Rob, Cass & Kira - "This trip is NOT going to suck!!!" WDW & DCL

[Timon]

Rob, Cass & Kira - "This trip is NOT going to suck!!!"​

October 26th - November 9th, 2013
Walt Disney World & Disney Fantasy Cruise​

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For introductions, title explanation and more, please read my Pre-Trip Report HERE


Disclaimer
This is a personal review of my recent trip to Walt Disney World and cruise on the Disney Fantasy. This review will contain MY personal opinions, thoughts, likes and dislikes. This is meant strictly for entertainment purposes only and is based on MY views of MY experiences, which, at times, can be very different from your own.

This report will include TONS of photos so I will have to chop it up into a lot of parts since the DIS only allows 25 images per post and that count includes smileys, which I just love to use

Chapter Links


Day 1 - Part 1 - OMG, we did it again!

Day 1 - Part 2 - "We have to stand in ANOTHER line!!!???"

Day 1 - Part 3 - "Let's get the Flex outta here!"

Day 1 - Part 4 - "Are we ever going to be at the hotel?"

Day 1 - Part 5 - $15 and 45 minutes, lovely!

Day1 - Part 6 - "Thanks for letting me buy whatever I want, Mommy"

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Day 2 - Part 1 - Ummm, where did all these people come from???

Day 2 - Part 2 -Wanna see Pooh?

Day 2 - Part 3 - A hundred bucks for that?

Day 2 - Part 4 -Sure glad we did FP+ for this one!

Day 2 - Part 5 - What rides???

Day 2 - Part 6 - Downtown Disney Craziness

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Day 3 - Part 1 - Every Person Comes Out Tired

Day 3 - Part 2 - "Just because you like it, doesn't mean I will like it!"

Day 3 - Part 3 - Aker...SHOOSH! I am trying to eat my food!

Day 3 - Part 4 - Oh yeah, the princesses!

Day 3 - Part 5 - What is that on your cheek???

Day 3 - Part 6 - As the World Showcase turns...

Day 3 - Part 7 - There seems to be a blip in the network.

Day 3 - Part 8 - Oooh, that's gotta hurt!

Day 3 - Part 9 - The longest day comes to an end.

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Day 4 - Part 1 - I have my eye on you!

Day 4 - Part 2 - Rides, rides and more rides! Just kidding!

Day 4 - Part 3 - Mickey and his ghetto card.

Day 4 - Part 4 -The force is strong with this one!

Day 4 - Part 5 - We hit the MOTHERLOAD!!!

Day 4 Part 6 - Dropping butterflies

Day 4 - Part 7 - Fantasmical!



Day 5 - Part 1 - Bonjour!

Day 5 - Part 2 - New Fantasyland Rocks!

Day 5 - Part 3 - Stay on Target!

Day 5 - Part 4 - Oh my God, two rides in a row!!!

Day 5 - Part 5 - Try the Grey Stuff, it's delicious!

Day 5 - Part 6 - Bibbidi Bobbidi...

Day 5 - Part 7 - Boutique!

Day 5 - Part 8 - Holy Princesses, Batman!

Day 5 - Part 9 - Kissing would be nice, yes?

Day 5 - Part 10 - Dining like royalty!

Day 5 - Part 11 - Cinderella's Royal Table Dinner continues...

Day 5 - Part 12 - A Magical ending!



Day 6 - Part 1 - Breakfast with 'Ohana

Day 6 - Part 2 - Sketchers and cankles, oh my!

Day 6 - Part 3 - Two fairies and a captured pirate!

Day 6 - Part 4 - Planetary Boogie and Twinkle Toes!

Day 6 - Part 5 - From sleeping to dancing in 6.3 seconds!

Day 6 - Part 6 - Boo to You and Boo To You and...Holy Princesses!

Day 6 - Part 7 - One pooped princess!



Day 7 - Part 1 - One last hurrah!

Day 7 - Part 2 - Chilling at Coronado


*Disney Fantasy Cruise Begins*


Day 8 - Part 1 - Fantasy, here we come!!!

Day 8 - Part 2 - Get me onboard already!

