We needed some magic updated 09-17

[KGmomoftwins]

Morning! After a 2 year Disney hiatus we are back in need of some magic. You may remember my family from my last tr to Alaska the last frontier. A lot has happened to us since then. Dh was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, neuropathy, and had undergone 2 surgeries. He walks with a cane now. It had been a very hard 2 years and the fact that he even came was amazing.

This trip report will include 4 nights at BWI villas with 3 park days, a night in Fort Lauderdale, and the 4 night magic cruise August 22-26.

We started our trip with a direct JetBlue flight from upstate New York to Mco. This was awesome we landed at 9:30 and were pulling up to the boardwalk at 11am. Not only did we arrive at 11am on the dot but so did the scooter that I rented through gold mobility. The scooter was awesome came with a basket and fan. I would 100% rent from them again. We took an Uber xl with tip cost was 56.00. I booked a 1 bedroom villa using a 30% discount! I had originally had a regular room booked at the yacht club and for the same price switched to this and I’m so glad I did. We hit up the boardwalk bakery for lunch. No pictures we were starving g and everything was good. Grilled cheese kids meal came with carrots and strawberries, chicken Caesar salad, Italian sub, banana bread, and adult grilled cheese.

After food the girls and I changed into suits and enjoyed the Luna pool until 1pm until our room was ready! We were in room 2126. There was a love hate relationship with this location. It was sooooo far away from the lobby and elevator. However, the girls and I could walk down 1 flight of stairs to the corner of the hotel and it dumped us out by the quiet pool/community center and the pathway to Hollywood. Also around day 2 we figured out you could cut through the courtyard to the Luna pool and saved some steps. Pictures are the view from our balcony.

That’s my start for now will be boarding soon.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

We went to the room once it was ready at 1 and I called bell services and they brought up our luggage and grocer order. There was a $6.50 service charge for accepting the instacart order from Publix. I put everything away and then we went to the community center/quiet pool. We loved the vibe and the CMs here. The games, crafts, and the pool noodles were awesome touches. We loved that there was rarely anyone here. Nice place to avoid the crowds. We hung out here until around 4 when we went up to get ready for dinner.

We did not have the dining plan. We decided to go to Narcoossee at GF. We took a Lyft cost was 7.60 with tip. We had time and the was a photo pass right when we walked in. He was awesome and these are my favorite family pictures from the entire trip. I don’t know how he did it but there was no one in the background. We also got the cutest magic shot of the girls holding luminere.

We have had wonderful meals at Narcoossee in the past but this was horrible all around service included. My husbands steak was raw overcooked lobster. My husband hates sending things back but he had to and they did get it right but no apology. My scallops gnocchi were cold. Desert was good even though we had to wait 30 minutes for it! The server did come by and apologize for that wait. I think if we go again we will try Jiko or flying fish. We then went and shopped around the GF and rode the monorail to the other resorts doing the same killing a little over an hour for the fireworks. We watched from the boat dock at Gf and then a Lyft back. We had really awesome drivers who were interactive, funny, and cars were super clean. Most even had an iPad with trivia games on it.

Back to our lovely villa because tomorrow would be a busy day! We absolutely loved the sleeping setup and the beds were super comfortable.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Magic Kingdom day 8-18

We all slept so well! I think once you do a 1 bedroom at Disney there is no turning back. I absolutely loved the Keurig in the boardwalk. I made breakfast evert morning. We also had waffles and strawberries. It looked something like this.

I also loaded up the dishwasher and washed them before we left each morning as it was very loud. I also was not sure on the mouse keeping policy if they would do it since we were on a cash stay. I did not mind doing it. The goal was to be at mk by 8:30 we were pretty close! Since DH had the scooter I budgeted a minnie HA lyft van. We only had to wait 15 mins for one basically the walk to the main lobby.

