WDW/DCL Western Caribbean Honeymoon Extravaganza!! DONE!!! - PG 51!!

[DWGal210]

Another great update, Nikki! Looks like you guys had a nice time!

It's my goal to try more drinks this trip...I don't usually get them, but for sure on my list are the margaritas in Mexico and the Grand Marnier slush in France! YUM!

 

[PopArtGal]

What a great pic of you guys in front of the Mexico fountain.

The power of dreaming

 

[WLfamily]

The trick form Mario Kart is to use the wii remote and nunchuck instead of the wheel and to put it on automatic handling instead of manual.

Is your Wii connected to the internet? We can play together! When my sister was pregnant and on bed rest, we'd talk on speaker phone and race each other!

I'll have to try this tip too. My dd gets so fed up with me cause I can't stay on the track, any track! I'll have to stop using the wheel and see if it gets any better.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

I'll have to try this tip too. My dd gets so fed up with me cause I can't stay on the track, any track! I'll have to stop using the wheel and see if it gets any better.

No, the wheel is impossible!! Use the nunchuck, wii remote combo. All you have to use are your thumbs!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I love the Epcot pics!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

That was AWESOME!!!! I think the secret to attracting photopass peeps is wearing bride ears
I really love the pic of you and Tom holding the balloons too

Thanks!

Another great update, Nikki! Looks like you guys had a nice time!

It's my goal to try more drinks this trip...I don't usually get them, but for sure on my list are the margaritas in Mexico and the Grand Marnier slush in France! YUM!

You definitely should!

What a great pic of you guys in front of the Mexico fountain.

The power of dreaming

Totally! It was really like a dream come true!

I love the Epcot pics!

Thanks!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Day 6 ~ July 24, 2009
Rental Car Catastrophe! ​

Okay, so....as you know, this was our last full day in the parks, as we were going on the cruise the next day.

I had never been on a cruise before so after much researching on the DIS, I thought it best for us to rent a car, leave the Poly around 9, make a few stops along the way for water and perhaps liquor, and be at the port when it opens!!

This was THE PLAN for the past year!!


I reserved a car from Avis, which is located at the Hilton across from DTD and scheduled to pick it up at 5:00pm. I figured getting it the night before would be best because it's the same price and then we could just wake up and GO!

So after our exciting afternoon in Epcot, we went back to the Poly, rested and showered. We always ship our purchases home so we don't have to pack them. So wer bring ALL our bags down to the front desk and it takes a little longer than expected for them to get all our stuff together to be shipped. After that, we waited for a bus to DTD for a LONG time. We finally got to DTD and I'm not really concerned about the time because I'm thinking that when you give a rental time, it's just a ballpark! So we get off the boat and it's a short, easy walk to the Hilton. Once we got IN the Hilton, it was sort of confusing and took us a little while to even find the Avis desk.

Well finally we found it and there was no one behind the desk.

But there was a sign....

It said they were CLOSED!!!!!!! It was a little after 6.

So first I'm confused, then I start to panic, of course. I pulled out the paper that I printed when I first reserved the car and there, in very small print, it did say hours were from 7:30am-6:00pm. So really I'm more mad at myself for not seeing that...but I never would have imaged the office would close so early!!!!

So panic, panic, panic...I guess let's just head towards the MK and call Avis on the way. So we get back to DTD and hop on the first bus we see, which happens to be going to CBR. On the bus I call the number on my print out. I get a nasty woman who is not helpful at all and pretty much tells me it's too bad. Then she asks me if I want to make another reservation for tomorrow morning. YES PLEASE!! Ok, hold on one moment....sorry, we don't have any cars available. WHAT? I know you have a car because you have MY car!!

So I hang up and was about to cry when Tom decided that the answer wasn't good enough, so HE gets on the phone and calls the number again. He gets a much nicer woman who tells him that reservations are held for 15 hours and to call in the morning. Well, that was a little better, but I'm still worried...especially since 15 hours puts us right at 8:00am, and the office doesn't open until 7:30. Thank god Tom had the idea to call before we go in the morning.

This story will continue when we wake up Saturday morning, but for now, we decided to forget about it and get our butts to the MK!

By the time Tom hung up the phone, we got off the bus at CBR and an MK bus pulled up right behind it. Perfect!

(Notice not ONE picture in this post? We were too bummed out to even take pictures!)

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Day 6 ~ July 24, 2009
An Evening at the MK! (with TONS of castle pictures)​

Tom always seems to get stuck behind people who don't know how to work the turnstiles!

There you go!

After a few pics, we had one thing on our minds....FUNNEL CAKE!

We were just taking it easy tonight, not worrying about any rides, but we decided to ride the Haunted Mansion one more time. I know it's stupid, but I was so excited to be handed the red card that helps them know how long the wait is!

A very nice man took this picture for us!

Is this picture upside down??

NOPE!

It was so cool to watch this guy do this!

The plan was to stay for Wishes. In fact, we purposely left the Poly beach last night BEFORE Wishes started because we were going to watch it tonight. Well, we were getting a little tired, and knowing that we had to get up SUPER early the next morning, we just called it a night after taking a few more Photopass pictures on the way out!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

NO, the night is not over yet!!!!!​

So we get back to the Poly and we see this guy set up like a photoshoot near the waterfall in the Poly lobby. Tom, you go check it out, I'm going to ask the front desk the best way to get to the Hilton at 7:30am. So I'm in line at concierge and Tom waves me over...

