We Survived! 9 days of land & sea - with a 3 year old! -9/1- NEW PIC I HAD TO SHARE!

[pinkxray]

Just wanted to pop over to say thanks! (you will see why when you read my new update)

 

[amandaw]

Just wanted to pop over to say thanks! (you will see why when you read my new update)

You are so very welcome! Although, I don't know if your DH would be thanking me. Y'all are going to have a terrific time!

Please let me know if you have any questions before November. I'm by no means a DCL expert, but I will help with anything I can!

I cannot wait to hear what y'all think of the cruise. I hope you do a TR for it. If so, please let me know, so I can follow along. Of course, I'm going to be completely stressing out that y'all will absolutely hate it & be cursing me the entire time!

 

[rustytss]

Hi...I am Heather's sister (or as she calls me - the Dis Stalker). I have only read the intro to your TR, but can't wait to read more. I have a 2 year old son that will be three when we go on the Dream, so I cant wait to see how your son did.

 

[amandaw]

Hi...I am Heather's sister (or as she calls me - the Dis Stalker). I have only read the intro to your TR, but can't wait to read more. I have a 2 year old son that will be three when we go on the Dream, so I cant wait to see how your son did.

Welcome Aboard! I'm so glad you stopped by to tell me "Hi!" I'm sure Heather will be proud of you. Y'all are going to have such a great time on the Dream. The kids will LOVE the kids club! As you're reading through my TR, please feel free to ask me any questions. I really don't mind!

 

[amandaw]

I last left y'all while we were getting back on the boat from spending a wonderful morning on Castaway Cay.

We got back on the boat quickly & began heading up to our room. Ed decided he wanted to go check out the wait for the AquaDuck since he was already in his swimsuit. While he went there, Reid & I went back to the room. I got us both changed out of our swimsuits & into some regular clothes. Within 20 minutes, Ed was in the room. He said there was hardly anyone in line for it. Seems like this was the perfect time to go on it. He liked it & said it was a lot of fun.

Ed got changed as well & we headed where Reid kept begging to go....the kids club! However, during this time they were having family play time & you could not check your kids in & leave them. Check-in on this day began at 4pm. Ed went in to the club with Reid & let him play. I headed down to Guest Services so I could take care of having our staff tips charged. After that, I headed back to the club to check on my boys. Reid seemed to be having lots of fun:





Ed said he would stay with Reid so he could play some more. I left because I had work to do. But, I decided work could wait & I headed on up to Deck 11. Where was I heading? That glorious ice cream bar! Have I mentioned how much I LOVED the banana ice cream? I got my banana ice cream cone & sat down at a table to enjoy myself. I think anyone with kid(s) will understand this: Sitting at that table on the pool deck of this beautiful cruise ship, by myself, enjoying an ice cream cone was one of my most favorite moments of the entire vacation. It's not that I don't love Reid or don't love spending time with him. But, I hardly ever get these types of quiet, peaceful moments...I'm a stay-at-home mom & am with him 24/7. My ice cream cone was finished before I knew it & as much as I wanted another one, I made myself go back to the room.

What was so important in that room? There was packing to be done. Yes, it was our last night on the boat & I was really sad about it. But, I got to work & started packing. Remember how I told y'all that they have a great selection of Disney movies on demand? Well, I put on my favorite to watch while I was packing....Beauty & the Beast.

The boys came back to the room around 2:45 pm. They climbed into the bed & started watching the movie while I packed. Well, by 3:00 pm, they were both O-U-T!



I was able to get pretty much all of my packing done & then started getting ready for dinner. I eventually had to wake up my boys & make them start getting ready for dinner as well. Before we left for dinner, the boat left Castaway Cay. This is the saddest sight from our vacation:





With that sad sight in mind, we decided to leave the room & go drown our sorrows in some food. So, where did we have dinner on our last night?







For an appetizer, Ed & I both had the lobster ravioli. We both thought it was good. We decided to skip the soup/salad course because neither one of us saw anything that really interested us.

Ed chose a NY Strip Steak for his main course. He said this was excellent. I had the Pan Seared Sea Bass. This was very yummy & had a sweet chili glaze with it. I love sea bass & try it anytime I'm at a restaurant that has it.

For a dessert, Ed had a chocolate torte with a apricot sauce that he said was very good. I had the bananas foster sundae. It was very good.

On this night, food service was very slow. For some reason, the wait staff seemed to be very frazzled. But, we still finished up at 7:15 pm. And although the food here was very good, it was probably our least favorite of the 3 main dining rooms. If I had to rank them in order from favorite to least favorite it would be:

Animator's Palette
Royal Palace
Enchanted Garden

After dinner, we checked Reid into the kids club around 7:30 pm. From there, Ed & I headed to Shutters. This is the place where you can view and/or buy photos that have been taken on the cruise by Disney's photographers. Man, that place was packed! Luckily, I had scoped out where our folder was earlier in the day, so I knew exactly where to go to get it. We knew exactly which photos we wanted - our family pic from Animator's Palette & the one with Reid & Peter Pan. We quickly grabbed those 2 photos & headed to check out. Check out was quick & I was glad to get out of that chaos!

