Mini TR for another Boston Road Trip - updated Nov 22

[KathyM2]

and d'oh - why haven't I been meeting up with nice Dis people for years? I will now learn from my mistake, lol

Definitely!! We have to do it again. I do hope that there is another epic Dis Trip after the May one because I am so sad to miss out on that. But I have met so many nice people in real life from the DIS that I highly recommend it!

Thanks for posting the pics!!

 

[KathyM2]

Feb 22 morning!

I'm going to do another update to cover this morning while I have a few mins because I'm staying at a "gasp" non Disney hotel tonight and I'm not sure how the wi-fi will be so gonna try to get this in there while I can (and also whilst still fresh in my mind!

This morning I set my alarm for the ongodly hour of 3:30am. Some people were probably still just getting to bed! It really did feel like the middle of the night, and that first step out of bed showed me that my feet were still sore from two days of walking around Disney...not a good way to start a race! What can you do. Got myself up and dressed into my purple kind of Rapunzel look that I was going for. The purple compression socks actually did help my feet feel a little better almost immediately which was nice. I wolfed down a granola bar and some water and headed out to catch the bus to the race start by about 4:10am. By the time I arrived and walked from the bus over to the corrals, there really wasn't a whole lot of time before it was time to start the race. I had adequate time that it didn't stress me out, but if it was for a longer race where I was worried about time to finish or time for the port-a-potty first...I would have been worried. I stood around with 10000 of my closest Disney fan friends for a few minutes and before I knew it they were starting the pre-race announcements and celebrations. Soon after that, we were on our way. The first mile felt the longest as we were basically in the parking lot and roads around Epcot. Once we entered the park the rest went by really quickly...too quickly actually. It was SO much fun running/walking around WS as the sun began to rise. Such a beautiful sight.

The lines for characters on the course were really long, but I knew I wanted to try for at least a couple. The first one I stopped for was Mushu because he is pretty rare to see (at least I've never seen him) so got that one, and then of course I had to get Rapunzel. She said she liked the colours of my outfit and I thanked her and continued on. Before long (well long enough..it was my slowest 5K ever but I didn't care because it was just so much fun) I was crossing the finish line. Stopped for a picture with my new medal bling, and then headed over to where there were more characters...and lineups.... They had a bunch of different princesses but I chose to line up for Princess Minnie because I thought that was one I'd be unlikely to see anywhere so it was worth the 30 minute wait. I was glad I did because I love the picture and the background. I am still trying to figure out how the race pictures work, and I'm really hoping that my friend with the AP's memory maker that I've been using so far on this trip will let me get those pictures too. We shall see. Otherwise I will still get them but I will have to pay so...we shall see.

After Minnie I headed to the bus back to the CBR. It was about 8:30am but it felt like mid afternoon because I'd already been up so long. I headed to Centertown for some breakfast (which was Mickey waffles of course) and then back to my room where I'm currently packing up to head out shortly on my trek down further south to FLL where I will be spending tonight before getting on a cruise. I will continue this semi-live TR if anyone is interested (or even if they are not lol) about my cruise. It won't be as exciting (because this is sooo exciting I know) because it will probably involve a lot more poolside lounging with a side or margarita, but I'm happy to share nonetheless.

That's all for now...I will see how the wifi is at my next stop!

 

[pkondz]

Well I'd vote for us!

Good!

Yes, she truly is!

Not at all surprised.

Well, I liked the original red head scene myself, but I can see the positive aspects of the change as well.

Hmmm...

Nope. Gonna stick with miffed.

What a great photo!! Love that!

 

[pkondz]

Um hardly, but thanks anyway lol!!

I just saw the photo that Donna posted of you both with the Tangled lantern...
I stand by what I said.

Yeah I think they were pretty overwhelmed. I have to control myself when newbies ask me questions about Disney, it's like, "how long do you have?"

Yes! I do that too.

But I filled them in on a few things while we waited for the rope to drop.

Nice of you.

Right?? Like if I went to Australia...I would do a crap ton of planning and hopefully knew where it's at...

Exactly.

....(any aussies here can look for the idiot tourist and I'll have my foot in my mouth I'm sure...)

You know what? I hadn't been on in so long I really can't judge, I was just watching Donna for her to let me know when the drop was happening because I didn't know how big it was. Now I know and will definitely ride again!

Wait... just how long ago was it that you rode it?

Yes, enjoyed it a lot, and also thankfully the drop was not as big as I remembered!

Glad you liked it.

The rest of the atmosphere was great and I'm sorry I missed it on so many trips, and because I'm such a chicken my kids haven't experienced it yet either...will have to remedy that.

It's a great little ride, isn't it? I think it's aged quite nicely.

Ha! Yeah I like to mix up my acronyms LMFAO

LMFAO? Oh, yeah... pretty sure I've flown there. Italy, isn't it?

Not really stealth, I told you about it @DonnaBeeGood

He sure did!! Some crude comments came to mind about how he could or could not....you know, but I won't say it here in polite company.

Well... darn.

 

[pkondz]

EIFOTA

er... what is that? Epcot International... Food?...um... ??