Me trying to keep up. The HA Minnie van was well worth the 45.00 dollars that included tip. We arrived at 8:30. Which worked out well no wait for security (FYI do not have glasses case in bag will get searched) or to get into the park. Full disclosure I bought the new LL and an ILL for seven dwarfs for the 4 of us. Cost 153.40. Going into our day this was our schedule
Jungle Cruise 9:10-10:10
Pirates 10:30-11:30
Haunted Mansion 12:00-1:00
ILL Seven Dwarfs 2:45-3:45
Plus I got Tiana's Virtual!!! Boarding group 51

we did a leisurely walk down main street took some photos then headed to adventure land. First ride Aladdin Magic Carpets It's what they wanted! Then we tapped into Jungle cruise I immediately got on the app and low and behold got Tianas for 10:10!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy happy. We then decided to hit up HM since it was a 13min wait (walk on) I got on the app and modified HM to BTM at 10:30. I seriously could not believe it. Girls were not big fans of HM. DH forgot his sunglasses so he hit up the sunglass hut and got 2 really nice pairs of course buy one get one half off. He was happy and that was all the mattered. We tried to get to dole whips no such luck no opened yet. We headed to Tiana's and tapped in right at 10:10 I got on app and was able to get Pooh for 3:45. We all loved the make over. I thought it was cute how the girls recognized some of the old stuff from splash mixed in here and there. We then waited outside the entrance for about 5 mins before getting on Big thunder. We had to wait a bit for a CM at the handicap entrance we then rode with a VIP tour and have the train was empty and a ton of people were waiting. It was awkward. Girls loved this ride. I also made another selection 3:00 buzz. Also on a side note we made all the vinyl stickers and they were handing them out to crying kids and CMs. Everyone seemed to love these stickers. We then headed to pirates (got a small world LL that started now) and finally got DOLE WHIPS. I actually tried something new the coconut with POG juice and a cake pop it was sooooo good. I'm sad no picture of it. We then did small world I wanted to do peter pan but no one wanted to wait in line for 40mins. we did the carousel took some pictures. Saw the step sisters and then checked in for 1pm reservations at CRT

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I forgot to mention our girls had no idea we were going to Disney World they thought we were going to spend time at the beach before the cruise. They were not disappointed. It was hard for me though to pick things I thought they would want to do. I struggled with where to eat at MK and ultimately decided to do CRT even though we had done it before the girls were so small they really did not remember. Spoiler I'm very glad I booked this. We checked in they gave us our slip we met and took photos with Cinderella. A very nice CM escorted DH up in the elevator and the girls and I walked up. Side note the scooter needed to be parked across from CRT outside of the princess store with the strollers. DH took the key and covered the steering with the plastic that gold mobility gave us just in case. We also left a soft sided cooler in the basket and it was fine. Our sever Redd was wonderful I even gave him a cast compliment on the app.

For the food the girls are considered Disney adults so we encouraged them to order off the adult menu lol. DH got the shrimp app, filet they substituted the potatoes for more veggies (type 1 D win) and they did not have a sugar free desert so he got the cheesecake, I got the brisket app, filet, and clock strikes midnight, and DD1 got the tomato soup, chicken strips, and clock strikes midnight. Now that brings us to DD2 who I have not mentioned yet is lactose intolerant (lactaid does not work for her and we find best to avoid all raw diary) and she also recently 3 weeks ago got braces top and bottom. I was very worried about food for her but it all worked out. I had listed her as a diary allergy. She ordered the salad, filet with French fries, and the floating Island meringue desert. This is not an exaggeration all our food was phenomenal and the steaks were cooked perfectly. My husband wished he had gotten the brisket app instead of the shrimp it was that good.


DH loved the presentation

This was clear winner! Thank you to Redd for the suggestion! He was just so kind and kept our drinks refilled. We saw Jasmine, Aurora, Ariel, and the clear winner and best interaction was Merida! I had a shirt on that said in my Disney Mamas era and it had her mum on it and well it was great. The girls had a great time it was a nice break out of the heat and well worth the price. During our lunch our boarding group for Tiana's VQ was called 1:35-2:35 not sure if we could ride after that time we did not try. We were lucky to have ridden it once. I'm so glad I booked CRT. Redd also before we left came over with 4 to go cups with lids and straws full of lemon ice water. Wanted to make sure we stayed hydrated. We thanked him and wished him well.

Our next stop was enchanted tales with Belle for our Belle lover this is so cute but was better when they were little and were in the show. It was a nice break while we digested our food. Our next stop was our ILL for 7 dwarfs. Let me tell you the line was 90mins and I'm so glad we had this. Then we walked on little mermaid and used the bathrooms back by Gastons which were really nice and not crowded. We went into this cute Beauty and the Beast themed store and DD2 was in her glory got a pin and Belle dolly.