Day 8 - Part 3 - Time to PLAY!!!

Day 8 - Part 4 - A room with a view.

Day 8 - Part 5 - Pool time!!!

Day 8 - Part 6 - Animator's Dinner, Dude!



Day 9 - Part 1 - Forty-five minutes, that's it?????

Day 9 - Part 2 - "Bored (**)"

Day 9 - Part 3 - Best day ever!

Day 9 - Part 4 - Cabana's Dinner, indeedy!


Day 10 - Part 1 - Oh yay, more princesses!

Day 10 - Part 2 - Muppets, Pirates and Ducks, oh my!

Day 10 - Part 3 - "Did that really just happen???"



Day 11 - Part 1 - A Royal breakfast and getting off the ship.

Day 11 - Part 2 - Can it get any hotter???

Day 11 - Part 3 - Back to the ship, see ya, St. Maarten!

Day 11 - Part 4 - Arrrrgh, matey!

Day 11 - Part 5 - Pirates in the Caribbean!

Day 11 - Part 6 - Pirate Night Dinner.



Day 12 - Part 1 - The Butterfly Whisperer

Day 12 - Part 2 - Meatloaf madness!

Day 12 - Part 3 - I was so embarrassed for them!

Day 14 - Part 4 - Lilo and Stitch, finally!

Day 12 - Part - 5 - Dîner au Jardin Enchanté!



Day 13 - Part 1 - The whole day in one post!


Day 14 - Part 1 - Castaway Cay

Day 14 - Part 2 - We hit the MOTHERLOAD, cruise version!

Day 14 - Part 3 - Going downhill, fast!



Day 15 - Part 1 - The captain must be in a hurry!

Day 15 - Part 2 - Is that a dog under there?

Day 15 - Part 3 - The very long, sad journey home


Video Links

~ The End ~

​

 

[wiigirl]

Following along!

 

[Timon]

Day 1 - Part 1 - OMG, we did it again!

Finally! It's time to go back to Disney World! Despite all my worries about this trip, I slept pretty well! I have RLS (restless leg syndrome) and I take meds to help me relax, otherwise most nights I am up all night long so I made sure to take one the night before we left because it does help me sleep better!

My sister Deb was due to arrive at 7:30am to take us to the airport so I was up at 5AM to shower, finish packing, make sandwiches and get stuff ready. Rob followed shortly after and then we woke up the princess around 6:30am. She was very excited and had no problem bouncing out of bed that morning

As 7:30 approached, Rob had all our suitcases and carry-ons loaded up in the garage, ready for when Deb arrived. I was scurrying about trying to get everything done. Deb arrived and Rob started packing up the van.

I placed the last 4 items that I would need immediate access to on our little chest near the garage door; my fanny pack, camera, camcorder and my carry-on. I told Rob that everything but the camera can be put in the van and then I made one last bathroom break.

When I came out, everything but the camera was gone, so I scooped that up, joined everyone in the garage and asked Deb to take a pic.

Oooops, still in my slippers

Said good-bye to our gorgeous doggie Lilo, who was not impressed about us leaving...

and hopped in the front seat.

During the 25 minute drive to the airport, I reminded everyone in the van to NOT forget Kira's booster chair when we get out!! The last time we went to Disney World, my brother Ken drove us and we totally forgot to take Kira's car seat out and he drove away! Thankfully, he didn't get far before we realized we had forgotten it and he was able to drop it off in less than 20 minutes but I was very focused on not forgetting ANYTHING this time!



So, we pull up to the USA departures and we grab a cart and start hauling our bags out.

Take a quick photo of my girl..

Then I go to get the camcorder...

Where is the camcorder???

Rob *thinks* he has it....checks bag....doesn't have it!

I calmly double check my carry-on...not there!

Check all bags once again...still, no camcorder!



OMG, We did it again!

We forgot something!

Deb generously offers to head back home and grab it for us, so she leaves and we park ourselves in the terminal and go through bags again.

As we are heading into the terminal, Kira says "I'm sorry Mommy, it was my fault."

I quickly dismiss her and say "No baby, it's not your fault! It's Mommy's fault, I should have had it in my hand".

