Resorts, Relatives & Restaurants - and a 3 day cruise!

[Dancegrl624]

I'm so sad your TR is over. I've really enjoyed reading it and I've definately fallen in love with the DCL!!! I really hope you do a PTR/TR for your upcoming trip. I'll read it for sure!

 

[Lovemy3babes]

What neat little things they do to say goodbye. I would have been sad too. The picture with the girls and Minnie and Mickey is super cute!

 

[Pluto_fan]

Aw, I'm sad it's over too.
What a GREAT trip report, though--I really enjoyed it. I would love to go to WDW during the holiday season and would LOVE to take a Disney cruise some day! Thanks for sharing your adventures and all the great pictures!

 

[jenseib]

I'm so sad the cruise is ove too. It looks like such a fun time

 

[manntra]

Awwww I am sad that it's over I would really like to set sail with Disney again....especially on the Dream. And with TWO stops at CC
Leaving is so hard.....

Tracy

 

[Mndisneygirl]

gosh Sheree...I am sad it's over too!!!! Doesn't that feeling just drag you down? I get like that every time it's the last day...Mike gets aggravated at me,but I just can't help it. Then I am crabby because I am trying not to BURST out crying like a weirdo~ it's that strange feeling like, if I start crying out loud I won't be able to quit. How embarrassing for them would that be!!!!

That would be funny! It is hard to end a trip. I'm lucky that I knew I had another one planned! Probably won't be that way next time.

I really enjoyed reading about your trip! Thanks so much for sharing it!

Thanks for joining me! I enjoyed yours too! It was fun seeing what you were doing on the same days!

Paige's birthday sounds like a lot of fun -- I miss the days when Chelsea would get American Girl stuff!

Your last night sounds truly wonderful! Well, except for the rough seas. You're poor SIL -- I am such a Piglet type that I wonder if I would have done the same thing...

Thanks for sharing your great trip with us! It was a lot of fun to read all about it.

Paige sure had a good day! Of course, when you're 7, they should all be good days!
Disney knows how to do it right - right down to the last detail. I'm sure they would have calmed the seas if they could! SIL is a bit of a worrier (that's putting it mildly), so I can see how she would have freaked out. The odd thing was she didn't do that on the previous cruise when I thought it was much worse.
I'm glad you enjoyed reading along - I've always enjoyed your TRs too!

Oh - IT"S OVER????? Darn! I so loved reading about your Cruise Sheree! I am definitely keeping my eyes peeled to the DCL web page for deals to be had in the next year!! I can't believe that it was only 3 days! You guys did so much stuff in such a short time! So MUCH FUN!!! Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to hear about your plane ride home! I still CAN NOT beilieve that Dave drove straight home in less than 24 hrs!! He is SO CRAZY!!

I hope you can find a deal and go! It really is a blast.
That's my DH - a real driving machine! I like to think it was just because he was in a hurry to get home to see me!

I'm so sad your TR is over. I've really enjoyed reading it and I've definately fallen in love with the DCL!!! I really hope you do a PTR/TR for your upcoming trip. I'll read it for sure!

Me too! I hope you get a chance to go on DCL. It's amazing!
I'm following along with your PTR too and look forward to both of our upcoming trips!

What neat little things they do to say goodbye. I would have been sad too. The picture with the girls and Minnie and Mickey is super cute!

Disney has it down in so many ways!!!
I like that picture too. That's one thing about a Disney trip - we always end up with great pictures because most of the time everyone is just so HAPPY!!!

Aw, I'm sad it's over too.
What a GREAT trip report, though--I really enjoyed it. I would love to go to WDW during the holiday season and would LOVE to take a Disney cruise some day! Thanks for sharing your adventures and all the great pictures!

Thanks! For my first one, not too bad despite some technical issues to start! I really fell in love with WDW at the holidays and wish I could go every year! And again in February or March! HA!

I'm so sad the cruise is ove too. It looks like such a fun time

It really was! If I had tons of money I'd go every year!

Awwww I am sad that it's over I would really like to set sail with Disney again....especially on the Dream. And with TWO stops at CC
Leaving is so hard.....

Tracy

Oh, CC twice would be great! I'd give up Nassau in a NY minute! I hope you get to go sometime!

I'll have another update with the final travel stories and some final thoughts yet to come, so it's not really OVER just yet! (I can't let go!!!)

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

Oh gosh, everyone's TR seems to be ending all at once!

I love the picture with Mickey and Minnie! They are too cute! I really want a picture with the two of them together!