UBER

This one I know! It's U Better Expect Re-routing.

I got there and waited in a short line for the bib pickup area

Of course you need a bib because you will be "over indulging later at the food booths at the EIFOTA later that day".

See? I'm paying attention.

where was all the RunDisney merch?? That's what it's all about right?? Huh? Am I blind? Why wasn't I seeing it?? Finally I had to shyly ask a CM and they said, "oh there's whole STADIUM for that down the road"

Whoopsie! But at least you got it straightened out.

So out I went and into.... a lineup to get into that area of course!!

Of course. It's what Disney does best.

did manage to pick up a car magnet

Magnet? Do you mean sticker? Or an actual magnet that goes (I presume?) inside the car?

I was happy with my haul

Glad you were.

until I saw ...the line to pay for my purchases. Ugh. It was long

Thought you'd get out Scott free, did you?

But the great thing about Disney is that whenever you have to wait...there are always loads of friendly, happy, vacationing people to talk to!!

we checked the wait time for Soarin' and it said 30 mins...so we were about it get in it, but then a CM said "it's actually more like 45-60 mins"

Then... how about posting 60 minutes?

Damn you tiered ride system at EP!!

Agreed!!

@DonnaBeeGood 's hat was too dark so they substituted a cartoon tall afro'd black guy for her...I'm not sure what that says about....anything...but it was kind of funny to have me and this avatar in all the pics.

Donna's gettin' a new do!

Because we usually start by going right towards Canada (because we're Canadian of course)

Of course!

we both got the brie in a bread bowl. This was DELISH and I could have eaten another one!

Thanks for the tip!

@DonnaBeeGood helped me out with the olives since I'm not a fan.

Because you know what's tasty and Donna doesn't apparently. She can have all my olives, too.

went for the chocolate peanut butter mousse with raspberry sauce. YUM.

Whoa. That sounds good.

We then went and decided to check the SB wait time for Soarin. It said 30 mins again and we were hoping this time it was for realz. We got in line and it actually did not even feel like 30 mins at all and we were on our flight!

Not bad!

I knew I would have to get up at 3:30 am this morning for the 5K so I really wanted to try to get to bed early. BUT we were at DISNEY and it was my last park day so I really did not want to leave!!

Tough one. One not easily solved. At all.

I am catching the bus down to FLL (that's Fort Lauderdale @pkondz lol)

Never heard of it.

 

[pkondz]

Here is a pic of Kathy in her triumphant finish!

Yay! You look great, Kathy!

Looks good!

While I want the drink, especially... that's the bread bowl you guys liked so much!

And there's your olives, Donna.

Looks decadent.

 

[pkondz]

I'm staying at a "gasp" non Disney hotel tonight

How could you?!?!?

This morning I set my alarm for the ongodly hour of 3:30am.

We could've chatted. I was up. Sick... but up. (little tummy trouble. fine now.)

Some people were probably still just getting to bed!

Or had been for a whole 2 hours.

that first step out of bed showed me that my feet were still sore from two days of walking around Disney...not a good way to start a race!

No. Not good.

What can you do.

Hire a rickshaw?

Got myself up and dressed into my purple kind of Rapunzel look that I was going for.

Saw that. Cute!

The purple compression socks actually did help my feet feel a little better almost immediately which was nice.

Oh! Glad they did. Wouldn't've thought of that.

I stood around with 10000 of my closest Disney fan friends

You chatted with 10,000 people?!?!?

The first mile felt the longest as we were basically in the parking lot and roads around Epcot.

I can see how that'd be a bit... dull.

It was SO much fun running/walking around WS as the sun began to rise. Such a beautiful sight.

Happy that you enjoyed yourself so much.

The first one I stopped for was Mushu because he is pretty rare to see (at least I've never seen him)

I've never seen him either! Cool! I'm not really one for characters, but would've stopped for him, I think.

and then of course I had to get Rapunzel.

Of course.

I chose to line up for Princess Minnie because I thought that was one I'd be unlikely to see anywhere so it was worth the 30 minute wait.

True. Never seen her dressed like that either. But, then again... I never look.

After Minnie I headed to the bus back to the CBR. It was about 8:30am

Holy smokes!! You did all that... before 8:30am????

I will continue this semi-live TR if anyone is interested

my cruise. It won't be as exciting (because this is sooo exciting I know) because it will probably involve a lot more poolside lounging with a side or margarita, but I'm happy to share nonetheless.

Looking forward to it as I've read very few TRs about the cruises.

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[suse66]

However...the good news is that my room in Jamaica was not at all far from the bus stop so that was something, and it was on the ground floor.

How did you find the room renovations? I heard a good review on them from Dis Unplugged.

ANYWAY...got on a bus to DS around 4:30pm and soon I was getting off and texting @DonnaBeeGood to see where she was. We found each other pretty quickly as she is easily identified by her sparkly hat, and I in my muppet dress, yes @pkondz still working on figuring out why I can't get any pics to upload lol So we walked around a bit chatting like old friends, I mean, we've known each other on the DIS for quite a while, but it was a lot of fun to meet in person. Also, @DonnaBeeGood has been awesome to hang out with because she is on a longer trip and has seen and done all of her "must do's" already and so she said (although I really hope she means it lol) that she is happy to tag along with whatever I want to do while I'm here!! SO...ok girl, you are my dream Disney companion!!