But, then we headed across the way to Future Sails. They were also busy. So we waited & waited in line. We finally got to a guy who told us he was just filling in to help the girl at the other desk. He couldn't really help us so he took our info & said someone from DCL would call us within a week of us getting home. I think it ended up being more like 2 weeks but someone did call us & offered the same kind of deal as if we had booked online.

Once we were done with all of that, we headed back to our room. We walked in to the room to find this creature waiting on us:



Now, Ed thought it was hilarious that they had left us a frog. "Why?" you ask. I am completely TERRIFIED of frogs. So, needless to say, I wasn't too fond of this towel friend. We put our luggage into the hallway & got out of the room.

Where were we headed to next? Back to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch the show "Believe!" This show was really great! I don't want to give away the plot but it has a lot of different Disney characters. And, all I'll say, is that by the end of the show I had shed a few tears.

After the show, we headed to the club to collect our child. Well, once again, he was in the lab with the older kids playing the ship steering game. We finally got him to leave the game & went to check him out. On the last night, you have to give back the electronic device that is on their wristbands. And the counselor checking you out gives you a receipt showing that you returned it to make sure that you don't get charged for it.

We were going to go back to our room but I decided there was one more thing we should do since it was our last night of vacation. I figured it would be the perfect way to end the vacation. So, we headed on up to Deck 11 and, yep, you guessed it....we got ice cream cones! They had all of the lounge chairs around the pools facing the Funnelvision (the big screen where they play movies). So, we grabbed 3 chairs & sat down to enjoy our last ice cream cones while we watched Wall-E. Reid loves this movie. I don't know why, but I just don't get all the fuss about that movie.

Once we had thoroughly enjoyed our ice cream, we sadly made our way back to our room. Every night when we would be walking back to our room, we would walk single file in the hallway to our room because it is narrow & we would sing "Following the Leader" (from Peter Pan). I was so sad that this would be our last night of singing!

By the time we got back to our room, it was a little after 11pm. So, I got Reid ready for bed & he was asleep before I knew it! Ed & I got settled into bed as well. While I journaled, we finished watching "The Green Hornet" that we had started watching the night before. And then, it was time for sleep. We had an early morning & a long day ahead of us. In addition to flying home, we had one stop to make before going to the airport.

UP NEXT: Just where are we going to before the airport?

 

[Jillpie]

Oh nooooo, it's almost over, I've loved your report! Please do another one on your next cruise for us? Thanks for everything and all the time you put into this, great job!!

 

[KatMark]

I cannot believe it is almost over.

I love the picture of your "sleeping" boys. I remember those days when an "ice cream cone and five minutes to myself" felt like heaven.

 

[amandaw]

Oh nooooo, it's almost over, I've loved your report!

I know, I'm so sad, too! And thank you so much! I really am so happy that people have enjoyed it.

do another one on your next cruise for us?

Sure thing! Guess I need to tell Ed that we need to vacation again...and soon...so I can do another TR! Think that'll work? I do plan on doing TR's from now on whether we go to the parks, on a cruise or both. Unfortunately, our next trip probably won't be until October 2012.

for everything and all the time you put into this, great job!!

Thank you so much! Your nice words are truly appreciated!

 

[amandaw]

I cannot believe it is almost over.

I know! I'm so sad. I've truly enjoyed reliving our vacation with everyone on here!

love the picture of your "sleeping" boys.

Thank you! I loved that they were sleeping the exact same way, right beside each other.

I remember those days when an "ice cream cone and five minutes to myself" felt like heaven.

It really was so nice! Since having Reid, I've learned how to truly enjoy & appreciate any "me" time when I get it.

 

[rustytss]

Hey Amanda. I have spent almost 2 hours sitting here reading every detail your your report (my sister would be proud) and I am still not through it all. I am loving it so far and it is getting me really excited about our Dream vacation next summer! Can't wait to read about Castaway Cay! I skipped head a looked at a few pictures, but didn't read.

I have a quick question though...you mentioned that the kids menus on the Dream have the normal kids stuff. Does it have "adult like" stuff too. I have a 5 year old princess who would rather have shrimp and lobster than a hamburger or chicken fingers. Just wondering...

Stephanie

 

[amandaw]

Hey Amanda. I have spent almost 2 hours sitting here reading every detail your your report (my sister would be proud) and I am still not through it all.

I want to thank you for reading my TR. This is the first one I've ever done & I'm just so thankful that people have come to read along & are enjoying it.

I am loving it so far and it is getting me really excited about our Dream vacation next summer! Can't wait to read about Castaway Cay! I skipped head a looked at a few pictures, but didn't read.

Y'all are going to have such a great time on the Dream! I love looking at people's pictures, so I don't blame you one bit for taking a "sneak peek"!