As we start rechecking bags, Kira says again "Sorry, it was my fault."



Hmmmmm....

"What do you mean, Dollie?" I ask her.

"Well, I was trying to help and I put it in the bag."

At this point, I feel a little bit of relief. She put in bag yay!!! She put it in a BAG!!!

"Can you show Mommy which bag you put it in?"

"It's not here, it's at home. I put it in the camera bag."



The camera bag is at the back door, where we normally keep the camcorder.



I call my sister Deb and let her know that we have solved the case of the missing camcorder

I guess during the time I put the camcorder on the chest and the time Rob came back in, our little princess put the camcorder where it belongs Not seeing it there, I assumed Rob took it along with the other stuff and he assumed I had it with me.

Well, you know what happens when you assume....




We camp out while we wait...

And about an hour later, I go outside so I can grab the camcorder and Kira joins me. I asked her if she wanted to take a "selfie" on my phone while we wait. She looked at me like I had two heads LOL! I explained it to her, told her she's been doing it since she was 2 years old and she giggled and said yes

Deb pulls up, I grab the camcorder and we're off!

Thanks to my sis, we now have the camcorder!!!!

Good thing I like to get to the airport early because we still have to go through USA Customs & Immigration, drop off our checked bags and then go through airport security!

Thus ends the only real snag of the entire trip

 

[katelynnsmama]

Interesting start to the trip! I can't wait to read more!

 

[CJK]

Yay, another awesome Disney trip report from you AND it doesn't suck!!!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Yay, I love trips reports. I can't wait to read more chapters. The whole camera, electronic thing drives me batty before every trip. One of my greatest fears is forgetting something. On our last vacation in Boston, my camera DIED. I almost had a panic attack and then, I decided my batteries were old since I had them over 4 years. They were slow to charge so, I knew it was coming. So, we walked all the way across town to buy new batteries. I have DSLR so, I had to find a camera shop. I cannot live without my camera.

 

[Timon]

Day 1 - Part 2 - "We have to stand in ANOTHER line!!!???"

Customs was pretty fast, only had to wait about 10 minutes. Then airport security which was about 20 minutes! No hiccups, we breezed right through. I did that job for 2 years so I know what and what not to pack and wear

Plus I always give Rob all the electronics so that I can get through with no hassle and grab all of our stuff!

We headed for our gate, grabbed a seat while Rob and Kira went to Tim Horton's for coffee and muffins. I then grabbed some water for the plane ride and we had about 30 more minutes before boarding started.

Kira was getting a little anxious and slightly grumpy about waiting.

They called for pre-boarding and then everyone started forming a line for the regular boarding. I told her to get ready as we were about to board. Then she looked up at the line-up and loudly (and grumpily) exclaimed "We have to stand in ANOTHER line!!!???"

I replied, just as loudly, "Get used to it kiddo, we're going to Disney World!"



That garnered a lot of giggles and snickers from the folks around us

With boarding passes and passports checked for the 5th time, we were on our way down the ramp!

Kira was very excited about the plane ride because she doesn't remember anything about her last one, at the age of 2, so to her, this was a brand new experience! She's very much like me and needs to be prepared for things so before we left, she asked me a million questions about flying. She asked me to show her photos of our seats and the tray tables LOL!

As we got nearer to the plane, there was another line but she was okay with this one because she could actually see our plane!

We kind of lucked out with our seats because earlier this year, Westjet redid the seats in the first 3 rows on every plane. They gave them more leg room and added their "Plus" service to them. It's kind of like a mini-First Class and they charge an arm and a leg for them!

We had booked our flights with Avion Points and I had called Westjet back in March (before the Plus addition) and paid an extra $90 to choose our seats so that we weren't split up. This proved to be a very wise decision as the seats we chose (4A,B,C) just happened to be in the Plus section because on most planes, the seats on the left-hand side actually start with row 2.

So we ended up with 3 very roomy seats and a free snack

Kira got all settled in and we left only 5 minutes late.