Dismeets are awesome.....glad to hear you two got along so well!

Actually it was busier today than I think I've ever seen it on a time that wasn't Christmas...there were even 40 minute lines for IASW and 20 minute lines for Peoplemover! After HM we tried again to catch up with Ariane because they wanted to see Mickey and Minnie in their birthday outfits. We caught up with her and Steve there and said a quick hello and got a photo, but the line was at 60 mins for Mickey and we didn't really want to do it. Ariane did so we left them and continued on our way. We hit Jungle Cruise, then had a FP for Pirates which I had not been on in years and really enjoyed. Then I had my PP FP since it's my fave ride and I wanted to get it twice. Then we hit up Under the Sea, and had a FP for Buzz.

It does sound like a busy morning with those wait times! So nice that you got to meet up with Ariane and Steve.

As I was waiting for the bus I got to see some fireworks which was just a perfect way to end the day.

Lovely!

Once I got in there it was kind of frenzied, I didn't really know what I wanted or where to find things. I did manage to pick up a car magnet to add to my collection, and a RunDisney shirt, and a Princess 1/2 marathon weekend insulated coffee cup, so I was happy with my haul....until I saw ...the line to pay for my purchases. Ugh. It was long. But luckily I chatted up some other people in line and it moved fairly quickly so I was able to donate some more money to the Disney cause and get out of there reasonably quickly.

Haha, I love donating more money to the Disney cause! We do it well....

I texted @DonnaBeeGood as I was on my way and so she said she would make her way closer to the entrance so we could meet up. We had coordinated our FP's for this day so we could do some rides together. We met up near SE but we had some time before our first FP so we decided to head to The Land which is always a "must do" for me. After a nice ride, we checked the wait time for Soarin' and it said 30 mins...so we were about it get in it, but then a CM said "it's actually more like 45-60 mins" so we decided not to and to try back later. Damn you tiered ride system at EP!!

The tiered rides make no sense......

We sauntered over to Frozen as it was getting dark and got to our FP. Love this ride. After our ride, I was debating what to do because it was around 7:30pm and I knew I would have to get up at 3:30 am this morning for the 5K so I really wanted to try to get to bed early. BUT we were at DISNEY and it was my last park day so I really did not want to leave!! We decided to go on the adorable Mexico boat ride because of course it was pretty much a walk on.

I just love the Three Caballeros ride.

Really, it was the highlight of my trip to get to spend 2 days with Kathy, and d'oh - why haven't I been meeting up with nice Dis people for years? I will now learn from my mistake, lol

How fun is that?? Glad you two had the chance to meet! I was following along on Instagram and noticed you wearing a PEI shirt. That's where I grew up! My parents and sister still live in Charlottetown.

Definitely!! We have to do it again. I do hope that there is another epic Dis Trip after the May one because I am so sad to miss out on that. But I have met so many nice people in real life from the DIS that I highly recommend it!

I am hoping for another one as well! If you are around the GTA in early May come out to the Toronto CDA (Canadian Disney Addicts) meet....it's always fun!

Got myself up and dressed into my purple kind of Rapunzel look that I was going for. The purple compression socks actually did help my feet feel a little better almost immediately which was nice. I wolfed down a granola bar and some water and headed out to catch the bus to the race start by about 4:10am. By the time I arrived and walked from the bus over to the corrals, there really wasn't a whole lot of time before it was time to start the race. I had adequate time that it didn't stress me out, but if it was for a longer race where I was worried about time to finish or time for the port-a-potty first...I would have been worried. I stood around with 10000 of my closest Disney fan friends for a few minutes and before I knew it they were starting the pre-race announcements and celebrations. Soon after that, we were on our way. The first mile felt the longest as we were basically in the parking lot and roads around Epcot. Once we entered the park the rest went by really quickly...too quickly actually. It was SO much fun running/walking around WS as the sun began to rise. Such a beautiful sight.

One day I will do this.....sounds like an incredible experience!

The lines for characters on the course were really long, but I knew I wanted to try for at least a couple. The first one I stopped for was Mushu because he is pretty rare to see (at least I've never seen him) so got that one, and then of course I had to get Rapunzel. She said she liked the colours of my outfit and I thanked her and continued on. Before long (well long enough..it was my slowest 5K ever but I didn't care because it was just so much fun) I was crossing the finish line. Stopped for a picture with my new medal bling, and then headed over to where there were more characters...and lineups.... They had a bunch of different princesses but I chose to line up for Princess Minnie because I thought that was one I'd be unlikely to see anywhere so it was worth the 30 minute wait. I was glad I did because I love the picture and the background. I am still trying to figure out how the race pictures work, and I'm really hoping that my friend with the AP's memory maker that I've been using so far on this trip will let me get those pictures too. We shall see. Otherwise I will still get them but I will have to pay so...we shall see.