We then tapped into Buzz I could have gotten space in 1.5 hours but girls wanted to do the speedway So I got a return time immediately after buzz. I beat everyone in my family so fun.

DH was kind of done at this point it was hot. I had cooling towels, 1 neck fan for us to share, and the scooter had an attached fan but he needed another break. He went and sat in cosmic rays in a corner and napped. A CM did go over and checked on him and brought him a glass of ice water another very kind person. While he did this we rode Speedway, tea cup, dumbo, and barn stormer all done with tapping in and then getting immediate return times no way wait. It was then time for winnie DH did not want to miss this so I texted him to meet us there. Look who saw real fast.

Our Last ride was Winnie. What a day we had! DH wanted me to stay and ride Tron, Space, and Peter the ones we missed that the girls really did not want to do but I was good with how the day was. We stopped at the castle and took the end of day shot and they were hysterical the CM was great and the girls gave her stickers. We were going to shop on main street and DH saw Caseys and remembered from previous trips by now it was 5:15 and he was like I'm no super hungry but I could eat. I mobile ordered a plain foot long hotdog and an order of corn do nuggets. There was no where to sit inside and outside all that was left were the tall table. Shout out to the very kind young lady who helped me move 3 chairs so we could sit down you got a sticker and we appreciated your help! DH was even more happy now hot dog in hand. We walked the shops and bought nothing except DD1 got Rapunzel ear so cute! I could have seriously done some damage in the home goods section. After a stop at the Main Street Bakery for some goodies (me being a terrible mom only got rice Krispie treats that DD2 can't have) we took the handicap Minnie van back to the boardwalk. Where we enjoyed uncrowded pools that were now in the shade due to the setting sun!

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I will start today by saying mouse keeping was wonderful. They brought us extra pillows and blankets. As well as keeping everything else in stock towels, sugar, and creamer. Also meant to add yesterdays MK step count 18,632.


We stayed up late the night before and enjoyed th Boardwalk activites and fireworks. We ate the snacks I got at Main Street

We slept in a bit had our breakfast in the room. I started a load of laundry and ran the dishwasher.
8-19 Epcot day
I purchased the LL for the 4 of us it was 80.96 I was also able to snag GOG VQ boarding group 81!!!!
Going into the day
10:15-11:15 Remy
12:15-1:15 Nemo
1:30-2:30 Space ship earth
5:35 Le Cellier Reservation

We took the boat to the IG. Super fast and saved some steps. Today was hot and sunny! No line at security or to get in. EPCOT was really busy and all of humanity was in the France pavilion. We tapped in right at 10:15 for Remys. Let's just say we all loved it especially DH. He loved the engineering of the track and the little details like smells and mop don't want to spoil to much.


was worth the pass. Unfortunatly I was unable to get frozen as it was sold out. I did get Soarin for 11:15-12:15. No one wanted to wait for Frozen at any point in the day it hovered between 50-75 minutes all day. They also were not into doing the kidcot or seeing charcters they wanted rides and shopping. Both got some cute sunglasses. We stopped in Italy for some really great photos and shopping. Then Mexico for 3 Callberos ride and Churros! Of all the places we went this was the most difficult for DH to navgate on the scooter. We then headed to Soarin and once tapped in I could get Living the land for 1pm. We then did Nemo and spent a bit of time in the seas. We saw both the mantees and dolphins being fed.

This unfortunaly is where my luck with the new system ends I could have gotten mission space but we had no desire. Also in looking at the app it was showing an estimated time of 2:35 for guardians. We did the new Moana walk through it was sooooo hot. It was beautiful but very crowded. We then went and did the land with the LL I checked again to see if I could get something else.... Nothing. DD1 was a bit cranky and bored I love this ride!

 

[KGmomoftwins]

EPCOT 08-19 continued
Everyone was fading a bit we had about and hour to kill before guardians and NO ONE wanted to do spaceship earth lol. We walked on the figment ride and don't hate on me I don't get the hype of this ride. Although it turned the other 3 attitude around must have been the potty humor. At this point we had 30 mins and DH sugar was getting low. We headed into connections eatery and got some summer berry lemonades and a 3 pack of cuties at the starbucks. We also ate a few of the snack packed in the cooler. There were places to sit and a nice bathroom. I also realized we needed food before 5:30 I got on the app I could have gotten a 3pm for the Space place or a 3:45 for Le Cellier which is what I did. I cancelled the original and got the new one. Our VQ was called at 2:35 we waited in a line about 20mins and we were riding. Totally worth the hype! DH said the music was a touch to loud but he loved it. I was worried about his back but it was super smooth he said 7 dwarfs was worse.