This would only be the second time we were lucky enough to get a direct flight to/from Orlando. Normally we have to connect in Denver, Dallas, Chicago or Houston and it takes most of the day. In only 5 short hours, we would be in the land of Mickey Mouse!

It's a good thing it was direct because those 5 hours were anything but short!

You see, Kira is the kind of kid that needs constant stimulation. She's like her Mommy and is a huge multi-tasker! So despite watching Turbo on the Westjet screen in the seat ahead of her, watching and listening to a new movie on her iPad, doodling in her book and eating a snack, she was bored

Yup, I know!

Us parents would have KILLED for just ONE of those things when we flew as a kid

I told (pleaded with) her to take a little nap! She definitely tried but she was just too excited

It was a looooooong flight!

This map doesn't even show where we were coming from...Calgary is approximately at the top of the last "E" in "United States".

It was nice to get a little free snack! I got a cheese/crackers/meat thing that Kira snookered half of

I loved the name of the salami

Kira got licorice and Rob got the oatmeal.

5 long hours later...

Could not come sooner!!!

 

[cntkg1]

Can't respond just yet because I can't see any of your pictures from my work computer. Sheesh.....they must expect us to work around here on a Friday.

This should be an excellent read though.

 

[Timon]

Day 1 - Part 3 - "Let's get the Flex outta here!"

Once off the plane, we headed off towards the faux monorail...

Then downstairs to the luggage carousel.

$5 for a cart??? Sheeesh! Notice my little poser girl?

A few minutes after we got there, the belt started moving and for the first time ever, one of OUR bags was the first one coming around!!!

And then just like that...the next one comes...and the next...and then Kira's booster seat....

And then.....

And then...

And then....

NO AND THEN!!!

Our last bag was one of the LAST off

The guy next to us says "All that time for just the one, jeez!!!???" LOL!

Kira passed time by dancing mostly or just sitting on the floor HAHAH

Once we were all loaded up, we headed all the way back to the center of terminal and then down one level. We went across to the Rental Car garage and then back up to level 2 for Budget! I wish they had a little bridge over to level 2 from the level 2 baggage claim area, sure would be easier!

Rob headed to the FastBreak check-in while Kira and I entertained ourselves by guessing which one of the cars would be ours. Since I knew what kind of vehicle we had booked, I had a slight advantage over her

Rob called me over to ask if a Ford Flex would be okay as they didn't have what we had reserved.

Ummm...no idea what the heck a Flex is! Never even heard of it before! I asked her if it would hold all of our luggage because that was the most important thing and she said "Yes, it's the size of a truck!"

Hmmmm oooookay! A Flex it is!

I guess Kira and I both guessed wrong

We walked alllll the way down to the end of the garage and found the Flex!



Boy, it sure wasn't an attractive looking vehicle!

But it was rather comfy, fit all of our luggage and we knew we would spot that ugly sucker anywhere

It had all the techy features...Rob plugged in his phone and it brought up his name on the dash and started playing his music

I immediately blasted the A/C, always my first priority, and settled in for our journey to Celebration.

Once Rob got all settled in, I looked at him and said "Let's get the Flex outta here!"

The Flex actually turned out to be a very nice vehicle. Rob said it was a little quirky but it was really comfy and I enjoyed it. The only thing I can complain about is that it took us 5 days to figure out how to turn the volume down! There were volume buttons on the steering wheel, which Rob used, but for the life of us, we couldn't figure it out how to adjust the volume on the main console!! I tried every single button on the fancy schmancy high tech screen and found nothing! 5 days later, Rob figured out that you just had to twist that big knob in the center

We headed to the South exit, as always and drove to the Publix in Celebration. We loaded up on supplies for the week. Got everything on my list except for blueberries. Sadly, no blueberries this trip

After one more pose at Kira's request, we were off to Coronado Springs!

 

[minnieandmickey]

Loving it so far, can't wait to read the rest!

 

[jenseib]

Joining in!!!!

 

[Jillpie]

Woop woop and a big whoopie!! She's home, hi Cass!!