I've been enjoying the pics on Instagram. I'll definitely be following along for the cruise......margaritas and lounging on deck chairs sounds fab!

 

[KathyM2]

What a great photo!! Love that!

Thanks!! I loved the backgrounds they had with the pics, they just were so vibrant and look really better in the photos even than they do in person!

Wait... just how long ago was it that you rode it?

Probably a good 10 years lol if not longer!

It's a great little ride, isn't it? I think it's aged quite nicely.

It has indeed, there are so many details, I think I need to do it several times next trip to really see it. Although my next trip will be to DLR actually, so I will have to compare the two versions. They do have it there right? Haven't done enough research for that trip yet, that will start once I'm home from this one!

LMFAO? Oh, yeah... pretty sure I've flown there. Italy, isn't it?

Hardy har...sounds a lot like the Rome code actually which took me a while to figure out.

This one I know! It's U Better Expect Re-routing.

Funny thing about Uber, I was in an Uber on the way to the bus station in Orlando and chatting with the driver, and she asked me where I was going, and I told her Fort Lauderdale. She asked me how long the drive is to Fort Lauderdale from Orlando. I am not judging so nobody flame me here, but I just find it really strange that someone who lives in Orlando and drives a car for a living, would not know how far it is from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale? I'd like to think that if anyone asked me how long the drive is from Toronto to pretty much anywhere in Ontario with a reasonable city size that I would have some idea?? Is that really more than most people know? Sorry if that sounds *****y or something but it just really surprised me.

Of course you need a bib because you will be "over indulging later at the food booths at the EIFOTA later that day".

See? I'm paying attention.

Hahahaha...I may have needed that bib for the red gatorade that I spilled all over my lovely purple shirt...luckily it was after the photos lol

Magnet? Do you mean sticker? Or an actual magnet that goes (I presume?) inside the car?

No actually they had magnets too!! I stick those on my car too when they are flat enough!

Then... how about posting 60 minutes?

Yeah that didn't make sense. They weren't using those red cards..at least I didn't see any this time. Are they not doing that anymore? You'd think they could just pick someone in line and track their magic band from entry to getting on the ride with their Disney stalker magic...but maybe they just don't want us knowing they are doing that...?

Yay! You look great, Kathy!

We could've chatted. I was up. Sick... but up. (little tummy trouble. fine now.)

Ugh, not good!

I've never seen him either! Cool! I'm not really one for characters, but would've stopped for him, I think.

Yeah he was pretty popular!

Holy smokes!! You did all that... before 8:30am????

Shocking isn't it? I was ready for bed by 2pm.

Looking forward to it as I've read very few TRs about the cruises.

When you say "the cruises" I assume you mean Disney cruises lol. I've been on one of those too, but actually this one is a Princess cruise - as in Princess Cruise Lines, not a Disney princess lol. So really the Disney portion of this TR is over (except for the fact that I'm using a IASW phone case....and still wearing a Disney t-shirt while writing it...so if you want to bail now, I'd understand!

How did you find the room renovations? I heard a good review on them from Dis Unplugged.

I actually thought the room was clean and functional, but I can't really comment on any renos because this is my first time staying there, actually first time at any mod resort other than POFQ. But for my purposes the room wa

I just love the Three Caballeros ride.

It's adorable I think!!

If you are around the GTA in early May come out to the Toronto CDA (Canadian Disney Addicts) meet....it's always fun!

I would like to come to one of those eventually. I am nowhere near where they happen though so it's a bit of a hike, but I will keep trying.

One day I will do this.....sounds like an incredible experience!

It really was. I definitely hope to do more RunDisney events in future, maybe even my first full marathon one day would be a good one for that. But first have to get knee fixed.

 

[pkondz]

Thanks!! I loved the backgrounds they had with the pics, they just were so vibrant and look really better in the photos even than they do in person!

Probably a good 10 years lol if not longer!

Good while, then.

It has indeed, there are so many details, I think I need to do it several times next trip to really see it. Although my next trip will be to DLR actually, so I will have to compare the two versions. They do have it there right? Haven't done enough research for that trip yet, that will start once I'm home from this one!

I have done both... and fairly recently. I can definitely say that the DLR version of POTC is much better than WDW's version.

Hardy har...sounds a lot like the Rome code actually which took me a while to figure out.

LIRF. I see that fairly often.

Funny thing about Uber, I was in an Uber on the way to the bus station in Orlando and chatting with the driver, and she asked me where I was going, and I told her Fort Lauderdale. She asked me how long the drive is to Fort Lauderdale from Orlando. I am not judging so nobody flame me here, but I just find it really strange that someone who lives in Orlando and drives a car for a living, would not know how far it is from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale? I'd like to think that if anyone asked me how long the drive is from Toronto to pretty much anywhere in Ontario with a reasonable city size that I would have some idea?? Is that really more than most people know? Sorry if that sounds *****y or something but it just really surprised me.

No, that's... surprising, unless it's a recent immigrant or someone that's recently moved there.
I mean... Yeah, I can tell you how long a drive it is to many places around here... Mostly because I've been to them.