I can't believe it's over. You've got to do a PTR! I just hate it when I feel like I am getting to know someone through their TR and then it's over and they are gone! If you do a PTR, that won't happen.......... just sayin'!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Oh gosh, everyone's TR seems to be ending all at once!

I love the picture with Mickey and Minnie! They are too cute! I really want a picture with the two of them together!

I can't believe it's over. You've got to do a PTR! I just hate it when I feel like I am getting to know someone through their TR and then it's over and they are gone! If you do a PTR, that won't happen.......... just sayin'!

Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere! I'm truly addicted to the DIS! I'm always popping up on someone else's TR and a few other threads too. You can't get rid of me that easily!
You should come over to the Snowbirds thread in the Community boards. We all orignially "met" when planning a Jan 2009 trip and have bonded. You know some of us already. Very nice group - you'd fit right in!! Tell them Mndisney girl sent you - no password necessary!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

We had just hit the road when I left off (about a week ago!).
DH and SIL Sharon wanted to get rolling for that long ride home, so they dropped us off at the airport around 9 something. We found our way with our carryon bags to the Sun Country ticketing counter. There was NO ONE anywhere around. Our flight was not until 1:15. Some other employee told me that they would open the counter about 2 hours before the first flight! So we waited. Went to the bathroom. Waited. Girls argued. We looked around the shops that were nearby. We waited. Girls pretended to know what to do with those credit card pay phones. Waited some more.
Finally around 11 a.m. the ticketing agent showed up. Normally I'd have checked in online, printed my boarding passes and skipped the ticket agent, but since we'd been on vacation for the last week, I couldn't do that. (No computer or printer on the cruise!)
Then we headed toward security. One of the agents tried to joke with Paige, but she either didn't get it, or was too nervous to laugh.

We stopped in a shop to get a few little gifts for a friend, bought some bottled water and headed toward our gate. We should have gotten food at one of the fast food joints, but it was so early, we weren't hungry yet. We found out there was a whole other flight using our gate before our flight, so we just parked for a while. I made the kids do some school work and read. They spent most of the time whining and fighting. I tried to ignore the really loud CNN show that was on and really obnoxious. I tried to ignore the whining and fighting. It didn't work. Once the first flight left, they wandered around a little more. We later walked to a little food stand and got a sandwich and some snacks. The sandwich was not that good. The girls were actually entertained by walking around the seats to throw things away for me. They took turns taking my garbage to the trash can and walking around the longest way possible! Oh, the things we do when we're bored!!! Finally got on our flight around 1. A family seated behind us had two girls and I could hear them doing their homework too. Must have been about the same age from the sound of the math!
Had to buy food on the plane because we were SO hungry! We had a really smooth flight and landed a bit early. The pilot even kept us updated on the Vikings game score when we landed! It was cold too! They had had 10 inches of snow while we were gone!
As we were waiting to get off the plane, we discovered the family behind us lived in the next town to ours. We could have carpooled!
My parents met us at the airport and we were home by around 4:30. It was really nice to come home to a clean house and not mess it up right away with all our "stuff" from vacation and dirty laundry!
Dave still had all that stuff in the car!

I talked to Dave and they were making good progress. I told him he should stop for the night since they would hit some crappy weather around Illinois/Wisconsin. He was doing all the driving, and I didn't want him to get too tired. He'd already planned to take the next two days off from work anyway, so he had plenty of time to get home.

Did he listen to his wife???







They were still driving at 10 p.m. when I went to bed.
Next morning, I took the girls to daycare and headed to work. Around 11 a.m. I called Dave's cell phone. He answered it.
From our living room! Yup, they drove all night and would have made it home even earlier but they hit that bad weather in Wisconsin (that I had warned him about).
He was unloading the stuff and throwing in the first load of
His BIL was coming to get SIL. WOW! I told him to go take a nap!!!

Happy that we were all home again safe and sound, I went back to my work and the reality that is December in Minnesota.


I'll be back with some final thoughts and any souvenir photos that I might not have already posted. (I'll go back and check!)

 

[Dancegrl624]

So sad your TR is over. I hate coming home after vacation. For our upcoming trip, Madison has to go to school the day after we get home! Maybe she can go to school for 1/2 a day.

 

[Charleston Princess]

I always have mixed feelings when we arrive home -- glad to be back, but sad that the trip is over.

 

[Northern Disney Girl]

We really loved Sun Country too! All the Employees are so nice and fun! I am so glad that you all had a safe journey home! So sad that your TR is over! You did a fantabulous job of keeping me entertained over these last few months! When are you going to start your PTR for July/Aug???