I'm so happy it has started, my new book that is, because after all that is what you bring us all , the best story ever. I SO look forward to this. And the beginning is just perfect. Welcome home by the way. Okay Lilo, she was actually saying, "what, you're not taking me?" I know this. We have two labs. I know labby speak. They talk with their eyes and that is exactly what she was saying! And how adorable Kira has grown up to be! Oh, she would not have liked our flights to Africa, oh no, they took 21 hours Cass! (We're actually headed to Spain and Portugal in March omg but i digress, this is not my story) I absolutely love that Rob indulges you and your picture taking, he knows that you would have to answer to us if you didn't.

On with the show, cannot wait!! Fantastic start!!

 

[uncw89]

Joing in!!

 

[cntkg1]

Kira was getting a little anxious and slightly grumpy about waiting.

She doesn't look grumpy at all.

I loved the name of the salami

Awww shucks.

 

[__disneygirl]

Hi Cass,

I was so happy to see a report from you on here. I think the first time I read one of yours was back in 2005 or somewhere around there. I remember checking your blog from time to time and loving the pictures and just your whole writing style so I am glad you are back with another one! Also happy to hear the camcorder incident was the only real snag of the trip. I can't wait to hear all about it!

 

[Timon]

Following along!

Yay

Interesting start to the trip! I can't wait to read more!

Interesting wasn't the word

Yay, another awesome Disney trip report from you AND it doesn't suck!!! :

Yes, NO suckiness

Yay, I love trips reports. I can't wait to read more chapters. The whole camera, electronic thing drives me batty before every trip. One of my greatest fears is forgetting something. On our last vacation in Boston, my camera DIED. I almost had a panic attack and then, I decided my batteries were old since I had them over 4 years. They were slow to charge so, I knew it was coming. So, we walked all the way across town to buy new batteries. I have DSLR so, I had to find a camera shop. I cannot live without my camera.

YIKES!!!

Right after my sister left, Rob says..."Do we really need a camcorder???"

UMMMM YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loving it so far, can't wait to read the rest!

Hiya Beckster Glad to have ya!

Joining in!!!!

Wooot woooot

Woop woop and a big whoopie!! She's home, hi Cass:

I'm so happy it has started, my new book that is, because after all that is what you bring us all , the best story ever. I SO look forward to this. And the beginning is just perfect. Welcome home by the way. Okay Lilo, she was actually saying, "what, you're not taking me?" I know this. We have two labs. I know labby speak. They talk with their eyes and that is exactly what she was saying! And how adorable Kira has grown up to be! Oh, she would not have liked our flights to Africa, oh no, they took 21 hours Cass! (We're actually headed to Spain and Portugal in March omg but i digress, this is not my story) I absolutely love that Rob indulges you and your picture taking, he knows that you would have to answer to us if you didn't.

On with the show, cannot wait!! Fantastic start!!

LOL, you make me laugh Jill

How's your golden retriever speak? Not sure Lilo knows lab

Rob is such a trooper, he's awesome to travel with

21 hours??? I couldn't even handle that! Spain and Portugal? You go girl!!

Joing in!!

She doesn't look grumpy at all.

How about this one???

Hi Cass,

I was so happy to see a report from you on here. I think the first time I read one of yours was back in 2005 or somewhere around there. I remember checking your blog from time to time and loving the pictures and just your whole writing style so I am glad you are back with another one! Also happy to hear the camcorder incident was the only real snag of the trip. I can't wait to hear all about it!

Awww thanks for posting and letting me know you're here! Wow, yeah 2005...that was an awesome trip!!! Yeah, the camcorder thing had me I could probably forget just about anything but the camera and camcorder and probably would have been fine

 

[Jillpie]

Lilo's not a lab, so sorry Lilo, please forgive, you sure look like one! Hey Cass, how are you feeling? I'm sooooo happy you were able to take this trip. Already waiting for the chicken fingers, and did you lie on my Castaway Cay hammock this time, did you?? (there's a hammock in this picture right)

 

[dizneeat]

Yeah, you have started your report. I am so coming along for the ride .....

 

[Cajun28]

Joining in....can't wait to read the rest of your report!

 

[tow-mater-1]

Yay Cass! Although you DO know you are showing me up don't you You were back a week after us and I haven't started my report yet.