp. was warm enough. Off he went with DH to go swim (he was already wet, so why not swim).

He also got his photo taken with Turk.

Our DIS cabin tour and celebration lunch was scheduled for today so my middle DS decided he wanted to come along. I couldn't pull my oldest DS from the stack, or the youngest from the pool!

First cabin was the Walt Suite. Thanks to our hosts:

We were welcomed into the cabin by their youngest 2 sons along with an offer of a margarita. YUM! My middle DS loved this the best about the suite.

I went to a DIS party in the Roy Suite on our last cruise, and after seeing them both, my opinion is that I like the Walt Suite better (it has light wood, and the Roy has dark wood). They are both wonderful beyond belief! The Cat 2 suite was great too! Thanks Suzadrew for welcoming us!
Here are some photos of DISers from the cabin tour.

Next it was off to the Hanno Family Cat 3 suite.
I got to taste Fairytale Cuvee' (yummy).

Two of our hosts:

Myself and "possibly my long lost cousin" Linda

After the cabin tour was our celebration lunch in Parrot Cay. Here is Spotdude and his lovely wife (before their vow renewal), along with JayPd

Jay and David toasted "cheers" to all the birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings/renewals on our cruise.

The lunch was great, and it was wonderful to be able to chat for a while with some new friends. I wish we'd been able to do this more during our cruise, as we met with a great group of DISers.

Next up... Riley and D sea U, Palo, and the midnight dessert buffet!

 

[GrayFal]

Wendy, LOVE the pictures, thanks so much for posting.....for a rainy day, it sure was GOOD!

 

[ibouncetoo]

Thanks for posting more pictures! I'm ready to see more

 

[Vanvmom]

The afternoon was a lot of fun and the fun kept going and going and going! After the brunch I took Riley to his club for the rehearsal of the D Sea U show that the kids do. DH and I walked in right before the show was to start, and we sat in the 2nd row, to the left of the center section. We got very lucky, as when the kids began to file in wearing their new T - shirts and their Mouse Ear Graduation Caps, our youngest DS walked right by where we were sitting, and we were able to get this photo of him before he went on stage.

He didn't make it into any of the photos they showed as part of the show, but he LOVES being up on stage with Mickey and Minnie. It was very cute! After the show we were to meet the other 2 kids back in our cabins to get the kids ready for dinner, but youngest DS decided he wanted to stay in the club and eat with his friends. Fine by me, all the adults in our traveling group had Palo ressies, but it was Semi Formal night, and the older kids were planning to go to dinner without us. So, we got the kids ready and sent them off, and we could relax about getting ready for Palo.

Now is when things get funny. Remember early on when I posted that we have early seating for dinner, right? Well, our Palo ressie was not until 7pm. I shower first and while DH is taking his turn in the shower, I go over to the little desk with the mirror and plug in my curling iron. I don't know about how most women get ready, but I do my make up and hair before I get completely dressed when I am doing the "dress nice" look. I don't want to spill make up on my black dress or anything like that, so I am doing all of this while I am only partially dressed. Now I've seen women on the beach that are covering less than I was at the moment, but I was still in my skivvies (I was wearing them, even if I don't know how to spell them). So, let's get the setting... DH in shower, Me in skivvies curling iron in hand. Knock, knock on the door. "uh... just a second" as I notice that neither DH or I flipped the other lock on the door. As I am crossing the room QUICKLY I hear a key in the lock. As the cabin steward enters the room I DIVE to the floor at the end of the bed. Probably not quick enough to prevent the steward from seeing a sight he'd rather not have seen. As he fumbles through and apology, I tell him that we have Palo ressies, and that we'll be out of the room soon. As the steward leaves, DH comes out of the bathroom, sees me, and I'm sure wonders what he missed.

At Palo we had Ciao Romano as our server again, and as expected, the food was delicious. I tried the Venitian Dream to drink that night, and it was yummy (thanks for the suggestion fellow DISers)! Ciao had the tables set up so that we could seat all 10 people in our party at one long table right outside the private room. It was great! I love how DCL is always willing to take those extra steps to make things special - if you ask it nicely.
Originally we had 3 different dinner ressies for 4 people at 3 different times. They were able to combine it into 1 ressie for 10 people at one table (that's something I've NEVER seen WDW dining be able to do). I tried to make a ressie for 16 people for dinner at WDW and was told that they could only guarantee 2 tables for 8, and they could not even guarantee that the 2 tables would be in the same part of the restaurant.

Anyway, back to DCL! Sorry, I tend to tangent from time to time. After we ate our souffle' Ciao reminded us to stop by the dessert buffet in Lumiere's. Like we had room for any more food?! We went back to the room to change (and then go to the show in Rockin Bar D). When we got there we found this creation on our bed.