Note to self pull back hair to see smile. We then walked over to Le Cellier and let me tell you the Canada Pavillion is beautiful. I loved this restaurant! It was quiet, cold, and delcious. Service was amazing. I forgot to mention before we hit the Starbucks we were looking for pretzels as it's what DD2 can have instead of popcorn well we got something way better here! The pretzel bread was delicious. I got a filet and French fries, DH got a steakhouse wedge salad and mussels, DD1 got a kids meal mac and cheese with fries and fruit, and DD2 got the kids strip steak with salad and fruit. Everything was delicious and cooked perfectly . Desert was phenomenal maple creme brûlée and chocolate moose. They also had dairy free ice cream for DD2!


The girls and DH had enough of EPCOT after this lovely meal. Step count just over 19k. The 3 party poopers headed back to swim and water slide ride. I walked around the world and window shopped. I think the UK was my favorite I could have done some damage on tea cups and tea towels but I was good. I was considering riding Frozen alone but I have never seen epcot so busy in August without the food and wine festival. So I took the boat back and by now they were at the quiet pool and we had it to ourselves! They played pool with daddy and tried ping pong. We went up to bed early and everyone had a snack with something from our groceries. I switched over our laundry and the dryer was a touch loud and was glad it was done before everyone fell asleep.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

A couple of things I forgot to mention. The 3 girls had magic bands. I bought them during the twice a year sale at the Disney store and they were purple and had the fab 5 on them. We loved them! The girls especially enjoyed the statues and the buzzing. They were extremely convenient for the LL and getting into the park. Dh used his I watch with great success.

One thing that shocked me after staying at the poly and gf is that the boardwalk pools did not require key access. I think when the BC/YC pool is down this might be an issue. According to the girls there were kids there going down the water slide that weren’t staying there. The water slid was super fun and the lava smoothies at the bar were delicious and dairy free.

One last thing to add that I neglected before. Terminal c in mco is really nice. It was crazy how much space it takes up and how empty it was. However, we deplaned at gate 232 the last one. Thank goodness they have people driving these big huge blue carts and he gave us a ride almost to baggage claim.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I left off we had just finished our Epcot day. I’m kind of bummed no frozen no test track but I knew that going into it. Was the LL worth it…. I think so. Although the girls told my mom they wished we had swapped and gone to animal kingdom over Epcot. Tough to make those kind of choices when they didn’t know about the trip in advance.

Dh loved having our own bedroom and the plan was one night we were going to watch a movie but I don’t think we ever turned the tv on in there. That night we wound up discussing our plans for tomorrow the most anticipated day of the trip for the girls Hollywood studios. All we’ve heard about since crossing the gate was Toy Story land and all the rides there. I wanted to rope drop to make the most of the day however, dh was a bit burnt out. I did purchase LL and an ILL for rise to the tune of 187.45 Our day was going to look like this
Rope drop Mickey RRR and millennium falcon
9:30-10:30 Toy Story mania
11:35 brunch topolinos
3-4 tower
4-5 slinky
4:45-5:45 rise

Not the best return times but we could make it work. We decided to rope drop and meet dh at the restaurant so he could rest and enjoy the park more. Up early I made breakfast and we were walking to dhs by 7:30 on 8-20

I was bracing myself for super crowd but it was not bad! We were right up next to the entrance in the shade! We were let in right at 8! We headed straight for mickeys railroad. Let me tell you super underrated ride. We loved the Pre show. We then did falcon, used the bathroom, took photo, walked on Toy Story mania, and did aliens all by 9:30! I felt like we waited forever for aliens was kind of lame but girls loved it. I was able to switch my Toy Story mania for star tours at 5pm I wanted to get the millennium falcon but darn tier 1! Besides it was a little jerky for dh.
I mobile ordered 2 raspberry pop tarts, an order of tater tots, and 2 blue green drinks from Woodys lunchbox. We actually really liked the pop tarts they were yummy. I called dh to see that he was up and he was worried about navigating to the restaurant alone. So we finished up and headed out. I felt super accomplished in just an hour and the girls had a blast. We took the boat and were the only ones on it. We stopped at the swan, yc, and then boardwalk. Dh was ready I started some laundry and the dishes. Plan was to go right back to Hollywood taking the skyliner from Riviera. So we had the scooter so we Minnie lifted with the handicap van cost with tip 26 no wait .