 

[Lovemy3babes]

I totally forgot that you were going to fly home with the girls alone. I feel you on the arguing! There is something always to argue with at our house it seems. Did the Vikings win their game that day? Soooo close to the SuperBowl yet so far away. LOL!! Are you planning on writing a PTR for your next trip? I'd love to read Sheree!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

I can't believe he drove all night!!! I would have to stop somewhere!!! His thoughts were probably just to get on home and get it over with!! I don't like stopping, but after so long, I just get too sleepy and if I push I get a headache the next day. You need to start your PTR for sure!!! Keep us going!!!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

I can't believe he drove all night!!! I would have to stop somewhere!!! His thoughts were probably just to get on home and get it over with!! I don't like stopping, but after so long, I just get too sleepy and if I push I get a headache the next day. You need to start your PTR for sure!!! Keep us going!!!

Yeah, he's crazy that way! Loves to drive and somehow doesn't get that tired. I can't do it. He was asleep pretty early that night for sure!
I'll get the PTR going soon, I promise!

I totally forgot that you were going to fly home with the girls alone. I feel you on the arguing! There is something always to argue with at our house it seems. Did the Vikings win their game that day? Soooo close to the SuperBowl yet so far away. LOL!! Are you planning on writing a PTR for your next trip? I'd love to read Sheree!!

I do believe the Vikes won that day! I am going to start a PTR soon. I'll post a link soon! Have to come up with a title!

We really loved Sun Country too! All the Employees are so nice and fun! I am so glad that you all had a safe journey home! So sad that your TR is over! You did a fantabulous job of keeping me entertained over these last few months! When are you going to start your PTR for July/Aug???

Yeah, Sun Country was nice and it was nice to go to a smaller terminal here in MN.
I'm sad the TR is over, but I sure stretched it out (since I would wait weeks between updates!). I'll get the PTR going soon.

I always have mixed feelings when we arrive home -- glad to be back, but sad that the trip is over.

So sad your TR is over. I hate coming home after vacation. For our upcoming trip, Madison has to go to school the day after we get home! Maybe she can go to school for 1/2 a day.

I feel that way too. Luckily, I had so much going on when we got back with Christmas coming up that I didn't go through the post-vacation blues. That hit me in February when I wasn't going anywhere during the worst part of winter!

I'm going to post some souvenir pictures and final thoughts (hopefully soon tonight) and start thinking of a PTR title!! Anyone have any ideas?? I'm all Mickey Ears!

 

[Momof2Disneyboys]

I'm so sad it's over!!

Thank you so much for sharing all of your Disney adventures with us!

 

[wigdoutdismom]

I can't believe he drove straight through! What a trooper...
You all had a great trip and I can't wait to read all about your plans for the next one! As for the title...
You might want to incorporate the resort into it!

 

[Mndisneygirl]

From the Grand Floridian Gingerbread house

The one on the left is chocolate and the right is a gingerbread with icing. I finally broke them and ate some recently! I didn't know what else to do with them.

My Basin purchases: Most were gifts, but the bath bomb and Mickey soaps are at my house!!

I love this one! You can see my unused journal in the corner of the picture. I guess I'll take it on the next trip!

I carry this around all the time now.

My Italian jewelry

On the cruise all the 2009 merchandise was 50% off!

Not the best picture, it does say Disney above Cruise Line

Yummy rum cakes! The best thing about Nassau.

Dave's basket from AKL. It holds keys on our front entry table

We had also bought a slew of MVMCP pins, but they are somewhere in a box, and I don't have a picture of them. I also got a long sleeved black shirt with a sparkly Christmas tree that says Happy Holidays on it. No picture of that either.
We did find a lot of cool stuff. I was sucked in by the Christmas things, because you just can't get that stuff any other time. They know how to market to me!!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Hmmmm...we will have to put our thinking caps on for a Catchy title!! When are you going? the end of July?

 

[jessrose18]

Hello. I don't usually come over to the trip report board, but am very glad that I just found yours! Your trip is very similar to the trip we are planning for this December, we are also renting dvc points at akv, going to MVMCP, enjoying the Osborne Lights, hopping to Epcot, and going on a 4 Day Wonder podcast cruise! Oh and we are also from MN! I saw many pages back that you are from Oakdale, we live in St. Paul! I have one question about the Candlelight Procesional. Can you hear the singers very well by just watching from outside the theater? I would love to observe the show, but we don't have time to attend on this trip. This is our first December trip and we are very excited. Thanks for all the great photos and comments, it is a lot of work!