No, our son was not already on the bed (we took the photo later in the evening). It was rather odd, and we were not sure it was completed. The bed that lowers from the ceiling had not been made up, so we were not sure if he had gotten distracted in the middle of making up our room and didn't finish it, or if something else had gone wrong. We called guest services and someone was there in minutes to fix the bed for youngest DS, and we were off to Rockin Bar D.

We enjoyed every adult show we went to, but I just could not handle having to listen to Ntwine, so we were out of there by 11:15 each time we went there. I did try a drink in there that was pretty good. It was an AM/FM (multiple liqueurs in a tall shot glass). I accidentally called it an AM/PM, but they still knew what it was. It was my drink with alcohol and added alcohol on top. I added some ice cubes from my water glass, and that made it better.

After the show we went to the dessert buffet (not to eat, but to take some photos of the desserts). Those chefs are true artists! Here is one photo I found fun.

After the walk through, we decided we'd better pick up the youngest DS and put him to bed so that he'd enjoy the stop at CC the next day. Our oldest two DSs were scheduled to parasail in the afternoon, and our oldest was doing the Wild Side excursion with the Stack at 9am.

 

[woody73]

. . .As the steward leaves, DH comes out of the bathroom, sees me, and I'm sure wonders what he missed.

Hillarious story. Looking forward to more.

Woody

 

[ibouncetoo]

Riley looks so cute (and HAPPY) in that picture! Can't wait to hear how the boys like parasailing!

.....which reminds me....I really need to get those pictures developed!

 

[TiggersPal]

Thanks so much for the update and new photos. OH MY GOD - I look HORRIBLE!!!! Looks like I'll be going on the HERBALIFE program now!

Jackie is right, the boys looks so happy, in all the photos!

 

[Vanvmom]

Peggy you do NOT look horrible!

BTW... DL in Dec is up in the air... DH does not come back from China until 12/23, and then he leaves again on 12/28. Not sure if the boys and I will take a quick trip or not.

We did decide on our Grand Canyon trip though. We're going March 30 - April 2. I haven't planned any details yet - it's hard to do without a board like these to help with the planning!

 

[TiggersPal]

Peggy you do NOT look horrible!

BTW... DL in Dec is up in the air... DH does not come back from China until 12/23, and then he leaves again on 12/28. Not sure if the boys and I will take a quick trip or not.

We did decide on our Grand Canyon trip though. We're going March 30 - April 2. I haven't planned any details yet - it's hard to do without a board like these to help with the planning!

You'll be coming through PHoenix right? YOU BETTER!!! We will be very sad if we don't have time for a lunch, dinner or more! OK?

 

[Vanvmom]

We'd like to try to get to Phoenix. Tim's aunt and uncle live in Oro Valley, and we hope to see them too. I've got to get a map and see where all of this is so that we can do some planning.

 

[TiggersPal]

She's getting out the map! Yipee! We have lots of cowboy stuff - Tombstone (down near Tucson) - there is a great place here called Rawhide where you can get a real "cowboy" bbq out in the desert and ride an old fashion wagon wheel buck board - they have music and a Native Amercian dance by bon fire.

You might also be here for the Renaissance Festival, which is always fun, I like the sword swallower!

It's too early for much more to come to mind, but if you let me know what the boys are into - I can help with some activities they might enjoy - or more historical type stuff.

Hope you had a great weekend!

 

[Vanvmom]

I guess I'd better finish my trip report from this cruise before I get too involved in planning another trip!

 

[Vanvmom]

We really enjoyed our first stop at Castaway Cay, so we were looking forward to today. We awoke to the sounds of the ship turning around to back in to dock. Everyone was ready quickly which really shocked me, especially my oldest DS who'd been out very late (or should I say until very early) at a special "Homecoming Dance" at the Stack. We had plenty planned today and were very happy to see the rain was gone!

Oldest DS headed to Topsiders on his own, and then to the Stack to meet up for his "Wild Side" excursion. They were going to go bike riding, kayaking, snorkeling...you name it. Hours of fun and activity! I took the younger 2 DSs up to topsiders and DH met us there. It sure was breezy, and it seemed to be taking longer than it did on Sunday for us to get docked (I didn't find out until later, that it took 2 tries for us to get docked). We snapped some more photos of the beach and the Flying Dutchman before heading back to the cabin to get our beach things.

We'd decided to walk to the beach from the ship today so that we could get some photos along the way (you miss a lot of photo ops when you take the tram). We dropped off DSs at their program, as both were very excited to participate in the scheduled activities. We decided that they would stay in their programs through lunch, and then we would pick them up for more beach time.