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I’m feeling the Disney blues this morning snuggling in the couch with dd2 looking at pictures. I left off we had just pulled up to the Riviera for Topolinos. I was debating last night canceling as it is super expensive (4 adults now) and they have not been into seeing characters in the park. I tried to get them to see a few a MK and Epcot mulan and Moana they were not interested. Dh said it’s because the rides were a bigger draw now versus when they were little. I also think they knew about the cruise and seeing characters there which didn’t turn out they way we thought. A little foreshadowing.

Back to breakfast the resort was beautiful and dh immediately wanted to look into staying here. I thought it was very crowded and busy but it was a 11:20 so check out in time. We headed up to the top. We checked in and was told they were running behind ok. We sat down and 5 minutes later my phone had a text our table was ready. Now depending on how you look at it our table to me was in the worst spot a 4 seater right when you walk up the main aisle. My back was to everything but girls had a great view and all the characters came by her multiple times. Our server was pretty bad but so pathetic I could complain. He was so slow and not very attentive. Girls and I got peach soda water things I knew they would not like and he never really came back to ask if we needed wanted anything else. He dropped of a carafe of coffee for dh, then the pastry bucket, and took our order.


The clear winner for me was the cinnamon strudel muffin and croissant. Dd2 was brought out her own dairy free donuts and muffins. The donuts were the clear winner and I’m pretty sure she at all 3. Dd2 and dh got steak and eggs, I got the adult waffles, and dd1 got Mickey waffles.


Food was good and hot was it worth the price tag…. I guess yes because the girls had the best time. They ate everything. I should have gotten the steak and eggs at least thanks to dh being type 1 I ate most of his potatoes. The characters were the clear winner and the dancing shows were great.


Mickey inspecting nails. We say all 4 multiple times at our table. We then went out on the deck and took pictures with tower in the background and then all of a sudden we saw the biggest lightning strike and the wind picked up. We went in and paid the bill. No discounts here. At narcoosee and le cellier they give a 10% discount for Disney visa.

By the time we got to the lobby it was pouring thunder and lightning. The skyliner was shut down. We shopped in the gift shop. Dh talked to bell services and said it was going to be a while before the skyliner was up and running again. We decided to Minnie van it back to the boardwalk and regroup.

We had to be back at dhs by 3 to make the afternoon work with all our ll. We got back to boardwalk around 1:30 and it was still pouring. Dh went to the room to answer some work emails and the girls and I went to the community center and played air hockey and just hung out. At around 2:45 I got a message that my LL for tower was canceled and replaced with a ll that I can use whenever. In looking at the map for dhs a lot was closed and all indoor stuff was over 90 minutes waits. We headed up to get dh and make a plan.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Around 3 pm we headed to the boat. It stopped at boardwalk, yc, and swan then headed to dhs. No wait at security or to get in but man the park was packed! I don’t know if it just feels more crowded because of the layout. I just was not a fan of it here. We stopped at Hollywood blvd for pictures and then again right at the entrance of TS by the big Andy some of my favorite pictures and the cm wish I could remember her name was awesome! We tapped into slinky dog right at 4. Girls entire trip made! I thought o could try and get a mania ll after tapping in so dh could ride but nothing was available ride wise except for rocking roller coaster at 8.

We then walked to star wars. What a weird transition dd1 said it best we aren’t in Toy Story land anymore. We walked around took photos I found it hard to navigate and find things. We tapped in right at 4 for rise and wow oh wow. The best was the interaction between the officer and dd1. This ride 100% worth it.

Dh was low at this point probably all the walking for rise and standing for pictures. I wanted to get him a ronoto sausage thing but didn’t want to risk waiting so we had some granola bars and juice from our cooler. We did star tours dh goes we should have done this one first wah wah wah. Then tapped in for our final ll tower. We had to wait a bit but not bad at all. At this point the girls had done a little of 20k steps. We had rode everything but Rock n roll and I really wanted to do the frozen sing along but you can’t do it all. Someday we will see fantasmic. Was the LL and ILL worth it yup! Also the bigger win was early entry!!!