Hahahaha...I may have needed that bib for the red gatorade that I spilled all over my lovely purple shirt...luckily it was after the photos lol

Oh, dear. I should've told you to put it on a bit earlier.

No actually they had magnets too!! I stick those on my car too when they are flat enough!

Oh! You're not worried that someone will take it?

Yeah that didn't make sense. They weren't using those red cards..at least I didn't see any this time. Are they not doing that anymore? You'd think they could just pick someone in line and track their magic band from entry to getting on the ride with their Disney stalker magic...but maybe they just don't want us knowing they are doing that...?

Hmm... I don't know if they're still doing it, but... you'd think tracking MBs would be fairly simple?

Yeah he was pretty popular!

Not surprised.

Shocking isn't it? I was ready for bed by 2pm.

I bet!

When you say "the cruises" I assume you mean Disney cruises lol. I've been on one of those too, but actually this one is a Princess cruise - as in Princess Cruise Lines, not a Disney princess lol. So really the Disney portion of this TR is over (except for the fact that I'm using a IASW phone case....and still wearing a Disney t-shirt while writing it...so if you want to bail now, I'd understand!

I did think you were going on a Disney cruise... but since I've never been on any cruise, I'd love to hear about it.

 

[KathyM2]

Continuing this TR I think I left off Feb 22 afternoon when I got back to my room at CBR after the 5K at about 8:30am...

After my breakfast of champions (Mickey waffles plus side of bacon) I lounged around my room and did some packing up. I decided I better make the long trek (yes @Steppesister it is actually quite a LONG trek even in daylight with no luggage, from Jamaica building 46 over to Centretown Market and pretty much everything else of interest at the CBR) over to grab some food before my long bus ride. I decided on the kids jerk chicken bowl with a side of fruit. I found this to be the perfect size. I wish more places offered kid sized portions at kid sized prices ....and let adults order them. I got it "to go" and took it outside and sat at a nice table near the pool to eat. Then I trekked back to my room to finish packing up and get myself to the Orlando Greyhound bus station.

I decided to take an Uber again and within a few minutes was on my way. The ride from CBR to the bus station in Orlando took about 35 mins and cost $25.00. Looking bac on this, I think that if you add that $25 plus the $30 Greyhound bus ticket to Fort Lauderdale, plus the additional $10 Uber ride to get from the Greyhound station in Fort Lauderdale to my hotel there, I could have probably gotten some kind of door to door shuttle for the same or a little more money that would have been much easier, and may not have had to endure the creepy manspreading guy who sat next to me on the bus for the almost four hour trip. Other than that the bus ride wasn't too bad. It was a learning experience and one that I'm not likely to recommend to clients unless they know what they are getting into.

Anyway...got to my hotel in Fort Lauderdale for one night - the Oasis Motel. It's a cute retro little place that got great reviews on Trip Advisor. It was nothing luxurious, but it was clean and there was a Walgreens and Starbucks across the street, and a great BBQ joint down the block where I got some good southern cookin' for dinner! I was pretty bagged after getting up at 3:30am so after my dinner of ribs, chicken, cornbread and greens eaten while watching the tail end of Ocean's 8, I decided to call it a night.

Saturday Feb 23

This morning I set my alarm for 8 am because I had a date with....my dad for breakfast. Funny story, my parents actually spend most of their winters in South Florida about 45 mins North of where I was staying. I didn't know when I booked the trip though, if they would be here when I was, and there was no good way that I could find without a car to get to where they were, there was only this direct bus from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale. But as luck would have it, my dad was in town and not doing much today, so he drove down and met me for breakfast before I had to get on the cruise ship! It was great to spend some time with him as I don't usually see him much during the winters. We went to the Original Pancake House where I had crepes with lemon and powdered sugar which is my fave thing to get at these types of breakfast places. My dad had some kind of breakfast combo with pancakes and bacon and an egg and he seemed to enjoy it, even though he was a little skeptical about the place at first!

After breakfast, I asked my dad if he would mind taking me for a quick run to Tar-jay before he dropped me off because you know, I can't be in the US and NOT go there. It's just not right. I did a quick run through and picked up some items that I can't find in Canada like Altoids minis and some other random pharmacy items, along with a pair of shorts because I realized I may not have enough for this trip! After that, my dad dropped me off at the Hampton Inn where my friends who would be joining me for the cruise were staying, so that I could take the cruise port shuttle with them. We hung out in their room for a few minutes and soon it was time to go!! We loaded up our bags and soon we were driving up to the port where our ship, the Caribbean Princess was waiting for us.