Time to shop for double scoop merchandise (and pick up the hat I'd promised an Oct. double dipper). All we saw were adult mediums! ARGH!!! Surely we didn't miss all the larger sizes as we'd only been docked for about an hour. We asked a CM if she had any other double scoop merchandise. She said, "that's a DIS term, here at DCL we call it Twice the Magic," and then laughed. She said they love the DIS, and she's even recommended it to family members who were considering cruising Disney. She said the people on the DIS can often answer more questions than CMs themselves can. She also said that the other Twice the Magic shirts that came in were defective and were sent back. She gave us a paper with instructions on how to order one from home.

We also discovered that since the Wonder had been at CC since our last stop, and many sizes of the regular CC merchandise were sold out. We still managed to find some things we liked, and shopping went pretty well. They sent everything back to the ship for us to pick up in the evening at the duty free shop on board. We decided to explore Serenity Bay. There were very few people there, and you could walk quite a way out into the water before it got deep. There was tons of odd sea weed along the shore (we heard it is normally not there). It was like small confetti strips... like I said odd. We enjoyed the hammocks and another chance for Konk Koolers.

After some lunch we headed back to get the kids. The older 2 boys had a parasailing excursion booked for 2:30, but it was cancelled due to the wind, so we rented some water tricycles and played for a while, then did more snorkeling. At about 3pm we headed back to the ship so that we could clean and dry out our swimsuits before we had to pack our bags tonight.

It was sad to say good bye to our servers, they were wonderful! As this cruise our kids were not very "character driven" we decided to skip the Till We Meet Again show, but we did go to the pub show. The cruise staff puts on a very funny show, and my DH still goes around singing "dough the stuff I buy beer with, Ray the guy I buy beer from...etc" Then we were off to bed.

 

[Vanvmom]

It was very hard to get up today. Not just because we had to leave the ship, but because we had 6:45 am breakfast! This is what my youngest did for breakfast

Most of our travel group made it to breakfast, and everyone talked about how much fun our week had been! One youth in our group was to turn 13 the next day, so several of us planned to meet in Downtown Disney for dinner. Our vacation was not over yet, as our family had planned for a few days at WDW before we headed home (we'd never been to FL before, and weren't sure when we'd be back).

Yes, we re-booked on board for a phantom date in 2008. Our plan is to wait until the special cruises for DCL's 10th anniversary are announced, and then we'll set our cruise date.

Disembarkation was a breeze. We each had a carry on, and we headed right off the ship and down to pick up our luggage. The porter found everything quite easily and took us to the Budget Shuttle. There was only one person at the shuttle stop, and after our family loaded up, we headed for Budget. Once at Budget, I was the 3rd person in line and we got our SUV quickly. We loaded up and headed for the Sheraton Dolphin Hotel at WDW.

I'd read the Passporter, and looked at many maps, but DH had not seen the need. He was AMAZED at the size of the WDW property. He kept asking "are you sure all of this is WDW, because it looks like a freeway or a big airport or something." Yes, dear. Now my (over)planning doesn't seem so odd, right? Yes, let me live in my dream world where all of the planning is a good thing.

We checked right into our hotel and changed into warmer clothes! Who knew it would be COLD in FL in Nov? In CA yes, but in FL? So, pants and jackets for those who had them, and off to take the shuttle boat to MGM to meet our Arkansas friends. This is the boys outside the back of our hotel. Our room was in the short peach colored wing to the right, but facing the away from where the photo was taken. With the wonderful teacher rate that Sheraton offers, we were able to get a balcony, resort view room for a great rate.

Here we are right inside MGM.

I've got to say, our first encounter with CMs at WDW was that they are not as helpful or friendly as they are at DL.

We met up with our friends and went to check out the things that CA doesn't offer (or are different). First off... TOT! We LOVE this attraction and could not wait to see how the FL one was different (it was made first after all). It was very fun (and the drops seemed more random). You can see more from the top of the attraction in CA, so this one did not seem as tall. Who knows?

From there it was off to Aerosmith's Rockin Roller Coaster. I'd read about this coaster, but of course no one in my family thought it was necessary. Inside they say "we are turning the music industry upside down" and I laughed. Everyone in my family looked at me as if they were missing the joke... tee hee, they were. I sat in the front car with my youngest DS. He screamed! He had a blast! We bought the photo! So far, the favorite ride for the WDW trip. We took a group photo outside.

Just enough time for lunch before the Lights Camera Action stunt show. Everywhere at WDW seems to sell pizza, burgers or turkey legs. I much prefer the options in DL, but that's just me. We got pizza for lunch.