 

[KGmomoftwins]

We took the boat back to BW. Everyone was really hungry we decided to get pizza and sandwich from the bakery. Dh hit the pizza window and I went to the bakery. We got a kids grilled cheese and a kids ham sandwich hold the cheese. It took forever! There was also no one there. Girls wanted a Mickey cinnamon bun but I said not tonight. we brought it back to our room and ate as a family at the dining room table. Have I mentioned how much I loved it here. The only thing was our freezer did not freeze water bottles and the waffles were barely frozen. I should have called but didn’t. I put laundry in the dryer and we went for one last swim water slide run. Once back for the night I washed swim suits and the clothes we had on that day. Took a shower and switched it over again.

My favorite part of the bedroom. Dh thought the bathroom setup was weird with all the doors. We thought it would have been better if they got rid of the door in between shower and tub room. Used the walk in closet to create a larger master bath with another stand up shower and toilet.


Also because of the location we did not have a connecting door to a studio. Added to privacy and quiet.

We stayed up way too late and slept in a bit. Until after 8. I packed up suitcases and realized we were out of bacon and had 3 eggs left enough for this am. so dh could sleep more I drove the scooter down (scary) and met gold mobility’s at 9. They were great high recommend! I then went to the boardwalk shop I really wanted a magnet for my collection but they were out. While looking around I mobile ordered from the bakery.

The girls were happy. We had breakfast and poor dd2 was so congested she said she felt fine and no fever. She’s like mommy I’m so exhausted. Poor thing. They lounged in bed watching Disney and playing with the Alexa until 11. I called bell service they came and got the luggage and we Uber xl to Brightline train station. Cost 46 with tip. Next up train and Fort Lauderdale

 

[otten]

Love the report. I totally agree about the 1 bedroom. We had a 2 bedroom lock off for a larger group last year and unfortunately I am now spoiled by the one bedroom portion. So on our next trip with our family of 4 we are staying in a 1 bedroom at Jambo.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

The next 24 hours of our trip were really anything but magical. We hit a bit of traffic on the way to the train station took about 45 mins to get there and our driver did not speak english. The car was immaculate and we felt safe just took a while. The station is new and beautiful and crazy thing no one there. I bought tickets ahead of time on the wesite during 1 of their sales for 2 adults, 2 kids, and 2 pieces of checked luggage 148.00. We dropped off our two checked bags I scanned our tickets on my phone and we went through security a metal detector and bags on the belt. At this point it was 12:05 and our train left at 12:50. We found nice seats no problem. The bathrooms were nice and they had a store and bar. DDs were not in the best spirits about the train ride.

We got on the train right on time I booked 4 across and we were facing the direction we were going. I loved the train! No one else in my family did. I will say thank goodness my husband and I were on the left hand side (so sitting down facing direction of the movement) because other trains went whizzing by and this would have freaked out the girls. We hit some horrible weather I mean down pours, thunder, lightening, and wind that rocked the train. The scenery was nice and we passed through a couple of really cute towns and at some points ran parallel to a highway.


The train temperature wise was freezing. I mean the girls were shirvering I was even cold and I'm never cold. It one of our carry ons we had a ton of drinks left over from our instacart order and snacks they let us bring all these on no issues so we did not get any food on the train but a cart came around several times. Most of the people around us seemed to be on for business as I had to listen to their phone calls. Everyone else watched something on devices but I enjoyed just sitting. DDs had to use the bathroom and let me tell you it was miles ahead of an airplane bathroom. It was so big the 3 of us could fit in it and it was very clean. When we got the the FL station (not at the airport) we had 3 mins to get off! Our luggage was waiting for us at the desk make sure you keep the tickets they give you they asked for it. Now here is the very rough part of our trip. DD2 is done shes got a stuffy nose, shes freezing, and all she wants is to get into bed. Now silly me looking for a deal I used my IHG points to book the Kimpton shorebreak. It was 2 miles from the train station, had some good reviews, and was free what could go wrong..... Ummm everthing. Our uber xl there cost 6 bucks and was very fast. I checked in and the lobby was filthy and I don't think anyone else was staying there. We go up to the room its setup lie a motel with a door directly outside we go in and the room is gross. It smells of mold and musty/dusty. The bathroom is so small and there were stains on the head board. DH goes but it's free! At this point we are both googling other places we need out. I'm usually not picky but it also did not feel safe. We finally landed on the Hilton Beach which was 0.5 miles away. When we went down to check out the woman was not surprised at all said good bye and that was it.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Following