The friends that I'm cruising with have done like 47 cruises, most of which have been with Princess Cruise Lines. So they are like the ultimate Disney fans of Princess Cruises. They know pretty much more than the people that work on the ship do about cruising. They are great to have as friends and are showing me the ropes and more than I ever wanted to know about the ship! I have been on three cruises before, but all with different cruise lines (one Disney, one RCCL (that's Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines) and one Carnival. I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but as a perk to being a travel agent, and completing all of the online Princess Cruise Lines training, I am actually getting this cruise for free. Not only that, I get to sample all the privileges that one gets for being an Elite member. However, I do have to complete a questionnaire which is quite long and involves actually going to some things on the cruise that I may not have otherwise, and collecting a bunch of information and talking to some people. I think it is still pretty worth it though for a free cruise!! So, at around 12:30pm we boarded the ship. This is earlier than many people get to board, that's one of the perks of the Elite membership. Soon after boarding they announced that all staterooms were ready and we went to our rooms. My room is on deck 8 and it's an ocean view room - that means it has a porthole but not a balcony. It's quite a nice sized window, but has a partially obstructed view with a lifeboat hanging outside my window. But that's ok, I just wanted to be able to see whether it was day or night outside.

We spent some time in our rooms getting organized and then headed out to walk around the ship a bit and get oriented. My friends showed me around and gave me lots of good tips. They always have a "sail away" party with all kinds of music and antics but we aren't really into that, so we found a quiet spot on deck 16 and watched as we left the port. It's quite funny as you are pulling out because there are these apartment/condo buildings all along the water and there's one that is particularly close to the port. Several balconies in the building are decorated and they had people with cowbells and foghorns and those big foam hands waiving at our ship as we went by. It actually seemed like quite a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon and it makes me wonder if they sit there every day doing that because there are ships leaving and returning to Port Everglades pretty much all the time.

After we cleared the port area and were far out to sea, we went back to our rooms to finish unpacking and get ready for dinner. We have the "anytime dining" which means exactly that, we can go whenever we want. So we decided to go around 7:30. We got a great table by a window, but it was already pitch dark so we couldn't see much other than some waves if you really look. For starters I had a "trio of melon salad" and also a "butterfly shrimp with lemon butter" as appetizers, because why stop at one? And then as an entree I had the roast chicken with vegetables and potatoes. I actually love the portion sizes in the TS meals on cruises. They are what some would consider small, but I think they are just right. You can of course choose to order more than one (or have several appetizers instead of an entree or whatever) For dessert I had the melon sorbet which was really tasty and light. They had more decadent desserts which I will definitely try later on this trip, but I didn't want to overdo it on night 1. The food was very good so far. Oh and I didn't mention that earlier in the day I tried what apparently is quite famous on Princess cruises is the frozen black forest coffee drink. It was indeed very good and I may have to indulge in another (or three) of those later this week.

We finished dinner around 8:45 and then we decided we would check out one of the shows. I was freezing so I went back to put on some warmer clothes for the show. I have a problem with too much AC and am always cold inside on the ship or anywhere with AC really. I got a fuzzy sweatshirt and headed out to the show for a 9:30 start. The show was...meh. It was called "Broadway Ballroom" and was a kind of mashup of a bunch of Broadway songs. The talent was not bad, but the show itself really lacked any kind of focus or story to me. But whatever, entertaining enough for 45 mins. What I did not really like is when the cruise director tried to pretend he was a stand up comic. Maybe it's just me but I find that annoying. I would have preferred he just say "welcome to the ship, you're going to have a great time, see your brochure for info about what's happening, here's the show" But you know, instead there was all that "who wants to have a good time? Oh that was lame, come on, are you all drunk already??" and some more bad jokes. Maybe if I WAS drunk already I would have liked that part more, or maybe it's just not my style...but yeah...I think I'd rather hang in the jazz lounge or piano bar or...something other than that on the other evenings.

That pretty much sums up today. Tomorrow we will be in Princess Cays which is their private island somewhere in the Bahamas. Stay tuned! (also is it ok that I'm posting about non-Disney related stuff here?)

 

[KathyM2]

I have done both... and fairly recently. I can definitely say that the DLR version of POTC is much better than WDW's version.

I look forward to trying it in July. Just please tell me that the drop isn't any bigger or I may chicken out.

Oh! You're not worried that someone will take it?

Yeah I guess that is a possibility, but I'm hoping the fact that my car is usually quite filthy will discourage thieves. But also, the only time I buy the magnets is when they are the really flat kind that you can't actually tell are magnets unless you get up close and start trying to peel them off? So hoping that people who would consider stealing them think they are stickers!

I did think you were going on a Disney cruise... but since I've never been on any cruise, I'd love to hear about it.

OK then. I will share! As long as no one minds it isn't at all about Disney. However, maybe if I'm saying Disney does it better that's ok. Disney generally does do it better in cruising too, but just like on land, they cost 2-3 times as much.