You guessed it...it was a photopass photographer!!!!!!! Right there in the Poly!! So I jumped out of line, because he told Tom he was just about to pack up, and we got some really nice pics! (If I knew we were going to be taking these close-up pics, I would have made sure our shirts didnt' clash so much!)

 

[PopArtGal]

Awe... I love the last picture.

It's so sweet!

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I hope everything turned out okay with the rental car. I can't wait to read about the cruise!

 

[PopArtGal]

And I thought they had like a magical express to bring you from the resort to the ship.

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Oh man, I would have been super stressed out dealing with that car situation!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

And I thought they had like a magical express to bring you from the resort to the ship.

It's not complimentary like ME from the airport to WDW. It was more expensive than renting a car PLUS, we wanted to get there early and be able to stop on the way...so we decided on the car!

I hope everything turned out okay with the rental car. I can't wait to read about the cruise!

Oh man, I would have been super stressed out dealing with that car situation!

Oh, just wait! This is not over yet! Tears were flowing at around 7:35 the next morning.

 

[WLfamily]

Now you've got me worried.

I love the pic of Walt and Mickey from behind and I think the pics of you two at the Poly are some of your best of the whole trip!!

 

[Jillpie]

Oh no, come back!! Please don't leave us tonight, we just HAVE to know the rest of the story! Ok, loved the bridal ears on top of the Mexican hatomg, so funny. Can't wait till the Disney Magic....but first you have to get there

 

[BippityBoo]

I am totally hooked! Can't wait to hear what happens with the car rental---I hate cutting it short like that---you probably didnt sleep all night long!

My laptop has been broken, so I am so glad to catch up! All of your photopass pics are incredible! I especially love ALL the Poly ones and the one with yall in front of the castle when it is glowing orange. It matches your shirts!!

Cant wait to read more---POST NOW

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Now you've got me worried.

I love the pic of Walt and Mickey from behind and I think the pics of you two at the Poly are some of your best of the whole trip!!

Oh no, come back!! Please don't leave us tonight, we just HAVE to know the rest of the story! Ok, loved the bridal ears on top of the Mexican hatomg, so funny. Can't wait till the Disney Magic....but first you have to get there

I am totally hooked! Can't wait to hear what happens with the car rental---I hate cutting it short like that---you probably didnt sleep all night long!

My laptop has been broken, so I am so glad to catch up! All of your photopass pics are incredible! I especially love ALL the Poly ones and the one with yall in front of the castle when it is glowing orange. It matches your shirts!!

Cant wait to read more---POST NOW

My goodness, guys! I'm sorry to leave you hanging like that!! I didn't realize you'd al be so invested in this story!!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

Day 7 ~ July 25, 2009 (A date that has been etched in my head since March '08)​

So I'm up at like 7, just waiting for 7:30 to come so we can call Avis and see what the deal is.

At exactly 7:30, Tom calls. Despite the fact that the woman Tom spoke to last night told him they hold our reservation for 15 hours, the man he was talking to now told him that they don't have ANY cars. They are all brough to the airport overnight and they won't know until around 11:00 if they'll have a car for us or not. AND I'm crying!

Now what?!

Tom was really so good this morning because I was devastated. "Nik, isn't there a Disney transportation to the port?" Now at this point, I'm just defeated and thinking we're NOT going on this cuise so I say, "Yes but you have to book it in advance!"

Well that wasn't good enough for him. He called the front desk and LUCKILY there is a DCL desk at our resort. (They are not at all of them!)

OUR SAVIOR, Carolyn, answered the phone and said that we're lucky she answered because she's not supposed to be at her desk until 8. Well Tom explained the situation and she was able to get us 2 seats on the Disney Cruise Line bus to the port. People would be coming around to pick up our luggage at 9, and meet near the DCL desk in the lobby at 11:30 for pick-up.

Well that was a relief. But I was still kind of upset. I've had this vision in my mind of how this morning was going to go for over a year. Now we weren't leaving until 11:30? I was planning on either being in the port waiting for my number to be called or being on the boat by then. Oh well, I was just thankful we were going!!!

So since we now had HOURS to kill, we decided to try Kona Cafe for breakfast, after all.

We ordered the Pressed Pot of Coffee...I needed it BAD. (I think I was still shaking from fear at this point.)

Look, the lights from Kona made a hidden mickey in the coffe!

I got the french toast and Tom got blueberry pancakes. I just want you to look at this french toast. Looks like what you'd expect to get when you order breakfast from a restaurant, right? And it tasted delicious...I just want you to keep this in mind because I will refer to this french toast in the future!

At the end of our meal, our waitress brought us another celebration card that
everyone signed, wishing us congratulations, AND gave us a complimentary dessert! That made us a little happy.

After breakfast, we still had a lot of time to kill, so we decided to leave our stuff with bell services and go to the MK one more time.

Well, this is how upset we must have been that morning...we did not take ONE picture!!! In fact, I keep questioning whether we really DID go to the MK that morning...but I'm sure we did.

We didn't stay long at all and were soon back in the Poly, just waiting. We were kind of in a sour mood. This was not the best start to our next vacation........


Up Next: On our way to the cruise!!

 

[MrsSpratt]

WAH! I am so sorry things didn't go as planned - it is always difficult when you have your heart set on something and it doesn't happen - but it sounds like you married a total keeper! I love it that he just wouldn't stop until he made things better for his girl... and that may not be the perfect start to a vacation, but it is a WONDERFUL start to a marriage!

Mrs. Spratt