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Once we were settled into a beautiful ocean view double queen room at the Hilton. Not sure if I will ever live this down. Dd2 goes mommy nose feels like it does when the ragweed is in bloom. Makes sense and of course I did not have any of her allergy medicine or nose spray with me. Upon a google search a cvs was about .75 miles away. I took off on foot it was a straight shot. A1a was on my left with the ocean and on my right a bunch of hotels and restaurants. The sidewalk was dirty and lots of cars driving by. I only passed about 6 other people walking. Dh at one point called when I was a block away and asked if I was ok saw my location and was worried. The cvs was really nice was more like a target. They had everything I picked up some Claritin and Flonase nose spray. I also got 2 cup of noodles and a microwaveable kraft mac and cheese(our room had a microwave). The worker at cvs was awesome if you ever bought nose spray you know how it’s packaged I was like how am I going to open this. Well this lovely lady used her big scissors so nice! I got back and both the girls had enjoyed a turn in the jetted tub so fancy lol. They were so excited for their microwave dinners dh not so much. I had to call for utensils and the brought them right up. Dh decided to go to the hotel restaurant I think he needed some alone time. He had a small wood fired pizza and said it was really good. We FaceTime my parents and let’s just say the conversation was hysterical. Dd2 was already doing better with allergy meds crazy!

Hotel from the beach. We all slept so good and dd2 was great in the morning. I walked back to my cvs and bought a 24 pack of water and Uber back.
I got some breakfast pastries at this Italian coffee shop in the hotel. We hung out at that beach and waited until check out at 11

The water was so clear and we saw a crab but the sand was dirty.

We to an Uber to port and only took about 10 minutes to get there from our location. Cost 12 bucks including tip.

It’s hard to believe we disembarked a week ago today. I have a lot to say about embarkation and I want to devote time to it. So stay tuned!

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Embarkation Aug 22
Dh and I were talking last night about the cruise going out of Fort Lauderdale and it being only a 4 night and having only done 7 nights. This will involve a lot of comparison to the 7night ones we’ve done. Spoiler alert while we enjoyed this cruise and are so grateful we were able to do it the 4 night is a one and done for us.

Alright this day was extremely hard on dh the amount of walking and standing for him was too much. I wish I had gotten him a wheelchair. Once getting dropped off we had a very long walk to get inside. It was also very hot. Even in the building. Our arrival was 11:30 with boarding group 8. We got called to a desk to get checked in and it was the girls first day. She was really struggling and the supervisors were not really helping her it was actually her in-Disney like. We watched 3 other families check in surrounding us took over 15 minutes. Finally we go through security and they are on boarding group 5. We struggled to find a seat probably not worth it as boarding went fast. I didn’t want to get the boarding photo but the shutters staff was like real fast and I’m so glad we did.

We were on the ship but 12:03. We headed to rapunzel for lunch. So much walking for dh I feel terrible he was miserable. Service was very slow but we really had no other plans and were ok to sit and enjoy the ambiance. Dh got the gumbo they brought it but no spoon and it was very difficult to flag our server down so he used a fork. He also got a chicken Cesar salad which was good. Both girls got burgers and fries. I got the pasta which was really yummy.

It was surprisingly light and refreshing dish. I was the only one to order dessert Oreo cheesecake it was meh. We hung out until 1:30 to go right to the stateroom. I could not believe all humanity was rope dropping rooms. We were in the same room on the wonder 6548. Perfect location in my opinion.

 

[otten]

Yea we really prefer longer cruises too. Our first was 7 nights but then the next 2 were 14 and 11 nights. Our last two were 4 nights, one on the Wish and I will never do that again. It was way too rushed. Our most recent cruise was a 4 night all sea days out of our home port of Vancouver and I would potentially do that again but that's the only way I'd do another 4 nighter.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Yea we really prefer longer cruises too. Our first was 7 nights but then the next 2 were 14 and 11 nights. Our last two were 4 nights, one on the Wish and I will never do that again. It was way too rushed. Our most recent cruise was a 4 night all sea days out of our home port of Vancouver and I would potentially do that again but that's the only way I'd do another 4 nighter.