 

[KathyM2]

Quick update for today, Feb 24

Continuing on my cruise on the Caribbean Princess....today was our first stop at Princess Cays which is the cruise line owned private island somewhere in the Bahamas! Even though I was very tired yesterday and went to bed at midnight...for some reason I woke up at 4:30am and could not get back to sleep. Ugh. I find it very frustrating to just lie there, so at about 5:30am I read a book for a while and then decided to just get up around 6am. I roamed around a bit outside on deck 16 hoping to catch the sunrise which I mostly did, it was stunning! I then went to grab some granola for an early breakfast before trying to squeeze in some exercise. No I'm not always a masochist, but ever since my knee injury last May, I have gained too much weight and really need to do something about that, so. Trying to get back to regular exercise even if it isn't necessarily running. Anyway...grabbed a bite and then did some walking laps on the track on deck 7. I have been on other ships with a track and usually they have some kind of direction indicator for which way one should go, but there was no such sign and people seemed to be going both ways. That was not great on a narrow track, but I tried to make it work. After a few laps, and near misses by people running much faster than I was walking...I decided to give up on that and hit the gym. I went on the elliptical for a bit and tried to do some arm work - I'd really love to get to the point where I could do more than one REAL push up with knees off the floor. Ugh.

After that load of fun, I went back for another round of breakfast I had a muffin which was suprisingly good, a banana, and some fresh watermelon juice which I thoroughly enjoyed. I love fresh exotic juices and I was happy to find that they had a good selection. I hope to try them all this week - I will let you know! I then did a little more work on my travel agent scavenger hunt - I had to find out what artists were being featured in the auction (all of them practically lol) and some other random info about Princess and our cruise specifically. When I got tired of that I headed back to my room for a shower and to get ready for the day. I went to go meet my friends for coffee at about 9:30am. My friends as I may have mentioned are avid cruisers and pretty much have everything down to a science.

By the time we were ready to go, the lineups for the tenders to shore had died down and we were on a boat within a few minutes. We got to the island, which actually reminded me a lot of the CBR lol. There were loads of chairs and shady trees if you wanted them, a beach bar, a bbq buffet for lunch and all kinds of activities you could partake in (or not). We lounged around for a bit, and I floated in the water for a while. We hit the buffet where I got a suprisingly good grilled chicken sandwich with cole slaw and some cucumber salad which was tasty. After lunch, we lounged around some more (hard work isn't it?) Then I decided to try the stand up paddleboards. I have done this a lot up North near Toronto on a calm lake, but on the ocean is a whole different animal. It was pretty calm out though so I decided to give it a shot. I managed to get up, and mostly stay standing and paddle around. It was a lot of work though because the tide was quite strong and kept pushing me one way so I had to paddle pretty hard to keep from washing ashore. It was fun and a bit more exercise which was an added bonus. I think I got a bit too much sun though. I was pretty vigilant about the sunscreen but somehow I seem to have missed a few random spots which are now quite red. Hopefully that will pass!

At about 3pm we caught one of the last tenders back to the ship. I headed back to my room for a shower and much needed nap! Just checking some emails and of course updating here before heading out to dinner. Tonight we are trying one of the specialty dining (read, extra $$) restaurants on the ship called Crown Grill which is a seafood/steakhouse which is supposed to be very good. I will keep you posted!

 

[KathyM2]

One more thing if anyone is interested, I wanted to share because Disney peeps would get this.

Princess Cruise lines has started to roll out this Medallion.net program, which is basically like a magic band type device that you wear around your neck. Like the MB, it can be used to open your room door and pay for things and a bunch of other features (some of which they are still trying to work out the kinks on...but I digress)

Anyway, the one thing that they have done that I'm not sure if it's great or kind of creepy. When you have your medallion on, and you get within a few feet of your room door, there's a little screen outside your door, and your picture pops up and your door gets unlocked!! You don't even have to hold it up!!

Also, there's an app called Shipmates, which wasn't working yet, but when it does, you can stalk your friends and family and see exactly where they are on the ship! There are a bunch of other apps and functions that are still in their infancy. It's getting mixed reviews, just like any new thing does, especially when there are a lot of diehard superfans of this cruise line (many of whom have more than a little grey hair) who aren't all that comfortable with change especially when it involves anything techy...

Just thought I'd share!

 

[DonnaBeeGood]

.

 

[Tracy161]

Sounds like a wonderful start to your cruise, Kathy! Enjoying this bonus round of your vacay

 

[pkondz]

I decided I better make the long trek (yes @Steppesister it is actually quite a LONG trek even in daylight with no luggage, from Jamaica building 46 over to Centretown Market and pretty much everything else of interest at the CBR) over to grab some food before my long bus ride.

Sounds like a "long" day.

I decided on the kids jerk chicken bowl

It's just plain chicken, with an acknowledgment that (some... lots) kids are jerks.

I decided to take an Uber again and within a few minutes was on my way. The ride from CBR to the bus station in Orlando took about 35 mins and cost $25.00. Looking bac on this, I think that if you add that $25 plus the $30 Greyhound bus ticket to Fort Lauderdale, plus the additional $10 Uber ride to get from the Greyhound station in Fort Lauderdale to my hotel there, I could have probably gotten some kind of door to door shuttle for the same or a little more money that would have been much easier, and may not have had to endure the creepy manspreading guy who sat next to me on the bus for the almost four hour trip.

Hmm... I'm not sure what your options might be. Perhaps a flight? Doubt it'd be worth the wait at the airport, though?

Anyway...got to my hotel in Fort Lauderdale for one night - the Oasis Motel. It's a cute retro little place that got great reviews on Trip Advisor. It was nothing luxurious, but it was clean and there was a Walgreens and Starbucks across the street, and a great BBQ joint down the block where I got some good southern cookin' for dinner!