I have a quick question though...you mentioned that the kids menus on the Dream have the normal kids stuff. Does it have "adult like" stuff too. I have a 5 year old princess who would rather have shrimp and lobster than a hamburger or chicken fingers. Just wondering...

Stephanie

On the kids menu, there are only typical kids items. Now, I don't know this to be 100% true, BUT, they are so accommodating on the ship that I'll bet you could order off the adult menu for her. In fact, if someone wants 2 appetizers or 2 entrees, they let you order as many as you want. So, if they do tell you no to ordering for her off the adult menu, then I would just order 2 entrees, etc. & make one for her. But, they really are so wonderful & accommodating that I'm sure they will get her whatever she wants to eat. The wait staff is so wonderful!

 

[pinkxray]

It's all over. I am afraid that the 3 night cruise is going to go by so fast but there is no other way to squeeze in a longer one. I keep telling myself a short cruise is better than no cruise but sometimes I wonder

 

[afwdwfan]

I'm glad you got a little bit of downtime with an ice cream cone. That would be an excellent way to just relax for a few minutes. The kid's club must have had some really good stuff to do because it looks like it must have been very exhausting. Too bad the trip is coming to an end, but it looks like it has been a fantastic experience!

 

[amandaw]

It's all over.

I know, I can't believe I'm almost to the end of our trip. It's almost as sad as when it really happened.

I am afraid that the 3 night cruise is going to go by so fast but there is no other way to squeeze in a longer one. I keep telling myself a short cruise is better than no cruise but sometimes I wonder

I won't lie, it will go by fast. But, you are right that a short cruise is better than no cruise at all. And, I do think the cruise will be nice since it'll be your 10 year anniversary. You & DH should be able to get some sort of alone time. And what I did like about the 3 night cruise is that it gives you a chance to see if Disney cruising is for your family or not without paying a lot more for a longer cruise. Also, in case y'all get on the boat & don't like it, at least you're not on there for a whole week. And if y'all do love it, then at least you'll know it's worth spending the money on a longer cruise for your family.

I'm glad you got a little bit of downtime with an ice cream cone. That would be an excellent way to just relax for a few minutes.

I was so thankful for that moment! Banana ice cream cone + Disney Dream + being alone =

The kid's club must have had some really good stuff to do because it looks like it must have been very exhausting.

I wasn't surprised that Ed fell asleep. He's always up for a good nap. And I figured he would crash since he had done all that swimming to Pelican Plunge on Castaway Cay & had also done the AquaDuck. But, I was SHOCKED that Reid fell asleep. It takes A LOT to tire out my son. Guess the combo of the beach, waterslides & the club really did the trick. If only I could have the same set up at my house so that he'd nap at home!

Too bad the trip is coming to an end, but it looks like it has been a fantastic experience!

I'm so sad that I'm almost done with the TR. It's like having to leave vacation all over again! But, it was truly a fantastic vacation. I couldn't have asked for more & feel so blessed to have had such a great, fun time with my family!

 

[lbuzz52]

that captain jack was awesome! what a perfect backdrop for him!

i love the picture of your boys sleeping in the same position

 

[mousetravel]

UP NEXT: Just where are we going to before the airport?

I'm gonna guess......Downtown Disney???????


It is sad to be at the end of a TR. I agree, it's like re-living the end of the cruise!! I'm on the last 2 days of my cruise in my TR, and I feel the same way!

 

[amandaw]

that captain jack was awesome! what a perfect backdrop for him!

Not only did he really look like Captain Jack but he sounded just like him, too. I was so excited that he was doing a meet & greet on the beach, it really was perfect.

i love the picture of your boys sleeping in the same position

Thanks! My family & I always laugh about how Reid lounges around & sleeps just like Ed. But, this was the first time I was able to get a picture of them side-by-side in the same position.

I'm gonna guess......Downtown Disney???????

I'll never tell! Well, I will tell you....but not until my last update!

It is sad to be at the end of a TR. I agree, it's like re-living the end of the cruise!! I'm on the last 2 days of my cruise in my TR, and I feel the same way!

Since this is my first TR, I wasn't sure what to expect as far as whether or not I would enjoy doing it and how the interaction would be with readers. But, I have truly enjoyed it & am so sad to see it coming to an end. It's also sad having to relive the end of this vacation because Ed & I had both agreed that this was the best vacation we have ever had.

 

[emma212010]

Great update! So sad it's almost over!! I'm glad you had a great last full day! I hear ya about the ice cream bar!

 

[amandaw]

Great update! So sad it's almost over!!

Thanks! I know, I'm sad, too. I've really had a lot of fun writing this trip report.

I'm glad you had a great last full day! I hear ya about the ice cream bar!

It really was a wonderful day. That ice cream was soooo good & I'm really not a big ice cream fan, I swear! But, that soft-serve ice cream on the boat was delicious!

 

[hstrickland]

WHAT??!! It's over??!! I'm lovin' the Dream pictures...you don't have anymore that you can just post randomly Thanks for soooo much information about the ship. We can hardly wait And don't forget to make your way over to the RC thread

Heather