I’m going to through out a word my girls use “the vibe” of the 4 night was different than what we are used to.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

I love being deck6 midship also this location was a quick walk to the forward elevators as well. We went into the room now here is where the magic is showing her age. The veranda door was not working properly, the table out there was broken, some stains on the curtains, and the bathroom oh the bathroom. There was mold on the ceiling and the fan was not working at all in the shower. The tiles had stains I don’t know but they needed a good scrub. It felt cleanish.

I luckily had a can of Clorox wipes

I just was really surprised by this.

Our room host Sapta. He was friendly and dh stayed in the room and napped. He did talk to Sapta about the broken door and table. He also asked for 2 extra pillows for the girls beds.

While dh napped girls wanted to hit the water slides we went up and wah wah they were closed due to lightning and rain. It had also gotten cooler. We made the best of it got them finished registering for the edge. Hung out there and chatted with the staff who they loved. Toured the Vibe and hung out there and then for old time sake went to the club/lab. Girls went back to the edge and I went to the spa raffle at 3. Not sure what they have away but I did not win. This was actually kind of cringy and I don’t think I would do it again. I had a pedicure and couples massage scheduled for this trip and let’s just say I probably won’t do the spa again (more to come on that).

I headed back to the room it was close to 3:30 and the girls got back at the same time. Dh was awesome and unpacked everything and stored the luggage.

At 3:45 we headed to our muster station e outside deck 4 starboard side. Now this was awful and Disney got an email from
Me. Dh had to stand for 28 minutes because people can’t be on time for a mandatory drill. We had checked in they knew who they were waiting for make those people suffer not the ones who showed up on time. There was also an elderly woman next to us who was struggling standing. The one saving grace no sun and it was raining. We did not get back to our state room until 4:35. Dh was miserable and the girls kind of were too because the sail a wave party was now inside. We watched from
The veranda which while we were at the drill the door had been fixed.

View from veranda

All the standing also dropped dh sugar so good thing dinner was up next.

 

[KGmomoftwins]

Our dining rotation was animators, rapunzel, rapunzel, and lumieres. This is what I wanted! I had requesting a table alone. Each cruise we start with animators I find that so comforting and neat. Our serving team was the best we’ve had seriously each cruise they get better. server Yodi with assistant Isnani and head server Ralph. Yodi and isnani busted butt and I’m pretty sure that’s why our food was always hot and good. This is also my favorite menu I got the truffle pasta and dh got salmon tartar.

Both were really good. The focaccia bread and dipping oil are also my favorite from
Now on I’m going to just request the bread from that nights menu versus those terrible rolls they put in. 3 of us got the steak.

Cooked to perfection

Honestly the best steak we’ve had on dcl. Dd1 had the adult pasta and enjoyed it as well. I absolutely love the show and it was the girls birthday today so very special with the guest at the end. If you have magic band plus make sure you wear it to dinner at animators.

Dairy free dessert

Not a crumb left. We sang just dh and I to the girls and yodi said they would celebrate it tomorrow.

My dessert cookies and cream sundae. The questions I asked myself why have I never gotten a sundae before?! I need to know what kind of whip cream they use.

Dh sugar free deconstructed carrot cake. He was impressed in his words this does not suck. Dd1 Mickey bar! Girls went to the edge for ice breaker games. We were also done with dinner by 7 the best service we’ve ever had night 1! Dh and I listened to the violin player in soul cat mariya valkova if she’s on the magic you are in for a treat. Dh headed up to the room and I forgot to get team with dinner. So I headed up to the cove. I spent a bit of time in there this cruise. If you see flavio from Brazil show him some love he is great. He is just back on the ship and took a longer contract this time. He made me a wonderful tea and I gave him my card from the wonder and he teased me and said it’s ok you will get your free one tomorrow. I went back and sat on the veranda and enjoyed it. Our girls had a very old iPhone 5s that we gave them so they can message us and see the navigator for that day. They loved this. I asked if they wanted to see Dreams it was a big no. I got ready for bed and then they came in saying oh you’re not going. Dd1 actually found it on the tv where they were broadcasting it live so we watched and then night night.

A family debate as to what this is. Thoughts?