Nice!

watching the tail end of Ocean's 8,

Had you seen that before? Thoughts? (I haven't seen it)

But as luck would have it, my dad was in town and not doing much today, so he drove down and met me for breakfast before I had to get on the cruise ship!

That's great!

a quick run to Tar-jay

So you say that too? I love when it's a "Super Tar-jay"

The friends that I'm cruising with have done like 47 cruises,

So they are like the ultimate Disney fans of Princess Cruises.

Makes sense since Disney has so many princesses and all.

I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but as a perk to being a travel agent, and completing all of the online Princess Cruise Lines training, I am actually getting this cruise for free.

Don't think you mentioned it Nice perk!

My room is on deck 8 and it's an ocean view room - that means it has a porthole but not a balcony. It's quite a nice sized window, but has a partially obstructed view with a lifeboat hanging outside my window. But that's ok, I just wanted to be able to see whether it was day or night outside.

Interesting. My folks always go for obstructed view. They like saving the few bucks.

Several balconies in the building are decorated and they had people with cowbells and foghorns and those big foam hands waiving at our ship as we went by

We have the "anytime dining" which means exactly that, we can go whenever we want.

"I'd like dinner at 3:30am, please. Because I can. "

For starters I had a "trio of melon salad" and also a "butterfly shrimp with lemon butter" as appetizers, because why stop at one?

Why indeed!

For dessert I had the melon sorbet which was really tasty and light

mmmmmm...

What I did not really like is when the cruise director tried to pretend he was a stand up comic. Maybe it's just me but I find that annoying. I would have preferred he just say "welcome to the ship, you're going to have a great time, see your brochure for info about what's happening, here's the show" But you know, instead there was all that "who wants to have a good time? Oh that was lame, come on, are you all drunk already??" and some more bad jokes. Maybe if I WAS drunk already I would have liked that part more, or maybe it's just not my style...

Not my thing either. "Shut up and get out of the way."

(also is it ok that I'm posting about non-Disney related stuff here?)

Yes, technically it's allowed since your report contains some Disney related items.

 

[pkondz]

Princess Cruise lines has started to roll out this Medallion.net program, which is basically like a magic band type device that you wear around your neck.

What will they think of next!

Anyway, the one thing that they have done that I'm not sure if it's great or kind of creepy. When you have your medallion on, and you get within a few feet of your room door, there's a little screen outside your door, and your picture pops up and your door gets unlocked!! You don't even have to hold it up!!

Might be a tad disconcerting to walk up to your door and the picture of some strange man shows up.

you can stalk your friends and family and see exactly where they are on the ship!

Nope. I value my privacy, thanks. You wanna know where I went? Just ask me.

 

[KathyM2]

Cruise is looking great Kathy - hope you are feeling very fancy and elegant at your wonderful dinners

Thanks Donna! It is a lot of fun so far!! And I haven't even had to break open the Gravol or other stock of anti nausea meds that I brought just in case!! Haven't got fancy yet, but tonight is the night with it being the first formal night!

Sounds like a wonderful start to your cruise, Kathy! Enjoying this bonus round of your vacay

Thanks!! It has been a good start and a lot of fun, it actually is quite nice after a hectic Disney vacay to do as little as I want with no walking for 14 hours a day lol

It's just plain chicken, with an acknowledgment that (some... lots) kids are jerks.

Or maybe just kids who admit to being jerks can order it?? Hmmm

Hmm... I'm not sure what your options might be. Perhaps a flight? Doubt it'd be worth the wait at the airport, though?

I heard from another agent (of course not until after I'd booked the bus...) that there is some kind of super shuttle that does go door to door but can make many out of the way stops depending on who is booked...so I'm not sure if that would have been better or worse.

Had you seen that before? Thoughts? (I haven't seen it)

Ocean's 8, yeah I'd seen it before, and quite liked it actually, so was happy to sit through just part of it until I got tired this time.

So you say that too? I love when it's a "Super Tar-jay"

Oh Super Tar-jay is even better...get your fill of American grocery store gluttony and overwhelming choice AND cheap yet fashionable clothing all in one spot!

Interesting. My folks always go for obstructed view. They like saving the few bucks.

Yeah it's great for a reasonable price. Also bonus, when you start changing in front of the window and THEN notice there is a guy doing maintenance on the lifeboats right outside...ahem...not that it's happened to me or anything...actually I came very close to whipping off my shirt as I came in the door but luckily caught a glimpse of the guy before actually doing it and caught myself lol.

"I'd like dinner at 3:30am, please. Because I can. "

Right? Or room service, even better!

Might be a tad disconcerting to walk up to your door and the picture of some strange man shows up.

Yeah...you wonder if some kind of malfunction...or hacker...could cause some serious trouble...

Nope. I value my privacy, thanks. You wanna know where I went? Just ask me.

Yeah it's a little creepy...although they probably know where we all are anyway...they also use it to tell if everyone is back on the ship after after getting off I think...