The stunt show was tons of fun. The rest of our afternoon was filled with the Backlot Tour (especially nice to see the movie props) and Star Tours.

I still don't feel like I've got a solid grasp on where everything is at MGM, but we all loved seeing the movie props (and replicas). The major differences we noticed between CA parks and FL parks so far... more of the cues are indoors in FL, it is more difficult to find a soda vendor in FL, and more of the attractions exit into gift shops in FL than they do in CA.

We love Fantasmic, so we made sure to stay in the park until after the show. Some similarities to the CA show, but many more differences. I love having the dedicated amphitheater for the show in FL. It sure beats "camping out" on spots on the street like you do in CA.

After the show we bought our oldest DS a sweatshirt (yes, he was COLD), and walked over to see the Osborne Lights. TONS of lights, and a falling snow show like CA does after their firework show. We also happened to pass by a family from our cruise along the way (their daughter was the one our oldest DS liked, so he was "happy guy"). Then back to the hotel to get some rest as we were all walking sleep deprived zombies!

 

[Keggy]

Thanks for your wonderful trip report!

I like hearing your take on the differences between DL and WDW. I am a WDW local, but my sister is a DL local. So, we have been to DL several times. DH and I love it there - but I think it is because we are so spoiled on WDW. We love DL's fantasmic, much more than the version here! Camping out is part of the fun!

Kelly

 

[Vanvmom]

Thanks for your wonderful trip report!

I like hearing your take on the differences between DL and WDW. I am a WDW local, but my sister is a DL local. So, we have been to DL several times. DH and I love it there - but I think it is because we are so spoiled on WDW. We love DL's fantasmic, much more than the version here! Camping out is part of the fun!

Kelly

Too funny! I guess it just depends on what you are used to. We really liked the inside cues - for that matter, in general WDW seems to do a better job with "entertaining" you while you stand in line (movie props to look at while in line for Backlot, show outside Tiki Room, props outside Expedition Everest, etc). DL has done a great job with adding more of that type of stuff over the past 10 years or so during rehabs and when opening new attractions. I have more comparisons in my MK report, so I guess I'll post it soon.

By far the thing that stood out the most was the abundance of turkey legs in WDW compared to in either park in CA. I sort of get the feeling they are offered in CA to appeal to those visiting from FL (or who visit WDW more than DL).

WDW is just HUGE compared to DL, and I knew this already. Having sampled WDW for a mere 3 days, I can better understand some of the concerns posted in 2005 when DCL came to CA. We cruised in 2005 with MANY people who are WDW "natives" and were visiting CA for the first time while taking their West Coast- Mexico cruise. When our DIS meet friends from that cruise asked about lodging, food, transportation, etc. at DL they must have thought most of our responses were just NUTS! You really can experience DL and CA Adventure in 2 days (while seeing some shows and riding some attractions more than once), strictly on foot, and not have to stay in a resort hotel. This time frame, transportation, lodging, etc. would just NOT work for a visit to WDW (no matter who you know!).

 

[Vanvmom]

I just realized I mentioned that we met friends from AK at WDW for that portion of our trip, but I forgot to mention anything about them (yet I posted photos of them).

The family we met up with consist of 4 people (mom- K, Dad - J, and twin boys R & JJ). The twin boys share a birthday with my youngest DS, yet my DS is a year younger than the twins (even though he is taller than them as you can tell in some of the photos). Our families have been friends since shortly before my youngest DS was born. K & J lived for several years in Bakersfield, CA (the town I spent most of my youth in, but we did not know each other then- yes, the town is big enough for that). My mom's family as well as K & J's family are all from Arkansas - I guess many of them migrate to Bakersfield eventually. And for some, the migration continues from Bakersfield to northern CA which is where we all met. As well as our families being good friends, we took several November trips to DL together.

In the fall of 2005 their family moved to AR to be near J's family - much to my youngest son's dismay. This WDW trip was the first time youngest DS was meeting up with his buds since the move, so he was a bit more than he'd been during the cruise. The 3 of them everywhere they went for the 3 days we were at WDW.

There... I hope this explains a little bit about why the photos look like our family has grown since the trip report began.

 

[woody73]

Enjoyed your report. How did you like the Lights Camera Action stunt show?

Woody

 

[ibouncetoo]

Can't wait to read more of your WDW adventures. I love hearing about everyone's first visit there!

 

[Vanvmom]

Enjoyed your report. How did you like the Lights Camera Action stunt show?

Woody

LOVED it! We got there right before the show was about to start, so we sat pretty high up, but we could see everything. Due to where we were sitting, we could see part of the back area, and I saw early on that they were using 2 red cars. If we had to pick a favorite part of the show, I would have to say that I liked the backwards driven car.